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The Alchemy of Chemistry

by Amber Spark

Chapter 8: Analyses, Results and Conclusions

Previous Chapter

In the end, while overly dramatic, it didn’t last long.

Sunset was out for maybe twenty minutes or so before Celestia’s restoration spell woke her up. By then, everypony was chattering excitedly about what had just happened in the class as other members of the faculty arrived. It took a few more minutes before the teachers eventually rounded the students up and ushered them out. A few ponies looked like they wanted to protest and see if anything else was going to happen, but a raised eyebrow from the Princess was enough to get them moving.

But Sunset watched it all from a distance, as if she were seeing it through a telescope. Right now, Princess Celestia, Professor Apple Polish, Moon Dancer and Sunset sat in a bubble of silence of Celestia’s making. Philomena had departed while Sunset had been out, carrying messages to the Department of Education and the Board of Regents regarding the actions of the former dean. Sunset reminded herself to get something for the phoenix. Without Philomena’s intervention… things could have been very different.

Professor Polish glanced around her ruined classroom and poked at a piece of her half-smashed desk with a hoof. “Well, I suppose that’s one way to end a term.”

“Come now, Professor.” Celestia chuckled. “You’ve had much more exciting times here. I shouldn’t have to remind you of Sunset’s mid-term last year.”

“Oh yes,” Professor Polish smiled. “That one took weeks to fix. Even if she did ace the test.”

Sunset’s ears went back as she winced.

“I still don’t like talking about that day,” she muttered. “That wasn’t a good day.”

Celestia turned her gentle gaze to Sunset. “It may not have been a good day, but that day brought you here.”

“Princess, today was a terrible day.”

“With all due respect, Princess,” Moon Dancer commented with a frown. “I have to agree with Sunset.”

“Oh, I’m not so sure.” The Princess of the Sun’s eyes twinkled at both of them. “I have a feeling you’ll look back on this someday and laugh.”

“Maybe somepony else will laugh. Namely at me for being an idiot.”

“Sunset,” Moon Dancer began. “I’m—”

“Stop it!” Sunset cried. “You’ve said you’re sorry about fifteen times! I can’t take any more! You screwed up once! I’ve screwed up like… a bajillion times! I should be begging you for forgiveness!”

“I already forgave you.” Moon Dancer poked a small vial. “I did that when I got out of my chair.”

Sunset blinked. “Wait a minute... That reminds me. How come you were the only pony to glow? Nothing strange happened to you!”

“An excellent question, Miss Shimmer,” Professor Polish said as she floated over a small vial with Moon Dancer’s star and moon cutie mark on it. “I examined her potion myself. I’m surprised to say she made the potion so perfectly, there was no room for the chaos magic to take root. In fact, she was the only one.”

Moon Dancer gasped. “You mean…”

“Yes, Miss Dancer.” Polish nodded. “You receive full marks on your alchemy final. Which gives you a final score of an A+ in my class.”

Moon Dancer squealed and bounced around like a filly who had just gotten her cutie mark. Sunset smiled a little and then squeaked as Moon Dancer leapt at her, tackling her in a giant hug.

“What? Ack!” Sunset cried. “What are you doing?”

“I believe it is called a hug, Miss Shimmer.” Polish raised an eyebrow. “Surely you’re aware of such things?”

Celestia was holding her hoof in front of her muzzle, obviously trying to hide an enormous smile. “Friends are known to do that once in a while, I believe.”

Moon Dancer went brilliant red as she backed up and released Sunset from her death grip.

“Sorry, I got a little overly excited.”

Sunset stretched, feeling several pieces of her spine shift back into place. “That’s fine. I’ll just send you the bill for my medical expenses.”

“Does that mean I get to send you the bill for my therapy expenses?” Moon Dancer asked with an innocent little blink.

Sunset tried to keep a straight face, but when Moon Dancer’s mouth started to curl, she couldn’t keep in the snort that quickly turned into a full-blown giggling fit. Moon Dancer followed her seconds later, while Princess Celestia and Professor Polish just smiled.

“I’m glad to see your fire has returned, Sunset,” Celestia said with an approving nod. “At least, a small spark. I hope Moon Dancer will help fan it.”

Polish, on the other hoof, sighed as she looked up at the ruined alchemy stations.

“Everypony else will likely need to be retested. Probably with something a bit simpler.”

“Do I have to write it?” Sunset asked hesitantly.

“Uh, no.” Polish shook her head. “I am more than happy to provide a standard test for the rest of the class. Despite the chaos, I did mean what I said when I informed you it was a good test. I do wish Dean Slate hadn’t ruined it in his mad scheme.”

“What’s going to happen?” Sunset looked at Celestia with a frown. “You know, to Cinnamon and the others?”

The Princess let out a sigh. “For the most part, that will be up to them. I will allow the younger students to remain in school, but they will need to endure the fact that the entire school now knows what they did. Raspberry Tart… I’m not sure. I’m afraid she has some very strong feelings toward you, Sunset. You were not a kind pony to her and that kind of hurt does not heal overnight.”

“Maybe… should I… well, would it help if I said I was sorry?”

Celestia’s eyes glittered and the sun seemed to shine a bit brighter through the shattered windows.

“It would be a start, but you should know she’ll likely reject you. But maybe if a friend came along, it might help matters.”

Moon Dancer nodded fervently. “It’s the least I can do. I’ll help Sunset any way I can. I’m not great at friendship… but I want to try.”

“And that is the best attitude anypony can have toward a situation such as this. I hope Raspberry Tart will heal in time,” Celestia said. “She is still young enough for the damage Silver Slate did to be undone.”

“And what about him?” Sunset asked quietly. “What will happen to him?”

Celestia’s expression hardened.

“I meant what I said. I expect a great deal of my teachers and much, much more for anypony in a role of leadership in any academic institution. But this one… this one is mine. I allowed Silver Slate to remain here, all the time unaware of just how deep a hatred he harbored toward you, Sunset. I am truly sorry for that. I knew he disliked you, but not to this degree. What happened to his grandaughters... It is natural for a pony to be protective of family, but unchecked, it can become something dark. Despite my words earlier as to knowing all that transpires here... I was mistaken about him. I can only hope that he’ll eventually find some way to let go of that hate.”

“That… that doesn’t answer the question.”

“No, it doesn’t.” Celestia smirked just a bit. “Glad to see you were paying attention.”

Sunset smiled and shrugged. She wasn’t about to demand answers from the Princess of the Sun. Not today.

“Um, I have a question, if you don’t mind?” Moon Dancer said. “For you, Professor Polish.”

“What’s that, Miss Dancer?”

“What happened to Twilight?”

Sunset twitched. Just because she had a friend now didn’t mean she had to like that little perfect prodigy.

“Miss Sparkle?”

“Yeah. Professor Inkwell asked to talk to her in her office and I’ve hadn’t seen her since.”

“Ah yes,” Polish tapped her hoof on her chin. “I remember Inkwell coming to me about this. Since Miss Sparkle was doing so spectacularly but spent a great deal of time sequestered in the library reading just about anything she could put her hooves on, I believe she had a special project for the filly.”

“What sort of special project?”

“I’m afraid I’m not privy to the details, Miss Dancer.” Polish shrugged. “I believe it involved a favor to an old friend.”

“Oh. Do you know when she’ll be back?”

Professor Polish shook her head. “Not specifically. However, I believe it was a special assignment that would go for at least a week or two.”

“Aw,” Moon Dancer pouted. “That means I won’t get to see her before term gets out. And here I was going to tell her about today.”

“And just what would you tell your young friend about today, Miss Dancer?” Celestia asked.

“That I got the great and powerful Sunset Shimmer to faint just by asking to be friends with her.”

“Wait… what?” Sunset sputtered. “You… you can’t go around telling ponies that! That’s totally unfair!”

Celestia coughed while looking perfectly innocent.

“Oh come on!” Moon Dancer protested. “It’ll be perfect! I just want to see if it’ll happen more! Maybe she has this allergic reaction to ponies asking to be her friends. It would be hysterical!”

“You’re evil,” Sunset stabbed a hoof at Moon Dancer. “Totally. Evil.”

Moon Dancer grinned. “I was paying attention when you tutored me.”

Sunset felt a strange sinking sensation in her chest. “You… you really were, huh?”

“My,” Celestia commented. “It sounds like she’s almost as good as you, Sunset.”

“Let’s hope not.”

“Let’s see… what else did I learn… oh yeah!”

The sinking feeling continued down to her stomach, worsening as it went.

You realize this is a really stupid idea, an angry little voice in her head muttered.

Sunset waited for another voice to reply, but was only a little surprised when it didn’t.

“That you hate nicknames!”

“Don’t you dare,” Sunset warned.

Celestia was now snickering in earnest. Even Professor Polish was biting her lip to keep from cracking up.

“This is so not fair,” Sunset pouted.

“Sunset,” Celestia interrupted before Moon Dancer could continue any further. “I wanted to let you know… I’m proud of what you did today.”

“Proud of me?” Sunset’s eyes went wide and pointed a hoof at Moon Dancer. “She was the hero today!”

“Yes, she was,” Celestia admitted with a nod. “She reached out to you. But she also hurt you. While you were—ahem—taking a nap, Moon Dancer mentioned a few of the things she’d said to you earlier. You could have rejected her. You didn’t.”

“I just… I…” Sunset swallowed and stared at her hooves. “I thought I could handle anything. But… I couldn’t handle that. Dean Slate had me in a corner. He had me completely trapped. For Equestria’s sake, he had me doubting my own sanity! Moon Dancer… stopped him.”

“I should have told the truth at the beginning,” Moon Dancer muttered. “I was such an idiot for helping them.”

“I’m pretty sure I was the bigger idiot.”

“I spoke to you this morning about legacies and paths, Miss Shimmer.” Professor Polish smiled as she interrupted them. “I agree with Princess Celestia. You did indeed have a choice before you today, though it was not the choice I believed it to be. While it may have seemed natural at the time, only a pony who truly wanted something different could have made that choice.”

“I knew you could do it.” Celestia murmured as she leaned down to nuzzle Sunset. “However, I have to admit I have not been fully honest with you, my dear student.”

Sunset opened her mouth to respond, but bit back her snarky reply.

That’s happening a lot today.

“I have been greatly concerned about you these last few months. Your…” Celestia glanced at Moon Dancer and turned her attention back to Sunset. “Your recent attempts to take shortcuts on the deadline I gave you over a year ago troubled me greatly. I had also begun to receive anonymous notes you planning something within the school.”

Polish nodded sadly, though she didn’t add anything to Celestia’s story.

“Indeed, I started to also receive letters as to your activities in the last four years. I admit… some of them took me by surprise. Professor Polish and I were deeply worried.”

“I don’t understand, Princess.”

“Those experience cores were not within the school by accident.” Celestia sighed. “I had them placed here and Professor Polish informed you about them in an indirect manner as I had instructed her.”

“Experience cores…” Sunset muttered. “That… that was what this was all about?”

“The rumors circulating said you were attempting to shortcut our arrangement once more. You were experimenting with new magics, trying to learn as much as you could in hopes of impressing me. Your outburst on the night I visited only deepened these concerns. As such, I placed the experience cores here to find out how desperate you were. I did not know Dean Slate decided to take matters into his own hooves and force the issue. In fact, I was the one who informed him about the cores. As dean, he had a right to know.”

Polish growled something under her breath and then visibily forced herself to be calm.

“You… wanted to know if she would steal them?” Moon Dancer asked quietly.

Sunset jumped, having forgotten for a moment that Moon Dancer was even present.

“As with you, Miss Dancer, I wanted to know if she was a different pony or not. I wasn’t sure anymore. I was concerned my own… misgivings may have colored the way I was seeing the situation. It is why, as I'm sure you've already surmised, I came in as the white pegasus you saw earlier. And before you ask, I didn't stop the transfigurations because I knew my teachers could handle the situation and I wished to send Philomena on her errand as quickly as possible.”

Part of Sunset desperately wanted to know what those specific misgivings might have been, but she simply couldn’t bring herself to ask. Sunset also couldn't help but wonder if there was another reason Celestia didn't intervene directly that she just wasn't saying.

But more than anything, the rest of her was reeling at the sheer idea Celestia had been unsure about anything.

“I don’t understand the reason, Princess,” Sunset admitted. “Why all the sneaking around?”

“There may come a day, my faithful student, when you may be forced to choose between the right course of action and the power you desire. You would not be the first student of mine to be tempted in such a manner. Indeed, I worry for all my students should they have to face that day. I admit I allowed my own fears to blind me to the former dean’s goals and you suffered for it.”

“You wanted to know if I’d take a shortcut again,” Sunset muttered. Her sleep-deprived brain happily helped her remember all of her half-formed schemes she’d come up with since that Twilight Sparkle had mentioned experience cores. “I… I’d been considering it.”

“I know,” Celestia said gently, “but the important thing is that you didn’t act. I did this at the end of term to stretch you, Sunset. The chance would be brief. But in the end, you didn’t take the ‘bait.’ You passed.”

“I… really?”

Celestia nodded. “If you desire, we can discuss this further another time, but I think we’ve all been through quite enough for the day.”

Sunset thought for a grand total of two seconds before nodding emphatically. “Yeah… I think that can wait.”

A brief silence descended upon them, but the Ursa in the room couldn’t be ignored. Not after the Princess’s confession. Sunset knew she had to say it. If she didn’t… it might not become real.

“Princess? There is one other thing…” Sunset chewed on her lower lip. “About the mirror…”

Celestia stiffened ever so slightly. A wary look passed over her face. “Yes?”

Sunset swallowed and glanced at Moon Dancer.

“I think I’m okay with waiting for now. You were right about friendship. I don’t think it’s too much of a stretch to think you’re right about that too.”

Celestia let out a sigh of what had to be relief.

“Thank you, Sunset. Thank you for your trust. I promise you will get the answers you seek. When you’re ready.”

“What’s this about a mirror?” Moon Dancer asked.

Sunset shook her head. “It’s not important. Not now.”

“Oh, fine, keep your secrets. Sunny.”

Sunset twitched. “You did not just call me Sunny.”

“Funny. I’m pretty sure I did.” Moon Dancer smirked. “Why? What’s wrong with Sunny?”

Twitch. “That’s not my name.”

“It is now. Sunny.”

Twitch. “Quit it.”

“Sorry, Sunny. I’m apparently your friend now. I’m pretty sure friends get to annoy each other a little bit. It’s in the rules somewhere.”

“I’m afraid she’s right, Sunset,” Celestia said with a heavy sigh. “I should know. I’ve tried to have that particular passage amended several times to no avail.”

“Ah yes,” Professor Polish replied. “Indeed. Such is the curse of friendship… to suffer small, silly sidelong snideness with a smile. Or so they say.”

“You’re all enjoying this, aren’t you?”

“Immensely,” Celestia replied. Her eyes twinkled. Sunset decided to call this particular twinkle ‘The Trollestia Twinkle.’ She had a nagging suspicion she’d see it a lot in the years to come.

“So, Sunny.” Moon Dancer grinned as Sunset twitched yet again. “What is it that friends do anyway?”

“Stop calling them obnoxious nicknames?”

“I’m pretty sure that’s not on the list,” Celestia interjected.

Professor Polish just nodded her head in agreement.

“Fine,” Sunset grumbled. “Then how about doughnuts?”

Moon Dancer brightened. “After the day we’ve had? That sounds perfect, Sunny.”

Twitch. “You really need to stop calling me that.”

“Not happening, Sunny.”

Sunset ground her teeth and tried to suppress the twitch.

“You’re a brat.”

Moon Dancer smirked again.

“If I am, it’s because I learned from the best.”

“I believe she has you cornered there, Miss Shimmer,” Polish quipped.

“You’re all evil.”

Celestia raised a hoof and wiggled it. “Maybe a little? You try ruling a country as the classic ‘benevolent monarch’ for a thousand years and see what happens.”

Sunset stuck out her tongue at the Princess. “Maybe I will!”

Celestia’s eyes suddenly burned with a fierce warmth of pride and happiness.

“I sincerely hope so.”

Sunset didn’t have a clue what to say to that. She felt like she should have… but she had nothing.

“Hey, I was promised doughnuts!” Moon Dancer protested.

Celestia waved a hoof and lowered the bubble of silence. “Off with you. Both of you. Go enjoy yourselves.”

Moon Dancer bowed to the Princess. “Thank you, Princess.”

“No need for that.” Celestia laughed. “I have a suspicion we’ll be seeing a lot of each other, Miss Dancer.”

“I’d like that,” Moon Dancer replied with a suddenly shy little smile.

“Okay, okay, but you’re buying,” Sunset said as she got to her hooves.

“Nope. You’re buying.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re the one making up for years of terrorizing this school with an iron hoof.”

“Moon Dancer?”

“Yes, Princess?”

“You get to use that excuse today and only today.”

“What? Aw! Yes, Princess,” Moon Dancer grumbled and levitated over Sunset saddlebags with hers in tow.

“And Sunset?” Celestia rose to her hooves as well and walked over to Sunset.

“Yes, Princess?”

Celestia just smiled, leaned down and hugged her. “Please remember, you passed your exam for this year. Maybe not as I expected, but you most certainly passed.”

Sunset stared into the Princess’s warm face. “Really?”

“Really... and one more thing…”

Celestia’s magic ignited and there was some sort of shift in the air. A spell she didn’t recognize swam through the room, darting between the debris before finally hovering over the remains of Sunset’s desk. A few moments later, there was a flash of light.

In front of Sunset floated two glass bottles. One was in the traditional shape of a round potion bottle, while the other was an angular flask.

The flask had Sunset’s own cutie mark on it.

The bottle had Moon Dancer’s mark.

Sunset stared at the Princess. Moon Dancer was frozen like a statue.

“Made from the flask the former dean so carelessly destroyed,” Celestia said quietly. “I don’t know if even you knew what it meant, Sunset… but I do. And so does Moon Dancer.”

Celestia levitated the flask with the sunburst mark over to Sunset and the moon and stars one to Moon Dancer.

Sunset stared at Moon Dancer.

Moon Dancer stared at Sunset.

Without a word, the two switched bottles and tucked the potions into their saddlebags, making sure they were safe and secure.

Celestia looked as if she had something in her eye for some reason, but her voice was still as warm and strong as ever when she spoke next.

“Now go celebrate with your friend.”

Sunset found that a goofy smile had taken up residence on her face and had no indication of leaving anytime soon.

She didn’t really mind.

“Come on, Moony,” Sunset said with a smirk.

“Oh, no. You did not just call me that!” Moon Dancer cried.

“Turnabout’s fair play.”

“Oh, it is so on, Sunny!”

“I can handle anything you can dish out, Moony.”

“We’ll see about that. Sunny.”

Just as they reached the door, Sunset heard two voices of the ponies still in the middle of the ruined classroom.

“Do you think she’ll be okay, Princess?”

“Yes, Apple,” Celestia replied. “I think they’ll both be just fine.”

“Sunny! Come on! I’m starving and I desperately need some coffee!” Moon Dancer complained from the hallway.

“Simmer down, Moony!” Sunset called. “I’m coming. But there’s something you need to know.”

“What?”

“I’m not drinking any coffee tonight.”

“Why not? Coffee and doughnuts is a tradition!”

“First, because I’m never drinking coffee again. Ever.” Sunset laughed. “Second, because if I don’t get sleep tonight, tomorrow I’ll be in a straightjacket. And third... for the first time in a long while… I think I might actually be able to get some real sleep tonight.”

“We’ll see how well you do after the doughnuts, Sunny.”

“Stop calling me that, Moony.”

“Sorry, Sunny. I plan on calling you that for years.”

Sunset rolled her eyes as they headed toward the main entrance.

“Yeah, I have a feeling you’ll end up doing just that.”

Author's Notes:

Closing Song:

Welcome to the end of the first Keystone Book of The Wavelengths Timeline. With this story, the Origins Arc now has its true opening and will continue in Book 2, Bards of the Badlands.

I'll admit that reading this gets me a bit choked up. In truth, I've never really experienced this sort of thing of having someone stand up for me. But I have done it for someone else. It's a powerful moment, for everyone on all sides. Something you don't easily forget.

While many of you knew how the story was going to end, the journey counts just as much as the destination. Sunset's got a long journey ahead of her. You'll get to see much of it in the coming months with Bards of the Badlands as well as Book 4 of the Origins Arc, How Not To Use Your Royal Prerogative. In addition, once the Origins Arc is finished, we get to go on a whole new kind of adventure with Sunset, Twilight, Moon Dancer and everypony else. That adventure is the Infatuations and Other Lies Arc.

I'm looking forward to it. And I hope you do too.

While all of these stories are written to be completely stand-alone (save for specific sequels such as the Applications Arc), they are all part of an ongoing series. If you enjoyed Alchemy and you haven't had a chance to read the rest of the series, I recommend you give them a whirl. You can find all the links at the bottom of the author's note!

If you're interested in the development of this novella (and boy, what a development it had!), please go ahead and check out my Retrospective on Alchemy on my blog. There, you'll find a lot of the secrets, the plots and the schemes. This story was hard to write. After all, I had to write what Sunset thought she was doing, what the students thought Sunset was doing, what Celestia and the teachers thought Sunset was doing, what Slate was actually doing and finally what was really happening! As you can see... its a tad bit convoluted. To make things worse, Sunset's recollection of these events in the Applications Arc is rather off due to just how little sleep she got these last few weeks. Sleep deprivation can really screw with your memory!

A special shoutout to Ebon Quill, Little Tinker, Painted Heart :duck: and the newest member of the Wavelengths Editing Team, Beltorn! And let's not forget Alchemy's special guest beta reader, the one and only Tchernobog! Without them, this story would be a shadow of its potential. You owe them more than you know.

Until next time, this has been Novel Idea. I'll see you all in the next story!

If you come across any errors, please let me know by PM!

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