Natsu had forgotten how large the city was. The three of them had been walking around for almost two days with no luck of finding Lucy, or any hint at all of whatever was going to happen. Jellal took off as soon as they got there, so they didn't even have him to help look for her.

It was all so frustrating. Everyone walked around him with smiled without a single care in the world, but Natsu knew something bad was coming. But the thing that bugged him the most was, where were the guilds? He thought they would have shown up to help fight these people but so far had hadn't seen anyone.

One thing he almost noticed though, several of the streets they walked down today Natsu could see some shadows that were always just out of the corner of his eye. Any time he turned his head to try to catch a glimpse they would be gone, but the second he turned back they came back. It unsettled him, sure, but another thing for this day that unsettled him was a constant rumble he could feel below the city. It was slight enough that a normal human wouldn't feel it, but since he woke for the day Natsu could. He had a feeling today was going to be a long day.

Jellal managed to sneak into the palace the night before. He watched through a small crack in the ceiling as the king and his daughter talked with someone about a dispute of some kind. He wanted to sigh. This was so boring, but if something was going to happen in the city it would probably start, or at least end, here. It wasn't that he wanted to be the big hero or anything like that. He just figured that the main power would strike here, with the king. With Natsu preoccupied with finding Lucy, it was up to him to protect the king.

So he sat and he watched and he waited. There was a faint rumble he could feel underneath the ground, or rather he could sense it. It was almost like he could feel some massive power building up. If this power reached its climax, Jellal had a feeling that the entire city would go up in flames.

They got the warnings. They were ready. Makarov stood next to Blue Pegasus' guild master Bob a few blocks away from the guild hall in an empty building. After a long talk with the city's mayor he finally agreed to evacuate the entire area the day before. It wasn't enough though. Makarov had seen first-hand the damage these people could do. The wizards around him were ready to fight, but how many would die?

Deep beneath the city of Crocus, Lucy stood next to Eagen as he watched his army of almost 6,000 prepare for their next strike. There was a smile on his face that would make a normal person quiver in fear.

Half of his army was already, their jobs being elsewhere. But he made sure most of his strongest were here. His smile took in all of his people, and all of his plans.

Lucy wanted to run. Her thoughts were partially her own now, but her body still wasn't her to command. Eagen threw an arm around her shoulders with a hand resting on one of her breasts. Inside, Lucy quivered with disgust. On the outside she was completely still.

"It's all coming together my sweet girl." His voice glided over her like the smile on a slug. "Soon, I will have everything."

She wanted to kick him in the face, but she couldn't. She waited until he left to start giving more direct orders so she could catch her breath. She already had her orders, but they were so vague that she didn't really understand why he gave them to her. They gave her a bit of freedom though, as her orders were simply to guard the front gate to the palace. Coming from him, it was an odd order. It was too easy.

She reigned in her thoughts as Eagen came back over to her. "It's time." He said with a glint of something dark in his eyes. "Get to your post." With one shove, Lucy was in motion. Once again her feet betrayed her as they took her somewhere she didn't want to go.

Natsu edged his way around the wall surrounding the palace. Happy and Lisanna were on the next street over keeping an eye out over there. If they thought something was going to happen, then Happy was supposed to fly right over and report in. So far, everything was still quiet.

He came around another curve in the wall and found that he could see the main gate with a group of guards standing there. He was about to move away and go back when a shadow in the corner of his eye caught his attention again. He tried to see it, but again when he turned it was gone. He turned his head back. He had to. Because the front gate blew up. Along with several other streets throughout the city.

The force of the blast took Natsu from his feet for a moment, but not for very long. He got back up and ran for the gate. It wasn't hard to see the person responsible. Her sword was out and swinging at the guards. Before she could bring the blade down to kill the last guard Natsu caught her arm with a firm grip.

"Heya Lucy. Been a while."

Makarov felt the power before he saw the guild hall blow up. One minute it was there, and the next it was raining debris all over the area that had been evacuated. No one moved an inch.

When the debris stopped falling, still they just watched. Makarov kept his focus on the guild hall. The silence was deafening as they waited. It was almost too much to handle. But then, finally someone was walking into the area.

He looked around and pushed some of the rubble around with his foot, then lifted his head and let out a high-pitched whistle. When he did several more people appeared out of nowhere and surrounded him. Makarov couldn't hear what was said, but he could see their shoulders get ridged, then they vanished. The man turned his head and surprised Makarov by looking directly at their building, then he too vanished.

The people standing with him jumped and prepared to fight when the man suddenly appeared in the middle of their room. Makarov raised his hands to tell his friends to stand down as he stared at this guy. "Where are the rest of your people?" he asked.

"Gone" the man replied, keeping his eyes only on Makarov. "I wanted to be able to talk to you without them hanging around."

"Why? Why would you want to talk to us when all you and your people wanted to do before was kill us?"

"Not me." He said sadly. "I never wanted to hurt anyone. But Eagen, his hold over me is strong, or was."

"Why now?"

"Lucy."

"Lucy?"

"Yes. I saw what he did to her. I was the one that had to heal her all the time. Then when he had total control over her, I could still see her fighting back. I figured if she could fight back, then I could too. So hello, my name is Connor, and I am surrendering myself over to you."

Eagen kicked open the doors to the throne room with ease and strode in with a horde of his soldiers following behind him. King Toma E Fiore stood up from his seat in a rage. "Who do you think you are! Barging in here like this! It is an outrage! Guards! Arrest them all! That is an order!"

The guards rushed in only to be blown back by a wave of power. The guards tried to get back up, but another wave of power took them down once again, and this time none of the moved. Eagen laughed as he stopped walking just 10 feet away from the king. "You asked me who I thought I was. Well, I am the man that is going to take your kingdom from you."

"The magic council and the wizards of Fiore will stop you if I cannot!"

"Right now, the magic council is being obliterated. The same thing with the wizards. My people are scattered all across this stupid continent killing all of your precious wizards."

Hisui pressed her hands to her mouth as she stood next to her father. She had friends out there. Where they now dead?

"Now." Eagen said with a wicked grin. "I think it's time for you to step aside so some new blood can take over."

The king and the princess only had time to widen their eyed is surprise before a blast rocked the entire room. Smoke and dust covered the area so no one could see a thing, and but the time it cleared both of the thrones were gone and there was a gaping hole in the floor. There was no sign of the king, or of his daughter.

Natsu skidded and slid along the ground until he slammed against a wall. He grimaced as he shook his hand out and then stood back up. This fight wasn't going the way he had hoped it would. Every time he thought he saw an opening where he could get a hold of Lucy she would slam that opening shut. All he could so at the moment was defend himself as he tried to think of a way to stop her without seriously hurting her.

"NATSU!" Happy shouted as he dropped Lisanna to the ground right next to him.

"What are you guys doing here?" he asked, keeping his eyes focused on Lucy.

"We heard the noise over here and wanted to help." Lisanna stated. "Once the people started to fight and blow stuff up the citizens took off. There's nothing to watch over there now."

"We want to help with Lucy." Happy said. Natsu could hear the determination in his little buddy's voice, and it made him smile.

"Just stay close. She's strong, so don't take any unnecessary chances." He stepped forward and slammed his fists together, releasing his fire in a ring around the front of his body. "I'm fired up now."

Natsu charged, aiming a flaming fist directly at Lucy's face. She twisted only to take a hit from Lisanna on the other side. She had transformed into her cat take-over form and snuck up on her while Natsu took her head on. Before Lucy could recover Natsu got a grip on her hair and pulled her around so her face could meet his fist. She staggered back and lost her hold of her sword as it clattered to the ground. She looked up at Natsu and he could see her eyes, they held a touch of fear. He almost stopped, almost shouted to Lisanna to back off, but he couldn't. Lucy raised a hand to Natsu, but Lisanna aimed a strong kick square at her chest.

Lucy staggered back again, but Natsu sent his own kick to her gut and then she hit the ground. They waited for her to get up, but when she didn't they dropped to the ground in relief.

"Now what?" Happy asked.

"Now we tie her up." Natsu told him. "And then we take her somewhere where we can get our Lucy back." They nodded and stood to gather what was needed. Soon enough, they were walking out of Crocus with a bound and unconscious Lucy thrown over his shoulder.

Natsu didn't look back once, one even when a loud and booming voice sounded that he felt could be heard all over Fiore.

"Attention people of Fiore. You are now under new ruling.

And as your new king, I have a few decrees. The first one is that

all wizard guilds are hereby disbanded and any one seen wearing

a guild emblem will be executed on sight. Anyone seen using magic

at all will be executed on sight. It is time for a new world my new friends,

and I am proud to be the one to lead you now."