Tweeeee, chir-rup, chir-rup!

Nervous as I was with all the crazy monsters roaming the place, the tweedling and chirruping birds were driving me crazy. I glared at a bird as it fluttered low above my head. Suddenly, it was stirring, drawing my attention to something across Tenroujima Island. It had been restless ever since I had stepped foot on this island. Needless to say, with the ability to count the number of times I had felt this coiling of tension in my gut, thrumming like adrenaline, but darker, more powerful and primeval, through my veins, on one hand, I was more than worried.

Tweeeee, ch-!

My head snapped back to the bird as a choking silence descended. It's nowhere in sight. Abruptly, it rose, taking all my will power to suppress it and choke out, "Yeah, I noticed it, too, Cana." The look on her face has worry, some for me but most reserved for the oppressive silence. Something's happening. For some reason, I thought of Natsu with relief, and then sadness and regret. No, that was wrong; I hadn't been the one to think that thought, but then, how? Another wave of it swelled up, much more intensely than before. It made me want to hurt something so badly.

Just as she turned away, one hand ready to draw out a card, the forest came back to life. Both of us relaxed visibly.

!

"When Zeref becomes the king of this world," Caprico said calmly, "the ultimate magic world will be complete."

No…, I whispered silently, too shocked to voice it. That's impossible! He's dead! Has to be! I – I refuse to believe it! Yet for all my thoughts, I'd accepted his words. That part of my magic hummed satisfactorily through my veins. How could it be happy? But of course I knew; black magic was the most twisted and evil magic ever. Of course it'd be sentient and sadistic enough to celebrate its creator's return. So I pushed it down, and prepared my whip, ready to give my all to defeat Grimoire Heart.

!

I ran after Natsu, Wendy, Lily, Happy, and Charle, Lisanna's parting words in mind.

"Lucy, wait a second. Make sure you always stay close to Natsu. When the comrades he trusts are near him, Natsu gets even stronger."

That really was true. I wondered whether Natsu himself knew it. It was weird, though. I felt like I was just a lacrima magic-booster crystal.

"Lucy is really slow!" Happy called out.

"Shut up, stupid cat! I was thinking!" I yelled. I gave him my best death glare, and then started running at an inhuman speed. "Just wait till I catch you!" But of course, my black magic acted up. I stopped unsteadily, leaning one hand against a tree, the other on my knee as the ground rolled, spots fading in and out of my vision. I felt like throwing up. This hadn't ever happened before, a magic attack of this magnitude. I took a deep, shuddery breath and closed my eyes.

An image of a black dragon shimmered as though floating before me. Blue designs swirled through its scales. Acnologia, whispered a voice. It wasn't mine, nor had I heard it before. Yet it was as familiar to me as the voice of my mother. The magic pulsed once more in a mind-pounding wave, then finally dissipated. I gritted my teeth, collapsing to all fours. I returned to the real world to feel a small hand supporting my shoulder, and a worried voice calling my name.

"-cy-san! Lucy-san, can you hear me?"

I sat up slowly, "Wendy?"

"Lucy-san, what happened?"

"Hey, Lucy, you all right?"

"Did someone attack you?"

I looked around at the faces of my nakama, full of worry and concern for me. "Natsu? I'm not sure what happened…"

"You were chasing Happy, remember? Then you were holding onto the tree and collapsing. Wendy checked, and she said that your injuries were fine. Were you attacked by some weird magic?" explained Charle matter-of-factly.

Bitterness lifted the corners of my mouth slightly. They really had no idea how close they were. "No, I'm fine. Let's hurry up and avenge Master." As I had intended, Natsu immediately rushed off again. Wendy was less impetuous, "Are you sure?"

I smiled reassuringly, "Yeah, I'm sure. It was probably just a one-time thing, anyway." If only it was.

!

I was laughing with Cana as Gildarts teased Laxus, when it rose again. I wandered off quietly. I didn't want anyone noticing this. I could tell it would be strong, yet I didn't feel like hacking up everything I'd eaten. Instead it was focused. I could stand and pretend I was daydreaming. I closed my eyes. The vision came easily this time. A ray of energy pierced Grimoire Heart's airship.

"Lucy, come to the magical springs with me?" Cana asked.

I couldn't push it down, not this time. I had to control it. "Yeah, sure!" I cheerfully said. The blackness spread, eagerly and voraciously, through my body, a black sickness hovering just beneath my skin, and yet... it almost felt good.

!

I smiled joyfully at the sky as Gildarts promised to make sure Cana was never sad again. But it was tinged with sadness for my father, and fear as I felt Acnologia ever closer.

"This feeling…," said Gildarts softly his head alert. Natsu, too, was alert. So they had finally noticed.

"We should return to the guild, "he said, dragging Cana behind him as we began sprinting down the path. We came in sight of the rest of the guild in time for a feral hybrid of a screech and a roar to ring in our ears. I recognized it instantly, and ask, "Is everyone okay?"

Gray turned to see us, "You guys!"

Gildarts shouted, "He must be from back then…!" I glanced at him for a second—he knew it too?—before distracted by Panther Lily's cry, "Over there!"

The black dragon, Acnologia, soared above all.

"What is that?"

"It's huge!"

"That is a…"

"Dragon…?"

I also pretended, because I cannot give the visions away yet, when I can't explain it myself, "What the heck is that…"

"Is that for real…?"Gajeel asked wonderingly.

"A real-life dragon…" Wendy whispered in a hushed voice, tremors shaking her thin body.

"I knew it…" Natsu said firmly, "Dragons really do exist."

Master Makarov stepped forward, "The Black Dragon of the Apocalypse. Acnologia." Natsu yells a ridiculous question at Acnologia, but I ignore him. The controlled tingling is giving way to an exhilarated feeling. I can feel it changing, improving me. I must suppress it or they will notice, and if they did... unknowns were bad when dealing with something as unpredictable as this.

Acnologia surged down, and no one watched me as dust and rocks flew. Another roar spread like a shockwave as everyone stood, stunned while Acnologia flew up and attacked. A devastating attack scattered Gray, Juvia, and Natsu like flies. He roared and the ruins of our camp are decimated, sowing panic amongst my guild. I knew I could probably take Acnologia head-on. The power I have hidden is strong, far stronger than Natsu's or Erza's. I needed to protect my nakama. But still, I hesitated. It had been so deeply ingrained into me: don't ever, ever reveal your magic to anybody. And, then, like the coward I was, I ran with others.

I couldn't escape the flow of magic though. When I nursed the thought of fighting Acnologia, I had prepared my magic—my black magic. It pulsed. My senses were sharpened. My eyes changed. I can see every minute detail, every thread on Levy's shirt, every hair of Evergreen's, every speck of dust Acnologia churns up. I can hear that familiar, slightly comforting voice, "In spite of that, the reason it doesn't use words…is because it doesn't think of humans as anything more than insects. You wouldn't stop and talk to a pest buzzing around you. It's the same for the dragon. You also wouldn't bother taking an obnoxious insect seriously for even a moment. There are things in this world you cannot oppose or fight back against, no matter how hard you try."

"ROOOOAAAAAAAAAAARRRR!"

"Oomph!"

I was brought back to reality, the voice now a soothing background.

Whooooooosh!

"learn this shortly. It appears… we will be embark-"

Crunch, splat! Natsu groaned as the breath whooshed out of him, "Dah! Gah! Fgaah! Youuuuu…!"

"to its end. Farewell, Natsu."

"Run. Get to the ship," Master commanded, becoming a giant and tackling the dragon.

Shame coursed through me, hot and heavy, that he could stand and do something I had no courage to.

Protestations immediately rang out, of course.

"It's useless! There's no way he can fight that!"

"Master! Stop it, please!"

"If you're going to pick a fight with it, we're coming too."

"Let's smash that thing to pieces!"

Makarov roared, "DO YOU PLAN ON EVEN DISOBEYING YOUR MASTER'S FINAL ORDERS! YOU SHITTY BRATS!"

Natsu disagreed instantly. "I'm a dragon slayer! If anyone's gonna be that thing's opponent, it's gonna be…UGAAH!"

"We are getting out of here, Natsu!" said Laxus firmly. Slowly, sadly, we all turned and ran, tears spilling over and coursing down our faces. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing I could block out the roars and shouts behind us. None of us wanted to run away. So of course, true to our guild's chaotic nature and steadfast epithet, we turned around, racing to help our Master.

Natsu reached Acnologia first, "Give our old man back!"

And then the rest of us pound forth at Erza's, "CHAAAARGE!"

Fire, iron, swords, ice arrows, demon claws, air, cards, little wooden dolls, and my whip all bombarded Acnologia furiously. But none of them worked. He took off, soaring high into the sky. I had a hunch of what he might do, because he couldn't possibly be running away, though I still hoped.

"It's a breath attack!"

I knew it! Damn! As we scrambled to put up a defensive, I gathered my magic, dark and light. I shouted, nearly lost amongst everyone else's cries of hope, "Okay! We'll never give up!" I didn't care anymore. I squeezed my eyes shut and collected all my magic. In that moment before I sent it further on in our tightly woven last chance of survival, I saw a man standing on the edge of Grimoire Heart's limping, sputtering airship, and I knew, in the resurfacing of old memories, why that voice sounded so familiar.

Zeref was my father.

A/N: This story is how the above-mentioned fact changes the universe of Fairy Tail, especially since I see Zeref as particularly interesting character full of depths to be explored, and want to rewrite over his reputation as an easily available ultimate villain.

It's written in a rather subtle style, dropping little hints to the readers that are later revealed to be plot twists because one of the weaknesses I have as an author is a flair for melodrama. That's part of the reason I'm using Lucy's first-person point of view to tell this story; the reader won't know much of anything she doesn't. If you're looking for romance because of the "I pick a mate." part of the summary, look at the genres again. While I will be bring that genre into play, that's not the focus of the story.

The first fifteen chapter or so are what I call Act One, dealing with the bombshell, and consequently the chain reaction, that's just been dropped. Afterwards, I have an interlude, of sorts, planned, and then... (grins) then the fifth sentence of the summary will be fully explained. In detail.

Edit 7/26: Grammar, fleshing out more

I appreciate all feedback very much,

~TehBunni