Hey everyone!

This was written in response for a few challenges on the Fullmetal Alchemist: A Bit of Everything forum. The details for them are below.


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Aurora: noun, 1. the Roman goddess of the dawn, 2. the dawn or rise of something, 3. dawn.

Roy Mustang rested his arms on the handle of the shovel he was using and leaned against it for a moment, squinting as the sun peeked out from under the horizon. It had been only yesterday when those invaders from another world somehow broke through the gate, with Ed following them close behind. The entire city had been razed to the ground in the struggle and many lives had been lost. Roy knew that this was something the people would never forget, just like in Ishbal all those years ago.

He glanced over as Havoc and Falman trudged by, their arms full of shovels, picks and axes for the volunteers further out from headquarters. Breda passed by on his way to the local cemetery to assist some of the enlisted soldiers with digging. Furey plodded over to the front gate, his face a solemn mask as he carried a small body which volunteers had kindly draped over with white cloth. Roy turned away. So many lives wasted, and for a reason they would never know.

Although they'd all been working overnight, even alchemists were unable to repair that much damage so quickly. Buildings were collapsed, and the streets were littered with glass, brick, wood and rubble. There were still a great number of people unaccounted for, and Roy had no illusions about where they'd be found. He was sure they were buried somewhere close by, under the debris. Even if a new discovery was made, it would already be too late.

Roy shook his head and stared out over the wreckage as the sun crept higher over the horizon, streaks of gold and magenta lighting up the crumbled walls, their steel supports glimmering faintly. He couldn't imagine how much worse things could have turned out if Ed hadn't been there. That strange army might have killed them all, maybe even started an all-out war, and he was glad it had never come to that. He picked up his shovel again. Even though it was clear that they'd never cross paths again, Roy knew that his old subordinate wouldn't have accepted his thanks for anything anyway. And that was how it always would be.

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This was written for the following challenges:

reminiscent-afterthought's Monthly Quote Challenge – September

reminiscent-afterthought's Alphabet Prompts Challenge – Aurora

And my own Halloween Daily Prompts Challenge – Day 1, medium

I hope you all liked reading this - so until next time, peace out!

Shadowcaster01