The ground rushed beneath her feet as they flew. In the distance, she saw something flying after them. After a moment, she realized it was Happy. The little Exceed was following them.
The demon landed on another mountain top several miles from Natsu and Zeref. He glanced at his passenger. "I would have taken your further, but you're heavy."
"Why does everyone always say that?" she grumbled. She looked off into the distance. She could barely make out Natsu—he had already transformed back into his Dragon King form.
Mard Geer reached into his pocket and pulled out a spyglass. "Actually, I think this is a good distance. You should be safe and I will be able to watch My Lord." He peered through the lens.
Happy landed beside her. "Are you okay, Lucy?" he asked.
"Yeah, but I'm worried about Natsu and Zeref. I can't believe they are going to fight Acnologia."
"Actually, it is only Natsu and the demons that will be fighting. Lord Zeref is unable to fight the beast. He loses consciousness if his life is in danger which it would be if he were to fight Acnologia. That's why he created us demons."
Happy's tail twitched nervously. "Are you guys strong?" he asked.
"Yes." Mard Geer handed the spyglass to Lucy. "I can't believe the Master is so found of you. My entire existence is to please him but he doesn't look at me the way he looks at you."
Lucy took the spyglass. "I'm sure he is very fond of you."
"I am the strongest of his demons. I would have preferred to fight for him in battle. Instead, I have been reduced to a babysitter."
"Aye, and we appreciate that," said Happy.
Lucy looked through the lens. Natsu was trying to fly. He was able to get off the ground, but only for a few seconds.
"Dammit, they don't look ready. Natsu will be at a major disadvantage if he can't fly," she said.
Mard Geer paced anxiously. "This wasn't supposed to happen. I was supposed to be my Master's side," he grumbled to himself.
Natsu was just beginning to get off the ground for more than a minute when a roar reverberated throughout the valley. It sounded like the mountain was falling over.
"Ah, it looks like the party is about to get started," said Mard Geer.
Acnologia raced above them, creating a massive shockwave with his wings. The gust was so strong it lifted Lucy into the air. It took her a moment to realize that she had actually fallen off the mountain's ledge and was plummeting to the ground below.
Mard Geer caught her mid-air and brought her back. Happy had also been tossed off the mountain but had been able to right himself and fly back as well.
When he got back, Happy was panicked. "Natsu's toast! There's no way he can kill that thing."
"He's not trying to kill Acnologia," corrected Lucy. She wanted to be clear on the matter. If they killed Acnologia, everyone died.
Acnologia came to an abrupt stop mid-flight. It was almost as if he had put on brakes and slid to a stop.
"He must have spotted Natsu," said Mard Geer.
Acnologia beat his wings, hovering. He seemed to be considering the situation.
Lucy held her breath. What if he flew away? Maybe Acnologia didn't even want a fight.
He beat his wings a few more times and seemed to make a decision. At a much slower pace, he began to make a wide Arc around Natsu.
"What's he doing?" asked Lucy.
"Probably staking out his surroundings, trying to get a better feel of the situation. He's never met another Dragon King."
Acnologia completed a full circle around Natsu and then stopped again. He spoke, in a loud, alien sounding voice that chilled Lucy to the bone. "What do you want, Dragon King?"
Natsu's voice was also loud, amplified by acoustics in the valley. "To kick your ass!" he shouted.
Ancologia beat his wings. "So you are an enemy? Fine, I will destroy you as you stand." He sped towards Natsu.
Natsu crouched and launched himself towards Acnologia at the last minute. He wasn't quite flying but he was airborne when the two of them collided. It was a tangle of claws, limbs and gnashing teeth.
The two dragons hit the mountainside and began to tumble. Boulders the size of houses came loose in the tussle.
As they fell, one of Zeref's demons flew towards the pair. It was hard to see the figure at such a distance, even with the spyglass, but Lucy thought it was a woman with wings and horns. A beam of light came from the woman's hands and hit Acnologia in the back.
The beast roared. He gripped a rock and skidded to a stop. With his free hand, he swiped at the woman but she dodged the attack.
"The demons have joined in the fight," exclaimed Lucy.
"Of course they have," said Mard Geer with a touch of pride. "We live and die for Lord Zeref."
The flying woman sent another beam of light towards Acnologia. It hit him directly in the chest but he didn't react this time. He released the rock and flapped his wings.
The woman went flying back. The gust from his wings had been too powerful for her to withstand. Acnologia immediately turned his attention back to Natsu, who had fallen to the bottom of the mountain. He appeared clumsy compared to his counterpart. If only he could have had a little more time to train.
Natsu stood up and began flapping his wings. He hovered near the ground, dipping every so often due to instability. Acnologia reacted. He darted down the mountainside and slammed into Natsu. He had Natsu pinned to the ground.
With a mix of physiology that was part dragon-part human, Acnologia began to pummel his prey. It was excruciating to watch. Natsu took blow after blow to the face.
Four more demons appeared, surrounding Acnologia. One seemed to be launching bombs and another released a torrent of sharp spikes. The other two were trying close range combat techniques—a sword and razor sharp claws.
If the demons were inflicting any harm to Acnologia, he wasn't showing it. The Dragon King continued his assault on Natsu.
"This is a blood bath. We have to do something!" shouted Lucy.
Mard Geer grabbed her arm. "You are to do nothing. Lord Zeref was very clear."
"But what if they die?"
"Lord Zeref is prepared for that possibility."
The calmness of the demon was infuriating. If he hadn't been holding her arm, she would have punched him.
Happy began to tremble. "Natsu, please get up. Do something," he cried.
Lucy yanked her arm away from Mard Geer. He let her go and looked back at the battle. He wasn't really interested in her—she was just a pet that his Master had asked for him to take care of. She took a few steps back then turned.
As quietly as possible, she pulled out the necklace Zeref had given her.
All dragons feel it when the First is summoned.
She could summon the First—she knew it. This was the sacrifice that Igneel had mentioned. This was the thing she could do save Natsu and Zeref's life.
At a great cost.
She didn't care. She finally understood. This was what she was meant to do.
Lucy gripped the necklace, and summoned Brotan.
Bigdream3r: Hello all! Thanks again for the reviews. I didn't realize there were so many Zeref fans reading this but I suppose I shouldn't be surprised. The comments have made me interested in writing a fluff piece about Zeref and Lucy. In the past, I've mostly written fluff pieces and those have actually gotten the best reviews. This was my attempt at something closer to an actual novel which I think attracts a smaller audience. I'm going to think about the Zeref and Lucy fluff piece. Right now I am trying to write an original novel so I don't have a lot of time to devote to it but it could be a lot of fun.