Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! Read at your own risk. There's still original stuff in here, but if you haven't gotten to this point in the anime/manga, then some things may be ruined for you. I advise catching up to the anime/manga if you haven't already (for more reasons than just reading my story)! Thank you and enjoy!

Sorry that this was so long AGAIN. I don't know why it keeps happening. Hope you enjoy it anyway!

Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon

Chapter 46

7 YEARS LATER

The year was 791—seven years after Tenrou Island disappeared, taking with it several of Fairy Tail's members. For the first year or so, countless ships and allies of Fairy Tail aided in the search for the missing island, but every time they searched, they would come back empty handed without a shred of evidence as to where they all went. Soon after, the searches ceased altogether and hope of ever finding the lost members was vanishing by the day. Soon, even the remaining members of Fairy Tail, grief-stricken as they were, realized the sad truth.

They were never coming back.


On the outskirts of Magnolia sat a small wooden building. Chickens clucked in their coop and laundry billowed in the breeze outside. Hanging proudly on the front of the building was an orange banner and on that banner was the white insignia for Fairy Tail.

Macao slammed his mug of beer on the counter. Time didn't favor him, for his hairline had further receded and his blue hair had grayed slightly. He now had a short and thick mustache and a much older face. "Where the hell is Romeo? Alzack and Bisca should have had him back by now!" He gripped the handle tightly. "I swear if they ditched him to go make out, they will feel my wrath. I don't care if they are married! Those two should be more responsible!"

Wakaba blew smoke out of his pipe. His brown hair had dulled slightly as well and his obnoxious hair style had all but vanished, leaving just a small tuft in the front. He had a full beard now and his face was far more wrinkled as well. "Chill out, Macao. He's not a kid anymore. He's a wizard now. Give him a little more leash."

Macao's eyebrow twitched. "I couldn't expect you to understand since you're not a parent. But more importantly, how many times do I have to tell you to call me Master?"

Wakaba huffed. "I'll call you the fourth master of Fairy Tail when you actually show some competence."

"Maybe I should have chosen a better assistant than you!" Macao shouted.

"Easy guys," Max said while walking over, trying to calm the two older men down. "It's not like Master Macao could really do anything about this situation. I mean, just look around." He paused to gesture to the practically barren guild hall. "We've lost a lot of members."

Warren nodded as he stood near Max. "Yeah, we kind of expected that. I mean, our guild's reputation has gone down and it brought the number of job requests down with it."

Nab sighed as he stared at the mission board. "There are so few jobs on the board now."

Warren shot him a look. "What does it matter to you? When was the last time you even took a job, Nab? All you do is stand there. Hell, that's all you've done for over seven years."

"True," Nab said sadly.

"Cheer up, Nab," Kinana said with a smile, walking by with a tray of drinks. The past seven years were good to Kinana. Her body had become shapelier, her breasts had increased slightly, and her face was more woman-like and far more beautiful. Her purple hair grew slightly as well, falling down to the base of her neck. She still wore the same green dress as seven years prior. "You're just waiting for the right job."

Warren rubbed his temples. "Please don't encourage his lack of motivation, Kinana."

Kinana giggled and walked away.

"Hey Kinana! Over here!" Droy called out, waving to Kinana with a chicken leg. Droy had grown quite large over the last seven years, but not in the way that anyone would be impressed by. Simply put, Droy had gotten fat—very fat. He had done nothing but eat for the past seven years. "I'm ready for seconds!"

Kinana smiled. "Sure thing, Droy!"

"Are you sure that's a good idea, Droy?" Laki asked as Kinana put down more food in front of Droy and walked towards the small bar area. The past seven years were even kinder to Laki than to Kinana. Her body had become very womanly. Unlike before, her body was perfectly curved, her breasts had grown significantly, and her face showed far more wisdom and experience than it had before. Her gray, silky hair reached further down her back and she still wore a pair of subtle glasses on her face. She wore a very low cut strapless blue dress that heavily accented her breasts and cleavage. She never admitted it to anyone, but she worked hard every day to look her absolute best and be as sexy as possible in the hopes that one day Nikolias and everyone else in Fairy Tail would return. "I think that food is starting to catch up with you."

Droy glared at her. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you were calling me fat."

Jet sneered at Droy. "That's exactly what she's calling you, fat ass." Jet was almost exactly the same, although he was slightly more muscular. He was still very thin and tall, however. His orange hair had grown slightly and he had it slicked back and in a ponytail. "I mean, have you even looked in the mirror?" He then pointed to a now very tall and skinny Reedus, who was busy painting a portrait of the guild hall. "Even Reedus is skinny as hell now!"

Reedus smiled as he kept painting. Reedus was dressed in very formal clothes now, but still wore his usual black top hat. "Oui. However, I was never actually fat. Master Makarov had put a spell on me to make me that size."

Droy waved his chicken at Jet. "What are you talking about? Look at how muscular I still am!"

"That's all fat," Jet shot back. "Face it, Droy; everyone in the guild has matured except you."

"Shut up! Eating increases my magic power, so I have to keep eating!" Droy shouted.

"I mean seriously, what would Levy say if she ever saw you?" Jet asked.

Droy, in his anger at Jet, said something he would quickly regret. "Levy's never coming back!"

The entire guild fell deathly silent, the words that Droy spoke hanging in the air. Looks of sadness, depression, or disbelief were on everyone's faces.

Laki stared at Droy as she spaced out. 'You're lying. Nikolias will come back. They'll all come back. I know it…'

Kinana stopped washing the dishes, images of Nikolias and all of the others flashing through her mind. 'Will we really never see them again?'

A long minute of painful silence was finally interrupted by Reedus, who resumed his painting. "Oui," he said sadly.

The front door squeaked open and a snicker soon followed. "How pathetic." Everyone turned to see five men standing in their doorway. Of course, they knew these men all too well. The one who spoke had black curly hair pulled back in twin buns. On his back was a large club. He wore an evil smirk on his face as he eyed everyone in the guild hall. "I swear every time I walk in here, this place gets quieter and quieter. Guess no one wants to bring business to a shit hole, huh?"

"I guess Fairy Tail has lost all of its mojo," another one of the men said.

"What the hell are you doing here, Thibault?" Macao demanded as he strode over with Wakaba. "I thought I made myself clear that you and your band of douches aren't welcomed here."

Thibault took a mocking step back and threw up his hands, but his grin never left. "Hey now! Is that really the way you should speak to your superiors? We of Twilight Ogre are tops in Magnolia now, so you should watch your tone when addressing us."

Jet, Droy, Max, Warren, and Nab walked over and stood behind Macao and Wakaba, preparing for any altercation.

Thibault chuckled. "My, have you really all forgotten? I guess old habits die hard. You all may have been the strongest guild in Fiore years ago, but try to remember your current standing. Fairy Tail is nothing but a bunch of out of work wizards." He motioned to the guild hall with his hand. "I mean, just look at this dump! It's nothing compared to the palace that we set up in the very center of Magnolia. Everyone knows just by looking at the building that Twilight Ogre is by far better and far more capable than this shitty guild."

"You think that the hall represents the skill?" Max asked.

"Pretty pathetic, if you ask me," Warren added. "Our spirit far surpasses your own."

Thibault laughed. "Congratulations, princess. Good luck making a living off of your prosperous spirit."

"You never answered me, Thibault," Macao said calmly. "What are you doing here?"

Thibault slapped his forehead. "Oh right. I almost forgot. This place depressed me so much I actually spaced on why we came in the first place." He chuckled. "We're here to collect this month's payment."

Wakaba shot Macao a sideways look. "You mean you ain't paid yet?"

"Nope he hasn't," one of the men said. "If you actually paid on time, then we wouldn't have to keep stepping foot in such a depressing place."

"Look, I haven't paid yet because we haven't gotten any decent paying jobs lately," Macao responded. "We'll pay it in full next month, so get off of our backs!"

The shortest Twilight Ogre pointed a small finger at Macao. "Watch your tongue, old geezer. Just remember that you would've lost this guild hall had Twlight Ogre not swooped in and saved it for you."

"Yeah," another member agreed. "You should be thanking us! If we hadn't picked up the loan, you'd all be living on the streets like bums."

Jet grit his teeth. "Had we known about your insane interest rates, we never would have come to you for help in the first place."

"That's enough, Jet," Macao said.

"But Master…," Jet began.

"Just give us another month," Macao interrupted. "I promise you'll have your money in full in one more month."

Thibault smiled. "No thanks." He then threw a quick kick at Macao that had him flying into the wooden bar counter.

"Master!" Laki cried.

The short Twilight Ogre member laughed. "Look how far he flew!"

Thibault stood proudly. "Whadya expect from such a lightweight guild?"

The Fairy Tail members took an offensive stance. "How dare you!" Jet shouted.

The Twilight Ogre members grabbed for their weapons. "Oh, so the weaklings wanna fight, eh?" Thibault taunted.

"No," Macao groaned as he sat up with the aid of Kinana. "Stand down, Fairy Tail!"

Everyone glared at Twilight Ogre, but they had no choice. They had to obey the Master's decision, so they did not retaliate.

Thibault smirked before nodding to his boys, who all immediately dispersed around the guild. "It looks like you're starting to understand your place." The Twilight Ogre members began destroying everything they could in the guild hall. They broke tables, they dismantled chairs, they shattered glasses and plates; almost anything that could be broken was broken. Thibault laughed at the destruction.

One of the Twilight Ogre members walked up behind Laki and groped her breasts. "You know, you don't have to be part of such a weak guild. Come join us."

Laki wanted nothing more than to slug the pervert behind her, but she had to obey the Master's order so she bit her lip and held herself back. 'If Nikolias was here, he'd tear you apart!'

After a while, Thibault snapped his fingers and the Twilight Ogre members gathered around him once more. "That was fun, but we've gotta run." He turned for the door. "You've got one more month. That's it. Let's go, boys!"

"Right!" they all exclaimed as the five Twilight Ogre members left the broken guild hall.

And the Fairy Tail members let them leave without another word, tears in their eyes at what they had fallen to and what they had lost.


An hour passed and nothing had changed. The guild members all sat around on the broken furniture, no one in the mood to even strike up a conversation. Spirits were low and there was no denying it.

The sound of a book falling caught Reedus' attention. He turned his head and, once he noticed what the book was, he began to cry. This, in turn, caught everyone else's attention and tears filled their eyes as well.

The book that had fallen was a sketch book of portraits of everyone in Fairy Tail.

There was a portrait of Master Makarov standing proudly with a smile.

There was a portrait of Natsu with his usual grin.

There was a portrait of Mira smiling and waving.

There was a portrait of Gray looking less than interested.

There was a portrait of a headshot of Gildarts and one of Laxus.

There was a portrait of Lucy with a book in her hand, smiling as Natsu stood over her. An annoyed and shirtless Gray sat beside her with Happy flying excitedly over his head. Erza stood with a smile behind them and Juvia was behind her, her eyes fixed on Gray.

There was a portrait of Wendy with a cute smile on her face as she held a less than thrilled Carla in her arms. Gajeel stood emotionlessly beside her with Lily standing exactly the same on his shoulder.

There was a portrait of the old Shadow Gear team, a happy Jet and thin Droy standing next to a smiling Levy.

There was a portrait of the reunited Strauss siblings sitting at a table with a drinking but happy Cana.

There was a portrait of the Thunder Legion featuring a stoic Freed, a smiling Bickslow, and a theatrical Evergreen standing around a slightly annoyed Laxus.

There was a portrait of an energetic and smiling Gracie waving while standing behind an extremely ticked off Nikolias.

There was a portrait of Nikolias after the Bloody Moon battle, a big smile on his face as he sat with a smiling Mira as they embraced each other.

And there was a portrait of everyone in the guild, all of them sitting around, laughing, and enjoying the company of one another.

And now, it was all gone.

Wakaba blew out some smoke. "Hard to believe that it's already been seven years."

Macao ran a hand through his hair. "Has it really been that long?" he asked softly.

Max wiped away some tears and gave a sad smile. "Those were better times. That's for sure."

Warren couldn't stop crying. "Fairy Tail just isn't the same without all of those guys."

"But we already searched," Jet said. "We searched and found nothing."

"If the Magic Council told us the truth, then Tenrou Island was wiped out by this Acnologia," Nab said.

"So many organizations and people helped us, but we still turned up nothing," Reedus sobbed.

"Not suprising," Jet said as his throat tightened slightly. "The Ethernano levels we recorded around the island that day were so high that no living thing could ever survive it."

"How can Acnologia be that strong with just a roar?" Nab cried. "We even had a dragon there in Nikolias! Is this Acnologia so strong that even he couldn't beat it?"

"It is that powerful!" Warren cried. "This dragon has the power to wipe out nations by itself. No one can face it and live to talk about it."

"But why did it have to kill all of our friends?" Droy asked sadly.

"They were the heart of Fairy Tail. Without them, our guild just got weaker and weaker," Max said. "And all we could do was watch it happen. All we could do was watch as a new guild, Twilight Ogre, took over Magnolia."

Wakaba let out another stream of smoke. "Maybe it's time to just call it quits."

With tears in her eyes, Laki stood and stomped her foot. "How could you say something like that?"

Wakaba sighed and looked down at his sulking long time friend. "Something wrong, Macao?"

"I'm sorry," Macao said, "but I just don't think that I can keep this up very much longer."

Wakaba smiled at him. "Don't you worry. You're doing a fine job, Master."

Tears poured from Macao's eyes as he covered his face. "And poor Romeo. Hell, I don't think I've seen him smile once since the day they disappeared."

Suddenly, the entire guild began to shake. Everyone quickly pushed their sorrow aside and jumped to their feet.

"Don't tell me Twilight Ogre is back," Jet complained.

Everyone ran outside to see what the commotion was about. In the air, they spotted a massive flying blue airship. On the front was a large and magnificent statue of a horse.

"No way," Max said. "It's Blue Pegasus' new airship, the Christina Advanced!"

The giant airship drew closer and closer. Once it was in front of the guild hall, it slowly descended towards the ground before landing softly.

From the head of the horse, a small, round, orange haired man leapt to the ground. He sniffed the air as he struck a strange pose. "What is that awful stench? My, this is not a very pleasant parfum." He changed his pose, pointing his fingers at the gathered Fairy Tail members. "I apologize for the wait, but Sir Ichiya is here and at your service."

"As are we," said a tall blonde haired boy with a wink as he and two other boys leapt to the ground behind Ichiya. "I, Hibiki, am at your service as well."

"It's not like we're worried or anything," said the tall boy with the dark skin and black hair."

The tall, blonde third boy laughed. "Oh Ren. We're all concerned." He smiled at the Fairy Tail members. "It's been a while, huh? I hope you remember me. I'm Eve."

Jet stepped forward. "Do you mind telling us what this is about?"

The three Blue Pegasus boys ignored him and immediately swarmed Laki.

"You're just as beautiful as ever, Laki," Hibiki said with a smile.

"Yeah, you look hot for a girl in glasses," Ren said.

"May I call you big sis?" Eve asked.

Laki snorted and stepped away. "Not interested."

The boys immediately moved on to Kinana, swarming her instead.

"Do you have plans tonight, Kinana?" Hibiki asked.

"Why do you have to look so beautiful in that dress?" Ren asked.

"Would you like to have a little brother?" Eve asked.

Kinana waved her hands and smiled uncomfortably. "Oh…um…no thank you."

"Cut it out you three," Ichiya said. "We have business to attend to."

The three boys hopped back and bowed. "Our apologies, sir!"

"Alright, Ichiya, what's the deal?" Macao asked.

Ichiya turned to them and posed. "Men! I shall never forget the sweet parfum of friendship we created when our guilds joined forces to defeat Oración Seis!"

"We've been flying Christina all around Fiore to survey Ethernano levels in the area," Hibiki said. He then smiled. "And if all of the data that my Archive magic has collected is accurate, then all of our hard work has paid off."

Macao and Wakaba's eyes widened in shock as their jaws fell open, Wakaba's cigar falling forgotten to the ground.

"Are you ready for this?" Ichiya asked as he did a 360 spin before pointing to the two older men. "Tenrou Island still exists!"

No one in Fairy Tail knew what to say. Could it really be true? They had searched all over and come up with nothing and now, after seven years, could it really be possible to see their friends again?

Laki held her hands close to her chest. 'Nikolias. Could I really see you again?'

Jet and Droy looked at each other, both thinking the same thing. 'Levy!'

Kinana put her hands to her mouth. 'Nikolias…'

Ichiya struck another pose. "Now! Allow us to show you what we have found! Men!"


Bisca peered out into the ocean with her binoculars, scanning the vast waters for any sign of the lost island while the wind tossed her long green hair. She sighed as she lowered the binoculars and turned to her husband, Alzack. The two had just returned from a mission with Romeo when out of the blue, they were sent to investigate a possible Tenrou Island lead with a few other guild members. Hopeful to see her friends again, she happily agreed, but once again, there was no sign of anything. "Are you sure that we're looking in the right place?" she asked Alzack.

The black haired gunslinger looked around. "I don't know. It does seem odd that we haven't seen anything yet."

Warren looked over the side of the ship with his fingers to his forehead, desperately trying to pick up anything with his telepathy magic. "This is where the Blue Pegasus guys told us to look. They said that the Ethernano levels in this area were strange."

"What the hell is Ethernano anyway?" Max asked as he pondered a map given to them by Blue Pegasus. "Everyone keeps saying it."

"Hell if I know," Warren responded. "Probably magic particles."

Max shrugged. "Anyway, getting anything?"

Warren put down his hand and sighed. "No, I'm not picking up anything."

Bisca walked over to her husband and linked her arm with his arm. "I feel bad leaving Romeo behind."

"Yeah, maybe we should have brought him along," Alzack agreed.

Max shook his head. "Believe me, it's better this way. Best not to get the kid's hopes up when we're not even sure that they're still alive."

Warren nodded. "Yeah, that's just the grim truth."

Jet and Droy, however, apparently didn't feel the same way. The two were bouncing up and down, cheek to cheek, overjoyed that they were going to see their beloved teammate again. "WE'LL SEE LEVY!" the two cheered.

Bisca sweatdropped. "Yeah, we're not keeping our hopes up."

Alzack chuckled. "I can't blame them, though."

Warren, though, was getting annoyed. "WOULD YOU TWO SHUT UP?" he bellowed, immediately quieting the two. He then calmed himself and continued. "Look, we haven't heard from them in seven years. You've gotta consider the worst case scenario."

"Yeah, we know," Jet said quietly.

The crew stayed quiet, contemplating the words that Warren spoke. However, something wasn't sitting right with Bisca. "That's weird," she said.

"What's up?" Alzack asked.

Bisca held up her hands. "Feel that? It's like the breeze just stopped."

Alzack looked up. "Yeah, it is oddly quiet, isn't it?"

Max looked around. "No wind, no birds…what's going on?" Suddenly, a strange figure caught his attention. He narrowed his eyes trying desperately to see the figure clearly. "Hey, can anyone else see that?"

Everyone made their way to Max and peered out in the direction he was looking. They all saw a strange figure in the distance.

"Is that a person?" Jet asked.

"Couldn't be," Warren said.

Bisca, whose vision was far superior thanks to her abilities as a sniper, voiced her opinion. "Okay, that is definitely a person."

Standing on the surface of the water in front of the ship was a young blonde haired girl. She wore an old-fashioned light pink dress. In her hair sat small white fairy wings. Her eyes were closed as she smiled.

"They're just standing on the water," Max said, mystified by what he was seeing.

"Who is it?" Droy asked.

The young girl opened her eyes, her green eyes oddly dull. She slowly lifted her arms up and as she did so, rays of golden light rose from the water and into the sky. The still waves began to awaken and thrash about as the lights intensified and illuminated the water, turning the blue ocean gold.

The Fairy Tail members were fighting to stay on the ship as it was tossed about by the suddenly violent sea.

"What the hell is happening?" Max shouted over the roaring waves.

The water behind the strange girl began to rise higher and higher like a dome. And then the water began to fall off of the dome and no one could believe their eyes.

Encased in a golden aura was a large island that continued to rise out of the water.

Tenrou Island had reappeared.

"It's Tenrou Island!" Max exclaimed.

"Where the hell did it come from?" Warren asked.

The golden aura surrounding Tenrou Island melted away as the massive island settled back into the ocean with a crash.

The young girl smiled before turning around and floating towards the island's shore.

"Follow her!" Max shouted quickly. "She must know something about what happened here!"

The Fairy Tail members quickly sailed after the mysterious girl. They docked the ship on the rocky shore and leapt onto the soil to run after the girl who was floating further and further away and into the forest. They followed her, all of them hoping that the girl that showed them where Tenrou Island was could also show them where their friends were. However, the girl was just floating farther and farther away.

Max looked over to Jet. "We can't lose her! Go, Jet!"

Jet nodded and took off, using his High Speed magic to run at supersonic speeds. He ran through the forest, trying desperately to catch up to the mysterious girl, but he couldn't find her. He ran with all of his might, willing himself to go faster so that the greatest hope of finding their friends didn't disappear into the wind. But it was no use. The girl was gone. Jet clenched his jaw. "I should have caught her by now. Damn it, where are you?"

Suddenly, something on the ground off to Jet's left caught his attention. He skidded to a stop and peered down off of the short ledge that he was standing on. His eyes widened once he realized what exactly he was looking at.

The others finally caught up and ran towards Jet.

"Did you find her?" Warren asked.

However, Jet didn't respond.

"What's wrong?" Alzack asked. "Do you see something?"

Again, no response.

Everyone stopped next to Jet and looked towards where his gaze was fixated. And their jaws nearly hit the ground.

Half buried under a pile of dirt and heavily bandaged, was an unconscious Natsu.


Romeo sat at a table in the guild hall, silently reading a book. He had grown slightly taller over the years and his black hair was slightly longer and more disheveled. His wardrobe was carefully crafted to look similar to something that Natsu would wear, even down to the checkered scarf around his neck. He even had the same color Fairy Tail mark, only he wore it on his left shoulder instead of his right.

However, the greatest change in Romeo over the years was his attitude. He was no longer the same jubilant kid. He was far more depressed all of the time. Upon returning to the guild with Bisca and Alzack after finishing a job, he had heard that there was a possible clue as to where Natsu and all of the others disappeared to. However, Romeo felt no need to tag along. Instead, he chose to sit and sulk, something he had been doing a lot over the past seven years.

Macao walked up to him. "I hope you're not too upset about staying behind, son."

"No, I'm not," Romeo said emotionlessly. "Besides, even if they're lucky enough to find Tenrou Island, I doubt anyone's still alive."

"Don't be so negative," Macao said. "Try having a little faith."

"He's right," Kinana said with a smile as she walked over with drinks. "If you keep on believing, who knows what could happen?"

Romeo put down his book, but didn't look at Kinana. "Keep on believing, huh? What's the point? They've been gone seven years. There's no point in believing. Natsu's not coming back." He picked the book back up. "Nikolias isn't coming back, either."

Romeo's words stung Kinana, but she kept smiling and went about her duties.

"Romeo!" Macao exclaimed, completely blown away that Romeo could say something so heartless to Kinana.

"Jesus," came a familiar voice; a voice that no one wanted to hear. Everyone turned to see that Thibault and his gang had once again returned. "Is it actually possible that this guild has gotten even more deserted since yesterday? Seriously, how do you guys suck so bad? It's gotta be a secret skill."

"What the hell are you doing here?" Macao shouted. "We agreed that we would pay you next month!"

Thibault shrugged. "Yeah, I ran it by our Master, and he said 'no way in hell'. He also said that we're gonna have a problem if you don't hand over every penny you owe us and you'd be wise to do so. Our Master always gets what he wants."
Romeo slammed the book closed on the table and stood up. He glared at Thibault with cold eyes. "Fuck your Master."

"Romeo!" Macao exclaimed.

Romeo ignored him and walked towards Thibault. "You won't be getting any money from us today, shit for brains."

Thibault bent down. "You better watch your attitude, you little brat."

Romeo summoned a purple magic circle in his right hand and created dark purple flames. "You may be able to boss my dad and the others around because they're so afraid to stand up to you, but I won't back down! I won't let you disgrace the Fairy Tail name anymore!"

"Romeo!" Wakaba warned.

"Stupid kid," Macao grumbled as he ran towards his son.

Thibault blew on Romeo's flames, extinguishing them like they were nothing more than the flame of a birthday candle. "Sorry to break it to ya, kid, but the name Fairy Tail has already been disgraced." He reached for his club, prepared to strike down Romeo for his behavior.

"Leave him alone!" Macao demanded.

Thibault lifted the club over his head. "You could train for the rest of your days, but it would never be enough. You could never hope to beat me!" He started to bring the club down.

But the club never made it to Romeo. In fact, everyone watched in surprise as Thibault went flying overhead and crashed into the back wall. Everyone, including Twilight Ogre, turned around to see what happened.

"Who the hell did that?" all four Twilight Ogre members said simultaneously. They would soon have their answer.

One member was frozen solid in a shard of ice.

One member was smashed in the face with an armor clad fist.

One member was squashed on the ground by a massive hand.

And the final member was tightly wrapped in shadows before being lifted up and slammed into the ground.

No one could believe it. After seven years, how could they? But there it was.

Standing over the battered bodies of the Twilight Ogre members was the Tenrou Island group. Natsu gave his signature grin and waved. "We're back!"

Gracie leapt to the front of the group. "Miss us? Ah, who am I kidding? Of course ya did! Who'd you miss more? Me, right?"

"Calm down, Gracie," Nikolias sighed. "Seriously, too hyper." However, he soon felt the air leave his lungs as he was tackled to the ground by Laki and Kinana. The two girls cried into his chest as they hugged him tightly. He smiled at them and patted the top of their heads. "Geez, don't cry. Please? I really hate it when my friends cry."

"You're back," Kinana sobbed. "I knew you'd all come back."

Nikolias nodded. "Yeah. Sorry for making you all worry."

"Tell us what happened!" Nab exclaimed. "I mean, none of you look like you've aged a day!"

"I don't think that applies to Niky, though," Gracie giggled.

"Shut it, Gracie," Nikolias growled.

Lucy smiled nervously. "Um…well…let's see, how to explain it."


A FEW HOURS AGO

"Shit, he's not waking up," Max said as he shook Natsu. However, the pink haired Dragon Slayer remained unresponsive.

"Come on, get it together man!" Jet shouted at Natsu. "Wake up!"

Suddenly, Natsu shot upright with a scream. "Would you all shut up and let me sleep?"

"NATSU!" everyone cried as they tackled him in a hug, tears streaming down their faces.

Natsu pushed them all off and sat up. "What the hell is wrong with you guys? And what the hell are you doing on Tenrou Island?" Then Natsu realized just how different everyone looked. "Wait, why are you guys so much older?" He almost fell backwards once he saw Droy. "What the shit, Droy? Why are you so fat?"

"You haven't changed a bit," Warren said as he wiped away the tears.

The sound of dirt moving caught everyone's attention. They looked over and saw a small blue head poke out of the ground.

Happy wiped the sleep from his eyes. "Is it morning already? Natsu, can I have fish for breakfast?"

"HAPPY!" everyone exclaimed.

Natsu gripped his head. "Damn, this whole thing is hurting my head. It feels like we were just getting hit by Acnologia's attack, but now…I don't even know!" Natsu's eyes widened. "Wait, what about everyone else? Where's Lucy?"

"They're over here," came a soft voice. Everyone looked over to see the mysterious girl standing on a ledge, smiling down at them.

"Who're you?" Natsu asked warily.

The girl smiled and closed her eyes. The wind around her danced for a few seconds before dying back down. She reopened her eyes. "Don't worry, I mean you no harm. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Fairy Tail's first master, Mavis Vermillion."

Everyone's jaws dropped. "WHAT?"

Mavis giggled as she walked away.

"Follow her!" Natsu cried as he jumped to his feet and chased after her. "We've gotta find everyone! Hang in there, Lucy!"

The group followed Mavis further into the forest until they came upon Lucy, Wendy, and Carla.

"Lucy!" Natsu shouted. He ran over to her and slid on his knees to rest beside her. He gently lifted her up. "Luce, wake up."

Lucy groaned as she slowly opened her eyes. "Natsu?"

He smiled as he stroked her cheek. "Yeah, it's me. I'm so glad you're okay."

She gave a tired smile. "I'm glad you're okay, too."

He leaned down and gently kissed her lips. "We made it, Luce. We made it."

Wendy and Carla slowly woke up and rubbed their eyes. "What's going on?" Wendy asked sleepily.

"Wendy, you're okay!" Warren exclaimed.

"What are you all doing here?" Carla asked. "And why do you all look so different?"

"We'll explain later," Max said. "Right now, we've got a lot of other people to find."

The group searched all over the island, stumbling upon small groups of members everywhere and their reaction never changed. They were beyond happy and relieved with each discovered member. They found Gray, Erza, Gracie, and Juvia. They found Gajeel and Levy, which Jet and Droy were thrilled about. They found the Strauss siblings. They found Cana and Gildarts and they found Laxus, Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen. They found Master Makarov. They had finally all been reunited.

Once they had all gathered, Mavis appeared before them once more. Makarov's eyes widened. "The first guild master, Mavis," he breathed.

"How did we survive that attack?" Gracie asked. "I thought we were done for."

"When the dragon attacked, I was able to convert the bonds of trust and friendship between you all into pure magic power," Mavis explained. "Your bonds were so strong that Fairy's Fear, one of the three Grand Fairy spells, was activated."

"Fairy's Fear?" Lucy repeated.

Mavis nodded. "It's an absolute defense spell capable of protecting the guild from all manner of evil. Those inside the impenetrable sphere were in a suspended state. It has been seven years since the attack, but the spell has finally been lifted."

Makarov sniffed. "To think we were saved by Fairy Tail's first master."

Mavis smiled. "No, I'm a corporeal. I simply used what little energy I had left to convert your bonds into magic power. Your unwavering convictions and love for one another is what brought forth this miracle, not I."

Gracie raised her hand. "Excuse me, first master Mavis?"

"Yes?"

"I have one more question. Where's Niky? He's not here."

Mavis smiled. "The Half-Dragon Nikolias is still on the island and very much alive, don't worry. However, I don't know exactly where he is. You see, before the dragon's attack could hit, Nikolias managed to get to you all and protect you the best he could with his body. The force of the blast ended up pushing him far away from all of you."

"Nikolias risked his life to save us?" Erza asked.

Mavis nodded. "Yes. Had the Fairy's Fear spell not activated, it would have been his selfless efforts that would have saved you, for his dragon scales would have been able to repel most of the damage. However, the act would have cost him his life."

"He's always doing things like that," Mira complained. "Can't he just think about staying alive for once?"

Gracie giggled. "Water under the bridge, if you ask me. Everyone, including Niky, is okay. I'd say that's all that matters."

Mavis smiled and nodded. She then began to glow brightly and float higher and higher into the air. She smiled down at Makarov. "You should be proud of the guild you built." She tilted her head cutely to the side. "All of them are wonderful!" And in a flash of light, she was gone.

"Oh, I am," Makarov said with a smile.

Gracie pumped her fist. "Alright! Let's commence Operation: Niky Where the Hell Are You!"

"Right!" everyone cheered while pumping their fists as well.

Gracie pointed at the Dragon Slayers. "Alright guys, do your stuff. Use those awesome noses of yours!"

Natsu grinned, Gajeel smirked, and Wendy nodded happily. "Right!"

With the help of the Dragon Slayers' noses, the group maneuvered through the forest in search of where Nikolias was. After about ten minutes of walking, they came across a clearing and the three Dragon Slayers stopped. However, it was empty.

Gray slapped Natsu on the back of the head. "There's nothing here. Seriously, do you even know what Nikolias smells like? This is the trip to Freesia Town all over again."

Natsu glared at him. "Hey back off!"

Wendy searched the clearing. "I don't get it. I smell him here. Where is he?"

"Maybe he's in human form now?" Max offered.

Gracie shook her head as she stepped into the clearing. "No, Niky has to change voluntarily. That's why his energy levels affect when he's able to make any transformations. If that blast hit him the way it sounds like it did, he had no energy to transform back before we went into suspended animation." She scratched her chin. "The question is if Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy smell him, then why can't we see him?" She then noticed something small and black poking out of the ground. She recognized it immediately and chuckled evilly as she walked over to it.

"What is it, Gracie?" Mira asked.

"Oh man, this is gonna be sooooo good," Gracie laughed. "You all might wanna take a few steps back." Everyone was confused, but did as instructed. Once everyone had backed up a bit, Gracie wrapped her hands around the black object and pulled.

As soon as she did, a large black dragon appeared from beneath the earth, sending massive clumps of dirt and rock in all directions as it roared.

"Mother fucker! Who the hell pulled on my tail!? Son of a bitch, I hate that!" Nikolias roared.

Gracie fell onto the floor laughing. "Oh man, I haven't done that in ages!"

Nikolias heard Gracie laughing behind him and swung his head around to glare at her. "You know I hate that Gracie. Why would you pull on my tail?"

Gracie sat up and wiped away the tears. "Well how else were we supposed to get you out of the ground?"

He huffed in confusion. "The ground? What do you mean the ground?" He then noticed everyone standing on the edge of the clearing. "Wait…everyone's okay?"

Gracie nodded and stood up. "Yup. Turns out this spell called Fairy's Fear was activated and it protected us from dying."

Nikolias released a heavy breath. "Thank God."

Mira walked up to Nikolias. She smiled as tears filled her eyes. "Hey."

Nikolias looked at her and his eyes immediately began to shine. He became shrouded in thick shadows for just a moment and then reappeared in his human form. He ran to Mira and tightly embraced her. "You're safe," he whispered into her hair.

She hugged him back as tears rolled down her face. "So are you. I heard what you did before Acnologia's attack hit. What have I told you about doing stuff like that?"

"I don't know what you're talking about."

She giggled and hugged him tighter.

Nikolias broke the hug and smiled at everyone. It was then that he noticed the other members—more specifically Droy. "Shit, Droy. Who did you swallow whole to get so big so fast?"

Gracie sighed. "Oh yeah. One more important thing, Niky."

"What?"

"Remember that Acnologia attack?"

He gave her a deadpanned look. "Is this a new way of calling me stupid? Cuz I don't like it. How could I forget something that happened maybe three minutes ago?"

"Funny story," Gracie said with a big smile. "It's actually been seven years."

Nikolias raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"

Gracie then proceeded to tell Nikolias everything that Mavis had told them down to the last detail.

Nikolias ran a hand through his short brown hair. "Wow. Not sure how to feel about something like this."

"I'm right there with ya," Gracie said.

Makarov stepped forward. "Well, now that we're all reunited, I think it's time to go home now." He smiled. "It's long overdue."


"And that's everything," Makarov said with a nod. He had sat on the top of one of the only functional tables left so that everyone could gather and hear the story of everything that happened.

"Incredible," Macao breathed.

Natsu walked over to a still stunned Romeo. He smiled as he ruffled the boy's hair. "Look at you, Romeo! You really grew up!"

Lucy walked over and linked arms with Natsu. She smiled at Romeo. "Yeah, no kidding! I bet you were doing some great work while we were gone."

Tears flowed from Romeo's eyes as he smiled for the first time in seven years. "Everyone…welcome back."

Natsu gave his signature grin. "C'mon, we weren't gonna be gone forever. We're Fairy Tail after all!"

And for the first time in seven years, Fairy Tail celebrated. Everyone was overjoyed that the guild was once again back to what it used to be. Everyone was home.

Romeo never left Natsu's side for a minute. He showed Natsu everything that he had learned with magic, knowing full well that Natsu would appreciate it since it was fire magic. And of course, Natsu was blown away. Romeo told him how he had been secretly been taking lessons from the former Phantom Lord member, Totomaru and Gajeel couldn't help but smile upon hearing that his former guild mate was now a teacher. Lucy sat with them, smiling at how Natsu acted with Romeo.

Macao sat with Wakaba and Makarov at the bar. "So what do you say? Ready to take over as Master again?" he asked Makarov.

Makarov sipped his beer. "No, I think I'll let you keep it."

"Really?" Macao said as a big grin split his face. "How about that."

Wakaba leaned over towards Makarov. "This isn't the best idea in the world, but it's sure funny."

Makarov chuckled. "I think so, too." He then turned to Kinana who was tending the bar. "My, Kinana, the past seven years were good to you."

Kinana smiled. "Thank you. That's sweet."

"So tell me; have any of your memories returned?" Makarov asked.

She shook her head. "Nothing so far. I'm not sure why." She put down the mug she was washing. "Although, there have been times when I could swear that someone was calling to me. The person keeps saying 'let me hear your voice'. And sometimes, I feel as if I know them. It's so familiar for some reason."

Makarov scratched his chin. "I see."

Meanwhile, Erza was hearing some shocking news. "You're married?"

Bisca nodded. "Mhm."

"Congratulations," Erza said, suddenly feeling very uncomfortable, "but when did this happen?"

"Six years ago," Alzack said.

Bisca hummed as she recalled the magical day. "I sure wish you all could've been there."

Erza broke down into tears. "But how could you get married without me there?" she sobbed.

Nikolias sighed. "Marriage, huh? You're in for a treat, Alzack."

Alzack turned to look towards where Nikolias was sitting with Mira. Behind him, Elfman and Lisanna were standing and listening to the story as well. "Was that sarcasm?"

Nikolias laughed. "Don't be so paranoid. No, I wasn't being sarcastic."

"But you sighed," Alzack pointed out.

"Call it nostalgia."

Mira looked at Nikolias and smiled. 'Maybe one day this could be us telling stories about our wedding.'

Nikolias noticed Mira's look. "What is it? Something on my face?"

She giggled and shook her head. "No, it's nothing."

Gracie hopped onto Nikolias' back. "I think it's great that you guys got married! I totally knew it would happen sooner or later."

"I'm not your perch, Gracie," Nikolias grumbled.

Gracie ignored him. "Still wish I coulda been there."

Mira nodded. "I do, too."

Suddenly, the guild doors swung open. Everyone turned to see five people standing in the doorway.

"Welcome!" Kinana called out from the bar.

"Wonderful!" the tallest man said with a smile. "I can see that the rumors were in fact true."

Elfman crossed his arms. "Who are these guys now?"

Mira stood up. "It's Jura, Lyon, Sherry, Toby, and Yuka of Lamia Scale, right?"

Sherry winked at everyone. She had long pink hair with cat ears on top of her head. "Hello lovelies! I'm so glad to see that you're all alright."

"You all appear to be in great health," the tall man, Jura, said with a smile. He was bald and had a thin mustache with a long dark brown beard. He wore black robes and held a wooden staff in his hand.

"It's a little redundant to say that when they haven't aged in seven years," Yuka said, his large dark blue eyebrows still ever-present on his face.

"Not even back two days and the place is already trashed," Lyon said with a mocking smile. He grew a little taller over the years and his snow white hair was slightly neater and shorter, but still spiky.

"What the hell is Lamia Scale doing here?" Gray asked.

Max smiled as he walked over to the visiting members. "Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale helped a lot in searching for Tenrou Island. Hell, they helped out a lot longer than anyone else did."

Gracie hopped over and analyzed the five mages. "I don't know these people. How do all of you know each other?"

"They fought alongside us when we were trying to stop Oración Seis from using Nirvana to destroy guilds," Lucy explained.

Gracie blinked. "I don't know what any of those words meant." She then gave a beaming smile and held out her hand. "Hi there!"

"Hello," Jura said, returning the greeting and shaking her head. "We haven't met before. I'm Jura of Lamia Scale. Are you a member of Fairy Tail?"

"Yep!" Gracie exclaimed. "My name is Gracie and this here is Nikolias." Gracie motioned with her hand at Nikolias, who for some reason was hunched over. "Hey Niky, what the hell are you doing?"

Mira rubbed his back. "Are you okay, Nikolias?"

Nikolias looked up at her, his eyes watering and his nose pinched closed with his fingers. "Why the hell do I smell wet dog? God it's so strong it's burning my eyes!"

"I take offense to that!" Toby shouted. He was the reason why Nikolias smelled a dog, for he was a dog man. He had a human body, but his body was covered in thin fur and he had a dog face and ears. He wore a pair of baggy jeans and a sole sock on a string around his neck.

Gracie sighed as she turned back to Jura. "Anyway, we joined shortly before going to Tenrou Island so we're still kinda sorta new."

"Well it's nice to meet both of you," Jura said with a smile.

Gray stepped towards Lyon. "We owe you one, man. Thanks for helping out."

"I would normally take you up on that, but I have seven years on you now. It would be cruel to ask a favor of someone so weak," Lyon smirked.

Gray sighed. "Whatever. I don't really care one way or the other."

Makarov walked over and smiled. "Well while you're all here, take a load off! Eat. Drink. Enjoy yourselves!"


The Lamia Scale members had dispersed themselves around the guild and chatted with Fairy Tail.

"You guys missed a lot while you were sleeping," Sherry said. She was sitting at a table with Natsu, Lucy, and a drooling Elfman. "Lamia Scale is now the Number 2 guild in all of Fiore." She winked at Lucy. "Oh, and no hard feelings, right Lucy?"

"No, not at all," Lucy said while waving her hands in front of her, "but if you guys are only Number 2, then does that mean that Blue Pegasus is Number 1?"

"Oh real funny!" Toby shouted as he stamped his feet and sloshed his drink. "Those weaklings could never be above us!"

Yuka sighed. "Here we go again. Toby, you need to calm down before you embarrass yourself even further."

Sherry leaned over the table towards Lucy. "Anyway, that Nikolias is quite handsome. What's his story?"

Lucy smiled. "He's dating Mira."

Sherry leaned back and shrugged. "Oh well. It's not like it affects me one way or the other. I just thought he was hot."

Jura walked over with his drink to the table where Gracie and Mira were trying to revive Nikolias. "I hope you'll be okay."

Nikolias looked up at Jura, tears still in his eyes, but he managed to smile. "I'll survive…I hope."

"I don't even smell anything," Gracie said while crossing her arms. "Stop being a baby."

Mira continued to soothe Nikolias. "You've been around animals before, haven't you? Has this happened before?"

Nikolias shook his head. "Yeah I have, but even though it smells bad, I can't tell you why it's got me in such bad shape. Honestly, it really shouldn't be hitting me so hard."

"I would be interested in learning more about both of you when you've recovered," Jura said.

Nikolias gave him a thumbs up. "Yeah, no worries. Just give me some time for my nose to adjust and I'll be good as new. Then we'll get acquainted."

Jura nodded and turned around, which is when he noticed Lyon standing completely still, eyes fixed straight ahead. "Lyon?"

Lyon wasn't listening. He was too busy staring at a blue haired beauty. He ran up to her. "I never believed in true love until now!" he said while grabbing her shoulders.

Juvia blinked. "Huh?"

Gray chuckled. "He really has no idea what he's getting himself into."

Gracie giggled as she stood up, deciding that it was best to leave Nikolias in Mira's hands. "Well this spices things up, doesn't it?"

Lucy looked around the guild with a smile, her hand interlocked with Natsu's as he chatted away with Romeo. She smiled as she watched Gildarts brag about being a father to Cana, even though Cana was having none of it. Alzack and Bisca were showing a picture of their daughter, Asuka, to everyone in the guild. Jet and Droy wouldn't leave Levy alone, but she was happy to see them and didn't mind their company as she chatted with them. 'Finally, everything is back to normal.'


The sun was starting to go down, so Lucy decided to head home.

"I can't wait to soak in my own tub again," Lucy said with a sigh. She swung Natsu's arm as she walked, their hands still connected. Happy flew over their heads as they walked.

"Yeah, I can't wait to sleep in your bed again!" Natsu exclaimed. "It's so soft!"

Lucy giggled as they arrived in front of her apartment. "Are you sure you didn't want to stay and chat with everyone? I would have just seen you later tonight."

Natsu gave her his signature grin. "Nah. I wanted to walk you home."

She blushed slightly while opening the door to her building. She started for the stairs, but immediately froze upon seeing a short, stubby, older woman on the top step glaring down at her. The woman wore a red dress that was far too revealing and she had a pet ferret wrapped around her neck. "Oh man, it's the landlady!"

"I heard you were back, Miss Heartfilia," the woman said. "I hope you and your pocketbook are in good health."

Natsu tilted his head. "Wait, since when can pocketbooks get sick?"

The landlady sighed. "What I'm trying to say is that Miss Heartfilia owes me seven years rent; 5,888,000 Jewel."

Lucy's face lost all color. "5,888,000 Jewel…"

"That's crazy!" Natsu exclaimed. "Don't you know anything? We were stuck on an island for seven years. Give her a break!"

The landlady huffed. "No excuses. Until I get my money, you will not step foot inside your apartment."

"Fine, you old bitch! She'll just stay with us!" Natsu shouted, slamming the door to the building behind him. "Geez, how greedy can one person be?"

"I appreciate the offer, Natsu, but I can't put you out like this," Lucy said. "I mean, who knows when I'll get back into my place?"

"It's okay, Lucy," Happy said while landing on Natsu's head. "You aren't putting us out. We're happy to help!"

Natsu pointed a thumb at Happy. "He's right, Luce. You're staying with us until you figure this out, end of story. And don't worry; we'll take lots of jobs to help you pay off your debt!"

She hugged Natsu. "Thank you, Natsu."

He hugged her back. "Anytime, Luce."

She took a deep breath. "Hey Natsu?"

"Yeah?"

"Before we start doing missions again, there's something I want to do first."

"What is it?"

"I want to go visit my dad." She pulled back enough to look at him. "And I'd like you to come with me."

He smiled. "Course I'll go with you!"

"Thank you," she whispered, burying her head back into his broad chest. "Thank you."


Back at the guild, a lot was going on. The fun was starting to wind down and some people saw it as a time to fill some of the Tenrou members in on lost time.

Bisca walked up to Erza. "Hey Erza? We thought that you might want to hear about Jellal since you were gone."

"Bisca," Alzack warned.

Erza's eyes fell to the floor. "No, I want to hear it. Go ahead."


Jura took a swig of his drink as he sat next to Makarov. "By the way Makarov, there will be a meeting of the Wizard Saints very soon. I strongly advise you to attend. You need to be debriefed and there's a matter of great importance to be discussed."

"Oh?" Makarov said while raising an eyebrow. "And what would that be?"

Jura looked at him. "Zeref is still alive."

Makarov's eyes widened. "No, it can't be."


Lyon and Gray, shirtless as usual, sat on the roof of the guild staring at the setting sun.

"Gray," Lyon began, "you know Ultear and a girl named Meredy, right?"

Gray looked at him. "Yeah, of course I know them. How do you know about those two?"

Lyon narrowed his eyes. "Well if you know who they are, then you should know more about what they've been up to."


Nikolias took a deep breath of the clean outside air. He had finally recovered from Toby's oddly rank smell and found himself no longer paralyzed being around it. He looked at his hands as the breeze brushed against his skin. "Why did that smell effect me like that? I've been around a lot worse." He clenched his fist. "Something's up. I just don't know what."


The next day, Lucy, Happy, and a nauseous Natsu stepped off of the carriage and into Acalypha. They made their way to the Love & Lucky merchant guild where Lucy's father, Jude, had found employment after losing his fortune and belongings years ago.

Lucy walked up to the clerk and smiled. "Hi there! Can I ask you a question?"

"Of course, ma'am," the clerk said with a nod and smile.

"Do you happen to know if Mr. Jude Heartfilia will be coming in today? He still works here, right?" Lucy asked.

The clerk's face fell. "Oh my…you wouldn't happen to be Mr. Jude's daughter, would you?"

"That's me!" Lucy said with a giggle.

The clerk looked at the floor.

"What's the problem?" Natsu asked.

The clerk forced herself to look Lucy directly in the eye. "I'm sorry to have to be the one to tell you this, but Mr. Jude passed away a little over a month ago. We were all shocked. I'm truly sorry."

Lucy stood frozen. Then, without saying a word, she turned around and left. Natsu followed her silently, knowing full well that losing a parent could tear someone apart.

He followed her to the flower shop where she purchased a bouquet of flowers.

He followed her down the roads of the town. They walked for miles, neither saying a word, as the sun slowly began to set.

He followed her to a small graveyard and towards an area with far fancier headstones.

And then she stopped in front of one of the graves. Natsu stopped a few feet behind her, giving her space as she grieved the loss of her father.

Lucy looked down at the grave of her father that was resting right beside the grave of her mother and slowly set the flowers down. Her face showed sorrow, but no tears came. She slowly straightened up, stared at her father's grave for a few more minutes, then turned around and walked away, once again in complete silence.

And Natsu followed her, still not saying a word as he gave her time and space.

After a while, Happy started to feel uncomfortable with the silence. "Lucy, I…"

"Happy," Natsu warned, interrupting the blue Exceed. Happy looked at him and he shook his head, indicating that they should just leave Lucy be for now.

As they walked, they passed by two young girls going the other way.

"Oh my God, my old man is so annoying," one of the girls complained.

"Yeah, my dad is so irritating me right now," the other girl said. "Not only that, but he reeks all the time."

"Yeah, mine too!" the first girl agreed. "Wouldn't it be great if they just dropped dead?"

"That would be the best!" the other girl said. The two girls began laughing.

Natsu stopped in his tracks and turned around to face the two girls. "What the hell is wrong with you?" he roared at them.

The girls stopped and looked at him. "Wow, rude," the first girl said.

"Yeah, like, for real," the other girl added.

"You two should appreciate what you have!" Natsu shouted. "Now take your freaking frog and horse faces and get the hell outta here!"

"Yeah, scram!" Happy chimed in.

"That's what we were doing, freak," the first girl said. She and her friend turned back around and walked off, now complaining about how rude Natsu was.

Natsu grinded his teeth. "Those bitches."

"Cut it out," Lucy said monotonously.

Natsu turned to look at her. Her back was still to him, but he could predict that her face was one of even more sorrow. "Yeah, okay."

She lowered her head a bit. "Sorry to put you through all of this trouble," she said apologetically.

"Are you gonna be okay?" Happy asked.

"Yeah, I'm just shocked is all," Lucy said. She turned around to face the two. She gave them a sad smile. "I'll be just fine."

Natsu walked over to her and embraced her, something he had been unable to do since Lucy received the news. Still, he remained silent.

Lucy buried her face in his shoulder as she hugged him back. "I know it's been a few years, but it still feels like I saw him alive and well just a few months ago. It's just hard to accept that I'll never see or speak to him ever again." She gave a small laugh. "It's funny. I never got along with my dad growing up and after he worked with Phantom Lord to hurt you all I thought that we'd never understand each other, but after everything that happened in Acalypha, I thought our relationship had finally changed for the better." She sighed. "It's so typical of him to work himself sick, but I guess it was just too much this time."

Natsu pet her head, but still said nothing.

"You know what bothers me the most? I feel sad and I miss him, but I can't cry. The tears just aren't there," Lucy said. She pushed herself back to look at Natsu. "So does that mean, in the end, he meant nothing to me?"

Natsu shook his head. "Of course it doesn't. Look, it may not make sense, but to me, I don't think whether you cry or not means you cared any less about him."

She smiled and nodded. "Thanks, Natsu. I already feel better."

He lifted a hand and put it on her cheek. "I'm glad."

She leaned forward and gave him a quick kiss before embracing him again. "Thanks for coming with me, Natsu."

"Of course."


The next day, Makarov decided to take Erza, Mira, and Nikolias to pay Twilight Ogre a visit and to discuss everything that had happened during the seven year gap. Makarov sat on a couch facing the Twilight Ogre master while Erza, Mira, and Nikolias stood behind him.

The Twilight Ogre master, Banaboster leaned forward on his seat. "I'm done playin' games, old man. There's nothin' else for me to say to you, m'kay?" He blew out some smoke from his cigar. "I ain't backin' down until you and your guild pay back the debt you owe me."

Makarov gave a smile. "I would like nothing more than to pay you, but I'm sure that you're well aware of the financial rut we've found ourselves in."

Mira smiled. "Your business records have a lot of holes in them." She tilted her head cutely to the side. "It makes you wonder if we're paying more than we really owe."

"Would you care to explain that?" Erza asked with a glare.

"You tramps!" Banaboster exclaimed as he stood up. "Are you accusin' me of fraud or somethin'?"

Nikolias tensed up at the opening remark of that statement, but a comforting hand from Mira kept him from beating the man down right then and there.

Makarov shook his head. "Not at all. Rest assured, you will be paid whatever we owe with proper interest…someday."

Banaboster narrowed his eyes. "You're startin' to try my patience, you little pissant!"

Makarov waved his hand. "Forgive me. That came out completely wrong. What I meant is that we should start by renegotiating our interest rate."

"What?" Banaboster shouted as he leaned forward to tower over Makarov. "I don't negotiate with deadbeats who beat on my boys and don't pay their debt, you got it? You may think you're tough, little man, but I'll make you pay for bein' disrespectful. We've gotta reputation to uphold."

Makarov closed his eyes. "Understood. We only came here to discuss money, but we can discuss your reputation as well. If that's what you'd like, I have no problem telling you what I think."

Banaboster was starting to get very angry, the veins in his head throbbing. He kicked the table, destroying it easily. "You better watch yourself, you old geezer!"

"Get pay back for what's owed. If my memory is correct, that's the creed of Twilight Ogre, is it not?" Makarov's eyes shot open, a dark expression on his face. "Much like an eye for an eye," he growled.

Erza became surrounded with a powerful red magic aura. "Indeed. And when you think of it in those terms, you owe us for seven years of property damage and abuse."

Mira became surrounded with a powerful dark purple magic aura. "So it would seem that you owe us. It's only fair our guild be paid back for each and every claim during that time."

Nikolias became shrouded in dark black shadows as he growled. "Believe me when I say that we intend to make you pay tenfold for everything that you've done."

Makarov became surrounded by a golden magic aura as he began to grow. "The suffering that my children endured at your hands, all the years I wasn't there for them brings tears to my eyes." Makarov stood and towered over the giant Banaboster. "You hear me!? So if it's war you want, then it's war you're going to get!"

Erza had requipped into armor with deadly spikes all over it. Mira had taken her Satan Soul form. Nikolias had called out his dragon wings while his eyes went dragon-like. The three of them glared at the Twilight Ogre members, especially the five who had caused the guild the most trouble.

Banaboster broke into a nervous sweat. "Monsters…"

Makarov lifted a hand. "Then let us show you the folly in messing with this monster's children!"

The four Fairy Tail members went to work, beating on the Twilight Ogre members and destroying their guild hall.

Macao and Wakaba, who had tagged along but opted to stay outside, sweatdropped when the sounds of destruction met their ears.

"Good grief," Macao sighed.

"I never expected them to take the diplomatic route in the first place, so I'm not surprised," Wakaba said.

"Oh, I'm not either," Macao said. "What's surprising to me is that they lasted this long."

Wakaba chuckled. "You know, hearing them go to work in there makes the past seven years seem like nothing more than a fleeting nightmare."

Macao smiled. "I couldn't agree more."

The sound of shuffling feet caught Macao and Wakaba's attention. They turned to see Natsu and Happy trudging their feet as they walked the streets.

"Natsu? Happy? What are you two doing here?" Wakaba asked.

"I thought you guys and Lucy went to Acalypha?" Macao asked. He took a step back. "You're not here to join the brawl, are ya?"

"Please don't!" Wakaba begged. "The last thing we need is a fireball!"

However, Natsu and Happy were unresponsive. They walked past Macao and Wakaba, sulking all the way.

Macao and Wakaba watched them walk by. "What's up with them?" Wakaba asked.

"Beats me," Macao responded.


Lucy sat underneath the Sola Tree in the South Gate Park, watching families head home for the day. A dog was barking at her, but she wasn't even completely there. She was spaced out, thoughts of her father swimming around in her head and blocking out everything else.

Upon arriving back in Magnolia, she found that she just wanted to be alone, so she sent Natsu and Happy off. The two were sad to part with her, but she insisted and set off by herself. She didn't know where to go, so she settled on South Gate Park. She had been there for hours and the sun was already beginning to set.

The sound of stomping feet somehow snapped her from her thoughts. She looked up and was surprised to see a short, stubby, older woman stomping over to her—wearing one of her old outfits. "The landlady?" Lucy said, confused.

Without saying a word, the landlady walked over to Lucy, grabbed her up by her leg, and dragged her away.

"Hey what are you doing?" Lucy asked as she tried to wiggle free. "Let me go! Someone help!"

The landlady remained silent as she dragged the protesting Lucy all the way back to her apartment building. She opened the door, walked up the stairs, unlocked Lucy's door, and threw the blonde inside.

Lucy landed with a thud. Before she could ask what the big idea was, the landlady had left the room, slamming the door behind her. Lucy sighed as she looked around her room. It looked exactly the same as it did seven years ago. "Nothing's changed," Lucy whispered.

"I've been cleaning it every week since you disappeared," the landlady said through the door. "Other than a few of your outfits, everything held up pretty well over the years. Hell, I was even able to salvage some of them."

Lucy sighed. "So that's why you're wearing my clothes."

"Consider it a thank you gift to me. I left all of your mail over on the table."

Lucy looked towards her table and was surprised to see multiple gifts sitting on the wooden top. "What is all this?"

"Without fail, they would show up every year on the same day," the landlady said.

Lucy stood and, upon seeing the tags, her eyes widened. Each tag read:

"To my dear daughter

Happy birthday

From Papa"

Lucy began to tremble. "He…remembered?"

"Oh, I almost forgot," the landlady spoke up again. "The one on your bed arrived this morning."

Lucy looked over to her bed and saw a small box and card sitting on her pillow. She walked over, kneeled down, and opened up the envelope. She took out the letter inside and began to read.

"My dearest Lucy. Happy birthday. As I write this letter, I find myself wondering when you'll get to read it. A long time has passed since I heard the news of your disappearance. I'm very worried, but I have faith that you're safe. You're so much like your mother; stubborn as a rock and blessed with luck. I'm confident that you're fine and that I'll see you again someday.

"As for me, business is booming and I'm about to close a big deal with the western region. It keeps me busy, but I'm still able to live a fulfilling life. I think of you and Layla every single day. Those memories of you two keep me going. I miss you terribly. Wherever you may be, I hope that you're living life to the fullest and following your own path. Please, never forget how proud I am of you."

Lucy sniffed. "I won't, Dad." She continued to read the last couple of lines.

"Lucy, I love you. That is one thing that will never change."

Tears streamed down Lucy's cheeks and fell onto the bed and stained the letter. "My daddy," she sobbed. "I love you, too!" She put her head down and finally cried, letting out all of the sorrow that had been building up at the loss of her father.

The landlady closed her eyes and left the door so that Lucy could cry in solitude. She walked down the stairs and out the front door—only to find herself face to face with a pink haired boy and a blue cat.

Natsu leapt backwards. "Whoa, Luce! You really let yourself go!"

The landlady huffed. "Would you quit gawking at me? How do you not recognize me? I'm Lucy's landlady."

Natsu blinked. "Oh yeah. You do seem familiar. Why are you wearing Lucy's clothes?"

"That's none of your business."

Happy stepped forward. "Can we come inside to see Lucy?"

"How'd you even know she was here?" the landlady asked.

Natsu smiled and pointed to his nose. "I can smell her."

The landlady shrugged. "Well you're right that she's here, but it's best if you left her alone for now."

"But we have a job that we think that she'd like," Happy said, holding up a piece of paper that was clutched in his paw.

"Yeah, and we're determined to help her get the money she needs!" Natsu exclaimed while pumping his fist.

"She doesn't need to worry about work," the landlady said. "A letter came in early this morning that had seven years of rent inside of it." She lowered her gaze. "Honestly, it's amazing what some parents will do to support their children."

Natsu closed his eyes and smiled. "Is that so?" he said quietly. He then looked up to Lucy's window. "Hey Lucy!" he called up. "Me and Happy are going on a job because we're still broke as hell!"

"We'll pick up some food for you on our way home!" Happy said.

Lucy lifted her head from her bed. "Natsu?"

"Take your time, Lucy!" Natsu shouted. "We'll see you later for sure!"

Lucy wiped her eyes and smiled. "I wish you could have met him, Dad. I wish you could have met the man I love." She then stood up and ran for the door. She flew down the stairs, opened the front door, and leapt at Natsu. He was able to react in time to catch her and keep from falling into the river. "What, you were going to leave without me?"

Natsu gave his signature grin. "You kidding? It's not a mission unless you're there with me."

They then took off down the road, hand in hand and laughing.

The past seven years left a painful mark on the hearts of all of the Fairy Tail members who were on Tenrou Island. They left behind their family and friends over that time, but one thing was for sure; now that they had returned, they were going to keep living life to the fullest no matter what.


So there's now officially one chapter left before a lot of original story content comes your way! It's one of the filler episodes that I love, so I couldn't resist. That's all I'll reveal now. You'll have to see what the next chapter is.

Thanks for reading!