Kats: Hi everybody Kats here with Chapter One of my new solo fanfic!

Angel: Right, yay no Maya (Maya= little evil OC in Our World + Beckoning Shadows)

Kats: I hope you like it, since I've been thinking about this for a while now

Angel: She has been even though she only told me about it last month

Kats: For anybody wondering, this is based after the Edolas arc happens

Angel: Yeah

Kats: Enjoy!

~Kats does not own Fairy Tal Hiro Mashima does~

Dying Stars

Chapter 1: A Fateful Encounter

It was raining. Not a gentle misty shower, but an unrelenting downpour from above, merciless and furious. Dark clouds choked out the blue sky, filling the heavens with a flawless cover of dark, stormy gray. Lightning crackled high above, seeking a path to earth. Thunder shook the air a step behind.

Below this powerful display was a miserable dirt path, all grass worn away after countless years of feet. On one side of this path was a towering cliff, striped with red, orange, and tan. Only a few miserable, scraggly bushes clung to its steep side. On the other side of the path was a dense forest, rich and lush, thriving under the moisture.

The path itself could no longer be defined as 'solid earth'. The storm had turned it into a sloshy, marshy mud pit, absolutely horrible to walk through. Four people were trudging through this mud path, struggling every step to lift their feet to continue. Actually, there were five, but the fifth couldn't be described as a person, and it wasn't walking. More like it was a cat, and it was flying. Another appeared to be riding in a giant clock.

"'This weather is horrible! Why did we come out here in such a storm?!' she wails miserably," said Horologium.
"Because this is the way to Magnolia!" responded Natsu, who was a few feet ahead. Lucy shot him a silent glare.
"'Why couldn't we have taken the train?' she demands furiously," said Horologium.
"Because I didn't want to take the train," said Natsu, picking his way through the mud.
"'That's not a good reason!' she wails angrily. 'Since when do we listen to you?' she demands angrily," said Horologium. Natsu rolled his eyes. Lucy couldn't see him because she was at the back of the group.
"Why don't you walk on your own two feet? You and Happy!" suggested Gray grumpily, who was covered head to toe in mud.
"We're taking advantage of our magic," sang Happy cheekily, who was wet but not muddy. Actually, he was a bit jealous of Lucy, because she was dry and not muddy, but being not muddy was good for the moment.

"Why don't you all shut up and concentrate on traveling?!" snapped Erza, who was leading the group. As usual, she had her cart full of luggage, which probably made it even harder to get through the knee-high mud. This difficulty, and because her luggage was getting wet and muddy, had put Erza in a rotten mood.

They were traveling through this atrocious weather to return to Magnolia. They had left on a job a few days prior, but the day they returned, a ferocious storm hit. Now, usually, this wouldn't stop a train, but lightning had struck the tracks, rendering it unsafe to take the train. Natsu had protested taking the train, and it appeared to be his lucky day. Lucy, Gray, and Happy had insisted on waiting for the train to be declared safe again, as they weren't on a time limit, but apparently, there had been a derailment of sorts near Magnolia station, and a mudslide next to the tracks. So they were walking. The only reason they were walking on the muddy path was to avoid the surrounding ground, which had proved to be more like a swamp.

Muddy or marshy. Tough decision. Erza had chosen muddy, and there was no stopping her. And so there they were, trudging through the mud path, wet and miserable. Even Natsu was starting to wish the train could have been working, and that says a lot.

POOF.

"Eeek!" shrieked Lucy, dropping into the mud. "Time's up," said Horologium. "Noooo!" wailed Lucy. "Come back!" She shakily got up, tripped, and got up again. And so Lucy began the suffering. She glanced up at Happy, gliding cheerfully above. "Come on, guys!" he called cheekily.

Thirty Minutes Later

"Hurry up! Not much farther!" encouraged Happy teasingly. At this point, everybody was feeling a bit mutinous, for Happy had been teasing them the entire time. His last comment pushed Erza over the edge. She tilted her head up, searching for Happy. He saw her narrowed eyes and attempted to fly away, but Erza leapt up and caught his tail. "Ahhhh!" wailed Happy as Erza dunked him into the mud. She then proceded to tie him to her luggage, right near the bottom, so he got the full force of the mud.

"Hey, let me off here!" wailed Happy. "It's super-" He was cut of by a mouthful of mud. "I'm glad it's super," said Erza slyly. Happy responded with a desolate wail. Just then, Natsu stopped and sniffed the air. "W-what is it?"stammered Lucy, instantly wary. "There's someone up ahead," said Natsu, gesturing vaguely in front of them, where the path turned sharply. Cautiously, the group crept around the corner.

There, splayed on the ground, battered and splattered with mud, bound tightly with ropes, were two people. Lucy started in surprise. "Wh-" she stammered, not quite sure what to ask. "Are they unconscious?" gurgled Happy, halfway submerged in mud. "Looks like it," said Erza, nudging one person with her foot. "Don't touch them!" wailed Lucy.

"What should we do?" asked Gray. "Help them, of course!" exclaimed Lucy. "We can't just leave them here!" She trudged up to the people, and after a brief pause, began to slowly untie the sodden ropes. "These knots are really complicated," grumbled Lucy. "Allow me to help," said Erza, lifting her sword. *slash, slash* The ropes fell to the ground.

"What should we do now?" wondered Lucy. "Take them to the guild hall," decided Erza. She tied the unconscious people to the top of the luggage cart-unlike Happy-and they set out again.

Much Mud Later

"Finally!" exclaimed Lucy in joy at the sight of the guild hall. "That was horrible!" complained Gray. "I hope we never have to do that again," shuddered Lucy. Out of the mud, the rain had quickly washed off the mud from everybody-the Fairy Tail wizards and the tied-up people alike.

In the blissfully dry shelter of the guild hall, they took the tied up people they had found on the path and laid them on the table. Once they were de-muddyfied and dried off, the people were two girls, covered in cuts, scrapes, and bruises, deeply unconscious. The first girl had long dark blond hair and was wearing black boots, black pants, and a gray jacket over a mottled green shirt.The second was pale, also with long blond hair and was wearing a teal dress top, covered by a black jacket, light denim blue jeans, and small green sandals.

"I wonder why they were tied up on the road," mused Erza. "It certainly is strange," agreed Lucy. Just then, the girls both stirred. One sat bolt upright and the other slowly pushed herself up. With their eyes open, the girl with the jacket had dark green eyes, and the other had dark brown eyes. Erza's eyes narrowed in slight shock.

"Do you sense the magic power?" she whispered to Lucy. Lucy nodded. "So much," she whispered in awe. Erza pointed towards the girl with brown eyes, then whispered, "Hers is a magic I've never felt before, but it is incredibly powerful and diverse. It seems familiar, somehow." Lucy nodded; she felt it as well. Then she pointed to the girl with green eyes. "Hers is something totally alien. I've never felt anything like it before. And it's different, too. It doesn't feel like magic power, but it does at the same time. How strange." This was concerning to Erza and Lucy alike.

The girls looked around, and confusion and shock quickly dawned upon their faces. But they didn't speak. They just looked around. They climbed off the table, confronted by Erza. The girl with green eyes stepped forward and gave her a quick nod. "You were the ones who rescued us?" she inquired without emotion. Erza nodded, "Yes."

"Our thanks," responded the girl with green eyes. She stopped talking and looked around some more. "Can you direct us to the Fairy Tail guild?" she asked after a pause. There was a moment of shocked silence. "You are standing in it," said Erza quietly. Shock dawned on both the girls' faces. "Really?" the girl with brown eyes asked in astonishment. A soft smile crept across the girl with green eyes' face.

"Mine telling us your names?" asked Erza politely. "Only after you," brown eyes answered softly. After the members of Fairy Tail introduced themselves. The girl with green eyes said, "My name is Cori, and my friend here is Angelina." She looked around. "Mind if we stay the night?"

"No problem," agreed Erza. As this awkward conversation took place, Wendy and Carla, at the edge of the crowd, were having a conversation of their own. "I wonder what happened to them," mused Wendy. "I can't even see them!" snorted Carla in frustration. She jumped up and brought out her wings. Hovering in the air, she peered over the people. Then she gasped.

"What is it, Carla?" asked Wendy in worry. "Th-that girl," stammered Carla, pointing to the girl with green eyes. "Trouble," was all that Carla could choke out. "Is she that bad?" asked Wendy, worried. Carla shook her head. "I-I don't know," whispered Carla.

Cori and Angelina insisted on holing up in a storage room, for some strange reason. After a while, they came out again, lurking near the walls. As people mingled around, Natsu staggered in from outside, carrying a miserable Happy. It had taken him that long to clear Happy of all mud, inside and out. "Gosh, Happy!" grumbled Natsu. "Don't eat the mud! It's bad for you!" "I couldn't help it!" wailed Happy.

"Hey, Natsu, Happy!" called Lucy, walking up to them. "Erza's punishment did a number on him, huh?" He looked down in sympathy at the sodden Happy. "Well, he sort of deserved it, but she went overboard," muttered Natsu. "But that doesn't serve as an excuse for sucking up so much mud!" he added, with a furious glance at Happy.

Natsu put Happy onto a table and slumped into a chair next to him. Lucy followed them. "Have you met the people we found on the path?" she asked. Natsu shook his head and stood up again. She took him over to where Cori and Angelina were. They were having a muttered conversation.

"Hey, guys!" Lucy called. Cori and Angelina flinched and their heads jerked up. They relaxed slightly when they saw Lucy, but Lucy noticed they sustained the nervous feel about them that they had had the entire time. "Hello," said Cori quietly. Lucy introduced Natsu and Happy.

At the sound of Natsu's name, a shadow flitted across the two girls faces and they shared a quick glance. "It's nice to meet you!" said Angelina a little too quickly. With a start, Lucy noticed that Angelina's face was showing a tiny bit of...guilt? What was there to be guilty about?

Cori, however, showed no emotion after her previous surprise. Lucy narrowed her eyes. There was something suspicious about these people. Very suspicious.

Later that day, Lucy swung by the storage room to see if she could find something out about these people. As she cracked open the door, she heard voices. It seemed like they were arguing. "Why did you come with me?" snapped Cori. "Because I was worried!" said Angelina. "I can handle my missions!" protested Cori. "But this was your first important one!" countered Angelina. They were quiet for a while.

"I'll tell the boss that we found the subject," Cori said, breaking the silence. "Okay," agreed Angelina uneasily. The was a short clatter. Lucy peered through the crack in the door to see more. Cori was holding a large communication lacrima, which she placed on a box. She tapped it a few times and a shadowy figure appeared. It spoke in a deep, menacing voice. "Have you found the subject?" the shadow man asked.

Cori nodded. "Yes, sir." "Good. Remember, Cori, keep the examination short. This is an important job, and we need you back here for the MA." Cori and Angelina appeared surprised. "Is it already ready?" she asked incredulously. "No, of course not. Preparations are important, though. But remember, do not tarry," the shadow man corrected.

Cori nodded again. "Yes, sir. I'll be sure to hurry." "And one more thing," said the shadow man added. Cori tilted her head. "Yes, sir?" "Is Angelina there with you?" he asked. Angelina flinched. Cori glanced at her, then said, "Yes, sir." "I would like to have a word with her," the shadow man said, menace creeping in to his voice. Angelina grimaced. "I'll leave the room," said Cori, shooting Angelina a quick glance of sympathy.

Cori got up and walked toward the door. Lucy jumped back several paces, and walked towards the door, pretending she had only just got there. "Hello, Lucy," greeted Cori politely. "Hello, Cori," responded Lucy. Lucy made sure to stay out of the way after that, but she heard an angry voice coming from the storage room.

~Time Passes~

Days passed, and Fairy Tail nearly forgot about the visitors. Lucy did not. She saw them, always in the shadows, watching. It was creepy. Really, really creepy. During fights Cori would watch most intently, observing every single movement. Every day, Lucy swung by the storage room to see if she could catch another conversation. She never did, but Cori was almost always in there, arguing with herself. Lucy could catch her saying determinedly, "I'll do it today!" and then sadly adding, "But I don't think I can do it. One more day." All of it worried Lucy.

Then it happened. The two girls just seemed to disappear one day. Lucy was relieved they had gone, but she was worried. Where had they went? That evening, Lucy walked into her apartment to a strange sight. Natsu and Happy were there. No, that wasn't strange, they always came in uninvited. What was strange was that Natsu was out cold on the floor and Happy was flying in nervous circles above him.

"What happened?" asked Lucy, curiosity overruling her annoyance about their intrusion. "It was that Cori girl!" gasped Happy. "We were in here, waiting for you, and she came in and banged him on the head with a rock and left!" Lucy tilted her head. "That is weird," she admitted. "I wonder why." Lucy scanned the apartment and spotted something on the bed. "Look, a note!" she exclaimed. "How did you miss this?" "Ummm..." mumbled Happy. Lucy read it aloud:

Dear Lucy & Friends,

I've left now. You can be sure about that. You don't need to worry about that anymore. Angelina and I have left. I was sent to your world on a mission. I had to eliminate someone; namely, Natsu. But as I watched your guild, I felt more and more guilty about what I had to do, and, in the end, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I know if the people who sent me find out I failed willingly, I'll be punished, and they will come after him again, so just keep Natsu knocked out for a few days. It should fool them enough. When he comes to, knock him out again. Please trust me on this! Also, I am very, very sorry about what is to happen, but I can't do anything to stop it. It is necessary to save the dying stars. There is no escaping it.

Sincerely,

Cori.

"What?" was Lucy's first reaction. "What's going to happen? Who sent her? Why was she sent to eliminate Natsu?" She and Happy ran to the guild hall and showed everyone the note. "It certainly is strange," said Master. "It seems like she knows of some impending disaster. Remember it." "What about keeping Natsu knocked out?" asked Lucy. "We'd better," said Master. "If he's safer because of it."

The whole thing was suspicious, decided Lucy as she walked home. What worried her most was this doom that Cori warned them about. No escaping it? Definitely worrying. Lucy knew she had a right to be suspicious.

That Place From the Prologue

Remember that place from before, with the fancy table and mysterious figures? We return to them...

One chair was empty. "Cori has returned, sir," reported the cold-lady in her icy voice. "Good," responded the shadow man. "Has she completed the mission?" The cold-lady nodded. "She said so." A note of anger crept into the shadow man's voice. "And what about Angelina?" Nervousness shot through the room.

"Returning, sir. That was all she said," said the cold-lady. She shuffled her papers. "Are the preparations for the MA going as planned?" inquired the shadow man. The cold-lady paused. "I do not know, sir." She turned to another figure. "Jozo is in charge of them, sir." The figure she pointed to stirred.

"Jozo, are the preparations for the MA going as planned?" the shadow man questioned. The figure, Jozo, spoke. "Yes, sir, as planned. We are not far, though, but it going as planned, under my watchful eye" he said. Jozo's voice was old and shaky, but it held a heavy amount of self-satisfaction and smugness.

"Sir, I'm worried about something," said the girl with the high, lilting musical voice. "Yes, Melody?" asked the shadow man. "It's Merry; she's been acting weird lately." "Has she," mused the shadow man. "Maybe I'll look into it."

"Anything else, then?" the shadow man asked, addressing the entire table. Silence. "Very well, then, this meeting is dismissed." The figures got up and filed away.

~End of Chapter~

Kats: And that was Chapter One of Dying Stars! Angel, your thoughts?

Angel: Holy that was way different than your original draft.

Lucy: Kats, is it true that you rewrote chapter one?

Kats: Yep. Completely different. And then I revised the entire story structure

Lucy: Whoa...talk about indecisive

Kats: As a fellow writer, I would think you'd understand

Lucy: I-I, I-

Angel: Okay that's enough

Kats: But yeah I am pretty indecisive...

Wendy: Goodbye everyone!

-Angel, Kats, and Cast Out