"The train departing for Extalia will be departing in five minutes," the PTA announced.
A colorful sunset rose over the Crocus Fantasy Train Station as Wendy, Carla, Romeo, Yajima, and Macao stood before the Magic Express, prepped up and ready to travel to its predestined location.
"You sure you kids can handle going to Extalia on your own?" Macao asked.
Romeo assured his father with a confident smile, "Just leave it to us."
Yajima stated to Macao, "Your son's a Rainbow Fire Wizard, and Wendy is a Sky Dragon Slayer. If anything bites at them, they bite back."
Macao chuckled at Romeo, "I'm mighty glad of your confidence, kiddo."
Romeo chuckled back, "Thanks, Dad."
"Hey, Carla?" Wendy asked. "Why are we going to Extalia?"
Carla answered, "I received a message from Samuel, head priest of the Temple of Chagot. Apparently, Chagot had some valuable information regarding those monster attacks over the past couple of months."
Wendy wondered, "Like Ophiuchus, Azuma, and Bluenote Stinger?"
Romeo added with a beam, "And by Chagot, you mean the Goddess of Seasons? Another Olympian wants to talk to us?"
Carla explained, "She requested me and Wendy to come to Extalia. With her advice, we might be able to find out who masterminded those events."
Romeo smirked, cracking his knuckles, "And when the time's right, we'll take out the guy who tried to hurt us."
"Don't get too excited, Romeo," Carla eased. "We must find out why, first."
On cue, the train's whistle blew.
Macao urged, "Come on, kids. You better get goin'. The train's about to leave."
"Right," Romeo nodded. He stepped into the train and waved to Macao and Yajima, "See ya, Dad!"
"Bye, Mr. Yajima!" Wendy waved, joining Romeo. "We'll be back soon!"
Carla followed suit, "Wish us the best."
Yajima and Macao watched as the train doors closed between them and Wendy's group. And by the time the train left the station, Macao shed a single tear from his eye.
"That's my boy," Macao sniffled. "He's all grown up."
Yajima chuckled, "What do you expect from the young generation? Children need to grow stronger to accomplish what they aim in their lives." He then cleared his throat, "Anyways, Macao… You wanna take a bite at 8-Island Restaurant and spend some quality time in the memory of the good old days? I need to unwind before Natsu begins tomorrow's schedule. Tomorrow's a big day, but tonight, we make merry."
Macao smiled back, "Why not, Yaj?"
Meanwhile, the Magic Express moved above the crowded streets of Crocus, through the borders of the outer wall, and into the wilderness of the outside world. Romeo was sleeping on one of the seats, and Wendy and Carla were watching the scenery pass by while talking to each other.
"…the Kingdom of Extalia is the nearest point from Mount Olympus," Carla explained. "It's also home to the entire Exceed population. Their queen, Chagot, the Goddess of Seasons, lives here."
"Chagot is the queen of Extalia?" Wendy asked in amazement.
Carla clarified, "She created Extalia thousands of years ago in the early days of Olympus's reign. She is also the creator of all Exceeds."
Wendy breathed, "Chagot created the Exceeds? That explains why she's called their queen."
"Precisely," Carla nodded. "And another fact: Chagot is by far the only Olympian a mortal can ever speak to, given they were invited as guests in her palace."
Then all of a sudden, a brilliant flash of light exploded outside the train and the scenery was replaced by a wall of clouds. That indicated that they had left the world below. It's no wonder the train was called the Magic Express…
At a pinnacle of a hillside, the train was seen gliding across the railways before vanishing into the clouds. And watching them from above, two familiar figures snickered with malicious glee, preparing to set their plan into motion.
It was at this moment that the train emerged from the clouds in a flash of light, gliding along a road of invisible tracks. The transport stopped, allowing Wendy, Romeo, and Carla to gander at the splendid structure in their presence. This was the Kingdom of Extalia, the birthplace of Exceeds and home to Chagot, the Goddess of Seasons. Extalia was a huge floating island a short distance from Mount Olympus, distributed with many lively towns, streets, marketplaces, and Exceeds going about their peaceful lives. In the highest point of the island, there stood Chagot's palace, made from a substance of pure silver— Romeo and Wendy were impressed by the architecture.
"Wow…" Wendy remarked, gesturing the gentle atmosphere. "The whole place is lively and filled with happiness."
"Step lively, kids," Carla motioned. "The sooner we enter my mother's palace, the better."
Wendy and Romeo gasped at Carla's revelation. Romeo asked, "Chagot's your mom?"
"I can explain," Carla chuckled. "Most Exceeds were created from heavenly clouds. Some, such as me, were born from a female Exceed's womb. I was born and raised in the palace, and I grew to love Chagot as my mother."
Wendy asked eagerly, "So that makes you a princess?"
"You could say that," Carla nodded. "But I rarely attend to any royal duties because my jobs took me all over Earth-land."
"You mean the time you became Wendy's housemaid?" Romeo asked.
"Yes," Carla admitted, "That's pretty much how I spend my time."
The three walked through the streets, the Exceeds playing, working, and laughing good-heartedly together. The afternoon deluge was always a pleasant social event. Often times, humans from all over would even come visit the place, since Extalia was always welcome to otherworldly guests. It was always heartwarming to see the Exceeds' eyes grow wide with wonder— the men, the women, and the children— and more importantly, nothing could go wrong as long as the Exceeds were protected and watched over by their goddess and creator, Chagot.
After a while, Wendy, Romeo, and Carla stopped in front of the entrance of Chagot's palace, where Extalia's Minister of State, Nadi, was waiting for them.
"Ah, Princess Carla!" Nadi greeted. "Welcome back to Extalia, my lady. It's good to see you again."
"Thank you, Minister Nadi," Carla complimented.
"Queen Chagot awaits the presence of you and the young Dragon Slayer in the throne room," Nadi informed, gesturing the guards to open the palace doors. With that, Wendy, Romeo, and Carla followed the guards into the depths of the large structure.
Later…
Escorted by the guards, Wendy, Romeo, and Carla walked inside a particular room, and by the time the guards left, Wendy and Romeo took the opportunity to investigate the room. It was a very elegant area with vibrant decorations, scads of bookshelves, and open windows.
"Mother, it's an honor to meet you again," Carla said respectfully, bowing to the throne in front of her.
Wendy and Romeo snapped their attention to the throne, where they finally confronted the fabled Chagot. To Wendy and Romeo's surprise, the appearance of the Goddess of Seasons was much like every other Exceed. She was a tall figure with white fur and diamond patterned jewels around her face, as well as a piercing on her left ear. She wore a flowing, multilayered dress with excessive ruffles on the back, and a golden crown.
"Hi, there!" Romeo waved casually.
"Romeo! Show some respect!" Carla snapped.
"That is quite all right, Carla," Chagot said lightly. Her eyes roamed over the heroes and eventually stopped at the young Sky Dragon Slayer, "So, you are Wendy. Indeed, you have the innocence and bold spirit of your mother, a dear friend of mine."
"Grandeeney, the Goddess of the Sky," Wendy remembered, caressing her heart. "I'm her daughter, a demigoddess."
"You and Grandeeney are very close?" Romeo asked.
"She had the pleasure of assisting my daily seasonal deluges," Chagot answered softly, closing her paws together. "But now is not the time to reminisce old times." She added with a hopeful beam, "Has Igneel's son finally proven himself a true hero? If he does, his godhood will return, and he will rise to rejoin our kind."
Romeo shrugged, "I don't know. That's why he left for the Temple of Igneel to speak with his dad. He wanted to know if he's a true hero with all the monsters he took out."
Wendy giggled, "Mr. Yajima wasn't kidding that being a true hero takes a lot of work…"
"Highly understandable," Chagot nodded. "Natsu and his father had been quite busy of late. Therefore, it would seem that the task of informing you falls upon my shoulders. You must sense what I have come to suspect."
Carla asked, "What have you suspected?"
"Natsu's past endeavors prevented an immense effusion of ferocious demons, each terrifying and powerful than the last," Chagot explained. "As confirmed by a few of my fellow Olympians, those demons came from the darkest pits of the Underworld, sent by none other than Mard Geer Tartaros."
"Mard Geer Tartaros?" Wendy and Romeo exclaimed.
"The Lord of the Dead?" Wendy asked worriedly.
"The God of the Underworld?" Romeo added.
"That's what my suspicions led me to believe," Carla rubbed her chin. "The monsters that attacked Crocus and several parts of Fiore represented the Underworld, and someone from behind the scenes unleashed them. I've been aware of the monsters' appearance since the Ophiuchus incident."
"But there's no way! Why would Mard Geer send all these monsters to hurt Natsu?" Wendy questioned.
Romeo suggested, "It's like he had a grudge or something."
"Speaking of grudges, Mard seemed to be horribly jealous of Igneel since he became ruler of Olympus," Carla assumed. "Could it possibly be…?"
"That's what I feared," Chagot said worriedly. "Mard remained secretive in the Underworld for quite some time, never to reveal his secrets. If anything happened to Igneel's child…"
"I think we should go to the Underworld," Wendy suggested.
"What?!" Carla gasped at Wendy's suggestion. "Go to the Underworld? That's foolish!"
Wendy insisted, "We need to know what Mard's up to! What's if he's hiding something Natsu or Igneel didn't know anything about? This is our only chance! We have to go to the Underworld and stop Mard before he could do anything!"
Carla protested, "The Underworld is too dangerous for a child your age! Venturing deep into its dark depths would be suicide! I'm sorry, Wendy, but I'm putting my foot down!"
Romeo suggested to Carla, "If I were you, Carla, I'd do what Wendy says." He added with a frown, "Somebody's trying to hurt Natsu, and there's no way we're gonna let him get away with that."
"But… Wendy, I…" Carla tried to argue, but sighed at this insistence. "You're so eager to dive headfirst into the face of danger, aren't you?"
Wendy smiled, "You worry too much, Carla. We'll get out of any mess as long as we're together. There's nothing to be worried about."
Carla was comforted by Wendy's assurance. She replied, "You're right, Wendy. I trust in what you're doing."
Romeo smirked, "We're going to the Underworld and punch Mard straight in the face! And if he wants to fight Natsu, he'll have to get through us!"
"I trust you with utmost faith and confidence," Chagot smiled, touched by Wendy and Romeo's determination. "Mard is currently in the Underworld's Conference Room. I'll create a portal to get you there without being detected. May you go with the speed of Leo, daughter of Grandeeney."
"I'll do my best," Wendy nodded determinedly.
With a flicker of her paws, Chagot created an astral gateway in the form of a spiraling vortex.
"Let's go," Wendy motioned.
"Okay," Romeo nodded.
"I'll always be with you," Carla vowed. She turned to Chagot, "Wish me luck, Mother."
"I will," Chagot promised.
With nothing left to say, the three entered the magical doorway, before it disappeared into a flash of light. Chagot remained on her throne, smiling in appreciation. Wendy looked so much like her mother, and Carla was lucky to have found such a great friend.
This idyllic moment, however, was not to last. When she least expected it, a flicker of black dust flew and scattered all over the throne room. Upon seeing the small blackness, Chagot's eyes widened in suspicion, and then horror. No… It can't be!
Chagot turned around to find herself in front of Mard Geer, a sly, sinister expression crept in his face. "Hello, Chagot."
At that moment, Mard thrust his open palm. Chagot screamed, and tried to put her paws up to defend herself. A gigantic sea of thorns burst from the ground, destroying the throne room's majestic beauty, before they reached Chagot's body and restrained it tightly.
The last thing she saw was Mard's gleeful face, bent on universal domination.
The last things she heard were the terrified screams of the citizens of Extalia, the sounds of countless explosions, and Mard's triumphant cackle.
She faded into unconsciousness, not moving.