I'm so sorry that this had taken so long to do, but I was just so stressed with homework, school, having one night class that made doing my homework a living hell because of how it was bolted into my schedule, my ever growing shaky relationship with my mother, and so much more. And now that I'm on summer vacation I over indulged in my break that Taradongirl1 had contacted me last night and that made me have a heart attack and reminded me that this fic existed. I just feel like I ran into a wall.

Plus to deal with the stress I made the Eridan Ampora Defense Essay and now that is evolving into Homestuck Is Garbage and Here's Why - which is modeled after Lily Orchard's Essays but will contain some jokes and such to make the video easier to digest and be far better than my lazily slapped together previous essay - which people honestly need to learn to pay attention and take notes on if they really want to argue against her and actually understand her work the fucking lazy asses.

And it's all just been hell for me. I'm sorry for forgetting about this and just hitting that wall at Mach 10. I just need a break. This would've been a lot longer but fucking hell Grammarly just can't deal with this cite. So here is my small defense for Lily Orchard before anyone fucking bitches:

She doesn't shove her opinions down your throat - That is her channel, those are her videos, of fucking course they're her opinions.

She uses that tone of voice to make it seem like she is doing a lecture or reading an essay at a podium the version of her on line isn't who she is in reality you cuck.

She can't be a rapist when she herself has been raped so please come back to reality.

She can't be a pedophile because if she was she wouldn't call out the one fandom that literally hides pedophiles like its their jobs! (citing: Glass of Water - Blame and Groom, Blame and Groom Addendum; Another Pedophile Rises, Tries To Echo Enabling Nonsense, and Creepy Starlight Fan Scams Artists, Threatens People, and Preys on Minors)

She can't be a Zoophile because she hates the furry community for that very reason even going as far as calling Lucario "furry fodder".

If she didn't respect people's opinions then she wouldn't make nearly 16 minuets or longer videos specifically addressing those opinions and going even further to address problems and such, (Glass of Water - Base Breaker, and You're Wrong and That's Okay)

And before you all start citing Sara Z please direct your attention to Bite's "Misrepresenting Lily Orchard: Director's Cut | A Response to Sarah Z" along with Lily's response to Sara's video, "Glass of Water - Bad Media Criticism". Lily's video on Steven Universe is looking at the themes mainly and even dismisses Sugar's writing to tunnel vision or just being inexperienced (stupid), so please just pay attention to these videos.

And lastly, before you all start telling me that she doesn't like people making rebuttals, then you all must be those who say her SU video is easy to debunk but never bring your proof to her and expect her to give up. She does want rebuttals. When I made a simple ask to Sketchy the Changling one of his trolls (who dared to call Lily all those nasty things I mentioned before and dared to cite Kiwifarms like a moron) and asked me:

""""your comment to Sketchy (changeling)n is a bit iffy. No, you shouldnt have to elaborate on why you like/dislike something. some people cant even answer that, they just know they hate something/like something. Simly put, i also like fluttershy cus she's adorable. why would i need to give a drawn out explanation on why i like things/anybody has to do that. simply put, they dont. it is condescending to ask that tbh"""""""

I replied with this:

Actually, it isn't if you take some time to think about it. Also, I only used the "Why I like _" as an example because the ask box on Tumblr has a word limit so I couldn't put what I actually wanted.

What you and a lot of people don't realize is that sketchy-the-changeling and Lily-Orchard are very passionate about what they do. This is Lily's job and Sketchy's hobby that he is very serious about and they take it extremely seriously which is reasonable, anyone who is serious about their job or hobby would want interesting discussions to see if their opinions change, to see if they could figure out if they are doing something wrong or if they could do better in certain areas. They want interesting discussions which could lead them to different conclusions and the like. You wouldn't just go up to a professional Cinematographer and just say "Your movie looked pretty." They'll just say "Thanks" and walk away. They won't hold a conversation with you because you didn't give them the substance they're looking for.

What that Cinematographer wants to hear would be something like, "I love the way you utilized the lighting and dutch angles to create such a gloomy atmosphere in the third act! I felt so Claustrophobic in that scene!" That would lead to some interesting conversations and the compliment would hit harder than the first one.

What Sketchy wants to hear is, something along the lines "The show writers missed a character growth and interaction oppertunity with Pinkie Pie and Apple Jack. Apple Jack has a low tolerance with lollygagging and Pinkie Pie does that all the time, she could have learned how to be more observant and courteous because Apple Jack would take no time to pull her to the side and tell Pinkie to cut it out. However, Apple Jack would also learn to be a bit more patient or even act with a bit more tact – not that she needs it but the show writers could add that in because some kids will need to learn this as well. This would've been an extremely interesting episode!" If I dropped that into his ask box right now, it would probably start a thread that would last a good while or he might get a good idea for a new video. This is what he is looking for. Not a mundane conversation. But a conversation that could lead to different scenarios or outcomes or the way the show is portrayed. They want something that is challenging for them.

Lily wants to hear something along the lines of, "The songs Luna's Future and Open Up Your Eyes were actually held back by the animation. The animators didn't go far enough. If you close your eyes while listening to them and let your imagination take the wheel you'll see what I mean, or if you watch the animatic by Jaykeyblue you'll see how far they could've taken it!" This right here could lead to some interesting discussions on the animation of the movie and the show and how some musical numbers aren't held back by the music itself rather the animation.

Do you see what I mean? They want people to elaborate because of the fact that they want an interesting discussion that might have something that they are looking for or didn't even know that they wanted. They don't want interesting discussions to be buried by bland ones or a thousand questions that they had already answered but the people were too lazy to just put that ask in their search box to see if that question was already answered or to simply google the definition of the word they were going to ask about. This is not Condescending. This is not talking down to people. This is just getting tired of not getting the bare minimum of what they ask for. They've asked time and time again and no one has listened. If you got bombarded with such disrespect you would also ask your audience for that bare minimum and if they didn't give it to you would react the same way. A Professional wants to be treated like a Professional and that is what they are. They do goof around but they act profession at the end of the day.

I'm sorry if this isn't the answer you were expecting, however, it is the truth.

Lily Orchard wants a well thought out argument. Not a "Yuh-huh!" "Nu-uh!" spiral. So please, use your heads. Get a pen, a paper, and pay attention to her work and make an actual rebuttal or make your own opinion and quit listening to the idiots from GamerGhazi.

Sorry for this small essay. Lets get to the fic...

"I know some people are going to harp on about the lesson was about learning to respect a difference of opinion, but a different opinion should only be respected if the person expressing it can be bothered to think it through and express it thoroughly. If you're just opening your and exhaling a lot of nothing as Quibble does throughout most of the episode then your opinion doesn't deserve respect! Why should anyone else respect your opinion when you don't respect your own opinion enough to put any effort into it? Quibble's remarks about the change in tone and theme deserves respect, but his earlier verbal diarrhea does not! I could sit here and write out a two-thousand word essay on why Gauntlet of Fire is an amazing episode with a wonderfully profound theme about the harms of overwhelmingly toxic masculinity, and someone else could walk in and say *Gauntlet of Fire is good because Ember is a sun-dried tomato* and by the magic of the Internet's cognitive dissonance both those opinions are considered to be one-hundred percent equal, and that is bullshit!"
- Lily Orchard (Glass of Water - Base Breaker [4:06 - 4:58])

Chapter Nineteen

Training and Learning! Will Winry win?

"A sound soul dwells within a sound mind and a sound body."

"Humankind cannot gain without first giving something in return. To obtain, something of equal value must be lost. That is Alchemy's first law of Equivalent Exchange."

"OPPONENT?!" Winry felt her heart sinking further.

"You cannot use the twins though." Stein said.

Kilik was a dark-skinned boy with dreadlocks. He didn't seem fazed by the request his professor made. He walked down the steps and made it to ground level as he adjusted his glasses.

"You sure about this Professor?" asked Kilik.

"Positive." Stein said, "Now, Winry, I sense you're nervous, but don't worry. Now, I want you to focus on your target, no one else is here. Alright."

She gave a nervous nod.

"Begin!" said Stein.

Kilik charged. He was about to punch her, what could she do?! She froze like a deer in headlights. She needed to react! She stepped to the side and swung her wrench at the back of his head.

Kilik faltered for half a second and rubbed the back of his head as she backed away from him making a great amount of distance from him. He decided to take a moment to analyze the situation. It was quite obvious she was inexperienced with fighting telling by how she froze

He glowered at her and was about to make another move, this reminded Winry that Stein never really said to stop. Swiftly she threw her wrench, he tried to dodge it but much like always what happened to Ed – bullseye.

Unlike Ed however he didn't fall back – he's likely had to deal with much worse, he took advantage of the moment to run and grab Winry by the arm and trip her to pin her to the floor. She lost the small fight despite making the most hits.

"Alright that's enough you two. Kilik go back to your seat." said Stein.

Kilik nodded released her, helped her up and then got the wrench and handed it to Winry smiling, "Hope to see you in the EAT class."

Winry took it and dusted herself off, "Thanks…" she watched him go up to his seat. She noticed that he sat between two… toddlers…

Was this school just THAT sick?!

"Now class, what kind of fighter would you say Winry would fall under?" asked Stein.

A boy with black hair that had a hair spike on either side of his head, shot his hand up. His glasses had swirls on them.

"Yes, Ox Ford?"

"Mixed fighter, a combination of ranged and close combat. Though her close combat needs work. She froze for several moments when Kilik closed the gap. Her ranged abilities are spot on though!" said Ox Ford in one breath.

"Excellent observation," smiled Stein, "Now what kind of Weapon would be best suited for her, aside from a Wrench?"

There was a moment of silence for the class before several hands shot up.

"Yes, Kim?"

"A Mirror would work, sir, like Tezca!" answered the pink haired girl.

"That is a good one." Stine complimented.

A mirror was a weapon?

"Yes, Kidd?"

"A gun, perhaps." said Kidd, "They can be used for both, close combat and ranged."

"Another good suggestion. Maka?"

"A Chain-Scythe like the one Tsubaki can turn into or even FullMetal's form," Maka said, "I've seen Black Star use it in both ranged and close combat."

"I wouldn't expect anything less from our top student." Stein smiled, "Kilik?"

"A Javelin, sir." said Kilik, "A javelin can be thrown to impale enemies, and can also be used to fight like a staff or a spear. Seeing how she aims for the head, giving her, a javelin would make her Keishin hunting extremely efficient."

Winry blushed at the praise.

"Nice observation." Stein complimented, "What about you, Sid? What do you think?"

"Now that is a good question." Sid hummed, "Well this is probably just my bias talking, but I'd say a Knife would be a good weapon to start her off before trying any other weapon. It would give her a chance to try both close combat and ranged. If she'd prefer ranged, a javelin or a gun would work, maybe even a mirror, bow, a whip or even a boomerang. But if she likes close combat more, she can stick to the knife or go with a scythe, a hammer, baton, staff, and more. I'm actually rather impressed at that aim, even Kidd misses and he's a Grim Reaper!"

"Sid, do you mind going to the NOT classes and getting some of the Weapons that do not have partners, and bring them here?" asked Stein.

"Sure." Sid smiled, when he walked passed Winry he patted her on the shoulder and whispered, "Good job!" before walking off.

"Now I'm sure you've all guessed what kind of class we're doing today." Stein said, turning the screw in his skull a couple times. "We're going to be studding on how to see what compatible and incompatible souls look like. You see class, when compatible souls meet, they'll immediately resonate with each other, not in true soul resonance, but rather minor resonance, their souls don't bounce wavelengths but rather their wavelengths don't disrupt each other or cancel out."

Winry meekly raised a hand.

"Yes, Winry?" asked Stein.

"How can someone… like me, who doesn't see souls, tell if I'm compatible with someone?" she asked.

"Good question," Stein smiled, "Now, have you ever felt like someone, just by their mere presence alone, rubs you the wrong way. That you just don't think you can bring yourself to like them?"

"Sort of." Winry answered.

"Well what about when you first meet someone, and some you two just immediately get along despite not knowing each other too well?" Stein asked.

Winry nodded, "Yes actually."

Tsubaki and Maka fit that category perfectly. He liked them the moment she met them. They were very nice and understanding. Especially Tsubaki, something told her that the more time she spent with the two she'd get along with them swimmingly.

"That's how." Stein said. "That feeling is your soul telling you whether or not that person's soul is compatible to yours."

Suddenly Sid came back, "Stein I brought the students."

"Bring them in." Stein said.

Three students walked in and looked at the EAT Class nervously. Winry waved at them nervously, one of them nodded at her and another waved back sweetly.

"Winry, these are, Eternal Feather," Sid gestured to the girl who waved back, she had two black braids. "Kana Altair," a short girl with blond hair and an orange hood with cat ears on it, "and Aaron." A boy with brown hair that covered his eyes. He wore a large pair of headphones.

"Feather is a Butterfly Knife." said Sid, "Kana is a Cat-o-Nine-Tails, and Aaron is a bow."

"Now class," said Stein to the EAT Students, "I want you to pay attention to how their souls interact with each other." He then turned to Winry, "Take your pick Miss Rockbell."

Winry felt more nervous than before. Not only did she have to be watched by the entire class, she had to pick someone, and it wasn't like pick someone for your dodge ball team, no it was more like pick one like the way you'd pick your pet or a pair of shoes. It was so weird. Plus, she didn't really think that she could wield a knife, or any of them really. She got the feeling that Feather was perfectly capable by herself. Winry was also extremely unsure about Kana, unlike Aaron who Winry felt would be far easier to deal with than Ed – she didn't know why but she got the feeling that Aaron was a bit easy going.

"Aaron, do you think you'll be able to put up with me?" she asked.

He gave a shrug, "Sure."

His voice seemed to be a bit monotone, but it showed that her judgement was true.

"Alright then, Aaron, stay here, as for the two of you, you can go back to class." said Stein.

The two NOT students nodded and walked off.

"Now let's get to the fun part of the class." smiled Stein, "Let's go outside. Sid, please get Spirit."

"Okay." Sid nodded.

Winry and Alphonse had an odd feeling about this lesson.

On their way outside, Spirit Albarn, a tall red-haired man with green eyes who was Maka's father and the resident 'Death Scythe', joined the group. When they got outside they saw a rather familiar woman. Winry felt a little odd seeing Blair, the strange woman that used magic and lived in a pumpkin house that Mustang met and talked about. She was dressed up as a witch.

"Now class, for those of you who don't know," began Stein, "this is Blair, she isn't a Witch, she is actually a cat with an absurd amount of magical power. She is going to be practice for you should you all ever encounter a Witch. Many Meisters have lost their lives challenging Witches. So, Blair is the best way to practice. No killing her – just because she has eight souls doesn't mean you can just kill her and take what few souls she has left, they won't do you any good, you need the soul of a Witch, not a magic cat."

"Oh, this is gonna be so much fun!" beamed Blair, "Hey boys, after this wanna go and take a bath with me?"

Soul covered his nose, Kilik rolled his eyes, Kidd looked to the side and took a long deep breath, Ox Ford didn't seem to react nor did the boy next to him with the odd glasses, Black Star seemed to be a bit fazed but not as much as Soul. Alphonse's face went pretty red. Arron on the other hand merely said, "Thanks but no thanks."

"Alphonse," said Stein, "Since your brother isn't here at the moment, I want you to use Spirit for practice – he doesn't have chains like your brother, but he's still a scythe."

Alphonse was, despite his encounter with Stein yesterday, still confused about all that, but he reluctantly nodded.

"Winry, now I want you to stay in the back lines, just because Kidd uses guns and he goes into the front line, doesn't mean you can, you're still new to this, plus a bow is very different than a gun." Stein said.

Winry, sweat dripping down the back of her neck, nodded and said, "Alright…"

"Begin!" exclaimed Stein.

In flashes of light, the Weapons transformed. The twin toddlers transformed into large, bulky gauntlets. Soul and Spirit transformed into Scythes of light that spun in the air for several seconds, got in front of their partners to be grabbed and their true forms revealed by the disappearing light.

Alphonse was shaking where he stood his mind was racing and trying to comprehend what just happened. It took him a second, but he nervously grabbed the Death Scythe, and spun him around till the momentum ceased, much like the way Maka did with Soul.

The Thompson sisters transformed into guns which Kidd held oddly. Tsubaki became a dual sided Chain Scythe. A black-haired girl next to Kim transformed into a flame lantern which Kim held confidently. The boy with the weird glasses next to Ox transformed into a golden spear.

Aaron transformed into an elaborate bow with a wing-like design. Luckily for him, Winry snapped out of her amazement in time to catch him.

"Um, how am I supposed to use you… you don't have any arrows…" Winry murmured as everyone else, except for Alphonse, took off towards Blair who jumped into the air and summoned a giant pumpkin to ride.

Spirit snapped Alphonse out of his nervousness by speaking to him.

"Alphonse, right? Look, I need you to take a deep breath and relax."

"What?" Alphonse said, "How am I supposed to relax, I'm wielding a chimera and fighting a person who defies the laws of nature?! Sure what Stein said might be true – possibly but still! And how the hell are you talking to me?! You don't have a mouth at this moment!" He kept that thought to himself.

"Your soul wavelength is out of control, now calm down." Spirit said.

He took a long deep breath and tried to calm down and stop shaking.

He was on a mission with his brother.

He was on a mission with his brother.

He was on a mission with his brother.

"That's better." said Spirit, "Now let's see what you can do."

Alphonse nodded and watched as a giant flaming pumpkin slammed into the ground in front of him just as he backed off only for the force of the blast to send him flying a bit, but he used the scythe like he would with a spear to balance himself and land on his feet.

He then took another deep breath, held down his fear and charged forward joining the fray.

"I don't use ammo," said Aaron, his voice emanating from the weapon he had become, slightly freaking Winry out, "Like the Thompson sisters, I use my Meister's soul wavelength as ammo."

"My… wavelength." Winry said nervously.

"Think about it like this…" said Stein suddenly. "You're a large pine tree that regenerates its pines at a pretty rapid rate, and what Aaron does essentially is taking one of those pines and using it as ammo."

"Oh…" said Winry. "That does help a bit."

She took a small breath and pulled back the string. To her shock a glowing golden arrow appeared out of thin air, in between her fingers. It was completely physical. She aimed. She saw Alphonse jumping on to a pumpkin and there was one coming in from the side, but it seemed the others were busy trying to fend off and evade several other flaming pumpkins. She aimed at the one coming for Alphonse then released the arrow.

BANG!

Stein and Sid were genuinely impressed.

It was easy for them to tell that she had never used a bow before and she had chosen Aaron specifically to stay in her comfort zone that was keeping a distance from her and her opponent and not be in the front lines. And that aim and timing of hers was spot on. Thanks to the blast Alphonse wasn't hurt and the power from the explosion was enough to get him onto another pumpkin and slice at Blair. Though he did miss because of her incredible speed.

Stein was so intrigued by Winry's soul. Her soul was bigger than the average human's almost enough to engulf her entire body. Its shape was very interesting, it was covered in gears and medical supplies, two things that don't really go together all that often. Her wavelength was something else entirely. Her wavelength was almost exactly like his own. Strong and flexible. Her analytical skills were practically in top form but seemed to be focused on different things. She wasn't analytical in the same way as Alphonse and FullMetal, but in a different area altogether. She was likely a mechanic but also a doctor like him.

She seemed to get the hang of it rather quickly. She shot a second arrow. A Third. A fourth. And a fifth! Each arrow aimed at a pumpkin that could harm one of the other students. Her main focus seemed to be Alphonse and Kilik. It was easy to tell how unnerved she was about the weapon partners of Kilik Rung. It didn't sit right with her.

However, a Pumpkin headed right towards her. Dashing far above head. Alphonse saw it but didn't react in time. Before it dropped down to hit Winry, Aaron transformed back and tackled her away from the impact and the explosion. And like that it was over.

"Alright everyone, I think we had enough fun for today!" Stein said a little loudly. "I want you all to head to the Training Grounds and practice what you all have learned here and practice there with a partner that you have not fought against to gain experience fighting them. This will help you when encountering opponents with similar fighting styles, techniques and weapons. And remember a Sound Soul—"

"—Dwells within a Sound Mind, and a Sound Body." The students – except Alphonse and Winry – finished.

"Winry, Alphonse, I want you two and your current partners to come with me please." Stein said, almost making them feel like they were put under a spotlight.

Death Scythe transformed back and patted Alphonse's head, "Don't worry. It's nothing bad."

They followed Stein and Sid to a small part of the training ground with basic targets for practice along with a good area to practice with Spirit. It didn't take long for Winry to find herself being taught basic aiming and how to wield Aaron, while Alphonse was learning how to properly fight wielding Spirit while Stein acted as his opponent.

The entire time he thought about his time Izumi…

Havoc took a long drag of his cigarette before finding it to be now finished and putting it out. He sighed, exhaling the smoke, for a moment it formed a cartoonish skull before dissipating. He looked down at the book he was reading before burying his head in it. Mei rolled her eyes while her small panda, Xiao-Mei rested on her head, asleep.

"It makes sense…" Jean said with a squeak. "But…"

"It doesn't make sense…?" Mei asked.

"Yeah…" he murmured. "Basically, it's just saying, that souls can be used as a form of an energy source, but it almost sounds too believable."

"Welcome to Alchemy and Alkahestry." Mei said blandly. "You need to look at this stuff as science to understand how it works. But now we're asking, 'What are souls made of?' and that is the something no one can answer unless they actually see and feel it for themselves and if what Alphonse and Winry said is fact – which I think it is, then we're going to have to have one of them go on a mission to see if they can bring it to us and see what it's all about for ourselves."