Okay, got another chapter up! I would've updated yesterday, but I was busy, so yeah. I only got to read the latest chapter this morning...Who else had the words WTF go through their head when they saw the last panel? I'm interested, but I just can't see Future Rogue being totally evil...It doesn't make sense that he would tell Hisui that Fairy Tail would go undefeated only to try and defeat Gajeel by possessing his present self. Did he do that to give Gajeel his power? And another thing...he doesn't look like Future Lucy, like he came back in time a few days after the 10,000 dragons ravaged the kingdom. He looks older, so how old is Future Rogue really? 7 years older? And if he were evil, why save Natsu and the others? Wouldn't they try to stop him? Rogue doesn't seem like the person who'd make the mistake of freeing his only opposition. And I'm still suspicious of Future Lucy...What's she hiding under that cloak? We haven't seen that right arm ONCE since she came to the present. Actually, where did she get that cloak anyways? If she was just stumbling around in the devastation of the dragon attack, would she really be able to find a cloak completely undamaged by 10,000 stupidly powerful reptiles? That girl's hiding something, but we'll just have to wait and see! Thanks for reading!

Chapter 53: The Doomed Future

Current Team Status:

1st. Fairy Tail A- 59pt. Leader=1 Normal=1

1st. Fairy Tail B- 59pt. Leader=1 Normal=2

3rd. Sabertooth- 57pt. Leader=1 Normal=0

4th. Raven Tail- 47pt. Leader=1 Normal=1

5th. Lamia Scale- 42pt. Leader=1 Normal=0

6th. Mermaid Heel- 31pt. Leader=1 Normal=1

7th. Blue Pegasus- 30pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)

8th. Quatro Puppy- 12pt. Leader=0 Normal=0 (Defeated)

"Well, dammit." Sting growled.

The rescue team was still inside Mercurius, but to their dismay, were completely lost inside the building which proved to be much bigger and more complex than they'd assumed. At the moment, the team assumed they were in the castle's dining hall, since there were few other uses for a very large table with silverware all over.

Leo sighed, "I never imagined we'd get lost of all things…"

"What a nuisance." Rogue muttered, sitting in a chair to rest his injured body.

Yukino nodded, "Mr. Castle has a very confusing layout…"

Wendy blinked to make sure she'd heard that right, "Y-you're addressing the castle as…mister?"

Scratching his head, Lily frowned, "This makes it more difficult to escape and inform everyone of what's happened."

Lector rubbed his forehead with a paw, "Can't we just KO one of the soldiers and ask for directions?"

Sting shook his head, "No, as much as I wish we could do that. With our teams still competing in the games, we can't go attacking soldiers of the kingdom since they sort of sponsor the entire event. We don't want our actions here to reflect badly on the others."

Charle face-palmed, "Have you forgotten that Rogue tore apart the Garou Knights?"

Lucy was still staring at her doppelgänger, who had yet to awaken.

Leo grinned at them, "Don't worry, Lucy. Even with two of you, my love shall encompass you both!"

"So not happening." Sting growled, "And you suck at reading situations."

At that moment, the doppelgänger stirred, "Ugh…Where am I?"

Rogue shrugged, "I'd say the castle's dining hall."

She glanced around, "So..we're still inside the castle?" Future Lucy put her left hand up to her forehead, frowning with concentration, "From what I can remember..we were captured by the Royal Army after escaping the dungeons…"

Lily raised an eyebrow, "Is that what happened in your timeline?"

Sting looked unperturbed, "You can't be serious. Rogue wiped the Garou Knights out on his own, and the rest of us are fresh. There's no way they could capture us."

Future Lucy sighed, "As we escaped, we somehow approached the Eclipse and had our magic drained. That made us powerless…"

"Sounds pretty nasty." Lector muttered.

The girl nodded, "It was an unfortunate coincidence, but until that time…we stayed in jail…"

Wendy watched her nervously, but managed to ask a question, "..Why did you come here from the future?"

Future Lucy rose up to her feet unsteadily, "To undo the bleakest of futures…"

Sting stared at her uneasily, "Bleak? Just what happened in your future?"

/

Hisui and Darton sat together in the highest floor of the castle, watching multiple lacrima screens as the Grand Magic War Game progressed. The princess spoke softly with a voice tinged with the slightest of fears, "That person told me…"

"What awaits us…is nothing short of an apocalypse…with a herd of over ten thousand dragons appearing to ravage this kingdom. The castle set ablaze, the city reduced to rubble…and countless lives lost."

Darton narrowed his eyes, "An assault of over ten thousand dragons…"

Hisui shook her head, "No one would believe such a farfetched story immediately. I will not believe it. Not until the Grand Magic Games play out to their conclusion."

/

Sting's jaw had hit the floor, "Are you..freakin…KIDDING ME?!"

Lily winced, "My poor ears…"

Lector bristled, "Ten thousand dragons…we're so screwed…"

Yukino gulped, "Out of all the possibilities…Could this be connected to the dragon graveyard we discovered earlier?"

"It's not impossible…" Charle muttered, thoroughly subdued by the words bringing despair.

Rogue shook his head, "It's irrelevant. We need to be prepared either way, so getting to the others and warning them takes first priority."

Lucy's jaw dropped, "Warn- you mean not escape?! You want to fight these things?!"

"Rogue, no! That'd be suicide!" Yukino gasped.

The Shadow Dragon shook his head, "I'm not suggesting we fight them, but with so many…it's definitely a possibility that we'll run into dragons sooner or later, even if we manage to escape the city."

Future Lucy watched the exchange nervously, "Will the others…believe me?"

Sting stared at her wild eyed, "Are you just screwing with us?!"

"N-no! Of course not! It's just…it seems impossible, doesn't it? I have trouble believing the others will accept it at face value…" she murmured, slightly crestfallen.

The White Dragon's eyes narrowed, "They would never doubt your words."

The doppelgänger's eyes widened, then she looked aside with a smile.

Lucy smiled as well, "My future self shouldn't be so doubtful. Have more faith in your friends…"

"I'm being lectured by…me. Still, you've got a great point." Future Lucy giggled.

Charle was thinking fast. All the dots are starting to connect…The crumbling castle…and what I thought was Lucy singing in fact..it was her hysterically screaming and crying. Wait! The white she-cat stared up at Future Lucy with wide eyes, "What happens to us in the castle?! When the dragons attack, what-"

Wendy stopped her exceed partner, "Charle, your vision…doesn't it kind of make that question self-explanatory?"

Sting stared in disbelief, "You can't be serious..we all get killed?"

"I refuse to believe that with three Dragon Slayers between us that we could be so helpless." Rogue snarled.

Yukino put a hand on his shoulder, "But if we were drained of our magic, just think…we'd be sitting ducks for creatures as big and powerful as dragons. And such a number…we probably didn't last an hour."

Future Lucy said nothing in response, just went on mumbling, "I can't tell you how many days passed, but when I woke up, I recalled the Eclipse and somehow managed to make it operate. I arrived on July 4th, X791."

Leo stared down at her, "The 4th? That was just two days ago…"

"Why didn't you try traveling back to an earlier time?" Rogue asked.

The doppelgänger shook her head, "I don't understand the fundamentals of Eclipse. Parts of it looked damaged from the dragon attack."

Arcadios was sitting silently, still feigning unconsciousness while he listened to the girl's story. So..this was the person whispering in the princess's ear…still..can this all be..?

Future Lucy kept going, "Lacrima have been strategically placed all over the city to record the Grand Magic War Game. But there's an underground passage we can use to meet up with Jellal and the others."

Sting raised an eyebrow, "Jellal?"

The doppelgänger nodded, "I told him everything in hopes that he'd be able to find a resolution…"

Lucy frowned, "A resolution? Wait…"

Future Lucy bit her lip, "I'm sorry. I came here in a rush, so I don't have a plan to defeat the dragons…"

Arcadios half opened one eye. That…is a lie. The princess told me..Eclipse could be used in an alternate fashion. The Eclipse 2. For over seven years, it has gathered magical energy from the Grand Magic Games…and it's power is now equivalent to Etherion. With a weapon on par with the Holy Light utilized by the Magic Council, we will answer the dragon's challenge. But…He stared at Future Lucy darkly, suspiciously. You revealed the alternate use of Eclipse to the princess, but not your friends…and you did not arrive on the fourth of July…Why..why are you keeping these secrets from your friends?!

Future Lucy looked down, "I'm so sorry…I don't know what else I could do here…I've just been wandering around in a daze…"

Sting knelt down so he was eye level with the girl, "Just leave it to us." His hand came behind her head and pressed her forehead against his so he could look into the girl's eyes, "Thank you…For coming back to warn us…There's no way I'll let that happen…"

The girl seemed surprised by his reassurance, but was also moved, tears filling up her eyes.

/

Ultear watched the sun dip to the horizon, murmuring softly, "It could all be an elaborate hoax."

Meredy gulped, "D-do you really think Future Lucy would lie to us?"

Jellal clasped his hands together, deep in though, "Over ten thousand dragons…the Eclipse…the magic…something doesn't add up." He stood silently, putting his hood over his head, "One of two outcomes seems to be possible. Future Lucy is either an impostor, or…Future Lucy is being dishonest."

/

"The Grand Magic War Game is reaching it's climax!" Chapati exclaimed, "We've got the final big players going at it for the last points! That said, there are still 35 points out there up for grabs! It's anyone's game here!"

Yajima nodded, "Currently, it seems Lisanna and Milianna are about ready to wrap up their match while Gajeel appears to be wandering the city in search of an opponent. Meanwhile…"

/

Laxus and Jura collided like tanks, slamming their fists together to generate a massive shockwave that tore apart the air and the street beneath them.

The Wizard Saint was grinning like a kid in a candy store, "Excellent…such skill..I am almost without speech…"

"The rumors were true, all right…" Laxus admitted, but still smiled largely as his blood raced through his veins with excitement, "You're one hell of a monster, old man…"

The two separated and prepared to go at it again when a light laugh made them pause.

"Well, well, the boys have already gotten started…what happened to ladies first?"

The air chilled.

Laxus and Jura slowly turned with wide eyes and huge, unbreakable grins to see Ur walk up with a smirk and a look of dark lust awaiting the pleasure of battle. Her voice was deceptively soft, "Do you mind, boys? I've waited for this moment since the tournament began…"

Jura actually laughed, "Ur…"

"Finally…" Laxus almost looked crazed from anticipation, "The monsters are all in one spot…Sorry Natsu, but I'm taking your line. I'm all fired up!"

Ur met their hungry gazes with her own starving expression, "I can't wait. Let's begin, shall we?"

/

Makarov paled, "Oh god. They'll annihilate the entire city now that they aren't restricted by the colosseum walls…"

"That's going to be one hell of a spectacle!" Cana laughed.

Mavis was more focused on another match, "Natsu and Kagura have begun, it seems…"

/

After sizing up their opponent for several moments, Natsu and Kagura readied their blades and squared off, circling each other slowly and making mock charges until they finally lunged at each other for real.

Igneo danced with flames as Natsu swung downward, matching Kagura's upwards stroke. The two blades collided with an explosion of sparks, pushing against the other fiercely before the two mages shoved each other away and skidding back, minds racing after assessing the first blow.

Natsu's eyes narrowed. Strong, as expected. She's fast too..I can't take many attacks from her sword if she moves with that speed and scores clean hits. I'll have to find an opening in her style and wear her down with smaller blows.

Kagura also got a good estimate of her strategy from the first collision. Physically, he's more adept than I am, but his style is not as experienced as Erza's. If I confuse him with rapid strikes, the only thing that can save him are those quick reflexes…which are rather impressive for a man.

Their calculations lasted only a moment and then they were at it again, swinging at each other furiously in a frenzy of steel that left their images moving in blurs of incredible speed. After several seconds, Natsu and Kagura were already making changes to their separate plans as they learned more about their opponent with every strike. Their concentration was distracting though, especially when something caught their attention too late out of the corner of their eyes. The two clashing mages turned slightly to be blasted away with a mass of energy.

Natsu skidded to a halt and narrowed his eyes at his opponent, "You."

"Me." Minerva said smugly, her hand still outstretched at the other mages.

/

"Oh! What's this?! Minerva has joined the fray!" Chapati announced, riling up the spectators in the colosseum even more.

Mavis's eyes widened, "Minerva…"

Macao gulped, "I think Natsu's got a good shot against Kagura alone, but…that scary lady too?"

Romeo's eyes were glued to the screen, "This just got really complicated…"

Levy shook her head, "There's no way we can know how this will play out…"

"There's no way Natsu will lose!" Happy declared.

/

The other Mermaid Heel mages had already returned to their waiting room after being defeated. Arania let out a nervous breath, "Kagura, we're counting on you…"

"Will she be okay?" Beth asked anxiously.

Risley laughed, but she didn't sound completely confident, "Don't look down on Kagura..!"

/

Minerva sighed in exasperation as she pinched the bridge of her nose, "Honestly, I have to do all the work around here…Still, I didn't expect you to be able to defeat both Zancrow and Kurohebi single-handedly, Natsu. I admit, I'm impressed."

"I'm flattered." Natsu drawled, voice dripping with sarcasm as he glared at the woman menacingly.

Minerva sneered at them, "Just try and claw your way up to the top of the food chain. I'll end your delusions of grandeur right here."

Kagura closed her eyes for a moment, "You overestimate yourself. Sometimes mermaids can devour tigers."

"Well I doubt either can eat a dragon, so how about we just get started?" Natsu snarled.

The three mages faced off, all three glaring daggers at each other before they finally lunged forward. Natsu and Kagura swung their blades, while Minerva thrust her hand out with her War God Magic altering the space. The three attacks collided and generated a shockwave of significant proportions, then they separated for a split second before attacking again.

Minerva distracted Kagura by hurling a sphere of energy at the woman, forcing her to block with Archenemy while the Sabertooth mage punched at Natsu. He blocked the blow with the flat of his blade, taking a deep breath as he did so.

"Fire Dragon's Roar!" Natsu shouted, bathing Minerva in a crimson blaze that sent her flying back with a grunt of pain.

Kagura dodged around the mass of fire to jump and kick Natsu in jaw, making him recoil and spit blood angrily.

Minerva skidded to a stop, then shot forward and kicked Kagura fiercely with both feet, scoring a blow to the chest that launched the Mermaid Heel mage through a building and into the street on the other side. Kagura managed to stop, slashing at Minerva's feet as her opponent came in for another attack and sending the woman sprawling behind her.

She glanced up, then her eyes widened as she was grabbed by the face and thrown aside by Natsu as he roared, "Fire Dragon's Wing Attack!" Kagura went flying, but Minerva used it as an opportunity to leap above the Salamander while her hands collected the space around them.

Natsu glared up at her, readying Igneo to intercept while he growled, "Do you really think- AGH!" He roared with pain as Kagura flew back at him while he was open and stabbed him in the chest with her sheathed sword.

Minerva didn't miss a beat and came down, swiping Kagura away with her War God Magic.

The Salamander skidded to a stop, then stabbed Igneo deep into the ground with a grunt, "Flare Pillar!"

Minerva and Kagura froze with wide eyes as glowing orange cracks rapidly encircled them at their feet, then both women cried out as the earth below them exploded in two huge columns of fire that sent them flying.

Kagura tch'd, bringing he sword to the side, "Have it your way…"

Minerva spat blood and glared at the Salamander, moving her arms above her head in a circular motion, "You..!"

Natsu left Igneo in the ground and spun in a circle, flames dancing around his hands, "Secret Dragon Slayer Art…"

Kagura slashed with the sheathed Archenemy, releasing a narrow blade of concentrated energy, "Gravity Form!"

"Yagdo Rigora!" Minerva screeched, summoning the massive demonic statue and a huge mass of magic.

Natsu let the flames loose with a roar, "Crimson Lotus: Exploding Flame Blade!"

The three attacks collided, did nothing for several moments, then flashed and enveloped the mages and everything within over a quarter mile with a titanic explosion that shook the earth violently, making multiple buildings collapse just from the resulting blast wave.

/

Every jaw in the stadium hit the floor in shock.

Makarov broke the silence amongst his guild, "Dear lord in heaven…"

"Holy shit!" Cana gasped.

Happy's big eyes were huge, "…That's overkill…"

"F..Fro thinks so..too…" Frosch managed, still stunned from witnessing the enormous explosion.

/

Ur, Laxus, and Jura paused before they could even begin their fight, all three raising surprised eyebrows at the sight of such a titanic blast.

Ur muttered with an impressed tone, "Well, well…those kids aren't messing around…"

"Natsu's at it again…" Laxus smirked.

Jura was more wary, "I had no idea there were still mages capable to that extent in this game…"

/

Gajeel stopped walking for a moment and turned to stare at the explosion, then grinned, "Gee-hee…Salamander's roughing it up, eh?"

/

Alexei noted the shockwave with little interest, simply eyeing the ending mushroom cloud with a chuckle, "How kind of them to entertain me…"

/

The smoke cleared from the explosion, revealing the three mages to be still standing. They were battered, shaken, and definitely not okay from being exposed to such an enormous and destructive burst of energy, but they remained strong and kept glaring at the other with determination.

/

If the colosseum had been stunned before, virtually every person who realized the three mages were still standing and up for a fight almost lost their sanity.

"EEEEHHHHHHHH?!"

"Th-th-th-they-they're- They're still standing?!" Chapati shrieked.

Yajima's was in utter disbelief, "I have no words…"

Mato's jaw still lolled open, eyes almost popping out of his head, "Holy crap…"

/

Makarov gulped, "I-I might..I don't know if my heart can handle this…"

"Don't die on us here, old man." Macao managed to ask, "That would be a sullen victory."

Mavis stared at the three mages with wide eyes, "This fight..those three really are incredibly powerful…to withstand an explosion of that caliber and still be..I'm honestly quite impressed."

/

Minerva broke the uneasy silence, "Well..that was…interesting, to say the least. If we keep going like this, the three of us may just end up obliterating each other with no clear victor…"

Natsu gave her a hard stare, dark eyes piercing.

Kagura closed her eyes, appearing calm despite the carnage.

The Sabertooth mage held her arms out to the sides, smirking as she activated her War God Magic again, "Let's make things more…interesting…" Two large spheres of energy appeared at her sides, containing within them the weakened forms of Lisanna and Milianna. Minerva sneered, "I caught a pair of stray kittens just a moment ago."

Natsu shouted, "Lisanna!"

"Milia!" Kagura cried.

The girls thrashed in the wave matter, but were restrained and helpless. Minerva appeared very confident, "Can you see their faces writhing with pain? As long as they are in this space, their magic will continuously be drained."

The Salamander's fangs were bared in a feral, enraged snarl.

Kagura too glared at Minerva with anger, clenching Archenemy tightly.

/

Mira and Erza had both recovered enough to sit up and watch the lacrima vision, but worried over the difficult situation.

Mira clasped her hands together, frowning with worry, "Lisanna…"

"Milianna, too…" Erza muttered, frustrated that she was powerless to help Natsu and Kagura defeat the head of the Sabertooth team.

/

Happy's fur fluffed up, his tail bristling as he saw Lisanna taken hostage by Minerva. He hissed uneasily, "That's dirty!"

"Fro thinks so too!" Frosch said, a little angrily for once.

Mavis bit her lip, "This is…"

/

Minerva looked over the two angry expressions with a dark satisfaction, "Those looks on your faces are simply delicious…"

"Let Lisanna go!" Natsu snarled, ripping Igneo free of the earth.

The Sabertooth mage smirked, "It's time I show you how a king fights…"

Natsu held Igneo to his side, the blade rippling with angry flames as he growled threateningly, "I'm not gonna ask you twice. Let her go while your head is still attached to your shoulders."

Minerva laughed and sneered, "Just try me, little boy."

The Salamander's eyes flashed with rage, then he shot forward, swinging Igneo in a downward arc at Minerva's throat. He hissed at the woman through bared fangs, "You're tiger number two."

She met his rage with a satisfied smile, "Oh? Counting now, are we?"

Suddenly, Kagura was in her place.

The Mermaid Heel mage registered Natsu slashing down at her and raised Archenemy to block a split second before her head would have been lopped off. I got switched with her?!

Minerva glanced at them over her shoulder, "How about you two claw each other's eyes out, then find me when one of you manages to slit the other's throat. The winner can be my prey." She swiped her hand, then Lisanna and Milianna vanished into thin air.

Kagura glared at the woman past Natsu, "You're so arrogant…Having the nerve to interrupt our match and then leaving in the middle of the bout…Such cowardice."

With a dark chuckle, the Sabertooth mage gave her a reply, "Pulling the strings and making others do your whims is what defines a king. I'll be honest with you, in our current conditions, a battle between myself and either of you would be..unpleasant. See, I'm not so arrogant to admit when I cannot match someone…But remember, that the king must win at any cost."

Kagura shouted as Minerva started to walk away, "Release Milianna!"

"You're in…" Kagura stared as Natsu's blade suddenly exploded with flames, then he slashed her aside with a furious roar, "My way!" She skidded back to a stop, watching the Salamander spin around to yell after Minerva, "What do you want?! I'll give it, just let Lisanna go!"

Minerva was nowhere in sight.

Kagura sighed with exasperation and stared at Natsu intensely, "She got both of us like that…"

"Shut up." Natsu hissed, whirling around to glare at the Mermaid Heel mage, "I'm gonna wipe the floor with you. Then that Saber bitch is gonna meet her maker…"