Holy smokes, Batman, I actually wrote a fic!
Yay! Ficcage! Crappy, but still done. Was the result of a plotbunny that just would. not. leave. I haven't seen this idea used before, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was, it seems like it should have been. Am considering fixing it up and posting it in a comm somewhere...
Wished I had finished it *before* midnight, but oh well.
Untitled FMA Ficlet
Rating: G
Gen: Roy, Ling
Mangaverse (duh), but kinda assumes the whole Greed 2.0 thing never occurred. Set during some nebulous time in the future.
Summary: Two rulers-to-be discuss immortality.
General Mustang stood up with a faintly surprised smile as Ling entered his balcony.
"I hadn't actually expected you to come," he murmured, gesturing for the Prince to sit down across from him.
Ling shrugged, his grin as enigmatic as ever, but slightly strained. He murmured, "Never expected anyone here to celebrate the Lunar Festival. I must say I was curious when I got your invitation." The table between them held a simple, but well-crafted tea set, of Xingese make, Ling noted.
Mustang poured Ling a cup and refilled his own. "My mother was from Xing, actually. She was quite a smart woman. She learned rentanjutsu in Xing, then came to Amestris to study alchemy and ended up settling down here. She taught my father and me quite a bit about Xingese culture. The tea set is a heirloom." Ling nodded briefly in acknowledgment but said nothing more and the two men drank their tea in silence, gazing up at the full moon. The balcony had no lights, but tonight, it was flooded by the Harvest Moon's glow.
The quietness stretched into minutes until Ling finally put his tea down and turned to look at the older man. His voice was soft, laced with anger and confusion, "Why did you let them destroy it?"
The general didn't meet his stare, instead his eyes fixed steadfastly on the moon. "I didn't let them do anything. It was theirs, what they did with it is their business. The Stone restored them, it had no further purpose," he responded casually, as though he was talking about an ordinary tool rather than the most legendary object of power in the history of mankind.
Ling rose from his seat, seething with barely contained anger. " 'No further purpose'?" His fist slammed down on the table and the tea set clattered in protest. "The power to heal, to stop wars, to raise and maintain entire countries, to grant immortality. How can you say it had 'no further purpose'?!" He stared at the nonchalant general before him in disbelief. "You aim to be Fuehrer to change Amestris, to end the violence, to bring about democracy. You think these changes can be achieved in a lifetime? And what guarantee is there you'll even live a full lifetime? How many leaders have been assassinated in the prime of their lives, the peak of their rule?"
The general sighed, "So many empires have fallen because of squabbles over the line of the succession and so many brilliant leaders have had their life's work unraveled because of incompetent heirs. Of course I know that." He paused to drink, his eyes never leaving the moon. "My father was a military doctor. He always talked about the horrors of having to treat these young soldiers who sacrificed arms and legs and lives for meaningless wars. He'd come back from the front lines with these haunted eyes and nightmares that would have him waking up screaming. He talked about how if he was Fuehrer he would stop the bloodshed and how he would care more about the people than just getting power. He talked about how peace never lasted because even the greatest leaders would eventually fall.
"When I first started studying alchemy and I found out about the Stone, I told him about it. I told him how it could save lives and bring back the dead and make people immortal. I said that I would learn how to make one and give it to him so he could become not just Fuehrer, but King and forever keep Amestris safe and peaceful. He laughed and said that I had to make sure I'd make three, one for each of us so that we could all stay a family and protect Amestris together. Then he turned to my mother and said, 'How about it? How would you like to be Queen of Amestris forever?'" Finally, Mustang turned and looked at the prince, his stare steady and firm. "Do you know how she responded? She smiled, patted me on the head and said, 'As tempting as that is, I think I'd rather spend an eternity alone on the moon.'"
Ling sat down slowly, looking down at his half-empty teacup. The moon's vague reflection played on the rippling surface. "We could do so much good," he protested, but his voice was soft and held no strength.
"For how long? Years? Decades? Centuries? Until we forget what it means to fear, hunger, thirst, need? Life means nothing without death and how well can you govern life when you forget what it means to be alive? That sort of power is inevitably corrupting. You know this."
The prince swallowed hard and nodded in reluctant understanding. Their gazes traveled back to the full moon, a lady's silhouette dark and clear in the bright circle. Ling smiled faintly.
"A smart woman, indeed."
Wished I had finished it *before* midnight, but oh well.
Untitled FMA Ficlet
Rating: G
Gen: Roy, Ling
Mangaverse (duh), but kinda assumes the whole Greed 2.0 thing never occurred. Set during some nebulous time in the future.
Summary: Two rulers-to-be discuss immortality.
General Mustang stood up with a faintly surprised smile as Ling entered his balcony.
"I hadn't actually expected you to come," he murmured, gesturing for the Prince to sit down across from him.
Ling shrugged, his grin as enigmatic as ever, but slightly strained. He murmured, "Never expected anyone here to celebrate the Lunar Festival. I must say I was curious when I got your invitation." The table between them held a simple, but well-crafted tea set, of Xingese make, Ling noted.
Mustang poured Ling a cup and refilled his own. "My mother was from Xing, actually. She was quite a smart woman. She learned rentanjutsu in Xing, then came to Amestris to study alchemy and ended up settling down here. She taught my father and me quite a bit about Xingese culture. The tea set is a heirloom." Ling nodded briefly in acknowledgment but said nothing more and the two men drank their tea in silence, gazing up at the full moon. The balcony had no lights, but tonight, it was flooded by the Harvest Moon's glow.
The quietness stretched into minutes until Ling finally put his tea down and turned to look at the older man. His voice was soft, laced with anger and confusion, "Why did you let them destroy it?"
The general didn't meet his stare, instead his eyes fixed steadfastly on the moon. "I didn't let them do anything. It was theirs, what they did with it is their business. The Stone restored them, it had no further purpose," he responded casually, as though he was talking about an ordinary tool rather than the most legendary object of power in the history of mankind.
Ling rose from his seat, seething with barely contained anger. " 'No further purpose'?" His fist slammed down on the table and the tea set clattered in protest. "The power to heal, to stop wars, to raise and maintain entire countries, to grant immortality. How can you say it had 'no further purpose'?!" He stared at the nonchalant general before him in disbelief. "You aim to be Fuehrer to change Amestris, to end the violence, to bring about democracy. You think these changes can be achieved in a lifetime? And what guarantee is there you'll even live a full lifetime? How many leaders have been assassinated in the prime of their lives, the peak of their rule?"
The general sighed, "So many empires have fallen because of squabbles over the line of the succession and so many brilliant leaders have had their life's work unraveled because of incompetent heirs. Of course I know that." He paused to drink, his eyes never leaving the moon. "My father was a military doctor. He always talked about the horrors of having to treat these young soldiers who sacrificed arms and legs and lives for meaningless wars. He'd come back from the front lines with these haunted eyes and nightmares that would have him waking up screaming. He talked about how if he was Fuehrer he would stop the bloodshed and how he would care more about the people than just getting power. He talked about how peace never lasted because even the greatest leaders would eventually fall.
"When I first started studying alchemy and I found out about the Stone, I told him about it. I told him how it could save lives and bring back the dead and make people immortal. I said that I would learn how to make one and give it to him so he could become not just Fuehrer, but King and forever keep Amestris safe and peaceful. He laughed and said that I had to make sure I'd make three, one for each of us so that we could all stay a family and protect Amestris together. Then he turned to my mother and said, 'How about it? How would you like to be Queen of Amestris forever?'" Finally, Mustang turned and looked at the prince, his stare steady and firm. "Do you know how she responded? She smiled, patted me on the head and said, 'As tempting as that is, I think I'd rather spend an eternity alone on the moon.'"
Ling sat down slowly, looking down at his half-empty teacup. The moon's vague reflection played on the rippling surface. "We could do so much good," he protested, but his voice was soft and held no strength.
"For how long? Years? Decades? Centuries? Until we forget what it means to fear, hunger, thirst, need? Life means nothing without death and how well can you govern life when you forget what it means to be alive? That sort of power is inevitably corrupting. You know this."
The prince swallowed hard and nodded in reluctant understanding. Their gazes traveled back to the full moon, a lady's silhouette dark and clear in the bright circle. Ling smiled faintly.
"A smart woman, indeed."