Disclaimer: Me =/= Owner of FMA
He lost everything, the transmutation worked, but he only got Al back for mere days before he, he died. Damn it! Wasn't it enough he sacrificed his alchemy, he was willing to give more but who thought the gate would be such a sly bastard.
Alphonse's physical body started aging hours after Edward got him back, no one, the doctors, the alchemists even the medical alchemists couldn't explain this phenomenon. It was surreal as the young boy whose body was dangerously thin, ribs sticking out, with the straw like hair yet so much hope in his eyes started to mature almost instantly.
By the fifth day, Alphonse Eric looked around Grumman's age, hair white as snow, paper like skin, wheezing for every single breath. As Ed tried in all his power to prolong his life but Alphonse knew better, his brother is always willing to give up anything as long as he's alright…even if it's to prolong his life for a mere day, even hour. He already lost his alchemy; there is only so much he could sacrifice.
Alphonse thinks during these several days' bed ridden, he was never suppose to be alive. In the gate after attempting to revive their mother, the toll was everything for him, if it weren't for his brother he would've been died then. He could only sigh seen as his body was too weak, he could only give his brother words, and he could see the desperation, the dark circles, and his brother's sickly pale skin. Brother was like an open book to him, a bitter laugh, even though he tries so hard to try to make everything okay, even though they both knew it wasn't. He always knew brother blamed himself for what happened, but he knew that they both so desperately wanted their mother back.
Winry thought their reunion would be joyous, festive, never like this. Al's body aged right before her eyes, she couldn't stop the river of tears, it frustrates Ed she knows that he's powerless. Al even at this time tried to comfort her but it inevitable she knew it; he was at death's door again. Every single day, she would see Ed conflicted between trying to find a cure for Al and making the last moments of his life memorable. She made apple pie for Al, even though his face aged so much the smile was always there, the promise of something better, a smile that have no regrets.
On the ninth day, everything ended for Ed, his brother took his last breath, his last words. "Brother, don't do anything stupid, you've gotten in enough trouble. Don't make the same mistake we made by trying to bring mom back, it's not worth it." how could he even utter such words, what wasn't worth it. He was his brother! He should've been the one that died during the transmutation, Al and Winry would've eventually got over his death, how could he say that. The toll wasn't enough, there must be another way.
Roy Mustang, though he was blind, he could hear the desperate sobs of the short alchemist. He never had seen him like this, even though he couldn't see. The body shook with another tragedy that fell on the shoulders too tired to carry them. Hohenhiem left again right after the battle, didn't he hear the man say that he was a human philosopher's stone before Ed preformed the transmutation. Where was he now! If he really gives a damn about the boys he would've stayed, maybe he could even save Alphonse from his destined faith. The man was a real bastard.
The funeral was small with only family and friends, people who personally knew the former suit of armour. As the coffin was lowered into the ground, Ed couldn't take it anymore, he went down on his knees, fists respectively punching the hard earth, bleeding. This sight shattered Hawkeye's normally hard demeanour, she embraced the boy who lost so much to powers she didn't understand, and it took away the colonel's sight, even though he was unwilling in the transmutation. A quiet whisper, "why", was all she heard, one word breaking the dam she had on her emotions as she could only hold him tighter responding not with words of comfort but words that allowed her to survive. "You could only go forward, Edward, even if you could go back, the past will only consume you."
Izumi, the normally tough woman was shaking in anger, fear, and desperation. Angry at the truth, the gate whatever it is to cheat her pupils, her boys out of what they should have again and again. Fear, Edward lost too much, his actions, unpredictable; she knew how Al was his motivation, his support, the only family. Now he lost that, he's changing and she could sense it, Edward was always like a storm taking everyone he meets by surprise, but now the winds died down into a small breeze, barely able to make a leaf move.
Pinako puffed her pipe again, so upsetting. These children, so young were all going before her, what kind of a power was this, alchemy, why did people even have access to it. It isn't worth it she think, it isn't worth it.
Author's note: Why did Al aged? In mythology in just about all cultures there's a time difference between the human realm and demon or angel's, it could be every day in the other realm is five days to a thousand years on earth. Al's body was technically stuck in another realm for about ten years so doing the math, it caught up with him. So leave a review and tell me what you think!