This story has been in my head since I found out Mavis' nickname is the Fairy Tactician :)
Mavis will be older than her current appearance in Fairy Tail right now.
Enjoy!
Everything was wrong.
"Team 1 and Team 7, move to your assigned coordinates!"
Everything was completely and utterly wrong.
"Warrod, shield the wounded! Precht, take Team 3 and break through the offense!"
Everything about this damn war was wrong.
"Master Mavis! Watch out!"
Mavis Vermillion, first master and co-founder of the mage guild Fairy Tail, narrowly avoided an attack from an enemy soldier. She ducked down and swept her enemy's legs out from under him.
"Teams 2 through 5, break the enemy's ranks!" Mavis shouted, kicking the downed soldier's sword away from him. "Do not falter!"
"Mavis! Get away from him!"
Mavis jumped back as a tree sprouted underneath the soldier and grew a few meters in height. The trunk arched back before releasing like a sling shot, catapulting the poor man across the battlefield back to the opposing side. Mavis stared at the fighting below. Her beloved guild and her beloved town were slaughtering each other. Metal screeched against metal, and battle cries echoed across the sky. Her heart broke as she recognized her fallen mages. They fought hard against the Fiore's military. Mavis gritted her teeth and blinked back her tears. Ever since dark guilds appeared, the royal family had been disbanding mage guilds left and right. Anyone with magic abilities was imprisoned by the crown and left to rot. She would not let that happen to her precious guild.
"Fire!" the enemy commander shouted.
A volley of arrows rained down on Fairy Tail. Molding magic shields appeared in the sky, stopping most of the arrows. However, A few arrows managed to fly through. One pierced through Mavis' shoulder, causing the young woman to fall to one knee.
"Master!" Fairy Tail mages cried in horror.
A metallic tang entered her nose, and crackling filled the air. Mavis' eyes widened, and she grasped the arrow to pull it out but was too late. Lighting shot down from the sky, and Mavis was struck on her shoulder, for the metal arrow attracted the electricity. She screamed in agony, tears streaming down her cheeks as burns appeared on her body.
"MAVIS!"
Warrod slammed his palms into the ground, and the earth trembled with his fury. Dozens of trees emerged out of the ground, rising higher and higher until the lightning no longer targeted those on the battlefield, but nature's lightning rods instead. Mavis collapsed in a heap, unmoving.
"Mavis! Stand up!" Warrod shouted. "Don't you dare die on us now!"
"N-No way..."
"The master has been...!"
"NOOOOO!"
The pain was excruciating. She couldn't even breathe without a thousand needles stabbing her body. Stand up, she told herself. Stand up! Her body shook with the effort, but she could not move. She could hear her comrades, her guild, crying. The commander laughed triumphantly, relishing in her helplessness.
"MAVIS! STAND UP!" Warrod roared, the earth quaking from his rage.
"They're monsters!" The enemy cried out in fear.
"Magic is evil!"
"They are not humans! We are the righteous ones!" The enemy commander shouted. "Kill all the mages! Do not spare a single one!"
What?
What did he just say?
"Don't. You. Dare."
With every word, Mavis felt her strength return. She grasped the arrow and yanked it out of her shoulder, blood splattering on her cloak. She broke the arrow in one hand. She lifted her head slowly, her every movement oozing with murderous intent. Even Fairy Tail mages paled and shook with fear when she looked down at the commander. Her magic flared sharply, causing her hair and clothing to thrash around her in the wind. But it was her eyes that were the most frightening.
They were filled to the brim with white hot rage.
"You will not touch them!" She screamed, her magic pressure increasing. "Fairy Tail is the number one guild of Fiore! We will not be defeated here!"
Mavis brought her hands together, and the magic around her began to swirl into a condensed ball.
"Magic is not at fault! You cannot condemn us for using it!" Mavis continued. "We have comrades! We have families!"
"Stop her!" The commander roared, charging toward her. "Do not let that witch release her spell!"
Battle cries filled the air as the army surged forward, but Fairy Tail pushed them back with cries of their own. The few soldiers that managed to break through could not get past the sheer force of Mavis' magic.
"Know that you brought this upon yourselves!" Mavis finished, clasping her hands together.
"FAIRY LAW!"
The battlefield was covered in bright light, and agonized screams erupted from the ground. The light disappeared as quick as it came, leaving a sea of unconscious men and women behind. Only the Fairy Tail mages remained unharmed. Mavis gasped for breath, sweat dripping down her face, her bangs plastered to her forehead. The commander lay at her bare feet, spear outstretched, the spearhead barely touching her throat. The spear fell from his hands, leaving Mavis unharmed.
"I'm sorry," she said, lip quivering. "I didn't want to do this."
"Mavis!" Warrod yelled, running over to her. "We need to get your wounds treated now!"
"No," she shook her head. "Treat the others first."
"But Mavis!" he protested. "You're seriously injured!"
"Them first," Mavis repeated. She looked him right in the eyes. "Our family has been hurt. We...lost some of our brothers and sisters today. Family comes first."
Warrod's eyes widened before he nodded.
"I understand, Master."
"Thank you, Warrod," Mavis smiled. She turned to face the rest of her guild.
"Bring the wounded back to the guild! If they cannot be moved, then Warrod will transport them with his magic," she ordered. She let out a bright smile.
"We have won today, my brothers and sis—!"
At that moment, it was as if time had stopped. Fairy Tail watched in horror as their beloved master was stabbed mid-sentence in her side with a dagger.
The commander wore a triumphant look on his face as he let go of the dagger and fell into unconsciousness, his mission completed. He had taken out the genius tactician and master of Fairy Tail, the Fairy Tactician. Mavis swayed on her feet before slumping to the ground, unmoving.
"MASTER!"
"NOOOOOO!"
"MAVIS!"
Though barely conscious, she could make out that they were calling for her. A small smile adorned her lips. It looked like she might be leaving the guild earlier than she had expected. It was cruel of her to think this, but she was glad that there was someone to cry over her death. She would never be alone again. Mavis felt her consciousness slipping. Her vision blurred, and she couldn't make out the sky anymore.
It's all right, she thought. My family is with me. They are strong. They will be fine.
Her eyes drooped closed, and she resigned herself to death. Before she lost consciousness she felt a familiar pull of magic but dismissed it. After all, she was going to die. So she let herself go to the darkness.
But to everyone else, their dear beloved master bled to death with a smile on her face.