Chapter 21

Heading Home

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Magic"

Flashback

Location / Date / Time Skip

"Haha! We just took down the king!" Natsu cheered. "This is when I get to yell checkmate, right?"

"You're supposed to do that BEFORE you take down the king." Wendy pointed out.

"Even I know that." Gajeel chuckled out.

"What are you guys talking about?" Nicholas asked.

Natsu kept laughing before the ground started shaking. "What's going on?"

"Nicky, is it an earthquake or reinforcements?" Gajeel asked.

"I told you not to call me that!" Nicholas shouted, his ear to the ground so he could hear the vibrations. "It's... neither?"

"Up there, look!" Wendy cried out, catching the others attentions. All looked up to see the islands falling out of the sky.

"What's going on?" Natsu asked.

With Edolas Fairy Tail

All the fighting stopped immediately as the falling islands caught everyone by surprise. "The islands are falling?" Lucy asked in confusion.

"Is the world coming to an end!?" Both Grays asked at the same time.

"It's an apocalypse!" One soldier shouted in fear.

High above the mob, Shagotte huddled against a rock slab while hugging two Exceeds. "The islands are dependent on our magic power to stay in the air. If they are falling then that means... all the magic is leaving Edolas."

With the Erzas

Golden power flowed out of the ground, shocking the two redheads. "Am I dreaming?" Erza asked.

"No, I see it too." Knightwalker replied. "I don't know what's going on."

Erza went wide eyed, realizing what they were watching. "Is this-"

"Edolas' magic?" Knightwalker finished the thought.

"What's causing this?" The Earthlander asked.

"I've lived long enough to see the end of the world..." Knightwalker mumbled. "It's almost sad, isn't it?"

The Royal City

The glowing magic flowed out of the city as well and everyone who witnessed this was naturally terrified. "So, the time has come?" Byro, back to normal size, asked as he watched the scene.

"Byro!" The short man looked over to see Hughes and Sugarboy walking over to him.

"Still alive, I see." He joked.

"It's surprisingly beautiful." Sugarboy said.

"What are you talking about, man?" The captain asked back.

"The magic power." The blonde elaborated. "I would have thought that all that magic would have been frightening, but it's actually kind of surreal."

In the Anima chamber beneath them, Mystogan stared at the pillar of glowing light. "Prince..." Pantherlily started.

"This is for the best, Lily." Mystogan interrupted. "People here have always fought over magic. I tried to warn them, but they couldn't fight the temptation. So I will remove the temptation for them. The last of our power will be absorbed by the Amina and deposited in Earthland. Once there, it will be absorbed into the power there and become a part of nature."

Pantherlily watched on, still not convinced that this was the right plan. "For the sake of Edolas' future, we must bring it to ruin first."

With Edolas Fairy Tail

The soldiers were in a panic as magic started seeping out of their weapons. "My weapon won't respond to my orders." One soldier declared, sparking a massive wave of concern.

"Everyone is freaking out..." Lucy mumbled.

"No, not my weapon!" E. Gray cried out.

"Just calm down." The counterpart said back.

"Whoa!" E. Brianna fell onto her side, her arm apparatus glowing. "Crap, get this thing off of me!"

"Hold still." Greenhawk said, undoing the straps on the arm.

"Its over..." Coco mumbled, looking up at the sky. "This is the end..."

Clangs drew everyone's attention as the army dropped their weapons. "Retreat! If we don't have our weapons, we're totally helpless!"

"I don't believe it..." Lucy mumbled in disbelief.

"They just gave up." Gray smiled before turning to the Edolas guild. "Check it out, we just won!"

"Who cares about winning!?" E. Gray said back. "We're doomed now!"

"We can't use magic anymore?" E. Elfman asked in shock. "How are we gonna survive?"

"This is the darkest day in history..." E. Cana mumbled, on the verge of tears.

"Without magic, we're all screwed!" E. Jet shouted.

"Just chill out." Lucy said. "Everything will be okay."

"How would you know!?" Her counterpart asked, getting in her face. "Don't you get that our magic is disappearing, all of it!? Don't you know what that means for Fairy Tail!?"

"It's over..." Dragion mumbled, looking up at the sky. "We won the battle but lost the war..."

"We fought with everything we had, but nothing changed." E. Juvia said somberly.

"I'm scared, Juvia!" Her version of Gray shouted. The three Exceeds stood in the center of the panicked circle and looked around, trying to calm everyone down.

Bright lights shot out of the ground, catching everyone's attention. "Come on, we need to stay cool." Ashely said. "We should go to the city and see what's going on."

"What do you mean?" E. Natsu asked. "See what?"

"Our future." The blonde responded. "We'll look it square in the eyes." She ran into the city and few seconds later, the rest of the guild followed her.

The Royal City

The magic power flowed out of the city and the populace was whipped into a panic. "Dad, an island's not gonna get us, right?" A young boy asked.

"I don't know..." The father answered.

Outside the home, Edolas Gajeel watched the panic from above. "This isn't something we can escape..." He mumbled. "Our world is dying..."

A man passed by and saw him writing. "The world is ending and your writing?"

"We are looking at history." He said back. "It's our job to record this for the future."

An elderly woman stared at the glowing vein of magic. "The magic power is leaving the land and going to the heavens."

"Grandma?" A little girl asked.

"This is our punishment for defying the Exceeds." The elder said, running her finger through the magic.

Back at the castle, the three defeated men stared on in bewilderment. "So it's begun?" Hughes asked aloud. "What a way to go, but we had a good run."

"Maybe we shouldn't be relaxed about this." Sugarboy replied. "All of Edolas is losing magic."

"A world without magic, huh?" The first captain asked back. "Never once thought of that."

"I don't think any of us considered that a possibility." Byro spoke up. "Doubt I'm the only one. We face trying times, and I'm not sure we can survive."

The Anima chamber was pumping the magic out of the world with Pantherlily still watching. "Prince, I understand your point of view on magic, but this..."

"I know." The bluenette said back. "Edolas has a hard road ahead of it. Many will find it hard to change with the world and could die. Which is why we need a leader to step forward and guide them. A new world deserves a new ruler. Someone who can father the frightened masses and shepherd them out of these times."

"And that new leader, is you?" The cat asked.

"No." The Fairy Tail member said. "I fled this world instead of growing with it, so I have no claim to the throne." He turned around and faced the captain. "What we need is a hero to unify everyone. Someone who can vanquish the man responsible for this. Whoever does that will become a hero to the public and guide them into the future."

"Tell me, who are the players in this charade?" Pantherlily asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Mystogan asked back. "I tried to lead an armed rebellion against the king and then stole this worlds magic. The only role I could possibly play is that of the villain. You are respected on both sides, you are immune to prejudice. You are the hero, so kill me and become the ruler Edolas needs."

Pantherlily stared at him in absolute shock. "Take me before the populace and execute me for my crimes. Then they will follow you to any length. As both a captain in the army and an Exceed, you can quell the chaos. You are the leader they need."

Pantherlily gritted his teeth before speaking his mind. "Do you really think the only way to save Edolas is for you to die!?"

"You might think of this as madness, but it's the only hope we have." Mystogan explained.

"But this plan... How could you ask me to do this?" Pantherlily asked back. "I cannot do it."

"You can and you will." Mystogan said back.

"Then you don't know me at all." The cat replied.

"Even though you're an Exceed, you chose to save the life of a human child." Mystogan said. "You know the value of life, regardless of its shape."

"And still you'd make me carry the weight of this world on my own!?" The captain replied.

"You're the only one strong enough to carry it." The bluenette said. "No one else. And there is no other way."

"You are the prince of this world!" Pantherlily shouted. "You are the one most suited to rule!"

"I destroyed this world." E. Jellal said.

"In order to save it!" The cat said. "You were willing to put your life on the line! We need someone with that kind of heart to steer us through the darkness. You cannot break this world and then expect others to fix it for you. You need to repair it, and you can't escape that duty in death."

"...This storm cannot be contained by me." Mystogan said.

"...I'll do it." Pantherlily said, clenching his fist. "I will be the villain."

Extalia crashed to the ground, obliterating the city. "Our house is gone..." Marl said.

"Now he has no place to go home to!" Lucky shouted. "It's not right, you hear me!?"

Inside the city, a child tripped in the chaos. Lucy Ashely reached down and helped him back up. "Would everyone just calm down!?"

"At a time like this!?" A man asked as he ran past her. "This place is history! I'm getting the hell out of here!"

"Is he serious?" E. Natsu asked. "We need to get out of here right now!"

"Daddy!" The boy cried out as he ran to his father.

"Keep an eye on your kid, okay?" The blonde requested, earning a nod as the two ran.

Back in the chamber, Mystogan stared at the cat was saying in shock. "After I was exiled by Extalia, the kingdom took me in. But I betrayed the kingdom as well. I have no place to call home. If I were to die, then no one would mourn me."

"I won't allow it!" The prince shouted back. "You saved my life at the cost of your country. I cannot have you sacrifice anymore."

"And I feel the same way." Pantherlily said back. "Do not risk your life. Your death will only lead to more sorrow and pain."

Mystogan understood what his friend was saying. "So, how do we make things right? All I can do is cause pain."

"Pantherlily sir!" A soldier shouted as he ran into the room. "The situation is getting worse!"

"I'm aware of that." He said back. "Can't you see we're dealing with the Anima?"

"Have you stopped it?" The troop asked.

"Not exactly..." The captain mumbled back.

"There's riots happening in the Royal City." The soldier explained. "The destruction is more than we can control."

"This is more chaos than I predicted." Mystogan confessed. "We must do everything we can to stop it."

"Crowd control is our first step." Pantherlily pointed out.

"Agreed." The prince nodded. "We cannot let it spread."

"Um... who is this?" The soldier asked, only to go unanswered as the two walked by him. They looked out over an edge to see the city in chaos. Men behind the two were talking about who Mystogan was.

"How many are there?" Pantherlily asked, snapping them out of their conversation.

"Well, uh... four sir." The soldier confessed.

"And you can't take them out?" The captain asked angrily. "Explain yourself."

"They're really strong." The soldier said. An evil laughter caught their attention and they looked into the city. Standing on top of a building with fake horns and a tacky cape was Natsu.

"I am the demon called Dragneel!" He bellowed out for all to hear. "And I want all of this world's magic power!"

"What!?" Pantherlily asked in shock.

"Natsu?" Mystogan asked.

The crowd stared on as the Edolas Fairy Tail reached the city. "Have you gone insane, other me!?" E. Natsu asked. "Wait, don't answer that."

"You wanna see your king? Here he is!" He waved his arms and showed Faust tied to a pillar. "You should be thankful that I spared his life for now!" The people were worried for their king and called out for him. "Redfox, Marvell, Bouldton! My servants, destroy this city!"

Gajeel tore through a city block with his sword before landing on the ground. "He's got a sword for an arm!" A citizen shouted. Nicholas wrapped his chain around a tower and yanked it down with ease. "Did you just see that!?"

Edolas Gajeel watched before an idea popped into his mind. "These monsters won't stop until the town is destroyed. The city is under attack by demons!"

"Runaway!" Wendy tried to be scary, but failed. Nicholas and Gajeel popped up behind her and did the job for her. "Sorry..."

"Look at them, they're an unstoppable force of evil!" The Edolas Gajeel shouted before the two shared a smirk.

"What are you doing!?" Mystogan shouted. "Stop this!"

"Now, my subjects, destroy everything!" Natsu shouted.

"Knock off that servant crap!" Gajeel shouted.

"I don't know, I think you'd make a great servant." Nicholas teased.

Pantherlily let out a gasp of shock. 'Could it be?' The crowd started jeering the Slayers and blaming them.

"You know what happens when you play with fire, right?" Natsu asked before spewing fire.

"Stop this now!" Mystogan shouted, catching everyone off guard.

"I don't take orders from anyone." The pinkette said back.

"Enough of this!" Mystogan shouted. "The king is defeated, there's no need to attack innocent people."

"Fire!" Natsu shot flames out and hit the ground. "You wanna scare me, you'll have to do better than that, prince of Edolas."

The crowd started mumbling at the revelation of royalty. "How did this happen?" Pantherlily asked.

"I'm responsible." Both turned to see Nadi behind them. "I overheard your conversation from earlier."

"C'mon, fight me if don't want your city to burn." Natsu declared.

"Seems the players are in place, aren't they?" Pantherlily suggested as the crowd started whispering about the prince. 'They do not believe in the prince yet.'

"Natsu!" Mystogan shouted as he jumped over the ledge. "Don't move an inch!"

"I am the demon lord Dragneel, not Natsu." The pinkette said back.

'They want it to turn the prince into the hero and the rest into the villains.' Pantherlily thought. 'But if they throw the fight and the public finds out, the consequence could be dire.'

"You should go too." Nadi said. "The play has a lot more surprise..."

Mystogan raced through the crowd as they cheered him on. "The idiot..." He mumbled to himself. "I know what you're trying to do, but you'll just end up making things worse." He pulled his staff back, making it glow purple. "Now, sleep!" He thrusted it forward, only for the magic to get absorbed by the Anima. 'The Anima has taken my power.'

"What's the matter, can't fight without your magic?" Natsu asked mockingly. "Well you should be!" Natsu slammed his burning fist down on the building and destroyed it, scaring everyone around it.

"Stop!" Mystogan shouted.

"Natsu, you're going too far!" Wendy shouted.

"No, he's doing great." Nicholas replied.

"The stronger the villains magic appears, the better the hero looks when he beats him without any." Gajeel finished the explanation.

The dust settled and showed Natsu and Mystogan starring at each other. "Natsu, listen to me." Mystogan spoke first. "This is a mistake. This show can't possibly fool all of these people."

"I challenge you!" Natsu said before punching Mystogan in the face.

The crowd jeered the action as Mystogan dropped his staff. "You idiot." He said back. "You can't bring people together like this, through evil!" He threw a punch only to have his fist caught.

"Foght me for real..." Natsu growled before eating a kick to his face. The crowd cheered for the prince as Natsu stayed on his feet. "Seems like they're getting into it!"

"Idiot!" The prince whispered over. "Just stay down so this fight doesn't drag on any longer."

"Not my style." Natsu replied before slamming his fist into the bluenette's gut. Mystogan threw a punch and hit Natsu before the pinkette grabbed the cloak. "Just wanna say good bye, Fairy Tail style." Mystogan gasped in shock at the statement. "Since you're leaving Fairy Tail, you have to follow three rules."

"Number one!" He jumped and the two started throwing fists. "Never, ever share sensitive information about Fairy Tail to anyone! Two-" Mystogan punched him in the face. "How that go again?"

"Number two!" Mystogan said. "You must never contact a previous client for personal gain."

"Number three!" Natsu recovered and slammed his fist into Mystogan's gut. "Although our paths must diverge, you must live your life to the fullest. Treat every day like it was your last. Don't forget the friends you've made."

"You must treasure them forever." The prince finished before they both punched each other in the face.

"Understand?" The pinkette asked as he fell backwards. "When you work together, you can do anything." Mystogan staggered before Natsu hit the ground.

The crowd cheered as Mystogan looked down at the Dragon Slayer. "Thank you..." Mystogan said before the body started glowing. "What's happening?"

"It's starting." Wendy said as the other Slayers started glowing as well.

"Time to keep the show going." Nicholas chuckled.

Back at the castle, Pantherlily and Nadi also started glowing. "What's happening?" The big cat asked.

"The reverse Anima is casting out every shred of magic out of Edolas." Nadi explained. "And since we hold magic inside of out bodies, that includes the Exceeds and the Dragon Slayers. We'll all be sucked into Earthland."

"What?" Pantherlily asked.

"I'm sure the queen is preparing for this as well." Nadi added.

With Shagotte

The queen huddled around a group of Exceeds as their bodies started glowing. "I'm scared." One said.

"Don't be." Shagotte said back. "It'll be fine. Edolas doesn't need Exceeds anymore, so we need to move along. We need to walk towards our future with a brave face."

Royal City

Lucy and the others started glowing as well. "What's going on?" Lucy asked.

"Don't have a clue." Slate replied.

"The Anima is pulling us out of Edolas!" Carla said, holding onto a rock with all her strength. The Anima started pulling them up, taking them into the sky.

"Looks like the Anima is working in reverse now." Lucy said, looking down at the city. "Which means it's sucking everything with magic up and spitting out in Earthland. That's including us."

"Hey guys, what up?" Natsu asked as they reached her.

"Natsu!" Happy cheered.

"Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down!" Nicholas chanted in fear as he stared up at the sky,

"Oh, grow up." Brianna chuckled.

"Guess all the magic really is leaving Edolas forever." E. Alzack mumbled in fear, sparking a panic from the guild.

"Quit worrying about that stuff." Gray said to them. "It takes more than magic to make a guild what it is. It's all about you and your friends, that's the heart of any guild."

With the Erza

Erza's body started glowing before it floated into the sky. "So, this is it, huh Scarlett?" Knightwalker asked, pushing herself to her hands.

"I think it is, Knightwalker." Erza said. "No, we're both-"

"Erza." The two red heads said at the same time.

The Royal City

Exceeds in every corner of the city were getting sucked into the reverse Anima. The Dragon Slayers feigned writhing in pain as they were sucked up. 'I knew the Anima would expel magic, but I didn't think it would take people as well.' Mystogan though as he watched the scene.

"Prince." Pantherlily called out as he was sucked up. 'Things are changing right now, but adapting to them takes time. Don't rush them. Lead your people with a calm heart and a calm head. Take them at their pace and they will follow you.'

'I will.' The prince smiled back.

"Bye, Lucy Ashely." Lucy waved down. "Bye, Edolas Fairy Tail."

"Bye, bye princess." Coco called out.

"See you later!" Happy called out.

"Don't be foolish." Carla said back. "We won't be able to return to here."

Happy was shocked at this. "I'll miss you!"

"Stop crying, it's embarrassing." She said back, hiding her tears.

'Goodbye, Lily.' Mystogan thought. 'And goodbye my Fairy Tail family. I'll cherish those memories for as long as I live.' The last of the Anima faded away before Mystogan turned to the people and raised his staff. "The monsters are defeated! Magic power is irrelevant! The kingdom of Edolas will live on!" The crowd cheered him as the sun shined down on him.

Well, only one chapter left in the Edolas arc, and it's my favorite scene in the whole show. See you then.

Side note; an author by the name of ryanvanmatre2 has put out his own version of this story, with my consent. It's slightly different, no female companion, different element, the works. Please check it out.

Beta read by JBallinR12.