"So you just took it?" Lucy asked incredulous.
"It was from Mystogan." Natsu defended.
"Was it?" Gray asked.
"It looked like Mystogan." Natsu shrugged.
"A lot of people look like Mystogan." Lucy mumbled.
They turned to face a crossed-arm Erza.
"What?"
They slowly turned back to the foreign object in Natsu's hand. It was a small silver cylinder.
Happy hovered over Natsu's shoulder.
"Is it edible?"
"I don't know." Natsu chomped down on the tube nearly breaking his teeth. The group visibly shudder save Erza who remained stoic. "Nope." He said teeth still bared.
From the other end a lid opened and out poured a few small spheres. Gray caught them and held his hand out. Everyone took a step closer.
"Are those edible?" Happy asked again.
"I don't know." Natsu reached for one. Gray shut his hand.
"Did we not just go through this?" He asked.
"Let me see." Erza demanded taking a purple sphere half the size of a marble.
She held it up to her eye, rolling it between thumb and forefinger. Everyone watched her intently. She smelled the sphere and paused. Then she ate it.
The group held their breath.
Nothing happened.
"Alright!" Natsu snatched a red sphere and popped it in. He had managed to grab a yellow one too and threw it up to Happy who ate it with delight.
"Hey!" Lucy snapped.
Grey ate a blue one.
"Gray!? Not you too."
"One left." He offered the green one to Lucy. She let out an audible groan and with reluctance put it in her mouth.
"Now what?" She asked with the sphere still in her mouth.
"We wait." Erza said with confidence.
"For what?" Natsu asked.
A flash of light and their surroundings changed.
They were no longer on the island of their current S-Class job. Finally Erza had agreed to oversee one so Natsu and Gray could get some practice only to have Natsu go and take mysterious candy from Mystogan… supposed Mystogan.
"Awe. Where are we now?!" Lucy lamented.
They were in a dense forest where no more than a trickle of sun light reached the ground and the sound of unfamiliar animals surrounded them.
Lucy hugged herself tight, whining more.
"You really should wear more clothes." Happy fluttered over to her.
"What's that supposed to mean cat?" She asked through gritted teeth. Happy flew back to Natsu who was looking up.
"I've never seen a forest like this." He said. "The trees are different."
"Yes. And the air too." Erza added.
"I guess this means we won't finish our job anytime soon." Gray had lost his shirt somehow in the transition.
"There goes my rent." Lucy cried.
"And my dinner." Happy was back to hovering over Lucy, sharing her tears.
"Do you hear that?" Erza's head snapped to her right. The other's strained to hear while Lucy continued to cry silently. "People." She began to walk towards the sound. Gray and Natsu followed.
"Wait! Maybe we don't walk toward the unknown people? They could be hostile" Lucy jogged to catch up.
"It's the fastest way to figure out where we are and how to get back to Ludlow Island." Erza continued to march.
As they walked the leaves and trees grew sparse allowing more light to filter through. Lucy grumbled the whole way. She would never admit it, but Happy was right. She did need to start wearing more clothes.
The growth gave way to flat open land that extended out towards a town. In the distance they could see that the town grew into a city which then amassed at the base of a pristine castle that embodied the medieval era.
"I don't like this." Lucy frowned.
"It's a castle." Happy said in awe. "Maybe the need a new princess."
"You think?" She perked up.
"One way to find out." Erza made her way to the town that was still a good mile or two away.
From the first townsfolk they saw, it was obvious a wardrobe change was needed. Erza used Requip while the others forged for unattended clothing.
"At least our magic still works." Erza said as she sported a sexy peasant outfit. One could hear Happy in the background saying "wow".
"No fair." Lucy hunched over her old hag garb. "I have to wear this nasty rag all because you decided to take candy from fake Mystogan?!"
"Real Mystogan and it worked out for me last time." Natsu and Gray had found simple laborer clothes. "Couldn't find a shirt?" He asked Gray.
"I did." He looked down. "Hey. Where did it go?" He searched for the 'shirt'.
As happy flew by into a sack Natsu was holding open, one could hear him say "wow".
"Don't get too attached, we'll probably have to change again once closer to the city." Erza said.
A passing farmer gasped and ran away.
"Guess we don't fit in as much as we thought." Gray said.
"Well you don't." Lucy pointed to his chest.
Within a matter of minutes, the townspeople had heard of them and gathered around, though keeping their distance. Erza instinctively took on a defensive stance while Lucy cowered behind Natsu who forgot Happy was in the bag and held it shut with an excited clenched fist. Grey tried to ignore the whispering girls to his right.
"Oh great Sophists." The town preacher approached with a bow. "Excuse our gawking. The town had to gander for we have never seen such mighty beings in person, yet alone in such a state." He gave an exaggerated motion to their clothing. In the background a woman whispered, "Is that my tunic?"
"Sophist?" Natsu breathed.
The preacher looked perplexed at the group who were also perplexed. Erza spoke up before suspicion could grow.
"Yes. We are Sophists. We…. Lost all our belongs and thus took it upon ourselves to take what we needed."
"Don't admit we stole from them!" Lucy hissed.
"Of course!" The preacher looked ashamed that he had not guessed so. "I meant no offense. You may have all that we have."
"Food?" Happy's question was muffled through the bag. Natsu released his grip. "Air!" Happy gasped.
The townspeople looked in awe at the talking bag. Natsu shook it to quiet Happy.
"My bag is hungry." He declared.
"Yes, yes… of course." The preacher, weary of the bag, made a path through the crowd for the group to follow.
Happy flew out of the sack and facing no one in particular said,
"Remember kids if Mystogan offers you free candy, you say thank you and take it!"