Chapter 44: Goodbye, Edolas…
They met up with the Edolas Fairy Tail and the rest of their group first on the edge of the city. Natsu insisted on taking Knightwalker with them, and made the Edolas Fairy Tail swear not to harm the unconscious woman.
If you can call it negotiations at all, that is. Natsu threatened to roast them alive if they broke their promise.
The Salamander handed Igneo over to Erza for safekeeping, as well as getting both himself and Knightwalker bandaged up following Wendy's emergency treatment. Then the Dragon Slayers flew over to the Droma Anim wreckage in their Dragon Force states to pick up Faust before flying back to the Royal City.
Natsu gave the other Dragon Slayers the plan as they flew in amongst the glowing ribbons of magic power congregating in the sky, "Right, here's the idea…"
/
Mystogan and Lily stood before the controls to the anima, the S-Class mage having reversed the flow of magic power to leave Edolas and go into Earthland.
Lily nodded approval, "Good, that's the way it should be."
"Perhaps, but there's still one issue to address."
Mystogan said, and went on, "The people of the country need someone to blame, someone who can answer for this. I will serve that role. Lily, you must execute me in front of the citizens to quell the panic. You're a member of the Royal Army, an Exceed, and a natural leader. They will listen to you. Please do this."
Lily was silent for a time, "Forgive me, prince, but that is not our solution. It's going to have to be someone else."
Mystogan gritted his teeth, "There isn't anyone else! How can you not-"
"I think you'll find there is. It's all part of the plan." the huge exceed interrupted.
A soldier walked inside the room and stood to attention, "Captain Pantherlily, there's an emergency in the streets that requires your attention."
Lily turned around, "Good, he made it in time."
Mystogan was confused, "Who did? What are you talking about?"
The soldier answered him after a moment of hesitation, "Sir, there are five people running riot in the streets…well, I call them people, but…to be honest, I'm not sure that's what they really are."
Lily nodded, "That's them, all right. Let's go check it out, shall we?"
Mystogan and the soldier followed him outside to stand on the walls of the palace to observe the scene in the street. The S-Class mage's eyes widened at the sight, "Th-this is…!"
The people in the street were gathered in the square, staring up at a rooftop. On the rooftop were five creatures varying in size and color, but what didn't change among them were the scales on their bodies.
And the faces. Mystogan knew them all.
Sting, Wendy, Gajeel, Rogue, and Natsu?! What are they-! Is that Faust?!
He realized the King-his father-was pinned crucifix style to the side of the building by Gajeel's iron straps. He also knew that all five of the Dragon Slayers were in Dragon Force, explaining their hybridized, draconic appearance. The extent of the change shocked even Mystogan, but there was no question what the citizens of Edolas saw in the five Dragon Slayers.
Five demonic creatures who were attacking their city.
Mystogan whipped around to look at Lily, "This is the plan? They'll be killed!"
The exceed shook his head, "No, they won't. Just go with it. They'll challenge you; when they do, answer the call and lead the people."
The S-Class mage opened his mouth to refuse, but at that moment Natsu started to laugh maniacally from across the square. "Hahahahahaha! I am the Great Demon Lord Dragneel! I've taken all the magic power from Edolas!"
The people in the square were terrified.
"What are those monsters?"
"They took all the magic power?"
"Someone help us!"
Natsu took it all in and gestured to the King strapped to the building beneath him, "My servants defeated this weak guy you call the King, and your Captains from the Royal Army also got trashed."
That wasn't entirely true, but nobody pointed it out. The few civilians who knew Natsu in Edolas didn't recognize the teenager in his Dragon Force form, or were simply too frightened to realize who it was.
Natsu kept it up, goading on the now angering citizens.
"Our King!"
"That bastard!"
"How dare you hurt our great King!"
The Salamander bared his elongated fangs and slowly spread his wings, "I don't like the sound of that. All those who get in my way…well, all of us will show you what happens! Eucliffe! Redfox! Cheney! Marvell! Unleash your power and raze this city to the ground!"
The Dragon Slayers flew out in different directions, save Natsu, who remained where he was. Gajeel turned his arm into a sword and slashed at several buildings, effectively cutting them in half. Rogue slipped into the center of the crowd, and the mob charged him. The Shadow Dragon lashed out with his whiplike tail and sent the closer ones flying away. After that, the citizens backed up out of range and he simply stood in place and hissed softly at them.
Wendy dove down from the air and let loose small bursts of breath that knocked over groups of people, but didn't seriously harm them. Sting put his hands together and released rays of light as he opened his palms. The rays collided into several buildings and leveled them.
The people of Edolas screamed.
"M-monsters! They're all so powerful!"
"Are you kidding?! The Demon Lord hasn't even done anything yet!"
"Just his servants are this strong?!"
Natsu smirked at them, "That's right. You don't stand a chance, I've already won. But as a special favor, I'll give you all a taste of my power!"
He took a deep breath and released a huge torrent of fire from his jaws in a roar. More screams of terror echoed throughout the square.
"What the hell was that?!"
"Fire from his mouth?!"
The Demon Lord laughed again, "Which of you can hope to stand against me now?! With your magic gone, you're all helpless against me and my servants!"
Gajeel growled at him, "Take it easy with the servant stuff you hothead!"
"Oh, shut up!" Natsu growled back.
Mystogan couldn't take it anymore. He shouted from the castle walls, "Stop it, Natsu!"
The citizens turned to him with questioning looks. Natsu followed their gazes until he caught sight of the S-Class mage on the other side of the square and grinned at him, "I'm the Demon Lord Dragneel. Are you going to challenge me? If you are, then come on!"
Mystogan hesitated for a moment, then leaped down from the castle walls, and ran over to the square. As he came, Natsu nodded to Sting, and the White Dragon destroyed the straps holding Faust to the building before flying up into the air with him.
The Salamander watched Mystogan approach and thrust one of his staves at the Dragon Slayer, "Sleep!"
The magic flowed out of the stave, but immediately got sucked into the anima, much to the S-Class mage's shock.
Natsu bared his fangs in a grin, "What's wrong?! Afraid since you can't use magic power?!"
Mystogan tch'd and threw the staves aside. Natsu brought a burning fist into the air, "That's right. Magic is power!"
He punched the building beneath him and it crumbled to nothing. The people screamed again and scattered away from the wreckage as Mystogan yelled, "Stop it!"
Wendy looked nervous, "Natsu, isn't that a bit much?"
Gajeel flew over to her, "Not at all. He's a devil with crazy amounts of magic power. And his opponent is someone with no magic power whatsoever. It's gotta be like this."
The Demon Lord awaited his opponent on the destroyed ruins of the building.
Mystogan stopped a few meters away from him, "Stop it, Natsu. I have to be the one who takes blame for this."
The Salamander cocked his head to the side, "Is that so? Well, I hate to disappoint you, Prince of Edolas, but I'm the demon, here. I think I can do anything I want."
Startled murmurs began to echo among the crowd.
"Did he say Prince?"
"I think he did…"
"Then that person is…Prince Mystogan!"
"But how? We were told he passed away in an accident years ago!"
Natsu laughed, "I'll tell you what happened."
The crowd fell silent and looked at him as he went on, "My servants and I are from the same place that magic power's going. It's a completely different world where demons like us live. We took your Prince away to use as a hostage for taking all the magic power, but he got away, so we just decided to rely on our own power to pull this off."
He glared at Mystogan in mock disgust, "I guess this little brat managed to survive somehow, but this is fine. We can execute him way easier now."
The people of Edolas looked stunned, but Mystogan just spoke in anger, "Give it up. This won't bring the people together!"
Natsu smirked and lunged forward. The Dragon Slayer punched him in the face and into the ground.
Cries of panic sounded.
"Prince!"
"Bastard! How dare you…"
They scattered as Natsu breathed fire again to make them shut up. Mystogan sat up with a frustrated look on his face, "This is a farce! It won't work…No way!"
He swung a fist at Natsu, but the Salamander brought his wing in front of him and blocked it effortlessly. He let Mystogan push the wing back a bit so he could look him in the face and growl softly, "Don't hold back."
The S-Class mage narrowed his eyes and grabbed the wing, shoving it aside to kick Natsu in the chest. The Dragon Slayer flew backwards.
Cheers emanated from the people of Edolas.
"Good one, Prince!"
"Beat him down!"
Mystogan looked around in uncertainty, but Natsu didn't give him time to think about it. The Salamander leaped at him again and punched him in the stomach. Mystogan coughed and skidded away, but lashed out with his own fist in reply. Natsu caught it with ease and the Prince swung at him with his other fist. The Demon Lord caught it as well, before his tail shot around him and wrapped itself around Mystogan's throat.
He was lifted several inches off the ground and brought closer to Natsu, who released his fists so the Prince could grasp at the scaly limb around his neck.
Natsu leaned forward and whispered to him with a grin, "We're switching. You and I are going back where we belong, so I have to give you the farewell ceremony."
Mystogan's eyes widened, but Natsu spun around and snapped his tail aside, slamming the Prince into the street. Mystogan gasped from the force, but quickly recovered and got back on his feet. The Salamander gave him a sideways look, his face expressionless.
Mystogan tch'd and jumped at him again with a kick. Natsu blocked it with a wing and flung him aside as he retaliated with a punch.
The Dragon Slayer growled as they engaged in close combat, "First: You must never reveal sensitive information about Fairy Tail to others for as long as you live!"
Mystogan blocked the flurry of punches and kicks and started to attack back as Natsu gave him a pained smile, "Remind me what the second bit was again?"
"Second: You must not have outside contact with former clients after leaving Fairy Tail!" Mystogan replied, kicking at him.
The Demon Lord ducked and dodged, his tail shooting forward to constrict the Prince's neck once more. He laughed, "That's right, I forgot. Third: Though our paths may diverge, you must continue to live with all your power!"
Natsu lurched back as Mystogan kicked him in the jaw and forced the Dragon Slayer to release his grip. The Demon Lord clenched his fist and faced the Prince again, "You must never treat your life as something insignificant! You must never forget the friends you love…"
Mystogan bunched his fist together and grinned at him to finish it, "…for as long as you live!"
Natsu and Mystogan swung at their opponents one last time and caught each other in the jaw.
The people of Edolas stared anxiously for several moments as the two staggered back, but began to cheer when Mystogan kept his footing, while Natsu fell to the ground.
The Dragon Slayer smiled up at him, "I hope we get to see you again sometime…"
Mystogan looked hesitant, and a little sad as he smiled back, "As do I. Take care of them for me, Natsu. They need you..One much more so than the others."
The Prince raised a teasing eyebrow as the Salamander tch'd and looked away, slightly red in the face.
Then he and the other Dragon Slayers started to glow.
Natsu was lifted off the ground, causing Mystogan's eyes to widen, "Your body…!"
"Yeah. This was the last bit of the plan. It was always supposed to end like this. Now we're both going home." Natsu answered.
Wendy looked at her hands, "It's starting…"
"Right, now let's put on a real show as we kick the bucket!" Gajeel said with a grin.
Sting cracked his neck and stretched his wings, giving them a longing look, "Guess we're saying goodbye to these. Too bad, I liked flying around."
"Wait until we get home. I'm sure you'll be flying all over the place once your brother's party starts." Rogue smirked.
The White Dragon laughed, "Probably."
Gajeel grunted at them, "Quit actin' all happy. We're supposed to be dying, remember?"
From then on, the other Dragon Slayers pretended to roar in pain, flailing their wings and lashing their tails as they were sucked into the anima.
Mystogan stared up at them in shock, "I never imagined…I knew the anima absorbed magic, but I never thought the people would go with it when it was reversed!"
"Prince!"
Mystogan turned around to see Lily floating up as well, arms crossed with a look of approval on his face, "It's my turn, as well. Farewell, my friend."
Tears formed in the Prince's eyes, but he smiled and nodded, "Farewell, Lily."
As the Dragon Slayers rose, they caught sight of the Edolas Fairy Tail, and their friends from Earthland also getting sucked into the anima.
Sting hollered a greeting, "Sup' guys!"
Lucy turned in midair to face him, "Are we going home?"
Natsu nodded, and looked down at the members of the Edolas Fairy Tail, who were in despair.
"What do we do now?"
"All the magic power's gone…"
"How can we be a guild without magic?"
Gray stopped them all by placing his fist against his chest, "Why can't you be a guild? As long as you've got your friends, that's your guild right there!"
Lucy waved goodbye to her counterpart, and Erza nodded in respect at Knightwalker. Natsu stared down at Edo-Rogue and Mira, and his former lieutenant smiled at him, eyes moist with perspiration. Knightwalker sat beside Coco, who was crying her eyes out.
Natsu felt a pang of sadness go through his body, as he called to them in a hoarse voice, "See you, guys. I'll miss you all so much…"
He stopped talking and hesitated for a few moments. The people on the ground were about to reply, and Coco actually got up and took a step towards him, but then the Salamander roared, "Dammit! I hate saying goodbye!"
He spun around and flapped his wings, shooting into the sky towards the anima.
Sting called after him, "Hey, Natsu! Wait up!"
The White Dragon grabbed Lucy and flew after his brother, followed by the other members of their group.
On the ground, Coco stared up at Natsu's disappearing figure with tears in her eyes. She whispered, "Why didn't he let us say goodbye?"
"He couldn't, Coco."
All eyes turned to Knightwalker, who smiled up after the retreating group with a sad look, "If he let us say goodbye, some part in him would always carry regret of leaving this place. It would mean he truly gave up ever seeing us again. I think he knows in his heart that somehow, we will see him again one day."
She stood up and focused her eyes on the Salamander one last time. "Let's say goodbye together; he'll definitely hear our voices." Knightwalker murmured.
Coco stared at her for a moment before looking back up at the sky. She clasped her hands together in prayer and closed her eyes, "Bye-bye, Natsu. I'll miss you too, I won't ever forget you. I'll keep my promise and run farther than anyone else ever has. I..Goodbye!"
The little girl broke down into tears and started sobbing. Knightwalker crouched down and put a hand on her shoulder. Even the Fairy Hunter started losing her composure, tears silently falling from her eyes, "Goodbye. I know we'll meet again, one day. This will not be a permanent exile…When our wounds from these past years scar over, perhaps we'll meet again. I wish you well, Natsu."
Coco turned and hugged her, and Knightwalker wrapped her arms around the girl to offer what little comfort she could.
Edo-Rogue stared up at Natsu, eyes still moist, beside a tearful Mirajane. He whispered up at him, "Goodbye, old friend. I'll miss the days when we were Drake and Wraith...I will never forget how you saved my life, Natsu, and one of these days, I'll return the favor, somehow. It's time for you and Pantherlily to go, but I'll always remember you. Farewell, my brother…"
He bit his lip and looked down at the ground. Mira hugged him as he finally let the tears swell over his eyes. The Edolas Fairy Tail called after them, their own voices a chorus of goodbyes. And Natsu heard them all.
Sting tried to catch up with him, but he was flying fast. He was about to yell at his brother when he caught a sideways glance at his face that made his eyes widen. Tears streamed from Natsu's eyes, a sparkling river in the light of the anima. His teeth were clenched and his eyes screwed shut. Sting stopped himself and allowed his brother to let it all out.
It's happening to him again…he's losing everything precious to him a second time. Natsu…
There was nothing Sting could say to make him feel better, but Natsu replied to the calls below him in the only way he could. As he flew, he released a blazing torrent from his mouth in a roar. The fire was fierce, but beautiful, a curtain of flame that lit up the night sky even more than the anima. He roared until he no longer had breath, before he raced to the anima faster than ever.
Natsu knew if he looked back, the sight of his friends would break him completely. The Salamander forced himself to swallow his sadness and touch the anima with his hand. His vision exploded in a burst of light as he whispered, "Goodbye, Edolas."
But he never looked back.
