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Alphonse shifted groggily, moaning at the thick feeling in his mouth. "What…" his voice was shaky as were his eye lids when he finally dragged them apart. An unfamiliar seen met his eyes; he was in a large room, filled with crates. His hands were tied to the edges of one of the crates, the ropes rubbing painfully against his wrists.
"Al… are you awake?" Greg asked from nearby. Alphonse raised his head a little further, seeing his friend tied much the same as he was.
Confusion flooded the boy; the last thing he remembered was stopping by the corner of the road to give some of his new cat food to a stray. "Where are we?"
"Oh, you've never been here before, but your brother would know it quite well," said a smirking, scratchy voice from out of Al's sight. His eyes widened in fear and shock, Greg watched the change calculatedly, wondering who it was.
"It can't be!" Fear colored Alphonse's face, "You're dead!" Now that was unexpected, thought Greg, so this world has kidnapping ghosts too? A man walked around to the front of the two and smiled widely. He was wearing a dark blue military uniform, pristine, and medaled. Bristles lined his jaw and his teeth were yellowed, he looked at them a feral smile on his face.
For a moment, Al struggled wildly against his bonds, frightening Greg much more than the smirking figure. A moment later he calmed, seeming to figure something out; when he looked up there was defiance in his gaze. "General Tremblay is dead. I saw the body, the bullets; he was incinerated. Who the hell are you?!" Greg smiled, much better.
'Tremblay' laughed, his form seeming to change as he did; he stretched taller, growing thin as his skin paled to almost white. He was wearing a purple halter top and shorts that revealed a crimson tattoo on his leg of a dragon devouring its own tail. He looks like a giant palm tree, thought Greg with an inward chuckle, eyeing the shape shifter's bight green spiky hair.
"Very good," he said in a higher voice that was tinged with approval. "You're smart, though why you had to get rid of that other useful form I don't know." Alphonse growled at him, and the… man? knelt next to him, grabbing his chin to force his face upward. "Hey, I know, maybe we can reverse it? Your brother would be so much more likely to help us if it were to get you back to a human form… although…" He kicked Al hard in the abdomen and he hissed in pain, wincing. "Torturing you will probably work just as well."
The sound of footsteps outside made 'Palm-tree' grin. "Now, now can't have you spilling the beans and ruining all my fun!" he crooned as he gagged the two gleefully. He then transformed again and put his grimy hand on the little boy's shoulder.
Edward came skidding into the room furiously, his golden eyes darkened with rage. He stopped abruptly when he saw Tremblay and cringed visibly, taking a single step backwards before freezing in place. Memories attempted to batter him but, for once, he remained clear-headed, not unaffected but at least he remained present.
"Who the hell are you?!" Ed shouted, figuring out what his brother had just as quickly. The fake Tremblay grinned.
"Awww, come on… I seriously thought you would remember all that time we spent together. You were always such a faithful dog so I'm sure you will do what I want now; otherwise, well, you know firsthand what will happen to poor little Alphonse here." If looks could kill, then 'Tremblay' would be dead and buried.
"You are not Tremblay," there was a slight shake in Edward's voice as he said the name but it wasn't noticeable, "He's dead and you are nothing but someone who looks like him trying to use his misdeeds to fuel your own cheap agenda!"
Tremblay tutted and walked towards Ed, "Don't be that way, all you need to do is make a Philosopher's Stone for me and you, your brother and even this dolt can be on your merry way. Hey, I might even tell you my real name."
A small, unexpected smile flitted across Edward's face as he looked up, "Or… I could just free my brother and beat you to a bloody pulp right now." With that he scrambled n top of one of the crates and leapt through the air, transmuting the cover of his automail arm into a blade as he went. With two quick strokes, he cut Alphonse's and Greg's bonds before turning back to Tremblay who merely laughed.
"Who are you?" Edward asked again, "What do you really look like? Show me your true face instead of hiding in that nightmare mask." He laughed again and suddenly Winry was standing in front of him.
Ed attacked, disregarding the way the creature looked as it snarled at him, changing into a possibly male palm tree that swung at him irately. Ed's arm punctured his chest but the creature just stepped back, panting as slowly purple sparks showed around the wound, healing it.
Edward didn't notice as Roy and his gang, followed quickly by Grissom, Greg and Alphonse, entered the room. He was distracted by the shape changing mass in front of him. Unable to stay still for more than a moment, the creature changed again and again.
Roy snarled when Tremblay reappeared, attacking the little alchemist vigorously. They were all waiting for an opening to attack the creature but its fight was too close range. Swiftly, it changed to Hughes, Scar, Riza, a dirty man that Roy had only seen once (and that was in his disassembled state) name X and…
Edward was sent flying as the Roy-clone kicked him hard in the chest. This was enough of an opening for the others to act. Mustang followed the path Ed's flailing body had made through the air and knelt by the diminutive boy.
"Roy… You came… Sorry I snapped at you," The boy whispered, wrapping his arms around the older man's chest.
Roy hugged him tightly. "No need to be sorry, and of course I came. I will always come."
Author Note: That's it and not a single person reviewed, isn't that awfull!