Hello, everyone!
I know it's been quite a long time since I've updated.
Minus the discontinuation chapter of EnSlaveMate.
Which again, I'm sorry for, by the way.
But here is the long-awaited Chapter that I think everyone's been waiting for!
It might get a bit crazy, but I hope you forgive me!
But keep in mind I had half of it written, and then after MONTHS, I came back and went with the flow.
Well, this is where the flow took me.
I can't make any promises, but I will try to keep the story going and NOT take so long to update.
But I have a bunch of other stuff in the works that I sort of put this on the back burner for a bit.
I just had this burst of motivation and inspiration that I had to jump back into this.
But since, as you noticed, the writing style is a bit different, I'd reread the story again as I have altered some parts and made some edits.
Now how about we get on with the show?
Lucy's eyes widened. "Wait... What?! Me?!" Lucy exclaimed, pointing at herself.
Mr. Yajima nodded. "Yes, you, my dear." Mr. Yajima said.
"But why me?" Lucy asked.
"You're the one that beat her, and she tried to attack you when the game was already over." Mr. Yajima explained with a shrug.
Lucy sighed. It made sense in the long run. She couldn't deny that. But should she be in charge of making such a decision? She didn't think so. But if the choice was up to her, then what should she choose? She didn't know. There was a lot at stake.
Should she take Sabertooth out of the picture entirely? Or should she give them another chance?
She didn't know, but she had to make the decision soon.
She looked at Laxus like he had the answer, but he just shrugged. He didn't know either. It was her choice, after all.
Lucy sighed and looked at Mr. Yajima. "How long do I get to make a decision?" Lucy asked.
Mr. Yajima blinked a few times before smiling. "We'll give you a few minutes." Mr. Yajima said before heading toward the door. "But don't take too long. We need to continue with the games." He said before closing the door behind him.
Makarov looked at Lucy, who looked to be in deep thought. He knew that this was a decision only she could make. And if he knew Lucy like he thought he did, he knew exactly what she would choose. He smiled as he headed to the door. He stopped at the door and looked over his shoulder.
"Our future is in your hands, my child, don't let us down." Makarov said before walking out the door.
Lucy glared at the door. "Great. No pressure." Lucy mumbled before sighing and turning to her team. "What do you think I should do?" Lucy asked the group.
They all blinked a few times. They were confused as to why she was asking them. They all looked at one another before looking back at Lucy.
"The decision is yours, Lucy. Not ours." Mira said with a smile.
"You always do the right thing in the end." Gajeel said with a shrug while looking at the very interesting stone wall.
Lucy closed her eyes before taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly. She went to open her eyes only to feel dizziness overtake her.
"LUCY!"
Was the last thing she heard before she was overtaken by darkness.
Lucy opened her eyes and looked around. All she could see was white. After a few seconds, the sound of a loud roar echoed through the area. Her hands went straight to her ears as she fell to her knees with a scream. She waited for something to happen, but nothing did.
She slowly uncovered her ears and looked up to see clocks floating around her. They were all different shapes and sizes, all with different times. There were even some under her feet. She stood up and looked all around again. It was like she was floating, but she was standing on solid ground.
It took her a few seconds to realize that she was in a dream.
Lucy sighed. "Now what?" Lucy asked out loud before looking around the area again.
Clocks of all different sizes and shapes floated by her. She was tempted to touch one of them but wasn't sure if she should.
"You can touch them." A childish voice said from behind her.
For once, she didn't jump. She sighed before turning around, only to come face to face with her younger self again.
"What would happen if I did touch one?" Lucy asked as she knelt down to her younger self's level.
"Every clock is linked to a different event in time. If you touched it, you would see it." Younger Lucy said with a shrug.
"Just the past? Or is the future in here too?" Lucy asked, standing and looking around again.
Younger Lucy shook her head. "Any event up to the present only can be seen. Nothing from the future. I'm afraid you won't find what you're looking for here." Younger Lucy said as her voice started to fade.
Lucy looked over to where her younger self was standing, only to see her starting to fade away. Once her younger self entirely disappeared, she sighed and looked around, waiting for the rest of the place to fade, signaling her time to wake up. But to her confusion, it didn't.
"Shall I be your guide, Ms. Lucy?" A refined male voice said from behind her.
Lucy jumped, startled at the new voice. She quickly turned to see a familiar green-haired man in a red suit. She couldn't help but stare and blink at him as her mind tried to figure out how Freed, of all people, made it into her dream.
Lucy sighed, and her shoulders sagged. "I'm so confused right now. I don't know what's going on anymore." Lucy muttered.
Freed chuckled. "It feels overwhelming, doesn't it?" He asked with a smile.
"You can say that again." Lucy grumbled before blowing out a breath. "How did you get in here? Normally it's just me and my future self, as she likes to call herself." Lucy asked.
Freed nodded. "She's around her somewhere. I believe she's still looking through past events to keep herself from going insane in here." Freed said as he walked passed her.
"That still doesn't answer my question. How are you here?" Lucy asked with narrowed eyes.
Freed chuckled. "Honestly, I don't know. This is your dream, after all. I bet if you tried, you could turn me into someone completely different." Freed said, waving his hand dismissively.
"You mean I could turn you into Laxus?" Lucy asked as she put her finger to her chin, looking like she was deep in thought.
"You could, I guess. But how would you imagine him, Ms. Lucy?" Freed asked mischievously.
Lucy's body tensed as her face and neck turned red. "What's that supposed to mean?!" Lucy asked, her voice getting higher.
Freed chuckled as his eyes twinkled in amusement. "You know exactly what I mean, Ms. Lucy. He's the one who's normally in your dreams, isn't he? Bare chest with all those muscles on display just waiting for you to lick them?" Freed asked as his voice started to change into a deeper voice.
"Hm? Isn't that how you want me, Lucy?" The sound of Laxus' voice sent a shiver of excitement down her spine.
Lucy gulped as she fanned herself with her hand. "Me and my big mouth." Lucy grumbled, trying not to look at the giant blonde man made of muscle in nothing but a white towel wrapped around his waist that barely covered anything.
"Leave her alone. You damn menace." Came a familiar voice.
Lucy looked around the hulking figure in front of her to see the one that calls herself her future self in a black cloak with the hood drawn over her head. The only reason she knew it was her was the long blonde strand hanging out.
The figure of Laxus sighed before it changed into a giant clock that then started to float away. Lucy watched as it disappeared into the mass of other clocks in the distance.
"This place just keeps getting weirder and weirder."Lucy mumbled, shaking her head.
For some reason, she still felt eyes on her and the presence of someone else still here, but she ignored it.
Future Lucy walked forward before stopping in front of her. Lucy watched as her future self grabbed the hood with both her hands to pull it down to show her face. The happiness she felt seeing that she still had both her arms was snuffed out when she saw her face.
Three claw marks across her face from the left side of her head to the right side of her jaw. Her left eye was closed as a claw mark went right through it. Her other eye was gray and faded. Her blonde hair was cut unevenly. The ends were burned on her left side. She continued her inspection and saw more claw marks on her neck as they disappeared under her clothing.
"The future keeps changing. It's hard to keep track." Future Lucy said to break the uneasy silence.
Lucy sighed. "Nothing I've done changed anything, has it?" Lucy asked.
"Somewhat. This time, however, there are only seven dragons to deal with. So, the number has gone down considerably. But we're still not without severe losses." Future Lucy said, looking to the side as a clock floated by.
"This is the first time my dream was this Alice and Wonderland-y." Lucy muttered.
"This isn't exactly a dream. I pulled your mind here. You're inside the Eclipse." Future Lucy explained.
"Eclipse..." Lucy breathed out. "I had Grandpa Crux look into it while the games were going on. He said it's just a gate that connects two points in time. It does nothing else. But he also said something about the night of July seventh being special. He's doing more research on it, but that's all he found so far." Lucy explained.
Future Lucy sighed. "Yes, I found all that out too late. You need to speak with the princess. Get her to stop it. She's the one who opens it with our keys." Future Lucy said.
Lucy nodded. "I have all the Zodiac keys in my possession. I bet Yukino her Zodiac keys that she had to hand them over if she lost the match like I said she would. So right now, I'm the only target." Lucy said. Lucy crossed her arms before turning to stare at her future self. "I have a choice to make right now, and I'm unsure what to do." Lucy explained.
Future Lucy looked at her seeming to look through her. "What choice?" She asked.
"To disqualify Sabertooth or not." Lucy explained.
Future Lucy nodded in understanding. "You could do both." She said with a shrug.
"What do you mean?" Lucy asked.
Future Lucy smiled before lifting her hand and waving. "When you wake up, you'll know..." Future Lucy said as the world around her faded.
Laxus glared at the passed-out blonde. His nerves skyrocketed when she just fainted as she did. He'd been on edge since.
"Will you cut it out!" Mira snapped, almost getting zapped by a spark that was sparking over Laxus' form.
"You're going to electrocute someone if you don't chill out. Most likely, she was just pulled into a dream." Gajeel growled, moving to the side as a spark hit the wall beside him.
Jellal sat cross-legged on the bed next to Lucy's. His eyes closed. He seemed to be sleeping or in deep meditation. But unknown to the others around him, he was inside Lucy's mind. He had to admit it was amusing to mess with her. He knew he couldn't show up as himself. So he used Freed's form at first, then decided to tease her more by using Laxus' form. But when her future self appeared to call him out, he had to make it look like he belonged there using the clocks as cover. But he stuck around long enough to see her face.
That's when he opened his eyes with a gasp, which is when all the eyes in the room went to him.
"Mystogan?" Mira called out, confused.
"It's nothing." Jellal said, narrowing his eyes at Lucy. He knew she would keep the details of her future self's appearance to herself and wouldn't inform the others of it. He wasn't sure if he should inform the others so they knew what she feared the most. But he just sighed and looked at Laxus with sad eyes. "She'll be waking up soon." Jellal said.
Laxus nodded, seeming to see through Jellal's words. He pushed off the wall and walked over to where Lucy lay on the bed. He sat on the bed, and his arm shot out at the same time that Lucy shot awake with a gasp. He wrapped an arm around her and held her there as she panted, trying to calm down. He rubbed his hand up and down her back soothingly.
"You're safe." Laxus said softly.
Lucy's breathing slowed as she lost the strength to hold herself up. She slumped into Laxus' hold as her heart started to beat normally.
"I know what to do." Lucy whispered, wrapping her arms around Laxus' neck.
Laxus rolled his eyes with a chuckle before lifting her up where her legs wrapped around him. He sighed and walked toward the door.
"Let's go. Time for the games to continue." Laxus said as he heard several chuckles and a giggle behind him that he chose to ignore.
They could hear the crowd from the hallway they walked down. Lucy was still clinging to Laxus like a koala. Her eyes were dazed and unfocused. The others looked concerned but chose to keep quiet. They knew Lucy was normally quiet and dazed after one of her dreams.
Laxus stopped before the doorway that led to the arena. "Ready?" Laxus asked, slightly tightening his arm around Lucy, gaining her attention.
Lucy blinked before letting out a sigh. "Yeah." Lucy replied, unwrapping her legs from his waist.
Laxus nodded as he lowed her to her feet. "I hope so. There's a lot of people waiting on your decision." Laxus said.
Lucy nodded. "I know." Lucy said, turning to face the doorway.
Laxus and Jellal stepped in front of her to the side while Gajeel and Mira to the sides in the back. Lucy let out a breath before nodding and walking forward. The others walked alongside her into the arena, where it went quiet as soon as they stepped out.
In the middle of the arena stood the castle guards as well as the Sabertooth team. Sabertooth all looked down at the ground. Minerva ground her teeth as the Fairy Tail team approached them. Sting raised his head slightly to watch the group stop a few feet from them. His eyes were on the petite blonde in the middle. The look on her face made him shiver and shrink back. Something about how the others stood around her and how her eyes narrowed on him unnerved him.
Mato waddled out in the middle of both teams and looked back and forth between the two. He sighed in dismay as he chuckled awkwardly and scratched the back of his head.
"Welcome!" Mato exclaimed. "We're here because the games organizers have requested that a decision about Sabertooth's actions in the previous game be made. The one tasked with making this decision was the winner of the game, Lucy Heartfilia of Fairy Tail." Mato explained before turning to face the Fairy Tail team. "The decision is yours, Ms. Lucy." Mato said with a slight bow.
Lucy nodded. "And I have decided." Lucy said, squaring her shoulders and stepping forward.
Sting scoffed. "You going to disqualify us then?" Sting asked with a growl.
Lucy smiled and lifted her gaze to him. "Yes." She said before looking around for a moment and returning her gaze to him. "And no." Lucy said.
"WHAAT?!"
Was the collective shout around the arena.
"Uh. Ms. Lucy? How is it a yes and a no?" Mato asked, confused.
Lucy smiled. "Well, how it goes is actually going to be up to Sabertooth themselves." Lucy said, moving her eyes back to the Sabertooth team, "I'm giving them a chance to make better choices for the future. I'll allow them to stay in the games as long as they change their ways as a guild and whole and replace Minerva since she seems to let her temper get the better of her. I mean, this is just a game, after all. No reason to take losing so offensive. There are more important things than being number one." Lucy said, moving her gaze to Minerva halfway through.
Sting blinked in shock. "You'd still let us stay?" Sting whispered with wide eyes.
Lucy smiled, moving her gaze back to him. "Yes. But your guild's ways need to change. A guild is supposed to be a family. You should always be there for one another. You should always be able to count on your guild mates to have your back. You protect each other without question. That's the purpose of a guild. A true guild." Lucy explained, closing her eyes and holding her hand over her heart.
The others around her smiled with a few chuckles and adoring gazes.
A dark aura could be felt from the stands, and a few people started moving away from the person radiating the aura.
But Lucy ignored it and continued. "Oh, before I forget, I'd also find a new master if I were you. He's going to be your downfall." Lucy said, her expression turning hard.
That seemed to be the last straw. The stands where the rest of Sabertooth sat started to crack before there was what sounded like an explosion. Everyone looked in that direction and saw something moving fast toward the two teams in the middle of the arena. Team Sabertooth jumped back out of the way while Team Fairy Tail stood there.
"Lucy!" Laxus shouted as he lunged at her.
Laxus' magic activated as his arms encircled her. In a flash and the echo of thunder, they were gone. The rest of the team jumped out of the way as what was coming at them landed in the middle of where they were standing. Dust and smoke surrounded the area.
"What the hell?!" Gajeel shouted.
"Lucy?" Mira asked with wide eyes, not seeing the blonde.
"She's fine." Jellal said, making her look at him. "Laxus got her." He said before looking to his left as a bolt of lightning landed next to him. "See." Jellal said with a sigh.
The lightning then took the shape of two beings. Laxus and Lucy both glared at the spot where the dust started to fade to see it was Sabertooth's current master standing there looking at them, ready to kill.
"Oh my, oh my! Sorry, but you can't be here!" Mato exclaimed in a panic.
Jiemma Orland stood there and pointed his hand toward the small pumpkin man. Lucy's eyes widened, her hand quickly going to her keys. A glowing orb formed in the palm of Jiemma's hand.
"NO!" Lucy shouted as the blast left Jiemma's hand and headed straight for Mato.
Lucy's eyes widened as the blast hit. She stared in horror. The dust from the explosion circled before it cleared, leaving just the black scorched ground. Gasps were echoing around the stands and over the loudspeaker.
"Huh? Whoa! That was close. He says." A familiar voice said from behind the Fairy Tail team.
Lucy's snapped around to look behind them only to see a giant grandfather clock with Mato inside him. Lucy's body sagged in relief.
"Horologium." Lucy said with a grateful smile.
Horologium's door opened as Mato stepped out. He looked up at the giant clock and nodded his thanks before he turned toward the two teams in the arena. Putting his fist to his mouth and clearing his throat, he waddled over to the two groups.
"Well, that was unexpected. But for attacking me, I would have to say that you should be disqualified. But as Ms. Lucy said, you, as a whole, have the opportunity to make better choices right now. We will allow you up to the time of the tag team battle between Sabertooth and Fairy Tail to make the choices and or changes needed to continue in the games. If you do not, you will be disqualified, and Fairy Tail will win that fight by default. Your battle will be the last one of the day." Mato explained, glaring at Jiemma.
"May I make a suggestion?" Lucy asked, stepping forward.
"Please, by all means." Mato said.
"How about the castle guards or the counsel hang onto Sabertooth's current Master until a decision is made? I think it would be in everyone's best interest if they could make the choice and changes without the pressure of a threat hanging over their heads." Lucy said, crossing her arms over her chest halfway through her statement.
Mato blinked before nodding. "Yes, I agree that would be best. But I don't think anyone is willing to get near the man to be able to remove him." Mato sighed in defeat.
Lucy smirked before holding up a gold key. "Let me take care of that." Lucy said.
Mato tilted his head. "What do you mean?" He asked.
Lucy held up the key before closing her eyes. "Open! Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!" Lucy chanted before thrusting the key outward.
The pink-haired maid, however, didn't appear in her normal fashion. Instead, she popped up behind Jiemma with the sound of a click that got everyone's attention. Jiemma stood there and looked behind him only to notice that his hands were cuffed behind his back with what looked like Magic canceling cuffs. He growled as he tried to pull his arms apart, attempting to break them.
"For the record, you won't be able to break them. Not only do they seal your ability to use magic, but it zaps your strength, making you able to do much except walk. If you keep trying, it'll zap your energy entirely, making you unable to even walk. If I were you, I'd stop trying to fight and cooperate if you want to keep your dignity. Unless you want to be seen by everyone being carried out." Lucy said, hand on her hip with it popped out. She giggled. "But the choice is yours." She continued with a one-shouldered shrug.
Jiemma growled but stopped struggling as the castle guards led him away.
"Anything else, Princess?" Virgo asked.
"No, that'll be all. Thank you, Virgo." Lucy said with a smile.
Virgo bowed slightly before disappearing.
Mato sighed. "All right, let's get to the battles, and we'll revisit this later." Mato said, shooing the two teams to their sections.
Lucy and her team walked away toward where their team's balcony. As they walked along the hallway, Lucy felt something shift, stopping her in her tracks. She braced herself with her hand on the wall.
"Lucy? What's wrong?" Mira asked, coming to her side.
"I... I don't know. Something feels off." Lucy mumbled, pressing her hand to her forehead.
"Any idea what it could be?" Jellal asked.
Lucy shook her head. "No." Lucy said, her voice starting to slur. "No. Not now." Lucy muttered before darkness took over once again.
White.
There was nothing but white around her. No clocks. No sign of anything. She looked around before walking forward. All she could hear was the echo of her boots hitting the floor under her. She found that they made noise at all since everything around her and under her was white.
She seemed to walk forever and getting nowhere. She stopped with a heavy sigh, wondering what would happen now.
She didn't have to wait long. The sounds of explosions echoed through the space around her, startling her. She went on alert, looking around with wide eyes, her hands going to her belt, only to find her keys were gone.
"What? How?" Lucy muttered before snapping her head up to look above her, where a crack started to appear.
The crack started small but only grew bigger and longer. The crack splintered off into more cracks spreading across everything white. She looked down to see the crack under her feet.
She didn't know what was going on. This was different than the others. Normally by now, her future self would show herself. But she didn't see her anywhere.
Lucy took a few steps back, her eyes darting side to side. Something felt wrong. It felt dark. Ominous even.
She heard a sound from behind her making her spin around, only to get hit with a massive gust of wind that pushed her back. Her arms flew up to cover her face trying to brace herself. But the wind was too strong. It blew her back and off her feet.
She was flying back until she stopped in mid-air. Her arms and legs were out. Something felt like it was slithering around her ankles and wrists. Whatever it was, it felt like it was moving further up her limbs. She took a deep breath before looking to her side to see a giant dark purple snake slithering up her arm.
The snake looked directly at her in her eyes. The snake itself was missing an eye with a scar over the missing eye. The snake opened its mouth, its fangs on full display with purple liquid dripping from its fangs.
"Cobra?" Lucy whispered. The snake closed its mouth and looked like it smiled at her. That alone was creepy. The snake slowly moved backward, uncoiling itself from her limbs. Lucy narrowed her eyes in thought as she watched the snake move away. "You want me to get Cobra?" Lucy asked out loud.
The snake's tongue darted out with a hiss before it disappeared.
Lucy dropped fast to the floor, landing on her hands and knees. She looked around again, seeing the cracks disappearing. This was stranger than it normally was. She let out a heavy sigh before her head snapped to the side, where she heard footsteps approaching. She saw the hooded figure approaching, causing her to let out a breath of relief.
Lucy moved to a sitting position waiting for the figure to get closer. She felt annoyed by the tactics that this dream person was causing.
"Couldn't find a different way to tell me to ask the council to bring Cobra?" Lucy asked in annoyance. The figure didn't speak just kept walking forward until it stopped in front of her. Lucy stared at the figure, not seeing anything to tell her that it was the one that called her her future self. "Not going to say anything this time around?" Lucy asked.
The figure's arms and sleeves moved back over hands that looked too large to be females. Lucy's eyes went wide when the figure removed its hood. The figure standing in front of her wasn't herself. It was the man that she told Yukino to stay away from.
Lucy scrambled back to get away from him.
The man laughed. The laugh sounded evil. Not to mention the look on his face was disturbing.
"Arcadios..." Lucy muttered. The man held up a familiar-looking pouch that had Lucy's eyes widening. "Give them back!" Lucy yelled as she lunged at the man. But as soon as Lucy got close, the man disappeared. "Damn it!" Lucy cried out.
"I'm sorry..." A familiar voice said from behind her.
Lucy snapped her head to look over her shoulder. Her anger was on full display.
"You think this is funny?! What is wrong with you?" Lucy snapped, pushing to her feet.
"No. Of course, I don't. I have no control over this place. It just does what it wants. I was blocked from even coming here for a while." Dream Lucy said, holding her hands up in defense.
Her appearance hadn't changed since the last time she saw her.
Lucy sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. "What is going on that you called me here now?" Lucy asked, exhausted.
"Eclipse. Your time to find it is coming. Arcadios will appear to take you to it because you have all the Zodiac keys now. Take the others with you. Just make sure no one uses magic near it. It will drain them." Dream Lucy said.
"That doesn't happen until after the battles, doesn't it?" Lucy asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Dream Lucy nodded. "Beware of Darton. He's the one who arrests you and Arcadios for plotting against the kingdom." Dream Lucy explained.
Lucy nodded. "So, this Darton person, he arrests his own colleague?" Lucy asked.
Dream Lucy nodded. "Yes. He also takes our keys so the Princess can open Eclipse. You can't let her. In fact, you have to find a way to destroy it." Dream Lucy exclaimed.
"What about Cobra?" Lucy asked.
Dream Lucy's eyes widened. "What do you mean, Cobra?" She asked.
"That wasn't you who told me to get Cobra?" Lucy asked.
Dream Lucy shook her head. "No. Why would I have you do that?" Dream Lucy asked.
Now it was getting even more strange. If she didn't want her to get Cobra, then who did? She did say that this place has a mind of its own. Could Eclipse want her to get the Poison Dragon Slayer? She just didn't understand any of this.
That's when her other dream come to her.
"Wait, you said there were only seven dragons this time, right?" Lucy asked.
Dream Lucy nodded. "Yes. Since you changed so much, there are now only seven. Why?" Dream Lucy asked with a tilt of her head.
"Seven dragons. Seven Dragon Slayers. If I would get Cobra, there would be seven slayers. One for each dragon. But if I destroy Eclipse, do we really need the slayers?" Lucy asked in thought.
"It's better to have them on standby just in case. But I agree that having Cobra would make it an even fight with the dragons." Dream Lucy said.
Lucy sighed. "I guess you have a point." Lucy said.
"What did you decide with Sabertooth?" Dream Lucy asked.
"I gave them a choice. To stay or to leave. If they chose to stay, they would need to change out Minerva, and I advised them to find a new guild master." Lucy said.
Dream Lucy nodded. "Do you think they'll choose to leave the games?" Dream Lucy asked.
Lucy shrugged. "Honestly? I don't know. I'm hoping they take my advice. But there's no way to know until later." Lucy said.
"What do you mean, 'not until later'?" Dream Lucy asked.
Lucy sighed. "I gave them till the time of the last battle, which happens to be us against them." Lucy explained.
Dream Lucy's eyes widened. "Why would you give them that much time? They could plan something against Fairy Tail!" Dream Lucy gasped.
Lucy shook her head. "They are under the watch of the castle guards. Their master was locked up for almost killing Mato. Not to mention Minerva's attack against me after I beat her in the Navel Battle. I don't expect any trouble from them." Lucy explained with a dismissive wave of her hand.
Dream Lucy sighed. "I still can't believe you actually won. When the memory popped into my head of it, I couldn't believe it." Dream Lucy said.
"If it weren't for Jellal and Laxus, I wouldn't have been able to pull it off. Meteor is harder than I thought it was to master. Still not quite there, but enough that it helped." Lucy explained.
"It was smart to copy Juvia. Thankfully she wasn't in the game like she originally was." Dream Lucy sighed.
Lucy nodded. She knew she was lucky she didn't have to go against Juvia. That would have drained her more than she already was by the end of the battle. She just hoped she forgave her in the end.
"How do I get out of here since you didn't bring me here?" Lucy asked absently as she looked around.
Dream Lucy looked in thought. "I don't know. I normally push you out, but maybe you can push yourself out. I don't understand how Eclipse works or how it pulled you in here." Dream said explained.
Lucy nodded. "I was kind of walking out of the arena when I was pulled in, so everyone is probably freaking out right now." Lucy sighed in annoyance. Just then, Lucy gasped. "What?!" Lucy muttered.
She felt a pull. Like someone was pulling her brain. Her hand flew to the side of her head. She closed her eyes tight as she gritted her teeth.
"What's wrong?!" Dream Lucy asked.
"I don't know!" Lucy ground out. Lucy grabbed her head with both hands as she fell to her knees. "It hurts!" Lucy cried out. Just then, she felt hands on her shoulders as the pain just stopped. She gasped as she turned her head over her shoulder to see a familiar masked face. "Jellal?" Lucy whispered.
"Finally." Jellal sighed. "Took you long enough to let me in." Jellal said, a smile evident in his voice. Jellal looked ahead and saw the dream version of Lucy that he remembered seeing before. He narrowed his eyes. "I think you have caused enough problems. Let us take over from here. You gave her all the information she needed to change what you needed her to." Jellal scolded.
"For once, I didn't pull her in here. Eclipse pulled her in itself. Though I don't know how." Dream Lucy explained with a shake of her head.
"We can take it from here. Please refrain from pulling her here. If she's already asleep, that's a different story. But not when she's in the middle of walking down the hallway." Jellal said, his tone left no room for arguments.
"Hey! I don't even like being pulled here when I'm sleeping!" Lucy pouted.
"I'll do my best to keep from pulling her in here. But remember what I said. Beware of Arcadios and Darton." Dream Lucy said, her voice fading into the background.
The world around them started to dim and fade.
"I guess it's time to wake up." Lucy sighed.
"Yeah. Come on." Jellal said as everything disappeared.
Laxus paced the length of the infirmary with his hands clasped behind his back. Most of Fairy Tail was crowded in the small room, looking at the sleeping blonde on the bed.
"How much longer?" Erza muttered as she looked at Jellal, who stood beside Lucy with his hand on her forehead with his eyes closed.
"Give him some time. Entering a person's mind like he is isn't as easy as it sounds." Bickslow said from the window where he sat crossed-legged.
"It's just taking him so long!" Natsu whined.
Bickslow sighed and shook his head. "He's first got to get through Lucy's mind barrier before he can even get into her mind. They he has to find her. She could be anywhere in her mind. So there could be multiple barriers to get through." Bickslow explained for what felt like the hundredth time.
"Laxus, will you calm down before you wear a hole in the floor?" Makarov scolded.
Laxus ignored him with a grunted growl. He was too stressed, and it was taking everything in him from lashing out at someone and electrocuting them. Not to say he wasn't sparking here and there. But could anyone really blame him at this point?
"Seriously, stop pacing. You're making me dizzy just watching you." Gajeel growled.
"Leave him alone! He's just worried about Lucy. What caused her to pass out like that? Is she still exhausted from her battle?" Levy asked as she hugged Pantherlily a little tighter.
Pantherlily gave up on trying to get her to let him go and stop squeezing him. He figured it was her way of controlling her stress. So, he just hung there over her arms.
Carla stared at the sleeping blonde with her arms crossed over her chest and her eyes narrowed. Her mind was reeling back to when she saw a vision of the city crumbling and Lucy in the middle, covered in blood as the wind blew in front of what looked like a giant gate. She didn't know what to make of it. She was still getting used to her visions.
"Will she be all right?" Juvia asked, looking at Wendy.
Wendy sighed. "Yes, she'll be fine. As Bickslow said, Jellal has to find her in her mind. As soon as he does, he'll be able to bring her back." Wendy explained.
Juvia nodded. She was unsure but trusted Wendy to know what she was talking about. She was just wondering why the others weren't as worried as the rest of them looked. Mira was calm as she sat on the other side of the bed, peeling an apple and humming softly. Gajeel was leaning against the wall across from the bed with his head back, eyes closed like he was sleeping, even though he scolded Laxus occasionally. Laxus seemed to be the only one who seemed to care that Lucy was out cold right now.
Juvia looked back at Jellal and Lucy. Jellal was the one who volunteered to try and help Lucy come back since it's been over an hour since she passed out. But even then, Jellal didn't seem worried like he was used to it. She just didn't understand.
A bright light appeared next to Lucy's bed, causing Mira to stop peeling the apple in her hands with a sigh. Once the light disappeared there, standing next to Mira was Lucy's most loyal spirit, Leo the Lion, also known as Loke.
"She's not awake yet. You don't have to keep showing up every ten minutes, you know." Mira said in annoyance.
Loke sighed as she pinched the bridge of his nose. "I know, but we're all worried. And besides Virgo, I'm the only one who can cross over myself." Loke said, pausing for a second before sighing. "No. That's not totally true. Capricorn can, but he thinks it's disrespectful to just show up without being summoned." Loke explained as he scratched the back of his head.
The door opened to Lisanna running in. "The second battle just ended! It was a tie between Mermaid Heel and Lamia Scale." Lisanna said, sounding out of breath.
Laxus growled, his fists clenched by his sides. He turned to stare at Lucy. He knew they had to hurry up and get out there. But he was afraid that Jellal wouldn't get her to come back in time. But thankfully, he didn't have to worry as Jellal's eyes opened, and he stood up fully.
"Ow. My head." Lucy mumbled, her hand going to her head. "That hurt, you know. It felt like my head was going to explode." Lucy muttered as she sat up, glaring at Jellal.
"Sorry. But it was harder to get through your mind barrier than I thought it was. I may have pushed too hard." Jellal said, scratching the back of his head.
Laxus let out a breath of relief. "Damn it, Lucy. Don't do that." Laxus grumbled, walking over to her side.
Jellal moved out of the way for Laxus to get as close as he could. He knew the only way to calm down was to find out and see for himself that she was okay.
"Sorry. It wasn't my fault this time. I didn't have a choice. It just pulled me in out of nowhere." Lucy explained.
Laxus absently placed a hand on her head. He had to feel that she was real. That she was okay. For some reason, he didn't trust his eyes. He needed to feel it for himself. He sighed as his hand slid from her head to her cheek.
Makarov cleared his throat. "It's time, Lucy." He said, looking at her.
Lucy nodded. "Let's go then." Lucy said, swinging her legs over the edge of the bed. "I take it the second battle is over? It was a tie, wasn't it?" Lucy asked.
Everyone but Mira, Gajeel, Laxus, and Jellal blinked at her in confusion. How did she know that? She wasn't awake yet when Lisanna announced it.
"Yes. It was." Lisanna said, narrowing her eyes at her.
Lucy nodded. "All right. Time to get Sabertooth's choice." Lucy said.
Lisanna watched her suspiciously. Something wasn't making sense. But she knew better than question Lucy openly. She just had to wait until everyone else was busy and not paying attention.
Everyone nodded as Lucy stood up. Lucy sighed but walked toward the door. Laxus close to her back. He wasn't letting her out of his sight.
Mira, Gajeel, and Jellal all chuckled at the protective and possessive way he stood close to her. Like Lucy was going to disappear at any second. They guessed that's what happened when given too many scares in one day.
The groups split into two in the hallway. Team Fairy Tail headed toward the arena while the others headed to the stands.
Natsu stopped and looked over his shoulder. He wanted to talk to Lucy but couldn't get near her with those four around. He would just have to wait a little longer.
"You sure you're up for this?" Gajeel asked, breaking the silence as they walked.
Lucy nodded. "Yes, I'm sure. Don't worry about me, Gajeel. I've got everything under control." Lucy said as they walked.
"Kind of hard not to worry when you randomly pass out while walking." Gajeel grumbled.
Lucy giggled. They were coming to the end of the hallway. She knew she had one chance to do this. She stopped walking, causing the rest to stop and look at her.
"Lucy?" Mira called out.
Lucy sighed as she pulled out a gold key. "Open! Gate Of The Twins! Gemini!" Lucy chanted as she held the key out to her side. She felt like she was using them more often than normal. Once the two blue floating creatures appeared, she smiled at them. "Hi, guys. Could you do me a favor and copy me, then turn into me?" Lucy asked.
They tilted their head but shrugged before they followed the request. Once that was done, there was an exact copy of Lucy standing in front of the group. Gemini-Lucy nodded since they had copied Lucy. They knew what she wanted them to do.
"Are you sure this is what you want?" Gemini-Lucy asked.
Lucy nodded. "Yes. It needs to be done. If he gives you any trouble, copy him and do it yourself." Lucy said before turning back and walking toward the arena.
Laxus looked at the copy of Lucy. "What is she talking about?" Laxus asked.
Gemini-Lucy sighed. "Don't worry. It's safe to say she's lost her mind." Gemini-Lucy said before turning and running off down the hallway.
"That didn't answer my question!" Laxus called out with a grumble.
"Is she ever going to tell us what she's planning?" Mira asked with a sigh.
Gajeel shook his head. "Probably only when she has to." He said before following behind the blonde. "Yo, Bunny! Wait for us!" Gajeel called out.
"That's what I'm afraid of." Mira muttered before following the rest.
They enter the arena at the same time Sabertooth was escorted in by the castle guards. The two groups met in the middle of the arena. The castle guards didn't release any of them just stood there.
Lucy sighed before smiling. "It's all right, guys." Lucy said, putting her hands up to reassure them.
"We have our orders. I'm sorry, but we can't until a choice has been made." One of the guards explained.
Lucy's smile dropped, and her eyes narrowed. "Who gave you the orders? I know I didn't request them to be escorted." Lucy said sweetly with a threatening edge.
The castle guard gulped. "Well... The Colonel did Ms. Lucy." He explained.
Lucy smiled, but it wasn't her normal smile. This one seemed more cruel.
"Tell Colonel Arcadios to stay out of it." Lucy said lowly before grinning like nothing was said.
The guards exchanged glances before nodding and backing away. They knew they would get in trouble with the colonel, but this woman shouldn't know his name. And that's what made them turn and walk away.
Sting looked at the petite blonde, who seemed to get a tad scary just then before she resumed her sweet demeanor. He gulped before pulling at the collar of his shirt.
"Now then." Lucy said suddenly, drawing attention back to her. "Have you made a decision?" Lucy asked.
The Sabertooth group all exchanged glances before looking back at the Fairy Tail group. Sting stepped forward two steps but stopped and stepped back at the sound of a growl from directly behind the petite blonde.
Lucy sighed. "Don't mind him. He's just been a tad bit overprotective lately. For good reason." Lucy said before turning sideways and placing a hand on Laxus' chest.
The touch made him automatically relax.
Sting gulped. "Yes. We have." Sting said.
Lucy smiled. "Great! What is it?" Lucy said, turning back to face the Sabertooth Group.
Lucy removed her hand but backed up against Laxus to keep him calm. For just went with the flow of it, not that she understood why he seemed to calm at her touch. She just figured out it worked.
"We've decided to stay in the games. If that's all right? Minerva disappeared. Our master is locked up. The best thing to do is to prove to ourselves that we can still be the best." Sting said.
Lucy nodded. "Although, you'll need a new master to stay in the games. Have you chosen a new one?" Lucy asked.
This time Rogue stepped forward but kept a reasonable distance not to anger the dragon slayer behind the petite blonde.
"We've chosen Sting as our new master. If that's all right?" Rogue said.
Lucy nodded. "I think that would be a good idea. But that leaves you with another problem." Lucy explained.
This time the entire group blinked in confusion.
"What do you mean?" Sting asked.
Lucy smiled with a giggle. "Guild Masters can't participate in the games. So, you would have to not just replace Minerva but yourself as well." Lucy explained.
Sting's eyes widened before he chuckled and scratched the back of his head. "I guess I forgot about that." Sting muttered.
Lucy looked in thought for a moment as she thought back to what she had been shown before. It's true Sting became the new master, but that was because he killed their master with the game officials knowing at the time. She smiled before nodding.
"Actually." Lucy said, drawing the attention back to her again. "Since you've been in the games since the beginning, I don't see why you shouldn't finish them. After all, taking up the master position in the middle of the games isn't easy. You need the council's approval, and you need to fill out the paperwork. And since you can't do that until you return to the guild, you're not exactly the true master as of right now." Lucy explained, causing everyone's jaws to drop.
They heard an amused chuckle from the side. "She's right, actually." Mato, the small pumpkin man, said as he waddled over to the groups. "Even if you've been voted in as the new master, you can take the position until you return to the guild, so you're safe from having to replace yourself." Mato explained.
Lucy held up her two fingers in a peace sign. "Loophole." Lucy said with a grin. Lucy clapped her hands together. "Now! Let's get the show on the road, shall we?" Lucy asked.
Sting nodded. He felt grateful that he was being allowed to stay in the games. He didn't want to sit on the sidelines.
"So, who is up this round?" Sting asked.
Lucy smirked. "It's Dragon Slayers verses. Dragon Slayers. You and Rogue against Gajeel and Laxus." Lucy said, holding her hand out with her palm up to motion to the two slayers behind her.
"This should be fun."Sting grinned as he rubbed his hands together.
"Oh boy." Lucy sighed. "Can we have a nice clean fight, please?" Lucy muttered.
"Normally, I would agree with you, Bunny, but come on, let us have some fun." Gajeel said with a grin.
Lucy sighed in defeat. "Fine. Have at it. Just don't whine later when you're too sore." Lucy said as she turned to walk away.
"I would never!" Gajeel said in mock horror as he placed his hand on his chest.
Lucy rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh, sure." Lucy said with a dismissive wave. "Come on, Mira, Mystogan." Lucy said, walking to the exit.
Mira and Jellal chuckled as they followed behind Lucy.
"Have fun, boys!" Mira cooed with a wave.
Once out of the arena, Lucy's smile dropped as determination covered her face. Now onto the next part of her plan. She just hoped Gemini was able to complete her request.
Now she had to warn Master they were about to have company.
Doranbolt stood from his seat as he saw someone approach him. He saw that it was Lucy. He blinked in confusion as he watched the smiling blonde approach him.
"Lucy? Aren't you supposed to be in the arena?" Doranbolt asked.
Gemini-Lucy smiled. "Yeah, but the others can handle it. I have a request to make. And I hope you don't give me any trouble on it." Gemini-Lucy said.
Again Doranbolt blinked with a tilt of his head. "Okay? What is the request?" He asked curiously.
Gemini-Lucy smiled. "I need you to get Cobra and release him into the temporary custody of Fairy Tail." Gemini-Lucy said in a serious tone.
"WHAT?!"
Now that is that chapter!
I know it got a bit crazy in there, which is what I warned you at the beginning of the chapter.
But I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I have enjoyed finishing it!
Not sure when the next update will be, but I'll try to keep updating as often as I can.
Thank you again for the support!