The train sped along the tracks towards Appleloosa. Applejack and Rarity sat in silence, staring out the window at the dark, deserted landscape while Pinkie tutored Spike on how to work the engine.

“Alright, Spike!” said Pinkie. “Watch closely, as I show you how to brake. I’m the first stop, so I won’t be able to lend a helping hoof for this, okay?”

“Couldn’t I just wait for you to be done?” asked Spike, as Pinkie demonstrated a surprising amount of knowledge about a steam train’s controls.

“Not enough time, I’m afraid,” said Pinkie. “Remember to keep feeding the fire coal, too. Not to much, though. If it’s too hot, we’ll lose all the water.”

“Got it,” said Spike, as the train slowed to a halt at Appleloosa Station. “Thanks, Pinkie.”

“Any time, Spike!” Pinkie smiled, shaking some of the soot off her coat before trotting back to Applejack and Rarity to get her deck and Duel Disk.

“Well, I’m off!” Pinkie said, securing her Duel Disk and opening the door to the platform.

“Pinkie,” said Rarity, “are you sure you want to do this?”

“What do you mean?” Pinkie asked.

“You’ve seen what a duel of darkness can do,” said Rarity. “And, well, you aren’t exactly a Signer.”

“We’ll take your place for this duel, if you want,” said Applejack.

Pinkie paused, before shaking her head. “Nuh-uh. You’re not doing that.”

“What?”

“Yeah, I’m not a Signer and I don’t have a fancy dragon or anything,” said Pinkie, “but I’m not going to let you girls hurt yourselves for me. I was challenged to this, after all.”

“Pinkie,” said Rarity.

“No arguing,” said Pinkie. “I know I’m not much help here. I can’t break the rune circle and, after what happened to Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle and everypony else, laughing isn’t on top of my mind either. I’m not even that good at dueling, but… I’ve got to help, okay?”

Applejack and Rarity glanced at each other, and nodded. “We understand, Pinkie.”

“Here,” said Rarity, pulling a card out of her deck, and levitating it into Pinkie’s. “Something to help you help us. Is that okay?”

Pinkie smiled. “Thank you, Rarity. Good luck, you two!”

“Good luck, Pinkie.”

Pinkie Pie bounced out of the train, and out into the Appleloosa. As soon as the train left the station, she stopped bouncing, and looked around the empty town. “Good luck, Pinkie,” she mumbled to herself, before trotting off towards the apple orchard.

Just before she could begin stepping into the trees, a voice rang out. “So you showed up, Miss Pinkie Pie.”

“Thunderhooves!” Pinkie gasped, as the ground beneath her began shaking.

Purple flames erupted from the ground, weaving themselves into a large pattern covering the majority of the small desert town. Reflecting on the dark skies above was the burning geoglyph of a monkey.

Stepping out of the trees was Thunderhooves himself, the same image shining through his cloak on his flank. “Welcome, Miss Pie. Welcome to the geoglyph of the Earthbound Gods.”

“Chief Thunderhooves,” Pinkie mumbled.

“It’s not Chief anymore,” Thunderhooves said.

“That’s right,” said Pinkie. “You mentioned something about your tribe being killed?”

“By your friends, to be precise,” said Thunderhooves.

“Where did you get a nutty idea like that!?” asked Pinkie. “My friends wouldn’t kill!”

“You are all out to kill the Dark Signers, are you not?” asked Thunderhooves.

“That’s not the same as killing the innocent!” snapped Pinkie. “Where did you get the idea my friends killed your herd?”

“I’ll show you the truth soon enough,” said Thunderhooves. “Now, unless you want to keep wasting the little time you have left, I suggest you draw your cards and face me!”

“Fine,” said Pinkie, drawing her cards “since you’re so stubborn…”

“Duel!”

Pinkie Pie: LP 4000. Thunderhooves: LP 4000.

“I’ll go first, since you want me to fight you so bad,” said Pinkie. “Draw!” Where’d I get this? Unless, is this Rarity’s card? "Alright! I set one card! Then, I summon Vylon Charger!” A pillar with what looked like a head and headdress attached at the top, and a bottom that tapered off to a point appeared, floating in front of Pinkie. Two arms sprung out from its sides. Five gold rings surrounded it, spinning around it. [ATK1000. LV4] “Then, I equip it with the Equip Spell Synchro Boost! The Equipped Monster gains 500 ATK and 1 level! [ATK1500. LV5] Oh, and by Vylon Charger’s effect, all LIGHT monsters gain 300 ATK for each card equipped to it!” A spotlight shown out from the bottom of Vylon Charger. [ATK1800] “That should do it. Turn end!”

“Hmph,” snorted Thunderhooves. “I should have known you’d do such a basic, simpleminded strategy.”

“What’s that supposed to mean!?” snapped Pinkie.

“I mean that I will be unable to show you the truth before you perish,” said Thunderhooves. “My turn, draw! I activate the Field Spell, Closed Forest!” Large amounts of dead trees sprang up around the field and throughout the geoglyph. “I summon Ape Magician!” A short, black furred ape in a green cloak appeared, wielding a black staff in its hand. [ATK800. LV3] “Ape Magician's effect! Once per turn, when in Attack Position, I can discard a Monster from my hoof to take control of a Monster my opponent controls!”

“What!?” gasped Pinkie.

“I discard a second Ape Magician to take control of Vylon Charger!” Ape Magician pointed its staff, and enveloped Vylon Charger in magical aura. It swung the staff over towards Thunderhooves’ side of the field, taking Pinkie’s Monster over with it.

“No!” Pinkie gasped.

“Furthermore,” said Thunderhooves, “Closed Forest’s effect. For every Monster in my Graveyard, Beast Monsters I control gain 100 ATK. [ATK900] Now, Vylon Charger. Attack Miss Pie directly!” The spotlight lifted up towards Pinkie and fired a blast of electricity out at her.

“Dang it,” muttered Pinkie. “I hate to use your card this early, Rarity, but I can’t lose too many Life Points before the Earthbound God is even summoned. Trap activate! Rainbow Life! By discarding one card, any damage I take this turn will increase my Life Points by an equal amount instead! I discard Central Shield!” Lights matching the colors of the rainbow enveloped Pinkie, causing the lightning to dissipate before it could hit her. [Pinkie Pie: LP 4000 –> 5800]

“Well, I stand corrected,” said Thunderhooves. “You may actual put up a fight. Turn end.”

“My turn,” said Pinkie. “Draw! I summon Vylon Ohm!” A machine-like being, with a metal diamond shaped appendage for its lower half descended, its metallic gold wings fluttering behind it. It raised its two arms, which had the appearance of two large energy cannons. [ATK1500. LV4] “When Vylon Ohm is summoned, I banish an Equip Spell from my Graveyard. I banish Central Shield! During my next Standby Phase, Central Shield will be added to my hoof.”

“If you survive until your next Standby Phase,” said Thunderhooves. “You may have been able to dodge damage last turn, but you can’t defend forever!”

“Then I’ll just go on the offensive!” said Pinkie. “I activate the Equip Spell, Fighting Spirit, equipping it to Vylon Ohm! For every Monster you control, Ohm gains 300 ATK! [ATK2100] Go, Vylon Ohm! Attack Ape Magician!” Ohm aimed its twin cannons, and sent out two blasts of energy. Upon impact, Ape Magician was blown apart in an explosion, and Thunderhooves skidded back, debris flying into him.

“Agh!” [Thunderhooves: LP 4000 –> 2800]

“There goes that annoying card,” smiled Pinkie. “With one less Monster, Ohm loses 300 ATK. [ATK1800] Now, here’s the thing. If you summon another Monster, Ohm will get more ATK. Oh, and Fighting Spirit will destroy itself to protect Ohm from destruction, so you can’t go for mutual destruction either. How’s that for a simple strategy? I’m not a Signer, but that doesn’t mean you should take me lightly!”

“You are correct, of course,” said Thunderhooves. “Very well, I’ll cease all mercy starting now! My turn, draw! I summon Dark Tuner Dark Ape!” What appeared to be almost like a balloon animal appeared, each body part separate from the rest, weaving into the shape of a monkey. A glowing dark sphere held the different pieces in place. [ATK0. LV2]

“D-Dark Tuner?” stuttered Pinkie.

“Then, I activate the Spell Dark Wave!” said Thunderhooves. “I multiply the level of Vylon Charger by -1! As your Equip Spell made it level 5, it is now the negative of that!” [LV-5]

“Uh oh,” said Pinkie, apprehensively stepping back.

“I’m dark tuning my level 2 Dark Ape to my level -5 Vylon Charger!” said Thunderhooves. Dark Ape burst into two stars, which pierced to Vylon Charger. The two stars darkened, and Charger exploded into 7 black stars, which spun around in front of Thunderhooves, black lightning coursing between them. “The one born from darkness, become the supreme ruler who shall lead all of creation into the negative world!” A pillar of dark energy shot up, engulfing the stars. “Dark Synchro! Appear now, Zeman the Ape King!”

A red ape with black shoulder pads holding on a dark green cape emerged from the dark energy. Like Ape Magician, he wielded a black staff in his hand. The hair on the top of his head stuck up like a flame. His eyes were yellow, and seemed to have a sinister glow to them. [ATK2500. LV-7]

“Dark Synchro Monster,” mumbled Pinkie, a nervous smile on her face. “Oops. I forgot you’d probably have one…”

“This world shall fall, Pinkie Pie,” said Thunderhooves. “You and your Signer friends will perish, and the underworld will spread. No matter how twisted, how decayed they become, how I become, I will run with my tribe again.”

“Thunderhooves…” mumbled Pinkie.

“First, as Dark Tuner Dark Ape was used for a Dark Synchro Summon, I can draw a card!” said Thunderhooves, “Then, as I have 3 Monsters in my Graveyard, Zeman gains 300 ATK from Closed Forest’s effect! [ATK2800] Your Vylon Ohm only has 1800 ATK! Battle! Zeman the Ape King, attack Vylon Ohm! Cursed Flare!” Zeman pointed his staff, and let out a blast of purple flames, engulfing Ohm and Pinkie.

“Agh!” [Pinkie Pie: LP 5800 –> 4800] “Fighting Spirit’s effect activates! I destroy it to prevent Ohm from being destroyed!” [ATK1500]

“Hmph,” snorted Thunderhooves. “I set a card, and end my turn.”

“My turn,” said Pinkie. “Draw! During the Standby Phase, Vylon Ohm’s effect returns Central Shield to my hoof! Then, I summon Vylon Stella!” A metallic star made of pyramids appeared in front of Pinkie. Two arms came out from the lower front points, while three gold rings rotated around the three points protruding from its back and underside. Yet another protruding pyramid served as its face. [ATK1400. LV3]

“A Tuner, huh?” said Thunderhooves.

“I tune my level 3 Vylon Stella to my level 4 Vylon Ohm!” said Pinkie. Stella burst into three green Tuning Rings, which stacked over Vylon Ohm. Ohm dissolved into four level stars for channeling. “Combine courage and power to protect the world’s peace! Synchro Summon!” A burst of light shot through the rings in front of Pinkie. “Come on out, Power Tool Dragon!”

A mechanical dragon, its neck, arms, stomach, and tail covered in what looked like segmented plate armor. Its right claw was the shovel of an excavator, and while its left claw had a long screwdriver mounted on it. Its chest, head, shoulders, feet, and wings were covered in a solid, golden armor. Its eyes flashed red, as it landed in front of Pinkie. [ATK2300. LV7]

Pinkie’s eyes widened, as she felt her heartbeat seemingly reverberate through her. It didn’t hurt, and actual seemed to soothe her. What the? What was that?

“So that’s your ace, Miss Pie?” Thunderhooves asked, his eyes narrowed in a glare. “Bringing a toy to a duel of darkness… That angers me more than your stupid song. You think you can turn any serious conflict into some amusing form of entertainment, don’t you?”

“Is that why you challenged me to this duel?” Pinkie asked. “Because you think I don’t take troubles seriously?”

“Exactly,” said Thunderhooves. “Before I kill you, I will crush your spirit with the despair I felt at losing my tribe.”

“I do take things seriously,” Pinkie mumbled. “I activate Vylon Stella’s effect! Since it went to the Graveyard from a Monster Card Zone, I pay 500 Life Points to Equip it to Power Tool Dragon!” [Pinkie Pie: LP 4800 –> 4300] Stella reappeared, splitting apart, with its points attaching themselves to Power Tool. “Power Tool Dragon’s effect! Once per turn, I can add one random Equip Spell from my deck to my hoof!” Pinkie’s deck automatically shuffled itself, and a card slid out for her to draw. “Yes! I activate the Equip Spell I just got, Double Tool C&D! This card equips to Power Tool Dragon!” The screwdriver on Power Tool vanished, replaced with a long drill. The shovel was replaced as well, a circular saw appearing in its place. “During my turn, Power Tool gains 1000 ATK!” [ATK3300]

“You call this taking things seriously?” muttered Thunderhooves.

“Battle!” said Pinkie. “Power Tool Dragon, attack Zeman the Ape King! Crafty Break!”

“Zeman the Ape King's effect!” countered Thunderhooves. “I discard a Monster from my hoof to negate your attack!”

“What!?” gasped Pinkie.

“Furthermore,” said Thunderhooves, “the Monster I discarded is Ape Merchant. When Ape Merchant is discarded, I can draw 2 cards! Also, as there’s now another Monster in the Graveyard, Closed Forest increases the ATK of Zeman by another 100!” [ATK2900]

“No!” gasped Pinkie. “I end my turn. During my opponent’s turn, Double Tool C&D loses its ATK boosting effect.” [ATK2300]

“My turn,” said Thunderhooves. “Draw! Battle! Zeman the Ape King, attack Power Tool Dragon! Cursed Flare!” Zeman blasted another burst of purple flames, engulfing Pinkie and Power Tool.

“Agh!” [Pinkie Pie: LP 4300 –> 3700] “Power Tool Dragon’s effect! I can destroy an Equip Card to avoid its destruction! I destroy Double Tool C&D!” The drill and saw vanished, replaced with the original screwdriver and shovel. “Also, Vylon Stella’s effect! When the Equipped Monster battles, the opponent’s Monster that it fought is destroyed after the Damage Step!” The pyramids fired off of Power Tool, piercing through Zeman. As Zeman was destroyed, the pyramids reattached themselves to Power Tool.

Thunderhooves smiled “I’m activating my Trap, Dark Matter!”

“Dark Matter!?” gasped Pinkie. “That’s that card Gilda used…”

“As my Dark Synchro Monster was destroyed,” said Thunderhooves, “I Special Summon 2 Dark Matter Tokens!” [DEF0. LV1]

Pinkie found herself shaking. “You’re going to play it, aren’t you?”

Thunderhooves nodded. “I activate the Quick-Play Spell, Battle Summon Spell! If I didn’t Normal Summon during Main Phase 1, I can Normal Summon during my Battle Phase!”

“What!?” Pinkie gasped. “So you’ll get to attack with it right away!?”

“I release my two Dark Matter Tokens!” said Thunderhooves. The two Tokens flew into the air, vanishing in a flash of light, replaced with a beating stone heart.

Pinkie felt her heartbeat reverberate through her again, as she stared up at the stone. Black fog was being sucked inside it, as it pulsed.

“Witness the truth, Miss Pie,” said Thunderhooves. “You asked where I learned the Signers killed my tribe, and this is it.”

Pinkie’s sight went white as she stared at the heart, as Thunderhooves’ Earthbound God sent her a vision.

The buffalo herd was stampeding through Equestria’s badlands. Suddenly, the ground ripped open beneath them, and every one of them was swallowed up. A pulse of energy rippled over the ground, resealing it after them.

As Pinkie’s sight returned, a pillar of light shot down from the stone heart, hitting the ground and causing the flames to dance wildly. “That was…”

“Accept the offering of Appleloosa’s souls!” said Thunderhooves. “Descend! Earthbound God Cusillu!” Rising from the ground, was a large, black monkey, yellow tribal markings across its body, and making up the form of its face. Its tail curled behind it, as it tilted its head to seemingly glare down at Pinkie. At its full height, it dwarfed the entirety of the nearby landscape. [ATK2800. LV10]

“That vision I saw,” Pinkie mumbled. “That was the proof?”

“Yes,” nodded Thunderhooves. “Proof provided to me by the Earthbound God.”

“What kind of proof is that!?” snapped Pinkie. “You’re going to take what that things claims at face value? I’m all for being friendly, and whatnot, but I don’t think he’s trustworthy!”

“I’d expect you to side with your friends,” said Thunderhooves. “Cusillu showed me the vision of that fateful day, so I could see how it happened. He told me the truth. How the resonance of the Elements of Harmony and the Crimson Dragon took my tribe away from me.”

“Are all Dark Signers insane?” asked Pinkie. “You want proof, look around you! What do you see? A town and orchard torn apart and burning! And looky behind you! All the evidence points to that monkey being the culprit!”

Thunderhooves looked around, before shaking his head. “It’s too late, Pinkie. I see that the Earthbound Gods can damage this world, but I knew they could. I see no proof that you aren’t the killers of my tribe, and until I do… Cusillu gains 500 ATK by the effect of Closed Forest! [ATK3300] Battle! Earthbound God Cusillu, bypass Pinkie Pie’s Monsters and attack her directly!”

Cusillu clenched his hand into a fist, and slammed it down on top of Pinkie. Pinkie dodged the fist itself, but the debris of dirt kicked up upon hitting the ground swept her away like a wave, crashing her down a few yards away.

“Ah…” she gasped weakly. [Pinkie Pie: LP 3700 –> 400]

“I set a card,” said Thunderhooves. “Turn end.”

Pinkie pulled herself out from the rubble, slipping on a small smear of blood upon attempting to stand. Once she had her balance, she weakly drew a card. “M-my turn…”

“Continuous-Trap, activate!” said Thunderhooves. “Brilliant Shrine Art!”

“What?” asked Pinkie. “What’s that?”

“Ordinarily,” said Thunderhooves, “you’d be unable to target my Earthbound God for an attack, leaving me defenseless. Thanks to this card, now you are only able to target my Earthbound God for battle!”

“No!” gasped Pinkie, the shock bringing her energy back. “I… I don’t have enough Life Points to try… Power Tool Dragon, please! Give me the Equip Spell I need! I activate Power Tool Dragon’s effect! I add a random Equip Spell from my deck to my hoof!” Pinkie’s deck automatically shuffled itself, and gave her a card to draw. She looked at it, and smiled. “Not quite what I was hoping for, but it’ll do! I switch Power Tool Dragon to Defense Position!” [DEF2500]

“Have you forgotten I can merely strike you directly?” asked Thunderhooves.

“Have you forgotten the Equip that’s been in my hoof since the start of the duel?” asked Pinkie. “I Equip Power Tool Dragon with Central Shield!” Floating discs appeared around Power Tool Dragon. “I can only take battle damage from battles involving Power Tool! Then, I Equip Power Tool Dragon with Shield Reflector! Whenever you attack the Equipped Monster, you take damage equal to half of your own Monster’s ATK!” A shield with a mirror mounted on it attached to Power Tool Dragon.

“Hmph,” snorted Thunderhooves. “Moving back to the defensive?”

“It’s all I can do,” said Pinkie. “And I refuse to give up on my friends! Turn end!”

“Hmph,” snorted Thunderhooves. “Foolish. My turn, draw! I summon Ape Fighter!” A tall, red furred ape with a metal helmet on his head, and denim pants on his legs lumbered out, pounding his chest angrily. [ATK1900. LV4] “Thanks to Closed Forest, he gains 500 ATK!” [ATK2400]

“Not good enough,” said Pinkie.

“But it is,” said Thunderhooves. “Battle! Earthbound God Cusillu, attack Power Tool Dragon!” Cusillu slammed his fist down on Power Tool Dragon.

“I activate the effect of Shield Reflector and Power Tool Dragon! I negate Power Tool’s destruction by destroying Central Shield! And Shield Reflector deals damage equal to half of Cusillu’s ATK! That's 1650 points of damage!”

“Gah!” winced Thunderhooves, as he was struck by a blast of energy from the mirror. [Thunderhooves: LP 2800 –> 1150]

“And now Cusillu will be destroyed by Vylon Stella’s effect!” said Pinkie. “Do it, Vylon Stella! Destroy the Earthbound God!”

“Do you think it’s that easy!?” snapped Thunderhooves. “Earthbound God Cusillu’s effect! I can release another monster I control to negate its destruction and halve my opponent’s Life Points!”

“What!?” gasped Pinkie.

“I release Ape Fighter!” Ape Fighter vanished and the pyramids that had went flying towards Cusillu reversed course and reattached to Power Tool Dragon. A sudden burst of energy shot up from underneath Pinkie.

“Agh!” [Pinkie Pie: LP 400 –> 200]

“Furthermore,” said Thunderhooves, “as another Monster is in the Graveyard, Closed Forest increases Cusillu’s ATK by another 100!” [ATK3400]

Pinkie lied trembling on the ground, groaning in pain. Power Tool Dragon seemed to be looking at her in concern.

“How’s it feel, Miss Pie?” asked Thunderhooves. “This is the pain I felt when I-”

“Enough,” Pinkie interrupted, shakily pulling herself up. “I am sorry you lost your tribe, but I’m tired of you taking it out on me and my friends. The Elements of Harmony are a force for good. The Crimson Dragon is a god of… dragony goodness! They aren’t… We aren’t destructive, we aren’t evil… I don’t know what lies the underworld is putting in your head, but I swear Chief, I will save you from them! In honor of your tribe, I’ll save you and this world!”

Pinkie’s right flank began glowing, and the three balloons vanished. In their place, glowing red, was the outline of the Crimson Dragon’s heart.

As the train trundled onwards, Rarity’s and Applejack’s Signer Marks began burning. Their eyes widened, and they quickly pulled their gaze from the window to look at each other.

“Your Mark is glowing,” said Applejack.

“As is yours,” said Rarity. “I can’t believe it. I thought all of the Crimson Dragon’s Marks Twilight’s book showed were already accounted for!”

“It’s Pinkie,” said Applejack, a small smile forming. “Since when did she need to be tied by logic?”

Rarity gave a small smile in return, gazing out the window at the monkey geoglyph in the distance. “You’re a Signer after all, Pinkie... You can do this!”

Thunderhooves’ eyes widened, and he took a step back in surprise. “Impossible… How can you be a Signer!?”

“Guess you aren’t savvy enough to have seen it coming!” smiled Pinkie. Though, admittedly, I didn’t see this coming either… “My turn, draw! I summon the Tuner Monster, Vylon Sphere!” A small orb, with two tiny hands sticking out of it, and blue lights for eyes rolled out in front of Pinkie. [ATK400. LV1] Pinkie’s Extra Deck began glowing. “I tune my level 1 Vylon Sphere to my level 7 Power Tool Dragon!” Vylon Sphere turned into a green Tuning Ring, and Power Tool Dragon flew into the center of it, before both were engulfed in crimson light.

“What’s happening?” asked Thunderhooves. “What is this light?”

“The courage and power to protect the future of the planet is a revolution! Synchro Summon! Evolve, Life Stream Dragon!” The armor on Power Tool shattered, revealing the scaly flesh of a dragon in the same shape and color below. His claws were red, and where the screwdriver was on Power Tool was now a long, grey spike. [ATK2900. LV8]

“Is this your Signer Dragon?” asked Thunderhooves. “Appearing out of nowhere like that, just like that earthquake…”

“You’re wrong!” said Pinkie. “I’ll show you that the Crimson Dragon and its servants aren't destructive! That they hold the power of life! I activate the effects of Vylon Sphere and Life Stream Dragon! First, Life Stream Dragon, as we both have less than 2000 Life Points, restores us to 2000!”

Life Stream stretched his wings, and light began shining out of them, falling onto Pinkie and Thunderhooves. In a flash of warm light, some of the injuries on the two duelists faded away. [Pinkie Pie: LP 200 –> 2000. Thunderhooves: LP 1150 –> 2000]

“The light… healed me?” Thunderhooves mumbled. “So then… The earthquake… wasn’t a resonance of the Elements and the Crimson Dragon?”

“Then,” said Pinkie, “by paying 500 Life Points, as Vylon Sphere was sent from the Monster Card Zone to the Graveyard, I can Equip it to Life Stream Dragon!” [Pinkie Pie: LP 2000 –> 1500]

“So it carries a similar effect to your previous Tuner, huh?” said Thunderhooves.

“I send Vylon Sphere to the Graveyard,” said Pinkie, “to use his effect to Equip and Equip Spell from the Graveyard to Life Stream Dragon! I Equip Fighting Spirit! Since you have one Monster, Life Stream gains 300 ATK!” [ATK3200]

“It’s still not enough to win,” said Thunderhooves.

“Not yet,” said Pinkie. “I activate the Spell Synchro Friendship! I discard one card to Equip a Synchro Monster in my Graveyard to a Synchro Monster on my field! The Equipped Monster gains ATK equal the ATK of the Monster I Equipped to it! I Equip Power Tool Dragon to Life Stream Dragon to increase his ATK by 2300!” [ATK5500]

“5500 ATK!?” gasped Thunderhooves.

“Finish this, Life Stream!” said Pinkie. “Attack Earthbound God Cusillu! Life’s Beauty Howl!” Life Stream Dragon shot out a blast of crimson energy, which pierced through Cusillu’s chest. The Earthbound God seemed too stunned to react before it exploded in a crimson burst. Thunderhooves was tossed away from the force of the explosion, crashing down in front of Pinkie. [Thunderhooves: LP 2000 –> 0]

Life Stream Dragon and Closed Forest faded away, as the flames of the geoglyph died out. Pinkie fell back onto her rump, blinking in surprise, as her new Signer Mark stopped glowing, remaining in place on her flank.

“I… I won...?” Pinkie asked herself in disbelief.

“Congratulations, Miss Pie,” groaned Thunderhooves.

“Chief Thunderhooves!” gasped Pinkie, crouching down to look him in the eye. “Are you alright?”

“I’m sorry,” he said. “You were right after all… My tribe… wasn’t killed by the Crimson Dragon…”

“Well, duh,” said Pinkie, a small smile on her face. “I accept your apology, though.”

“I wish I never chose this path,” said Thunderhooves. “I compromised on our stampeding ground with the Appleloosans, and that worked out well. Little Strongheart in particular seemed to like it here. So, maybe…”

“You thought you could compromise with the underworld?” asked Pinkie. “Equestria for your tribe?”

Thunderhooves opened his eyes, the sclera having returned to the usual white. “Pinkie Pie… You surprise me again with your knowledge.”

“I surprise myself, too,” giggled Pinkie. “Come on, let’s get you someplace to rest.”

“This is my resting place, Pinkie,” said Thunderhooves.

“Don’t say that,” said Pinkie. “You aren’t a Dark Signer anymore, right?”

“That’s right.”

“So we aren’t enemies anymore! We can be friends again, and save everypony else from the Earthbound Gods!”

“Pinkie Pie,” said Thunderhooves. “I’m sorry, but, with the Earthbound God gone, so is the force keeping me alive…”

“W-what!?” Pinkie gasped, her eyes tearing up. “Then, did I just…?”

“No,” said Thunderhooves. “I brought about my own end here. Keep fighting for me and the tribe, Miss Pie. For your friends…” Before another word could be spoken, Thunderhooves dissolved away into dust.

Pinkie blinked in surprise again, before huddling up against herself, her mane deflating as tears streamed down her face. She sobbed for as long as she could, before it hurt to force more tears out. She wiped her eyes and forced herself to stand. “For you and your tribe, Thunderhooves. For my friends, I will take the underworld down.”

She trotted to the purple rune circle in the remains of the apple orchard. Standing in the center, she held up Life Stream Dragon. The circle glowed crimson before shattering and vanishing entirely. Placing Life Stream back in her Extra Deck, Pinkie looked off towards the horizon, and began trotting down towards the train tracks, intent on following her friends.

Glowing orbs of light fell from the sky around Appleloosa. Upon touching the ground, they flashed, and the Appleloosans stood in their place.

“What in tarnation?” said Braeburn.

“Well, this’ll take some cleaning up,” said Silverstar. “But, it seems…”

“We’re all okay,” a voice finished.

“Little Strongheart?” asked Braeburn, turning to see the young buffalo and the rest of her tribe. “What brings you here? Where’s Chief Thunderhooves?”

“I don’t know,” said Little Strongheart. “But, for some reason, I feel like crying.”

“Relief that we’re alive?” suggested Braeburn.

“Maybe,” said Strongheart, leaning against him, and looking up towards the sky. “Or perhaps… it’s something less cheerful…”