As night settled, everyone at Fairy Tail was preparing themselves for the battle ahead. With Alvarez encroaching on Ishgar soil, it was clear that they would be fighting a defensive battle. Mavis was spiriting her way through the city, checking in on everyone. The first stop? Lucy's apartment.
Lucy was sitting near her desk, thinking over everything they were told and the coming battle. Her journal was open and she was beginning to write her thoughts while thinking aloud. "Fairy Heart…An infinite source of magic…the whole reason behind Zeref's attack. We at the guild must protect it with all we've got…to make sure it never falls into the wrong hands. I guess referring to her as 'it' would be a mistake…Fairy Heart is Mavis' body and we will protect her. After all, she was the one that created this guild. If it wasn't for her, we wouldn't have each other."
"Oh! Well said!" Natsu and Happy were suddenly peering over her shoulder, staring at what she wrote.
"Nothing less from an aspiring writer!" Happy grinned.
The two of them gave each other wry grins, reciting what Lucy had written down. "If it weren't for her…" Natsu began.
"We'd never have each other." Happy finished.
Lucy couldn't believe this and stood up immediately, swinging her leg at the chair to send it flying violently at the dragon slayer and exceed, but unfortunately for her, they dodged. "YOU'RE IN MY ROOM WITHOUT PERMISSION AGAIN!?"
"Aww, c'mon…" Natsu said with an innocent smile while leaning away from the chair.
"You heard Kemuri's announcement right? It's so boring and quiet in the streets!" Happy added on.
"…Yeah…" Lucy took a seat on another chair, crossing one leg over the other. "He said for everyone to evacuate the towns. He's really been taking charge as the Chairman, so that's one less thing to worry about…"
"Yeah, so let's hang out!" Natsu smiled wide.
Happy pulled out an assortment of snacks, playing cards, etc. "I brought some stuff with me!"
Lucy shook her head. "Hey, we've got to get to the battlefield early tomorrow. This is hardly the time for this kind of stuff…" Her ear then twitched. She heard…running water in her bathroom? "Huh…?"
Mii stepped out of the bathroom with damp curly hair and a towel wrapped around her body. She blinked and just waved when she spotted them. "Hey."
"H-HOW…!?" Lucy's eyes nearly popped out of her head.
"Oh hey!" Natsu waved.
"I picked the lock again." Mii shrugged, using another towel to dry her hair. "I still have some sand in places sand shouldn't be in, so I used your shower."
"Ugh…" Lucy rolled her eyes. Just when she thought Mii would stop acting so sketchy. "Are you really going to stay and watch us fight…?"
"Mhm." Mii nodded, taking a seat. "I'm Pergrande now. Granted the 13 Commandants are allowed to act as they want…it gets messy when Ashnard decides he wants to get involved." Shrugging, Mii finished drying her hair and set the towel down. "As you probably guessed by now, I'm just a spy. Don't take it personally though, espionage is something the Pergrande royalty has done forever."
"A spy…" Lucy somewhat narrowed her eyes. It sounded like Mii didn't want to be trusted…she was always so difficult.
"Don't worry, I was asleep when you were talking about all that stuff…" What a vague response. Fitting for Mii, but she was great at avoiding questions. "Besides…Em is in Alvarez. You know how petty she can be. You keep tensing up whenever she's mention too." Mii pointed out.
"…I noticed that, too." Natsu frowned.
"It was really bad in Alvarez…you froze up. We were all worried." Happy said.
Lucy let out a heavy sigh. If there was a time to talk about it, it was now. "...It's my fault she's even in Alvarez to begin with. A year ago, right after Fairy Tail broke up; I was tasked with speaking out on her actions in a trial. It got interrupted and while I was supposed to ensure that she didn't try anything…it was Prometheus and Pandora from Avatar, too. When I think about that day, it makes me shudder. I could hear how much she hated me…even now, I feel like she hates me even more. I really don't want to have to face her…but at the same time, it's something I feel like I have to do."
"Ah…so that's why she's not in jail…" Mii nodded a few times. "Well…that's not your fault in particular. Sounds to Mii like bad stuff just kept piling on top of you."
"Yeah." Natsu actually agreed with Mii for once. "And if you have to face her, I won't let you do it alone. We're in this together, and if we fight, we'll take her down!"
"You sound like you're enjoying all of this….I don't understand it…" Lucy sighed. She did appreciate the sentiments, but…
"That's where you're wrong." Natsu's remark caught both Mii and Lucy off guard. "Sure, I love a good fight….but what I like is contests of strengths and not fights to the death. My favorite are the kind of fights where I get to go all out and compare my strength to my opponent's. But this one's different. This is a fight where we've gotta do whatever it takes to win. Or else there's no future left for us."
"…" Lucy found herself smiling at Natsu's remark. It helped her feel at ease while she was extremely tense about the potential of the battle ahead.
"Plus I've got some things to do when this is over…" Natsu grinned at Happy.
"Aye!" Happy returned the smile.
"What, you gonna propose or something?" Mii lifted a brow. Lucy blushed fiercely at this and covered Mii's mouth with her hands as per usual. In response, Mii muffled "That was the tamest thing I've ever said!"
"A-Anyway! I'm gonna need you to stop right there!" Lucy huffed. As a writer, what was happening at the moment could be considered foreboding foreshadowing. "You know they call that making 'death flags' in the real world! Like what Mii does."
"Huh?" Natsu blinked. "Whazzat?"
Lucy turned around, huffing. "You know…talking about the possible future before a big fight, making it all dramatic…stuff like that. It sets a bad omen…"
"Oh…whatever." Natsu shrugged that off. "Igneel told me to talk about the future…because it will make me want to live."
"I guess that's fine too…" Lucy responded with a soft smile. But she then noticed Mii's skeptical expression. The blonde used this time to convey her feelings to Mii, too. "…We want you to live, too, Mii."
"Huh?!" Mii was caught off guard by that and scrunched her face up. "I'm dying like…sometime this year. The sooner the better. You can stop pretending like you care."
Lucy shook her head and stood up, walking over to Mii's painting from one year ago. "I kept this painting even when you left. Because this is what you made for us to show how happy you were here. Even if you're countries away…you'll always be a part of Fairy Tail to us."
"…Eh, you kept that…?" Mii stared at the painting before shrugging. "Whatever…you guys are so annoyingly weird. I'm going to sleep now."
"W-Wait, you can't sleep in just a towel!" Lucy flailed her arms about.
"Watch Mii. But if you wanted to take a peek or have some stress relief, I'd be more than happy to help you~"
"….." Lucy's face was bright red. She really couldn't handle Mii anymore and just turned away.
"Haha…sounds like you could use some fresh air." Mii teased while walking to a window.
"Uh, Mii, you don't wanna do that…" Happy warned.
"Why not?" Mii opened the window, sighing contently at the gust of wind. "Aaaaah….AAAAAAHCOOO!" A sudden sneeze nearly shook the apartment! Mii didn't stop sneezing either and shut the window, hoping it would stop. "Achoo! Achoo! What's…happening!?"
"…There's Hay Fever in Magnolia right now." Lucy sheepishly chuckled. "Another reason I didn't want to go outside."
"Why *achoo* didn't *achoo* you *achoo* tell Mii *achoo* sooner!" Mii's suffering was somewhat humorous and eased the tension for the trio. "AAAAH! THIS IS SO ANNOYING!"
"So, how about some games?!" Natsu suggested as Mii suffered with sneezes.
"Let's play strip poker!" Happy suggested.
"NO WAY!" Lucy immediately shot that request down. "Don't give Mii any ideas! And you're naked to begin with!"
Mavis snickered at the antics going on in Lucy's apartment before departing; now making her way to Fairy Hills. Erza, Wendy, Cynthia, and Carla were relaxing in the bath. Erza was on one side while the girls were on the other. "So, Crime Soricere will be helping us?" Wendy asked.
"It seems that way." Erza responded. "They're after Zeref too, so it's only natural they'd make their move.
"That's good to hear!" Wendy beamed.
"They're still the ones that destroyed Cait Shelter though…" Carla crossed her arms. It didn't look like she was willing to let that go even now.
"Carla…!" Wendy chided the Exceed. "They've been so helpful to us over the last four years…"
"…Didn't the Council send Cobra to kill me back then?" Cynthia blinked. "I mean…I know it wasn't exactly his choice or anything…you know, speaking of back then." Her gaze went to Carla. "You really didn't like me back then, did you?"
"…Not at all." Carla admitted, although she was feeling embarrassed about it now since Cynthia was just as important to her as Wendy. "I had a hard time trusting you. We didn't know anything about you after all, and you reeked of trouble…but I had to trust Wendy who trusted you. Although…I feel really bad that I only realized how much you meant to her when that incident occurred."
"It's all right." Cynthia waved her hand to brush aside the issue. "Honestly…I thought you were kind of annoying and uptight. I just never said anything because well…I couldn't really tell anyone that."
"Oh, really…?" Carla shouldn't have been surprised.
"Hahaha…" Wendy just laughed.
"You all are just so cute. Reminds me of my sister and I." Verona infringed on the moment with a melancholy tone. "But don't mind me…I can only watch. I do hope you come out on top. I don't wish to die just yet."
"Psssh, we'll be fine…!" Cynthia smiled. It was meant to ease Verona's worries.
"Heh..." Erza just recalled something from a long time ago. Watching Wendy and Cynthia now…she had flashbacks to when Wendy and Carla joined Fairy Tail. Then after the Grand Magic Games in x791, they encountered Cynthia. "…I remember when you all first joined Fairy Tail…"
"And we're thankful for that…" Wendy nodded.
"Yeah." Cynthia presented a soft smile. "I can't imagine where I'd be right now if not for Fairy Tail…"
"What am I doing…? Involving these young girls in this…but this just means I have to protect them with all I've got…" Erza's thoughts suddenly made her feel foolish. Cynthia and Wendy were easily the youngest mages in the guild who were fighting in this impending war. Erza stood up and she was immediately hugged from behind by Wendy. "Huh?"
"Erza-san…you don't have to worry about us so much. Let us be the ones to protect you this time." Wendy said with a soft smile.
"I know you're worried about us…but we're not kids anymore, Erza." Cynthia spoke with a confident smile.
Erza turned around, staring at both Wendy and Cynthia before deciding to bring them both in for a hug. Since it was Erza she brought them in to her chest as her usual huge. "You're right. You two aren't kids anymore. It's been four years since the two of you met each other, and I firmly believe that it was the best thing for the both of you. You two have become so strong together and overcome a lot. You've really become such fine wizards…the pride of our guild."
"E-Eheheh…" Cynthia laughed sheepishly. "You're gonna make me blush…"
"Me too…" Wendy said. "Uh…Erza-san? There's something I have to talk to Cynthia about…er…alone. So…we'll be excusing ourselves…"
"…Huh?" Cynthia blinked. Clearly she was unaware of what Wendy was doing.
"Just go with her. I'll stay here with Erza." Carla nudged Cynthia.
"...All right. Don't stay out too long." Erza didn't know what was going on either.
"Ah…okay…" Cynthia just nodded. What was Wendy thinking? She wasn't sure. But she did know it was time to step out from the bath, dry off, and put some clothes on.
Where did Wendy take Cynthia? To the tree in the middle of town. It was easy for them to evade the pollen since Wendy just needed to conjure up a small gust of wind in the opposite direction to push it away from them. Once arriving, Wendy stopped under the tree, staring up at it. "Do you remember when I first brought you here?"
"Mhm." Cynthia nodded. "Four years ago, the day we met. I was a scared 13 year old with no idea of the world outside. I didn't have anyone at the time…but it was your kindness that kept me here. You took a chance on me, and I'm really glad you did." The ravenette then smiled at her partner. "If you asked me back then…I'd honestly have no idea that you'd become the most important person in the world to me."
"I can say the same thing…" Wendy flashed a soft smile at Cynthia. "I know we've had our ups and downs over the years…but it's only made us stronger, right?"
"Yeah." Cynthia turned her head up to the night sky. "You're my biggest strength…and my biggest weakness at the same time. When we fought Natsu and Gray in the Games back then, I realized that I was overprotective. Well, not just then either. Back when we battled King, too... I care about you a little too much for my own good sometimes…"
"You made me worry a lot." Wendy tried to chide Cynthia, but it was clear she was aware of her mistakes and trying to grow out of them. "I was just happy you were okay. I know you want to protect me, but I want to protect you too, okay?"
"I know. You'd be really upset if I did something stupid. But I've been getting better about that!" Cynthia grinned. She was improving, slowly but surely. "And the same goes for you. Please…don't do anything stupid for my sake. I'll be honest…I know we've fought some hard battles in the past…but an all-out war like this? It does worry me a lot. We've gotten a lot stronger in the past year, but…"
"If we do our best, we'll be okay. Isn't that how it always is?" Wendy kept a reassuring smile before holding out a small box. "…U-Uhm…but…I understand your worries. Which is why…I wanted to do this now over later."
Cynthia took the box, staring at it curiously. Was this what Wendy wanted to give her? She didn't waste any time opening it. What was inside made her eyes go wide! "Huh…? What is this…?"
"It's called a promise ring…" Wendy began to awkwardly shift about, a red tint forming on her cheeks. "I know we're not quite old enough yet…but I wanted to give this to you…As a promise that we'll make it out of this together, and for the future…" Clearly Wendy had been practicing reciting these words. She did her best not to stutter, and despite how red her cheeks were, she kept her gaze on Cynthia. After watching Chelia confess to Raven at last, she felt she could build the courage to do this.
Cynthia just stared in shock. The longer she stared at it and the more her face turned red! "Wendy…it makes me feel better already." Cynthia pulled the ring out and handed it to Wendy. "Would you mind…? I uh…want you to put it on me…"
"Huh? O-Oh…of course!" Wendy snapped out of her trance. She took Cynthia's hand and gently slid the ring onto her finger, and it was a perfect fit! What a relief…she bought it months ago with Chelia's help. There was a lot of snooping and investigating going on during that time, but it all paid off. "A perfect fit…! It was meant to be!"
"Y-Yeah…!" Cynthia nodded with a bright smile. This really did make her feel better. Without a word, the two of them took a seat at the base of the tree, hands interlocked while resting against one another. "It's perfect, Wendy. Thank you. Now I feel like I can take on anything."
"Mmm…me too." Wendy closed her eyes as they leaned against one another. "Thank you for being by my side all this time, Cynthia. You mean the world to me."
"Thank you for taking a chance on me, Wendy." Cynthia responded. The two of them enjoyed their moment in silence from that point on. No words needed to be said to convey their feelings for one another. Mavis smiled at the two of them and how far they've come before flying off elsewhere.
Gray was leaning over the railing, overlooking the empty town while munching on some snack bar. Juvia slowly approached Gray, just wanting to check in on him before the battle went underway. "Gray-sama…"
"Juvia…" Gray turned around, offering what was left of what he was eating to the water mage. "Want some?"
Juvia accepted the snack, feeling her cheeks heat up and her breathing increased. "G…Gray-sama's leftovers…" She didn't think she'd get this far and was now having some trouble figuring out what to say next.
"I'm really thankful that you're here." Gray said. "For always being beside me, no matter how stubborn I've been over the years. You've always been there for me, for better or worse."
This response only flustered Juvia further! How was she supposed to respond to this? Their conversations usually didn't go this way. "Ah…no…Juvia…" She took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. "Juvia just…wanted to check in on Gray-sama."
"When the battle's over, I'll give you my answer." Gray said. After all these years, he wasn't going to ignore or dismiss her feelings anymore. He owed her an answer and he planned on giving her one. They'd been through a lot over the years as well…and the Fukomakura incident still weighed heavily on Gray's mind. Zelos was right about one thing back then, not that Gray would ever admit that. "So far now…let me focus."
Juvia managed a soft smile, nodding in response to Gray. "Yes. Juvia understands." As long as she could continue to stay by his side, she'd do her best in this battle as well.
"I got something that'll take down Zeref!"
Natsu's words echoed in Gray's mind. "I have a few aces of my sleeve too…so wait for me, E.N.D…Zeref."
Once again, Mavis was pleased at what she saw from she saw from everyone and finally decided to return back to the guild.
Inside the guild, Warren managed to set up a map and a radar to track the enemy's position from their location. "Warren, how's it looking?" Makarov asked.
"They're nowhere in Fiore yet." Warren said while holding the control pad in his hands.
"Can we really trust that, though?" Macao held skepticism in his tone.
"I made this super radar all by myself! Of course it's reliable!" Warren was offended anyone would think otherwise!
"Things would be a lot easier if we could pinpoint exactly which direction they'd come from…" Makarov mumbled.
Mavis finally touched down on the ground, overhearing the tail end of the conversation. "We could always place a diversion in the north and station our main forces in the south." She suggested.
"Ah, the First…" Makarov turned around.
"I've just finished checking up on everyone. And they're not the least bit worried about our situation. They've become so strong." Mavis was proud of them/
"Ah…so that's how you see them…" Makarov's words confused Mavis. "To me, it seems like they're barely pulling through from all the uneasiness they're feeling…and banding together like that only serves as consolation that things aren't all bad." Compared to what Mavis thought, Makarov's thoughts seemed to be the reality of the situation. "I'm not saying they shouldn't be doing so, though. After all, if a parent is afraid, it's only natural that the children would feel the same too. It is the role of a parent to stand in front of their children and protect them, even if their legs were to give out at any moment."
"Yes…" Mavis smiled softly. It looked like Makarov was truly prepared for this battle. But the time for peace was over. The bell began to ring and the alarm sounded throughout the town!
"Eh…what's going on…" Mii sat up from the couch so quickly that her towel almost fell off! Not that she cared.
"What?" Natsu blinked. Apparently he and Happy had already gone ahead and played strip poker, even without Lucy,
"It's coming from outside…" The Exceed said.
"Everyone…" Mavis had a bad feeling about this.
"Warren! What's happening to the radar!?" Makarov turned.
"What, it's my fault now?! I don't know!" Warren grunted before turning to the radar and….it was much worse than anyone could have anticipated! Several red dots were approaching and closing in! Or rather…they already closed in on Magnolia. "WHY COULDN'T IT DETECT THEM WHEN THEY WERE ALREADY SO CLOSE?! DAMN IT!"
"EVERYONE, GET READY!" Mavis yelled out to everyone in the city. "The enemy is above us! We've got about 50 large ships in the skies above!"
"THE HELL!?" Macao's jaw dropped.
"A ship that size could take out our guild in one shot…!" Wakaba's eyes were wide in shock and fear.
"That's only one part of what the empire is capable of…" Makarov's tone lowered.
"HEY! NOBODY SAID ANYTHING ABOUT THEM COMING FROM THE SKIES!" Warren yelled.
50 large ships filled the Fioran night skies! Within the largest ship, the one leading the vanguard was a familiar face: Ajeel Ramal, the Desert King and one of the Spriggan 12. And boy was he itching for this fight to get underway. Alvarez wasn't going to wait for the Fairies to strike! "OOOOOOOOH YEAAAAAH! TIME FOR YOU TO RETURN TO ASHES, FAIRY TAIL! HE WHO STRIKES FIRST ALWAYS DRAWS THE FIRST BLOOD! IT'S PARTY TIME!"
.
.
Next time: Team Flying Dragon and Osprey.