Chapter 4
Rescue Mission
When the dust had settled and the Carbuncle Mages left the now ravaged Fairy Tail Guild in ruins, Lucy, heartbroken at her failure, began to blame herself.
"I couldn't help her when she needed me. They took her, and all I could do was watch it happen," she sobbed.
Cody looked sympathetically at her, then rested his hand on Lucy's shoulder.
"This wasn't your fault, Lucy. Those from Carbuncle, as well as Hyena and Sephiroth, are to blame, not you," he tried to assure her.
Sora and the others had to agree with him, but the one who was taking it harder was Natsu, who was furious at what happened, as well as swore revenge.
"Natsu! That is enough. We will find a way to get Eclair back, but not if we start thinking with acts of anger and vengeance," said Asuna.
"The young lady's right. We mustn't think of blinding ourselves with vengeance," agreed Makarov.
"So what are we going to do? Since we can't bother with taking revenge on our enemies, our only course of action will be to launch a rescue mission of Eclair, who's being held captive by those people who took her," said Yumi.
Unfortunately, Jet hadn't learned that Makarov would be coming back, despite what happened to the guild hall. Finally, everyone went down stairs to hold an emergency meeting, while the others stood well back.
"There's been reports of some unusual magic north of here recently, so we investigated it," explained Panther Lily.
"And we ended up in this puny little country. It was called Veronica," added Gajeel.
"Eclair told us about this place," replied Happy.
"She told us it was what had stolen the other phoenix stone," interjected Gray.
"The guild was attacked by Carbuncle, their mercenaries. They were hired by Veronica's duke, Cream. We overheard them talking about getting a large amount of money for abducting a girl named Eclair," continued the dark colored cat.
"We also heard that Veronica is holding a 400th birthday party tomorrow, and this Duke Cream is gonna make some fireworks by putting the two phoenix stones together," added his companion.
"What'll that do?" Erza asked worriedly.
"There happens to be an ancient legend about those stones. It says that when the two become one, the fiery phoenix will spring forth from its eternal prison," answered Panther Lily.
"And apparently give you eternal life, as a thank you gift," added Gajeel.
"So what you're saying is that this elixir of life will make someone immortal?" questioned Kirito.
Makarov nodded sadly towards him.
"When the people of Fire Village sealed the phoenix many years ago, countless lives were lost. I can't imagine the havoc that demon would create were it released today," he said.
"Wait a minute. A draconequus named Discord told us about what he saw before he became good," Leafa replied in realization.
"Wait, Discord?" Sora asked.
"Yeah. He showed up last night before this whole mess got started, while we watched you, Cody, Lucy, and Eclair hugging it out after the revelation," she answered.
"All we have to do is dispel the magic from one of the stones to keep that thing from ever coming back. That's why Kalard was so worried about being there, and was so waiting for her to bring in the stone," said Gray.
"If Cream does this, he'll have the phoenix's power and be able to do whatever he wants, without the fear of death stopping him," replied Gajeel.
"If the phoenix were to go on a rampage, just like what happened last time, the duke will survive the attack, but he'll be the only one," added Panther Lily.
"We won't let that happen!" declared Natsu.
"Let me go. At least let me try to rescue Eclair. She was crying, so I held her. She still couldn't stop trembling. She was so much, that I couldn't stop shaking too. This isn't just about the stone, or the phoenix. Eclair's life is at stake!" cried Lucy.
Momon looked up at her, even as Cody gently rested his hand on her shoulder.
"She's not just a girl like Lucy, she's also like myself and Sora. Losing her father broke her, just as it broke a lot of us. We have to help her, but only if you agree to let us do this. None of us have the right to just ignore her. I can hear her heart calling to us for help, and if she does get left alone again, it will cause her morality to break," he explained.
"I see. You can go," replied Makarov.
"If she's going, we're going too. She's not just our friend, she's family to us, and we never leave one of our own behind," declared Sora.
"I share Sora's sentiment. We're going to save Eclair, and stop the phoenix from breaking free," agreed Erza.
The others agreed, despite Makarov's warnings about what would happen if Civil War were to ensue between two countries. He declared that he would report to the council on what he had heard, and explain things to them. Meanwhile, inside the castle dungeon, Eclair sat in her cell, alone and afraid. When the door opened, in stepped Duke Cream and his cohorts, along with Sephiroth and Hyena, all leering at her with malicious intent.
"Oh, what perfect timing. This is exactly what I was hoping for. A fitting anniversary gift for my kingdom," he said proudly.
"Listen to me! You mustn't revive the phoenix! Man cannot control it's destructive power!" cried Eclair.
"Is that what you honestly believe? Stupid little girl. Stupid little scared helpless lost little girl. Duke Cream will most certainly have what he desires most. The power to both live forever and be revered as a god by the people of Veronica, and they will know that his rule is divine," grinned Hyena, and he gave a cruel chuckle.
"However, I can tell that you still refuse to let that happen. But your friendship with Lucy is strong. The two of you would have truly been happy together. Not one or more of you would have that chance, no matter what has been written by those who'd want the people to read their stories. Therefore, I believe no woman in her lifetime will suffer as greatly as you will," Sephiroth said with a wicked smile.
Stepping back, and unfurling his singular black wing, the One-Winged Angel unleashed a powerful burst of dark lightning from his fingertips.
"Sephiroth, what are you doing!?" cried Cream.
The bolts struck Eclair, tearing into her flesh, and she screamed loudly. Hyena, whilst a little mortified, couldn't help but take in the screams as they sounded more like music to him, while Cream stood back in shock as Sephiroth's aura slowly engulfed him, then made him look like he was standing in black flames. But to the people of earthland, Eclair's screams started to echo, making them think it was the sound of a thousand souls being tortured by a ruthless tyrant far away. However, Lucy's reaction to that sound made her start to shed tears for her, causing Cody to hold her close to him.
"Wait, you guys, listen. Do you hear what Lucy's hearing? That's the sound of ultimate suffering. My heart made that sound the moment Sephiroth struck down and killed Nehelenia in cold blood. Now Eclair makes that sound," Sora said to everyone present.
"What? Eclair?" gasped Wendy.
Back in the dungeon…
"Yes, more, Sephiroth! MORE!" howled Hyena.
But Duke Cream's ears couldn't bear it any longer. Then finally he snapped.
"That's enough. THAT'S ENOUGH!" shouted Cream.
Sephiroth stopped, then Eclair dropped to the ground, badly wounded.
"Hmph… I was expecting more. But no matter, the time for your demise will come, tonight," he said, then stormed off.
But as he left, he made doubly sure to blast her with his energy beam attack, Stigma, causing her to scream again.
"She was a fool to think she could try to lay a finger on you. However, her companions may try and save her, but by then they will be too late to do anything, which will drive the celestial mage to despair, thus resulting in her death," the One-Winged Angel said to the Duke.
He turned towards Dyst.
"Make doubly sure that all soldiers in Veronica are at the ready. Tell them that Martial Law shall be put into effect, by order of his imperial majesty, King Cream," he added coldly.
Dyst nodded, then walked away However, Sephiroth smiled wickedly.
"Soon, very soon. Veronica will burn, just as Fire Village did long ago," Sephiroth said wickedly.
Aboard the train to Veronica, everyone was now making plans, but Cody stood looking out the window, thinking of his new friend Eclair. A small tear formed in his eye, and rolled down his cheek.
"Eclair, we will save you," he said quietly.
This made Lucy turn and look up at him, then she asked Juvia to let her see him, which she agreed to do. Something in Natsu was making him think that even though Lucy cared about him, he could tell that somewhere inside the celestial mage's heart was a strong feeling of love for the Son of Xehanort. When Lucy approached him and wrapped her arms around him, she too looked out at what was happening ahead of them, until they began to think of the times they had with each other, both good and bad, despite Eclair's belief that nothing could fill her heart with happiness. At that same moment, Eclair looked through the window of her cell, wondering if someone would break her free after the horrible torture Sephiroth put her through.
(Well folks, Go ahead and play Forever Autumn from Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds, sung by Justin Hayward, but with Anna-Marie Wayne's voice included in the mix)
Eclair:
The summer sun is fading as the year grows old
And darker days are drawing near
The winter winds will be much colder
Now you're not here
Cody:
I watch the birds fly south across the autumn sky
And one by one they disappear
Cody and Eclair:
I wish that I was flying with them
'Cause you're not here
Like the sun through the trees you came to love me
Like a leaf on a breeze you blew away
Cody:
Through autumn's golden gown we used to kick our way
Lucy:
You always loved this time of year
Cody, Lucy and Eclair:
Those fallen leaves lie undisturbed now
'Cause you're not here
'Cause you're not here
'Cause you're not here
They began to think about the times they spent in Rose Garden, before Chase had ambushed them, and later the revelation of Kalard being Eclair's father, which left them all shaken up.
Cody, Lucy, and Eclair:
Like the sun through the trees you came to love me
Like a leaf on a breeze you blew away
Cody:
A gentle rain falls softly on my weary eyes
Eclair:
As if to hide a lonely tear
Cody, Lucy, and Eclair:
My life will be forever autumn
'Cause you're not here
'Cause you're not here
'Cause you're not here
'Cause you're not here
'Cause you're not here
'Cause you're not here
In the Magic Council Chamber, Makarov relayed his reports to the other members. They were aghast at what he had told them about the phoenix stones, and that the entire Kingdom of Veronica would use both the power of the phoenix and the full power of eternal life to ravage Earth Land. This news shocked them to no end, until the head of Fairy Tail decreed that they would ensure that the people be evacuated, or else all hell would break loose. Suddenly, Master Yen Sid appeared.
"Master Makarov speaks the truth, my friends. The Kingdom of Veronica will be in great jeopardy if we don't act now. Due to my experience as a Keyblade Master, I can tell you this. If Prince Cream intends to destroy this world, we must ensure that he is stopped at once, even if it means risking full scale civil war. That is what I've learned from Sora, despite being his teacher and a giver of missions. Therefore, we may have no alternative but to take that risk," he said.
Everyone was aghast. In Veronica, all the people began to celebrate, as the royal troops of that kingdom marched up and down the streets for the 400th anniversary of that kingdom. Some of them had their doubts about the mercenaries. Below, Cream was now chanting the spell that would summon the phoenix after he combined both stones, even though Eclair had managed to partially injure him during her torture at the hands of Sephiroth, which made Hyena even more impressed. There was the other stone, the very thing that would be used to call forth the phoenix from it's long slumber.
"Very shortly, all will be as it was written," grinned the Dark Keyblader.
Beyond Veronica, the mages of Fairy Tail stood ready to attack, and they nodded to each other.
"It won't be long. We're coming, Eclair," Lucy said.
Cody slowly stepped up and gently took her hand.
"Lucy, after this is done, I'll tell you everything that I truly feel about you," he murmured.
Lucy nodded at him, even though she remembered that Eclair was alone, thanks to what she had been told. Inside the Kingdom, the guards were marshaling her to the stake in the town square, as she remembered that her time was not yet done. But then, she saw the phoenix statue, causing her eyes to be wide with dismay. It was the same statue she danced around, before the brutal massacre.
"I see," she said, as the guards ordered her to move.
"Now I understand. I've come full circle. The end at the beginning," Eclair spoke quietly.
Above, Cream was joined with Sephiroth and Hyena, who stood off to either side.
"Legends will be born," he said.
"Yes. The Legend of Earth Land's destruction, at both my hands, and Hyena's," grinned the One-Winged Angel.
Outside of the side gate, the guards were standing outside, when Gray lunged forward with Kirito at his side, declaring that the gates were open. They all raced through after destroying them.
"Once we're beyond this gate, our mission is to find Eclair and bring her to safety," said Erza.
"Let's do it!" cried Natsu, and the fight was on.
One of the guards tried to warn Duke Cream, who was about to be crowned the new king, but the young man told him there was nothing to fear, as the Carbuncle mages would deal with them.
"Hyena. Go and help them, and have the Heartless be ready to take their hearts after they're subdued," said Sephiroth.
Hyena nodded, then appeared near Dyst who blasted Natsu, Happy, and Momon to the ground, just as Sora joined them.
"You again," they growled.
"Yes, us. Us, us, us, us, us, us. And the vessel of Vanitas, who will soon be Sephiroth's apprentice," remarked Hyena.
"Where is Eclair, Hyena Razor Droid!?" demanded Sora.
"Oh, you'll see her again, after you're all sent straight to Hell!" he grinned, and summoned Dark Starlight to his hand.
Elsewhere, Erza and Asuna came into contact with Coordinator, and prepared to engage her in battle.
"So we meet again," they said.
"Good, because I had something I wanted to tell you!" remarked Coordinator.
"What's that?" Erza asked.
"How should I say this? Your taste in clothing is atrocious!" snapped the other mage.
"Nobody puts a girl down about what she wears! However, your demise shall be assured!" snapped Asuna, as she readied Oathkeeper.
"Come, Asuna! Let us show her what happens when we are treated with disrespect!" the requip mage said to the Lightning Flash.
They soon charged at each other in a deadly two on one duel. Below,
Cody, Lucy, and the rest of the group were now rushing through the crowd, when Kirito sensed trouble.
"We got company," he said.
"I was hoping we were just a couple of people, with nothing but two cats, but it looks like they're from the carbuncle guild," sighed Panther Lily, as he changed into his fighting form.
"We can take 'em," replied Yang.
"Yang's right. In fact, I'm just as fired up as she is. We're trying to help someone here tonight, right? So we can't back down now," added Wendy.
"Lucy, we'll help Lily, Wendy, and Carla with this. Take Cody with you and find Eclair," said Asuka.
"We owe you one," Cody and Lucy replied.
The group soon split off with each other. Eclair, bound in chains was now struggling to break free, as Gajeel hurried through the sewers, hoping to find the castle, but was ambushed by Chase, but was able to stop the knives.
"You gotta have something that tastes better than that," he said.
"Hurry it up, Juvia," Kirito and Gray said.
"I am," she replied, but the water mage was still enamored with the ice mage.
Quickly, Kirito summoned Oblivion and deflected heavy gunfire from Cannon's cannons.
"You again!" he snapped furiously.
"So what's it gonna be, Mr. Dark Knight? You, the girl, or the pretty boy?" he asked.
"Neither. You're the one who's going down," remarked the Black Swordsman.
He glared at his enemy.
"Nephilim SOUL!" he cried, and his clothes turned into that of Nero's.
"Where's your motivation?" he asked, sounding less like himself, and more like Vergil.
The fight was on, as Gray used Ice Shield, causing Cannon to attack in full force. He grabbed Juvia's hand and ran, but Kirito, using both Red Queen and Yamato, quickly deflected the shots. Explosions rang out in the distance, as Cody and Lucy ran through another part of the streets. Suddenly they saw more guards standing before them.
"Open! Gate of the Maiden! VIRGO!" cried the celestial mage.
Virgo soon appeared.
"Hello, Princess. Do you wish to punish me for interrupting the celebration?" she asked.
"That's a no go, Virgo, but as Lucy's friend, all that she and I ask is that you stall the guards for us," replied Cody.
"Very well, Cody," said Virgo, and she brought them down one by one.
Some more tried to ambush them, but Lucy quickly brought them down, while Cody took out the other guard.
"Princess, you must hurry," said the maiden.
"Thanks a lot," replied Lucy, and she raced off.
"I'm right behind you, Lucy," Cody called after her.
"And please be careful," Virgo added and vanished.
Back in the alley, Natsu was now being tossed about like a ragdoll, until he was rendered unconscious.
"The game is over, Sora. In time the phoenix will awaken. Veronica will die," said Hyena.
"No," gasped Sora.
"Fiore will die," he continued.
"No!" the other Keyblade Wielder said in denial.
"Your friends will die, your family will die, and everything that you've fought for, will indeed be for nothing, just like what happened to Nehelenia, Galaxia, and Homura, before they all died, for what they believed to be a good cause, only to realize that the cause they wanted was truly hopeless. And very soon, I'll have the perfect sample of Cody's blood to revive your old friend Ydoc by remaking him through cloning technology, whom you mercilessly killed off," finished the Dark Keyblade Wielder.
"NO!" screamed Sora, and his darkness soon began to take hold of him.
Oblivion materialized in his hand, and he glared at Hyena.
"What's this? Are you utilizing the full power of Vanitas while maintaining some sense of yourself? Interesting. Let's see what you're capable of," remarked Hyena, as he caused some small fragments to rise and flicked them at Sora.
Sora dodged one, then another. Then, as if by some form of instinct, he began dodging Hyena's attacks, even as he saw the cruel smile.
"But even with the power of Vanitas. You still won't be able to stop Cream from summoning the phoenix," he grinned.
"Hyena," Sora said firmly.
Hyena looked up at him.
"I'm sick of your bullcrap," he continued.
"What!?" demanded Hyena.
"It's time to end this. Right here. Right now," finished Sora.
"You! YOU INSIGINFICANT FOOL!" screamed the dark Keyblade Wielder, and even Dyst had to agree, as he tried to blast crush Sora with his power.
"You're the fools. I've also grown sick and tired of your bullcrap as Sora has!" remarked Natsu, who recovered, after hearing Sora's little speech.
"Let me see how taking one more life feels," sneered Dyst, but was suddenly grabbed by Sora.
"You will not take another innocent," Sora said darkly, and he began to strangle him, but Dyst blasted him and Natsu back, leaving them unconscious.
"It appears that the guard has outlived it's flame," he remarked, and stalked away.
Meanwhile, Erza, Asuna, and Coordinator were now locked in battle with each other, the other requip mage slowly gaining the upper hand, no matter how her opponents tried to fight.
"How quaint. At home in your peasant rags," she said to them.
"I am no ordinary peasant. I am a WARRIOR OF LIGHT!" cried Asuna.
"Stupid wretch!" she barked, and they fought furiously.
Both allies jumped away, as Erza changed into her Clear Heart garb.
"Ah, an outfit fit for the theater," she said, and changed into her wedding dress.
Erza knew that this opponent could still under her requip magic.
"Your master's reign ends here," declared the Lightning Flash.
"Now that you mentioned it, you are wrong, because you will die here," remarked Coordinator.
However, Gray and Juvia soon began planning their next move, and were able to use their teamwork to defeat Cannon.
"Nobody gets away with wrecking the Fairy Tail guild," he declared.
"And now, you shall die," added Kirito, and the two boys charged right at their enemy.
With a mighty strike of their weapons, including Gray's Cold Excalibur, Cannon was defeated. However, to make doubly sure, Kirito turned and readied Yamato, his Devil Trigger activating.
"You were not worthy as our opponent, scum," he said ominously, and had his Judgment Cut reduced him into nothing.
"It's over. Now, let's help Lucy and Cody," the dark knight said to Juvia.
"Of course," replied Juvia, who was relieved to know that Gray had survived.
Inside a theater, Erza, Asuna, and Coordinator crashed through the roof as a play was going on. The crowd was in awe.
"My, my, what truly impeccable timing," she said.
She soon turned into a new set of armor, which looked golden and had two wings with eyes on them. Erza, on the other hand, decided to play along, with Asuna backing her up.
"Engarde! I'd much rather be slicing a wedding cake, but you will have to do," she said.
"I agree, you wench! Your war ends HERE!" agreed the Lightning Flash.
Coordinator tried to dispel it, but to her shock, nothing happened.
"Never underestimate the will of a bride!" the two girls cried out, and struck down their opponent with a Double Judgment cut.
"It's like your bride form would take no for an answer. It's so sad. You must be desperate to get married, aren't you?" groaned the other woman.
"My heart may be Kirito's, but my will is my own. Only he and I have the free reign to decide whether we marry or not. However, Erza's destiny is her own, and I'd gladly respect her wishes," remarked Asuna.
Erza was embarrassed to hear that, but at the same time, she sensed that Asuna did seem to remind her of herself. Meanwhile, Gajeel and Chase clashed furiously with each other. However, though the assassin tried to cut him down to nothing, the other mage was furious as he broke the blades.
"They don't call me Black Steel Gajeel for nothing, pal. Even my guts are stronger than iron," he said.
This time, he decided to strike at all the shadows, until he managed to catch Chase, this time for good. At the same time he did, Natsu and Happy took to the sky after recovering enough strength, while Sora followed after him in his Equestrian form, hoping to find their friends.
