A/N: Done! This chapter is done and kind of short, but... Yeah. Read, please!

Thanks to hypercell, KaimelarTheDreamer, zebrastripes150802, urs-v, everdragon, and The Sin of Justice for reviewing!

Title: And Tempered in Truth

Author: liketolaugh

Rating: T

Pairings: None

Genre: Friendship/Drama

Warnings: Earth!AU for Fullmetal Alchemist (Amestris is an isolated country located somewhere south of Russia, on the border between Europe and Asia) and slight AU for Artemis Fowl - the events of The Arctic Incident are all shunted forward a year.

Summary: Foaly never actually pulled location surveillance on Artemis, and when he goes into the one area monitored by neither humans, nor fairies, he can't help but be suspicious. Holly just wants to know how they missed this.

Disclaimer: I own neither Artemis Fowl, nor the Fullmetal Alchemist. 'Tis but a dream.

"This is bad, this is really, really bad," Foaly panicked in Holly's ear.

As Holly watched, wide-eyed and alarmed, Artemis copied Edward, placing his hands carefully on the array and then slowly, a furrow of concentration in his brow, pulling a small statue out of the ground.

Ed grinned at him, then hopped up and headed back into the house, barging in.

Artemis smirked and rose to his own feet, one slender hand carefully grasping the small, uniformed LEP officer in his hand . "Hello, Holly."

"Artemis," Holly returned shortly, not pausing for pleasantries as she continued, "What in Frond's name was that? Surely even you can't come up with a way for Mud Men to perform magic." And that was no kind of magic she'd ever seen, besides, but there was no mistaking those blue sparks.

"Actually," Artemis corrected, with deep satisfaction, "Edward has been teaching me." To Holly's startled look, he continued, eyes on the ground,"Humans may be incapable of performing magic, but we have discovered something you fairies seem to have long forgotten: Alchemy."

Holly's brow furrowed. "Turning lead to gold?" she asked, deeply suspicious.

"No. Well, it can do that as well, I suppose. However, human alchemy is the science of understanding, deconstructing, and reconstructing matter, and it can do much more than that." Artemis twisted the figure in his fingers, smirking. "It is a science primarily found in Amestris, as it is hazardous by nature, and with the country's ban on outside information, I'm not surprised you haven't seen it." His eyes flashed up to where he knew she hovered, and her fists tightened slightly.

Actually, there were rumors. Holly remembered them from her days in the Academy, spoken in whispers. Humans who could do a sort of magic, magic that was unheard of in fairies. The higher-ups, the Council especially, dismissed them as rogue fairies, discarding the rumors.

Apparently not.

"Holly." Foaly had finished panicking and now his voice was low and urgent. Holly could just picture his tail flicking behind him. "I need you to find out how this is done. If we just let the Mud People do this…"

It could end in disaster.

Holly was about to reply back, to either one, but at that moment, the door burst open again, and Ed came jogging toward them, gold eyes bright. Artemis looked down from Holly back to the boy.

"Hey, Artemis, not that it wasn't good to see you again, but Al and I gotta head over to East City, alright?"

Artemis smiled, a smile only Butler recognized as mildly dangerous. "Actually, Edward, I was wondering if Butler and I might accompany you. I'd rather like to see the rest of Amestris."

Butler glanced down at Artemis, startled, but the boy glanced at the patch of shimmering air and he understood.

What better way to get the fairies indebted to him than to reveal to them the secrets of 'human magic'?

Ed blinked, faintly startled, but accepted it easily enough. "Oh, sure." He turned and smiled over his shoulder and how had Holly missed the gigantic suit of armor before? "It's fine, right, Al?"

"Yeah," Al agreed, voice high and pleased and much younger than someone apparently larger than Butler ought to be.

And that was how Artemis and Butler came to turn right back around to the train, this time with Holly in tow, floating along inconspicuously behind.

Just before they stepped onto the train, Ed paused, frowning… and then turned around and looked right at Holly. She inhaled sharply, flinching back. He didn't move. Neither did she.

He lingered there for a few moments, brow furrowed, gold eyes fixed to her. Holly held her breath, and one slim hand inched toward her Neutrino.

"Brother?" Al questioned, concerned eyes on Ed.

Ed waited a moment longer, and then turned away again, stepping onto the train. "Nothing, Al."

He hadn't seen her.

She let out her breath and followed him, narrowly missing the train doors closing behind her, and followed the boys to where they sat near Artemis and Butler, with Butler across from Artemis and Ed beside the other boy, with Al on the seat behind Butler. Holly took her spot on an empty seat on the other side of the narrow aisle.

"So, Edward." Artemis leaned back slightly, looking out the window. Ed looked up at him questioningly. "How precisely did your exam go?"

For some reason, Ed smiled sheepishly and scratched the back of his head, flushing slightly. Artemis quirked an eyebrow at him, and Al provided,

"Brother figured out how to do alchemy without a circle - it's something he learned from the Gate. One of the other alchemists knocked over another alchemist's tower, and it nearly fell on them. Brother saved him without a circle and passed."

"Hm," Artemis mused. He smirked slightly. "I suppose I can't say I'm surprised."

Ed gave him a slight frown. "The hell's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing at all."

Ed scowled at him, and Artemis smirked, and Ed rolled his eyes. The conversation moved on to other things, and Holly was bored.

She was less bored when the goblins burst onto the train, though.

Like I said, short chapter. On the other hand, the next one promises to be exciting, right? ;) Please review!