"Bakura, what have you done? Why have you taken us to the Shadow Realm?" Yugi asks. But Bakura gives them an answer that's too cryptic.

"Bakura? Bakura's no longer whom you're talking with. He's no longer here." This baffles everyone.

"If you're not Bakura, then who are you?" Twilight asks.

"I am a thief, and a stealer of souls. But you may call me Yami Bakura." the being says. "And I have done terrible things in my quest to possess the Millennium Items. You do remember the legends, don't you?" Yugi and the others are shocked that this thief knows about the Millennium Items.

"What do you know about the legends around the Millennium Items?" Twilight asks.

"Oh, plenty, my dear. The legend says: 'Whosoever wields all seven Millennium Items will possess power unimaginable.' and before I'm through with you, Yugi, your Millennium Puzzle will be mine." Yami Bakura explains.

"That's not going to happen, whoever you are!" Yugi says as both duelists prepare their hands.

"Then let the Shadow Game begin." Yami Bakura retorts. "The first move it yours."

"And my first card will be, the Cyber Commander, Tristan's favorite, in defense mode." Yugi responds. Suddenly, to the shock of Yugi and the spectators, Tristan appears as the Cyber Commander.

"Tristan?" Yugi asks in surprise. Tristan looks at himself and realizes he's dressed like the Cyber Commander.

"What a weird dream." Tristan says. "Where am I? What's going on here?" Tristan turns and is shocked when he sees Yugi, Twilight and her friends as giants.

"Bakura must've used his Millennium Ring to capture Tristan's soul within his favorite card!" Yugi says.

"You mean Tristan became the Cyber Commander?" Spike asks. "But how come we're out here and Tristan's down there?"

"I think it's because of the magic of our own world." Twilight explains. "Just like the magic of the Millennium Puzzle, our magic pulled our souls back to where they belong."

"Who's your little friend, Yugi?" Yami Bakura asks. "He looks pretty tough, even though he's in defense mode, but can he deal with this?" Yami Bakura then plays his first card. "The White Magical Hat. Attack!" In moments, the monster materializes and charges toward Tristan, while Tristan still keeps telling himself that it's just a dream. Soon, the monster attacks and Tristan disappears.

"No! Tristan!" Yugi shouts as Yami Bakura chuckles.

"Aw, looks like that monster's been defeated and your poor friend's soul was trapped within it." Yami Bakura says.

"Where is he?" Yugi asks, clearly upset. "What have you done with Tristan?"

"Your friends is gone, on his way to the discard pile." Yami Bakura explains. "Or the graveyard, as it's called in Duel Monsters."

"It can't be." Rarity says in tears.

"Tristan can't be gone!" Fluttershy says. Speaking of Tristan, he is soon wandering around a graveyard, trying to make sense out of what just happened.

"Man, this place is creeping me out big time." Tristan says to himself. "But how'd I get here? I remember being attacked, and the next thing I know I'm wandering around this graveyard." Soon, Tristan spots a tombstone, and is shocked to see what's written on it.

"No! According to this tombstone, I'm dead! But this can't be!" Tristan yells in shock. Back at the duel, Yugi is angry that Yami Bakura sent one of his friends to the graveyard.

"When you duel in the Shadow Realm, the stakes are always higher, Yugi." Yami Bakura says. "You made a sloppy move, and now your friend, he paid for it with his very soul. Now, which of your friends will you sacrifice next?" Yugi knows he'd avoid playing the cards that have the souls of his friends inside them, if he could, but in order to save them, he'll have to win and he sees only one card in his hand that can beat the White Magical Hat.

"By using the Polymerization card, I fuse Masaki, the Legendary Swordsman and the Flame Manipulator together to summon Joey's favorite card: The Flame Swordsman!" Yugi says as he plays said card. Once he does, Joey appears dressed like the Flame Swordsman.

"Hey? What gives?" Joey asks as he realizes what's going on, he then turns to ask Yugi what happened, but is shocked to see Yugi much larger than him. "What the--you're a giant! All of you are!"

"Joey, listen to us." Twilight says. "Your soul has been sealed inside your favorite card. You've become the Flame Swordsman."

"I'm the who?" Joey asks in shock.

"If I don't win this duel, we can't restore you to normal. And if you're defeated in this battle, you'll be carried off to the card graveyard just like Tristan was." Yugi explains.

"Graveyard?!" Joey asks in shock and fright.

"In order for me to win this duel, restore you all back to your bodies and get us out of the Shadow Realm, I'm going to need your help." Yugi says further.

"You want my help, you got my help." Joey says.

"Are you sure you're okay?" Pinkie asks.

"Okay? I figure I lost my mind, but I'm gonna go with it." Joey answers. "Now, who wants a beating?" However, Joey soon notices the size of Yami Bakura. "Giant Bakura?! Now I know I'm nuts! I'm like 6 inches tall, wearing a dress, about to fight my giant friend?!"

"That's not really Bakura." Twilight says. "An evil spirit from his Millennium Ring has taken him over, turning him into a being named Yami Bakura."

"Well, I have no idea what Yami means, so here goes nothing." Joey says as he charges forward and destroys the White Magical Hat.

"Say goodbye to the Cat in the Hat!" Rainbow says with a smile. "Along with 800 of Yami Bakura's life points!"

"Well, that's that. Now what?" Joey asks.

"Now it's his turn." Yugi answers.

"Your little swordsman got lucky last time, Yugi." Yami Bakura says as he draws his next card. "But not this time!" He then sets his next card in defense mode.

"I don't get it. Why'd he play that card face down?" Applejack asks. "Is it because it's not strong enough to attack Joey?"

"No, it's because he's afraid of what Joey the Swordsman will do to it!" Joey responds.

"Hang on, Joey. It could be a trap." Yugi says.

"Nevertheless, I'm going in." Joey says, though Yugi protests, as he reveals and destroys Yami Bakura's monster.

"What a dolt." Yami Bakura says.

"It was a Morphing Jar!" Yugi says in shock.

"A Morphing Jar?" Joey asks. "Does that mean I messed up?"

"I don't think so, but doesn't that card have the ability to make both players discard their entire hand?" Rarity asks.

"That's right, it's one of my least favorite cards in the whole game." Rainbow says.

"We're just really lucky that I didn't have Tea's soul card in my hand right now." Yugi adds.

"Sorry, Yuge." Joey says as Yugi sends his hand to the graveyard and draws a new hand. He then spots his own favorite card, the Dark Magician, he quickly wonders if his own soul is inside it.

"With a new hand...comes a whole new perspective..." Yami Bakura says with a chuckle as he plays his next monster face down in defense mode. "The game...ever shifting..." Yami Bakura then plays a card in his Magic and Trap zone. "New dangers around every turn." Yugi knows that Yami Bakura is just trying freak him out, but at the same time, he can't figure out he's up to. So he goes ahead and risks playing the Dark Magician. Soon enough, Yugi appears on the field, confusing Joey, Twilight and her friends.

"And now, I'll play a magic card that will allow me to revive a monster from the graveyard. Monster Reborn!" Yugi plays the card, and Tristan soon appears and can't believe that Joey and Yugi are there.

"Are you guys dreaming this, too?" Tristan asks.

"Nah, this ain't no dream, Tristan. And it's likely not just me going insane, either." Joey answers.

"He's right, because just a second ago, I was up there." Yugi says.

"Yeah. If you're down here, who's that with Twilight, Spike and the girls up there?" Tristan asks. Yugi admits he doesn't know, but the tries to describe what he noticed to have had happened to him whenever he duels.

"Well, I have noticed that sometimes, when I duel, it feels as if someone is guiding me." Yugi says as his larger counterpart smiles and nods in confirmation. "And sometimes it's like I can hear a strong voice calling out to me from my Millennium Puzzle. And ancient, powerful voice." None of the other boys can believe it, but Twilight and her friends seem to understand it somewhat. "I'm not sure what it's all about, guys, but I'm pretty sure we can trust him, whoever he is."

"Well, just to tell who's who, I think we'll call this Yugi 'Yami Yugi', at least for now until we learn what his true name is." Twilight suggests.

"Hey, if the big guy is okay in your book, then he's okay by me." Joey says. Tristan concurs.

"So, now what?" Yugi asks.

"Maybe we should try and find Tea." Tristan suggests.

"She must still be in the deck." Yugi responds.

"Then we should try and win this thing before her card gets drawn, or worse, played." Joey adds, to which Yugi agrees. "I'm gonna bash me some Bakura."

"Hang on, Joey, I was just played so I have to move." Yugi says. "Dark Magic Attack!" However, Yugi ends up revealing another Morphing Jar and destroys it, to his shock.

"We'll have to send all the cards in our hands to the graveyard again." Yami Bakura says with a chuckle. Both players do so, while Yugi apologizes for his action, though Joey admits he made the same mistake. Yami Yugi then finds that one of his cards is Tea's.

"No! The Magician of Faith!" he says in distress.

"Isn't that Tea's favorite card?" Yami Bakura asks. "Do you suppose that her mortal soul is trapped within it? I wonder? Maybe you should play it and find out. But, then again, you don't know what I'm laying here, so you might be putting her in danger." Yami Bakura soon reaches for his facedown from a bit ago. "A dilemma, and while you decide, I'll just activate this trap card." Yami Yugi and Spike know exactly what card Yami Bakura just played.

"That's the Just Deserts trap card!" Spike says aloud. "It takes away 500 life points for every monster on the opponents side of the field!"

"Correct, my young friend." Yami Bakura says as the trap saps away over half of Yami Yugi's life points. "I think it'll help you all come to grips with my opponent's present situation. Just as Spike explained, for each monster on your half of the field, you lose 500 life points. And you'll feel like each and every point has been ripped from your beating heart."

"Big Yugi! Are you okay?!" Tristan calls.

"Yes." Yami Yugi says weakly. "But one more attack or activated trap card like that, and it's over for all of us. Tea's soul card isn't safe in my hand, so I'll have to play it." Yami Yugi places the card facedown in defense mode, but Tea appears from under it anyway. The boys panic and try to hide Tea to Yami Bakura doesn't see him, urging her to keep quiet, though she thinks they're dressed up for Halloween, but a bit early. But when she sees her staff, she becomes more puzzled.

"Bakura and Yugi are big dueling giants and are fighting for our souls." Jory explains.

"But Yugi's right here." Tea says.

"Yeah, well, the big guy is from my Millennium Puzzle, he looks like me, but he's more of an extension of me that comes out when I duel." Yugi explains. "I think it pretty much revolves around the two Millennium Items Bakura and I have. It's some kind of magic."

"Magic? Like what Pegasus used on your grandpa?" Tea asks. "So, I'm not going crazy."

"And further proof is that Twilight and her friends are cheering the larger me on from the sidelines." Yugi continues.

"Just think of it this way, Tea. There's two Yugis, the confident, older looking and magical one up there, and the younger and punier one we all know and love down here." Yugi quickly gets furious at Joey's joke.

"That's not how it works at all!" he shouts.

"It's just a joke, relax." Joey says.

"You forget that here, I have the powers of the Dark Magician." Yugi retorts as he steps forward, though Tristan advises against it. "I'll show you who's puny around here." Yugi then points his staff at the facedown monster on Yami Bakura's side of the field. But Yami Yugi knows that what Yugi's doing is a bad idea, but Yugi attacks anyway and destroys the monster, causing him to get zapped by some electricity.

"What was that?" Tristan asks.

"Whatever it was, it's making me go numb." Yugi answers.

"I know exactly what that was! That was the Electric Lizard!" Spike says in shock. "Any monster that isn't a zombie that attacks it can't attack on the next turn!"

"He's right, you know." Yami Bakura says with a laugh. "You can't attack the Electric Lizard without some rather shocking feedback. A lesson your little Yugi won't soon forget." Yami Yugi sets a trap card facedown.

"Alright, soul stealer, I'll play my next card facedown. And it's your move." Yami Yugi says as Yami Bakura spots Tea.

"Don't bother trying to hide your friend, fools, I can see her perfectly well." Yami Bakura says. "Now I have all four of you right where I want you--helpless on the field, easy prey for my Man-Eater Bug."

"Man-Eater Bug?" Tea asks. "Glad I'm a girl."

"I don't think that it matters if you're a boy or girl, because that monster is one of the most lethal to any duelist that doesn't know how to prepare for it." Applejack says.

"Yugi, what's that card do?" Joey asks.

"The Man-Eater Bug can automatically destroy one monster on the field as soon as it's flipped up." Yugi explains.

"Guys, I really don't want to go back to that graveyard." Tristan says, worried.

"Don't worry, Tristan, none of us are going there." Joey says. "We'll destroy that bug before he plays it."

"That won't work." Yugi responds. "The moment we make an attack, that card will activate."

"Graveyard, here I come." Tristan says, hopeless.

"Are you saying that one of us is gonna end up as worm food?!" Joey asks.

"I'm saying there's only one way out of this, and we're standing right in front of it." Yugi explains.

"You're right. The facedown Big Yugi laid down." Tristan says in realization.

"But I'm afraid that in order to use it, the card requires one creature to be sacrificed." Yugi says. Tea can't believe that one of them will have to be sent to the graveyard in order to destroy the Man-Eater Bug.

"Don't worry, Tea. I'll go." Tristan says, but Tea urges against. "Think about it, that Man-Eater Bug is gonna take one of us out no matter what we do. At least, this way, I'm taking it out with me." But the next thing they know, Joey nails Tristan in the guy with the handle of his sword, showing that he disagrees with Tristan's idea.

"You just recently got back from the graveyard. If anyone's going, it's me." Yugi tells him not to, but it's too late as Joey charges in for an attack and grabs on to the monster and holds on for dear life once he lands on it after being flung upwards by it. "Big Yugi! Use that facedown! Do it now! Please! I don't want my friends to get hurt! Sacrifice me!" Yami Yugi agrees and reveals his trap.

"I'm activating a trap, sacrificing my Flame Swordsman to do so. The Horn of Heaven!" Yami Yugi says at last. "Blasting its celestial tune directly at your Man-Eater Bug, obliterating him from the field once and for all!

"No way! That card requires a sacrifice to negate the summoning of a monster!" Twilight says in shock. Everyone is left in shock as Joey tells them not to worry about him as he's destroyed along with the Man-Eater Bug.

"Don't worry, you'll soon be joining him in the graveyard. You can spend an eternity together." Yami Bakura says. In the graveyard, Joey starts to wonder if he can be brought back like Tristan was, but he soon gets the fright of his life when he spots a creature with a scythe, ala the grim reaper, and wearing a necklace with Duel Monsters cards on it coming towards him.

"The Reaper of Cards, and he's come for me! Oh, no!" Joey says in fright.

"I hope you don't harbor any illusions of about rescuing your friend, Joey, from the graveyard." Yami Bakura says. "You've already played Monster Reborn, the only way to get him back. And soon, the Reaper of Cards will claim his soul forever!"

"Poor Joey. He sacrificed himself for his friends." Fluttershy says in tears while Joey keeps running from the Reaper.

"He can't be gone." Tea says as she sheds a tear for him. Suddenly, something happens, Tea starts glowing.

"Wait a second! Tea's the Magician of Faith, and her tear just activated the special ability of her favorite card!" Twilight says.

"You're right, Twilight!" Spike concurs. "The Magician of Faith can bring one magic card back from the grave!"

"That's right, and the effect of the Magician of Faith also allows me to put the card I selected back into my hand." Yugi says. "And the card I choose: Monster Reborn, which I play now!" Just in the nick of time before the Reaper could take his soul, Joey is brought back to the field, to the happiness and relief of his friends.

"You waste your time and your turns rescuing these foolish mortals." Yami Bakura says.

"My friends are never a waste of time." Yami Yugi retorts. "Make your move."

"Oh, I'll move." Yami Bakura says with a chuckle. "And you will lose. This is the play that will end the match and win me your Millennium Puzzle." Yami Bakura plays his next card. "First, I will play the Lady of Faith in attack mode. And then the card that will turn your friends against one another: The Change of Heart." As the Lady of Faith appears, Yami Bakura reveals his Change of Heart card. Everyone remembers that Bakura, the real Bakura, said it was his favorite.

"No way! That's Bakura's favorite card!" Rarity says in disbelief.

"And a very magical card it is." Yami Bakura replies. "With this card, I can turn the Dark Magician against his comrades. The very friends he sought to protect, he will soon destroy."

"No! I refuse!" Yugi says defiantly.

"You won't have a choice in the matter." Yami Bakura responds. "The Change of Heart card can allow the user to take control of any opposing monster, and I choose you, little Yugi."

"Leave the young one out of this!" Yami Yugi demands.

"Why should I?" Yami Bakura asks. "By simply destroying any one of them, I defeat you as well. You're here to guide and protect him?! Then, protect him from this!" Yami Bakura plays Change of Heart, but everyone sees that the real Bakura has become the Change of Heart.

"Bakura! So your soul was sealed into your favorite card, too!" Rarity says in disbelief. Bakura then heads towards Lady of Faith instead of Yugi.

"I want to help, but we must act quickly, Yugi." Bakura says as he takes over the monster. "I've taken over the Lady of Faith instead of you!" Yugi and the others can't believe what Bakura just did, especially Yami Bakura. "I'll control her while you attack me! You can win against the evil version of me!"

"I can't! I'd be destroying you and sending your soul to the graveyard!" Yugi protests.

"I don't care, it's better than being enslaved by an evil spirit!" Bakura retorts. "Do it!"

"Be quiet!" Yami Bakura shouts, but as he does, the eye of Anubis appears on Yami Yugi's head.

"I have a better idea!" he says as the Millennium Puzzle glows. "If the evil power of Bakura's Millennium Ring can pull souls from people, than perhaps the power of my Millennium Puzzle can put them back!" In no time, Bakura and Yami Bakura have their places switched.

"Excellent! Our Bakura is back where he belongs, and Yami Bakura is in the form of the Lady of Faith!" Rarity says with glee.

"This can't be!" Yami Bakura says in disbelief.

"Listen closely, Yugi. Use the power of the Dark Magician! Send him to the graveyard, now!" Yami Yugi says.

"You got it! Dark Magic Attack!" Yugi says aloud. In no time, Yami Bakura is sent to the graveyard, where the Reaper of the Cards finds and attack him. Back in the real world, Yugi and Bakura are back to normal before everyone else wakes up.

"Are you okay, Bakura?" Yugi asks.

"I am now, thanks to you." Bakura says.

"Bakura, where did you get your Millennium Ring?" Twilight asks.

"My father picked it up on one of his trips." Bakura says as he recalls what his father told him after he returned from said trips. "He told he it's from ancient Egypt, which is where they're all from. He was shopping in a merchant bazaar when the Millennium Ring caught his eye. The man who sold the ring to my father said it had something to do with Duel Monsters, but that never made any sense to me since the card game was new at the time and the ring is clearly ancient. When my father got back, he gave it to me. He said I was destined to have it." Soon, Joey, Tristan and Tea start waking up, thinking that what they saw was a dream.

"That's the last time I snooze with dueling cards under my pillow." Joey says as Bakura goes to greet his now awakened friends, though he startles Tristan and Joey in the process, getting a laugh from everyone.

"I dreamt, we were dressed as Duel Monsters, and their were two Yugis." Tea says. But before Yugi, Bakura, or Twilight and her friends could begin to explain, they hear a scream off in the distance.

"What was that?" Joey asked.

"My guess, other than a scream, trouble." Applejack answers.

"May be." Yugi says as they all begin running to the source of the scream. "But whatever it is, we'll face it together."

"As a team." Twilght adds.

Author's Note

Had to make the game make somewhat more sense as to how a fusion monster like the Flame Swordsman can be summoned.