Greetings and salutations…really sorry for taking so long to update. It took longer than I thought it would to finish my Bleach fanfic, then the Holidays came up, then schoolwork…anyway, I've been reeeaaalllyyy busy. But here is chapter ten! I hurried to finish it as quickly as I could, so the possibility of mistakes has increased…so I guess I should apologize. If you spot a problem, let me know so I can fix it, please. Thank you to those who read my stories and double thanks to those who review. Hope you had a Happy Holidays and that you enjoy this newest chapter. I'll try to have the next one done soon, but I can't promise anything concrete other than that it will get done.
Chapter Ten: Inner Conflicts
"I want to get into the thick of it!" Lucy heard Natsu slam his head against the supposed invisible wall that held him and the Master in the guild. "What is this?! Like some kind of invisible wall!" he declared for what had to be the tenth time. Even though his voice was no more than an echo that seemed to be seeping into her dark inner world, it still managed to grate on the blonde's nerves.
Not long after Laxus had vanished with his group of goons, practically all of Fairy Tail charged from the guild with the intent of finding and beating the lightening mage up. The only ones remaining were Lucy and the other statues, the Master, Natsu and Happy. Luckily the boys talked a lot, so she was able to hear about Freed's Jutsu-Shiki power and how he had set up a rule that no one over the age of eighty or a stone statue could leave the guild. It would be no surprise to the girl if Freed left little traps around town as well. The part that confused everyone though was that Natsu couldn't leave to join the fight either for some reason. As far as Lucy knew, he wasn't over eighty or a stone statue; perhaps it was because the type of magic he used was ancient…?
"If you got into the thick of it, then what, you fool?!" the Master's gravelly voice growled out bringing the girl from her thoughts. It was obvious he was deeply disturbed by the current situation; why wouldn't he be?
"It's a tournament to see who's the strongest, right?!" The Dragon Slayer replied and the girl could only assume that he meant that he planned to participate in the fights.
"Where does anything say 'tournament'? These are duels between friends…" At that moment, the normally energetic and strong guild leader sounded his age...it broke Lucy's heart. Natsu however, still did not get it. Was it so hard to understand that what was going on was in fact a bad thing?
"It's just a bunch of fights. We do that all the time!" the clueless boy stated as if his logic was the most flawless thing in the world.
"This is nothing like normal!" the Master's sudden shout would have caused Lucy to jump if she had been able to move. As it was, her inner self did become alarmed. "The lives of friends are on the line! Everyone is going all out! This isn't a situation that can be grasped using normal thought process! If things go on as they are…those who are stone will crumble into sand…and we will never see them again!"
He explained what was going on as simply as he could…well, he attempted to. Lucy hoped that the pink-haired boy would grasp the seriousness of the situation, but was instead startled by his sincere and trusting response.
"I don't care how bad Laxus acts, he'd never do that! He's pretty annoying, but he's still in our guild! It's just a bluff, right?" Her friend's words made the girl wonder why everyone couldn't be as innocent as him.
"Natsu…" the old man said with disbelief evident in his tone indicating that he shared the same thoughts as the stone Celestial Mage. Meanwhile, the object of their fascination had already gone right back to trying to shove himself through the spell that kept him trapped in the guild (she could faintly hear the sound of his skull ramming into something).
Geez…talk about simple…
"This is just a fight festival…but why can't I get into it?"
"I can go right through!" Happy's voice informed Lucy that the cat hadn't left the guild with the rest, even though it was the first time he'd spoken for several minutes…which Lucy realized was a record for the little guy.
"So I'm older than eighty years old then?" the obviously young mage wondered.
"I very much doubt that, but-"
The feline cut off mid-sentence and Stone-Lucy hoped that it wasn't because more of their guild-mates had fallen in the battles. Sadly, her wish did not come true. "Reedus is out of action?!" Happy gasped and the girl felt her heart sink. Why did things keep getting worse and worse?
"You're pretty good, Freed!" Natsu said, almost sounding excited; he was probably thinking fighting the Thunder God Tribe member would be fun or something equally stupid.
"This is no time to talk about battle strength! Reedus was supposed to go get the medicine that would cure Evergreen's petrification magic!" Surprisingly, it was Happy that scolded the Fire Mage and not the elder. In her dark inner world, Lucy gasped; he was right! With Reedus taken out, what were they going to do now? There was no way they could win with the way things were going. The Master was so silent and the girl knew he was starting to really worry as well.
"It doesn't have to be cured. After all, it's just an empty threat, right?" Natsu defended and Lucy decided that she and the others were officially doomed.
"An "empty threat", you say, Natsu?" Laxus' voice made the girl's blood run cold. Only a week before he was dragging her around Frior and playfully teasing her; how had things come to this? She would have asked him herself if she could…and give him a swift kick while she was at it.
"Laxus!" the three remaining males on her side all shouted his name in surprise. His sudden appearance had apparently taken them unawares as well.
"A thought projection!" Happy observed and Lucy could only guess that he meant that Laxus hadn't even bothered to make his most recent visit in person. The cowardly…!
"But more to the point, why are you here, Natsu?" the aggravating man questioned with a sarcastic clip to his tone. Though technically Natsu's inability to pass through the barrier was quite curious, the girl found her attention focused on the words of the S-Class mage.
"Shut up! I'd get out if I could!" the boy snapped back, much to the older mage's amusement; his entertained chuckles shamed the Fairy Tail name.
"Laxus, you…!" Master Makarov growled out, but he was so upset he couldn't find the words to finish whatever he was going to say.
"Your friends…" Laxus began, obviously ignoring his grandfather, but paused mid-sentence for a moment as if to build up tension. "…are all out there beating each other up. I never figured you could just stand by and watch." Great…now he was taunting Natsu, the temperamental idiot of a Dragon Slayer. When he was satisfied with the reaction of grinding teeth and low growls, he turned his attention to the more sophisticated of the remaining guild members. "Ahh…Well, with Natsu and Erza sitting on the sidelines, there's really nobody left who can stand up to my Thunder God Tribe, is there? Want to surrender?" he asked sarcastically, though Lucy knew he was serious.
"We still have Gray out there!" the stone girl heard Happy blurt back. "He's pretty much on par with Natsu, and he won't be defeated by any of your Thunder God Tribe!" The blonde felt a ray of hope; she'd forgotten about the ice mage.
"You're saying he and I are equal in strength? Him?" Natsu was insulted, but it didn't matter because he and Gray were very close in strength from what the blonde could recall from past fights she'd witnessed between them.
"It's true, right?" Happy insisted.
"Gray? Heh heh…So you're placing all of your hopes on that little boy?" Laxus ridiculed them and Lucy felt her anger rise once more. Like he has any right to talk! He betrayed their trust…! Her trust…
"Laxus, don't underestimate Gray!" the old man warned his grandson. Not even a second after he spoke, everything went quiet for a moment and Lucy wondered if she lost all of her senses. Suddenly Laxus burst out laughing and her inner self jump in surprise (it was an odd sensation). It was different from other times she heard him laugh; this time he sounded like a villain getting his way instead of someone who simply found humor in a situation. "Didn't I tell you so?!" That was when Lucy realized that Gray had been taken down.
"It isn't true! They must have used some lousy, dirty trick!" Happy exclaimed and Natsu made a frustrated noise; he wanted to join the fray so badly.
"Who can stand against the Thunder God Tribe now? Heh heh heh!" the man sounded insane.
"Gajeel can!" Happy chimed; hope lacing his tone once more, but it was no use.
"Too bad for you! It looks like he's sitting this one out!" Laxus retorted. "He's one of those guys who never felt any loyalty to the guild in the first place." Even though the Iron Dragon Slayer wasn't always on good terms with Fairy Tail, Lucy doubted that he was truly like that; if he was…why bother singing that song or not fighting back against Jet and Droy…?
"I'm still here!" the Salamander challenged.
Happy explained as if he was speaking to a child, "If you can't leave here, then you can't be any help."
"Fine." a calm, sad voice echoed around them and the sounds of Natsu and Happy arguing instantly quieted. "Very well. I surrender. Now stop all this, Laxus." After Master Markov spoke, a moment of silence hovered over the group and Lucy inwardly gasped.
"Old man!" Natsu sounded just as surprised by the words; for him, the old man had always been Master, so in his mind there was no possible other. Giving up so easily couldn't be the answer to the problem; even Laxus thought so, though for different reasons.
"We can't have that…!" The blonde would have cringed at the cold callousness of his tone if she could. "I mean if the Master of the world famous Fairy Tail guild is willing to admit defeat so easily…then the only thing for him to do is to resign his position and transfer the seat of Master of Fairy Tail to me!" At that moment, the overwhelming sensation of being betrayed clouded Lucy's thoughts and she wished, more than anything else, that she could cry. That was what he was doing this all for? Just to be Master of Fairy Tail? Did he really hate everyone so much to be able to just write them off as useless and expendable so easily?
"That's dirty, Laxus!" Natsu declared and Happy was quick to agree. "Are you really that afraid to fight me?!" the Dragon Slayer continued.
"So that's what you've been plotting from the start!" Master Makarov sounded pained, as if he was on the verge of snapping.
"There's only an hour and a half left before it's game over. When you decide to retire, you will have to use the guild's public address system and announce it to the whole town…that you have decided to leave the seat of Master of Fairy Tail to me. Think it over well! What's more important? Your position or the lives of your friends?" His voice became distorted as he spoke and Lucy remembered that he was a thought projection.
"Wait right there!" the ever-so-simple Natsu yelled before the sound of his stomping feet followed by a loud crash met the girl's stone ears. Apparently he tried to attack the older male…who wasn't really there.
"I did mention that he was just a thought projection," Happy stated and Lucy mutely agreed.
"Dammit! How can he say that he's the strongest without ever fighting me?! How can he claim the Master's seat?!" The Salamander just didn't understand and that frustrated him to no end.
"To tell the truth, I don't give a fig about the Master's seat," the old man stated honestly.
"You're okay with it?" Natsu sounded stunned, but the Master wasn't done speaking.
"But…it would be wrong to leave Fairy Tail to Laxus! There are two things that he needs to sit in that seat: conviction and heart…and he is short on both!" Lucy couldn't help but agree. Even before his blatant attack on the guild, she had thought that was the case.
"But if things go on like this…everybody will turn to sand…" Happy muttered worriedly and the girl felt fear grip her heart once more. She'd almost forgotten about that little detail…
"Now!" Master Markov blurted out and the two boys yelped. "There has to be somebody who can go out and take down Laxus!" But who…? There was no one left that she could think of…
"Me! Me!" Natsu excitedly offered, though he was obviously also annoyed that he wasn't being taken seriously. She could just imagine the pink-haired mage stomping his foot and jumping up and down. The old man explained very slowly to the Fire Mage once more, that even if he was strong enough to defeat the temperamental blonde, he was useless as long as he was trapped in the guild. Stone Lucy doubted that anything could be done at that point and her fear solidified until it felt like ice lodged in her chest; cold, sharp and painful. Maybe Laxus really was bluffing about smashing her and the other statues…surely he at least cared for Erza, Mira and Cana to some degree since they all grew up together. They were his family…Even if the friendship (understanding) that Lucy believed had formed between them was one-sided and he could smash her and feel no remorse, he wouldn't harm those he'd known for so long though…would he…?
A sudden soft shuffling noise that Lucy could barely make out in the state she was in caught the girl's attention and she quitted her racing thoughts to listen more carefully. Something metallic clanked against wood and she wondered what was going on. What was that…?
"Who's there?!" she heard Happy demand, showing that he nor the other two knew either. They soon found out though.
"Gajeel!" Natsu for some reason didn't sound too pleased.
"Don't eat the tableware!" the blue cat added and a new series of questions flooded into Lucy's mind: why was Gajeel still here…what was he doing…and why was eating tableware instead of going out and saving everyone?!
"D-do you think you could go out and fight?" the Master asked desperately.
The Iron Dragon slayer responded in a growl, "I've got my own score to settle with that jerk! Leave it to me!"
"He's yours!" the Master's call was drowned out by Gajeel's metal boots on the wood floor. The girl would have smiled if she could; they were saved! Gajeel was strong and would fight Laxus, win, and everyone would be alright! If that did happen, Lucy promised that she would support Levy should her friend truly develop a crush on the rough male as she thought she was. Better yet though, he could just take out that stupid Evergreen so the spell on all of the girl's would be broken and Lucy herself would go beat some sense into Laxus…with Erza's help of course.
The Celestial Mage's thoughts scattered when an all too familiar sound (thanks to Natsu) echoed throughout the guild; it was the sound of a face colliding with the invisible barrier. Just great…
"You too! What's going on here?" the three boys yelled and Lucy felt all hope scatter in the wind. Yeah! What was going on?! Leaving the guild shouldn't be so hard…especially since two of the people trapped where not over eighty or made of stone! Was it their form of magic?
"I-I just don't get this at all," Happy said.
~xoOox~
"The battle of Fairy Tail…Only two left, huh?" the gravelly voice of the Iron Dragon Slayer echoed around the room and Lucy inwardly winced. That meant Alzack was down…
"Only two left, you say? Are you trying to irritate me!" Natsu suddenly said, annoyed. "Why can't you leave?!"
"How should I know?" The two are total idiots!
"And now I'm getting hungry, you creep!" What did that have to do with anything? That boy seriously made Lucy worry sometimes.
"I'm telling you I don't know!"
"Two?" the girl heard the Master and Happy say in unison before a pause settled over them. "You mean it's just these two?!" Lucy would have given an exasperated sigh if she could have. They just realized that now? Alzack had been the last member on their side who was out in the town, so when that Freed guy beat him, that left only the currently incompetent duo here. She was a stone statue with limited hearing and yet she figured it out immediately.
"You mean I'm not even included in the count?" Happy gasped, though considering how he wasn't really useful in a fight aside from flying around, the cat shouldn't be surprised. Another silence surrounded them and the girl wondered what was going on. Where they just thinking, or something else?
"There's no choice left. I have to go bring Erza back to normal!" the Salamander grumbled and the stone girl felt a wave of curiosity mixed with uncertainty wash over her. He could do that? How?
"What?!" The others were apparently just as shocked as she.
"And I thought this was my chance to put her in her place!" he continued to grumble to himself as the sound of his footfalls approached the stage. She intently listened to the slap of his sandals on the wood until the Master voiced the question that was on everyone's mind and the girl heard Natsu pause mid-step.
"W-wait a minute...! You can do it?! You…?! How…?!"
"If you get it hot enough, it melts. You know…the top part of the stone." The Master's reaction was similar to inner Lucy. Though the girl was unable to voice her horror of what the fire mage was suggesting, in her lonely world she was wishing she could before the idiot did something stupid…like break Erza. "What? You never know until you try." NO! That attitude may okay sometimes, but this is not a situation that can afford that kind of thinking!
"I do know! Don't do it! Are you trying to kill her?!" the old man yelled on deaf ears; the boy was too preoccupied with whatever he was doing to the older girl. Lucy listened intently as the other three tried to stop Natsu.
"Natsu, I'm telling you to stop rubbing her body with fire!" Happy gasped.
"Hey, you creep! You look like you're trying to feel her up!" Gajeel commented sharply and Lucy had a hard time imagining what that would be like; somehow the image just wouldn't form in her head…thank goodness. Seriously though, they needed to stop him.
"Dammit! She's cracking! Glue! Happy, get me glue!" What?! He really broke her?! And now he's asking for glue! The idiot! Glue won't help at ALL!
"Aye!" Despite the blonde's passionate inner dialogue, she was still unable to be make herself heard. Happy was probably flying off to fetch some glue at that very moment.
"You stupid jerk!" Gajeel said and Lucy felt relief for a moment. Perhaps he would help. "If you're trying to patch her up, I'll put some iron on her and you weld her shut!" Or perhaps not. Just what were they doing out there?!
"You idiots!" the Master finally roared what the girl had been thinking of the two Dragon Slayers for the past several minutes. Natsu, clearly panicking, was repeating apologies with such vigor that Lucy almost missed the cracking noise. If she could, she would have held her breath when the sound of stone shattering met her hard ears. Then all went quiet and the blonde struggled to pick up any hints as to what was going on. Was Erza broken? She hated having to wait for someone to say something. To her delight though, it was the strong female's wonderfully familiar voice that finally broke the stillness.
"I feel hot. Natsu you…What did you do to me?!" Comedic yelps of pain from both Natsu and Gajeel were then heard mixed with Happy's joyful cheers.
"…Erza…But how…" Master Makarov asked.
"I couldn't say myself…But I have a feeling that it has something to do with my right eye…" What about her right eye? Lucy wondered momentarily about it, but her joy that the powerful mage was not only not dead, but was free and ready to assist in stopping Laxus was too consuming to allow her to focus on one thing alone.
"Erza, do you understand our situation?" Happy chimed.
"Yes. I heard everything." Really? So she was forced to listen to this horrible nightmare and not be able to do anything as well? "With me back in action, the count of survivors is properly brought up to date. I had my doubts, but…"
"And so the three remaining members are Natsu, Gajeel, and Erza, right?" the blue cat observed loudly, but paused once more when something else caught his attention. Lucy was really beginning to really hate not being able to see anything.
"There's one more now!" What did Gajeel mean by that?
"Who is it?" Natsu questioned. "Everybody…is still stone statues…so who…?" Wait…did they mean that a fourth member is still in the fight?
"It seems that a certain man has decided to join in as well." Erza said and Lucy could hear the smile on her. The girl had no idea who the apparent newcomer was, but if her friend was happy about it, then she was too. The sound of boots on the wood floor echoed through the guild hall and the Celestial Mage knew that the powerful knight was on her way.
"This is our counter attack! Go!" the Master encouraged.
~xoOox~
Laxus felt a smirk coming on as he watched the magic screen change to include Erza in the member count.
"With Erza back in action and Mystogan joining the fray...it means that the top three wizards of Fairy Tail are all there, including me, of course. Now that's a festival for you," the mage chuckled to himself, his voice echoing off the walls of the cathedral he was waiting in. He wasn't surprised that so few remained in his little "game"; Fairy Tail had been invaded by weaklings like a home would be by cockroaches. Now that the rabble was weeded out though, the real battle could begin.
In truth, he never planned on smashing anyone; not because he was bluffing, but because he was simply sure that the Master would cave in to the pressure and give up his seat soon enough. Even with Erza's unexpected revival Laxus did not doubt that his win was inevitable and that it was only be a matter of time until she was defeated by Evergreen (who just started fighting the red-head). Once he was Master, he would dispel everyone who fell in the fights from the guild along with both Dragon Slayers. Erza would go too, but that had more to do with the fact that he just didn't like her superior attitude. The women turned into stone statues were another matter; their gender gave them an excuse for their weakness, so he would give them a choice to either work on getting stronger and remain in the guild or hit the road. The only thing that bothered him was Lucy; the girl was safely out of the way with the other stone statues, but eventually she would be running about being mouthy again. He could imagine her trying to scold him. He found the thought rather funny in fact. Though he would never say it out loud, he couldn't deny that he wanted her to stay in the guild.
He originally planned to just kick everyone out, but his job with the Celestial Mage made him rethink the plan. As Master, he would have to stay at the guild more and would thus need some way of keeping himself occupied. He contemplated how many of the girls would agree to stick around. He doubted Cana, Bisca, and that phantom chick would. Lucy and her friend were kind of iffy though; even if the little blonde had insisted that she wouldn't want to be anywhere near a guild he was Master of, Laxus wasn't sure if she had anywhere else to go. Perhaps she would try following her friends around in search of a new guild…
The Lightening Mage's train of thought broke when he noticed that the fight between Evergreen and Erza had come to an end. A low growl vibrated in his throat at the unexpected sight of the red-head's win. It took a moment for it to click that his plan had just hit an annoying snag. With Evergreen out of action, all of the magic she cast would come undone, meaning that all of the stone statues would be freed. He didn't care that more wizards had just joined the fight; what pissed him off was he didn't have hostages to use against his Grandfather anymore. Damn it. Damn it! DAMN IT! His anger boiled over and he verbally voiced his frustration. His fists clenched and he felt his lightening sizzle around him menacingly.
"DAMN IT!" he shouted and couldn't stop himself from punching the pillar at his side. His full strength wasn't used, but the stone still cracked from the force of his blow. "How could Ever be defeated by somebody like Erza?! Huh?! When did you get so weak, Ever?!" the man's tone accused the absent and oblivious woman. He ground his teeth together as the sound of Freed's soft footfalls met his ears. The green-haired man appeared behind the Lightening Mage and Laxus heard the brush of fabric on marble and knew that his accomplice was leaning slightly on a pillar.
"Erza was too strong for her. Perhaps Bickslow or I should have gone," he said matter-of-factly.
"What did you come back here for, Freed?" Laxus demanded in an icy manner. He wasn't in the mood to listen to any "what ifs". It wasn't over yet; he just needed to be a little more creative and perhaps a little less nice about the whole thing. He would just have to take more hostages.
"Because the game is over. The hostages are released so there is no more reason for the Master to play." The words hadn't fully left Freed's lips when Laxus let loose a bolt of electricity to explode the pillar his lackey was leaning against; it was meant as a warning for him to stop talking.
"Laxus…" Freed muttered in surprise and fear. Good, he had his attention.
"It isn't over! If you aren't going to follow my lead, then get lost! My Fairy Tail doesn't need you!" Laxus snarled. Doubt was the last thing he needed amongst his followers. He still had a trump card that he was perfectly willing to put to use. After his next move, his Grandfather would not dare to procrastinate his retirement any longer.
~xoOox~
It was incredible how quickly Erza succeeded in saving the day. It hadn't even been ten minutes since she left the guild in search of an opponent when Lucy felt herself return to her own body…or at least that was what it felt like. It was as if her consciousness lifted from the dark and lonely inner world that she'd been drifting in and a moment later she found herself staring out over the guild hall from her place on the stage. Behind her she could hear the sounds of the other former hostages moving and questioning what happened. It took a moment for her to realize what it all meant.
"What is this…I'm back?" she gasped in realization as she glanced around herself at the others. "Erza must have-
She was unable to finish her thought because something blue and fuzzy dive-bombed into her chest and knocked her slightly off balance. Stumbling back a step, she wrapped her arms around the cat and returned his hug.
"Lucy!" Happy wailed and her heart melted when his voice cracked.
"You're back to normal!" Natsu cheered from off stage. Looking around between all of her friends as she straitened her posture, Lucy felt a smile curve her lips.
"Yeah. I am. We're fine."
After that, the Master proceeded to inform the group about the events that transpired. Lucy opened her mouth to say that they'd already heard everything, but paused when the others revealed themselves to be absolutely confused and oblivious to everything Laxus had done. Neither Levy, Juvia, nor Mirajane had heard anything at all. The fact that everyone other than her and Erza had been totally out of it left Lucy perplexed. The whole situation was totally and completely bizarre. If Erza's eye protected her from the full effects of the spell, what let Lucy remain conscious of the situation? She would have to ask the Master when things settled down again.
"The 'Battle of Fairy Tail'?" Levy questioned loudly bringing Lucy out of her reverie. She bit her lip and decided that it would probably be best if she focused on the matter at hand. Laxus had to be stopped! Before he dug himself too deep to come back to the guild…
"Laxus is doing it?" Cana questioned redundantly.
"…But this should end it," concluded the old man and Lucy gasped slightly when she realized that he was right. With no hostages in danger, there was no reason for the fights to continue! "Now that the girls are back to normal, I have no intention of playing Laxus' twisted game!"
"But…when I think of people scared because of Freed's traps…" Mirajane whispered. Bisca jumped on the idea like a hungry tiger.
"That's right! If we don't teach Laxus a lesson, it would set a bad precedent!" she blurted, her fists pumping to indicate her sincerity.
"I know, I know. I'm planning on giving that boy the strictest punishment afterwards," the Master growled. "Damn it, Laxus! You may have gotten away with a lot in the past, but not this time!" No one doubted him as he glared at the wall as if he was envisioning his grandson standing there.
"Wait one minute, please!" Natsu called the groups attention to himself. Crossing his arms in a matter-of-fact sort of way the Dragon Slayer then proceeded to explain his thoughts on the matter, "I agree with you guys that he took the wrong path. Setting up friends and forcing them to fight against each other is wrong, but I can't help but go along with Laxus' goal of figuring out who's the strongest of Fairy Tail! Besides, it's still Laxus!" Lucy's eyes widened slightly, before she relaxed in to a soft smile. Natsu's faith, if not based on warped logic, was quite inspiring. Perhaps she shouldn't give up on Laxus either; maybe she could get through to him if she tried…though considering his own Grandpa could not reach him, she was left wondering what she would be able to do exactly.
"No…that's not what we're angry about…" Levy tried, but gave up after realizing how pointless it would be. There was no way anyone would stop Natsu from being Natsu.
"Anyway, I think you shouldn't get too mad at Laxus, Gramps!" the boy concluded with a confident grin that made the surrounding group question what he was so sure of exactly.
Meanwhile, Lucy was busy making a decision of her own on the subject. "I will try to think so too…" Lucy whispered to herself just as Natsu threw his arms up and professed to the world the rest of his contemplations.
"And so…I now declare the Second Battle of Fairy Tail to be underway! Let's all fight everybody!"
"What?!" Levy, Bisca and Lucy blurted out, though the blonde realized that it was Natsu; what else could she possible expect from him? At least he was feeling better after being sick for so long...
"Don't even think it!" Master Makarov scolded on deaf ears since the Salamander was too busy punching the air and attempting to coax someone into fighting him.
"Come on! We haven't seen action yet! Let's all battle!" he chortled and the Celestial Mage responded with an exasperated sigh.
"Stop it, Natsu. When you say it, it doesn't sound like a joke," she said.
"If you're set on it, I think you might find somebody to beat you silly. Me, maybe," Cana jestingly suggested, but it was Bisca who replied.
"Cana! Don't encourage him!"
The sharp-shooter had just spoken when a blue blur whizzed through the air to hover by the Fire Mage.
"Natsu…I don't think it's prudent to start up a battle with girls as opponents."
"Boys and girls…That's got nothing to do with it!" was the dragon slayer's response. He turned toward his friends and threw his arms up as he challenged them. "Come on! Let's kick this off, Lucy!"
"Noooo! Leave me out of this!" the girl sprinted around, avoiding his fiery fists and releasing small squeaks every time he got too close. Out of the corner of her eye as she ran from the deranged dragon slayer, Lucy noticed Levy glancing across the room toward where Juvia and Gajeel were standing. The two had been quiet during the conversation, but now they were speaking softly between themselves; the blonde wondered what they were saying for a brief moment until something else caught her attention.
"Huh? What could that be?" Mira asked and the celestial mage slowed to a stop (as did Natsu) to stare at the guild doors where a large black wall had just filled in with a skull and cross bones decorating it. The skull had a large lightening bolt through the right eye that reminded her of Laxus' scar. Everyone stared as other similar formations appeared in the air throughout the room.
"What's that?" she asked loudly, hoping someone would answer quickly.
"Maybe the Jutsu-Shiki report board has come inside the guild…?" Cana suggested, uneasily.
"Can you hear me, Old Man? And all you wimps in the guild too?" a deep, static-filled voice suddenly echoed around them and the girl felt the blood drain from her face. Now what…
"Laxus…" Natsu voiced Lucy's thoughts.
"One of the rules stopped making sense, so I thought I'd follow up with a new one. The Battle of Fairy Tail is going to continue on, and to make sure it does…I started up a dose of Thunder Palace magic." Lucy didn't know what he was referring to, but doubted that it was good.
"Did he say Thunder Palace?!" she heard the old man gasp nearby.
"You have an hour and ten minutes left. Do you think you can beat me? Or do you want to retire now, Master?" Laxus' voice rumbled around them, his laughter rattling Lucy's bones now that she wasn't listening from some dark, distant place in her mind. This had to stop; if he went through with this there would be no going back! People…people might end up really getting hurt…!
"L-Laxus-!" she began, but the Master's booming voice drowned her out completely.
"What are you thinking, Laxus?!" he bellowed in anger and frustration, but the black screens had already vanished indicating that his grandson was no longer listening. "You intend to involve everyone whether they have a connection to the guild or not!"
The Master was barely able to finish speaking since he suddenly gasped and immediately grabbed the area over his heart. His elderly hand curled into a fist in his coat and his body started to collapse as his legs gave out under him, his back curling forward as a protective reflex. Instantly everyone began to panic. Numerous cries of alarm and concern were voiced while a few others continued to ask what Thunder Palace was. Mirajane rushed off in a hurry after saying that she was fetching his medicine. Lucy looked between everyone feeling lost. Everything just kept getting worse! To add to everyone's worries, the older silver-haired girl appeared once more, her face pale.
"Oh no…everyone…look outside!" she hurriedly ordered. While she stayed with the Master and convinced Gajeel to stay in order to help move him to a quiet place where he could rest, Cana and Natsu led Happy, Lucy, Levy, Juvia and Bisca upstairs to the guild's balcony.
The blonde gasped when she saw the hundreds of spheres floating around all of Magnolia. They glittered in the sun like dark jewels, but she had a feeling that they were not there to look pretty.
"What are they?" Lucy was surprised by the sound of her voice; she wasn't used to the fear and uncertainty that laced her tone. Slightly behind her, Levy seemed to recognize the spheres.
"Are those lightening lacrima…?"
Frowning, Cana muttered, "So, those things are surrounding the entire town?!"
"Thunder Palace…" Lucy mumbled, her eyes widening as she realized what the Master had meant before he'd collapsed. Laxus was threatening the entire town?!
"Each individual lacrima looks overloaded with lightening magic energy." the Card Mage observed. Squinting her eyes, Lucy stressed to look closer until she too noticed the sizzle of the lightening that was struggling to escape. Beside her, Cana released a gasp and her eyes flew open wide. "Wait, this 'Thunder Palace' thing can't be…"
"Does it mean it creates a castle of lightening?" Juvia questioned. Bit by bit they were putting the puzzle together of what they were up against.
Cana nodded before motioning out toward the sea of buildings scattered before Fairy Tail. "And he's making the town of Magnolia the site for it!"
Lucy inhaled sharply before turning to face the older girl. "So what's supposed to happen if these things release their energy?" She pointed for emphasis, but it wasn't necessary. She hoped the reply wasn't what she thought it would be.
"It means that countless lightning strikes will occur throughout the town." And thus destroying Magnolia. It would be a massacre! What was Laxus thinking!?
Bisca was silent as she listened to the others exchange words until the last part was said. She scowled for a moment before deciding that it was about time that she did something.
"Well, I'd never let that happen! Requip: Sniper Rifle!" she cried as she summoned her weapon forth and took aim at one of the lacrima. Once she had an accurate shot she fired and the sphere shattered. The shards fell to the town below, catching sunlight as they went so they almost reminded Lucy of fairy dust.
"You did it!" the Celestial Mage smiled in relief. Now Bisca just had to shoot the rest of them and then Laxus would have no choice but to cease his insane behavior.
"Nice shooting, Bisca!" Cana offered with a grin and the sharpshooter smiled confidently.
"I'll destroy them all," she promised, but her words were short-lived. Lucy couldn't tell where it came from since it happened so quickly, but a bolt of electricity struck Bisca and the girl released a startled and pained cry before collapsing. Her burned body smoked and she did not move for a moment. Until they noticed her soft breaths, the girls and Natsu gathered around feared for her life. Levy crouched by her friend's side while Lucy turned to Cana since she seemed to have most of the answers at that moment.
"What was that?! What just happened?!" her voice shook. She had been right next to Bisca when she was hit and could still feel the heat and smell the smoke. If she had been standing any closer she might have been hit as well.
"Are they using Organic Link magic?! All those lacrima assess the amount of damage done to them, and use it to gauge a counter attack! In other words, if you harm them, they team up to do the same amount of damage on you!" Cana explained, her teeth grinding in frustration. In the corner of her eye, Lucy noticed Gajeel rush up onto the balcony, probably drawn up by the commotion. Every one ignored him when he demanded to know what the hell happened since they were more concerned about the lacrima and Bisca.
"You're kidding! If things go as they are, the townspeople will be…" Levy began from her place holding the unconscious girl.
"The only thing to do is take Laxus down. I'm going!" Cana declared before turning to head to the guild doors. Lucy wasn't sure if she would be much help, but she wanted to assist in any way that she could.
"I'll try to evacuate as many townspeople as I can!" she cried as she turned and dashed inside the guild after the older mage. As she left, she noted Natsu jumping over the railing and attacking the invisible barrier from the roof. She knew how he felt; nothing was worse than being useless when one's friends were in danger. Not knowing where else to go, she headed to Mirajane.
"Mira! We need to use the public address system! We have to get everyone in Magnolia to evacuate!" The older girl looked up from where she was bending over the Master to give him his medicine before helping him to an infirmary bed until they could get Porlyusica to come see him. Gajeel must have been waiting for her to give the word to carry Makarov before his curiosity got the best of him.
"I'm afraid that Freed used his magic so only Master could use the public address system." A cold sweat settled over the blonde. Why did Laxus have to be so thorough! Didn't he care about Fairy Tail at all?! Realizing that she didn't have time to be thinking such things, Lucy shook her head.
"…Then I'll just have to go out and tell people personally!" The Celestial Mage wasted no time to sprint across the guild.
"There is still two of the Thunder God Tribe left! Be careful!" Mirajane called from her place. She watched the upset blonde run through the double doors and out to the streets and hoped no harm would come to the girl.
The desperate mage fought down panic and frustration as she made her through crowds of people. Looking around herself, she opened her mouth to call out her warning, but all that escaped her lips were soft whimpers that she was having trouble fighting down. Realizing that her body was shaking and that a number of people were giving her anxious glances, she quickly backed up and pressed herself against the side of a building and away from the mass of passer-byers.
The people she loved-her guild mates-were all hurting each other and soon innocents in the town would be brought into Fairy Tail's civil war as well. What was Laxus thinking? Had he been planning all this while they'd done that job…? She felt so betrayed.
"I…I need to calm down!" Lucy took a long slow breath as an attempt to calm her beating heart and shivering form. She turned so she faced the wall and pressed her head against the stone. Her eyes squeezed shut to block out her growing need to scream in defeat…because she felt as if there was no way to win at that moment. Realizing how negative she was acting, she pushed herself straight and shook her head. "This is no good! I need to focus…the people come first, then I can go help look for Laxus…We can do this! It's not over yet!" While vocally encouraging herself, Lucy started to run down the street. She eventually came to a bridge that crossed over another street below. Beginning to grow tired from pushing her body to keep moving, Lucy allowed herself to slow to a fast walk. Stepping onto the bridge, the celestial mage slowed to a stop. She glanced out over the crowds until she was staring at the people on the other side of the long stretch of cobblestone. "What am I going to do…?" she whispered before slowly sinking down into a crouch with her forehead now pressed against the railing.
"Hey, Lucy!" a high pitched yell caught her attention and she quickly shot to her feet and turned to see a blue blur flying toward her.
"Happy? What are you doing here?" She was glad to see her dear friend; his appearance instantly gave her comfort and helped clear her mind. He'd disappeared when Bisca had been hit by the lightening lacrima. He was probably just as scared as her, so she could be strong for him at least.
"I'm here to help! Natsu can't do anything right now, but Levy is working to get him and Gajeel out of the guild."
"…I see. That's good. But right now we've got to figure out how to get the whole town to safety."
"Why can't we use the guilds public system?"
"Mira said that there's a Jutsu-Shiki up with the rule that nobody but the Master can use it during the Battle of Fairy Tail. I really don't believe the detail in which they planned this." Lucy wondered once more if Laxus had planned to do this even while they were on that job. The nip of the air brought a shiver down Lucy's back and she raised her arms to wrap them around herself. Now that she had calmed down, the temperature seemed to hit her like a ton of bricks; it left her shocked that she hadn't noticed it sooner.
"You look cold, Lucy," Happy observed.
"Yeah…I wish I brought a coat or something…" she mumbled in response. "Anyway, we have to get the people evacuated away from the Thunder Palace."
"About that…now that I think about it…I really think that it's a bad idea."
"Why?" She tilted her head.
"Many of the people here are from out-of-town and are here for the festival. Everything in the streets is in chaos! It'd be dangerous to cause a panic. We could wind up with a lot of unnecessary injuries," he explained, obviously thinking some snide comment about Lucy's intelligence while he spoke. The girl paused and held her arms closer to her body, a frown curving her face and her brow scrunched in thought.
"But if that's the case…what do we do…?"
"Yeah!" a higher pitched voice echoed, startling the two friends. The girl's head spun to see three small, floating wooden head-like dolls. What the…? The other two mirrored the first's actions and mimicked her earlier question. They were only about the size of her fist and looked basically harmless…that was until Happy yelled out a warning. Next thing she knew, Happy tackled her and her feet were no longer firmly planted on the cobblestone road anymore. Instead she high in the air, Happy gripping the back of her shirt.
They zoomed to a somewhat safer area just in time. Bright lights, as if from some sort of laser, shone back on the bridge where they had just been and the sound of an explosion soon followed. Rubble seemed to rain through the air around them, but Happy skillfully dodged them as he carried them further away from the little doll-weapons.
"Wh-what was that?!" she gasped out looking down, trying to see past her feet and through the raising smoke.
"It's Bickslow!" the cat cried out as he let her go on a roof. Lucy landed in a crouch and quickly looked around after realizing that one of Laxus' lackeys were around somewhere. She didn't have to look long since the man graciously saw it necessary to call her attention to him. With her opponent in her sights, she at least didn't have to worry about him sneaking up on her…though his little toys were still a problem.
"Yo! So you're the new girl that all the rumors are about?" the man she could only guess was Bickslow said. He was obviously tall…perhaps even taller than Laxus! He wore all black and a hood with a visor hiding his eyes. The strangely-dressed man made the girl think of a jester…a big, weird, and dangerous jester. Even though he was standing on top of an even higher building across the street, she could still make out the huge and rather psychotic grin the adorned his face. Definitely a dangerous jester, all right. More importantly though…
Frowning at his words, the girl responded to his comment, "What 'rumors'?! I don't like the sound of that!" What had people been saying about her?
"You now, the 'Cosplay Loving Queen'!"
Shocked that anyone would think that, Lucy's finger shot up to point at him as she yelled, "Don't believe those outrageous exaggerations!" She did not want to hear such a thing from someone dressed like him.
"What's that supposed to mean, Cheerleader Girl?" the freaky figure cheerily questioned with his little dolls echoing his name for her. She stuttered for a moment in an attempt to explain that the cheer uniform was for the Miss Fairy Tail contest, but the guy's impatience apparently got the better than him. "Hey, Babies! Get her!"
A bright beam shot from the wooden things toward the pair crouched on the rooftop, forcing the feline and the girl to quickly dive out of the way. Over their surprised squeals as they clumsily dodged the attack, Bickslow said, "Sorry! I know you just joined, and we're supposed to treat you nice…but we're in the middle of a rough game here!" Rough game? Was that all he saw the guild's current inner turmoil as? Didn't he see that people's lives-both friend and stranger-could be at stake?
"After doing this, do you think the Master will let you get away with it?" Lucy challenged as she stumbled around another blast.
"The Master doesn't have any say! By the time this game ends, Laxus will be the Master!" The strange man's confidence was worrisome; the girl gently bit her lip to hold back the string of comments that wanted to erupt from within…comments about how Laxus was behaving like a madman and how he could never be Master of a guild if he killed all the members. Glancing at Happy as he zoomed around more lasers, the girl decided that she was going to have to take the guy out herself. She wasn't sure if she could or not since he was one of Laxus' buddies, but she had to try. With that thought in mind, the celestial mage pulled her key ring from her belt and pointed her selected one forward.
"Those flying things are the problem, so I just have to get rid of them! Open Gate to the Man-Horse Palace! Sagittarius!" she summoned in an authoritative tone.
The tall man dressed in his horse costume appeared with a puff of smoke, his hand raised in his signature salute. "You called, Madam? Moshi-moshi?!"
"Ooh! Celestial magic?! But I didn't know Celestial Spirits did cosplay." Bickslow exclaimed, almost sounding thrilled.
"I don't do cosplay!" Lucy yelled in response before realizing that she was getting off track again. She quickly turned to Sagittarius and gave her order. "Your targets are those things flying around! Okay?!"
"I shall comply! Moshi-moshi!" Sagittarius said before taking aim. He released the arrow; his aim was true and the girl grinned when one of the wooden dolls broke into little splinters.
"Ooh! My baby!" She heard the weirdo cry from his perch on the roof above her. The spirit continued his attack and it was not long until the rest of the puppets were destroyed. This was good. She could work with this. "First they're frozen, then they're blown to dust!" He was sweating now! That'll show the jerk for messing with Fairy Tail!
"You did it!" Lucy cheered, but paused slightly afterwards. Wait…frozen? So this was the guy who took out Gray? How did that happen?
The last two puppets were shot and Bickslow covered his face. "Noooo! My babies!" He yelled with what Lucy thought to be despair…until he proved her wrong with his next two words. "Just kidding!" A second later, an energy spell fired at the two from their flank and pierced her celestial spirit partner.
"Sagittarius!" the girl gasped, concern flooding her features as he began to disappear to the spirit realm.
"Moshi-moshi…I seem to require a prolonged restful leave of absence…" he managed before he was gone completely, leaving her and Happy on their own once more.
"You're kidding!" she cried, not understanding what had happened; where had the attack come from? Her question was soon answered by Bickslow himself.
"You can destroy the puppets all you want. I control souls, so it doesn't matter!" The man boasted loudly.
"Souls?!" How could she hope to beat that…let alone find and stop Laxus…?
"Bickslow's magic allows him to have souls possess the forms of puppets," Happy mentioned as he flew from his previous hiding spot to land on her shoulder. Lucy held back her urge to give him a reprimanding glare. Why couldn't he have said something sooner?! The girl turned her gaze back to her opponent, but while she turned, she caught a glimpse of the building's sign that hung below Bickslow's feet. It said, "Toy Tom". As she watched, several wooden dolls, this time with arms and legs, burst through the shop's windows to hover around their master.
Distracted by the realization that the guy had an endless supply of puppets to do his bidding, Lucy didn't notice the lone doll flying at her from behind until it rammed into her hand, sending her Celestial keys up into the air to be snatched away by the culprit.
"My keys!" she cried as they were carried off, but when she turned to give chase, a blast of energy blew the ground out from under her. She tumbled head over heels until she managed to roll onto her feet. Happy, who had also been thrown by the explosion, lay about ten feet away by some rubble. As long as Bickslow continued to go after her, he would be fine. By the time she was able to run again, another series of attacks were coming at her, forcing her to dive to the side and pray he wouldn't use a wide barrage; there would be no escape if he did. She rolled so she was facing him again, her eyes narrowed in frustration. Seated like she was, dodging would be difficult, so she had to get up as quickly as possible. Before she could though Bickslow began making his next move.
"You won't be able to get out of it now." the freak chuckled, "Sorry Cosplay Girl. Your soul is about to be sacrificed to Laxus!" As he spoke, his dolls floated until they formed a triangle. They began to glow as their attack began to charge; it was obvious that this was going to be a big one. "Baryon Formation! Fire!" he ordered.
Lucy's eyes widened as the thick beam shot toward her like a cannon blast, all the while promising the same horrible fate of one as well. She tried to back away, but it was no use. There was no way for her to avoid the attack from the position she was in. She could hear the little cat screaming for Bickslow to stop in the background, but for a moment time seemed to slow and all sound became distorted upon reaching her ears.
She did not close her eyes or turn away, only watched as the light approached until it was practically upon her. At the last moment she felt a pair of strong hands slide under her knees and around her back and the next thing she knew her world was moving again and a black form blocked out the sight of incoming spell. The loud blast from where she had previously sat shook her to her very core and instinctively her arms lifted to protect her face, even though the explosion was behind her savior and they'd both escaped unharmed. The crack of rubble raining down and the hiss of rising smoke greeted her out of her shocked state and her chocolate orbs somehow managed to widen even more. She had seriously not been expecting to be saved. And the person who came to her rescue…was it was Laxus with a change of heart or Natsu finally released from the guild? Though it was not the lightening mage or dragon slayer, the man who currently held her out of harm's way was not unwelcome either. In fact, she found his arrival a happy surprise since it meant that he was feeling much better than the last time she'd seen him.
"I wonder why it is…that I am the only one who can open my gate freely without any call from you?" Though he looked different with longer hair and a snazzy suit, there was no mistaking him. "They say that there's a wall between the Celestial world and the human. But it may just be the force of love between us that breaks down such walls," Loke purred and Lucy felt a slight smile twitch at the corners of her mouth.
"Love…? What kind of stupid talk is that?" she giggled while Bickslow gawked noisily.
"Y-you're…"
"It seems the moment to fulfill my vow has come!" the spirit interrupted.
"Loke!" both Bickslow and Happy chorused in surprise at the sight of the celestial spirit. After a moment the Puppet Master recovered enough to shrug the unexpected interference off and continue as if he wasn't fazed in the slightest.
"So it's you, Loke! You turned out to be a celestial spirit after all!" He commented, "Hey! I'd been wondering about that all along! I kept your secret all this time, and here you go standing against me! So you're here to join the Battle of Fairy Tail? Huh?" What was he going on about now? How could he know Loke was a celestial spirit?
While the man talked away and the blonde doubted every word the man said, Happy crawled to his paws and trotted over to stand with his friends. Noticing the girl's confusion, he quickly began to explain how Bickslow had the ability to see the souls within someone. Meanwhile, Loke was calmly brushing the dirt from his slick black suit jacket.
"That part of it doesn't really interest me anymore," he specified, "It's what you were doing to my owner that does. The fact that you were trying to hurt Lucy…that I cannot forgive." His fierce black gaze locked onto his target with a promise of pain.
"Can't forgive? Give me a break! There's no way you can beat me! Every time we tussled before, I was pulling my punches!" the puppet master blurted out, annoyed. He pointed at them and Lucy jumped slightly in alarm, ready to react when the moment came. "Let's go tease him a little, Babies! Just like old times!"
"Lucy, stand away!" the lion spirit commanded as he thrust his arm in front of her.
"What do you think you're saying?!" she snapped in response to his over-protectiveness. She pulled the whip that hung on her hip from its place on her belt and let it snap out to crack against the stone roof under them. She straitened to show that she meant business and prepared herself to use the weapon to teach her opponent a serious lesson. But first…she had to make sure that he and everyone else understood the way she did things. "Celestial spirits aren't my shields!" the young mage declared everything she was both taught since childhood and believed with every inch of her being, "My style is to fight alongside them!" For a moment, mage and spirit exchanged heartening smiles before Happy ruined the moment with one of his stupid remarks.
"You two are doing it?" he chuckled into his grubby little paws and Lucy became annoyed…and embarrassed too of course.
"Not even close!" She would have to sit down with him later and explain how Loke hadn't even crossed her mind as being a possible romantic interest; she saw him as a weird older brother along with Natsu, Gray and most other Fairy Tail members. She had absolutely no romance in her life and hadn't really planned on having any either. Perhaps someday, but at the time there was no time for it! Her life as a Fairy Tail wizard was just too hectic.
"I'll find a way to deal with the puppets! You've got Bickslow himself when I clear the way!" Loke instructed.
"Okay! Let's go Happy!" the Celestial Mage readily agreed to the simple plan and waited for the lion to make his move. Under the watch of the blonde and the blue cat, Loke gathered his power into his hands and attacked the dolls; he tore through them with the ferocity of a true beast. Lucy smiled in awe of his strength and Happy cheered. Bickslow on the other hand wasn't fazed in the slightest.
"I keep telling you guys that it's useless! Attacks don't work on souls! You can break them all you want, I just move them to new puppets!" he laughed before giving his next command to his lackeys, "Now go, New Babies!"
Several dolls broke off from the onslaught attacking Loke to go after the Celestial Mage instead, but the spirit was nothing if not diligent. He slid in front despite Lucy's battle-ready stance and put an end to their presumptuous assault.
"You can send as many as you like! They'll never get close to Lucy!" snapped Loke in response and continued to plow through the crowd as if they were made of tissue paper.
Agitated, Bickslow scowled and sent even more after the powerful spirit. Noticing how her opponent was currently concentrating on her partner, she realized that her time had come.
"Happy!" she called, and on cue the cat immediately knew what was wanted of him.
"Aye!" His wings spread and he grabbed the back of Lucy's cheer uniform; the pair took off toward the Puppet Master without hesitation.
"This is my chance." the girl cried, her arm pulling her whip back. Once she was close enough to see the outline of Bickslow's eyes through his visor, she struck with as much ferocity as she could muster. "Now take this and learn from it!" Unfortunately, the creep was quick on his feet and danced out of the way, but Lucy was not deterred. Now that she was close enough to act, she would just have to wait for him to run his mouth again.
"Oh, you got me scared now, Ms. Queen!" he laughed heartily and the blonde gritted her teeth in annoyance.
"I told you I'm not like that!"
From the roof below, Loke's voice called up words of encouragement, "Bickslow isn't all that powerful on his own! Hang in there!" He rushed to finish destroying the puppets and join his master, but the dolls were like mosquitos; no matter how many he smashed, sliced and squashed, more just kept coming.
"What did you say, you jerk?!" The spirit's comment did not go unnoticed by the tall man. In fact, he found it extremely insulting that he would say such a thing.
With the crazy soul-sucker distracted, Lucy took the opportunity to reel her arm back and use the end of her weapon to smack him in the face. An exceptionally comical sound escaped him at the impact, which only made her feel even prouder of herself. How was that for whip lash! She held in her snide thought when she noticed her opponent reaching up to begin taking off the visor over his eyes. She only briefly noted the soft "tap' of her partner's shoes on the cement signaling that he'd jumped up to land slightly behind her on the roof.
"Dammit! Looks like I'm going to have to use this…" Bickslow grumbled to himself and Lucy wondered what he was up to. "Figure Eyes." A new grin plastered itself onto his face. His big, psycho expression held her attention for a moment so she didn't have time to meet his gaze before Happy was able to cry out his warning.
"Don't look into his eyes! Lucy! Loke!" Remembering what happened the last time she failed to follow a similar command, the girl immediately complied. She had no idea what would happen if she looked, but preferred to not find out through experience. Once more, Happy, who had been holding important information, finally decided to share the rest of his knowledge. "Every one of the Thunder God Tribe has a secondary magical attack done through their eyes!" he explained and added how Evergreen uses hers as a main attack though. From behind her, Lucy heard Loke make a surprised yet exasperated sound. He hadn't known either? The cat wasn't done talking though. "If you look into Bickslow's eyes, you turn into a puppet! And he can control your soul!"
"That was close!" the girl realized…but there was now another problem that arose from closing her eyes.
"So now your eyes are all shut?" she heard her opponent ask just before a barrage to attacks collided with her body. It felt as if she was being pelted with rocks wrapped in fire; the places of impact ached then burned, causing her to cry out. From the sound of things, both Happy and Loke were under attack as well and just as helpless. The lion spirit verbally cursed the situation and struggled to come up with a plan as he managed to swat one of the puppets dive-bombing him.
"Hya ha ha ha! Nobody can beat my combination of Figure Eyes and Soul Puppetry!" Bickslow boasted with glee; he was sure that victory was his without a doubt. The desperate trio was determined to not give up though and searched for the right counter-attack.
"Lucy! Horologium is the answer!" Loke suddenly yelled. "I'll go back through my gate for a moment and you can be protected inside Horologium!" Lucy figured he was correct that the clock could remove her from harm, but she didn't have her keys. Besides, there had to be a better way…
"Remember why you came out on your own?! My keys were stolen! Besides…you know that you have my trust! So do something about this!" For a moment after her exclamation, the area was still with silence so she heard his one-worded answer quite clearly.
"Right." he said. "Then we have to do an all-or nothing attack, so when I give the signal, open your eyes and charge him!" Lucy was unsure.
"But…if I open my eyes…"
"You said you trusted me, right?"
Lucy smiled. "All right." How could she not when he sounded so positive.
"Regulus on full!" The lion spirit charged his power; the girl could feel its intensity from where she was standing.
"Before you try any stupid tricks, I'll finish you off! Baryon Formation!" Bickslow yelled and Lucy knew what he was trying to pull off the moment the words left his mouth. Trusting Loke, she waited for him to give the signal and stayed put, despite the knowledge of what the current attack being formed could do.
"Lion's Radiance!" Loke exclaimed and through her eyelids Lucy saw a bright light shine around them and heard her opponent gasp.
"What? Some blinding attack?" Bickslow's voice was slightly strained.
"Now!" Loke ordered.
"Yeah!" she breathed out as she made her move. Her eyes shot open and once she locked onto her target the girl pulled her arm back before shooting it forward. The end of her whip lashed through the air until it met with the Puppet Master, where it wrapped around his neck. He gagged and his eyes nearly popped out of his head in surprise and from the sudden loss of oxygen. She had her first look at the weirdo's face; he had sharp piercing eyes and oddly styled hair. Either way he was a real weirdo. She pulled and instinctively Bickslow grabbed hold as well and pulled back. After a brief bout of tug of war to make sure he was not getting away, Lucy called for Loke to do his thing.
"Yes!"
"There's no way…that you can beat me…" gasped Bickslow with obvious effort.
"I was a different man back then!" the lion spirit yelled. "After I met Lucy, I had my original celestial powers returned to me! No, even more! I've become much, much stronger since I met Lucy! We're nothing like those puppets of yours!" He gathered his powers into his right fist and began to charge. "Love makes a celestial spirit stronger!" Loke slammed his attack into the Puppet Master's gut and a bright light radiated around them. Bickslow flew back, unconscious before his feet even left the ground, and landed heavily on his side. It was over.
"You did it!" Happy cheered from the sidelines. He hopped merrily from paw to paw and skipped up to Lucy, his tail held high with glee. The blonde grinned at him fondly before stumbling back a step slightly. She quickly caught herself and forced herself to stand tall. Her whole body hurt all over and she felt as weak as a newborn calf, but a win was still a win. She turned to Loke and offered him a soft smile of gratitude.
"Thank you, Loke…"
"Look at this, Lucy! It's the light of love!" Using his powers, he lit up a wall so the words 'I Love Lucy' were visible. What a kidder. The girl was unsure of how to respond, so she chose to simply remain silent, but Happy on the other hand was glad to add his own little comment.
"You are like so doing it," he giggled.
"That phrasing makes it sound especially awful. And no, we're not." Loke offered to fetch her keys and she readily agreed. With all of her aches and pains that she got from both the fight and from exhaustion, Lucy felt her body begin to rapidly weaken even more now that she wasn't running on pure adrenaline. Loke helped her down from the roof to a nearby alley where she would be out of public eye, then wandered off to find her keys. The girl stumbled back a couple of steps before managing to fall onto a pile of sacks filled with unknown substances. "My body…it doesn't seem to want to move…" she mumbled out as the blue cat stood next to her and watched with what could have been concern if he hadn't known it was from simply overexerting herself.
"No wonder. You called two Golden Gate keys in the same fight!" the cat stated just as the battle spirit rounded the building's corner.
"Whenever you need me, I'll come to the rescue," the lion spirit promised, leaning over slightly to offer the keys along with a gentle smile to the girl. Lucy's lips twisted up in return as she replied.
"Yeah…thanks." The fight had left her rather breathless and doing something even as simple as speaking was difficult. There was no way she would be able to run around Magnolia in search of one of Fairy Tail's strongest mages. Both Loke and Happy gathered around her in concern but she knew that soon the celestial spirit would have to return to his own world. Her gaze drifted from the pair to focus on the blue sky; the day was so nice that it was rather hard to believe that so much unrest was going on in the world at that moment.
With a sigh, she allowed her lids to droop, blocking out everything from her sight as her head fell back to rest on a sack of grain. She would allow herself a bit of a breather, but only for a short while. Since evacuating the town safely and in time wasn't possible, she would have to try something else. Perhaps if she could just find Laxus…who knows…maybe she could help talk some sense to him…