In Canterlot...
Al and Moondancer happily trotted through the city streets, making light conversation, and even cracking a few jokes. As the youngest Elric had expected, their visit to the castle had gone nothing short of swimmingly.
Moondancer had expected the guards to deny her entrance, even with Al. Such was not the case, however. In fact, Moondancer probably could’ve just walked right in on her own! ‘I’m friends with Twilight Sparkle,’ (despite how silly Al found that name) was practically an all-access password for the guard!
Even the princess herself didn’t exactly stand on ceremony with the pair. Al was used to it by now, but Moondancer’s jaw practically hit the floor when Celestia said, “Hiya kiddo!” Of course, this wasn’t a side the Princess let most ponies see, but even she needed a break once in a while.
After a long, friendly chit-chat, Celestia promised to deliver a letter that Moondancer had penned to Twilight, before the unicorn and earth pony left for Moondancer’s place. It was nearly six o’clock, which left the filly about thirty minutes to prepare for the onslaught of ponies rushing in to join her little party, and she wanted Al around to properly introduce him.
Sure enough, a plethora of unicorns, fillies and colts, poured into Moondancer’s property. Party games, gossiping fillies, and a whole lot of cake eating consumed Al’s evening. The party had lasted longer than anypony had expected, as it was nearly midnight now that Al was heading back to the castle. Fortunately, he knew the night guards would let him in, and he ought to be able to slip into his room relatively noiselessly.
“A little bit late, eh there sport?” a guard at the main gate taunted. “We were about ready to send out looking for you!”
Al sheepishly rubbed a hoof across the back of his head. Failing to find any words for a reply he simply shrugged and continued on his way. Navigating through the castle’s many corridors; Al made his way back to his room, waving lazily to the guards outside his door. Finally... he thought, hurling himself onto his bed, time to sleep.
The following morning, Ponyville...
Twilight Sparkle scrunched her nose in frustration. Today was the day where everypony would finally help Ed attach his false legs, she knew he’d be ecstatic over it! So then, why was he just sitting there? He stared blankly out the window, not even responding to his host. He may have been a bit quiet over the past few days, but honestly, this was ridiculous!
“Edward?” Twilight tried again, “What’s the matter?”
Finally, the mysterious young pony turned to face the unicorn.
“I’m scared, Twilight.”
Twilight could hardly believe what she’d just heard. “You mean, about the operation?” she asked.
Ed finally smiled, chuckling a bit, “Yeah, I guess there’s that too.” His head sunk.
He certainly is a puzzling pony... Putting on her best comforting face, Twilight rested a hoof on Edward’s shoulder. “You can talk to me.”
Ed brought his gaze up and smiled weakly. Brushing her hoof off as politely as possible he said, “I’m sorry Twilight, but not yet.”
Twilight sighed, “Can I at least get you to eat some breakfast?” she joked.
“Ooh! What’s on the menu?!”
Ed and Twilight exchanged a few shocked glances. Ed mouthed a ‘what is that?’ which Twilight replied to by simply shrugging her shoulders.
“Hellloooooooooo?” Pinkie Pie (for of course, it was she!), was now rapping on the window, occasionally stopping to wave at the ponies inside.
Surprisingly, Ed was the first to speak up, “Pinkie, how are you knocking on a second storey window?!”
“I’ve got balloons, silly!” Sure enough, several balloon strings had been wrapped around the party pony’s waist, and were (apparently) suspending her in the air. Ed’s jaw practically hit the floor. Twilight was giggling uncontrollably.
“Come on guys,” Pinkie pleaded, “meet me in the kitchen so we can eat!
Later...
After getting over the initial shock of the bouncy pink intruder, Ed had been able to greatly enjoy his breakfast, accompanied by three of his new friends. Pinkie hadn’t said much (as her muzzle was filled with flapjacks), but Twilight was constantly asking questions about the operation and scrawling notes onto a scroll. It was clear that she was far more nervous than Ed about the whole situation.
Once breakfast was over, Twilight levitated (they decided it was the best way to move Edward around the library) Ed onto a stretcher she’d borrowed from the nurse. Although it wasn’t fully equipped, various machines surrounded the head of their makeshift bed, as this was where they’d be performing their delicate operation.
A few of the ponies had offered to ask the hospital for help with Ed’s surgery, but he’d decided it’d be better for them to go it alone. Nopony in town had even seen Edward before. He’d wait till he could walk to go out into Ponyville.
A short while later, four familiar faces filed into the library’s door. Nopony said a word as they fastened several monitoring devices to Edward’s exposed metals. Once the diagnostics were running, Pinkie and Fluttershy took a seat, carefully watching all of Edward’s vital signs. Next, Rarity and Twilight each took a position; Twilight stood by Ed’s foreleg, while Rarity took his back left.
Next the muscle came in. Applejack removed her hat before approaching Ed’s bedside, and for once, Rainbow Dash had her wings tucked tightly by her sides. Everypony knew what was at stake here, but if all went well, there would be no cause for worry.
Ed began his walkthrough of the process, “Twilight, Rarity, bring the auto-mail up to the sockets on my body. It should click when it’s in place.”
The pair of unicorns obeyed, each levitating a limb at their own pace, earning the small sound of metal snapping into place.
“Applejack, Rainbow Dash, that’s your cue.”
Ponyville’s top athletes moved in, each pressing their weight down onto their patient. If they could help it, he wouldn’t be moving an inch. Fluttershy noticed Ed’s heart rate rising. She knew he must be nervous, but took note of the change nonetheless.
“Alright girls. This is it; take your time.”
Pinkie stood up, ready to rush for help at a moment’s notice. A.J. and Rainbow Dash braced themselves for the oncoming struggle. Twilight turned her attention to Rarity. They waited one...two...three seconds. Nodding in unison, the unicorns each threw a final switch, connecting Ed’s nerves to his new auto-mail.
The pain may have been familiar, but Ed’s new body wasn’t used to this sort of strain yet. Ed let out a near bloodcurdling howl the moment the jolts shot through his nervous system. Applejack grit her teeth, straining to hold Ed down, while Rainbow had taken to flying downward into him to gain a little extra power. His body was shaking, despite his best efforts, and his heart rate was skyrocketing.
“Edward!” Twilight cried.
“I’m fine,” Ed assured through clenched teeth. “It’s just my body reacting!” he called through several pained grunts.
Several minutes passed, while Edward continued to flail about. Twilight had joined the effort to keep him down, slamming her eyelids shut as she put all of her strength into keeping him down. Eventually, Ed’s spasmodic motions ceased, and Twilight breathed a sigh of relief.
“Edward?”
When no answer came, Twilight peeled her eyes open, to find Ed’s lids dropped shut. Oh no... Twilight threw her ear down over his chest and waited...after what seemed like an eternity, she felt Ed’s chest heaving, before letting out a second relieved sigh.
Looking up at her friends’ expectant faces, Twilight said “He’s alright.”
Everypony was glad to hear her say that, each expressing their joy differently. Pinkie helped a very startled Fluttershy catch her breath, while Rainbow took off into a series of flips in the air above the group. Applejack just smiled while Rarity did her best to suppress a flood of tears.
“Job well done girls,” Twilight smiled, “Let’s get him back to bed.”
Ed lazily rolled onto his back. Yawning, he began to brush the sleep from his eyes with his hoof…his right hoof. Ed’s eyes shot open. He held his new auto-mail in the air, examining it, testing it. He flexed it about for a moment, before scrambling to remove the sheets. A similar machine had been clamped onto his left hind leg. It worked…
“YES! FINALLY!”
In the lower level of the library, six ponies (and one dragon!), burst into uncontrollable laughter.
Wiping a tear from her eye, Twilight Sparkle announced, “I think he’s awake.”
The group of friends waited, and before long, Edward began to make his way down the staircase. His new auto-mail gently clanking each time his hooves hit the ground, Ed held his head high as he descended, stopping at the bottom to wave a mechanical hoof at his companions.
“It’s perfect,” he smiled.
Ponyville’s friendliest fillies rose to meet the rejuvenated colt, each taking there turn examining their handiwork.
“I’m glad it’s functioning properly,” Twilight grinned.
“I’m just happy you’re alright,” Fluttershy nearly whispered.
“It’s so cool!” Dash marveled.
“Indeed; you look fabulous,” Rarity agreed.
“And Ahm sure glad we won’t have to carry y’all around anymore,” A.J. joked.
Ed awkwardly rubbed behind his neck; doing his best not to let all of the attention rush to his head. That was when he realized, one pony failed to make a peep. Of all the ponies, to stay quiet...
“Hey, what happened to Pinkie?” Rainbow wondered aloud, prompting the others to notice the absence of a certain bouncy pony. Casting a glance around the room, Twilight’s gaze rested upon a small scrap of paper taped to the exit.
Levitating the document over, she gave it a quick onceover. Smiling, she said “Not to worry, everypony. She left to plan Ed’s welcome party!”
The rest of the ponies burst into another fit of laughter, the usual result of Pinkie’s antics. Of course, Edward remained oblivious to what ever it was that everypony else was laughing at. Finally, he broke through the wall of sound, “Welcome party?”
Barely stifling her giggles, Rainbow teased, “Oh, right. You’re new here!”
Fighting back the urge to hit something, Ed tried again, “So she’s throwing me a welcome party?”
“But of course,” Rarity explained, “She has a party for everypony new in town.”
Twilight nodded, “Just a part of Ponyville! She wanted to have it earlier, but she decided it’d be more fun for you if you were back on your feet first. Believe me, it took an awful lot of restraint on her part.”
Ed was shocked. Well, maybe not shocked, more like, very pleasantly surprised. His mouth spread into a wide smile, he hadn’t seen this kind of hospitality since his first trip to Liore! Okay, bad example, but that Rose was a sweetheart!
“So,” Twilight continued, “She’ll be back later, how about we show you around town in the mean time?”
Ed flexed his auto-mail again, “Sounds good to me.”
Canterlot Castle...
Celestia eagerly ducked into her quarters. It had been a long morning, and she was glad to finally catch a break. With Al still sleeping off the previous night’s events, she had all the time she needed to relaxing. Strolling past a small table, she noticed a lone scroll resting upon it.
Unfurling the letter, she quickly scanned its contents. Oh! I forgot to send Moondancer’s letter to Twilight. Reading it over, Celestia giggled a little. She knew she shouldn’t be reading a private letter, but she was happy to see that Moondancer and Twilight’s friendship hadn’t died out, despite the obstacle placed in front of it..
After a moment’s consideration, Princess Celestia penned a letter of her own. Not much, just a quick, “hello, how are you? This is how I am,” just enough to keep her student in her life. With a quick wave of her horn, both letters were sent.
Outside Sugarcube Corner...
Twilight and company had given Ed the grand tour of Ponyville, from City Hall, all the way out to Sweet Apple Acres! To Ed’s surprise, he’d hardly seen a single pony in town, aside from the five leading him around. Strange, he’d been under the impression that quite a few other ponies lived in town. Of course, the others were all fully aware of where everypony had disappeared to, but they weren’t about to mention it! That would ruin what was left of the surprise!
“Ooh! Eddy,” Pinkie began, doing her best to seem convincing. “This is Sugarcube Corner! I get to bake plenty of goodies in here; you’ve just got to try some!”
“Goodies?” Ed asked, but before he knew it, Pinkie was eagerly shoving him towards the door.
Standing before the entrance, Ed glanced over his shoulder. Something was strange…all of the ponies were staring at him expectantly. Sighing, he began to push the doorway open. To his surprise, the establishment was in complete darkness. Wait a second...when did Pinkie get back!? He turned around to interrogate his six companions, only to find they’d disappeared. The next thing Ed knew, the lights were flicked on, followed by an enormous shout of “SURPRISE!”
Edward Elric was dumbfounded. Stuffed inside of the bakery was what he suspected to be every pony in Ponyville! There were short ones, tall ones, cute ones, strong ones, and ponies of every color! Pinkie Pie stood in the center of the room, grinning madly from ear to ear.
She trotted happily up to Ed’s side; “I threw this party just for you, Eddy!” she smiled warmly.
“For me?” Ed was doing his best to seem surprised, which actually wasn’t that hard. It wasn’t every day he got a surprise party from a few hundred pastel colored ponies.
“Of course, silly,” Pinkie went on, “I throw parties for every new pony in Ponyville!”
By this point, a new pony was walking over; a unicorn with a minty green coat, and a lyre for a...cutie mark, was it? “It’s true,” said the stranger. “She nearly scared me to death when I got to Ponyville!”
Ed laughed, “Yeah, I can see how she’d come on a little...strongly.” Pinkie blushed, recalling a few of her shakier welcomes.
“Yeah, but it’s always sure to be a great time,” the unicorn told him. “I’m Lyra, by the way.”
“Well, if that’s true, Lyra, what are we waiting for? Let’s get this party started!” Ed shouted the last bit for all to hear, prompting the music (and the party) to blast into full swing!
Parties were a huge change of pace for Edward, but certainly a welcome one. Not much could relieve stress like a Pinkie Pie Party, and Edward Elric was experiencing that first-hand. For a while, Twilight would keep “checking in” on him, but even she loosened up eventually, and all of Ed’s worries slipped away for the evening.
The evening was filled with delicious pastries, hilarious party games, and a huge amount of new faces. Plenty of ponies were eager to meet the newest addition to their community. Ed met a candy maker, a few gardeners, a self-proclaimed “Doctor,” and even a mailpony with a curious line of vision. By the end of the night, Ed was as exhausted as he’d been when he first landed in this strange land.
The party was coming to a close, and the last of the guests were on their way out the door, leaving the guest of honor with his gracious party host. Oh, and Twilight. It would’ve been easy not to notice her; the poor bookworm was nearly passed out! Waving a quick good-bye to Pinkie, Ed went to go stir the drowsy unicorn.
Prodding her gently, Ed whispered, “Hey, let’s get going.”
Muttering something incomprehensible, Twilight refused to move from her spot on the floor.
“Fine, have it your way.”
Twilight’s eyes snapped open as she was flung off of the ground and onto Edward’s back. Too tired to protest, the unicorn giggled inwardly, a light blush gracing her cheeks. Luckily her ride home didn’t have a clear view of her face.
Along the way back to the library, Ed took his time. It was a beautiful night out, and he’d been stuck inside for days. He cast his gaze skyward, taking in the third set of constellations he’d seen in his short life. The unfamiliar star-spotted sky reignited a sense of loss deep within him. Right now, all that mattered was finding Al. He could figure out the rest from there; he had all the time in the world, after all.
“I’m coming, little brother,” he said aloud. Twilight listened from Ed’s back, resolving to talk with him about all of this...but, better to leave it till she could form coherent thoughts again.
Approaching the library door, Ed pushed down on the handle, unlatching the mechanism, before entering as quietly as possible. Spike lay snoring in the center of the main room. Must’ve been waiting for us to get back, Ed laughed to himself. Oh well, tucking one more in won’t be a problem.
Leaving Spike for the moment, Ed ascended the staircase, feeling around for his destination. Once he’d made it to Twilight’s bedroom, he very gently let her off of his back, before pulling the sheets up to shield her from the night air. Seeing her look so peaceful put a smile on Ed’s face. He lingered a moment, before blushing, shaking his head and moving back downstairs.
When he went to pick up Spike, Ed noticed a pair of coiled scrolls sitting not far from the young drake. One bore a horseshoe seal, bound tightly with crimson ribbon. The other was far more modest, a simple roll of parchment, only a simple string keeping it shut. After he’d scooped up the dragon, Ed grabbed the scrolls between his teeth. Retracing his steps to Twilight’s room, Ed left Spike in what he could only assume was the dragon’s bed, and placed the scrolls onto a table.
When he’d reached his own room, Edward allowed himself to fall onto his bed, letting his muscles finally relax. He’d tried not to put too much stress on his auto-mail, but despite walking abroad for several hours, it seemed to be holding up just fine. Rarity really did a bang-up job, he thought, before slowly drifting to sleep.
The next morning...
Twilight peeled her eyelids open, chancing a glance at her clock.
12:28
“Ugh.”
“Morning sleepyhead,” Spike called from the doorway. “I was wondering when you were going to get up!”
Twilight blushed a little, sleeping in wasn’t like her. Rolling out of bed, she quickly pulled herself into a presentable state. “Is Edward awake?” she asked.
“Yep, he’s downstairs reading,” Spike accentuated the last word with an almost disgusted tone. “Oh, by the way, a couple of letters came for you last night.”
“A couple? The princess doesn’t usually send more than one.”
“I know, I know. I left them on your desk downstairs,” Spike told her, before going to work reorganizing the room.
Twilight made her way downstairs to find Ed, sitting near a bookshelf. He was reading a book on the fundamentals of magic, though Twilight wasn’t sure what an earth pony would need to know about magic. Noticing her hoofsteps, he looked up, smiling. “About time,” he teased.
“I know, I know,” Twilight said, hoping to ward off any further taunts. Spying the scrolls resting upon her desk, Twilight made her way towards them, while Ed resumed his reading.
Pulling open the letter with the Royal Seal first, Twilight began to go over the words. The letter contained some strange information from the princess. Before Twilight could question the document, however, the sound of the door opening caught both Twilight and Edward’s attention. Rarity cantered inside, levitating a small envelope beside her.
“Hello, Rarity,” Twilight greeted, “what brings you here?”
“Good afternoon, Twilight, Edward.” Ed looked up from his book to wave politely, before delving back into the pages. “Twilight, I was wondering if you’d help me understand a phrase I’ve come across.”
“You’ve found something you don’t understand?” Twilight asked, puzzled. Being so cultured, the ivory unicorn had quite an extensive vocabulary, compared to the average pony.
“You see,” Rarity began, “Derpy delivered to me a letter from Fancypants this morning. It was mostly just a friendly greeting, but he told me about a pony he met in Canterlot. He said that he was a scholar.”
“So, what’s not to understand?” Twilight wondered aloud.
“The letter said that the pony was studying something called ‘alchemy’,” Rarity slowed to pronounce the alien term. “Are you familiar with that field?”
Before Twilight could open her mouth, the sound of Ed’s book being slammed shut pierced the air. “Did you say alchemy?”
“Why yes. Would you know anything about it, Ed?” Rarity asked.
“Actually,” Twilight cut in, “The Princess sent me a letter that mentioned an alchemy student as well.”
“Really? Do you suppose it’s the same colt?” Rarity wondered.
Edward was practically bursting at the seams “Did either of you get a name?”
After a small pause to check their documents, the fillies both said, “Alphonse.”
Ed smiled a great wide smile, a few glistening tears appearing in his eyes.
“Is everything alright, Edward?” Rarity asked, concern heavy in her voice.
“That’s my brother.”
Dear Rarity,
How have you been? It has been a while since we’ve heard from you, so I decided to check in. Fleur and I have been hoping you’ll return soon, perhaps we can enjoy a fine dinner and do some catching up.
Today I met a charming young colt in the streets of Canterlot, and wouldn’t you know, he was a guest at the castle as well! He said his name was Alphonse, and that he was a scholar. He showed me an amazing art that he called ‘alchemy.’
Meeting this astonishing young lad reminded me of the other talented ponies I’ve met over the years, and thus, I am penning this letter to you. Write back soon, and let us know the next time you’ll be coming to Canterlot; Fleur and I would love to see you and your friends again.
Regards,
Fancypants
Hey Twilight,
It’s Moondancer! It’s been a long time, hasn’t it? How are you and Spike making out in Ponyville? Everypony here misses you like crazy. I’ve got to admit, classes just aren’t as interesting without you around!
I just wanted to let you know, you’re always welcome at my place when ever you’re in Canterlot. I’ll write you my mailing address so you can write me if you want! I had to get Princess Celestia to send this letter, since you never gave us an address.
Hope to hear from you soon,
Moondancer
Dear Twilight Sparkle,
How are you? It’s been a while since I’ve heard from you, so I thought I would check in to make sure everything is okay. Things are alright here in the castle. A little bit slow, but isn’t that always the way? Luna is adjusting very well, so my workload has been decreasing as quickly as she offers to take it on!
A strange thing happened here recently, though. A group of guards found a young pony collapsed outside the castle the other night. We’ve taken him in, and he has turned out to be a very interesting colt! His name is Alphonse, and he’s shown me something he calls ‘alchemy.’ From what I can understand, it’s an extremely useful ability, and I plan to look into it more.
If you could, I’d like you and your friends to come out and meet him. He may prefer going back to Ponyville with you, rather than stay here in the castle. You know how dull some of our guards can be. I’ll await your reply, and plan for your visit.
~Princess Celestia
A/N: Oh look, a real chapter! Hope you all enjoy it, I'll be working on more regular updates from here on out.