Hey guys! Lila here!
I'm thinking of entering Living in the Light into The Wattys 2019, but sadly Hiding In The Shadows doesn't meet the regulations because it's too old of a story...
(;'༎ຶД༎ຶ')
But I guess I'll take what I can get! I'll be making an announcement if I make it into The Watty's!

Scarlett's P.O.V.

"EDWARD GET YOUR TINY ASS BACK OVER HERE!" I screeched, barreling towards the forest. After helping the doctor get Ling's subordinate to safety, I went after the two idiots.

They're two idiots, yeah, but they're my idiots.

Sprinting into the forest, I tried to follow Al's ridiculously large footprints. No luck there because it was getting dark, the soil was too disturbed to really guess whos feet are whose.

"Well, shit." I mumbled angrily. I gave up and decided to cautiously make my way through the forest; listening to anything that would tell me where Ed and Al were. With a suit of armor clanging around, you think I'd hear SOMETHING!

"Gluttony! Stop!"

Well, at least it's something.

I made my way down the side of a hill, and hid in a bush above Ed, Al, Ling, Gluttony, and a- a dog?

The dog started shifting while from my spot until I could see hands and a slim body from being hunched over. That palm tree hair, that stupid raspy voice. My eyes widened as my mind froze as it recognized Envy.

"We aren't here to fight! I'm just here to get Gluttony back!"

Like hell. The hatred in me grew like a flame, rising with every word that stupid non-binary palm tree spoke. I was hyper aware of Ed and Al standing so close to that murderer, to that envious piece of shit. I stood to the side and felt some hate turn into pride as Edward attacked Envy with his wittle feetsies and hands. Aww it's like a toddler trying to beat someone up!!😂

"THAT'S FIVE TIMES YOU'VE CALLED ME SHORT NOW!!"

...

"The three times at the laboratory, and two just now, I'LL MAKE YOU REGRET IT!!"

... is he serious right now? God, I can't believe he's part of the military, or the fact that people actually are scared of this pipsqueak.

"Is that seriously what you're angry about?" Envy huffed. "Wow you really are just a small man with a lot of anger." Wuh oh, make that 5 times 6 now. I wanted to laugh, but I stayed quiet as Gluttony and Envy neared my hiding place.

"I thought I sensed something powerful nearby...." oh yeah Ling was here.

To be honest, I forget he's here sometimes. *shrugs*

"How many souls do you have residing in you?" With anyone else, that would've been a stupid question to ask, but with Envy, he (she??? Hell if I know..🌴) seemed to contemplate it for a hot second.

"You know it's hard to say- and who's asking?" Envy leaned on Gluttony, staring down the three boys with dangerous eyes.

"How dare you! I am the twelfth prince to the emperor of Xing!" Ling stated, holding his head up high.
I mean,
I know he's going for the whole "obey me, peasant!" Shtick but it doesn't work when your twelfth in line. Realizing that this stupid shtick could be an opening for me to attack, I got into position. I was almost ready to attack when Envy pointed dully to Ling.

"Gluttony you can eat him."

O O F. THERE HE GOES.

Well, still, I clapped my hands and melded into the shadows. Ed and Al seemed to get the situation, because they immediately create a wall between the two Homunculi.

"So you think you can take me on pi-"

I launch out to attack Envy before they can finish their statement. I took his neck in between my thighs, and with what little weight I had, ground the palm tree's ugly mug into the earth!

"Scarlett!?"

"Ya? Who the fuck do you think can take this stupid coconut plant down!" I clapped my hands and molded back into my regular self before pulling a hand through my hair. "You guys can't last five minutes without me!"

"We were doing fine!" Ed stormed up and pressed his face inches from my own.

"Scarlett..." Envy growled, and I ground my knee back into their back harder in response.

"Not. Another. Word. Out. Of. You." I gritted my teeth at Envy. Edward cautiously glared at them, as if angry yet scared at the thing under me. "The Heroes are talking right now."

"It seems like you've learned a few new tricks since the last time we've met."

"Nah, old tricks, right situation." I huffed, focusing on keeping the Homunculi immobilized. The grin spreading across their face does not help the situation.

"Ah yes, just like how I waited for the right situation before stabbing you in the back?" The grin only grew. "Touching that Full Metal would come back from the dead to watch someone he loves the most die at my hands."

The words flowed through me like electricity. No one is supposed to know. No one was suPPOSED TO KNOW THAT.

"What-"

Ling and Gluttony burst through the wall Edward made; bringing chaos with them. I barely stumble out of the way before a sharp object impales the ground where I once was.

"Things are different from then, little Red." Envy smirks, wrenching their hand from the ground. I rolled my eyes at the palm tree, glancing to Ed and Al while they tried helping Ling with chubby boi Gluttony.

"Yeah, it is," I returned my gaze to Envy, "now I get to beat your ass in front of Al, Ed, and our new friend Ling." I chuckled as my knuckles popped like firecrackers; alchemic energy flowing freely between my joints and lighting up my body.

I attacked first, hoping to catch Envy off guard with a first attack, but he blocked with his arm. I came at it with a right hook, and landed it squarely on its jaw.

"You're telling me how the HELL you remember that other world- what happened there," I gritted my teeth, "only I was granted another life.."

"Us Homunculi are strange creatures." Envy admitted though a grin, even though I had him pinned down again. "Besides, what do I get out of giving you all the answers?"

I bit the inside of my cheek to calm my temper. DamN THIS PALM TREE.

"Ling!" Edward screamed, and for a second, I took my eyes off of Envy to look at Ed trying to pull Ling out of Gluttony's way. EW HIS STOMACH OPENED UP LIKE A VENUS FLY TRAP EW EW NONONO I DONTWANTIT NONONO.

Within the center of the dark abyss that is Gluttony's stomach, I watched an eye open up. The creepy feeling wriggling in my gut. The voice that keeps whispering into my ear spoke urgently:

Careful, my child... if you are swallowed you shall never return to your loved ones...

Oh god no... ED, AL, F U C K.

"E-" a hand cut off the rest of my sentence by wrapping around my throat. I gasped for breath, but any reserved amount of air I had was slammed out of me when my back hit the ground. I looked up to see Envy had taken the advantage and now stood above me.

"No Gluttony! You can't eat the sacrifices!" Envy chided him. I struggled against the hand on my throat, pulling and hitting, but nothing worked. Gah....I'm feeling a little light-headed...

Out of the corner of my eye, I could see Ed's golden hair dancing in the light of the moon as he took on the offense. Gluttony was trying to stay away, but even in my poor state I could tell he was losing.

Ok. I've had enough of this palm tree! I finally clapped my hands together and turned my automail into a sharp knife. To which I rammed it thROUGH ENVY'S STUPID ARM THAT WAS CHOKING ME.
Blood splattered over my automail and the sleeve of my jacket, but I didn't stop twisting my knife hand deeper into the wound.

"OW! You bi-" the moment Envy lifted their hand I slid my feet to kick the body off of me. By the time I was back on my feet (not entirely aware of what was going on but hey props on being able to stand up) Envy's wound was already crackling with deep red lightning, re-healing itself.

"No Gluttony!" Envy raced to where Ed and Ling tried desperately to get out of Gluttony's path. I snapped forward too; adrenaline forcing me faster in an attempt to save them.

There was an intense darkness that cut off my view of my friends. I reached out to break through it, but it was gone again in the blink of an eye.
On the other side of the darkness, Al stood reaching out as well.

Except, his arm was missing- cut clean off.

"Scarlett?" He quietly cried out to me.

"I'm here, Ally-bear." I replied. The fear in my heart skyrocketed when I realized that I was still standing here, but Edward, Ling, and Envy were not.

Edward's P.O.V.

Ling and I landed in a never ending pit of blood, ruins, and darkness. I'll admit, it was a little jarring to believe that Gluttony could do all of this carnage.

The past few hours of trudging through blood in the dark slowly drained any hope of leaving from Ling and I. We tried to find a bottom, top, or sides to his hell hole, but found nothing. There haS TO BE SOME TYPE OF WALL GAHHHHHH THIS MAKES NO SE N S E!

Sadly the Elric brother telepathy was not working so there was no way to tell him and Scarlett we were alright. I tightened my hold on the piece of Al's hand that had gotten swallowed up with us. The two of them must be freaking out right about now... I don't have time to be trapped here!

Luckily, leather is edible, so Ling and I ended up around a small fire with shoe soup. (He better be fuckin grateful because I liked this pair of shoes😤)

"How are we going to get out of here?" Ling looked around at our small area of cement we sat upon. Luckily there was plenty of fire burning things in this place so we set some torches around the stone. It's not much, but at least we can somewhat see and out of the pool of blood.

"Theres got to be a way to get out of here.." I sighed.

"There is no way of retrieving anything Gluttony has swallowed." A voice replied from the darkness around us.

Ling and I jump up to defend ourselves from thing that accompanied the voice. Envy trudged through the blood with a look of total despair on their face.

"We're stuck here until we either kill each other or die from starvation." Envy glared at us.

"So we really are stuck inside of Gluttony's stomach...." Yeah, seems like it.

"It's not that simple," Envy stated, "just ask the pips- ah, I mean the Alchemist! He's seen something like this before!"

My slowly rising anger vanished as I tried to remember if I've ever seen something like this.....

Wait- the eye on Gluttony's stomach....

The Portal Of Truth!

"Yeah that's right, Gluttony was a failed experiment by our Father to create his own portal of Truth." I sucked in a sharp breath as the memory seeped back in and caused me to shiver. "We're trapped inside a defective portal of Truth - somewhere between reality and The Truth."

"What....in between?" I echoed in absolute fear of the unknown. How is there a place between Reality and The Truth! That shouldn't exist!

"I'm amazed you didn't know about it beforehand, I mean after all," There was a hint of cockiness to their voice, "This is where The Black Shadow Alchemist resided for awhile."

Scarlett? God, why is she tangled up in the middle of all this mess. It's like every time a piece of the puzzle is put together, Scarlett is a fraction of the question and half of the answer.

"Tell me how you know Scarlett." I demanded, feeling bolder as I stepped closer. "Tell me how you know about the other world Scarlett came from."

"What? Other world...?" Ling muttered. I know he must be really confused, but honestly, I didn't give a damn.

"TELL ME!" I was getting frustrated. About what? I'm not really sure. Scarlett? A little. The Philosopher's Stone? Maybe. The Homunculi? There's a good guess. One thing was certain: being stuck in a failed portal of Truth did nothing to ease my tenseness.

"If you're not going to give me my answers, your 'Father', tell me who he is. He has to know about what's going on with you guys remembering Scarlett." I narrowed my eyes threateningly at Envy. "Tell me who it is."

"If you're so interested, you're going to have to defeat me." Envy challenged. To be honest their tone was more playful than anything else; as if this was all a game.

Ling and I watched as the Homunculi started convulsing and glowing a dark red as it entirely changed into...

....oh Lord have mercy. 😰

It was some large horrible green dog thing with the outlines of millions of screaming people. They moved slowly; their bodies attached to Envy yet trying to pull themselves free. God, I think I'm going to barf...

"Are those-"

"Yes." Envy grinned. "Xerxes going missing in a night wasn't a mystery. Everyone was turned into a Philosopher's Stone, and in each Stone resides millions of souls."

The people of Xerxes; trapped forever to a Homunculus plotting to do the same to Amestris.

I can't get a fuckin break.

Scarlett's P.O.V.

"ALLLLRIGHT PILLSBURY DOUGH BOY, SPIT OUT THE ALCHEMIST AND PRINCEY PRINCE BEFORE I START KICKING ASS!" I gritted my teeth, trying to pry open the man's mouth by force. There had to be a way for them to get out, there just has to be.

"Scarlett! I'm worried too, but we won't be able to help brother and Ling if you keep shaking the Homunculus!" Al cried, trying to pull me away.

"But it's my fault that they're in this situation to begin with!" I snapped at him, anger pulsating through me. "If is just been more cautious, or was stronger, then they wouldn't be stuck in there for God knows how long!"

I started to lose a bit of my composure, the wall that was so hastily put together again began to crumble. I let go of the Homunculus and opted to leaning my head on Al's armored chest. That way he couldn't see my tears, and I could make excuses for the tremble in my voice.

"I am in charge for taking care of you two, and I can't even do my own goddamn job right..... am I all kinds of messed up or what?" I let out a short laugh; choking down a few tears. "And even now it seems like I'm adding more baggage to your journey than you have."

"Scarlett...." Al didn't put his arms around to hug me, which I'm grateful for. Right now I don't need hugs.

"Oh no... I did a bad... must go to Father...Father can fix this..." I was pulled out of my funk by Gluttony mumbling things to himself.

"Wait- are you saying that if we go to your Father we can find a way to get them out of you?" Al asked hopefully. I'll admit, the idea made me a feel a bit better too.

"Yes! Of course! Father will know what to do..." Gluttony quickly ushered us through the forest, and we had no choice but to follow him. I walked with Al, our gaze focused on Gluttony's back.

"Al, I know this may be our only chance to get Ed and Ling out of him, but we have to be careful- this Father guy sounds like bad news."

"Why? Was there someone like him in your other world? If so, then perhaps we can find another way to help Brother and Ling." I could tell Al wanted to get those two out as fast as possible, but I was surprised that he was willing to pause and take a second to think about other options. It was a fresh change from Ed's gun-ho style of thinking.

"No, there was no Father figure controlling the Homunculi in the other world." I whispered to Al, hoping Gluttony couldn't hear us. "But there was a girl named Lyra who was pretty bad. I'm more worried about someone like her being this 'Father of theirs." I shuddered at remembering the woman.

"Right. We need to be extra careful."