Episode 46: Looming Shadows (2009 series)

Looming Shadows
Series	Fullmetal Alchemist: Brotherhood
Episode number	46
Japan airdate	February 28, 2010
U.S.A. airdate	March 4, 2010 (online stream) May 22, 2011
Run time	0:24:41
Language	Japanese/English
Subtitles	English
Navigation
Preceded by	The Promised Day
Followed by	Emissary of Darkness

Those who have prepared to reclaim a nation find their plans exposed. The chaos multiplies after an assassin strikes down a mighty leader in broad daylight, and Alphonse falls prey to monsters in the dark.

Full Synopsis

Several months have passed and the spring has finally come. A train from Fort Briggs arrives in Resembool, where Major Miles asks that his men be allowed to borrow some of the town's water. Two soldiers break from the group and deliver a large water container - with Winry hiding inside - to the Rockbell house. As Winry goes upstairs to change her clothes, however, she is shocked to find Edward hiding therein with Greed, Darius and Heinkel. After a humorous stand-off which ends with Winry kicking everyone except him out of the room, Edward asks if Winry knows Alphonse's location and she informs him that Al is still aboard the train from Briggs headed to Central City. Ed decides reluctantly not to go, as his new status as a fugitive might cause trouble.

After Winry fine-tunes Edward's arm, she informs him of her recent travels and explains that Van Hohenheim has gone on to a slum outside of Central called Kanama, urging Ed to go talk to him. She mentions the Promised Day and, explaining that it is both the best chance for he and Al to regain their bodies as well as the disastrous climax of the Homunculi's plan , Edward solemnly advises her to flee the country with Den and Pinako. Furious at his words, she scolds Ed for telling only his loved ones to escape, to which he responds that he will do his best to stop the tragedy of the Promised Day, but is not entirely sure he will succeed. Not accepting such a weak answer, Winry demands that Edward defeat the enemy and then return to Resembool with his and Alphonse's bodies intact. That night, as Ed's party departs from the Rockbell homestead, Edward promises Winry that he will put an end to the enemy's plan and asks her to bake him an apple pie for his return.

In Reole, Zampano, Jerso and Yoki finish another long day's work on the reconstruction crew and encounter Scar and Dr. Marcoh, who have just returned from their travels and have now decided to head together to Central City. On the way, Zampano muses over the strangeness of working together with Scar to save the country, but Scar corrects him, saying that he is not acting to save Amestris, but to change it from the inside and make its people acknowledge Ishvalans properly. Their party is met in the forest by a large group of Ishvalans, including Scar's Master, and Scar explains that he and Marcoh have gathered a fair number of like-minded comrades over their long journey.

In the East Area, Lt. General Grumman greets Miles and the Northern troops, who have finally arrived for the long-awaited joint training exercise with the Eastern forces. Miles quietly informs the Lt. General that everything is in place for their combined attack on Central Command, but Grumman mentions that a problem has arisen and gestures to a nearby watchtower where Führer Bradley himself has arrived with his entourage to oversee the exercise. Miles expresses his surprise that the one sent to investigate them would be the Commander-in-Chief, but Grumman hints that he has something up his sleeve to take care of that particular obstacle.

In Central City, Alphonse awakes inside the train, having just recovered from the latest in a growing string of impromptu departures from his body, to find that night has fallen while he was unconscious. Hearing a noise outside, he goes to investigate but is met by the newly-revived Gluttony. Fearing that he will not be able to fight while his soul is still so unstable, Al attempts to flee, but is stopped in his tracks by Pride, who binds the armored alchemist with his shadowy tendrils. Al attempts to struggle, but the strain causes him to black out once more. As Pride reaches his dark appendages toward Alphonse's Blood Rune, he whispers sinisterly that the armor boy will be kept complacent until the Promised Day has arrived.

Colonel Mustang visits Major General Armstrong in the Armstrong family mansion. As he compliments its size, Olivier informs Roy that she will leave the house to him instead of Alex if anything happens to her. In gratitude and as congratulations for becoming the new head of the Armstrong family, Roy offers her a bouquet of flowers with a secret message hidden inside regarding Selim Bradley's true identity. After receiving the message, she makes a show of tossing the bouquet into a nearby fire pit to destroy the evidence.

Back in the East, with one day before the Promised Day arrives, the joint training has begun in earnest, with Bradley keeping his eye on all goings-on. Miles is informed by one of his men that Alphonse Elric has gone missing and Bradley's men are greeted by Major General Hakuro, who informs the Führer that he has discovered a treasonous plot by Grumman. Bradley replies that he already knows of the Lt. General's plan to lead the Eastern forces in a coup d'etat, but Hakuro explains that the joint training between the North and East Area forces is merely a decoy to lure the Führer and his security out of the capital while Ishvalan terrorists, Grumman and Mustang create confusion in order to take control of Central Command. After hearing his men confirm the heightened presence of Ishvalan refugees in the area around Central City, Bradley decides to head back to the capital. On the way, however, his train car is abandoned on a bridge and destroyed by high explosives. A unit of East Area soldiers hiding nearby inform Grumman by radio that their assassination mission has been completed and that their are now headed to Central to back up the Flame Alchemist. In Central, Hawkeye regroups with Breda and Fuery, both of whom have deserted their assigned posts in preparation for their role in the coming battle.

The Generals in Central Command panic over reports of the Führer's demise, causing Major General Armstrong to consider taking control herself, but she is forced to stand down as Father appears with Sloth, reminding his pawns that he is still among them.

Episode Notes

• This episode is adapted from content in Chapter 84: Shadow of the Pursuer and Chapter 85: The Empty Box.
• The array that appears in the background of this episode's title card is the Ouroboros.
• Major General Hakuro makes his first appearance in the series, his ear wound absent. His misinformation moment is also portrayed differently in each media. In the manga, he has a long-standing bitterness towards both Grumman and Mustang, not knowing that they had used him to set Bradley up in the assassination attempt. In the anime, since he had never been seen before this episode, he is merely a background character relaying information.
• This episode makes it apparent that Edward has grown taller than Winry.