Ch. 17- Pushing Together
Fairy Tail © Hiro Mashima
Story and OCs © Me
Lucy's eyes widened as she stared at Natsu, who growled lowly at her as he turned to face her. His eyes… they lacked the warmth and fiery bravery that she had to come to know for so long. Instead, it was replaced with fury and malice as he glared at her and Happy, who whimpered as he clung to the Celestial Spirit Wizard.
"N-Natsu?" Happy asked. "What's gotten into you? Was it somethin' you ate, pal?"
Natsu growled as he began to slowly stalk toward Lucy and Happy, who gasped as they began to back away in fear as his lips curled in a ferocious snarl, flames seeping from his mouth.
"Natsu…!" Lucy said as she suddenly found herself backed up against a piece of rubble while the distance between her and Natsu began to close. "N-Natsu, stop it! Come on, snap out of it!"
"Yeah! You're kinda scaring us, here!" Happy cried.
Natsu growled as he raised his fist, which began to blaze with hellish red flames… causing Lucy to gasp as she realized that whoever this was… it was definitely not her friend, Natsu.
"STOP IT, NATSU!" Lucy cried as she covered her head, bracing for the strike… but then, Natsu grunted as he grabbed at his head as if he were in pain, to Lucy and Happy's surprise.
"Natsu?" they asked as Natsu stumbled back for a moment… and then he groaned as he fell forward, causing Lucy to gasp as she reached out to catch him in her arms.
"Natsu!" Lucy cried. "Are you okay?"
"Urrgh…" Natsu groaned as he opened his eyes… revealing the same onyx orbs that Lucy had recognized. The scales on his skin had disappeared, as well. "L… Lucy…?"
"Yeah," Lucy whispered.
"W… what happened?" Natsu asked. "What's going on?"
"You don't remember?" Happy inquired. "You ate that demon's fire and-"
"GUYS!"
They turned to see Haru and Wendy come riding in on Blue Fang's back with Carla flying after them.
"Sis…?" Natsu asked.
"BEHIND YOU!" Carla cried. "WATCH OUT!"
"Wha…?" Lucy asked before a huge roar reverberated through the air, causing Natsu, Lucy, and Happy to turn to see that Belial had stood back up, and now it was more furious than before. However, as Lucy got a closer look… she noticed that the gemstone embedded in its forehead had cracked, just a bit. As the demon leaned closer to attack, Lucy gasped as she pulled Natsu close to her in a protective embrace while Happy covered his ears… but then…
"ICE MAKE: LANCE!"
Suddenly, several arrows of ice flew out of nowhere, striking Belial in the face. The demon roared as it stumbled back, holding its forehead in pain. That's when Lucy turned around to see Gray approaching along with Juvia, as well as Gajeel and Levy, Mirajane and Elfman, and finally, Erza.
"Lu, are you okay?!" Levy asked.
"Guys, you're here!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Seriously, Natsu?!" Gray questioned. "You really think this is a good time for you to get cuddly with your girlfriend?!"
"W-what?!" Lucy sputtered before she realized that she had unknowingly pulled Natsu into her bosom, causing her to shriek as she blushed red.
"You loooooove him!" Happy cooed, teasingly.
"NOT THE TIME, FURBALL!" Lucy shouted, still embarrassed.
"Here it comes, again!" Erza called out as she pointed at Belial, who roared as it charged at the wizards, who quickly split up to avoid getting hit, but the demon did smash several buildings.
"What the hell is that thing, anyway?!" Gajeel questioned.
"What happened to Alistor?!" asked Erza.
"Gone," said Lucy as she gently propped Natsu up against a wall. "Belial's taken him as his vessel, now."
"That fool," Erza said. "I hate to say it, but it serves him right. He should've known better than to try and tame something that was beyond control."
"So what do we do, now?" asked Wendy, worriedly.
"What else?" asked Haru. "We have to destroy it, just like with Lullaby! Right, Blue Fang?"
Blue Fang barked in reply, preparing for battle.
"We should be able to do it with all of us working together!" Mirajane exclaimed.
"Juvia, do you think you can still fight?" asked Gray.
"As long as I'm with you, my dear Gray, I have the energy to spare," Juvia declared.
"I can help, too!" said Levy. "No way am I sitting this out!"
"You sure got spunk, Shorty," Gajeel smirked. "Count me in!"
"Don't… forget about… me," said Natsu as he forced himself to stand up.
"Natsu, wait!" Lucy exclaimed as she went to his side. "Natsu… are you sure you're all right? You still used a lot of magic… and well…"
"What?" Natsu asked.
"I'm not sure if you're able to… keep going," said Lucy, but the way she spoke made it sound as if she wasn't completely telling the truth. That's when Haru noticed that Lucy seemed to be trembling a bit.
"Are you sure you can make it, Natsu?" asked Happy.
"I still got some fire left in me," said Natsu. "Don't count me out, just yet!"
"...If you're sure," Lucy said before she glared at Belial, who glowered down at the group.
"This is it, everyone!" Erza called out. "Let's go!"
"Right!" everyone exclaimed before they began to spread out in order to take the demon down from a wider range. First up were Haru and Blue Fang, who stood on a piece of rubble to get a better vantage point.
"Beast Siren HOOOOOOOOOOOWWWL!"
The Beast Wizard and her wolf partner let out simultaneous sonic roars, causing Belial to roar as it grabbed at its non-visible earholes. In the demon's disorientation, it didn't notice Wendy and Gajeel standing over it while Levy used her Solid Script Magic to create a cannon.
"IRON DRAGON…"
"SKY DRAGON…"
"ROOOOOOAAAAAAAAAAAAARR!"
Both Gajeel and Wendy unleashed their powerful breath attacks while Levy fired her Solid Script Cannon at the demon, but the attacks didn't seem to have the desired effect… at least, not at first. As everyone kept firing their attacks, that's when Levy noticed something: the crack on the gemstone that was embedded in the monster's forehead had cracked even more. That's when the realization began to set in.
"Guys! Aim for the demon's forehead!" called Levy. "That's its weak spot!"
"Sounds good to me!" Natsu shouted. "I'm fired up, now!"
"We got this!" Gray shouted. "Juvia! I'm gonna need some water, here"!
"Of course, my love!" Juvia replied as she conjured some water from her hands, soaking the ground beneath Belial's hoofed feet.
"ICE MAKE: FLOOR!" Gray shouted as he slammed his palms against the wet ground, thus freezing it into ice and immobilizing Belial's legs. The demon roared as it tried to hit Gray with its tentacle-like tails, but Juvia soon stepped in the way with a fierce glare in her eyes.
"WATER SLICER!"
Waving her arms, Juvia soon sliced off the tails with blades of water, but there were still several left that attempted to attack the pair… until someone swooped in with a rain of swords. It was Erza, who flew in while donning her Heaven's Wheel Armor, once more. She then glanced up at the skies as Mirajane, back in her Satan Soul form, flew overhead while carrying her brother.
"Ready, Elfman?!" asked Mirajane.
"Hell yeah!" Elfman shouted. "Let's show this thing what a real man can do!"
"THEN GO!" Mirajane yelled as she dropped her brother, who soon transformed into his Beast Take-Over, and let out a ferocious roar as he slammed his claws into Belial's forehead, causing the demon to roar in pain. As for Mirajane, she conjured a large ball of dark energy in her hands.
"DEMON BLAST!"
She fired a beam of darkness from the orb, which struck Belial's forehead, causing the crack in the gemstone to grow even larger. This only served to make the demon even more furious than before, for it roared loudly as it attempted to swat Erza and Mirajane away, then bashed its fists into a building, forcing Gajeel to grab Levy while Haru grabbed Wendy, Blue Fang grabbed Carla, and they fled before the structure was destroyed with them on it. Then it tried to attack Gray and Juvia next, but they quickly ran out of the way before they could get crushed. It soon managed to break free from the ice that was holding it before it roared loudly, loud enough for all of the Elise Kingdom to hear.
In the distance, Lars and Alyssandra watched along with the rest of the Fairy Tail Guild and the townsfolk, all of them wearing concerned expressions.
"Grandpa… do you think they need help over there?" asked Elektra, worriedly.
"They can handle it," said Makarov. "I'm sure of it."
"That's a really scary monster," said a little boy as he clung to his mother's dress while she held his infant sister in her other arm.
"Yeah, that is a scary monster, kid," said Cana, "but we've got some scarier monsters of our own."
"Don't underestimate them," said Freed. "If anyone can defeat that beast, it's Natsu and the others."
"I certainly hope so," said Lars.
"They can do it," Alyssandra reassured him with a determined expression. "I believe in them! I know they can do it! They've come this far… so there's no way that they'll give up, now!"
Back at the battle, everyone was throwing every bit of magic they had at Belial, who roared as it kept trying to attack them. Gray fired at the monster with his ice bazooka while Gajeel and Wendy were striking back with their combined Dragon Slayer Magic with Levy providing them with the necessary means to replenish it. Haru and Blue Fang continued to let out their sonic howls at the beast to disorient it while Erza and Juvia kept cutting away with swords and water. Mirajane kept unleashing her dark magic attacks while Elfman smashed at its forehead.
That's when Lucy stood on a nearby rooftop with Sagittarius standing by her side, his bow and arrows set and ready to fire.
"Okay, Sagittarius!" Lucy called out. "Are you ready?!"
"Howdy-do!" Sagittarius declared as he took aim. "We'll have this thing shot down in no time, missy!"
"Then… FIRE!" Lucy shouted as she pointed at Belial, and with steady aim, Belial fired his arrow at the demon… hitting the gemstone in its head dead-center. Belial roared as it reared up, grabbing at its forehead while writhing in pain… but to everyone's shock, the gemstone had not been completely destroyed!
"This thing just won't give up!" shouted Gray.
"What do we do, now?!" Wendy questioned.
"We have to do something, or else the entire kingdom will be destroyed!" Erza replied.
"Where's Natsu?!" Haru asked as she looked around for her brother, only to gasp as she saw a familiar glint in the sky. That's when she saw Happy flying up high with Natsu, who growled as he gathered flames around his body.
"Okay, Happy! You ready?!" Natsu asked.
"Aye, sir!" Happy replied.
"THEN DROP ME, NOW!" Natsu shouted, and at his command, Happy soon released his friend, who roared as he dove toward Belial, the flames around him taking on the form of a giant fiery bird. "DRAGON SLAYER SECRET ART!"
"COME ON, NATSU!" Lucy shouted.
"TAKE THIS THING DOWN, BRO!" Haru cheered.
"YOU GOT THIS!" Gray yelled.
"FLAME LOTUS: PHOENIX SWOOOOOOOOORD!"
The result ended in a giant exploding collision with Natsu striking Belial's forehead, completely shattering the gemstone. The demon let out an inhuman screech as it reared up on its hooves… and then, all of a sudden, the screeching stopped… and it fell toward with a colossal thud, sending the whole ground trembling… and then, it lay still. The Fairy Tail Wizards all gathered around it, waiting for a sign that it might get back up…but nothing happened. No breathing, no twitching… nothing.
"We… we did it…!" Juvia whispered.
"It's dead!" Haru exclaimed. "The demon's dead!"
"YES!" Levy and Wendy cheered as they hugged each other and laughed while Blue Fang threw his head up in a triumphant howl.
"Thank goodness," said Carla with relief.
"Man… that sure took a lot out of me," said Elfman as he and Mirajane stood side-by-side.
"At least it's finally over," said Mirajane.
"To think that the Ancient Dark Wizard Zeref created something so ugly," Gajeel mused.
"You gotta wonder… do you think there might be more out there?" asked Gray.
"We destroyed it and saved the Elise Kingdom," said Erza. "That's all that matters in the end."
Natsu groaned as he leaned against the wall of a building, exhausted from the overuse of his magic power. Happy flew beside him while Lucy soon came to his side, both of them looking at him with worry.
"Natsu?" asked Lucy. "Are you okay?"
"Ugh…" Natsu groaned as his legs began to buckle, causing Lucy to gasp as she caught him. That's when she noticed something: Natsu's face was flushed red… and his forehead felt very hot. So hot that she had to pull her hand away.
"Guys!" Lucy cried. "Something's wrong! Natus's burning up, and not in a good way!"
"What?!" Haru questioned as she and the others ran to Natsu's side. "Natsu! You okay, big bro?!"
"It must be from using too much of his magic!" said Erza. "He needs medical attention, now!"
"Quickly!"
Everyone looked up to see Alyssandra, Lars, and the rest of Fairy Tail behind them.
"Get Natsu to the castle!" Alyssandra urged. "We'll treat his sickness there!"
"You are welcome to rest in our castle if you wish," Lars replied. "Consider it my way of showing my gratitude for saving me and our kingdom."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," said Erza. "Everyone, let's head to the castle… after everything we've been through, we've earned a well-deserved rest."
With collective groans and sighs of agreement, the others began to make their way to the castle… but then, as Haru glanced over her shoulder, she gasped as she saw the monster was crumbling into pieces… and out of its shell was Alistor, completely whole!
"Ugh…" Alistor groaned as he tried to stand up… but as he did, his eyes went wide in horror as he began to recall what had just happened to him. That's when he looked up and saw the rest of Fairy Tail glaring at him, and as another gasp escaped his mouth, he soon scrambled to his feet and turned to run towards the ruined streets, but Blue Fang barked as he began to give chase.
"Attaboy, Blue Fang!" Gray called.
"Go get him, big guy!" Haru shouted.
Alistor panted as he ran as fast as he could while Blue Fang kept chasing after him, the silver wolf barking and snarling viciously in his relentless pursuit. The dark wizard growled as he ducked into an alley… but in doing so, he suddenly bumped into someone, causing him to grunt as he fell back, his backside hitting the ground. As he looked up, he gasped as he saw that he was staring up at the same hooded figure that had been quietly trailing Natsu and the others. At that moment, Blue Fang appeared, but he, too, stopped in his tracks upon noticing the hooded stranger.
"Who… who are you?!" Alistor questioned.
"You don't need to know who I am," said the figure as he raised his fist… and up above, the clouds rumbled with thunder. "I just know that you're someone who's an enemy of my Fairy Tail… and if you think I'm gonna let you get away, you've got another thing coming, pal."
"Huh…?!" Alistor muttered while Blue Fang's eyes widened.
"Resound through the air," the figure chanted, "the roar of thunder, plunge from the heavens, and reap destruction! RAGING BOLT!"
Soon after, a huge lightning bolt burst down from the clouds, creating a massive thunderclap as it struck its target. Alistor screamed as he was hit with a powerful electric shock, charring his body to a blackened crisp. As quickly as the lightning bolt came down, it soon disappeared… leaving Alistor lying on the ground, his eyes rolled into the back of his skull as his body smoked. Blue Fang stared down at the shocked man before he looked up at the hooded figure.
It was then that he realized who he was.
"…Hey, Blue Fang," said the figure as he reached out to pet the wolf, who flinched and growled slightly, causing him to sigh. "You still don't trust me, do you? I don't blame you… not after what I did."
"Blue Fang!" Haru called out from the distance. "Where are you, boy?!"
Blue Fang took a glance over his shoulder upon hearing his name being called, then looked up at the hooded man, who frowned at him.
"I know you can't really talk," he said, "but please don't tell anyone you saw me."
With that, he turned and walked away, disappearing into the shadows… and Blue Fang only stared after him, sadly before he looked down at the defeated Alistor. Then, he picked him by the back of his cloak and began to drag him away… but not before he gave one final glance in the direction the man left, then turned to head back to his family.
As for the hooded man… he sighed as he looked up at the sky… revealing the lightning bolt-shaped scar on his face.
"I can't come back… not yet…"
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