Title: A Fangirl's Dream
Summary: Ivy has it rough. She's no anime fan or FMA fan. But when she somehow crosses the gate, she finds herself in the worst possible position: a protagonist of an Another World fic trope. And between the alchemy, automail, lack of plot knowledge, and struggling with her attraction to a pretty blonde mechanic, Ivy reluctantly teams up with the main characters in her journey to get home.
Pen Name: FanfictionIsMySideHustle

"Alright, gearheads, if I can get your attention for once." Edward called after about forty minutes passed of mechanical gabbing. "I'd appreciate it."

"Oh hush." Winry scolded. The conversation had been getting good, Winry excitedly explaining a method to carve fingers out of steel in half the time. "You and Al did that all the time back when we were five and I never complained."

"You did all the time!" Edward growled in return.

Ivy chuckled lightly, "whoops." The girl shrugged. "What do you need, Edboy? Water? An extra blanket?"

"I was just wondering if either of you noticed anything off about Al." Edward asked tensely. "He's been acting… kind of strange lately."

Ivy's smile fell, clenching a hand tightly. "Yeah, I have." She thought about their interaction the other day when he was in that creepy hallway. "He's been quieter." And much more apt to be alone, far far away from other people. "I dunno, man. He hasn't told me anything and I've been trying to ask him what's wrong."

"Oh!" Denny suddenly shouted, reminding Ivy he was in the room in the first place. He had been so quiet, Ivy honestly forgot he was in the hospital room in the first place. "Do you think he's in shock from when I punched him?!"

"As if." Ivy was sure Edward was rolling his eyes. "Like Al would ever be in shock over something that small. He isn't that wimpy."

Winry placed her adjustable wrench on her bottom lip thoughtfully. "... I wonder what's bothering him."

Edward sighed loudly, "so you can't figure it out either?"

Winry shot the boy a strange look, exchanging her wrench for a rag stained with oil. "You're with him all the time and don't know what's wrong." She murmured, dabbing the rag with even more oil. "How would I know?" The blonde added as she made a smooth pass over the arm. "Well, the repairs are complete." She announced smiling proudly at her work.

Most of the scratches had been buffed out and it shone brighter the sun.

Ivy whistled, "looking good, Win." She grinned.

"Feels good too!" Edward grinned, rotating his arm in satisfaction. "It feels great to have both of my arms again!"

"Now you have to let the rest of your body heal." The engineer's expression was stern as she removed her apron. She shook her head in annoyance when Edward let out a non-committal 'yeah yeah'. "Why do I even bother worrying sometimes."

Ivy only shrugged. "Boys will boys?"

The door slammed open before anyone could say anything else. "Ed, my boy, is it true you have two beautiful girls in your room tending to your injuries?!" Maes Hughes loudly announced, smiling widely.

Ivy choked as Edward's face planted on the floor. "NO WAY!" The blond boy screeched at the top of his lungs. "I was just getting my maintenance done!"

"I see, so you're two-timing them."

"NOO! THAT ISN'T WHAT I SAID AT ALL!"

"Oh god, Hughes, please stop!" Ivy retched. Winry had said nothing at all, blue eyes blank. "That would be like making out with my brother! My short, emotionally-stunted brother!"

"DON'T SAY I'M A STUNTED SHRIMP!" Edward scowled, shooting up angrily.

Hughes only laughed it off, a hand clasping around Winry's. "Maes Hughes, nice to meet you, Miss!"

"Oh um, I'm Winry Rockbell." Winry smiled politely. "It's nice to meet you too."

"Isn't there some work you should be doing or something, Hughes?" Edward glared tiredly. "You were going on and on about how the investigations division being so busy you weren't able to get any time off."

"Oh don't worry." Hughes grinned, holding up a hand. "I gave Sheska some overtime."

"... you are an evil, evil man." Edward deadpanned.

Ivy chuckled nervously as Hughes laughed on. "I just wanted to check and see how you were doing and I also wanted to tell you an update about the Scar situation." Ivy's ears perked up at that. That name, she recognized. But a face that Akasha could have shoved down her face? Nothing. I know I know that name though, Akasha literally talked about this person sometime before I ended up here. Ivy stopped her train of thought as Hughes continued. "Your bodyguards are going to be dismissed soon."

"Really?! Great!"

"Foreal though." Ivy sighed in relief. "Y'all really had me all kinds of shook when we got here and the bodyguards showed up."

"Hold up, bodyguards?" Winry exclaimed. Ivy winced when blue eyes landed on her with a hint of anger and worry. "You never mentioned bodyguards when I asked you how you were!" Her glare turned to Edward. "Ed, just what kind of trouble have you been in?!"

Edward avoided Winry's gaze entirely. "N-nothing, really! Don't worry about it. It's no big deal at all!"

Winry's glare only amplified as she set her hands on her hips. "Figures, you and your brother never tell me anything no matter how nicely I ask." She spared Ivy a quick glance that Ivy knew by heart from the times she'd get in trouble with her mom. The 'we'll be talking later' look. Ivy suppressed a shudder. "I guess I'll have to start looking for a place to stay tonight."

"You can stay at the military hotel in Ivy's room if you want." Edward pointed a thumb in Ivy's direction.

Ed, you are literally damning me to getting killed tonight. "Eeeeer, actually I told Mr. Hughes that I'd help him with this birthday party for his daughter so-"

"Oh don't you worry a thing about that, both of you girls can come over today!" Hughes injected, grabbing Winry's toolbox. "The more the merrier! And if it gets too late, you can both stay the night! My wife and daughter would love to have you! I'm not taking no for an answer!"

"B-"

"Now, let me just take the toolbox off your hands here! And let's get moving!"

Ivy had no idea how the man managed to grab both her and Winry from the back of their collars, Edward waving all the while.

"I think this is the biggest birthday party I've ever been to." Ivy said, jaws agape at the spread Mrs. Hughes prepared. Her mouth watered as she ate yet another slice of the homemade pizza. The closest thing Ivy got to a large-scale party was during elementary school and her mom would bring cupcakes for her class to enjoy for her birthday. After that, Ivy's mother would pick her, Akasha, and Austin up and they'd play video games and eat cake. Elycia's party on the other hand contained at least ten kids and at least one of their parents. Is this what it's like to be the popular kid at school? "You're cooking is amazing, Mrs. Hughes! And your daughter is way more adorable in person."

The girl of the hour was the most adorable thing with her sandy brown hair and green eyes she clearly got from her mother. At the moment, the girl was giggling at a mouse toy as she sat comfortable on Winry's lap as she talked to Mr. Hughes. For the moment, the conversation Winry hinted would be happening later was being stalled and Ivy couldn't be happier.

Gracia Hughes smiled fondly with a soft chuckle, "you'll have to forgive my husband." The woman gestured to the million photos decorating the mantle. "He's very proud of our family."

"Well if I had an adorable family, I'd wanna show off to." Ivy laughed and took another bite of her pizza. "You honestly have to give me your recipe because I'm never buying pizza again if I can!"

"I'll make sure to write it down before you leave then!" Ivy was sure she could hear angels singing in the background. "Do you have any plans coming up for yourself?"

"Eh." Ivy moved her hand in a so-so fashion. She hoped that Hughes didn't tell his wife anything. If Gracia did know anything, her face revealed nothing, her green eyes warm. I'm overthinking things. She's just being a mom. "Still figuring things out. I'm kinda just moving around like a tumbleweed right now. But I'll come up with a plan sooner or later, I work best under pressure."

Gracia thankfully didn't Ivy with any judgmental looks. "Sometimes it can take people a bit of time to figure out what they're best at, so don't give up hope. I used to be a florist before I had Elycia."

"You make your own arrangements?" There were several vases placed on mantles and small tables throughout the apartment. "Cool! I can't even keep cactuses alive. We had a class project once to get a cactus flower to blossom and my cactus died in two weeks. So if there's at least one path I can cross off my list, it's anything to do with plants."

Gracia nodded with an amused expression. "It's a fun hobby of mine and it really helps brighten the house." She looked warmly at her husband. "Maes was very adamant that I didn't work a day when we found out I was expecting. I'm sure I'll go back to light floral work when Elycia's old enough, time will tell."

Ivy leaned back against the wall, "I'd love to hear the story of how you two met. Mr. Hughes seems like a really fun guy."

"Oh you don't want to hear that old story." Mrs. Hughes said bashfully waving her ring hand. "Maybe when all the guests have gone and everything's been cleaned up." Just then a guest called Gracia over. "I'll make sure to tell you at some point, just remind me, dear." With that, the woman left Ivy to her own devices on the wall.

Ivy looked out the window, wiping the crumbs on her jeans vaguely paying attention to the sound of the party around her. Nighttime had fallen in Central and the city lights were gleaming. She could see a horse drawn carriage making its way down the street, the lights its guide. Now that wouldn't have been a common sight in Vallant. But in small ways, Central gave her that familiarity of living in something that resembled a city. Vallant was no Los Angeles or Sacramento and it was definitely the most boring place in all of California, but she missed it.

She missed the sound of shoes skirting against the gym floor and the feel of a volleyball at her fingertips.

The sound of the rain pattering on the concrete.

God, I miss having a TV. Ivy chuckled lightly to herself. She had just started watching Gossip Girl on Netflix remembering how avidly Rachel Tyce preached it's amazingness on the Most Popular Girls in School. And for all the flip phones and cheesy camera edits, Gossip Girl was an entertaining watch. Rachel Tyce and Blane had a point, Brittany. Another quiet laugh escaped Ivy's throat as she thought of the angry cheerleader. Gossip Girl is a pretty good show.

Ivy released a long sigh wondering if Akasha was watching MPGiS right now. Wondered what her mother was doing right now.

I might not ever see them again. Ivy's fingers dug into her forearm. Do I just… start over or something? Ed and Al are gonna be leaving soon. I dunno their plan but I doubt they're gonna be in Central forever. So… what do I do in the meantime then? Just go back to Resembool? Considering her cover story and alleged disowning and lack of funds, it would probably make no sense to anyone if she just said 'yeah, I'm just gonna figure things out here in Central, bai'. Pinako did say I was always welcome back anytime. So why not start over again there?

I'd have my runs with Den.

My own room.

And I'd be able to start learning how to make automail and actually earn money off of it and completely blow off going to college.

Ivy blinked.

That could really be the life.

Ivy didn't have much more time to ponder when she suddenly heard the sound of a gun cocking. Holy shit. Ivy's head whipped around so hard she heard her neck crack and was met with the sight of Hughes glaring down at three boys Elycia's age. "Watch it, you little punks. Don't even think about putting your hands on my daughter!"

"Your actions speak too loudly!" Winry yelped. All around them laughter erupted from the adults.

Protective and proud dad alert. Ivy sighed in relief. She wouldn't have been able to handle it if there was some guy really trying to bust in wielding a gun. She closed her eyes, leaning against the window sill again.

"What are you looking at?" Ivy opened her eyes and spotted Winry at her left, peering over to see what was outside. Winry exhaled loudly as she took in the view."I already knew that Central was gonna be big as the country's capital but it's still a lot to take in. It feels even bigger at night when you can barely see anything."

Ivy moved a bit to the right, making more room. "Not looking at much, just thinking. What were you and Mr. Hughes talking about?"

Winry's smile was melancholic. "He said that I should just wait and trust that Ed and Al will talk to me when they really need to." She looked back at Ivy. Her blue eyes looked like pools of sapphires in the room's light. I could stare at those eyes all day and I hate myself for it. "I just don't get why you didn't tell me anything about the bodyguards."

"I… guess I just felt like it wasn't my place to tell." Ivy had other things going on in her mind at the time and she was pretty sure that the boys wouldn't have wanted her to tell Winry anyway. She would have worried incessantly before demanding they all headed back home. And we had stuff to do with the Philosopher's Stone. Not that it paid off in the end. "You woulda just worried the whole time. And I ain't afraid of no Central baddies. Dangerous? Ha. I laugh in the face of danger."

"Well I don't." Winry's voice was quiet as she leaned closer, resting her head on Ivy's shoulder. "I always get worried when they leave somewhere and then come back with Ed's arm all trashed. And Al was in pieces the last time he came around. You're suddenly traveling with them now too. Ed can always transmute Al back together and even if he makes me mad when he breaks it, I can always just rebuild his automail." Winry went on, staring out of the window. But her reflection looked like she was looking far beyond the rooftops across the street. "But what about you? What if… what if whoever did that to them did that to you? I wouldn't be able to do anything. That's why I'm mad you didn't tell me anything. Part of it, at least."

Ivy's face felt hot and her heart stuttered. "I…" she trailed off, unsure of what to say next. "I'm sorry." She said dumbly.

"You have to tell me next time." Winry said not looking up at her the girl beside her. "The next time something like this happens, even if Ed and Al don't, you have to tell me so I don't worry."

"You'd just worry anyway." Ivy joked.

That made Winry's head snap up but her glare light. "Well I won't worry as much if I know something." She protested.

Ivy smiled feeling the warmth spreading in her chest. "Okay, okay. I promise to say something if even the littlest bit of trouble pops up, alright?"

A smile, a real one, spread across the engineer's face. "Good. I don't have to throw a wrench at you now."

"I thought that was only if I forgot to call for a long time."

"Well I added some stuff to the list now thanks to all the stuff that came up." Winry closed her eyes and held her hands behind her back. Ivy half expected there to be a wrench. "But now I don't have to throw anything because you promised me."

"Did I ever mention that you seem to love putting me in binding contracts?"

Winry giggled and nudged Ivy's arm. "Only for the important stuff."

Ivy clicked her tongue, "now I don't even wanna tell you the news."

"What news?" Winry's eyes were wide and owlish. Her expression quickly turned to concern. "Did something happen?"

"Yep." Ivy nodded, closing her eyes. "Now that all this stuff has happened with my mom and Ed and Al are gonna be traveling soon, I'm about to be out of a place." Ivy opened an eye, sounding forlorn. "It's pretty tragic if you ask me."

Winry's concern melted away into a knowing smirk. "It does."

"Exactly." Ivy crossed her arms. "So I guess I'll have to head back to Resembool and become an engineer. Honestly, it is such disheartening news. Hey! No punchies!"

But the large grin on Winry's face and the giggles that left her mouth were definitely worth the light punch to the arm.

It would be fine if things went a little slower, Ivy decided. Because she had Winry with her.

"Thank you so much for letting us both stay here."

Gracia smiled appreciatively at Winry's polite bow. "Are you sure you don't want to stay? You're both welcome to stay as long as you like, you know?"

Ivy rubbed the back of her neck, "I mean, I do already have a hotel room that Ed's been paying for and since he's been in the hospital, he is barely there and I didn't come back last night." Not to mention, you completely left her jersey behind which she had been using as a makeshift bonnet to keep her protected. She could go one night without protective covering on her hair, but like hell would she be going two. "So the staff might be wondering about that." Of course, I could just grab the jersey and my backpack and come back. But I'd feel a little bad if Ed's just paying for an unused room.

"Sissy!" Elycia called, grabbing Winry's hand tightly.

"Someone's got themselves a little friend." Ivy snickered.

"She has grown rather fond of Winry since you've been here." Gracia agreed.

"And you look like you could be sisters!" Hughes added cheerily with a large grin.

Elycia smiled widely with shining eyes. "Come home soon, 'kay?"

Ivy grabbed her chest painfully. "God, she's cute!" She ignored Winry's deadpan expression. Elycia was adorable damn it and Ivy would not let it go unacknowledged. "Don't use the cute as a weakness against us, Elycia, then we'll have to come back!"

Winry shook her head with a sigh but her expression was fond. "Looks like we'll have to come back again tonight, huh?"

"Guess so." Ivy just couldn't refuse an adorable three year old. It was the day after her birthday, it would be rude to deny her wishes. Ivy lifted the girl and blew a raspberry on her cheek, Elycia shrieking and giggling 'noooo'. "You've won against the two of us! I'll just have to bring all my stuff over!"

Elycia tugged on her high puff. "Can I braid your hair later?"

"Of course!" Ivy grinned. After she picked it out so neatly that it wouldn't dare get tangled. She'd just make the parts in large sections. "I've been meaning to cornrow it anyway, it makes it easier to deal with on a daily basis." And she practiced on enough large Sasha Bratz heads to know how to do it. "And big sis Winry can braid yours!" Ivy nodded to the blonde who was smiling herself.

"Looks like we're gonna have a sister sleepover tonight, Elycia!"

"I can't believe we really got roped into staying at Mr. Hughes again." Ivy stretched as they entered the hospital doors.

"You're the one who's the total softie, Ivy." Winry teased, blue eyes mischievous. "That's why Den always went to you at dinnertime because she knows you'll give her stuff."

Ivy's glare was weak. "I can't just not give her anything. I'm not a monster."

Winry only hummed but her expression read loud and clear that she still thought Ivy was a creampuff. Which was true but Ivy liked to think she seemed tough some of the time. "My Elycia can get anyone to do anything." Hughes chipped in proudly. "She's just like her mother! Always smiling and ready to talk to people! Gracia said she would be making apple pie today so I hope you both are looking forward to it."

Winry clapped her hands in delight, Ivy grinning. Apple pie was the most superior pie to exist.

"Hey, Ross! Denny!" Ivy waved as the two bodyguards came into view. "How are our favorite pair of brothers?"

"Did Ed drink his milk?" Winry asked, sounding more than a bit doubtful.

Maria saluted with a smile, "I'm quite sure he didn't." She answered truthfully.

Winry rolled her eyes, "of course he didn't." She sighed. "Come on, Ivy, let's go force him to drink it." The blonde beckoned as she rested a hand on the doorknob. Ivy extremely doubted anyone could get the boy to do th-

"I never asked for this damn body!" Came a shout as the door opened. A stool fell to the floor as Alphonse stood rigidly. "I never asked… for this damn body!"

Ivy's feet felt glued to the floor, Edward looking as shocked as Ivy felt. "I… I'm sorry, Al." Golden eyes were downcast, staring at his plate. "You're right. It's my fault that all of this happened. That's why I want to get you back to normal as soon as possible."

"Is there really any guarantee that we can get our original bodies back?" Alphonse spat bitterly. His large fists trembled angrily as his red eyes glared at his older brother.

Edward smiled weakly. "I'll get you back to normal, Al. I promise. You just have to believe me!"

"Believe you!?" Alphonse mocked, gesturing to himself. "How am I supposed to believe anything in this empty shell of a body?!" The boy demanded. He gestured at himself again, metal muscles creaking loudly. "According to alchemical theory, human beings are composed of a physical body, mind, and soul! But has anyone ever verified that in an experiment?!" Alphonse continued. "Memories are nothing but data when you really think about it. It should be possible to artificially reconstruct them!"

"Al, what are you sa-"

"On our way to the Fifth Laboratory you told me there was something you were too afraid to tell me."

Ivy felt Winry freeze by her side.

"Maybe what you wanted to tell me was that my soul and my memories are all fake and that they were created artificially!" Brown eyes locked on Edward. Alphonse? A fake? Edward wouldn't have done that, right? Akasha would have mentioned something like that! Ivy's brain racked for any recollection of that conversation coming up. There were pictures of Alphonse all over the Rockbell's picture wall! But Alphonse wasn't finished, taking a step forward. "Well 'big brother'!" He mocked again. "Can you prove that a person named Alphonse Elric really existed?! Or have you, Winry, and Granny and everyone else been lying to me this whole time!? Well Edward?!"

Edward's hand slammed on the table holding his food and Ivy flinched. "You were… keeping all that bottled up this whole time? Is that what you wanted to tell me?"

Alphonse said nothing.

Ivy's heart could have broken at the sad smile on Edward's face. "I see." The blonde said, the quietest Ivy had ever heard him speak. "Okay." With that, Edward stood up.

"Ed-" Ivy stopped herself as the boy walked right passed her, Winry calling out to him to no avail.

When the boy didn't turn around, Winry turned back to Alphonse. "Al, you…" Ivy blinked, more than a little scared when she saw the biggest wrench in her lifetime in Winry's hand. "YOU IDIOT!" She screeched, her wrench making immediate contact with Alphonse's face the moment he turned around.

The amount of shudders that passed through the room was insane. Where in the fuck was she keeping that!? Her toolbox isn't even here!

"W-Winry-"

Alphonse was cut off as another swing came to his head. "Al, you're such an idiot!" The unmistakable sound of Winry's sniffles filled the air. "You don't have any idea how Ed feels, do you!? The thing that Ed was too afraid to talk to you about? He wants to know if you blame him for what happened to your body, Al! And then you… And then you went and said that!" Winry collapsed onto her knees, wrench striking Alphonse's breastplate. "Who would ever do something like that, Al?! What idiot would ever risk his own life to create a fake younger brother?! Don't you get it?!" Winry wiped her eyes, her right hand with the wrench coming to ground after one last weak strike. "All you have left is each other."

Alphonse's armor clinked as he looked at the ground.

"Now go get your brother!" The girl demanded fiercely and when Alphonse got up too slowly for her liking, Winry snapped again. "What are you waiting for? Start running!"

"Y-yes, ma'am!" Alphonse whimpered, bolting out the door.

"Ooooh god." Ivy clutched her chest as Winry stood up, wiping the rest of her tears.

"Someone had to knock some sense into him." Winry sniffed angrily. "He's so stupid!"

"Where did you even get that wrench?!"

"My pocket, duh! Don't ask stupid questions right now!" Ivy's eyes bulged out their sockets as she looked at what had to be the smallest pockets in a skirt ever. "We have to go make sure Alphonse is apologizing!" Winry grabbed Ivy's wrist as she bolted down the hall Alphonse had gone.

"S-shouldn't we give them privacy!?"

"We have to be there to throw another wrench at Al's head if he says something stupid!"

Ivy sighed in exasperation as they ran up staircase after staircase, Mr. Hughes not too far behind. 'Kids and their wrenches' she heard the man barely whisper under his breath. No no, Winry and her wrenches. Ivy corrected in her mind. She seriously hoped that she'd never be within firing range of that thing.

By the time they had gotten to the roof, (how Winry knew they had to have been on the roof, Ivy had no idea) the two brothers were laying on the ground fist bumping. "Looks like you won't need to throw a wrench, after all." Which was great since Ivy wasn't sure how much more Alphonse's armor could take.

Winry nodded with a smile. "Mr. Hughes," she started, looking at the scene happily. "maybe you don't have to say something out loud but it sure is helpful sometimes."

Hughes smiled himself, "I guess you're right."

"I'm still trying to figure out how your pocket can hold a wrench that big without anyone noticing." It had been a few days since Alphonse quite literally had some sense knocked into him and Ivy still had yet to figure out the secret behind the Mary Poppins-like pockets Winry had in her skirt.

"You're still thinking about that?" Winry laughed, clutching an envelope.

They were on their way back from the train station, buying tickets for a place called Dublith. It was hard to believe that she would already be heading back to Resembool considering the big deal she made about going home. Then the Philosopher's Stone thing happened and here Ivy was. Her short journey was over for now as Edward and Alphonse would be going back to their teacher's. "Obviously!" She exclaimed. "That wrench was huge! And you just had it in your pocket?"

"Well how else is a girl supposed to protect herself when she's in the big city?" Winry countered, raising an eyebrow. "This isn't Resembool so I wanted to make sure I was safe!"

"I don't even have a good rebuttal for that. That's actually really smart."

"That's why you should start carrying yours with you." Winry said pointedly. "I gave you that toolbox for a reason."

"I thought it was for light maintenance."

"And protection!" Winry laughed.

I'm done with her. "I'll keep that in mind from now on if we ever go to another big city." Whenever that's gonna be. Ivy thought.

"We're back!" Winry announced when they finally arrived at Edward's hospital room. "Um, what's wrong with you guys?" She asked when she noticed how Edward and Alphonse and even Hughes and Armstrong were staring out the window.

"Oh nothing… just a storm passing through." Edward coughed.

"A storm?" Ivy cocked her head to the right. She shot Winry a look. "We were just outside and the weather was great."

Winry shrugged, "I stopped asking about stuff like this a long time ago." She held up the tan envelope. "We got the envelopes you guys wanted for Dublith."

"Must you rush?" Armstrong inquired, his blue eyes staring Edward down. "Your wounds haven't even completely healed yet."

Edward scoffed at the man's concern. "I can't stay in a place that smells like disinfectant forever! I'm leaving tomorrow." He gave Alphonse's back a hearty pat. "With the way things have been going, we decided to go back to Dublith and visit our old alchemy teacher and-" he paused when he noticed Alphonse's trembling.

"I think I'm too scared, Brother." He whimpered. "There's no way she's not gonna kill us!"

Tears streamed comically down the older Elric's face. "Don't you chicken out on me, Al! I'm scared too!"

Ivy scrunched her face. Yeah, she was definitively glad that she didn't decide to go with alchemy. "Where's Dublith at anyway?" She asked. She was supposed to know this world like the back of her hand in most people's eyes, so she might as well learn more about Amestris' geography.

Alphonse tore away from his and Edward's scared brother bundle, pointing at Dublith's name on a map that happened to be on a table. "Oh, it's right here. Right in the middle of Southern Amestris."

"Oh co-" Ivy froze when she saw the name right above Dublith. "Yo, Winry." She whistled. "Come look at this."

"What is i-" Winry's jaw went slack before she let out a gleeful scream.

"W-what is it!?" Alphonse winced.

"Look, right before Dublith!" Winry spun around dramatically and Ivy swore that for the briefest of seconds she saw blooming red roses and sparkles appear. "It's the holy land of automail engineering!" Winry practically sang, extending one of her arms dramatically in the air. "It's Rush Valley!" Winry's eyes were gleaming like stars as she shook her arms excitedly. "We have to go, we have to go, we have to go, you have to take us!"

"Go there yourself!" Edward crossed his arms.

"Someone has to pay for my travel fare!"

"Well why does it have to be me!? Make Ivy do it, she's the one into engineering!"

"Yeah, um, I'm broke?" Ivy coughed, taking a step away. "I can't pay for jack."

"See?! So you have to take us!"

"I don't have to take you guys anywhere!" Edward snapped.

"Oh what's the harm?" Alphonse shrugged. "It is on the way."

"... Fine." Edward grumbled, looking away. "Only if Al wants to."

Ivy grinned and leaned playfully into Alphonse's armor. "Way to go, Alphonse! This is why you're my favorite younger brother!" She completely ignored Edward's 'hey!' as Winry spun around gleefully. "Looks like we're finally going to Rush Valley!" Ivy pumped a fist.

"We are!" Winry bounced, giving Ivy a tight squeeze. "I have to tell, Granny! This is totally worth a change of plans! I'll be right back!" Winry declared, jogging to the door.

"She's gonna make someone a fine wife someday." Hughes said once she was no longer within hearing distance. "Not as great as my wife of course, but she'll make someone very happy."

Ivy's warm feeling turned cold.

Just when she thought the bitterness left her.

"Are the two of you obsessed with fighting or something?" Winry asked from her seat beside Ivy on the train. "I can't believe you're going to Dublith just to get better at fighting."

Edward scowled from the seats directly in front of them. "The reasons aren't that simple, geez." He grumbled. "Al and I have been losing too many fights lately, so we need to get stronger physically. And we also need to get stronger on the inside too."

"And is there a second reason?" Winry crossed her arms.

Alphonse nodded, "we wanted to ask our teacher about transmuting human beings." The younger Elric answered. "The whole time we trained together, our teacher never taught us anything about the Philosopher's Stone or human transmutation."

"And the closer we get to the Stone, the more dangerous it gets." Edward added, placing his chin on his hand. "So we thought the best thing to do would be to ask our teacher directly about whether there's a way to get our bodies back to normal. And other stuff." The look Edward sent Ivy was so brief she almost missed it.

"Well, I'm wishing you luck."

A nod was returned. "We can't afford to be timid anymore." Edward continued. "We have to go ahead and ask her, even if it means that we get killed….. She's gonna kill us when she finds out what happened."

Gloom filled the air in record timing as the lighting on the train made it look as if tears were streaking down Alphonse's face. "I wish I could have at least gotten myself a girlfriend before I died."

"Maybe y'all should get a different teacher, damn." Ivy shuddered.

"Well, at least there's something that might cheer you up." Winry shuffled the bag she had received from Gracia earlier. Ivy's mouth watered as the blonde whipped out the large apple pie Gracia had made that morning. Winry had helped while Ivy kept Elycia distracted with tickle games. "Tah-dah!" She announced proudly. "I helped Mrs. Hughes make it!"

"It sure is big." Edward sweated.

Winry gave a nervous chuckle, "yeah, I think she made enough for four people." Winry carefully passed Ivy and Ed some slices to start. "At least we know we'll have extra to spare in case we get hungry again. We can have apple pie for breakfast."

"You can have my share, Ed." Ivy was sure the boy would be grinning if he had the ability to.

"God this is the best apple pie I've ever tasted." Ivy moaned with her first bite. It was like the heavens themselves had blessed upon Gracia the skill of badass cooking. "Mrs. Hughes is an amazing cook."

Winry nodded in agreement. "She taught me the recipe so I'll make it for you when you get your original body, Al." Ivy could only wonder what anyone who might have been listening in on this conversation would be thinking they were talking about without the context. But it looked like no one had even batted an eyelash.

"I guess this is what you call 'real home cooking'." Edward munched out praises an old man would deliver.

"Okay, Grandpa." Ivy snickered slapping away a gloved hand that was surely trying to give her a light swat.

Winry giggled at the exchange. "Mr. Hughes has such a nice family. I really loved staying with them."

Ivy smiled fondly herself thinking about the man. Even when she thought she was in the deepest shit, he still managed to stay calm and smile reassuringly. "You know, I don't really know my dad. I get calls from him sometimes but nothing more than that. Mr. Hughes is like those dads you see in family movies that you project onto." Ivy blinked when she felt a leg brush against her own and saw Winry giving her a small smile.

It's okay, her expression read.

Ivy nodded again in appreciation. "He's a really nice guy."

"More like smothery." Edward puffed his cheeks. "I didn't ask Superdad to follow me around all the time."

"But he would still come to your hospital room all the time just to talk to you." Alphonse reminded his brother.

"Every damn day." Edward mumbled over the last bit of his apple pie. "Even when he would go on about how busy things were at work, he'd manage to make time to visit me everyday." Despite his gruff tone, a smile was on Edward's face as he went on.

"We should figure out something nice to do for him the next time we're there." Alphonse suggested, looking at his brother.

"Yeah." Edward said fondly. "We should."

Author's Note

And here is chapter 13! 2 updates, 1 day.

I forgot how much fun I have writing this story.

Speaking of which, the gang is finally heading to Rush Valley where a new arc of the story begins! A metaphorical reset for the cast as Edward and Alphonse decide to backtrack and study under their teacher once more and Winry and Ivy head to the holy land of automail engineering. Man, I have been waiting to finally bring this arc to life and I hope you guys have to. It might seem smug to toot my own horn (but fuck that, Author Confidence ain't a crime!), but I do feel like I'm doing a good job so far with Ivy as a character compared to her first incarnation I came up with when I was like… 14? I feel like she is a lot more grounded a character and that I am keeping things surprisingly realistic for an Another World fic. And the bit with Hughes? I enjoyed writing. I loved the Another World FMA fic trope for a long time and with basically every OC being someone who was an established fan of the show, the train is always one of guilt since they knew and never stopped it knowing Hughes' death acted as a catalyst for the series.

I really wanted to bring something different with Ivy's character especially considering how cliche she was originally. I guess I realized over time that just because your OC isn't involved in the heavy shit or big scenes canon characters may be in, it doesn't make your OC any less valid.

I feel like during the hype of 'FMA Another World' fics on FFN, one major problem developing writers had was inserting their OC into scenes that maaaybe they shouldn't have been in unless the story actually required it. Like, an OC with zero fighting ability being shoved into moments like the Fifth Lab if there really is no reason for the character to be there (which I admittedly did with Ivy in the og AFD, I am not guiltless of this). Ivy may be a physical character but from how I write her, there was no reason I had to justify her actually being there if I felt that Edward and Alphonse would stop her immediately. And in the original incarnation of Ivy, she was just a couch potato so her going there would have made even less sense. (And just because I know how longwinded I can get, you can bet that this got really long. So to do y'all a favor, I wrote everything that would be here in my profile. If anyone reading this has been interested in writing their own FMA fic involving an OC protagonist, check out my profile for some tips and tricks you might find useful.)

Anyway to avoid making my author's note an essay, I'll stop here. I hope some of you guys check out my on-profile essay and tell me what you think. And feel free to send me messages!

And of course, I love it when y'all leave reviews! Talk to you next time, I'm working on ch15 now!