Hey, people of the internet. As promised, chapter three will be mostly focused on Alex and Catherine. So, brace yourself for a story that has been passed down the Armstrong family for generations. This one takes place when Catherine is ten and Alex is fifteen. I do not own Fullmetal Alchemist blah blah blah.

The Origin of the Pink Sparkles

One fine day, Alex Louis Armstrong was indulging in one of his favorite pastimes; flexing in front of the mirror. His younger sister, Catherine Elle Armstrong, was sitting on the edge of his bed, watching him.

"Alex, I was wondering… Why do we sparkle?" she asked.

"Why were you wondering something like that, dear sister?"

"Well, mom and dad sparkle, I sparkle, you sparkle a lot, and even Livy sparkles sometimes."

"It is a long story, but I believe you are at the age where I can tell you such a story. It all starts with our great, great, great, great, great, great uncle, Sir Caspian John Armstrong. Caspian was riding through a forest on his way to our great, great, great, great, great, great, great, great grandmother, Lillian Olive Armstrong, when he came across a suspicious old woman who was in need of help. Because Sir Caspian was a good man and lived by the code of chivalry, he decided that his grandmother's cookies could wait a bit."

"The old woman, it turns out, was a witch. She asked Caspian to kill five people from the nearby village and bring her their corpses to perform a sacred ritual. Caspian refused of course, for no true Armstrong would kill innocent people for such a terrible cause. The witch then cursed him, making it so that his soul and the soul of anyone who carried the last name 'Armstrong' would never be able to rest. Their restless souls would follow the living Armstrongs until they either changed their name through marriage, or died."

Catherine looked like she might throw up, "So that means that these sparkles are… the souls of our ancestors?"

"Indeed, I have spoken with each and every one of these souls; I know all of them by name and practice the Armstrong techniques to honor their names. Let me introduce you to them, this one is Violet Genevieve Armstrong, she developed the Armstrong statuary technique. This is Derris Armstrong, the only Armstrong to reject his middle name…"

An hour and a half later

"… Jennifer Louie Armstrong, she's quite a naughty one. And last but not least, William Thomas Armstrong, he died when he was only five; quite a sad story that one. Catherine? Oh I get it, you want to meet these souls too, don't you? That must be why you are practicing the Armstrong art of sleeping with your eyes open."

AN: That was a little bit darker than I wanted it to be but I hope it turned out alright. I got the idea when I watching Fma:b, when Hohenhiem was talking to Father about talking to the souls in his philosopher's stone. I just decided to do a light-hearted variation on that. I apologize for how short it is. Reviews are appreciated. For a limited time, review and get a free hug from your choice of Old Man Fu, Buccaneer, Miles, or Grumman.