Hey guys! This is my first published fanfiction, so I'm super excited and nervous about sharing it with you! I hope you enjoy reading it and I also hope you forgive any mistakes that I may have missed in the editing process! The first few chapters might seem confusing, and there may be a few discrepancies, but I beg you to bare with me for the time being! :P Thanks so much for reading! -DresdenArcher
Chapter 1: In Which Lizz Gets Pissed Off at a Blue Cat
Ellura woke up and stretched. The sun beamed through the high arched window in her room. She smiled. Living in Fairy Tail's girl dorm was actually quite fun. She had just moved in, and was feeling both relaxed and quite grown up.
Since she shared her dorm, the rent was much cheaper than it would have been if she had a room to herself. She looked across the room to find that her roommate and close childhood friend, Lizz, was already awake. She sat in her bed, her short, white hair tucked behind one ear as she read a thick book. Her one strand of yellow hair fell in front of her face and she absentmindedly brushed it away with a prim flick of her finger.
In the bed which sat in the corner nearest the door, Ellura and Lizz's other roomie, Dresden, was still fast asleep. She too had been friends with Ellura and Lizz since childhood. She lay curled up in a ball in a pile of blankets and pillows, slightly resembling a cat.
She flopped over in her sleep. "Those apples are mine..." she mumbled. Ellura grinned and snuck over to the side of Dresden's bed. It was payback time! Finally, Ellura would beat the great Dresden Dragneel at her own pranking game. She shuffled closer and got down to the level of Dresden's face. She inched just a tad closer, then…
"Brahhh!" Ellura yelled in her full voice. Dresden's eyes flashed open revealing her bright green irises.
"Monty ate the apples!" she cried. Then she saw it was only Ellura, who appeared crestfallen that her surprise attack hadn't gone quite how she had wanted it to. "Why am I awake?" It was a rhetorical question. "It's only eight for cryin' out loud!" Dresden sat up, her long blonde hair poofing around her head like a wild halo. "I'm hungry," she then stated.
"It's not healthy to sleep till twelve," Lizz said calmly from across the room, not looking up from her book.
"Yeah!" Ellura agreed. "Besides," she added, "we're going on a job today!"
Dresden's eyes, blurry from sleep, suddenly sharpened. She had forgotten.
Lizz closed her book. "Well if we don't hurry, Adam will leave without us." Adam was their scarlet-haired friend, who was almost as bossy as he was skilled.
"Screw Adam!" Ellura exclaimed, flopping on top of Lizz, who still lay in bed.
"And his punctuality," Dresden added, joining the pile.
Lizz growled and, with a surprising amount of arm strength, pushed Ellura's giggling self off of her. Dresden dodged one of Lizz's blows and dove under Lizz's blanket.
"Dresden Dragneel!" Lizz scolded. "Stop messing up my bed!" Dresden poked her in the side, and Lizz let out a tiny shriek.
"Stop touching me!" Lizz screamed. "What are you? Four?"
Dresden avoided another one of Lizz's attacks and pounced on top of her feet. "Yes!" She replied childishly. Dresden, like the other two, was, in fact, seventeen.
Lizz finally managed to roll Dresden onto the floor. Dejectedly, Ellura and Dresden sulked to their respective corners of the room.
The girls had packed most of their things the night prior, so they didn't have much more to do.
Dresden pulled on her high, brown boots and tugged on the laces to tighten them. She was excited about this job, and was looking forward to heading out. She was glad that they were finally taking another job request together as a team, but she wished that Monty would come with them this time. They all agreed that it wasn't the same without him, but he had pointedly refused to go once again.
Ellura was in high spirits. She too hoped that Monty would change his mind, but she was excited to be getting out of Magnolia for a bit. Dressed in shorts and a long sleeve, blue shirt, Ellura pulled her brown hair up into a ponytail. She whipped around confidently to face the other two, the red highlights at the ends of her hair swinging behind her.
"Well, are you ready?" Ellura asked enthusiastically. Dresden grinned and nodded, but Lizz was busy stuffing more books into her knapsack. After some help from Dresden, Lizz hefted the pack onto her shoulders, a bit frazzled, and quickly smoothed down her hair and straightened the blue bow at her collar.
She cleared her throat. "All set," she confirmed.
The three girls left their room, and set off down the carpeted hall. Fairy Hills wasn't quite as full as it used to be, according to Ellura's mom. The blue-haired water mage had said that when she had been a teenager, many of her female guild mates lived with her. But most of them had also married, and now lived in their own homes. Still, four or five other ladies resided there.
They made it to the lobby, and Lizz spotted Asca cleaning her gun at the breakfast table. "Morning!" the girls greeted.
Asca tipped her hat to the girls. "Howdy! Are you guys setting off on your job already?"
Dresden nodded. "Yep! But we have to stop by the guild hall first," she explained.
"Well, if you see Cana at the bar, tell her that she still needs to clean the commons rug after she spilt wine on it last week," Asca requested with a sigh.
Ellura laughed, finding Auntie Cana's drinking habit amusing rather than concerning. "Alright! Will do."
Asca waved as the girls left the dorm. They started down the grassy path which would lead them down a hill into Magnolia. The marble spires of Kardia Cathedral rose into the sky from the center of town, and just beyond the cathedral stood Fairy Tail's grand guildhall.
Fairy Tail's guild hall was certainly impressive. It stood nearly as tall as the cathedral, its castle-like turrets jutting upward proudly. The red tiles of the spires shone like fire in the morning light, and the guild's orange and white banner waved confidently above the entrance.
The three girls walked through the gateway to the enormous, wooden front door. They all braced themselves before entering; one never knew what sort of havoc was being wreaked inside. Sometimes the hall was calm and peaceful, but other times it was absolute chaos, as their fellow wizards battled each other, good naturedly of course. The girls never knew what to expect.
Ellura, wondering if the coast was clear, peeked her head inside. She found her answer as a chair was hurled their way. Immediately Ellura cried out, "Ice Make: Shield!" and the wood splintered against the ample wall of ice that had suddenly appeared before the three girls.
As the girls has been dreading, the wizards of Fairy Tail were in the midst of another reckless fight. Beer mugs and food items were flying across the room, along with tables, chairs, and some guild members as well.
"What the heck," Lizz groaned. "Why today of all days?"
"And my dad isn't even home," Dresden realized in surprise. To be honest, Dresden's dad and Ellura's dad were both responsible for 99.9% of the guildhall brawls.
"We might as well join in the fun!" Ellura said with a wink, preparing to cast another spell. Dresden grinned, looking as if she were ready to pounce into the middle of the chaos.
However, Lizz stepped in front of them, fists on her hips. "Aren't you forgetting what we're here for?" She raised an impertinent eyebrow. "Adam is probably waiting for us!"
"Not even for five minutes?" Dresden whined, her eyes looking longingly at the raging battle. Ellura groaned at Lizz's prudishness.
"We don't have the luxury to waste our time fighting pointlessly. Honestly, you two act like kids someti–" she was interrupted as a freshly made cream pie landed on her head. The sugary substance splattered over her crown of white hair, and it began to drip over her forehead. Instantly her usually calm, blue eyes flashed with a terrifying amount of anger. "Dammit Happy! I'm going to kill you!" she screamed, a ball of yellow, crackling electricity forming in her fist. Ellura and Dresden watched in dismay as Lizz hurtled into the fray looking for the devilish blue cat.
A beautiful wizard with long, white hair, who was still nonchalantly cleaning wine glasses behind the bar, smiled sweetly as she watched Lizz disappear into the wild throng. "They're so adorable at this age," Mirajane said with a sigh. Cana looked up from where she had been slumped over the bar. "Yeah, but they can't hold their liquor," she pointed out lazily. Mirajane just gave Cana a smile full of pity, and refilled the alcoholic's mug.
Meanwhile, Ellura and Dresden had been drawn into the fighting mess. "Where is Adam, anyways?" Dresden asked Ellura, ducking as one of Romeo's stink flames hurled her way. Ellura doused the flame in water and released a water whip to knock Romeo to the floor.
"That's a freakin' good question," she replied loudly. The flame wizard groaned as he tried to stand, but then cried out as Macao's body slammed him into the nearest pillar.
"You've gotta keep a sharp eye kid!" Macao cackled, one of his purple flame wrapping itself around his arm like a snake preparing to strike..
"Shut up old man," Romeo growled to his father, but he said it with a grin. The two seemed as if they were about to duel it out, when an enormous, white haired muscle-man crashed into the father and son duo. Lizz, who had chosen an unfortunate moment to approach the fighting trio, got caught underneath one of the large man's arms.
"Get off of me, Uncle Elfman!" she screamed in frustration. "I have to go kill Happy!" Her fury at the blue exceed was growing to frightening heights.
"Oh, sorry Lizz!" he apologized. "Go kill that cat like a real man!" he called after her as she ran into another throng of fighting wizards.
"You shouldn't encourage her," said a small blue-haired woman, who was trying to read at a table. A muscular wizard with long, spiky black hair was sitting beside her protectively.
"I agree," Gajeel said, trying to fight the urge to go join the chaos too. He owed Ice-Boy a bashing, but he knew he'd never hear the end of it from his wife.
Elfman just laughed. "You're one to talk," he said to the iron dragon slayer. Gajeel only scowled.
Ellura dodged as the purple haired mage, Laki, released a volley of wooden spikes. As she released a counterspell, Ellura looked around the trashed guild hall. Neither Adam nor Monty were to be seen anywhere, and they were usually right in the center of the fighting.
Dresden dodged an ice attack, and made a face at Uncle Gray. He laughed and yelled out, "Ice-make: Floor!" Both Ellura and Dresden managed to leap out of the way as a slippery sheet of ice coated the ground where they had previously been standing.
The girls steadied themselves and took new stances. Ellura gave Gray the most innocent smile that she could muster, and he gave her a wary look. "Papi, have you seen Adam or Monty?" Ellura asked her dad sweetly. He let his guard down as he prepared to answer, and his daughter instantly sent a flurry of snow his direction. Gray yelped as the snow started attacking his face. The girls giggled as they watched him fumble about for a bit. Ellura smiled, knowing that the ice-make wizard was taking it easy on them. He was one of the most powerful wizards in all of Fiore, after all. After escaping from Ellura's vicious snow storms, he finally replied that the two boys were probably snooping upstairs.
Ellura and Dresden shared a look. Instantly, Dresden jumped onto the nearest table, and ran along its surface. She dodged one of Wakaba's smoke bombs, leapt onto the next table, and slid under one of Droy's enormous vines. Ellura watched smugly as Dresden was able to make it across the guildhall to the stairs without getting hit. The water phase wizard turned to her dad with a determined grin.
"Looks like it's just you and me, Papi," she said.
Gray nodded curtly, trying to look tough for his daughter, but inside he was bursting with pride. His baby girl was perfectly terrifying, just like her mother. "Bring it on, short stuff."
Upstairs, Dresden was greeted by the few people who were trying to escape the wild brawl on the ground floor. Auntie Erza and Auntie Wendy were sharing a pot of tea while holding their babies in their laps. Carla, a white exceed, sat next to Wendy with a cup of her own.
"Ah, Dresden," the beautiful, red-headed requip wizard greeted. "Have you come up here to escape the foolishness downstairs as well?"
Carla scoffed. "Foolishness indeed," she said haughtily.
Dresden ignored the biting comment from the white cat, and bent down to give Auntie Erza a kiss on the cheek, and then gave baby Rosemary a peck on the crown of her red hair as well. "No, I'm actually looking for Monty and Adam," Dresden replied to Erza's question. "Have you seen them?"
Erza took a sip of tea, then shifted Rosemary in the crook of her arm. The rosy cheeked baby cooed. Erza's serious and stern facial features instantly softened. "Big Brother is in the study packing and planning more stuff for his big, big trip!" she said in a silly voice, more to the baby than to Dresden.
Dresden made eye contact with Wendy and they both giggled at Erza's sudden change. Wendy's own little boy, who was almost two, joined in the giggling and Dresden bent to kiss his chubby little cheek as well.
"Well, thank you," Dresden said straightening. Erza ignored her and kept making faces at Rosemary.
"Good luck on your job!" Wendy waved and baby Todd did the same. Dresden smiled. The warmth that she felt from her fellow guild mates caused her heart to swell, and she couldn't help but feel like the luckiest person in Fiore.
Dresden made her way down a corridor and stopped in front of a large green door that slid open and closed. It squeaked softly as she pushed it to one side. The study was quiet and dimly lit, and although it was meant for the public use of anyone in the guild, it was sorely underused. The long windows were covered by heavy, sun-faded curtains, and the deep couches coughed up dust every time someone made his or herself comfortable.
The blonde wizard entered the study and closed the noisy door behind her. She made her way across the room, the wooden floorboards creaking beneath her boots, to a desk that had been shoved into a corner. There Adam sat, easily recognizable by his red hair and the tattoo beneath his eye. He was in his usual suit of armor, restlessly scribbling plans down, on an old, beat-up map. He didn't seem to notice her as she approached, so he nearly fell out of his chair when she lightly coughed to get his attention.
"Holy crap, Dresden!" Adam exclaimed angrily. "Why do you always sneak up on people like that?!"
Dresden shrugged. "Be glad that I came instead of Ellura," she replied pointedly. "She would have intentionally tried to give you a heart attack."
Adam couldn't argue that. "Where is Ellura?" he suddenly questioned. "And Lizz?"
"Downstairs," she pointed lazily toward the sliding door, "goofing off."
Adam groaned. Why the heck did there have to be a guild brawl, today of all days? He had been planning the specifics of their job to the smallest detail, and now they were going to be off the carefully planned schedule.
Dresden glanced around, searching for the other member of their team. Now it was her turn to ask a question. "Where's Monty?"
Adam looked up from where he had just been having an anxiety attack, and dropped his hands from his face. A puzzled look crept into his viage, and, as an old habit, his eyebrows furrowed in concern. "He's around here somewhere."
"I know Monty's small, but I can't believe you'd misplace him so easily," Dresden mumbled peeking under another desk. Adam joined her search efforts, shifting one of the heavy curtains aside.
"I didn't misplace him!" Adam said crossly. "He probably just fell asleep somewhere." They continued in what seemed like a vain effort, until suddenly the question of Monty's whereabouts was determined (and their search interrupted) by a loud snore.
"What the..." Adam peeked behind one of the couches that was against the wall. "How the heck did he get here?" Dresden joined Adam on the couch, her knees sinking into the dusty cushion, and looked between the wall and the back upholstery if the sofa.
"My gosh, Monty is special," she said, almost in awe of, well, his specialness. Somehow Monty had managed to find his way into the small crack for a nap, and he now lay stretched out, his hands folded over his chest like a corpse. Dresden laughed in disbelief. "I mean, sure he's short and all, but this is just ridiculous." She reached down and poked him in the shoulder. "Hey! Get up Monty!" she urged. "HEY!" He barely stirred. "Curse it, Monty, freaking WAKE UP!" She tugged on his blue pony tail in annoyance.
"Go away," Monty grumbled, sleepily.
Dresden looked down at him, her expression one of both vexedness and deep thought. Her plan was to try, once more, to convince Monty to come with them on their job request, but there was no way for her to do that while he was asleep. She turned to look at Adam for ideas, but sighed in frustration when she saw that he had gone back to having a panic attack at his desk. The blonde wizard turned back to the edge of the couch, and suddenly an idea came to her.
"Monty," she addressed slyly. "If you don't get up now I'll be forced to go get Lizz." She heard him take a sharp inhalation of air. Dresden continued. "I'm sure she'll be more than happy to, shall we say, persuade you to wake up."
The blue-haired teeanger's eyes shot open revealing his gold irises, and he sat up as quickly as he could, seeing that he was not prepared to face the lightning demon today. He hadn't even eaten lunch yet! Monty grimaced as he banged his head against the wall by accident, and a shower of dust and plaster rained down on him. "Alright! I'm up!" he exclaimed angrily as Dresden gave him a smug look. "What in Mavis' name do you want?" he asked grumpily.
"I want you to get packed and I want you to come with us on the job," Dresden replied tersely. "Come on! It'll be fun!"
Monty stood and hopped over the back of the couch onto the dusty cushions. "Yeah, fun for you guys," he said quietly.
Adam looked up from his desk. "Not if you're not there man."
Monty scoffed. "Listen," he said with grim smirk, "you know why I don't want to go. I feel completely useless out there, and I'm a burden to the group." Adam tried to interrupt, but Monty stopped him. "I appreciate you guys trying make me feel better, but I'm not coming and that's all there is to it." He finished with a note of finality, and both Adam and Dresden realized that they wouldn't be able to convince him to go.
By the time they got downstairs, most of the fighting had stopped. Adam and Dresden found Ellura waiting by the door with her arms crossed. She looked bored. "What took you so long?" she asked in annoyance. "Where's Monty?"
"He's not coming," Adam said simply walking past her outside.
Ellura sighed. It was a shame, but she wished Monty would stop acting like a baby, and that he would stop feeling sorry for himself. As Dresden ran off to go say goodbye to her mom, Ellura scanned the room, looking for Lizz. Ellura found Lizz by the bar. Mirajane was talking to her.
"I'm fine, Mom," Lizz said. "I've double checked to make sure I've packed everything.
"I know, dear, but don't you want to tell your father goodbye?" Mira asked.
Lizz huffed. "I'm not going to bother if he can't seem to be here on time." She kissed her mom on the cheek, turned to go, but then paused. "Tell Dad I said bye, ok?" Mira smiled, and nodded.