A/N: Whoa, okay, I'm back after disappearing from the world of Fanfiction for an unarranged leave. I apologize. I've had writer's block again and school has been…well…school. (But the second term of this year is over and two more to go!) And unfortunately my laptop keeps shutting off and random intervals and my auto save doesn't kick in at all so I could be writing a massive paragraph and *blink* it's gone. Also I went on a trip to visit some relatives for my birthday sadly without any Wi-Fi! So I'm another year older, and since my writing and art improve with age, I'm hoping to get back to those separate worlds as well. But in this case writing comes first, Fairy Tail fan art comes later. Thank you for surviving through my absence and for the reviews left during it.

(AS WELL AS THE 139 FAVS AND 188 FOLLOWS)

Thank you for the support, Guest and Daddys little crazy bitch. As well as the second Guest reviewer who simply said "OOOOOOOOH"and I'm quite uncertain on how to respond to that. Anyways, thank you Rapunzel3, for always making me grin, as well as Ebon fire Red waters, HERE'S YOUR UPDATE!

Wolf123, thank you for you kind comments, and Kira sounds really cool! I'm sure your fanfic would be lovely, but if you don't think so, my advice is to practice because I absolutely sucked on my first fan fic but people keep telling me not to delete it so I'm just leaving it alone and ughh. But I learnt from it and improved a lot. In regards to your questions, Constellar was the dragon in the painting, because that was the dragon the Kingdom was named after to express their gratitude for he protected everyone there until he vanished alongside all other Dragons on the seven years back. In terms of the translation, all of that is coming gradually, sorry for the wait.

Thank you for answering my question, Rose's Shadow. The people Lucy heard talking are going to be revealed soon, as well as the Spirit she tried to summon. Also, I'm going to answer your other questions in a PM because I have a lot to say. Thank you as well, Dark Shining Light, as always. You're actually the first person I think said they preferred prequels as sequels and I get what you mean, so thank you for your opinion. As for Erza's Cake, there's a lot I want to say in terms of your review but I can't give anything away besides not being able to confirm or deny your suspicions and telling you to wait and see. SORRY D: and I also prefer prequels first. I think I'll put the prequel up first and then the next instalment and people can read whichever first.

AND HERE'S CHAPTER SEVETEEN, WE'RE ON A ROLL.

A New Recruit

4/5 members of Fairy Tail's "Strongest Team" had returned home just as the sun had set. The surrounding scenery reminded Natsu of the day he and Happy had set off to follow Grey and Erza on their S-Class mission, as well as the day Lucy had picked out the first mission she'd tackle solo. The simple memory dampened his spirits, as if they weren't low enough already. He seemed grouchy enough for Grey to decide not to pick a fight until he lightened up a bit. That being said, the Ice Mage himself did not feel up for participating in any Guild brawls that they might walk straight into on their arrival because of his own mood. And Erza sure as hell wouldn't be happy having to tear the two men apart if so needed. If anything, she'd just beat the both of them to a pulp before calling it a day. It was still rather early in the evening, but the scarlet-haired Mage of the group decided against proposing a mission for them to take. For starters, Happy had dozed off just a few minutes prior in Natsu's arms, and the overall vibe emitting from those still awake was not even remotely positive.

If she and her comrades were preoccupied with their own thoughts about their dear Celestial Mage, the likelihood of any jobs they would attempt to tackle being successful would be low. A head that wasn't clear wasn't allowed into battle. This was what Makarov had taught his children, and they'd be damned not to remember the life-saving advice. Throughout the years, Makarov himself had stopped his brats from going off recklessly into fights they couldn't hope to win but believed they could as they were blinded by various things. Ego had played a large part among certain wizards in the Guild, especially those like Natsu who decided that no fight was too much for him, no enemy too difficult to defeat. Grief made some blind as well, as regretfully, not every single Mage returned from jobs they had taken and their comrades had gone to avenge them and gotten themselves killed as well. As the eldest and most mature of the team they'd created, Erza had unofficially been appointed leader, for she was best suited for the role. If anything, she'd make sure to protect her comrades on and off the battlefield.

She let out a sigh of relief as Fairy Tail came into sight just as the city came to life. Streetlights flickered on and illuminated the paths throughout Magnolia with soft glows of white and yellow, pushing out the darkness provided by the evening sky. She was a few steps away from the front doors, reaching out to open them when another Mage completed the action for her. Levy McGarden, in fact. Blinking in surprise at the obvious distress the Weapon Mistress saw on the younger girl's face from where she stood, her own features shifted into concern.

"Levy, is something-"

"Is she alright?!" the bookworm blurted out her question with a sharp intake of air at the end of her sentence, her eyes wide with panic. Unfortunately for the blue-haired wizard, she'd been told to stay behind while Natsu, Grey and Happy were allowed to follow after Erza, who was carrying Lucy towards the cottage where Porlyusica dwelled at the time. The healer could only tolerate so many humans at a time, and Lucy's thick-skulled teammates wouldn't be persuaded into leaving her side. During the seemingly long hour or so the group had been gone, Levy had been completely on edge, unable to think about anything else except for her close friend. "Lucy…is she doing better? Porlyusica will heal her, won't she?"

"I think it'd be best if you explained it to everyone inside." Mira said to the group as she arrived, standing in the doorway beside her fellow comrade. She smiled gently at Levy as she patted her shoulder. "I'm sure all of us have many of their own questions, including yours." She turned her attention to the newly arrived wizards, beckoning them inside. "Come on in, you four. Can I get you anything to drink? Hot chocolate?" the Take-Over Mage offered, receiving polite nodding of heads in response. She moved towards the bar as the group shuffled into the Guild Hall, preparing the beverages as her Nakama took their seats. Grey seemed relieved that Juvia had been one of the several Mages who had already gone home for the evening, so he wouldn't have been tackled by said Water Mage, which might have freaked him out. In fact, Fairy Tail seemed quiet and quite empty given that so many members were absent, yet it was understanding for some of the early times trains set off for morning missions the next day.

Happy hadn't stirred, even as Natsu sat down and rested him atop the table and Lisanna skipped over to welcome everyone back.

"Hey, Lisanna." The Dragon Slayer greeted as she took a place beside him. "What's up?"

"I've just been talking to Mira-nee today, helping out at the bar for a bit, nothing much." Lisanna replied cheerfully. "But how is she? Uh, Lucy, right?"

Natsu nodded, a smile brightening his features as he thought of the Edolas counterpart of his best friend that Lisanna had come to know. "Yeah, it's Lucy." He informed. "The old hag's lookin' after her. She said she'll be fine, didn't she?" He looked to Erza, who was walking towards them.

"Porlyusica said Lucy will defiantly recover, which we should be glad about." The Requip Mage answered as she too sat down, alongside Grey and a few others who also wanted to know of the blonde's condition.

"Though if anyone else wants to visit, they should watch out for any brooms." Grey muttered, frowning at the memory first, before the corners of his mouth twitched. Now that it was over, he could see the humour in the situation they'd experienced.

"I haven't really had a chance to talk to her yet." Lisanna said, seeming disappointed at the fact. "Well, the Edolas Lucy was pretty intimidating...she kept us all in line…" She, along with her friends, laughed as they thought about the feisty, hot-headed Lucy Ashley that had beaten up Natsu when he'd first arrived at their alternate Fairy Tail. "But everyone says here she's really nice! I haven't been able to meet her properly, really. I guess I've been too busy these few weeks, y'know, catching up with everyone."

Erza smiled. "Our Lucy's quite a lovely girl." She said in what Lisanna saw as a very affectionate nature. Grey and Natsu nodded in agreement, exchanging fond smiles with the Weapon Mistress. The bond between the four team mates was quite strong, and even if the youngest Strauss had only been back at Earthland's Fairy Tail for a short while, she could see that clearly. "Hopefully her recovering won't take too long, but at least she won't have to worry about her rent for at least a short while." Her fellow teammates chuckled at that. The Celestial Mage was well-known for her complaining of time to time about paying off her strangely terrifying landlady a solid 70,000 jewels each month. Although none of her Nakama at Fairy Tail had personally met the woman, Lucy gave a very detailed description and a slight shiver whenever asked.

"At least she's okay…" Levy said with a long sigh of relief. Murmurs of agreement were heard around the Guild Hall.

"On a not entirely unrelated note," Erza said, looking around through the members scattered about the room, "I believed we were welcoming a newcomer today. Did we happen to miss him?" She queried.

"No, not at all." Mira called from the bar. "He's actually with Master Makarov at the moment. I think Master's just briefing him on how Fairy Tail functions. The only Guild in his town was a Dark Guild, so it may be a bit of a change."

At the mention of Razor Fang, Natsu, Grey and Erza visibly stiffened. Lisanna, Levy and Cana, who sat close by their newly returned friends, showed understanding in their features at their Nakama's reaction, then anger at the thought of those who had harmed Lucy and Erin so terribly. Mira had a soft frown upon her lips as she carried a tray of the beverages she promised over to the table and sat down herself, taking her seat beside her younger sister.

"They've all been locked up, right?" Levy questioned. "That's what the Magic Council said they deserved."

"I believe so." Mirajane answered quietly.

"They aren't deserving of such mercy." Erza muttered in a barely controlled voice. "Not after the horrid crimes they committed!" she slammed her fist upon the table, shaking the mugs of hot chocolate belonging to her companions and awaking Happy, who let out a startled yelp and sat up. Quickly composing herself, she lifted her hand, frowning at the dent she'd made that wasn't entirely at the fault of her metallically gloved fingers, but also from her own strength and the unbearable anger coursing through her veins. "They heartlessly slaughtered their fellow townsfolk." She continued, this time in a more reserved tone as she sent an apologetic glance to Happy, who had sadly retreated to continue his slumber in Lisanna's arms after remembering that Lucy wasn't here and he couldn't rest in hers. "Including young children who could've been their neighbours, friends or family. If Erin had not been out of town, he would have been among the many tragedies." She shook her head in disgust. "I don't know what compels some to do such things, but shackles and chains are not among the list of punishments those criminals truly…rightfully deserve."

"I've heard rumours around town," murmured Levy, "that the Council is still deciding on what to really do with the Razor Fang Guild. And that they haven't decided yet."

"I heard something similar." Lisanna added quietly, keeping her voice low as to not awaken the exceed in her arms a second time. "And the Council isn't exactly kind with anyone who disobeys the law-"

"-so they'll get what's coming for them." Cana finished, downing yet another glass of wine before being scolded by the scarlet-haired woman beside her.

"That's true," agreed Grey, who took a few sips of his beverage at random intervals as he spoke, "but the thing is, we didn't catch all of them, did we?" He looked to his comrades, who shook their heads. "I know the Council's tracking them down, from what we were told, but have they had any luck?"

"We haven't heard anything." Mira said in a disappointed tone.

"They've gotten away with this type of disobedience to the law before, it's lucky for us that Lucy was able to capture so many members to begin with." Erza reminded as she finished her own hot chocolate in a few simple mouthfuls. Warmth spread through her chest, the simple feeling seeming to brighten her spirits just slightly. "If permission is granted to us, I'm sure many would enjoy joining the search for those who remain on the run." She said, making sure to completely drain her mug at the end of her sentence before wiping her mouth with a napkin.

"That's for sure." Natsu said, who had been surprisingly quiet throughout the group's conversation. He'd kept his head down and his gaze faraway during the discussion, as if he'd been in deep thought for the entire time.

Footsteps approaching the seated cluster of Mages caused them to lift their heads at the sound to seek out the source.

"Well, I think there needs to be a bit of lightening up for you brats." Master Makarov said as he reached his children, sensing the mood even though he had heard nothing and was completely oblivious to what they had been speaking about. He received a few tired smiles in reply, yet their eyes soon shifted from him and onto the person accompanying him. Well-rested, cleaned and wearing new clothes, Erin Magnar stood tall. He smiled at those sitting in front of him, for they were his new comrades, one of them especially, who had promised to help out his hometown. His copper brown hair was messy as usual, but his green eyes shone brighter, livelier than the night Natsu first met him.

On top of all that, on his left shoulder he sported a dark sienna Fairy Tail insignia, the colour symbolising the Magic in his veins.

Natsu rose from his seat and clapped the newcomer on the back. "Glad to have ya on-board!" He said, flashing a grin. Erin returned it with another smile of his own as the others also stood to properly welcome him.

"Great…another Dragon Slayer…" Cana shook her head, pouring herself another glass of wine. "Just what we need, isn't it?" She looked to Mirajane, who smiled cheerfully.

"The more, the merrier!" the Take-Over Mage gleefully responded.

"How did I know you'd say that…?" The Card Mage muttered under her breath, lifting the glass to her lips and draining it in seconds.

"So…" Master Makarov coughed, gathering the lingering Mages' attention. "For those who don't know, we have a new recruit with us." He gestured to Erin, who was introducing himself to Lisanna, who in turn cheerfully told the boy her own name and welcomed him warmly. "His name is Erin, and as of recent he's been through quite a bit, so make him feel at home!"

A few cheers were heard, and soon the male was surrounded. From the group, Mira retreated back to her place behind the bar and Grey followed after her in search for information after he personally welcomed Erin to Fairy Tail. The white-haired woman have given herself the task of scrubbing at a few of Cana's wine-stained glasses that were left lying around as the Ice Mage reached her.

"Hey, Mira," He said, in way of greeting. She simply smiled at him, so he continued. "Was there any word on that Key or anything?" Grey leant against the bar, oblivious to the fact he'd just lost his shirt in the process, as he directed his question towards Mirajane. "It'd be better if we could bring Lucy back some good news next time we visit her."

A saddened smile was the first response he received as the Take-Over Mage sighed softly.

"Master Makarov contacted the King and Queen of Constellar over Lacrima, like I'd said we would." She informed, glancing to where their short Master sat down with some of his brats. "But it seems that they refused to tell him anything about the any of the possessions. Apparently they only want to talk about any of this with Lucy herself." She seemed thoughtful as she worked.

"Do you think it's got something to do with them only wanting Celestial wizards for their jobs?" Grey questioned.

"Their ancestors were Celestial wizards, so like Lucy said, maybe it's only natural for them to do that." Mira answered. "Maybe it's a custom. I'm not sure, but I am sure that Lucy will have a lot of questions to ask, so we could throw that one into the mix if you'd like." She smiled as she and her comrade directed their attention to the group a few feet away. They hadn't heard the entire conversation, but heard a short snippet of it, which was enough to know that Natsu was clearly telling his fellow Dragon Slayer something about the Ice Mage in a way that sounded insulting. Obviously, it was intended that way.

"You wanna go, Dragon Boy?" Grey shouted across the Guild Hall, ready to grab his rival by the scarf if so needed. Natsu turned to look at him and instantly grimaced.

"Not until you put on some clothes!" He yelled back.

This sent Grey instantly searching for his pants and shirt, careful to make sure his underwear remained on his body.

Back with Natsu, Erin and everyone else, the new recruit looked to Makarov after hearing a bit of Grey and Mira's conversation while having his with Natsu.

"Lucy…she's the one who captured the Razor Fang members," Erin said wearily, "that's what I was told, I think."

"Yeah, Lucy knocked 'em right out of the park." Natsu grinned, defiantly not shying away from the chance to praise his best friend, nor compliment her on her great achievement once again.

"Is she here? Can I see her?!" The Earth Dragon Slayer demanded, rising from his seat. "I need to thank her, I need to express my gratitude! Can you tell me where she is?" He immediately crouched down in front of the short Guild Master, pressing his hands together and bowing his head in a pleading gesture that Natsu stifled laughter from while Cana raised an eyebrow. "Please allow me to show my appreciation to her and Fairy Tail, Guild Master Makarov!" the brunette begged. Makarov seemed taken aback with surprise and slight amusement of his own, yet he cleared his throat to compose himself. The sound caused the newcomer to raise his head and he was met with a kind smile from those around him.

"Erin…" Makarov said gently. "You are free to do that when she returns, my boy. For now, she needs rest to regain her strength."

"Was she hurt?"

"Sort of." The man looked to Erza for elaboration.

"She attempted to summon a Celestial Spirit without knowing its entire name." She explained. "Apparently the connection wasn't stable enough and Lucy couldn't control it. It was completely unbalanced and her Magic Power was completely drained within an instant."

"It was like the Spirit was rejected her, as if it didn't want its Gate to be opened." Levy added uneasily, recalling the sparks flying dangerously around her friend before her collapse.

"The whole thing just backfired." Grey said as he joined the conversation.

"But Celestial Spirit summoning don't work like that." Erin said, seeming genuinely confused. "The Gate to the Spirit Realm simply opens or it doesn't. Nothing like that happens like…at all. I've never heard of a Spirit being able to refuse its own summoning. Actually, I think it's impossible. Spirits can't even open and close their own Gates unless they're pretty powerful, I'm pretty sure."

Many of the wizards in the hall began to think of Loke at that moment.

"How do you know so much about Celestial Magic?" Cana then asked, staring at the Dragon Slayer with interest.

Erin looked away, laughing slightly uneasily. "I…I j-just have an interest in-"

"I think you've got a thing for Celestial wizards." Cana drawled, chuckling at him.

The boy quickly looked away, as if trying to hide something. Mira giggled at the apparent discovering, already thinking in her usual match-making way, while everyone else just seemed sorry for the teenager.

"We better keep our Lucy faaar away from you, Dragon Slayer." Cana dragged out the word teasingly, nudging the newcomer as he tried moving away in further embarrassment. She burst into a fit of laughter at his reaction, throwing her arms around him. "I like you, kid!" She cheered, tugging experimentally at his face. His eyebrow twitched at the action as the Card Mage continued on, "Tell me if you plan on asking her out, you'd be the first to have enough balls to do so." She turned to her fellow Guild Mates, seeming appalled, her cheeks reddened from the excessive amount of drinking she'd done that same evening. "Where's the testosterone here, boys? You call yourselves men, don't you?" She stared at a few in turn with a steeled gaze before bursting into laughter.

Somewhere across town, at that exact moment, Elfman Strauss shot up and called himself a man.

"O-Oh…u-um I d-don't…" Erin struggled in her grasp, clearly uncomfortable. He sent a look to Mirajane, who seemed the sanest person in the room at the given moment, silently pleading for assistance. Giggling to herself as she wandered over, the bartender carefully unwound the tanned arms trapping Fairy Tail's latest recruit, freeing the boy. He dusted off his clothes, seeming quite flustered at his first interaction with the woman who held the title of the Guild's "Heaviest Drinker". She told Cana to leave the teenager alone before flashing him a friendly smile.

"Everyone here's a little crazy," she said cheerfully, "but you'll get used to it."

"Maybe then we should properly welcome him with his first Guild brawl! Then he can meet everyone fist first!" Natsu suggested, cracking his knuckles as he began to grin deviously at the idea. Gajeel wasn't here at the moment and Wendy never joined in on the fights, so what better time was it to see what this guy was made of? On that note, the Fire Mage was more than eager to fight another Dragon Slayer and test out his abilities, now that he'd momentarily forgotten being upset about leaving Lucy behind at Porlyusica's. "What ya say, Erick? Up for it?"

"It's Erin." The brunette replied, seeming a little annoyed his name was so easily forgotten.

"Yeah, yeah, that's what I said." Natsu waved his hands dismissively. "So…?"

"Natsu," Mira laughed as she said his name. "That's not how we welcome people-"

"We welcomed Lucy during a fight, didn't we?" Grey asked, chuckling as he remembered his first interaction with the girl.

Excuse me miss, may I borrow your underwear?

If Natsu hadn't stolen his remaining clothes to begin with, maybe they would've started off on a more normal tone. Then again, Loke had picked her up in his arms and started his flirting game from one of the first moments he had seen her. to top it all off, she met Natsu after seeing him get pummelled by a group of charmed 'fan girls' that had fallen in love with Bora after he had stolen the Dragon Slayer's nickname and posed at him.

"No, Natsu started a fight a few seconds after he brought Lucy in, so no, not really." Cana recalled.

"Guild Brawl!" someone shouted.

Soon enough, almost everyone currently residing at Fairy Tail began attacking each other.

With that, Makarov then announced he was returning home for the evening and promptly left the Guild Hall, leaving Mirajane in charge as he always did whenever he was not present.

Natsu tackled Grey over the bar with his fists alight, Erin was being challenged by Macao, and Levy was ducking under blasts of Magic and various attacks, covering her head with her hands as she searched for somewhere safe to hide from her fellow Guild members. Her search was in vain, however, as soon enough Wakaba was thrown across the Hall and knocked the Script Mage to the ground. Mira barely dodged a very airborne brother of hers, who had only recently arrived for Mavis knows what reason. She watched with an amused smile as the middle Strauss child soared over the heads of his Nakama yelling about being a man as he crashed into one of the beams supporting the roof. The eldest Take-Over Mage went after him to check if he was alright as Lisanna quickly followed, securing her arms around Happy, who was woken up by all the commotion and shielding himself from any flying objects in Lisanna's arms.

Standing away from the chaos, Cana stood with folded arms, her dark eyes narrowed.

For some reason, something felt off in the air around her. A bad feeling churned in her stomach, alongside the worry she felt coursing throughout her veins. For what reason she felt this way was unknown to her as she watched her friends beat each other senseless all for good fun. From time to time, she'd join in on these Guild-scale brawls, but tonight was different. Something didn't feel right. Frowning, she set her empty glass down and began moving towards the front doors to return home for rest. She couldn't fight off a sense of uneasiness that she didn't know the source of. The Card Mage walked out and into the streets, hoping that the strange belief of an unpleasant future occurrence was only her imagination.

She could only hope her suspicions were proved wrong.

.

..

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