The Full Metal Equestrian

Chapters

A Long Way From Home
Waking Up
First Steps
Plans in Motion
Chance Meetings
Letters from Canterlot

A Long Way From Home

Two brothers knelt, eyes wide with anticipation! They looked upon their creation, then to each other.

“Ready?” asked the elder brother.

“Steady,” the younger warned.

“GO!” The two shouted, as they plunged into the vortex, eager to begin their journey. They laughed together, imagining the comforts of finally going home. They’d been trapped together in this parallel world for two months, studying to find a way back through the Gate.

“I can’t believe, we’re finally going home Ed,” Alphonse cried.

His older brother smiled at him. Edward flexed his mechanical arm. It was stiff, creaking as he tested the joints. “Good thing, too,” Ed began, “Winry’ll need to fix these up again!” He laughed, imagining the fury in the girl’s eyes when he returned to Resembool in need of maintenance. Again.

Ed didn't care though. Hell, he thought, maybe Winry will be too busy crying to get angry right away. Ed chuckled a bit more. As much as he missed her, Winry could get a little over-emotional for Ed's tastes. Edward was just getting ready to kick back and enjoy the ride, when out of nowhere, Alphonse screamed!

“Ed,” he pleaded, “get this off of me!”

Edward’s laughter stopped. When he turned to face his brother, his eyes were wide. The ghastly silhouette of an infant had latched onto Al’s arm, scratching at his flesh. The offended area seemed to be vanishing, flesh and bone replaced by a blinding white light.

“Al!” Ed called out. As he tried to reach out to his brother, a similar monster had attached to Edward! One by one, these ghostly children were tearing the brothers apart. As they watched each other grow further and further away, Ed screamed, “No! Not again!” These were the same phantoms that had stolen his brother from him twice before, and now, it seemed like they were ready to take both brothers! Edward could feel his entire body shift unnaturally. What’s it gonna take this time?! He wondered, fear heavy in his spirit. After a long struggle to maintain his consciousness, Edward blacked out.

It had been an average day for Twilight Sparkle. She’d long since finished her daily studies, stopped in to say “hello!” to Applejack over at Sweet Apple Acres, and even helped Fluttershy look after a little bird with an injured wing. Now, as the sun hung on the horizon, beautiful shades of pink and purple reaching across the land, Twilight was relaxing out on the balcony, just taking in the view.

“What a beautiful evening,” she sighed to herself. As she stared off into the distance, she noticed, something was…off.

“What the…” Twilight squinted. She stared up at what appeared to be a rip in the sky, just over the Ever Free Forest. But…that’s impossible! She reasoned to herself. Then again, stranger things have happened…Her mind turned to the chocolate downpour during Discord’s brief reign of chaos.

“Spike,” she beckoned her young assistant, “grab me that copy of ‘Predictions and Prophecies,’ would you?”

“Sure thing, Twi,” Spike called back. Moments later, he was out on the balcony, the book in his claws. Once Twilight thanked him, he nodded, and slipped back into the library.

With her magic, Twilight levitated the book in front of her, flipping through the pages wildly. After skimming the entire thing three times over, Twilight was unsure whether or not she should feel relieved.

Thinking aloud, she said, “if it isn’t in this book, either I’m just seeing things, or this is bad. Very, very bad.” As she looked back to the tear in the sky, it began to twinkle. First just a small shimmer, growing brighter and brighter until the light was almost blinding! Twilight was nearly forced to shield her eyes when, suddenly, the rip closed.

“Oh, thank Celestia,” she sighed in relief, before gasping at the sight of what appeared to be a pony, falling from the sky! Twilight guessed that pony must’ve fallen through that tear. Is it some sort of portal? She wondered. No time for that now, I’ve got to go make sure that pony is alright!

Twilight bolted down the stairs, and out the door of the library. Needless to say, this outburst had caught Spike completely off guard. Why would Twilight just run out? The young dragon waited a few minutes, until he was sure Twilight would be gone a while. When he was convinced he was alone, he turned to his mirror, flexing his muscles and said, “Looking good, Spike. Looking real good!”

Twilight raced through Ponyville. A few ponies waved, but she didn’t have time to slow down and say hello. Somepony’s life could be at stake! She quickly reached Fluttershy’s cabin, just outside the forest. She banged frantically on the door, calling out to her pegasus friend.

Fluttershy stepped out, looking nervous, “Did I do something to upset you, Twilight? I’m sorry,” she said weakly, hanging her head.

“Nononononononono, Fluttershy, I’m not mad at you,” the unicorn explained, “I just saw somepony fall into the Ever Free Forest, and I was hoping you could help me help them out!”

Fluttershy’s expression changed immediately, “Oh my goodness! Of course, Twilight, we have to hurry!”

Twilight nodded, and the two galloped off into the forest. It was beginning to get darker, and the Ever Free Forest wasn’t exactly a good place to spend the night. They dashed between the trees, when Twilight stopped them at a small clearing.

“If I’m right, who ever fell should be within about 30 feet of here. You check the North side of this area, I’ll check the South,” Twilight instructed. Fluttershy nodded, and began searching in bushes, under rocks, anywhere out of plain sight.

Twilight was doing a similar job across the clearing, aided by her magic. She was beginning to worry that some creature had snatched up the poor pony! She started looking in the trees around the clearing, anywhere! Twilight was getting frantic.

“Twilight, come quickly! I found him!”

The unicorn rushed to meet Fluttershy, who was standing beside a collapsed colt under a tree. “The shock must have knocked him out,” Fluttershy explained, “He’s in bad shape, we need to get him home right away!”

Twilight could barely look at the poor pony. He was smaller than the average earth stallion. His white coat was soaked with blood, rushing from various scrapes along his body, bruises dotted across him, a few of his ribs were probably broken. That wasn’t the worst of it, though. Twilight looked in horror as she realized; this pony was missing limbs.

His left hind leg seemed to have been chopped off halfway down, and his right foreleg wasn’t there at all. Strangely enough, there was no blood coming from these areas. Instead of the wide open wounds one would expect, the areas where the colt’s legs ended were capped with steel plates, and complicated wiring.

As Twilight wondered what tragedies this pony must have seen, she realized how late it had become. Celestia's sun now hung low in the sky, just touching the distant hilltops. Night was coming very, very soon. “Fluttershy, we don’t have time to run back,” Twilight said, “I’m going to have to use a spell to teleport us back to the library.”

Fluttershy nodded, and watched as her unicorn friend’s horn began to shine brightly. As the light enveloped all three of them, they flashed out of the forest, appearing moments later in Twilight’s library home.

“Spike,” Twilight called, “We need towels, a bucket of water, and a first aid kit, now!”

“What’s the rush, Twi?” Spike asked from upstairs. Although Spike was happy to oblige nearly any request, he nearly dropped his entire load when he saw the trio in the living room.

Noticing the shocked expression Spike was wearing(and not wanting him to suffer such a sight), Twilight told him to go get the guest bed ready. As he left, she thanked him, and told him, “don’t worry, everything will be alright.”

The next several hours were spent nursing this poor colt back to a relative state of health. They washed all of the blood from his coat and golden mane, careful not to put much pressure around the bruises. Then, Fluttershy went to work stitching the major injuries closed, whilst Twilight bandaged the less serious wounds.

As she worked, Twilight couldn't help but wonder where this pony had come from. She knew that he couldn't be from Ponyville; Pinkie would've thrown a party for him by now, and the way this colt seemed to fall through the sky suggested that he was brought here by some sort of teleportation. But, he isn't a unicorn...Twilight thought. It was true, this figure was a simple earth pony. As she pondered if he had been sent to them by a higher power, she began to notice his cutie mark.

She had to stop what she was doing when her eyes rested upon that mark; it was unlike anything she'd ever seen! Being a scholar in magic, Twilight had knowledge of arcane circles that were used to aid in casting more powerful spells, but this design was unfamiliar to her. A large circle enclosed several criss-crossing streaks, coming together to form a large star. In front of that was what appeared a magnificent cross, wrapped loosely by a single serpent. A pair of wings adorned the top of this design, tying together its majestic complexity. As Twilight tried to make sense of the many mysteries surrounding this peculiar pony, a call from Fluttershy snapped her back into dressing his wounds.

When it was all over, Twilight levitated their ‘patient’ up the stairs, and into the guest bed. She thanked Fluttershy for all of her help, and offered for her to spend the night, rather than walk all the way home. Fluttershy, however declined, on the grounds that she had to make sure Angel wasn’t staying up late again. After saying their farewells, Twilight let out a sigh, and collapsed on her couch.

Waking Up

Alphonse slowly pulled himself back into consciousness. He groaned as pain split his head. How long have I been out? He wondered. Taking a look around, Al quickly realized two things. First of all, he was alone. No Edward, no one at all. Secondly, he was being held in what appeared to be some kind of prison. No, not a prison, he thought, more of a…dungeon? What’s going on? Al wondered.

Al fought back the panic clawing at his mind and pushed himself to his hooves. Trotting over to the cell’s entrance, he took a look around. Aside from the one he was in, there were five similar cells in this ‘dungeon.’ Sadly, Ed wasn’t present in any of them. Sighing, Al continued to observe his surroundings. Besides the additional cells, all Alphonse could see was a small doorway. That must be the exit, he figured.

Unsure of what else to do, Alphonse shuffled his feet, then called out to his captor, “Hello? Is anyone out there?” If whoever had put Al in this cell was outside of that door, Al was sure that he could talk his way out. They may even know where Edward is! Al hadn’t done anything wrong, right? Of course he hadn’t. Al just wanted to get back to his brother and go home.

Al’s eyes lit up when he saw the door begin to creak open. He was about to voice his gratitude when he saw the figure answering his pleas. The creature who had opened the door, and was now approaching Al’s cell, was definitely not human. It appeared to be some sort of stark white miniature horse, but not one like Al had ever seen. He had eyes like a human, for one, coupled with a very serious expression on his face. On top of that, he was sporting a gleaming golden helmet and plate armor, and, if Al wasn’t mistaken, had a pair of majestic white wings tucked in to his sides.

When the figure had finally reached Al’s cell door, he said, “You called, sir?”

Al was shocked. A talking horse? Forgetting all of his previous questions, he simply asked, “What are you?”

A bit put off, the visitor responded, “I’m a pony, the same as you.”

Alphonse froze. Since he’d awoken, the one thing he hadn’t looked at was himself. Why should he? Everyone knows what they look like. Al hadn’t even realized he’d been standing on all fours. It’d just been so…natural. He gave himself a quick once over. Sure enough, Alphonse had somehow become a pony. His coat was a light grey in color, and his tail matched his dark blonde hair color from when he was human. Aside from the whole pony body situation, the only thing Al found strange was a red arcane symbol upon each of his flanks. It didn’t look like any transmutation circle he’d seen, but it seemed eerily familiar…he quickly dismissed this mark, eager to get back to conversation with a very confused pony.

“Why are you wearing armor?” Al asked.

“I am one of Canterlot Castle’s Royal Guard. It’s customary,” the guard answered. His words were simple and concise.

Now that he knew his probable location, Al asked, “Why am I being held here?”

The guard began to unlock the cell, and rather than answering simply said, “The Princess would like to see you now.”

Alphonse followed the pegasus out of his cell, towards the door the guard had come through. Once through, they were joined by a nearly identical pony, who took his position and walked in silence. Al decided it would be best to stand on ceremony with these “Royal Guards” and kept his mouth shut. After traveling up a small staircase, the three proceeded through a second door, and into a huge corridor.

Al couldn’t believe what he was seeing! What he imagined was Canterlot Castle was massive! The ceiling seemed like it was miles above his head, and he was sure the hallways were at least 50 ponies wide. He kept following his escorts, uttering the occasional ‘ooh’ or ‘ah’ at the various stained-glass windows that the castle seemed to be full of. Looking through, Al could see the morning sun hanging low in the sky, giving him an idea of the time of day.

The guards finally came to a stop at the end of a hallway. Looking ahead, Al saw that they had stopped in front of an enormous doorway. The door itself stretched all the way from floor to ceiling, the centre accented by a depiction of a massive, blazing sun. Standing in front, guarding the door, were two black unicorns, dressed in a silver version of the same armor as your winged escorts.

“We’ve brought the stranger,” informed the pegasus who’d opened your cell.

The two unicorns nodded, but did nothing to open the monstrous door. As Al wondered what they could be waiting for, he saw the guards’ horns begin to glow brightly. Alphonse watched in awe as the entire door was enveloped by the same light, and began to slide open. Once it was opened enough for three ponies to pass through, the light faded, and the pegasi began to trot through the opening. Al followed, still amazed as he watched the door close behind him in the same way.

“Your majesty,” began one of Al’s escorts, “we’ve brought you the prisoner.”

Al turned around to see a new pony facing him. He could tell from its gentle face that this one was definitely a female. She had both wings and a horn, and was dressed with a modest tiara and necklace. She didn’t need to be wearing shining armor to catch Al’s eye, though. She was notably much taller than the other ponies, and had a mane and tail whose many colors flowed majestically. Alphonse was sure that this was the aforementioned Princess.

She smiled at him, and said, “Good morning, my little pony.”

A confused-sounding shout pierced Twilight Sparkle’s peaceful dream state. It was just getting good, too! A handsome unicorn stallion had just invited her home to discuss Star Swirl the Bearded’s most spellbinding work, when the noise had snapped her back to Ponyville. She could see Spike in the kitchen, preparing a breakfast of grass pancakes.

“Morning, Twi,” he said, before nervously asking, “You uh, gonna go take care of that?”

Twilight groaned, and nodded to her companion. She dragged her hooves up the stairs and into the bedroom. Inside, she found the mysterious colt staring at his own hoof. He hadn’t seemed to notice her at first, but once her hoof hit the hardwood floor, the colt’s gaze shot up to Twilight. He wore a look of confusion and fear.

“You!” he shouted, “just what the Hell is going on here?!”

Twilight nearly smacked the colt. Fighting back her anger at his ingratitude, she said plainly, “my friend and I found you injured in the Ever Free Forest last night. It’s a dangerous place, you know. We brought you here and cleaned you up.”

The colt’s terrified expression seemed to fade, although he still seemed thoroughly confused when he said, “Where exactly am I?”

Twilight’s expression softened, knowing this pony was willing to cooperate. She answered with, “You’re in the Ponyville Library, in Ponyville, Equestria.”

“So that would make you and I…ponies.” I guess the transmutation worked, to an extent at least.

“What else would we be?” Twilight asked, now as confused as her guest.

Slowly, a very awkward silence crept its way into the room. Neither pony said a word, just staring back to one another. Twilight’s gaze slowly drifted down to the colt’s missing foreleg. He traced her gaze back to his own shoulder, before she averted her eyes, ashamed to have been staring.

The colt motioned to his missing leg, “I guess this isn’t something you’re used to seeing.”

Twilight shook her head. “What’s all the metal for?” she asked.

Her visitor laughed and told her, “Even though my arm isn’t there, my brain’s still sending out signals to move it. I used to have a machine called auto-mail that picked up those signals. I’m sure you noticed my left leg is the same way.”

Despite not knowing for sure what an ‘arm’ was, Twilight nodded. She had indeed noticed his left hind leg bore the same strange casing. Confused, she asked him where these machines had gone.

“I’m not sure,” he answered, “I guess I must’ve lost them in the journey over here.”

Twilight’s eyes went wide. Journey…journey from where, through what? In a worried tone she said, “before I went out searching for you, I saw you fall out of a tear in the sky. Do you know what that was?”

The colt sighed and told Twilight that it had been a portal made to send him to his home, but apparently had instead brought him to Equestria. Apparently he had been trapped in an unfamiliar world, and now that he'd attempted to return home, this is where he'd ended up.

The colt’s face became serious, “I’m very grateful for you helping me,” he told her, “but I can’t stay here, I’d be a huge inconvenience.” Despite Twilight assuring him that she was happy to let him stay as long as it took, he continued, “I need to go out and find my little brother, and the only way I can take care of myself out there is if I can rebuild my auto-mail.”

This sparked an interest in Twilight Sparkle. Being a thinker, she’d love to build a machine! Especially to help somepony out! When she asked him what they would need, he told her that he had planned on doing this alone. After a small dispute, Twilight finally broke his stubborn attitude, but not without warning her about the difficulties they were sure to face.

“My friend Winry designed every aspect of my auto-mail,” he told Twilight, “even I only have a basic understanding of how it works, and we’d be doing it from scratch. On top of that, we’ll need to have surgical precision. We’re playing with my nervous system here.”

Twilight nodded, and began forming a plan, “I’ll get my friends,” she told him, “They can join us, they’re all very talented, I’m sure we can use their help. I’ll bring them over and we can make a checklist of how to go about the procedure.” Smiling, she added, “I’m Twilight Sparkle, by the way. Sorry for never properly introducing myself.”

“Edward Elric,” the colt replied, “Pleased to meet you.”

As Twilight strode back down the stairs, Spike asked her about their strange visitor. Everything from “is he okay?” to “what was that screaming about?” came up. Twilight did her best to fill in the poor dragon over breakfast, despite really not knowing much about Edward herself. Many of Twilight’s responses were simply, “he’s a friendly pony, you could always go talk to him yourself,” or, “you’d have to ask Edward.” She hadn’t meant to come off as rude, but she had a lot on her mind, and really didn’t have the answers Spike was looking for.

As Twilight was finishing her meal, she told Spike about their plan to fix Ed’s legs and set out to find her friends. The first to join her was Pinkie Pie. She hadn’t been very hard to find, all Twilight had to do was walk into Sugarcube Corner, where she found Pinkie playing with the baby Cake’s. Twilight barely had time to gather her thoughts by the time Pinkie piped up.

“Hiya Twilight,” Pinkie said, “what brings you here?”

Not sure where to begin, Twilight told her, “I’m going to need your help, Pinkie Pie.”

“Of course!” the party pony smiled, “whaddaya need?”

“It’s sort of a long story…”

“Okie-dokie-loki,” Pinkie said cheerfully, and with that, she told the Cake’s that she had to head out with Twilight, and the pair left the bakery and headed towards the Carousel Boutique. On the way there, Twilight filled Pinkie in on the major details of her predicament. As Twilight explained the gorier portions of her tale, Pinkie’s expression changed from one of shock, to one of worry. This colt definitely sounded like he needed a hand!

Twilight was grateful to finally arrive at the door or Rarity’s shop, Pinkie had asked even more questions than Spike! Must have something to do with her hyperactive personality, Twilight figured as they cantered inside. They had barely taken three steps inside when Twilight had to duck around a flying roll of fabric. Following the path of the fabric missile, the two friends could see a panicked Rarity, leaning over a sewing machine, designs scattered all around her immediate area.

“No, no, no, no, NO!”

“Rarity?” Twilight began, but was cut off by Pinkie.

“Watcha doing Rarity?” Pinkie asked eagerly.

Rarity spun around to face her friends, “Oh girls, I’m just having such an awful time!”

“What seems to be the problem?” Twilight asked.

Rarity sighed heavily, before telling them, “Ever since Fancy Pants got Canterlot’s upper class interested in my designs, I’ve been getting scads of orders from them. This is the biggest one yet, and I just can’t get the colors right! I’m supposed to be the next great designer in Equestria, and I can’t even complete one simple dress! I’m sooooo pathetiiiiiccccc!”

Twilight sighed, knowing this ordeal would cost them quite a bit of time. After several minutes of Pinkie and Twilight assuring Rarity that the dress she was working on looked ‘absolutely fabulous,’ Rarity had finally calmed enough to ask, “What brings you girls to my shop?” Sighing, (in relief this time!) Twilight recounted the details of the current situation.

“Your attention to detail and skill with assembly really help us out,” Twilight explained.

“Can you take a break to help us?” Pinkie asked, eyes pleading.

“Well of course I’m coming!” Rarity exclaimed. “My friends need me, and they’re certainly more important than some silly snooty strangers!”

Smiling, Twilight and Pinkie hugged their generous companion, and the trio went out searching once again. Fluttershy’s cottage, Sweet Apple Acres, and Rainbow Dash’s house were all located outside of Ponyville, so to save time, the three friends decided to split up. Rarity would go to see Fluttershy, Pinkie would take her Flycycle up to Dash’s place, and Twilight would persuade Applejack to take a break from applebucking to come and help. Once an hour had passed, they would meet back at the library. After they were all sure what they were to do, the trio took off, each eager to complete their tasks.

Rarity was the first to reach her destination. She figured it would be easy to convince Fluttershy to come back with her. If she enjoys helping ponies anywhere near as much as her animals, I’ll barely have to speak, Rarity thought. She knocked politely on Fluttershy’s door, and waited patiently.

As per usual, the door creaked open slowly. As Fluttershy crept into the opening, her ears perked up, “Oh, it’s you Rarity! Would you like to come inside?”

Rarity smiled at her best friends little quirks, but told her, “Sorry Fluttershy, but we haven’t got time today. We’ve got a bit of an emergency on our hands.”

“An emergency? Oh my goodness! It’s not another dragon is it? Please say it’s not another dragon!” Fluttershy began scanning the sky for clouds of smoke, shielding herself with a foreleg.

“No, nothing like that,” Rarity assured her timid friend, “Twilight has an injured colt at the library, and we need to go help him out,” she explained.

“Oh!” Fluttershy exclaimed, “He’s awake? Is he doing alright? He isn’t scared, is he?”

Rarity was shocked, “You know this pony?”

“Oh no, but I did help Twilight dress his wounds last night. If he needs help, we simply must go!”

Rarity was dumbfounded. She’d known this wouldn’t be a particularly difficult task, but she never expected this. She didn’t even have to try! Shaking off the initial shock, she and Fluttershy began to make their way towards the library.

Elsewhere…

Twilight had never heard so much noise coming from Sweet Apple Acres. Every few seconds she could hear a loud *crash!* or a *thump!*. Scanning the front of the farm, she couldn’t see Applejack anywhere. Before she went out to survey the orchards, Twilight spied Big Macintosh, plowing a nearby field. She galloped over to the mountainous red stallion and asked him if Applejack was around.

“Eeyup,” Big Mac shouted over the noise, pointing over a small hill.

Twilight thanked the eldest Apple sibling, and rush towards the spot he’d pointed out. Once she’d crested the hill, Twilight could see a barn she’d never noticed before. This barn seemed to be the source of all of the ruckus she’d been hearing. Nervously, she strode into the barn, to find Applejack and Rainbow Dash, hammering, screwing, drilling, and doing all sorts of construction.

Since she’d been hovering overhead, Rainbow soon noticed Twilight had come inside, and waved down Applejack as a sign to stop for a moment.

After a hoof point from Rainbow Dash, Applejack turned around to face her guest, “Howdy Twilight, what’s up?”

“What are you two doing in here?” Twilight asked.

Rainbow Dash floated down beside her friends, and answered Twilight with, “Come on, Twi. You remember when I was helping A.J. tear down that old barn! This is the new one she wanted to put up.”

“Yup, that just about covers it,” Applejack agreed.

Twilight nodded, her mind briefly turning to the day she’d tried to council Rainbow Dash for “vandalizing” Applejack’s property. She giggled a little at the thought before returning to the problem at hand. She quickly explained the situation to A.J. and Dash, who were more than willing to put their work on hold.

“Now that the roof’s up, we don’t need ta worry about rain gettin’ on the ground,” Applejack explained.

“Ready when you are, Twi,” Rainbow said, “I’ve been waiting for a break all day!” The three took off towards Ponyville, Applejack and Twilight struggling to keep up with the airborne Rainbow Dash. Twilight was thankfully everything had gone so smoothly today.

Somewhere in the sky…

Pinkie Pie was getting worried. She’d checked all over the sky for Rainbow Dash! She wasn’t in her house OR practicing aerial stunts! Pinkie had even checked all of Dash’s favorite spots to take naps, but nopony was there.

It had nearly been an hour since Pinkie and her friends had split up, and Pinkie would have to come back empty hoofed. Sighing, she started to descend on her crazy flying contraption, heading towards Sugarcube Corner. When she touched ground, she began to pack up her Flycycle, storing in her living area.

Pinkie started dragging her hooves off towards the library. She was sure Twilight would be upset with her. Oh well, she thought, maybe I can throw her an apology party! At the thought of a party, Pinkie’s ears perked up and her mood changed instantly! She was humming a little tune when she finally reached the library, and let herself in with a carefree bounce in her step.

Inside, she was greeted by Twilight, Fluttershy, Applejack, Rarity and RAINBOW DASH?!

“Rainbow Dash! Where were you? I couldn’t find you anywhere,” Pinkie whined.

“I was with Applejack,” Rainbow explained, “I didn’t know anypony was gonna be looking for me today,” she laughed.

“Come on girls,” Twilight said, regaining control of the room, “It’s time you all met Edward.”

First Steps

Alphonse was having a bit of trouble gathering his thoughts. Ever since those armored pegasi had brought him to see this princess, Al had been well looked after, to say the least. Once he had assured this Princess Celestia that he meant no harm to anypony, she had given him food to eat, and an actual bed to sleep in! No more dungeon for me, he thought.

Now, however, Celestia was seated across from Alphonse at a rather large table. The two had been eating lunch, while Al also took in the sights of the castle. Apparently, every room was as vast and empty as that first corridor Alphonse had been led through. Al could no longer focus on the architecture, though. Not with the princess staring at him like that. It was almost as if she was…studying him.

“I don’t mean to be rude,” he began, “but can I help you?”

Celestia didn’t ever break her gaze, but she did speak, “I’ve never seen you in my kingdom before. Where did you come from, Alphonse?”

Al bowed his head. He had known this would come up sooner or later, but how could he possibly explain it? He figured he’d start with the root of his problem, “Have you ever heard of alchemy?”

When Celestia shook her head, Alphonse requested a piece of chalk. Despite her curiosity at what Al could need chalk for, Celestia summoned a unicorn guard, issuing the order. He left with a hurried, “yes, your majesty,” and returned several moments later with a small piece of white chalk. Alphonse thanked the stallion, who simply nodded and took his leave. Once the unicorn had gone, Al grasped the chalk between his teeth and went to work.

He moved closer to Princess Celestia so that she could get a better view. Al lifted the tablecloth off of a section of the table, revealing the simple wood beneath. He began to very carefully mark on the table. He wasn’t used to not having hands to do this with, and he didn’t want to ruin his work. Celestia merely tilted her head, trying to make sense of what this young colt could possibly be doing. A few moments later, Alphonse had created a small design, primarily of circles and triangles, arranged into a mystical-looking arcane pattern.

Alphonse began his explanation with, “Alchemy is a science of understanding.” He apologized when he saw her blank expression, and informed the princess that he’d never explained alchemy to somepony else before. She quickly assured him that it was quite alright, and encouraged him to continue at what ever speed was possible for him. With a bout of confidence, Alphonse resumed his lecture.

“Alchemy is used to transmute objects,” he explained, “There are three main steps to the process: understanding what the object is composed of, breaking it down into its most simple form, and reconstructing it into something new,” Al said, as plainly as he could. He didn’t want to confuse his hostess any further.

Celestia already looked intrigued, and, after apologizing for interrupting, asked “Why don’t you just use magic to ‘transmute’ things? I know of a spell that can do very much the same thing. A student of mine used it to transform a rock into a hat once,” Celestia giggled at the sheer ridiculousness of what she had just said.

“There are two reasons for that, Princess,” Al said, “for one, where I come from, magic doesn’t exist; it’s just used to keep kids more entertained with the stories we tell. Up until I saw you and your guards use it for myself, I had no idea those sort of powers existed.”

Princess Celestia was shocked yet again. A place with no magic? She shuddered at the thought of all the tasks she couldn’t complete without the help of her power, raising the sun being the most dominant. Do they have no day or night where Alphonse comes from? She wondered.

Al continued, “The other problem is the most basic principal of alchemy; the law of Equivalent Exchange. An alchemist can’t transmute something to change the size of it, or what it’s made of. A rock and a hat are just too different; alchemy could never achieve a transformation like that.” Celestia stared at the young colt. Young… she thought. He was so young, and already knew so much about an art that she, the eldest princess of Equestria had never even heard of! Truly this was an amazing experience.

Al pointed a hoof to his drawing on the table. “This,” he said, “is a transmutation circle.” Celestia took a closer look at the design, understanding it a bit more now, analyzing it as Al explained its components, “The circular shape is used to keep the alchemist’s energy flowing, making the transmutation possible. The triangles are used to represent the four elements; water, earth, fire, and air. Finally, an alchemist draws runes throughout the array to control the energy, and have it perform the correct transmutation.”

Princess Celestia was beginning to understand. Well, the basics at least. Still, her curiosity got the better of her, “Can you show me?”

“Pardon?” Al said, a bit put off.

“Alchemy,” Celestia said plainly, “if you know this much, you must be an alchemist, right?”

Al shrugged, “I was an alchemist back in Amestris, but I don’t even know if alchemy works in this world.”

“In this world?” Celestia raised an eyebrow. Al never had answered her initial question, but the reason that a guard patrol had found Alphonse unconscious in Canterlot in the middle of the night was becoming clearer.

Upon hearing the princess’s comment, Al’s heart sunk, and he looked to the floor. Celestia softened her expression, telling Al that he didn’t need to dig through a painful memory. Al declined her offer, and after a moment to compose himself, began his tale, “Two years ago, my brother and I were fighting a battle to save our country. In the end, I managed to defeat our enemies, but not before they’d killed my brother, Edward.” Celestia was shocked; this boy had seen far too much for somepony his age.

Al went on, “I couldn’t let him go like that, I needed my brother to live on. Over our journey, we’d come across the Philosopher’s Stone, a mystical item that allowed me to ignore alchemy’s laws and bring him back, but not without losing my own life.” The princess’s eyes went wide. This colt was dead? Alphonse’s voice was trembling; it was obvious that these memories weren’t easy ones to deal with. Celestia could relate to the loss of a sibling, but she could never imagine a world without knowing Luna was alive. She took Al into a warm embrace, doing what she could to comfort the colt.

Al was stunned. It’d been a long time since he’d felt a warmth like that. Celestia’s motherly embrace nearly brought tears to his eyes. Breaking their hug, Al looked thoughtfully up at the princess before going on. He chuckled when he said, “I guess brother was just too stubborn though. When you die in our world…” He keeps saying ‘our world’, “You end up at the Gate of Truth. Once Ed was living again, even without the Philosopher’s Stone, he pulled me back from the gate and I was home again. After that, we couldn’t find Edward anywhere. For 2 years, all of our friends thought he was dead. Even though it seemed bleak, I just couldn’t believe them. I knew Ed couldn’t be gone, I could just feel it.”

“What happened to him?” Princess Celestia asked, unable to contain her worry.

Al smiled at her, “One day I found a way to talk with him. He told me that he had gone through the Gate, and ended up in another world. In the world Ed was stuck in, alchemy never existed, which is why he could never open the Gate to come home. Eventually, I made my way into that world to reunite with Edward.”

“But then, how did you come to be here, and alone?”

“After spending 2 months with Ed in a place called Munich, we thought we’d found a way to open the gate from our side and get home, even without alchemy. I guess we were too eager though, because during the journey back, something went wrong, and we were separated. That’s the last thing I remember before waking up in that dungeon.” Alphonse hung his head, Where are you, Brother?

Princess Celestia’s heart ached out for the poor boy. He was still so young, and already he’d been through war, death, and who knows what else? She longed to comfort the boy, but was unsure how to go about doing so. After a lot of thought, she carefully asked, “What will you do now?”

Al paused. He hadn’t really thought of that. Waking up in a strange new world can really throw a damper on one’s schedule. Then again, what else could he do? “If I ended up here, then there’s a good chance that Edward is somewhere in this world too. I’m going out to find him, as soon as I can,” Alphonse declared, with fire in his eyes.

“Even knowing nothing about Equestria? And without alchemy as well?” Celestia reasoned, “We have magic here, Alphonse; your transmutation circle is at least worth trying,”

Al was unsure, “I guess I can try, but, what would I transmute? Is there something you’d like to see?”

Celestia brought a hoof to her chin and began to think. She glanced about the massive room, looking for something, anything that Al could practice on. The walls were nearly bare; the massive room really was empty, save for the table they were at. I really must redecorate…she told herself. Her eyes finally settled on an empty plate. Using her magic, she levitated it over and set it down on the table beside Alphonse.

“Do you think you could show me what the beings in your world look like?” she asked.

Al looked a bit surprised, “How do you know that we aren’t all ponies?”

Celestia giggled, “One of my guards informed me that you were reacting strangely to ‘talking ponies’. I take it that you’re not accustomed to your current form.”

Sighing, Al said, “Well, you got me there. Guess I had to tell you sooner or later.” And with that, Alphonse went to work designing a new transmutation circle. This one was different from the first, but still looked pretty basic, at least to an amateur like Celestia. There were few runes in it, and the overall design was very…well, plain, for a conduit of arcane energies.

Al set the plate down on top of the circle, anticipation lighting up his eyes, “Here goes nothing!” Al slammed his front hooves onto the table, just touching the edge of the transmutation circle. Celestia’s eyes widened as a light began to emit from beneath the plate. Each of the lines that made up the mysterious array started shining brightly, giving the circle an immaculate look. After a few moments the light had completely encased the plate. Al was smiling widely. It had been a long time since he had used alchemy, and as long as the skill was at his disposal, he’d have a much easier time finding Edward!

With a quick flash, the light vanished. Princess Celestia looked to the plate’s old position and could not believe her eyes! The transmutation circle seemed to have vanished completely, a few small wisps of patterned smoke left in its place. A small white figurine stood in the wake of the transmutation. Its form was very confusing to Celestia. This creature had no muzzle, its mouth simply sat upon its face, with its eyes and an independent nose. Even stranger, the creature had a very short mane, and no tail whatsoever. On top of that, it was standing on two legs! Its forelegs simply hung at its sides, his hooves tapering into 5 small tentacle-like extensions. The creature’s entire from was wrapped in clothing, and it bore a cloak with what appeared to be a depiction of a snake wrapping a cross on its back.

Observing the statuette, Celestia tried to be as polite as possible when she asked Alphonse, “Just what do you call these things?”

Al laughed and told her, “That’s a human. In fact, that’s what I looked like, before I came here.”

The princess blushed, and quickly apologized for her rude comment. Al assured her that no harm was done. A few moments later, Celestia asked Al to follow her out of the dining hall, and he happily trotted beside her. She led him through several winding corridors, before finally arriving at a large, important-looking doorway.

Using her magic to open it, Celestia motioned for Al to follow. When he came through the doorway, his jaw dropped; this library was huge! Even Shou Tucker’s study in Central City can’t compare to this! Shelves, packed to the brim with books reached all the way to the ceiling! There must have been thousands of tomes, just on a single shelf! Al eagerly glanced up and down the lines of bookcases, which stretched out as far as the eye could see.

Celestia snapped him out of his trance when she spoke up, “This is our royal library. You’re welcome to use it to study our world before setting out for the unknown.”

Al thanked the princess profusely. This would be a huge help for him, and she knew it. She was just glad to help. He was about to get to work right then and there when Princess Celestia cut him off.

“I’ve got a few things to say before you dive into the books here, Alphonse,” she told him. Al nodded and waited for her to go on. “I run a school here at the palace. There are plenty of young unicorns studying there that I’d like you to get acquainted with. Friendship is very important to everypony, and I certainly don’t want to see you trapped in this place alone all of the time.” Celestia smiled, thinking back to Twilight Sparkle’s days in Canterlot where she’d done exactly that. Once Al agreed to spend some time getting to know other ponies, the princess continued, “Equestria is a large kingdom, Alphonse, and not one without its dangers. If you plan on going out into Canterlot, please take a guard with you, alright?”

Al agreed without hesitation. Truth be told, he was a bit intimidated by the thought of an entirely new world. Although, if the people were anything like their Princess, this would be a much easier place to get used to than Munich.

A thought crossed Al’s mind. “Princess,” he began, “would you mind if I went out right now? I could be staying in Canterlot a while, and I’d like to learn my way around.

Celestia smiled, “Of course, I’ll get a pair of younger guards to give you a full tour.”

Ten minutes later, Al was cantering out of the castle’s main gates, a strong white pegasus flanking both of his sides. Per Al’s request, the guards had removed their armor, so as not to attract any extra attention. The guards had no problem with it; their armor was heavy and stuffy, they nearly jumped at the chance to get it off for a while.

As his escorts led him by Celestia’s schoolhouse, Al began to wonder if staying in Equestria would be an acceptable course of action. He was sure he could get used to life in Equestria, maybe even easier than in Amestris. Once he found Edward, everything would be alright again. He began to reflect on his situation. If alchemy was possible, they should be able to return home pretty easily. However, it was also possible that this world’s alchemy works differently from the alchemy he was used to. On top of that, he was a pony! Who’s to say that he wouldn’t still be a pony if he DID get back to Amestris?

Al’s thoughts began to swamp his mind, but he quickly shook them away. If he didn’t pay attention to his guards-turned-tour-guides, the entire trek out would’ve been completely pointless. They’d covered a majority of Canterlot now, despite Alphonse frequently stopping to ask questions.

As the sun began to set, the superior of the two told him that he’d have to return to his room for the night. Al nodded, and continued to trot alongside his escorts. They led him back down the same streets, back into the castle gates, back through the magnificent halls of Canterlot Castle. Finally, the guards made a left turn, down into a hallway Al hadn’t been through yet. This one was a bit less exuberant than the others, but no less regal. Two more guards stood at the end of the hall, watching over a single wooden door.

These guards were different than before, though. Their coats were a pale grey, instead of a shining white. Their armor was made up of dark shades of blue and purple, a piercing blue eye staring out the chest piece. Rather than feathers, like the wings of the pegasi Al had seen before, these guards had what resembled bat wings protruding from their sides. To top off their menacing demeanor, these guards wore dark scowls, as opposed to the calm, cool expressions of the earlier guards leading Al in.

The nightmarish guard duo stepped out of the trio’s way, allowing them into a large bedroom. Al looked around what he could only assume was where he’d be staying in awe. Everything about this castle is just…perfect! He thought. A large bed sat in one corner of the room, across from which stood a small vanity with everything one could need for grooming and then some! Al could see there was another doorway, leading to his own bathroom! For a failed attempt at getting home, this day was turning out quite well.

Al nervously stole a nervous glance, back toward the now-closed doorway.

“Don’t worry about those guys,” one of Al’s escorts piped up, “they’re just Luna’s night guards.”

“They sure look upset about something,” Al remarked.

The second guard laughed, and told him, “They just like to maintain a ‘dangerous’ image. They’re just as noble as we are; hay, those two were the ones who brought you in last night!

Al thought for a second. Not only were those spine-tingling night guards just acting tough, but it sounded like he owed these particular two his life! Al asked the guards standing with him to thank the two that had brought him in, and with that, his escorts left him to his own devices.

Al took a few steps into his bathroom. It was a good size; nearly half as big as the bedroom itself! He poked around the medicine cabinet, eventually finding a toothbrush and toothpaste. As he dragged the bristles across his teeth, he eagerly planned out tomorrow’s schedule. I’ll hit the books first, and then maybe I can head out to the school…Al spit up the frothy paste from his mouth, and replaced his toothbrush where he had found it. Throwing himself onto the bed, Al let out a long, deep sigh, slowly drifting off to sleep.

Plans in Motion

Edward sat up in his bed, his back pressing against the headboard. He gazed out the window, looking upon Ponyville with curious eyes. It was amazing looking out on this world; these ponies were more like humans than Ed had expected. Looking out the window, he had been expecting a small village, something like Resembool, but to his surprise, Ponyville looked almost as big as East City. From his position in bed, he could see the town square, where what seemed to be a market was taking place. Ponies were selling all sorts of things, fruits, trinkets; one pony even had an art stand up.

Ed spied a large building that looked like it was made entirely out of gingerbread! He laughed at the sight of something so ridiculous, but was cut short by a very unwelcome sound; his own stomach. Edward groaned, reaching around his midsection, “It’s been nearly a day since I got something to eat,” he grumbled. Thinking back to the morning, he remembered Twilight saying she’d gone out to find her friends. Just great, Ed thought, I’m stuck in a bed, no auto-mail, and the only person—er, pony who can feed me could be anywhere.

Aloud, Ed shouted, “Damnit! I’m starving!” He hung his head, utterly defeated by circumstance. Ed was thinking of just going back to sleep; let Twilight wake him up when she came back. She’d already been gone for nearly an hour, according to the little clock on his bedside table. For a moment, Ed even considered trying to find his way to the kitchen on his own. After a few moments’ consideration, his stomach got the better of him, and Ed began to peel back the sheets covering his body.

The few seconds of preparation could have been the most intimidating times of Ed’s life. He glanced from his useless lack of auto-mail, down to the floor. After quickly estimating the distance, Ed leapt off of the bed! His hooves hit the ground at the same instant, but it wasn’t enough; Ed’s knees buckled, sending his legs sprawling outwards, and landing him smack on his belly.

Ed grumbled, shifting his weight through his legs, slowly this time. After a long struggle, and two failed attempts, he was finally standing. Well, sort of. It looked a bit awkward, a pony on two-and-a-half legs, and Ed sure felt awkward. He began to very carefully go about finding a way to gain some forward momentum.

Eventually, he settled upon a method of shifting his front leg forward, then pulling his rear end back to a standing position. This awkward sort of crawl slowly brought Edward across his room and out the door, leaving him at the top of a tall staircase. Groaning, Ed carefully dragged himself to the edge of the top step. After a few seconds to prepare himself, Edward began his descent.

Unfortunately for the young alchemist, that was as far as he made it. Lifting his hoof and stepping lower than the rest of his form was more than enough to topple his precarious balance, and he began tumbling head-first down the staircase, which turned out to be a lot bigger than it looked!

At the lowest level of the Ponyville library, the front door was beginning to creak open. Twilight and company had returned and were eager to meet this new pony, Twilight leading way, followed by Rainbow Dash, and the rest of the gang.

“He’s upstairs,” Twilight began, “let’s head up and—”

“Look out below!”

Edward’s tumbling descent had brought him careening right towards the group of ponies by the doorway. He crashed right into Twilight, the two smashing into a bookcase, promptly dislodging several of the tomes resting on top of it. Only her quick reflexes saved Rainbow Dash from a similar fate, and she sure wasn’t going to stay quiet about it.

“Bahahahahaha!” Rainbow cackled, falling over onto the library’s floor. She rolled around, clutching her sides, “He was upstairs alright, ha-ha!”

“Rainbow!” Applejack scolded her, “There ain’t nothin’ funny ‘bout ponies gittin’ hurt.”

“I must say though,” Rarity chimed in, “that is one way to make an introduction.” She and Rainbow shared a little giggle, before receiving a cold glare from Applejack.

By the bookshelf, Twilight was desperately digging through the texts, “Edward! Are you alright?!”

Ed poked his head up from a pile of tomes a few inches from Twilight, “Oh yeah, I’m alright,” he assured her, slowly working himself back to his hooves.

Sighing, Twilight motioned to the crowd, saying “I brought my friends along. This is—”

“I’m Rainbow Dash!” called a spunky cyan mare. Her chromatically-correct mane streaked with the radiant colors of a rainbow, with a tail to match. Ed could easily see the fire burning in her determined rose eyes.

Looking her up and down, Ed responded with, “You sure are! Let me guess, you must be the fun one,” he joked, earning a few disapproving glances.

“Oh yeah,” Dash replied, “way more fun than egghead over here,” she laughed, mussing up Twilight’s mane, prompting Twilight to shoot Rainbow a mean glare of her own. Attempting to light the mood, Dash said, “If you’re looking for a really fun pony though, that title goes to Pinkie Pie.” Rainbow made sure to put a lot of emphasis on the “really,” partly to honor her friend, but mostly to warn Edward.

Standing in the crowd, a very pink pony was having a very hard time containing herself; she was practically bouncing in place! No, scratch that, she was bouncing.

“That looks fun,” Ed said, “and you sure are pink. That must make you Pinkie Pie, right?” He laughed, although nopony else thought it was very funny.

Nopony but Pinkie Pie! She happily bounced up to Edward, giggling madly, “Yup, that’s meee!” She grinned wider than Ed had ever seen before. In fact it was getting a little bit disturbing. Finally, her mouth opened up again, “How long do you think it’ll take you to get better, huh? I hope it’s soon because I really want to throw you a party!”

“Pinkie Pie,” A.J. snapped, “t’ain’t no way to talk to our guest.”

Edward stared blankly for a minute, pondering the nature of what Pinkie had just said to him. “A…party?” he asked quizzically.

“Well, DUH,” Pinkie exclaimed, “I throw parties for every new pony in Ponyville! So when should I schedule for?!”

“Pinkie,” Twilight began, but Ed waved her off with his hoof.

“That all depends on you guys. After all, you’re here to help me out, right?”

“Right,” Twilight smiled. “Now, Edward, let me introduce you to the rest of my friends.”

As she walked over to the remaining three ponies, she was stopped by a delicate white hoof. The hoof belonged to an elegant ivory unicorn, her violet mane and tail expertly curled, and her eyes accented by just the right amount of baby blue eye shadow.

“I appreciate the offer Twilight, but I’m quite certain I can introduce myself,” she announced. Taking a few steps towards Edward, she extended a hoof, “I am Rarity, and it is a pleasure to meet you,” she smiled.

“Likewise,” Ed responded, awkwardly glancing at her outstretched hoof.

Taking note of his lack of legs to stand on, Rarity hurriedly withdrew her hoof, apologizing for such a silly gesture. With that, she stepped aside for the next pony in line, eager to hide her embarrassment.

A pale yellow pegasus was now to come. She trotted over to Ed, barely making eye contact. Her flowing pink mane did a very good job of obstructing her face; all that Ed could see was the circles she was tracing in the floor with her hoof.

“Uh…hi there,” Ed began, “what’s your name?”

Ed blinked. Twice. “Come again?”

A few of the others let giggles escape their mouths, and all that Ed could do was mull over a strategy to crack this shy pony’s shell.

“This is Fluttershy,” Twilight cut in, tipping her timid friend’s head up to match gazes with Edward. “She helped me bring you back here and treat your injuries.”

Ed smiled as warmly as he could, trying not to scare the poor filly, “Thank you Fluttershy. From the sounds of it, I owe you my life.” Blushing, Fluttershy quickly retreated into the crowd of familiar ponies. Finally, the last pony in the bunch broke out from the pack.

Ed’s newest acquaintance was the southern pony who’d spoken up before. Her orange coat looked a bit worn, like she’d been working on a farm or something. She strode over to Edward, and tipped her brown Stetson hat.

“Welcome ta Ponyville,” she said, “a pleasure makin’ yer acquaintance. Ah’m Applejack.”

Pointing to the three bright red apples that Applejack bore on either of her flanks, Ed joked, “I can see that.”

A.J. blushed, “Ah suppose that does sorta blow my cover, huh?”

“Actually, I’ve been meaning to ask; what exactly are those? You all seem to have them.” This latest remark from Edward elicited a loud gasp from all of the ponies in the room.

“You don’t know what a cutie mark is?” Pinkie gasped.

“A cutie what?”

“Cutie mark,” Twilight interrupted. “It’s a mark that appears on a pony’s flank when they find out what their special talent is. Even you’ve got one, Edward,” she said, pointing to the marking on his flank.

Craning his neck, Ed could see that he did, in fact, have a cutie mark. A cross, wrapped by a snake, two wings and a crown hanging above it; the insignia of Izumi Curtis proudly stood out, jet black against his pure white coat. He chuckled, “Yeah, I guess that makes sense.”

“What does?” Rainbow inquired. She was now eagerly studying this strange symbol, trying to make sense of it, and not having a very good time of it. As she stood back up, she began to notice…Edward wasn’t very big for a colt. Resting an elbow on his head, she laughed, “A better question would be, ‘how did you get so short?’” Rainbow Dash burst out into a fit of laughter, unaware of the little switch snapping inside of Ed’s brain.

“WHO ARE YOU CALLING ‘SO SHORT HE CAN’T EVEN REACH THE TOP OF THE BOOKSHELF TO FIND THE RIGHT BOOK?!” Ed thundered, lunging at Dash. Fortunately for her, he couldn’t make it more than a few inches before losing his balance, causing Rainbow to laugh even harder.

Still getting over the shock of Ed’s little outburst, Twilight decided it best to get back to the main conversation, “so, Edward, what is your cutie mark?”

“That’s the symbol of my teacher,” Ed stated plainly, returning to his hooves once again.

“Teacher?” Twilight asked, her eyes lighting up. As everypony else groaned in disapproval, Twilight continued, “What did you study?”

Edward’s eyes narrowed, his mouth curving into a sly grin. “Alchemy,” he replied.

A.J. looked extremely puzzled, “Alkuh-what?”

Twilight was having just as hard of a time, “I’ve never heard of that before, what exactly is ‘alchemy?’” she asked.

Laughing, Edward told her, “It’s not the easiest thing to explain on its own. Once I’ve got my auto-mail, I might be able to show you.”

“All the more reason to get to work,” Twilight smiled.

“Right,” Ed agreed. Turning to the group, he began his rallying call, “Listen up; I’m going to need all of your cooperation to do this.”

“RIGHT!” the six ponies called out, assuming a military style formation, complete with salute. I’m liking this…Ed thought.

“First off, we’re going to need to get our hooves on some steel and electrical cables,” Ed began, taking control of his lineup, “any ideas?”

Twilight spoke up, “There’s a place in Ponyville that sells building supplies; just write down the specifications and we can get some from there.”

“Excellent!” Ed exclaimed. “Next, we’ll some tools; hammers, screws; things to help shape the auto-mail.”

“Ah’ve got a heap o’ tools back down at th’farm,” Applejack chimed in.

“Perfect,” Ed went on, “Next, I’ll need somepony to design and assemble the auto-mail itself; someone who pays close attention to details and knows a lot about the pony’s form.”

“I’m just the pony for the job,” Rarity said proudly, “I design pony fashion; I’m sure a few legs won’t be too difficult.”

“Alright, if you’re sure you’re up to it,” Ed reluctantly agreed. “Now, onto the surgery…” A few of the ponies froze when they heard “surgery,” but quickly resumed their attentive stance. “Pinkie Pie,” Ed began, “I want you and Fluttershy to oversee the operation. Fluttershy can monitor the procedure, and Pinkie can be ready to run and get help if anything goes wrong.”

“Yes, sir!” Pinkie Pie called enthusiastically, saluting once more for emphasis. Fluttershy looked nervous, but took the responsibility on all the same.

“Thanks,” Edward said, “I’m counting on you two.” Moving on, Ed asked which two of the ponies were strongest. The unanimous conclusion came down to Applejack and Rainbow Dash, and Ed told them “I’ll need you two to hold me down during surgery. I’ll be in a bit of pain, and I don’t want to end up ruining the operation because I was flailing around.”

“I’m on it!” Dash assured him, she too saluting again.

“Don’t worry, pardner, we won’t let you move an inch.”

“Great, thanks you two,” Ed said, “lastly, Rarity and Twilight; I’ll need you two to connect my new auto-mail to the cables that are already there. They need to be connected at the same time, so make sure you two are in sync.”

“Of course,” Rarity said.

“That doesn’t sound too hard,” Twilight noted.

“Glad you think so,” Ed told her. As he went to make his final statement, Ed’s stomach cut in with a ‘statement’ of its own.

The sheer volume of Ed’s rumbling tummy was enough to send the six ponies to the floor laughing. Despite being a little embarrassed, Ed began laughing himself, enjoying the moment simply for what it was.

During all the ruckus, Spike had entered the library, returning from his zip lining session with the Cutie Mark Crusaders. Seeing everypony rolling around on the floor laughing, Spike couldn’t help but ask, “Would anypony mind telling me what’s going on here?”

Wiping tears from her eyes, Twilight managed to stifle her giggling long enough to say, “Good, you’re home Spike. Could you start a dinner for all of us?”

“Sure thing, Twi,” he replied, and set out for the kitchen.

Noticing the small new creature, Ed asked Twilight, “Who’s the little guy?”

“That’s just Spike,” she explained, “He’s my baby dragon assistant!”

Edward was little put off by this new information. Truly, this was a puzzling place he’d landed in. Puzzling, but not without its niceties. As he looked upon the still-giggling entourage of a full spectrum of candy-colored ponies, he couldn’t help but let out a sigh. He was lucky to have landed in such a friendly place.

That night, Twilight sent the Princess a very enthusiastic friendship report. It read:

Dear Princess Celestia,

I’ve made a new friend today. A strange colt from outside of Ponyville, Fluttershy and I met him last night, and he’s quickly taken a liking to all of my friends, as they have to him. Although this pony isn’t without his own troubles, we’re all trying our best to help him out.

The lesson I’ve learned from this experience is that ponies come in all shapes and sizes. At first, they may seem strange, or even scary, but deep down, we’re all ponies, and friendship can always find a way to prevail.

Always Your Faithful Student,

Twilight Sparkle

Chance Meetings

Alphonse slowly peeled his eyelids opened. Brushing the remaining sleep from his eyes, he slowly pulled himself out of bed and onto all fours. He’d been staying in Canterlot Castle for three days now, and Al was starting to get into the swing of things. True to his routine, he made for the bathroom, stepping into the shower.

He gripped the faucet in his teeth, slowly opening the pipes. He let the warm water wash over him for a moment, recounting the events of his stay in Equestria thus far. Since he’d met the princess, Al had spent most of his time reading in the library, and trading stories with Princess Celestia. Not today, though. Today was Friday, and today was the day Alphonse would finally take the princess’s advice and visit her school. As the water began to weigh down and flatten his mane, Al got to work cleaning himself off. He’d have to look good; first impressions can be very important.

Once he was out of the shower, Al made his way to the small vanity in his bedroom. He grasped a brush in his right hoof–a feat which was still a mystery to Al–and began taming his unkempt mane. It’s nearly as long as Brother’s, Alphonse laughed inwardly. Digging through drawers, Al was able to produce a small hair elastic. He grabbed the lower portion of his mane, drawing it together, and tying it into a ponytail.

Al snickered. He’d done this every day, and he couldn’t help but laugh at the irony. A pony with a ponytail¸ he thought, what are the odds? Once he’d gotten over his temporary giggle fit, Alphonse made his way to his bedroom’s door, where he was greeted by this morning’s guard shift.

“Morning Al,” the senior of the pegasi spoke, “sleep well?”

Alphonse knew these guards, and the night guards too. Celestia and her sister had left the same groups to watch over Al, and they’d gotten pretty familiar with the colt.

“You bet, Lieutenant Lightning,” Al replied, before greeting the other, “Good morning, Private Zephyr!”

“Hey Al. Need to go anywhere today? Or just back to the library?” the private teased.

Laughing, Al said, “Actually, I’m going to check out the princess’s school today.”

“Oh really? So do you need us to tag along?” the lieutenant offered.

Alphonse smiled, “No thanks guys, I can handle it on my own today. As long as you’re just guarding this room, go ahead and take the day off, I’ll get the princess to get you when I come back!”

Zephyr laughed wildly, “I know I’m a private, but I’m taking orders from a colt now?” he joked.

“Thanks for the offer, kid, but I think our Royal duties are a little important to blow off like that,” Lightning said.

Al sighed, “Well, can’t say I didn’t try!”

Both guards laughed heartily, and bid the colt farewell. Al steadily made his way toward the exit. He’d even gotten used to the castle by now; from Al’s room, it’s a simple right turn to find Celestia, and a left, followed by two rights to get to the castle gates. Needless to say, Al had gotten lost on more than one occasion. Not today though; Alphonse didn’t make a single wrong turn through the entire trip outside, and was greeted by the many sounds of Canterlot.

Al decided to take a walk around before going to the school. He’d barely left the castle and he certainly hadn’t been around the streets of Canterlot, not since his first night in Equestria. The city streets were brimming with two things in Canterlot; various shops, and unicorns. Al hadn’t seen many ponies outside of the castle, but he’d expected the population to be a bit more…diverse. However, aside from the odd earth pony manning a cart or a pegasus washing windows, Alphonse was the only non-unicorn around.

Al wasn’t about to let that get to him though, instead he just examined the many stores lining the streets. He could see one or two small restaurants near him, but he didn’t think much of it, since he was getting meals at the castle. A few designer clothes shops stood out, as well as several bakeries. All in all, not that different from an Amestrian market, right down to a few independent vendors selling their wares from stands.

Alphonse was having a fantastic time taking in the sights. So much so that he had lost sight of what was right in front of him. A large obstacle hindered Al’s progress, namely by bumping into him. Al heard a gruff “Oof,” followed by what sounded like shattering glass.

Fighting back a bit of fear, Al slowly looked up to assess the damage done. A blue mustachioed ivory unicorn stallion was shaking stars from his eyes, being helped to his feet by an elegant, pink-maned unicorn mare. The stallion wore an expensive looking black suit, obscuring most of his cutie mark, but Al could clearly see a trio of fleurs-de-lis upon the filly’s flank. Al hoped that he wouldn’t have to apologize en français.

“I’m so sorry,” Al began, “I wasn’t watching where I was going.”

“Quite alright, my boy,” the stallion spoke up, dusting himself off, “as long as nopony was hurt.”

Casting a guilty look to the ground, Al could see a rather large gathering of broken chunks of glass. “I really am sorry about this.” He motioned to the massacre.

“As I said, my boy, there’s really no need,” the stallion assured him, “It was just a little gift; someone had gotten me a small glass sculpture of Princess Celestia, nothing too uncommon.”

Al was still apologetic, “Maybe I can fix it for you,” he offered.

Laughing, the unicorn simply told Alphonse that glass is not so easily repaired. Without hesitation, Alphonse produced a small piece of white chalk, and began to design a circle around the rubble. The pair of unicorns he had bumped into were intrigued by his actions and arcane symbols alike, and a few others had come to see what all of the fuss was about.

Moments later, Al had completed his transmutation circle and was smiling slyly. Alphonse pressed his fore hooves to the edge of the circle, prompting a large flash, brought on by the alchemical reaction. In a few seconds, a flawless glass statue of Princess Celestia sat upon the cobblestone walkway.

“How in Equestria did you do that?” the mare asked incredulously.

“I say,” the stallion spoke up, “that certainly is a spectacle!”

Al blushed a bit, surrounded by a prying party of perplexed ponies. They began bombarding him with questions, up until the unicorn he had bumped into had been able to shoo away the rest of the civilians. Slowly but surely the small crowd dissipated, leaving just the three ponies standing in silence.

“Good to meet you, boy,” the stallion spoke up, “I am Fancypants, and this is my wife, Fleur.”

“Hi there,” spoke the aptly named Fleur de Lis.

“My name is Alphonse Elric,” he introduced, “it’s a pleasure meeting you too.”

“Now then,” Fancypants began, “there is simply no way that that could have been unicorn magic, seeing as you’re an earth pony. How in Equestria did you fix that statue?”

Al tried to shy away from the question; he probably shouldn’t be flashing his alchemy like that. Alphonse racked his brain trying to come up with some sort of explanation, his mind coming to rest on his own cutie mark. Although Al himself wasn’t sure what the strange circle meant, he told Fancypants that alchemy was his special talent, omitting the word ‘alchemy’ from his explanation.

This seemed to be enough for Fancypants, who smiled and said, “Well, young colt, I owe you a great debt for fixing my statuette.”

Fleur, who was now leaning onto Fancypants’ back exclaimed, “What an amazing talent; an earth pony with magic!”

“Thank you,” Al replied, “I try not to show it off, I’m sort of new in town.”

“Well, that would explain why I’ve never heard stories of your skill before,” Fancypants mused. “Truly there are some amazing ponies in Equestria!”

Al blushed. It had been a while since he’d gotten this sort of treatment for his alchemy. Back then, he’d always had to hide the nature of his armored body, and now he had to hide the nature of alchemy itself. If it wasn’t for his humble nature, Al might even feel cheated by destiny…

Fancypants wasn’t done his interview yet though, “So, Alphonse, what brings you to Canterlot?”

“I heard that it was a great place to study,” Al lied through a nervous smile. At least I’ll be prepared for the kids at the school…

“Ah yes,” the wealthy unicorn remarked, “Canterlot Library has volumes for just about any topic imaginable; a fine place to study.”

“Oh yes,” Al agreed awkwardly, not sure which way to take the conversation. “The princess is nice enough to give me full access to the castle’s tomes as well.”

“The castle?” Fancypants asked. “You know Princess Celestia?”

Al was worried. Perhaps he’d said too much. Again. Smiling, he carefully said, “Yes, she was kind enough to let me stay in the castle while I’m in Canterlot.”

Fancypants threw his head back, laughing wildly, “Imagine that, Fleur,” he called to his wife, “this is the second exceptional pony we’ve bumped into who’s been staying at the castle!”

Al found himself blushing again; exceptional was definitely a new compliment, and coming from such a seemingly high class unicorn. Suddenly, Al’s mind snapped to the words Fancypants had spoken, “There’s another pony staying at the castle?”

Clearing his throat, Fancypants explained, “Oh no, she’s long since returned home. I shall have to write her soon.”

“Oh, you mean Rarity, dear?” Fleur piped up. “She was simply darling! I hope she comes back this way soon.”

“Indeed, my dear,” Fancypants agreed.

“Anyway,” Al began, “I’ve really got to get to the school. It’s been really nice meeting the two of you!”

“And you as well, Alphonse,” Fancypants said. “If you ever need a favor, do not hesitate to come and find me.”

Al smiled, before trotting off toward the school. If the upper crust is this friendly, just imagine a town like Resembool…

In Ponyville…

At the Carousel Boutique, an uncharacteristically dirty ritual was taking place. Rarity was nearly finished putting together Ed’s auto-mail legs; an impressive feat for a pony that’d never worked with machinery heavier than a sewing machine. She had done her best to follow Ed’s depiction (which was not exactly a detailed diagram), etching channels along the front plating of the pieces, but mostly followed her own ‘fabulous’ design. Rarity had tried to get Edward to let her add some jewels to give his legs an extra ‘flair,’ but Ed had written the idea off, complaining about being too ‘flashy.’

The seamstress levitated a small screwdriver, tightening up the last of the joints. After splashing some oil over the moving parts, Rarity stepped back to inspect her work. Each leg would be the perfect length; she had taken care to make Edward’s measurements perfect. The strange pieces of metal did have an alien aura about them, but still appeared as familiar as anypony’s two legs. Satisfied with her work, Rarity decided she’d bring the auto-mail to Edward to see what he thought of it.

The walk to the library was a bit more difficult than Rarity had anticipated. Her creations not only protruded awkwardly from her saddlebags, but being made from steel made them very heavy! She struggled her way through Ponyville, earning awkward glances at the strange machines poking out of her packs. When she’d reached the door to Twilight’s home, she knocked loudly, eager to remove the load from her back.

“Rarity,” Twilight smiled as she opened the door. “Come on in.”

Stepping inside, Rarity began to observe the uncharacteristically empty Ponyville Library. “Where’s Spike?” she asked. Usually he’d have been vying for her attention by now.

“Oh, he’s playing chess with Ed upstairs. I came down here to study while it was still quiet,” Twilight explained. She gazed at the packs on Rarity’s back, but more importantly the things sticking out from them. “What have you got there?” she asked.

Rarity smiled proudly, “I have just finished assembling Edward’s prosthetic legs, and I thought I would drop by to show him! I’m quite certain he’ll be quite excited.”

“I’m sure he will too, Rarity,” Twilight smiled. After handing off one of the saddlebags to Twilight, the pair of unicorns slowly made their way up the staircase.

Edward was sitting up in bed, with Spike and a small table off to one side. A chess board with several removed pieces sat on the table. When he heard hoofsteps, Spike turned to look out the door. “Hey Twilight, hey Rarity,” he said almost blankly, as if he’d barely even noticed the girls come in. Ed smiled and waved a hoof at the approaching fillies.

“How’s the game going guys?” Twilight asked enthusiastically.

“I think I’ve got him this time,” Spike said, determination in his voice.

Ed laughed, “Yeah, he’s a fiery little guy. He’s barely let me stop playing to sleep!”

The pair of unicorns laughed a bit, before sitting back to watch the game. Spike made a bold advance on Edward’s side of the board with his bishop. Spike crossed his arms, and smiled a very cocky smile. Edward grinned slyly, before grabbing his own knight, simultaneously taking Spike’s bishop, and cornering his king between a knight, rook, and queen. Spike was dumbfounded. His jaw dropped, prompting a giggle from the pair of fillies sitting beside him.

“Sorry buddy, better luck next time,” Ed smiled. Spike just crossed his arms. Ed chuckled, before turning to the ivory unicorn, “Nice of you to visit, Rarity.”

“And it is good to see you’re well, Ed,” Rarity smiled warmly. “I’ve finished working on your auto-mail.”

Ed’s eyes lit up, “That’s amazing!”

Giggling, Rarity pulled a bag off of her back, with a steel leg poking out the top, “It’s right here if you’d like to see it.”

“Yeah, absolutely!”

Twilight levitated the false legs onto the bed, next to Edward, who quickly lifted one, looking it up and down. He checked everything; the lengths, joints, even the overall design of it. Seemingly satisfied with Rarity’s work, Ed practically sang, “This is amazing! It’s almost exactly like Winry’s! Rarity, you are the best!”

Rarity was beaming. Flipping her mane back playfully, she told Ed, “Really dear, it was no big deal.”

“It’s a huge deal,” Ed yelled. Calming down, he somberly said, “You’ve given me a leg to stand on, and for that, I can’t thank you enough.”

Rarity blushed deeply. At a complete loss for words, she simply nodded in recognition of his gratitude.

“So,” Spike prodded, after a few moments of silence. “Can we put it on now or what?”

Ed turned hopefully to Twilight, who just laughed at the gesture. “Sorry, Ed, but we need to tell everypony about this first. Applejack especially can get very busy, we’ll need to make a plan.”

“Then let’s get the word out!”

Back in Canterlot…

After his run in with Fancypants, Alphonse had decided to head straight to the school, lest his alchemy attract any more attention. He weaved through the grid of city streets, trying to remember the layout of Canterlot from his night out with the guard patrol. Eventually, he found himself in front of a very large, elegant structure. Several towering spires protruded from its left and right sides, and a sizeable statue of Celestia sat in the center of a walkway leading to the towering double doors.

“I think I found it,” Al muttered sarcastically. As he trotted lazily toward the entrance, Al felt something he hadn’t before. When he’d woken up, he was nothing but excited to visit Celestia’s school, but now...since Al had left, there’d been a tug in the pit of his stomach. He was nervous, terrified even. Al hadn’t spoken to anyone his own age for six years, save for Winry! He wasn’t sure he even knew how to be a teenager. He had begun to lift a hoof to open the doors when he thought; maybe I should just head back...

No sooner had the thought crossed his mind than the long ringing of a school bell pierced his eardrums. Before Al could so much as react, a mob of pastel-shaded ponies burst through the doors, shoving him aside quite forcefully! Once the rampaging storm of school ponies had subsided, Al managed to piece his mind back together, but before he could get to his feet, a shadow crept over him.

From above, a soft voice cautiously asked, “Uh, hey, are you alright?” A young white unicorn pony was holding out a helpful hoof. Al took the help to his feet, and thanked the filly, assuring her he was just fine. She was pretty cute for a pony; she had sparkling crimson eyes and a wavy red and pink mane that fell along her neck. A trio of stars creating a semicircle around a crescent moon sat upon each of her flanks, a rather mysterious cutie mark.

“I’m Moondancer,” she smiled warmly, “I haven’t seen you around before, are you a new student?”

Al cleared his throat. “Actually, I’m not a student at all. You can’t really go to a unicorn school if you aren’t a unicorn,” he joked.

Moondancer glanced up at Al’s empty forehead. “I guess that’s a pretty good point,” she laughed. “So then, what are you doing here?”

Where to begin? “I just got to Canterlot a few days ago, so I was hoping to make some friends here.”

The unicorn’s ears perked right up. Eyes shimmering, she said, “Well, I’m having a little get-together this evening. You wanna come?”

Al was a little taken back. He was expecting to chat with two or three ponies, but so far this visit to the school was going very strangely. After a few moments’ consideration, he simply said, “Sure, but I’ll have to check if the Princess wants me around tonight. Is that okay?” Al asked nervously.

Now it was Moondancer’s turn to be shocked. “You know Princess Celestia?!”

Al practically slapped himself in the face. He’d slipped up again. So much for blending in like a normal little pony. “Yeah,” he began, “I’ve been staying in the castle with the Princess.”

Moondancer’s jaw practically hit the ground. She stuttered for a few moments before finally asking, “would you – I mean, would it be okay if I – uhm, can I come back with you?’ she pleaded. “I’ve always wanted to meet Princess Celestia!”

Al really wasn’t sure how good of an idea it was to be taking random ponies in for an audience with royalty. Even so, he just couldn’t say no to those eyes. Confound these ponies... and with that, the pair set out, heading back towards Canterlot Castle. For a few moments, not a word was spoken, silence eaten up by the bustle of the big city.

Finally, Moondancer spoke up, albeit very nervously. “I’m sorry,” she said, “I’m dragging you off to the castle and I don’t even know your name.”

Al just laughed, prompting a perplexed expression from his new companion. “Don’t apologize; it’s not like I wasn’t heading there anyway. Besides, I came out here to meet ponies! I’m Alphonse, how about you tell me a little about yourself?”

And so they walked while Moondancer told Al a bit about her background. Apparently, it was her 4th year at Princess Celestia’s School for Gifted Unicorns, and she was very proficient with magic. Despite all of her time spent on school, Moondancer somehow managed to find time for one of her “little get-together’s” at least once in a fortnight. According to her, tonight was unlikely to be Al’s only experience at one of Moondancer’s events.

“I like to have people around, it’s great to see them all having a good time,” she said happily. All of a sudden, her mood drifted downwards, “I sure do miss Twilight though…”

Al was a little puzzled, “Who?”

“Oh, sorry,” Moondancer blushed. “Twilight Sparkle, an old friend of mine. She moved out of Canterlot a while ago, and I haven’t so much as heard from her since…”

“I know that feeling.”

Moondancer looked up at Al, who was wearing a comforting smile, “I’m sure she’s just been busy,” he assured her.

“Well, she is Celestia’s apprentice.”

Another bomb dropped into Alphonse’s poor, blank mind, “She’s what?”

“Princess Celestia took Twilight in as her personal protégé.,” Moondancer said plainly. “She studied more on her own than at the school, really.”

Although he was still a bit shocked, Al went back to smiling, “In that case, I’m sure we can get the princess to contact her for you.”

Letters from Canterlot

In Canterlot...

Al and Moondancer happily trotted through the city streets, making light conversation, and even cracking a few jokes. As the youngest Elric had expected, their visit to the castle had gone nothing short of swimmingly.

Moondancer had expected the guards to deny her entrance, even with Al. Such was not the case, however. In fact, Moondancer probably could’ve just walked right in on her own! ‘I’m friends with Twilight Sparkle,’ (despite how silly Al found that name) was practically an all-access password for the guard!

Even the princess herself didn’t exactly stand on ceremony with the pair. Al was used to it by now, but Moondancer’s jaw practically hit the floor when Celestia said, “Hiya kiddo!” Of course, this wasn’t a side the Princess let most ponies see, but even she needed a break once in a while.

After a long, friendly chit-chat, Celestia promised to deliver a letter that Moondancer had penned to Twilight, before the unicorn and earth pony left for Moondancer’s place. It was nearly six o’clock, which left the filly about thirty minutes to prepare for the onslaught of ponies rushing in to join her little party, and she wanted Al around to properly introduce him.

Sure enough, a plethora of unicorns, fillies and colts, poured into Moondancer’s property. Party games, gossiping fillies, and a whole lot of cake eating consumed Al’s evening. The party had lasted longer than anypony had expected, as it was nearly midnight now that Al was heading back to the castle. Fortunately, he knew the night guards would let him in, and he ought to be able to slip into his room relatively noiselessly.

“A little bit late, eh there sport?” a guard at the main gate taunted. “We were about ready to send out looking for you!”

Al sheepishly rubbed a hoof across the back of his head. Failing to find any words for a reply he simply shrugged and continued on his way. Navigating through the castle’s many corridors; Al made his way back to his room, waving lazily to the guards outside his door. Finally... he thought, hurling himself onto his bed, time to sleep.

The following morning, Ponyville...

Twilight Sparkle scrunched her nose in frustration. Today was the day where everypony would finally help Ed attach his false legs, she knew he’d be ecstatic over it! So then, why was he just sitting there? He stared blankly out the window, not even responding to his host. He may have been a bit quiet over the past few days, but honestly, this was ridiculous!

“Edward?” Twilight tried again, “What’s the matter?”

Finally, the mysterious young pony turned to face the unicorn.

“I’m scared, Twilight.”

Twilight could hardly believe what she’d just heard. “You mean, about the operation?” she asked.

Ed finally smiled, chuckling a bit, “Yeah, I guess there’s that too.” His head sunk.

He certainly is a puzzling pony... Putting on her best comforting face, Twilight rested a hoof on Edward’s shoulder. “You can talk to me.”

Ed brought his gaze up and smiled weakly. Brushing her hoof off as politely as possible he said, “I’m sorry Twilight, but not yet.”

Twilight sighed, “Can I at least get you to eat some breakfast?” she joked.

“Ooh! What’s on the menu?!”

Ed and Twilight exchanged a few shocked glances. Ed mouthed a ‘what is that?’ which Twilight replied to by simply shrugging her shoulders.

“Hellloooooooooo?” Pinkie Pie (for of course, it was she!), was now rapping on the window, occasionally stopping to wave at the ponies inside.

Surprisingly, Ed was the first to speak up, “Pinkie, how are you knocking on a second storey window?!”

“I’ve got balloons, silly!” Sure enough, several balloon strings had been wrapped around the party pony’s waist, and were (apparently) suspending her in the air. Ed’s jaw practically hit the floor. Twilight was giggling uncontrollably.

“Come on guys,” Pinkie pleaded, “meet me in the kitchen so we can eat!

Later...

After getting over the initial shock of the bouncy pink intruder, Ed had been able to greatly enjoy his breakfast, accompanied by three of his new friends. Pinkie hadn’t said much (as her muzzle was filled with flapjacks), but Twilight was constantly asking questions about the operation and scrawling notes onto a scroll. It was clear that she was far more nervous than Ed about the whole situation.

Once breakfast was over, Twilight levitated (they decided it was the best way to move Edward around the library) Ed onto a stretcher she’d borrowed from the nurse. Although it wasn’t fully equipped, various machines surrounded the head of their makeshift bed, as this was where they’d be performing their delicate operation.

A few of the ponies had offered to ask the hospital for help with Ed’s surgery, but he’d decided it’d be better for them to go it alone. Nopony in town had even seen Edward before. He’d wait till he could walk to go out into Ponyville.

A short while later, four familiar faces filed into the library’s door. Nopony said a word as they fastened several monitoring devices to Edward’s exposed metals. Once the diagnostics were running, Pinkie and Fluttershy took a seat, carefully watching all of Edward’s vital signs. Next, Rarity and Twilight each took a position; Twilight stood by Ed’s foreleg, while Rarity took his back left.

Next the muscle came in. Applejack removed her hat before approaching Ed’s bedside, and for once, Rainbow Dash had her wings tucked tightly by her sides. Everypony knew what was at stake here, but if all went well, there would be no cause for worry.

Ed began his walkthrough of the process, “Twilight, Rarity, bring the auto-mail up to the sockets on my body. It should click when it’s in place.”

The pair of unicorns obeyed, each levitating a limb at their own pace, earning the small sound of metal snapping into place.

“Applejack, Rainbow Dash, that’s your cue.”

Ponyville’s top athletes moved in, each pressing their weight down onto their patient. If they could help it, he wouldn’t be moving an inch. Fluttershy noticed Ed’s heart rate rising. She knew he must be nervous, but took note of the change nonetheless.

“Alright girls. This is it; take your time.”

Pinkie stood up, ready to rush for help at a moment’s notice. A.J. and Rainbow Dash braced themselves for the oncoming struggle. Twilight turned her attention to Rarity. They waited one...two...three seconds. Nodding in unison, the unicorns each threw a final switch, connecting Ed’s nerves to his new auto-mail.

The pain may have been familiar, but Ed’s new body wasn’t used to this sort of strain yet. Ed let out a near bloodcurdling howl the moment the jolts shot through his nervous system. Applejack grit her teeth, straining to hold Ed down, while Rainbow had taken to flying downward into him to gain a little extra power. His body was shaking, despite his best efforts, and his heart rate was skyrocketing.

“Edward!” Twilight cried.

“I’m fine,” Ed assured through clenched teeth. “It’s just my body reacting!” he called through several pained grunts.

Several minutes passed, while Edward continued to flail about. Twilight had joined the effort to keep him down, slamming her eyelids shut as she put all of her strength into keeping him down. Eventually, Ed’s spasmodic motions ceased, and Twilight breathed a sigh of relief.

“Edward?”

When no answer came, Twilight peeled her eyes open, to find Ed’s lids dropped shut. Oh no... Twilight threw her ear down over his chest and waited...after what seemed like an eternity, she felt Ed’s chest heaving, before letting out a second relieved sigh.

Looking up at her friends’ expectant faces, Twilight said “He’s alright.”

Everypony was glad to hear her say that, each expressing their joy differently. Pinkie helped a very startled Fluttershy catch her breath, while Rainbow took off into a series of flips in the air above the group. Applejack just smiled while Rarity did her best to suppress a flood of tears.

“Job well done girls,” Twilight smiled, “Let’s get him back to bed.”

Ed lazily rolled onto his back. Yawning, he began to brush the sleep from his eyes with his hoof…his right hoof. Ed’s eyes shot open. He held his new auto-mail in the air, examining it, testing it. He flexed it about for a moment, before scrambling to remove the sheets. A similar machine had been clamped onto his left hind leg. It worked…

“YES! FINALLY!”

In the lower level of the library, six ponies (and one dragon!), burst into uncontrollable laughter.

Wiping a tear from her eye, Twilight Sparkle announced, “I think he’s awake.”

The group of friends waited, and before long, Edward began to make his way down the staircase. His new auto-mail gently clanking each time his hooves hit the ground, Ed held his head high as he descended, stopping at the bottom to wave a mechanical hoof at his companions.

“It’s perfect,” he smiled.

Ponyville’s friendliest fillies rose to meet the rejuvenated colt, each taking there turn examining their handiwork.

“I’m glad it’s functioning properly,” Twilight grinned.

“I’m just happy you’re alright,” Fluttershy nearly whispered.

“It’s so cool!” Dash marveled.

“Indeed; you look fabulous,” Rarity agreed.

“And Ahm sure glad we won’t have to carry y’all around anymore,” A.J. joked.

Ed awkwardly rubbed behind his neck; doing his best not to let all of the attention rush to his head. That was when he realized, one pony failed to make a peep. Of all the ponies, to stay quiet...

“Hey, what happened to Pinkie?” Rainbow wondered aloud, prompting the others to notice the absence of a certain bouncy pony. Casting a glance around the room, Twilight’s gaze rested upon a small scrap of paper taped to the exit.

Levitating the document over, she gave it a quick onceover. Smiling, she said “Not to worry, everypony. She left to plan Ed’s welcome party!”

The rest of the ponies burst into another fit of laughter, the usual result of Pinkie’s antics. Of course, Edward remained oblivious to what ever it was that everypony else was laughing at. Finally, he broke through the wall of sound, “Welcome party?”

Barely stifling her giggles, Rainbow teased, “Oh, right. You’re new here!”

Fighting back the urge to hit something, Ed tried again, “So she’s throwing me a welcome party?”

“But of course,” Rarity explained, “She has a party for everypony new in town.”

Twilight nodded, “Just a part of Ponyville! She wanted to have it earlier, but she decided it’d be more fun for you if you were back on your feet first. Believe me, it took an awful lot of restraint on her part.”

Ed was shocked. Well, maybe not shocked, more like, very pleasantly surprised. His mouth spread into a wide smile, he hadn’t seen this kind of hospitality since his first trip to Liore! Okay, bad example, but that Rose was a sweetheart!

“So,” Twilight continued, “She’ll be back later, how about we show you around town in the mean time?”

Ed flexed his auto-mail again, “Sounds good to me.”

Canterlot Castle...

Celestia eagerly ducked into her quarters. It had been a long morning, and she was glad to finally catch a break. With Al still sleeping off the previous night’s events, she had all the time she needed to relaxing. Strolling past a small table, she noticed a lone scroll resting upon it.

Unfurling the letter, she quickly scanned its contents. Oh! I forgot to send Moondancer’s letter to Twilight. Reading it over, Celestia giggled a little. She knew she shouldn’t be reading a private letter, but she was happy to see that Moondancer and Twilight’s friendship hadn’t died out, despite the obstacle placed in front of it..

After a moment’s consideration, Princess Celestia penned a letter of her own. Not much, just a quick, “hello, how are you? This is how I am,” just enough to keep her student in her life. With a quick wave of her horn, both letters were sent.

Outside Sugarcube Corner...

Twilight and company had given Ed the grand tour of Ponyville, from City Hall, all the way out to Sweet Apple Acres! To Ed’s surprise, he’d hardly seen a single pony in town, aside from the five leading him around. Strange, he’d been under the impression that quite a few other ponies lived in town. Of course, the others were all fully aware of where everypony had disappeared to, but they weren’t about to mention it! That would ruin what was left of the surprise!

“Ooh! Eddy,” Pinkie began, doing her best to seem convincing. “This is Sugarcube Corner! I get to bake plenty of goodies in here; you’ve just got to try some!”

“Goodies?” Ed asked, but before he knew it, Pinkie was eagerly shoving him towards the door.

Standing before the entrance, Ed glanced over his shoulder. Something was strange…all of the ponies were staring at him expectantly. Sighing, he began to push the doorway open. To his surprise, the establishment was in complete darkness. Wait a second...when did Pinkie get back!? He turned around to interrogate his six companions, only to find they’d disappeared. The next thing Ed knew, the lights were flicked on, followed by an enormous shout of “SURPRISE!”

Edward Elric was dumbfounded. Stuffed inside of the bakery was what he suspected to be every pony in Ponyville! There were short ones, tall ones, cute ones, strong ones, and ponies of every color! Pinkie Pie stood in the center of the room, grinning madly from ear to ear.

She trotted happily up to Ed’s side; “I threw this party just for you, Eddy!” she smiled warmly.

“For me?” Ed was doing his best to seem surprised, which actually wasn’t that hard. It wasn’t every day he got a surprise party from a few hundred pastel colored ponies.

“Of course, silly,” Pinkie went on, “I throw parties for every new pony in Ponyville!”

By this point, a new pony was walking over; a unicorn with a minty green coat, and a lyre for a...cutie mark, was it? “It’s true,” said the stranger. “She nearly scared me to death when I got to Ponyville!”

Ed laughed, “Yeah, I can see how she’d come on a little...strongly.” Pinkie blushed, recalling a few of her shakier welcomes.

“Yeah, but it’s always sure to be a great time,” the unicorn told him. “I’m Lyra, by the way.”

“Well, if that’s true, Lyra, what are we waiting for? Let’s get this party started!” Ed shouted the last bit for all to hear, prompting the music (and the party) to blast into full swing!

Parties were a huge change of pace for Edward, but certainly a welcome one. Not much could relieve stress like a Pinkie Pie Party, and Edward Elric was experiencing that first-hand. For a while, Twilight would keep “checking in” on him, but even she loosened up eventually, and all of Ed’s worries slipped away for the evening.

The evening was filled with delicious pastries, hilarious party games, and a huge amount of new faces. Plenty of ponies were eager to meet the newest addition to their community. Ed met a candy maker, a few gardeners, a self-proclaimed “Doctor,” and even a mailpony with a curious line of vision. By the end of the night, Ed was as exhausted as he’d been when he first landed in this strange land.

The party was coming to a close, and the last of the guests were on their way out the door, leaving the guest of honor with his gracious party host. Oh, and Twilight. It would’ve been easy not to notice her; the poor bookworm was nearly passed out! Waving a quick good-bye to Pinkie, Ed went to go stir the drowsy unicorn.

Prodding her gently, Ed whispered, “Hey, let’s get going.”

Muttering something incomprehensible, Twilight refused to move from her spot on the floor.

“Fine, have it your way.”

Twilight’s eyes snapped open as she was flung off of the ground and onto Edward’s back. Too tired to protest, the unicorn giggled inwardly, a light blush gracing her cheeks. Luckily her ride home didn’t have a clear view of her face.

Along the way back to the library, Ed took his time. It was a beautiful night out, and he’d been stuck inside for days. He cast his gaze skyward, taking in the third set of constellations he’d seen in his short life. The unfamiliar star-spotted sky reignited a sense of loss deep within him. Right now, all that mattered was finding Al. He could figure out the rest from there; he had all the time in the world, after all.

“I’m coming, little brother,” he said aloud. Twilight listened from Ed’s back, resolving to talk with him about all of this...but, better to leave it till she could form coherent thoughts again.

Approaching the library door, Ed pushed down on the handle, unlatching the mechanism, before entering as quietly as possible. Spike lay snoring in the center of the main room. Must’ve been waiting for us to get back, Ed laughed to himself. Oh well, tucking one more in won’t be a problem.

Leaving Spike for the moment, Ed ascended the staircase, feeling around for his destination. Once he’d made it to Twilight’s bedroom, he very gently let her off of his back, before pulling the sheets up to shield her from the night air. Seeing her look so peaceful put a smile on Ed’s face. He lingered a moment, before blushing, shaking his head and moving back downstairs.

When he went to pick up Spike, Ed noticed a pair of coiled scrolls sitting not far from the young drake. One bore a horseshoe seal, bound tightly with crimson ribbon. The other was far more modest, a simple roll of parchment, only a simple string keeping it shut. After he’d scooped up the dragon, Ed grabbed the scrolls between his teeth. Retracing his steps to Twilight’s room, Ed left Spike in what he could only assume was the dragon’s bed, and placed the scrolls onto a table.

When he’d reached his own room, Edward allowed himself to fall onto his bed, letting his muscles finally relax. He’d tried not to put too much stress on his auto-mail, but despite walking abroad for several hours, it seemed to be holding up just fine. Rarity really did a bang-up job, he thought, before slowly drifting to sleep.

The next morning...

Twilight peeled her eyelids open, chancing a glance at her clock.

12:28

“Ugh.”

“Morning sleepyhead,” Spike called from the doorway. “I was wondering when you were going to get up!”

Twilight blushed a little, sleeping in wasn’t like her. Rolling out of bed, she quickly pulled herself into a presentable state. “Is Edward awake?” she asked.

“Yep, he’s downstairs reading,” Spike accentuated the last word with an almost disgusted tone. “Oh, by the way, a couple of letters came for you last night.”

“A couple? The princess doesn’t usually send more than one.”

“I know, I know. I left them on your desk downstairs,” Spike told her, before going to work reorganizing the room.

Twilight made her way downstairs to find Ed, sitting near a bookshelf. He was reading a book on the fundamentals of magic, though Twilight wasn’t sure what an earth pony would need to know about magic. Noticing her hoofsteps, he looked up, smiling. “About time,” he teased.

“I know, I know,” Twilight said, hoping to ward off any further taunts. Spying the scrolls resting upon her desk, Twilight made her way towards them, while Ed resumed his reading.

Pulling open the letter with the Royal Seal first, Twilight began to go over the words. The letter contained some strange information from the princess. Before Twilight could question the document, however, the sound of the door opening caught both Twilight and Edward’s attention. Rarity cantered inside, levitating a small envelope beside her.

“Hello, Rarity,” Twilight greeted, “what brings you here?”

“Good afternoon, Twilight, Edward.” Ed looked up from his book to wave politely, before delving back into the pages. “Twilight, I was wondering if you’d help me understand a phrase I’ve come across.”

“You’ve found something you don’t understand?” Twilight asked, puzzled. Being so cultured, the ivory unicorn had quite an extensive vocabulary, compared to the average pony.

“You see,” Rarity began, “Derpy delivered to me a letter from Fancypants this morning. It was mostly just a friendly greeting, but he told me about a pony he met in Canterlot. He said that he was a scholar.”

“So, what’s not to understand?” Twilight wondered aloud.

“The letter said that the pony was studying something called ‘alchemy’,” Rarity slowed to pronounce the alien term. “Are you familiar with that field?”

Before Twilight could open her mouth, the sound of Ed’s book being slammed shut pierced the air. “Did you say alchemy?”

“Why yes. Would you know anything about it, Ed?” Rarity asked.

“Actually,” Twilight cut in, “The Princess sent me a letter that mentioned an alchemy student as well.”

“Really? Do you suppose it’s the same colt?” Rarity wondered.

Edward was practically bursting at the seams “Did either of you get a name?”

After a small pause to check their documents, the fillies both said, “Alphonse.”

Ed smiled a great wide smile, a few glistening tears appearing in his eyes.

“Is everything alright, Edward?” Rarity asked, concern heavy in her voice.

“That’s my brother.”

Dear Rarity,
How have you been? It has been a while since we’ve heard from you, so I decided to check in. Fleur and I have been hoping you’ll return soon, perhaps we can enjoy a fine dinner and do some catching up.
Today I met a charming young colt in the streets of Canterlot, and wouldn’t you know, he was a guest at the castle as well! He said his name was Alphonse, and that he was a scholar. He showed me an amazing art that he called ‘alchemy.’
Meeting this astonishing young lad reminded me of the other talented ponies I’ve met over the years, and thus, I am penning this letter to you. Write back soon, and let us know the next time you’ll be coming to Canterlot; Fleur and I would love to see you and your friends again.
Regards,

Fancypants

Hey Twilight,
It’s Moondancer! It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? How are you and Spike making out in Ponyville? Everypony here misses you like crazy. I’ve got to admit, classes just aren’t as interesting without you around!
I just wanted to let you know, you’re always welcome at my place when ever you’re in Canterlot. I’ll write you my mailing address so you can write me if you want! I had to get Princess Celestia to send this letter, since you never gave us an address.
Hope to hear from you soon,

Moondancer

Dear Twilight Sparkle,
How are you? It’s been a while since I’ve heard from you, so I thought I would check in to make sure everything is okay. Things are alright here in the castle. A little bit slow, but isn’t that always the way? Luna is adjusting very well, so my workload has been decreasing as quickly as she offers to take it on!
A strange thing happened here recently, though. A group of guards found a young pony collapsed outside the castle the other night. We’ve taken him in, and he has turned out to be a very interesting colt! His name is Alphonse, and he’s shown me something he calls ‘alchemy.’ From what I can understand, it’s an extremely useful ability, and I plan to look into it more.
If you could, I’d like you and your friends to come out and meet him. He may prefer going back to Ponyville with you, rather than stay here in the castle. You know how dull some of our guards can be. I’ll await your reply, and plan for your visit.
~Princess Celestia

A/N: Oh look, a real chapter! Hope you all enjoy it, I'll be working on more regular updates from here on out.