Another Chance Beyond the Door

by Dat Merc

Chapters

Prologue: the Other Side of the Gateway
Chapter 1: Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 1
Chapter 2: Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 2
Chapter 3: Castle Mane-ia
Chapter 4: An Alchemist's Uncertainty
Chapter 5: An Honest Visit
Chapter 6: Castle Sweep-Up
Chapter 7: A Long Lost Past
Chapter 8: From Stranger to Hero
Chapter 9: A Batty Encounter

Prologue: the Other Side of the Gateway

"Hear me, God! I demand you answer the crying of my soul! Come to me!!"

"Whose that? Is somepony there?"

" Join me... Yes, I will no longer be bound to you nor your consequences."

"Who goes there? Show yourself!"

"I'll force you down to this Earth and into my bones! You have no choice but to be absorbed!!"

Canterlot, Equestria

Celestia gasped in shock and sat up. She scanned her surroundings and sighed in relief that she was in her bedroom. She closed her eyes for a moment to gather her thoughts.

"Just a dream...?"

The white alicorn dragged herself out of bed and trotted towards the balcony. She looked up at the night sky while enjoying the fresh air. However, something was on her mind... That mysterious voice... Something about it was making her feel uneasy. At the same time, she couldn't shake that sinking feeling that something terrible has happened. Where was that coming from? It didn't feel like it was happening here in Equestria or anywhere here at all. It was strange, even to her. She turned around and walked out of her bedroom and into the hallways of Canterlot Castle. The hallways were mostly quiet, but guards and castle staff workers had a presence in this castle. They also had rotating shifts between the day workers and their counterparts who worked at night. Celestia controlled the Sun while her younger sister, Luna, controlled the Moon. Speaking of sister, the tall alicorn was heading over to her sister's room which was on the other side of the castle.

It didn't take too long for her to arrive at her sister's room. She knocked on the door for a moment before talking, "Luna, it's me, Celestia. Mind if I come in?"

"Of course. Please come in."

Smiling with appreciation, the white alicorn entered the room and closed the door behind her. She looked around but saw no sign of her sister. Eventually, she caught her in her peripherals on the balcony and walked over to her.

As ruler of Equestria's night sky, Luna was able to go into anypony's dreams. She was slightly shorter than Celestia and had dark blue fur. She was busy with nightly duties, but she didn't mind her older sister entering her room, "Dear sister, I don't usually see you around at night as much since my return. Are you all right?"

Celestia nodded her head in affirmation but her face was filled with uncertainty, "Yes, Luna. It's just that... It's--"

"You feel as if something terrible just happened?"

The white alicorn froze in place hearing her sister speak.

"I felt it as well. It was as though thousands... No... Millions were screaming in pain and suddenly suffocating all at once..."

"And then there was nothing but silence," Celestia finished, but there was something more to it. "As a matter of fact, I have felt a similar one before."

Luna turned her head towards her in surprise, "You have?"

"A little over four-hundred years ago, while you were still banished as Nightmare Moon, I felt that disturbance. Although, it was on a smaller scale than what you and I had just felt. I fear something terrible has happened," The Princess of the Sun looked up at the night sky once again and was falling into deep thought. "Whatever happened back then has repeated itself once more. What makes it odd that it didn't feel as if it happened here in Equestria or anywhere at all."

"Hm... Do you think both events happened in a different plane of existence?"

Celestia allowed her sister's question to simmer inside her mind for a moment, "That may be possible, but why did we sense such things? What does it have to do with us, Luna?"

"Maybe it is some sort of omen..." Luna answered, "Whatever it is, we must be ready for it. It could affect Equestria in the future."

"It is possible. Hopefully, we look into this soon enough," The white alicorn started to walk away from the balcony to the door leading out of the room. "I'll return to bed now. Twilight will be here tomorrow to oversee the preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration as her first duty as the Princess of Friendship. Good night, Luna."

"Good night," Luna watched her sister leave the balcony and out of her room. After a moment of silence, she sighed with concern as she looked up at the night sky she had brought upon Equestria. "I hope I'm wrong about this omen, sister. Only if it is any... Still, I fear that something of an unimaginable scale may threaten to befall Equestria, and the Elements of Harmony may not be powerful enough to stop it..."

Central City, Amestris

It was over... It was finally over. Amestris has survived the Promised Day and it ended in failure for Father and the Homunculi who all met their end with the former being the last one. For Edward Elric - the Fullmetal Alchemist - his success came with a great price... His brother, Alphonse, gave up his own soul to restore his older brother's right arm back to normal in order to defeat Father once and for all. He was offered a Philosopher's Stone by Ling Yao to bring Alphonse back. As much as he wanted to, the young alchemist refused to make use of the fabled stone.

"There has to be a way to get Al back... There's got to be. Think, dammit! Think it through!! Just keep thinking!!!"

"Edward."

Another voice dragged him from his thoughts. The boy turned his head towards the voice in question. It was his estranged father, Van Hohenheim. He was gravely wounded during the fight against Father, but he was carried by the shoulder by Edward's alchemy teacher: Izumi Curtis.

"Use my life for the toll," Hohenheim offered to his son. "Use me to save Alphonse. I have just enough life left."

The young alchemist gasped in surprise after hearing his father's offer. Soon, his facial expression turned into that of anger and hatred towards him, "No way! I could never do that, you dumbass!" He replied with anger already boiling over, "This has nothing to do with you. It's our own damn fault. I won't use another human life to get Al back and I don't care whose it is. Why should you sacrifice your life for our mistake!?"

"Because I'm his father," Hohenheim answered. This caused the alchemist prodigy's anger to cool down a little, "And that's the only thing that matters... You don't know how much you boys mean to me and I just want both of you to be happy. I do bear some responsibility for this. None of this would ever happen if I had just been there for you." He paused for a moment as his lips began to quiver while holding back tears, "Ed, I'm sorry. I've lived long enough. Just give me this chance to act like a father for once in my life..."

Edward was left speechless. His golden eyes were beginning to shed some tears, but he immediately closed them in denial. After being gone for the majority of his early life, this man decided to be a father to him and Alphonse right out of the blue? "Shut up, you rotten father!" The boy finally responded as he opened his eyes again, "Say something dumb like that again, and I'll knock you out!"

Hohenheim could do nothing but watch his own son pour out his emotions towards him in full force. He then closed his eyes with remorse, "I'm sorry... Please forgive me."

"Keep thinking again! Come on already," Edward thought to himself after wiping tears from his eyes. As every second passed, the more desperate he became. He looked down at the damaged suit of armor Alphonse's soul was once connected to and clenched his fists in frustration, "You're the youngest state alchemist in Amestrian history, dammit. Even you passed your own Portal of Truth so you can transmute with your bare hands." There had to be a way to bring his younger brother back from the other side without having to use the Philosopher's Stone. He looked down at Mei who was on the other side of the suit of armor mourning for Alphonse. He then started looking around noticing his friends and others who surrounded him.

At that moment, an idea came to mind.

"Mei, stand back for now," Edward suggested to the Chang Clan heiress as he stood up and picked up a discarded stick nearby. Everyone around him was wondering what the boy was doing. Eventually, it all became clear as Edward was drawing an all too familiar circle.

"Wait... Is that..." Ling was initially puzzled until Edward finished drawing, "That's a human transmutation circle!?" The prince yelled in surprise. Why would the young state alchemist attempt the Taboo again despite knowing what will happen?

"I'll be back in a bit... This may be my last transmutation," Edward said as he tossed the stick away and walked to the center of the transmutation circle. "Worst-case scenario; I may not come back at all. Either way, just relax and enjoy the show," He smirked as he clapped his hands together to activate the circle. The people around him could do nothing but watch him deconstruct in front of them. Even his friends were begging him to stop, but it was too late as the transmutation ritual came to an end.

A white void that was all too familiar was where the boy was now. With a tall door behind him, Edward confronted Truth, "You're here to retrieve your brother, huh? How are going to pull an entire human out of here? What's your payment? Do you offer one of your limbs again? Or do you offer something else...?" It asked Edward.

"You said this is my Portal of Truth, right?" The boy asked, "That also means I can do whatever I want with it."

"That is correct. What are you planning to do now?" Truth began wondering what the young alchemist could be thinking now.

Edward turned around to look up at the tall, knobless door that was standing before him. "This portal contains every secret alchemy has to offer, but it also led me astray," He said as he placed his right hand on the portal. Memories of his first time visiting this void as a young child flooded his mind, "After seeing what was behind it, I became convinced that I can solve everything with alchemy. I could never be so wrong. That was just nothing but arrogance."

"Are you about to cast it aside and lower yourself to a mere human?"

"What do you mean by that? Isn't that what I was all my life? Just a simple human who couldn't save a little girl. Not even with alchemy," The alchemic prodigy answered as he looked at the portal with a content expression on his face.

"Think carefully now. Whatever you decide will mean the difference between getting your brother out of here and not," The white figure warned the boy.

Edward turned away from the portal and stared at Truth with determination in his eyes, "I'm here to offer my own body and soul in exchange to free Al from here once and for all."

Truth did nothing but laugh at the alchemist's offer, "Is that so? Your brother will be out of here, but you won't." It said wondering if Edward was starting to have second thoughts.

"Yes, I'm aware of that. After what I've done and the kind of hell I've already been through, that is punishment enough for me," The boy answered again standing firm with his demand.

"Very well... I hope you won't regret this decision. Goodbye, Edward Elric," With that, the white figure started to fade out of Edward's sight. Eventually, another figure and portal appeared behind where Truth once stood. Edward recognized the new figure as Alphonse and his own Portal of Truth.

"Brother," Alphonse weakly stood up as he was fully aware of what was about to happen. His malnourished body stood there in front of Edward.

Edward's smile slowly faded knowing that he just paid the ultimate price to save his younger brother. "I'm sorry Al, but I deserve this more than you ever would," He broke the silence between them.

The younger Elric's fragile body started shaking in denial of what was happening, "No, Brother!" He yelled. "We were supposed to go home together! Everyone is waiting for both of us to come back!!" He begged in an attempt to put some sense into his older brother. "We left home together, but I can't go back home without you."

"Tell Winry I'm sorry. Sorry to make her cry for not coming home... No tears of joy, that's for sure," Edward closed his eyes as his portal opened and its tendrils took hold of him. The time has finally come for their final farewells.

Alphonse's portal opened with its tendrils grabbing him in the same way as his brother's portal. "Brother, please!! This doesn't have to end this way!" He yelled as he vainly extended his arm toward Edward. The situation was becoming more hopeless by the second.

"Goodbye, Al... You and I have been through a lot together..." Edward's portal began closing as he was dragged deeper into it. He could see light coming from his brother's portal. Alphonse was really going home now after all, "You've been here far too long. Continue learning alchemy without me..."

"Ed, no!"

With that, the doors finally shut and there was silence. Alphonse's worrisome face was the last thing Edward saw, as his content expression was the last thing the younger brother saw...

Little did they both know Truth witnessed the exchange from above, "I was hoping you finally knew the right answer, young alchemist. If that were the case, this could have ended differently... Where you're going, you may find yourself thinking about what happened here."

Edward started to feel a bit lighter as the tendrils that grabbed hold of him suddenly let him go. Out of sudden will, he just started walking aimlessly in this endless, dark loop that was the Portal of Truth - The source of all alchemy... It was the very thing that the boy was blessed but also cursed to have while living. He was naive to believe that he can solve everything with the science of alchemy... Unfortunately, no matter when or where it brought him nothing but misery. None of that mattered to him anymore, because Edward saved his younger brother from the very place he was now in.

At least the Portal is not like Gluttony's stomach where there was nothing but an endless sea of blood and chunks of buildings from past eras of Amestrian history. The boy was better off here than being stranded in a sea of blood. Then another thought entered his mind. The Portal of Truth felt much different than the previous times he was here and yet... Edward was struggling to put a finger on it. Then again, anyone's experience with the Portal was different depending on how deep into it they can see before having to pay the "toll."

"Al," Edward whispered to himself. The memory of seeing his younger brother's face for the last time was making the former state alchemist prodigy tremble in sorrow. Was having to give up his own body and soul to free his brother too much for a price? His thoughts were interrupted when a small but bright glint of light was seen ahead. Shielding his eyes, Edward was prepared to confront the unknown. The light drew closer and closer and yet... It felt oddly warm for him. He kept moving forward into the light. Was this the way out of the Portal? If it was, then why now, and who or what was bringing him out of it? None of that mattered now when the light ultimately blinded and consumed him.

(Closing Credits - Ray of Light (English Version) by AmaLee)

Author's Note

This is it!! A crossover with Fullmetal Alchemist. I've only seen a handful here, but I decided to add one of my own. It was something that was on my mind for several years. I just worked very slowly with it and now it's here.

Also... Happy Fullmetal Alchemist Day!!!

Chapter 1: Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 1

Silence... There was nothing but silence all around and there was something cold and hard with a bit of gravel. Edward slowly opened his eyes and tried to reorient them back into focus. When he realized he was lying down on the concrete, he sat up and rubbed his head before taking a glance at where he was now. Wasn't he taken in by the Portal of Truth minutes ago?

This was not what was expecting. Edward now found himself inside of what appeared to be the ruins of some castle. Was he in the ruins of Xerxes? No... Something about this place was different than that. He lifted his right arm in an attempt to rub his forehead but abruptly stopped and gasped in disbelief as he looked at it.

"What!?"

Instead of his original right arm that was involuntarily restored in order to defeat Father, the young alchemist was wearing his automail arm again. Wasn't it destroyed during that fight? No signs of damage, no dents, and no missing pieces. It was in perfect condition. This discovery made another question; did he really bring his brother back from the Portal? Edward was puzzled. He quickly got up on his feet and looked around again. He was still battered from the fight, but he may have to at least patch himself up eventually.

"Great, what do I do now?"

Ahead of where Edward stood, there was what looked like a throne. Upon closer look near it, there were shattered pieces of a suit of light blue armor. It appeared as though they have not been lying around for too long. He examined the pieces closely until he spotted a helmet. It was the only thing that was undamaged but it looked a bit too big for someone's head, but something else caught his eye. There was a hole on the helmet's forehead, but it looked as if it was meant to be there instead of something like being the cause of a traumatic injury. Judging from the discarded armor, did a fight happen here? There was no sign of blood anywhere, however.

The boy walked over to a nearby window sill to see the world outside the castle ruins. It looked like he was surrounded by a forest, but the vegetation had a different appearance from the ones he knew and had been in before. Edward scratched his chin and looked up at the sky. His eyes widen in shock.

"W- What the hell!?"

The sky was literally day and night... At the same time? Edward rubbed his eyes and truth be told; what he was seeing above him was real. He shook his head and looked around the room again and saw a staircase leading downward. Somehow, these unknown ruins reminded him of the time he had to trek through the desert with Major Armstrong and Second Lieutenant Breda from the Amestrian border to the ruins of Xerxes and back...

First, the sky was literally day and night, then Princess Celestia and Princess Luna have suddenly gone missing, and now the Everfree Forest was invading? Black, thorny vines were infesting Ponyville. Twilight Sparkle, now an alicorn due to recent events prior to what was happening now, was in Canterlot to oversee preparations for the Summer Sun Celebration. This was her first duty as the newly crowned Princess of Friendship. The preparations have been temporarily halted due to the strange events that may be spreading all over Equestria. With no time to waste, Twilight, along with her baby dragon assistant, Spike, flew from Canterlot to Ponyville to gather her friends; Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Applejack, Rarity, and Fluttershy, and the Elements of Harmony to solve this newest problem they were facing. They initially accused the newly reformed God of Chaos, Discord, of causing the latest havoc but ultimately gave him the benefit of the doubt.

"Why don't you ask your zebra friend if she knows anything?" Discord asked. All eyes were diverted from him to Zecora as she arrived in Ponyville from the direction of the Everfree Forest. She was carrying a sack of numerous items on her back while more were on the carriage she was hauling.

Twilight and her friends all smiled upon the zebra's arrival and approached her. Seeing her exhaustion, Fluttershy and Rainbow Dash removed the sack off of her, while Pinkie Pie and Applejack separated her from her carriage.

"From my home, I have to flee," Zecora sighed in relief, "The forest has grown too wild, even for me."

"Any idea why this is happening?" Applejack asked.

"I'm afraid it is a mystery to me as well, but I may have something if combined with a spell," The zebra shaman walked over to her carriage and dug through her belongings for a moment before pulling out a small bottle with purple liquid and placed it in front of Twilight, "I do not dare to use it myself, the result could be tragic. It only responds to alicorn magic. Princess Twilight, only you can turn the potion from purple to white. After the sip, you may see why the sky is day and night."

As advised, Twilight's horn lit up and activated her magic on the potion bottle. The purple liquid changed to white exactly as Zecora mentioned. She then levitated the bottle and examined the content in question. After a moment, she took a few gulps from it. A few seconds passed and there was nothing happening.

"Um... I don't fee-"

Twilight suddenly froze in place. It felt as though the world around her suddenly turned white.

Castle Ruins

After scaling down the staircase, Edward looked around and saw more of the derelict scenery of the castle. Edward caught sight of an old, red drape lying on the floor nearby. After walking toward it, he picked it up and took a moment to examine it. Then, an idea entered his mind.

"Where ever I am now, will my alchemy work?"

The boy placed it back on the floor neatly and clapped his hands together before placing them on the drape. Blue sparks lit his surroundings and moments later, the drape transmuted into his trademark red coat, including the Flamel Cross on the back. He picked up a piece of rag nearby, a white one this time, and then wrapped it around his left bicep where the small impalement wound was during the fight against Father.

Several minutes later, Edward sighed in relief as he finally stepped out of the doors of the ruins. His black, sleeveless shirt, beside his new coat and white gloves he just transmuted, was still in tatters and dirty. For the time being, that was the least of his concerns. He then started to look around at what was currently ahead of him before walking towards an old, brittle bridge with the forest immediately beyond it.

"All right, new problem: Figure out my way out of here..."

Unknown

"Celestia!!"

None of this made sense. Twilight found herself in Celestia and Luna's throne room. It looked different somehow, but that was not the problem, why did Luna transform into Nightmare Moon again? Was this really related to the current conditions of Equestria? These and other questions were going through Twilight's mind when she watched a confrontation between Nightmare Moon and Celestia. After a brief fight in the night sky, the lavender-coated mare watched in shock as Celestia lifelessly fell back to Earth after Nightmare Moon's magic beam hit her. The dark mare's maniacal laughter echoed all around as Twilight made her descent where Celestia landed.

"No... Why would Luna do this? Why now?"

Twilight started to sob over Celestia's body. Suddenly, the white alicorn slowly returned to her hooves which made her gasp in a mixture of surprise and relief. "You're all right... You're all right!!!" She said with a smile, but she was receiving no attention from Celestia as if she was being ignored.

"Oh dear sister, I am sorry, but you gave me no choice but to use these!" With her horn lit, Celestia turned her head around and opened a secret door on the floorboard. A podium-like structure was revealed being risen from the secret door. It was holding a stone-like sphere surrounded by five gems.

"Are those the Elements of Harmony?" Twilight blinked with a puzzled glare, "But that's how they look like... In the past." She paused in realization as Celestia flew upward to the front of the sphere, "This is the night you banished her."

Celestia's horn lit up once more as her magical aura took hold of the gems. A six-pointed star-like gem, shaped similarly to Twilight's cutie mark emerged from the sphere and was joined by the other gems. With all six pieces of the Elements of Harmony together, they surrounded Celestia in a form of bright rainbow-like colors. Their powers activated, and she returned to the sky to confront Nightmare Moon once again. Witnessing this, the dark-colored mare began to prepare another magical beam attack.

Celestia's eyes were shedding tears knowing what she was about to her own sister. She charged her horn to combine her magic with the Elements' powers. That was when Nightmare Moon fired her magical beam at her while Celestia did the same with her own beam. Their magic clashed in the night sky as both attempted to overpower each other, but Celestia, with the Elements, gained the upper hoof as her beam began to overwhelm Nightmare Moon's beam. Nightmare Moon gasped as Celestia's beam was closing in on her.

"No!!"

Nightmare Moon screamed in horror as the beam consumed her body. Eventually, it carried her further and further into the sky until it landed on the moon, leaving numerous craters shaped after a horned pony.

As it all turned out, Twilight was witnessing events from the past. Her surroundings flashed before her eyes and she then found herself in a different surroundings.

"Water: 35 liters..."

Twilight's ears perked up upon hearing an unfamiliar voice behind her. Turning around, her eyes widen in shock and confusion.

"Carbon: 20 kilograms, ammonia: 4 liters, lime: 1.5 kilograms, phosphrus: 800 grams, salt: 250 grams, saltpeter: 100 grams, sulfur: 80 grams, fluorine: 7.5 grams, iron: 5 grams, silicon: 3 grams."

"What am I looking at?"

Twilight spotted some sort of a large circle with different shapes drawn within it on the floor with a bowl in the center with different contents inside it. What shocked her the most was two... Human boys, looked at least ten years old? She just can't seem to put her hoof on it... Somehow, they look different than the ones she already met during her recent adventure at Canterlot High.

Both boys had blonde hair and gold-colored eyes. One had slightly long, hair with bangs while the other one had shorter hair.

"And finally, we need some soul data," The boy with bangs spoke as Twilight watched them use a knife to lightly slit their own fingers on top of the bowl letting a small drip of their own blood into it.

The boys then walked away from the center of the circle and kneel together at the edge of the drawing.

"All right this is it, Al," The boy with bangs said with confidence as 'Al' nodded in mutual agreement.

Twilight walked over to their side of the circle for further examination of what was about to happen. Eventually, their hands touch the circle together and activated it. The entire room started glowing light blue from the drawn circle. The mare watched the event with awe. Almost in an instant, the light became black and purple.

“Ed, something doesn't feel right,” 'Al' said as an eye appeared in the center which occupied the circumference of the circle. That was more than enough to convince Twilight that something unsettling was about to unfold. Suddenly, 'Al' yelped in pain as his left arm appeared to be disintegrating with small, black tendrils slowly surrounding him entirely.

'Ed' yelled for him before his left leg started disintegrating in the same fashion, “It can’t be... Is this a rebound?”

“Brother!”

'Ed' turned his attention to 'Al' whose body was now disintegrating rapidly.

Twilight covered her mouth watching the horrifying scene unfold in front of her, "What the hay is going on here? Is this supposed to be magic!?"

After an overwhelmingly blind flash, the world around Twilight was returning to clarity again. The room was glowing light blue but was accompanied by a scream of pain. She turned her head and gasped in horror at what she was seeing... Half of 'Ed's' left leg was gone above the knee and he was screaming in pain as blood was spilling out from it. The alicorn mare looked around for 'Al' only to see his discarded clothes nearby.

“Dammit! This can’t be happening... It can’t be...” 'Ed' said to himself as he began crawling to the circle. “This wasn’t... This wasn’t supposed to...” He looked at his leg watching a pool of his own blood dripping from it and looked to where "Al' once stood, “He’s gone!! What have I done!?” He yelled as he closed his eyes in pain, “Somebody, help me... Somebody... Please, Mom...” Ed opened his eyes hoping that the person he and Al hoped to see again was standing before him when the blue light faded away.

"Mom?" Twilight blinked in confusion as she turned her attention to the direction where 'Ed' was staring which was the center of the circle. Someone or something was lying on the floor. Some sort of twisted, malformed abomination was reaching its hand out to 'Ed. It didn’t even look human... Both she and 'Ed' gasped looking at what this gruesome experiment had done. Within a few seconds, the abomination coughed out blood and lifelessly went limp. Leaving the boy alone and helpless...

"There's... There's no way this is magic... It just can't be!" The lavender-coated mare exclaimed, feeling disgusted by the horrors she was witnessing, "How is this even related to the present?"

“No... This is wrong,” 'Ed' finally broke the silence. “This... This isn’t what we wanted!!!” He began crying for his younger brother.

Despite knowing this was a glimpse into the past like Luna's banishment, Twilight's eyes were starting to form tears as she looked down at the terribly wounded boy with pity.

Eventually, the boy knocked nearby a suit of armor down to the floor. "No, dammit... You won’t take him too. Give him back... He’s my brother,” He begged as he used blood from his leg to draw a seal of some sort inside the armor, “Take my leg. Take my arm... Take my heart!!! Anything!!! You can have it!! Just give him back... He's my little brother!!! He's all I have left!!!" 'Ed' cried out as he clapped his hands together. Blue sparks flared from his hands causing the world around Twilight to vanish in a blink of an eye.

Twilight found herself waking up from the flashbacks. After a moment of reorienting herself to real life, she saw her friends, including Zecora, giving her confused gazes.

"Um... Why are you all looking at me like that?"

Applejack was the first to answer, "It's just... You were mumbling to yourself."

"And don't forget the uncontrollable sobbing," Pinkie Pie added.

"We were really worried about you," Fluttershy also added her concern.

"I, for one, have found it delightful," Discord answered as he was relaxing on a thorny vine with an amused smile on his face, "Sort of a one-pony piece of theater if you will." He extended his arm to Twilight and unrolled a poster in front of her, revealing an image of herself crying, complete with a sound of a crying infant in the background, "You should really consider taking it on the road."

"Did you find out whose rump we need to kick?" Rainbow Dash asked with a karate kick gesture, "And where to find them?"

"I saw two things from a long time ago, but neither explained what's happening right now," Twilight answered with disappointment in her voice.

Zecora walked to the alicorn mare, "Perhaps farther back still are the answer you seek. Another sip of the potion will give you a peek."

"Are you sure about this?" Spike asked Twilight.

Twilight levitated the bottle again and looked at it for a moment. She turned to her friends who were giving her skeptical looks. She then decided to take another sip of the potion.

As if on cue, Discord reappeared next to her friends with a camera pointing at her. Excitement and enthusiasm can be seen on his face. "Oh, I do hope she breaks into a song this time."

A moment later, Twilight was in another trance for another look into the past.

Unknown Forest

He's been through forests before, but the air of this particular one felt suspiciously unsettling. Edward was cautiously walking down a path wondering where it was leading him. He then heard some shuffling in the bushes near him, causing him to clench his gloved fists for the worse. He turned around in a fighter stance to confront his potential assailant. As it turned out, several birds flew out of the vegetation and into the literal day and night sky above. He then heaved a sigh of relief.

"Damn... Could have got me already, if it were something else."

Another shuffling quickly caught his attention as he felt something on his right leg. He looked down and saw a thorny-looking vine attempting to wrap itself around it. The young alchemist immediately clapped his hands placed them on the branch creating blue sparks severing the vine from his leg.

"Now what's going on here!?"

Soon, he saw more of the vines were slowly creeping out of the trees and bushes around him. Without a second thought, he then turned in his original direction and started running away from them.

"What kind of forest is this!?"

Ponyville

Twilight was introduced to two more flashbacks. The first one was about Celestia and Luna's confrontation with Discord. The princesses used the Elements of Harmony to turn the God of Chaos into stone and turning Equestria back to normal. Unfortunately, Twilight had no idea how it was related to Equestria's current state.

The second flashback, however, looked promising. It was an earlier event with the Princesses prior to their confrontation with the Discord. It showed where exactly they acquired the Elements of Harmony. The sacred gems were originally from a certain tree called the Tree of Harmony. Despite the lack of tangible clues of the Princesses' mysterious disappearance, the Tree of Harmony was the best clue Twilight had.

"So what did you find out?" Spike asked excitedly. The rest of Twilight's friends, including Discord, listened with anticipation.

"I still don't know what happened to Princess Luna and Princess Celestia..." Twilight answered, "But I think I know why the Everfree Forest is acting this way... Something's happened to the Tree of Harmony!"

Silence filled the air as her friends blinked in confusion.

Rainbow Dash decided to break that silence with a question, "The Tree of what now?"

"It's where Princess Celestia and Princess Luna found the Elements. I think it's in danger," Twilight explained.

Applejack walked up to her friend with determination in her eyes, "All right then. Let's go save a-" She then paused with a hint of confusion shown to her face before finally correcting herself. "Tree!! Uh... Where is it exactly?"

"I think it's in there," Twilight pointed her hoof towards the entrance to the Everfree Forest.

Meanwhile, Discord was relaxing on a recliner eating popcorn and listening to the conversation at hoof. He raised his eyebrow in amusement and interest after hearing where the conversation was likely headed, "Hmm... Looks like I'm going to need even more popcorn..."

Author's Note

Good another chapter complete. I've actually been working on both the prologue and this chapter at the same time. Even long before FMA Day, it took me quite a while to flesh this chapter out.

You're probably thinking why I omitted Ed's first encounter with the Portal. I'd rather not give Twilight a free pass to see the Truth.

Chapter 2: Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 2

"Seems like only yesterday when we went into these woods to find the Elements of Harmony," Rarity said as she, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Applejack, and Spike stood in front of the entrance of the Everfree Forest together.

Twilight took a step forward into the forest. "Seems like only yesterday I was foolish enough to think I should go after them on my own," she added as the rest of her friends followed behind her, "I don't know what we're going to face in there but whatever it is, I know we need to face it together."

Her friends replied in agreement as they walked deeper and deeper into the Everfree Forest.

"Who or what the hell is controlling these things!?" Everywhere he ran, there was nothing but thorny vines creeping out of the vegetation around Edward. It felt as though this forest literally had a mind of its own. The literal day/night sky above him was already weird enough for him. Another clap of his hands transmuted an earthen wall behind him blocking the vines from following him. Hopefully, they lost sight of him.

"Seriously, what more weird things are around here?"

Up ahead, there appeared to be what looked like an opening of some sort... A small open field?

Twilight and her friends approached a small pond. The immediate area looked safe for them to go further. The only obstacle right now was getting across the body of water. The lavender alicorn noticed natural stepping stones that would lead them across. She was the first to plant her hooves on one of the stepping stones but briefly wobbled over it... Or did she...?

The group started hearing shuffling noises from nearby vegetation and came upon a somewhat tall figure in a red jacket with its head looking back to where it just came from until it ended up falling onto the stepping stones on the opposite side of the pond with a groan of pain. The sudden appearance of the figure in question startled Twilight and her friends. The figure slowly lifted its head before making eye contact with Twilight. They then both stared at each other in confusion until the stepping stones started moving on their own and ascended from the water... The truth was, those were not stepping stones at all! Instead, it was a big crocodile-like creature. Twilight happened to be on its tail, while the figure with the red jacket was sitting on its back. The big reptile didn't look very happy as it flicked Twilight off its tail causing her to land near her friends. It then started charging at them head-on with the strange newcomer clinging onto it for dear life.

"A Cragadile!!" Rarity yelled, "Run for your lives!!" Everypony scattered to get out of the creature's path.

"Wait, did you just talk? And what is this thing again!?" Edward yelled out, but the question fell on deaf ears due to the situation they all suddenly found themselves in. It didn't take long until the cragadile managed to catapult the young alchemist off its back, sending him airborne. Before he could find himself falling back down, he was caught by a blue blur.

"I gotcha, whatever the hay you are!" said the blue-coated creature with wings and a rainbow mane as its forelegs were hooked underneath Edward's shoulders and brought him back to the ground safely.

Edward looked back at the creature in question and scratched his head in confusion. "Um, thanks... I guess." His attention was diverted when saw the cragadile approaching a lavender-colored equine who was more or less the same size as the blue one and a slightly smaller reptile-like one was next to her.

"Those two are friends of yours, right?"

"Yeah, th--"

"Find some vines or anything to tie the big guy up now! I'll keep him busy for you!!"

Before even receiving an answer, Edward charged towards the cragadile. When he was close enough, he clapped his hands and placed them on the ground. Before the cragadile closed in on its prey, it was suddenly hit in the bottom of its jaw by a large fist-like object emerging from the ground below it. This also startled Twilight and Spike wondering about the source of the sudden change of the ground near them.

The cragadile was dazed for a moment before it recovered from the surprise attack. From the corner of its eye, it spotted Edward and turned its attention towards him, and charged.

Twilight and Spike took a glimpse of the newcomer in the red jacket as the cragadile charged at him. It was just several feet away from him when it suddenly collapsed to the ground. As it turned out, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity managed to tie a vine around its tail and stopped it. Soon, the giant creature had all its limbs and mouth individually tied to nearby trees and rendered immobilized.

"That was close," said Twilight as she sighed in relief.

"A little too close, if you ask me," Applejack walked over to her friend with a hint of worry, "You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Twilight answered as opened her wings for a brief moment, "I just can't seem to get these new wings to do what I want them to do when I want them to do it."

"You'll figure it out eventually," Rainbow Dash assured Twilight.

"Eventually isn't enough," After she and her friends made some distance from the giant creature, Twilight walked over to the newcomer in question.

As if on cue, he turned around to face her. After closing the distance, she froze as she looked up at his face... He was a human!? More or less like the ones she met during her adventure at Canterlot High. He had slightly tanned skin, long blonde hair tightened into a braid, and gold-colored eyes. Besides the red jacket, he was wearing a black shirt underneath it, a matching pair of pants and shoes, and white gloves. Something about his face was oddly familiar to her but was unable to put a hoof on it.

"Uh... Thank you for helping my friends with the cragadile by the way. It may have been difficult if you never came around."

"No problem," The tall, blonde figure replied, "It looked like you needed help after all."

"I think he's awesome in my book, Twilight," Rainbow Dash commented.

Pinkie popped up right between Twilight and Rainbow Dash with excitement in her voice, "Yeah, he was using some fancy-looking magic with lots of sparks. All he did was kneel down to touch the ground and then, BAM!!"

"She's right, dear," Rarity added as the rest joined in on the conversation, "We've witnessed his magic right before we started restraining the cragadile. It was quite marvelous."

"Magic? That's not magic at all," The blonde newcomer corrected her, "It's alchemy."

That last word made Twilight raise an eyebrow. Her friends were just as curious. Then again, it felt like she heard of the word before. When or where though? Her memory was too hazy at the moment.

Edward looked down at the seven oddly colorful creatures who were literally talking to him. To be exact, six of them looked like small horses... Or ponies that were only up to his waist while on all four hooves. The height of the purple and green lizard-looking one was only up to his knees. What was strange about the six ponies were the extra appendages or lack thereof for only two. The lavender, cyan, and yellow-coated ones had feathered wings, but only the former had a horn on her forehead. The white-coated one had a horn on her forehead, but she lacked wings. Lastly, the orange-coated one with a Stetson hat, along with her pink-coated counterpart, had neither one of the other appendages. Something was suddenly ticking in his head. The sky, the forest he was in, the giant creature, the seven creatures in front of him. The word; 'magic' was now settling into his mind. That added more questions.

"Wait, where exactly am I?"

"This right here is the Everfree Forest," The orange-coated pony answered, "It's mighty dangerous here, but it's even worse as of recent."

"Oh dear, where are my manners? In fact, where are all of our manners?" The white-coated pony with curled violet mane and tail piped in, "Perhaps we should introduce ourselves to the newcomer. My name is Rarity. A pleasure to meet you, dear."

"She's right, you know," The orange-coated mare with blonde mane and tail turned her head to her friends before she introduced herself to Edward. "I'm Applejack. Pleased to meet you, partner."

The pink mare popped in front of Edward's face causing him to fall backward in surprise, "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie!!! It's so good to meet you, mister. I just wish all of us were somewhere else instead of a creepy place like the Everfree Forest right now."

"H-Hello," The yellow one with wings quietly spoke as Edward stood back up. Timidity was explicitly shown on her face, "I'm F-Fluttershy."

"Hiya there. The name is Rainbow Dash," The cyan mare with rainbow mane and tail was next to speak. "Again, thanks for helping us out with that cragadile."

"I'm Twilight Sparkle," The lavender mare with purple mane and tail with blue and pinkish highlights introduced herself. "And this is my little dragon assistant; Spike."

"Hey, good to see you," Spike waved his claw at with a smile.

A dragon? At least Edward was made aware that Spike was not a lizard at all. Deep in the back of his mind, he was becoming more convinced he was no longer in Amestris. Could he be in another reality of some sort? "Well... I guess it's my turn to introduce myself to all of you now," he heaved a sigh before continuing, "I'm Edward. Edward Elric. Just call me 'Ed' for short."

It felt as though Twilight's heart skipped a beat and her eye pupils shrank upon hearing the human's name. She was thinking about the flashback she looked into earlier before she and her friends entered the Everfree Forest. Could it be? The hair... The eyes... Was this really the same 'Ed' from it!? She immediately shrugged those thoughts from her head and came up with a new question to ask, "So what are you doing here in the Everfree?"

"Uh... It's a bit complicated, but I woke up and found myself in some castle ruins nearby. I was trying to get out of this forest until I bumped into all of you."

"Castle ruins? You mean, the Castle of the Two Sisters?"

"That reminds me," Applejack spoke to Twilight, "You've been having an awful lot of trouble with those wings of yours. Who knows what else is going to come after us. You know, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea for Twilight to go back to Ponyville and let us look for the Tree of Harmony without her."

Twilight blinked in disbelief, "What? Why?"

"For starters, you just almost got eaten by that cragadilly."

"We all did. It wasn't after just me."

"Sure, but the rest of us aren't princesses."

Edward raised his eyebrow after hearing Applejack's last sentence. What did she mean by that?

"What's that got to do with anything?" Twilight asked.

"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are gone." Applejack continued, "If something happened to you, I don't think Equestria can risk losing another princess."

"Applejack does make a valid point," Rarity spoke in support of the farm mare's decision. "Even if we manage to save the Tree of Harmony, it won't necessarily mean Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will return. Equestria will need somepony to lead in their absence."

"But the Tree of Harmony? I'm the only one who has seen it and knows what it looks like," Twilight spoke in an attempt to justify staying together as a group.

Rainbow Dash swooped next to her, "Huge tree, cutie marks on the trunk, probably being attacked by something hideously awful. Yeah, I'm pretty sure we'll know it when we see it."

Twilight can do nothing as she frowned and hung her head on the brink of tears, "All of you feel this way? You feel like I shouldn't be here?"

The group stared at each other in silence. Even Edward felt like he was being included in their conversation. He could have had a say in this, but this place was fairly new to him and he just met these ponies and the baby dragon. Although he did not show it, he was surprised Twilight happened to be a princess. Everything else mentioned in the conversation was still foreign to him.

"It is for the best," Fluttershy broke the silence from the group.

In the end, Twilight reluctantly agreed and started walking in the opposite direction leading to Ponyville. Spike soon followed right behind her.

The expression on Twilight's face was enough for Edward to feel conflicted with the decision made for her. Before he could dwell on it any further, Rarity's voice rang out to him.

"Edward, you mentioned you were trying to get out of this forest until we all confronted the cragadile, right?"

"Of course, I did."

"You should probably go with Twilight and Spike instead of going with us."

"Rarity's got a point, bud. The rest of us can handle this from here," Rainbow hovered next to the alchemist and gave him a confident smile.

The alchemist was skeptical about this new decision. He wanted to get out of this forest but he didn't want to leave these ponies alone. "Wait, are you sure about this?"

Applejack was next to speak, "Absolutely, sugar cube. We'll be back before you know it. After all, you helped us with that cragadile and I can already tell you're somepony we can trust."

"If you say so," Edward sighed and nodded his head in agreement. He started walking toward the same direction Twilight and Spike took while the rest continued further into the forest.

Edward knew he was not far behind Twilight and Spike. He called out to them and waved his hand at them.

Twilight was confused seeing the blonde-haired human approach her and Spike, "Ed? What just happened over there?"

"Since I was trying to get out of this forest, your friends suggested I tag along with you."

"I see..."

Edward sensed concern and disappointment in her voice. In fact, it was on her face right before being sent off. "I can tell you and your friends have been through a lot together, Twilight."

"Yeah, but having to let them handle this situation without me worries me. If I were with them, it may be easier."

"I don't have much knowledge of what's happening around here or where I am, but I was surprised when your friends called you a 'princess' back there. Then again..." Edward pointed at the tiara with a purple six-pointed star on Twilight's head, "I should have known because of that. Kinda like the ones your friends were wearing around their necks."

"They're called the Elements of Harmony," Spike said as he looked up at the human.

At that point, he and Twilight started telling him a bit more about the legendary gems, Equestria, the Princesses and their sudden disappearances, and recent events that were unfolding.

Ponyville

Discord was relaxing on a thorny vine while two ponies were entangled in another thorny vine screaming for help. All he did was minding his own business until...

"Discord!"

Twilight's voice rang out to him as she, Spike, and Edward entered Ponyville only to catch the God of Chaos acting lazy. Discord snapped his fingers releasing the two ponies from captivity and watched them flee in terror.

"You're welcome!!" Discord yelled and waved at the fleeing ponies before he shook his head and sighed. He then turned around to face Twilight. "No luck finding your tree?"

"We ran into some trouble," Twilight answered, letting her head down in shame, "And my friends decided it would be best that I return to Ponyville while they continue the search. Equestria will need me if Princess Celestia and Princess Luna don't return."

"I see..." Discord scratched his chin thinking about the mare's answer. His thoughts were halted when he looked at the blonde-haired figure with a red coat. Curiosity made him raise his eyebrow, "Oh! My apologies. I didn't see you there. My name is Discord; the-recently-reformed-God-of-Chaos. You?"

Edward looked at the God of Chaos with confusion, "Um, hello? I'm Edward Elric." He looked at him and noticed the different limbs he had, "What are you, by the way? A chimera?"

Discord gasped sarcastically upon hearing the question and crossed his arms, "Well, I never. 'Chimera' is such a mainstream name. I am a draconequus, thank you very much."

"A dracon-a-what? Uh… Yeah, I don't think I heard of that word before."

"When my friends and I ran into some trouble, he ended up helping us out," Twilight spoke up, watering down the tension between the draconequus and the human, "Before that, he woke up finding himself in the Castle of the Twin Sisters."

"Hmm... How interesting and mysterious," Discord said as he was sitting down on a chair while wearing a business suit and writing something down on a notebook like a psychologist. He looked at Twilight for a moment before getting rid of his attire, notebook, and chair with a snap of his finger. "Back on track with you, Twilight. Anyway, I'm just surprised that you agreed to their plan. I never thought you'd be the type of pony who would think she was better than everypony else."

"I don't think I'm better than anypony!" Twilight spoke defensively.

"Oh, how silly of me to assume you think that," Discord chuckled as a purple cape draped around Twilight's body and a golden scepter with her head on top appeared around her right foreleg, "All you did was choose to keep your 'princess self' out of harm's way while your friends thrust themselves into it."

Frowning while thinking about what Discord already said to her, Twilight tossed the scepter and cape to the side before he shrunk right beside her and sat on top of her head.

"I'm sure you'll be best of pals again after they return from their terrifying, yet bonding experience that they're having without you."

Twilight found herself in deeper thought after Discord finished talking. She realized that she had made a terrible mistake having to return to Ponyville while her friend went forward to confront the danger ahead of them. Without warning, she turned around and started galloping back into the Everfree Forest while causing the God of Chaos to fall off of her. Spike immediately followed suit.

Edward did nothing as he watched the two rush back into the forest until they were of sight. Discord returned to normal size and stood beside him.

"Well? Aren't you going to help them, little guy?"

The alchemist prodigy turned his head upward and glared at the draconequus angrily, "Who are you calling so little, you need a microscope to see him!?"

Discord was now wearing a doctor's outfit complete with a stethoscope around his neck and a thermometer in his hand. "Now, now. Control your temper please," He jokingly spoke while he tapped the thermometer. "I was just asking you a simple yes-or-no question."

Edward looked back in the direction of the Everfree Forest in deep thought. He did help Twilight and her friends earlier but now felt conflicted considering what she had already told him on the way to Ponyville, "I don't know if I should or not. It would mean I'm meddling in the businesses of others, sticking my nose where I shouldn't in the first place. Believe me, I learned that the hard way..."

Several months earlier. Beneath Fort Briggs.

"Earlier this year, there was the Liore Insurrection," Second Lieutenant Falman said as Edward was circling spots on a map of Amestris where major conflicts took place in the past three to four centuries. "There were many casualties..."

Edward and Alphonse froze in disbelief at the mention of Liore.

"An insurrection!? But why?" The younger Elric asked.

"I don't understand," Edward said, "I exposed the fake priest in Liore and I reported it to Eastern Command immediately."

"Yes, you did. But the Central Forces came in and ran out the troops from the East. After that happened, Liore just fell to pieces."

"Oh no... Damn!"

Discord wrote something down on a piece of paper and folded it before handing it over to Edward.

The young alchemist unfolded the paper and it read,

Diagnosis: Bad experience.

- Dr. Discord

Edward blinked in confusion until the paper transformed into a figurine-sized version of Discord causing him to yelp in surprise.

"It seems that this bad experience in question planted some seeds of doubt for future endeavors somehow."

This statement brought Edward into deep thought. Meanwhile, Discord returned to normal size and leaned in on him.

"You can't let a single bad experience from your past ruin everything. Think of it as a learning experience, if you may. Maybe Twilight and her friends need your help or maybe not. The outcome may turn out positive for you and your potentially newfound friends, only if you help them. This could also improve your overall experience. Either go forward or sit idly as time passes."

Edward was frozen in place and speechless after Discord finished. He had heard a more or less similar lecture before, but this one made him realize his own mistake. It made him slowly clench his gloved fists. Without warning, the young alchemist bolted away from Discord and into the Everfree Forest.

"Dammit! Was that freak show trying to get under my skin? Nevermind him. I'd rather be useful to someone in need than just sitting on the sidelines anyway!!"

The Everfree Forest

"Are we there yet?" Spike asked Twilight while riding on her back.

Twilight looked around and stopped in her tracks before she answered, "I don't know where we are... We're lost." She sat down in disappointment, "I should've never left my friends..."

"We can't just give up," Spike jumped off of Twilight and spotted a nearby, decently tall tree. A new idea rang up in his mind, "Maybe if I get up there, I'll be able to spot them." He started climbing to the highest branch and crawled across it. A canopy of leaves and other branches were blocking his view, so he shoved them to the side revealing their friends trotting down a set of stairs into the empty ravine that separated the Castle of the Two Sisters from the forest, "Well whaddya know...?" The small dragon said to himself and smiled in satisfaction with his discovery. He turned around and called out to Twilight. When he looked down at her, he gasped in terror at what was happening.

With no probable sign for escape, Twilight was surrounded by a small group of vicious-looking plants. They started spraying her with bluish-green fumes coming out of their mouths, causing her to cough from one cloud of fumes at a time. She was struggling to breathe and was starting to feel light-headed.

The Ravine

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity had finally found what they were looking for; the Tree of Harmony. The source of the problem was that the thorny vines were wrapped around the tree. They tried to rid the tree of the vines, but their attempts failed as the vines retaliated. Twilight would have known how to handle this situation. Unfortunately, they sent her back to Ponyville.

"It was your idea, Applejack!!" Rainbow Dash pointed her forehoof at the farm mare.

"We ALL agreed that it was the best thing, Rainbow Dash! We were trying to protect her," Applejack defensively glared back at Rainbow Dash, while Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy listened to the argument.

Before the argument could heat up any further, a painful groan from a familiar voice rang out which caught everypony's attention. Spike was stumbling down the stairs and by the time his body slammed into the ground at the base of the stairs, everypony's eyes widen in shock and rushed over to him. Applejack cradled his injured body in her forelegs before he spoke.

"Twilight... Trouble... Help!"

Edward continued running through the forest hoping to catch up with Twilight and Spike. So far, he had yet spotted the two or at least their friends. Where could they all be now? The young alchemist moved some vegetation from the front of him and found himself in a small opening. He then froze in place upon seeing five plant-like creatures nearby. It appeared as if they were surrounding something. After a closer look, his eyes widened in shock to see an unconscious Twilight on the ground. These creatures were about to eat her!

Without a second thought, he clapped his hands together accompanied by a ringing sound. He placed them on the ground and transmuted an earthen column around Twilight's body tall enough for the plant-like creatures to be unable to prey on. This caused them to turn their attention from her to Edward.

"Hey, try me instead!"

Edward taunted the creatures. They, in turn, glared at him with predatory intent. One lunged forward only for him to roll out of the way. Edward attempted to transmute the ground again until the shadow of one of the other plant creatures towered over him. It opened its maw over him until a vine was immediately wrapped around it and closed it shut. It was then dragged away from him with a familiar figure walking over it.

"Listen here, you rabid rhododendrons! You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!!"

Applejack revealed herself after she finished tying up the creature. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike stood beside her all ready to confront their opponents. Rainbow Dash was the first to make a move by catching two plant creatures' attention by flying over them.

With everypony else scattered to deal with the creatures. Applejack rushed over to the alchemist's side, "Are you okay, Ed?"

"A lot better now since you and your friends are here," The young alchemist answered with a smile of relief, "Also, Twilight is up there. I got to her right before those freaky plants could even touch her." He pointed at the tall column where Twilight's body was on.

The farm mare gave him a chuckle, "Looks like your fancy, schmancy alchemy saved her again."

Edward was about to answer, but a shuffle in the vegetation near him was heard. The first plant creature that attacked him lunged at him once more. This prompted him to shove the farm mare out of harm's way right before the creature caught him by his left leg. Applejack gasped in horror and panic as she witnessed this.

"Ed!"

Everypony else managed to trick the remaining plant creatures into entangling each other by accident. They all turned their heads when they heard Applejack call Edward's name and saw his situation with shock.

Edward stood there and hadn't flinched as the plant creature attempted to gnaw on his left leg.

"Sorry, but you're just wasting your time."

He then transmuted his automail right arm plating into a fixed blade and rammed it into its head, killing it. The young alchemist removed his arm causing the creature to lifelessly let go of his left leg and fell over. The fabric of his pants leg's calf area was torn during the gnawing, but it revealed a portion of his automail left leg while the torn right arm sleeve of his red coat revealed half of his automail right arm. Edward backed away for a few steps and sighed in relief.

Applejack and the rest approached Edward with concern. When they got close, they gazed at his prosthetic appendages in awe. Rainbow Dash flew around the alchemist to look at the limbs from different angles before she made an amused whistle.

"And I thought your alchemy was cool, but you never cease to amaze me, bud."

Edward blinked in confusion from the cyan pegasus' compliment as he transmuted his automail arm back to normal, "Um... Thanks?"

Pinkie Pie jumped on Edward's back by surprise and fired confetti into the air with a cheer. Little did they know that one more plant creature was closing in on the two from behind. Suddenly, a pink-colored beam impacted the creature and vaporized. This caused the human alchemist and pink mare to fall face-first onto the ground in surprise with the latter who landed on top of him which broke her fall. After that, all eyes turned towards the source of the beam. Twilight had regained consciousness, already back at ground level from her column, and back on all four hooves. Everypony, along with Spike and Edward, gathered around her.

"Twilight, you're okay!" Edward kneeled in front of her.

"I sure am glad you came lookin' for us," Applejack smiled.

Twilight returned the smile, "Not as glad as I am that you found me."

"Actually," Rarity spoke and corrected her, "Edward was the first to find you. The rest of us immediately followed. You could have already fallen prey if any of us were a second or two too late."

Twilight turned her head at the elevated earth that she woke up on moments ago. It was almost similar to what happened with the cragadile. She then turned to Edward, but she caught sight of both of his metallic-looking limbs. What surprised her the most was his leg. She still remembered the gruesome flashback that involved him and 'Al' where he was bleeding out. She was certain he had the limb replacement after that incident, but what about his right arm?

Edward saw Twilight's shocked expression. He looked down at both his automail limbs and nervously chuckled. "These? It's a long and not-so-great story... Maybe another time for it," He explained with a smile as he opened and closed his fist. Mechanical sounds can quietly be heard from the movement.

Somehow, the lavender mare sensed a hint of sadness and pain from his voice right before he smiled.

Rarity then started speaking again, "The truth of managing to find you, Twilight... We're simply lost without you."

"Yeah," Rainbow was hovering above her friends, but she decided to be on her hooves again, "Equestria may need its princess..."

"But we need our friend," Fluttershy finished Rainbow Dash's sentence. After that, everypony came together for a hug.

Edward couldn't help but smile again at the heartwarming display among friends. He was about to back away for their sake, but he felt a tingling tug on his left arm. A pinkish aura was seen around it and he then noticed that Twilight's horn glowed in the same color. The lavender mare looked up at him and smiled as her magic tugged on him again. Although reluctant, the alchemist prodigy took the hint and joined in on the group hug.

Twilight, her friends, and Edward stood near the bridge to the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters. Immediately to their right was a flight of stairs leading down to the ravine. Her friends mentioned that the Tree of Harmony was located in a cave at the bottom of the ravine.

"Edward, didn't you mention you woke up finding yourself at the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah," Edward answered in confirmation, "After we separated earlier, Twilight told me that it was also where you all found the Elements of Harmony. Also... How come I never noticed these stairs before?"

Rainbow Dash chuckled at his question, "Yeah, you're not the only one. We didn't even notice these stairs earlier."

"Come on, we should head down," Twilight suggested as she took her first steps downward.

"So this is the Tree of Harmony," Edward looked up in awe.

After their descent into the ravine, they all came face-to-face with the Tree of Harmony. To Twilight, the Tree looked quite dim compared to how she saw it earlier in the flashbacks. She flew ahead of her friends and hovered towards the tree for a closer look until a thorny vine attempted to grab her. She retaliated by firing a magical beam at it from her horn. Eventually, more vines surrounded the Tree of Harmony which made her stop and reassess the current situation for a moment.

Meanwhile, her friends looked up at her as if she was in deep thought. They then watched her hover away from the tree and returned to them.

"I know how we can save the Tree... We have to give it the Elements of Harmony."

Her friends, along with Edward, stood in silence. The shock was slowly being drawn on their faces. Rainbow Dash was the first to speak out.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. How are we supposed to protect Equestria?"

Rarity moved forward beside the cyan pegasus and spoke, "How are we meant to reign Discord in if we can't use the Elements to turn him back to stone?"

"Twilight," Applejack spoke as she trotted over to her, "The Elements of Harmony, they're what keep us connected no matter what." She looked down at the Element of Honesty around her neck and grasped it in her forehoof.

"You're right about one thing, Applejack," Twilight assured her friend, "The Elements of Harmony did bring us together, but it isn't the Elements that will keep us connected. It's our friendship and it's more powerful than magic. My new role in Equestria may mean I have to take on newer responsibilities and our friendship may be tested, but it'll never, ever be broken."

Her speech left her friends with heartwarming smiles.

"There's no time to lose. Everypony ready?"

"Ready!"

Twilight's horn lit up as her magic removed the other Elements from her friends' necklaces. The gems revolved around her before she removed her own element from her tiara. As the gems continued to surround her, the vines that were clinging onto the Tree of Harmony lunged and entangled her.

Her friends gasped in terror from the sudden and dangerous turn of events. Edward saw something from the corner of his eye and turned around and saw several more thorny vines approaching them.

"Behind us!!"

The young alchemist warned as he transmuted a blade from his automail forearm plating and started slashing away at the vines. He suspected that the vines will do anything to stop Twilight.

One vine attempted to grasp the Element of Magic, but Twilight managed to slide it out of its grasp with her magic. She then levitated each of the Elements into the slots of the Tree starting with her own being placed in the center. Once all the gems were secured into the tree, the Tree of Harmony itself began to glow brightly. The vines that bounded it disintegrated into nothing by the tree's bright aura. Even the vines Edward was fighting off disintegrated as well. The aura not only spread through the ravine, but it spread further into the Everfree Forest and into Ponyville as well.

When Edward turned towards the direction of the Tree, he noticed that Twilight was safe from the vines and rejoined her friends. He did the same after transmuting his artificial arm back to normal. The entire group looked at the Tree of Harmony in awe as it gave off a light blue crystal-like appearance with the Elements of Harmony glowing brightly in their respective colors.

At the base of the tree, there were two piles of vines but they, too, disintegrated into nothing as they both revealed to contain the two missing princesses Celestia and Luna. Twilight bolted away from her friends and rushed towards the princesses and hugged them.

"We know how difficult it must've been for you to give up the Elements," Celestia returned Twilight's hug with assurance, "It took great courage to relinquish them."

Twilight opened her eyes and saw the Tree of Harmony glow a little brighter. A magical stream from the Elements met with the Element of Magic and then down towards the Sun and Moon marks. The stream ended at one of the tree roots where a pinkish-purple flower sprouted from it. It was now the size of Twilight as she approached it. She lightly touched the flower with her forehoof and its petals opened to reveal a blue chest with six keyholes.

"What's inside it? How am I supposed to open it?"

"Six locks... Six keys..." Luna commented as she was just as curious.

All heads turned to Celestia with hopes for potential answers.

"I do not know where they are, but I do know it is not a mystery that you will not solve alone."

The white alicorn's eyes then shifted towards Edward as curiosity dawned over her. Even her sister took notice of the newcomer in question.

"And who might you be?" Celestia asked.

The blonde human realized the question was directed at him and he quickly straightened himself up before he answered, "I'm Edward Elric. It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness."

"He woke up and found himself in the ruins of your old castle earlier," Twilight added. "He even helped me and my friends through some trouble on the way here using this sort of ability called alchemy."

"Alchemy?" Luna raised her eyebrow and turned her head back to Edward, "My sister and I would like to see what this... Alchemy of yours can do."

The young alchemist was about to scratch his cheek until he looked down at the right sleeve of his red coat. Half of it was in tatters when he transmuted his automail arm into a blade earlier. It was already too late for his white glove that covered his hand as it was ripped into shreds from the transmutation, but it was not too late for his red coat.

"Of course."

With all eyes on him, Edward removed his red coat and placed it on the ground. Since he was wearing a sleeveless shirt under his coat, his automail arm was seen in its entirety by the Princesses, Twilight, and her friends. He knew they were also curious about his prosthetic limbs, but alchemy had their attention at this time. The patched wound on his left bicep was also seen. He clapped his hands together, which was accompanied by a ringing sound, and placed them on his coat. Blue sparks surrounded it in a circular form and seconds later, the torn sleeve was restored to its original state. After that, he picked up the coat and showed them the right sleeve was good as new.

The group gasped as their eyes glowed with awe after they witnessed Edward's alchemical abilities. Rarity spoke out with excitement.

"Edward, I didn't know your alchemy can fix fabric as well."

"Technically, it is fixed. The downside to it is that the fabric of the coat had to thin out a bit to cover the portion of the sleeve that was lost."

"Hm... I see... Then it seems to be a temporary fix of some sort, darling."

Celestia stepped forward to speak, "Maybe one more example of your alchemy will do?"

Edward nodded his head in agreement, waving a hand at them to follow him before he stepped outside the cave. He stood in front of the ravine wall and looked up for a moment. Once more, he clapped his hands together and placed them on the ground. An earthen column raised him around his feet to the top of the cliff where the bridge to the Castle of the Two Sisters was at. He stepped off of the column and looked over the cliff edge to see his spectators below. A few minutes later, Twilight, her friends, and the Princesses returned to the cliff edge where the alchemist waited.

"That is quite a unique ability you wield," Luna complimented.

Celestia nodded her head in agreement, "Yes. It looks like magic, but at the same time, it doesn't. You don't look like you're from anywhere in Equestria. Where are you from?"

"I'm from Amestris."

Celestia scratched her chin, "I don't think I've heard of such a place before, Edward. Although I want to know more about this alchemy of yours, I'd rather discuss this with you another time. I believe we should all leave the Everfree Forest right now."

Everypony responded in agreement before they started moving towards the direction of Ponyville.

Ponyville was drawing close for everypony and Edward as they finally reached the end of the Everfree Forest and into the town's territory. After several steps, confetti and banners of Twilight and her friends burst from nowhere, along with Discord as the solo welcoming party.

"Bravo, ladies, bravo!! However did you save the day this time? Blast the beastie with your magical necklaces, I presume?"

Edward gave the God of Chaos an irritated glare and sighed, "Yeah, great to see you." He spoke sarcastically.

"The feeling is mutual, Edward," Discord responded by scratching the alchemist's head which messed up his hair which earned a muffled snicker from Spike.

Edward knew his hair was a mess as he attempted to fix it again. Rarity trotted over to him and offered to help him with his hair, which he accepted.

Discord then vanished and reappeared on Applejack's back dressed up as a cowboy and in the size of a doll. He pushed her mane aside as if he was looking for something, "Where are those little trinkets of yours? Y'know, the ones you used to send me back to my extremely uncomfortable stone prison."

"Gone," Applejack simply answered while staring at him grumpily.

"Gone?" Discord reappeared again and in his normal size without the cowboy outfit. It looked like he was in deep thought and planning something... Something suspicious...

Fluttershy derailed his train of thought by flying in front of him, "Our friendship remains." A smile of confidence was shown on her before she made a serious glare at the draconequus, "And if you ever want to remain friends, you'll stop thinking whatever you're thinking and help us clean up."

With that, Discord reappeared wearing a maid's outfit and walked away from the group, "Fine, but I don't do windows."

A thought occurred in Applejack's mind before she spoke, "One thing I don't get... Why did this all happen now?"

"I have no idea," Discord stopped in his tracks and scratched his chin in confusion, "Those seeds I planted should have sprouted ages ago."

Twilight gasped after hearing his last sentence and glared at him, "What did you say!?"

"Oh, why should I explain it when you can see for yourself?"

The potion Twilight used to look into the past appeared in Discord's hand. She took the potion with her magic and took a gulp from it. As soon as the potion was set aside, the world around her flashed before her eyes.

Twilight returned to the event when Celestia and Luna confronted Discord before turning him into stone. He was eating from a brown sack filled with black seeds.

"Well, things obviously did not go according to my original plan," Discord's voice rang out as the flashback progressed. As it turned out the seeds he was snacking on were relevant to his explanation, "My plunder seeds should have stolen magic from the Tree of Harmony and captured Princess Celestia and Princess Luna thousands of moons ago... Alas, it seems that the Tree had enough magic to prevent the seed from growing big and strong... Until now that is..."

Twilight shook her head upon returning to the present world and made another glare at Discord, "You realized this was information we could have used hours ago!?"

"And rob you of a valuable lesson about being a princess? What kind of friend do you think I am?" Discord asked as he playfully pinched Twilight's cheek.

The night of the Summer Sun Celebration was only hours away. Twilight and Spike returned to Canterlot with the Princesses to continue preparations for the event. Rarity rushed Edward into the Carousel Boutique with Fluttershy following behind them while Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie prepared for the celebration on their own. The fashionista not only wanted to take quick, on-the-spot measurements for new clothes for him but also wanted to fix his pants and sleeveless shirt since they were torn and damaged. He asked for simple attire for the time being.

Fluttershy still remembered that she saw a patched wound on his left bicep. She also took note of minor cuts on him. She swung by her cottage to pick up her first aid kit and returned as quickly as possible. This came as a surprise for Edward when she explained her experiences with taking care of animals. She was certain he was no different and wanted to help him with his wounds while Rarity handled his tattered attire and new outfits. Despite his denial of receiving first aid, the pegasus mare refused to take 'no' for an answer. In the end, Edward ultimately conceded.

Canterlot

Despite all that transpired, the Summer Sun Celebration still took place as scheduled. Edward, along with his new friends, was under the night sky as they stood in front of the stage where the main event was about to be shown. Twilight was nowhere to be seen since the Princesses needed her. They were surrounded by other ponies awaiting the celebration as well. He was now wearing a new pair of black, casual trousers with a matching coat. The trousers were slightly big around the waist, but his belt kept it in place. Underneath the coat was a white dress shirt, and a black, sleeveless shirt immediately underneath. Rarity suggested he had to come back to the Boutique for proper measurements since it was all rushed earlier.

The blonde prodigy noticed that was sticking out of the crowd like a sore thumb. He already had a handful of mixed glances from other ponies which made him a little uncomfortable. This made him hang his head in the realization of how much of a stranger he was here.

"Ed?"

A small voice called out his name which startled him a bit.

"You okay?" It was Spike.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just got some stuff in my mind right now," Edward replied with a nervous chuckle.

Trumpets were then played by a group of guardspony which signaled the arrival of the Princesses and Twilight. Celestia and Luna moved forward onto the stage together and stood in front of the crowd.

"Citizens of Equestria," Celestia greeted the crowd, "It is no longer with a heavy heart but with great joy that I raise the Summer Sun. For this celebration now represents not the defeat of Nightmare Moon, but the return of my sister; Princess Luna."

As the crowd cheered on, Edward remembered the conversation he and Twilight had on the way back to Ponyville while her friends looked for the Tree of Harmony. She explained how she and her friends found the Elements of Harmony and used them to defeat Nightmare Moon, who turned out to be Princess Luna. She also mentioned the time they turned Discord into stone, only to end up freeing him sometime later for Fluttershy to reform him.

Luna flew into the air and used her magic to bring down the Moon. Celestia also did the same but raised the Sun in her case. As the celestial bodies switched places in the sky, With her horn lit, Twilight took flight between the Princesses leaving a flash of magic while the Sun took over the sky. A beautiful display was shown which left the crowd watching in awe. The three returned to the ground with smiles on each of their faces.

"That was incredible," Edward whispered to himself while he bore witness to the display, "I doubt alchemy can do that. Not even with a Philosopher's Stone..."

As the festivities continued, Edward was still in the company of Spike and the rest. Twilight hasn't shown up yet. She was probably still busy. When he noticed his friends were deep in their conversation, Edward slowly backed away from them and walked out of sight.

A minute later, Twilight reunited with her friends.

"That was a magnificent display, Twilight," Rarity complimented.

"Yeah, it kinda made me wish I was the one who flew by," Rainbow Dash chuckled.

"I knew I should have fired my party cannon as an addition," Pinkie said as she was sitting on top of her said cannon.

Everypony burst out in laughter. Twilight was the first to settle down from it when she noticed a certain detail among her friends as if something was out of place.

"Wait, where's Ed?"

Spike stopped his laughter and looked around for a moment, "I thought he was standing right beside me."

"I saw him walk that way right before you showed up," Fluttershy quietly answered while pointing her forehoof towards the direction of the drawbridge leading out of Canterlot.

"Let me go check on him. You can all wait here for the time being," Twilight walked towards the direction the yellow pegasus pointed out for her.

Staring out towards the distance Equestria had to offer, Edward sat down on a patch of grass enjoying the view. After what already happened up to this point, he had settled into terms that he was in another world... Another dimension... A completely different plane of existence. As far as he knew, Equestria was clearly different from Amestris. It was not just society nor its citizens. It was the magic he was seeing since he arrived here. He became convinced that it was not a gimmick of some sort. It was actual magic. The way he saw it so far, it appeared to have an upper hand over Amestrian alchemy at many levels.

Speaking of alchemy, Edward pulled out his silver pocket watch and grasped it in his right hand. He had almost forgotten about it until he was at the Carousel Boutique with Rarity and Fluttershy. The prodigy was surprised he had it with him this whole time. It was the same watch he carried around since the day he earned his State Alchemist Certification. He then looked up at the morning sky as another thought entered his mind.

"Al... Winry... I hope everything is alright back home."

"Ed?"

A familiar voice shook him out of his mind. He turned around to the source and saw Twilight standing there.

"Ed, are you all right?"

"Yeah," Edward responded quietly, "I'm good, Twilight. I just wanted to be alone for a little bit."

"Oh..." The lavender mare sat by his right side and stared at the distance alongside him, "My friends and I were wondering where you ran off to. Apparently, you didn't go that far."

"I don't think I know my way around here well enough to do that."

Both shared a laugh together. Twilight needed a moment to calm down before she continued the conversation with him. She noticed that he was looking at a silver pocket watch in his hand.

"So how do you like Equestria so far?"

Edward paused to think about the question, "I'm basically a stranger in a strange land. It's different from what I'm used to."

"Stranger in a strange land, huh?" Twilight became lost in her own thoughts. That hit home for her as she still remembered her adventure at Canterlot High. It was a recent event, but it felt as though it happened long ago. She quietly heaved a sigh before she spoke again, "Thank you, Ed."

Edward stopped looking at his pocket watch and turned to Twilight in confusion, "Thank me? Thank me for what?"

"For saving me twice at the Everfree Forest and also helping me and my friends," She answered while she nervously rubbed her foreleg and looked back up at him.

The blonde alchemist tucked his watch back into his pocket and scratched his cheek, "Yeah... I had that gut feeling you needed help the first time. Turns out I was right."

Twilight looked away from Edward and lightly chuckled. Then, something else flashed into her mind... The flashback she witnessed from the potion while attempting to find answers about the Princesses' disappearance. She remembered that it involved a younger Edward and his brother... That horrifying ritual the two attempted... The remorse, anguish, and despair on Edward's face kept flickering before her eyes.

And yet, here he was... Sitting beside her alive and well while he looked at the vast distance of Equestria's landscape. His golden eyes weren't filled with anything she saw from the flashback. Instead, they were filled with determination, bravery, and diligence. She was curious about what happened and what he had gone through between back then and now. Twilight closed her eyes and saw the younger, pain-stricken boy again.

Edward continued looking at the breathtaking view of Equestria. He then just realized that Twilight has been awfully quiet for a minute or two. He turned his head towards her and noticed her eyes were closed.

"Twilight?"

The lavender alicorn opened her eyes after her name was called and embarrassingly chuckled, "Oh!! Sorry. I must have dozed off."

"You were silent for a bit."

"Right..." Twilight stood back up in all four hooves and chuckled, "Anyway, let's head back to the others before they start looking for us, Ed."

The alchemist nodded in agreement and returned to his feet, "Sure, why not?" He then followed her back into Canterlot across the drawbridge and surely enough, their friends were there to greet them back.

Celestia and Luna watched the festivities continue from one of the castle's balconies. The white alicorn was more than proud to see her faithful student take on some more responsibilities as the new Princess of Friendship. However, something else came to mind. The one who helped Twilight and her friends; Edward Elric... A strange being who wielded an equally strange ability.

"Luna, what do you think of Edward?"

"Hm... Not much to say about him at this time, but I am intrigued by this alchemy of his. Even long before and after my banishment, I have never seen anything like it."

"Neither have I."

Both princesses were able to see the newcomer in question stick out from the crowd of ponies below. It looked like he was enjoying a conversation of some sort with Twilight and her friends. If only they had the ability to read lips...

Luna spoke again, "I sense a whirlwind of turmoil inside him."

Celestia tilted her head in confusion, "How so?"

"When we both met him alongside Twilight and her friends at the Tree of Harmony, his eyes showed bravery and determination. The type of eyes that endured loss and numerous tribulations for somepony so young. Upon closer look, I saw a glint of pain, remorse, and anguish. It makes me wonder how he acquired those artificial appendages."

The Princess of the Sun simply listened quietly as her sister continued her explanation.

"I remembered having those feelings after you banished me to the Moon long ago, sister. I can also tell he has a heart that is the same color as his eyes."

"I see that too, Luna. Perhaps we can also trust him since Twilight and her friends already do. I would also like to see more of his alchemy next time."

(Closing Credits - Again (English Version) by AmaLee)

Author's Note

I've underestimated what I planned to have for this chapter. It ended up becoming much longer than I intended it to be. I thought of cutting it down by half for another chapter, but I decided to close it out as if I'm watching the actual episode.

You're probably noticing a pattern here... So far, the chapters are based on FiM season 4 episodes. That's because I have had ideas involving them for a while. I'm still trying figuring out certain things on how to make the blonde-haired shrimp have his own adventures for a chapter or two... Or more.

Personally, I wish I thought of another way for the Mane 6 and Ed to cross paths but this was the best I can think of.

Chapter 3: Castle Mane-ia

Piles of books, piles of books everywhere. Edward stepped out of the guest room only to find numerous undisclosed reading materials around him. During the train ride from Canterlot to Ponyville when the Summer Sun Celebration was dying down the other day, there was a discussion among Twilight and her friends on who was willing to take him in. After some time, the lavender mare offered to do so and the alchemist accepted her offer. He was surprised when he found out that she and Spike had been living inside a library for quite some time. The Golden Oak may be smaller than the much bigger libraries he was used to going throughout his life, but it did feel like an actual home. They explained that before settling in Ponyville, they used to live in Canterlot.

He walked upstairs into Twilight's study room and saw several more piles of books there. Edward saw her reading one of the books, but appeared to be frustrated.

"Twilight, are you okay?"

The mare's ears perked up before she turned her head, "Hi, Ed. I'm looking into these books hoping to find anything about the chest I got from the Tree of Harmony or the six keys needed for it. I still found nothing..."

"Talk about dedication. I can't help but notice that you've been at it since we all returned from Canterlot after the Summer Sun Celebration."

"Well, I do read a lot of books all the time. I even pull all-nighters on occasion."

"All-nighter, you say?" Edward raised an eyebrow in amusement. "My brother and I spent about ten days deciphering hand-written research notes one time."

Twilight was about to turn a new page in her book until she heard what he just said and gasped, "Really? That must have been fun."

Unfortunately, it was not the case. The young alchemist fell silent and hung his head a little. He still remembered those days spent with Alphonse deciphering Doctor Marcoh's research notes revolving around the Philosopher's Stone during the Ishvalan Civil War. They were successful in deciphering the notes, but they were disgusted by the grim answer of what the stone was mostly made from.

"Ed...? Ed?"

Edward was immediately shaken from his thought after he heard Twilight's voice, "Oh! Sorry about that. I'm fine, really." He responded nervously. "Anyway, I'm heading to the Boutique so Rarity can remeasure me again. See ya, Twilight."

"Bye."

Twilight waved farewell to Edward before she watched him walk out of the Golden Oak Library and into the streets of Ponyville from her window. She scratched her head in confusion. Was it something she said that made him quiet for a moment? Maybe she needed to talk to him about it later. She still wanted to sit down and take notes on alchemy with him...

Although it looked more populated, Ponyville had a similar small-town feel as Resembool. For Edward, it felt nostalgic by simply being here even if he used to live in the sparse portion of town. Since Fluttershy mentioned that she was a caretaker for animals, he was certain she would have enjoyed the Annual Sheep Festival if she found herself there. Ponies wandered the streets towards their destinations. Vendors sold their products in the market area, though there were vendors that dotted different parts of town. Then there were the occasionally questionable looks the alchemic prodigy received from the locale. In fact, it's been that way from the start.

"Not again!"

An unfamiliar feminine voice cried out which startled and shoved him out of Memory Lane. The human alchemist spotted a pale yellow coated earth mare with two-toned red and pink mane and tail. She appeared to be in distress as she looked down at her carriage filled with flowers of various colors. One of the wheels of the carriage fell apart, but the upper half was still intact. Close enough to see the damage, he rushed in to assist the mare in question.

"Excuse me, miss. Stand back for a second and let me handle this."

The mare looked up in confusion and backed away a few feet from the carriage. Edward clapped his hands together before he placed them on the broken wheel. Blue sparks flared as he transmuted the broken item back to its original state. The mare walked over to the carriage and gasped in awe over the restoration.

"Oh my goodness. The wheel looks new!" She turned around and looked up at him with a smile, "Thank you so much! How can I ever repay you?"

"No need for that. I'm just glad to help someone in need."

"I really appreciate it, Mister... Er... What's your name?"

"I'm Edward. Edward Elric. Call me 'Ed' for short."

"My name is Roseluck. 'Rose' for short," The mare introduced herself. "Thank you again."

The Carousel Boutique was finally in sight and Edward continued his approach to his destination. He was not as far as he thought he was when he stopped to help Roseluck for a few minutes. When he reached the door, he knocked on it a few times.

"Rarity, hello? It's me; Ed."

A few seconds passed and he heard hoofsteps inside before the door opened which revealed the white-coated unicorn.

"I'm glad you're here, Edward. Please come on in."

He complied and entered the Boutique.

"Head on over to the fitting room for now. I'll be with you in a minute."

"Sure thing."

Edward went into the room as instructed while Rarity disappeared from his peripherals. He then started to think about the first time he was brought here the other day just hours before going to Canterlot for the Summer Sun Celebration. Rarity mentioned the measurements for new clothes were rushed due to time constraints that day. Edward was certain this was about to be thorough but also quick this time.

"My apologies for making you wait, darling," Rarity returned while wearing a pair of orange eyeglasses. She also had a small notebook, a pencil, and a measuring tape currently levitated to her eye level by her magic, "I had a hunch that you'll be here sooner or later so I started looking for these until you arrived. I couldn't remember where I put them the other day, but it's fine now."

"That's good to hear."

"Indeed. Now take off your outfit."

"Do what now?"

"Take off your outfit but keep your boxer shorts on, Edward."

The blonde prodigy stared at the unicorn mare with a dumbfounded look before he shrieked, "What? Why?!"

Rarity stared back at Edward with confusion, "I need you to do so for proper measurements, remember?"

"Yeah, but I didn't expect to have to strip down!"

"Let me explain further, darling. It is necessary for me to make sure these measurements are as thorough and accurate as possible. I could have told you to strip down for measurements the other day, but time constraints that time made it impossible."

Edward heaved an irritated sigh, "Fine, let's just get this over with."

"Wonderful!! Go ahead and use one of the fitting room booths for now. I'll wait here."

Twenty minutes later...

"You see now, Edward. That wasn't so difficult, was it?"

"Yeah, yeah. I guess I was just overreacting," Edward rolled his eyes while he was behind closed doors again putting his outfit back on. Having to strip down to his underwear for clothing measurements was an awkward experience for him, especially being measured by a white unicorn mare who happened to be a fashionista.

Rarity was looking over her measurements right outside the door the human was behind. As she made sure everything on paper was in order, she set her notebook aside and spoke, "Oh, I nearly forgot... Can I ask you a favor, dear?"

"What is it?"

"I'm about to go out for an important errand within half an hour from now. I was wondering if you don't mind accompanying me."

"Where are you planning to go?"

"There are some certain pieces of fabric I want to get, but I may need some help with it. That's why I'm asking."

The young alchemist stepped out of the fitting room booth while he secured one more button on his white dress shirt before turning his attention to the fashionista mare, "I really don't think I have anything else to do after I'm done here. I guess I can go with you."

Rarity's eyes sparkled with excitement hearing his answer and used her magic to give him his black coat, "That's marvelous! Just wait for me at the foyer while I put all of my things away. I'll also be picking up one more volunteer to come with us and I already know exactly who it is."

As expected, Edward and Rarity left the Boutique together and headed out into the streets of Ponyville.

"So, who are we bringing with us again?" Edward asked.

"It's Fluttershy, darling," Rarity answered, "Believe me, having you both with me will be more than helpful. Have you been to her cottage yet?"

"No, I haven't. As a matter of fact, Ponyville is still pretty new to me as much as the rest of Equestria."

"Don't fret, Edward. You'll soon know your way around eventually. Now, off to Fluttershy's cottage."

The walk to the pegasus mare's cottage was a little longer than the alchemist prodigy expected it to be. It took him and Rarity towards the outskirts of town and into a trail along the edge of the Everfree Forest. The opposite direction of the trail led to Sweet Apple Acres which was Applejack's home. Edward made a mental note to himself to take a look at that place eventually. He then noticed they were approaching a small house up ahead. He was certain that was their destination.

"Edward, welcome to Fluttershy's cottage."

As he and Rarity passed over a small bridge over a stream of water, Edward looked around at his immediate surroundings. He saw several small critters running around. There were even a number of bird's nests and birdhouses that dotted the area. The yellow pegasus was not joking when she mentioned that she took care of animals. This cottage looked like some sort of animal sanctuary. They both stood in front of the door of the cottage before Rarity knocked on it.

A few seconds later, a familiar yellow-coated pegasus opened the door with a small, white bunny sitting on her back, "Rarity, Edward, what brings you here today?"

"I'm glad you asked, Fluttershy," Rarity responded, "I was wondering if you were available today."

"Available for what?"

"For a fetch quest, you may say. There are certain pieces of fabric I wish to get my hooves on and I would like to have you come along with me."

Fluttershy stood in front of both the fashionista and the alchemist in silence. Skepticism was slowly being drawn on her face but she was still listening.

"This was originally supposed to be just both of us," Rarity continued, "But Edward just happened to visit me, so I asked him and he agreed to help me. Now I'm asking you to come along. The assistance from both of you will be greatly significant."

A smile appeared on the yellow pegasus' face, "Of course, Rarity. I'll help you. But I hope you don't mind letting me take Angel with me." She motioned her head toward the small bunny on her back.

Edward leaned down to see the small critter and smiled, "Hey there. How's it going?" He extended his right arm towards Angel. When his fingers got close, the small bunny bit his index finger only to let go immediately and grasped his mouth in pain when it was too late to realize he literally bit on some sort of metal.

"Angel, that's not nice! Don't be rude to our guests," Fluttershy scolded her pet.

After leaving the cottage, Rarity, Edward, Fluttershy, and Angel entered the Everfree Forest together. The reason why they were there confused the fashionista's friends as they were right behind her.

"Edward, didn't Rarity tell you where we were going before coming to visit me?" Asked Fluttershy.

"No, she didn't," Edward responded, "I thought we were all going around town to help her bring back what she wants, but I didn't expect to go into the forest."

The pegasus mare fell silent for a moment before she spoke out again, "Um, Rarity? Don't you think it's a little late in the day to be walking through the forest? It is star spider season after all. Although I'm sure you have a very good reason."

"Simply, the most important reason I've ever had in my entire life."

"Oh! Well then, I'm happy to help," Fluttershy's mood suddenly changed from anxious to enthusiastic, "What is it?"

They then found themselves in front of the bridge that connected the Everfree Forest to the Castle of the Two Sisters. On the bright side, there were no Plunder Vines creeping around at all here like last time.

"I've heard rumors that the Castle of the Two Sisters is filled with the most gorgeous of ancient tapestries in all of pony history!" Rarity explained, "It pains me to think of those magnificent creations rotting away in those old ruins totally unappreciated."

"So you dragged me and Fluttershy all the way here to help you find some old fabrics?" Edward asked with an unamused look on his face. Deep down, he seriously should have asked her for more details before he agreed to be her assistant for the day.

"More like, brought you here instead of dragged, darling."

"I see," Both he and yellow pegasus mare monotonously said in unison before they all crossed the bridge together.

"I require help from both of you in borrowing one or two to bring back to the Boutique where I can restore them," The unicorn mare continued her explanation, "Maybe I'll use the patterns as an inspiration for a new line!"

Fluttershy looked up at Edward and back at Rarity, "That does sound very important."

"Yes!" Rarity turned her head away from the two and stumbled on her own words, "Well... Maybe not the most important thing in my entire life, but retro-ancient classical will be all the rage next season so there is nothing to sneeze at."

As if on cue, Angel hopped past the unicorn mare but one of his ears unknowingly tickled her nose causing her to sneeze. After a moment of recovery, she continued on alongside Edward and Fluttershy. Eventually, the group stopped in front of the castle's doors.

"I never thought I would find myself back here again so soon," Edward commented as he surveyed the front of the ruins.

"Are you sure you need those tapestries?" Fluttershy asked Rarity.

"But of course," The unicorn mare answered, "Although I must admit. These ruins are a fright..." She stopped in her tracks and looked down at the ground beneath her hooves, "And look at all the dirt everywhere. Ugh..."

Suddenly, Angel hopped right past the door and into the ruins. This prompted Fluttershy, Rarity, and Edward to follow after him.

As they entered the ruins, they were greeted with an entrance hall with a staircase on the other side. On their left and right sides, there were hallways that led to other parts of the castle. Dangling from the ceiling, a pair of old tapestries were seen. One had an image of Princess Luna with a crescent moon above her and the other with Princess Celestia and the Sun.

Rarity gasped with excitement, "Goodness, it's practically an artistic treasure cove of ancient good taste! Edward, you were here last time. I'm sure you looked around the castle for a while before we all crossed paths."

Edward frowned with a hint of annoyance and sighed, "Rarity, I was more concerned about how to get out of here than getting lost in these ruins, but do deserted research laboratories and mining towns count?"

"Hmm... I guess they technically count if you think about it."

Fluttershy attempted to suppress a chuckle from the conversation the two were having until her pet hopped out of one of the corridors on their right, "Angel! You really shouldn't run off like that," She scolded as she approached him, "Ancient ruins are filled with all sorts of things that can hurt you! You can stub your toe or trip on a loose stone. You have to be careful!" The yellow pegasus then realized that Angel, Edward, and Rarity were walking ahead of her and into the corridor where she spotted the white bunny moments ago. Without a second thought, she immediately followed suit.

After some time wandering through the dusty and abandoned hallway, Rarity, Fluttershy, Edward, and Angel were having no luck finding any ancient tapestry that needed restoration.

"You know," The young alchemist spoke, "I actually visited ancient ruins one time."

Rarity looked up at him in surprise, "You have? If only Twilight were with us right now, she would definitely want to hear your experience."

"I guess I can save storytime for later whenever we head back to Ponyville."

Eventually, their luck on their search changed when they came across one with an image of Princess Luna hanging from a nearby wall. It was similar to the one they saw earlier in the entrance hall, but what they were currently seeing was on a slightly smaller scale. Rarity then approached it in awe and joy.

"This one is perfect!"

"Finally!" Edward commented, "I thought we're never going to find a decent one."

Fluttershy approached the tapestry for a closer look, "Well, it certainly could use some restoration."

"In that case, I can transmute it back to its original glory," The alchemic prodigy said as he raised his mismatched hands in front of him until Rarity raised her foreleg gesturing him to stop before he was able to put them together.

"Edward, that's very sweet and thoughtful of you to do so," The unicorn mare looked up at him, "But I assure you that your alchemy is not necessary for the situation at hoof. I wish to approach this restoration with my own means." She then turned her head to Fluttershy and instructed her to remove the tapestry from its hook.

The pegasus mare nodded and flew upward. She tried to remove the tapestry as instructed but to no avail.

"Maybe from below?" Rarity yelled out.

Fluttershy flew back down and gave Rarity an irritated glare while the latter gave off an innocent smile. She then flew behind the tapestry and started shuffling behind it.

Edward took a step forward, "Hey, let me-" He was abruptly interrupted and froze in place when the wall where the tapestry was hanging suddenly spun around and showed an empty wall.

"Help...?"

He then looked back at Rarity and Angel. They were just as confused as he was. The three looked up at the wall together trying to figure out how to flip the wall around again and get their pegasus friend back. What felt like a minute or two passed, and the wall spun around again showing the tapestry and Fluttershy falling out of it almost immediately.

"Are you okay, Fluttershy?" Edward kneeled beside her. Angel was soon next to her as well.

"Ow," The pegasus mare quietly moaned in pain. "I think I hurt my wing..."

"Oh my dear, I'm so sorry." Rarity apologized to her friend, "That tapestry is far too heavy. We'll just have to find a smaller one."

"Of course," With that suggestion, the pegasus mare was back on her hooves with help from the blonde human before the group turned around and continued their search.

"By the way," Edward turned to face Fluttershy, "Where did you disappear to?"

"What do you mean?"

"While you were struggling under that fabric, the entire wall spun around," Rarity explained.

"She's right. You probably activated a secret door."

This revelation left a dumbfounded look on the timid pegasus' face. "Oh, I'm sorry," She apologized with a hint of embarrassment.

"I'd rather not worry about it if I were you," Edward assured her. "We all should've known we may come across something like that before we arrived."

"He's got a point, dear," Rarity added. "I suppose these ruins are chalked full of them..."

The shy mare winced with worry, "Really?"

"Absolutely! We must use the utmost care as we-"

The floor suddenly disappeared beneath Edward, Rarity, and Fluttershy as they fell through a trapdoor. Angel was ahead of them this whole time. When he looked down, he realized that his right foot activated the trap door and removed it from the floor switch. Further realizing his mistake, the white bunny hopped away in shame.

"Ow... My head... I still think anymore falls like that are going to stunt my growth..."

"I'm starting to wonder if maybe this castle doesn't want my expertise."

Wherever they were, it was pitch-dark. Luckily, Rarity used her horn to provide light in what was revealed as a trap room. While Edward sat down and rubbed his head in pain, Fluttershy looked around the small room as if she was missing something... Or someone.

"Oh, dear... Angel? Rarity, Edward, have any of you seen him!?"

"I'm not sure he made the trip down with us, dear." The fashionista answered.

"Oh, goodness." The pegasus gasped in horror, "We have to find him. An ancient castle is no place for a bunny. He could get hit by falling debris or the floor could give out under him! He could be trapped in a dark place with no way out!!"

"I can only imagine how that might feel..."

Something caught Rarity's eye. There was some sort of hole on the wall beside her. She took a closer and noticed that it was big enough for a limb to go through. Curious, the unicorn reached into the hole with her foreleg. After a few moments of moving her limb around, she felt something on the other side. Something unsettling... This caused her to gasp and retracted her foreleg from the hole. Sheer terror ran through her body, she had her forelegs wrapped around Edward's neck as if she was holding on to dear life.

"What the hell, Rarity...?" Edward, on the other hand, was gasping for air as he attempted to get the fashionista's attention by tapping on her foreleg.

"Rarity, what is it?" Fluttershy asked with panic slowly setting in.

"I felt something... Alive!!!"

The mere thought of the worst, possible thing made her grip around the human's neck even tighter and tighter until...

"Angel!"

Fluttershy's sudden change of tone caused Rarity to loosen her iron grip around Edward instantly from confusion. The timid pegasus reached into the hole in anticipation. She then felt something that did not feel alive at all. When she pulled down on the mystery object, the wall literally spun the trio around and landed them in a hallway filled with dismembered pony legs that were propped to look like they were holding torches upward.

"Well, tapestries or no," Rarity ranted, "I have had just about enough of secret passages, mysterious presences, and unappreciated castles!"

Edward returned to his feet while he used the wall on the opposite side of them for support. When his hand touched the pony leg on that wall, he felt it move down a little bit. The prodigy already knew what that entailed. The wall spun around with him in it and was immediately followed by a distant scream from him. This made Fluttershy and Rarity turn their heads where he once stood a moment ago before the wall spun around.

"Edward!" The mares panicked in unison.

Another room was expected behind the wall... If only that were the case. Instead, the alchemist prodigy found himself going down a slide headfirst. After a number of twists and turns, it finally came to an end but not before he fell on his head again.

"Dammit, not again..."

Edward sat up and rubbed his head in pain. Returning to this old castle for any reason was the last thing on his mind. If only he asked where he was going before he agreed.

"Fluttershy, Rarity, are you both all right?" He asked but there was no response from either mare. He turned his head and realized they were not with him at all. He was all by himself. He was thinking back to the fashionista's rant earlier and heaved a frustrated sigh, "I couldn't agree more..."

He then started wondering where he was now. He noticed that he was in a room that looked much bigger than the atrium. On one side, there was a hallway that led to who knew where... On the other side of the room, there were two elegant-looking chairs ahead of a small flight of stairs. One chair was dark blue with a matching tapestry with a crescent-shaped moon hanging above it. The other was golden-yellow with another tapestry with the Sun that matched it. Edward approached the base of the stairs for a closer look. A podium-like platform stood between the chairs and a large gaping hole on the wall was seen between the tapestries. judging by the overall appearance, this large room was likely the castle's throne room.

Something else also caught the alchemist's eyes. Between the stairs and right below the throne, there was a passageway of some sort. Weary of the traps and spinning walls of this entire castle, he was still curious about what other secrets it had to offer. After taking one more glance at the throne room, Edward entered the passageway wondering where it may lead him to.

"At least I didn't have to sneak into this old castle in any way like I had to with the Fifth Laboratory."

As it turned out, the passageway led to a half-torn wall. Behind it, a downward, spiral flight of stairs was spotted. So far, it was dark but the moonlight from outside provided some relief for him. After the stairs, Edward found himself in a small hallway. Further ahead appeared to be another room. That only piqued his curiosity even more as he continued further.

After he set foot into the room, the alchemist took a glance at his new surroundings. Despite natural light from the outside making it easy to see, the room was basically empty. But there was something on the wall on the other side of the room. There was also a podium of some sort as well. Edward approached the wall for a closer look and took the moment to examine what was there.

It was a circular mural. Although this castle has since been abandoned, the colors of the mural were as clear as day. Along the outline of the circle, there were five colorful gems. Their color schemes looked similar to the Elements of Harmony. Each one was connected in the shape of a pentagon that was shaped within the circle. In the center of the circle, a purplish pink-colored, six-pointed star was seen, which had a striking resemblance to Twilight's cutie mark. Above the star was the Sun. Below the star, was a crescent moon.

"Hmm... Deja vu?"

Edward said quietly to himself. Something about the mural was bugging him, but he was unable to put a finger on it. He turned away from it to the podium and spotted a book on top of it. The hardcover on the front was missing. It looked as if it was torn off from the book. Somehow, the author's name was nowhere to be found. The young alchemist opened it and turned a few pages ahead. He was looking over the text only to find out it was in some foreign, possibly ancient, language as he scratched his head in confusion. He continued flipping to other pages but one, in particular, stopped him. The page in question happened to have an illustrated drawing of the mural behind him. He looked up at the wall for another moment and his eyes widened in realization as certain memories flashed before his eyes.

The transmutation circle in the Fifth Laboratory...

The mural from the ruins of Xerxes, along with pieces of the missing half inside Gluttony's stomach...

The nationwide transmutation circle around Amestris...

"W- Why does this mural look similar to those three things back home...?"

Edward was even more puzzled than ever. So far, he has been aware that nopony knew what alchemy was. This mural, probably along with this book, was likely telling a different story. If alchemy existed here, then why was nopony mentioning it? Was it ignored through the years to the point where it was completely forgotten? Were records not written about it? Who designed this mural and wrote this book? What was the purpose behind both of them?

Many questions were swirling into his mind until a faint but audible noise rang out of nowhere. Edward stood still as he felt his heart skip a beat from the sudden noise. It sounded like an organ being played, but where exactly? He grabbed the book and quickly rushed out of the room.

Edward exited the throne room and entered the hallway. The sound of the organ was still playing throughout the castle and following the sound to the source was the only solution. The only ones who were probably still in the castle beside him were Rarity, Fluttershy, and Angel. Were any of them playing the organ right now or was someone else in the castle too? Were these ruins even rumored to be haunted?

Hallway after hallway, with every twist, and turn he came across, he drew closer to the source of the organ. Suddenly, the music stopped but a doorway was seen further down. As Edward approached it, the music from the organ returned to life and became more clear but the tune of the music sounded distorted and sloppy. At the same time, multiple, yet familiar voices, were heard.

"...and you can't throw a finished-ringing-the-school-bell party without bluebells. So I went to Everfree Forest to pick some, but it starts to get chilly. I had to wrap myself up on a tarp while getting flowers. Then I saw Ed, Fluttershy, and Rarity, but they went into the castle before I can invite them to my party. Luckily, I followed them inside so I can help you all with your party."

"Oh my! Rarity, we forgot about Edward!"

"You're right. He's still somewhere lost in this castle!"

"Ed was with you?"

"Yes, but we got separated by accident."

The voices... That sounded like Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rarity, and Twilight. What were the rest doing in the castle? The blonde human peeked from the doorway and saw them with his own eyes. Pinkie Pie was playing the organ while the rest, including Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Spike, and Angel, were watching her and were in the middle of a conversation. Edward walked through the doorway and was about to approach the group. Meanwhile, the pink mare pressed a random key on the instrument. Before he was able to call out to them, he saw Spike suddenly being catapulted into the air. His eyes widened as the baby dragon was falling right back down and painfully crashed on each other's heads.

"Ow!!"

Twilight and her friends got startled after hearing Spike and one other voice painfully yelled in unison behind them. They turned around and saw the baby dragon and Edward on the floor grasping their heads in pain. They rushed over to check on the two.

"That felt worse than getting whacked in the head by Winry's wrench..."

Edward sat up while feeling dazed and looked over at Spike nearby. The baby dragon was already standing with help from Twilight and Applejack.

"You okay, Ed?" Rainbow Dash asked as she hovered next to him.

"Never been better," The human alchemist answered with a sarcastic tone as he returned to his feet and dusted himself off. "So what are the rest of you do-"

"Edward!"

Two voices rang out and the next thing he knew, he was flat on the floor again as Rarity and Fluttershy simultaneously trapped him in a hug. This caused him to flail around to remove himself from their grasp to no avail.

"You poor thing, we are so sorry we were unable to find you until now!!"

"We tried looking for you and Angel when we accidentally separated."

The two separated him from their hug which allowed him to sit up as they continued to apologize. The alchemist prodigy looked over to Angel who just gave him nothing but a confused shrug.

"Calm down, girls," Edward finally spoke, "Really, it wasn't that bad. I've been through much worse before."

Twilight walked over to the human with the old book he carried from below the throne room with her magic, "I think you dropped this."

Edward took the book from her and smiled after he was on his feet again, "Thanks, Twilight. So what were the rest of you doing here, anyway?"

Pinkie suddenly popped up between them and looked at her human friend with excitement, "Welcome to the party, Eddy!!"

"What party?"

"Uh, the Everypony-Comes-to-the-Scary-Old-Castle-and-Hide-From-Each-Other-While-I-Play-the-Organ-Party!" She answered before she started hopping away from her friends and out of the room.

Edward looked back at his friends with even more confusion, "Did I miss something while I was gone?"

Author's Note

Despite this chapter being based on the actual Castle Mane-ia episode, I've decided to make it more focused on Ed this time. I think I need a new running gag for him now. Nevermind his height. At least he's not getting hit in the head by Winry's wrench anymore.

Chapter 4: An Alchemist's Uncertainty

Twilight led her friends towards the castle's library. While on the way, she explained that she and Spike arrived at the ruins at the suggestion of Princess Celestia with hopes they may find answers to the Tree of Harmony’s mystery chest. They both discovered a hidden chamber behind a bookcase where the Princesses' journal was found. According to the journal, the trapdoors and slides were built for the Sisters' entertainment.

In the case of Applejack and Rainbow Dash, there was a competition between the two for 'Most Daring Pony.' In fact, this little competition has been going on for quite a while already and they agreed to go here in an attempt to settle the score. In the end, Pinkie Pie claimed that the two competitors were tied. In a way, this reminded Edward of the sparring matches he and Alphonse used to have since his rehabilitation from automail surgery. Every single match they had, he lost to his younger brother. That was until they both had a match together in Central City Hospital where he finally beat Alphonse after a heated dispute. After a moment of reminiscence, he sat on the recliner as he skimmed through the pages of the mystery book he picked up earlier. The foreign text still had him in a state of confusion.

As he made another attempt to decipher any of the text, Twilight talked with her friends about writing a journal of their own the same way Celestia and Luna did when they both lived in this castle long ago. Hopefully, they can publish their journal in the future so other ponies can learn from their experience. The rest of her friends mutually agreed with smiles on their faces. When the conversation was done, she walked over to the human and sat next to him.

"By the way, where did you find that?"

"There was a passageway leading down to a small room underneath the old throne room. I saw a mural of some sort and this book down there. I don't even know what the title of the book is nor its author. Its front hardcover has since been missing."

"Yeah, I noticed the damage," She lightly frowned looking at the current condition of the reading material on the human's lap. A new idea then entered her mind and she smiled with anticipation, "Ed, if you don't mind, I like to know more about your alchemy."

"Of course, I don't mind at all," The young alchemist answered as he closed the book and watched the lavender alicorn levitate a quill and a piece of paper in front of her. Her friends gathered around them as they were just as curious.

"Ready when you are."

"Alchemy is based on understanding, deconstructing, and reconstructing matter. You can't create anything out of nothing. You can't gain anything unless you give something up in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That's alchemy's Law of Equivalent Exchange."

"Hm… Lose something to gain something if I’m readin' you correctly," Applejack scratched her chin.

Edward nodded his head in confirmation before he continued, "In order to perform alchemy, a transmutation circle is required, which is the basis of alchemy. It can be drawn on the spot with any writing utensil and even with blood or simply draw on the dirt or sand. It can also be drawn at any time beforehand which depends on the situation you might find yourself in," He paused and looked over at Twilight as she wrote down notes.

"Go on," She begged with a smile.

He stood up from the recliner and noticed some loose rocks that dotted the room. He picked up the nearest one and picked it up before he used it as a makeshift utensil to draw on the floor. Twilight and her friend watched him with puzzled looks on their faces. Edward finished and showed them his drawing in question. It was a circular drawing with an inner circle containing a triangle. Each side of the triangle contained another drawn triangle.

"This is an example of a transmutation circle," The young alchemist introduced to his friends. He then placed his left hand on it as it glowed with light blue sparks. A few seconds later, a small figurine version of Twilight appeared where the circle used to be, "In fact, this was my transmutation circle when I first started using alchemy when I was younger."

Angel hopped over to the freshly transmuted figurine and looked at it with curiosity.

Although they were already aware during their search for the Princesses and the Tree of Harmony, Twilight and her friends were still impressed with the human's alchemic abilities. Like the time when his red coat was fixed, it seemed like alchemy can be used for practical purposes, not just for fighting as they had already witnessed.

The lavender alicorn continued to jot down more notes on the subject. Her face was filled with nothing but enthusiasm and determination to learn more, "I can't believe I'm getting first-hoof information on alchemy, Ed. I have a feeling I might end up publishing more than one book involving all this!"

Edward turned his head toward Twilight to see an ecstatic expression on her face. It reminded him of how he felt when he and his brother were taken in to study alchemy under their teacher's tutelage long ago. It felt as though it was only yesterday that the brothers spent an entire month on that one, particular island...

"I just realized something..." Twilight paused from writing down her notes and looked up at the human, "Those few times we saw you use alchemy, including just now. I noticed there was a gaping hole on the ground. Why is that?"

"Yeah, what gives?" Asked Rainbow Dash.

"That's because Equivalent Exchange came into play," Edward answered.

Twilight and her friends raised their eyebrows as they attempted to grasp the vague answer given to them.

"As I mentioned earlier, you can't gain anything out of nothing. Think about the time I transmuted that earthen column as a demonstration of alchemy to the Princesses. How about when we had to deal with that cragadile and those plants? Just think back to the condition of the ground again."

The ponies, including Spike, thought back to the events mentioned as they tried to remember every bit of information possible. Something did happen to the ground during Edward's alchemic transmutations.

"Now that you mentioned it, dear," Rarity spoke. "Twilight was right. When you performed alchemy those times, it looked like the ground was suddenly caving in."

Edward smiled hearing the fashionista mare's observation and nodded his head in affirmation, "Exactly. The ground below me had to give some of itself up for me to transmute that column. That's Alchemy's Law of Equivalent Exchange at work."

"Ed," Twilight gasped as she remembered another memory, "I still remember when you fixed your red coat. You said its fabric thinned out a little to replace the sleeve that was previously torn apart. I say that's another example of Equivalent Exchange, isn't it?"

"You got that one right, Twilight."

The lavender alicorn smiled with glee as she wrote down more information in her notes. She still had a hard time believing she was learning about a subject that almost looked like Equestrian magic, but it was not. She knew the Princesses were just curious about alchemy as anypony else, she was looking forward to eventually sending them a letter about her findings in the subject at hoof. She was a little disappointed that she was unable to find anything in the castle that had anything to do with the chest from the Tree of Harmony or the six keys needed for it.

It felt as though time flew by quickly and everypony lost track of it while being inside the Castle of the Two Sisters. It was already the middle of the night as they walked out of the ruins. It might have taken them around twenty to thirty minutes to return to Ponyville. Most stores were already closed or at least ready to close for the night. Eventually, they were at the front door of the Golden Oak Library.

"Boy, wasn't our time at the old castle an experience or what?" Asked Rainbow Dash.

"I have a feeling we might go back over yonder one of these days," Applejack answered as she raised an eyebrow toward the cyan pegasus.

Pinkie Pie giggled with excitement, "It was a blast!"

"I thought I would lose Angel over there the whole time," Fluttershy added with a light chuckle.

"I said once and I'll say it again," Rarity had a roll of tapestry hovering over her head with her horn, "I will return this piece right where I found it as soon as I restore it to its former glory."

"I'm glad everypony enjoyed it there." Twilight nodded in agreement before nudging Spike, "Especially with scary stories involved."

"Oh don't rub it in, Twilight," The purple dragon lightly blushed and rolled his eyes in embarrassment.

Edward listened to the conversation while he remained silent the whole time. They sounded lively and enthusiastic about what they have already done. In fact, that was something he noticed not too long ago. It felt different from Amestris. It may take some time for him to get used to if he really was stuck in Equestria. Still, why was he here instead of being trapped in the Portal of Truth for life? It looked like there was more to that void than he experienced. Was the Portal connected to other dimensions and realities? Then again, he, along with Ling and Envy, was able to escape Gluttony's stomach through the Portal. Still, there had to be a reason behind his presence in Equestria. Did Truth take pity on him and threw him here or… Did he end up in this reality at random…?

"Edward..."

A small voice called out to the alchemic prodigy from his train of thought. It was the yellow pegasus mare with her pet bunny on her back. Rarity was also beside them.

"Rarity and I are still sorry for not being able to find you until you found all of us with Pinkie playing the organ."

"She's right, dear. I can't imagine how you were feeling when you were separated from us."

Edward rubbed his forehead for a moment before he spoke, "Girls, I told you already. It's not a big deal. I've been through much worse situations than simply being lost in thousand-year-old ruins."

"Still," the fashionista unicorn spoke again, "Considering that you're fairly new here in Equestria, Fluttershy and I can't help but think we failed to be responsible for your safety. You could have gotten injured or knocked unconscious from falling debris anywhere in the castle after we accidentally separated."

"Or worse, one of your prosthetic limbs could have fallen apart on you all of a sudden," The yellow pegasus added.

The blonde human heaved an annoyed sigh before he kneeled in front of the two mares, "Listen, don't dwell on any of it. I made it out perfectly fine, didn't I? As a matter of fact, everything that happened the whole time we were all at the Castle of the Two Sisters turned out fine for all of us."

The concerned expressions on the two ponies were replaced with relief and enthusiasm. Without warning, they threw themselves onto Edward in a group hug, which knocked him backward onto the ground much to his annoyance. He could have sworn he heard Angel snickering.

"What's with these ponies and their hugs? Is this a norm for Equestria or something...?"

Everypony else stood nearby and lightly laughed at Edward's reaction to the hug he received from Fluttershy and Rarity. Soon, both mares released themselves from the hug, allowing him to return to his feet and dusted himself off, and picked up his recently acquired book.

"Anyway, whatever next adventure we'll all have together, I hope it doesn't involve another castle that's long since abandoned."

"You and me both, Ed," Spike agreed with a chuckle.

"Edward, I nearly forgot to mention earlier," Rarity called out, acquiring the human's attention. "I happen to be working on another outfit for you. Now with your updated measurements, it will be dramatically improved."

"Really? Thanks, Rarity. I know I told you I needed just simple clothes. Nothing too flashy or anything, but you didn't have to go that far to make me another outfit besides the one I'm wearing now."

"Trust me, darling. It's really nothing. Since you're a newcomer in Equestria, I personally want to make sure you look your best."

The fashionista unicorn's justification left the human alchemic prodigy speechless. He did not know what else to say as he scratched his cheek. Despite the questionable glares from almost everypony he came across so far, Twilight and her friends, including the Princesses, were the only ones who accepted him for who he was. Roseluck may more than likely be on the same boat as them since he helped her with her damaged carriage on the way to the Boutique earlier today.

"It's getting late, everypony," Twilight said as she unlocked the door to the library and opened it, "I'm sure the rest of you are tired also, right?"

"No need to tell me twice, Twilight. I'm heading home now. See ya later," Rainbow Dash yawned before she flew off.

"Night, Rainbow Dash! Night, everypony else!" Pinkie Pie was next to leave the group as she waved farewell before hopping away towards the direction of Sugar Cube Corner.

Applejack was about to leave for the night, but a certain thought stopped her from moving any further. "Now hang on a sec... I just noticed something about your alchemy, Ed."

The blonde human was already in front of the doorway until his name was mentioned by the farm mare.

"You said you need a transmutation circle doohickey for it. If so, then how in tarnation were you able to use alchemy without it?"

The remaining ponies brought their attention to Edward upon realization of the question she asked. It was a certain detail none of them noticed until now. He hung his head a bit as his bangs blocked his vision which helped avoid eye contact with any of them.

"I guess you can say it's something you learn when you see the truth."

"Dammit, this can't be happening!! It can't be..."

“No, dammit... You won’t take him too...”

“Just give him back. He’s my little brother! He’s all I have left!!”

"I take that back... For your sake, it's best you never see it at all," He answered as he walked inside.

With that conclusion, Twilight and her friends watched Edward walk through the doorway into Golden Oak Library. They then turned around and looked at Applejack with confused looks.

"Uh... With that look on his face, I think I accidentally opened an old wound..."

"Now that you mentioned it," Rarity responded to the farm mare's comment and motioned everypony, to come close to her, "There's something I have to tell you about Edward, but quietly. I hope he doesn't overhear us."

"I'm pretty sure he's about to hit the hay real soon," Spike assured his friends as he looked up at one of the windows of the library. There were no lights coming from any of them. The blonde human was probably in the shower or something...

"Yes, Twilight did mention that it's getting late after all," The fashionista brought herself back on topic. "Anyway, while I was remeasuring him earlier back at the Boutique, I can't help but notice something... Something dreaded."

"Wait, what happened?" Twilight asked.

"Nothing bad happened between us if that’s what you’re worried about… It's not that at all, it’s his body… It’s filled with a myriad of scars. There's one that looked like he was slashed on his left shoulder. A similar one on the left side of his abdomen, but that's not the only one in that particular area... There's one more that looked like something went right through his body."

Twilight, Applejack, and Spike gasped in shock from this revelation. However, Fluttershy stood beside them quietly.

"Um... I saw those too, Rarity." The yellow pegasus mare softly spoke out, "Remember when you were making an outfit for Edward hours before we headed to Canterlot for the Summer Sun Celebration? I was tending to his wounds when I saw the scars. Personally, I don't think it was the best idea to ask him about them."

"Thank you for your input, Fluttershy. Beside his prosthetic limbs and the surgical scars that came with them, I can't imagine what Edward has been through until he arrived here."

"He did say he's been through much worse if that's any hint. Those scars and limbs do give us some hints for it."

Little did any of them knew, Edward was looking down at them from the guest room window. He used the darkness of the room to keep himself hidden. He was not sure what Twilight and her friends were talking about, but it appeared to be a last-minute conversation before they called it in for the night.

He walked away from the window and sat on the bed. He had since settled down as he wore a simple white, sleeveless shirt and a pair of boxer shorts. The young alchemist thought about everything that had already happened since the moment he woke up in the Castle of the Two Sisters. Being thrown in another dimension was one thing, but the last thing he expected was to become friends with a group of talking, technicolor ponies who happen to be known as heroes of this land and wielded legendary gems. In fact, nearly everyone he met so far was ponies. Twilight did mention there were other non-ponies who lived here as well. There were, but not limited to, dragons, griffins, changelings, zebras, and yaks. Ponyville, the Everfree Forest, and Canterlot were scratches on the surface. There were a lot of things and places Equestria had to offer which he had yet had the chance to experience.

And then there was that old book and the mural he found. The latter had an almost striking resemblance to the mural from Xerxes Ruins and the nationwide transmutation circle around Amestris. It just happened to have a symbol similar to Twilight’s cutie mark and six gems with the same color scheme as the Elements of Harmony. Magic was the norm for Equestria, right…? Then why were there contents in the book similar to Amestrian alchemy? Edward lightly jabbed the side of his head in frustration in an attempt to connect the dots.

“I guess I can talk to Twilight about this tomorrow if she’s not too busy trying to figure out that chest from the Tree of Harmony…”

Edward quietly sighed and laid down on the bed. As he made himself comfortable, he stared at the ceiling. He began to think about his past… The old life he irreversibly left behind…

Alphonse…

Winry…

“If you believe the possibility exists in getting your bodies back, you should seek it out. Keep moving. Whatever it takes, even if the way ahead lies in a river of blood.”

“Survival is the only way, Ed. Live on. Learn more about alchemy. You can find a way to get our bodies back and help people like Nina. You can’t do that by dying!”

"You boys have to keep moving forward, anyway you can."

“The next time I make you cry, I hope it will be tears of joy, and Al and I will be back in our normal bodies. I'll make you cry out of sheer happiness! That’s a promise!!”

"You've got people you love waiting for you, don't you? So just make it back alive..."

“You need to look after your brother, Ed. You need to get your bodies back. You better get to it. You got plenty of people waiting for that day.”

The blonde human covered his eyes with his mismatched hands in painful frustration. He was frustrated over the bitter fact that he let so many people he knew down. He may have brought his younger brother back in the flesh and blood, but at what cost? Edward gave up his own body and soul. Was that too much? What could he have done differently that time? The more he dwelled on it, the heavier his eyes became. Eventually, he found himself asleep.

Nothing… There was nothing but a black void around him. Edward walked forward as he attempted to make sense of it all. Something felt odd here but the empty void was not the only thing that concerned him somehow. He then froze in place and immediately turned around. Something or better yet, someone was indeed here with him. The figure sitting on the floor in front of him appeared malnourished… Nothing but skin and bones. Pale skin, long, ungroomed blonde hair, and golden eyes. Edward couldn't help but gasp in shock and disbelief at who it was.

“Al…?”

The alchemic prodigy extended his left arm toward his younger brother as they exchanged eye contact. At the moment his hand touched his right shoulder, Alphonse turned into nothing but dust which caught him by surprise.

Then, another figure stood in front of him. He had long, blonde hair, pale skin, and a lean and fit body with a cloth wrapped around his waist.

“No… It can’t be!” Edward gasped in horror when recognized the figure. The mastermind who was responsible for the destruction of Xerxes… Along with the creation of Amestris’ nationwide transmutation circle and the bloodshed that occurred throughout the nation’s history. It was Father.

Another thing caught his eye. There were bodies… Blood-soaked human bodies lie lifelessly not only by his feet but the Homunculus' as well. Even worse, he recognized a decent number of them.

“What’s going on here…?”

Colonel Mustang…. Lieutenant Hawkeye… Major Armstrong... Zampano... Mister Gorilla... Teacher… Ling… Lan Fan… Mei… Hohenheim… Scar… Granny… Winry!? What just happened?

Father glared at him with a malicious smirk and lifted his right arm forward with his palm facing upward. Red sparks flared from it.

Edward started gasping for air as the red sparks surrounded him. His soul was being harvested to create a Philosopher's Stone. Did he not beat the Homunculus and saved Amestris not long ago…? Why was he back? This can’t be real… None of this should!

Just when he was about to blackout while he saw Father’s smirk become wider with anticipation, a dark-blue aura suddenly hit the Homunculus which freed Edward from his life-taking grasp. As the human alchemist regained his ability to breathe again, the bodies faded and the surrounding dark void turned into a white counterpart similar to the Portal of Truth. He looked around wondering what just happened while he sat there in further confusion.

“The nightmare has ceased. There is nothing for you to be afraid of now, Edward Elric.”

A familiar, feminine voice rang from nowhere. A moment later, a dark blue alicorn with a wavy, transparent light blue mane and tail materialized in front of him as it walked towards him.

“P-Princess Luna...?”

“I see you still remembered me.”

“It wasn’t too long ago when I met you and your sister at the Tree of Harmony after Twilight and her friends freed you both. Also later during the Summer Sun Celebration in Canterlot... But what are you doing here? And didn’t you just say this was a nightmare?”

“Indeed I already said this was a nightmare you were experiencing. Since I am in charge of the night sky over Equestria, I can enter anypony’s dreams at any time during the night,” The Princess of the Moon answered. “I just happened to come across your dream. Judging what I have witnessed, this was by far the darkest and most horrifying one yet.”

“Yeah… It’s not all happy and full of cheer as you’re probably used to,” Edward scratched his head before he heaved a sigh. He then noticed the Princess gave him a skeptical gaze. That was when he realized one certain detail, “Then again, Twilight told me you were banished to the Moon for a thousand years. You returned some time ago. That must have been rough.”

“Yes, it was. Although I am grateful that Twilight and her friends rid me of Nightmare Moon, a part of me still regrets letting that monster take control of me. My jealousy over my sister paved the way for my banishment….”

Despite having already been told of the story of Luna’s banishment and return by the lavender-coated alicorn, hearing the story from the Princess of the Night herself felt surprisingly refreshing for the prodigal alchemist.

“Alas, the past cannot be undone. I must learn from my horrible mistakes for a better future. I expect you to do the same, Edward Elric.”

Edward’s eyes widened with shock from the Princess’s last sentence. What could she possibly be getting at? “What do you mean?”

Her teal blue eyes looked back at his golden eyes as she glared sternly. Her glare eventually softened and stayed quiet for a moment before she spoke, “Your eyes… I can tell they’re filled with pain, remorse, and anguish.”

The blonde human stood quietly as she continued to explain herself.

“Those eyes of yours indicated that you endured a harsh life, especially for somepony as young as you.”

Their surroundings began to materialize in reflection of events from Edward’s memories.

“My brother and I committed an alchemic taboo several years ago. Our mother passed away and we attempted to resurrect her. In the end, we both paid a terrible price for it. I lost my left leg while my brother lost his entire body. I immediately became desperate to save him, so I placed his disembodied soul into a suit of armor at the cost of my right arm.”

Luna did nothing but allow the visions of the human’s past to unfold in front of them, “Hm…That explains your metal appendages and alchemy seems to have some unpleasant secrets of its own,” she stated as visions of his memories also contained the darkest moments of his life. “But what about your father? Don’t you have one?”

He winced in constraint at the mention of Hohenheim and looked away from the alicorn princess, “He left us long before our mother passed away. If he never left, he would have been there for her.”

She sensed a hint of anger in his voice when he answered, “Perhaps there was a justification for him to leave you?”

“Yes, there was. But that’s another story… After numerous chains of events, I was able to bring Al back to normal. It came with a price for me. Now I feel as though it was a foolish choice for me to do so.”

“And why is that, Edward?”

“I made the decision to give up my own body and soul to bring him back. The next thing I knew, I woke up here in Equestria at the ancient castle you and your sister used to live in. Since then, I can’t help but dwell on the possibility that my brother resents me for my choice after all we’ve been through together. All I did, in the end, was break one too many promises to too many people, and now… Now I have no way to make amends with all of them.”

Luna’s thoughts on Edward’s remorse and anguish had been confirmed. He may be around the same age as Twilight Sparkle and her friends and had a set of skills that were totally foreign to Equestria but unlike them, he endured a soul-crushing, harsh life where at one point or two, he could have died. Now he was cut off from everypony he knew with no way to reach out to them and potential resentment from the only family he had left weighed him down further.

Seeing his head hanging downward, she placed her forehoof under his chin and lifted his head up. A calm and comforting expression dawned on her face as the two made eye contact.

“Listen to me, Edward Elric. I told you already that the past cannot be undone. You may no longer have the chance to reconcile with your friends, especially your brother. Even I cannot do the same with my own friends who have since passed on after my sister banished me. Even after my banishment, ponies were still afraid of me because I was once Nightmare Moon. But Twilight Sparkle and her friends helped me become a better pony and I was once again accepted by everypony else because of them. I’m absolutely certain they’re doing the same thing with you as they did me.”

He hung his mouth in awe from the Moon Princess’ story. In the case of Twilight and her friends, she was right. Each and every one of them accepted him because he helped them by saving the lavender alicorn twice and finding the Tree of Harmony. The six mares, including Spike, were his friends now. Even Rarity trusted him enough to be able to make a new wardrobe for him, including letting him join her and Fluttershy in helping her find ancient tapestries from the Castle of the Two Sisters.

“Do not let the burdens of your past hold you down while it takes control of your future. Twilight and her friends are there for you when you feel the need to talk to them, Edward. It is obvious they already accepted you as their friend.”

The boy nodded his head in affirmation, “You’re right. I can’t just wallow in self-pity behind their backs. It’s time I make new promises now. I managed to make a new group of friends here in Equestria already. I should make and keep promises for them. Honestly, I don’t know what promises I would have but I’m sure I’ll make one along the way. Hell, I’ll make something out of myself here in Equestria as well.”

“A wise decision,” Luna smiled with approval, “I knew you would agree with me in this matter. Also, I do hope your adjustment to life in Equestria is going smoothly. So far, I believe very few of my subjects do not mind your unusual presence while many are still unsure about you or have yet to be aware of you. In due time, the rest will be bound to treat you as one of their own.”

“Yeah, still a bit tough for the time being. I still get weird looks everywhere. Well… At least around Ponyville.”

“Things will change for the better. I’m sure of it. Even my sister believes so,” She placed her forehoof on his shoulder in assurance and smiled. She then took a few steps away and took flight, “I shall leave you be, Edward Elric. Let us see each other again next time. It’s almost time for my sister to raise the Sun."

As the Princess of the Night flew further, a blinding light showered the former State Alchemist’s surroundings…

Edward quickly opened his eyes and found himself staring at the ceiling from his bed. He sat up and noticed that it was daytime from the window. He then checked the time on his pocket watch on top of the nightstand. It was a little past eight in the morning. The blonde human sat quietly as another thought entered his mind.

“That dream… It went from a nightmare to a weird dream so quickly…”

Was Princess Luna a fabricated figure of his imagination or was she really there with him? Her words of advice sounded genuine coming from a dream. Then again, this was Equestria. Things were different here than back in his original reality. Clearly, there were a lot of things he had yet to discover in this new world. This included the mystery book he found back at the Castle of the Two Sisters.

“Almost forgot about that! I should talk to Twilight about it. The chest from the Tree of Harmony may still be a priority for her, but I’m sure she would like to see the book I found.”

With that plan in mind, Edward stepped out of bed and prepared for the day ahead of him.

Author's Note

After three months, another chapter is finally out. It took me much longer to flesh out Ed's nightmare than the rest of the chapter but here it is!! Having to explain alchemy to everypony took some time also. I haven't worked much on this chapter due to the holidays and my month and a half hiatus, but I'm glad I brought it back on the trail again.

In my headcanon, Ed still has the scars he sustained during his confrontations in the Fifth Laboratory and his botched fight against Kimblee.

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

Chapter 5: An Honest Visit

“Spike, would you make some hot cocoa for me?”

“Already in the works, Twilight.”

Morning had since taken over Equestria’s sky. Just outside the Golden Oak Library, Ponyville’s citizens were beginning to make their rounds through town. Stores were open, foals were on their way to school, and a certain grey-coated mailmare was out delivering mail to their respective destinations.

“One hot cocoa, coming up right now,” With the requested drink, Spike walked over to the table where Twilight was at and placed it beside her.

“Thank you.”

The lavender alicorn took a sip of her hot drink with enjoyment. She took a glimpse of Spike who returned to the stove range. A moment later, her mind wandered somewhere else… It was the brief conversation that she and her friends, besides Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie, had with Edward last night. Applejack had a good question… How was the blonde human able to perform alchemy without a transmutation circle despite what he already told them?

“Something you learn when you see the truth…”

Did this ‘truth’ have something to do with that ritual that she saw him and his brother did when she drank the potion that time? There may be some things he may be keeping from her and her friends. If so, what could it be exactly? She was about to take another sip from her drink until a familiar figure was spotted in her peripherals entering the kitchen from her.

“Oh, good morning, Ed.”

“Good morning, Twilight. Good morning, Spike,” Edward, now in gray shorts and a light-blue sleeveless shirt while sporting a simple ponytail, walked over to a chair across from Twilight and sat down. “Am I too late to eat breakfast?”

The baby dragon chuckled, “Not even close. I just started making pancakes just a few minutes ago. Want something to drink while you wait? I can get you hot cocoa, coffee, or even milk, if you want.”

The blonde human made a bitter facial expression at the mention of the third choice of drink and shrugged it off immediately, “Yeah, I’ll take the coffee. Thank you.”

“Coffee, coming right up.”

Twilight noticed how Edward reacted to the mention of milk and quietly chuckled. The human noticed her for a moment and raised an eyebrow.

“Something funny, Twilight?”

“Oh no. It’s nothing really.”

“I see…”

A minute or two later, Spike walked over to the table with Edward’s mug of coffee.

“Thanks, Spike.”

Several more minutes passed, the baby dragon brought in a heaping plate of pancakes and set it on the center of the table before he sat himself down, “All right, let’s eat.”

Breakfast was just what the three needed to start the day. The pancakes were delicious but it did surprise the blonde human that someone as young as Spike was the one who made breakfast.

“Thanks for the breakfast, Spike.” Edward complemented, “You worked on these pancakes like a real chef.”

“You’re welcome. I've been Twilight's assistant since she was a filly while she attended Celestia’s School of Gifted Unicorns back in Canterlot.”

“Wait, really? That long ago?”

“That’s right, Ed.” Twilight answered in confirmation. “I even hatched him out of his egg as an entrance exam to attend that school. Yes, you guessed it… I passed and was successfully enrolled. Didn’t you do anything more or less similar to become an alchemist?”

“Well, a proper education is one thing which I didn’t do… Instead, I had a teacher who taught me alchemy. Long before that, my brother and I learned alchemy on our own.”

“Impressive.”

“But hold on… Aren’t you an alicorn?”

“Yeah… I was originally a unicorn though… Long story short, thanks to an old spell that once belonged to a famous unicorn, I managed to fix it. Immediately after that, I became an alicorn. It happened some time before you showed up.”

“Who would have thought something like that would turn you from one pony race to another…? Speaking of… If you’re not too busy today, I would like you to help me out on something.”

The lavender alicorn raised her eyebrow with curiosity, “Of course, Ed. What do you need me with?”

“Remember that book I found at the Castle of the Two Sisters?”

“Yes. What about it?”

“The book was written in some language I’m not even familiar with. I was curious if you might be able to figure it out. You know, since you’re into research and all.”

The studious mare smiled with anticipation and nodded her head in agreement, “Sure, I’ll take a look at it! Just see me in my study room when you’re ready.”

After cleaning up after themselves from breakfast, Edward swung by his bedroom and picked up his book. As instructed, he went to Twilight’s study room where she was waiting. The room was more or less the same as the last time he was there. There were still piles of books everywhere from the mare’s attempt to look for answers about the mystery chest and the six keys.

“Ready to let me see that book?” Twilight asked from her desk on the other side of the room.

He walked over to her and gave the book to her.

Even though she was already aware that the front cover was missing, anticipation still gleamed in the alicorn’s face. The fact that this book withstood the test of time despite its current condition amazed her as she looked at several pages before she returned to the first.

The human alchemist looked down at her as she relished the new reading material that was on her desk. He realised she was just as knowledgeable in Equestrian Magic as he was with Amestrian Alchemy. He just wished he learned more about Xingese Alkahestry when he had the chance. This world may more than likely benefit from it than Amestrian Alchemy…

“There’s a lot for me to cover in this book, but I’m pretty sure I can push myself through this if I just read it carefully, Ed.”

“Thank you, Twilight. Still, I hope it doesn't take too much of your time.”

“Are you kidding? I needed an excuse to study something else for a change. I say this is refreshing for me since I’ve been trying to find answers about that mystery chest through tons of books after the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“That’s good to hear. Thank you again!!”

She looked down at the book once more and skimmed through several pages, “This was written in the older Equestrian language. Don’t expect me to finish all of this before tonight. I can tell you right now that it will take some time to translate this to the current Equestrian language.”

“I don’t mind at all. I knew you would say something like that. Anyway, there’s certain parts of town I haven’t gotten the opportunity to check out. I’m curious about Sweet Apple Acres. Applejack lives there, right?”

“That’s right,” The lavender mare answered without looking away from the book.

With that, he turned around and headed over to his room, “In that case, I’ll get ready to head over there. I already know how to get there so don’t worry.”

“All right then. See you later, Ed.”

A few minutes later, Edward stepped out of the Golden Oak Library and into the streets of Ponyville. He was now clad in a second pair of his black dress suit with a white dress shirt. He then started to walk toward the direction of Sweet Apple Acres. It happened to be on the same route as the Carousel Boutique, but it was much further out.

The human alchemist looked around as he walked deeper into town. The same thing around Ponyville was happening like yesterday. Ponies going to their destinations. Stores had since been open everywhere, including street vendors settling down in their respective booths. Foals giggling and playing around. This town once again made him remember Resembool.

The next thing he knew, he caught several quiet voices as passed by a number of locals.

“That’s the one who used some weird-looking magic to fix Roseluck’s carriage the other day, right?”

“If that really was magic, who taught him that..?”

“Could have sworn I saw him at Canterlot during the Summer Sun Celebration…”

“An odd-looking fellow, don’t you think?”

“I think he’s looking this way, sweetheart.”

He heard some voices as he walked through the streets. If his physical appearance during the Summer Sun Celebration did not attract much attention to him, then his interaction with Roseluck may have done it for him. His use of alchemy mostly likely stirred the pot further that time.

With the route still somewhat fresh in his mind, he approached the intersection where one direction led to Fluttershy’s cottage while the other led to his intended destination. The young alchemist continued his walk towards the latter.

Back in the Golden Oak Library, Twilight settled down back in her studies, ready to look into the latest reading material given to her by Edward. She was just as curious about it as he was. Just when she was ready to open the book, something else crossed her mind.

The human’s voice echoed inside, “I guess you can say it’s something you learn when you see the truth…”

The studious mare grew silent as she thought about those words. What did he mean about that? She looked up at the shelf above her and looked at the potion Zecora gave her a couple of days ago when she had to use it to find answers to where the Princesses and the Tree of Harmony were. At the same, it somehow made her delve into Edward’s past. She was still confused about why a portion of his past was revealed to her. Using her magic, the lavender mare brought down the potion and looked at it for a moment. She was certain she was able to find her answers about Edward’s words from last night. She then took a sip of the potion and set it to the side. A moment later, her world faded into a white flash.

The white flash faded, allowing Twilight to reorient herself into her new surroundings. She was inside what looked like a living room inside somepony’s house… Suddenly, an unfamiliar, male voice rang from behind.

“This is a surprise, to say the least…”

The lavender mare turned around and saw three humans sitting at a table. One was a male with short, black hair and wore a strange, blue outfit. It appeared to be militaristic in some way… On the other side of the table, there was a short, elderly woman with graying, brown hair tightened into a braid. In the middle, there was… A younger, wheelchair-bound Edward… She quietly gasped as realized his right arm and left leg were missing. There was also a blank, pitiful expression on his face. His gold-colored eyes looked empty and traumatized…. Directly behind him was a towering suit of armor… The same one from the previous vision.

“I heard reports that there was a brilliant alchemist living in this town, so I came here to check.” The man in the blue outfit continued, “The last thing I expected to find is a boy who is skilled enough to attempt human transmutation…”

“Human transmutation…?” Twilight blinked in confusion as looked at the crippled boy, “Could that be the ritual you lost your leg from, Ed…?

The man looked up at the suit of armor for a moment, “Or advanced enough to bond a soul to a suit of armor.”

The mare widened with shock and took another look at the armor behind Edward. “Is that really your brother in there?”

“I’d say he’s more than qualified to become a State Alchemist. Should he choose to accept the position, he’ll be required to serve the military in times of national emergencies. In return, he’ll receive privileges and access to otherwise restricted research materials. Given time, he may be able to find a way to get their bodies back… Possibly more than that…”

“So this was what you’ve been doing until your arrival in Equestria?” She knew the boy could not hear her at all since this was a glimpse of the past but there were so many questions and so few answers revealed to her so far.

The elderly woman placed her pipe down on the table… Almost forcibly as if she was angry, “After he came stumbling to my door slowly dying and covered in blood, I went over to their house to see for myself what happened… What was there… Whatever that thing was, it wasn’t human!!”

Twilight knew exactly what the woman was referring to. The simple thought of it made her feel as if there was a knot in her stomach…

“Alchemy created that abomination! It nearly killed them!! And now you want to throw those boys into it!? Would you really have them go through Hell again!?”

The man in blue paused and stayed silent. It was as if he was thinking further into the matter at hand. He turned his attention to Edward and spoke, “At this point, it is entirely up to you. I’m not forcing you, I’m merely offering you the possibility of whether to move forward or stay still. Will you sit in that chair wallowing in self-pity or will you stand back up and seize the chance the State Military can give you? If you believe the possibility exists in getting your bodies back, you should seek it out. Keep moving. Whatever it takes, even if the way ahead lies in a river of blood.”

The room suddenly flashed into a white void. A second later, a new surrounding took shape. Twilight was standing on a hill overlooking a herd of sheep down below. Alphonse, still in the suit of armor, looked down at them while a wheelchair-bound Edward was facing the opposite direction reading a book on his lap. Curious, she hovered next to him and looked over his shoulder to see what he was reading.

“The celestial stone that destroyed the city of Xerxes in one night. The grand elixir, sealed away by the Eastern Sage. It goes by different names but it’s always the same thing… Some kind of object that amplifies alchemy… It’s the Philosopher’s Stone…”

The page the boy was reading confused the lavender alicorn. She can read the text, but the visuals on the page appeared to be ambiguously cryptic. In fact, the whole page was cryptic.

“If we can just get our hands on it somehow, we can get your body back, Al…” He said before turning silent. After about a few seconds, he flailed around in frustration and ranted, “Damn books! They tell us everything but how to find it!!”

His sudden outburst caused her to collapse to the ground in shock. Twilight quickly got back on her hooves and watched him rant. Before she could hear any more of it, there was another white flash.

The lavender mare blinked a few times and noticed that she returned to reality… Back in front of her study room in the Golden Oak Library… She thought about the visions of Edward’s past again… They were just as vague as the first vision she saw previously. But one particular piece found itself stuck in her mind…

“The Philosopher's Stone…?”

What was it exactly…? What did the human’s past have to do with her or Equestria in general? She wrote down the term on a separate piece of paper and set it to the side for future reference.

As far as she knew, neither she nor her friends ever asked him about his past. At least not yet… The only thing they asked him was his alchemy and how it worked. Maybe not today. Maybe not tomorrow but sooner or later, she may have to sit down and talk to him about it. She hoped she was not going to be invasive about it when the time came.

Twilight returned the potion bottle back on the shelf and opened the mystery book. She already told Edward that she looked into this particular reading material and she would. The studious mare quickly checked that a quill and paper were ready for her before she opened the first page of the book and started reading.

While walking down the road, Edward noticed more trees than usual. Each and every one of them had a decent bunch of apples hanging from the branches. No doubt about it. He was already entering Sweet Apple Acres. Not far ahead, there was another road that split from the current one. When he approached, the new trail led up to a red, two-story wooden house that looked strikingly similar to a barn. When he walked up the trail, the blonde human was able to take a closer look at the house as he approached. He then noticed a green-colored, elderly, earth pony mare sitting on a rocking chair next to the house’s doorway. She appeared to be napping…

“Hm…” Edward walked quietly towards the elderly mare, “Um, excuse me, Miss?” The next thing he knew, he was greeted with a sudden sneeze from the mare in question, causing him to back up a few steps in surprise.

After a few seconds of recovery, she looked up at Edward and squinted, “Oh my… Sorry for startling you there, partner.” She lightly chuckled, “You look new right around here. Welcome to Sweet Apple Acres. How may I help you?

“Yeah, I am quite new here. But I’m also a friend of Applejack, along with her friends. I was curious about this place.”

“You’re a friend of my granddaughter, you say? Well pleased to you, young’un. My name is Granny Smith. And you?"

“I’m Edward, but call me ‘Ed’ for short. It’s easier.”

“Very well then. Applejack is out and about collecting some apples with her brother, Big Macintosh. But break time for them should be coming up in just a few more minutes. Please, come inside and make yourself at home now.”

“Huh? Oh no, thank you. I don’t want to feel like I’m interrupting their work schedule or something.”

The green, elderly mare cackle with laughter, “Absolute nonsense right there, sonny! You just told me you’re my granddaughter’s friend!! I’m sure she’ll be happy to see you. Now come inside, why don’tcha?”

“Uh… Sure thing, ma'am.”

Edward sat at the kitchen table as a glass of apple cider was placed in front of him. “Thank you,” He looked down at the content in question before he took a small sip of it. It was sweet, cold, and refreshing which made him smile in satisfaction.

“That smile says it all for me, young’un!” Granny Smith yelled in delight causing him the jump in surprise, “That’s a sure tell sign that you enjoy the Apple Family’s signature cider.”

“You mean this cider I just drank?”

“That’s right.”

It was quite obvious this elderly pony took pride in this drink, considering the vast number of apple trees outside this house. He was curious what other apple-related products were available here.

“You said you’re new around here, right? Where’s home for you?”

Her question made him feel stumped at that moment. How could he answer her without divulging the fact that he was from a different plane of reality…? “I… I came from a very far away place. In fact, Ponyville reminded me of my hometown.”

“Oh? And the name of your hometown is...?”

Before the young alchemist even bothered to answer despite his hesitation, the front door opened up and revealed a familiar orange-coated mare and an unfamiliar, red-coated stallion with a short blond mane and tail.

“Granny, Big Mac and I are ready for our bre-” Applejack froze after she turned a corner to face not only her grandmother, but also the blonde human who was sitting at the kitchen table while the former just set a pitcher of cider on the table, “Ed, is that you!?”

He sheepishly waved back at her, “Hiya, Applejack.”

“What in tarnation are you doing here?”

“I’ve been wanting to check this place out. There are still certain places around Ponyville I haven’t been to yet.”

“I guess I can’t blame you for that then…” She scratched her cheek with her forehoof for a moment, “Anyway, welcome to my home: Sweet Apple Acres! You already know Granny Smith apparently. This big guy beside me is my older brother: Big Macintosh. ‘Big Mac’ for short.”

“Pleased to meet you, Big Macintosh.”

“Eeyup,” the red stallion simply responded.

Applejack peeped up, “Oh, and don’t expect much out of him. He doesn’t talk much.”

“Sis!” A new but smaller voice came from outside and smaller hoofsteps were heard entering the doorway. A smaller pony entered the house. She had a red mane and tail. A matching bow can be seen on her mane, “I’m about to hang out with Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle, but do you still ne-'' She stood still as she gazed at Edward with shock, “Ah!!”

Applejack and Big Macintosh calmed the small pony down right before she could jump in panic.

“Take it easy, Apple Bloom!” said the orange-coated mare, “He’s actually a friend of mine and Twilight’s too. He ain’t gonna harm nopony.”

The filly took her sister’s words but still remained cautious when she looked at Edward again. She had never seen this one in particular around before. She wanted to think he was a diamond dog, but he had no fur at all.

The human nervously chuckled from the filly’s reaction to him before he introduced himself to her, “She's right, you know.” He then kneeled in front of her. “My name is Edward. Edward Elric, but just call me Ed,” He said as he extended his right hand to her.

“Hi, Ed. I’m Apple Bloom,” She properly introduced herself. Their limbs made contact in the form of a hoof/handshake. She glanced down at his hand and gasped not in horror, but in awe, “What the… Is… Is this real?”

He raised his eyebrow and smiled. The filly was curious about his automail hand. “Of course. In fact…” He rolled up his sleeve halfway and revealed the matching portion of his automail arm, “This is as much as I can show, but I guarantee you it is indeed real.

Apple Bloom tapped her forehoof on his forearm to hear the clanking of metal, “Neat! How did you get it?” She smiled in excitement.

As soon as that question was heard, Applejack moved between them and looked at her younger sister, “Okay, I think that’s enough questions for him for now. Didn’t you mention you’ll be hanging out with your friends?”

“Yeah, but I only asked him just two questions.”

“There will be plenty of that for another day. You can go on ahead and visit your friends now.”

“All right then.”

The farm mare walked her younger sister out of the house and watched her leave beyond the fence. Several seconds later, she reentered and sighed, “Sorry about that, Ed. I had a weird feeling she might be asking you too many questions.”

The blonde alchemist raised his eyebrow in confusion, “Honestly, I don’t mind. But I guess next time…”

“Well since you’re here and it’s break time for me and Big Mac, let’s all settle down then.”

For the duration, Granny Smith, Applejack, and Big Macintosh entertained Edward by telling several stories of what happened in and around Ponyville. One story covered how the elder Apple family member harvested a certain type of apple called Zap apple and made jam out of it. So far, the harvest in question has happened twice already. The first time was when she was younger and the second happened not too long ago with her grandfoals.

Another story involved a pair of unicorn brothers, named Flim and Flam, riding into town during Cider Season and claiming that they had an invention that could make cider better and faster than what Ponyville’s finest can traditionally do. To settle the score, both parties agreed to a competition to see who would produce the most barrels of cider. The brothers had the upper hoof thanks to their invention and won. Their victory was short-lived, however. When they served their cider to their customers, they were suddenly met with disgust. The supposedly refreshing drink was negligently laced with, but not limited to, tree branches, rocks, and rotten apples. Due to the raging refusal to pay for the low-quality cider, Flim and Flam had no choice but to flee Ponyville and the Apple Family returned to making cider again in a blink of an eye.

The third and final story took place on Hearts and Hooves Day; a day when one pony got together with their special somepony. Apple Bloom and her friends, Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo, found out that their school teacher, Miss Cheerilee, had no special somepony. They eventually found out that Big Macintosh had no special somepony too. Soon, the three fillies create a plan to get the two together in a form of a love potion. It worked, but with disastrous results. In short, shenanigans between the two ponies under the potion’s spell occurred. The effect wore off by the end of the day and they were both back to their normal selves.

Edward turned his head towards the red, earth stallion only to see him look the other way as he blushed in embarrassment. The blonde human did nothing but chuckle from the story.

“Alrighty then…” Granny Smith sat up from her chair and smiled, “Applejack, Big Mac, are you ready to return to work?”

“I sure am. I still have to haul that carriage of apples into town and sell them.”

“Then I’m sure Big Mac can handle the apple bucking from here, right?”

“Eeyup,” The red stallion answered with confidence and agreement.

“In that case, I’ll get out of your hair so you can focus on your jobs,” Edward stood up after he took his final sip from his glass of cider. He was about to take a step away until the orange farm mare motioned at him.

“If you’re heading back to town, I wouldn’t mind the company.”

“What? Are you sure about that, Applejack? I’d rather not distract you from your job or anything like that.”

“Believe me, partner. For all I care, you can talk my ear off as long as you want, but I’ll still be focused on selling apples to my customers.”

The human scratched his cheek as he thought about the decision made by her. After a moment of silence, he nodded his head in approval, “Okay… I guess I can accompany you into town.”

“Okay then. Just wait for me at the front porch while I get the carriage.”

As instructed, Edward sat on the steps of the front porch and waited while Applejack disappeared into the barn next door. As preparations were in the works, this gave the young alchemist a little more time to enjoy the scenery of Sweet Apple Acres. It reminded him of Resembool just as much as Ponyville itself already had. Of course, he traveled to certain places around Amestris that reminded him of his hometown and so far Ponyville had yet ceased to do that. It was indeed a friendly town despite the weird looks and mixed expressions from almost every local he came across.

“Okay Ed, you ready to head into town now?”

His enjoyment of nostalgia ceased as the orange farm mare returned with the aforementioned carriage. The blonde human examined the cargo and noticed five barrels’ worth of apples piled beyond the brim clearly ready for sale. A decent amount of the red-colored fruit was also seen lying on the bed of the carriage.

“Surprised to see this many apples in one carriage, huh?”

“Yeah… And you and your brother have been harvesting these apples from all of those trees?” Edward asked as he motioned to the numerous apple trees that surrounded them and as far as the eye could see. Granny Smith already mentioned she’s been here since her family settled here when she was younger.

“And Granny Smith too. Especially Apple Bloom only on occasion.”

“My hometown had farms too but I never delved into how they work exactly. I only had the general idea of them.”

“Really? Looks like you gotta hang ‘round Sweet Apple Acres more often from now on.” Applejack quietly chuckled, “Anyway, let’s head on over. These apples ain’t gonna sell themselves.”

“Agreed. Let’s get going then.”

Edward and Applejack headed down the trail leading them into Ponyville. The further they walked away from Sweet Apple Acres, the more scarce the presence of apple trees became. As they grew closer and closer into town, the human looked down at the orange farm mare a few times and noticed something. It appeared as if something was bothering her.

“Applejack?”

“Huh, what is it?”

“Are you feeling alright?”

“Of course I am,” She answered rather quickly. Something about her response and her tone of voice felt odd and different…

“Are you sure?”

“Absolutely, partner. Nothing to worry about,” A slightly nervous laughter was heard from her.

Edward raised his eyebrow in curiosity, “That little laughter didn’t sound convincing somehow. Come on.”

“Oh, who in tarnation am I kidding?” The orange mare heaved a sigh in defeat. She stopped in her tracks and adjusted her hat, “It’s already wrong for me to tell a lie to anypony. Including my friends… The reason why I wanted you to accompany me into town with my soon-to-be-sold apples is that I owe you an apology.”

The blonde human blinked in confusion… What apology was she talking about…?

“It’s about that time when we came back from the old castle last night,” She said in verification.

Now that she mentioned last night, he had a feeling he may know exactly what she was referring to, “It had something to do with that question you asked me that time, right?”

“Yeah, that’s right.” She responded in confirmation, “By the way you answered, it felt as though I accidentally brought up an old memory or two you’ve been wanting to forget… I seriously apologize for that, Ed.”

Edward looked down at her in silence. It took a moment to grasp and think about her apology before he spoke, “It’s alright. I’m not offended or anything. You simply didn’t know.”

The orange mare raised an eyebrow in surprise and smiled, “Really? Then I’m glad you accepted my apology, partner.”

“To be honest, I don’t feel comfortable about explaining certain things from my past... I may need some time to-”

“Take all the time in the world, Ed. Nopony is rushing you. You can explain all that to us whenever you feel ready.”

This caught the alchemic prodigy by surprise. Applejack was not only shrugging his explanation off temporarily, but she was also willing to let him explain himself when he was ready. This helped ease his mind a bit. Even so, he had to tell his story to the others in the foreseeable future.

“Thank you, Applejack. I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome, partner. Now that we've gotten that out of our faces, I doubt these apples will be selling themselves if we stand here on this trail talking to each other instead of going into town. Let’s get a move on.”

“Agreed.”

After entering Ponyville itself, Edward and Applejack traveled further until they approached the town’s market area. After a few more minutes of looking around the orange mare settled down at a decent spot to set up her shop with the help of the blonde human.

“And the shop is open!” She said with excitement in her voice, “Thanks for coming along.

“Right, and I’m glad to help you out.”

About a second or two later, two ponies were already in line to buy some apples from the farm mare. Edward smiled in satisfaction as he witnessed the transaction unfold right beside him. Then, a vaguely familiar voice rang out nearby.

“Edward?”

The young alchemist turned his attention away from the newly set booth to the source of the voice. A mare with a pale yellow coat with two-toned pink and red mane and tail stood in front of him. Her appearance immediately refreshed his memory. A somewhat familiar pony was present.

“Roseluck, is that you?”

The mare playfully chuckled and smiled, “Come on. We just met yesterday. Don’t tell me you forgot.”

“No. It just took me a second to realize that it was really you.”

As soon as the two customers left with their purchased goods, Applejack turned her attention to Edward and Roseluck. The way they were interacting was as if they already knew each other, “Howdy there, Roseluck. Looks like the both of you are already enjoying whatever conversation y'all having.”

“Great to see you, Applejack,” The pale yellow mare greeted back. “I actually met Ed yesterday. The wheel on my carriage suddenly fell apart but he just happened to be passing through and ended up helping me. He used his strange-looking magic to fix the wheel and it looks exactly like new!”

“Rose, it’s not magic at all,” The human corrected her, “It’s called alchemy.”

“Alchemy? Really…? It looks too good to be something other than magic.”

“Alchemy is kinda a complex art. I can tell you that much.”

“I see… But if it weren’t for you, I could have already spent tons of bits to get that wheel replaced with a new one. I’m thankful for what you did for me.”

“Well, ain’t that mighty sweet of you to do that, partner?” The orange mare commented while she handled a new transaction with another customer, “Looks like your alchemy has made itself more useful than it already is.”

The compliments from both mares caused Edward to blush lightly, only to shrug it off just as quickly as it came, “Yeah, you were really lucky I was nearby, Rose.”

“Yes, I know…” The pale yellow earth pony chuckled, “Anyway, I have to leave you and Applejack alone now. I still have errands to take care of. See you two later.”

With that, the two waved farewell to Roseluck as she trotted away from the booth.

“Looks like you made a new friend all by yourself.” Applejack said as she finished her latest transaction.

“Yeah… I guess you’re right. I didn’t even notice.”

“Considering you’re new around these parts and you ended up helping somepony out recently, I’m sure everypony will eventually get used to seeing you around more often.”

“I really hope so.”

“I know so, partner,” She further assured him with a wink.

Edward raised his brow for a moment. What the farm mare just said to him sounded similar to what Princess Luna already told him last night. He was likely the only human here in Equestria, but his alchemy may be turning more than a few heads towards him out of pure curiosity.

“Anyway, thanks for walking into town with me. Now if you want, you can go head on out.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes, siree. I can take care of everything from here on out.”

“You’re welcome then,” Edward nodded his head in agreement and began to walk away.

“I’ll see you around.”

“You too, Applejack.”

A walk around town sounded like a good idea. In fact, it was the perfect excuse to explore the rest of Ponyville or at least one more portion of it. The blonde alchemist crossed a small bridge and entered what looked like some sort of park. Couples and small groups of friends were sitting on the grass together, foals running around as playful laughter was heard from them, and the overall beautiful scenery of the park. It reminded him of the park he and Alphonse passed by on occasion whenever they were in Central City.

He then spotted an empty bench nearby and approached it. As soon as he took his seat, he was able to relish his surroundings more. Ponies were passing by him as if he was not there, but he paid no attention to that concern anyway. He looked up at the clear sky and lightly smiled. A certain thought occurred to him again…. Equestria was surprisingly a peaceful place compared to Amestris. It was probably because there was no hint of a constant state of war with surrounding nations like the latter’s case. He closed his eyes as he adjusted himself on the bench…

Suddenly, a strange feeling occurred to him. Something did not feel right… When Edward opened his eyes again, a pair of red eyes were glaring right back at him which caused him to jump in surprise and fall over to the ground.

As it turned out, it was none other than Discord standing in front of the alchemic prodigy.

“Why hello there, Edward. How are you doing?”

The blonde human glared back at the draconequus in annoyance and stood back up before he answered, “You again? What are you doing here now?”

“Come on now. Is that how you talk to your friends? By attempting to give them the cold shoulder or something similar? I’m surprised Twilight and the others accepted you as their friend. The least you can do is spend time with Fluttershy. I’m sure she’ll help you become a little more friendly. Maybe some tea with her will help at least?”

“Yeah, thanks for the friendly tip. Also, that’s because they’re literally nowhere as annoying as you, Discord.”

The God of Chaos feignedly grasped his chest and literally opened it to see his own heart with a crack mark on it and closed it, “You’re breaking heart, little one.”

“Who are you calling little!?”

“Now with all seriousness, I’m just here to personally check up on you and see how you are doing. After all, you are new to Equestria.”

“I’m doing fine so far, thank you very much.”

“Wonderful to hear that. I can tell. Also, there’s something about you that caught my eye recently. It’s about your particular set of skills…”

“Skills… You mean… My alchemy?” Edward stood in silence and gasped in realization, “Wait, you’ve been spying on me this whole time!?”

“Oh no, no, no. I just happened to be nearby when I saw you help a certain pony in need the other day.”

“Roseluck?”

“Yes, indeed. Despite magic being the norm of Equestria, your alchemy appears to come in handy in these parts.”

“It’s not really much to be excited about actually.”

“Maybe? Maybe not? Either way, at least it made life a little easier for somepony in need. I would definitely like to see more of it next time.” Discord took a few steps back, “Now that I finished checking up on you, I shall take my leave. Ta-ta.”

With a snap of a finger, the draconequus vanished into thin air leaving the human alone.

“Seriously, why does it feel like he rubs me the wrong way…?”

“I’m back.”

With the Sun slowly setting on the horizon, Edward opened the door to the Golden Oak Library.

“Welcome back, Ed,” Spike greeted the human while putting away some books on the higher shelves. “How was your day? I heard from Twilight that you went to Sweet Apple Acres.”

“That’s right. I thought I would take a look around town on my own while I was at it.”

“Anything interesting happened today?”

The human paused for a moment and thought about the day he had. The conversation with Discord earlier was quite… Awkward to say the least. He then shrugged it off and answered, “Nah, nothing worth mentioning during the day.”

The little dragon stepped down from his step stool and grabbed another book from a nearby table, “I figured you say that, Ed. Nothing really happens around here.” He brought the book to a lower shelf and turned his attention back to the alchemist, “Well, except for the occasional monsters that threaten it or some random adventure or outing that leads us somewhere else in Equestria. Good thing you’re hanging out with us. You may be experiencing more of that in the future.”

“Looking forward to it,” Edward commented as he rolled his eyes. “Anyway, how’s Twilight doing with her research?”

“She’s been up there you stepped out this morning. She’s still hard at work, I can tell you that.”

“She did mention to me that she may not be done before the end of the day… It may take her longer than a few days. I guess she wasn’t kidding, Spike.”

Upstairs in the study room, Twilight was still entranced by the mysterious book given to her earlier today. Edward was right when he said it was written in some different language. Luckily for her, the language in question was a much older Equestrian dialect she remembered studying long before she was sent to Ponyville from Canterlot.

As she delved deeper, a certain term kept appearing on a frequent basis in the book. The way the mare saw it, it looked like a vital keyword. It went by one particular name...

“The Crimson… Star? What kind of name is that? And what is it exactly…?” She scratched her cheek in confusion as she wrote more information in her notes.

The alicorn flipped to the next page and continued reading the written text. This was just as mysterious as the chest from the Tree of Harmony and the six keys for it. Who knew what other mysteries could possibly contain…?

Author's Note

Another chapter is complete!!! Nothing much as you probably thought. It's just the blonde shrimp experiencing a little bit more of his new environment on his own. That's all. This one took much than I thought. A lot of things are happening in my personal life but I assure you it's nothing bad.

Chapter 6: Castle Sweep-Up

Four Days Later…

Twilight stepped out of her room and sighed in relief. She walked down the stairs and entered the main room where the books of the Golden Oak Library were stored. She looked around and saw Spike putting a couple of books back on the shelves. On the other side of the room, she spotted Edward sitting by a desk reading a book. In fact, there were several other books beside him as well.

“Hi, Ed.”

“Twilight? I haven’t seen you out of your room since you and the others left to go look for that author the other day. What’s her name again…? AK Yearning..?”

“It’s AK Yearling.”

“Right… Anyway, how are you doing with that book I gave you?”

The alicorn paused for a moment to gather her thoughts. She knew he would ask her that question eventually, “I’m still digging deeper into it, Ed. When I’m ready to share what I got after I’m done, I’ll let you know right away.”

The blonde human raised an eyebrow to her and sighed in disappointment, “I was hoping you were ready to share what information you have with me.”

“As much as I want to, I’d rather finish it completely before I can share it.”

“No argument there, I guess…

She chuckled and smiled in agreement before she looked over his shoulder, “Now, I wonder… What are you reading?”

“Just reading a book about Equestria.” He answered as he moved the book a bit closer for the alicorn to see, “I figure I should read more about Equestria’s history on my own. You know… For my own knowledge.”

“I’m glad that book caught your interest, Ed. I wasn’t sure if any of these books would be interesting to you in any way.”

“Anything to help me pass the time. Thanks for choosing to take me in, by the way. It would have been different if no one did the same at all.”

Twilight stood there as she stared at him for a moment. Soon, she was slightly blushing and turned away quickly, “Um… You’re welcome. Considering your circumstances, neither my friends nor I can simply leave you by yourself after you helped us.” She turned around to face him after she regained her composure. “Anyway, there’s something else I want to ask you.”

Edward looked away from his book and gave the mare his undivided attention again.

“I was talking to my friends yesterday about tidying up the Castle of the Two Sisters and I was wondering if you would like to join us.”

“Back to that old castle again? I figured we were all done with it for good…”

“Come on. I know it’s been abandoned since Nightmare Moon’s banishment but it would be nice to make everything nice and clean again from top to bottom for Celestia and Luna. This is the perfect chance to see more of your alchemy at work. I’ve been thinking about that idea since the last time we were there. Who knows? Maybe they would like to see it back to normal again.”

The alchemic prodigy was about to counteract until a thought crossed his mind. He was considering taking another look at that mural again. It looked like he found an excuse to go back to the old castle again, “Fine, I’ll go there with you.”

“Yes!” She cheered with excitement, “This is also another good break from my research! Thank you, Ed.”

The human looked at her dumbfoundedly. He had never met anyone in his life who was excited to tidy up ancient ruins until now. Perhaps she would have loved to visit the ruins of Xerxes...

She suddenly froze and looked up at a nearby window and noticed the dark sky outside, “Uh… What time is it again?”

“It’s quarter to nine,” Spike answered.

“Oh… I guess we should get to bed soon if we’re all going to clean up Celestia and Luna’s old castle tomorrow.”

Edward couldn’t help but chuckle at the mare’s absence of time, “You seem to be enjoying yourself with your research to lose track of time, Twilight.”

The alicorn rolled her eyes and began to walk towards the stairs, “Spike, come with me. I need your help getting some books out of my study room and back down here.”

“Sure thing, Twilight.” The baby dragon replied as he placed a small book on a stool next to the human before walking upstairs with her.

As the two disappeared into the next floor and entered the study room, Spike walked over to Twilight with a smug look on his face, “So… Mind telling me what that was about?”

“What about what, Spike?” The lavender alicorn asked as she picked up a book with her magic.

“Come on… You can tell me. I saw you blush when Ed thanked you just a few minutes ago.”

“I have no clue what you’re talking about,” She claimed as she levitated a pile of books with her magic and used it to hide the slight redness on her cheeks.

“Okay, whatever you say, Twilight.”

Edward turned his head and took a glimpse of the book in question the dragon left behind. He picked it up and immediately noticed how flimsy it looked. There was a front cover but it was not a hardcover.

“Power Ponies…?”

He opened up a random page expecting text for him to read. Instead, there was some sort of drawings with speech bubbles which were almost similar to comic strips he occasionally came across in newspapers. In fact, this entire reading material in question was basically that but was exclusively dedicated as such. After skimming a few more pages, it appeared to be about a group of ponies who fought crime with some sort of supernatural powers. Rolling his eyes in disbelief, he placed the comic book back on the stool.

A few seconds later, Twilight and Spike returned downstairs, each carrying a pile of books, and began returning them to their respective spots on the nearby shelves. The young human watched in awe as he observed the alicorn use her Equestrian magic for the job at hand. It was as though she made typically tedious tasks look easy. He already witnessed much of it in a short matter of days since his arrival in this new reality and it had yet ceased to amuse him.

“Ed?”

Someone called him out of his stupor and made him blink a few times.

“Are you okay, Ed?” Twilight asked with confusion.

“Oh!! Perfectly fine. Just perfect,” He responded in embarrassment. He quickly turned around to close the book he was reading and returned it to the spot on the shelf where he first found it earlier.

The lavender mare raised her brow with a puzzled expression as she watched the blonde human putting away books. She shrugged it off and continued her current task with him and Spike.

The Next Day…

“Ed should already be stepping out by now, right, Twilight?”

Twilight and Spike stood outside in front of their own home together. It’s been at least five minutes since then and they were waiting for their human friend to join them.

“Hey, sorry for the holdup,” Edward stepped out of the Golden Oak Library as he put on his red coat. “I thought I would rather wear something different and lighter.”

The alicorn and the baby dragon looked at the human again. The red coat… a black sleeveless shirt, black trousers, and shoes… White gloves…

“Is that the same, exact outfit you wore when you first arrived in Equestria?” Twilight asked.

“Yeah, I figure it’s appropriate considering what we’re planning to do at the old castle today.”

“I guess that’s a good point… Anyway… Ed, Spike, let’s get the others before we can head over to the castle.”

“Right.”

“Got it.”

After gathering everypony, Twilight and her friends made their way to the Castle of the Two Sisters. As soon as they arrived at the throne room, they all began their chores.

Watching everypony at work, Edward removed his red coat and set it aside. “Okay then… Time to get to work as well.” He said to himself as he flexed his automail arm for a moment.

“I’m already looking forward to seeing more of your alchemy, Ed.” Twilight complimented him with a smile.

The blonde human rolled his eyes in ridicule and sighed. He then turned his attention to two piles of rubble on either side of the small flight of stairs that led up to the Princesses' abandoned thrones. He walked over to the closest pile and took a moment to examine it. Eventually, he clapped his hands together and placed them on the rubble to transmute a life-size statue of Princess Celestia. He went over to the other pile of rubble and did the same, but a life-size statue of Princess Luna was transmuted in its place. The alchemic prodigy smiled in satisfaction at his latest work.

“That’s just simply amazing, Edward.” Rarity commented excitedly, “I can’t help but see you have an artistic sense for your alchemy.”

“Thanks. It was only a matter of how much material I need before I can make any alchemic transmutation due to the Law of Equivalent Exchange. In this case, it was already enough to make these statues.”

“You’re just making this job a lot easier than we wanted it to be,” Twilight chuckled.

“Well, you were the one who wanted me to come here with you. Remember?” Edward smirked.

“Well… Yeah, that is true.”

The blonde alchemist smiled and quietly laughed in triumph. “Anyway… There’s another room right below here. That’s where I found that book I gave you, Twilight. The path leading to it is right behind the old thrones. I’ll be clearing out any mess there if any of you need me.”

The lavender alicorn nodded her head in approval as she watched him walk away from her and her friends with only a broom and dustpan from the cleaning supply carriage they brought with them.

Edward found himself back in the same room where he found the mysterious book and the mural that also caught his eye. He took his time sweeping some dust and smaller messes away. Any bigger messes in the room were taken care of with alchemy.

After what felt like at least twenty minutes of cleaning, he paused as a thought entered his mind. The alchemist looked up at the mural and examined it once more. What confused him about it was that its design was almost similar to the mural from the ruins of Xerxes…. Which was similar to the transmutation circle from the Fifth Laboratory. There were still unanswered questions since the last time he was here… What was the meaning of this mural? Who designed it? Why the similar design? Does Equestrian magic have an equivalent to human transmutation? Does the legend of the Philosopher's Stone exist in this reality!? Or… Was the young alchemist simply overanalyzing this mysterious information? He cursed under his breath and turned away from the mural…. Only to be greeted by a pair of big, light blue eyes inches from his face.

“Hi, Eddy!! What are you doing in this room?”

Pinkie Pie asked him with excitement which caused the latter to yelp in surprise and fall to the floor.

“Pinkie, I don’t think Edward likes it when you do that,” Rarity scolded her friend.

“Oh… But I like greeting everypony that way!”

The rest of their friends also arrived into the room as well as they let out a light chuckle from what just happened to the human.

Twilight walked over to him and looked up at the mural with curiosity, “Hm… What do we have here…?”

“As I said earlier, this room was where I found that book I gave you a few days ago,” The human alchemist answered. “I also came across this strange mural while I was at it.”

The studious alicorn brought her attention back to the mural in question and examined it with her own eyes. Her knowledge in alchemy may be limited and still new from what Edward already told her but its circular design looked similar to a transmutation circle, much like the one the human used for demonstrations a few days ago. What confused her more was her cutie mark was in the center of the mural. It was present on the Tree of Harmony, but what was it doing here?

“If it’s any help, I saw this mural in the book as well,” Edward commented. “I don’t know if you saw that already or not…”

The lavender mare thought for a moment, “Well… I don’t recall seeing it but I may have missed that page by accident or I haven’t found it yet. I’ll look into it soon, Ed.”

“I do admit…” Rarity joined the two and examined the mural’s design, “Despite how long this castle has been abandoned, this mural somehow managed to retain its wonder throughout the test of time. Such an amazing discovery, dear.”

Rainbow Dash continued to hover over her friends and sighed in boredom, “Yeah it looks pretty and all, but aren’t we supposed to start looking for Spike?”

“Oh, that’s right!” Twilight gasped in realization and turned her attention to Edward, “The reason we came down here is that we’re about ready to take a break from all the cleaning. I was wondering if you’re also ready for one.”

“A break? You all can go on ahead. I’ll keep cleaning up around here for a little bit longer.”

“Sure thing, Ed. We have to look for Spike before we start our break. I’m sure he’s around here somewhere reading his comics. We’ll see you later.”

“And one more thing,” The pink mare said, “Join us as soon as you can, Eddy. I know you need a break sooner or later.”

The blonde human watched Twilight and her friends left him in the room. He rubbed his head before he looked around again. There was still some dust and debris in the room…. Back to work then.

Another twenty minutes passed, Edward walked back to the throne room with the broom and dustpan he borrowed. The area was empty… Twilight and the others were probably still on break but where were they taking it exactly? He placed his fingers on his chin in thought about their current whereabouts. A possible idea came to mind as he dropped off his cleaning materials in the carriage and picked up his red coat and left the throne room.

With a bit of knowledge of where to go in this old castle, it did not take long before he reached his destination: the Organ Room. Unfortunately, his arrival fell short of his expectations… There was no sight of Twilight or her friends anywhere in the room as he scratched his head in confusion. The young alchemist walked out of the room empty-handed and continued looking for them.

“Dammit, come on already…”

Edward was back in the main atrium. He even swung by the throne room again to see if anyone was there. Still, he had no luck finding at least one of them. Where could they all go? Maybe their break was ending and they were about to return… Or they were still waiting for him to join them. Then, another idea entered his mind… There was a certain room that he overlooked. With that in mind, he made his way towards his new destination.

That destination was the old library that was suggested to Twilight by Princess Celestia which prompted their previous visit. If the alchemist remembered correctly, the lavender alicorn hoped to find some old books that may hold answers to the mystery chest. Unfortunately, that was not the case. She did, however, find the Princesses’ old journal. It was located in the secret room within the library. Upon entering, he checked into the secret room, only to find it empty... But something on the podium in the center of the room caught his eye. He walked over and blinked in confusion… It was the Power Ponies comic book he came across back at Golden Oak the night before. Did Spike leave it here? Why? That still did not answer the question of where everyone else was?

“Great... It’s going to take a miracle for them to literally appear in front of me to actually find them!”

Edward ranted in frustration. Just when he was about to turn around and walk away, the comic book glowed in white light with a vortex-like force. The alchemic prodigy gasped in surprise when something suspicious was about to unfold. He was bracing for the worse… Until something… Or someone burst out of the vortex and fell on him like a pile of bricks. In fact, more than one individual fell on him… Make that a pile of ponies plus a baby dragon instead.

Twilight regained consciousness and weakly opened her eyes. She noticed that she was on something different than a typical floor. When she lifted her head, she realized that she was lying on top of a disoriented Edward’s chest. Blushing from embarrassment, she shoved herself out of the accidental body pile and shrieked. She now found herself hovering above her friends.

Eventually, the rest returned to their hooves, and in Spike’s case; his claws, which allowed the human alchemist to sit up and see them for himself… Only to be greeted by a familiar pair of light blue eyes again.

“Hi, Eddy! We miss you!! I hope we haven’t been gone for long.”

“What are you talking about? I’ve looked all over the castle for all of you for break time. Where have you been?”

“In the most epic, flank-kicking adventure ever!” Rainbow Dash answered with excitement, “Considering the fact that you know how to fight, you should have been with us, Ed!”

Spike stepped into the conversation and scratched the back of his head sheepishly, “Yeah… I can explain everything….”

There was a lot for Edward to grasp. Long story short, the baby dragon explained that they were sucked into the world of the Power Ponies comic. There, they were the title characters of the series. In order for them to return to Equestria, they had to defeat the Mane-iac who was planning to use a doomsday device on Maretropolis. They successfully stopped her and here they were back home and back to normal… Whatever was considered normal in Equestria at least to the blonde human.

After the explanation, Twilight assured her dragon assistant that because she and her friends didn’t always need their help, it did not mean they did not think he was helpful. Edward was still beside them as he overheard the conversation. This made him think about what caused those types of thoughts to be planted inside the baby dragon’s head in the first place. He probably missed those signs…

“Where exactly did you get that comic book?” Asked the lavender alicorn.

“I got it in Canterlot at the House of Enchanted Comics,” Spike answered with a smile. In response everypony, including the alchemic prodigy, glared down at him with skeptical looks on their faces. “Well… I didn’t know they were literallyenchanted.”

Their response was in the form of rolling eyes and light chuckles before they turned around and left the room with Spike following suit as he tried to explain his mistake from his visit at that store in Canterlot.

The group walked out of the library wing and started to make their way back to the throne room. When they reached their destination, a break was overdue and needed. Pinkie pulled out a tray of cupcakes she claimed she quickly bought from one of Maretropolis’ bakery shops right before their return to Equestria. Applejack brought some refreshments from her home for the rest to enjoy once they were ready for break time.

“Sorry if we made you think we bailed out on you, Ed. This was mostly my bad,” The baby dragon apologized.

The human alchemist chuckled lightly, “Don’t sweat it, Spike. I still stuck around until you all showed up. I doubt any of you are the kind that would pull a harsh trick like that.”

“Is that so?” Dash hovered next to him with a smirk, “You barely started hanging out with us, bud. I have to let you know, I’m really good at pulling pranks on everypony.”

“Oh, really? I like to see you try.”

“Ed, one of these days, I’ll pull a prank or two on you. Just keep your head up. You never know when or where I’m gonna make it happen.”

“I’ll be ready then.”

“Now calm down, you two.” Applejack spoke out between the blonde human and the cyan pegasus, “Let’s just sit here and enjoy our overdue break.”

“She’s right, you know.” Rarity added as she poured herself a cup of tea, “Our unexpected adventure really tired me out. I’m sure everypony feels the same.”

Edward rolled his eyes and chuckled in agreement before taking a sip of apple cider. Whatever happened inside that Power Ponies comic must really give them more than enough reason to call for a break.

“Edward, may I ask you something?” Fluttershy looked up at the human.

“Of course. What is it?”

“There’s something I'm still curious about. What are you going to do about your prosthetic limbs? I’m not an expert in stuff like that, but I’m sure they require some sort of maintenance. I can tell you’ve been wearing those for a while.”

The young alchemist looked at his right hand and left leg for a moment. He still remembered the last time she mentioned them. She was right… Automail limbs may be well built and sturdy, but they were not invincible. Five years of experience while wearing them proved the positive and negative sides of its use. It felt as if it was only yesterday when he decided to undergo automail surgery before attempting to become a State Alchemist.

“You’re right, Fluttershy. The problem is that I don’t know anyone here to turn to.”

“You know…” Twilight caught his attention, “When I have time later I’ll send a letter to Princess Celestia. I’m sure she will be able to point you in the right direction.”

“Really? Thank you, Twilight.”

“I’m just trying to help. By the way, is there a name of some sort for those metal limbs of yours?”

“Yeah, there is. Where I’m from, they’re called automail.”

Pinkie raised her eyebrow in curiosity while she ate a cupcake, “Automail? Is that some sort of contraption for mail deliveries? I know somepony wh-”

“No, Pinkie,” Applejack interrupted and corrected her. “That’s the name of the metal limbs he’s wearing. Weren’t you even listening?”

“Oops, sorry. Got too busy indulging in these cupcakes I bought from Maretropolis right before we came back here.”

Edward rolled his from the pink mare’s ridicule before he continued, “they're usually made of steel and can be cumbersome due to their weight. My original models were pretty much like that, but I’ve since replaced them with lightweight variants which I'm currently wearing. They’re more resilient in cold weather environments and easier for me to move around. They’re also tempered with lighter metal materials such as aluminum and a high percentage of carbon fiber.”

“Steel prostheses and lighter metal counterparts, huh?” The studious mare smiled in deep thought, “This sounds just as unique as your alchemy. Although, it did raise another question… You had to have surgery to have those limbs, right? How long did rehabilitation take you?”

“It typically lasts about three years. I took a different route though. I was in rehab for only a year.”

His answer made everypony gasp in shock. The yellow pegasus asked, “A year? That can’t be right. Why spend a year in rehabilitation instead of three?”

“Because I made a promise to someone…”

“To who, darling?” Rarity asked curiously.

“It’s… It’s personal.”

Twilight scratched her chin and blinked in confusion. She sensed hesitation in his voice when he answered. Was it… “Was it a promise you made to your brother, Ed…?” She thought for a moment thinking it was the case. She could also tell the human was in deep thought.

The human alchemist’s mood changed when he stood up and took a deep breath before he asked, “Well, should we get back to work?”

“Yay! More cleaning to be done!!” Exclaimed the pink earth pony.

In the case of the throne room, there was not much left to clean. Much of it was already done before their break-turned-adventure occurred. They decided to relocate to the main atrium to continue the cleaning effort.

As everypony moved on with their respective cleaning duties, Edward saw more discarded rubble around the area. Two piles of rubble in particular had enough debris for another alchemy project for him. He transmuted one pile into four sets of life-size statues of Twilight, Spike, Pinkie, and Rarity. The other pile was transmuted into the same fashion but it was statues of Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Fluttershy. Like when he transmuted statues of Celestia and Luna earlier, he smiled once again with satisfaction from his work.

“Okay, Ed. You’re just showing off with what you can do your alchemy,” Rainbow Dash glared at the human with a smirk on her face.

“Yeah, yeah. Really funny.”

“But I must say,” Rarity examined the life-size statue of herself and smiled with glee, “You never cease to amaze us with your alchemy. I’m quite flattered that you even made statues of us and the Princesses out of mere rubble that has since fallen apart from the castle. A very sweet gesture you made, darling.” The last sentence sounded a bit sultry.

The young alchemist turned around and waved the fashionista off, “Yeah, yeah. I’m just trying to do my part cleaning this place up, that’s all.”

With conditions similar to the throne, the atrium has finally been tidied up. It was already late in the afternoon as Twilight called it a day for her friends. After collecting their cleaning supplies into their carriage, they made their way out of the castle and headed back to Ponyville. After some time, they reached the Golden Oak Library.

“Thanks for all the help, everypony.” The lavender alicorn said with happiness and satisfaction, “Despite our magical hiccup earlier, we’ve made a lot of progress cleaning up the castle. I’m sure the Princesses will be pleased.”

The baby dragon scratched the back with a hint of embarrassment at the mention of the hiccup in question.

“It’s only a matter of time until that castle is spotless, Twilight. I’ll see y’all later,” Applejack waved farewell and walked toward the direction of Sweet Apple Acres.

Everypony was also doing the same as they made their way back to their homes but Rarity had something in mind right before she was able to leave.

“By the way, Edward. Please come over to the Boutique tomorrow. I nearly forgot to tell you that your outfit is ready.”

“Sure thing. Thank you.”

“You’re definitely welcome. See you tomorrow, dear.”

With everypony else returning home, Twilight, Spike, and Edward entered the Golden Oak Library and made themselves at home.

“Well, I hope next time we’re back in the castle again, nothing crazy like earlier today happens,” Spike commented.

“Oh, please don’t jinx it,” The blonde human begged.

The alicorn could not help but laugh at the small conversation.

The Next Day…

Dressed in his black suit, Edward approached the door out of the library, “Hey, Spike. I’ll be swinging by the Boutique for my outfit right now. I’ll be back.”

“Gotcha, Ed.”

The alchemist stepped out and entered the streets of Ponyville and walked towards the direction of the Carousel Boutique. “I almost forgot Rarity was making another outfit for me… I hope it’s not a dress, heh.”

Back in the Golden Oak Library, Twilight was back in her studies with the book Edward gave her. She wanted to continue researching the mystery chest from the Tree of Harmony, but she had a hard time resisting her latest research material.

“Hm… Something doesn’t feel right in this book…”

She quietly said to herself as she wrote down more notes. As she turned to the next page, there it was… Edward was right, it was a drawn rendition of the mural he found in the old castle. Still, what was it for…? An annotation in her notes was added before moving onto the next page. There was still more in this book that had yet to be read.

Author's Note

There goes another chapter!! Truth is my original plan for it did not pan out as well as I envisioned and I had no choice but to scrap it for something else. I also wanted to publish this chapter on FMA Day... That didn't work as well as I hoped...

Anyway, I know overall progress with the story is sluggish but I'm still getting there. The plot is still building. Hope you enjoyed this chapter.

Chapter 7: A Long Lost Past

Edward’s walk to the Carousel Boutique was an uneventful one. On the bright side, there were fewer pairs of eyes giving him mixed looks than before. They were most likely adjusting to his presence around town already, but the rest of Equestria probably was unaware of him yet. The Boutique was already open to the public for half an hour so he entered the building as if he was any other customer.

The human looked for any sign of the fashionista, but she was nowhere in sight. He entered another room and noticed a display of dresses and fabrics. In one corner, there was a counter with a register. This must be the retail area… He must have missed this area during his previous visits.

“I’ll be with you in a second if you need help.”

Well… At least her voice can be heard as the sound of hoof steps approached.

“Oh, Edward. I’m glad you’re already here.”

“Hiya, Rarity. I came over as you told me yesterday.”

“Indeed you have. Now follow me please.”

He complied as he followed her to the fitting room. When he looked around the room, he noticed that it was empty. Not even a customer was present. The only difference from his last visit to the Boutique was the silk curtains on the other side of the room were currently closed. The alchemic prodigy could have sworn it was open before…

“I hope you’re ready to feast your eyes on your new outfit, dear,” the white-coated mare said with anticipation in her smile.

“More than ready. This has been a long time coming since you told me about it.”

With no further delay, Rarity’s horn glowed in a light-blue color as the curtains opened to reveal what was behind them. Without a doubt, it was the very thing she mentioned as it was properly displayed on a mannequin that was the same height as her human friend. As expected, it was his outfit.

Edward walked over to the mannequin and took a closer look at the outfit it displayed. It was reminiscent of one of the outfits he wore once he became a state alchemist. The red overcoat looked and felt the same from top to bottom as the one he always wore, but there was a slight difference he managed to spot. There was a zipper that could split the right forearm sleeve from the wrist to the elbow portion of the coat. Even the left sleeve had it. Then again, was this possibly made to accommodate his automail arm?

“You can try it on right now if you want, darling.”

The fashionista’s voice rang into his ears which caused him to stop examining his new apparel, “Uh, of course. I’ll try them on now.”

Several minutes later, he stood in front of a mirror as he looked at himself in his new outfit without the red overcoat. It really was reminiscent of his previous outfits. The black pants had a similar fabric to his previous ones. As for the matching jacket, it also looked similar in design to the one he wore during his journey in northern Amestris. The only differences were a lighter but still durable fabric and a zipper on his sleeves in a similar position as the one on his red overcoat. His shoes felt just as comfortable.

In short, the unicorn mare was spot-on for his outfit which had similar appearances as his past ones.

“Now look at you, Edward. You look absolutely stunning in your new outfit.”

“You’re right. You’ve put in a lot more effort into all of this than I thought. Now how can I even be able to repay you after this?”

“It may cost a fortune for somepony else. But in this case, there’s no need for you to repay me. I’m just glad to help you with your new wardrobe.”

“Really…? Thank you, Rarity.” The young human gasped in surprise.

“You’re very much welcome, dear.” She replied as she watched him put on his red coat, “Oh… And to complete the outfit, please check the pockets of your coat.”

With a raised eyebrow due to curiosity, Edward put his mismatched hands in the pockets and felt another sort of fabric inside. When he pulled them out, a pair of white gloves were revealed. He looked down at the fashionista mare who gave him a sincere smile. After putting on the gloves, he looked at his reflection once more to see and smiled in satisfaction.

“Look how even more stunning you are right now. It looks like you’re about to embark on a new adventure.”

“I know, right? Thanks again.”

“Again, you’re welcome.” The unicorn mare lightly giggled, “You’re probably wondering about the zippers on the sleeves. After watching you turn your prosthetic limb into a blade, I can’t help but notice the sleeve of your coat being torn apart by the transformation. That’s why I have those zippers there - to prevent potential destruction of the fabric.”

“Is that so?” The alchemist was right. It was to accommodate his automail arm after all but was it really necessary to include such addition to the left sleeve? “That’s really thoughtful of you, Rarity.”

“Oh why thank you for the compliment, darling.”

After reverting back to his black suit, Edward left the Carousel Boutique with his new outfit properly folded inside a bag given to him by Rarity. He made his way back to the Golden Oak Library and saw Spike on a stepping stool while putting away a few books on the shelves.

“Hey, I’m back now.”

“Welco-”

“I can’t believe this!!”

Twilight’s voice rang out from her study room upstairs which startled the alchemist and the baby dragon who happened to fall off the stepping stool upon hearing her voice. Curious, they both rushed upstairs and entered the study room… Only to find research notes scattered everywhere. The lavender mare was still at her table but her head was down and appeared to be distraught.

“Twilight, are you okay?” Asked Spike.

She stayed silent a moment before she answered, “I did it… I finally finished deciphering the book you gave me, Ed.”

The blonde human had a sinking feeling about the alicorn’s tone of voice, “Really…? What did you find?”

“The book is nothing but bad news… It’s downright evil!”

Edward and Spike looked at each other in confusion and back at her.

“Whoever wrote this book long ago also was using it as a blueprint for their own sick and twisted plans!”

“What plans…?”

“Somepony wanted to wipe Equestria off the face of the planet…” She lifted her head and wiped her eyes before she continued, “When disharmony spreads across the six corners of Equestria and drowns all ponykind into it, the Crimson Star will be born from its ashes.”

The human and the baby dragon froze in shock and confusion from the cryptic message she recited…

“If this book falls into the wrong hooves, Equestria, as we know it, will eventually cease to exist,” Her horn glowed as a piece of paper and a quill was placed in front of her before she began to write. “I have to let Princess Celestia know about it as soon as possible.”

The entire room grew silent. The sound of the quill impacting the paper was the only thing making any kind of noise. A few minutes later, Twilight rolled the letter and placed a seal before she levitated to her dragon assistant, “Send it, Spike.”

The baby dragon nodded his head in agreement and blew on the letter as if he literally disintegrated with his flame. This caused the alchemist’s eyes to widen in disbelief.

“Relax, Ed.” Spike assured, “What I did was send the letter to Princess Celestia herself as Twilight just told me to do. It’s only a matter of time before she receives it.”

Canterlot

Returning from an important meeting, Princess Celestia heaved a sigh of relief as she sat on her throne. Her next meeting was yet to be determined… Was it later today or sometime during the week…? All she knew was it had to do with the upcoming Equestria Games in the Crystal Empire. After what felt like a minute or two passed, a letter appeared before her eyes. She then took notice of the seal that resembled Twilight’s cutie mark.

“Hm…” The Princess of the Sun broke the seal and unrolled the letter to read the content in question.

Dear Princess Celestia,

I’m sending this letter to you with a sense of urgency. A few days ago when you suggested I should check your old castle for clues about the chest from the Tree of Harmony, Edward found something there on his own at the time. He found an old book written in the older Equestrian language in a room underneath the throne room. The author of the book is currently unknown to me as the name is not shown on any of the pages. Edward allowed me to borrow the book so I could decipher and translate it which I was successful in doing so.

Unfortunately, the book in question bears nothing but disturbing information that could mean the destruction of Equestria as we know it. It has to do with the creation of a peculiarly mysterious object called ‘the Crimson Star.’

I wish to discuss this in further detail with you if you let me.

Twilight Sparkle

The white alicorn was rendered speechless after reading the letter. However, the certain vocabulary repeated itself in her mind. “The… The Crimson Star? Where have I heard of that name?” She placed the letter to the side and started a letter of her own.

Twilight, Spike, and Edward sat together in silence. They have lost track of time since the letter was sent. All the lavender mare can think about was how to counter this new problem. The mysterious chest was one thing but this latest discovery of a potential threat to Equestria worried her by the second.

Edward was able to see how worried and scared she was. The mention of the Crimson Star… Something about it made him feel just as uneasy. Somehow, he had a strange feeling of deja vu from what she already mentioned earlier. His train of thought was disrupted when Spike suddenly belched. It turned out that he actually belched out a letter rolled up in a similar fashion as one sent out a while ago.

“Looks like Princess Celestia responded to your letter.” Spike said as he held the new letter in his claws, “I wonder what she thinks, Twilight.”

The studious mare picked up the letter from the dragon’s claws and read it aloud.

Dear Twilight,

I have read your letter concerning the old book Edward found in my old castle. I’m surprised it endured the test of time despite being where it was found since the castle was abandoned for a thousand years. The information you briefly described to me has become concerning for me just as it is for you.

As for this Crimson Star, I don’t know anything about it as of now but it’s still something to look into. Bring Edward with you and come over to Canterlot as soon as possible.

Princess Celestia

She looked up and heaved a sigh, “Ed, let’s get ready to meet the Princess. We’ll head on over within the hour. For now, I’ll clean up my room… I made a bit of a mess thanks to my frustration.”

The human alchemist nodded his head in agreement and left the room.

Nearly an hour passed and the former state alchemist was already near the front door ready to head but Twilight still had yet to meet him. He took the time to switch from his black suit to his new outfit.

“Wow, you look pretty cool in that new attire, Ed.” complimented Spike.

“Thanks. Rarity really outdid herself making clothes for me again.”

As Edward and Spike conversed, Twilight arrived downstairs with her saddle in tow, “Looks like you’re ready to meet the Princess already, Ed.”

“That makes two of us.”

The lavender alicorn noticed that the human’s clothes were different this time. A new pair of black pants, matching shoes and zip-up jacket, and white gloves. All complete with a somewhat different red overcoat than the one he wore last time, “Is that the new outfit Rarity mentioned to you yesterday?”

“That’s right,” He answered with a smile. “I like them already.”

“In that case, let’s go meet the Princess now. Spike, take care of the library while Ed and I are gone.”

“Got it, Twilight.”

The train ride from Ponyville to Canterlot was an uneventful one aside from the occasionally confused stares the human received from fellow passengers. At least nobody…. Or nopony was doing anything extreme against him. When they reached their destination, Edward and Twilight stepped out of the train station and into the streets of Canterlot. It was much more active compared to Ponyville but not as it was during the Summer Sun Celebration.

It reminded the alchemist of Central City. The biggest difference he realized since his arrival in Equestria was there were no motor vehicles anywhere. He already saw a decent amount of taxi carriages towed by the ponies themselves, including ones that can be taken into the air by pegasi.

“Come on, Ed,” Twilight spoke. “Let’s meet the Princess. Just follow me.”

As the two stepped into the city streets together, memories of the alchemic prodigy’s time in Canterlot during the Summer Sun Celebration quickly played in his head. The air was different that time than now. There were quite a number of ponies walking around who appeared to be part of the high-class society compared to locals of Ponyville. One thing was certain, he had more than a few pairs of eyeballs looking at him in confusion and curiosity.

After several minutes of walking, Edward and Twilight finally reached the front gate of the castle. After a moment of interaction with guards on duty, they were let in without further delay. Soon, they found themselves walking down a big corridor. Colorful stained glass windows shimmered down from their left and right sides. The human alchemist could only identify a few of the windows that were portrayed. One had Twilight and her friends defeating a dark-colored alicorn… Wasn’t that supposed to be Princess Luna when she was Nightmare Moon…? Another window portrayed a similar style, but it was Discord instead. After what the lavender alicorn told him about those events previously, the stained glass window art created an even clearer picture of those events in question.

Eventually, they approached another pair of doors with two more guards beside it on each side.

“Princess Twilight,” One of the guards spoke. “Princess Celestia is expecting you and one other… Sir Edward Elric, if I'm not mistaken.”

“Yes, indeed.”

The guard took a quick glance at the human and nodded his head in approval. He turned around and opened the door to peek his head to the other side, “Your Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle and her guest have arrived.” With that, he gestured to the mentioned guests to enter the throne room.

Upon their entry, Edward was astonished by the architecture of the interiors of the throne room. It felt as though the castle was bigger inside than it was outside. Up ahead was a flight of stairs. At the top, Princess Celestia herself sat in her throne awaiting him and Twilight to approach closer to her throne.

“Celestia! Edward and I are here as you requested.”

For the sake of respect, the young alchemist bowed to the white alicorn as she made her descent from her throne.

“I’m glad you both arrived here when you did. Let us discuss the situation together.”

The studious mare brought out her notebook and the mysterious book from her saddle with the use of her magic and opened it. After flipping a few pages in the former, she spoke, “I’m sure you’re aware of what I already mentioned in the letter.”

“Indeed, Twilight.” The white alicorn answered in confirmation, “I’m quite disturbed with the information you gave me but if it weren’t for Edward’s discovery of the book, we may not know about it until it is too late. Now that I think of it after replying to your letter, I remember reading something long ago about this… Crimson Star.”

The human alchemist and the lavender alicorn raised their eyebrows in curiosity.

“According to legend, it was said that the Star would grant anypony overwhelming power. Possibly more powerful than an alicorn or even the wendigos.”

Edward silently gasped as such a feat from a mysterious item was mentioned. Just then, memories of a certain red stone played in his mind before he spoke, “You know… We have something similar from where I’m from, Your Highness.”

“You do?” Twilight asked as she and Celestia looked back at the young human.

“The Celestial Stone… The Great Elixir… The Red Tincture… The Fifth Element. It goes by many names, but one name sticks out the most. It is well known as ‘the Philosopher’s Stone.’ It can be of any shape and size and it isn’t necessarily a stone. In order to create a single stone, you have to sacrifice thousands… Or even millions or billions of living souls.”

The two alicorns’ eyes widened in horror as the information was revealed to them.

“If I guessed this right,” he continued, “the Crimson Star is Equestria’s brand of the Philosopher's Stone.”

Twilight and Celestria were rendered speechless. Just shock and disbelief on their faces.

“Are you saying…” Twilight broke the silence, “Are you saying that whoever wrote that book you found, somepony is… Or was attempting to gain the power of the Crimson Star by sacrificing all of Equestria!?”

“Twilight, let me see that book,” Celestia requested. When the requested item was hovered over to her by the smaller alicorn’s magic, her own magic immediately took and before she opened the book. She read one page after another and as she did so, a look of dread was being drawn on her. Eventually, she closed the book and looked back at Twilight and Edward. “No… It can’t be… Not him.”

“Who…?” Asked Twilight.

“Somepony I had known long ago… A unicorn named; Silver Dusk.”

“Silver Dusk?” Edward hung his head in confusion, “Who is he exactly?”

“He served under us as an apprentice court magician. Before that, he served under King Sombra during his reign over the Crystal Empire.”

The lavender alicorn turned her head to the blonde human, “Sombra returned recently along with the Crystal Empire, but his return was short-lived. He attempted to retake the Crystal Empire but my friends and I managed to stop him. This all happened right before I became an alicorn and your arrival into Equestria.”

“One day, he betrayed Sombra by fleeing and coming to us.” Celestia continued, “He warned us about him and begged us to stop him. And so, Luna and I did just that. The unicorn king was defeated and Silver was in our debt and wished to serve under us. We welcomed him to do so in the Castle of the Two Sisters…” She fell silent.

He noticed a hint of sadness in her eyes. He may have an idea why.

“The night I banished my sister to the Moon was the last time I ever saw him alive. The castle was crumbling as I attempted to stop my sister. It’s unfortunate to say this, but it would seem in the midst of the confrontation, Silver Dusk lost his life. I found his lifeless body among the rubble as soon as my sister was banished for the next thousand years. I buried him in an unmarked grave near the castle and I’ve never gone back there since.”

The blonde human and the lavender-coated alicorn stood together in silence for a moment or two. Although the end was tragic, something failed to sit right for the former.

“Wait, if Silver Dusk joined you after getting away from Sombra then why did he write a book about bringing Equestria down with the creation of the Philoso- I mean… The Crimson Star?”

A blank expression dawned on the white alicorn, “I was thinking the same thing after reading some of the pages, Edward.”

“Princess Celestia, we need to learn more about him and the Star. Back in Amestris, I’ve learned and witnessed what a Philosopher’s Stone can do and what it is capable of, including how it is created... If that book or any information about it or the Crimson Star falls into the wrong hands, then it will spell catastrophe for Equestria or even this entire world.”

“The Canterlot Archives are on the other side of the castle. I’ve been there before.” Twilight looked up at the blonde human before turning her attention back to Celestia, “Please, Ed and I might be able to find some answers there.”

“Of course, Twilight. Go ahead, you know where it is.”

“Thank you, Celestia.”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

“Ed, I know the perfect place over there to start looking. Follow me.”

After several minutes of walking from the throne room, Twilight, Celestia, and Edward reached the Archives. Two guards were near the entrance as the white Alicorn ordered them to open the door to the Archives. As Twilight entered first and walked further ahead towards a tall hourglass, the blonde human looked around in overwhelming awe not only realizing how big the library was but also how many books and scrolls were on the shelves.

“Like the looks of this place?”

“Yeah… There’s so many to choose from.”

“I’m glad you like the Canterlot Archives already, Edward,” Celestia commented with a light chuckle as she entered the doorway. “It contains original documents, scrolls, and books throughout Equestria’s history. This is the Starswirl the Bearded Wing. This side of the Archives is just a fraction of its content.”

“Wait, there’s more than what I’m seeing?” He gasped in disbelief.

“Indeed… But I’m sure you and Twilight will find the answers you seek here. For now, I’ll leave you two alone to focus on the task at hand,” After being thanked for her time, the white alicorn turned around and walked out of the room.

With the Sun Princess's departure, the studious alicorn and the alchemic prodigy started looking through the shelves with hopes of finding the information they urgently needed. As much he wanted to, Edward was too entranced by the book and scroll-filled shelves that surrounded him. This made Twilight look back at him as she stifled a laugh at the look on his face.

“Celestia was right, you already like the Archives after all.”

He then shook himself from his stupor in embarrassment after he heard her voice, “I’m just as amused as the next person, Twilight. Now let’s find some books.”

The two separated and entered different aisles. Edward was on one side of the Wing and Twilight was on the other. What felt like hours, neither of them was sure how much progress was made on their ends. Another aisle was about to be surveyed, only for the two to meet at that aisle in question. Edward only had about eight books out of all the aisles he checked, while Twilight had twice as much as him. With that in mind, they searched the last aisle together. Several minutes later, they were finished… Only to come out empty-handed/hoofed for it.

As the two exited the Archives with their hand/hoofed picked books, Princess Celestia happened to approach them, “Twilight, Edward. It seems you have found some books that may help you.”

“Yes, Ed and I are ready to start looking into them now.”

“Then both of you follow me. I know the perfect place to start studying.”

The Princess of the Sun walked the two away from the Archives to another area of the castle. While en route, Edward looked around in awe. This castle felt as though it was bigger inside than it was outside. Eventually, they passed through a doorway and into the next room. Upon entry, he and Twilight were greeted with awe. There was a table with two chairs in front of them with paper and ink and quill set up neatly. Immediately further ahead was a fireplace. On their right, a balcony behind some red, elegant drapes was seen.

“I use this room to relax at the end of the day,” Celestia explained. “The two of you can use it as a study room for today.”

“This is great… Thank you, Celestia!” Twilight smiled happily.

Edward nodded his head with approval, “Thank you. This room will definitely work for us.”

“You’re both welcome. If you need me, I’ll be back in the throne room. Good luck.”

As the Princess walked out of the room, the young alchemist checked the time from his pocket watch. It was only around early noon. Still enough time to start sleuthing through their books.

“Well, are you ready, Twilight?”

“Ready.”

The two began delving into the books they acquired from the Canterlot Archives, one book at a time for each of them. After an estimated time of fifteen to twenty minutes, annotations on the provided papers can be seen from them. Edward asked Twilight certain things from the books he was researching he was not sure. Many things about Equestria were still new to him and he needed verification on the information in question from one who was much inclined on the subject matter that he found himself involved in. As time passed, the pile of books shrank and more notes were being filled. Little did they know that Celestia and Luna quietly peeked into the room throughout the research session periodically and noted how busy their visitors were.

Edward sighed in exhaustion as he turned to the last page of the book he was looking into. He admitted there was not much information he took note of except certain dates throughout Equestria’s history. One event that caught his attention so far was the Crystal Empire and Sombra’s iron hoof over it until Celestia and Luna stopped him. He looked at Twilight for a moment and noticed the same thing happening to her as well. This prompted him to turn his head to the window and see the night sky. He then checked his pocket watch to see the time. It was nine minutes past one in the morning. They lost track of time apparently.

“Twilight, are you okay?” He asked.

“I’m fine. Just a bit tired. Remember when I told you about my all-night study sessions? Yeah… I was not as prepared for this one somehow.”

The human lightly chuckled when he noticed a hint of embarrassment from the tone of her voice, “I figure this is where we can stop for the rest of the night. I was about done with this last book anyway.”

Before either can move an inch, a knock at the door caught their attention.

“Come in,” Twilight responded.

The door opened, Princess Luna entered the room.

“Twilight Sparkle, Edward Elric, my sister told me you were here for research.”

“That’s right.” The lavender mare nodded in confirmation, “Ed and I were trying to find some information from these books we got from the Canterlot Archives. We’re not getting as much as we hoped. But since you’re here. I was wondering if you can answer our questions, Luna?”

“What questions do you want to ask?”

“It’s something to do from long ago.” The blonde alchemist answered, “We’re looking for more information about someone you knew before your banishment... His name was Silver Dusk. Did you know him? According to your sister, he was an apprentice court wizard.

A shocked expression was seen on the dark blue alicorn face as she stood in front of the two in silence, “Silver Dusk…? I had not heard of that name in a long time. Celestia is indeed right about him. He served under us. Unfortunately, I do not know anything of his whereabouts at all since my banishment.”

Twilight winced from the Moon Princess’ last sentence. She had to reveal what happened to Silver Dusk if she and Edward were to find more answers, “As soon as you were banished to the Moon, Celestia found him in the rubble of your old castle. It was too late… He was already gone.”

“I… I see.”

The two watched Luna lower her head down. Judging from her reaction, there was a sense of guilt.

“Are you all right, Luna?” The lavender mare asked.

“Yes, I’m fine…”

Edward noticed her voice briefly trembled when she answered. Something about their late friend caused her to feel this way. “Come on, Your Highness. You can tell us.”

The Princess of the Night looked back at both of them and heaved a sigh. “It’s just that… It’s just that I can’t stop thinking that my jealousy for my sister, which turned me into Nightmare Moon on that night, led to the loss of a good friend. He was quite a prodigy in magic which seemed to rival Starswirl the Bearded.”

“Celestia already told us he used to serve under King Sombra until he decided to reach out and join both of you,” The lavender mare added.

“When I, Twilight, and the rest went to your old castle, I came across an old book found in a room underneath the throne room.” The blonde human spoke, “She and I showed it to your sister and she recognized the writing right away.”

Luna raised an eyebrow in curiosity.

“The book was written by Silver Dusk himself. And that book is basically instructions on how to create an item claiming to have the ability to amplify one’s magic known as the Crimson Star.”

“The Crimson Star? I’ve heard legends of such in the past but this is the first time hearing about it since my freedom from banishment… What else are you trying to say, Edward?”

“For all we know, he created some sort of blueprint to sacrifice all of Equestria to create a Crimson Star.”

“No… Not Silver Dusk! He was such a dear friend after Sombra’s defeat. If my sister recognized his writing, then why would he stoop this low attempting to betray us and all of Equestria?”

Edward and Twilight stood beside the Moon Princess in silence. If only finding the answer was easy…

“Luna…” The studious mare broke the silence among the three, “Whatever the reason, I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of this sooner or later.”

The human alchemist nodded his head in agreement before he spoke, “She’s right. Once we uncover this mystery, I’m sure all the answers will be pouring all over our laps. Just count on us, Princess.”

The Princess of the Night gasped in surprise by the combined enthusiasm of the two. It was at least over a week ago when she met Edward as soon as Twilight and her friends gave up the Elements of Harmony to the Tree of Harmony. She was skeptical of his sudden appearance in Equestria during that time but she became impressed with his alchemic skills and the trust he earned from his new friends. Eventually, she soon realized something was troubling him. She was unable to figure the problem out until that one particular night when she entered his dream. The human was in some sort of turmoil caused by his recent separation from all those he knew which led him to his displacement in Equestria. She successfully talked him into having to move forward from such hurdles and looking at the blonde human now… It appeared he had improved quite a bit since that night. If Twilight and her friends trusted him, then she and her sister would do so as well.

“Very well. Twilight, I know you will find a way. My sister took you in as her student for a reason. And Edward, I trust you that you will work together with her to unravel this secret.”

The two nodded their heads in confirmation and smiled.

In return, Luna smiled back. “I’ve overheard that both of you were about to rest for the night. Gather your things. My sister has rooms for each of you to stay for the night.”

With the room locked for the night, the Princess of the Night walked Twilight and Edward to their temporary bedrooms. Both rooms were across the hall from each other.

“I bid both of you a pleasant night.”

“Good night, Luna.”

“Yeah, and thank you.”

The blonde human watched the lavender alicorn enter her room before he turned around to enter his own. However, Luna quietly called to him.

“I believe that things are rather improving since the last time we met. Am I correct?”

“Yes. They actually have.”

“That’s wonderful to hear. Though right now, I'd rather not keep you out here any longer. You and Twilight need your rest. Good night, Edward.”

“Good night, Princess Luna.”

The two went separate ways. He quietly entered his temporary bedroom. As he closed the door behind him, Edward looked around in awe. But at the same time, he was too tired to admire the room he was in.

After several minutes in the bathroom, he was finally able to slip into the bed and cover himself in the warmth of the blanket. However, a certain thought entered his mind as he attempted to fall asleep. The Philosopher’s Stone… No… The Crimson Star… Who would have thought something like that existed in this reality? Eventually, his eyes became heavier and heavier for him. Before he realized it, the alchemic prodigy fell into slumber.

Author's Note

At long last, another chapter is complete for the new year. It took much longer than intended to put this chapter together. Mostly because of the world-building to accommodate the story.

And Ed's new overcoat... In case you didn't know it's a reference to what he wore in the live-action FMA movie. Not really my favorite movie but it did give me some ideas and inspiration.

Chapter 8: From Stranger to Hero

The Sun has risen over the horizon. Another morning in Equestria had begun. It was about quarter to seven when Edward woke up. He could have stayed asleep a little while longer but his body refused to do so. After a few minutes in bed, he rolled out of bed and did his morning routine.

A little over half an hour later and clad in his black coat and matching pants, the young alchemist entered the dining room where various breakfast delicacies were ready for their visitors. Entranced by the food readily displayed, he was ready to take a seat in one of the chairs at the dining table until a certain voice called to him.

“Good morning, Edward. I was just wondering if you were awake already.”

Turning to the source, Princess Celestia and Twilight entered the room. The latter walked up and greeted him with a smile.

“Morning, Ed.” The lavender mare greeted him, “You weren’t answering your door earlier. I figured you might be here for breakfast already.”

The blonde human nodded his head in confirmation and smiled back, “Yeah, that’s right.”

“Well what are you waiting for?” asked the white alicorn, “Please help yourselves.”

All three sat in their provided chairs and enjoyed their breakfast. In the case of the alchemic prodigy, he was almost finished with his food around fifteen minutes later. As he took a sip of his glass of orange juice, Celestia spoke once more, “Edward, in case you were wondering, Twilight and I were discussing your situation until our arrival here to eat.”

He blinked in confusion as he put his glass down, “Which situation again, Your Highness?”

“It’s about your… Your machine-like appendages. Automail, is it?”

The young alchemist looked down at his hands and realized he was not wearing his gloves like he normally would out in public. Well… Except when he wore that black suit Rarity hastily made for him right before the Summer Sun Celebration. There were also a few other occasions in his past when he wore no gloves. His left hand was bare but his right showed the hand portion of his automail arm, “Yes, that’s right.”

“I know somepony who may be willing to help you.”

“You do?” His face gleamed with hope and anticipation.

“His name is Steel Bolt,” Her confident smile drooped into a frown with a little hint of disappointment, “Unfortunately, he’s not in Canterlot anymore…”

The light from the human was burned out like a candle.

“He is a member of the Royal Guard and used to be stationed here. After Sombra’s second defeat, he requested orders for a permanent change of station to the Crystal Empire. Suffice to say, his orders were approved and he had since settled down over there.”

“The Crystal Empire?” Twilight spoke with excitement in her voice, “Then he’s not too far at all. I’m sure Cadence and Shining Armor can help us out further.”

“You seem to have a lot more connections all around here than I thought, Twilight.” The human complimented.

“Well, actually… Cadence used to be my foal sitter. As for Shining Armor, he’s my big brother and he used to be the Captain of the Guard. As a matter of fact, they currently rule the Crystal Empire together.”

This revelation caused him to gasp in surprise. The studious alicorn not only had connections but also had connections to royalty which included her brother. After reading a little bit about the Crystal Empire, his desire to visit grew. In return, the explanation may have caused her to blush in embarrassment.

Celestia was unable to help herself but let out an audible chuckle over how her former student and the blonde human reacted to each other. This caused the two to look at her for a moment and turned their heads in embarrassment, “I see you both have since become good friends already.”

The human feignedly cleared his throat before he took a sip of his drink. He quickly returned the conversation back on-topic, “So… Do you think this Steel Bolt guy is more than willing to see my automail then?”

“I’m sure of it, Ed.” Twilight answered when she noticed the return to the topic to hoof, “Otherwise Celestia wouldn’t mention him to us at all.”

“That is correct, you two. Since the Equestria Games are going to take place at the Crystal Empire, timing has never been better.”

“I look forward to all of that. In fact, I nearly forgot about the Games!” The lavender-coated alicorn looked back at the human for a moment and noticed a confused expression on his face, “Oh… You’re probably wondering what we were talking about just now. To put it simply, the Equestria Games is basically a sports event where everypony all over Equestria attempts to compete with each other.”

Edward nodded his head in understanding. For the past few days, he had heard about the event in question from conversations he candidly overheard from residents back in Ponyville. With that and what Twilight just explained, this sounded like a big deal.

Celestia spoke once again, “Twilight, judging from the notes you and Edward took from the books from the Archives last night, I suppose your time here is done?”

“We did, but not as much as we hoped. There was little information about Silver Dusk. It only mentioned that he served under Sombra until his sudden decision to join you and Luna.”

The alchemic prodigy was next to speak, “In my case, all I got was a brief history of the Crystal Empire under Sombra. Same thing about Silver. There wasn't even anything else about the Crimson Star either except for the legends of its power.”

The Princess of the Sun frowned in disappointment. Her former student and the otherworldly newcomer worked so hard to look for answers to the whereabouts of the Crimson Star and the late Silver Dusk. In the end, they came out empty hoofed.

After clearing out their rooms and collecting their notes, Edward and Twilight found themselves in the throne room where the white alicorn was waiting.

“I’m sorry we came up with little information from our research. I was hoping we can actually get to the bottom of this mystery.”

“There is absolutely no need to feel down from this hurdle, Twilight.” Celestia assured her former student, “I’m sure the answer is still out there somewhere. Remember how you’ve managed to restore the Elements of Harmony together with your new friends to defeat Nightmare Moon and free my sister? How about the spell that Starswirl the Bearded was unable to complete until you did so?”

“Yes, I still remember those events.”

“If you can do any of that, then you can solve the mystery of Silver Dusk and the Crimson Star.”

“You’re right… But I still need to figure out that chest from the Tree of Harmony.”

“I still haven’t forgotten that one. Perhaps in due time, the answers to one of those mysteries - Or better yet: Answers for both - will be revealed.”

“She's right, you know.” Edward spoke as he looked down at Twilight with a determined smile, “We can’t just give up on any of this. Maybe… Just maybe… Our answers are probably buried in some ancient ruins or even buried in the back of some random library.”

The lavender alicorn looked back at the human in awe. A small smile was forming in her mouth.

“If not, then allow me to knock some truth out of any archeologist or librarian we might come across,” He finished as he pumped his fist.

This left the mare in a mixed state of shock and dumbfoundedness, “Wait, what!?”

A moment later, the taller princess was left laughing her heart out which grabbed the attention of both of her visitors with even more dumbfounded expressions on their faces.

“Was it something I said?” Asked the human alchemist.

The smaller alicorn rolled her eyes in annoyance, “What do you think, Ed?”

At that moment, Celestia calmed herself down from her sudden outburst of laughter and heaved a calm sigh before she spoke, “Oh Edward, it seems you have a strange way to talk some sense into others. Although I admire your determination, I doubt the latter decision will do you much favor.”

The Princess’ response caused him to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment and look the other way. The next thing he knew, a pair of lavender-coated limbs were wrapped around his shoulders. Twilight was on her hind legs and her forelegs were wrapped around his shoulders in the form of a hug which caught him off guard.

“Hey, what are you doing?”

“Thank you, Ed,” She answered with a sincere smile. She let herself go of the hug and returned to all four legs. “And thank you, Celestia. You’ve both basically convinced me to continue both research projects. Suddenly, I feel like nothing is stopping me at this point.”

“I’m glad to hear that, Twilight.” Celestia smiled once again. There was still a glint of hope from all of this after all.

“Come on, Ed. Let’s head back to Ponyville and reorganize our notes.”

The human gestured for Twilight to stop, “Hang on! As much as I want to, I like to stay here in Canterlot just for one more night.”

“What? Why?”

“I figure I should know my way around here on my own. It was a thought I dwelled on since the day I visited Applejack’s home. The Summer Sun Celebration gave me a gist of Canterlot, but what about on a normal day?”

The studious alicorn was about to respond but Celestia spoke first, “I’m willing to accommodate you again with the same bedroom you used last night. I’ll notify the castle housekeeping staff to prepare it again for you. ”

“Thank you, Your Highness.”

After leaving the throne room, Edward and Twilight stepped out to the front door of the castle. The latter was still unsure of her human friend’s decision.

“Ed, are you sure you’ll be okay here on your own until tomorrow?”

“I’m sure of it. I’ll be back in Ponyville before you know it.”

“If you say so…” She checked her saddle bag to make sure she had everything she brought with her in addition to the notes they wrote last night, “Anyway, I’ll make sure to save these notes for future reference and further research. I’ll see you when you return to Ponyville.”

“Later, Twilight,” The human waved farewell as he watched the lavender alicorn trot away from him to the direction of the train station. As soon as she was out of sight, he briefly fixed his red overcoat before he took a step forward into the streets of Canterlot on his own. As soon as his first step was made, The mare magically appeared in front of him, causing him to jump in surprise.

“Sorry, Ed!” She apologized hastily, “There’s something I forgot to give you.” She then used her magic to open her saddlebag and pulled out a handful of coins and placed them in his hand. “Here’s thirty bits! Ten bits for your train ride back to Ponyville tomorrow and the rest you can use to spend if you want.”

“Um… Thank you.”

“If you’re planning to pay me back, we can discuss this when you get back. See you tomorrow, Ed.”

Before he can bid farewell, she disappeared using her magic. The human looked down at the money given to him. He looked at the streets of Canterlot in front of him and heaved a sigh. This may be a long day for him…

After an estimate of ten minutes of walking around, Edward found himself in what he believed was a marketplace. As intended, there were stores and street vendors selling their goods to potential customers. However, there was a small difference in the prices compared to - in his personal knowledge - the stores in Ponyville… Some of the prices of goods here appeared to be a little more expensive. He noticed some food products and jewelry were sold at higher prices.

“Hmm… I don’t even want to know how Equestrian Bits compares to Amestrian Cens…”

“Watch out!”

The young alchemist was woken up from his thoughts when a troubled-toned voice caught his ears. Seconds later, a loud crashing sound filled the air. It sounded close, which prompted him to rush towards an intersection that was about twenty meters ahead of him. As he turned a corner, he saw a small, spilled bucket and a toolbox lying near him. He then noticed a number of ponies looking up at the sky with horror on their faces. Curious, he looked up only to have his eyes widen in shock.

A scaffolding was dangling in midair as one side had a severed rope. At the same time, a pale light yellow coated earth pony with a brown mane and tail who wore a green and white cap was hanging onto its railing and begging for help. Before anypony knew it, he lost his grip and started plummeting to the ground below.

Edward sprang into action by putting his gloved hands together before placing them on the floor for an alchemic transmutation. Light blue sparks flashed as an earthen column with a hand-shaped platform on top was raised from the ground and ascended upward until it caught the falling earth pony. Sighing in relief when the pony in distress peaked his head downward in surprise, he then deconstructed the column until it was fully restored to the base of its origin.

The green and white cap-wearing stallion was back on all four hooves and looked up at the human in a mixture of shock and confusion. He was not the only one with such an expression. Nearly every single pony witnessed the strange form of magic conjured by this bipedal stranger in a red overcoat.

“Hey, are you okay?” asked Edward.

“Um… Yes.” The stallion answered, “I don’t know what kind of magic you were using but you definitely saved my life, pal!! There ain’t enough words to thank you enough!!”

“You’re welcome. You’re lucky I was nearby,” As much as he wanted to smile, the blonde human realized he was surrounded by numerous ponies who just witnessed his alchemy in action. He even heard them talking among themselves, although barely.

“Who is he and what kind of magic did he just use?”

“I think I remember seeing him with Princess Twilight and her friends during the Summer Sun Celebration.”

“Odd-looking fellow, isn’t he?”

Murmurs from the crowd made Edward uncomfortable. Especially due to the fact that he was the only one of his kind in Equestria. He was on the verge to turn around and leave until the onlookers suddenly burst into celebratory cheers. The blonde human can do nothing but accept the positive feedback he was receiving until he felt a nudge on his leg from the earth pony he just rescued.

“Congratulations. Looks like you’re famous now.” The pale light yellow coated stallion quietly chuckled as he joined the crowd in the cheer. “Oh, by the way… I don’t I got your name, pal. What is it?

“I’m Edward. Edward Elric.”

“Well then… My name is Hayseed Turnip Truck. Very pleased to meet you.” The earth pony introduced himself, “And thanks again for saving me. I reckon I owe you a big one for this.”

This incident could have ended fatally if the former State Alchemist was not around. However, thanks to his quick thinking, that outcome was prevented and the pony in question was saved from such.

“No, no, please. That won’t be necessary,” The blonde human waved his hands in protest and smiled. “I’m just glad you’re perfectly safe and sound now.”

It did not take long before several Royal Guards ponies arrived in the area in response to the incident. While a couple of them had to remove the defective scaffolding from the building, multiple witnesses were interviewed about the events that unfolded. Each one pointed out Edward as the hero who saved Hayseed’s life from a would-be fatal workplace accident.

While the scene was further investigated, the alchemic prodigy, including Hayseed, was not allowed to leave until the scene was considered safe and clear for normal hoof traffic by the Guards. He was irritated by the fact he had to stay for who knew how long. As for the earth pony he saved, he did not mind at all. In fact, he started a conversation to help pass the time. He told Edward that he was related to Applejack and her family back in Ponyville. His most recent visit to town was for a family reunion at Sweet Apple Acres.

After nearly two hours, the area was deemed safe and cleared, and the Royal Guards left the scene. The blonde human sighed in relief as he knew he was finally free to walk away.

“Welp,” Hayseed fixed his ball cap for a moment, “I’m sure my boss would like to hear what happened here from me. I’ll see you around, hero!” He waved farewell by shaking Edward’s right hand with his forehooves before he turned around and walked away while whistling happily.

The alchemist raised his brow in skepticism at being mentioned as a ‘hero.’ Was that word really necessary in this matter? Then again, he just saved somepony after all.

The return to the Canterlot Castle had a different sensation in the air than earlier. Instead of a mixture of confused glares and other mixed reactions, Edward received looks of enthusiasm and excitement from the locals. Simple greetings and friendly gestures were also given to him. News of his actions which saved Hayseed’s life today seems to have spread around the city quickly.

After a few minutes of walking through the castle’s hallways, the human alchemist finally entered his temporary bedroom. After closing the door, he removed his red overcoat and hung on a nearby chair before he laid down on the bed.

Events of what happened earlier today still played in his mind. Then again, he gained a little recognition in Ponyville. Meanwhile, rescuing Hayseed from certain death may have gained much more than he counted on having. Despite its dark origins, alchemy seemed to amuse a number of ponies since he arrived in Equestria. As far as he knew, Edward was the only one with the ability to perform alchemy in this world… Suddenly, there was a knock on his door which pulled him out of his thoughts.

“Edward, are you in there?”

The familiar voice was enough to drag him back on his feet from the bed and open the door. To his surprise, The dark-blue alicorn was there to greet him, “Princess Luna? What are you doing here? It’s about ten minutes till five PM. I thought you won’t wake up to raise the moon until a little later.”

“I usually wake up an hour later to prepare myself. I just happened to wake up around this time for dinner with my sister. Or in my case, breakfast…. I came here wondering if you would like to join us.”

“Of course. I would be glad to.”

“It’s settled then. Dinner will be ready at six. My sister and shall see you then.”

“Thank you, Princess Luna.”

With the conversation’s conclusion, the Princess of the Night turned around and walked away as the former State Alchemist closed the door. There was a bit over an hour remaining before he had to come over for dinner. With that in mind, he laid down on the bed for a quick nap.

Edward opened his eyes and looked around the room before he checked the time… Only twenty minutes remained before dinner. This prompted him to get out of bed and quickly readied himself for the occasion.

Just a few minutes remained before the designated time. After entering the dining room, he looked around for a moment and noticed that neither princesses were anywhere to be found. They may probably be on their way here already. Edward walked over to the table and approached the chair he sat on during breakfast this morning. Before he could touch it, a voice rang out to greet him.

“Good evening, Edward. It seems you arrived for dinner just in time,” Celestia entered the dining room with Luna beside her.

“Well, I didn’t wait long if that’s a concern for you.”

“Think none of it.” Luna smiled, “Come now, let us eat.”

Despite the different diet, he had since adjusted to, dinner was exquisite. The salad was served to start off the night and then spinach lasagna soon after. After the empty plates were taken from the table and the three were enjoying their drinks, the white alicorn was the first to speak since the start of dinner, “Earlier during the day, there has been some sort of situation…”

Edward took a sip of his water and raised an eyebrow in curiosity, “What kind?”

“I think we three know the answer to that.”

Her comment made him blink dumbfoundingly. What was she implying…?

“News about recent events can spread around Canterlot rather quickly. Especially events that occurred earlier today.”

Was she referring to…

“I’ve heard about what you did earlier, Edward.” She lightly smiled, “Your method on how you rescued that pony may be unconventional to most but in the end, it met the desired outcome.”

The blonde alchemist looked at the Solar alicorn in surprise. He was stumped with how to respond to her at this point, except… “Um… Thank you, Your Highness…?”

Both sisters playfully chuckled. In turn, this had made him even more puzzled.

Luna cleared her throat before she spoke, “What my sister is trying to say is that your alchemy is quite unique. It’s very different from magic in a way. Also, your deed from today reflects your character. Everypony will be thinking positively about you in the foreseeable future, Edward.”

“I can tell you that alchemy is not an all-powerful art.” He replied, “It’s about understanding, deconstructing, and reconstructing matter into something different. It can only be capable of so much.”

“Still,” It was Celestia’s turn to speak once more, “After what you have already shown us about your alchemy before and using it today. I can’t help but wonder how many will appreciate your use for it.”

“Appreciate my alchemy…?” The blonde human repeated those words in curiosity. Several memories started playing in his mind.

"Looks like your fancy, schmancy alchemy saved her again."

"Edward, I didn't know your alchemy can fix fabric as well."

"Technically, it is fixed. The downside to it is that the fabric of the coat had to thin out a bit to cover the portion of the sleeve that was lost."

"Hm... I see... Then it seems to be a temporary fix of some sort, darling."

“I actually met Ed yesterday. The wheel on my carriage suddenly fell apart but he just happened to be passing through and ended up helping me. He used his strange-looking magic to fix the wheel and it looks exactly like new!”

“Rose, it’s not magic at all,” The human corrected her, “It’s called alchemy.”

“Alchemy? Really…? It looks too good to be something other than magic.”

“Alchemy is kinda a complex art. I can tell you that much.”

“I see… But if it weren’t for you, I could have already spent tons of bits to get that wheel replaced with a new one. I’m thankful for what you did for me.”

“Despite magic being the norm of Equestria, your alchemy appears to come in handy in these parts.”

“It’s not really much to be excited about actually.”

“That’s just simply amazing, Edward.” Rarity commented excitedly, “I can’t help but see you have an artistic sense for your alchemy.”

“Thanks. It was only a matter of how much material I needed before I can make any alchemic transmutation due to the Law of Equivalent Exchange. In this case, it was already enough to make these statues.”

“You’re just making this job a lot easier than we wanted it to be,” Twilight chuckled.

“Well, you were the one who wanted me to come here with you. Remember?” Edward smirked.

As the memories faded, Edward brought his attention back to the alicorn sisters. Despite everything that alchemy has done for him and against him, he could not help but agree with the two, “I do admit, I used my alchemy on more than several occasions to help others in the past. I did it again a few more times since I ended up in Equestria. It’s just…”

Celestia and Luna sat in their chairs patiently waiting for the young human to continue.

“Through the past few years, I’ve seen and heard of alchemy being abused for selfish deeds… Including hurting or even killing others… And even something worse, sick, and twisted...”

“The opportunity was right in front of us and we took it. We had to, even though we knew it was against the rules!”

The sisters watched him look down at his glass after he finished speaking. It now looked as if he was in deep thought. This prompted the white alicorn to walk away from her chair and approached him. When she stood beside him, she placed her forehoof on his shoulder which caught his attention. Her light magenta eyes looked down at his gold-colored ones.

“Edward,” she looked down with a motherly tone of voice, “I understand that you have some uncertainties about your use of alchemy here since it’s different from Equestrian magic, but that doesn’t mean it should hold you back from using it to help others.”

Luna was next to speak, “My sister is right. Considering the events that occurred earlier today, including the last time we saw you use it, your alchemy may be helpful to ponykind. Just as she mentioned moments ago, imagine how many will appreciate your alchemy.”

“I guess you’re both right.” The human alchemist commented, “Maybe I was just overthinking after what I’ve already been through until now… I can also tell you right now that Twilight took some notes of my alchemy recently. You have no idea how stoked she was about it.”

Celestia chuckled and smiled, “I’m not surprised. That’s something I would expect from my former student.”

“She told me she has been your pupil ever since she was little.” He stood up from his chair and bowed toward the sisters, “Thank you for inviting me to dinner, Princesses. I really enjoyed it.”

“The pleasure is ours, Edward.”

With that, the alchemic prodigy walked away and returned to his bedroom for the night. As soon as he left the dining room, the white alicorn leaned over to speak with her sister, “Somehow, he reminds me of Twilight in a certain way.”

Luna nodded her head in agreement, “Yes. An intellect, but with a fighter’s fortitude if you think about it.”

Author's Note

This chapter was shorter than usual. I'll explain that in the next one.

There's a lot of FMA-related news going around as of late. First, there was the mobile game that will be released next month in Japan. And now two more sequels to the 2017 live-action movie premiering soon. ~~One this month~~ and the other next month.

EDIT: I just found out the second movie just premiered in Japan this month on the 20th. I guess you can say this chapter is published in celebration of that movie. :derpytongue2:

See you in the next chapter.

Chapter 9: A Batty Encounter

After returning to his bedroom, Edward entered the bathroom for a shower. After an estimated time of fifteen minutes, he stepped out with a towel around his waist as he was ready to call it a night. Suddenly, he froze in place with shock. Just before stepping into the bathroom, he remembered placing his discarded clothes on the foot of the bed. Unfortunately, those clothes in question were no longer there. They were nowhere in sight! A different set of clothes was there in its place instead.

“Wh… What the hell?”

The alchemic prodigy rushed over to the bed and spotted a note on top of a folded set of clothes. Blinking in confusion, he picked up the note and started reading…

Edward,

While you were out of the castle earlier today, I reached out to a certain fashionista in Ponyville with Twilight’s help. I’m sure you know her well. I asked Rarity for your tailored measurements which she had on hoof. She sent it to me immediately and I had the tailoring staff make a couple of sets of clothes for you. I am sure you will like them.

As for the clothes you wore today… No need to worry about them. They are being cleaned for you. There is no need for you to repay me. Expect them to be returned to you first thing in the morning before breakfast.

- Princess Celestia

“Well, this already eased my mind…”

He smiled in relief as he looked at the folded clothes on the bed. He took a moment to examine them further. There was a pair of red-colored pajamas, and two black pairs of shirts - one with short sleeves while the other was sleeveless. A black pair of pants similar to his previous pair was present. Two pairs of boxer shorts and socks were the last of the clothes generously provided for him. He was also surprised how quickly these clothes were made in such a short time. Oddly enough, ponies don’t wear clothes on a normal basis and yet most of the locals of Canterlot do?

After putting on his new sleepwear and setting the rest of his new clothes aside, Edward crawled into bed and sighed in relaxation. He checked the time from his pocket watch which read ‘nine-thirty five.’ He looked at the nearby window where the night sky was illuminated. After a moment or two, he fell into slumber.

His eyes slowly flickered open and his body rolled on the bed. The young alchemist attempted to continue sleeping but to no avail. The night sky was still present as the time read ‘twelve fifty-three.’ on his pocket watch. It was a little past midnight already as he sat up and sighed. He got out of bed and took a step out to the balcony where the cool night breeze greeted him. A chair and table were to his left side and he took his seat without a second thought. If only he knew about this during his first night here…

With such accommodation in mind, the blonde human gazed in awe at the view of Equestria’s nighttime landscape. It was much more beautiful than he expected. He experienced the night sky in numerous places around Amestris throughout his journey as a State Alchemist but none of that can beat the night sky over his childhood home of Resembool. Unfortunately, those particular nights may not be experienced again due to the knowledge of his recent displacement.

What felt like ten minutes had passed, and a knock on his door drew his attention.

“Edward, are you awake? It’s Luna.”

What could the dark blue alicorn do coming over to his room? Of course, she controlled Equestria's night sky which made her nocturnal, but still… Hanging his head in confusion, the young alchemist walked over to the door and opened it.

“Princess?”

“Mind if I come in? I just hope I’m not disturbing you.”

“No… Please come in. I’ve been up for a little bit before you knocked on my door, actually.”

“Just as I thought…” With the door opened, the Lunar Princess entered his room and watched the human close it, “I spotted you from my own balcony. I came here personally to make sure you’re okay. I could fly from there to your balcony but I rather not startle you. Anyway, it seems you happen to enjoy the night sky, do you not?”

He lightly blushed as he scratched his head, “Yeah. Mostly because I needed some fresh air, to be honest..”

“In that case, let’s step outside again.”

Edward returned to the balcony alongside Luna. The former was back on the chair he sat on while the latter sat beside him as they enjoyed the breeze together. She looked over at the young human for a brief moment.

“Is something on your mind?” she asked. “I can tell when I spotted you earlier.”

He paused for a moment when her question caught him off guard. Then again… She was right, “I was just out here and the sky simply reminded me of home. For the past few years, until I ended up in Equestria, I was traveling around with my brother. He and I experienced the night sky in numerous places. Including the town, we were born and raised in…”

“I’m glad to hear that, Edward.” She commented with a smile, “My night sky gave you a nostalgic hint of your previous life.” Another look at the human made her notice the hand portion of his automail arm and the foot portion of his matching leg. She almost forgot that he wore two of those appendages. She can only imagine how difficult and painful it was to have metal surgically attached to one’s body. Not to mention the post-surgery rehabilitation she suspected he likely had to go through...

“I also thought about the research on Silver Dusk and the Crimson Star the other night…” The human spoke again, “Despite the lack of information we struggled with, I’m still certain that Twilight and I will get to the bottom of this sooner or later. Everything we need about them is still out there somewhere. I know it is…”

“I’m sure you will both make it happen. Even my sister believes in that outcome as well,” After several seconds of silence, the dark blue mare turned her head only to find the blonde human already asleep. This made her chuckle as she used her magic to lift him from the chair and gently placed him on the bed. After covering him with the bedsheets, Luna paused for a moment as she looked down at his sleeping form and softly placed her forehoof on his cheek, “Go back and rest again, Edward Elric. I know you need it…” She turned away and quietly walked out of the room and made sure she closed the door just as quietly.

After enjoying breakfast and gathering his new clothes into his new luggage case, he made his way to the throne room where Celestia was waiting with his luggage case in his hand. He made sure his freshly clean outfit was just as ready as he was for the visitation. After a minute of waiting, the guards allowed him to finally enter the throne room.

“Good morning, Your Highness. I’m here as you expected me to be.”

“Good morning to you too, Edward.”

“So… What do you need me for before I go back to Ponyville?”

“I’m glad you asked,” As if on cue, the white alicorn used her magic to levitate a pouch between her and the young human, “Please consider this a reward for your heroic deed yesterday.”

The pouch hovered over to him as he extended his gloved hands until it reached them. He then opened it and gasped at the sight of its content. There were many golden coins inside. They just weren't any coins, they were Equestria’s currency!

“That’s a thousand bits for you, Edward. You have earned it.”

The boy looked up at the Princess and smiled, “Seriously? For me!? Thank you, Your Highness!!”

“You’re quite welcome. I’m glad you like it.”

After the acquisition of his latest item and leaving the castle, Edward finally boarded the train as he was ready for the ride back from Canterlot to Ponyville with the money Twilight gave him before they both went separate ways just the other day. As the train left the station for its destination, he took a seat and looked outside his window. He still remembered the view outside of it was still the same as when he and his new set of friends took the same train ride to Canterlot and back to Ponyville from the Summer Sun Celebration. Still, it was a view that still caught his attention. Other than that, the train ride was uneventful like last time, but several ponies on board were beginning to take notice of his presence in a positive light after what happened yesterday.

The time was one-twenty. Stepping out of the Ponyville Train Station, the human alchemist sighed in the satisfaction that his time in Canterlot was finally over. So many things happened in such a short amount of time during his stay. Now he was ready to wind down into Ponyville’s comforting sensation that shared a nostalgic resemblance to Resembool.

“Ed!”

A voice was heard right before a rainbow-like streak flew past him and returned to him. It turned out to be none other than Rainbow Dash. However, she appeared to be distraught.

“Ed, thank Celestia you’re back from Canterlot! We have an emergency right now!!”

The alchemic prodigy gasped in surprise, “Huh, what happened!?”

“There’s trouble at Sweet Apple Acres since yesterday. I’m sure Twilight and the rest can explain everything to you. For now, we’re all meeting up at the Library. Let’s go!!”

Before he was able to get a word out of his mouth, Edward found himself snagged by the forelegs of the cyan-coated pegasus in a blink of an eye and flew towards the direction of the Golden Oak Library.

“Dash, I would greatly appreciate it if you warn me next time before you scoop me up and fly me wherever the Hell in a hurry!”

“But I told you it was an emergency.”

“Yeah, yeah. Better yet, just ask for my permission next time.”

Edward opened the door to the Golden Oak Library and allowed Rainbow Dash to enter first. Twilight, Spike, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, and Fluttershy were at the base of the stairs re until they all turned their attention to the door.

“Well, that took you long enough. What gives, Rai-” Applejack commented but stopped before she finished her question and spotted the human closing the door behind him and their pegasus friend, “Ed, you’re back in town!”

“Welcome back,” Twilight and Spike greeted both new arrivals in unison.

As for the rest, they smiled in surprise as they saw their non-pony friend return and greeted him. Not only that, but they also noticed he was wearing the new outfit Rarity made for him.

“Yeah… Thanks, everyone,” He nodded his head in approval.

Rarity gave a playful chuckle, “You’re quite welcome, dear. I can also tell you enjoy your new attire too.”

“So… Rainbow Dash told me there was an emergency involving Applejack’s home if I’m not mistaken.”

“That’s right,” The lavender-coated alicorn responded in confirmation. “Come upstairs with us. We have a plan to set up, but I suppose we can recap with you on what happened before we do so.”

Edward took a moment to drop off his belongings in his bedroom and let his red overcoat hang from the chair for his desk. He immediately stepped out and met with the rest in Twilight’s study room. As soon as he settled down, the studious alicorn explained the events that happened during his stay at Canterlot.

As of yesterday when the lavender mare returned from Canterlot, Applejack was having a vampire fruit bat infestation plaguing Sweet Apple Acres. The apples throughout the orchard were being eaten by those creatures. But with the help of Fluttershy’s notorious stare and one of Twilight’s spells, the vampire fruit bats stopped eating the apples. Unfortunately, it was discovered earlier this morning the spell backfired and the apples were still being eaten. After a moment of further investigation, the spell on the bats did work after all, but it created a new and complicated mystery… If none of them were eating the apples, then who? Or what…? With these questions in mind, Twilight believed there was only one solution to the new problem…

“A stakeout?” The blonde human blinked in confusion.

“That’s right, partner.” Applejack nodded her head, “At this point, it’s the only way to catch the real culprit red-hoofed.”

“So what do you say, Ed? Want to help us out?” Twilight asked with a smile.

He scratched his cheek in thought. The information was still fresh to him, “Hm… I don’t know. You all managed to handle this situation without my help until now…”

“Please,” The yellow pegasus mare walked over and stood beside him. “I understand this is quite sudden for you. Especially since you just returned from Canterlot but we definitely could use all the help we can get right now.”

“Fluttershy has a point, darling. Even the smallest amount of help can make a big difference,” Rarity added in support of her friends.

“Now what do you say this time, Ed?” Spike asked in anticipation.

The alchemic prodigy was already speechless by the begs for help from his new set of friends. He did not think they would ask him for help anytime soon… Then again, the last two times at the Castle of the Two Sisters and the time the Princesses were missing… They did need his help after all. Still, the past few years as a State Alchemist gave him the drive to help those in need like that time when he and Alphonse were in Youswell... Why hold back now? He heaved a brief sigh before he spoke, “All right, everyone. I guess I’m in now.”

Rainbow Dash was the first to respond to his answer. She cheered and patted him on the back hard enough for him nearly fall on his face, “Ha! I knew you would agree to help us out, pal!!”

Laughter filled the air from the rest of the group as Pinkie suddenly shot confetti in the air, “Now all of us are going to have a stakeout together!”

Later that night…

Twilight and her friends made their way to Sweet Apple Acres just an hour before sundown. With a certain alchemist among them, their stakeout party was complete and they were ready to solve their latest mystery by entering one of the orchards filled with nothing but eaten apples. As they went deeper into the orchards, Edward could not help but noticed that Fluttershy was acting a little strange since the start of the stakeout but he shrugged it off thinking she was in deep thought.

“All right. Everypony, split up,” Applejack suggested as they passed the fence leading into one of the orchards. “We’ll each patrol our own row of the orchard. Whoever or whatever is destroying my apples had got to be here somewhere…”

The rest of the group responded in agreement and spread themselves throughout the orchard as the farm mare instructed. The former State Alchemist took over the furthest row on the left as soon as he watched his friends claim their own rows. What felt like an eternity since he started his investigation down his row of apple trees, only an estimated five minutes passed. To no surprise, it was one dead apple tree after another. Not to mention drained apples which littered the ground around him. Edward abruptly stopped when a shadow of a mysterious figure suddenly flew above him. He looked up only to lose sight of it almost immediately.

“Could be one of those bats still flying around, I hope…” The human quietly heaved a sigh as he looked down at the drained apples. He picked one up and took a moment to examine it. The more he looked at it, the more complicated the mystery was getting. Then again… What if the others missed a handful of vampire bats yesterday and they were unaware of such a mistake…? That may likely explain the apples that were still being eaten. After throwing the apple back to the ground, he placed his fingers on his chin in deep thought. A few bats that were not present yesterday were the only possible explanation for the current problem. He then looked up at the night sky only to see Applejack’s cutie mark illuminating. It was coming from the flashlight she brought with her… How long has that been on? This prompted the human to rush toward the source’s location. The orange earth pony must have discovered something to warrant the light signal.

After a few minutes of running through the orchard, he reached the location of the light only to see everypony except one running. It looked as though they saw a ghost and fled.

“Hey, what happened here!?”

They all turned their heads to face the blonde human. Spike was the first to speak out to him, “Ed, you’re not going to believe what we just found!”

“What is it?”

“It’s..”

“Everypony down!” Applejack yelled as everypony immediately complied.

As he fell to the ground, Edward barely saw a shadowy silhouette fly right past him and the rest of the group. He then quickly returned to his feet to confront the culprit, “Let me guess… That’s the one eating the apples, right?” He was about to perform a clap transmutation until…

“Ed, stop!” The studious mare cried out as the shadowy creature was returning for another fly-by, “That’s Fluttershy!!”

The human alchemist froze in surprise, “Wh-What?” Before his mind was able to register his friend’s warning, he looked up again to see the feral-looking creature with an almost similar appearance as the yellow pegasus spit out a drained apple right into his face knocking him back to the ground. He sat up as he rubbed his face in pain before Rainbow Dash and Applejack helped him back to his feet.

“If she keeps this up, your crop will be gone in no time!” The cyan pegasus looked at the farm mare with worry.

“That’s the least of my worries. I just want my friend back...” She sighed with worry as they watched the mysteriously transformed Fluttershy fly away from them.

“We’ll never get her back unless we corner her and catch her so I can reverse the spell,” Twilight commented as she began to chase after the yellow mare. The rest immediately followed.

“After what you explained to me earlier, are you saying that the spell you used yesterday for the bats somehow ricocheted towards Fluttershy when she was using her stare?” Edward asked the lavender mare.

“That’s right.” She was surprised he was able to deduce what happened to their friend despite his lack of knowledge in Equestrian magic, “Now like what I just said, we have to capture her so I can reverse the spell.”

“Hmm… Almost like a rebound in alchemy...”

After a little bit more time searching, they found Fluttershy…. Or Flutterbat in this matter. Their luck immediately backfired as the feral mare flew right at them and then away. Edward was on the verge of a clap transmutation in self-defense until he realized what they were all trying to do.

“Oh… If only we had Fluttershy do her stare on the Flutterbat…” Pinkie sighed in frustration.

Twilight gasped as an idea came into mind and smiled in anticipation, “That’s it!”

“So what are we doing this time?” The alchemic prodigy asked as the group quickly returned to the barn. He noticed Twilight whispering to Applejack moments before they backtracked from the orchard.

The orange mare entered the barn and brought out something big in a carriage. Whatever it was, it was covered in a tarp for a reason. “I’ve already shown all of you… Well… Almost all… This one!” She pulled the tarp off to reveal an apple that was the size of a boulder, “But I think Ed needs to see this also.”

His mouth was agape as he looked at the usually large apple it was nearly the size of an automobile, “Incredible! But how is this related to getting Fluttershy back to normal?”

“I admit that I was a tad hesitant to do this. I wanted to use this to win this year’s Appleloosa State Fair, but now my priorities have changed. I’m going to use this to save my friend.”

“How so exactly…?”

“I can explain!” Twilight smiled as she gestured for her friends to gather around her to explain the latest plan.

After returning to the endangered orchard with the large apple in tow, Twilight told everypony to hide as Applejack cut a portion of the apple open before Rainbow Dash started fanning out its sweet aroma with hopes it attracted Fluttershy.

Edward stayed hidden in the shadows and trees alongside Rarity. He also saw Twilight and Pinkie hiding in a different spot near them, “I hope this plan works.”

“It has to, dear. Otherwise, we will never get Fluttershy back,” Rarity whispered to the human they watched Spike stay hidden behind the apple with a mirror in his claws. If the feral mare was nearby, then she should have already smelled the apple’s aroma.

After a few moments, the feral pegasus bat can be seen making her descent towards the apple. As she drew closer, Applejack bucked the apple out of the way to reveal Spike holding the mirror in front of the bat pony. This briefly disoriented her and forced her to fly the other way only to face another mirror propped by the pink mare. She quickly turned around again to flee and faced a third mirror held by Rarity which made her further stunned, and disoriented, and suddenly lost the will to even make another attempt to flee.

Twilight looked at Edward and gave him a nod. That was his cue… From his hiding spot, he clapped his hand together and placed them on the ground. Blue sparks traveled through the ground through alchemic transmutation and made their way to the distracted feral mare in a form of a circle that surrounded her. The ground around her was immediately reconstructed and formed into a life-size birdcage thus entrapping her while still disoriented by the mirrors.

The lavender alicorn smiled in anticipation as her horn glowed in her magic. It spread from her horn to the entrapped bat pegasus pony and swirled around her. Seconds later, the magical aura dissipated and revealed the hopefully normal-looking pegasus mare they all knew as her unconscious figure was lowered to the middle of the transmuted bird cage…

“Is she okay now?” The human alchemist asked as the group cautiously moved closer to her.

The alicorn smiled with assurance, “I reversed the spell on her like I mentioned I would do. Fluttershy will come around, Ed.”

Dazed, confused, and disoriented, Fluttershy opened her eyes weakly and started to look around her. It looked like she was inside an opened bird cage, but she then noticed that all of her friends were around her and looking down at her in surprise. She also felt something lightweight over her body. She looked and saw a red overcoat draped over her like a blanket. There was only one pony she knew who would wear something like that and that pony was not even a pony at all. The somewhat familiar cross insignia can be seen on it as she already knew who it belonged to. She then brought her attention back to her friends with confusion still on her face, “Where am I…?”

The only answer to her question was a collective cheer from her friends. This added even more confusion for her as she got up on her hooves while giving back the red overcoat to Edward with a light blush.

“Thank goodness you’re okay!” Applejack said with relief as she hugged her friend.

“What happened to me?”

Before anypony was able to answer, Pinkie Pie did so by jumping right in front of her, although the way she elaborated the events stirred the pot of confusion even further. The former State Alchemist was just as confused as the yellow pegasus.

The next morning, Twilight undid her spell on the vampire fruit bats. After that, Applejack and the rest of her friends managed to bring them into an orchard that was exclusively reserved for the creatures. Fluttershy assured that the seeds left behind will grow into even better apple trees.

Later, they gathered at Fluttershy’s cottage to add a new entry to their friendship journal, with the assistant of Spike as he wrote it down for them. As the ponies - And baby dragon - talked among themselves. Edward looked out through the window thinking about his stay in Canterlot. The research notes, his recent heroic deed, and the conversation with the Princesses. More ponies were beginning to take even more notice of his alchemy than before.

Twilight and her friends returned to their respective homes after spending a little more time at the cottage. As she, Spike, and Edward returned to the library, she turned to the human, “Mind if I have a word with you, Ed?”

“Go ahead.”

She watched the baby dragon walk upstairs with the Friendship Journal in his claw knowing he was going to put it away in the study room. She then focused back on the blonde human as she settled down on a desk, “How was your time in Canterlot?”

“It was… Meh,” He answered halfheartedly. “I can’t help but notice there were a lot of rich and high-class, snobby-looking ponies around.”

The alicorn lightly chuckled, “Yeah, that’s the norm over there. Most of my life was spent there until Celestia decided to send me to Ponyville.”

Before he was able to compliment further, an unrolled newspaper was levitated by the mare’s magic in front of him showing its front page. Dumbfounded, he took another glance at it. A second or two later, his eyes opened in shock as a certain picture caught his eye. It was him! The picture showed him performing alchemy to rescue Hayseed Turnip Truck. According to the accompanying text entry. Edward was described as a stranger with an equally strange sort of magic who rescued a worker from a plummeting demise.’ He then looked back at Twilight speechless.

“I’ve read the article the morning you returned from Canterlot,” She explained. “Celestia even wrote me a letter about it too.”

The tone in her voice sounded stern and serious by the way she introduced the subject in question. The human could not help but feign a chuckle, “Yeah… I just reacted in the heat of the moment…”

The alicorn’s expression turned excited in a blink of an eye, “And it’s wonderful, Ed! This only adds more information to my notes on your alchemy!! If only I was actually there to see it.”

“So you’re not mad?”

“Why would I? You used your alchemy to save somepony like when we first met! I’m sure everypony would love to see more of it in the future.”

“I’m looking forward to that too,” Spike spoke as he winked in agreement.

Edward thought back to the dinner with the Princesses on the night before his return to Ponyville. He also remembered mentioning to Luna that he would make a name for himself here in Equestria when she visited him in his dreams. So far, he may have had gained some notoriety in a different part of Equestria. Maybe just a little at least, “Thanks for the compliments, you two. I just had to do it.”

The lavender mare smiled as she levitated a book from a table to one of the nearby shelves, “You have Celestia’s approval for what you did. In fact, she and Luna were already impressed with it when you demonstrated it before, remember?”

“Yeah, I do. I’m sure they would like your notes you took on my alchemy too.”

“They will. Eventually, maybe…”

“Oh, one more thing. Hang on for a sec,” He excused himself as he headed upstairs and into his room. Several moments later, he returned downstairs and placed a handful of Bits on the desk in front of the alicorn. “For you, Twilight. Just paying you back for the money you lent me.”

She blinked for a moment before she spoke, “Um… Thank you. Wait, you got Bits of your own?”

“That’s right. The Princess rewarded me a thousand Bits for that rescue back in Canterlot. Didn’t she mention that to you when she sent you the letter about that event?”

“No… I don’t think Celestia mentioned that in the letter.”

“Is that so? I guess she just wanted to keep that as a surprise of some sort and made me the bearer of that particular news.”

“Well, Ed. I guess it’s safe to say, ‘Congratulations’ on what happened over there.”

“Yeah!” Spike spoke up again, “I admit, even I think your alchemy is pretty cool.”

“Thanks, you two.” The former State Alchemist nodded his head in approval, “I just happened to be in the right place and right time when it all went down.”

Twilight moved away from the desk and walked toward the nearest bookshelf to put away a couple of books with her magic while Spike moved on to another bookshelf.

“One more thing…” The lavender alicorn spoke again, “You can just call me ‘Twi.’ The others call me that on occasion. It’s only fair since you told us to call you ‘Ed.’ What do you think?”

The blonde human chuckled lightly and smiled, “Fine by me, Twi. I can’t find myself arguing that.” He then pulled his own weight by walking over and handing over two stray books to her which she gratefully took with her magic and placed it in an empty spot on the shelf.

Author's Note

I mentioned the last chapter was shorter than usual and I'll explain in this one. Well, that one and this chapter were meant to be just one chapter but decided to split it in two due to word count.

In other news, this chapter is out in celebration of the third (and final) live-action FMA movie in Japanese theaters as of Friday. I'm still skeptical about that as I was with the previous two movies' quality though (or at least the first one)... My hopes for the upcoming mobile game are still high.

Also, this chapter was inspired by this image: