Hiya! When I named this chapter, I heard SpongeBob suddenly saying 'Imagination!' in my mind while making a rainbow. Thanks for those who reviewed, favorite, and followed! Please leave a review and favorite! Farewell and Enjoy!
-Let there be midnight
ME NO OWN FAIRY TAIL
Castle of Imagination
Before Erza could scream another insult at Vincent, everything turned a blinding white as the room changed shape and the people disappeared.
"What the-?" Lucy stopped herself in midsentence when their vision cleared enough to get a good look at their surroundings. They were standing in front of a castle like corridor with one large wooden door right in front of them. On both walls that mirrored each other held large torches with a dark ruby red rim stone on their body.
"Where are we?" Erza asked once she got a good look around them. The first thing she noticed that they all were wearing a different set of clothes than they originally had on. Erza and Gray were wearing something a knight from the medieval times would wear while Lucy had something Erza would guess was what an assassin or spy would wear and Happy had a jester uniform.
"Looks like we're in a castle," Gray commented as he drew his sword from his dark blue scabbard and inspected it with little interest.
"Right you are!" Vincent's voice echoed through the corridor making the four jump in surprise, looking around for the source of the voice.
"He's a ghost! He's going to eat us all!" Happy screeched in terror as he hid in Lucy's black scarf that she was for some reason wearing. Vincent's laughter bellowed in the small corridor making them flinch from the volume.
"No, I'm just introducing you my magic. Welcome to my imagination where everything you see here is coming straight from my mind. Your job here is to find Queen Natsu who is with me and rescue her if you can." He paused for a moment or two before he began once more. "There are only three rules and if you break one rule, it will become harder to save Queen Natsu, so I advise you to follow the rules please.
"Rule One: You cannot take anything your eyes lie on because one: you cannot take the item to the real world because it's fake and an image coming straight from my mind. And Two: That isn't your goal now is it?
"Rule Two: You cannot use any of your Earthland magic, only the weapons I have supplied you with which should be on your form as we speak. If not, then there will be chest scattered about on the way to the throne room with weapons inside. Warning: You cannot take a weapon that does not have your name on it or it will burn you until you let go of the weapon. Take your respective weapon please.
"Last rule, Rule Three: Do not, under any circumstances, destroy a wall, door, or anything within this castle. I like this place, so keep it as it is." After another pause, the door in front of them slammed open, scaring the four senseless. "Let the game begin!" Vincent's voice rang throughout the corridor in a slight echo as the four of them just stared at the opened door before them, unsure what to do next.
"Well, what are you waiting for?" Erza asked as she looked at the three, drawling her red ruby embedded sword from her cherry red oak wood scabbard. "We've got a queen to save!" Gray drew his sapphire embedded sword with a shrug as he looked at it with a look of unease.
"I'm not good with real swords." he muttered to himself as they walked out of the corridor. Lucy nodded in agreement as she fingered one of the many daggers strapped to her thighs.
"At least I have a whip, that is really the only thing I know how to use." she commented just as one of her fingers brushed a brown pouch on left her hip. Curious, Lucy untied the top of the pouch and opened it up to see small flasks with different color of liquid in them. "What's this?" Lucy asked as she picked up a dark green flask. Happy looked over her shoulder and to what Lucy was holding.
"It might be poison." Happy helpfully stated. With slight surprise, Lucy dropped the flask; it fell to the ground, the glass shattering and the liquid spilling everywhere, staining the old stone tiles.
"Lucy, are you alright?" Erza asked as she looked behind her. Lucy quickly nodded as she tied the string on the pouch tightly once more and jogged to catch up to the two.
"Yeah, sorry." she apologized sheepishly. "I just found something that kinda freaked me out." Erza nodded, excepting the excuse as they resumed walking.
"I wonder if Natsu's okay…" Happy suddenly said as he looked around with big eyes.
"Don't worry Happy, it's Natsu! Even though he got turned to a she, Natsu will always be Natsu, nothing will ever change that!" Lucy smiled softly at the cat, Happy smiling back as he nodded in agreement.
"Oi!" Gray suddenly shouted as he rushed forward. "There's a chest!" he called back to them, opening the chest with a squeak of protest.
