Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail

Being on this end of the invasion was strange, to say the least. Levy was in an airship, with August and Irene this time. She'd vaguely remembered meeting Irene before, but the two of them had hardly spoken before now. "It seems as if saving you wasn't just for nothing after all." Irene had smiled at her, patting her head as she walked by. "You've done well, for one attempting to fulfill his shoes. If given time, I imagine you would have done just as well as Emperor Spriggan did."

It was a strange compliment, but they'd just stayed silent ever since. August had told her that Irene typically was not one to socialize with new people, so it was not something to take personally. She had a difficult past, and struggled with forming connections and trusting others after what she'd gone through.

Also on the ship were the few Fairy Tail members that had been in Alvarez. "Levy, you won't really go to war if Master says no, right?" Lucy nervously toyed with her keys at her hip, biting her lower lip.

"It's not like she has a choice, Luce." Natsu sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "Damn, my brother always leaves behind messes like this, doesn't he? I mean, I didn't really think about it before, but the demons, Eclipse, and now even this; he just doesn't take care of his stuff that well, does he?"

Levy smiled, taking a deep breath. "I guess he doesn't." Zeref likely just abandoned them all after they were no longer useful. "And Lucy, I'm sorry. You know you don't have to fight on either side if you don't want to."

"But I have to help you. I mean, I'm planning on joining you in going back…" Lucy trailed off. "I just can't imagine, fighting my friends like that."

"Well, if they don't willingly surrender to Levy, you'll see exactly how loyal they are to your members." Irene was sitting with them, shaking her head. With August driving, it was to be expected. Other airships were traveling with them too, those prepared with other members of the army. Invel had wanted Irene and August to be separate, but given the plan, Levy had to enter Fairy Tail with Irene. Otherwise, she wouldn't be able to gain Fairy Heart if negotiations actually succeeded.

"Them not giving up Fairy Heart says nothing about that." Lucy scowled, shaking her head. "If anything, that just tells us how cautious they are about using its power. If it wasn't for what might happen, I'd probably be with them in trying to talk Levy out of this, really."

"And I appreciate you helping as much as you can, Lu-chan." Levy smiled, glancing at her friend. "This won't be easy, for any of us. But hopefully, we can obtain Fairy Heart quickly, without the return of the war."

"And this time, if the war returns, we won't be holding back." Lucy stiffened, swallowing at Irene's warning. "There would be no reason, after all. Anything we do now will be undone in mere moments after her majesty has Fairy Heart. Then, things will go back to normal and all of us will forget this little incident ever happened."

She hadn't planned to bring Irene back with them. The enchantress was just unpredictable, from what Levy had seen. "Well, I'm gonna fight no matter what. I'll actually be able to prove I can beat Gray for once! Oh, and then I'll surpass Erza, and even Gildarts while I'm at it."

"Natsu, be reasonable." The dragon slayer looked at her, while Levy sighed. "No offense, but you've never even managed to put a scratch on Gildarts. As for Erza…maybe if you were serious, but even that's a stretch for you."

"Hey! I could handle her just fine."

"Not without a strategy you couldn't. Erza fights with her heart and her mind, unlike you."

Natsu scowled, shaking his head. "Fine. I'll just have to prove you wrong then."

"Natsu, we're hoping for this to end without a fight…" Lucy sighed, glancing over at Levy. Yet, the solid script wizard had expected this much. Natsu was impulsive like this, and Lucy was kind-hearted and cared about her guild. She'd not really anticipated them trying to fight. Nab, at least, had fallen asleep and wasn't dealing with the potential stress this would bring.

The airship landed, and Levy knew the others were only five minutes away, should something go wrong. "Wish me luck." She took a deep breath, rising to her feet. Irene stood by her side, and was soon joined by August. Again, Invel wanted her well-guarded, going into potential enemy territory alone like this. The two strongest generals would be more than capable of defending her if necessary.

Levy had come, dressed in her coronation dress, for lack of a better name for it. She'd left the cape behind, but the dress alone at least made her look somewhat imposing, at least she thought it might. The locket rested against her chest, and she paused, lifting her hand and holding it for a moment. Taking a deep breath, she nodded towards the others and walked towards the familiar doors that once led to a place that felt like home to her.

Inside, things hadn't changed one bit. Brawls were breaking out, laughter was heard, and noise filled the room. Fairy Tail was just an obnoxious, energetic family in here, and she'd always been their silent observer, reading books as they settled things with their fists. Few people ever bothered to pay attention to people walking inside, as guild wizards came and went all the time. So, they didn't get much attention when they first entered, but that was about to change quickly.

"Wizards of Fairy Tail, we've come to speak with your guild master." Irene spoke, her voice's volume amplified through some enchantment. Everything seemed to pause, halting to gaze at the people at the entrance.

"Levy?

"She doesn't look like our Levy…"

"Those are the generals of Alvarez. What are they doing back here?"

"Oh no, please not again…"

Levy did her best to stay calm, despite the whispers spreading amongst the members. Slowly, the crowd parted and Master Makarov made his way forward. "Levy, my child…it has been too long." He glanced over at the generals, nodding towards them. "And you've brought friends."

She nodded. "Master, I'm sorry for stopping in so suddenly." She smiled at him, taking a deep breath. "It's been a long time, since I've been here. How has everyone been?"

"Well, I've been dealing with idiots this entire time, obviously. Natsu and his team destroyed half of the ships in Hargeon on their last job, and that sneaky little brat managed to run away before I could punish him properly. Erza, Wendy, and Gray are out trying to locate him and bring him back, so they can pay for the damages." Oh…that explained part of why Natsu had come so quickly to try and spend time with Zeref. Natsu and Gray were always particularly frightened of Master's punishments. "As for the rest, your team has been missing you terribly. I was beginning to think you'd left the guild for good, without even letting us give you a proper send off."

"About that…" She hesitated, seeing the eyes of the rest of the guild staring at her. "There's something I need to speak with you about, and it's probably better done in private."

Master's brow furrowed, but he nodded. "Alright then. Come along, we can have a little chat in my office then." She followed after him, with Irene and August following silently behind. They were there for defense, if necessary, not to negotiate. That was her job to handle. The door shut behind them, and Levy took a seat across from Master Makarov. "Well, what exactly has you so troubled? You look like you're ready for a fight, and that's not a look I'm used to seeing on you at all, Levy."

"I've come to ask for something that I honestly can't imagine you agreeing to." She lowered her gaze, staring at the desk. "But, I wanted to try and do this…" She trailed off, biting her lip. She wasn't going to threaten her guild, not already. "Sorry, lost my train of thought there." She looked up, smiling at the master. "Anyway, to put it bluntly, I need Fairy Heart."

She watched him carefully. Makarov frowned, but did not let much reaction show. "Now that is an unexpected request. Though, perhaps not, given your newest companion." She stiffened at the mention of Zeref, but did not react otherwise. "Knowing that…Levy, you have a kind heart and wish to help, and that is something I'd never ask you to change. However, assisting Zeref is not something I can simply allow to happen without putting my foot down. There are limits, to who deserves your kindness."

"Zeref has made mistakes." Levy was quiet, and looked up to meet her Master's eyes. "But that does not mean he cannot earn forgiveness like anyone else."

"Small steps should be taken first. I'll admit, I have half a mind to say he is going about breaking the treaty, using you to negotiate on his—"

"I'm not here for Zeref."

"Well, maybe he didn't ask you directly—"

"Zeref is dead." Makarov stilled at that, and Levy met his gaze steadily. "As such, I suppose you are correct to say Alvarez is breaking their treaty with me making this request. After all, I've been their empress for about a month now."

The room was tense, with Master Makarov meeting her gaze calmly. August and Irene stood over her shoulders, and for a moment, Makarov seemed to glance at them as well. Then, the elderly man sighed, shaking his head. "So…you are requesting its use for yourself, then?"

"A dire situation has come up. We cannot stop it without Fairy Heart."

"A dire situation? Staying so vague, and not even letting us decide if it is a matter to help with or not?"

Levy bit her lip, before nodding. "Sorry. I've…it's just been a bit stressful, lately." She took a deep breath, and Makarov nodded. "There's a time rift, a leftover remnant from an old spell of Zeref's. It has become unstable, and unless we do something, there's really no predicting what will happen. Guaranteed, at the very least, is that magic will completely vanish from the world. Beyond that…well, none of us are really the experts in this field and are not the best to explain it."

"Fairy heart grants energy, not impossible spells." Levy nodded. "A time rift…it is not something I've heard even mentioned in ages. Though…" He paused, taking a slow breath. "From what little I do know, I believe it in and of itself is a construct of energy, yes?" She nodded. "Then, with that knowledge in mind, I must say you are misguided in thinking Fairy Heart can stop it. Adding energy to the rift, and that much of it, would worsen the situation beyond belief. We will help in stopping it, but we will do so without Fairy Heart."

She had known this would happen. Levy stared at Master's kind face, taking a deep breath. "Please. I can't explain why. But Fairy Heart can stop this…"

"And I said it is too dangerous to allow for its use."

He wouldn't budge. She knew that would be the case; Fairy Heart wasn't meant to be just loaned out, not like this. Levy nodded, lowering her gaze. Her hand lifted to her locket, and she inhaled slowly. "Then I'm sorry…" She flicked it open, activating the enchantment that had been placed on it before this all began. An alert went out, sent to each airship waiting around the border of Magnolia. "I didn't want this. I never wanted to do this…" She choked, rising to her feet and stepping back. Irene pulled Levy to her side, while August stepped in front of her.

She frowned, looking over to see Makarov had stood up, and was narrowing his eyes at them. "What…what have you done? Levy…"

"I'm sorry…" She inhaled again, shaking her head. "But I need Fairy Heart. And right now…I have everything I need to obtain it." Makarov stilled, his eyes widening in shock. Yet, before she could see more, Irene pulled her away, dragging her out of the room.

It took a few seconds before shouts echoed from inside. "Stop her! Fairy Tail, stop Levy from leaving this guild hall!" Confused glances were shot her way, but Irene did not move for the exit. Instead, she pulled her towards the bar counter, glancing back at Levy with a swift nod.

"We are where we need to be, correct?" Levy nodded, feeling cold. Irene glanced around, sensing for an enchantment. Meanwhile, members seemed to be hesitating, questioning if they should intervene or not.

"Levy?" Mira glanced at her, frowning. "What…just what did you and Master talk about?"

Meeting her gaze, Levy shook her head. "I'm sorry, Mira. But there's something I need to do, and it seems like Master will stand in my way."

With that, the guild seemed to realize what was happening. With a harsh grimace, Wakaba began, smoke swarming out from his pipe and reaching towards her. Yet, before it could even hit, Jet was there, rushing and slamming a fist into his friend. "Leave our Levy alone!"

"Yeah, if Levy's leaving Fairy Tail, so are we!" Droy joined in, glancing back at her. Her old team, they'd defend her too. She smiled briefly, before a tap on her shoulder pulled her away from the internal conflicts of the guild. She might not even have needed to bring the army. Either way, being prepared was best.

Irene guided Levy towards the basement, which had apparently been hidden in plain sight all along. "The enchantment was flimsy. Really, I haven't the faintest idea why they thought it could hide anything." Levy only nodded. She had to keep the goal in mind; the time rift would be stopped, and Zeref would be alive again. That was all she could focus on.

The noises behind them grew louder, likely as some members broke through to pursue them. A shot seemed to hit the wall next to her head, making Levy flinch and duck. "That was a warning shot. Stop right there, or the next one won't be so kind." Behind her, Bisca held her gun out, ready to fire more. Levy stared at her for a moment, before Irene blocked her view.

"So daring, interfering with our empress." She smiled, waving her hands in the air. A magic circle formed in front of them, which transformed with a pulse into a large wall. "Shoot as much as you'd like. You'll never get past my enchantments."

With a grimace, Bisca tried again, only to find that her bullets were stopped by a magical barrier. Irene moved to stand next to Levy, nodding. Together, the two of them wandered deeper into the basement, seeking out Fairy Heart. Yet, her friends were targeting her, this time when she was herself. She didn't know how to feel about that. Right now, she couldn't think about how to feel about it at all.

There were whispers, or at least distant voices, still coming from the hall behind them. Likely, Freed had arrived or something, because they started getting louder again. Yet, Levy was already there. The two of them stood before a massive lacrima, which was oddly familiar to Levy. Mavis remained there, frozen eternally in a preserved form, swimming in magical energy. "Once I begin this enchantment…you will be on your own to defend yourself. Are you prepared for this?"

Levy took a deep breath, nodding. Irene began, and Levy turned to face whoever was about to come. Bisca, of course, arrived first. "Solid Script: Metal!" With a shout, a massive block of words appeared, just as Bisca shot. They bounced of the metal with a loud ping, before rebounding into the wall behind the gunslinger.

Macao stood by her side, raising his own hands to attack. "Purple Net!" A fan of purple flames approached her, attempting to ensnare her. Glaring at it, Levy took a few steps back, moving around Mavis in the process. "Solid Script: Water!" The water collided with the flames, erupting in a bath of steam over her head. Ducking, Levy barely avoided getting burnt as the steam made her head start to sweat almost instantly.

"Purple Rain!" Another attack came, this one more destructive than the last. Wary of using too much magic, Levy tried to dodge this one physically instead. However, there were too many orbs of fire. In an attempt to dodge one, she ran into another and gasped, her shoulder burning from the contact. She clutched it tightly, grimacing and glaring at them.

"Explosion Cards!"

"Magic Shot!"

Multiple spells were coming now, as Cana joined in. More wizards were blocking the exit, and Levy was starting to see just how difficult this plan was, with only two of them. "Solid Script: Shield!" She dove behind her shield, breathing heavily. Irene was still separating Fairy Heart from Mavis…but Levy could feel the magic gradually shifting in her, growing stronger. She still had magic she had not yet tried, too. But just how far could she go to stop them? Even knowing they would not remember, could she actually harm her friends?

Before she had to decide, another spell came that startled her. "Meteor!" A shot of light burst through the crowd, colliding with Bisca and knocking her into the wall. Jellal stopped, landing next to her and giving Levy a quick nod.

"Sensory Link: Mass Spread!" Meredy stood behind them, holding her arms out wide. After a moment, pink bands seemed to encircle the wrists of all Fairy Tail wizards, leaving Levy unmarked. Yet, the wizard staggered after the spell was used, gasping and lowering to her knees. It took a lot of energy to link so many together, she assumed.

"Regulus Impact!" A shout came along with a glowing yellow light. One wizard somewhere in the back of the crowd was punched, and suddenly, all of the wizards in front of Levy were groaning, holding their sides. Loke approached with a half-smile, though it faded quickly. "I heard you were in a tough spot, Levy. Figured it was time for our team to try and stick together to help out."

Natsu wasn't far behind, based on the fire glowing in the hall. "Get outta my way! I wanna fight Erza or Laxus, not you guys!"

"Natsu…I think that maybe…you should calm down? I mean, this is still our guild…"

Nab was there too, though he was more calmly just following after the fire wizard. Still, hearing that they were still on her side had her smiling. Levy felt warm, and maybe, just maybe she could get through all of this without more problems.

Behind her, Irene slowly nodded. Her hands dropped, and Levy glanced down at herself. She hadn't noticed it, had she? But, she could feel it now. There was an energy within her, surging and begging to be released. "We have what we need." She glanced at Jellal, who nodded towards her. He was likely the most ignorant person here as to the goal, but he'd followed anyway.

"Alright! I get to fight then." Natsu grinned, pounding his fist into his palm. Then, he launched himself at poor Max, the nearest wizard to him. "Fire Dragon's Iron Fist!" He slammed a powerful attack into him, and with the link still active, the others reacted. Acting quickly, Levy began to rush forward. However, Fairy Tail would not go down so easily, even if their main members were away on other jobs.

Before she could get far, Levy ran into a wall with familiar lettering. Freed…he'd trapped her here. The words however, they should have been expected. Anyone in possession of Fairy Heart may not leave this room. Yet, she knew this magic rather well. Freed chose the wrong person to target with this.

Levy got to work quickly, rewriting the runes. Around her, Irene, Jellal, Loke, Natsu, and even Nab were fending off the other wizards. Granted, Irene and Jellal seemed to do most of the work. Irene pulled two swords out from sheaths on her hip. After a bit of magic…both of them seemed to transform, taking on new life. They fought too, using magic of their own and acting far more in sync than any wizards she'd ever seen.

Cana, however, seemed to have gotten creative in pairing with Macao. "Prayer's Fountain!"

"Purple Rain!"

Between the two attacks, Levy and her team were bathed in a swarm of steam…she braced herself for burns, but they never quite came. Instead, the steam vanished from site, along with any lingering fire from Macao's attack. Behind them all, on the other side of the barrier Levy had nearly unraveled, was August.

Finishing one last rune, Levy nodded, stepping forward and glancing at August with a nod. Behind him, wizards were all passed out, unmoving on the ground. "We did not have time to waste." She nodded, and saw him turn towards the others. "I saw sleeping magic of this nature a while ago. It seemed useful, to be aware of. While it only functions for a minute, it is more than enough time to get away."

With that, the rest of the Fairy Tail wizards collapsed, the fighting put to a halt. Levy began running, moving with her team quickly back towards the airships in Magnolia. Jellal paused to help Meredy up, their pace slowing as they tried to accommodate their weakened partner. However, the running became unnecessary rather quickly. August teleported them to the ship instead, all of them appearing on the one Levy had left from. "There are others to pilot the other airships. Right now, returning is our priority…so we can cast Neo Eclipse as quickly as possible, before Fairy Tail retaliates."

Levy nodded, sitting down and taking a deep breath. Right now, the first stage was done. She'd successfully managed to steal Fairy Heart, but the thought didn't come with any joy. To do so, she'd betrayed the trust of her guild and her friends. She'd fought against the people who she'd once considered family. Again, she found herself thinking about what this would do to her, once this was all finished. Fairy Tail would forget, but she'd be tormented with the memories of what had to be done to save them.

So, I know this chapter skipped ahead a bit, but I didn't want to spend too much time just planning all of this out. Having too much discussion and not enough actually happening sorta spoils what will actually happen with something like this, at least it does to me. So, I decided to omit Levy explaining her plan to Natsu, Lucy, and Nab to jump ahead to the actual attempt to obtain Fairy Heart. As quick as this battle seemed, I thought it would be believable given Fairy Tail hesitating to attack someone who they see as a friend and are confused about the motives of. Plus, quite a few members are missing on jobs, and Levy really did take them by surprise, with a team of even more Fairy Tail wizards and their allies, along with Alvarez. So, I thought that'd make it a little more believable for a faster operation to finish than what happened in the actual Alvarez War, where Zeref almost just seemed to want to give them a chance to win since he didn't actively participate in much of the battles until the end. That's just my interpretation though, so feel free to disagree. Please review and tell me what you think!