Book 1 - The Behemoth came to Canterlot

by Equimorto

HhHhH

Zecora set the tiny blue bottle back on her desk, and caught herself staring at the upside-down view of the world on the other side. It always gave her a sense of childish amusement, for whatever reason. A little thrill of wonder. It was nice.

But she didn't have much time to spend on staring at the world through a bottle. She had experiments to run, and there was research to be done, and while she wasn't in any particular rush it would still be for the best if she got through it all efficiently. She quickly scribbled down the results of her last test. It was an entertaining activity, at the least.

And it was no wonder she'd been picked up for it. Chemistry was a lot like alchemy, and ever since the Behemoth's arrival the line between the two had been muddied. And when ponies said that, what they really meant was that the already slim confine separating the disciplines had been shattered like a window being hit by a train, and what was left was more of a box containing the mangled remains of the two in a state so messy it was no longer possible to tell what pieces belonged to which subject.

And so, testing. The main point of separation, ideally, was to classify reactions as belonging to one category or the other based on whether or not they released magic as a side product. That was why the occasionally buzzing mana detector was there on the table. Of course, testing everything would be an absurdly long and complicated process, so for the moment the tests were more focused on the individual results than on any bigger picture.

Zecora was rather glad she could be helpful. She would have liked to help more, of course, but unfortunately her potions could only help so far now that at least half of them didn't work right. Some had at least the decency to do nothing, but the charred hole left in the floor of the last laboratory she'd been using had taught her it was safer not to try them all out. Just in case. It was safer to do more basic testing first.

Twilight had done a very impressive job, setting up her institution. She'd given ponies something they could trust, something stable they could hold on to. A beacon to remind them that not everything was lost despite the turmoil around them.

And she'd also done a great deal in terms of research, and the quality of it. The sheer amount and rate of new discoveries being made between the walls of her castle was astounding, the institution as a whole was buzzing with creativity. It was partly because of how much yet uncharted territory there was to explore for science after the Arrival, no doubt, but even still it was impressive.

Zecora herself found the environment to be rather pleasant, as well. The other creatures there were all extremely nice, perhaps as a result of the shared hardship of the reality around them. In particular, the zebra was fond of that red-maned mare going by the name of Rose. They were considering the possibility of carrying out a set of shared experiments, to verify the potential alchemical applications of the newly discovered species of flowers and plants Rose was cataloguing.

Zecora was also rather interested in that oddly reflective trinket the mare kept tucked in her mane. She hadn't gotten a chance to ask about it yet, though. Maybe during the next lunch break. But for the moment, more testing. She picked up a red bottle and flipped the page on her notes, then began to experiment anew.

Comments

[FredMSloniker]

She had experiments to run, and there was research to be done

For the ponies who are still alive, no doubt.

[WanderingPony]

10376528

Whether they want a new gun out of it is up in the air, being ponies.