Author's Notes

I've basically completely deleted the entire first chapter, and started at chapter 2. This should've gotten a good 5k words out of the way so hopefully it's not as wordy and filler filled as before. Anyways, I am so terrible at beginning a story. In this chapter, I used scenes that was anime only for Fairy Tail. So if you are a manga only reader, than you might consider watching episode 72-74 ( I think its around that) to understand the scene better. It's not really necessary though as it's not too important. Anyways, I know this chapter was a little shorter, but I wanted to fix the beginning too. I probably won't update for at least another week or two due to final exams and all that, so that's another reason why I wanted to get this out.

Chapter 2 – End of Oracion Seis

Lucy stared at the gigantic lacrima in front of her. It must've been at least thirty times the size of her - there was no way she could destroy it. When the group split up earlier, she realized they were one person short of destroying all six lacrima in order to stop Nirvana. Despite her exhaustion, she pulled her hand up and volunteered to destroy one. Now that she was actually faced with the task, Lucy slumped down onto a wall and muttered, "It's useless; I can't do this."

Happy walked around Lucy in with pity and sadness. He watched how hard Lucy worked to get to this room, crawling step by step, and getting up whenever she fell. However, even he could tell how hopeless it would be for a person that could barely stand to destroy this lacrima. She still hasn't recovered fully from the fight against Angel and different opponents just came one after another afterwards. Her magical energy must be close to zero if it was affecting her physical movements like this. Happy gave Lucy a reassuring nudge. "Don't worry Lucy, just count on me!" Flaring up his Aera magic, Happy flew up and rammed his head straight into the lacrima.

"Happy! Don't!" Lucy was too late though, as the impact had already been made. Barely a dent was even made on the lacrima but Happy was already flying back down, preparing for the next charge.

Happy chuckled weakly next to Lucy, "Hey. That was just a test run, okay? Besides, the designated time still hasn't been reached. I'm just weakening the stupid ball for my ultra-super attack I'll use later." He took off flying once more, hitting the lacrima as hard as he could; but, this time Happy could no longer keep his energy up and started drifting down like a leaf.

"No!" Lucy burst into tears at Happy's falling form. This was all her fault. If she wasn't so weak, Happy wouldn't have made his desperate gambit. She tried her hardest to run up and catch Happy in midair, but her legs were still not responding properly. She wasn't Erza, who was strong beyond imagination. She couldn't even hold a candle to Natsu, who would win despite any conditions he might have. She was just an ordinary Celestial Mage with above average magical power. The red key in her pouch started to glow brightly as Lucy continued to cry. "All I want is the power to at least protect my friends…"

As if hearing her call, a white haired man materialized in front of her, with his red cloak billowing behind him from the magic residue in the air. Without a moment's hesitation, he leapt forward, catching Happy's left foot just before he reached the ground. In a calm stride, the man knelt in front of Lucy, "Did you call, master?"

Lucy watched the scene in front of her in shock. "Y-you're the spirit from before." Lucy creased her eyebrows in confusion. Last time, the energy it took to summon him was astronomical. However, all she felt right now was a tiny drain from her reserves. "But how? I didn't summon you this time."

The man stood up now, after carefully setting down the blue cat on the floor. "I came through the gate with my own power. I heard your call, so I came. I am your shield and sword for now, and will protect you to the best of my ability."

Lucy nodded her head in acknowledgement. She had no knowledge on the existence of red keys, and their behaviors cannot be predicted. There was a more pressing issue on hand right now. "Guardian, do you see that lacrima up there?"

"If by lacrima you mean the large gray sphere, than yes I do." The spirit cocked his head up and stared at the massive object.

"Could you destroy that for me please? It must be destroyed in exactly seventeen seconds." The internal timer was still clicking in Lucy's head from Hibiki's magic.

"I can try, but I cannot guarantee my success. My power is almost completely gone as a result of me crossing the gate, and the tiny stream of energy I am receiving from you are all being used in keeping my existence on this plane. In addition, I do not know how tough the lacrima's defenses are."

Lucy couldn't tell for sure, but she thought her spirit almost seemed to be sarcastic in his statement. "Don't worry about me; take as much energy as you can from me. Just destroy that thing. There's only four seconds left."

"As you wish." Channeling prana throughout his body, Guardian reinforced his body to the limits. His speed, strength, senses, and durability were all increased multiple times. With a single leap, Guardian covered the distance between Lucy and the lacrima. He paused for a moment on top of the lacrima as he waited for the last second to pass, before destroying it with a single punch.

Lucy was stunned at the display of strength. It was easily on par with Taurus or Leo. Not to mention that speed of his, not even Cancer could move that fast. "Amazing…"

Without warning, the spirit jumped back by Lucy's side and grabbed her by her waist on one arm and holding Happy by the neck with his other hand. "There's no time, this place is collapsing. We must go before I am out of energy." With another reinforced dash, Guardian found a small hole that has been created as the roof started to collapse. Curling his body almost into the shape of a cannon ball, the three made it out of the room before it was completely destroyed. With a graceful step, the spirit landed carefully on to a patch of grass, where a woman with red hair was already standing. As Guardian let Lucy slowly get out of his grasp and onto the floor, he said, "I'm sorry I cannot stay any longer." Lucy had no more power that she could feed to him. As soon as Lucy got her balance back on the ground, the spirit vanished in a bright flash.

Erza watched the strange man with her guard up at first, but relaxed once she saw the familiar glow that Lucy's spirits have when the move back and forth from the celestial world. Whoever the new spirit Lucy had was, he was without a doubt strong. The spirit held himself as a trained warrior, and seemed to have been able to completely grasp his surroundings. Even while carrying Lucy and Happy with both his arms, he had no openings. "Lucy, is that a new spirit of yours?"

"Huh?" Lucy snapped her head to face Erza. She was still in a daze after the leap from the Nirvana. "Oh, yeah. He's Guardian."

"I see…" Erza grew silent in thought. She could normally gauge how strong somebody is, and if that new spirit is under Lucy's control, then she has made an amazing leap in power.

"Oi! Did all of you make it out okay?" Gray ran down the field when he saw Lucy and Erza together. Ichiya was also next to him.

"How are you doing, my honey?"

Erza ignored Ichiya's comments completely and made a headcount. "We are still missing-"

From the side, Jura, Wendy and Charle started running toward the group. Jura was the first to speak up. "Is everyone safe?"

"The he-cat too." Charle added when she didn't see the cat flying around. What she found was that the cat was still alive, but lying on the ground with a big red bump on his head. "How ungraceful."

"Where are Natsu and Jellal?" Wendy couldn't see the two anywhere in the group.

Ichiya placed his hand on the top of his forehead and glanced side to side in rapid succession. "I don't see him anywhere. He must be still inside!"

"No way," said Lucy. She cupped her hands around her mouth and shouted, "Natsu, hurry up and come out!"

"That stupid piece of flame. What is taking him so long," said Gray. Everybody started to grow nervous at his absence. Nirvana has completely collapse already, and if he's not out then he's either extremely injured or dead.

Suddenly, from beneath the ground, Hot Eye popped out, holding Natsu and Jellal in both arms. "Love will save your friends!" After Nirvana caused him to change sides, he has become an invaluable ally.

"Jeez, making us worry like that." Gray let out a rare smile when he saw Natsu. Wendy immediately ran up to hug the survivors. The group laughed lightheartedly at the atmosphere. Their mission was complete, and everybody returned safely.

Their celebration was short-lived though, as sounds of footstep started to grow louder every second. Marching up to the group, there were hundreds of Rune Knights dressed in their standard uniforms with blank expressions – usually a sign for trouble. In the front, their leader shifted his glasses a little and read off an elegant parchment. "By Orders of the Mage Council, we are here to apprehend several members from your party."

-000-

In the end, each group had to go back to their own respective guilds in a gloomy mood. Jellal and Hoteye were locked up by the magic council, despite the support they gave against Oracion Seis. However, that turn of event was not completely unexpected, as they were wanted criminals after all. What was more surprising was what happened at Cait Shelter. It turns out the guild master was an incredibly old mage that has passed away, and remained in this world only to guard Nirvana. With Nirvana's destruction, he no longer had a purpose and had to move on to the next world. That left Wendy and Charle alone, as the only guild members not created by Guild Master Roubal. Perhaps the only good news to this event was the new celestial keys Lucy managed to obtain.

"Open, Gate of the Twins, Gemini." Two small figures popped out and floated around in Lucy's apartment. Their appearances were very similar, but their clothes were put on as mirror images of each other, with one wearing blue and the other wearing orange. The only other noticeable difference between the two was their mouths were twisted in either a "V" shape or an upside down "V."These were the strongest spirits Angel had, and they had decided to become Lucy's spirit when Angel was arrested by the Magic Council. "Are you ready for our contract?"

"Yes." The twin spirits chimed together. The spirits mirrored each other's movements and danced around in a circle around Lucy.

"Alright then. Which days can I summon you?" Lucy took out a notepad and pen from her pocket. Although she always memorizes the days she can summon her spirits, it never hurts to have a reminder.

The blue spirit with the "V" shaped smile said, "Gemi likes days that burns and are hot."

"Mini likes days with trees and soil."

Lucy jotted down their statements as soon as they were said. Each spirit initiated their contract differently. Some were easy to understand, like Virgo who just told her straightforward. Other's like Taurus forced her to spend time with each other in order to figure out the best days. Plue went through an elaborate dancing to get his point across. Aquarius told her to not summon her unless she wanted to be blown away. "Hmm, a riddle huh?"

"Yes, yes." The twin spirits bobbed up and down in the air. They seemed to be having a lot of fun.

Lucy thought for a short moment, before snapping her fingers. It was very simple. If one just thought about how the days of the week were written out in kanji, they'd be able to realize that each day represented. "Ah ha! This is easy. So Gemi likes Tuesday and Sunday, and Mini likes Thursday and Saturday." She watched her spirits nod in affirmation. "So does that mean I can summon you all four of those days?"

"No." Gemi swirled around in another circle, before stopping behind Lucy's head.

"That's not right." Mini stayed floating right in front of Lucy.

"I hate Tuesday/Thursday and Saturday/Sunday," said both spirits at the same time. Lucy's head visibly slumped at this proclamation. It must've been too much to hope for a strong spirit such as Gemini to agree to be summon four days a week. Gemi and Mini weren't done yet though and continued, "But you can summon us on the other three days."

Lucy wasted no time and quickly scribbled down the dates onto her notepad. "Really? That means I can summon you on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. Yes!" The two spirits nodded once more in affirmation and disappeared together in a puff. Lucy was quite happy at the turn of events. Even though she didn't get four days, three days was still a lot. Considering the fact they just met, this was likely going to increase substantially as their relations grow better. One down, three more to go. Lucy took a deep breath as she prepared to summon another zodiac spirit.

"Open, Gate of the Scorpion, Scorpio!"

This time a man with extremely tan skin appeared. His hair was colored red on one half, and white on the other. Swishing slowly behind him was a huge tail that looked like it could destroy Lucy's apartment in a single swing. "Yo, yo, Aquarius's owner." Scorpio crossed both his hands together and made a strange hand sign on each hand. "Or wait, you're my owner now too. We are!"

Lucy backed up a little while chuckling softly. "Um, are you ready to create our contract now?"

"Of course! I'll let you pick which days yourself. No more than four days a week though."

Lucy almost made a victory sign right then. "Sweet. How does Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday sound to you?"

"Mmm, I don't like not having my weekends off, but it will work out." Lucy smiled happily. This was perfect. Scorpio managed to cover all the days she won't be able to summon Gemini. With this, the variety of spirits she can summon everyday has changed dramatically. Scorpio held his hand out and cut Lucy out of her thoughts as he continued, "But! You must agree to allow Aquarius and I go on a three week vacation. That means no summoning us or the deal is off."

"But three weeks is so long!" Lucy pouted a little. Not only would she not be able to summon Scorpio, but Aquarius too. "Can we shorten that to two weeks?"

Scorpio placed one of his arms on his chin for a moment as if in thought. "No deal. Aquarius and I plan on going onto a sort of practice honeymoon now that we can visit each other more freely." Scorpio watched the conflicted expression on Lucy's face and decided to make his offer a little better. "I'll tell you what; I'll convince Aquarius to allow you to summon her on Saturdays if you agree."

"Deal," Lucy answered immediately. If she could even have one day where Aquarius might be obedient, then it would be worth it. With a firm handshake, the pact was sealed.

"I'll see you around than, Owner." Scorpio gave a mock salute before disappearing into the spirit world.

Lucy was happy. All the contracts were going by smoothly. Everything was just so surreal right now. Out of the twelve gold keys in the world, she managed to collect so many of them already. When she first joined Fairy Tail, she only had three keys. Within a year though, this number tripled and she had nine out of the twelve. She pulled out the last gold key and swiped it slowly in the air.

"Open, Gate of the Ram, Aries!" A pink cloud of smoke filled the room as the spirit was summoned. She had pink hair and on her head were two distinctive horns.

However, unlike the other two spirits, she seemed much shyer. Within the short period of time she was summoned, she glanced around the room frantically at least over a dozen times. Each time she made eye contact with Lucy, her gaze shifted downwards immediately. "Fuuuu…"

Lucy raised an eyebrow at this last spirit. The sound she just made was just strange. "Aries, I summoned you here so we can create our contract."

"Oh!" Aries's eyes brightened up immediately when she heard Lucy's voice. "Oh, um…."

Lucy sighed at this spirit's timid behavior. "Which days can I summon you?"

"Days? Oh!" Aries made a quick thought in her head. "Any day will be fine besides Sunday."

Jackpot. This was unbelievable. The only other spirits she had that allowed her to summon them that many days was Virgo and Leo. Even Taurus allowed only five days. "That's awesome! So every day besides Sunday, huh?" Lucy finished writing this down on her notepad. In her excitement, she almost forgot.

"Yes." Aries looked around Lucy's room uneasily once more. "If there's nothing else, I would like to leave now."

"That's fine. Thanks for the help, Aries!" Aries blushed a little at the comment. It's been a long time since an owner has treated her like this. She raised her hands a little and gave a wave, before quickly returning to the Celestial World.

"Ah, I'm tired," said Lucy toward nobody in particular. As soon as Aries disappeared, Lucy quickly laid down on her bed with both her arms spread wide. "All that's left is…" In Lucy's right hand was the mysterious red key. Just holding the key felt different from any other key she had ever felt before. However, summoning Guardian will probably have to wait another day. She just finished summoning three Zodiac Spirits, and to summon this last one would be pushing it. In fact, judging by the power she needed when she first used the key, she probably couldn't summon Guardian even if she wanted to. It was ridiculously powerful.

It was getting late, but Lucy had one more thing she had to do before going off to bed. Taking out a nice sheet of paper and an envelope, Lucy went to her desk and started to write.

Dear Mama,

I know it's been a while since I last wrote. About a week ago, Fairy Tail and three other guilds fought against Oracion Seis. Don't worry though, we defeated all their members and destroyed this evil magic that they were planning to unleash. During those fights though, I met another Celestial Wizard. After a lot of different things happening, I managed to get three new gold Zodiac keys. In fact, I just made a contract with all of them today! One of them is the Twin Spirit, Gemini. They are absolutely adorable. If it wasn't for the fact they tried to kill me not too long ago, I might've pinched them on their cheeks. Another one is Scorpio. He's just… Well, let's not talk about him. The last one is Aries. She is super cute, but a little shy. I was really surprised when she said she would let me summon her for six days.

Mama, there's one more thing I almost forgot to tell you. I got this crazy powerful red key. I'm not really sure how I should approach it, but I'll try to make a contract with it tomorrow. It seemed very obedient for some reason already, almost like Virgo. But the truth is, I'm scared. He was the one that beat Angel. When I watched him from behind, it was scary. I don't really know how to explain it but it was like everything just froze. He protected me later on after that battle and destroyed the lacrima I was supposed to, but I'm still not sure how I should feel about him. Anyways, I'll write again soon.

Love,

Lucy Heartfillia.

Lucy sealed the letter in the envelope, and placed it with the rest of her stash. Pulling down on the cord, Lucy turned off the lights off in her room and drifted off to sleep.

-000-

The Next Day

Lucy gripped the red key in her hand tightly. This was it, the moment she has been waiting for. In truth, she hasn't been able to sleep all night as she thought about this. She stuck her hand out and let her magical energy wrap around the key. The movement she went through was a little different than usual. Normally, when she summoned one of her Zodiac spirits, she made a quick swipe in the air in various angles depending on the key. However, with this key, she started to turn it in the air – just like one would to open a door.

"Open, Gate of the Root," muttered Lucy. Her concentration slipped for a slight moment as she started to regret summoning in her room. Papers were flying everywhere as wind started to pick up from the magical pressure in the air, and once again a large blue magic circle was created. "Guardian!"

Surprisingly, rather than being summoned in front of her, Guardian was sitting on top of her bed. "It's about time you summoned me." Guardian lifted up one of his arms and stared at it for a moment. "And look, you managed to summon me with only your own power too."

Lucy was actually panting slightly from the exertion. She didn't notice it at first, but this spirit's tone was really annoying. What happened to a calling her master? Not that she would really want him to call her that though. "So, what are you?"

"Straight to the point, I like that." Guardian put on a small smirk. "To be honest, I'm not really sure. I've never been summoned in this manner before you."

"Huh?" That was not an answer Lucy was expecting. She was hoping he would tell her he was some kind of rare spirit that she managed to summon or something along those lines.

"I guess you could call me a Heroic Spirit, although that's not completely right anymore."

"A Heroic Spirit? What's that?" asked Lucy. This was all very new to her, and she loved new knowledge.

"A Heroic Spirit is a being that has completed some sort of great accomplishment in life, and their souls move outside of the cycle of transmigration." Guardian recited his textbook answer. "They used to be remaining in a place named the Thrones of Heroes, but that place is…different now."

"I see. And you are one of these spirits?"

"Yes."

"So you used to be human?"

"Yes. A very long time ago at least."

"And there are more like you?" asked Lucy. If there were more red keys like his, than she may have just gotten a new goal after she finish collecting all the Zodiac keys.

"Yes, there are a few left besides me." Guardian's furrowed his eyebrows in thought. "Though, they cannot reach this world anymore. To my knowledge at least."

Lucy decided to change the subject. For some odd reason, talking about other Heroic Spirits seems to dampen Guardian's mood. It was as if just by talking about his origins was bring up painful memories. It was probably not her place to continue asking. "So, shall we complete our contract now?"

Guardian's demeanor changed as he stood up from Lucy's bed and walked in front of her. "My apologies, I did not realize our contract was not complete." This is the third time he's been summoned to this world after all.

"Oh, no problem. So what days can I summon you?" Lucy expertly took out her trusted notepad.

"Days?" asked Guardian in a questioning tone. What kind of question was that?

"Yes. Like Monday, Tuesday, and so on," elaborated Lucy. This spirit seemed clueless on how a contract with a Celestial Wizard works.

"I do not really understand. I would have thought you would just summon me when I am needed. Is there any reason why you wouldn't?"

Lucy didn't have to think much to answer this question. It was obvious. "Of course! Spirits are not tools for the mage, but rather partners. It would be violate every rule of a Celestial Wizard to break this partnership and attempt to use a spirit as a tool. That is why we form a contract that the spirit agrees to -along with days they would be willing to be summoned. I am forcibly summoning you from your home in the Celestial World, right?"

"No, there will be no need for such conveniences for me. Besides, the fact that I was summoned means bad things are about to happen in this world. I have a good feeling what is happening, and if my feelings are true, then things must not stay on the course they are. The catastrophe two thousand years ago must not happen again. Summon me when you need to."

"Catastrophe? Wh-," Lucy was cut off in her question when a large explosion was heard outside her window. Right on the outskirt of the city was a huge dragon. Its wings were spread out and there was a large red orb on its chest. Surrounding the dragon were various guild members fighting it. "Oh my goodness, what is that thing? Guardian, can you take me over there?"

"Yes." He opened Lucy's window, before jumping out while grabbing her waist. With inhuman speed, the two managed to make it to the scene very quickly.

"Lucy! You made it," said Erza. She was already dressed in her Heaven's Wheel Armor. "Natsu is trapped inside that dragon. Be careful." Without another word, she flew off into the air and started to attack the dragon from many different angles at once.

"Guardian." Lucy's voice has turned completely serious at this point. "Let's help out our comrades."

"Understood." Guardian was about to dash forward, to help Erza against the dragon, but a small lizard-man appeared in front of him. In response, he traced the same two swords he used against Angel – Kanshou and Bakuya- and entered into his combat stance. However, the lizard-man mimicked this action completely, including the tracing of the two weapons. "Another person that can copy my magic? This world's magic is strange." The two moved forward and clashed blades in the center. It seemed like they were equally match until Guardian said, "But, you are still no match for me." In a blink of an eye, the lizard-man was cut down in half and destroyed.

The other guild members, despite their own troubles, watched in awe at the man in red skewer down the lizard-man like it was nothing. Only Erza has been able to do something like that so far. "That's amazing Lucy."

Lucy tried to suppress a blush that was coming from the compliment, but failed to do so. "Nah…"

Happy took in his cue and chimed in, "You llllike him."

Elsewhere in the Celestial World, Leo could be seen pounding on a table screaming, "Love Rival!"

Guardian watched as two lizard-men tried to double team him. However, he never stopped his stride as he through both his swords. They curved in a perfect arc, slicing both of the monster's heads, before returning to Guardian's hands afterwards. As soon as the two monsters he destroyed disappeared though, five more appeared in front. "They just keep on coming, don't they?"

However, at this point, two figures were preparing their own attacks from the top of a clock tower. Their hands were interlocked and they screamed together, "Unison Raid!" Geysers of water gushed out from the city, engulfing the entire area. Before they fell though, they were all frozen into ice and turned into sharp icicles. Each one of them fell at rapid pace, destroying every lizard-man that was out.

"I know this magical power!" said Lucy. "Gray, Juvia…"

"They ddddiiiddd it."

An intercom sound came from the dragon at that point. "Yes, yes, yes. However, you are too late. Magical power absorption, ninety-five percent."

There was one person that never stopped moving even at the display of Unison Raid though. It only took two swipes, but it sent the dragon crashing onto the floor. Both of its legs were completely severed. "Hmph, weak."

Daphne was typing frantically onto her user interface right now. Even with the regenerative powers of the dragon, this type of wound wasn't normal. She needed more power.

"Ahhhhh! Who are you calling weak?" screamed Natsu from inside the dragon. In his rage, he let out even more magical power than before.

"Yes, yes, yes. That's perfect. Now to redirect the power to regeneration…" Daphne continued to suck on Metamo, as she typed furiously on her interface. "Good. Keep letting out more power, Salamander."

"Is that all you got, squinty eyes?" Gray taunted Natsu even more. He was confident Natsu could destroy the dragon, he just needed the motivation.

Erza quickly understood Gray's plan and joined in. "You are not fit to be in Fairy Tail if you cannot even do this."

The dragon was hovering in the air now by flapping on his wings. While the legs were regenerating, a wound that big still needs time. Until then, they had to fly. In any case, these were all efforts of Daphne to use up all the magical energy Natsu was letting out, it didn't seem to end. Suddenly though, an entire wing was cut off, sending the dragon toward the ground once more. It was unknown whether or not Guardian understood Gray's plan, but he said in a monotone voice, "Trash."

"You bastard!" Natsu's flames were at maximum power now. His rage was at his fullest, and they couldn't be contained within the dragon.

"What's going on? His energy is exceeding the capacity that I can absorb!"

Makarov watched calmly at the scene. "Flames of emotion get stronger as Natsu gets angrier."

"This is the end!" Erza, in her purgatory armor, swung her blade at the red orb on the dragon. With it cracked open, Natsu was revealed inside, completely exhausted. Erza turned around to her guild members and shouted, "Everyone! Send Natsu some fire." She herself quickly changed into her flame empress armor.

"Heat Spell!"

"Fire Shot!"

"Fire Card."

The spells converged with each other and was sent straight at Natsu. The fire spread for a short moment, before getting sucked in completely. Flares of fire wisped around Natsu as he wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. "Thanks for the meal. Now that I've eaten I'm revved up!" He ran up Daphne and shouted, "Karyu no Yokugeki!"

"It's real… A dragon." Those were the last words of Daphne before she was sent flying off into the distance. The guild members cheered at their victory and even threw Natsu up in the air a couple of times.

Lucy walked up to Guardian and said, "Thank you so much. You can go back now if you want."

It didn't make sense to Guardian why Lucy wanted to send him back already, especially with the magical power it took to open the gate every time, but complied nonetheless. "Understood." With a flash, he disappeared back to his own world.