Trisha awoke on the familiar wooden floor of her home. She wondered why she was there in the first place as she remembered dying from a disease and that she took her last breath in a bed. She stood up and looked around, spotting herself in a circle that an alchemist would draw. Around the circle, she could see charred pieces of furniture and antiques that looked like as though it was hit by lightning. On the floor were two sets of clothing that looked like as though they belonged to a pair of boys a few years older than Alphonse and Edward. She picked up a shirt but gasped and nearly dropped it when she saw what was stitched into it. In yellow thread, the name Alphonse signalled to her that something was very wrong.

"Ed! Al! You two in here?" Trisha heard a more mature sounding voice of Winry as the door swung open. Winry and Trisha stared at each other, shock plastered all over their faces. "Trisha? H-how?" Winry saw the circle and the clothes on the floor and tears began to form in the corners of her deep blue eyes. "Ed… Alphonse… Y-you idiots…"

As Winry crumpled to the floor, crying her eyes out, Trisha immediately understood why she was alive: Human Transmutation. She understood from what her husband told her about alchemy that Human Transmutation had costed the lives of many alchemists who had all failed to bring a human back to life. She was the first she guessed, but she was brought back at the cost of the lives of her sons. A concept that sickened her to the core of her very being

She had never attempted alchemy before but knew the basics and few other things from her husband, so she cut herself and drew a blood circle in two suits of armour that was just lying around. One was dull grey with spikes and a loincloth whilst another was a blend of classical knight armour and samurai armour. She then drew two circles on her arm and leg, ready to sacrifice her body if she had to, to bring back her boys. She focused on the circles and soon enough, to her surprise, it began to react. Winry looked up in horror, tears streaming down her face, as a white light engulfed her.

Trisha found herself in a white space. All around her, it was blank. The only things that were there were her and a huge, ancient looking door. The door opened slowly, revealing hundreds of smiling mouths and outlines of bodies in the darkness of the door.

You seek your sons. The same boys who have done the forbidden, and brought a human back to life.

"Yes, I offer you my arm and leg for my two boys."

I shall accept your offer, but there is one more thing to sacrifice.

"I don't care! Give them back!" Tears streamed down Trisha's face as she screamed at the thing.

I shall return them, but as punishment, they shall never sleep and never eat. After 100 years I shall claim your children, who shan't ever age nor shall you. They shall then be transformed into the most hated being to keep you company until the end of time.

Trisha awoke again that day. She remembered everything, but what did the door mean when she would be kept company until the end of time. She was brought back to her senses when she felt pain and the scream of Winry. Blood was pouring out of her arm and leg as they were no longer there. Looking up, she could see red eyes in the soul occupied armour.

"M-MOTHER!" cried the samurai-knight armour in Ed's voice. Trisha smiled at her sons before she fainted from pain.

Two days later, Trisha woke up in Pinako's home. She could feel the stitching on the stubs of her arm and leg. She could see that Alphonse and Edward were at the end of the bed, looking ominous and insignificant at the same time. She figured the two suits of armour just stood there, worried out their minds that they might lose their mother a second time. Pinako stood right next to them.

"You gave us quite the scare" Pinako smirked. "Fortunately you pulled through."

Trisha was about to apologise for scaring them when she noticed something on her left hand. It was a star with a dragon around it. The boys followed their mothers gaze the symbol, curious at what it was since it wasn't on her when she died. "Mommy, what's that?" Alphonse asked. Trisha just gave a hollow chuckle.

"My arm and leg wasn't the only thing I sacrificed to bring you two back." The four leaned in to hear what she had to say. "It costed me my humanity."

"What! But if you're not human, yet you look like a human and act like one, then how is it possible!" Ed exclaimed. Trisha held her hand up to silence him.

"My husband, your father, would say I am a homunculus. An artificial human who has inhuman powers." Alphonse and Ed's eyes both glowed a brighter red as if too show how astonished they were. Before either one could speak, Pinako interrupted them.

"Right, let your mother and I have a talk you two. We need to discuss something in private." With a reluctant nod and clanking of metal footsteps, Al and Ed left the room. "Well this is a predicament."

"How long was I dead for?" Trisha wanted to know all she had missed. She missed out on how many birthdays and how many extraordinary things her son did?

"Five years."

Five years. Ed was now 10 and Alphonse was now 9. She had no idea what to do now. Except… "Can you perform the surgery?" Pinako looked surprised and gave a sigh.

"Yes. Winry can help out. She learned how to make Automail limbs a year ago." The old woman looked serious now. "Even after you died, I never told her the truth. You sure she doesn't need to know?"

Trisha looked forlorn. She never would want Winry or her sons to find out the secret she kept from them for so long. "Yes, I am sure."

Ed and Al could barely restrain themselves when they heard their mother scream from the pain that was carried out on her. The Automail limbs were a pain to put on and not just lightly. Grown men were said to scream like baby girls when Automail limbs were put on. After many hours, their mother came out in a wheel chair, her new limbs glinting in the orange sunset. She smiled at the two boys and told them that tomorrow they will train to use their new bodies.

The next morning, Ed and Al sparred against each other. Trisha was practising sword techniques and manoeuvres. Her sword slipped out of her and cut off a huge branch that came hurtling towards her. She cried in shock and braced herself for impact. Instead she felt a tingly feeling that moved down her body. She opened her eyes and looked down at her feet were she expected the branch to be. She saw the branch, going right through her leg that appeared to be made out of water. She looked up to see her sons looking at her, most probably in shock or awe. The homunculus just shrugged, thankful that she didn't meet a second, more grisly death. They practised fighting for the rest of the day.

That afternoon, Winry had gone into town to pick up a package and to take a visit at the town hall. She got the Automail parts from the local postman, James, and took a gentle stroll to the building. She thought about why she never saw her parents. Pinako had always said that they left before she could remember them but she felt something was off every time. Striding through the ebony doorway, she asked the receptionist for a copy of the family births from ten years ago. The red head nodded before going to retrieve the log. Resembool was a small town so the log book wasn't as big as Central City's but it was still thick enough for every month of that year. Handing over to the blonde, the receptionist gave a small smile before turning back to her work.

After Winry had walked back to her home, she sat under an old tree and opened the book. She skimmed through the months until she came to June which she began to read over. She hoped to at least learn of her parents' names. She read over every name: Dimitri Ovanof, Jerimiah Founderson, Edward Elric, Winry Elric, Gustavo Wallace…

Her head stopped. Had she read that right? She looked over and saw it. Yes, there was a Winry Elric. Same date of birth, 11th of June, as her friend and only a five minute difference. She never heard of a Winry Elric in the village and by most likely observation this girl could be Edwards long lost twin. But then she realised that she and Ed shared the same birthday and now that she thought about it, she did have the same mannerisms as him. She began to speculate that SHE was Ed's sister. But if so, why didn't Trisha told her anything? Why didn't Pinako tell her anything? Has she been lied to by some of the closest people in her life for the whole time? With tears threatening to pour, she closed the book and walked over to the house; it was dinnertime anyway.

Pinako was serving up a hot dinner for her, Trisha and Winry since the boys couldn't eat anymore. It was steamed potatoes with a side of bread and some pork. They sat down as Winry came in, clutching a book like as though if she let go of it then something horrifying will happen to her. "What's wrong?" the elderly woman asked.

"I went to town hall today and I…" Her eyes were downcast. "I took at a look of some of the births from ten years ago!" Pinako and Trisha's eyes were wide as she raised her voice. "I need to know: Am I Ed's sister?" Alphonse and Edward, who were sitting down at the table for discussion, craned their necks to their mother, eyes glowing in shock from the question.

Trisha sighed "Winry-"

"Tell Me!"

"… Yes, you're Edwards's twin."

At this startling news she just lost it. She could take the no but instead there was the yes. "WHY DID YOU LIE TO ME!?" She ran off to her room crying all the way.

The suits of armour turned to their mother; this day kept getting crazier and crazier.

Trisha's hands were in her head. "I am such a terrible mother. I had died without telling Winry the truth."

"Mom, you're not a terrible mother. You sacrificed your humanity and limbs for us. I am sure Winry will forgive you." Alphonse said.

"Although I must ask, why didn't you tell us?" Ed added.

"At the time of Winry's birth, it was a meteor shower. Back then, some people were superstitious of meteor showers, if you had twins, one of them was evil. I never believed it but some people did. They would've killed one of you and I couldn't take that. So I gave Winry up to Pinako, people would've believe she was her granddaughter. I didn't tell you because it might have put you in danger if you told anyone." Trisha looked down. "She must hate me now."

"Let us talk with her." Al said. "She might listen to us."

Their mother nodded. They left to see Winry, clanking as they went. When they got to her room, they could hear crying from it. They knocked three times before she opened the door. Her eyes were red and bloodshot from all the crying and there was trails of dried tears descending on her face.

"Go away!" She yelled.

"Winry, we need to talk to you." Ed said.

"I don't care! I just found out that my own mother lied to me and died without even telling me the truth!"

"Whoa! Calm down. We were shocked too but mom did it to protect us." Ed explained what their mother told them. Afterwards, their sister had calmed down. "Listen, this has been a hectic last few days for us. First we bring our mom back, next we discover she has these powers and now we have a sister. I am sure we need a bit of time to adjust to it."

"She really did love me." Then she realised something. "Wait, if you're my brothers, does that mean I can do alchemy too?"

At this the samurai amour just hesitated. "Yeah… I'm not sure. It's basically something you are born with. Like the ability to bend your fingers backwards. Some alchemists can even perform transmutation without a circle like this" Ed clapped his hands but did not expect a bolt of lightning to come out and hit the floor. Ed screamed and stumbled backwards, stopping the process. The two grownups came running in.

"What's going on?" asked a very concerned Trisha.

"I don't know! Brother just clapped his hands and a transmutation just happen!" Alphonse explained in near gibberish.

"You must have gotten the power to transmutate without a circle. Your father was able to do it."

Winry couldn't believe it. "Wow and to think all you guys need to do now is just clap your hands like this." She emphasised her point and all was calm until she shrieked as a bolt of lightning came from her hand. The entire room fell silent.

"What now?" asked Alphonse all of a sudden.

"I have no idea." Came his mother's reply.