Equestria Guardians: Friendship is Magic

Chapter 4: The Search is On; Tons of Laughter and Fun

Elsewhere

Downtown

The streets were busy with hustle and bustle, as it was nearly the weekend and families and people were excited for the weekend off. Needless to say, it was a difficult path for Spike and Slash, as the boy was making it on foot. Like Slash had said earlier, they had to keep everything they did subtle, and having a 30-foot blue and white wyvern dragon flying or walking around downtown was beyond subtly. Once they were close, it was then that Slash had spotted the source to where the storm cloud was gathered. The two stopped and saw an antique store of the same build as the Canterlot Cabana, only this one was named the Dragon's Tooth.

Spike arched an eyebrow, as he asked, "The Dragon's Tooth? Sounds like a dentist office."

"Either way, Spike, it's our best chance to find the Elements of Harmony," Slash advised.

The two walked in, stepping inside, as the door closed behind them. the hallway leading to the main storeroom was darkened, say for a small light at the end of the hallway. Once they walked in, they were greeted with a shop and shelves full of dragon memorabilia, as well as antiquities and oddities. It was definitely like the Canterlot Cabana, though it was mostly centered on dragons.

Slash's eyes lit up at that moment, as he smirked, "Suddenly, I feel right at home."

Spike arched an eyebrow, as he looked around, feeling a bit… nostalgic to it all. "Weird," Spike told himself. "Why do I feel so comfy around this place?"

Suddenly, the sound of wheels rolling on the floor caught the boy's attention, as slash hid back into his backpack. Spike turned around, to see a rolling ladder on the shelves being pushed by an old man. In fact, it was the same old man that had scooped up the Elements of Harmony that very day. The man stopped at the bookshelf, as he looked down at Spike. And then surprisingly, the old man smiled brightly as he looked to Spike.

"I was wondering when I'd meet you again in this life," the old man smiled, as he climbed down.

Spike blinked at that, as he asked, "Uh, have we met?"

"Not in this life. Yet," the old man answered, as he rummaged through the shelves, looking for something. "But in a past life… we met."

Spike went wide eye, as he asked, "You mean you're a…" he cupped his mouth, realizing what he nearly said out loud. He then whispered his tone, "You were a pony in another life?"

The old man chuckled, "Hehehehehhe. No, no, no. I was a dragon. In fact, one of the elders of the Dragon society. You were once a part of it, but were raised by the ponies, as your egg was with them at the time of your birth."

Spike's eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, as his smile grew, realizing the knowledge he learned, "Whoa. I was a dragon? A mighty, ferocious, fire breathing dragon?"

The old man chuckled once again, as he continued his search, "Ah, no. You were more of a baby dragon. Well, in your age, a baby in appearance, but more of a young boy much like yourself."

His smile left, as Spike grumbled at that fact, "Oh great. That's so much better."

"Although small…" the man explained, as he knelt down a shelf, as he picked up a particular item. "… your heart was as large as a full grown dragon. Once you found the one destined to be your other half." He then walked over to the two, and presented them with a special little something, that Slash easily recognized, as he popped out.

"The Elements of Harmony!"

Spike went wide eye, as he shoved Slash back in, "Slash! What about the whole thing of being discreet?"

"It's quite alright," the old man waived off. "If anything, I'm aware of Celestia and Slash all the same. But I believed these are yours." Spike graciously took them, as he nodded, but the old man pondered aloud, "Still, it's curious… very curious…"

Spike raised an eyebrow, as he asked, "Um, sorry but… what's curious?"

The old man sighed, as he tapped his chin, "I remember every gem and stone I've ever come across; past life or current. It so happens that these gems were both used by the Princesses of the Sun and Moon. Each one in charge of three of them. It just seems curious that you and the girls are destined to fight against the same evil with the same method."

Spike blinked at that, as he asked, "And… what evil is that?"

The Man looked serious, as he simply answered, "Oh. We do not speak his name. Much like the Elements, destiny chooses who will be who, Mr. Spike. It's not always clear why they choose that person. But I think it is clear that we can expect great things from not just you, but the six girls who bear the Elements of Harmony. After all, Nightmare Moon did great things. Terrible, yes! But… great."

"Excuse me," an elderly Chinese woman appeared within the store, as she walked in. She walked towards the two, as Slash hid back in Spike's backpack, as she asked, "I am looking for very rare jewels. Do you have any available."

"I'm sorry, but I sold the last set to this young man," the elderly man stated.

The elderly woman looked at Spike, as she kindly asked, "Oh, you are a lucky young man to have purchased such rare bobbles."

The old man stopped, as he suddenly spoke in what sounded like Chinese, "Your hair looks rather stunning, my dear."

The old lady smiled, as she was amazed to hear that dialect, "Ooooh, you speak very good Mandarin, my good sir."

The old man nodded… but then breathed a fire blast at her, sending her flying across the room and hitting the wall. Spike went wide eye, as he was about to protest on violence towards the old lady, until the old man spoke up, "That was Cantonese, Nightmare Moon."

Spike blinked, as Slash popped up, as the two saw the old lady warple and morphed into Nightmare Moon before all three of their eyes. She politely stood up, as she brushed her sleeves off, "Oh dear. I really need to tell the difference next time." She then smiled at Spike, as she explained, "Tell me, Spike, darling. Did you know this old man, Fang, is in charge of imprisoning dragons that weren't as peaceful in Equestria? He still keeps them; in egg-shaped jewels, that he keeps around the store. Merely for display, never for sale. In fact… I seem to recall there was a particular dragon that spoke such beautiful Cantonese."

They didn't notice it, but a flock of golden butterflies were forming behind them, taking the shape of a man. It continued to take shape, as Nightmare Moon wondered, "Now what was his name? Oh yes, I remember now. Sun Lok: the Golden Dragon, as they called him."

"I remember the name all too well," the old man, Fang, reminiscence. "He was responsible for the destruction for many Pony villages. He even attempted to destroy the Crystal Empire along with Sombra."

Finally, the butterflies finished taking shape, into the form of an Asian man with light golden skin, white eyes, a thin strand of black hair for his beard and his hair, into a ponytail, and had long black fingernails that looked like claws. He wore a pair of red baggy pants with golden bands on the ankles for his black boots, gold bands on his wrsist, and a golden red belt with the depiction of a dragon.

"Yes," Nightmare Moon smirked. "And I seem to recall you and Celestia had a hand in trapping him when I was locked in the moon." She then held up a broken topaz egg, as she smirked, seeing the small shock on both their faces, "Ooops. I let him out."

Fang turned around, as Sun Lok breathed out a massive flame that Fang blocked with his arms, almost absorbing it. He looked to Spike as he shouted, "Spike! Get the Elements out of here! Fast!"

Slash popped out, as he stated the obvious, "We need Twilight here! Now!"

Spike nodded, as he pulled out his cellphone, and started dialing her number, "I just hope she answers in time."

Back at Twilight's Lab

After she had given Pinkie the tour, the two were lounging about in the car/bedroom that Twilight had. Pinkie was hopping on the makeshift bed, smiling that it was so comfy, as she kicked her shoes off. She kicked her legs in the air, as Twilight was amazed that this girl had such a carefree spirit about her. Sometimes she kind of envied in having such a spirit, as she just seemed so plain.

Twilight sat down, as Pinkie Pie stated, "I gotta admit, Twilight. This is a pretty cool place you and your little brother live here."

Twilight shook her head, "Nah, this is where I do most of my lab stuff."

Pinkie Pie sat up, as she arched an eyebrow, "Really? Where's your parents and your old place?"

"They're visiting my older brother, Shining Armor, outside of sea in the Eastern world. A place he's stationed in called the Crystal Empire, so to speak," Twilight explained. "As for our apartment home…" she remembered it had been trashed by Nightmare Moon, and knew they couldn't go back home at the moment until Nightmare Moon could be stopped. So she let a little fib out, "Well… it's kind of going on repairs at the moment."

"Ooooh, so this is a temporary stay here," Pinkie deduced. But then shrugged, "It's a shame. Those Tesla coils you got, might make pretty good light shows."

"If you're in a cage," Twilight suggested. But then she turned her attention, as she got right on the subject, "So… what was it you wanted my help with? Math?"

"Nope," Pinkie said, as she kicked her legs in the air without a care in the world.

"Literature?"

"Nuh-uh."

"Science?"

"X-nay."

Twilight raised an eyebrow, as she asked, "Well, if you're not having trouble in schoolwork, what did you need my help with?"

"I wanted to know what kind of music you like," Pinkie answered. "That way, I can tell Scratch what music to bring."

Twilight raised an eyebrow, as she asked, "Scratch?"

"Vinyl Scratch," Pinkie Pie answered, as she explained. "She's a student at the Music department. She makes for a great DJ; worked a few parties with her. She's awesome. She even has her own sound equipment."

Sighing and hanging her head in defeat, as she thought, 'Man, I was hoping to learn magic from Slash tonight, as soon as they found the Elements of Harmony.' But then she looked forward, as she saw Pinkie Pie laughing, and spinning around in her office chair seat. The sight made Twilight smile, as she admitted to herself, 'But then again… this was probably worth it.'

RING-RING

Twilight raised an eyebrow, as she dug through her pockets, recognizing her own ringtone. She pulled out her cellphone, as she answered, "Hello?"

-Hello, Twilight?-

"Spike?" Twilight arched an eyebrow. "What's going on?" But then she went wide eye, as she heard an explosion. "Was that an explosion!?"

-Yes. Yes it was, Twilight. That was incredibly perceptive of you to know. Glad to know you've kept that from your past life.-

"Slash? What's going on," Twilight asked, sounding pretty worried, while Pinkie slowly popped up at a corner, listening in to the conversation.

-Oh, nothing much. Just wanted to report that we found the Elements of Harmony… and that Nightmare Moon found them as well.-

Twilight went wide eye with worry, as she gulped, "And that's where the explosions are coming from?"

-Well, actually… that's her hired help we're currently avoiding at the moment.-

"I'll get there as fast as I can," Twilight assured him, but then frowned, as she grumbled. "Course it might be faster if I had a car. Dang it! And I only have a learner's permit."

-No sweat. I can teleport you to the store via a spell Celestia taught me.-

"Teleport, wha…?"

Suddenly, a white circle formed under her, as it stretched ten feet around her, and unknowingly catching Pinkie Pie as well. A great pillar of light shot up, as the magic activated, and once it died down, both Twilight and Pinkie Pie… were gone.

Back at the Convenient Shop

Suddenly, outside the store, unbeknownst to the crowds forming, the same pillar of light fired down in a darkened alleyway, as it died down again. A wobbly Twilight was making herself steady again, as she groaned, "Ugh… that felt weirder than normal."

"Yeah, tell me about it."

Twilight's eyes went wide with shock, as she realized she wasn't alone. Even more shocked, she knew the owner of the voice, as she turned around slowly accepting what had just happened. And there, leaning against the wall, about to throw up with a huge pale green flushing around her face… was Pinkie Pie.

Twilight blinked, as she asked, "Pinkie Pie? What are you doing here?"

"Ugh… did you see that pillar of light a few seconds ago," Pinkie groggily asked, as he managed to shake it off. "Feels like my bones are vibrating and my stomach's been thrown in a paint can shaker." But in a miraculous second, she was back to normal, as her cheerful self smirked, "Can we do that again?"

Twilight shook her head, as she stated, "I'd rather not until I'm used to it." She ran out of the hallway, as Pinkie Pie watched her go.

"Wait," she called back, as she followed after her. "Twilight! Come back!"

Once Twilight had made her way out onto the street, she looked around, trying to find where they were. As Pinkie Pie caught up with her, the pink-haired lass asked, "Twilight, what's going on? What or who are you looking for? And how did we get here? Was it because of that strange white pillar a while ago?"

Unable to cope with the questions, Twilight turned around, as she placed her hands on Pinkie's shoulder, as she tried to steady herself. "Pinkie…" she huffed out, causing Pinkie Pie to look worried, but then Twilight looked to her sympathetically, as she replied, "Look. Something really bad's going to happen. I don't want anything to happen to someone I've… befriended."

Pinkie Pie's eyes widened up and sparkled with a state of surprise on those words that Twilight spoke up on. Even her smile widened to insane proportions. The scene felt a little bit weird as Twilight saw this expression appear on her face. She finally managed to speak out, "Uh, Pinkie…?"

Suddenly, Pinkie Pie grabbed onto her in a hug, as she squealed out, "OHMYGOSH! TWILIGH, THANK YOU! THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR BEING MY FRIEND, TWILY! THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU!"

CRASH!

A figure suddenly crashed from a third story window of the convenient shop before them. they fell flat on the ground for a moment, until he stumbled back on his feet, seemingly okay. But once he stabled himself, he noticed the two girls staring at him. Twilight, not knowing who he was, asked, "Oh my gosh. You okay?"

"Twilight?!" Spike called from the shattered window, getting the attention of both girls. "You two should run."

Twilight blinked in confusion, but then looked at the golden dragon-like character, as Twilight seemed to figure it out, as she gulped, "Oh, boy…" She then grabbed a confused Pinkie Pie, as they both ran, with Twilight pulling Pinkie with her. They raced to the front door, and ran inside the building

The golden man frowned at them, recognizing Twilight suddenly, as he began to change, growing in height, fangs growing from his mouth, his back arching up as strange protrusions grew… and horns adorned his head.

Inside the Building

Twilight and Pinkie were running down the hallway, as Twilight was pulling Pinkie like crazy. The pink-haired girl managed to speak out, "Twilight! Why are we running! Who was that Chinese guy, and why was your brother telling us to run?"

"I can't explain right now, pinkie," Twilight tried to speak with her. "All you need to know is that we're in really grave danger!"

Suddenly, a golden and red Chinese dragon shot in through after them, its whiskers twitching, as they dared to whip at the girls. It then began to shoot fireballs at the girls; which sent them flying, as the floor behind them exploded. The girls managed to run into the back, as another fire ball exploded the doorway, as the girls crashed on the street grounds. Suddenly out of the flames, the snake-like dragon slithered our shot out of the fire like a monstrous snake slithering out in its hunting grounds. And both Pinkie and Twilight were the mice, as it hissed at the two. From afar, Nightmare Moon was sitting on a ledge of a roof, and had conjured up a bucket of popcorn to enjoy the show.

"Twilight," Slash called out, as he and Spike had made it to the escape hatch. "Twilight, it's all you now. Use your magic!"

Twilight went wide eye, as she asked, "WHAT!? But I don't know the first thing about using magic!"

Pinkie blinked, as she pointed out, "Is that a dragon on your brother's shoulder? And is it talking?"

"Twilight," Slash called out to her. "Clear your mind! That's the key to using your magic!"

The girls were still under attack, but Twilight managed to stop, as she credulously looked at the small dragon, and questioned, "Clear my mind?! In a situation like this: are you CRAZY!?"

Slash thought about it for a moment, and then quickly held up his two front talons… an inch apart.

Twilight sighed, as she sarcastically remarked, "Little bit. That's great."

The dragon roared at them, as he prepared to lunge at them, but stopped, as everyone heard giggling. Everyone turned to see Pinkie Pie, seemingly laughing at the danger. Twilight thought the girl had cracked under the pressure, but instead she seemed rather calm, but still laughing. The dragon arched an eyebrow at this, as Pinkie Pie made faces and bleched at him, as she continued to giggle and laugh at the scene.

"Pinkie Pie, what are you doing," Twilight asked, and then shouted, "Run!"

She shook her head, as she calmly responded, "Oh, Twilight, you're such a crack up." She then calmly explained, despite the dragon going towards her, "Granny Pie told me that running from your fears isn't the way to deal with fears at all."

Twilight, sweating like crazy, as the dragon was coming at her, "PINKIE!"

The Dragon lunged at Pinkie Pie… but then she hopped up in the air, as it crashed to where she once stood. She then landed on his snout, as she smirked, "She said, 'Pinkie. Ya gotta stand up tall and learn to face yer fears'." The dragon arched up, trying to bite at her, as Pinkie went on, "She told me they can't hurt you. All ya gotta do is laugh, and that'll make your fears disappear."

"Just guffaw at the grossly," Pinkie Pie stated, as the dragon tried to swipe at her. "Crack up at the creepy," and then dodged another series of slashes, "Snortle at the spooky…" and then the dragon crashed again, as it tripped itself into a ball, as Pinkie landed on the heap, and pointed out, "And then tell that big dumb scary face to take a hike and leave you alone, and if he thinks he can scare you then he's got another thing coming and the very idea of such a thing just makes you wanna… wanna…" and then laughed again and again.

The scene left Twilight in awe at Pinkie's fearlessness, as well as adjustment to the whole talking dragon, dragon trying to kill her, stuff. Even Slash and Spike were amazed by it too, as Spike's eyes lit up with amazement, "Wow. She can really hold her own against them."

Slash looked amazed for a moment, but then narrowed his sights on Pinkie, 'It's not about holding her own. It's almost as if she can predict when something's about to happen. Not psychically, but more like she can sense something's going to happen and then act fast to counteract with it.'

But then Slash noticed a glow in Spike's backpack, and began to rummage through it rather quickly. Spike felt his backpack stirring, as he looked at the little dragon, "Slash, what are you looking for?" Finally, Slash pulled out, along with something in his front paw, as he opened it, revealing the blue balloon Element of Harmony. And the gem was glowing, much to Spike's astonishment, "Why's it glowing like that? What's it mean?"

"It means the Bearer to the Element of Laughter is nearby," Slash answered, as he looked down on the battlefield. "Much closer than we anticipated."

Back at the Fight

The dragon was tide up in knots; a result of it trying to snag Pinkie Pie with its fangs. The pink-haired girl hopped off the dragon, as she struck a pose, as she smirked, "No dragon can stop the Party-Master!"

Twilight, was shocked and amazed at the same time, as she spoke up, "Pinkie Pie. That was amazing. How'd you know where the dragon would go and move like that?"

Pinkie lit up, as she winked an explanation, "Oh, I have this sixth sense that lets me know of stuff. I like to call it my Pinkie Sense."

Twilight blinked, as she asked, "Pinkie sense?"

Pinkie Pie merely shrugged, "Yeah, I'll have to explain it to you later on."

At that moment, Spike ran down the store way and towards them, as he hopped out, "Whoa! That was amazing!" Twilight smiled at that, as he ran past her… and at Pinkie Pie. "I mean, the way you dodged from the dragon the whole time, it was awesome!"

Twilight's eye twitched at that, as she slowly creakingly turned around to face them both, as Pinkie Pie scratched the back of her head, as she smirked, "Oh, it was nothing…"

"Hey!"

The two turned to see Twilight upset that she was ignored, as she pointed out, "I helped too, you know!"

The two blinked, as Spike finally asked, skeptical, "Really?"

Twilight frowned, but then she blinked, as she saw the dragon untangling itself, as it slowly rose up. She stuttered out, "uh, guys…?"

But then suddenly, Pinkie Pie started shaking up and down, like being put in a paint shaker. Spike blinked, "What's wrong, Pinkie?"

"HU-DUDHDHDHDDDHDHUUU!" She stopped, as she shook her head, "I dunno. I mean, I know the other bodily shakes of my Pinkie Sense happen, but that was a doozy. I don't know what it's for…"

"GUYS, BEHIND YOU!" Twilight screamed out.

The two looked behind them, and saw the dragon, untangled, as he was ready to breathe out a blast. Acting on instinct in her heart, Twilight ran in front of htem, as the blast shot right at them in a wave of flames. But as it was closing in, the element of Harmony around Twilight's neck glowed and resonated with her emotions. They were a strong urge to protect those that were important to her. It was almost as if… as if a spark had been ignited within her.

Suddenly, Twilight's body glowed bright violet, as her clothes dissipated, leaving her glowing naked form in place, as violet beams streamed over her, and stars glistened about her, until they flashed, igniting a violet bubble of magic around her, Spike, and Pinkie Pie.

Once the light died down at Twilight, the two were able to see what had happened to her. Even Spike blinked, as he stuttered, "Tw-Twilight…"

She stood there, transformed as she was now in a completely different outfit than her uniform. She wore a light purple one piece bathing suit-like outfit, with it opened from neck to bellybutton, but inside the opening, there was a dark purple cloth covering the opening, and a darker purple collar covering the upper part of her chest. She had a purple mini cape that went down her mid-back and had three points on it. Around her waist was a pink mini-skirt with a star-like light purple cloth dangling in the front of her loin, and wrapped around the mini-skirt's waist was a pink belt with a purple opal jewel acting as a belt buckle. Behind her was a long overcoat tail of sorts colored dark purple, and a pinkish purple stripe down the middle, the tail ending in points as well. She had light purple leggings that went up to her mid thighs, and the trim was purple as well. She wore light purple boots with dark purple leggings surrounding the ankles. She also had big light purple gloves that ended at her wrists, with purple opal gems on the back of her hands. And adorning her head was a purple tiara with pinkish purple ears with purple points that looked like ears, and adorning the center of the tiara was an amethyst unicorn horn.

Slash smirked, "Her Element's awake now." He then hopped on Spike's head, "Twilight. Use your element to fight the dragon!"

"I don't know how to do that," Twilight stated as she managed to somehow strengthen the shield. "I don't even know how I'm making this bubble around us. The only think I know is science."

"Well, then that's good," Slash pointed out. "Okay, you know that all molecules are in a state of flux every now and then. So how's fire started?"

"Molecules vibrating," Twilight answered.

"exactly," Slash stated. "Now, I want you to imagine the molecules outside the bubble vibrating on that frequency. Will it like you're willing the bubble. And then force that power right at Sun Lok."

Twilight soaked that all in, and began to concentrate on it. Suddenly, the fire slowly started to push back the flames, much to Sun Lok's struggling. Until finally, the flames engulfed him, as he roared out in agony, trying to fight the flames that were eating him at that moment. Until finally, eh collapsed down, and dissipated into golden dust.

Once they saw he was gone, Twilight managed to dissipate the barrier, as she huffed out in relief, almost as if she had run a mile. Suddenly, Pinkie Pie ran up to her, and hugged her tightly, "Wow, Twilight! That was amazing." She then pulled back, and smirked at Twilight's ensemble, as she ooed and awed at it, "Whoa… that outfit's amazing. You look like a Magical girl like in those Japanese animes."

Twilight blinked for a moment, and then looked at the outfit she was now adorning. She twirled around, allowing the cape to swish, as she smirked, "Nice. I look like a real magic user."

"And a fitting look for the Element of Harmony," Slash added.

Pinkie went wide eye with the dragon, as she nearly gasped out, "He can talk?!"

The trio looked around one another, silently discussing the situation in hand. Finally, Twilight looked to Pinkie Pie, as she stated, "Pinkie… there's something we need to tell you."

Pinkie blinked, as Twilight was about to answer, but Pinkie Pie beat her to it, as she spoke up, "We're actually the reincarnations of sentient pony beings from another world, where magic exists. And the pendant around your neck is a magical element of six other elements that are supposed to protect the world from evil and imbalance. And now in this life, the two of us as well as four others, are being called back to action to stop evil from reigning destruction of the world, as well as to rebuild the home and kingdom, so that we can spread the lessons of harmony to the world and make it a better place for everybody." And then finished smiling gleefully.

Twilight went wide eye and her jaw dropped at that assumption. Spike and Slash also did that too, as they were stunned to hear the news coming out of Pinkie like that. Finally, Twilight asked, "H-How did you know all that?"

Pinkie Pie merely shrugged, "Call it a hunch."

"Wow," Slash blinked. "That's some hunch you got there."

Pinkie looked to Slash, and smiled, "Thanks."

Nightmare Moon watched as the little group sped off, as she merely disappeared, knowing full well she would need extra forces to deal with the upcoming Guardians.

Later On

Twilight's Lab

A while later, they had returned to Twilight's Lab, where Slash had given Pinkie Pie her Element of Harmony, the Element of Laughter. He commented on her how well tuned her element to her was, as she was joyous enough, hopping around everyone. Once that happened, Pinkie's element activated, surround her naked blue form in a spiral of water, until finally, the water died down, revealing her in her Guardian Form, much like Twilight was.

Pinkie stood in place, as she was in awe at her new getup. She was wearing a pinkish two piece sporting uniform as the main outfit; her upper part was a pink turtleneck sleeveless shirt with the breast area in white, and the trim above her belly button was white. She wore a sleeveless pink hoodie with white fluff trim around the hoodie and shoulders, but had two aqua colored opal shoulder guards. On her wrists were white opal and blue circle hand guards that ended at the middle of her forearms, and covered her hands from the back, and had ring entries for the thumbs and index finger to hold it in place. She had pink short shorts with white fluff trim around the leg openings, and thin white trim for the belt, and behind the belt it stretched down to a big fluffy pink tail part. She had on pink mini-boots, much like Twilight's, but had white trim around the leggings, and white soles, toes, and ankles. And adorning her head was a white tiara that had blue ears with white pointy curled ends sticking up like anteanas, and the front of the tiara was broken into tiny circular droplets with the main one a blue sapphire opal.

Pinkie twirled around, as she jumped for joy, "ALRIGHT! I'M A MAGIC GIRL TOO!"

Twilight, on the other hand, was stumped to say the least when she saw it. "I don't get it," she asked, stumped, as she looked to Slash. "How did she do it so well? I had trouble the first time."

"At a guess: I'd say she's more intuned with her Element than you are at the moment," Slash stated.

Spike blinked, "Wow. Pinkie's better at this than you are."

Twilight looked freaked out by that, but shrugged it off, as she stated, "So? I-I've managed to use magic."

"Hey, guys. Check this out," Pinkie smirked, getting their attention. "Lookie what I can do!"

Suddenly, streams of water sprouted from leaks on the floor, surrounding Pinkie Pie with stunning water ribbons, as she giggled, "I can control water! This is so cool!" but then it froze up around her, as she shivered in cold, "Brrrr, man that's cold."

"And apparently, she can control Ice too," Spike replied.

Suddenly, sparks and earth being moved caught the trio's attention, as they looked in the center of the room. There, Slash had blown flames on the ground, and a magic circle was being embedded in it. Like streaming tissue paper, colorful flames danced within the patterns of the circle, as the trio stopped. Pinkie Pie transformed back, as Twilight asked, "Slash? What is that?"

"This is the Starswirl Circle," Slash stated, as he flew in the center, and hovered there, looking at Twilight. "It focuses your energy, helps you master new spells. It is where you will learn the Art of Mastering your Element, Twilight. Step inside, you leave everything else behind. Once you enter, there is no going back.

Twilight blinked at that, as she finally asked, "So I should probably pee first?"

Slash raised an eyebrow, as he shook his head, "It won't take that long. I think you can hold it. And yes, I get the joke you had earlier."

"The Circle has Seven domains. Each one corresponding to one of the Seven Arts a Unicorn or Magic User must master. There's the Alchemy of the Mind…" he then suddenly spoke in Twilight's mind, as his lips didn't move, as he went on, '… the domain of telepathy, second sight and psychic attack. The Alchemy of the Elements…' the four elements appeared before the dragon, as he went on, "… in this, you'll learn to start and control Fire, Earth, Wind, and Water."

Pinkie Pie hopped up and down, as she cheered on, "Oh! Oooh! Like me!"

He then smirked as he pointed out, "The Alchemy of Motion is a favored around all Magic users. Basically, it's levitation, telekinesis, compressing air molecules to create a concussive blast…"

He then suddenly levitated a chair, and then forming a small ball of air in his paws… shot it over to the chair, as it knocked it across the room. The sight made Spike and Pinkie Pie applaud in amazement. To which Slash bowed in response, and then smirked, "The Alchemy of Transformation…" He then morphed into a duplicate of Twilight, which shocked the girl, as he smirked, speaking in her voice, "… pretty explanatory."

Twilight frowned, as Slash reverted back to his old self, and she dronely pointed out, "Don't. Do that. Again."

Slash smirked, but then got serious as he pointed out, "The last two are the most important, as well as the most powerful. The Alchemy of Space-time is little understood. Astral projection, teleportation… well, it's best to show." He then looked to Pinkie Pie, "You got any change?"

"I've got about 10 cents," Pinkie answered, rummaging through her pockets.

"Toss them in the air," Slash ordered. Pinkie Pie did as he asked, and then he blew blue flames at it. And all of a sudden, the dime froze slowly in the air, as the others blinked. "Took me about ten years to learn how to do that. It paid off when I used it to stop Nightmare Moon that night to save you and Spike." The coin then returned back to normal speed, as it fell into Pinkie's pocket, to which she opened it up for it to land in.

Twilight then blinked, "And the final Alchemy?"

"The Alchemy of Matter," Slash answered. "And the famous law of physics holds true: it can be neither created nor destroyed. A magic user just has to know where to find the loopholes."

Spike arched an eyebrow, as he interrupted, "Whoa, wait a minute. You said there were seven domains, but you only mentioned six. What's the seventh?"

Slash smirked, "Ah, you thought to ask, as well as point out." He then turned to Twilight, as he smirked, "The last domain, is the Alchemy of Emotion. And yes, we won't win with sending valentines to Nightmare Moon."

Twilight asked, "Then what does the Alchemy of Emotion have to do with magic?"

"The more one feels, the stronger their determination becomes," Slash explained. "Some say emotions power the very magic we use. Love is the most powerful force in the known universe. And love itself stems from even the most common of bonds, like a simple meeting, family…"

Twilight nodded, as she figured it out, "… and friendship. That's the Seventh Domain, isn't it?"

Slash nodded, "Yep, and you've already reached the first step. Now all that's left… is to find the others. And with each friend you make… the stronger your magic will become."

Twilight smirked, as she looked to Spike and Pinkie Pie, "Well then… let's go find them."

"ALRIGHT!" Pinkie Pie said, as she ran into the circle, ignoring the slack-jawed Slash and Spike, as she hugged Twilight, "We're gonna get the Guardians back together! Again!"

"ACK! Let go," Twilight begged, as Pinkie's strength was crushing her. "Lemmie go! GACK!"

Slash flew over to Spike, as he landed on his shoulder, "Let's hope the others aren't as crazy as her."

"I don't think crazy's the word to describe Pinkie Pie," Spike commented.

Elsewhere

Nightmare Moon was sitting in a dark and abandoned building of sorts. Its location was a mystery, making it a perfect place to hide. Nightmare Moon knelt down in a flaming blue circle, as she bowed her head in respect. "Forgive me, Master," she apologized to someone unseen. "Celestia's servant has found the Bearers of the First and Last Elements of Harmony."

"I wouldn't worry so much, my young apprentice."

"But they have their magic," Nightmare argued.

"But they can not control it well enough. They are only two, but only with six, can they truly be considered a threat."

"I tried to recruit Sun Lok, but he wasn't strong enough," Nightmare Moon confessed. "We need help."

Then suddenly, clawed hands covered completely in shadowed darkness, almost as if pure black was his pigmentation, gently clasped on Nightmare's shoulders, as two red eyes and a mouth of sharpened white teeth smirked, as it spoke again, "Then you must form your own disciples, and use them to fight the Guardians… before the night of the Eclipse. The Rising of Darkness will not be interrupted this time."

Next Chapter: A Soul of Honesty; Fixing a Broken Trust