Chapter 1

The wind whistled softly as the emerald leaves swayed through the air. The sun was shining brilliantly and there wasn't a cloud in the sky. Lucy let out a soft yawn and stretched her arms out while following Erza and Gray.

"That was an easy mission. Thought it'd be harder considering the fact they paid us so much" laughed Lucy.

"Yeah, those bandits didn't even seem to cause as much trouble as they made it out to be. Was hoping they'd at least know magic to put up somewhat of a challenge" sighed Gray. Lucy sighed as she pointed towards Gray.

"Gray, your shirt" said Lucy with a sigh. Gray looked back at her with a confused look, then shrugged it off.

"Well, it doesn't matter know. As long as we completed the mission and kept those villagers safe, I'm satisfied" said Erza. As the three marched through the forest, they heard a cry not too far from their location.

"Was that…Wendy?" asked Lucy. The three began to run towards the scream with haste. As their feet pounded against the ground, the screams became louder and more frequent. They halted to a stop and sighed as they saw Wendy running from Gajeel, who was firing his Iron Dragon Roar.

"Damn it, Wendy! Fight back or you'll never get stronger!" shouted Gajeel as he shot another Iron Dragon Roar while Wendy kept running and shouting.

"I don't want to fight you though!" shouted Wendy with a shaky voice.

"And here I thought she was in actual trouble" said Gray with a sigh. Lucy laughed as Erza started shouting too.

"Come on Wendy, you can do it!" she shouted.

"She sounds like she's demanding more than motivating" whispered Lucy to Gray, with a slightly fearful expression on their faces. Gajeel stopped and sighed while Wendy laughed nervously and ran over to Lucy.

"Hey guys!" greeted Wendy while breathing heavily.

"Hey Wendy, how's training going with Gajeel" laughed Lucy. Wendy slightly averted her eyes and laughed.

"W-well-"

"It's going terrible" interrupted Gajeel. Wendy turned around and looked at him with big, teary eyes.

"Y-you don't have t-to be so m-mean about it" softly cried Wendy as Gajeel looked away. Erza looked around only to find out that Carla and Pantherlily were nowhere to be seen.

"Didn't Carla and Pantherlily come with you two?" asked Erza, in a surprised tone.

"Carla stayed at the Guild Hall" responded Wendy.

"And Pantherlily said he was going to train on his own" added Gajeel.

"Ahh, I understand now"

"Hey guys, shouldn't we head back to the guild? We need to turn in our mission as a success" said Gray as he began to walk.

"Oh yeah, we should. We'll see you later Wendy and Gajeel!" said Lucy as she waved good-bye, followed byErza. Wendy waved back as Gajeel turned away. Then, as soon as they left, they were able to hear Wendy screaming again, making the three burst out into laughter.

"Good job on the mission Lucy! Want anything to drink?" asked Mirajane.

"Sure, thanks Mirajane" said Lucy with a smile. Mirajane smiled back before turning to get her drink.

"It's been almost three years, hasn't it?" said Mirajane as she began to wash a cup. Lucy looked down at the counter and let out a small laugh.

"Yeah, time moves pretty fast. It's almost like he left only yesterday to go off and train. Can't believe it's been three years already" said Lucy. Mirajane noticed Lucy's depressed tone, and then gave her a reassuring laugh.

"Don't worry; he'll be back sooner than you think. He always does" laughed Mirajane as she handed Lucy her drink. Lucy smiled back until she heard the doors crash open. Everyone turned to doors, confused but also ready to attack. Three men walked into the guild with a familiar crest on their bodies.

"Guess who's back?" laughed the man with poofy, dark hair.

"Thibault of Twilight Ogre?!" said Macao, in a shocked voice.

"That's right, and we're back to pay you back for humiliating us!" shouted Thibault. Suddenly, Makarov walked towards the three and sighed.

"Do we need to make a visit to your guild hall again and teach you guys the same lesson? Because if that's the case, let's just cut to the chase, shall we?" sighed the small, white-haired man.

"Not going to happen! We got way stronger since last time, we can even take you Fairies now!" shouted Thibault as he and the other two laughed.

"With only three guys?" said Lucy as she rolled her eyes. Thibault clenched his fist as anger began to spread on his face. They all got into a battle stance until they felt a powerful surge of magic energy.

"W-where is this coming from?" asked Erza as she looked around.

"I've never felt such power before…not even when I fought Jura…" said Laxus. The entire guild looked around in confusion until they heard a loud shout. They turned back to see Thibault thrown into the crowd. They all moved out of the way, making Thibault hit the wall, face-first. They looked back at the entrance to see a figure covered in a black cloak.

"Man, this scene is causing some serious déjà vu. I thought I already dealt with you guys the first time I caught you picking a fight with my friends. What makes you think now is any different?" said the man.

"Aye!" shouted a blue cat that floated next to the man. In an instant, everyone had realized who the hooded-man was. Then, the two other men ran towards the man, weapons drawn. With the utmost ease, he dodged their attacks. As one swung wildly, the man caught his weapon and broke it, all with one single hand. The man jumped back and suddenly, his fists were covered in a veil of flames. The flames blazed wildly, spreading onto the cloak.

"Fire Dragon…" he shouted as his cloak burned away, releasing his long, pink hair. The pink-haired wizard had a great smile on his face as he rushed towards the two Twilight Ogre wizards, who were shaking in fear.

"Iron Fist!" shouted Natsu as he punched one of the wizards with his right, and the other with his left. They were each launched into the wall, landing right next to Thibault. They all stared in shock and watched as Natsu walked over the men, picked them up, walked back to the door, and threw the three towards the sky, soon out of sight. He turned around to see the entirety of the guild run towards him, cheering.

"Welcome back Natsu!" shouted the Fairy Tail guild, rejoicing as their comrade, friend, and family member finally returned.