Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail
I struggled to my feet, panting heavily and straining to grip the dagger clutched in my hand. I paused, taking in the situation around me. The guild was struggling and everyone was tired. We had lost some powerful fighters but the shades just kept coming. More and more, in a never ending flow. I could see them all – my magic allowed me a bird's eye view of a certain area. Right now, I was almost wishing I didn't have it, because it was just giving me a wider view of the desperation of my guild.
I saw a shade coming up behind me, but before I could turn around, my friend and teammate, Andrew destroyed it. I gave him a weak smile, and we took up positions back to back. We would keep fighting.
"When did it come to this?" I gasped out, but I didn't need Andrew's answer. I already knew…
The guild members were hanging out in the building, chatting, laughing and having fun. It was a normal day. Suddenly, as Elfman was reaching for his mug sitting on the table, an iron pole shot up from the ground, destroying the mug, the table it rested on and it would have hit Elfman if not for his quick reflexes.
That was just the beginning. I thought the next few minutes were the worst of my life, as huge metal poles erupted from the ground, impaling the entire guild. Master Makarov got everyone to move outside, and we could do nothing but watch as the bars destroyed our beautiful guild.
When it finally stopped, we all trooped back inside. There was broken furniture everywhere, but luckily, no one had been hurt more than a few scratches. After we took an inventory and made sure no one was seriously hurt, we went to the basement, and everything almost seemed to go back to normal.
I called out a warning to Andrew, and he quickly blasted the approaching shade with his magic. I slashed at the one going for my throat. It didn't hurt the creature of darkness, but I flinched, because for the brief second it was suspended in the air, it had looked like the Shadow Gear team…
I stared in shock at my fellow guild members, crucified against a tree. I felt Andrew grip my shoulder in support and turned into him, looking for comfort. Shadow Gear was hanging by their arms, which had been bolted to the tree. The trio were unconscious, but we didn't need them to tell us who had done this. There was a tattoo across Levy's bared stomach, the tattoo of Phantom Lord. I've never seen the Master this mad before. He said no-one hurts his children. We were going to war.
This was war all right, I though, deflecting a shade's claw and pushing it back with a quick thrust. I saw another guild member blast it into oblivion, and I gave him a thankful smile before he disappeared into the fray. I recognised him. He was one of the guild members who had been hurt in our initial battle with Phantom Lord…
The guild prepared to counter attack, and we went to their base as one. We overpowered them easily, but something was wrong. I couldn't see any of their strongest members, and I was worried. It was then when everything went downhill. Master Makarov had made it to Jose, the master of Phantom Lord. As they prepared to battle, the Iron Dragon Slayer Gajeel joined the battle.
He attacked Elfman, but it wasn't long before Natsu took over.
It didn't matter though. The battle ended quickly – all the battles ended quickly. The Master was hurt. He was green, and I heard someone say he had lost his magic power. We retreated… what else could we do?
They took the Master to a healer, and we returned to the destroyed guild building. However, the bad news wasn't over. We discovered Phantom Lord kidnapped Lucy, but as soon as he heard, Natsu left to save her.
The rest of us had to sit and wait. It was an agonising experience, not knowing what happened to one of our fellow Fairy Tail members.
It was a bit like now; I thought, as yet another Shade was blasted by Andrew. The blast wasn't as powerful as before however, we were all getting tired. These things attacked with relentless energy, and we were just waiting for the members of the guild inside the Phantom Lord building. On the very edge of my vision, I saw Natsu destroy the Jupiter Cannon after it fired the first time when we protected by Erza.
After that first shot, the Phantom Lord Master had declared that handing over Lucy would stop the battle. I was disgusted that he would think we would ever give up a fellow Fairy. However, it wasn't the first time he had suggested it…
After Natsu brought Lucy back, we were all happy to see them both safe. Lucy was upset though, and saying that the whole war was her fault, because her father hired the guild to get her back. I couldn't believe she blamed herself – she is one of us. We will protect her no matter what. That's what being in Fairy Tail meant! We NEVER abandon our friends!
That reminder gave me a burst of energy, much needed after fighting this long. I threw myself into the battle with renewed vigour, and slashed at the Shade in front of me.
When there was a brief pause in the constant stream of Shades around Andrew and I, I looked back at the Phantom Lord Guild. When the Jupiter Cannon had been destroyed, the whole building had become like a robotic person, with clumsy, thundering footsteps that threw up waves in the ocean it was resting in. The movement wasn't the only threat it presented – it was powering up the Abyss Break spell, and we had no one left powerful enough to stop it. Everyone was tired, and moral was low. I wanted to do something, but I didn't know what. In a way, it reminded me of the mood before this attack…
After we all saw that Lucy had returned safely, we resumed what we had been doing before her, Natsu and Happy had come. Fairy Tail was preparing for another attack from the Phantom Lord guild. If they were after Lucy, they would stop at nothing. We had to protect our friend, but even so, we weren't feeling that good. The Master was down for the count, we were missing three of our strongest members – Mystogan and Gildarts couldn't be reached, and Laxus had refused to help. The mood was determined, but it was strange to be around without the usual bickering and laughter that normally filled the rooms. We didn't have long to wallow though, the giant form of Phantom Lord was seen just after. Fairy Tail moved outside to face the threat, and Mirajane took on Lucy's appearance to protect her. We would never let someone hurt a fellow Fairy and get away with it.
Just after that, Jupiter fired for the first time. Erza protected everyone with her Equip magic, but it hurt her badly. Natsu, with Happy's help attacked the cannon and they disappeared inside a few minutes later. I saw them battle, then destroy the threat, but all it did was bring out something new.
When I observed the robot guild for a bit, in particular the Abyss Break, I had to restrain myself from cheering and letting my guard down. The spell was slower than it was before! The Fairies inside must be making a difference. Around me, I saw that other members of the guild were noticing it too. A new hope was blooming in our hearts, Fairy Tail wasn't done yet!
We all threw ourselves back into the battle, but it was hard. We were relying on each other more and more as tiredness slowed reflexes and weakened magical and physical attacks. Even more people had fallen since the start of the battle, but we only knew what happened to a few of them…
Mirajane stood alone, separate from her guild mates and declared herself to be Lucy. However, her brave plan failed, much to our disappointment, and one of the robotic arms of the animated guild snatched her up. We were shocked, and I felt like crying seeing the kind woman helpless in the hands of the enemy guild. The Fairies on the ground couldn't do anything, but we didn't have to when Elfman, using the full power of his take over magic left the interior of the guild and rescued his sister from its clutches. I don't think anyone else could see, but with my magic I saw them talking, relieved that the other was safe. Even so, they both returned to the battle. Fairy Tail needed them.
In the distance, I could see that it was raining. I wondered what was happening until I remembered the presence of the Element 4's Juvia. I didn't have another chance to check the area for a while because of the Shades, but the next time I looked the sky was clear. I wanted to ponder this further, but I was pulled back into the battle when I saw a Shade going for Andrew's blind spot. I warned him, and the Shade was no more. Even though he still had enough power for that attack, I could see the exhaustion that was spreading through his body. I was sure he was running on adrenaline, or very close to it. I knew that was all that was keeping me going.
A few moments later in the battle, good news was spreading through the ranks of mages. The Abyss Break had stopped, along with the mechanical mage! I couldn't stop the grin from spreading across my face, even if it must reflect the tiredness that was spreading through my body. Andrew returned it with his own smile, and our cheers joined the guild's rising around us, but the good mood vanished when Andrew suddenly blasted the shade that was about to attack my back. The grin slid off my face faster than it had come when I realised I hadn't noticed it in my lapse of concentration, but as I turned to fight it I realised what the real problem was. This was the first time a Shade was still around after one of Andrew's attacks. This was a clear indication that my friend was tired and running low on magic power.
A voice crackled out, sounding as if it was coming from a loud speaker. I recognised the voice, even though I had only heard it a couple of times in my life – it was the Phantom Lord Guild Master Jose. I felt dread fill my heart even as he spoke. No news he had to give could be good.
My feeling was right, when he announced the recapture of Lucy. 'No!' I thought, upset and angry in one. I lacked the energy to yell aloud, but as I looked around, I could see on everyone's faces that they were felling the same as me. It only got worse after that, when Lucy's screams sounded through the loudspeaker. That was when the anger took over. I was angrier then I could ever remember being before, everything was a blur around me. Jose may have said something else, but I don't know.
Before I could go on a rampage, I felt Andrew's familiar hand on my shoulder.
"Stay calm," he warned me. "The Shades have gotten stronger, and it will do no one any favours if you're not thinking," he continued.
For a moment, I felt like snapping at him, but then the truth of his words hit, and I nodded. Seeing I was thinking clearly, he gave my shoulder a squeeze, but it was brief as a second later he was forced to attack the Shade coming up behind me.
It barely had an effect on the newly strengthened Shade, and we resumed our back-to-back position from earlier. Around us, I saw the other Fairies assuming similar positions, but it didn't matter. We were losing ground under the new pressure on our already exhausted bodies, minds and magic.
I fell to the ground after a particularly vicious hit from a Shade. I saw Andrew cover me as a kneeled on the ground, bleeding sluggishly from a cut just below my ribs. For a second, I considered just staying there. I was tired… so tired… I wasn't strong enough to keep going here… I wasn't strong enough to protect anyone…
Just then, a crash came above us, and I saw Happy carrying Lucy away from a destroyed wing of the Phantom Lord building. The sight was enough to shake me from my self-pity. I pushed myself up, gasping in pain from the wound. So what if I wasn't strong? I would protect Fairy Tail, because they were more than my guild. They were my friends. They were my family. The bonds we shared, they are what make us strong! No one had the strength to break those bonds, the true power of the Fairy Tail Guild!
As I attempted to slash at another Shade, I felt the ground shaking as if it agreed with my thoughts. After a second, I realised that wasn't what was happening. The Master was back! That was what was causing the enormous amounts of magical power, enough to shake the earth and sky.
I felt hope bubbling up inside, but I didn't let my guard down. Master Makarov would take care of the leader, but everyone had to do their part to protect Fairy Tail.
A great golden light lit up the sky, and dazzling golden beams shone down. I had to cover my eyes, because it was so intense. As I did, I heard one of the older members call it Fairy Law. They spoke about it in complete awe - awe of the overwhelming power of one the Three Great Magic's of Fairy Tail.
When I could open my eyes again, I saw that all the Shades were gone. All around me, people were opening their eyes and cheering, but all I could manage was a whisper.
"We did it," was the last thing I said before I fell backwards, unconscious. Andrew caught me, and before everything disappeared into black, I felt his strong arms circled around me and heard his voice.
"Yes we did."
A/N: Written by Owliness, for the OC competition. Please go to the profile to vote and read the other stories.
Sorry if it's confusing, I don't like writing with OC's, and I was trying out a new style. For my normal work, check out my profile (Owliness).