AN: Thanks Goku275 and Upton05. Upton05, thanks for the support, and I agree with what you said.
"I never thought I'd ever have to escape from my own guild," Mavis said to herself as she scaled down the spiky hill that Universe One had placed the guild hall on top of.
With Invel's defeat, the Ice Slave spell inhibiting her mind had disappeared, allowing the Fairy Tactician to escape. It was actually quite easy, and she even left behind illusions of herself and Zeref to delay the inevitable discovery that she was gone. Although, based on the fact that Mavis could no longer sense those illusions, that time had already come.
The Fairy glanced at the battlefield below, where many Alvarez soldiers remained stationed at the base of the hill. Even the Fiore mages who had made the most progress into the swarm of soldiers were still a good distance away from her.
"Considering my present position," muttered Mavis. "Reaching our forces will be… difficult…"
As the Fairy mentally analyzed the situation, searching for a way to improve her odds, a sudden burst of Teleportation Magic to her side caught Mavis's attention.
"I'll take you back with me," said Mest, having used his Direct Line to bypass the Alvarez forces after catching sight of the descending Fairy. He offered her a hand.
"Mest!" exclaimed Mavis happily. "I can always count on my guild to turn a bad situation into a good one!"
"Zera, your body…" spoke Rogue, observing the illusory girl.
"We can see right through you!" exclaimed Sting and Lector far less tactfully.
"Mavis's consciousness is finally returning," explained Zera as she looked at her fading arms. "I was a little worried she'd forget me forever. I'm an illusion created by her unconscious mind. As Mavis begins to remember me, I fade away."
The dragon slayers and their Exceed partners looked at the girl sadly.
"Hey! I died over a hundred years ago, so don't get all misty-eyed now!" said Zera, attempting to reassure the Fairies.
"Thank you," Rogue told her as she faded away.
"Thanks for the assist," added Lector.
"Fro is thankful too."
"Yeah," agreed Sting. "And once we win this war, we'll have the first master tell us all about your adventures together!"
Zera smiled as she faded, leaving behind a few particles of light that dissipated seconds later. The founding Fairy was gone, returned to her best friend's heart.
"Thank goodness! You finally remembered me! I was starting to get nervous!"
"You let everybody here? Oh, I get it… You're a side effect of my revival."
"I've done all I can. My contribution ends here."
"We can become one person again, thanks to you."
"Give them hell, Mavis…"
"Rest well, Zera…"
"…And give them hell, Fairy Tail."
"…You'll always be with me."
Could a young girl create an illusionary person so realistic that it takes on a life of its own? In a world of mages who can manipulate time, reshape entire countries and perform other such miracles, is it possible? Certainly.
However, in such a fantastical world, isn't it also possible for a ghost to live on through her best friend's magic? Could such a specter exist, watching over her friend like a guardian spirit? The answer is also yes.
Whichever possibility is true, it remains an indisputable fact that those two girls were and always will be friends.
"Mavis, you cannot hide from me," declared Irene as she stood outside Fairy Tail's guild hall. The Spriggan was using her Eye Magic (i.e. a massive eye with a cross-shaped pupil) to observe the battlefield from above as she broadcast her words across the battlefield. "My eye sees all. You cannot escape!"
Despite her outward confidence, Irene was seething inside. Ever since the war started, nothing had gone her way. Every other Spriggan had been defeated or killed, leaving only herself and Zeref to face Acnologia. Mavis was able to escape from under her nose, taking Fairy Heart with her. Worst of all, her daughter was present and interfering with her plans again, having taken out both Ajeel and Neinhart once.
"Run? I'm not running anywhere."
And the resounding voice of the Fairy Tactician gave Irene a sinking feeling that things were about to get worse.
"You are in our guild hall!" proclaimed an enormous mirage of Mavis. "We'll be there soon to take it back! To all my comrades listening to the sound of my voice! Keep fighting! I am with you! Entrust your swords to me, the Fairy Tactician!"
"She deduced what I would say and planned a response," noted Irene, growing more irritated. "What an obnoxious little girl. Enchant: Berserker!"
Stamping down her staff, the Spriggan sent her magic through the ground and into the Alvarez soldiers still on the battlefield below. The minds and bodies of those people transformed under Irene's Enchantment. It was similar to the one she used on Neinhart, but with more of an effect on their minds to compensate for their bodies being unable to hold as much Magic Power.
"Berserker enhances a soldier's fighting power several times over," stated Irene, imagining the Fairy Tactician's response to the Enchantment. "Though they do lose their ability to reason, which can be a drawback. Now, how will you respond, Mavis?"
"Of course, even if this fails, it should give me enough time to deal with Erza. Once she's out of the way, I can give Fairy Heart my full attention."
Makarov watched as his Fairies fought against the seemingly endless tide of Berserker soldiers. And, as they collapsed one by one under the onslaught, his sense of sorrow grew.
"Is this where it ends…?" ask the guild master, clutching his chest. Given his old age, it wasn't surprising that he too was starting to get overwhelmed by the relentless Alvarez forces.
"Master!" shouted Erza, who still had stamina to spare. "You must not give up! I will make a path for us!"
However, she misunderstood Makarov's words. He wasn't referring to Fairy Tail's end. Rather…
"My journey ends here," declared the guild master, entering the stance for Fairy Law.
The Fairies present felt their morale soar. Fairy Law would take out every last Berserker soldier at once. But, one person disagreed.
"You mustn't!" shouted Mavis as she ran over to Makarov. "Fairy Law drains your life! The greater the number of enemies, the greater the toll on your life! Against this many, you won't survive!"
The other Fairies, enthusiastic mere moments ago, grew horrified.
"First Master!" responded Makarov. "I know. I've already made my decision. Please don't try to stop me. This is my final crowning glory."
"I have a plan!" cried the Fairy Tactician. "It will get us out of this situation, so you don't need to—"
"Shut your mouth!" interjected the guild master, stunning Mavis silent. "I've watched all my brats suffer out here. My brats are getting hurt! They may just be members of an army to you, but they're my precious kids!"
"I… don't…" stuttered Mavis. She wanted to say that she saw them as family too, but to do so would trigger her curse.
"Yes, I know!" yelled Makarov, cutting her off. "I know your plan will lead us to victory. But I can't stand to see my brats spill another drop of blood! I can't take it!"
The guild master sighed, his anger cooling.
"I'm an old soldier," he said. "The time I have left is short. So if I can use what little I do have to give these brats a future… then the price is low!"
"Master!" exclaimed Erza as she held off a solider with a sword.
"Erza, listen well," Makarov told her.
"No! I'm not listening! You're coming back to the guild with us!"
"No matter what trials you face in the future…" continued the guild master, ignoring Erza's pleas. "…you'll find a way through them with your friends. Trust in your friends. Trust in yourself. Your guild is your family. Never forget that. I've had a delightful journey thanks to you little brats. I have no regrets. Take care of each other!"
As the light of Fairy Law began to materialize in between his hands, Makarov heard the crackling of electricity. Laxus appeared before him in a flash of lightning, placing his hands on the back of his grandfather's.
"You should take your own advice, old man!" shouted Laxus. The dragon slayer added his own Magic Power to the Fairy Law, taking on some of the burden. "You're our precious family, and none of us want you to spend the last of your time, no matter how short it is, anywhere other than at our sides!"
Makarov looked at his grandson with disbelief and pride. Part of him wanted to make Laxus leave and bear the burden alone, but he could tell from the dragon slayer's eyes that the answer 'no' wouldn't be accepted. "…I should have known that all of you had already learned that lesson. We do this on three. One… two… three!"
The Dreyar men pushed their hands together, crushing the ball of light and activating the spell.
"Fairy Law!"
A bright light engulfed the entire battlefield. It faded after several seconds, revealing 90% of the remaining Alvarez soldiers to now be unconscious, their Berserker Enchantments no longer active. At the epicenter of the flash stood Laxus, holding an unconscious but alive Makarov in his arms.
Mavis wiped tears from her face. She was relieved that Makarov was alive after all. The battle wasn't over, though. "Everybody, I know how you feel, but there are still enemies left! We need to keep fighting! For Makarov!"
"For Makarov!" echoed the Fairies, rallying themselves as they charged at the remaining Berserker soldiers.
"And that should do it," stated Wendy as she finished healing Gray. The devil slayer got up, finally ending Juvia's lap pillow. The Water Mage in question pouted a bit but was happy that Gray was finally better.
"It's a good thing that light took out the enemy soldiers," observed Carla. "Otherwise they might have attacked us while we were still vulnerable."
"We should meet back up with the others," said Gray. "The only major threats left are the final Spriggan, Zeref, and Acnologia, and none of them are pushovers. We're going to need all the help we can get to take them on."
Fortunately, luck was on their side. At that moment, the rest of the Fairies' team arrived.
"Hey guys!" shouted Natsu, waving. He, Happy, Lucy, and Erza (whom the three had collected after a detour to the source of Fairy Law's light) ran up to their friends. "Gray, did you take down that ice Spriggan or did somebody else have to finish him off for you?"
"Of course I took him down," retorted the devil slayer to his comrade's taunt. "I had to after that other Spriggan gave you see much trouble."
Recognizing the start of a fight between the two, Erza cut Natsu and Gray off.
"Now is not the time for that!" snapped the red-haired Fairy, still a little emotional after Makarov's almost-sacrifice. "We may be gaining the upper hand, but there are still several powerful enem— Everyone, get down!"
Erza, Gray, and Natsu ducked, pulling down the rest of their friends as they dropped down. As such, they were all able to avoid a direct hit as the ground nearby exploded.
A woman with hair the same color as Erza's walked up to the Fairies. "It has been a while, Erza."
"You know her?" Lucy asked Erza.
"I do not, but I have a guess. You are Irene Belserion, are you not?"
"So you've heard of me," replied the Spriggan. "I'm not sure how much you know, but you should understand that only one of us will be walking away from this fight alive — and I have no plans on dying!"
Omake
"What… the… hell…" muttered a soldier of the Alvarez Empire. He and several of his comrades gawked as their allies were reduced to mindless attackers with no regard for their own lives by Irene's Berserker Enchantment.
The only reason these soldiers were even able to witness this phenomenon instead of being a part of it was because Ajeel had pulled them off of the battlefield due to their injuries, putting them outside of the spell's range.
"Ajeel… Ajeel went back to look for more wounded!" exclaimed a soldier. "Did he also get caught in the blast!?"
"Is this the Alvarez Empire we've been fighting for?" asked another, shell-shocked. "Does Emperor Spriggan see us as completely expendable?"
"What about our families!?" cried a third person hysterically. "Would they be disposed of just as casually!?"
A current of doubt started to spread through the ranks of the injured Alvarez forces.
AN: I feel like the mood of this chapter shifts suddenly a couple of times. That might just be me, though.
On an unrelated note, I'm glad for the opportunity to have Laxus use Fairy Law. As far as I can remember, he only ever used the spell once in canon (although its cost makes that understandable) and even that use didn't actually do anything.
Anyway, that's all for now. Bye!