Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 73: Take Care! X ¡ǝɹɐꓛ ǝʞɐꓕ

And here we come to the end of the arc! Another story beat I've been looking forward to, and now I get to put in the rearview. Thanks for staying with me through it…

And most importantly…thank you all for keeping with me this long. For those of you that started from the beginning. To those of you most recent who wanted to check this out. And to everyone in between that's given this story a chance…I can never thank you all enough for enjoying this story and engaging with me.

Thank you all so much!

########Hunter########

He took the time to step through the halls and look around wistfully as he did. As he walked towards his destination he remembered distant memories that littered this hall from a lifetime ago.

"Is this alright?" The little bandaged boy asked while looking up at the muscular Exceed that found sanctuary in their castle, "I-It just doesn't seem fair, that you have to come down here just for helping me. I-I'm sorry-"

"Do not be sorry." Pantherlily assured the young boy as he knelt and held his shoulder, "Even if I can no longer be with my people…I refuse to believe what I did was the wrong thing. Sometimes even if everyone else spits at you in spite and anger of what you do…if you believe it is the right thing, then you cannot doubt yourself."

He walked further and looked down another hall.

"Huh, so this is a castle?" Naruto muttered in a faint voice as he looked around at the interior of the castle after being shown everything on a tour, "It's so big. Bigger than anything that was in the village."

"Did your world have any castles like this?"

"If it did I didn't know anything about them. The largest building was the academy with the Hokage's office in it, and the largest place in the village was Hokage Mountain."

Erza tilted her head, "What's Hokage Mountain?"

"It's the mountain at the back of our village where we carve the faces of our leaders into the side of it to always remember those that have led us."

"You carved peoples' faces into a mountain?!" Erza balked in surprise, "That seems so needless. And such a waste of time."

"It is not a waste of time!" Naruto defensively stated, "They're a symbol across our entire village for people to see and recognize the heroes who lead us! And they're way better than some dumb castle!"

"What?!" Erza growled back, "Castles are useful as fortresses and places for people to live! Better than some dumb carved stones!"

"Now, now," Jellal quickly spoke up and tried to mediate between the two before things could escalate, "There's no reason to argue about this. It's not-"

"Jellal, if you want people to respect you, you need to get a mountain and carve your face into the side of it!"

"No, Your Highness! Stick with the castle! In fact - make it even bigger! So big no one can ignore it!"

Jellal chuckled, "O-Okay, this conversation is quickly derailing."

A faint smile at their old antics spread over his face before he looked towards the lab.

"Jellal! Jellal! Where are you?" An older Naruto called out for the prince before finally finding the blue-haired royal admiring the landscape of the city from above, "There you are! We were looking everywhere for you!"

Erza frowned at the blond, "Idiot! You have to address him as Your Highness! It's the proper way of speaking with someone of the royal family."

"Pfft, whatever, that's stupid. Jellal is Jellal." Naruto waved off Erza's warning and seemed to irritate the redhead to no end before looking back at his friend, "Jellal, we need your help!"

"Oh, what for?"

Erza continued, "We're going to be picking our specialty weapons today. I'm taking up a spear my mother engineered when she worked in the lab years ago. Naruto on the other hand-"

"I'm struggling to pick a specialty." He admitted, "You're good with those staves, right, Jellal? Can you give me any pointers"

"Um, sure. I'm not sure what I can do to help but anything I can offer I'll give."

"Thanks, Jellal!"

"We're grateful, Your Highness."

Jellal's smile thinned as a sad, wistful look took its place. Things had been - or at least seemed - so much easier back then.

"Your Highness?" Jellal looked up and saw Lily standing by the entrance to the deepest point in the castle with Shagotte and Nagi still helping him stand, "We've found it."

"Thank you, Lily. I'm sorry for making you search while you're recovering."

"My injuries were not that bad, Your Highness."

"You get nothing from fibbing." Shagotte reprimanded him with a small smile.

After the attack on them during the raid, Jellal had flown down to find them and helped patch them up on the way back to the castle. With most of the soldiers out fighting, this place was effectively abandoned, and holding what they needed to proceed.

"This is it," Jellal said as he faced down the familiar giant machine that sent him to Earthland years ago, "The Anima machine."

"This was the machine that sucked up the Lacrima from Earthland?" Nagi gulped as he stared at the enormous and intimidating machine, "Wow. I don't think I've ever seen anything this amazing."

"Prince Jellal," Shagotte spoke up to the blue-haired royal, "What are you going to do?"

"What needs to be done, Shagotte-sama." He answered, "The people of Edolas will never stop searching for an eternal source of magic. They will hunt the Exceed down for eternity until they can use you to fulfill their goal. And even if you all leave and vanished from the public eye, they will reap and pillage Earthland for magic, sacrificing countless lives just to fuel their obsession for a little bit longer."

"And what will this machine do to help that?"

"If it can take magic from Earthland to Edolas, I shall reverse the effects." He answered as the Exceed looked at him in shock, "I'm cutting this obsession off at the root. If we would go so far to keep magic that we let ourselves become monsters…then we shouldn't have it anymore."

########Hunter########

"Hold them back!"

"There's no end to them!"

"Retreat!"

"Come on, you bastards! Come see what happens when you try to mess with the Fairy Tail of any world!" Gray yelled as he swung a wave of ice out toward the incoming soldiers. He stepped back and let himself hit something soft before he looked back, "Oh shit, sorry about that man."

"O-Oh, no worries. I didn't feel it. I'm super protected with all these layers." The man behind him said, "I'm just glad you're not-"

The Grays of both worlds recognized each other and looked over each other in shock. Despite the battle they were in they took a moment to size each other up-

"TAKE SOME CLOTHES OFF, WEIRDO!"

"HAVE SOME SHAME, YOU PERVERT!"

"T-Two Gray-samas?" Earth-Juvia muttered incoherently, "J-J-Juvia can't believe what she's seeing!"

"Two Gray-samas?" Edo-Juvia tilted her head while having an army soldier's head locked under her armpit and pushing up by her breasts, "Juvia can't believe what she's seeing."

"J-J-Juvia-chan, please don't compare me to this pervert!" Edo-Gray pleaded to the blue-haired girl, "I don't want you to think there's any version of me that likes running around showing off my naked body like it's a fetish!"

"Pfft, jackass." Earth-Gray scoffed as he watched his other self beg his Juvia to reconsider. It was only after a moment did he notice his Juvia looking at him with teary eyes and a pout, "W-What is it?"

"That Gray-sama calls his Juvia Juvia-chan, and wants to clear up misunderstandings with her! Why aren't we that close, Gray-sama?!"

"N-Now is not the time for that!"

"If not now then when?!"

"H-Hey, Edo-Lucy," Earth-Lucy called out to her counterpart as she tried to catch her breath between all the rapid whipping and dodging she was doing, "Uh, you guys are more used to fights like this than we are. How long do you think it'll be until things work out better for us?"

"Oh, I have no idea!" The more boisterous blonde said with a grin, "We never actually try to stand up and fight these many guys! We turn and run with our tails between our legs, remember?"

"S-So what's different this time?"

"You guys running in and risking your lives!" Edo-Lucy confessed, "How am I supposed to sit back and stomach not fighting when you guys step up all by yourselves and do what we never had the nerve to do?" She waved to all the Fairies around them, "Something about your stupid bravery hit a chord with us! Maybe you're from another world but a Fairy is a Fairy, and we stick together no matter what."

Earth-Lucy chuckled, "So this is a 'gun blazing' kind of fight, isn't it?"

"Pretty much." The identical girls laughed and knocked fists before diving back into the fight. Edo-Lucy charged through and kicked everyone out of her way, "Laxus! Gildarts! You two have been gone for a long time! Are you sure you aren't too rusty?"

"I-I am." Gildarts said while catching his breath and waving his weapon to create a barrier between them and the approaching soldiers, "I am not prepared for battle!"

"Well suck it up, old man! Now's no time to be soft!"

"Jura!" Laxus called out to their ally with the majestic head of hair as he smacked some oncoming soldiers away with his lightning rod, "If we can give you some space, can you contact Lamia Scale for backup?!"

"Man I don't know what to do!" The muscular man whipped his arms out and creates spires of rock before smirking, "Bring the others in to join in the fun, or keep it all to myself? Because damn, this is cathartic!"

Well maybe asking Jura for sound strategic advice in the middle of a fight wasn't the best option.

"Forget about pushing back Fairy Tail!" One of the soldiers commanded the others, "Secure the Exceed and then retreat!"

"Oh no! Happy! Carla!"

The two little exhausted Exceed looked over from where they had been fending off soldiers from attacking them. Happy was far more tired than Carla because he had chosen to strike down the soldiers that Carla lured in. And that exhaustion had been noticed because one soldier aimed his cannon and fired at the flying cat.

"NO!"

"HAPPY!" Carla immediately flew in between the oncoming attack and the blue cat. She shielded him and closed her eyes in anticipation-

Only for a shadow to swoop in and block the incoming shot before it could land.

The shadow then rushed forward, swinging its sword down and releasing a massive wave of wind that quickly knocked back most of the soldiers and separated them from the Dark Mage's attack force.

"S-Shit, can you not move around so roughly? Still not at 100% here."

"Neither am I but I still need to act."

"Naruto!" Earth-Gray called out as he saw his blond friend stand before the Royal Army. He wasn't sure whether the soldiers had stopped because he appeared to blow them away, or because he had his injured counterpart hanging onto his shoulder for support, "About time you showed up! We were getting tired of waiting for your lazy ass to finally get back!"

"Well sorry, turns out I'm a tougher fight than I expected." Uzumaki shrugged before looking back, "Although I guess I shouldn't be surprised since I'm so strong and - Gray, why are you wearing so many layers?"

"U-Um-"

"Dude," Uzumaki looked away from the confused Edo-Gray and saw the normal Earth-Gray standing there half-naked and unamused, "I'm me. That guy is the Edolas version of me."

Uzumaki looked back at the overly clothed doppelgänger. And then let his eyes wander over the rest of the Edolas crew and the other versions of his guildmates. He blew a raspberry with his lips, "This is just a mindfuck."

"I get you, man."

"Hey," Namikaze tapped his counterpart's shoulder and got his attention again, "Let me go for a second."

"Can you even stand?"

"I'll manage." Uzumaki pulled his arm back and let Namikaze stand on his own. The Oración Seis master steadied himself before standing up, clutching some of his aching injuries before he faced down the Royal Army members, "Soldiers, lay down your weapons and turn around. Recover any soldiers who are injured or can't make the trip back on their own. We are retreating to the castle."

"W-What?"

"But sir, our orders are to-"

"Capture the Exceed and eliminate all enemies standing in the way of our goal." Namikaze solemnly stated, "I know…but we're abandoning those orders. We don't need to risk any more casualties in pursuit of this goal."

"But-"

"Look around, soldiers!" Namikaze announced to his forces, "The Exceed have already retreated! The only ones left are these two young ones, and standing between us and them is the entire Fairy Tail guild! There isn't any reason to fight the Fairy Tail guild and risk our lives! We're retreating."

"No, you don't."

Namikaze turned around and found himself at the end of several weapons pointed at him by members of Fairy Tail. Despite their exhaustion from fending off so many soldiers, they looked more than ready to get into another fight with him. Lucy narrowed her eyes, "You might not have a reason to come after us, but we got more than enough reason to come at you."

"You and your people have hunted us for years!"

"We've lost friends and family because of you!"

"You killed our master!"

"Y-You," Edo-Natsu trembled in fear but kept his grip on his weapon tight as he glared at the older blond man, "It's your fault that Lisanna is gone."

Namikaze faced them all down, unflinching and stone-faced in front of all the weapons aimed at him.

Until someone stepped in between them and defended him.

The Fairies stared at the masked person in surprise as they guarded Namikaze. And even the whiskered soldier was surprised by Mask coming to his defense.

"Get out of the way!" They called out, "That man has to pay for everything he's-"

She reached up and removed her mask-

########Hunter########

"This is going to be a difficult thing to keep hidden. Retrieving appropriate care and medicine for her without raising any awareness is no easy task."

"Thank you, Lily. I appreciate this."

"So what's the plan exactly? Once she's recovered are you going to arrest her?"

"No. I can't."

"Then are you going to keep her in this room forever?"

"No."

"Namikaze, I hope you have a solution in mind. At the moment it just seems like you're making it up as you go along."

"Does it? Well, I guess that can't be helped."

"Namikaze, this is a dangerous choice you're making. Are you sure it's one you want to take?"

"Lily…when you saved Jellal…you knew there were going to be consequences, right?"

"Of course I did."

"But you still did it?"

"Yes."

"Why?"

"Because it felt like the right thing to do."

"That's what this feels like. Hunting others…stopping them from using magic…I always just followed along even though it didn't seem right. But now…it just leaves a bad taste in my mouth. I know this is against everything I swore to do as a soldier but-"

"But you compromised. I understand. When I saved Prince Jellal I expected that I would receive punishment. Exile was not the severity of what I had in mind, but still, I do not regret my actions. Some people expect to live their lives following their convictions as staunchly as possible…but I have learned it isn't really like this. It's a life of finding loyalties…and compromises."

"I think I realize where my loyalty needs to be." The yellow blur in her eyes stated, "It needs to be for the betterment of the people of Edolas. Not just the Royal Army…and not just the king."

She tried to move but felt no strength in her body. And when she did she gasped in pain and started passing out.

"H-Hey, she woke up!"

"Hold on, okay? You'll be alright."

########Hunter########

It was some time before she was able to stay conscious without passing out.

Naruto visited her during those early days in this solitary room in enemy territory with medicine and painkillers. The bandages around his face were taken off to reveal scars from his battle with the master. And as she rested he spoke to her…

"Your master saved me during a bombardment attack from the army. An attack that you got caught up in and hurt so badly. That's why it's taken so long for you to recover."

She nodded in understanding. But then shrugged as she stared at him for an answer.

"Once you're healed enough, we'll find a way to get you out of here. And if you need help finding your guild again," He shrugged, "Well I'm sure you might have some problems with me going there."

She nodded. She was thankful for his help, but some part of her still felt like this was a trick. A ploy to get her trust and to bring him to the guild so that they could be crushed in one simple move. She was skeptical about getting his help-

"I don't want to fight your guild anymore. I don't want to fight any guilds anymore. I…I feel like there has to be something better we can do."

Despite her reservation…she did feel some modicum of earnestness in his words.

########Hunter########

She didn't want to admit it but she may have dropped the ball on evacuating like this.

She grabbed a mask and some robes to hide completely and escape from the castle without anyone noticing.

But the further she went the more she realized just how sluggish and achy her body was. She had pushed herself too soon and her body wasn't up for an escape in its current condition. Yet still, she pushed forward desperately and tried to escape before anyone could find her-

"You! Halt!"

She stilled in fright and looked back in horror. Her eyes widened in shock behind her mask as she saw the terrifying redhead that had been the bane of the Fairy Tail guild for years. She strode forward, spear in hand, and called out to her, "I don't recognize you, and you're away from the rest of your team. What are you doing here?"

She tried to make up an answer, but her voice was still weak and her throat couldn't make a proper sound. And as her silence carried on, Erza's patience grew thinner, "I expect an answer in the next several seconds. If you don't-"

"Ah, there you are."

They looked over as Pantherlily and Naruto walked down the hall towards them. Naruto picked up the pace, faking a smile as he came to her side, "Hey there you are! We were looking all over the place for you!" He put a hand on her shoulder and turned her away, "Thanks for finding them, Knightwalker. They must have gotten lost making their way around. We'll-"

"Namikaze," She called out to him suspiciously, "Who is that person? Why were they-"

"They're a new hire I recruited." Pantherlily piped up and started to address Erza's concerns to get her attention away from them, "I believe that Boro could use some help on his staff."

Naruto helped lead her away, supporting her with his arm as he carefully helped her back to her room.

########Hunter########

"You can't do that again." He warned her, "I know you want to get out of here but if you draw attention - especially from someone like Knightwalker - then all of this sneaking around and recovery will be for nothing. If she finds out who you are, she will kill you without hesitation."

She understood that…but having to stay here still left her feeling like ants were running around under her skin.

"If we just wait a little longer until you are more recovered, we can get you out without much trouble."

That seemed like something she was going to have to keep waiting for if it ever did happen.

Hiding her frustration, she mimed making a call.

"You want a communication Lacrima?"

She nodded. She wanted to reach out to her guild. See if she can let them know she was alive.

He considered it for a few moments before nodding, "I'll see what I can do."

########Hunter########

She finally got her hands on a communication Lacrima when she came back to her room. She was able to find a moment to grab one while so many forces were heading out on a raid.

A raid on Fairy Tail from the sounds of it.

Punching in a hailing frequency to her guild, she waited for a moment before she finally got an answer.

("Hello? Hello, is someone there?")

She tried to speak up but got into a coughing fit as her voice still struggled to come out from her injured throat.

("How did you get this number? Who is this?")

She couldn't warn them. She had to tell them to stay safe. If she didn't warn them in time-

A hand reached over her shoulder and snatched her Lacrima. And she looked up as Naruto held it to his mouth, "A raiding party is heading your way. North-northeast at 10 clicks. If you don't want to get caught I suggest you prepare to run."

("W-What? How do you-")

"Just do it." He cut off the line and let his warning to them stick with the end of the call. He looked down at her surprised expression as he handed her the Lacrima and turned to leave her room, "I hope they take the warning. I'm not sure what else we can do from here."

He…meant to help them?

########Hunter########

She stuck around to help with the research team, testing out new types of magic siphoning and more proficient uses of Lacrima. All the while she also made sure to collect any information she could about the army's plans and if any raids were going to be underway.

She and Naruto exchanged information whenever they learned anything, making sure they had everything they could to offer before warning Fairy Tail.

########Hunter########

Even with their warnings, the guild could not prepare entirely for the raids that followed. Over time some members were captured and imprisoned. Some were able to break out with help from their friends before it was too late. While others decided to stick back so that their friends wouldn't be put in danger.

Laxus and Gildarts didn't know who she was, but she made sure they were always fed properly and not withheld any basic amenities.

########Hunter########

No matter what happened or where she was, the tattoo on her body always helped her remember.

She was a Fairy Tail member…and even alone in this castle, she would do what she could to help her family.

########Hunter########

"Lisanna?"

She removed the mask completely and looked at the stunned expressions of her guild. Her hair had grown back from the initial attack, and even though she had healed over the years there were still burns along her neck until the side of her chin. She looked at her old friends in silent anxiousness for their reaction.

But the first thing she saw was two people pushing through the crowd to meet her. Heads of white hair like hers immediately stood in front of her and stared at her in disbelief. Her big brother looked on the verge of tears as her older sister stepped up slowly, "Lisanna…is that you?"

She reached out and grabbed Mirajane and Elfman's hands. As her eyes started to water she nodded and spoke in a hoarse, weak voice, "Mira-nee, Elf-niichan…sorry I took so long."

"L-Lisanna?"

She looked over and saw Natsu stare at her in disbelief. His eyes were watering and he looked like he could barely hold his weapon. Even as her eyes welled up, she grinned his way, "You were right…about staying in the car."

"I-It is you."

The dam seemed to burst and the Strauss siblings couldn't hold back their tears any longer. They lunged in and grabbed their little sister in a tight, encompassing hug that let them know this was real and not just some kind of trick. As their sobbing and joyous laughter broke through, Mira pulled back and looked at her baby sister with tear-ridden eyes, "H-How is this possible? Where have you been?"

"I-I was hurt during the raid. And I-" Her voice grew weaker and scratchier until she had no choice but to cough and struggle to breathe. As her siblings quickly looked over her and fretted in a panic, she rubbed her throat and tried to tell them this was a normal reaction to talking too long. She tried to catch her voice, "I-"

"She was rescued, and since then she's been our informant." Laxus stated, walking over and looking at his formerly lost young friend fondly, "She's been the one warning us of raids. Trying to make sure we were two steps ahead of the Royal Army. And always safe. She's been staying inside the Royal Army as a spy and helping us out from there."

He looked over at the injured Namikaze, "With some help I presume?"

The whiskered blond didn't answer.

Members of the Fairy Tail guild stared at Namikaze in shock, "You…you saved her?"

He didn't respond-

"Sir! You helped them?!"

"How could you do that?!"

"You traitor! We trusted you!"

The soldiers got into an uproar and prepared to turn on the scar-faced man in retaliation-

"W-Wait!" Coco cried out as she quickly jumped in front of Naruto and defended him from any attacks that might have come. As the soldiers paused for a moment, Coco exclaimed, "I think what Naruto did was right!" She looked back at him, "He must have realized earlier than any of us! T-That fighting like this wasn't leading us anywhere! Look at them! Look at these people!" She motioned to the members of Fairy Tail, "Do they look like traitors?! Like the monsters, we need to stomp out for the sake of magic?! No!"

"They're people! People of Edolas! People we were supposed to defend! Who we had a duty to protect and serve! A-And we made them enemies! So many people across Edolas see us as enemies! The tyrants who take their magic and hunt them! Even these people," Her eyes welled up as she looked at Fairy Tail, "We've hunted them and terrified them and separated them from the people they love! This is what we let ourselves become! We should be working together a-and working on magic together! Not stealing people away! Not throwing away lives! Not making enemies!"

Coco sniffled and tried to dry her eyes as quickly as she could, "This isn't worth it. What we're doing isn't worth it."

Her sobbing seemed to strike a cord in the Royal Army as they lowered their weapons and reconsidered their attack. Fairy Tail remained together, counting their losses and celebrating the reunion with their lost friend.

Coco felt a hand gently pat her head and looked up at Namikaze's proud smile. She sniffled and rubbed her eyes, "If we lose each other getting magic, it doesn't feel like it's worth it anymore."

"Yeah…I guess not." He glumly agreed before looking out towards the forest in the direction of a smoke cloud still rising over the trees. He started making his way over there before his legs started feeling weaker and he stumbled-

Only to get caught before he fell over. He looked up as Uzumaki looped his arm around his neck and lifted him up at his side, "What are you doing?"

"Pretty sure we're going the same way." Uzumaki answered with a chuckle, "And watching myself fall face-first into the ground isn't something I need to see right now."

Namikaze rolled his eyes but allowed his Earthland counterpart to assist them as they made their way toward the crater.

########Hunter########

("Ahahahahahaha! It serves you right! This is what you get for standing against us!")

The Dorma Anim's Black Heaven metal creaked and groaned as it stood over the beaten Dragon Slayers of Fairy Tail. Natsu, Gajeel, and Wendy struggled to catch their breath and handle the injuries they had earned from furiously fighting off the Edolas king and his war machine.

It started well enough as they overwhelmed the Edolas monarch's mech with a flurry of attacks he couldn't quite keep up with. Even as he started to fire his arsenal, Natsu and Gajeel knocked the weapons away as Wendy supported them from behind with spells to boost their strength and speed. Faust couldn't keep up and even in the sturdy dragon machine, it looked like their victory was assured.

Until he activated his weapon's ultimate form, Black Heaven. The grey metal tinged black and the power it wielded skyrocketed in an instant. The amount of magic it soaked up from the world's reserve was dangerous and that was why the weapon was forbidden, but the king had gone off the deep end and decided that even if it took a chunk out of the reserves, as long as they secured eternal magic then that was an acceptable loss.

Faust chuckled in the cockpit of his machine, his voice rising maniacally as his hair and beard became more disheveled with his madness. He stared at the screen and the visual of the defeated Dragon Slayers that lay before him unconscious, ("Your pathetic interference was effective for a time. You've caused us more strife and panic than anyone else has in millennia. I suppose that's a point of praise I can lobby towards your efforts. But now…now it has come to an end.")

A vile chuckle slipped through his teeth, ("With you beaten, and the rest of your invading team left to the mercy of my military force, we can resume our plan. Collecting the magic of your world and fueling ours for eternity. Now, this long crucible can finally come to a close. And you shall help usher in a - wait what?")

The dragon mech leaned over and looked down at the floored Fairies. As he observed them he noticed only two of them in sight, ("What is this? There were three of you a moment ago? How did-")

Suddenly a powerful strike hit the back of his dragon mech and caused the cockpit to tremble from the force. Faust panicked, ("W-What is this?!")

"Hehehe!" Natsu snickered on the back of the Dorma Anim as his hands latched onto the doors of the missile launchers. The Fire Dragon Slayer grinned viciously as he pulled back the port as much as he could and spotted the ammunition inside, "These are those bombs you were lobbing at us before, right? The big ones that went boom in our faces? They got a whole lotta power in each one of them." Natsu grinned as a fire started to build up in his mouth, "I sure hope they can take the heat!"

("W-Wait you-")

Natsu breathed fire through the opening and superheated the missiles inside until they suddenly ignited. The compartments and chassis of the dragon mech were assailed from the inside by the eruption of its ammunition. Natsu was blown clean off the black-coated mech as it stumbled and broke from the force of those explosions.

("Ah! Damn monkey! I will make you pay for that you little - ah! W-What is this?!")

"This thing moves around way too fast for something of its size. And trying to catch it is a huge pain in the ass!" Gajeel yelled, his shoulder lodged into the foot of the mech as his arm stretched down through the ground and created a metallic hook that forced the mech's leg into place, "So the best thing we can do," His other arm shot out with a metal spike and lodged into the other leg to immobilize it completely, "Is clip your little legs so you've got nowhere else to run!"

("Damn you!")

"Kid! Use your breath on him!"

"H-Huh?" Wendy asked as she steadily got back on her feet, "What-"

"Yeah Wendy, take a deep breath and get ready!" Natsu agreed as he emerged from the forest, his clothes mostly singed after getting caught up in the explosion before he swallowed it. He grinned as he ran back over to join them, "Make it as big and powerful as you can make it!"

Honestly, she was hurt all over. It felt like a great effort just to take a breath and stand on her legs. If she didn't keep her concentration for even a second then she probably would have toppled over and clocked out right there on the ground.

So she focused on everything she had been trusted with. The Fairy Tail guild of this world. The Exceed of this world. Her town. Her guild. Her friends. Her family. Carla announced that if they wanted to survive they had to fight.

So she fought. Even as she took in a deep breath so large that her lungs ached she continued to breathe in. And remembering what she had been training over with Naruto, she raised her hands and started to guide the wind and sky above her like a vortex. Steadily her control got faster and sharper, as the winds collecting around her grew larger and more powerful.

Natsu stared up at the sky she was gathering and smirked. He ran up to stand in front of her and started to increase his flames until they raged like an inferno, "Hey old man! That dragon's scales seemed pretty flimsy! And its talons can't seem to handle a little prick holding them down!"

"Fuck you, Salamander!"

"So I think all you've got left to prove is the roar!" The flames burned white hot as he yelled, "So come on! Be a dragon! Show your roar!"

("You little bastard! ALL OF YOU! DIE!")

The Dorma Anim reared back, its legs still restricted by Gajeel as light gathered in its mouth. Natsu yelled over his shoulder, "Wendy! Roar at me! As strong as you can!"

She nodded and closed her mouth before releasing, "SKY DRAGON'S ROAR!"

All the winds gathered together and joined with her roar, creating a great vortex that sucked in all the trees and leaves around it. Natsu leaped up into the vortex of wind and spun with the force of the roar. His flames spread through the trees and leaves and ignited the roar into a flaming tornado. Natsu screamed at the top of his lungs as he blew forward with Wendy's attack and sailed straight toward the magical mech.

It fired a beam of magic, ("DIE!")

"UNISON RAID: FLAMING SKY DRAGON'S PIERCING EDGE!"

Natsu shot straight through the magic beam and slammed into the Dorma Anim, tearing through its chest and cockpit. As he flew forward, his hand snatched something amid his spinning before he blew out the other side.

Gajeel retracted his arms and jumped aside as the dragon mech toppled over above him. Wendy fell to her knees and gasped for air after her ultimate attack. And Natsu slammed into the ground, Faust still in his grasp as he watched his ultimate weapon fall, "N-No!"

"Hey guys, look what I found!" Natsu said cheekily as he raised the shocked Edolas king for them to see, "Wonder what we can do with him."

"Kick him in the balls!" Gajeel said as he lay exhausted on the ground.

"L-Let's not." Wendy moaned from the ground, "We have enough enemies here already."

"Well looks like we need a tiebreaker." He chuckled, "What do you think, old man?"

"You fool!" Faust clawed his way out of Natsu's grasp and struggled to catch his breath as he glared up at the pink-haired man, "You think you've won?! That you're safe and your people are secure?! E-Even if you kill me, we will never stop chasing your people! We have fought for years to earn this magic! It is the only thing we have strived for since the beginning of history! We will not stop clawing for it!"

Natsu sighed, "Man, you guys just sound sad talking like that. If magic made me out like this, I'd probably just wanna get rid of it."

"Shut your mouth! We will never-"

"N-Natsu-San!"

"Salamander! Look!"

"Hmm?" He looked up and tilted his head, "What is that?"

Faust looked up as well and lost his breath, "N-No!"

Magic was rising from the very foundation of the earth and towards the sky at an incredible rate. And as it did, the islands started to lower quicker as some started to crash into the ground.

"Is this the magic?"

"No! NO!" Faust crawled over the ground and tried to grasp the magic with his hands, "Stop it! Why are you leaving?! NOOOO!"

"The magic is leaving?" Natsu asked, "Why is that-"

"Hey! You over there!" The Dragon Slayers looked up as Nagi came flying through the air towards them, "Dragon Slayers!"

"What the-"

"O-Oh," Wendy sat up, "Nagi-San? What are you-"

"I'm glad I found you!" The lanky Exceed said as he floated over them with his paw still swinging at his side, "It was the right move to follow the big flaming tornado. Prince Jellal has made his move!"

"Mystogan? What did he do?"

"He's using the Anima to drain the magic from this world!"

"What?"

"Why would-"

"NOOO!" Faust cried out, "What is that little bastard thinking?! He would betray us like this?! ALL OF US?!" Faust screeched in anguish as his disheveled hair fell around him like a madman, "I-If he has done this, then he has made himself the greatest enemy in Edolas! And a hundred - a thousand deaths won't be enough for him to pay for his transgression! MY SON, THE TRAITOR OF EDOLAS!"

They all stood in shock at Faust's maddening roar as the magic raised into the sky. As it happened, Natsu looked between the fallen king, the escaping magic, and the city in the distance.

And grinned a devilish grin.

########Hunter########

"T-The magic!"

"It's leaving!"

"W-What's happening?!"

########Hunter########

"Boro, is this what I think it is?"

"Yes, I believe so." The diminutive Chief-of-Staff stood with the other defeated Commanders and Oración Seis as they watched the magic rise through the air. The old man solemnly shook his head, "The magic is vacating our world. We theorized that something like this wouldn't happen for at least a few generations, but it's come around now. And much more violently than expected."

"End of the world." Cobra sighed and leaned back on his hands, "Hell of a thing to watch."

########Hunter########

"Mommy! The islands are falling!"

"Q-Quickly! Pray to the Exceed! It's our only hope!"

"It's the end! The end of the world!"

Gajeel watched the people around him panic and devolve into pandemonium as magic raised through the streets and ground below to rise towards the sky. At the same time, the islands started to falter and fall. As they landed far away in the distance, he felt a terrible shake through the ground each time.

"Hmm, the end of the world?" He mused while sipping on his coffee and writing some notes down with his other hand, "Never thought I'd be the journalist that got to witness this historic event."

########Hunter########

"O-Our weapons!" Edo-Gray called out as he futilely waved her weapon around to no avail, "It's not responding!"

"What?!"

"T-The Lacrima is drained!"

"The magic! It's vanishing!"

Earth-Lucy looked around at the panic going across both Fairy Tail and the Royal Army. She spotted Juvia, Gray, Happy, and Carla all caught up in the fear around them as well. Counterparts of her friends panicking and huddling together as they expected the worst.

She saw Coco looking up at the sky with a forlorn gaze as her eyes started to water, "This is what we deserve, I suppose. The magic is leaving us."

########Hunter########

Irene looked out over the apocalyptic sight and felt the shake of the ground each time an island toppled out of the sky. Things inside her little house fell over and broke with each crash that followed. She stepped down and reached over to grab a fallen picture frame.

One she had of her standing proudly with Erza and Naruto after they had officially joined the Royal Army.

She looked out over the distance, "Erza…Naruto…please be safe."

########Hunter########

Scarlet craned her head back and saw the waves of magic lift from the ground, "Is this what I think it is?"

"It's the magic of Edolas. It's being drained and sucked away." Knightwalker said, closing her eyes and sighing as the worst-case scenario started to unfold right before her eyes. And yet after the battle she had just experienced, she didn't feel the same dread or horror at the concept as she did before. With a melancholy shake of her head she looked back up at the sky, "I guess that argument we had about what I'd do once the magic was gone will be getting an answer real quick, huh?"

"I suppose so." Scarlet agreed while lying back, "Your biggest worry was that they would use Naruto for power, right?"

"They tried to harness his chakra and he lost the use of it in his left hand as a result." Knightwalker groaned, "I didn't want to risk that happening to him again."

"You're going to have to look out for him properly from now on, aren't you?"

"Yes…I suppose I will."

The two redheads sat in comfortable silence as they watched the magic fly away.

"Hey," Knightwalker spoke up, "If we lose the magic, how are you going to get home?"

…

"Oh shit."

"What's got you so worried?"

They looked over and saw Uzumaki and Namikaze standing at the edge of the crater they were in. Namikaze pulled his arm away from Uzumaki's shoulder and the blonds went to their respective redheads.

Knightwalker frowned as her scar-faced comrade carefully made his way over, "You look terrible."

"I feel terrible." He groused as he gingerly sat on the edge of the crater by her side, "You look like shit."

"Don't you start."

Scarlet chuckled and looked up as Uzumaki walked to her side, "You seem surprisingly full of energy. I'm guessing you won your match?"

"Of course I did!" He said with a big grin, "Now he might have been a pretty tough opponent, but he wasn't the real deal! And in the end I-" He slipped on a pebble and dropped to his side where he coughed violently and clutched his chest wound, "Ow! Ow - oh shit! Oh, that stings!"

Scarlet looked at the remnants of the injury on his chest, "What happened? It looks like something scraped off your chest?"

"Yeah, that jackass shoved some spinning chakra orb in my gut. It hurt like a bitch!"

"You used the Rasengan and still lost?" Knightwalker rolled her eyes, "Shame on you."

Namikaze's eyes started to twitch before he growled, "Can't help but notice you don't have the Ten Commandments with you. Wonder what happened to those~?" He said in a mocking tone before he noticed her arm and the strain on her muscles and veins. He gently touched her arm and heard her hiss, "D-Did you use Sacrifar?! You idiot, that spear was prohibited! What's wrong with you?!"

"This was an important fight! We had to bring everything out!"

"Not the stuff that hurts you too!"

"You do not get to lecture me about doing things that are detrimental to your health!"

Scarlet and Uzumaki watched from the side as their counterparts argued. He gently lifted her, supporting her shoulders and back as she thanked him and started getting some feeling back in her body. He nodded towards their doppelgängers, "Looks like they don't get along so well."

She shook her head, "No, the opposite I think. Even if they aren't like us, they still care about each other."

"Heh, yeah, I guess so."

"You are so judgmental!"

"Yeah well, you never listen!"

"That's because your voice is so annoying!"

"Well, you liked it when I got loud in bed!"

Scarlet and Uzumaki's eyes widened in surprise. Their cheeks turned pink, "O-Oh?"

"Y-You two had that kind of relationship?"

Their counterparts shared a looked before scoffing, "It wasn't anything serious."

"We just decided to be each other's first. And then a few times after that when we were both stressed out." Namikaze informed, "Although sleeping with this madwoman was not worth the time."

"Pfft, you're not convincing anyone." She mocked him, "By the way, I faked it every time."

"No, you didn't."

"Yes, I did. A little raising of my voice and throwing my head back and we were set."

Scarlet suddenly felt Uzumaki's very pointed glare aimed at her, "I-I would never do that to you."

"Oh yeah? Well, I faked it too." Namikaze countered, "I sped up a little and tossed some cream on your back and I was done with you for the evening. Couldn't be happier!"

This time Scarlet glared at Uzumaki. He frowned, "What are you looking at? In case you forgot I leave evidence so faking isn't an option!"

"He just said-"

"He's lying! O-Or something - I don't know! Hey! Dipshits!" He called out over the crater, "Stop being stupid and causing us problems!"

"Go to hell!"

"You first!"

"Enough!" Scarlet yelled and silenced her partner's argument before she stared at her other self, "You should probably speak clearly about what you want to do next."

Knightwalker scowled at her other self before taking a deep breath and blowing it out her nostrils. She looked up at Namikaze, "Hey," He looked down at her, "If the magic is leaving, then people might come for your chakra as the next source of power. And I don't want you getting hurt. So if you have to, turn and run. Don't stick around and risk your life."

Namikaze stared at her before closing his eyes and sighing, "I was helping Fairy Tail all these years. And the other guilds must have gotten word from them as well." He confessed, "I…I know you're worried about me risking my life. A-And I promise I won't just throw it away. But I want to help everyone in this world. The citizens. The Dark Mages. My comrades. And you. I want us all to be happy."

…

Knightwalker groaned, "We just make things so much harder for ourselves, don't we?"

He chuckled, "Yeah, I guess we do."

Scarlet and Uzumaki looked at the scene with a smile, "I guess it's the same in every world, huh?"

"Yep, looks like it."

########Hunter########

Lily stared at the Anima as it dragged the magic through its portal. He gulped, "Prince Jellal, do you understand what this will do?"

"Rob us of all the magic items we use every day." Jellal answered, "Without our technological advances, our people will resort to the ancient ways of living. Fear and panic will become commonplace for a time. And if they hope to get through the worst of it, they will need a leader."

Shagotte looked up at Jellal, "And you will be that leader?"

"No, I can't." He shook his head, "My family's greed - its compulsion for magic - led us to this point. Isolating the citizens of our nation who weren't in cities. Demonizing the members of the guilds for using what magic they could scrape together to help others. And hunting down the Exceed like a resource. My family has been the head of these problems for ages. And I have not walked along these grounds or cared for these peoples' problems in years." Jellal looked back at Lily, "I was so concerned with our moral standing – with not hurting the people of another world – that I turned my back on these ones and the help they needed. I cannot be their leader."

Lily looked at him in shock as Shagotte spoke up, "Then who would lead the people instead?"

"I robbed the world of magic. I sent us into a crisis of utility in the blink of an eye because of my selfish decision. End me and you put the royal line of Edolas down for good." He turned and looked at Lily, "I am the villain that stole magic from the world, and you can be the hero that ended me. A noble, righteous spirit that can bridge the gap between humans and the Exceed. A leader all the people trust and can look to for guidance."

"I-I-"

"You saved my life even as a human. You guided Erza and Naruto in their youngest days. You fought for the sake of all people, not just your race. And when you saw the wrongdoings of the army and their plans for the Exceed, you knew how wrong it was. You see how important life is, human and Exceed, and that is what the people need."

"YOU ARE INSANE!" Lily yelled at the top of his lungs as Jellal simply stood in silence. The large Exceed glared at the boy he saved and growled, "You expect me to take your life? To kill you? I can't do that!"

"If you can punish me before the people as they learn of my crime, you'll gain their support-"

"I WON'T DO IT!" Lily denied him completely, "I REFUSE TO TAKE YOUR LIFE! YOU THINK YOU'RE SAVING THE WORLD, BUT YOU ARE SIMPLY RUNNING AWAY FROM THE PROBLEM! THIS IS SOMETHING YOU HAVE TO SEE THROUGH TO THE END! LET ME TAKE THE BLAME!"

"No," Jellal shook his head, "I will not heap this on you! After everything you have done you deserve to live your life happy and to the fullest!"

"I WANT THE SAME FOR YOU IDIOT!" Lily yelled before shaking his head, "A world - any world - built on a foundation of sacrifice and bloodshed is doomed to crumble."

The two stared at each other in silence as the magic continued to disappear and the sounds of crying could be heard from the city. Jellal hung his as he realized his plan wouldn't succeed like this-

"It wouldn't have worked." Jellal and Lily both looked over as Shagotte spoke up at that moment. She looked up at the silent blue-haired man, "Prince Jellal, even if Pantherlily did execute you and heap the blame of all of this on you, he couldn't become king. Since magic is going to be expelled from Edolas, it means all magic. Including the magic inside of your friends from Earthland and all the Exceed."

"What?!"

"I-Is that true?!"

"Yes," She nodded, "My vision of this being the final day of Exceed was correct I suppose. We may not be killed, but the Exceed will no longer belong on Edolas." She lowered her gaze, "I suppose that will be for the best."

Jellal looked dumbstruck as he struggled to comprehend the enormity of what she said. He palmed his face and rubbed his head as he looked back at the magic being siphoned by the Anima, "I-I was so shortsighted. I didn't take into consideration how internal magic will be affected. B-But at least my friends will be able to get home. But then what do I-"

"Prince Jellal," Shagotte spoke up, "I understand how you feel. As a person in charge, you realize the choices you make have a greater effect on others than most do. And that every one you make has some consequence that you have to take into consideration. Even choices you make for the best and to help your people," She shuffled uncomfortably, "Can weigh on your soul heavier than any sin you make."

"Your Majesty."

"And I understand the need to be punished for your decisions as well." She nodded, "The guilt you have feels like something that can only be resolved with your life. But that is the easy way out." She clarified, "First you must help your people through the consequences of your decisions…only then can they decide what should happen next. That's what I decided for myself…and I believe you need to see your people through the trouble you caused them after magic is gone."

"But how can I unify them? How can I settle their panic when I'm the one that caused this?"

"You wanted a villain, correct? Someone to take the blame for this exodus of magic?" She nodded, "Well there are more options than just you and Pantherlily to bear that cross."

"What do you-"

Bright light and the sound of rushing flames followed by the screams of citizens drew their attention away.

########Hunter########

"AHAHAHAHAHA!" The demonic shadow bellowed atop the roofs of Edolas' buildings as the fire raged around him, "Run, puny fools of Edolas! Run before you earn my wrath!"

"AH! W-WHO IS THAT?!"

"H-HE'S SHOOTING OUT FLAMES EVEN THOUGH THE MAGIC IS FAILING?!"

"NO, HE HAS THE KING!"

"THAT'S RIGHT!" The pink-haired monster laughed manically as he stood over the frightened citizens of the city, "I am Demon Lord Dragneel, and I have come to destroy your world!" He waved to the unconscious Faust that was tied to a log at his side, "Your king robbed my world of magic and crystallized it into a Lacrima, right? And he was going to use that magic to save your world? Well, that Lacrima had my friends and loved ones in it! And I stole it back!"

"Y-You did what?!"

"But that wasn't enough!" He smirked cruelly as he waved to the defeated king, "Your ruler was going to do it again and again until he had all the magic he wanted, so I took all your magic! AHAHAHAHA!" He laughed manically as he raised his hands to the air, "I'M STEALING THE MAGIC OF YOUR WORLD AS RETRIBUTION FOR WHAT YOU ALL HAVE WROUGHT!"

"No!"

"Please give us back our magic!"

"Never!" Dragneel laughed before waving out his arms, "In fact, you all still need to be punished! Your greed for magic led you to this point! And now you must pay for your crimes!" He waved his arm out, "Redfox! Marvell! Get out there and strike fear into their hearts! Leave their world in shambles!"

Two more shadows rushed out and landed in the streets. The people screamed and ran in panic as the demon lord's servants descended upon them without mercy.

The larger servant with metal piercings laughed like a hyena as his arms became serrated blades that tore through the buildings and structures around him. People cried and screamed in terror as they ran away from the metal madman decimating everything in his way.

The other servant was a little girl who gathered the wind when she arrived. She turned her arms around and summoned a steady stream of air that gently washed over the citizens, "AAHHHHH - oh wait, this is quite pleasant."

"Such a nice breeze."

"How lovely."

"Y-Yes," She quietly murmured before announcing, "B-But it is wind gathered from the dying gasps of others! C-Can you feel the death of their breath washing over you?"

The citizens just looked at each other as the pleasant wind continued to run over them.

Until the shadow of the metal man came crashing down and shattered the ground beneath him, "WRAAAHHHHH!" He roared at the top of his lungs as the citizens screamed and ran away, "THAT'S RIGHT! RUN! RUN AND DON'T LOOK BACK!"

Gajeel turned and looked down critically at the embarrassed and ashamed Wendy, "What the hell was that? We're supposed to be intimidating these people, remember?"

"I-I'm sorry." The little Dragon Slayer apologized, "I-I'm just not that comfortable with scaring people. It doesn't come as easily to me as it does you, Gajeel-San."

"If I didn't know you were a pushover, I'd say you were talking shit."

A rush of flames overhead drew their attention to Natsu as he blew out another plume of fire, "It's amazing how convincing Natsu-San is."

"Well of course he can play a convincing asshole…cause he's an asshole."

"NATSU!"

The fighting and destruction and screaming came to a halt as a Legion came flying down and hovered by the building Natsu stood on. Jellal stood on its back and called out over the gap to the pink-haired center of destruction, "What are you doing?!"

"Oho, Prince Mystogan! You finally reveal yourself!"

Gajeel palmed his face as Wendy panicked and whispered, "Natsu-San, his name is Jellal! Prince Jellal!"

"J-Jellal?"

"Prince Jellal?"

"T-That's not possible."

"But didn't he die?"

Jellal looked down at all the citizens looking up at him in confusion and wonder before shaking his head. He looked back up at the viciously smirking Natsu, "Natsu, what are you doing here?"

"I'm making you all pay!" The Dragon Slayer roared for everyone to hear, "It's time to pay for the sins of your father! I'm taking your magic, and I'm taking your life!"

"Nat-"

"He's saving us!" Edo-Gajeel announced from the road below after deducing what was happening, "Prince Jellal will save us from the Demon Lord!"

"Y-Yes! Save us, Prince Jellal!"

"Save the magic!"

"Please!"

"W-Wait-"

"Haha, just try it, you fools!" Natsu flared with fire before leaping over the gap. He grabbed Jellal's shoulders and knocked him off the Legion before throwing him down below. He yelled, "Redfox! Marvell! Put this fool in his place!"

As he quickly turned in the air and landed on his feet, he had to move aside as Gajeel's polearm shattered the building behind him. He stayed mobile and backed away, "Gajeel, why are you doing this? I don't-"

"Man, you must be stupid or something, Mystogan." The pierced man said with a smirk, "We heard about your plan to take the blame with the magic, right? Well easier to blame people disappearing forever, ain't it?"

"But-"

"Just consider it our going-away present." Jellal caught the Dragon Slayer's punch as he leaned in, "Thanks for helping us save the guild. But next time, don't stick me with Hunter. He…he is just too much of a pain in the ass."

Jellal was stunned by his words. He was going to say something back before something charged into his chest and knocked him into the debris. As the citizens and people screamed in fright, Jellal found himself in the middle of a dusty fog. And when he looked down-

"I wanted more time." The little Mage said into his chest as she hugged him as tightly as possible, "There was so much left unsaid…all these years I wanted to find you, a-and when I found the other you, he had lost his memories, I-I thought there was nothing left I could say. But you were here…alive and okay and in Fairy Tail."

"Wendy-"

"Thank you," Wendy looked up at him with watery eyes and a runny nose, "Thank you for recusing me and being my friend. If you didn't find me that day, I never would have been in Cait Shelter or Fairy Tail. I never would have found Carla and all my friends. If this is the last time we'll meet, thank you for everything."

Jellal's eyes started to water as he gently patted her head, "I'm glad you found a home."

"Alright crybabies, time for the finale." Gajeel snatched Wendy off of Jellal as she let out a squeak, "Good luck, Mystogan. GAAAHHHH!" He feigned getting hit and jumped back while carrying Wendy as well, "The damn bastard is too strong!"

"Damn servants, let me handle this!" Natsu jumped down and blew away all the dust with a blaze of fire. He rushed at Jellal, throwing a series of haymakers and fast punches that the S-Class Mage had to parry and block, "You'll be okay without the guild here for you?"

"Yes," He nodded, "I owe a lot to Fairy Tail and all of you, but I…I need to stay here now. I have to help my world."

"Got it. I'll tell everyone you said goodbye." Natsu and Jellal started to trade punches, "Do you remember the three rules for leaving Fairy Tail?" Jellal nodded as he weaved around his punches, "First, never reveal sensitive information about the guild, because you have to protect it even when you're gone."

"Second," Jellal continued, "Never contact a prior client without permission for personal gain or profit. Probably won't be a problem because they'll be a world away."

"Yep!" Natsu grinned, "And of course the third rule…"

"Live your life to the fullest."

"Never consider it as something small or disposable."

"And never forget…"

"The friends you have back home."

Jellal's fist came through and struck Natsu straight in the face. The pink-haired Mage went flying back and hit the ground with a thud. Everyone watching stood in complete silence as Mystogan stepped up and stood over the defeated invader.

Natsu's body started to glow as he smiled, "See ya, Mystogan."

########Hunter########

"Your Majesty," Nagi spoke up to Shagotte, "I think it worked!"

"Thank you for reaching out to them, Nagi. You helped us greatly." She looked at Lily with a smile, "Prince Jellal has great friends, doesn't he?"

"He does." The Exceed smiled contently as they started to glow, "I'm glad…glad he got to know such wonderful people."

########Hunter########

Lucy, Gray, Juvia, Happy, and Carla all started to glow in the middle of Edolas Fairy Tail's ranks. The natives looked at them in surprise as the light steadily started to get brighter.

Earth-Lucy could tell what this meant and quickly reached out and grabbed Edo-Lucy's shoulders. Her counterpart looked startled, "Hey! I need you to say you'll be alright!"

"What?"

"Say you'll be okay!" Earth-Lucy repeated, "Say you'll all be alright after we're gone! That even though the magic is gone that you'll be safe and happy after this! Please!"

"I know you guys won't have the magic anymore, but that doesn't mean everything." Earth-Gray nodded as he looked at the others, "You still have each other in Fairy Tail to rely on. And all of you helping and supporting each other? What more would you need?"

"Juvia got to come to Fairy Tail because she was working with magic," Earth-Juvia said with a smile and she touched her chest, "But if she ever lost her magic, she would still come to Fairy Tail. Every day. Because this was the place she called home."

"Yeah!" Happy joined in as well, "Wouldn't you guys still want to be a part of Fairy Tail even if you couldn't do magic?"

"This can still be your sanctuary, even without magic." Carla nodded, "It was ours in our lowest moment."

Edo-Lucy looked between the other glowing Earthland Mages before looking at her counterpart. Seeing the earnest look on her face asking her to be safe even without magic around. As she felt the pull on her shoulders and realized the other Lucy was starting to lift off the ground, she nodded.

With a faint smile, she said, "We'll be okay."

"You have to promise me you will! It's gonna be so hard going back home thinking you guys will be in trouble so-"

"Alright! Geez, we'll be fine!" She quickly said to cut her counterpart off, "God you're a pain in the ass. Pretty clear the only way we'll be set without causing you to worry is to handle things as they are." She smirked, "You can trust Fairy Tail to handle things from here."

Earth-Lucy smiled as well, "Good! Thank you so much!"

########Hunter########

Uzumaki and Scarlet started to float up while Namikaze and Knightwalker watched. The Earthland duo looked surprised as Scarlet looked around, "I wasn't expecting this."

Uzumaki chuckled, "Can we fly now?"

Knightwalker scoffed, "You two look like idiots."

Namikaze called out to his counterpart, "Hey, about that scroll I gave you! If you use it, use water balloons, rubber balls, and regular balloons! In that order!"

"W-What the hell does that mean?"

"You'll figure it out!"

The redhead and blond duos of both worlds stared at each other as they separated. And as they looked at each other the same thing crossed their minds-

"TAKE CARE OF YOURSELVES!"

########Hunter########

Jellal stared up at the sky as the last vestiges of magic started to disappear into the sky. Along with the figures of the Exceed and people with magic flying up with them. He looked over to the castle, where he knew Pantherlily was being hoisted away by the Anima. He smiled at all the disappearing figures and nodded…

"Thank you everyone…I'll never forget you."

The lights fully faded away…

And magic was gone forever…

"Prince Jellal!"

"What'll we do now?!"

"We don't have magic-"

"We don't need it!" Jellal yelled at the top of his lungs, climbing to the top of some debris to look out over his people, "We won't let losing our magic to those monsters be the nail in our coffin! We shall persist and fight and struggle on! In a world without magic! We are humans and we will thrive!"

The crowd cheered in return to his words. He smiled and looked up at the sky, thanking his friends for helping him save his world.

########Hunter########

"We're back."

"Yep."

"Looks like the town is back too."

"Uh-huh."

"Think that means everyone got home safely."

"Seems like it."

"Just wish the weather hadn't followed us too."

The Fairy Mages all stood silently in the forest as the rain pelted down from above. After such a stressful adventure, debilitating injuries, and exhaustion of which there was no comparison, getting waterlogged was just the perfect way to cap everything off.

Oh, except of course-

"Wow, this is Earthland!" One Exceed said among the flock of them as they flew around.

"You feel that? The magic is so abundant here!"

"I think I'm gonna like it here!"

"E-Everyone, please! Please come down here for a second!" Shagotte tried to announce to all her people as they continued to fly around overhead, "E-Everyone-"

"HEEEEYYYYYYY!"

Everyone flinched and leaned away from Natsu after his ear-splitting roar echoed through the forest. All the Exceed froze and looked down his way as he pointed to the queen, "This lady is talking!"

"T-Thank you."

"No problem!"

Naruto nudged Wendy's side, "Who is that?"

"Oh, that's the queen of the Exceed. Carla and I pleaded to her for help but it turns out she wasn't the all-powerful deity we thought she was but just one Exceed trying to protect the entire race from being attacked by humans. She sent Happy and Carla here among 100 children years ago to protect them from the attack because she could see into the future."

"Uh-huh," Naruto hummed with a blank look on his face before looking down at the little Dragon Slayer, "And why do you three look like bandits about to attack someone on the street?"

"Oh, Natsu-San, Gajeel-San, and I were all attacking the capital and playing ourselves off as the villains while attacking Jellal to help the Edolas citizens see him as someone worthy to be the king."

…

Naruto nodded and stood back up before whispering to Erza, Gray, Lucy, and Juvia, "This has been a wild experience, hasn't it?"

They all nodded.

"Everyone, we're here in Earthland now." Shagotte announced to her people as her council, Nagi, and Nichiya stood by her side, "I'm sure somewhere in this world are the other children we sent here for safety. We're not familiar with what this world has to offer so I believe we should stay cautious. Considering what you know now, I understand if you won't follow me anymore. And if there is some punishment you wish to see me go through, I accept that as well."

"N-No way!"

"We can't do that, Your Majesty!"

"You've helped us so much! It just wouldn't be fair to blame you for protecting us all these years!"

Shagotte and the council looked stunned by their words as her eyes watered. She quickly dried them and nodded, "Thank you, everyone."

"Alright, well now you will all be staying in this world, but I don't think we can handle housing an entire nation of Exceed on such short notice." Carla spoke to the leader critically, "So I don't think you can stay here right now."

"We understand," The older white cat nodded, "We have to look for the rest of the children here in Earthland so we have a lot of ground to cover." She smiled softly, "We'll probably have to leave and travel a long way away."

"I see."

"I'm sorry for all the trouble we caused you and your guild."

"Never mind that." Carla dismissed her apology as she knew that heaping the blame entirely on the queen would do nothing to resolve matters. Instead, the little Exceed asked, "There's something I've wanted to ask you since the throne room. If we didn't have a mission to bring back the Dragon Slayers, then why did I know about it? It felt like such a clear bit of knowledge in my head but how-"

"It wasn't an order that you were experiencing, Carla…it was a vision of the future." Her eyes widened as Shagotte continued, "You must have caught glimpses of it as a child and pieced it together as a mission placed on you by us. I-I'd say this was just a coincidence, but that seems unfair after the experiences you had. So let me just say I'm sorry for what you had to go through."

"I have visions?" Carla muttered to herself in shock. Faintly she remembered moments in the past when she experienced something like déjà vu just before an event happened but always chalked it up to panic during stress. She looked up at the queen, "Why do I have visions?"

Shagotte sweated, "O-Oh, uh - j-just a coincidence I guess?"

Carla looked at her curiously-

Until Shagotte stepped forward and gently hugged the little Exceed, "If you ever wish to learn more about your abilities, or the race you came from, just come find me. I will always spare time to talk to you."

Carla was surprised at how…warm it was in her arms.

Shagotte and the rest of the Exceed quickly flew into the air and waved their Fairy friends goodbye. Within just a few moments all the flying cats vanquished into the rainy night.

"Do you think they'll be okay?"

"They want to live however they can in this world now. I'm sure they'll be okay."

"I don't know about you guys but I could use a nap."

"We should get back to the guild and tell them what happened."

"They need to know about Mystogan too."

"Well hey, we all made it back and saved Magnolia! Alls well that ends-"

"WAIT!" They all flinched and looked back at Gajeel, "Where's Pantherlily?! Was he with the rest of the cats?! He was gonna be my partner! He can't just leave!"

"I didn't leave. I'm over here."

Everyone heard the deep voice speak up from the side-

Where a small black Exceed the same size as Happy and Carla stood.

"Oh my god!"

"He got so tiny!"

"Your muscles! Where did they go?!"

"I'm not sure." Lily said as he looked over his new form, "I suppose this new world doesn't quite agree with my other form. But it doesn't matter, I can make do with it. Anyway, I was hoping I could stay here and see the guild Prince Jellal was a part of while he stayed here. If you don't mind-"

"MY CAT!" Gajeel tackled and hugged Lily tightly, "I HAVE A CAAAAAAAAAATTTTTTTTTTT!"

…

Naruto groaned, "Fuck, he's gonna be such a pain in the ass now."

########Hunter########

The magic was all gone. There was nothing left.

She should have been panicking, but honestly, Irene felt relieved to know it was finished. With a small smile, she walked over to the counter and tossed the magic heater away from her tea kettle. Reaching into a drawer, she grabbed a flint to light a small flame under it instead.

########Hunter########

"Whelp, these are a bust." Jura tossed his gauntlets aside and whipped his glorious mane around, "I guess I'm gonna have to go find my guild the long way, won't I?"

"You're more than welcome to join us for the time, Jura." Laxus extended to his comrade as he and his guild gathered their things together. He looked over and saw his guild still crowding around Lisanna and catching up with her after all this time. He was going to have to talk with her as well when he had a chance.

"C'mon everyone, time to head back to the city!" He looked over and saw Coco preparing the soldiers for the march back home, "I'm sure there's a lot of work to do back there now."

"Ma'am, what should we do with our weapons?"

"Honestly, I'm not sure. Without magic, they're pretty much just weighing us down. Leave them?"

"Hey!" Laxus called out, gaining Coco and some soldiers' attention as he walked over. Coco quickly picked up the pace to meet him, "Thank you for all your help."

"Oh, no problem! I'm glad I could help before things got out of hand." The little brunette said, "We're all heading back to the city now. Do you all want to come with us? I doubt Fairy Tail's criminal status will last much longer now that magic is gone-"

"No," Laxus smiled sadly, "I appreciate the offer but even though things have changed now…I-I think it would be too soon for us to just forgive and forget so quickly."

"Right, of course." Coco nodded sadly, "I understand."

"But," Laxus added, "That doesn't mean we won't one day. Just give us time. I think that's just what we all need."

Coco smiled and nodded in return. She looked past him and at his guild, "The way you and your guild treat each other…I hope one day I'll be able to have something like that with my friends as well."

The sound of feet shuffling drew their attention over as Lisanna walked over. The silent white-haired girl stood across from a confused Coco before she leaned in and hugged the little brunette. Coco was startled for a moment before smiling and hugging her back.

As Laxus watched the scene in front of him he couldn't help but think…this was what his grandfather would have wanted.

########Hunter########

"You're jostling me too much."

"You weigh too much."

"Not my fault you're so weak."

"It's your fault you eat so much."

"Classy thing to say to an injured woman."

"I'm injured too, stupid!"

"Prince Jellal! Prince Jellal!" The duo looked up as they made their way through the shattered remains of the city. As Erza was carried piggyback by Naruto towards the center of the city, they noticed the blue-haired man being pestered by a reporter at the center of things, "Where have you been? Now that you are the ruler of Edolas, shall we call you King Jellal? What will be your first degree as ruler-"

"I'm sure I'll think of something." He quickly warded the reporter off, "But right now making sure everyone is okay is our top priority." He stepped aside and walked over to the old man muttering to himself, "Father? Are you-"

"T-The magic. W-We n-need the magic. You took the magic. H-How could you? H-Have to get it back. We have to get it back."

Jellal stared down at his father in the middle of his breakdown. With a sad shake of the head, he stepped away and prepared to continue helping others. Before he spotted the injured duo making their way over. He quickly ran over to meet them as Naruto gently placed Erza down on her feet, "You're back."

Naruto smiled, "We could say the same to you."

"King Jellal now, huh?" Erza chuckled, "Never thought I'd see the day."

"Neither did I."

"So…what will you do with us?"

"We were your father's closest conspirators attacking that guild on the other side. And we attacked you too after you showed up again. I guess treason and execution?"

"Right now, Edolas needs all the hands it can get. To both help its people and prepare a new form of energy." Jellal looked at Naruto, "One that doesn't need to cost someone their life. So if you both are still willing-"

"Yes."

"Of course we are."

"Good." Jellal smiled while looking between them. His eyes settled on Naruto before his expression soured, "I…I'm sorry. With magic gone…I won't ever be able to get you home. I know I promised that a long time ago-"

"I am home." Naruto grabbed his shoulder and resolutely nodded, "This is my home. Always has been."

Jellal nodded and grabbed his shoulder in return…

…

His eyes started to water and grabbing Erza as well he pulled them both in for a hug. The redhead and blond quickly hugged the blue-haired man in return as they all hid their crying faces from each other.

"I'm so glad you're here."

"Welcome back."

"You took long enough, dick."

And so…in the middle of a world robbed of magic…and offered a new start…three old friends reunite…and swear to make things better.

########Hunter########

Done

And so Edolas comes to an end. I think I might follow up on these guys a bit later down the line. Not chapters but just some omakes or something. Feels unfair to just leave them be after so much work.

Anyway, now that we're back it's time to move onto other adventures! I have four chapters in mind of mostly original stuff before we get into the next doozy of an arc. And with the next chapter I can introduce a project I've been working on for…damn, awhile.

Anyway, I want to say again that thanks for coming along on this journey. I'm not sure how much longer it'll take to get to the end, but I hope you all enjoy it with me.

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Thank You and Bye