"Your horned freaks may have won control of the field, but now it's time to see if they can hold their control." Rex says as he sets a monster in defense mode. "I defend with Trakodon!"

"Rex has a point. Joey's two Battleguards may have dominance over the field, seeing as they both have enhanced attack points from both being on the field at the same time and from the Field Power Bonus on Joey's half of the field, but now comes the hard part. Keeping the field under his control." Spike says.

"Lava Battleguard, give that dino a bashing!" Joey commands as the Lava Battleguard slams its club down on the Trakodon, destroying it.

"I gotta admit, those two are some tag team." Rainbow says impressed. "Being on the field together and the Field Power Bonus makes them nearly invulnerable."

"No joke. And since Joey's already taken out Rex's best monsters, Two-Headed King Rex and Serpent Night Dragon, the rest will be a cakewalk." Tristan says.

Just as Tristan tells Joey to finish the duel for good, Rex interrupts with a laugh.

"Who said that the Serpent Night Dragon Joey destroyed two turns ago was my best card?" Rex asks as he draws the card he needs, bringing a smile to his face. "My supreme monster is a dragon, but of a different sort! The Red-Eyes Black Dragon!" None of the gang can believe what they heard, even Mai.

"A WHAT DRAGON?" Mai asks in shock. But she and the others soon get their answer when said monster appears.

"You pair of primates can power up till they're purple in the face, they're still no match for the thrashing power of this beast!" Rex says with pride.

"So it does exist." Yugi says in disbelief. "My grandpa told me about this card."

"He also told us about it too, Yugi." Twilight added. "They say that its powers rival those of even the mighty Blue-Eyes White Dragon. And if there's a card that can be a near match for Kaiba's dragon, it's that one."

"It's about time Rex played a card that'll put Joey in his place." Mai says to herself as she marvels at Rex's superior beast.

"And if you think those braindead brutes will rescue each other from this dragon's rampage, think again!" Rex says as he plays a magic card. "With my Dragon Nails card, my Red-Eyes gets a power boost strong enough to clobber an army of your Battleguards! Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Inferno Fire Blast!" With one blast, both of Joey's Battleguards are annihilated.

"How could he torch them both with just one shot?!" Rainbow asks in shock.

"Those who defend together are destroyed together." Rex explains. "Don't tell me you thought their little clubs would be enough to save them from my dragon's wrath."

"I think I'm starting to miss the Blue-Eyes White Dragon the more I look at the Red-Eyes Black Dragon." Fluttershy said, a bit frightened, as Joey's life points drop to 235.

"That's a good boy, Rex. Nice work." Mai says to herself.

"Do you smell that odor in the air, Joey?" Rex asks. "It's the stench of your defeated Battleguards. So who's up next for the roast?" Joey knows that he has to stay calm, and so do the others, but then a thought comes to Tea's mind.

"Yugi, tell that that dragon isn't as tough as it looks. I mean, there must be something Joey can do to stop it." Tea says. Yugi wishes he could answer, since there is one last move that could save Joey, but he's barred from giving advice in this duel, like the girls and Spike, meaning Joey will have to find out for himself.

"Go ahead and play every monster you've got. My dragon has enough firepower to turn your entire deck into a smoldering pile of ash!" Rex says confidently. Joey knows that there's not a card in his deck that can outmuscle the Red-Eyes. That is, until Tristan reminds him that he has the brains to beat it. The others chime in by reminding him that dueling is more about heart instead of strength. Joey then draws.

"Yeah, that's right, Joey. Slap down another card from my Red-Eyes to fry up." Rex says, but soon realizes that the Time Wizard is still on Joey's side of the field, though he continues to think that without Yugi's help, Joey couldn't use it properly.

"Hey, are you gonna nab me the victory you promised, or are you gonna stand there with that dumb look on your face?" Mai asks impatiently. Rex then starts anticipating the duel he and her will have, but then gets an idea. If he can get his hands on Joey's Time Wizard, it would be the perfect way to get Mai off his back for good, knowing that she can't find away to beat it.

"Oh, Joey?" Rex asks. "I have an idea. Let's make this duel more exciting and each put one card up for grabs with our star chips. And just so it's fair, we'll both put up whatever card we have on the field. Sound good?" Joey quickly realizes what Rex meant, as do the others when they hear Rex's proposal. "And for him, I'll give you my rarest card. The supreme Red-Eyes Black Dragon. And I'll even throw in my Dragon Nails card as a bonus." Neither Joey nor the others can believe that Rex would put his best card and a magic card to give it a power boost on the line with his star chips.

"Just what do you think you're doing, you disobedient dolt?" Mai asks furiously. "You're up there to take Joey out of this tournament, not to improve your deck!"

"Stay out of this!" Rex retorts.

"Rex, you double-crossing snake, I know what you're scheming!" Mai retorts back, more furious than before. As they bicker, Joey thinks about Rex's offer. He knows that the Red-Eyes and Dragon Nails could really help him get through the rest of the tournament and win the prize money for his sister, but on the other hand, he also doesn't want to risk losing a card his friend gave him like it was a bargaining chip. However, Joey gets an idea on how to win the duel.

"You got a deal, Rex." Joey says at last. "Your Red-Eyes Black Dragon, Dragon Nails and my Time Wizard, winner takes all." Neither Mai or the others can believe it, though Rex is pleased that Joey accepted.

"It's gutsy move, even for Joey." Twilight admitted. "After all, that Time Wizard is, not only a card Yugi gave him, but also the only way Joey can summon Thousand Dragon."

"But while I'm at it, Rex, I'm making him my weapon of choice, too! Go, Time Wizard!" Joey shouts as the Time Wizard appears on the field, shocking everyone, especially Rex.

"What are you doing?" Rex asks in shock.

"Joey just figured out the best possible move in this situation." Yugi says.

"This wouldn't be happening if you just obeyed my commands, Rex!" Mai shouted.

"I hope you packed your bags, Rex, because if my Time Wizard's Time Roulette spin arrow lands on a time warp, you'll be on the next boat off this island!" Joey says.

"Do you really want to leave this entire duel up to a single spin?" Rex asks, still in shock. "You do know what'll happen if that arrow lands on a skull, don't you?"

"It's a risk I gotta take. Time Roulette, go!" Joey says aloud at last as the arrow starts spinning.

"Not that I want to know, but just out of curiosity, what happens if that arrow lands on a skull?" Pinkie asks in worry.

"The Time Wizard will open a time warp above the field and destroy itself, taking a chunk out of Joey's life points." Yugi explains.

"Oh, man. All he's got is a chunk." Tristan says.

"I can't believe this entire duel's come down to a single spin!" Rarity says. "It's almost too nerve-wracking to watch!"

"All we can do is hope that Joey gets the better part of this game of roulette." Twilight says.

"Then let's keep our fingers crossed." Applejack adds. Round and round the arrow went, it soon started to slow down, and then, it lands on a time warp, to the joy and relief of Joey and his friends, and to the horror and shock of Mai and Rex. Soon enough, the Time Wizard works his magic, causing the time-space continuum to go spiraling.

"You jerk!" Rex shouts. "Look what you've done! The entire time-space continuum is speeding out of control! Eons are passing by like seconds!" Soon enough, the time warp ceases and everyone sees what happened to Rex's dragon.

"No way!" Rainbow says in disbelief.

"He's been, fossilized!" Spike says in shock. However, Mai denies it and asks Rex to give it a command to prove it. However, right as Rex speaks, the Red-Eyes Black Dragon crumbles apart to Rex's disappointment.

"The millions of years, no, EONS that passed has made Rex's dragon into a fossilized shell of the creature it once was." Spike explains to his dumbfounded friends. "Reducing it to dust!"

"More than that, according to the rules of the tournament, Rex took damage equal to half his dragon's attack points!" Twilight added.

"So I guess you won my star chips, huh?" Rex asks disheartened as his life points hit zero.

"Wait a second." Joey says, remembering the wager he made with Rex earlier. "Not only did I win your star chips, but I won your Red-Eyes and Dragon Nails, too. Fair and square!" Rex realizes he's right as Joey's friends celebrate. Joey returns to the ground, but gets shoved to the ground by Tristan when he goes in for a hug on his best buddy as payback for what Joey did to him. Thus resulting in a squabble that Applejack and Rainbow try to break up.

"I guess the reason they fight like that is because they care about each other, and this is their unique way of showing it." Fluttershy says.

"Whatever you say. I just hope they don't care about me that much." Yugi says. Later, night has fallen on the island.

"Boy, it sure got dark in a hurry." Yugi says as they walk through the moonlit night.

"Maybe we should set up camp for the night?" Rarity asks.

"Don't tell me you're afraid, Rarity." Tristan says. "You got us protecting you."

"Yeah, but who's protecting you guys?" Tea asks.

"Uh, good point. Let's set up camp." Tristan responds.

"Even so, there's no reason to be afraid." Fluttershy says. "The forest and the island are just the same as they look during the day. Only darker."

"Fluttershy's right. So relax, guys." Joey adds. "There's nothing in these woods but crickets and squirrels. And maybe some fireflies." But little did they know that they were being watched from the bushes by someone, or something. Later, once they find a place to set up camp, Tristan tries telling a scary story, but it doesn't work out as he hoped.

"A ghost story with a double cheese pizza?" Rainbow asks. "What kind of ghost story is that, Tristan?"

"Ah, if I don't get some food I'll be turning into a ghost!" Joey shouts, annoyed at the mention of food. Soon, Joey spots something he thinks is food.

"Hey, my meal ticket!" Joey says, eyeing a mushroom. But Tristan and Applejack manage to stop him.

"Joey, wild mushrooms are poisonous." Fluttershy points out.

"So do us all a favor and let him eat it." a familiar voice says. They all look and see that it's Mai.

"Now what do you want, Mai?" Joey asks, more annoyed than before as Mai starts eating a candy bar. This makes Joey more mad than annoyed. "That's it!" he says. "You can duel me, you can insult me, but you're not eating in front of me!"

"You're that hungry, are you?" Mai asks. "Okay, then. Give me your star chips and I'll give you some food." Joey can't believe what Mai said.

"Forget it!" he snaps. "Potato chips--I mean star chips are priceless!"

"I was just kidding, Joseph." Mai soon says. "I'll be more than happy to share if you can manage to ask politely like a gentleman."

"Yeah, so you can make fun of me for doing that, too?" Joey asks, suspicious.

"Look. By tomorrow, I'll have on entrance to the castle, so there's no point in me keeping an entire knapsack full of food." Mai responds.

"Sure would be nice not to duel on an empty stomach tomorrow." Yugi says, but Joey is still suspicious.

"How do we know this isn't another trick?" Rainbow asks. "Give me and Joey one good reason to trust you."

"Because it's either me or that poisonous mushroom." Mai answers. Soon, they agree and Mai lays out the contents of her knapsack.

"Look at all this stuff! Candy bars--" Yugi says.

"Dibs on one of the candy bars." Rainbow says immediately.

"Potato chips--" Yugi continues.

"Dibs on the chips." Tristan says as immediately as Rainbow called her dibs.

"Canned fruit, soda." Yugi finishes.

"Dibs on the soda." Joey says as quickly as his friends.

"Sorry, boys. No dibs on anything yet, at least not until you complete your chores." Mai says. "I want Yugi and Spike to go look for firewood."

"Sure." both boys say.

"And you two boys can go fetch us some water." Mai says to Joey and Tristan.

"You bet." Tristan says as he gives Joey a bucket and pushes him to a nearby river.

"If she's not slinging insults, then she's barking orders." Joey says as he reluctantly does the task given.

"I'm willing to swallow my pride if it means swallowing some food." Tristan says.

"Me and Spike will go gather up some firewood Mai mentioned." Yugi says as he and Spike head off.

"What are your names?" Mai asks the girls. "Rainbow, Fluttershy, Applejack, Twilight, Rarity, Pinkie and Tea, are they?" the girls confirm. "Well, ladies, if any of you want to freshen up a bit, there's a makeshift shower just over there."

"Thanks, Mai." Rarity says. I could use one after being in the sun and in the woods all day."

"You may hang out with Spike and have no problem with it, but still, that's no reason Tea has to smell like the other boys she hangs around." Mai says. Later, the boys are handling the cooking duties while Tea is in the shower. As for the other girls, they finished showering before her and are waiting on Tea. Twilight realizes that Mai is hard to read, as one mine she's starting trouble with the group and the next their all sharing a campfire.

"Not too shabby with the rice cooking, Joey. Only thing missing is a chef's toque, and maybe a French accent." Rarity says jokingly.

"And I was expecting Mai to be the one to say that." Joey responds.

"Never mind Rarity's joke, just keep cooking." Mai says aloud.

"You're a pretty tough girl, Mai." Twilight admits.

"Us gals have got to look out for each other. Especially with those four boys around." Mai responds. "I don't see why you bother hanging out with Yugi, Joey and Tristan, Tea. Same for you six girls hanging out with a young fella like Spike."

"That's easy for all of us, Mai." Fluttershy says. "They're all our friends.

"Spike, I get, but Yugi and those two goofballs?" Mai asks in astonishment. "In my experience, Joey and Tristan's type are only good for moving furniture and fixing cars. But little Yugi and Spike, I could maybe see them running a few errands for someone or delivering newspapers."

"Hey, Mai?" Tea asks until something outside the shower startles her.

"What's wrong, Tea, darling?" Rarity asks.

"I heard something moving around right outside!" Tea replies. The other girls look around the shower, but find nothing.

"Well, whatever it was, it's gone now." Applejack says. "Likely just a nocturnal critter looking for some food." Later, dinner is ready. On the menu, aside from candy bars, chips, canned fruit and soda, curry and rice for the main course.

"Is sure smells good." Rainbow says. And so, everyone says it's time to dig in, and they do so.

"Joey, darling, you did fantastic with the rice!" Rarity says.

"Hey, thank you very much!" Joey says with a smile.

"Not bad. How's yours, Tea?" Yugi asks.

"Four stars." Tea responds.

"Speaking of stars, you said you've nearly won the ten needed to enter Pegasus' castle, Mai." Yugi says. "Judging from your gauntlet, I count eight star chips. You definitely look and sound like you're in the zone."

"Don't think you're gonna fool me with your nice guy routine, Yugi." Mai responds. "I've seen what happens when you start dueling, you get more serious. Plus, it's only a matter of time before you.." However, Tea interrupts.

"Can't we just forget about the tournament for tonight?" she asks.

"I agree. Save the dueling for the morning, and focus on dinner for now." Rainbow adds.

"Ok, just as long as everyone is crystal clear on just one little thing--any duelist in my way to winning my last two star chips is going down." Mai says before she gets up. "Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to go for a walk." Mai soon walks off.

"Man, she can really ruin a meal with just a few words." Joey says. Mai soon realizes that she sat down with her own enemies in the tournament, thinking both Yugi and Joey and their friends to be losers. But she kinda realizes they were being nice and friendly to her, but she tells herself that she can't go soft since she's a duelist first and foremost and everyone with star chips is an enemy, meaning she has no time for friends and she'll gladly win the tournament alone. However, a stranger comes up and grabs her from behind, pulling her into the dark. Back at the campsite, Fluttershy is getting worried about Mai.

"I hope she didn't get lost. We should probably check on her." Fluttershy suggests. Almost everyone agrees, since Joey thinks it's a trap. Suddenly, a noise in the bushes startles Tea, prompting the others to investigate.

"I bet she was waiting in those bushes for the right moment to try and scare us." Rainbow figures. "Come on out, Mai!" However, instead of Mai appearing, it's the boy Tea saw twice before, Bakura.

"You were right, Tea! It is Bakura!" Pinkie says in surprise.

"See? I told you." Tea responds as she remembers both times she saw him. "I knew I wasn't seeing things!"

"Bakura, darling, what are you doing out here?" Rarity asks.

"The same as you all, I suppose." Bakura answers.

"You gave us a bit of a startle with all that sneaking around, Bakura." Applejack says.

"Yeah. For a minute there, I thought we actually had something to worry about." put in Joey. Soon, everyone is sitting by the campfire with a Duel Monsters card in hand.

"Joey, you've been staring at that card for a while, but what for?" Spike asks.

"I'll tell you, just don't laugh." Joey answers. "Sometimes, when I'm in a duel, I imagine I'm out there on the field swapping blows with whatever monster my opponent has out."

"Some would call it silly, but I think there's nothing wrong about it." Fluttershy says.

"Well, if you were out on the field as a Duel Monster, which one would you pick to be, Joey?" Bakura asks.

"I pick, this one." Joey says as he brings out his Flame Swordsman. "The Flame Swordsman can kick anybody's butt! Especially a dinosaur!"

"Well, here's mine, guys." Tristan says. "The Cyber Commander."

"I guess you picked that card because it's hair nearly matches your own." Tea says.

"I think everyone who plays Duel Monsters has a card they can identify with." Yugi says. "How about you, Spike and the girls pick one for yourselves, Tea?"

"Ok." Tea says as she chooses a card. "I pick this one, Magician of Faith."

"It may not be strong, but it does have a great magical ability." Spike points out.

"Wonder if that magical ability can make it less of a wimp." Joey says, jokingly, though to Tea's ire.

"Tell me which one you identify with, Yugi." Bakura says to Yugi while the other girls keep looking for a card to pick.

"Oh, that's easy." Yugi says as he holds up his favorite card. "Dark Magician, hands down."

"I think we picked the cards we like best." Twilight says at last. "I'll start. My pick is just like what Yugi picked, the Dark Magician."

"My pick is Luster Dragon #2." Spike says.

"Swift Birdman Joe, since it's got a need for speed like me." Rainbow says.

"This big fella is my choice, Sauropod Bracion" Pinkie adds.

"The Amazoness Paladin is my choice of card." Applejack says.

"I choose, the Dunames Dark Witch." put in Fluttershy.

"And my choice is the Thunder Dragon, seeing as I have three of them in my deck." finishes Rarity.

"Maybe I'm just out of the loop, but don't you guys think it's a little silly to be comparing ourselves to playing cards?" Tea asks.

"Maybe a little, but it's like grandpa told me, Spike and the other girls: 'It's not about the cards themselves, it's about putting a bit of your heart into anything you care about.' you know?" Yugi says, and everyone agrees. "So which card do you care about most, Bakura?"

"This one is my favorite." Bakura says, holding up a magic card.

"Isn't that the Change of Heart magic card?" Spike asks. "The same one that can turn an enemy monster into an ally for one turn?"

"That's the one, but it's got kind of a weird picture, don't you think?" Joey asks.

"If you want to see how it works we can have a duel right now." Bakura says. "Not for star chips, just for a little fun."

"Sure, I'm down with that." Joey says. "After all this star chip stuff, it'll be nice to have a duel with no strings attached."

"I agree." Yugi concurs. "I think just a regular old duel like at school sounds like a great idea."

"Why don't you guys put each of your favorite cards into Yugi's deck?" Bakura asks. "Then it'll be like we're all playing."

"That's a good idea, Bakura." Twilight says.

"Yeah." Yugi concurs. "But I should warn you that with this all-star team of cards, we'll be tough to beat."

"True, but maybe I'll surprise you." Bakura says.

"This should be fun." Pinkie says as they each hand Yugi their cards. Later, both duelists have a playing field set up on a tree stump and their decks are ready.

"Alright, I'm all shuffled." Yugi says.

"Now, you sure you don't mind playing alone?" Rarity asks.

"Don't worry about a thing, Bakura." Rainbow says. "We'll go easy on you."

"Thanks." Bakura says.

"Right. Then let's get this duel on the road." says Joey. But Twilight notices something different about Bakura in the face, something like what happens with Yugi.

"Before we get started, there's a little something I'd like to share with you all." Bakura says. "And especially with you, Yugi." Everyone seems a bit baffled by what Bakura means.

"What is it?" Pinkie asks.

"You'll see." Bakura answers as he puts his hands close to his chest.

"What's he doing?" Applejack asks.

"This is getting freaky." Joey says with worry. Soon, something appears around Bakura's neck, something that Twilight, the girls, Spike and Yugi are shocked to see.

"No! It can't be!" Yugi says in shock.

"A Millennium Item?!" Twilight says in just as much shock.

"Yes. And the magic of my Millennium Ring will take us to the Shadow Realm." Bakura says as the environment turns into the Shadow Realm.

"Man, I hate magic." Joey says.

"Why are you doing this, Bakura?" Yugi asks.

"You've something I want, Yugi. And I aim to take it!" Bakura says as he uses his Millennium Ring to rip the gang's souls from their bodies and sends them into the deck. Bakura then gets up with a chuckle.

"That wasn't too difficult." he says. "Their souls have been locked away. And now, after waiting for countless centuries, the legendary Millennium Puzzle is mine." But as Bakura reaches down to take the Millennium Puzzle, the cutie marks on the hands of Twilight and her friends, the Puzzle itself, and even Spike's whole body starts to glow.

"No! It can't be!" Bakura says, shocked that Yugi, Twilight and her friends are back on their feet.

"You want my Millennium Puzzle? Then you're going to have to duel me for it." Yugi says. "But if I win, you'll release my friends and send us all back!"

"I agree to your ridiculous terms, Yugi." Bakura answers. "But I promise you and your seven magical compatriots, there is more at stake here than you comprehend, and this is one Shadow Game you cannot win!"

Author's Note

Seeing as I had to pick the right cards for Twilight and her friends to put in Yugi's deck for the Shadow Game, I went with the first cards that were picked for each of them when their decks were being constructed.