Here's the next chapter! I hope you all enjoy!

July 6, X791

The Grand Magic Games were officially over with Fairy Tail coming in first place. After Spiral proclaimed Phoenix Dawn's surrender, he got a massive earful from Sakura.

"WHAT THE HELL, SPIRAL?!" Sakura shouted incredibly loudly. "WE COULD'VE WON!"

"Sakura, we were both almost out of magic!" Spiral argued. "You might be able to maintain that Poison-Forest Dragon Mode longer than before, but it still takes up enormous amounts of magic! Even against five worn out, but powerful wizards we would've lost anyway!"

"YOU DON'T KNOW THAT!" Sakura continued yelling. "YOU DON'T KNOW CRAP!"

"And who was it that helped you during that fight?"

"I could've taken him on without your help!"

"Wow, you're welcome, you ungrateful bitch." Spiral replied sarcastically.

"I want my fight with Fairy Tail!"

"Will you stop being a baby? You can challenge them anytime!"

"… Oh yeah! You're right!" Sakura's demeanor went from magma-hot anger to baby-cute happy in less than a millisecond.

*Wow, didn't think that would calm her down at all…* Spiral thought.

"You're the Phoenix Dawn wizards who surrendered?" A different voice asked.

They both turned toward the voice and saw Erza in her Japanese armor limping toward them, using her sword as a crutch.

"Yeah." Spiral nodded.

"Only him." Sakura pointed a finger at Spiral.

"It's a shame our guilds didn't get a chance to fight." Erza said with a smile.

"Maybe another time." Spiral shrugged.

"That's a great idea." Erza said.

"… Huh?" Sakura went from sitting to standing almost instantly.

"Once our guild hall is back in order, Phoenix Dawn should come to Fairy Tail for some friendly competition."

Sakura just blankly stared at Erza in silence, only blinking a few times. She then quickly got to the ground in front of Erza and started kneeling and bowing to her.

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Sakura practically sobbed. "I love you! I love you! I love you!"

"I thought you didn't like women with breasts larger than yours." Spiral commented to Sakura.

"She's different!" Sakura turned to Spiral while pointing to Erza.

"Hey, Erzie!" Another voice called out to Erza.

Back inside the castle, the rescue team was being overwhelmed by the royal guard, especially now that the Hungry Wolf Knights have recovered and returned to finish their job.

"FUCK!" Lionel shouted. "There's too many of them!"

Suddenly, soldiers far in the back began screaming which drew everyone's attention toward what appeared to be a pitch-black shadow swallowing everything in its path through into its nothingness. Even the Hungry Wolf Knights were being sucked into it. The Fairy Tail wizards, Lionel and Future Lucy watched in horror as the shadow completely engulfed their enemies.

Outside of Crocus, Jellal quickly gasped and his attention was instantly drawn to the city.

"Jellal?" Ultear asked as she turned from her punishing of Foster and Meredy.

"I can't believe I'd overlook such a simple detail…" Jellal said.

"What's wrong?" Morticia inquired.

"The future Lucy said she arrived here on July 4th." Jellal stated. "In actuality, it was midnight on the 3rd. We've been… sensing that mysterious magic power every year… And she only arrived recently? No… The unusual magic was actually Eclipse syphoning magic power. No doubt about it. But this year… it's been human. Traveling through time using magic from the Book of Zeref, Eclipse, and that's why there were traces of magic power similar to Zeref's. So… If we took everything the future Lucy said as the truth… she only arrived at night on the 3rd. Then… Who was the 'Lucy' I saw around sunset that same day?"

Foster spat out the chili peppers Ultear had stuffed in his mouth and ran up towards Jellal.

"There's someone else who came here using Eclipse, isn't there?!" Foster asked.

"If Lucy came back to save the future… Then why did this other one come back?" Jellal wondered aloud as they ran off into the city.

All of the royal soldiers attacking the rescue team and vanished along with the shadow, but another form was walking out of it and toward them.

"Somebody's there!" Leo said.

"Careful!" Lucy said.

Natsu and Lionel just watched the approaching figure as it revealed itself and smirked. He had a black top, white pants and long black and white hair.

"Which way do the shadows stretch?" The figure spoke. "Into the past? Or the future? Or into people's hearts?"

Natsu looked at the figure in shock.

"It's nice to see you after so long, Natsu Dragneel." The figure said. "I have come from a time that has yet to be. I am Rogue."

"Rogue?" Natsu asked.

"You mean from Sabertooth?" Wendy asked.

"You're saying you came from the future?" Lucy asked.

"Somebody other than me?" Future Lucy questioned.

The future Rogue did not answer to any of their questions and just leered at them.

"Why?" Happy inquired.

"You swept the royal forces away… to save us?" Leo asked.

"You've changed somehow." Natsu said.

"What did you come from the future for?" Carla asked.

"To open… the door." Future Rogue finally answered to one of them.

"You mean Eclipse?" Lucy asked.

"Eclipse can be used in two different ways." Future Rogue stated. "The first is to move through time. "The second is a weapon… The Eclipse Cannon. It's the one and only way to defeat ten thousand dragons."

*Defeat ten thousand dragons?!* Future Lucy thought as she gasped.

"Then that makes things easier." Natsu said. "We're on the same side, right?"

"Yaaaaay!" Happy cheered and danced. "We can defeat the dragons!"

"You've come to save the future, right?" Wendy clapped her hands together.

"No… It isn't that simple." Future Rogue replied. "I came from seven years in the future. At that time, the world will be ruled by dragons. Not even ten percent of the human race survives. Of course, even Eclipse won't have the power it has in my time."

Everyone looked at Future Rogue in shock from his words.

"We must stop the dragons here and now, or our world will end." Future Rogue said.

"So we open the door and blow them away, right?" Lionel questioned. "It is that simple!"

"However, seven years ago… in other words, now…" Future Rogue clarified. "There was one who stood in the way of the door opening. Thus, the Eclipse Cannon never fired at the hordes of dragons. That person set the world on the path to destruction. I have come back to assassinate that person. That is why I am here."

"How awful!" Carla spoke. "Can't you just negotiate this person to not stand in the way?"

"There is no reason to kill anyone." Mirajane said.

"With a great amount of 'time' converging on one point, there are no words that can alter it now." Future Rogue said. "Even if persuasion were effective, that person would still attempt to shut the door. It is fixed."

"Fixed?" Lucy gasped.

"One cannot run from fate." Future Rogue stated. "Those meant to live will live, and those meant to die will die. Those meant to close the door will close the door no matter what, as long as that person is alive to do it."

"You're not making any sense to me." Natsu said. "But anyway, who is this person you're talking about, anyway?"

"You!" Future Rogue then threw the sword he was holding, shrouded in his shadows and aimed directly at Lucy. "LUCY HEARTFILIA!"

"LUCY!" Natsu screamed.

Without thinking, Lionel could feel his feet preparing to leap toward Lucy.

*What's going on?!* Lionel thought. *I feel like my body's about to move on its own!*

Before Lionel could jump, Future Lucy jumped in front of present Lucy first, taking a fatal stab to her heart.

"Gaaah!" Future Lucy coughed blood as everyone watched in horror.

Present Lucy was completely stupefied as she watched Future Lucy fall to the ground.

"Lucy!" Happy shouted.

"There are two Lucys?!" Future Rogue murmured to himself in surprise.

Lucy knelt down to her future self and held her up.

"Hang in there!" Lucy exclaimed.

"Lucy!" Happy ran toward them.

"I…" Future Lucy did her best to speak with the sword still stuck in her torso. "Never… shut… the… door…"

"I know!" Lucy shouted. "I would never do it either! Why would you protect your younger self?!"

"You are… me… in the… past…" Future Lucy responded. "If you died… I'd vanish… any… way…" She turned her head toward the present Lucy. "It's weird… you know? Watching… myself… watch me.. die…"

"It's weird for me, too!" Lucy continued shouting. "So don't die, okay?!"

"It's… all… right…" Future Lucy gave a smile.

Leo had a hard time watching the scene and Wendy's eyes were tearing up as she had her hands over her mouth in shock.

"People I never…" Future Lucy resumed to speak. "Thought I'd see… alive… and now I meet them… again… Just… that made… me… so… happy…"

"Lucy, no…" Happy started tearing up. "Don't die…"

"I… don't belong… to this age… No, not… even this… world… The me… of this world… should stay… with her friends… Don't… be sad…" Future Lucy turned to Happy and petted him with her left hand.

"Sure I'm sad!" Happy sobbed. "I don't care what world you come from… I don't care what anybody says, you're Lucy! You're Lucy! You're my friend! Any friend would be sad about that!"

Future Lucy used her left hand to hold Happy close.

"Could… you show me… your guild mark…" Future Lucy requested.

Lucy held out her right hand and Future Lucy once again used her left hand to reach out and clasp it as she began to cry. Lucy then realized something after seeing her future self using her left hand this whole time.

"You're… right hand…" Lucy began to tear up herself. "It's gone…"

Natsu began trembling with anger.

"I wish I could've gone on… another adventure… protect… the future…" Future Lucy's body finally became limp as her life had finally given in to death's embrace.

Everyone except for Lionel, Natsu and Future Rogue were crying at the sight of Future Lucy's departure.

"She doesn't realize she closed the door…" Future Rogue said.

"What about the damn door?!" Lucy shouted at Future Rogue. "I would never do such a thing! And still you…"

"You don't think so… now." Future Rogue stated. "But in a few hours, you WILL close the door!"

"I WILL NOT CLOSE THE DOOR!" Lucy screamed angrily. "Here you go with all that talk! What are you really after?!"

"You are fated to close the door! As long as you are alive…"

"The future me already said she didn't close it! And I trust myself!"

"There is no truth in your words!" Shadows began swirling into Future Rogue's hand. "Destiny has-"

"WILL YOU SHUT UP?!"

A powerful force sent Future Rogue sliding across the hall and Lucy looked on to see that it was Lionel who had attacked Future Rogue with an electrified fist.

"You aren't taking Lucy's future away from her!" Lionel shouted. "Nobody is! Hear me?! NOBODY!"

"Lionel?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"No fair, man! I wanted to punch him!" Natsu complained.

"Lucy, you need to get away from this guy!" Lionel told her without turning his back to Future Rogue. "As far as you can!"

"But-!" Lucy was about to say.

"Let's let Natsu and Lionel handle things here!" Leo grabbed Lucy by the wrist and began running away from the three Dragon Slayers.

"You're the one he's after!" Volt said as he, Wendy, Mirajane and the other Exceeds ran with Lucy and Leo. "You have to run!"

"R-right!" Lucy acknowledged.

"You're not getting away!" Future Rogue shouted.

Before Future Rogue could give chase, Natsu delivered a flaming downward punch that knocked his head toward the floor, but not enough to force him off of his feet.

"Natsu Dragneel…Lionel Zenith…" Future Rogue growled.

Lionel then ran up and punched Future Rogue again, sending him rolling across the floor.

A/N: I'm ending the chapter on that cliffhanger! The next chapter might be a while because my friend is in a play and there's a particular scene he needs to help me write out because it involves Kyo and Yukino. Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed! Stay tuned for next time!