Everything was definitely not all right.
"I AM THE DRAGON ATLAS FLAME!" Sting stared up at the beast, speechless. An entire dragon, made of flames? And it was enormous. Was Weisslogia really this big? The fear was back, and in a big way. He was glad that they had convinced Frosch and Lector to hide back at the guild inn. Hopefully it was still in one piece.
"I AM GOING TO SHOW YOU THE FLAMES OF HELL!" A blast of fire shot from Atlas Flame's gaping maw, exploding in front of them and knocking everyone back. Sting threw himself in front of Rogue, protecting him from most of the blast, and landed on top of him. Everyone around him was coughing or crying out in pain, and he reached down to touch Rogue's face, checking him for injuries.
"You okay?" Rogue nodded, dazed, and let Sting help him to his feet. Sting looked down at his side and winced at the burn marks there. Rogue reached out a gentle hand, fingers barely touching Sting's skin, hand trembling with a mix of exhaustion, fear and awe.
Another blast of fire hit the ground next to them, tossing them both backward into a solid stone wall. Sting cried out in pain, breathing heavily. How were they supposed to stop this thing?
"SHADOW DRAGON'S ROAR!" Sting's gaze snapped up to see Rogue, merely a blurry outline in front of the wall of fire, exhaling a burst of shadows toward the dragon. Then Rogue began to run, the shadows sliding up his arms as he sprinted through the debris toward the beast's feet.
"Rogue!" Sting shouted, staggering to his feet, but his friend was too far away to hear him.
"Follow Rogue's lead!" Makarov was standing nearby, and Sting could see the rest of Fairy Tail swaying unsteadily around their master. "Aim for its feet! We have to take this thing down!" Shouts rang out throughout the crowd, and they charged. Ice blades sprung from Gray's elbows as he ran, while Juvia followed close behind, water floating around her hands. Laxus roared as lighting ran up and down his arms, and Gajeel's flesh began to harden into iron scales.
A strange feeling began to well up in Sting's chest, and he could feel tears catching in his throat. What was this feeling? He looked back to Rogue and could see the dark-haired slayer moving in and out of the shadows, slashing at the dragon and then disappearing again. Sting smiled – it was pride. Pride in Rogue, pride in these new people who let him in, and let him fight by their side.
"Ready?" Sting turned to see Makarov looking up at him, smiling gently, and Sting wiped his face, nodding. He clenched his fists and white flames sprang up around his body, filling him with a sense of comfort and stoking his fury.
He raced at the dragon, his fist encased in white light, and dodged under Juvia and Gray's Unison Raid, which seemed to bounce off the flame dragon with no effect. He could hear Rogue shouting somewhere near him, and he snarled, bringing his fingers together in front of him and generating a ball of holy light between his palms.
"Holy Ray!" He shouted. Extending his hands, he pushed the sphere in front of him, beams of white light flying out to pummel Atlas Flame's soft underbelly. The dragon roared in discomfort, but Sting could see that it hadn't taken any significant damage. It reared its head back and opened its mouth wide for another breath attack. "LOOK OUT!" Sting yelled, grabbing whoever was closest to him and slamming them to the ground as another blast of fire scorched the ground beside them, roaring through the street and catching a few Fairy Tail members by surprise.
"There's seriously SIX of these things?" He heard Gajeel shout over the noise. The iron dragon slayer was standing to his left, breathing heavily and waving dust out of his face.
"Look up!" Someone shouted, and they all peered into the sky, seeing one of the dragons in flight above the city. It was larger than the rest, and someone appeared be…riding it? A sudden flash of familiar flames on the dragon's back had Sting rolling his eyes. Natsu.
"Looks like that idiot managed to make it up there," he said, and Gajeel burst out laughing, only to be interrupted by a flaming wing coming down above his head.
"Everyone! Back into position!" Erza's commanding voice could be heard over the din, and Sting could see her, wrapped in bandages and leaning on her crutch, motioning for the other guild members to get behind her.
"Everyone okay?" Freed pushed himself up from under Sting's arm, and Sting scrambled to his feet, helping the rune mage to do the same. "Thanks for the save." Freed's hair was singed and blown back, and Sting marveled at the inky blackness of the eye that Freed usually kept hidden. He had generally thought of Freed as mild-mannered, but the man was anything but right now. He gripped the hilt of his sword and turned back to face the dragon.
"You have been hit by my flames and still live?" Atlas Flame's voice sounded less menacing and more curious, and everyone turned to look at him.
"INDEED!" Makarov's voice thundered behind them, and Sting turned to see the tiny guild master standing in the center of the demolished street, feet planted and eyebrows furrowed. He snarled and yellow light began to erupt around him, not unlike Sting's own White Drive.
"What is he doing?" A hand on his shoulder turned out to be Rogue, and Sting was so relieved that he grabbed the shadow dragon slayer around the waist and buried his face in his neck.
"I'm glad you're alright," he mumbled, words muffled by Rogue's tunic. He felt Rogue place a quick kiss on the top of his head, and then the two boys turned to watch Makarov. Sting's jaw dropped.
"How can he – he's ENORMOUS!" Makarov had grown quickly, body still encased in yellow light, and he was now almost as tall as Atlas Flame. Murmurs of awe filled the crowd around them.
"Get away from my FAMILY!" Makarov bellowed, beginning to run toward the dragon with enormous footsteps. His fist crashed into the dragon's face and the impact sent a shockwave backward. Sting clutched Rogue to him tightly, raising an arm to shield his face from the debris flying through the street.
"Did it work?" A young boy nearby called out, and everyone looked up at the dragon uneasily. Its fire began to wind up Makarov's arm, and the giant man stumbled backward, crying out in pain.
"No matter how much power you possess," Atlas Flame snarled, "You cannot beat a dragon." It then reared up on its hind legs and began to roar, blasting Makarov and all of Fairy Tail with its fire.
"Move!" Sting shouted, pushing Rogue behind some rubble and grabbing Freed and Bickslow, who were standing next to him. He managed to pull all of them down where it was slightly more protected as the fire raged through the street. Sting buried his head in his arms, the heat stinging his eyes and making him cough.
Screams could be heard throughout the cloud of ash and rubble. Small fires still roared where wooden carts once stood. Sting's heart was beating so fast, he felt like he might be sick. How could they win this? How could they defeat this thing?
"Sting." A soft voice, then a hand in his. Rogue squeezed tightly, then leaned over and pressed a kiss to his lips, a desperate kiss that felt too much like goodbye. He gripped Rogue's hands tighter, then they both stood and turned to face the dragon.
An enormous explosion rocked the sky, and everyone looked up to take in the blast atop Motherglare. The dragon roared in pain, writhing back and forth as magical flames licked her body.
"Did Natsu just-" Sting stared in amazement, then clapped his hands over his ears as a booming voice rang out over the city.
"DRAGON SLAYER MAGIC CAN TAKE DOWN THE DRAGONS!" Natsu's voice bellowed from up in the sky. "We've got seven dragon slayers and seven dragons!" Rogue's eyes widened and he turned to look at Sting. "Our magic exists for this very day! Dragon Slayers exist to fight this very battle!" A swell of pride filled Sting's chest, as he looked around at the guild. They were staring hopefully at him and the other slayers, and instead of feeling terrified by their gaze, he felt…proud. Proud of his power, of his heritage, of his magic. "LET'S GO DRAGON HUNTING!"
Another explosion rocked Motherglare, fire flying upward hundreds of feet and whipping around the beast. Sting raised his and Rogue's entwined hands in the air and shouted back, even though he knew Natsu couldn't hear.
"Let's take them down!" Laxus and Gajeel looked to him, both grinning as well. He could sense their elation, their hope. They could do this.
A sudden crash behind him brought Sting out of his euphoria, and he turned to see a white, oval object resting on the ground, surrounded by a cloud of dust from the impact.
"Are those eggs?" A short, white haired girl asked timidly, backing away from the one closest to her. Sting looked up and saw that they had come from Motherglare – some were still rocketing down from the underbelly of the dragon. Fuck, he thought, as one began to hatch.
A flash of lightning cut through the air, arcing from Laxus' outstretched hand and crashing into Atlas Flame. The fire dragon snarled.
"Move," Laxus said, voice hard. "I'll take this one." He slammed his fist into his palm and lighting raced around him, casting him in a frightening silhouette. "The rest of you do something about the eggs."
"We've got your back, Laxus," Freed said, moving to stand next to the blonde-haired man. A fond look passed between them. Evergreen and Bickslow made their way over to the duo, and Sting thought they cut quite the impressive sight – surrounded by lightning, backlit by flames.
"I got that one over there," Gajeel grunted, motioning to a form just north of their position. "You two head that way." He looked at Sting and Rogue and gestured to the south, where Sting could see two massive forms looming over the building.
"Got it," Rogue said, grabbing Sting's hand and breaking into a run.
The city would have been a mess of winding pathways if it hadn't been reduced almost entirely to rubble. The two dragon slayers sprinted through the destruction, heading for the outlines of the dragon ahead of them. Sting felt a thrill in his stomach – he was going to be useful. He was going to help. He was going to save people, and maybe start to make up for the horrible things he had done in the past.
He slammed to a stop when he saw who was fighting the dragon directly ahead of them. Orga and Rufus all stood in front of it, each badly injured. Orga's arm was hanging at an odd angle and Rufus was bleeding heavily from his side, but they both had looks of determination on their faces. Anger and betrayal rose in his stomach, desperately fighting against the elation and hope he had been feeling.
"I've got this one," Rogue whispered in Sting's ear, grabbing his hand and bringing it to his lips. "I'll be okay." Sting shook his head.
"I have to deal with this at some point," he replied, pressing his forehead to Rogue's and then kissing the tip of the shorter man's nose. "Go. Get that other one and bring it here. We'll fight them together." Rogue smiled and ran a hand through Sting's hair, then pressed a soft kiss to his lips.
"Back before you know it," he whispered, then ran off into the shadows.