The Shadows of Friendship: - Spirit of the Puzzle first description

Nightmare Moon couldn’t help but watch in fascination as the light from the Puzzle died down to reveal her opponent not only still standing but transformed.

The young mare, once a unicorn, now stood as a tall, proud and furious alicorn. Sharp, ruby red eyes glowered at her as she took in the change. The ex-unicorn was taller now, her mane and tail both wilder and longer. The other alicorn’s wings were battle damaged, to the point Nightmare Moon somehow doubted the other would be able to lift off of the ground. Despite their ragged appearance however, they still looked regal, sweeping back over the other alicorn’s back and hanging down. The feathered wings somehow reminded Nightmare Moon of the capes that some of the nobles had worn before her imprisonment.

“So,” Nightmare Moon started, with an amused and slightly vindictive smile, “My sister had another alicorn hiding in the wings? How long did she make you wear that disguise? Weeks? Years? Centuries?”

“She didn’t.” Shadows swirled around Twilight as she replied, eyes narrowing slightly. Nightmare Moon’s own Shadow magic flared up in response, the two powers clashing in a blaze of dark purple light that lit up the entire room, casting their shadows in about six different directions. “Now return the sun, Nightmare Moon, before I have to make you.”

For Those We Love: Chapter 3 Intro

“Well...” Yugi sighed as she zipped up her backpack and looked around her room for any last items she might have missed, “I think that’s everything.”

Her voice echoed around the room and no audible reply answered her, but reassurance bounced down the link and she felt ghostly hands on her shoulders, steadying her and easing the nervousness coursing through her.

“Anesan...” Yugi breathed, wishing that they could talk. She knew her older sister could hear her and she could hear the spirit of the Puzzle’s words whenever she wasn’t in control of the body but they stillcouldn’t exchange words between them. Emotions and gestures, yes, but no words and with less than twelve hours until they reached Duelist Kingdom they needed to come up with some way of beating Pegasus.

There was still time to come up with a plan, but there wouldn’t be for much longer and Yugi was worried. She couldn’t and wouldn’t retract her offer to Jou. He needed to go and needed the money, but she couldn’t help but worry that if they failed, if they couldn’t beat Pegasus, he would continue his rampage against those she cared about.

It didn’t help that they just didn’t know enough to be able to plan properly. Pegasus knew how to use the Millennium Eye’s full powers and had already proved that he could use it’s abilities to read their mind turns in advance. He would know their plans the moment they did, making the upcoming Duel unwinnable. Unless, of course, they could find a way to block his mind reading.

She felt the ghostly hands leave her shoulders and her elder sister’s emotions retreat from her mind, guilt following her back into the Puzzle. Yugi winced, wishing she had been more careful about what she had been thinking. The spirit of the Puzzle felt horrible about letting her pride cost them the Duel against Pegasus in the first place.