Dear Candy Stripes,

I’m sorry I haven’t written to you and your mother in all this time. I’ve been terribly caught up in the everyday life of a university student. It’s difficult for me to remember the last time I wrote a casual letter, but if I had to guess, it would probably be some time before school began. Between classes and my budding social life, I’m usually dead-tired in the evening.

Needless to say, I’m well enough. University life is hectic, but it’s ultimately worth it. Sure, I’ve made a rival out of a royal pain in the flank, but I’ve learned so much, and I’m not even into the practical course yet. Just in the safety course alone, I’ve learned how to properly use each piece of alchemy equipment safely. Probably the most important lesson I’ve learned is always to have a toxicity litmus test kit handy.

Funny story, that. I kinda had a very close brush with death after being dealt a faulty instruction on the first day of the safety course. Don’t worry, there’s no permanent damage. I’m just going to be kinda weak for a while. Even if she was an utter shrew about it, that pain in the flank I mentioned did save my life, not that it makes up for the way she’s treated me thus far.

I wish I’d been able to keep up with my sessions with my therapist, but he’s been off in Ponyville for some time now, and my appointments are off until he’s back. I’m particularly curious what kind of family emergency it is. Thankfully, I have some really supportive friends. I don’t know how many times I would have gone off my rocker without them. There’s this one friend that might become something more, but because of instilled cultural values, she’s not completely comfortable with the idea. We’re taking things slowly, but I’m optimistic.

How are things with you and your mom? Do you two miss my cooking yet? I’m sure it must be awful lonely when the two of you are on different shifts. I know only too well how lonely an empty house can be. I suppose right now you’re probably working on references and scholarships to fund your own full nursing degree and whatnot. You’d probably like university life.

We should totally meet up for dinner or tea sometime soon. Preferably, it would be before the spring break. I’m kinda making plans to head down to Ponyville to visit Lyra and Bon-Bon. Lyra’s pretty close to foaling—August isn’t too far off you know—and I really wanna be there for them.

There’s another reason I want to be down Ponyville-ways on my summer break. There’s a zebra living in the nearby countryside, and she is apparently a very accomplished potion-maker. There’s a particular recipe that she made for a friend last year that I would very much like to get my hooves on, since it is like nothing Equestrian alchemy has ever produced.

I hope to hear from you soon, and give your mom my regards.

Your friend,

Silver Script

Dear Silver,

We’re glad to hear that you are doing well in school, but not so much about your near death experience. You gotta be more careful! Just because you’re as big as you’re gonna get doesn’t mean you’re as durable as fully grown mares. If anything, you should be more careful, even just flying, especially if you’re going to be weak for a while. If a broken wing has a fully grown mare laid up for a few days, you might be out of it for a few weeks. Remember, you’ve got the constitution to match your body, not your mind.

I’d certainly love to sit down and talk with you over coffee sometime, but it can’t be any time in the near future; I’ve actually gotten a learning position out in Manehattan coming up—I’m writing this letter on the train—so I won’t be back in Canterlot until at least October. I’ll keep writing as long as you do though.

Mom’s doing alright—better than alright, really. She recently started seeing a fairly well-known business pony visiting from Vanhoover, and it’s probably the happiest she’s been since... well... It’s nice to see her smiling so much these days, at any rate.

Speaking of romantic interests. You with a marefriend? Not to be mean, but I never really imagined you having those kinds of feelings. Don’t get me wrong, you’re a great friend, regardless of what you might think, but you’ve always come off as a bit... prickly, like a hedgehog. Like you’d always have friends, but wouldn’t let them get close for fear of hurting them. That, and the whole you-look-like-a-foal business. I’m kind of glad you’ve proved me wrong there. You deserve to be happy.

Maybe I could come visit you some time after I get back. It’d be great to see you, and I’m sure you’ll have all sorts of fun things to show off. No doubt you’ll introduce the lucky mare, too.

Your friend always,

~ Candy

Dear Diary,

On the first day of potions class, I learned firsthoof that Alchemy sure is something else. In practice, alchemy is a hybridization of chemistry, magic, logic, and—strangely enough—cooking. That in itself makes it complicated as all hell to understand, never mind perform.

First of all, you have your basic chemical reactions to take into account—things like chlorine plus ammonia equals toxic gas, or that iron and chlorine can react in an oxygenless environment, producing rust. It’s very important to pay attention to these sorts of things, not so much because they may produce harmful effects, as the other parts of the process tend to negate that, but because an unwary alchemist may inadvertently blow up his or her lab. One time, my buddy Keith...

Next, you have your magical reactions to take into account. There are many beneficial purifying effects found in many commonly used ingredients, in addition to other magical effects. As a rule of... thumb, if you are making a potion that can have ingredients swapped out, always go for ones that have this negating effect, more often than not referred to as the substance albedo. Unfortunately, the negating properties of ingredients make it difficult to get the desired effect, and as a result, some toxicity often remains.

Additionally, magical effects in a potion have an ability to co-mingle and produce surprising results. Whereas one effect yielded by the ingredients might be heat, and another might be a creation effect, you have many possible outcomes. You might have a potion that warms the drinker, raising your body temperature in a cold climate, or you might have one that literally creates fire. All depends on which is the catalyst, the heat or creation.

For the most part, it’s usually a straightforward chaining of effects—a setup for the catalyst, as I mentioned. Not all potions are so simple, though. Higher level alchemy involves the co-mingling of multiple catalytic effects as a precursor for the intended. Take Zecora’s tooth repair and hearts desire potions as examples. The recipe she likely used for Apple Bloom’s teeth involved a simple renewal or growth—probably renewal, but maybe both—potion with ground animal teeth as the catalyst. The heart’s desire potion, on the other hoof is most likely a combination of body and mind—or target body and target mind, in the literal sense—effects, with the desire of the Heart’s Desire flower being applied to the body.

That is also where logic comes in. In a way, alchemy is a language that you’ve never been given the full dictionary to. Instead of being able to write a sentence in Equestrian/make a potion do exactly what you want, you need to use the words you know and apply them in unique ways as modifiers to get the point across. You need to think of how to properly apply effects, or new ways to do so.

One wouldn’t exactly think of cooking as similar to something like alchemy, but as I mentioned, it surprisingly is very similar. Depending on ingredients, you have different ways to prepare them. You could create a paste from mashing the ingredients, or simmer them in order to leech the valuable substances into the water, removing solids from the equation. Some ingredients might simply require to be steeped, while others need to be ground for maximum effect. Finally, you often are required to reduce substances in order to concentrate the potency; something necessary for high-strength potions.

So yeah... Alchemy is pretty crazy. On the plus side, we’ve been given a free-reign homework assignment. We’ve all been given access to an ingredient store cupboard, and on loan I have portable alchemy equipment sitting right here on my desk. This seems like the perfect opportunity to try to make my gift to Lyra and Bon-Bon for when they have the foal.

What could possibly go wrong?

~Silver Script, March 19th, 2002 PH

Dear Lyra and Bon-Bon,

How have things been with you both? Is your sweet-shop still booming, Bon-Bon, or is Lyra eating all the merchandise? How about you Lyra? I’m sure the little darling filly in your belly loves to make herself known at the most inopportune times. Heck, she’s probably raring to get out and see the world now. I just hope the Crusaders are taking it easy on you; I know I’d certainly want ponies to take it easy on me if I were with foal.

I’m really excited to be visiting you in two weeks, and I’m not just saying that because you’re conveniently in the town outside the Everfree Forest. Sure, getting a recipe from Zecora is high on my list, but I genuinely do want to see you both. It would be wrong for me to not be there for you in time for the foaling after all that happened. Besides, I haven’t forgotten what you said about me having a special place in your herd. I’m honored, really.

There’s another reason I’m writing to you. A few of my friends are coming along with me to Ponyville—advance-booking group fare on the Friendship express is amazingly cheaper than simply paying same-day, and they all surprisingly had reasons to visit the town—and I was wondering...

Sprawled out on a pillow in the common room, Ice Blossom doll nestled comfily at my side, I listen to the instrumental that Gearalt’s makeshift band is playing, smiling at the way it’s all coming together. On his guitar, of course is Gearalt, plucking away at a beautiful, albeit hauntingly familiar, tune. Seated beside him is a silent griffon I’ve only met at these meetings and seen in passing in the chow hall, playing a slow, melancholy melody on her viola. Finally, perched in front of a pristine drum-kit that wouldn’t look out of place on Earth—it’s rather large for a pony, even one with crossed drumsticks on her flank—is none other than Chill Beat, kicking in at just the right time to add extra life to the sorrowful song while not compromising the mood.

To be honest, the song reminds me of one I heard a long time ago. If only the name would come to me, I could probably even guess the lyrics... or the general sound of them. For whatever reason though, whichever song I’m reminded of does not want to come to the forefront of my mind. Sure, I could look at the sheet of lyrics, but it’s more fun for me to wrack my brain and challenge it like this. It’s honestly a nice mental exercise, not unlike counting from zero to fifteen in binary, and then counting those binary digits into hexadecimal—memory is key.

It’s been a few sessions since I’ve started coming, and it won’t be all too long until I have to actively start practicing my lines. Thankfully when that time comes, Ice blossom, seated to my left with her own miniature me seated on her head—she really likes the doll—will be right there with me, helping me pronounce the lyrics. Even if it isn’t difficult to sound out words on paper, there’s more fun in hearing it and practicing with a friend. Who knows, I could even turn this into a duet. It is her song, after all.

Applauding when the latest performance comes to an end, I can’t help but comment, “Wow, Gearalt. The song is really sounding awesome! I hope it still sounds so good when it’s my turn to take the stage...” I laugh in self deprecation. Glancing at Ice Blossom, I add, “What about you, Blossom? Does this sound how you envisioned it?”

She smiles dreamily, nodding slightly. “This is even better than I could have imagined,” she says, giggling at the end. “I think it will sound even better with my lyrics for all to hear.”

This draws a chortle from Gale, off on the far side of the room playing Go Fish with the burly Gaius. “I’ll bet,” she affirms. “I might not have been there for your cafeteria performance, but I know from your shower-time singing that you have a nice voice. Surprised you’re still a blank though.”

That last bit is teasing, as usual. We have a little running bet to see what’ll be more likely to earn my cutie mark: singing, alchemy, writing, or being an accident magnet. My money’s on alchemy of course, while Gale is convinced it’s being a walking disaster. All of it is in good fun though.

Turning her attention to the guitar-playing griffon, she grins. “So how’d all this start again? I thought you were a bard, all about poetry and what not, not being a rock-star,” she says teasingly. “Did you flunk your bard courses?”

“Nah,” he replies. “Me and the prof have a little side-bet for extra credit. Told’em a pony whose special talent wasn’t singing or music could still make a decent singer. He says to me every pony has a bit of music in’em, but that they’d never be a star.”

“What, so you bet him that you could turn a blank-flank like me into a minor crowd pleaser?” I laugh. “Oh jeeze, the music industry sounds right cutthroat if you ask me. After the show following summer break, I’m done singing for anypony but myself—” I throw in a wink, looking at Blossom. “—and maybe others.”

“Speaking of summer break,” Beat pipes up, subjugating the conversation with a mischievous grin. “What are all of you planning?”

“Traveling to Ponyville in mid August,” I say honestly. “A friend is having her first foal around that time, and I wanna be there for her. I also wanted to see the local zebra in the Everfree about an alchemy recipe. How about you?”

“Me? I’m probably going back to Neighpon for a few weeks,” Beat responds cheerfully. “It’ll be great to see mom and the rest of the herd again.” Looking teasingly at her younger sister, she grins. “Say, weren’t you going to Ponyville to see some ponies about some rare flowers? You two could go together!”

Beat’s teasing causes Blossom to jerk her head in surprise, causing the Silver Script doll to fall comically across her forelegs. “I-I am planning on visiting Ponyville ab-b-bout flowers, yes,” she stutters. “There have been sightings of the fabled Truth Flower has been seen in the area, and rumors of a bloom that fancies itself a comedian. I hope to find out more about these flowers.”

Something about what she said alarms me, but I never get an opportunity to voice my concerns. “Well... I’m studying to be a folklorist, and zebra folk-tales would be plenty interesting to do a report on,” Gale comments thoughtfully. “I can’t rightly let you go into an infamous forest like the Everfree on your own, and train rides are cheaper for groups that book in advance...”

“Party of three to Ponyville it is then,” I say jokingly. “Now, let’s look at those lyrics...” I flip over a sheet of parchment on the floor in front of me, and suddenly it’s a challenge not to exclaim, ‘Oh hey, I do know this song!’

... if you’d like to meet them. It’d mean alot to me if you could meet at least one of them.

Also, I’m kinda peeved with you, Lyra. I happened to find that old digital camera that came with me from earth, the one you somehow got your hands on at the party. Care to guess what I found pictures of on it? I’ll give you a hint. It had to do with the filly inside your womb. That created a whole shit-load of awkward when I brought that thing out weeks ago to show a griffon friend of mine what a human looks like, only to see those photos. Incidentally, that was just the start of a number of incidents that have lead me to the conclusion that I am a masochist. Not getting into the how, but know that I blame you in part for it.

Take care of yourself,

~Silver Script, March 28th, 2002 PH

P.S. I’ve got a present for you both.

Dear Silver,

I’m so glad to hear that you’re going to be here when the baby comes. Things have been pretty swell here. My business is doing particularly well, for this time of year, though the sales are nowhere near what they are on Hearts and Hooves Day and Nightmare Night. Thankfully, I’ve been able to curb Lyra’s gorging on sweets, so my sales haven’t taken all that much of a hit. Granted, I’m still a bit perplexed about her pickled banana phase...

The crusaders have been keeping her plenty fit, and surprisingly, instead of wanting to be checked into the hospital for the foaling, she opted to go au natural. I’m not sure if she’s just gone a bit whacky from being with those fillies in the afternoons, or if she’s nostalgic for the former pastoral lives of our ancestors, but now she’s convinced to be the first pony to willingly give birth in a meadow in decades. Crazy, huh?

While I can’t speak for Lyra—she's having a nap right now, and doesn't actually know about the letter—I would love to meet your friends, especially if you’re implying what I think you’re implying. We don’t have a lot of room available, but I’m sure we could put you and one friend up for the duration of your stay, if you don’t mind sharing a bed.

Please don’t tell me there are photos of that. I’m sorry for both of us that that happened, but if there are any such photos, and they get out there, I can think of a few reputations that would be ruined. I swear she can be so impulsive sometimes, especially when drunk. No comment on that last bit, though. I’m staying way out of that, even if Lyra would suggest that there’s nothing wrong with a little S&M in the bedroom.

I hope to see you soon,

~Bon-Bon, 30 March, 2002

Author's Notes:

Got a bit delayed in writing this one. A friend of mine introduced me to a Steam raffle site, where you could enter in draws for free games. As such, I've been looking for games that interest me, and buying into the raffles with the site's points. Gonna be a short break before I get started on Chapter 13, which marks the start of one of the major story arcs.

Thanks go to E3gner and NightmareKnight for their help in proofreading and editing.