Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does. However, the fanfic idea is mine, so that's that.
"C'mon, Lucy! We're all waiting for you!" Said Natsu from the doorway as Lucy struggled to put on her boot. "Ooba is gonna be ticked if we don't get there, like now."
"I know, I'm trying!" Lucy exclaimed, exasperated. She finally managed to put her foot in the shoe and buckle it. After almost face-planting while tripping over Gray's luggage, she and Natsu raced to the spot they were told to meet Ooba. The letter had specifically said:
"Fairy Tail,
Meet me in Margaret Town at the Tailor's Shop at precisely 7am. If you're late, I'll spin you!
Ooba
P.S.
Bring the parchment-cloth, or I'll spin you again!"
Quick as a flash, Natsu and Lucy were pumping their legs toward the village.
Because frankly, neither of them wished to endure the Old Hag's spinning wrath.
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After about ten minutes, they arrived at the run-down blue building that was the Margaret Town Tailor Shop. They had barely noticed the strange looks that they were getting from the townspeople, or the fact that the rusty sign hanging above the door was on its last limb, just barely hanging from a rope and swaying in the wind. They were in too much of a hurry. They threw open the door, just barely sliding in at 7.
"You barely arrived in time, I'm surprised." Said Gray, who was standing next to Erza admiring the wares of the shop. He didn't even have to look away to know that his comrades had come in the front door, that was how they always entered. However, there was no retort from Natsu, he was positively shaking with pain.
"Oww, Lucy. You stepped on my toe!"
"Shut up you big crybaby, I didn't do it on purpose! You're a big boy, just get over it!"
"I have feelings, too, ya know, and pain receptors."
"Oh, come on. It didn't even hurt that bad." The celestial wizard bent over to inspect the now red foot of the Dragon Slayer.
"Yes, it did! You don't even kno-"
"Enough!" Erza shouted at the two, giving them the Death Glare. They immediately stopped, glared at each other for a second, then the two began to observe the shop's interior. It was bigger on the inside than it looked. Beautiful silk and cotton garments adorned mannequins all around the shop, dresses, hoods, shirts, jackets and more. Erza was specifically looking at a strapless navy dress, while Gray was admiring the cloaks. Natsu and Lucy walked through the store completely, and then noticed a small counter from which Ooba was talking to a stubby man.
"Gourd, you don't have to be afraid of these wizards. They won't hur-"
"Are we positively certain of that?"
"Yes, you fool-"
Lucy and Natsu headed the opposite direction to avoid eavesdropping, toward Gray and Erza.
"Not to be rude to Ooba or anything, but-" Lucy began.
"But what the heck are we at a Tailor for?!" Finished Natsu.
"You act like we know, Slanty Eyes!" Retorted Gray.
"Well, you might've known if you weren't so clueless, Droopy Eyes!" Said Natsu, again locking horns with Gray. They menaced for a few minutes, then were pushed away from each other by Erza, as usual with a bump on their heads.
"No fighting in public. Understand?"
"Yes ma'am." A moment of giggling from Lucy, then:
"Okay, Fairy Tail. Follow me before I spin you!" Came the voice of Lamia Scale's master, gesturing to a curtain behind the counter. The members of Fairy Tail glanced at one another, then did as they were told. The curtain whipped behind the last person, the only sound in the now empty shop.
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This room was obviously a storage room of a sort. Boxes of all sizes were of plenty, but they had been stacked to make several small chairs and a table in the middle of the small room. The stubby man was sitting in one of the chairs. He had balding blonde hair and a blonde goatee, which were shaking along with the rest of his body. He was afraid. As the Fairy Tail members took a seat, Ooba spoke,
"I'm sorry Fairy Tail, But he'll be the only form of information I can provide for you. In fact, I hadn't even heard of this guild until Makarov told me about it. When I get back to the guild hall, I'll have the others start packing for you so you can return to Magnolia soon. Good day." Ooba exited the room, and said, " There's no reason to be afraid, Gourd. Just tell them what you saw." The man nodded.
"Oh, it was horrible!" He Said shuddering, "A few weeks ago, my buddies and I went hunting in Crocus, and we stopped at a bar to get some rest. I don't know, maybe we had a few more drinks than we should've, but we should've just stayed away from them!"
"Slow down, sir. Who? And what happened?" Asked Lucy.
"Well, while the guys and I were sitting at the bar, a group of shifty lookin' figures walked in. We were drunk, so after a bit, we went over to investigate, and flirt with the ladies. Bad idea. They saw us, and before I knew it, they'd attacked me and my buddies."
"What were their attacks like?" Asked Happy.
"Well, one of my buddies was wrapped in thorns, so he couldn't move, one was trapped in some sort of floating water, and I was frozen in ice from the shoulder down. There was three of them, but there was this dark presence all around. It was dark outside too, so I only caught glimpses of their appearances. The one who most likely made those vines was a beaut' with auburn hair. The one who made the floating water had on a fedora, so couldn't really tell what he was like, other than he was a male. The third one, however, was the most terrifyin'. They had on a cloak, so didn't know what gender they were. The figure though, they had the strongest and strangest magical presence I've ever sensed in my life. Every step they took towards me I felt like my heart quit beatin'. All they did when they arrived was say to me and my buddies, 'If you say a word to anyone about what you just heard, we'll come for you.' God, that scared the crap outta me, even though I hadn't heard anything anyway. All of the sudden they disappeared and their magic with 'em. Me and my buddies swore to keep quiet 'bout it and left to head home. Hadn't told no one 'bout what happened except Ooba, and now you."
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Silence followed for a second after the Tailor finished. Then:
"Thank you, Mister Gourd. You were very helpful." Said Erza as all of the party members stood up. They walked out of the shop in silence toward Lamia. A person was waiting with their luggage when they arrived.
"Hey, guys. Master and I packed for you, and we took back your magic mobile. You've got a carriage now." Said a certain Wind God-Slayer. "It'll be a bit though, so let us serve you lunch before you go." The girl led them inside to the dining hall, where there was sandwiches and a room full of expectant people.
"Well? Did Gourd tell you everything?" Asked Lyon as they entered. All that the question got was a nod. Nothing else was said for the rest of the lunch.
True to Sherria's word, a caravan pulled up in front of the guild an hour later. All of the luggage was packed, and after waving goodbye to Lamia, the members were on their way back to Magnolia. Natsu had been knocked out by Erza, as usual, and finally, something was said about the day's events.
"Well, the trip wasn't totally pointless, now was it?" Said Lucy.
"I just can't believe that members of this Guild would attack innocent civilians. Apparently, they didn't want to be overheard." Said Gray, completely avoiding Lucy's statement.
"No, you're right, it was probably some scheme about the attacks on our guild. However, we kind of know what elements we're up against now, and who is the most powerful in the guild." Erza responded.
"Ice, Earth, and Water. Doesn't sound too bad." Said Gray.
"I don't know, Gray. Some plants are poisonous, so that would be a huge advantage over us. And hypothermia can kill you very quick, and-"
"We get it, Lucy." Silence for a millisecond.
"The descriptions we got of them were pretty vague too. It would be hard to spot them because of their generic appearance."
"I don't know about that either, Erza. We can all tell if a person has high magic, and if what the guy said was right, it would be like sensing Gramp's magic energy."
"Do you think the hooded guy might be their Master?" Asked Lucy.
"No, the master would have had less mercy on those poor men. The master probably was the one who gave out the order to put the "Devil's Dream" on Natsu, and who cursed that paper that bewitched you, Gray." Said Erza. But Gray's mind was elsewhere.
"Is something burning?" He asked aloud, noticing that his chest was beginning to get warmer than usual. Also, it felt like something was vibrating right over his heart, like the organ had gone berserk.
"No," Erza said, confused, while staring at Gray. Her eyes fell toward his jacket.
"Gray, is your jacket glowing?" Gray looked down. Right where his heart was located, a bright yellow glow was peeking out of the seams. Gray unbuttoned his jacket, which made the light grow even brighter, and attract the attention of Lucy. He pulled out the piece of parchment, which was in his inside pocket, and was the source of light from which now lights of all colors were shooting from. He blindly unfolded the paper, and as the lights slowly dimmed, he gaped.
"I don't believe it, there's more writing."
"What?" Asked Lucy and Erza in Unison. He nodded, then began to read the whole riddle that they had acquired:
"The fairies will fall at the mercy of a Dragon's Fang,
But in vain the small creatures search,
Find the location of the guild hall,
You'll find the Dragon's perch.
So, to find the guild the winged people seek,
Ask all manner of folk, strong or meek,
Go to the place with the M emblem however,
And your knowledge of the Dragons will begin to climb its peak."
Gray stopped reading. His vision began to get blurry, then a scene flashed through his mind.
"No, Will isn't a fitting name. You should name him after Silver... we should call him Gray!" Said the small girl who had been haunting his dreams. Another vision. Erza noticed him wincing and asked:
"You okay, Gray?"
It was best not to worry her. "Yes, I'm fine, just processing it." You didn't need to be a genius to tell he was lying. But Erza didn't ask, it was his problem, not hers.
"A guild with an M emblem, huh? So that must be-"
"Mermaid Heel." Finished Lucy. "That's where we should go next."
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Meanwhile:
Along the east side of Fiore's capital, Crocus, there is a mountain range named after the capital. The mountains are great for hunters, especially for the rare species that come during spring which fetch a high price in markets. It is a very popular place among hunters and trappers alike.
However.
On the east side of the Crocus Mountains, there is a forest called the Kiba Wood. Even though close to the mountain range, the forest has been mostly abandoned by the animals. Many say that a strong magical presence lies over the trees, good or bad is unknown. Many avoid the forest altogether to avoid becoming bewitched. Just to be safe.
In this such forest, there is a large clearing. The clearing is filled with rubble from an ancient castle that was destroyed long ago. The place is accompanied by two individuals.
One is a woman. She has aburn hair that has been coiled into a bun, and she wears a red plaid flannel shirt and khaki capris. Her face is in a state of absolute serenity. The other is a young man, probably age fourteen. He has lemon yellow layered hair, and his eyes are as green as the trees themselves. The two wait in expectancy for a few minutes more, then another figure steps into the clearing. The figure has on a light blue cloak with white fur trim, and their feet barely echo to signal their approach. The young man notices the figure first.
"Hoodwink Sensei. I'm glad to see you're alright."
"Don't underestimate me, Fuyu. I could fend for myself against those Fairies if I had to." The figure responded. The voice of the figure was like silk, beautiful but also terrifying. The boy called Fuyu nodded in agreement and stood next to his teacher.
"Glad to have you, Hoodwink. Master wants to see you when we get back." Said the woman.
"Thank you, Jodi. I will see her the minute we arrive." Said the figure. The woman called Jodi nodded and then muttered a few words. As if the universe got split in half, the air in front of the three individuals begin to peel apart as vines revealed the true form of the ruins. They weren't ruins at all.
Inside the barrier was the Dragon Fang Guild Hall.
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Hey guys, hope you're doin' good. I've been quite busy, and I also started re-watching FT for ideas, (guilty of sitting on my butt and doing nothing. ;))
Just to clear up a few things:
I didn't use any ideas from any of the movies.
I didn't use anything from the OVA's either.
Thank you sooooo much to NaLuCrAzY215 for reviewing. It made me happy reading your opinion! :)
Please, Please, Pleaaaase review (It may help me to write faster and make longer chappies.) Also follow and favorite. You're amazing!
-BetaTest401