Chapter 73: The Timeline That Wasn't: Trapped in a Storeroom
Makarov decided it was best to have the Society of the Blind Eye get arrested. Thanks to finding a room filled with everyone's memories there was a huge scandal.
Gideon went on TV denouncing his own father, Shandra became paranoid wondering what Toby might have done, the realtor's clients were angry at her, Preston Northwest was upset that farmer didn't erase the memories of people complaining about his factory.
Okay the last one was someone being worse than the Society, but still. The entire town was angry.
However something rather interesting came from it.
With Toby in jail, someone had to take over the Gravity Falls Gossiper.
Very few people wanted to do it, however one of the people who offered was Lucy as she always had writing aspirations.
Everyone in charge of he decision thought "Why not"… after all a teen girl who hadn't been in town long couldn't have done a worse job than Toby.
And turned out Lucy's ideas were good, she had hired Levy to help with the editing and with the two in charge the paper was doing much better and if need would have her spirits help out.
Granted it was extremely low bar, but still…
However this also led to the final straw in dealing with Jellal.
Jellal would spend any time he could avoiding Erza. Only during meals and meetings would the two be in the same room together.
So of course Jellal tried to get a job at the newspaper.
"No." said Lucy.
"Why not?" asked Jellal.
"Because you're going to use this as a way to avoid Erza." Said Lucy.
Jellal wanted to argue, but honestly he couldn't.
"Look just talk to Erza." Said Lucy, "We've been in town for weeks and you haven't talked to her once."
"What good would that accomplish?" asked Jellal.
"Just talk to her, I'm not saying get together with, just talk." Said Lucy.
Jellal left.
"That went well." Levy said sarcastically.
"I know." Sighed Lucy.
That night after dinner, she told Natsu, Gray and Mirajane.
Natsu and Gray knowing that issues that Jellal had because they saw it first hand.
Mirajane while she didn't know much about the whole Jellal and Erza thing, she just thought they would make a good couple.
Granted she was like that with everyone, once almost gave Lucy a mental breakdown because she thought Lucy and Natsu would look cute together at the same time Natsu wanted Virgo to look for buried treasure. Which needless to say caused huge misunderstandings…
Followed by a week later her saying the same thing about Gray.
"So what are we going to do?" asked Lucy.
"Oh I have an idea!" said Natsu, "But we have to get Gajeel and Stan on it."
"Why?" asked Gray.
"Trust me." Said Natsu.
The next day Marvelous decided to talk to Mabel to try to reach her.
She had tried this many times and none had worked so far.
Carla had very little hope of it working, after all if nothing worked.
"I don't know much about how Toby Determined ran the paper, but everyone says Lucy's doing a really good job." Said Marvelous.
That was when Gideon showed up, he had sometimes visited Mabel due to his obsession with her.
But hadn't visited her on a day Marvelous tried to reach her.
"Oh hello there." Said Gideon, "Never seen you around."
"Oh… hi…" said Marvelous nervously.
"You're a friend of Mabel's?" asked Gideon making small talk.
"No… not really, I only came to Gravity Falls after this happened." Said Marvelous.
"That's too bad." Said Gideon trying to be present.
"I'm Wendy Marvell." Said Wendy.
"I'm sure you heard of lil' ol' me." Said Gideon.
"Yeah, my friends were those that took down the Society of the Blind Eye." Said Marvelous.
"Oh yes…" said Gideon, "That unpleasantness…"
"Are you sure it's a good idea for you to be here?" asked Carla, "From what I heard that you were tried to kill Dipper."
"Well now I am innocent in this whole mess." Said Gideon.
"How do we know?" asked Carla.
"Erza and Stanford already demanded answers after I showed up and…" said Gideon who mumbled something under his breath, "I swear I'm clean on this."
"Carla…" said Marvelous.
"I won't apologize to him. From what we heard it seems like you're being too nice." Said Carla.
That was when Carla froze.
She was getting a vision, although she only started knowing better about her visions lately, it was very disjointed. A lot to with Gideon, even some to the with the Society of the Blind Eye, some to do with a Pig and a healthy Mabel as well as Dipper being there.
There was an overwhelming feelings. A feeling that was going right at the moment… was never supposed to happen.
"Is your talking cat all right?" asked Gideon.
"She's just getting a vision." Said Marvelous.
"So you have a talking, psychic cat?" asked Gideon, "Makes sense…"
He did own Journal 2 after all, so anything was possible…
Carla came out of her trance.
"What did you see." Said Marvelous.
"That none of this was supposed to happen." Said Carla.
Both Gideon and Marvelous were confused.
Inside the Mystery Shack.
Erza and Mirajane were talking while walking down a certain hallway.
"So I was telling Lucy I don't think it's a good idea for a local news paper to have a centerfold." Said Mirajane.
At the same Natsu Jellal were talking at the same time.
"I know what happens in that movie, I saw it too." Sighed Jellal.
That was when the two group saw each other when they approached a certain door.
Jellal looked at Natsu realizing what was going on.
"This is a trap to get me to talk to Erza?" asked Jellal.
"Seriously?" asked Erza looking at Mirajane.
"Of course not." Said Mirajane, "We haven't even really sprung it yet."
"What?" asked both.
That was when the door opened and Gray ran of the room, before Erza and Jellal could react, Mirajane used Satan Soul and tossed Erza into the room, while Natsu did so without using the magic.
Before either one could react the door slammed shut and they heard noises on the other end as if someone or something was blocking them in.
"Where are we." Said Jellal.
"An old storeroom." Sighed Erza.
"I see…" said Jellal.
"We're not letting you out until you talk tings out." Said Natsu on the other side.
"You know we could always break out of here." Pointed out Jellal.
"That's not going to work." Said Erza.
Before Jellal could ask why, Stan suddenly shouted, "Whoever breaks out is paying for the damage!"
"I figured they got Stan in on it." Sighed Erza.
On the other side, there was a lot of steel blocking the door which was making they didn't opened unless one of them broke out.
"Remember if they don't attempt it Natsu's paying for it." Said Stan.
"I'll figure something out." Said Natsu.
Back inside Erza sighed.
"It would be nice to talk since we haven't spoken once." Said Erza.
"I don't know where to start." Sighed Jellal realizing he was trapped.
"Then figure out a good place." Said Erza.
"I wasn't lying when I said I was being controlled." Said Jellal.
"I figured." Said Erza.
"It's a long story." Sighed Jellal who began to tell it.
Back outside.
"What do you mean none of this was supposed to happen?" asked Gideon.
"I don't know why, but the vision wasn't of the future but what should have been. Dipper should be here, Mabel should be sane." Said Carla, "Someone or something has altered reality."
"Then who did this!" yelled Gideon.
"I don't' know." Said Carla, "For all we know you did."
"What?" said Gideon.
"I saw in the visions you being our enemy." Said Carla, "You did something to Natsu and you attacked us with a giant robot… for all we know you did this as one of your plans and it backfired on you."
Gideon froze.
"I would never do anything like that to Mabel!" said Gideon.
"But look at her." Said Carla.
They looked at her, she looked terrible.
"What if you are the one who did this?" asked Carla, "This is a side effect, or the price."
Gideon shook.
Gideon tried to say something… but couldn't… he though back… what if he was the cause…
"I have to go." Said Gideon leaving.
Gideon left.
"Did you make all that up?" asked Marvelous once he was out of earshot.
"Just about him being the cause, I honestly don't think he is." Said Carla with a shrug, "I just don't want you hanging out with him."
"Oh… okay…" said Marvelous.
"But…" said Carla, "I wasn't making it up about that Mabel wasn't supposed to go insane and the fact that Dipper is missing."
"Should we tell anyone?" asked Marvelous.
"There's no use over worrying about it." Said Carla, "I'm sure whatever is going will be fixed."
Marvelous looked over at Mabel.
"I hope we can make feel better." Said Marvelous.
"Yes, I know." Sighed Carla.
Back in the storeroom. Erza and Jellal continued to talk.
Well sort of… it got to an awkward point where neither one wanted to talk.
"Erza… I…" said Jellal.
"I'm not ready for a relationship." Said Erza.
"I thought so…" said Jellal.
"But once we find Dipper, figure out what's with Mabel I want you promise me something." Said Erza.
"What?" asked Jellal.
"don't avoid me again." Said Erza, "And when I'm ready, you'll be ready too…"
"But…" said Jellal.
"For the past 15 years I've had mixed feelings." Said Erza looking up at the celling, "Sometimes hatred, sometimes there wasn't any at all."
She looked at Jellal and smiled.
"You've been a member of Fairy Tail for months before you arrived. Natsu knew who you were for most of it." Said Erza, "That's how I know you're the boy I knew a long time ago, because Natsu trusted you."
Jellal blushed when she said that.
The two held hands, deciding to wait when everything was okay again to finally pursue the relationship they both waited for years for.
That as when they heard scraping at the wall implying that they were removing whatever was blocking the door.
"Natsu… were you listening in?" asked Erza.
"No…" said Natsu's reply.
Erza sigh while Jellal face palmed.
The two finally worked out their issues, with Fairy Tail in Gravity Falls and Jellal no longer avoiding her, things were good.
No perfect, but good.
But little did she know was that soon everything would be fixed.
Next Time: With Erza in a better mood, Stan decides to turn Mabel into an attraction. However Erza's of course against. At the same time she realizes she never interrogated the Manotaurs and takes her team with her. What could go wrong? And what happens when Dipper is found? Find out next time!
