//------------------------------// // 26- Schmiede // Story: The Chalk Prince and the Clover // by FrostTheWolf //------------------------------// It took almost a day or so after the conversation with Shining Armor, but by that time, all the necessary precautions and preparations were completed for a trip to Canterlot. While Albedo might’ve wanted to strike while the iron was still hot, the risk of going to the capital city without a recommendation letter from Celestia outweighed the rewards. Especially with how Twilight’s brother had described the political situation in Canterlot and how the nobles would do anything to undermine his efforts if he ever did so much as look at them funny. Luckily, he wasn’t going to be doing this trip by himself. After discussing it with Twilight, the alicorn thought that he should come along with her the next time she was in Canterlot. Whether it be to pick up something from one of the stores or there on official business, it would be hard for any creature to interfere with Albedo’s plans if they realized that they were a friend of a princess of Equestria. Plus, she had already helped him a lot with preparing him for when he was going to go there as well as left Klee in the care of Sandbar and his friends after seeing how well they kept an eye on her last time. Well, that and it wouldn’t exactly make a good impression if his sister chose to play with her bombs in the middle of the city and have someone get hurt. So having her come along was the least he could do to show his appreciation. The trip to Canterlot though was a much different experience. Instead of traveling by foot, which was the most common method back in Teyvat, they traveled by something completely different. A complex mechanical contraption that was called a ‘train’ that was able to move on its own, guided by a set of tracks and powered by coal in the engine compartment. Such a thing would seem unimaginable in Teyvat, yet in Equestria, they seem rather commonplace. Many of the creatures that were on board were somewhat familiar with it, and were rather comfortable while they had food and drink brought to their seats. Once they actually arrived at Canterlot, that’s when Albedo’s curiosity reached its peak. Even though he had read about it in some of the books that were at the school of friendship and Twilight told him a few more things, that failed in comparison to actually seeing it in person. The only time that he had seen anything that was remotely similar to it was the ruins in Dragonspine, and yet, that was small compared to the thriving city that was waiting for him and Twilight as the train was beginning to slow down. “We’re here,” Twilight told Albedo with glee as she got up out of her seat, motioning for the alchemist to follow him with one of her wings. “You seem rather excited,” he replied, “Is there something else you’re planning on doing while I’m here or-?” “Well, Canterlot was kind of my first home before I moved to Ponyville. So, coming back here always feels like I’m returning home. Even though there are times where it’s only temporary,” the alicorn replied, “I still use it as a chance to check in with my parents from time to time to see how they’re doing. Though, that’s usually after any important stuff is done and out of the way.” That had Albedo raise an eyebrow, “What important stuff exactly?” “Y’know, going to the library, asking Princess Celestia for advice, solving friendship problems. The kind of thing where it’s handy to keep a saddlebag of stuff on you just in case,” Twilight summarized, before something else came to mind, “Speaking of bags, do you still have the one that I gave you before we left Ponyville?” “That I do,” he replied, before pulling out a lavender colored drawstring bag that was in his coat pocket, “I’m still a bit surprised how you were able to get this to work.” “Well, it’s nothing a bit of magic can’t solve,” the alicorn replied, “Now, who was it that you said we were looking for? Cast Iron?” Albedo nodded as the two of them started walking towards Canterlot’s market district, “Yes, actually. According to your brother, his forge is not that far away from the Royal Guard’s barracks. Though, since the barracks is closer to the main castle, I assume we have a bit of a ways to go before we actually meet him?” “That sounds about right,” Twilight told him, “Follow me. Based on what you told me, I think I might have an idea of where exactly this place might be.” The alchemist nodded and let her lead the way. Though, as he was walking, he couldn’t help but look around at everything that was around him. The structure and layout of the city reminded him a lot of Mondstadt, but walking through Canterlot felt like a different experience. A bustling city filled with endless curiosity. If he had more time, Albedo would certainly want to explore it for himself. However, that would be distracting him from the main reason as to why he was here. Yet, as he walked through downtown Canterlot, that was when he began to notice something. Several of the creatures in town, whether they be of ponykind or another species, were looking towards him. Yet, they did not entirely look like the expression of a creature that was curious or surprised by the sight of a newcomer. If anything, the look that was on their faces was something of fear and worry. “I’m beginning to get the impression that Canterlot isn’t as ‘welcoming’ as you described it, Twilight,” he told the alicorn as they made a left turn and began to move up a set of stairs, “Just seeing the locals reminds me of when I first came to Mondstadt.” “In what regard?” she asked. “Well… there’s the sense of confusion, as well as fear,” the alchemist replied, “My master once said that people would go to great lengths to try and destroy what they don’t understand if they think it’s somehow a threat.” “Well, it’s not everyday they see someone that’s not like ponykind,” she replied, trying to sound positive in the process, “I mean, ponies were hesitant when we had some of the leaders of different species over for diplomatic events, but now some of those species live here in Canterlot with everypony else. So, it might be more curiosity than fear.” “Optimism is definitely a strong suit of yours,” Albedo complimented her, before he noticed a particular building that had a pegasus guard with a blue mane and orange fur standing nearby, “Would it be right to guess that this is the barracks?” “Why yes, actually. Though, it’s actually kind of quiet,” Twilight said, before noticing the guard that was standing on duty as the two of them approached them. Though, their presence caught the pegasus by surprise. “P-princess Twilight! I-i had no idea that you would be in town today-” they replied, before they immediately stiffened up and saluted her. The alicorn giggled, before motioning her hoof to have them calm down. “There’s no need to be formal, just Twilight is fine. You’re… Flash Sentry, right? I remember that my brother assigned you to escort me a couple of times, but that was years ago.” “T-that’s right! Are you looking for the captain? Because he’s-” It was at this point that he noticed Albedo and was caught by surprise. Especially since he was not like any creature they had seen before, “W-who-?” “My name is Albedo,” the alchemist answered, “Twilight was actually helping me look for somepony that shouldn’t be that far. Are you familiar with someone named Cast Iron?” The simple question had the guard nod his head. Though, his answer was a bit different than he expected. “Y-yes, though not for the right reasons unfortunately.” “Shining Armor told me that there was a lot of politics behind it, especially with funding,” Albedo replied, “Would that happen to be the reason why?” “Well yes, but actually no.” Both Twilight and Albedo looked to each other for a moment, confused by what Flash told them. “What do you mean?” “What I mean is that, yes, there is a lot of politics behind it, but not for the reason you might think it is,” the pegasus replied, “The nobles don’t have problems when it comes to spending money on anything that they want. Though, when it comes to actually doing something right, they only act when it benefits them. At least, that’s what I’ve been told.” “How does this apply to Cast Iron though?” Albedo asked. “As far as I know, he doesn’t trust them… at all,” Flash replied back, “Somepony that I used to go on patrols with told me that he’d rather move his services elsewhere rather than be in the back pocket of a greedy noble pony.” “I see,” the alchemist scratched his chin, “Would you happen to know where his shop might be?” Even after everything that he had just told the alchemist, Flash was surprised that Albedo still wanted to see him. Especially since what he said was supposed to be more of a cautionary warning. “Well, if you really want to go see him, his forge is farther down the street here,” the pegasus replied, pointing towards where the shop was with his left wing. “Though, do be careful. He’s rather… well, intimidating.” “Thanks for the advice, but I’m sure it’ll be fine,” the alchemist assured him, before taking the initiative and going to the forge by himself. Which left the guard with the alicorn princess as an awkward silence began to set in. Though, despite the mounting feeling of social anxiety, Flash tried his best to make polite conversation. “S-so, uh… h-how have you been?” For the blacksmith named Cast Iron, it was just a normal day like any other. The earth pony rarely had visitors over at his shop unless somepony was over from the guard to request the standard gear for their deployment or any other creature in need of something. However, if it were anypony that considered themselves part of Canterlot’s political elite, Cast would shut the door in their faces.  The nobles might talk like he knew his business, but the truth was, they did not. What they did not understand was that in this line of work, it was quality over quantity. Each armament that was in his forge was tailored made to the particular soldier who requested it and the techniques used would make sure that the armor did not crack under pressure in case something were to happen when they were on duty. It wasn’t something that could be used and then thrown away if it didn’t work. Otherwise, the royal guard would have armor that was as durable as cardboard. Though, as he was just about to open up shop, there was a knock at his door. The first thought that came to his mind was that there was an eager new recruit outside that had been waiting for him to get ready. “Darn younglings these days,” he grumbled before speaking up, “It’s open!” As he turned away from the door to prepare some of his tools, he heard the door to his shop open up as the one who had knocked on the door came in. “Are you Cast Iron?” “Yeah, that’s me. Now, is there something I can-” When the earth pony turned around, he found himself looking at a creature that was not a pony. They were dressed rather oddly, though, something about this figure was a bit unsettling as Cast tried to look at him. They didn’t appear to have anything that would resemble a form of deployment on hoof. So, to him, that meant one other possibility. “Listen, I don’t know who you are, but-” “Let me assure you, I am not in league with who you think,” the figure interjected, “My name is Albedo. I came of my own accord to seek your services as a blacksmith. If you wish to see proof, then let me provide this.” The strange figure then pulled out an envelope from their coat and set it gently on the counter for him as Cast Iron went to take a look. He was skeptical of what it was, but after a couple of moments, the earth pony was shocked by what he was looking at. It was a recommendation letter, one that was authorized by both Princess Celestia and Captain Shining Armor. At first glance, he did not think that this ‘Albedo’ was anything special. Yet, this was something else entirely… and now, they had his attention. “Well, this is unexpected,” Cast Iron replied, “What exactly brings you to my forge? You don’t look like the kind of creature who’s in need of weapons or armor. So what exactly brings you here?” “You’re correct on that. Yet, perhaps a bit of an explanation is in order,” As he said that, Albedo unfolded what looked to be a blueprint of sorts. When the blacksmith took a closer look, it looked to be a schematic for some kind of contraption, “As you might’ve assumed, I’m not from around here. As an alchemist, I’m trying to come up with a contraption that could bring my sister and I back home. Yet, before I could be able to assemble this, I need somepony who can help forge the pieces to make it work.” “And when you brought this up to either the princess or the captain, they referred you to me,” the earth pony finished for him, “Well, I wouldn’t exactly be one to refuse. Though, if I’m doing this, I’m going to need a few things-” “If you mean materials, then here,” the alchemist told him, before pulling out what looked to be a drawstring bag. When he opened it up, Cast was surprised to see chunks of iron and crystal on the counter, “The bag’s enchanted to hold everything that I was able to acquire from a recent expedition. Would this be enough to suffice?” “That’s materials, but what about payment?” Cast asked, “Just because you’re a friend of the princess doesn’t mean-” Immediately, there was a loud banging on the door as the two of them heard an abrupt voice outside, “Cast Iron, I know you’re in here! Come on out, now!!” “Oh for the love of-. Not this again,” the earth pony grumbled. “Is something wrong?” Albedo asked. “It’s that nephew of Celestia’s. He keeps coming here, thinking that his ‘authority’ will get me to do what he wants. Yet, all he’s doing is just harassing me and whatever little customers actually come here,” the stallion groaned, clearly annoyed by the sudden turn of events. Though, to Albedo, he saw this differently. “Excuse me for a moment,” the Alchemist replied. Before Cast Iron knew what was happening, he turned to see that Albedo had stepped out the front door. As the alchemist opened the door and stepped outside, he found himself looking at three stallions that were outside of Cast Iron’s forge. The first was a blond haired unicorn with white fur and a strange emblem as their cutie mark, while the other one happened to be an earth pony stallion dressed in armor and had some kind of spring loaded bow contraption holstered to their left flank. The first implication that came to mind was that the blond one was the ‘nephew’ that Cast Iron had mentioned, while the other was a bodyguard. Yet, what was certain was that all three of them were caught off guard at the sight of him. “Is there a problem?” Albedo asked. “Who the hay are you supposed to be?! Where is Cast Iron?” the blonde one demanded. “He’s attending to another matter at the moment,” the alchemist replied back, “Now, as I said, is there a problem?” “A problem? A problem!?” the unicorn raised his voice, “The stallion that owns this place has refused to do business with me on multiple occasions and now I’m getting talked down to by a filthy commoner!! This day just keeps getting worse.” Albedo sighed, before folding his arms as he looked back at the stallion, “Have you ever considered that the reason why he doesn’t want to do business with you is because of your behavior?” That made the unicorn twitch as he narrowed his gaze at him, “W-what did you just say to me?” “Well, no creature would want to do business with someone that is rather rude or doesn’t appreciate their products or services,” he replied back, “Given your attitude now, I’d say that answers your own question-” However, despite Albedo’s honest answer, the unicorn was having none of it at all. “How DARE you insult me!! Do you know who I am!? I am Prince Blueblood and I demand that you step aside at once!!” “Really now? All I did was provide a solution to-” “I said STEP ASIDE!!” the stallion interjected, “If you don’t move, I’ll have my bodyguard make you move!!” “I wouldn’t advise that if I were you-” Albedo told him as he noticed the bodyguard was moving his foreleg to arm themselves with the contraption. When they lifted up to fire it, a small arrow like bolt flew past his head and landed in a wooden support beam out front. Yet, before they had the chance to prepare another shot, the alchemist channeled his power and touched the weapon as it took the form of a lyre used by bards instead of a weapon that could hurt someone. “W-what the-!?” the unicorn stammered, “W-what did you do?! “You intended to harm me, so I merely acted in self defense,” the alchemist calmly replied. “Though, I have no quarrel with you. If you leave now, then we can put this behind us and go our separate ways.” Yet, despite Albedo’s peaceful solution to the problem at hand, Blueblood was having none of it. “You know what, forget this! I don’t care anymore about that stupid pony in there!! But you… You are going to regret this, you hear me!!” With that, both ponies immediately left as the alchemist let out a small breath. He had hoped for a solution that didn’t cause any further aggression. Yet, now it appeared that he had become the sole focus of this ‘Blueblood’ and his anger.  Now he had a feeling that these encounters were just only a fraction of what the first Grand Master, Vennessa, had to deal with when overthrowing the aristocracy that took control of Mondstadt all those years ago. Of course, his focus was redirected back to Cast Iron when he chose to go back inside and pick up where their conversation left off. “So, I believe you were asking about payment-” “Forget it. If what you did would teach that spoiled brat a lesson and finally leave me alone, then I owe you a debt that can’t be repaid with bits,” the blacksmith insisted, before grabbing some of his tools, “Give me a few hours and I’ll have everything ready for you.”