[Re-written 02-17-22]

Welcome back and happy weekend!

The battle with the Oración Seis continues and as you noticed, I chose not to include Blue Pegasus in the Allied Forces. They're usually just around as a comedic relief element anyway, so I swapped them out in favour of certain others showing up, who happen to be much more fun to play around with.

Happy reading!

6

-Nightmares-

Haru burst through the trees leading Erza's team into the clearing and found their allies lying all over the ground. He pursed his lips as he studied the scene, wondering what enemy had been strong enough to incapacitate Natsu so thoroughly. He approached and stopped above Natsu's head, assessing the wear of battle on his body. One onyx eye cracked open, as soon as Haru hinged over with his hands on his hips to look down at his fellow dragon slayer.

Natsu wore his usual dopey grin as he greeted him. "Hey man, took you long enough," Natsu said flippantly. His exhaustion was obvious, but he seemed well, and Haru could assume Lucy was okay too if his partner's cheeky comments could be any indication.

Ignoring the remark, Haru just returned the smirk, "Yes well, I was on my way to you, when those two—" he jabbed a thumb vaguely in the direction of the pair of ice mages behind him, "plowed across my path, chasing after one of the Oración Seis. We took him down though."

"What's that? You're telling me ol' droopy drawers needed back up?"

With an obvious flare of agitation, Gray whipped around and stomped over to the fire mage's side as well. He held an unconscious blonde man in cracked black shades slung over his shoulder and tossed the enemy on the ground before he bent further over Natsu. "Oi, you have the gall to give me a hard time when you're laid out flat on your back? At least I am still on my feet!"

Haru was stunned when Natsu didn't take the bait. He just chuckled before shifting his attention back to Haru, much to Gray's chagrin at being ignored. The fire mage must have been more worn out than he'd guessed. Haru interrupted before the indignant ice mage could get another dig in, "Still, looks like you did just fine without my help," he told his partner, glancing sidelong at the strange winged snake a good distance away.

"Nah, I only succeeded because of Wendy, without her, I honestly don't think Lucy and Happy would have made it." The barest exhale escaped his lips as his eyes slid closed briefly in thought. The reality of Natsu's admission, just how close they'd come to losing two of their precious family, sent an involuntary shudder through Haru's muscles as well. He noticed the young Sky Slayer had rolled on to her side at the mention of her name and was smiling weakly back at them now. Haru smiled back, tipping his head in a nonverbal thank you.

Erza had finished retrieving Cobra and had him restrained securely, along with Racer, and whatever that snake reject was. Now she approached the Twin Dragons. Squatting down next to Natsu, she placed a hand on his shoulder, "Need a boost Natsu?" she asked with a knowing smile.

His eyes snapped open, taking in her presence as he nodded as energetically as he could, "Gods, Erza, you're the best!"

She stood as a glowing light surrounded her outstretched hand, summoning her Flame Sword. Its long dark red blade caught the sun as she spun it in lazy arcs, gathering embers along the metal. Skipping back a few steps, she simultaneously sent multiple fireballs at her comrade who quickly sat up and enthusiastically slurped up the flames. His head tipped back with an exaggerated but satiated sigh as soon as he'd devoured the last ember. "Now I gotta fire in my belly..." he said, though his signature comment lacked its usual cocky undertones, "Thanks Erza, I really needed that."

"Anytime, Natsu," she replied earnestly.

Behind them, Lucy began stirring slightly, drawing their group's attention. Natsu sprung up, bounding toward her and skidding onto his knees at her side in the span of a breath, just as her eyes flew open in terror. Her good arm came up, swiping wildly in front of her as she instinctually fended off an unseen attack but Natsu caught her hand. Folding it between both of his, he leaned further into her view, "Lucy, it's okay, we've got you," he told her softly, "you're safe now."

Lucy froze, unfocused chocolate eyes slowly trailed up his body as recognition dawned in them. She whispered his name and then a broken wail escaped her throat as sobs wracked her body. Natsu carefully lifted her torso and gently hugged her to his body as he continued to murmur comforting sentiments. The other Fairy Tail mages stood back, sharing in Natsu's relief but leaving the pair to their reunion to avoid overwhelming Lucy so soon.

Besides, Haru was certain the vibes he was picking up between the two were far from being as simple as friendship. So it wasn't a moment he was going to intrude upon, regardless of how relieved he was to have their comrade safely with them once more.

"I was so worried about you guys," Lucy choked out.

"US?" Gray asked incredulously, "we weren't the ones taken hostage by one of the most dangerous dark guilds in Fiore!"

Lucy laughed, despite everything that had happened to her. Haru could understand, had their positions been reversed and someone had been trying to use him to get to Fairy Tail, his own wellbeing certainly wouldn't have been his top priority either. Natsu held out a hand enveloped in light, a direct reflection of Erza's action not ten minutes earlier and a white medical kit appeared in his hand when the light diminished. Keeping Lucy cradled against his chest, he quickly opened it to pick through an assortment of bandages and ointments with his free hand.

Erza moved to support their injured friend instead, freeing up Natsu's hands so he could work more efficiently. Lucy hissed in pain as Natsu regretfully repositioned her dislocated arm over her chest so he could stabilize it in a proper sling. Wendy wasn't trained to set joints and her magic wouldn't do much good without the articulation being corrected first. They would have to get Lucy medical attention once available, but for now, this would have to do.

It was times like this that Haru was most thankful that he and Natsu had chosen to broaden their magical capabilities to include magics with more practical applications.

A couple years ago Haru had enlisted Warren's aid to learn telepathy magic, and though he'd only obtained a fraction of the ability their resident telepath wielded, the skill had still proven useful on a number of missions. Natsu on the other hand, had trained with Erza to learn to control his own pocket dimension, gaining enough proficiency to store and summon basic crucial items like magic tools and first aid equipment. Haru recalled that their redheaded friend had not been the nurturing type of teacher, and Natsu had received his fair share of bumps and bruises during his lessons when he failed to meet her demanding expectations. Not to mention the months' worth of wages he'd lost in providing her with unlimited strawberry cake during his training. It remained a wonder how a girl as slim and toned as Erza, managed to pack away the amount of deserts that she did...

Though as Haru watched Natsu disinfect the wound on Lucy's head and press a patch of gauze over it, he decided Natsu was probably as thankful as he was for his secondary magic.

. . .

Lucy marvelled at the level of concentration she'd never seen in Natsu before, except possibly the odd time she'd watched him spar with Haru... but even then he'd worn a wild grin and a hint of disregard. She wondered what he would be like in a real fight. Like the one he'd just fought with Cobra, when his comrades' safety had depended on his victory.

A light blush dusted her cheeks as he methodically bandaged her head to protect the wound. She hated to admit it, but she was stunned that someone with tendencies as destructive as his, could perform a task so delicate. His eyes drifted from his work down to meet hers when he finished. "Here Luce, drink up," he said, presenting a newly requipped water canteen. She accepted and downed the entire thing in one go, her parched throat relishing in the liquid. Sighing contentedly, she watched as the now familiar toothy grin spread over the Fire Slayer's face before he leaned in closer. His warm hand skimmed up the length of her neck, fingertips threading into her hair as his forehead came to rest against hers. "Welcome back, Lucy," he whispered for her alone. Heat spread through her cheeks again at the unexpectedly intimate gesture, but it was the simplicity of his words that had her shedding tears again. Tears of happiness this time, tears flowing in gratitude for a genuine connection that she hadn't experienced since her mother.

Erza turned away from the pair, though her supportive arm remained braced across Lucy's shoulders. "Haru, have you heard from Jura's team?" she asked.

Haru turned toward them, one finger held up in request for her patience before he could answer her questions. He had two fingers fixed at his temple, likely in the middle of coordinating their allies already. But Lucy was too busy registering the awe that came with learning a Wizard Saint was involved in helping Fairy Tail with her rescue, to care who he was presently talking to.

"Okay, Jura and Yuka managed to incapacitate Hoteye, whatever that means..." he added dryly. "But it sounds like Sherry was injured in the initial blindside attack. Yuka is retreating with her back to Cait Shelter and Jura is on his way to meet up with us now."

Everyone gathered nodded in understanding, remaining quiet as the Water Slayer broke down their current mission status.

"So," Haru continued, "in recap: Lyon, Gray and myself managed to overcome Racer's speed magic with some tactical planning." Wearing identical smirks, the ice mages slapped their hands together in celebration; they'd both lost their shirts at some point, not that Lucy was surprised in the slightest. "Natsu took down Cobra... and it appears luck was on our side having him turn up where Wendy was present to be able to neutralize the poison of our affected comrades." Natsu caught the younger dragon slayer's eye and flashed a thumbs up. "Jura's team 'incapacitated' Hoteye... And Natsu and I took out Angel a couple days ago. So that leaves just two of the Seis left to deal with."

Lucy's eyes had widened at the revelation of Angel's elimination. Peaking at the fire mage still beside her, she almost felt sorry for the woman, having ended up the subject of Natsu's wrath... The other part of her was just disappointed she wouldn't get the chance to deal out her own revenge. Mostly though, she was just relieved her spirits were safe from the woman's brutality. She hoped Angel's defeat and likely incarceration would mean the spirits subjugated by her would be freed as well.

Erza broke in next, "My team also ran into Midnight, the fifth member, just before Racer appeared on the scene. I split up to track him, but I regret to inform I lost Midnight's trail." The scarlet mage looked angrier with herself then anything else, "his magic is… tricky. I don't know what it encompasses exactly, but one minute I was zeroed in on his magic signature and they next, he had vanished, leaving no trace of his magic behind." She clicked her tongue and shrugged.

. . .

"Haru?" A feminine voice echoed in Haru's head, and he looked around, confused at first. All of his comrades were here, minus Jura, and this certainly wasn't Jura's voice. "Haru can you hear me?"

A lightbulb clicked, "Levy!" he blurted, and the rest of his guildmates and allies turned to him in confusion due to his sudden, seemingly random, outburst. He sweat-dropped, realizing he'd shouted out loud and just shook his head at the other mages. "What do you have Levy?" he asked her.

"Haru, it's bad, you guys have to stop it."

Haru glanced around the circle of mages again, their eyes were all focused on him now, except for the occasional exchange of anxious looks. "The weapon is called 'Nirvana' and from what I can gather, it has the ability to literally suck the magical energy from anyone's body, permanently—" Haru's jaw clenched as the connection when silent momentarily, it felt like Levy was purposefully building suspense to torture him but she was probably just talking to Makarov or something. "Worse, it can be adapted for large scale, Master and I theorized that the Oración Seis plan to eliminate the light guilds, or maybe the Council. Whatever their plans may be, we can't allow it to fall into their hands."

How much crazier could this mission get? Haru had already assumed the dark guild's actions hadn't been about Lucy, or even his and Natsu's interference with their network. The Seis had wanted to keep Fairy Tail at bay while they carried out their plans. Though ironically, Lucy's kidnapping had being the catalyst that had brought Fairy Tail's wrath down on their heads.

But this? Haru could not have possibly predicted this development.

Levy continued, "If I translated this text properly… Nirvana should be at some sort of ceremonial ruin in the dead center of Waas Forest. I will see what other information I can track down in the meantime, please be careful." Haru stopped pacing and dropped his hand back to his side, facing Erza again with a stony expression. Sensing the gravity of the situation, the others scrambled to their feet as well, somehow understanding time would be of the essence.

"Haru, Warren here, we alerted Laxus to the situation as well. The Thunder God Tribe is on their way to back you guys up!"

"Okay, thanks Warren, tell Master and the others we got Lucy back. She's safe."

"Glad to hear there's something positive to share."

Haru took a steadying breath, "Bad news guys, we need to get moving fast. I will explain on the way and tell Jura to meet us on route." Looking over his comrades in a sweeping glance, Haru's attention settled on Lucy. Natsu had a stabilizing arm around her waist, but it was obvious she could barely stand. She was in no condition to be fighting the toughest members of the dark guild. "Happy, are you able to fly Lucy back to Cait Shelter?"

Happy turned to Natsu who nodded in agreement. "You can count on me!" the blue cat said.

"What? No! I won't leave you guys to fight!" Lucy argued immediately.

"Luce..." Natsu said, shaking his head. He interlocked his fingers with hers, giving her a gentle smile, "you know you're in no shape to fight, it's safer for you and us this way." She gave a dispirited nod of agreement and allowed Happy to lift her into the air.

"You two be safe," Natsu told them quietly, letting his fingers slip out of her hand.

"Natsu, you come back to me—" Lucy cut herself off, her cheeks heating as she took in all of her friends before her, "—ALL of you come back safe, you hear?" Her eyes glossed over in tears, clearly torn up about not being able to stand with them in battle.

"We will see you soon Lucy!" Erza promised in place of a farewell.

"Keep her safe Happy!"

"Aye sir!" Happy called as began his retreat. Haru and the others watched their forms recede to the east as the sun was setting at their backs.

Evening

The group took off at a run moving deeper into the forest, while keeping a constant lookout due to the limited visibility caused by the densely packed trees. As they travelled, Haru relayed what Levy and Warren had told him and the mages' collective energy shifted from anxiety to resolve. Jura joined them a couple miles into the run, catching up next to the Twin Dragons and took point on leading their group again. He was already aware of the situation thanks to Haru maintaining a telepathic connection while he'd been explaining the threat they now faced.

As the trees began to thin out around them, Jura raised his hand, signalling the group to slow and move cautiously. A short distance away the forest opened up into a wide circular clearing, and the dirt floor gave way to an intricate pattern of stone beneath their feet. Erza looked at the ground humming in interest, before addressing the white cat in Wendy's arms, "Carla, would you mind getting us an aerial view? I have a theory we might be standing on a magic circle." Agreeing as her wings unfurled, Carla flew up and glided around the ruin in loose circles overhead. The others had dispersed as well, wandering around the circular pattern and examining five large stones embedded along the outer ring of the circle.

Natsu came up behind Haru as the Water Slayer ran his palm over the ancient glyphs inscribed in one of the stones. "Any idea what all this chicken scratch means?" Natsu asked quietly as his eyes scanned over the rock but his partner only answered with a shake of his head.

"Erza is correct!" Carla called, descending to hover in front of the scarlet mage, "we are in the middle of a very intricate magic circle, though I can't make heads or tails of it." Listening to the exchange absently, Natsu requipped a small recording lacrima at Haru's request and the bright light drew the redhead's attention.

She raised an eyebrow and Natsu explained that they were going to send Levy a live recording of the runes to see if she could provide any insight. Haru was in the middle of contacting her already.

"That's good thinking," Jura announced as he made his way to stand next to Erza with his arms crossed over his chest, "the rest of you, let us stay put until we have more information. We don't know what magic traps we could trigger if we make a wrong move." Everyone gathered to stand together as Natsu moved around the ancient ritual site with the lacrima held at arms length to record the markings, snapping the occasional detail shot as Haru signalled based on what Levy asked for.

"Alright Haru, have the gang hold tight, I'll get translating right away."

"Thanks Levy, you're a life saver."

Haru and Natsu walked over to join the rest of the team outside the barriers of the magic circle. Natsu dropped to his butt and lounged back against a smaller rock, linking his fingers behind his head lazily. Jura and Carla deadpanned, but Natsu's guildmates knew him well enough to notice the subtle tension in his body, the intense focus hidden by the seemingly carefree posture. Slowly though, the rest of the mages sunk to the ground to rest too. No point wasting energy if they were at a standstill until Levy got back to them.

Thankfully, they weren't waiting long. "Haru?"

Haru shifted, moving back to his feet to pace as he conversed with their comrades back home. Natsu caught the unfocused look in deep blue eyes, a telltale sign he was communicating telepathically.

"The site is sealed by an elemental ritual, it appears you guys will need to channel a distinct element into each of those pillars, simultaneously. I don't know what the magical reaction will be though, I might be able to figure it out, but it could take a while."

"No, we don't have time for that. That is great Levy, thank you, I assure you, we will be on our guards."

Cutting off the telepathic link, Haru refocused on his comrades, "Okay, Levy thinks we need to channel five different elemental magics into each of the stone pillars from the center of the circle." Haru's lips pursed in thought, "Natsu's fire, Jura's earth, Wendy's air, my water…" he trailed off, counting the elements out on his fingers. "Do you think ice is different enough from water, to be a separate element?"

"No need!" Erza announced confidently. A familiar light shone brightly around her before revealing her in Lightning Empress Armour, "this should do the trick."

Haru mentally kicked himself for the rare shortsightedness, he couldn't believe he'd failed to take Erza's various element-based armours into account. "Perfect," he said.

"Maybe we should still try ice…" Wendy trailed off uncertainly, "I don't know attack magic, I don't know what I can physically channel."

"Wendy," Natsu said, walking over to take her shoulders in each of his hands, "all dragon slayers have a breath attack. And you are no different, you just need to believe in yourself." She dropped her head, breaking eye contact, and shifted her weight between her feet uneasily. "Consume the heavens themselves, feel your magic well up inside you, and let it come pouring out!" he continued with a bright grin.

The young girl looked up then, admiration and gratitude sparking in her eyes at his words. Wendy looked around at the rest of her comrades, not a single one of them looked back with anything less than the utmost confidence. Of course, Natsu knew without a shadow of doubt that all their comrades absolutely shared his belief that she would succeed. After all, Levy had said their attacks had to be simultaneous and they had no idea what would happen if one of the attacks missed the mark…

Bringing her small fists up in front of her, she met Natsu's eyes again, "Okay, I've got this!"

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Natsu tossed his lacrima crystal to Gray as he and Wendy joined the other three elemental magic wielders in the center, each turning to face their respective pillar. "Alright team," Natsu exclaimed, "let's do this!"

As the five charged up their spells, the rest of the mages backed out of the circle and watched on.

"NOW!" Jura commanded, and the group unleashed powerful attacks, channeling each of five elements into one of the surrounding pillars. The glyphs on each stone lit up, glowing the colour of its corresponding element, and the ground beneath them quaked. They continued undaunted, pumping their spells into the magic circle until the ether pulsed around them.

To the side, Gray held Natsu's projection lacrima up so that Levy and the other Fairy Tail members could observe what was happening. Golden light spread through the intricate lines beneath their feet, rushing toward the center, and when they collided in the middle, a column of intense magic shot into the sky. The magic pressure, immediately stifling, felt like gravity had increased tenfold. All the mages in the center cancelled their spells abruptly, instinctually jumping back to create distance between them and the unstable flow of magic.

"What's happening?!" Wendy cried out.

No one responded, each of them as confused as she was. Levy had continued translating the text but had no insight to offer Haru, either. The mages present and those back in the safety of Magnolia just watched on, until a steely-silver cube appeared while shockwaves of energy continued to force them back. Suddenly, the gravity weighing down on them shifted and began sucking inward, toward the cube. Everyone gasped in surprise, an indescribable sensation settling over them.

Natsu clenched his jaw, fighting to stay on his feet as he leaned away from the magic pressure. It felt like the very fabric of his being was attempting to tear away from him. With his eyes squeezed shut, he tried to shout to his teammates, but heard Erza's voice break through first, "My magic power is being absorbed!" she shouted to them. Terror that Natsu was not used to hearing from her, laced through her voice.

The others parroted her call, sounding just as distraught. "We have to—" Natsu's voice broke, and he panted for air, "—try and get—" Fuck, he couldn't breathe, "away!"

But it was no use, they were all suffocating under the sheer pressure, fighting just to get a breath in, let alone be able escape the vacuum pull. Suddenly, a flash of green shot between Erza and Jura, a blade dancing wildly in slashes so fast that Natsu couldn't follow them. As fast as they'd been caught in the vacuum of ancient magic, the spell broke. The alliance members collapsed where they stood, breathing desperately for recovery. Natsu lifted his head which felt like a ton of bricks. Freed was in front of them, though he was facing the opposite direction. His dark écriture wings kept him in the air as he returned his sword to the holster on his hip.

"Freed, are we glad to see you!" Natsu gasped out.

The enchantment mage turned as he descended, his wings dispelling when he touched ground. "Glad I got here in time... Levy alerted us to what was happening, so I came ahead to try and seal the magic." He scratched the back of his head, "honestly, I wasn't sure I'd succeed." The cubic weapon behind him was sealed inside a double layer of deep purple enchantments, its glowing rune marks faded back to their previous granite.

A bolt of lightning burst from the clear sky, piercing the ground next to Freed and Lyon fell back in surprise with a yelp causing Gray to burst out laughing at his expense. The residual lightning materialized into Laxus, who stood wearing his typical imposing scowl, arms crossed in front of him. His eyes ran over the allied forces before settling on Freed. "Good work," he praised and Freed slapped his arms to his sides, bowing to the lightning mage. Natsu chuckled at the interaction, their relationship, (whatever it was), had always been a strange one.

Jura stopped in front of Laxus with an extended hand, "Thank you for responding so quickly, Laxus, Freed," he said, shaking Laxus' hand firmly.

"Where are Bixlow and Evergreen?" Erza questioned.

"We ran into Happy and blondie on our way here, so I sent Bixlow and Evergreen to accompany them to Cait Shelter to ensure their safety."

Natsu sighed out in relief, his eyes closing as he allowed himself a momentary reprieve. Now his attentions wouldn't be split, and he could truly focus on the task at hand.

"Natsu look!" Wendy called frantically, gaining everyone's attention. The space over Nirvana warped and shifted until a man sitting on a floating carpet appeared directly above the cube.

"That's Midnight!" Erza clarified for the team. Fire already coated Natsu's fists and he could feel the magics of his comrades already building in response to the dark mage's arrival as well.

Midnight's eyes opened slowly, not really focusing on any of the mages before him. He held his hand out to the side and the cube warped and winked out, reappearing to hover above his palm. "Thank you, for all of your hard work, light mages. I will be taking this now," he commented, sounding bored.

Streams of fire, ice, and water surged toward him, but he was already vanishing, the magical presence of himself and Nirvana instantly undetectable.

"What the hell!" Natsu yelled furiously, "where did that ass even come from?!"

"Calm down, my enchantments still seal Nirvana, and they won't be broken so easily, not without a powerful dispeller mage." Freed cut in, eyes moving from the enraged fire mage and settling back on his team leader to gage his reaction. "We should have plenty of time."

Natsu sighed irritably, "A dispeller mage you say…" he trailed off, and the rest of the group fixed him with curious looks. "Damnit. We need to get back to the Eisenwald mages right now!" Natsu barked urgently.

"Natsu, what are you talking about?" Erza asked, she sounded frustrated with his unfounded command.

"Earlier me an' Haru were ambushed by Eisenwald, the wind reaper, Erigor's guild. We defeated them without much trouble, and left them restrained…"

The Water Slayer's eyes widened now as he caught Natsu's train of thought. "Shit, Kagayama!" he spat the name like poison, and Natsu nodded gravely in confirmation.

"Kagayama is among their ranks, and he is a top rank dispeller. If Brain gets to him before we do, then we won't have all that time Freed suggested we do," Natsu elaborated, filling in the blanks for the others.

Jura had been silent ever since the mysterious weapon had been stolen from them so easily, considering it a personal failure as one of the ten Wizard Saints. He thought through their limited options as the others bickered over what to do. Laxus wanted to go straight for Brain, the Twin Dragons wanted to go after Eisenwald, and Erza remained impassive except for her adamance against splitting up. They didn't know where Brain was holed up, which greatly increased the new obstacle they were suddenly faced with. Jura watched as the Fairies debated frantically amongst themselves about what they should prioritize and how they could possibly succeed in this mission.

Jura whistled loudly, snapping their collective attention to his way. "Lyon and Gray, Natsu, Haru and Freed, you will see if you can head off Eisenwald," he started before stopping to consider the individual strengths of the remaining alliance members. "Laxus will join me, and Wendy, you as well. It is likely our team will end up in confrontation first. I have a feeling, if Brain is as tactical as I think he is, he will already have Kagayama, making our fight inevitable, so we could use your healing prowess. Erza, as you were already tracking Midnight earlier, I'd like you to guide us to where you lost track of him. That would be as good a place to start as any."

The group exchanged glances. As far as plans go, it was speculative at best, but it was likely the best they could do with their limited information. They quickly agreed and as they began to separate again, Jura called back to Natsu's team, "Regardless of whether you guys are successful in finding the dispeller, you regroup with us as quickly as possible. I needn't reiterate this, but we are strongest together for this upcoming battle."

Night

The night had fully embraced Waas Forest as Natsu's team found themselves fifty meters out from where the Eisenwald members were restrained. They'd departed at a full on sprint, gliding silently through the forest toward their objective with no time to spare. The group burst through the trees to find the dark mages still restrained in groups to the large trees around the clearing. Bur red bathed their bodies now, every one of their throats similarly cut. Natsu swallowed a wave of nausea brought on by the thick smell of blood in the air.

"What—what happened here?" Lyon demanded, his eyes scanning the carnage. His body suddenly lurched to the side as Gray dove into him, the momentum sending them both skidding a couple meters as a scythe swung down and dug into the soft soil where he'd been standing a second earlier.

"Erigor!" Natsu shouted at the Reaper, "what the hell happened here?"

The wind mage's eyes looked completely vacant as they made contact with Natsu, "Brain was less than pleased with our showing, an embarrassment to the Oración Seis that need to be made an example of," Erigor droned, "and if I didn't want to join them, I would finish the job myself."

Natsu's flames erupted off of him, "Weren't they your friends?!"

"They were weak," Erigor answered plainly.

"What's to say you won't die at our hands anyway?!" Lyon challenged as he and Gray pushed themselves back to their feet.

Erigor shifted his focus to the ice mages briefly before looking back at Natsu once more, "You light guild flies don't have it in you." He spun his scythe in the air, building the winds up to thrash outward and swung down, but the attack was stopped short as Freed intercepted the blade with his sword.

"But I do." A disembodied voice seemed to come from all around them, and suddenly Erigor was screaming in agony, dropping his scythe as his hands flew up to clutch his head. He dropped to his knees still crying out and Freed took a step back, confused by their foe's sudden pain considering he had yet to throw a counterstrike. Natsu's eyes scanned the dark mage head to toe, but he couldn't see or smell a wound, just what in the hell was happening now?!

Then Midnight materialized in front of them again, still cross legged on the floating carpet in a deep sleep-like state. Ignoring the shouts and threats of the mages spread out before him, Midnight's eyelids opened to slits, revealing a sliver of red that peered at them derisively. He swept his arms out wide and dark magic poured from his hands enveloping the entire clearing.

"Time to sleep, forever. Goodnight, light mages."

The dark spread, blacker then the night that had already enveloped them, and suddenly, Natsu was alone.

He spun on his heel, calling for Haru, or Gray, or anyone but there was no answer. There was no sound at all, no light either, he was in a void. He absently noticed that he couldn't even hear his own voice. His heart rate was picking up, hammering in his chest and he could feel a cold sweat on his forehead as he panted for breath. 'This is fear,' he thought, but why? He knew this wasn't real so there was no point in fear. He was fully aware the world around him now was just some warped spell, but he couldn't shake this growing panic, this overwhelming sense of terror.

Suddenly the scene flashed, and he was a small boy, standing in front of a large red dragon. 'Igneel,' he breathed silently, feeling tears welling up. The dragon looked at him, unimpressed, before turning and flying away, vanishing into the void. One of Natsu's deepest fears: that Igneel had left him by choice because he wasn't wanted, or perhaps because he hadn't lived up to his expectations. He was instantly alone in the large cave of his childhood, alone in a world he knew nothing about and then his body was running. Natsu was trapped inside, simply along for the ride, unable to do anything.

Just as quickly, the scene flashed again and he was running toward the bleeding body of Erza. Pulling her into his arms, he noticed the blood soaking into his clothing and colouring the snow beneath them. He knew the Wyverns were behind him without having to look, but he turned anyway. One beast stepped forward, chest puffed out and roared, unleashing blistering cold winds and ice straight for them. Natsu screwed his eyes shut in defeat, but they shot open when he felt Erza shift in his arms and shove him roughly out of the way. Landing on his butt, he was forced to watch as the attack hit her full force, shredding her body. Natsu screamed until his throat felt raw, but still no sound could pierce the deafening silence. He could feel the wetness on his cheeks before he could even register that he was crying. He dragged himself toward her, letting his body collapse over one of his closest friends and begged her to get up. Though, he knew it was pointless.

The devastation settled around him until he felt a hand on his cheek, and he moved to look down in shock with Erza's name on his lips. But it wasn't the knight looking up at him, scarlet hair was replaced by blonde now. He found Lucy in his embrace, her shoulder dislocated and a greyish tone to her cheeks. Purple-red veins of poison crawled up the length of her neck, and he touched her face with a shaking hand, tears still flowing freely as he desperately tried to call for Wendy. The stellar mage shook her head and he watched her lips move, but still couldn't hear anything. Despite that, somehow, he knew what she'd said, "I will always believe in you, Natsu." Her hand fell away from his cheek causing sobs that coursed through his body as he pulled her limp form to his chest.

Endless black took over his vision again, and he cried out in anguish. "No more, please, no more!" He felt his spirit breaking at watching his family being torn from him over and over. He knew, somewhere in his fragile sanity, he still knew this wasn't real, that it was still Midnight's spell wreaking havoc on his mind.

It made no difference.

He just couldn't seem to convince himself enough to prevent the visceral reactions he was experiencing. Pure panic. He opened his eyes to find himself standing in front of the abandoned hull of the Fairy Tail guild, windows boarded up, the structure dilapidated and collapsing. Their flag, frayed and forgotten, lay crumpled on the ground at his feet. He dropped to his knees in despair, pulling the crimson material to his chest as his heart broke again.

His name filtered into his consciousness like a distant memory. But that was sound he absently processed through his fading recognition. Someone calling to him? he wondered. Desperation filled his being and he clung to the new shred of hope. Then he felt a tight grip land on each of his shoulders and soft green filled his vision. He choked on a sharp inhale as reality slowly cleared around him.

Freed was bracing him, one of his eyes demonic with the power of his dark écriture magic. "Natsu, pull yourself together, I need your help!" he demanded.

Shaking his head, Natsu tried to shake off the nightmares, pressing the heel of his hand against one of his eyes. "What the fuck, was that," he cursed.

"Midnight seems to use a combination of Nightmare and Reflection magic, warping people's perception as well as space itself." Freed paused, trying to figure out if Natsu was even capable of grasping his explanation right now. "But it's more than that, his magic stimulates the amygdala. It's the region in the brain that perceives danger and insights a fear or full-blown panic response."

It really was all in his head, all his friends and Fairy Tail are okay. Natsu knew this, but he could still feel Erza's blood on his hands, the clammy skin of Lucy's palm on his face. His mind continued to replay her last words in his head: 'I will always believe in you, Natsu.' He released another shaky breath.

"Natsu, I know you've been through an actual hell," Freed said gently, "But we don't have the luxury of time for you to process. I was able to fracture Midnight's spell by countering with my own dark magic. I also managed to trap him in an enchantment, but I don't think it will hold him for long, he's too powerful." Natsu's eyes travelled over to the hovering box of purple ruins that currently held the nightmare mage. "I need you to help me snap the guys out of this, so we can take him down."

"Okay," Natsu replied resolutely, allowing Freed to pull him to his feet. He was still feeling the effects of living his nightmares, but if he didn't get his shit together, he knew that that nightmare could become reality. He made his way over to Haru as Freed approached the ice mages.

Natsu and Freed managed to pull Haru and Gray from the void, but something had broken in Lyon. Try as they might, Freed and Gray failed to get through to him, he just stared at them blankly without seeing. Pleading with him was like pleading with a comatose patient to get up, and the team had more pressing matters as a loud crack broke the quiet. Purple light erupted from within, briefly illuminating the night and then the rune prison shattered. Freed and Gray were back on their feet and holding ground between the dark mage and their downed teammate. The Twin Dragons fell into their offensive stances on the opposite side as well, pinning their enemy between them.

"Natsu, Haru, you guys get out of here! We know that Brain must have Kagayama already, so there is no time to waste!"

"We can't just leave you!" Natsu snapped back.

"Yes, you can. My magic is the most effective counter to Midnight's, and the fewer of you I have to worry about getting pulled back into his nightmare realm the better."

Begrudgingly, Natsu had to admit his comrade gave a solid argument. He'd been overwhelmed, powerless to break out of the nightmare spell, but it didn't make retreating any easier to stomach. "What about Lyon?"

"I've got him protected in an enchantment for now. There's nothing we can do for him until Midnight is taken down. Just trust me, Gray will back me up, we've got this!"

Natsu did trust them. He locked eyes with Haru, nodding as they spun on their heels and made a break for it. Midnight attempted to intervene, but Freed donned his dark écriture wings, and cut off the Seis Mage's path.

. . .

Natsu dashed forward keeping pace with Haru, agilely dodging around obstacles as they tracked Kagayama's scent. Thankfully, Brain did not have the ability to disguise magic signatures and scents, that Midnight's magic afforded him. Natsu eyed his partner without fully turning his sights from the path in front of him, Haru hadn't said a word since he broke him out of his trance. "Haru," he called, gaining the Water Slayer's attention, "are you here?"

"Yeah Natsu, I'm here."

"Good, we need to be on our game if we are going to win this thing. We can't let Midnight playing with our fears affect us, or Oración Seis wins."

"It wasn't Midnight, not really," Haru said quietly. Natsu gave him a sidelong look before looking forward again, and his partner elaborated. "He didn't know our pasts or our fears, unless Gemini-Lucy really did her homework. But what I saw… there is no way he could have known." Haru fell silent again, and Natsu could tell he was trying to collect his thoughts. "Don't you understand? We tortured ourselves, stimulating our fear centres just caused us to manifest our own deepest fears. Midnight didn't have to do anything."

Natsu sent him a brilliant toothy smile, "Okay then. We will just have to do our best to overcome, or at the very least, act in spite of our fears. We will use this experience as fuel to get even stronger, to ensure we can protect those we love, and protect our futures with everyone." Haru watched him carefully, impressed, not for the first time, with his fellow dragon slayer. Natsu never seized to inspire unwavering confidence in him, and anyone around him, for that matter.

"Right, we will protect Fairy Tail, and the whole magical world."

A/N. There is only one more major chapter in this arc. I'd love to hear your opinions about what you think of the changes I've been making. As well as what arcs you'd love to see a new spin on, what arcs you don't care about.

We start getting more NALU moments coming up as well, so with that in mind, any other pairings you'd like snippets of, (Juvia and Gajeel will show up at some point, thought I haven't ironed out where/how). Does Haru deserve some love, if so, who?

'Till next time

R&R

xx