Fairy Tail

Ultear didn't want to believe what she saw before her. She had spent days running through the cold, trying to get back to her home, to her mother. And now she was finally here, only to see her mother down there, with new children. Her mother had sent Ultear away, and had gotten two to replace her. Was that all Ultear was to her? Just a goldfish that could be replaced?

Ultear wanted to run back to the institution, for no reason other than spite, and let them do whatever they may have wanted with her. Let them do all sorts of experiments and the like. But... when Ultear tried to turn and go away, she found she couldn't; her legs weren't obeying her mind. Rather, her body seemed to be moving of its own accord, as she slowly opened her mouth. With that, Ultear finally forced the word out…

"Mommy!"

Ur froze dead still, as she slowly looked in the direction of the voice, and locked eyes with her daughter. Her jaw dropped, and her eyes widened, as the boys with her looked up in confusion. Tears then began to well in Ur's eyes, as she covered her mouth. Meanwhile, Ultear just stood there, her legs refusing to move.

"Ultear?" Ur called, as she started to run up the hill to where her daughter was. All the while, Ultear continued to stand still, even as her mother came upon her, falling to one knee.

"Ultear," she said again, as she slowly reached out, cupping her face. She ran her hand through her daughter's hair, and stroked her cheek.

"My baby," she cried, as she suddenly pulled Ultear into the tightest embrace possible as she started to sob. Ultear just remained still, as tears began to well in her own eyes. While she was in her mother's arms, she noticed the others boys coming upon her. They still looked confused by the sight, but seemed to smile at the happy scene. With that, Ultear weakly reached up, to wrap her arms around her mother.

"I don't want to go back there," she said softly.

"Don't you worry," Ur said, tightening her hold on her daughter, "I'm never letting you go again."

(|)

"Morning," Ur said as she came up to the stand, while the kids waited off to the side. Gray and Lyon had taken to Ultear fairly well, and though they did have the typical kid arguments, they remained otherwise friendly with each other. In fact, there were a couple times where Ur would wake up in the night, and found the three lying together under the covers.

"Good morning, Ur," the shop keeper said, "I'm surprised to see you back so soon. Weren't you just here a couple days ago?"

"Yeah, but I'm already running low on some stuff," Ur said with a shrug, "If anything you're going to probably be seeing more of me right now."

"I can imagine, with three kids now" the keeper said, before she glanced past Ur, "You do realize one of them's stripping right now, right?" Ur glanced back, and saw that Gray had taken off his shirt, to which Ur slapped her forehead.

"Honestly it's probably my fault," she said, dragging it down her face, "But I stand by that the best way to learn Ice Magic is to expose yourself to it." The keeper couldn't help but chuckle at that.

"I can only imagine how full your hands are," she said, "You're basically a mother of three now." At that, Ur visibly flinched as she cast her gaze to the ground.

"Oh, I'm sorry, I know you don't like referring to them like that," the keep said.

"Actually no," Ur said, shaking her head, "It's alright." She then looked back at the kids; Gray was starting to take off his pants, which Ultear was scolding him for, and Lyon was laughing at him, as a smile began to work its way onto her lips.

"I didn't want to think of them that way for a long time," Ur explained, "Because I didn't want to see them as just replacements for my lost daughter. But now…". It eventually got to a point where Ultear hit Gray on the head, and when Lyon laughed Gray hit him in the head, until it turned into a small kids brawl.

"They're not just my students," Ur said, her smile broadening, "They were never just my students." With that, Ur turned and went back to her children, who broke it up when they saw their mother coming upon them.

"Come on," she said, carrying her groceries under her arm, "Let's get back home."

"Finally," Gray griped, "It's so cold."

"So put on some clothes!" Ultear snapped.

(|)

"Ultear…"

"Mommy…"

"Take care of your brothers for me, because you're all in this together now. And don't blame each other, it'll just make things harder."

"But you promised! You promised you'd never let me go again!"

"Don't worry, I'll never be too far. And you'll have your brothers with you"

"Mommy!"

"I love you, Ultear."

The last thing Ultear heard before blacking out, was the sound of Deliora roaring one last time.

/|\

Though Zeref didn't have any plans for Ishgar (at least in the Imperial sense), he still liked to be kept informed on what was happening there. Things had the tendency to snowball if left unattended, and Zeref preferred stopping things before they got out of hand. That's why he had agents on the continent, some in rather high places.

"That's the conclusion of my report, Emperor," Jellal said, as he knelt before the communication lacrima, "Fortunately, it's been a quiet month." Jellal Fernandes was one of the children Irene liberated when she ventured to the Tower to save her daughter. Erza and Jellal were virtually inseparable, so Irene wasn't inclined to separate them. A couple years ago, Jellal volunteered to serve as an agent for the Empire in Ishgar; him ending up on the Magic Council was an unexpected boon, though. It was a testament to his ability really. The Emperor nodded at the report, though a grin then worked its way onto his face.

"I hear Natsu made quite the first impression on Ishgar." Jellal frowned, then sighed; he had a feeling this wouldn't be the last time he heard of the prince's endeavors.

"He's definitely earned the Council's attention," he answered, "Don't worry, I'll do my best to keep them off our backs." Of course, Natsu had to work with him that regard, and at least try to restrain his more "fiery" impulses, but Jellal suspected that may have been asking for the moon.

"However, there is no word as to dragon sighting," Jellal then added. At that, the Emperor frowned, as he put a hand to his chin. Ever since the rise of Acnologia, Zeref had kept a close tab on the remaining dragons in the world. Excluding Acnologia and Irene, as well as the five dragons who came from the past in the Dragon Slayers, Zeref only knew of five (and even then he only really knew their names): Selene, Ignia, Mercphobia, Aldoron, and Viernes. Anyone of them could've been the dragon sighted over Ishgar, even though the last he heard, they were on the Northern continent.

"Well, just keep me appraised," Zeref said with a nod, "It would be better if I could provide our expedition with up to date information."

"Yes, Your Majesty," Jellal said, bowing his head again.

"I hope you'll make time to pay Erza a visit." At that, Jellal flushed a brief red, as he coughed into his hand.

"Of course, Sire," he said.

"Stay safe, Jellal," the Emperor said with a nod, before the image faded away. Jellal sighed. His Majesty was right in one regard: he did need to make time to see Erza.

(|)

It had been a quick ride by train (at least for everyone but Natsu, who it may as well have been an eternity for) from Hargeon to the town of Magnolia. It was a decent sized town, that stood on the shores of a large lake. The group was lead down the street, past an impressive looking cathedral, until they came upon a large building, that stood over most of its surroundings. It had a sign that had the same symbol Gray and Ultear wore, and the words "FAIRY TAIL" in bold letters.

"Well, this is it," Ultear said, with a confident nod.

"Wow!" Lucy said, even she wasn't sure why she was so impressed. She'd seen buildings 20x the size of this in Alvarez (heck, she lived in one), but something about this place really got to her. It was hard to explain, it was just how she felt. Unfortunately, her fiancé didn't seem to think the same way.

"It's not so special," Natsu said, before he got slapped upside the head by Lucy, "OW! Jeez, what was that for?"

"Natsu!" Lucy scolded, wagging a finger at him, "Be polite!" With that, the siblings pushed open the door.

"Hey!" Ultear called as she stepped in, "We're home!"

The first thing the Alvarez folk noticed was the smell. It was a combination of different kinds of food, alcohol, and an ozone smell that often accompanied some kinds of magic. Then there was the noise, which sounded like almost a hundred voices stacked on top of each other.

"Hey you guys!" A guy with a weird hairdo and a pipe called, "Welcome back!"

"How'd it go?" Another guy with purple hair and stubble added.

"It went fine, though we didn't end up doing much," Ultear said, as she made their way in, "I'll tell you in just a moment, but first, we…"

"My darling!" Everyone looked over to see a young woman with long blue hair that was curled at the base, and very fair skin with pretty blue eyes. She was wearing a blue coat lined with fur, with a brooch with the Fairy Tail symbol, and a large fur hat running towards them.

"Juvia!" Gray said happily, as the blue-haired woman leapt into his arms, wrapping her legs around his waist.

"I missed you so much!" she said, nuzzling him, "I was worried someone may have galavanted away with you!"

"Come on, I told you don't need to worry about it," Gray said, still smiling, even as the woman cuddled him.

"Well she's an affectionate one," Lucy said, with a slight sweat drop.

"That's Juvia Lockser," Ultear explained, with an amused grin "She's Gray's girlfriend." Lucy couldn't help but be taken by how loving this Juvia was being to Gray, and despite herself, she spared a glance at Natsu, who was just looking around, taking the place in. She then sighed.

"Oh, welcome back," a beautiful woman carrying a tray said as she came up. She had long, wavy white hair, and was wearing a red dress, with a kind smile on her face. She looked vaguely familiar to Lucy; they generally didn't get Ishgar publications in the Empire, but occasionally, Lucy would nab an issue of something called Sorcerer Weekly, and she could've sworn she saw this woman on their once or twice.

"Thanks, Mira," Gray said, through Juvia's cuddles, "Though I think we could really use something to eat right now."

"Well, I'll get started on it," the woman said, her smile widening, as she noticed the others, "I see you brought some friends. Well, my name's Mirajane, Mirajane Strauss. You can call me Mira."

"Hi Mira!" Lucy greeted, holding up her hand with a smile, "My name's Lucy, and this is Natsu, Erza, and Brandish."

"And I'm Happy!" Happy said, bouncing up. Mirajane stared at Happy for a time, her mouth slightly open, as Lucy could see her eyes starting to get gradually wider, and a "squeeing" sound started to gradually heighten in pitch, before she all but threw the tray off to the side (apparently hitting someone in the process).

"So cute!" She said, as she snatched Happy in her arms, and started squeezing him like a python.

"Gah!" Happy cried, "Natsu! Help!" The Dragon Slayer just couldn't help but laugh slightly, which Lucy had to agree with.

"So," Mirajane said, not letting go of Happy (who slumped down in her arms), "Are you guys new recruits? We're always happy to get new members."

"Not necessarily," Erza said, "I actually need to speak with your guild master." Mirajane cocked her head, surprised by the request, before nodding, as she finally released Happy, who weakly floated away, onto Brandish's shoulder.

"Just a moment," she said, as she stepped away.

"I hope your job went well," Juvia said as she finally let Gray go, "I was so worried."

"You didn't need to worry," Gray said, shaking his head, "Those guys were really no trouble."

"What're you talking about?" Natsu piped up, as he put his hands behind his head, "Lucy and I did most of the work. You just sat back and watched, like a bunch of slugs."

"You trying to start something, Pyro?" Gray said, glaring at Natsu.

"You'd better hope not!" Natsu answered, returning the glare, "Cause I'd kick your ass if I do!"

"You think you're tough just because you took down some bandit twerps?" Gray said, as he and Natsu got in each other's faces.

"He's right, you now." Lucy looked over to see a big man with spiky white hair, wearing a blue jacket with some symbol Lucy didn't recognize on the back.

"Real men don't let other men fight their fights," he said, "You should…" He was silenced, as his face was suddenly frozen, knocking him back.

"You stay out of this, Elfman!" Gray shouted. The man, Elfman, stumbled back, breaking a table where a a man with spiky, maroon hair was sitting. Elfman apparently landed on some of his food, sending it scattering.

"Hey!" He said, jumping to his feet, "Stay away from my lunch!"

"Erik," a woman with short purple hair, wearing green overalls said, "Please don't."

"No way," "Erik" answered, as he cracked his knuckles, "I'm going to shut them all up now." The girl just sighed, shaking her head slightly. With that, Erik kicked Elfman away, causing him to crash into Gray, sending them both careening.

"Gray, my love!" Juvia cried, as she chased after him. Natsu laughed at the sight, only to get hit in the head by what looked like an apple.

"That's it!" Natsu said, as he literally jumped into the fray.

"Natsu!" Lucy protested.

"Uh…" Lucy turned to see an attractive, and rather scantily dressed woman, with long, brown hair, sitting at the bar, her feet propped on a bucket, with a mug of ale in one hand, and some kind of playing card in the other.

"Can't a girl enjoy a drink in peace?" She grumbled, before taking a swig.

"Is this normal?" Lucy asked nervously, pointing at the brawl starting to break out.

"You got no idea, Sis," the woman said, as she emptied her mug, setting it upside down on the bar, looking at her, "The name's Cana Clive, by the way."

"Well, nice to meet you, Cana," Lucy said, with a smile, "I know this isn't the best first impression, but…"

"Don't worry, I told you this was normal, didn't I?" Cana asked, with a slight grin.

"I swear," Erza said, shaking her head at the sight of things, "You would think Natsu would have more…". She didn't finish, as she was suddenly bashed in the head by a mug.

"Erza!" Lucy said. At first, the scarlet haired swordsman didn't answer, but her eye twitched slightly, and Lucy knew what that meant, as she quickly stepped back.

"Who threw that?!" Erza demanded, as she manifested a sword in her hand, "Tell me and I may spare you!" She didn't wait for an answer, as she launched herself into the fight, adding one more person to the massive kerfuffle

"Everyone here is crazy!" Lucy cried, as the guild devolved into an all out brawl. All that time, Brandish just watched stoically, but with a slight twinkle in her eye.

"Well, we try," a wizened voice said. Lucy looked down and to the side, and saw Mirajane had returned, and standing beside her was a small man in a blue and orange outfit, and a jester hat. And when Lucy said small, she meant small, like barely taller than Happy.

"He's so tiny!" Said cat declared.

"The name's Makarov Dreyar, Third Master of the guild that is Fairy Tail," the small man said. Somehow, Erza heard that, as she pulled herself away from the fight, and came over to where Makarov was standing.

"So what can I do for you?" he asked. The scarlet haired would've been rather taken that such an unimposing man would be the leader of a magic guild, but the same could definitely be said of her own monarchs. She then eyed the rest of the room.

"It would perhaps be best if we discussed this in private," Erza said. Makarov arched an eyebrow, but just shrugged.

"Well, I don't see why not," he said, before gesturing, "Just follow me." With that, he lead Erza into the back.

"Wait!" Lucy said, "What about this fight here?"

"Eh," Ultear said, as she leaned on the bar, "They'll eventually get bored and do something else."

"Not sure if you can say the same thing about Natsu," Happy said with a sweat drop.

"In the meantime, here's a little something on the house," Mirjanae said, "Think of it as a welcome gift." She then came over with a slice of chocolate cake.

"Ooooh," Brandish cooed, as her eyes began to sparkle at the sight of the sweet. Lucy recognized that look in her eyes.

"Brandish," she said slowly, "I really don't think…" But it was too late, as Brandish snapped her fingers, and in an instant, the cake doubled in size. Lucy couldn't help but sigh at that.

"Well, I guess I should've expected as much," she said.

(|)

"So," Makarov said, as he hopped onto his desk, and folded his arms, "What was so important that you didn't want anyone else to hear it." Erza took a breath, as she nodded.

"My name is Erza Belserion," she explained, "With me are Natsu Dragneel, Lucy Heartfilia, and Brandish μ. We're from the Alvarez Empire, sent here by Emperor Spriggan, and Empress Fae." The guild master looked at her for a time, narrowing his eyes.

"Alvarez you say?" He said slowly. Erza nodded, before Makarov took a breath.

"So, you're the ones she told me about?" he said, with a slightly nod, which confused Erza, not at all sure what he meant by this.

"Yes, and it's good to know they got here in a timely manner," a familiar voice said. Erza whirled around, to see the Empress of Alvarez sitting on the bookshelf, dangling her feet over the edge, the typical big smile on her face.

"Erza!" Mavis said happily, "I'm so glad to see you made it here safely. In hindsight, I maybe shouldn't have asked Brandish to diffuse the information to the rest of you."

"Your Majesty!" Erza said, falling to one knee.

"Oh, no need for that," Mavis said, waving her hand, "I'm merely here as a thought projection, my body's still back in Alvarez."

"She told me to expect you and your compatriots," Makarov explained. Erza looked at the small man in surprise, the last thing she would've thought was that her Empress was familiar with a Fiore guild master, and she was confused.

"But, I don't understand," Erza said, "How do you…"

"I was the first master of Fairy Tail," Mavis interrupted, her smile widening, which was equaled by Erza's eyes doing the same. Erza always knew that their Empress was immortal, it was a known fact at court as a matter of fact. But she was polite enough not to pry into her past, and she never thought to wonder. However, this still was rather low on her expectations.

"Sorry I didn't tell you earlier," Mavis explained, "I suppose it just never came up."

"No, I guess not," Erza said slowly.

"But now that you're here, I can go into greater detail," Mavis said, "I wish for you all to join the Fairy Tail guild." Erza tried not to openly balk at her sovereign, but it was hard. Was the Empress really asking them to join with a foreign guild?

"But the Emperor said…"

"The alternative is just blindly wandering Ishgar, looking for something you may not actually know," Mavis interjected, "Guilds are actually good places to gather information. By joining, if only temporarily, you'll have a direct line."

"Indeed," Makarov added, "The magic world here in Ishgar orbits around the guild system, and any news in it inevitably comes here."

"Exactly," Mavis said, "So I'll leave you to that, for now. I'll be checking back in as time goes on." With that, she winked away, before Erza could ask anything else.

"Welcome to our guild," Makarov said calmly, with a slight nod. Erza just opened and closed her mouth, and she processed what she had just been told.

"I have no idea where we're going to live," she finally said.

(|)

"Are you certain?"

"Yes, my Lord. What little remains of those weaklings in Hargeon confirmed it, as did our contact in the Council."

"So some folks from the Western continent have made their way across the sea. Let's not keep them waiting."

Note: So far, this was the longest chapter, though that wasn't by design, it was more by coincidence. At any rate, it seems not only is Ultear a member of Fairy Tail, so is Juvia (more on that below), Cobra (or Erik as he'll be called in this), and Kinana. The latter two make sense, since they were certainly liberated from the Tower of Heaven as well when Irene came.

There were a number of questions I was posed when conceiving this. The first one was whether or not to have Lisanna be present; Lisanna's "death" was a catalyzing event in Mirajane and Elfman's backstory, and one of the chief reasons they were the characters they were when the story started, and I ultimately decided that Natsu's absence wouldn't be enough to change the course of events. The second question was how much Makarov would know concerning Mavis; I doubt she would hide things from him, especially because Fairy Heart can't exist in this timeline. Thirdly, I decided to excise the Phantom Lord arc, mostly because I didn't think I had anything to add to it, especially since part of the villain's motivation (getting Lucy), wasn't present in this continuity. On that note, I decided to have Juvia be a member of Fairy Tail from the offset, and to be in a relationship with Gray; to those wondering why, I think it's apparent at this point as to the format of this story, so there will be a backstory segment based around Juvia (SIDEBAR: I liked Juvia with the big curls, so for the moment, I'm using that look). On that note, I originally had a final segment in the flashback, but I decided that I didn't really need to, since I think people knew how it went, and this leaves an opportunity to potentially expand on it more in the future.

One last thing, which I want to get out right now, is that Brandish is going to be slightly nerfed; we're not given solid limitations on Brandish's power in the manga, to the point it has the potential to be story breaking if one's not careful. To that end, I'm placing the following limit on Brandish: she cannot manipulate the size of living beings, only inanimate objects, and the bigger she makes something, the more power it takes. Like any shounen, those limitations can be overcome, and I'm going to leave it at that.

Be sure to leave a comment. Also, I'm not in the habit of deleting reviews, unless said reviews are particularly egregious; I only bring this up because I had an anonymous reviewer leave a comment, just to say they weren't going to read it because they didn't like the pairings. Look, I'm going to be blunt: the pairings are listed in the description, plain as daylight, and if pairings are a deal breaker for you, then don't complain about it, since I'm not forcing you to read this.