Chapters Alchemic Sin: Sins of The Mother
Twilight was frozen in fear.
She couldn't move, even as the giant, horrifying monster tore it's way through town.
“Twilight!”
Twilight jumped at that sound, looking over to see her six friends running toward her, Rainbow in the lead as they all slid to a halt. “Twilight, none of our magic worked against that thing, even the power we gained from the elements didn't so much as scratch it, what are we going to do?”
Twilight hesitated, but just as she was about to speak something moved out of the corner of her eye, and she turned to see a figure walking toward the monster.
“Who is that?” asked Twilight warily, but the moment the question left her lips the figure clapped her hands together like she was praying, and then slammed her palms on the ground, arks of energy leaping around her palms before massive spikes shot up out of the ground to impale the creature, causing it to roar as blood spilled from it's wounds.
While everyone else cheered as the creature staggered back, Twilight's eyes widened in shock, for she recognized what the person had done, for it was something her teacher had shown her long ago, Alchemy.
*
Zecora watched as the beast staggered back, her black eyes watching from under her hood as the creatures wounds sealed themselves, telling her about her opponent more then words ever could.
“It's a Homunculus,” said Zecora, clapping her hands together before placing one hand upon the ground and pointing the other toward the creature, long cords of hardened earth flying along her arms before wrapping themselves around and impaling the creature in several places.
The creature roared, but not as loudly as before, turning toward Zecora with a growl before speaking. “So your an alchemist, then our guess was not wrong. Now tell me, where are the Philosopher's Stones!”
Zecora hesitated a moment, then spoke, digging the tendrils in a bit deeper as she spoke. “There are Philosopher's Stones here, nor has there ever been.”
“Don t patronize me human!” yelled the creature, “I know there are Philosopher's Stones here, we smelled them!”
“Then you smelled wrong,” said Zecora, but before she could continue a humanoid creature leaped out of the trees nearby, slicing through the stone tendrils with it's claws and releasing the other creature, which took a swipe at her with it's tail.
She leaped up, clapping her hands together again before placing one upon the creatures tail and splitting it in half, the monster roaring in pain as the other one leaped at her, slicing at her face.
Zecora managed to dodge out of the way, but not before her hood got sliced, the hood falling away to reveal her face, which caused the humanoid creatures eyes to widen, the creature leaping back from her before speaking with hesitance in it's voice.
“M...mother?”
Zecora stopped, and behind her the other monster stopped as well, it's eyes widened as the humanoid stood straighter, it's facial armor dissolving to reveal a brown skinned feminine face with black eyes and long gray hair spilling over her shoulders.
Zecora's eyes widened, tears beginning to form as she moved forward, placing one of her hands on the woman's face as she spoke. “It....it cant be...you....you cant be....are you my Zia?”
The woman hesitated, then nodded, then Zecora looked up to the other monster, who was giving her the same look that the woman was, it's eyes the same color as her own, but it's hair was black.
However, before she could speak, an arrow flew into the woman's back, causing her to yelp as she turned, her facial armor reforming as she prepared to charge the distant warriors who were approaching.
“No,” said Zecora, grabbing the woman's arm and causing her to pause, the woman looking back as Zecora looked up to the giant monster and then back to the woman. “You need to run, I'll create a diversion and fool them into thinking I drove you off, but you must go now!”
“But mother we cant loose...”
“I will find you later Zia, but you must go now!”
Zia hesitated, then leaped upon the giant monsters back, the creature beginning to run as Zecora began using alchemy to send massive columns of earth at it which barely missed each time.
When the creature was finally out of sight, Zecora used her alchemy to reform the land, restoring it to its normal shape, then waited as Twilight approached with her guard escort and the other elements of harmony.
“Zecora....is that you?”
“Yes it is Twilight Sparkle,” said Zecora.
“That was amazing!” cried Twilight, running up as the guards began scoping out the area, “I haven't seen some one use Alchemy like that since my old teacher, you did it just like her!”
Zecora's eyes widened at that, her hand shaking as she turned to Twilight and spoke, “Your teacher, she can preform alchemy without the need of a transmutation circle?”
“Yeah, I always wondered how she was able to do it, but she never told me, now a better question, do you...”
“Could I meet her?”
Twilight paused, looking at her in confusion as she spoke, “M...Meet her?
“Yes Twilight, I want to meet her, for I would like to know how she learned to use alchemy as I do.”
Again Twilight hesitated, but she finally nodded, “Ok, but you have to promise me to tell me if you know what those creatures were, and why magic didn't work on them.”
“...Very well, lead the way.”
*
After telling her friends that she would speak to them all later, Twilight led Zecora to her castle, the alchemist noticing that the guards were watching her with wary eyes as they moved.
When they finally reached the castle doors, Twilight opened them up, gasping in surprise and then running inside, for inside waiting was none other then her teacher Princess Celestia.
As Twilight ran up to her to give her a hug, she failed to notice the look of terror that had entered her eyes as she gazed at Zecora, her pupils having shrunk to pinpricks as she shook with fear.
“Princess!” cried Twilight as she reached her, wrapping her up in a hug as she spoke. “Its so good to see you, I was actually going to write a letter to you to see if you could come and visits!”
After giving a little squeeze, Twilight pulled back, but the minute she caught the look in Celestia's face her smile turned to confusion, and then she looked back toward Zecora, and saw that she was glaring at Celestia with a cold look in her eyes as she spoke.
“So....it's been a long time, hasn't it my stupid pupil.”
That caught Twilight's attention, who turned just in time to see Zecora slam her palms on the ground and send a column of crystal flying toward Celestia, who pushed Twilight out of the way before clapping her hands together and then mimicking Zecora, a similar column of crystal flying up just in time to intercept Zecora's attack.
When the dust from the two columns settled, Twilight looked back to see Zecora's eyes focused on Celestia with cold anger as she used her alchemy to restore the room, before walking over to the crouching woman, who was shaking with fear as the dark skinned woman approached her.
“Alchemy without a transmutation circle, not many can do that, which means only one thing.”
She knelt down in front of the shaking woman, bringing their faces level with each other before speaking once more. “You've seen it haven't you, you've seen The Truth?”
Celestia, still shaking, hesitated, then nodded. Beside them, Twilight looked on in confusion, finally finding her voice as she spoke. “The Truth, Princess what is she talking about?”
Celestia jumped a bit at Twilight's voice, meanwhile Zecora turned back to the door, seeing two of Twilight's guards staring at her with fear in their eyes, then she turned back to Celestia and spoke. “You should send the guards away, you should know better then most that what I have to tell her is not for non-alchemist's to hear.”
Celestia was quick to nod, getting up and sending the guards away as Zecora approached Twilight and spoke. “Twilight, you know that within each and every living being lies what is called a gate, which is the source of all alchemic knowledge. For those who practice alchemy, the gate is the source of out power, but there is no way to directly access it....save for one.”
She walked past Twilight over to the lone fire place in the entrance hall, pulling on a glove before snapping her fingers and starting a fire, clasping her hands behind her back as the fire crackled and fed her warmth.
“Wha....what is this method, if I may ask?”
“..........Human Transmutation.”
Twilight's hands shot up to her mouth, her eye expanding in horror as Zecora continued. “When an alchemist preforms a human transmutation, they are brought before their gate, and come face to face with a being we call The Truth, though it goes by many other names. The Truth then opens the gate and sends the alchemist in, flooding them with the knowledge inside...for a price.”
She then turned to face Twilight, her cold glare sending chills down Twilight's spine as the woman continued. “If the alchemist survives their journey through the gate, they are returned to the mortal world without the toll given to the gate, and as a side effect, they are able to preform alchemy without a transmutation circle.”
Zecora watched as the information sunk in, watching the growing level of horror appearing behind Twilight's eyes as she finally spoke. “You....you mean you and Celestia....you....”
Zecora nodded grimly, “Yes Twilight, I preformed human transmutation, and it seems that your teacher has as well, which leaves me with one last question.”
She then walked over to Celestia, grabbing her by the neck of her shirt and pulling her forward, “Tell me you foolish girl, who did you try and bring back, who was so important to you that you would defy the word o your teacher when she expressly forbade you from ever preforming such and act!”
Not used to someone treating Celestia with such disrespect, Twilight made to intervene, but then Celestia finally spoke, her voice shaking as tears flowed from her right eye as she spoke. “It....it was my mother....I....I tried to bring her back to life....for Lulu....”
Zecora glared at her a little while longer, then she sighed, letting go of the neck of her shirt before pulling the crying woman into a hug, Celestia burying her face into the other woman's shoulder as she let the tears flow.
Watching from the side, Twilight jumped when Zecora turned toward her, for her face no longer held the cold anger it had been holding ever since she had laid eyes on Celestia. “Twilight, could you be so kind as to get us some tea, then I promise you, I will tell you what those creatures are.”
Twilight nodded, then left the room, Zecora smiling as she left before looking down at Celestia and speaking. “Come on now dear, lets go find a better place then the floor to talk, we have much to catch up on.”
Author's Note
Before any of you guys ask, I promise the relationship between Celestia and Zecora will be explained, till then however, I hope you guys enjoyed, and stay tuned for more.
Alchemic Sin: Sins of The Mother
Chapter III: Mysteries of The State
“I CANT BELIEVE THIS!!!”
Spike groaned as he watched his mother storm around the castle library, the All Seer turned Divine Oracle looking at a book on State Alchemists which she had forced the young man to find after her encounter with Zecora.
“Twilight, you know your not supposed to shout, you still haven't gotten the hang of your divine voice yet.”
Twilight looked like she wanted to shout again, but stopped herself, sighing as she spoke to him. “Sorry Spike, but this book just proved everything Zecora said was true about her authority, and it's just so frustrating.”
Spike waited a moment, then got up and began to re-shelve more books. “I don't get it, your the Princess of Magic and Ruler of Ponyville, cant you make her do what you say.”
“Not when it comes to matters concerning Alchemy,” said Twilight. “It's says right there in the book, when the Zebrican State Alchemists got themselves firmly established as a world power, they formed a treaty with all the nations of the world that they alone hold supreme authority over any alchemic matter that is brought to their attention, and none may challenge it.”
“Hm,” snorted Spike, “sounds like political bull-crap to me.”
“Well it's sadly very sound political bull-crap, for in certain matters Alchemists are the only ones who can deal with a threat like this, and I cant help but recall how none of the girls magic worked on that Homunculus.”
“It still sounds like bull-crap,” said Spike, placing the last book on the shelf before leaping down and heading for the door. “Well I'm off to get ready, me and Ember had a nice dinner planned for tonight and I don't want to miss it.”
“Just make sure you back here tomorrow for work!”
“I know,” said Spike, waving his hand and causing the door to close, causing Twilight to chuckle as she went back to her books.
“Now, lets see if we can find that legend Zecora was talking about.”
*
Deep within the forest, Zecora walked, keeping her pace slow as she moved through the bushes and trees.
“You damn fool,” she said aloud to herself, “you should not have done that, soon the other dogs will come sniffing, and then...”
She stopped, sensing something in the trees to her left, turning to see a blue eye and an eye baring an Ouroboros tattoo upon it staring out of the dark toward her.
When she turned fully toward it, it exited it's hiding spot, revealing itself to be a young boy with dark skin like her own, and long white hair.
“M...mamma?”
*
In the Ponyville train station, a small train pulled in, three dark skinned figures disembarking from it's single passenger car before beginning to make their way to the castle. They were all dressed in military garb, and all of them had gloves which bore transmutation circles, each pair unique to it's wielder.
When they reached the castle, the one at the head of the group gestured to the one on his left, the woman nodding before walking up and knocking on the front door, waiting patiently as she heard footsteps within and not budging when the door opened, revealing a young green haired man dressed in a fine suit and fedora.
“Hello miss,” said Spike, “what can I do for you?”
“We have come to discuss matters with your Princess, please let her know that state alchemists are here to see her.”
Spike looked them up and down, then sighed. “Look, I can see you guys came a long way, but I am afraid the Princess is very busy, you'll just have to come back...”
Spike made to close the door, only for the woman to stop him, energy arching off her glove as she leveled a cold glare at him. “I am afraid we will have to insist whelp, this is State Business.”
Spike smirked at that, his eyes beginning to glow as he spoke, “Careful lady, you have no idea who you are fucking with here.”
“I have killed many of your kind whelp,” said the woman, “perhaps it is you who do not know who you are fucking with.”
Spike made to speak further, only to stop when he heard footsteps behind him, looking to see Twilight descending the stairs as she looked toward him. “Spike, who's at the door?”
Spike stepped aside, allowing the door to fully open and reveal the people waiting beyond. “These State Alchemists want to have a word with you.”
“I see,” said Twilight, “well you better get going Spike, I'll take it from here.”
“Suit yourself,” said Spike, walking past the alchemists before stopping and turning back to the woman who had challenged him, “Oh, and one more thing.”
He then snapped his fingers, causing all their gloves to burn to ash before their eyes, yet leaving their hands intact as he spoke. “Your only alive because I wanted it so, so again, you have no idea who you were fucking with.”
Then he vanished, leaving the woman and the other Alchemists shaking with anger as she turned to Twilight, “You need to discipline that servant of yours, he has no respect for his betters.”
“Respect is earned, and he is not my servant, he is my son, which means his words spoke true, you really didn't know with whom you were fucking with.”
She descended the stairs then, gesturing for them to follow her as she began walking down a side hallway. “Now, could you tell me what you came to speak to me about, for I am busy doing important research and I would like to get back to it.”
The woman turned to the man who lead them, causing to nod before he spoke. “We come here in regards to the monster attack that happened recently, for we have reason to believe they are the same creatures we have been hunting.”
“You mean the homunculi?” asked Twilight.
“Homunculi!” explained the shorter of the two women in shock, her counterparts showing the same level of shock as she was.
“Yes,” said Twilight as she let them into the throne room, closing the door behind her before walking up and taking her seat in the plush throne before speaking again. “That is what our resident State Alchemist identified them as, and she is currently on the trail of them now, after she through her weight around.”
The leader of the group quirked a quizzical eyebrow at that, “Curious, we had no idea a State Alchemist was living in Ponyville, did you happen to catch this woman's name?”
Twilight nodded, “Her name is Zecora, through she never gave me her State Title.”
At the mention of Zecora's name, the alchemists all gave each other significant looks, before finally the leader of their group spoke up. “I see, we had no idea she was still active, we had assumed that she had gone rouge. We thank you for this information Princess, and if you will excuse us, we have some questions to ask around, good day.”
They were quick to leave, leaving Twilight to lean forward as she clasped her hands together, looking at the place where the alchemists had been with a cold glare as she sighed. “I have a bad feeling about all this.”
*
Zecora followed closely behind the small boy, her hands trembling as they continued through the dark force, and her eyes never leaving the small boy in front of her.
“It's okay mamma, were almost there,” said the boy, looking back to her and smiling as he continued to move, causing Zecora to shake even more but smile, part of her not knowing what else to do.
They eventually reached a cave, Zecora using alchemy to create a ball of light which lit up the cave as they went inside, the boy taking her deep within before stopping as he made a whistling sound.
Slowly, one by one, six more figures appeared from the darkness, three females, and three males. One of them she recognized by face as the one who been with the giant monster in Ponyville, while the rest she recognized because, like the little boy who had called her mamma, they all bore the faces of her children.
“So you were telling the truth Zia, it is her...but are you sure it's not the other.”
As Zia turned to glare at the speaker, Zecora gave the speaker a questioning look. “Other, what other what are you talking about?"
The man who spoke sighed, his golden eyes flashing as he looked to her and spoke. “A week after you left us a to find a way to restore us, woman came, wearing your face and speaking in your voice. She took as to a secluded place, and fed us these red stone, which is why we look like we...were supposed to.”
“That's not all,” said Zia, “she kept calling us these strange names, not....not the names of those who came before us, which is what tipped us off that something was not right, but we decided to play along for a little while.”
Zecora nodded in understanding, her mind racing back across the centuries to the day Jericho fell, for she had a terrible feeling she knew what they were talking about.
However, after searching over the foggy memories, she could find nothing, and so shook her head and sighed. “I am sorry, but I do not know of anything like that. Now, tell me why you are searching for Philosopher Stones here.”
“We....we smelled them,” said one of the other men, this one hugging himself as he rocked back and forth on the ground, his black eyes shaking as he spoke. “We smelled them here, seven of them, we thought if we could find them....we could be human....like you wanted.”
Zecora made to go to the young man, only for the last to stop her, his golden eyes showing concern as he spoke. “Don't go near him mother, he...Marphis is safe around us, but around normal humans he...he gets this insatiable urge to eat them, which we believe was caused by those red stones we consumed.”
“I see, and what about the rest of you.”
“Well you saw what I was,” said the black haired woman, who Zecora knew was named Marcia. “I can can shape change at will, Zia can turn her fingers into claws and can also form this wicked body covering that allows her to move faster. Somboe can form this wicked hard armor which cant be pierced by anything, Little Niceia there can see everything with that eye of his. Sadina can move really fucking fast, like so fast you cant see her, and Zedira can use the shadows as living weapons, kinda scary when he does it.
“I see,” said Zecora, before sitting down and leaning herself against a large rock, smiling as Niceia cuddled up next to her. She placed a hand on his head, running her fingers through his long white hair before speaking to Somboe. “So, how long was it before you left this...others care?”
“When she tried to convince us to help her craft a Philosopher's Stone, that was when we knew for sure that she wasn't you, for you would never ask us help you do that....not when those who we were meant to be died as the cost of your silence.”
Zecora teared up at that, her arm tightening a bit around Niceia as she tried to control her sobs, but once she was under control she asked another question. “Then why are you looking for them, if you were unwilling to help her create one, why look for it?”
“Well we figured some one had to have been stupid enough to make one,” said Somboe, “So we figured if we could find one, we could figure out a way to turn human. As for why we were searching here, Marphis's nose started going crazy as we were making our way through this forest, started making him go crazy to, took a large chunk out of my arm before Zia managed to calm him down.”
Zecora rose an eyebrow at that, “Your arm looks undamaged.”
Somboe smiled at that, then in the blink of an eye ripped off his own arm, Zecora looking at it in horror before gasping in shock as a new arm grew in its place. “None of us know how, but we can all recover from any wound, regrow any lost limb, hell Niceia there had his hole head blown off and it grew back, which did nothing but piss him off.”
“Hm,” murmured Zecora, leaning her head back as she let her mind wander over everything she had just been told. She now knew, thanks to what she had just been told, that these homunculi were probably very very hard to kill, if not outright impossible to kill. Whats more, Marphis had gone crazy when he had thought he had smelled seven Philosopher Stones in Ponyville, which was the reason why Marcia and Zia had attacked.
“Seven Philosopher Stones....no, it couldn't be that simple.”
“What is it mother?” asked Zia.
Zecora turned to Marphis, “Marphis, how do you know it was Philosopher Stones you smelled, have you smelled them before?”
Marphis gave a shaky nod, “Ye...yes, the other, she had one, and I was able to learn it's smell. So powerful, so...tantalizing, it's why I lost it when I smelled the seven in that little town.”
“I see...well the only artifacts of any power in that town are The Elements of Harmony, so I think, though this is just a guess, that you mistook their smell for the smell of Philosopher Stones.”
She then patted Narcia on the head, waiting till the boy got up before standing herself and speaking. “I have to get back, I shall tell them a story, tell them you've headed deep into the forest before I lost your trail entirely. As for you, there is a cottage located deep within the northern edge of the forest near the trail, I want you to go to it and wait for me there, I will come back for you soon.”
“Ok mother, just please come back....we missed you.”
Zecora smiled at that, “I missed you to my little rebenok, and I will be back...I'm not losing you again...any of you.”
*
Hours later, Zecora found herself making her way toward Ponyville's new library, for she had some research to do, and she knew from a few of her visits their that there was an entire section dedicated to the alchemic arts.
“Ashen Alchemist Zecora!”
Zecora froze at the call of her title, seeing three alchemists she recognized from long ago, alchemists she had trained as her personal apprentices, the first ones she had taken after Celestia.
“Lighting Alchemist Yorm, Flame Alchemist Ia, Light Alchemist Shadam, it has been a while my students, what brings you here.”
“We have come to arrest you and bring you in for questioning, both in regards to your disappearance from the nation of Zebrica as well as to the nature of the creatures which attacked Ponyville earlier today.”
Zecora smiled at that, “I see, well you know I wont come quietly.”
She went to clap her hands together, but the moment she began to move the three alchemists snapped their fingers, fire, electricity, and a ray of light flying toward her as she looked on in horror, “They've gotten better.”
However, the moment the the three attacks got close, a large muscled man leaped out of nowhere to land in front of her, slamming a gauntleted fist into the ground and causing a wall of pure iron to rise up and block the attacks.
After a moment, the wall fell apart, the man standing up and dusting off his hands as he looked to the shocked faces of the three alchemists, flashing a toothy grin as he stroked his blue beard. “You know, if there's one thing I hate, it's military folk attacking a pretty lady.”
He then turned back to Zecora, flashing her a smile as his yellow eyes gleamed in the sunlight. “Nice to see you again babe, it's been a while.”
“......Iron Will, you old codger you.”
Author's Note
Yay, I finally get to do some stuff with Iron Will, though you guys should be able to guess who he is drawing insperation from. Anyways, hope you guys enjoyed, and catch you all next chapter.
Term Explanations:
Rebenok: Russian word for child, will be explained more in future chapters, mostly when we get into Zecora's origins.
Alchemic Sin: Sins of The Mother
Chapter II: Truth's Darker Then Lies
It had been twenty minutes since Celestia and Zecora had had their encounter, and now Twilight stood shaking in her kitchen, waiting for the water to boil.
She couldn't believe it, Princess Celestia, her mentor, the one who had revealed to her the secretes of alchemy, had committed the horrible sin of human transmutation. What was more, Zecora, a woman who Twilight had considered a trusted fried, was secretly an alchemist who had also committed the sin of human transmutation.
Part of her couldn't accept it, but another part of her knew this wasn't just something an alchemist claimed off hand, after all, it was a taboo for a reason.
As thoughts of the encounter raced through her head, one moment struck her as the most peculiar, for it was the moment that Zecora had first addressed Celestia.
“So....it's been a long time, hasn't it my stupid pupil.”
Pupil, Zecora had addressed Celestia as pupil, something which didn't fit in Twilight's head. From what Celestia had told her, the Divine had been taught alchemy nearly 1500 years ago, and as far as she knew, Zecora was at most in her late 30's, maybe early 40's. There was no way Zecora could have taught Celestia, not unless Zecora was immortal, and Twilight highly doubted that Zecora could be, for she had felt no magic inside which would make her such.
“I need to know what connection she has to Celestia...especially if it has anything to do with those monsters.”
The water finally boiled, Twilight pulling the pot off the stove and placed it on the tray with the cups and saucers, picking up the tray and then heading toward the main living area, for she figured that's where Celestia and Zecora would be.
When she reached the door, she saw that it was open a crack, and upon hearing voices inside, decided that she would listen in.
“...possessed you to try and bring back Faust, you know she would not have forgiven you for it if you had succeeded.”
“Because Luna missed her so much,” Twilight heard Celestia say, hearing a strain in the womans voice she had never heard before, one that troubled her greatly. “And because I was so overwhelmed by everything that happened. I....I needed her, we both did....so I tried to bring her back, I...I thought I could succeed where you failed.”
Twilight, deciding she had heard enough, entered the room, looking to see both Zecora and Celestia looking in her direction as she set the tray down on the table they were sitting at, before taking a seat herself and looking to Zecora with a determined glare.
“Ok, I have heard and seen a lot today, and I have many questions, but this one I think takes president.”
Zecora smiled at her, “You want to know why I called pupil, aren't you?”
Twilight nodded, causing the woman to laugh. “I will admit, it was a slip of the tongue on my part, for I have not had reason to call her that for a very very long time. So tell me Twilight Sparkle, did Celestia happen to mention when she learned the science of Alchemy?”
Twilight nodded at that, though her confusion was evident. “Yes she did, she said she learned Alchemy nearly 1500 years ago.
Zecora nodded at that, smiling as she got a far away look in her eyes. “Yes...that sounds about right, for if my memory serves me correctly, it was around that time I first met her.”
Twilight's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates as she turned from Zecora to her mentor, waiting with batted breath as Celestia took a slow sip of her tea before setting the cup back in its saucer.
“You did not miss hear my student, I met Zecora 1500 years ago, looking about the same as she does today, however...”
Celestia looked to Zecora, pointing to her arm and legs before speaking. “I see you have fitted yourself with Automail, how long did that take?”
Zecora laughed, “Well not to long, after all I did try out the prototypes before they worked out all the kinks, but luckily no permanent damage was done, and my current arm and legs are working out just fine.”
“You have Automail?” asked Twilight.
Zecora nodded, pulling off the glove on her left hand and then pulling up her sleeve, showing off her metal arm before speaking. “You remember what we said earlier, about The Truth taking a toll from those who preform human transmutation?”
Twilight nodded, “From me, The Truth took my arm, my legs, and some of my internal organs.”
Again Twilight's eyes widened, “Internal organs, how...how did you survive.”
“That I cant tell you, lets just say I...had some help from beyond the gate, but that is something that should be saved for another time. As for how I could have known Celestia so long ago, I have been immortal since the day the great capital city of Zebrica was destroyed.”
Twilight's eyes couldn't get any wider, but her shock grew ever still. “The capital city of Zebrica, but that was destroyed 3000 thousand years ago, it was said they tried to create a Philosopher Stone and were punished for their transgression.”
Zecora nodded, “You are correct Twilight, both as to the time it was destroyed...and the reason why it was destroyed. I was there when they made their attempt, and for some reason I was it's only survivor. As to why I don't age, I honestly cant tell you.”
While Twilight nodded her head, she could tell something was off with what Zecora had just told her. She was no Applejack, but it seemed like Zecora knew more then she was letting on, at least in regards to her immortality. But, she knew she wouldn't get anywhere accusing her of lying, so she decided to leave it. “Ok then, what about the monsters, you said you knew what they were?”
Zecora nodded, “I did indeed, and those monsters were Homunculi.”
Celestia spit out her drink as Twilight's eyes widened again, “Homunculi, but their only a myth, no alchemist has ever been able to create a living homunculus.”
“True, but only because those trying never new how to truly create a homunculus, for a homunculus is created when someone fails a human transmutation.”
Twilight's hands leaped to her mouth, and when she looked at her mentor, she saw that Celestia was looking away in shame, the older woman rubbing her shoulder with her right hand as she kept her gaze averted.
“You...you mean that when you....you tried to transmute.....”
“When someone tries to bring back the dead, a homunculus is left in place of the person they tried to transmute, though....these creatures were a lot more...whole then what is usually left behind.”
“What do you mean?”
Zecora hesitated, but was saved the trouble by Celestia, who spoke for her. “When......when I tried to transmute my mother, The Truth took my left eye, and my right leg. However, when I returned from the gate....my mother was...deformed, a twisted abomination of a thing, and I...I...”
She couldn't go on anymore, but Zecora saved her the trouble. “The point is, those were not like the ones Celestia and I saw, they were more whole, and I have no idea how that could be.”
“But what did they want, did any of them say?” asked Twilight.
Zecora nodded, “One of them, the big one, mention that they had smelled Philosopher Stones here, but I have no idea what it could have meant.”
“Philosopher Stones, as in more then one?”
“I would assume so,” said Zecora.
“Strange,” said Twilight, “no one in Equestria has ever tried to create a Philosopher Stone, save for the attempt made by King Sombra of the Crystal Empire, and he failed because he could never discover the final ingredient.”
“Thank gods for that,” said Zecora.
Both Celestia and Twilight looked up at that, which caused Zecora to sigh before she spoke. “The final ingredient the Philosopher Stone, the ingredient that gives the stone it's ability to defy the laws of Equivalent Exchange set by Alchemy, is one that has escaped many alchemist's for ages. Only us alchemist's of the old Zebrican Empire ever found it out...and to this day I regret ever discovering the secret.”
She went silent after that, the silence holding for a long while before Twilight finally spoke up. “Zecora...what's the final ingredient?”
“......human lives...thousands upon thousands of human lives...”
Twilight froze for a moment, then ran over to a nearby waste bin and threw up, her body and her mind not being able to handle what she had just been told.
Being born a All Seer, Twilight had access to all knowledge prettying to such subjects as human life energy, and according to the greatest All Seer Scholar, Starswirl the Bearded, human life energy was the most powerful form of energy in the known world. However, it was forbidden for any person who could harness that energy to use energy other then their own, so to hear that the necessary ingredient in a Philosopher Stone was thousands upon thousands of human lives, it went against everything Twilight had been taught as a All Seer.
“You......you cant be serious,” said Celestia as Twilight continued to retch, the woman looking at her old teacher like the woman had just told her she had committed a murder.
“I am afraid I am, and I was as appalled as your student is when I discovered this alchemic secret. I had been doing research for King Aleneis Zaltune on how to give him eternal life, and this lead to my researching of the Philosophers Stone. When I found the secret, I chose not to tell him, but one of my apprentices at the time ratted me out. Aleneis had been a kind and just king in his day, but by the time I came into his service, he had become consumed by his quest for eternal life, so consumed that anyone who stood in his way...was punished.”
Zecora's hands began to shake, causing her coup of tea to clink against it's saucer as she tried to fight back tears. “He...he demand that I tell him the secret, but when I refused him...he....he had my children executed, as punishment for my disobedience.”
Celestia looked like she wanted to through up, and as for Twilight, who had been close to stopping, began throwing up again, though it was more dry heaving then anything.
“N...no,” was all Celestia could say, the woman reaching out a hand to Zecora, who let it grasp her trembling hands as she got a hold of herself.
“Af....after that, I...I tried to bring them back, but I failed, so in the end I gave him what he wanted, telling my traitor of an apprentice what was needed. I was just leaving the city when they engaged in the ritual, but something must have gone wrong, for when I woke up, everyone was dead, including the king and the alchemist's who preformed the ritual.”
As Twilight recovered, she again couldn't help but not that Zecora was once again hiding something, though she could tell the story about her children being killed was true. It was the rest of it that sounded...off. Again however, she ignored it, for she had a feeling it would only lead to an argument, so instead she decided to focus on something else, “So, why then would these homunculi want such vile artifacts?”
Zecora cupped her chin in her hand, thinking hard before giving her answer. “Well, if I were to wager a guess, and this is one based on very old legends about homunculi, the reason they may be searching for Philosopher Stones is because they want to become human.”
At Twilight's quizzical look, Zecora explained. “From what the old legend said, when a homunculus is born, they are born with the memories of the person who created them. This instills within them a want to belong, for while they may look like us, they do not feel like we do, and have no true sense of self. This becomes the focal point of their entire being, to the point where they would pay any price to attain their desired goal.”
Twilight pondered this, “So they thought they smelled Philosopher Stones in Ponyville, and attacked to try and find them....there's just one problem with that line of thinking though.”
“And what is that?” asked Zecora.
“Homunculus are unable to preform Alchemy, so the stone would be useless to them without an alchemist to preform the transmutation.”
Zecora was silent for a moment, then smiled, nodding her head as she spoke. “Yes, I suppose you are right, though maybe they plan to go searching for an alchemist after they secure a stone.”
“...She's hiding something...again,” thought Twilight, “what the hell do you know Zecora, and why do you want to hide it.”
Zecora then took one last sip of her tea, setting down the cup gently before getting up. “Now, with all that out of the way, I must be going, I have to go track down those Homunculi down and make sure they don't cause any more trouble.”
She made to leave, only to have Twilight clear her throat to stay her. “Zecora, while I am thankful to you for your help with those Homunculi, I am afraid this is now a matter for my guard, you would just get in the way.”
Zecora hesitated a moment, then sighed, before reaching into her jacket as she began to speak. “While I understand your reason, I am afraid you don't understand the gravity of my authority when it comes to this matter Princess Twilight Sparkle.”
She then pulled her hand from her jacket, holding it out and letting a silver-watch on a gold chain dangle from it, a watch that bore the crest of the Zebrican State Alchemist's.
“As a state alchemist, I hold authority over all maters pertaining to alchemy, an authority that reaches well beyond your own in this mater. As such, you are not to send any guards after the Homunculi, for they will only get in my way.”
With that said, she left, leaving a shell shocked Twilight and a saddened Celestia behind, the former shaking with fury before finally storming off to find Spike, leaving Celestia alone with her tea, the woman sighing as she watched the door close behind Zecora with a soft click, the ancient woman asking a question which she knew her teacher would not hear.
“Teacher....what happened to you...to make become a dog of the state.”
Author's Note
Few, thank god that's done, anyway, next chapter will Zecora will begin her search for the Homunculi, and we will be getting a visit from several other State Alchemist's so stay tuned, and I hope you guys enjoyed.
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