"I have just received an urgent message from Central."
Good news!
"Today, terrorists bombed the military headquarters in Central," the mayor of East City announced. "All soldiers attending the military-wide meeting that was taking place perished in the explosion. Casualties include the Flame Alchemist, expert sniper Riza Hawkeye-Mustang, and—and the Fullmetal Alchemist."
She's dead!
The Witch of the West is dead!
The wickedest witch there ever was
The enemy of all of us here in Oz
Is Dead!
Good news!
Good news!
A cheer sprang up amongst the crowd before him.
"Those murderers got what they deserve!"
"Good riddance!"
"Damn those military dogs to hell!"
Struggling to suppress the crowd and his trembling, the mayor pushed onwards. "Do not look down on the deceased for their deeds in the war and choice to join the military's ranks. Instead, offer their families comfort during this period of mourning." He accidentally hit the microphone, unleashing a metallic echo from the speakers. After he apologized, the mayor continued, "This will be an especially trying time for them, because no bodies were left. They were completely… incinerated."
Murmuring spread throughout the crowd.
"I pity their families. The dogs deserve to not say goodbye to their loved ones before they died, but the families aren't to blame."
And Goodness knows
The Wicked's lives are lonely
Goodness knows
The Wicked die alone
It just shows when you're Wicked
You're left only
On your own
No longer able to speak without shaking, the mayor descended from the platform and left. The crowd dispersed, still whispering among themselves and rejoicing as they resumed their daily business.
Two days after the funeral, he trudged through the rain into the graveyard, a black umbrella in hand. It seemed cruel that it had rained ever since the funeral. All three of them had despised the rain: Mustang's alchemy was useless in the rain, his wife constantly had to put up with his complaining, and Edward's automail always ached. Graves for Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye-Mustang, and Edward Elric had been erected next to the grave of Brigadier General Maes Hughes. He stood silently in front of Edward's, his eyes red and swollen. The sound of mud splashing caught his attention, and he turned to see Edward's wife approaching him. She, too, had been crying and held a black umbrella to block out the rain and the sight of the gray skies.
"How are the kids handling the news?" he asked her, his voice hollow.
She informed him, "Natasha understands what happened, but her younger brother is too young to grasp the concept of death."
"I wasn't there to help him. Just like that day, I couldn't do anything to save him!" Throwing him umbrella aside, he grabbed her in an anguished hug and sobbed, "I don't know what to do, Winry!"
Winry Elric lowered her umbrella, wrapped her arms around him, and cried as well. "It's alright, Al. We'll get through this."
Alphonse Elric's eyes flew open, and he felt as though he had swallowed ice. He sat up in bed and looked around the room to see if he was still in Germany and not a nightmarish Amestris. His brother's bed was empty. Alarmed, he called out his brother's name.
"What is it, Al?" Ed skidded into the room, worried that his younger brother had gotten hurt somehow. When Al sighed in relief, he asked, "Was it a nightmare?" Al nodded, and Ed walked over to him and hugged him. "It was only a dream."
"Yeah. It was only a dream…"
(Author's Note: Sorry that I only used part of the song, but I can't picture Al being able to say the rest of the lyrics about Ed, Roy, and Riza. I know I could have ended the story when Winry hugs Al, but I don't like many depressing stories, especially ones with character deaths, so I found a compromise. I hope it didn't ruin the quality of the story.)