Author's Note
Just for the one time it is used, ǂ indicates a palatal click of the tongue (put your tongue to the roof of your mouth and pull it back. Kind'a like making horse hoof clopping noises with your mouth), a stand in for a beak click in the gryphon language.
Neighkjavík from Raykjavík capitol of Iceland.
Welcome to Reality
The smell of the wet nitre beds was overwhelming and clung thick about him, permeating his white coat. The beds were long, waterproof pottery troughs filled to the brim with straw, chicken shit, and urine. Waxed tarps covered each bed keeping water out but allowing the noxious mixture to breathe, and tempting him not to do the same. He coughed, and tried to fight back what little he had, had to eat before visiting the nitre manufactory.
The gryphon next to him cracked a beaky smile as the stallion beside him began to desperately dig through his saddlebags, extracting a cloth before proceeding to tie the makeshift mask around his mouth and nostrils. “Lovely aroma, is it not?” The accent was slightly nasally, not from their odorous surroundings, but rather from what came of growing up in the northern parts of the gryphon lands.
The violent urge to cough finally abating, the unicorn finally spoke “If you consider that lovely, I would hate to see what chandlers and parfumiers use in scenting their products.”
“I do not partake in such things,” the tawny gryphon replied with a wave of his left talon before pausing his stride to point at the stallion, “but I have heard that some of the perfumeries harvest an organ found near the anus of a mire rat.” Putting his talon up to his beak, he continued “There is a market not far from here that sells them actually. How would you like to join me and my family for dîner, they really are quite good with just a bit of garlic… Are you alright?” The gryphon had been interrupted by a fit of coughing.
“Quite.” He had nearly lost his sparse lunch, “ Though I fear I must decline your invitation my friend. Our pallets… um, differ… considerably ”
“Ah, sorry,” the gryphon said with an apologetic look towards the pony, “I had forgotten that you are not accustomed hearing so freely of butchering and hunting."
The stallion gingerly lowered his hoof to the ground from where it had been near his mouth. "No, No. I have been living here long enough that I should be used to such things. It was merely the smell, you need not worry yourself Jean."
"Just the same," the gryphon said with a look of concern, "I must apologize." He stopped suddenly and snapped with his right talons carrying the motion up and outward until he pointed upwards, opposable digit and its neighbor outstretched and perpendicular. "Ahh. I have it. After we concluded our business, let me treat you to lunch. I know of a pub that has a lovely view of the valley."
After a worried look from the stallion he quickly held out his talon and waved it back and forth. "No meat, well... aside from fish fresh from the lake. It is run by an old friend of mine who spent a few years studying the culinary arts of Equestria and Neighkjavík."
"It has been quite a while since I have had good meal, thank you. My stipend from the university isn't terribly generous," the stallion said pushing his square framed glasses up with a folded pastern.
Any remaining concern on the gryphon's face vanished into a smile. "Well then let us be about it. We have just about finished processing the newest batch."
"Good. Lead on."
The pair walked towards the drying huts with little further conversation.
Pushing open the door, the gryphon ushered the stallion inside room before quickly closing the door. The air in the room was dry, but the smell was gone. Something which the pony considered a fair trade.
The pair walked past a few barrels on rollers and pivots, to allow for easy transport and pouring. Each contained slightly murky yellow-brown water, next to them were pails of ashes and large spatulas. Further in were shallow troughs. Some filled with a clear slightly yellow tinged liquid others revealing the reason for this entire operation. Small white crystals caked the bottom of one of the drying tubs. Unpurified nitrate of potassium.
"Here you are, two livre of raw nitrate." The gryphon said as he opened a small chest and plucked two small burlap pouches from it, gently tossing them onto a nearby work table.
A faint silver aura lifted the flap on one of the stallion's saddle bags and lifted a softly clinking pouch. The stallion placed the pouch onto the table before eagerly lifting the two pouches of reagents and depositing them both into the same bag.
The gryphon swept up the offered pouch, throwing it up into the air and catching it. Feeling the weight and the unmistakable sound of precious metals clinking against one another, he nodded and looked down to clip the pouch to his leather bandolier.
"There are still a few beds that I need to turn. before lunch. Why don’t you drop those off at your laboratory and meet me back here in an hour?”
"How about meeting at the entrance so I don't have to brave the gauntlet again?"
The gryphon flashed a beaky grin. "As you wish. We will meet at the gates."
The stallion nodded and then, bracing himself for the torrent of smells that awaited his walk back to the lab that also acted as his home.
Once he had made it to the main gates, and well out of reach of the clawing stench, he breathed deeply for the first time in what seemed like ages. Pulling of his makeshift mask he let the clean valley air deep into his lungs before breathing it out slowly through slightly pursed lips.
'Hopefully this will be the last time I need to buy the reagents. My grant is starting to dry up.' The stallion thought as he enveloped the gate in his aura and swung it open on well-greased hinges.
Stepping through he felt his stomach rumble softly. "I'll feed you in an hour." He said in a scolding tone while patting his belly.
'It won't be instant ramare either.' He thought happily as he walked down a narrow dirt path cut into the lush green, gently sloping landscape.
*****
The short trot back "home" was rather uneventful. He didn't stop to admire the beautiful scenery of the northeastern gryphon lands, Instead choosing to rush back in the hopes of getting the lab prepared to refine the nitre. 'And then the flowers of brimstone, and carbone... Ahh so many preparations. This time for sure.'
By the time he arrived at the gates of Gaǂrhai University the sun was almost at its zenith. The stallion rushed to pass his hardwood identification card to the gryphon standing guard before sweeping past... Only to sheepishly return to retrieve the card before dashing off again.
He trotted across the campus mall, through a carved gazebo and past the string quartet that was practicing there. He did not notice the music or the surprised voices, his mind still focused on his mental checklist.
When he arrived at the Guelph Building he followed a small trail of crushed shell to the back of the structure, passing by the well-trimmed hedges that decorated the grounds in front of it. The trail led him to a sturdy looking oak door. Beyond lay his lab and home of five moons.
He fumbled for his key, but found the door unlocked. He pushed open the door with his magic, still murmuring to himself about the tradeoffs between alcoholic refinement versus simple evaporation.
Setting his saddle bags down on a table just inside the door and plucking the two bags of nitre with a shimmering field he sighed and his stomach growled. He would have to wait, Jean would be finishing in less than an hour, not nearly enough time to fully refine the two pounds of salt.
He walked towards a table with all manner of alchemical and chymestry equipment. Tubes and vials marked with the symbols of the astrals, powerful reagents in glass beakers and wooden boxes, burners, decanters, and magical containment jars. Each were labeled, organized, and within easy reach.
Sighing in resignation, he gently pulled an empty jar towards himself. Unlatching the lid clamp he opened it before carefully untying the two pouches of nitre and pouring them in.
The soft tinkling sound of the off white crystals bouncing off glass filled his ears, it was then that something began gnawing at him. He knew the sounds of his lab. The regular sound of the distillery venting excess pressure, the faint bubbling of a weeklong experiment coming from a cauldron in the corner. Something was off. Something was missing. No, not missing. Something... extra.
Was that breathing behind him? The faint sound of metal scraping over leather and cloth? Whatever it was, it was something that shouldn't be...
'... In here with me.' He gulped heavily, eyes slowly shifting to his right. His horn began to glow faintly. Though he hadn't a clue of what to cast.
"Oh, Ho Ho Ho, he's good. Didn't I tell you he would notice? These sciency types and their attention to detail."
The stallion nearly jumped out of his skin at his fears being confirmed.
"Yeah, yeah. Here's your bits." The distinctive sound of coins clinking against each other filled the room.
The stallion slowly turned around looking about in near horror for the source of the voices. There stood three ponies, one from each of the three tribes. All wore matching outfits, black reinforced leather armor. Each had blade-bracers strapped to each fore leg, the dull black metal still managing to catch the dim light of the lab.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" He asked meekly.
"The question, Crystal Beaker, is why are we here." The earth pony mare asked.
The stallion had nearly shit himself at the sight of the trio but fell onto his haunches in numb shock when the mare called him by name.
"Wh... Why are you here?" He asked, his voice strained by fear resulting in a slight squeak as he spoke.
This time it was the unicorn who spoke, "Your research is extremely troubling to some very, very, concerned ponies, Beaker. We are here to fix that problem."
The arcane energies Beaker had been gathering slipped from his grasp. "How! W..what have I done?"
"You have been developing the basis of a weapons technology that will result in the deaths of trillions were it ever to see the light of day."
Anger flashed in his eyes and he rose, fears forgotten in indignantly. "I have been living in a lab for the past sixteen moons trying to prevent the populations of the north from dying to the cold winter months, and you accuse me of wishing death upon the world? How dare you! Who are you.” He had actually taken a few steps forwards during the outburst.
The three strange ponies hadn't even flinched. Quite the opposite, it looked as though they were all trying not to laugh. This only served to unnerve Beaker, breaking his temporary resolve.
“What's so funny? It's true!” He sat back down exhausted and resigned to whatever fate the three had in store “I… I have been trying to create a cheap, energy dense fuel that can be used to ignite damp or soggy kindling with little more than a spark. I was progressing rapidly, but...” His shoulders slumped.
“But… you are having a bit of trouble with the rate of combustion.”
Beakers ears flicked and his eyes narrowed. “How would you know?”
“Potassium Nitrate, Sulphur, and carbon. Am I right?” The unicorn mare asked.
The strange names for the ingredients he had been working with for the past two-thirds of a year caused him to furrow his brow and shake his head. “Who are you ponies?”
The mare ignored the question and motioned for the third member of their party, a rusty earth stallion, to cover the door.
The mare pointed a hoof at the alchemist. “What you have created in your lab is a dead end for society. Now you have two options.”
The large stallion had closed the door and circled around being Beaker. “You can either hand over all of your research and walk away, maybe find some other area of interest within chemistry…”
“You want to steal my research! Who in Celestia’s name are you!?”
The mare continued on as though he hadn't spoken, but Beaker could make out an amused grin on her face. “Or, you can find out who we are, and all that we know, and gain the burden that comes with it.”
The mare's face went stern and what she said next chilled him to the bone. “A warning. If you do choose option one and we are forced to meet again because you ignored us... you will disappear.”
Beaker could only shake his head, eyes wide. “Who are you?” He whispered in stunned awe under his breath. Immediately the tension in the room dropped.
The mare smiled and tossed something towards him. He caught it reflexively, flinching slightly before looking at it, and immediately realized that he had agreed to option two. ‘Buck me.’ He was in way over his head.
It was a bronze medallion that bore the emblem of a Phoenix with out stretched wings in front of a crossed pair of long slender horns.
“I didn't think you would be the type to go with option two,” the unicorn mare said.
The big stallion behind him patted his shoulder. “Welcome to the Celestials' Reach.”
“Wh… I…” the alchemist sputtered.
“Yeah, usually when we give someone the choice they pass out.” the pegasus mare chimed in.
“I didn't mean…”
“Well that's settled, you'll come with us and...”
“IT WAS A RHETORICAL QUESTION!”
“What! Ah, Celestia damn it!”
