Alice walked through the door and slammed it shut, the Knave of Hearts, Scorpio, and the Cheshire Cat, Taurus, ran forward and held it shut. The thick oak door kept the yelling journalists at bay, stopping the snapping cameras from flashing in Alice's face and questions being screamed at her as she desperately tried to get home in peace.
Taurus smiled at her reassuringly, promising to keep the door shut, while Scorpio smirked to someone behind her, and she felt her best friend, Leo the Lion, Loke, the Mad Hatter, wrap his arms around her in greeting. Although they didn't always meet in a hug, Alice knew her spirit could sense her discomfort with the prying questions and the constant attention.
"It'll die down," the Hatter promised her, brushing a light kiss on her temple, "Just you wait."
"I don't know how much more I can stand," Alice admitted, "I can't even be left alone by them in my own home."
It was a week after the Fear Maze challenge, and it seemed like the Grand Magic Games had halted, everyone unsure as to whether they should try another game to determine a victor when fate seemed so against it. The organisers had decided to make the competition a draw, and shared the money between Fairy Tail and Blue Pegasus, their fear of the danger that seemed to present itself at the deciding games too much for them to have another attempt.
"Jellal came by," the Hatter stated, and Alice shut her eyes as she focused on her best friend's steady heartbeat as it thumped in his celestial body. She always felt safe in his arms, she felt as if she never wanted to leave them.
"What did he say?" Alice murmured the question into the Hatter's chest.
"He investigated the lab where the fear gas was made," the Hatter answered, "As far as Crime Sorcière could tell, someone from outside of the lab broke in and tampered with the gas. All the lacrima surveillance footage was wiped and none of the scientists saw anything, so it was kind of a dead end."
"Drat," Alice cursed under her breath, and the Hatter pulled back and looked in her eyes, keeping his hand lightly on her waist as she kept herself pressed into his chest.
"That doesn't mean there isn't another lead out there," the Hatter declared, "We just have to keep on looking."
"But you know what it said," Alice pointed out, "Maybe… Maybe I can slay Zeref."
"Don't even think about it," the Hatter warned.
"What if it was right?" Alice questioned, pushing out of the Hatter's embrace to look him in the eye, "What if I can slay Zeref, save the whole world from him?"
"Natsu was supposed to kill Zeref," the Hatter pointed out, "But he couldn't. We're talking about Natsu here, if he couldn't do it-"
"Then there's little chance for me to do it, that's what you think?" Alice snapped.
"No," the Hatter denied, "Heck, the whole of Fiore knows you're arguably the most powerful mage on the planet. But we're talking about Zeref. Death magic. One attack and you're dead."
"I know that!" Alice shouted.
"Then act like it!" the Hatter snarled.
"But I can't die!" Alice argued, "I can just have you resurrect me if he kills me!"
"You're not invincible!" the Hatter roared, "I'm not just going to help you die! Just because you don't full die, doesn't mean it won't hurt, you know that. Can't you remember the pain?!"
"I'm not stupid!" Alice shrieked.
"Then don't pretend to be!" the Hatter yelled.
"I don't need you!" Alice screamed, "I'll just get one of the others to help me if you won't!"
"I'm the leader of the Zodiacs!" the Hatter hissed, "I'll tell them not to!"
"As their master my command overrules yours!" Alice pointed out in a snarl, "So, almighty leader of the Zodiacs, I'm going to find Zeref, and I'm going to kill him. I'm not going to let you stop me."
"Alice-" the Hatter started to protest, a hint of defeat in his voice.
"Close, Gate of the Lion!" Alice commanded, and the Hatter disappeared in a glitter of glimmering golden sparkles.
Alice let out a shaky breath. The Cheshire Cat and Kanve of Heart, who had been trying to give the two some privacy while holding the door shut to keep the reporters out, turned to their Master. They shared a quick, hesitant glance, unsure of whose side they should take.
"Ali-" the Knave of Hearts started, but Alice held up her hand.
"No," she interrupted him, "I don't want to hear it. I'll apologise later. I've got to get to Zeref. I'm going to go speak with Absolem."
Alice turned on her heel, moving up the stairs to her apartment.
Internally, she was fuming. She felt uncontrollable rage at the Hatter, anger that spilled out of her body and sizzled around her as she let out a sound something between a shriek and yell and the magical energy flew to the wall, and burned the plaster. She let out a defeated sigh, and only had to think of summoning the White Queen, Virgo, before her maidservant appeared. There were no words shared as the spirit moved forward and began her work, Virgo had always understood that silences were sometimes a good thing.
Alice called out for Absolem, Crux, as she took a seat on the floor and crossed her legs. The spirit appeared in a shimmer of golden sparkles.
"Trace the dark energy," Alice instructed, and then realised how rude it was of her, her spirits, she had always argued, were her friends, family even, and she was bossing them about, "Sorry Absolem, and you too Queenie. I just… I'm just angry."
"We know," Virgo, the White Queen stated, as Absolem was busying completing Alice's request, "You are angry at brother for doubting you, for thinking you aren't strong enough to defeat Zeref."
"Yeah…" Alice murmured her confirmation.
"But brother just wants to look out for you," the White Queen responded, looking Alice in the eye, having already returned the wall to its former glory, "He doesn't want you in pain, he doesn't want you to get hurt. Zeref has never been slain, and as much as he believes in you, his love for you makes him overprotective."
"What do you think?" Alice asked the White Queen, "Should I do it?"
"You should do what you feel is right," the White Queen responded, "I will always support you, whatever you do."
"Thank you," Alice whispered earnestly, and the White Queen, nodded, before dismissing herself and returning to her world, the bond the two females shared didn't need words, the White Queen could just tell.
"I've got it," Absolem, Crux, told her in his old, croaked voice, "A build-up of dark energy, specifically death energy, radiating not a far distance away from here."
"Thank you Absolem," Alice murmured, "I'm summon the Bandersnatch and ride him there. And er… Absolem, could you do me a favour? I just… make sure the Hatter's okay…"
"I will," Absolem assured her, before disappearing back to his own world, giving the Wonderland mage a nod of his head in confirmation.
Alice let out another deep breath, trying to gather her strength, as she walked out of her private quarters, and down to the front door to her team's base. She nodded to the Kanve of Hearts and Cheshire Cat, who disappeared at her approval. She pulled the doors open, the reporters and press seemed to have moved on to their next prey, and so she walked out of her house, mentally calling for the Bandersnatch. As she went around the next corner, the beast appeared, and she patted his head softly before she got on his back. The monster seemed to already know where he was going, because he set off as soon as she was safely on his back.
It only took an hour on the majestic beast before Alice reached her destination. She gently dismounted, and sent the monster back to his world, walking in the direction she knew Zeref to be in, the stench of his sickening magic was so potent she was sure the majority of Fiore could smell it if they tried.
She shut her eyes, focusing her senses to find Zeref. She could so this.
Her senses lead her deeper into the forest, drawing her closer until she knew she was nearly upon him when she came to a cave. She walked in, trying to pinpoint his precise location.
"You came…" Zeref whispered, appearing from the darkness, and walking so they were just a metre away from one another.
"You want to die?" Alice questioned him.
"I have lived too long," he answered, "I have no desire to see the rise and fall of another era. Natsu was supposed to be able to kill me, but he was not ready. I hope you are up to the job?"
"What must I do?" Alice questioned.
"I have lived for over four hundred years," Zeref explained, "As soon as the Spirit leaves my body I will disintegrate into ashes, those years taking their toll on me."
"Spirit?" Alice whispered, and then her voice was stronger, "What spirit?"
"I have had hundreds of years to try and supress the Spirit," Zeref continued, "but I could not succeed, I hope that you can. My name was Jack. I was part of a small village. This man came up to me when I was eighteen, he asked for my help. He took me to a secluded area of the forest, and released the soul from his body. It moved on, it possessed me, leaving his dead body to disintegrate. I was not evil, but the Spirit made me."
"You're possessed?" Alice clarified.
"Yes," Zeref confirmed, "And I have chosen you to be my successor."
"You want me to become evil?!" Alice shrieked.
"I believe you can supress the Spirit," Zeref stated, "If it is supressed, then you are in control. It will just broaden your powers, if you are in control, you will just have to fight off the occasionally dark thought."
"What if I refuse?" Alice asked, "What then?"
"There is no choice," Zeref hissed, and he raised his arm, his expression softening, "Thank you. I'm sorry."
A pulse ripped through his body, his skin radiating a fearsome darkness that engulfed Alice. She screamed, yelled, kicked and fought, but there was nothing she could do. She heard the dull thud as Zeref's dead body hit the ground, but didn't see as he withered and aged as such an accelerated rate that he crumbled into dust.
"ALICE!" a voice screamed, but she was too far gone.
The spirit was in her head.
Laughing.
Screaming.
Shouting.
Yelling.
She couldn't tell the Spirit from the sounds around her.
The blackness descended.
And she was trapped in the void.
..:DOWN THE RABBIT HOLE:..
The Hatter ran, his feet pounding on the ground. He hadn't done this in a while, been out on his own magical power, he usually used on a tiny bit of Alice's immense magical power. He sprinted forwards, determined to get there as fast as he could. Once the familiar building, one he had not seen in so long, appeared in his gaze, he threw the heavy oak doors of the Fairy Tail Guild open. Using the money from the Grand Magic Games the guild had gotten right on and rebuilt their guild hall, adding an occasional improvement.
When the doors flung opened and the ragged form of the Mad Hatter stood in the basking sunlight, some of the guild members stared, others gasped.
"Hatter?" Erza questioned cautiously, and she took in his expression before asking a question, "What's wrong?"
"I need your help," the Hatter responded, and decided he didn't care if the whole guild knew; he was too worried about his partner, the girl that he loved, to be concerned with such fickle matters, "Alice has gone to kill Zeref."
That caused a reaction.
Some guild mates fell of their chairs, others choked on their drinks, some even had to clap others on the back to stop them from choking. Erza had frozen, an expression of pure fear clear on her features. Gray and Natsu, who had been in the middle of one of their physical fights, spun around to gape at the Hatter. Levy dropped her book, Alice's precious Tales of Fairies, and it clattered to the ground. Cana's beer mug fell out of her hands and spilt on the floor. Romeo and Wendy, who had Carla on her lap, let out noises alike to gasps of shock.
"I need your help to stop her getting herself killed," the Hatter continued, looking from Erza to Master Makarov, who was seated on the bat.
"She doesn't die though," Laxus grunted, "I bet she can kill Zeref."
"There is an ancient story," the Hatter continued, "Roughly enough; it says that Zeref is possessed."
"So?" Laxus questioned in confusion.
"It says the possession was passed onto him by a stranger," the Hatter continued, and he looked away from Laxus and straight into the eyes of Master Makarov, "And that he can pass on the possession to anyone of his choosing."
"You think he's going to pass the possession onto Alice?!" Levy shrieked.
"Yes," the Hatter stated, "Unless we stop him."
That was all the Hatter needed to say. Soon enough most of the members of Fairy Tail had bounded out of their seats and were standing by his side. Erza, Natsu, Gray, Levy, Gajeel, Laxus, all of them ready.
"I can teleport you there," the Hatter said, "Because she's my master I can pull us briefly through the Celestial world and then to her location, I'm sure she won't mind the slight change of our contract."
In a split second all of the members of Fairy Tail disappeared, except from a few of the new comers, who had joined the guild in the few days it had been one of the joint winners of the Grand Magic Games, and Master Makarov, who was going to contact Crime Sorcière.
When they reappeared, the stood at the entrance to a dark cave, and many of the group shuddered or shivered at the cold evil that seemed to roll over their skin and make their hair stand on end.
"ALICE?!" The Hatter roared.
The Hatter, with Erza, Gray, Natsu and Happy just on his tail, sprinted forwards.
They all stopped when they found her.
Zeref, they all knew it was him although he looked so very different, was wrinkling, crippling over as he coughed and spluttered, blood pouring out of his mouth as he fell to the ground, a smile on his face as he disintegrated, seemingly form old age.
Alice stood opposite him, her face hidden from them as she had her back to them. She didn't move a muscle as Zeref died in front of her.
"Alice…?" the Hatter whispered, moving forward, his hand outstretched.
She did not move.
Then her head tilted, turning round to look at them.
With black, soulless eyes.
Erza let out a gasp, Gray froze, Natsu gaped, while Happy held back a sob. The Hatter did not move, before he continued again to try and get her to respond.
"You okay?" he questioned her, his voice alike to that of a whisper as he looked to her in concern, with a hint of fear.
She blinked.
Her mouth opened, as if she was going to say something, before it snapped shut.
Her eyes, the warm chocolate brown was long gone and the crystal blue had vanished. The whole of her eyes, the iris, pupil and white, all of it merged. All of it submerged in the darkness that had claimed her soul.
"Alice…?" the Hatter repeated his earlier plea.
"Run," was the murmured instruction that came out of Alice's mouth.
For a split second, the Hatter froze, before he sprinted away, dragging Erza and Gray with his arms and Natsu just behind him.
"RUN!" he yelled to the searching Fairy Tail members, who instantly reacted.
They all sprinted out of the cave, Gajeel grabbing Levy as the last moment, as a pulse of death magic, a terrifying darkness, burst out of Alice. Natsu pulled Lisanna in his arms and shielded her with his body, Happy in the white haired mage's arms. Erza reequipped in a split second for a shield, and Gray cast his own ice shield, pulling Juvia behind him. The other mages all acted accordingly, protecting themselves or jumping behind others.
The Death magic hit them, their shields shuddering and only held because the magic was nearing its end. Gray's shield cracked and he pulled Juvia with him behind Erza. When the attack was over, they all slumped to the ground, exhausted from their efforts.
Except the Hatter.
He stood up, marching into the cave without a second glance behind him. He walked to where he knew Alice would still be, and his ears picked up her words, if he could call them that, before he saw her.
"Ooh…" she remarked, "I like this! New body, new life! And this one's powerful… I like her… Shame she tried to fight, or I could've not had to do that. Although I do hope they're all dead, because that gives her less fuel for her fighting."
The Hatter walked out to stand in front of the person, who he refused to think of as Alice.
"Hatter!" she yelled, "Leo the Lion! I wonder what I'll do with you."
"Let her go," the Hatter snarled.
"Oh no," the possessed Alice shook her head as she spoke, "You don't make demands. I do. I'm the Master, you're the slave."
"You are not my master!" the Hatter spat.
"Naughty lion," the possessed Alice taunted him, wiggling her finger at him, "Seems you won't be allowed to come out and play anymore."
"Wait! No! I-" the Hatter was cut off as he felt his body being pulled away, his physical form changing, turning back into its celestial form.
She had closed his gate.
"NO!" he roared, finding himself in the Celestial World, and he hammered his fists against the wall of the main room of the spirit's quarters.
He could not go back.
He physically couldn't.
A/N Hey! So I really do have to apologise for not updating in ages. Unfortunately, I still have concussion, which is really getting on my nerves, so I can barely write for five minutes in one time, so that's why this chapter's so short. But, hopefully, I'll continue to update this story. I have to thank you all for your reviews and support, because I always read any reviews as soon as they were posted, and they always got me to sit down in front of the computer and type, although I couldn't do much. I'll be responding to the reviews, all of the ones I haven't, probably today or tomorrow. I hope you liked this chapter!
Rosamea: Sorry it took so long! Thank you. I can only hope that never happens. I'd glad you like it! Any ideas for the future plot? I have a few, I keep on having to write them down or I'll forget them!
TheGoldenDragon: I was planning on making this story LoLu, because I think it just fits better than NaLu, because Loke was there for Lucy for those seven years when Natsu was not. I hope you'll still support the story even though it's Lolu, I'm a fan of NaLu myself, but as I said, I just thought that LoLu fit better.
Amanda: I cannot apologise enough for the long wait! This one has been even longer… I'm upset with myself for taking so long, even if I can't really help it. I'm glad you liked it! Did it keep you on your toes? It took me a while to think up that idea, but I'm happy with how it turned out. :D Sometimes words cannot describe it.
Xxchatonxx: I'm really sorry I've taken ages to write another chapter, but I'm happy you like it!
Animelover2215: Hello! That's understandable. Thank you, I'm glad you like the story!
Guest (1): No, this story is not NaLu, and I like to think of this story as LoLu, because the Mad Hatter is Loke. Sorry if there was any confusion on the matter though.
Guest (2): Yay! I'm honoured that you like my story so much! I try to keep it light in some places, and then make it darker in others, so maybe adorable might not fit this chapter…
Guest (3): Yes! Did you work that out really early in the story? I tried to keep it hidden slightly, so it was there but not too obvious.
Guest (4): I'm sorry that it has taken a while for me to post another chapter; it's really hard to write with concussion. But I'm glad you like the story!
Guest (5): Wow… That's a lot of pleases. Sorry it's taken so long to update.
12Rayne: Are you a fan of LoLu? I couldn't really decide who should know about Alice being Lucy, but I thought that Erza, Natsu and Gray should know because they were like her siblings, so they might recognise some of the things she did, if not what she looked like. I seem to be doing a lot of apologising for taking so long, so I hope you can forgive me for that.
I'll to the other reviews via PM, I was going to respond to all the reviews first, but I just wanted to post this chapter!
Oh, and I'm honoured that this story is now part of three different communities, A Classic Fairy Tail, The One Above All of Fairy Tail Fanfictions and The Shadow of Lucy Heartfilia!
THANKS EVERYONE!
Becney :P