Titania and The Hunter

by Master Attlon

Born as a human. Treated as a demon. Gathered as a slave. Viewed as a leader. Traveled as a Mage. Grew as a Legend. The journey and life of The Hunter, Naruto Uzumaki

69. Calvary Arrives x sǝʌᴉɹɹⱯ ʎɹɐʌʅɐꓛ

Titania and The Hunter

Chapter 69: Calvary Arrives x sǝʌᴉɹɹⱯ ʎɹɐʌʅɐꓛ

We're getting the gang back together!

########Hunter########

"What is this?"

"Juvia is so confused."

"We were just in the guild a moment ago. Why are we outside, and who are these people?" Erza asked as she stood up, warily looking around at all the stunned and unfamiliar faces, "Naruto, do you know-"

"ERZA!"

The redhead S-Class was tackled and lifted off her feet as Naruto hugged her tightly and spun her around. Erza gasped in confusion as she was twirled around, "W-What are you-"

"You're okay! We found you! I can't believe it! It's you! You're okay! You're okay! And you're here!" Naruto laughed and celebrated with joy as he spun his girlfriend around in the air. He tossed her up and caught her again before pulling her in and kissing her cheek several times, "You're never doing that again, got it?! You are grounded indefinitely, young lady!"

"W-What are you - N-Naruto stop - where are - what's wrong with - Naruto I said - t-that's enough - QUIT IT!" Her hand came down like a guillotine on his neck and slammed him to the floor. The flustered red-haired Mage caught her breath and frowned before straightening the frays in her hair, "What is wrong with you?!"

Everyone watching the scene just stared in silent shock at the odd sight. Gray, being the most accustomed to it after so many years, recovered the fastest and shook his head, "He's still an idiot, even in a panic." He then looked aside to see if Juvia was okay-

Just to see her staring at him with her arms open wide with star-shaped eyes and expectation.

"No." He immediately denied, "Put them down."

"Oh," Juvia dropped her arms and sulked, "Gray-sama, why do you wound Juvia so?" The blue-haired woman wept quietly before raising her head to look around at their surroundings. Her eyes widened when she finally noticed her friend's presence, "Gajeel-kun, you're here too? What the heck is going on?"

"Some real crazy shit." Gajeel said unhelpfully before looking around and coating his arms in metal, "We'll try to explain everything later but we gotta get you guys outta here!"

"Where is here anyway?"

"W-What is this?!"

"They just appeared from the Lacrima!"

"Did we lose it?!"

"We have to capture them!"

"B-But that woman looks like Commander Knightwalker and Master Namikaze!"

"It doesn't matter! Collect them now!"

The Fairy Mages suddenly found themselves being surrounded by unfamiliar soldiers while they leveled their weapons and slowly drew closer. Gray narrowed his eyes as he and his comrades huddled together, "These guys are seriously pushing their luck. They come any closer and-"

He slammed his fist into his palm and prepared to create a wall of ice between them and the encroaching soldiers. But the moment he tried to focus his magic, he felt nothing in response. His eyes widened and he repeated the move several times to no result, "W-What the hell?!"

"Gray-sama, allow Juvia!" Juvia swiped her arms around but failed to transmute into the water like she naturally did before, "W-What? Juvia can't form her water anymore! W-What's happening?!"

Erza tried to reach her Requip but to no avail, "What is this?"

"Don't bother! You guys can't use your magic here!"

"What?! How is that possible?!"

"I said we'll explain it later!"

"No!" A blur rushed toward them but Naruto retrieved his black blade and blocked the speedster before he could attack. They separated and Racer skid to a stop before barking out orders, "Keep your eyes on them! Do not let them escape! No matter what!"

"Racer?!"

"How is he-"

"I SAID WE'LL EXPLAIN LATER!"

"Everyone!" Naruto's sword glowed as he retrieved a brilliant white one instead and circled his arm around Erza, "Close your eyes!"

"Get-"

A blinding light shined out from the sword in his hand and bathed everything in white light until it all disappeared. Racer had to shield his eyes from the intense light and couldn't even see the outlines of his targets anymore.

The light finally faded away and all the soldiers were able to see again.

And found no sign of the invaders they were looking for.

Racer clicked his teeth, "Shit…that's not good."

########Hunter########

Gajeel stood silently as he tapped his foot and looked down at his pocket watch. He patiently waited for either his companions to arrive or for some word of their actions to start spreading around. As neither had occurred yet he was growing more and more anxious.

After setting off the fireworks and evading the patrol's rounds, Gajeel had scouted out some locations for them to reconvene. Spots around the city that would change every 30 minutes so that they could make sure they weren't being followed. It was only the first spot but Gajeel was worried that his new comrades might have run into trouble-

"Down there!"

"Hey, handsome! Miss us?"

He looked up as Naruto and his counterpart dropped down from the sky with several others in tow. They landed and Edo-Gajeel gave them some space to breathe as his companions lowered their new cargo to the ground.

Naruto placed Erza on her feet and immediately ran to the edge of the building they were using as cover. He looked around the corner to try and spot any followers. With nothing standing out to grab their attention he sighed in relief and rejoined the others, "I think we're good now."

"Ah, Juvia can't see!" The blue-haired Fairy whined as she rubbed her eyes, "She didn't close her eyes in time before the light shined! Naruto-San, how long until the effects wear off?"

"Um, I'm not sure. I don't usually stick around people I blind like that for a quick getaway. Just try opening and closing your eyes until you can see again."

The Water Mage complied, doing so in quick succession to try and get her eyes back to normal. As her vision slowly returned she let out a breath of relief, "Ah, Juvia can see again. What a relief." She then stared ahead and tilted her head curiously, "Gajeel-kun, why did you change out of your clothes? And did you get slimmer?"

"Over here stupid."

With that quick notice, all of the recently awakened Fairies finally noticed that the Gajeel they had been looking at was so much more different from the one they recognized. And with a small turn of their heads, they noticed a more familiar version of their Dragon Slayer comrade standing beside them.

Their heads rapidly spun between the two Gajeels in shock and disbelief before Juvia paled, "Oh my god! There are two Gajeel-kuns! Why?!"

"Yeah, that's only gonna get worse while you stay here." Earth-Gajeel stated before nodding his head, "Hunter, give them the pills."

"Oh yeah, good call." Naruto retrieved a vial from his pocket and popped it open. He dropped three black X-Balls into his hand before holding them out, "Here, each of you takes one of these and you should get your magic back."

"Okay! Hold on! None of this makes any damn sense!" Gray yelled, "Can you two stop being so fucking cryptic and just - ERZA! WHAT THE HELL?!"

"What?" She said around the medicine ball before swallowing, "Naruto said to have one and that means it's a good idea. Just take one already."

"Aww, the trust between loved ones." Juvia swooned, "So beautiful."

"Ah! I'm surrounded by crazy people!" Gray pulled at his hair, "Would you two just - GAH!"

Gray choked on the X-Ball that had been spiked into his mouth while he was talking. As he stepped back and coughed Naruto sighed, "Stop freaking out. We're going to tell you guys everything but we want you to be prepared because this stuff is crazy. And if we get surrounded you all need your magic back." He offered Juvia the third one and she quickly swallowed it, "We're in Edolas, a different world entirely. Our guild is in trouble. And one way or another we have to get everyone back."

########Hunter########

They left.

They just…left.

Earth-Lucy told them to save themselves, ran into the horde of soldiers to find her friends, and they…they just left.

Edo-Lucy could only sit back in the Fireball and think about what they had done in the heat of the moment. The Earthland Fairies trusted and relied on them to get them this far. They considered them friends and tried to figure out ways they could help ease the restrictions on magic in Edolas even though they should have been focusing on getting home. They said it would be okay for them to leave before things got hairy…and that's exactly what they did.

What they always did. They were survivors. They cut out when things were looking bad because that was the only way to live in this world.

And yet…

The feeling in Lucy's stomach…nearly made her sick.

"Lulu? Lulu?"

She sat up a little straighter as she heard Sherry call her name, "Huh?" Lucy looked up at the disheveled pink-haired Dark Mage sitting in the front seat while Natsu drove, "Yeah, what's up Sher-Bear?"

"You're worried about them, aren't you?"

"Of course I am." She said while biting her lip in frustration, "You heard what was happening back there. You saw that big rush of wind and all the soldiers that were gathering. You know what that means." The blonde woman lowered her head and frowned, "They didn't get away in time."

"We - we don't know that."

"We do."

"It happens." Natsu said, his voice quiet and detached as he just tried focusing on getting them away from the capital at all costs, "It's happened for a long time and we deal with it. Even when it hurts like hell."

"It always hurts like hell but we still do it." Lucy spat out derisively, not to insult her friend but simply in disgust at the very idea as the thought of her counterpart smiling and running into danger lingered in her mind, "You'd think at some point we'd be sick of it."

"Lulu," Sherry's voice sounded disheartened as she spoke, "None of us want to do it…but we've tried standing up and fighting before. The losses and devastation are worse than anything we could predict. Jura-San was the last one that tried to organize an assault against the kingdom's forces…" The pink-haired woman's expression became more solemn, "Even he couldn't stop them."

She knew their reasons. She knew their counterpoints. It was the same conversation she had heard and been a part of over and over and over again. More often than not she had been on the side of the conversation trying to convince people to see reason and logic.

Yet now…

"Earth-Lucy was scared and worried, and I could tell from how she talked with her Natsu and Wendy that she wasn't used to being the strongest. I'm sure she hasn't fought and survived as many situations as I have. And I could tell she was ignorant and naïve about how they should have dealt with the king's forces. But…"

"But I saw another version of myself running in to fight and save her friends. And I wished…I could have done that time and time again." She looked up at the back of her friends' heads, "Did either of you wish you could act and do things the way they did? Haven't you ever felt like that before?"

She didn't receive an answer. Natsu and Sherry remained completely silent.

But steadily the Fireball started to slow down before coming to a complete stop. Lucy looked up and saw Sherry's shoulder tremble just behind the curve of the seat. And Natsu's fists clenched so tightly into the wheel that she thought he might end up tearing out the lining.

She shook her head, "We can't keep doing this. We can't rely on people from other worlds to solve our problems and our answers can't be to cut our losses and run."

Lucy's hands tightened around each other, "We have to do something."

########Hunter########

She…she…she…she…she…

Wendy…she loved her…would have given her life for her without a second thought…

If someone put the rest of the world on a scale with Wendy on the other end, the result wouldn't even be fair.

She would have done anything to save Wendy. She would betray her homeworld and kingdom and people - refuse their order to kill the Dragon Slayers - if it meant she would be safe. Carla…Carla believed she had made her own choice in regards to ignoring her mission and preserving Wendy's life…

B-But-

"What?" Happy muttered in shock, "What did you say?"

"I told you that was your mission." The lanky, black cat with a rectangular head answered as his paw moved continuously at his side. Nadi, Minister of State for the land of Exceed, Extalia, continued as the blue and white cats looked at him in shock, "The 100 Exceed children sent to Earthland were sent there to scout and locate Dragon Slayers to bring them back here."

"W-We had to bring them back?" Looking horrified by the revelation, Carla stumbled back while shaking her head, "That's what we were sent to do? N-Not to kill them but betray them?" Her eyes stung, "T-That can't be true."

"It is!" The other Exceed that had a striking resemblance to Ichiya of Blue Pegasus proclaimed while striking an elegant pose. The Exceed that was about 51% chin and the captain of the guard, Nichiya, nodded to the returning heroes, "Dragon Slayer magic is extraordinarily rare in Earthland, and by tests and theories made centuries ago it was discovered that Dragon Slayer magic has certain properties that interact peculiarly in our world. As such it was deemed necessary to capture them, bring them back here, and test their magic in our world. That's why they're being experimented on by humans as we speak."

"B-But they can't even use their magic here! The Royal Army won't be able to get anything out of them!"

"That's not true." Nadi said while looking at Nichiya, "I mean the humans can be quite persistent and resourceful when they need to be."

"I agree." Nichiya nodded, "They'll probably dissect the humans and remove whatever contains that magic. Or drain it directly out of them. It probably won't be pleasant but it is what our queen has dictated."

"T-That can't-"

"As well as the execution of that other human that was caught along with the Dragon Slayers."

"Lucy?! Why?! She's not a threat to anybody!"

"I thought it was strange too. Her life seems inconsequential and it didn't seem to matter."

"But the queen said she should die."

"Yep, so she dies."

Happy's eyes trembled in horror, "Just like that?"

"Just like that. Shagotte-sama is a Goddess among Exceed, and her word is the law. No one is foolish enough to try and go against her decrees. Whatever she says is the gospel we must adhere to completely. Especially the humans down below. They know better than to challenge our orders to them."

So…this was where they came from? These were the all-powerful Exceed that ruled Edolas from on high? The ones that decided that they would bring back the Dragon Slayers they had bonded with and loved for years?

Carla dropped to the ground and stared down at the floor. All she could hear was a steadily increasing tone in her ears that was almost deafening as her breath came out in shaky, short gasps. Finally, tears of despair and disbelief filled her eyes and dropped to the ground beneath her.

Everything she had done…all of it…was just for the sake of the Exceed? Of Edolas?

Wendy-

"Hey, we need to make a quick stop." Happy quickly grabbed her arm and pulled her back up to her feet, "We'll be right back."

"Wait the queen requested an appearance-"

"She waited six years she can wait a sec!" Happy spat sharply before he dragged Carla into a room and slammed the door behind him. He quickly looked around and noticed they were in an empty dining room in the castle. He grabbed a chair and propped it against the door before looking around, "Okay come on, we gotta look around."

Carla sniffled, "What?"

"We gotta find a way out of here!" Happy whispered in a hushed tone as he spotted a window. He quickly ran over and started to push up on it to get it open, "Man these windows are small! They're our size! I've never gotten to work a window like that before."

Carla rubbed her eyes, "What are you doing?"

"We're escaping. We're getting out of here and finding everybody."

"How?"

"Don't know. Haven't thought that far ahead." The blue cat grunted as he pushed on the window, "Ah it's stuck or something! Don't they ever open these for air!" He struggled for a few seconds, "Carla, come help me out!"

He got no reply so he looked back, "Carla?"

"Happy…" She muttered under her breath. It was strange to hear his name come from her mouth, but she was so drained that she couldn't bring herself to say anything else, "We…we brought them here. We betrayed them. How can we-"

"No. No, we didn't betray them." Happy staunchly denied the very words coming out of her mouth as he walked back over to her, "I didn't come here to fulfill some years-long mission or save the magic of this world or do my duty as an Exceed! I came to find my friends, get back to our guild, and go home! Our real home!"

Happy grabbed Carla's paws and pulled her to her feet as he looked fiercely into her eyes, "I'm not a citizen of Edolas! I'm not an Exceed! I'm Happy! I'm a Fairy Tail Mage! And my best friend is Natsu! And even if he doesn't believe me or like me or anything after what happened earlier, I don't care!" He lied as his eyes filled with tears but he kept their intensity, "I want to find him, help him, and get everyone back home! Don't you?"

Carla sniffled and nodded her head.

"You didn't betray Wendy." He said, "No one who would want to betray someone would act the way you are, right?" She shook her head. Even with all the complicated emotions mixing in her chest right now, down in her heart she just wanted to find Wendy and make sure she was okay, "You still love her, right?"

"Y-Yes."

"And you want to find her?"

"Yes!"

"Then we have to get out of here!" Happy pulled her to the window and grabbed one side of it. After drying her eyes Carla grabbed the other side, "Ready? Push!"

The blue and white cats groaned as they pushed up on the window and finally dislodged it, opening it wide enough for them to slip out. They heard the sound of yelling and fists slamming on the door behind them as they slipped away before they could get caught.

The two young Exceeds ran away together as horns sounded off behind them. They kept hearing the word Fallen get yelled out at them and knew that they probably weren't going to be welcomed with open arms if they turned back.

So they kept running. They ran and they ran as fast as they could until they ran past the limits of Extalia's city. The sounds of others yelling behind them slowly faded away as they put more distance between them.

And until they hit the edge of the land.

Happy and Carla stood on the end of the floating island the Exceed called home. The curve of Edolas was visible on the horizon among a plethora of fauna and civilization beneath them. But most striking…

Was the giant Lacrima that seemed to match the size of the island they flew on.

Happy muttered, "Is that - is that it?"

"The Lacrima holding the guild." Carla looked at it, "Yes, I think so."

"How do-"

"HEY, YOU BRATS! GET OFF MY PROPERTY!" The two young cats flinched and turned back around to find an older, grouchy white cat in overalls swinging a hoe around in anger, "I DON'T WANT YA MUCKING UP MY FIELDS!"

"W-We're sorry sir!" Happy yelled in a panic as he avoided the swinging tool, "W-We were just coming this way-"

"Wait, are you two the Fallen the city was screamin' about! What the hell are you doin' here?! GET OFF OUR FIELDS!"

Carla and Happy prepared to defend themselves-

"AND GET IN THE HOUSE!"

…

"Huh?"

"Over here." They looked over to see an older blue cat waving them over from the porch of her house, "You can stay in here until it's safe for you to go."

"W-Wha-"

"DON'T JUST STAND THERE! GET GOIN'"

"A-Aye sir!"

########Hunter########

Naruto, Earth-Gajeel, and Edo-Gajeel stood at one end of the alley together in silence as they waited for some response from the others. Edo-Gajeel jotted some things down in his notebook and Earth-Gajeel sighed with his arms crossed impatiently. Naruto nodded, "And that's the gist of it. Any questions? Comments? Concerns?"

It was safe to say the three new arrivals were stunned by what they had just heard. They stared at the other trio in silence and simply waited for the other shoe to drop. Some indication that it was all just a prank or some trick to mess with their heads. But as the moments passed, their expressions remained hardened, two Gajeels stood right beside each other, and the sky was a different color with flying islands over their heads…

It became much harder to argue or doubt what they said.

"J-Juvia's mind is reeling." The blue-haired Water Mage murmured as her eyes started to spiral and her head started steaming, "She can't process all of this."

"This is another world?" Gray stepped up and looked around, "This air - this sky - it's all a new world?"

"Wait." Erza muttered as she shook her head, "There's something I don't understand."

"Yes, please do!"

"Thank you, Erza-San. Please put some of this into perspective-"

"You fought the other version of me and you hesitated?!"

"THAT'S WHAT YOU'RE FOCUSING ON!"

"Hey, I tried to fight her! I knew who she was and what she was doing!" Naruto frowned before looking aside, "But when I was about to attack her and she had your face-"

"He chickened out," Gajeel smirked, and he kept smirking even when the whiskered S-Class Mage gave him a sharp kick to his knee that sent him tumbling to the ground.

"What is wrong with you?" Erza berated her lover with a stern expression as she marched up to him and got in his face, "Do you think if you stopped for even a moment that she would show you the same courtesy? No! These people are our enemies and they want to use our guild like a battery! You can't show them mercy - even if they have my face!"

"I froze! I couldn't think about hitting you! I'm sorry!"

"This other version of me was dangerous, right?"

"Of course she was!"

"Then that's all the more reason you should fight and hurt her! I don't want anything to happen to you - especially not when it might come from someone that looks like me!"

"Well even if I did fight her it wasn't gonna be easy! She's super tough!"

"Oh please, you're stronger than some copy of me!"

"Are you kidding?! She's just as vicious and resourceful as you!"

"And I know you can do better than that!"

The others watched the couple argue with befuddled expressions. Gray tilted his head, "This is the weirdest argument I've ever seen."

"They're angry, but it's an anger and worry that comes from honest love." Juvia sniffled and looked on fondly, "Ah, so wonderful."

"I'm gonna gag." Earth-Gajeel groaned before he clapped his hands, drawing their attention, "Okay look, we need to come up with a plan. We got you guys back but there's still the rest of the guild and the town in the Lacrima. Fortunately, we got a secret weapon to save the day; me."

Naruto grimaced at the smug smirk on the Iron Dragon Slayer's face, "What are you talking about?"

"When I touched the Lacrima holding these three it returned them to normal form. I'm not sure if it's my magic or my sheer awesomeness-"

"It's your magic."

"-but I just might be the key to fixing the Lacrima and getting everyone back to normal."

The other Fairies looked at each other curiously, "How?"

"I'm gonna punch it until they come back."

…

Earth-Gajeel shrugged at their unimpressed expressions, "If any of you got better plans I'm all ears."

…

"Ugh, fine, whatever." The exhaustion in Naruto's voice made it clear he was beyond trying to reason with the brash Dragon Slayer, "How is Wendy the only reasonable one of all of you? Okay, even if we do get them out of the Lacrima, what then?" He pulled the vial out of his pocket, "I don't think we got enough for everyone in the guild."

"We got enough for Gildarts and Jii-San?" Gray questioned. Naruto looked down at the vial, the many X-Balls still inside, before he confidently nodded, "Then I think we'll be good."

"Then where is this giant Lacrima?" Erza looked around, "We need to locate that first."

"Perhaps someone in the Royal Army will know?" Juvia offered her idea, "Perhaps if we capture them and interrogate them, they will tell us where to go."

"I doubt any foot soldier will know the specifics." Edo-Gajeel said, looking up from his notebook and staring in the direction of the castle, "But maybe one of the higher-ups will have an answer."

"When we attack that castle, the shit will hit the fan." The other Fairies didn't look too bothered by the idea. So Naruto nodded firmly, "As long as we're all in agreement."

"That reminds me, while you lot were all getting back together I overheard some information from the soldiers checking the fireworks." Edo-Gajeel quickly informed them, gaining their attention as he read from his notebook, "Apparently the attack earlier that got their attention was one led by a group of Exceed and involved capturing invaders from another world. There was a lot of confusion and I didn't get much concrete information, but I did hear this…"

"'We've got two Dragon Slayers now. And that blondie they caught was super hot. I wonder what they'll do to them back in the castle.' That's all I heard before they left."

Edo-Gajeel closed his notebook and looked up at the sharp, resolved, and hardened expressions on his comrades' faces.

"Well, I think your minds are all made up."

########Hunter########

"Hrrrrrrggggggghhhhhhhhhhhaaaaaayaaaaaaaaaaaaa!"

She tried screaming her lungs out like Natsu. She tried pumping her arms and breaking free. She tried going loose and slipping her hands out like a jellyfish. But it all ended the same way…

She was not getting out of these handcuffs.

"Gah!" Lucy grunted as she dropped down on her butt and glared hatefully at the restraints around her wrists. After she and her friends had been captured by the Royal Army, she woke up alone in this cell with her hands held in handcuffs and her friends nowhere to be seen. It seemed like the soldiers were happy to find out that Natsu and Wendy were Dragon Slayers. She didn't know the exact reason but her gut told her that it couldn't be for anything good.

And then there was the other problem…

"Exceed." She whispered to herself as she snaked her foot between her arms and applied pressure by stepping down on the point between her handcuffs, "The revered deities of this world are led by their god queen. I read about them but they didn't have exact descriptions of their appearance. So I guess I was never going to know that…" She paused and took a deep breath that came out in a tired sigh, "Happy and Carla said they were from this world. I just had no idea they were angels."

The blonde Mage looked at the ground and giggled, "Man there is no way anyone as annoying as Happy can be met with reverence. The people of this world ever meet him for themselves and they'd probably turn atheist like that." She snapped her fingers to accentuate her point.

Although she then quickly remembered that she was isolated in a cell and talking to herself so there was no point in doing it.

"Ahhh, this sucks!" The Celestial Mage cried in frustration as she tumbled over on her side and started rolling around anxiously, "I don't know where everyone went and I lost my keys and I'm trapped and we still need to get everyone back! This sucks! This suuuuuuuuucccccckkkkkkkkkssss-"

"SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

"Eep!" Lucy flinched and scurried back in fright as a very loud voice followed a loud slamming against the right wall of her cell. Considering the positioning that meant that it was another cell that probably housed another captured prisoner like herself. She swallowed the lump in her throat, "S-Sorry! I didn't know anyone else was in here!"

"Well, there is! And we don't want to hear your incessant whining! So I'll repeat - SHUT THE FUCK UP!"

Lucy trembled in fright as she scooted as far away from that wall as she possibly could. Geez, even when they were locked up together, the people of this world seemed like real jerks.

The rhythmic tapping against the wall she now leaned against made her flinch and turn her attention there instead, "Excuse me?" A calmer, more composed voice spoke up through the wall to get her attention, "I'm sorry for his outburst. He's just a tiny bit antsy."

"TINY?!" The loud voice screamed from the other wall, somehow hearing the far more accommodating whisper of the person talking to her on this side of her cell, "That's a goddamn understatement!"

"He's just worried because he was caught and he doesn't know what's happening to his guild and he gets tortured now and then when the guards need information or are bored. You know, like the rest of us."

Well, that didn't make her feel any better about being here than it did before. Lucy gulped before leaning in towards the nicer wall, "So how long have you been here?"

"It's been a few months now since I lost track of my guild. I hope everyone is still okay with us gone." The man speaking to her sounded forlorn before he struck up a conversation, "What about you ma'am? You just got here, right?"

"Y-Yeah." She nodded, only then realizing again that no one could see her. Clearing her throat the Celestial Mage shifted around to better address the voice behind the wall, "I came here with my friends to stop the Royal Army but we were captured."

"Admirable, but it seems like it ended how it always ends." The mature, composed man from the other side of the wall sighed heavily, "I understand your frustration with the kingdom and its methods of doing things, but running in half-cocked like that was only going to end badly."

"No, I didn't come here because I'm angry about the guild situation." Lucy clarified, "I came to stop them from using that giant Lacrima."

"The Lacrima?" Lucy looked back across the room and heard the brash, loud voice speak up after hearing her talk, "Why would you want them to stop using that? I hate the kingdom with every fiber of my being but if they can get us more magic then more power to them."

"I have to stop them. They kidnapped my guild and locked them away in that Lacrima to be used as a resource. My friends and I can't let that happen."

"What did you say?"

"There are people in that thing?! Shit kid, my bad! I thought they just stole ambient magic power or something from another world. That thing is people?! That's messed up!"

Well, at least the captured and tortured prisoners of Edolas seemed to understand how awful this situation was, "Thank you."

"So what are you going to do next?"

"I'm not sure." The Celestial Mage said with uncertainty as she stared up at the ceiling, "I need to help my friends but I'm not sure how to get out of here. I maybe could if I still had my keys but…" She frowned as she remembered this version of Angel absconding with them while she was captured, "Damn."

"I'd suggest that maybe attacking a guard when they come back would be your best chance of escaping. Although our mutual rowdy friend can attest to how painful that attempt would be."

"I do pretty well with the first five or so! But then they'll send in a platoon, wail on me, throw me back in the cell, and take turns beating me until they get tired!"

Lucy sweated at the unappealing proposal, "W-Why do you keep doing it then?"

"Guy's gotta have fun somehow."

Lucy was quickly realizing that maybe these weren't the most mentally sound collaborators to be plotting with. She coughed quietly, "Um, any other plans?"

"Well maybe if we all acted together in perfect sync we could get an answer. However, your neighbor isn't exactly a role model for cooperation and my neighbor abhors unnecessary violence and collateral damage."

"I'm sorry!" Lucy heard a far-off desperate apology coming from two cells over, "I just can't help it! This architecture is just too beautiful! I won't risk breaking it!"

Lucy sighed tiredly, "Well this has been productive." She wanted to gripe a little more but heard the sound of heavy footsteps echoing from down the hall. The lovely blonde went still and quiet as she heard the steps approaching, "What-"

"Oh, put your dicks away boys! Warden's coming!" The rude neighbor beside her snarled as the footfalls stopped, "Hey you cranky whore, you feel like finally coming in here and trying your hand with - AHHHHHH!" Lucy flinched as she heard a loud slam and shake from the cell next to her, "FUCK YOU BITCH!"

Lucy gulped as the steps continued to grow closer. She saw a shadow loom by her door before it slowly pushed open and she saw a familiar red-haired woman in sparing armor with a spear in hand walk in.

"Erza."

"It's still unsettling knowing you're thinking of someone else when you say my name." The fierce redhead stated as she stepped up to Lucy, causing the blonde Mage to shy away in case the Commander lashed out angrily, "I'm glad to see you aren't still trying to appeal to me like I was your friend."

"Yeah," Lucy eased into a more comfortable sitting position as she spoke with the doppelgänger of her friend, "Are Natsu and Wendy okay?"

"They're still alive the last time I checked."

"What is going to happen to them?"

"That isn't going to be your concern anymore."

Lucy wanted to press the point but something about Erza's tone set her on edge, "What should I be concerned about?"

"Your fate has been decided by the queen of Exceed." Erza turned her spear's point on Lucy, "You have been sentenced to death."

"W-What?! What for?!"

"Well, we weren't exactly going to free you anyway. But the queen has decreed that your existence here is too dangerous." The Commander answered without any emotion in her voice, "Therefore, we will have you executed."

Lucy looked at the otherworldly version of her dear friend and partner from the Fairy Titans. Every time she looked at her she couldn't help but think about the Erza she knew. The woman that struck fear and obedience into every member of the rowdy crew that was Fairy Tail when she wasn't the caring sister figure watching over them. The fierce, unscrupulous warrior that never shied from a challenge on the battlefield also made the cute family she had with Naruto and Koyuki feel so warm. The cool and stunning beauty could also be dorky and funny when it came to stuff she liked or food she wanted to try.

Lucy grit her teeth before shaking her head. Even if this Erza was different from the one she knew, she couldn't be so different that nothing of her dear friend could be found, "Erza!" She cried out, "Please, you have to help me save my guild! They need my help!"

"Excuse me?"

"Look, I know you're a member of the army, but you're still Erza!" Lucy sat up on her knees and pleaded to the stone-faced redhead, "You have to care about people! You wouldn't just hurt others and use innocent lives just to make magic! I know you don't like Fairy Tail but it's not just Fairy Tail in there! It's an entire town! Filled with men, women, and children who were just living their lives! The people you cared about are in there! The man you love is in there! Your little sister is in there!"

The Fairy Hunter's unwavering stare widened for a moment after hearing Lucy speak. The Fairy Mage looked up in surprise when she saw the reaction on Erza's face before she whispered, "What…what sister?"

"Koyuki-chan! Koyuki Senju-chan! A sweet little girl with a round face and big eyes that Erza treats like her sister! They adore each other! Always spend time together! Other than Naruto I'm sure Koyuki-chan is the biggest love in Erza's life!" Even if they weren't the same person, Lucy knew Erza's face well enough to know when her friend was thinking and considering something in her head, "You've felt that way before too, right? Something you love and care about enough that you can't imagine anything happening to them? That's what's happening to us right now. Please…you can't let them use the Lacrima. Don't you understand?"

Tears started brimming the sides of Lucy's eyes as she looked up at the fearsome redhead that held her life in her hands. She stared up at her intense silence before the Ten Commandments started to lower in Erza's hand. Lucy let out a breathless gasp as she looked back up at Knightwalker, "Yes. I do understand."

A gasp slipped out of Lucy's throat as she stared up at Erza Knightwalker with a faint relief in her chest-

Before her gloved hand slammed down and latched into the root of her hair.

"A-AAHHH!" Lucy cried out in pain as Erza started to pull and drag her out of the cell, "S-Stop! Please!"

"Hey! Hey! Let her go!"

"You wretched bitch!"

"Don't hurt her!"

As the other prisoners cried out for her to stop, Erza continued to drag Lucy by the hair out and down the hallway. Lucy tried to pry herself free and punched the hand dragging her but Erza's grip was ironclad and refused to budge, "P-Please! Stop it! Stop!"

"You were right, by the way. I have felt exactly how you described it. So much that I will continue with this path, even if it means sacrificing all the people in that Lacrima."

"B-But that's barbaric!" Lucy shrieked, slamming her bare heels on the ground in a vain attempt to slow them both down, "How can you just resign to taking all those peoples' lives! Erza would never do that! She'd-"

The grip on Lucy's hair finally loosened and the restrained blonde Mage fell to the ground. She quickly sprawled up to her knees only to be met with a spear just inches away from her nose. She froze in shock before looking up at its wielder.

"You're all fools." Erza snarled out through gritted teeth as she glared down at Lucy so intensely the girl felt a shiver go up to her spine, "Is there something about this you Earthland people just can't comprehend? I am not your friend. I am not your Erza. Your weeping and begging for my help means nothing to me. I have a duty I must complete and a mission to see through." The tip of the Ten Commandments nearly grazed Lucy's neck, "Since you seem so intent on reconciling me with your Erza then answer me this; would your Erza ever have faltered to some begging mess asking for help?"

Tears couldn't stop building up in Lucy's eyes seeing her friend's face and hearing her voice say such terrible things. Even through the fear and pain she wiped her eyes clear and glared up at the Second Commander, "She would…if a friend was asking."

"Hmm." Knightwalker drew her spear back and prepared to strike, "Unfortunately I don't have friends."

"Wait!"

"Lucy!"

Both women stopped and looked over past the banisters of the hall that led into an open, sprawling center plaza of the castle. And from that open concept, Happy and Carla flew into the hallway and got between Erza and Lucy before anything could happen.

Erza quickly stepped back, "Y-You're-"

Lucy cheered, "Happy!"

"I'm so sorry!" The little blue Exceed apologized as he floated down by her hands and tugged on the cuffs restraining her, "I-I didn't - we didn't know-"

"It's okay." Lucy whispered with overjoyed tears in her eyes, "I know you wouldn't have done this."

"You there! Solider!" Carla turned in the air and faced Knightwalker with a stern look on her face. Erza quickly fell to one knee and bowed her head as the white Exceed spoke, "I want you to free this woman immediately!"

Erza's shock was visible as she looked up at Carla in disbelief, "B-But we were ordered by Queen Shagotte to execute this woman-"

"And this is the change in order she asked delivered by her sole heir." Erza looked up at Carla in shock as Lucy and Happy's eyes widened in disbelief. Carla proudly crossed her paws and floated with regal beauty, "I am Queen Shagotte's daughter, and if you do not wish to incur our wrath I suggest you follow that order."

"Y-You are, Carla?!" Happy marveled as his eyes shined like stars, "That's incredible! I had no idea-"

Lucy's hand latched around his mouth as she quickly caught on to the white Exceed's plan.

"I-I…" Erza bit her lip and lowered her head, "I shall receive the keys for her cuffs, Your Grace."

"And after you're done, we wish to speak about the return of the Lacrima to its original location." She noticed Erza's hand tense around the shaft of her spear in response to her order. Carla raised a critical eyebrow, "Oh, you won't comply? That kind of disobedience will only bring the wrath of the Exceed down upon you. Are you ready for that kind of response?"

…

Erza's only answer was to raise her head and stare deep into Carla's soul. The white Exceed sweated in response and floated a little further out of her range, "I will say it once more-"

"Erza!" Their attention turned back down the hallway as Pantherlily and a squadron of soldiers started running their way, "Those two! They're Fallen! Don't listen to them!"

Carla sighed, "Worth a try!"

Happy grabbed Lucy's back, "Time to go!"

The Exceed flew away with the rescued Fairy as Erza slowly stood back up. She looked up with an irate glare and mashed her teeth, "That damn cat."

If she got her hands on the little white bitch she was going to-

"H-Hey! Up there! Look!"

Erza heard one soldier call out and ran up to the edge of the banister. She looked up into the sky and saw the blonde Fairy with the Fallen Exceeds that helped her. But what was gaining the most attention was the horde of flying creatures sailing down from Extalia enough to block the sky.

"I-Is that the Exceed?!"

"Why are they coming down here?!"

"W-What do we do?!"

"Erza! Lily!" The two Commanders looked over as Coco slid to a stop in front of them, "I have an urgent order from his majesty! He says if the Exceed is coming down then it's time to act!"

"You don't mean-"

"We're initiating Code ETD!"

########Hunter########

"T-There's some kind of commotion going on in the castle." Juvia noted as she and the other Fairies observed the castle from a safe distance as they prepared their next move, "Do you think it has something to do with our friends?"

"I wouldn't be surprised if they already figured out a way to bust themselves out while we were getting ready," Gray said as he stared up at the extravagant castle that housed Edolas' royalty and main military force. As he stared at the gargantuan castle he shook his head, "And we're sure the other you didn't have a convenient map of the entire castle that lets us know where everyone could be?"

"No, we're making do with what we got, Fullbuster." Gajeel groaned before he looked up at the fortress they were going to raid, "Okay, so maybe somewhere in the castle is the Lacrima hiding our guild. Only one thing to do." He grinned and clenched his metal-clad fists, "I'll charge in, you peons help when you can, and then I'll save the day! Ready! G-"

"No." Erza roughly chopped the back of his head and caused the Iron Dragon Slayer to fall to his knees as he clutched his aching skull. The armored S-Class Mage looked at the castle critically as she tried to think about their situation, "If the Lacrima containing me, Gray, and Juvia were already extraordinarily large, then the one carrying everyone in Magnolia must be even larger. I doubt it will be in the castle where it couldn't be stored."

"A-Ah," Gajeel moaned and rubbed his head before snapping, "Dammit Titania, can't you interrupt without breaking my fucking skull!" He nursed his head before groaning, "Look, what about if they're hiding it underground or beneath the castle? So they're sitting on top of it without ever giving us a chance to reach it ourselves? We have to at least consider that possibility."

Erza seemed surprised by that suggestion as she cupped her chin. After a few moments of thought, she gave a confident nod, "That's a good idea, Gajeel. Real smart thinking. I'm proud of you."

The others ignored Gajeel's yelp of pain as Erza's tried to embrace him but instead slammed his head on a sharp corner of her armor. Naruto stared up at the castle with a creased brow, "Okay, then we need to prepare for that possibility. Whether the Lacrima is underground or in another location, we can't risk it. Until we find Natsu and Wendy somewhere in there, Gajeel is the only Dragon Slayer we've got that can free the Lacrima. So I think he should stay back here until we can secure a path to it."

"Bullshit!" The Iron Dragon Slayer yelled as a streak of blood dripped down his face from the injury he secured, "I called the underground thing! I should be leading the charges!"

"No because what if they attack you while we're trying to find it!"

"Oh yeah? And if you do are you gonna drag it out of there like the last one?! Because that was working fucking well!"

"You little-"

"Um, excuse Juvia?" Juvia whispered to gain her comrades' attention. The Water Mage was silently staring upwards before pointing into the sky, "Is that…what Juvia thinks it is?"

They all followed where she was pointing and looked up into the sky. When they did they spotted a legion of winged cats flying down in a massive squad towards the castle.

The Fairy Mages could only look up at it in disbelief.

"Oh my god."

"Are - are those cats?"

"Are they flying like Happy and Carla?"

"They did come from this world."

"I don't believe it."

"Y-Yeah, it's so strange-"

"SO MANY FLYING CATS!" Gajeel exclaimed in excitement. The others stared at him with blank, disappointed glares as the former Phantom Mage bounced with joy, "THIS IS IT! THIS IS MY CHANCE! I CAN GET ONES LIKE THE KID AND SALAMANDER! I CAN GET THE ULTIMATE CAT-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as Naruto's foot and Erza's fist came swinging towards his head from opposite sides.

As Gray and Juvia watched the couple wail on the idiotic Dragon Slayer, a bright light shot up from the castle's interior and covered the flying cats coming down from above. They stared at the strange sight before they heard distant, pained screams coming from the cats.

All of the Fairies look up as the screaming felines caught in the light start to lose their form and meld together.

Until they formed one giant, cat-shaped Lacrima that fell and collided with the interior of the castle.

…

"What the hell?"

"Did they kill all those Happy cats?"

"Hey," Gray tapped Naruto's shoulder and pointed up to one of the towers of the castle, "Is that-"

He spotted a faraway woman with blonde hair with small blue and white dots by her side.

########Hunter########

"Oh my god!" Lucy cried out as she, Happy, and Carla watched as the Exceed that came down after them were captured and condensed into Lacrima.

Happy looked down at the giant crystal cat the soldiers were cheering around and starting to move, "W-Why would they do that?" He asked before looking over at Carla, "Were they helping us?"

"I don't think so." Carla shook her head with a dire expression after seeing the Exceed shot out of the sky like that. The little white cat looked down at the Lacrima with a sense of dread filling her stomach, "I think they did the same thing to the Exceed that they did to our guild. Turn them into a power source."

"But I thought Exceed were revered like gods in this world?"

"They are. And doing this would be an act of war." Carla looked back up to the giant floating island in sight that held the kingdom of her people, "The humans have betrayed the Exceed."

"What…what do we do?"

"Use this opportunity," Carla answered, her eyes hard and determined as she turned and started flying towards another tower. Happy and Lucy followed after her as she flew through a window and started speeding down the hall, "As they're dealing with the confusion we can find Wendy and Natsu wherever they could be!"

"B-But Carla, if the Royal Army fights with the Exceed-"

"It doesn't matter to us." The strict white Exceed denounced Happy's concerns as they banked around the corner and headed down, "Saving our guild needs to be our only concern. We can't fix this world-"

A red blur passed by their side and got in front of them. Before Carla could even react an armored foot slammed into her body and spiked her to the ground.

"CAR-"

"Rune Save!"

A spear slashed through Lucy and Happy's bodies before they could call out to their friend. There was no damage left in this form, but Happy suddenly realized that his wings had disappeared as they dropped back to the ground. They looked up to see a terrifying red-haired warrior standing over them and glaring down so strongly they felt like ants under her.

"E-Erza."

"I must admit…" She looked down at Carla as the little Exceed coughed and tried to lift herself off the ground, "You had me jumping your hoops there for a moment, little Exceed." Erza stalked forward and looked down at the pained Exceed in pity, "Did you enjoy making me feel like a fool? Don't answer that. It won't matter in a minute." She lifted her spear slightly, "You all should have run while you had the chance. Now that Code Exceed Total Destruction has been initiated, there's nothing left on Edolas that could protect you."

"O-Our friends-"

"Maybe you'll meet them again someday." Erza lifted her spear with the point down over Carla's head-

"AHHH!"

"C-COMMANDER!"

"INTRUDERS!"

Erza paused from taking the final plunge and looked back at her men. She saw her highly trained and disciplined soldiers turn and run when they weren't being blown off their feet high enough to hit the ceiling. With a deep glare, she turned as she saw ice explode up from the ground under her men while a shadow knocked them out of the air.

"Wow, you weren't kidding. A whole other Erza working for the bad guys."

"Told you. Did you think I was making it up or something?"

"Well I'm sure two Erzas is a thought you've had at least-"

"Quiet."

Commander Knightwalker snarled as Happy and Lucy squealed with joy. Carla's eyes nearly filled with tears as she saw familiar faces the way she knew them to appear to their rescue.

"Naruto! Gray!"

"There you are, Uzumaki." Knightwalker seethed as her grip tightened around her spear when she spotted the whiskered Fairy that stood in her path once more. He glared at her as she held her spear in both hands, "I hope you'll stick around to give a good fight this time."

She dashed forward and primed her spear to lance through his chest. He prepared to move-

Except another blur slipped in and countered her thrust with a parry of her sword.

The red-haired Commander stared at the red-haired Fairy that stood in her way.

Solid brown eyes stared into a mix of blue and brown.

With a swift flick of their wrists, they disengaged from each other and slid apart.

Everything else seemed to fade away as the identical women stared each other down. One brandished her spear as the other took a stance with her sword.

"Erza?"

"Erza."

"Knightwalker."

"Scarlet."

"Heh," Knightwalker hummed in amusement as her spear glowed. Scarlet's body glowed as well before they dove at each other.

The explosion of wind that released from their clash blew everything and everyone else away.

########Hunter########

"W-Wait, we just left Erza back there!" Lucy called out as Gray carried her in his arms as they rushed down the hallway, "Shouldn't we help her?"

"You wanna go back there and intervene?" The Maker Mage asked as Lucy clammed up at the thought, "Exactly."

"Don't worry!" Naruto yelled back as he led the charge down the hallway with Carla and Happy in his arms, "Erza can handle her counterpart! We've got bigger things to deal with! Finding the Lacrima and getting us all home! Stop up here!" Naruto and Gray slid to a stop before they released the friends they had finally reunited with, "I'm glad you guys-"

The two cats jumped up and hugged Naruto around his arms as Lucy did the same with Gray. The two men were surprised by their embrace before they pulled back, "I'm so glad you're okay!"

"We thought you guys were stuck in the Lacrima! H-How did you-"

"We'll explain later," Gray said, grabbing onto the restraints around her hands and freezing them solid before they broke apart. She rubbed her wrists as he stood up, "Listen, Gajeel and Juvia are waiting for us outside. We need to find the Lacrima-"

"No, no not yet!" Carla waved her paws, "Wendy and Natsu are further inside and we need to help them! And if you need to reach the Lacrima then we know where to find it! But unless we figure out how to free the guild-"

"Gajeel can do that! And so can Dragon Slayers like Natsu and Wendy!"

"Then we need to find them! If we-" They paused as they heard a cavalcade of footsteps approaching their position. They immediately hid behind a corner except for Naruto, "You fool, get over here-"

"Hey stop right there!" A soldier called out, "Identify - o-oh, Master Namikaze, sir!"

"Sir, w-we didn't know-"

"Forget it!" Naruto yelled forcefully, "Do you two know where the Dragon Slayers are being kept around here?"

"Yes sir! They're in the equipment hold a floor below with Chief-of-Staff Boro!"

"I see." Naruto nodded, "Alright then." His features immediately grew stiffer, "Don't just stand there! Get going! Move!"

"Yes sir!" The soldiers all ran away to avoid incurring the powerful warrior's wrath.

Once they were gone Naruto turned to his stunned friends and laughed, "Pays to have a counterpart on the other side."

"There's no way that would work a second time."

"Doesn't have to." He grinned, "It sounds like they're going outside to handle the chaos Gajeel and Juvia are causing them."

"Hey, is it true that Gajeel can turn the Lacrima back into the guild?" Happy asked as Gray nodded, "Then maybe if I get him up there then we can recover everybody and gain a big advantage in the fight!"

"I think we could use the support." Naruto nodded, "He should be out by the front of the castle. Follow the sounds of metal, water, and screaming."

"Aye sir!"

Happy rushed out the window to help their guild. Naruto started down the hall and waved them along, "C'mon, let's get our friends!"

The reunited Fairies ran down the halls of the castle and went down a floor. As they looked around they found a massive door unlike any other door along the hall. Taking a guess they rushed into it and broke the door open to find the two Dragon Slayers bound to stone with mechanical equipment secured around them.

"There they are!"

"Wendy!"

"Natsu!" Naruto jumped up and slashed their restraints, letting them fall from the rock and to the ground. Gray and Lucy caught them before they could land roughly and gently laid them on the floor, "Wake up, come on!"

"A-Are they-"

"Unconscious." They let out a sigh of relief as Gray pulled his finger back from Wendy's neck, "I don't know what happened to them, but they are alive." He held his hand out to Naruto, "Quick give me those ball-things. We need to help them get their magic back."

Naruto fished out the X-Balls and removed two. He held them out for Lucy and Gray to take. They fed them to the Dragon Slayers as they stirred awake from their unconscious states. As the medicinal ball started to take effect, the two exhausted Fairies started to open their eyes and wake up. Natsu blinked a few times and stared up at the familiar blonde woman holding him in her arms, "Lucy?"

"Yeah!" She cheered as Natsu groaned and sat up without her help, "It's us Natsu! And Happy and Carla saved me! And Erza, Gray, Naruto, Gajeel, and Juvia are here too! We can-"

Natsu's fist slammed down on the ground and cracked part of it. They leaned back from his angry response as he gritted his teeth, "Bastards. I won't…I won't let them!" Without pause, Natsu rushed off the ground and sprinted down the hall, "We won't let you!"

"Natsu!"

"What the hell is he doing?"

"H-He wants to stop them…before it's too late…" Wendy weakly murmured as they looked down at the little Fairy Mage, "We can't…let them do it."

"Do what?"

"They're…they're going to crash the Lacrima…into Extalia…" Wendy weakly muttered with tears coming into her eyes, "They'll kill our guild…to make eternal magic."

########Hunter########

"So everything is prepared?"

"Yes." Boro dutifully bowed his head to Faust, "The Dragon Slayer magic is extraordinary. With its help, we'll be able to create an eternal magic source that will never disappear."

"Excellent." Faust sat back in his chair with exhilarated glee as his lifetime goal drew ever closer. He spotted an uneasy expression in the corner of his eye, "Do you have some reservations, Namikaze?"

"Not at all, Your Majesty." The scarred soldier immediately answered. He gently rubbed the inside of his left forearm as he smiled at the king, "I know how long you've wished for a perpetual power and I'm glad to see we're at the precipice of making it a reality. But what of the Dragon Slayers?" He remembered the little blue-haired girl he carried in his arms that looked up at him with eyes pleading for mercy, "Now that you have their power what's in store for them?"

"Well they cannot use their magic in this world but it still refills after a time." Boro answered, a slimy smile on his face, "Once we have an eternal magical source to draw from it might be interesting to see how Dragon Slayer magic can be applied with it. We could use them for years to be."

Naruto's fist tightened at his side. The thought of that little girl being subjected to that kind of treatment wasn't something that sat easily in his stomach. But…if the result helped change the world…

"I see…that's…fortunate."

"Your Majesty!" The doors swung open as Hughes and Sugarboy rushed in, "We've gotten word from our soldiers! Erza has engaged in battle with the other version of her that was released from the portion of the Lacrima! They're fighting in another wing of the castle!"

"What?!" They were all shocked by the report as Naruto frowned and stepped forward, "How the hell would she have gotten in?! How did she find Erza?!"

Hughes was ready to answer before he looked at the blond man in surprise, "Naruto? But the soldiers said you were further in the castle…"

Their eyes widened in shock as they quickly realized what had happened. Naruto gritted his teeth and stepped forward, "Hughes! Sugarboy! The castle is on lockdown! If mine and Erza's counterparts are running around then they're going to be doing whatever they can to ruin our operation and get the Lacrima back! I don't know who they might be with but if there's anyone unfamiliar running about lock them up or put them down!"

"Right!"

"I'm going to be staying here with the king so if anyone sees another me running around, kill him on sight!" Naruto yelled, "And tell the other members of the Oración Seis to get going! We can't let this operation be endangered so close to finishing!" Hughes and Sugarboy quickly rushed out of the room to convey his orders, "Boro, get to the lab and finish whatever is needed to complete the project! The longer we wait the more we risk having everything coming apart!"

"Very well." The short man nodded and started heading back to his laboratory, "I'll be needing all hands on deck. I'm not sure where Mask may have scurried off to but I'm expecting them to be coming back to assist at some point."

Naruto was surprised to hear that quiet, meek assistant in black robes and a mask was nowhere to be found. If everyone was so focused on the intruders…

He shook his head. He couldn't worry about that now. If Mask wanted to use this opportunity then so be it. No better time. He had other things to focus on.

"I'm relieved to see you so focused, Naruto." Faust remarked with his chin resting on his fist, "After your question about the Dragon Slayers I feared maybe you were losing your stomach for this."

"Not at all, Your Majesty." The scar-faced man narrowed his hardened eyes, "If we can create eternal magic and change this world, I'm willing to destroy any invaders that threaten to get in the way."

########Hunter########

"Crash the Lacrima into Extalia?" Lucy covered her mouth, "Oh no."

"Yes, that man that drained our magic told us about it. He mocked us with it." With a frustrated frown, Wendy looked up at the older Fairies that came to their rescue, "With our magic, he can manipulate the floating island keeping the Lacrima up, and crash it into the land where all the Exceed live. When they do that, the magic inside them should react and create an eternal source of magic."

"That's sick." Gray cursed under his breath, "We have to stop them."

"Yeah but we need to find-"

"aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" They all looked back as Natsu came running back into the room, snot and tears rushing out of him as his eyes spiraled around in uncontrollable fear, "ERZA! ERZAS! TWO OF THEM! WE'RE DEAD! WE'RE ALL DEAD! SHE'LL KILL US! END OF DAYS! END OF - OW!" Naruto slapped him so hard that he nearly knocked Natsu off his feet. The pink-haired man blinked, "NARUTO?!"

"YOU ONLY JUST NOTICED!"

Gray came by and slapped Natsu upside the head, "Calm down you idiot. We need to think about our plan of attack so-"

"GRAY?! WHEN'D YOU GET HERE?!"

"I SAID CALM DOWN!"

As the Fairies started to create a plan for handling the mess they were in, they came to an agreement that they had to divide and conquer. Natsu and Gray decided to search for the people in charge and stop the Lacrima from crashing into Extalia. Wendy voiced a desire to warn the Exceed but Carla told her they shouldn't split up. And Lucy…

Lucy asked Naruto for some help.

########Hunter########

"This is terrifying!" Lucy cried out as she was carried in Naruto's arm as he ran along the outside of the castle. The blonde Celestial Mage squirmed and panicked in his grasp as she tried to rationalize that even though she was perpendicular to the ground, she wasn't going to fall. It was failing as she shrieked, "Wasn't there a better way to do this?!"

"Happy went to find Gajeel, Carla is carrying Wendy, and going back the way you came meant running through soldiers and the Erza-bowl rocking the castle. This was the best way to avoid everything." Naruto calmly stated as he weathered Lucy's freaking out. As he ran along the walls he craned his neck back to look at Wendy and Carla flying by their side, "Are you sure you're up to be moving about again? I'm sure being drained of your magic like that didn't feel good."

"It didn't, but don't worry." The little Dragon Slayer gave a quick pump of her arms, "I'm more than ready to help out however I can." She hesitantly looked over her shoulder, "I still think we should warn the Exceed-"

"We don't need to worry about them." Carla bitterly shot down her charge's suggestion once again, "Right now our concern has to be with saving our guild and stopping the Royal Army. That's it."

"Down there!" Before the subject could be brought up again, Lucy called out and pointed down at the set of hallways and windows she thought were familiar. Naruto jumped through them and set Lucy down as Wendy and Carla touched down beside them, "They should be over here!"

"And you're sure these guys can help us?"

"The Royal Army was keeping them captive all this time. If we ask for their help with dealing with all this I'm sure they'll give it." She approached the familiar cell doors, "Guys? Are you still there?"

"Little lady?"

"Holy shit you're alive!"

"Oh, that's a relief. I feared the worse before the castle went on high alert."

"Yeah, I'm here with my friends. We're here to break you out." Lucy grinned, "If we let you guys out, can you help us get my guild back and stop the Royal Army?"

"I'm not sure how much help I'll be but I'll do what I can."

"I would forever be in your debt."

"Kid, point me at a soldier and you won't be able to fucking stop me!"

Lucy beamed with joy and satisfaction that she had found some allies in their time of need. But as she and Wendy were happy for the help, Naruto tilted his head curiously. Were those voices…familiar?

"We'll get you out right now!" Lucy proudly proclaimed before looking back, "C'mon Naruto, hop to it. Knock the doors down."

He sighed and rolled up his sleeve, "You know in times like this you should be the one to bravely knock them down-"

His eyes widened and he immediately turned around and prepared to attack. When he looked back it was to see a feminine figure in black garb that covered most of their body and a mask that hid their face and head. They were carrying a sack filled with items in one hand and keys in the other. Lucy quickly took up a clumsy fighting stance as well as Wendy tensed up.

Until the masked figure held out the keys for them.

There was a tense moment of silence before they realized the masked figure wasn't going to take action. Wendy nervously stepped up, "Are those the keys to the cells?" The masked figure nodded and tossed them into the air for Wendy to catch.

As she did she nodded graciously and then walked over to the cells. As Naruto kept his eyes on the curious masked figure helping them, Wendy quickly opened the cell doors and freed the people within. And as they walked out…

The Earthland Fairies stared with eyes as wide and white as plates.

"I'm so glad you got the keys." A cleaner, more well-kept version of Gildarts walked out while rubbing the back of his neck, "It would have been a shame to destroy such wonderfully crafted cell doors and infrastructure."

"Ugh, I know you hate destroying things but we do have more important matters to focus on." They looked over as a familiar, tall blond man walked out. A Laxus that had a kinder expression on his face and wasn't as ripped as his Earthland self nodded to them, "We appreciate your help very much. Please let us do what we can to assist in your mission."

"Just give me a guy to punch!" Their attention finally fell on the burliest, rowdiest man among the captives. His muscles were tense and bulging, his body covered in dirt from various beatings during his time in captivity, and his wild, untamed mane of hair that went all the way down his back spun around frantically.

Jura lashed his hair aside, "Let the strongest man in Lamia Scale, Jura, show you why he's the most feared man in the world!"

…

"Yep," Naruto grimly nodded, "This place is definitely hell."

########Hunter########

Done

So Fairy Titans with friends are back in business! And we have a few new additions to look forward to.

I cannot tell you how funny it was to come up with an idea of a Jura who is the opposite of his normal self - complete with glorious mane of hair. Imagine a bodybuilder with the top of a hairstyle magazine cover. That's this guy.

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