Author's Note 1: Sorry for the late update. I've had to deal with...some stuff. I don't own anything except my OCs and original magic. Also, the pirate captain's voice actor would be Steve Blum. And to elaborate of First Mate Oswell's appearance, she has neck-length dirty blonde hair that covers her eyes, is in her mid-thirties, a brown pirate vest over a white shirt, white pants, brown boots and brown gloves.

And the other reason this chapter took longer than usual: Fairy Tail: A New Day is on the Fairy Tail Fanfic Recs page and even has a page of it's own on TV Tropes! And if any tropes are reading this, I would super-appreciate someone commenting and recommending it on the Rec page and help in editing the trope page.

And with that long explanation out of the way, let's see some insane Wiz-Biz! (I apologize if no one found that joke funny.)

Chapter 8: The Cold Emperor

Team Morningstar had been sitting by the large frozen creature for a few minutes as Zeke keep looking through his database lacrima. As they sat, Natsu keep looking at the ice in confusion. Not many people knew this, but their were subtle differences in scent when it came to living beings and inanimate objects. And the ice that surrounded the giant monster smelled more like a living being than just a block of ice.

'Am I just getting the monster's scent mixed in?' He sniffed the air again. 'Nope, that thing smells like blood, way too different from the ice smell.'

"I think I found it." Zeke said, getting everyone's attention. "This thing is known as Deliora, the Demon of Destruction. Ten years ago, it rampaged through the northern continent, killing thousands. But it was stopped when a master Ice Wizard called Ur sealed it away, giving her life in the process."

"But if Deliora was sealed in the North, what's it doing on Galuna Island?" Lucy asked.

"And that is the million jewel question." Alyssa replied.

"That and what's really causing the curse, because nothing in the reports say anything about Deliora turning people into demons or causing the moon to change color." Zeke stated. But before they could discuss the matter some more, they heard footsteps heading their way and decided to hide behind some rocks. As the footsteps drew closer, they saw a blue-haired man, a man with dog-like features and a tall woman with an athletic physique, pale skin, short silver hair, blue eyes, a black top with matching jacket, pants, combat boots and a large silver hammer strapped onto her back.

"The voices seem to come from down here." The blue-haired man stated as the dog man growled. "I don't know about you guys, but I hate being awake during the day."

"You're the only one who's like that." The black-clad woman said before turning to their animalistic friend. "By the way Toby, I think you've been exposed to too much Moon Drip since you got those pointy ears."

"I already told you that this is a fashion statement you jerks!" The dog man yelled.

"Come on, she's just teasing you." The blue-haired man said as the tall woman smiled, making Toby blush.

"Well you don't be so mean about it."

'Moon Drip? That must be the name of the curse.' Zeke thought to himself as a woman with dark pink hair, black lolita clothing and dark blue eyes walked towards the three.

"Yuka, Toby, Claudia. Something terrible has happened." The woman said.

"What now, Cherry?" The blue-haired man (now identified as Yuka) asked.

"It's Angelica. She's been attacked and I'm sad."

"You're moping around because somebody beat up your stupid pet rat?!" Toby yelled.

"She's not a rat. She's a brave hunter prowling the jungle to protect us. She is...love."

Both Cherry's comrades and the hidden Team Morningstar sweat-dropped at the bizarre statement.

"Are we sure the Moon Drip isn't affecting your brain?" Claudia asked with a deadpan expression, making the smaller woman pout at her in anger.

"I don't know who these people are, but talk about a bunch of weirdos. Especially the chick with the pet rat." Lucy whispered to her team.

"Judging by the scent I picked up off them, they're not from the island." Natsu stated.

"And they don't look like they have the demon curse." Happy chimed in.

"Intruders you say?" Yuka asked.

"And it's almost time to begin collecting moonlight again. Oh, this makes me so sad." Cherry stated before turning to her comrades. "This news would displease the Cold Emperor. We should get rid of them before he finds out."

A savage grin appeared on Claudia's face. "Fine by me. It's been a while since my hammer's seen battle. Hopefully these intruders won't go down too easily."

"Agreed." Yuka said with a grin of his own as Toby growled.

"Since they've seen Deliora, we can't allow them to live. We'll give them the gift of eternal rest. We'll give...them love."

"You're talking about death, right?" Toby asked with sweat drop. Alyssa looked around a saw a small pebble near her. Discreetly using her magic to enhance her throwing arm, she chucked the pebble far away from them, getting the other group's attention as they went to investigate the noise.

"Nice work, Alyssa." Happy said.

"Thanks little guy." The speed queen said as she petted his head, making the blue cat purr.

"We should've grabbed them and beat some answers out of them." Natsu stated.

"Not yet. We gotta do some investigating." Lucy answered.

"Man. This job keeps getting more and more complicated." The dragon-slayer commented.

Zeke started searching through his info lacrima and found profiles on each of the mysterious people. "According to these files, all four of them are wizards. The guy with the eyebrows is Yuka the Wave, well-known for using energy waves to negate enemy magic. The dog boy is called Toby, who specializes in Paralyzing Magic in his claws. The lolita weirdo is Meredy, a master of Marionette Attack Magic that allows her to control any living thing that isn't human, which probably means she was behind that giant rat we fought earlier. And finally the big lady is called Claudia the Iron Hammer, a mercenary wizard known for her devastating hammer magic. But none of their psych profiles suggests that they would be a part of this. In fact, Toby and Yuka were part of the Lamia Scale guild."

"Anything on this Cold Emperor guy they mentioned?" Happy asked. Zeke once again browsed but nodded his head when he found nothing.

"Let's just smash that demon into a million pieces before do anything with it!" Natsu yelled, still feeling uncomfortable about the strange ice.

"It won't work. The spell Ur used is called the Iced Shell. It's nigh indestructible. Even your Azure Flames wouldn't be able to melt it." The brunette archer stated as his salmon-haired friend scowled.

"If the ice can't be melted, why would they even bother bringing it all the here from the North?" Alyssa asked.

"Maybe they didn't know." Lucy chimed in. "They might've brought here to try and melt it somehow."

"Even so, why would they try and unfreeze something that slaughtered so many people?" Natsu asked.

"Well, we should probably wait until the moon comes out." Zeke stated.

"The moon! But it's the middle of the afternoon!" Natsu yelled. "Why would the moon even matter?"

"Those guys mentioned that they were collecting moonlight. So it's a safe bet that Deliora and the curse are connected." Zeke explained. "Plus, we can use this time to come up with strategies in case we have to fight those guys and learn more about this Moon Drip thing and the Iced Shell. Find out what they have in common."

Natsu growled but sat down. He didn't want to admit it, but Zeke raised a good point. And usually his hunches were right.

And so, the group started discussing plans on how to beat the four wizards and started throwing around ideas about Deliora's connection to the curse and the Moon Drip. As they talked, none of them noticed the ice shining for a second, almost as if it was blinking at them.

"I know I agreed to wait around, but this so boring." Lucy groaned.

"Aye." Happy replied. The blonde woman then had an idea in her head and pulled out a silver Gate key.

"Open, Gate of the Harp Constellation - Lyra!" Out of the gate came woman with strawberry blonde hair, blushing cheeks, a blue dress with a pink hood and wings and an elegant harp on her back.

"Oh wow! I haven't seen you forever, Lucy!" The Harp spirit said with a cheerful expression.

"Hey, Lyra." The blonde greeted her spirit.

"Say, how come you never call me anymore? It's not fair! I would love to help you out, but you ignore me meanie."

"Meanie, huh? You're the one who told me you were only available three days a month." Lucy replied, making Lyra gasp.

"Are you sure about that?"

"Wow, that's really unreliable." Alyssa stated as Zeke and Natsu nodded in agreement.

"Great. Another weirdo." Happy said with a sweat drop.

"So what would you like to hear me sing? Any requests?" Lyra asked.

"Nope. Whatever you want."

"Okay, I've got a song I think you're gonna love Lucy!" The enthusiastic harp spirit stated as set up her harp and started playing it. What followed as a beautiful ballet strengthened by Lyra's wonderful singing voice. As the harp spirit continued her song, the three founding members of Team Morningstar started thinking back to parts of their past. Natsu thought back when Igneel found him when he was along in the woods and all the great times he had his adoptive father. Alyssa thought back to when she first arrived in Fairy Tail, Makarov welcoming her with a warm smile. And Zeke thought back to when his mother told him stories about his ancestors and her own heroic feats as a wizard of Fairy Tail.

After the song had ended, the group continued to wait until they eventually fell asleep, Natsu & Alyssa sleeping close to each other with Happy in between them, Lucy laying on her side, and Zeke using his backpack as a pillow. However, their slumber was suddenly interrupted as the cavern started to shake.

"What's that weird noise?" Lucy asked as she rubbed her eyes.

"Is it night yet!?" Natsu bolted up as Alyssa followed. Zeke jumped up with a start and soon Team Morningstar saw a purple magic seal appear on the roof of the cavern. The seal grew bigger as it shined a beam of light down on the frozen demon.

"That must be the moonlight." Zeke reasoned based on the purple light drips that were falling from the circle. "Come on guys, we have to find out where that light's coming from!"

"Aye!" Happy replied as the team ran out of the cavern and found a set of stairs. They ran up and it led them to an upper level, where they saw two magic circles on the floor and ceiling, making the moonlight flow through them like a tube. The group decided to keep running through the upper floors until they reached the roof of the temple. They spotted several people in weird robes chanting in a circle of purple moonlight with four magic seals channeling the moonlight above them.

"Looks like those robbed freaks are chanting some kind of spell to collect the moonlight." Natsu stated as Team Morningstar hid behind some rocks.

"Someone's coming this way." Alyssa said as the group turned their attention towards an approaching figure. It was a male with a silver-horned helmet that hid everything but his pale jaw, a purple tassel, a white cloak over a blue and yellow undercoat, and silver armored boots. Walking with him was Yuka, Claudia, Toby and Cherry.

"What a waste. I lost so much precious sleep for nothing." An annoyed Yuka stated. "We searched all day for the intruders but never found a trace of them."

"Maybe there wasn't any!" Toby yelled, annoyed at having wasted so much time.

"Right, and Angelica just decided to light herself on fire." Claudia responded sarcastically.

"I'm afraid I have some sad news, Cold Emperor." Cherry said sadly as they stopped near the chanting people. "We thought we had intruders during the day, but it seems they got away somehow. I cannot speak of love in this situation."

"Intruders?" The emperor said in a cold voice.

"So that's the Cold Emperor." Zeke whispered as he started sizing up the new arrival.

"He's trying to act all high and mighty. Wearing that stupid-looking mask." Lucy commented.

"I don't know. I think it looks kind of cool." Happy replied.

"Has Deliora been awakened yet?" The Cold Emperor asked.

"It should be unthawed later tonight or tomorrow." The pink-haired woman replied.

"Which one girl?!" Toby yelled out.

"The time has almost come. If you see those intruders again, kill them." The helmet-clad man told his underlings. "I don't want anyone getting in my way."

"They must've been villagers. They're the only other people on this island." Claudia stated.

"Then destroy the village." The Cold Emperor ordered as the four nodded in agreement, shocking the hidden team.

"Okay, I think it's time to drop our cover." Zeke said as he glared at the Cold Emperor and summoned his longbow.

"It's a shame there has to be bloodshed." The emperor stated.

"Natsu, greet them in that special Salamander way." The brunette ordered as Natsu jumped on top of their cover.

"It's not the villagers, we're the intruders around here!" The salmon-haired wizard yelled, getting their enemy's attention as he sucked in some air. "Fire Dragon Roar!"

Claudia, Yuka, Cherry and Toby jumped out of the way as the Cold Emperor waved his hand, creating a light blue magic circle. Before the flames could hit, a pillar of ice appeared in front of him, blocking the attack.

"He's an Ice Wizard!" Alyssa stated as the rest of Morningstar stood up, ready for battle.

"I know that mark." Cherry stated as she saw the mark on Natsu's shoulder. "They're from Fairy Tail."

"Interesting. Those villagers must have gone to the magical guilds for help." Yuka chimed in.

"Don't worry about them. Go eradicate the village." The Cold Emperor said.

"But we're the ones you're after!" Alyssa yelled. "Why would you even considering killing the villagers!?"

"Anyone who stands in my way, whether deliberately or not, is my enemy!" The Cold Emperor stated with a clenched fist.

"Say what?!" Natsu yelled in anger as he charged with flaming fists, Alyssa running next to him. Claudia smirked and grabbed her massive hammer, creating a yellow magic circle on one end.

"Hammer Wave!" The silver-haired woman yelled as she brought the hammer down, creating a shockwave that the young couple was forced to dodge.

"Stop this now! You have no idea what Deliora's capable of!" Zeke yelled as prepared several arrows and loaded them. "Arch Shot: Rapid Succession!"

The mercenary wizard saw this attack and started twirling her hammer like a pin wheel. "Hammer Shield!" The powerful weapon managed to block all of the energy arrows fired, Claudia placing the hammer over her shoulders.

"Claudia, go with the others. I can handle these intruders on my own." The Cold Emperor ordered, making the mercenary scowl.

"Just make sure to leave one of them alive for me. I'm tired of having nothing to fight." The silver-haired woman said as she left with the other three, leaving their leader alone against the five Fairy Tail Wizards.

"Hey, come back here!" Natsu yelled as he ran after them. Unfortunately for him, the dragon-slayer was engulfed in a furry of ice, screaming as he body started to rapidly freeze-over.

"Alyssa, go help Natsu! Happy, Lucy! You guys warn the villagers!" Zeke ordered as he fired another Rapid Succession spell that the Cold Emperor blocked with an Ice Shield.

"But what about..."

"I can handle Mr. Snowstorm here!" The archer yelled at Lucy. "You guys need to stop his posse!"

"Aye!" Happy said as he wrapped his tail around Lucy and flew off. Alyssa nodded as she grabbed her immobile boyfriend and took off at super-speed, leaving the two leaders facing each other.

"Confident, aren't we?" The Cold Emperor said as the two stared each other down. "What makes you think you can last longer than your friend?"

"Simple." The brunette said with a confident smirk as he held out his longbow in front of him. "I am Ezekiel Laurence Hudson, son of the hero Amelia Hudson and the Immovable Lyle Hudson of Fairy Tail! And unlike Natsu, I don't have to get close to beat you!"

"A Hudson? Well, this is turning out to be an interesting day." The Ice Wizard smirked as cold mist started gathering around his body.

"Arch Shot: Rapid Succession!" Zeke yelled as he fired a stream of arrows, only for the helmet wearing ice wizard to create an ice barrier.

"Ice Make: Sparrows!" The Cold Emperor created a magic circle that unleashed a swarm of ice birds at the brunette. Zeke jumped out of the way but to his surprise, the ice birds changed direction, one of them leaving a cut on left arm as he quickly shot down the swarm.

'His Ice can shift direction. Better keep that in mind.'

"Ice Make: Tiger!" The so-called emperor exclaimed as a giant tiger of ice charged at Zeke. However, Zeke grabbed the scabbard and sliced up the ice beast before throwing the Spiral Sword which the Cold Emperor blocked with a thick Ice Barrier. But as the helmet-wearing villain was blocking the spinning blade, Zeke prepared a spiralling arrow.

"Arch Shot: Drill Arrow!" Zeke chanted and fired, breaking through the ice barrier as the emperor side-stepped, the attack shattering the left side of his helmet as he quickly reclaimed his footing. The now shattered helmet revealed his pale skin, pale blue hair and brown eyes as he chuckled.

"Congrats. It's been a while since anyone's laid a hit on me in battle." He said as he removed the rest of his shattered helmet. "It'll be the last."

"Ya, before we go back to trying to skewer each other with arrows and ice creatures respectively, can I ask you something?"

"Is this a trick?"

"No, just here me out. Why? Why go through all the trouble of transporting a frozen demon that has a well documented kill count? What do you gain by unleashing Deliora on the world again?" The archer asked.

The Cold Emperor raised an eyebrow before replying. "If you know about Deliora, then I assume you also know about the Ice Wizard Ur and her sacrifice to seal him away."

"Ya, that just adds a whole new level of dickery to this whole Moon Drip mess. You're making her sacrifice mean nothing!"

"Well if there's anyone who deserves to unthaw Ur's Ice Shell, it should be her best student." The blue-haired man said, surprising Zeke as he unleashed another Ice Sparrow barrage that he dodged and reclaimed his blade. "So why don't you and your Fairy Tail friends just leave well enough alone? You won't even have to worry about Deliora after I've slain it."

"Fat chance! Deliora couldn't be killed by your master, so what makes you think you can kill it?" Zeke said as he hid behind some cover, preparing several specs of energy.

"I've surpassed my dearly-departed master, and killing the demon that even Ur couldn't stop will cement my power." The Cold Emperor stated as Zeke jumped into the air and fired an Arrow Rain spell. He replied by unleashing a massive swarm of ice sparrows, the two spells cancelling each other out as Zeke redrew his Spiral Sword and came down with a swing that the Cold Emperor blocked by encasing his right arm in an Ice Shield. The emperor smirked as he quickly brought his left hand in front of Zeke's exposed stomach. "Ice Make: Snow Dragon."

Zeke didn't even have a second react as a dragon of ice snapped its jaws on him, smashing his bow and sinking its teeth into torso. The archer let out a powerful scream as the dragon smashed him against the temple roof before disappearing. The brunette let out a pained moan as blood started dripping from his left arm and seep through his ripped shirt.

'What...what happened?' He thought to himself as the Cold Emperor walked towards him. 'He's just a punk with Ice magic! I'm the S-Class son of Fairy Tail's strongest couple!'

"You know Ezekiel, the two of us actually have a lot in common. We both have legacies to surpass. The difference is that with your skill and power, you have no chance of stepping out the gigantic shadow the Hudson legacy has cast on you." The pale man said with a look of pity, Zeke's eyes watering from both the pain and the words as he started to black out. With a sign, the Cold Emperor created a spear of Ice in his right hand. "But take comfort in knowing that at least one of us will step out of that shadow. Really, you should thank me for putting you out of your misery." He coldly said as he raised the spear over his head and was ready to deal the killing strike.

'Natsu...Alyssa...Happy...Lucy...Mom...Dad. I'm sorry.' Zeke thought to himself as he was unable to move from the pain. 'I failed you.'

But as the Ice Wizard brought down his spear, a familiar blur grabbed the injured archer, the spear hitting the roof instead. The Cold Emperor turned and saw Alyssa holding her bleeding friend as she glared at him. "The Speed Wizard?"

"Alyssa? Where's Natsu?" Zeke groaned.

"He's alright now and heading for the village." The amazon replied as she was forced to evade Ice pillars that the Cold Emperor sprouted from the ground. The Speed Queen quickly ran down the temple wall as the Ice Wizard looked on in amusement.

"Looks like you'll live to regret this battle, Ezekiel." He said as he dusted himself off.

Back with the two, Alyssa got them to a safe spot and started treating Zeke's wounds with medical supplies from her backpack. "Okay, the wounds aren't too deep. But you'll probably be out of commission for a while." As she applied bandage wrappings to her injured teammates chest, Alyssa noticed a tear hitting the bandage. She looked up and saw Zeke starting to tear up. "Hey, I know it hurts, but it'll only last a bit longer."

"It's not that." The archer replied as the tears started streaming down his face. "I just realized how weak I really am."

"What?! Dude, you're an S-Class wizard! That's the opposite of being weak."

"That's crap and you know it. Erza, Mystogan, my parents. Even Laxus. They can beat hordes of monsters and powerful dark wizards without breaking a sweat. And me, I can't defeat one Ice Wizard!" Zeke cried. "I can't even finish one S-Class mission on my own and I've screwed over everyone on our team by taking this mission. I'm a failure! I've failed as a Hudson! Failed as an S-Class wizard! Failed as leader of Morn..."

SLAP!

Zeke was stunned for a bit as his cheek swelled up. He turned and saw Alyssa with an angry expression before it turned into a sorrowful one. "What the hell is wrong with you?! You lose once and you start crying? You're not the only one who's ever lost to someone stronger than them. Sure, you can't destroy a monster with one punch, but that's not why you're a great wizard. Even when we were kids, me and Natsu knew you were the guy we wanted to lead us. You've saved us countless times with strategies I would've never thought of. So don't start crying just because you lost." After she finished applying the wrappings, Alyssa lifted Zeke onto her back and smiled at him. "Now come on. We're going to save the villagers and you're gonna come up with a new plan to stop the Cold Emperor."

Zeke looked at his friend and gave a small smile as he started to pass out. "Right." He said as Alyssa carrying him back towards the village, making sure to regulate her speed so she wouldn't reopen the archer's wounds.

Back at the village, Lucy and Happy arrived to warn the villagers that the people responsible for the curse were coming to destroy them. The blonde wizard tried to come up with a plan to stop the upcoming attack as Moka walked towards the only Fairy Tail wizards in the village.

"What are all of you doing out here?"

"We don't have much time, sir! The enemy's going to attack any second now!" Lucy explained.

"Enemy?"

"The ones responsible for the curse that's transformed your people! They've been hiding in an old temple in the jungle!"

"I don't care who's in the temple!" Moka exclaimed with a manic expression. "Why haven't you destroyed the moon?!"

"Well, you see...it wasn't the moon that did this to you exactly. But now we know who did."

"YOU LIE! DO WHAT I ASKED OF YOU!" The elder yelled as two demons dragged the angered man away, Lucy sweat-dropping at the sight. "Get your hands off me! She doesn't know what she's talking about!"

"He doesn't mean any of that." A red-skinned demonic man said. "He's just upset. He's been like this since Bobo died."

"Poor man." Lucy whispered before turning to the red villager. "I know how to trap the enemy."

"We'll be happy to help if you need us."

Lucy let off a confident chuckle. "I'm the greatest Celestial Wizard Fairy Tail's got. So why don't you just leave it to me? You don't have worry, it'll be a piece of cake."

'EEEE! I've always wanted to say that!' Lucy cheered in her head.

"Somebody's starting to get cocky." Happy stated. But Lucy could begin her plan, the guards on top of the gate noticed a group of people walking towards their village. He took out a telescope and saw a flag with the unmistakable symbol known as a Jolly Rodger, meaning only one thing.

"Pirates!" One of the lookouts yelled, getting everyone's attention.

"What?! Are you sure?" Lucy asked as the blue-haired pirate captain signaled his crew to use one of their portable cannons. The lookouts watched in confusion until they saw one of the pirates light the cannon.

"OH SHI..." And with that, the lookouts were blasted back as the front gate was blown to pieces. Lucy and Happy tensed as the one-eyed pirate and his crew walked through the smoke. He took a once over of the assembled villagers and decided to address them.

"Greetings citizens of Galuna Island. I am Captain Alexander Marvell of the Star Liberator Pirates." He stated. "Now I'm sure many of you are wondering why we just blew up your gate. Well let's be honest, I doubt you guys would've opened it for a crew of pirates. But as for why we are here." He pulled out a rolled up paper from his coat and unraveled it, revealing the job request for the Galuna Island mission. "I'll make this simple; hand over the 7 million jewels and your Gate Key, or you'll have to face unspeakable punishment."

The villagers started to panic a little as Lucy started to scowl at the pirate. She grabbed her whip and swung it at the pirate, only for him to dodge with a confused expression.

"You jackass! These people are going through enough without you and your crew coming in and holding them hostage!" The blonde wizard said with righteous fury. The one-eyed pirate looked at her and saw the Gate keys hanging on her belt.

'She's a Celestial Wizard. Hm, this might be fun.' Alexander thought before speaking out loud. "You got spunk, lady. I like that. Tell you what, how about you me have a one-on-one? If you win, me and my crew will leave this island. But if I win, not only do I get the reward, but come on my ship as our new bar wench."

Lucy glared at the captain. "You expect me to believe the word of a pirate?"

"Come on, even pirates have a sense of honor." The blue-haired man said as he crossed an X over his heart. "As an added measure, none of my crew will harm the villagers during our battle. Now, do you accept or should we start hurting people?"

"Fine." The celestial wizard agreed through gritted teeth as she pulled out one of her Gate Keys. "But there's no way I'm going to lose! Open, Gate of the Golden Bull - Taurus!" The axe-welding bull came out of the gate with a victorious moo.

"Thanks for calling me out, Ms. Lucy. And may I say that your bode is still smoking?" The perverted bull asked.

"Not the time, Taurus." Lucy retorted.

"Ah. So we have a golden zodiac spirit. This is gonna be fun." Alexander said as he pulled a key from his coat.

"Lucy, that looks like one of your keys, but red!" Happy exclaimed.

"What?" Lucy asked, never having seen a gate key that wasn't silver or gold.

"A red key? Damn it, not those guys." Taurus scowled.

"Open, Gate of the Tiger - Hu!" The pirate captain said as he held his key out, creating a blue spirit gate. And out of the gate came the aggressive-looking tiger from before.

"So cool!" Happy said, fanboying over the large tiger.

"Well, well, well." The tiger said as he smirked at Taurus. "Looks like I get to fight one of the golden boys."

"Taurus, do you know this guy?" Lucy asked.

"Ya. He's Hu the Tiger, a spirit of the Red Zodiac." The bull spirit replied. "They've been known for being incredibly reckless and violent in battle. Most Celestial wizards tend to avoid forming a contract with this ruffians."

"What you call reckless, I call fun." Alexander said. "Hu, think you can handle Taurus?"

"No problem, Captain." The tiger spirit said as he cracked his knuckles. "Besides, it's been a while since I've had fresh meat."

"Keep dreaming, pussycat!" Taurus yelled as he brought his axe down, creating a shockwave that Alexander and Hu dodged. As the two spirits started to fight, Lucy barely had time to dodge as the pirate captain swung his saber at her.

"What are you doing?"

"I said this was a fight. Don't tell me you expected us to stand back and let our spirits do the fighting." The one-eyed wizard said as he pulled out his flintlock and started shooting, unleashing blasts of magical energy that Lucy was forced to dodge. "Come on, bring out your Celestial Arms already!"

'Celestial Arms? What is he talking about?' Lucy thought to herself as she swung her whip knocking the firearm out of Alexander's hand. She swung again, only for the tip to be sliced off by the pirate's saber.

'Lucy.' Happy thought worryingly as the two Celestial Wizards and Spirits continued their fight.

Back with the two spirits, Hu keep slashing at Taurus as the Bull spirit keep using the flat side of his axe to block it. The tiger kicked up some sand with distracted Taurus long enough for Hu to land a solid punch to the bull's jaw. Taurus quickly recovered and socked the tiger spirit right back.

"Your reputation as the physically strongest golden spirit isn't exaggerated." Hu said as he rubbed his sore jaw. "Good thing too. I was worried this would be an easy fight."

Taurus was about to say something until he noticed Lucy narrowly avoid as swipe from Alexander's sword as it cleaved through a nearby stone. He attempted to head towards the blonde, but Hu jumped front of him and slashed, making Taurus block again.

"Trying to run away?" The tiger mocked.

"I don't know how you red bastards treat your wizards, but I made a promise to protect Miss Lucy!" The bull spirit exclaimed as he headbutted the tiger, disorientating the feline and giving the bull a chance to swing down on the pirate with a furious moo. Alexander managed to block the strike with his sword, but the bull spirit's superior strength was starting to weigh down as axe started to push down.

"Captain!" Hu yelled as orange magical energy started to flow around the brutish tiger. He extended his claws as magical energy starting flowing into them. Happy watched the tiger preparing his spell with interest. "Tiger Claw..."

"FIRE DRAGON KICK!" From seemingly out of nowhere, Natsu flame-kicked the tiger right in the solar plexus, knocking him through a hut.

"Hu!" Alexander yelled in concern as he slipped out from Taurus' axe as it hit the ground.

"No interrupting the Captain's fight! Open fire!" Oswell ordered as the pirates started shooting at Natsu. The salmon-haired wizard ran past the gunfire and jumped in air and engulfed his arms in flames.

"Fire Dragon Wing Attack!" Natsu yelled as he unleashed his fiery wing spell, knocking half of the pirates back.

"Why you!" Oswell yelled as she held out her hand, creating a blue magic circle. "Lightning Cannon!"

Natsu narrowly avoided the blast of blue lightning and sucked in some air, unleashed a roar attack the knocked the dirty blonde first mate back.

"Oswell!" Alexander yelled, not noticing Lucy coming from behind and knocking him out with a coconut. With his wizard unconscious, Hu growled as he was sent back through the gate.

"Hey guys, I..." Alyssa started to say as she and the sleeping Zeke entered the village, only to be left speechless at the damage to the main square, the burnt pirates and Lucy quickly tying up the blue-haired captain. "Did I miss something?"

And then...

Alexander started to groan as he regained consciousness. When he opened his eye, he noticed that his hand a rope tied around his torso and arms.

"Captain." He turned to his left and saw Oswell and the rest of the Star Liberator pirates tied up the same way. "I'm sorry. The fire wizard took us by surprise and I underestimated his strength."

"It's alright. It happens to everyone." Alexander said as the looked at his captors, the Fairy Tail wizards watching as the village medic treated the injured brunette's wounds. "What's going on?"

"Apparently one of them was beat by someone called the Cold Emperor." The Lightning Wizard explained. "And he's the one responsible for the curse that turned the people of this island into demons."

"Figures." The blue-haired pirate said as he stood up. "Hey, Fairy Tails! You gonna untie us?"

"Why would we do that?" Lucy asked with an angry expression.

"Because you find my pirate charm unbelievably sexy?" Alexander said with a flirty expression, making his first mate groan.

"Captain, that never works."

"Not now, Oswell. This lady looks like she falls for that crap." The pirate whispered.

"Hey, Lucy. Do you really fall for that crap?" Natsu asked, surprising the two lead pirates.

"How did you hear me!?" The blue-haired captain asked, Natsu responding by pointing to his ears.

"Stop flirting with Miss Lucy! That's my job!" Taurus yelled.

"I don't know what kind of floozies you're used to, but the whole 'charming renegade' act won't work on me!" Lucy yelled as she grabbed Alexander by the collar.

"But it did get you closer." The pirate said with a smirk. "Listen, how's about you just give me the key and we'll call it even."

"Like hell!" The blonde wizard yelled as she shook him. As the two Celestial Wizards traded banter, Alyssa couldn't help but wonder about something odd. The Cold Emperor's posse had left before them, but they managed to get to village before them. And considering that she was running at half of her usual speed, this made the situation even more odd. But not as odd as what she saw when she turned her head and saw something approaching from the distance.

"Um...guys, can rats fly?" The amazonian woman asked.

"What kind of question is..." Natsu started until he looked on saw the giant rat from earlier using her tail a propeller and holding a large bucket. "We might have a problem."

"That...is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen in my entire life." Alexander stated deadpan as Lucy looked up in shock.

"Hey, I'm suppose to be the only flying animal around here!" Happy yelled.

A glob of the jelly dripped from the bucket and fell towards the village. Lucy looked in confusion as the green drop heading for them. "Jelly?"

Before she could react, Natsu tackled her out of the way as the jelly hit. And good timing, as the spot where Lucy was standing had been melting almost instantly.

"I knew that stuff smelled dangerous! It's acid!" The dragon-slayer yelled as he helped his blonde teammate up.

"That rat's got a whole bucket full of that stuff!" The red-skinned demon man panicked along with the rest of the villagers and the pirates.

"Well, ladies and gentlemen. It's been an honor stealing with you." Alexander solemnly said, ready to face the end with dignity (or as much dignity as one can have knowing their death will be caused by a giant flying rat in a maid costume dumping acidic jelly on them).

"Same to you, Captain." A quivering Oswell said as the rest of the crew nodded.

"How are we supposed to protect ourselves from acid jelly?!" Lucy panicked.

Natsu looked up at the rat and started to run. "Alyssa, get everyone to the center of the village!"

The orange-haired wizard nodded as she started using her magically-enhanced speed to gather the demonic villagers, her teammates and the pirates into the center.

"I'm not leaving Bobo's gravestone!" Moka cried out, only for Alyssa to drag him to the center.

"Ready to fly, Happy?"

"Aye!" The winged cat grabbed his adoptive father and flew the two up into the air as Angelica dumped all of the acidic jelly down towards them. Happy tossed Natsu up as fire started flowing around the dragon-slayer.

"No holding back!" Natsu yelled as his fire burst and became his Azure Flames. He channeled the now blue fire in both of his hands as a massive magic circle appeared behind him. "The flames of my left hand and the flames of my right! Put the two together..." He slammed his hands together, combining the fires into a massive blue fireball that he held over his head. "And this is what you get! FIRE DRAGON BRILLIANT FLAME!"

With a roar, he tossed the massive fireball upward and hit the massive glob. The resulting explosion caused the acid to disperse everywhere except the village center. All around them, the villagers watched as their homes were melting into nothing by the raining goop.

After the raining had stopped, the group saw that the spot they were standing on had become a pillar standing in middle of a crater that used to be the village. As everyone looked around with sadness as Moka saw that Bobo's grave was still somehow standing. However, his relief was quickly shattered as the Cold Emperor's posse started walking towards them, Yuka kicking over the grave as they passed it.

"What a shame." Cherry said as the four stopped near the massive group. "We were hoping to give you a quick death. But now there has to be bloodshed."

"Fifty villagers, three wizards and thirty pirates." Yuka stated. "Shouldn't take that long."

"I hope you're wrong." Claudia said as she turned back and placed Bobo's gravestone back in place, surprising the group. She turned and held out her hammer. "Someone better put up a good fight."

Natsu, Alyssa, Happy and Lucy stood defiantly at the four opposing wizards. "Check again, because there's four wizards here!" Happy exclaimed.

"Everyone, get back and take our friend! We'll handle this!" Alyssa ordered. The demonic villagers did just that and carried the unconscious Zeke with them.

"Hey, don't leave us!" Oswell yelled at the retreating villagers as Alexander watched the two opposing wizards with interest.

"Our orders are to kill everyone. Angelica, get them!" Cherry stated as she jumped on the flying rat.

"No way!" Lucy yelled as she jumped on one of Angelica's feet as the flying rat flew past Morningstar.

"Lucy, what are you doing?!" Natsu yelled.

"Leave the villagers alone!" Lucy exclaimed as she punched the rat's foot, having no effect. "They didn't do anything to you!"

"What is she up to?" Cherry asked in confusion. Seeing that her punches weren't working, Lucy decided to try a more unusual tactic and started tickling the rat's feet. "That won't work you know." The pink-haired wizard said until she looked up and saw Angelia twitching and starting to laugh. "No, Angelica! Keep spinning your tail!" But the tickling as too much and the giant rat started to fall.

"I did it!" Lucy exclaimed, happy for about two seconds until she realized that they were descending towards a deep forest area. "WHY DID I DO THAT?!"

"Lucy!" Alyssa yelled as the massive creature landed miles away from the destroyed village. But before she could run after her friend, she was stopped by a massive shockwave and turned, seeing Claudia lifting her hammer from the ground.

"Instead of worrying about your friend, worry about yourselves!" The silver-haired mercenary said.

"I'll save ya, Miss Lucy!" Taurus yelled as he ran past the group and into the forest, no one but Alexander noticing the bull fading out for a nanosecond.

"I'll go check on her." Happy said worryingly as he summoned his wings and flew off.

"Okay, buddy. We got this." Natsu said as he ignited his fist with orange fire.

"So your fire changes color? How odd." Yuka stated as he started channeling his magic through his hands. As the two groups were about to fight, Alexander had finished untying himself and stood.

"Oswell, I want you to help the Fairy Tails." The one-eyed pirate ordered as he untied his first mate. "I'm gonna go help the blonde."

"But captain..."

"That's a direct order." The blue-haired man said, being surprising serious for once. "By the time Taurus reaches her, his time'll be up."

Oswell looked at the younger pirate in surprise before nodding. "I understand. Good luck." The one-eyed pirate nodded back and started running towards the forest. Back with the five opposing wizards, Alyssa decided to draw first blood as she unleashed a Twin Twister spell, making the three enemies dodge as she and Natsu blasted into the middle of them. He quickly fired a Roar spell at Yuku, only for the robe-wearing wizard to block the fire attack with a magical wave.

"Hammer Wave!" Claudia yelled as she launched a wave of energy at the couple, making Natsu and Alyssa dodge the blast as Toby charged at the dragon-slayer with his paralysing claws extended. However...

"Lightning Wall!" A wall of blue lightning appeared between Natsu and Toby, slightly harming the dog-boy before he quickly jumped back. The five looked and saw Oswell walking towards them.

"There's a lot of things I can tolerate. Mindless bloodshed is not one of them." The dirty blonde stated as she glared at the three evil wizards, revealing a green eye with lightning swirling in the pupil. "Fairy Tails, I propose a temporary alliance against these savages."

"And just who the hell are you?!" Toby asked, pissed at being electrocuted.

"I am Marianne Oswell, Second-In-Command of the Star Liberators. I don't appreciate you trying to melt us." The older woman said as she stopped by Natsu and Alyssa. "So, fairies. Do you accept?"

The couple looked at each other before turning and nodding. "Sounds good to me." Natsu said with a grin.

"But if you double-cross us, I'll slam you against the rocks at Mach 3." Alyssa warned her.

"Sounds fair." Marianne replied as she started channeling blue lightning in her hands. She held her hands towards Yuka on her right and Toby & Claudia on her left. "Lightning Gemini!"

She unleashed twin bolts at the three, Yuka blocking the attack with another Magic Wave and his comrades evading.

"Hammer Break!" Claudia yelled, creating another shockwave that made their enemies jump.

"Natsu! Remember the plan!" Alyssa exclaimed as she jumped over another shockwave.

"Got it!" The salmon-haired wizard responded as he ran towards Yuka, evading blue energy waves as he charged.

"Go ahead and try." Yuka taunted as he erected another Wave Barrier. "My Anti-Magic will stop you in your tracks!"

Natsu smirked as he charged, punching his hand through the barrier. "Looks like magic is only thing your barrier stops." However, his smirk vanished as the backlash from the wave started tearing his arm from the inside, making the dragon-slayer grit his teeth in pain.

"You shoved your arm into a magical vortex. Not the brightest move." The Wave wizard taunted, only to be shocked as Natsu shoved his upper torso through the barrier, gritting his teeth until he started drawing blood.

"He's crazy, Yuka! Be careful!" Toby exclaimed as he dodged some lightning bolts from Marianne.

The aforementioned wizard regained his composure as he looked at the gritting Natsu. "Even if you get your entire body through the barrier, you'll be torn apart before you can reach me."

But instead of being detoured, Natsu just gave a smirk that only a dragon-slayer can make. "Got ya!" He yelled, confusing Yuka he saw fire blasting from his opponent's right elbow, pushing his arm like a rocket.

"OH SHI..." And with a flame-propelled punch, Natsu socked the wave wizard into the air and he landed head-first into the ground, knocked out of the fight.

"He took out Yuka with one hit." Claudia stated. She distraction gave Alyssa the chance to close in from behind.

"Speed Queen: Hundred-Strike Punch!" The orange-haired wizard punched a barrage of punches in less than thirty seconds, pushing the hammer wizard back a bit before she turned and swung her hammer down, Alyssa jumping away as the ground was shattered.

"Hammer Wave!" Alyssa kneeled to evade another attack as she vibrated her hands over her head.

"Speed Queen: Vibration Break!" The amazonian woman slammed her fists on the ground, creating a shockwave that launched towards Claudia, making the mercenary jump. With speed only she could conjure, Alyssa blasted towards the airborne hammer wizard.

"Speed Queen: Momentum Punch!" Alyssa yelled as socked her silver-haired opponent in the gut, blasting her into a crater wall. At first, the Fairy Tail wizard thought she had won, but Claudia staggered back up and held her hammer towards Alyssa.

"That all you got?"

Alyssa then noticed her hands were hurting more than usual from her punches. She then noticed that her opponent's clothing had a bit of a sheen to them despite all the fighting. This made her realize that the black clothing was enhanced to protect their wearer.

Seeing his girlfriend was having difficulty, Natsu sucked in some air. "Fire Dragon Roar!" However, Claudia simply turned her hammer around, revealing a multi-colored symbol that was hit by the fire. The flames were absorbed into the hammer as the mercenary reared it back.

"Hammer Feedback!" Claudia yelled as she slammed the hammer down, unleashing a wave of fire that hit the Natsu and Alyssa as Marianne put up a Lightning Wall at the last second.

"I've seen something like that before." Natsu stated, unaffected by the fire and remembering his encounter with the Vanish Brothers. One of them had used a similar trick.

"Like it?" Claudia said as she held her weapon over her head. "Elemental magic is one of the most popular types of magic out there, so this seal lets my hammer absorb and redirect it right back you."

"Damn." Alyssa grunted, using her magic to speed up her body's healing and getting rid of the burns. "That wasn't in the files." She then stood up and and started channeling the last of her magic for one final attack. "Plan B then."

With a burst of speed, the orange-haired woman blasted away from the village, making Claudia laugh. "Oh come on! We were getting to the good part!"

"You lose." Natsu said with a smirk, making the silver-haired woman turn to him in confusion. Suddenly, the mercenary heard a loud boom in the distance until they saw an orange blur heading towards from the opposite direction her before she could react.

"SPEED QUEEN: BOOM!" Alyssa yelled as body-checked the hammer wizard with the force of a hundred vulcans punching at once, creating a blast of wind that pushed Marianne and Toby back as Natsu stood his ground with a smile. When the dust cleared, the three saw Claudia moaning in pain while she laid in a new crater with Alyssa standing over her, panting heavily.

"That's...what you get for messing...with..." The orange-haired woman said as she started to stumble until her boyfriend caught her.

'This is not good!' Toby to himself. Thinking quickly, he ran towards Claudia, jumping over Natsu and Alyssa before grabbing his ally and running away as Marianne fired some lightning that missed its mark.

"Drat. The dogboy got away. Oh well, at least we have one captive." The blonde pirate said as she turned to her allies. "You kids are pretty strong. How did you even pull off that last attack?"

"You mean my Boom spell?" Alyssa asked, getting a nod in return. "Well, I just hit my maximum speed, circled around the island and then hit her with the kinetic energy."

"Wait, you circled around the entire island in less than a minute?!" Marianne asked, shocked at the feat the younger woman accomplished.

"She's pretty awesome, right?" Natsu said, making the tall woman blush at the complement. "By the way, where's one-eye?"

"The Captain left to check on your friend after he noticed that bull spirit was starting to fade." The lightning wizard replied.

"Ms. Oswell! Are you okay?" The group turned and saw the rest of the Star Liberators standing on top of the pillar.

"I'm fine." Marianne replied before turning to Natsu and Alyssa. "We should wait for the Captain and your friends to return."

"You really think he can help?" Alyssa asked, only to be answered by Marianne smiling.

In a dense part of the forest, Lucy groaned as she got back. She remembered jumping off the rat before it hit the ground, rolling as she landed.

"Look at what you've done." Lucy turned and saw Cherry standing on top of a nearby hill with tears running down her face and the rat unconscious nearby. "The Cold Emperor asked to complete this task! Now he'll never trust me again! He won't love me anymore!"

'There she goes with that weird love thing again.' Lucy commented in her head as she stood up.

"And look what you did to poor Angelica! I'll make you pay!" The pink-haired woman yelled as she used her magic to bring a nearby tree to life. "CRUSH HER, TREE GOLEM!"

Lucy narrowly avoid getting smashed by the now-moving tree's branch arm as she pulled out her whip, ready to fight. But before she could do anything, she heard a familiar moo coming from the distance as Taurus charged at the tree and sliced it in half.

"Are you alright, Miss Lucy?" Taurus asked as he caught his breath.

"Ya, just a little sore." The blonde replied before remembering the foe she was up against. "Taurus, you need to go back through the gate, now!"

"What?"

"Just trust me." Lucy said. Taurus nodded as his body started to fade into light, signifying him leaving this world.

"So you're a Celestial Wizard." Cherry said with a smirk. "As I recall, your kind don't like my magic."

"You mean Marionette Attack Magic." Lucy said, surprising the pink-haired wizard. "That's right, I know your game missy. You control any living being as long as its not human, even Celestial Spirits."

"Well, you're certainly smarter than you look." Cherry said as she conjured up a pink magic circle in front of her hands. The rocks underneath her started to shift and combine into a large rock creature, shocking Lucy as Cherry landed on top of creature's head. "But without your spirits, you're nothing against my Rock Doggy."

"I can't speak for her..." The two women turned and saw Alexander with his weapons out. "But I think I can manage." He pulled the trigger on his firearm, the Rock Doggy blocking the shots with its arm to protect its master.

"Alexander? What're you doing here?" Lucy asked, confused at why the man she was fighting an hour ago was now saving her.

"This bitch tried to dump acid on me and my crew. This is payback." The pirate said as he moved towards his fellow celestial wizard, firing energy shots at the creature as he walked.

"How dare you harm my Doggy! Get him!" Cherry ordered as she had the living stone leap at her enemies, the two dodging the massive beast. Alexander quickly got back up and started firing at Cherry again, but the Rock Doggy just blocked the shots like before.

"I don't suppose you have a Golden Spirit that can resist mind control?" The blue-haired pirate asked, only to get a nod no. "Shame."

"Why don't you two just give up? A whip and bullets can't beat my Rock Doggy." Cherry stated.

"We'll see about that!" Alexander said as he pulled another red key from his jacket. This key had bird-claw shaped teeth and a silhouette of a rooster on the end.

"Wait, she can control spirits!" Lucy warned.

"You really are rookie, aren't you?" The one-eyed pirate responded, confused Lucy as he closed his eye and held the key out to his right as he sheathed his sword. "Gongji, please lend me your power." To Lucy's astonishment, a phantom image of a lanky man in a red dapper suit, red & green eyes and hair styled in a mohawk-like fashion appeared next to Alexander and nodded before disappearing. The pirate opened his eye as a gray cylinder with a keyhole popped out of the flintlock's handle. He inserted the red key, turned it, and closed it. A blue magic circle appeared underneath him as he pointed his firearm at Cherry and the Rock Doggy.

"I don't know what you're doing, but it won't work!" The pink-haired wizard yelled as the creature charged at the blue-haired pirate. Alexander's only response was to give a cocky smile as green and red energy started to gather at the end of the barrel.

"FINAL WAVE!" He pulled the trigger, firing a massive green & red bullet-shaped blast that hit the Rock Doggy. The blast hit the creature, creating a massive explosion. Rocks from the creature flew everywhere as Cherry hit the ground, the force of the blast knocking her out. As Alexander pulled the key out of his flintlock and put it back in his jacket, Lucy looked in astonishment at what had just occurred.

"W-What was that?" Lucy asked.

"That was the full power of a Celestial Arm." Alexander said as he slid his flintlock back into its holster and turned towards Lucy. "That was pretty ballsy jumping on the rat."

"Well, I couldn't just let them hurt the villagers." The blonde wizard replied. 'Although I wish I came up with a better plan than tickling it.'

"Lucy!" The two turned and saw Happy flying towards them. "Are you okay?" He then saw Alexander and quickly ran in front of Lucy, hissing at the pirate.

"It's okay, Happy. Alexander helped me." Lucy said, calming down the cat before turning back to aforementioned pirate. "So, are we good? No more trying to hurt the villagers?"

"I was never going to hurt the villagers." The blue-haired celestial wizard replied, surprising the two. "I was just gonna have my men blow up a house or two. But considering that these jokers melted the whole village, I kind of lost that bargaining chip. And besides, I want a crack at that Cold Emperor guy you mentioned." He looked up as the sun started to rise in the distance. "No one messes with Alexander Marvell and his crew."

As the pirate started to walk back, Lucy looked in amazement, still comprehending how he managed to defeat a golem without even summoning a spirit or the fact that there's zodiac keys besides the Gold & Silver ones. 'Looks like I still have a lot to learn about my own magic.'

To be continued...

Author's note 2: Hey guys! I've been waiting to write this chapter even since the idea of Celestial Arms popped into my brain. Twenty nerd points if you can guess the inspiration for that. And yes, Alexander's last name being Marvell is no coincidence, but we'll save that for another arc. Also, the Red Zodiac Keys are based off the Chinese Zodiac.

(We see chibi versions of Lucy & Happy in the forest.)

Lucy: Hey, Happy. Didn't you leave before Alexander?

Happy: Aye!

Lucy: But then, how come he made it to me before you did.

(Happy starts to sweat in embarrassment.)

Happy: Well, all of the trees look so similar, so I got lost for a bit.

Lucy (deadpan): That's pretty lame.

Happy: Next Time: Assault on the Moon Temple! Aye Sir!

Please remember to read & review! See ya next time!