The Alchemist

by bkc56

1. Prologue

It was a sunny, yet brisk winter’s day in Canterlot. The streets were filled with ponies bundled in warm clothes going about their preparations for the rapidly approaching Hearth’s Warming Eve. Decorations enhanced by a fine layer of snow accented most of the homes and businesses around the city. Behind frost-covered windows, Misty surveyed the decorations in her own home with a foal-like giddiness. The holiday was only two weeks away, and she could hardly wait. She adjusted the blanket she and Quicksilver were sharing as they sat together on the couch reading.

After a while, Misty put down the paper she was studying and glanced at her husband. "Would you like some tea?"

Looking up, Quicksilver replied, "Oh, that would be great. Thanks."

She got up and went into the kitchen. She called out, “Shortbread or biscotti cookies? Oh, never mind. Someone snagged the last biscotti already. I wonder who that was?” She soon returned with a big smile and a tray loaded with tea and two plates of cookies. She gave Quicksilver his share and set hers on the side table. Quicksilver used his magic to help her adjust the blanket as she sat down, and they each started their mid-afternoon snack.

“Sorry about the cookies,” he mumbled. She leaned into him for a moment.

“I ran into a friend at the store the other day,” Misty started. “We got to talking about our work as researchers. She found it inconceivable that we would willingly spend our free time reading technical papers.”

Quicksilver chuckled. “I guess it does sound a little strange. But we love what we do.” He gave her a playful shove with his shoulder. “So, what have you been reading today?”

“Guilty. It’s a research paper on snapdragon genetics. You?”

“It’s a paper my dad published…” He flipped to the title page. “Yeah, two months ago. I’m finally getting around to reading it. It’s the latest in a series about organic chemicals in alchemy. Brilliant stuff, as usual.”

"What's it like," Misty asked, "being the colt of two well-known, even famous researchers?"

“I guess somewhat similar to being the husband of a respected botanist.” He grinned at her.

Misty dropped her head on his shoulder with a theatrical sigh. “You know what I mean.”

He snickered. “Yeah, I do. But I usually don’t think about it like that. To me, they’re just my parents. It’s only when somepony else brings it up that I see them that way.”

Quicksilver's eyes drifted up toward the ceiling. "Take school for example.” He took a sip of his tea, inhaling the steam rising off it. “All the professors knew of them. I remember him working on the paper ‘Magic Fields and their Interaction with Inorganic Compounds’ as a colt. And then I'm in this class and the professor assigns that paper as required reading."

Misty giggled. "I bet that was kind of strange for you."

He nodded. "I was tempted to tell him: as a colt I spilled apple juice all over one of his early drafts of that paper. Don't get me wrong. It's a brilliant paper, and helped form the foundation of my own research into alchemy. But yes, it was strange at the time."

“Really?” She had a big grin. “Apple juice? I guess that’s better than grape. What happened?”

“Let’s just say that he impressed upon me the importance of the rule: no food or drink in my dad’s study.”

Misty sat back to look directly at him. “So that’s why you never have anything to drink while you’re working on a paper? Not even tea?”

He shrugged. “Old habits…”

“You’re a big colt now. I imagine you could handle it.” Leaning against him again, she asked, "What about your grandparents? Were they well known for anything like that?"

"No, not really. But if you go way back, there is one relative we know a little about."

"Oh, really? Who? What do you know?” She paused, thinking for a moment. “Oh, I hope it's not one of those apocryphal tales every pony family seems to have about the seafaring relative that decided to give up the sea and started walking inland carrying an oar. And as soon as somepony asked them what they were carrying, that's where they settled to make a new home."

Quicksilver grinned. "Oh, you have one of those in your family too? I think that was supposed to be our great great grandfather. Or was it three greats?"

Misty gave him a light punch on the shoulder with her hoof. "Seriously!"

"Ouch," he feigned with a hurt look that quickly dissolved into a laugh. "Okay, okay, seriously. It's the story of a filly who grew up to be our ancient grandmother with who knows how many greats in front of it. This story goes back almost a thousand years, just a couple of decades after the defeat of Nightmare Moon."

Misty’s wings fluttered almost imperceptibly in excitement. It was as if she was transported back to her foalhood for story time. She scooted closer to Quicksilver and snuggled up against him.

Comments

[Ika Musume]

What an intriguing prologue! Really draws me in to the reading. I can't wait to read on!

[Trump]

carrying an ore I suspect you meant an OAR - as in rowing.

[tsaukpaetra]

Many moons ago, when life was quite a bit more cruel than we know today...