Chapter 20: Fantasia

After everyone got ice-cream Lucy went back to the seamstress and picked up the completed uniforms, then went to meet with the group of eager women she had spent the day with. Mira holding out her hands like a child at Christmas.

"Let me see!"

"Okay Mira hold on, lets get to the guild first. Besides we need to get the decorations back too and start working on the floats."

"Oh…. Fine!"

The rest of the women lightly laughed as the group made its way back to the guild hall When they arrived they got right to work. Mira completely forgetting about the Fantasia uniforms.

~Back at the guild On hour before Sundown~

Everyone was putting the final touches on their floats. Makarov, Mirajane, Elfman, Ivan, and Gildarts were fixing their float with fireworks. Erza, Jellal, Meredy, and Nullpudding were painting the fake tower on their float. Jet, Droy, Kianna, and Laki were using their magic to create areas for them to hop around on in the jungle on theirs so they could be seen easily. Evergreen, Freed, Bickslow, and Levy were working on making the mast of a ship for theirs sturdier. Juvia and Gray were working on ice sculptures while Lisanna worked on securing the beautiful arc she had made to the float for theirs.

Lucy, Yukino, Laxus, Sting, and Orga were adding the final details to the paint job, their float consisted of several floating platforms that were all hand painted in white, blue, and yellow. Some had lightning bolts clashing, others had celestial keys, others had constellations, it just depended on the angle you saw it on. Natsu, Romeo, and Flare were lighting the braziers on their float. Wendy, Rouge, and Gajeel were working on painting the last details of their 'roars' on their backsplash. Wendy wanted to keep it simple sense their real show was they were each going to roar into the sky at their interim and she was also in charge of decorating the dragon float, which she had painted every dragon into it IN their dragon forms, perfectly. The dragons had requested that the only decoration other then the base being painted was grass and a few rocks around the outside border. Wendy had obliged. Finally, was the royal float. It was gorgeous in golds and silvers, with two thrones in the raised center.

Mira stepped back from hers and clapped her hands three times sharply "OKAY EVERYONE! Time to get dressed! We have thirty minutes before show time!"

Everyone left their work and went immediately to the changing rooms, knowing that thirty minutes was no where near enough time, it never was!

~Fantasia Start~

Everyone stood on their floats waiting for Makarov to give the signal and start the Parade. Makarov, Mira, Elfman, Ivan, and Gildarts stood on their float in their marron and white outfits, the Fairytail symbol stamped proudly on their clothes. The float was wild with color, drummers waiting to start their rhythm. Fireworks would start to shoot from the floats ark and wouldn't stop until the entire cycle had been run. But then again magical fireworks didn't have any harmful backwash like black powder ones did.

On the second float Stood Erza, Jellal, Meredy, and Nullpudding. Erza and Meredy looking like Valant female knights while Jellal and Nullpudding looked like vicious medieval warlocks. Their background was a malicious looking purple tower on a craggy shore with lightning, thanks to the lightning lacrima they installed last minute. It was the perfect way to show all their magics.

The third float held Jet, Droy, Kianna, and Laki. Jet was in a cheetah outfit and crouched on all fours while Droy was a sunflower and was perched on one of the wooden platforms they had made earlier. Laki and Kianna were in gorgeous sundresses that complemented their figures. The team decided that once the paraded started jet would chase the girls and between Laki's, Kianna's, and Droy's magic they would always seem to get away. It would give the audience a good laugh.

Evergreen, Freed, Bickslow, and Levy had the best idea from the start of their float to also give the audience a laugh and have fun. Bickslow as Peter pan would use his babies and fly around. So, would Evergreen as she sprays her 'pixie dust' around. Levy would run around the 'ship' and try not to be caught using her solid script to fend off the pirates as Freed tries to catch her. Freed's magic wouldn't be on display, but his acting would, and as one of his passions he was ecstatic.

Juvia, Gray, and Lisanna were by far one of the most outstanding groups. Lisanna looked like the goddess of the water and ice. Cancer had grown out her hair, promising to cut it again later, and on her head was a crown on ice while a deep blue dress with silver sequins fell off her shoulders gorgeously. Natsu almost ripped it off her…twice. Grey was ecstatic he didn't HAVE to wear clothes and that the ice lacrima in ring would do it for him as long as he funneled magic into it, and so he looked like a ice elemental next to Lisanna. Juvia also opted in for allowing the magic to do its job, in addition to melting her feet into water, she looked like a water elemental on Lisanna's other side. Their plan was to have Lisanna start as a seal, which she currently in, and return to her human form into this beautiful goddess looking creature, then "Command" her elementals by raising her hand. Either her left, her right, or both. When she did grey and Juvia would do their magic. It was going to be beautiful.

Lucy, Yukino, Laxus, Sting, and Orga looked amazing. And that was an understatement. Yukino looked like a ringleader with dark blue leggings, but her top was a little different. It still had the longs, but it has a sweetheart bodice that connected to a choker with the Fairytail symbol as a drop and the entire top was made completely out of white feathers. The look was completed with a pair of dark blue gloves, white knee-high high-heeled boots, and her signature dark blue rose in her hair. All the males looked alike with white pants, dark blue dress shirts and white ties. The outfits were completed with white dress shoes and a white jacket. Laxus jacket however had black dragons around the cuffs. The most stunning image was Lucy. For the event she activated her Heavenly Ecriture and was standing there looking like and angel. Loke, Virgo, Capricorn, Leo minor, Pisces and Aries were already out on their own power for the event as well. Their attire in matching colors of their battle regalia. Their plan was to show the raw power of celestial and lightening magic, by having it collide gracefully, yet harmlessly. It would give a show but nothing more. Orga could fuel Laxus as much as Laxus could fuel Orga. The celestial spirits would do their own thing to show their best sides while Lucy and Yukino waved at the crowd.

Natsu, Romeo, and Flare were standing in battle positions on three sides of the float, flaming braisers between them. Their oriental look making them look fierce. When the parade began they would start showing off their fire magic in the best way possible, by getting it close to the audience, but not so close it could hurt them. Flare had already had Freed but up runes just to be safe. They would flip, shadow spar, and get their flames in the audience faces. It would look like they were masters of flame, and well they were.

Wendy, Gajeel, and Rogue were in outfits that closely resembled what the dragons wore in their human forms, the only difference being, no scales. The dragons themselves wearing the scaly version of that. The dragon slayers were just going to wave at the crowd, every ten minutes doing a tri-roar into the air. The dragons said they were going to be doing an ancient dragon clan dance, basically something dragons do to show unity and power. It was in their human forms so that the people wouldn't get frightened. But that's why they needed the space. As for the royal float, all they needed was to smile and wave and people were happy.

Everyone perked up when they heard the drums, it was starting. Soon one by one the floats went out into the streets of Magnolia, everyone smiling and waving and taking in the wonder that was Fairytail. Fans smiled and 'ah'ed at the magic they were seeing, their eyes lighting up at the strength of the guild that they knew would always protect them. Makarov looked at Ivan and said to him calmly and with pride.

"Never forget this feeling Ivan, these people depend on us. On you. When they see Fairytail they see hope. Every person out there right now is seeing hope, because that's what we bring. Never let that light go out, no matter what protect it. Do you know where the best place to protect it is from?"

"No dad where?"

"The best place to protect something is from beside something. That's why soon I'm going to step down and I'm going to hand this guild to someone. When I do I want you to promise me you won't abandon it, you won't let it fall, and you will still protect it. Protect the hope."

"Dad I made that mistake once, I won't do it again. No matter the cost I will protect Fairytail, I'll protect those kids too."

Makarov patted Ivan on the shoulder and continued to wave to the crowds, to the people cheering. As he did Ivan only had one thought 'Why did I give all this up before, how could I be so naïve?"