Natsu POV:

This guy just won't stop talking. He won't stop carrying that stupid book and he won't stop smiling that creepy grin. Ha, I guess I'll have to wipe it off for him. Gray is standing next to me as the twin Sabertooth dragonslayers, Sting and Rogue fight the strange demon that came out of the stranger giant flower that kinda smells like that guildmaster I KO ed before.

My true goal was in front of me though. The book. I need to get it. Igneel gave me a job and I'm not about to fail now. " Yo, Tartaros - dude! Give me that book!".

The guy in question just continues to grin. "I don't think you understand the importance of this book, dragonslayer." He tilts his head to the side, "or you are just stupid."

I see Gray don his own grin at that last comment. "Don't bother trying to insult him, Demon, he's too used to it."

I turn to Gray with a new fire in my eyes, "Oh yeah? Well how about I get you used to my fist in your face. "

" What did you say Flame brain? Trying to pick a fight?"

"I'm not trying Icecube!"

We are head to head now, completely forgetting our actual opponent standing 15 metres away from us. We forget the fact that we have a mission and that the face bombs are about to go off. We ignore the battle between the most powerful dragons in the world above our heads.

In a rare display of thinking however, (hah Gray thinking), Gray turns back to Mard Geer, " Well, I want to kick your butt as much as I usually do but right now I've got some unfinished business with this Demon. No point in letting him get off easy while we are fighting right?".

"For once, I actually agree with the Snowman, I'll finish winning later, right now that book is mine!"

With a yell, we both charge the demon standing calmly in his spot.

"Ice Make: Lance."

" Fire Dragon's Fist"

With our magic releasing we attacked the standing demon. I ducked low and went for an uppercut barely missing his chin as he stepped back. With our amazing teamwork however, I had just made an opening for Gray to use his newfound 'Demon slayer powers".

He succeeded in throwing our opponent back into the rubble of what's left of his fortress.

I let a grin come over my face at the way we kicked his butt. But suddenly a strange feeling came over me. I could see it reflected in Gray's face as well. Something was wrong.

There was a giant magical pressure building. I've never felt such energy before and I was almost hit by the Etherious weapon. It wasn't even a magical power but more twisted and dark almost like an anti magical energy. I look to the sky, "Face.".

Gray still stands beside me shock also on his face as he faces what looks like a beam of black light coming from where the centre of the floating fortress used to lie. "They didn't stop it."

I notice Acnologia flying away from the blast and wonder what could scare a dragon. Igneel continues to follow him as he disappears over the mountain line.

The beam continues to slowly expand, consuming whomever is in its path. I don't know where my guildmates are but only hope that they are running. As I think this, I see figures moving away from the beam. "It's the guild!"

I'm happy they are all right, though badly beaten and exhausted looking. They won't be able to run far. They are still carrying Laxus and the others with them. I see Elfman, Gajeel and the master among the others. But no Lucy, Erza or the Exceeds.

"Where are Lucy and the others?" I ask searching for them in the crowd.

"We don't know, they were separated. We need to keep moving." The master responds calmly. He always keeps his head.

I shake my head, "No! We can't leave them behind. They could be caught in the beam!"

"There is no point Natsu, Face will be activated all over the world anyway. We won't be able to escape it forever. We can only take care of those we have now."

"I'm going to find them! I won't run away!" I start towards the beam intent on finding them any way I can.

"Natsu, don't be stupid! You touch that beam and all of the magic particles in your body will be destroyed. You'll be dead in minutes." Gray snaps at me.

I raise my voice higher, "I told you I'm - "

"Natsuuuuu!"

I recoil in surprise as I'm hit with my frantically flying best friend. "Happy you're okay! Where are the others?"

"Right here Natsu!" I turn round and am relieved to see our missing members running towards us. They all look beat up and are carrying the Sabertooth lady but look relatively safe.

Erza hurriedly approaches Gramps. "Master we have to get out of here. Face is activating."

"We know Erza, but where can we go? If Face fully activates all magic in the world is destroyed. It would catch us wherever we go." Gramps responds. It suddenly looks as if all the fight has left him.

Erza smiles," No, Master we can run. We were unable to stop the activation of Face but we were able to deactivate the outer face mechanisms and significantly decrease the central face's range. We should be safe if we can get past those mountains west of us. "

Everyone is shocked and overjoyed at the news. A cheer for the group goes up and everyone is smiling again. I see the fight instantly go back into Gramps and he's up again making plans. "Alright, everyone, let it not be said that Fairy Tail sits on their butts when they needed to run! Let's book it!"

With that command, the rest of the guild yells out an , "Aye sir" and runs for the hills. The exceeds carry those who couldn't run and Doranbolt uses his magic to transport the wounded one at a time.

As the guild runs for it, I remember the book that Igneel wanted me to get. I run over to where I last saw the Tartaros master looking for it.

"Natsu come on we need to go!" Lucy calls.

"I hate to say it but Cinder Dunce(1) has the right idea. We need that book. " Gray runs over to where I am and helps me search.

The guild members who stayed behind to wait for the wounded to be transported help us search. About 20 of us are searching now. I'm about to give up when I hear faint laughter.

"Hahaha, you are fools. You focus on keeping your precious pathetic magic and you forgot the thing that would truly destroy you. "

I recognize that smug voice anywhere and am correct when I see Mard Geer slowly standing up from the rubble. "I don't need the whole world to be magic free. Just an area. Any area. I only need the the absence of magic to trigger the rebirth of END. You're naivete in thinking you have won will be your utter downfall."

I see the book lying beside him and move to pick it up. Before I can however, the beam of black antimagic energy pulses. Everyone freezes, and stares at the beam wondering what will happen.

Silence reigns and everyone is unsure of what to do until I hear Lucy whisper, "It's going to explode." . Instantly, in that next moment, the darkness explodes. There are some screams coming from whomever of our guild stayed behind as the blackness engulfed us. I instantly feel weak and sink to my knees.

I feel as though my heart was being ripped out of my chest. I can hear others collapse to the ground around me but cannot see anything. I fall flat on the ground and try focus on my breathing. When did it become so hard? I can't lift my head from the ground anymore.

The darkness clears suddenly, revealing the bodies of my guildmates strewn across the ground. Some are still struggling to move like Erza, Gray and Gajeel and others look as if they are already unconscious. Mira, Elfman, Wendy and Levy. The others look as thouh they can't even twitch, kinda like i'm feeling right now.

The only one actually standing is Mard Geer. In fact he looked better than ever. He stood in the middle of the crowd of weak bodies still clutching the book to his chest. A look of absolute victory covering his face. "It is done, my Lord Zeref will be most pleased with me. I have done what others could not, I have set the stage for the return of the most powerful demon ever created!"

I struggle to get to my hands and knees, seeing Erza stumble to her feet with a determined look on her face, "You haven't won anything! As… long as Fairy Tail is still here… you will never have to stop fighting us! "

Mard Geer turned to Erza with a slight smile on his face, "You can fight all you like, but I will still crush you like the pathetic little creatures you are!"

With the end of his statement, the demon let loose a backhand of curse power, striking Erza to the ground where she was too weak to get up again.

"You bastard! Attacking an opponent who has no magic is a coward's way." I say with as much venom in my voice as I can. "If you want to fight, fight with me!"

Mard Geer looks at me critically, and shakes his head. A grin once again on his face, "Why should I fight you when you are already on your knees?"

A flash of rage fills me not for myself entirely but for all the others in my guild who couldn't even get to their knees. I use the last of my energy to get to my feet.

"Hah, now i'm standing." I speak weakly but make sure to look in his eyes so he can see my conviction and my fire. "I may not have my magic but I'll still beat the crap out of you!"

I take a few steps forward before the demon's glare darkens and he hits me with another backhand of curse, sending me to the ground to lay weakly on my back.

"I don't have time for games with you mortals, the time is now for END to rise! " He lifts the book to the sky and I feel a surge of dark power concentrating on the book. Mard Geer's eyes take on a quality similar to that of a bottomless pit as what is left of the Fairy Tail guild looks on.

After a few beats of continuously building energy, the demon brings the book down in front of himself and opens it. A black light more intense than any I have ever felt before engulfs the book. Then, it blinks out.

All who are still conscious watch in awe as the book crumbles in the hands of Mard Geer and falls to the ground as ash. The Master of Tartarus himself looks at his hands in horror and shock. "No. .NO!"

"What has happened? Where is END? "

I know it is not the right time but I chuckle anyway. I see some of the other guildmates also smile slightly. It is hard not to when someone opens a book expecting to unleash the most powerful evil in history for it to simply go 'poof'.

It was definitely the wrong thing to do as the demon's eyes filled with hate. "I have been tricked! It was a lie! You may laugh now but I am still the most powerful being to walk this land and I will still delight myself in torturing you to an inch of your miserable lives!"

With that scream of rage, he launched multiple curses at my guildmates. None of them could move but he continued his attack anyways. I was sickened and had to stop the monster. "Stop! Bastard, I said stop!"

I once again stumbled to my feet and stepped towards him. Mard Geer noticed this and aimed a black blade of power my way. Unable to dodge properly I collapsed back to the ground in order to avoid getting my head cut off. I groan as I feel one of my ribs break at my hard landing.

Mard Geer continued with his attack on my guildmates and I could hear screams of pain and people calling out to each other. We can't do anything. But we need to do something!

I once again stand up,holding my injured ribs, uncaring of the danger to myself. No one hurts my nakama! "You... will … stop!" I growl out each word with as much force as I can. Surprisingly, he does stop and turns towards me. I am unsure at first why he obeyed but then I realized he doesn't care either way. He holds all the power.

"What are you going to do? You are nothing without your magic. A punch cannot bruise me and a blade cannot scratch me! You could barely harm me with your magic!"

He thinks he holds all the power but that doesn't mean I give up. I never give up. " I don't need my magic! I will beat you with my hands and my feet!"

I take a step towards him. I can see my nakama watching me out of the corner of my eyes. What I see fuels me even more. I keep limping towards him, feeling every bruise and scrape now that I don't have my magic to rely on. He lets me walk towards him with an amused and partially disgusted look on his face.

"You dare walk towards me? I will not hesitate to kill you."

I hear what sounds like a gasp from one of my guildmates and what sounds like another person trying to stand up. When I am ithin one step of the demon, I raise my fist for a punch.

I've punched thousands of time before but it has never been more difficult, painful and useless than now. He easily stop it in his fist. I am not one to give up though and I pull it back to try again, only I fake with my right while going in with my left.

He easily catches this as well, but this time he will not let go. We stand there in silence for a few seconds before he angles his wrist down and snaps my wrist.

" aaaAAHHHH!" I scream as I fall to one knee in the first at his feet, clutching my left wrist against my side.

i hear cries of "Natsu!" from the crowd behind me and what sounds like someone starting to cry.

He again looks down at me. "Why do you continue to fight? You do no good for yourself or anyone. So why continue?"

I've been asked this w=question so many times, my answer is instant, "I fight because that is what you do for those you love. I fight to show my nakama that we still can. If I die I go down proving that Fairy Tail is a guild that never gives up on its friends!"

"Very well. Those sounded like last words."

My eyes widen at the realization that he as going to kill me now. He raises his hand at me but, before he activated his curse a frantic, "No!" as heard from the crowd. I turn my head and see Lucy valiantly standing as tall as she could, while shaking with the effort. "You will not hurt him!"

At the sound of Lucy's voice I try to rise again but am too weak to make it to my feet. I see others around Lucy also trying to stand in order to help but only a few can make it past their hands and feet. I grin at my guildmates and turn back to the master of Tartaros. " See, we never give up a fight."

Mard Geer's eyes turn cold and I see them lose all hint of any kind of amusement. For the first time since I first stood up, I was terrified for my friends.

"I am no longer amused by you. You have meddled with my plans far too much. Goodbye Fairy Tail." He raises his hand at my guild and starts to summon enough energy to kill everyone of those amazing wizards who stood up for me.

I panic. I can see that none of them will be able to dodge the attack. I lock eyes with Lucy who stares back at me with a small grin so similar to the one she was wearing the first time I ever saw her. I realise that I can't lose her. I can't lose any of them. I'm back on my feet in a second with the determination to do anything I can to save them. Anything!

I feel a new power surge through me. Something strange but not entirely foreign. I use that feeling to put all of my power into what will most likely be the last at of y life. With a near feral yell I swing my right arm in an uppercut right into the chin of the Master of Tartaros. On impact, I feel almost a snapping. Like a breaking of walls inside of me and my punch is once again cloaked in fire.

The demon's head snaps back and a look of shock is on his face before he is flung high in the air to fall to the ground a few metres away. I, myself am shocked as I look down at my cloaked in magical fire where there should be no magical fire.

My guildmates continue to stand where they were but no with their faces slack and jaws open. I look down at my hand to see it still wrapped in fire but not the same fire. I don't recognize this one. It is like something i've never seen before. It is aggressive, and extremely powerful but there is almost a type of cruelty to it. I realise that whatever this fire is would never distinguish friend from foe but consume them all.

I quickly dissipate my fire and tell myself I will never use it again. I turn to my guildmates, wrist still immobilized at my side. I look them over and when I am convinced that they are all alive and not badly injured I let loose the biggest smile I could make.

" I told him we wouldn't go down without a fight!"

To be continued:

(1) My own original nickname for Natsu. I couldn't think of any other ones.

Note: I do not own Fairy Tail or any characters associated with them.

I'd love to hear some comments. Any advice you can give me or any ideas on what to do next. I have a general idea but I'd love to hear more! Thanks for reading!