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.
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Finally, you all get to see how Alphonse is doing!
Nice, story is looking good. I imagine Celestia will be getting a letter from Twilight soon.
201909Next thing you know time has gone faster in germany and Hitler is in power and finds a way into equestria.Or not....i make impossable guesses...
This looks much better than the other FMA/MLP crossover I have read. Well done, thought out, few issues here. Keep up the good work.
The one thing i like the most about this is mostly.....how Celestia interacts with Al who used to be human and explains to her about humans and etc BUT in good details. (Sorry if it sounds a bit off)
I read most crossover stories involve with humans and ponies which I'm fine with that. But some often rush about telling them their humans and explain things too fast I guess. Yours however is just pretty much simple and explanatory so brohoof man, brohoof.
201974 hitler in equestria... i must write this. of course, i wont. too many other things to write. ah well!
201909 awesome job here
keep it up!
This chapter was the best yet. Well written, informative, well-paced. Nice job. Keep'em of this quality and this will go swimmingly.
202141 202280 Thanks a lot! I've been putting a lot of effort into picking out what should and shouldn't be included. Thanks for commenting!
202820 Be carefull of making it ''to easy'' for Ed and Al!
You may also look for a ''little'' comical relife, concering a two-limbed out-worlders meeting with a certain brash pegasus or a honest and concise earth pony.
203039 Don't worry, there are plenty of laughs on the way
Ed and Al will have their fair share of difficulties as well
203064 Then I shall leave this matter in your capable hoofs to....handle?
Keep up the good work!
BTW.... Good chapter.
203123 Thanks a lot! I really appreciate the input, and the support
YEs i like I LIKE A LOT
i say that this is
i1081.photobucket.com/albums/j360/HardRockC0ck/1277604778482.gif
im writing something like this...
fullmetal pony writers brohoof!
I wonder if there will be shippings...
'Cause we all know Twi likes smart colts.
306074 1. I hope so as well
2. give twilight the damn cookie you cruel,cruel man/woman
205402
Have i read it right?your writting something like this? 👀