//------------------------------// // Chapter 11: A Wizard Meets An Alchemist // Story: Solid Script Equestria // by Garnet Naturea //------------------------------// “Ok, just a little to the left!” I call out to Twilight and Sonbā, the duo levitating the MPF to the training area. It was a couple weeks after I finished my business in Manehatten and Twilight is helping us get everything ready for the exams. One of them, after running it through with Spike and Twilight, was for the members to use the MPF to gauge their levels of magical strength, their results giving each of them their rank. I plan on using a different ranking style than just the letter ranking for the guild members. “Here?!” Twilight asks. I look around the area where the MPF is levitating and nod to her. She and Sonbā carefully place the large machine down and release their magic around it. The duo sigh and wipe their brows, tired from the effort. “Nice job you two.” Spike says, bringing some glasses of water from the fountain. I take the cups and focus my Ice magic, making some ice cubes and placing them into the glasses for the two unicorns. They duo smile and thank us before drinking the cold water. “So, do you think we’re ready?” Echo asks, flying around us. I go over a list I brought with me, seeing the parts that are checked off. There was only a few more things I had to finish before we were truly ready, things I would have to do on my own. I nod and put my list away. “As ready as we can be together. There are still a few things I need to do, but I need to do them myself. If you guys are going to join the guild I can’t have you know how all the tests are going to work.” I say with a smirk, Twilight pouting and Spike just rolling his eyes. I noticed since he and Twilight have been helping us get things set up, Spike seems to have gone through a bit of a growth spurt. Now he was almost five feet even, when I met him he was only four foot five. Maybe it was because of all the test ideas he powered through, but he also appears a little more muscular as well. He’s not ripped by any means, but he does have a little bit of muscle on his arms and his tail seems stronger. “So the only things left are for you to do yourself?” Spike asks, his voice also having dropped a little bit. It was almost unnoticeable if you didn’t know Spike well. “Pretty much. There are a few things I need to check on in the Everfree and then around the forest itself. Plus I want to put a spell seal around the castle as an added layer of protection and security.” I say. The others nod and I check the sky, seeing it was about time for all of us to head back to town. As our group leaves the building, Echo flies around for a bit before finding something shiny by the edge of the gorge. Curious, she flew over and saw it was some kind of silver pocket watch with an odd symbol on it. She picked it up, looking it over, finding nothing really unique about it. “Hey guys? I found something!” She calls, flying over to us. She shows us the watch and my jaw drops at it. The silver chain and watch itself was nothing special, but the symbol on the front was one I recognized immediately. It was the symbol of the state alchemists from Fullmetal Alchemist! The others see my stunned face and Spike snaps his claws by my ear, making me flinch back and come back to reality. “Echo, where did you find that?” I ask. She just points over by the gorge and hands me the watch. As soon as I wrap my hand around the silver watch I get a bit of a headache and hear something. I am the one who constructs and deconstructs, the partner and protector of the moon, I aid the innocent and protect children. If you require aid, Call my name and I will come forth, The Crimson Sage. I gasp and jump a little, the others jumping from my reaction. I look around past us, finding nothing nearby that could talk then to the watch itself. “Lex? What is it?” Sonbā asks. I look to him for a second before taking a breath to calm my heart. “Ok, considering you are asking that, I assume you guys didn’t hear someone talking just now?” I ask and the group look confused. “Figures. Well, after I grabbed this thing I heard someone calling themselves the Crimson Sage talking about calling him for help.” I explain and the group looks even more confused. “Can I see that for a second?” Twilight asks. I just shrug and pass her the pocket watch, seeing as she looks it over with a critical eye before lighting up her magic. Her eyes suddenly widen and she gasps and almost drops the watch. “No way! This watch has a huge magical signature connected to it!” She says with equal parts shock and excitement. I get curious and activate my own magic, and my jaw drops. Twilight’s magic signature looks like an ant compared to the Colossal Titan with the size of the magic signature on the watch. I take the watch from the mare and the message I heard before doesn’t go off. I think for a moment before placing the watch into my purse. “Twi, do you think you can check the libraries myth and legends section for anything relating to ‘The Crimson Sage?’” I ask and Twilight smile wide. I just chuckle at her eagerness. After that, the five of us head back to the library for dinner, Echo carrying Sonbā, Twilight teleporting herself and Spike and me using Direct Line, and I get ready to help Twi with her inevitable study binge. After a dinner of some pasta salad for all and fish for me and Spike, I just lay on my bed, looking at the pocket watch with Echo napping at the foot of my bed. ‘Who does this belong to? And how am I supposed to ‘call them’?’ *** The Next Day... *** I wake up before the others and go to the kitchen to make some omelettes for all of us. Veg omelettes for the ponies, ham and cheese for me, Echo and Spike and a large fruit salad for all of us to eat with it. I am really glad Twi got in contact with the princesses to send meat for me and Spike to eat, the drakes omnivorous tendencies having been acting up lately. After I finish making breakfast for the others I hear as the washroom door opens and Spike walks out with just a towel around his waist as he does all the time. It doesn’t really bother anyone except Twilight. I see as he walks by that his scales almost look shinier than before and just tough looking compared to when I met him. I should really talk to Luna or Celestia if they know what is going on with this drake. After he gets changed, the others all come out of their respective sleeping areas and sit at the table to eat. I levitate the meals for all of us and we begin to eat in relative silence. “So, you said you were going around the forest to set things up for this tests right?” Spike asks, taking a sip of his morning coffee. I nod to him as I have my mouth full then look to the tired Twilight. She must have been up for a while last night researching as she looks set to pass back out any second. I push her cup of coffee closer to her and she numbly nods and take a big swig of it. Instantly she gets some more life in her eyes and after a yawn, sit up straight from her slouched position. “I take it you didn’t have any luck with the research last night?” I question the mare, who sighs and nods. “No matter what history, myth or legend book I checked, there was absolutely nothing relating to the ‘Crimson Sage’. Maybe whoever set that message to the watch just made the title up or something.” She says with another yawn and eats her fruit salad. I think for a minute before finishing my breakfast and getting ready. “Alright, I’ll probably be out all day, so I’ll see you guys at dinner.” I say before grabbing my purse and heading out. I look around and don’t see anyone nearby so I do a couple stretches before using my magic. “Direct Line!” The next thing I know I am at the training hall with some leaves in my hair. While Direct Line looks like teleportation, it is more like moving so fast you faze through most things that are solid, but things that are light like leaves can attach to you. Looking at the building in front of me, I take out my list from earlier and a Light Pen I made before going around the edge of the gorge and beginning to write the spells into the area. These spells are to make the building look like the old ruins did before I started training to anyone who either isn’t past the seal or any who don’t have the Fairy Tail emblem. It took maybe an hour and a half before I completely finish the seal. Once I finish the seal I get set to head out into the forest, before pausing and remembering that I brought the silver pocket watch with me. I take it out of my purse and look at it for a bit before walking into the training hall. “Well, here goes nothing.” I clear my throat. “Um, Crimson Sage I summon thee?” I say rather awkwardly. Nothing happens for a bit before the lid to the watch pops open and the clock inside begins to spin rapidly. The next thing I know some kind of portal appears in front of me. I tense up, summoning my rapier to my side and get ready for a fight. Only for some short guy in a red coat to fall out of the portal and onto his back followed by....a muffin and a cup of tea? Hilariously the cup lands right side up without spilling a drop of the liquid inside. “Ow! Ok, note to self: find a way to make it so my Token doesn’t just pull me through without warning.” The guy mumbles in a familiar voice. Even with his hood up I can barely see some golden blond hair like my stripes and the symbol on the back of his coat. “Um, hello?” I say, getting his attention. He quickly rights himself onto his feet. As he is getting up I could have sworn I heard a metallic against stone sound. “Oh, hello. I guess you are the one who summoned me?” He says and lowers his hood. I freeze for a second as I see who this guy looks like. One of the most famous characters in anime, period, Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. He was actually close to my old height and seemed like a chill dude compared to the pipsqueak of the show. I blink a couple times and shake my head as his question registers in my mind. “Um, I guess so? My friend found this pocket watch the other day and I heard your message that is attached to it.” I explain, showing him the watch. He nods and takes out his own version. He picks up his muffin and tea before looking around the building. “Wow, nice gym. Looks kinda familiar some how.” He says, sitting on one of the benches. “I’d expect it to. This used to be the Castle of the Two Sisters. I turned it into a training hall for when my guild is ready.” I explain, sitting across from him. “Guild?” He asks. I nod and take off my jacket, showing my back where my mark is located. “That’s right. I got permission from the princesses to open a branch of the Fairy Tail wizards guild in Ponyville. The guild itself is going to be opened in a couple weeks and I wanted everything to be ready before that.” I explain and Edward looks to me in surprise. “You’re going to open a version of Fairy Tail?! Does that mean you have access to Fiore magic?” He asks. I nod and summon a screen with Archive. The man looks to the magical screen in awe and excitement. “Well this answers a few questions about the multiverse I have been wondering about.” He says before taking out a small notebook and beginning to write in it. I laugh a little at his need to document before clearing my throat and getting his attention again. “So...introductions?” I ask. He nods and puts his things away. “Right, Sorry. I am Edward Elric, at least that is what I go by. I am a Displaced like you. I was dressed as Ed at a convention before I bought a Philosopher’s Stone pendant from some guy and ended up being sent to my version of Equestria. You had a similar experience didn’t you?” He says and I nod. “Yeah. I was dressed as Levi from Fairy Tail and bought some Wind Reader glasses and a scroll before being sent here. Also my name is Alexandria Justine, but I prefer Lex.” Ed looks me over with a raised brow, likely because I don’t look too much like Levi anymore. “I ended up getting these,” I point to my eye and stripes in my hair, “after I found a chest that was sealed by a magic spell. Apparently a version of Master Mavis found a way to enter the void and decided to send a chest that contained knowledge of almost every magic style from Fiore into the void to help whoever found it. Obviously she was worried about some evil tyrant finding it, so she placed a seal on it so it would only be accessed by one who passes a few requirement. I ended up making the cut.” “Alright, well you and I aren’t the only ones this has happened to. There are tons of us and the watch you found was my token. Basically any Displaced can use something that represents them in a way and send it into the void to be found by other Displaced. They normally come with a creed or message of some kind that any can Displaced can hear.” He explains. I nod in understanding about all of this. If this is the case, then maybe Adam and Nat made their own tokens that I could find. Ed gets up from his seat and stretches, a few cracks sounding out. I look at him and see as part of his arm becomes visible and shines in the light “Your arm. It’s automail, isn’t it?” I ask and Ed nods, taking off his glove. I look at the metal limb in awe and curiosity. “I always wondered what automail would look like in real life and up close.” I say, looking over his metallic limb. Ed puts his glove back on before looking around a bit more. “Anyways, you said that you wanted to check a few things before the guild is open, right? Want some help?” He offers. I think for a second before shrugging and nodding. The two of us head out of the castle and across the bridge, Ed doing a double take at seeing the training hall return to the ruins in his eyes. “So, what exactly are we doing?” He asks as we enter the forest. “Well I have some tests that I am going to put the potential members through. One of them is to go through the Everfree in a type of scavenger hunt. Obviously I am not going to just let them go in without any help, so I am setting up some safe zones around the forest that the guild members can use to rest in during the night when the forest becomes much more dangerous.” I explain. Ed places his hand on his chin in thought and nods. “Alright, sounds right to me. Do you have some places selected?” He asks and I nod before we arrive at the first location. It was actually the cave where I met Applebloom and Granny. I look into the cave before beginning to write the enchantment for the members protection. After I finish, I get ready to use my magic to make a table before Ed claps his hands and does it for me. I look to the round stone table then to Ed. “How did you know I was going to make a table?” I question, getting into my Crystal Maker stance. “I had a sneaking suspicion that this was also a location for the items the members will be looking for, so I figure they need something to sit on.” He says. I nod before focusing my magic, making ten little statues of the Fairy Tail symbol the size of soft balls out of crystals. After they are made, I use my Colours magic and turn each of them a different colour for the hell of it. Before we leave I use my Wood Maker magic and make a wooden symbol and place it on the top of the cave. “Alright, one down, seven to go.” I say and begin to walk back through the forest, Ed right behind me. “So you are setting up eight of these safe zones?” He asks. “Yup. I doubt that there will be a need for that many zones, but I don’t know how many creatures will be trying to join up, so it is better to be safe than sorry.” I explain. He nods and the two of us head into the forest again. It took maybe another two hours before we finished up at the fourth area, a hollowed out tree like the Golden Oaks Library I made when I was testing my Green magic. We would have finished sooner but we ran into a Manticore and a small pack of Timberwolves. They were easy to take down. After that, the two of us decide to take a break and I use Green Magic and make some blueberry bushes grow. “Wow, you have some really good control over that.” Ed says, picking a handful of berries for himself. “Yeah maybe, but there’s some magic I learned that I haven’t had a chance to practice with yet. Mostly ones of a dark natural like Shade magic or certain Dark magic spells like Genesis Zero or other ones that I would have to use against an individual like Dark Binds.” I say before munching on a couple berries. Ed seems to get an idea as he stands up. “Hey, how about a trade?” He says and I raise a brow and motion for him to continue. “I am going to be opening an automail shop back in my world, and I could use a hand getting all the raw materials I need for it. Ordinary I would ask Tia if she has any spare materials, but if you could teach me a magic style to fix that, I could teach you my Alchemagic in exchange.” He says. I look to him in surprise for his offer. I smile as leaning Alchemy would be very helpful for some of the other outposts. I nod and offer my hand, Ed shaking it with a smile. “So you need a magic style that can let you get several raw materials.” I mutter to myself as I pace around the tree we are under. I think for a bit before an obvious magic comes to mind. “Of course! I can just teach you Arc of Embodiment!” I say with a smile. Ed nods in agreement for this. “So, how are you going to teach me? Are you going to use it then see if I can learn from example?” He asks. I shake my head before snapping my fingers and bringing up Archive again. I type in a few commands and before too much time passes an image of Ed’s head appears on the screen with the runes for ‘transfer?’ Above it. I smile and hit enter, a progress bar appearing above Ed’s head before filling up with a couple seconds. His eyes widen as the info is finished being sent into his mind. “And there you go. Now you should have the info about Arc of Embodiment and how to use it. Now I guess it is my turn.” I say, sitting beneath the tree again. Ed nods and claps his hands, blue sparks flying off, before he places his hand against my temple. Once he did, my vision went white and I felt like I did when I learned all my new magic, but the pain was like being pricked by a needle compared to by a red hot fire poker. After a bit my vision and senses come back and I find myself laying on the floor of the forest, still under the tree. I get up and rub my head. “Damn. That was a thing.” I mumble to myself. I hear chuckling to my left and I turn to see Ed just chuckling to my reaction. I raise a brow to him at his reasoning for laughing. “Sorry, it’s just this is a new record for someone waking up after I teach them something as complex as Alchemagic.” He says as I get back up to my feet. I look to my hands and I don’t feel any different, but I somehow know how to use Alchemagic. “Well, how about we test these new abilities at the next outpost?” I offer. Ed nods and the two of us head back out. After walking for a bit we arrive at the location of the next outpost. An old abandoned shack I found that looks completely empty. I am not sure why this would be so far into the Everfree but hey, don’t look a gift horse in the mouth. I write the enchantment around the shack before looking at it with a critical eye. The shack itself still had all the wood and everything from when it was built, they were just a little rotten. I smile as I get close before looking through all the new information I just gained. Once I finish going through everything, I clap my hands, blue sparks appearing, before placing them on the wall of the building. It took a little time and gave me a bit of a headache, but eventually the transmutation was finished and the building was brought back to how it looked years ago. I probably could have just used Arc of Time, but where is the fun in that. I smile and look back to Ed, who looks impressed that I was able to do something this size on my first try. The two of us enter and I grab the wood that was once a table and transmute that back to the way it was before as well, before motioning Ed to try. He nods and begins to focus, a silver spell matrix and black mist appearing around him. After a second ten more statues appear on the table from Ed’s magic. I smile and make them all red and gold. I smile at him and we do a high five before continuing on. After another hour we finished all but the last location. I smile at our job well done as the two of us head back to the castle. “So the last safezone is cave where the Tree of Harmony is located?” Ed asks as we get within view of the training hall. “Is that what is causing the Harmonic magic? Huh, haven’t seen it in person. But yeah, since the forest seems to give the Tree a large berth I won’t need to put up some runes to defend it, so I can just make the statues and we are good.” I say as we reach the gorge. I look down before getting into my stance. “Ice Make Slide!” I slam my hands on the ground and make a slide out of ice. I smile and make a small sled with my Arc of Embodiment and slide down the ice made slide with a laugh. Right before I hit the ground I use my Green magic and make some densely packed cotton plants at the bottom. I land on the bushes fast, but it was a nice soft landing. I laugh as I stop moving. It has been a while since I had some childish fun like this. “That looked fun.” I look to the side and see Ed just looking at me with a smile. I just laugh a little before digging myself out of the bushes and dismissing the slide of ice and picking all the cotton off my outfit. After that, the two of us head to the cave where I was sensing the Harmony magic was coming from. We walk in and I see a light a little ways into the tunnel. Walking to it, we round a corner and my eyes widen at what I see. A crystal like tree with several crystal vines and several symbols on it. I look at the large crystal tree in awe before smiling and finding a good spot by the tree. I clap my hands and make a small table out of a nearby boulder then Ed makes the statues again. Before I can use my Colours magic though, the statues change colour on their own. I raise a brow before shrugging and heading back out with Ed. The two of us climb the stairs and enter the training hall again. I summon some cups and fill them with water from the fountain. I make some ice cubes like yesterday and hand a cup to the alchemist. He thanks me and we relax a bit before he breaks the silence. “You know, this was fun. I have to say this was a good first impression for me meeting other Displaced.” he says as he stretches. “You said it. Who would have thought that there were so many of us.” I say before looking at Edward’s Token in my hand. I realize that the entire day I didn’t make mine. I think for a bit trying to think what my token could be, before I get an idea. Standing and focusing on my Crystal Maker magic, I focus on the item I have in mind. After about ten seconds a blue crystal with a darker blue Fairy Tail symbol in it connected to a crystal chain is in my hand. I smile and put my new token around my neck, seeing the necklace fits perfectly. “Nice token.” Ed says as he sees me take my token off from around my neck. I pause and think for a moment, trying to think of a good creed and decide to use Ed’s as a base. I am the Master of Magic, Leader of Fairies, and Fighter for the innocent. If you need the aid of magic, of the wizards, call on me and my guild and I will be there to protect you. I am the Fairy of Justice. After I finish my message a black portal appears before me and I drop my necklace into it, the item returning not a second later. I hear an odd sound and turn to see a similar portal appearing next to Ed, who gets a copy of my token. He hears my creed and smirks. I just rub the back of my head with a bit of a blush. “Alright, if that is everything, then take out my token and say I am finished and I can get home. Thanks again for the new magic.” He says. I nod and take out his pocket watch. “Hey Ed?” He looks to me. “Can you do me another favor?” He looks to me with a raise brow. I dig into my purse and find the photo of me, Nat and Adam and show it to him. “If you run into either of these two, can you tell them that I miss them. They are my little siblings after all.” I request. Ed takes the photo in hand and smiles as he hands it back to me. “Sure thing Lex. If I run into either of them, I’ll let them know.” He says. “Thanks Ed. And thanks for all the help today. We are finished here.” After I say that, a portal like the one he came in appeared in front of him and he walks in with a smile and wave. The portal closes a second later. I smile and look at my new token. “Nat. Sora. Adam. I know I will see you three soon.” I say to myself. After that I leave the building and use my Wind magic to fly into the air and towards town. Looks like I have some info for Twilight about the Crimson Sage.