Quite a few of you have pointed out that sometimes my chapters repeat a bit, and yes, I know. I've had a number of people request more from Lucy's perspective. And there's not all that much I can add (from her perspective) and not have it be filler. So some of the NaLu moments I do from both sides. I apologize if it's annoying :/ Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter, even though it's a little shorter. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 36

Lucy wrapped her arms around herself as she walked, shivering slightly in the cold weather. They were walking up the mountain to the cave where Igneel was living. "Natsu, I'm still not sure that this was a good idea…."

Natsu grinned. "Don't worry, Igneel's great! I don't think he'd attack us."

"You don't think so?"

"Well, he is a dragon after all," Mavis said. "Dragons are dangerous and unpredictable, so you can never be sure."

"Well…I do feel a little better knowing that the first master is coming with us." Lucy smiled slightly, still feeling uneasy.

"Though Igneel likes to attack me every time I come to visit. It's no wonder I haven't been burnt to a crisp yet!" Mavis laughed.

"You're not making me feel any better at all…."

Natsu pulled aside a low hanging branch. His face lit up at the sight of Igneel's cave. Darting toward it he shouted at the top of his voice, "IGNEEL!" A plume of fire exploded from the mouth of the cave. Lucy shrieked. But before the fire could reach her, it started to pull back toward Natsu. He swallowed the flames and sighed. He wiped the back of his hand across his mouth. "Thanks for the meal!"

Mavis snickered. "Igneel's greetings are always so enthusiastic."

Legs trembling, Lucy took a step back. "I knew I shouldn't have come with you guys."

"Igneel!" Natsu rushed forward excitedly. A large, scaly foot slammed down on top of him, smashing him into the dirt. Lucy jumped, screaming in surprise. Igneel emerged from the mouth of the cave, flames leaking out of his mouth. He growled.

"Why do you keep bringing more humans to me?!" he bellowed. "I can only tolerate so much, Mavis!"

"Igneel, it's me!" Natsu shouted, slamming his fist against Igneel's tough foot. "I brought her!"

The dragon glanced down at him. "Ah, yes. My stubborn, headstrong child. Back so soon?" He lifted his foot. Natsu sat up quickly.

"I need your help," Natsu said.

Mavis smiled. "I know how you hate to be bothered, but it seems that we need your magic expertise."

"What is it now?" he growled.

"We were looking for a way to send these children back to their own time, but it seems we've hit a bit of a roadblock." Mavis pushed Lucy forward. "We need to use stellar spirit magic, but we aren't sure which spirit we need. And we thought you might know something."

Igneel's gaze shifted to the blonde girl who stood before him, her legs shaking. He narrowed his great yellow eyes. "Who is this?"

Natsu stood up and draped his arm around Lucy's shoulder. "This is Lucy," he said with a grin. "She's my nakama."

The dragon's expression softened and he chuckled. "I see." He lowered his head to get a better look at her. Lucy stiffened, afraid of what the dragon might do to her. "A Stellar Spirit mage, hm? And what is it you need?"

Lucy's body shook with fright. She glanced nervously at Natsu. He grinned and nodded to her. "M-Mavis says we need the spirit connected to…to the Orion constellation, but I don't know that spirit. A-and we were wondering if…um…."

"If you know who it is," Natsu finished for her.

"Hmm." Igneel lifted his head, staring up at the sky as he thought. "Orion. It's been a long time since I have heard of the celestial magic—not since I was a new hatchling."

"Then you don't know which spirit is attached to Orion?" Mavis asked.

"If I remember correctly, the Orion constellation belongs to the Celestial Spirit King."

"The old guy?" Natsu asked.

Lucy's face turned pale. Natsu stood up straighter at her sudden change. She looked like she was going to be sick.

"Hey, Lucy!" Natsu shook her slightly. "Hey, you okay?"

"You look ill," Mavis said.

"The Spirit King…?" she muttered. Her legs gave out beneath her and Lucy sank to the ground. "There's no way…the Spirit King…. What are we going to do now?"

"What do you mean?" Mavis asked.

"I remember Natsu told me that in your time, Dark Lord Tynan captured the Spirit King within a dark object called the Demon Emperor's Scepter."

Lucy nodded slowly. "He used my magic to summon the Spirit King, and then he trapped him in the black gem embedded in the staff." Her entire body trembled as she spoke. "There's no way…. Even if he wasn't trapped, summoning him would…."

"It could kill you." Mavis' green eyes were locked on Lucy. "To summon a spirit with such power, it would completely drain you in an instant. That much strain could kill a mage." She lowered her gaze. "I'm sorry. Had I known, I wouldn't have suggested it."

"Are you serious?!" Natsu looked down at Lucy. "You mean it would actually kill you?!"

Lucy nodded slowly. She looked down at her shaking hands. "I'm surprised it didn't kill me last time…."

"Well Wendy was there and she did something, I think…."

"Isn't there another way to send us back?" Lucy asked, looking up at Mavis.

A shadow crossed Mavis' face. She shook her head. "What little I found wouldn't be enough to send all of you back. And there is no guarantee that you'd make it back safely."

"I wonder…." Natsu muttered.

Mavis looked up at him. "What is it?"

"Well…the Spirit King was captured in X791—in our time—but does that mean he's missing now? Did the time jump thing affect the spirit world too?"

Lucy sat up straighter. "You're right. I never thought to ask any of my spirits."

"It's worth a shot," Mavis said.

Pulling out one of her silver keys, Lucy held it out in front of her. "Open a door to the gate of the Southern Cross—Crux!"

The same odd spirit with a large silver cross for a head appeared. He sat cross-legged, floating in midair. "What can I do for you, Lucy-san?"

"Crux-jiji, I need to ask you something." Lucy took a deep breath. "Since everyone was thrown back in time, did that affect the spirit world at all? I mean…is the Spirit King still…."

"Hum…I'm sorry, Lucy-san," Crux said. "But the time lapse you and your friends have encountered has not affected the spirit world. Everything is still chaotic due to the Spirit King's disappearance. I'm afraid he cannot help you."

Lucy stared down at the ground. Hearing that made her feel disheartened. How were they supposed to get home now?

"What do we do now?" Natsu muttered.

"Hum…hum…." Crux's cross-head nodded up and down. "If I may, Lucy-san, perhaps there is still a way."

"Really?" She looked up at him. "How?"

"If my memory serves me, there should be an island quite a ways from Fiore's coast that harbors an enormous amount of magic. Perhaps you can harness it or use the island's magic to somehow free His Majesty. If you can use your magic and seize that vile staff, there may yet be hope."

"An island?" Mavis scratched her head as she thought. "I've never heard of an island like that."

Crux nodded. "Lucy-san, you and your friends should be familiar with it."

Her eyes brightened. She and Natsu looked at each other. Natsu snapped his fingers. "Tenrou Island!" they said in unison.

"You've mentioned that name before," Mavis said. "You said you met me on Tenrou Island."

Natsu grinned. "That's right! Tenrou Island is our guild's sacred island! No one except Fairy Tail mages can get there."

"Interesting," she muttered.

"I suppose you're headed to that island, then," Igneel growled.

Lucy stood up, brushing the dirt off her skirt. "I guess we should get going. The sooner we leave the better. I want to hurry up and get back to X791."

"Leave it to me," Mavis said with a smile. "I'll make sure you all make it there safely."

Chapter 37 will be up on Friday!