//------------------------------//
// Chapter 2: Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 2 
// Story: Another Chance Beyond the Door 
// by Dat Merc 
//------------------------------//


Chapter 2: Princess Twilight Sparkle Part 2


"Seems like only yesterday when we went into these woods to find the Elements of Harmony," Rarity said as she, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Twilight, Applejack, and Spike stood in front of the entrance of the Everfree Forest together.

Twilight took a step forward into the forest. "Seems like only yesterday I was foolish enough to think I should go after them on my own," she added as the rest of her friends followed behind her, "I don't know what we're going to face in there but whatever it is, I know we need to face it together."

Her friends replied in agreement as they walked deeper and deeper into the Everfree Forest.





"Who or what the hell is controlling these things!?" Everywhere he ran, there was nothing but thorny vines creeping out of the vegetation around Edward. It felt as though this forest literally had a mind of its own. The literal day/night sky above him was already weird enough for him. Another clap of his hands transmuted an earthen wall behind him blocking the vines from following him. Hopefully, they lost sight of him.

"Seriously, what more weird things are around here?"

Up ahead, there appeared to be what looked like an opening of some sort... A small open field?





Twilight and her friends approached a small pond. The immediate area looked safe for them to go further. The only obstacle right now was getting across the body of water. The lavender alicorn noticed natural stepping stones that would lead them across. She was the first to plant her hooves on one of the stepping stones but briefly wobbled over it... Or did she...?

The group started hearing shuffling noises from nearby vegetation and came upon a somewhat tall figure in a red jacket with its head looking back to where it just came from until it ended up falling onto the stepping stones on the opposite side of the pond with a groan of pain. The sudden appearance of the figure in question startled Twilight and her friends. The figure slowly lifted its head before making eye contact with Twilight. They then both stared at each other in confusion until the stepping stones started moving on their own and ascended from the water... The truth was, those were not stepping stones at all! Instead, it was a big crocodile-like creature. Twilight happened to be on its tail, while the figure with the red jacket was sitting on its back. The big reptile didn't look very happy as it flicked Twilight off its tail causing her to land near her friends. It then started charging at them head-on with the strange newcomer clinging onto it for dear life.

"A Cragadile!!" Rarity yelled, "Run for your lives!!" Everypony scattered to get out of the creature's path.

"Wait, did you just talk? And what is this thing again!?" Edward yelled out, but the question fell on deaf ears due to the situation they all suddenly found themselves in. It didn't take long until the cragadile managed to catapult the young alchemist off its back, sending him airborne. Before he could find himself falling back down, he was caught by a blue blur.

"I gotcha, whatever the hay you are!" said the blue-coated creature with wings and a rainbow mane as its forelegs were hooked underneath Edward's shoulders and brought him back to the ground safely.

Edward looked back at the creature in question and scratched his head in confusion. "Um, thanks... I guess." His attention was diverted when saw the cragadile approaching a lavender-colored equine who was more or less the same size as the blue one and a slightly smaller reptile-like one was next to her.

"Those two are friends of yours, right?"

"Yeah, th--"

"Find some vines or anything to tie the big guy up now! I'll keep him busy for you!!"

Before even receiving an answer, Edward charged towards the cragadile. When he was close enough, he clapped his hands and placed them on the ground. Before the cragadile closed in on its prey, it was suddenly hit in the bottom of its jaw by a large fist-like object emerging from the ground below it. This also startled Twilight and Spike wondering about the source of the sudden change of the ground near them.

The cragadile was dazed for a moment before it recovered from the surprise attack. From the corner of its eye, it spotted Edward and turned its attention towards him, and charged.

Twilight and Spike took a glimpse of the newcomer in the red jacket as the cragadile charged at him. It was just several feet away from him when it suddenly collapsed to the ground. As it turned out, Applejack, Fluttershy, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, and Rarity managed to tie a vine around its tail and stopped it. Soon, the giant creature had all its limbs and mouth individually tied to nearby trees and rendered immobilized.

"That was close," said Twilight as she sighed in relief.

"A little too close, if you ask me," Applejack walked over to her friend with a hint of worry, "You sure you're alright?"

"I'm fine," Twilight answered as opened her wings for a brief moment, "I just can't seem to get these new wings to do what I want them to do when I want them to do it."

"You'll figure it out eventually," Rainbow Dash assured Twilight.

"Eventually isn't enough," After she and her friends made some distance from the giant creature, Twilight walked over to the newcomer in question.

As if on cue, he turned around to face her. After closing the distance, she froze as she looked up at his face... He was a human!? More or less like the ones she met during her adventure at Canterlot High. He had slightly tanned skin, long blonde hair tightened into a braid, and gold-colored eyes. Besides the red jacket, he was wearing a black shirt underneath it, a matching pair of pants and shoes, and white gloves. Something about his face was oddly familiar to her but was unable to put a hoof on it.

"Uh... Thank you for helping my friends with the cragadile by the way. It may have been difficult if you never came around."

"No problem," The tall, blonde figure replied, "It looked like you needed help after all."

"I think he's awesome in my book, Twilight," Rainbow Dash commented.

Pinkie popped up right between Twilight and Rainbow Dash with excitement in her voice, "Yeah, he was using some fancy-looking magic with lots of sparks. All he did was kneel down to touch the ground and then, BAM!!"

"She's right, dear," Rarity added as the rest joined in on the conversation, "We've witnessed his magic right before we started restraining the cragadile. It was quite marvelous."

"Magic? That's not magic at all," The blonde newcomer corrected her, "It's alchemy."

That last word made Twilight raise an eyebrow. Her friends were just as curious. Then again, it felt like she heard of the word before. When or where though? Her memory was too hazy at the moment.

Edward looked down at the seven oddly colorful creatures who were literally talking to him. To be exact, six of them looked like small horses... Or ponies that were only up to his waist while on all four hooves. The height of the purple and green lizard-looking one was only up to his knees. What was strange about the six ponies were the extra appendages or lack thereof for only two. The lavender, cyan, and yellow-coated ones had feathered wings, but only the former had a horn on her forehead. The white-coated one had a horn on her forehead, but she lacked wings. Lastly, the orange-coated one with a Stetson hat, along with her pink-coated counterpart, had neither one of the other appendages. Something was suddenly ticking in his head. The sky, the forest he was in, the giant creature, the seven creatures in front of him. The word; 'magic' was now settling into his mind. That added more questions.

"Wait, where exactly am I?"

"This right here is the Everfree Forest," The orange-coated pony answered, "It's mighty dangerous here, but it's even worse as of recent."

"Oh dear, where are my manners? In fact, where are all of our manners?" The white-coated pony with curled violet mane and tail piped in, "Perhaps we should introduce ourselves to the newcomer. My name is Rarity. A pleasure to meet you, dear."

"She's right, you know," The orange-coated mare with blonde mane and tail turned her head to her friends before she introduced herself to Edward. "I'm Applejack. Pleased to meet you, partner."

The pink mare popped in front of Edward's face causing him to fall backward in surprise, "Hi, I'm Pinkie Pie!!! It's so good to meet you, mister. I just wish all of us were somewhere else instead of a creepy place like the Everfree Forest right now."

"H-Hello," The yellow one with wings quietly spoke as Edward stood back up. Timidity was explicitly shown on her face, "I'm F-Fluttershy."

"Hiya there. The name is Rainbow Dash," The cyan mare with rainbow mane and tail was next to speak. "Again, thanks for helping us out with that cragadile."

"I'm Twilight Sparkle," The lavender mare with purple mane and tail with blue and pinkish highlights introduced herself. "And this is my little dragon assistant; Spike."

"Hey, good to see you," Spike waved his claw at with a smile.

A dragon? At least Edward was made aware that Spike was not a lizard at all. Deep in the back of his mind, he was becoming more convinced he was no longer in Amestris. Could he be in another reality of some sort? "Well... I guess it's my turn to introduce myself to all of you now," he heaved a sigh before continuing, "I'm Edward. Edward Elric. Just call me 'Ed' for short."

It felt as though Twilight's heart skipped a beat and her eye pupils shrank upon hearing the human's name. She was thinking about the flashback she looked into earlier before she and her friends entered the Everfree Forest. Could it be? The hair... The eyes... Was this really the same 'Ed' from it!? She immediately shrugged those thoughts from her head and came up with a new question to ask, "So what are you doing here in the Everfree?"

"Uh... It's a bit complicated, but I woke up and found myself in some castle ruins nearby. I was trying to get out of this forest until I bumped into all of you."

"Castle ruins? You mean, the Castle of the Two Sisters?"

"That reminds me," Applejack spoke to Twilight, "You've been having an awful lot of trouble with those wings of yours. Who knows what else is going to come after us. You know, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad idea for Twilight to go back to Ponyville and let us look for the Tree of Harmony without her."

Twilight blinked in disbelief, "What? Why?"

"For starters, you just almost got eaten by that cragadilly."

"We all did. It wasn't after just me."

"Sure, but the rest of us aren't princesses."

Edward raised his eyebrow after hearing Applejack's last sentence. What did she mean by that?

"What's that got to do with anything?" Twilight asked.

"Princess Celestia and Princess Luna are gone." Applejack continued, "If something happened to you, I don't think Equestria can risk losing another princess."

"Applejack does make a valid point," Rarity spoke in support of the farm mare's decision. "Even if we manage to save the Tree of Harmony, it won't necessarily mean Princess Celestia and Princess Luna will return. Equestria will need somepony to lead in their absence."

"But the Tree of Harmony? I'm the only one who has seen it and knows what it looks like," Twilight spoke in an attempt to justify staying together as a group.

Rainbow Dash swooped next to her, "Huge tree, cutie marks on the trunk, probably being attacked by something hideously awful. Yeah, I'm pretty sure we'll know it when we see it."

Twilight can do nothing as she frowned and hung her head on the brink of tears, "All of you feel this way? You feel like I shouldn't be here?"

The group stared at each other in silence. Even Edward felt like he was being included in their conversation. He could have had a say in this, but this place was fairly new to him and he just met these ponies and the baby dragon. Although he did not show it, he was surprised Twilight happened to be a princess. Everything else mentioned in the conversation was still foreign to him.

"It is for the best," Fluttershy broke the silence from the group.

In the end, Twilight reluctantly agreed and started walking in the opposite direction leading to Ponyville. Spike soon followed right behind her.

The expression on Twilight's face was enough for Edward to feel conflicted with the decision made for her. Before he could dwell on it any further, Rarity's voice rang out to him.

"Edward, you mentioned you were trying to get out of this forest until we all confronted the cragadile, right?"

"Of course, I did."

"You should probably go with Twilight and Spike instead of going with us."

"Rarity's got a point, bud. The rest of us can handle this from here," Rainbow hovered next to the alchemist and gave him a confident smile.

The alchemist was skeptical about this new decision. He wanted to get out of this forest but he didn't want to leave these ponies alone. "Wait, are you sure about this?"

Applejack was next to speak, "Absolutely, sugar cube. We'll be back before you know it. After all, you helped us with that cragadile and I can already tell you're somepony we can trust."

"If you say so," Edward sighed and nodded his head in agreement. He started walking toward the same direction Twilight and Spike took while the rest continued further into the forest.





Edward knew he was not far behind Twilight and Spike. He called out to them and waved his hand at them.

Twilight was confused seeing the blonde-haired human approach her and Spike, "Ed? What just happened over there?"

"Since I was trying to get out of this forest, your friends suggested I tag along with you."

"I see..."

Edward sensed concern and disappointment in her voice. In fact, it was on her face right before being sent off. "I can tell you and your friends have been through a lot together, Twilight."

"Yeah, but having to let them handle this situation without me worries me. If I were with them, it may be easier."

"I don't have much knowledge of what's happening around here or where I am, but I was surprised when your friends called you a 'princess' back there. Then again..." Edward pointed at the tiara with a purple six-pointed star on Twilight's head, "I should have known because of that. Kinda like the ones your friends were wearing around their necks."

"They're called the Elements of Harmony," Spike said as he looked up at the human.

At that point, he and Twilight started telling him a bit more about the legendary gems, Equestria, the Princesses and their sudden disappearances, and recent events that were unfolding.





Ponyville

Discord was relaxing on a thorny vine while two ponies were entangled in another thorny vine screaming for help. All he did was minding his own business until...

"Discord!"

Twilight's voice rang out to him as she, Spike, and Edward entered Ponyville only to catch the God of Chaos acting lazy. Discord snapped his fingers releasing the two ponies from captivity and watched them flee in terror.

"You're welcome!!" Discord yelled and waved at the fleeing ponies before he shook his head and sighed. He then turned around to face Twilight. "No luck finding your tree?"

"We ran into some trouble," Twilight answered, letting her head down in shame, "And my friends decided it would be best that I return to Ponyville while they continue the search. Equestria will need me if Princess Celestia and Princess Luna don't return."

"I see..." Discord scratched his chin thinking about the mare's answer. His thoughts were halted when he looked at the blonde-haired figure with a red coat. Curiosity made him raise his eyebrow, "Oh! My apologies. I didn't see you there. My name is Discord; the-recently-reformed-God-of-Chaos. You?"

Edward looked at the God of Chaos with confusion, "Um, hello? I'm Edward Elric." He looked at him and noticed the different limbs he had, "What are you, by the way? A chimera?"

Discord gasped sarcastically upon hearing the question and crossed his arms, "Well, I never. 'Chimera' is such a mainstream name. I am a draconequus, thank you very much."

"A dracon-a-what? Uh… Yeah, I don't think I heard of that word before."

"When my friends and I ran into some trouble, he ended up helping us out," Twilight spoke up, watering down the tension between the draconequus and the human, "Before that, he woke up finding himself in the Castle of the Twin Sisters."

"Hmm... How interesting and mysterious," Discord said as he was sitting down on a chair while wearing a business suit and writing something down on a notebook like a psychologist. He looked at Twilight for a moment before getting rid of his attire, notebook, and chair with a snap of his finger. "Back on track with you, Twilight. Anyway, I'm just surprised that you agreed to their plan. I never thought you'd be the type of pony who would think she was better than everypony else."

"I don't think I'm better than anypony!" Twilight spoke defensively.

"Oh, how silly of me to assume you think that," Discord chuckled as a purple cape draped around Twilight's body and a golden scepter with her head on top appeared around her right foreleg, "All you did was choose to keep your 'princess self' out of harm's way while your friends thrust themselves into it."

Frowning while thinking about what Discord already said to her, Twilight tossed the scepter and cape to the side before he shrunk right beside her and sat on top of her head.

"I'm sure you'll be best of pals again after they return from their terrifying, yet bonding experience that they're having without you."

Twilight found herself in deeper thought after Discord finished talking. She realized that she had made a terrible mistake having to return to Ponyville while her friend went forward to confront the danger ahead of them. Without warning, she turned around and started galloping back into the Everfree Forest while causing the God of Chaos to fall off of her. Spike immediately followed suit.

Edward did nothing as he watched the two rush back into the forest until they were of sight. Discord returned to normal size and stood beside him.

"Well? Aren't you going to help them, little guy?"

The alchemist prodigy turned his head upward and glared at the draconequus angrily, "Who are you calling so little, you need a microscope to see him!?"

Discord was now wearing a doctor's outfit complete with a stethoscope around his neck and a thermometer in his hand. "Now, now. Control your temper please," He jokingly spoke while he tapped the thermometer. "I was just asking you a simple yes-or-no question."

Edward looked back in the direction of the Everfree Forest in deep thought. He did help Twilight and her friends earlier but now felt conflicted considering what she had already told him on the way to Ponyville, "I don't know if I should or not. It would mean I'm meddling in the businesses of others, sticking my nose where I shouldn't in the first place. Believe me, I learned that the hard way..."





Several months earlier. Beneath Fort Briggs.

"Earlier this year, there was the Liore Insurrection," Second Lieutenant Falman said as Edward was circling spots on a map of Amestris where major conflicts took place in the past three to four centuries. "There were many casualties..."

Edward and Alphonse froze in disbelief at the mention of Liore.

"An insurrection!? But why?" The younger Elric asked.

"I don't understand," Edward said, "I exposed the fake priest in Liore and I reported it to Eastern Command immediately."

"Yes, you did. But the Central Forces came in and ran out the troops from the East. After that happened, Liore just fell to pieces."

"Oh no... Damn!"





Discord wrote something down on a piece of paper and folded it before handing it over to Edward.

The young alchemist unfolded the paper and it read,


Diagnosis: Bad experience.

- Dr. Discord


Edward blinked in confusion until the paper transformed into a figurine-sized version of Discord causing him to yelp in surprise.

"It seems that this bad experience in question planted some seeds of doubt for future endeavors somehow."

This statement brought Edward into deep thought. Meanwhile, Discord returned to normal size and leaned in on him.

"You can't let a single bad experience from your past ruin everything. Think of it as a learning experience, if you may. Maybe Twilight and her friends need your help or maybe not. The outcome may turn out positive for you and your potentially newfound friends, only if you help them. This could also improve your overall experience. Either go forward or sit idly as time passes."

Edward was frozen in place and speechless after Discord finished. He had heard a more or less similar lecture before, but this one made him realize his own mistake. It made him slowly clench his gloved fists. Without warning, the young alchemist bolted away from Discord and into the Everfree Forest.

"Dammit! Was that freak show trying to get under my skin? Nevermind him. I'd rather be useful to someone in need than just sitting on the sidelines anyway!!"





The Everfree Forest

"Are we there yet?" Spike asked Twilight while riding on her back.

Twilight looked around and stopped in her tracks before she answered, "I don't know where we are... We're lost." She sat down in disappointment, "I should've never left my friends..."

"We can't just give up," Spike jumped off of Twilight and spotted a nearby, decently tall tree. A new idea rang up in his mind, "Maybe if I get up there, I'll be able to spot them." He started climbing to the highest branch and crawled across it. A canopy of leaves and other branches were blocking his view, so he shoved them to the side revealing their friends trotting down a set of stairs into the empty ravine that separated the Castle of the Two Sisters from the forest, "Well whaddya know...?" The small dragon said to himself and smiled in satisfaction with his discovery. He turned around and called out to Twilight. When he looked down at her, he gasped in terror at what was happening.

With no probable sign for escape, Twilight was surrounded by a small group of vicious-looking plants. They started spraying her with bluish-green fumes coming out of their mouths, causing her to cough from one cloud of fumes at a time. She was struggling to breathe and was starting to feel light-headed.





The Ravine

Applejack, Rainbow Dash, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Rarity had finally found what they were looking for; the Tree of Harmony. The source of the problem was that the thorny vines were wrapped around the tree. They tried to rid the tree of the vines, but their attempts failed as the vines retaliated. Twilight would have known how to handle this situation. Unfortunately, they sent her back to Ponyville.

"It was your idea, Applejack!!" Rainbow Dash pointed her forehoof at the farm mare.

"We ALL agreed that it was the best thing, Rainbow Dash! We were trying to protect her," Applejack defensively glared back at Rainbow Dash, while Pinkie Pie, Rarity, and Fluttershy listened to the argument.

Before the argument could heat up any further, a painful groan from a familiar voice rang out which caught everypony's attention. Spike was stumbling down the stairs and by the time his body slammed into the ground at the base of the stairs, everypony's eyes widen in shock and rushed over to him. Applejack cradled his injured body in her forelegs before he spoke.

"Twilight... Trouble... Help!"





Edward continued running through the forest hoping to catch up with Twilight and Spike. So far, he had yet spotted the two or at least their friends. Where could they all be now? The young alchemist moved some vegetation from the front of him and found himself in a small opening. He then froze in place upon seeing five plant-like creatures nearby. It appeared as if they were surrounding something. After a closer look, his eyes widened in shock to see an unconscious Twilight on the ground. These creatures were about to eat her!

Without a second thought, he clapped his hands together accompanied by a ringing sound. He placed them on the ground and transmuted an earthen column around Twilight's body tall enough for the plant-like creatures to be unable to prey on. This caused them to turn their attention from her to Edward.

"Hey, try me instead!"

Edward taunted the creatures. They, in turn, glared at him with predatory intent. One lunged forward only for him to roll out of the way. Edward attempted to transmute the ground again until the shadow of one of the other plant creatures towered over him. It opened its maw over him until a vine was immediately wrapped around it and closed it shut. It was then dragged away from him with a familiar figure walking over it.

"Listen here, you rabid rhododendrons! You mess with one of us, you mess with all of us!!"

Applejack revealed herself after she finished tying up the creature. Rainbow Dash, Rarity, Pinkie Pie, Fluttershy, and Spike stood beside her all ready to confront their opponents. Rainbow Dash was the first to make a move by catching two plant creatures' attention by flying over them.

With everypony else scattered to deal with the creatures. Applejack rushed over to the alchemist's side, "Are you okay, Ed?"

"A lot better now since you and your friends are here," The young alchemist answered with a smile of relief, "Also, Twilight is up there. I got to her right before those freaky plants could even touch her." He pointed at the tall column where Twilight's body was on.

The farm mare gave him a chuckle, "Looks like your fancy, schmancy alchemy saved her again."

Edward was about to answer, but a shuffle in the vegetation near him was heard. The first plant creature that attacked him lunged at him once more. This prompted him to shove the farm mare out of harm's way right before the creature caught him by his left leg. Applejack gasped in horror and panic as she witnessed this.

"Ed!"

Everypony else managed to trick the remaining plant creatures into entangling each other by accident. They all turned their heads when they heard Applejack call Edward's name and saw his situation with shock.

Edward stood there and hadn't flinched as the plant creature attempted to gnaw on his left leg.

"Sorry, but you're just wasting your time."

He then transmuted his automail right arm plating into a fixed blade and rammed it into its head, killing it. The young alchemist removed his arm causing the creature to lifelessly let go of his left leg and fell over. The fabric of his pants leg's calf area was torn during the gnawing, but it revealed a portion of his automail left leg while the torn right arm sleeve of his red coat revealed half of his automail right arm. Edward backed away for a few steps and sighed in relief.

Applejack and the rest approached Edward with concern. When they got close, they gazed at his prosthetic appendages in awe. Rainbow Dash flew around the alchemist to look at the limbs from different angles before she made an amused whistle.

"And I thought your alchemy was cool, but you never cease to amaze me, bud."

Edward blinked in confusion from the cyan pegasus' compliment as he transmuted his automail arm back to normal, "Um... Thanks?"

Pinkie Pie jumped on Edward's back by surprise and fired confetti into the air with a cheer. Little did they know that one more plant creature was closing in on the two from behind. Suddenly, a pink-colored beam impacted the creature and vaporized. This caused the human alchemist and pink mare to fall face-first onto the ground in surprise with the latter who landed on top of him which broke her fall. After that, all eyes turned towards the source of the beam. Twilight had regained consciousness, already back at ground level from her column, and back on all four hooves. Everypony, along with Spike and Edward, gathered around her.

"Twilight, you're okay!" Edward kneeled in front of her.

"I sure am glad you came lookin' for us," Applejack smiled.

Twilight returned the smile, "Not as glad as I am that you found me."

"Actually," Rarity spoke and corrected her, "Edward was the first to find you. The rest of us immediately followed. You could have already fallen prey if any of us were a second or two too late."

Twilight turned her head at the elevated earth that she woke up on moments ago. It was almost similar to what happened with the cragadile. She then turned to Edward, but she caught sight of both of his metallic-looking limbs. What surprised her the most was his leg. She still remembered the gruesome flashback that involved him and 'Al' where he was bleeding out. She was certain he had the limb replacement after that incident, but what about his right arm?

Edward saw Twilight's shocked expression. He looked down at both his automail limbs and nervously chuckled. "These? It's a long and not-so-great story... Maybe another time for it," He explained with a smile as he opened and closed his fist. Mechanical sounds can quietly be heard from the movement.

Somehow, the lavender mare sensed a hint of sadness and pain from his voice right before he smiled.

Rarity then started speaking again, "The truth of managing to find you, Twilight... We're simply lost without you."

"Yeah," Rainbow was hovering above her friends, but she decided to be on her hooves again, "Equestria may need its princess..."

"But we need our friend," Fluttershy finished Rainbow Dash's sentence. After that, everypony came together for a hug.

Edward couldn't help but smile again at the heartwarming display among friends. He was about to back away for their sake, but he felt a tingling tug on his left arm. A pinkish aura was seen around it and he then noticed that Twilight's horn glowed in the same color. The lavender mare looked up at him and smiled as her magic tugged on him again. Although reluctant, the alchemist prodigy took the hint and joined in on the group hug.





Twilight, her friends, and Edward stood near the bridge to the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters. Immediately to their right was a flight of stairs leading down to the ravine. Her friends mentioned that the Tree of Harmony was located in a cave at the bottom of the ravine.

"Edward, didn't you mention you woke up finding yourself at the ruins of the Castle of the Two Sisters?" Fluttershy asked.

"Yeah," Edward answered in confirmation, "After we separated earlier, Twilight told me that it was also where you all found the Elements of Harmony. Also... How come I never noticed these stairs before?"

Rainbow Dash chuckled at his question, "Yeah, you're not the only one. We didn't even notice these stairs earlier."

"Come on, we should head down," Twilight suggested as she took her first steps downward.





"So this is the Tree of Harmony," Edward looked up in awe.

After their descent into the ravine, they all came face-to-face with the Tree of Harmony. To Twilight, the Tree looked quite dim compared to how she saw it earlier in the flashbacks. She flew ahead of her friends and hovered towards the tree for a closer look until a thorny vine attempted to grab her. She retaliated by firing a magical beam at it from her horn. Eventually, more vines surrounded the Tree of Harmony which made her stop and reassess the current situation for a moment.

Meanwhile, her friends looked up at her as if she was in deep thought. They then watched her hover away from the tree and returned to them.

"I know how we can save the Tree... We have to give it the Elements of Harmony."

Her friends, along with Edward, stood in silence. The shock was slowly being drawn on their faces. Rainbow Dash was the first to speak out.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. How are we supposed to protect Equestria?"

Rarity moved forward beside the cyan pegasus and spoke, "How are we meant to reign Discord in if we can't use the Elements to turn him back to stone?"

"Twilight," Applejack spoke as she trotted over to her, "The Elements of Harmony, they're what keep us connected no matter what." She looked down at the Element of Honesty around her neck and grasped it in her forehoof.

"You're right about one thing, Applejack," Twilight assured her friend, "The Elements of Harmony did bring us together, but it isn't the Elements that will keep us connected. It's our friendship and it's more powerful than magic. My new role in Equestria may mean I have to take on newer responsibilities and our friendship may be tested, but it'll never, ever be broken."

Her speech left her friends with heartwarming smiles.

"There's no time to lose. Everypony ready?"

"Ready!"

Twilight's horn lit up as her magic removed the other Elements from her friends' necklaces. The gems revolved around her before she removed her own element from her tiara. As the gems continued to surround her, the vines that were clinging onto the Tree of Harmony lunged and entangled her.

Her friends gasped in terror from the sudden and dangerous turn of events. Edward saw something from the corner of his eye and turned around and saw several more thorny vines approaching them.

"Behind us!!"

The young alchemist warned as he transmuted a blade from his automail forearm plating and started slashing away at the vines. He suspected that the vines will do anything to stop Twilight.

One vine attempted to grasp the Element of Magic, but Twilight managed to slide it out of its grasp with her magic. She then levitated each of the Elements into the slots of the Tree starting with her own being placed in the center. Once all the gems were secured into the tree, the Tree of Harmony itself began to glow brightly. The vines that bounded it disintegrated into nothing by the tree's bright aura. Even the vines Edward was fighting off disintegrated as well. The aura not only spread through the ravine, but it spread further into the Everfree Forest and into Ponyville as well.

When Edward turned towards the direction of the Tree, he noticed that Twilight was safe from the vines and rejoined her friends. He did the same after transmuting his artificial arm back to normal. The entire group looked at the Tree of Harmony in awe as it gave off a light blue crystal-like appearance with the Elements of Harmony glowing brightly in their respective colors.

At the base of the tree, there were two piles of vines but they, too, disintegrated into nothing as they both revealed to contain the two missing princesses Celestia and Luna. Twilight bolted away from her friends and rushed towards the princesses and hugged them.

"We know how difficult it must've been for you to give up the Elements," Celestia returned Twilight's hug with assurance, "It took great courage to relinquish them."

Twilight opened her eyes and saw the Tree of Harmony glow a little brighter. A magical stream from the Elements met with the Element of Magic and then down towards the Sun and Moon marks. The stream ended at one of the tree roots where a pinkish-purple flower sprouted from it. It was now the size of Twilight as she approached it. She lightly touched the flower with her forehoof and its petals opened to reveal a blue chest with six keyholes.

"What's inside it? How am I supposed to open it?"

"Six locks... Six keys..." Luna commented as she was just as curious.

All heads turned to Celestia with hopes for potential answers.

"I do not know where they are, but I do know it is not a mystery that you will not solve alone."

The white alicorn's eyes then shifted towards Edward as curiosity dawned over her. Even her sister took notice of the newcomer in question.

"And who might you be?" Celestia asked.

 The blonde human realized the question was directed at him and he quickly straightened himself up before he answered, "I'm Edward Elric. It's a pleasure to meet you, your highness."

"He woke up and found himself in the ruins of your old castle earlier," Twilight added. "He even helped me and my friends through some trouble on the way here using this sort of ability called alchemy."

"Alchemy?" Luna raised her eyebrow and turned her head back to Edward, "My sister and I would like to see what this... Alchemy of yours can do."

The young alchemist was about to scratch his cheek until he looked down at the right sleeve of his red coat. Half of it was in tatters when he transmuted his automail arm into a blade earlier. It was already too late for his white glove that covered his hand as it was ripped into shreds from the transmutation, but it was not too late for his red coat.

"Of course."

With all eyes on him, Edward removed his red coat and placed it on the ground. Since he was wearing a sleeveless shirt under his coat, his automail arm was seen in its entirety by the Princesses, Twilight, and her friends. He knew they were also curious about his prosthetic limbs, but alchemy had their attention at this time. The patched wound on his left bicep was also seen. He clapped his hands together, which was accompanied by a ringing sound, and placed them on his coat. Blue sparks surrounded it in a circular form and seconds later, the torn sleeve was restored to its original state. After that, he picked up the coat and showed them the right sleeve was good as new.

The group gasped as their eyes glowed with awe after they witnessed Edward's alchemical abilities. Rarity spoke out with excitement.

"Edward, I didn't know your alchemy can fix fabric as well."

"Technically, it is fixed. The downside to it is that the fabric of the coat had to thin out a bit to cover the portion of the sleeve that was lost."

"Hm... I see... Then it seems to be a temporary fix of some sort, darling."

Celestia stepped forward to speak, "Maybe one more example of your alchemy will do?"

Edward nodded his head in agreement, waving a hand at them to follow him before he stepped outside the cave. He stood in front of the ravine wall and looked up for a moment. Once more, he clapped his hands together and placed them on the ground. An earthen column raised him around his feet to the top of the cliff where the bridge to the Castle of the Two Sisters was at. He stepped off of the column and looked over the cliff edge to see his spectators below. A few minutes later, Twilight, her friends, and the Princesses returned to the cliff edge where the alchemist waited.

"That is quite a unique ability you wield," Luna complimented.

Celestia nodded her head in agreement, "Yes. It looks like magic, but at the same time, it doesn't. You don't look like you're from anywhere in Equestria. Where are you from?"

"I'm from Amestris."

Celestia scratched her chin, "I don't think I've heard of such a place before, Edward. Although I want to know more about this alchemy of yours, I'd rather discuss this with you another time. I believe we should all leave the Everfree Forest right now."

Everypony responded in agreement before they started moving towards the direction of Ponyville.





Ponyville was drawing close for everypony and Edward as they finally reached the end of the Everfree Forest and into the town's territory. After several steps, confetti and banners of Twilight and her friends burst from nowhere, along with Discord as the solo welcoming party.

"Bravo, ladies, bravo!! However did you save the day this time? Blast the beastie with your magical necklaces, I presume?"

Edward gave the God of Chaos an irritated glare and sighed, "Yeah, great to see you." He spoke sarcastically.

"The feeling is mutual, Edward," Discord responded by scratching the alchemist's head which messed up his hair which earned a muffled snicker from Spike.

Edward knew his hair was a mess as he attempted to fix it again. Rarity trotted over to him and offered to help him with his hair, which he accepted.

Discord then vanished and reappeared on Applejack's back dressed up as a cowboy and in the size of a doll. He pushed her mane aside as if he was looking for something, "Where are those little trinkets of yours? Y'know, the ones you used to send me back to my extremely uncomfortable stone prison."

"Gone," Applejack simply answered while staring at him grumpily.

"Gone?" Discord reappeared again and in his normal size without the cowboy outfit. It looked like he was in deep thought and planning something... Something suspicious...

Fluttershy derailed his train of thought by flying in front of him, "Our friendship remains." A smile of confidence was shown on her before she made a serious glare at the draconequus, "And if you ever want to remain friends, you'll stop thinking whatever you're thinking and help us clean up."

With that, Discord reappeared wearing a maid's outfit and walked away from the group, "Fine, but I don't do windows."

A thought occurred in Applejack's mind before she spoke, "One thing I don't get... Why did this all happen now?"

"I have no idea," Discord stopped in his tracks and scratched his chin in confusion, "Those seeds I planted should have sprouted ages ago."

Twilight gasped after hearing his last sentence and glared at him, "What did you say!?"

"Oh, why should I explain it when you can see for yourself?"

The potion Twilight used to look into the past appeared in Discord's hand. She took the potion with her magic and took a gulp from it. As soon as the potion was set aside, the world around her flashed before her eyes.





Twilight returned to the event when Celestia and Luna confronted Discord before turning him into stone. He was eating from a brown sack filled with black seeds.

"Well, things obviously did not go according to my original plan," Discord's voice rang out as the flashback progressed. As it turned out the seeds he was snacking on were relevant to his explanation, "My plunder seeds should have stolen magic from the Tree of Harmony and captured Princess Celestia and Princess Luna thousands of moons ago... Alas, it seems that the Tree had enough magic to prevent the seed from growing big and strong... Until now that is..."





Twilight shook her head upon returning to the present world and made another glare at Discord, "You realized this was information we could have used hours ago!?"

"And rob you of a valuable lesson about being a princess? What kind of friend do you think I am?" Discord asked as he playfully pinched Twilight's cheek.





The night of the Summer Sun Celebration was only hours away. Twilight and Spike returned to Canterlot with the Princesses to continue preparations for the event. Rarity rushed Edward into the Carousel Boutique with Fluttershy following behind them while Applejack, Rainbow Dash, and Pinkie Pie prepared for the celebration on their own. The fashionista not only wanted to take quick, on-the-spot measurements for new clothes for him but also wanted to fix his pants and sleeveless shirt since they were torn and damaged. He asked for simple attire for the time being.

Fluttershy still remembered that she saw a patched wound on his left bicep. She also took note of minor cuts on him. She swung by her cottage to pick up her first aid kit and returned as quickly as possible. This came as a surprise for Edward when she explained her experiences with taking care of animals. She was certain he was no different and wanted to help him with his wounds while Rarity handled his tattered attire and new outfits. Despite his denial of receiving first aid, the pegasus mare refused to take 'no' for an answer. In the end, Edward ultimately conceded.





Canterlot

Despite all that transpired, the Summer Sun Celebration still took place as scheduled. Edward, along with his new friends, was under the night sky as they stood in front of the stage where the main event was about to be shown. Twilight was nowhere to be seen since the Princesses needed her. They were surrounded by other ponies awaiting the celebration as well. He was now wearing a new pair of black, casual trousers with a matching coat. The trousers were slightly big around the waist, but his belt kept it in place. Underneath the coat was a white dress shirt, and a black, sleeveless shirt immediately underneath. Rarity suggested he had to come back to the Boutique for proper measurements since it was all rushed earlier.

The blonde prodigy noticed that was sticking out of the crowd like a sore thumb. He already had a handful of mixed glances from other ponies which made him a little uncomfortable. This made him hang his head in the realization of how much of a stranger he was here.

"Ed?"

A small voice called out his name which startled him a bit.

"You okay?" It was Spike.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just got some stuff in my mind right now," Edward replied with a nervous chuckle.

Trumpets were then played by a group of guardspony which signaled the arrival of the Princesses and Twilight. Celestia and Luna moved forward onto the stage together and stood in front of the crowd.

"Citizens of Equestria," Celestia greeted the crowd, "It is no longer with a heavy heart but with great joy that I raise the Summer Sun. For this celebration now represents not the defeat of Nightmare Moon, but the return of my sister; Princess Luna."

As the crowd cheered on, Edward remembered the conversation he and Twilight had on the way back to Ponyville while her friends looked for the Tree of Harmony. She explained how she and her friends found the Elements of Harmony and used them to defeat Nightmare Moon, who turned out to be Princess Luna. She also mentioned the time they turned Discord into stone, only to end up freeing him sometime later for Fluttershy to reform him.

Luna flew into the air and used her magic to bring down the Moon. Celestia also did the same but raised the Sun in her case. As the celestial bodies switched places in the sky, With her horn lit, Twilight took flight between the Princesses leaving a flash of magic while the Sun took over the sky. A beautiful display was shown which left the crowd watching in awe. The three returned to the ground with smiles on each of their faces.

"That was incredible," Edward whispered to himself while he bore witness to the display, "I doubt alchemy can do that. Not even with a Philosopher's Stone..."





As the festivities continued, Edward was still in the company of Spike and the rest. Twilight hasn't shown up yet. She was probably still busy. When he noticed his friends were deep in their conversation, Edward slowly backed away from them and walked out of sight.

A minute later, Twilight reunited with her friends.

"That was a magnificent display, Twilight," Rarity complimented.

"Yeah, it kinda made me wish I was the one who flew by," Rainbow Dash chuckled.

"I knew I should have fired my party cannon as an addition," Pinkie said as she was sitting on top of her said cannon.

Everypony burst out in laughter. Twilight was the first to settle down from it when she noticed a certain detail among her friends as if something was out of place.

"Wait, where's Ed?"

Spike stopped his laughter and looked around for a moment, "I thought he was standing right beside me."

"I saw him walk that way right before you showed up," Fluttershy quietly answered while pointing her forehoof towards the direction of the drawbridge leading out of Canterlot.

"Let me go check on him. You can all wait here for the time being," Twilight walked towards the direction the yellow pegasus pointed out for her.  

 



Staring out towards the distance Equestria had to offer, Edward sat down on a patch of grass enjoying the view. After what already happened up to this point, he had settled into terms that he was in another world... Another dimension... A completely different plane of existence. As far as he knew, Equestria was clearly different from Amestris. It was not just society nor its citizens. It was the magic he was seeing since he arrived here. He became convinced that it was not a gimmick of some sort. It was actual magic. The way he saw it so far, it appeared to have an upper hand over Amestrian alchemy at many levels.

Speaking of alchemy, Edward pulled out his silver pocket watch and grasped it in his right hand. He had almost forgotten about it until he was at the Carousel Boutique with Rarity and Fluttershy. The prodigy was surprised he had it with him this whole time. It was the same watch he carried around since the day he earned his State Alchemist Certification. He then looked up at the morning sky as another thought entered his mind.

"Al... Winry... I hope everything is alright back home."

"Ed?"

A familiar voice shook him out of his mind. He turned around to the source and saw Twilight standing there.

"Ed, are you all right?"

"Yeah," Edward responded quietly, "I'm good, Twilight. I just wanted to be alone for a little bit."

"Oh..." The lavender mare sat by his right side and stared at the distance alongside him, "My friends and I were wondering where you ran off to. Apparently, you didn't go that far."

"I don't think I know my way around here well enough to do that."

Both shared a laugh together. Twilight needed a moment to calm down before she continued the conversation with him. She noticed that he was looking at a silver pocket watch in his hand.

"So how do you like Equestria so far?"

Edward paused to think about the question, "I'm basically a stranger in a strange land. It's different from what I'm used to."

"Stranger in a strange land, huh?" Twilight became lost in her own thoughts. That hit home for her as she still remembered her adventure at Canterlot High. It was a recent event, but it felt as though it happened long ago. She quietly heaved a sigh before she spoke again, "Thank you, Ed."

Edward stopped looking at his pocket watch and turned to Twilight in confusion, "Thank me? Thank me for what?"

"For saving me twice at the Everfree Forest and also helping me and my friends," She answered while she nervously rubbed her foreleg and looked back up at him.

The blonde alchemist tucked his watch back into his pocket and scratched his cheek, "Yeah... I had that gut feeling you needed help the first time. Turns out I was right."

Twilight looked away from Edward and lightly chuckled. Then, something else flashed into her mind... The flashback she witnessed from the potion while attempting to find answers about the Princesses' disappearance. She remembered that it involved a younger Edward and his brother... That horrifying ritual the two attempted... The remorse, anguish, and despair on Edward's face kept flickering before her eyes.

And yet, here he was... Sitting beside her alive and well while he looked at the vast distance of Equestria's landscape. His golden eyes weren't filled with anything she saw from the flashback. Instead, they were filled with determination, bravery, and diligence. She was curious about what happened and what he had gone through between back then and now. Twilight closed her eyes and saw the younger, pain-stricken boy again.

Edward continued looking at the breathtaking view of Equestria. He then just realized that Twilight has been awfully quiet for a minute or two. He turned his head towards her and noticed her eyes were closed.

"Twilight?"

The lavender alicorn opened her eyes after her name was called and embarrassingly chuckled, "Oh!! Sorry. I must have dozed off."

"You were silent for a bit."

"Right..." Twilight stood back up in all four hooves and chuckled, "Anyway, let's head back to the others before they start looking for us, Ed."

The alchemist nodded in agreement and returned to his feet, "Sure, why not?" He then followed her back into Canterlot across the drawbridge and surely enough, their friends were there to greet them back.





Celestia and Luna watched the festivities continue from one of the castle's balconies. The white alicorn was more than proud to see her faithful student take on some more responsibilities as the new Princess of Friendship. However, something else came to mind. The one who helped Twilight and her friends; Edward Elric... A strange being who wielded an equally strange ability.

"Luna, what do you think of Edward?"

"Hm... Not much to say about him at this time, but I am intrigued by this alchemy of his. Even long before and after my banishment, I have never seen anything like it."

"Neither have I."

Both princesses were able to see the newcomer in question stick out from the crowd of ponies below. It looked like he was enjoying a conversation of some sort with Twilight and her friends. If only they had the ability to read lips...

Luna spoke again, "I sense a whirlwind of turmoil inside him."

Celestia tilted her head in confusion, "How so?"

"When we both met him alongside Twilight and her friends at the Tree of Harmony, his eyes showed bravery and determination. The type of eyes that endured loss and numerous tribulations for somepony so young. Upon closer look, I saw a glint of pain, remorse, and anguish. It makes me wonder how he acquired those artificial appendages."

The Princess of the Sun simply listened quietly as her sister continued her explanation.

"I remembered having those feelings after you banished me to the Moon long ago, sister. I can also tell he has a heart that is the same color as his eyes."

"I see that too, Luna. Perhaps we can also trust him since Twilight and her friends already do. I would also like to see more of his alchemy next time."






(Closing Credits - Again (English Version) by AmaLee)