Levy rushed to Gajeel and Rogue, who collapsed against each other in a tangled heap. She saw Lucy run to Natsu, who crouched protectively over Laxus, and knew she could leave the two in her friend's care.
She skidded to her knees in front of Gajeel and ran her hands against his snout, looking for any injuries. Seeing none, she did the same to Rogue and the ground beneath her rumbled from their humming.
"We're alright, Shrimp. Just tired."
"But you could be hurt! Rogue gave you all his magical power-"
"We just needa nice, long nap." Rogue said with a sigh and closed his eyes.
She sniffed and rubbed her arm against her tears. "I was just so worried! I've never seen anything like that before."
"We've been taught that it is possible, but we've never had a chance to test it." Rogue muttered from the side of his snout.
"Then learn well, young dragons."
They all groaned in exhaustion and horror. Hades stood to his feet, body beaten and bruised, the edges of his clothes disintegrating into ash, and glared at them with a single, red eye. His hands glowed, purple runes slowly rising from the ground, and black energy surrounded him. Gajeel shifted next to her, trying to rise to his feet. She knew he would want her behind him, but now it was her turn.
She sprinted to the center of the field, stopping next to the crater her brother had made. Pulling the magic within her into her fingertips, she lifted her hands, ready to defend everyone.
"Idiot, what are you doing?"
"I'm not going to let him hurt you anymore," she called to Gajeel, never taking her eyes off the enraged man in front of her. He took a single step forward, the runes rising higher and widening until they circled the entire area. Tears pricked her eyes, but she refused to let them fall. She widened her stance, ignoring Gajeel's shouts and curses.
The ground shook, lifting her feet several inches off the ground. Her fingers quivered and her magic fizzled in the air. She didn't know what to write, how to counteract the strong pull of magic. The ground shook again. The tops of the trees bent and broke.
And a giant fist plummeted to the earth, crushing Hades beneath it.
The runes disappeared, the dark energy dissipated. She stood frozen, hands poised and ready to write, and stared at the twitching arms and legs under the fist.
"You dare to raise a hand against MY kingdom?" a voice boomed and the fist slowly lifted and shrunk in size.
"Father!" She sunk to her knees, relief making her body shiver with cold.
The rest of Makarov's body stepped over the trees, his hands still giant but not as massive as before. A large group of battle worn mages sat on his shoulders and Levy recognized many from the Mage Knights. Captain Erza flew down from her perch, looking fierce and regal in her white, feathery dress, with the woman who attacked Gajeel bound and trailing behind her.
The remaining mages followed their captain, captured dark mages falling to the ground in bunches, and formed a semicircle around Levy's group to make a protective ring between them and Hades. Her father plucked the man from the ground, glaring into his face.
"Why are you protecting these dragons?" Hades croaked, spitting out grass and dirt. "They're not even part of your kingdom!"
"You really think that I would just sit back and watch children get hurt?" The king's face was a mask of fury. "They're friends of my Levy, which makes them as much a part of Fairy Tail as she is. Now...get...lost!" He pulled his arm back and threw the mage with all his might. Hades' ear-shattering screams disappeared into the clouds with a twinkle of light.
"Now that your master is taken care of, fix what you have broken!" The anger in Erza's voice broke through Levy's shocked haze and she scurried to her feet.
Erza stood near Gajeel's snout, holding the woman by one hand and shook her in front of the dragon. Levy hurried to his side, concerned for his safety in the presence of Captain Erza.
"And what if I don't want to?" The woman sneered. Erza responded by placing her other hand on the woman's restraints and violently shaking her back and forth.
"Gajeel, are you sure you still want to go back? I mean, you said it was really hard being a human." Wendy crawled to Gajeel's side while Erza continued to convince the woman to comply with her demands. Levy stayed silent, heart pounding while she waited for Gajeel to speak. It was his decision to make and no matter how much she wished to be with him, she wouldn't force him to do something he would later regret.
Gajeel peered at her with one, large eye and she could have melted from the warmth she found. "Yeah, totally worth it if it means I can hold her in my arms again."
She laughed through her tears and hugged his snout. His body filled with warmth and light and soon she felt his strong arms hugging her in return.
He nuzzled his nose in her hair. "I'm never letting you out of my sight again."
"And how are you planning on doing that?" she giggled, pulling back to give him a light peck on the lips. She held back her laugh when his entire face and neck turned red at the affection.
He looked away, scratching his head with one hand but keeping the other arm firmly wrapped around her waist. "Well, you could always m-marry me?"
The tears she had been holding spilled over. She smiled at her dragon and tilted her head. "I'd love that!"
"ABSOLUTELY NOT!" Makarov roared, startling all of them to their feet. He took a step in their direction, his giant body booming.
Gajeel blanched and turned to run, his body shifting into a dragon. He launched himself into the air, but her father's large hand grabbed him mid-flight.
"You cannot decide these things for yourself! Did you even ask me for permission?"
Her father continued to yell, the thunderous lecture making everyone laugh in spite of its ferocity. Erza sighed in defeat and kicked a dark mage who tried to crawl away. Teammates cheered and clasped each other around the shoulders.
"Don't be celebrating yet," Erza said in her commanding voice, "We still need to rebuild everything you destroyed." Everyone groaned and Levy couldn't help but laugh.
"And did I see you eating my son's lighting?" Makarov thundered, turning his murderous intentions to Natsu. Levy held her hand against her mouth as she watched her friend unsuccessfully scamper away from her father.
"Let go of me, ya old geezer!"
"Do you know how much power that is? I don't care if you're the son of Igneel, that was too risky! What would your father say if I told him what you just did?"
From her place on the ground, Levy could hear Gajeel snort. "Yeah, Flame Brain, daddy's gonna get mad."
"No one asked you, Metal Head!" came Natsu's expected retort.
She slapped a hand against her forehead, bemoaning their fate.
Makarov took a deep breath, frightening both dragons into silence. "Would you two stop fighting!"
The two dragons were thrown through the air, their red and silver bodies a twirling, tumbling ball of wings and tails.
Levy cupped her hands around her mouth. "Don't worry, Gajeel! I'll convince him!" she called over their screams.
The clearing burst into another round of laughter. Levy looked around the area, a smile forming on her lips. Three dragons huddled together protectively and eyed her father warily and the Mage Knights collected the remaining Grimoire Heart mages and tossed them with their still unconscious friends. One of the Demon Mages, a tall woman with flowing white-blonde hair and wearing a maroon dress, helped Laxus to his feet. He limped to their father, his gaze catching hers. He looked at her with clouded eyes and she gave him a wide smile. His eyes widened and he smiled back, relief relaxing his face.
A soft mewling cut through the revelry, drawing her attention to the almost destroyed guild hall. Peeking around the corner, her heart melted when she saw four, furry bundles huddled together in a wooden box. She knelt, cooing and waving her fingers at the small kittens.
"Levy, what're you doing? The master is about to leave."
"Lucy, help me with these, will you?"
"Oh no, not again. Taurus." Her friend groaned, voice laced with exasperation. The bull appeared from smoke and his eyes almost popped out of his head when he saw the box filled with squirming kittens.
"Could you please carry these for the princess?"
"Of course! Anything for mmmmmmmy Lucy!"
Taurus carefully picked up the box and Levy ushered him to her father. Makarov knelt, raising his eyebrow at the meowing kittens, and waited for all the mages to climb on his shoulders. He scooped the exhausted dragons into his arms and Levy slid down to settle herself with her friends. Makarov chuckled and cradled them against his chest the entire way back home.
Just don't mess with Fairy Tail. You don't want to make Makarov angry lol! And more kittens? I wonder who they could be ;)