If it weren't for the fact that Edolas was a threat, I would have been incredibly excited to explore it. When I arrived at the next floating island, I took a moment to drink from the river to find it tasted better than anything I had ever experienced on Earthland. It made me feel energized and ready for whatever was thrown at me.

There weren't many people on this side of the island, but I was able to figure out that there was a city not too far from there. I would be able to gain more information from there. If I was going to be able to find everyone, I was going to need a better picture of what I was up against. Mystogan had given me a good overview, but he hadn't seen Edolas in years. I needed fresh information.

More importantly, I needed to try and figure out where Phillip was. Based on how Exceeds are viewed in this world, if anyone saw Phillip and the others walking through, they wouldn't be quiet about it. Odds are someone had seen him or had heard of others seeing him. At least, I could hope that was the case.

I couldn't imagine how scared he may feel. To learn that everything you knew was wrong wasn't going to be easy to handle. It made me wonder what would have been different if he had been born here. We never would have met, never would have grown to be friends. I wasn't sure what I would have done if he weren't with me through everything.

As I traveled in the direction of the city, I thought back to the day I had met my little friend. I had felt so lonely at the time since Rogue was constantly out on jobs for Sabertooth. Every time he left, I was alone in our small home and as a child, it scared me.

My eyes wandered to the sky above. I could still see that day so clearly, the emotions I had been feeling and the moment I saw Phillip wandering down the street.

My arms rested against the window sill as I watched the rain pelt against the glass. It had been raining for a few days so I found myself stuck inside with nothing to do besides wait for Rogue to come home. He had announced that he was going to be gone for a week on a job across the country and promised that when he returned, he would spend more time with me. I couldn't blame him for leaving, though. Someone had to pay for the rent.

The day had been just like the one before and I was growing bored staring at the same scene out the window. All I wanted was for Rogue to be with me. Even doing something as simple as looking out the window was more fun when he was with me. If it weren't for the fact that I had spent the majority of the day prior crying, I likely would have started at this moment as well.

As my heart grew heavy in loneliness, something caught my eye. A white and green object moved down the street, looking to be sheltering something from the rain. I tilted my head in confusion as I wasn't quite sure what the object was, but didn't have much time to think about it as I watched the figure that walked underneath it trip and fall. The object rolled to the side and left a small mint green cat on the ground, beginning to be soaked in water.

My eyes widened at the sight and I was quick to get to my feet. I threw on a bright yellow raincoat that Rogue had given me not long ago before running out the door. As I shut the door behind me, I was still throwing on my boots, not wanting to waste any time on going to help the creature.

"Are you okay?" I exclaimed as I ran up to the cat. By the time I had reached them, they were already grabbing hold of their makeshift umbrella. The object, upon closer inspection, looked to be a piece of a large egg. The cat before me looked as if they were just a baby. Even as I tried to reach out to them, they simply held the egg close to them as if to shield themselves from me.

I frowned at the sight. "I'm sorry if I'm scaring you…" I muttered, kneeling down beside them. "I just want to make sure you're alright."

The cat didn't dare meet my gaze, but I could still see tears welling up in their eyes. "I…" Their voice was soft and scared as if they didn't know what to do. "I'm cold…"

"I see." I smiled softly, slowly reaching a hand out so they would see I didn't mean any harm. "I live right here if you want to come inside and warm up. I even have hot chocolate if you want some!"

They looked towards me and at my outstretched hand, thinking over the offer. "Hot… Chocolate?" They titled their head to the side. "What is that?"

"It's a really warm drink that's super sweet!" I grinned. "You'll like it, I promise! And it'll warm you up really quick."

For a moment, it seemed as if the cat was going to decline my offer and they actually made a move to step away from me. However, as they tried to move away, there was a crack of thunder that caused their fur to stand up right. At the sudden increase of fear, they ran up and clung to my hand. "I-I think I want that hot chocolate stuff!"

Gently, I shifted the cat so that they were resting comfortably in my hands before standing up straight. "You can have as much as you want." I spoke softly as I made my way back to my home. "It's just you and me… So what's mine is yours."

I heaved a sigh. Looking back on the memory made my heart soar. Without Phillip in my life, I'm not sure I would have handled my childhood the same. It was difficult to think of what could have happened if Phillip had stayed on Edolas. I would have been completely alone.

That raised the question of why the Exceeds came to Earthland in the first place. Phillip had hatched here, so someone on Edolas must have sent his egg to Earthland. Was that the case for the other Exceeds too? There had to be something bigger going on that was beyond stealing magical energy. The train of events seemed too convenient. There was a possibility I was looking too deep into it, but I wasn't sure if I was very far off. Especially since Mystogan explained that Anima had been appearing for years now.

I heaved a sigh. There was too much to decipher. I normally had Phillip to talk my thoughts out with and more recently, Hayden. Without them, I was lost just contemplating different possibilities. Who could have guessed that I would feel lost without the company of others? I'd give anything to have either of them with me right now. I'd even take help from the others in the guild.

My walk began to clear and I caught sight of the outskirts of town. I wasn't sure where to start, but this would be a good chance to learn more about where the lacrima was. Maybe even figure out more about the royal army so I knew what I was up against.

I headed into the busy street and opened my ears to even the most meaningless conversations. One of these people was bound to have some answers or at least would lead me in the right direction.

"Oh, Felicity! Long time no see!"

The statement caused a shiver to roll through my body. Felicity? When was the last time someone had called me that? The only people who ever called me Felicity had been Aquafina and Rouge. I hadn't been called by my full name since I left Sabertooth. No one I knew now should call me that anymore.

I looked back over my shoulder to see a flower vendor waving at me. I furrowed my brow in confusion, I didn't recognize the elderly woman at all. It took a moment to realize what was happening, but I realized that she thought I was the Edolas version of myself. That was unfortunate as I had no idea who that version of myself was. I wanted to keep a low profile while gathering information, but if these people know my Edolas self, that threw a new problem my way.

"Ah… Hi there." I hesitantly spoke, trying to stay as neutral as possible until I learned more about who this woman thought I was. Approaching, I waved back at her. "It's nice to see you."

"You haven't come by in quite some time." The woman smiled softly as she looked up at me. "Where have you been hiding?"

That question left a lot of room to work with. If the other version of myself hadn't been to this town in a while, then I could come up with whatever excuse I wanted. As long as it was something I could remember in case others recognized me. "I needed some time to clear my head, but I'm feeling better now."

The woman narrowed her eyes a bit at my statement, humming in thought as she leaned forward. "Is everything okay? You're not as chipper as I remember… Did something happen?"

I flinched. Chipper? My counterpart couldn't be a cheerful person, not if they shared my DNA. Then again, they were someone different, I just needed to play the part. "Oh! No, I'm alright." I reached up and rubbed the back of my neck sheepishly, trying to put a convincing smile on my face. "Just a lot going on lately, I've been pretty distracted."

"If you say so…" She muttered, crossing her arms. "That guild of yours has been missing you so much. Maybe you should go over to see them instead of wandering through town.. It's been years after all."

It was taking everything I had not to show my confusion. What guild was she talking about? Mystogan had said that guilds were banned due to their use of magic so my counterpart shouldn't be involved with any guild. No one should for that matter. It seemed that even if guilds were still around, I had left mine in the dust. That sounded more like me than the chipper personality.

I had to word my next question carefully, I didn't need this woman growing suspicious of me. "I plan on seeing them, I was just nervous… How much do you know of why I left?"

"Everyone knows what happened." Her gaze was harsh as she stared me down, almost like a disapproving grandmother. "You left Fairy Tail when guilds were banned and went after that brother of yours. You broke poor Hayden's heart."

My eyes widened. Even in this world, I was a member of Fairy Tail. Only this time, I was the one chasing after Rogue instead of the other way around. So even here… He and I were separated. What a terrible twist of fate. It must have been written in the stars that we weren't meant to be connected.

But what did Hayden have to do with anything? If Fairy Tail here was anything like on Earthland then everyone would be heartbroken. Pointing out just Hayden felt like a waste of time. "Is Hayden okay?" The question may have been insensitive as the woman had stated his heart was broken, but that only made me wonder why.

"Of course he's not okay." I tensed up at her tone of voice. If looks could kill right now, I think I would be dead. The glare she was throwing my way was one I had seen before. Where did I know her from? "You left without a word. That boy loves you and you threw that love aside for nothing. You two were so sweet together… Now he's gone and left too…"

"H-Huh?" Love? Hayden and I? This world truly was the opposite of what I knew. There was no way I would go throwing that word around with just anyone. I had only ever used that word with Phillip and Rogue. No one else had given me the reason to love them. I didn't even know where to start with loving another person.

"That kid loves you, ya know."

The memory caught me off guard as I remembered the Fantasia Parade and the words that Laxus had said. The words that I had brushed off without a second thought. Was that really how others saw our friendship? My heart pounded in my chest as my mind swirled with confusion. These people were delusional. I would never be able to love another person like that. Not now, not ever.

I gave my head a quick shake before trying to focus my attention back on the woman. "I didn't mean anyone any harm. I just wanted to check and make sure my brother was okay. That's why I'm back now, to make sure everything can go back to the way it was." I paused, remembering her last statement. "Where did Hayden go? He didn't stay with the guild?"

This was where the woman's expression changed from one of anger and disappointment to one that screamed sympathy. "You didn't hear…?"

The look on her face and her tone of voice didn't leave me with a good feeling. "No, ma'am. I haven't kept up with much."

"I see…" She couldn't bring herself to look at me and she began to fidget with different flower arrangements. "Hayden left a few weeks after you did. They all feared the worst after you didn't send word that you were okay. They all assumed you had…" She paused and took a small breath. "Anyways… Hayden left the guild and went to join the royal army. He's one of their higher ups now."

My eyes widened. "What? No. He wouldn't." My mind was a mess as I tried to keep my connection to Earthland Hayden out of the way in order to focus on the Hayden of Edolas. It was difficult to know that someone who shared Hayden's face would follow such a different path. And that meant… "Hayden is our enemy?"

The question flew from my mouth before I could stop it and the second it came out, I regretted it. I didn't know what this woman thought of the royal army. For all I knew, she was a supporter of their ideals. I was letting her information falter my thoughts and I was beginning to lose focus. I needed to separate what I knew of the people on Earthland from what I was learning about Edolas. This was a different world. I can't let myself get distracted.

Thankfully, the woman nodded to my question. "It would seem so…" She let out a breath. "I suppose we can't change anything now… What's done is done." She kept her gaze on her flowers as she continued. "I will let you go, but promise me that you'll visit everyone. Please, they need to know you're okay."

"I will." I muttered, watching her closely as she moved different flowers around into a bouquet. "Thank you." I turned away for a moment, about to walk away, but I paused and glanced back at her one last time. "It was nice to see you again, Celeste."

The day rolled on and I was able to follow my original plan closely. Thankfully, after my encounter with Edo Celeste, I didn't run into many people who knew my Edolas counterpart very well. Most simply just knew my name which helped a lot. No more trying to work with a history that isn't my own.

I was able to gather more information on the location of the lacrima. It seemed that there was a large lacrima in the middle of the capital city that appeared just the day before. That likely was the people of Magnolia. All I had to do from here was get to the capital city and find a way to destroy it.

Some of the townsfolk even had good information on the royal army. Besides the normal soldiers, there were five people I needed to look out for in terms of an actual threat. Edo Hayden, an Exceed named Pantherlily, a blonde with a name as stupid as Sugarboy, Hughes and finally… Edolas' version of Erza. This world continued to throw curves my way with that development. To have some of my allies on Earthland be my enemies here was going to be a problem.

Each of the five were captains of their own faction of the royal army and very close to the King. There wasn't much that the regular townsfolk knew of them outside of what they looked like, but that was enough. I had a good idea of how Edo Hayden and Erza looked, however, the others had been a guessing game. Now, I at least had a good idea.

I tried to keep pushing forward with my investigation as I wasn't able to learn much about the lacrima outside of its location. I had to start somewhere so I just needed to keep working at it. By the end of the day, I would be heading to the capital city to see what I could do about freeing everyone.

A yawn fell from my lips as the sun began to set. I didn't have anything in terms of money so I was stuck traveling through the night. There wasn't much of a choice. With that in mind, I headed to the outskirts of town to begin to make my way to the capital.

My feet carried me through an empty intersection and I didn't pay much mind to any passerbys. Most people were heading into their homes for the day so the streets were pretty empty. However, as I stepped across another street, I collided with a sturdy figure and fell back, my butt hitting the ground.

"Ah shit…" I groaned, rubbing my backside before glancing up to see who I had hit. "Sorry, I wasn't-" My eyes widened when I realized the person above me was a face I recognized. "Crap."

Gajeel stood in front of me, looking down at me with disapproval. "I would ask if you were from this world, but that reaction says it all." He rolled his eyes, reaching out to offer me his hand.

I looked at his outstretched hand and scowled before standing up without his assistance. "Clearly." I wiped the dust off my pants before continuing. "I forgot that Mystogan sent you too.. Wait no, I just didn't care to remember that detail."

He gritted his teeth and turned away. "Whatever."

Silence rang out between us as neither of us felt the need to continue the conversation. We could have easily gone our separate ways, however, it was clear we both knew that wasn't going to be the best idea. It was unfortunate that it was only Gajeel and I without another person to mediate our conversation. Typically when we had to converse, someone was around to direct the topic. Now, all I wanted to do was lash out instead of handling the task at hand.

When it became clear that Gajeel wasn't going to be the one to start up the conversation, I knew I would have to be the bigger person. "Look," I began, gaining his attention. "Let's get our dirty laundry out so we can work together. There's too much at stake to keep this shit up right now."

"I'm not the one being petty." He scoffed, crossing his arms. "What? Does the baby dragon wanna talk about feelings and shit?"

His nickname for me sent a wave of anger through me. I opened my mouth to yell, but did my best to keep my frustration contained. "Let's be clear about something. I don't like you, you don't like me. We don't need to be friends, but we do need to work together right now."

Gajeel's gaze was disinterested as I spoke. He had no interest in any sort of emotional conversation and I felt the exact same. Before he had the chance to respond to my statement, he glanced over my shoulder. I went to follow his gaze, but before I could, he took hold of my forearm and dragged me down the street and into a small space between two buildings. I tried to question what he was doing and got no response until we were tucked away.

"The army has been hanging around here since this afternoon." Gajeel stated plainly causing me to cock my head to the side. I had noticed and didn't pay much mind since they had no reason to suspect me for anything. "I don't know what your counterpart is like, but mine isn't exactly liked."

I blinked, taking in his statement. "Not liked? You? Shocker." I snickered for a moment before clearing my throat of all amusement. "Mine is a bit of an unknown, but at least I know she's well liked."

"Sure, she is the opposite of you." He smirked, leaning over me as he let out his signature laugh. When he saw that I wasn't entertained by my comment, he began to address my earlier statement. "What I don't get about you, is why you're so against me. Thought fairies were all about forgiveness and that crap."

"I'm not like everyone else." I rolled my eyes. "I don't personally care what you did with Phantom anymore. I just look at you and all I see is a bad memory."

I wasn't quite sure when I gave up my anger for the Phantom fight, I just knew that my anger turned into resentment for what Gajeel represented. A representation of Rogue's ideals, someone that he looked up to as someone to strive to be. My anger was unjustified yet I didn't want to give it up.

Gajeel raised an eyebrow. "Huh? The hell is that supposed to mean?" He was digging for an answer I didn't want to give. Why couldn't we just let this go?

"It doesn't matter."

"Well clearly it does!"

The silence returned as I crossed my arms. I hated to admit it, but I needed his help if I were going to take on any of this royal army. He likely had information I didn't and vice versa. We needed one another whether I liked it or not. I could almost hear Hayden lecturing me on needing to communicate better with others. What a pain in the ass.

Reluctantly, I spoke up. "It's complicated, okay? I can't talk about the specifics so don't ask. But…" I took in a breath, trying to find a good way to word it without explaining my whole situation. "You are someone that my older brother looks up to a lot. I don't know why and after meeting you, I'm more confused about that than ever. But every time I look at you, I see those ideals and it tears me up inside. So, I'm not your biggest fan, but…" Hesitantly, I held my hand out. "We need to work together. If you agree to keep that shit nickname out of your mouth, I'll try to be civil."

Gajeel seemed to be processing my words as he stared down at my hand. I never could read what his expression was as it was typically pretty neutral. All I could hope was that he agreed to the terms. At least until we were able to get everyone home.

"Fine." He reached out and took my hand, giving it a quick shake before pulling away. "I don't get much of that touchy feely crap, but you have a deal."

"Not like you had another option." I sighed, glancing out from our hiding spot. "We should find somewhere else to talk. Maybe we should start making our way to the capital."

A sound of agreement fell from Gajeel's lips. "We don't have much time anyways. If we don't start walking now, it'll be too late."

I furrowed my eyebrows in confusion as I glanced back at him. "What are you talking about? Are we on some sort of time limit?"

"Oh, you didn't hear?" He frowned and I gave my head a shake. From the information I had gathered, any sort of time frame was not involved. "They're going to extract the magic energy from the lacrima in two days."

My eyes widened in shock. "The hell?! Two days?!" I whispered harshly. That didn't give us much room to work with, especially since we still hadn't confirmed whether or not our Dragon Slayer magic would work in saving everyone. "Then we better get going."

I took one more glance out onto the street before determining there were no guards around. We stepped out from our hiding spot and began to head to the outskirts of town without a word. Our gazes met briefly as if to agree to not say a word about the situation until we knew we were in the clear. We needed to get out of town before talking everything over.

Earlier, when I had been wishing for anyone to talk my thoughts out with, I hadn't even thought about Gajeel. I can't change it now and from what Mystogan had said, the Dragon Slayers and Exceeds were the only ones to dodge Anima. I should've realized that Gajeel would be involved in that group. It was naive on my part.

With this new found time crunch, my heart began to pound in worry. If we couldn't get there in time, everyone would be gone. I wasn't even sure how far we were from the capital and if it was longer than a two day walk, we were screwed. Then again, we didn't have another choice. All we could do was travel through the night to try and make up some ground.