The Legend of Fairy Tail

by HylianHero5465

"Do fairies really have tails? Do they even exist... Like them, this place as an eternal mystery... A never ending adventure!" These words embody the spirit of the Fairy Tail Guild, but what happens when a hero from another world crashes into their lives bringing along with him a certain winged companion? Rated T for now but may change to M later.

6. The S-Class Exam

To everyone who wished me and my fiancé the best last chapter:

THANK YOU SOOO MUCH! WE FEEL YOUR LOVE!

Seriously, thank you. It means a lot to me that I've managed to earn enough people's respect on this site to get so many heartfelt congratulations. I hope that this new chapter can in some way express my gratitude!

We are planning on getting married in July. Hopefully we'll get everything planned out for then.

Not much else to say beyond that so let's get into

Reader Response

To:

Whatstoknow: Thanks! Glad you liked it!

Lord Circe: You got one of those right! Thanks so much!

Fuzzyjacket: Aww thanks!

Christian. 1: Yup!

Proverbsrus: Yes. Yes it has. Yes. Yes he will. Muahaha!

SoulC: Sorry, not quite. That would be cool though…hmmm…Yeah I know some people hate the reader responses and I'm aware that last chapter they were far too long. Still, I've also had people that say they like them and I feel it helps me convey my appreciation for reviews. I'm really not that concerned with word count filling. I will try to keep the responses shorter though. Hopefully you understand. Really appreciate your review!

TeninChwang: Perhaps, but Link doesn't have any Triforce piece anymore and technically there's nothing saying that he can't be wise. The Great Deku Tree himself said that Link's wisdom and courage were needed to break his curse and you went through the same things he did and survived you would learn a thing or two as well.

OniHelix: Hahaha perhaps painfully obvious but not quite! The Fire Rod from Hyrule Warriors is a weapon Link uses and some of its attacks shoot out a dragon spirit. Sorry! Hahaha! Thank you so much! I'm lucky to have such a great girl in my life. I really appreciate the support your reviews have given me!

Schniedragon88: HOLD THAT THOUGHT! SCHNIEDRAGON JUST REVIEWED! Hahaha Thank you so much! Really appreciate your words and well wishes, internet be damned! Yes, the cuccos…the REAL Hyrule villains…As for the OC's I just came up with them on the spot while I was writing. I'm usually averse to OC's as well but I had to come up with something cause those types of details aren't expressed in canon Fairy Tail. Glad they seem to have met with approval. Win! Hopefully you like the weapons I've thought up. Also glad you like my life force idea. I agree with about the limitations of the 64 as well. Too bad. Oh well, more room for me to imagine. As for the weapon, you're right! The Fire Rod in HW shoots out a dragon spirit in some of its moves and when I saw that I immediately wanted to use it. The thing that was floating around for years was the life force idea, not the weapon. This chapter is much longer, so I hope it makes up for the short one last time. Hope to hear from you soon!

Gravenimage: Glad you liked it! Yes, Link's arsenal will be awesome! Thanks! I found the picture! I really liked Dragon's Crown as well! Played it for hours and the Elf was by far my favourite. That story idea sounds like fun but I can't do it. Got too much on my plate as is unfortunately…someone should do it though.

Cybresamurai: Bingo! You got it!

EvanderAdvent: You'd be surprised how many people have guessed that, but no, it's not the spear. Although that might be something to think about…

Drake D Hero: We all make the cucco mistake once. Then we learn. Thanks for the congrats! Really appreciate it!

Darklink1011: Thanks a lot! Hope you like what I came up with, it was a bit tricky for some of them.

Alcham of the Vael: Thanks a lot! I'm glad you like my work so much! Haven't heard that word in a while…hahaha thanks!

Bloodwolf432: Yeah the manga was a bit sad in that aspect. That's not canon though so it's not the same Volvagia that Link fought. Very good deductive reasoning, you are correct sir. Thanks! I'm going to enjoy this ride to the fullest!

Hylian Mage: Nope, good guess though. You're not the only one.

Libby8980: Hahaha! Breath 'Hopeless Romantic' breath! Thank you so very much!

NIX'S WARDEN: Huh. Go figure. Crazy coincidence that. Glad you like my ideas! His life on Earth Land is going to be an adventure, that's for sure!

Hedgehog of Time: Thanks! Glad you liked it! It was a bit short though. This one is better. I have no plans on bringing in any Zelda villains at this point. I really liked Volvagia too but that might be just cause I'm a dragon nut. Wow, I think it's a great honour to know that I've inspired anyone! Thank you! Good luck with your story!

. : Thanks! I hope you and you're wife are having a great life! Thanks for the review! Better late than never! I'm glad you like my story thus far and I hope you continue to enjoy it. Link has all of the things he earned in Majora's Mask but he doesn't have most of the things he got from Ocarina. You didn't miss anything, I mentioned the gauntlets before because someone else was complaining that he could use them to match Erza's strength. I'll eventually reveal the extent of his inventory in the story. Hope to hear from you again!

Dragon Silhouette: Thank you very much! Heehee that's a good idea, I can see someone pranking Link with that. Glad you like how I'm portraying their relationship, I'm having fun with it. Really glad you liked my OC's and there test. I pretty much came up with them on the spot and the idea of Sanya popping into my head made me laugh so much I had to do it. Good guess! You're right! And you're right that game did have some great weapons…heheh…anyway hope you like this new chapter!

Sora with an S: Heh, way to roll with the punches!

Pokemon-35055: Why thank you!

MissMoe: Hahaha you're thinking a little too far back but you're not far off. Thank you very much! Yes she said yes! Still not sure why she did that…must be insane or something. Anyway thanks for the well wishes! We're planning for July right now. Really glad you like my theory. I spend hours going over stuff like that in my head and that's the kind of stuff that pops out. So yeah…nice to know I'm not an idiot. Cuccos are the true evil force of the Zelda universe! It's a fact of life. The sooner everyone accepts that, the happier they will be. Hahaha I can't believe I convinced you that OC's I literally invented on the spot were canon! I call that a win! So very glad you like this story so much! I love reading your reviews! I'll do my best not to abandon either of my stories!

Killersoda57: Thanks! Yes, evil cuccos…poor Link. Good guess, you're right!

XxprojectfoxX: Nope, good guess though.

Newboy: You're right. Ganondorf would destroy a lot of the heavy hitters in Fairy literally possessed the power of a god. I also agree that the only reason Link won was because Ganondorf didn't take him seriously until Link had grown into a mighty warrior and had obtained everything needed to face him. I also believe that Link was the only one capable of fighting Ganondorf because he possessed the Triforce of Courage and the Master Sword. Without those two things, Ganondorf would have won. But he didn't. Because Link is awesome.

SkyeDragonAzure: Thanks! Super glad you like my ideas and story! Hope you continue to enjoy it!

Naru: Those are some good guesses, but you only got one of them right. The Twinrova one is pretty close though.

Uknown Sterata: Thanks! I love making awesomeness!

Minaly22: Hello indeed. Haha the Guardian's Gate was fun. Not sure how I'd incorporate it though.

W4V3B1RD: Thanks! Never played Dark Souls, so I wouldn't know. Heard it was good though.

SSAFunbar: Thank you very much! And you're right! Hopefully you like the other weapons I came up with as well.

Anime FanFic Fan: I love Hyrule Warriors! You're right too! Wait till you see the other ones I came up with!

The Original Navar: Yay! Glad you found it! Always love hearing from a new reader! Thanks so much! Link has pretty much everything he had in Majora's Mask. Good guess, but not quite. Thanks for typing up a review on a difficult medium, really appreciate it!

GaijinSamurai: Glad you like my fic and really glad you understand my reasoning behind Link's strength. I am fully aware that skill and experience are an incredible asset. It's because that Link is so good that Mira and Erza want to fight him all the time. He pushes them in ways they've never been pushed. But Erza and Mira are also prodigies in their own right and they learn to adapt quickly. Nice to know you understand though and I hope you continue to enjoy what I write! Thanks for the well wishes!

Guest: No. The spear he leaned against the counter was just part of the twin's test. He doesn't get it.

Chm01: Thanks!

JohnTitor: Yes indeed! Good job! Thanks a lot!

AnimeFreak2908: Thank you very much! Super glad you like this story so much!

AzureEnding: Thank you very much! Oh no, did yours not work out? I'm so sorry…hope things go better for ya. Thank you! You understand! Don't worry, I don't plan on quitting. I'm having too much fun and I know a lot of people like what I write. Nice to know I have such a loyal supporter though!

Newboy: Oh! Another review from you. Sweet. Thanks so much for the well wishes! Don't worry, there's definitely going to be rivalry and not just from Mira, heheheheh. Thanks again and I hope to hear from you again as well!

Alright that's that! Thank you again to anyone who wished me and my fiancé congratulations on our engagement!

Now let's get in to the real reason why you're here:

The Legend of Fairy Tail

Chapter 6:

S-Class Exam

xxx

Earth Land X780

There was only one word that could be used to describe the current feelings of the passengers aboard the boat.

Hot.

So very hot…

With the sun blazing in the cloudless sky and not even the faintest breeze to alleviate the heat, everyone on board could only try to withstand the merciless torment that was the giant ball of fire above them.

"Ugh…I'm melting…" a young woman moaned from her spot on deck. She was stretched out in a chair without any sense of dignity, having not the energy to care her about appearance under the sun, and sipped lazily from a glass of dark liquid in her hand. The budding teen wore a dark blue bikini that left little to the imagination concerning her figure which was already developing incredibly well. She would undoubtedly continue to grow into a very beautiful woman in a few short years. "Why does it have to be sooooo hot?"

"It's like this year round, Cana," an older man with short, slicked, dark blue hair and light stubble on his face answered with a chuckle. "There's never any wind around here so it stays warm all the time."

"If I would have known it was this bad I would have seriously reconsidered coming out here," Cana groaned.

"No you wouldn't," Macao chuckled again at the young S-class candidate. The young girl gave him contradictory look, but she couldn't hold it.

"Yeah, you're probably right," She relented with a sigh. "But still…" She turned an angry eye at him. "How can you wear that?!"

Macao was wearing his typical guild outfit, a dark shirt and pants, without showing much sign of discomfort. In fact the only real indication that he was hot at all was that he had his usual white overcoat slung over his shoulder instead of wearing it. The older wizard just shrugged.

"It helps that I'm a fire mage, but I'm not the only one who's toughing it out," he pointed a thumb over his shoulder.

Cana tilted her head to see behind him where she could saw another young wizard a year older than her leaning against the boat railing. This boy was even more heavily clothed, wearing a hat, cloak, and cowl wrapped over his face. Cana merely grunted in annoyance.

"Doesn't count," She huffed. "Mystogan has always been weird like that."

"What about Link?" Macao tilted his head towards the bow where they could see the aforementioned mage sitting lazily on the very tip of the bowsprit and playing his ocarina without a care in the world, the little ball of light that was Spryte bobbing around him to the tune.

"Just as crazy," Cana muttered.

In fact the only other people on the boat that seemed to acknowledge the severe heat were the other two girls on the deck, Mirajane and Lisanna, both of whom were also wearing swimsuits and doing their best to cope with their discomfort. Well, them and Wakaba. After Cana had asked Macao to be her partner during the trials, Wakaba had thrown a bit of a fit and basically demanded that someone pick him. Mira had scoffed and chosen to go with her younger sister and everyone knew that Link and Spryte were basically joined at the hip. That left the loner, Mystogan. The mysterious youth had agreed simply because it would save him the hassle of asking someone else. If he had been allowed to, he would have much preferred going on his own. This was not due to any animosity for anybody in the guild, quite the contrary in fact; he just liked to keep to himself.

The heaviest smoker of the guild was currently laying spread eagle on the deck, wearing nothing but a pair of trunks, and moaning from the blistering heat. It was a rather pitiful sight that filled Macao with no small amount of glee. He now had a rather substantial piece of ribbing material over his rival/friend.

"Now, now, quit your bellyaching," a new voice declared and Cana had to crane her neck to see the Guild master, Makarov, standing on the railing of the poop deck. He was dressed in a colourful flowered shirt and khaki shorts and was using a paper fan to waft air at his face. "We'll be there soon."

Cana groaned again but kept her peace and continued to sip from her drink. It wasn't doing anything to quench her thirst, but it was helping her to cope regardless. True to the Master's word, a short while later their ship came in sight of a large and very unusual looking island.

"Wow…Link look at that!" Spryte exclaimed and Link gave a low whistle at the sight. The island was huge, with several large rock formations that looked like howling wolves forming a ring around a massive gnarled tree that extended several hundred feet into the sky and held up another island complete with normal sized trees on top.

"That's some island," the Elven youth admitted. He had seen many wondrous things during his travels and the sight of Tenrou Island ranked very high among them. "Can you feel that?"

Spryte nodded and rubbed her arms at the pleasant tingling sensation that filled her body. "There's sooo much magic here…far more than I've felt anywhere else."

"That is Tenrou Island, the sacred grounds of our guild," Makarov declared. "There's an old legend that says the island was once inhabited by fairies." He gave a pointed look in Spryte's direction and smiled.

"I could see how that might have been true," the actual resident fairy of the guild shivered again. "I can't wait to see what the island feels like up close."

"Regardless of its truth," Makarov chuckled. "The island is also the resting place of our guild's first master, Mavis Vermillion. It is for this reason that we hold the S-Class trials on our sacred ground."

Link grinned, stood up straight, and folded his arms; maintaining perfect balance despite his precarious position on the tip of the bowsprit. "This is going to be fun."

xxx

"Alright you brats, listen up!" Makarov announced and glared down at the assembled mages from his position atop a stack of crates. After landing on the island everyone had helped set up a base camp a little ways off the shore within the first line of trees. Now that everything had been prepared, it was time to get things underway. "I will now explain this year's trial for the S-class examination."

He waited until he had everyone's undivided attention. "Normally the examination consists of several parts, each designed to test a necessary attribute required of an S-class wizard. However, since there are only a four candidates this year there will only be a single event that you will need to pass."

He then waved a hand and four magical circles appeared on the ground before him. "Each of these circles will transport one team to a different part inside a labyrinth of caves and tunnels. Within this maze are several obstacles that you must overcome in order to progress. The goal of this maze is to reach the grave of our founding master."

He paused for a moment before continuing. "There are several paths that will lead to the goal; however there are five barriers in place to prevent you from getting through. Successfully passing an obstacle in the maze will award your team with a lacrima crystal that will get you through one barrier. The more difficult the challenge, the more lacrima they are worth. If you encounter any other teams within the maze you can fight them to steal any lacrima they may have already won. Bear in mind, also, that the other S-class wizards are somewhere in the maze as well. Losing a fight with them will result in the loss of all your lacrima."

"So it's a race to see who can clear the maze first," Link nodded and looked between his competition.

"Better be careful, Blondie," Mira smirked. "I plan to win this!"

"Hah!" Spryte shot back. "You're the ones who had better watch it. This type of thing is Link's specialty!"

Meanwhile, Macao and Wakaba were already getting in each other's faces.

"Might as well quit now, Macao," Wakaba challenged. "There's no way you're going to keep up!"

"Hah, we'll see who's out of breath soon enough, you big smoke stack!"

The only ones who weren't arguing were Mystogan, Lisanna, Link, and Cana, all of whom wished each other luck instead.

"Are there any questions?" Makarove asked, silencing the verbal barbs going back and forth.

When no one voiced any concerns, the Guild Master gestured them forward. "Then choose your circle and good luck to you all!"

xxx

When Link and Spryte stepped out of the magic circle they found themselves in a cave with a single tunnel extending into the dark. The cave was surprisingly well lit thanks to all of the spirit flies floating in the air and Link could make out a wide range of stalactites, stalagmites, lichen, and crystal formations all around them.

"Well, this exam is good news for us," Spryte stated matter-of-factly. "This type of thing is right up your alley."

Link nodded with a grin. "Perhaps, but you shouldn't count the others out either; especially Mira and Mystogan."

"Maybe," Spryte shrugged. "But I still think we have the advantage."

"Best not to waste it then, come on."

They started down the tunnel and began discussing the types of obstacles that the Master might have put in place.

"Knowing him, probably something sadistic," Spryte grunted in annoyance. The stern, but loving, diminutive old man may be regarded by everyone as a father figure within Fairy Tail, but he could be a brutal taskmaster when he wanted to be.

"I wouldn't doubt it," Link chuckled. "The Master has more fun seeing people struggle through his challenges than any man has a – Whoa!"

Link's cry of alarm rang out as the floor beneath him suddenly vanished and he began to fall. Reacting immediately to the danger, Link whipped out his Hookshot and fired it into the stone above him. The pointed end dug into the ceiling and anchored there, leaving Link swaying slightly in midair. He gazed down at the hole below him where he could see an absolutely foul smelling pool of…something…just waiting for him to fall in.

"Aaaaand it starts…" Link groaned before swing himself to the lip of the hole.

"Wow," Spryte commented idly. "Wasn't expecting something like that so soon. Guess we'll have to pay more attention from here on out."

"Right," Link nodded in agreement. "Wonder what the others are going to run into while they're in here. For that matter, I wonder what else WE'RE gonna run into..."

xxx

"KYAAA!"

"AAAGH!"

Cana and Macao ran for dear life from the massive boulder barrelling towards them.

"WHAT KIND OF SICK FREAK COMES UP WITH THIS STUFF?!"

"JUST KEEP RUNNING!"

xxx

"Guess we'll just have to find out," Spryte replied cheerfully.

xxx

Mira huffed in annoyance and gave the lacrima crystal she just grabbed to Lisanna so that she could wring out the water from her hair. The stupid thing had been placed in the middle of a torrential waterfall that fell straight done from the center of a cave roof. It sat on single pillar that stretched up through the water out of a gaping pit so deep that neither of the girls could see the bottom. Mira only had one shot at taking the crystal, otherwise it would've fallen into the abyss and she doubted they would have ever found it. Not only that but she couldn't afford to use Satan Soul so early in the trial as it drained her too much to use repeatedly. Luckily she had succeeded.

"THAT was annoying," the Goth styled mage grunted.

"But you got it!" Lisanna giggled happily. "Good job, Sis!"

"Bah!" Mira snorted. "These little challenges are pointless! We should just steal another team's lacrima, or better yet find one of the S-class wizards and beat them!"

"Do you really think that's a good idea? You did run into Gildarts last year, didn't you?"

Mira couldn't suppress the involuntary cringe that ran through her body at the memory. She had tried her best, but Gildarts had thrashed her six ways to Sunday. She didn't even come close to measuring up to him even with her strongest Satan Soul. Granted she had grown a lot stronger over the past year, her failure during the exam and Erza's success driving her to train with an incredible zeal, but even so – facing Gildarts was NOT something she wanted to do anytime soon.

"That was just bad luck!" Mira exclaimed. "This year is going to be different!"

"But what if we run into Link and Spryte?" Lisanna tilted her head to the side.

Mira pumped a fist confidently. "Then we'll beat them into the ground and steal their lacrima!"

"Uh…right…" Lisanna sweat-dropped nervously and tried to put on an agreeing smile. She wanted to be supportive of her sister, she truly did; but despite her ever cheerful and optimistic demeanour, Lisanna was not an idiot. She had often watched the spars that Link, Mira, and Erza regularly got into and had even gone on several jobs where Link and Mira had teamed up. As such she had a better understanding of their level of power than most and she knew what the current status quo was.

When he had first arrived two years ago Link had been the weakest of the three, albeit the most technically skilled. Both Mirajane and Erza beat him consistently for months on end. But each time they fought, the outcomes had been closer and closer until Link had stopped losing almost completely. What had followed then was a long series of draws where neither side could claim victory. The Hylian swordsman still hadn't beaten them, but neither had he outright lost. In response, Erza and Mira had thrown themselves into their training, trying to maintain their respective levels of power with each other for as long as possible; especially after Erza had made S-class.

Until one day, everything changed. It was during a routine spar that Link suddenly began using a weapon that they had never seen before; a weapon that quickly turned the tide in his favour. After that, the spar somehow turned into a two on one fight with both girls working together to bring the boy down. Link had lost that fight, but the dynamic of their spars had forever changed. After that point, the girls always fought Link together; a tactic that maintained their winning lead over him but also made him even stronger that much faster.

In two short years, Link had grown into something amazing. He had become a big brother figure to many in the guild and had built an impressive reputation outside of it. He had become the two girls' closest friend and somewhere along the way, the two strongest female wizards in Fairy Tail had admitted to themselves that Link had surpassed them.

And Lisanna knew it; even if Mira's pride prevented her from agreeing.

"Come on, Lisanna!" Mira demanded and started down another tunnel. "We're going to find somebody to fight."

"Uh, ok. If you say so," Lisanna smiled weakly and followed after her headstrong sister, fervently praying that they wouldn't run into the people Mira wanted to fight.

xxx

"Ugh…" Cana panted, resting her hands on her knees and trying to regain her strength. "That was ridiculous…"

"At least we made it," Macao grunted from his spot on the ground where he had collapsed.

"Yeah, but now where are we?" the Card user looked around. They were in another cavern; the tunnel they had come in was now blocked by the boulder that had been chasing them. Luckily for them, the entrance had been too small for the rock to go through and the walls had been thick enough to stop it. This cavern, however, was long and narrow, as if the tunnel they were in before had been inflated a few times bigger.

"Be careful," Macao said and slowly got back to his feet. "There's probably a challenge or something in here."

"You're right," Cana nodded and pointed to the far end of the tunnel-like cavern. There she could see a pedestal with a lacrima sitting on top.

"Looks too easy," Macao mumbled and sent a small ball of purple fire towards it. The two mages watched the fireball fly passed the pedestal without incident. "Well there's nothing in the air to indicate a trap…"

"So that leaves the floor," Cana said thoughtfully and knelt to look at the ground. She inspected the floor carefully and eventually discovered a minor variation in the terrain. "There!" She threw one of her cards at the anomaly and was rewarded for efforts when multiple jets of flame burst into life along the tunnel, turning the passageway into a billowing inferno.

"Whoa!" Macao shouted in surprise and raised an arm to shield his eyes from the sudden flares. The two of them watched the fires for a few moments before the jets subsided, leaving only a blackened tunnel to indicate their existence. "Well that's a problem. Natsu would be able to get through that easily if he were here."

"But he's not here," Cana stated and stood up straight. "And we are. Besides, this isn't that big of a deal."

She threw another card at the trigger and watched carefully as the flames burst into life again.

"The jets appear from everywhere. The floor, the walls and even the ceiling; there's no open space to go." She threw several more cards down the length of the tunnel and watched them strike random parts of the floor. More flames burst forth. "And it appears that this first trigger was meant more as a warning than anything else. The flames will probably come at us no matter where we step."

"Great," Macao sighed. "Caught between a rock and hot place…"

"Maybe not," the young teen replied and drew her cards. "Card Magic: Fountain, Heaven, Snow!" She swung her arm in an arc in front of her, a magic circle appearing in the air before her. "Summoned Blizzard!"

An arctic blast of wind and snow burst into existence from the circle and flew down the length of the tunnel. The two mages watched as the freezing wind soon began to coat the entire area in a blanket of ice, sealing the jets away. When Cana ceased her spell, the whole tunnel was frozen over.

"That won't hold for long! Let's go!" She darted forward in a fast sprint.

"Whoa!" Macao blinked in surprise and hurried to catch up. "Wait up!"

They dashed down the length of the tunnel as fast as they could and tried to ignore the steam that was rising from the glowing walls around them. They made it to the end with seconds to spare as the flames finally burst through the icy barriers that held them at bay.

"We made it!" Macao cheered happily while Cana smiled and turned to claim the lacrima she had earned.

"We still have a long way to go though," She sighed and started down the next tunnel.

"Aww come on," her older partner grinned at her and hurried to catch up. "Don't be like that! You should be proud of the fact you're here at such a young age! You made that test look easy. You've sure come a long way, Cana!"

The young girl blushed at the praise but didn't say anything. Receiving such compliments always made her gush on the inside, especially when the veteran mages of the guild gave them. It had been Macao who originally suggested that she learn Card Magic and he and Wakaba had taken Cana on a lot of jobs when she was first starting out. They were both very skilled and capable wizards despite having never completed the S-class trials and they had helped her immensely to grow into the S-class candidate she was now. She would always be grateful to them for that.

"I still have a long ways to go," She replied quietly. "I mean, we're up against the likes of Link and Mira. I don't measure up to them."

Macao shrugged. "Maybe, maybe not, but you're here before the other kids your age, like the great Gray." Cana giggled at that. Gray and Natsu had been rather upset that Cana was selected as a candidate and they weren't. Macao continued to grin at her and reached a hand out to pat her head, "As long as you do your best that's all that matters."

Cana smiled back at him. "I guess so."

"Come on," the older man moved ahead of her cheerfully. "Let's see what we have to face next."

xxx

"Well that's five!" Mira smirked triumphantly as she held up their last lacrima. "Piece of cake!"

"That was surprisingly easy," Lisanna admitted, proud of her older sister. "Now we just have to find our way to the grave right?"

"Yup! Then I can rub it in Link's face that I beat him!" Mira cackled gleefully. She knew that this exam was basically between the two of them and she refused to be the last one of them promoted!

"Still, we should be careful…" Lisanna said. "We still have to reach the grave and we haven't run into anybody yet. Anything could happen."

"I say bring it on!" the eldest Strauss declared confidently as they walked down the latest tunnel. "This exam is getting boring and I'm itching for some action."

As if the heavens themselves had heard her demands, they walked out of the tunnel and into another large cavern. This one held no obstacle or trap that the two white haired siblings could make out, but there was something in the center of the area. A something with scarlet hair.

"Well, well, if it isn't Mira," Erza smirked as the two Take Over mages entered. "I was hoping you would make your way here."

"Erza," Mira smiled ferally and stepped forward. "What a pleasant surprise, and just when I was getting bored too."

The two powerful young women began radiating their magic as they prepared to face off.

"Stay back, Lisanna," Mira commanded and cracked her knuckles. "This is between me and the red haired floozy."

"I look forward to stomping you into the ground, you ugly wench," Erza shot back.

They stared each other down for several long seconds, their magic power forming a visible aura around them that clashed violently upon contact. Then, in an instant, their auras of power vanished and the two strongest women in Fairy Tail launched towards each other.

xxx

"Whoa, do you feel that?" Cana asked, stopping for a moment to look around.

"Yeah," Macao nodded. "Somebody is throwing down."

"I wonder who it is…"

"Who knows?" the older man shrugged. "Just be glad it's not us."

Cana nodded in agreement and the two partners stepped out into another open grotto that had entrances to several other tunnels along the walls.

"There's nothing here," the Card wielder stated after a moment of looking around.

"I don't see anything either," Macao admitted. "Must be a crossroad, we should hurry on before something happens."

They made their way towards another tunnel but unfortunately, luck was not on their side this time.

"Well look who it is?" A familiar voice from one of the other tunnels rang out. The two partners turned to see a certain chain smoker with a pointed coif of hair stroll out into the open with hands in his pockets. Behind him walked the mysteriously garbed youth known as Mystogan.

"Heh," Macao smirked. "Your still alive, Wakaba? I would have thought you'd have kicked the bucket by now."

"Look who's talking old man," Wakaba snorted and took a deep drag on his cigar. "I'm surprised you can keep up with little Cana there."

"Says the guy who couldn't take a little heat on a boat!"

While the two friends/rivals traded barbs back and forth, Cana stared with trepidation at Mystogan who remained silent the whole time.

"I suppose this means we have to fight, doesn't it?" She sighed resignedly. Mystogan nodded in response. "How many lacrima do you have?"

The cowl wearing youth just stared at her for a few moments before responding. "Three."

"I see," Cana nodded. "We have two."

"Then whoever wins will have enough to pass," Mystogan stated.

"Looks that way," Cana agreed and readied her cards. Neither of them needed to say anything to know that this fight would be between them. Macao and Wakaba would've ended up fighting one another regardless of any pre-planned strategy. Might was well let them do their thing. "Are you ready for this?"

Mystogan nodded and readied his staff. "Let's go."

xxx

"Seems like things are picking up a bit," Link stated as he gazed at the ceiling. He and Spryte were currently stopped at a separate grotto that had several tunnels branching off of it and were trying to decide which way to go. They had easily managed to collect all five necessary lacrima; now they were looking for the grave. Link was leaning against a stalagmite while Spryte hovered in the center of the grotto with her eyes closed, both of them able to sense the clashes of magic that had risen over the last few minutes.

"Yeah…it's throwing off my senses a bit," Spryte replied with a tad of annoyance.

"Can you still do it?"

The little fairy scoffed but didn't reply. She continued to hover in silence for a few more seconds before she finally spoke.

"There's a large source of magic coming from that tunnel," She pointed to an entrance to the left. "But I don't think it's the grave. It might be from one of the S-class mages."

"Ok," Link nodded. "And the others?"

"There's nothing substantial coming from these two," She indicated one tunnel in front of her and another further to the right. "But this one," She pointed to a tunnel between the two empty ones. "Feels like the magic that's inherent on the island, only more concentrated."

"Then that's the one we'll take," Link stated and moved towards her. "Good job."

"Link…" the fairy added uneasily. "I think there's something between us and the grave though. I can't quite make it out over the influx of magic power that's picked up, but I feel something else coming from that direction as well."

"Hmm," the Hylian rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "That could be any number of things…I would guess an S-class mage if this tunnel does lead to the goal, though. Question is: which one?"

Their options were limited to Erza, Laxus, and Gildarts. They knew for a fact, however, that Erza was not one of the possibilities at the moment. After spending so much time with the two girls, Link could recognize their magical signature anywhere and he knew the two of them were fighting somewhere else, probably each other. He couldn't suppress the chuckle that had come forth when he felt those two go at it. What were the odds?

So that left Laxus or Gildarts.

Neither was going to be very good option, but one was definitely more preferred than the other.

"We'll just have to try our luck," Link said finally and moved to the tunnel Spryte had chosen.

"Right," his fairy partner agreed and flew after him. They traversed the tunnel in silence, keeping alert for any more traps until they found themselves entering yet another open cavern. Spryte had been right; there was somebody there waiting for them.

"Hoh," a strong but laid back voice echoed through the cavern. "So somebody did end up coming this way…"

Link and Spryte froze in shock at the tall figure standing before them with folded arms.

"And if it isn't the little Fairy Boy everyone's been talking about," Gildarts Clive grinned cheerfully. "Looks like you chose the wrong route, neh?"

xxx

A blast of magical power filled the cavern and Lisanna had to duck behind a boulder for shelter. Mira and Erza broke away from each other, sliding along the ground and turning back to glare at one another.

"You've gotten stronger again, Mira," Erza growled and gripped her sword tighter.

Her white haired rival smirked and gathered some more magic into her fist. "Don't get cocky just because you made S-class last year. I have no intention of losing to you again!"

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Erza replied. "But I doubt you're going to make it this year even if you do somehow get by me. You're up against Link after all."

"Hah! Then I'll just have to beat you and him to prove you wrong!"

They lunged towards each other again and met in furious clash of blows, each one sending out a small shockwave upon impact. They broke apart again after a few minutes.

"Oh please," Erza drawled. "You and I both know you can't beat him anymore. Neither of us can. I can only imagine one way for him to fail this exam."

"Don't be so sure," Mira growled. "I'm going to close the gap between us if it's the last thing I do!"

"You're going to have to get through me first!" Erza shouted and the two rivals continued their no-holds-barred battle.

xxx

"Oh…no…" Spryte gasped in disbelief, clapping her hands to her mouth. She couldn't believe their luck. Gildarts Clive was the strongest wizard in Fairy Tail and the reason why Mira didn't pass the exams last year. This was the worst possible match up for anyone taking the trials to face.

Link stared for several long seconds at his opponent before sighing heavily and stepping forward. They couldn't go back now and if he lost this fight he would lose all five of his lacrima. He highly doubted he would have time to recollect another five. He cracked his neck back and forth as he walked and stretched out both arms across his chest alternatively to loosen up. This was going to be a do-or-die fight…might as well get on with it.

"I've always have wanted to fight you," He said casually, stopping several yards away from the Ace of Fairy Tail and cracking his knuckles. "Course, I didn't expect it to be so soon."

Gildarts merely gave him a light smirk. "I must admit, I feel the same. You've made quite a stir over the past couple of years and everyone seems quite taken with you. I've been interested in you ever since the Master told me about your unique circumstances." The large man then let out a heavy sigh. "I'm no good at holding back though…So I apologize in advance if I hurt you too badly."

"That's fine," Link shrugged. "I really don't expect you to." Gildarts may be incredibly powerful, but if the idea of fighting things more powerful than him had ever been a deterrent for the young hero then Ganondorf and Majora would have won long ago. He respected Gildarts greatly and acknowledged his strength, but he wasn't scared of him. Even if he were, it wouldn't stop him. He was, after all, the Hero of Legend chosen by the Goddess of Courage.

"So," he said casually, Requipping a sword and holding it in a two handed grip. "Shall we get started? This is still technically a race, after all."

"Heh," Gildarts chuckled and unfolded his arms. "Right."

The two stared each other down for a few seconds before Link lunged forward in a burst of speed that shattered the ground where he stood.

"HYAAH!" His wide sweeping slash was blindingly fast, aiming to strike Gildarts across the chest. The bigger man responded easily, swinging a fist upward to hit the flat of the blade and deflect it up and away. He then struck a thunderous counterattack with the same hand, knocking Link sprawling across the ground. The Hero of Time rolled a couple times, kicking up a cloud of dust, but recovered quickly and flipped up to his feet, digging his toes into the ground to halt his momentum as he slid back.

With another cry he channelled some magic power into his sword and swung again, sending out a crescent shaped blast of energy back at Gildarts who merely raised a hand to meet the attack. The magic beam split around his hand like a wave crashing against a rock, causing the two halves to crash into the cavern wall behind him.

The two waited for the dust to settle, neither of them breathing very hard, and took the time to reassess their opponent's strengths. Link had lost that little exchange but it had been meant more to test the waters, so to speak, than anything else and both sides knew it.

"Are you ok, Link?" Spryte asked with concern, floating beside his head.

"Yeah," Link nodded, never taking his eyes off of Gildarts. "He didn't hit me as hard as it looked, I was able to cushion the blow a bit."

"He's really strong isn't he?" The little fairy stared back at the Ace in wonder.

"Hnnn," Link agreed. "Watch him carefully, Spryte. See if you can find any weakness we can exploit."

"Right," She nodded and flew back a bit to get a better view.

Gildarts, meanwhile, was watching their exchange with interest. That first strike had been impressive. It was fast and strong with impeccable technique. To top it off, the boy's reflexes were so fast that he was able to shift his body with Gildarts's punch to mitigate the blow and respond with a lightning quick and perfectly aimed magical blast. Now he was using the lull between moves to analyse the information he had gleaned from the attack and reassess his situation.

Gildarts smirked to himself.

Last year Erza had achieved S-Class at fourteen and Mirajane had given him a good fight during that time as well. Now it was looking like this boy was going to give him a run for his money, too. This new generation of wizards had so much potential it was astounding and he was looking forward to seeing them grow. Gildart's knew that Natsu and Gray would be taking the exams in a few short years as well and he couldn't wait to see how they turned out, especially Natsu: the child of a dragon.

That would be an exciting day indeed. But right now he had something else to entertain him.

"Mah mah, is that all you've got?" He taunted the young Elven swordsman. "You'll never get past me like that."

Link didn't respond to the taunt verbally, he was far too controlled for that. Instead he raised his right hand and Requipped a shield before lunging forward again. He attacked Gildarts with a flurry of strikes, each one weaker than the first attack he had struck but much faster and more precise. The Ace of Fairy Tail grinned and began dodging or parrying the slashes with a single arm. While none of Link's attacks broke through his defense, Gildarts was surprised to find that he was unable to mount a successful counterattack. Every time he saw an opening to through a punch Link would deflect the blow with his shield in a similar manner to Gildarts's response to Link's first slash. He never tried to block the punch outright knowing that such a move would be useless.

'He's good,' Gildarts mused to himself. 'But…'

A sudden burst of power from the large man shattered the ground around them. The sudden change in terrain caught Link off guard and the young swordsman stumbled in surprise. Gildarts's smirk grew and he threw punch straight at the defenseless hero. Link managed to get his shield up in time but the blow landed square in the middle of it. The handheld piece of armour shattered into countless fragments and Link was sent flying back with a cry of pain. He crashed into the far wall, creating small crater with countless spider-webbing cracks stretching out from the epicenter.

"Link!" Spryte screamed in panic and zoomed towards the hero as he fell to the ground with a grunt. She quickly began swirling around him, her glowing wings casting off countless bits of glitter that helped reenergized and heal the injured Hylian.

"Ugh…" Link groaned, rubbing his head as he slowly stood up. "That hurt…"

He looked down at the shattered remains of his shield and watched them disappear back into his Requip zone. He sighed in disappointment but he wasn't worried about it. That was a nice benefit to using Requip; anything you put into your Requip zone became magically imprinted within the dimension and was preserved in that condition indefinitely. If the item taken out becomes damaged in any way, upon returning to the zone it would slowly be repaired back to the state it was in when it was first placed in the dimension. Unless, of course, the item was removed from the Requip zone completely; then it would need to be replaced in the zone whereupon its latest condition would be maintained. The more extensive the damage, the longer it would take to repair. That shield would be out for a good while but Link had others. Not that any of them would do any good against Gildarts…

"I don't think a direct attack like that is going to work," Spryte said as she finished her treatment. "He's too fast and powerful."

"I agree," Link nodded. "So let's try this."

He dismissed his sword and raised his hands in front of him. A brief flash of light and a staff appeared in his hands. The weapon was longer than he was tall and had a blue shaft with a large white counterweight on the end. The top of the staff held an intricate housing with a gear shaped base and several red lacrima crystals ringing it. The top of the piece was dominated by a single much larger lacrima at its end.

"ORYAAA!" Link roared and thrust the staff forward sending out a blast of flame towards Gildarts. Aptly named the Fire Rod and powered by the life force of the dragon Volvagia, this weapon was the first of many that the twins Ena and Eithna had forged for him.

"Oh?" Gildarts stared at the flame curiously. "That's interesting." He grabbed the hem of his cloak in one hand and swung it in front of him, dispersing the flame just before it touched him. Link didn't let up and continued to pepper him with balls of fire while dashing forward. He swung and pivoted in continuous, smooth, and hard to follow movements sending out relentless fireballs and waves of flame in varying patterns. The attacks were all easily dealt with by the mighty wizard but the shear amount of fire and smoke began obscuring his view of the charging teen until he lost sight of him completely.

Growling to himself in minor irritation, Gildarts sent out a quick pulse of raw magic to disperse the flames around him. His eyes widened in shock when he saw Link crouched directly in front of him, Fire Rod pointed directly at his chest.

"What?!" He had no time to react as Link's weapon suddenly shifted, transforming into a gigantic multi-headed bellows. With another roar Link blasted Gildarts point blank with a powerful tornado of concentrated magical flame.

The Ace of Fairy Tail grunted and he quickly crossed his arms in front of him, taking the blast which pushed him back several feet. He dispersed the attack after a few seconds by snapping his arms out only to see Link's staff transform again, extending outwards with six long focusing arms funnelling out towards him.

"HO-AAAAAH!" Link screamed and a serpentine dragon of pure fire erupted from the large lacrima and flew with an open maw towards Gildarts. The large mage quickly thrust out both his hands, shocking both Link and Spryte when the dragon stopped a fraction of an inch before his open palms. The two partners watched in stunned silence for an infinite second before the dragon spirit began to glow and then shatter into countless blocks.

Link gaped in amazement and was barely able to recover in time to see a white net of magic soaring towards him out of the remains of his dragon. Acting quickly he pointed the Fire Rod at the ground and used it to rocket himself up and over the net. He watched the attack fly underneath him and strike a large rock, shattering it into hundreds of little blocks.

"What was that?" Link narrowed his eyes at his opponent.

"Disassembly Magic,"Gildarts replied casually. "It breaks apart anything it touches, including magic."

"What?!" Spryte demanded. "That's not fair! How is anyone supposed to fight against that?!"

Gildarts just chuckled in response. "No magic is invincible." He replied simply. "I must admit, though, that last move of yours was impressive." He indicated the trenches carved in the ground by his feet. "It's been awhile since anyone has pushed me this far."

Link let out a long slow breath and readied himself again. Crash and Disassembly: one capable of destroying anything at a touch, the other breaks apart everything in its path. Each one was an incredibly powerful magic on their own, but together? That was just a nightmare. So the problem was what to do against overwhelming magical power?

He stood up straight, dismissing the Fire Rod and held his left hand out in front of him. A flash of light appeared again and then dispersed to reveal another sword. This one was significantly different from the standard sword that he had used before. It had an intricate red hilt with several red jewels embedded in the cross guard and pommel. The blade had a slightly wavy shape and was tinted a reddish gold color with several more red jewels embedded down its center. This was another weapon that the twins had forged for him, only this one was made using his own life energy.

He gripped the hilt of the weapon tightly while raising his free hand and extending two fingers. Link channelled magic into his fingers and a bright ball of light materializes at their tips. He quickly snapped his hand around in fast jagged motion, drawing a dotted line of light in the air in front of him. With a cry he thrust his fingers forward and several lightning shaped beams of light streaked towards Gildarts. The mighty wizard merely smirked, raised a hand, and sent out a wave of Disassembly Magic. The web of lines easily intercepted the blasts and shattered them all before continuing on towards Link who watched it with narrowed eyes. Just before the attack hit him he swung his sword and cut the net in two, dispersing the spell.

"Oh?" Gildarts raised an eyebrow in surprise. "How did you do that?"

"This sword," Link raised the blade to him. "Cuts through magic."

How do you deal with overwhelming magic power? Level the playing field. Link's aptly dubbed Magic Sword was capable of nullifying spells and reducing a fight to a battle of skill. It wasn't the Master Sword by any means, but it was the next best thing. The only problem was that cutting through spells required Link to sacrifice as much magic from his own reserves as his opponent used in the spell. So in a way, it was truly a double-edged weapon. Even so, the advantage it could give one in a battle such as this was tremendous, especially when taking into account that Link himself possessed an immense amount of magic and stamina.

"Oh?" Glidarts grinned. "Interesting. Shall we put that to the test?"

He cast another Disassembly spell but Link cut it again without problems.

"Seems we have a bit of a stalemate here," the big man chuckled lightly and scratched the back of his head. He was right. Neither of them would be able to hit the other with ranged spells now but Gildarts had already proven more than a match for Link up close.

'Hmm," Link mused. "Attacking at range won't work. He'll just break apart any attack I throw at him. Overpowering him isn't going to work either. He's too strong for that.' He shifted his stance once more and held his sword to the side. 'I need to catch him by surprise and hit him with something big.' He smirked to himself as an idea came to his mind. 'That could work.'

A moment later he rushed forward again, swinging the blade vertically in front of him and launching crescent beam of energy at Gildarts who raised his hand once more a sent out a net of Disassembly magic at the attack. Link jumped up as the two spells collided and fell towards the immovable pillar that was Fairy Tail's strongest mage.

"Take Over: Goron Soul!" Link shouted and Gildarts was forced to raise his arms to block the sudden absolutely crushing double hammer fist blow from the behemoth rock monster form Link had assumed. The force of the attack created a massive shockwave on impact and caused the ground beneath Gildarts's feet to crater in much the same way he had done before with his Crash Magic.

Link landed on his feet in his Goron form and immediately threw a hard punch which Gildarts caught in one hand. He punched again with his other hand with the same result and the two mighty warriors strained against each other in a contest of pure strength.

"Hoh!" Gildarts grinned. "That was unexpected. You're pretty strong."

The Hylian in Goron form grit his teeth in frustration and pushed harder. Thanks to Mira, he had learned how to use Take Over magic to absorb the souls within the masks he had gained in Termina and transform into them at will. This opened up new levels of potential in these forms as a Take Over mage's transformations were not static in power but grew in strength as the mage did. As such, Link's current Goron form was far more reminiscent of the mighty Darunia than the chubbier, thinner armed form he had been limited to as a child. Few things in all of Hyrule grew stronger than a Goron and even fewer things could hope to match the might of a fully trained warrior Goron like Darunia. Link was even stronger than that now thanks to the magic power that had bolstered his physical abilities over the years; yet Gildarts was still holding him back easily with barely any strain showing in his arms.

"Spryte!" Link yelled in a deep gravelly voice. "Flash!"

In response to his command the little fairy zoomed in right between them, stopping directly in front of Gildarts's face and unleashed a blinding burst of brilliant light.

"Gah!" Gildarts's stumbled back in surprise, reflexively shutting his against the pain in his pupils, and leaving him wide open for a powerful Goron sized haymaker. Link felt an immense amount of satisfaction as the first clean blow he had struck the entire fight knocked his previously indomitable opponent back, actually making the big man stagger a step instead of just sliding across the ground. His victory was short lived, however, because Gildarts recovered quickly and responded with a crushing uppercut that caught Link in the chin and lifted him clear off his feet.

He grunted in pain but his Goron form was incredibly tough and he curled up into a ball in midair and hit the ground spinning. He rolled rapidly in a wide arc around part of the cave to build up momentum before charging straight back at the Crash magic user.

"Oi, don't get cocky," Gildarts's smirked, planting one foot down in a wide stance and charging up Crash magic into his fist. He unleashed a powerful hook that smashed into the side of the rolling boulder that was Link and sent him careening away to smash into a wall again. Link, however, bounced off the wall and swung back around to charge forward again.

"Yare yare, that's not going to work," Gildarts raised a hand to the oncoming steamroller and sent out a web of Disassembly magic. But just before the magic hit him, Link released his Take Over and turned back into his much smaller form. His momentum still carried over and he slid along the ground feet first underneath the web. Gildarts's eyes widened in surprise as he watched Link expertly dodge his magic and Requip his red sword again as he slid and charge it with power. At the last possible moment Link dug a heel into the ground, causing him to kick up to his feet in front of the larger man. He held his sword in both hands to the side and with a mighty battle cry he unleashed the magic he had charged up and swing the blade into his signature lightning-fast flaming Spin Attack. The massive wheel of flame struck Gildarts's, who had again crossed his arms in defense, over and over as Link spun repeatedly and ended when he twisted during a final rotation and finished with a vertical rising slash that carried him up into the air.

"Ugh!" Gildarts grunted in pain, the force of the attack once again pushing him back a short distance. He recovered in time to see Link land lightly, sword held at the ready once more.

'This boy…' the Ace of Fairy Tail stared at the young swordsman before him through serious eyes. They held each other's gaze for several long moments before Gildarts suddenly stood up straight and laughed. "Well done, kid!" The big man grinned between laughs. "I think I have a good measure of your power and I believe what the Master has told me about you is true."

Link chuckled as well and relaxed his stance, dismissing his sword as he did. "You're even more powerful than I could have guessed, Gildarts." He sighed and rubbed his neck in disappointment. "I can't beat you as I am now. Not without seriously trying to kill you and that's something guild mates should never do. Even then, I still probably wouldn't win."

He wasn't being modest either. While Link had several more things he could do that would even out the fight further, Gildarts was truly an overwhelmingly powerful mage. True, Link had defeated Ganondorf years ago, a man who literally possessed the power of a god; but he had been the only one capable of doing so. Only the combined efforts of the bearers of the Triforce of Courage and Wisdom could stand against the Triforce of Power. Link had been the one to ultimately face and defeat him, but he was unknowingly guided along his journey by Zelda the entire time and it was her guidance that led him to acquire the only weapons capable of bringing Ganondorf down. Gildarts might not be as powerful as Ganondorf but it had taken a lot of preparation and all of Link's skill and luck while fighting with weapons created specifically for stopping him to defeat the Gerudo King. Without those things Link would have never been able to defeat him.

Against Gildarts he had nothing but his own power and weapons that were forged by mortal hands. He had grown remarkably powerful in a few short years and he had no doubt that if he were to face Ganondorf again with the Master Sword and holy Light Arrows in hand he would stomp a mud hole through the evil King of Thieves. Without those holy weapons though Ganondorf couldn't be defeated, no matter how strong you were.

These two Fairy Tail members were fighting fair and square and even though the sacred nature of Tenrou Island prevented those who bore the Fairy Tail crest from dying, Link was unwilling to fight the same kind of desperate, no-holds-barred death match that entailed his battles with Ganondorf and Majora against a fellow guild member. Besides that, it wasn't actually necessary to beat Gildarts now. The test said they may have to fight other S-class mages, they didn't actually say they had to beat them. If that was the case then Gildarts wouldn't be allowed to participate at all because there was no way any new S-class candidate would be able to do that.

Gildarts laughed again at his words. "Don't sell yourself short kid; that was the best fight I've had in years." His face then changed to a serious, but still somehow laid back, expression. "You're probably the next strongest person in the guild now."

"Maybe," Link shrugged. "But I still have much to learn." He then gave the larger man a hard look. "And I'd like to know just how strong you are."

"Oh?" Gildarts tilted his head to the side. "What do you mean? Didn't we just fight?"

"Yes," Link nodded. "And both of us were holding back. I know I can't beat you now, but I want to know just how much I was able to draw out of you as I am now."

"Hmmm," Gildarts nodded. "I can respect that."

There was silence between them for a moment and then…the air changed. Small rocks began to shake at the large man's feet and a tangible white aura of power began radiating from his brawny frame. Suddenly the aura erupted into a massive pillar of light that shook the very ground they stood on. Large rocks were blasted away by the sheer force of his presence and it felt like gravity itself had increased dramatically around them. Spryte gasped in shock and clutched onto Link's shirt desperately as the winds kicked up by the incredible display of might threatened to blow her away.

This was the full might of Gildarts Clive, the Ace wizard of Fairy Tail, and his power dwarfed that of anything Link had seen in recent memory. It was easily greater than any giant monster he had ever faced and was even comparable to Ganondorf himself. His power was so great that everyone inside the maze could feel it and they all paused to gape at the incredible aura that suddenly filled the air. Link, however, stared unflinching at the monster of a man before him, taking in the full measure of his strength until the aura of power subsided and things returned to normal.

The two of them stood in silence for a moment. Then Gildarts relaxed and gave the young Hylian an appraising look.

"You've experienced much, haven't you? Far more than anyone your given age should." He nodded approvingly. "You fight very well and your experience shows in your actions. Normally I believe it's necessary for anyone taking these exams to experience true fear and learn that sometimes it's better not to fight. In recognizing their fear they can learn to overcome them and grow stronger. But that isn't a problem with you, is it?"

Link shook his head. "If I had fallen to my fears, I would have died long ago and countless others would have also died because of it. I've already experienced my greatest fears and I overcame them."

Gildarts nodded again and held up five lacrima crystals. "Then there is no need for you to remain here. Go. You pass my test."

Link nodded and Spryte cheered happily. They didn't need the lacrima, but a victory was a victory and they would take it.

"Alright, Link! That was great!" The excitable little fairy quickly flew towards the exit. "Come on! We don't have any time to lose!"

"Right," Link grinned and moved to follow her. He paused for a moment when he reached Gildarts's side. "I'm glad I got to fight you."

"Me too," Gildarts smiled at him. "Now get going."

Link nodded again and took off, leaving the larger man standing alone in the devastated cave. He stood there unmoving for several moments before wincing and holding an arm to his chest. Now that he was relaxed, an angry red line where Link's sword had struck appeared across his torso. He had shielded himself from that last attack but Link's sword's ability to cut magic had negated a lot of Gildarts's defensive power.

"It was a lot closer than you think…" He whispered to himself before sighing heavily. "Yare yare…that kid is tough. I better be careful or he's gonna surpass me in few years…"

He chuckled to himself and began to walk out of the cave. It was good to know that Fairy Tail had a mage like Link around. Gildarts was planning on taking the 100 year quest soon and knowing that the guild had him around would do a lot to reassure the Ace about its welfare during his absence.

He winced again as he walked. "I hope this doesn't leave a mark…"

xxx

After successfully passing through the barrier that held them back, Link and Spryte exited the tunnel they had been running down and out into an open gallery ringed with trees along the tops of its walls. The sky could be seen clearly overhead and the ground was covered by the roots of the trees that had snaked down along the walls and across the floor. At the far end of the gallery was a thick canopy of vegetation that sheltered a large, multi-pillared, stone structure atop three steps.

The grave of the First Master.

And standing in front of the grave, with arms clasped behind his back and a pleased expression on his face, was the diminutive form of Makarov Dreyer.

"Well done, my boy," the current Master smiled proudly. "I had a feeling it would be you that passed this year. Congratulations."

"Master Makarov," Link approached respectfully. "Thank you."

"Hooray!" Spryte cheered exuberantly. "You did it, Link! You're an S-class mage now!"

Despite their size difference, Link raised a fist to the fairy who bumped it triumphantly with her own.

"WE did it," Link grinned. "We're partners after all."

"Heehee, right," Spryte giggled. "What would you do without me?"

"Probably get into a lot less trouble," he replied without hesitation.

"Hey!"

Makarov couldn't help but chuckle lightly at their antics. The two of them had been a shining light within the guild ever since they had arrived and he couldn't even begin to describe the impact their presence had on the others.

"You've accomplished much in the short time you've been with us," He said, interrupting their banter and catching their attention. "You should be proud of what you have achieved in these past few years. When you first arrived you thought us an enemy, but now you've grown to become a valued and powerful member of our family. Many of our comrades look up to you, Link, and it has made me very proud to see you grow alongside them and help them with their troubles. That spirit of unity and friendship and the desire to follow the paths we believe in is the foundation of our guild and was the dream of our founding master."

He then raised a hand and shot a ball of magical light into the sky that burst like a firework and signalled the end of the exam.

"The trials are over," the Master declared. "And we will soon depart the island." He began to walk towards Link and the exiting tunnel. "I would encourage you to meditate in front of the First Master's grave and reflect on the events that led you to this point."

With that the old man departed the area, leaving the two of them alone next to the grave.

"We've come a long way, haven't we?" Spryte asked sombrely after a moment of silence and settled down gently on Link's shoulder.

"Yeah," Link nodded and sat casually on the ground, resting an arm on his knee. "Seems like forever ago that we were in Hyrule; almost another lifetime."

"And now you're an S-class mage of Fairy Tail!"

"Heh," Link grinned. "We've certainly come a long way." They sat in silence for a moment before Link sat up straighter and took out his ocarina and began to play. He felt the need to express himself here in front of the grave and pay homage to the guild that had done so much for him. Having never known his parents and being raised in a society that saw him as an outcast, Link had never known the closeness that came with being surrounded by a family.

Fairy Tail had given him that. He had a place among them, surrounded by friends closer than siblings; a place he could call his home. Last year he had despaired over the thought of never returning home; now he was happier here than he had ever been before.

He played a song that reflected his feelings. His pride in the guild, the happiness his friends gave him, and the purpose he now had in protecting his new family. Like it had to so many others, Fairy Tail had wormed its way into his heart and solidified his loyalty to it with unbreakable chains of comradeship. Fairy Tail wasn't a building, or even necessarily a group of people with a common purpose; it was an ideal, an unbreakable spirit that united them all and stretched far beyond the boundaries of the physical realm. Even if the world itself stood against them, Fairy Tail would stand strong and follow the path of their hearts regardless of the consequences. And Link was now, forever more, a part of it.

He ended his song with a held note before slowly lowering the ocarina from his lips. He then stood up, tall and proud, and stared directly at the grave of First Master.

"This is where I belong!" He declared boldly. "Fairy Tail is my new home and I swear to defend it with my life!"

His vow made, the Hero of Time stared at the grave for a few long moments before bowing his head.

"Thank you…" He whispered. "For giving me a family…"

"That was wonderful!" A new voice suddenly cried out, scaring the living daylights out of both Link and Spryte.

"Wha-who's there?!" Spryte demanded, looking wildly about for the source of the voice.

"Teehee," the voice giggled. "I'm right here, silly."

"Huh," Link blinked and turned his attention back to the grave to see a young girl standing before him with arms clasped behind her back. She was short, probably only a little over four feet, but had long wavy blonde hair that almost touched the ground. She was barefoot and wearing a frilly, multilayered, light pink dress with a red ribbon tied around her neck and wing like accessories above her ears. But perhaps her most unusual feature was her large iris-less green eyes. "Who are you?"

"I'm Mavis," The young woman giggled through closed yes.

Link blinked. "The First Master?"

"Uh-huh!"

"But aren't you…you know…" Spryte asked cautiously. "Supposed to be dead?"

"Yup," the ghost smiled brightly. "This is just my spirit."

"So…you're a ghost?" Link asked, idly scratching his chin. "Ok, sure. I can deal with that. Not as if you're the first one I've talked to."

"It does seem a little weird though," Spryte added unconvincingly but settled back down on Link's shoulder.

The Hylian regarded the ghost of the First Master with a light smile. "So what can I do for you, master?"

"I just wanted to thank you for the beautiful song," Mavis giggled again. "I could feel all of your feelings in it and the declaration of your vow moved my heart! It makes me sooo happy to see the aspirations of my guild fulfilled!"

Link scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "It was nothing, really. The guild has done so much for me these past few years, it was the least I could do."

Teehee, I've heard much about you, Hero of Time," Mavis smiled brightly. "You're every bit the man I was told you were."

"Huh?" Link blinked in surprise. "How do you…?"

Mavis giggled again. "This is the sacred ground of Fairy Tail, our guild's holy place. On this island, all of its members are granted divine protection and their magic is strengthened. But beyond that it is also a spiritual place and it is here that we are closest to the heavens. When you became a member of the guild, it opened a small connection between yourself, the guild, and the deities you worship."

The two natives of Hyrule's eyes widened in surprise.

"You mean…"

Mavis nodded. "I've talked to them." She giggled again. "They are truly wonderful beings and they have been waiting patiently for you to come here."

"Waiting?" Link tilted his head in confusion, still reeling from the knowledge that Mavis had spoken to the deities of Hyrule. "What for?"

"On Tenrou Island, your connection to the heavens is at its strongest," Mavis replied and raised her hands to the sky. "Now they finally have a chance to speak to you."

At her words, the sky erupted in brilliant golden light that shone down on the gallery where they stood. Link and Spryte gasped in alarm and tried to shield their eyes from the light that Mavis was staring unblinkingly towards. The light grew in intensity and from its center three shapes began to descend towards the ground. As the shapes grew closer, moving with fathomless grace, they began to take form and Link could make out the figures of three divinely beautiful women who radiated golden light.

Link gasped in shock as they stopped, hovering a few feet above Mavis, and he immediately dropped to his knees with a bowed him. There was no way he could mistake these three.

He knelt in the presence of the Three Golden Goddesses of Hyrule.

"Rise young hero," one of them spoke, though with his bowed head he didn't see who. He hesitated a moment before slowly lifting his head to see them. There were no words that could adequately describe the sight before him. The three Goddesses were immeasurably glorious and their beauty was beyond mortal ken.

Yet here they were, floating in the air and smiling at down at him. The one with hair bluer than the oceans and deeper than space addressed him and he recognized it as the one who had spoken first. Nayru, Goddess of Wisdom: creator of the Heavens and the giver of Law.

"Long have we waited for this chance to speak," Her voice was divine, gentle and soothing, yet brimming with power that instilled reverence in all who heard it. "Finally we meet face to face."

"We've watched you your entire life," The Goddess beside her spoke next, her hair redder than fire and more brilliant than a thousand suns. Din, the Goddess of Power: sculptor of the Earth and forger of the Sun.

"And we couldn't be more proud," the last Goddess spoke with a smile full of love. Her hair was greener than the forest and radiated with the pure power of life. Farore, Goddess of Courage: the source of life and mother to all living. "You have done well as our chosen one."

"Your words humble me, oh Great Ones," Link bowed his head once more. "I am not worthy of them."

"That is where you are wrong, hero," Naryu replied. "You have succeeded against everything that has been set before you and have done so while being a true representative of our virtues."

"If any man was ever worthy to be our champion and wield our sacred relics, it would be you," Din added with a smile of her own before it turned slightly sad. "Unfortunately the Triforce is forever out of your reach. You will never return to Hyrule."

Link stared up at that. Hearing directly from the Goddess that he would forever remain in Earth Land killed all notion and thoughts of returning home. Oddly enough the news was more comforting than anything else. Perhaps a year ago he would have been saddened by the news, but now…he felt more relief than anything else.

The Goddesses seemed to sense his mood for they smiled as one at him and their expressions sent his spirits soaring to heights he had never imagined possible.

"We are so happy that you have found a place in this world," Farore floated gracefully towards him. She reached out a hand and touched his cheek. "After all you've been through, you deserve that much." The instant her fingers made contact with his skin, Link felt completely overwhelmed by her presence. She was infinite, untouchable, and unfathomable. Were she a mortal woman, her beauty would be so great as to incite the highest degrees of awe and respect as well as tempt the darkest lusts of the human heart. But you couldn't do that with a god; they were too great. At that moment, Farore was everything. She was his heart, his mind, his soul, his very existence. Nothing in the universe mattered more than her. Then she leaned forward and kissed him.

If the gentle touch of her hand had been overwhelming before, it didn't even compare to the touch of her lips. Link could have died a thousand different deaths and experienced a thousand different pains all at once during that moment and he would have felt nothing. All there was in life, death, and beyond was that kiss. Somewhere during that moment Link felt the previously fragmented dreamlike memory of his first encounter with the three Goddesses as he crossed the border between worlds snap into focus. He then realized that this was now the second kiss he had received from her. Shocking as that was Link also discovered that he recognized her presence from much earlier. Farore pulled away slowly and her gentle smile deepened even further as she sensed the realization within him.

"My lady…" Link smiled reverently, a soft tear welling up in his eye. "You…you've always been there…"

It was too much even for the Hero of Time to take in. He collapsed to his knees and sobbed, Farore following him down with divine grace and enveloping him in her arms like a loving mother. Every time he had felt alone, afraid, or overwhelmed - she had been there. He had felt her touch comforting him, giving him strength, and chasing away his fears. Every battle he had ever fought had been under her watchful eye and she had supported him at every step, even if it was just with the most subtle of feelings.

"Of course," Farore replied soothingly, her divine voice penetrating just as deeply as her touch.

Link didn't know how long he stayed like that and he didn't care. Nothing else mattered at the moment.

Finally, Farore helped lift him back to his feet.

"We have always been there for you," Nayru spoke again. "While our sister was the one who could support you the most openly, all three of us have helped you in the past. You are our chosen champion, after all. We could not choose who claimed the Triforce initially, but we could choose who was worthy to bear the separated pieces."

"But…" Link stared up at her. "Why come to me now and why send me here?"

At his question the Goddess frowned sadly, a look that could have had people throwing away their lives by the thousands to see it lifted. "We did not send you here. You were pulled away by something we couldn't predict. A spell that originated from a world parallel to this one."

"We could not prevent it from happening," Din continued. "We had no previous power in this dimension and were only able to intercept your travels briefly to alter your course."

"I…see," Link nodded slowly. It amazed him to think that the Goddesses had not planned for him to be here or that they could not have prevented it from happening. They were just so…so powerful…nothing should have been impossible for them, yet here they were; admitting to his face that they were. Speaking of which, "But if you have no power in this world, how are you here now? And if you wanted to talk with me so badly, why haven't you done so before."

"We HAD no power here," Din smiled. "Your presence here changed that."

"Gods have power wherever there are people who worship them," Farore explained re-joining her sisters back in the air. "That alone would have given us access to this dimension, but you being a hero chosen and blessed by us greatly increased our connection to this world."

"That connection, along with the sacred nature of this island has allowed us this chance to speak with you now," Nayru concluded. "We couldn't talk to you directly in Hyrule as it is against the laws for us to directly interfere in mortal affairs. We can influence, guide, and assist in many ways but we cannot take a direct approach. We are not so bound in this world."

"And this?" Link asked, raising his hand to show the Triforce mark on it. "If I no longer house the Triforce of Courage, what is this?"

"It's the mark that distinguishes you as are chosen hero and you will bear that for the rest of your life. Your piece of the Triforce couldn't come with you because it is needed to maintain the balance of Hyrule. Instead, we gave you the ability to learn this world's magic and helped you achieve a basic understanding of it."

At her response, Link once again took a moment to digest all this new information before addressing the deities. They had answered all of his questions willingly and had given him the answers to things he had wondered for a long time. Currently, he was at a bit of a loss. "So what happens now?"

"That is for you to decide. We just wanted to set your heart at ease and tell you how much you mean to us," Farore replied. "We know you have had a few challenges adjusting to this world and we wanted you to know that you are not alone."

"I was never alone," Link smiled. "I had Spryte."

The previously silent fairy blinked in surprise when Link mentioned her. She had been too overwhelmed by what was happening to give voice to any words but now she had snapped out of her stupor and beamed with delight.

"Very true," Farore nodded. "You have done well as his companion little one."

"Thank you, Your Grace," Spryte blushed further and bowed deeply in midair. "I'm happy to do it."

"Which brings us to the last thing we wish to say," Nayru declared. "We have a request for you, young hero."

"Anything you wish of me, I will do," Link answered immediately.

The three goddesses raised their palms in unison and conjured a small glowing ball in each.

"In order for us to learn more about this world," Naryu said.

"And increase the influence we have in it," Din continued.

"And to help guide you further along your way," Farore added.

"We have decided to impart these small aspects of ourselves to you," Nayru finished. "They will follow you and help you in any way that they can, please take care of them."

The three balls of light then floated from their hands towards Link and stopped just in front of him.

"You have many more adventures ahead of you, young Hero," Nayru smiled once more and began floating back up into the sky. "Take care of yourself and your friends."

"We look forward to watching you grow," Din said as she followed after her sister.

Farore was the last to go and gave Link one last smile.

"If ever you need to speak with us again, return to this island and pray. We will answer."

Then she too began ascending back to the heavens.

"Farewell, my Ladies," Link said. And thank you."

Then they were gone and suddenly the world felt incredibly empty.

"Quite a sight, aren't they," Mavis giggled at them.

"That's an understatement," Spryte whispered.

"All this time…" Link smiled to himself as he gazed at the heavens for a few moments before turning his attention to the three glowing balls of light still floating in front of him. "So what do you suppose these are?"

"I dunno," Spryte shrugged and watched as Link reached a hand out to touch the closest one, the green one left by the Goddess of Courage. Suddenly, the three spheres burst open in separate showers of sparks, revealing three fairies just like Spryte that each bore a striking resemblance to three certain divines that had just been recently been present.

"Hi there!" The one with long green hair chirped up. "I'm Farore, nice to meetcha!"

Link and Spryte both blinked several times in shock.

"Wait, what?!"

xxx

A/N: Muahahaha! Link is now an S-class wizard and also got to meet the Goddesses! And what's this? Three more fairies? Egads! Assassin, what are you thinking?! Hahaha that's what I'm guessing at least a few of you are going to be thinking right about now. Guess you'll just have to wait and see! This chapter was burning a hole in my mind and really needed to get out. Figured it would help make up for the super short chapter last time. I had a lot of fun with it! What'd you guys think? I hope everything made sense and that a few questions some of you may have had were answered. I know a lot of you were reasoning that Link should be a lot more powerful if he beat the likes of Ganondorf and Majora. Hopefully my explanation will satisfy you. If not, well then I'm sorry but you're going to have to deal with it. If any of you are confused about the presence of the Goddesses, their future impact, and the new fairies, I will explain things a bit more thoroughly next chapter.

I know I said in this chapter that Gildarts power was comparable to Ganondorfs, but that doesn't mean he's as strong. His power just invokes the same feelings.

On another note, how do you like my explanation as to why Erza always seems to have her armours available despite multiple instances of both them and her weapons breaking? I couldn't find any canon explanation so I sat down for a while to ponder the dilemma and that's what I came up with. Go me!

Oh and if any of you were wondering, just picture Link playing the Fairy Tail theme on his ocarina at Mavis's grave. That song rocks!

Also, if you're confused about ages at this point here are some references:

Macao and Wakaba - 32

Laxus - 19

Erza, Mira, Link, Mystogan (assuming Mystogan is the same age as Jellal) – 15

Cana and Gray - 14

Lisanna - 13

That's it for now! Until next time and as always, please R and R!

P.S – Whom She Found update scheduled next

P.S.S – I've commissioned several pics to be done by a couple artists for these two stories. Saw the sketch of the first one today for Whom She Found. It's epic! Can't wait to see it done!