Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
June, x786.
"I expected to see you two as soon as I got back from Era, Ed, Al." Alfonzo said as the entire group got seated in the mansion's living room. "I'm really surprised you could wait so long."
After the group reached the grotto, Alfonzo, Elicia, Saeko, Shizuka, and Rika decided it was time to get out of the pool. So, they all went to get changed. Meanwhile, Sun led the group of new arrivals to the living room where they chatted while waiting for the other five.
"*Sigh* We wanted to come see you as soon as possible." Edward replied. "But we thought we should bring Granny to see this, too."
"Understandable." Alfonzo replied with a nod. "Even though it's not by blood, she's still family."
"That's right." Alphonse replied.
"*Sigh* I almost don't wanna see you do this, Ed." Pinako said in a downtrodden tone.
"If you're worried, Granny." Alphonse said consolingly. "We'll be fine. We're not doing anything as dangerous as what we did back then."
"Oh, no, you misunderstood me, Al." Pinako said, her tone sounding even more downcast. "It's just that our biggest source of revenue is going to disappear. I mean, do you know how often your brother breaks his arm?"
Hearing that, most of the people had to hold back laughter. Meanwhile, Alphonse shook his head. Edward, on the other hand, clenched his fists while gritting his teeth.
"I love you, too, Granny." Edward said through gritted teeth.
"By the way, are you gonna introduce us to the new faces" Elicia asked curiously while gazing at Roy and Riza.
"Oh, that's right." Alphonse said, in a tone that suggested he completely forgot about Roy and Riza.
"I'm Roy Mustang of the Alchemist Knights." Roy said, speaking before Alphonse could introduce him. "You can call me Colonel Mustang, or just colonel, or if you prefer, you can call me the Flame Alchemist."
"And I'm his adjutant, Lt. Riza Hawkeye." Riza said sternly.
"Nice to meet you, Roy and Riza." Alfonzo said with a smile, his smile widening after he noticed Roy's eyebrow twitch at the casual greeting. "And I'm Alfonzo Marcus, also known as the Master of Metal, an S-Class wizard from Fairy Tail."
"I'm Elicia Marcus Taylor, Fonzie's wife, an S-Class wizard from Fairy Tail, and the Magic Seamstress." Elicia said, continuing the introductions. "It's nice to meet you, Roy and Riza."
Once again, Roy's eyebrow twitched. However, he realized that there was nothing he could do about it.
"Well, I've actually met the two of you before." Rika said with a smile. "But you probably don't remember me. Anyway, I'm Rika Minami."
"Oh, I remember you." Roy replied. "Until the day you retired, I tried to get you under my command."
"As do I." Riza added. "You were the only knight in the kingdom who could compete with me when it comes to marksmanship."
"I guess I left an impression." Rika replied with a smile. "At least my talents were appreciated."
"They definitely were." Roy said. "And were you to come back to the military, I can promise you a promotion and a spot in my squad."
"Hey, Roy, could you not try and poach our guild mates right in front of us, please?" Alfonzo said with a smile. "Otherwise, I'll have to bring this up to Ur. And I'm sure she'd like to find out which is stronger, your flames or her ice."
While Roy wanted to scoff at Alfonzo's threat, he ended up shuddering when he recalled the frozen part of the Worth Woodsea Ur left behind when she destroyed Nirvana.
'Yeah, right!' Roy exclaimed internally. 'I couldn't even melt that ice with all the power at my disposal. There's no way I'm crossing that crazy woman. And that was two years ago. I can only imagine what she can do now.'
With Roy falling silent, Saeko and Shizuka also introduced themselves. A moment later, the atmosphere in the room became much more solemn.
"So, are you ready to do this?" Alfonzo asked.
"Yeah, let's go." Edward said with a solemn nod.
"Yeah." Alphonse added.
"Alright." Alfonzo said. Then, he turned to Elicia and Sun. "You two take them down to the training room. I'll go get the Philosopher's Stone."
Nodding in reply, Elicia and Sun stood up before ushering everyone towards the elevator. Meanwhile, Alfonzo made his way up to his bedroom. Then, he opened his safe and retrieved the Philosopher's Stone Elicia brought back from Lust and Gluttony's trap.
After closing the safe, Alfonzo made his way into his workshop.
"I don't know if these will work, but I want to try analyzing Ankhseram's divine energy." Alfonzo thought aloud as he picked up two magic items. "If I can, I might be able to make a counter measure for Zeref's [Death Wave]."
With that, Alfonzo made his way to the elevator before pressing the button for the floor with the training room. A few moments later, he joined the rest of the group. On top of that, the [Human Transmutation Circle] was already drawn on the floor with chalk.
"Looks like you're ready." Alfonzo said as he entered the room. "Well then, let's get started."
With that, Alfonzo handed the Philosopher's Stone to Edward.
"Oh, and take these, too." Alfonzo continued after retrieving the two magic items from his pocket.
"What are these?" Edward asked as he reached out for the two magic items.
"Something to collect some of Ankhseram's divine energy." Alfonzo replied casually. "Honestly, I'm not expecting them to work. But if they do, I might be able to use it."
Nodding in response, Edward turned away from Alfonzo. Then, with the Philosopher's Stoen and the magic items in hand, Edward exchanged glances with his brother before the Elrics stepped into the [Transmutation Circle].
"Ed... Al... Be careful." Winry said with her hands placed together in a praying gesture.
"Don't worry, Winry, we will." Alphonse said resolutely while putting Alfonzo's magic item inside of his armor.
"Yeah, and soon, we'll be whole again." Edward added with a confident smile as he pinned the magic item to his shirt.
In reply, Winry smiled weakly. It was clear to anyone who saw her that she could not get rid of her worry so easily.
"You just have to have faith, Winry." Pinako said in a soothing tone. "You have to believe they'll come back to us."
"I know, Granny." Winry said before taking a deep breath. Then, she looked at Edward and Alphonse with a smile. "We're gonna celebrate when you guys get your bodies back, okay?"
"Of course." Edward replied, returning Winry's smile.
"Yeah, and we even have the perfect chef for our celebration party." Alphonse said while turning in Alfonzo's direction.
Not only Alphonse, but everyone who had tasted Alfonzo's cooking looked at him hopefully. Meanwhile, those who had not tasted his cooking, namely, Roy and Riza, looked at him skeptically.
Seeing Roy and Riza's gazes, Alfonzo felt challenged. So, with a confident smile on his face, he thumped his fist on his chest as he responded to Alphonse.
"Don't worry, Al." Alfonzo said while smiling brightly. "This is definitely something worth celebrating. So, I'll go all out for the celebration."
Hearing that, most of those present smiled. Meanwhile, Elicia looked at Roy and Riza with pity.
'Fonzie is gonna go all out with this meal.' Elicia said to herself. 'Then, he'll more than likely never cook for the two of them again. All because they looked at him like that. *Sigh* They're gonna be like crack heads after today.'
["As long as they don't start offering to suck his dick for a little taste, it's fine with me."] Scylla replied with a shrug from Elicia's inner world.
'You know, I doubt he'll mind it if it's Riza.' Elicia said while giggling internally. 'But Roy would probably get thrown out of the house if that ever happened.'
["Yeah, probably."] Scylla replied.
While Elicia discussed the consequences of Roy and Riza's doubts with Scylla, Edward placed the Philosopher's Stone in the middle of the [Transmutation Circle]. Then, he and Alphonse took positions on either side of the Stone. A moment later, after preparing themselves, they both pressed their palms on the floor and channeled their magic power into the [Transmutation Circle].
In the next instant, the [Transmutation Circle] started glowing blue. Then, it started crackling with arcs of electricity. After a few moments of that, the color turned darker while the atmosphere got heavy. Then, a large eye opened up in the middle of the [Circle]. And finally, both Edward and Alphonse disappeared into that eye.
As soon as Edward and Alphonse disappeared, Winry could no longer maintain her strong front. So, she threw herself into her grandmother's arms. A moment later, Sun hugged Pinako and Winry.
"Come on, Fullmetal." Roy said with his fists clenched.
"Like Mrs. Rockbell said, you have to believe in them, Colonel." Riza said as she rested a hand on Roy's shoulder.
"*Sigh* I know." Roy replied. "Still, I don't like this feeling. I feel useless."
"You shouldn't think like that, Roy." Maes said, placing his hand on Roy's other shoulder. "Those two have been preparing for this for years. They'll be fine."
"I hope so." Roy replied.
Meanwhile, the other five Fairy Tail wizards only waited patiently. They knew Edward and Alphonse had discussed this with Alfonzo. And they all believed Alfonzo would be able to help them.
Gate of Truth.
Meanwhile, Edward and Alphonse found themselves in a vast, white space.
"We're back, huh?" Edward said as he looked around. "My gate looks different, too."
"So does mine." Alphonse replied. "Why is that?"
"It's because you have changed." An androgynous voice replied. "So, why would the gate that represents your Alchemical knowledge remain the same?"
Hearing that somewhat familiar, yet utterly unsettling, voice speak to them from out of nowhere, Edward and Alphonse went on guard. A moment later, an indistinct humanoid figure, formed of black and white energy, appeared in front of the two of them.
However, unbeknownst to the brothers, Edward and Alphonse each saw something different when they looked at this figure. To Edward, the figure's left arm and right leg, from below the knee, were the ones he lost years ago, Meanwhile, Alphonse saw an emaciated, older version of the body he lost back then.
"Why have you come here again?" The figure, Ankhseram asked in an emotionless tone. "You should have already realized that returning those who have passed on to the world of the living is impossible.
"You're right." Edward replied solemnly. "We know that the dead do not return to life."
"Then why?" Ankhseram asked curiously.
"We want our bodies back." Alphonse said resolutely. "And we've come to make an equivalent exchange with you for that purpose."
"I see." Ankhseram replied, the slight interest he showed before now gone. "Well, that is rather simple. Present your items for exchange and I will return what you have lost. But only if they are truly equal."
Instead of replying, Edward held up his left hand, revealing the glowing red Philosopher's Stone Alfonzo handed him.
"What if we use this?" Edward asked. "Returning souls to the cycle of life and death should be more than enough to get our bodies back, shouldn't it?"
As soon as Edward revealed the Philosopher's Stone, Ankhseram's figure began to shiver. Though, neither of the brothers could tell if it was from excitement or any other emotion. Either way, they had the feeling that Alfonzo was right, and they would be getting their bodies back without losing anything of their own.
A moment later, Ankhseram's shivering ended. Then, in a very human way, he released a sigh.
"I will accept this deal." Ankhseram said in his usual emotionless tone.
In the next instant, the Philosopher's Stone in Edwards hand began breaking down into motes of light. And from each of those motes of light, the brothers heard words of thanks before they vanished into the white space.
To Edward and Alphonse's Surprise, the entire Philosopher's Stone was not consumed in their transaction. Instead, it had shrunk to roughly a third of its original size. Before either Edward or Alphonse could comment on that, however, the next part of the transaction started.
First, in Alphonse's sight, the emaciated form of his body disappeared, leaving only Ankhseram's humanoid energy form. Next, the seal bonding his soul to the armor vanished. Then, the entire suit of armor fell apart.
When the armor pieces began hitting the ground, Edward quickly turned his head towards his brother. However, before he could ask if Alphonse was alright, his eyes opened wide in surprise.
What Edward saw to elicit such a reaction was the sight of an emaciated, nude, young man with long, unkempt, golden blond hair lying among all the pieces of armor. And at first glance, he knew that young man was Alphonse.
However, before Edward could start exclaiming happily, his Automail left arm fell out of his sleeve. Then, he lost balance when his Automail right leg disconnected from its stump.
Then, just as he fell onto his backside, Edward felt unbearable pain from his left shoulder and right knee.
As it turned out, Edward's missing limbs were regenerating at high-speed. Unfortunately, such high-speed regeneration came with a level of pain that most people would not be able to handle.
"Damn it..." Edward groaned as he dealt with the pain. "Just hurry the hell up. I need to check on Al."
After only a few more moments, Edward's limbs finished regenerating. Though, it was obvious they were less muscular than his other limbs, even covered by clothes. However, Edward did not let that fact slow him down as he scurried over to his brother.
"Al, are you okay?" Edward asked in a concerned tone.
"Yeah, I'm fine." Alphonse said while smiling brightly with tears forming in his eyes. "We finally did it, Brother. We finally got our bodies back."
"Yeah, we really did." Edward replied, his tone and expression mirroring his brother's. "And there's still some of the Philosopher's Stone left. With it, we could help Teacher, too."
"Unfortunately, that Philosopher's Stone belongs to Alfonzo." Alphonse replied.
"*Sigh* I know." Edward said in a disappointed tone. "Still, it won't hurt to ask, right?"
"That's right." Alphonse replied.
"The equivalent exchange is complete." Ankhseram, now looking the same to both brothers, said emotionlessly. "Now, return from whence you came."
Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
In the next instant, Edward and Alphonse found themselves back in the training room of Alfonzo's mansion. Naturally, this completely surprised everyone who was waiting for their return. However, it did not take long for the first one, Den, to react to the change in situation.
"*Bark* *Bark*" Den barked happily as she approached Edward and Alphonse.
A moment later, after seeing Den rush over to the Elric brothers, Winry was the next to act, dashing forward before diving at her two childhood friends.
"Ed, Al, welcome back!" Winry said while smiling happily as tears streamed down her face.