The two remained on the ground for a few seconds before Erza got off him, and the two stood up.
"Good to see you again, flame-brain," Gray taunted.
"I see you still struggle with stripping, Gray," Natsu replied, happily. "One of these days I'm sure you'll figure that out."
"DAMMIT! HOW DID THAT HAPPEN?" Gray yelled angrily and went off to find his clothes.
Erza chuckled. "You haven't changed a bit. However," she added with a glare. "When we return to the guild, you will still receive punishment."
"Of course, Erza. I plan to apologize officially when we return to the guild, but for what it's worth, I truly am sorry…"
Before Erza could reply, she was cut off by Lucy who had run over.
"Natsu? Is that you?"
"Ah, Lucy! I see congratulations are in order!"
"What do you mean by that?" Lucy was about to thank him for everything he'd done but was caught off guard by the seemingly random statement.
"Well, you joined Fairy Tail, successfully completed your first mission, and you helped defeat Eisenwald! All in your first few days! Truly impressive work, I'm certain you'll do incredibly well," Natsu explained.
"Thanks! Wait, how did-"
"NATSU!" Makarov roared. "YOU DESTROYED THE ENTIRE VILLAGE!"
Sure enough, the entire area was leveled. The building that the meeting had been held in was nothing more than a pile of ashes, there was a smoldering crater where the beast once stood, and all plant life had been burnt away.
"Right...sorry...I haven't had to worry about damage in a while…"
"HEY! THAT DUDE DESTROYED THE ENTIRE VILLAGE!"
"GET THEM!"
Seemingly out of nowhere, a large crowd of people arrived and began to charge towards the group of mages.
"RUN!" Gray shouted, grabbing Lucy's hand and taking off.
"Shall we as well?" Natsu asked Erza.
"Uh, sure…" Erza said, and the two raced off.
Eventually, the group of mages managed to lose their pursuers and met back up at the train station.
"So, my child, finally decided to come back, eh?" Makarov asked.
"How did you know we were going to be here anyway, Natsu?" Erza asked.
"I stopped by the guild last night a little before you got back," Natsu admitted sheepishly. "I told Happy I was going on a job so I left him back at home at the promise that I'd be back later that day and I'd head back."
"Wait, you joined another guild?" Gray asked angrily.
"What? No, why on earth-land would I join another guild? Honestly, Gray, think before you speak sometimes."
"If you weren't at Fairy Tail, and you didn't join another guild, why did Happy think you were going on a job?" Lucy asked.
"That's not important," Natsu quickly replied, and immediately attempted to change the subject. "So, Erza, how has the guild been? You all look well so I presume it's been doing alright."
"Well, it took a while, but we're doing alright now," Erza replied before looking at the ground. "We lost two members at once... It was really hard, Natsu…"
"I know, Erza…One day I'll make up for what I did…" Natsu said quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder.
"So, flame-brain, what have you been up to?" Gray asked.
"When we return, I shall explain to the best of my ability," Natsu replied, facing Gray.
"Natsu, when we get back to the guild, I want you to fight me," Erza demanded.
"What?" Natsu looked back at her, shocked. "Why would I do that?"
"I want to test my limits to see how far I've come. Perhaps I've finally surpassed you!" Erza declared, grinning.
"I'm sure if you haven't already, you will one day, Erza," Natsu said, grinning. "Now, why don't we board hell's only son, and head back, eh?"
"I have so many questions," Lucy whispered to Gray.
"He'll pass out on the ride home, you can ask them then. Besides he can probably hear us right now," Gray whispered back.
"Indeed I can, Gray," Natsu said while walking towards the train. "Now hurry up, the faster we get on this demon, the faster we get off this demon."
Lucy immediately blushed and apologized, but the group quickly followed after their cloaked dragon slayer and boarded the train. The group sat down, Erza and Natsu on one side, and Lucy, Gray, and Makarov on the other. As soon as the train pulled away from the station, Natsu turned green and collapsed.
"Ugh...somebody...kill me…." Natsu groaned.
"As much as you deserve to suffer from motion sickness, it'll be a lot quieter if you just go to sleep," Erza said and grabbed the 'dying' dragon laying him on her lap. "Now you can either sleep normally or I can knock you out again."
"You haven't changed a bit, Erza…" Natsu groaned, and within a minute or two, he was out.
"What is he-" Lucy started.
"Natsu gets really terrible motion sickness," Erza explained. "Mira and I accidentally discovered that he can get to sleep rather quickly if he has something to slow the vibrations down, so he just lays down on my lap and passes out normally. It's either that or he spends a half-hour groaning and vomiting before passing out. It's better for all involved…"
'Accidentally,' Makarov thought to himself. 'Right...'
Gray burst out laughing, and Lucy just blushed a bit.
"How lame is that!" Gray said, still cackling.
"Yes, because exhibitionism is a far better unfortunate circumstance…" Erza replied, glaring at him.
"DAMMIT! I must have left them at the station!"
"Right…" Lucy deadpanned. "Anyway, I have a few questions. How come Natsu always wears that cloak? And how was he able to hear me when I whispered to Gray earlier?"
"Natsu has a bit of an...unfortunate past...I'm afraid that's all I can say; he doesn't like people to know what he looks like. As for the hearing, since he is a dragon slayer, his senses are enhanced far beyond that of a normal human," Erza explained.
"Ok, well...uh…" Lucy hesitated.
"Spit it out Lucy, I'm sure whatever it is will be acceptable to ask," Erza told her.
"Right...How strong is Natsu exactly? I mean, you guys were both worn out, and I didn't have enough magic power to help...but he killed Lullaby in only one shot!"
"Well...that's actually…" Erza started but paused.
"I could've done that if I hadn't just beat up Erigor...WAIT! WHAT HAPPENED TO ERIGOR?!" Gray exclaimed.
"YOU LET HIM GET AWAY?" Erza demanded.
"I didn't mean to! Maybe someone else got him? I'm sure that's it! Yes!" Gray quickly shot out, terrified.
"You shall face punishment when we return, Gray…" Erza growled towards a very pale Gray. "To answer your question, Lucy, I have absolutely no idea."
"What do you mean? I know you haven't seen him a while, but how strong did he used to be?"
"Well, that's the thing...I don't think anyone but Happy has ever seen him go all out before," Erza explained.
"You see my child, Natsu also has a strange sort of ability," Makarov explained. "I'm not sure if you've noticed, but you can sense almost no trace of magic power from him unless he is actually in combat. Some of our stronger members such as Erza, Mira, and perhaps even myself have very strong magical presences, even outside of combat it can be sensed. This can make it difficult to sneak up on mages with powerful sensory abilities without extreme concentration. However, Natsu gives off no magical presence at all unless he is physically in combat. In the past, he chose to give off a near-identical amount of power as his opponent, unless there was true danger involved, or he had no desire for combat."
"I didn't think about that…" Lucy said thoughtfully.
"Actually, come to think of it Master, has anyone ever seen him go all out or release his actual magical power?" Gray asked.
"Hmmm...Happy has, but to my knowledge, no. He has never been pushed that far, at least not in a long time…" Makarov added quietly.
"What do you mean by that?" Erza asked suspiciously.
"Oh, nothing, my child."
"Hmmm…" Erza eyed him.
"Well, I'm kind of curious," Lucy admitted, glancing at the snoring dragon slayer. "I mean, it would be interesting to see how much power he actually has…"
Gray smiled and looked over at Lucy. "I like the way you think. What do you say, Erza? If anyone can convince matchstick to do something he doesn't want to do, it's you and Mira."
"Well...I must agree with you that I am rather curious…" Erza admitted, looking down as well. "While I will assist you, I don't quite understand why you need me for this…"
"Riiight…" Gray said, smirking slightly. "Whose lap is Natsu currently passed out on?"
Erza fiercely blushed. "Wh-what does that have to do with anything?"
Lucy, Gray, and Makarov all chuckled, and Erza just muttered.
"How come he got really uncomfortable when he talked about going on a job? I thought you could only get work at a guild?" Lucy asked curiously. "When I met him he was going after Bora of Prominence."
"I do not believe I am at liberty to disclose that information, Lucy," Erza replied. "If you are really curious, you may ask him, however, don't expect much."
"Wait, you know?" Gray asked.
"I have a good idea," Erza sighed looking at Makarov, who avoided eye contact. "I don't recommend you poke your nose into other people's business, Gray. If he wants to tell you, he will."
So the train ride continued towards Magnolia. The topics ranged from Lucy's experience at Fairy Tail, places to eat in Magnolia, where Erza gave a five-minute lecture on various bakeries that were important to know about, to various sights the experienced mages had seen on their travels. They arrived back at Magnolia that evening, where Erza half-carried half-dragged Natsu off the train until he managed to regain his balance.
"I'll meet you guys at the guild, I just have to-"
"No you don't, Natsu," Erza said, grabbing him by the cloak. "Don't think you're escaping again. You are coming with me and we are going to the guild."
"But I have to get Happy," Natsu started.
"Then I shall accompany you and then we shall go to the guild," Erza demanded. "Lead the way."
"Quite persistent. You really haven't changed," Natsu chuckled, shaking his head. "Well, he should be waiting over at my house. Come along."
"Uh, could I come too?" Lucy asked nervously.
"I don't see why not," Natsu replied.
Gray glanced at Makarov, who nodded and walked off, and then a group of four mages headed off towards Natsu's forest cabin.
After a short while, they arrived.
"Happy! Let's go lil' buddy!" Natsu shouted. The door burst open a moment later, to reveal an ecstatic flying blue cat.
"Finally! I can get some-ERZA! GRAY! LOOPY!" Happy shouted, flying over and colliding headfirst into Erza.
"My name is Lucy! Stupid cat!" Lucy shouted.
"Good to see you again, Happy! I trust you've kept Natsu in check?" Erza asked the furry companion, to which Natsu scoffed.
"Yup! I see what he meant by 'go on a job' was 'go see Erza again!' Hehehehe!"
Happy escaped the wrath of an embarrassed Erza to lay down on Natsu's head.
"Alright, so can we go back to the guild now?" Gray asked.
"Aye, sir!" Happy declared.
"I suppose so," Natsu answered, and the mages headed over to the guild, Natsu following the rest of them.
"Well, here we-" Natsu started.
"You go first, Natsu," Erza told him, grabbing his arm and throwing him forward. "There will be no escaping."
"Man, you really don't trust me," Natsu whined but grabbed the door handle. He could hear the chaos inside. The long-missing Dual Salamander took a deep breath, swung the door open, and walked inside.
The three other mages followed him in suit, to meet a dead silent guildhall, all were frozen in place, staring at the door. Some were mid punch, others were mid wine guzzle, and others still just dropped whatever they were doing.
"Uh, hello…" Natsu said, rather awkwardly, before removing his cloak.
"It's him…"
"Natsu's back!"
"NATSU'S A REAL MAN!"
The guild members went from a few whispers to a loud cheer, but before anyone else could do anything Mira walked up.
"Is-is that really you, Natsu?" she whispered.
"Jane...I-" SMACK
Once again, the upset female warrior smacked Natsu hard in the face and then charged him in a hug. Natsu took a moment to recover, and several of the guild members winced, before he smiled slightly and returned the hug, returning the guild to its previous roar.
"Good to see you again, Jane…I missed you," Natsu told her quietly.
"I can't decide if I should kill you or kiss you," she mumbled into his shoulder.
Natsu blushed slightly, "Why don't we discuss those options later. I'd like to say something to the guild if that's ok."
Mira nodded and let go of him, still sniffling slightly.
"SILENCE!" Erza shouted, quieting the guild immediately. During this time Makarov had emerged from his office, grinning. "Natsu requested to say something to you all, so I expect your attention!"
"Yes, ma'am!" the guild replied together, terrified of Titania's wrath should they disobey.
"Right...thanks, Erza." Natsu cleared his throat and gazed around the room before starting. "I wanted to...apologize...for everything that I've done to this guild. Whether you blame me or not, it is at least partially my fault you lost your strongest member. I have...come to terms with what happened...over this past year, but the blame lies on my shoulders, at least in part. Not only that, but afterward, instead of coming back to help us get past such an event...I abandoned you...all of you in this room...Whatever I consider myself to be, doesn't matter, however, what I should have learned from my time here is that this is a family...And it is because of me that you lost two family members...together...I should have been there for you. I tried to find the light in my future by returning to the darkness, in fear that staying in the light would blind me from truly moving on...Whether it helped me or not, matters not. What matters is that I caused damage to the members of this guild, and whether or not it ever truly heals will not be determined for some time to come. It is my choice to find some way to make it up to all of you one day...That day may not be today, tomorrow, or even this year...But I hope that someday I shall be forgiven in all of your hearts...I truly apologize…"
The guild was quiet for a moment, processing the speech their returned member had given. A few sniffles could be heard, and Happy, ever the emotional little bugger, was in tears.
"Well, you're back now!" one of the members shouted, earning a roar of celebration in response.
'Never change, Fairy Tail,' Natsu thought to himself. 'Never change…'
There was a massive party that evening, everyone celebrating the return of their strange-looking dragon slayer. He spoke with Levi about potentially adding a new section to their book, he talked with Lisanna about some of the places he visited, and he admitted to Lucy and Mira that he followed them on their mission and paid for it after figuring out the guy didn't actually have a lot of money. Mira almost slapped him again for stalking them, but she truly was glad to have her favorite dragon slayer back and was attached to him almost the entire evening. Lucy thanked him profusely for his help joining the guild and then getting her an apartment, trying desperately to give him the reward money she got from Everlue to pay her back. Natsu of course declined, insisting that it was no trouble at all and that he'd gladly spend any and all the money he makes if it helps his guildmates. "Besides," he told her, "the only thing I have to spend money on is fish for Happy. "
"So, I trust my prize is still in good condition?" Natsu asked, approaching and inspecting his cannon.
"I should've destroyed it in punishment," Erza grumbled, and Natsu rolled his eyes.
"So, you really brought this back as a trophy?" Lucy asked him, still a little concerned.
"Of course! Such beautiful craftsmanship can't go to waste!" Natsu answered as if any sane person would carry home a giant weapon that probably weighed more than a ton.
"Right…" Lucy deadpanned.
"Hey, Matchstick," Gray asked the fire mage, who was still distracted by the cannon. "Lucy asked on the train and no one actually knew the answer. How strong are you now?"
"Well, how strong is anyone really? It is definitely a question that one cannot answer simply. I believe there is no such thing as someone who isn't strong, there are simply those who are stronger than they are. Everyone is strong in some way and-"
"Just answer the question, Pinky…" Gray groaned.
"What. Did. I. Say. About. Pinky?" Natsu growled, glaring at Gray.
"Uh…"
"Natsu, I am curious as well," Erza added.
"I wanna know too, Natsu," Mira cooed.
"(sigh) Well, I really don't know how to answer that…" Natsu told them. "If I had to guess? Assuming I didn't have to worry about potentially destroying an area or killing my opponent…"
The four mages that were with him sweated slightly, glancing at each other.
"In a life or death situation where I was protecting the guild...It would take approximately two wizards of Makarov's level to overpower me."
Lucy's jaw dropped to the floor, Mira almost fainted, Erza just looked shocked, and Gray laughed.
"Yeah, right! We know you're tough, lizard breath, but don't you think that's overselling yourself just a bit?"
"Well, as I said, I'm really not sure. I've only gone all out once and I try not to think about it…" Natsu muttered, and Happy patted his shoulder lightly.
"Well, I think you should prove it," Gray declared, smacking his fist into his palm.
"How am I supposed to do that?" Natsu asked.
"Just release your magic, as much as you have without casting a spell. You always keep it hidden for some lame reason, so no one's ever felt it before," Gray explained.
"It's not a 'lame' reason, it's so I don't knock people unconscious as I walk around," Natsu retorted. "And no, I don't want to do that. Most people in the guild would be knocked out instantly, and Makarov would yell at me for causing property damage on my first day back."
"Please, Natsu," Mira begged, giving him puppy dog eyes. "I haven't seen you in so long…"
"Jane…" Natsu sighed, though it was obvious he was about to cave.
"I have a suggestion," Lucy piped up. "Erza challenged Natsu to a fight tomorrow, right? How about before they start, Natsu does...whatever Gray was talking about!"
"Excellent suggestion, Lucy!" Erza declared, much to Natsu's disappointment. It was hard enough to decline a request from Mira, there was no way he could decline one from both her and Erza. "Just...don't use it on me…" Erza added quietly.
"Of course not, Erza. You think I'd ever put you in danger?" Natsu asked like it was the dumbest suggestion in the world, and Erza just blushed slightly. "Anyway, I think I'm gonna head home. Happy, you're free to stay if you'd like."
"Aye, sir! But I'll come back anyway, they ran out of fishies."
"Of course they did, you're here!" Natsu chuckled.
"Do you have to leave, Natsu," Mira whined.
"I'll see you tomorrow Jane, you can watch me wipe the floor with Erza. You've always enjoyed that, right?" he asked.
"I wouldn't be so sure of that, Natsu! I've gotten far stronger this year as well!" Erza declared.
"I guess so…" Mira answered, and gave him a hug. "Good night, Natsu."
"Good night, Jane," Natsu replied, returning her hug. He let Mira go and turned to the rest of his guildmates. "I'll see you three tomorrow as well. Have a good night."
They bid their farewells, and Natsu and Happy headed off into the night.
"I can't believe he's finally back…" Mira sighed happily. "How come he ended up with you?"
"Well, it's actually an interesting story…" Erza told Mira of what happened on their mission. How they discovered Eisenwald's plans with Lullaby, and how Natsu had shown up at the last moment to destroy the demon.
"Oh, my! Just like Natsu, always one to make an entrance." Mira shook her head.
"Mira, are you two dating?" Lucy asked, seemingly out of the blue.
"Wh-what? Where did you get that idea from?" Mira squeaked, blushing fiercely.
"Yes, such an outlandish suggestion…" Erza muttered, glaring slightly at Mira.
"Oh, I'm sorry...It's just you two seemed so close, and he had a pet name for you so I just thought-"
"It's not a pet name!" Mira squeaked again, somehow blushing harder. "He just-uh-he gave me a nickname! That's it! He said it was because giving nicknames was a human thing! That's it!"
"Right…" Lucy deadpanned.
"However, it is interesting that he didn't give Erza a nickname...What do you think about that, Erza?" Mira challenged, recovering a few moments later.
"Shut your mouth, demon! I don't need a nickname!"
Lucy quickly felt out of place as the two began to bicker fiercely, and eventually made her way over to Levi, which she had quickly befriended earlier. The two were both bookworms so they had quite a lot in common.
"So, I heard you and Natsu were writing a book?" Lucy asked, sitting by the bluenette.
"Well, we wrote one, but Natsu wanted to add a few things to it. Something about the difference between Royal Dragon Force and regular Dragon Force. Frankly, I don't know what he meant, but we'll talk about it later."
"What's the book about?"
"A few years ago, Natsu had mentioned in passing that he always told his fathers that he would write a book about them one day, talking about dragons, dragon slayers, dragon customs, and all things like that. I love reading, but can't write for anything, so we decided to work on it together! It was a lot of fun, and I learned a lot!"
"How come Natsu likes dragons so much? I guess it makes sense since he uses dragon slayer magic…" Lucy mused.
"Oh, he didn't tell you yet? Natsu was raised by two dragons, one named Igneel who was the White Fire Dragon King, and the other was named Draco. The two were brothers, and Draco found Natsu in a village that had been destroyed, so they did something called a Dragon Soul Ritual, and taught him dragon slayer magic."
"Natsu was raised by actual dragons?" Lucy exclaimed. "I didn't know those even existed! I guess that explains all that weird jewelry he wears…"
"I can't tell you too much, but both of Natsu's dragons were killed when he was much younger by the same dragon that destroyed his village after he was born. I don't know how many dragons are left now, but his necklace is made from a talon from Draco, his scarf is made from the scales of Igneel, and the earrings are made from scales of another dragon that was killed in that fight. I think his name was Archon," Levi explained.
"Oh, that's terrible," Lucy said sympathetically.
"Yeah...I don't know what happened after that though, he's quite...private... about a lot of things. Happy, Erza, Mira, and Master Makarov probably know the most about him, so if you're still curious you can talk to them, but they are quite skilled in dodging questions. I guess he swears them all to secrecy."
"Erza said something like that…" Lucy replied. 'I wonder what he's so scared of people finding out…'
The evening continued, and eventually, the members slowly left the guildhall, after a long night of celebrating the return of their mysterious Dual Salamander.
Earlier That Day
In the magical world, there is something called the Magic Council. The Magic Council is somewhat of a governing body, where a group of ten people work together to maintain order throughout the land. They worked out of a building called ERA. That day, they were discussing somewhat of a pressing matter…
"On the matter of the destruction of the town Clover and relation to Lullaby," Chancellor Org started. "It has been reported that Fairy Tail is responsible for the destruction of the entire village. However, it is also because of Fairy Tail that the guild masters' lives weren't ended and nearly the entirety of Eisenwald was apprehended."
"So what?" councilor Michello answered. "That doesn't change the fact that they attacked a dark guild without proper permission and destroyed an entire town! Those Fairy Tail mages have been at it for years and-"
"Now, now, Michello," councilor Siegrain interrupted. "Focus on what they did do for us. Let's not forget what would have happened if the guild masters had perished. Who would that responsibility fall to? Should the public find out that a weapon of Zeref still existed and was actually used...well...let's just say some of us would likely be forced to retire…"
"Are you suggesting it is the fault of one of our members that Lullaby was unsealed?" councilor Leiji asked suspiciously.
"Not at all, councilor Leiji. I just think that the magical world would be...rather boring without Fairy Tail, don't you think?"
"Apparently," councilor Yajima piped in. "Fairy Tail's Salamander returned during this incident as well."
"Is that so?" Chancellor Org stroked his long gray beard momentarily, before speaking up again. "In that case, I have a proposition…"
The Chancellor proposed his plan, which was approved by a majority 7 to 2. Siegrain scowled slightly.
"Not to worry, Master Siegrain." After the meeting had been concluded, a young woman named Ultear approached. "While this is an unexpected change of plans, I'm sure your knowledge of Salamander could still prove rather useful."
"You may have a point, Ultear…" Siegrain smirked. "I do believe you have an excellent point…"
The Next Day - Outside of the Fairy Tail Guild Hall
"Do I really have to do this?" Natsu was currently standing in front of his fellow guild members, preparing to 'demonstrate his power' as Mira put it, or 'prove how weak you really are' as Gray put it.
"Yes! Now stop your complaining!" Erza demanded.
"Be a REAL man!" Elfman shouted.
"Very well...I assume since none of you actually want me to potentially endanger myself or anyone here," Natsu eyed the crowd suspiciously, to which he received a few nervous nods. "I will not use Dragon Force. Honestly, I hope I never need to use it again…"
"What is dragon force? And is it really dangerous?" Lucy asked from the crowd.
"Dragon force is the 'final stage' so to speak, of a dragon slayer's power. Many say it gives them the power that rivals that of a dragon. I would say that is inaccurate, however, it is an incredible boost in power, and should its user be strong enough, it has the potential to reach that of a dragon. Though again, that's not a given. It's all user-dependent."
"Does this have something to do with the royal dragon force you mentioned yesterday?" Levi asked.
"Yes, royal dragon force is something that has, to my knowledge, never before been achieved by humans. I myself have only ever used it once, and I fell unconscious shortly after using it. It significantly upgrades my magical power and strengthens my spells, however-"
"QUIT STALLING, STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE!" Gray shouted.
"I haven't heard that one in a while…" Natsu mumbled, annoyed, yet impressed at Gray's seemingly improved insult skills. "I warn you one final time, those of you who are below S-Class will likely be unable to stand, and some of you may be knocked unconscious."
"Get on with it!" Elfman roared.
"Fine…" Natsu stood in front of them and closed his eyes. Happy was keeping his distance, knowing exactly how much power Natsu actually had, which put a few members on edge, but their curiosity got the better of them. He began to breathe slowly, gently releasing more and more magic power.
"What? You expect people to get knocked out from this?" Gray asked, exceedingly disappointed. However, following that statement, Natsu's eyes shot open and seemingly caught fire. A massive amount of magical power was released, trembling and cracking the ground underneath him. It was thick enough that a few members were on their knees already, and all of them felt intense pressure.
"Sweet Mavis!"
"I've only felt this much from Gildarts, Kael, and Makarov!"
"Not bad, flame brain, but I'm still standing," Gray taunted. He was exceedingly impressed by the massive amount of power Natsu had, not that he'd ever admit it, but still...Natsu had expressed his power quite dramatically, and this, while immense, was not quite up to the level Natsu had described.
"That was my first magic container," Natsu said, closing his eyes once again.
"THERE'S MORE?"
"SWEET MAVIS, WHAT IS HE?"
"HYAAHHHH!" Natsu shouted after a few more deep breaths, and once again shot his eyes open. This time, the ground below him cracked. Just as Natsu had said, most of the members were knocked unconscious immediately, Gray was on one knee, and only Mirajane, Erza, and Makarov were still standing up, though all but Makarov were struggling.
'Just how strong is he?' Erza thought to herself.
'If this is without dragon force...Natsu what were you doing this past year?' Mira thought.
'Well, as I expected...he has long since surpassed me...I dare say he has a shot as one of the four Gods of Ishgar…' Makarov internally smiled, proud of how far his child had come.
Natsu then closed his eyes again and began rapidly reeling in his power. Opening the second seal was not something he enjoyed doing, and he never planned on doing it in the first place, but he had disappointed everyone by leaving for a year, and he really didn't want to disappoint them again. After a few moments, the power was gone, and it was almost as if it was never there in the first place. The pressure that felt like monsters were stepping on their backs was now nothing more than gravity.
"Now that is exactly why," Natsu explained with a sigh. "I never open my second seal, and rarely ever release the magic on my first one."
Gray managed to stand up, his eyes still extremely wide, and just nodded. Happy flew over laughing and landed on Natsu's shoulder.
"I told you, didn't I? You totally owe me fish, Gray!"
"Whatever, cat…" Happy had made a bet with Gray. If Gray was able to remain standing and conscious, Happy would do anything Gray wanted for an entire day. If Gray fell unconscious, he owed Happy fish for a week, and if he fell over but managed to keep consciousness, he owed Happy fish for the day. "I'll pay up later. Once everyone wakes up, I want to see Erza's fight. That is...if she isn't too scared to-"
Gray was cut off by a sword pointed to his throat. "I'm sorry, were you saying something, Gray?" Erza said with a glare.
"No, ma'am!" he quickly replied.
What they didn't notice, was a frog-like creature, whose eyes were wide in shock, approaching from behind them. The frog creature, after freezing for a moment, scribbled something down on a piece of paper. Coming to terms that yes a wizard just knocked almost his entire guild unconscious by doing nothing more than demonstrating his magical power, began to reapproach his target.
"Attention! This demonstration is now concluded!" the frog creature announced, stepping around the unconscious Fairy Tail members. "I am here as a messenger from the Magic Council. Natsu Drakeneel is under arrest for multiple counts of property damage in the town of Clover. I have been ordered to apprehend you and return to ERA."
"What is the meaning of this?" Erza demanded.
"NATSHUUUU!" Happy wailed, flying over hugging onto him.
"Wait, you can't take Natsu! He just got back!" Mira ran up to the dragon slayer and stood in front of him protectively.
"Jane…" Natsu said softly, placing his hand on her shoulder. "It'll be fine. I'll go."
"But you just got back!" Mira whimpered, looking at him with tears in her eyes.
"I must agree with Mira! Gray, Lucy, and I are all responsible as well!" Erza declared.
"I have only been given the task and authority to arrest Natsu 'Dual Salamander' Drakeneel," the frog messenger responded.
"Erza, come here for a moment," Natsu said beckoning the knight over. "I'll be with you shortly, allow me to say goodbye briefly, will you?" he added to the council messenger.
"Very well," the messenger replied and walked off a short distance to allow him a moment. Normally, he would have said no, but seeing as the messenger was just that, a messenger, he knew that should Natsu not go willingly, he had no real ability to bring him. 'Especially,' the messenger thought to himself. 'This guy. I'm not sure an entire army could take him if he didn't want to go…'
Erza approached Natsu, and he huddled slightly with the two women.
"Natsu, I don't agree-"
"Hold on, Erza, I know what you mean. However, I have a hunch that I'm not really in trouble…" Natsu explained.
"What do you mean?" Mira asked him.
"You're gonna be taken away, Natsu! I always knew this would happen someday!" Happy continued to wail.
"Calm down, Happy. Think about it. They are fully aware of what happened and why the town was destroyed, that much is clear. However, if they let the event blow over, the council looks weak. I'd bet you anything that this is just a slap on the wrist to show that they still have authority. I mean, if I was really in trouble, do you think they'd only send a messenger? To arrest an S-Class wizard from the strongest guild in Fiore?"
"I suppose that makes sense," Erza mused thoughtfully.
"Ok...you better come back soon, Natsu. Break out if you have to," Mira said.
Natsu smiled and gave both of them a quick hug. "Of course. I'll probably be back in a few days."
"Come back soon, Natsu…" Happy sniffled.
"Of course, lil' buddy! If I'm gone more than a day, you can stay with Erza or Mira!"
With that, Natsu walked off with the messenger. The frog attempted to put magic-canceling handcuffs on him, but a simple glare made it clear that that was not going to happen.
About five minutes later, the rest of the guild members started to wake up.
"What happened?" Lucy moaned. "Have Erza and Natsu had their fight yet?"
"No, we didn't have a chance," Erza replied, helping her up.
The rest of the guild followed suit, standing up and mumbling confusedly. "Master?" Erza asked.
Makarov nodded, cleared his throat, and addressed the members. "As he warned you, the moment Natsu released his magic, most of you were rendered unconscious and the rest fell to their knees. Only Erza, Mira, and I were able to remain standing. Unfortunately, the fight was unable to start as Natsu was taken by a member of the council for charges from the incident in Clover."
"What?"
"He was taken?"
"He actually knocked us out without using a spell? What on earth is that guy?"
"We should at least testify for him!" Lucy exclaimed. "I mean, he saved all of us! Why would he be arrested for saving lives?"
"Don't worry too much, Lucy," Mira said. "Natsu thinks it's just the council trying to show off their strength, and he made a pretty good argument."
"You're not worried at all?" Lucy asked her.
"Well...I guess I am...but I trust Natsu. He said he was going to be back, so he'll be back," Mira said with a determined smile.
Most of the guild cheered their support before returning to the guild. 'You better be right about this, brat…' Makarov thought to himself.
ERA - Meanwhile
'I'll see you very soon, Salamander,' Siegrain thought to himself. 'Or should I say...White Crown…'