Centaur Paradise Chapter 32, a fairy tail fanfic

AN: Chapter 32

I am once again; extremely sorry I have not updated since November. I have been struggling with some slight depression since December and then the virus reared its ugly head and really messed with everything.

I have been working every day and work has been stupid busy. We are a small company so it was easy for us to stay open during the lockdown since we make hospital signs and masks/other things to help during this pandemic. I will say that my husband has had someone at his workplace get the virus but he doesn't think he came into contact with that person. We are both ok for now but SHOULD ANYTHING HAPPEN TO ME, virus or death, worst case scenario, I do have instructions for anyone who finds them to post on here and everywhere I am on, to let you all know what has happened. I know that seems a bit weird or extreme, but I constantly think about how I've got so many stories WIP atm and what if something happens to me and no one knows if I died or whatever? I don't want anyone to think I have given up on writing or any of my stories because I still love to write. So, if a chapter gets posted saying I passed away or I am unable to write for a while, it won't be a joke.

On other matters…

I truly hope you all are well and safe. I tried to make this a nice long chapter for you all to enjoy during this time. I also hope it flows ok… I have been struggling with writing as of late and I honestly don't know if this chapter is any good or not. Lol which sucks because I've been looking forward to this chapter for so long and I don't know if I did it justice or not. So, if things don't flow right, forgive me friends. I ended up changing almost the whole chapter. But hey if you all enjoyed it still, cool! The next chapter might not be that long, but I am hopeful to get it done and posted soon! *crosses fingers*

Please excuse any mistakes I have made, and I hope you all enjoy!

Dragonfly2311: haha, yeah, I'm pretty good at that! :P at least this chapter doesn't end in a cliffhanger! That's the other thing I really like to do in stories! Lol oh my, I've thought about going back and rereading from the beginning, but usually I just pick a random chapter and just read that XD and we definitely will see more sides of the big brute soon…ish… haha there's a lot that is going to happen in the next couple. ( once again, super excited to write about! ) and yes! He is alive and man does he suck! Hahaha! And I don't want to spoil anything, but it's probably going to be at least 3-4 chapters out before we meet Gajeels parents ^^;; other things are in the works beforehand…mwahahahaha!

Shaidow365: aww, thanks! I try to sometimes make hearts happy… other times I'm mean and just want feels to be felt hahaha. The end of this chapter might be another heart happy thing…. But then again, maybe not?

piranha pk: mwahahaha! Plot twists! Plot twist everywhere! yes! We shall meet the parents in about 3-4 chapters! (hopefully) thank you so much! I was really hoping to get a nice chapter done for gajevy day last year so I'm glad it was enjoyed! :) as for Makarov and Hisui, I didn't really plan on writing their side story, but if I can fit them in somewhere, I might. I have the chapters mapped out already but you know me! I always change things up as I go! So who know! As for the Gajevy…. Be prepared. The next two chapters… might just break you. *insert evil laugh*

Natsu groaned as he tossed a heavy book to the side on top of the pile of books he had already searched through. "Luuuuuucccyyy… why are we looking through all of these books again?"

Lucy ran her finger over the dusted and aged book spines on the shelf in front of her, her chocolate eyes in search of something in particular. "I told you before, we're looking for the book with the map to get to Tenrou Island. I remembered seeing it last time we were in here." Her voice lowered into a mumble as she continued her search.

Natsu leaned his torso back slightly as his hands moved to the back of his pink hair, his onyx eyes looking around the library as he made his way over to Lucy. "Why do we need to go to the island? We have everything we need here at Fairy Tail."

The golden-haired mare let out a sigh as she hung her head slightly. She turned and crossed her arms over her chest. "Natsu… I'm tired of not having my magic. I know the island can restore it… somehow… and not to mention…" A pink blush came over her cheeks as she looked at the red centaur standing in front of her now, chocolate brown eyes locking onto confused onyx ones. "We can try… to start our family again. We've been trying for such a long time already. But nothing seems to be working." Lucy voice trailed off as she turned her head away as her words entered the red centaurs mind, his confusion dissolving immediately. "I don't know. Maybe it won't work and we're not supposed to have children. I mean, I might as well already have two! Between you and Happy, I'm always having to keep an eye on you guys!"

"Lucy…" Natsu started as his hands slowly fell down to his sides.

The blonde centaur shook her head and dismissed him saying her name. "Let's just forget it. I can just go to the island myself and get my magic back." She smiled and waved her hand. "No need for any kind of inconveniences."

A soft gasp escaped the mares throat as Natsu quickly moved closer to his golden partner. His arms held Lucy close and tightly for a long minute before the pink-haired centaur spoke. "No. We can go together and try again for a child. I promise I'll make things easier on you. And I'm sure Happy will help out too!" His voice softened as he brought a hand up to her golden strands on her head, his fingers running up them slowly. "Starting our own family… was never an inconvenience. It's something we both want and if we have a chance to achieve it, then I'm not going to let it slip by."

Tears formed at the corners of the chocolate brown eyes that rounded at the centaur's words. Lucy smiled as she wrapped her arms around Natsu's torso. She held him just as tight as his sincere words sunk in her mind. "How is it that you can be such a child one minute, yet be so serious the next?"

The red coated centaur grinned widely as he moved Lucy back some. He brought up his hand to his side and gave her a thumbs up. "It's because I know this is something you really want to get back and something that you and I both want! So, I have no other choice but to be serious!" A second after, the red coated centaur jumped back some, determination bubbling inside of him as he brought his arms out to his sides. His fist clenched tightly as fire burned in his onyx eyes. "Alright! Let's find this book and go to Tenrou!"

Lucy watched as her partner began to search feverously through any book nearby, his fiery passion exerting in his hunt. All she could do is smile at him as he flipped through pages with extortionary speed. She laughed lightly and continued her own search through the library's books. "You know… we will have to get permission from Erza to go to the island."

The pink haired centaur paused as a chill ran all throughout his entire body at the mention of the scarlet mares' name. Natsu nervously looked over to Lucy, his voice quivering as he spoke. "You sure we have to talk to her? I mean, why can't we just set out on the adventure ourselves? It's not like she needs to go or anything."

The blonde-haired centaur picked up a book and scanned its pages. "You know we can't just up and do that. Not with everything going on. With Master gone with the real princess, Erza is in charge and we need to make sure she knows what we are planning on doing so she doesn't need to worry about us."

Natsu groaned as he turned his attention back to the book in his hands. "Yeah… I know."

Chocolate brown eyes looked over to the concerned centaur a few feet away from her. She set down the aged material in her own hands and made her way over to him, her soft arms wrapped around his shoulders and pulled his torso into her own. "It'll be ok. I know she will agree to letting us go. We just need to find the map and figure out how to get to the island. So, let's concentrate on that for now and worry about Erza later."

Onyx eyes snapped back into determination with worry leaving them quickly with Lucy's words. "Right! Let's do this!"

Erza led Mystogan to her tent after their meeting with everyone. She wanted to check on his shoulder wound and change out his bandages at the same time. She held open the entrance to her private living space and allowed the tall human to enter first.

Mystogan raised a brow just before entering as he looked to Erza. "I do believe it's supposed to be the other way around here. Shouldn't I hold that open for you to enter first?"

The scarlet mare scoffed and lightly pressed a hand to the tall man's back, urging him inside. "Just get inside so I can change your bandages." Brown eyes locked on with dark green for a moment before Mystogan turned his gaze back to the front as he walked inside. As she entered herself, she kept her gaze on him as he looked around curiously. She stayed near the entrance as the tall man moved around the tent slowly, taking in everything he saw or touched. His fingers grazed over anything his eyes wandered over. Erza took a step forward, her brown eyes noticing the man stop at the desk he frequently worked at while he stayed in Fairy Tail all those years ago. "Does any of this seem familiar to you? Do you remember anything?"

Mystogan waited to respond to the scarlet mare. His dark green eyes were fixed on the dark wooden desk. It was the exact one he had seen himself working at in his dreams. "This desk… I've seen it before… in my dreams." A quick chuckle left his lips as he shook his head. "I guess you can call them memories more than anything. Lost memories from the past." Green eyes rounded as they saw a bracelet off to the side of the desk. He slowly reached out and picked it up, bringing it close to his face to examine it further. "Is this… something that I helped create?"

The scarlet haired centaur made her way over to Mystogan, her eyes fixed on the bracelet in his hand as well. "Yes. You made that for me, and the master enchanted it. It was the second one you had created." Erza smiled as she took the bracelet from his hands, her own fingers trailing over the leather fabric. "I was so happy to have one of these. Just as you wanted to be like us, I longed to know what it was like to be human like you. When you helped make this… I was so overjoyed; I think I stayed in my human form for well over a week so I can go out into the world with you and not worry about what others would think of such an odd pair."

Mystogan looked at the scarlet haired centaurs face, a half smile creeping over his lips. "You strike me as one who wouldn't care what others would think on what they saw before them."

Erza chuckled slightly as she slipped the bracelet over her wrist, her centaur form disappearing quickly, leaving a woman wearing a simple sleeve-less white blouse with a strange cross symbol running across her chest and down the side of her torso. Her lower half dressed in a dark blue skirt running down just past her thighs. "Human and centaur relations were still unheard of at that time. I didn't want to cause you any trouble. Besides…" Erza smiled as she lightly led Mystogan to her bed on the ground. She waited until he was seated before she kneeled down beside him. "Being human for a short while, was fun. It was interesting to see your side of the world. Not to mention, it made it easier to get over three towns to acquire my Heart Kreuz armor." Mystogan watched as the scarlet haired woman kneeling before him started to unravel his bandages to check on his wound. His dark green eyes couldn't seem to leave her face as she carefully inspected his injury.

Erza carefully brought her fingers up to his warm skin near the blow that Gajeel had made on his shoulder. She was pleased how it was healing. 'Wendy's magic is really improving each time she uses it.' A smile crept over the woman's lips as brown eyes shifted for a moment and caught a glimpse of dark green staring at her. She quickly took back her hand and picked up a fresh dressing. Her brown eyes looked down at the clean bandages in her hands before she spoke. "So… I am curious..." Erza waited a long minute before speaking. "What exactly… did you do in the castle? Were you always just used for illusions on the battlefield?"

Mystogan took in a deep breath, his dark green eyes shifting away from the woman redressing his wound on his left shoulder. His expression was grim as his right hand clenched a fist. "I would like to say all I ever did was help create healing salves and potions for the princess… but…" The man hung his head in anger and frustration. "I helped them… torture so many. In the late hours, while everyone slept, the princess would force me to join the Thunder Legion in torturing anyone that crossed the princess. For years, I hid this secret. I wanted everyone in the castle to just think I was just some healer and not… one of the princess's puppets. Yet there I was… doing anything she asked of me… because of this damned thing around my wrist." Dark green eyes narrowed as they stared angrily at his cursed cuff. "I was not allowed to disobey any order that was given. And I was promised that if I did everything she asked of me, one day, I would be freed from this torturous prison. Even then… I fear that the guilt of all that I have done over the years will still haunt me. Just as the guilt from what I did on the battlefield that day—"

Dark green eyes widened as Mystogan felt a soft hand cup the right side of his face, gently guiding it to look back at the woman beside him. "You need to just let it all go. All of that guilt. You have been through just as much as we all have, so there isn't anything you should fret over."

Mystogans' eyes shifted between soft chestnut orbs. Disbelief was in his voice as he spoke softly. "How… how can you be so forgiving towards me?"

Erzas lips curled into a soft smile as she shifted her gaze shifted between dark green eyes. "Because you are Jellal. You are part of this guild, which makes you family. Family forgives. We live for each other here. If we can't learn to forgive, how can we live and move on with our lives?" Brown eyes shifted down to the man's lips for a second before moving back onto green orbs. "I used to think that I wasn't ever going to be able to move on with my life after I watched what happened on the battle field long ago. Even though I found a way to live on… with you here now, I feel like we can start over for real. Together."

The blue haired man sat there speechless as he watched Erza move herself in closer to his own face. Her chestnut eyes slowly started to close as she neared. He sat there in disbelief as he felt her warm pink lips press against his for just a moment before the scarlet haired woman leaned back away from him. A breath left his throat as he felt his own body lean forward slightly, yearning to feel her touch against his skin once more. Dark green eyes rounded at the thought, causing Mystogan to withdraw, back into his spot on Erzas bed.

The scarlet haired woman could sense his guilt still lingering. She brought her other hand to the other side of his face and turned his head back to face her own. Erza leaned back in once more and planted her lips onto Mystogans', this time, staying in that position for a minute longer. Her kiss was soft, warm, caring. Her sweet scent filled his nose as he took in a breath as the woman cupping his face continued her tender kiss. Erza would pause occasionally, taking in a breath of her own before moving her lips back over the blue haired mans. Her hands instinctively and slowly moved to his hair, her fingers getting lost in his blue strands. Mystogan let all his guilt and thoughts leave his mind as he felt Erza shift and move in closer to his own body. His own hands shifted to her sides, gripping her shirt lightly as he began to return her sweet touch on his lips.

As the minutes went by, their kisses only intensified as their hands explored each other's bodies, building up the heat that their bodies never really forgot. Ezra's cheeks flushed as Mystogan broke their kiss to move his lips to her neck as his left hand moved to her rear, pulling her in closer into his lap. The scarlet haired woman tossed her head back as a soft moan left her throat. 'How long has it been?' She started to think to herself. 'How long have I yearned for this touch? To be able to hold him in my arms again. This really isn't the time for something like this to start, but… my body… it won't stop.' Chestnut colored eyes shifted as Erza brought her head forward, her lips quickly meeting back with the man under her body. 'Jellal… do you remember this? How we used to embrace and love one another? I have missed this… I have missed you.'

Mystogan was getting lost in her touch and kisses with each passing second. 'Is it alright that we are doing this now? My body seems to remember and believes this is all ok, but my mind. My mind won't stop screaming at me to push her away. To end this here and now. Why? Why can't you let me have this?' Flashes of memories slowly came into his head. His brows started to cross at the images of the past that entered his mind. 'No… I shouldn't allow this.' His mouth opened wider to Erzas, their tongues clashing into one another. 'Stop… I can't…' The man's arms wrapped around the woman's waist. 'Erza… Erza…'

Dark green eyes shot open as the sound of Erzas scream from the battlefield entered his head. The image of her being stabbed through her stomach and fresh blood dripping down her attacker's spears was the only thing he was now thinking about. His arms quickly moved to the woman's shoulders and pushed her away as he felt her hand softly brush against his wound. He gasped and winced at the pain in his shoulder as his gaze shifted to the wound. Chestnut eyes rounded as she felt her body being pushed away so suddenly. After a second, her eyes shifted away, guilt filling her now after realizing that Mystogan probably wasn't entirely ready for this kind of situation.

Her words were soft and slightly stuttering as they left her mouth. "I-I'm… sorry… I… I shouldn't have started that…." Erza brought one of her hands up to her face, slowly moving it up to her hair to brush it away from her embarrassed expression. "I guess it's just been so long, I couldn't help myself. Sorry."

Mystogan quickly reached out to the scarlet haired woman as she began to move away from him, taking hold of her arm lightly and to bring her attention back to him. "No, don't be sorry. I just…" He let out a sigh as his head lowered some. "My mind… it can't let go of what happened. Not yet." The man's grip on the woman's arm tightened. "I need to redeem myself. Prove myself worthy of your love. Perhaps… when I get all my memories back and have done something right with my life… maybe then, we can continue where we left off?" Dark green eyes looked up into chestnut colored orbs. He saw pain in them, yet her smile was forgiving.

"I will wait until you are ready before going any further with you. For now, let's get back to dressing that wound of yours." Erza said as she sat back down beside Mystogan. He watched her reach for the new bandages and before she could reach up to his shoulder, he took her wrist in his hand.

"Erza." He said softly. Mystogan waited until the scarlet haired woman looked at him with those beautiful hurt chestnut eyes. In one swift motion, he pulled the woman into his chest, wrapping his arms around her shoulders tightly. Erza's eyes rounded as her cheeks turned pink. "I will remember. All of it."

Before the scarlet woman could respond to his words, a gruff voice was heard outside of her tent. "Oi! Erza! You in there?"

Erza stood quickly and started towards the entrance of her tent, her hand swiftly taking off her bracelet and set it on the desk as she transformed back into her true self. She exited her tent and crossed her arms over her chest as she saw Gajeel and Levy standing just a few feet away. "What is it?"

Gajeel got straight to the point, knowing it was pointless to beat around the bush with this mare. "We need to go to Tenrou Island."

Chestnut eyes narrowed at the black centaur. "And why do you need to go there?"

The tanned centaur growled slightly but held back his frustration. "I have business there so we need to go as soon as possible. It would only be for a few days, a week at most."

"You guys want to go to the island too?"

All three heads turned to see Lucy and Natsu walking up to them, their expressions questioning what they had just heard. Levy was first to answer them. "Yeah, that lacrima you gave us was a message from Gajeels' birth mother. His parents are alive on the island and they are waiting for Gajeel."

Lucy's expression lit up at Levy's words. "So, we were right! It was for Gajeel! Well, if you two are going, then we are too!"

Erza stomped her hoof into the ground. "And who exactly gave you all permission to go?! May I remind you all that the master is gone and isn't here to approve such a venture? No one is going anywhere until he gets back."

Natsu brought his hands up to his head and gripped pink strands as he tossed his head back with a groan. "But who knows when he'll be baaackk! We need to go now!"

Chestnut eyes shifted over to the golden and red centaur standing behind Gajeel and Levy. "And why do you two need to go to the island so badly as well?!"

Lucy moved a hand over her chest and one out to the side. "We have a chance for me to get my magic abilities back, and…" A slight blush came over her cheeks as she spoke her next words. "And we have other personal reasons why we need to go as well! You of all people should know the islands magic and what it can do for us centaurs trying to start our own family!"

Erza sighed as she hung her head, her tone unwavering. "Either way, no one is leaving for the island. I simply cannot allow it."

The pink haired centaur stepped forward, moving in closer to the scarlet mare. His fists were clenched tightly as his voice spoke with frustration and anger. "What if this was about Jellal?!" He watched as Erzas head shot up towards him, her brown eyes rounded. "You wouldn't hesitate to go there if it was a means to help him regain his memories! Tell me I'm wrong!"

The scarlet centaur clenched her jaw tightly. Of course, she would normally have no issues with anyone going to the island for any reason. She knew the sacred isle was overflowing with powerful magic that could do just about anything if asked of it. But with their master gone, and the events that had just unfolded, how could she let them go willingly? How would she know they were safe? With so many hunting parties and scouts from the castle, along with humans who wanted nothing to do with centaurs, how were they going to be able to find a ship and sail to their precious island? It was just impossible. "You're not wrong, Natsu. But I still refuse to let anyone leave Fairy Tail at this time. It's too dangerous."

"What if we join them then?"

The small group gathered outside of Erzas tent all turned their heads to the entrance where Mystogan had just came from. He was adjusting his shirt over his torso as he looked to Erza at his side now.

The scarlet centaur shut her eyes as she sighed. "Please, go back inside, I'll handle this and be back inside in a minute." She opened her eyes and looked back to the group circled around her. "You all have to understand the dangers of getting to the island! We no longer have a means to get there from Fairy Tail, not only that, but we'd have to find a ship and a crew to take us there. We all know good sailors are hard to come by, let alone ones we can trust. When the master returns, he can help us find a way to the island and we can take care of all our issues then."

Gajeel's crimson orbs narrowed, his temper starting to get the better of him. "Issues?" The black coated centaur crossed his arms over his chest as his voice got louder. "You consider my personal business, their need to get goldilocks' magic back, and their desire to create a family, issues?!"

Erza raised a hand in defense as she spoke. "Gajeel, that's not how I meant it to sound."

Gajeel felt Levy's hand come over his arm, gently pulling him back, but he ignored it and continued to shout. "It's just like Natsu said! If was to help your ex-lover over there regain his memories, then you wouldn't hesitate to leave, master or not!"

"STOP ACTING LIKE A COUPLE OF SPOILED BRATS!" The scarlet mare shouted, causing the red and black coated centaurs to take a nervous step back. After a minute of heavy breathing, Erza calmly closed her eyes and let out a slow breath. Chestnut orbs reopened as she looked at them seriously. "Listen to me. I understand your need to go to the island… but I am only looking out for what's best for all of us. We are a family and I don't want to let you all go and end up losing you to whatever dangers you come across." Her eyes softened as she watched them lower their heads. "Let me think about this for a few days. If I allow this to happen, things need to be thought out very carefully. Can you all agree to that?"

Natsu's lip stuck out in a pout as he threw his head back, the back of this head meeting his hands as they helped support his head. "Yeeeaaah… I guess."

Relief washed over Lucy as she let out a sigh and nodded her head. "Yes, thank you Erza. Sorry for all the frustration we caused."

Gajeel only growled as his anger didn't subside. His jaw clenched tightly as he spoke through his teeth. "This isn't fair…"

Levy once again pulled at the tanned arm attached to the centaur beside her, this time with effort to turn him. "Come on Gajeel. It's fair enough. You heard her say there are many dangers trying to get to the island, and a well thought out plan is probably for the best. Come on. Let's leave them be now."

Crimson orbs shifted to hazel. His expression softened as he saw the worry in the dappled mares' eyes. "Yeah. Ok."

As soon as the pairs had left, Erza let out another sigh as she brought a hand to her head. "I don't know how master does it. I can barely keep those two under control, I can't even imagine having to do this with the whole guild."

"Erza, is what they said about the island true? Can I really get my memories back if I go there?" The blue haired man asked.

The scarlet mare lowered her arm to her side as she turned to face Mystogan. "It is possible. The island is quite powerful, but… it also has its limits. If a lot of us go, there is a chance that not all of us will be able to get what we want or need from the island. That's the drawback of going there with a large group." Chestnut eyes narrowed softly. "If we are to go, we need to plan every step we would take and we would need to decided who all would be able to go as well. That is why I need to really think about this, for all their sakes."

"I see. Well then it's best we really sit down and talk it out about everything." Mystogan said.

"I have tremendous respect for the master and everything he does to take care of this guild. It's a real shame he went off with the princess at this time. But if I am to become the future master of the guild, I'm going to need to make these kinds of choices, and they have to be the right ones." The scarlet mare motioned for the man to join her back in her tent, her mind trying to remain calm after the argument she just had with Natsu and Gajeel. 'I want to be able to send them out to the isle… but I will not risk anyone's life for what they want. It's time for me to become a leader they need and will follow in the future.'

Two days later…

The scarlet mare raised a brow at Jet as she stood in front of him on the dirt path just outside of the meeting hall. "You are absolutely sure you can find the master in a few days' time? I need the master to review this plan and make sure it all sounds well enough to act upon." She said as she held out a small bit of parchment to the slender built centaur.

Jet nodded his head as he spoke and took the letter from Erza. "Yeah, I should be able to so long as I can just run and nothing blocks my path."

Before the orange haired centaur could take the paper out of the mares' hand, she gripped it tightly as her expression grew serious. "Please… be careful out there. There's still a lot of humans out there that have laid out traps for us. With everything that has been going on around here, we haven't been able to send out scouts to check out the surrounding areas."

The slender centaur swallowed the lump in his throat as he needed and forced a smile. "Yeah. I know. I'll be extra careful and extra fast in getting this to master and returning. I promise."

Erza nodded as her grip on the parchment loosened as she let Jet take it. He turned on the dirt path and just before he pushed off the ground, the scarlet mare spoke one last time. "Come back soon." In a flash, the fastest centaur was gone, leaving a dusty trail as he set off on his mission. A soft sigh left the mares lips as the dust slowly started to settle. 'If the Master agrees to the plans I have set, then I will have no worries about a trip to the island. I just hope my proposal I have written is good enough.' Erza shook the doubts from her mind, determined to stay focused on overseeing the safety of the guild and its inhabitants.

"Erza! Hey, Erza!" A voice called in the distance. Chocolate brown eyes shifted up and over to see Alzack and Bisca making their way over to her, their expressions slightly concerned.

"Did you need something?" The mare responded.

The green haired centaur spoke, worry heavy in her voice. "Have you seen Asuka? We took our eyes off of her one minute and now we can't seem to find her."

Alzack continued after his mate. "We checked all of her hiding spots and we checked all over our tent, but there hasn't been any sign of her since this morning. We're really starting to worry, so we've been asking around if anyone has seen her."

Chocolate brown eyes softened. The scarlet mare shook her head lightly. "No, I'm sorry, but I haven't seen her either."

Bisca turned to the dark-haired centaur beside her, gripping his arm lightly. "What are we going to do? This never has happened to us before, and we're so worried she's run off."

Erza held out a hand, reassuring the pair. "Try to remain calm, I'm sure she is around here. If she hasn't tried to run off before, there's a good chance she is just hiding in a new spot. Have you checked the woods? What about the tower near the entrance? She's getting to that age now where she probably wants to start exploring new spots to hide in."

The green centaur thought carefully. "She has been mentioning she is bored with her known hiding places… perhaps you're right. Maybe we just need to think outside of the box."

Alzack put his hand over Biscas' that still gripped his arm tightly. "We still can ask around if anyone has seen her, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to search further out as well."

Erza nodded and put her hands on her waist. "I'll help you both out for a bit. I have some spare time right now."

The green haired mare looked to the scarlet one, relief washing over her face as she spoke. "Thank you Erza. It would be such a big help to us. I just want to find Asuka soon."

Asuka opened her purple eyes slowly, shutting them immediately as a yawn escaped her small mouth. The small centaur pushed her torso off of the grassy ground she slept on and stretched her arms out at her side. A hand moved to her left eye and rubbed it lightly. "How long have I been asleep out here?" She asked herself as she lowered her hand and scanned her surroundings. Her expression perked up as she realized she was just outside of Fairy Tail in a grassy patch she had found while exploring new places. A wide smile graced her lips as she thought to herself. 'That's right! I was exploring and I got tired, so I took a nap on this soft grass here!' Asuka giggled as she lowered herself back down onto the earth below her. She stretched out her arms and waved them up and down in the green turf, laughing happily as she did. "I should show mommy and daddy what I found! This is such a great napping spot!"

Purple eyes suddenly widened as an orange blur ran past her, creating a dust trail behind it and settling on the young centaur off to the side in the grass. Asuka coughed lightly as her eyes shut tight and her right hand came up to wave some of the dust away from her face. As the cloud of dust settled, the small centaur sneezed and looked around. "What was that?" Another cough escaped the child's throat. "Whoever it was, they sure were in a hurry… but now I've gotta go get a drink of water. Otherwise I won't be able to stop coughing." Purple eyes looked to the entrance of Fairy Tail where the orange blur had come out of. She thought for a long minute before looking out to the forest on the other side. With a wide smile, the young centaur stood up quickly and made her way across the path to the thick woodland. "There might be a stream nearby, so I'm going to continue my explorations!" As giggles left her, the curious centaur set off into the woods, unaware of the cold and hungry eyes that followed her.

Jet clenched his fists tightly as he sprinted down the winding path. 'I've got to find the master, and get him to read this! If I don't succeed, Erza will have my head for sure!' The orange centaur came to a skidding halt for a moment, his nose raising to the sky to take in the open air surrounding him. "I can definitely still smell his scent around here. Which means I'm going the right way." A faint musky scent entered his nose as he was searching for the masters. The orange haired centaur turned slightly to try to get a better whiff of the strange smell, but it hadn't lingered long. 'Something is on the move…' Jet shrugged his shoulders and pushed off the ground with lightning speed, he was off again. 'If it's on the move away from me, then I don't have anything to worry about. Besides, I have something that is far more important to deal with right now than some strange scent passing by.'

As the dust settled back on the path, two large brown coated wolves emerged from the shadows of the nearby trees off the path. They watched the blur racing away from them, relieved the centaur had decided to move on instead of investigate into their scent further.

"That was a close one…." The right wolf said as it turned its head to the left.

The other wolf snarled as he spoke. "I told you not to move but you thought that creature wasn't going to be able to sniff us out. I even said we aren't entirely downwind of him yet."

Like lightning, the first wolf snipped at the second one's cheek in frustration. "How was I supposed to know he was going to stop at this exact spot?!" With a low growl from the two wolves, their bickering ended quickly. "Let's just get going. We are part of the second wave that is supposed to attack Fairy Tail. The first wave should be gearing up to attack any moment now with Bacchus."

The second wolf turned his head back to the direction the lone centaur had sprinted down. "What about him? Shouldn't we go take care of him first?"

The other wolf grinned as he started walking in the opposite direction. "Heh… that centaur is going to have a lovely meet up with the small group we left behind. They'll have their way with him and return to us soon." Without another word, the two brown wolves were off, their mission in mind.

"Whoooooaaaaahh! Check this out Happy!" Natsu said excitedly as he held up Lucys' maroon whip from the opened chest they were rummaging through. He chuckled as he spoke. "Remember how much butt Lucy kicked with this bad boy?!"

Happy smiled widely and jumped up into the air for a moment, raising his fist high above his head as he responded. "Aye! I even remember her using it on us once or twice!"

Onyx eyes narrowed at the blue satyr. "She never used it on us… only bad guys. Happy, I think something is wrong with that head of yours."

Lucy stepped up behind the centaur and satyr with her hands on her waist. "He isn't wrong, Natsu. I have used it on you guys before. And why are you two rummaging through my things?! Haven't you got anything else better to do?"

The red centaur felt chills up his spine at the tone of the golden mares' voice. Both creatures kneeling before the chest turned their heads Lucy's way, noting the annoyed expression across her face. "We were just looking for our secret treasure stash!"

"Aye!" Happy added quickly. "Natsu said he was certain he left it in here a loooooong time ago!"

The blonde-haired centaur let out a sigh as she took hold of her old whip out of Natsu's hand. "Everything in there is mine, and why would you hide a secret treasure stash in my things?"

Natsu brought his hands behind his head as he grinned. "That's because no one would dare look through your things!"

Happy raised a small hand into the air and added onto Natsu's sentence. "Yeah! That's caz everyone knows how you get if someone tries to read your romance stories you're trying to wriiiiite!" The blue satyr teased.

Lucy growled as she gripped her whip in both hands, her anger starting to boil over at the two snickering below her. "How… do you know… about that?!"

The red centaur held up a stack of loose papers, waving it in the air with a wide smile. "That's caz we happened to find it last time we went through your trunk!"

The blue creature brought its hands to his mouth as it held back its laughter. "It's pretty juuuuuiiiccyy!"

The golden centaur shook with anger. "Why you—" She cut herself off as she looked towards the entrance to her tent. Concern was coming over her expression as she tried to listen carefully.

Wide eyes looked at the standing being with confusion. "What's the matter Lucy? Aren't you going to do something to us now that you know we know about your secret?" The satyr turned its head to his friend. "Natsu? You've got that same look like Lucy. What's going on guys?"

Lucy was first to speak. "Do you hear that?"

"Yeah. It's faint, but I can hear it." Natsu said as he stood up straight with haste.

Jet panted heavily as he limped through the entrance of Fairy Tail. "Get out… they're… coming…" His voice shook as it murmured the words softly, unable to speak any louder due to the lack of strength he had left. His vision was clouded by the fresh blood falling down from his forehead, but he could make out a few blurry figures racing his way. "Run… away…"

"Jet! Jet, hang in there buddy!" Max said as he caught the slender centaur before he could fall over from exhaustion. "What the hell happened to you?!"

Elfman looked over the orange centaurs' body. "It looks like… he's been attacked by wolves. Look at these claw and bite marks..."

Mira chimed in quickly. "Take him to see Wendy immediately, I'll go let Erza know that—"

"No…" Jet said weakly. Everyone around him paused their movements and looked to him as he spoke. "You all… have to… run. They're… coming…"

Elfman crossed his brows as he looked at the attacked centaur. "Who's coming?"

"I'm sorry… but… I've led them back… here… we… need to run… get away… from Fairy Tail…" Jet repeated.

Levy took a deep breath in as she felt the gentle breeze brush past her as she laid down on the grass just outside of the cat hideout with Gajeel napping at her side. Hazel eyes opened and looked down at the large brute sleeping soundly next to her. She smiled as she reached over and stroked his black bangs away from his eyes. 'It's almost unreal to think that we might actually be going to the island soon. Gajeel will… finally be able to see his birth parents. He must be nervous about it all on the inside, because he is out cold right now. Come to think of it… I'm not entirely sure how much sleep he has been getting since we all talked to Erza. Poor guy.' Her hand moved back to her side as hazel eyes continued to watch him carefully. 'I'd probably be a complete mess if I got to see my parents again. But in his case… he barely had time to get to know them.' The blue dappled centaur's expression grew concerned. 'What if we end up getting to the island and the meeting doesn't go well? I'd hate to see the divide between them grow even wider.' Levy shook her head and slapped her cheeks lightly. 'Stop thinking so negatively! You've got to stay positive through all of this… for him.' Her eyes shifted back to the centaur who laid still on the grass below her. She half smiled as she let out a breath. 'He's going to need my support more than ever when we get there.'

The wind suddenly was carrying a strange sound as it blew by, grabbing Levy's attention. She looked up back to where the main part of Fairy Tail was located, just past the woods, her hazel eyes narrowing to try to figure out what exactly was that sound. The blue centaur listened carefully. With each passing minute, the sound became clearer. Hazel eyes went wide at the realization. 'That's… screaming! Something is going on!' Levy stood quickly, but before she could take her first step, she looked down to Gajeel, unaware of the trouble that threatened Fairy Tail. She bit her lip, unsure if she should wake him or not. As the screams started to sound closer, Levy whipped her head back towards the main part of the guild. She clenched her fists tightly as her mind was made up. She had to go see what the commotion was about.

The dappled centaur sprinted towards the woods; her heart was pounding in her chest. What was going on that was getting everyone in such a commotion and panic? A few centaurs raced past her, heading in the direction she had come from. Their faces were pale and their expressions were terrified. Levy didn't bother trying to stop them when their flight instincts were clearly taking over them. She had to see for herself what was causing such chaos.

Lucy launched her hind end at a wolf that jumped at her from behind, his painful cries were loud, but not as loud as the terror-stricken centaurs that ran in every direction. They were being chased, attacked, and hunted by these wolves that had entered their home. Brown eyes shifted to her side to see Natsu fending off three wolves at once with his fists of flames and Happy on his back, kicking whatever wolf attempted to attack the red centaur from behind. "Where the hell did all of these wolves come from? And why are they attacking Fairy Tail?!" She said angrily as she took hold of her whip and sent it flying in front of her, latching onto a throat of a wolf running by. The golden centaur pulled as hard as she could, sending the raged beast flying backwards and away from the centaur it chased.

Natsu growled as he landed a punch on a grey wolf. "I have no idea, but they aren't stopping anytime soon it seems!"

Lucy looked around and watched everyone scatter, while some attempted to fight back the horde of intruders. "This is just what they want… they want us to panic like this so they can pick us off one by one…" The golden mare clenched her fists tightly and pushed off from where she stood. She called back to her partner as she ran. "Natsu! I'm going to try to find Warren! I have an idea!"

"Happy, go with her! Make sure she doesn't get into any trouble!" The pink haired centaur said as he took in a deep breath, preparing his next attack at a small pack that ran towards him head on.

"Aye Sir!" The blue satyr jumped off the centaurs back and ran as fast as he could to catch up to Lucy. The two creatures weaved from side to side as they raced through the stampede of centaurs and wolves alike, carefully avoiding any attacks that the invaders tried to throw at them as they ran. Halfway to the guild's pub, the golden mare came to a sudden halt. Her chocolate eyes caught sight of Bisca and Alzack looking around franticly, calling out their daughters' name. The mare's eyes rounded at her own thoughts. "Oh no…" She made her way over to the pair and took hold of Biscas' wrist. "Please tell me you aren't looking for Asuka!"

Bisca responded in terrified tears. "Yes! We haven't been able to locate her yet! Lucy, what if they already got her?! What if they've gotten our baby?!"

Lucy brought her hand up to Biscas' shoulder and gripped it tightly. "You need to remain calm, if you lose your head now, you're going to get attacked by one of these nasty creatures and your daughter won't have a mother to hold ever again! I think I know where she was headed, and there's a good chance they haven't found her yet. I'll go get her back for you but you need to do me a favor. Go find Warren, knowing him, he's probably cowering in the pub because he drank too much and can't fight. I need you to tell him to tell everyone who can't fight to stop scattering so sporadically, they need to head to the back of the guild, past the woods. Once they are in a safe area, I need you two to keep the wolves from swarming if they follow you. I'll bring your little girl back, but you need to stay strong! I know more than anyone how scary it is to lose a loved one, but I know she is alive and I can go get her! Please, just do this and save everyone else." With an unsure nod, Bisca did as she was told and turned to go find Warren with Alzack. Lucy started to turn when Happy jumped up onto her back, causing the mare to gasp. "Happy!"

The blue satyr gripped her shirt tightly. "Natsu told me to help you, and that's what I'm going to do! You shouldn't be going out into danger without a friend, Lucy!"

The golden mare smiled. "I know, you're right. Let's go find Asuka and bring her back to safety!" The centaur pushed off the ground and raced for the entrance, her whip in hand to ward off any who threatened to keep her from finding the young filly.

Asuka let out a long, satisfied sign as she sat back on her haunches after retrieving a cold drink of water from the small stream she had stumbled upon. "Woooow… that was so good! I can't wait to show mommy and daddy what I found!" The small centaur let out a giggle as she looked down at the clear flowing stream at her hooves. She smiled and began to hum lightly to herself as she watched the water made her appearance altered. Asuka watched herself for some time, until her purple eyes caught a glimpse of another figure looming over the small ledge behind her. Violet eyes squinted at the passing water, trying to make sense of what the figure was. Asuka gasped as her eyes rounded when pearly white fangs appeared in the water's reflection. The young centaur stood quickly and turned to face the new threat above her.

The black coated wolf snarled and bared its teeth at the creature below it. He watched as the small centaur quivered and started to back up, its small hooves crossing the small stream, noticeably shaking. It snickered as it jumped down to where the filly was sitting just moments ago. "You're smaller than they said… but I guess you'll make due. A snack before a meal, really works up an appetite."

Asuka reached down at her side with shaky hands, pulling out a small toy gun from her mini holster. "S-stay back! I-I'm warning you!"

The wolf chuckled as it took another step forward. "That's cute, little snack. But I don't see how that little toy of yours is going to hurt me." Its jaw opened back up and revealed its salivating fangs once more.

The centaur shakily shot her toy gun straight at the wolf inching its way towards her. He threw his head back with a surprised yelp as the small shot hit him between the eyes. The wolf growled as he brought his head back down and rubbed his fur with a paw. His dark eyes narrowed as they looked back up to the small child. "You little—I will make sure you are eaten slowly so you can watch me devour your flesh!" The dark creature launched himself forward, his jaws open wide to take in the centaurs' flesh. All Asuka could do was stand there in fear, her legs frozen and unable to listen to her when she was screaming in her mind to run.

The wolf suddenly gagged and gasped for air as a maroon whip wrapped around his neck and held him in place. His dark eyes bulged as his paws struck out, trying desperately to get at the filly inches away from him now. Lucy gripped the whip in her hands tighter as she smirked. "I don't think so, buddy. You're not going to touch one hair on that little filly's head!"

The attackers jaw snapped open and shut wildly as a frustrated groan left its throat. "Why you—"

"Now Happy!" Lucy called out.

Like lightning, the blue satyr rushed in and jumped into the air, its small hoof stretched out as Happy let out a small battle cry, making contact with the dark fur of the wolfs cheek. The dark creatures' eyes went blank as it fell to the ground, limp and unconscious. Asuka launched herself at the satyr and picked him up into her arms, hugging him tightly. "Happy!" She exclaimed excitedly before her purple eyes shifted up to the golden mare headed her way. "And Lucy! You guys saved me!"

Lucy leaned over and put her hands to her knees. Her golden lockes moved over each shoulder as she smiled at the younger centaur in front of her. "You ok, Asuka?"

The child nodded and reached out and hugged the larger centaurs' legs. "Yes." Her head turned to look at the unconscious creature a few feet away from them, confusion crossing over her expression and voice. "But how were you able to knock that badie out, Happy?"

The blue satyr grinned as he put a hand over his small chest. "Well it's simple! Since I can't transform myself to become larger or to look like a centaur, like Lily and Carla, I have incredible strength that can knock anyone out with just one hit if I want to!" He boasted with pride.

Before Happy could go on, Lucy took hold of the young centaurs' hand and cut the satyr off. "We've got to get back inside. It isn't safe out here for any of us."

"But Lucy, what about the wolves inside?" Happy questioned.

The golden mare gritted her teeth for a moment. "Look, I know things are crazy in there right now, but this was just one wolf. Imagine if more came out here to attack us. There's no way you and I could fend off more and protect Asuka on our own. We need to get back inside and band together to fight off this enemy."

Asuka looked up at Lucy nervously. "Is my mommy and daddy ok? I didn't get them hurt by coming out here did I?"

Lucy looked down at the child and smiled. "No, they are fine. They are worried about you, but they are doing their best to help fight against the enemy we face. So come on, let's get you back to them and somewhere safe."

The three creatures made their way back to the entrance to Fairy Tail, their fear only growing as they saw down the path in the distance, a second wave of wolves headed their way. A large indigo colored wolf in the middle, walking slowly but with a grin from ear to ear and malice gleaming in his eyes. Lucy could feel her own body shake in horror and disbelief. 'No… how can there be so many more of them headed this way?! There's no way we can fight all of them off! We need to find a way to slow them down before they can get in…' The blonde-haired mare gasped as she realized what she needed to do. She looked down to Happy as she spoke. "Get her inside and to her parents! I need to find Droy and get him to block up the entrance as best as he can before they all get inside!" Happy acknowledged her command and took hold of Asukas' hand, pulling her inside Fairy Tail as fast as his legs would allow him. Lucy clenched her fist and after a second, rushed inside the entrance after them.

Gajeel's studded brows crossed as he shifted slightly in his sleep, his large arm reaching out to his side, feeling around for Levy. Crimson orbs cracked open and looked to the centaurs' side, seeing no one beside him. The dark-haired centaur quickly shot straight up and was on his hooves within seconds. Panic and confusion started to creep in as he looked around the area. "Levy?" The centaur turned his whole body around quickly as he shouted. "Levy?!" Gajeel turned his attention back to the woods some distance away, seeing his fellow centaurs fleeing on the path away from the main part of their home. "What the hell…?" The scent of smoke filled his nose as the wind blew past him lightly. 'Why is there a fire? Natsu should have been able to clear it up himself…'

Crimson eyes caught sight of Lucy darting from the woods, stopping just outside of the forest to look back and direct those who continued to escape. The black coated centaur clenched his fists and raced towards her, eager to know what was going on, and where Levy was. As the larger centaur got closer, he could hear Lucy telling everyone to keep running for safety, and to remain calm. Gajeel slowed his pace and stopped on the opposite side of the trail, his centaur legs prancing in place as he spoke to her. "Lucy! What the hell is going on?! Where's Levy?!"

The golden centaur looked his way while her arms kept directing the other centaurs. "Gajeel! We're under attack! I don't know why, but a few packs of wolves have invaded Fairy Tail and are destroying everything! Some of the others are holding them off, but the waves keep coming! And I haven't seen Levy. I went out looking for Asuka and just got back a few minutes ago. Please go help the others! I'll keep an eye out for Levy if she passes by."

Gajeel gritted his teeth and whipped his tail up and down in frustration as he started down the path, rushing past the other centaurs escaping in fear. 'I have a bad feeling I know who might be behind this. Levy, you better be safe!'

Levy peaked around from a nearby and unharmed tent at the entrance of Fairy Tail, her hazel eyes rounding as she watched the sight at the entrance unfold. Wolves were now getting past the defensive vines Droy had put into place to help keep them out. Their jaws sawed through the green vines, allowing them to pour in and run in every direction to cause more chaos. As wolves of every color pooled in, from the shadows, Levy saw one very familiar beast starting to emerge. Indigo colored paws stepped through the middle of the rushing wolves that entered Fairy Tail. The larger wolf body slowly making its way from the darkness of the entrance. Red, beady eyes shined through until the head of the beast came to light.

The dappled centaur began to shake in place. 'How… how is he… still alive?! This is bad! This is so bad! Bacchus… he's here!'

Bacchus stopped just after emerging from the entrance. His jaws opened as he cracked a smirk, a slight chuckle leaving his throat. His voice was low as he spoke. "Yes… yeess… go now. Destroy, devour, bring forth carnage my brothers. I… I have… other business… to attend to." His voice still raspy from the last attack delivered to him, but that didn't stop the crazed beast from throwing his head back and shouting out two names with furry. "LEVY! HISUI!"

'He's looking for me and Hisui. But why… why destroy Fairy Tail in the process?!' Hazel eyes looked around and watched as so many centaurs fought back the horde of wolves. The Strauss siblings all had transformed themselves into their beast take overs. Mira, once kind and caring looking, now looked demonic and intimidating as she dawned her Satan Soul take over. Her body was covered from head to hoof in square-shaped scales, her expression grew dark and her blue eyes became empty as dark, thin markings graced the right side of her face. Her forearms and hands formed a fin-like protrusion at the sides and her long milky colored tail, was now dark like her scales that covered her body and formed into one solid tail made of larger metal plates. Elfman had grown even larger in form thanks to his take over. The centaurs' body was covered with thick, dark colored fur, while his abdomen and chest shown prominently in the middle of his form. His human arms grew larger and longer as well, with sharp claws at the end of his fingertips. His white hair now took on the shape of a lion's mane while his ears and canine teeth became pointed. Starting from a plate on his forehead, a pair of striped horns grew, pointing upwards along with a smaller pair of horns sprouting from his shoulders.

Lisanna's take over looked much simpler than her older siblings. Only her arms and lower body transformed itself into a bird like creature. Her arms had transformed and now only appeared as a set of wings with a single sharp talon in the middle of each pair of wings. Her hooves turned into large eagle like talons as her tail formed into that of a large bird. Levy could hear the siblings arguing from a distance as they fought courageously to keep the meeting hall safe.

"Even in our take over forms, these wolves won't give up! You'd think they would after seeing Mira in her Satan Soul!" Lisanna said as she flapped her wings and lifted herself off the ground, all four of her talon feet aimed forward, threating the wolves that stood before them, snarling and biting at the air. Elfman brought his closed fists down on a wolf that jumped at him from the front, letting out a deep growl as he did.

"We need to do something! We three can't keep them out of this place forever!" He said as he let out a huff of air. His own take over sucking out his magical energy quickly the more he fought off the intruders.

Mira drew her arms back at her left side, her dark magic ball starting to form as she spoke. "Regardless! We will keep on fighting! That's what we do! We will protect those who are inside! I will not let one wolf get past those wooden doors!"

"Big sis! Look around you! These creatures aren't slowing down and we are running low on magic! We have to retreat!" Lisanna said as she launched herself forward, deeply scratching one of the wolves.

"We are the Strauss siblings! We don't give up! We fight, even if we run out of magic, we will still fight and push through! We are protecting our family, not just ourselves!" The she-devil said as she threw her charged attach at majority of the wolves surrounding them. Gaining a second to look over to her siblings. Mira looked to them with a caring expression. "I will not lose one of you to them. Even if it costs me my life… I will see to your safety first and foremost." As Lisanna looked back at her sister with a loving expression, Elfman began to tear up in his beastly form, bringing a large arm over his eyes as he cried out the word "Manly!"

A second later, Levy could hear lightning crackling at the other end of Fairy Tail. Hazel eyes shifted to see the scarlet centaur attacking a small group of wolves with her long spear with a large blade and decorated circle to resemble a shield attaching it the shaft. Erza was dawning one of her many armors from her requip abilities. Her armor had gold trim running around the light blue shoulder, arms and breastplates. Her scarlet red hair was styled into a long braid with two ribbons on the band over her head. Her attacks were precise and swift, her weapon never missing its mark wherever she directed it. Mystogan was guarding her flank with one staff in hand while the others were being held in place on his back with a dark strap.

The light blue centaur noticed Gray running around in a half circle with an ice barrel strapped to his back. Levy could see him pointing at another pack of wolves that were following him with intent to kill. Without hesitation, Juvia appeared from the barrel, her bottom half staying inside the water the ice container held as she used her powers to gather up the invaders chasing them. She moved her hands in a small circular motion as the water from her own body rushed forward to scoop up the wolves into a giant water ball, just like the one Levy was trapped in some time before. Only this time, Gray was using his maker magic to freeze the entire ball with the wolves still inside it.

Levy surveyed the rest of Fairy tail and all she could see, were the centaurs fighting desperately with their magic to push back the growing invasion. She clenched her jaw in anger and closed her fists in frustration. 'They all are working so hard to protect their home. And what am I doing? Just standing around here admiring their magic? Or am I just avoiding going out there so Bacchus doesn't find me?' Hazel eyes saw Cana, Max, and Natsu working together as a team in the center of the guild, exhaustion clearly across all of their expressions, but they weren't showing signs of giving up just yet. 'I can't do this. I can't just stand her any longer! If Bacchus is looking for me, then I'm going to be the one to get him out of Fairy Tail!' A sudden grip and pull on her arm made the centaur scream out, until her eyes landed on Gajeel standing next to her. "Gajeel!"

"Levy! What the hell are you doing out here?! You need to get to safety!" The dark centaur said as he looked past her and to the indigo colored wolf still standing near the entrance, his smirk wide as he watched his new pack create chaos all around. Crimson orbs shifted back down to the dappled mare. "It's too dangerous! Especially now that I know its Bacchus! I don't know how that bastard is still alive, but if he's after you, you gotta get out of here!"

Levy's brows crossed in anger. "I'm not going to run."

"Now I think Lucy is still getting everyone—wait, what?" Gajeel started to say.

The blue haired centaur took her arm back from the larger centaur and looked deep into his crimson eyes as she spoke. "I'm not going to run! And I'm certainly not going to hide!"

"Why not?!" Gajeel responded in frustration.

"Gajeel, I'm tired of looking weak and hiding from my problems! I need to help defend this place!" She said with anger in return.

The dark-haired centaur grabbed Levy's shoulders and shook her slightly. "Bacchus is here to take you away or worse, kill you! What part of that do you not understand and feel the need to escape?! I'm putting my hoof down, you're getting out of here!"

Levy brought her hands up to his arms and pushed them away from her shoulders. "No! I'm not running! I'm going to fight! I can do this!" The smaller centaur turned and raced out into the open.

Gajeel could feel his stomach flip as he reached out for her before she got away. "Levy! Don't!"

The light blue mare called back at him as she ran. "I have an idea, watch out for my signal and be ready for my next move!"

The tanned centaur raced after her, desperate to stop her but the massive number of wolves in the area stopped him before he could even catch up halfway to her. He watched them snarl and bark at him as he stood in the center. Gajeel growled back as he transformed his arms into long iron swords. "I've got someone I've got to protect… SO GET OUT OF MY WAY!" He shouted as he swung his arms around.

Levy stopped a few feet away from the tower off the to the side of the entrance to Fairy Tail. Her chest heaved as she struggled to catch her own breath. She brought her hands up to her mouth and shouted. "BACCHUS!"

The indigo colored wolf snapped his head to the side, seeing the dappled centaur standing in the distance. "There you are… Levy…" He turned in her direction and started to make his way towards her. "You… little harlot… I've been… looking for you…." He said as he breathed in wheezily. Red beady eyes looked to the other wolves slowly following Bacchus's lead. "Get her."

Without hesitation, the wolves snarled and barked as they began to run past their leader towards Levy. The light blue centaur turned and headed straight for the spiral stairs going up the tower. She quickly made her way to the magical entrance that would transport her to the very top of the tower. Once at the top, the powerful wind rushed past the centaur. Levy squinted her eyes for a moment before moving to the center of the tower. She turned as she could hear the wolves circling around behind her. Hazel eyes stared straight ahead to face her enemy. A moment later, indigo colored paws came through the magical doorway. Bacchus's red eyes were wide with excitement as he sniffed the air.

"Leeeeevvvyyy…" He said slowly and teasingly. "It looks like… you've backed… yourself into a corner… how… unfortunate." Bacchus said with a chuckle.

The cerulean centaur stood her ground with her arms at her sides. "How the hell did you survive?"

Bacchus took a step forward and paused. "Well… when your lover… left me for dead… he made a mistake… in breaking that traitors… leg. Issac, was it? Heheh… that pitiful creature… barely made it far… past my den…as I… crawled… out of my home… in this… form… I needed to get my… strength back… so I could come find… what was rightfully mine… and get revenge… against… Black Steel… and everyone… here in… Fairy Tail. That… monster… gave me… this scar… on my face… and now… I can only… talk like this… thanks to him…" He said with wheezing breaths.

"Hisui and I are not your property! And from the way I see things, you deserved everything Gajeel gave to you that day he came to rescue me!" Levy said.

"I saved you… from being killed… at the hands… of the imposter… at the… castle. As my… reward… I claimed you… so you see… you do… belong to me. As for the real… princess… I was promised… her… as a reward… for getting… Angel… inside. So be… a good little girl… and come to me… willingly… and I shall… forget about… everything… after I kill… Black Steel." Bacchus said calmly.

Levy began to write words with her fingers secretly as she continued to speak to Bacchus. "You are so full of yourself. You really think you can take down a being like Gajeel? In your current state?" She watched his cool starting to slip as he gritted his fangs and growled slightly at her comment. "All I see in front of me is a pathetic, worn out, damaged flea bag who can only take on the broken." A smile crept over Levy's lips as she finished up writing her magic spells, her fingers ready to release the words as they faced away from the wolves in front of her. "Not to mention, you had to summon an army of weak wolves to do your bidding for you, didn't you?" Her comment got her growls from the other pack members. "A washed-up mutt with his feeble-minded band of mongrels. It's seriously too funny to even think about."

"Hold your tongue… girl! Or I will… cut it out… and feed it to them. Then you will… have nothing to say… while I… have my way… with you!" Bacchus barked angrily.

"Pfft. Yeah right, you and I both know you won't be able to catch me if I get away." Levy said with a smirk.

The indigo coated wolf let out a laugh. "Look around you… stupid wench! You have… nowhere else… to run."

"Who said anything about running?" The dappled mare said quickly. She could see the gears moving in the wolfs head, her words showing her true intent as to why she lead them up here. Before Bacchus could say anything, Levy released her magic spell behind her. From one hand, a dark twister appeared and parted the clouds behind her, while the other let loose a terrifying bolt of white lightning.

Gajeel landed a final blow to the last wolf that stood in his way. His chest heaved as he detransformed his arms. "Bastards… they just never stopped comin'."

"Gajeel! You ok?!" Gray said as he trotted up to the black centaur, Juvia still in the barrel on his back.

Crimson orbs looked up to the beat-up pair. "Yeah… I'll be fine. How 'bout you guys?

Juvia brought her hands together as she moved in close to the centaurs back. "Oh, my darling Gray and I are wonderful! He was so brave against those nasty beasts!"

The dark blue centaur groaned as he tilted his head away from the mermaid. "Will you stop it already? I only took you along caz I needed your powers as well as my own."

The mermaid wrapped her arms around the centaurs' neck and squeezed them tight. "Yes, my love! And it was glorious! I rounded them up into a sphere and you used your loving ice magic to freeze them! It was beautiful!"

As Gray choked and struggled against Juvia's pull, Gajeel snapped his head towards the old Pegasus tower after hearing a crack of lightning the sky. "Levy!" Both Gray and Juvia followed the dark centaurs gaze to the sky, seeing the clouds clear suddenly at the very top.

"Levy?" Gray asked. "Is she up there?"

"Yes! Come on, she needs our help!" Gajeel said as he quickly started to make his way towards the tower.

"Gajeel, look!" Juvia said quickly, making the large centaur stop in his tracks and look to the sky.

Crimson eyes rounded at what he saw next. "LEVY!" He shouted for a long minute.

"GET HER BEFORE SHE JUMPS!" Bacchus shouted at his pack as he saw Levy turn and head for the edge of the tower. The wolves were on her, nipping at her heels as she ran, but to no prevail. The cerulean centaur made it to the towers edge and with all her might, pushed off from the tower at the very last second, praying she was going to get far enough out that Gajeel could see her. She could hear Bacchus cry out in anger as his pack followed her off the tower.

Levy quickly transformed herself back into a human and prayed Gajeel saw her signal. 'Please have seen it, Gajeel!'

Gajeel saw the human girl free falling from the high tower as he raced towards the tower with Gray and Juvia. He kept his crimson gaze on the girl as he shouted in panic at the ice mage. "Make me a way to get up there, NOW!"

The dark blue centaur gritted his teeth and summoned all of his magic to his open palm and closed fist. He thrust both forward to create a long, and growing ice path leading up into the air. The iron magic centaur jumped onto the cold ice with haste, his hooves forming small spikes to help him run up the icy formation. Gajeels' heart was pounding in his chest. 'Levy! You idiot! I don't know if I'm going to make it to you in time! Why?! Why the hell did you do this?!'

Hazel eyes frantically scanned the sight below her as she fell, looking for any sign of the large centaur. Her attention was caught as she could hear Gajeel calling out her name. She turned her head and smiled in relief as she saw him. He was racing as fast as he could up the icy slope, his expression full of fear. As he neared the last bit of ice that Gray could conjure, Levy stuck her arm out, calling out his name. "Gajeel!"

The dark centaur clenched his jaw as he pushed his entire body off from the ice, his arms stretched out as far as they could to receive the girl who was falling. "Levy!" Once in arms reach, Gajeel grabbed the girls' arm and pulled her in close to his chest, his arms holding onto her tightly. "You idiot! What kind of plan was this?!"

Levy clung to the centaur's tunic and responded quickly. "A foolish one, I know! But just concentrate on how we are going to survive the landing!"

Crimson orbs rounded as Gajeel shouted back. "YOU DIDN'T THINK ABOUT THIS WHEN YOU RAN UP THE TOWER?!"

Levy in return, shouted back. "I HAD TO DO SOMETHING! THERE WASN'T ANYTIME TO REALLY THINK ABOUT THIS!"

The pair was quickly nearing the earth without a plan of action on surviving such a high fall. Gajeel held Levy in tighter as she shut her eyes and buried her face into his tunic. Before she could say anything else, the tanned centaur called her attention to look below them. Hazel eyes hesitated to open, but did as they were told. She peered down and saw a giant water geyser right below them. Relief came over them both as they saw Juvia down below working her magic to catch them and bring them both down to safety. Gajeel forced his front legs out ahead of him so they could take the brunt of the impact the water would have on them both. Both human and centaur sank into the water a few feet before Juvia worked her magic to gently set them down onto the ground.

Gray bent at his waist, trying to catch his breath as the pair made their way over to them. "Are you two… fucking mad?!" The dark blue centaur straightened himself out and brought his hands out in front of him. "What the hell were you thinking?!" He yelled at Levy as Gajeel set her down on her own two feet.

"I was thinking that I needed to do something dangerous to help out! And it worked! All of the wolves that followed Bacchus up the tower, jumped off with me and now, they are dead. I only wish Bacchus had jumped too." Levy said as she looked back up at the tower, thankful Gajeel and the others were able to save her from falling to her death.

"Yeah, well—that was really stupid of you!" Gray said through heaving breaths. "I had to run from all the way across the lake to get here so Juvia could save you guys! God damn it!" The centaur fell to his knees as his tired legs buckled underneath his body. Juvia came out of the barrel half way to comfort the centaur.

Gajeel growled as his eyes caught a glimpse of the indigo wolf headed straight for the entrance to Fairy Tail. "Get up, Gray. This ain't over yet!"

Levy looked around to see Bacchus retreating as well, but stopped Gajeel before he could chase after the wolf. "Wait, look." She said as she pointed to the rest of Fairy Tail. The surviving wolves began to retreat with their leader, seeing their numbers dwindling down, they knew they couldn't put up much more of a fight against the centaurs. They were becoming outnumbered and outmatched. They all retreated with their tails between their legs, or whimpering and whining from the wounds they had received in battle. "They are all leaving. They know they can't win!" Levy said excitedly. "There's no need to go after them if they are retreating. We've won."

Crimson orbs looked down at Levy with worry. "Yeah but—"

Levy held the centaur in place, her hazel eyes pleading with Gajeel. "Please… let them go. Everyone here is exhausted from the fight and you are pretty beat up yourself."

Gajeel groaned as he looked back up at the entrance to see the last of the wolves' escape, before looking back down to Levy. He let out a sign and put a hand over her blue hair. "Fine. You win, Shrimp."

"Hey! You guys ok?!" Called a voice from a distance. The small group turned to see Natsu, Lucy, two satyrs, Cana and Max headed their way. Lucy attached her whip to her belt loop on her side as she made her way up to Gajeel and Levy. "You guys don't look that bad of shape. Everyone here ok?" She asked.

Natsu stood beside Gray and poked him in the head repeatedly. "You look pretty worn out there, buddy!" He teased.

Gray snapped back at the red centaur. "You're more beat up than I am, you moron!"

"If anything, I think the Strauss siblings and Erza took on most of the intruders…" Max said as he rubbed the back of his head. "Those four look like they are going to be down for a week straight!"

Pantherlily put his hand on Gajeels' shoulder and gripped it lightly. "You alright, Gajeel?

"I'm fine." Gajeel said softly. His crimson orbs narrowed as they looked to Lily in his large form. "By the way…" His voice grew louder as he shouted at the large satyr. "WHERE THE HELL WERE YOU?! I REALLY COULD HAVE USED YOUR HELP!"

Lily brought a large fist down on the dark centaurs' head. "I was helping Lucy evacuate those who could not fight. I got some action in there at the end! Where were you?!"

Gajeel pointed to the long, upright ice spire. "Do you not see that?! I had to race up that damned thing to catch this stupid girl from becoming a pancake on the ground! All because she wanted to be a hero and try to get that damned wolf to jump to his death after her!"

"I'm surprised that Bacchus left without more of a fight. To be honest, it's a little unsettling." Levy said.

Natsu leaned back slightly, putting his arms behind his head as he spoke. "Eh, he probably saw that we were all kicking his packs butts and decided he had enough."

Happy jumped up onto the red centaur back. "I'm pretty sure that's not what happened Natsu…"

Before the pink haired centaur could argue, Levy spoke. "He's right, though. It felt like Bacchus gave this all up too quickly."

Lucy stepped in front of everyone and spoke. "Look, the important thing is, they are gone and we are alive. Let's round up those who fought and go find Wendy so she can check us over for major injuries. She was with the centaurs who hid past the forest. Let's go."

Hazel eyes stayed on the entrance of the guild, but shook her head as she started to walk along side Gajeel and Lily. She paused for a moment and brought her hand up to her metal cuff on her ear. She lightly pressed the glowing jewel inside and transformed herself back into a centaur. As the blue haired centaur walked along side Gajeel, her mind wondered. 'Even though part of my plan worked, I still wasn't able to take Bacchus down. Granted I probably could have used my magic against him, but I was putting my own self at risk of an attack from his pack. Did I make the right call? What if he decides to come back again with a whole new army of wolves? What then? Will we be ready? Or will they just come in and create havoc once more? Maybe I should have—'

"Oof!" Levy said suddenly as Gajeel lightly hit her head with his fist. Hazel eyes looked to the centaur at her side. "Gajeel?"

Crimson orbs looked at her with caring concern. "You're in your head. Stop it. We're alive and that's what matters now. Don't dwell on the what ifs."

Levy was speechless for a moment before nodding in agreement. "You're right. We are alive. I'm glad. Oh and, thanks for catching me, Gajeel." She said with a soft smile.

Gajeel half smirked as he looked away from the centaur at his side. His large hand ruffled her blue hair as they walked. "Yeah well, if I didn't, who else would I have to tease around here? Lily could take me out with one punch, so he's out of the question." With a slight giggle, Levy pushed the larger centaur away, causing him to chuckle and come right back to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her in close, thankful he was able to catch her too.

Later that night…

Gajeel stepped out of his tent and adjusted his dark grey tunic on his torso. "Well, this beats the one I was wearing earlier. This one at least doesn't smell like mutt." He said jokingly as Lily walked up beside him and jumped up onto his back.

The satyr looked down the path to where Levy's tent was located. "You sure you want to leave her without saying anything?"

Gajeel started off down the path. "Nah, I don't need her to worry about us. Besides, that bastard of a wolf is on his last leg. There ain't no way he could have gotten far by now and will be willing to put up that much of a fight. I just want to get this done quickly and quietly."

"You should at least let Erza know about this, Gajeel." The black satyr said.

"Like hell I'd tell her! She'd reem me a new one if I told her what I was doing! Lets just get out of here so we can take care of this issue and get back before anyone notices." The centaur said as he began to trot down the path, the entrance to Fairy Tail in sight.

Just before reaching the entrance, a hushed voice called out the centaurs' name. Gajeel knew who it was immediately and stopped to see Levy making her way towards him. He let out a sigh as he turned and walked up to meet her. Her expression was concerned and confused as she looked at him and Lily. "What are you two up to?"

"We're going to go track down Bacchus and finish the job. I'm going to make sure he isn't going to come back." He said with an unwavering tone.

Levy shook her head in disapproval. "What?! No!"

"Why not?!" Gajeel began to argue. "I know you were thinking about that possibility earlier after the fight! I'm sure you were probably somehow blaming yourself as well, right?!"

"Yes, but that's besides the point! You two can't just leave and go after him! it's the middle of the night and you both fought hard today." The dappled centaur argued back.

"Then what the hell are you doing out here at this hour?" Gajeel asked as he looked around to see no one else out and about.

"I was helping Wendy out! There were a lot of injuries on a lot of centaurs. I figured she could use a hand. Look, just let me go change and I'll come with you two. I can help." She said as she started to turn.

Gajeel reached out and grabbed her arm lightly, catching her attention. "No. Not this time."

Hazel eyes looked at the centaur in disbelief. "What? Why?!"

The black coated centaur loosened his grip on her arm and stepped in close, wrapping his arms around her torso and resting his head on hers. "Levy… I don't… I don't want to take another chance with you fighting anyone. Helping or not, I don't want to lose you."

Levy could feel tears forming out of frustration as she clung to Gajeels' tunic. "And I do?! I know you are taking Lily with you, but… what if that's not enough?!" Hazel eyes looked up to crimson red as she pushed off the centaur's chest. "I don't want to lose you either, Gajeel! I love you!"

Gajeel's expression was soft as his large hand reached up to the mares' cheek, his thumb lightly wiping away a fallen tear. He leaned over slightly and planted a soft kiss on Levy's forehead. "I know. And because I love you too… I need to do this. So, I know you and I are safe. So, we can continue on loving one another." A soft smile graced his lips as he lifted up the mares fallen head by her cheek, making those glinting hazel eyes look back at him. "So, we can go to Paradise together. I will return so we can start planning our trip to Tenrou Island. That is a promise I will not break. Because you are going to be my pillar of strength for when I face my parents. I'll need you more than ever when that time comes, Levy. So please… let me do this."

Levy's voice trembled as she spoke his name softly. She didn't want him to do this, even with the help from Lily, the dappled centaur thought this was all still too dangerous. But this centaur before her was stubborn, and not even her fearful pleas were going to stop him from doing what he thought was the right thing to do. Levy finally hung her head and nodded in agreement. She could feel the soft hand once again pull her head up to face him as Gajeel leaned over once more to plant another soft kiss across her warm lips. Her hands shook as they gripped his tunic tightly, her hazel eyes closed lightly as she took this kiss in for a long minute. Levy didn't want this to end, this quiet moment. She begged in her mind for him not to leave, screamed at herself to protest once more.

As Gajeel broke their tender kiss, he whispered. "I'll be back soon. I love you, Levy."

The blue haired centaur released her grip on the dark grey tunic as Gajeel slowly backed away a few steps before turning and heading out of Fairy Tail into the night. Levy stood in place, unable to stop a worried tear from falling down her cheek as she whispered back. "I love you too, idiot."

AN:

I wanted to write the next chapter and include it with this one since its most likely going to be shorter, but you all have waited long enough and there was a lot going on in this chapter so I decided to just hold off on the next one.

A couple of things…

I'm sorry if it felt all over the place, I kinda wanted the chapter to have a chaotic feel to it because of the attack on FT and all. I really hope it all made sense, I wanted to go further into everyone's fight, but changed my mind because I wanted to get the chapter posted and because I had changed what everyone was doing from what I had originally planned.

I'm not entirely sure if I ever mentioned if Happy had any kind of special abilities, so I threw in that he has super strength in a sense, kinda wanted to stay the path of the show since Happy really can't do much other than fly and do some fighting.

Also, I'm sorry if the Jerza part seems a bit repetitive, I was trying to do something semi steamy with those two but again… changed my mind because of reasons. I also wanted to just emphasize I guess that Jellal/Mystogan is really struggling to process what happened with Erza long ago and the fact that he has been forced to become someone else and now wants his old life back

Lisanna is supposed to be a 'Harpy' of some sorts. I didn't want to go with the cat form because she's always in it in the show and I wanted to do something different so I hope that part made some kind of sense lol ( sorry if it didn't ) everyone being centaurs makes writing certain things harder XD

Anywhos, that's all I've got for now. I really hope this long chapter made up for my stupid long absence. I am hopeful that I can get another chapter up sometime soon and then take a small break to try to get other stories updated that haven't been touched in probably a year or so…

Thanks for reading!

-ko