//------------------------------// // Homework // Story: Friendship is Eternal // by Alchemystudent //------------------------------// Chapter 4: Homework                      Twilight sat there for several hours, watching the scenery pass by her. Every minute seemed to drag on and on like a slow moving snail. The sentence that Ed had asked her to figure out as her entrance exam would continue to haunt her. “all is one and one is all”, that was what he said and no clues to be given. He had said the purpose behind this sentence was to make an alchemist think and figure out complicated subject because an alchemist must be able to think when performing alchemy. IT has been 8 hours since he had asked, and according to Ed the city was 4 more hours away. Maybe she won’t figure out, heck maybe she won’t actually need alchemy to help her. Maybe she will just meet a guy nice enough to open a random portal for her. No! That’s giving up Twilight and you are not one to give up, ever! That’s one of the better parts of your personality. After all, Celestia didn’t pick you just because you are a dipstick. THEN WHY BY CELESTIA IS THIS SO FREAKING HARD!!!!!  “One is all and all is one”. By now she had tried to rearrange the letters into new words and phrases and all that led was her finding at least three new curse words. “Ohhh, Twilight! I got it, maybe it is an a play on words and he wants you to write a song!” A ghost Pinkie remarked “No, that isn’t it” “Maybe he is trying to mess with your head and it doesn’t have an answer like one of those lame philosophical questions.” A ghostly Dash asked. “No, it has a meaning. It can be interpreted and figured out.” “Want me to hogtie the guy and make him talk?” A ghostly Applejack “It won’t work Applejack” “Maybe, uh no forget I said anything. It is up to you really.” A ghostly Fluttershy. “I would like to hear it Fluttershy” “Darling maybe you are thinking too much in the box” A ghostly Rarity. “BUT  I’VE TRIED THAT!” Twilight yelled out loud, noting she was alone. She began to twirl a finger on the table in a circle, moving it around again and again as she noticed the rain start. Its raining, heh. I wonder how this world gets its rain, since pegasi don’t exist here. Maybe the sun heats the water up, turning it into steam and then it condenses and then the rain falls in a cycle…! A CYCLE! It was if a light turned on in her head. She looked at the trees, and began to think of how the sun gives energy to the plants. This is turn given to creatures like her who will eat those plants, then they might get eaten by a creature who is hungry,  But what happens to the creature…he dies eventually and become nutrients for the plants. Twilight smiled as Ed came in to the car. “So did you figure it out?” Ed looked at Twilight, eating some chips he got from the kitchen car hoping that she did. She turned to Ed, excited at her progress with this hard question, “The all is the world and I am the one. It all feeds into a cycle.”  She heard Ed laugh, for a few seconds thinking she got it wrong. “Wow, it took me a month to get it. Maybe I should have given you a mad man attacking you while you tried to figure it out. It might have made it harder for you.”  Ed looked at her, walking to the table, “Congratulations you passed, now…the hard stuff.” The way Ed said it, was as if someone had told her she was going to Tartarus.                      In the four hours that the train took to get to the city, Twilight had began to learn the basics of Alchemy. Ed taught her that Alchemy is the science of learning the basics of a substance, deconstructing it, and then reconstructing it into a new form. The hard part came in the explanation of the various types of circles and how they applied to different fields of alchemy. “Now entering Central!” The conductor called as he walked through the train. “We’ll continue this later Twilight.” Ed said as he stood up and walked with Twilight following. As they walked in the city, Twilight was amazed at the beauty of the city. In many ways it reminded her of Canterlot, with its huge buildings and stores. She took in all of the people walking around, hearing the myriad of conversations and deals that were being made in this city. As the two walked down the street to the library, a store caught Twilight’s purple eyes. Turning she looked at the store in amazement, “Carousel Boutique? Excuse me Ed!” Twilight ran quickly to the store. “Ok Twilight but…and you are gone.” Ed sighed as he watched the young woman run into the clothing store, “Women and their clothes I swear.”                      Inside the shop, there were several clothes and mannequins strewn about the place. In the center of this was a young woman dressed in a white work dress with a trio of diamonds on the side, “Ahhhh, Welcome to Carousel Boutique where ever...” She is stopped by a hug from Twilight “I say, this is the usual reception I get from my little sister, not from a complete stranger. Do I know you?” “No,” Twilight shook her head a little teary eyed “You just remind me of someone close that I miss a lot right now.” “Oh, I see. Want to talk about it? I can offer you a seat and something to drink.” This world’s “Rarity” offered. “Oh no, I can’t right now I need to head to central Library, I need to see some books from the private section.” Twilight walked to the door as she watched the gears in Rarity’s head begin to work. “OH MY GOODNESS YOU ARE A STATE ALCHEMIST!!!! OH then we must get you there quickly, and if you could maybe you could direct some of them here, I have been dying to do one of the State Alchemists for AGGGGESSS.” She said with  a gleam in her eye as she watched Twilight walk out, getting brushed by a little girl with green eyes. “Hey Tabitha!” She smiled glomping her older sister as Twilight stood in the door. “Someone you knew?” Ed walked to Twilight. “She reminds me of a very close friend of mine, back home.” She looked down, feeling homesick. Ed nodded in understanding and walked Twilight to their destination. Twilight turned behind her to see two young women walking behind her, one holding a lyre and the other some candy, “Yeah, you look familiar too.”                      The building that was the Central library towered over master and student. It was like a mansion and could easily be mistaken for the capital. Twilight could only stare in awe and amazement as she walked up the stairs. “Hello and welcome to Central…ED!” A young brunette with glasses leapt over the desk to hug the Alchemist. “Uhhh, you are?” Ed looked bewildered. “Oh ofcourseyouwouldntrecognizemehowstupidamI? Oh sorry I talked too fast, I am Sheska, the girl you helped once and got a job with Huges? After the Father incident I  was recommended to serve here and I have been good ever since! So what do you need?” She looked at the former alchemist and then to Twilight, “She isn’t one of those ‘Mary Sues’ is she?” “No she isn’t really.  She is just someone who needs help.” Ed chuckled. “We need  access to the inner archives.” He then showed her his old watch. “Sure!” She then let the two in. Twilight, upon seeing the shelves upon shelves of books quickly grabbed as many as she could carry and began to read. Ed, watching, was quickly reminded of how he was when he was young. Always going for the nearest book and reading it until he understood it back and forth. He smiled as he remembered the times he would read to Al those same books, though he was positive that he couldn’t understand it when he was 2. Calmly he picked up a book entitled “An Alchemist’s journey: a travelogue by Edward Elric” and began to read the old formulas. “I FOUND IT!” Twilight exclaimed almost forgetting where she was as she looked into a book called “Old stones and strong foundations, a stone guide. “What?” ED walked to twilight’s table and looked at a page that held the picture of a stone that looked like two hands holding one another. “Listen to this…” As Twilight read, Rainbow was reading a similar legend. “Long ago, there were two brothers. One was skilled in the logic and science of Alchemy, while the other was a master of the power and illusion of magic” “But magic is fake, it’s not real here.” Ed looked at Twilight “Not if you don’t believe in it, it’s like…” Twilight paused, she thought how best to describe it “Its like if you know the truth behind an illusion, its stops being real to you and thus it loses its power to trick you and affect you. If you have no faith in magic then the magic won’t work for you or affect you.” Twilight then continued to read. “The two brothers one day decided to discover what can they do if they were to combine the two teachings and what miracles could they perform. Working hard for a few months the  eldest brother crafted a stone with Alchemy and the youngest put runes all along the hand to help supply the magic. This was how they created the fraternity stone, a stone that can pierce dimensions.” “Oh my Celestia, you know what this means!” Dash’s eyes opened wide, as Applejack read the book aloud. “Wait a sec, how would this thang help us find Twilight?” Applejack then read down further. “It  is said that the stone has the power to open a dimensional door, as well as find its counterpart in any other dimension. If one person has one half of the stone and another person has the other half…then the stone can find that person and from a bridge! And since Twilight disappeared thanks to Alchemy and Magic.” Applejack smiled as the gears worked in her head, “Rainbow, y’all go get Fluttershy, if Twilight is hurt then we need medical help.” “I’ll go and get Rarity; she’ll want to help too.” Pinkie said hopping out of the library. “Wait, does it even say where this frat-whatever stone is?” Dash looked down at Applejack. “It says that its last known whereabouts is  in Unicornia, to the north.” Applejack closed the book. “Got it!” As Dash flew out she grinned “Hang on Twilight” “I AM GOING HOME!” Twilight smiled.