January 5th x778
Crocus, Fiore
11:50 AM
"I know we've been through some shit, but even that's sound far-fetched to me," Sting sat his drink on the table and folded his arms across his chest.
"Seriously Weiss, that's where you're drawing the line?" Lucy sighed before waving down a waiter. Whilst the diner employee collected their dish, the Celestial Wizard continued on. "We live in a world where all forms of magic exist, and you can't imagine that happening."
"Nah, magic can explain a lot of shit, but not that." The dragonslayer shook his head while he paid the tab. "Besides, how do you know Natsu isn't messing with you?"
"Natsu is serious about when it comes to eating and fighting, and he loves to eat flames." Lucy tapped her chin as they left the small cafe. "So, I doubt this is something he can lie about. Isn't it true for you too?"
"No, because it's light. There's no taste for the color white." He said exasperated. "Do you hear yourself?"
"It's true!" Rebecca exclaimed. As wild as the story sounded, she meant every word. "Natsu said fire can taste different. Blue flames are cold like a popsicle, and orange flames are spicy."
He shrugged. "What's next? You're gonna say Juvia thinks different brands of water taste different,"
"How you have enhanced senses and think all water tastes the same? How dare you?" Lucy jokingly gasped.
"Nah, you're just sensitive," Sting playfully poked her side as they arrived at the palace's double golden gates. "So, where are the old men?"
"I spoke to Master Makarov last night, and he said that they will be arriving together. I'm assuming this means Karen and Ichiya will be with them."
The dragonslayer answered sarcastically with an added eye-roll. "Let's just hope it goes smoothly, but knowing our luck, someone's gonna fuck it up,"
"Master Makarov and Bob will be here, so it will be fine. My Master knows how to do damage control."
"I doubt that with your guild's reputation."
Before Lucy had the chance to refute Sting's sly comment, four Royal Guards from the Magic Council walked out the front gates. Noticing the two lingering outside the palace's walls, two of the guards slightly tightened their grip on their staffs. Sting crossed his arms at the sight of them. His partner let out a sigh of annoyance and approached the officials.
"Is there something wrong officers?"
"Are you Lucy Heartfilia and Sting Eucliffe?" One of the guards asked as he pulled a document from his pocket.
"What's it to you?" The dragonslayer retorted with a hint of aggression in his voice.
"I'll handle this," The fairy said to her partner with a quick glare at him. "How can we be of help?"
"You're under arrest for identity theft and conspiring against the Kingdom of Fiore. You have the right to retain and instruct counsel without delay. You also have the right to free and immediate legal advice-"
"EHHHHH?!"
Sting's shouting indirectly caught the attention of the nearby civilians. "What do you mean we're under arrest?!"
"In accordance with the Magic Council's request, we are authorized to arrest you and seize anything on your person, including any magic items."
"I can't believe this is happening..." Lucy gasped as she instinctively hovered her hand over her keys. "We haven't done anything. We're law-binding citizens of Fiore."
"Surround them and take them in custody!" The more outspoken guard declared as more flooded out the castle's gate until several rings formed around the two.
"What the hell is happening?!" The dragonslayer gritted his teeth as Lucy placed her back against his.
"I don't know, but we can't give up now," Lucy sighed as she unhooked two golden keys. "Open! Gate of Golden Bull and Paired Fish! Taurus and Pisces!"
"Although we fought in the past, we will serve her to the very end," Pisces announced as she slammed her trident against the ground.
"I've been blessed to fight with two beautiful beauties!" Taurus mooed with hearts in his eyes.
"Hehe, you're a fairy to the end, huh?" Sting cracked his knuckles as he lit his fists with luminescent light. "I'm right behind y'all!"
"Do not allow any of them to escape justice!" The Royal Guard declared as the men closed in the mages.
Lucy snaps her whips at the soldier's feet as Taurus swipes at them with his large battle-ax. Pisces aided their spirit by breaking through the shields and staffs of those closest to Lucy. Sting alone was enough to handle the other half of the onslaught. The dragonslayer grinned wickedly as he smashed his fists into his opponent's skulls.
The guards retaliate with rounds of magic bullets. The back row armed themselves with highly concentrated magic bullets and rained down the four rebels. The Golden Bull and Pisces screamed out in pain as they endured the shots.
Witnessing this, Lucy called forth Sagittarius's Star Dress and equipped her bow. Focusing her aim on the magic above them, the Fairy Tail mage countered each bullet in the air as a means of protecting her spirits and Sting. With the powerhouses attempting to dwindle down the guards' number, Lucy focused on providing support either through defending or sniping the farther guards.
"What in the name of the crown are you lot doing?!" A booming voice halted the fighting with a single question.
In the midst of the commotion, no one had noticed that King Fiore stood mere feet away with a younger Arcadious to his left. Almost immediately, Lucy closed her spirits gates and released her Star Dress. Sting follows suit as the remaining Royal Guards stood at attention.
"Not only do you cause a ruckus in the capital of our country, but you also do in front of my castle. Do you have no shame!?"
"My sincerest apologies my king," The leading guard respectfully bowed, "We were following through with a request from the Magic Council, but they began to resist arrest."
"I will have a word with the Magic Council at another time," King Fiore groaned as he rubbed his temples. "For now, do not follow through with that request under no circumstance, understand?"
"Ye-Yes, your majesty."
"Good," The king nodded in approval before turning to us. "As for you two, I want you to follow me into the castle. There's much to discuss with the others. Arcadious, please sort out this misunderstanding while I handle this business."
"Yes, thank you for having an audience with us," Lucy bowed respectfully before following behind the king. Sting quickly gave the Royal Guards the bird before running after Lucy and the King.
January 5th x778
Mercurius (King's Castle)
1:00 PM
The duo found themselves walking into a grandiose meeting room. The interior was intricately designed to the King's style. In the center of the room, Lucy spotted some familiar faces speaking amongst themselves. Different memorable individuals gathered in one place. Rilo and Luka were entertaining the young Yoko Agria. Lucy almost fainted when she saw Detective Saisuke and Kiriyo conversing with Varian Agria and Anna Heartfilia. Shu, Sho's biological father, was observing the situation from a distance as Kamika and Cosmos stood beside him. With curious eyes, the Celestial Wizard turns to the King.
"Er...King Fiore, excuse me, but why are they here?" She tried to phrase it in the most respectful manner possible. "I thought it would be a closed audience between us and the others."
"Normally, I would like to keep mages out of my castle, but the situation is...certainly abnormal." The King sighed as he played with his mustache. "Against my better judgment and Makarov's request, I summoned those who you've made the biggest impact on."
"Well, this is gonna be a shit show," Sting grumbled under his breath as he glared at the detectives.
"When will Master Makarov and Bob arrive?" Lucy asked the king as she jabbed her partner in the ribcage.
"Shortly, I will begin the meeting they arrive. Hopefully, no one will be arrested again," He remarked with a slight scowl. "Mind explaining why you two have charges brought against you by the Magic Council?"
"I'm not entirely sure myself," She answered with a hint of conflict in her voice. Everyone that knew she would be here and her real name are people who she trusts with her life, so did this happen? "Master Makarov and Loke are the only ones who knew where we would be and our real names, so how did the Magic Council know?"
Sting folded his arms across his chest. "Betcha the detectives are behind this."
"That is true. They have been investigating us and learned our real names, but they shouldn't have known we would be here unless someone here told them," Lucy theorized. "But, who here would gain from it? No one in this room has bad blood with us."
"Then, it must be someone we pissed off like that casino woman or that Titanium guild,"
"It's possible, but why would they turn to the Magic Council? It almost feels out of character for them."
"Someone must be the mastermind behind this." The King frowned. "I will return shortly. I need to have a word with the Magic Council."
King Fiore calmly walked away from the duo as two new guards appeared to follow behind him. Lucy and Sting shared a moment of brief eye contact before deciding their next move.
"I guess we should mingle until Master Makarov and the others come," Lucy offered.
"Probably, but I wish there was something to eat. I'm kinda hungry," Sting answered dissatisfied.
"Wiess, we just came from a cafe, and you ordered half the menu," She sweatdropped. "I think you're good for a couple of hours."
"You keep underestimating my stomach," He playfully retorted as they approached their friends.
Almost instantly, they were recognized and surrounded by Luka, Detective Saisuke, Anna, Varian, and Rilo.
"It's certainly been a while since we last spoke," The detective smiled while Anna pulled Lucy into a tight hug.
"Certainly," The Celestial Wizard tried her best to put up a convincing smile. "How did the drug cartel operation go?"
The detective answered with a hint of regret in his tone. "We didn't uncover anything groundbreaking,"
"That's right. I talked to the Veilstone President about that," Rilo tapped her finger against her chin. "Normally, he would just call Luka or me when it comes to dealing mischief and crimes, and the president knew that we were entering the tournament. Why call in two detectives?"
"Oh yeah, Mr. Prez even called the Chief of the Police to ask about it." Luka's face lit up as he recalled the conversation. "The chief look at us like we were crazy."
Detective Saisuke let out a dry chuckle. "It's not entirely surprising. I answer to the Magic Council, so it's rare for us to inform others about our actions."
"..." Varian's frown went unnoticed by the majority of people around. The Agria man spared the detective a curious glance before shaking his head.
"Hey, Wiess! Can we spar?!" The fire in Luka's eyes burned with excitement. "When you fought Loki, your aura was like nothing I ever have seen before. It was like I was watching a dragon right before me! It was so cool."
"A dragon, huh?" The dragonslayer sweatdropped for a moment before bouncing back. "I'm always down for brawl, but can you keep up?"
"You're not fighting in the castle," Lucy facepalmed before she shook her head out of embarrassment. "The King invited us here with a purpose. Let's try to be civil until we have all the information."
"The logical conclusion," Detective Saisuke hummed in agreement as the doors opened once more. Five figures came into view. "And, it seems the plot thickens a bit more."
"Is that Makarov Dreyar?!" Luka exclaimed. "Isn't he one of the Ten Wizard Saints?! What is he doing here?"
"And Fairy Tail's guild master," Varian commented as Master Makarov, Master Bob, Karen, Ichiya, and Scorpio approached them.
Lucy hated to admit this, but Scorpio's appearance was sickening. His complexion had faded significantly during these past months in the human world. His clothes hung off his starved body. The spirit's tail was dented in some areas and leaking sand out of some holes. It was clear he never got the chance to repair his tail since their last meeting.
"Scorpio..." Lucy let out a shallow gasp as she approached him to cup his face.
"Aye, it's my girl's master," Scorpio managed a weak smile. "How's...How's Aquarius doing?"
"Aquarius...Aquarius is worried about you. Scorpio, you have to close your gate." She pleaded. "You can barely stand let alone walk."
"Know your place!" Karen snapped as she pushed Lucy away. "It will do no such thing! It will remain in this world as long as I demand it!"
"You know that a spirit can't survive in the world!" The Fairy Tail mage gritted her teeth as glared at her enemy. "It's only a matter of time before he fades from existence. You will throw the Celestial World into chaos!"
"That's not my problem," Karen answered with an indifferent tone.
Master Bob's fierce glare hush both girls. "That's enough, Karen. We are here on official business with the King."
Master Makarov frowned as his child hung her head in shame. "The same goes for you, Rebecca,"
"Sorry master..."
"About the guild mark..." Detective Saisuke folded his arms. "How did you get that mark in the first place?"
"It's kind of embarrassing." Rebecca blushed slightly. "I always had this dream of joining Fairy Tail when I was a kid, and I dreamt of the day I could proudly wear one. Sooo...I got a tattoo. I found a tattoo artist who was willing to do it. I knew impersonating a guild member of an official guild is wrong, so I wore gloves to cover. It was worth the time and energy because I get to fall asleep staring at it."
"So, you're a child to your core." Karen spat.
"A child that beat you," Lucy spat back, earning a 'tch' from the other Celestial Wizard. "Speaking of which, hand over Scorpio's key. I won our bet."
"That's right! You two did make a bet," Rilo murmured as she stared at Scorpio. "You two swore on your pride."
"But, does she have the right to him after everything that happened?" Kiriyo spoke up. "After all, 'Rebecca' isn't real."
"She isn't...real?" Luka tilted his head slightly. "What are you talking about? Every living thing has an aura, and Rebecca is most definitely alive."
The female detective only shook her head as her lips curved up into a small smirk. "The woman who stands before us is no doubt alive. However, that's not Rebecca, and her partner isn't Wiess."
"Like an imposter?"
"Unfortunately, that is not the case either. 'Rebecca' never existed in the first place rather... it was an alias for her true identity, Lucy Heartfilia."
"And Wiess is a cover for Sting Eucliffe." The male detective tacked on. "They have been hiding their true nature this entire time!"
"What...What the hell?!" Luka screeched.