Al's armored form clunked behind his older brother, heading back to their temporary home in Central. Mustang had only briefed them, explaining that they needed to stay a few extra days for some special mission, and so had gotten them a suite at one of the hotels commonly used for such special guests or military. "Whaddya think the colonel wants this time, Ed?" Yawning, the state alchemist merely shrugged in response. "Yeah, it's a mystery with him...Anyways, I found this new recipe that I wanted to try making for you, so I can serve our guests that, too!"
"Good thinking, Al," his brother praised, "After all, Mustang made these guys sound pretty important, so we'll hafta make sure everything goes well. No problemo!" He grinned as they stepped through the double doors, taking the stairway up to their room. "I wonder who they could be..."
~///~
"Alright, into positions!" The mare in charge gathered her team, extra-triple checking that every last detail was in order. Nopony knew where'd she'd gotten all the stuff to do this--probably the same other-worldly vortex she produced party canons from and popped out of apple baskets with--but they had to hand it to the girl. "Now, we wait..." she grinned super wide, not unlike a Tasmanian devil on the hunt, and whispered, "...Lights out...."
~///~
Edward reached into his pocket, digging around for the keys. Al chuckled behind him and opened up his armor, handing them to the frustrated boy. "I-I knew you had 'em...heh..." He smiled sheepishly, then placed them in the lock, turning the tumblers within that granted them access. "He--" Before he could even get a word out, he was up in Al's metal arms, jaw dropped and a high squeak emitting from him.
"Surprise!!!" A bouncing pink mini-horse leapt up right in front of him, causing said girlish shriek and flail back to overcome him. "Wh-whahzaa....f-f-f-f...izzahh....p-p-poneh?!" He sputtered incomprehensively, still clinging to his younger brother, who also had a look of shock on his helmet.
Al regained his cool first, rephasing the question his sibling had failed to word. "U-um, I'm sorry, but...what are you?"
"We're throwing a party! Duh!" The cheery mare replied, bouncing around more. "We've got party hats, and party punch, party pastries! Oh, my! Not to mention all the balloons! I always carry balloons for these kinda emergencies. There's red, blue, green, purple, yellow, yellow-green with a bit more of a greenish-yellow tint for shading, sky blue with forest green to make a sea-colored forest color, dark red with a hint of rose pink and a bit of Tickle Me Magenta--which really should be called something else, but that'd be copyright--and..." She paused to take a breath, giving another earthly pony a chance to put a hoof in her mouth.
A lavender coated one, this with a horn adorning her head, stepped forward next. "I'm sorry about that, but she can kinda go off sometimes when she gets caught up in the fun. Allow me to make introductions first." She named off each pony, pointing to them respectively and ending with herself. "Oh, by the way, the colonel wanted me to give you this." She levitated over a letter, which Ed cautiously removed from the ominous purle aura around it that enveloped her hron as well. "He said it'd explain everything."
Ed opened it up, reading aloud so Al could get the intel as well. "Fullmetal, I have entrusted the care of these six to you for the time being. I'm sure you can handle something as small as this..." Ed winced at what he was sure was a pick at his height, but moved on. "I don't believe them to be chimeras; rather, they are from another world of sorts. Do me this little favor," Ed once again controlled his temper at the word, "And I'll be sure to make it up to you. Besides, their tale of arriving here may be of some interest to you. Sincerely, Colonel Roy Mustang."
His eyes fell down a post-script at the bottom. "P.S I have also prepared a folder with all they have told me about their world." As he read, Twilight handed the aforementioned papers. "I would like you to inform them about some of ours as well, going into more detail than I briefed them on. Good luck, Shortstack." Ed growled at the final straw of insults, crumpling up the paper and tossing it across the room.
"Stupid colonel...when he said it was a special mission, I wasnt expecting THIS. What is he even thinking?! Can't he do this all himself?! He's the colonel, dammit, not me!" Al tried to keep his brother from saying something he'd regret, but the boy's anger was rising now, from both the sudden turn of events and all the short jokes sprinkled on top. "I swear I'll get him for all this...He knows we have a bunch of stuff to get done. We were plannin' on heading out to Dublith!(And Winry was so looking forward to checking out Rush Valley). GAHH! I mean, he just up and saddled me with a bunch of talking ponies!" He gestured to the six, all of whom now gave him an apologetic look. Ed immediatly took it back. "Sorry...I just..."
"Lookie, sugar," the cowgirl pony stepped up, "Ah know this is sudden for ya, but we'll be sure t' help ya out in return. Give a li'l, get a li'l, right?"
The blue pegasus jumped in as well, adding, "Yeah! Like that thing the colonel said...Equivalent exchange? Yeah, like that! We can pull our share of the weight."
Sighing, the fullmetal simply agreed. "Equivalent exchange...Perfect." He turned to his brother, switching right over to his next favorite subject. "So, Al, you said you had a new recipe to try out?" The younger nodded, then seemed to blush. "What's wrong?"
"W-well...I don't really think that they'd like it." Ed gave him ablank look, as did the others. He rubbed the back of his helmet, mentally sweat-dropping at his brother's ignorance. "I mean...ponies are herbivores, right? So, they don't eat...u-um..."
Pinkie hopped in, trying to encourage him. "I'm sure that wahtever it is, it'll be super-delecti-deliciously amazing! We can eat the cake I made afterwords, too!" She ran her tongue over her face, drooling like dog. "C'mon! Let's get cookin'!" Al shied down even more, not sure how to phrase it.
The first to catch on was Fluttershy, voicing his fears rather softly yet truly. "I get it. I have to take care of lots of animals, and some of them have to eat meat, too. Like the majestic hawks, and the wriggly little snakes, and the fluffy-wuffy kitties-"
"Yeah, yeah, cute, carnivorous animals. I knew that, too." Dash interrupted, waving a hoof around to dismiss the quieter one's comments. "I mean, Gilda had to eat meat too, being a griffin and all, so I know how it goes."
Al wiped off an invisible bead of sweat. "Alright. Well, I can make something else, then. That okay with you, brother?" Ed nodded. "Great! Let's see...I could make a stew. Do you all like stew?" They cheered, much more energetic than most people he knew, and headed triumphantly for the kitchen.
"You all go ahead, then," Ed made instead for his bedroom, folder full of facts about Equestria in hand. "I've gotta get to studying this. Call me in when it's ready, 'kay?" He got a confirmation from his brother, then went in to soak up all he could about the strange, mystical, magical, and overly-optimistic creatures he'd been given responsibility over.
~///~
"EEDD!!" the voice finally reached the blonde about half an hour later. He peeled his eyes from the documents, feeling as though he'd just sat through one of Hughes' mushy stories about his 'wittle girl's' tea parties. It was full of some action, like lion-ish creatures, draconic beasts, and other oddities, but it seemed that these ponies had it far easier. If Ed could cleanse souls corrupted by some nightmareish force or turn a draconequus to stone or defeat a colony of love-eating shapeshifters using only friendship, then he'd have gotten his limbs and Al's body back a while ago. He wasn't sure how he was going to do it, but he'd now have to tell those six the horrors of his own world, despite their lack of wars and bloodshed in Equestria.
He entered the kitchen, seeing it sparkling clean, with a few bowls at the dining table, some more in the living room on the coffee table instead. "So," Twilight stepped up, "Did you finish the files?" Ed nodded, to which she continued, "Great! So, how about you go over some more about Amestris over dinner?" He hesitated, then sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're gonna find out sooner or later, anyways..." The purple unicorn tilted her ehad at the ominous statement, but decided she'd just let him explain.
"Here, Ed!" Al handed his brother a bowl, awaiting the boy's comment on how well he did. "They helped me out a lot, too. Pinkie's great at cooking, and Fluttershy's not so bad, either. And Rarity and Twilight really cleaned up the place, huh? Not to mention Dash and AJ's help with the rest."
Ed took a spoonful, prompting the other ponies to start on their meals as well. "It's great, huh?" Dash said rather proudly,"I helped with all the spices!" Al nodded, although he had opted to leave out the pegasus' suggestions of Tabasco sauce and crushed peppers that were meant to be for an extra 'buck' as AJ put it. "Hey, Al, why don't ya take off that suit and try some yourself?"
The two brothers shared a look, letting a silence pass. "Like I said, they'd find out sooner or later." He set his bowl down and took a chair in front of them. "I think it's time you knew a bit more about Amestris...alchemy...and us..."
~///~
By the end of the tale, Al had taken his head off, Ed had showed his automail as proof, and the six ponies were in tears. Ed had tried to sugarcoat the story, but ended up revealing all in the most gruesome detail. Fluttershy had gone under the couch, shaking. Twilight was drying her tears with magic, looking away. AJ had her sorrow hidden under hat. Rarity was letting out dramatic gasps at each part, now sprawled over the couch in a faint. Pinkie's hair had lost bounce, and she was letting her tears go out in anime style, waterfalling and soaking the carpet around her.
Sitting by the window, expression hidden by her mane, Dash was even letting out a few tears, despite her macho shell. "Is this...what this place is like?" Ed nodded. "You said this world had wars, too. But I'm guessing it's not like a battle for keeping harmony, huh?" The achemist confirmed again. "Y'know, Ed...I've seen some pretty scary stuff in my life...but nothing like that. I don't think anypony has. I...I just wanna..." She sniffled back, refusing to let the emotion overwhelm her. "I mean...we gotta get back to Ponyville. We can't stay here. It's not right."
"I agree." Ed stood, getting the ponies to squelch some of their tears and look at him. "And I'll do what I can to help you. Mustang is too, I'm sure of it." He took a peek out the window, seeing the moon almost at its peak. "I think it's time for bed, every, eh, pony. C'mon, we've got an extra room, if you don't mind sharing the bed. It's kinda big, anyways." The room had been for Al, but the armor was incapable of sleep, so he didn't mind donating it to their guests. Ed opted to leave the white drama unicorn on the couch, and, unable to get Fluttershy out, decided she could come out and take the reclining chair when she was ready.
Dash stayed at the window, staring out at the empty streets, watching the moon go up on its own rather than by some alicorn's power. "I'll be right there," she whispered when Ed confroted her. The boy didn't bother changing her mind, instead heading to his room. Al followed so he could go over the folder as well, leaving the cyan pegasus alone to her thoughts.
"I have to get us back..." she muttered to herself, "I have to."
~///~
"AAAAHHHH!!!" The same 'surprise' from earler came jumping frantically on top of Ed, her hooves proving to be very effective weapons on his chest. "Wake up NOW! Wake up, up ,up, up, UP!" She bgan crowing like a rooster, ceasing when Ed finally found the strength to shove her off.
Clutching where shed left hoofprints on him, he groaned. "What...do you want...now?" Pinkie leapt up, for once without a word, and zipped into the living room. He followed her groggily, seeing the assembled ponies. "Well? What is it?"
Twilight was about to answer, but paused. "Um...I know ponies don't typically wear clothing due to out fur coats...but humans do, right?"
"What?" Ed suddenly felt a draft from the window, then looked down to find he was in just his boxers. "Gah?! Uh, g-gimme a moment..." He zipped in an out in a minute, pulling a shirt over to go with his usual black pants. "Ah, you were saying?"
"DASHIE'S GONE!!!" Pinkie exclaimed. Ed certainly see the pegasus present.
His head turned to where they were specifically gathered. The window was wide open, a breeze flowing right through. "No..." he gritted his teeth, realizing there was now a flying, talking pony on the loose, clenching his fists, "...Dammit!"