Hey everyone, sorry for not updating sooner, but like I said before, junior year is a bitch. I've been more focused on grades than writing for you guys. But Thanks Giving Break is around the corner so hopefully I can really sit down and write. Hang in there guys!

Dear Mom,

I often wondered what happened in the tower. Natsu and Erza never talked about it. Neither did her childhood friends, when they were around. I suppose it was something that didn't need to be discussed, that is was a silent conversation that was held once and never again. The only thing that I even heard about it was "Promise!" that Natsu wailed at her. Even though he wasn't apart of the scene, Gray seemed to understand better than I. I guess if you have known someone forever, you don't need to talk out loud to understand what someone is trying to say. So the event was dropped, without any protest from the three while Juvia and I got closer to each other. I even offered to give her a makeover. I gave a really cute, short hair cut and got her out of the dark blue robe. Now at least she had a chance with Gray. I wonder what will happen we go back, what adventure will await us.

Lucy's POV

"Ah, you never realize how much you miss the forest air until you stay in the Dragon World for three years." I sighed as I took multiple breaths of air. I closed my eyes for a second and took in the sounds of the forest. I felt an arm wrap around my neck and I opened my eyes fast enough to see a flash of a camera going off. I let out a sigh as Ryan started taking photos of the forest like a damn tourist. Ryan then made the mistake of taking a picture of Acnologia, which earned him a broken camera underfoot. I let out a giggle at the desperate look on Ryan's face, before patting him on the back.

"Don't worry, Ri, we'll get you another one once we reach a town." I spoke reassuringly towards him before shooting Acnologia a look that said 'don't break the next one.'

"Really?" Ryan sniffled.

"Yes of course we will." Acnologia spoke up, "As soon as Lucy tells us what town we are going to, provided that we get there of course."

"Judging on where we are now, I would say that the closest town is Onibus. It normally would take about three hours to walk, but..." I picked through my keys until I found the one I desired, "...this should make things easier." I held the key out in front of me and chanted, "Open, gate of the Charioteer: Auriga!" The sound similar to that of a doorbell echoed throughout the forest as an old man appeared before me. He is dressed in a full suit, including white gloves, with his white hair combed back. His large white mustache extends out from his face and he is wearing a monocle on his right eye. Over the last few years in the Dragon World, I had made a contract with Auriga.

"What is it that you require Miss Lucy?" Auriga spoke as he took a deep bow.

"Do you think you could drive us to Onibus please, Auriga?"

"It would be a pleasure Miss Lucy." With a giant poof, he was gone, and in his place stood a wooden carriage with a magnificent black steed.

"Please get in Miss Lucy." The black stallion whinnied.

"Thank you Auriga." I said as I boarded the carriage. Ryan and Acnologia entered behind me and chose to sit across from me. As soon as Acnologia shut the door, Auriga took off in a steady trot. I stared out at the moving trees before a thought formed in my head.

"Acky?" I turned to look at my dragon guardian.

"Hmm?" Acnologia responded at he turned his head from the window, to look at me.

"I was wondering... what are we going to do about your name?"

"What about it?" Acnologia asked in a half interested tone.

"Seriously dude?" Ryan asked, joining the conversation, "People think of you as the villain of the story. Whether you're human or not doesn't matter. You're still the dragon that terrorized people for years."

"But I was under the influence of Zeref and my grief!" Acnologia protested.

"Do you think people give a rat's ass?" Ryan countered. The black haired man mumbled something as he turned back to the window.

"Acky." I said softly. Acnologia slowly turned back to face me, his facial expression making it clear that he was upset, "We don't blame you for what happened, we know it isn't your fault, we know you want to redeem yourself. But right now, that can't happen. Your name is too tainted. If you take on another name, prove who you are, and then reveal yourself, chances are that people will stop and listen to who you want to be." I flashed him a sympathetic smile.

"Yeah dude, we known how the bad guys are just by lookin at 'em." Ryan said as he placed his hand on Acnologia's shoulder.

"Do not be discouraged Mr. Acnologia." Auriga's voice resonated throughout the carriage, "For it is those who see the real you that is worth keeping around. The one's who are quick to judge don't deserve to know who you really are."

"Listen to the man... er horse... thing," Ryan sweatdropped trying to figure out what to call Auriga, "He's had thousands of years to figure these sort of things out."

"A suppose it would be nice to start fresh hmmmm..." Acnologia quickly lost himself in thought for the next 10 minutes, all that we heard from him was an occasional mutter. As we approach Onibus, Ryan and I suddenly hear a shout.

"I got it!" Acnologia practically screamed, causing Ryan and I to nearly jump in shock.

"Got what dude?" Ryan asked as I was trying to slow down my heart rate.

"I know what my new name will be. From now on I will be known to the outside world as Achilles Logal."

"Why that?" I finally managed to speak without wheezing.

"Because Achilles was an ancient hero in Greek mythology and Logal because that is technically the last part of my name." Acnologia couldn't have looked more proud of himself.

"So basically, you're naming yourself after the hero that pricked his heel and died because he's old, like you, and because your last name couldn't possibly give you away." Ryan deducted sarcastically. Acnologia didn't need to reply, his full on glare was enough to get the message across to Ryan.

"I think Achilles Logal is a fine name." Auriga said causing the newly named Achilles to give the bright scarlet haired man a smirk.

"You can stop here Auriga, we can walk the rest of the way into town." I opened up the window so that I could speak to my spirit clearly.

"If that is what you wish Lucy." Auriga slowly came to stop. Opening the door, I was the first one to exit the carriage, stretching my muscles in the process. After Ryan and Acnologia had gotten out, Auriga returned to his human form.

"Thanks for the ride Auriga." I waved.

"Any time Miss Lucy." Auriga said with a bow before disappearing.

"So, Luce, where are we going from here?" Ryan asked.

"Well, Onibus doesn't have any local guilds, so this would be a perfect opportunity to offer our services to those who need our help." I started walking toward the town entrance.

"When are we going to head back the Magnolia and Fairy Tail?" Acnologia asked as he fell into step next to me.

"We're not." I said in a tone that clearly indicated that that part of the conversation was over. I led my friends to the local bar. Every mage for hire knows that if you want to find a job, find a bar. The bell by the door tinkled as I opened the door and stepped in, followed by Acnologia and Ryan.

"How can I help you?" A young female bartender asked innocently.

"Hi, are there anyone that has put in a job request, we are a group of independent mages that are looking for a job." I leaned over the bar as I spoke to her.

"I think we have some in the back, let me go grab them." I took a seat as the bartender left the room, signaling for my male partners to do the same. After a few minutes, the bell tinkled again followed by a slam of the door. I tried to look at who had entered out of the corner of my eye, but all I could determine was that they were male and there were five of them.

"Sorry it took me so long but I was able to find-" The bartender stopped short as she noticed her new customers. I felt myself naturally tense up as I saw the uncertainty in her eyes.

"Hey doll, sorry if we are interuptin' somfin but we just here to collect ar dues." The obviously head thug spoke up. The bartender reached down under the counter and pulled out a small package. Timidly, she held it out at arm's reach and slightly flinched when he snapped it out of her hands. He ripped open the package and counted the jewels inside before turning to look at her.

"This isn't the amount we agreed on doll."

"I-I'm sorry but business was slow this month but I p-promise to pay i-it b-b-back next month." The girl stuttered.

"That ain't no good dollface. Look's like w'll hav tu make an ex'mple of yus." The men behind him giggled evilly as the all reached for her. I couldn't take it anymore.

"Hey morons!" I spoke, not looking at them. The five men all turned to look at me, noticing my presence for the first time.

"You should treat a lady with more respect." I hissed, looking them all dead in the eye, "Instead of relying on others to make money, maybe you should get off of your lazy ass and do it yourself."

"Just who the hell do yus think yus are bitch?" The head thug asked.

"The one who is going to kick your ass." I growled. The room got quiet for a moment before the head guy started laughing.

"I lik mi gurls fiesty." He grabbed my chin and pulled me in for a kiss. I continued to glare at him as his lips reached for mine. Suddenly a hand slapped itself over his face and pushed him back.

"Get your hands off of her you filthy son of a bitch." Acnologia growled as he and Ryan stood protectively by my sides.

"What did yus call mi?"

"You heard him, dude. And while you're at it, learn some proper english." Ryan shook his fist like he wanted to ignite it with his magic, but I placed a hand on his shoulder and silently conveyed a message not to burn down the bar.

"That's it, not nobody insults mi and mi boyz. Get'em guyz." The five men charged at us, but in less that a wag of a dog's tail we had them on their back, unconcious.

"Thank you very much." The girl said.

"No, prob. I hate to be a bother, but could we have those job requests and directions to the nearest Rune Knight's station?" I said sweetly as Ryan and Acnologia began to heave the thugs on one shoulder and hold the other one under their arms.

"Of course, it is the least I could do." She handed me a stack of papers that I placed under my arm and directions. I walked over to the last thug and started to drag him by his shirt. I pushed open the door with my body and used the dragged body to keep it open for my comrades.

"I think people are staring at us." Ryan observed as we made our way down one of the streets.

"Na, it's all in your head Ry." I said as I continued to march on, oblivious to the whispering all around me.

"No, they are definitely looking at us." Ryan concluded.

"Don't be silly Ry, why would they look at us. There are plenty of other things to look at." I grinned.

"You really are oblivious aren't you." Ryan muttered quietly.

"What did you say, I didn't catch all of that." Just because I wear my limiters doesn't mean that I didn't retain some of my dragon senses.

"Nothing." Ryan quickly dismissed me and the topic was dropped. After a few more seconds, the Rune Knight's building came into view. The door opened automatically as we came to stand before it.

"Fancy." I spoke aloud as I entered the building. I was surprised to find several of the knights inside all gaping at me. Jeez, you would think with all of the job requests out there this would be a normal phenomenon. I threw the thug in front of the nearest knight.

"Hey guys." I flashed them a smile to show that I was a friendly person, "We found these guys about to rob a sweet little girl so we beat them up. Apparently it was a normal occurrence and we thought is necessary to intervene." Ryan and Acnologia dropped the people that they were carrying next to where I had thrown mine.

"So we'll be going now." I turned to leave and Ryan and Acnologia followed me. The doors had opened and we were about to step out when we were stopped.

"Lucy?" A familiar male voice asked. Out of curiosity, I turned around to see who it was.

"Mest is that you? You've changed over the last couple of years." I walked over to the rune knight. His hair was longer and he was wearing a dark high-collared, fur trimmed, form-fitting muscle shirt with leopard print around the collar and clavicle areas, simple jeans with a black stripe going up the side of either pant leg, a simple belt, and black shoes. His Fairy Tail mark is on his right shoulder, in black, which to some degree reminds me of a certain iron dragon slayer. To be honest, I had often wondered why Makarov would send someone to infiltrate the magic council, but that was neither here nor there.

"I could say the same thing about you Lucy." He was right, I had changed. My hair was now lighter from all of the training I had endured and about mid back length. My eye color, although in my limited state, was still brown but now it swirled with much magical knowledge. My bust size had shrunk from a double D to barely a D cup, much to my relief. Boobs are heavy and it's difficult to move quickly with all of that extra weight. And toned muscles now made up most of my body.

"Three years of training will do that to ya Mest. But what about you? I haven't seen you since the end of Tartarus. How is life been treating you?" I asked, excited to catch up with an old friend.

"Very well, I have become to head of the magic council. So now Fairy Tail has at least one friend in the council." Mest made a gesture to his guild mark while I bust out laughing. It was true that Fairy Tail could use all the help that it could get.

"Speaking of friends, would you care to introduce me to the men behind you."

"Oh them." I turned around to face my forgotten friends, "The redhead is Ryan Chalek, and the one in black is Acno- I mean Achilles Logal. They're my new travelling companions. Right now we are currently looking for some job requests, but I think we will be good for a while." I waved the stack of papers in front of my face. Mest nodded in understanding.

"Well, if you are in need of some work, I have one for you, if you would like. Why don't you write it on the back of one these sheets here so I remember." I flipped one of the job requests over. Nodding, Mest took out a sheet of paper and began to scribble on it. After he finished, he handed to sheet of paper back to me. I felt my eyes nearly pop out of my skull as I read the words on the sheet.

"Do you... um... want to talk about this now? I don't think it is something that can wait."

"Sure, I know a cafe around here that serves some good food."

"Sounds like a plan, alright Ry, Acky, let's go." I fist bumped at the idea of food. Mest and I left the building, leaving Ryan and Acnologia to catch up.

"So are you going to explain why you wrote this, or are you going to keep us waiting?" I asked as I waved the sheet of paper around.

"Here's the thing. Lucy do you remember when we beat Tartarus and we destroyed Face?" I nodded in grim remembrance, "Well we were wrong. While the dragons managed to destroy some of Face, I discovered that Zeref had absorbed the rest of it. Not only can he now release Face as a spell over all of Earthland, he has also managed to restore Tartarus and demons who were apart of it." I felt myself tense up as Mest spoke. All of the sacrifices that had been made on that day seemed like they had been in vain. I looked across at Acnologia to see that he was scowling, probably at himself for Tartarus had not been his finest hour.

"Not only that, but I discovered that the Zeref Natsu faced off was only part of the horrid black wizard. Apparently there are eight in total, and each time you defeat one, the others get stronger so that eventually when you are left with one part left, you have been left with all of Zeref."

"So you mean each time we defeat him, we are really returning that part of him to his original self." I deduced as I closed my eyes, thinking about what to do in the situation that was being revealed.

"Exactly." Mest nodded. We all hushed for a minute as a waiter came with our drinks. It was only after he left did we pick up our conversation again.

"So what's the plan of action then?" Ryan asked.

"I want you three to immerse yourselves with Zeref and his New Tartarus. I think it would be wise if you create a dark guild that is strong enough to earn Zeref's trust and therefore, find out what his plans are. When you find him at his weakest, strike and destroy one part of him. If you can destroy seven of his parts, then I can convince Fiore to stand behind you guys in destroying Zeref once and for all."

"Are you sure I am right for the job, Mest?" I asked, "I'm not exactly evil."

"No, but you do want revenge." Mest concluded.

"On what?"

"Fairy Tail. They "betrayed you" after all." Mest made sure to put air quotes around the words betrayed and you. I nodded at his meaning before my mind began to groan. Just how THE HELL what I gonna pull THIS off?