Chapter 8: From Stranger to Hero
Chapter 8: From Stranger to Hero
The Sun has risen over the horizon. Another morning in Equestria had begun. It was about quarter to seven when Edward woke up. He could have stayed asleep a little while longer but his body refused to do so. After a few minutes in bed, he rolled out of bed and did his morning routine.
A little over half an hour later and clad in his black coat and matching pants, the young alchemist entered the dining room where various breakfast delicacies were ready for their visitors. Entranced by the food readily displayed, he was ready to take a seat in one of the chairs at the dining table until a certain voice called to him.
“Good morning, Edward. I was just wondering if you were awake already.”
Turning to the source, Princess Celestia and Twilight entered the room. The latter walked up and greeted him with a smile.
“Morning, Ed.” The lavender mare greeted him, “You weren’t answering your door earlier. I figured you might be here for breakfast already.”
The blonde human nodded his head in confirmation and smiled back, “Yeah, that’s right.”
“Well what are you waiting for?” asked the white alicorn, “Please help yourselves.”
All three sat in their provided chairs and enjoyed their breakfast. In the case of the alchemic prodigy, he was almost finished with his food around fifteen minutes later. As he took a sip of his glass of orange juice, Celestia spoke once more, “Edward, in case you were wondering, Twilight and I were discussing your situation until our arrival here to eat.”
He blinked in confusion as he put his glass down, “Which situation again, Your Highness?”
“It’s about your… Your machine-like appendages. Automail, is it?”
The young alchemist looked down at his hands and realized he was not wearing his gloves like he normally would out in public. Well… Except when he wore that black suit Rarity hastily made for him right before the Summer Sun Celebration. There were also a few other occasions in his past when he wore no gloves. His left hand was bare but his right showed the hand portion of his automail arm, “Yes, that’s right.”
“I know somepony who may be willing to help you.”
“You do?” His face gleamed with hope and anticipation.
“His name is Steel Bolt,” Her confident smile drooped into a frown with a little hint of disappointment, “Unfortunately, he’s not in Canterlot anymore…”
The light from the human was burned out like a candle.
“He is a member of the Royal Guard and used to be stationed here. After Sombra’s second defeat, he requested orders for a permanent change of station to the Crystal Empire. Suffice to say, his orders were approved and he had since settled down over there.”
“The Crystal Empire?” Twilight spoke with excitement in her voice, “Then he’s not too far at all. I’m sure Cadence and Shining Armor can help us out further.”
“You seem to have a lot more connections all around here than I thought, Twilight.” The human complimented.
“Well, actually… Cadence used to be my foal sitter. As for Shining Armor, he’s my big brother and he used to be the Captain of the Guard. As a matter of fact, they currently rule the Crystal Empire together.”
This revelation caused him to gasp in surprise. The studious alicorn not only had connections but also had connections to royalty which included her brother. After reading a little bit about the Crystal Empire, his desire to visit grew. In return, the explanation may have caused her to blush in embarrassment.
Celestia was unable to help herself but let out an audible chuckle over how her former student and the blonde human reacted to each other. This caused the two to look at her for a moment and turned their heads in embarrassment, “I see you both have since become good friends already.”
The human feignedly cleared his throat before he took a sip of his drink. He quickly returned the conversation back on-topic, “So… Do you think this Steel Bolt guy is more than willing to see my automail then?”
“I’m sure of it, Ed.” Twilight answered when she noticed the return to the topic to hoof, “Otherwise Celestia wouldn’t mention him to us at all.”
“That is correct, you two. Since the Equestria Games are going to take place at the Crystal Empire, timing has never been better.”
“I look forward to all of that. In fact, I nearly forgot about the Games!” The lavender-coated alicorn looked back at the human for a moment and noticed a confused expression on his face, “Oh… You’re probably wondering what we were talking about just now. To put it simply, the Equestria Games is basically a sports event where everypony all over Equestria attempts to compete with each other.”
Edward nodded his head in understanding. For the past few days, he had heard about the event in question from conversations he candidly overheard from residents back in Ponyville. With that and what Twilight just explained, this sounded like a big deal.
Celestia spoke once again, “Twilight, judging from the notes you and Edward took from the books from the Archives last night, I suppose your time here is done?”
“We did, but not as much as we hoped. There was little information about Silver Dusk. It only mentioned that he served under Sombra until his sudden decision to join you and Luna.”
The alchemic prodigy was next to speak, “In my case, all I got was a brief history of the Crystal Empire under Sombra. Same thing about Silver. There wasn't even anything else about the Crimson Star either except for the legends of its power.”
The Princess of the Sun frowned in disappointment. Her former student and the otherworldly newcomer worked so hard to look for answers to the whereabouts of the Crimson Star and the late Silver Dusk. In the end, they came out empty hoofed.
After clearing out their rooms and collecting their notes, Edward and Twilight found themselves in the throne room where the white alicorn was waiting.
“I’m sorry we came up with little information from our research. I was hoping we can actually get to the bottom of this mystery.”
“There is absolutely no need to feel down from this hurdle, Twilight.” Celestia assured her former student, “I’m sure the answer is still out there somewhere. Remember how you’ve managed to restore the Elements of Harmony together with your new friends to defeat Nightmare Moon and free my sister? How about the spell that Starswirl the Bearded was unable to complete until you did so?”
“Yes, I still remember those events.”
“If you can do any of that, then you can solve the mystery of Silver Dusk and the Crimson Star.”
“You’re right… But I still need to figure out that chest from the Tree of Harmony.”
“I still haven’t forgotten that one. Perhaps in due time, the answers to one of those mysteries - Or better yet: Answers for both - will be revealed.”
“She's right, you know.” Edward spoke as he looked down at Twilight with a determined smile, “We can’t just give up on any of this. Maybe… Just maybe… Our answers are probably buried in some ancient ruins or even buried in the back of some random library.”
The lavender alicorn looked back at the human in awe. A small smile was forming in her mouth.
“If not, then allow me to knock some truth out of any archeologist or librarian we might come across,” He finished as he pumped his fist.
This left the mare in a mixed state of shock and dumbfoundedness, “Wait, what!?”
A moment later, the taller princess was left laughing her heart out which grabbed the attention of both of her visitors with even more dumbfounded expressions on their faces.
“Was it something I said?” Asked the human alchemist.
The smaller alicorn rolled her eyes in annoyance, “What do you think, Ed?”
At that moment, Celestia calmed herself down from her sudden outburst of laughter and heaved a calm sigh before she spoke, “Oh Edward, it seems you have a strange way to talk some sense into others. Although I admire your determination, I doubt the latter decision will do you much favor.”
The Princess’ response caused him to scratch the back of his head in embarrassment and look the other way. The next thing he knew, a pair of lavender-coated limbs were wrapped around his shoulders. Twilight was on her hind legs and her forelegs were wrapped around his shoulders in the form of a hug which caught him off guard.
“Hey, what are you doing?”
“Thank you, Ed,” She answered with a sincere smile. She let herself go of the hug and returned to all four legs. “And thank you, Celestia. You’ve both basically convinced me to continue both research projects. Suddenly, I feel like nothing is stopping me at this point.”
“I’m glad to hear that, Twilight.” Celestia smiled once again. There was still a glint of hope from all of this after all.
“Come on, Ed. Let’s head back to Ponyville and reorganize our notes.”
The human gestured for Twilight to stop, “Hang on! As much as I want to, I like to stay here in Canterlot just for one more night.”
“What? Why?”
“I figure I should know my way around here on my own. It was a thought I dwelled on since the day I visited Applejack’s home. The Summer Sun Celebration gave me a gist of Canterlot, but what about on a normal day?”
The studious alicorn was about to respond but Celestia spoke first, “I’m willing to accommodate you again with the same bedroom you used last night. I’ll notify the castle housekeeping staff to prepare it again for you. ”
“Thank you, Your Highness.”
After leaving the throne room, Edward and Twilight stepped out to the front door of the castle. The latter was still unsure of her human friend’s decision.
“Ed, are you sure you’ll be okay here on your own until tomorrow?”
“I’m sure of it. I’ll be back in Ponyville before you know it.”
“If you say so…” She checked her saddle bag to make sure she had everything she brought with her in addition to the notes they wrote last night, “Anyway, I’ll make sure to save these notes for future reference and further research. I’ll see you when you return to Ponyville.”
“Later, Twilight,” The human waved farewell as he watched the lavender alicorn trot away from him to the direction of the train station. As soon as she was out of sight, he briefly fixed his red overcoat before he took a step forward into the streets of Canterlot on his own. As soon as his first step was made, The mare magically appeared in front of him, causing him to jump in surprise.
“Sorry, Ed!” She apologized hastily, “There’s something I forgot to give you.” She then used her magic to open her saddlebag and pulled out a handful of coins and placed them in his hand. “Here’s thirty bits! Ten bits for your train ride back to Ponyville tomorrow and the rest you can use to spend if you want.”
“Um… Thank you.”
“If you’re planning to pay me back, we can discuss this when you get back. See you tomorrow, Ed.”
Before he can bid farewell, she disappeared using her magic. The human looked down at the money given to him. He looked at the streets of Canterlot in front of him and heaved a sigh. This may be a long day for him…
After an estimate of ten minutes of walking around, Edward found himself in what he believed was a marketplace. As intended, there were stores and street vendors selling their goods to potential customers. However, there was a small difference in the prices compared to - in his personal knowledge - the stores in Ponyville… Some of the prices of goods here appeared to be a little more expensive. He noticed some food products and jewelry were sold at higher prices.
“Hmm… I don’t even want to know how Equestrian Bits compares to Amestrian Cens…”
“Watch out!”
The young alchemist was woken up from his thoughts when a troubled-toned voice caught his ears. Seconds later, a loud crashing sound filled the air. It sounded close, which prompted him to rush towards an intersection that was about twenty meters ahead of him. As he turned a corner, he saw a small, spilled bucket and a toolbox lying near him. He then noticed a number of ponies looking up at the sky with horror on their faces. Curious, he looked up only to have his eyes widen in shock.
A scaffolding was dangling in midair as one side had a severed rope. At the same time, a pale light yellow coated earth pony with a brown mane and tail who wore a green and white cap was hanging onto its railing and begging for help. Before anypony knew it, he lost his grip and started plummeting to the ground below.
Edward sprang into action by putting his gloved hands together before placing them on the floor for an alchemic transmutation. Light blue sparks flashed as an earthen column with a hand-shaped platform on top was raised from the ground and ascended upward until it caught the falling earth pony. Sighing in relief when the pony in distress peaked his head downward in surprise, he then deconstructed the column until it was fully restored to the base of its origin.
The green and white cap-wearing stallion was back on all four hooves and looked up at the human in a mixture of shock and confusion. He was not the only one with such an expression. Nearly every single pony witnessed the strange form of magic conjured by this bipedal stranger in a red overcoat.
“Hey, are you okay?” asked Edward.
“Um… Yes.” The stallion answered, “I don’t know what kind of magic you were using but you definitely saved my life, pal!! There ain’t enough words to thank you enough!!”
“You’re welcome. You’re lucky I was nearby,” As much as he wanted to smile, the blonde human realized he was surrounded by numerous ponies who just witnessed his alchemy in action. He even heard them talking among themselves, although barely.
“Who is he and what kind of magic did he just use?”
“I think I remember seeing him with Princess Twilight and her friends during the Summer Sun Celebration.”
“Odd-looking fellow, isn’t he?”
Murmurs from the crowd made Edward uncomfortable. Especially due to the fact that he was the only one of his kind in Equestria. He was on the verge to turn around and leave until the onlookers suddenly burst into celebratory cheers. The blonde human can do nothing but accept the positive feedback he was receiving until he felt a nudge on his leg from the earth pony he just rescued.
“Congratulations. Looks like you’re famous now.” The pale light yellow coated stallion quietly chuckled as he joined the crowd in the cheer. “Oh, by the way… I don’t I got your name, pal. What is it?
“I’m Edward. Edward Elric.”
“Well then… My name is Hayseed Turnip Truck. Very pleased to meet you.” The earth pony introduced himself, “And thanks again for saving me. I reckon I owe you a big one for this.”
This incident could have ended fatally if the former State Alchemist was not around. However, thanks to his quick thinking, that outcome was prevented and the pony in question was saved from such.
“No, no, please. That won’t be necessary,” The blonde human waved his hands in protest and smiled. “I’m just glad you’re perfectly safe and sound now.”
It did not take long before several Royal Guards ponies arrived in the area in response to the incident. While a couple of them had to remove the defective scaffolding from the building, multiple witnesses were interviewed about the events that unfolded. Each one pointed out Edward as the hero who saved Hayseed’s life from a would-be fatal workplace accident.
While the scene was further investigated, the alchemic prodigy, including Hayseed, was not allowed to leave until the scene was considered safe and clear for normal hoof traffic by the Guards. He was irritated by the fact he had to stay for who knew how long. As for the earth pony he saved, he did not mind at all. In fact, he started a conversation to help pass the time. He told Edward that he was related to Applejack and her family back in Ponyville. His most recent visit to town was for a family reunion at Sweet Apple Acres.
After nearly two hours, the area was deemed safe and cleared, and the Royal Guards left the scene. The blonde human sighed in relief as he knew he was finally free to walk away.
“Welp,” Hayseed fixed his ball cap for a moment, “I’m sure my boss would like to hear what happened here from me. I’ll see you around, hero!” He waved farewell by shaking Edward’s right hand with his forehooves before he turned around and walked away while whistling happily.
The alchemist raised his brow in skepticism at being mentioned as a ‘hero.’ Was that word really necessary in this matter? Then again, he just saved somepony after all.
The return to the Canterlot Castle had a different sensation in the air than earlier. Instead of a mixture of confused glares and other mixed reactions, Edward received looks of enthusiasm and excitement from the locals. Simple greetings and friendly gestures were also given to him. News of his actions which saved Hayseed’s life today seems to have spread around the city quickly.
After a few minutes of walking through the castle’s hallways, the human alchemist finally entered his temporary bedroom. After closing the door, he removed his red overcoat and hung on a nearby chair before he laid down on the bed.
Events of what happened earlier today still played in his mind. Then again, he gained a little recognition in Ponyville. Meanwhile, rescuing Hayseed from certain death may have gained much more than he counted on having. Despite its dark origins, alchemy seemed to amuse a number of ponies since he arrived in Equestria. As far as he knew, Edward was the only one with the ability to perform alchemy in this world… Suddenly, there was a knock on his door which pulled him out of his thoughts.
“Edward, are you in there?”
The familiar voice was enough to drag him back on his feet from the bed and open the door. To his surprise, The dark-blue alicorn was there to greet him, “Princess Luna? What are you doing here? It’s about ten minutes till five PM. I thought you won’t wake up to raise the moon until a little later.”
“I usually wake up an hour later to prepare myself. I just happened to wake up around this time for dinner with my sister. Or in my case, breakfast…. I came here wondering if you would like to join us.”
“Of course. I would be glad to.”
“It’s settled then. Dinner will be ready at six. My sister and shall see you then.”
“Thank you, Princess Luna.”
With the conversation’s conclusion, the Princess of the Night turned around and walked away as the former State Alchemist closed the door. There was a bit over an hour remaining before he had to come over for dinner. With that in mind, he laid down on the bed for a quick nap.
Edward opened his eyes and looked around the room before he checked the time… Only twenty minutes remained before dinner. This prompted him to get out of bed and quickly readied himself for the occasion.
Just a few minutes remained before the designated time. After entering the dining room, he looked around for a moment and noticed that neither princesses were anywhere to be found. They may probably be on their way here already. Edward walked over to the table and approached the chair he sat on during breakfast this morning. Before he could touch it, a voice rang out to greet him.
“Good evening, Edward. It seems you arrived for dinner just in time,” Celestia entered the dining room with Luna beside her.
“Well, I didn’t wait long if that’s a concern for you.”
“Think none of it.” Luna smiled, “Come now, let us eat.”
Despite the different diet, he had since adjusted to, dinner was exquisite. The salad was served to start off the night and then spinach lasagna soon after. After the empty plates were taken from the table and the three were enjoying their drinks, the white alicorn was the first to speak since the start of dinner, “Earlier during the day, there has been some sort of situation…”
Edward took a sip of his water and raised an eyebrow in curiosity, “What kind?”
“I think we three know the answer to that.”
Her comment made him blink dumbfoundingly. What was she implying…?
“News about recent events can spread around Canterlot rather quickly. Especially events that occurred earlier today.”
Was she referring to…
“I’ve heard about what you did earlier, Edward.” She lightly smiled, “Your method on how you rescued that pony may be unconventional to most but in the end, it met the desired outcome.”
The blonde alchemist looked at the Solar alicorn in surprise. He was stumped with how to respond to her at this point, except… “Um… Thank you, Your Highness…?”
Both sisters playfully chuckled. In turn, this had made him even more puzzled.
Luna cleared her throat before she spoke, “What my sister is trying to say is that your alchemy is quite unique. It’s very different from magic in a way. Also, your deed from today reflects your character. Everypony will be thinking positively about you in the foreseeable future, Edward.”
“I can tell you that alchemy is not an all-powerful art.” He replied, “It’s about understanding, deconstructing, and reconstructing matter into something different. It can only be capable of so much.”
“Still,” It was Celestia’s turn to speak once more, “After what you have already shown us about your alchemy before and using it today. I can’t help but wonder how many will appreciate your use for it.”
“Appreciate my alchemy…?” The blonde human repeated those words in curiosity. Several memories started playing in his mind.
"Looks like your fancy, schmancy alchemy saved her again."
"Edward, I didn't know your alchemy can fix fabric as well."
"Technically, it is fixed. The downside to it is that the fabric of the coat had to thin out a bit to cover the portion of the sleeve that was lost."
"Hm... I see... Then it seems to be a temporary fix of some sort, darling."
“I actually met Ed yesterday. The wheel on my carriage suddenly fell apart but he just happened to be passing through and ended up helping me. He used his strange-looking magic to fix the wheel and it looks exactly like new!”
“Rose, it’s not magic at all,” The human corrected her, “It’s called alchemy.”
“Alchemy? Really…? It looks too good to be something other than magic.”
“Alchemy is kinda a complex art. I can tell you that much.”
“I see… But if it weren’t for you, I could have already spent tons of bits to get that wheel replaced with a new one. I’m thankful for what you did for me.”
“Well, ain’t that mighty sweet of you to do that, partner?” The orange mare commented while she handled a new transaction with another customer, “Looks like your alchemy has made itself more useful than it already is.”
“Despite magic being the norm of Equestria, your alchemy appears to come in handy in these parts.”
“It’s not really much to be excited about actually.”
“Maybe? Maybe not? Either way, at least it made life a little easier for somepony in need. I would definitely like to see more of it next time.” Discord took a few steps back, “Now that I finished checking up on you, I shall take my leave. Ta-ta.”
“That’s just simply amazing, Edward.” Rarity commented excitedly, “I can’t help but see you have an artistic sense for your alchemy.”
“Thanks. It was only a matter of how much material I needed before I can make any alchemic transmutation due to the Law of Equivalent Exchange. In this case, it was already enough to make these statues.”
“You’re just making this job a lot easier than we wanted it to be,” Twilight chuckled.
“Well, you were the one who wanted me to come here with you. Remember?” Edward smirked.
As the memories faded, Edward brought his attention back to the alicorn sisters. Despite everything that alchemy has done for him and against him, he could not help but agree with the two, “I do admit, I used my alchemy on more than several occasions to help others in the past. I did it again a few more times since I ended up in Equestria. It’s just…”
Celestia and Luna sat in their chairs patiently waiting for the young human to continue.
“Through the past few years, I’ve seen and heard of alchemy being abused for selfish deeds… Including hurting or even killing others… And even something worse, sick, and twisted...”
“The opportunity was right in front of us and we took it. We had to, even though we knew it was against the rules!”
The sisters watched him look down at his glass after he finished speaking. It now looked as if he was in deep thought. This prompted the white alicorn to walk away from her chair and approached him. When she stood beside him, she placed her forehoof on his shoulder which caught his attention. Her light magenta eyes looked down at his gold-colored ones.
“Edward,” she looked down with a motherly tone of voice, “I understand that you have some uncertainties about your use of alchemy here since it’s different from Equestrian magic, but that doesn’t mean it should hold you back from using it to help others.”
Luna was next to speak, “My sister is right. Considering the events that occurred earlier today, including the last time we saw you use it, your alchemy may be helpful to ponykind. Just as she mentioned moments ago, imagine how many will appreciate your alchemy.”
“I guess you’re both right.” The human alchemist commented, “Maybe I was just overthinking after what I’ve already been through until now… I can also tell you right now that Twilight took some notes of my alchemy recently. You have no idea how stoked she was about it.”
Celestia chuckled and smiled, “I’m not surprised. That’s something I would expect from my former student.”
“She told me she has been your pupil ever since she was little.” He stood up from his chair and bowed toward the sisters, “Thank you for inviting me to dinner, Princesses. I really enjoyed it.”
“The pleasure is ours, Edward.”
With that, the alchemic prodigy walked away and returned to his bedroom for the night. As soon as he left the dining room, the white alicorn leaned over to speak with her sister, “Somehow, he reminds me of Twilight in a certain way.”
Luna nodded her head in agreement, “Yes. An intellect, but with a fighter’s fortitude if you think about it.”
This chapter was shorter than usual. I'll explain that in the next one.
There's a lot of FMA-related news going around as of late. First, there was the mobile game that will be released next month in Japan. And now two more sequels to the 2017 live-action movie premiering soon. One this month and the other next month.
EDIT: I just found out the second movie just premiered in Japan this month on the 20th. I guess you can say this chapter is published in celebration of that movie. 
See you in the next chapter.
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Woot! This was a neat chapter...also
What a name..Hahahahah
Alphonse would certainly call off on Ed's artistic sense comment.
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I can imagine Winry doing the same as Al.
images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/aa200f69-76bf-4f87-943c-1426a415f1d3/d4kwvpv-9e2f8cd8-ac28-45bd-a939-f67b8d6053b9.png/v1/fill/w_900,h_2264,q_80,strp/ed__that_s_not_how_you_design_a_christmas_tree_by_darthfilart_d4kwvpv-fullview.jpg?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7ImhlaWdodCI6Ijw9MjI2NCIsInBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcL2FhMjAwZjY5LTc2YmYtNGY4Ny05NDNjLTE0MjZhNDE1ZjFkM1wvZDRrd3Zwdi05ZTJmOGNkOC1hYzI4LTQ1YmQtYTkzOS1mNjdiOGQ2MDUzYjkucG5nIiwid2lkdGgiOiI8PTkwMCJ9XV0sImF1ZCI6WyJ1cm46c2VydmljZTppbWFnZS5vcGVyYXRpb25zIl19.COhfs5yM92yAjLpE7Lo-fd63AaUSio3A4z4jlbiDJp8
Imagine how'd they react if they've seen his memories and saw how often Alchemy was abused in his world.
Alchemy, Magic, Technology... That they exist is neither moral of amoral, how they are used determines the morality of thier use.
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Twilight already saw the memory of Ed and Al's attempt at human transmutation. Safe to say that it's just the tip of alchemy's iceberg for her and she has yet to see the Portal.
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I'm talking about what happened with a certain girl, her dog and her deranged father.
I really love your Story i can't wait for the next Chapters keep up the good work, cheers mate!