Disclaimer: I am not the owner of Fairy Tail

The trip to Crocus didn't take long. During it, Levy found herself actually feeling relatively calm. It wasn't as if the demons were problematic, with them being made by her. August, however, wasn't quite available for company since he was operating the airship. That left Levy with Brandish, Dimaria, and Invel to speak with during the ride. The girls were talkative enough, though Invel kept trying to steer them away and focus on the plan instead. So, overall, the conversation was repetitive and not hugely interesting. Levy had gone over the plan far too much in her own mind to need to do the same in person as well.

"Levy!" Lucy smiled as Levy arrived. She pulled the solid script wizard into a hug, before standing back with a small frown. "How've things been going? I know they cant be easy, what with Zeref not…"

"As well as they can be." Levy gave her a weak smile, shaking her head. "Right now, I'm just focused on getting through this time rift mess. I'll figure out the rest, once we're back."

"Is he still insistent on his war?" Jellal spoke from within the room, frowning. "I was under the impression that he'd give up, once he realized he could not obtain the time rift for his use."

"No, but that doesn't mean he's really out of that mindset yet." She couldn't quite explain it, to those who hadn't really seen the differences between him at different points in time. "So, have we decided who all is going?"

"Well, I'm definitely not backing out of a chance to see our friends there again!" Natsu grinned, nodding towards her. "Plus, Luce and I went with you the first time, so we know that place just as well as you do."

"We've already discussed that I will not be going." Jellal glanced over at Meredy and Ultear. "And I feel as if it would be best for us to attempt and see if there is another solution we can determine on our end."

"As much as you may want to go in there with just you guys, I don't think I'd be happy with it." Dimaria glanced over at them. "You'll need someone who can fight, and unlike you Fairy Tail wizards, I've actually trained an army to fight, both with and without magic. So, I'm coming along, whether you want me there or not." Her gaze flickered towards Ultear, nodding. "Plus, having a time mage around on both sides of the rift…well, maybe I'll find something you guys just can't see."

"You sure? I'm not really certain, but I'm fairly sure you work for the person I'm going to try and negotiate with in the other world."

Dimaria snorted and crossed her arms over her chest. "That girl is not me, whoever she is. I'm gonna handle things my way in this other world, and this Mavis chick will just have to deal with it."

"Logically, it would be wise to minimize the number of people going. This will minimize our influence on this other world, so I believe it would be best to leave our team as them." Invel glanced over amongst them. "I will assist August, in retrieval if necessary. Nab, from what I've heard, you will remain as another back-up to even us."

"Me? Are…are you sure?"

Levy nodded, smiling over at him. "Don't forget, you're a member of this team too." He hadn't said much, but he was still a part of all of this anyway. "You made the spell that let this happen. If it weren't for you, we'd never have been able to travel to Edolas, Zeref would have stolen Fairy Heart, and the past we know would have been altered more than you can imagine." She took a deep breath, meeting his gaze.

"But…didn't…isn't it because of us that the time rift was unstable? They mentioned…that maybe our actions there changed things," Nab said.

"Even if it did, would you take them back?" Nab frowned, glancing down at the ground. Loke was still in the celestial world, but Levy knew who he'd think about with that question. It was the same for her, whenever she stopped and thought about what led up to this point. Personally, she'd never take it back. Knowing that she'd been able to reach Zeref, that he'd changed so much and had trusted her, loved her…it was enough, even if it did not come to pass again.

The animal possession wizard gradually shook his head, meeting her eyes. "No. I'm…I think it is better, like this. Loke and I are…doing well, and we're all a team now. I don't want to go back to how I was before, even if it would…make things better."

She nodded, smiling. "Then be proud of yourself, okay? Be proud, and trust in your magic. Because you can bring us back, just like August can." He nodded at her, his own smile growing.

Turning around, Levy focused on August instead, holding out a hand. He'd brought a bag with him, carrying the lacrimas they'd need to return, and fuel the body-swap between Edo-Zeref, Edo-Zera, and the demons she was transporting. "Dimaria, for now, it might be best if you assist in carrying them. Natsu, you can carry the other," August suggested. The dragon slayer complied, while Dimaria rolled her eyes. Still, with the demons in tow, August nodded and stepped forward. "I wish you luck. We will see you again, when you return. Hopefully, things will have gone well."

A portal opened, flashing inside of the room. Considering the small apartment, it wasn't surprising that they were all crowded in the corner to avoid falling inside. Slowly, their assigned team went through. Lucy, Natsu, Levy, and Dimaria passed into the portal. Like Levy had come to realize, the spell itself was disorienting to experience. Before, she'd always passed out, moving between worlds…yet this time, she seemed to have just settled for being dizzy. She stumbled, landing in the desert-like surroundings of Edolas, glancing around her. Natsu had fallen onto his face, while Dimaria seemed to have passed out by her side. The demons lay in crumpled piles on the ground, while Lucy seemed to be holding her head, shaking it to likely clear away her light-headedness.

"Lu-chan?" The blond turned towards her, before slowly nodded. "Looks like we're getting better at this, huh?" Levy gave her a slight smile, and Lucy sighed.

"Yeah, but I'm starting to understand how Natsu feels about trains now. I don't think I want to teleport like that again. I'm starting to get sick every time it happens now."

"Aww, it's not like we do it that often, Lu-chan." Levy smiled, patting her shoulder. "Besides, just one more trip and you can spend your time relaxing, writing your book and articles for Sorcerer Weekly. After all, it's not like the guild is officially back together yet, right? And I still need to read your novel one day."

"Well, I guess I better make sure I get to work on that. After all, I'm now almost a year behind on it, thanks to you. All of that progress…just gone."

"You'll get it back in no time." Lucy smiled at her, while Levy nodded. A groan came from Natsu, and the dragon slayer rolled over, looking up at them.

"Levy? Luce?" He sat up, sniffing the air, before wrinkling his nose and frowning. "Damn it. I forgot about this. No magic means I can't smell a thing."

"Well, who the hell wants to smell that well anyway?" Dimaria grumbled at him, rubbing her head and pushing herself into a seated position. "Damn. That's some spell, getting us here. Wasn't expecting it to hit quite like that." She glanced over, nodding at Levy and Lucy. "Either way, this definitely feels like the right place. Not an ounce of magic to be found."

"Actually, there might be a little bit." Levy thought back, smiling faintly. "The time rift connects worlds and some of the magic from our world was spilling into this one as a result, though not really enough to be noticeable."

"Well, either way, it's close enough to a place without magic for me not to care about the details." Dimaria glanced around. "So, as our designated navigators, where the hell do we go from here?"

Lucy and Natsu shared a look, before glancing around. "Well, I mean, it's not like we had a map or anything from our previous trips here," Lucy said.

"Yeah, we just walked until we found Fairy Tail," Natsu added.

Dimaria groaned, shaking her head. "I'm working with idiots, aren't I?"

Levy laughed, patting her shoulder. "I felt the same way, last time. It just takes some getting used to, but they're fun to be around…eventually."

"So long as we get this over with, I really don't care at all." So, with that, their team began walking. Dimaria lifted up the demon that looked somewhat like Zeref, at least. Levy tried not to look too closely, afraid of how similar it actually seemed. Natsu took Zera, and that left them all wandering, in search of familiar landmarks to either bring them to the Royal City, Mavis' lacrima, or Edo-Fairy Tail. Whichever one they came to, Levy figured they'd be able to start work from there, at least.

Much like before, the vegetation was thick, despite the strange climate. Part of her almost wondered if there was something here she could look at to benefit Alvarez. After all, their crops struggled, right? So, these plants grew well, and might have something that could transfer to Earthland. Yet, the thought had her shaking her head. Bringing plants between worlds was just another risk like informing Edolas about the Legions would be. They couldn't tamper any further with the course of events here than they already had.

Before, the guild had come into view first. This time, it was the city. Levy recognized the park, actually, gradually showing itself as they walked past the vegetation that grew more dense the further away from the path someone walked. Yet, going in the reverse direction, the vegetation cleared away, and Levy found herself gazing longingly at the bench there. She'd spoken with Zeref there, bonded with him for what was likely the first time. It was a comfortable place and just being there had her mind filling with memories of being at peace, just resting and ignoring the world by his side.

Even then, Edo-Mavis had interrupted things. Maybe she'd been their problem from the very start, without either of them even realizing it. However, blaming her wouldn't solve anything. Instead, Levy kept walking, moving into town towards the palace where Jellal would be. "We need to find Mystogan first, if we're here. I'll tell him what is going on…at least vaguely." She hoped he wouldn't demand answers, as to who the leader of Alvarez was. Levy needed Mavis to trust her for now, to be willing to cooperate and make some form of a trade.

"Well, we're not far." Lucy glanced ahead, nodding. "You sure you're ready for this? I mean, this doesn't sound like an easy thing to do."

It wouldn't be. Levy had to negotiate with Jellal, negotiate with Mavis, and complete an impossible task in a world where magic shouldn't exist. Right now, she was probably overwhelming herself. Yet, she also had more magic than anyone alive, with Fairy Heart. Plus, she'd learned from Zeref himself. If anyone in this group could manage to bring these two back, it'd be her. So, Levy nodded. They stood at the gates to the castle, with guards blocking their way in. Taking a deep breath, she looked over at one of them, who seemed confused at their presence. "Excuse me, but I would like to request a meeting with King Jellal. Tell him…that the empress of Alvarez wishes to speak with him." It would get his attention, while being as truthful as she could manage. The guard stiffened and ran off, while Levy inhaled deeply. She glanced at Dimaria, who nodded and stood tensely by her side. They would be ready for this and they would manage to stop the time rift, without causing further harm to either world.

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