Running on Thin Ice

As Gray and Lyon rushed down the trail on the motorcycle, as Racer jetted in front of them.

"So what's the plan?" Lyon asked.

"Beat him," Gray answered, "What else?"

"I was hoping for some more details," Lyon responded.

"Then it sucks for you!" Gray countered, "I've got to drive, you attack!"

"Fine!" Lyon said, as he put his hands together. Gray took notice of that, and he remembered back to Galuna Island.

"You're using two hands!"

"Of course!" Lyon answered with a smile, "That's how Ul taught us, isn't it?" Gray couldn't help but smile at that as well.

"Ice Make: Eagle!" Lyon said as a swarm of eagles made out of ice formed, and swarmed towards Racer. They hit on point, destroying Racer's motorcycle.

"Nice job!" Gray said.

"Don't get relax yet!" Lyon said. That was when Racer appeared behind the two, having jumped off the motorcycle before the eagles it.

"You destroyed my ride!" Racer said, "You know you've got too pay!" He then kick down, destroying the motorcycle. As the ice mages were knocked away, they both put their hands together.

"Ice Make…"

"Ape!" An enormous ape made out of ice sprung up behind Racer, and punched down at him. Racer managed to dodge.

"Hammer!" As Racer was dodging the ape, a hammer made out of ice appeared over him, which eh mangled to avoid as well.

"Good, but it ain't good enough!" Racer said, as he kicked them both away, "If you want to beat me, you're going have to be as fast as light!" With that, he flashed away again.

"What do we do now?" Gray asked.

"What about freezing the ground?" Lyon said.

"Already tried that!" Gray said, "I think he's too fast for that as well!" Lyon noticed Racer starting to come at them.

"He's coming now!" he said, "We've got to do this together! Now focus!"

"I'd say we got to keep cool, but we're ice mages, cool is part of our identity!" Gray said. And with that, he and Lyon both ripped off their shirts.

"The hell are they stripping for?" Racer muttered to himself. Meanwhile, Sherry, who had followed them, was watching from the trees. Lyon is stripping! she thought It must be out of love!

"Now try this!" Gray said, "Ice Make: Geyser!" The attack forced Racer into the air.

"Ice Make: Snow Dragon!" Lyon said. A dragon made out of ice lashed out at Racer, who managed to twist out of the way.

"He still managed to dodge all that!" Gray said. They were all then pummeled again by Racer.

"Give it up!" Racer said, "Shoot all the ice you want, you'll never be able to take me down!" Lyon collapsed to the ground, and looked up, and that's when he noticed something. Something about the birds flying over them.

"Don't forget that I'm the fastest guy in Earthland!" Racer said, "Now I think its time I end this!"

"But not before we end this ourselves!" Lyon said.

"What are you talking about?" Gray said.

"I figured out how to beat him."

(at Fairy Tail)

"Finally some information," Makarov said as he looked over the papers.

"About the Oracion Seis?" Mirajane asked.

"Indeed," Makarov answered, "Apparently this Brain character worked for the Bureau of Magical Development." That caught Mirajane off guard. The Bureau was a tight organization. Not many people got access into it.

"Really? Do they know his identity?"

"The Council is looking into it, but there isn't much yet," Makarov explained, "What is known is that Brain was looking into the R System, which in turn, and ties to the Tower of Heaven."

"As in that thing Jellal was building?" Mirajane asked.

"The same. It seems that cursed tower will never truly leave us."

"Could Brain be planning to continue Jellal's work?" Mirajane said with a frown.

"That's a definite possibility," Makarov answered, "And if that is the case, then all of Earthland is in danger." Mirajane looked at Makarov, before smiling.

"Well, don't forget, our strongest team is out fighting him and his lackeys," she said hoping to lighten the mood, "So I think we'll be fine, assuming they don't destroy the world themselves." Makarov let out a sigh as he took another swig of ale.

"You kids are going to be drive me to a grave."

(with Gray and Lyon)

Sherry watched in apprehension as Gray and Lyon muttered to each other. She couldn't help but wonder what their plans were at this point.

"Alright, got it?" Lyon asked.

"You're kidding right?" Gray said quickly.

"Not in the least." With that, he encased Gray in ice, which rose into the air, much to the surprise of the onlookers.

"Are you crazy!" Sherry cried out.

"The hell is this guy's game?" Racer muttered, more to himself.

"You idiot!" Gray yelled from within the ice, "There's no way you can take this guy alone!"

"Just sit back and watch," Lyon said, as he turned to face Racer.

"So all that talk about friends I hear legal guilds hold so highly is just that, talk?" Racer asked.

"Well we're not friends," Lyon answered, "We just studied together on the same master."

"You can't take him alone!" Sherry said as she ran up to him.

"We don't need Fairy Tail's help," Lyon said firmly, "Lamia Scale will take down this bastard!"

"You guys really think you of all people can take me?" Racer inquired.

"Marionette!" Sherry said, "Rock Doll!" A large golem of earth emerged from the ground, and lunged at Racer, though he easily avoided the attacks.

"Try this then, Wood Doll!" Several trees suddenly uprooted themselves, and advanced on Racer, though the Speed Mage again mangled to avoid the attack, and got ready to strike at Sherry, only to be distracted by a dragon made out of ice.

"Over here snail!" Lyon called as he retreated.

"You calling me a snail?" Racer sneered, as he shot at Lyon, "You're the only snail here, and I intend to crush you like one!"

"Not if your attacks don't have any power!" Lyon countered, "Ice Make: Armor!" Spiky armor then formed around Lyon's body, forcing Racer to stop.

"Go ahead, try and attack me! You're only going to be skewering yourself!" As Lyon continued falling back, Racer grinned.

"Alright, punk," he said, "Let's take this to the next gear!" With that, his body glowed red, as he suddenly materialized in front of Lyon, where there wasn't any armor. He then kicked Lyon in the chest, knocking him away.

"Lyon!" Sherry cried.

"You think I was always using my full power?" Racer asked, as he watched Lyon run again. With that, he began viciously pummeling the Ice Wizard, as Lyon continued to retreat further and further, until finally, he was completely knocked to the ground. And before he could do anything else, a shooting pain went through his leg as he cried out.

"This will keep you from running any more. You know, it always frustrates me to take out talented guys," Racer commented, as he pulled out his knife from Lyon's leg, "For what its worth this ain't personal. You got in our way, and the Oracion Seis don't like being slowed down in anyway." He then put the knife against Lyon's throat.

"Six demons, six pillars, six prayers," he continued, "No one ever has, or evil will topple us." That was when Racer heard Lyon chuckling. His eyes narrowed behind his sunglasses.

"Trying to take death smiling?" he asked.

"Of course not," Lyon said, "Much to the contrary, I'm not taking death at all. Because I'm afraid I got you right where I want you."

"That's what they all say," Racer countered.

"Perhaps, but I'm afraid you truly are. I figured out your magic back when I was with Gray. I saw how fast the birds were flying, and that's when I realized it," Lyon explained. Racer's eyes widened. It can't be…

"You're not moving fast, we're all just moving slow," Lyon sneered, "You have a radius where your magic affects others, allowing you to slow down their perception of time, causing them to perceive you as fast. Face it 'Racer', you're no faster than anyone else. And now that the radius has changed…" A glint then appeared at the distance, and Racer saw the spire of ice that Lyon had created.

"Gray's got an exact shot." Up atop the spire, Gray stood, having created a bow out of ice.

"I still think this could've been done differently," he muttered to himself.

"So all this time, you were just setting up a sniper position?" Racer said.

"Take a guess slowpoke," Lyon sneered. With a cry, Gray released his arrow, which shot at Racer. There was nothing Racer could do, it was too far away to do anything about it, and he… wasn't fast enough.

My prayrer, is to be faster than anyone else.

(with Brain)

Brain noticed one of his tattoos fade away as he doubled over.

"Racer has fallen," he said, "This can't be. How can one of the Oracion Seis lose to one of this vermin?" He then turned to the still sleeping Midnight, his eyes narrowing.

"Wake up!" he ordered, "You have work to do!" Midnight's eyes opened.

(with Gray, Lyon, and Sherry)

"One down, five to go," Gray said, looking at the unconscious Racer.

"Next time could you include me on your plans?" Sherry asked, pouting, "It was quite frustrating not knowing."

"Sorry, but I wasn't positive this was going to work, and I wanted to make sure you didn't caught up in it," Lyon answered.

"Really?" Gray said, "Because you sounded pretty confident when telling me." Lyon just ignored him, as he looked at his leg.

"How is it?" Sherry asked.

"Not good, but I think I can…," Lyon tried to stand up, only to slip back down.

"Hate to break it to you, but you're not going anywhere with that wound," Gray said, "You need to make your way back to the camp!"

"And let Fairy Tail have all the fun?" Lyon answered, "No way!" Gray looked straight into Lyon's eyes. A tense silence past between the two of them.

"Please, boys!" Sherry said quickly, "Try to remember love!" Later in her life, Sherry would acknowledge that probably wasn't worded right.

"Fine then," Lyon relented, "We'll head back." Sherry boosted Lyon up.

"What about you?" the magenta haired girl asked.

"I'm going to find Natsu," Gray answered, "Chances are he's gotten into trouble."

(somewhere with Natsu)

"Damn it! Damn it! Damn it!" Natsu said to himself, as he picked up the pace back towards the camp. He had to get to back, to Lucy, to Wendy. If what that dark mage said was true, they were in danger, and Natsu was going to be damned if he let anything like that happen to them.

Note: I decided to omit the bomb thing, because I didn't think it added much to the narrative when all is said and done. I know this stuck close to cannon, but this is the arc I have the least idea how to diverge from canon. I know I'm probably in the minority here, but while I love Fairy Tail and all its arcs, this is the arc I like the least. I would love some suggestions to diverge.

I'd certainly like to begin Lucy's fight with Angel, and with Wendy present that could make for an interesting dynamic, but again, we're going to have to see how things progress here.

Something else that needs to be said, is that one reviewer asked me twice to write a NaLu smut one shot. The answer, I'm afraid, is no. I don't do smut; never have, and probably never will.