Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Akane Beach.
March 2, x785.
The next morning, Alfonzo, staying alone at the beachside villa on Akane Beach, woke up early. Then, after getting washed up and having a quick breakfast, he made his way out to the villa's backyard to train.
A few hours later, around noon, Alfonzo ended his training and returned inside to make himself lunch. Then, after filling his stomach, he sat down at the dining room table to plan out his new magic vehicle.
"Alright, I've made cars, trucks, S.U.V.s, and military transports." Alfonzo said as he drummed his fingers on the top of the table. "On top of that, I've got the designs for my airship in my workshop back at home. So, the only thing I haven't made yet is a motorcycle of some kind. Even so, I bet that would be fun to ride back to Magnolia."
Reaching that point, Alfonzo could not help but smile. A moment later, however, his eyebrows furrowed slightly.
"I've never driven a motorcycle, though." Alfonzo muttered to himself. "I never even considered getting one in my past life. Hell, if I had, Moms would have nagged me about how dangerous they are. She probably wouldn't have stopped until I sold it... If I ever had one, that is."
Once again, Alfonzo could not help but smile at the thought of his mother from his past life.
"Still, that doesn't change the fact that I've never ridden one." Alfonzo continued. "So, I'll have to be able to drive the damn thing without crashing it. Then again, with my magic, I can make sure that it never falls over. But that would take some of the excitement out of riding one, though."
Alfonzo then spent the next few minutes going back and forth about having a motorcycle. Eventually, he just shrugged his shoulders.
"Fuck it." Alfonzo said energetically. "I'll just use my magic until I get used to riding one. Then, I'll have all the fun I want. It's not like falling off a speeding motorcycle could hurt me at this point, anyway. I just don't wanna see the motorcycle get damaged."
With that, Alfonzo reached to the side for a sheet of paper to start sketching the design for his new motorcycle. However, there was nothing there for him to grab.
"Damn, that's right." Alfonzo said while snapping his fingers. "I didn't bring any drafting paper with me on this trip. Since I just planned to spend time with Tear whenever I wasn't working. *Sigh* I guess I'll have to go to the town to buy some supplies."
And just like that, Alfonzo stood up and made his way to the master bathroom to take a shower before heading out.
Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
"I guess Winry's train is behind schedule." Alphonse said while glancing up at a wall clock.
Currently, Edward and Alphonse were waiting for Winry's train to arrive at the magnolia train station.
"Yeah, right." Edward replied in a huff. "I bet she ended up oversleeping and had to catch a later train. She was probably up late working on an order and lost track of time."
Hearing his brother, Alphonse began radiating the aura of someone smiling wryly. Especially since things like what Edward described had happened several times in the past.
"Edward! Alphonse! Sorry I'm late!" Winry, who just disembarked from the latest train to arrive in Magnolia, shouted as she quickly approached the Elric Brothers. "I lost track of time while trying to finish up a few orders and I overslept. So, I missed the train I wanted to catch."
Immediately, Edward looked in Alphonse's direction with a gaze that shouted: "I told you so." Meanwhile, Alphonse could only shake his head.
A moment later, Winry arrived in front of Edward and Alphonse. Then, the trio made their way out of the train station.
"So, is what you said in your letter true?" Winry asked excitedly while the trio walked the streets of Magnolia. "Did Alfonzo really say that he had an idea about how you could get your bodies back?"
"Yeah, but he said he would need to know the whole story, first." Alphonse replied.
"You shouldn't get your hopes up, though." Edward added. "I mean, he's not an alchemist. So, there's a pretty good chance that his idea wouldn't work at all."
Hearing that, Winry deflated slightly.
"But there is a chance his idea could point us in the right direction." Edward continued. "Still, I don't want you to get too disappointed if nothing comes of it."
*Sigh* Yeah, you're probably right." Winry said while shaking her head to rid herself of the negative thoughts. "Still, I hope he can help."
"Yeah, so do we." Alphonse replied, his tone laced with optimism.
"Anyway, how was the trip from Resenbool?" Edward asked.
Like that, the trio continued to chat until they reached the Fairy Tail guild hall. And when they entered, to no one's surprise, there was a brawl going on.
"Oh, hey boys." Maes shouted from the bar, trying to be heard over all the noise. "Oh, and Winry came with you, too."
"Mr. Hughes, hi!" Winry shouted back while waving at Maes. "How are you?"
"I'm great." Maes replied with a smile. "And I'm sure Elicia will be happy to see you, too."
"What are you talking about, Hughes?" Gildarts, who had been drinking for most of the morning, asked in a confused tone. "Lici went home right after training ended. She mentioned something about completing the summer collection for her shop, right?"
"And this is why you should cut down on the alcohol, Gildarts." Maes said in an exasperated tone. A moment later, he reached into his back pocket and pulled out his wallet. Then, he pulled out a picture of his daughter, Elicia, and shoved it in Gildarts' face. "It's obvious I was talking about the perfect little angel that is my daughter, Elicia."
For the next few minutes, Gildarts could only smile wryly while Maes gushed over his daughter, telling him that she was the cutest thing this world had ever seen and using what he called scientific facts to prove his theory.
Meanwhile, Winry, Edward, and Alphonse were left standing by the entrance and smiling wryly.
"Do you think he forgot we were here?' Edward asked.
"Probably." Alphonse replied.
"That's not important." Winry said. "We need to find Alfonzo."
"Yeah." Edward and Alphonse replied in unison.
With that, the trio moved towards the table that Alfonzo, Elicia, and their friends usually occupied. And when they did, Winry caught sight of a familiar face.
"Sun!" Winry shouted excitedly.
In response, Sun, who was watching the ongoing brawl, quickly turned her head in the direction from which she heard her name. And when she caught sight of Winry, she smiled brightly.
"Winry!" Sun shouted back in return as she stood up from her seat at the table. "What are you doing here? I didn't think I'd see you so soon. I thought the next time I'd see you was when Alfonzo and I came to visit in June."
While speaking, Sun sprinted over towards Winry, Edward, and Alphonse with that bright smile still plastered all over her face.
"Huh? You were planning to visit in June?" Winry asked in a confused tone.
Immediately, Sun slapped her hands over her mouth after realizing she let the surprise slip.
"Uh… Um… Anyway, what brings you to Magnolia?" Sun asked while her eyes swam around the room, avoiding eye contact with Winry.
Seeing Sun's adorble reaction, Winry smiled brightly. Then, she pulled the younger girl into a hug.
"I'm actually only here to see Ed and Al." Winry replied. "But they came to see Alfonzo. They said something about him knowing how to fix their problems."
With that, Sun's eyes lit up with the light of understanding. Then, she looked at Edward and Alphonse with an apologetic expression on her face. And the Elric Brothers did not miss it.
"Sun, is something wrong?" Alphonse asked apprehensively.
"Don't tell me he was just pulling our legs." Edward said in an agitated tone.
"Although Fonzie can be a little… very playful," Marin, who followed Sun to meet the visitors at a much more leisurely pace, said in a solemn tone, "he doesn't joke around about things like that."
Hearing the discontent in Marin's tone, Edward looked in her direction. And when he made eye contact with her, who was clearly upset at Edward's insinuation, he almost took a step back out of reflex.
"Seriously, Ed." Winry said in a reprimanding tone. "Stop jumping to conclusions."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm sorry." Edward replied in a dismissive tone. Though, it was clear that Marin's glare was bothering him.
"So, why did you look at us like that, Sun?" Alphonse asked curiously. "It looked like you wanted to apologize to us for something."
"Well… yeah…" Sun replied while still wearing her apologetic expression. "Alfonzo isn't here right now. He got called to Era by the Magic Council. He's supposed to meet with them on the fifteenth."
Sun's explanation caused Winry and Edward to open their eyes wide in surprise. And had Alphonse had any eyes, Marin and Sun had no doubt that he would have done the same, as well. A moment later, however, Edward furrowed his eyebrows after fully processing what Sun just said.
"Wait a minute." Edward said in a tone of slight confusion. "If he's supposed to meet with the Magic Council on the fifteenth, why isn't he here now? I mean, it only takes a few days to get from Magnolia to Era, right?"
"That's right." Marin replied with a nod. "That's if you go by land. But Fonzie decided he didn't want to go by land. Especially since he was already in Akane Beach. So, instead of coming back home, he decided he would leave from there on his ship."
While Edward and Alphonse nodded their heads in understanding, Winry's eyes lit up when she heard the term Akane Beach. Then, she turned her glowing eyes in Edward and Alphonse's direction.
"Hey, Ed, Al." Winry said energetically. "If you really wanna talk to Alfonzo as soon as possible, I wouldn't mind taking a trip to Akane Beach."
Hearing Winry's suggestion, Marin and Sun's eyes lit up as well. Although they knew that Alfonzo would be back after his meeting with the Magic Council, they planned to just wait until he came back.
"Oh, and if you're okay with it, we can drive you out there." Marin said with a smile. "And if Lucy is either willing to go or let us use her magic vehicle, Even Al will be comfortable on the trip."
"Yeah, Lucy's car is really big!" Sun said excitedly while spreading her arms for added emphasis.
A moment later, the eyes of all three ladies were focused on Edward and Alphonse, who could only smile wryly.
"I get the feeling we don't have a choice in the matter." Alphonse said.
"Me, too, Al." Edward added while smiling wryly. "But it's not so bad. I mean, we'll get to talk to Alfonzo a little sooner."
"Great!" Sun said while clapping her hands happily. "Then, Winry, let's go back to the mansion. I'm sure you didn't bring a swimsuit, right?"
"Ah! Now that you mention it…" Winry muttered.
"We'll just get Lici to make you one." Marin said with a smile. "You brought some money, right?"
"Uh… Yeah, I did." Winry replied.
"Good, then let's go." Sun said as she grabbed Winry and pulled her towards the sliding doors. A moment later, she looked over her shoulder at the Elric Brothers as she continued. "You guys should pack up, too. Then, we'll pick you up from your hotel."
With that, Marin and Sun dragged Winry to the mansion on the lake. Meanwhile, Edward and Alphonse exchanged glances for a moment. Then, after shrugging their shoulders, they also left the guild hall to pack their belongings and check out of their hotel.
Meanwhile, at the mansion on the lake, Lucy was in her bedroom, lying spread-eagle on her bed with her eyes closed and her [Soul Armament] coiled on her stomach. However, something about her [Soul Armament] which took the form of a whip, was changing.
For one, the tip of the whip was morphing into what appeared to be a white, four-pointed star. On top of that, it was changing in color, from black to midnight blue with the handle turning midnight purple. And last, but certainly not least, a key hole opened up on the base of the handle.
Then, as soon as the changes to her [Soul Armament] were complete, Lucy opened her eyes excitedly with a brilliant smile on her face.
"I finally did it!" Lucy shouted excitedly. Then, she sat up and held her [Soul Armament] happily. "I can't wait to show you off to Alfonzo, Zodiac."
Meanwhile, in Lucy's inner world, which appeared to be the void of space with stars shining in all directions, a beautiful young woman with long, silver hair that appeared to be sprinkled with starlight, glowing orange eyes, fair skin, and a slim curvaceous figure with large breasts wearing a two-toned black and white t-shirt, a black skirt with silver trim, and a pair of silver high heels smiled at Lucy's exclamation while floating in the void.
"Of course you need to show me to Alfonzo." Lucy's [Armament Spirit], Zodiac, said proudly. "And let him heap praise on my name and ability. It's just too bad he can't set his eyes upon the beauty that is me."
"And I bet it won't surprise anyone that you came from the vain side of my personality." Lucy muttered, though she did not lose her smile.
*Knock!* *Knock!* *Knock!*
"Hey, Lucy!" Marin's voice sounded from the outside of Lucy's room. "Sun and I were gonna take Ed and Al to see Fonzie in Akane Beach. And we were hoping you'd wanna come with us. I mean, your 1500 would make transporting Al a lot easier. But even if you don't wanna go, can we use your truck?"
Hearing Marin's question, Lucy's smile widened even further. She had just been thinking about showing Zodiac to Alfonzo. And just like that, the opportunity presented itself in front of her.
"Sure, I don't mind driving." Lucy said, her tone making it clear to Marin that she was smiling. "Just let me pack a few things and I'll be ready soon."
"Okay, but you don't have to rush." Marin replied as she turned away from Lucy's door. "Winry commissioned a swimsuit from Lici. So, we won't be leaving for at least an hour."
"Got it!" Lucy shouted in response.
Then, wasting no time, Lucy sprinted into her closet and started picking out what she wanted to bring with her on the trip to Akane Beach.