The Dragon Worshipers Cult Slayings ended up a huge story in the magazines and papers, especially in Sorcerer Weekly. The Magic Counsel found a few places where the cult had hidden bodies over the years. Many people in the cult's management, especially the leader Quincy, were arrested and sentenced. Sal also ended in jail, although she got a reduced sentence when she testified against Quincy, particularly when it came to his callous treatment of a pregnant woman. The press was trying to figure out who the pregnant woman was, but the courts prevented Kagura's name from getting out, mostly for privacy reasons. It didn't take much for the press to make guesses.
Natsu and Sting had gone back to normal only a day after drinking the potion. They brought Lucy and Yukino back to their homes and took care of them. Natsu sweetly washed Lucy and clothed her before letting her rest. She had suffered Magic Depletion Syndrome. He managed to make her food, although it was a little difficult with the inconvenient wings and tail.
Lucy recovered a little faster a couple hours later. She massaged Natsu's wings before they retracted. He had already gotten rid of the tail and claws. He could talk normally, but the horns and the wings were taking longer to go away. He pouted, "Luce, they're a bit sensitive." She giggled, explaining, "Sorry, they're so fun to play with, though. It's like soft leather." She continued to massage his wings, while he sweated and grimaced. He yelled, "That's it!" He picked her up and put her on the bed. He suggested, "I think I'd rather play with you, Luce." She giggled as they kissed one another.
Yukino also had suffered from Magic Depletion Syndrome. Draco had taken so much of her magic, she was suffering far worse symptoms. Sting had to fly over to Porlyusica for help. Porlyusica had difficulties understanding the dragon snarls coming from Sting, but she deduced it eventually. She ended up going with Sting over to Yukino's apartment to heal her. Porlyusica gave a disdainful look when Sting gratefully hugged her. Porlyusica said, "Yeah, yeah. You need to let your mate rest. Now, I'm going to get away from you humans." She slammed the door behind her. Sting just shook his head and smiled. After a little rest, Yukino recovered. She asked, "Sting? When did I get to my home?" Sting grinned at her and kissed her.
After about a month, Fairy Tail invited Sabertooth, Lamia Scale, and Mermaid Heel over for a joint celebration. They also invited all of the new dragon slayers and Ethan over for this celebration as special guests.
Sting, Rogue, and Natsu stood on the stage. Sting announced, "We want to say thank you for saving us. Can Ethan come forward?" Ethan walked up to the stage. Rogue said, "We were told how important you were in this mission. You provided maps, information, and you even let us use your pub as a rendezvous spot. Your place was our base, and we couldn't have done anything without you."
Gajeel walked up to the stage. He said, "I know those people did a horrible crime to yer sister, but I guarantee she's watchin' you from up there. I guarantee she's proud of whatcha did. Yer an honorary member of Fairy Tail and Sabertooth. We owe you." Ethan gratefully said, "Thank you for telling me what happened to my sister. I never would have found out, if you hadn't told me." Sting announced, "Let's hear it for Ethan!" The crowd cheered.
Rogue requested, "Could Orga, Rufus, Erza, Gray, Gajeel, Lector, Happy, and last, but not least, Frosch come up to the cage?" They all walked up to the stage. He continued, "We really want to thank you for coming out to help us. I also want to say thank you for helping save my mate. You all fought valiantly for us. I can't thank you enough for your part in our rescue." More cheers erupted from the crowd.
Natsu said, "We want to give a special shout out to Lamia Scale. Ooba, you gave information to the Fairy Tail rescue team about the area. It helped narrow the search down."
Rogue said, "I also want to thank Kagura, my beautiful mate, and her guild Mermaid Heel. Mermaid Heel, you captured those scum in the caves near your town and helped with the investigation."
He summoned Kagura on the stage. "Kagura, you are my light and life. You kicked their asses, even while 1 month pregnant!" He kissed her in front of everyone. Mermaid Heel's mages and leader looked astonished. Miliana gave Kagura a cheeky look and a couple women's mouths were wide open. Kagura whispered to Rogue, "Um, babe? They didn't know I was pregnant." Rogue sheepishly admitted, "Whoops." He held her hand and announced, "Um, my mate just informed me you guys didn't know that. So, um...we're expecting!"
Mermaid Heel erupted in applause. In the crowd, Erza yelled, "Congratulations, Kagura and Rogue!" The rest of the crowd applauded, too.
Natsu announced, "Now, Yukino and Lucy, get up to the stage!" Lucy and Yukino shyly walked up on to the stage. Sting kissed Yukino on the cheek. Natsu just went all out and made out with Lucy in front of everyone. Catcalls and howls erupted from the crowd. Natsu got back to the microphone: "Lucy and Yukino saved our asses. They called up a Celestial Dragon to stop those people."
Sting got up to the microphone. He proudly declared, "I want to call out my mate as well. Yukino, you proved yourself way more powerful than I would have thought. Yukino, Frosch, and Lector all helped us escape from our cages. Yukino was the one who saved us with gravity magic. You should see what happens when water goes up in zero gravity!" Rogue added, "Yeah. Sting, don't piss her off, or you'll regret it!"
The crowd laughed. Sting revealed, "Anyway, you two organized this mission, and you two ended that cult's reign. We absolutely wouldn't be alive if you hadn't saved us." The crowd cheered, whooped, and hollered, as the two dragon slayers kissed their mates.
Loke showed up on the stage in a puff of smoke. Loke announced, "I would like everyone to walk outside. We have a few special guests, although one of them can't fit in the guild hall." Lucy and Yukino looked at each other and immediately ran outside with big smiles on their faces. The rest of the crowd walked outside behind them.
In front of the guild hall, there stood all of the Celestial spirits who helped out: Polaris, Libra, Aries, and Draco. Lucy and Yukino ran up to their spirits and hugged them. "Thank you for helping us!" Yukino cried. Lucy hugged Loke, saying, "Thank you, Loke. You helped the most. It was your idea about calling Draco in the first place." Loke blushed at the sweet attention, as Natsu looked on slightly jealous. Lucy and Yukino then ran up to Draco and hugged his snout. Lucy said, "And we feel so much gratitude to you. We never could have stopped those people peacefully without you." Draco said, "I'm glad I got the opportunity to spend time with you again."
Lucy asked, "How did all of the spirits get time out of the realm?" Loke responded, "Well, the Celestial King thought you might want to enjoy some time with your spirits without draining your energy. He provided the energy to summon them here." Lucy said, "I wish 'Stache King was here, too." Loke said, "I know. But it's pretty hard to get over here with his power level." Yukino ran up to Loke and said, "Thank the Celestial King for allowing our spirits to be here." Loke smiled softly and said, "I'll be sure to do that."
Lucy and Yukino pulled out their Draco keys. Yukino said, "I guess we should return our keys to you." Draco heartily laughed. He said, "I feel it's in the right hands. You two showed you're more than powerful enough to use those keys together. If you need my help, you two summon me any time." Lucy and Yukino smiled and hugged him. Lucy said, "It might not be very frequent, but we'll see if we can at least visit with you." Draco grinned with his sharp teeth. "Sure, ladies. I think this party could use a little more light." He roared and the night sky twinkled with a whole bunch of falling stars. The crowd cheered and applauded.
Natsu yelled, "Let's celebrate!"
It was a month and a half later that Lucy and Yukino discovered they were both pregnant. Apparently, Sal was right. The first time being intimate with a dragon slayer usually resulted in pregnancy, despite birth control or condoms. Because of the sensational Cult Slaying court cases, they kept quiet about their pregnant status for a little while. Eventually, the guilds and then the world knew. It wasn't easy hiding a baby bump while fighting monsters in public. The magazines started to speculate whether either mage was the pregnant woman involved in the Draco's Sons cult slayings.
Kagura also had her name in the tabloids. She was also the speculated pregnant woman, but the bigger story was that Rogue and Kagura had gotten married secretly and were having a child. It was considered a shocker, since Kagura was so proud of being a virgin. She also was in Mermaid Heel, a guild known for only using single women. Kagura eventually did have to leave Mermaid Heel, but it was obviously on friendly terms. Unfortunately, the tabloids perceived her departure from Mermaid Heel as a big falling out. She angrily cleared that up while 8 months pregnant with her gravity magic on Jason of Sorcerer Magazine. She spat as she left, "Don't say lies about Mermaid Heel, my husband, Sabertooth, or me! And don't underestimate pregnancy hormones!" Jason lay on the ground and weakly mumbled, "Coool," as she slammed the door behind her. The next day, a retraction was published.
The rest of the new generation dragon slayers settled in to their new guilds as well. They had to undergo tutelage under their new masters. Jace, Jack, and Daisuke had to learn how to use their powers with the help of Natsu, Wendy, Porlyusica, Juvia, and Levy of Fairy Tail. Of course, Natsu had a blast teaching Jace his magic, but the two of them together were destroying parts of the training grounds and the surrounding area. Jace loved doing magic with Natsu, but he decided they were too destructive together. So he eventually joined Blue Pegasus, partly because he was a pretty boy. He settled in quite well with the Trimens. There were no hard feelings, and he visited Fairy Tail all the time.
Wendy was especially happy to teach sky magic and the rather difficult healing magic to Jack, since it's incredibly rare and unknown. Jack had some difficulties with Porlyusica's grouchy demeanor, but she was actually a very capable teacher. He loved being at Fairy Tail, but he felt that he was redundant at the guild. So he eventually looked into other guilds and chose Lamia Scale. He was happy to be so close to home, especially since he now possessed healing magic. He could help out occasionally in his home town. He also frequently visited Fairy Tail, just like Jace did.
Since Juvia wasn't a dragon slayer, she taught water magic to Daisuke. Levy assisted with finding old dragon slayer spells in old books. Daisuke eventually officially joined Fairy Tail.
Sousuke and Ben received their training with Crime Sorciere. Jellal taught Sousuke earth magic. They, too, needed Levy's assistance when it came to old dragon spells, but he got a much more rounded education from Jellal. Sousuke wanted to join Crime Sorciere, but Jellal didn't consider him a former dark mage. Jellal encouraged Sousuke to expand his horizons and look into all of the guilds: dark and light. Sousuke eventually chose Quatro Cerberus.
Erik came back to Crime Sorciere to teach Ben poison magic. He encouraged Ben to join an approved guild, at least for the time being. Since it was relatively close to their hometown, Ben joined Lamia Scale, along with Jack. When Crime Sorciere were in the area, they would visit Sousuke at Quatro Cerberus and Ben at Lamia Scale.
George trained with Sting at Sabertooth. Sting was so proud of his talented protege, he showed him off all the time. Sting and Natsu loved pitting their apprentices against each other. Although he loved hanging out at Sabertooth, George also felt like he was redundant. To him, Sting was a hero. He felt he couldn't compete with Sting's power. He eventually joined Twilight Ogre. He liked how friendly they were and it helped that the guild head was a very nurturing guy. George frequently visited Sabertooth to catch up and get extra lessons from Sting.
Kai was found not guilty for involuntary manslaughter, but he was institutionalized for PTSD. Rogue lobbied for him to carry out his treatment at Sabertooth's guild. He tried to convince the Magic Counsel Kai could be a danger with uncontrolled powers and unstable emotions. At first, they refused Rogue's request. After a month of Kai's disastrous shadow magic bursts, Rogue got his wish. Still, Kai was required to see a psychologist, and he was closely monitored. He improved drastically while at Sabertooth.
In Sabertooth, Kai was treated like family. Rogue, especially, treated him like a younger brother. The positive atmosphere allowed Kai to overcome much of his trauma, although that would still be a daily struggle. Rogue was a very kind and understanding teacher, so Kai became quite talented in shadow magic. Kai really appreciated Rogue's quiet and patient demeanor, although he found it amusing when Rogue completely went crazy when he perceived any danger to Frosch, Kagura, or their son Daika. Kai happily joined Sabertooth.
Natsu and Lucy walked into Ethan's pub. Ethan greeted, "Natsu! Lucy! Where's the blue cat? How are things?" Lucy replied, "We're all pretty good. Happy's spending time with his little exceed girlfriend, Charles. We thought we'd come check up on you. How are you doing?" Ethan answered, "I'm doing a lot better. Congratulations, by the way. When are you due?" Lucy patted her belly. She answered, "In about a month."
Natsu asked, "So how have things been here?" Ethan answered, "A lot better. A lot of the locals still come to the pub, just without the stupid red cloaks. We also have people visiting just to gawk at Dragon's Den caves. I guess some people have a morbid curiosity, since we've had those trials." Lucy responded, "Yeah, I know what you mean. Reporters keep hounding Natsu and me about what happened. We've had far more people visit Magnolia just to stare at us."
Jace, Jack, and Ben walked into the pub. Natsu grinned and said, "Jace! What are you two doing here?" Ethan answered, "Oh, those guys are frequent visitors. It's awesome to catch up." Natsu and Jace started playing with fire together, as Ethan nervously looked on. Lucy warned, "You two better do your fire magic outside, okay?" Natsu grinned, "Sure, Luce!" Jace and Natsu ran outside.
Lucy turned to Jack and Ben and asked, "So what brings you two here?" Jack answered, "Well, we're going to lay some flowers on the plaque at Dragon's Den." Lucy repeated, "Plaque?" Ben explained, "Yeah. I guess it's been quite a while since you've been here. After they cleared out the Dragon's Den, a lot of the former members of the cult set up a nice plaque, in honor of the victims. Many of those people are still trying to come to terms with what they did. After all, many of them are victims, too. Friends and families of the victims visit frequently. We just thought it would be nice to honor Daika. After all, it could have been all of us."
Lucy said, "I really am glad Gajeel convinced you otherwise. He may be prickly on the outside, but he's a softy on the inside. Trust me. I've seen that guy with his mate, Levy." Jack and Ben incredulously asked, "Levy?!" Lucy giggled at their reactions. Ben continued, "But she's so cute and sweet." Jack said, "Yeah, and he's not exactly a pretty boy type. And I thought her teammates were in love with her." Lucy said, "I know. It took me a little while to get accustomed to it, too. But they are wonderful together. They're also pregnant. She's due in 8 months."
Ethan suggested, "Would you and Natsu like to come with us to see the plaque?" Lucy smiled and replied, "We'd love to." They walked out of the pub toward the caves. Jace and Natsu caught up with them. As they got closer to the Dragon's Den, Lucy's breath hitched a little. Natsu held her hand and asked, "Are you okay?" She answered, "I'm okay. It's been a while since we've been here. I've had this connotation of the Dragon's Den in my memory as this evil place that was meant for our doom. But now that I look at it, it's actually quite beautiful." Ethan smiled, adding, "A lot of the former members planted flowers as a way to atone in a small way." Natsu said, "I have to agree with Luce. It is beautiful."
They walked up to the beautiful plaque honoring the victims. Tears ran down Ethan's face as he honored Claire and Daika. The others did, too. Jace cried, "I miss Daika so much. I can't believe we fell for their bullshit!" Natsu hugged him and said, "It's okay. They went to a lot of effort to manipulate you guys." Lucy said, "He's right. They hypnotized quite a few of your townspeople and used a projection and fire to convince all of you it was real."
Ethan placed a flower on the plaque, saying, "This is for Claire. We just found out in the trials that the hypnotist used his ability to wipe their memories. The kidnapped victims didn't even exist in their minds. That's why a lot of the people didn't even seem to care or notice Claire was missing. I guess the only reason I remembered her, is because I visited a friend that day." Tears ran down his cheeks. They all hugged Ethan. Lucy said, "And we'll be here to honor her memory. She's not forgotten; far from it. She has a special honor, particularly in Fairy Tail and Sabertooth guilds. The same goes for Daika and you, Ethan." Ben said, "In our hometown, we have a lot of reverence for Sabertooth and Fairy Tail, too. You all helped and saved us."
Lucy added, "Well, most of you. I wish I could have stopped it. I was too much of a coward to do anything during Kai's and Daika's battle." Jack put his hand on her shoulder, reporting, "We were told by the Magic Counsel it would have been a death sentence to interfere. That plant mage's potions were incredibly strong. I doubt you could have done anything to stop it once the potions were in effect."
Lucy still had a sad face. Natsu hugged her, stating, "It's okay, Luce. Yukino and you eventually stopped that cult peacefully." He kissed her cheeks, adding "And you saved me. I'm a very lucky man to have such a wonderful mate." She smiled softly. Ethan asserted, "Natsu's right. You two managed to summon the actual god of our religion. I know of no other people who could accomplish that. I'm sure Daika is looking down, happy that you guys stopped this cult." Lucy placed a flower on the plaque. She said, "Yes, but I still wish I had saved him." Natsu replied, "You saved entire towns, Luce." He kissed her forehead.
She saw the name Claire on the plaque. She held Natsu's hand and asked, "Ethan?" Ethan glanced up. He responded, "Yes?" Lucy disclosed, "Natsu and I know we're having a little girl." Natsu admitted, "We actually visited because we want to ask you something." Ethan said, "Sure." Lucy continued, "We were thinking of names for our little girl. We were wondering if it would be alright if we could name her after your sister." Tears dropped down Ethan's cheeks. He exclaimed, "It would be an honor! Thank you!" Lucy and Natsu smiled warmly at Ethan. Jack said, "Let's go celebrate at the pub!"
As they left Dragon's Den caves, Lucy held hands with Natsu. They watched as Ethan, Jace, Ben, and Jack walked ahead, joking and talking with one another. Lucy said, "I think they're going to be okay." Natsu grinned as he saw Jace and Ben play with their magic near each other. He said, "I agree. They look so much happier than when we first met them." Lucy said, "I heard the other guys are much better too. I feel like Rogue did amazing things with Kai. That guy is finally laughing again." Natsu answered, "Kai needed someone relatively calm like Rogue. I doubt he'd do as well with Sting or me." Lucy added, "Yeah. You two are too energetic." Natsu chuckled next to her.
Lucy asked, "So, Natsu, how was your time with Jace?" Natsu responded, "It was a load of fun! Jace is pretty awesome. I'm a little sad he chose to join Blue Pegasus, though." Lucy giggled. She joked, "Well, if he didn't, the entire town of Magnolia would be burnt to the ground!" He chuckled.
He put his hand on her growing belly. He teased, "It's okay, Luce. I'll pass on my powers to her, too. That way, our daughter and I can burn Magnolia to the ground, instead." Lucy inquired, "And if she's a Celestial Mage?" He smiled larger and asserted, "Nope! I'm sure she'll be a destructive fire mage." Lucy answered, "Not if I can help it!" She tickled him. He laughed heartily.
After she stopped, he kissed her. He declared, "I don't care what type of magic she really has. I'm sure she'll be powerful. After all, her mother can summon a dragon!" She giggled and warned, "Yeah, so you better watch out!" They laughed together.
He looked earnestly at her and declared, "Luce, I love you so much. You have no idea how happy I am you guys saved us. I know this whole rescue was a nightmare. Still, we admitted out love to one another and produced a beautiful little girl in that cave." Lucy added, "I guess Sting and Yukino are having a boy as well." Natsu said, "Exactly! This wasn't all death and destruction. We have positive reminders of Dragon's Den. For those guys ahead, they have a new life, complete with magical abilities. I got an apprentice out of this! For Sting and me, we got our mates and our firstborn in Dragon's Den. It feels like a miracle, considering we were all supposed to die." Lucy softly said, "You're right. Out of the ashes of Dragon's Den, quite a few miracles emerged." A beautiful sunset lay ahead as the couple happily followed the men to the Tafod y Draig.
The End
Author's Note: Thank you for reading my story. I know this was long, but I appreciate you sticking around to read it.
-I thought it would be nice to have Rogue and Kagura name their son after Kai's best friend, Daika. I kind of perceive Kai as telling all of these stories about him to Rogue, so it would be a nice progression.
-I'm sorry I didn't get to flesh out many of the newest dragon slayers. That takes time! Hehe. I think I'm wordy enough.
-Thank you everyone for giving feedback. I know I'm not experienced in writing stories like this, so ever little bit helps. Thank you to the French guest who told me I had huge blocks of dialogue. I'll try to improve that in the future.