While things seemed to be productive in Earth-land, the Disney Kingdom had its fair share of troubles. Donald Duck, Goofy, Minnie Mouse, and Daisy Duck gathered in the castle's royal library, having finished their tea and crumpets. The library was large and blessed with mountains of books and albums, and was pleasantly made warm by a fireplace in the corner. The desk was made of light brown polished wood, and portraits hung separately on the walls, reminiscent of a great mouse hero before he became king. Donald and Goofy stood in front of the desk, while Minnie and Daisy anxiously waited for the letter to be read, and Pluto slept peacefully in the comfort of his bed next to the desk.
"Now that the four of us had our fill of snacks, let's go back to serious matters," Minnie said. Her eyes glimmered with anticipation, "Well, Donald? Are you going to read us the letter?"
"If you're worried about your so-called secret, don't be," Daisy assured. "It'll be safe with us."
"Go ahead, Donald!" Goofy shook gleefully. "Tell us!"
"Okay, here we go..." Donald breathed steadily, hoping to himself that the message would not leave a severe impact on the royal staff. Clearing his throat, he held up the letter and read aloud the written words:
"Hey Donald, how are you? But seriously, sorry to rush off in a hurry without sayin' goodbye, but there's big trouble brewin'. Not sure why, but for some strange reason, the stars have been blinkin' out, one by one. And those stars happened to be the worlds we live in. That means disaster can't be far behind. I hate to leave you all but I've gotta go check into it. There's someone with a special kind of 'key'— the key to our survival. I need you and Goofy to find whoever holds this key, and stick by that person's side. Got it? We need that key or we're doomed! So I'm supplying you with the Gummi Ship, the vessel you're going to need to travel to other worlds, and I've assigned Chip and Dale as your navigators. First stop to make is in a place called Traverse Town, where a man named Leon resides. He should know a thing or two about the key's whereabouts. Good luck, Donald. And take care!
Yours truly,
Mickey Mouse
P.S., will you apologize to Minnie for me? Thanks, pal."
The letter was signed with the king's seal.
"Oh, dear! Oh, my! Oh, no!" Daisy cried worriedly. "What do you suppose this could mean?"
"It means we'll just have to trust King Mickey," Minnie folded her hands. "If there is anyone in the Disney Kingdom who has gotten out of more jams that anyone, it's him."
"Gawrsh, I sure hope he's all right," Goofy face was crossed with concern.
"Your Highness, don't worry," Donald gave the Queen a proud salute. "We'll not only find the King, but we'll also find this 'key.'"
"Thank you, both of you," Minnie smiled in appreciation.
"Daisy, would you mind if you care take of—" Donald began.
"Of course," Daisy grinned. "I know this castle like the back of my hand. And I won't be alone on this one. Minnie and I will take care of things here in the Disney Kingdom. In the meantime, make sure that you and Goofy come home safe. I want you back just in time for our date." Donald laughed, feeling a little embarrassed at the compliment his sweetheart was giving him.
"Oh, I can tell you two will have a dangerous journey ahead of you," Minnie informed. "So I'm sending someone to keep track of it. To chronicle all of your travels, he will accompany you."
The Queen pointed towards the desk, and Donald and Goofy peered closer to see an anthropomorphic cricket with olive skin, thin black eyebrows, and four-fingered hands. He was dressed very formally, wearing a royal blue top hat with an orange band near the base, a red vest with a single pink button on the front, a yellow ascot, a black blazer, and a high-collared white shirt. He also wore tan pants and yellow shoes with black tips, and an umbrella was gripped in his right hand. The cricket jumped up and down, desperate to catch Donald and Goofy's attention.
"Over here!" the cricket cried, and he stopped jumping once their attention was drawn. "Cricket's the name. Jiminy Cricket, at your service." He bowed with his top hat in his hand as a sign of respect.
"Nice to meet you, Jiminy. I'm Donald Duck," Donald introduced himself, and he pointed to Goofy. "And this is Goofy."
"Where did you find this guy?" Goofy wondered. "It's like someone we've never met before."
"Let me explain," Minnie offered. "What King Mickey said in his letter about worlds disappearing happened to him not too long ago."
"It's a very long and sad tale, which I just happened to practice telling in the mirror," Jiminy stated. "I'll tell you along the way."
"Okay, you can tell us everything," Goofy smiled. "We're happy to have you with us!"
"Trust me, you won't regret this," Jiminy assured. "I'll be keeping entries in my journal on the many adventures you're about to partake. After all, the universe is full of mysteries and wonder. I'm just a cricket singing my way from hearth to hearth, adding notes and preserving memories during my travels. In case you want to recall memories, you can always call me!" He took out a miniaturized book from the pocket of his coat, "Every word in every page!"
"Wait a sec," Donald interrupted. "Does that include food and lots of new stuff to try out?"
"Of course," Jiminy nodded.
"That'll be fine, then," Donald chimed. "Welcome aboard, Jiminy!"
"We hope for your safe return," Minnie implored. "Please, help the King."
Donald stood at attention, meaning that he had responded to the Queen's plea. He looked at Minnie and Daisy one last time, but caught Goofy saluting next to them. "You're coming, too!" Donald grabbed Goofy and yanked him out the door.
A few moments later...
Donald and Goofy entered the grass castle at the center of the courtyard, which in reality, was the secret passageway to the engine room where the Gummi Ship was stationed. The mouse-eared lights on the wall were dim in the dark hallway as they walked down the spiral staircase, with Donald walking ahead and Jiminy hanging onto Goofy's helmet. Along the way, Jiminy narrated details about the world he used to live in, his relationship with Pinocchio, a puppet designed by the woodcarver Geppetto brought to life by the Blue Fairy, and how he came to be his conscience. It was quite a tale for someone who had endured strife and turmoil spreading throughout the worlds, as well as his own.
Goofy exclaimed, "Gawrsh, Jiminy, your world disappeared, too?"
Jiminy explained, "It was terrible! We were scattered! A terrible darkness spreads across the land, and when the dust cleared, nothing remained. Everyone disappeared, and I was very scared." He grew concerned, "I'm much more worried about Pinocchio. Just thinking about him makes me want to remember that disaster over and over." He composed himself, "And as far as I can see, I'm the only one who made it to this castle. Queen Minnie was kind enough to take me in, so that I would have some food and a warm bed to sleep in."
Donald implied, "That reminds me, Goofy. You know what we gotta keep to ourselves while we're out, right?"
Goofy thought for a few seconds until he figured out what Donald was getting at. "Oh, right. I gotcha. Ya mean, while we go around searchin' in other worlds, we can't let on where we're from. If word got out, it's gonna be a mess. We've gotta protect the world border."
Donald corrected, "'Order.'"
Goofy realized his mistake, "Right. World order." He then laughed, and Donald couldn't help but sigh at his clumsiness. The two came across a crown-shaped doorway, and Jiminy would start writing a journal entry, just as Minnie asked him to. Goofy continued, "I guess we'll need some new duds when we get there, huh?"
Donald added, "Yeah, for all we know, those worlds are places we haven't visited. So we'll have to blend in."
Passing through the doorway, Donald and Goofy had arrived at the Gummi Ship Control Room, walking across the tiled floor. The room hummed to a frequency, and the whirring of machines and giant gears spinning along the walls harmonized with it. The daily clockwork of the Control Room was a marvel to anyone who took it upon themselves to visit it. Mechanical arms hung down from the ceiling around a small orange spaceship, the vessel aforementioned by King Mickey that would take Donald and Goofy to new worlds. The dome of the cockpit was outfitted with three seats and a control panel. Donald and Goofy stopped in front of the lift docking the Gummi Ship, ready to disembark. First thing's first; they had to talk to the launch crew.
Donald walked over to a large golden tube and put a hand to his mouth. He called into it, hoping the navigators on the other end would hear him, "Hello up there! Donald Duck to launch crew! Anytime you're ready!"
In a hanging control booth, Donald's voice echoed out of the other end of the tube, and the ears of a black-nosed chipmunk wearing a yellow apron received the message. "Heya, Donald! Your Gummi Ship engineers here, ready for duty! Chip..."
"...and Dale!" A second chipmunk, this time with a red nose and an apron with the inverse color scheme of his brother's, ran towards a control panel and jumped up to turn a blue lever. As a result, steam billowed out of pipes in the ceiling, and more gears spun on the walls, adding more flavor to the mechanical frequency.
"Happy flying!" Chip and Dale jumped excitedly as they rooted from the sidelines. The mechanical hands moved across the room, aiming for the ones predestined to pilot the ship. The first picked up Goofy, carrying him upside down with his arms outstretched, and the second picked up Donald, who crossed his arms and frowned at his annoyance of being lifted the same way. As the cockpit opened, Pluto scurried his way into the Control Room and jumped into the Gummi Ship, electing himself to be the additional member of the entourage.
Afterwards, a tunnel serving as an interstellar runaway opened for the vessel to break through, with lights blinking along the path. The lift rose the Gummi Ship and aimed it straight at the tunnel, ready for take-off.
Queen Minnie and Daisy entered the Control Room as well, determined to witness their launch into the stars. They hoped with all their hearts that they would emerge with King Mickey in tow. From the pilot's seat, Donald turned to Daisy and gave her a thumbs-up, followed by a wink, promising that he and Goofy would return someday.
The rocket engines started up in a shower of flames. It was time. A finger pointed forward to the tunnel.
"BLAST-OFF!"
And then, the unexpected happened as a large neon arrow blinked on, pointing downward. The shaft below the Gummi Ship split open, and the ship fell through it, Donald and Goofy screaming in absolute fright. Hilariously, the Gummi Ship popped out of the atmosphere, and this time, it had a proper blast-off as the engine burned, sending itself right into the confines of space.
The adventure for the Disney heroes was just beginning, but what of the adventure for Wendy and her friends? The inhabitants of Earth-land would soon find out their destiny.
Storms are very curious things. At night, a person might be enjoying his day, going about his errands, perhaps buying groceries or going to a restaurant for dinner, and all the while the moon smiles upon the earth. Then suddenly, on the horizon, wisps of white and grey begin to blossom. They seize up the starry sky, and the moon is blindfolded by their reach. The dark blue is blotted out, smothered by the clouds, and darkness rolls in before a torrent of lightning and thunder unleashes itself upon the person, who is baffled by the rapid change of atmosphere.
This storm, however, was different than anything Fiore had ever encountered, or the whole of Earth-land, for that matter. There was no rain, only flashes and booms. A chilling gust of wind blew through the air, making whoever was within its reach put their hands to their arms while shivering. The town of Shirotsume fell silent, except the only sound filling the void was the tempest raging above. All of the residents were in their houses, eating dinner and doing other nightly activities. Even Halloween's Circus Troupe, who had been pushed to exhaustion from their battle with Wendy Marvell, disappeared into the darkness.
Wendy, Carla, and Romeo had already entered the train station, where the second noises filling the air were the vehicles chugging and disembarking at this hour. Like the town square, the station was stripped of the festival advertising the circus. The souvenir stands, balloons, and streamers no longer filled the area, and souls walked or jogged to the trains for their next destination.
"Hey, we're back!" Romeo called out. "Dad? Dad! Hey, Dad! Where are you?" When he received no answer, he scratched his head in confusion, "That's odd. My dad could hear my voice from a mile away. He promised he'd wait for us at the station, and here we are. He should be here by now. Where is he?" He looked around warily, "Even Halloween's souvenir stands are pulled out."
"He could be anywhere," Wendy assumed. "We'll just have to keep looking."
Just then, the thunder rumbled once more, and the volume exceeded the trains' chugs. Everyone present never expected the storm to rival the noises filling the station.
"What was that?" Wendy wondered.
"Huh, the storm's getting stronger," Romeo crossed his hips.
"We'd best be on our way," Carla suggested.
Moments after the thunder passed, distant murmurs caught the group's attention. Their heads turned to see a crowd of at least twenty-three gathering in a circle, voices recording the incident in front of them. Wendy and her friends didn't know why, but they suddenly got a feeling that they should check it out.
"Stay back!" a Rune Knight was heard saying.
"Ten people are seriously injured! Six of them dead!" a man yelled.
"This part of the station is reduced to bits..." a woman mused.
"Excuse us! We're from Fairy Tail! Let us through!" Wendy, Carla, and Romeo made their way through the crowd and authorities, and upon reaching the center, they discovered something very disturbing. Six people were found dead, blood gutting from their chests, and ten were grievously injured and tended by officials for medical treatment. That particular section of the station was reduced to debris, the remains of souvenir stands and benches sprawled on the floor. A large hole in the wall was formed, revealing the view of the dark storm, hence explaining why the thunder crawled its way into the station.
Wendy covered her mouth in disbelief, "What happened?"
Romeo exclaimed, "Who killed all these people?"
The lead soldier explained, "Witnesses confirmed that the perpetrator is a figure in a mask. He shot down sixteen people, and carried the body of an old person on his shoulder. Afterwards, he blew a hole in this area with some kind of magical weapon and got away."
Carla raised an eyebrow, "A masked figure is responsible for such a heinous act?"
Romeo pointed out, "You're talking about the leader of those Sleepy Hollow creeps, aren't you? Kaze Viriniam, that's the name of the guy. He's the only one in the gang wearing a mask."
Carla crossed her arms, "The ones who robbed the museum in Onibus, and are apparently in league with Halloween and the dark guilds."
Romeo held up his hand to interrupt, "Wait a minute. Old man?" His eyes widened, "You didn't mean..."
His worst fears were realized when he discovered Macao's white waistcoat littered on the floor with the corpses.
"Dad..." Romeo's fists clenched and shook with anger from the treacherous deed, and his voice turned to a snarl. "Someone kidnapped my dad!"
Wendy was worried to see her friend in such grief. She asked, "But who would do such a thing?"
Romeo replied, "The guards mentioned something about a guy in a mask. And I think I know who." Growling in frustration, he kicked away a small rock, and he tried to keep his emotions in check. "It's bad enough they robbed the museum, blew up Hargeon, and tried to kill us, but kidnapping my dad? A member of our guild?! Now they've gone too far!"
All of a sudden, Carla's mind froze, her pupils widening. She found her vision telescoping, the gift she inherited from her mother Shagotte letting her see far beyond her limits. The vision foretold of a world descending into chaos, and in horror, Carla felt her eyes turned to Magnolia. The houses were eaten alive by flames. The forests and mountains were stifled by shadows. A deadly noose threatened to throttle the Fairy Tail guild, and one by one, the wizards were whisked away to terrible new ships amassed by raiders.
Carla wanted to look away, but she couldn't. Her gaze had been glued, and her will anguished as a terrible storm consumed Magnolia... and the rest of Fiore followed.
And then a door.
The premonition stopped. The white Exceed lay still. Finally, she screamed, "WAIT!"
Wendy asked, "What's wrong?"
Carla whispered, "I see Magnolia... No, all of Fiore... consumed by a storm. A storm no one in this world has ever experienced." She concluded with grim certainty, "A storm of pure darkness."
Wendy gasped, "Another vision? What did you see in it?"
Carla shuddered, "Magnolia reduced to flames. All our Fairy Tail friends captured and taken away by evil men. The storm growing stronger with each passing moment. At the end of the night..." Every word she spoke was filled with fear, "...there was nothing. Fiore is gone."
Wendy questioned, "Fiore is gone? What does it mean?"
Another flash from outside interrupted her, and a deafening bang drowned out the volume of the station. Wendy and her friends turned to the hole in the wall, and noticed something entirely different. Amidst a darkened landscape, the lightning had turned purple instead of white, as if a divine punishment dropped from the sky by angry gods. Their eyes widened in horror and alarm, understanding the meaning of Carla's urgent message.
Wendy panicked, "Oh, no! This is terrible! We have to get back to the guild and warn everyone!"
Romeo determined, "Chances are, my dad's kidnapper is bound to show up. When I find him, I'll beat it out of him."
Carla notified, "The next train is departing in five minutes! We must hurry!"
Magnolia
"Mm, this tastes fantastic! You were right, Erza, this strawberry cake really does the trick."
"It's the one thing I love best about chefs, Lisanna; putting together a decent meal."
Erza Scarlet, Levy McGarden, Mirajane Strauss, and her younger sister Lisanna laughed good-heartedly together as they dined on the same table. Sharing a meal between friends was certainly a pleasant social event in the Fairy Tail guildhall. Really, every activity was. The guildhall had shifted to its late night atmosphere; some wizards had already gone to their rooms, while others elected to spend an hour or two up. For instance, Natsu and Happy were respectively eating meat and fish in rhythm, Elfman Strauss and Nab Lasaro were lifting storage, and Alzack and Bisca were lulling their daughter Asuka to sleep with a bedtime story. Of course, they were all made unaware of the drama unfolding in Shirotsume, or the fact that the villains at work had seized Macao and Lucy, holding them as mice in their cage.
Lisanna asked, "So, where is Master Makarov? He hasn't returned since he left this morning."
Erza answered, "Cana mentioned that he had been called by the Magic Council for a meeting. It's probably over, so he might be coming back right about now." She took a sip of tea from her cup, "Then again, Master has been quite busy of late. You never know what to expect from him."
Mirajane wondered, "What about Wendy? She went with Carla, Macao, and Romeo to watch Halloween's Circus Troupe in Shirotsume. We expect them to return, too."
Lisanna sighed, "I doubt Wendy and Romeo will make it out of the storm. It's getting stronger every minute." A flash and a boom outside made her point, "See what I mean?"
Levy smiled, "Don't worry, Lisanna. The storm won't stop them. They will come back, I'm sure of it. And besides, Romeo's got his father."
Erza beamed, "She's right, you know. We must have faith. What could possibly go wrong?"
At that moment, giant fireballs detonated in every direction of the guildhall, from the request board, to the tavern, to the main entrance. The explosions drew agitation from the guildmates, sending panic in rolling waves. All around the wreckage, hundreds of Sleepy Hollow bandits emerged from the dust with their weapons. Amidst all the chaos, everyone noticed a group of five entering the guildhall, the leader none other than Kaze Viriniam herself, bearing two dark purple and red blades. Kaze's first henchman was a fat man with short red hair and an eyepatch covering his right eye. He was dressed in spiked red and yellow armor, and his right hand was replaced with a claw holding a spiked ball of iron. The second was a girl with velvet long hair, glittering eyelashes, and star-shaped stickers across her cheeks. She wore a sleeveless pink top, purple gloves, a yellow skirt, pink long stockings, and pink boots. The third was a man with nearly trimmed light blue hair, and he wore a blue and yellow superhero outfit with wings fashioned after an falcon. The fourth and last was a tall man with a green mechanized square-shaped appearance; his left arm was a suction cannon, his right arm was a cannon with four barrels, and his back was equipped with a large rectangular cannon.
"HELLO, FAIRY TAIL!" Kaze shouted enthusiastically. "You've just received free tickets to Dreamworld! Y'all look stunnin' tonight!" Her announcement prompted a laugh from the Sleepy Hollow. She added in a singy-songy note, "We're gonna have a party, we're gonna have a party..."
Natsu demanded angrily, "Who in the hell are you?!"
"You have no right to demand answers from us, salmon boy," Kaze taunted. "This is Sleepy Hollow turf, courtesy of yours truly and four of my personal guards. Or, as I'd like to call my team, the Headless Horsemen." She gestured an arm to her four bodyguards, before she continued, "You can call me Kaze Viriniam. I'm just a breeze dancing in the dark, but one with STYLE!" Kaze raised her twin blades, which morphed into twin revolvers. They charged with magical power and fired a rain of crimson bullets, which scattered and homed directly at Natsu. The bullets connected to the Fire Dragon Slayer's chest, striking it repeatedly like needles. Kaze added to the combo with two more bullets fueled into giant orbs. The orbs combined and decimated Natsu with great force, sending him flying to the dirt.
"Natsu!" Levy screamed.
"Levy, get down!" Jet and Droy grabbed her and pulled her behind the cover of a table.
"You bastards!" Gray hissed.
"Ooooh, naughty mouth. You need to be punished for that," Kaze wagged her finger, before she motioned her head to the Headless Horsemen. "Zeppelin?"
"With pleasure!" the mechanical Horseman stepped into the fray, letting out an absolutely insane laugh that matched with the rumbling thunder. "Bare witness as I, Zeppelin, the Grim Reaper of the Headless Horsemen, stain this decaying world with your bones! I will take great delight in terminating you..." His eyes shifted to Juvia Lockser, "...starting with your worthless girlfriend!"
"Say what?" Gray was confused by that statement.
"NEVER!" Juvia shrieked furiously, standing with Gray behind her and defending him with her arms. "You will never lay a finger on my beloved, so don't even try!"
"What's that, missy? You want me to obliterate you both? I'll be happy to oblige!" Zeppelin jeered, and he raised his barreled cannon.
"Water Slicer!" Juvia made the first move by summoning a water-shaped blade aiming for its mark.
"Gatling Slaughter!" With another inhuman laugh, Zeppelin fired a barrage. Juvia was confident at first that the bullets would only pass through her watery body, but she realized too late that the projectiles were magic-forged, and they were easily penetrable. Three bullets pierced Juvia's watery body in half, rending her vulnerable, but Gray cast Ice-Make: Shield to defend her before the rest of the bullets could destroy her completely.
"It's my turn now! I'm the Strength of the Headless Horsemen, Wrecker!" the fat Horseman leaped into action, his spiked ball aloft. "I'll crush all who gets in my way! Chain Twist!" The claw in his right arm fired the spiked ball, extending a long chain supporting it. He spun it around and hammered with great force against Gray's Ice-Make: Shield, breaking it upon impact. Wrecker then retracted his claw back, jumped up in the air, and before long a strong amount of magical energy surged around the spiked ball. "Megaton Crush!" Upon landing, he smashed the spiked ball into the ground, creating a shockwave that blew everything away within a two-block radius.
"Shooting Star Bombardment!" Zeppelin's laughter returned, and the large cannon adorned on his back opened a hatch. Out fired ten ball-sized bombs, and the symphony blew Juvia, Gray, and anyone within range to pieces.
Furious at the indignity the Sleepy Hollow wrought upon their comrades, Mirajane and Elfman morphed into their Take-Over forms and began their assault. Elfman roared, "Here comes a real man!"
"Elegance in Violence!" The female Horseman in pink was next. Anticipating the Strauss siblings' first move, she struck a pose like a fashion model does in a beauty pageant. In a flash of pink, hundreds of tiny orbs surrounded Mirajane and Elfman's bodies. With a snap of the fingers, the orbs detonated, severely injuring the two and reverting them back to their normal forms at the same time. The horseman laughed in a haughty manner, "All manner of man and beast bows before the symbol of grace and beauty! I'm Diva, the Beauty of the Headless Horsemen!"
"You're going to regret this! Requip!" Erza's clothing shifted into her Black Wing Armor. She flew into the act, determined to avenge her friends.
"Twister of Supreme Judgment!" the superhero-like Horseman flew up with his wings. He inched his fingers together, and they generated large amounts of blue silver energy. He then pointed his palms, the energy converting into a massive tornado blast. The silver stream impacted Erza's Black Wing Armor, and in the process, it was shattered to a million pieces, allowing her to fall to the ground. She glared up at the Horseman who gloated, "The silver light of justice breaks through invincible armor, even the mighty Titania! You may call me Silver, the prince of the wind and Falcon of the Headless Horsemen! Now, feel the wrath of the blazing sky! Eradication Fist!" Silver added the finishing touch with a 1000-hit combo of energized fists. At the last punch, Erza was crashed to the wall and knocked out.
With most of the Fairy Tail wizards down for the count, some cowering at how strong the Headless Horsemen were, Kaze walked down the ruined guildhall, and Wrecker, Diva, Silver, and Zeppelin joined in. The leader of the Sleepy Hollow cackled in amusement, "That's it? I expected better from the strongest force in this eyesore of a world. Is there no one else?"
"HOW ABOUT THIS?!"
With a mighty roar, Natsu spewed from the debris in a ball of fire, and dashed forward to attack. Kaze swung her twin revolvers and morphed them back into blades, the sharp ends glowing with radiant blue light. She performed two slashes; one that extinguished the flaming aura surrounding Natsu's body, and the other leaving a slash wound in his chest. The Fire Dragon Slayer yelled in pain, and he collapsed to the ground, clutching his injury. He stared in disbelief at the woman in a mask- an individual as cold and calculating as any adversary who dared to do the guild harm.
"I did my homework on you, salmon boy," Kaze put away her weapons and knelt down to his level. "You're Natsu Dragneel the Salamander, aren't you? The adoptive son of a fire-breathing dragon who became an icon?"
"You know who I am?" Natsu grunted. "How?"
"Like I said, I did my homework," Kaze patted his cheek, before he pinched it. "It took a lot of time and effort to study your guild, but a girl's patient. When I first laid eyes on you, I couldn't help but admire you. It made me want to know more about you." She then giggled, "If you're asking me to hang out with you, I can't, because I've already got a date. Anyway..." She cleared her throat, "You have no idea how long we've searched for you. We've been looking for one of the keys essential to unlocking ultimate power, and you're it." She raised Natsu's chin, "Here it is, right under our noses." She paused for effect, "The pure soul of a dragon!"
"Who... are you...?" Natsu groaned, attempting to get back to his feet, only to be brought down by a kick in the chest.
"I told you my name, didn't I?" Kaze chuckled. "But I guess I haven't told you what I am. I'm an agent of darkness. My orders are to collect a dragon's soul and worthy candidates for the princesses. Just like the bimbo I played with at the port town. My boys happened to find her during a late night stroll, and they took her on a lovely trip to the boat."
Natsu's eyes snapped wide, "What did you did to Lucy?!"
Kaze assured, "There's no need to be so grumpy, Natsy. In fact, you should be proud! You and your friends are invited for a soirée in outer space!" She grew with enthusiasm, "I've already let loose the Heartless on the Keyhole in Tenrou Island, and at the same time, every part of this world. More hearts means more additions to our army. It won't be long before Earth-land gets drowned six feet under! Tick-tock, the door is open!"
Natsu growled, "You bastards think you can get away with it by destroying our guildhall and hurting our friends?! You're messing with the wrong guild! You're gonna pay for this!"
Kaze teased, "Oh, I'd LOVE to see you try. Well, at least one of you, if they're man enough," She chuckled again, "And don't worry, I'm not gonna hurt any of your friends. I have important use for all of you..." She stood up and motioned her minions, "Let's rally up the passengers, guys."
That was the order. Sleepy Hollow and the Headless Horsemen retrieved the bodies of the unconscious Fairy Tail wizards. Some surviving wizards tried to put up an effort to defend themselves, only to be easily restrained and led away. Natsu watched as his friends were taken out of the guildhall and into the storm, a grisly fate awaiting them beyond the void.
But he wasn't giving up that easily.
The fiery aura returned. The surrounding Sleepy Hollow troops were blown away. The Horsemen reeled back.
"Go get 'em, Natsu!"
Encouraged by Happy's words, the Fire Dragon Slayer dashed for Kaze and delivered a flaming fist across her face, the impact creating a crack in her mask.
The shell split open for a few seconds.
And it was that moment when the halves fell to the floor, her youthful face was revealed, and her eye color was teal. Natsu and Happy stared at the face behind the mask of Sleepy Hollow's leader, who gritted her teeth in frustration. "You don't know when to quit, do you?"
Natsu stood his ground and declared boldly, "I don't know what you're after, and I don't care. Whatever you're doing is evil. I'm gonna take you down, no matter what." He pounded his burning fist into his open palm, "I'm all fired up! LET'S SEE WHAT YOU GOT!"
Kaze's temper reached its boiling point. She bellowed furiously, "I'M GONNA RIP YOUR FREAKING HEART OUT!"
Overwhelming power surging with her anger, a dark orb formed around her right hand, the ground beneath suddenly shaking as a result of the spike. The two raised their fists, a vortex forming as they clashed...
And on top of a hill overlooking the Fairy Tail guildhall, Makarov Dreyar stood there with a cane in his hand.
"So, it has come to this..."
