Blue Skies and Pure Gold
is a Fullmetal Alchemist Alternate Universe Fic by Mother of The Universe. In this story Winry performed human transmutation with Edward and Alphonse and her punishment was the loss of all feeling and mobility in her hands. The story is currently following canon with Winry present. However, the author has stated that the story will eventually diverge from canon.
This fanfiction contains examples of:
- Adaptational Badass: By learning alchemy Winry is as much of a badass as the Elrics. And the brothers won't let anyone forget that.
- Armor-Piercing Response: Winry has an early run in with Scar after he kills Tucker and Nina. When he reveals that he is targeting State Alchemists she angrily demands that he doesn't touch Ed or she'll kill him then and there. He tells her to go ahead and do it. Instead she falls apart. She had made a promise to her dead parents that she wouldn't kill. Winry also feels that if she were to kill she would be tainted and would be unable to be around Ed and Al again.
- Ascended Extra: Due to Winry not having any mobility in her hands, Catherine Armstrong is given a larger role in the story as Winry's assistant for her daily life.
- The Atoner: Edward feels that way because Alphonse would agree to anything he says and that they dragged Winry into their endeavor and that what happened to them is his fault. So, he is doing everything he can to correct that.
- Berserk Button:
- Edward of course still has his insecure stature.
- When the people of Youswell kick the group out of the inn because of Edward being a State Alchemist but then let everyone else back in, Winry is very pissed off and refuses their hospitality.
- Do not severely hurt Winry. You'll piss the Elrics off if you do.
- Catherine doesn't like it when someone else assists Winry. That's her job, Hughes!
- Beware the Nice Ones: Al can be quite scary when he is mad. When he hears that Winry was shot he pounds the guy responsible into the ground and slams his foot onto the guy's face breaking his nose and jaw. Even Ed, who was pissed as well, was half frightened by his little bother's actions. The other half however is proud over how Al kept control over his anger.
- Break the Cutie: Needing to have someone help her do the most basic of things on a daily basis leaves Winry feeling utterly humiliated. And she feels that the world just keeps punishing her and the Elrics for their mistake. Then there is Nina. Winry doesn't take that well at all.
- Can't Hold His Liquor: Inverted. Catherine can really hold her liquor.
- Cluster F-Bomb: Winry lets out a cluster of shits in chapter 4 after she is shot through the foot.
- Comforting Comforter: Winry and Catherine do this for one another after Nina's death.
- Compliment Backfire: In chapter 4, Ed calls himself and Winry a couple of dipshits with badass alchemy. Winry is not amused by the dipshit comment.
- Cosmic Plaything: Winry thinks this is what the group is because bad things keep happening to them.
- Dead Fic: This story hasn't been updated since November 21 2018.
- Despair Event Horizon: Ed and Winry fall apart after what Tucker did to Nina and Alexander. Ed has his No-Holds-Barred Beatdown on Tucker, while Winry runs off to Nina's room where she goes into a Heroic BSoD. Al is hurting too but he keeps up a strong front for their sakes.
- The Dreaded: Izumi of course. The Elrics and Winry are absolutely terrified at what their teacher will do to them if she finds out that they did a human transmutation.
- Dream-Crushing Handicap: Due to losing all feeling and mobility in her hands Winry can't do anything on her own. She can't go back to Automail because of it. Alchemy is all she can do on her own now.
- Drinking on Duty: Catherine's first moment in the story is to order a glass of champagne while on duty as Winry's assistant. She has six glasses in fact. But she is still able to do her job.
- Dude, Not Funny!: When Winry gets shot through the foot she tries to find a brighter side in being able to feel it. Ed is not amused.
- Evil Is Hammy: Father Cornello is so hammy that it is bad. Ed and Winry can't keep themselves from laughing at how pathetic he is.
- Fainting: Catherine is unable to stay standing when what happened to Nina and her dog is revealed and she breaks into a fever.
- Foregone Conclusion: Knowing what will happen to her, seeing Nina's sweet interactions with the Elric Crew hurts. In particular with how she handled Winry's disability.
- Gray Rain of Depression: As the Elric Crew goes through their state of depression after Nina's death it just so happens to be raining.
- Guilt Complex: Ed feels that it is his fault for what happened to him, Al and Winry because he was the one who pushed for it.
- Hallucinations:
- There is some graphic detail of Ed seeing his own intestines and organs coming out of his body during his raged fueled beatdown of Tucker.
- He has another one during Nina's cremation where a monstrous Tucker is reaching out to him. He instinctively transmutes a blade on his arm and stabs Tucker in the arm, only to find out that he really stabbed Hughes.
- Handicapped Badass: Despite lacking all feeling and mobility in her hands Winry isn't helpless. Thanks to her specially designed gloves she is able to perform alchemy and she is on par with Ed and Al.
- Handy Helper: Because she can't use her hands Winry needs help with pretty much everything in her daily life. Considering there are some things the Elrics just can't help Winry with, because you know, they're boys and she is a girl, Catherine Armstrong is hired to be her assistant.
- Hard-Drinking Party Girl: Catherine can keep up with the miners in Youswell when they party over their freedom from Yoki.
- Head Desk: Unable to use her hands, Winry subjects herself to this when Ed does something stupid.
- Heroic BSoD: Winry goes into one upon realizing what Tucker did to his daughter and her dog.
- Large Ham: Catherine ARMSTRONG. Don't act like you're surprised.
- Leave No Witnesses: Inverted. Normally Scar would have killed any witness to one of his murders of a State Alchemist to cover his tracks, but seeing the pain and misery that Winry was in he simply could not do it because he felt a kinship with her.
- Papa Wolf: He may not be her father but Hughes is still very pissed that Winry witnessed Tucker and Nina's murders.
- Point of Divergence: The premise of the story is when on the way home from school Winry tries to find out what Ed and Al are up to but they refuse to tell her because it is a secret. Where it diverges from canon is when she finds an alchemy book on the ground after they run off and she goes after them to return it. She overhears that they are planning to transmute their mother. Despite knowing that it is forbidden she wants to help and learn alchemy so she can bring back her parents. But just as in canon, when the three try to transmute Trisha it backfires on them. With Ed losing his arm and leg, Al losing his body and Winry losing all feeling and mobility in her hands. The story now plays out with Winry being present with Ed and Al, and as stated by the author will eventually diverge from canon.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Played for Laughs when the Elrics go see Winry in the hospital and when Ed sees that Alex Armstrong is in the room he promptly turns around to leave...only to be stopped and pulled back in by his brother.
- Self-Harm: Ed absolutely destroys his automail arm after he accidently stabs Hughes.
- She's Not My Girlfriend: Both Ed and Winry say this about each other, of course.
- Shipper on Deck:
- Al and Winry feel like if it wasn't for anti-fraternization laws that Mustang and Hawkeye would hook up.
- It is implied that Maes Hughes is this for Edward and Winry.
- Targeted Human Sacrifice: It is made clear by chapter 6 that the homunculi, and by extension Father, want Winry as much as they want Edward.
- Tranquil Fury: Al is clearly pissed over hearing that Winry had been shot but his voice is surprisingly calm as he pounds the guy responsible into the ground.
- Tricked-Out Gloves: Although they are not exactly tricked out, Winry's gloves are designed to keep her hands stiff so she can perform alchemy.
- Unable to Cry: For a short while Winry is unable to cry over what happens to Nina. She is too broken and numb to do so. It's only upon seeing Scar after he kills Tucker and Nina, as well as knowing that he intends to do the same to Ed that the tears start to flow.
- Unknown Rival: Hughes doesn't seem to be aware of how much Catherine hates it when he takes over her job to assist Winry.
- What Have I Done: Ed's reaction to accidently stabbing Hughes while having a hallucination of Tucker.
- We Need a Distraction: Ed uses an injured Winry to draw the attention of a couple of train hijackers. He gets the drop on one that provides a chance for one of the train crew to take out the other. Winry, meanwhile, is quite understandably upset at being used as a distraction.
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The Woobie: It can be argued that Winry got the shortest end of the stick when it came to the punishment for performing a human transmutation. Al may have lost his body but Winry's daily life is now entirely dependent on the help of others. Often, the things she needs help with are extremely humiliating. Getting dressed. Eating. Even going to the bathroom. She is quite self-loathing because of it. It doesn't help that Winry feels that the universe is against her and the Elrics. Bad things just keep happening to them, like the fake philosopher's stone in Lior breaking and robbing them of their chance to return to normal or when people are mean to them when they find out that Edward is a State Alchemist. - You Have GOT to Be Kidding Me!: This is Scar's expression when he finds a newspaper with Edward's picture on it after having just talked to him moments before thinking he was just some kid skipping school.
