The energy surged through Lyda and gave her new life. Her alchemy healed her wounds and she could see clearly again. Against all odds, the Alchemic Doll in her hands had heard her call and come to her. She stood with her head held high. Her brother fought on, not noticing her stir. Then she had her tormenter in her sights. Mortimer, the Cretan bastard who destroyed her people and forced her to scatter the White Stones across Amestris.

Her grip on the Homunculi doll tightened, and she raised a single hand towards Mortimer. Lyda took a deep breath, then unleashed an explosive blast of Alchemic energy. She had a conduit for her White Stone at last, and with the power it produced, she ripped the battlefield in two. The ground shook and the earth opened with a widening maw into the abyss below. Cretan soldiers were caught in the blast, many falling into the massive pit she had punched into the earth.

She let out a hiss of frustration when she noticed Mortimer gripping the edge of the massive hole, hoisting himself up.

"Lyda!"

She turned to the sound of her brother's voice. They saw each other, her brother's tears cutting through the gunpowder that stained his cheeks. He ran to her, and she released her grip on the doll. The homunculus doll slumped to the ground, and she wasn't surprised. She had overdone the attack, and it had drained the Stone and it's vessel of all power. They would have to escape without it's power, until it regenerated.

She put the worry behind her and leapt into Darbus' arms. All the nights locked away behind enemy lines suddenly seemed insignificant. Every hardship she had to endure was worth it. She had her family again. The coolness of her own tears soothed her burning face and she smiled at her brother. "What took you?"

Darbus managed a laugh, "I'm worthless, remember," he glanced down at the Homunculus doll on the ground.

"It needs to regenerate power," Lyda explained with a frown. "I sense the other two Stones nearby. If we can find them, we can use a teleportation array to escape."

"No need," Darbus said with a smile.

Lyda looked at him sideways, unsure what he was hinting at. "We stole a Cretan Air ship. It's just over the hills. They're coming to bring us home."

"Cyrus!" Someone shouted over the shouts of panicked Cretan soldiers.

Lyda spun around to see the woman rush out of the flames at them, her wounds healing with red electricity.

"What the hell did you people do to him?" Another man snarled, red electricity transforming his hands into stone claws. The other two Homunculi dolls. Lyda was god smacked. What were the chances both Homunculi dolls would come running to them without her having to activate another call to them?

The moment both Homunculi were upon them, Lyda activated another array. Both dolls crumbled, their bodies disconnected from the energy of their Stones.

"Luck's finally on our side!" Darbus cheered and pulled a flare out of his coat. He shot it into the sky.

"Amestrian soldiers," Lyda stated coldly when she saw the blue uniformed man rush at them. His eyes were dark, and Lyda recognized him right away. "General Mustang," she said out loud.

The Amestrian General took in the three Homunculi on the ground, and then turned his glare to Lyda and her brother, "What did you do?"

"She saved you worthless Amestrians from the Cretans!" Darbus snapped, pointing a sharp finger at the scar Lyda carved into the ground.

"Calm, brother," she said, a hand on his shoulder. "General Mustang. I want to thank you. We couldn't have held the Cretan forces at bay without you're help."

General Mustang held up a gloved hand towards them, "Step away from those three on the ground, now."

"They're ours," Darbus clarified, "We are taking them back to our homeland."

Another figure cut through the smoke. "Edward, get out of here!" the General hissed.

"The Elric," Darbus snorted. "Don't worry, he doesn't have alchemy."

Despite her brother, Lyda turned to the once famous Edward Elric. His eyes weren't hard like the General's. He wore a worried expression for the dolls at her feet. Then he caught her gaze. "I know about your tribe," Edward said at last. "These Homunculi aren't the same mindless ones like your grandfather created. You know that. You saw life in them."

Dabus scoffed, "They came when called, just like they were designed to do."

Edward shook his head. Lyda could feel his gaze piercing her. "Cyrus rushed to you to try and save you, not because he was mindlessly following an order. You can't tell me you didn't see that."

The engines of the Airship cut her growing doubt. She looked up to see the Cretan blimp with the faces of her people behind the port windows. Her heart lifted with the thoughts of home.

"Not happening!" Mustang growled. He snapped his fingers and sent a growing inferno at the Airship.

Lyda grabbed the arm of the female Homunculus, and with a quick burst, canceled out the Alchemic reaction before it could destroy their only means of escape. The General didn't let up, unleashing an inferno at them and the blimp.

Darbus knelt next to her, his own hands grabbing the spiky haired doll and raising a massive earth shield in front of them. They had three White Stones against one alchemist. Lyda knew they had the advantage.

The Airship landed behind them, and their people rushed out to help. They grabbed the three limp Homunculi and they all made a mad break for the open haul of the ship.

The two that carried one of the dolls behind Lyda gasped. She spun around to see the knives stuck in the ground around them, and the Xingese alchemy blew up the ground between the blades. The two Arbus people were flung towards the ship, and the homunculus doll landed hard, far from them.

Three Xingese jumped down between them before Lyda could rush back.

"Greed! Wake up!" The Xingese man yelled at the still doll on the ground while slapping his face.

Both Xingese woman took a defensive stance towards Lyda, standing in the way.

"We can use the other two homunculus dolls to retrieve the others," Darbus promised, and pulled her away. She knew this, but it still stung her soul when she turned from one of her people's treasures and left.

Mustang flung another barrage of flame attacks at the Airship as it rose from the ground. More powerful alchemy deflected it all until the Airship vanished into the smoky clouds, taking Lorelei and Cyrus with it.

He lowered his hands with a defeated huff.

"They took them?" Hawkeye demanded, running out to his side.

"They didn't get Bounty," Mustang said, Ling and the others still trying to rouse him. "She could even deflect my attacks from the air…the power those Stones have are incredible…"

Hawkeye lowered her gun, her face falling as well, "What's the plan?"

Mustang gazed over the battlefield, his men rounding up the surviving Cretans. His eyes landed on the wounded Cretan Leader Mortimer, who was shackled to the ground with a gun to his head. "We regain order here first. We'll extract information from our new prisoners and use what we learn to form a plan of attack."

"Cyrus and Lorelei's family need to be notified." She pointed out.

Mustang grimaced at the thought, "I'll send Edward back to do that. He has a better rapport with them. Plus, I'm not happy he threw himself into harms way again with no damn alchemy to his name," he spun around to send Edward off with the errand and an earful. He froze when he took in the empty spot Edward had last been seen standing in. He was nowhere to be found.

"Where is he?" Hawkeye asked, just as perplexed.

Reality hit Mustang like a train. He gazed skyward where the Arbus people fled with Cyrus and Lorelei, and it seemed, with one more passenger they hadn't counted on. "That idiot."