It was a rainy day in Magnolia but the citizens were bustling through their daily lives with enthusiasm. Today was also a very special day for a little Celestial Dragon Slayer, Vera Dragneel was going to perform in her first school play.
Natsu, Lucy, Gray and Juvia were sitting in the third row of the auditorium waiting eagerly for the play to begin. Natsu was thumbing through the pamphlet some of the kids had been handing out.
"The Wizard of Oz" Natsu read. Lucy was setting up her tablet to record the play when she turned to Natsu and smiled.
"It's a popular movie among kids. It's inspired from a book. I used to read it all the time to Vera. Remember it's the one with the flying monkeys and the tin man and the little girl that want to go home?" Lucy reminded. Natsu vaguely remembered the story, the main thing he remembered was being the scarecrow in the story and being forced to dance around.
"Ha, yeah I remember. Which part is Vera playing? Is she the little girl?" Natsu inquired excitedly. Juvia returned to her seat. She was helping with the makeup and costumes along with Cancer. The children at Magnolia academy were mostly non magic users, actually Vera was the only mage among them. At times it made her a wonder but the children mostly saw it as a hinderance. Natsu thoroughly objected to having Vera placed at a public school. He wanted her to just learn from from the books she read on her way to jobs. In all honesty, Natsu just didn't want to let his baby go, he also feared that she would end up being ridiculed for being a magic user. He remembered what it was like after Igneel left and before he found Fairy Tail. He knew that children could be as cruel as their bigoted parents.
Vera, however, adapted well. She was brilliant and also a spit fire, the other kids words rolled off her like rain drops on a windshield.
"Vera-san says that it's a surprise" Juvia said but her poker face was terrible and the rain woman was grinning from ear to ear. Natsu knew that something was up. Juvia and Gray's son Graham was helping with the lights and the technical equipment.
"Tch- If this was at the guild they wouldn't need all this technology." Gray mumbled and Juvia placed a hand on his arm to quiet him. The lights began to dim and Lucy began to squat crawl towards the front to get a better shot.
"Luce, sit down I'll take the video." Natsu said as he walked to where she was earning a few annoyed grunts from parents. Natsu flashed a glare and they quieted down. Natsu took the tablet and nealed at the front. He grinned it was all going according to plan.
Gray nodded to Graham who went to sit by his uncle Natsu.
"You ready to make this play awesome?" Natsu asked and Graham nodded excitedly. Little did Lucy or Juvia the rest of the parents know, Natsu had actually been working with the kids after school and they were going to a slightly different play.
Sprinkled throughout the auditorium were different members of Fairy tail and they were instrumental to helping with the special effects.
The lights began to dim and the spotlight shone at the center of the stage. The curtains rolled up to show a little girl with strawberry blond braids walking through a plastic stalked corn field looking bored.
"Oh Toto, I wonder what life is like somewhere else." She said allowed and who was playing toto? Why none other than Plue. Lucy looked extremely confused and checked her keys. Natsu turned and winked at his wife. Oh no. He's up to something.She thought.
The little girl, named Lena had transitioned into her singing portion which she had help with by the lovely spirit Lyra. The whole audience was mesmerized by the sound and couldn't believe it was a small girl singing such a lovely tune, in reality it wasn't. It was Lyra singing behind the curtain.
Wendy readied herself for the cyclone scene. She created a gentle spin that lifted Lena into the air and spun around the paper mache houses and toys the children had provided.
The audience fell to hushed silence. Graham added a mist to the stage which made. The cyclone stand out more.
When the wind and mist vanished the stage was set in Oz. The little children ran around Lena fascinated and then The girl who was playing Glinda showed up. She was a little girl with dark skin and pink bows in her hair. She told the tale of how Lena (Dorothy) had saved munchkinland by killing the wicked witch but just kidding the witch had a sister who was far more evil and now they made her mad.
By the stairs Romeo cast a green flame, that wouldn't actually burn and out from the flame jumped out none other than, little Vera Dragneel painted in all green a.k.a, the wicked witch of the west. Natsu grinned and waved when Vera looked to him.
"You, Dorothy, have slain my sister now I must avenge her. Fight me." Vera shouted with enthusiasm before getting in a fighting stance. Lena did not seem afraid she met Vera at the center of the stage in a fighting stance of her own.
Parents were gasping and murmuring in a worrisome way. Lucy glared at Gray who was looking sheepish.
"You knew, didn't you?" Lucy asked in a sharp whisper. Gray chuckled nervously before scootching closer to his wife. But Even Lucy had to admit. This was the most exciting play she had ever been to.
Lena and Vera met at the center stage and began their carefully choreographed fight. Little Lena was actually very convincing and both girls had determined smiles plastered on their faces. Graham got ready because Lena was inching towards the water pail. When she threw the water in began to dance and circle around Vera forming a sphere of water. Now it was Natsu's turn Vera screamed and flames licked the sides of the sphere. A few parents were standing up, fearful that Vera might actually be hurt. Little did they know that rouge had taken her in his shadow form and had morbidly left behind a pile of ashes as her took her backstage.
The children burst into song singing 'Ding Dong the Witch is Dead" and this time everyone in the play came out to dance and sing, including a soot covered Vera. She and Lena held hands and skipped around the stage together.
The whole crowd erupted with cheers and applause. After the children posed for pictures and were allowed to exit the stage Vera flew into Natsu's arms.
"Did I do good, Daddy?" Vera asked grinning ear to ear exposing her dragon slayer canines. Natsu hugged her tight.
"You were amazing, baby. Just like we practiced." He said before he let her go to her adoring fans of wizards and children. Lucy spun her around and kept showering Vera in praise before letting her run off. Gray gave Vera a high five and Juvia handed Vera a little flower headband to which she wore proudly while also blushing.
"I never took you to be a stage dad, Natsu" Lucy said while going to her husband. Natsu shrugged before wrapping his arm around Lucy.
"It's a good look on you" Lucy said before leaning up to kiss Natsu. Natsu looked at his little girl. She was covered in soot and smeared green paint but she had never looked so happy as she did at that moment. She was surrounded by family and friends and instead of becoming the school freak, she was known as the wonder that her family already knew she was.