Wishfull-star: I've chosen to go with #3, so it'll be out soon hopefully. Yeah, poor Ace. Not that last of his suffering, but he gets a while of good times before then!
WinterRose61: I didn't even compare the two situation, honestly. I just wanted Ace to have someone to be with, and of course Mavis was the easy choice. But she's very kind, so I know she would have helped him if this were canon for some reason.
Ace looked into the mirror at his completely dragon force form. Particles came off of him, not fire. And the particles were hotter than Ace's flames. Five years of isolation, with one single goal… he was glad he was still sane. Just waiting for the day they all woke up.
He was glad he wasn't aging like they weren't, but he thought about the outside world often. How the guild was doing with a large chunk of the strongest members missing. They had to all think they were dead. Ace also looked forward to seeing them again, seeming to come back from the dead.
He shot the little balls out at a fast speed, and caught the clearing on fire, burning brightly. He opened his palm and sucked it all back, able to control his flames perfectly now. Nothing was burnt. He could also control the temperature. Once they all woke, he'd be strong enough to protect them.
Maybe not from Acnologia, but he'd never let a dark guild hurt them again. Ever. He sighed, and sat down. His hair hasn't grown either, him stuck at barely 18. Mavis appeared behind him. "I have an idea of when the island will resurface and everyone will wake up." Ace whirled around, eyes wide. God, please let it be soon! "In two years." Ace deflated that it was more years, but now he had a set goal and knew when he'd be free.
Though going back to guild life after seven years of complete isolation besides one person… it would possibly be very uncomfortable at first. He had been bubbly and happy before, but this time, this isolation, had changed him, he felt. At least with how he thought. He was unsure of how he'd act with others.
If he changed, hopefully they still cared about him.
-x-
Ace wiped his hand in the air, forming floating fire, as if they were sticking to something. He wrote in the air with his finger, and it was very interesting. He distracted himself by making intricate patterns that would cover the whole clearing. It was one of the more fun part of his trained fire powers.
He enjoyed it. Since he had no other ideas of how to train to get stronger, being able to use dragon force in his own way, turning into full or hybrid dragon form, controlling direction and temperature of his flame. He could turn hot enough to turn sand to glass, but that made him uncomfortable and his body burn where it happened.
All strong moves that were besides his original fire powers. He was still made of flame when attacked. Ace had been more alone than ever, as Izu had gotten sick, and died. Ace buried her in the same clearing as Mavis. She had no problem with this.
Any day now, Tenrou Island would resurface, and everyone would wake up. He was worried, what they'd think of him becoming a dragon slayer after Acnologia. But he hadn't chosen that, and would have rather been weak and not alone for seven years. That was its own sort of torture he had endured in the fact he knew it wouldn't last forever.
Seven years… it felt so much longer. He felt he'd been here a whole lifetime.
With Natsu being the fire dragon slayer, Ace named himself the ethernon dragon. It was true, and it didn't feel he was completely copying his friend. He discarded the thought of leaving that group. They could deal with six members and cats that took up not much space or resources. Happy was fine with a single fish and Carla just a muffin or something minimal.
Then he'd go on jobs with Marco and Sabo for a different kind of fun, making all sorts of money! He thought of Thatch often, and how he had aged but they hadn't. He'd only be 37, so not an old man. But still. He must be lonely, if he stayed in that two bedroom apartment. Maybe the three could move to a bigger place or something.
While he was doodling with his fire, Mavis appeared with a bright smile. Her eyes were usually dull, but now they were bright. "It's time," she said. Then she disappeared. Ace gasped, and ran to his friends, waiting for them to wake. He closed his eyes as the island burst out of the sea in a glowing sphere that protected all of them from time and harm for seven years.
With the sunlight suddenly bright, Ace had his eyes shut so he wasn't blinded. When he got used to it, the first people he shook roughly awake were Sabo and Marco. They opened their eyes sleepily, looking confused. Tears of happiness poured down Ace's face. He wasn't alone anymore!
He didn't only have Mavis there, who couldn't stay in solid form too long at many periods of time. Both of them jerked up, and Ace's cries woke the others up slowly, too. They all were confused about being alive. Ace was hugging both his brother and boyfriend, sobbing. "Ace?! What happened?" Sabo asked, as Ace seemed to be the only one fully awake and aware.
Shaking his head, he couldn't speak yet. They were all healed of their wounds long ago. He moved from his brother and boyfriend and tackled Natsu, one of his first friends in this life. "What the heck?!" he shouted. Then Ace moved to everyone else but a few he wasn't close with. Like the thunder god tribe and Elfman and Lisanna. Or Juvia.
The Master asked what had happened when Acce hugged him. "How are we alive?"
"Master Mavis saved us," Ace said, finally able to talk. Everyone were shocked. After all, none had seen her or even arrived at her grave besides Cana and the Master. "She put the island in a magic sphere. We were in the ocean all this time."
Elfman asked what he meant, all this time. "We were all trapped for seven years." Sabo grew pale, and asked if Ace had been awake the whole time. He looked away, and nodded. He simply said it was only him. Though he added that Mavis visited him often. All of them felt and looked horrified when they heard Ace had been alone all this time, with all of them clearly asleep.
"I… it was really hard for a long time, but I was kept busy for most of it. I checked every day, but none of you were awake. But today was the day the spell finally broke." Marco stood up and hugged him tightly. Ace hugged him back, crying again. "I missed you all!" he cried into Marco's chest. He was asked by Erza why it was only him. Sabo was crying harshly, though silent, at the guilt of his brother being all alone. "Mavis said if I was like you all, I would have absorbed all the magic of the island. It would have killed all of us. So… she didn't do it to be mean or anything."
The Master asked if he could see her, but they waited, and she never came. Maybe she had run out of energy. Natsu came over and rudely sniffed him. "What happened to you? You smell different."
"It's a lot to explain. Can we just sit together for awhile?" he asked in a quiet voice. So they all did, and each of them were upset on their own that seven years of their lives passed while they were asleep.
"Why didn't you age?" Lucy asked. "You were awake the whole time."
"I was in the same situation as you all. My body didn't change. Hehe, I'm older than most of you, now," Ace laughed. But then he said he didn't want to count the empty years in his lifespan. He had stayed 18, so he hadn't aged. It was like he was in a bubble of time in his lifetime. Hard to explain.
He was sitting in Marco's lap, holding Sabo and Natus's hands. Neither were bothered by it. Erza asked where the enemies had gone. If their bodies had disappeared as well. Ace nodded. "Only the Fairy Tail members survived. All the animals did, but the bodies of the enemies were gone. Not a trace."
"I'm sorry we left you all alone," Lisanna said. Ace replied that it wasn't their faults. After speaking a little bit more, with Ace not falling asleep against Marco's chest, thankfully, they asked him what happened to him while he was gone. He looked awkward and uncomfortable, but now everyone wanted to know even more.
He said, "I trained. A lot. Every day. I got stronger… I won't lose anyone else ever again." Natsu asked why his smell changed. "Ah… Well, I kinda absorbed a lot of Acnologia's blast. And then none of it left my body while I was suspended here. Mavis said it was permanent. I'm an accidental dragon slayer now."
Everyone's jaws dropped. The first generation dragon slayers had bug eyes. "Sorry. I kind of feel like a knock-off one."
Laxus said, "Well, you're more of a dragon slayer than I am. You actually got magic from a dragon, not lacrima." Natsu asked if he was like Acnologia now, which everyone grew silent of. But he shook his head. He didn't look like him at all when he was transformed, and his attacks weren't blue beams like his had been.
"What did you just say?" Evergreen asked. Ace was confused. "You said you can transform, didn't you?" Ace blushed and nodded. Gajeel demanded to see it right now. Makarov told him to give Ace some time to adjust.
"What do you mean?" Freed asked.
The Master said, "Ace went from almost complete isolation, to a group of 25 loud brats. It has to be uncomfortable at first." He knew how Ace felt, but Ace said he was happy everyone was awake. But admitted he might act awkward at first.
"It's just been a long time," he added simply. He was still smiling, though. Then they heard many footsteps coming from behind, and some of their other guild members appeared. Not the ones that were trapped on the island. They all looked different, older. Droy was larger, now. Their hair was different.
They really had aged, while the others were all suspended for seven years. They were crying and rushed everyone for hugs. By now many were crying at truly knowing by their appearances that time passed. Ace wasn't saying things he thought were true but weren't. It was painfully real, what they'd lost. It didn't feel like seven years for them, but it had been.
Marco stood up, and Ace clung to him, Marco supporting him to his chest. "I love you," Ace mumbled. "I'm sorry it's so soon. It's been seven years for me."
"I love you, too. I loved you since you forgave me for hurting you" Marco replied quietly. Ace smiled in relief. Nobody bugged him about transforming right now, all celebrating, or trying to be happy when they weren't. Even Natsu was pretty down. Ace was just happy he had all his friends, and they were all the same age, still. "Thatch… I wonder how he's doing. I abandoned him."
Ace said it wasn't his fault. "You're not to blame-"
"I know. It was Acnologia's fault. We were just very unfortunate." Marco had a smile in his voice when he said he liked how forgiving Ace sounded of himself. Ace nodded. But he got off, and headed to Mavis's grave, where the Master already was. Ace got his things, his little bag made of animal skin. His tools he used for certain things.
"What was she like?" the Master asked, facing away from everyone.
Ace walked up to the grave beside the old man. "She was very kind and considerate. Explained about what would happen to me now. She visited often, helped me train. I owe her a debt, but she said she owed it to me because I was the only one left awake." Makarov apologized to him for not being able to protect them all. "It's okay. I don't think anyone blames you. I don't."
"Is it true, that you're a dragon slayer now?"
"Seems like it. Mavis said so too, so I believe her. I hope it doesn't cause a rift between me and Natsu," Ace mumbled. "Though I don't consider myself a fire dragon slayer. It's ethernano that powers it all, not flames. I still use fire, but not as dragon slayer things." Makarov looked at him with a proud smile, even with tears in his eyes.
He firmly said, "I'm so proud of you." Ace started to cry again, not wanting to. He wiped his eyes, but the Master grew to a bigger size and hugged Ace tightly. "Let's go home. I'm sure they missed us, too." Ace nodded, and they left.
They went to the ship they others had come on, and the moment Ace stepped off the island, he got extremely dizzy. He felt very sick all of the sudden. Not like his magic was depleted after leaving the island. Mavis had told him the ethernano he used there wasn't from the island, but from the air that was in the sphere.
He went to the side of the ship and threw up. He looked to the side and saw Natsu just as sick. Well, Ace was a dragon slayer. This unfortunate symptom had arrived. Sabo rubbed his back, and nobody seemed surprised but those who hadn't heard the explanation Ace gave. Vaguely, but still an explanation. The whole ride back home, Ace was feeling nauseous. He had a bucket in front of him when he managed to fall asleep. It was a cheat. He laid on a bed, he was asleep and no longer awake. Natsu tried this, but it didn't work at all. Marco laid behind Ace on the bed, playing with his hair.
"Get -urp- a room."
"We're in a room. And we were here first."
"Don't think… just cause you're his boyfriend… you can - ugh - steal him," Natsu said, barely able to speak. Marco was amused, and said it wasn't a fight over him. And Ace wouldn't like that.
"Besides, I'm in a group with his brother. Would you tell Ace to stay away from Sabo?" Marco asked. Natsu said nothing but threw up into his own bucket. It sucked. Ace didn't ask for this, but there was no point in cursing it. He just hoped he would still be able to fall asleep on the train.
Sabo came in once they were docked and woke both Marco and Ace up. "We're at the port. Let's go home," Sabo said softly. Marco helped Ace walk off, since the boat was still in the water, and they were on land. Ace pumped his arms in the air, saying he felt better now. Gajeel laughed at him and Natsu for getting motion sickness. "At least Ace didn't get beaten by his enemy and needed medical assistance."
"Yeah, he only had his own body attack him," Gajeel said. Ace felt his face turn red, and Marco apologized for making him upset.
"It's okay. It's true. But I won't absorb people's magic anymore. Only the stuff around me," he vowed, having promised that to himself years ago. "Man, I can't wait for sleeping again. Sitting on fluffy couches. Ah… it sounds wonderful."
Sabo laughed, and said they'd slept in a wooden treehouse when they were kids. "I knew I got used to it quickly! Didn't mean I enjoyed it, though," he added. Sabo smiled, and took his hand. He apologized that S-Class trial was ruined. He'd made it to the second round and everything. "We did take the free pass. Though fighting enemies was practice enough for then. I haven't actually fought someone in seven years. There was nobody to battle with. I befriended much of the animals after awhile. I even had a companion lion. Her name was Izu, but she died a few years ago. I'm a dragon slayer now. But I don't have a cat."
"Laxus doesn't. Though Cobra had an animal. Maybe you should go looking for Exceeds or something?" Sabo suggested. Ace said it would be weird trying to go and find them. "That's what Gajeel did." Ace shrugged, not knowing what he would do. He already had a lot of friends, a brother and a boyfriend. That should be enough.
They took the train back, filling up a large amount of the cars, and headed back home to Magnolia. They heard from Alzack that a lot had changed. They no longer had the original building, and hundreds of members had left, as they also fell in ranks to the bottom. Ace was sad to hear that, but nobody was angry, knowing they could climb back up to number one again. For now, they just wanted to be home. Ace the most.
When they got to Magnolia, Marco asked Bisca if Thatch still stayed at Fairy Tail. "Yeah, he still works there. Bless his heart. Always cooking the best foods for any occasion. Perfect things for when we're all sad. He's been someone who kept morale up in his own way. He knew you'd come back some day."
Marco had tears down his face, and was smiling, proud of Thatch. Ace was, too, and couldn't wait to see him and eat some good food other than raw fruits and plain meat. When hey got there, they saw the building the current Fairy Tail was housed. It was like a farm, and was not very good or put together. It looked damaged. Nothing compared to their old one.
"It's… charming in its own way," Lisanna said. They heard trouble and fighting inside, and came up behind some guys harassing the remaining guild members, and beat them up. Ace let them do it, as everyone else was more angry at the situation than Ace, as he had come to terms long ago.
It had always been a topic he tried to avoid in his own head. Those they left behind. He kew the strongest had gone to Tenrou, and they left the weaker members. Ace wouldn't ever call them that or anything because it would hurt their feelings. Once the intruders and harrasers were taken care of, the whole group entered. "We're home!" Natsu said brightly. Everyone cried in shock, and most were sobbing at their late return. It was hard to see, and they felt bad about it.
The guild members were indeed extremely scarce now, unlike seven years ago, when they had hundreds. Now they maybe had a few dozen, not including the Tenrou group and all. It was sad, but knowing they had little work, it made sense others left to make a living in another way. If it had nothing to do with money, Ace would be angry. But people lived off of jobs, and if there was none, then it was sad but rational to leave.
Thatch screamed and shoved everyone out of his way as he hugged Marco tightly, sobbing, then his other arm shot out and yanked Ace there, too. "Sorry we were gone so long," Marco said, teary himself. Ace hugged him, too. He asked for Thatch to make him good food.
"I've been living off pain meat and raw fruits." Thatch gasped and got to work in the kitchen immediately. The whole room turned into a party, and Ace would admit it was hard. He was uncomfortable, and was happy when people mostly left him alone due to the former Master's request. The current one was Macao.
Ace was happy to see everyone, but would be happier if they were quieter and less lively. But Thatch's meal of all of Ace's favorite foods was very distracting. Nobody spoke of the tears dripping down Ace's cheeks and into his mouth as he ate. Sabo sat next to him, and his gaze down on the table, looking at Ace in guilt.
It wasn't just Sabo that felt they'd failed him. Everybody did, but Ace hoped they could move on soon. Him included. Not long after finishing all the food, stuffed completely, Panther Lily came over, and sat on the counter on Marco's side. He asked Ace about his training, how it went. "I trained by myself. I haven't used it on anybody, so it could actually be weak."
"I doubt that. What does it feel like, to be a dragon slayer?" Ace hummed, and then said it made him feel horrific in the beginning. He hurt everywhere, and couldn't move. But eventually he got used to it. He mentioned that many of the things he wanted to and had achieved took years of practice every day. "Wow."
"It's not like there was anything else to do. I like this one. It's the most enjoyable." Ace lifted his finger and drew a happy face in the air with fire, letting it stay there. Sabo thought it was cool and Marco was smiling at Ace. Lily said he wanted to see all of Ace's other attacks. "I will. I just want some time to not focus on it. I've been doing it seven years, after all."
The exceed said, "That is very true. I do wonder if we've all grown weak from not moving for seven years." Marco said there was no way to find out unless they tried. Ace turned to Marco, and said he could practice on him. Only Marco knew what this meant. Panther Lily and Sabo thought it was something else. "I'll do my best to control myself."
After the partying was over, Ace, Marco and Thatch left to go to their apartment, with Sabo following close behind to sleep over. Thatch hadn't gotten rid of anything over the 7 years. It sure would be crowded, but they were quiet people, so that was nice. Marco ended up sleeping in Thatch's room, on the same bed, while Ace shared with Sabo.
He fell asleep almost the moment he got on the bed, but Sabo wrapped him in a hug, crying into Ace's neck while he slept. Ace was all alone for seven years. Sabo had been alone a lot his seven years, but he always had a place to go home to, to be friends with a visit. Ace only had a woman he didn't know much who visited from time to time.
But they were together again.