Chapters Chapter One: Her Majesty's Alchemist
Fluttershy was feeding her chickens when the message came.
It was delivered by a member of the Royal Guard. She had seen him coming up the path, so she wasn't as scared when he started talking to her.
Still, she couldn't hide what little fear she had for the soldier. She was already intimidated by the ponies in Ponyville, and the Royal Guard was...well, the Royal Guard. They always had an air of importance exuding from them, which always made Fluttershy feel inferior.
If the solider noticed her whimpering, though (which he certainly did), he didn't bring it up. He delivered his message like a recording from one of those phonograph things she had seen before.
"Are you Fluttershy?" the guard asked.
"Y-yes," Fluttershy said.
"Princess Celestia requests that one of her most trusted Royal Alchemists comes and stays here for a while," the guard said. "She knows of your kindness, and thinks that you might be able to help him."
"What's a Royal Alchemist?" Fluttershy asked, cocking her head.
"A Royal Alchemist is a non-unicorn pony, highly trained in magic," the guard said. "They make up a third of our armed forces and half of our security, using their magic in the battlefield."
"Why does this alchemist need my help?" Fluttershy asked.
"I do not know," the soldier said. "Do you accept this assignment?"
Fluttershy thought for a moment. She REALLY didn't want anypony else staying in her cottage, especially a soldier. What if he bullied her, took advantage of her, stole all of her food?
Then again, she told herself. This soldier might need my help. What if I don't help him and we lose a war because of it?!
This lost thought terrified Fluttershy so much that she turned to the soldier and said "I'll do it."
The soldier nodded. "The Princess will be pleased. The Alchemist will be here tomorrow. Thank you for your contribution to the kingdom." He left.
Contribution to the kingdom. That last sentence reinforced Fluttershy's fears. Whatever was wrong with this soldier, she had to make it right. If not, who knows what would happen to Equestria?
"Ohmigosh!" Fluttershy said to herself. She ran back to her cottage and threw open the door.
For the next ten minutes, she ran around, picking up every little speck of dirt, dust, or food that she could find, trying to make her house look presentable. Some of the animals decided to help, cleaning up what she had missed.
When they were done, Fluttershy looked around her house, which looked better than ever. "Good as new," she said to herself. She looked at the animals who had helped her. "Thank you. I'll give you all an extra big snack later." The animals all made happy noises, then went outside.
Fluttershy turned back and noticed Angel sleeping on a couch, snoring loudly. She walked over to him. "Angel," she said. Angel woke up and turned to Fluttershy, looking slightly peeved that his nap had been interrupted. "We're going to have a guest tomorrow, so, please, be on your best behavior."
Angel squeaked angrily. "No, no, no," Fluttershy responded. "I'm just saying, sometimes, you can be a little...uninviting." Angel turned and crossed his arms. Fluttershy got slightly angry. "Angel Bunny. That's not the kind of attitude that we show guests." Fluttershy smiled deviously. "You know, he's a soldier."
Angel's eyes widened as he turned to Fluttershy. He squeaked out a question and Fluttershy nodded. "Yep," she said. "And they're not very fond of rude little bunnies."
Angel squeaked in fear, then started running away. Fluttershy grabbed him by his tail, then set him on the table. "Now," she said. "Are we going to behave tomorrow?" Angel nodded. "Good," Fluttershy said, her pleasant demeanor coming back to her. She went and grabbed a carrot, handing it to Angel. Then she grabbed a snack for each of the animals and went to give them to them.
The next day, Princess Celestia, accompanied by a hooded stallion, came to Fluttershy's cottage. When Fluttershy saw them, she immediately turned to Angel. "Remember," she said sternly. "Best behavior."
Angel nodded. Fluttershy stepped out onto the front porch and bowed. Celestia stepped out of her chariot. "Hello, Fluttershy," she said kindly. "Thank you for your help. I hope that you can help him feel better."
"I'll do my best," said Fluttershy, looking up. "Where is he?"
Celestia gestured to the hooded stallion. "Chrome," she said, "come and meet your new housemate."
The stallion, Chrome, stepped out of the chariot, leaning on a cane. His hood was over his eyes, and a scratch was were one of them should've been.
"You'll be staying with Fluttershy for a few months," Celestia said. "Please, don't be to harsh on her. I don't think she's used to taking care of other ponies."
"Then is it really a good idea for her to be watching me?" Chrome said. His voice was both quiet and forceful.
"Don't worry," Fluttershy said. "I'll take good care of him."
"I'm sure you will," Celestia said. "I'll be going now." She climbed back into her chariot, and the pullers took off, returning to Canterlot.
"Um...well, come inside," Fluttershy said. She gestured inside her house, and Chrome walked in. He looked around, nodding slightly.
"Very clean," he said. He pulled back his hood, giving Fluttershy her first good look at her house guest's face. He was a dark cyan pegasus, with a green mane that had purple highlights
What struck her, though, was the bandage. A bandage was wrapped around his eye. A large cut must've been behind the bandage, because Fluttershy could see cut marks coming from where his eye was covered.
Chrome noticed her looking at him. "What?" he asked rudely.
What...happened to you eye?," Fluttershy stammered, not knowing what else to say.
"Comes with the job," Chrome said. "Where will I be sleeping?"
"Upstairs," Fluttershy said. "The upstairs area is one big bedroom."
Chrome didn't even nod. "I'm going to bed," he said. Before Fluttershy could respond, he walked upstairs. She heard the door creak open and then slam shut.
Chapter Two: Shaken to the Core
Chrome didn't come down for hours. For a while, Fluttershy decided to let him rest. He did look like a pony that needed a lot of rest, after all.
After two hours, though, Fluttershy went to wake him up. He wasn't going to feel better just lying down, and it was her job to help him. She trotted up the stairs, opened the door, and saw Chrome sleeping on the bed, his uniform lying on the floor. He must've been rolling around in his sleep, because the covers were lying on the floor. His one visible eye was forcibly clenched and his teeth were bared.
Also, without the cloak, Fluttershy could see his body, which was covered in scars. There was one long one traveling up his neck.
Fluttershy approached Chrome and picked up the blanket. She put it over Chrome. At that moment, his eyes snapped open, and he jumped out of the bed, knocking Fluttershy to the ground. He stood over her, growling for a second before remembering where he was. "Don't do that to me!" he yelled.
"I-I'm sorry," Fluttershy said, her eyes watering. "I di-didn't mean to scare you."
Chrome growled angrily, then got off of Fluttershy. He grabbed his crutch and put on his cloak. "Well, I guess my nap's done. So, are you gonna do some therapeutic crap to try and heal my 'scarred psyche'?" He put a mocking emphasis on the last two words.
Fluttershy wiped her tears with her foreleg. "N-no," she said. "I just want to talk to you."
Chrome looked the tiniest bit pleased. "Really?" he said. "Better than whatever the psychiatrists in Canterlot were trying to do."
Fluttershy walked downstairs with Chrome behind her and the two sat down on a couch. "So," she said, "um...you're an alchemist, right?"
"Royal Alchemist," Chrome said. "We're not normal alchemists. Some of us apply our alchemy skills to the war effort. Others, like me, are bodyguards"
"I didn't know we were at war," Fluttershy said.
Chrome flinched slightly. "We weren't," Chrome said. "Until about half a year ago."
"What happened?" Fluttershy asked.
Chrome looked at Fluttershy angrily. "I don't think that's any of your business," he retorted.
Fluttershy got a similar stern look. "I want to help you," she said. "Please, just tell me what happened."
Chrome sighed. "Fine," he said. "It started six months ago. Me and my captain were escorting Princess Cadence to the royal summit in Saddle Arabia. When we got to the summit meeting, everypony in the palace had been taken hostage. The captain and I tried to save them."
"What happened?" Fluttershy asked.
"We found out that gryphons had taken the place hostage. The captain and I got separated, and the gryphons ambushed me." Chrome stopped and massaged the bandage leg. "I'll never be able to use this leg again. I might not even be able to serve in the guard anymore."
"That sounds horrible!" Fluttershy said. "How did you escape?"
Chrome's eyes started to tear up. "I...I used alchemy to kill some of the gryphons." Fluttershy gasped, but Chrome didn't seem to notice it, and simply carried on with his story. "I couldn't hold all of them off, and the captain came to get me out. Princess Cadence made it out alright, luckily."
He wiped his eyes with his working foreleg and turned to Fluttershy. "What?" he asked, a barely noticeable cruel edge to his voice. "I'm a member of the Alchemy Unit in the Royal Guard. I've had to kill people before." His voice cracked on the word kill .
"I...I forgot about you being a soldier," Fluttershy said.
Chrome sighed, then got off of the couch and leaned on the crutch. "Well, I think we're done here," he said, trying to keep his voice calm. "Can I go back to bed now?"
Fluttershy noticed Angel sitting behind Chrome, shaking his head. She almost smiled. It's about time you were helpful. she thought to herself. "No," she said firmly. "I think we should..." Angel pointed outside. "Go for a walk in Ponyville. You should probably get some fresh air. I'll introduce you to my friends."
Chrome sighed. "Fine," he said, frustrated. "Lead the way."
Chapter Three: Out on the Town
"So," Chrome asked, "do you know where we're going? Or do you just want me out of your house?"
"I was going to introduce you to my friends," Fluttershy said.
"Right," Chrome said, nodding. He grumbled something, but Fluttershy, not wanting to make him angry, didn't ask what he said. "You do know where we're going, right? You seem like you're just making this up as you go along."
"Oh, no," Fluttershy replied. "I have it in my head EXACTLY where we're going." She noticed that she had arrived at Sugarcube Corner. "In fact, here we are." The pair walked into the building.
When they were inside, Fluttershy looked around, then saw her friends. Yesterday, they had told her they were gathering at Sugarcube Corner. She said she couldn't come because of what Celestia had said, but, now, she thought some public interaction might be good for Chrome.
Twilight Sparkle noticed Fluttershy before the others. "Fluttershy!" she called. She had a pleasant expression on her face before she seemed to notice Chrome. Her face became confused as she saw the scarred pegasus. He looked so out of place against the bright walls and decorations of Sugarcube Corner. "Um, come over here with us." She used her magic to pull up two extra chairs for the new arrivals.
The other four mares looked up and saw Fluttershy and Chrome. They all had strange looks on their faces when they noticed Chrome, except Pinkie Pie, who gasped when she saw Chrome. "Ohmigoshareyounewinponyvillecauseiveneverseenyoubeforeandiknoweveryponyinponyville!" she said. She probably would've said more if Chrome didn't give her an annoyed glare. She stopped speaking, and her smile wavered.
"Pinkie," Applejack said, "this here's probably the pony that Fluttershy said she's be watchin'." Applejack looked at Fluttershy. "Am I right, Fluttershy?"
"Yes," Fluttershy said, nodding. "This is Chrome. He's a member of the Alchemy unit of the Royal Guard."
"Alchemy?" Twilight asked, sounding interested. "I've studied a bit of alchemy. How does it work?"
Chrome looked at Pinkie and smiled almost deviously. "May I borrow your drink?" he asked.
"It's not really sanitary to drink after others," she said. "But sure!" She slid the drink over to Chrome, who used his right wing to knock the drink to the floor, shattering the glass cup. Pinkie looked like her heart had shattered, and tears started to form in her eyes. Chrome nonchalantly reached into his vest and pulled out a piece of chalk with his mouth.
"What'd you do that for?" Applejack asked angrily. Chrome ignored her and walked over to the cup's shattered remains. He put the chalk under his hoof and drew a circle with intricate patterns, similar to his cutie mark.
"Listen to me when I'm--" Applejack continued, but Twilight shushed her.
"Wait a minute, Applejack," she said, smiling knowingly. "Just wait and watch."
When the circle was drawn, Chrome placed his good leg on one of the symbols and closed his eyes. The circle began to glow a pale shade of purple, and a white light enveloped the cup. The mares at the table all had to look away from the light. When the light cleared, everypony but Chrome and Twilight were surprised to fight that the cup had returned to normal, drink and all. The circled appeared to have vanished.
Chrome picked the cup up and slid it to Pinkie. "That is alchemy," he said.
"That was AWESOME!" Rainbow Dash said.
"Yeah!" Pinkie said. "Hey, do you think that you can make a cake out of a plate?"
"No," Chrome said, becoming seriously. "An alchemist cannot gain anything without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is alchemy's law of equivalent exchange."
"Um...yeah," Rainbow said. "So, do you think you could teach me how to do it?"
"It takes years of practice, and I won't be here for very long," Chrome said.
"Oh," Rainbow said, looking disappointed.
"Besides, you probably couldn't do it as well as me," Chrome said. He held up one of his front legs and, for the first time, Fluttershy noticed a silver band around it. "This enhances my alchemy skills. It's given to every member of the Alchemy Unit. With those, an alchemist doesn't have to use a transmutation circle. A transmutation circle is the chalk circle I drew," he added, seeing the question on Rainbow's lips.
"I bet you would make a great repair pony," Pinkie said. "If you were, I would come to you for all my repairing needs!" She sounded like a commercial when she said that last sentence.
Seeing Rainbow dash was still upset, Twilight said, "Don't worry, Rainbow. I can lend you some books on alchemy."
"Thanks, Twilight," Rainbow said, perking up.
"You have books on alchemy?" Chrome asked. "I didn't think a unicorn would have a use for alchemy."
"I'm just fascinated that earth ponies and pegasi can pull of any form of magic," Twilight said. "I'm currently trying to see if they can pull of levitation."
"Ha!" Chrome said. "That sounds like a story a middle-school colt would write."
"You never know," Twilight said. "It just might be possible."
For the next ten minutes, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, Rarity, Pinkie, and Fluttershy listened to Chrome and Twilight's conversation. The two seemed to really hit it off, much to Fluttershy's pleasure. She knew that talking with other ponies would probably make him feel better. He probably didn't have much of a social life, and socializing would probably help him feel better.
Once the conversation was over, Chrome turned to Fluttershy. "You're friends are pretty fascinating, Fluttershy," he said, a ghost of a smile on his face.
"Well, girls," Fluttershy said, "Chrome and I better get going. It's getting dark."
Chrome nodded and turned to Twilight. "It's been a pleasure, Ms. Sparkle," he said. He slid out of his chair and slid his crutch under his leg. "Evening, ladies." He started walking out of the cafe with Fluttershy following behind.
Thus began their longest walk together.