I can't believe the kind of response I'm getting to this story considering how fast I'm uploading it! It's incredible! I guess that you people really like weird ideas, don't you? Heh...um...you guys wouldn't consider reviewing each chapter to give me a higher review rating, would you? Heh, just thought I'd ask, never hurts to ask, hehe. You can say "Blah" each time for all I care...It would just be cool to have a nice high review rating, though I realize that I technically don't need it, since I know my story's good...but...well, I can dream, can't I?

Still don't own. I'm too lazy to come up with anything creative. Besides, I need to go and make myself some ramen, or I won't have enough brainpower to continue writing this story tonight, so you can all have something to read upon awakening, hehe. Yep, ramen is brainfood.

After a few minutes, the incredible pain calmed down in Edward's body, and he was finally able to swim to the surface. His head popped out above the surface of the water, and he gulped in the air like it was the most wonderful thing in the world. How had he survived? He had been so sure he was going to die.

He shrugged at his own thoughts. No matter, as long as he was alive, nothing else was important. He thought that he should probably get himself out of the water though, so he made to swim over to the dock, but his legs seemed to still refuse to cooperate. He sighed and ducked beneath the water so that he could paddle over to the dock with just his arm power.

It had taken quite a bit of his energy to swim with just his arms, but he made it to the dock. Now, to just get himself up on it. He reached up and grabbed hold of it, and then, using all his strength, picked himself up and thrust himself on it.

Edward lay on the dock, panting for several minutes, just trying to get his breath back. He couldn't help but notice that that dehydration feeling was starting to surface again. This was getting really annoying. Surely he wasn't this weak, was he? He pushed himself up to a sitting position and looked out over the lake. It sure looked welcoming in the water. He kind of wanted to jump back into it, and he was starting to think that he probably should, due to the dehydration feeling taking over him.

He sighed and brought up a hand to wipe off the sweat forming on his forehead, and then he rested it in his lap, only to jerk his hand back in surprise. That had felt weird. He looked down to see what his hand had touched, and his face turned white. His legs appeared to have fused together into a greenish-silver mass that was covered with scales.

Edward hesitantly touched this new sight before him, and was quite shocked to find that not only could his hand feel the sensation, but that this...thing...was sending off sensory information as well...indicating that it was part of him.

He quickly ran his hand up his...legs...and soon found that the transformation had occurred from the waist down. He still appeared to be quite normal above that point, but his waist and legs had completely transformed.

Edward closed his eyes and tried to force back tears. He couldn't take this, not on his birthday especially. He turned his face upward and threw out his arms. "What is this? Is this some cruel joke?" he yelled to no one in particular.

He then put his face in his hands and started to sob. What kind of monster was he? "Mom," he mouthed, "Was I always like this? Are you even...my mother?" He reached to his chest to finger the pendant once again, but realized to his horror that it wasn't there. It must be at the bottom of the lake! Without a second thought, he launched himself off the dock.

He wasn't quite sure how to control this strange new body of his, but he knew he had to find that necklace. He absolutely had to, no matter what. Edward, he thought to himself, If you don't have separate legs to work with, you're just going to have to work with what should be your legs as one.

It was quite awkward, but he soon figured out how to at least move in the water, though he wasn't very good at it. Strangely, he had forgotten to take a deep breath before going under the water, but he didn't seem to be suffering from not doing so, like he could actually breathe under the water.

What am I, some kind of merperson or something? No, that's stupid, Edward, merpeople don't exist! Just concentrate on finding that necklace. He was lucky that he wasn't needing to constantly return to the surface for air, because that little necklace was being quite elusive.

He sighed, which surprised him that he could do that underwater, and was about to give up when he caught sight of something shiny below him. He dove down to where it was, and found...his auto-mail! Shocked, he quickly examined his right arm and where his left leg should've been, having not noticed that they had returned to the form they should've been in. Well, the ARM had returned to its proper form...he wasn't quite sure about the leg. Maybe the same force that had transformed him had restored him as well.

He pawed through the debris around the auto-mail, and was soon met with a small chain. Edward smiled. This might be it. He tugged at the chain, and out popped the distinctive snail snell pendant he had worn all these years. He quickly grabbed it with both hands and held it lovingly up to his face. Thank you, Mom, for helping me get this back.

He quickly slipped it back over his neck and headed up to the surface. When his head popped above the water, he took a look around. The sun was getting quite low in the sky. It surprised him, as he hadn't realized that he had been under the water that long. He sighed. Winry and the others were probably worrying sick about him, but what was he to do? He couldn't very well go home. He didn't even have the means to get there. Going home required a set of legs, and he didn't appear to have that luxury at the moment.

Edward turned to look back in the direction that the Rockbell house was. He saw a small white light flashing on and off. A tear rolled down his cheek. They were worried about him, and were calling him home, but he couldn't come home.

"What kind of birthday was this?" he mumbled to himself as he sank below the waters of the lake.

Okay, remember, leave reviews, okay? I'll get up the next chapter as soon as possible, once I get my ramen, heh. See you soon, I hope!