Base: FMA (BBI, Pride!Ed ending)

Disclaimer: This fic is based on both FMA and the Chinese fangame Bluebird's Illusion (specifically the Pride!Ed Ending), and serves as a sequel to it. But it doesn't matter whether you've played the game or not! If you're unfamiliar with the game, I simply recommend reading this introduction to have all the necessary context, or playing it if you're interested. You can download the game for free in English here: https/fmabbi./, or you can easily find the original Chinese version online. Otherwise, feel free to skip directly to the "Rules of the Game!" section. This fic is a Choose Your Own Adventure-style story, and there are some basic rules to understand how to "play", if I can put it that way :)


Introduction


What is Bluebird's Illusion?

Bluebird's Illusion is a Chinese fangame, a mix of visual novel and RPG, created by the Neoland OceanX group in 2003. It's not an official game. Its distribution was quickly stopped due to copyright issues, so there are at most about a hundred physical copies of the game. Nevertheless, it is the most popular FMA visual novel ever.

The story takes place five years after Edward and Alphonse Elric's failed human transmutation. The two brothers are now living together in a small house in Central, seemingly leading a peaceful life. All could be well in the best of worlds, except for the fact that Alphonse, who regained his body thanks to Edward, starts experiencing inexplicable pain. Not to mention that Edward is still working as a soldier, albeit under the title of colonel.

In reality, though, the teenager spends most of his time acting as a secretary for King Bradley, serving him tea throughout the day. While Roy, now promoted to general, finds this an ideal subject for mockery, the real reason behind Edward's promotion is far from amusing: it's the homunculi's way of keeping an eye on him… since they've made a secret pact with the boy. In exchange for restoring Alphonse's body, Edward agreed to activate the transmutation circle that would allow his father to regain his youthful appearance. But as the deadline draws near, Edward becomes more and more reluctant…

The game is primarily played from Edward's point of view until he's kidnapped by the homunculi to force him to fulfill his part of the deal. From that point, the player takes control of Roy, Riza, and Alphonse as they search for him. The game includes a few turn-based combat sequences against the homunculi (some of which are quite tough!) and also features an investigation into a series of murders, with all the victims being young blonde people.

The choices the player makes throughout the game determine the ending. There are four endings in total: the Tea Alchemist ending, the Roy ending, the Vegetable Ed ending (T.T), and the Pride!Ed ending, which is the easiest to achieve. I won't spoil them, but if you're curious, Google is your friend ;) The one relevant to this fic is the Pride!Ed ending, which my story continues from.


Pride!Ed Ending?

The Pride!Ed ending is a sort of bad ending in the BBI game; it's the most iconic one, in fact. In this ending, Roy and Alphonse manage to find Edward in the homunculi's underground base (located beneath the military HQ). Unfortunately, Edward is in terrible shape: Envy, jealous of the attention Hohenheim – aka Father – gives him, has tortured him for days. Worse yet, when the two heroes try to rescue him, they provoke Envy's ire, and in a fit of rage, Envy lunges at Edward to finish him off for good. Alphonse barely manages to stop him, but at the cost of his own life, leaving Edward devastated and vulnerable once again to Envy's renewed attack. Roy steps in, but he too meets a tragic end.

In his despair, Edward makes a desperate attempt at human transmutation in the hope of bringing his loved ones back… but fails. As a result of the rebound, Edward succumbs to his injuries (or at least finds himself on the verge of death). On Hohenheim's orders, Envy brings Edward's body to him, and Hohenheim transforms him into a homunculus: Pride.

After this tragedy, the narrative shifts back to General Mustang's team. Although Riza had been involved in the initial investigation into Edward's disappearance, Roy did not inform her of his descent with Alphonse into the homunculi's lair. Following the collapse of part of the HQ caused by Edward's transmutation, Riza and Second Lieutenant Havoc dedicate themselves to searching for any traces of the missing under the rubble. The game ends with the appearance of Envy and Pride, a pale copy of Edward that the sin has taken under his wing… and whom Riza spots from a distance. However, as the only witness to this, she believes it to be a mirage.


Characters

As you might have guessed, the universe of BlueBird's Illusion is a bit different from Hiromu Arakawa's. The creators of BBI didn't know the manga's ending when they developed the game, so they mixed elements from the 2003 anime into the storyline… creating a rather tangled mess that I'll try to unravel for you :3

~ Protagonists

Edward Elric: He's 18 in the game. Recently promoted to colonel, he's still adjusting to his new responsibilities. The pact he made with the homunculi weighs heavily on him, and his efforts to keep it secret to protect Alphonse from the terrible truth behind the miracle he gave him are isolating him from his loved ones. Beyond that, Edward seeks to prove to everyone that he and Alphonse are capable of taking care of themselves. He aspires to more independence.

Alphonse Elric: He's 17 in the game. Although freed from his armor, he silently suffers from unexplained pains in his new body, which he doesn't want to share with Edward to avoid worrying him. Currently unemployed, he takes care of the household in Edward's absence, more or less acting as a surrogate mother for him. He also worries about Edward's suspicious behavior. In the game, his relationship with Edward is ambiguous, as the affection the two brothers share seems to go beyond a simple sibling bond. However, this will not be a topic in this story (sorry, Elricest fans u.u').

Roy Mustang: Promoted to general, he remains Edward's superior. He quickly suspects something is wrong with the young man, who has been acting strangely for some time. His role is ambivalent: on the one hand, he acts as a father figure, but on the other, he pays special attention to Edward, making their relationship somewhat ambiguous. Again, this detail will be left out of my fic (and sorry, RoyEd fans x)).

Riza Hawkeye: Still under Roy's command, Riza shows great care for the Elric brothers and often checks in on them. She is worried about their being alone and keeps an eye on them.

Other characters from General Mustang's team are present in the game, but their roles are quite secondary and similar.

~ Antagonists

Hohenheim: He plays the role of Father/Dante. Unaware that Hohenheim had a clone, the creators of BBI made him the main villain of the story. He's the biological father of Edward and Alphonse, whom he views more as potential tools than true children, though he does recognize certain qualities in them. As for the homunculi, they are little more than creations in his eyes. His goal: to regain his vitality by forcing Edward to work for him.

Envy: As in the 2003 anime, he's the half-brother of Edward and Alphonse. Once more, he seems particularly fixated on Edward in this game. His hair is green in the game, but for the sake of easier writing, I describe it as brown/black in my story. I know, it doesn't really matter in English, but in French, which is my native language and the one in which the story was written at first, it makes a real difference u.u' And if I make it purple in my drawings, it's because it's more colorful (and because I'm way too influenced by doujins :')).

Wrath: As in the manga, he's basically King Bradley. Selim, however, is human and perfectly normal.

Pride: He only appears in the Pride!Ed ending. He's a homunculus created from Edward's body. Very little is known about him, but his lifeless eyes and monotone speech suggest that he has not yet developed a true personality. Essentially, he's an empty shell. However, Pride is not harmless: in several reference images from the game, he is seen wielding a scythe and sometimes displays the predatory look characteristic of some Homunculi. Lastly, his relationship with Envy is ambiguous: while Envy seems to hate Edward, he's much closer to Pride, whom he spends time with and even… appears to appreciate. For example, in the game trailer, Envy is shown cuddling Pride.

Lust: No notable changes for her. She's simply less close to her homunculus siblings than in the manga, as the game retains her personality from the 2003 anime, where her primary goal is to become human again.

Gluttony: He's close to his manga counterpart.

As for the other homunculi, they are not mentioned in the game. However, in the interest of consistency, I decided to include Sloth and Greed in my story. For the first one, to avoid unnecessary complications, I decided to portray him as the hulking figure from the manga. As for Greed, I will stick to his original version, as incorporating the entire Xing arc would be too complex for my story.

I should mention that this is a rewrite of my old fanfic also untitled Moments (which, sadly, isn't available in English, sorry English fellows! ). Originally, it was supposed to be a one-shot, but I got carried away and turned it into a small fic… Big mistake (since the initial one-shot wasn't really suited for it in the end x)). Anyway! For more details about the story's background, feel free to check my social media (Instagram and FB) where I explain its origins ;)


A few things to note:

The rewrite of this fic stretched over TEN YEARS. (Envy: Seriously? W.A.: More than seriously.) I tried to smooth everything out so the style remains consistent throughout, but there might still be a few sections that don't entirely match my current writing voice. However, it shouldn't disrupt your reading experience.

Unlike usual, this story was written without a beta reader, so I'm counting on your patience regarding any typos or inconsistencies (hopefully, there won't be too many x')). Though there'll be a beta for its English version, as the story will already be written and published in French, this would only affect the style, nor the potential inconsistencies u.u" Thank you for your understanding.

And there you have it! You now have all the information you need not to feel too lost while reading! I invite you to check out the "Rules of the Game" before diving into the fic ;) See you in a bit!


Redaction : White Assassin

Betaproofing: StrawberryKiuwi