Phillip and I rested in the back courtyard of the guild, sitting across from each other, eyes closed. Whenever we became stressed, the two of us would take time to meditate to recenter ourselves. With recent events, we certainly needed the time to ourselves. The last couple days, I had done more socializing with my guildmates then I think I have in five years. It was tiring to say the least.

It turned out that this whole thing was caused by the new girl, Lucy. Her father had hired Phantom to bring her home which wasn't a parenting technique I would normally recommend. Then again, what did I know. All I understood was that if Lucy wasn't in the guild, we wouldn't be having this problem right now.

Out of everything that happened, the part I despised the most was my failed attempt to take on Gajeel. He didn't even fight back and it infuriated me. The way he treated me, like I wasn't worth his time. One day, he'd be sorry for ever doubting me the way he did.

"Relax." I opened my eyes for a moment to see Phillip looking back at me. "I can feel your anger all the way over here.." His expression shifted to one of slight concern.

I frowned, circling my index finger around my knee. "I can't help it. How do you expect me to feel?" My gaze moved towards the ground. "I just.. I just want everything to be okay. Maybe I'm being too hard on myself, but after all this time, I should've been able to put up a better fight." I clenched my fists. "I should be stronger by now."

"Cece, will you stop with that nonsense?" Phillip sighed, getting to his feet and stepping closer to me. "You've grown so much since we came to Fairy Tail. Your time will come just like everyone else's. Did you really think strength would come quickly?"

With a shake of my head, I looked away from him. "Not entirely.. But I didn't think it would take this much time."

My best friend was silent for a moment before speaking again. "Would you go back to Sabertooth when the time comes?"

The question caught me off guard. Hadn't that been the plan this whole time? "Of course. Fairy Tail is just a means to an end and you know it." I rolled my eyes. "I really hope you hadn't been hoping that would change."

He frowned. "Well.. Maybe a little. But.. wherever you go, I'll be there with you. Even if that means back to Saber."

"Good." I patted his head with a soft smile despite Phillip's clear unrest with my statement. "I never want you to leave my side."

Before we could continue our conversation, the ground beneath us began to shake. We turned our heads towards the water and as we got to our feet, we saw a rather large building.. Walking towards us. That was certainly not something I thought I'd ever see.

It didn't take long for the rest of the guild to come outside to see what was going on. Quickly, we determined that the building was none other than Phantom Lord's Headquarters. This was.. Extravagant to say the least.

"Our demands haven't been met, not only that, but you deem to embarrass our guild in an act of defiance." Jose's voice echoed through the area. "For this, you fairies will lose your entire guild!"

Extended from the front of the building, a cannon began to charge up magic energy. My eyes widened, a shiver going down my spine. What was this feeling? The dark energy made my stomach twist into knots. Whatever this cannon was about to do, it wasn't going to just destroy the guild, but everything around it. The city itself could be destroyed. I quickly grabbed Phillip and held him close to me in a desperate hope to shield him from what was about to happen.

I closed my eyes, preparing to face the dark energy, however, shouting could be heard around me, causing me to open my eyes back up. Erza stood in front of all of us, her highest defensive armor equipped. "E-Erza-!" I began to shout as she pulled her shield out in front of her. There was no way she was going to block this attack! What was she thinking?

There was nothing we could do to stop her and the cannon certainly wasn't going to simply stop just because Erza was standing in protest. All we could do was have faith in her.

When the blast erupted, I held a fist in front of my face to shield myself from some of the debris. Much to my excitement, Phillip was still in my arms, safe and sound. But the same couldn't be said for Erza. She was on the ground, magic energy drained. My eyes widened. That blast took Erza down. If it took her down, what chance did the rest of us have?

Jose announced that unless we gave them Lucy, they would shoot off the Jupiter Cannon again. With nothing left to defend us, the next shot would definitely take us down easily. It made me wonder why Lucy didn't hand herself over without a fight.

A scoff escaped my lips as I turned on my heel, away from the fight that was bound to start any moment. If these people were going to be stupid enough to pick this fight, then I didn't want to be apart of it. I'd be damned if Phillip got hurt in the crossfire of everything. I dug my heel into the ground and turned around, beginning to walk away. Phillip looked up at me in confusion. "Where are we going? They need us here."

I shook my head. "They'll be fine on their own. They're quite strong on their own." I continued to walk, but a voice stopped me in my tracks.

"Oh? The Water Dragon Slayer is leaving before the fight even starts?" I turned my head to the side, hearing Jose calling out to me. "I would've thought you would've wanted to join in on the festivities. Show off that you're not some weak child, but I suppose that's the truth, isn't it?" I turned my head ever so slightly, looking back at the walking guild hall in anger.

"What did you say?" A sneer escaped my lips, a surge of power exploding out from my feet as my heart pounded with anger. "I'll show you weak!" Phillip escaped from my arms, trying to calm me down, but I couldn't even hear him. Jose was toying with me, I knew that. But I wasn't going to be put down like this. I wasn't going to be called weak in front of so many people.

My body moved forward, ready to take off towards the water only to have Hayden take hold of my arm and pull me to a stop. "What do you think you're doing? Don't let him pull you in like this, even you aren't that dumb."

I glared back at him, trying to pull my arm away from his grasp. "Let go. I won't let Jose look down on me!"

"Do you really not see the whole picture here?" Hayden snapped, tightening his grip around my arm. "These guys are out for blood, if you go in there now out of anger, you'll just end up dead. Stay on the shore and fight here with the rest of us." His gaze softened. "Please."

A frown crossed my lips as I met his gaze. Maybe he was right, but in any case, Phillip was here and I had to protect him. He had to be my priority. But my thoughts froze instantly when Jose spoke out again. "Gajeel is waiting for his rematch, Cheney." At his words, I gritted my teeth, trying to suppress the anger I felt over my loss. "Don't tell me you want to run away and hide?" His final comment was all it took. I ripped my arm away from Hayden and took off running towards the water. There is no way in hell I was going to let him talk down to me. I wasn't going to run away anymore. I was far better than that.

Phillip called after me as my feet collided with the water's surface, gliding atop the water without any issue. It was a skill that I was always thankful that Aquafina taught me since at times it even saved me the hassle of riding on a boat.

God, what was I even doing? My mind was deep in conflict, wanting nothing more than to leave this battle and let the rest of the guild handle it, but I also wanted to show that I was stronger than I was made out to be by people like Jose. And in the back of my mind, I still wanted to protect the people of Fairy Tail. Like hell I was going to let them know that, though.

When I reached the bottom of the Phantom guild hall, I launched myself into the air, a funnel of water pushing me upwards. I landed on a platform and took a look at my surroundings. Why was there no one here? I would've thought that this place would be crawling with Phantom members. They must have known that someone would come not long after they shot off the Jupitor cannon. Something wasn't right and I couldn't quite put my finger on it just yet.

I raised my head and sniffed at the air. There were people here, that was for sure. I gave my head a shake. I wasn't here for the regular members, Gajeel had to be my priority. My feet pushed off against the ground and I took off running down the hall, the scent of iron at the tip of my nose.

"Non, non, non." A male voice spoke and I skidded to a stop, looking back over my shoulder.

"Who's there?" I exclaimed, turning on my heel to get a better look around. Whoever was there didn't smell familiar, having the strong scent of dust and dirt. I wrinkled my nose, struggling not to sneeze. "Show yourself!"

Not far in front of me, the ground buckled upwards and an older gentleman uprooted from the earth. I narrowed my eyes at the sight, remembering some of the information I had picked up on Phantom Lord's Elite, the Elemental Four. The man who stood before me was the earth mage, Sol of the Earth. "Good day, mademoiselle. What an honor it is to cross your path today." He spoke, stroking his mustache.

I stared at him with lack of interest. "Consider yourself blessed.. Now if you excuse me," I turned back away from him, only to have the man pop up in front of me, inches from my form.

"Non, non, non, you see, I can't let you go forward. I know you wish to fight monsieur Redfox, but that isn't going to be your story today."

I let out a breath. "Look fella, I don't have time to tussle around with you. I'm sure you'll have someone else to punch a hole through soon, now let me pass." I tried again to move forward, but Sol only followed my movements. "Move!" My hand swirled with water and I let it fly against his side, sending him away from me. Much to my dismay, he simply only moved a few feet to the side, barely faltering.

"Poor mademoiselle.. Still so weak." I went to retort his comment, but he cut me off. "Felicity Cheney.. Your story is quite interesting. Kicked out of the place you called home, forced to stay away from one of the only people you've ever cared about. How tragic.. If only you had been worthy of their attention."

My eyes narrowed. "What are you trying to say here? How do you know all of this?" Whatever this guy thought he was doing, I couldn't let him get what he wanted. I knew full well that none of the Elemental Four were to be taken lightly, but I'd be damned if I let him look down on me.

Sol waved his arms back and forth. "I like to learn about each and every one of the Fairy Tail members. You all have quite the stories. I took special interest in yours, however." He smirked. "And I suppose your brothers as well."

I stiffened. "If you know what's good for you, you'll keep that information to yourself." Taking a few steps forward, I reached out and grabbed Sol by the collar of his shirt. "You speak a word of this to anyone and I'll end you."

The earth mage didn't even flinch at my threat. "What a shame.. Your big brother really did love you, I'm not sure what you have to be ashamed about." Beside us, the earth began to shift again, a new form appearing. My gaze turned to see what it was, but when I saw what it was, my eyes widened in fear.

The form of my older brother, Rogue stood before me. Not a single strand of hair was out of place, he was still everything that I remembered and more. Older, taller, and most of all the same brother that I have always loved. There were only two people in my life I ever really cared about, Phillip and Rogue. As far as I was concerned, I didn't need anyone else. But all I had left now was Phillip and I was still trying so hard to get everything back to the way it once was. I hadn't seen my brother stand before me in years and seeing his face now weighed on my heart.

I stared at Rogue's face, fighting back tears. "Take him down. Take it down right now or I'll-"

"You'll what?" Sol cocked his head to the side with a sadistic grin. "Hurt me? You wouldn't dare in front of your dear brother would you? Then again, that would be a good way of showing off your strength."

"Take it down!" I snapped, throwing my fist at Sol's face, only to have him shift out of the way. "I'll make you regret ever taking me on." I let water erupt around my feet and I raised it into the air. "Water Dragon Talons!"

When my attack collided, I could've sworn I had hit Sol, but what crumbled in front of me made my heart skip a beat. Sol had created another statue of Rogue in front of himself so when my attack landed, it had hit my brother instead. I stumbled back, my feet struggling to stay planted on the ground as I watched the statue of my brother crumble away. "This is what your strength will bring, mademoiselle. You'll only end up killing those who you care about. That doesn't seem quite worth it to me."

My eyes filled with tears as multiple Rogue statues began to surround me. What was happening? Why was I falling apart like this? Why couldn't I just hold it all in? Just the sight of Rouge made me forget all that I had worked so hard to achieve. The tough exterior that I had built up over the years, it could still all come crumbling down in a matter of seconds. I hadn't made any progress at all. I fell to my knees, gripping at my hair to try and calm myself down.

"Cece? Why are you crying?" I flinched, looking up to see my brother looking down at me with concern. "Don't tell me Sting got to you again?"

The world around me began to fade and the walls of the Phantom guild hall turned into the home I once shared with Rogue. The scene shifted to have Rogue looking at my younger self, the age of seven, who was crying at the edge of her bed. He knelt down in front of me, speaking again. "You know they're wrong, right? You're worth so much more."

The girl sniffed, rubbing at her eyes. "Of course you'd say that, you have to boost me up. But the rest of Saber.. They see what I really am. You know mama didn't have enough time to teach me very much before she left.."

Rogue sent me a soft smile. "That's true.. But you'll be able to learn so much on your own. Don't give up now. Just give it time."

"You say that like it's easy." She looked away from him. "You already have the whole guild wrapped around your finger. You and Sting are already the golden boys of the guild, they expect greatness from you. But not me. Master won't even let me go on a mission on my own. He knows I'll embarrass the guild."

"That's not it at all, I promise. You'll be able to go on missions soon, I'm sure of it." He reached over and placed a hand on her head, ruffling her black hair. "Come with Sting and I on our mission tomorrow, that always makes you feel better."

Finally, a small smile formed on the young girl's face. "I guess that would be okay. I wanna fight too!"

I gave my head a small shake. "No.. Not this. I don't want to see this.." I looked around, calling out. "I don't want to see any of this! Stop it!"

Instead of the memories coming to an end, the scene around me shifted to Malba City, a town that, at the time, had been taken over by bandits. My younger self walked in between Rogue and Sting, our cats flying close behind us. I continued to shake my head, wanting so badly to have the scene end. "You shouldn't have taken me with you.. You should've known I wasn't ready for this.." I muttered, tears streaming down my cheeks.

My younger self reached up to hold each of the boy's hands, a bright smile on her face. "Where are we going now? Are we going to fight the bad guys yet?"

Sting's expression was bored as he let out a sigh. "Man I wish.. But we gotta deal with all the public relations crap." He rolled his eyes. "Shouldn't take too long though."

"It's not that bad," Rogue began, clearly not happy with Sting's choice of words around his sister. "We need as much information as possible if we are going to handle this mission with the correct amount of caution."

"Sure sure, caution. We already know who's causing the problem so this just seems like a wasted step." Sting groaned as we came up to the doorstep of the mayor's home. "Let's just get this over with so we can kick some butt."

Rogue nodded in slight agreement before turning to my young self. "Wait out here, okay? You technically are not allowed to be with us today so.. I want to make sure that Master doesn't find out."

She gave a pout, but nodded nonetheless. "Fine..I guess that's okay. I'll be right here waiting for you!" Phillip flew down and landed comfortably in her arms. "Phillip too!"

The mint cat nodded. "I'll be sure to keep her out of trouble."

The older boys smiled back at them before heading into the building without her. The girl sat down on the steps, running her hand over Phillip's head. "I wish there was something I could do to help." She trailed off in thought before her face brightened. "Oh! I know! We know where these guys are holding up after all. I could get a head start to help out." She spoke, jumping back up to her feet.

"W-Wait, Rogue and Sting told us to wait here." Phillip stuttered out, squirming his way out of her arms to fly in front of her. "You can't go after those bandits alone."

The girl let out a chuckle. "I'm not alone, silly, I'm with you. Now come on!" She took off passed Phillip and down the stone walkway.

"Cece no! Get back here!" Phillip shouted before following after her.

I held a hand out towards them. "No.. No! Don't leave! You should be doing what Rogue told you! You know you don't have a grasp on your magic! Stop! I'm begging you!" I exclaimed, trying to chase after them, but no matter what I did, I couldn't get any closer. There was nothing I could do to stop them. "Stop it please!"

Just as I let out the last plea, the images around me began to fade. However, not into a new memory, it was like the images were crumbling apart. What was happening? I suppose I could only hope that it wasn't anything worse than what I was already experiencing. Then again.. Nothing was worse than what I knew I would be seeing soon.

The images faded into a bright light. I squinted at the change in light and once my eyes adjusted, I found that I was back on the ground of the Phantom guild. "Wh..What?" I glanced around, finding the hallway I was in was now crumbling and not far from me, Sol was lying on the ground, unconscious. "What happened?"

"Felicity!" I turned my gaze over my shoulder to see Mirajane and Elfman running towards me. "Are you alright?" Mira spoke as she knelt beside me, giving me a look over.

"I.." I trailed off, unsure of what was going on. "What happened?" I questioned, ignoring her question about how I was. As far as they're concerned, I was fine.

"Sol was encasing you in stone." Mira explained. "He shows you traumatic memories to keep you from fighting." She reached over to wipe a tear from my face. "Are you okay, sweetie?"

I flinched at her touch. I hadn't even realized that I was still crying and now both of them saw that I could in fact show emotions. At the thought, I quickly pulled myself away from her touch and got to my feet. "I'm fine." They were showing concern for me and I didn't want any part of that, no matter what. Even if all I wanted right now was to break down and cry, I couldn't let them know. I couldn't let them in, even if a part of me really wanted to. "We have work to get done."