'''Because this is a {{Continuation}} fanfic, this description contains unmarked spoilers for the FMA canon.'''

''The Elemental Chess Trilogy'' is a series of ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' fan fictions by @/LadyNorbert. Set in the continuity of the ''Brotherhood'' anime, the stories are written in present-tense style and have a revolving point of view. The fic series is an attempt at OriginalFlavor, mixing the genres of mystery, action, romance, comedy, drama, and suspense.

The first story, ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6813723/1/Flowers_of_Antimony Flowers of Antimony]]'', [[FlashForwardFic begins about three years after the Promised Day]]. Al is returning to Amestris for Ed and Winry's wedding, and Ling Yao decides to follow and essentially crash the party. Due to his new status as Emperor of Xing, Fuhrer Grumman schedules a welcoming parade and all sorts of nonsense for the inadvertently political event. ChandlersLaw is then invoked when Central is attacked by unknown invaders. ''Flowers'' was the only installment of the series intended to be read as a stand-alone story.

''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6856095/1/Brilliancy Brilliancy]]'', the unexpected sequel, begins approximately eighteen months after the events of ''Flowers''. The setting is changed from Central to Ishval, where Roy and Riza - now married themselves - are still working to revitalize the area. They are surprised by the arrival of their old unit, who claim to have been summoned by a coded letter that they thought was sent by Roy. The letter, which was not from Roy at all, warns of danger lurking in the desert. Soon, with Roy ill and Riza missing, the old team calls for reinforcements to find the one(s) responsible.

The third story, ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/6957091/1/ The Game of Three Generals]]'', is an immediate sequel to ''Brilliancy.'' Newly aware of their enemy's identity, the cast struggles to thwart his ambitions. When a terrible crime is committed, the allies' loyalties are tested, forcing them to make a decision: do they [[ClearMyName hunt for the proof to exonerate their accused friend]], or follow their orders, which would [[RecycledScript scatter them to distant parts of the country]]?

A {{prequel}} story, ''[[http://www.fanfiction.net/s/7899013/1/Triumvirate Triumvirate]]'', was released as part of the 2011-2012 FMA Big Bang fiction event. Unlike the main trilogy, this story has arguably no plot; rather, it fleshes out the relationships between Roy Mustang, Riza Hawkeye, and Maes Hughes before, during, and immediately after the war in Ishval.

Two years after ''Triumvirate'' was completed, the author started releasing a series of additional one-shot side stories, all strung together in a single document tongue-in-cheekly dubbed ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/10468720/1/Notes-From-the-Grandmaster Notes From the Grandmaster]]''. This is a set of five stories which originally appeared as entries in the FMA Fic Contest on Website/LiveJournal, which has since been closed. For her own sanity, the author decided to end the ''Notes'' at the same time that the community closed.

As of spring 2015, the series is being made available in audio form (with reader commentary) on Website/YouTube by [[https://youtu.be/gluwm2HGPBQ a fan]].

In response to an outpouring of fan support for the idea on Website/{{Tumblr}}, a ''fifth'' volume has been added to the series. ''[[https://www.fanfiction.net/s/11469914/1/Chronology Chronology]]'' is a distant sequel, taking place roughly twelve years after ''Three Generals.'' Luke Elric, [[SpinOffspring Ed and Winry's eldest]], leads his circle of friends in an alchemical adventure through time itself. They have a noble goal - to go back in time and prevent some of the things which have brought their parents so much pain through the years. But when they discover they don't have as great a control over the {{time travel}} alchemy as they thought, things go very badly awry. This final installment is notable as being the only part of the series which includes a warning for character death. Unfortunately, the story ended up never being finished; a final chapter was posted in March 2023, after almost eight years of no updates, with an apology and a very truncated description of what was supposed to have happened.

----
!!This fan fiction series contains examples of the following:

[[foldercontrol]]

[[folder: The series as a whole]]
* AffablyEvil: Acheron has shades of this.
* AffectionateNickname[=/=]InSeriesNickname: After her marriage, the men of Team Mustang feel strange calling Riza 'Hawkeye,' but they can't call her 'Mustang' [[OneSteveLimit for rather obvious reasons]], and they've never been comfortable using her first name. So they give her a nickname of their own: Ladyhawk (or occasionally, just "Lady" for short).
** The children of 'the allies' tend to all call the adults by the same names, regardless of whether they are actually related to them or not. Special mention goes to [[spoiler:"Grummy" (Grumman)]] in ''Three Generals'' and "Zoom" (Izumi) in ''Chronology''.
* ArtifactTitle: It's still usually called the "Elemental Chess Trilogy" despite having expanded to be twice that many stories.
* BabiesEverAfter: Ed and Winry, as in canon. Falman and his wife have two kids, as implied in canon by the ending of the ''Brotherhood'' anime. In ''Brilliancy'' it's noted that Ling Yao is expecting his first child, who is born during the course of the third story, and Roy and Riza are expecting theirs as of the second chapter of ''Three Generals.'' Some of the parts of ''Notes From the Grandmaster'' show different scenes from the lives of the kids, and ''Chronology'' puts them in the spotlight.
* BadassCrew: Team Mustang and company - by ''Three Generals'' this has expanded to more than a dozen people, to whom Grumman collectively refers as 'the allies.'
* BeautyIsNeverTarnished: Averted, especially with Riza; not only does she still have the scar on her throat from the Promised Day, but [[spoiler:after she's recovered from her kidnapping in ''Brilliancy'', she's bruised, bloodied, filthy, and has a twisted knee.]]
* BerserkButton: If you've seen the entry for ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' on the BerserkButton page, you already have some idea. In addition to those:
** Ling Yao does not take kindly to anybody threatening his people, his friends, or his little sister.
** Major Armstrong has a huge problem with men who would "endanger a kind and gracious woman to further [their] own political agenda!"
** And by all you hold dear, don't ever try to hurt anybody in the Mustang [[TrueCompanions extended family]], because the others will make you pay. They've been to hell and back together too many times to let anybody get away with that now, and they will take the beating up a notch if the one you're trying to hurt happens to be [[{{Protectorate}} Riza]].
* BetaCouple: All of them, at times, because the Alpha Couple of a given moment depends on whose point of view is presenting the current chapter. However, it's probably fairest to say that Ed/Winry and Roy/Riza are generally the Alpha Couples, with Ling/Lan Fan, Al/May, and Havoc/Rebecca as the {{Beta Couple}}s.
* BigBad: Dong Bao in the first story, Acheron in the other two. [[spoiler:And yep, they become allies.]]
* BigDamnHeroes: Take a guess! Actually, a lot of the cast gets at least one moment like this.
* CallBack: Several to the canon, with varying degrees of subtlety.
** Before setting out for the Promised Day in the canon, Roy gives his subordinates [[TryNotToDie an order not to die]]. This order gets mentioned in each part of the trilogy.
** In ''Flowers of Antimony'', Ed, Roy and Riza sneak into besieged Central City using a hot air balloon. This is a callback to the [[Anime/FullmetalAlchemist2003 2003 anime version]], although the trilogy takes place in the manga/''Brotherhood'' continuity.
** When Riza is missing in ''Brilliancy'', a fevered Roy remarks that he's not surprised that he's sick, because he's been out in the rain ever since she was kidnapped. (For the Flame Alchemist, that's his way of saying he feels helpless.)
** ''Triumvirate'' contains several, chiefly to volume 15 of the manga.
** ''Chronology'' is expected to be filled with these, since it involves time travel alchemy.
* TheCavalry: Ed, Roy, and Riza, assisted by Jerso and Zampano, come to the aid of their friends in ''Flowers of Antimony.'' [[spoiler:Those same friends return the favor at Roy's execution in ''Three Generals''.]]
* ChekhovsGun: Winry has a throwaway line about possibly carrying her wrench as '[[OldNewBorrowedAndBlue something old]]' in ''Flowers of Antimony,'' which later becomes mildly important. Roy's fever in ''Flowers of Antimony'' becomes a plot point in ''Brilliancy''. The glass factory established early in ''Brilliancy'' takes on significance in ''Three Generals''.
* ChessMotif: In addition to the title and all chapter titles for ''Brilliancy'' being actual TabletopGame/{{chess}} terms, the chess motif of Team Mustang carries over from the canon. It factors into getting the allies to Ishval for the plot of the second story, and there are multiple instances in all three stories of the men referring to the chess pieces to which Roy has likened them. In particular, Riza being their 'queen' comes up frequently; in ''Three Generals,'' when she's assigned a security detail consisting of the men of their old unit, Breda dubs them "all the queen's men."
** As of ''Brilliancy,'' the original chess metaphor has expanded - Rebecca Catalina is identified in text as the queen's side knight of Team Mustang. According to the author, Ed is the queen's side bishop and Alex Armstrong is the queen's side rook; Dr. Marcoh, Alphonse, Denny Brosh, Maria Ross, Scar, Major Miles, and {{original character}} Paul Douglas join Fuery as pawns.
** ''Three Generals'' may also qualify, as it has a TabletopGame/{{shogi}} theme going on with its title and chapter names. Shogi is Japanese chess. If nothing else, the chess motif shows up in the message that Ed sends to the allies after [[spoiler:Roy's conviction, which consists of just one word: '''Checkmate.''']]
** ''Notes From the Grandmaster'' has this solely in its title, with the "Grandmaster" in question being a bit of self-deprecating humor on the part of the author.
* CliffHanger: More chapters end on cliffhangers than don't, sometimes with a WhamLine.
* CompletedFic: Most of the installments fall into this; only ''Chronology'' remains incomplete, and will remain so permanently.
* {{Continuation}}: The original trilogy is this for the manga/''Brotherhood''. ''Triumvirate'' is essentially an expansion of the manga's 15th volume.
* CrouchingMoronHiddenBadass: Havoc has shades of this, not unlike in the canon. He's goofy and nostalgic and teases everyone, but when things go south he steps up to the plate.
* EnsembleCast: While it's fair to say that Roy, Riza, and Ed are the most central characters, everybody gets a significant amount of importance, to the point where it could almost be described as having a PlotTailoredToTheParty.
* FanVerse: One of the biggest ''Manga/FullmetalAlchemist'' fanworks in existence.
* FourStarBadass: Olivier Mira Armstrong, of course, and also Roy Mustang, since the canon indicates he got promoted sometime after the Promised Day. [[spoiler:In the third story, he ranks up again to Major General while she becomes a Lieutenant General.]] Riza Hawkeye, meanwhile, got promoted to ColonelBadass.
* FourTemperamentEnsemble: The original members of Team Mustang. Havoc is sanguine, Breda is choleric, Falman is phlegmatic (type II), and Fuery is supine.
* HappilyMarried: The three couples who get married in ''Flowers of Antimony''; it's also implied that Falman and his mostly-unseen wife are this. ''Notes From the Grandmaster'' suggests that this is the ultimate fate of [[spoiler:Roy and Riza's daughter and Ed and Winry's son]].
* HenpeckedHusband: Ed becomes this, to the surprise of absolutely no one. Roy also shows shades of this; but in both cases it's {{played for laughs}}, and their marriages are really very affectionate.
* HeroSecretService: Team Mustang, who - even though they're no longer his direct subordinates - take it upon themselves to do this repeatedly. Grumman actually makes it an order when he assigns them to be the First Granddaughter's personal security detail.
* HiddenAgendaVillain: Acheron.
* IdiosyncraticEpisodeNaming[=/=]TerminologyTitle: With the exception of ''Notes From the Grandmaster'', the whole series is made of these tropes.
** In ''Flowers of Antimony'', the story title and all chapter titles are actual alchemical terms.
** The story and chapter titles of ''Brilliancy'' are all chess terms.
** The story and chapter titles of ''Three Generals'' are all terms from different variants of shogi, or Japanese chess. This was chosen for the third theme because shogi incorporates elements of both chess and alchemy.
** The original trilogy's overarching name, "Elemental Chess," is taken from [[https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/36087/elemental-chess a chess set]] that was designed using alchemic principles, to reflect the dual themes of chess and alchemy throughout the three stories.
** In ''Triumvirate'', the story and chapter titles are all military terms.
** The story and chapter titles of ''Chronology'' are all terminology related to time travel.
* InsistentTerminology: Acheron refuses to use military titles when addressing his adversaries, preferring to call Roy by his full name. When speaking to or about Riza, however, he refers to her as "Lady Mustang."
* ItsPersonal: [[spoiler:Dong Bao resents his younger half-brother inheriting the throne of Xing in his place. Acheron's entire operation has been to avenge his small country, which was invaded and swallowed whole by Amestris when he was a child, some forty years before the start of the FMA series.]]
* LikeBrotherAndSister: Breda, Fuery, Falman, and Havoc have this kind of relationship with Riza; it's indicated that this is particularly true of Havoc.
* LivingEmotionalCrutch: It's shown that the Mustangs are a benign form of this for each other. Whenever one of them thinks the other one is dead, the results [[HeroicBSOD aren't pretty]]. (Then again, that's established in the canon.)
* MeaningfulName: BigBad Acheron shares his name with the Acheron river in Greece. In ancient mythology, Acheron was one of the five rivers of Hades, and was known as the 'river of pain.'
** In ''Three Generals'', [[spoiler: Roy and Riza have [[UntoUsASonAndDaughterAreBorn twins named Brendan and Riana]]. Brendan is Gaelic for "prince" and Riana is old English for "little queen." This is a tie-in to the ChessMotif and Roy and Riza's status as 'the king and queen.']]
* MoodWhiplash: Used frequently, mostly for comic relief. Possibly the most blatant example happens in ''Brilliancy''; after a serious lengthy conversation between the story's two original characters, the scene is disrupted by the arrival of Major Armstrong.
* MustHaveNicotine: Havoc is shown being twitchy and itching for a cigarette during stressful moments when he's not allowed to light up.
* TheNicknamer: Ed, for Roy; he almost never uses the man's actual name, instead referring to him as things like "General Bastard," "General Chess Fiend," and "General Flamethrower." It's a RunningGag.
* OnlyOneName: Acheron
* OriginalCharacter: Paul Douglas, Simon Sikorsky, Andrew Piper, and the two main villains of the original trilogy, along with at least half the cast of ''Chronology''.
* OriginalFlavour: The series was intended to be this, as a continuation of the manga/''Brotherhood''. It apparently succeeded in the attempt, since a number of reviewers have expressed suspicion that the author is really Hiromu Arakawa using a fake name. ([[SincerityMode She isn't, but she appreciates the thought.]])
* PointOfView: The RotatingProtagonist type; the perspective revolves, with chapters showing the action through the eyes of different characters. This creates something of ADayInTheLimelight for minor characters such as Kain Fuery, Scar, and Rebecca Catalina.
* ThePowerOfFriendship[=/=]ThePowerOfLove: The driving motivation of all of the good guys, in one way or another.
* {{Protectorate}}: Riza, to the members of her security detail.
* ReasonableAuthorityFigure: Fuhrer Grumman; also Olivier Mira Armstrong, in the third story.
* RelationshipUpgrade: Ed and Winry (as in canon); Roy and Riza; Al and May; Ling and Lan Fan; Havoc and Catalina, eventually.
* SarcasticDevotee: Arguably, Ed; he never misses a chance to harass or harangue Roy, but nevertheless proves himself to be very loyal.
* SecretKeeper: Hughes was this for Roy and Riza, as revealed both in flashbacks and in ''Triumvirate''. Specifically, he covered for them during the Ishvalan war to give them a couple chances to be alone together, and he was the only one who knew about the exchange of dog tags (see TheLadysFavour). Many other characters had their suspicions about the pair over the years, but Hughes was the only one who ever absolutely knew for certain.
* ShipperOnDeck: The ''entire ensemble'' for the various pairings. Much like in the canon, really.
* ShoutOut:
** According to the author, Ed and Winry's son is named Lucas after [[VideoGame/ProfessorLayton Luke Triton]].
** In the last chapter of ''Triumvirate'', Roy makes a remark about Maes and Gracia serving "fancy tuna" at their upcoming wedding reception. This is a shout-out to ''Anime/OuranHighSchoolHostClub'', in one episode of which Mori (who shares a voice actor with Roy in the English dubs) says that exact phrase.
** In ''Three Generals'', two characters are located in hotel room 611. This is a reference to June 11th, known in the FMA fandom as "Royai Day."
* SideBet: Several. Mustang's men are notorious for it, and Falman has a history of winning.
* SquadNickname: The former members of Roy's unit refer to themselves as Team Mustang. Later, when they're reunited to form Riza's personal security detail, they call themselves "all the queen's men."
* StuffBlowingUp: The building explosion in ''Brilliancy''; [[spoiler:Grumman's office]] in ''Three Generals.''
* SwitchingPOV: No character controls the narrative for more than one chapter at a time.
* ThemeNaming: In the canon, most military characters are named for real-world military aircraft; this carries over to the original military characters in the trilogy. Douglas is named for an aircraft company, Sikorsky is named for the first helicopter, and Piper is named for the primary training plane of the Civilian Pilot Training Program.
* ThisLooksLikeAJobForAquaman: Nearly everyone's unique talents get put to use at some point. For example, ''Flowers of Antimony'' makes use of Fuery's skill with communications equipment and Sheska's ability to recall esoteric information she's read, while part of ''Brilliancy'' relies heavily on Scar's alkahestry and his access to his brother's encoded research. [[spoiler:The ritual he uses in ''Brilliancy'' becomes a ChekhovsSkill in ''Three Generals''.]] Even Winry's ability to make delicious apple pie comes in handy.
* TitleDrop: Of all the story titles, only one actually makes its way into any of the stories. At the end of the second installment, Grumman muses that if they play the game correctly, it could be "a true brilliancy." The final chapter title of ''Flowers of Antimony'', "Quintessence," also gets dropped.
* TrueCompanions: The allies identify themselves as essentially this. Riza invokes it outright in ''Three Generals,'' referring to them collectively as "my family."
* TwoPartTrilogy: As noted elsewhere, ''Flowers of Antimony'' was intended as a stand-alone story and was written as such. The two sequels, while avoiding most of the negative aspects of this trope, are more tightly connected to each other than to the first story, although there ''is'' connection there.
* UndyingLoyalty: As in the canon.
* VitriolicBestBuds: Ed and Roy, whose sniping provides some of the best comic relief of the series; the truth is that they really do like each other, they just don't like to admit it to other people. Their wives, at least, are not fooled. In ''Three Generals,'' Ed finally acknowledges that Roy's kind of like his older brother.
** In ''Notes From the Grandmaster,'' it's revealed that [[spoiler:they eventually become Vitriolic BestFriendsInLaw, when Ed's son Lucas marries Roy's daughter Riana]].
* WebSerialNovel
* WhamEpisode: Arguably, several. All the stories have happy and peaceful openings only to be slammed with chaos after a few chapters. Special mention must go to [[spoiler:Roy's apparent suicide]] in ''Brilliancy'', which at least gets cleared up in the same chapter, and [[spoiler:Grumman's alleged murder]] in ''Three Generals'' - which not only is not immediately resolved, but has multiple follow-up Wham Episodes.
* WorldOfBadass: Much like the canon, nearly ''everyone'' gets to do a little ass-kicking here.
* WritersCannotDoMath: The age of Elysia Hughes in both the first and third stories had to be corrected after the stories were posted.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Flowers of Antimony]]
* AllYourBaseAreBelongToUs: The attack on Central Command
* AltarTheSpeed: Inverted for Roy and Riza, whose wedding is repeatedly ''delayed'' by extenuating circumstances.
* BandOfBrothers: Havoc mentally invokes the trope by name, thinking about Team Mustang as "a band of brothers (and one sister, of course)" for whom he'd still do anything.
* BigBrotherWorship: 'Worship' might be a bit of a stretch, but it's explained that Ling adopted his half-sister May Chang as heiress presumptive when he became Emperor, and in the few years since the Promised Day, they have grown very close and love each other dearly.
* BouquetToss: More like Bouquet Shot Put, since Winry's got plans for where that sucker ends up.
* CaptainObvious: Invoked by Ed, when he addresses Roy as "General Obvious."
* ClosedCircle: Central City, when it gets attacked, becomes this.
* CloudCuckooLander: Fuhrer Grumman has great fun pretending to be one of these. He throws his weight around regarding the plans for Ed's wedding, but in the best possible ways. As Havoc puts it, "It's like watching an overgrown five-year-old plan the world's biggest birthday party."
* CunningLinguist: Fuery, to a small extent. Justified because in the canon, he was [[ReassignedToAntarctica sent to the southern war front]] and was exposed to the Aerugonian language. He's not fluent, but he has a working knowledge that allows him to translate some key information.
* ElementNumberFive: Quintessence, the fifth element of RealLife alchemy, makes a brief appearance in the title and content of the last chapter.
* EquivalentExchange: Naturally, given the fandom. The trope is invoked by name in this story, when Sig points out to Ed that everywhere he goes, he leaves part of himself with the people he befriends and takes part of them with him when he leaves.
* FlatWhat: Ed's reaction to finding out that Ling basically invited himself (and by extension, the Fuhrer, and a large collection of Xingese and Amestrian troops) to his and Winry's wedding.
* GratuitousLatin: Latin is seen in a few of the chapter titles. Justified, as they are actual alchemical terms.
* HeroicSacrifice: Subverted. Ling offers to make one in ''Flowers of Antimony'' in response to the villain's demands, but the other characters don't let him.
* HopeBringer: Part of the reason the men send for Roy Mustang when Central City is attacked is because they figure that having the Flame Alchemist in their midst will boost the morale of the Amestrian defenses. (It does.)
* IShouldWriteABookAboutThis: At the end of the story, Ed decides that he's in a unique position to write books which explain alchemy to people who might otherwise not understand it at all.
* LeaveTheTwoLovebirdsAlone: Played with. The military personnel do their best to leave the newly-engaged Roy and Riza alone together on the train... but the guys from Team Mustang have left a listening device in the compartment with them.
* PimpedOutDress[=/=]FairytaleWeddingDress: While it never gets described, Winry's wedding dress is implied to be this if Ed's [[JawDrop reaction]] is anything to go by. Lan Fan's wedding dress plays it straight.
* PlayingDrunk: Fuhrer Grumman, at Ed's bachelor party.
* {{Pun}}: Havoc, at Roy and Riza's wedding, has probably the silliest line of the entire series.
-->"As Colonel Hawkeye's loyal brothers in arms, it is our sworn duty to uphold our beloved sister's honor and see to it that this wild mustang is well and truly saddled."
* SubordinateExcuse: At Ed's bachelor party, [[spoiler:a very un-drunk Fuhrer Grumman announces his intention to repeal the anti-fraternization law, making it possible for Roy and Riza to finally be together. He doesn't identify this as his reason, but seeing as he's a ShipperOnDeck for them in the canon, it's not hard to figure out.]]
* SuddenlySuitableSuitor: See above.
* TeamMom: Lampshaded when Ed sleepily thinks that Riza would "make a pretty good mom."
* VictoriousChildhoodFriend: Ed and Winry as in the canon, and also Roy and Riza; Roy confirms toward the end of the story that he's been in love with Riza since he was sixteen. It's uncertain how long Ling and Lan Fan have known each other, but the trope may also apply to them.
* VillainTeamUp: The BigBad recruits allies from all three of the countries that Amestris has spent the last several decades battling. [[spoiler:Later, he's shown to be in league with the other BigBad, too, which more directly fits the trope.]]
* WackyMarriageProposal: Of a sort. [[spoiler:Roy and Riza become engaged when Winry throws her wedding bouquet, which has a wrench hidden inside it, at Roy's head. Riza pushes him out of the way and catches it (without realizing what it actually ''is'' until she does), and hilarity ensues.]] A later chapter assures the reader that there would have been a normal one in the near future anyway.
* WeddingSmashers: Somewhat subverted. The invasion doesn't really have anything to do with disrupting Ed and Winry's wedding; it's just that the ceremony is the reason that the real targets are available to attack.
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: The story ends in one of these, with Ed thinking about what's happened to the rest of the cast since his wedding. Somewhat justified, since ''Flowers'' was supposed to be a stand-alone story and the epilogue was intended to wrap it up.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: Brilliancy]]
* BadassBoast: Roy gives one to TheMole.
-->"I'm only going to say this once, so listen closely. I am Brigadier General Roy Mustang. I am the Flame Alchemist. I have walked through hell at least three times. I have personally delivered death to two of the seven Homunculi. I have now been stripped of what I hold most precious in this life, and it's entirely possible that because of you, by the time we find her, she may be dead. You have started playing a very dangerous game, [[spoiler:Sikorsky]], because quite literally, at this moment, ''I have nothing left to lose''."
* BadassInDistress: Riza, during most of the story. She gives her captors plenty of trouble, and even [[spoiler:kills the one who was supposed to kill her]], but that doesn't change the fact that she's been kidnapped and stuck in the desert.
* CanineCompanion: Riza's dog Black Hayate is this to both her and, after their marriage, Roy. In this story he becomes something of a living MementoMacGuffin; Roy won't allow the dog out of his sight the entire time Riza is missing because, as Havoc points out, he's the closest thing they have to a child [[spoiler:at the time]].
* CoolAndUnusualPunishment: The traitor is placed under Major Armstrong's guard, and subjected to Armstrong's trademark manner of stripping and posturing. In the words of one reviewer, "[[MemeticMutation This method of torture has been handed down through the Armstrong line for generations]]!"
* DeathByDespair: Roy Mustang really, ''[[LivingEmotionalCrutch really]]'' loves his wife. So much so that when she goes missing and he gets sick, Dr. Marcoh warns their friends that this might happen to him if she doesn't come back alive.
* DoWithHimAsYouWill[=/=]YouHaveOutlivedYourUsefulness: Acheron takes this attitude toward at least a few of his {{mook}}s, even going so far as to offer the life of a specific one to Roy as a "consolation prize."
* DramaPreservingHandicap: Arguably, Roy's fever.
* AFatherToHisMen: Paul Douglas's observations show that Mustang is still this, as he was in the canon, even though he's leading a completely different group now. It's also shown that Riza is a Mother To Her Men, despite not being the actual commanding officer.
* {{Flashback}}: ''Brilliancy'' has several of these; the revolving point of view allows different characters to remember different incidents. Not a case of ViewersAreGoldfish, however, because while all of the flashbacks are connected to events from the canon, they usually showcase non-canonical details.
* GondorCallsForAid: When Riza gets kidnapped and Roy's extremely sick, Havoc has Fuery put out a distress call to known allies.
* HellHasNewManagement: Doesn't actually ''happen'', of course, but referenced when Ed visits the bedridden and feverish Roy, who jokingly wonders if he's died and gone to hell. Ed tells him that he wouldn't go to hell if he died because they'd be afraid he'd take over.
* HeroWorshipper: Paul Douglas, who grew up hearing about Roy Mustang and "his merry band of brigands" and specifically requested to serve under him in Ishval. [[spoiler:This is easier to understand once it's revealed that Paul is a relative of Maes Hughes, Roy's deceased best friend.]]
* IfIDoNotReturn: Roy, when entering the building in the desert.
-->'''Roy:''' Give me five minutes. And ''don't follow me''.
* IHaveYourWife: Sort of inverted - it's more the question of "''Who'' has my wife?"
* TheKnightsWhoSaySquee: Douglas to Roy and Riza via [[spoiler:Hughes]].
* TheLadysFavour: It's revealed that Roy and Riza have been wearing one of each other's dog tags since after the war; they claim it's for practical reasons (they're each other's next of kin), but Roy also admits later that it was the only kind of commitment they could make to each other under the anti-fraternization laws.
* TheMaidenNameDebate: Team Mustang had some trouble figuring out what to call Riza after she marries Roy. They eventually settle on Ladyhawk.
* MementoMacGuffin: Riza's silver earrings; as he explains to Winry, they were a gift from Roy when they were teenagers.
* TheMole: [[spoiler:Sikorsky]]
* MoralityPet: Riza is this for Roy in the canon, but in this story, his speech to the traitor makes her seem more like a MoralityChain. Ed is only able to keep Roy from killing the guy by pointing out that she wouldn't want him to do it.
* MyNameIsInigoMontoya: Roy does this just once, when confronting TheMole.
* NeckLift: Mustang performs one on [[spoiler: Sikorsky]] when he finds out they're responsible for Riza's kidnapping and possible murder.
* {{Nephewism}}: Almost. [[spoiler:Paul Douglas was the son of Maes Hughes's cousin, but still referred to him as "Uncle Maes."]]
* OneWordTitle
* OpenSecret: Roy and Riza's feelings for each other prior to their marriage. {{Lampshaded}} in Dr. Marcoh's flashback, in which he observes that "Like almost everyone else in a ten-mile radius, he knows, and like everyone else who knows, he will humor them in silence."
* OutOfTheInferno: [[spoiler:Roy enters the building where he's been told he'll find Riza's dead body. Several minutes later, it explodes, and the rest of the company think he's committed suicide. As they're preparing to leave, Roy and Riza both show up in this fashion.]]
* PermissionToSpeakFreely: Invoked by Douglas toward the end.
* PunctuatedForEmphasis: Done in the understated way.
-->'''Roy:''' Find. My. Wife.
* RoaringRampageOfRevenge: Subverted when it's revealed that [[spoiler:the reason for Riza's abduction is to try to induce Roy to go on one of these against the Ishvalans. When it doesn't work, the villains intend to kill her to get the desired reaction. It ''still'' doesn't work.]]
* RunningGag: For a while, Roy's lack of enthusiasm for winter potatoes. (It gets one last small CallBack in ''Three Generals.'')
* ScarilyCompetentTracker: [[spoiler:Scar.]] Good news for the allies, bad news for the enemy.
* SequelHook: The last chapter.
* SomethingOnlyTheyWouldSay: The members of Team Mustang come to Ishval because they receive a letter written in Roy's old chess code, which no one outside of their group would know. [[spoiler:As it turns out, that's not quite true...]]
* TeamMom: Havoc's nostalgia in an early chapter suggests that Riza, at least occasionally, filled this role in the past to the members of Team Mustang.
* ThatsAnOrder: When the group is getting ready to go rescue the kidnapped Rebecca, Roy tries to order Riza to stay behind. She flatly refuses, although circumstances require her to do so after all. Later, after [[spoiler:Riza is recovered alive, Roy says this as a follow-up to "[[PleaseDontLeaveMe Never leave me again]]."]]
* UnbrokenVigil: When Roy falls ill, one of the allies (usually Winry) is appointed to hold one at all times.
* VerbalTic: Acheron has a weird accent. When the allies meet him for the first time, Falman notes that he pronounces Roy's name as ''Arroy Moostangy.''
* WhenSheSmiles: Riza, although considered pretty under normal circumstances, is shown this way in Dr. Marcoh's flashback.
[[/folder]]

[[folder: The Game of Three Generals]]
* AloofAlly: General Armstrong becomes this to the group.
* AmoralAttorney: The prosecutor, who is on Acheron's payroll. [[spoiler:So is the judge.]]
* BearerOfBadNews: Repeatedly. Armstrong weeps as he tells Roy and Riza that [[spoiler:Grumman's office has blown up with him in it]]. Later, Havoc, Rebecca, and Ed have to be the ones to tell Riza that [[spoiler:Roy's been arrested for blowing it up]]. And Ed has to be the one to tell everybody that [[spoiler:he's been convicted of the crime and sentenced to death]].
* BookcasePassage: It's eventually revealed that [[spoiler:the Fuhrer's office]] has a secret one of these.
* BreakingTheFellowship: After [[spoiler:Roy's arrest]], the allies are split up and sent away to either Briggs or Ishval, because they're needed to bolster the military forces there. (At least, that's the excuse that's given by the people pulling the strings.) Only Ed and Winry are able to remain in Central with the homebound Riza.
* BrickJoke: Grumman can't decide what his future great-grandchild should call him. Roy jokingly suggests "[[AffectionateNickname Grummy]]," which is dismissed and the idea is never mentioned again. [[spoiler:Cut to the last chapter, and this is exactly what ''all'' the children of the allies call him.]]
* CantKillYouStillNeedYou: Played for laughs toward the end. [[spoiler:After Scar kills Acheron, he and Dong Bao return to the allies with the corpse. When General Armstrong expresses her surprise that he allowed Dong Bao to live, Scar's rationale is simply, "I needed him to carry the body."]]
* ClearMyName: Roy, when he's WronglyAccused of [[spoiler:murdering Fuhrer Grumman]].
** ClearTheirName: What the allies try to do for him.
* DancesAndBalls: Just one, planned chiefly as a means of luring the enemy into attacking. [[spoiler:It doesn't work.]]
* DeadGuyJunior: Averted when Roy explains to Grumman why he and Riza have decided not to name their baby after Maes Hughes or anybody else.
** Played straight by Ling and Lan Fan, however, who named their first son Fu, after Lan Fan's grandfather.
* DeathByDespair: [[spoiler:Riza has to promise that she will not succumb to this when Roy is sentenced to death, mostly for the sake of their unborn child.]]
* TheDragon: [[spoiler:General Piper]]
* DrivenToSuicide: According to the author's notes, [[spoiler: Riza's pregnancy]] was first written into the story to prevent exactly this from happening to her when [[spoiler:the time of Roy's execution passes.]]
* ExactWords: Roy persuades Acheron to promise that [[spoiler:he won't do anything to hurt Riza or their yet-unborn child. Acheron consents, and specifically says that no harm will come to them by his orders.]] When Piper later threatens [[spoiler:to have her killed,]] he points out that Roy never asked ''him'' to promise.
* FictionalDocument: After Riza's pregnancy is announced, Falman sends Roy a book called ''Look What You Did to Me: [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin What Every Expectant Father Needs to Know]]''.
** More seriously, Roy and Breda comb the five major newspapers of Amestris in search of articles that might clue them in to their enemy's movements.
* AFriendInNeed: Surprising absolutely no one who's met them, Team Mustang [[spoiler: immediately desert the military to rescue Roy from death by firing squad]].
* FriendToAllChildren: [[spoiler:Grumman]], in the final chapter, is shown to be this.
* GildedCage: The Fuhrer's mansion is this for Riza. She only gets to leave it for doctor's appointments. They ''call'' it "protective custody," but...
* GrandFinale: The final chapter of this story wraps up the original trilogy. [[spoiler:Three years after the climax, Fuhrer Grumman tells a fairy tale-stylized version of the trilogy's events to all the kids who have been born to the allies.]]
* HijackedByGanon: [[spoiler:General Piper]] turns out to be merely TheDragon to Acheron, [[spoiler:who has teamed up with Dong Bao]].
* ImprobableInfantSurvival: In her notes on several chapters, the author takes the time to specify that nothing happens to [[spoiler: Roy and Riza's baby.]] She points out that this is in response to the multiple reviews and private messages she received begging for this reassurance.
* IronLady: Riza's narration refers to General Armstrong, at one point, as "the iron lady of Briggs."
* IShouldWriteABookAboutThis: Roy reacts to the success of Ed's book by saying that maybe he should write one. Breda comments that nobody would believe his life story even if he had the time to write it.
* IWasJustPassingThrough: Olivier Mira Armstrong maintains that she doesn't really care what happens to Roy; she just can't stand a {{miscarriage of justice}}.
* LastKiss: When [[spoiler:the condemned Roy says goodbye to his wife before his execution, he tries to put everything he didn't say into one final, intense kiss. Fortunately, it turns out to be a NowOrNeverKiss instead.]]
* LetsGetDangerous: How the allies [[spoiler:stop Roy's execution]].
* TheManBehindTheMan: What Acheron is hoping to become.
* MiscarriageOfJustice: The circumstances leading up to [[spoiler:Roy's execution]].
* MorningSickness: A recurring problem for Riza. [[spoiler:In an odd twist, it probably saves Roy's life at one point.]]
* NeverFoundTheBody: {{Justified|Trope}} because [[spoiler:if Grumman really had been in his office when it exploded, his body would have been incinerated beyond recovery.]]
* NotSoDifferentRemark: [[spoiler:Acheron]] tries to invoke this on Scar. [[spoiler: Scar's response is "No, we're not," and proceeds to [[YourHeadAsplode blow up the guy's head]].]]
* OfferedTheCrown: Grumman has a chat with General Armstrong about the future. [[spoiler:She tells him to appoint "the fool your granddaughter married" as his successor, because she doesn't want it.]]
* PapaWolf: This story, even more than the previous two, makes Grumman something of a Grandpa Wolf.
* PermissionToSpeakFreely: {{Played with}}, when Fuery shyly asks Riza for "permission to hug."
* PostClimaxConfrontation: Sort of. After the allies [[spoiler:stop Roy's execution and reunite Riza with her husband and grandfather, the reader learns that while this was going on, Scar was off killing Acheron]]. Since it was happening at the same time as the climax, it's technically ''not'' a PostClimaxConfrontation - but the chapter in which it takes place comes after the chapter containing the climax.
* PrecisionFStrike: [[spoiler:Riza]] gets off a beauty when confronting TheDragon, though not with that specific word. Up until that point, the worst thing anyone had said in the entire series was 'damn,'.
* [[spoiler:PregnantBadass]]: Riza, naturally. Part of the reason [[spoiler: Riza's pregnancy]] was written into the story was so the author could add this trope to the fic's trope list.
* RankUp: All the allies, except for Riza, get promoted at the ball; this is partly an overdue reward for their efforts on the Promised Day and partly a reward for helping the Mustangs in ''Brilliancy.'' It also gets explained why Riza jumped from being a Lieutenant to a Colonel - a four-rank promotion - at one shot. (She had been refusing promotions for years in order to stay in Roy's unit.)
* RedHerring: Some of the newspaper articles that Roy and Breda study.
* ReportsOfMyDeathWereGreatlyExaggerated: [[spoiler:Grumman is believed to have been murdered.]] Hell, the narration even invokes the trope by name.
* ReunionKiss: Between [[spoiler:the General and his Colonel]] - after they salute each other. Also counts as a SmoochOfVictory.
* SacrificialLion: Subverted. [[spoiler:Grumman is NotQuiteDead.]]
* ScarilyCompetentTracker: [[spoiler:Scar]], once again.
* [[SettleForSibling Settle For Best Friend]]: Rebecca accuses Havoc of having done this.
* ShipTease: ''Three Generals'' very subtly hints at a deeper relationship between Olivier Armstrong and Major Miles.
* ShotAtDawn: [[spoiler:Roy is sentenced to death by firing squad for the supposed murder of Fuhrer Grumman. It's even mentioned that these things normally happen at dawn. However, the execution in the story takes place at 3:00.]]
* SpousalPrivilege: Denied. Riza is the only witness to Roy's whereabouts when [[spoiler:Grumman's office exploded]]. But as seen with Maria Ross in the canon, Amestrian courts do not allow close relatives to testify on behalf of accused criminals.
* TakeAThirdOption: Invoked in the FAQ at the end of the story, regarding the author's decision to [[spoiler:make Roy and Riza the parents of twins]].
* ToBeLawfulOrGood[=/=]ScrewTheRulesImDoingWhatsRight: They are dedicated soldiers, but the members of Team Mustang (much like in the original canon) elect to [[spoiler:desert and return to Central to try to save Roy from being executed]].
* TranquilFury: This is the response garnered when the AmoralAttorney dares to suggest that Roy cares more about his ambition than he does about Riza.
* [[spoiler: UntoUsASonAndDaughterAreBorn: Riza gives birth to twins [[TakeAThirdOption specifically because the author couldn't decide which gender the kid should be]].]]
* UnwittingPawn: [[spoiler:General Hakuro]] is actually innocent. He has no idea what he's helping the bad guys achieve.
* VillainousBreakdown: [[spoiler:General Piper]] in chapters 17 and 18.
* WhamLine: Via telegram, a single word to let the allies know the outcome of the trial. [[spoiler: Checkmate.]]
* WhereAreTheyNowEpilogue: It ends with this, but also starts with something of a Where Are They Now ''Prologue'', with Ed bringing Winry (and the reader) up to speed on what's happened since the end of ''Brilliancy''.
* TheXOfY
* YouCalledMeXItMustBeSerious: Riza deliberately calls Breda by his first name (Heymans) in one scene to drive home to him just how really worried she is about the situation.
* YourHeadAsplode: [[spoiler: How Scar defeats Acheron.]]

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Triumvirate]]
* AllTakeAndNoGive: A large chunk of Roy's self-loathing in ''Triumvirate'' comes from his belief that he's turned his relationship with Riza into this, taking everything she ever offered and giving her nothing in return.
* DestroyTheEvidence: Reluctantly, Roy burns a letter he would much rather keep, in order to keep people from finding out about the sender.
* TheLadysFavour: As noted above in the ''Brilliancy'' folder, Roy and Riza wear one another's dog tags; the actual exchange (effectively a marriage proposal) takes place in this story.
* NoPlotNoProblem: As noted above, ''Triumvirate'' technically has no plot, but is effectively a very large AdaptationExpansion of volume 15 of the manga.
* OneWordTitle
* {{Prequel}}: To the rest of the series.
* ShipperOnDeck: Hughes starts a lengthy career of being this for Roy and Riza during the course of this story. He figures out fairly early that Roy's been in love at least once in his life, but as Roy has never mentioned Riza, it takes a while for him to work out with whom.
* ShoutOut: In the final chapter, Roy inquires about the "fancy tuna" being served at Maes and Gracia's wedding reception. This is a tiny nod to ''Anime/OuranHighSchoolHostClub,'' where Mori (who has the same voice actor as Roy in the English dubs) suggests "fancy tuna" as a bribe in one episode.
* SupremeChef: Riza is, at the very least, a decent cook. Roy admires her ability to make soup out of practically nothing, and one chapter notes that she's able to earn her keep temporarily at a local inn by filling in as chef.

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Chronology]]
* AbortedArc: As the author explains in the final 'chapter,' the computer containing her notes for the story was destroyed in a basement flood, and her efforts to continue without them didn't pan out, leading her to ultimately abandon the project altogether.
* DeadGuyJunior: Played straight and averted. Alphonse and May named their daughter for Nina Tucker. Ed and Winry, on the other hand, named their younger son Curtis, after the (still living) Sig and Izumi, but didn't name any of their children for anyone who died.
* EquivalentExchange: Invoked by name in the second chapter, when May and Izumi consider that perhaps Ed and Al's parents are looking after Izumi's deceased son the way Izumi helped raise theirs.
* GrandFinale: ''Chronology'' was meant to serve as this to the entire series.
* LawOfInverseFertility: Izumi's inability to have children of her own is addressed for the only time in the entire series.
* LikeFatherLikeSon: Luke has a lot of Edward's personality, including his interest in alchemy and his SingleTargetSexuality, in addition to a strong physical resemblance. It's also noted that Al's son Jian bears a strong resemblance to him.
* OneWordTitle
* SetRightWhatOnceWentWrong: Luke's very altruistic ambition is to go back in time and prevent various incidents which caused the adults in his life a lot of pain.
* SingleTargetSexuality: Alphonse finds it adorable and hilarious that Luke has apparently inherited this from his father; he decided at a very young age that he wants to marry Riana Mustang when he grows up.
* SpinoffBabies: The plot puts the children of "the allies" in the spotlight, relegating the canon characters to supporting cast.
* TimeTravel: The crux of the plot.
* UntoUsASonAndDaughterAreBorn: Although not present, Ling and Lan Fan are mentioned, including the fact that they are now the parents of five-year-old boy and girl twins named Shu and Hai. {{Lampshaded}} at some point, apparently, by Roy; according to Al's daughter Nina, Roy accused Ling of copying him, saying that he "must have made having twins look really cool."

[[/folder]]

[[folder: Notes From the Grandmaster]]
* DistantFinale: The last of the five stories serves as this to ''Chronology'', despite having been written before ''Chronology'' was ever even started.
%%* JustForFun: The only way to explain the title.
* MementoMacGuffin: In ''Brilliancy,'' Riza's silver earrings are revealed to be this. One of the stories shows the flip side of their origin, with Roy as the narrative character.
* NamedAfterSomebodyFamous: Well, sort of. In one story, little Riana Mustang has a set of four (female) dolls, which she has named after her four (relatively famous) honorary uncles. Her logic is that her dolls are brave soldiers just like the men.
* VictoriousChildhoodFriend: [[spoiler:Luke Elric and Riana Mustang.]]
* WackyCravings: One story centers around Roy having to deal with Riza's pregnancy cravings in the middle of the night. She has something of an addiction to grilled fish, which is probably not very easy to acquire in ''the desert''.
[[/folder]]
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