July 4th X784
In the city of Era lies the headquarters of the Magic Council of Ishgar. It was composed of 9 members and the institution responsible for the rules of magic use on the continent and managing its different guilds. And they were kind of having a hard time of it, especially when it came to a particular guild located in Magnolia. And that was precisely the topic of their current conversation.
"Those idiots from Fairy Tail have almost gone and done it again. We're lucky it was that Dragon Slayer of theirs or an entire port would have been destroyed." one of the members complained.
"Well, like you said, in the end, he didn't cause any property damage as always. And he apprehended Bora of Prominence for us." the youngest of the members argued. He had blue hair, dark green eyes and a red tattoo above and under his right eye. He dressed himself in elegant yet simple robes; consisting of a long white frock-coat with black stripes across the edges and on the upper part of the arms, a decorated standing collar, large straps connected to decorated buckles closing the inducement on the front over a dark shirt, and matching pants and shoes. He also sported a ring on his right middle finger, and had the medallion attesting his status as one of the Ten Wizard Saints around his neck, hidden by his jacket's collar.
"One good member is not enough to redeem a guild of millions of jewels in property damage!" another contested.
"They may behave like fools but we mustn't forget they are also a very capable lot." a short old man insisted. He had hick light-brown eyebrows and a small toothbrush mustache that reached halfway to his mouth. He was wearing a brown long sleeve shirt with black vertical stripes and a black three-spiked hat.
"I concur. I think we should let them be. After all, if it wasn't for those fools, think how boring this world would be." the blue-haired man agreed with a malicious smirk.
At the same time, Natsu, Happy and Lucy arrived at the Fairy Tail guild hall and were standing in front of its big double front door.
The trip from Hargeon had only taken two days but had been rather tiring for the pink-haired mage and the blue-furred feline. If they thought Lucy talked a lot when she was explaining things, then they had seen nothing yet. Indeed, she had been bombarding them with questions about the guild, about Natsu's magic, Happy's nature and so on. It was even worse than it would have usually been because it was combined with the blonde's excitement at joining the guild of her dreams. It had gotten to the point where the duo didn't even have enough time to answer a question before she asked another.
"Welcome to Fairy Tail." Happy announced. Both he and his partner were standing there, letting Lucy admire the building, which she did with wide eyes and a big smile and while holding her pink suitcase.
When Natsu deemed she had had enough time to study the guild hall, he gently opened both doors and calmly greeted his guildmates. "Hey guys. We're back."
"We're home!" Happy added. They received waves and responses from various members as they made their way inside with Lucy behind, looking around in amazement.
"I heard you kicked quite a few asses in Hargeon, Natsu. Troubles just keeps following you, doesn't it?" a guild member with abnormally long front teeth teased.
"Well, you're the one who informed me of that "Salamander" so if anything, you brought the trouble to me." Natsu responded in an emotionless tone which made his interlocutor lose his cool.
"You wanna fight?!" was the resulting reaction but the man didn't even give the pinkette time to answer before he lunged at him in an attempt to punch him. It turned out to be vain when Natsu effortlessly dodged the attack which landed on another guild member who was behind him. The whole ordeal triggering an all-out brawl, even Happy got hit by something.
Lucy was dumbfounded at the situation she found herself in, but quickly went back to admiration at being in the Fairy Tail guild hall. As for Natsu, he didn't take part in the brawl. He never did. Instead, he made his way to the bar, slowly as to avoid being hit by something…or someone.
Upon noticing him, Gray stood up from his seat, wearing nothing but his boxers. "So, Natsu is finally back, huh?" he stated more than asked with an irritated expression. Lucy slightly freak out at seeing the under-dressed man.
"Gray, your clothes?" Cana warned him, holding a glass of wine.
"I don't have time for that!" he exclaimed as he started making his way to his pink-haired guildmate. "Come and fight me, Natsu!" he challenged when he was close enough.
Natsu lazily turned around and sent the ice mage a bored glance. He then slightly pushed Gray backwards, which got him to be on the trajectory of a flying guild member, which in turn got him in the middle of the ongoing brawl. "Why don't you start by putting on some clothes?" the pinkette mocked before resuming his previous activity.
"It's only noon and you boys are already whining like kids. You want me to show how a real man like me handles this?!" Elfman declared before literally jumping in the fighting crowd to get a piece of the action.
"Jeez, there sure is a lot of noise around here, isn't there?" a male declared from behind Lucy which made her turn around. She saw the owner of the voice who was a young man of average height, distinguished by his delicate facial features and his orange hair. His hair was kept in a mildly short, spiky cut, with spiky strands covering his forehead, and other, longer ones jutting upwards from the top of his head. His hazel eyes were covered by a pair of azure-tinted sunglasses with a thin frame and his left ear was adorned by three earrings: a stud and two rings. He was wearing a green coat with a wide collar, complete with prominent, spiky, brownish-white fur trimming lining the hood, over a light red shirt covered in many flower-like motifs, black pants and whitish sneakers, each adorned by a pair of light green stripes. He also had two girls siting on his lap. This was Loke.
His opinion about the brawl changed when a flying glass made contact with his forehead and he went to join the fight. As he did so, Lucy pulled out a magazine with different pictures of male wizards, including his and crossed it out. She then looked around the guild with an annoyed look.
"What the heck is wrong with these people? Is Natsu the only sane person in the whole place?" she wondered aloud.
"Hello. Are you new here?" a gentle voice asked behind her. When she turned around, Lucy was greeted with the sight of Lisanna holding a tray with drinks on it.
"Y-Yes. I met Natsu in Hargeon and brought me here so that I could join the guild." the blonde explained, startled by the white-haired girl's sudden appearance.
"I see. Well, if you're not going to take part in the fight, I suggest you come with me." the youngest Strauss advised as she made her way to the bar where Natsu was leaning against the counter, talking with Mirajane who had her usual kind smile.
Since the Strauss sisters and the pinkette didn't have anything to do whenever a brawl took place, they had taken the habit to stay among themselves and discuss when one occurred.
When the two females got close to the bar, Lucy finally noticed the older white-haired sister and became ecstatic. "It's Mirajane! In the flesh!"
Upon hearing her name, said woman turned around and gave the stranger a closed-eye smile of welcome.
"Um, don't you think we should try to stop them or something?" she asked the only three members who weren't fighting.
"It's always like this, we just leave them alone." Mirajane explained. As soon as she finished her sentence, her younger brother came flying towards her and would have tackled her if not for Natsu's bullet-like reflexes.
He instinctively caught the muscular man with one hand and threw him right back where he came from, not even bothering to spare the taller man a glance in the process. "I mean, I guess I could stop them but then I would risk causing more damage than they do so…"
"Besides, it's kind of fun, don't you think?" Mirajane added, her sister and her not nearly as surprised by Natsu's feat as Lucy was.
She was left with her mouth agape and was about to question it but was interrupted when she got bumped into by Gray, fully naked this time. Unfortunately for the blonde girl, she was too far away from Natsu for his reflexes to kick in and save her like he did the barmaid.
As soon as he got back on his feet, the black-haired teen became aware of his state of dress, or rather his state of undress, he became enraged and shouted at the top of his lungs. "AH~WHO TOOK MY UNDERWEAR?!"
When Lucy noticed the same thing, she completely freak out, covered her eyes and screamed which drew Gray's attention to her. "Excuse me miss, could I please borrow your underwear?"
"As if!" she refused, using a broken table leg as a club to throw him away.
But the poor girl just couldn't catch a break for she instantly got lifted in bridal style by Loke. "These guys are all so insensitive. A woman has needs-"
He wasn't able to finish before being punched by Elfman. "Real men speak with their fists Loke."
Back at the bar, Natsu sighed. "They don't even know why they are fighting."
"Aye." Happy, who had slowly and carefully made his way back to his partner, agreed.
Further down the bar, Cana was having a beer, getting increasingly annoyed by the surrounding ruckus. "Uh, it's so loud. So much for having a relaxing drink. That's enough guys. I suggest that you knock it off." Her last statement was emphasized when she pulled out one of her cards which emitted a blue light.
As a response, Gray brought his hands together and the air around them was getting colder. "Oh yeah? Says who?"
Elfman turned his right arm into stone while screaming, Loke's ring lit up and Natsu facepalmed.
Lucy took a hold of Happy and brought him up to her face as a shield. "They always fight like this?" she asked, in a concerned and fearful tone.
"Yep." the blue cat confirmed.
"You don't seem worried." she noted.
The very moment those words left her lips, a giant foot made contact with the wooden floor and everyone's attention was brought to the towering shadow form of a giant reminiscent of a demon.
"Cut it out, you fools!" it ordered and everyone, with the exception of Natsu, Happy, Lucy and the Strauss sisters froze where they stood. Among this group, the ones already in Fairy Tail, it was because they knew the message wasn't for them but Lucy was stunned and terrified by the new appearance.
"He's huge!" she exclaimed.
"Oh I'm sorry, I didn't know you were still here master." Mirajane apologized.
"Did you say master?!" Lucy asked but didn't receive an answer.
"Well, that was lucky. Two more seconds and I would have had to intervene." Natsu commented.
"It seems we have a new recruit." the giant observed while noticing Lucy which scared her a bit.
"Yes sir!" she confirmed. The huge figure then shrank back to Makarov in his usual size which left the new girl dumbstruck.
"Nice to meet ya." the guild master said, raising his hand in salute.
"He's tiny! Is he really the one in charge?" the Celestial Spirit mage wondered aloud.
"Of course he is. Allow to introduce the Fairy Tail guild master, Makarov." Mirajane presented.
Although no one noticed, Natsu grew a small smirk at the white-haired girl's response. 'Not the only Fairy Tail guild master though.'
Said man then turned around and jumped on the second floor's railing. Well, he tried to but failed kind of miserably and hit the targeted railing instead before climbing on it. He then cleared his throat and pulled out several sheets of paper.
"You brats have gone and done it again! Take a look at how much paperwork the Magic Council sent me this time! This is the biggest pile of complaint yet! Have you lost your minds? It almost seems like you are trying to get the higher-ups mad at me!" There was a pause where most members got embarrassed and slightly ashamed of their collective tendency to cause useless trouble for their master.
"However, I say screw the Magic Council." Makarov broke the silence and set fire to the sheets of paper he was holding and threw them at Natsu who ate it without a second thought. "Look. Any power that surpasses reason still comes from reason, right? Magic isn't some kind of miraculous power. It is a talent that only works when the flow of energy inside of us, and the flow of energy in the natural world are in perfect synchronization. To perform magic, one must have a strong mind and the ability to focus. It shall take over your being and poor over your soul! If all we do is worry about rules, then our power will never progress. Don't let those blow-hards on the council scare you. Follow the path you believe in! 'Cause that's what makes the Fairy Tail guild number one!" he declared and raised his right hand as high as he could with his thumb and index finger extended, making the Fairy Tail hand sign.
Everyone in the guild followed suit save for a certain pink-haired mage who instead looked down at the floor with a fond smile and instinctively moved his right hand, not to the sky but to his left forearm which he squeezed slightly.
Later on, Lisanna removed the stamp from the back of Lucy's hand, revealing a Fairy Tail guild mark in pink. "There. Now, you're officially a member of the Fairy Tail guild."
Lucy then ran towards Natsu and Happy who were looking at the request board. "Hey, Natsu! Look! Lisanna put the guild mark on my hand!" she called out in pride and excitement.
Wanting to be polite and respectful, said man turned his head just enough to look her in the eye. "She did? Good for you. Welcome to the guild Lucy."
"We're not going on an S-class quest this time Natsu?" Happy asked.
"Nah, I want something that we'll handle quickly….How about this? 160,000 jewels to get rid of a few thieves." he suggested his blue-furred friend.
"Sounds good to me."
"Why isn't my dad back yet?" a voice asked, catching the duo's attention. It belonged to a slim, young boy with straight, dark purple hair. His bangs were particularly prominent, covering part of his forehead, with some smaller strands jutting outwards from the top of his head. He had large eyes and a small, mildly round nose. His outfit consisted of a dark T-shirt adorned on the front by a drawing, lighter-colored pleated shorts with two large pockets on the back, and simple sandals, each held up by two bands joined by a round button.
"You're starting to get on my nerves, Romeo. Your father is a wizard. Have faith in him and wait patiently." Makarov answered.
"But sir, he said he'd be back within three days. And that was over a week ago!"
"If my memory's right, he took the job on Mt. Hakobe." Makarov noted.
"Exactly! And it is close, so why will no one go look for him?!" Romeo insisted.
"Listen kid, if your father was allowed to take this job, then it means he was capable enough to pull it off! Now, go home, eat something and wait!" Makarov all but yelled, his patience running short.
"YOU JERK!" Romeo cursed, going as far as to punch the old man square in the face. He then turned around and ran out of the building. "I hate you all!"
"That's rough." Lucy said.
"It's not that the master doesn't care. He is worried too." Mirajane explained but was cut off when Natsu slammed the job request he had picked where he had found it. He then silently made his way out of the hall with Happy walking alongside him.
"What is the matter with him? I've never seen Natsu lose his cool like that?" a member wondered.
"Based on what's just happened, my guess is he's going to Mt. Hakobe to save Macao." another theorized.
"That's not a good idea. Going after Macao isn't going to do anything except hurt his pride."
"Don't forget Neb, each person's path is their own and their own alone. Let him do what he feels is best." Makarov responded.
"Why did Natsu get so upset?" Lucy asked no one in particular but was surprised to get an answer from Mirajane.
"Probably because he can relate to what Romeo is feeling. I don't know for sure because Natsu is very secretive but from what I was able to gather, Natsu has known his fair share of suffering and loss. Just like everyone else in Fairy Tail."
A few hours later, Natsu, Happy and surprisingly Lucy were all in a caravan.
"Why did you come with us?" Natsu asked Lucy.
"I thought maybe I could help. Besides, I could us the experience." Lucy responded, though not really convinced her pink-haired guildmate needed any help. "Say Natsu, why did you react the way you did back at the guild?" she asked shyly, not wanting to upset the pinkette but her curiosity getting the better of her.
Natsu sighed but decided to give some answer. "Let's just say I don't want Romeo to lose his father, especially at such a young age."
Then the vehicle stopped suddenly. "I guess we're there." Lucy said.
"I'm sorry, but this is as far as I can get you." the driver announced.
When they exited the caravan, they were greeted by a strong freezing wind and a landscape of snowy rocks. Happy was so small and light, he had to hand on to Natsu to avoid being carried away by the wind. Natsu, having his Ice Dragon Slayer Magic, wasn't affected whatsoever. As for Lucy, she started doing what she would do all along: complain.
"Why is it so cold? I know we're on a mountain but it's summer right now, there shouldn't be a blizzard like this anywhere!" she was still going on.
Getting fed up with her constant talking, Natsu requipped a blanket and gave it to her, hoping it would warm her up enough to get some peace and quiet. He was wrong.
"Thanks but that will never be enough…Oh, I know!" she exclaimed as she pulled out another one of her keys, this one was silver. "Open Gate of the Clock! Horologium!" she summoned and out of a portal appeared a tall brown grandfather clock with long, black arms, a glass case, a Roman-numerical clock at the center and a small face at the top with slit eyes and a thin, twirly, mustache-like mouth.
Lucy opened the glass door and climbed into the spirit. Once she was inside and the glass case was closed, she said something but even Natsu's exceptional hearing couldn't pick it up. "I can't hear a thing you say."
"She says: I'm staying in here and I'm not coming out." Horologium transmitted.
"So much for helping us." the pinkette mocked.
"Aye." his feline companion agreed.
At this point, Lucy wanted to turn back and return to the guild but her friends' comments convinced her carry on. "What kind of crazy job would get Macao to come to a place like this, she inquires." the clock communicated.
"Now you ask? He came to slay-" the pink-haired mage was interrupted when a large creature landed nearby. "-that." he finished.
The creature was a large, anthropomorphic monster that resembled a primate. It possessed an elongated chin, prolonged ears, and a pointed head that resembled a single horn on top of its head. It had gargantuan arms and sequentially large hands that attached to its muscular torsos. In comparison to their upper body, it possessed a pair of smaller-scaled legs that featured a long tail connected to the bottom of their torsos. It had dark gray skin with white fur. It was a mountain Vulcan.
As soon as it made contact with the ground, the Vulcan rushed to the clock and picked it up. It was about to run off with it but was knocked unconscious by an icy right hook to the back of the head.
"I don't have time for this nonsense." Natsu stated as the ice around his fist dissipated. "Now, let's g-" he was cut off again when a gold light surrounded the defeated monkey whose form shrank and revealed a slim, mildly muscular man of average height with short, straight, slicked back dark blue hair. He had linear dark eyebrows, and a prominent nose with a flat, rectangular front. The lower part of his face was covered in quite a large amount of stubble, which included a thin mustache. A Fairy Tail guild mark was located on his right bicep, positioned just below his shoulder. His outfit consisted of an opened knee-length white jacket, with a wide, dark purple collar and matching edges, with the sleeves rolled up. The sleeves of the simple, dark shirt he wore underneath this jacket were visible sprouting from the latter's own sleeves, and reached down below his elbows. He doned brown, pinstriped pants held up by a lighter-colored belt bearing a snake-like pattern, with a simple, square-shaped buckle, partially obscured by his shirt, and a very distinctive pair of shoes, adorned with a leopard pattern. Around his neck, he wore a large, serpentine necklace, which was held up by a chain.
"Macao!" Happy exclaimed.
"Well, I wasn't expecting that." Natsu confessed.
Since Macao was injured, they brought him inside a nearby cave to treat him. When it was done they just sat around him, waiting for him to wake up. When he opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was a familiar mop of pink hair.
"Natsu? What are you doing here?" he asked.
"What do you mean "what am I doing here?"? I came here to rescue you." he answered.
"I'm so pathetic. I took down 19 of those apes but the 20th got me. I'm so angry with myself. How am I supposed to go home and face Romeo now?" he berated himself.
"By telling him that you beat 19 monsters, for instance." Natsu replied while helping the older-looking man to his feet. "Besides, he'll just be happy to see you back alive and well, trust me." he added which got the blue-haired man to smile a bit.
Later in the day, when the sun was beginning to set, Romeo was sobbing in the stairway leading to his house, blaming himself for his father's disappearance. Indeed, it was at his son's request that Macao had taken this job and the young boy now felt terrible about it.
"Hey, Romeo!" a distance voice called out. Romeo looked towards the source of the noise and his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets when he saw his father walking towards him with Natsu's help.
"Dad!" he yelled as he threw himself at his dad's neck, making him fall over backwards. "You came back! I'm so sorry!"
"No, I am sorry for making you worry." Macao responded.
"It's okay. I can handle it because I'm a wizard's son."
"Next time those bullies pick on you, I want you to tell them how you old man defeated 19 monsters all by himself." the father instructed.
As the trio started leaving, Romeo ran towards them so that he would be in hearing distance then yelled. "Guys! Thanks for your help!"
"Aye!" Happy responded.
Lucy turned around and waved with a smile. Natsu continued walking away but waved with his back turned. Although no one noticed, the pink-haired mage had a slightly sad smile.