My Little Homunculus: Alchemy Is Magic Rewrite

Twilight, and Ed followed the guard to a carriage, and got in. “Are you sure this is a good idea?” Ed asked her.

“Of course I’m sure.” she said, “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well. It was the princess who banned alchemy right?” he said.

“Yeah, but Princess Celestia is the kindest princess there is. I’m sure she’ll understand.” she told him.

--

It hadn’t taken them long to reach the castle. They were led through several corridors, and through a door into a throne room, where they were now standing in front of a large winged unicorn, or alicorn for short. “Hello my student. What brings you here?” the princess asked.

“Well, I, um, I want to.” Twilight stuttered. Now that she was here she was having second thoughts. The princess gave her an encouraging smile.

“Come now Twilight. “she said, “Ask whatever it is you will.”

“I, I would like to learn more about alchemy!” Twilight blurted out. Suddenly the princess’s expression changed to one of fury.

“NO!” she boomed.

“B-But Princess.” Twilight tried to protest.

“NO!” she yelled again, “You shall not learn about such a monstrous conduct.!”

“Yes Princess.” Twilight relented. She’d never seen the princess this angry before. Not even during the Smarty Pants incident. Suddenly Celestia’s face changed to one of worry.

“Twilight, I-I’m so sorry. I don’t know what came over me.” she said.

“I-I understand Princess.” Twilight told her.

“But you still can’t learn about alchemy.” Celestia stated firmly.

“Yes Princess.” said Twilight.

“Why don’t you, and your friend stay the night here, and then tomorrow you can head back to Ponyville.” Celestia told her.

“Thank you Princess.” said Twilight.

“Come now, let’s have dinner.” Celestia said, leading them into the dining room, where they had dinner, then retired to their room.

“Well that was pointless.” Ed said.

“Maybe so.” said Twilight, “But we still have to learn more about alchemy.”

“And how do you suggest we do that?” Ed asked her.

“If the princess won’t tell us, then we’ll have to find out on our own.” Twilight told him.

“Where are you going with this?” he asked.

“The book said that the origins of alchemy went back further than Equestria, so we’re going on a journey.” Twilight said. She got out a map, and levitated a pointer. “We’ll start here.” she said, putting the end of the pointer on a large space labeled Dragon Kingdom.

“What’s there?” he asked.

“Dragons are one of the oldest species, besides gargoyles, and the gargoyles are farther away. If there’s a place with information on alchemy, it’s probably there.” Twilight explained.

“Okay, I understand.” he said.

“Tomorrow we’ll go back to Ponyville, and pack. The day afterwards we’ll leave.” Twilight told him. He nodded. “We should get some rest.” she said, laying down in her bed.

“Yeah.” he agreed, before drifting off to sleep. In the morning they were awoken by a knock at the door. Twilight got up, and opened it to reveal a guard.

“Breakfast is ready Miss Sparkle.” he said.

“Thank you.” she said, before letting out a large yawn. The guard saluted, and left. “Come on, let’s get something to eat.” she said, dragging Ed out of bed, and to the dining hall they ate in yesterday.

“Hello Twilight.” Princess Celestia greeted her.

“Hello Princess.” she said, bowing. During breakfast Twilight noticed that Ed wasn’t drinking his milk.

“You should really drink your milk Ed.” she told him.

“I hate milk.” he said.

“Milk’s full of protein. You should drink it.” she said.

“I don’t care, I hate milk, and I’m not drinking it.” he told her.

“Well it’s no wonder you’re short.” she said.

“Who are you calling short?!” he yelled. Twilight was about to respond when Princess Celestia started laughing.

“My, your friend is quite amusing.” she said.

“Yeah.” said Twilight, letting a small smile to slip onto her own face. As soon as they were done Celestia prepared a carriage for them.

“Goodbye Twilight. Tell your other friends I said hello.” Celestia called out to her as the carriage left.

--

When they reached Ponyville, they landed in front of Twilight’s house. “Thank you sirs.” she said, when they got off. The guards saluted, and left. Twilight opened the door, and entered the library. “Spike!” she called out.

“Coming!” he said, appearing a moment later.

“Spike I want you to get our friends.” she told him.

“On it!” he said, saluting, and walking out of the library. Soon enough the other five walked in. First Pinkie, then Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Applejack, and Rarity, followed closely by Spike.

“So what’s this about Twi?” Rainbow Dash asked her.

“Yes darling, it’s not like you to just call us here.” added Rarity. Twilight took a deep breath, and let it out. She then turned to her friends.

“Me, and Ed are going on a journey.” Twilight told them.

“Really? Wow, neeto.” said Pinkie, “I’ll throw a big party!”

“No!” Twilight yelled, causing everyone to stare at her. She let out an uncomfortable cough. “I mean, no thank you Pinkie.” she said, “It’d be better if you didn’t throw us a party.” Pinkie seemed sad for a moment, but then immediately perked up again.

“Alright, but be sure to bring back lots of yummy recipes!” she said.

“And I want a cool souvenir.” Dash told her.

“You simply must tell me about the fashions of different cultures.” Rarity said.

“I’d like to know about the kinds of animals in different lands.” Fluttershy admitted.

“Yall should have some good stories to tell when yall get back.” said Applejack, “I’d like to hear some of them.”

“What about me?” asked Spike.

“I’ll make sure to get you a big juicy gem.” Twilight told him.

“Mmm.” he said, drooling at the thought.

“Well, we should pack now.” Twilight told them. They all gave a nod, and left, except for Spike, who lived there. They then packed two backpacks, full of essentials. Soon it was nightfall, and Twilight gave Ed an extra bed.

“Thanks.” he said.

“Get some rest. We’re leaving early tomorrow.” she told him. He nodded, and almost immediately, fell asleep.

“Wake up.” Twilight said, shaking him.

“Huh? Twilight? What time is it?” he asked, slowly opening his eyes.

“It’s 5:30.” she told him.

“Why’d you wake me up so early?” he asked.

“So we can get an early start.” she explained, “Now let’s get some breakfast.” Ed let out a yawn.

“Fine.” he said, following her to the kitchen. Soon after they’d finished breakfast, Spike appeared.

“Hey Twilight.” he said.

“Hey Spike.” she said, “We’re leaving now. Take good care of the library. I’ll be sure to write to you.”

“Don’t worry, the library is in good hands.” he said.

“I know.” she said. After they got their bags, they left. With that their journey officially started.

--

Twilight was levitating a map in front of her while she walked through the forest. “Alright.” she said, “We’ll follow this trail almost straight through the Everfree.” She ran her hoof along a path on the map. “We can stop at Zecora’s for some rest, and then we’ll keep going.” she explained, “Then we should reach about here when it’s getting dark.” She put her hoof on an opening in the forest.

“I see.” Ed said.

“We’ll stay the night there, and then we’ll head out of the Everfree, and onto dragon territory.” Twilight said, tracing their path out. “And from there we head to the foot of this volcano, and stay the night. After that we travel up to this dragon town, and get info, and resupply. After that, we’ll head towards the capitol.” Twilight explained.

“Okay. So how long until we get to the capitol?” Ed asked. Twilight ran some calculations in her head.

“Hmm. If we don’t get distracted, I’d say about two weeks.” she said.

“In that case we’ll need to resupply on the way  there.” Ed pointed out.

“Right, and that’s where this town comes in.” Twilight said, pointing at a dot on the map that said Fen’rar. “This is the town right before lava chasm. We’ll restock there, and then keep going.” Twilight explained.

“Alright then, let’s go!” Ed said, walking faster.

“Hey wait!” Twilight said.

“What is it?” he asked, looking back at the nervous Twilight.

“Well, um, I was wondering.” she stuttered.

“What?” he asked again.

“Could you teach me alchemy?” she asked. Ed got a distant look in his eye, and stared off into the forest. He stayed like that for a while. Just when Twilight was about to try to snap him out of it, he said something weird.

“All is one, and one is all.” he said.

“What?” Twilight asked, confused.

“If you can figure that out in a month, then I’ll teach you.” Ed told her.

“What? But can’t you just teach me?” she asked. He shook his head.

“This is the basis of alchemy. If you can’t figure it out, you won’t be able to use it.” he told her.

“Oh.” she said, putting her head down dejectedly.

“Hey, cheer up. You’ve got a month.” he said.

“Yeah, but what if I can’t figure it out in a month?” she asked.

“Then it just means you were never meant to be an alchemist.” he told her. Suddenly she perked up.

“I will figure out what it means!” she said, determined, “Then I’ll learn alchemy.”

“That’s the kind of spirit I like.” he said.

“Let’s go!” she said, before running off.

“Hey wait for me!” he called after her.

--

Twilight, and Ed lay in Zecora’s hut, panting. That running had taken a lot out of them. “My friends, you should run no more, because it seems that you are sore.” Zecora said, handing them each a drink. Twilight sighed as she sipped her drink.

“Tell me about it.” she said.

“Hey it was your idea!” Ed said.

“What brings you so far out here?” Zecora asked, “You know there is always danger near.”

“Actually, we’re just passing through. We’re heading towards the Dragon Kingdom so we can learn more about alchemy.” Twilight told her. Zecora’s eyes narrowed.

“Alchemy you say? Be careful, or you might have to pay.” she said. Twilight looked at Ed, and he shrugged.

“Well anyways, you’re from Zebrica right?” Twilight asked her.

“Yes.” Zecora said.

“Is there anything about alchemy there?” Twilight asked.

“Yes, but for your long hike, you may not find what you like.” Zecora told her. Twilight looked at Ed again, and again, he shrugged.

“Alright, well I’ll see you later Zecora.” she said, setting the empty glass down.

“It was nice meeting you.” Ed told her as he walked out with Twilight.

“That was weird.” Twilight said as soon as they had gotten away. “Anyways, we should get back to the trail.” she said. Ed nodded, and they continued walking until it was nightfall. They reached the clearing Twilight had told him about, and they set up camp.

--

A dark pony like figure was standing out in the woods. She was observing the two ponies sitting by the campfire. “My my.” she said, “Don’t they know it’s dangerous here? We’ll just have to change that.”

--

Ed, and Twilight were sitting by a campfire they had made. Suddenly, though, a manticore lept out at them. Ed dodged it, and clapped his hooves together, before slamming them to the ground, making a pillar of earth ram into the manticore.

The manticore landed on its paws, and once again, leapt at Ed. Ed rolled under it, and when it landed he made another pillar of earth slam into it, sending it skidding across the ground, and into the bushes. With that, the manticore ran off, whimpering.

--

The dark figure was now looking at the ponies with more interest. “My, my, a pony that can do alchemy.” she said, “There hasn’t been one of those for ages. I’m sure he’ll find this interesting.” With that she opened her insectoid wings, and flew off.

--

“Let’s try and get some sleep.” said Twilight, still shaken about the manticore attack.

“Good idea.” Ed said. Within minutes Ed was asleep, snoring. Twilight smiled at his sleeping form. It helped to relieve her fears. Within minutes, she was also sleeping soundly. The next morning Ed woke up, and Twilight wasn’t in the tent. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, and walked outside into the sun

“Hey Ed, I see you’re awake.” Twilight said, “Here, eat.” She offered him a daisy sandwich, and he took it. “I know it’s not much, but it’ll help keep your strength up.” she said.

“Thanks.” he said. After they ate they packed up, and started to walk again. They spent another four hours walking through the dense, lush vegetation of the Everfree. Soon, though, the trees ended, leaving a large open space.

“We are now officially in dragon territory.” Twilight told him.

“Wow.” he breathed. In front of them was a vast land of open space, and in the distance he could see a giant volcano, with all kinds of dragons flying in, and out. “This is amazing.” he said.

“Yeah.” Twilight agreed. They stared at it a moment more, before Twilight spoke again. “Come on, we have a long ways to go.” she said, walking off. Ed nodded, and followed her. For the rest of the day they walked in almost complete silence. By nightfall the volcano was towering over them. As they set up camp for the night Ed yawned.

“I’m tired of all this walking.” he said, cracking his back.

“Me too.” Twilight said, “But tomorrow we’ll reach the town. We’ll get a good rest there.” Ed nodded, and they drifted off to sleep. The next day they ate breakfast, and packed up. by the time they reached the base of the volcano it was about noon.

“We’re finally here!” Ed said.

“Now we just have to get up there.” Twilight said.

“How are we supposed to do that?” he asked. Twilight pointed at something behind him. He turned to see a door.

“Oh.” he said. Luckily for them there were stairs for non-flyers, though it took them about half an hour to reach the top. When Twilight opened the door a red dragon’s head shot up. His eyes widened in recognition, and so did Twilight’s.

“You!” they said at the same time.

“You know him?” Ed asked her.

“Yeah, and he’s a jerk.” said Twilight.

“Is that so?” said Ed. The dragon looked down, and kicked a stone.

“Yeah, about that.” he said, “I’m sorry.” Twilight recoiled.

“What?!” she asked.

“You’re right. I was a jerk.” he told her, “I’ve changed though.” Twilight wasn’t sure whether to believe him or not.

“And why should I believe you?” she asked.

“Don’t. It’s not my problem. I’m just sayin is all.” he told her. She was surprised at the sincerity in his voice.

“Okay I believe you.” she said, “In that case, could you help us?”  The dragon seemed surprised.

“Sure.” he said, “What is it you need help with?”

“We need to find the library.” Twilight told him.

“I’ll bring you there.” he said. They nodded, and followed him. “I haven’t properly introduced myself yet.” he told them, “My name’s Garble.”

“I’m Twilight, and this is Ed.” Twilight told him.

“So why are you going to the library?” he asked.

“We need to research alchemy.” Twilight said.

“And you can’t do that where you're from?” he asked.

“No. I am unable to study alchemy in Equestria.” she half lied.

“I see. Well here we are.” he said, as they arrive at a large cave entrance.

“Thanks.” Twilight said, and walked in, followed by Ed. The passageway was lit up by torches, and soon they reached the end. They gasped in awe at the giant cave filled with bookshelves. “This is amazing!” said Twilight. Suddenly an image of a library passed through Ed’s head, and he heard a voice.

“This is the reference room. You’re welcome here.” said the voice.

Then it was gone. “What happened?” asked Twilight, “Did you remember something?”

“It was shorter than the others, but I also saw an image.” he told her.

“Interesting.” she said, “Anyways, let’s find the alchemy books.”

“Yeah.” he agreed. She walked over to a dragon behind a stone counter. She talked with him for a minute, then came back. “Well?” he asked.

“There’s no books on alchemy here. There’s only some in Drakonia, the capital.” she told him.

“I see.” he said, “We should at least learn about the history though.”

“Good idea.” she said, and walked back over to the librarian. She came back, and Ed followed her to the history section. For a good while they did nothing but read books, until Twilight threw one down. Well not threw, more so set it down angrily. “I don’t understand this!” she said.

“What?” Ed asked her.

“These books keep mentioning a war! I’ve never heard of any war before!” she said, “Especially not one that Equestria was in!” Ed immediately understood what had happened.

“Your government’s hiding it from you.” he told her.

“B-But Princess Celestia would never hide anything!” she exclaimed.

“This goes beyond alchemy.” Ed realized.

“W-What do you mean?” asked Twilight, though she thought she already knew.

“Something big that happened, and Equestria is hiding its past from its citizens.” Ed told her. Twilight realized he was right. “We need to get to the capitol’s library, and quite possibly the other nations too.” he said.

“You’re right.” she said, “We’ll stay the night here, and then we’ll leave.” He nodded.

“I promise you, we’ll get to the bottom of this.” he told her, “We should find Garble again, and he can lead us to a hotel. Then we’ll leave tomorrow.”