Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
June, x786.
In the training room inside the mansion on the lake, Winry hugged Edward and Alphonse, whose bodies were complete flesh and blood bodies with tears streaming down her face. Meanwhile, Den ran around the trio while barking happily.
At the same time, Alfonzo, Elicia, Sun, Saeko, Shizuka, and Rika smiled at the happy atmosphere surrounding the childhood friends while Maes, Roy, and Riza looked on with expressions of shock and disbelief. Pinako, on the other hand, was not stunned for long. However, due to her age, she was unable to run forward like Winry had.
Eventually, with tears in her eyes like her granddaughter, Pinako reached Winry, Edward, and Alphonse before joining the group hug.
"I'm glad to see everything went well." Pinako said, her voice trembling in excitement. "I'm sure Trish is smiling down at you from heaven."
Hearing the name, Trish, Edward and Alphonse could not help but see an image of a beautiful young woman with chest-length chestnut-brown hair tied into a low, side ponytail with bright green eyes and a kind smile wearing a lavender dress and a white apron.
"Yeah, she would definitely be smiling at us if she were here." Edward said with a nostalgic smile on his face.
"That's right." Alphonse nodded weakly. As he continued, tears began to well up in his eyes, as well. "At the same time, she would have been scolding us for doing something so reckless all those years ago."
As the group of four continued to laugh, cry, and chat, Maes, Roy, and Riza eventually snapped out of their dazes. Then, they too made their way over to the group.
"Congratulations, Fullmetal." Roy said in an even tone. "You finally accomplished the goal you had when you joined the military."
"Yeah…" Edward replied while wiping the tears out of his eyes with his sleeve.
"So, what are you boys gonna do now?" Maes asked curiously while smiling at the Elrics.
Hearing that, Edward and Alphonse exchanged glances.
"Well, I don't' think there is a reason to stay in the military anymore." Alphonse replied. Then, he turned towards his brother, searching for confirmation. "Right, Brother?"
"That's right." Edward replied. "We only joined to find a way to get our bodies back. And since that's complete, I guess I'll retire like Mr. Hughes."
As it turned out, only Edward had joined the military as an Alchemist Knight. Alphonse, on the other hand, only accompanied his brother on his journey. And the reason Alphonse never joined the military was simple, the state of his body. No one knew how others would react if they found out he was only a suit of armor. So, they decided not to chance it. It would have been horrible if he ended up as some kind of test subject, after all.
"Well then, I wish you good luck on your new life, boys." Riza said with a small smile.
"Eventually, after watching the group of seven chat for a while, Alfonzo decided that now was a good time to cut in on the conversation.
"Congratulations, you two." Alfonzo said while leading the ladies from Fairy Tail over to the group. "But I think there are some important things to take care of before you guys get too comfortable."
"Huh?" Edward exclaimed in confusion. "Like what?"
"Well, your bodies weren't your own for a long time." Alfonzo replied. "So, I think it would be a good idea to have them checked out. Plus, you'll probably need to go through some rehab, too. Especially Alphonse."
Hearing that, Winry, Pinako, Maes, Roy, and Riza turned their gazes towards the Elric Brothers. When they did, although they did not notice anything wrong with Edward, they could tell that Alphonse was pretty much skin and bones. So, they agreed with Alfonzo's suggestion.
"And as it turns out, we have some of the best healers in Fiore." Elicia said excitedly. A moment later, however, she grimaced before continuing. "I'm sure Miss Porlyusica will be able to diagnose you properly. And then there's Shizuka, too."
As she spoke the last part, Elicia gestured towards Shizuka, who tilted her head cutely when all eyes fell on her.
"Plus, we should probably get Al some clothes." Rika said playfully. "I mean, unless spending all that time in the armor made you one of those nudists I've heard about."
Immediately, Alphonse blushed in embarrassment after realizing that he had been naked while in the middle of all these people. On top of that, Winry had been hugging him the whole time.
Like Alphonse, Winry also blushed in embarrassment while quickly letting go of Alphonse.
"Hey, Granny, aren't you gonna let go, too?" Edward asked in bewilderment.
"What's' there to be embarrassed about?" Pinako asked while continuing to hug the boys. "It's not like I haven't seen it all before. I used to change your diapers, after all."
"Yeah, but I'm not a baby anymore." Alphonse replied in a flustered tone while trying to cover his crotch with his thin arms.
"You're still a baby to me, Al." Pinako said in a teasing tone. "At least you grew up, unlike your forever six year old brother."
"Shut it, Hag." Edward replied in an annoyed tone. "At least I'm not getting shorter by the year. I've seen pictures of you when you were younger, after all. And you were almost as tall as Winry."
Hearing that, everyone shifted their gazes between Winry, standing at 5'3", and Pinako, who was barely 3' tall, with disbelief in their expressions.
"Anyway, I'll make something for Al to put on." Elicia said with a smile. "Shizuka, can you check the condition of Ed and Al's bodies before we take them to Miss Porlyusica for the best recovery plans?"
"Uh huh." Shizuka replied with a nod, which made her breasts bounce with her movement. "Leave it to me."
With that, Shizuka skipped over to the Elrics before starting to examine them with her [Healing Magic]. Meanwhile, Riza could only look at the voluptuous blonde with envy.
"What do you have to eat to get breasts like those." Riza asked herself at a volume that only she could hear.
June 30, x786.
A couple of weeks have passed since Edward and Alphonse got their bodies back. And in that time, not much of note has taken place. There were a few things, however.
First, Edward and Alphonse decided to stay in Magnolia to undergo rehabilitation under Porlyusica's guidance. Though, they quickly came to regret that decision. Porlyusica's broom was no joke, after all. And with Edward's tendency to talk back, he received its love quite a bit in the time he spent with Porlyusica.
The other visitors, namely, Pinako, Winry, Roy, and Riza decided to leave after a few days. And while Pinako, Roy, and Riza went back to Resenbool and Crocus, respectively, Winry headed to Dublith to give Izumi, Edward and Alphonse's teacher, the good news.
Also, Edward and Alphonse decided that they would join Fairy Tail after they were done with their rehabilitation. Because despite leaving the military, they were both young men with kind hearts who liked to help people. And joining a guild would make that easier. And since they were familiar with quite a few members of Fairy Tail, the decision was easy.
Second, Alzack and Bisca decided on the date of their wedding, which was October 15, the same day as the the Harvest Festival. They both thought that getting married on such a festive day would make their special day even happier.
They also decided on their bridal party, too. Naturally, Alfonzo became Alzack's best man. Meanwhile, Bisca chose Erza, who invited her to join the guild, as her Maid of Honor. As for groomsman and bridesmaids, they chose Gray, Max, Lisanna, and Levy. Also, they decided to use the guild hall as the venue.
On another note, as soon as the ceremony was completed, the guild would jump right into the Miss Fairy Tail Pageant, and the rest of the day's festivities.
The second thing to take note of was Alfonzo and Cana's wedding. The date of their wedding had been decided, as well. And it would be December 31. The couple thought it would be a great way to close out the year. On top of that, the reception could also double as a New Year celebration.
Alfonzo and Cana had not decided on their bridal party as of yet, however. They did know that Alzack would be Alfonzo's best man once again while Elicia would be Cana's Matron of Honor, though.
However, none of the residents of the mansion on the lake were thinking about the wedding right now. Instead, they were all gathered in the living room and discussing who would accompany Alfonzo on his trip to the Blue Pegasus guild hall.
"Seriously, none of you want to go?" Alfonzo asked with an amused smile on his face.
"*Sigh* It's not that none of us want to go…" Elicia said while wearing a wry smile.
"Yeah, it's just Ichiya and the Trimens that are too much to deal with." Marin said while shivering minutely.
"Yeah, I don't know if I could keep from putting one of them in the hospital if they get too handsy." Ultear added.
"You mean for the second time, right?" Cana asked with a mischievous smile.
"That was an accident." Ultear said while looking away with a slight blush on her face.
"I think that would have been true if you had stopped after the first time you hit him." Mirajane said with her usual smile on her face.
"Yeah, but after chasing him the twenty feet that you kicked him away, and continuing to beat him up, the excuse of an accident is no longer valid." Lucy added while trying to stifle a laugh.
"How do you even know about that?" Ultear asked, her blush deepening as she did so.
"Ur told us." Elicia, Cana, Erza, Mirajane, Marin, Sun, and Lucy replied in unison.
Immediately, Ultear's expression morphed into one of shock. Then, after a moment, she gritted her teeth and clenched her fists.
"Damn it, Mom, that was supposed to be a secret." Ultear hissed.
Meanwhile, Ur, who was cuddling with Gildarts in her office at the guild hall sneezed.
"Getting sick?" Gildarts asked with a smile.
"No, but I think my daughter is talking bad about me again." Ur replied with a shrug. "Anyway, how are things going with paying off your debt to the Sixth Sense Restaurant?"
In response, Gildarts looked away while smiling sheepishly.
Meanwhile, back in the mansion on the lake, the girls were laughing at Ultear.
"But seriously, am I gonna go on this trip alone?" Alfonzo asked.
In response, the eight girls exchanged glances before all their sights landed on Cana.
"Really, me?" Cana asked, looking quite betrayed.
"Well, we thought you'd wanna spend more time with Fonzie since your wedding is coming up." Elicia replied with a smile.
"Well… You're not wrong." Cana said before taking a swig from her flask. "But Blue Pegasus is even a bit too much for me."
No one could blame Cana, or any of the other girls for their reluctance.
"*Sigh* Fine, I'll go alone." Alfonzo said with a shrug. "At least there will be some eye candy to look at."
"What are you talking about?" Ultear asked with a frown "Are you thinking about getting another one? You haven't even settled things with the girls from Takanosu, yet."
By now, everyone knew that Alfonzo was interested in Saeko, Shizuka, and Rika. However, they were wondering what was taking him so long to make a move. But hearing about another girl, and this time from another guild, they could not help but think back to the mess Yoruichi caused.
"You're talking about Jenny Realight, right?" Elicia asked with a smile. "That up and coming model in sorcerer weekly. The one who is giving Mira and Karen a run for the most popular model."
As it turned out, after Mirajane surpassed Karen as the most popular model in Sorcerer Weekly, she went to Elicia in tears. Then, she pestered Elicia to make all the outfits and swimsuits she would wear when she did a photo shoot for the magazine.
Naturally, Elicia agreed. Especially since Karen was not against paying top dollar for clothing. On top of that, Elicia's Taylor Shop received even more business due to the free publicity.
"That's right." Alfonzo replied with a smile and a nod. "Even though I've heard she's just as fanatical about Ichiya as the Trimens, at least there's something good to look at."
Immediately, the flames of jealousy and competition began to burn in Mirajane's eyes. On top of her boyfriend looking for another model to gawk at, she saw Jenny as a real threat to her place at the top of Ishgar's modeling scene.
"I'll come with you." Mirajane said in a resolute tone.
Hearing Mirajane's tone, most of the girls were surprised. At the same time, they expected such an outcome. Meanwhile, Alfonzo and Elicia exchanged smiles secretly. They already knew how Mirajane would react if Alfonzo mentioned wanting to see Jenny. What they did not expect, however, is how Jenny would react to Alfonzo's presence after he showed up the next day.
"Are you sure?" Alfonzo asked, feigning concern. "You were so against it only a minute ago."
"Yes, I realized how lonely you would feel if you went alone for two months." Mirajane replied with a smile. "And I could never do that to you."
Immediately, all the girls rolled their eyes at Mirajane's shameless reply. Alfonzo, on the other hand, stood up from his seat on the couch, walked over to Mirajane, picked her up from her seat, and sat where Mirajane once sat while sitting her on his lap.
"Thanks, Mira." Alfonzo said as he wrapped his arms around Mirajane's waist and kissed her on the cheek. "I'll have someone to take a bath with in Blue Pegasus' hot spring, too."
"What?" Sun shouted in surprise. "Blue Pegasus has a hot spring? I love hot springs! I wanna go, too!"
With Sun's exclamation, the living room fell into silence while everyone looked at Sun with bewilderment.
"You didn't know?" Marin asked Sun. "But Pegasus Village was all over Sorcerer Weekly when they had it built a couple years ago."
"Was it?" Sun asked while tilting her head cutely. "I never read stuff about Blue Pegasus, though. I mean, it almost always involves Ichiya. And he makes me really uncomfortable."
The other ladies nodded in understanding.
"Not enough to keep you away from a hot spring, though." Marin said while nudging Sun with her elbow.
"Uh huh!" Sun replied with a nod. "I really like hot springs. I think it would even be able to keep me from beating up the Trimens if I get to soak in it every day."
"Perhaps I will go, as well." Erza said with a contemplative expression on her face. "I've never had the opportunity to soak in a hot spring. And if they are really as nice as Sun says, perhaps I won't have so much anxiety from meeting Ichiya."
"Yeah, you'll love it." Sun said with a smile. "Hot springs are the best!"
With that, the three who would follow Alfonzo while he worked at the Blue Pegasus guild hall were decided. And not long later, they all left to pack their luggage. They would be leaving the next day, after all.