Hey guys, I'm back with the next chapter of this story. I'm glad most of you enjoyed the last chapter because I had lots of fun writing it! This chapter will pick up where the previous one left off and continue Natsu and everyone else's mission to save the other members of Fairy Tail who are still trapped in the lacrima. So, I hope you're all looking forward to that.

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Well, that's all I wanted to say, so let's get to the fic!

"Speech"

"Thoughts"

Magic

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.

"Don't think I forgot about you asshole! I need to pay you back for all the shit you said while we were trapped in that cell!" Natsu roared as vibrant, blue flames coated his legs, before rocketing toward Hughes at an incredible speed. In the blink of an eye, Natsu was in front of Hughes hitting him with a devastating flaming punch to the jaw. "Fire Dragon's Purifying Iron Fist!" Natsu's attack instantly floored Hughes with enough force to cause him to smash through the ship's deck and crash into the ground below. "Give our nakama back!"

"Y-Your friends will be f-fused with Extalia's magical power and become an eternal s-source of magical power for Edolas." Hughes said in a pained tone, pulling himself out of the hole in the ground and raising his magic wand once again. Wincing in pain, Hughes flicked his wrist and his wand sparked to life. Out of thin air, a set of roller coaster tracks formed underneath Natsu's feet, with a series of cars barreling toward him. "That was a good hit, I'll admit, but let's see how you like this!"

"Natsu! Look out behind you!" Lucy exclaimed as she tried to rush over to help her mate. However, she was stopped in her tracks when the ground beneath her and Gray suddenly gave out and they started to sink in, almost as if it were quicksand. "W-What the hell is this!?"

"As if this would stop me!" Natsu roared, turning to face the coaster cars and standing his ground. "We're not going to let you stop us!"

Hughes gasped and watched in wide-eyed terror as Natsu's entire body became engulfed in roaring blue flames. Feeling his body start to tremble, Hughes' breath hitched when he swore the pink-haired dragon slayer's billowing flames took the shape of a ferocious dragon. Unleashing a terrifying shout, Natsu raised his arms and stopped the coaster cars with his bare hands, completely shrouding them in scorching blue flames. The coaster cars had begun to melt in mere seconds, the molten metal falling to the ground below. Hughes yelped in fear when Natsu turned to face him, a look of draconic fury in his eyes as he exhaled a plume of smoke and specks of blue fire.

"O-Oh god..." Hughes thought as he felt an almost overwhelming urge to drop his wand and run away, feeling as if he were facing down an actual dragon. "He really is a monster."

"Gray, you handle that pink-armored fruitcake...Lucy, you go on ahead and try to find the king..." Natsu snarled, hopping down from the wooden ship and landing several feet away from Hughes. Slowly walking toward the terrified Edolas mage, the pink-haired dragon slayer's fists became engulfed in crackling orange electricity as he seemed to tower over Hughes. "This asshole is all mine."

(Same Time: With King Faust)

"Your majesty...all the preparations have been made..." Byro cackled as he walked into Faust's personal quarters. "Thish ish the final phase of code ETD."

"So it seems..." Faust muttered in a dark tone, clasping his hands together in a prayer gesture. "Farewell, ye gods."

"If you'll follow me, I'll show you the device your majeshty..." Byro said as he stepped aside and gestured toward the door. Faust gazed at Byro for several moments before nodding his head. After a brief walk, Byro and Faust were standing in front of a massive machine that resembled a magical cannon, with a dragon's head at the end of the barrel. "The magical energy we drew from those dragon shlayers...shink of it as a giant chain to keep the floating island with our lacrima on it under your control...after which, all you'll have to do ish crash that lacrima into the country of those cats. And with that, there will be a fusion of magical energies, and our kingdom will overflow with limitless magic." Reaching into his robe pocket, Byro pulled a large and extravagant-looking key. "Take thish, your highness. It's the key for activating the cannon."

"Your majesty!" Coco exclaimed in a panic, sprinting full speed toward Faust and Byro. "Please, you must wait!"

"Coco! What are you doing!?" Byro hissed as he let out an annoyed huff and angrily shook his fist. "I dishtinctly remember telling you several times to never run around like that in front of his majesty!"

"But we can't use code ETD yet! Lily is on the island with the lacrima!" Coco pleaded with a worried look in her eyes, stopping in front of Faust and looking up at him. "If we initiate the plan now, Lily is going to die!"

"..." Faust said nothing for several moments as he simply stared down at Coco, a cold and menacing look in his eyes that unnerved the young girl. When Faust's eyes suddenly narrowed, Coco felt a chill run down her spine. "Why does it matter?"

"B-But...he's one of us..." Coco breathed out as she felt tears sting her eyes, Faust's uncaring look seriously scaring her. "We can't just let him die!"

"Coco!" Byro exclaimed, gritting his teeth in frustration as he glared at the young girl. "The ones who need to sacrifice the most for the greater good are the authorities!"

"But I don't want Lily to die!" Coco exclaimed as a few tears fell down her cheeks, rapidly shaking her head. "I don't care how the rest of the plan goes! He doesn't deserve to die!" Wiping away her tears, Coco shot Faust a disappointed look before snatching the ETD activation key away from Byro and running away. "I don't want that!"

"W-What are you doing!?" Byro exclaimed, his eyes widening in shock. "You insolent child!"

"Coco!" Faust yelled in anger as he aimed his staff at the young girl. Without any hesitation, Faust fired a bolt of lightning at Coco, the electricity striking her legs. Screaming in pain, Coco collapsed to the ground, tears falling from her eyes as she gazed down at her singed and smoking legs. "You've always loved to run and I've always loved to see you so full of energy." With his staff sparking to life once again, Faust blasted Coco's legs once again. Faust's cruelty even caused Byro to cringe uncomfortably. "Give. Me. The. Key."

"..." Coco said nothing, gazing back at Faust with eyes full of fear and shock. After staring at the activation key for several moments, Coco tightly balled her fists and defiantly got back onto her feet. Despite the immense pain shooting through her legs, Coco continued to run away from Faust. "I can't let him have this key! I won't let him sacrifice Lily!"

"Coco!" Faust roared as he grit his teeth, his entire body shaking in anger. With a growl rumbling in his throat, Faust whipped around to face Byro. "After her this instant, Byro! Do not let her get away with that key!"

"It hurts...hurts so much..." Coco thought, sprinting as fast as she could through the halls as blood spurted from the injuries on her legs. Rounding a corner, Coco winced in pain as one of her cuts split open even wider. "Running has never been this painful before..." Feeling tears stream down her face once again, Coco tightened her grip on ETD's activation key. "It's like I don't want eternal magic...but I don't want Lily to die either! What do I do!?" However, as Coco skidded around another corner, she was stopped dead in her tracks when she ran into someone, both of them falling to the ground. Worried that she had slammed into one of Faust's men, Coco prepared to get back up as quickly as possible and run away. "Oh no...w-who did I smack into?"

"Ow...damn it..." Coco was surprised to hear a feminine voice coming from the person she had run into. Raising her head, Coco saw a busty, young blonde woman in front of her. It turns out Coco had run into Lucy as she had been searching for Faust. After rubbing her head for a few moments, Lucy noticed Coco staring at her and cocked her head slightly. "Who are you?"

"Coco!" Someone yelled from down the hall. Turning toward the voice, Lucy spotted a short, elderly man panting heavily as he hobbled toward them. "Why...*pant* why...do you *pant* insist on running away!?"

"Please!" Coco pleaded as she reached out and gripped Lucy's skirt, tears streaming down her face. "Help me!"

"Huh?" Lucy muttered, quirking an eyebrow at the girl's sudden request. However, Lucy gasped when she noticed the horrible injuries on the young girl's legs. "What happened to your legs?! Such an awful injury."

"I...I can't run anymore..." Coco said as she sniffled, hesitating for a brief moment before raising her hand to offer Lucy the ETD activation key. "Take-" Suddenly, Coco stopped herself and lay on the floor, hiding the key against her chest. "Wait! This woman is one of those Earthland outsiders! I can't give her the key! But I can't let Byro have it either! What should I do!?"

"*Pant* *Pant* I'm sick of this..." Byro said, breathing heavily as he glared fiercely at Coco. "Give me the key now, damn it!"

"Key!?" Lucy parroted as she perked up, instinctively placing a hand protectively over her celestial gate keys. "What do you want with my keys!?" This sudden exclamation caused Byro's eyes to widen in surprise. "I'm definitely not giving them to some creep like you!"

"This girl...she's completely misunderstanding the situation..." Coco thought, glancing between Byro and Lucy several times. "I have to-"

"Don't worry!" Lucy said as she raised her arms and slid into a fighting stance. Glancing down at Coco, the blonde celestial spirit mage flashed her a brief smile. "I'll take him out for you!" Hearing an explosion echo from outside followed by a bright flash of orange light, Lucy chuckled lightly. "Sounds like Natsu is going crazy out there. I need to hurry and find the king, but I can't just leave this girl here. And for whatever reason, this guy is after my keys."

"Sho, you intend to stand in my way and not hand it over?" Byro growled, balling his fists in frustration. "I grow tired of these games!"

"There's no way I'm handing my keys over to you!" Lucy exclaimed as she grabbed one of her gate keys, raising it into the air. "Open! Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!" With a flash of blinding, golden light, Taurus appeared in front of Lucy, wielding his gigantic axe. "I need your help, Taurus!"

"MOOO!" Taurus yelled, steam bellowing from his nose as he openly ogled Lucy's body. "You look lovely as ever, Lucy! You have such a nice body!"

"A-A cow..." Byro said as his eyes widened in shock, not believing what he was seeing. "This is too strange. How the hell did she do that!? Turning noshing into someshing!? Preposteroush! Incomprehenshible!"

"So, this is Earthland magic..." Coco thought, her brow furrowing as she gazed at Taurus. "Seems kind of perverted to me."

"Go, Taurus!" Lucy exclaimed as she extended her arm and pointed at Byro. "Take him down!"

"EH!" Byro yelled, before ducking underneath a wild swing from Taurus, the bull-man's axe burying itself into the ground. "How impudent!" Reaching into his robe pocket, Byro pulled out a vile of liquid and splashed it onto Taurus. A split second later, the liquid combusted and engulfed Taurus in scorching flames, causing the celestial spirit to roar in pain. "Flame Liquid."

"Taurus!" Lucy exclaimed as she watched her celestial spirit collapse to the ground and writhe around in agony, his body covered in serious burns. With a flash of golden light, Taurus disappeared as he was sent back to the spirit world. Seeing her spirit seriously injured like that caused Lucy's anger to flare up, feeling Natsu's magic start to flow from her mate mark. The air around Lucy began to heat up and crackle with electricity as she grabbed her whip. Byro's eyes widened in shock as he watched Lucy's body become engulfed in swirling flames and crackling electricity. "I'll make you pay for hurting Taurus!"

"W-What the hell!? How is she-" Byro was cut off by the sound of a cracking whip, seconds before Lucy's whip, now coated in flames and electricity, wrapped around him. Hissing in pain, Byro collapsed onto his knees, his clothes starting to singe and smoke. Feeling constantly increasing pain wracking his body, Byro tried to reach into his robe and grab more of his vials. "I have to hurry and use one of these! Shtorm Liquid should-"

However, he was stopped when Lucy suddenly yanked her whip forward, causing Byro to fall flat on his face. With a few strong pulls, Lucy dragged Byro in front of her. Flipping the old man over, Lucy tore his robe open and spotted his stash of vials full of magical liquid tucked into his pocket. Before Byro could even react, Lucy snatched all of the vials. Holding all of the vials in her hand, Lucy focused as much of the flames coating her body into her palm, drastically increasing the temperature. Within seconds, the liquids in the vials began to boil and bubble. Moments later, all of the vials exploded, the liquid inside them instantly evaporating as soon as it touched the flames coating Lucy's body.

"There, all of your nasty magic liquids are gone now!" Lucy growled as she cracked her whip, causing it to unwrap from around Byro and sent him spinning. With a grunt, Byro's back slammed into the wall. "Now, it's time to finish you off!" However, as Lucy began to approach Byro, she suddenly stopped and clutched her head. Sweat began to pour off Lucy's brow as the flames and electricity surrounding her body began to dissipate. She could feel Natsu's magic rapidly depleting and exhausting her. "No...not now...just a bit longer..."

"What's going on? It seems like she's run out of magic or something." Byro thought, staring at Lucy in shock as he watched her stumble slightly. Seeing an opportunity, Byro began to reach into his pant pocket. "I shtill have my Octopush Liquid. If I can drink it, I'll be able to turn thish fight around." Pulling out the hidden vial, Byro began to raise it to his lips. "It ends here girl!"

However, just as Byro began to drink the liquid, a low, rumbling sound could be heard from outside the wall. The rumbling sound grew louder and louder until there was a massive explosion of blue fire that burst clean through the wall. Lucy's eyes widened and smile spread across her face when she saw that it was Natsu, driving his flaming knee into Hughes' face. With a sickening crack, Hughes slammed into Byro, sending both men tumbling and smashing the vial of Octopus Liquid. Coming to a skidding stop, Natsu exhaled a trail of smoke as he wiped some flecks of debris from his shirt.

"Holy crap..." Coco thought as she stared at Natsu and Lucy in awe. "Byro and Hughes...have both been defeated."

"Tch, that'll teach you, bastards, for fucking with my nakama..." Natsu growled, using his foot to flip Hughes over as he stared at his bloodied and burned face. When Natsu spotted a short, elderly man knocked out underneath Hughes, he quirked an eyebrow and cocked his head. "Who the hell is this guy?"

"Nice job, Natsu!" Lucy exclaimed as she rushed over and hugged her mate, laying her head against his chest. "You came in the knick of time!"

"I can tell..." Natsu said his brow furrowing as he gazed at Lucy's mate mark. "Looks like you used my magic again, so soon after last time too."

"Yeah, that old guy hurt Taurus and it really pissed me off. So, it kind of just happened..." Lucy said as she briefly glared at Byro and stuck her tongue out. "But, I still can't control it very well. When I use your magic, it runs out too fast and it leaves me really drained for a few moments."

"Well, we'll have to work on that when we get back to the guild..." Natsu said, before leaning in closer to Lucy's neck, his hot breath sending a pleasurable shiver down her spine. "But first, I need to replenish the magic you used."

Knowing there was no point in arguing, Lucy simply tilted her head to give Natsu better access to her neck. The blonde celestial spirit mage winced for a moment when she felt Natsu's fangs pierce her skin. But her pain was quickly replaced by a comforting pleasure as Natsu's magic began to pour into her body. A brief moan escaped Lucy's lips as her cheeks flushed, clutching Natsu's head and pulling him closer. Coco watched the entire exchange in a mixture of embarrassment and confusion, having no clue what the two Fairy Tail mages were doing. After a few more moments, Natsu pulled his fangs out of Lucy's neck, giving the area to brief lick to stop the bleeding. Lucy was panting lightly as she felt Natsu's magic flow through her body, a pleasurable warmth radiating from her mate mark.

"There..." Natsu said with a smile as he licked his lips, stepping away from his blonde-haired mate. "You should be all topped off!"

"W-What the hell was that?!" Coco thought, lowering her head as she felt her face heat up. "I've never seen anything like that before! Why was he biting her neck!? And why did it look like she liked it!?"

"Who do we have here?" Natsu said as he finally took notice of Coco, crouching next to the young girl. Seeing Coco's injured legs, Natsu cocked his head and frowned. "Those injuries...who gave them to you?" Coco didn't say anything in response to Natsu's question, still hiding her face from the Fairy Tail mages. Releasing a light sigh, Natsu began to rapidly rub his hands together, causing them to glow faintly. "If you don't want to answer that's fine. Now, this won't magically heal your injuries, Wendy could do that if she were here, but this will at least help relieve the pain."

"What's he talking-" Coco was pulled from her thoughts when she felt Natsu grip her legs, a comforting warmth spreading throughout her body. A sigh of relief escaped her lips as she felt the pain in her legs start to fade away. After a few more moments, Natsu pulled his hands away and the intense pain Coco had been feeling was practically gone. "This guy...he knows that I'm probably his enemy...but he's still willing to help." Feeling tears sting her eyes, Coco raised her head and held out the ETD activation key. "You need to take this...it's the key for the mechanism that would have killed your friends."

"Could it be for whatever they're going to use to smash the lacrima into Extalia?" Lucy muttered as she stroked her chin, staring at the key in Coco's hand. "So, this must be the guy that old guy was talking about."

"More than everlasting magic...I just want everyone to live happily together!" Coco cried, a few tears falling down her cheeks. "So please...you must destroy this key!"

"So, by destroying this key, we can stop them from using the lacrima to attack Extalia, right?" Natsu asked as he walked in front of Coco, kneeling down next to her. Looking up, Coco eagerly nodded her head which caused a smirk to spread across the pink-haired dragon slayer's face. "Thank you so much for doing this." In an instant, one of Natsu's hands was coated in scorching orange flames. "Leave it to me. I'll destroy that key in an-" But before Natsu could finish his sentence and grab the key from Coco, someone flew by at an incredible speed and snatched it out of her hand. "What the fuck!?"

"AHAHAHA!" Sugarboy laughed haughtily, stealing the ETD activation key from Coco as he sped past her. "Now, now! You shouldn't be giving something so precious away to our enemies, Coco! If you'll excuse me, I'll just get this back to his majesty!"

"Sugarboy!" Coco exclaimed as she watched her comrade shoot off down the hall like a rocket. "Return that right now!"

"You bastard!" A new voice exclaimed, the sounds of a revving engine reverberating through the hall. A split second later, Coco and the Fairy Tail mages were shocked to see Gray skid around a corner, riding a magical motorcycle. "Just wait a damn minute and stop running away!"

"Gray!?" Natsu yelled in surprise as he watched his rival zoom past him, racing after Sugarboy. "Where the hell did he get that thing!?"

"My, my, you're a persistent one, aren't you?" Sugarboy asked in a teasing tone, continuing to fly through the halls, with Gray hot on his heels. "But this is ultimately pointless. It's not like you could beat me anyway." Reaching out with his sword, Sugarboy tapped the ground, causing it to partially collapse in a long line behind him. "Be a good boy and fall in!"

"Whoa!" Gray exclaimed as he managed to veer his motorcycle out of the way at the last moment, barely managing to avoid Sugarboy's pitfall. "I'm getting really sick of your damn traps!" As Gray continued to chase after Sugarboy, he took notice of how the pink-armored man was moving throughout the halls so quickly. "And how the hell are you gliding like that? It's super creepy!"

"..." Sugarboy said nothing for several moments before eventually shaking his head and shrugging his shoulders. "I don't really get how it works either, it just sort of happened one day and I've been able to do it ever since."

"With how weird you are, that actually makes sense..." Graby said as he skidded around a corner, barely managing to keep control of his bike. "What the hell is that key for anyway?"

"It's the key to activate the Dragon Chain Cannon." Sugarboy replied, looking back at Gray and smirking. "That's all you need to know."

"Dragon Chain Cannon?!" Gray parroted as his eyes widened slightly, not liking the ominous-sounding name. "What is that supposed to be!?"

"Ah, ah, ah, any more information would be top secret!" Sugarboy taunted, before glancing back at Gray and winking. Seeing this caused a shiver to run down Gray's spine as he grimaced. "Aren't you tired of chasing me?"

"Dragon Chain Cannon...it has to be related to the dragon slayer magic they extracted." Gray thought as his eyes narrowed, twisting the motorcycle's throttle. "I have to get that key back!" Tilting the bike so that he was closer to the ground, Gray began to drag his fingertips across the floor. "Ice Make: Floor!"

"Heh, ice can't win against me! I can soften anything!" Sugarboy laughed, raising his sword and pressing it against the ice racing toward him. "Rosa Espada!" However, Sugarboy was surprised when he suddenly began to spin out of control. "W-What is h-happening!?"

"You may have softened it, but you haven't changed the ice's nature." Gray said with a smirk as he watched Sugarboy veer toward a wall. "That means you'll still slip on it!" Sugarboy tried to say something but was cut off when he slammed into the wall, yelping in pain. Skidding with his motorcycle, Gray used to bike's momentum to hurl it at Sugarboy. "Now's my chance!"

"I told you...that won't work..." Sugarboy growled, glaring at Gray as he raised Rosa Espada. As soon as the blade touched the flying motorcycle, the bike began to liquefy practically instantly. However, Sugarboy was surprised when he noticed that Gray was only a few feet away, reaching for the activation key. "He's going for the key?! The bike was just a distraction!"

"Break to pieces!" Gray exclaimed as he grabbed ahold of the key, completely encasing it in ice. But after a few moments of nothing happened, Gray quirked an eyebrow. "Huh? What's going on?"

"Heh, that was a cool move Iceboy." Sugarboy said, causing Gray to cringe in disgust. "Ice cold in fact."

"Oi! Don't go giving me a creepy nickname!" Gray spat as he stared at the still intact key in his and Sugarboy's grasp. "And why won't this damn thing break!"

"This key isn't something that will break easily." Sugarboy explained, his teeth chattering as a chill ran down his spine. "Man, this is really cold." Gray and Sugarboy continued their staring contest for a few more moments, neither of them moving an inch. "Hey, can you let go of me already? I don't really like holding hands with men."

"Tch, haven't you realized that the situation has changed?" Gray asked which caused Sugarboy to cock his head slightly and quirk an eyebrow in confusion. "You guys may need this key, but we don't. If I can't destroy this damn key, then I'll just use my ice and make sure you can never use it!"

"It's no use, Iceboy..." Sugarboy said with a cocky smirk, slowly shaking his head. "With Rosa Espada, I'll just soften the ice."

"You sure about that?" Gray asked with a cocky smirk of his own which caused Sugarboy to frown in annoyance. "One tiny mistake and you'll turn the key to goop too."

"Hmmm..." Sugarboy hummed, his brow furrowing as mulled over what Gray had said. But after only a few moments, Sugarboy smiled and shrugged his shoulders, raising Rosa Espada. "It's fine! I have precision aim!"

"Are you fucking nuts?!" Gray exclaimed as his eyes widened in shock, before ducking underneath a slash from Sugarboy's blade. "I thought you were trying to soften the ice!?"

"I changed my mind." Sugarboy said, before swinging at Gray once again which he barely managed to dodge. Literally being attached to Sugarboy made his attacks difficult to avoid. "I'll just slice you up instead! My Rosa Espada can be used as a normal sword as well!" Lashing out once again, Sugarboy landed an attack on Gray's arm, causing the ice mage to hiss in pain as blood poured from his wound. "You're the one who froze us together, so you can't complain if cut you to bits!"

"Tch, I'll never let go! Even if you kill me!" Gray exclaimed as thrust his arm forward, unleashing another blast of ice magic which caused the ice encasing the activation key to grow larger. "I'll freeze your ass solid!"

"HA! Like I'd let that happen!" Sugarboy yelled, hitting Gray's ice with Rosa Espada which caused it to start liquefying. "Let go already!"

"Not happening!" Gray shouted as both he and Sugarboy battled back and forth, neither of them gaining an edge over the other. Whenever Gray would try to use more of his ice, Sugarboy would use Rosa Espada to soften it. After nearly a full minute of this tug-of-war battle, both Gray and Sugarboy gasped when they noticed a crack forming in the activation key. "Yes! That's it! Keep breaking you bastard!"

"This is bad! Like really, really bad!" Sugarboy panicked, desperately trying to pry the activation key free. "Let go! The key is seriously going to break!"

"No way in hell! My friend's lives are on the line!" Gray exclaimed in anger as he bared his fangs. "I'm smashing this damn key if it's the last thing I do!"

"N-No wait! You don't understand how bad this is!" Sugarboy pleaded, frantically waving his freed arm in an attempt to get Gray to stop. "You guys need the key too! So, let's just call a truce for now! The key is about to break!"

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Gray asked as he suddenly pushed forward, slamming Sugarboy into a wall. "Spit it out!"

"You can use this key to turn your friends back to normal!" Sugarboy blurted out, doing his best to stop Gray from pressing him further against the wall. "I know you probably think I'm bluffing, but I'm not! The Dragon Chain Cannon fires concentrated dragon slayer magic! Don't you know what dragon slayer magic can be used for in this world!?"

"Wait..." Gray thought as remembered back to when Gajeel had freed him and Erza from the lacrima they were trapped in. Sugarboy was right, dragon slayer magic could be used to free everyone. "But how can I trust this guy!? He could still be lying!"

"If you fire the Dragon Chain Cannon directly at the lacrima, you can turn all your friends back to normal!" Sugarboy continued, managing to push Gray back slightly as he got himself off the wall. "You understand, right?! We both need this key! So, you can't destroy it!"

"We've got Gajeel." Gray pointed out as several new cracks in the key started to form, causing Sugarboy to gasp in panic. "And now we've also got Natsu and Wendy too. So, why do we even need your damned cannon? We've got three dragon slayers of our own!"

"You idiot, do you realize how many days that would take?" Sugarboy growled, struggling to hold Gray back while also trying to keep the key safe. "That lacrima will begin turning into magical power tomorrow. Our plan was to smash it into Extalia before that happened. Sure, with three dragon slayers, you can save several people, but you'll never save them all! If you want to save all your friends, you can't destroy this key!" This seemed to rattle Gray, causing him to hesitate for a moment. "Now let go!"

"I won't give you the key!" Gray suddenly exclaimed as the activation finally shattered to pieces, crumbling in his and Sugarboy's grasp. "I can't take that risk!"

"THE KEEEEEEY!" Sugarboy screamed, his eyes widening in shock as he watched the activation key practically disintegrate. Growling in anger, Sugarboy tightly balled his fists. "You damned idiot! I wasn't bluffing!" Cocking his arm back, Sugarboy swung Rosa Espada at Gray. "Now, you can't save your-"

"We're taking EVERYONE back to our guild!" Gray exclaimed as he showcased his stripping skills, effortlessly ducking out of his jacket which Sugarboy hit with his sword. As Gray's jacket began to liquefy, ice magic began to swirl in his hands. Before Sugarboy could attempt another attack, Gray unleashed his own. With ice blades jutting out of both of his forearms, Gray hit Sugarboy with a flurry of devastating slashes. With a pained grunt, Sugarboy collapsed to the ground. "Ice Blade: Seven Slice Dance!"

"Y-You're crazy Iceboy...to think...you'd actually destroy the key..." Sugarboy struggled to say, blood dripping from his mouth as he barely managed to turn to face Gray. "Even though I told you that you could save your friends with that key."

"Heh, you seem to forget that I'm a mage who molds ice." Gray said with a satisfied smirk as he held out his hand. Sugarboy's eyes widened in shock as an exact replica made out of ice materialized in the palm of Gray's hand. "I can create anything."

(Same Time: Back in Extalia)

"So, this is Extalia..." Wendy thought, walking through the streets with Carla at her side as she noticed every Exceed they passed staring at them in shock. "It looks like a normal city...but it really is nothing but cats here." A group of Exceed suddenly blocked their path, stopping them from going any further. "Please, I wish to have an audience with the queen. Extalia is in imminent danger."

"Out of the way! Get out of my way! Make way for meow!" Nadi exclaimed as he pushed his way toward the front of the crowd. When Nadi finally stood in front of Wendy and Carla, he started shaking his fist angrily. "Y-You both are in serious trouble! Fallen angels and humans are strictly forbidden from entering Extalia!"

"We don't have time for that nonsense." Carla scoffed, crossing her arms over her chest. "If you value your lives, you'll listen to what we have to say!"

"Before you say anything..." Nadi said as he glared at Wendy and Carla. "What happened to Nichiya-san and the others that were chasing you?"

"They were caught in a trap." Carla replied, slowly shaking her head. "And were turned into lacrima by the Edolas royal army." This seemed to surprise the crowd for several moments before most of them burst out laughing. "What are you idiots so amused by!?"

"As if Extalia's imperial guards could be taken out by mere humans!"

"You both really should stop talking such nonsense."

"It's true!" Wendy exclaimed as she did her best to try and convince the crowd of Exceed that they weren't lying. "The royal army is going to attack Extalia next!"

"HA! Let 'em do as they please!"

"The queen'll just brush them off with her magic!"

"Yeah! Yeah! We ain't listenin' to you two!"

"Damn it, would you all just give us a chance!?" Wendy yelled, stomping her foot in frustration as her anger flared up because of the Exceeds taunts and laughter. "If you don't flee now, you'll be in grave danger!"

"Shut yer damn mouth, human!" One of the Exceeds yelled as they threw a rock at Wendy. However, the Exceeds were surprised when Wendy easily caught the rock.

"D-Don't think you're tough, h-human!" Another Exceed exclaimed, before throwing another rock, but this one was aimed at Carla. Wendy's eyes widened in anger and worry as she watched the rock strike Carla in the head.

"You don't even know about the queen's magical power!"

"We're Exceed! We're better than you lowly humans!" By now pretty much the entire crowd had joined in, pelting Wendy and Carla with stones and assaulting them with endless taunts.

"Get the hell out of here, you human and fallen angel!"

"This is Extalia, the nation governed by our queen!"

"We won't ever lose to humans as long as we have our queen!" After another barrage of stones, a few streams of blood began to flow down Carla's head, and seeing this sent Wendy over the edge.

"ENOOOOOUGH!" Wendy roared as a massive burst of wind exploded off her body, blowing back the Exceeds that had surrounded them. A fierce growl rumbled in Wendy's throat as she stood protectively in front of Carla. All the Exceed were shocked as they watched as purple scales form on Wendy's arms and her hair turned dark purple with a disheveled appearance. Wendy's nails elongated into claws as wispy, purple gas radiated from her palms. "I can't care if you hate humans! You can hurl all the insults and stones you want at me! But don't you dare do that to Carla! She's one of you, isn't she!? Just listen to her and give her a damn chance!"

This impressive display of power shocked and silenced the Exceed, stopping their stone-throwing immediately. None of the Exceed dare say anything, all of them simply staring at Wendy in stunned silence. Another growl rumbled in Wendy's throat as she breathed heavily, poisonous gas leaking out of the corners of her mouth. Carla too stared at Wendy in complete shock, having never seen this side of her. After the Nirvana incident, Carla knew that Wendy was powerful, but she had never seen the blue-haired dragon slayer this furious before.

"Wendy..." Carla thought, choking back a sob as she felt tears sting her eyes. "I had no idea you could be this fierce."

(Same Time: With Gajeel)

"GRRRRRRR." Gajeel grunted as he used his arms to block a swing from Lily's massive sword. Even though the blade didn't pierce his skin, the force behind the attack still sent Gajeel skidding several feet back. Digging his feet into the ground, Gajeel finally managed to stop himself, still holding Lily's blade back. "Tsk, not bad, cat."

"To think you could stop my sword, which can crush iron, with your bare hands..." Panther Lily said, staring intently at Gajeel as he noticed his blade had seemingly caused little to no damage. "You Earthland mages are just full of surprises."

"I hate to break it to ya, but iron dragon scales aren't like the ordinary iron yer used to." Gajeel said as he pushed Lily's blade away. "That being said, aren't you allied with those other cats? Why the hell are you with the royal army?"

"You're an Exceed, right? Same as me." Gajeel asked, trembling slightly as he pulled down his pack. "Do you want a fish? I brought extra."

"That's a story from long ago!" Lily exclaimed as he leaped into the air, hoisting up his gigantic sword. "I've discarded my home!" With a fierce yell, Lily brought down his blade. However, he was surprised when Gajeel formed an 'X' with his arms and blocked his blade once again. The ground underneath Gajeel cracked and caved in as he was pushed down. "That fake country!"

"Fake country?" Happy thought, his eyes widening slightly. "What is he talking about?"

"So, you're on the outside looking in, eh?" Gajeel asked as a smirk spread across his face, memories of his time spent at Fairy Tail flashing through his mind. "I know how that feels. Geehee, I like you." Lily was shocked as he noticed cracks start to form on his sword before the entire blade eventually exploded into pieces. "I'm going to make you my cat!"

"My Bustermarm!" Lily exclaimed in shock, watching as his giant sword crumbled. "How is this possible!?"

"But first, I've gotta show you who's stronger!" Gajeel yelled with a devilish grin as he slashed at Lily with an arm blade which the large cat barely managed to avoid. Not giving the Exceed a moment to breathe, Gajeel rushed forward and unleash a barrage of attacks, with most of them managing to land. "GEEHEE! Now I won't be outdone by Salamander and that little girl!"

"This guy!" Panther Lily thought, ducking his head back just in time to avoid another slash from Gajeel. "This is the power of dragon slayers!?"

"Iron Dragon's Roar!" Unleashing a devastating roar at practically point-blank range, there was no way Gajeel could miss. The powerful whirlwind of dragon slayer magic slammed into Panter Lily, sending the Exceed crashing into the ground, with enough force that it pushed him clear through the floating island. With a grunt, Gajeel landed back on the ground, a toothy grin still on his face. "How'd you like that?!"

"You're strong!" Gajeel was surprised when Panther Lily quickly reappeared, all of his armor having been blown away. Rushing forward, Lily hit Gajeel in the face with a powerful punch. "I like fighting strong opponents!"

"Gajeel!" Happy exclaimed as he watched the iron dragon slayer's head whip back. However, Happy was surprised to see a large smile on Gajeel's face as if he were enjoying the fight. With an echoing crack, both Gajeel and Lily punched each other in the face simultaneously, neither of them giving up an inch. This time it wasn't just Gajeel, both the iron dragon slayer and Panther Lily were now grinning in delight. "Their faces are scary right now."

(Back with Gray)

"Good, he finally shut his damn mouth..." Gray grumbled, rubbing the back of his head as he stared at Sugarboy's unconscious body. "I should probably head back to flamebrain and Lucy."

"No need, I finally managed to catch up with you guys!" Natsu called out as he suddenly appeared running down the hall toward Gray. Seeing that Sugarboy was out cold, Natsu crouched down next to him and began to poke his cheek. "So, where's that stupid key?"

"I took care of it, but the situation has changed." Gray replied, resting his hands on his hips as he gazed down the hall Natsu had come down. "Where's Lucy?"

"She'll catch up in a bit." Natsu said as he flicked Sugarboy's forehead, before standing back up. "We ran into a girl named Coco who was hurt, so Luce wanted to make sure she was alright before she left."

"More importantly, I found out something while fighting this asshole..." Gray said with a smirk, holding out his palm and creating an ETD activation key out of ice. "We can actually use this key to save our friends."

"Huh?!" Natsu exclaimed as he gazed at the ice key, his eyes widening in surprise. "What are you talking about?"

"Apparently, their original aim was to use the Dragon Chain Cannon as a tether and smash that giant lacrima into Extalia." Gray explained, closing his hand and causing the ice key to disappear. "But if we fire the Dragon Chain Cannon, which contains concentrated dragon slayer magic, directly at the lacrima, we can turn everyone back to normal."

"I guess that does make sense." Natsu muttered as he rubbed his chin, furrowing his brow slightly. "Gajeel did free you and Erza with dragon slayer magic."

"That cannon is just ahead." Gray said, pointing toward a massive set of double doors further down the hall, with a pair of guards protecting them. "But those damn doors are in the way. They look really solid, so I don't think we can just bust through them."

"Maybe I can-" Natsu stopped mid-sentence when the sounds of clanking armor echoed down the hall behind them. Turning around, they were surprised to see an exhausted and battle-scarred Erza walking toward them. However, it appeared to be Knightwalker, instead of Scarlet. Despite this, a grin still spread across Natsu's face. "Hey! Glad you finally caught up with us."

"Hold up Natsu. Why are you being so friendly? Isn't that the Edolas Erza?" Gray asked, looking between the pink-haired dragon slayer and scarlet-haired knight several times. However, after looking at Erza for several moments, Gray finally noticed something that was slightly off about her appearance. "Wait...pink streaks in your hair? Ah, you're actually our Erza."

"I could smell her coming a while ago." Natsu said with a chuckle as he tapped his nose, causing Erza's face to flush ever so slightly. "So, what's with the getup, Erza?"

"You said that we couldn't break through those doors." Erza said, pulling out two sets of rope which caused Natsu and Gray to look at each other and quirk an eyebrow. "Well, I've got an idea that might get us through."

(Five Minutes Later)

"Ah! It looks like you made it through okay, Captain Knightwalker!" One of the guards posted at the large double doors said, saluting the scarlet-haired knight. "And I like what you've done with your hair! Very trendy!"

"Oi! What part of her looks alright!?" The other guard exclaimed, roughly nudging his partner in the shoulder with his elbow. "What the hell happened!? Those wounds look bad!"

"It's nothing serious." Erza said as she approached the guards, dragging a bound Natsu and Gray behind her. "Okay, let's hope this works."

"Wait...those are-"

"Is his majesty inside?" Erza asked, cutting off the guards before they could pry any further. After the guards nodded and stepped aside, the large doors began to slowly swing open. Deciding to play up her act a bit, Erza smiled as she began to walk through the doors, dragging Natsu and Gray behind her. "All the preparation are in order. I can see eternal magic before my eyes."

"Erza!" As soon as she was through the doors, Erza was called out to by Faust, who was surrounded by dozens of his personal guards. "Have you brought the activation key with you!?"

"Unfortunately it was destroyed, but there is no need to worry." Erza replied, before tossing Gray to the ground in front of Faust. "This person can create a new key for us."

"He can!?" Faust exclaimed in awe as he stared at Gray with wide eyes, stroking his long beard. "Are you sure?!"

"He's a mage from Earthland, an ally of the dragon slayers." Erza explained, pulling out her sword and pointing it at Gray. "He has the ability to mold ice."

"Mold ice you say? Interesting..." Faust said as his eyes narrowed slightly. "Is it safe to assume that he's related to the disappearance of the lacrima in the plaza?" Erza said nothing, instead simply nodding her head in response. "Well, that's fine then! Hurry and have him create a new key to activate the Dragon Chain Cannon!"

"Get up, ice mage!" Erza spat, hoisting Natsu up and pressing her sword's blade against his neck. "Don't try anything funny, or else I'll slice your friend's neck open."

"Damn, she's really selling this." Gray thought as he slowly got onto his feet, pretending to glare at Erza in defiance. "I have to play along too."

"You'll activate the Dragon Chain Cannon, now." Erza said, slightly digging her blade into Natsu's neck, just enough to not break the skin. "Don't make me repeat myself."

"So...this is the Dragon Chain Cannon..." Gray muttered as he gazed up at the massive, imposing mechanism in front of him. "Here goes...I'll only get one chance." Holding out his hand, Gray formed an activation key out of ice. "Once I activate this thing, I should be able to quickly change where it's aimed and have it hit the lacrima directly. If I can do that, we'll save our friends." However, as Gray placed the key in the machine and started the firing sequence, his eyes suddenly widened when he realized a critical error in their plan. "Wait...shit! Shit! Shit! How the hell do I change where this damned thing is aiming!?"

"Yes..." Faust breathed out, raising his arms into the air as he took a few steps toward the cannon. "Yes, that's it!" After a few more moments, the Dragon Chain Cannon began to hum with energy, signaling that it was ready. "FIRE!"

"This is where we end things..." Erza said before she released a light sigh, her eyes burning with determination. "Now, Natsu!"

"Hell yeah!" Natsu exclaimed with a grin as brilliant blue flames exploded off his body, instantly disintegrating the ropes that bound him. With blue flames gathering around his arms, Natsu rushed toward the guards surrounding Faust. In mere seconds a majority of the imperial guards had been taken out, their bodies engulfed in Natsu's roaring flames. "Fire Dragon's Purifying Wing Attack!"

"J-Just what is this?!" Faust exclaimed in utter shock as he watched his men fall one after another. But, before Faust could say or do anything else, he was grabbed from behind and a blade was held against his neck. Looking back, he was shocked to see that it was Erza who had taken him hostage. "What is the meaning of this Erza?!"

"Halt the firing sequence right now!" Erza yelled, surprising everyone, minus Natsu and Gray, as she re-quipped back into her normal set of armor. "My name is Erza Scarlet of Fairy Tail, and I am Earthland's Erza!"

"Sorry about that..." Gray said with a smirk as he shrugged his shoulders. "But thanks for letting yourselves be fooled so easily."

"You took the bait hook, line, and sinker." Natsu laughed, a cheeky smile spreading across his face as he breathed out a small burst of orange electricity. "That was too easy!"

"Change the cannon's target to the lacrima." Erza ordered as she pressed her sword against Faust's neck a bit harder, cutting off some of his beard hair. "Do it now or your king will lose his head."

"Don't listen to her! Fire the-" Faust was silenced when Erza roughly pulled him closer, her sword now directly against his skin. "Grrrr, you vile bitch..."

"Damn, what should we do?"

"I can't believe you'd do something as cowardly as taking a hostage!"

"Yeah, like I'm gonna listen to the bastards who are willing to sacrifice innocent people's lives for their own selfish gains." Natsu growled as blue flames leaked out between his clenched teeth, causing the imperial guards to step back in fear. "We'd do anything for the sake of our nakama."

"Shit, just do it! His majesty is in danger!"

"Don't worry about me! Fire already!" Faust demanded despite Erza's blade digging into his flesh. "For the sake of destroying the Exceed!"

"Re-aiming! Our new target is the giant lacrima!"

"You damned fools!" Faust roared as he tried to trash free of Erza's grasp, but she held him firmly in place. "Are you really going to throw away eternal magical power!?"

"SCARLEEEET!" Erza's eyes widened in shock when she heard a familiar, furious voice yell out from above. Looking up, Erza gasped when she saw Knightwalker rapidly descending toward her, with her spear readied. "WE AREN'T DONE YET!"

"You have to be fucking kidding me!" Erza thought, shoving Faust away as she raised her sword to block Knightwalker's attack. "Of all times for her to show back up!"

"His Majesty is free!"

"Change the target back!"

"NO!" Gray exclaimed as he watched the cannon change its orientation, switching back to its original target. "We were so close!"

"This isn't over yet, Scarlet!" Knightwalker roared, her spear grinding against Erza's sword, sending out a spray of sparks. "You can't run away this time!"

"FIRE!" Faust ordered with a maniacal smile just as one of his guards hit the cannon's firing button. "YES! Eternal magic will now be ours!"

A split second later, a deafening bang rang out and a blinding flash filled the air as the Dragon Chain Cannon fired. Shooting out of the cannon was a massive, glowing chain, with its tip resembling a dragon's jaws. Within seconds, the chain hit its target, slamming into the side of the floating island that the giant lacrima was on. The same island that Gajeel, Panter Lily, and Happy were currently on.

"The link is complete your majesty!"

"Then smash that lacrima into Extalia!" Faust ordered as he wildly gestured at the floating island. "Wipe those cats off this world!"

"You guys!" Hearing a familiar voice yell out, the Fairy Tail mages all looked up and were surprised to see Lucy flying toward them, riding atop a monstrous-looking creature. "Get on, quick!"

"Why does that wench have a Legion!?" Faust exclaimed in anger as he grit his teeth. "Will these nuisances never end!?"

"It's my Legion!" Coco said, suddenly appearing from behind Lucy with a cocky smirk on her face. "Forgot I had one too, didn't you?"

"Luce! Nice entrance!" Natsu exclaimed as he rushed over to the Legion just as it landed, with Gray and Erza following right behind him. "Will we be able to stop the chain with this thing?!"

"I have no idea!" Lucy quickly replied, watching as her friends climbed aboard the creature. Once Natsu, Gray, and Erza were on, the Legion let out a mighty roar and took off. Its massive wings sent out a small shockwave that knocked over several of the imperial guards. "We have to go, now!"

"Scarlet..." Knightwalker snarled as she tightly balled her fists, locking eyes with her Earthland counterpart as she flew away. Grabbing a knife from her boot, Knightwalker swiftly cut off her ponytail, leaving her hair reaching just above her shoulders. "After them, Second Magical Warfare Corps! All members of the Legion Corps, sortie! Don't let them escape!"

"I'll go as well..." Faust said in a dark tone, tightly gripping his staff as veins bulged along his face. "Prepare the Dorma Anim."

"But your majesty, that's forbidden by Article 23 of the Imperial Charter-"

"PREPARE IT!" Faust roared in a furious tone, leaving no room for argument as he fiercely glared at the guard who had spoken out against him. "DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK AGAINST YOUR KING EVER AGAIN!"

(Same Time: Back With Gajeel)

"What the hell was that?" Gajeel asked as he felt the ground beneath him start to shift. "Why are we moving?"

"This is our military's plan." Panther Lily said with a smirk, panting lightly. "We're going to smash this lacrima into Extalia and destroy them both."

"How..." Happy said as he sniffled, tears forming in his eyes. "How can you do such a horrible thing?"

And done! We're officially entering the final stages of this arc! If I had to guess there will likely be two to three more chapters, then we'll be finished with the Edolas arc! The next chapter will have Natsu and his friends working to stop the lacrima from smashing into Extalia before their final fight against Faust! So, I hope you're all looking forward to that! As usual, I'll post one more chapter for this story before I begin working on my next fic. Remember to follow/favorite if you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW (I NEED YOUR FEEDBACK), PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING MY P ATREON (Every little bit helps), check out my profile and other stories if you haven't already, and PM me any ideas you may have for my stories. So until next time, I'm outta here!