Edward’s walk to the Carousel Boutique was an uneventful one. On the bright side, there were fewer pairs of eyes giving him mixed looks than before. They were most likely adjusting to his presence around town already, but the rest of Equestria probably was unaware of him yet. The Boutique was already open to the public for half an hour so he entered the building as if he was any other customer.

The human looked for any sign of the fashionista, but she was nowhere in sight. He entered another room and noticed a display of dresses and fabrics. In one corner, there was a counter with a register. This must be the retail area… He must have missed this area during his previous visits.

He complied as he followed her to the fitting room. When he looked around the room, he noticed that it was empty. Not even a customer was present. The only difference from his last visit to the Boutique was the silk curtains on the other side of the room were currently closed. The alchemic prodigy could have sworn it was open before…

“I hope you’re ready to feast your eyes on your new outfit, dear,” the white-coated mare said with anticipation in her smile.

“More than ready. This has been a long time coming since you told me about it.”

With no further delay, Rarity’s horn glowed in a light-blue color as the curtains opened to reveal what was behind them. Without a doubt, it was the very thing she mentioned as it was properly displayed on a mannequin that was the same height as her human friend. As expected, it was his outfit.

Edward walked over to the mannequin and took a closer look at the outfit it displayed. It was reminiscent of one of the outfits he wore once he became a state alchemist. The red overcoat looked and felt the same from top to bottom as the one he always wore, but there was a slight difference he managed to spot. There was a zipper that could split the right forearm sleeve from the wrist to the elbow portion of the coat. Even the left sleeve had it. Then again, was this possibly made to accommodate his automail arm?

The fashionista’s voice rang into his ears which caused him to stop examining his new apparel, “Uh, of course. I’ll try them on now.”

Several minutes later, he stood in front of a mirror as he looked at himself in his new outfit without the red overcoat. It really was reminiscent of his previous outfits. The black pants had a similar fabric to his previous ones. As for the matching jacket, it also looked similar in design to the one he wore during his journey in northern Amestris. The only differences were a lighter but still durable fabric and a zipper on his sleeves in a similar position as the one on his red overcoat. His shoes felt just as comfortable.

In short, the unicorn mare was spot-on for his outfit which had similar appearances as his past ones.

“You’re right. You’ve put in a lot more effort into all of this than I thought. Now how can I even be able to repay you after this?”

“It may cost a fortune for somepony else. But in this case, there’s no need for you to repay me. I’m just glad to help you with your new wardrobe.”

“You’re very much welcome, dear.” She replied as she watched him put on his red coat, “Oh… And to complete the outfit, please check the pockets of your coat.”

With a raised eyebrow due to curiosity, Edward put his mismatched hands in the pockets and felt another sort of fabric inside. When he pulled them out, a pair of white gloves were revealed. He looked down at the fashionista mare who gave him a sincere smile. After putting on the gloves, he looked at his reflection once more to see and smiled in satisfaction.

“Look how even more stunning you are right now. It looks like you’re about to embark on a new adventure.”

“Again, you’re welcome.” The unicorn mare lightly giggled, “You’re probably wondering about the zippers on the sleeves. After watching you turn your prosthetic limb into a blade, I can’t help but notice the sleeve of your coat being torn apart by the transformation. That’s why I have those zippers there - to prevent potential destruction of the fabric.”

“Is that so?” The alchemist was right. It was to accommodate his automail arm after all but was it really necessary to include such addition to the left sleeve? “That’s really thoughtful of you, Rarity.”

After reverting back to his black suit, Edward left the Carousel Boutique with his new outfit properly folded inside a bag given to him by Rarity. He made his way back to the Golden Oak Library and saw Spike on a stepping stool while putting away a few books on the shelves.

Twilight’s voice rang out from her study room upstairs which startled the alchemist and the baby dragon who happened to fall off the stepping stool upon hearing her voice. Curious, they both rushed upstairs and entered the study room… Only to find research notes scattered everywhere. The lavender mare was still at her table but her head was down and appeared to be distraught.

She stayed silent a moment before she answered, “I did it… I finally finished deciphering the book you gave me, Ed.”

The blonde human had a sinking feeling about the alicorn’s tone of voice, “Really…? What did you find?”

“Whoever wrote this book long ago also was using it as a blueprint for their own sick and twisted plans!”

“Somepony wanted to wipe Equestria off the face of the planet…” She lifted her head and wiped her eyes before she continued, “When disharmony spreads across the six corners of Equestria and drowns all ponykind into it, the Crimson Star will be born from its ashes.”

The human and the baby dragon froze in shock and confusion from the cryptic message she recited…

“If this book falls into the wrong hooves, Equestria, as we know it, will eventually cease to exist,” Her horn glowed as a piece of paper and a quill was placed in front of her before she began to write. “I have to let Princess Celestia know about it as soon as possible.”

The entire room grew silent. The sound of the quill impacting the paper was the only thing making any kind of noise. A few minutes later, Twilight rolled the letter and placed a seal before she levitated to her dragon assistant, “Send it, Spike.”

The baby dragon nodded his head in agreement and blew on the letter as if he literally disintegrated with his flame. This caused the alchemist’s eyes to widen in disbelief.

“Relax, Ed.” Spike assured, “What I did was send the letter to Princess Celestia herself as Twilight just told me to do. It’s only a matter of time before she receives it.”

Returning from an important meeting, Princess Celestia heaved a sigh of relief as she sat on her throne. Her next meeting was yet to be determined… Was it later today or sometime during the week…? All she knew was it had to do with the upcoming Equestria Games in the Crystal Empire. After what felt like a minute or two passed, a letter appeared before her eyes. She then took notice of the seal that resembled Twilight’s cutie mark.

“Hm…” The Princess of the Sun broke the seal and unrolled the letter to read the content in question.

I’m sending this letter to you with a sense of urgency. A few days ago when you suggested I should check your old castle for clues about the chest from the Tree of Harmony, Edward found something there on his own at the time. He found an old book written in the older Equestrian language in a room underneath the throne room. The author of the book is currently unknown to me as the name is not shown on any of the pages. Edward allowed me to borrow the book so I could decipher and translate it which I was successful in doing so.

Unfortunately, the book in question bears nothing but disturbing information that could mean the destruction of Equestria as we know it. It has to do with the creation of a peculiarly mysterious object called ‘the Crimson Star.’

I wish to discuss this in further detail with you if you let me.

The white alicorn was rendered speechless after reading the letter. However, the certain vocabulary repeated itself in her mind. “The… The Crimson Star? Where have I heard of that name?” She placed the letter to the side and started a letter of her own.

Twilight, Spike, and Edward sat together in silence. They have lost track of time since the letter was sent. All the lavender mare can think about was how to counter this new problem. The mysterious chest was one thing but this latest discovery of a potential threat to Equestria worried her by the second.

Edward was able to see how worried and scared she was. The mention of the Crimson Star… Something about it made him feel just as uneasy. Somehow, he had a strange feeling of deja vu from what she already mentioned earlier. His train of thought was disrupted when Spike suddenly belched. It turned out that he actually belched out a letter rolled up in a similar fashion as one sent out a while ago.

“Looks like Princess Celestia responded to your letter.” Spike said as he held the new letter in his claws, “I wonder what she thinks, Twilight.”

The studious mare picked up the letter from the dragon’s claws and read it aloud.

I have read your letter concerning the old book Edward found in my old castle. I’m surprised it endured the test of time despite being where it was found since the castle was abandoned for a thousand years. The information you briefly described to me has become concerning for me just as it is for you.

As for this Crimson Star, I don’t know anything about it as of now but it’s still something to look into. Bring Edward with you and come over to Canterlot as soon as possible.

She looked up and heaved a sigh, “Ed, let’s get ready to meet the Princess. We’ll head on over within the hour. For now, I’ll clean up my room… I made a bit of a mess thanks to my frustration.”

Nearly an hour passed and the former state alchemist was already near the front door ready to head but Twilight still had yet to meet him. He took the time to switch from his black suit to his new outfit.

As Edward and Spike conversed, Twilight arrived downstairs with her saddle in tow, “Looks like you’re ready to meet the Princess already, Ed.”

The lavender alicorn noticed that the human’s clothes were different this time. A new pair of black pants, matching shoes and zip-up jacket, and white gloves. All complete with a somewhat different red overcoat than the one he wore last time, “Is that the new outfit Rarity mentioned to you yesterday?”

“In that case, let’s go meet the Princess now. Spike, take care of the library while Ed and I are gone.”

The train ride from Ponyville to Canterlot was an uneventful one aside from the occasionally confused stares the human received from fellow passengers. At least nobody…. Or nopony was doing anything extreme against him. When they reached their destination, Edward and Twilight stepped out of the train station and into the streets of Canterlot. It was much more active compared to Ponyville but not as it was during the Summer Sun Celebration.

It reminded the alchemist of Central City. The biggest difference he realized since his arrival in Equestria was there were no motor vehicles anywhere. He already saw a decent amount of taxi carriages towed by the ponies themselves, including ones that can be taken into the air by pegasi.

“Come on, Ed,” Twilight spoke. “Let’s meet the Princess. Just follow me.”

As the two stepped into the city streets together, memories of the alchemic prodigy’s time in Canterlot during the Summer Sun Celebration quickly played in his head. The air was different that time than now. There were quite a number of ponies walking around who appeared to be part of the high-class society compared to locals of Ponyville. One thing was certain, he had more than a few pairs of eyeballs looking at him in confusion and curiosity.

After several minutes of walking, Edward and Twilight finally reached the front gate of the castle. After a moment of interaction with guards on duty, they were let in without further delay. Soon, they found themselves walking down a big corridor. Colorful stained glass windows shimmered down from their left and right sides. The human alchemist could only identify a few of the windows that were portrayed. One had Twilight and her friends defeating a dark-colored alicorn… Wasn’t that supposed to be Princess Luna when she was Nightmare Moon…? Another window portrayed a similar style, but it was Discord instead. After what the lavender alicorn told him about those events previously, the stained glass window art created an even clearer picture of those events in question.

Eventually, they approached another pair of doors with two more guards beside it on each side.

“Princess Twilight,” One of the guards spoke. “Princess Celestia is expecting you and one other… Sir Edward Elric, if I'm not mistaken.”

The guard took a quick glance at the human and nodded his head in approval. He turned around and opened the door to peek his head to the other side, “Your Highness, Princess Twilight Sparkle and her guest have arrived.” With that, he gestured to the mentioned guests to enter the throne room.

Upon their entry, Edward was astonished by the architecture of the interiors of the throne room. It felt as though the castle was bigger inside than it was outside. Up ahead was a flight of stairs. At the top, Princess Celestia herself sat in her throne awaiting him and Twilight to approach closer to her throne.

For the sake of respect, the young alchemist bowed to the white alicorn as she made her descent from her throne.

“I’m glad you both arrived here when you did. Let us discuss the situation together.”

The studious mare brought out her notebook and the mysterious book from her saddle with the use of her magic and opened it. After flipping a few pages in the former, she spoke, “I’m sure you’re aware of what I already mentioned in the letter.”

“Indeed, Twilight.” The white alicorn answered in confirmation, “I’m quite disturbed with the information you gave me but if it weren’t for Edward’s discovery of the book, we may not know about it until it is too late. Now that I think of it after replying to your letter, I remember reading something long ago about this… Crimson Star.”

The human alchemist and the lavender alicorn raised their eyebrows in curiosity.

“According to legend, it was said that the Star would grant anypony overwhelming power. Possibly more powerful than an alicorn or even the wendigos.”

Edward silently gasped as such a feat from a mysterious item was mentioned. Just then, memories of a certain red stone played in his mind before he spoke, “You know… We have something similar from where I’m from, Your Highness.”

“You do?” Twilight asked as she and Celestia looked back at the young human.

“The Celestial Stone… The Great Elixir… The Red Tincture… The Fifth Element. It goes by many names, but one name sticks out the most. It is well known as ‘the Philosopher’s Stone.’ It can be of any shape and size and it isn’t necessarily a stone. In order to create a single stone, you have to sacrifice thousands… Or even millions or billions of living souls.”

The two alicorns’ eyes widened in horror as the information was revealed to them.

“If I guessed this right,” he continued, “the Crimson Star is Equestria’s brand of the Philosopher's Stone.”

Twilight and Celestria were rendered speechless. Just shock and disbelief on their faces.

“Are you saying…” Twilight broke the silence, “Are you saying that whoever wrote that book you found, somepony is… Or was attempting to gain the power of the Crimson Star by sacrificing all of Equestria!?”

“Twilight, let me see that book,” Celestia requested. When the requested item was hovered over to her by the smaller alicorn’s magic, her own magic immediately took and before she opened the book. She read one page after another and as she did so, a look of dread was being drawn on her. Eventually, she closed the book and looked back at Twilight and Edward. “No… It can’t be… Not him.”

“He served under us as an apprentice court magician. Before that, he served under King Sombra during his reign over the Crystal Empire.”

The lavender alicorn turned her head to the blonde human, “Sombra returned recently along with the Crystal Empire, but his return was short-lived. He attempted to retake the Crystal Empire but my friends and I managed to stop him. This all happened right before I became an alicorn and your arrival into Equestria.”

“One day, he betrayed Sombra by fleeing and coming to us.” Celestia continued, “He warned us about him and begged us to stop him. And so, Luna and I did just that. The unicorn king was defeated and Silver was in our debt and wished to serve under us. We welcomed him to do so in the Castle of the Two Sisters…” She fell silent.

“The night I banished my sister to the Moon was the last time I ever saw him alive. The castle was crumbling as I attempted to stop my sister. It’s unfortunate to say this, but it would seem in the midst of the confrontation, Silver Dusk lost his life. I found his lifeless body among the rubble as soon as my sister was banished for the next thousand years. I buried him in an unmarked grave near the castle and I’ve never gone back there since.”

The blonde human and the lavender-coated alicorn stood together in silence for a moment or two. Although the end was tragic, something failed to sit right for the former.

“Wait, if Silver Dusk joined you after getting away from Sombra then why did he write a book about bringing Equestria down with the creation of the Philoso- I mean… The Crimson Star?”

A blank expression dawned on the white alicorn, “I was thinking the same thing after reading some of the pages, Edward.”

“Princess Celestia, we need to learn more about him and the Star. Back in Amestris, I’ve learned and witnessed what a Philosopher’s Stone can do and what it is capable of, including how it is created... If that book or any information about it or the Crimson Star falls into the wrong hands, then it will spell catastrophe for Equestria or even this entire world.”

“The Canterlot Archives are on the other side of the castle. I’ve been there before.” Twilight looked up at the blonde human before turning her attention back to Celestia, “Please, Ed and I might be able to find some answers there.”

After several minutes of walking from the throne room, Twilight, Celestia, and Edward reached the Archives. Two guards were near the entrance as the white Alicorn ordered them to open the door to the Archives. As Twilight entered first and walked further ahead towards a tall hourglass, the blonde human looked around in overwhelming awe not only realizing how big the library was but also how many books and scrolls were on the shelves.

“I’m glad you like the Canterlot Archives already, Edward,” Celestia commented with a light chuckle as she entered the doorway. “It contains original documents, scrolls, and books throughout Equestria’s history. This is the Starswirl the Bearded Wing. This side of the Archives is just a fraction of its content.”

“Indeed… But I’m sure you and Twilight will find the answers you seek here. For now, I’ll leave you two alone to focus on the task at hand,” After being thanked for her time, the white alicorn turned around and walked out of the room.

With the Sun Princess's departure, the studious alicorn and the alchemic prodigy started looking through the shelves with hopes of finding the information they urgently needed. As much he wanted to, Edward was too entranced by the book and scroll-filled shelves that surrounded him. This made Twilight look back at him as she stifled a laugh at the look on his face.

He then shook himself from his stupor in embarrassment after he heard her voice, “I’m just as amused as the next person, Twilight. Now let’s find some books.”

The two separated and entered different aisles. Edward was on one side of the Wing and Twilight was on the other. What felt like hours, neither of them was sure how much progress was made on their ends. Another aisle was about to be surveyed, only for the two to meet at that aisle in question. Edward only had about eight books out of all the aisles he checked, while Twilight had twice as much as him. With that in mind, they searched the last aisle together. Several minutes later, they were finished… Only to come out empty-handed/hoofed for it.

As the two exited the Archives with their hand/hoofed picked books, Princess Celestia happened to approach them, “Twilight, Edward. It seems you have found some books that may help you.”

The Princess of the Sun walked the two away from the Archives to another area of the castle. While en route, Edward looked around in awe. This castle felt as though it was bigger inside than it was outside. Eventually, they passed through a doorway and into the next room. Upon entry, he and Twilight were greeted with awe. There was a table with two chairs in front of them with paper and ink and quill set up neatly. Immediately further ahead was a fireplace. On their right, a balcony behind some red, elegant drapes was seen.

“I use this room to relax at the end of the day,” Celestia explained. “The two of you can use it as a study room for today.”

Edward nodded his head with approval, “Thank you. This room will definitely work for us.”

“You’re both welcome. If you need me, I’ll be back in the throne room. Good luck.”

As the Princess walked out of the room, the young alchemist checked the time from his pocket watch. It was only around early noon. Still enough time to start sleuthing through their books.

The two began delving into the books they acquired from the Canterlot Archives, one book at a time for each of them. After an estimated time of fifteen to twenty minutes, annotations on the provided papers can be seen from them. Edward asked Twilight certain things from the books he was researching he was not sure. Many things about Equestria were still new to him and he needed verification on the information in question from one who was much inclined on the subject matter that he found himself involved in. As time passed, the pile of books shrank and more notes were being filled. Little did they know that Celestia and Luna quietly peeked into the room throughout the research session periodically and noted how busy their visitors were.

Edward sighed in exhaustion as he turned to the last page of the book he was looking into. He admitted there was not much information he took note of except certain dates throughout Equestria’s history. One event that caught his attention so far was the Crystal Empire and Sombra’s iron hoof over it until Celestia and Luna stopped him. He looked at Twilight for a moment and noticed the same thing happening to her as well. This prompted him to turn his head to the window and see the night sky. He then checked his pocket watch to see the time. It was nine minutes past one in the morning. They lost track of time apparently.

“I’m fine. Just a bit tired. Remember when I told you about my all-night study sessions? Yeah… I was not as prepared for this one somehow.”

The human lightly chuckled when he noticed a hint of embarrassment from the tone of her voice, “I figure this is where we can stop for the rest of the night. I was about done with this last book anyway.”

“Twilight Sparkle, Edward Elric, my sister told me you were here for research.”

“That’s right.” The lavender mare nodded in confirmation, “Ed and I were trying to find some information from these books we got from the Canterlot Archives. We’re not getting as much as we hoped. But since you’re here. I was wondering if you can answer our questions, Luna?”

“It’s something to do from long ago.” The blonde alchemist answered, “We’re looking for more information about someone you knew before your banishment... His name was Silver Dusk. Did you know him? According to your sister, he was an apprentice court wizard.

A shocked expression was seen on the dark blue alicorn face as she stood in front of the two in silence, “Silver Dusk…? I had not heard of that name in a long time. Celestia is indeed right about him. He served under us. Unfortunately, I do not know anything of his whereabouts at all since my banishment.”

Twilight winced from the Moon Princess’ last sentence. She had to reveal what happened to Silver Dusk if she and Edward were to find more answers, “As soon as you were banished to the Moon, Celestia found him in the rubble of your old castle. It was too late… He was already gone.”

The two watched Luna lower her head down. Judging from her reaction, there was a sense of guilt.

Edward noticed her voice briefly trembled when she answered. Something about their late friend caused her to feel this way. “Come on, Your Highness. You can tell us.”

The Princess of the Night looked back at both of them and heaved a sigh. “It’s just that… It’s just that I can’t stop thinking that my jealousy for my sister, which turned me into Nightmare Moon on that night, led to the loss of a good friend. He was quite a prodigy in magic which seemed to rival Starswirl the Bearded.”

“Celestia already told us he used to serve under King Sombra until he decided to reach out and join both of you,” The lavender mare added.

“When I, Twilight, and the rest went to your old castle, I came across an old book found in a room underneath the throne room.” The blonde human spoke, “She and I showed it to your sister and she recognized the writing right away.”

“The book was written by Silver Dusk himself. And that book is basically instructions on how to create an item claiming to have the ability to amplify one’s magic known as the Crimson Star.”

“The Crimson Star? I’ve heard legends of such in the past but this is the first time hearing about it since my freedom from banishment… What else are you trying to say, Edward?”

“For all we know, he created some sort of blueprint to sacrifice all of Equestria to create a Crimson Star.”

“No… Not Silver Dusk! He was such a dear friend after Sombra’s defeat. If my sister recognized his writing, then why would he stoop this low attempting to betray us and all of Equestria?”

Edward and Twilight stood beside the Moon Princess in silence. If only finding the answer was easy…

“Luna…” The studious mare broke the silence among the three, “Whatever the reason, I’m sure we’ll get to the bottom of this sooner or later.”

The human alchemist nodded his head in agreement before he spoke, “She’s right. Once we uncover this mystery, I’m sure all the answers will be pouring all over our laps. Just count on us, Princess.”

The Princess of the Night gasped in surprise by the combined enthusiasm of the two. It was at least over a week ago when she met Edward as soon as Twilight and her friends gave up the Elements of Harmony to the Tree of Harmony. She was skeptical of his sudden appearance in Equestria during that time but she became impressed with his alchemic skills and the trust he earned from his new friends. Eventually, she soon realized something was troubling him. She was unable to figure the problem out until that one particular night when she entered his dream. The human was in some sort of turmoil caused by his recent separation from all those he knew which led him to his displacement in Equestria. She successfully talked him into having to move forward from such hurdles and looking at the blonde human now… It appeared he had improved quite a bit since that night. If Twilight and her friends trusted him, then she and her sister would do so as well.

“Very well. Twilight, I know you will find a way. My sister took you in as her student for a reason. And Edward, I trust you that you will work together with her to unravel this secret.”

In return, Luna smiled back. “I’ve overheard that both of you were about to rest for the night. Gather your things. My sister has rooms for each of you to stay for the night.”

With the room locked for the night, the Princess of the Night walked Twilight and Edward to their temporary bedrooms. Both rooms were across the hall from each other.

The blonde human watched the lavender alicorn enter her room before he turned around to enter his own. However, Luna quietly called to him.

“I believe that things are rather improving since the last time we met. Am I correct?”

“That’s wonderful to hear. Though right now, I'd rather not keep you out here any longer. You and Twilight need your rest. Good night, Edward.”

The two went separate ways. He quietly entered his temporary bedroom. As he closed the door behind him, Edward looked around in awe. But at the same time, he was too tired to admire the room he was in.

After several minutes in the bathroom, he was finally able to slip into the bed and cover himself in the warmth of the blanket. However, a certain thought entered his mind as he attempted to fall asleep. The Philosopher’s Stone… No… The Crimson Star… Who would have thought something like that existed in this reality? Eventually, his eyes became heavier and heavier for him. Before he realized it, the alchemic prodigy fell into slumber.

Another Chance Beyond the Door

by Dat Merc

Chapter 7: A Long Lost Past