I'm so so sorry this came so late! I was on a 6 day vacation to Florida where I had no computer and my phone was shit and wouldn't help me write, but I worked extra hard on this to make up for it! Thank you SO MUCH for all your reviews! It helped me write the new chapter so much quicker, and all those that followed/gave me a favorite, THANK YOU! Now, you can go on, for many secrets are coming to light this chapter...

"Wait, so you're telling us that you're from a world called Earthland, and you came all the way here to rescue your friends?"

"And Erza's one of your allies there?"

Natsu nodded. "Yeah."

It had taken awhile to explain to the other guild, despite Guildless' protests that they should keep their identities secret. Yet she'd been overruled. They'd been skeptical, but Gray removed his hood, stripping down to his boxers as per usual, quickly getting into an argument with Edolas Gray.

Lucy glared at Natsu. "So you're not our Natsu Dragion?"

Natsu shook his head. "Nah, I'm Natsu Dragneel."

Lucy looked at the young, blue-haired girl. "Huh, Wendy, I'm betting from the size."

Wendy looked like she would cry, crossing her hands over her chest. "I get it, I'm small!"

Edolas Lucy then looked at Guildless. "So who are you?"

Guildless crossed her arms, answering, "No one of any importance to you. The point I'm trying to make is that we need to know where the Royal City is."

The guild gasped, shuffling uncomfortably. Wendy pleaded, "Your king was the one to pull our friends into this world and now we have to save them. Otherwise they're going to be converted into magic power. If that happens, they'll be gone forever! Please, you have to help!"

The Edolas Wendy suggested, "I know this is the last thing you want to hear, little me, but I think it's best if you forget 'em. Anyone who would defy the king of Edolas is dead. He has a mighty army at his beck and call."

Elfman added, "There's only so much magic power in our world, there's not much left of it. It won't be long until we've completely run out."

Edolas Gray grimly said, "It's the king's greatest fear, so he tries to keep all the magic power for himself." He suddenly grinned sheepishly at Juvia. "Doesn't he, Juvia dear?"

Gray glared at his counterpart, growling, "Making me look bad, fawning over her..."

Juvia shot both Grays a glare before continuing, "That's correct. It's why he ordered all magical guilds be disbanded."

"At first everybody tried to ignore the order."

"But the Royal Army's Magic Warfare unit started wiping them out, one by one."

"Our guild is the only one left! And it's not like we escaped unscathed..." Tears welled in the Edolas wizards' eyes. "We've lost half of our comrades to the Royal Army, and our Master. They killed him."

A few murmurs added, "And that damn traitor."

"Damn Shadow..."

Edolas Gray excused, "We've got our hands full just trying to stay safe."

Droy warned, "I'd stay away from the king if I were you guys. Go back to your world while you still can."

Natsu growled, "No way. I ain't afraid of your king. And I ain't leavin' without my friends, I can promise ya that!"

All of Edolas Fairy Tail gaped at him as Gray added, "This obviously the opposite of our Fairy Tail. Our guild would've relished the challenge. We don't need magic to free our guild. We've got the raw strength and willpower to do it."

Guildless chuckled, clapping slowly. "There we go, boys. Nice pep talk. Now, unless someone's got directions to the Royal City, we'll be going to look on our own."

In the Royal City, the four heads of the Magic Warfare Units were called to meeting by King Faust, entering the king's throne room. Erza greeted, "Your Majesty, we have-" Suddenly, every weapon was drawn as they caught sight of the white-cloaked figure leaning against the throne platform.

Panther Lily with massive sword growled, "Fear not, Your Majesty! I will deal with this!"

He started to leap forward the king's angry growl came, "Stop, Panther Lily."

The Exceed immediately stopped, keeping his sword raised. "My King, that is-"

"Yes, the White Shadow, a masterful assassin, formerly of the Fairy Tail guild."

Panther Lily glared at the girl. "She's the reason Captain Gildarts is now retired and paralyzed, sir."

Hughes added, "She attempted to assassinate you two years ago!"

Erza hissed, "She sabotaged the army for three weeks while we were eliminating dark guilds."

Sugarboy sniffed. "She scuffed up my armor, almost cracked it as well."

The white-haired girl leaning against the platform smirked smugly. "Well, look who's holding grudges."

Faust grumbled, "Shadow will be replacing Knightwalker on the elimination of Fairy Tail."

Erza's eyes widened. "What? My King, surely you do not trust a mercenary more than me!"

Shadow snickered. "Oh, for this he does. Apparently, you've been given many chances, but shown only that you're inept at tracking down my old guild. I however, know how they teleport and how they operate. I'll destroy them before you can even complain I've taken your special project." She chuckled. "White Shadow, the Fairy Killer. Ah, such a beautiful ring."

Panther Lily accused, "As if you haven't already killed one of your own! You expect us to trust you when you murdered your own guild master, your ally?"

Shadow shrugged. "I'm on the side with the most benefits to me, myself, and I. Back then, ol' Guildmaster Laxus was in the way of that. Right now, my greatest rewards lie with the Royal Army." Walking toward the four, she grinned arrogantly. "Just call me Captain Shadow."

Faust barked, "That's enough, Shadow! Now that all of you are aware of the situation, I order you: Shadow, you will not touch my Captains, and my Captains, should Shadow be out of line, put her back in."

Shadow's smirk failed for a moment before flaring back up into a sneer. "We won't have any trouble." She looked darkly out the corner of her eye at the Captains. "Will we?"

There was no answer, Faust taking it as agreement. "Then collect your weapons and go after the Fairies."

Shadow gave a mocking bow before roughly brushing past the Captains. Erza looked up at Faust pleadingly. "Please My King, we cannot trust her."

"We don't need to. We only need to use her to destroy Fairy Tail to keep my plans secure."

Meanwhile, down in the armory, Shadow went to the corner where Faust had already informed her her weapons were. Going to a small table, a white belt lay on it, four sheathed knives hanging from it, strange chains linked into the handles. Shadow eagerly buckled it around her waist, grinning. "Oh, I'm going to enjoy being back on top." She glanced at the other side of the armory. She had been warned not to take anything- well, they had been stupid enough to let her inside alone. Picking up a few assorted objects she could fit in her pockets, she grinned, racing off down the hall toward her newest assignment- to kill her guild.

"Natsu, if you don't stop chasing that thing, I swear to Mavis' grave I'll grab you by your stupid, pink hair and drag you to the Royal City myself!"

Natsu didn't listen in time, jumping after the pink, toad-like creature and crashing into the sand empty-handed. As Guildless stormed over, Gray shook his head. "Idiot can't have a bit of self control?"

Happy obliviously asked, "How long do you think it'll take us to get to the capital?"

Carla huffed. "We just left and you're already asking me?"

Wendy supplied, "They said it would take five days to walk there."

Carla sighed. "That's great. And with our aero-magic acting up, we have no choice but to walk."

Happy asked, "Why doesn't Guildless fly us?"

Guildless walked back over, dragging a thrashing Natsu by his hair. "Because while I still have a bit of magical ability, I can't carry three people and two cats on my best day, much less in Edolas."

Happy deflated, asking sullenly, "Do you think we'll ever be able to use our magic again?"

Carla turned away. "I wish I knew. This certainly doesn't bode well for us."

Gray sighed, pulling off yet another piece of clothing. "Ugh, it's too hot out here."

Carla cried in horror, "Put your clothes back on, boy!"

"Don't bother, as long as he keeps his boxers on, it doesn't matter." Guildless sighed. "Come on, we shouldn't waste time sitting around talking. We can walk and talk, or in Natsu's case, be dragged and talk."

She turned around, walking forward again, Natsu whining, "I just wanted to give Lucy that weird lookin' frog thing as a souvenir!"

Guildless sharply said, "If you like the girl, give her a necklace, not a frog."

"Aw, shut up!"

Guildless smirked under her mask, advising, "Girls don't like a whiny boy, Natsu. Haven't you noticed Lucy likes you a lot more when you're helping her, not annoying her?"

Natsu blinked, stopping his fighting for a moment to stare at her hand on the edge of his vision. What was this about? Why was Guildless talking like Lucy was his girlfr... oh. Suddenly, his face felt warm, as if he were about to breathe fire. He almost yelled she wasn't his girlfriend- but was she not? They were partners in everything, they helped each other all the time... and no matter what he did, Lucy would always feel like more than his friend, even his family.

Gray looked curiously at the now quiet, very red Natsu. What had gotten into his head? How had something gotten into his head? That skull was harder to break through than a mile of stone.

Suddenly, Guildless dropped Natsu, letting his head fall right to the sand as she stopped dragging him. Shaking sand from his hair, Natsu demanded, "What the hell was that for?"

Guildless' voice was different now- strangely... playful? "I thought too many thoughts were going through your head; for you, that can be painful."

This wasn't her scathing tone, or sarcasm-soaked chiding. This was just... a friend teasing a friend.

Gray couldn't help but smile at the sound of her much more pleasant, happier voice. It sounded so much better for her. "Well well well, look who's warming up to us again?"

And just like that, Guildless' voice snapped back. What had she been thinking? Why had she let her guard down just because it felt like home, no matter where she was with these assholes? "Not me, so don't look this way." And they kept moving without trouble, the mood dropping with Guildless' rough ending of the conversation.

At least, it was without trouble until Natsu pissed off the wildlife.

Natsu found another frog creature- this time crashing into one the size of a large house.

"Damn it, Natsu! You couldn't just walk!"

Before Natsu could again make the mistake of forgetting he didn't have magic, Guildless rushed forward, grabbing him by the scarf and lugging him away, the frog creature pounding after them as they began to run away, Gray yelled, "Guildless, use your magic!"

Guildless retorted, "I don't have enough to move a shadow, much less blast the fucking thing! Just run!"

Yet they never had to. A flash of black and blonde, a whip lashing out, and the monster bounded away from the pain of the whip. Edolas Lucy skidding back, her whip no longer glowing, Happy cheered, "Yay, Scary Lucy!"

Wendy grinned. "Thank you, Scary Lucy!"

Edolas Lucy snapped, "Quit addin' scary to my name, it's rude!" Looking after the frog bounding away, she shook her head. "You'd think something that big would put up a fight."

Carla asked, "May I ask what brings you here?"

Suddenly, Edolas Lucy's cheeks were rather red. "I-I wasn't worried about you, just so we're clear."

Natsu grinned. "Yep, no mistaking it, you're definitely Lucy, alright." He put a hand on her shoulder, grinning. "Thanks a lot."

Edolas Lucy demanded, "Hang on, what's that supposed to mean?!"

Guildless stepped forward, interjecting, "Let's leave this at 'thank you' for now. So, are you coming with us then?"

Edolas Lucy closed her eyes, crossing her arms. "Yeah, I'll help out. My guild doesn't need the army crawling around lookin' for you guys."

Gray nodded. "Thanks, Lucy. We owe you one."

After awhile of walking, discussing Erza Knightwalker and a bit of Exceeds, Edolas Lucy announced, "Well, here we are, the city's down there." Looking down the cliffside they stood at, a small city stretched across a valley, the buildings clay and rounded.

"Wow, check it out Happy!"

Wendy observed, "It's all very round, isn't it?"

"Well, let's get going," Carla said, eager to go.

Guildless glanced at the nearly naked Gray. "Put your clothes back on, Gray."

Gray frowned. "Why?"

"We're going into town, we don't need a streaker making us stand out."

Wendy smiled at Edolas Lucy. "Thank you for coming with us, Lucy."

Edolas Lucy met Wendy's gaze, looking into her sweet eyes and looking away immediately. "Yeah, sure. Follow me, you're gonna need some magic weaponry or you're never gonna be able to make it very far."

Natsu grinned and flashed a thumbs up. "Thanks a lot, Scary Lucy!"

Happy echoed, "Thanks, Scary Lucy!"

Edolas Lucy roared, "You guys are cruisin' for a bruisin'!"

Guildless ordered, "Cut it out, guys. Let's be thankful to Lucy and just hurry."

The group made their way down the hill, into the streets of the busy little city. Lucy looked out sadly at the merchants and closed shops. "It wasn't that long ago when you could buy and sell magic here, just like anything else. Then the army started hunting down guilds, and buying or selling magic became illegal. What's worse is just possessing it is a crime."

Natsu incredulously asked, "Seriously? You can get in trouble for having it?"

Guildless observed, "Their world isn't like ours, Natsu. Nothing's exactly the same."

Wendy asked, "What about people who have always been able to use it?"

Edolas Lucy frowned, stopping them in front of a broken down shop. "Wait, hold on. I don't know how to explain it to you any more clearly. If you have magic, you just have to get rid of it, or you'll get busted or worse."

Gray frowned in response. "You make it sound like magic is an object."

Lucy nodded. "'Course it is, how else would you use magic?"

Suddenly, so much made sense. Gray looked at Guildless, most eyes going to her arms. "That's why you can still use magic sometimes- your lacrima are objects!"

Carla nodded. "Yes, this would definitely make sense. If lacrima hold magic here, that would explain why yours still allow you to channel a small amount of power."

Lucy cut through the air with her hands in confusion. "What're you people talking about?"

Guildless shortly explained, "Where we're from, people don't often use objects for magic- we use magic with our very bodies, our own energy being the source of our power."

Lucy seemed amazed by the difference. "Seriously? Ya don't need weapons?"

Guildless shook her head. "No, Natsu can breathe fire, Gray can make anything from ice- it's natural in our world."

Natsu blinked. "So... people here don't use spells, just magic tools?"

Gray groaned. "Yeah, you idiot! Haven't you been paying attention?!"

Guildless barked, "Don't even start!"

Lucy smirked, gesturing to a stairwell. "Anyway, we're here. This leads to the magic black market. Trust me, you'll need this stuff if you're gonna travel."

"A black market?"

"Let's see it! We might as well play by this world's rules of using magic!"

"Aye!"

Going inside, the group ogled at the new, strange items, quickly gravitating towards a few with similar magics to their own from Earthland, Wendy finding an air cylinder, Natsu a flaming sword, Gray a bow that fired arrows made of ice, and Guildless chose a knife that could turn anything its blade touched to shadow.

As Guildless reached for the knife, Lucy said, "I'd stay away from that one. Nothing but trouble comes from that."

Guildless was obviously confused and curious. "In what way?"

Lucy seemed to be glaring off with the knife. "It's nothing good, I'll tell ya that."

Guildless still grabbed it, holding it up and spinning it on her finger quickly. It handled just like the shadow knives she often fabricated. "Maybe it can be nothing good for our enemies."

Lucy quickly got the merchant to give his objects away, though he had a warning. He nervously pointed to Guildless' black combat knife. "Be careful where you use that, miss. It's old owner is rather temperamental."

Guildless seemed suspicious as she inquired, "And that would be?"

The man looked away, shifting away from Lucy, who still seemed angered by the knife's presence. "The White Shadow, a mercenary. She used to be in Fairy Tail, but she betrayed us."

Guildless suddenly seemed to stiffen, as if she'd been shot between the eyes, a fact Lucy cared to notice. Guildless swiftly recovered, "I'll be careful, don't worry. Let's just hurry."

Lucy huffed. "You always seem to be in a hurry."

Guildless defended, "It's my job to protect these idiots, including the ones in the capital, so I'd rather do my job all at once if I can."

They moved up to the surface, finding themselves at a small cafe. The tables were only for four, and with two Exceeds, two had to sit alone. Guildless quickly volunteered, Gray sidelining himself to avoid Natsu.

Sitting, listening to the explanation of Earthland Lucy, they sipped quietly on their drinks, not eager to join conversation. Gray was still wary of conversation with Guildless- after learning she'd been in a dark guild and forcefully had lacrima placed in her arms, she seemed so much more human, less invulnerable than before, it was suddenly like talking to Erza- you knew she'd been to hell and back, but you couldn't really mention it. She was too strong, too proud and defensive to talk about the past.

Somehow, Guildless started talking first. "So... I heard you were a student of Ur's."

Gray blinked. "How did you know?"

"Makarov. Ur was famous in Shadow- they hated her guts for all the shit she'd given them." She chuckled a bit. "I suppose that's how you got so much fire for an ice mage."

Gray smiled a bit. "Y-Yeah. Ur taught me everything I know. She was the best I could've asked for." Gray hesitated, before steeling himself. Guildless wasn't going to like this question. "So, did... you ever have an Ur in your life?"

Guildless' tensed so quickly, Gray could practically see the muscles in her body tightening. A single name ran through her mind. Briar. She softly spoke as she relaxed. "Yeah. I lost my master, too." I've lost more than a master. Gale, Scribe... She had to choke back a sob at the last name. Damn it... I'm sorry, I'm so sorry...

Gray could see he was brushing the surface of a no-touching topic, but curiosity burned in him. "... I'm sorry. How... How-"

"Did my Master die? I'm afraid I won't be talking about that." She couldn't- not without falling apart.

Blood... The roses had been white once... She hadn't understood why they were red until she went into-

NO! She wouldn't think about that! No, never again. She wouldn't relive memories that would only tear at her worse than before, that make her guilt spiral out of control.

Gray started, "I didn't mean to-"

"Cordon off the area, we've cornered some Fairy Tail wizards!"

Suddenly, the group was on their feet, several weapons out.

Natsu grinned, raising his new sword, activating the flaming blade. "Alright, time to see what this bad boy will do!"

Edolas Lucy warned, "No, stop!"

But Natsu let out a massive cloud of fire toward the row of soldiers blocking them in. Yet when he tried again, he found it dry. "WHAT?! It's only good for one blast?!"

Lucy yelled, "You just used it 100 times, so yeah, dumbass!"

Wendy fiddled with her cylinder as Gray pulled back the string on his empty bow, an icy arrow growing on the string. He grinned. "Aw, yeah!" It kept on expanding until it was an inch thick, Gray releasing for it to shatter into shards just before the soldiers, but like Natsu, he quickly realized he'd used it much too quickly.

Guildless held her knife but didn't attack yet. She'd save her use until it was ready. "I suggest a timely re-"

Suddenly, Wendy's wind cylinder broke open, a whirlwind sending them flying off halfway across town, crashing into a building. A collective groan, and Guildless attempted, "Well, you won't be worrying about the cafe's check."

Inside a small house, the group huddled in their landing zone, Lucy peeking out a hole in the door to watch for incoming soldiers. Guildless looked at Natsu and Gray, two hands moving together to slap them both. She hissed, "Dumbasses! Did you forget magic is a resource here? Of course it was going to be limited."

Natsu pouted, rubbing his head where Guildless hit him. "Hey, it was an easy mistake."

Gray agreed, "You don't have to be so harsh about it, Guildless."

Guildless sighed. "You assholes make my job so much harder. "

Lucy announced, "Well, at least we got away. Bad news, we're stuck in here now."

Guildless sighed. "If we can hold out here for awhile, I could possibly fly us out, since its my simplest spell, but it would take time to gather my strength."

Edolas Lucy shook her head. "Even if you somehow grew wings, the soldiers would shoot us down easily. Besides, you can't carry four people and two cats."

Guildless sighed. "Just perfect."

Suddenly, from outside, a voice yelled, "We've caught you, Fairy Tail! Surrender!"

The group tensed, Lucy looking out the peephole again- finding herself staring at her reflection. A girl who was identical in all but clothing stood in the street, cornered by palace guards. Edolas Lucy stared at her Earthland counterpart, murmuring, "She's... just like me."

Guildless quickly caught on, moving to the door and cracking it open slightly. Once glance at Lucy, and she announced to the others, "It's Lucy- our Lucy!"

Natsu's grin was so wide, it must've been painful. "Lucy? She's really here?"

As if to agree, outside, Lucy yelled, "Hey, let go of me!"

Guildless nodded, encouraging, "Hurry, let's go! We have to-"

Natsu was already running out the door, yelling, "Lucy!"

Lucy raised her hand, a key gleaming. "Open, Gate of the Scorpion!"

Wendy rushed out the door, crying, "That won't work, Lucy! Our magic doesn't work here!"

Lucy didn't seem to hear, yelling, "Scorpio!"

Her key glowed as the gate opened, Scorpio appearing with tail raised. Grinning, he announced with gusto, "Wicked! Sand Buster!"

As he dropped to all fours, his tail shot sand, the sand whirling into a tornado that swept the soldiers away easily. Edolas Lucy, Gray, Wendy, Natsu, and Guildless were frozen in their tracks, staring at Lucy.

Natsu exclaimed, "Wow."

Wendy murmured, "No way..."

Gray demanded, "How can she use magic?"

Edolas Lucy's eyes shook with absolute shock. "How'd she do that?"

With soldiers gone, Scorpio stood, smirking. "Sorry to ditch out on you, but I've got a hot date with Aquarius tonight. Later!"

As the spirit disappeared, Natsu broke out of his stupor, tackling Lucy in a hug. "LUCY!"

Lucy staggered for a second, then grinned. "Natsu! Guys! I missed you!"

Natsu released her, stepping back a bit, still smiling but now looking more dazed. "Now I'm thoroughly confused."

Suddenly, Lucy looked over Natsu's shoulder, meeting eyes with her doppelganger. She exclaimed, "THAT'S ME!"

Guildless stepped forward, putting a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Calm down, Lucy. We'll explain the situation."

Gray nodded, stepping forward. "Don't worry, your look-alike here is a friend."

Lucy looked at Guildless, feeling the warmth of her hand. Despite the insanity of the moment, she took a deep breath, Guildless' touch calming her a bit. "Okay, so what's going on? Is this like when we met Gemini?"

Guildless swiftly reviewed, "We're in a world called Edolas where all the people are, I guess you could say reflections of us. We're complete opposites in all but appearance. This is the Lucy of Edolas."

Edolas Lucy still seemed a bit stunned. "Wow, I knew we'd look alike, but seeing her is freaking me out."

Lucy stared right back, eyes wide as dinner plates. "She's the Edolas me?"

Guildless suddenly turned, warning, "I hear lots of feet- incoming soldiers. We can save the full introductions for later."

Sure enough, the soldiers raced around the corner, yelling at the wizards. Lucy grinned, pointing at them. "Go on, Natsu! Do what you do best!"

Natsu crossed his arms. "With what exactly?"

Lucy said, "With your magic, obviously! You're a wizard, right?"

Natsu snarked, "We've been having trouble using magic here!"

Lucy blinked, looking to Gray. "Well, can you do something?"

Gray shook his head as Guildless shot, "Lucy, the rest of us can't use magic in Edolas!"

Lucy's jaw dropped to the ground as Natsu demanded, "Hey, why are you able to use magic?!"

Lucy exclaimed, "I have no idea!"

Guildless cut in, "Cute exchange, but Lucy, if you wouldn't mind summoning a spirit, we can get the hell out of here."

Lucy suddenly put her hands on her hips, grinning. "So this means... I'm the strongest one in Fairy Tail!"

Guildless facepalmed as Natsu yelled, "Quit fantasizing and take them out!"

Still grinning giddily, Lucy pulled out a new key. "Now open, Gate of the White Ram! Aries!"

The meek pinkette appeared, softly saying, "Um, hi. Leave everything to me, I'll do my very best."

Happy cried happily, "The fluffy one!"

Edolas Lucy stared at Aries in amazement. "What kind of magic is that?!"

As the soldiers panicked, Guildless quickly said, "Our Lucy can summon spirits that can help us."

Edolas Lucy seemed to be having trouble taking this in, but Earthland Lucy asked, "Alright Aries, you think you can take these guys?"

Aries shyly said, "I'll certainly try. Wool Bomb!" Her hands filled with a soft pink, cloud-like substance that expanded, flowing in the direction of the soldiers like a river, knocking them away. "Oh no, I don't think it's working, Miss Lucy. I guess I'm useless after all."

Lucy grinned even wider. "Oh, it's working, alright! Let 'em have another volley!"

Aries smiled at the praise, raising her hands. "Wool Shot!" More wool flowed, effectively distracting the soldiers with its touch. "Wool Bomb!" A wall of wool blocked the soldiers from the wizards. "Was that to your liking? I'll be sure to do better next time, take care, Miss Lucy."

Lucy gave a thumbs up. "Great job, Aries!"

As the spirit dissipated, Guildless announced, "Time to go, kids. Don't forget anything."

They raced off down the path, Gray with face fallen. "Wow, I feel so useless here."

Guildless agreed, "We can't do as much, but we have to do what we can."

After a lot of daydreaming on Lucy's part, they made it to the forest, sitting down to regain their strength. Natsu immediately asked, "Mind telling us how you were even able to get to Edolas in the first place?"

Wendy nodded. "We were worried about you. We'd heard that everyone in the guild was turned into a giant lacrima."

Lucy went into her explanation, telling how Horologium saved her from the anima and Mystogan sent her through the anima.

Wendy asked, "How come Mystogan's the only one who knows about Edolas?"

Guildless crossed her arms. "I'm a bit more concerned with the here and now, such as why Lucy can still use magic." Looking at the blonde, she inquired, "Do you have any idea?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, not a clue." She hung her head, looking worried. "If we can't use magic, I don't know how we're supposed to win."

It was quiet for a moment before Guildless asked, "Well? Aren't one of you Fairies going to go into an inspirational speech about how you don't need magic when you have friendship and determination? I thought that was a requirement to be in Fairy Tail."

Gray looked up, smiling a bit. "I think you just covered it." Standing, he announced, "I guess we'd better make a plan to take on the kingdom."

Edolas Lucy asked, "You still plan on fighting them?"

Natsu said, "Of course! They're our friends."

Edolas Lucy brooded for a moment, her Earthland doppelganger asking, "Is that really so hard to believe?"

Guildless replied, "Lucy, things are different here. We don't know how things work." She knew a thing or two about not making judgments until you knew someone.

Edolas Lucy continued, "Besides, without magic, your crusade is a suicide mission."

Lucy stood up. "Are you deaf? We still have one wizard with a full arsenal! That's right everyone, just sit back while Fairy Tail's strongest member takes care of this herself! Oh yeah, I'm all fired up!"

Natsu deadpanned. "We're totally screwed."

Gray agreed, "Just a bit."

Wendy cheered, "You've got this in the bag, Lucy!"

Guildless sighed. "Quiet down. We're obviously all coming, and besides, I have a bit of magic left."

Lucy blinked. "Wait, what? I thought only I could use magic."

Guildless tilted her head away. "There are several lacrima in my body. They help me to channel my magic, but it's exhausting here. I only get one spell at a time."

Lucy gaped. "You mean, like the dragon lacrima Laxus has?!"

Guildless sighed. "No, not quite. Mine are inside my arms, they're simply wells of magic power. Unlike Laxus' which gives him his Dragon Slayer powers, mine simply house my stored energy, give me a boost when I'm weak."

Lucy's eyes lit. "Wow! That's incredible!"

Guildless insisted, "Now, if we can move on, we should make a plan, find a map of Edolas."

Edolas Lucy stood, volunteering, "I can get a hotel room for us in the next town. They'll have a map we can use."

Guildless nodded. "Thank you. We can't waste time."

After a walk to the next town, they found themselves in a decent hotel, Wendy finding a map on their table. Carla explained how they needed to get across the the sea to get to the Royal City.

Edolas Lucy walked up, nothing but a towel covering her. "Wow, this is nuts. She's just like me! We've even got the exact same freckles on our bums!"

Guildless shook her head as Lucy protested, "What are you saying?! I don't have freckles anywhere!"

Wendy's face went red from empathy, eyes glancing from Lucy to Natsu to other Lucy. "Wait, Scary Lucy! Did you forget Natsu's in the room?"

Edolas Lucy smirked. "I can see him fine, half pint. I just don't care."

Lucy insisted angrily, "You should!"

Gray looked between them and shook his head. "Damn, it's hard to tell you two apart without hearing your voices."

As his eyes halted on Edolas Lucy for a second, the girl's smirk grew, looking between the two boys who looked at her. "You see something you like?" She grabbed the top of her towel. "I'll show you more."

Gray turned pure red, Natsu not breaking his stare as Lucy threatened, "Don't you dare!"

Gray was stammering for words to excuse his staring as Natsu giggled. "I was just thinking... you can totally watch your own back now!"

Nearly everyone in the room deadpanned, groaning in sync, "He's such a child."

Suddenly, their simple conversation became a guessing game of which Lucy was from Earthland, added difficulty in the mix with Gemini being summoned.

Edolas Lucy got a haircut, Lucy asking, "Are you sure you're okay with just chopping it off? My hair took forever to grow out."

Edolas Lucy frowned. "Yeah, course. It's not serving some great purpose by being longer, so what does it matter?"

Cancer interjected, "Because every girl should have pride in the 'do they sport, baby."

Edolas Lucy shrugged. "Yeah, I guess so." She looked away a bit. "In a world like this, you tend to forget the little things like boy or girl that separate you from your friends. In the end, we're all just survivors."

Happy frowned. "If it's that tough, why did everyone in your guild seem so carefree?"

Edolas Lucy said, "Of course they were. It's important to keep your spirits up, even if you have to force them every day. And when we can't bring ourselves to smile, we remember there are people in this world who need us. Even if that means we're labeled a dark guild, Fairy Tail will always be there to lend a helping hand." She looked down, face shadowed. "But I guess... that still isn't enough in the end."

Gray frowned. "What's that supposed to mean?"

Edolas Lucy laughed a little. "Nothin'. I'm just rambling."

Guildless seemed to catch onto Edolas Lucy's thoughts, deciding to help turn attention away. "We should get some sleep. This is going to be a rough trip, and we're going to have to make it quick."

Lucy yawned in agreement with her. "Yeah, I'm beat. I'll see you all in the morning."

Gray got up from the couch, moving to a chair. "Ladies get the beds, I suppose."

Guildless shook her head. "The Lucys and Wendy can have the beds. I'll watch for any soldiers."

Lucy frowned. "You want to stay up all night?"

"My magic is the Arc of Night, Luc', my power comes from nighttime. In fact, I prefer being awake during the night opposed to the day."

Natsu grinned. "Yeah! I get a bed!"

Lucy turned red. "You'd have to share with one of us, and you stole my bed enough at home, jerk!"

Natsu frowned. "Wow, you that opposed to sharing?"

Edolas Lucy groaned. "Okay, I'll sleep on the couch, the happy couple can share a bed, the shrimp gets her own, and the stripper gets a couch. I don't care where the cats go."

Lucy stammered protest as Natsu grinned. "Come on, Lucy!" He grabbed her hand, pulling her into the room with face deep scarlet. "Natsu!"

Wendy blinked, red with empathy for Lucy and embarrassment, asking, "Scary Lucy, are you sure you don't want a bed?"

Edolas Lucy gave her an annoyed glare. "Stop callin' me that, shrimp. Now go to your bed." She flopped down on a couch, Gray stretching out on his, calling, "'Night, guys."

Wendy walked, slumping, into the bedroom, Natsu already dead asleep, Lucy fidgeting nervously.

Half an hour later, Wendy was out like a light, Edolas Lucy and Gray were sound asleep, and Guildless was sitting at the window, watching for any patrols going by.

Yet Lucy was still awake. Staring at the ceiling, shifting positions, she couldn't shake what had been making her curious earlier that day. After another half hour, she couldn't take it.

Creeping out of bed, she knelt, pulling out her keys. She whispered, "Open, Gate of the Clock."

Horologuem appeared, greeting, "Hello, Miss Lu-"

"Shh! Everyone's sleeping! Do you have the painting I gave you?"

Horologuem assured quietly, "Yes, Miss Lucy. It's safe inside me."

Lucy smiled, opening his door and pulling out the portrait she'd been holding when Horologeum saved her. She'd left it with him to protect it- and also to see if anyone knew about a person in the picture. A face she couldn't recognize, yet was familiar, like a friend she hadn't seen for a few years.

She held the painting, looking at the face that had been biting at her thoughts for the last day. "Did you ask Grandpa Crux like I asked?"

The clock spirit assured, "Yes, but unfortunately, there is no data he is privy to that explains this girl."

Lucy nodded, not looking away. "Alright, thanks Horologeum."

The spirit disappeared, Lucy making a split second decision. Walking back to the bed, she shook Natsu's shoulder. "Pst, Natsu! Natsu, wake up!" Yet the Dragon Slayer only mumbled in his sleep. Lucy suddenly whacked him in the head. "Wake up!"

Natsu blinked awake blearily, asking with slurred words, "Is-it mornin' alrea'y?"

Lucy shook her head. "No, but I needed to ask you something, Natsu."

Natsu moaned. "You can ask in the morning, Lucy…" He closed his eyes, slowly falling back to sleep.

Lucy growled, "Natsu Dragneel, you'd better stay awake or I'll set you on fire! You couldn't eat that fire!"

Natsu grumbled, opening one eye. "What is it?"

Lucy raised the portrait, pointing to the girl. "Who is this?" Her finger pointed to a young girl who sat with Gray. Her legs crossed, wearing a plain grass green dress, she sat on the bench, Gray sitting on the tabletop, using the girl's head as an armrest. The girl didn't seem to mind being the rest for his arms- in fact, she was grinning widely, coppery skin accented by her wild white hair, a single streak of black near her face. Her eyes were a glistening green, everything about her was foreign and different, yet she seemed so friendly and familiar, it was looking at a childhood picture.

Suddenly, Natsu was very awake. He slowly sat up, reaching out and taking the painting from Lucy, staring at two faces he'd lost. Lisanna and the mystery girl. He softly asked, "Where'd you find this?"

Lucy said, "I'd found it once before, when cleaning the archives. When I heard Mira and Elfman were going to Lisanna's grave, I decided to find it for them. I guess I just didn't notice her before. So, did you know here?"

Natsu nodded a bit. "Yeah. She's… That's Ayrae. Ayrae was a Fairy Tail wizard."

Lucy did a quick double take. "Was?"

Natsu nodded a bit, glancing out to the hall. "She's gone." He sighed. "At least you didn't ask Gray. I don't think he could've taken a reminder."

Lucy frowned. "What happened to her?"

Natsu's face became shadowed. "We don't know. She joined the guild, went missing… then turned up dead in Crocus a few months later. We still never found out."

Lucy looked out to the hall where Gray slept. "Gray took it hard?" She looked down, noting how close he looked with the girl, Ayrae.

Natsu nodded. "They were best friends. You couldn't get 'em apart. He still blames himself for her dying."

Lucy's concern skyrocketed. "Wait, why?"

Natsu softly explained, "Because he knew she was going away, and he could've stopped her. He let her go alone, and we never saw her alive again."

Lucy looked down at the picture, straight into the excited green eyes that seemed too bright for their own good, too living to be dead. "… I'm sorry."

Natsu shook his head. "It's alright. Just don't mention it to Gray. No one at the guild talks about her because any time we bring up Ayrae, Gray… well, he goes off on his own for a few weeks."

Lucy nodded. "Alright. I'll keep the painting safe until we get home."

Natsu nodded, laying his head back down, Happy still sleeping on his pillow.

Lucy called out Plue, giving him the painting and crawled back into bed, but now, those green eyes seemed to haunt her even worse than before. Had she known this girl? Why did she look so familiar?

Guildless was silent at the window, arms crossed as she surveyed the outside, noting how she should teach the Fairies how whisper. It seems she doesn't suspect.

Lucy wouldn't have noticed, as Reedus' drawing was fine and featured small details easily missed. It was understandable that Lucy wouldn't see the black crescent moons at the corners of Ayrae's eyes.