Card sat on the couch, sipping juice. Drake and his wife, Moonshine, were going to be out all day today. That meant Card had a day off from training. Card didn’t mind having a day off too much, but he found he actually thoroughly enjoyed these past few days with Drake. Training with his shadows was… a change of pace. He felt… different. Not quite as young as he used to be. Still, he sat and sipped juice on the couch, reading a Grimm Brothers fairy tale, one of his favorites.

“Quite the pleasant day outside,” said a voice behind him.

Card would have been startled, but the voice he heard was not a voice to be afraid of. He turned to see his friend Mendacium standing there. Mendacium was an old knight, living from beyond Celestia and Luna’s reign. He was a close friend of Card. He had been the one to show Card how to open his eyes and see the world through his blind eyes. They had formed a close bond, and it was one that would last for a long time. “Yes, it certainly is~”

Menda smiled at him. “A perfect day for training, wouldn’t you agree?”

Card looked at him curiously. “Well, yes, but Drake is out with Moon.”

Menda face got a small sly smile. “Who mentioned Drake?~” Card grinned, realizing what he was getting at. “That’s right. Today, my best Card, I will be training you~”

Card smiled at the small nickname. “Alright then~” Happily, Card hopped off of the couch, setting down his juice.

“Determined, are you not?~”

Card nodded and walked outside. Menda followed behind him. “Now, I take it Drake informed you of what we shall be learning today?”

Card nodded. “I think he said something about reflexes~”

Menda frowned slightly. “Is that right?~ Perhaps he made a slight mistake. That wasn’t what he told me~” If Card had any surprise at this comment, it didn’t show. He had been prepared for reflex training, but he knew that in a battle, he wouldn’t be prepared. He supposed Drake was trying to throw him off balance. “No, today I will be teaching you endurance. I have the perfect task for you.” Mendacium’s horn began to glow with magic, and before Card appeared a giant rock. Giant didn’t seem to describe it just right. Monster, massive, enormous, colossal, and perhaps even going to far as to say gargantuan – THAT was how big the stone was. “I think you may understand the task at hoof now~”

Card looked up at the rock, trying to take in its enormity. “Yes, I think I do…”

“By the end of the day, my best Card, you must shatter the rock.” Card nodded, already thinking of the best ways to damage it. “The choice on how to break it is yours. You can try simply attacking it with full force, or you can try to use shadows. Fair warning, this rock is made from the hardest material known to me. Thus, it will not break simply with a good idea. The point of this session is to rely on raw power, to see how long you last.”

Card nodded. “I suppose I should test my limits.”

Menda looked at Card, gauging his strength. “Perhaps I can make this simpler. The rock does not need to be shattered, but merely half of its current size.”

Card nodded again, watching the stone as he would a foe. “Understood.”

“Should you want to use shadows…” Mendas horn lit with magic and a shield began to form around Card and the rock. He left a small area open so Card could hear him. “This shield will protect you from harming anything but the rock. Other than that, I am here at your side.”

Card nodded as Mendacium filled in the rest of the shield. He turned to the rock, thinking. I suppose I should start with what I know… He reached into his hat and pulled out the deck of cards he had been working with these past few days, shadows already beginning to curl from his hooves. “Interesting already,” Menda remarked to himself. Concentrating, Card engulfed the cards in shadows, enhancing the sides and corners to have a sharper edge. To a normal pony, these cards could now slice through a solid hoof and still be sharp. He began to whip at the rock with the card chain he had learned yesterday, yet saw each whip left not a single dent on the rock. “He’ll be taking far too long if he thinks this will work,” Menda said, watching Card beat away at the stone.

Inside the shield, Card was thinking much the same thing. This isn’t going to work, the stone is rock hard… I need to find a weak point and use it to my advantage... simply attempting to make one is a waste of time and stamina. He stood up straighter, creating a large copy of the cards he had been using. Quickly, he threw it like a knife at the stone, hoping to crack it. However, it was to no avail. The shadows merely crashed against the rock, doing nothing to damage it.

Mendacium couldn’t help but smile, watching Cards attacks. “His shadows are very strong…”

“Looks like you’re training somepony.”

Menda turned to see a somewhat familiar pony standing there by the name Maestro Midnight. Maestro was Celestias second top student, just below the Princess Twilight. Mae was very smart, and a friend of Dianes. “Indeed. The colt has an upcoming battle.”

“Really?”

“Yes. He and his friend, Hot, will be fighting.”

Mae glanced into the shield, somewhat surprised. “Isn’t that… Card? Wait, Card is fighting his best friend?”

Menda shook his head. “No, Card will be fighting alongside Hot.”

“O-oh… sorry, I can’t think straight.”

“You’ve been through a lot, Maestro.”

“You’re right,” he said, sighing. “Right now, my future looks dim. My daughter turns out to be an element of disharmony, I died and been revived twice, and I keep getting targeted by crazed ponies...”

Mendacium didn’t reply, watching Card with interest. “What is he…”

Mae looked over at Card to see he had stopped the worthless melee attack he had been using. Instead, Card had walked to the rock and placed his hoof on the surface of it.

Card closed his eyes, concentrating. Brute strength won’t destroy this stone. I can’t break it from the outside… so the next logical move is to destroy it from the inside. Card concentrated on moving his shadows into the rock, pushing his essence into the stone. Cards eyes widened. I can feel my shadows move through the rock.... I-it's not solid at all.... everything has a weak point, and you need to find it to shatter it… I have earth magic as well as shadow… both will help me here… His eyes became shadowy once more as he moved his shadows around him. He could still feel the power of the shadows and the urge to let the shadows roam wild and free. He remained in control, however, using that urge to be out in the world to push on the inside of the rock out.

Mendacium smiled brightly, watching from the outside of the shield. “Card is attacking the rock from the inside…”

“Interesting tactic.”

“Yes, unlike anything I have ever seen before.”

Card ignored the sweat rolling down his face as he pushed himself further, determined to make the rock shatter. The inside of the stone has only a little less pressure than that outside… He pushed against the rock harder, sweating badly in the late summer heat under the shield. He manipulated shadows around the rock to pull and tug at the outer edges, trying to help the process along. The sun was moving further down the sky as Card went about his task with diligence, concentrating solely on the task at hoof.

Outside the shield, both stallions watched the boy attempt to crack the rock, unable to gauge how well he was going. “Come on, Card,” Menda whispered. “You can do this…”

Maestro nodded. “He has a lot of potential.”

Mendacium turned to him, smiling. “As do you.”

“I really don’t…”

“You aren’t Celestias second student for nothing~”

“But… My life just goes from one disaster to the next…”

Menda laughed. “You’re telling this to who has lived for eons. I have been through many a disaster, Maestro. The rise of Nightmare Moon, Discords reign… I have seen and lived it all, yet now, I am mentoring a great warrior.”

Mae opened his mouth, but was cut off by a loud cracking sound. The rock had a long crack down the side, splintering the rock in places. “He’s doing it!”

Mendas smile grew. “Yes, Card, Yes! Wonderful! Just a little more…”

Inside the shield, Card was struggling. He began to feel weak, knowing he was pushing his limits. This was using up a lot of his energy. Remember why you fight in the first place... Remember all he told you that caused you to take up your shadows.... Use that remembrance to fuel yourself… More cracks began to appear, stemming from the large crack he had already made. He went further still, intent on making the entire stone splinter and shatter. He told me I wasn’t good enough then… that was then… He opened his eyes wide, shadows swirling inside them. “I’m learning to fight you now!” With that declaration, the entire stone cracked, leaving only sections intact. Still, the rock was un-shattered. “C-come on, Card, y-you can do this,” he said under his breath, trying to encourage himself to go even further.

Mendacium watched in anticipation, waiting for the rock to shatter. “Card is achieving great feats…”

“And so will I, soon,” Maestro said, feeling somewhat more confident after his talk with Menda. “But for now…” He stood quickly, smiling. “Come on, Card! You can do this!”

Card could feel the stone incased in his shadowy power. He could feel every speck of rock dust that had formed from the cracks. He saw the large original crack in the stone, and saw the weak spot he had made. He summoned a shadow card, enlarging it with his power. He threw it into the crack, feeling the card impact and stick into the rock. He lifted up his hoof, pointing towards the rock. “SHATTER!” In a burst of power, the card he controlled exploded with shadow magic and blew apart the stone. Card shielded his eyes as the shattered remains of the rock fell to the floor, hardly worth being called pebbles now. With that, Cards eyes went normal… just as his flank flashed. He collapsed on the ground, trying to regain his breath as he sat up. He glanced down at his cutie mark.

His cutie mark often changed. When he had first gotten it, it had been through a dance with the mare he loved, Lily Bywater. For the longest time, his cutie mark would remain the ace of hearts, depicting his love. Other times, such as after a long battle, his cutie mark would turn into a bloody joker card, representing his wild side. Now, however, it was one of the shadow cards he had been working with all this time. “Well well well~” he said with a small smile.

Mendacium lowered the shield, smiling brighter than he could remember. Mae trotted over, smiling as well. “Are you alright,” Menda asked quickly, seeing Card slumped on the ground slightly.

Card nodded. “T-that was quite the test…”

“You certainly look tired enough,” Mae said as he offered a hoof to Card. Card gratefully took the hoof and stood, revealing his new cutie mark to the two stallions.

“You passed the test with flying colors, Card~”

Card chuckled. “Though, I found that to be closer to a mental challenge than a physical one.”

“It was both a mental and physical test, my best Card.”

Card smiled and turned to Mae as he spoke. “I have to say, Card, I’ve never seen somepony use shadows like that as creative as you.” Card merely smiled at this, taking the compliment.

Menda glanced at Cards new cutie mark. “It seems your cutie mark has renewed itself~”

“Yes, it does that sometimes,” Card said with a laugh. “I must say, I was growing rather used to the bloody joker card.”

“Card,” Mae said. “I was hoping to ask you about something.” Card turned to him as Mae pulled a deck of cards from his cloak. He handed Card the deck and sighed. “All of the cards have-“

“-An element of disharmony on them,” Card said, completing the sentence. “Yes, the Deck of Disharmony…”

“What do you know about them?”

“There isn’t much known about these cards… but I do know they used to be Discords main weapon. He, if you’ll excuse the pun, discarded them after he absorbed most of their power. They still have some power, but not nearly as much as he.”

Mae sighed. “Would you mind keeping those? They’re affecting my daughter…”

Card nodded, smiling. “Actually, these will help me greatly.” He put the deck in his hat, then sat the hat back on his head.

“I need help… Discords magic is affecting my daughter horribly…”

Card nodded. “We’re already helping then. The enemy we fight is Discord. I plan for his magic to end in this final battle.”

Mae rolled his eyes. “Joy joy… I’ve met Discord a few times in the past…”

“Not this one.”

Mae looked confused. “There are several Discords, Mae. Some are merely pranksters, and others are purely evil.”

Mae was in a slight state of shock. “I-I’ve never heard of this before…”

Card shook his head. “It’s a problem with living at Sugar Cube Corner. It’s one of the few places in Equestria where all of the universes meet. The universes bleed into this dimension because this is the dimension where the Guardian of the Universal Crossings is, otherwise known as Pinkie Pie. As the dimensions bleed into this universe, as do the ponies and beings from the universes themselves. Hence why there are so many different versions and copies of ponies around here.”

Mendacium sighed slightly. “Unfortunately, the Discord we fight is one of the evil ones.”

Mae reached into another pocket of his cloak. “Then take this.” Out of the pocket he pulled another deck of cards. “They’re another one of my inventions. Let me show you what they do.” Mae poofed up a dummy to work with and turned to it, pulling the top card off of the deck. He threw it at the dummy and it ignited. He pulled out another card and threw it over the dummy, sprinkling it with water.

“Elemental cards?”

Mae nodded. “However, some of the cards in the deck are a bit different.” Saying this, Mae picked up two cards and threw them each in opposite directions. “These… are Tunnel Cards.”

Mendaciums eyes widened. “Tunnel cards?! Objects I have not seen in a long time…”

Mae laughed a bit ruefully. “Made these myself… Took me a week to get my strength back after using all that magic on these.”

Card watched as Mae stepped thru the left tunnel and appeared at the right. “Those will come in handy,” Card said as Mae picked up the two cards. “What else is there?” Card laughed as Mae pulled his favorite card out of the deck: The Joker. “My favorite card~”

Mendacium glanced at the card. “What does it do?”

Card grinned. “Anything.”

Mae chuckled at Cards happiness over a simple card. “Just watch~” He threw the card in a circle around Card, letting it curve back around to himself. When the card came back to him, Mae was an exact replica of Card. Card laughed at his duel figure, smiling brightly. It figured that his favorite card would imitate him.

“To un-disguise,” the Mae Card said, “you just do this…” He ripped the card in half, returning to his normal form. The ripped card then melted into one once more, repairing the tear as though nothing had happened. He placed it back in the deck, his face turning grim. “One warning, Card…”

Card could only answer with silence as Mae drew the Ace from the deck. Menda glanced at the card. “What does it do?”

Mae let Card hold the Ace. “Never use this unless you must. It can double your power. However, if you use the card while you’re in full health… it could over fuel you. Be careful with that one.” With that, Mae handed Card the deck with a small smile. “Now, I wish you luck.” He shook Cards hoof and walked away, smiling.

Menda bid Mae farewell as Card shuffled the deck, turning the Ace card face up so he could recall where it hid in his arsenal of 52. “These cards will help me greatly…”

Menda nodded, glancing at him. “But the Ace will not be needed.”

Card grinned. “Trust me. I have a plan for the Ace up my sleeve~”

“Do tell me it, then~”

“My name IS Trick after all. What better than to trick him at his own game?” He summoned the Ace from the deck with his shadows, twirling it around in the air once before catching it. “If he seeks power so greatly… perhaps he should take it~”

“But why would you make him… You plan to over fuel him?” Card nodded, replacing the Ace in the deck. “That is very dangerous, Card.”

Card smiled at Menda. “Chaos magic corrupts the mind. He’s managed to keep his sanity at levels of moderate madness all this time. Anymore, and he’d be mentally unstable, meaning he would make mistakes in his fighting.”

“And if he does somehow manage to control this power?”

“Simple. I tear the card in half. It will undo the affects of the card.” Card glanced up at Mendaciums face, seeing the grim uncertainty of his plan. “Now, granted, I may not need this card.”

Menda nodded. “That is true.” He smiled. “You did impressively today, my best Card.”

Card smiled somewhat awkwardly, never having been good at accepting praise. “Thank you.”

“Now, let’s get you home. You could do with a good rest.” Menda sniffed slightly and laughed. “But first, I think, a shower is in order. You smell like sweat and rock dust.” Card laughed with him and walked at his side. Menda smiled, seeing he was able to walk. “Fascinating. Your durability has already increased.”

“Guess I’m a quick learner~”

“Very quick indeed~”

They reached the inn quickly. Menda opened the door for Card and together they walked in. Card went off to take a shower, and Mendacium went up to his room to where his wife and child awaited him. The rest of the day came and went, giving Card time to settle his thoughts.

When the night came, Card was alone with them… or was he?~

Author's Notes:

Oooo, Next chapter is one of my favorites... >3 And one you'll have to wait for. I'M GOING TO THE BEACH~ MWAHAHAHAHA
So, basically, this is the last chapter before the whole story is posted~
So... YEAH!
HAVE FUN READING FOLKS! *waves*