Chapter 9

Capture the Dragon Slayers

The next morning, after Lucy went on a rant about her counterpart ditching them, they made their way through the city of Sycca, trying to find transportation to the Royal City. There they would find the giant lacrima that held their friends and the rest of those who lived in Magnolia. They knew that they had to be cautious with the royal guards on the lookout for them but that didn't stop Lucy being over eager about having magic when two out of three Dragon Slayers didn't. Unfortunately, it went to her head as she insisted on taking over an airship.

Lucy pulled out her key to summon Loke but was sadly met with Virgo, as Loke was on a date with Aries. Ryoko turned towards a group of advancing soldiers and did her best to keep them at bay. She kept pushing them back by building ice walls and using her water wing attack to send the men flying. Even after her friends had been captured and the remaining soldiers turned to capture her, she fought back. Well that is until a certain pink haired wizard in a magic vehicle showed up and saved them.

The moment they were in the vehicle, Ryoko and Natsu were both ill. The Edolas Natsu was certainly confident behind the wheel, confirming that it was Edolas Lucy who had sent him to their aid. However, what really got Natsu was how strangely non-ill Edolas Natsu was from traveling. Naturally, their Natsu was envious and dying, that is until the vehicle came to a sudden stop. Their ride was over it would seem and they would have to continue the rest of their journey on foot.

Below them stood the Royal City. They couldn't believe how huge the city was but they knew that their friends and the rest of Magnolia were down there and that they needed to save them. The girls said their goodbyes to Edolas Natsu and started to make their way towards the city. Natsu stayed behind only to give his other self the courage that he had before following close behind the girls. As they walked through the city, Ryoko couldn't help but feel like she was back in Magnolia. The two cities were very similar and lively. Like they lived everyday like it was a festival. At one point, Wendy pointed out a parade and Natsu took off to investigate. Lucy and Wendy chased after Natsu but Ryoko's eye caught something else.

Towards the corner of the palace, Ryoko noticed a man wrapped in a shroud, hiding in the shadows. A man that didn't want to be noticed. Ryoko glared at the figure before sniffing the air and the smell that graced her had her running towards the figure in the shadows. As she got closer, the figure noticed her, his eyes shocked.

"Squirt?!" Gajeel called to her, even as Ryoko ran into him, Marie following close behind her.

"You're safe!" Ryoko said as she wrapped her arms around his neck. She was grateful that he was ok. "How come you're not in the lacrima?"

"That Mystogan guy found me and sent my happy ass here. How did you two get here?" Gajeel said as he pulled away from her and did a quick check on her.

"Mystogan sent us here as well. Natsu, Lucy, Wendy, Happy and Charle are here too. But we seem to have lost them in this crowd," Marie explained as she looked around for their friends. Ryoko also turned to look for their friends but they were lost in the crowd. But what caught their attention was the king. "He seems familiar. I wonder who his Earthland counterpart is."

They watched as the King gave his speech. Leading these people to believe that they had harvested that lacrima without endangering any lives. It was all lies. But what broke Ryoko's heart was when he hit the lacrima, causing it to chip. "NO!" Ryoko cried as she started to make her way towards the lacrima.

Gajeel quickly grabbed her and pulled her back, even as a couple of guards looked their way. "Take it easy, Squirt. We'll get them back, but you can't go and pull a Salamander on me," Gajeel said as he pulled her into his arms and held her as she cried. He glared at the lacrima and the people of Edolas. "Man, he's got them hooked, line and sinker. Come on, let's find a private place to talk."

Ryoko and Marie nodded as they followed him into a small room in the back of a tavern. The moment that he closed the door he turned and rubbed her purple hair. Ryoko just brushed his hand away and took a seat. "What are we going to do, Gajeel? We need to meet up with the others and figure out a way to save our guild," Ryoko said as she rubbed at her chest slightly.

"How's the ticker?" Gajeel asked softly, ignoring her question and suggestions.

Ryoko glared at him but shook her head. "It's fine. We have more important things to worry about."

"Your heart is something we all worry about because if we lose that then we lose you," Gajeel corrected. "But glad to hear that you're doing fine. Mystogan told me to use dragon slayer magic on the lacrima. That would help to release our friends. Oh, you need to eat one of these pellets."

Gajeel pulled out a small pellet and handed it to her but Ryoko declined. "Mystogan already gave me one," Ryoko said as she returned to their conversation.

"Well we have two dragon slayers with magic so why don't we go take down that lacrima and free everyone?" Gajeel said with confidence.

"You think the two of us are strong enough to take down that entire lacrima?" Ryoko asked. Gajeel stayed quiet. As much as he wanted to say yes, he wasn't sure. For all he knew, it might take all of the Dragon Slayers to bring down that massive lacrima. Ryoko watched Gajeel as he got quiet. "Gajeel?"

"One way to find out. Let's hit it with the strongest fist attack we've got," he said as his counterpart joined them. "Ryoko, meet the other me. He's a reporter here. And he is on our side."

"A pleasure to me you, Gajeel II," she said as she shook his hand.

"Wow, you look just like our Ryoko. Minus her short hair," he said as he pulled out a map of the square. "So here's the deal. Plenty of soldiers all around the lacrima, except here. A nice little weak spot. I'll create a little distraction and you two do what you do best. Hopefully it's enough," Gajeel II explained.

Ryoko looked over the plan and nodded. "Let's get everyone back," she said as she smiled at Gajeel. "Been awhile since we actually fought together."

"Not the time to be all nostalgic, Squirt," he said even as he tried to hide his own smile. "Alright, let's get to work."

Ryoko and Marie nodded before following Gajeel into the crowd, all three of them doing the best they could to hide their identity. As the drums and crowd intensified, the lacrima glowed. "Gajeel, we need to step on it," Ryoko whispered beside him as she pushed past a few people.

"I know," he said as the other Gajeel sent up flares spelling NORTH. "Soldiers! That must be some kind of warning! We must protect the lacrima! I suspect there must be someone suspicious on the North side of the plaza."

Multiple soldiers ran to the North side while the remaining ones pushed the crowd back. Well everyone but Gajeel and Ryoko. The guard turned his attention to the two Dragon Slayers. "Let's do this," Ryoko said as she disrobed and charged into the guards. "ICE DRAGON...SLICING FIST!"

"IRON DRAGON SWORD!" Gajeel shouted as the both of their attacks landed on the lacrima.

A bright light came from the lacrima as the lacrima disappeared and turned into Erza and Gray. As they stood up from the ground, Gajeel and Ryoko ran over to them, needing to make a fast get away as the guards started to surround them. "TIME TO GET OUT OF HERE!" Ryoko shouted as she used her hydro roar to make room for them to escape. "Let's go, we'll explain later."

With that, they took off into town where they were guard free. There Gajeel II appeared giving Erza and Gray a shock before explaining everything. Gajeel pulled out the X-balls, giving one to each of the freed members. "There, now you two should be able to use your magic here," Gajeel said as he started to fill them in all the way to their freedom. "So Ryoko and I both used slayer magic and then you two showed up."

"Actually, that's been annoying me. That was a massive lacrima. Why is it that only Erza and Gray came out of it?" she asked before giving them a sheepish look. "Sorry."

"The size of the lacrima must reflect their power levels," Gajeel said as he shrugged, gaining a grin from the two wizards. "But I think that was only a piece of the bigger lacrima that we saw. Remember it was missing a piece?"

"And where is that one?" Erza asked.

"With the Exceeds," Gajeel II interrupted. "It was given to them as an offering."

"What are Exceeds?" Gray asked.

Gajeel II pointed towards Marie who stood next to Ryoko. Instantly, Ryoko pulled Marie into her arms to protect her. "She's not an Exceed. She's my friend," Ryoko said.

"From what we've heard, Exceeds are dangerous. I am no danger to anyone," Marie said as she folded her arms and gave him a hard look.

"Maybe in Earthland but not here in Edolas they rule our world," Gajeel II said. "But that aside, word has gotten around that several Earthlanders have been captured and brought to the dungeons in the palace."

"What?" Ryoko said as she turned towards the others. "This has to stop. We need to get our friends and get out of here!"

"I agree, Ryoko, but first we need a plan. We just can't barge into the most guarded area and do as we please. We need a plan," Erza said as she tapped her chin before smiling at everyone. "I think I have a plan!"