Author - duncundog
Summary - When a strange girl stumbles into the guild with no memory of the past seven years, Fairy Tail is immediately suspicious. She claims to be innocent, yet she refuses to tell anyone about her past. Master Makarov knows her, but according to him, she's supposed to be dead. Wendy Marvell, on the other hand, tells a different story. With the guild being threatened from all sides, it seems that their newest member isn't quite what they thought her to be, and they could pay gravely for their mistake.
Author's Notes
Normal Story
Character Thoughts
Memories
"_emphasis in a sentence_"
Chapter 7 - The Fairy Rebel
Disclaimer - I own no rights to Fairy Tail (sadly).
Last Time On 'Moon Dust' -
'Each person has a light side and a dark side.'
...
'Is it possible for me to be more evil than I am good?'
...
"So, here's what we'll do. When night falls, I want Natsu and Gray to stand behind one of the houses, staying quiet and out of sight. I will be behind the large tree in town square within sight of them so that I may give them a signal of when to come out. Meanwhile, Lucy will remain in the center of town square, out in the open. She will act as bait. When the demon comes, he will immediately go after Lucy. I will then give the signal, and Natsu and Gray will leap out and attack it. I will join them, and by then Lucy will have had enough time to summon one of her spirits to help her. Then we beat the demon, collect our reward, and go home without causing any damage to the town. Got it?"
...
"What the-?! That didn't even scratch it!"
...
'If they can't defeat it, then what?'
...
"Get down! NOW!"
Suddenly, a long spiked tail came out of nowhere, swiping the three off of their feet.
...
"Just like old times, huh?" Loke snorted, setting himself into a fighting stance.
She smiled a little, her eyes never breaking from their intense gaze. "Yeah, I guess it is."
...
"O Maiden of the Moon, lend me your power and be reborn as the rebel fairy of the moonlight!"
...
"She's a wizard..."
Setting both feet firmly on the ground, Preston stood beside Loke, facing the massive demon in front of them. Her appearance had changed somewhat from before, and now two clear, dragonfly-like wings protruded from her back, gauntlets decorating her arms and plated armor running along her legs and over her shoulders. A small, silver ringlet circled her head and her simple clothes had been transformed to a white corset strung down the front and a purple skirt that stopped just above her knees. A serious expression crossed her face, and glancing over at Loke, she nodded firmly.
"Ready?" she asked, nodding towards the demon.
Smirking, he fixed his glasses, replying, "And since when am I not?"
Rolling her eyes, Preston chose to ignore him, darting up into the air and flying towards Faber. He followed quickly behind, running along the ground and pulling back his sleeves.
Quickly changing directions to avoid the monster's swinging tail, Preston put her hands together, aiming at the monster and taking a moment to gather her energy before releasing a beam of purple light. It didn't seem to have much effect, though, and cursing under her breath, she avoided another attack, zooming off in another direction.
Running at the demon's legs, Loke drew back his fist, slamming it powerfully into the thing. Faber wailed, stepping back in surprise, and smirking in success Loke leapt back out of range of the beast, narrowly avoiding a sweep of its deadly tail.
Slowly sitting up from where she lay on her side, Erza held her side painfully, watching the fight through narrowed eyes. Preston and Loke seemed to work well together, and she couldn't help but notice the familiarity in which they interacted with one another. Were they friends or something? She'd never seen them interact at the guild before. And what's more, what kind of magic was Preston using? She didn't recognize it. Frowning, she watched as the young girl shot off another blast of glowing purple light at the demon, flitting out of its reach only to do it again in another spot. What was she doing?
"Loke!" Preston shouted, ducking down to avoid another attack. "Double team!"
Nodding quickly, Loke moved back, running towards where Preston was hovering above the ground, having gone down to a lower height. Leaping just as he came level with her, he saw her put her hands out and kicked off of them, allowing her to push him up higher in the air, using her wings as a propeller. Souring upwards, he arched through the air, preparing another attack. Then landing on the beast's arm, he hit its chest directly just as Preston shot another beam of light into the same spot. The result was devastating as the beast immediately stumbled backwards, crying out in apparent pain. Jumping off before he could be hurt, Loke fell a few feet before Preston caught him, lowering him more slowly to the ground, not quite strong enough to hold him up long.
Erza continued to watch the fight from a distance, interest piqued. Their method of fighting together was very intriguing and clearly well practiced, which again brought to mind the idea that they must have done it before. She had been suspicious of Preston since the very beginning, and nothing that girl said ever struck her as being particularly truthful. In fact, she sincerely believed that she was hiding many things from them. However, the fact that she was a wizard or that Loke and her had some kind of past was not something she had expected. She was honestly surprised as well as incredibly curious.
Preston shot another blast of purple light at the demon, and with one final, powerful hit, Loke brought it down. The beast began to fade and disintegrate before their eyes, and then he was gone.
Panting, exhausted, Preston slowly lowered herself back down to the ground, falling to her knees in the dirt. Her chest heaved with the effort of taking in air and she hung her head, dizzy. She still hadn't fully recovered rom her old injuries and it'd been awhile since she'd been in a fight. Her body had become unaccustomed to the physical strain of it all. Walking over to her, Loke bent down, scooping her up into his arms and carrying her back towards where everyone else was slowly getting up, coming together.
"What the hell was that?!" Natsu asked the moment they got close enough to hear. Naturally, the pink-haired dragonslayer had recovered quickly and was almost entirely back to his normal energetic self.
"A fight, Natsu. Try winning one sometime," Loke retorted with a sigh.
"He means," Erza elaborated, a serious look on her face, "what was that? Since when is she a mage and since when do the two of you know each other?"
Lucy nodded in agreement. "Yeah, I'd like to know that too."
Glancing between the three of them (and Happy), Loke sighed softly. He glanced down at Preston, who by now had completely passed out in his arms, and then looked back up at them again. "Truth is, we used to date a long, long time ago. Before I became Lucy's spirit, when I was just wandering the Earth waiting to eventually fade away. We met outside of Oak Town, traveling the main road. I guess you could say we kind of hit it off."
"You mean you hit on her and she was stupid enough to fall for it?" Gray corrected, arms crossed and one eyebrow raised.
Loke smirked a little, shrugging. "Maybe. That's besides the point, though." He looked back down at the girl in his arms, dropping the smirk. "We were actually together for a fairly good amount of time. A few months, actually. And during that time... I guess you could say I got to know a fair amount about her life and what she's been through. She confided a lot in me." He let another, heavier, sigh. "Inevitably, I broke her heart and lost her trust. Last time I saw her she could barely stand the sight of me. That was over eight years ago, though..."
Erza frowned, nodding slowly as she listened to the story. Then speaking up, she asked quietly, "So what has she been through?"
Loke looked up at her, a surprisingly dark look on his face. "I'm afraid I can't tell you that."
The redhead opened her mouth to speak again, looking a little upset that he had denied her, but Lucy quickly stepped in, speaking before she could. "Alright, well, I think we should all get bandaged up and rest a little. Then we can head back to Magnolia tomorrow after talking to the village chief. Sound good?"
Erza looked the reluctant to agree, but after a moment she nodded, and they all went back to the hut they were staying in, attending to their - and Preston's, who was still passed out - wounds before lying down to sleep.
They were back at the guild now and Preston sat in Makarov's office, head hung shamefully as he berated her.
"I cannot believe that you lied to us about your abilities! What on Earthland could have possessed you to keep your magic a secret?!"
"I'm sorry, Master Makarov..." she murmured quietly.
"Well, I should hope so! Telling everyone you weren't a mage, what is this?! What was the point of hiding something such as that?!"
"I'm sorry..."
"And will you stop apologizing for everything?!"
"I'm sorry..."
Makarov paused in his pacing around his desk, releasing a heavy sigh. Then turning to look at the young blonde, he gave her a sympathetic look. "Just tell me why you hid it from us? Why did you not trust us to know such a simple thing?"
She glanced away, hesitating a moment before replying quietly, "I just... Bad things happen... when my magic gets involved. I didn't want anyone to feel threatened or get hurt..."
He stared at her for another moment, expression unreadable, and then released another soft sigh, closing his eyes. Opening them again, he walked across the desk to where she sat before him, lacing a hand on her shoulder. "It's alright, child. I don't blame you for being afraid. You've been through a lot. I feel, more than any of us are even aware." At this point she glanced up at him, crimson eyes full of conflict and brimming with tears. He just tousled her hair, smiling a bit. "Don't cry, it's alright. You don't have to tell me anything you don't want to. You reserve that right. Just remember, Fairy Tail is a home for those who don't have one. Many of our members have complicated pasts that lead them here, seeking shelter and safety. And we provide that. You are more than welcome to stay, no matter what has happened to you since we last met."
Smiling, Preston looked up at him, sniffling a little as she tried to force back the tears. "Thank you, Master."
Makarov smiled back, his eyes softening. "Of course, my child."
"Hey, Preston! Preston! Preeeeeeeeeston!"
Preston jumped as an arm was thrown around her shoulders, pushing her head down and causing her to emit a squeak of surprise. Looking up, she was immediately horrified to see Natsu meer inches away from her face, mouth spread into his signature sharp-toothed grin. Screaming, she scrambled backwards, forgetting she was sitting in a stool and effectively falling over, letting out a loud 'oof' as she crashed to the guild floor.
"Oh, nice job, flame-brain." Preston looked up through bleary eyes to see Gray sauntering over, shirtless as usual, to scold Natsu.
The dragonslayer just tsked, folding his arms over his chest and rolling his eyes. "How was I supposed to know she'd fall over like that?"
"Because you surprised her, and she doesn't even like you to begin with?"
"What? No! Preston likes me, we're friends! Right, Pres?"
Preston looked up again at the sound of her name, raising her head only to come face to face with Natsu. Screaming again, she scrambled backwards only to run straight into a pillar and hit her head again. "Ow..." she murmured, reaching up and rubbing the back of her head, cringing in pain.
"What are you two doing to Preston?"
The two boys looked up to see Wendy standing before them, hands placed on her hips and a stern look on her face. Both immediately went into the defensive.
"What are you talking about? I was just trying to talk to her when she went all psycho on me!"
"Why are you yelling at me too?! I didn't do anything! I was trying to help her!"
Wendy sighed, ignoring them both and walking over to where Preston was still sitting with her back against the pillar, rubbing the back of her head in pain. "Here, Sis. Come on." She held out her hand to help the older girl up. Preston smiled sheepishly, accepting the offered hand and pushing off the pillar to stand.
Sitting back down at a table, Preston sighed, running a hand through her light blonde hair. A moment later Wendy, Gray, and - much to her chagrin - Natsu joined her.
"Sorry, Pres," Natsu said, resting his head on the table and giving her an apologetic look. She glanced back at him, hesitant, but finally nodded, accepting the apology.
"So, Princess," Preston glared at Gray, watching him rest his elbows on the table and smirk at her, "I heard you sued to have a thing for a certain lion..."
"Oh shut up before I hit you."
"Just saying, I thought you had better taste than that."
"Shut up, snow cone."
"Loke and Preston, sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-"
"That's it, I'm going to kill you!"
Preston dove across the table, reaching for Gray, but he was faster. In a matter of seconds he was up and sprinting away from the eh table, swerving through the guild. She growled in frustration, chasing after him. Her eyes hardened a little, and she sped up, gaining on him. He laughed, swerving around a pillar and hopping over a table, nearly colliding with a drunk Cana along the way. She went right after him, also almost hitting Cana. The brunette barely seemed to notice all the commotion, though, just taking another sip off her barrel and sighing heavily.
"Get back here!" Preston get shouted, huffing as he switched directions again, having to turn and chase after him.
"Nope, you gotta catch me, Princess!" he shouted back, grinning at her over his shoulder and laughing.
Face turning red, Preston sped up a gain, shouting, "Stop calling me that!" Her eyes hardened even more, and then she was full on sprinting, blonde hair whipping around her face as she reached after him. Gray seemed actually surprised by her sudden speed, and sped up himself, though not by much.
"He's in for it now," Wendy muttered, watching with a small smile on her face.
Charle, who had just joined them, frowned, twirling her head curiously and looking over at her young friend. "Oh? And why's that?"
Wendy just shook her head, laughing a little. Then nodding towards Preston, who was still gaining quickly on the now panicking ice mage, she said, "We call it butterfly syndrome. When she sets her mind to something, she will do anything to accomplish it, and she blacks out until she does. It's weird, and it can get her into a lot of trouble too. A black out could last anywhere from a few minutes to a few years, and when she snaps out of it she can barely remember anything that happened during that time."
"Wait, seriously?!" Natsu asked, lifting his head up from the table and blinking wide-eyed at the young sky dragon-slayer.
"Yeah. She's literally the most stubborn person you will ever meet. She accomplishes her goals, no matter how long it takes. I guess it's kind of like her special little quirk, in a way. Like your motion sickness, or Gray's stripping, or Cana's drinking, or Elfman's manliness, or Juvia's stalking. She's stubborn to the extreme."
Natsu blinked again, turning to watch Preston chase after Gray. "Wow."
Charle nodded in agreement, looking thoughtful. "Wow is correct."
Preston finally caught up to Gray, jumping on his back and tackling him to the ground. He let out a loud shout of surprise, crashing into the floor and groaning in pain. Pressing just grinned, sitting on his back and crossing her arms over her chest in victory.
"Gotcha!"
He groaned again, turning his head a little to look up at her from the corner of his eye. "You're not human..."
She just grinned wider, feeling quite successful. Then tousling his ink-colored hair with one hand, she said, "Don't feel bad, Frost Bite. You put up a good fight."
"Yeah yeah, whatever. Will you get off of me?"
"I dunno, you make a pretty comfortable seat."
"Oh, really? So I guess you like sitting me, huh..."
"Alright, I'm getting off! I'm getting off!"
Preston scrambled away from him, face bright red. The ice age just stood up, laughing as he brushed himself off. The blonde glared at him, crossing her arms and pouting.
"That's playing dirty."
"That's not the only dirty thing I can do-"
"Alright, shut up! Just please stop talking!"
Gray lost it laughing again and she just glared at him, marching away and plopping herself back down at the table with Wendy, Charle, Natsu, and the newly arrived Happy.
Coming over with some fire for Natsu, Mira set the dish down, giving Preston a sympathetic look and ignoring Natsu as he immediately devoured the flames. "Gray driving you crazy?"
"Yeah, you could say that," she huffed, pouting.
Mira nodded, giving her another sympathetic look. Then turning, she started walking back towards the bar, padding Levy on the way. Holding her hands in fists against her chest, she grinned at the blunette, squealing quietly so no one else would hear, "They're so perfect for each other!" Levy just laughed, giving Mira a wink and continuing on to her own table.
Joining them back at the table, Gray sighed, rubbing his side and groaning. "Jeez, you really did a number on me, Princess."
Resting her cheek on the ally of her hand, Preston glanced over at him, tired now. "How many times do I have to tell you to stop calling me that?"
Gray shrugged, replying, "More than you can count, cause I'm never gonna stop."
"You're a jerk."
"Yeah, I know."
Grinning, Macao piped up from across the guild, shouting, "Hey, stop flirting, you two!"
Turning red, both mages turned to face him, shouting back, "We're not flirting!"
Wendy lost it laughing, soon followed by the rest of the guild. Gray and Preston just glanced at each other, still red in the face. Then pouting, they crossed their arms, looking away from each other. That just made everyone laugh even more.
Sighing as she walked in, Lucy sat down at the table with them, shaking her head as she sat. "I'm not even going to ask what's going on."
Charle nodded. "That's probably for the best."
A/N - I wrote a thing. I repeat, I wrote a thing.
So yes, this has FINALLY been updated. I'm a bit slow on updating, so I won't promise anymore updates super soon, but this has NOT been abandoned. I will continue to write in it, I promise. There will be more updates.
So thank you so much for reading, and even more to anyone who reviewed when I posted the previous chapter ages ago. Sorry for the long hiatus, I really do apologize. I did NOT mean to leave it on a cliffhanger, and I really apologize for that. This chapter sucks too, so sorry about that. I just need some time to get back into the flow of this story. More plot next chapter, promise.
So thanks again to anyone who's still reading this, and I apologize once more. Thanks for reading, and don't forget to leave a review! Bye! :)
