I was floating around in a black endless void. I was there as something in the distance glowed for a moment. I was brought over to it as I found myself in what looked like a lab. There where people in lab coats writing things down. I saw some of them looking through a window. I looked at the window and saw several children. Around three to four years of age. Are the scientist studying children? Strange. I floated around. Everything out of nowhere came to a stop. All the scientist outside stopped walking and jotting down whatever it is that they where writing. The children stopped playing. All but four had stopped moving.

The four children kept playing until something stopped them. The stood up and began to walk to the middle of the room. They seemed to be in some type of trance. The four sat at equal distance from each other. Suddenly a circle appeared under them, passing right where they sat. Then another circle appeared. The circle drew itself as symbols began to be drawn in between the circles. The circle finished as it glowed bright blue and the symbols began to float around in the air. A bright blue sphere covered them and bordered at the edge of the circle. A bright blue orb appeared in the very center of the circle.

The children all placed a hand on the surface of the orb. The orb grew brightly. Four books came out of the orb and floated over to one of the children. Each one had a number. 1, 2, 3, and 4. Each child placed their hand on the book as a circle began to appear around the number. A very complex circle one I might add. The book glowed and dissolved into a bright blue particles. The stream of blue particles encircled each child.

The orb dissolved along with the circle blue sphere and complex circle on the ground. Everything around them once again went in motion. The children looked at each other for a moment and began to play together.
~

I woke up. I was still tired. The wound that went clear through my stomach wasn't helping me. I sat up and walked over to my journal. I didn't have to put on my gloves or jacket since I slept with them this night. I put the journal in my jacket. I drew the alchemy circle for air before leaving the room. I am paranoid about attacks.

Something was off. Right but not right. Something right there but so far away. What was it? Just as I stopped thinking about it, I remembered.

I never remembered my dream. I only remembered that weird dream when I got that alchemy circle burned onto my arm and when I got the two new alchemy circles.

I could remember it clearly. It was like I had just lived it. I was laughing. Then something stopped making me laugh. I remembered the four journals. The alchemy circles. I remembered them down to the last detail. I looked at my arm. The alchemy circle burned onto my arm. It had a four. A four...

I looked at the burned alchemy circle on my arm. It looked just like the alchemy circle on that journal in my dream. There where four. Four people, four journals. I didn't know what to make of it. I saw some one yell in pain. Did she die? I thought she was dead, but I wasn't sure. The mark on my arm might be a sign saying she is dead. But how? How is this possible. Why am I here? What am I supposed to do?

I was in full panic attack mode. I was still in my room, pacing. What was I supposed to do? I tried to calm myself down. Panicking wouldn't solve anything. I calmed myself down and thought of a plan. If there are four journals, I can only assume there are four humans in total. I have to look for one and two. If four died, then that thing has her journal. The journal was very powerful. I don't know what journal number four had but I knew it was dangerous and powerful.

Don't get me wrong, I was thankful for remembering that there where others, but I still needed to know more. I had to know more. I had to remember. I needed to remember. I just walked outside and began to jog around the castle. I didn't really know what to do. I was jogging around the castle, trying to get my mind to clear. I had so many thoughts going through my head. I was jogging for an hour until I got tired. I just sat and tried to clear my head.

I was sitting in the shade as I was getting my head around this 'four people' thing. I just sat there and sighed. What was I going to do? I closed my eyes and just listened to the sounds of nature. I sat there for a few minutes before I heard that teleportation sound. I heard hoof steps approaching me. I didn't really bother opening them.

"What are you doing?"
"Sitting down trying to relax. Care to join?"
"You could be doing something more productive you know."
"Oh really?"
"You could be researching what that creature attacking ponyville was."
"Sure."
"Well, we'll have to do that later. We have to prepare you for today."
"Prepare me? For what?"
"The princess is coming to meet you."
"The princess?"
"Yes, princess Celestia."
"Alright."

I just sat there. Leaning against a tree in the shade. I heard her get closer and poke me. I opened my eyes and saw her giving me this stare of disapproval.

"Yes?"
"We have to prepare you."
"How?"
"I am going to show you how to act in front of her."
"Twilight. Listen to me okay?"
"Sure."
"I don't really give a fuck about what some one thinks about me."
"But this is the princes you are talking about!"
"Twilight, how do I know she approves of me if I don't act like me? Not that I need approval anyways."

She tried to strike a come back but didn't have anything. I just closed my eyes again and relaxed. I was just sitting there. She just sat next to me as we waited for this princess to come. We sat for about half on hour when I heard another teleportation sound. I opened my eyes and saw a particularly big pony. White with colorful flowing hair. How the fuck does its hair float?

"You are certainly different from anything I have ever seen."
"I could say the same to you."

She just looked at me. She looked at me like she was observing something. Then I felt something on my shoulder. I turn my head and see Twilight leaning on my left shoulder. I poked her. She was asleep.

I just got up and mover her off of me. She was now laying on the grass, her hair a little out of place. I stood up and walked to Celestia.

"So, I heard you wanted to talk about some shit. What was it?"
"First off, I need to know if you intend to harm any of my ponies."
"I risked my life saving the town that made me go into the forest when I was confused, severely injured, starving and dehydrated, where I almost got killed by wolves, put my life on the line to save the ones that showed no respect toward me against some over powered being, and having to use my body as a shield to protect the sleeping one back there making me have a big ass slice across my chest and a scythe stab mark that went straight through my body giving me intense pain that hasn't ended giving me this bandage you see here. Does that answer your question?"

She seemed a little put off by my answer. I had kept a calm tone of voice which I think actually made my answer look more demeaning toward her. Now she had her face of guilt.

"Yes, I see you show no signs of harming them."
"Yeah, if I really wanted to I would have already killed them all since I can, but I haven't."

She looked at me like I was crazy. Saying I put my body on the line for these ponies and then saying I could kill them if I had wanted to.

"So next question?"
"Right, of course."
"Whats your question?"
"Why are you here?"

Bitch, I wish I knew. I knew I had to find one and two at the moment. I knew there where other journals out there.

"Hell if I know. All I know is that I woke up drowning in a river, bleeding from my head. I go looking for shelter in that town over there since I was being chased by wolves. Instead right as soon as I get near shelter they attack me and make me go back into the forest where the wolves attacked me again."

Her face of guilt didn't improve upon my answer to her question. I don't know if it was her own guilt, or guilt for how these ponies had treated me on first contact. She tried to shake it off as she began to ask more questions. I answered them all. If she gave me a question that had a bad answer, I would give her a terrible answer, adding onto her guilt. I don't give a fuck about their guilt. I care about a sapient living creature being killed. Aside from that, not much else. I don't think so.

Once I finished her questions, there where only ten, she said good bye. Just as she had said her good byes, Twilight was waking up. I turned and saw her wake up as she looked at Celestia, who teleported away. She then looked at me with a sleepy confused face expression.

She was like that for about forty seconds, trying to comprehend what was going on. Once she realized what had happened she ran over and tackled me. The sudden movement made me almost punch her right in the face. I managed to stop myself from hitting her.

"Was that the princess!?"
"Let me check. I think so."
"What did she think of you? I never prepared you for her! What is she thinks i'm lazy!"

She went on for a while. Fuck, she really cares if this princess approves of her. Insecure? I don't fucking know. She talked until I used my hand to cover her mouth. She talked for about another thirteen seconds before she noticed my hand over her mouth. How the fuck do you not notice a hand covering your mouth immediately?

"Twilight, she seemed okay. She seemed to approve of me. Now shut up, I want to relax."

I went back to the tree and sat there, closing my eyes. I thought Twilight would just teleport away. She didn't leave though. She walked back up to me and poked me again.

"Yes?"
"We still have to get you introduced to ponyville."
"What? Why?"
"They still think you are a monster."
"Well fuck them. I already told you that I don't care what others think about me."
"You have to at least let them get used to you so you can search up whatever that creature was in my library."
"I can go underground like last time."
"You can't just-ugh, fine. But we will get you to be accepted in ponyville."
"Whatever."

She sat down next to me. Something caught my eye. Her ass had a weird symbol. Now that I though of it, all the ponies did. What was it?

She looked at where I was pointing. She pointed to the symbol. I nodded. She began to talk to me asking how I didn't know what it was. It was just one question. But the next thing I know is that i'm being given a lecture on the history of this place and the ponies. Goddamn it. I had to stay there now.

The Alchemist

by Mr_Hippopotomonstroses

Chapter 10: Meeting With A Princess