Bonus Chapter: Long Night

Synopsis
Sets shortly after the Human Transmutation attempt by Ed and Al.

Al says in narration mode how nights were short before he became an armor, that he spent the evenings talking to Edward about anything and everything and about the future. They then slept and have pleasant dreams. And, now, nights were so long that he couldn’t help but to think unnecessary things.

Winry wakes up in the middle of the night to find Alphonse missing. Al is shown walking down a path to the river of Resembool and dives into it. He’s in a very depressed state, trying to feel something only to realize he can’t tell if the water is cold, can’t feel pain or show no expression through the armor. Den appears and starts to sniff Alphonse, as if trying to find him, after hearing his voice. Alphonse tells her and shows his body is not there. Den is confused, but licks Alphonse all the same, laying down next to him.

Edward comes running in, supported by Winry. They have been searching for him. Edward says he was worried and Al answers he doesn’t need to worry, since his body cannot hurt or die. Ed shouts back at Al that “that’s not true” and his right shoulder starts to hurt. Alphonse comes to look at it and Ed dismisses saying it doesn’t hurt, not compared to Al’s pain.

They return home and, the next day, Ed and Winry are trying very hard to discover what Al’s thinking through his ‘expression’. Al says it’s okay and there’s no way they can tell what he’s thinking through an expressionless mask.

The narration continues as Al says the nights are very long and he keeps thinking unnecessary things. He thinks about the bad side in everything, but there’s also too much time to think only of the bad side and that, amazing as it may seem, before he became an armor, he didn’t have time to think about others and, now, he can be grateful for the people he has. And, as he notices it, he realizes that this time hasn’t gone to waste and that he’s happy for having people around him.

Chapter Notes

 * This is a very emblematic chapter for the development of Alphonse, being centered about his "struggle" while in his armor state. It's interesting to realize the connection of this chapter with others, such as the Extra "Small Story", that show Alphonse as a small, very dependent kid and also to the line Father says, at the final arc, about Truth taking away Al's body because "he was desperate to feel his mother's warmth". The author puts up a metaphor of Al's maturing in this extra, by showing how he learns, through the circumstances he's forced to face, to appreciate the caring and presence of others and not to demand such attention from them.