"What is it?" He grunted, keeping track of the male watching them until he left. He cut his surprisingly expressive eyes back to his mistress.
"That man was staring at us." She giggled as she continued to move through the crowd, half-listening.
"It's fine. He didn't seem intent on bothering us. Now come, we have work to do and I won't unleash havoc here." Apollo raises an eyebrow, interest piqued.
"I thought we were supposed to be bringing the humans to their knees?" Lucy grimaced but nodded.
"We are. But we aren't murderers. There are children here." As if to prove her point, two laughing children scampered by, shouting in excitement. Apollo shrugged, not bothered either way. They moved quicker once they reached the outskirts of the town. Lucy looked around, nodding to herself once confirming that they were alone. She shuffled through her key ring, selecting a silver key.
"Gate of the Lyre, I open thee! Lyra!" A doorbell rang as Lyra appeared beside them, clutching her harp a bit harder than necessary.
"Lucy...I don't think-"
"I know Lyra. But this is a direct order. Please play a tune to lure the townspeople away." She sighed but nodded, sitting on a nearby log before beginning a haunting tune.
Jet and Droy were chatting on their way back to the guild, when Droy bumped into a young woman.
"Oh, excuse me..." His hands were raised in the universal sign of peace, but they dropped to the side when she didn't say anything, shoving silently past him. He threw a look at Jet, and the boys observed the crowd more closely. The crowd seemed to be in a trance, shuffling forward at the same pace. A soft smile stretched across their faces, their eyes glazed over. Jet took off quickly back towards the guild, Droy running after him. The guild doors gave way under his desperate shove, swinging inward so hard they slammed against the way, gaining everyone's attention. Dull eyes turned as one to take in the panting form of Jet, hunched over with his hands on his knees to catch his breath.
"There's trouble! The citizens...the citizens are being taken!" Previously dull eyes snapped to attention. Erza stood immediately, grabbing Gray and Natsu without preamble. Juvia followed without prompt, Gajeel and Levy bringing up the rear. Laxus and co decided to stay there to protect the guild in case this was just an elaborate distraction. The mages who'd volunteered for scouting spilled out of the guild, following the crowd. They were lead to the outskirts of Magnolia, where the crowd seemed to be heading into a hole in the ground. Lyra still sat on her fallen log, playing a haunting tune that was only now seeming to register to the Fairy Tail mages. Erza, Levy, and Gray gripped their heads, groaning as they fought against the effect of the tune. The dragon slayers had unconsciously tuned it out, protecting themselves, while Juvia's water body protected her by warping the sounds until they were a harmless tune. Natsu burst ahead, smelling the faint scent of stardust and vanilla, his senses unconsciously reaching out for her. Where is she? I know she's here! He spotted Lyra and grabbed her shoulders, not caring that he was shaking her none too gently.
"Where is she?!" Lyra swallowed hard but ignored him, unable to tell him as she'd have to stop playing and she wasn't allowed to yet. Natsu released her with a huff, swinging his head this way and that to find her. In the back of his mind, his dragon started to stir, moving for the first time in ages. Natsu got a stronger scent of stardust and vanilla before jumping away, narrowly missing the attack aimed at him. An unknown demon stood there, his scent of water and earth mixing in with the scent of Lucy's magic. Natsu still wasn't satisfied, and neither was his alter ego. They could smell her, and two of her spirits were out, meaning she was close. So why can't I see her?! Gajeel shoved Levy aside as the demon attacked them next, turning his forearms to iron to block the attack. Erza and Gray tried to wake up the spellbound citizens, Juvia creating a water wall in an effort to slow them down. It did little to help, the citizens still walking blindly into the water wall, struggling to free themselves once inside. Juvia canceled it at the same time another voice rang out.
"Lyra stop!" Lyra stopped her song immediately, keeping her hands on her harp to prevent the spell from breaking, but not playing or singing to stop the townspeople from moving. A cloaked figure descended from the trees, landing gracefully in a crouch before removing her hood. As soon as she did, Natsu and Gajeel realized why they couldn't smell her before. A magic cloak huh? Deep brown eyes glared at them, while six pairs of eyes stared stunned back. Levy threw her arms out, crying in relief as she barreled toward her.
"Lu-chan!" Lucy, however, was having none of it. She cracked her whip in front of Levy in warning, eyes flashing as Apollo materialized by her side.
"You guys must be Fairy Tail. They told me about you. Please don't interfere." They faced her in confusion, Levy holding her hands out pleadingly before speaking.
"Lu...what're you talking about? We've been so worried about you-" Lucy cocked her head to the side.
"I appreciate the concern miss but I'm fine. Now please leave so I can finish my mission."
"Quit playin' bunny girl, this ain't funny." Confused chocolate orbs met his, and that's when they saw it. Not a spark of recognition shone in those eyes. Natsu stepped forward, moving slowly.
"Luce..." It was nothing more than a whine, a desperate plea for her. Still, nothing changed about her demeanor. She didn't laugh or run into their arms and cry in relief that she was reunited with them once again. Their hearts ached. Lucy sighed and dropped into a battle stance, Apollo following suit as Lyra began again.
"I'm sorry, but I don't know any of you. And since you insist on staying here, I must fight. Apollo!"
"Yes mistress." The Fairy Tail mages were forced to defend themselves as the two attacked, unable to bring themselves to truly fight their dear friend, even if she didn't remember.
And that's the chapter! Shout out to everyone who followed and Favorited this story! And shout out to my lovely readers! Your support means the world to me and I"m excited that so many of you guys seem to be interested in this. I wanted to end here so we could dive right into the action next chapter. As always feel free to leave a review and tell me what you think! See ya next chapter!