Fairy x Adventure

by Magnafeana

In a new era after the Alvarez War, Lucy, Natsu, and the rest of Fairy Tail not only face new challenges but watch as their kids go on new journeys, learn new powers, and battle new enemies and old! Join Luna, Nashi, and the upcoming generation of Mages on Fairy Tail and more on their never-ending adventure!

15. Adventure 015

Disclaimer: I do not own Hiro Mashima's "Fairy Tail", but all original plots and characters are mine.

---

In a land far, far away lies the kingdom of Fiore, a small, peaceful nation of 17 million, and a place filled with Magic found in every home, bought and sold in every marketplace. For most, Magic is merely a tool, a mundane part of everyday life. For some, however, Magic is an art, and they've devoted their lives to its practice. These are the wizards. Banded together into magical guilds, they ply their skills in search of fame and fortune. Many such guilds dot the landscape of Fiore. But there is a certain guild in a certain town that soars high above the rest, one from which countless legends have been born. A guild that will no doubt continue to create legends well into the future. Its name...is Fairy Tail.

---

Previously, on Fairy Adventure, things didn't look too good when a breach in Freed's ruins happened. Thank goodness Master Erza has a cool head in times like these! Even if she did put Luna in the cellar… Meanwhile, big sister Nashi saves the day and catches Romeo up to speed. Still, looks like they've got some company. Nashi and Romeo can take care of it, but Igneel had to miss the fun and fly back to the guild—literally! Mystogan may have overdid it a little bit, but he is a Fairy Tail Mage after all. Shout out to Livy for saving Luke's life and— Wait! Does Luke have a crush? And it looks like Gale got some friendly company as Igneel crashed into his life. But never fear! The Fire and Iron Dragon Slayer swoop in from…somewhere to help out their sons and give them the encouragement they need to get to the church and kick butt! Anyways, Jay decides to come clean, but what's up with the Archaeological Society? And it seems like Gale is a little more game for this next fight than Igneel once they get to the cathedral. The host lets them inside his lair, but it's not the host they were expecting.

"Lance?"

"Are you ready to verse your mystery boss?"

You bet they are! And Igneel, I'm pretty sure you crashing into Gale didn't save his life…

---

Igneel was too shocked for words.

Gale said nothing.

Lance's smile widened. "Did I really surprise you?"

"But… Why?" Igneel rasped. "Why the Hell are you doing this? We're your guild mates. This is your home…your family…"

Lance gave a shrug. "All right. And?"

Igneel was physically taken back at the response. He took a step back and his head slowly shook. "'And'? That's all you're going to say? 'And'?" A growl was in his throat. "The Hell is wrong with you?" he snapped. "You're of Fairy Tail! You should act like it!"

"No. He's not."

Gale rested a hand on Igneel's shoulder as he glared at Lance. "This Lance isn't the same guy we've known all our lives." His hands tightened. There was noticeable anger in his voice. "He's nothing more than an imposter, a familiar." He bared his fangs. "And he's doing nothing more than screwing with our minds."

Lance cocked his head in amusement. "You're alwaysssssss ready to be the pesssssssimist, aren't you, Gale?" he chuckled, flicking a forked tongue. He rolled back his cloak and his sleeve to reveal a naked arm. "But, here. I'll amuse you. A familiar bleeds black, correct?" His nails pressed onto his skin. "So, tell me…"

SLICE.

Igneel's eyes widened.

Gale's breathing hitched.

DRIP.

A drop of red stained the altar.

DROP.

Lance's smile turned maddening. "…why do I bleed red?"

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Maji desu ka SUKA!

•

Donna toki demo POJITIBU de

meccha KIRAKIRA hanasakasou

•

Kitto itsuka wa FAMIRII wo

Shoukai sasete ne

Urusakutte mo yurushite

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Gale was the one to come to his senses first and growled at Lance. "Cut the bullshit act," he snapped. "You aren't Lance."

Igneel agreed as anger took over him. "Lance would never—"

"Attack his own hometown and endanger the many lives of this place?" Lance guessed. "I don't know. The famous Bolt himself, the railgun of Fairy Tail, isn't quite the rebellious type, is he? He's the nice, family man. Beautiful girlfriend. Yesssssssss…" He looked at himself. "I quite like this body and the memories it gave me." Static came off his palms. "And the Magic is a nice touch."

"A body and memories and Magic you stole," Gale snarled at him.

"Temper, temper. I thought dragons stole too?" Fake-Lance teased. "From my knowledge, you stole someone's choice, didn't you? Oh, yes. Yes, you did. All those years ago…"

Gale lunged at Fake-Lance. "Son of a bitch!"

Igneel tried to stop him. "Gale—!"

Fake-Lance gave a little smirk and snapped his fingers. "Down, boy."

A black collar wrapped around Gale's neck with a chain that shackled him to the ground. Like a wild animal, he struggled against his collar to get to his attacker. He violently jerked his body and let out snarls and hisses of discomfort and anger.

"There now," Fake-Lance sighed. "Be a good boy."

Igneel rushed to Gale's aid. "Hold on, dude," he pleaded.

Fake-Lance snapped again and Igneel was in the same predicament as Gale with a collar on his neck and being chained to the ground. His hands tried to rip the collar away from him.

"Much better," Fake-Lance purred. He turned his attention on Gale. "Let's get back to you, little dragon. Let's see what makes you tick." He held out his hands and threads of darkness with static shot from his palms and latched onto Gale's temples.

Gale let out a roar. "Get out of my head!"

"Be a good boy and stay still," Fake-Lance instructed. "Oh, your soul is so dark and your memories are even more so. I especially enjoy the ones about you doubting yourself. You wanted to grow up just like your father, didn't you? Well, pity you couldn't do it. You have become a disgrace. A disappointment of a son."

"Get out!" Gale roared as he bucked wildly from his collar. "Get out of my head!"

Igneel tried to get to Gale. "Calm down!" he ordered. "We'll get out of here!" He lit his hands on fire to a combination of emerald and red. "Give me a second. We'll—!" His words were choked off when chains and cuffs shackled his wrists and ankles to the floor and flattened him. A muzzle was put on his mouth, muffling his words of anger. He struggled and squirmed, but nothing worked to loosen his restraints.

Fake-Lance rolled his shoulders. "All right, let's see here…" His eyes brightened. "Oh, I see… You've been a little protector, haven't you? You did such a great job all these years up until the summit. She actually rejected you there. And then, you let her fall into Zagan's trap. She was nearly captured. She was hurt. And there was nothing you could do about it."

Gale's noises became more beastly. "No!" he roared. "Out! Get out!"

"And what's this?" Fake-Lance mockingly gasped. "Oh, I see now. Looks like you got into a fight with your coworker and she saw some things, didn't she? She saw the monster you truly are."

"Nnngh! N-No!" Gale howled.

"And then, there was that whole Borus incident," Fake-Lance narrated. "Let's see here. Oh, human trafficking? Never understood the affairs of humans, but it's an interesting practice. Exchanging money for people? And, he almost got away with it too. Looks like you couldn't really be her hero again, huh?"

Gale belted a deep snarl that had shifted from his voice to something darker, nastier, deadlier.

"And she rejects you again," Fake-Lance said cheerfully. "So, let me get this straight: you're a disgrace to dear daddy and you're a failure to your little, blonde princess. Quite sad, really." He shot Gale a pitiful look for all the wrong reasons. "You're never going to be good enough, little dragon. You're never going to play the hero."

Gale shrieked and gave beastly words of anguish.

Fake-Lance smiled. "Is that what you want? You want to be the hero in this little fairy tale?" He laughed. "You're so stupid. You, a good guy?" He increased the intensity of his curse and Gale doubled over in pain in an agonizing howl. "Dear, little dragon, don't you know what you are? You're the villain in this tale. You…are the failure."

Gale placed his knuckles on the ground.

His teeth gritted.

"I said…"

An aura of countering black pulsed around him.

He lifted his head.

Glowing ruby matched taken back emerald.

He panted two words.

"Get – out."

With a deafening roar, Gale's Magic burst from him.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Fairy Adventure 015

Chaos at the Cathedral

電気大聖堂！私たちは正しいことをするために感情を克服しなければなりません

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

It was a wave of black that forced the curse away from Gale and killed his collar and chain. It washed over Igneel and broke his restraints, freeing him. It hit Fake-Lance and made him shout in alarm and all onto his butt.

Igneel coughed as he shakily got to his feet. "What the Hell was that?" he croaked. He glanced over at Gale and concern flooded his gaze. "Dude?" he called quietly.

Gale breathed heavily as he pushed himself up. He staggered to stand, but did so anyways. "Stay out of my head," he panted.

Fake-Lance quickly wiped the fear from his face in place of his arrogance. "Well, the little villain of the story is finally taking to his role. I'm touched."

Gale kept panting. It was not out of exhaustion. It was out of rage. When he spoke, his words were precise and thick with a cool seethe. "Get this through your thick skull, asshole." His eyes burned with such hate, it could make your stomach curl. "I – am not – a failure," he snarled. "Who the Hell gives a shit if I'm the bad guy?" His fists clenched. "I don't care if I'm the bad guy in this story. But…I know she doesn't think I'm the bad guy. She doesn't think I'm the failure."

"Don't. You're not a failure."

His mind flashed to those blazing chocolate eyes so fierce, and those words that were reinforced in sincerity and passion.

"You've made something of yourself and you've trained hard for it. You're a Fairy Tail Mage. We don't believe in failure. And neither does your dad. So what if Galileo and Livy went into Iron Magic? So what? Nashi decided she was more suited for Divine Soul. And even though Igneel went into Fire Magic, our dad is just as proud of him as he is with all of us. And Luke went into Illusion Magic even when he showed signs of Celestial Spirit Magic. But my mom still trains with him and couldn't be prouder. No one gives a damn what Magic you study. They care about what you do with it. And what you've done has made everyone proud of you. Your family is proud. Our guild is proud. And I'm proud of you too."

"And I know for a fact," Gale continued, "that my dear old man doesn't think I am either."

"You've done me and your mom proud ever since you were born and I want you to remember this, so listen closely. I don't know what you're going to see in that church. Could be Hell. Could be something else. Whatever it is, you can get by it. You're not just a Fairy Tail member—you are my son. You ain't going to lose."

"You've got some balls to take over our guild mate and our friend," Gale went on. "Hell. You've got some balls thinking you could waltz into this town. But, this is as far as you go, asshole." He pointed at Igneel. "This idiot and I need no help kicking the ass of some little shit like you."

Igneel found himself stomping about comically with a tick mark on his forehead. "I'm right here, you know! Don't talk about me like I'm not!"

Fake-Lance cackled at that and gave a little clap as he stood up. "Well, well, what a nice speech," he complimented, dusting himself off. "But, really, words are just words. How about this? You want me to leave this town?" He narrowed his eyes at Gale. "Give me what I want."

"No." Gale snapped the word on instinct. "She stays here."

"She comes with me or this town you call home won't even exist," Fake-Lance decided. "Your choice. Please, try and be smart about this. I don't usually negotiate."

"That's because this isn't up for negotiation." Igneel spoke in a loud growl. His defenses went up at the mention of his sister. "My sister stays her where she belongs."

Fake-Lance's eyes flashed to him. "I'm sorry, I'm full on bullshit. I don't think I need anymore."

Igneel found his flames dancing around his person. "You think this is a game? My sister's life? The lives of civilians?" he snarled. "You're a sick freak. No one is leaving anywhere besides you. Lu stays here."

"So, you want to actually play the part of 'big brother' now?" Fake-Lance gave a mock bow. "I commend you. After all these years, you finally decide to step it up as her family. Well done."

"The Hell are you playing at?" Igneel snapped. "I've always been her family."

Fake-Lance straightened up and shrugged. "True. But, how much of a brother have you really been to her?" he wondered.

Igneel got confused at the question and that confusion fueled his anger. "The Hell are you—?"

"Always so busy with your life to really take a moment to look at hers," Fake-Lance sighed. "Sad, really, just a tragedy having to watch such a young, pretty thing like her having to fake her way through life just so she doesn't tie the rest of you down." He waved his hand and screens surrounded Igneel, all of them with Luna's expressions of smiles and her assurances. "She puts on such a brave face, but we all know that's a lie," he went on. The expressions of Luna changed from smiling to ones of unhappiness and loneliness. "You've abandoned your own sssssssisssssster," he hissed. "You've left her to be alone. You left her to become unhappy."

Igneel shook his head to clear it. "No," he said, though it sounded like he was convincing himself. "No, I… I didn't do that to her. She's my sister. I wouldn't—"

"There, there, Igneel, no need to be upset," Fake-Lance soothed. "She's got her friends to keep her happy. In fact, she has someone she's grown particularly close to." He waved his hand and the screens merged into one screen in front of Igneel and Gale. There was a picture of Luna laughing with Cane as the two of them fed birds at the park. "Ah. Aren't they quite the pairing?" Fake-Lance jested.

"They're friends," Igneel spat. "Nothing more."

Fake-Lance held his hands up in mock surrender. "All right, all right, I believe you. But…"—he raised an eyebrow—"with her alone, how are you to know what she's up to?"

The screen shifted to a video. It showed Cane and Luna under a sakura tree with their lips moving against each other in harmony.

Gale growled and punched the screen so it disappeared into black dust. "Shut the Hell up," he snapped. "You little shit. I know how things like you work. You want us good and angry so you can control us however you want. We ain't falling for it."

"She… She…"

Gale turned to see Igneel simmering in red flames. He was shaking with so much rage.

"No, she…" Igneel was struggling to say any words. His eyes were beginning to burn into a different color. "She… She's…"

"Igneel, cool it down," Gale soothed. "It's okay. It's not real. None of what he's showing us is real."

Igneel's eyes snapped onto Gale. "How do you know?" he snarled. "He's right, Gale. He's – right. I haven't been the brother I should've been to her. I… I abandoned my own little sister! Do you know how sick that is? How wrong that is? She's my sister!"

"You're right, dude, she is your sister!" Gale yelled back. "But, she is way stronger than you think she is! She isn't so fragile that you going on one mission is breaking her! That's bullshit if you think that!"

Igneel was taken back at the raw emotion in Gale's voice. His flames died down a little. "I didn't—"

"Blondie might not be able to control her powers, but she's a Hell of a lot stronger than you or me," Gale raged. "You think her being upset with life is just about you? Get over yourself! It's not just you! It's everything! How about the fact that she never had a magical bone in her body and now she has crazy powers that overwhelm her? How about the fact she doesn't even know if she belongs in Fairy Tail because she feels like she isn't as brave as the rest of us when that's complete bull? How about the fact that her life was kept inside Magnolia and she wanted to go with you on your adventures, but never could? Huh? Did you think about that?

Igneel's flames completely died. He hung his head in shame. "No, I didn't," he whispered.

"Get your shit together," Gale snapped. "You want to be a big brother? Dumbass, you already are one and a damn good one to her. You, Luke, Nashi—you come back from your lives and tell her about your adventures. You are still there for her. Maybe she needs you guys a little more, then fine. But, you have given her more than you could ever know." He let out a loud sigh and softened. "Just be there for her, Igneel," he requested. "She just needs that. That would be enough."

Igneel felt his eyes glisten. "I—"

CLAP. CLAP. CLAP.

Gale and Igneel turned to a highly-amused fake-Lance.

"Good performance. You could make it big," Fake-Lance chuckled. "Had me almost crying."

As Igneel rubbed his eyes, Gale snarled at Fake-Lance. "I don't know what the Hell your deal is, but screw off. Magnolia is not your little toy, so stop playing with it and our lives. Fairy Tail won't let you get away with this. The second they come through those doors—"

"Oh, I'm ssssssssssorry. Did you think I was stupid enough to let those doors actually lead into my new home?" Fake-Lance chortled at that. "Wow. You humansssssss really are dumb."

"What are you trying to say?" Igneel demanded.

Fake-Lance hummed, tapping his chin. "Hmm. Well, let me see here. If the humans try to open the door, they'll be in a church, all right. But, not this one. It's the beauty of gateway spells. But, that little Wizard Saint would know all about it, wouldn't she? Since she specializes it and all."

Gale found himself growing angrier and angrier. "You're bluffing," he called.

Fake-Lance raised an eyebrow. "Am I? You're not going to trust your own guild mate on this? You don't believe me when I say you two aren't even on Earth Land anymore?"

Igneel was perplexed. "Then, where are you?"

"Try the bottom of an ocean," Fake-Lance responded. "Lovely place. If you'd like to see it, why not go through the doors yourselves? Though, you'll instantly drown, but I'm not complaining."

Igneel shook his head. "No, that's not possible." He refused to believe it. "We can't be—"

"Oh, believe it, little Dragneel," Fake-Lance encouraged, raising a hand. "Let me break this down so it makes more sense to a simple-minded human such as yourself. You two—"

He snapped his fingers.

Something dropped from behind Fake-Lance and onto the altar that made Igneel and Gale's stomach's curl. It was a statue. It was unreal. But it looked so lifelike. A man was strapped to a cross with nails in his palms and feet. His eyes were dull. No pupil. No iris. No nothing. His mouth was open in a terrified scream, but spewing from his mouth was black water with the reflection showing crumbling souls with no body of their own. Spikes wines punctured the skin of the statue, marring him and his beauty.

And that statue was Lance.

"—are trapped." Fake-Lance snapped his fingers again.

Black vines squealed as they lunged at Igneel and Gale.

---

The Fairy Tail Cellar was filled with faces of confusion staring at Jay.

Levy nodded, though slowly. "The Archaeological Society? Yes, we know them. More Lucy than any of us."

Jay seemed to have expected that answer. "I'm sure you've heard of Jean-Luc Neville?"

"Yes." This time, it was Erza who answered. "The society actually helped us stop an item called the Infinity Clock long ago."

"And you know Mister Neville has a son, right?" Jay wanted to verify.

Erza nodded. "Again, yes. Pierre sent the request to bring back his own grandson."

"But, I'm guessing you didn't know that Pierre wasn't an only child. He had a sister."

The room was quiet at the news.

Jay divulged. "Her name is Priscilla Neville, but she goes by Priscilla Olivier. She took her mom's last name. From what I remember, she loved history as much as the society. She grew up around it. But one day, she discovered something in the ruins they were studying in. She discovered a secret library filled with books about the old times of Earth Land, some dated back to before Ishgar separated into countries. But one thing stood out to her. A legend about beings so powerful they could easily destroy a country at the drop of a hat. The symbol of it all was an eye. It was a strange symbol, but it was important to her." He paused. "She grew obsessed."

Jay shifted his position. "She brought it up to the society, but they were old-timers more interested in exploring the world and its anomalies. They rejected her. And she was angry. That night, she left the society and ran off. Pierre had already left the society at the time, but she went to him for help. But he had told her he was done with the society since he had a family. That got her angrier. She ran off and decided she would start her own society called the Sisterhood of the Eye. It was a women-only group dedicated to research about the 'Eye' and anything connected to it. Soon, men got interested and the group changed to the Children of the Eye. They devoted their lives to this symbol, to this pointless cause."

He snorted and had a humorless smirk on his face. "Even my own parents."

He collected his thoughts and pushed himself to continue. "Many of those people in the little cult didn't have children, but my parents were one of the only few. Don't get me wrong. I know they loved me. But when they found out that I had photographic memory, I became more valuable to their cult and, mainly, Priscilla. I would be sent into places the cult couldn't reach and gathered as much information as I could before I drew it out for them to examine. And from everything I gather, this whole cult revolves around demons and their little pets too. The demons the cult obsessed over were creatures that buried themselves deep in the ground, like seeds. Each one comes from a stone the cult calls a 'd-stone'."

Luna instantly felt in her pocket and curled her hand around the gemstone. "You mean like this?" She brought out the gem and opened her palm.

Jay's eyes widened and he went to her. Carefully, he plucked the gem from Luna's hand and examined it in wonder. "Where did you get this?" he whispered.

"From my first mission," Luna confessed. "I faced a demon named Zagan and he turned into that. Is that a d-stone?"

"Yeah." Jay looked at the gem as though it contained the answers to the universe. "There was a theory about these stones. Demons can't live in other realms without something to bind them to the realm."

"Like a spirit," Levy inputted. "Spirits can't come into Earth Land without their own key or a relic."

"Exactly like that," Jay agreed. "These stones enable demons to come back to Earth Land. But, in theory, only with a massive amount of Black Magic and negative energy."

Levy frowned. "I was right, but I wish I wasn't."

"With the demon defeated, can it still come back through this stone?" Erza needed to know.

"Without a power source filled with Black Magic, they shouldn't be able to," Jay assured.

Mira supposed, "Which means Luna should hold onto them. Just to be safe."

Luna looked unsure at that. "A-A-Are you sure I should?"

Mira nodded. "I have a feeling no demon will be able to come back with you holding their stone."

Luna nodded, though confusedly, and slipped the gemstone back into her pocket.

Erza hummed and looked at Jay. "Please, proceed."

Jay hardened as he carried on. "Priscilla was pretty obsessive when it came to hunting down those pretty, little gems, but no one knew how to get to them. There weren't any clues to finding them."

Erza seemed in thought about that as he nodded. "I see," she murmured. "So, the question is: what is the reason for these demons to come out? What are they trying to accomplish?"

This time, Jay had no theory to answer with. He gave a noncommittal shrug. "That little cult doesn't even have the answer to that. Nothing they've salvaged says anything about what demons are designed to do."

Erza took that into account. "Orias collected children. Zagan experimented on humans. But, what is their true purpose?" She looked at Luna. "Tell me, Luna: have you any recollection of how you defeated Zagan?"

Luna tried to remember as her eyebrows furrowed. "I'm not too sure," she confessed. "I was just…really angry, I guess. It was kind of a blur afterwards."

Erza took that into account as well. "Jay, Levy, any thoughts?"

Levy spoke up. "It's like a spirit, right? If the demon is weakened enough, it'll be forced to go back to its own world."

"But, when Nashi defeated Orias, she didn't receive a gemstone," Mira pointed out.

"Maybe she had weakened Orias, but didn't defeat her," Erza proposed. "For all we know, Orias and countless of other demons are out there. Even if we don't know the aim of them as a whole or individually, we can still stop them." She gave Mira a firm look. "We must contact Draculos about this and report straight to His Majesty and the princess. We have no time to lose. Set up an appointment straightaway."

Mira stood up and bowed. "Yes, Master." She began to rush out.

Erza told Levy. "When this is over, we need to convene with Freed and contact the other guild masters. We have to know if they've encountered anything strange over the past few weeks."

Levy nodded and bowed. "Yes, Master. I'll get straight on—"

BAM.

The cellar door slammed open to reveal a frazzled Nashi and Romeo and a solemn Laxus.

Erza stood up abruptly and as did Luna. "Laxus, what—?"

"Master." Nashi spoke up. Her eyes shouted to be listened to. "You need to see this."

°•°•°•°

The roof was the only place they could see it and, by God, did they see it. Kardia Cathedral was mutilated. The place of peace and worship and justice had been dragged down as a place in the Underworld. Black vines had grown on the cathedral. They were an invasive species, but still made their home there regardless. Jagged spikes pierced through the ceiling and walls to ward off those who came to close. Gargoyles protected the church, not angelic statues.

Mira's eyes hardened. To see her so serious made you feel odd. "I can feel demon energy coming off it," she reported. "It's strong."

Erza did not take her eyes off the cathedral, but addressed Laxus. "Does this have anything to do with the breach?"

Laxus gave a quick nod. "There was no breach for the cathedral, but familiars are flooding the streets. We have incoming reports for Mages and the mayor himself wants to speak with you."

"Understood. I will have a meeting with him via Lacrima in my office at once," Erza promised. "Do we have a count of how many Mages are here and how many are missing?"

"Gajeel and Natsu are out doing damage control. Without them, we have around twenty Mages on the streets," Laxus reported. "We know their positions currently except for three. Warren has just got in and is on standby, ready to pass on any message you have."

"Who are the unaccounted?" Erza inquired.

"Gale Redfox, Igneel Dragneel, and—" Laxus paused. He looked at Mira with a broken expression. "Lance Dreyar," he finished.

Mira paled. "Oh, no…"

Levy gave a frustrated laugh. "Of course he would be missing. He's just as bad as his father."

Nashi consoled Levy with a hand on her shoulder. "He might not be at the cathedral," she tried to soothe.

Levy sniffled. "He would, though. Igneel too. Those boys are just like their dads and we both know it." She shook her head. "I'm going to get gray hairs before I'm fifty," she swore.

Erza came to a decision. "The mayor and I need to talk. Laxus, I want you to find those who are good and strong and make several search parties. I want Freed to send them each to their own location. Have Warren establish a link between the guild. Keep everyone informed. Let the guild know about our plight with these creatures, but give nothing away about the demon in the cathedral."

Nashi had to object at that. "But, Master, they have to know," she insisted. "It's not right—!"

"And they will," Erza soothed. "Soon, Nashi, very soon. On my orders, Mary Jane, Julia, Mara, Orochi, Evergreen, Elvin, Lisanna, Kinana, Levy, Reedus, and Max will be in the guild along with Wendy. Eloise, Pim, Pulan, and Poseidon, and any guests and employees we have remaining in Fairy Tail will remain as well." She looked at Laxus. "Move them all downstairs to the recreation room before you make the announcement to the guild." She looked down at Luna. "You will remain here as well."

Luna's jaw dropped. "But, Master—!"

Erza was already on the move with everyone following after her. "We move now. We have no time to waste," she barked.

Luna watched them walk away with her frown upset and eyes helpless. "But… But, I…" She let out a quiet sigh. "Right. I'd just be in the way," she mumbled.

Jay was the only one who remained at Luna's side. He lifted her chin and downtrodden chocolate connected with mischievous jade. "Duchess, don't worry. If you don't want to sit on the sidelines, then I'll make sure you don't."

Luna looked uneasy at that, but that foolish glimmer of hope was in her eyes nevertheless. "I don't know," she drawled. "I'd probably just get in the way. My powers—"

"Can stop a demon," Jay reminded. "You deserve to be out there."

Luna started shaking her head." No. Look, Jay, it's okay. I'll be fine," she assured. She brought herself out of his hold and headed towards the spiral steps. "Come on. Let's just go downstairs, okay?"

Jay watched Luna walk away with a frown before trailing after her.

But his fists were clenched.

---

Gale rolled out of the way as more vines tried to attack him. He stomped a foot and raised his arms, creating a wall out of the checkboard marble that surrounded him. The vines shrieked as they wrapped around the marble and tried to break it down. He gritted his teeth as he kept his wall together. "Got any ideas, Dragqueen?"

Igneel did a backflip onto the back of a bench, maintaining his balance in a hand stand. Vines, however, caught his wrist as he tried to flip off, making his eyes widen comically and his body slam into the floor. He groaned as the vines began wrapping around his body. His eyes went 'round and 'round as his head went from side-to-side. "No, MJ, I'm want ta cuddle s'more," he whined woozily.

Gale growled. "Oh, just freaking great." He brought up the marble from underneath him as a launch pad just as the vines crushed his wall. He jumped away and onto a pill. His hands easily dug into the rock so he would not fall. His eyes went to Igneel who was being swallowed by vines. He rolled his eyes. "You dumbass," he hissed.

As Gale jumped from bench to bench to get to Igneel, Igneel found himself drowning in vines. He let out a giggle. "MJ, no, that tickles," he mumbled.

Gale lifted his hands. "Quartz: Rose Sword!" The cutlass sword of rose quartz—it was a slashing sword with a straight blade and a solid-cupped guard—was conjured in his hands. He landed on clear ground and slashed and hacked at the vines wrapping around Igneel. "You"—slash—"freaking"—slash—"dumb"—slash—"ass!" He freed a woozy Igneel and shook him angrily. "Wake the Hell up!" he barked.

Igneel groaned as he saw stars rotating around him and three Gale's glowering at him. "Nnngh. What happened?"

Gale saw the vines were beginning to coil like poisonous snakes and hardened. "You fell flat on you face like the idiot you are and nearly knocked yourself out," he groused. "Get your head in the game."

Igneel shook away the dizziness. "Right. Yeah, you're right." Determination flooded his onyx eyes and his mouth curved into a hard frown. "I'm in the game. Honest.' His lips twitched into a smirk. "Don't get all worried on me now, rocky."

Gale smirked back as he created another marble wall to surround them. "Worry about you? I'm worried about me having to save your sorry butt." He began punching the wall and shards of marble shot from the wall and at the shrieking vines.

Igneel began punching out balls of red fire at the vines and they squealed in terror. "My butt is not 'sorry'," he snapped back.

Gale laughed. "Tell that to the devil woman, since you, you know, want to cuddle with her more," he teased. "'MJ, no, that tickles'," he mocked, mimicking Igneel's voice. "Ring any bells?"

Igneel clapped his hands together and stretched them apart to make a whip out of his violet flames. He lashed away the screaming vines. "Shut up," he grumbled. "You're just jealous because you don't have a partner as cool as her."

"Like I'd want a partner like her!"

Igneel whipped away more vines and they shrieked. And that was when something made sense to him. He watched as the shrieking vines shrunk and dried out as they were drenched in flames. Most of the vines shifted the brunt of their attacks to Gale who made sure to dish it back to them.

The vines… They might not just be vines after all…

A thought crossed Igneel and made him grin. "Yo, assface!" he crowed. "I think I can take care of this alone! Just keep close, all right?"

Gale tossed Igneel a suspicious look. "What are you—?"

"Red…!" Igneel chanted out of the blue. Flames roared as they washed over his body and prepared to explode.

Gale paled. "Wait a second, man, don't—!"

"…Burst!" Igneel finished. The flames exploded off his body, fiery and wild. For a moment, everything blurred for Igneel in a pan of red. But, once his flames left him, it was the result he was proud of. The vines that had tried to kill him and Gale had shriveled and began to disintegrate into black particles. Igneel grinned and pumped a fist. "Hell yeah! Told you that would work!"

A hoarse cough. "You idiot."

Igneel turned to see Gale coughing smoke with soot splattered on his body. He gave Igneel a ruby-eyed glare as he dusted the soot off him. "Next time, give me an actual, goddamn warning before you decide to blow yourself up," he hissed.

Igneel laughed sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck. "Oh. Guess I'm still controlling the entire effects of my spell, huh?"

Gale coughed more smoke as the marble sunk back into the earth. "You think?"

A smirk. "Aren't you two just too cute together?"

Gale and Igneel whirled to see fake-Lance smirking at them with that leer. He cracked his knuckles. "Well, let'ssssssssss take this body for a ssssssssspin, shall we?" Black static radiated off fake-Lance as he raised his hand. "Oh, yessssssssss," he hissed, pleased. "Thisssssss feelsssssssss nicccccccce."

Igneel's eyes widened. "He knows Lightning Magic?"

"We established earlier this episode, dumbass," Gale snapped.

"Wild Lightning Storm!" Fake-Lance chanted. The cursed lightning bolted from his body at every possible angle, gurgling and hissing death threats and talk of murder.

Gale growled as lightning destroyed the farce of a cathedral around them. "Shit."

Both Mages did their best to stay out of the way of the lightning bolts. Igneel ran and slid to hide behind a bench. Lightning lashed at his bench, but he stayed low to the ground and held his hands on the back of his head. Gale rolled to Igneel's opposite side of the aisle and hid behind a bench. His lips were hard-pressed. He flinched as lightning killed everything it touched. He peeked to see what was going on. Fake-Lance laughed as though it was the funniest thing in the world.

Gale thought hard.

I can't fight against lightning. I don't know any effective spells. Earth doesn't fair well against lightning, but…

His eyes shifted to Igneel. A plan formed in his mind.

I don't have to have a spell. I just need to have smarts.

Gale ducked as another bolt of lightning struck above him, shattering wood and marble. "Igneel," he shouted.

Igneel peeked up at Gale, though flinched when his bench was under attack. "Yeah?"

Gale formed a fist with his hands. Then, he held up three fingers. Then, he pointed downwards.

Igneel frowned. He pulled himself up to a crouching position and nodded.

Gale held up three fingers, then counted down to two, then one, then—

—the two of them jumped from the bench with Gale in front of Igneel. Instantly, Gale held up his arms in a x-formation. "Diamond Shield!" From the center of his arms formed a round shield made completely out of diamond. It was large enough to give both boys cover and for their opponent to not see them whatsoever.

Fake-Lance could not help but be amused at their attempts. "SSSSSSSSSo cute. You thhhhhhink you can get away from me?" He parted his hands and a ball of lightning and static came together in the space in-between his hands. "Photon Sphere!" he chanted. The ball of black lightning threw itself at the diamond shield and broke into an array of black lightning and chaos.

Gale grunted at the force of the attack, but the shield did not let up. He broke his arms from x-formation to put his hands on the ground. He smirked. "Just what I thought. No water underneath the ground, just plain dirt. Just my luck."

Another ball of lightning hit the shield, but the shield did not let up.

"Well, get digging," Igneel snapped.

Gale shot him a glower. "Don't rush me," he barked back.

"Photon Sphere!" Fake-Lance chanted. Lightning struck the diamond shield, but did not break it. Fake-Lance could only cackle. "I could keep thissssssss up all-day, humansssss! Photon Sphere!" Ball after ball of lightning crashed into the diamond shield. Lightning bounced off the shield and did not dare put a dent on it.

Then—

—it cracked.

Fake-Lance laughed even more as each sphere of lightning created a crack in the shield. "Thisssssss isssssss the end for you, humanssssss!" He charged his next sphere to be even large than the others, its static lashing out everywhere and nowhere. "Photon Sphere!" The large ball of lightning shot towards the shield and hit it.

And, the shield completely shattered.

Fake-Lance gave a shout of victory. "There, now. You two are almost too easy for me to kill!"

But, that was when time slowed.

Fake-Lance watched the shield disappeared only to reveal no humans looking at him in terror. There was only a small hole in the center of the aisle. His eyes widened. "What—?"

The ground in front of him opened.

He tried to look down, but he caught nothing but flames in his vision.

Igneel burst out of the hole with his red flames surrounding him and his eyes fierce with determination. He circled his arms, then cupped his hands in front of his body. "Red…"—he pushed his hands towards Fake-Lance—"…Flare!"

And red flames consumed both of them.

---

Everyone in the Fairy Tail guild seemed distraught as they gathered in the guild. They murmured amongst themselves. Macao and Wakaba smoked as they considered the possibilities of this situation. The younger Mages, while worried, seemed to challenge each other to whomever could take down the most opponents. The older Mages could feel the shift in the balance of light and darkness and conversed how this felt like it did decades ago. Cana was with Cane and Lisanna who managed to keep the triplets under control as all three could feel the negative buzz in the air and clung to their mother. Freed kept Liberty close to him, though her black cat seemed on edge and snuggled into her stomach as though for comfort. The guild door opened only for Evergreen, Eloise, Elvin, and Justin to pour into the room. Elfman and Ellie went straight to their family while Justin headed towards Freed with an urgent look for his adoptive father. Aisha clung to Penelope lovingly while Sheila and Wendy offered each other worried looks as Wendy. Mary Jane sat by her lonesome and listened to music, but Mara and Orochi stayed close with Kinana. Luna kept her head down as she sat with Nashi, Luke, and Lucy. Jay sat next to her as Cane sat across from her, laying out cards for his tarot readings. Mystogan had fled to Aine's side who was being comforted by Ena.

Laxus stepped on stage with Mira at his side and Freed on his other. He cleared his throat and the entire guild quieted for him. His eyes were hard as he addressed them. "These are orders from the guild master herself so listen up," he barked. His tone commanded silence and obedience and Fairy Tail and their guests gave them that. "The following will report to the recreational room downstairs and will be placed under Mirajane's command: Mary Jane, Julia, Mara, Orochi, Evergreen, Elvin, Lisanna, Kinana, Levy, Freed, Reedus, Luna, and Max will stay behind with all children, employees, and guests of Fairy Tail. Anyone Wendy considers unfit to carry on will stay here as well without question. Evergreen, you will be Mira's second-in-command. Warren, you will also stay. I will brief you on your specific missions later. Go now."

The guild hall was moving fairly quickly. Mira began gathering the Mages and heading to the door. The employees of Fairy Tail were swift to help shaken guests of Fairy Tail to the doors leading downstairs. The Mages in question headed downstairs after they said their good-byes to friends and family. Wendy went to Aisha who seemed worried she would be leaving Penelope so soon. Lisanna gave Bixslow a sweet kiss and he gave her a gentle smile and brushed the bangs from her face. He knelt before his three boys and ruffled each other their hair, giving them words of encouragement. Eloise gave her father a huge kiss and told him and Ellie how brave she knew they were going to be while Elvin glanced at Mary Jane who refused to speak to anyone. Orochi and Kinana were helping Mara down the steps already with Orochi carrying his sister while Kinana took the wheelchair.

Luna got up from her position with a tentative smile, but as convincing as she could be. "Well, I better be going," she supposed. Her tone was bright, but her undertone was upset. She gave her family a careful look. "Please, be careful," she pleaded. "Come home soon, okay?"

Lucy hugged Luna and gave her a kiss on the forehead. "We'll all be home before you know it," she murmured. "Just believe in us."

"I always do," Luna murmured back. The two let go of each other for Luna to sweep her gaze among her remaining family members. "I love you guys."

"We love you too, Lu," Luke confessed back. "Stay safe for us."

Luna nodded and her smile turned feebler. "I will. I promise." She turned around. "Come on, Jay. I'll show you the recreational room." And she walked away without knowing if Jay followed her. She got to the group of Mages and employees and guests and waited for her turn to go downstairs. But, before she could move up the line, a hand yanked her and made her squawk in surprise. "Hey! What's hap—?" Her voice was cut off as a hand covered her mouth.

Words tickled her ear as she was dragged behind a pillar against the wall, unseen by the other members. "Don't say a word. Just come with me."

The hand let go of Luna's mouth slowly. She turned her head to see Jay behind her and her eyes widened. She opened her mouth.

Jay held a hand up to silence her. He merely pointed.

Luna followed Jay's finger only to see it was pointed at Laxus. Laxus waited for every Mage, employee, and guest to leave the main hall with Freed and Levy being the last ones out. As the door shut, Laxus straightened and the guild mates of Fairy Tail silenced their buzzing theories and conversation.

"Listen up, you brats," Laxus boomed. "We have a dire situation on our hands. Our home has been invaded by creatures made of Black Magic called 'familiars'. As we speak, they are flooding their way through the streets and trying to invade the homes of the people we are here to protect. We can't allow them to succeed, got that? We owe Magnolia too much to let it fall to the hands of this bastards! You understand?"

Fairy Tail agreed to Laxus' words with rowdy shouts and applause.

Laxus gave a rare smirk. "Now, we're talkin'," he said with pride. "This is the guild these bastards will remember. They're going to know who Fairy Tail is and how stubborn as Hell we all are. We're going to show them you don't mess with our home and get away with it."

A chorus of "Aye, sir!" and words of encouragement flooded through the guild hall. Some had begun banging on the tables and chanting, "Fairy Tail!" to signal their approval.

Laxus chuckled and raised a hand. "Settle it down, you brats, the master is in an important call and we don't want her to be angry at us for disturbing it."

Many of the guild members were grinning, but they settled down at his command.

"The master has order I divvy you up into several fighting parties," Laxus relayed. "I will assign several team leaders. Team leaders, you are to see me and I will give you the positions Freed will be sending you to that has the most concentrated areas of familiars. Search parties will be sent afterwards to ensure the safety of the citizens. When I call your name, come to the stage: Lucy, Gray, Juvia, Dazzler, Mustang, Mystogan, and Thirteen are my fighting leaders. Ellie, Justin, Penelope, Ghost, Number Five, and Cana are my search and rescue leaders. Upfront, now."

Jay and Luna watched as those Mages were already meeting at the stage. Laxus walked towards them and took a knee, expression grave. He gave swift orders to them all with words too low for them to hear.

"What are we doing?" Luna whispered. "Why didn't we go downstairs with the others?"

"Come on, Duchess, you're not really going to hide in the basement, are you?"

Luna turned around to see Jay looked down at her with furrowed eyebrows.

"I mean, Duchess, you've slain a demon," Jay pointed out. "Don't you think you deserve to be put on the frontlines?"

Luna shook her head and a well-practiced smile was on her face. "No, no, Jay, it's fine," she assured breezily. "I'll have my chance someday. I'm just too weak to really make a difference and what I did before was a result of dumb luck. I'll get my turn someday. Just watch me."

Jay softened at Luna's words. "You don't have to pretend around me, Duchess," he murmured.

"But, I'm not pretending," Luna told him. "I—"

"What you want the most is a chance to prove you're just as strong as everyone else, isn't it?"

Luna faltered. But, she forced her smile to stay where it was. "Don't be silly. You don't have to prove yourself in this guild. We're all strong and we all do our part here." Her smile may fake her assurance, but it was her eyes that could not. They were dull and despondent. "I mean I'm not even trained to be a Mage. I was always trained to live the life of a normal person. I don't have any real experience in fighting or being strong or brave like a Fairy Tail Mage… I'm just… I'm just…" Her smile dimmed as her crestfallen gaze landed on Jay's chest. "I'm just…the normal of Fairy Tail with nothing more than dumb luck," she muttered.

"You are way more than 'normal', Duchess," Jay reassured. "You are so much more than that. Do you know how strong you have to be to defeat a demon and live to tell the tale? Crazy strong! 'Dumb luck'? I'm sorry, but from what Nashi tells me, this guild was based off 'dumb luck'. All of you here, no matter what power or Magic or gender, are incredibly brave for doing what you do. For being yourselves and making the most out of life."

"Yeah, well, my 'life' has been stuck inside one town," Luna reminded.

"So, what? You've been stuck inside one town? Well, the one town you're 'stuck' in needs help," Jay pointed out.

"And it's getting actual help from actual Mages." Luna spared Jay a sad smile. "I'm not an 'actual Mage', Jay. I've got powers, sure, but what am I supposed to do with them? I don't remember what I did last time, not exactly. I'm not trained. I can't keep up with my own best friends, let alone a guild full of strong people. And I know I sounded really pathetic and whiney and I should be thankful for everything, but right now, I just want to go downstairs and see if I can help Aunt Ever watch over Eloise, okay?" She took a step away from Jay. "So, just… Leave it alone, okay? Let's just do as we're told."

Jay's eyes softened, disbelieving and sympathetic. "Duchess…"

Luna turned her back on Jay and came out of their hiding spot just as the team leaders went to grab guild mates for their teams. She slipped into the doorway leading downstairs and abandoned Jay.

Jay sighed. "I'm not giving up on you, Duchess." And he followed her path to the door.

---

Miss Monics worked in her office. It was a spacious office with her own desk and files and shelves. Pictures of her and her two sisters and their parents were draped around the office. The families and lives her two sisters have were shared via photographs hung and framed on the walls. Nieces and nephews and brother-in-law and new and old boyfriends—they all had their own place. A Lacrima-Vision played the daily news on-screen and she diligently worked on her paperwork as the news anchors became only white noise. She was a nervous and young thing of pale skin, short brown curls, freckles, and red-framed glasses, all while keeping a professional look of blouse, skirt, blazer, and heels. She had that awkward habit to tap her foot when there was no music for her to play.

⌜magic council

Name: Iris Monics

Age: 25

Occupation: Executive Assistant of Councilman Draculos

Likes: Autumn Dislikes: seafood

Special Note: Miss Monics may not be used to Draculos' disappearing and reappearing acts, but she is definitely used to the paperwork of being an assistant! ⌟

DING-A-LING-A-LING-A-LING. DING-A-LING-A-LING-A-LING.

Miss Monics gave a startled cry as the Communication Lacrima at her desk rung furiously. She scrambled to answer it—her hands were shaking—and keep her composure. "H-H-Hello?" she answered.

Someone spoke on the other end.

Miss Monics' eyes grew wider. "U-Um, yes! Please, hold!" She pressed a button to hold the call as she set down the Communication Lacrima. She pressed another button with her shaky finger and the person picked up her call within a moment's notice. "Um, sir? You have a call for you on line one," she informed. "They say it is about an attack in Magnolia?"

"Thank you, Miss Monics," came Draculos' appreciation. "Put them through."

Miss Monics nodded. "Yes, sir." She did just that by pressing the button to end her call to her superior and another to patch the caller to him. She hung up her own Communication Lacrima before sighing. She leaned back in her chair. "An attack on Magnolia Town… I wonder what could've happened…"

°•°•°•°

Draculos' office was darker than night. There was a big window that allowed light in, but Draculos kept himself swept in the shadows with only his eyes and shade of head to be seen. His eyes landed on the glowing Lacrima Ball on his office desk. "And you are certain of this?"

"Yes," came a crackling voice. "I saw it with my own eyes."

Draculos nodded. "Thank you for your information. It has been noted." He approached the Lacrima Ball and tapped it. The glow died and it resorted to a regular Lacrima Ball. He turned around with his cape fluttering and turned to the window. His eyes held that coolness no one but him could master.

Fairy Tail, Magnolia… So, it starts where it all ended.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

Fairy Adventure

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

A cough. "Now, Master Erza, I thought we had made an agreement since last time."

Erza looked at the screen that floated above her desk. A simple man filled the screen. He was a short man, old in every right beside his personality. His black hair had gone from salt and pepper to completely silvery-snow. His thin mustache had bushed into a white beard. But, his dramatic flair of a butterfly tie and magnolias in either breast pocket had never left him.

⌜magnolia town

Name: Alan Elric

Occupation: Mayor

Likes: butterflies Dislikes: wasps

Special Note: Mayor Elric may have aged in these last decades, but his passion for butterflies and Magnolia Town will never die! ⌟

"We did and we do, Mayor Elric," Erza promised. "Things did not go as expected of today and I severely apologize for the error once again. I have Mages whom will engage in the enemy and others who are on the move to rescue any civilians who need help."

"And that is much appreciated, my dear, but we both know that is not the true issue," Alan coughed.

Erza sighed. "I know." And she really did. "How much time do you believe we will have?"

"The guards here have already contacted the nearest station," Alan informed. "I have made no call to the knights, however." He coughed. "But, I cannot promise someone else hasn't. You're still in the same amount of danger as before."

"From the Fiore headquarters to here will take around two or more hours by train," Erza predicted. "But, if they use a Lacrima Transit Crystal or a warp pad, then I fear they will be here sooner than before."

Alan softened. "You will do just fine, my dear," he coughed. "Don't worry about the Magic Council. I will handle them. They may have much say in the Magic World, but in this town, they have to go through me to get to the fairies who protect this town."

Erza gave a smile. "Thank you, Mayor Elric, for your support and for everything. I promise, sir, we will do everything in our power to make Magnolia safe again."

"I don't doubt you, Master Erza," Alan assured. "I best be going. My secretary is getting nervous with all the calls coming in. Best wishes." With a cough, he was gone from the screen that disappeared.

Erza leaned back in her chair and sighed. She closed her eyes as she thought thoroughly through what was happening. As her eyes cracked open, she murmured, "I never thought the day would come again. I thought this was over." Her smile turned a tad bitter. "But, then again, when in Fairy Tail is anything simple?"

Master. It was a Warren's voice. His thought to her was simple, not at all pressing on her thoughts. The teams have gathered with instructions and departed for their sectors and as have rescue teams. A link has been set up. Each team leader is linked to each other, myself, Laxus, Freed, Natsu, Gajeel, and you and each team members is linked to their team leader.

Erza sat up, hardening. Very well, then. Fighting leaders, check-in.

Thoughts swarmed around her.

Lucy, checking in.

Gray, checking in.

Juvia is checking in.

Dazzler, here!

Mustang, checkin' in, ma'am.

Mystogan, checking in.

Zatana, here and checking in.

Erza nodded. Good. Status report. Have you engaged with the enemy?

A chorus of affirmatives rang about her.

I have no idea if and when a squad from the Fiore Guard nor an Anti-Magic unit will be here, but we must act swiftly. Do what you must to take care of them, Erza instructed. Search and rescue leaders, check-in.

Ellie, checking in.

Justin, alive and still beautiful.

Penelope, checking in.

Ghost, checking in.

Robin, checking in.

Cana, checking in.

Status reports on all teams, Freed, now, Erza commanded.

Search and rescue have been successful, Freed relayed. All injured are to evacuate to either the hospital or to the guild hall. Already members have cleared out tables and benches and chairs in place of cots.

Excellent. Laxus, I want Olivia and Pink to collect Porlyusica and bring her to the guild, Erza decided. Wendy and she shall tend to the wounded. From there, both of them each may have two runners of their choosing to help any injured teams.

On it, Master, Laxus obeyed gruffly.

Erza got up from her desk and began to walk out of her office. If we can spare anymore, we must post guard over Magnolia's borders to ensure—

Consider it done, Master, Freed interrupted. I have casted my ruins around Magnolia. No creature may get in or out of this town.

Good work, Freed, Erza applauded. Her thoughts went directly to Freed, Warren, and Laxus. I will join Natsu and Gajeel soon. The three of us will storm the cathedral and bring home our own.

I'm coming too, Laxus decided. My boy's in there, Erza.

Erza thought about it. Fine then. Laxus, you will take my place in the battlefield. You, Natsu, and Gajeel will storm the cathedral with back-up of your choosing.

Understood. Will do, Laxus assured.

This may just be one demon instead of an empire, but with it, it has brought an army into our streets, Erza spoke. We will not allow what happened once to happen to our home again. We will protect our home and our own. You have my word as the guild master and queen of the fairies.

---

Gale was quick to grab Igneel after the attack and drag him back into the hole that was quickly covered up once again. Fake-Lance was left cowering back with his arms covering himself. He slowly uncovered himself to see he was in perfect condition. There were no scorch marks on his body or even a drop of char. The only things covered in ash and soot was the altar surrounding him. In his triumph, he let out a laugh.

"I guess you still have a little soft spot for your little guild mate, huh? How adorable," Fake-Lance mocked. "He certainly was a weak one." He stepped off his pedestal and down the steps. His eyes swept over the allegedly empty cathedral. "When I came in here, he got all mad and kept spouting he was of Fairy Tail and how he wasn't going to let me hurt his friends." He snorted. "Bunch of bullshit. That's the difference between your inferior race and mine. Unlike humans, we are not weaklings who need companionship to thrive. We just need a mate to give us purebred kids. Isn't that nice?"

A shadow moved from the corner of Fake-Lance's eyes and he whirled around with a thunderbolt hurtling at it. Parts of the pillar broke off, but no one cried out for help. Fake-Lance took a step and glanced at the pillar.

Nothing.

He kept walking.

"I guess that is a plus to my race," Fake-Lance continued to boast. "We just need something to give us children to survive. Maybe I will take on a human mate."

He passed another row and red eyes pierced through the shadows before flickering away.

"There are many females for me to choose from," Fake-Lance drawled. "From the memories I gathered, it seems like this one has a mate." He licked his lips. "She's pretty, for a human. Shame she can't use Magic. Maybe a different mate then? Let me think here…" He took another step and a puddle of water formed beneath his feet. He kept walking and the puddle bubbled and began to create a tower of black water. "From your memories, it seems like you both have strong connections to the women in your family. So, I wonder…" Fake-Lance stopped walking with a smirk on his face. "Which one will bring one of you closer to me?"

Silence.

Fake-Lance bubbled with mirth. "Huh. You want to play it that way, huh? Then, let's play. Young ones need their mothers, right? Then, let's try this on for size."

"Hello, Master," came a dull duet of greeting.

Fake-Lance turned around to see two women staring at him with blank eyes. They were Levy and Lucy in their casual wear. Their faces were blank and it looked like they were not even breathing, even living, but they were there nonetheless. Fake-Lance strolled up to them and placed a hand on either woman's cheek. "Now, aren't you two beautiful humans?" he teased.

Eyes glared at Fake-Lance from a downwards angle as Fake-Lance caressed the cheeks of the two women. He sighed. "I don't know. I like my mates fairly young. New blood. Makes them all the more enticing. As much fun as it would be to steal the mates of two dragons, I'll leave you two to one of my brothers," he decided. He let go of the two women and they wavered as they shifted back into towers of black water.

Another pair of eyes watched Fake-Lance from in front as he tapped his chin and thought hard.

"Hmm. That didn't work," Fake-Lance pouted. "Well, both of you have older sisters you are close to. Fresh blood, young and strong. Let me get a good look at them in person."

The towers of water molded themselves into females once more. Colors was added to them to reveal they were Olivia and Nashi. Their expressions mimicked their mothers', blank and dull. Neither even reacted as Fake-Lance slid his hands onto their waists and kept them there.

"Now, thisssssssssss? I can work with," Fake-Lance decided. "From the memories I collected, little Livy is the one called the 'Iron Maiden' while my little princess over here is an angel. They both have incredible strong wills that would be such a pleasure to break." He rolled his eyes. "Then again, Baal likes breaking spirits more than me. He would kill me again if I took a strong-willed female as another mate. He likes to break their spirits, make them lose their fire and every ounce of power in themselves." He sighed as his hands drifted upwards to cradle their jaws. "Such a shame," he bemoaned. He pressed his nose into the crook of Olivia's neck while his hand on Nashi lowered onto her back and towards her butt. "You both smell so nice and have the perfect bodies to give me children."

The eyes watching Fake-Lance from the ground narrowed as a low snarl accidentally came out. It was snuffed before it could get out of control.

Fake-Lance dropped his hands and walked away as Olivia and Nashi melted into towers of black water. "Ah, well. Can't believe neither of you came out to punch me for that. Seriously? You're making me run all out of options!" he complained.

He stopped.

He smirked.

"But, I think this last one will do the trick," Fake-Lance decided. He turned around to watch the towers of water combine into one. They bubbled and shifted as they sculpted their next piece of art while Fake-Lance grew giddy. "Oh, I think I'll like this one and so will you two," he went on as the water finalized its shape and filled in the color.

Igneel—he was strapped to the ceiling with his Purple Flare on his hands, feet, and knees, sticking to the ceiling, and his scarf tied around his mouth—dropped down his head—

—and his eyes widened.

There was Luna. Her expression was stoic and her body was lifeless, but she stood in the cathedral with a purpose.

Gale recoiled underneath his bench, ruby eyes sharp, and his lips curled in a silent snarl.

Stay in control. Stay in control. Stay in control.

Fake-Lance clapped his hands and laughed in happiness. "Oh, she's perfect!" he blurted. He rushed to her as though she were a new toy. His hands went to her shoulders and slid down. "Yesssssss," he hissed. "Nicccccccce. Very niccccccce." His hands traveled to her waist, but did not stop. "From the memories I've gathered, she's the submissive type. She pleases others. Definitely my type. Baal can't get pissy with me now. He hates subs. Ah, but she'd be perfect for little Halphas. He's young. Hasn't even had one little whore to screw. Sitri is possessive over her little boy, anyways. Doubt he'll get any action until he finally reaches seventeen-hundred." Fake-Lance leaned into the crook of Luna's neck and sniffed her. He shuddered as he let out a lecherous moan. "I'll give you to him as his next birthday present. Right after I finish making you my little mate," he decided. He moved to her cheek and his tongue darted out to lick her. He hummed, pleased. "I've never had a human mate. I wish I could actually taste you. I bet human females taste even better than the females in other realms."

Igneel's body shook as he tore his eyes from the scene to shut them tightly.

He's just trying to wind us up. He's trying to get us to come out. I've got to stay calm.

A loud snarl rippled through the air.

Igneel's eyes shot open to look down.

Fake-Lance's smirk broadened as he pulled away from Luna. "I see we have an audience," he figured out. "Always more exciting when someone is watching, isn't it?" His knuckles trailed across Luna's cheek. "The memories of you are so precious, so sweet. But, some of those memories aren't so sweet, are they? It looks like you encountered a monster."

Fingers dug into the marble and clawed at it.

"A red-eyed monster, I think," Fake-Lance went on. "It was awful for you. I can see you cried at all the bloodshed. But, don't worry, little human, I won't let something like that stand between us." He leaned closer to the stoic Luna's lips. "It will be just you and me for as long as I want you."

Ruby eyes gleamed.

"Forever," Fake-Lance whispered against Luna's lips.

Gritted, fanged teeth.

"And ever," Fake-Lance finished before pressing his lips into—

An explosion startled Igneel, but did not startle Fake-Lance. Igneel turned to see a panting Gale had come from the smoke and rubble. Igneel hastily pushed himself off the ceiling to land on the ground. He joined Gale with a look of annoyance mixed with worry.

"Dude, what gives?" Igneel hissed. "The plan was to bait him and go stealth, not reveal our—" His words stopped when he saw the look in Gale's eyes.

The feral look in Gale's eyes.

Igneel's annoyance faded into more concern. "Gale?" he called quietly. "You okay?"

Fake-Lance smirked and spun so he landed behind Luna. "Oh, look, dear, the mighty dragon has come to save you," he announced in feigned proverb as he rubbed Luna's shoulders. "Such an epic tale between the knight and dragon to battle over the beautiful princess!" His lips kissed the back of Luna's neck, but his eyes were set on Gale. "Don't worry, my princess, I'll save you from the ferocious dragon," he murmured.

Igneel flinched, grinding his teeth. But, he shook it off. "Ignore him, remember? None of it is real. Lu, she—… She isn't here." He was trying hard to get through to Gale. "I know it's hard, but we have to remember that."

Fake-Lance groaned as he threaded his hands through Luna's hair. "Igneel, she's just as real as you and me," he assured. He nosed his way into her hair and gave a deep sniff. "She smells real," he moaned. His hands moved from her hair to her cheeks. "She feels real." He pulled back go in front of her and examine her up and down. "She looks real." His lips came to her neck. "Let's see if she tastes real," he decided.

Gale let out a deep snarl and bolted for Fake-Lance.

Igneel ran after him, wide eyed. "Gale!" he cried.

Gale did not listen as he charged for Fake-Lance. His eyes were the same eyes he had when he fought Vito. Black energy swirled around his hands to form his scythe. He let out a roar as he jumped in the air. His scythe cracked off his Magic with his blade ready to tear into flesh.

Fake-Lance grinned. "Ah-ah-ah. Not so fast, Earth Dragon." He snapped his fingers.

Luna darted in front of Fake-Lance with her blank face just as the blade came down.

Gale landed on his feet and halted.

The blade was about to hit Luna, but it stopped.

Fake-Lance cackled as he massaged Luna's shoulder. "Isn't this ironic? The princess, here, is saving me from the big, bad dragon!"

Gale gritted his teeth as his hold on his scythe shook.

Fake-Lance kissed Luna's neck, though she remained stoic. "You see, my darling princess will do anything to defend her knight-in-shining-armor," he informed. "She'll kill if she has to. Can you do the same, dragon? Can you slay the princess you so desperately want to protect?"

Gale tried to fight against his instincts. He tried hard to lower his blade. But, he could not.

Igneel watched Gale from his distance. His eyes were as torn as Gale felt.

I know she isn't my sister, but… Dammit. What are we supposed to do? We can't fight her.

Gale allowed his scythe to shatter in his hands. He dropped to his knees with his head bowed, hair covering his eyes. "I can't do it," he whispered.

"Oh, but she can," Fake-Lance sing-sung. He caressed her shoulders. "Come on, dear princess. Slay the evil dragon of this fairy tale."

Luna raised a hand as black vines curled around her arm. She blankly pointed at Gale, charging her attack.

Igneel's eyes widened. "No!" he barked. He began to run to Gale. "Gale, get out of there!"

"I'm sorry, Blondie," Gale whispered. "I'm so sorry."

"Kill him," Fake-Lance whispered. "Kill him."

"Gale!" Igneel howled. "Get your head out of your ass!"

Fake-Lance snarled as he glared at the approaching Igneel. "SSSSSSSStupid human!" he snapped. "You're no fun anymore. Why don't you just die already?" He raised his hand towards Igneel. "Bye-bye, human." And lightning shot from his fingertips.

Time slowed down.

Gale's head darted up to see black lightning heading towards Igneel and his eyes widened.

Igneel tried to skid to a stop as his vision was consumed with lightning. His flames were beginning to react to his situation and began to bubble from his skin.

Luna shot the vine towards Gale's throat.

Gale managed to hit Luna's arms up to avoid the attack and scrambled to his feet. "No!" he roared.

Fake-Lance smirked in triumph.

Igneel brought up his now blazing hands to shield himself—

—but it was too late.

Black lightning pierced through Igneel's shirt and hit his stomach, forcing him back. He hit a pillar and his mouth opened in a wordless cry as lightning struck him, electrocuted him, burned hm. He felt every cell in his body awake and screaming in pain. Even his own flames were whimpering in pain. He could feel something numbing him. Something ate at his body from the inside, trying to claw at his bone and flesh. His eyes shut. They could not stay open with everything that hit him at once. His hearing dulled. His sense of smell was gone. Everything overwhelmed him. Everything tore at him.

Gale ran towards him with eyes glowing in worry. "Igneel!" he roared.

Fake-Lance laughed as waves of lightning burst off him. "No one can sssssssssstop me now!" he shouted. "No one!"

Eventually, the thunderbolt turned into harmful static. Igneel fell from the pillar and crumbled in a heap on the floor. He groaned as he tried to clutch his stomach.

Gale skidded to a halt near Igneel and got to his knees. He turned Igneel onto his back to inspect the damage. Igneel's shirt had been torn, burnt off right down the middle. Deep red burnt his midsection in the form of a demonic star. The lightning had pierced his skin to draw blood, but not enough that it showed any muscle and fat. Regardless, the wound was as ugly as it was deadly. Igneel gritted his teeth as his eyes squeezed shut in his torment.

Gale's jaw worked, but it was hard for words to come out. "Igneel," he choked.

Igneel grunted. "Nnngh…"

"Stay awake, Igneel," Gale snapped. He was terrified, even if he sounded angry. "You have to stay awake. Please, man! Don't you dare fricken die on me!"

Igneel could only groan as static rained on his body.

"Isn't it beautiful, my dear?" Fake-Lance purred. "The death of another human." He stroked her hair. "Too bad we can't kill all of them. If it wasn't for Zagan and his little experiments, they'd be dead by my hand. No matter. More the merrier."

Gale stood up.

His fists were clenched.

"You bastard," he whispered. "You sick bastard."

Magic cloaked Gale's hands, swirling around them.

"What did he ever do to you?" Gale whispered harshly. "What did any of us do to you?"

Fake-Lance arched an eyebrow. "'Do'?" he repeated. "Try existing." His finger trailed over Luna's jaw. "You poor, primitive creatures can't survive on your own. You colonize and reproduce like cattle and use Magic like it's within your right. Well, it's not. Humans don't understand how the universe truly works." He spread his hands, gesturing to the broken shadow of a cathedral. "But, with the help of a higher race, humans can understand their true calling to serve! We can teach you how to finally use the powers you were given for a greater good!"

"'Greater good'?" Gale snarled at that. "You think this is the greater good? And 'higher race'? Don't make me laugh! Your race is nothing but monsters who get their sick kicks off sadism." His ruby eyes glowered into Fake-Lance's emerald ones. "I hope you rot in Hell for everything you've done. You didn't just mess with Fairy Tail—you messed with my friend. He might be a dumbass, but he's my friend."

Fake-Lance yawned. "Okay, this is boring." He left Luna to walk back to the altar. "Princess, take care of this. Wake me up when you're done."

Gale growled and dashed for Fake-Lance. "I'm not done with you yet, you bastard!" he snarled. He maneuvered around Luna, leaping up on the benches and hopping from each one to get closer to his target. He wound back a fist. "You're going to pay for your shit, demon!" He threw his fist—

—and Luna caught it.

Ruby glared furiously into blank chocolate.

Fake-Lance made a chair for himself on the altar out of black vines and sat down. "Oh, and evil dragon? Try to keep it down. I'd like some rest before I address the new recruits," he drawled.

Gale tried hard to push past Luna's grip, but she stood firm in her stance. She refused to let him get close to her master.

"I don't want to hurt you," Gale warned. "But, I need you to get out of my way."

Luna let go of Gale's fist only to deliver an unforeseen upper cut that knocked Gale off his feet. He took the blow in stride and back-flipped off his bench and onto another. He straightened up, but rubbed his jaw.

"Shit, that hurt," Gale groused. His eyes kept hold on Luna. "Dumbass is right: you aren't my Blondie. And, if you're deciding to stay in my way, then fine." He readied himself for a fight and narrowed his eyes. "I'm not going easy on you." And he dashed for Luna with a fist barreling towards her.

---

The recreation room was not as large as the main hall, but was still large. It had its own small stage with a stool and upright piano. A working bar was against one wall with another request board downstairs with clippings of news articles tacked. There were four pool tables, two table tennis tables, and a make-shift bowling alley. Lacrima-Visions hung against the wall. Some played news and sports while others played LV shows and movies. Couches and lounge chairs were everywhere. Each had their own little circle with a coffee table bringing them together. There were high tables near the bar with stools set by them.

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

« This is the Fairy Tail Rec Room. Only Fairy Tail members and faculty may enter for a place of games, drinking, and, sometimes, Gajeel's singing. »

• — • — • — • — • — • — • — • — •

The employees of Fairy Tail went straight to work. They served drinks and food to the members and guests that had settled down. Max had started a game of pool with a few gentlemen. The Strauss triplets were sitting up on high bar stools with snacks chaired between them and Lisanna had Eloise on her lap. Eloise took to teaching her aunt and Elvin the sign language Mara taught her. Mira and Evergreen spoke in hushed tones as they sat on the edge of the stage. Orochi settled in a chair and kept his eyes closed with Mara next to him. Mara kept her eyes on Mary Jane who secluded herself in a corner with her headphones. Guests of Fairy Tail were being calmed by Julia and Kinana with free drinks and food and smiles.

Luna sat near Mary Jane with a sigh off her lips and a cup of water in-between her hands. Jay paced in front of her with thoughts on his mind.

"We can't just sit around and do nothing," Jay muttered. "We have to get out there."

Luna sighed again. "Saying that and doing that won't solve anything," she reminded. "We're powerless, Jay. Accept that."

Jay stopped to stare at her, bewildered. "I can't just 'accept that'," he snapped. He sat down on the coffee table to look at her. "Duchess, we aren't 'powerless'. We're powerful. We can help. You can help. Your power—"

"Isn't even controllable," Luna cut in. "I realize that now. It's not even worth me trying."

"How can you say that?" Jay snapped. "Your power can take out a demon, Duchess. A demon. And you're telling me you're powerless?"

"Because I am," Luna blurted. "I am powerless, okay? Borus made me see that. He made me see I'm still as weak as I was before."

Jay softened at the tone of sadness couched in Luna's words. "Oh, Duchess…"

Luna shut her eyes as the memories surfaced. "He controlled me so easily, Jay," she murmured. "I couldn't do anything. I didn't even have a chance to fight back. I couldn't." She gave a shaky exhale. "I'm nothing more than someone who can't fight back. My win against Zagan was dumb luck, Jay. That's it."

A snort. "Little blonde, if you think that, you really are weak."

Luna and Jay looked up to see Mary Jane sitting down in the lounge chair beside Luna. She pierced Luna with her cerulean eyes meaningfully.

Luna was taken back. "Mary Jane… I…"

"You want to talk about uncontrollable powers?" Mary Jane asked gruffly. "I know all about that. Difference between you and I is your power can help everyone here."

Luna bit her lip. "But, Mary Jane—"

"'But' nothing." Mary jane cut her off with a firm snap. "I admit: you're not physically as fit as the rest of us. You can't command your Magic at your will. You have a lot of self-doubt, but, literally, who doesn't? But, you are emotionally stronger than the rest of us. You have something that Fairy Tail believes in: hope." She shook her head. "Ugh, and as much as it kills me to say all this cheesy pep talk crap, what I'm trying to say is you need to get your ass out there if you want to make a difference."

Luna's eyes glimmered at those words. "Mary Jane…" She shook her head and a smile and firm eyes greeted Mary Jane. "Okay. Let's do this," she decided.

Mary Jane shook her head. "Not 'us'. You."

Luna felt her confidence dim a little bit. "Wait. Just me?"

This time, Jay nodded. "That's right, Duchess. You're the one with the powers. But, don't worry." He grinned. "I've got a little plan to get you to the place you need to be."

---

Fighting against this version of Luna was harder than Gale expected. He took the offensive at once, but her defense was too impenetrable. He tried hard to catch her by surprise, to be unpredictable. He was bigger than her, broader than her, but his physical strength against hers was nothing. Her sleeker form allowed her to dodge his punches and flip from his kicks without fail. If that was not enough, her body distracted him. In any given fight against a woman or man, Gale never cared for the gender. He cared about victory and doing so with honor. But he found his eyes were following her more so than following her strategy. He was too caught up in watching her that he did not notice her attacking offense and throwing him off with a roundhouse kick. She managed to the side of her foot into his shoulder and threw him onto the floor.

Gale rolled with it and blocked himself from another kick. She went again and he caught her foot. He dragged her forward, making her trip and slam onto her back. She tried to get up, but he crawled on top of her and pinned her down. She struggled, even if she was not showing it. He gritted his teeth as he tried to keep him down, but his eyes could not help but to see her writhe underneath her.

Fake-Lance opened a tired eye. "Hmm? Does the dragon like what he sees?" He sat up with a yawn and rubbed an eye. He looked down at his bare wrist. "Well, we've got some time. Why not enjoy it? Princess? Keep our guest entertained." And he snapped his fingers.

Before Gale's eyes, Luna changed. No longer was she in her regular, street clothes. She changed into a crop-top, pitch-black with a V-neck that had strings connecting it. Her high-waisted skirt turned into a micro skirt, pleated and black and wildly inappropriate for her age. Her face broke from stoic. Her eyes finally held a glimmer of life, though they played coy, shy, abashed. She bit the side of her lip and chewed on it. A fresh blush coated her cheeks and made her look more adorable than enticing.

"U-Um, could you…get off me?" Luna asked for in a stammer.

Gale growled and his hands tightened around her wrists. "Shut up," he snapped. "You're not real. You might have her voice, but you aren't her."

Luna flinched at his tone. "Gale, you're hurting me," she whimpered.

Gale shook his head. "I said, 'shut up'!" he snarled.

Luna let out a small cry. "Pl-Pl-Please," she sniveled. "Gale, you promised me you wouldn't be a monster again."

That got Gale to pause. His eyes widened. He sat up straight. "What?" he whispered.

Luna sniffled. "You promised me you wouldn't be a monster," she reminded quietly. "You promised me, Gale." She blinked owlishly up at him. "Please, don't break that promise. You're one of my greatest friends."

Something in Gale changed at that. It was not his posture. It was not his eyes. It was not his grip. But, something changed within Gale. "You're right, Blondie," he murmured. "I'm not a monster."

Luna gave him a shy smile. "Gale, I—"

"You are."

Luna froze. "What? Wait, Gale—!"

Gale rolled off Luna and got up. He crossed his arms in front of himself. "See you in Hell, monster," he snarled. He pulled back his hands.

Luna panicked as the ground rumbled, eyes widening. She tried to get up. "Gale, please!"

But, it was too late. The floor beneath Luna opened up to reveal a pool of sloshing lava. She screamed as her body was caught in the pool. Her eyes widened as she looked at Gale with sheer desperation in her eyes. She did not want to die. She did not want to suffer. But, even Gale knew her screams were just a ploy.

Even so, his eyes closed and his teeth gritted as he listened to her sink into the lava floor and beseeched him for help. It took moments until her screams and shrieks stopped and she was gone. Gale let go of his form to drop to his knees before the pit of lava. He let out a shaky breath.

Fake-Lance sat up in his chair, interested. "Wow. I didn't expect that," he confessed. "You have a colder heart than I thought. Killing your own princess in the fairy tale?" He whistled in appreciation. "You'd be a great addition to me, little dragon. Classic villain. Never gets old."

Gale opened his eyes to pierce Fake-Lance with a glare. "'Classic villain', huh?" He stood up. "This is just some sort of sick joke to you, huh? Like a kid playing with toys? You think you can play with our lives like this?"

Fake-Lance thought about it, then shrugged. "Pretty much, yeah." He sounded so casual about it, so okay about it, it could make anyone irate. "He promised me I could come to the Human Realm and have some fun with whatever humans landed in my home." He appraised Gale. "You're a lot of fun. Your little friend?" He glanced at the unmoving Igneel. "I'm just glad he's dead."

Gale clenched his jaw. "He's not dead and you're wasting my time." He turned his back on Fake-Lance to walk to Igneel. "You had your fun. You hurt my friend. You pissed me off. Satisfied now?"

Fake-Lance furrowed his eyebrows. "Well, yeah. Why wouldn't I be? Your negative feelings feel amazing."

Gale kneeled beside Igneel and listened closely.

LUB-DUB… LUB-DUB… LUB-DUB… LUB-DUB…

Gale let out a sigh. "Thank God you're still alive or else this would've been an awkward conversation with your parents." He moved to the pillar and sat against it. He had one leg out with the other bent and rested a loose arm on it. He grunted as he tipped his head back against the pillar and closed his eyes. "Guess we've got some time," he realized. "You need to be healed a-s-a-p. Now to hope help comes along."

Fake-Lance got up with a frown on his face. More of a pout then a frown. "Hey. Aren't you going to fight some more?"

"What, and waste my time with you?" Gale snorted in derision at that. "I don't think so." He gestured to Igneel. "He needs me more than you do. So, do me a favor and shut the Hell up. I'm not in the mood for any of your games."

Fake-Lance's eyebrows twitched. "But… They said you would be the most fun," he tried to reason. He did not understand. He wanted to understand. "They said you'd want to fight me. They said—"

"Dude, would you mind? I'm trying to figure out a way out of here and you're not helping with your whining," Gale grunted.

Fake-Lance clenched his fists. "This isn't fair," he insisted. "You're supposed to get angry. You're supposed to fight." Black static ticked off him. "This isn't fair. This isn't fair."

"Life isn't 'fair', demon," Gale groaned, readjusting. "You know, for a demon, you're pretty whiney."

Fake-Lance physically shook. "If you're not going to give me fun, then fine," he snarled. His eyes began to glow gold. "I don't want to have fun anymore. I want you dead like the other human."

"What, you're going to electrocute me?" Gale opened his eyes. "Try me, demon."

Fake-Lance smirked. "I will. But, not with stupid lightning. Thissssssssss human hassssss sssssssomething even more fitting." A golden Magic Circle rippling in black appeared on his right eye and another one appeared on the ceiling, growing and growing until the ceiling was covered. "Seek out and destroy my enemies!" he chanted.

Gale's eyes widened.

Holy shit. Don't tell me he knows—!

"Go!" Fake-Lance commanded.

Gale lurched forward as marble sprouted up to cover him and Igneel.

"Fairy Law!" Fake-Lance roared. A pulse of tainted light came from him, making him blinding to look at. Then, came an explosion of tainted light that ate at the cathedral and began to drown it.

And Gale nearly finished with his shield when tainted light consumed his vision.

---

Yea, Baby!

Dance with me! Dance with me! Just dance with me now!

Odorou

motto Party! Party! Like we just don't care!

Sawagou

•

Yea, Baby!

Dance with me! Dance with me! Just dance with me now!

Odorou

motto Party! Party! Like we just don't care!

Sawagou Yay!

---

TO BE CONTINUED…

Who knew Mary Jane could really give good life advice? Let's hope those three can pull it off. And what about Igneel and Gale? I hope those two get help soon! To find out, watch the next episode of Fairy Adventure!

---

Lights flicker on to spotlight a spot on a red curtain. The curtains pull back to reveal a lone stage with a lone top hat on stage. Chibi-Luna walks on stage in her costume of cute bunny costume complete with white bowtie and bunny ears and a little cotton ball tail attached to the butt of her outfit. She struts on stage and to the top hat only to slowly pick it up. From the top hat emerges a youthful, chibi woman. She is a slim woman with tan skin and a dazzling smile. Her clothes are the same clothes as a stage magician with her own personal flare of fishnet stockings and over-the-knee black boots. The crowd cheers as she makes her appearance with her top hat on her head and her white gloves waving sparks of Magic.

Chibi-Luna gestures to her. "Ladies and gentlemen, give it up for Dazzler!" she announces.

The audience triples in applause and shouts as Dazzler takes off her top hat and bows. Doves fly from her top hat without preamble and so do rabbits.

Chibi-Luna continues on: "Dazzler is a famed stage magician all over Fiore and is only twenty-years-old! Her father is the famous Harry Lafayette, one of the most famous international stage magicians out there!"

Dazzler spins her top hat in her fingers putting it on the ground. She taps the top hat once, twice, three times before pulling it up to reveal a full-length mirror, impressing the audience.

"Dazzler's dad was an associate of Fairy Tail," Chibi-Luna goes on to say. "When he died, Fairy Tail offered Dazzler a home with us and she took the opportunity! Don't get me wrong. Dazzler is an amazing stage magician, but her actually Magic is even more amazing!"

Dazzler gives a smile full of mischief and steps up to the mirror. Then, she steps inside and disappears, leaving the audience to gossip and clap their hands.

Chibi-Luna runs to the mirror and looks high and low for the stage magician. She shrugs and turns back to the audience. "You see, Dazzler practices—!"

POOF.

Blue smoke covers the stage in an instant. The audience gasps, confused. Soon, the smoke blows away to reveal the result. Dazzler is doing a handstand atop her top hat that sits on the floor while Chibi-Luna is stuck in the full-length mirror. The audience whoops and crows as they applaud and applaud the performance.

Chibi-Luna laughs. "I guess we can keep it a secret for now. After all, a great magician never reveal their secrets." She waves. "Thanks for joining the Fairy Lesson for today! Next time, on Fairy Adventure, AWAKEN! OVERCHARGING THUNDER ROSE! And thanks for joining Dazzler's performance!"

The audience hoots and claps as Dazzler takes a bow and gives them a wink. She takes off her top hat and sets in on the ground. She takes on step in then begins walking into the top hat as though she were walking down steps, disappearing from the audience. The audience gives a standing ovation before they begin to leave.

Chibi-Luna's smile falters. "Um… Hello? Could someone get me out?" she calls as everyone leaves. "Hello?" she calls. "Hey, Dazzler! I'm still in here!"

The lights go out and the hall is deserted.

Chibi-Luna pouts. "I better be out before the next episode…"