The blind Colonel stood in a field of rounded gray stones. In his right hand was a simple polished walking staff, in his left was an elegant bouquet of purple flowers. A warm spring breeze blew through his navy blue uniform, almost causing the ceremonial cover atop his black hair to glide away.
With empty eyes, Mustang stared in the general direction of a stone not much unlike the other hundreds and thousands of those dotting the rolling green hills at regular intervals. Although he could not read the epitaph carved into the grave, he remembered whose name was ingrained there clearly.
Maes Hughes
1883-1914
"Loving father,
Loyal soldier,
Lasting friend"
He gripped the flowers in his hand tightly. After a few moments, he lifted his calm voice to the stone,
"We did it, Hughes. We finally figured it out. Took us long enough."
He visualized that fateful evening when the life of a friend was stolen away. He remembered an innocent soldier bathed in his own crimson blood, the unfortunate result of a dastardly plot that abandoned rational thinking. That man always had a knack for figuring things out. There wasn't a secret the Colonel could keep hidden for long from his energetic, perhaps eccentric mindset.
"You know, the people of this country think that I'm the one who saved it. To hell with that. If I could have just an ounce of the effect on other people's lives that you did, I might just have the courage to call myself a good man."
A small wet drop ran down his cheek as he placed the beautifully scented flowers in front of the squat stone grave.
"I just came here to say thanks. I don't quite recall doing so very often while you were around.
I've got a lot of regrets, Hughes. Not saying thank you while I had the chance is my greatest."
____________
The navy blue equine stared down the trio of monsters terrorizing the generally peaceful city of Manehatten. Beads of sweat drizzled down his muzzle as the situation swiftly grew tense. The pony could tell by the rising flames and crumbling buildings that the creatures were powerful and dangerous. By the dichotomy between the bipedal in a strange gown and the two other creatures in jet black clothing, the stallion also sensed that they seemed to be opposing forces locked in some type of battle. The officer analyzed the lone one's facial structures carefully. They didn't differ so much from his own, allowing him to clearly see what seemed to be a mixture of unbridled rage and... was that surprise? Remorse? Happiness? It wasn't so easy to translate what that creature was thinking, not to mention that it was giving the stallion an bewildered look that unsettled him more than the evil grins of the other two.
"Hughes... is that you?"
The navy blue stallion widened his eyes in surprise. He hadn't expected the creature to respond so oddly. The guard raised his eyebrow as he responded,
"I don't believe we've met. My name is first lieutenant May Hooves, Equestrian Royal Guard. I cannot allow you three to continue putting the lives of civilians at risk. Just come along with me quietly."
While lieutenant May Hooves took pride in the skill and effectiveness of his garrison, he nervously hoped that the three alien beings would comply without them having to resort to using force. As cool and shiny as swords, spears and offensive magic looked to the public, Hooves doubted that such measures would be enough to subdue the powerful trio.
Colonel Mustang's body trembled violently as a tempest of emotions tore through his soul. There stood before him a blue equine who in all ways but physical acted and sounded exactly like his closest comrade and best friend. The respected soldier, loving father and loyal husband the military both loathed and adored, the man who gave his life to protect a nation that collectively cared little for his wellbeing.
As the Colonel continued to stare vacantly at the equine bearing the ironic name of May Hooves, Envy shattered the tedious silence with an ear splitting laugh. Gritting his teeth and lifting his hand toward the Homunculus, the Colonel raised his steely voice,
"What the hell is going on, Homunculi? Are you the bastards behind this? Answer me!"
After a few moments, Envy steadied itself long enough to halt his mocking laughter. Sporting a wide and devious grin, the Homunculus replied,
"I wish I could take credit for this one, Colonel, but this is not our doing. That sure as hell doesn't mean that I'm not gonna enjoy every precious second of it. Just imagine the irony! Given the chance to kill the same bastard human twice... that's not a very common occurrence."
Blue sparks of alchemic lightning erupted from the Colonel's outstretched hand as he moved to immolate the Homunclus where it stood, only to be halted by a placating gesture of Lust's Ultimate Spear towards the group of equine soldiers. Mustang froze, his heart skipping his beat as he found himself locked in a lethal stalemate.
"Now, now, Colonel, you wouldn't want to lose your closest friend twice, would you?"
Roy's barely contained rage seeped from every pore of his hands in the form of alchemic sparks of light as his eyes bored holes into the smiling Homunculi,
"You really are pathetic, aren't you? Don't have the guts to face one human without a bargaining chip? Who's the weaker race, Homunculi?"
The superior grins of the duo faded as they stared back into the Colonel's enraged pupils. There was no sign of mercy in those eyes, no concept of retreat behind those night black discs. Envy pondered its options carefully. Death by immolation, by experience, wasn't really a valid course of action. If he attempted to move, the Colonel was sure to blast him where he stood. The unwelcome, disgusting feeling of defeat crept slowly into its soul as it compared this situation with its last run in with Mustang. The jealous Homunculus gazed at its opponent with indignant fury, every fiber of its being desperately desiring to see the Flame Alchemist ripped to shreds by its own hands.
Lust maintained her Ultimate Spear a couple of meters from the equine soldiers' startled frames as she silently considered the ramifications of ending the pseudo-Hughes staring at her with bewilderment. Any chance of satiating the enraged Colonel would be lost forever, for certain. His retribution would likely be quite absolute. One run-in with immolation was quite enough for Lust to decide to retract her Ultimate Spear, surprising both the Colonel and Envy.
Crossing her arms below her Homunculus tattoo and slightly tilting her head, she spoke to the confused and enraged human,
"We are at an impasse. I propose a deal, Mustang. You allow Envy and I to walk away from this, and we will not harm any of the civilians of this city."
Envy scoffed at Lust's apparent surrender, only to be silenced by a harsh glare from the lascivious Homunculus. The Colonel squinted his eyes in thought as he replied,
"You're damn well insane if you think I trust your word for one second, Homunculus. As it stands, however, it seems that my options are limited."
Finding the courage to speak, the equine known as May Hooves spoke up, his glasses nearly dropping off his muzzle as he raised a hoof to the trio,
"Now wait just a minute! This is Equestrian territory, we get a say in what happens here. I can't just allow you dangerous monsters to go free..."
Mustang cut off his voice, sternly saying,
"Listen, Hughes... Hooves. Are you telling me you have no idea what these things are? Who I am?"
The stallion responded swiftly, his voice laced with confusion,
"As I've already said, I have no idea what, much less who you three are. Now stand down, let's not make this any more ugly than it already is."
Mustang sighed audibly. This entire situation was riddled with much more irony than to be a result of mere coincidence. While a part of the Colonel was overjoyed at the possibility of some version of Hughes to be alive by whatever force of hell or heaven, another section was more than skeptical regarding the entire peculiarity of the matter. Hughes died months ago at the hands of the Homunculi he killed, partly to avenge his death. Now here they all stood, in one form or another.
"Regardless, you must listen to me. My name is Colonel Roy Mustang, Amestrian military. You have my word that I will not harm the citizens of this city. However, those two creatures will not hesitate to kill every single civilian to fulfill whatever plot their planning. Having them leave this populated area is the best deal you'll get."
Lieutenant May Hooves considered Mustang's words carefully. There was no indication in both his voice inflection and body language that he was lying. Additionally, it seemed that Mustang both knew and hated the two creatures he was locked in combat with. While allowing any of them to simply get away put the lives of ponies across Equestria at risk, a drawn out battle with the powerful creatures in a populated area was likely to result in even more casualties.
Sliding his silvery sword back into its sheath, May Hooves calmly addressed Mustang,
"Unfortunately, I believe that you are correct. What are your thoughts for safely escorting them beyond city lines?"
Mustang looked directly into the eyes of the two Homunculi with somewhat bored expressions on their faces as he replied,
"I'll take care of it. If they make a move, I'll kill them where they stand."
May Hooves raised his eyebrows. Killing was a bit of a drastic concept to him and most of his fellow comrades in arms.
"Very well... Colonel Mustang. My guards and I will follow at a safe distance and make sure all civilians are out of the way."
Roy nodded in response, never taking his piercing gaze from the Homunculi. To allow them to go free brought a certain amount of disgust and despair to his soul, he understood that this was the best possible resolution to the stalemate. He could develop strategies with this new nation's military forces later, not to mention get to the bottom of who and what that navy blue equine truly was.
Lifting his hand with his finger over his thumb towards the Homunculi, he gestured for them to move down the dark, wide street.
"Still can't believe we're actually going through with this, Lust. I would rather just take my chances and kill Mustang and that Hughes impersonator now."
As they turned to walk pursued closely by Colonel Mustang, Lust replied quietly to her jealous sibling,
"Be patient, Envy. We have to bide our time, position ourselves in a situation that better advantages us. You'll have your chance soon enough."
As they moved awkwardly through the sprawling city, Mustang inquired to them with a low and steely voice,
"What are you planning, Homunculi? What's your game?"
Without turning to address the Colonel, Lust replied with venom laced tones,
"That's not of your concern, Mustang. Just know that if you interfere, we will not hesitate to paint this land crimson with the blood of its people."
His eyes became slits as he replied,
"Something tells me that's going to happen whether I get involved in this madness or not. I'm going to find a way to end your miserable lives once and for all. After that, I'm going to find my way home. You've got my word on that, Homunculi."
Envy craned its head to look into his eyes, his face placated with an evil grin,
"We'll see, Colonel."
The trio remained silent for the remainder of the journey to city lines. The sprawling metropolis suddenly halted, the buildings replaced by rolling hills of vibrant green grass that twinkled in the light of the full moon. With their frames silhouetted by the moon's silvery light, the Homunculi and the human stared each other down, their eyes full of rage, hate, pain, and fear.
Lust analyzed Mustang with a painful look. Even after all he had been through, that man was no less tenacious and courageous than he was the day he burned her alive. She shuddered inwardly as those memories seeped into her consciousness.
"Soon," she thought, "I'll see those focused eyes wide with agony."
Envy glared at the Colonel with daggers for eyes, its pale teeth gritted as it fought the overwhelming urge to kill the human where it stood. The humiliation that man brought to it again and again was far too much for the jealous Homunculi to bear. A simple human, besting an Homunculus? The thought caused its hands to curl into fists as it thought,
"I'll play your game, Colonel. And I'll win."
Breaking the tense silence, the Colonel spoke to the Homunculi with patronizing tones,
"Get moving, Homunculi. If you lay a finger on the inhabitants of this world, I will find you, and I will not hesitate to send you to an even deeper level of Hell. I don't know what the hell you're planning, but I will find out."
For a few moments, the Homunculi said nothing in reply, boring their evil eyes into the human with all of the lustful hate and jealous vengeance they could muster. Finally, the two turned away, putting their backs to Mustang as they walked with the moon directly in front of them, causing their shadows to stretch over Mustang's focused frame. As he watched them depart to play their game, he said coldly,
"Very well, Homunculi. I'll allow you devils to be free to hang yourself with your own rope."