Chapter 2

The Gauntlet is Thrown

It all started at Domino High, where Joey and Tea were playing a friendly game of Duel Monsters. "Joey, make a move already." Tristan said. "Yeah, you got 800 life points left, you you gotta make this move count." AJ put in before Joey finally settled on a move. "Okay, here you go, tough guy. My Rock Ogre's gonna rock your block off!" Joey said at last as he played his card. "Okay, Rock Ogre Grotto #1, a level three, Earth attribute Rock monster with 800 attack and 1200 defense. How will Tea respond?" Spike asks as Joey let Tea make her move. After she drew her next card, she revealed her face-down monster, which looked rather cute. "The Happy Lover? It's just a level two, Light attribute Fairy monster. It may have the same attack points as the Rock Ogre, but its defense points are only 500." Spike pointed out. "I don't know. I think it looks kinda cute." Fluttershy said with a smile. "Yeah, Tea. Like that wimpy card stands a chance against my giant Rock Ogre. Give it up!" Joey said, thinking that he had the duel won. "Guess I don't stand a chance unless maybe I use, the Breath of Light card." Tea said calmly as she played said card. "Huh? Can she do that?" Joey asked. "Oh, yeah. The Breath of Light wears down Rock monsters, reduces them to rubble!" Yugi answered. "Furthermore, it also has the ability to deduct however many attack points the destroyed monster had from your life points." Spike added as Joey looked on in shock. "That brings your life points down to zero, Joey. Once again, you lose and I rock!" Tea said with a grin. "Way to show girl power, Tea." AJ said approvingly. "You stink at this game." Tristan said to Joey.

Later, after school let out, Twilight and her friends were hanging out with Yugi and Joey. "Tristan's right, guys. I do stink. I can't win at Duel Monsters to save my life. What is it, guys? How come I never win? Teach me what I'm doing wrong." Joey said, distraught. "Well, let's start by checking your deck, Joey." Yugi suggested. "After all, the deck is where the answer lies for a Duelist." Twilight says with a smile before Joey hands Yugi his deck. "Here you go." Joey said. "Thanks." Yugi responded before looking over each card, bringing a look of bafflement to his face and Spike's face as he took a look, as well. "Powerhouse lineup, don't you think?" Joey asked. "No one can win with these! Joey, your deck's filled with nothing but monster cards." Yugi pointed out. "You got it, I packed it with every butt-kicking monster I could find." Joey responded. "But that's not how the game works." Spike said, having learned most of the tips of dueling from watching Yugi play. "Spike's right. Duel Monsters is all about combining your monster cards with your magic cards to increase their strength. With no magic in your deck, your monsters will get creamed every time." Yugi put in. "See? That's the kind of stuff I need to know! Yugi, you gotta help me learn more!" Joey said, realizing that he was playing the wrong way the whole time. "Well, if you want to learn how to play, maybe we should do the same." Rarity suggested. Later, the group heads to Kame Game. "My grandpa's the real game expert in the family, maybe he could help." Yugi suggested before they went in and saw Solomon putting up a poster for the upcoming Duel Monsters Regional Championship tournament, with a grand prize of 3,000,000 yen, or 20,423 dollars.

"Hey, grandpa, I brought you some new students!" Yugi called. "Huh? Students?" Solomon asked as the kids came in. "We were hoping, since you know more about Duel Monsters than anyone we know, maybe you'd teach us." Fluttershy said gently. "Teach all eight of you? Duel Monsters is a very complex game." Solomon responded. "Yeah, tell me about it. Tea beat me three games in a row." Joey said. "Actually, Tea beat you five times in a row, Joey." Yugi corrected. "Five?! Aw, man." Joey responded before seeing the poster for the Regional Championship. "I bet with plenty of training, we could enter this Regional Championship tournament I've been hearing about." Spike suggested. "Yes. I could teach you eight to be a great bunch of tournament duelists, but only if you're all willing to spend endless days and sleepless nights filled with rigorous training." Sol responded. "Mr. Moto, we each put our efforts into learning different things that were just as hard, if not harder, than learning Duel Monsters. Studying different subjects is what me and Spike put many days and nights into, same with Applejack and her farming duties, Fluttershy and her animal care practice and her botany practice, Rainbow with her extreme sports passion, Pinkie with her baking and party planning, and Rarity with her tailoring." Twilight said with a confident smile. "Good, each of you has experience putting in countless days and sleepless nights learning a craft, that's an excellent start for learning how to be great duelists. How about yourself, Joseph? Are you willing to put in that same effort?" Solomon responded. "Piece of cake." Joey said, confidently. "With an attitude like that, teaching you may not be worth my effort, leaving only Twilight and her friends left for me to teach." Solomon responded, to the shock of Joey.

"Nice going, there, smart mouth!" Yugi said before Joey got on his hands and knees. "Please, Yugi! Help me convince him! I will work hard, I promise!" Joey begged. "Listen, Joey, teaching you Duel Monsters is too big a challenge, unlike trying to teach seven people at once like Twilight and her friends, even for my grandpa." Yugi responded. "It's not impossible." Solomon said. "You mean it, gramps?" Joey asked. "Joey, he already said he can't do it. And if he can't do it, he can't do it." Fluttershy calmly said to her friend. "I never said I couldn't do it. But if I agree, you all must work hard, especially you, Joey." Solomon responded. "I'll do anything! I promise! I promise!" Joey agreed. "And you can count on us to put in 110% with our own lessons." AJ added. "Fine, then we'll begin your instruction immediately, my young friends, and believe me, under my tutelage, you all will learn." Sol said as he cracked his knuckles. "Now, can any of you name the most powerful Duel Monster?" he then asked. "Would that be Exodia?" AJ asked. "Correct, Applejack. Can any of you name the weakest?" Solomon responded. "I think the weakest monster in the game is Kuriboh." Twilight said. "Very good, Twilight. Do any of you know what a trap card is?" Solomon asked. "I think I've seen one in action called Trap Hole." Spike answered. "But most trap cards either destroy an opponent's monster or stop an attack from landing." he added. "Looks like most of you will be easier to teach than some." Sol said immediately after.

Some weeks later, the Regional Championship is nearing its climax. "Good evening, Duel fans and our ten million viewers at home, and welcome to the Duel Monsters Duel Dome, where, tonight, the Duel Monsters Regional Championship will be decided! Of the 200 duelists that competed in this marathon tournament, only two competitors remain standing!" the announcer said as the two finalists enter the dueling field. "Put your cards together for Weevil Underwood, the Bug Brawler! And his opponent, the number one ranked Rex Raptor, the Dino Duelist!" the announcer continued as Rex and Weevil prepared to square off. Back at the Muto house, which was in with Kame Game shop, Yugi and his friends were watching the duel on television. "Bug Boy versus Dinosaur Breath?! What kind of match is that?! That should've been either of us in there!" Joey said, clearly not happy that neither he or Twilight or her friends were able to compete in the Regionals. "Joey, I know we've been training for weeks, but those guys are in another league that we're just not ready for yet." Fluttershy said, trying to sooth Joey's disappointment. "Sure, rub it in!" Joey said, cockily. "And on top of that, unlike the rest of us, you're so tired, you can't even keep your eyes open." Rainbow added before they heard Joey slightly snoring. "I think grandpa's lessons have been a bit too tough for him." Yugi pointed out as Joey dreamt about his recent shuffling lesson. "You see? It's true what they say; you snooze, you lose!" Tristan said, mockingly, causing Joey to wake up. "I must've been nuts to think that I could ever learn this crazy game. And Twilight and the others are naturals." Joey said with his head down.

Suddenly, Solomon comes in with a box. "Time for your lesson." he said. "Wha? We're not done?" Joey asked. "Not by a longshot, you slacker." Sol responded. "I don't reckon our lessons will be done for a while yet." AJ put in as Joey simply whines. "Now, quit your whining, Joseph. I know you and the others have worked long and hard, but you all really are coming along as Duelists. And I'm quite proud of all of you." Sol said as Joey's eyes filled with tears. "Gramps, thank you." Joey said as he tried to hug Solomon, only for him to turn and walk towards Yugi. "Oh, by the way, Yugi. This package came for you." Sol said. "A package? What is it, gramps?" Yugi asked. "I don't know. It just came in the mail." Sol answered. "The mail's running at this hour? Sounds suspicious to me." AJ said as Yugi took the box. "It's from Industrial Illusions." Yugi said, bringing a surprised look to everyone. "Industrial Illusions?! That's the company that makes the Duel Monsters game! Why the heck would they be sending a package to you, Yugi?" Joey asked. "I have no idea. Is it possible they heard I beat the world champion?" Yugi pondered. "You mean that rich snob, Kaiba?" Rainbow asked. "Yeah. It wasn't an official match or anything, but Kaiba did drop out of the tournament because of me." Yugi said as he remembered completely obliterating Kaiba's dragons at the end of their duel. "Just hearing Kaiba's name gives me a headache." Joey said, clearly not wanting to think about Seto Kaiba at all. "Well, how's about a change of subject? Like, say, we talk about our newly formed decks?" Rainbow suggested. "Ah, yes, I almost forgot to ask. Have you and your friends built a deck that's unique to you?" Sol asked Twilight.

"We sure have, Mr. Muto. We built our decks and picked our key monsters for each, and like you taught us, these key monsters are called Deck Masters." Twilight answered. "Then let's hear about them." Sol responded. "Alright, I'll go first." Applejack said. "My deck is mainly Beast-Warriors with some Warriors thrown in for good measure. My Deck Master is the Amazoness Paladin." she added. "Nice choice, Applejack, she can gain 100 attack points for every Amazon monster you have on the field." Spike pointed out. "My deck has a bit of a theme of nature in it, with a few fairies put in. The Deck Master I picked is such a fairy, the Dunames Dark Witch." Fluttershy said bashfully. "I think your choice absolutely fits you, darling." Rarity said encouraginly. "I mainly grew up around a lot of rocks, so I built my deck to be based on the Earth. And I picked Sauropod Brachion as my Deck Master." Pinkie said with a smile. "Nice choice, Pinkie. That Sauropod Brachion is a great defender, with 3000 defense points, and based on what other cards I can see in your deck, you got plenty of things to power it and your other Earth monsters up." Spike said. "My deck is mainly spellcaster themed. And my Deck Master should seem familiar to Yugi, it's the Dark Magician." Twilight said with a smile. "Nice choice, Twilight. You did say the Dark Magician was your favorite monster in my whole deck." Yugi said, quite flattered that Twilight would pick one of his monsters as a Deck Master. "My deck is filled with fast high-flyers, and a few turtles in honor of my turtle friend, Tank, and the Deck Master is Swift Birdman Joe." Rainbow said. "Nice pick, Rainbow. If you tribute a Wind monster to call it out, you can send any and all spell and trap cards on the field to the owners' hands." Spike said, impressed that Rainbow didn't go for all power. "My deck consists of mostly female monster, with the only exceptions being my Deck Masters. Yes, I said Deck Masters, because my Deck Master is three, the three Thunder Dragons, that is." Rarity said cheerfully. "Wow! If you use Polymerization on two of them, you could be able to form the Twin-Headed Thunder Dragon easily!" Spike pointed out. "Learning how to use monster fusion already, Rarity? Impressive." Solomon said before turning his attention toward Spike. "And what of your deck, Spike?" he asked. "My deck is all dragon, due to seeing the three Blue-Eyes White Dragons in battle. My Deck Master is the second Luster Dragon. And as you can see, I even have a rare dragon in the form of this." Spike said, as he showed a card with a black dragon with red eyes.

"You all have impressive decks, I'm proud of you for building them." Solomon said with a smile. "Whoa! Guys, Raptor's stomping all over Weevil!" Tristan said as he saw the action on screen. "Yugi, these guys any good?" Joey asked. "Oh, yeah. They're both pretty tough customers. Weevil specializes in Insect cards, and he's a great strategist. Then you've got Rex Raptor and his Dinosaur cards, he uses their power to overwhelm his opponents." Yugi explained. "Itsy-bitsy bugs against dueling dinosaurs? Raptor has got this one in the bag." Rainbow said. "I wouldn't be so sure." Yugi responded, doubtful that Rainbow was right. Back at the Duel Dome, Rex prepare to make his move. "Alright, Weevil. Consider yourself, dinosaur chow!" Rex said as he played his next card, which was a creature known as Two-Headed King Rex, a level four, Earth attribute Dinosaur with 1600 attack points and 1200 defense points. "Oh, and Raptor plays the strongest card in his deck! The terrible Two-Headed King Rex! Looks like this match could be over right here, right now!" the announcer said. "Your move." Rex told his opponent, who simply chuckles. "And all I have is this weak, little bug." Weevil responds as he played his next card, the Basic Insect, a level two, Earth attribute Insect with 500 attack points and 700 defense points. "Weevil Underwood counters, with a Basic Insect card!" the announcer said as the monster materialized on the field.

"He played a wimpy bug against a giant two-headed dinosaur with wings? The whole Duel Dome and the audience there will be covered in bug juice!" Rainbow said in disbelief. "Maybe, but I wouldn't underestimate Weevil." Yugi responded. "King Rex, let's take this championship! Stomp 'em!" Raptor commanded, but Weevil soon chuckled, revealing he had something up his sleeve. "You attacked your way into my trap! But then, how could your tiny dinosaur brain know, when an enemy attacks, my Infinite Dismissal activates?" Weevil said with a smile. "Oh, no! It's a trap card!" Rex said in shock. "Which totally traps your King Rex in its inescapable embrace! Be lucky that King Rex is a level four monster, because if he were any lower, he would've been destroyed on the spot!" Weevil responded as the trap takes effect. "No! My King Rex!" Raptor shouted. "And while he's trapped there, I'll upgrade my Basic Insect by giving him Insect Armor with Laser Cannon!" Weevil said as his monster's new armor was applied. "And just for good measure, I'll give your monster a little gift, the Darkworld Shackles! Which decrease its attack power to 100!" Weevil added as a ball and chain with a face appeared around King Rex's ankle. "My Basic Insect's not such a weak, little bug after all, hmm? Attack!" Weevil commanded before Basic Insect fired its laser cannon and destroyed the two-headed dinosaur. "And King Rex is extinct." Weevil said as Rex lost his remaining 1100 life points. "Ah! Beaten by a bug." Rex said, in disbelief that he lost.

"A stunning upset by Weevil Underwood, our newest Regional Champion!" the announcer declared as Weevil was lowered down to the arena floor with a grin on his face. "Man! King Rex, squashed by an insect?!" Joey asked in disbelief. "Guess that goes to show you, if you play your cards right, there's no duel you can't make a comeback in." Spike said. "And now, a very special honor for our new champion. Here to present the Regional Championship trophy, the creator of Duel Monsters and the president of Industrial Illusions... ladies and gentlemen and fellow duelists, I give you Mr. Maximillian Pegasus!" the announcer declared as the man himself rose up from the arena floor to the applause of the crowd. "Congratulations." Pegasus simply said as he kneeled down and presented the new champion with his trophy. "Thank you." Weevil said as he accepted his prize. "And as Regional Champion, I invite you to compete in a bold, new tournament I'm hosting at Duelist Kingdom!" Pegasus says. Later, as the fans were leaving, Pegasus' limo was driving away from the Duel Dome. "Mr. Pegasus, with the announcement that you've made tonight, we'll have thousands of Duelists flocking to Duelist Kingdom." said one of Pegasus' underlings. "Yes. An event such as this will hopefully attract those who possess the Millennium Items I seek. Which reminds me..." Pegasus responded. "The package was delivered to the boy, just as you ordered, sir." the underling answered. "Excellent." Pegasus simply said.

Meanwhile, back at the Muto residence... "With all the excitement of the championships, you forgot to open your package, Yugi." Sol said as everyone gathered around. "What could it be?" Yugi asked as he opened it to reveal two stars, a glove and a VHS tape. "Some sort of glove." Rarity said. "And stars." Joey added. "Maybe there's an explanation on the video." Tristan suggested as Yugi picked it up. "Pop it in and check it out." Rainbow suggested. "Okay." Yugi said as he puts it in the VCR. In moments, Pegasus' face appears on TV with a shadowy background behind him. "Greetings, little Yugi, I am Maximillian Pegusus." said the Duel Monster creator. "Pegasus?" Joey asked, surprised. "We just saw him on TV." Tea pointed out. "The famous Maximillian Pegasus sends greetings to my Yugi?" Solomon pondered. "I have heard some terribly interesting things about you, Yugi. Your impressive defeat of Seto Kaiba intrigued me so much, I've decided to investigate your amazing dueling skills personally. Right here, right now, we shall hold a special duel. We'll play with a strict time limit of 15 minutes, and when time's up, the player with the highest life points will be the winner. Are you ready?" Pegasus continued, bringing a baffled look to everyone in the room. "He can't seriously expect you to fight a duel against a video tape!" Joey said in shock.

"That's crazy!" Tristan added, though Pegasus suddenly chuckled at the thought before his golden left eye started to glow. "No, it's magic!" Pegasus said before everyone but Yugi, Twilight and her friends froze. "Everything's grown dark and cold and the others aren't moving." Yugi said. "Spike! Spike!" Twilight shouted, but it was no good, for he, too was frozen like the others. "What have you done to them and where did you take us?!" Rainbow demanded. "Well, looks like we have some unexpected spectators for our duel. Would you mind telling me whom you six ladies are?" Pegasus said, surprised that the managed to pull them in with Yugi. "Well, Mr. Pegasus, my name is Twilight Sparkle, and these are my friends Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Fluttershy and Pinkie Pie. Now, would you please answer Rainbow's question?" Twilight responded. "We're no longer in the world you know, but I will return you all, after me and Yugi's game." Pegasus said with a chuckle. "Then it's time to duel!" Yugi said before his Millennium Puzzle activated. "Start the clock and make your move, Pegasus." Yugi said confidently. "Certainly, let's begin." Pegasus responded as the timer started and both players drew their hands. "Nervous, Yugi-boy? You should be. You have never faced a Duelist like me before." Pegasus added as he laid down his first card face down.

"You may be good..." Yugi began to say as he made his frist draw of the game. "I assure you, I am." Pegasus interrupted. "But I will beat you to reunite with my friends." Yugi continued before Pegasus' golden eye began to glow. "You won't be reuniting with anyone with that Koumori Dragon card." Pegasus responded, to the shock of Yugi and the Mane 6, for in Yugi's hand, the card he picked was, indeed, the Koumori Dragon, a level four, Dark attribute dragon with 1500 attack points and 1200 defense points. "How did you...?!" Rainbow began to ask, shocked that Pegasus knew exactly what card Yugi was going to play. "I told you you've never faced anyone like me before. I know every move you'll make, before you can even make it! Knowing every move you make give me a distinct advantage, wouldn't you say?" Pegasus responded. "What do you mean?" Applejack asked, suspiciously. "For example, I can anticipate Yugi's next play and counter it with this Dragon Capture Jar." Pegasus answered as the card started to glow, blinding Yugi and the Mane 6. "It will draw the Koumori Dragon from your card and imprison the beast!" Pegasus continued as the creature was soon trapped within the jar. "Trapped. Never to be played against me." Pegasus concluded. 'This is crazy! First he reads my mind and then he brings the monster on my card to life!' Yugi thought to himself.

"Pegasus, just where are we, anyway?" Rarity asked. "This dark dimension we're in, my dear, is known as the Shadow Realm. A mystical place where incredible monsters can be summoned and the impossible is quite possible." Pegasus answered as he drew his next card. "But what you're telling us can't be true!" Yugi objected. "Tell me, Yugi, do you and your friends believe there is magic in these cards?" Pegasus asked. "Don't you know? You invented the game." Rainbow answered. "What if I told you all I didn't?" Pegasus asked again, bringing a look of surprise to Yugi and the Mane 6 once again. "You didn't? What do you mean you didn't invent Duel Monsters?" Fluttershy asked, confused. "In ancient times, the Egyptians called this sort of contest a Shadow Game. Powerful pharoahs and sorcerers would hold mystical duels in other dimensions, just as we're doing now, but not with cards. They battled with real monsters and summoned them with real magic from stone tablets. These magical forces were so powerful, the Egyptians lost control of them, and nearly destroyed the entire world." Pegasus answered. "It's a good story, Pegasus, but these monsters can't be real!" Yugi responded, doubtfully, as Pegasus played his next card. "Tell that to my Dragon Piper, as his Flute of Ressurrection destroys the Dragon Capture jar and frees your Koumori Dragon, but puts him under my control." Pegasus retorted as his level three, Fire attribute Pyro monster, which had only 200 attack points and 1800 defense points, worked its magic and did, indeed, free the Kourmori Dragon.

"I have to counterattack! Silver Fang!" Yugi declared as said monster, a level three, Earth attribute Beast monster, with 1200 attack points and 800 defense points, appeared. But the Koumori Dragon put its head through the TV screen and launched a stream of flame that engulfed Silver Fang. Yugi and the others could feel the heat from the dragon's attack as Yugi's life points dropped to 1500, proving that Pegasus was telling the truth. "Ha! As you see, my friends, these monsters are very real! And also quite dangerous." Pegasus said with a chuckle, though no one was amused. "Ah, Yugi-boy. You and your friends are really quite entertaining. The way you all scowl and sneer, so defiant and yet helpless, and so completely ignorant of the power of your Millennium Puzzle." he continued. "What?" Yugi asked, confused as to how Pegasus knew of the Millennium Puzzle around his neck. "How do you know about the Millennium Puzzle?" Twilight asked. "5,000 years ago, a powerful pharoah locked the magic of the Shadow Games away." Pegasus answered. "What's this have to do with me?" Yugi asked. "The pharoah captured these vast, magical energies in seven, mystical Millennium Items, each made of solid gold." Pegasus answered. "Seven items? You're saying that, my Puzzle's one of them?" Yugi asked, intrigued. "Yes, and there are mystical energies locked within it. Magic that could change your life forever, if you only knew how to unleash it." Pegasus answered.

"But why are you telling us this?" Yugi asked. "Why? Simply because I need you all to know, but perhaps I have said too much. And since the clock is still ticking, I propose we resume playing our little duel." Pegasus answered as he put another card face down. 'He's right. Time's running out and I still haven't figured out whether he can really read my mind of if its some kind of trick.' Yugi thought to himself. As he did, Pegasus parted his hair and inside his golden eye, Yugi and Twilight saw a skeleton with a sword and shield within it. 'I've gotta try something. Maybe my Zombie Warrior.' Yugi thought to himself as he prepared to put the card in play, as Pegasus grinned and chuckled, but Yugi stopped himself at the last minute. 'Wait a minute! He definately knows what I'm about to do, but how? It's gotta have something to do with that weird, golden eye of his.' Yugi thought as he remembered seein his Zombie Warrior inside Pegasus' golden eye. 'That's it, isn't it? That weird, golden eye must somehow allow him to see the cards in my hand. So no matter which card I pick, he's already one step ahead of me. But that gives me an idea.' he thought once more. "Hurry up, now, Yugi-boy! Time's running out, don't keep your friends waiting." Pegasus taunted. 'Pegasus is expecting me to play one of the cards in my hand, but what if I play a card even I haven't seen yet? What happens if I draw a new card straight from the deck without even looking at it?' Yugi pondered as he did so and put it face down. "I already know you plan to play the Zombie Warrior, and I'm already prepared to counter it with this Sun Shower trap card, which makes even zombies lie down and play dead." Pegasus said as he revealed said trap.

"Not this time. I figured out your little game, Pegasus. You may be able to see the cards in my hand, but you can't see the cards I pull from the deck." Yugi said with a smirk, confusing Pegasus. "My next card is, the Dark Magician." Yugi said as he flipped the card face up, bringing a smile to Twilight's face, since the card was her Deck Master. "Oooh. The big, scary Dark Magician." Pegasus said, mockingly. "Trust us when we say, Pegasus, we've seen what the Dark Magician can do first hand." Twilight retorted, slightly offended. "She's right. Mock me all you like, Pegasus, but my magician will destroy that dragon." Yugi added. "Go right ahead, if you think it'll help." Pegasus said. "Oh, we know it'll do more than help, Pegasus. It'll bring you one step closer to defeat and bring us closer to getting out of the Shadow Realm!" Rainbow said with a confident smile, and Yugi nodded in agreement. "If it can do all that, by all means, play it." Pegasus said, almost like he wanted to be attacked, which caught Twilight's attention immediately. "Dark Magician, Dark Magic attack!" Yugi commanded, and in moments the Koumori Dragon was destroyed, dropping Pegasus' life points to 1200 and giving Yugi the lead, but Pegasus simply laughed. "Nicely played, but by using your Dark Magician, you've let me manipulate you once again." Pegasus said. "I had a feeling something was up when you laughed after Yugi destroyed the Koumori Dragon." Twilight said.

"And your feeling was right on the button, Miss Twilight. By playing that one card, your friend, Yugi, has ensured my victory." Pegasus stated. "No." Yugi said defiantly. "We shall see, Yugi." Pegasus responded as he drew his next card. "Oh! A very rare card. This is the fearsome Illusionist Faceless Mage." he continued as he showed the card to everyone. "Impressive. A level five, Dark attribute Spellcaster with 1200 attack points and 2200 defense points." Twiligh said as she got a closer look at the card. "I've never seen that card before, but my Dark Magician is one of the strongest Spellcasters in the game." Yugi pointed out. "But how will he fare once I combine my Faceless Mage with the equally rare Eye of Illusion?" Pegasus asked as the Faceless Mage went on the attack. "Dark Magician, Dark Magic attack!" Yugi commanded. Both attacks collided, but it appeared to be a stalemate. "I don't get it! Dark Magician has 2500 attack points, but the attack had no effect at all and the Faceless Mage is still standing!" Applejack said in surprise. "Oh, dear. And on top of that, Yugi's running low on time." Rarity said as she pointed to the timer, which was now past the five minute mark. 'I'm up by 300 life points, but only because Pegasus is toying with me. I've got to find a way to beat him at his own Shadow Game. He may know all kinds of tricks, but there's gotta be a way to defeat him. I just have to trust in my grandpa's cards.' Yugi thought to himself as he drew his next card.

"I'll counter your combo with the Celtic Guardian! This mighty warrior will cut your Faceless Mage down to size!" Yugi said as the monster, a level four, Earth attribute warrior with 1400 attack points and 1200 defense points, appeared on the battlefield. "True, your Guardian is mighty, but you have once again underestimated the incredible power of my Eye of Illusion!" Pegasus retorted with a laugh. "No!" Yugi shouted, worried that his Guardian was doomed. "Dark Magic attack!" Pegasus declared, and in moments, the Celtic Guardian was no more and Yugi's life points dropped by 1100. "But that's impossible! Only the Dark Magician can use that attack!" Yugi shouted before realizing what happened. "Oh, no. Yugi, it was your own Dark Magician that attacked you! The Eye of Illusion must be some kind of equip spell card!" Twilight shouted as the Dark Magician himself revealed itself on Pegasus' side of the field right next to the Faceless Mage. "But that leaves the question of how his Faceless Mage is protected while he controls the Dark Magician using the Eye of Illusion." Rarity pointed out. 'She's right. If the Dark Magician did that, what's protecting his Mage?' Yugi pondered. "Well, Yugi, and dear specators, our time together is nearly up. And seeing as I've more life points in total, it appears I am the victor." Pegasus said as he laid down his final card and clapped.

"I'm afraid he's right, Yugi. Look at the timer." Applejack said as she pointed to the timer, which was counting down from ten. "Time's not up just yet, Pegasus. And you left your Faceless Mage vulnerable to a physical assault!" Yugi retorted as he made his next, and last, desperate play, to Pegasus' shigrin. "Summoned Skull, attack!" Yugi commanded as the timer hit two. The monster lunged forward, but the timer hit zero before the blow could land, ending the duel automatically. "Well, we've run out of time. But how close was that? If you had been able to complete that attack, I would've lost. But I didn't, did I?" Pegasus said. "You got lucky the timer ran out, Pegasus, otherwise Yugi would've destroyed that Mage of yours!" Rainbow said. "Perhaps that may be true. And something else I know is true, is that you ladies must have magic of your own to have been drawn into the Shadow Realm with Yugi." Pegasus said, surprising all of the Mane 6. "I have taken the measure of your talents this day, Yugi Muto, and when next we duel, we shall play for far higher stakes." he added. "I'm done with your games." Yugi said, defiantly. "And so are we, Pegasus." Twilight added, only for Pegasus to disagree. "Tsk, tsk, tsk. You presume I'm giving you a choice in the matter, Yugi, but I'm not. For I, too, possess one of the seven Millennium Items, the all-powerful Millennium Eye!" Pegasus said with glee as everyone looked in shock.

"A Millennium Eye?!" Yugi asked. "So THAT'S how you saw all the cards in Yugi's hand!" Pinkie shouted. "That's right, my young friends, and now I'll show you all the true extent of its magic." Pegasus confirmed as his Millennium Item shot a beam of magical energy right at Solomon. "You see, I have found that, given the proper insentive, anyone can be made to play my games." Pegasus said as his magic pulled Sol's soul straight out of his body and into the TV set. The group opened their eyes and saw Sol's sould calling out to Yugi as the TV set started to go to static. "Grandpa!" Yugi called out as his grandfather's soul began to fade away. "Mr. Moto!" Fluttershy shouted with a look of fear in her eyes. "That blasted varmint done used his Millennium Item to pull Sol's sould straight into the TV!" Applejack shouted. "And worse yet, into the Shadow Realm!" Twilight added. "Yes, we will duel again, Yugi, and I hope your friends will be there to witness it. After all, how else will you ever reclaim your grandfather's soul?" Pegasus said with a wicked laugh as the Mane 6 and Yugi returned to their world.

As soon as they did, everyone else unfroze and Solomon's soulless body slumped over as Yugi desperately called out to his grandfather.