Hello, people. Nightlingbolt here So this is yet another new project. At some point I need to decide what to do with my other projects. I'll probably delete some of my Sticy stuff - not because I stopped shipping them, but because none of it is consistent with the development Sting (and Sabertooth as a whole, with certain exceptions... Lookin' at you, Minerva!) went through as the Grand Magic Games arc finished up. The good news is, now that Sting probably won't appear for a while, I have a bit more free reign with his character, so expect some good Sticy at some point in the future!

All right, enough of my musings. I'm not so sure about this one, but enjoy it nevertheless.

I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters, Hiro Mashima does.

Erza was on her way back from another successful mission. The job this time was playing bodyguard for a rich old woman. It was nothing major, she was simply flaunting her status. Either way, Erza was looking forward to getting a little sleep.

Suddenly, a voice called out to her, "Super strong?" She turned around and saw her friend, Mermaid Heel's Millianna.

"Milli!" called out Erza in excitement. She was always happy to see her childhood friend.

As the two girls embraced, Millianna asked, "Hey, how come you snubbed me earlier, Er-chan?"

Erza broke away from Millianna, looking confused. "I didn't snub you," she replied. "In fact, I was in the next town over on a job. I was nowhere near this area."

Now Millianna looked confused. "Well, I thought I saw a woman who looked like you – maybe a little older – in the marketplace today," she explained. "I gave her our usual greeting, but she didn't seem to recognize it. And she had a short haircut, too. Really weird."

"A woman who looks like me... short haircut..." Erza gasped. "No, it couldn't be!"

"What, Er-chan?" asked Millianna.

"Millianna, exactly where did this woman go to?" Erza prompted.

"Dunno," replied Millianna. "I watched her for a bit, but she noticed me and sprinted off. She shot a blast of magic at me from her spear, and I lost my Nekousoku Tube and had to buy a new one. When I came back to my hotel, I saw her having a drink at the lobby bar, and I didn't really want to mess with her again."

"What hotel are you staying at, Milli?" asked Erza.

"I'll take you there," said Millianna. "Follow me!"

The cat mage led Erza to an inn not far from the train station. Silently, Erza pondered whether that train hijacking was a good thing for leading her to this mystery. She doubted her hunch was correct, but at times like this, it was best to keep an open mind.

"She's still there," said Millianna nervously as she pointed to the bar. Erza took a look, and she couldn't believe her eyes. There, at the bar, was a scarlet-haired woman with a short haircut, but otherwise looking exactly the same as her, nursing a mug of beer.

"Knightwalker?" Erza said tentatively.

The short-haired Erza looked up from her drink and smiled faintly. "Scarlet," she replied. "I had a feeling it was only a matter of time before I saw you again in this world.

"What? Er-chan, you know this woman?" asked Millianna.

"I do," said Erza. "Millianna, this is Erza Knightwalker, my counterpart from the parallel world of Edolas."

Millianna's eyes were rapt in wonder. "Two... two Er-chans?" She leapt up to hug Knightwalker. "This is so super-cool!" she exclaimed in joy.

Knightwalker was visibly annoyed. "Scarlet, get her off of me..." she growled menacingly.

Erza, ever the peacemaker, dragged Millianna gently away from Knightwalker. "Milli, why don't you go back to your room?" she suggested. "I would like to catch up with my counterpart."

Millianna nodded sadly. "You promise you'll say goodbye?" she asked.

"Of course," said Erza with a gentle smile. Satisfied, Millianna left the bar.

Once the two Erzas were alone, Knightwalker asked, "Who was that girl?"

"Millianna," Erza replied. "She was one of my childhood friends."

"I knew a Millianna once," said Knightwalker. "She more or less resembled this one, except she had an obsession with dogs instead of cats."

Erza gave a light chuckle. "So what are you doing in Earthland anyway?" she asked. "I thought all the magic in Edolas was drained."

"It was," confirmed Knightwalker. "However, a week ago, one of our scientists detected magic flowing into our atmosphere from out of nowhere. We believe someone opened an Anima from Earthland and is directing magic into Edolas."

"Well, that's a good thing, isn't it?" asked Erza. "Magic in Earthland is constanly renewing itself. If you learn to utilize the leak, you may well have that infinite supply of magic your world has wanted."

"True," agreed Knightwalker. "However, King Mystogan worries about the potential for this leak to be utilized for acts of terrorism. We currently maintain a steady peace in Edolas, Scarlet. The last thing His Majesty wants is a revolution, even if our troops are able to fight back. That's why I'm here. We've utilized this leak to power our own Anima, sending me to Earthland to find and destroy this leak."

Erza looked worried. "But what about you?" she asked. "If you have no magic to return..."

"We've harnessed enough magic for a two-way trip," said Knightwalker. "Your concern is welcomed, but unnecessary."

"Well, at least that's good to know," said Erza. "If you need it, I can certainly arrange Fairy Tail's assistance in this matter."

"Hardly," said Knightwalker. "Since your departure seven years ago, the Royal Army has worked closely with our Fairy Tail, who have some of their best mages... well, I suppose "mages" isn't the right word anymore... involved in this affair. Speaking of seven years ago, why do you look like you haven't aged a day since our last meeting?"

"Seven-year timeskip," said Erza. "Frozen in time. Long story. Stuff went down, let's leave it at that."

"Noted," said Knightwalker.

"I'll still bring up your mission to our Master. Everyone would be willing to help Mystogan, especially Natsu and Lily."

Knightwalker raised a brow. "Captain Pantherlily?" she said. "Is he keeping well here in Earthland?"

"He's doing fine," said Erza. "He's partnered with Gajeel since he came to this world. They haven't been together that long, but the way they get along, you'd think they knew each other for years."

Knightwalker took a contemplative sip of her beer. "It's rare that Pantherlily finds someone he can tolerate."

"He's really opened up. Not just to Gajeel, but to every one of us," said Erza. A thought suddenly occurred to her. "Say, how has Mystogan been doing as King?"

Knightwalker snorted. "He's not our most popular king," she said. "Nor is he our brightest. But he's worked hard to lead the people into an era without magic, and I suppose that has to count for something."

Suddenly, a low humming emanated from somewhere. "That's probably my sweetheart with the report," said Knightwalker, reaching into her pocket and pulling out a Lacrima crystal.

"Sweetheart?" Erza blurted out.

"Our field scientist," explained Knightwalker. She grasped the Lacrima. "Captain Knightwalker speaking. Report."

"No sign of anything," said a voice that sounded like Natsu's. If Erza had to guess, it was that Natsu Dragion Lisanna had told her about. "We can confirm that the leak's not in this area."

"Impossible!" said Knightwalker angrily. "Did you or did you not pinpoint the Anima to this location?"

"We-we-well... I don't know!" said Dragion, sounding scared. "All I can think of is... is...!"

Knightwalker sighed. "I'm sorry, Sweetie," she said with a gentleness that surprised Erza. Mystogan was obviously a positive influence on her. "Just calm down and tell me what happened."

"All I can think of is that whoever set up the first Anima is also setting up dummy ones to throw us off their trail," said Dragion, still in a timid-sounding way.

Knightwalker sighed again. "Very well," she said, sounding especially frustrated. "Return to the base camp for the night. We'll move out in the morning and renew our search from there. I will join you in no less than 48 hours."

"Understood," said Dragion. "I'm sorry we couldn't find anything." Erza noticed how sad Dragion sounded.

"It's not your fault, Natsu," said Knightwalker. "I'll see you in two days. I love you."

"I love you too, Erza," said Dragion, sounding much happier. With that, Knightwalker ended the call.

Erza could only stare, which Knightwalker picked up on. "What? You thought I would pine after His Majesty like you pine after your Jellal?" she said coldly.

Erza blushed. "I... But... You..." She could only stutter.

Knightwalker spoke again, but this time slightly more gently. "During the last seven years, I came to a crossroads in my life, much as you seem to be with your Jellal. I'll make my point plain: Despite whatever feelings for Mystogan I may or may not have had, I'm a soldier, born and raised. If I became my King's lover, I would eventually become his Queen. Quite frankly, I find the idea of sitting on a throne being protected by the men I command revolting. My life is the service of Edolas. Helping rule it has no place in my heart. And you know what? I don't regret a damn thing."

Knightwalker took one last swig of her beer. "I must retire for the night," she said. "I have a long journey ahead of me. Think about what I said before you decide to destroy yourself with misguided love."

The older Erza left, but her younger counterpart stopped her, hoping to ask one more question. "Do you love him? Dragion, I mean."

Knightwalker frowned. "Do I look like the type to throw the L-word around so carelessly?" she said irritably. "Good night, Scarlet."

Erza could only watch as the Captain stormed out of the bar, a thousand questions burning in her mind.

Eh... I'm semi-satisfied with this one, but you know how I feel about working with Edolas characters, since, as I've mentioned before, Edolas is my least favorite arc in the manga. But I should address a few things:

First, I know I made a Tumblr post not too long ago about shipping Mystwalker but not Jerza. Well, I stand by that post, but for the intended purposes of this story, I put Knightwalker with someone who Erza herself would never expect her counterpart to be with. That, and I ultimately want this to end with Natza, so I figured a relationship between Knightwalker and Dragion would be a good motivator for Erza to rethink how she views her Natsu.

Second, I realize Knightwalker may seem out of character in her conversation with Dragion. Well, as I've said in previous works, a lot can happen in seven years. Views can change, and so can attitudes. New relationships can be formed, both professional and personal. People can influence others and be influenced in turn. I will explain how Knightwalker and Dragion came together, but for now, suffice it to say that all of the above happened in some way to both of them.

There are other things I want to talk about, but for now, I can't seem to find the words, so I'll just mention I finally have inspiration for my next Nothing to Lose prompt, which is really the only reason I'm even uploading this. Also, I hope the technobabble I came up with for how Knightwalker even got to Earthland makes sense.

Anyway, in posting this, I've gotten a couple ideas in mind, so I suppose I'll go ahead and get to work on them. Until next time, peace and love from Nightlingbolt.