Speeding Alchemist

by Kodachi Claws

Two vastly different worlds come together and join forces to thwart their respective evils. But the laws of equivalent exchange will take a heavy toll on both. FMA 2003 X Sonic Archie crossover.

11. Interlude at Rush Valley

Hey! Sorry it's been a fairly long wait. I'm doing my best to make my fics come out faster, but when they're on this grand a scale that can be rather challenging.

Regardless, here's the latest chapter. Enjoy!

---

Sonic...the other Sonic, as we would call him...fluttered his eyes opened. "Ugh...someone get the number of that bus that hit me, backed up and ran over me again?"

"I doubt that happened to you; you'd look like pure roadkill if something like that did happen."

Evil Sonic's focus became clear as he turned to his side and glanced upon the overlander looking after him from across the small room. Immediately, Evil Sonic shot out of bed and grabbed a glass bottle, breaking it over a bed post and pointing it at the man. "Where the heck am I!? Did that goody-two shoes put you up to this!?"

"The one who put me up to this was my boss, and I doubt you two have met. The name's Dorchett, by the way, and it's nice to meet ya too...freak."

Evil Sonic didn't relax, bearing sharp fangs instead. "What do you want from me?"

"Jeez." Dorchett sighed as he spat into a bucket. "This is the thanks I get for saving your life?"

"I'm fine on my own, thank you very much."

"Sure." Dorchett only rolled his eyes. "This is what I get for thinking you were cute." He got up and turned around. "Here's some breakfast for you." he said, pointing to the dish of sausage and eggs. The scent of it assaulted Evil Sonic's nostrils, and his stomach practically roared. "Don't like it, not my problem. Oh, and we had your clothes washed. We cobbled together a pair of pants for you, too. Lousy, but at least you'll look decent." He tossed Evil Sonic his boots, jacket, and pants that did not go with the rest of the outfit. "The boss is waiting to meet with you downstairs. So hurry up."

As Dorchett left, Evil Sonic just stared at the plate. His instincts told him it was poison. But...it wouldn't make sense to bring him in just to kill him when they could have easily done so earlier while he was vulnerable. Giving in to his hunger, he devoured the plate, quite pleased with its contents. Feeling his strength returning, he put on his jacket and boots (while forgoing the poorly made pair of pants) and headed down the stairs. Evil Sonic couldn't help but notice how large the halls were, like they were made for people twice his size. Finally, he came down to the bottom. It looked to be a tavern, much like his old place with the Anti-Freedom Fighters. "For the love of god, I gave you pants!" Dorchett screamed.

"Now now, Dorchett." another said. "Let him be; it seems he prefers it that way. He doesn't seem to have much to show anyway." That got a chuckle from the others.

Evil Sonic turned around to look at the group of overlanders behind him. Dorchett was there skulking as usual. Next to him were three other overlanders, 2 males and one female. The one in the cozy chair caught his attention. He was tall and lanky, sporting dark spiked hair. The fair skin of his arms were fully exposed, the sleeves from his dark brown jacket cut. It seemed his dark t-shirt underneath did not have much in the way of sleeves either. He wore dark leather pants and shoes; it seemed the two of them had similar taste. He also wore a small pair of shades, similar to the hedgehog but smaller. Finally, Evil Sonic's eyes settled on the tattoo on the back of his hand. It looked like a serpent eating its own tail. Evil Sonic had a feeling he should have known what that was.

"You're right, Dorchett." the apparent leader noted. "He is quite an unusual chimera. I thought Bido and Tucker were strange, but you my friend, take the cake."

"Flattered." Evil Sonic growled. "Now where on Mobius am I!?"

"Mobius? Never heard of it." the leader chuckled. "What I can tell you is that you're in the country of Amestris. Does that sound familiar?"

"Never heard of it myself."

"Interesting. It seems we have much to talk about. What's your name?" the man asked.

"Sonic. Sonic the Hedgehog."

The leader's smirk turned to a frown as he thought it over. "Sonic? Who gave you a name like that?"

A vein popped on Evil Sonic's forehead. "I DID!" he yelled, pointing his thumb towards himself. "And it's because of THIS!" His legs began to move faster than possible for most lifeforms, and he ran across the room, up the walls and roof while the other chimeras only stared at awe at his talent. Evil Sonic finally came to a screeching halt. "You need anymore of an explanation, ya jerks!?"

The boss chuckled. "Okay, okay. That is quite a talent. But...Sonic..." He rubbed his chin in deep thought. "Still not feeling it..." Finally, he waved it off. "Ah, if a new name comes along, I'll give it to you. Anyway, you're not safe going out there. Not yet."

"I can handle myself."

"I'm sure you can. But there's a difference between handling oneself and being invincible. You don't have any regenerative abilities, do you?"

"Not to my knowledge." Evil Sonic sighed.

"And alchemy? You have any skill with that?"

"Never heard of it until today."

"Then I suggest you stick with me." the boss said, extending his hand. "I'll let you out; you just need to be taught about where you're staying and how things work around here. In the meantime, I may also ask you to do some...'favors'...for me. So, whaddya say?"

Evil Sonic looked at his outstretched hand skeptically. Slowly, he extended his and shook it. "Sure. I don't have anything better to do at the moment."

"Then it's settled!" the boss said as he clapped his hands. "Bido! A round for our new friend here! And bring me one as well!" he ordered.

"Yessir, Mr. Greed." a slimy lizard-man said as he filled a glass from the tap. He then handed both of them mugs.

"So..." Evil Sonic began. "...to whom do I owe the pleasure?"

The boss smiled, showing sharp teeth, sharper than Evil Sonic thought overlanders should have. "You may call me Greed."

Evil Sonic's scowl slowly turned into a smirk. "Greed, huh? For some reason, I kinda like the sound of that..." he said as he took a sip of the beer...

---

Rush Valley. A small, but bustling town in the middle of the Amestrian desert. It was best known for being the center of the automail economy. From making standard prosthetics to weapons or simple works of art, Rush Valley was the place to go for anything automail related. And of course, one Winry Rockbell was overcome with joy as she glanced upon the marvelous town once more. "YES!" she screamed with joy. "We're back!" Ed and Al only looked on in embarrassment as she jumped up and down on her seat like a child at a toy store. "There were so many new models I haven't had a chance to tinker with since the last time we were here! Oh, and Mr. LeCoulte! I wonder how he's doing? Maybe he'll take me on as an apprentice this time!?"

"Well, he didn't seem too enthused about the idea the first time around..." Al warned her.

"And Paninya! I wonder how she's doing!?" Winry exclaimed, eager to see the lovable pick-pocket again.

"As long as she doesn't try to steel my damn watch again, I could really care less." Ed said, frustrated with Winry's manic high.

Winry only gave him a grim look. "Sourpuss."

"Whatever. Come on; I just want to get this over with." Ed said as he got up from his chair.

"Remember, Ed. You promised." Winry reminded him.

"I haven't forgotten." was Ed's reply. "Speaking of which, let's get them out. I sure wouldn't want to be cooped up in such a box, so the sooner the better."

As Al wheeled the box out from the animal cargo, Ed ran up to him. "You find something brother?"

"An alley. Doesn't look like anyone will be looking there at this hour. We'll release them there."

"Great."

Quickly, Al followed his brother into the secluded alleyway. Once there, Al transmuted a crowbar from the earth, and jimmied it open. Sonic and his friends practically leaped out of the crate, desperately gasping for air. Even Sally seemed to be in an unusually panicked mood. "Okay." Sonic wheezed. "We're never doing that again. EVER."

Ed rubbed his head; he'll have to figure out a way around that later. "Okay then. I'm sure the past two days are enough to give you the gist of how things work around here. I trust you to use your judgment to stay out of trouble for now; just remember, no matter what happens, STAY OUT OF SIGHT. Are we clear?"

"Crystal." Knuckles said as he moved in his arms in a circle. "Now, if you don't mind, I'm going out." Knuckles implanted his knuckles into the wall, climbing up.

Sonic reached down and touched his toes as everyone heard his back pop."I think I'm gonna stretch too. Wanna come, little bro?" he said to Tails.

"You bet!" Tails revved up, and lifted Sonic off the ground with him.

"Al...why do I have the feeling those three especially are going to be trouble?" Ed asked as he tried to resist the urge to scream at them.

"I've got the same gut feeling too." Al moaned.

Ed sighed, and looked towards the others. "So...I can trust you three, right?"

"I can promise there won't be any trouble on my end, Ed." Sally said.

"Ah'll try to keep everyone in line." Bunnie replied.

Geoffrey rolled his eyes. "Your world, mate. Your rules"

"Okay then." Ed sighed. He looked down for one moment to think of what to say next. "Well...have a good time?"

When he looked up, they were gone; even the normally level-headed Sally had disappeared in that instant. "Wow. They're absolutely amazing..." Winry said in awe, witnessing how the creatures moved about.

"Yeah..." Ed suddenly groaned. "This is going to be a disaster, isn't it?"

---

Sure, he needed the space. Who wouldn't after being stuck in a box next to those stinky...things? However, that wasn't what was really bothering Knuckles. What was bothering him was the fact he was stuck on an alien world when his island needed him. "Just how did I get myself into this mess?" He wasn't exactly fond of the overlanders he was stuck with, but it was either them or Robotnik...with Enerjak. Looking down below, he saw them; the overlanders of this world. And to be honest...they weren't quite as bad as he would have imagined. Sure, he didn't trust them, but then again he hardly trusted anyone not native to his island. He could see they weren't bad people. Not at heart, anyway.

His father briefly talked about the history of overlanders and their wars with the mobians during his training. When Knuckles asked if they were all bad, Locke only replied "My boy, there is good and evil in all races. Even if they have a history of violence, you cannot condemn all for their faults. You must learn to recognize the potential of good in all if you're to be a great guardian."

Knuckles wondered if him letting Robotnik on the island the first time was him really believing everything Robotnik told him or him trying to please his (maybe deceased?) dad. "Well, I'm here now. I've no way of getting home on my own...might as well have some fun." Knuckles ran off the roof and spread his limbs. Catching a current of wind, he flew with it as he made sure to keep altitude to avoid being seen easily. "This place...it's actually kind of nice." He glided between the rooftops, seeing that no one was in their residencies at this hour. Sensing he was about to lose altitude, he stuck himself onto a wall. Climbing up, he looked up on the canyon mountains. "Beautiful" he thought to himself. But it wasn't home. Knuckles sighed. "I've got to get over it. I'm no longer home, and I probably won't be for a while. At least the Chaotix are looking after the island." He looked down on the streets, observing the humans as they went about their day to day lives. Instead of Robotnik, they reminded him of the mobians on his island he was sworn to protect.

Suddenly, he heard someone panting behind him, a young girl by the sound of it. "Uh oh!" Quickly, he hid behind a vent, hoping whoever it was wouldn't come over there to look.

Peeking around the corner, the source of the noise jumped from another floor and onto the rooftop of the building he was on. A young overlander girl, about the same age as Ed and Winry, it seemed. Unlike them, she was dark-skinned with black hair tied in dreadlocks. She also sported a dark green tank top and military style pants. It seemed she had been running for quite a while, as she was sweating but not terribly out of breath, indicating she was in good shape. Knuckles also noticed, like Ed, she had an automail arm. Soon, another overlander, with much less grace, joined her on the rooftop. He seemed to be the more typical Amestrian type with light skin and blond hair. And it seemed he was completely pooped too, as the girl had to help him up. "Sorry, Linel; looks like I win again." she announced.

"Can I...can I at least have my gum back?" he wheezed.

The girl rolled her eyes, and tossed him the gum he requested. "Just be lucky you weren't carrying anything worth much; I'd have kept it."

"Aw, come on, Paninya! I thought you were done with pickpocketing!" he complained.

Knuckles only continued to look on in curiosity. "I said I'm not pickpocketing to pay the old man back." she clarified. "But it's still fun." she smiled. "And you said you needed to get in shape, right?"

"Not...quite..." He took a deep breath. "What I had in mine. But yeah. Thanks...I guess."

Paninya walked over to the ledge as she placed a leg up. Pulling up the pants, she revealed the automail underneath and fiddled with one of the screws. Knuckles only looked on in fascination. "It's just like Elric."

The boy chasing her suddenly looked his way funny. Seeing that he was just staring, Paninya turned to him and asked "What is it?"

"I thought I saw something. Something very red." Paninya walked over to the vent, and found nothing. Shrugging her shoulders at her companion, he said "Must have been my imagination."

Knuckles remained planted on the wall beneath them, hoping no one would look up their windows."That was too close!" Deciding not to take any more chances, he glided away, making sure to avoid especially crowded streets. "Flying's not enough! I need something more. I need...I need..."

"Helummph!"

Knuckles, upon hearing that, made a sharp turn to the left and landed on the rooftops bordering an alleyway. "Come on; stuff her in the trunk." It seemed two overlander males were kidnapping a woman.

Knuckles first instinct was to go about his business; this wasn't his place, nor should it have been his problem...but..."I can't ignore anyone who needs my help..." Besides, he found what he was looking for: action! "I'll make this quick."

As the two slammed the trunk shut on her, Knuckles glided into one and toppled the other. "What the-?" Before he could finish, Knuckles slammed his fist into his face, effectively knocking him out.

The other managed to get a glimpse of Knuckles, and pulled out a knife in fright. "What the heck are you, you freak!?" Knuckles didn't respond verbally, instead running and slamming his fist into the human's knee, bringing him down to his level. Once his chin was reachable, Knuckles uppercutted the poor fool and sent him to dream land.

As he looked over the unconscious duo, Knuckles sighed. "You know, for such a large species, you go down pretty easily." It didn't relieve the stress as he was hoping it would, but for now, that may have been for the best; a worthy fight would have drawn attention. Knuckles heard the woman knocking the trunk furiously, reminding him why he got involved in the first place. "Oh yeah." Knuckles quickly looked at the car. "Now...how best to open it without being seen?" Not wanting to keep the poor woman waiting any longer, he hoped onto the car at the hinges of the trunk. "HAH!" With a quick punch, he demolished the hinges, allowing the door to fall free. Before the woman could get a good look at him, Knuckles glided away.

The woman, wondering who rescued her, saw the thugs groaning on the ground. She looked all around...and briefly glanced at something very red before it made a sharp turn out of her line of sight. "What was that?"

---

Meanwhile, Sonic and Tails were having a little bit of fun on their own, the only way they knew how. "Ready buddy? I'm about to kick it up a notch!" Sonic said as he leaped across the rooftops.

"Go for it, Sonic!" Tails exclaimed as he kept up in the air.

Sonic accelerated, making sure not to break the sound barrier. Thankfully, everyone was too busy going about their lives to bother looking up. Sonic was determined to get as much fun as he could out of this place, ESPECIALLY if he was going to go back into a box (just in case Ed went back on his promise). Sonic had a sense his next jump might be a little too much for him on his own. As he made the leap, he held up his hand; Tails accelerated and caught it, gliding them across the street.

"Sonic!" Tails whispered. "I think we're running out of room!"

"Yeah." he agreed as his partner set him down. Sonic quickly looked around; they were just about to the end of the valley. All that was left was for them to run around in circles. "That's not cool...besides, I don't wanna get chewed out by Sal again..." Suddenly, he snapped his fingers. "I got it! Let's head up! Up the mountains!"

Tails nodded, and Sonic picked up his pace yet again. Tails flew beside him as both went vertical up a sheer cliff. Tails gave him a slight push to make sure gravity didn't push him back down. Finally, they came to the top. Sonic decided to take a break and check out the view. The town below them was crowded with buildings, but none too tall and all having their own beauty, unlike Robotropolis which was the epitome of Anti-Life. And while it wasn't Sonic's habitat of choice, the desert only gave it a sense of unique beauty as well. And the sky, almost as blue as him...

"Way past cool." Sonic sat down and hung his legs over the cliff, Tails doing the same.

"It's nice here, huh?" the fox asked.

"Yeah." Sonic nodded in agreement. "Maybe this place won't be so bad after all." Tails sighed. Sonic, looking concerned, asked "Can't wait to get back home, huh?"

"I'm just worried...what if we never get back?"

"Don't say that, little buddy." Sonic told him sternly. "We'll get back."

"But what if we don't?"

Sonic groaned and leaned back; Tails was never this pessimistic before about anything. "I suppose I should take that as a sign of something way past wrong." Of course, he would be kidding himself if the chances of being trapped on this world didn't exist. "I've been to different zones before...this is just going to be a longer trip than usual." he said. "We got here by some means, which means another to get back exists. Besides, if Ed and Al can make it back here, we can make it back home."

Tails didn't seem to buy it. "Okay. Say we don't. What then?"

Sonic placed his hands over his eyes in defeat. "Tails...you sometimes think too much for your own good."

"Sorry."

Sonic collected his thoughts as how to best answer Tails question. "Well...I guess we WOULD have to reveal ourselves eventually." Sonic said. "Find a forest, make a new village...though I don't know how we're going to keep it going."

"You and Sally could-"

Sonic clamped his mouth shut, his cheeks turning as red as Knuckles. "As appealing as it is, let's not go down that road; wouldn't want to have that conversation just in case Sal started walking on by." Sonic removed his hand and looked back at the view. "Anyway...I guess we could spend our spare time helping people. You know, like we do back at home."

"Yeah." Tails agreed. "Wouldn't be the same though."

"No kiddn'" Sonic agreed. Sonic suddenly sat up, patted the dust off his legs, and stretched. "Well, no use in worrying about it now, because we are going to make it back home...eventually. In the mean time..." Sonic looked down at the beautiful rock formations in the canyon. "It's been a long time since we ran together just for fun. How 'bout it? I think we'll have a good amount of privacy here, and can really cut loose."

Tails smiled as he levitated off the ground. "Way past cool, Sonic." Sonic winked at them, and suddenly, they were both off in the wilderness below.

---

"Nicole. Activate Telescopic camera."

"Camera, activating." Soon Nicole displayed a close up view of the civilians and vendors below. Sally smiled as she admired what was happening.

"Wow."

"Indeed, Sally girl." Bunnie said as she looked over her shoulder. "It sure is nice to see that not all overlanders are as cranky as ol' Buttnik."

"Yes." Sally agreed. "I remember how father told me that just because we went to war with them, not all of them were bad. Of course, I believed him out of blind faith then. Then Julian changed everything...and I started to have doubts about what he said."

"Sally girl..."

"I'm alright, Bunnie." Sally waved her off. "I'm just sad that so much had to happen for me to see it for myself."

"Speaking of which...not everyone is as thrilled as we are..." Bunnie said, pointing her thumb backwards.

Sally turned around to see Geoffrey leaning against a chimney, fiddling with his crossbow. "Geoffrey..." Sally called to him. "Do you want to come see this?"

"I can see fine from here, luv." was his reply.

Sally narrowed her eyes. She suddenly stood up and locked up Nicole. Walking up to him, she gave him a stern look and placed her hands on her hips. She usually saved this for Sonic when he was being reckless. Now St. John was about to get it. "Geoffrey...what is your problem?"

St. John restrained himself best he could when he replied. "Can't you see around us!? We're surrounded by overlanders!"

"Humans." Sally reprimanded him. "Granted, I don't see much of a difference either, but that's what Ed prefers we call them, so I'm sticking with that. But so what? It's not like we planned to come here; but here we are. We just have to live with it until Ed can get us back home."

"You honestly think he will?"

"Why wouldn't he? He's a friend. We did everything we could to get him and Al back home; it's only logical he would do the same for us."

"Yeah." St. John agreed sarcastically. "Just like it would have been logical for Ivo to serve his majesty instead of betray him at the first opportunity he had."

Sally clenched her fist in anger. "Geoffrey; not everyone is Robotnik."

"No. But they don't have to be; history has shown plenty of other examples." St. John looked her dead in the eye. "And how can you say all this with a straight face? Even before Julian, there was the Great War, and all the wars before it. Overlanders murdered Prince Emerson, the first heir to the throne; my father died in battle in service to the king. They took your mother away!" he nearly yelled, mindful of his surroundings. "Why? Why are you so at ease in a place like this?"

"Because they're not the overlanders that brought us decades of pain. Whenever I see them, I'm not looking at Robotnik. They're no different than us really. They may not be perfect, but they're not all that bad either." Sally declared with certainty. "And we're not perfect either. One of the Freedom Fighters before us betrayed his comrades before I took over. We have a bounty hunter in prison, and Enerjak..."

"A few bad apples on our part doesn't exactly tip the scales in their favor." St. John argued back. "Not when they had their bad seeds in the thousands."

"St. John!" Sally nearly screamed. "Even if what you say about the overlanders of our world is correct...these are not the same people! We might as well take the time to understand them at least!"

St. John remained silent as he turned away. "I understand plenty about them. Life experience and everything, luv."

Sally just threw her arms up in frustration. "Fine then. We'll be back soon; enjoy your pouting."

Sally walked off towards Bunnie. "Everything alright between you two, Sally Girl?" her friend asked concerned.

"Just take me to the next roof."

Bunnie complied, thinking to herself "Well, it's about time you realized what kinda man he is." Quickly, she extended her legs as she stepped over to a higher roof, giving the two as much space as Sally needed from St. John. Finally picking a spot, Bunnie let her friend and princess go. "You know ah'm here for ya, Sally Girl. All ya need ta do is just talk."

Sally slowly gave her a sincere smile. "Thanks Bunnie. I'll keep that in mind." Deciding it was best to put her argument with St. John behind them, they continued observing the populace.

Using Nicole's telescopic lens and holograms, Sally observed everything below. "All those roboticized...ah mean, automail." Bunnie noted as she looked over her friend's shoulder. "No wonder that Winry girl loves to come here."

"Indeed." Sally sighed. "It's actually quite a nice place; I'm pretty bummed out that we can't explore openly."

"We gotta do this for now." Bunnie reminded her. "Though, if we're gonna be stuck here longer than plan, this hidin' won't fly for long. Not for me, at least."

Sally didn't let herself think about that and instead continued observing. "I'd very much like to learn the history of this place...wait." She had Nicole zoomed into one building in particular. A library, by the looks of it.

Bunnie gulped; it wasn't like Sally to be up to mischief. "Well...ah don't know..."

"Come on." she nudged the robo-mobian. "It will be fun." Bunnie slowly formed a smile on her own lips...

---

"Stupid homework!" a young boy with brown hair exclaimed. The librarian shushed him, giving him a stern look with her eyes. She knew how to deal with kids who did not obey the rules. He rolled his eyes and walked away. "Wish something cool here would happen for once..."

The window above suddenly creaked open. Sally and Bunnie quickly took a good look around. "Not many people here, mah princess." Bunnie whispered.

"Good." Sally replied. She quickly looked at the bookshelf and measured the distance. She jumped on top of it as quietly as a cat. Bunnie followed, making sure to put her legs into stealth mode (eliminating the gear noises inside). It very much felt like they were on a mission; reaching each corner as quickly as possible, avoiding being seen...though on this occasion the adrenaline came from excitement, not fear. Both had to stifle a giggle as they made their way from shelf to shelf.

"Which way?" Bunnie asked. Sally looked around the corner.

"That way." Sally whispered, pointing to a sign that said history. Making a quick look around, the two ran over there quickly.

"So, which ones?" Bunnie asked. "You're not going to be able to read all of them!"

"I'm not going to." Sally replied. "I'm going to borrow one, have Nicole scan it in and read at my own leisure!" Sally quickly looked up the bookcase, and found something. "That one!" It was a fairly large textbook, but with Nicole's processing speed she could make accurate copies in no time. Quickly, she scaled the bookshelf and pulled it out. The book was heavier than she was used to, but was able to hold it without compromising her balance. She landed on the floor as quietly as before. "Okay! Got it! Let's go!"

Quickly, the two ran across the bookshelves, low to the ground, relieved to see most everyone with their noses in the books or off in their own world. "Mah rockets will cause a bit of noise..."

"Just do the bare minimum you have to to get us out of here without being seen." Bunnie grabbed hold of Sally and ignited her rockets. In less than a second, they were up at the roof and slammed the window shut.

Many of the library patrons were stunned by the noise they heard, and stood at attention, fearing someone had fired a weapon. "What's going on?" one patron asked once everyone realized no one was hurt.

"I don't know; there's nothing here..." one librarian answered as she went to check the scene. Though she could not find an explanation for the noise, she smelled what seemed to be exhaust, and looked down on the carpet, seeing that a small space burnt black as if someone tried to light the carpet floor on fire. "Oh man..." she groaned, gripping her face. "The manager is not going to be happy about this..."

---

"3 chromium screws, two 12X6 inch steel plates, 12 copper wires..." Ed only listened in horror as the clerk at a shop Winry picked out listed everything she took to the register. He didn't know what was worse: actually hearing all the materials listed or dreading what he was about to pay for. Sure, he could afford it; but the incident at the inn had put more than a dent in his wallet, and he wasn't sure he would be able to survive on his monthly grant deposit for a while now. "That will be 90,000 cens."

Ed turned white as stone, not even noticing Winry fishing his wallet from him. "Thank you so much!" she said to the clerk as she payed the fee. "This merchandise is top quality!" she said as if she had met the love of her life.

"I should be thanking you for your business!" the clerk replied cheerily. "It's rare to find someone as enthused as you about automail, even in these parts!"

"Aw, you flatter me!" Winry cooed as she waved him off.

"Let's just go and get this over with." Ed growled as he dragged her away.

"Party pooper." Winry grumbled. "It's your own fault your arm broke again. If you just didn't do stupid things, we wouldn't have to bother to come back."

"Whatever." Ed sighed. "I think anything could've happened in that strange place, no matter how careful I was."

Winry sighed. "Well, if nothing else, I'm going to have fun tinkering with these parts. Why don't we..."

"First, we're going to have lunch." Ed interrupted. "Then we're going to rent a room. I'll need the privacy and the soft bed."

Winry sighed. "Sorry. You know me; just get too excited with these things!" she cooed as she stroked the hard metal against her cheek.

"Why can't you be a normal girl and hug dolls or something?" Ed sighed exasperatedly. Winry only responded by whacking him across the head with her wrench. "Ow..." Ed cried.

"Brother!" The two looked up to see Al approach them, waving and carrying two bags in his arm. "Did the shopping go well?"

"Depends on how you define well." Ed grumbled.

Winry whacked him again. "It went fine, Al." she smiled sweetly. "I've got all the parts I needed and I can't wait to fix Ed's new arm!"

Al giggled from inside his helmet. "That's great. But before that, maybe you two should eat. I got you two some cheeseburgers."

Finding a bench to sit on, the trio of family friends ate their meals with gusto. They didn't notice, but Alphonse stared at them jealously. Though he had no need for food, he so desperately wanted to taste again. To feel the hunger and satisfaction of a full stomach. "...Is everything alright, Al?" Ed asked, his mouth still full.

"Oh. Yeah! Everything's fine!" Al laughed softly, stroking the top of his helmet.

"So...have you heard any news about our new friends?" the elder asked.

"No. Nothing's come up; it looks like they're staying out of trouble." Al replied.

"Good." Ed sighed. "The last thing we need is for them to show up in the tabloids."

"See?" Winry prodded him. "We can trust them."

"The Princess and Bunnie, maybe." Ed agreed. "The others I'm not so sure of. I noticed Sonic goes out of his way to find trouble, and Tails will follow him wherever he goes. I don't know Knuckles well at all, so he's a wild card to me. And St. John..." Ed drifted off in thought.

"What about him?" Winry asked.

Ed sighed. "Well, he's an asshole for one."

"Ed..."

"I'm serious." Ed rebutted as he took another bite out of his burger. "True, our first encounter with them all wasn't exactly friendly. But we came to trust one another. Him...he's different. It's more than distrust...it's more like a grudge."

"A grudge?" Winry asked curiously.

"He seemed nice enough..." Al said.

"You weren't there when we first met, Al." Ed said. "It was more than distrust, it was at best plain racism. I imagine Sally gave him a stern talking to the night before; that's why he was nice to you then. Anyway, they told us something about a great war between them and a race called overlanders, the later looking almost identical to us."

"Like Robotnik?" Winry asked.

"Yes and no." Ed explained. "They kinda looked like us and were aggressive, yes. I wasn't told much else about them; I don't think even they knew much themselves. But Robotnik...something's different about him. He wants complete control..." And Ed worried what he would be up to in this world. He saw what he was capable of creating. "Anyway, I think something happened to St. John during that time. Sonic and Sally were only babies during that war, Tails wasn't even born yet...I'm guessing someone he cared about was lost."

"Like that man...Scar?" Winry asked.

Ed sighed. "No, to his credit it doesn't look that way; if he was anything like Scar, he would have tried to kill us from the get-go."

"Then why are you so ill at ease about the skunk?" Winry asked.

"I don't know." Ed said. "I guess I feel like I can't trust him. Not that he will directly betray us, just...I just feel like we won't be able to count on him if we need his help."

Suddenly, a boom echoed across the valley, strong enough to shake the windows. All the town folk froze, thinking something was going to collapse on them any moment. When nothing came, they tried to find the source of the sound. Failing to find that and nothing damaged, all the residents went back to finishing up their day.

"Wh-What was that!?" Winry shouted, still gripping the edge of the bench.

Ed and Al only hung their heads down low. "I can't be sure, Winry. But if I had to guess...I'd say we just heard Sonic breaking the sound barrier." Ed said.

Winry's eyes widened as large as plates. "H-He can do that!?"

"You haven't seen half of what these guys can do." was Ed's only response.

---

"Yeah! Now THIS is more like it!" Sonic shouted excitedly as he dodged rock formation after rock formation. It wasn't the most pristine place he had ever seen, but there was nothing like wide-open spaces!

Tails was sharing the same sentiment with him; with the clear blue sky above him, he went as far up as he could go, getting as close to the heavens as he possibly could. When the air started to become too thin to propel himself further, he suddenly dive-bombed towards the ground at speeds rivaling Sonic's. Just when it seemed he would become a red stain on the ground, he pulled himself forward and flew evenly with the ground, faster than a rocket.

"Whoa!" Sonic exclaimed as the two matched speed for a few seconds. "That was awesome! Since when could you do that!?"

"Just now." Tails said as he began to lose the lead over Sonic, his momentum from the dive wearing off. "It's a move I've been working on for a while."

"Sweet! What do you call it?"

Tails thought about it for a second. "Um...haven't thought of a name really."

"Okay, I'll help you out!" Sonic proclaimed. "Let's see...how 'bout 'The Diver'?"

"Too generic." Tails said.

"Okay. Sonic Bomb?"

"That sounds more suited for you!" Tails laughed.

"Okay!" Sonic said, snapping his fingers. "I got it. How bout..."

Sonic stopped short as a small piece of dirt in front of him exploded. "Whoa!" Sonic screeched to a halt.

Just then, Tails felt a sharp pain across his side along with a loud ringing sound. "AHH!" Tails ceased his flying and fell to the ground in a heap.

"Tails!" Sonic jumped as more objects ran by his person; thankfully, he managed to steer clear of all of them. And his senses, being adjusted to super speed, saw what was being thrown at him. Small, sharp metal objects. Sonic had to be careful; a good hit would put a massive hole in his body. Sonic put it in the back of his head for now and made a mad dash for Tails. He successfully scooped him up and ran off. Quickly, he saw a whole hill filled with lots of rocks and shrubbery to hide in.

Convinced he found a decent hiding spot, he laid Tails on his back gently. "Tails? Tails! Talk to me, buddy!" he hissed, worried for a split second the worst may have happened.

"Ugh.." Tails suddenly groaned as he clutched his side. "I'm okay;whatever it was that hit me just grazed me."

"No wonder; those things were moving almost as fast as me. Let me take a look." Sonic removed Tails' hand to check the wound. It seemed it was as he said; it just scratched him. The wound was healing already."Phew. It looks like you're going to be alright, little buddy." Tails finally stood, but Sonic pulled him down. "Wait." he warned him.

Sonic cautiously looked over the rocks, seeing two humans looking across the terrain. They both appeared to be carrying rifles, but they didn't fire lasers. "Guns." Sonic never paid much attention in history class (or any of his classes, for that matter), but he remembered how King Alexander's son was killed by an overlander firearm. Since then, his people had banned the use of such weapons until recent times. He personally never wanted to touch such a thing just because of how certain death was on the receiving end.

"I think you were seeing things, bro." one of them said.

"I'm telling you, I saw something. Nothing moves that fast. Nothing that blue..."

Sonic sat down and sighed. "Well, so much for staying out of sight."

"What now?" Tails whispered.

Sonic thought for a moment...and smiled. "I've got an idea. Wanna help?" Tails nodded. "Okay. Fly above them, quietly. When I give the signal, create a dust cloud. I'll do the rest."

Tails crouched low as he navigated through the rocks, listening to the two humans bickering. "Suppose you did see something. What then?" one asked.

"Become rich and famous. Duh! Think of it! We'll be in the papers, we'll have a new thing named after us..."

Tails rolled his eyes. "Really? They tried to kill me...for cash? Why don't they just get a job?" Tails, finally seeing a clearing, took to the skies. He didn't fly as strongly as he could, so none of them could hear his tails' twisting. As the two humans kept their noses to the ground, Tails was finally in position. Sonic quickly jabbed his hand up, giving him the thumbs up. As soon as he did, he pulled it back down.

That didn't go unnoticed by the brothers. "Hey! Did you see that?" he asked, pointing towards Sonic's location.

"Yeah..." the other said as he raised his rifle. "Is someone there? If you're not an animal, I suggest you show yourself now; we don't want to hurt you."

Tails turned around and altered the spinning of his tails, sucking up the dust and sand below towards him. "WHAT THE-!?" Tails sped just out of their line of sight, avoiding being identified. Soon, the immediate area was covered in air-borne dust, allowing Sonic to take over.

Faster than even Tails, he ran circles around them, kicking up thicker clouds of dust. The dust began to travel with him at nearly the same speed, and resulted in a wall thick enough to completely obscure the area beyond. "What's going on!?" one of the hunters yelled.

Suddenly, a dark laugh reached their ears, despite the screaming of Sonic's running. "FOOLISH MORTALS!" The voice cried. "WHOW DARES SET FOOT IN MY REALM!?" The two hunters both fired their guns into the blur. Sonic managed to dodge each by a hair's breadth. "FOOLS! THOU DARES STRIKE AGAINST THEE!"

"Bro, what's going on!?" one of them asked the other.

"Just keep shootn'!"

They fired, but the vortex closed in on them! "Ahh!" Sonic yelled; probably best to make them THINK they hurt something at this point. "YOU DARE!?" Sonic then rolled across the safe zone, knocking the hunters over with a sonic spin. He repeated the process from all directions, making sure to maintain the wind velocity of the vortex. Seeing them on their backs, he caught up where his act left off. "NO MORTALS SHALL DARE STRIKE...dare strike...THE BLUE BLUR!" "Yeah, Sonic. Real smooth." he thought to himself sarcastically.

One of the hunters, seeing a break in the attacks, crawled to reach his rifle, but it was kicked out of his hands by Sonic before he could catch a good glimpse of him. "What are you!? Show yourself!"

"WHY SHOULD I?" Sonic said, making as many growling noises as possible. "WHY SHOULD I REVEAL ALL MY GLORY TO MERE INSECTS!? NOTHING CAN COMPREHEND MY TRUE GREATNESS!"

The hunters began to sweat in terror. "Uh...what can we do to appease you? Mr. Blue Blur?"

"Oswald!" his brother shouted.

"Hey, do you have a better idea?" he shot back.

"LEAVE THIS PLACE." Sonic shouted, trying to sound as God-like as possible. "AND NEVER HUNT HERE AGAIN."

"What!?" the elder shouted in disbelief. "We've been hunting here for years, and nothing's stopped us before!"

"SILENCE!" Suddenly, a large rock dropped from above him. It missed his skull, but it nailed his clavicle, making him collapse in pain. "I HAVE TOLERATED YOUR GAMES UP UNTIL NOW. NO MORE. LEAVE...WHILE I STILL ALLOW IT!"

The brothers were at first too paralyzed in fear in shock to move. Then, the younger of the two slung his brother over his shoulders."Come on! Let's get away from here!" The two scrambled out of the vortex, Sonic veering behind them to allow their escape. They took off running, forgetting about their weapons.

As soon as they were out of sight, Sonic stopped. The dust cleared, and he hunched over on his knees, breathing deeply. "Whew! I thought they'd never leave!"

"You okay, Sonic?" Tails asked as he flew by his side.

"I'm fine. I just never had to run so fast for so long in such a confined space." Sonic replied. Finally, it seemed he caught his breath and he stood straight. "It was something that should have been avoided, but for what it's worth, that was kind of fun. Nice touch with the rock, by the way"

"Thanks." Tails said. "I had to make up for botching the rock drop from way back then."

"Ah. Yeah, I remember." Sonic walked over to the rock formations, finding himself a nice shade under a large, oddly shaped boulder to relax in.

Tails did the same, as they admired the bleak yet beautiful desert. "Sonic?" Tails asked.

"What?"

"Do you think what St. John said was right?"

Sonic's eyes widened. He leaned forward, and gave Tails an uncharacteristically firm look. "Look at me, buddy. Le pew has is own warped view of the world. Well, this one anyway. That's his problem, and it's his business. But you and I both know there's good and bad in everyone."

"I know. It's just..."

"Those two were just idiots. We put them in their place, end of story. Besides...Ed and Al are proof enough, right?"

Tails slowly smiled. "Good point." Tails leaned back against the rock, as he and Sonic enjoyed the outdoors. "What are we going to tell Aunt Sally?"

"You're fine. What is there to tell?"

---

Knuckles had already gotten bored with just gliding around. It would have been okay if he didn't have such strict guidelines. "Man...I thought getting out of that damn box would set things right..."

Suddenly, he caught Bunnie on one of the rooftops. "Hey!" Quickly, he glided her direction and climbed up the wall.

Bunnie tensed momentarily, but relaxed upon seeing it was just him. "Oh, Knuckles. You should know better than to sneak up on a lady like that."

"Sorry; don't have a lot of ladies where I live."

"Ah, sorry. Forgot about that."

"No worries." Knuckles said, taking no offense. He then noticed Sally, laid on her stomach as she flipped through a large book. He also noticed her computer was emitting a light on the pages from bottom to top. "Uh...hey Sally."

"Hi Knuckles!" Sally replied, cheery as ever but still focused on her task as she waved without looking.

"So...found a good book?" he inquired, puzzled at what could be so good in these circumstances.

"Something like that. I wanted to know the history of this place, so we borrowed this book from a library." Knuckles looked at them both funny. "Uh...we didn't actually go to the check-out desk."

"You stole it!?" Knuckles exclaimed in surprise.

Both girls shushed him. "No! I mean...okay, I kind of did." Sally admitted. "But we'll be bringing it right back. I'm just scanning the pages so I can read them at my leisure some other time."

"Ah." Knuckles said, still a bit surprised by Sally's unusual mischief today.

"Is everything alright, Knuckles?" Bunnie asked.

Knuckles sighed. "No. Just anxious to get back home. I've got an emerald to protect, and..."

"And?" Sally asked.

She seemed rather...irritated. Knuckles sighed as he thought carefully about what he was going to say next. "How do I put this? I'm...uncomfortable being around the natives here."

Sally gave him a stern look. "Go on."

"The only overlander I've ever known was Robotnik. My dad taught me the importance of individuals and tolerance, and I am trying to reconcile those two with my own personal experiences. Right now, I'm trusting Ed and his brother the best I can. But, if they say their kind can be as...problematic, as they say...it just leaves me on the edge. Even with being free to roam about on the condition we don't get caught...I dunno. Just makes me feel nervous. But as long as they're going to take us back home, I'll deal with it."

Sally's stern look softened, as she slowly formed a smile. "That's all?"

Knuckles blinked, expecting a harsher response from her. "What?"

"I was afraid you hated them!"

"No. Just don't like them much."

"You don't like anyone much when ya first meet them, sugar." Bunnie commented.

Knuckles shrugged. "I guess it's just my nature. But I'm not going to go out of my way to harm strangers who never hurt me. Just want to get out of here, end of story. And I'm sorry if that doesn't make you happy."

Sally sighed. "It's better than the last response I got. At least you're more honest about your feelings."

"Huh?"

"St. John." Bunnie clarified.

"Oh. That guy. What about him?"

"He hates it here more than you..."

"I don't HATE it here." Knuckles insisted. "It's a nice place. Really. I just need to be somewhere else and it irritates me that I can't move about as I please."

"Sorry, sugar. Poor choice of words I suppose." Bunnie clarified. "But anyway, St. John just hates it here because it's overrun with overlanders."

"Ah. Okay. But, why does that get under Sally's skin anyway?"

Bunnie looked towards Sally, silently asking for permission. Though Sally was reluctant, she trusted Bunnie with her choice of words. The two friends read each other well, and Bunnie began whispering into Knuckles' ear.

Knuckles neutral face quickly became irritated. "Uh huh." Knuckles sighed, massaging his temples. "I thought she couldn't do much worse than Sonic. Guess I was wrong."

The three just stood in silence. "Well?" Sally asked, expecting some kind of reprimand from Knuckles. Reuniting as adolescents, it was an awkward thing for them to feel that one had feelings for the other, but felt too weird communicating them and felt better if they remained silent on the matter.

"If this is about your choice of boyfriends...I'm not here to tell you how to run your love life. Heck, I'm the last person to ask about relationship troubles. But, now that I know...may I ask what you saw in him? No offense, but...he's not exactly what I would call a likable person."

Sally flipped another page in the book. "It's complicated." Sally answered, too embarrassed to even look at Knuckles.

"Fine. I won't ask anymore. Just know I'm here for you if it gets too infuriating."

A small smile formed on Sally's lips, glad that he decided to drop it if nothing else. "Thanks." She then closed the book. "Okay, I'm done Bunnie. Shall we return it?"

"Let me help." Knuckles offered.

"Sure, Knuckles." Sally answered. "Just be sure you remain stealthy."

---

"Okay." Winry said as she lay the parts across the bed, separated by a sheet. "I've the original blueprints for your arm, so it won't take long to put together this time around. But it will still take a while. We can probably start attaching it tomorrow." "And this time I'm going to make sure every screw is tightened." She still haven't forgiven herself for making such a drastic mistake on Ed's arm; had it been any other person she could have been sued for negligence and her reputation ruined. "At least even that mistake helped Ed in the end." Winry thought to herself. "And at least it's a mistake I can learn from."

"Okay, Winry." Ed said. "We'll let you get to work. Al and I are going for a walk, okay?"

"Okay then, Ed. And this time no interstellar trips, got it?"

"Once is enough, thank you very much."

Ed walked out as he and Al just looked at the streets, letting their minds flow free. "Brother..." Al began.

"Yeah?"

"I've been thinking: that temple connects the two worlds, right?" he began

"Of course. Why?"

"And that temple was ancient..."

"Where are you going with this, Al?"

"Think about it: those temples didn't just appear out of nowhere. Someone built them. Someone knew of the other planet on one of the worlds and connected them. The question is: did we come from the mobians? Or did the mobians come from us? And why?"

Ed blinked, flabbergasted. "A-Al! That's just crazy!"

"Is it?" he asked skeptically. "I'm a living suit of armor; scientifically, I should be impossible. But okay; what explanation does the Full Metal Alchemist have to offer?"

Ed tried to voice one, but he came up blank. "You're right." he admitted. "One of the two sides discovered the other world and went there. But why? And how come we have no myths surrounding it?"

Both brothers pondered in deep thought. "It doesn't make sense." Ed continued. "Even if such an event was myth, there has to be some truth to it. The philosopher's stone is proof enough of that."

"And their forms..." Al began. "...I hate to say it, but it reminds me of Tucker's research."

Ed's eyebrows narrowed, but he quickly accepted it. "No, you're right Al. Tucker struggled to combine lifeforms into intelligent creatures. The mobians...they're the closest thing he could aspire to." Ed then remembered how he saw the mad sewing-life alchemist at laboratory 5 alive. "Note to self, keep them away from Tucker. Anyway, I'm afraid that if this never came up in all our experiences out here or back at Central..."

Al nodded in agreement. "Yeah. Teacher may be the only reliable source we have. Just..." Both turned white as they thought of the other issues they would have to deal with once they met her. "Just telling her about us will be bad enough." Al moaned. "I don't think she'll even give us a chance to ask about them."

"Yeah." Ed agreed. "You're probably right."

Just then, something caught his eye over the roofs. "What is it, brother?" Al asked

"St. John" Ed answered. Al looked up, briefly seeing St. John turn away from them and onto the roof. "Al. Give me a boost." Ed ordered his brother.

Al did so, lifting his foot and hefting him atop a low roof. Even with one arm, Ed was able to scale his way up from there. "Be careful. You've only got one arm." Al reminded him.

"Right." Ed slowly made his way to the top of the roof.

There, St. John hung his legs over the other side, his back turned to him. If Ed had to guess his mood, he was rather depressed. And given that he and Sally seemed to be involved romantically, yet he was by himself, Ed took a wild guess that they had a fight. "Well hello there...mate."

"Let's cut the act, shall we?" Ed ran his hand through his hair. "Look, I know you don't like me. Or any of us, for that matter. But the reality is you're here. You might as well get over your personal issues and trust me when I say I will send you back home, okay?"

"Oh?" St John said, turning his head as he looked at him skeptically. "And when pray tell will that be?"

Ed moaned "I don't know. Me and Al were in your world for only a couple of days; maybe we'll get lucky again." Neither responded, sharing a moment of silence. "So, who'd you lose?" Ed suddenly asked.

"What?"

"I said, who'd you lose? During that Great War?"

"And why would you care?" St. John spat.

"Quite frankly, I don't. But it could give me a better understanding of your problem...and pain."

St. John turned away, as if he was in deep thought. "My father." he finally answered.

"Ah." Ed said. "He died on the battlefield."

"He was escorting the queen to a safe house. Their plane was attacked by your kind..."

"...you mean by Overlanders, not MY kind." Ed tried to correct him.

"...and they were never heard from again." St. John continued, ignoring him. "There, you satisfied!?" he snapped.

"I guess." Ed shrugged. "But don't you think you should let it go?"

"It's not just my father." St. John said as he finally stood up facing Ed. "While my own mum tried to raise me, I continued to hear of casualties during the war. Then Julian turned on us...do I need any more justification for my feelings?"

"Feelings, good or bad, are NEVER justified. They're just there." Ed said. "Look, I get it. You've had a lot of bad experiences with humans."

"Overlanders." St. John continued to insist.

"Same thing more or less." Ed shot back. "The point is, like it or not, you're here now. You could have chosen not to go with the Freedom Fighters while they went out of their way to help us. Even if they hadn't, they would have still had to fight the Homunculi on their own. I'd imagine you would help out in some manner any how and you'd probably fall into this same situation, only this time you would have no one looking out for you. No telling what kind of trouble you'd have to go through."

St. John sighed. "So, I just put up with it? Things ain't that simple."

"Yeah...ain't that the truth?"

"And why would you say that? What would you know about putting up with something you hate?" St. John continued to drill him.

"Because in order to reverse the damage I caused me and my brother, I've joined the military. Some would say it's a privilege to serve the state and get access to all the research they have on various alchemical science, mostly the later in my case. But I hate it; I gave up the freedom I used to have as a kid. I've had to research day and night for what I seek, I've had to put up with the darker side of the state, and I hate that for 3 years now this journey hasn't paid off!" Ed snapped. "But if it means the only chance Al has to be human, I'll do it for an eternity."

St. John's hard stare seemed to have softened. Slightly, anyway. "He's really worth it to you? Your brother?"

"Every bit." Ed said firmly.

"And what price are you willing to pay to turn him back to normal?" St. John asked, still not totally convinced of his sincerity.

Ed briefly looked away. "I'm not sure, to be honest...but, there is one thing I won't do to make that happen."

"Oh?"

"A few weeks ago, when I first met the homunculi, they gave me prisoners to use as ingredients for the philosopher's stone. I so desperately wanted to end the search and give Al what we both wanted so desperately. I was only one step away from starting the transmutation...but in the end I couldn't do it. I couldn't have their blood on my hands, not for Al." Ed turned around, having enough of the conversation. "You experienced a lot of bad from the overlanders of your world. I won't lie to you, there's a lot of bad in this world as well. But...if you look close enough, you'll see a lot of good. Good worth protecting."

Ed was about to leave, when suddenly someone screamed "Yo Ed!"

"WHOA!" Without warning, Ed suddenly kicked St. John off the roof.

Though St. John grabbed the guard rails of a balcony to break his fall, he was still seriously ticked. "Really, mate! And after all you said!" Noticing the shadow of another overlander he did not recognize, St. John stayed below roof level to avoid detection.

"P-Paninya!" Ed exclaimed.

Indeed, the dark skinned girl with the automail legs stood before him,cheerful and proud as ever. "Hiya. I notice you're missing your arm. So, how'd you break it?"

"It's a long story." Ed said, covering up his stump in vain. "What's more, what are YOU doing here!?" Ed pointed at her accusingly.

"Really." Paninya rolled her eyes. "Just free running. Like I normally do." She also noticed Ed hanging onto his pocket watch inside his trousers tightly. "You know, squeezing it as tight as you are just makes it easier to steal."

Ed gulped, taking his watch out and opening up his palm as he stared at it. "R-really?"

Suddenly, Paninya rushed passed him, and before he knew it, his watch was gone. "No. But I had to get you to relax." Paninya grinned as she played with the trinket.

Ed freaked out upon seeing his empty palm, and how easily he was fooled. "H-hey! No fair!"

"Oh, chill, Edward." Paninya threw it back at him, which Ed caught. "I do pickpocketing only for fun now. I never keep what I steal and I always give it back."

"IT'S STILL STEALING!" Ed shouted.

"Actually, the townspeople and tourists are finding it rather amusing." Paninya smiled. "They want to see if they can keep me away from their stuff. And if that fails, see if they can get it back on their own."

"Sounds like a similar thing I saw back in Aquroya." Ed stated with distaste

"You're such a stickler as always." Paninya sighed. "So, where's Al?"

"Down below. He helped me up."

Paninya blinked in response. "What for? You know it's not smart to climb up here without both of your arms."

Ed mumbled incoherently as he tried to think up a response. "I...uh...wanted to check out the view."

"Uh, you know that there's a trail up Mt. Teufel to see the whole town, right?" Ed could not think of an excuse this time and remained silent.

Paninya sighed. "Whatever. Hey, is Winry with you?"

"She is. She's putting together my new arm as we speak."

"Cool! Maybe I can stop by later tonight!"

"Sure. I'll just let...our room?" Ed began to panic. "No. NO...not tonight!"

"Why?" Paninya asked. "I'll just be there for a few minutes; I know Winry's devoted to her work and all..."

"JUST NOT NOW, OKAY!?"

Paninya gave him a skeptical look. "You and Winry aren't... you know?"

"You know what?"

Paninya took her two hands, made one into a ring and put her finger through it. It took a while for the meaning to sink into Ed, but when it did, his face turned as red as his jacket. He then began to imagine Winry clad in nothing but a blanket and her hair down, coaxing Ed over to her. "Come here, you naughty alchemist..."

"WHAT THE HELL IS THAT PERVERTED MIND OF YOURS THINKING!?" he screamed at Paninya, flailing his arm. "WINRY AND I ARE CHILDHOOD FRIENDS! AND BESIDES, MY BROTHER'S WITH ME! HOW COULD I DO THAT IN FRONT OF HIM!?"

Paninya had to hold her stomach as she hunched over, laughing. "Sorry, I was just teasing." She recovered and stood firm. "But I am going to see her, whether you like it or not!"

Ed mumbled to himself as he tried to think this over. "Uh...maybe tomorrow?"

"Tomorrow's perfect!" Paninya exclaimed as she clapped her hands. "Dominic is having a party at his son's house tomorrow! I know Winry would like to come!"

"Uh...sure..."

"And you and Al are invited too! I'll see you there!" She happily bounded off.

Ed ran his hand over his hair as he sighed. "What have I gotten myself into?"

"Who's your friend there?" St. John asked as he climbed up the roof.

"Paninya. She lost both her legs and an arm in an accident and needed to have them replaced with automail. She became a pickpocket to pay her engineer back, even though he kept telling her he didn't need it. Winry and I set her straight...in a way."

"Interesting. And you're going to take another day off from getting us home." St John growled.

"Sorry?" Ed asked pleadingly.

---

"This is the place?" Knuckles asked skeptically.

"Yes." Sally replied.

Knuckles looked back at her, and back into the library. "Seems quite crowded."

"It was pretty mellow when we first got here." Sally said defensively.

"Well, Sally, returning the dang book is gonna be a lot harder than taking it." Bunnie said. "Why don't you just leave it on the roof or sumethn'? I'm sure somebody will find it, and if they don't, they can always get a replacement."

Sally shook her head. "No. It's not right. I took it without permission and now I've got to give it back. even if it's going to be tough."

"She's right, Bunnie." Knuckles agreed. "My dad always got on my case about how the right way is never the easy way."

Bunnie rolled her eyes. "Fine, fine. Ah guess we'll just have to be extra careful."

Sally nodded. "Are you with me?"

"We're with you." the two replied.

"Good." Sally gave the command through her hands, and the three leaped down to the nearest bookcase and onto the floor, quietly. They prepared to sprint, but immediately pinned themselves behind a book case as another patron went by. "We just touched down and that was already too close!" Knuckles hissed.

"Shh!" Sally shushed him. "This is a library!" "And we're not supposed to be seen OR heard!" Sally thought to herself.

Quickly, they snuck down the aisle, staying as close to the book case as possible. The three peaked around the corner; though crowded, it seemed everyone was lost in their books or own thoughts. Sally gave a silent command, and all 3 rushed across the hall to the next aisle. "These guys are probably easier to beat up than swatbots, and yet I'm still terrified!" Knuckles thought to himself.

Sally looked around the corners. "I'm lost." she hissed. "Bunnie, find the non-fiction section if you can."

Bunnie nodded, and extended her legs, making sure her head didn't quite peak out from the bookshelf. She scanned the area.

While she was looking, Knuckles saw someone making a turn down their aisle. Quickly, he threw a book. It opened up, covering the man's face. Before he could yell, Knuckles pulled him in and put a triangle choke around his neck, muffling his mouth as he struggled.

"Knuckles!" Sally hissed. "What are you-!?"

Knuckles gave her the 'You got a better idea?' look as the man's flailing got slower. "Okay." Bunnie said as she descended down to floor level. "It's across the other way, northeast-Knuckles!?" Bunnie nearly shouted, struggling to keep her voice down to a whisper. "What in tarnation are you doing!?"

"No witnesses." Knuckles shot back as the man finally went to sleep. "He'll be fine in a minute. Okay, let's hurry!"

Quickly and quietly, the trio went to the other end of the library, and ran until the non-fiction section was right in their sights. The problem was, several people where in between them, sitting down and reading. "Any ideas, Sally girl?" Sally said nothing. "Well?"

"...wait." was her only reply

Knuckles just looked at her. "Uh...yeah. Listen, I know that's normally a strategic thing to do, but we're really in a situation where we can't afford to wait. Got a better idea?"

Sally looked at him irritated. "Do you?"

Knuckles hung his head low in defeat. "...No..."

As the mobians desperately brainstormed on what to do, someone suddenly yelled "Help! I need help here!" Suddenly, everyone rose up and ran to the source of the noise.

"Is that..." Knuckles began.

"Yeah..." Sally smiled. "Your victim provided us the distraction we needed."

Knuckles only stared at her. "You mentioning victim in a sentence and being happy about it is so wrong."

"Come on!" Bunnie nudged them. "We gotta move now!"

The three ran over to their destined shelf. "Let's see...I think it was here." Sally pointed up to a portion of the bookcase. "And the author..." Sally's eyes widened as she looked up. "Oh boy. I forgot how high up he was."

"Give it here." Knuckles took the book and looked at the author, looking at the alphabetical order and back at the book. "Sheesh." He began to scale the bookshelf as he mumbled the author's name. Bunnie and Sally looked at one another, than began to giggle. "I think I found it!" Knuckles whispered as loud as he could.

As Knuckles struggled with his stubby gloves to put the book back into place, the two ladies leaned back to relax...and saw a boy staring right back at them. The three just stared at one another for the longest time. "Okay, it's in-WHOAH!" Knuckles, taken by surprise, fell off the shelf as one of his knuckles skinned it. Once he landed on his butt, the shelf leaned back and began to join him on the floor.

"Knuckles!" Sally shouted. The two helped him up on his feet as the shelf fell, raining heavy books.

The boy backed away just in time to see the shelf hit one bookcase after another like dominoes. He could only look on in shock as it happened. Finally, when the catastrophe finished, someone yelled "WHAT IS GOING ON HERE!?"

A crowd gathered where the boy was. "Young man..." the head librarian said, giving him the most accusing glare she could muster. "Do you have an explanation for this!?"

The boy was about to blurt out about the creatures, but decided against it; he did not wish to be committed on top of other things. "Uh...god did it?"

The librarian sighed to herself. "I apologize to everyone, but we are now closed for the day. I will have to ask you all to leave."

Up from above, the three mobians peered down from the sunroof. They all eventually turned away and sat down hugging their knees. "Sally..." Knuckles began. "I know it's not my place to lecture you, but THAT...could have gone a lot smoother."

The two girls nodded in agreement.

---

Soon, nightfall came. Winry had been hard at work with Ed's arm for hours now. Al watched with amazement at her dedication; he knew few people who were as passionate as Winry about their profession. He would have been blushing right now if that was physiologically possible for him. "Here." he said, walking up to Winry with a mug of coffee he got from the office earlier.

" Thanks Al." Winry drank it all in one gulp as she set the mug down and got back to work.

"Winry...may I ask you something?"

"Fire away, Al." Winry said, not taking her eye off the arm as she tightened some screws.

"How's it taste? The coffee, I mean?"

"Oh." Winry said. "It's terrible."

Al's helmet would have given her an odd look. "You mean this hotel's coffee, right?"

"No, coffee is terrible, period."

"But...you drink so much of it." he said in curiosity.

"It's not about the taste, Al." Winry said. "It's all about the caffeine. The boost helps me focus. Believe me, Al: once you get your body back, don't bother with the coffee. You're not missing much."

Ed, in the meantime, was conked out on a chair which he had leaning back, a trashy magazine covering his facial features. He was suddenly startled awake by a knock on the window. "What the-?"

"They're back, Ed." Winry said, not even bothering to look up from her work.

Alphonse got up and pulled open the curtains. Tails looked at him, hanging upside down as he waved. Al went over to the door and opened it as narrow as possible. "Hey." he whispered as the mobians helped themselves in, quickly but quietly. "How was today?"

"If you could make it into 'This Week' I might consider it to be good." Sonic quipped. He slowly smiled. "No. Seriously, Al. It was fine. Just glad to be out and about again, even if it's not like running through the Great Forest."

"Good to know. Anything interesting happened?"

Everyone looked at one another. "Uh...no. Nothin' really. Just glad to be out and about." Sonic answered.

"Oh really?" Sally questioned. "You and well-behaved don't go well together."

Sonic then stared at her. "What was up with that look from earlier?"

"Excuse me?"

"You were giving the guilty look. The same one you used to give Rosie when you stole cookies from the jar when we were kids. So...what did you do this time? You like to be Miss Perfect, but even you slip up sometimes!" His grin suggested that he was more amused than vindicated as Sally struggled for an answer.

"I...I don't want to talk about it!" Sally huffed, turning away from him.

"She sneaked a book out of library, copied it, and returned it. That's the part where we were found out." Knuckles informed him nonchalantly.

"Knuckles!" Sally scolded him. He only gave her a look that said "Gotcha back".

"You did what!?" Ed suddenly screamed as he flew off his chair. "Okay, I'd expect that sort of thing from him..." Ed exclaimed pointing to Sonic. "...but you! You're supposed to be a wise and responsible princess! How could you do that!?"

"Wait! Sally's a princess!?" Winry whispered to Al as she overheard the conversation.

"Long story." Al whispered back. "We'll tell you about it later."

"What do you mean you got spot-"

"In all fairness, it was a kid." Knuckles defended her. "I'm sure he either won't tell anyone or no one would believe him."

Ed grumbled and paced around. "You forget about the tabloids. They'll print just about any kind of trash. Maybe someone else saw you."

Sonic scratched his spines in embarrassment. "Uh...yeah...about that...I kinda did let someone see me...and they weren't kids, unfortunately..."

"WHAT!?"

"Well, these guys with guns were out there, and Tails and I scared them off. Don't worry, they didn't actually see us."

"Why in the world would you do that, Sonic!?" Sally shouted.

"They shot at Tails! What'd you expect me to do!?" Sonic yelled, throwing up his hands. "Oops." he muttered.

"THEY WHAT!?" Sally nearly screamed as she pulled Tails towards her and inspected him.

"I'm fine, Aunt Sally! Really! They just grazed me is all!"

"You all just have to go and start trouble everywhere, don't you!?" St. John growled at everyone. "All of you better get your heads straight! This is a different world out here, and while I admit I know next to nothing about this place, it's best to assume the worst and keep our heads low!"

Ed just looked at him. "Wow. For once I agree with him. What he said."

"Let's just try to be more careful next time." Al said, stepping in. "I understand that for some of you it was unavoidable. Others...not so much. But please know we're only hiding you to protect you." The mobians nodded reluctantly in agreement.

"Okay!" Winry suddenly exclaimed. "It's finished!"

Everyone looked behind Winry to see the completed automail arm. "Whoa! Now THAT'S way past cool!" Sonic exclaimed.

"No kiddn', sugar hog. If the de-robotization plan doesn't work out fer me, than ah may have to have Ms Rockbell on mah list of contacts!"

"You all flatter me." Winry bowed. "Anyway, we're going to have company over. Right, Ed?"

"Far as I know." Ed agreed. "A friend of Winry's insisted she come over. So you're going to have to hide..."

"And I need to have Ed's arm ready by then! I just have to have Dominic take a look at it!" Winry squealed with glee.

"Uh...Dominic?" Sonic asked.

"Long story." Ed said. "Can't it wait until morning?" he asked Winry.

"No. I want you ready, and if we do it sometime tomorrow, or the day after, you're going to be too tired to do anything else. At least tonight you can sleep it off." she said in her no-nonsense attitude.

Ed wanted to argue with her (even if she was in the right) but knew it would be an uphill battle. Besides...as much as he was dreading the pain, he wanted to get back to doing alchemy again as soon as possible. "Okay." he finally agreed.

He propped the chair with one hand and placed it near the bed. "Let's just get it over with." Ed unzipped his blazer, and with Al's help, discarded it. He began to remove his black t-shirt, but Winry pulled it over his head for him. "W-winry?" Ed stammered, blushing. "Wh-what are you doing?"

"I'm helping you out of this. What's the big deal?" she asked.

As Ed took a seat, Sonic observed the look in his eyes. "Hey Ed. Looks like you're not looking forward to this."

"You wouldn't either. Another reason why I want my real arm back." Ed looked up to see Winry's eyes soften. She seemed...hurt. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." Winry replied. "It's nothing." She brought the arm and placed it inside Ed's arm socket. "You ready?"

"No." Ed groaned.

"Too bad." Winry replied as she got her wrench out.

"Winry..." Sally asked. "What exactly are you doing?"

"I'm going to attach what's left of Ed's motor nerves to the automail." Winry replied. " It's what allows what would otherwise be a simple prosthetic move like the limb it's meant to replace. It's a painful process; most adults are crying and shouting in pain the whole operation. Many can't bear to do multiple limbs at once; this idiot insisted on it though."

Everyone looked to Ed, who had his face scrunched up. "Okay, Al. Hold him down." Winry ordered. "Starting the connection in 3...2...1..." She tightened a screw, and Ed clenched his teeth as he tried to keep his scream down to a minimum. The mobians themselves cringed. They had seen Ed in action and saw him take a lot of abuse; to elicit this kind of response from him must have been extremely painful.

Ed took several deep breaths as the sweat poured down his skin. "O-okay. I'm ready for the next."

"Okay, Ed." Winry tightened the screw again.

"OWPHHH!"Ed looked like he was about to pass out. "What the hell!? Not even a countdown!?"

"You said you were ready!" Winry said. "If you're ready you don't need a countdown!"

"How many more of those do you have to do?" Tails asked nervously.

"About 5 more." Winry replied.

Tails could only gulp. "Uh...yeah. I think I'll wait outside."

"I second that motion." Knuckles agreed.

Soon, all the mobians exited the room and decided to wait on the rooftop of the small hotel for the operation to be over instead of watch Ed slowly be tortured for his own good.

---

Ed's automail was finally attached, and once more peace was achieved. Both Ed and Winry were so exhausted from the ordeal that they went straight to bed. The mobians followed suit soon after, returning inside and having their respective meals. Even so, Sonic was still restless as usual. He found himself staring at the ceiling for hours while his friends around him slept peacefully around him. Having had enough, he got up and figured he go out for a night run. Maybe not the best idea, but he needed to get tired somehow.

As he stretched, he heard voices. "...and sadly, many lives were lost." That was Al.

"Oh gosh...I'm sorry. I know you view each other as different. But to me...it feels like a civil war."

"Sally." Sonic realized.

"I guess in a way it was."

Sonic didn't know how he hadn't heard them before. "I guess I've got a lot on my mind." Sally sitting in Alphonse's lap like a child, propping up Nicole in hologram mode as they read digital pages. And from what he could see...Sally was crying. "Hey." he whispered.

Sally turned to look at him. "Hey." was her only reply.

"Please tell me you're reading fiction." Sonic said, trying to lighten the mood.

Sally shook her head. "No. History. Copied it from that book Knuckles mentioned."

Sonic sighed. "So, what's the grim tale we're learning about tonight?"

"The Ishvall War of Extermination." Al said. "Definitely not Amestris's finest moment."

Sonic sighed, and took a seat next to Al's legs. "Alright, I'll bite. What is it exactly?"

"You, showing an interest in history?" Sally asked incredulously.

"If it will make me tired."

"Figures." Sally rolled her eyes. "Anyway, the humans here have divided themselves into many races...sub species...I don't know. To me it's being picky."

"In lots of ways, I agree with you." Al said.

"Anyway, there is a land annexed to this country called Ishvall, out in the desert. The natives there had a stringent religion that forbade the use of alchemy."

"After seeing all Ed can do, that sounds dumb."

"In their view, alchemy is a way of perverting that which their god has created." Sally explained. "Tensions were prominent between them and the Amestrians due to cultural differences. Then a guard suddenly shot an Ishvallan child in cold blood."

Sonic hissed. "And war began."

"Putting it mildly." Al said. "Because they were seen as too difficult to control and impossible to negotiate with, the Fuher ordered that they be exterminated until they submitted."

Sonic, for once, was silent. He dreaded to know where this would lead. "How did it go? For both of you, I mean?"

Al sighed. "I can't say; I wasn't there when it happened. But from what I gathered, both sides suffered terribly. On one hand, the Ishvallans were said to be extraordinary fighters, despite their outdated weapons, and used their knowledge of their land to the fullest. Many Amestrians died, and many came back with missing limbs; Ed encountered a vet missing his leg a month ago. I've heard rumors how some went mad. But the Ishvallans suffered the worst. Many women and children were caught in the crossfire, and then the state alchemists came."

"You mean...?"

"What the book won't tell you, Sally, is exactly how the state alchemists ended the war. One of them reluctantly created a fake philosopher's stone that boosted the combat alchemists' abilities. After that, the Ishvallans didn't stand a chance."

Sonic and Sally only stayed silent. "And not an ounce of regret from them?" Sonic asked, dreading the answer.

"No. From what I've heard, every soldier who participated in the war had lost something dear to them and wish it never happened. Not even we were left untouched by the war; Winry's parents were doctors who volunteered to treat men on both sides. And they paid with their lives." Al subconsciously ran a hand through his helmet band. "In a way, their deaths affected us too. Seeing Winry so sad and broken from the death of her parents made it difficult to accept our mother's mortality when it happened." Both nodded solemnly.

"Hey." Sonic said, patting his armor. "The past is in the past. You know it happened, and you've got to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Wow." Sally's smile lightened up. "You actually understand the point of history."

"You wound me, Sal." Sonic stretched his arms and yawned. "Listen, this is fascinating and all, but it's depressing. Got a more cheerful side to your history?"

"I don't know about cheerful, but we definitely have things that are more pleasurable to read." Al said.

"You'll forget about it tomorrow morning." Sally commented.

"Probably." Sonic leaned against Al's leg. "Continue, please."

---

Ed awoke sometime in the morning. His right arm brushed away his hair...that's right. He got a new arm. "Winry." He smiled softly, thankful she was always there to put him back together. Ed sat up to see Winry lying on the bed right next to his in her usual tube top and baggy jeans. On the floor, the mobians were scattered about, getting as comfortable as possible.

All were asleep, except for St. John who seemed to be staring rather irritably at the wall. "What's got his goat?" Ed looked to see Sonic and Sally sleeping away on Al's body. "Jealous?" Ed thought. He was sure Sally and St. John were a couple. Did something happen between them? He then noticed that Al, being the only one of the group that could not nor require sleep playing around with Sally's gadget. Both he and Al were fascinated by the machine, but were too preoccupied by other things to ask about it. Besides, they weren't Winry; they wouldn't have been able to take it apart and figure out how it worked. But Al...he was working it like some kind of pro, getting the machine to display all kinds of things. "Hey." he said as he got up from the bed.

"Hey." Al whispered. "Nicole is amazing."

"Thank you, Alphonse." the computer said.

"Sally teach you how to use her?"

" A little. She mostly showed me the 'tutorial.' Nicole teaches me to use her as she goes."

"Wow." Ed looked on. "So, where is this? It looks almost Xingese."

"It's called the Dragon Kingdom." Al replied

The two brothers were officially hooked, while St. John only scoffed. Suddenly, Knuckles head shot up. "What is it, mate?" the skunk asked.

"Someone's coming!"

Before St. John could ask, there was a knocking on the door. "ED! AL! WINRY! YOU AWAKE!?"

Winry shot up. "It's Paninya!" The other mobians awoke with a start, and immediately scurried over to the bathroom, closing the door. "Hold on!" Winry straightened her hair, while Ed did his best to look presentable. Making sure they did not look especially disheveled, Winry looked to the brothers. They nodded nervously; they didn't know how they were going to pull this off.

Winry then opened the door. Paninya smiled, immediately hugging the blonde girl. "Winry! So good to see you again!"

"Same to you." Winry hugged back. "I just didn't think we would meet again so soon!"

"Yeah." She looked to Ed. "Hey. I see you got your arm back."

Ed suddenly looked at his automail, then looked disappointed. "Oh. Right. This one." Winry's fist clenched and as usual, whacked him over the head with a wrench faster than the eye could see. "OW!"

"Anyway, Ed told me Mr. Dominic was having a party?" Winry asked, her mood swinging back to pleasant.

"Yup!" Paninya smiled. "It's his birthday today! 70 years, can you believe it!? Anyway, when I saw Ed without his automail, I knew you had to be in town too! So, I thought I'd invite all of you!"

"Sounds wonderful!" Winry screamed gleefully. "Listen, I haven't had breakfast yet! Why don't we go out, just the two of us?"

"Sounds great. But wouldn't Ed want to come..."

"It's fine." Ed said, holding up his hand. "There's something I need to take care of first. We'll catch up with you all later, okay?"

"Oh!" Winry smacked her fist in realization. "I need to get dressed! Paninya, please give me a few minutes." She grabbed her suitcase and rushed into the bathroom. Whatever happened, they had to keep Paninya from seeing the creatures inside.

"SO, WHAT'S UP WITH DOMINIC!?" Ed practically shouted from the other side, apparently trying to drown out whatever noises would come up inside the bathroom.

"Oh, really subtle, Ed." Winry turned to the mobians. "Tub. Now. Pull the curtain."

The mobians did as asked; the curtains were not in the least transparent. They could still hear her dressing though. "Sally, why do overlanders have to wear so many clothes?" Tails asked.

Winry reacted better than she normally would have; after all, they were animals and they had a radically different view of what fully clothed meant. "Speaking of which..you guys seem real comfortable being naked around one another. You don't have any...parts, showing?"

"Parts?" Sonic inquired.

"You know..." Winry whispered. "...for sex."

Sally blushed crimson at where this topic was headed. "Oh." Sonic said in realization. "Those only come out when we're ready to mate." Truthfully, Sonic was a little bit embarrassed about the topic as well.

"Ah. That's convenient; ours show all the time." Winry replied.

"What? For real? That's gotta be embarrassing." Sonic tried to imagine the overlanders without those restrictive clothing. Then Robotnik showed up in his mind, and Sonic immediately aborted that train of thought as he felt his stomach do cartwheels. "Why? Why did I have to go there?"

"Okay." Winry pulled the curtain so she could face them, dressed in her white tank top and black skirt.. "I'll be going out with Paninya for brunch. Ed will take care of you. So just do what he asks. Okay?"

Winry quickly exited the bathroom and greeted Paninya, who was looking quite peeved "Hey Winry! Are these two going deaf or something?" Paninya asked, thumbing the the brothers. "They kept shouting out everything I asked them."

"No Ed's just being his usual obnoxious self." Winry said, pretending to sigh. "Anyway, ready to go?"

"Yeah! I know this great cafe with the best bacon and waffles!"

"Sounds great! Ed, you sure you don't want to come?" Winry said, pretending to persuade him.

"I'll catch you all later when it's time for Dominic's party." Ed waved. "There's something I need to do first."

"Okay then. See you two there." Paninya said as she and Winry left.

Ed waited for the mobians to come out. "So, what now?" Knuckles asked.

"I'm not sure. But, I was thinking that maybe you all should come with us to Dominic's house. Not literally to the party, of course. Just hang around that area so if you need us, so that way we'll be there for you."

Sonic sighed. "Way past. We're invited but not actually invited. Just hope they're in a good part of town."

---

Eventually, Ed and the mobians came to the agreement that they would be free to roam about, provided they were extra careful, and to meet back near the hotel around 3 o'clock. From there they would have to figure out their own modes of transportation to get to the party that they were and were not invited too, if they wanted to come. "Well, that was easier to negotiate then I thought." Ed said, thinking back on it.

"They're sticking together too." Al noted. "I guess just letting them have 1 day to themselves makes them more cooperative."

"Yeah, I gue-THE HELL!?" Ed suddenly shouted.

"What?" Alphonse asked. His "eyes" practically widened themselves as they both saw a newspaper stand headlining mysterious sightings.

Quickly, Ed fished out his wallet and used the necessary change to buy a copy. Ed quickly opened it up, Al looking over his shoulder.

The first article detailed how 2 hunters found some creature with multiple tails and could fly without any apparent mechanism. They believed they shot it down, but then a twister with blue-outlines surrounded them and tossed rocks at them before they could claim the prize. The hunters claimed it called itself the blue blur and ordered them to never return. Of course, the authorities questioned their sanity over the matter.

Another detailed how a young woman was about to be kidnapped, but as she was thrown into the trunk of a car, someone intervened and released her. She didn't get a good look at her rescuer, but her kidnappers were unconscious and she caught something red flying off in the distance. Though there were too many unknowns, according to investigators, the arrest of the two kidnappers had opened the path towards future investigations regarding the mob.

"Those guys..." Ed groaned as he gripped his forehead.

"Well...at least Knuckles had a good reason..." Al tried to assure him. "Besides, no one is going to seriously pursue this."

"I hope you're right Al. Because all it takes is for someone to get just a little bit too curious..." Ed said.

---

Soon, the time came to meet up for Dominic's birthday party. Winry and Paninya walked back to the hotel, waving to Ed and Al. "So, ready to go?" Paninya asked.

"Yeah. How are we going to get there, may I ask?" Ed asked.

"Dominic's home is up in the canyon." Paninya answered. "There's no road for a car, so we'll be going by carriage."

"Uh...really?" Ed asked. Though horses were still used as a means of transportation in many areas, they were quickly being replaced by trains and automobiles as time went on. The one thing horses had over the other two was that they did not need specific conditions for their paths.

"Yeah. Here comes one right now!" Paninya waved to the approaching carriage. It was rather large, like it was built for a pilgrimage and had a cotton roof on top. "Hey!"

The mobians watched from atop a close-by building, making sure no one could see them by casually looking up. "Well, it's coming." Sonic confirmed. "Are we ready?"

"Hold on, Sonic." Sally turned to St. John, sitting on the roof and fiddling with his crossbows, his back turned away from the others. "Geoffery...please. I don't like seeing you like this. Come with us." she pleaded with him.

"You have fun, luv." was his only reply. Sally just threw her arms up in frustration.

"When even Knuckles is the more sociable one, you know something is wrong." Sonic thought silently to himself.

"I guess it's all of us minus one." Sally said to Sonic, giving him a sad smile.

"Don't worry Sal. We may not be official guests, but we can still make something out of it." He held open his arms, inviting Sal into them.

Sally's sad smile slowly became genuine. "Not too fast, okay?" Sally asked as she walked into them. "You may give us away."

"Don't worry, Sal. It'll be slow and steady...for me, anyway." He picked her up off the floor, ready to carry her.

"Good enough."

Sonic turned to the others. "You guys cool?"

"Don't you worry, sugar hog. Ah got my own means to get about." Tails gave him a thumbs up, Knuckles only nodded.

"Okay then." Sonic looked back down.

The 4 teens walked inside the carriage. "I haven't been in a carriage in what seems to be forever!" Winry said. "Even in Resembool cars are becoming more common!"

"I think that's why Mr. Dominic lives near the mountains; easier to keep things just the way you like!" Paninya looked to the two boys. "I assume this is okay?"

"It's fine." Ed agreed, looking out from the corner. He caught Sonic still on the roof, giving him a thumbs up. "We're ready."

With that, the carriage took off. Sonic and friends, of course, had no problem keeping up, the speedster getting a little ahead and waiting to make sure they were heading in the right direction.

---

Dominic always found comfort in hard, bitter work as he filed down a piece of iron. Working the body hard ensured you were still alive, and putting all of your focus into your craft could help you forget the problems of the world. But even he had to acknowledge that he would have to face them eventually. The one problem he was trying to avoid today: his damn birthday. Not only were the celebrations a pain, but Dominic felt he was at the point where he should naturally dread each birthday on account of being old enough as it was.

"Dad!" his son Ridel called through the door. "Are you done yet!? You're going to toil your life away at this rate!"

Dominic looked at his work; he was nowhere close to finishing up his latest design. It wouldn't matter; the brats outside wouldn't let him finish in peace anyway. Might as well get this over with. "Alright!" he growled as he threw his gloves down on the table. "I'm coming!"

He walked to the door, and unlocked it, only to see confetti thrown into his face. "SURPRISE!" His family yelled with glee and smiles. "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!"

Dominic rolled his eyes. "What's so surprising about it? I haven't forgotten my own birthday!"

"Just go with it, Dad." his son exclaimed. Unlike his father, who was a burly blue collar man, Ridel was well-groomed and thin, typical of a man of higher education.

As he should be, in Dominic's point of view; he busted his ass to put him through college. "Fine." he reluctantly agreed. Just then, the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Dominic's daughter in-law Satella exclaimed.

Like the men of the house were going to allow a pregnant woman to do any hard work; Satella's baby was due any day now. "You sit down." Dominic sternly said, coming off ruder than it should have been. "I'll get it." He opened the door, and saw a short teenager with blonde hair. A state alchemist he was vaguely familiar with. "Oh." he replied. "It's you."

Ed was at a loss for words; just how do you address someone as imposing as Dominic. "Happy Birthday, Dominic!" Paninya appeared behind Ed, smiling.

While Dominic continued to scowl, he visibly relaxed slightly. "Here to add to my misery, huh? I suppose you brought his brother and mechanic along?"

"Happy Birthday, sir!" Winry replied as she came into view.

"You're not going to leave if I tell you too, aren't you?"

"Not on your life!" Paninya nearly yelled. "So, are we invited, or is the party that bad?"

Dominic rolled his eyes, and moved away from the door. The guests stepped in, eager to explore the house and meet up with inside the house. Al, without anyone noticing, placed a small silver disc on the wall.

Up above on the roof, the mobians decided to have a mini-picnic with some veggies and pasta the brothers got for them from a restaurant. "Are we live?" Sally asked.

"Image processing...now." Nicole projected a live image of the inside of the cabin, where they watched the celebration inside.

Sonic gave a genuine smile. "Now that looks like a happy family...except for maybe the birthday boy."

Back inside, Winry approached Mr. Dominic. "Congratulations, Mr. Dominic!"

"For what? Getting another year older? That's only something every living thing does until they can't."

Winry laughed nervously. "So...I understand that you're very busy...and...well, I'm a bit preoccupied myself. But..." Winry, realizing she wasn't going anywhere with this, decided to change tactics. She took a deep breath...and suddenly kneeled to the floor and bowed. "I beg you, sir! Please reconsider making me your apprentice!"

Everyone only turned to stone upon seeing the sight. "Winry...just how desperate are you!?" Ed thought.

Dominic only looked at her for a second...and turned away. "Piss off!"

Winry felt what seemed to be a stake drive through her heart. That didn't kill her though; it just made her more desperate, as she suddenly clung to his leg. "PLEASE DON'T BE SO CRUEL! I'VE YEARS OF EXPERIENCE, I WORK HARD..."

"THEN WHY DO YOU NEED TO APPRENTICE TO SOMEBODY!?" Winry stopped her childish tantrum as she looked up at him in curiosity. "If you're already good at something and you want to get better still, all you need is yourself!"

"B-but automail is complicated!" Winry complained. "I can't just go and experiment-"

"If I did it, anyone can do it. I knew the basics very well, and applied myself everyday, learning from my mistakes. You don't need anyone, kid; if you're Pinako's granddaughter, no doubt you've got it in you. Seek all the advice you want. But remember this: automail is both science and art. You need to be free to make your own mark; simply applying the techniques of others before you will only result in stagnation."

Everyone was stunned silent by Dominic's lecture. Though firm, it was rather...enlightening. In a way, it seemed to be just what Winry needed. Winry, apparently having understood, stood and nodded in acknowledgment. "Thank you."

Dominic sighed. "So...I guess we can continue with the rest of today's misery?"

The party continued on; even Ed had to admit he was rather enjoying himself. The mobians also watched in approval from above; not even Sonic was getting too bored. Just then, they over heard thunder. "Aw fudge." Knuckles groaned. "It's gonna rain."

The Elrics noticed the upcoming storm too. "Now look what you did, Dad! Your sour mood brought on a thunderstorm!" Ridel chastised him.

"Good! I rather like the rain." was Dominic's gruff reply.

"Uh, hold on everyone!" Ed shouted. "I'm going to check on something outside. I'll be back in a minute!"

Quickly, he ran outside and scaled the building. "Impeccable timing, sugar!" Bunnie said as the rain began to hit, the mobians desperately shielding themselves with their arms. "You're just in time for the shower!"

"Yeah, yeah! Hold on!" Ed looked around him, seeing if there was anything he could use. Then, he found some tarps and pipes on the roof. "Ah ha! Everyone, in the center!"

The mobians did as told, and Ed clapped his hands. Upon placing them on the roof, the tarp turned into a tent, supported by the rods. "Whoa!" Sonic exclaimed as they crawled inside. "For once, you came up with something way past cool!"

"What the heck is that supposed to mean!?" Ed growled.

"Thank you, Ed." Sally said. "Hurry up back to the party; they're going to wonder what you're up to"

Ed quickly ran off the roof...and found himself slipping upon landing. "Whoa!" He landed onto the ground with a thud, splattered in mud. "OW! That could have been worse!" he winced. He hobbled back inside, surprising anyone.

"Ed!" Winry called. You're filthy!"

Indeed, the alchemist's backside was beige colored, not the best look for a party. "Cripes, kid!" Dominic shouted. "I'm not exactly enthusiastic about this party, but you're not helping!"

"It's okay, Dominic." his daughter in law came in. "I'll give him some spare clothes."

"Thank you...but it's not necessary." Ed quickly transmuted his clothes to cake and vaporize the mud, but it still did not change the fact that he was soaking wet.

"Oh yes it is! You'll catch your death of cold if we don't get you changed right now!" She quickly shooed him away into one of the spare bedrooms.

---

Ed washed his hair while Satella hung his clothes by the fireplace to dry. He was wearing one of Dominic's tank tops and sweatpants when he was...10, if he heard Satella right. "Don't let it get to you, Ed; that guy's a monster of a man. No doubt he was a monster of a kid too."

"Are you feeling alright?" Satella asked sweetly.

"I'm good; I didn't mean to cause you any trouble." Ed said as he dried off his hair.

"Don't worry about it; accidents happen. Dominic won't mind you borrowing those clothes until then."

"Yeah...ok." Ed looked at Satella's pregnant belly. "How far along are you?" Ed asked, smiling.

"It's just about time." Satella answered as she gave her round belly a rub. "Hopefully not too soon."

Ed remembered back when Maes Hughes had him take a break from studying for the alchemy exam to celebrate his own birthday at his house. Ed's birthday would also become Elisia's birthday as well, as her mother went into labor that very night. "That was a traumatizing time. Traumatizing...but beautiful."

Ed finally rejoined the party, where all the others were just relaxing. Even Dominic's mood seemed to have improved. Ed began to visibly relax himself, just glad to have a little rest. Unfortunately, his mind was far too active; it couldn't truly rest unless there was nothing else troubling him. His mind was on the homunculi...and Robotnik. "He's not finished; he has plans. I have an idea of the what; I'm just uncertain of the why and no clue about the how." Then there was that thing that came through the portal after them. Even Robotnik feared it. Ed broke into a slight sweat. "At least Robotnik and the Homunculi I'm prepared to face off against...but whatever that thing was?"

Just then, a loud splash was heard. "What the-!?"

"Agghh!" Satella fell to the floor in pain.

"Saty!" Ridel ran to his wife, trying to help her up. "What's wrong!?"

"THE BABY, YOU IDIOT! IT'S COMING!" she cringed as her sweet demeanor vanished.

Everyone just looked on in shock. "WHAT!?"" Paninya screamed.

"ED, WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!?" Al suddenly shouted.

"ME!? WHAT DOES THIS HAVE TO DO WITH ME!?"

"GRACIA GAVE BIRTH THE INSTANT YOU STEPPED INTO HER HOUSE! ARE YOU CURSED OR SOMETHING!?"

"WHAT!? YOU WERE THERE TOO! HOW DO YOU KNOW YOU'RE NOT THE CURSED ONE!?"

"THIS ISN'T HELPING!" Satella screamed as she clutched her belly.

"Okay, everyone calm down!" Winry said as she helped her up to her feet. "Paninya, Ed, help me get her to the bed."

"We need to get a doctor!" Ridel said as he joined them in helping her stand.

"Shit." Dominic hissed as he looked outside. "With this storm, there's no way we can reach the doctors by phone!" Quickly, Dominic grabbed his raincoat.

"DAD!" Ridel yelled. "Where do you think you're going!?"

"Getting the doctor! What do you think, dumbass!? Now take care of your wife!" With that, he slammed the door and mounted his horse, forcing the poor animal to go as fast as it could take him.

"These roads are dangerous during storms like these!" Ridel shouted. "I'm not sure even he can get to the doctor in time!"

"We'll just have to let him be for now then!" Winry shouted as she and the others helped Satella get settled into bed. "We need to get her comfortable now!"

"We can delay the birth, right?" Al asked frantically, trying to think up a solution.

"Al, you idiot! We can't delay birthing! The baby and mother could die!" she screamed.

Al would have turned white with fright if he could. "S-sorry I suggested it..."

"It doesn't matter!" Ed said. "We have to do everything in our power to make sure she's okay!"

"LESS TALKING, MORE DOING PLEASE!" Satella shouted.

Everyone suddenly realized the situation they were in. "Please don't tell me we're going to have to deliver the baby ourselves." Winry whispered.

"I don't think the baby's giving us much choice." Ed said with dread.

---

The mobians above saw what was happening. They wanted to help, but for obvious reasons they believed they couldn't get involved. The last thing they needed was for a panicked father to be shooting up the place while his wife was in pain.

"Sally..." Tails moaned, frightened for the woman's life.

"I know." she agreed. "But what can we do?"

As Sonic looked on, his fingers tightened around his arms. "What can we do?" After much internal deliberation, he reached his own conclusion. "Everything we can, that's what!"

Sonic abruptly stepped out of the tent. "Sonic!" Sally called. "What do you think you're doing!?"

"Doing what a hedgehog's gotta do." he replied as he took a tarp and made a make-shift cloak.

"I'll come with you!" Tails exclaimed.

"Uh uh. Not this time little buddy. Can't have you struck down by lightning. This is something I've gotta do on my own." With that, he took off, leaving a trail of mud in his wake.

"Good luck, Sonic." Sally whispered.

---

Sonic had experienced many environments to run in over the years. Volcanic ranges, snowy mountains, and deserts, he had traversed them all with flying colors. And the canyon with the storm was not that much different. There was one problem: he had to find a specific person, and find out how to get him to Dominic's place without making him faint. Or toss his cookies. Or ram him into a wall. "I really don't want to deal with him...especially with the way he's been acting...but as it stands now, I may not have a choice!"

Sonic sped up the path, careful to keep an eye out in the rain. Soon, he began to approach what seemed to be a horse. "That must be soon-to-be gramps up ahead!" Sonic climbed up the wall as he sped past him, hoping he didn't give him a good chance to look. Sonic ran back towards the path and continued. However, he found a flash flood blocking his way. Most people who attempted to cross it would probably be pulled under and drown. But for Sonic... "Short Cut!" Sonic landed on the water's surface and let it carry him. He plunged down into the canyon, where he began to run on the water again, straight down. Suddenly, as if the water was merely rubber, he bounced off to the other side. Catching the other side of the canyon, Sonic raced up, giving it his all. "Ughh! On second thought, this was a pretty stupid idea!" Soon enough, though, Sonic reached the top and landed on solid ground. "Phew! Now to cut through!"

Sonic raced through the rocky outcroppings, their slippery surfaces giving him an extra boost with their reduced friction. He ran a full circle upside down across two conveniently placed rocks. He then zigzagged across an entire row of stalactites, keeping his overall velocity in a straight line. Just when it seemed he reached a dead end, he curled up into a Sonic Spin and dug through it. Finally, he came out onto the other side.

"There's Rush Valley! Now-Hey! Why's it so wet!?" Sonic realized his Sonic Spin ruined his cloak, leaving him exposed to the elements. "Aww man! Not cool!" Sonic quickly shook himself, if only for some very temporary relief, and ran off. Jumping to the tops of the buildings, he looked for something to use, if only to disguise himself. He found a clothesline, the owner of the garments too lazy to bother pulling them back in, and snatched a blanket off. Quickly he snatched it and wrapped it around his person. It was wet, but at least it would stop him from getting wetter...right? Well, too late, as he ran across the rooftops.

"St. John, St. John...he could have at least dropped a little hint about where he would be if I needed to find him!" Sonic thought in frustration. He stopped on a building to take a look around. "Where would I be if I were him?"

"Party not to your liking, mate?"

Sonic turned around and found St. John approaching him, holding some cloth above his head. "St. John...I need an arrow." Sonic said in an unusual no nonsense attitude.

"Afraid I can't help ya there mate; I'm all out."

"Darn!" Sonic hissed. "There's liable to be rock-slides in the canyon-!"

"So what? Knowing you, you can just burrow through them."

"Not if I'm carrying someone with me." Sonic explained.

"What are you doing here? Really?"

"There was a woman at the party. She's going into labor! I need to get a doctor!"

St. John rubbed his chin. "I may have something..."

"Good! Hand it over!" Sonic shouted, extending his hand.

"But I won't."

Sonic just looked at him stunned. "What!?"

"I won't go out of my way to hurt any of these overlanders...but I'm not sticking out my neck for them either."

"St. John, it's a mother with a baby!" Sonic pleaded.

"Things happen, mate."

"What's about to happen is my foot in your mouth if you don't give it over right now!" Sonic hissed.

"I'd like to see you try that." St John growled as he put his guard up. Sonic rushed him, but the skunk grabbed his arm and flung him over, the hedgehog lying on his back. "I told you before; you've got talent, but you're out of your league with me."

"Geoffery." Sonic said as he stood back up. "I'm going to ask you one last time. Please: help me out."

"You had my answer, mate. Sorry to tell you."

Sonic sighed. "You know, as much as I wanted to punch that sorry keester of yours for the longest time ever since we met...I'm kind of sorry we have to do this."

Sonic rushed him again, but once more St. John was ready. He quickly grabbed the back of Sonic's neck, minding the spines, and kneed him in the stomach. "Give it up."

"No." St. John did a couple of more knees, and threw him towards the ledge. Sonic, apparently shaken from the orderal, took a few deep breaths as he struggled to stand, then finally muttered "I quit."

Geoffery nodded. "Good, though I must admit, I'd never expect you to give up so easily..."

"Not giving up; I quit. I got what I came for." Sonic sneered as he held up a silver device.

St. John's eyes widened as he looked around his utility belt. All the pockets were opened! "Trust me, I'd love to tangle with you another time. But let's set it for an occasion when someone's life is NOT at stake."

St. John lunged for him, but Sonic ran down the building before he could reach him. "Gotta roll, troll!" Sonic shouted as he wrapped the piece of laundry around his person and took off.

St. John sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "What was I thinking?"

---

Dr. Knox sighed as he went over some forms on his desk. Truthfully, thunderstorms just made him cranky and want to come home sooner. But he had a mountain of paperwork as it was, and he would only regret it later if he played hookey.

"Doctor..." his secretary said as she walked in. "...there's someone requesting your help."

"If it's just a minor check up or health questions, it can wait." he waved her off.

"Actually, sir...this..man...needs you to deliver a baby."

Knox stopped his work, and sighed. Quickly, he set his forms down and grabbed his house-call purse. He may have been one to put off minor things, but as a doctor it was his duty to see to all emergencies. "Where is it?"

"In the canyons. For 'Dominic', he says."

"Dominic...Dominic LeCoulte, the auto-mail engineer?"

"I believe so."

"Yeah, that sounds about right. His daughter-in-law should be jut about due. Don't know how we're going to get through this weather though..."

"He says he has a carriage waiting for you."

Dr. Knox only looked at her funny. "Well, it will have to do I suppose...Anything else?"

"Yes; he seems to be a midget."

"Like I care about someone's physical appearance!"

"But he also covers himself head to toe in rags; I can't even get a good look at his face."

That caught the doctor's attention. Deciding better safe than sorry, he went to his drawer and pulled out a revolver. Tucking it into his coat, he stepped out into the storm. Indeed, the carriage was waiting for him as promised. However, there were no horses pulling it. Instead, the small individual gripped the helm. "What the hell is this? Some kind of joke!?" he yelled.

"What you see is what you get." was the stranger's only reply. "Get in. We don't have much time."

"How!? You don't have any animals!"

"We've got me, and that's all we'll need! Now get in!"

The doctor sighed. "This is ridiculous." he muttered to himself as he took a seat inside.

"Hold on tight." Sonic warned him. The doctor rolled his eyes as he gripped the sides. "Tighter." The doctor did so. "TIGHTER!" Sonic yelled. The doctor did as he was told until his knuckles began to turn red. Sonic took a deep breath, moved his legs so fast they formed a wheel while he stayed in place. "This is going to take a lot out of me..." Finally he ran forward, pulling the carriage with him as they sped up dramatically.

---

Sonic had moved heavier objects than this. Just not for this long or far. Not to mention he was usually travelling at such insane speeds that his body wouldn't feel the burn of the heavy duty pushing. "Ohhh...come on! Push!" Sonic was only thankful there was no traffic blocking his path. As he curved around the bend, he felt the carriage begin to fall off it's wheels. "Shoot! Please don't fall, please don't fall..." Sonic gave it his all as he rushed to the other side, careful to make sure the helm didn't break. Thankfully, they held, and the carriage was upright in no time.

"Yes!" Sonic continued on. "How's it hanging, doc!?" he shouted.

"I-is it over yet!?" the doctor stuttered as he held on for dear life.

Sonic sighed. "I'm only goin' a hundred." Ideally, he could travel much faster but as it was, But with a doctor in tow, Sonic could not pull his usual stunts. As much as he felt he was being held back, he reminded himself that this was better then leaving it to Dominic alone.

Speaking of which, Sonic saw Dominic himself with his horse, preparing to cross the bridge. Sonic, making sure the doctor was still okay, made a quick assessment of the bridge. "Good, it's wide enough." "Coming through!" He shouted.

Dominc scooted his horse to the edge as the fastest carriage he ever saw rushed by him. "Where can I get me one of those?" Dominic wondered in awe.

---

Sonic felt like his lungs were on fire. His legs felt like jelly as well. If it was just him, he'd be fine with collapsing onto the road and catching a few zees. But it was never about him; if he wanted to do the right thing, he had to push himself. "Just a little more-!" He would have used a power ring, but he left it behind with Sally. Plus, even if he did use it, he was afraid of risking the doctor's life with his chosen method of transportation. All he could hope for right now was that Ed and the other humans were doing everything they could to help Satella. "Please, hold on! I'm almost there!"

Sonic ignored his burning everything as he continued racing down the pathway. Other than the enormous toll it was taking on his body, it was smooth sailing. But then, Sonic spotted something over the horizon. "Oh man...please don't let that be what I think it is..." Unfortunately, it was; as he predicted, a rock slide blocked the path. He had St. John's explosive; he worked with enough of those devices to know how they worked. The problem was how he was going to pull this off. Even if he stopped, the momentum from the carriage would still carry it and he doubted he could halt something of that mass before colliding with the rocks. He thought about running in the opposite direction to stop it, but in addition to running into the same problem as the previous scenario, he would risk turning the carriage off the edge. The gap closing, Sonic realized he had little choice. "There is one way..." Instead of stopping the carriage, he would have to slow it down. "Hang on tight! I'll be right back, and whatever you do, do NOT let go!" Sonic yelled.

He suddenly planted the helm into the ground, making sure not to dig them into solid rock. Knox shouted "I-I think I'm going to HURLLL!" as the vibrations rocked even stronger than before.

Satisfied the carriage was slowing down on a relatively straight patch of road, Sonic rushed ahead to the rocks, relishing the relief of being free, if only for a split second. "Gotta make this count..." Sonic reached the landslide, placed the device on the rubble and ran back to the carriage. The explosion cleared all the rubble, but the debris were flying everywhere, liable to hit the carriage. "Oh shoot!" Sonic raced forward to grab the helm, and swerved the vehicle widely to avoid the rocks. Knox was in a full state of panic by now, as he feared he was about to either fall into the canyon or crash into the wall. At this speed, he wasn't sure which of the two were worse.

Sonic himself didn't feel to be in the best of shape. He didn't know whether his body would spontaneously combust or if his arms would fall off...probably a little bit of both. "Hold on...just a little more!" Finally, Dominic's cottage came into view. "There it is!" Seeing the pathway widen significantly, Sonic hit the breaks with his feet as the carriage slowly came to a stop, creating a mini-tidal wave of mud in it's wake. Right across from the cabin, the carriage stopped, and Sonic finally hunched over, breathing heavily. "Mission...whew...accomplished!" he proclaimed proudly.

"Sonic!" Tails called from the roof as the others came down, confident they wouldn't be seen given the current situation. "You're back!"

"Did you get the doctor!?" Sally asked in a state of worry..

"Yep." Sonic smiled proudly, despite the burn he put himself through. "Speaking of which, you guys should hide again. Same rules apply with this guy." Knuckles just looked at him skeptically. "What?" Knuckles just walked up inside taking a peak. "Knuckles!" Sonic hissed. "What are you doing!?"

Knuckles stepped out and clocked Sonic across the head. "You idiot!" Knuckles yelled. "You killed the doctor!"

"WHAT!?" Normally, Sonic would have punched Knuckles back for saying something so stupid, but given the situation, he rushed to the side of the carriage. Indeed, Dr. Knox was slumped to the side, drooling foam from the mouth and and his skin white as a sheet. "AHHHH!"

---

Ed clapped his hands and grabbed a bucket of water. The water instantly heated to appropriate bath tub temperature, just like he did accidentally during Gracia's labor. Quickly, he ran inside, mindful of the water. "Winry! How's it coming!?"

"NOT VERY WELL, THANK YOU VERY MUCH!" Satella shouted.

Ignoring her, Ed handed the hot water over to Winry. "She's doing well, but I can't keep this up!" Winry exclaimed as she ringed a towel. "The baby has to come out, and there's no doctor in sight!"

"Uggnnnhhh!" Satella grunted.

Al trepidaciously looked at the bulging...space, and the psychological trauma alone was too much for him as he fell to his knees. "This...this is what I've been looking forward to?"

"Al!" Winry tossed the armor a wet rag. "Press it against her head! We need to keep the blood flowing and relieve her pain best we can!"

"R-right!" Al exclaimed as he placed the towel on her forehead.

Ed sneaked a peak out the window. "Damn! It's bad. I...I don't think he's going to make it in time!"

"He has to!" Winry screamed. "Otherwise...I may have to do this myself!"

Ed turned towards an angle...and his face nearly turned blue in dread.

"What is it, Ed?" Winry asked.

Ed, looking around the crowded room, decided it was best to whisper to Winry as he quickly pulled the curtain on the window and went up to her ear. "I've got good news and bad news."

"Which do I want to hear first?"

"The good news is the doctor's here."

Winry nearly screamed in joy, but Ed clamped her mouth shut. "The bad news is he's dead."

Now Winry was about to scream in fright and rage, as Ed did his best to keep the noise as free from profanity as possible (Satella being exempt).

Ed quickly grabbed a raincoat. "Al, help Winry the best you can! I'll be right back!"

---

"One...two...three!" Sonic shouted as he pumped the doctor's chest.

Sally breathed into him again and darted her tongue afterward as she tried to figure out what that horrid taste was. Her instincts screamed that whatever it was it was toxic. That didn't matter now, as somehow they had to wake him up!

Sonic continued to pump his chest, but nothing changed. "Aw, come on!" Sonic, figuring he had nothing to lose by trying, then jumped on him up and down, as if he was trying to crush a stubborn can.

"Are you out of your mind!?" Sally screamed.

"What the hell did you do out here!?" Ed came rushing outside, carrying something in his hand.

"Bring the doctor in at a reasonable hour! You're welcome, by the way!" Sonic snarled. "And...sorry?"

Ed looked at the carriage, and figured it out. "That couldn't have been fun. Anyway, thanks for bringing him over; things are getting too hectic for my liking. I've got something to wake him up; everyone, back on the roof."

The mobians did as he said as he shoved the smelling salts right into the doctor's nostrils. "Come on, you stupid doctor: breathe!"

Suddenly, Dr. Knox coughed up a storm, slowly sitting up. "Easy there; you're going to be alright." Ed assured him.

"Wh-where am I?" The doctor asked, trying to get his bearings straight.

"You're at the LeCoulte's residence."

"LeCoulte...wait, Satella! The baby!"

"That's right! Come on!" Ed helped the doctor up as the two rushed inside the house.

---

Midnight had finally come. The storm cleared, and the moon hung high above the sky. And inside, Dominic LeCoulte was making smiley faces at his new grandson. "Peek a boo, I see you!" The baby cried, though not out of fright. Both Ridley and Satella were glad to see this side of Dominic. He had returned only a minute ago, cursing about riding to the doctor's office for nothing. Though it perplexed all how someone informed the doctor and got him all the way here in such a short amount of time, they were just thankful he came to give Satella a safe delivery, and thus, at least for tonight, his personality made a 180.

Ed, meanwhile, only looked on in disgust from afar. "All that posturing and he's a softie inside."

"Well, I for one think it's quite wonderful." Winry noted with satisfaction as she sipped on some tea. Ed only rolled his eyes. "Oh come on, Ed. I never took you for the type to despise babies."

"I'm fine with babies." Ed muttered stubbornly. "It's just how adults behave around them that gets me."

"I somehow doubt you'll have that attitude when you become a father." Ed's eyes suddenly became downcast, which did not escape Winry's eyes. "Ed...I'm sorry, I..." Ed set his cup down and stormed out of the house. "Ed!" Winry yelled.

"Let him be, Winry." Al restrained her. "He doesn't like to admit it, but it's still a majorly sore subject for him.

Winry nodded. "I only meant to say that he would be a great father too someday." Winry said sadly.

Al handed Winry a tray of full tea cups. "Here. For our friends above."

Winry nodded, and stepped outside too. Making sure she wasn't being followed, she looked up to the roof, using a discarded ladder to climb up. "AHCHOO!" Sonic suddenly sneezed.

"And as good as it was of you to help...this is what you get for actually going outside." Sally teased the hedgehog.

"I guess." Sonic said as he wiped his nose. "It wouldn't have been such a problem if I didn't have to carry him."

"Then you wouldn't go out in the first place."

"Ah. True. I-" Sonic held up his hand, as he felt another sneeze coming on. "'CHOOO!"

"Gesundheit." Winry said, chuckling. "No wonder they call you Sonic."

"All in a days work, miss." he exclaimed with a thumbs up.

"Here." Winry handed everyone the tray of tea.

Sonic took his, not too wild for the taste but appreciating the warmth. "Thanks."

"I better get going before I'm missed; I'll have to explain Ed's behavior to them." Winry noted

"What's wrong?" Tails asked.

"I brought up dads, and Ed stormed out." Winry said sadly.

"Oh." Tails noted.

"What's his issue with fathers?" Knuckles asked the others.

"Ed's father abandoned him." Sally answered. "It affected him deeply."

"I see..." Knuckles stood and walked towards the edge. "Be right back." Before anyone could ask where he was going, Knuckles glided away.

"Huh. How weird." Sonic noted.

"What?" Winry asked.

"I'd have never taken Knuckles to be the comforting type." was Sonic's reply.

He then looked to Sally, and remembered his confrontation with St. John earlier. He was about to tell her, but couldn't. "I should. I have to." Another part told him to think of Sally's own happiness. How much him telling her was really him trying to get back at St. John. Finally, he realized that he had to be honest with her, and hoped she would make the right decision, no matter what that would mean. "Sal." Sonic wheezed.

"Yeah?"

Sonic grabbed her arm and picked her up as if they were about to escape Robotropolis together. "I need to talk with you a minute. Alone."

---

Ed stared up at the moonlight, trying his best to keep his mind a blank slate. It was impossible when the concept of fathers came up. He didn't know whether he was jealous that he had a lousy father, hated the idea of fathers in general...or if he feared he would one day become such a father himself.

"I hear you've got Daddy issues."

Ed looked behind him to see Knuckles of all people come see him. Ed turned back. "Go away." he growled. "I'm not in the mood for your crap right now."

"Yeah, I do tend to give bad first impressions. Sorry about that." Knuckles walked beside him. "My father left me when I was young too." Ed said nothing, but Knuckles could tell he got his attention. "On the island, we were the only two echidnas. He never talked about my mom much; I assumed she passed away when I was a baby and he just didn't have it in him to tell me. He trained me to take his place as guardian as far back as I remember..."

"Sounds kind of like a jerk, never letting you have a say in the matter."

"On the contrary, I was very proud of it." Knuckles said. "Granted, I sometimes wondered what could have been if I could choose. But in the end my island was my home; there was nothing else I loved or wanted more. But, then the day came. I was 9 years old when my father took me to the Forbidden Zone, telling me there was a task he had to perform, and that only I could carry on as guardian."

"I don't like where this is headed."

"Neither did I. My father approached a wall of flame, and leaped inside."

"Wait, WHAT!?"

Knuckles sighed, and finally slumped down. "I wanted to chase after him, but I was afraid. It looked to me as though he committed suicide...I've tried to hold onto hope that he was still alive, but nothing ever turned up. I'd like to think otherwise, but I have to face reality and admit he's most likely dead."

After a while, Ed said something himself."I hope my dad's alive."

"Ah. So you're a softie after all."

"I hope he's alive so I can CLOBBER HIM!" he shouted.

"I stand corrected." Knuckles noted dryly. "I suppose I owe my dad an uppercut too, if he comes back. In a way I am kind of mad at him. But more than anything, I just want to know why he did what he did. I..." Knuckles refused to tear up. "...I sincerely hope we can be a family again."

"Yeah, well, it's a little too late for mine to make me give a damn." Ed growled. "Al couldn't even speak when he left, and Mom was sick the entire time! Maybe there was a time I wanted to know why he left us, but now I don't give a crap!" Ed got up and began to walk away. "Thanks for trying, but you're better suited to punching things."

Knuckles only spoke up just when Ed passed him. "Something about you becoming a father was brought up, wasn't it?" Once more, Ed stopped but said nothing. That was all Knuckles needed to know. "You're upset because you don't want to think about what kind of a father you'll become. In fact, you fear such a day that approaches; I guess I can understand. But you're not the same man your father was and for better or for worse, you never will be. You will always be you. If you feel your father's lousy parenting influenced you, use that knowledge to not repeat the same mistakes he did. Just be your own man, whatever the consequences."

Knuckles seemingly turned around to face him, but just as quickly took to the air. Ed stared in wonder, running a hand through his hair. "I find the best advice from the strangest of creatures sometimes..."

---

"He did?" Sally asked in shock, as she put her hands over her mouth and nose to muffle her denial.

"Yeah, he did." Sonic said. "Sal, I'm sorry I had to tell you this. I know we don't get along, but what he did went way over the line this time."

Sally slumped on the ground. "So...what do you want me to do?"

"I don't know, honestly." Sonic sighed. While he wouldn't say he LIKED the skunk, he respected his abilities and dedication. Until now, anyway. "It's up to you. Maybe you could talk to him..."

"I've BEEN talking to him, Sonic. When it comes to overlanders, nothing seems to go through that thick skull of his!" Sally shouted in frustration.

"And here I thought you saying 'Enough Talk' would be a good thing." Sonic sighed. Truthfully for Sally to say something along those lines rattled him more than he thought it would.

"I...I need to think this overnight." Sally finally said.

"Think over what, luv?"

Both turned to see St. John standing behind them; he must have rode on a horse or something during the night shortly after the weather settled. Sally narrowed her eyes at the skunk, a gesture Sonic NEVER seen Sally give him. "You..." she growled.

"Luv, look, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to thrash Sonic around; I just wanted to save my resources against the enemies..."

"Save your resources!?" Sally exclaimed. "I found the Freedom Fighters to help people! And you refuse to give aid just because they're different! Just because of what a few did to your father! St. John, they're no different from us; they live, they work hard, and they love one another too!" Sally clenched her fists, and in a softer tone, replied "None of this is getting through to you, isn't it?" Before St. John could reply, Sally held up a hand. "From now on, when any of us...including the Elrics and Ms. Rockbell...request your aid, you will give it to them. Until we get home, I will think about a just punishment for your behavior." Sally walked towards the cliff and leaped down to the cottage below, her squirrel like agility being demonstrated..

"Sally and our little 'thing' going on aside...that was a dick move before." Sonic said in an unusual manner, somewhat less snarky.

"Don't you get started on me now mate." St. John warned him.

"Have you really no sense of compassion for others? You think you're the only one who lost someone during the war? My parents were casualties, and I never knew them growing up. Sally's mother, the Queen died before she could remember anything. And we were all betrayed by Buttnik way back then. We all lost something during those two wars, but we never blamed the whole species. Sally's trying to make Knothole a just place, and justice is for everyone, no matter what they or others may have done. You had no right to make that call when there was someone in need." Sonic hissed.

"I was trying to protect US, to make sure the team had all the tools they needed-!" St. John protested.

"Except when it counts." Sonic fired back.

St. John snarled at him. "Well, you want to have another go mate?" he threatened as he put up a guard stance. " 'Cause I'm in more than a mood to take-"

He didn't get to finish as Sonic ran past him and delivered a punch to the face. St. John was dazed but easily shook off the pain, kiyupping back upright. Sonic ran past behind him again, knocking him down same as before. Soon it became more of a contest of trying to stay standing, a contest St. John was losing. St. John brought up his crossbow, but Sonic ran in front and grabbed his wrist, pointing it away. St. John was about to continue fighting, but stopped upon a realization: the hedgehog was holding back on him back on the rooftop. And he had a feeling he was still holding back now.

Tossing his hand aside, Sonic walked towards the edge. "Feel free to sleep here; I doubt you'll be welcome to the party below."

Sonic raced down silently, seeing everyone getting settled into the make-shift tent. Sally, however, was awake, as she flipped through Nicole's picture album. This one focusing just on her and St. John. Sonic stroked a hand through his spines, and placed a comforting shoulder on her. "I'm sorry, Sal."

Sally looked up to him, and smiled slowly. Sonic had a feeling that, with time, things would get better. How was the question.

---

Finally, the morning came. The new parents had quickly settled in with their new child, and Winry and the Elrics said their goodbyes, while Sonic and friends stayed hidden above. As they were about to leave, Dominic suddenly placed a hand on Winry's shoulder. "Thank you...for looking after Satella." he said.

His face was still as cold as ever, so Winry couldn't be sure if he was sincere. "...you're welcome." She answered after a long pause.

"I meant what I said about not taking in apprentices." Dominic continued. "But...if you'd like...whenever you're working on a new design..." Dominic seemed to have trouble forming the words as he looked away. "...you can stop by. I'll give you some input."

Winry's face became confused, then it shone bright with realization. "THANK YOU SO MUCH!" Winry squealed as she shook his hand roughly.

"Why won't he just say he reconsidered making her an apprentice?" Ed wondered. Still, he was happy for her. It reminded him and Al of how they begged their teacher to take them in. Gently, he touched Winry's shoulder. "Winry...come on. He said he'll do it; let's not blow your chance now." he chuckled.

Winry gasped in realization, and let go. "Sorry, sorry..."

Dominic just rolled his eyes and growled in irritation. "Just get going before I change my mind."

Winry bowed, and trotted off to meet with the brothers and Paninya inside the carriage. She noticed Dr Knox gripping the sides of the carriage seat rather intensely. "Doctor...is everything alright?"

Knox moaned. "J-just tell the driver to take it slow. I don't think I'll be able to handle carriages very well for a while..."

The Elrics tried to stifle their laughter. They knew it was not funny, but the way it happened, they just couldn't help themselves. Winry, hearing about the cause of the Doctor's new fear, narrowed her eyes at the brothers. That shut them up.

The mobians above, who made their way onto the carriage roof while no one was looking, heard the commotion, where everyone narrowed their eyes on Sonic. "I told him to hang on." he said meekly. "Sorry?"

---

Later, that day, the two groups were ready to board the train. And this time, there was a different arrangement for transporting the mobians: they would stay on the top of the train and look after themselves. Ed didn't know how they did it, but somehow they got onto the top of the cars and pressed themselves flat at the top without anyone noticing. "I guess people won't look when they're not given incentive too." Ed guessed as he, Al and Winry got themselves settled in their car.

"Well, that was certainly eventful." Winry noted.

"Yeah." Ed agreed, slightly smiling. "It was. I just wish our friends above could roam about freely. Give the LeCoulte's the real people they should be thanking."

"It's an improvement over before." Al said. "I think they'll be just fine this way."

"Yeah." Ed looked out the window, beaming with both confidence and dread. "Teacher...here we come..."

---

The mobians pressed themselves against the car like they were doing yoga, managing to avoid being seen. After a few minutes, the train whistled and expelled smoke. "Finally." Sonic said as he felt the train gain momentum (he wouldn't quite call it speed).

As soon as the train left the station and was in the countryside again, they sat up and enjoyed the view. Most of them anyway. St. John, wanting to patch things up with Sally, tried to scoot closer to her. "Luv..."

"Why don't you go relax in the back." she said sharply. "We need a look out."

St. John was about to argue, but realized it was no use. Sally didn't wish to speak with him, period. He would just have to live with that until she was ready to hear him out. "...very well. As you command, Princess." he bowed respectfully.

As St. John made his way to the back, Tails and Sonic scooted closer to her. "You gonna be alright, Sal?" Sonic asked.

"Yeah." Sally said, giving them both a sad smile. "I just need a little time."

Tails gave her a reassuring hug, while Sonic slung an arm around her shoulder. "Well, Sal, it's the start of a whole new adventure in this strange world." He smiled broadly. "And I for one can't wait to find out what's on the other side."

---

I guess this is technically filler, but I figured this was the best way to get the mobians' troubles adapting to Ed's world out of the way without compromising the main story. I hope you all enjoyed it. Don't forget to review, and you'll all be hearing from me next time...whenever that may be. Hopefully soon.