With Edolas Gajeel leading the way, getting to the castle was no problem at all. Getting inside, however, was a little more difficult. "What are we waiting for? Let's just bust our way through, find Natsu and Wendy then get the heck out of here." Gray reasoned, already pummelling his fist against his palm at his side in order to prepare an Ice Make attack, however I held out my hand.
"Hold it. We don't know exactly where they are, or what it's going to be like on the other side. For the moment, we need to get in unnoticed and make our way to Natsu and Wendy as far as we can before we then have to use force. Let me take the lead on this, stealth is one of my specialties." I insisted, making Gray pause as Erza nodded her head with an approving smile.
"You are indeed correct, Zera. In order for us to be successful, we must first know the enemy that we are dealing with." Giving a confident grin, I stood upright and flexed my fingers, taking a moment to relax my nerves and exhale before then allowing the surge of magic energy to pulse through me.
"Requip! Stealth Hunter." Instantly my body became washed with a gold light, shining outwards for a brief few moments before then disappearing to reveal a complete change of outfit as well as the appearance of a curved hunting bow in my right hand. My usual attire was replaced with an all black outfit which hugged my figure closely, styled like a traditional kimono that only came down to my thighs. Underneath there was a long sleeved mesh shirt and my lower face was covered with a black cloth as I felt the cloak settle upon my shoulders, also as dark as night. Wearing bandages around my feet and over my hands, I moved silently as I then placed my bow into the quiver upon my back and signalled for Erza and Gray to be silent.
Scaling the wall I moved with absolute silence, scouting out the area ahead before then signalling that all was clear to my sister and Gray down below, using my enchantments to lift their bodies up onto the wall before then we continued to move forwards. My long cloak billowed outwards as I activated my sensory mode, the requip giving me heightened hearing, sight and senses which allowed me to know when others were approaching. Grasping at the draping hem of my cloak I stretched out my arms as I ran and completely covered Erza and Gray. "Shadow Cloak Mode." Whispering quietly, my cloak became completely transparent and hid all three of us from view as we crouched down, allowing the patrol of Edolas guards to pass us none the wiser.
"Have to say, this is pretty nifty Zera. Looks like you're not totally helpless after all." I gave Gray a smile.
"I may not be all that great at face to face conflict, but stealth and recon is something I am good at. Follow me, just a bit further." Moving forwards my cloak peeled away from us all and cascaded behind me. Reaching back my hands I drew both my black bow and an arrow, notching it expertly. "Huntress – Target Location, Natsu!" Releasing the arrow it left a trail of light behind it for us to follow. "The arrow will find Natsu and head straight towards him. Hurry!" We raced after the arrow, keeping up as it flew through the air before it started to head directly towards a wall. "Behind that wall!"
"Allow me. Ice Make – Lance!" Gray stepped forwards and immediately blasted the wall to pieces, causing me to quickly pull back as I dispelled the Stealth Hunter armour and bow to exchange it for my everyday outfit, smirking as I tugged on my bracers to move them more comfortably into place. Almost immediately we absorbed the scene, seeing a red haired woman standing over Happy, Carla and Lucy with her weapon as well as a bunch of soldiers from Edolas. From within the icy mist, a voice demanded to know what was happening, causing me to stop. That sounded just like Erza. "You've got some nerve lady. You know they're with us, yet you decided to mess with them anyway."
"Anyone who lays a hand upon a fellow guild member will be dealt with accordingly." Erza agreed as I stood between her and Gray, placing one hand on my hip and flicking back the long crimson braid of my hair.
"You messed with the wrong guild when you started hurting members of Fairy Tail. We don't tolerate abuse towards our friends, so get ready for a real butt kicking." I warned, slicing down my hand as Carla practically sobbed with relief.
"But how?! I thought you were gone!"
"You made a big mistake, and now you're on Fairy Tail's bad side. You should have known better than to mess with us." Gray announced, the three of us standing side by side as the icy mist dispersed to reveal our faces. The soldiers were all shocked, staring at my sister whilst I fixed my eyes on the red haired woman I had noticed earlier. Not only had she sounded like my sister, but she was the real deal. She was Edolas's Erza. "You guys have got some explaining to do. Where are our friends who your king tuned into a lacrima?!" Using his ice magic, Gray knocked back a huge portion of the Edolas soldiers with a thick plume of ice whilst I held out my hand.
"Requip! Huntress – Multiple Shot!" I called out, drawing back the string with an arrow knocked, however when I released it through the magic circle which appeared in front of me, the arrow multiplied and I expertly pinned down the rest of the soldiers by pegging them to the wall by their tunics. "Hm." Satisfied, I turned towards Gray but quickly felt a rush of alarm. "Gray look out!" The Edolas Erza came rushing down at him with her three pronged spear, coming with all the fury of a demon before my sister stepped in between them to use her sword to block the spear. The resulting wave of power crashed against me, pushing me back a few feet before I had gained my footing once more. "Big sis!"
"I've got this!" She assured me determinedly so I nodded my head, looking to my left where another platoon of soldiers were coming towards us, hurrying with their weapons drawn. "Zera be careful!"
"I've got this." I responded in turn, requipping my bow as I spoke. "Blazing Embers!" Made from gold and fire glass, the beautifully ornate bow felt hot in my grasp as I drew an arrow from the fresh set tucked within my quiver. The bow itself curved gracefully with the upper limbs curling inward towards me before then turning outwards once more with two prongs at both ends, each containing a live flame which glowed brilliantly with a fiery reddish gold. "Flame Explosion!" The arrowhead, which was shaped like a triangular flame suddenly burst with white fire, casting a bright harshness against my face as I released it and the moment it made contact with the first soldier, it exploded.
The boom of sound sounded like a deadly roar which was followed by a hiss of the air as it moved, the walls and even part of the ceiling caving in as the soldiers were all thrown back and knocked unconscious. Sensing more soldiers coming up from behind, I whirled around with another arrow knocked and released it. "Scorching Blizzard!" Instantly a rain of fire shot forwards as I released several arrows at once, causing the soldiers to yell and instantly run for their lives as the flames came rushing after them, causing a few burns and scorches here and there. "Erza!"
"I'm fine, just stay back Zera." My sister said to me as she continued to face down the Edolas Erza, blocking the way so that Lucy and Gray could get to Natsu and Wendy with Carla.
"Never would I have imagined I'd be facing off with myself."
"Quite an odd feeling indeed." Already I could sense and hear more soldiers coming so I released another volley of arrows, blocking their way to try and hold them back however they had seemed to have become wary of my magic and now carried huge shields which protected them from any fire blasts or explosions I could throw at them.
"I'm the Captain of Edolas Kingdom's secondary magic warfare unit, my name is Erza Nightwalker." The Edolas Erza introduced rather sinisterly, causing my spine to shiver. That woman is scary, way scarier than my big sis, I kind of don't like her very much. I wonder where my counterpart was? Did this Edolas Erza even have a sister?
"I'm a wizard from Earth Land's Fairy Tail wizard guild, and my name is Erza Scarlet."
"Well it's a pleasure to meet you, Earth Land me. Now, let's see what you're made of!" Distracted by the sudden shift in energy, I glanced over my shoulder to see Erza Nightwalker rush at my sister with incredible speed and strength. Be careful big sis! Wait, I should really focus on my own problems right now, because there's a huge bunch of Edolas soldiers coming right at me.
"Wagh! I wanna go home now!" I complained, shaking my head and grasping my bow. "Erza! Can we trade now?! I don't wanna fight all these bad guys anymore!" Racing away I tried to get as much distance between myself and the Edolas soldiers and draw them away from Natsu, Gray, Carla, Lucy and Wendy. They seemed to take the bait, yelling and thundering after me as I ascended the stairs then jumped with a twist, picking up my feet as I drew back my bowstring as I exchanged it. "Requip! Imperial Emperor – Bombardment!" As the magic circle appeared a rain of arrows flew forwards without relenting, hammering down upon the soldiers and send them tumbling back down the stairs as I landed in a crouch. "Wow…hey! Hey I did it! I'm actually kicking ass for once! Yeah!" Celebrating with a whoop, I punched my Imperial Emperor Bow into the air. The smooth and flawless wood was so peerless it was like brass, the end limbs decorated with ornate jade patterns with the string gleaming like silver.
"Bring the shields to the front, let's get this filthy Earth Lander!"
"Uh oh, gotta run!" I ended up running through the entire castle, taking out whoever stood in my path. It was kind of weird, I didn't feel afraid at all against these guys, or even clam up once. Perhaps it was because they were human, or the fact that I knew they didn't have magic that I didn't feel the need to be so afraid of them. I knew I could handle these soldiers, so with a torrent of arrows, I pinned them down and kept them occupied with me whilst Natsu and the others escaped. I managed to get myself out into the courtyard, dancing around and drawing back the string of my bow repeatedly with a smile, laughing with glee as I avoided their spears and weapons until I heard a great whirl of wind above me.
"Zera! Get your butt up here already!"
"Natsu!" Seeing a huge blue winged beast, I immediately cast Lux Corpus upon myself and flew into the sky, soaring quickly as I then landed upon the creature's back. "Wow! This thing is so huge but it's also so undeniably cute! Can I keep it?"
"No! This Legion is mine so you can't have him!" A little girl with a sweet button nose declared to me, shaking her head adamantly however when I saw her, my heart skipped a beat.
"So cute! Can I keep you instead?" Tackling her with a hug which completely trapped her against me, Lucy gave a laugh.
"Same old Zera, you just can't resist cute things can you? Don't worry Coco, Zera is one of us so she won't hurt you."
"Huh? You're a wizard too?" I nodded my head, grinning as I sat down on the fluffy Legion's back and ruffled the back of my head as my cloak and crimson braid whipped against the air.
"That's right! I'm Zera Scarlet, Erza's twin sister."
"Wow no way! You're Zera? I've heard so much about you!" Coco gushed, gasping at me before blushing. "Though I suppose it's the Edolas Zera that I heard about and not you specifically." Curious, I asked what my Edolas counterpart was like. "Well, from what I heard she was nothing like Captain Erza. She was very weak and sickly in body, but extremely strong in battle and was the smartest person in all of Edolas. Between General Zera and Captain Erza, the pair remained undefeated!" Coco explained to me excitedly. Wait, I was a general in this world? Awesome! "Only thing is, the Zera in this world got really sick and can no longer move from her bed. It's a real shame, but a lot of people like her. She's very popular in Edolas, everyone used to look up to her and be inspired by her, and even now she gives advice when she's able to!"
"That sounds pretty interesting, I'm a little sad I didn't get to meet the Edolas version of me." I smiled, leaning back on my hands as we continued to fly. "Does anybody wanna tell me what we're doing?"
"Oh right! You don't know do you? Okay, so it's like this." Lucy then launched into a full scale description of everything that had happened at a pace faster than humanly possible, speaking so fast that I could hardly keep up with her so in the end I just frowned and scratched my head.
"So the big lacrima which is actually all our friends is on a floating island, and the King of Edolas is trying to smash that island into the flying cat kingdom of Extalia, right?"
"Basically covers all the bases, yeah." Gray agreed so I nodded my head.
"Well then, we'll just have to knock that thing flying back then save all our friends! Let's do this people!"
"Oh yeah, I'm fired up now!" Natsu yelled as the Legion yelled, flapping its wings one more time before all at once, crashing into the side of the giant floating island where a huge lacrima crystal sat on top. Wow, that thing really was massive. "Come on let's go! If we don't stop it, everyone we know will die!" Coco encouraged her Legion beast to push with all its might, however the giant rock continued to fly ever closer to the exceed's kingdom, threatening to utterly obliterate it.
"This won't work! That thing has too much mass and momentum!" Gray yelled as I crossed my hands in front of my face to help reduce the sharp wind which sliced against us.
"If we fall we do so with the rest of Magnolia!" Erza declared as I slowly began to get to my feet, leaning against the wind to properly angle myself.
"If it's mass and momentum, maybe I can enchant it to help reduce the weight!" Flinging out my hands both my fists became encased with a bright orb of light, drawing in deep breaths as my blue eyes narrowed with fierce determination. "I refuse to let my friends fall, even if it means giving up every last drop of my strength, I won't give up!" Pushing my hands outwards, I gave a yell as I began to cast my enchantment upon the floating island, voice rising upon the cascading wind. Three magic circles appeared, two at my hands and one larger one underneath my feet as I rose up into the air and stood upon the circle, continuing my enchantment as the ancient language flew through my mind.
As the island came close enough to the cat kingdom's own floating island, it began to crack and crumble but thankfully, it had slowed down, almost halting. "Keep going!" Natsu yelled so I flung a hand towards my comrades.
"Lux Corpus et Deus Fortitudinem!" With my voice rising higher, I felt the power surge as my magical energy dug deeper into my reserves, casting the enchantment upon us all until suddenly, a light shot by me. Carla? She ploughed into the floating mass, doing all in her power to try and save what I suppose is her homeland. With a smile, I reached out to cast the enchantment on her too, when suddenly I saw stars shooting through the sky. Brilliant wings scattered feathers all around me as I gasped, watching with wide eyes as hundreds upon hundreds of exceeds flew to the lacrima crystal and pushed against it, all of them crying out to protect their home.
"Do not give up! Keep pushing!" Natsu yelled, awakening me from my amazement, so with one last grasp at all the magical energy I possessed, I cast a full scale enchantment upon all the exceeds that had arrived, my now echoing as I yelled.
"Divinus Eques!" With the Divine Knight enchantment, I could increase all aspects of a person's abilities, giving them a power boost at least ten times past their usual limits for a short period of time, but I could not afford to let that time run out. I have to hold on, I have to keep giving strength to everyone so that they can push the rock away. For Cana and all my beloved friends in Fairy Tail, this is all for them!
As everyone continued to push with all their might, I opened my eyes to see the sky fill with the most incredible river of light, shimmering through the darkness of the night and illuminating everything in its path whilst all the hearts of exceeds and my comrades beat as one, pushing forwards through everything until finally, the lacrima island was forced away from Extalia, leaving the Exceed city safe from harm. It was a wonderful feeling, this warmth which slowly hummed in my chest, smiling and crying at the same time as I saw the happiness that everyone shared with one another at our victory. I never wanted to let go of that feeling, not for as long as I lived.