Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail

When Edo-Mavis woke up, she was surprised. She'd thought that whatever had happened before had killed her. All of the agony, it had felt like her body was trying to tear itself apart. Yet, as she sat up, all that remained was a lingering soreness in her joints and a headache that was gradually fading away. She rubbed her head, brushing aside some of her blond hair in the process. From what she could feel, it was a tangled mess, but hair problems could wait until later.

Blinking, she let her gaze roam over where she was. It looked like a lot of sand - sand and mountains in the distance, if she was being specific. By her side, the Legion rested, unconscious on the ground. After this adventure, she figured it was worthy enough to be a full-fledged member of Alvarez, even if it was a bit furrier than most. She smiled, patting its back. "Congratulations, Fluffball. Seems like you got us somewhere, at least." It was a fitting name, for now at least.

Gradually, Mavis pushed herself off of the ground, standing up. Yet, as she did so, her head began to spin. Black spots appeared in her vision, and she quickly sat back down to get them to vanish. As the vertigo faded, she took in a deep breath and began searching for signs of anything familiar again. However, there was still nothing. It looked like there was a path a few feet away, a place where the sand had been dug up and pushed aside. Yet, that was the only sign that anything living was ever here. There probably were living things in the mountains beyond that path, likely caves and some form of shelter too. So, the question was where to go from here.

She could follow the path. It likely lead to some form of civilization, though who would be there was still a mystery. Mavis had started a life from nothing before, though, so while it would be a struggle, she knew she could manage if necessary. Blending in was her specialty, no matter where she went. Yet, there was no way to tell how far away the nearest town was. The mountains, in contrast, were a clear, visible goal. Animals would be available to hunt, and she still had a few of Wall's gadgets to assist her in the process of actually gathering them. Yet, there was no way to tell if there were trees or anything flammable in that region. Cooking food, cooking meat specifically, would potentially be impossible. Mavis had no intention of dying from disease like that, but she also may die of dehydration or starvation trying to reach a city. After all, cities were usually spaced out across long regions, given the terrain. Making roads alone was challenging enough, since most of the islands didn't even have an easy way to connect. A few people had tried making bridges between them, but there weren't many ways to leave one island for another.

A groan made Mavis blink, shifting to turn around. Another Legion was on the ground, passed out much like Fluffball was. Yet, by its side was a familiar figure, with light blue hair and dark red markings around his eye. "Jellal? Damn it!" She rose to her feet, swaying slightly but ignoring the vertigo that hit again. Taking a deep breath, she gritted her teeth and began walking away, needing to put some distance between them. However, she stumbled, her feet slipping on the sand when it was combined with her blurred vision. She fell, landing on her knees and bracing her fall with her forearms. The sand slid still, making her arms only slow her fall to her stomach however.

The groaning was only slightly fainter this time, and she rolled over. This time, she saw Jellal sitting up. The man shook his head, rubbing his eyes and glancing around. Unlike her, however, he spotted his enemy immediately. Those eyes focused on her, narrowing instantly. He rose to his feet, only to stumble as she had, crouching down to the ground immediately. "Damn it. What the hell was that?"

Mavis focused on him, taking a deep breath. "That was what I was trying to figure out, when you so rudely interrupted me."

"You're blaming me for this?" Jellal glared at her. "You were the one who flew into whatever the hell it was! I was just trying to ensure you served your sentence for…" He gritted his teeth, shaking his head. "For what you'd done."

"And how is that working out for you?" She smirked at him, gesturing around her. "As far as I can tell, you're doing a great job capturing me. Did your army decide to abandon you? I thought they were at least more loyal than that. At least mine tried to follow me."

Jellal glared at her. "You worked against your own allies? Just to get away from us?" He shook his head. "That sort of behavior…that is what I despise the most. Abandoning your comrades to be captured to save yourself…I should've seen what a selfish person you were far sooner."

Her stomach churned, feeling sick with his accusations. "Hey! I'd never abandon them like that. I didn't—"

"So you didn't attack them and force them to stay behind?"

She narrowed her eyes, crossing her arms over her chest. "I…didn't attack them, per say." She looked away, sighing. "It was a harmless drug; they should be sleeping."

Jellal only shook his head. After a moment, he took a deep breath, rising to his feet more slowly this time. "Debating this will get us no where." He walked over towards his Legion, inspecting it for a moment. "Still alive, at least. That means we have a method to travel quickly…" He trailed off, glancing over towards hers. He hesitated for a moment, before moving towards that one as well, holding a hand out near Fluffball's mouth. "And yours is alive too. So, whatever that was, it wasn't deadly." His gaze flickered towards the ground above Fluffball, narrowing slightly. "And it seems as if even the dead are not harmed by it, luckily for you."

Blinking, Mavis' eyes went wide. She stumbled a bit, scrambling back to her feet. This time, the dark spots didn't appear and she was a little more stable. Walking towards Fluffball, she leaned over, glancing behind his large form. There, she saw Zera and Zeref, both collapsed on the ground. She sucked in a breath, her eyes glancing around the area. Edolas had no magic and they were no longer being preserved. She needed to think fast, before all of her hard work fell apart. Yet, what could she do?

Jellal was glancing around, however, frowning as he studied his surroundings. "This place…why does it seem so familiar?" He glanced at the mountains in the distance, narrowing his eyes. "I feel as if I've been here before."

"Well, then go ahead and find your own way back." Mavis moved to the other side of Fluffball, carefully lifting Zeref so he was sitting, leaning back against the creature. She gradually started doing the same with Zera, too.

"No. You are coming with me, Mavis."

"And why would I do that? You're trying to imprison me, idiot! And right now, I have every chance of getting away if I want." She had the pack of tools, right in front of her. Wall's inventions would not go to waste, not if she had any say about it. "You are unarmed, and you lack your army. By comparison, I am armed, and can knock you out in seconds if you aren't going to agree to my terms." She paused, grinning at him. "Consider this me being generous, Jellal. I'm not all that happy with you, making me destroy the preservation spell on my friends. But, I can still be kind and at least let you go, so long as you promise to stay out of my way."

Jellal narrowed his eyes at her. "You'd leave me to die here? You do realize that there are still predators in a desert, correct?"

She shrugged. "Well, it wouldn't be my problem. If you're gone, then that's all the better for me. No one would be left to really fight to stop me, after all."

"Fairy Tail would still be there."

She snorted. "Those idiots? They couldn't gather intel if someone was right in front of them spitting it out like a walking encyclopedia."

Jellal was quiet. After a moment, he let out a sigh. "Very well. A compromise, by definition, means sacrifice for both parties. Therefore, I will not bring you to your imprisonment, Mavis, and you will still remain with me as we work together." She stared at him, narrowing her eyes. "Listen to me - neither of us know where we are, and this is a potentially hostile environment. An unknown spell of some form has hit both of us, and we do not know if there were any side effects. Given the situation, it would be wise to work our way through it as…allies."

He hesitated at the end, and Mavis knew it was with good reason. She'd been the one to deceive him in the past, after all, not the other way around. Yet, he was the former king's son, family to the man that sentenced Zeref to death. Maybe he was different, but that anger wasn't completely gone. She'd resented him the entire time they worked together, despite her seeing the kindness he possessed. When he captured Invel, she'd been afraid that they'd torture him, which was why she told him ahead of time to give out specific lines of information. Still, Jellal had said that if Invel wouldn't speak, he'd simply remain their prisoner. He'd been willing to be kind towards his enemies, and that was something she couldn't understand about him.

Even now, he was willing to look past differences, to find a solution. He was right; having an ally right now was going to be in her best interests. She might have tools that could help her survive, but she knew she wasn't the most skilled hunter. She'd have better luck with laying out traps and hoping some poor creature fell into one. Strategizing was her forte, and while she'd trained for battle, she had known it was typically best left to her generals like Sting, Kagura, and Jacob.

Taking a deep breath, Mavis slowly pulled her hand away from the bag. "You will let me leave, once we arrive near a recognizable part of civilization?"

Jellal closed his hands into fists. He narrowed his eyes at her, taking a deep breath. After a moment, he slowly nodded. "Yes. I will give you exactly five hours, to leave and approach your next hideout. It will be a fair time, and afterwords, we will return to what we once were."

"An escaped prisoner and the king seeking to bring me back?" He nodded. All things considered, five hours would be plenty of time. She just needed to know what city they were near, and she would likely be able to find another base to settle down in and lie low. Gradually, she could make her way back to that desert and hopefully find the others. At least, that would work if they didn't all hate her already, like Irene.

Thinking about the scarlet-haired wizard, Mavis scowled. The betrayal made her chest ache, but it wasn't something she could linger on. Likely, her own betrayal moments ago had left the same feeling in all of her generals. They wouldn't trust her again, not like they had in the past. Yet, she wouldn't regret her actions. None of them would face the same fate as her, for fighting for what they believed in. "Are we in agreement or not?"

Turning towards Jellal, Mavis snapped out of her thoughts. Taking a deep breath, she walked towards him, holding out her hand. "I accept your offer of a truce, King Jellal." He shook her hand, nodding towards her. "Now, before you woke up, I was debating if we should follow the path, or seek shelter in the mountains. The path likely leads to civilization, but I see no signs of a city nearby, beyond the road."

He nodded. "Ideally, one is nearby. Roads are not made without a destination in mind…" He trailed off, glancing around. "And based on our surroundings, civilization would be a safer location to find. It would mean less time spent together, and the faster we reach an end to this agreement of ours, the better."

At least they both agreed on one thing. Mavis nodded, crouching by Fluffball again. "Then we follow the path." She shook the Legion, making it mewl loudly in complaint. Despite its size, it was really a lot of fuzz that gave it the appearance of so much weight. At least, that was what she believed considering she was able to shake it, and not long after, help push it off of the ground and into the air. "Care to help? I'm not leaving them behind." She pointed towards Zera and Zeref. After a moment of hesitation, Jellal knelt down near them, helping her lift the two onto Fluffball's back.

"You do realize we are likely going to startle people with this? We are seeking out civilization, and dragging along two dead bodies with us."

She glared at him. "They're my family, and I won't let them stay dead for much longer."

"Resurrection? Is that really your goal, Mavis?" Jellal sighed, shaking his head. "Even in Earthland, such magic is impossible. Magic won't solve your problems."

"It will." She'd seen proof. Earthland Zeref had the answer, which meant an answer existed. She didn't care if it took time to find; she'd create her own way of bringing them back, no matter what it took. She'd sacrificed too much, to do anything less.

Jellal just shook his head, moving towards his own mount after finishing helping her. He helped the Legion up, and then got on himself. Mavis reached up, climbing carefully onto the back of Fluffball before turning towards him and nodding. With the agreement in place, and the animals awake, they began setting off towards the trail. They had to stay low, to keep the trail visible, but at least they had some sort of a plan for now. Mavis stayed silent for the ride, and Jellal did the same. The two of them weren't friends, so there really was no need to speak at all. They just tensely rode, watching the distance to try and spot something familiar.

After a while, Mavis frowned. She thought she saw silhouettes of something, in the distance. Whatever it was, it seemed massive. "Jellal, is that the Royal City?" She frowned. There were few cities with large structures like that, but the shape just seemed wrong. Plus, the surroundings weren't quite right. The Royal City was in a valley, and most people wouldn't be able to spot it without being at the edge of a plateau or mountain.

Jellal was staring at it, and after a moment, he sucked in a sharp breath. They were getting closer, at a fast rate given the speed of the Legions. "No. It can't be…" He trailed off, glancing towards Mavis. "Just what were you trying to accomplish, with this spell? Mavis…"

She shrugged. "I had given up on bringing magic to Edolas while being there myself." She glanced over at him. "I mean, obtaining the schematics for the Anima depended on having your trust and betraying it at the right moment. My hand was revealed too soon, so my plans changed."

"To what?"

She glanced ahead again. Closer, she could see walls, but they were hidden behind the figures of more buildings. It looked like there was a town, surrounding some large structure. "To going to where the magic was. I mean, your friends from Earthland left Edolas without magic, right? That made me realize I should be able to do the same."

Jellal shook his head, rubbing his forehead for a moment. "Well, I suppose I should congratulate you then." She blinked, glancing over at him. "It seems as if your wish has been granted." For a moment, Mavis couldn't understand what he was saying. She…she'd traveled to a different world? She remembered the Legion opening a portal, but the other spell had absorbed it. They shouldn't have gone anywhere. "That city, it looks like Vistarion from here. We're in Earthland, specifically in the Alvarez Empire, near its capital. And if you think you can begin criminal activity here and get away with it, you'd be dead wrong."

She snorted. "Really? You think they'd be able to catch me? It's not like you managed it for years."

He met her gaze. "I may not have succeeded, but this nation is not Edolas." He inhaled slowly. "They have harsh punishments, and those enforcing them are terrifying to even see. If you think imprisonment was a harsh sentence for your crimes, you don't even wish to know what the punishments are here."

"Oh." She paused, glancing at the city. So, they had harsh laws here? That likely meant execution was the punishment. "Well, they'd have to catch me first—"

"And they would, as you do not have magic."

She narrowed her eyes at him. "If there is magic in this world, then I'll determine how to use it."

"Do you understand nothing, Mavis?" She blinked at him, seeing his eyes narrow. "Even I did not have magic, and I lived in this world for years. I had to rely on deceptive tactics, using tools brought from Edolas to mimic their abilities as a wizard. Magic is something you must be born with to use. There isn't a single person in Edolas with the same innate ability to use magic as those within Earthland. With how limited it was in our world, it simply wasn't something that developed in humans, it seems."

What? That meant getting magic would be pointless then. Yet, it couldn't be. Her gaze focused on Zera and Zeref, hardening her gaze. "Well, you just didn't have a strong enough reason to obtain it, then." She'd gain magic, now that she was here. She would bring them back. Right now, it was what she needed to do. "For now, we likely need a place to stay anyway. Vistarion seems like as good a place as any to me."

"We'll want to lie low. I do not know what sort of reputation your other self has in this world, and it would be best to remain safe, rather than sorry." Mavis hadn't heard enough details on it either to say confidently what was the case either. Though, maybe she had. Hadn't they said the Mavis of this world was dead? That meant she had a clean slate to work with. "I know my other self is a wanted criminal in a different country, given his history. Therefore, I'd remain cautious, Mavis. We need to find a way to leave, before we are caught and blamed for crimes we did not commit in this world." She nodded, but remained silent. Jellal could work towards escape if she wanted, but she'd be working towards resurrection. She had finally arrived here; she wasn't going to let this trip go to waste, no matter what he said.

It's been a while since I've given the Edolas cast some attention. Now you can see that Edo-Mavis and Mystogan have arrived in Earthland after all! Things will be getting a little interesting in the future. As for my question in my last note, I still haven't gotten much feedback, so I'd really appreciate a response as to what people would prefer (Tragedy vs. Crack-ish ending to a serious story). It'll really help me continue on with my newest project, hearing what people would prefer, since I'm a bit stuck on coming up with a middle ground for the ending with that one. Feel free to review and tell me what you think!