Disclaimer: I don't own Full Metal Alchemist.
What Happened After Conqueror Of Shambala
Chapter 1: Returning To Old Faces
Ed and Al were still in the world with out alchemy and with the gate being destroyed they had no way of getting back to their world. So they journeyed to destroy all of the things(in the world without alchemy) that would cause war in any world.
First they destroyed the uranium bomb that the maniac brought over to this world by using human alchemy and crossing through the gate.
Then they ventured out to find the place that was advertising heat-seeking missiles to destroy those.
When they got there they found nothing but an empty factory. "Ok Al they've obviously moved out and started somewhere new." Ed said to his brother and started walking out. Al stayed put as Ed walked away.
"Al come on we have to find someone who can tell us where they've moved to!" Al didn't move...he was looking around the factory they were standing in. It didn't have any holes or chimneys where smoke could be vented when making such a thing a heat-seeking missile.
"AL COME ON!" Ed yelled. "Ed I don't think they were ever here."
"WHAT!" Ed yelled furiously. "There isn't any holes in the walls or the ceiling at all."Al explained.
"Well...they probably have already patched them up!"Ed replied refusing to admit he was wrong. "Ed be reasonable."Al ordered. "You know me Al I'm never reasonable!"
"Face it you know they were never here!"Al shouted getting annoyed. "And how would you know that!"Ed retorted.
"Because your getting all snappy!"Al replied. "Am not!" "Are too!" "Am not!" "Are too!"
"This is getting us nowhere!"Ed pointed out. "That's because you refuse to believe the truth!"Al replied.
"BECAUSE YOU WONT MOVE!"Ed yelled. "Then go without me and we'll see who's better-"
Then both Ed and Al were scooped up in a net and were hanging from the ceiling.
"What the hell!" Ed yelled. "So you finally got here." A voice said from below them.
They looked down to see...Shou Tucker. "What do you want from us?" Ed yelled with hatred hanging off his words.
"I don't want anything from you."Shou replied. "Then why did you grab us in nets?" Al asked anger in his voice.
"Because I need you to open the gate for me just as you did for her." Tucker said. "Im afraid we can't do that"Ed replied smugly.
"And why not?"Shou asked. "Because we destroyed the gate" Al answered.
"Ah but you didn't destroy the other side."Tucker pointed out. "No we didn't but we got a good friend of ours to destroy it." Ed replied
"Well he didn't because they are still using alchemy on the other side." Shou pointed out. Ed and Al were lost for words. They looked at each other both had a 'Help Me' look on their face.
Then Ed snapped around to face Shou "And how would you know that!" "Uh..."Shou replied apparently speachless.
"HA!" Ed yelled triumphantly. "Just open the gate!" Tucker ordered. "Make me!"Ed replied crossing his arms across his chest.
"Well I knew it would be to hard for some one so..." Ed sighed he knew what Shou was about to say but this no longer had any effect on him due to the fact that he had had a growth spurt. "Weak"Tucker finished quietly.
"WEAK!" Ed yelled so loud Al could've sworn the world was shaking.
"Oh yeeaahh IM WEAK! I DIDN'T HAVE TO GET SOMEONE ELSE TO MAKE A STONE FOR ME!"Ed pointed out.
"But you did"Shou said quietly Ed was practically growling now. "Its not like I asked for that to happen..."Ed replied with quiet anger.
"WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!" Shou yelled causing Ed to look at him with a face of confusion mixed with anger.
"What are you talking about?" Ed asked. "You're trying to tell me that you were running around trying to find the stone and you never thought of the exchange!"
"...I didn't want Al to be the exchange...he already lost his body...he didn't need to be used as a tool."Ed answered quietly.
"Hey brother you never told me if I was your memories or if I was me when I was attached to the armor..." Al pointed out.
Ed stiffened. "AL! How could you think that right now? Why would I put you through all that if you weren't going to be the real you? If I was going to have a suit of armor walking around with my brothers name it was going to be the real you." Ed poked Al tummy causing Al to giggle slightly.
"Yeah yeah great now then getting back to business...OPEN THE FRIGGEN GATE ED!"Shou yelled frustratedly.
"Hey I can open the gate to ya know!" Al yelled getting annoyed at being ignored.
"I don't care! I want Ed to open the gate! I've known him longer!" Shou shouted trying to make a point, but failing miserably.
"Hey you've known Al for as long as you've known me asshole!" Ed yelled defensively.
"No I haven't I don't remember your brother here at all numskull!" Shou countered.
"Well you should cause when you first saw him you wanted to know all about how he came to be a suit of armor!"Ed yelled in annoyance.
Shou was shocked as he realized that the person sitting(more like hanging) in front of him was once the suit of armor that fought alongside Ed. "H...h..how...how did you make him human again?" Shou asked in amazement.
"I came over to this side in exchange for Al to return to his body on the other side."Ed replied before Al could say anything.
"But where is the equivalency in that?"Tucker asked. "You don't think brother and I went through enough to get this?" Al asked threateningly.
"No not really...I mean I have been through more than you...me being older than you and all...and I still don't have my Nina back do I?" Tucker pointed out.
"THAT'S BECAUSE YOU KILLED HER YOU BASTURD!" Ed burst out in fury.
"I didn't kill her that Scar person did"Shou pointed out.
"He only killed her because she was in so much pain already...and no-one should have to suffer that especially because she did absolutely NOTHING to deserve what you did to her! And I'm sure your wife didn't either!"Ed yelled.
Meanwhile as Ed and Tucker fought Al was thinking about the situation they were in. "Hmm...If this net is made out of what I think it is then it shouldn't be too hard to break...How did Shou ended up on this side?...Who knows!...I wonder if Roy did destroy the gate...hmm...maby..." Then Al realized something.
"Hey Tucker!" Al said casually. Tucker looked away from Ed(mostly because he was desperate to get away from a fight that he was losing) "Hmm?"
"I'll open the gate for ya."Al offered. "What are you doing?" Ed muttered to his brother.
"Well we need a sacrifice right?...Besides if Roy did close off the other side it won't work." Al whispered quietly.
Then Ed caught on. "AL! What the hell do you think your doing!" Ed yelled with a slight acting look on his face that only Al recognized.
"I'm getting us out of the net!" Al said with the same look. Ed was relived his brother had caught on...not that he thought he wouldn't or anything.
"Y..your going to help me?" Tucker said shocked at how easily the younger brother was convinced he should have tried to get him to open it first it would have saved a lot of time.
"Yeah well I don't see any other way out." Al said with an 'I'm stating the obvious' tone.
So Shou let Al out but not Ed. Ed had to at least act like he was trying to get out otherwise Shou might figure out what they were up to.
"LET ME OUT!" Ed yelled. "NO!" Shou shouted forcefully.
"Your going to have to let him out at some point because I can't open the gate by myself." Al lied.
Shou did let Ed out after all the transmutation circles were finished. Ed and Al somehow got Shou to stand in the middle with them.
Then they clapped their hands and pressed them on Shou. And being the fool Shou was he assumed that Ed and Al were sending only him to the other side. Ed and Al were both thinking "Idiot" when he didn't move.
Meanwhile on the other side of the gate Roy and Riza were walking down to the gateway through to the other world.
Roy was still Roy no amount of time is going to stop him from putting of important things for the military such as paper work or destroying gates that lead to another world.
"I cant believe you've managed to put this off for two years sir!" Riza said in disbelief.
"I haven't been putting it off I just...uh...""Have been putting it off?" Riza cut in. "NO! I have just been busy OK!" Riza rolled her eyes.
Then there was a glow coming from the passageway infront of them. Roy just thought the light was going out or something along those lines.
Where as Riza knew exactly(almost) what was happening, someone(most likely Ed and Al) was coming through the gate, she began to run froward.
"Riza we don't need to run to fix the light...I still have paper work to do." Roy said as he put his hand on Riza's shoulder.
She shook Roy's hand off. "You idiot! Someone is trying to get through the gate!" Riza yelled and continued to run down the passageway.
Then it clicked in Roy's mind what was happening and he began to run behind Riza. When they got there they found all the circles glowing but no one coming through.
"Phew good thing no one is opening the gate from this side...Sir what are you doing with that poor mouse?" Riza asked curiously as Roy walked past her clutching a struggling mouse in his hands.
"Im opening the gate." Roy replied as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "YOU IDIOT YOU DON'T KNOW WHO IS ON THE OTHER SIDE!" Riza yelled holding Roy back. But Roy shook her off and continued to walk calmly towards the glowing circles.
"Who else would it be? It's Ed and Al. They are the only ones on the other side who know how to get through the gate or what the circles mean."Roy answered calmly again as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"Sir may I ask why you need a mouse?" Riza asked eyeing the mouse. "I need the mouse for exchanged to open the gate..." Roy replied half heartedly.
"So please tell me if I have this wrong Sir...Everyone who opens the gate has to use a mouse as exchange and they can't use anything else?" Riza asked cautiously. "No! That's not what I meant! Now shhhh I need to concentrate." Roy said avoiding the subject.
Then he put the struggling mouse down and kept applying pressure so it could not escape...The circle began to glow brighter...Then after a few seconds the mouse was gone and there was Ed and Al standing there.
Al had an expression unreadable to Roy that Ed knew to be hidden anger. Where as Ed had an expression Roy knew only too well...just plain, strait out anger.
