Chapter 4: The Plan

"Why did you tell Bronco thet Pain was our mother?" Al asked Ed.
"Well we don't want him thinking we're bounty hunters or something," Ed replied.
"Edward, Alphonse," Colonel Mustang said,"this is where I must leave you. Good luck on finding the Scholar's Stone"
"Thank you," Ed and Al said in unison.
"Al," Ed said to his brother as Roy and Riza were walking away,"Once you find the Scholar's Stone you'll be back to normal"
"If only Dante had invented the Stone sooner," Al said,"then we'd have been able to bring Mom back the right way"
"Technicall, she is back. But as a himunculous who doesn't even remember her own children in the motherly way. She remembers us, but she thinks we're evil"
"With the Stone we could probably fix her despite the fact that she's a himunculous."

"Do you think that I will let Pain get in the way of my revenge? You gotta be kidding me!" Envy said to Lust as they were talking alone.
"We won't let you touch her or the Elrics, even if we have to bound and gag you," Lust replied.
"Neh. Whatever"
"I'd better get going then," Pain said as she overheard their conversation."Those two will be wondering where I am"
Pain snapped her fingers and she was on the outskirts of Saratown. She walked around a bit until she came across an old-looking house with a sign that faintly read "Custom Blacksmith Products.
"Maybe there in here..." Pain said to herself."Hello? Is anybody in here?" She rung the bell at a nearby desk.
"Yes?" Bronco said while coming out of what seemed like a backroom."How may I help you"
"I'm looking for two boys. One's tall and wears armor. The other is short and has a blond braid"
"Who are you calling small enough to fit in a milk bottle?" Pain heard Ed scream across town.
"Yeah...," Bronco said,"they went to Dock #6. They said to tell you that. You gave birth to two fine young men"
"Huh?...Gave birth?...Um, yes... thank you. I'd better get going then"
Pain quickly walked out of the house/shop and snapped herself to Dock #6, which she could see in the distance.
"Edward? Alphonse?" she yelled.
"Yes, Pain?" Al asked her as she turned around to see them.
"Sorry I took so long," Pain said.
"It's okay," Ed said."We found out some interesting things"
"Oh, yes? Like what"
"Oh, nothing you probably don't already know," Al replied.
"We know about Bruce and the other sins," Ed said slyly."Take us to Torture, And maybe we'll spare your life. We'd like to know more about the two of you"
"Why should I care if I die again? It's not like you won't kill Torture anyway. That way, we'll be together again at peace in the afterlife"
Edward drew his blade from his automail arm.
"Oh, so it has to be like that, huh?" Pain said."Prepare to die, Elrics"
There was an explosion of bright white light(HEHE! It rhymes!) and all the sudden a figure emerged from it.
"I've got the Scholar's Stone," Izumi Curtis said weakly."Take it, you two. I don't have much time left"
"TEACHER! What has Pain done to you! Teacher!" Edward yelled.
Izumi's body turned to dust slowly and left the Scolar's Stone behind.
"Do you think it's the real thing?" Al asked.
"Only one way yo find out," Ed said. He picked it up and threw it hard to the ground. It smashed to pieces.
"It's a fake!" Al said.
"Pain!" Ed screamed."When I find you I won't just kill you, but I'll torture you to death"
"Ed, calm down!" Al said to his older brother.
"You're right, Al," Ed said shakily."I need to stop overreacting so much"
They stood staring at the broken fake stone for a few minutes.
"I thought she said she'd kill us," Ed said."She didn't put up much of a fight"
"I don't think that was Teacher, either," Alphonse said.
"Yeah, she wouldn't have crumbled like that. The last time we saw her she was in perfect condition, depite the no internal organs part"
"Pain said in the beginning she was a shape-shifter. She can probably change objects, too. She has a lot of powers for a himunculous," Al said.
"She must have changed the barrel of fish that used to be there into an imitation Teacher," Ed said.
"I wonder where she went"
"Probably snapped herself somewhere"
"The Dissapora Forest!" Ed and Al said in unison.

IN THE DISSAPORA FOREST...

"Greed?" Pain said aloud, but no one was in sight."Is anyone here? Envy? Lust"
All the sudden she heard yells coming from a distant clearing she could barely see thruogh a clump of bushes. She snapped herself to the space in the bushes next to the clearing. She used up most of her energy on concentrating on the spot in the bushes.
"Pain! Oh, I'm so glad you're here..." Torture said."Envy is trying to harm Sloth for supposedly taking his father away from him"
"We'd better help out then," Pain said.
They ran into the clearing where the yells were coming from.
"Envy! Stop it, now! She has done nothing wrong." Lust yelled."Don't make me use these," she said while extending her dagger-like fingers.
"Lust, shut-up," Envy said."You're not helping anything"
"Sloth, Rockbell's," Pain said while snapping her fingers.
"What'd you do that for?" Envy said.
"We cannot have you harm her. She plays an important part in Greed's plan. I sent her to the Rockbell's house." Pain replied.
"Why'd you send her there"
"Greed was going to send her ther sooner or later. It's important she remembers her past"
"Why don't we send her to her own sons?" Envy said.
"They are already onto our plan. They found out about Bruce."