Battle of Fairy Tail
"Hah, you lost now you got join the pageant!" Ron roared with laughter as Hermione chased him around with her staff.
"Come back here you cheating little twit, I know you swapped the cards, I was counting them!"
"Prove it!"
"Ughuh!" Hermione let out a strangled yell and pursued him in earnest.
"Pipe down you brats!" Canna yelled, when their rough housing nearly knocked over her barrel of booze.
"Yeah, aren't you getting a little old for this kind of crap, Peter Pan?" Gray snickered. Ron's unofficial nickname had become recognised the week before after his interviewer from Sorcerer's weekly overheard the nickname and took something of a shine to it.
"Don't compare me to that creep!" Ron yelled at them, momentarily abandoning the cat and mouse chase.
"Yeah Ron's nothing like him!" Romeo howled, he'd had the misfortune of listening to the version from Ron and Hermione's island and harboured a great fear of the Neverland tales ever since.
"You know I blame you for the fact his rooms like a sauna now, he absolutely refuses to open his windows." Macao told the brunette girl sourly. Hermione had the decency to blush, she just meant to explain to Romeo why Ron didn't like being compared to the boy. She hadn't meant to create a boogie man (or boy) for the kid.
Hermione and Ron had found that after reuniting they'd aged nearly a year, making them appear to 15 of so. Unfortunately, Ron's growth spurt age hadn't been hit yet, to say he was a little bitter about it was an understatement. Whilst distracted, Hermione managed to land a blow across his head with her staff.
"Bloody hell! What was that for!" Ron yelped.
"For making me join a bloody beauty pageant." Hermione told him completely unrepentant, taking a delicate sip of her tea.
"Oh yeah," He said gloatingly, he was rather found of that prize. Then he frowned and looked at her again. "Where the hell did you get a tea cup?"
"Where would I get a tea cup Ron?"
"You know that's not a reply right?"
"Is it now?"
"Seriously, don't try to work your Dumbledore twinkle on me that only works on the morons that worship the ground you walk on." Hermione's response to his critique is to slam her staff back across his head again.
"You really need you to teach me how to do that?" Cana mused. It would useful in irritating her flat mate if nothing else.
"Sorry, trade secret." Hermione replied mysteriously.
"Do I really have to do this?" Hermione whined as Cana shoved her backstage.
"Look all you've got to do is put your express armour on, wave your hands a little and bam you're done." Cana told the teenager carelessly.
"But, but, but," Hermione stuttered and then her number rang over the sound system.
"Go on then." Now Hermione shoved onto the wings and from there she was shoved onto the stage.
"-majesty Duchess Aurora!" Max, the irritating sand mage, who seemed incapable of looking most women in the eye and instead looked at their boobs.
Hermione waved awkwardly at the wild crowd, made up almost exclusively of leering men. Oh dear.
"Uh-uh-hu, he-he-hello I'm, I'm" Hermione stammered horribly, though instead of calming down the crowd it sent them into a roaring pandemic of nose bleeds and "CUTE!" All I have to do is change and then I can get off stage, Hermione swore to herself.
"Battle change: Express." With the transformation complete Hermione stood stock still for a few seconds before bolting off stage and releasing the battle form. "There I did it, now can I please-" Hermione froze when she realised how silent back stage had gone. None of the girls were we're talking and it certainly wasn't in respect for Lucy performance.
Hermione turned around and had a few seconds before she was turned into stone.
"God I'm so glad I picked that penalty," Ron giggled helplessly. Hermione at a pageant was absolutely hilariously awkward, Ron swore to keep the pictures for the rest of eternity. Even if it was for no other reason than to relive the memory the blurry image created.
"You know, that was kind of mean," Gray told him, sitting absolutely naked at their table.
"Clothes stripper," Natsu told him spitefully causing Gray to try to kick him (still butt naked). Both stopped when Evergreen appeared on stage, disrupting Lucy's stage time.
"Evergreen?" Gray said, bewildered.
"She's returned?" Elfman asked out loud, taking a step back.
Nearby, Master Makarov's eyes had gone wide with shock and unease.
"Hey, don't get in my way! My rent is riding on this!" Lucy growled. She was always very serious about rent money opportunities since they were so scare. Lucy still had to wait another week before she could legally, clean up Fairy Tail's cheque books. Lucy was almost certain that the council was being difficult on purpose, though she wasn't entirely sure why. Maybe they were trying to make Fairy Tail to go under through bankruptcy?
Gray jumped to his feet when realisation hit. "Lucy, don't look in her eyes!"
"Huh?" Lucy replied as Evergreens slid her glasses off her face.
"What with this kid?" Evergreen cast the spell and instantly Lucy was turned into stone. Gasps filled the hall and a clued in Max hurried he audience out, leaving Fairy Tail's beer hall empty, save its members.
"What do you think you're doing?" Ron roared, standing on the table top. "Where's Hermione!"
"My how strange, the pipsqueak's grown," Evergreen told the red head insultingly, her sneer hiding behind her fan.
"Where is Hermione?" Ron said advancing forward.
"Uh uh ah," Evergreen tittered, finger wagging threateningly. A crack appeared in the Lucy's skirt. "A festival like this requires entertainment does it not?" As she said this the curtain raised revealing the Miss Fairy Tail contestants, each petrified and made of stone.
The remaining members of Fairy Tail froze in horror and Ron… Ron let out an anguished roar when his eyes came across the frightened form of Hermione. In his mind, their second year was running through his head, as was the thought of losing his best friend just after finding her again.
Outside a terrible storm began to form, wind began to rattle the windows and the light dimmed as dark clouds formed rapidly. All of the Magnolain natives took the omen for what it was and immediately headed to the train station, trying to evacuate. This kind of Storm had only happened once, when little Lisanna Struass had died when her team (Ron Weasley, and her siblings) had been on a job. Like the siblings Ron had felt responsible for her death and the ensuing storm had flooded the canals and would have drowned the city if Master Makarov hadn't triggered the Gildarts protocol. Afterwards, Ron had been sent to be trained by Gildarts for a week in order to ensure nothing like this happened again but a great deal of damage had been done. It had taken the magnolain builder close to a month for the streets to be drained and city drained.
Evergreen felt a brief shudder of fear rack through her body when she felt his magic swell but steeled herself. Laxus had foreseen this and she would not fail him by showing fear.
Lighting crackled inside the room and on the stage Laxus appeared.
"Hey, Fairy Fails. Weathers pretty nasty out there, be a shame if someone got hurt." He tells them maliciously.
"Ron," Makarov called, turning to face the boy. Ron seeing the look breathed in a few gulps of air and reigned it in, a few tense moments passed and the storm abated.
"Release her." Ron snarled with murder in his eyes.
"Aww, but where's the fun in that Weasley." Bixlow shouted from his perch upon the balcony.
"The Raijin squad, Laxus's personal guards." Macao whispered.
"Laxus, stop this foolishness at once." Makarov shouted at his grandson, fear pooling in his gullet. There was no way this could go well.
"But the festivals only just begun, let's play gramps!" Laxus said grinning dementedly.
"Release them now." Ron growled again, his eyes shadowed.
"I wonder how many of them will survive this Fantasia." Laxus said, almost casual in tone, slouching on Lucy's petrified form. Fairy Tail felt ill looking at them. "We're playing a game today. If you violate the rules, I'll be forced to break my… bargaining chips, one by one." Outside a rumble of thunder shook the sky.
Ron was surging forward fist raised to attack, but when he was metres from the stage, a cage of glyphs formed around him. They glowed an angry red every time Ron's fist beat down upon the 'bars', causing Laxus to laugh. Outside the skies cleared up immediately and instead of comforting them, everyone in Fairy Tail felt their stomachs drop and a few heaved. Ron let out another rumble and lightning physically surged around his skin, in great looping arcs.
"Now Weasel, if you go and kill everyone, the game wouldn't work very well. Really we're doing this for their own good." Laxus told his cruelly, his gaze not leaving Ron's increasingly frenzied eyes. Then he turned back to his audience.
"Weasley won't be taking part with us which is sad," Bixlow called, his 'babies' echoing their agreement.
"This joke is not funny Laxus!" Makarov snarled. Beside the stage Ron roared and the wood beneath his feet began to char, as his electricity did as electricity always did – looked for the shortest path to the earth.
"You know, all that these runes do is displace Weasley's magic, somewhere in Fiore…" Laxus did not need to finish his statement. Makarov's fists curled in on themselves and his eyes closed. He took a few steps forward and with great sorrow cast a sleeping spell on the boy. Immediately he fell to the floor and the pulsating magic stopped. The skies, which had been changing so rapidly it was like it was blinking, smoothed out into flawless blue skies and autumn warmth.
"The rules of the game are simple," Laxus continued smug arrogance rolling over his form. "The last one standing is the winner of the Battle of Fairy Tail."
"Fine by me, easy to understand," Natsu called, interrupting the dead silence that had fallen on the guild. Fire leapt around his fist. "I'm all fired up."
"That spirit of yours is exactly what I want." Laxus smirked. Natsu ran at Laxus causing him to continue. "But your lack of skill still annoys me." With a careless flick of finger, Natsu was out cold, a few residual sparks of electricity rolling over him.
"If you wish to free the girls, all you must do is defeat us all," Evergreen said, her fan shut together with an audible snap.
"There's only 4 of us and like a hundred of you, right?" Bixlow laughed.
"Three hours are all you get. Beyond that and they'll be reduced to dust." Evergreen continued.
"The battle field is all of Magnolia, if you manage to spot us the battle begins." Laxus said evenly.
"Laxus!" Rage colours Makarov's words and he grows to huge size, his titian magic stirred.
"Cool your head down gramps, this is a festival. Let's have some fun!" Laxus laughs as he teleports away with another bolt of lightning, causing the audience's eyes squeeze shut at the blinding light.
Once the light faded, the crowd grumbled and rumbled until Elfman yells out "tch, we've got to save nee-chan and the rest!" With that the hall emptied itself as they all raced off to fight the Raijin squad and Laxus.
The hours wore on and the Fairy Tail members were whittled down until only Gajeel and Natsu were left, though they were trapped due to the over 80 specification in Frieds rules.
Hermione began to grow more and more desperate, until something clicked in her mind. If Hermione had been capable of smacking her forehead she would have. Settling her mind and ignoring the protests of her body Hermione began to push her soul outward. The formulation of her astral magic caused a faint golden glow to form around her and with one final heave she stumbled out of her stone encased body to find Redfox and Natsu screaming over Ezra's statue form and Ron out cold on the floor.
"Master?" Hermione asked, a little thrown. Whilst focusing on attaining her astral body, without the help of her usual meditation techniques she had completely missed the conversation that had taken place.
"Hermione!" Natsu yelled, just as Ezra's shell cracked entirely.
"Hot." Ezra remarked, then her eyes narrowed and her foot slammed into Natsu's face (the likely culprit) accidentally taking Gajeel with him.
"Thank god," Hermione whispered, floating closer.
"But how, the chick was turned into stone?" Gajeel asked staggering to his feet. The fairy Queen could pack a punch for sure.
"I don't really know about that, perhaps it was because of my right eye?" Ezra replied, directing her answer at both the master and Hermione.
"Of course, the artificial eye must have diminished the effect of the magic." Hermione realized.
"Ezra do you know what's going on?" Happy asked floating closely.
"Is anyone going to ask the floating gold girl how she go out?" Gajeel asked, eyes bulging.
"Oh, my apologies, they're a little more accustomed to my astral form and you're still new here." Hermione considered. "I use soul magic and this is the manifestation of my soul." Behind her Natsu and Ezra nodded in agreement.
"You look like you took a bath in an ash pit." Gajeel noticed. Her eyes still glowed gold as did the butterflies that flapped lazily around her, but her dress, hair and skin where a blend of greys, black and whites.
"Emotional trauma always leaves scars on the soul," Hermione replied tightly. She hated that her form showed those scars so visibly, it was easy to hide her leg or at least be proud of her creation. There was no positives to her weakened astral soul.
Seeing that he'd hit a sour spot, Gajeel dropped the subject though he was still very curious; wasn't the lawyer some kind duchess? Why would a noble like her have emotional trauma so bad that it scarred her very soul.
"Go! It is time to strike back!" Makarov cried, turning around and running back to the entrance that mocked both fairy Tail's master and the dragon slayers.
"Three player remaining? Fascinating, the script must not consider me as a contestant," Hermione observed, eyes flickering over the text that shone above their heads. "They're right of course, in this form I can do little more than influence. How likely are they to know he's awake?"
"Very, Freid has set rune traps all over the city, the moment Ron triggers it they will know and if the girls are still hostages…" Makarov's head shook at the thought. Each girl was a pillar of the Fairy Tail community losing them could very well destroy the very fabric of the guild.
Hermione nodded solemnly in response but turned her gaze back to Ron.
"You two dating?" Gajeel asked gruffly as Ezra ran through the streets searching for the Raijin squad.
Hermione startled at the question and then laughed. "No, Ron and I aren't dating, we're both from the same island, we were best friends at our school and we've been searching for each other for a while." Hermione explained, she smiled fondly at the now snoring boy.
"Wait your like semi-immortal, like Weasley?" Gajeel replied, a little surprised.
"Yes, I'm not supposed to look like I'm 12," Hermione said frowning at her pre-pubescent body.
"How old are you then?" Gajeel asked, genuinely curious.
"Well it's been 5 years or so now so I'd be around 17. It's kind of hard to keep track of time here, since my internal clock is still stuck on my… islands, time parameters." Hermione replied instantly, causing their (Natsu was also listening in) jaws to drop.
"Why is that so surprising?" wisely the boys didn't answer.
Hours pass and the girls are eventually freed, though the threat of Laxus remained. With the help of recently freed Levy, the most obvious of the runes were disabled and Ron was woken up – of course immediately tried to run out of the guild and (attempt) to pummel the Raijin squad to a pulp. A combination of Gajeel, Natsu and the master let them keep Ron still long enough for Hermione to talk some sense into him. With the sense drilled, unhappily, into his head Ron did not go rushing off to fight the traitors head on, but ran with Ezra to help destroy the thunder palace. Needless say, he was rather pissed to find that Natsu and Gajeel had beaten him to the punch (or fist) when it came to fighting Laxus. Fear of increased property damage convinced the master to restrain Ron once again and let the other Dragon slayers fight it out much to Ron's displeasure. He was even further aggravated when he found out what had been Laxus motivation and vowed to refer to him as the "dumbass" for the rest of his natural life.
Ron wasn't as forgiving of the Raijin squad as the others had been, making it very clear that they had a long time to go before he handed over his forgives or his trust. There was silver lining to the events though. Since Ron was arguably the fastest mage after Jet it was him who was sent to collect the Master's new heart medication regime for Porlyusica.
"Hello?" Ron called as he landed in the clearing with a distinctive thump.
"Dam brats, always disturbing my peace," the grumpy pink haired woman said the door open, gesturing inside. Ron's nose wrinkled as the scent of bubbling chemicals wafted up his nose, he couldn't for life understand how anyone could willing ingest something that smelt like that.
"Mira sent me to pick up Master's medication," Ron explained stepping into the hollow tree room.
"Hah, what did you do to deserve that," Porlyusica sneered, still bustling around her experiment.
"I accidentally flooded Ezra's favourite bakery during the battle." Ron told her, dead panning. His explanation caused him to snort and point over her shoulder.
"Medication's in the cupboard over there with the blue label." Ron nodded and went were instructed. The old and quite rickety cupboard squeaked as he opened it, what must have been century old dust disturbed from its resting place. Ron's curiosity peaked when a faded photograph fell with the dust and then his heart thudded to a stop when he saw the face in the lower half of the picture.
The boy was a very pretty child with wide green eyes, and hair that refused to be tamed. It was undeniably Harry though - much like Ron's features, Harry's had altered a little upon arrival in Fiore. He must have stood there like a fool for a long time because Porlyusica came storming over grumbling about mindless and stupid humans until she saw what was clutched in his fist. Her eyes turned hard and a fury working its way through her chest until Ron uttered Harry's name in tone of wonder, awe and hope.
Porlyusica floundered. Without her anger she didn't know how to proceed so she stopped and waited for… for what even she wasn't sure.
"Who's, this is, I mean it was, I know who but it's just, when?" Ron's words came out as a jumbled mess that would not have been understandable to anyone who wasn't fluent in 'stutter'. It was perhaps a blessing and a curse that Porlyusica was gifted at translating this ancient language 'stutter'.
"Dr Harry Potter of Haven's emergency ward." Porlyusica spoke. Ron still did not move, just stood there starring at the photo for a few minutes before speaking:
"When was this taken?" Ron asked, eyes pleading.
"Nearly 50 years ago," Porlyusica had considered lying but she was under the impression that any dishonesty on her part would have been ended badly for her.
"He… Fifty years ago? God, no wonder we couldn't find him-"Ron spoke breathless a smile forming in the corners of his lips.
"He's dead," Porlyusica interrupted flatly, causing the hope ballooning in his chest to deflate. "He was murdered during the fall of Haven and an earthquake destroyed his tomb."
Ron shook his head, not believing it. If Harry had been dead he would have felt it, just like he'd felt Hermione almost die and Hermione would have certainly felt it since she used her strings of fate to check in on everybody.
"How do you know him, very few could actually name him, they just called him the Harbinger." Porlyusica demanded.
"He was, is from my island, we're best friends, went to school together." Ron explained, eyes still cataloguing every detail the photo in his hands offered.
"Not possibly, he died before you were born," Porlyusica snapped coldly.
"When we left our island, it was an accident, it caused us to go to weird places and times, Hermione landed in Fiore about 6 years after me I think." Ron replied, ignoring the frosty tone. Porlyusica stilled at this explanation but did not disbelieve him either. The idea that Harry's curse was associated with accidental time travel was not that farfetched. Regardless of this however, Harry was dead, she'd placed him in his tomb herself and until the earthquake had levelled the region and added impassable mountains and a dense abysses, she visited it yearly.
"He's not dead." Ron argued starring defiantly into Porlyusica's eyes (which was pretty odd, very few people were able to sustain eye contact with her).
"Yes he is, I sealed his tomb and since I am the doctor not you, I would know." If Porlyusica had been cold before she was glacial now.
"Hermione knows he's alive, her strings have told her so, where is his tomb." Ron was getting more agitated and more confrontational, though mercifully, still in control of his powers.
Porlyusica debated answering, Harry was dead and she knew that. She's seen the poison work its way through his system and cut off all life. Ron, however was convinced to the contrary, she smiled bitterly and tugged a thin book out from her bookshelf.
"This is a map, follow it and you'll find the region his tomb was built in, but an earthquake destroyed most of the orientating features, hell a new mountain range was formed. Go knock yourself out and never come back to my house again." She spat, shoving the bottle that had started the whole thing into his hand and propelling him out.
When the door slammed shut and the winds stopped howling, Porlyusica let out a shaky breath and fresh tears broke past her dams.
Ron ran with a mixture of emotions tumbling around in his stomach, hope and fear battling it out at the expense of his health. Hermione was sure Harry was still alive but Porlyusica's dead eyes told another story. Regardless, Hermione had to know and they had to go there, at the very least to find Harry's tomb.
As he crashed through the guild hall entrance, Ron hastily shoved the bottle into Mira's arms and followed the scent of parchment and ink until Hermione's, now sleek, curls came into view. "Hermione!" he called, zipping forward. Hermione's head shot up in surprise, her conversation with Lucy and Levy fully interrupted.
"Ron? What on earth?" Hermione said, mildly irritated. Lucy and Levy were possibly the best source of knowledge on old Fiorian traditions that influenced the nobility that she'd ever come across, since Lucy had experienced the practices first and Levy had extensive knowledge of the esoteric practices from her studies. Ron didn't really trust himself to explain it properly so just shoved the map book and picture into her hands. Hermione startled at the action until she saw what was in, or who was in, the picture. Tears and determination welled in her eyes and she spoke in a soft tone. "Lucy, it looks like I won't be travelling on the collaborative mission with you."
"What why? Wait, who's that?" Lucy asked, leaning across the table and then smiling when she saw the adorable child dressed up as a doctor.
"It's Harry." Ron tells her shocking Lucy.
"Hang on, Harry as in best friend from Avalon, small island that you guys were accidentally flung from that resulted in an aging curse Harry, or Harry as in an adorable nephew that you've never mentioned before.
"Harry, as in Harry Potter, our best friend." Hermione raised her hands and snapped her finger. Somehow the little sound seemed to silence the whole courtyard and everyone saw the golden string that came into sudden existence stretching far into the distance.
"I'll get the master then," Levy squeaked up, hurrying out.
"By the spirits," Lucy said wide eyed. "Are you going to go find him?"
"Yes," two thirds of the golden trio replied in unison. They were going to find him and no one was going to stop them going.
