Lucy opened her eyes to a familiar scene. Though still a bit disoriented, she couldn't help but grin at the confused expression of her best friend. "I'm home" Lucy announced, piling a metric ton of questions onto the scarecrow.
After a momentary pause, almost every citizen of Oz exclaimed a groan of confusion, looking back and forth between the 5 feet of distance Lucy had apparently traveled. None were more flabbergasted than the straw man, once more feeling out of his mental depth. "W-what- how- Huh-" Natsu began to ramble incoherently, feeling as if his head about to burst into flames from strain. With a sigh Lucy lifted a finger to his lips to silence him. "Calm down Natsu, don't burn out your brain right when you just found it". Trusting that this was sufficient to reorient her companion she lowered her finger. "I realized that I would never be happy if I left completely, so I decided to make a little trade to be in two places at once" she explained directing his attention to a now slipper less foot.
Glinda could only smile from her place on the stage, sighing "finally" under her breath. This went unnoticed by the others on the stage, which was either a lioness holding back tears of joy or a metal man trying to resist a crap eating grin. Natsu for his part was the only one frowning. He was still trying to get Lucy's explanation sorted out, only to hit a consistent mental roadblock.
With a loud groan Natsu admitted defeat. "What are you talking about Luce? You're being really weird!" Natsu began to rub his head in frustration, again giving off the impression that his head was about to burst. Before he could get any closer to combustion Lucy gently retrieved his hand, bringing it over her rapidly beating heart. "Honestly Natsu I've had a hard enough time trying to figure it out myself". This made Natsu become slightly less self conscious, but did nothing for the blush rapidly growing on Lucy's cheek. "The reason I was driven to return to Fairy Tail is because there's another copy of you there, and I broke his heart because I wasn't brave enough to tell him the truth".
Without skipping a beat Natsu turned his attention towards Gajeel and Wendy, who in turn raised their arms in an expression that shattered any hope of assistance. Frustrated at his apparent deficit for attention, Lucy used her free hand to drag Natsu's face back to her. "Look! The point is I love you no matter where I am, and I can't imagine any version of me living without you!" This was good enough explanation for the scarecrow, and almost as if it were rehearsed the duo adjusted into an embrace and crashed their lips together in mutual relief, the ache of two lifetimes melting away. A cheer arose from the crowd...which was unceremoniously degraded into gasps.
The burlap beneath Lucy's fingers began to shift, and a bright flash beyond her eyelids broke her from the euphoria of the kiss. When she opened her eyes to investigate she was greeted to a salmon haired man, one whose face has caused her heart ache for a very long time. If it wasn't for Natsu's comedicly pained face she would have thought this transformation was a miracle, but for better or worse, that was not the case. It didn't take Lucy long to figure out that regaining your entire nervous system in a single moment, especially after forgoing pain for most of your life, was the worst thing to ever go through.
The silence that followed could be cut with a knife, which was instead eviscerated by Natsu's scream. It was immediately joined by Lucy's as she was crushed by her best friend in the same manner a wife grips her husband's hand during childbirth. As soon as their ears stopped bleeding Wendy and Gajeel devoted themselves to separating their friends from the worst first kiss in history.
"(*heavy breathing) Luce, if using your brain causes this much pain I-" Natsu stopped short at his own revelation. He proceeded to pinch himself across the length of his arms, smiling wider and wider with every wince. It didn't take long for Natsu to complete his assessment and holler in joy, much to the chagrin of the audience and their raw eardrums. Lucy was too focused on massaging her bruises to notice her idiot's approach. Before she could find any relief Lucy was immediately drawn back into Natsu's painful embrace. Fortunately he readjusted his hold just as quickly as he initiated it much to his lover's relief.
"You broke the curse! You did it!" Natsu's joy was infectious, and the grimaces of the masses grew back into smiles. "... Wait, how did you change me back Luce?" Natsu inquired the girl in his arms, but was clearly at a loss herself. "I have your answer" Glinda claimed while twisting a pinky in her ear in an attempt to fix it. "True loves kiss can break any curse, though I have never seen a side effect quite so... shocking" she continued while smoothing out her dress trying to reclaim some semblance of regality.
Natsu was beginning to not like Glinda at this point. "So your saying that if either one of us ballsed up and kissed, I would be human already!? How much more are you keeping from us!?" He accused the frustrating enchantress. "As I have told Lucy, you have to learn the lessons for yourself". Lucy couldn't help but sigh, worried that this would become a regular argument with the witch. She was pulled out of her angst by Natsu's warm touch. "All I know is that Luce and I have a lot to make up for right now, and I hope she feels the same way". Finally on same page with her flame brained lover she couldn't help but return a gentle smile. They reattempted their kiss and rested their foreheads together, finally reveling in the sensation of being home.
From out of the blue a blur of lion fur blindsided the celestial blonde. "You've had Lucy all to yourself long enough Natsu, it's my turn"! Wendy giggled at her own childishness and began dragging Lucy away by the hand, almost as if she was a freshly hunted gazelle. "Hey! Where do you think you're going with Luce?!" The lioness leisurely responded "girls time with Levy and Juvia" to the former scarecrow. Lucy attempted to free herself from the adorable predator, but its resolve was all consuming. "I'm still in pain guys! Give me a break!" Lucy cried out. Pretty soon Natsu began to chase after the fearless Wendy, all the while Lucy's protestations fell on deaf ears.
Gajeel continued to watch his only friends make complete idiots of themselves while the crowd was already dispersing to nurse there head-aches. Soon there was only a certain blue haired munchkin left staring at the iron giant. Inevitably his gaze fell on his former fiancée and with a marginally softened look he waved her over to the stage. Levy tentatively stepped up to him with eyes down cast in what seemed to be shy hopefulness. "Gajeel, I just-... I just have so much to say, and, I know that you probably haven't forgiven me but-" she was cut off by the now heart(ed?) Iron man. "Don't worry about it shrimp, we've got plenty of time to make up".
Gajeel stooped down to her height. "If what Wendy said was right you have a date with bunny girl and water-works, and I'd like to help you catch up" he stated as he lifted his metal hand to her. Levy broke out into a huge grin, took his hand, and was unceremoniously tossed onto his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. Before she could voice her own protest her reunited lover broke out into a sprint, accompanying the munchkin's wails with heartfelt laughter of his own.
When all was said and done Glinda watched a grand chase of former misfits, more alive and happy than they have ever been. For once, thanks to a gutsy blonde from beyond the stars, she felt like she had finally found the happily ever after she always dreamt of, no wicked witches or wizards there to ruin it. Feeling like this was a good place to end her role she wrapped herself in a bubble and ascended away towards the north. The last thing she heard was Wendy's sudden exclamation.
"Wait, where's Plue!"
Three years later, Magnolia:
"So, what your saying is that your soul got sent to another world when you were knocked unconscious a few years ago, and you went on a wild and crazy adventure that convinced you to accept my feelings, all while everyone was transformed into a character from this book?" Lucy gave Natsu an affirmative grunt as she continued to stroke her husband's salmon hair, watching Happy as he tried to teach Plue how to fish for the fifth time this week. "And since Plue is from the spirit realm he can act as a messenger between you and your Dorothy clone, just so you could collaborate writing this?" Natsu continued to question as he skimmed her modified version of the Wizard of Oz. "Pretty much" the blond responded.
"... whelp, that sounds like something you'd do" the Salamander stated as he dropped the book and lifted his head from her lap. Settling next to Lucy he began to massage the mating mark on his shoulder, staring at the blonde's copy out of the corner of his eye. Lucy just shook her head at the goof's thinly veiled ogling, a habit he developed ever since the quote on quote "dragon wedding" they had after her coma broke. Sighing she laid her head on Natsu's shoulder, thanking the powers that be for giving her a chance to finally listen to her heart.
"I love you Natsu, I really mean that" Lucy proclaimed, twining her hands with her soul mate. Nastu gave a signature grin, "Heh, I love you to Luce, and I can't wait to see how you end this book." Unbeknownst to Natsu, she had already decided on the perfect ending years ago. The dragonslayer gave a noise of surprise as his lover guided his chin towards her. Lucy began to sport a blush, "You're going to think its silly, but what if I tried 'and they all lived happily ever after'?". His response was just as she expected, "I think I wouldn't have it any other way Luce". They affirmed their agreement with a kiss, which even to this day sent euphoric energy through them both. She didn't say it out loud, but Lucy was glad to be home, right where her heart led.
Plue had just waddled back to the couple's perch to nose around Lucy's stuff, having had his fill of fishing for long time to come. He was halfway through her wicker picnic basket when he noticed the red gleam of a single ruby slipper, and next to it, two photos of separate Lucys hand in hand with their Natsus. This jogged Plue's memory, and the snowman dog thing made his trip to another version of Lucy, preferably one with candy.
The end
A/N: Note to self, never write Fan Fiction on the glitchy freaking app again, else your spacing will be . I really hope this was neither an eyesore nor offensive (in regards to this being fan fiction of fan fiction). I fully support an official release of the ending, and hope that my contribution may in some small part relay my enjoyment of Wizard of FT. Thank you everyone for your time and consideration.