Hello! Sorry this took so long to update, but stress in life got in the way. I hope that this chapter is worth it, and more will be on the way soon!

Disclaimer: I possess nothing!

Ed woke up, his mind putting itself together like it usually did. However, today was different; for this time, he was in another world, one filled with the woodland animals he and his brother were familiar with, only anthropomorphic. He had just recently learned many things about this place, and now like it or not, he was going to become involved in the Freedom Fighters' struggle, if only temporarily. As a result, getting his thoughts together and fully waking up took longer than usual; part of him still wanted to believe he was dreaming. But more importantly…how could they get home? The temple seemed the obvious answer, but as Ed learned throughout life the correct answers to a problem are never the simplest or the most obvious. He then turned to his side to see Al, reading a book. "Morning Al."

"Morning brother. Sleep well?" the suit of armor asked, cheery as usual.

"Given the circumstances, yeah, I did." Ed then reached for his clothes and dressed. "I'm going to see if anyone else is up, maybe get some food. Since we seem to be free for today, wanna spar a bit?" he asked as he pulled his shirt over his body.

"Of course brother. We're going to need that practice, after all."

Ed commented. "You sound pretty eager to be working with them."

Al replied "Hey, they're more than happy to help us get back. While I don't intend to stay here, I want to at least repay them for their hospitality…given the circumstances."

Ed sighed. "I know, I know…I'm just…I'm just worried, that's all." Al didn't even need to ask, because he shared his concern as well: What if they were never able to get back? "Best not to think about it for now." Ed thought. "I'll see you later, ok Al? If you need me, I shouldn't be too hard to spot in a place like this" With that, he exited the hut and took a walk outside.

Ed walked outside, checking out the rest of Knothole. The villagers were up as well, staring at him, but this time it was different now. Before, they regarded him and his brother with suspicion. Ever since they started using Alchemy to fix things, the villagers put any fear they had aside. Combined with the Princess's word, they accepted them as guests; some even smiled and waved. Edward was brought out of his musings when something caught his senses. He smelled it before, if only briefly. "Waitaminute..." Edward followed his nose, and recognized it as he got closer. "Are those...Chili Wieners?" Ed finally came to the door of one hut, and Ed knocked on it rapidly.

Just then the blue blur himself answered the door. Edward nearly went into the defensive upon seeing Sonic, as they did not start on the best of terms. "Oh...it's you." Sonic actually sounded welcoming and surprised this time around. While the hedgehog may not have been great at socializing with strangers, hearing Ed's story made him realize how wrong he was, although he would never admit it. While he probably wouldn't apologize, he figured it "Could have been worse; it could have been Knuckles or St. John at my door."

Ed scratched his head, wondering how he could possibly explain himself. On one hand, he didn't want to interact with this hedgehog. On the other, he was starving and he needed meat, badly! "Sorry. I was just looking for something to eat, and I smelled..."

"Ah, welcome to the club!" Sonic exclaimed. "I was mostly cookn' for just myself, but Sal gets on my case for eating too much. I guess I could share; would a dozen be okay for you?"

His 180 degree turn from two days ago threw Ed off, but he just smiled and replied "Sure! That'd be great!"

Ed and Sonic began chomping away on the chili dogs, both pigging themselves out. There wasn't much social interaction, but the two got along better than they had when the two alchemists first came to Knothole. That was when Ed spoke. "Sonic, can I ask you something?" he asked out of the blue.

"Fire away." Sonic stated.

"I noticed all kinds of creatures here that exist in my world, only more primitive. Are there any humans, or overlanders, as you call them, left in this world? Other than that Robotnik guy of course."

Sonic nearly choked on his Chili Dog, not expecting such a serious answer. "Uh, I think's it's best you ask Sal. History and Science has never been my strong suit."

"I'd imagine she's busy right now, and besides, I'd rather hear it from someone who's not in royalty or any other government. Diplomatics can bend the truth a little."

Sonic's first instinct was to convince him to consult Sally, but he had to agree that now was not the time to disturb her. He figured if Ed did not like the answer he received, he could ask others. "More or less, although I admit the only Overlanders I've ever known are Snotley and Buttnik themselves. I was only a baby during the Great War, the last time my kind had a major war with overlanders." Sonic took a bite of another dog and continued. "We were in conflict with the Overlanders as far back as our recorded history goes, or so Sal says. When old 'Butnik' came along, we were in the middle of a really bad war, and we were takin' heavy losses. Then, Buttnik, back then calling himself Julian, was on the run from the overlanders. My unc and dad found him, and decided to have the King get some info out of him. However, because of his smarts in science and being an overlander himself, the King appointed him warlord, believing him to be a true ally. Well...look how that turned out."

Ed couldn't imagine what would have caused a King to trust someone that much. Either he was very gullible, or...he was desperate. "He sought a way to win the war, and then he got his Kingdom taken away from him. Equivalent exchange indeed." Ed thought.

"I've heard reports of a few overlanders sighted, but it seems they went extinct for some unknown reason, as their city was abandoned." Sonic finished, explaining his limited knowledge of overlander history.

Edward looked out the window in deep thought. "It seems my kind has caused yours a lot of trouble, haven' t they?" "Just like some of us tend to do in my world." Ed thought.

For once, Sonic looked to be in deep thought for a minute. "Look...I'll be honest, we didn't trust you and your brother because of what you were at first. But we've had our own bad apples as well." Sonic smiled and asked "I mean, no one race is entirely one or the other after all, right?"

Ed sighed. "Oh boy, remind me to tell you about this guy named Scar...that's a guy with black and white vision if I ever saw one…"

Sally woke up, still feeling tired and groggy. She nearly pulled another all-nighter again, refusing to hit the hay until 4:30 in the morning; she imagined it was past ten now. Her friends have been getting on her case about her sleepless nights, and she adopted better sleeping patterns when it seemed time allowed it. But the Homunculi threw things off completely, and she felt she had no choice. "Ugh..." She powered up Nichole and went to her mirror to fix her bed hair. "Nichole, upload all files on Robotropolis and Robotnik. Also, see if you can find anything about Alchemy and Homunculi in our word."

"Processing, Sally." The computer replied.

"It's always one big mess after another." she sighed. She then turned to her desk to look at something. She vowed never to look at it again, not until they got him back, but her love for him wouldn't let her. Hesitantly, she picked up the frame, and looked. She nostalgically thought back to the times she had shared with her father, how he was one of the most caring and attentive people she ever knew. Then she thought back when she and the others went to the Zone of Silence, where he was exiled, only to find him in an amnesic and hostile state. "Daddy...what happened to you?" She cradled the picture, and struggled to not let the one tear drop; otherwise, she wouldn't be able to stop...

Al decided to follow his brother's lead and take a walk around the village, admiring the beauty of the Great Forest surrounding him. He hated to think the people here were under the threat of a madman bent on world domination, but the truth was the truth. A part of him wanted to stay and help, but the fact was that he and his brother were aliens that didn't belong in this world. Besides, once he and his brother got to the other side with the homunculi, they will be a lot better off. Still, he wished he could do something that would help the Mobians for a lifetime. Then, he heard something. It sounded like...crying. His base instincts told him to mind his own business, but his compassionate nature got the better of him. He looked into a hut, hoping he wasn't peaking in on anything. To his surprise, he saw the Princess. But instead of the calm and collected one he had gotten to know from the previous days, he saw her curled up on the floor, crying. "Uh...princess?" Al was about to wish he kept his mouth shut, as Sally looked up in surprise, causing Alphonse to attempt to hide beyond the window's borders in vain. "Ahh..."

"Alphonse?" Sally asked, her voice still strained from crying. "Is that you?"

"Forgive me your highness! I'll leave immediately!" the young boy shouted.

"It's okay!" Sally quickly tried to regain her composure. "Is there anything you need, Alphonse?" she asked, hoping it was something important.

There was a long silence between the two, before Alphonse turned around and helped himself into the hut, careful not to scrape the roof. "I'm sorry your highness...but I saw everything."

Sally looked away. It would have been one thing if Sonic, Geoffrey, even Antoine had seen her like this; they were people whom she trusted and wouldn't have made a big deal about seeing her in a moment of weakness. But to a stranger...she put those feelings aside and remained as polite as she could. "Sometimes, old memories have a way of getting to you." she replied, unsure of herself and not completely trustworthy of Alphonse in regards to personal matters.

Alphonse just looked at her, and then saw the frame. Though its picture was hidden from view, against Sally's chest, Alphonse knew what it was; after all, why else would she be crying? "That's your father in the picture, isn't it?" Sally looked at him, stunned at his intellect. She simply looked away and nodded slightly. Alphonse knew he shouldn't push it, but he couldn't help himself. He felt she needed someone. "Is it alright, if I have a look?" he asked as politely as he could. Sally hesitated, but eventually handed him the frame. Alphonse kneeled in order to avoid looking at it hunched over. He immediately identified the young mobian as Sally. He then saw King Acorn, noticing the slight species difference as he seemed to be a squirrel. Compared to the other mobians he had seen, he seemed quite tall, and wore a very regal looking outfit. He could only imagine how tiny Sally must have been back then. What really got to him, though, was the way they looked at each other; the love between them could not be denied. It reminded him of how his mother would look at him and his brother. "You must miss him very much." Sally nodded. Handing her back the picture, he said "I'm sure he's thinking of you all the time, wherever he is."

"No, he's not" Sally replied, remembering what happened when they found him in the Zone of Silence.

Alphonse would have given a stunned look if his armor body allowed it. "But how could he not be? I mean, look at the way he's looking at you in the picture..."

"My friends and I recently went on a mission into the zone where he was banished." Sally began explaining. "We only expected to find clues, but we found him. However..." Sally paused. "He didn't recognize any of us, and attacked us. I don't know if he suffered an accident, or if it was a side-effect of being trapped in the zone for so long. But..."

Alphonse placed his large hands on her shoulders. "Don't give up! You know he's alive, and now you know that one day you can bring him back! Just be strong! Some part of him has to remember...at least I hope, for your sake. If it were my mother, I would keep coming back until I dragged her out of there and would do everything I could to restore her memories. Ed more so than I." Al paused to look at his hand. "At least you have a clue on how to get your father back. Even at the best of times, Ed and I have only found hints and no promises on how to get our bodies back. But my brother and I have come too far to quit now; if we did, we may as well stop living."

Sally let his words sink in, and looked at the picture again. "You know what it's like too, don't you? To lose a parent...I couldn't imagine what it would be like, to attempt to revive the dead..." She needn't say any further; if something similar was done to her as Alphonse, she couldn't see herself living like that; she might even resent such a person for not letting her stay dead if something like that were to happen to her.

Now Al seemed to be reminiscing painful memories, and turned away. The two sat on the floor back to back, saying nothing for the longest time. Finally, Al spoke. "Mother was our entire world. It devastated us when she died. And after when we tried human transmutation, we always wondered if we DID bring mom back, but in a misshapen form. If that was true, I don't think I could forgive myself. We still don't have the answer..." Alphonse looked at his metal hand, remembering Ed's sacrifice just to keep them together. No matter how hellish living in the suit of armor was, Edward brought him back, and together they would set everything right. "I never knew my dad, you know?" he said, out of the blue. "He left the family when I was a toddler. Ed remembers him though; it must have hurt to see him leave. Every time I tried to bring dad up, Ed would snap at me and refuse to even talk about him. I imagine that I should be angry too. But...I can't. I honestly want to meet him again. Although, I can only imagine how he would react if he saw me in this hunk of armor." Alphonse then looked at Sally, as if hoping for some kind of response.

Sally traced the photograph and replied "I never knew my mother; she died when I was an infant. Back then, I just accepted it; I was too young to even think of questioning about her. But now, I feel like even if father returns, there will still be a piece of my life missing."

"You'll find out." Alphonse, said, looking out the window. "I've got a good feeling about that, once you get the king back." Changing the subject, Al turned back to her. "You're really strong, you know? To have your home and way of life turned upside down at so young an age, yet you've kept your people together, and have given them hope for better times."

Sally looked down, giving a slight, yet sad, smile. "Yeah, that's what they all say. But I worry constantly that I'm going to screw up, and in terms of overthrowing Robotnik, we haven't made much progress. Plus, I don't know if it's just me or being forced into hiding since I was little but..." Alphonse silently beckoned for her to go on. "...I just wish everyone in the village would see me as their equal. My friends do, even Antoine although to a smaller degree. But I have to be the perfect princess for everyone; show bravery, compassion, and be level-headed at all times. Everyone has their moments of weakness, but I can never show it like any normal person would. It's something I have to keep up for the good of everyone. But it's just so much…" Sally looked at Alphonse, and could have sworn she saw empathy in the hollow sockets that could be eyes.

"Stay strong." He said, reassuring her yet again. "Equivalent exchange is not just about transmuting material and trading; it's also the way life works. Your efforts will yield something one day, I promise."

Sally seemed to give his words some thought, and looked at the picture of her father again. The look in her eyes changed, they began to look more determined and sure of herself. She got up from the floor, wiping a tear from her eye and returned the photo on her nightstand, this time the picture was placed properly for everyone to see. She turned around and walked towards Al, who could see that this time, she was actually smiling. "Thank you, Alphonse..."

"Please, call me Al. There's no need to be formal with me, your highness..."

"Call me Sally. There's no need to be formal with me, either." She then offered her hand. "After all...we're friends, right?"

Alphonse seemed surprise, and although no muscles or orifice would allow it externally, Sally could see by the light in his helmet's eye sockets that he was smiling inside. Finally, he took her hand in hers and shook it gently as he could. "Yeah. Friends."

"Thank you, Al. I needed that..."

"No problem. I promise to keep this a secret."

"Al!" Edward's voice called out. "Where are ya!"

Al hastily stood up, and called out the window "Coming brother! I'll be with you in a minute!" Careful not to scrape Sally's roof, Alphonse helped himself out the door. "I'll be see you later, Sally! If you need anything, don't hesitate to ask!" With that, he took off.

Sally smiled and waved as he took off. Feeling like a great weight was lifted off her chest, at least for now, she plopped back down on her bed and stared at the ceiling. "He's such a sweet kid. And strong; most no one I know of could live like that...I don't think even I could…"

"All files uploaded, Sally, with updated information." Nichole chimed in.

"Excellent, Nichole!" Sally picked up her computer and took a look...

Sonic witnessed Ed and Al spar, watching as the two made exchanged practiced and acrobatic martial arts moves. Sonic could see firsthand why he had such a hard time with Ed. He wondered how one of them would fare against the likes of Knuckles though; that red dummy packed one hell of a punch. Still, Sonic was genuinely impressed. They didn't use any of their magic tricks ( he still could not see how alchemy could be science) and their martial skills were very much on par with what most freedom fighters trained in, if not better, and Ed seemed to be just as agile as Sally. But it seemed that it wasn't enough to beat Al. Ed launched at him with an aerial sidekick, only for Al to grab it and throw his brother to the ground. "Magicians and fighters." Sonic commented. "Go figure."

"It' not magic for the 100th time, it's Alchemy." Ed commented. "And to train the mind, you gotta train the body." He stated as he brushed himself off.

"Now that's something I could hear more of every day." Sonic commented, although he had to admit Sally lived up to that motto without ever hearing of it. Ed parried another strike from Al and did a handstand kick, only to have both legs blocked. "So, how often doya beat your brother?" Sonic asked.

"Haven't beaten him once; I still try though." Ed managed to get an elbow in, but predictably Al counterattacked with a knee, sending his elder brother into the air. Ed blocked it and received no damage, but it was clear he was still nowhere near beating Al.

Sonic, feeling bored from having no missions and no good reason to leave the village, had an idea. "Yo! Mind if I have a try? I promise not to get too crazy."

Ed thought about it for a minute, and looked to Al. He nodded, indicating he didn't have a problem with it. "Watch out, Al. That hedgehog's crazy fast." Ed turned to Sonic and smiled. "Go for it!"

Sonic revved up immediately and shot out of Al's line of sight. However, the suit of armor could hear him approaching, and ducked when Sonic tried to ambush him with a kick from behind. "Wow, he is good!" Sonic ran circles around him, forming a dust cloud. Of course, Al, not having real eyes and no respiratory system, wasn't fazed. He quickly raised an arm in an outward block when Sonic came at him with a punch. However, due to his speed, the strength of the punch was magnified, forcing Alphonse back. Sonic then noticed Alphonse was behind a tree trunk, inclined on a slope, and giving him an idea. Quick as usual, he leaped into a Sonic Spin behind Al. He rolled down the tree trunk, coming behind Al and tripping him up, the suit of armor falling down hard in surprise. "Yes! And now...!" Sonic took to the air, planning to pin Al down with a kick. However, Al reacted in time, and performed a spinning kick on his back, swatting Sonic away. The Hedgehog was taken by complete surprise, and was sent tumbling across the ground. "Man, he IS good!"

"Told ya." Ed commented, sitting on a rock and observing the match. "It's not just cause of his metal body; in terms of martial arts, he's always been better than me. Then again, considering he doesn't have the same physiology we do, I'm sure that may have something to do with it."

Sonic's legs started spinning again. "Well, what say we have another go at it?" he called, undeterred by the challenge Al presented.

Sally looked over the data Nichole had uploaded. "This is not good." Robotnik had apparently been doing some massive remodeling ever since his city was nuked twice. Sally was surprised that Robotnik himself didn't die of radiation poisoning, despite his fondness of pollution. If they were going to invade Robotropolis, it would have to be done with the utmost caution. What she found on alchemy and homunculi wasn't too promising either; in alchemy, all that was mentioned were the earliest attempts at chemistry, even the clichéd stories of turning lead into gold. Nichole couldn't come up with anything on Homunculi, meaning if the Freedom Fighters ran into the three that followed Ed through the portal, they were going to have a challenge on their hands. "Damn it." She ran her fingers through her hair, thinking of what else she could come up with. "I may have to ask Rotor to develop some restraining tools, since they can't be destroyed." Sally then heard shouting in the distance. "It's no fair you're made of steel when we're flesh and blood!" That was Sonic! "Oh great, is he fighting a…" She canceled that thought; Sonic was notorious for picking fights, but she sincerely doubted that he would be picking on the Elrics after hearing their story the other night. And from the sound of things, it sounded like he was fighting Al. Now that certainly didn't make sense; Sonic was a lot of things, but not a bully. Sally, figuring her work was done for now, went outside to have a look.

"Whoa!" Al flipped Sonic's wrist as he tried to land a punch, sending him into a tailspin and then a half-assed Sonic Spin on the ground. "Oof! Jeez, Sal's the only one I know who's got skills like this!"

"I wouldn't know about that." Ed answered. "She's tough, I can tell from personal experience." Granted, he was wounded, but he could tell that she could knock down a fully grown man if she hit him in the right place. "But to beat Al? I don't know..."

"Well, why don't we find out?" The turned towards the forest, seeing Princess Sally walking towards them. "Sparring?" she asked smiling.

Al nodded his helmet. "Teacher would always force us to spar with her while she recited to us the teachings of Alchemy. She'd read aloud from the book while blocking all our attacks, never taking her eyes off it; we never landed a blow on her from the time she took us in to the day our training ended."

Sally just and commented "Wow. You two must have fond memories of that time." Ed's face turned white, causing him to collapse on his knees, as did Al. "Okay...maybe not." Sally thought, stunned at their apparent trauma.

"So, you wanna give it a try, Princess?" Edward asked, wanting to see for himself what she was made of.

"Call me Sally, Edward." Sally replied cheerfully. "Your brother and I already done away with formalities."

That gave Ed some surprise. While she had been more level-headed and polite than most of the higher-ups in his world, he still expected her to be somewhat haughty and demanding to be followed. Her desire to be genuine friends surprised him greatly. Finally, he grinned back and replied "Okay, but only if you just call me Ed." The two then turned their attention to Al. "Show us what you got!"

Alphonse got into a fighting stance, as Sally did the same. Alphonse attacked first, striking with a right fist. Sally cartwheeled away and launched herself off the ground with a spinning kick. Al blocked it (although considering the size difference that may have been unnecessary), and as soon as Sally landed, tried to catch her with a round kick. Sally simply ducked under. Al turned to face her again and came at her with a front kick. Sally, however, jumped on top of his leg and launched herself towards his helmet. "What the-!"

Sally took the helmet and leaped off of Al's body. She touched down, and held the helmet so they were meeting each other's eyes, said "Sorry; looks like I win."

"Not yet you haven't!" Al responded.

Sally looked behind her, and saw the rest of Al's body moving on its own, about to grab her in a bear hug. Sally back flipped as his hands came together. "Why didn't you tell me he could do that!" Sally shouted at Ed.

"You didn't ask!" Ed replied in a teasing tone.

"Very clever ..." Sally responded as the body continued attacking her. Then, she had an idea. "Well, let's see how you handle this!" She began spinning Al's head around wildly.

"Wait! Stop that!" Though Al did not feel dizzy, the spinning made him lose his coordination and the boy couldn't get his bearings straight.

Soon, Al's body began moving erratically, struggling for balance. Finally, it toppled over in a heap. Sally finally brought the spinning to a stop and looked at Al's helmet with a triumphant smirk "Sorry, Al; looks like I win."

"No fair." the young boy pouted. Sally quickly put the head back on, allowing Al full control of his body again.

Ed just looked stunned, while Sonic simply looked please. "Of course, always leave it to Sal's brain to figure things out."

"Uh...good job!" Ed said, still refusing to believe what he just saw. "Of course I thought about doing that, but...uh...it wouldn't be fair to Al, since ideally you couldn't do that to a normal person! At least, not without killing them!" Ed put up a hearty laugh, trying to sound unimpressed.

"Yeah, sure you did." Sally commented, rolling her eyes.

Robotnik typed away on his master computer, while Lust observed. "I have found information on the Temple Gateway. In terms of getting us to your world, I've got good news and bad news."

"Which do I want to hear first?" Lust questioned.

"The bad news is that our side of the gate needs a different mechanism as means of transportation; spilling blood will do nothing."

"And the good news is that you've found the proper method?" Hearing the bad news first meant there was a solution, Lust heard.

"Correct. A Chaos Emerald. In my world, it is the ultimate source of power. It should activate the mechanism necessary, according to the scriptures. It seems both temples are prepared in such a way that only something from their resident planet can activate them."

"The emeralds are pretty rare, though, aren't they?" Lust questioned. "Where would we look?"

"There are zones appearing all over the place from time to time. However, they're quite dangerous; nothing I haven't gone through before, but that's a method I generally try to avoid on my own." He lost count of the times Sonic would ruin his machines when he went himself. "The best place…is here." A live satellite feed of an island in the sky was on the screen.

"Impossible!" Lust exclaimed, shocked beyond belief yet again.

"When it comes to the Chaos Emerald, nothing is impossible." Robotnik replied. "The emerald is what holds up the island. I've attempted many times to get my hands on it."

"And what makes you think you'll succeed this time?" Lust questioned. An ally with repeated failures was generally not too promising.

Robotnik turned to her, smiling. "Why, I'm looking at the solution right now." He turned his attention back to the screen. "All you have to do is take out the guardian." An image of a red creature with large fists was highlighted. "Knuckles the Echidna. He's charged with protecting the emerald. He is a powerful opponent, but also very naive. He may put up a fight, but with your abilities I'm sure you'll overwhelm him. Also…" Robotnik pulled up another file that Lust couldn't quite make out. "I've detected something emitting chaos energy off the charts. It's currently in orbit, but if for any reason we can't get our hands on an actual emerald, it may be our final option."

"And just how do you plan on controlling it?" Lust questioned.

"If it's a living thing, I can think of a thing or two."

Just then, Snively walked in. "Sir, our swatbots have apprehended 3 spies, MPs of the Royal Guard it seems. I believe they are St. John's men. They are being sent to the Roboticizer as we speak…"

"Cancel that order. Bring them here, immediately." Robotnik just remembered he had a promise to keep, if only for the sake of his new alliance.

"Yes, sir. Right away, sir."

"Oh, and have any of my Sub-Bosses responded?"

"Both Crocbot and Desert Whorl have responded, and are on their way." Snively responded. "However, I don't think it's necessary to have both to guard the city."

"Of course not. Desert Whorl will guard Robotropolis; I will keep Crocbot close by; he's been acting awfully suspicious lately…" Suddenly, the door swooshed open.

The Swatbots carried what seemed to be three beavers with them. "As you commanded, master." The head swatbot stated.

"Excellent." Robotnik strolled towards the prisoners, having a look. "Well, Snively was correct. It seems that skunk indeed sent some of his to take me out. We'll have to do something about that, won't we?"

"You won't win Robotnik! Whether it's in a few seconds or another decade, you WILL fall!" one of the MPs yelled.

"I've heard it all before; I suppose robotization doesn't scare you anymore?" The MPs remained silent. "I'll take that as a no. Well, that's quite alright. You see, my guests have certain needs…and I was hoping you could fulfill them." He then screamed "Gluttony!" The childish Homunculi walked out of the shadows, sucking his finger. "I've brought you dinner." He began to chuckle evilly, while Gluttony gave the poor Mobians a ravenous look. All that could be heard from outside the tower were the screams of anguish and pain.

Sally was hard at work on Nichole again later that night. "Has Uncle Chuck been able to obtain any additional information? Preferably the Homunculi?"

"Negative, Sally. It seems Julian wants to keep a tight-lid on his new friends."

"Figures." Sally sighed. With her first priority out the way, she then turned to another pressing matter. "Have you found any records on the Temple of Chaos, and how we can activate the portal?"

"Positive." Nichole brought up the records, and Sally read through them. Her eyes widened when she finished. "Oh no…" It looked like Sally was going to have to give Knuckles a call soon. Just then, she heard a knock on her door. "Who is it?"

"It's me, Ed. Can I talk with you for a minute, Sally?" the Alchemist asked.

"Sure. Come in." the Princess replied.

Ed opened the door and helped himself inside. He looked…nervous. "I needed to ask you something…but I'm afraid you're not going to like it."

Sally just looked into him for a good second, and immediately knew the answer. "You want to know about the Roboticizer, don't you? In order to return your brother back to normal." Ed's stunned look only confirmed her suspicions; her perception would never cease to amaze him, as he would later find out. Sally simply said "Our spy would be able to tell you better than I how it works. We have a portable one, but it's not as efficient, and it is built differently than the original in Robotropolis. However, all I can tell you is this: the roboticizer can only reverse its effects on those that it roboticized previously; it would have the data necessary to turn its subjects back into flesh and blood. Otherwise, subjects would undergo a drastic cellular change; they may not even survive."

Ed seemed to have followed so far. "I understand that simply reversing it won't turn Al back to normal. But to change a carbon-based life-form into metal…that violates the law of equivalent exchange. To do so, it would have to alter one's very atoms…and that takes an enormous amount of energy. It has to have some sort of power source to enable it to do so. If I can find it…I may get a step closer to restoring Al and I."

Sally responded "I'd like to help you, especially for Al's sake. But it's risky; the data would be right in his war room…"

"…then we're just going to have to find a way to either keep him out or distracted." Ed responded. "I think if I'm there, that should be easy."

"That would be doable, but the homunculi are with him now. That will throw our usual tactics off, and besides, they know you; they'll help Robotnik anticipate your every move."

Ed couldn't refute her reasoning, but he couldn't let this go. "Sally, please." Ed pleaded. "I know we're asking so much of you already. But I've spent 3 years trying to get us back to normal. If it was just me, I would've let this slide a long time ago. But Al… if he has to spend an eternity in that suit of armor…then he would have been better off if I had just left him there."

Sally seemed to think about it for a minute. Then, she packed Nichole. "Just one more day. We'll move, and we'll help you get the necessary data."

Ed smiled. "Thank you, Sally. I appreciate it." He held out his hand, which Sally then shook.

"So, the rumors were true, you do have an overlander here." a voice said.

Edward and Sally turned around to the hut's entrance. "Geoffrey!"

This time it was a skunk with what seemed to be a crossbow stood in the doorway. Edward smelled something fairly pungent, but nothing repulsive. "Hello, luv." He said, walking to Sally and giving her a kiss on the lips.

"They can be so human at times it's scary." Edward thought.

"I thought you were down South at the base?" Sally asked the skunk.

Geoffrey tilted his head slightly, clearly ill at ease by the question. "Was. But somethn' came up. A few of my men infiltrated Robotropolis to ruin some factories…but they never came back."

"Roboticized?" Sally questioned

"We never saw any new robots come out." St. John responded. "And on top of that, those who got away reported they heard screaming. I have reason to believe they've been killed."

Sally clasped her hands over her mouth in horror. "I'm so sorry…"

"I was the one who ordered them to go, the blame solely rests with me." he said, reassuring Sally while putting on a brave face. "While Ivo is certainly capable of execution, that is normally not his style." He noted. "Something's changed."

"If that's the case, I may have a hypothesis or two." Ed chimed in.

The skunk then gave him a suspicious, if not contempt, look. "I almost forgot about you, mate. What business does your kind here have in Knothole!" he asked accusingly.

"Geoffrey!" Sally hissed, taken aback by his uncalled for behavior.

Ed had to restrain himself; while he anticipated that he would eventually find a xenophobic mobian as long as he stayed here, this guy... "My name is Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. And it's a long story. However, I can think of 3 ways in which your men may have been killed, and one comes to the top of my list."

Despite Ed being a full head and a half taller than St. John, the skunk pinned him against the wall in fury. "Listen, scum! I don't take too kindly to jokes…"

Just as Sally tried to pull him off Ed, the alchemist grabbed St John's arm with his right and threw him off. "It's no joke!"

St. John winced as he massaged his arm, taken off guard by his vice grip. "It seems you need to be taught a lesson…"

Just as he cocked his crossbow, Sonic ran inside, and pulled his wrist aside. "I knew it would be a matter of time before you'd show your ugly mug here, Le Pew."

Geoffrey pulled his hand back, further irritated by the hedgehog. "Well, perhaps you'd like to explain why you're letting a stranger, and an Overlander of all things, in your fair village!"

"Xenophobe indeed." Edward thought. He was tempted to give a creature a piece of his mind, but there was already trouble as it was.

"Ed, why don't you join your brother?" Sally asked the alchemist. "I'll take care of this."

"Sure thing. Thanks again, Sally." Ed said as he waved goodbye, thankful to be excused from a messy situation.

Geoffrey, unaware of Sally's interaction with the two brothers, tried to reprimand him. "That's Princess Sally to you, you-"

"Enough!" Sally yelled. Ed took this time to exit the hut. "What has gotten into you?" she asked St. John.

"I'd say nothn' Sal, he's just shown' his true colors." Sonic growled.

"Sonic, I don't need you aggravating things any further!" Sally shouted. At least Ed was wise enough to leave; Sonic just stayed, itching for a fight with St. John. "Let's just give you the abridged version of his story, St. John."

"No way!" Alphonse exclaimed as Tails showed him the hangar. "Flying machines? It shouldn't be possible…"

"Oh, it's the real deal!" Tails exclaimed as he showed off the Tornado and Antoine's mass carrier. "I didn't make these of course; Rotor designed them from scraps we got from raiding Robotropolis, and Antoine taught me how to fly."

After sparring with Sally, Al took the rest of the day to get to know Tails. He and Ed were brothers and would always be best friends…but it seemed they were drifting further apart as Ed aged. Al never went through any of the hormonal changes from maturing or grew tired of his favorite child past-times like Ed did. It didn't affect their relationship much, as they were both too concerned with the philosopher's stone to dwell on their childhood. But when they had some time to do so…they realized in those moments how far they had grown apart. Spending time with Tails…it felt like making a friend with a human his own age, something circumstances did not allow back at home. "I gotta take a look inside!" Al exclaimed as he ran his hand across the plane's surface. "Figure out how it works…"

"Just make sure you get clearance from Aunt Sally; we may need these planes at any moment…Hey, want to see my Duel Animal cards?" Tails asked out of the blue.

"What's that?"

"It's a card game, I'll show you!"

"Having fun, Al?" a familiar voice said.

Alphonse turned around and saw Ed walk towards him. "Brother! You need to check out these machines! They can actually fly in the air, like a bird!"

Ed took a look at the vehicles, seemingly interested but his mind was elsewhere. "I'm sure we'll see them in action soon enough." He turned back to Alphonse and addressed him. "Listen, Al. I don't want to get your hopes up for anything, especially considering how little we know about this place. But…" Ed seemed to struggle to form the words. He wasn't so sure of it himself, but he had to tell him. "…I may have found a clue to get your body back." Al's eyes would have widened if they could.

"Sending them back home is one thing princess…" St. John commented, after hearing the rough outline of what the freedom fighters' schedule would be like and the Elrics' history. "But you're going too far out of your way to help them."

"Geoffrey, if we give them the Roboticizer's plans, they'll take it home with them; even if it turns out to be useless to Ed, if nothing else, we'll put a dent in Robotnik's schemes…"

"And how do you know they'll keep their word on destroying the other temple?" St. John asked skeptically. "For all we know, those overlanders could reverse engineer roboticizers of their own and bring troops to our world."

"Well, Le Pew, they're no older than us." Sonic exclaimed, emphasizing him and Sally. "I very much doubt they have the world experience of 'Look at this evil scheme I've concocted! MWAHAHA!'."

"Ivo and his nephew were once children too, Hedgehog." Geoffrey noted, still not convinced.

"You really believe that someone whose own brother is a suit of armor would scheme for world domination when he's desperately trying to find a way to turn him back to normal?" Sonic asked in disbelief. "If something like that happened to one of my friends, I'd never stop running until I found a way to change them back."

"Do you really believe he wants to change them back? For all I know, that's no soul inside that hunk of armor; to me it sounds no different than AI programming, only with magic."

"YOU'RE WRONG!" Sally shouted, surprising both Sonic and St. John. "Al is a real boy! I may not understand alchemy, but I'm going to help Ed anyway I can to get him back to normal!"

Both were stunned silent. St John bowed "My apologies, your highness. I was only concerned for your safety as well as the villagers." Sonic took some small pleasure in seeing St. John chewed out by Sally; usually he was the one to take the brunt of her lectures, although none of them were ever THAT bad; an added plus.

"Regardless of the Elrics' intentions…which ARE benign…we still need to deal with the homunculi. So either way, it still comes down to sending them back to the temple." Sally ordered.

Sonic then spoke up. "You have any idea how we're going to lure them to the temple. From what Ed told us, these aren't your average overlanders."

"That part we'll have to make up as we go along."

Both mobian males were taken by surprise, but Sonic in particular seemed enthusiastic about it. "I like it." he exclaimed.

"Of course you would mate." St. John thought. "You're making her think like you do."

Sally added "Besides, we have another problem…Robotnik is planning to make a trip to the Floating Island."

This caught Sonic's attention. "The chaos emerald again? Fine, I'll go help that knucklehead out and take out Buttnik...I guess I owe him after what happened to me as Mecha-Sonic…" "…after some payback of course." He thought.

"Not exactly, but close." Sally exclaimed. "Robotnik found a large source of chaos energy that originated on the island, and was sent into orbit."

"So, he plans to use that instead?" the hedgehog asked.

"Seems that way. But either way, Knuckles will be in danger."

Sonic sighed. "Okay. Robotropolis, Floating Island. Gottcha."

"And Sonic…NO FIGHTING. Knuckles is the reason you're still with us as an organic being."

"Yeah, yeah, I gottcha." Sonic then walked towards the door. "I'm going to talk to Ed about this." Sonic then dashed off, leaving St. John and Sally alone.

"So, we are to treat those…alchemists…as honored guests?"

"Yes. But with their foes around, they won't be around for too long. We're going to attack Robotropolis as soon as Dulcy comes back…and they're going to help us, like it or not." She especially emphasized that last part. Sally then closed Nichole and took a seat on her bed.

"Well, is there anything else you need, luv?" Geoffrey asked, being his flirtatious self again.

Only this time, it did nothing to liven Sally's spirits. "Just go get some rest, Geoffrey. You're coming with us."

St. John bowed. "Wouldn't have it any other way, luv."

"And Geoffrey?"

"Yes Princess?" Sally hastily stood up and marched towards the skunk. She looked…furious. "I expect you to be on your best behavior, and treat our guests with respect! Especially Alphonse!"

Geoffrey was stunned by her behavior towards him. Holding his hands up, he exclaimed "Princess, I apologize. I'm only looking after our people's best interests…"

"Then you're going to come with us tomorrow, and give them whatever help they need. Dismissed!" Geoffrey walked out, absolutely baffled what kind of characters those two brothers must be to make Sally behave like that.

Sonic ran through the village, looking for the Elrics. Had he been looking for one of his own kind, given their diverse appearances, this would have been done quick. With them, it was done even quicker. He found the two in Tails' hut, playing one of his favorite games.

Alphonse moved two cards on the floor. "Okay. I'll sacrifice my Wind Knight, and my Hedge Fairy..." Al seemed to stumble with his cards. "…to summon the Black Cat Magician!" He placed a new card on the floor. It was hard to tell with his body, but he seemed to be having a fun time.

Tails just smiled slyly. "And I'll use my Flute of Aurora to summon all three of my Gold-Eyes Burning Dragons, and with fusion, combine them to create the Gold-Eyes Inferno Dragon! That should wipe out your points!" He proudly exclaimed before he completed all he said he would do.

"This game is cool!" Al exclaimed, despite the loss. "Let's play again!"

Sonic was glad that the two were getting along so well; Al and Ed reminded him very much of Tails and himself; brothers. Speaking of whom, Ed was sitting next to Al, looking disinterested. "Yo, Ed! Havn' fun there?" he called.

Ed turned around and acknowledged him. "Sonic."

"Listen, I thought I'd give you the scoop about our plans tomorrow."

Ed walked out of the hut and joined Sonic as he explained. Of course, one part of the plan the alchemist was skeptical about. "Floating Island?" he asked incredulously.

Sonic replied "For once, you're not buying something even many of the locals have trouble swallowing. And this time, I don't blame ya." he chuckled. He didn't tell the Freedom Fighters when he first saw it, thinking they would believe him to have gone mad.

Ed ran a hand through his hair. "No, no. I believe you. After all I've seen, I'll just have to suspend belief. Besides, if I saw it without you telling me, I would have probably died of a heart attack." That, and Edward couldn't help but be curious as well.

Sonic chuckled a bit. "Also, I want to apologize for Le Pew's presence."

"Who's?"

"You know, St. John." Sonic muttered.

"Oh." Ed's teeth gritted once it was clarified. "That guy's a bastard."

Sonic only muttered "Yeah. I know."

"He's not as bad as Mustang though." Ed commented

"Who?"

"My boss."

Sonic let that sink in for a bit. "Someone with authority over you? I'm not sure I wanna know." Sonic then returned to the topic at hand. "Anyway, Sal told me about your plans to study the Roboticizer."

Ed looked up to the sky. "After the philosopher stone failure, it's the only lead I have. Even so, I may not like what I find. But a device that turns flesh into metal, and under the right circumstances vice versa…it's a chance we've got to take."

Sonic slapped him across the back, catching the Alchemist by surprise. "Don't sweat it; you don't have to explain anything. As far as I'm concerned, you mess with Buttnik's plans, you're good. Besides…you and I may have gotten off on the wrong foot, but now I can see for sure you're one of the good guys."

Ed replied sheepishly "Hey, we Alchemist have a saying, 'Be thou for the people'. We don't exactly go on quests to protect the innocent…but when people need our help, we will never turn our backs on them."

"Good to know." Sonic commented. "Still, it's a shame. You and your brother would make great freedom fighters. I'm just sorry that we have to send you off."

After a moment of silence, Ed told him "Al really likes it here. He doesn't want to leave without doing something that will have a lasting impact. And to be honest…I agree. As much as we need to return to Amestris, I've seen what you people had to go through. Can't help but feel we have to help put an end to it."

Sonic then seemed to be in deep thought himself. "After all you've been through, I feel I should do something to help you. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I hope the Roboticizer is the first step to restoring you two to normal. Especially for your brother; Sal seems to have taken a liking to him."

Ed had to smile at that. "He was always good at making friends; something he never lost despite not having a real body. He's so good at it, it goes beyond our own kind." Ed then looked to the stars. The Roboticizer was probably the best hope he had of restoring Alphonse ever since he discovered the philosopher stone's true nature. For once, he was tempted to pray to God, beg him to finally end their torment and restore them. "But…" he thought "… does God really exist in this world?"

"THIS is what has been giving you the most trouble?" Envy asked incredulously as he stared at the screen. "That blue…hedgehog?"

Robotnik felt a vein pop in his forehead; if he was from this world, this homunculus would certainly know better... "As hard as it is for you to believe…yes." Robotnik played various recordings of Sonic running and foiling his schemes. "Sonic the Hedgehog. The thorn in my side that I can't seem to get rid of. It's his speed that gives him the edge in defeating my schemes."

Lust looked at the footage a little bit more objectively than her comrade. "Well, regardless, now that we see what we're up against here, I think we can handle him. And you should know that someone from our world came with us, and I'm sure he will be a problem for both of us if you don't take care of him: Edward Elric, the Fullmetal Alchemist. I'm afraid I don't have…'footage' as you call it, to show you…but his alchemy will be a problem. He will reconstruct any material to his liking with a mere touch, and his metallic limbs will give him an edge in hand-to-hand combat. He also has a brother of him that's a suit of armor; they always work together."

Robotnik just pondered that new bit of information for a bit. "Well, if nothing else, I'm sure that will just make things more fun." He grinned. "So, Mr. Edward Elric, if you believe you and the hedgehog have what it takes to stop me…come out and play."

Next chapter, the Elrics are finally taken to Robotropolis.

Just so there's some clarification, since I just fear it will be taken that way, NO. There will be no SallyXAlphonse, or any HumanXAnimal pairing for that matter. After what Princess Elise did to Sonic 06 (the glitches were HER fault!), I don't want to curse my own fic with beastiality. All pairings will stay within their own series.