Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.

Fair warning: this fic is rated M for a reason.

"Speech"

"Thoughts"

NOTICE: After considering the advice from some fellow readers, I've decided to expand this chapter as to explain several events that happened behind screen on this chapter (you'll understand once you read this). Nevertheless, the idea of the chapter will remain the same, but just more understandable from this rushed mess.

For now, enjoy!

"DON'T LET THEM GET IN HERE!"

Dozens of guards piled up on the massive doors in one desperate attempt to hold the invaders from coming in. For a few moments Faust and what remained of the royal guard waited in silence when a thunderous hit shook the door, followed by a second and a third one, frightening guards trying to hold the doors.

"How could this happen?!" Faust wondered as he recalled just how easy his captains were defeated by the invaders (stopping his plan for Extalia) and forcing him to hide like a coward.

One final punch broke the doors apart and sent the guards flying. Faust was now shaking in fear as he watched the fiery beast that decimated his army before his attention was drawn to the person next to it.

"YOU!"

Mystogan walked ahead of Natsu and said "It's good to see you again, father."

Chapter 35: The Fight for our Future

It was over.

In a matter of hours the rule of king Faust over Edolas was over thanks to the combined efforts of Natsu and his friends. While the information they brought from the future helped, victory was mostly in part due to the massive power Natsu, Lisanna and Angel now possessed. Knowing time was of the essence, Mystogan went to the anima chamber to prepare their return to earthland. With the royal guard defeated and now under Mystogan's control, it was now time for step two of their plan.

"There; the anima set to return us all back to earthland" Mystogan informed the group "from there, we should head to Fairy Tail and convince everyone to rally up against Deimos."

"It won't be easy with jerk-version Laxus as the guild master" Angel replied.

Mystogan agreed and so said: "In the worst case scenario, I shall deal with Laxus personally."

"No. I'll do it"

Both mages turned to see Natsu accompanied by Lisanna "I won't forgive him for what he did to Fairy Tail! I'll take him down."

If there was someone who wanted to beat some sense into Laxus, that was Natsu, so Mystogan ceded that role to him. Checking the anima controls one last time, Mystogan said to them: "I've set the anima to return us to earthland in 30 minutes" Before they could ask why, he added "there's still something I need to take care of."

As Mystogan left, Angel asked Natsu and Lisanna "Where were you?"

"Our fire head here wanted to free everyone from the lacryma" Lisanna pointed to a pouting Natsu.

"Awww Lis-chan! I just wanted to check on Happy and everyone else"

Smiling, Lisanna kissed him on the cheek "We'll see them soon, just be patient."

Just outside, Cobra was lost in thought as he gazed at the floating mountains in the horizon.

"Ready to go?" Angel sat next to him and watched the scenery. "Mystogan says he'll reopen the anima soon. We should get ready."

"Angel, what does the future hold for us?" Cobra asked for not only himself but for Cuberos as well. Angel seemed hesitant at first, but before she could say anything he added "I still can't read your mind, but I got a glimpse inside the head of your hot headed boyfriend."

Sighing, Angel asked "How much do you know?"

"Let's see…" Cobra scratched his chin in thought "Our guild got defeated during something called "Nirvana", we all got sent to jail after that and, Oh right! You made a deal to be released and join Fairy Tail. I think that's it."

Unable to meet his stare Angel looked away from him "I understand if you're mad…"

"I'm not mad" Cobra interrupted "How can I be mad for things that never and may not happen at all but, I do want to know about my future."

"It's a long story."

"I'm all ears, unless you want to drop your defenses and let me take a peek inside your head?" Cobra smirked at the face Angel did.

"As if! There are memories I wish to keep for myself, thank you very much! I'll tell you everything from the start."

Some minutes later, after hearing the entire story Angel had to say, Cobra was in disbelief. Taking a moment for the knowledge to sink in he asked: "Cuberos is really a girl called Kinana!?"

"Hard to believe, right?"

"But, But? I can't sense anything from him-her!" Cobra turned to look at his pet snake, who was also confused.

"There's a curse over her, that's why she can't remember who she really is." Angel explained to him "So far, the only one I know with the knowledge to break the spell is master Makarov, and he's dead on this timeline."

"Fine by me" Cobra announced "I don't want anyone taking my partner away from me, right Cuberos?"

The purple snake hissed in agreement while Angel watched them. Standing up, she asked "Anything else you need to know?"

"Yeah, there's one more thing" looking up he said: "I'll help you and your new buddies defeat Deimos, but you have to do something for me."

Even without Cobra's abilities, Angel knew what he was about to ask "You want me to free you from prison."

"Bingo! There's no way I'll root in jail after all of this!"

Keeping a calm face, Angel replied "Ok. IF we manage to restore the timeline, consider it done."

As they shook hands, Cobra was able to get a glimpse inside Angel's mind and saw that she was not lying to him. "Thank you Angel, seven years in prison is too long for me. C'mon Cuberos, let's get ready!"

While she watched them go, Angel's calm expression saddened. Asides from learning how to block his mind reading, she also learned how to give him false info.

While Pantherlily sided with him during the revolt, and Hughes, Sugarboy and Byro instantly switched sides when they realized they were outgunned, Mystogan knew that Erza Knightwalker would not go down so easily. According to Natsu, last time it took Erza fighting herself to start changing her perception of the world, sadly, that was no longer an option. As he stepped inside her cell and watched her fiery red hair, Mystogan couldn't help but wonder about the whereabouts of the Erza from earthland.

"Erza"

"My king" Erza Knightwalker spat with sarcasm.

Mystogan ignored her tone and continued "It is good to see you again; I wished our reunion would have been more…different than this, but it seems fate had other plans."

"Oh, really! What kind of reunion did you had in mind?" Erza walked towards Mystogan as far as the chain in her ankle allowed "Did you envision a peaceful meeting between us? Open arms to welcome you? To me you are only a traitor that not only betrayed and exiled the king, his own father, but also betrayed his own kingdom in favor of a group of ragtag mages."

"There's a lot more in stake here than you realize. Erza, we could really use your help for the coming fight. I could really use your help."

"You might be the king now, but I will never fight for you." Turning away from him she added: "Mark my words: next time we meet, I will kill you My King."

"That won't happen, I assure you" To say Mystogan was disappointed was an understatement; he knew his chances of returning to Edolas after fighting Deimos were slim, he really didn't want to leave her captive like this, but there was no other choice. Taking one last look at her, Mystogan bid his farewell: "Goodbye Erza. It was nice to see you again."

Erza Knightwalker scoffed, offering no response to his words. Exiting the cell block, Mystogan made his way to Natsu and the group to get ready for the anima to reopen.

"We're all set to go." Lisanna greeted him before noticing his expression "What's wrong?"

"I'm just wondering if I'm doing the right thing; leaving my people just when they have achieved freedom." Mystogan confessed "There's no way to guarantee that the timeline will be restored if we defeat Deimos."

Hearing him, Angel revealed to Mystogan something from the future: "If it makes you feel any better, the people from Edolas will overthrow your rule in a few years anyway."

"They will?" Mystogan blinked twice before saying "then screw them. Let's go."

Earthland / Phantom Lord Guild

No matter how much he tried, Gajeel could not get out of his head the humiliating defeat he suffered at Natsu's hands. Getting tired of tossing and turning, the iron dragon slayer slipped out of bed; careful of not waking his slave, and wandered through the guild.

After walking aimlessly for a while he settled on a balcony to reflect on his defeat and the possible punishment he would get at Master Jose's hands. Not that he cared, the only thing on his mind was facing the pink head once more.

"Iron dragon slayer, Gajeel"

Gajeel was shocked when someone appeared behind him; the number of people that could sneak on him was quite low, but what really surprised him was the person in question.

"Lady Astria!" Dropping to one knee, Gajeel addressed her in the proper manner. The iron slayer hated the fact of kneeling to someone, but even he knew what was best for him.

"Rise" Astria walked past Gajeel and watched the starry sky "Why pretend when I can see inside you."

Knowing he was caught, Gajeel spoke freely "You know me too well my 'Lady', then to what do I owe the honor of your visit? It's a bit late for a meeting with Master Jose."

"You are correct" Astria replied as she turned to look directly to his eyes, a thing that made Gajeel nervous "I know about your defeat at the hands of the dragon slayer, Natsu."

Gajeel's nervousness was replaced by anger at the reminder "Yeah, what's in it for you!?"

"Relax; I'm not here to mock you, but to help you." Reaching out to him, Astria smirked when Gajeel flinched at her touch. "You will soon face him once more, but this time, things will be quite different."

Not caring of the consequences, Gajeel slapped her hand away from him "I don't need your help! That bastard will be defeated by my own hands."

"Prideful, are we?" smiling at him, Astria flashed him a predatory smile before grabbing Gajeel by the neck. "Too bad you don't have a choice in the matter."

Above Magnolia, the sky darkened and thunder rained just like when the anima was first opened, but this time it was for the complete opposite; light poured out of the large hole in the sky and quickly restored the entire city and its surroundings. Like before, the citizens would not remember anything about the events that transpired in Edolas.

Asides Natsu and his group, Edolas Fairy Tail and the remaining royal army captains (minus Knightwalker) also came through the anima to help in the upcoming battle against Deimos. Once they shook the effect of the anima, the group marched towards Fairy tail to come across a foreign guild.

"This is…Fairy Tail?"

Asking no one in particular, Natsu observed the radically changed guild in front of him. To the slayer, the place looked a lot more like Twilight Ogre's guild than the cheerful Fairy Tail he knew.

"I like the design" Lucy Ashley commented before seeing the expression on Natsu and his girls "What's wrong? Aren't we going to step inside, the rain is starting to be a pain."

Cracking his knuckles, Natsu prepared his fist to 'knock' on the doors.

Inside Fairy Tail:

"Hurry up with that drink! I'm thirsty!"

Laxus yelled from the second floor to Mirajane, who was tending the bar with a downcast look. Today marked the anniversary of Lisanna's death and so she asked Laxus permission to visit her sister's grave, but Laxus denied her request almost instantly. When Mira asked why, Laxus angrily snapped at her and told her not to contradict him since he was the master now and she had to follow his every word. Elfman stepped in to face Laxus on his sister's behalf, but she stopped him. Mira, like everyone else, knew better than to defy the new guild master if she didn't want to see her brother getting hurt.

Elfman wasn't the only one angry at Laxus; a few tables away, Gray silently watched the argument and cracked his knuckles in impotence. The ice mage would have left the guild a long time ago but he didn't want to abandon his friends, especially now that Laxus started filling the guild with people that could easily be considered dark mages. Besides, when Natsu left, Happy was devastated and if not for Gray, Laxus would have kicked the Exceed out of the guild as well.

Up on the second floor all the mages Laxus considered worthy to be part of Fairy Tail eyed Mira up and down as she brought the jar of beer to Laxus's table.

"You know Mira, if you really want to visit her grave, you can go"

Mira was surprised to hear Laxus say that "Y-You mean it!?"

Standing up, Laxus smirked at Mira "Of course, but first; you must agree to be my woman. What do you say?" Not waiting for her to answer, Laxus grabbed hold of Mira and brought her close to him while she weakly fought back.

"Laxus! You unmanly bastard!" Not taking it anymore, Elfman ran up to the second floor straight to Laxus, when several mages blocked his path. "Get out of my WAY!" Using his beast arm, Elfman dealt with some of them before turning to stone, courtesy of Evergreen.

"ELFMAN!" Mira tried to reach her brother, but Laxus grip on her was too strong for her to get free.

"THAT'S ENOUGH LAXUS!" Gray yelled at Laxus "Let them go!"

"Watch your tone maggot!" Laxus replied "Or I'll kick you out of my guild."

"LIKE I GIVE A DAMN!"

Tossing Mira to the floor, Laxus focused on Gray "You ungrateful maggot; I let you stay in my guild and this is how you repay me?" Several of Laxus's mages surrounded Gray "Take the trash out."

Before they could even move against him, each mage surrounding Gray were encased in ice. Others were smarter and tried to attack from afar, but quick sniping from Alzack and Bisca stopped them in their tracks. By now, the mages that remained from the old Fairy Tail sided with Gray, but they were still outnumbered by Laxus's group.

"You…you disloyal ingrates!" lightning emerged from Laxus as he prepared to attack "I'LL DISPOSE OF YOU!"

Before Laxus could strike them, the front door was busted open to reveal a pissed of Natsu.

"LAXUS!"

Stopping mid strike, Laxus was stunned when he recognized the pink haired slayer on the front door. Shaking the surprise, Laxus smirked "Well, well, what do we have here? It's been a while Natsu. If you think you can just come back to MY guild after being gone for so long, then you are gravely mistaken."

Laxus was oblivious of the lightning forming around Natsu and continued to run his tongue.

"But tell you what: If you beg me, I might consider restoring your status as a Fairy Ta…"

In the blink of an eye, a lightning covered Natsu materialized before a shocked Laxus and punched him with such force that sent him crashing through the wall. Laxus cronies stayed in their place, too scared to make a move against the angry dragon slayer that attacked their master. Even the thunder god tribe was surprised to see their leader get hit like that.

Still glaring at the hole Laxus created, Natsu said: "You don't get to say Fairy Tail, never again, not after what you've done!"

It took a moment for the members of the old fairy Tail to process what they have just seen before their attention was turned to the people that came with Natsu.

"Li…sanna?" Not believing her eyes, Mirajane had to do a double take on the person next to Natsu. "LISANNA!"

"Mira-nee" Even when Lisanna had already lived through this, seeing her sister in tears caused her to cry as well. Reaching her, Mirajane embraced Lisanna and both sisters were once again reunited in a heartwarming hug.

"NATSU! LISANNA!" A teary eyed Happy flew straight to Lisanna and latched onto her as well. The blue Exceed would have done the same with Natsu, but he knew that his foster parent and best friend was busy facing Laxus. "I ALWAYS KNEW YOU'D COME BACK!"

Natsu's glare softened and he sent Happy a smile before returning his gaze to a trembling Evergreen and pointed towards Elfman "Return him to normal."

She didn't have to be told twice. While Elfman was reunited with Lisanna, a thunderbolt sent Natsu crashing outside followed by Laxus pinning him down with several punches.

Freed and Bickslow were about to jump to help Laxus, but Mystoganl blocked their path.

"This is a one on one fight, I recommend you stay out of it for your own safety."

Freed and Bickslow decided to hear his advice, although for different reasons; Freed due to his code of honor and Bickslow because he knew Laxus would win anyway. However, that didn't stop them to try and take on Mystogan.

Outside, Natsu and Laxus continued their fight. Catching Laxus's fist before it connected, Natsu retaliated with his lightning fire dragon's fist, getting his aggressor off of him.

"I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU GOT THAT LIGHTNING, BUT IT DOESN'T MAKE A DIFFERENCE! YOU ARE STILL INFERIOR TO ME!"

Hearing him, Natsu flashed one of his goofy smiles, much to Laxus's annoyance.

"Funny, cause it was you who gave them to me."

Growling, Laxus engaged Natsu and exchanged blows with one another, shaking the ground as each fist connected. As the fight progressed, the self proclaimed master of Fairy Tail was not expecting Natsu to last this long, and even more surprising, for the fire slayer to actually get the upper hand on him.

"This must be a joke: there's no way he can best me like this!" No matter how Laxus tried to see it, there was no denying that he was being outclassed by Natsu. Deciding that enough was enough; Laxus removed his coat and prepared to enter dragon force.

"Laxus, Stop!"

All of the fighting inside Laxus died when his eyes landed on her: "Li…sanna…" What followed next was a sight to remember: walking up to him, Lisanna slapped Laxus without an ounce of fear on her.

"How could you…" from Mystogan, Lisanna had learned what Laxus had done on this timeline and she was not happy about it.

"Wait...it's not what you think..."

Ignoring his calling, Lisanna stood next to her fiancé and both sent a disapproving look at him. Laxus tried to excuse his actions, but he could not form words as he watched them turn their back at him and returned to the guild, leaving him standing there in the rain.

"I suggest you leave" Mystogan told him "Be sure to take what's left of your group. Leave Fairy Tail and never come back."

It was strange for Mystogan to see a very different Laxus from the one he knew, giving him one last look, the Edolas mage returned to the guild to prepare the others for what was next.

When Natsu entered the guild, he was glad to be reunited with his nakamas when Gray punched him "What the hell!"

"You have a lot to explain, flame head!"

After telling them their story, Natsu and the others shared with Fairy Tail the theory that if Deimos was defeated, the timeline might be restored back to normal. Right now, both groups of Fairy Tail mages gathered on the guild to discuss about it.

"Just one moment: How is it that only you three" Gray pointed to Natsu and his girls "are the only ones that came from that supposed future you mention?"

"Actually...we haven't really figured that out yet" Lisanna was a bit embarrassed when she realizing they hadn't delved into it. The mages from Earthland Fairy Tail started doubting the veracity of their claims, fortunately for Lisanna, Mystogan defused the situation:

"I can vouch for them" Mystogan proceeded to remove his mask before explaining to them "They knew my true identity even when I told no one about it. It's not much, but it proves that Natsu, Lisanna and Angel are telling the truth."

With that said, he moved on to the next step: "The magic council and his ten wizard saint back him up, not to mention we also have to deal with the royal guard. Our best bet is to cause a distraction so that a small group can slip without being stopped."

"I can't believe we are actually talking about this! It's suicide!" Cana abruptly spoke up "Sure, Natsu is really strong now, but that doesn't mean he is right about Deimos. For all we can tell, there's no proof of what they are saying is true!"

"Your father is Gildarts and you have a crush on Gray" Angel revealed to them, shutting up Cana.

Everyone's eyes bugged out and turned to see Cana, who was now speechless and blushing like a tomato. Gray was also stunned but refrained from saying anything for the moment. A moment later, Edolas Cana fainted after her longtime secret was revealed while Gray Surge followed her example.

"Great! My edolas counterpart is a pussy" Gray thought, and then he turned to a still blushing Cana "Is that true?"

"You from all people should know that!" Cana replied, raising her voice level a bit. "Yes! Gildarts is my father!"

"I was talking abot the other thing"

"Oh!" Feeling eyes over her, Cana said "Can we talk about this later, please?"

Knowing there were more important things going on, Gray agreed. Since Cana confirmed Angel's claim, Mystogan resumed the briefing.

"As I was saying; the largest group will distract the main force while a smaller group infiltrates the castle and defeat Deimos. I will lead the main strike force while Natsu takes a handful of mages into the castle. Since Lisanna and Angel are also from Natsu's future, they will accompany him in case the timeline resets back to normal."

"I'll go with flame brains" Gray looked at Natsu and smirked "After the display from a while back, I want to see just how strong has torch gotten."

"More than you can imagine." Natsu then tapped Rebellion on his back: "And you haven't seen anything yet"

"Aye! I'll head with Natsu and Lisanna too!" Happy exclaimed.

"Let's do our best Happy!"

"Aye sir!"

Shaking his head, Cobra spoke up: "Guess I'll go too then. You'll need the extra muscle, especially if you're planning to take stuffed toy cats to the fight."

Natsu and Happy started bickering with Cobra while Mystogan then focused on the remaining mages "While Natsu's team infiltrates the castle, your job will be to distract the bulk of their main forces. Do not hesitate to escape if the enemy proves too much to handle."

"Don't give us that bull& #!" Lucy Ashley exclaimed "We are Fairy Tail! If someone is going to do the running it's them!"

"Yeah!" every Fairy Tail mage, Earthland and Edolas alike, pumped their fist in the air.

"That's manly of you!" Elfman then grabbed his counterpart "Let's show them the power of Manliness!"

"I-I don't k-now…" Edolas elfman nervously replied.

"You need to be more aggressive!" Edolas Jet cut in.

"Yeah" Edolas Droy contributed "Man up, like your twin here!"

"Manly!"

Levy watched them with a sad smile "You truly are one of a kind; If only Jet and Droy could see you two…"

Jet and Droy were amongst the dozens of excomulgated mages during Laxus's reign. Levy was spared only because Laxus could use her knowledge.

Putting an arm on her shoulder, Natsu reassured her "Jet and Droy will return, I promise."

"Now then, let's head out and show Deimos the true power of Fairy Tail!"

"YEAAAAAAAHHHH!"

While the two fairy tails cheered together, Angel felt a familiar presence listening in on them. After realizing who it was, she decided to let him be; she was risking a lot by not telling the others about the eavesdropper, however, she had a feeling that He wasn't going to tell Deimos about their plans.

Capital of Fiore: Crocus

It was a peaceful morning in the capital city; the sun welcomed another day up high in the sky, birds chirped around and the townspeople rose to their daily tastk.

"ATTACK!"

All ended with a single scream from one Lucy Ashley, followed by a full on assault of the combined Fairy Tail's and the Edolas royal captains. While the royal guard was taken by surprise, Mystogan and Natsu led their group to confront Deimos. As Gray was about to follow them, Cana grabbed him and kissed him, much to the ice mage's surprise and pleasure.

"For good luck" with that said, Cana returned to the fray, leaving Gray touching his lips.

"Don't die on me Cana."

From the last floor of the castle, Deimos and Astria watched the battle unfolding with different opinions.

"They really think they have a chance against us?".

"The fools" Astria seemed uninterested, but deep down she knew the time had come.

"I do wonder?" Deimos tapped his chin "What could have possessed them to launch this doomed charge?"

Astria turned her attention from Deimos and back to the battle below "One can only wonder."

Making use of Angel's sensing magic the group ran through the palace meeting little resistance until they reached a crossroad. Inspecting each hallway she finally said: "This route takes us to Deimos, but I feel a strong magic presence waiting halfway."

"Guards?" Gray asked.

"Not exactly" A voice said from behind. Turning around, the group tensed when they saw Siegrain "Relax, I'm not here to stop you, but to deliver a message to Natsu Dragneel, and since she told me he was the one with salmon colored hair…" his eyes searched the group until they landed on him "…that must be you."

Taking a step forward, Natsu asked: "What's the message?"

Unfazed by his tone, Siegrain said: "Her majesty cordially requests your presence at the briefest time possible, but then again that won't come to pass since I'll kill you all right here."

The way he talked reminded Natsu of the old Jellal he met at the tower of heaven, but instead of succumbing to his desire to punch him he tried another tactic "Jellal, you don't have to do this. Everything you were told at the tower were lies"

Siegrain looked confused "What are you talking about?"

"All those years ago at the tower, it wasn't Zeref who talked to you" While Natsu was telling him this, Jellal slowly brought a hand to his head as if in pain.

"H-How…do you know this!?" Jellal asked "No one knows of the tower."

"Because we come from another time and place" this time it was Angel who spoke "please, listen to us; it wasn't Zeref who brainwashed you, but a woman called Ultear! You have to believe us."

"I-I remember…everything…It's all true!" By now, Jellal had both hands on his head and closed his eyes "You are right…"

Angel relaxed once Jellal seemed to believe her when he suddenly starting laughing "You are absolutely right! But, I'm afraid you're a bit late. Thanks to lord Deimos intervention, I was able to free myself from that deceiving bitch's control. Ultear and Hades regretted the day they thought they could impersonate lord Zeref"

Straightening himself up, Siegrain added: "Now then, is that all you have to say before I kill you?"

"Looks like there's no way around it" Mystogan placed his staffs between himself and the group despite Natsu's protests "Go on ahead, I'll catch up with you later."

"But I can face him!"

"Natsu! You know what's at stake! You must conserve your energies for when you fight Deimos!"

The dragon slayer wanted to argue, but he knew Mystogan was right; only by defeating Deimos would their timeline be restored back to normal. Feeling soft hands pulling at his, Natsu turned to see Lisanna and Angel. "Fine, I'll kick Deimos ass and come back to help you."

"That would be appreciated" Mystogan replied.

Giving him one last look, Natsu joined his team and left Mystogan to deal with his deranged earthland counterpart.

Once the group was out of hearing range, Siegrain said: "The fool will surely die at the hands of Deimos, but that's exactly what I expect; either way he will leave Deimos weak enough for me to strike the killing blow and reclaim the throne for myself!"

"Jellal, before we begin, let me ask you something: Did you had anything to do with Erza's disappearance?"

The way Mystogan brushed off his grand schemes pissed Siegrain, but he quickly regained his wits: "I could tell you, but then again what's the fun in that? Face me and if you're lucky I might just tell you."

There was something about how Siegrain's answered that made Mystogan fear the worst for Erza, but regardless he was determined to get the truth, one way or another.

"Is it really ok to leave him all by himself?"

"Don't worry, Mystogan can take care of himself." His reply reassured his bride to be, but deep down Natsu felt he was leaving one of his nakama's to their death.

After running for a couple of minutes, Angel's voice distracted them from wondering about Mystogan's fate "Head's up! There's a strong magic source approaching us."

Cuberos hissed, followed by his partner growling "It's a dragon slayer."

Cobra was not the only one to notice; giving Angel a questioning glance, the celestial mage confirmed Natsu's suspicion.

"Gajeel."

"Phantom Lord's dragon slayer!?" Gray was in no way afraid of facing the guy, but he had heard stories about the iron slayer that made him cautious of going head on straight against the man.

"Don't tell me you're scared? Ice cubes."

"As if!" Gray bought Natsu's taunt and soon both of them found themselves fighting like in the old days, to Lisanna and Angel's dismay.

"You gotta be kidding me." Angel huffed.

"Come on! Break it off!" Without noticing, a shadow closed in on Lisanna with intentions of slicing the petite girl in half. A task he would have been successful at if not for Natsu's speed to reach Lisanna and block the serrated sword with Rebellion.

"Remember me? Salamander."

Natsu glared at Gajeel when he noticed that the Iron dragon slayer seemed…different, as he tried to push him back he realized what it was; in a short time, the dragon slayer from Phantom lord had gotten a lot stronger, proof of it was that Natsu actually struggled to push him back with his sword.

"Gajeel, we don't have time to deal with you right now!"

"That's too Bad! Cause you don't get to decide!"

Natsu and Gajeel clashed in a display of raw power; when Natsu started gaining the upper hand, Gajeel used his iron scale form to even the odds.

While Lisanna and the others looked for a way to help Natsu, Cobra decided to stay back and watch the fireworks.

"HEY! Aren't you going to help?"

Cobra answered Angel's question with a shake of his head "If your boyfriend is as strong as he says he is, then relax and let him handle this."

As for Natsu, the fire slayer was debating between using his lightning fire mode or not when thunder dropped between the dragon slayers and materialized in a familiar figure.

"Laxus!"

Both dragon slayers stopped the fight due to the arrival of the former master of Fairy Tail; Gajeel because as bloodthirsty as he was, he wasn't naive as to think that he could take both Natsu and Laxus at the same time, and Natsu because he wasn't expecting to see the lightning mage here.

"Laxus? What are you doing here?"

The lightning mage walked in front of Natsu before answering him "Natsu, I heard your story back at the guild, and let me just tell you: it's the dumbest story I have ever heard." Lisanna sweat-dropped at his choice of words. "But…there was something about how you spoke that wanted me to believe it was all true."

"It IS true!"

Ignoring Natsu's yell, Laxus said "Natsu, go on ahead, I'll handle this phantom dog."

"My fight is with salamander and only HIM!" morphing his right hand into a spear, Gajeel jumped to attack Natsu. Natsu prepared to absorb the attack with Rebellion when Laxus intercepted the attack for him. Sending Gajeel back, Laxus yelled at Natsu to get going.

"GET THE HELL MOVING DRAGNEEL!" Thunder and Iron clashed in a shower of sparks as both dragon slayers let loose.

Makign up his mind, Natsu nodded to both Lisanna and Angel and the group headed out. Without turning back, Lisanna whispered.

"Laxus…thank you"

"Lisanna…I want to believe in that world were I'm not that much a bastard." Laxus muses as he exchanges blows with Gajeel. "A Laxus that, in another time, you could have come to love as much as I love you."

Gajeel wiped the blood from his lip and glared at Laxus "I'll kill you for interfering!"

"Bring it on" Laxus and Gajeel then prepared to use their most destructive techniques.

"Tetsuryū no…"

"Rairyū no…"

"HOKO!"

After leaving Laxus to fend Gajeel, Natsu and his group found themselves running up a long stairwell.

"Never would have believed Laxus would come to help us"

A thought similar to Gray's crossed through the rest of the group. It seemed like deep down this version of Laxus was still a good guy that wanted to make things right.

As they reached the top, Angel warned the group "This is it! I can sense a very powerful aura, there's no doubt that this is Deimos."

"Then let's get to it!" Charging speed, Natsu ran past ahead of the group despite Lisanna and Happy calling out to him. The pink haired slayer was eager to restore the timeline back to it's original state and no one, not even Deimos was going to stand on his way.

Reaching the top first, Natsu stopped dead on his tracks.

"Damn it Natsu" Cursing, Angel picked up the pace like the others and reached the top, almost crashing into her beloved slayer.

"Natsu, what's…?" Lisanna stopped mid question as her eyes landed on the figure in front of them.

Before them an enormous gate separated them from Deimos private chamber, but that's not what caught their attention; a man wearing a white coat, with long white hair and red eyes was standing between them and the gate.

"Luzbel" Natsu tensed as he recalled the strenuous fight between himself and the master of Trinity Wraith. Lisanna and Angel shared a feeling of déjà vu, not expecting to see this man again.

"I'm flattered you know my name when I don't know yours, not that I care" Luzbel said with a smirk. "You must be very brave or foolish to attack us. What do you expect to gain from this suicidal attack?"

"That's not of your business" Stepping in front, Gray formed hand seals "Ice make: Geyser!"

With a leap into the air, Luzbel easily avoided the path of sharp ice. While Luzbel was airborne, Cobra took the chance and attacked with his Poison dragon's twin fangs, only for his target to dodge the poison waves with a series of précised twirls.

"He's fast." Cobra cursed when he realized he couldn't read Luzbel's thoughts either.

As he landed, Luzbel reached for his katana concealed inside his coat and sent some slashes towards Gray and Cobra. The ice mage dodged several of them, but found himself crashing through one of the large windows that oversaw the battle below. Cobra, however, was not as fortunate; not being able to read Luzbel's thoughts, the poison slayer wasn't expecting such a quick counter and the slash carved a deep gash on his chest.

"Gray!"

"Cobra!"

Natsu and the others watched in horror how Luzbel disposed of their friends without breaking a sweat. Acting fast, Angel unleashed her devil trigger and raced to help Cobra when Luzbel pointed Yamato at her.

"Don't be so impatient. Your turn will come next"

Lisanna used her dragon soul takeover when she recognized Vergil's katana "You are not breaking our bond, not this time!"

Seeing Cobra bleeding out, Angel couldn't wait any longer and so charged at Luzbel "Get out of my way!"

Just when Natsu and Lisanna were going to join the attack, Luzbel sidestepped both girls (completely ignoring them) and aimed Yamato towards Natsu's neck.

"NATSU!"

Blade hit blade as both swords were once again reunited. Glaring at him, Natsu shoved the surprised Luzbel back.

"That sword…" Luzbel barely got a second to muse about Rebellion when he felt something inside him wrestling for control. Seeing that Luzbel was momentarily distracted, Natsu and his girls prepared a counter-attack.

"Now's our chance!"

Just as they prepared to attack; Luzbel dropped to his knees and brought his hands to his head.

"W-what's going on!?" Thinking his opponents were responsible he shouted "WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO ME!?

"Can it be?" Lisanna's question was confirmed when blue flames surrounded Luzbel "Guys! It's Vergil !"

"Vergil?" Natsu watched as the flames dimmed and Luzbel seemed calmer now "Vergil, is that you?"

When Luzbel raised his head, there was no doubt that it was Vergil; it might have been Luzbel's body, but the look he now sported was unmistakably Vergil's.

"Who gave you that sword?"

Dropping his guard, Natsu lowered Rebellion and waved "Oy, Vergil, I'm so glad you're here."

"Something feels off" Realizing what it was, Lisanna tried to warn the dragon slayer "Let's be careful…"

Instead of answering, Vergil raised Yamato and teleported in front of Natsu with clear intentions of slicing the dragon slayer in half. The only thing Lisanna, Angel and Happy saw was a splatter of blood.

"NATSU!

A.N.

It's been a while, hasn't it?

Sorry for the long due update, but the real life finally caught up with me. With that said, let's move on:

At first, I was thinking about adding the fights of Edolas but decided against it (that would only be more unnecessary filling, and we all know how the Edolas arc turned out anyway.) And before you ask: Laxus simply didn't use Fairy Law when he arrived to help Natsu because that would be too easy (not that he won't use it on the next chapter).

As for Angel participating in the games…I don't know just yet.

If you have any questions or doubts about this chapter, feel free to ask. With that said, here's an extra scene. Until next time.

Demonwithasoul

"When did this rain started?"

After Luzbel's attack, Gray found himself on top of an adjacent tower. Looking up, he realized that the floor from where he fell was not as high as he initially thought.

"No use staying here" As he was about to make an ice staircase he heard someone speaking.

"Drip drop… Juvia is a rain woman, a member of Element 4. Drip drop."

Gazing at the woman, Gray replied "Looks like Gajeel didn't come here alone after all."

"Yes, as we speak my colleagues are fighting Fairy Tail down there while Juvia is here to help Gajeel to rid you all from lord Deimos sight."

"Fine by me" Gray stated as he locked eyes with Juvia "I usually don't hit girls, but I won't forgive anyone that hurts my friends."

Gray and Juvia stared at each other for a long moment when the rain woman suddenly blushed.

"R-Really? Then Juvia has lost this battle! Goodbye!"

"Whoa, Whoa, Whoa! What the hell with That!?"

And so, even if the timeline was altered, Juvia and Gray's first meeting was something that could never be changed.