Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

WARNING: THERE WILL BE SPOILERS! Read at your own risk. There's still original stuff in here, but if you haven't gotten to this point in the anime/manga, then some things may be ruined for you. I advise catching up to the anime/manga if you haven't already (for more reasons than just reading my story)! Thank you and enjoy!

SORRY! Another long one...I swear it just happens. I hope you guys enjoy longer chapters, though. Then I'd feel better.

Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon

Chapter 47

"Gracie, really, I'm alright," Lucy assured.

Gracie held Lucy tightly as she sobbed. "But it's so sad!" she cried. "You go to see your father and you find out he's passed on. It's so tragic."

Nikolias put a hand on Gracie's shoulder. "Careful, Gracie. You're gonna crush the poor girl."

When Lucy had returned to the guild with Natsu earlier that morning, she had told everyone about her father. Everyone was sorry for her loss, but Gracie seemed the most troubled by the news. She immediately broke down into tears and embraced Lucy. If someone had to guess by looking at them, they probably would have assumed that Gracie was the one who lost her father.

Gracie sniffed as she let go of Lucy. "Yeah, okay. Sorry, Lucy. I probably wasn't helping much," she said softly.

Lucy smiled. "It's okay. It's nice to know that you care so much."

"So you sure you're doing okay?" Nikolias asked. "Losing a parent can be really tough."

Lucy nodded. "I'll be alright. Natsu's been a huge support ever since I found out, so I'm getting better all the time."

Nikolias looked around. "Where is Natsu anyway?"

"He's at the mission board," Lucy said while pointing at the board where all of the missions were posted. "We both could use the cash. Maybe you two could join us on whatever mission we have. It's been a while since we worked together."

Nikolias nodded. "Sounds like a lot of fun."

Lucy stood up. "I'm going to get a drink. You want anything?"

"I'm alright, thanks," Nikolias said. Lucy walked away and Nikolias looked towards Gracie, his smile fading. "Are you alright?"

Gracie nodded slowly. "Yeah, I think so. It's just hearing about Lucy's dad made me think about my parents." She wiped away the new tears that were forming in her eyes before they could fall and gave a small laugh. "Pretty stupid, huh? I mean, with everything that happened on Tenrou Island, it's now been over seventeen years since they died and I'm still this upset about it."

Nikolias shook his head. "It's not stupid at all. The fact that you still miss them shows how much you loved them."

"I hate crying," Gracie pouted.

"I know," Nikolias said in a soothing tone, "but you shouldn't be afraid to."

Gracie took a deep breath, slapped her cheeks, and jumped to her feet. "There! All better now! I'm going to go get a drink because you're rude and didn't ask if I wanted anything."

"I didn't what?" Nikolias asked incredulously. "I didn't even go get them!"

"You could've asked me if I wanted anything when Lucy asked so that she could've gotten it for me," Gracie said matter-of-factly.

Nikolias covered his eyes with his hands. "You give me headaches."

Gracie turned on her heel and skipped over to the bar. "And yet you can't bear to be without me!" she called over her shoulder.

Nikolias sighed and peered through his fingers at Gracie as she joined Lucy at the bar, a big smile on her face as she chatted with Lucy and Mira. 'I don't get it, Gracie. I know you hate crying, but it's not like you don't cry. Why do I feel like you're bottling up your emotions? What's going on in that crazy head of yours?'

Meanwhile, Natsu was surveying the mission board. He hummed and scratched his chin. "Come on, something good. It's gotta be interesting and it's gotta pay well."

Happy flew over, a piece of paper in his paws. "What about this one, Natsu?"

Natsu took the paper and read it over. "Let's see. So for this one, we've gotta capture this criminal named Velveno, huh? Sounds easy enough." His eyes read on and he began to drool slightly once he saw the reward offer. "Whoa! They'll pay 4,000,000 Jewel for this guy's capture? I think we have a winner, Happy!"

"Aye!" Happy cheered.

Natsu's grin grew wide as he ran to Lucy. "Hey, Lucy! Check out this job! You interested?"

Lucy took the paper and stars filled her eyes. "4,000,000 Jewel? Hell yeah I'm in!"

"Did you even read what you've gotta do?" Gracie asked as she peered over Lucy's shoulder and read the paper. "Wait, catching a criminal? That's Niky's and my specialty! We're so gonna tag along!"

Lucy nodded and smiled. "Great! We haven't done a mission altogether in ages!"

"Hey Niky!" Gracie called over. "Come look at this job we've got!"

Nikolias walked over and quickly read the paper. "Looks like an easy payout."

Gracie nodded. "Sure does. By the way, have you heard of this Velveno guy?"

Nikolias shook his head. "No."

"Yeah, me either, so he's not one of our marks."

"Well if he's an escaped criminal, then he wouldn't be because it would mean that he was taken to jail for his crimes," Nikolias reminded her.

"True." Gracie returned her attention to the paper. "These things usually say who's asking for the job, right?"

Lucy scanned the paper. "Let's see…here it is! It says that the client's name is Count Balsamico."

"Did you say Count Balsamico?" Macao asked, overhearing the conversation in the small guild hall. He walked over to the group. "There's actually a rumor going around that Velveno is going to make an appearance at the huge magical ball that the Balsamico family is throwing this year."

"Magical ball?" Natsu asked.

Wakaba joined the group having followed Macao. "Every seven years, that family throws a big, fancy party. It's very exclusive, though. Only wizards are allowed."

Nikolias huffed. "Prejudice, huh? Whatever, I'm still gonna go."

Wakaba chuckled. "As long as you've got the guild mark on you, I don't think anyone will run a background check. Anyway, the next party is actually coming up. I believe that it's this Saturday."

"Alright!" Happy exclaimed. "Then let's crash this guy's party this weekend and become rich!"

"I like it!" Natsu said while pumping his fist.

"This is gonna be so much fun!" Gracie squealed.

"Well what are we waiting for? Let's get a move on!" Natsu shouted and started to make for the door. However, he was stopped by Lucy grabbing his scarf and holding him in place.

"Hold on, Natsu," Lucy said. "If we're going to go to this high-class ball, we're going to have to work on our dancing. Otherwise, we'll look stupid."

Natsu turned his head around. "Our…dancing?"

"Yes, our dancing," Lucy repeated. "Come on. Let's go outside and practice." She then proceeded to drag Natsu out of the guild.

"But I don't wanna dance!" Natsu complained.

Gracie giggled. "C'mon! Let's go too, Niky! You should come too, Mira. Let's have some fun!" She then ran excitedly out of the bar with Macao and Wakaba walking out after her. Romeo also ran out, curious to see what Natsu was doing.

Nikolias sighed. "Dancing, huh?"

Mira walked from behind the bar and took his hand. "It'll be fun!"

Nikolias chuckled. "Alright, we'll give it a try." The two then walked out of the guild to where the rest of the group had already convened.

Lucy stood facing Natsu. "Okay, we'll start simple. First, take my hands."

"This is embarrassing," Natsu groaned as he took Lucy's hands.

She smiled. "Good! Now, follow my lead." She then began to move her feet in a simple pattern. Natsu, though less than interested, followed her well.

Romeo stared at the two dancers. "I don't get it. What are they doing?"

Happy looked at him. "They're ballroom dancing!"

Kinana, who had been doing laundry outside, walked over. "It's beautiful!"

"It's kinda weird. Why do people do it?" Romeo asked.

Before anyone could answer, Natsu proceeded to step on Lucy's foot. She cried out in pain.

"Sorry, Luce! I didn't mean it!" Natsu apologized.

"It's okay," Lucy whined. "Just watch your feet." The two then continued their dancing pattern.

"Oh, so the goal is to stomp on someone's feet?" Romeo asked. "I guess Natsu won! Yeah, Natsu!"

Kinana giggled. "No, it's kind of the opposite of that."

"If you can dance like this, you can meet a complete stranger at a ball and move your body in perfect rhythm with theirs," Mira said. "It's very romantic."

"Cool!" Kinana and Romeo both exclaimed.

"Hey, what are you two doing over here?" Gray asked, having heard some commotion outside. "You playing a game?"

"It's not a game," Lucy huffed.

"I wanna play!" Gray said, immediately losing his shirt and jacket.

Gracie jumped at him and took his hands. "Alright ice man, you wanna play? See if you can keep up with me!"

"You're on!" Gray said. The two then began to dance about, although it was slightly choppy since neither of them had really danced before.

Juvia, upon seeing Gray strip and start dancing, bolted out of the guild hall. "Must you use seductive dance moves to flirt with other girls? If Juvia has to strip down to dance with you, Gray-sama, Juvia is more than willing!"

"Keep your clothes on, Juvia," Gracie said. "We're just dancing. Don't freak out."

"Do you expect anything different?" Gray asked.

Gracie got a mischievous grin. "Maybe you should just confess how you feel."

Gray blushed. "I don't know what you're talking about!"

Gracie sighed. "Fine. Play dumb, pretty boy."

"Watch it, Gracie," Gray hissed.

Erza walked out of the guild hall and joined the small group. "Dancing, are we? You may not know this, but in some circles I was known as the Dancing Demon."

"You were?" Natsu exclaimed as he and Lucy paused to stare at Erza.

"Not surprised," Gracie giggled.

Erza quickly requipped into a sky blue ballroom dress and grabbed Natsu. "Let's dance!" However, instead of dancing with him, she began to spin him like a top on his feet and on his head.

"Make it stop!" Natsu begged as the world kept on spinning.

Erza stopped and sighed. "My, are you really this weak, Natsu? You need to train more."

Natsu was on the ground, panting and trying to keep the vomit down. "No amount of training could prepare me for that."

Lisanna walked out of the guild and over to Natsu and Erza. "I can teach Natsu to dance! He'll be a pro in no time!"

"No, I'm tapping out for a while," Natsu moaned. However, Lisanna wasn't listening. She grabbed his arms, pulled him up, and began to spin him like a top like Erza did. "Please stop!"

"Let your shoulders relax, but keep your back straight," Lisanna instructed.

"This is the worst day ever!" Natsu wailed.

Elfman walked over and joined the group. "How can Natsu be such a sissy? C'mon, man up!"

"Alright then, Elfman," Erza said while grabbing his shoulder. "May I have this dance?" She then proceeded to spin him just like she had spun Natsu.

"A real man doesn't get spun around like this!" Elfman complained.

Wendy and Carla walked over. "Ballroom dancing looks amazing!" Wendy said with a smile. "I want to try it!"

Warren joined the group and walked over to Wendy. He offered her his hand. "May I have this dance?"

Wendy nodded and placed her hand in his. "That sounds delightful." The two then began to dance elegantly around.

Happy walked over to where Carla was watching. "Wow! Wendy really knows how to dance!"

"I'm not a fan of her dancing with a man twice her age," Carla grumbled.

Happy offered his paw. "Um…can I have this dance?"

Carla looked at him and sighed while taking his paw. "Fine, but just this once."

Happy didn't care. He was in heaven.

Romeo offered his hand to Kinana. "Let's try it out!"

Kinana smiled and took his hand. "Yeah, it could be fun!" The two then began to dance slowly and elegantly.

The rest of the guild had come out to see what was going on. They were surprised to see people dancing around.

"Levy!" both Jet and Droy called out. "Dance with me!" The two then butted heads with each other. "Back off! I asked her first!"

Levy laughed nervously at her two bickering teammates until she felt a large presence behind her. She turned to see a smirking Gajeel who was offering his hand. "Gajeel?"

"I'm not one for dancing, but who knows? Maybe it could be fun," Gajeel said.

Levy blushed and nodded. "Yeah." She took his hand and the two began to dance, much to the disappointment of Jet and Droy.

"That's not fair!" the two complained.

Evergreen walked over to Erza and tapped her on the shoulder. "May I cut in?"

Erza smiled and handed a dizzy Elfman over to Evergreen. "But of course."

Evergreen took Elfman's hands and the two began to slow dance. Elfman gave a sigh of relief. "Thanks, Ever. I thought I was gonna die. That so would not have been manly."

Evergreen blushed. "Whatever."

Soon, more and more people paired off and began to dance. Alzack and Bisca began to dance, Capricorn appeared to dance with the now solo Lucy, Bickslow danced with Cana, Freed danced with Erza, Laki danced with Laxus, and Gracie gave Gray over to an ecstatic Juvia while jumping in and dancing with Makarov.

Mira smiled from the sidelines. "Look how much fun everyone is having!"

Nikolias smiled and offered his hand to Mira. "Why don't we show them how it's done?"

Mira blushed and took his hand. "Okay."

The two joined the dancing group and began to dance. However, the dance that they performed was far more elegant and refined than anyone had ever seen. The footwork was complex and fast. And what made things even more incredible was that Nikolias was the one leading the steps. Mira, being a good dancer already, was able to match his rhythm with ease, but even she was surprised and impressed by the dance steps. The two glided across the floor with such grace that everyone stopped to watch with awe.

"Nikolias is incredible!" Wendy said. "I didn't know he could dance like that!"

"Now that's how a man dances!" Elfman exclaimed.

"I must say I'm impressed," Erza said with a smile.

"You're going to blend right in," Lucy said as she couldn't tear her eyes off of the pair.

"Where did you learn to dance like this, Nikolias?" Mira asked as Nikolias spun her once and gently dipped her.

He smiled softly at her while slowly bringing her upright. "I learned to dance like this for my wedding all those years ago. It's funny; I didn't even realize that I still remembered it."

Mira giggled as they continued to move about. "Well I am very impressed."

After watching Nikolias and Mira dance for a while longer, everyone started to dance again and enjoy themselves—all but one, who couldn't stop glaring at Nikolias.


The night of the party finally arrived. Natsu, Lucy, Happy, Wendy, Carla, Gracie, Nikolias, Mira, Erza, Gray, Elfman, and Warren all walked up to the massive palace that towered high into the sky.

"Yeah, this definitely looks like the kind of place that would throw a magical ball," Lucy said with a smile. She had been looking forward to this mission for days and now, she was finally going to get the chance to attend a magical ball.

"This place was farther away than I thought," Gray said.

"It's just a small price to pay for the chance to dance," Erza said with a serious look in her eye.

Gracie giggled. "Erza, you're silly! We're here to catch an escaped convict. Dancing is only the icing on top." She then began tugging on Nikolias' sleeve. "Check this place out, Niky! I've never seen such a palace before!"

Nikolias scanned the building and shrugged. "I don't know. Seems a bit much to me. I mean, is that giant plastic fruit up there? Seriously, in what world is that necessary?"

Mira laughed. "I think you may be a future architect with talk like that."

Nikolias was only half-listening. "Giant plastic grapes. Seriously, giant plastic grapes. Who needs that hanging off of their house?"

The massive wooden front doors opened and standing in the doorway was a beautiful young woman. She wore a pink dress that barely reached her knees. A white ribbon with a red rose was wrapped around her waist. The dress held tightly to her thin body, revealing modest breasts. Her light brown hair flowed down her back while two bangs were draped over her shoulders. Her light purple eyes seemed to sparkle as she looked at the group. "Um…you're a little early," the young woman said quietly.

Warren blushed as he put his hand to his head. "Whoa! What a fox!" he exclaimed to everyone via his telepathy.

Nikolias put a hand to his head. "Warren, scream something like that in my head again and I may have to beat on you a little."

Gray took a step forward. "We're here to see the Count."

The young woman smiled warmly. "Of course you are! My name is Aceto and my father is Count Balsamico."

"She's too pretty to have such an ugly name," Warren communicated telepathically again. A heavy fist then fell on his head. "Ow!"

Nikolias didn't even look at him as he removed his fist. "I warned you." Aceto giggled at the action.

Natsu stepped forward. "Good to meet you! My name is Natsu and all of us are with Fairy Tail."

Erza stepped forward. "We came because of the job request that your father posted in our guild hall."

Aceto nodded. "In that case, I'll take you to him. Please, come in and follow me."

Everyone nodded and followed Aceto inside. She led them all the way to the second floor and into a brightly lit room. Aceto walked over to a couch where a small man was sitting. She picked him up and put him in her lap. She then motioned for everyone to sit on the couch parallel to the one she was on, which Natsu, Lucy, Erza, and Wendy did. The others stood in the back.

The small man looked as if he had been sucking on lemons all of his life, for his face was puckered. He had a small amount of brown hair atop his head that was curled at the very end. He had thick brown eyebrows and a small brown beard. He was dressed like royalty down to the tassels on the shoulder guards. "Thank you for taking my request," the small man said. "I am Count Balsamico."

Natsu burst out laughing. "This guy is hilarious!"

"Natsu, shut up!" Lucy hissed. She then laughed nervously. "I apologize for his behavior, Count Balsamico."

Balsamico hummed. "Yes. Well anyway, allow me to get straight to the point. There is more information that you must know that wasn't on the flier."

"Please, go on," Erza said.

"I am very concerned for the well-being of my precious daughter. She means more than the world to me, after all."

Gracie nodded. "A caring father. Okay, he's a good guy. I've decided."

"Unnecessary commentary, Gracie," Nikolias sighed.

Natsu was trying to hold back, but he couldn't. He started laughing again. "If you love her so much, then why did you give her such a silly name?"

"It's a lovely name!" Balsamico retorted.

Erza threw a punch at Natsu that sent him face first into a wall. "I apologize, sir. Please continue."

Nikolias sweatdropped. "I guess Gracie isn't the worst behaved one. That's a first."

"Hey!" Gracie exclaimed.

Aceto giggled and Balsamico cleared his throat to continue. "As I was saying, the ball being held this evening is very special, for it is on this very night that her future husband will be selected! Once every seven years, our family brings out an extremely precious ring—a ring that has been passed down through the Balsamico family line for countless generations."

"And you're afraid that Velveno is going to steal it," Lucy theorized.

"I'm certain he will," Balsamico said with a nod. "After all, he tried and failed seven years ago. While he didn't succeed in stealing the ring, he did ruin the ceremony that would decide my daughter's husband."

Nikolias huffed and Mira looked at him. "Something wrong?"

Nikolias narrowed his eyes. "I'm just not a fan of arranged marriages. That's all. Don't pay me any mind."

"Yo, Count Balsamico!" Gracie said while raising her hand. "I've gotta question for you. Based on the picture in the flier, this Velveno guy sticks out like a sore thumb. How is he able to sneak in undetected?"

"It's because he is skilled in Transformation magic and Magical Drain," Balsamico responded.

"What's Magical Drain?" Elfman asked.

"It allows him to temporarily copy the type of magic used by whoever he comes into contact with," Balsamico explained. He then pointed to the Fiary Tail mages. "I entrust full safety of the ring to you all. Make sure he doesn't get his hands on it. Also, capture him and put him back behind bars where he belongs!"

"Don't you worry! We'll catch this guy no problem!" Natsu said.

Erza nodded. "Yes we will."

Gracie gave a thumbs up. "Besides, catching bad guys is what Niky and I do best!"

Nikolias nodded and smiled. He looked at Aceto, but was surprised to see that she was frowning. He figured that she was scared, so he decided to try and comfort her. "Don't worry Aceto. We'll protect you and the ring from this Velveno guy."

Aceto blushed slightly and nodded. "Thank you."

The Fairy Tail mages left the room with a bow, leaving Aceto and her father alone.

Balsamico leapt up and down with joy. "There's no way Velveno will succeed! Not with all of those Fairy Tail wizards here!"

"Yes, you're right, father," Aceto replied.

Balsamico stroked his beard. "I'm wondering if I should allow the gentlemen of that guild to join in on the ceremony tonight. I wouldn't mind having one of them be your husband, especially that one who made you laugh. What was his name? I believe the girl called him Niky. Tell me my dear, did you find yourself attracted to him?"

Aceto smiled. "He was very handsome, father."

"Excellent!" Balsamico cheered. "Then I shall cheer for him to get his hands on the ring tonight when Velveno tries to steal it. I'll tell him to present you with the ring and he will be your future husband!"

"Yes, father," Aceto replied with a smile, but there was no denying the sorrow in her eyes.


"All done, baby," Cancer said as he snipped his scissors a few times.

Lucy smiled. "Thanks, Cancer. You did great! I hope Natsu likes it."

All of the girls had split up to go into their own private dressing rooms. Once Lucy had arrived in her dressing room, she quickly changed into her elegant ballroom dress. It was a dark red with a split up her right leg for ease of movement. The neckline plunged deep to show off her large bust. Once she was changed, she summoned Cancer to do her hair. He had topped it off with a red ribbon on the side of her head.

She walked out of her dressing room where Erza was already done and waiting. Erza was wearing a purple dress with red and white roses along the bottom. The split in her dress was right up the middle and the top of her dress was low cut to show off her incredible bust as well. On her arms, she wore fancy white gloves that went all the way to the middle of her upper arm. Her scarlet hair was pulled back into a bun and two thin bangs hung loosely in the front to frame her face. She smiled at Lucy. "Are you ready, Lucy?"

Lucy nodded. "Sure am! By the way, you look incredible!"

Erza chuckled. "Thank you. I made sure to look the part of an elegant party-goer."

"Not bad at all," Mira complimented as she walked out of her dressing room. Mira was wearing a strapless gold dress that seemed to sparkle in the light as if small diamonds covered her dress. This dress had no split in it, but also didn't hug her legs as tightly as Lucy or Erza's dresses did. The top of the dress stopped at the very top of her breasts so as to present a fair amount of cleavage. A fancy necklace hung from her neck, embedded with a large red stone. Her silky white hair was pulled back into a bun, but she still had her usual front ponytail that kept the hair out of her face.

"Mira, you look amazing!" Gracie said as she stepped out of her dressing room. "Niky's gonna love it!"

Mira blushed. "You think so? I hope he likes it."

"He definitely will!" Gracie said with a confident nod.

"You look stunning as well, Gracie," Erza said with a smile.

Gracie was dressed in a forest green dress—the same color as her guild mark. This dress went all the way down to her ankles and was held up by two thin straps. She was probably presenting the least amount of cleavage of the women, but it was still a modest amount. Like Erza, she wore white gloves that went up her arms, but stopped just above her elbows. Her light blonde hair was pulled back and in a ponytail while two thin bangs framed her face. She tugged on her dress a little. "You think so? This so isn't my style. I honestly hate dressing up. Gimme my tanks and shorts over dresses any day of the week."

"Unfortunately, we must be far more dressy than a tank top and shorts if we're to blend in at this party," Erza said.

"Yeah, I know," Gracie huffed. "I was just saying."

Wendy stepped out of her dressing room, a small blush on her cheeks. "So, um…do I look okay?" She was dressed in a cute pink ball gown with a white sash and a red wrap around her small shoulders. She wore white gloves and her blue hair was held up in twin pigtails by white ribbons.

"You look adorable!" Gracie squealed.

Wendy's blush darkened. "Thank you."

"Well what are we waiting for?" Erza asked. "We're all here, so let's make our way to the dance floor!"

"Wow, you're really into this," Gracie said.

The five women made their way to the ballroom and were blown away by what they saw. A marvelous chandelier hung from the ceiling, illuminating the gorgeous ballroom. Couples in stunning dresses and suits danced around on the perfectly waxed floor and the magical floating platforms. They all wore masks as if it were a masquerade ball.

Erza looked up and saw the surveillance lacrimas that Warren had set to roam the ballroom. "Warren, any sign of Velveno yet?"


Warren, who was in the cellar of the palace with Happy and Carla with a surveillance lacrima, responded telepathically, "No, no sign of him yet. But don't worry; I have surveillance lacrimas all around the palace. I'll spot him if he tries to get in."

"Just make sure you act naturally," Carla shouted so that everyone could hear her through Warren's telepathy.


Gracie sighed. "Easier said than done. I hate these formal dance things."

Lucy scanned the room. "Where are the guys?"

Wendy poked her shoulder and pointed towards one of the food tables. "They're over there!"

Natsu was wearing a simple white button-down shirt with a black vest over it, black slacks, and a black belt. His trademark scarf remained wrapped around his neck.

Gray was wearing a red button-down shirt, but kept it un-tucked. A navy blue tie was tied loosely around his neck and he wore dark blue slacks.

Elfman was wearing a white shirt, suit jacket, pants, and shoes. He wore a red tie and on his left breast pocket was a red rose.

Nikolias was wearing an almost entirely black outfit. His button-down shirt, suit jacket, pants, and shoes were all black. The cuff links and tie were both gold and matched Mira's dress. The front of his hair was spiked up in the front.

Natsu noticed the girls. "Oh look, the girls are finally here."

"Guess it's time to mingle, huh?" Gray said with a smile.

"I'm pumped up!" Elfman cried, sweat rolling down his forehead. "Balls are super manly!"

"You don't have to be nervous," Gray laughed.

Nikolias smiled as he strolled towards the approaching women. Once he reached Mira, he held one of her hands with his left and gently brushed her face with his right. "You look beautiful."

Mira blushed. "Thank you. I'm glad you like it. You look very handsome as well."

Nikolias chuckled as he pulled gently on his tie. "I tried to match you."

Mira giggled and gently touched his neck where his gold Fairy Tail emblem was proudly presented. "Funny. I tried to match you."

Nikolias laughed as he pulled her closer to him for a quick, yet passionate kiss.

Gracie poked her head in between the two. "Get a room, you two."

Nikolias smiled at Gracie, but his eyebrow was twitching, thus revealing his annoyance with her. "Oh Gracie, your little interruptions are always so well timed."

"I try," Gracie replied with a cheesy grin before walking with Erza, Lucy, and Wendy over towards the three other Fairy Tail gentlemen. "And look at you boys. Mighty handsome. You should dress this way more often." She then winked at Gray. "But sometimes any clothes will do."

Lucy walked over to Natsu. "Look how handsome you are."

Natsu gave his signature grin. "I've gotta make sure I don't make you look bad. Someone as beautiful as you shouldn't have some slob on her arm."

Lucy blushed. "Oh, Natsu."

Erza looked around the ballroom. "Look how glamorous this is. I have to wonder if Velveno really will show up, though."

"We just have to investigate anyone who seems suspicious," Lucy said. "We should all split up for now."

Everyone nodded and took off in different directions to mingle with everyone.

Erza was the first to be approached. A strange man with greenish brown hair jumped in front of her. "Whoa, would you look at this red-headed angel? But you shouldn't be frowning, beautiful!" He started to dance a little. "Dance with me and you'll be all smiles!"

Erza nodded, but didn't change her demeanor too much. Still, she took the gentleman's hand and she walked with the man to one of the platforms.


Warren saw this and communicated telepathically to the group. "We've got a suspicious guy with Erza. Tail him, guys."


"Got it," both Gray and Natsu replied telepathically.

"Not sure if that guy knows what he's about to get into," Lucy said through her thoughts.

And sure enough, the man would soon regret his decision. Once they began to dance, Erza started to spin him like a top much like she did with Natsu during practice a few days prior.

Natsu and Gray stopped next to Lucy and looked up at the platform. Their faces fell once they saw what was happening. "I don't think there's a problem here," Natsu said.

"No kidding," Gray agreed. "We may have to jump in to save him."

Lucy sighed. "Called it." Suddenly, a tall and handsome man walked up to Lucy.

He offered her his hand. "Excuse me, miss, but may I have this dance?"

Lucy smiled and nodded. "Of course!" she said as she took the man's hand.

Natsu grit his teeth. "Damn punk."

"Easy, Natsu," Gray said. "It is the job."

Natsu crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I know, but I still don't like it."


Carla saw the man walk up to Lucy. "That man is far too handsome. He's suspicious!"

Warren nodded his agreement and communicated to Natsu and Gray, "That guy with Lucy is suspicious. You know what to do."


Natsu grinned evilly. "With pleasure!" However, before he and Gray could take off after Lucy, the two were ambushed by a pair of incredibly unattractive women. One had a very pointy and geometric long face while the other had an enormous head shaped like a watermelon. "What the hell?"

"How could I deny such a handsome man a dance?" the pointy faced woman asked Natsu rhetorically.

"You won't have to dance alone tonight!" the other woman exclaimed to Gray. The two women began to violently dance with the two Fairy Tail men.

"Help!" Natsu yelped. "We're under attack!"

"I'd much rather be alone, trust me!" Gray assured the strange woman.

Elfman heard Natsu's cry for help. "Nikolias, we've gotta go help them!" However, he got no response. He turned around and sweatdropped when he saw Nikolias being swarmed by a mass of women begging to dance with him. Most of them were grabbing at his hands, trying to pull him into a dance, but he resisted.

Nikolias gave Elfman a pleading look. "I think I need help, too."

Elfman sighed. "Great. I'm the last man standing." Elfman began to walk towards Natsu and Gray when a soft and beautiful voice hit his ears.

"Is it too forward of me to ask you to dance?" the woman asked.

Elfman turned around and immediately blushed. The woman was beautiful. Her light brown hair was done up in a bun and her thin body was complimented by her purple dress. Elfman took the woman's hands. "Sure I'll dance! I'll dance like a real man for you! We'll set this place on fire!"


Happy, Carla, and Warren sighed as they watched the events through the lacrima.

"Okay, I can understand Nikolias being swarmed and Natsu and Gray being attacked," Happy began, "but the fact that that woman isn't running away in terror makes her really suspicious."

"I couldn't agree more," Carla said. "That has to be Velveno."

Warren nodded and began to relay information telepathically. "Check it out, Natsu and Gray. Elfman needs help. Nikolias is stuck beyond belief right now, so it's up to you guys to lend Elfman a hand."


"Right!" Natsu and Gray both said. Gray activated his magic and turned the dance floor near them to ice. He and Natsu then spun their partners, sending them skating along the floor. They then took off for Elfman.


Warren then reached out to Mira and Gracie. "Hey you two. Nikolias could use some assistance. Think you can lend him a hand?"


Mira and Gracie looked over to where Nikolias was being backed further and further into a corner. Mira nodded. "Of course we'll help."

Gracie slapped her forehead. "I blame myself for not seeing this coming."

The two women made their way towards Nikolias, but were stopped by a pair of handsome men.

"Look how beautiful you are," the first man said to Gracie, offering her his hand. "May I trouble you for a dance?"

Gracie took the man's hand with the best fake smile she could give. "But of course," she said, even though deep down she wanted to punch the guy in the gut and walk away.

"And you, fair maiden?" the other man asked Mira.

Mira stole one last glance at Nikolias before nodding. "Of course. I would be happy to."

The two women were escorted to the dance floor by the two men.

Nikolias saw them walk towards the dance floor over the bickering heads of the women. Even though he knew very well that this was for the mission, he couldn't fully fight back the dragon instincts that were building up inside of him. After all, this absolute stranger was dancing with his Mira and he didn't like the look on his face. He growled as he glared at the man.


"Keep your cool, Nikolias," Warren called out to him telepathically. "It's part of our mission."


Nikolias clenched his fists. "I know. I'll try to calm down." Still, try as he might, he couldn't calm himself. 'What is wrong with me lately?'


Warren quickly turned his attention to Elfman, who was still dancing with the woman. "Elfman, you need to switch out with Gray right now."


"Not happening!" Elfman responded out loud.


"What?" Warren asked incredulously.


"The world may try to get between you and your woman, but that just makes the passion burn brighter! And the fire is what makes a man a man!"

Natsu had no choice but to intervene with force. "That's enough!" he shouted as he shoved Elfman away from his dance partner.

Gray immediately jumped in. "Time to switch partners," he said as he took the woman's hand and began to dance with her.

"My, aren't you an enchanting gentleman?" the woman asked.

"It's funny that you'd put it that way because this is a magic user's ball," Gray responded. "What kind of magic do you use?"

"That's a very personal question," the woman said. "A true gentleman would reveal his magic first before asking a lady to reveal hers."

"Sorry, but I guess being a gentleman isn't my strong suit," Gray laughed.

"I see. Very well, I'll play along and show you mine," the woman yielded. She released Gray and lifted her hand as ice began to swirl around in her palm. "Maker magic. ICE MAKE SWAN!" She slammed her hand on the ground, sending out five ice birds into the air.

Gray smirked. "So you just so happen to use the same kind of magic that I do. Alright then." He put his hand in his palm as ice particles began to swirl around. "ICE MAKE KITE!" He slammed his hands on the ground, creating a giant kite of ice underneath his feet. He sailed through the air on it as people looked up and applauded. He then leapt to the ground and faced off with the woman who could use his magic.

The woman smiled. "Impressive, but sadly not my style." Ice began to collect in her hand once more. "ICE MAKE POLAR BEAR!" A giant bear of ice shot from her hand and charged Gray.

Gray leapt into the air to avoid the attack as ice collected in his hands. "ICE MAKE PRISON CELL!" The ice collected and formed into a giant cage of ice that trapped the polar bear. Gray landed on the top of the cage.

"You really know how to show a lady a good time," the woman said with a smile as she created a giant ice cannon in her hands. "ICE MAKE BAZOOKA!" A stream of ice shot at Gray.

Gray smirked as he created an even bigger ice cannon that he gripped with two hands. "If you think that's good, try this! ICE MAKE CANNON!" A large shot of ice sped towards the woman. The two attacks collided in midair, showering the dance floor with ice and causing the guests to panic.

Erza saw the fighting and leapt away from her still spinning date. She quickly requipped into the prince uniform that she had acquired for doing a play many years ago, a large sword gripped firmly in her hands. "You two need to stop this immediately!" she exclaimed, swinging her sword at Gray and the ice woman and batting them away from each other.

Lucy sighed as she danced with her awestruck dance partner. "And of course, things get out of hand," she muttered under her breath.

Wendy laughed nervously at the scene that had unfolded before noticing movement on the upper balcony. She looked up and her eyes widened. "Look! Miss Aceto is on the balcony!"

Everyone in the room turned to see Aceto walking down the stairs with her father, the Count. Aceto had changed for the ball. Her dress was white with a red bottom and gold trimming. The dress was strapless and the top rested just above her breasts. The sleeves of the dress were separate from the rest of it, but were still white with red fringes and gold bands to hold it to her arms. At the top of the dress, Aceto also had a red rose at the very center with a purple ribbon behind it that hung down to her waist. Another larger rose was at her waist. Her long, light brown hair cascaded down her back, but some of it was held together by a gold band with a small white ribbon and small rose atop her head. Her two bangs were still draped over her shoulders, but the tips were curled for the occasion. Her purple eyes sparkled while she smiled at the guests. The male portion of the guest list all blushed and drooled over how beautiful Aceto looked.

Aceto and her father stopped before the gathering crowd. Balsamico laughed. "It would appear that all of the men here are intimidated by my daughter's divine beauty." It was true, for even Gray and Elfman couldn't help but stare at the young woman before them.

Aceto began to walk forward to mingle with the guests.

Elfman blushed as she walked by. "The way you seem to sparkle is so manly!" he exclaimed.

"Calm down, buddy," Gray said.

Aceto paused and giggled. "I am a girl, though." She then turned towards where Erza, Lucy, Natsu, Wendy, Mira, and Gracie were standing. She smiled at Erza, who was still wearing her prince outfit. "Now then, may I have the honor of the first dance?"

"Of course," Erza responded with a smile. She walked forward, took Aceto's hands, and led her to one of the magical platforms. Once they stood on it, the platform rose into the air and the two started to dance. Everyone was slightly scared at first, but were stunned at the fact that poor Aceto was not spinning.

Gracie put her hand to her chin. "Huh. So Erza can dance? Then what the hell has she been doing?"

"I want to know why the Count's daughter is dancing with Erza," Lucy said.

Natsu shrugged as he made his way to the food table. "Beats me." He filled his plate. "By the way, where's Nikolias?"

"Right here," came a tired yet familiar voice. Everyone turned to see an exhausted Nikolias. He was panting and sweating and he still had a look of fear in his eyes. "Why didn't anyone save me?" he asked.

"What, you couldn't handle a mob of women?" Gracie asked.

"No!" he shouted at her. "They wouldn't leave me alone! And it's not like I can just fight them off."
"How'd you get out then?" Gray asked.

"When Aceto started to walk down the stairs, their attention left me and I was able to run," Nikolias explained.

Mira walked over to Nikolias and kissed his cheek while rubbing his back. "Poor guy."

Wendy smiled at Nikolias. Suddenly, she felt a tap on her shoulder. She turned around to see a young boy roughly her age with short blonde hair offering his hand to her. "Oh. Hello."

"May I have this dance?" the young boy asked.

Wendy nodded and took his hand. "Yes, thank you." The two walked to a platform and began to dance.


Warren, Carla, and Happy saw the whole thing. However, no one took seeing Wendy dance with the boy harder than Warren. "That slimy little bastard sure has got a lotta nerve. Wendy is way too young to be dancing with boys."

Carla crossed her arms. "They won't be dancing long. It's almost midnight, after all."

And just then, the clock struck midnight.


Natsu stopped eating and looked at the clock. "Now what?"

"Ah! It's the fateful hour at last!" Balsamico cried.

Erza and Aceto stopped dancing. "What happens at midnight?" Erza asked.

"The ring is presented," Aceto replied. "The bells within that giant old clock only sound on one night every seven years and the doors open." Just as Aceto said, the doors underneath the clock opened and a box sitting on top of a platform was rolled out. And inside that open box was a ring with a large purple gem on a gold band. "There's the ring."

Balsamico turned to his guests. "Whoever takes the ring is hereby granted the right to propose to my beautiful daughter. It is a Balsamico family tradition!"


"Huh, so whoever gets the ring can propose?" Warren wondered aloud, having heard everything through the lacrima. Suddenly, the lacrima alarm started to sound. The picture then moved and focused in on one of the male dressing rooms. All the three onlookers could see was a pair of feet struggling against their bonds.

"We should check that out!" Happy said.

"Good idea," Warren said as he and Carla took off with Happy.


Balsamico cleared his throat. "Alright everyone! Whoever wishes to propose to my daughter must first possess the ring! Anyone can participate! Begin!"

And just like that, all of the male guests took off for the ring.

Even Elfman took off for the ring. "She wouldn't say no to a real man!"

"Elfman, we're not here to hook up with the client's daughter!" Lucy called out after him.


Warren, Happy, and Carla arrived at the dressing room and threw open the curtain. Once they saw who was tied up and gagged, their eyes widened.

It was the boy that Wendy was dancing with.

Warren untied the gag. "Are you okay?"

The young boy took a big breath before nodding. "Yeah. Some guy with a huge afro tied me up before the ball started."

Warren's eyes were filled with fear. "That was Velveno. And that means the boy dancing with Wendy right now…" He put his hand to his head. "Wendy, watch out! That's Velveno!"


Wendy heard Warren's message. She leapt back with a gasp, letting go of the young boy's hands in the process.

The young boy smirked as he leapt high into the air. "Transform off!" In a flash of light, the young boy vanished and a tall black man with an enormous afro appeared. He looked like he was at a disco, for he wore an open orange button-down shirt atop a blue shirt, white pants, a rose on his left breast pocket, and a chain around his neck. "Alright! I'm me again! And now for a little fun!" He pointed his mouth at the charging men. "SKY DRAGON ROAR!" A tornado of wind shot at the guests, causing them to stop and cower in fear. The wind then carried over to the ring, picked it up, and brought it to Velveno. He grasped it firmly in his hand. He smiled down at Aceto. "And now the Balsamico family ring is in the hands of the one and only Velveno!"

"He did it," Aceto whispered.

"You thief!" Balsamico cried. "Give the ring back this instant!"

Natsu leapt onto one of the platforms and charged at Velveno. "Alright! Things are finally getting interesting!" Natsu leapt at Velveno with a fire enveloped fist. "FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!"

Velveno turned to face Natsu and smiled. He lifted a fist and flames danced around it. He leapt at Natsu. "FIRE DRAGON IRON FIST!"

"What?" Natsu asked in disbelief. The two fists crashed into each other and the force pushed the two apart. "Fine then, try this! FIRE DRAGON ROAR!" A pillar of flames erupted from his mouth and barreled towards Velveno.

"FIRE DRAGON ROAR!" Velveno cried as he, too, fired a pillar of flames at Natsu. The two attacks crashed into each other and exploded, leaving behind a large smokescreen.

The two fell from the smokescreen and landed on the ground to square off.

"What the hell?" Natsu hissed. "How can he use my magic?"

"You kidding?" Velveno asked. "Of course I helped myself to your magic when we had our little dance."

"Then I'll deal with you," Erza said as she strode confidently forward. "Gray, Elfman, and Gracie, protect Aceto."

"Right!" the three nodded as they stood protectively around Aceto.

"Requip!" Erza cried as a flash of light consumed her. She appeared from the light wearing black, spiked armor with a large black and spiked sword. "PURGATORY ARMOR!" She dashed at Velveno.

Velveno stood with a hand on his hip, but the smile never faded. "Requip! PURGATORY ARMOR!" In a flash of light, Velveno's disco outfit changed to that of black, spiked armor with a black, spiked sword—exactly like Erza. He raised his sword and blocked Erza's incoming attack. Once he pushed her away, he changed back to his regular outfit. "It's pointless!" he said with a laugh. "I've already copied the magic of every single Fairy Tail member that came to this little party." He took out a cigar and laughed.

Gracie stepped forward. She clapped her hands together and became enveloped in a golden aura. She then closed her eyes and held her arms out to the side. "Come forth, halberd!" After a few seconds, her black halberd appeared in her hands. Using the axe blade, she tore the bottom of her dress slightly so that she could move about easier. "Sorry, but I don't quit because of something like that!" She then leapt at Velveno.

Velveno laughed and held out a hand. "Come forth, halberd!" In a flash of light, a halberd appeared in his hand and he quickly blocked Gracie's strike and pushed her back. "Just quit already!"

Gracie slid back towards the group. She grit her teeth as she held her weapon at the ready. "Damn it."

"My turn," Nikolias said as he stepped forward. He glared at Velveno with his golden brown eyes.

"Nikolias!" Lucy exclaimed. "You're in trouble now, buddy!"

Velveno smirked. "What did I just say? I copied every Fairy Tail member's magic. Just let it be."

"That ring doesn't belong to you," Nikolias said while holding out his hand. "Now hand it over."

Velveno laughed. "You Fairy Tail members have got spunk, I'll give ya that. Sorry, but I've got plans for this ring. Besides, have you not noticed that I can counteract everyone's magic?"

Nikolias took off his suit jacket, tossed it to the side, and crossed his arms. "Okay then. Show me."

Velveno raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"Show me my magic. I'm dying to see it," Nikolias said with a smile. "I wanna see if you can do it justice."

Velveno laughed as he held his hands out. "Alright then! If you want to see it, fine!" He stood still for a few moments before his smile faded. "Wait, where is it? I definitely touched you! I know I did!"

Nikolias closed his eyes and shook his head. "That's disappointing, but expected." He opened his eyes to reveal that they had gone dragon-like. "I mean, it's hard to copy the magic of someone who doesn't use it."

"That ain't possible!" Velveno exclaimed.

Nikolias held his arms out as shadows danced around him. "If you'd like, though, I can still show you what I can do." He threw his arms forward. "SHADOW WHIP!" Upon command, dozens of shadow tendrils shot towards Velveno. Before he could even react, the shadows wrapped tightly around him, picked him up, and pushed him backwards until his back slammed into the wall, forcing the cigar from his mouth. Nikolias then snapped his fingers and another shadow tendril shot toward Velveno. It then buried itself into the other shadows.

Velveno struggled against his restraints. "Stop! Please don't! NO!" But it was too late.

The shadow tendril had already wrapped itself around the ring in Velveno's hand and pulled it from his grasp. It then flicked it over to Nikolias, who easily caught it. "Game over, Velveno," Nikolias said as he admired the ring.

"Wait, please!" Velveno begged. "I swear I didn't come here for a fight!"

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "What?"

"I'm only here because I screwed up last time," Velveno explained. "I've waited seven long years to try again. Please, give me back the ring so that I don't screw up again!"

Gracie leaned over to Mira. "Am I the only one not following this?"

Mira shook her head. "No, I'm lost, too."

Nikolias crossed his arms. "You're gonna have to give me more than that for me to give this ring back to a criminal like you. You're just lucky your offenses weren't anything serious and you've already been to prison. Otherwise, I'd just kill you on the spot. So talk."

Velveno looked over to Aceto. "I came because I wanted to ask Aceto a very important question and I need that ring to do it."

Lucy put her hands to her mouth. "No way."

"It couldn't be," Gracie said.

"Aceto," Velveno began, "we've known each other ever since we were little kids and this entire time, I've been crazy in love with you."

Aceto blushed. "Velveno…"

"You were the lowborn child of one of my servants and I still permitted you to play with my daughter!" Balsamico shouted. "Have you forgotten your place?"

"No," Velveno said. "Every time I came to see Aceto, you would always remind me. You would always say that we were from two different worlds and shouldn't mix. I was bad for her and you stopped letting me see her. And then you kicked me back out onto the street again, because trash like me doesn't belong in your palace, right?"

Aceto's eyes went wide as she looked at her father. "Father, how could you? You never even told me that he tried to visit."

"And you still don't need to hear about it!" Balsamico shouted.

"The sad part is that I started to believe him and I decided that I was finally gonna give up on you, Aceto. I even gave up on myself. I drifted around and eventually turned to a life of crime. Got arrested. Ended up in jail. The whole shebang."

"I ain't buying it," Natsu said. "This is a bunch of crap!"

"Just wait, Natsu," Erza said. "Let him finish."

Velveno continued. "While I was locked up, I had all the time in the world to sit around and think about the thing that I regretted the most in my life. And that regret was that I never got the chance to tell you how I felt! So I took a risk. I broke out of jail so that I could come to the ball. Hell, I did it twice!"

"I've heard enough!" Balsamico exclaimed. "I'll put an end to this right now. I hereby declare Nikolias the winner of my daughter's hand!"

All of the men groaned in disappointment.

Gracie almost burst out laughing.

Mira nearly passed out.

Yet Nikolias said nothing. In fact, since Velveno began his story, he hadn't moved. His arms hung at his side and his gaze was on the floor, the shadow of his hair over his eyes preventing anyone from seeing his expression.

Balsamico cleared his throat. "Congratulations, Nikolias! You may present my daughter with the ring now. You can marry her and end this creature's hopes."

And with those words spoken, something happened that no one would have ever expected.

The shadows restraining Velveno disappeared, allowing him to land gently on the floor. Then, without looking up, Nikolias threw the ring at Velveno. "Oops," Nikolias said in a monotonous tone.

Velveno easily caught the ring and looked at Nikolias with tears in his eyes. "Thank you."

"Niky, what'd you do that for? Why'd you give him the ring?" Gracie asked. "There are better ways of getting out of a marriage, you know."

"Enough of the jokes, Gracie," Nikolias said softly, but the way he said it made her take a step back in surprise. It was soft, yet dead serious.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Balsamico shrieked. "You gave that criminal the ring! I demand you retrieve it this instant! He is undeserving of my daughter's hand!"

Again, the Count's words sparked a reaction from Nikolias. "Let me tell you why I won't do that," he said. "First, as nice as Aceto is, I wouldn't marry her. I'm with someone that I love already. That's one reason why I won't be taking the ring back."

Mira blushed. "Nikolias…"

He then lifted his head and glared at Balsamico with cold, golden eyes. "The second reason is because you're a piece of shit."

"Excuse me?" the Count exclaimed.

"Whoa there, Niky!" Gracie said. "Take it easy. Calm down."

"To hell with calm," Nikolias hissed. He clenched his fists. "Where the hell do you get off deciding who someone should or shouldn't love or be with? You think just because you're rich and have a lot of power, you can label someone as unworthy? Sorry, but I'm not gonna let that happen. Not as long as I can do something about it. You have no right to decide who your daughter should love!"

"How dare you talk to me like this!" Balsamico shouted.

Nikolias turned away from the Count and looked at Velveno. "Velveno, do you truly love Aceto?"

Velveno nodded. "With all of my heart!"

Nikolias closed his eyes and took a few steps to the side, clearing a path to Aceto. "Then I won't stop you. If you love someone, do something about it. To hell with who you are or what you've done. Take a shot and be happy."

Velveno nodded and slowly walked towards Aceto. Once he was in front of her, he took a knee and offered her the ring. "Miss Aceto, please tell me you'll be my wife."

Aceto was speechless as she stared at Velveno.

"Can't you see this is a waste of time?" Balsamico shouted. "The answer is clearly no!"

Aceto stepped forward and smiled. "I will!"

Velveno stood, a big smile on his face. "You serious!?"

"Of course!" she exclaimed. "I've been waiting my whole life for the day you'd come back."

"You were?" Velveno asked. "This is my wildest dream come true! I can hardly believe it!"

Aceto closed her eyes. "There's just one thing."

"What is it?" Velveno asked.

She looked at him again. "Turn yourself in. You need to pay for your crimes still."

Velveno stared at her for a moment, but then closed his eyes and lowered his head. "You're right."

Aceto nodded and put out her hand. Velveno took it and slipped the ring on her finger. The crowd erupted in cheers.

"Isn't it wonderful?" Erza said as she began to tear up.

Gracie sniffed. "I guess even criminals deserve love. Not all, but some. You know, the not stupid ones."

"That was beautiful!" Lucy said.

"He's actually really sweet!" Wendy said.

"What a romantic situation," Mira said as she clapped her hands together.

"Un-freaking-believable," Gray said with a smile.

"Hell yeah! That was so manly!" Elfman shouted.

"I'm so confused," Natsu said while scratching his head.

Erza ignored him and raised her arms. "A round of applause for the couple!"

Everyone clapped and smiled—all except the Count, of course. Velveno and Aceto held hands, both overwhelmed with happiness.

Velveno and Aceto then walked over to where Nikolias was standing, his eyes closed and his arms crossed. "I can't thank you enough, my man. If it weren't for you, I would have never been able to stand here with Aceto like this."

Nikolias looked at Velveno and Aceto and smiled. "Don't let the world stop you, Velveno. If you love her, stay by her side. Protect her."

Velveno nodded. "You got it!"


A few minutes later, members of the Magic Council's guard arrested Velveno. As he passed by, he stopped in front of a smiling Aceto. "Well, they're hauling me off."

"I'll wait for you," Aceto said. "I promise."

"Thank you, Aceto," Velveno said. "And I promise that I'll come back for you." With that, Velveno walked off with the guards out of the palace, but not before looking at Nikolias and mouthing one final thank you.

Lucy walked over to Balsamico. "So…about our reward…"

"You think I'll give you anything after everything that happened here tonight!?" Balsamico shouted in her face.

Erza requipped back into her prince outfit and took Aceto onto one of the platforms. "Now, to celebrate Lady Aceto's newfound happiness, let's dance the night away!"

Everyone cheered and took to the dance floor. Warren danced with Wendy, Happy danced with Carla, Elfman danced with yet another strange woman, and Gray danced with Gracie. Natsu ate at one of the food tables.

Lucy sighed as she looked over the job poster one last time. "Well, I never thought things would turn out this way." She looked up to Aceto and spotted the ring. "I hope one day Natsu will propose to me in a sweet way like that."

"Lucy," Natsu said softly as he walked over.

Lucy turned around with a blush.

"Listen," Natsu said.

Lucy's blush intensified. 'No way…'

Natsu patted his stomach. "I ate too much food, so you're gonna have to roll me home!"

Lucy sighed. "I guess that was too much to hope for."

Natsu raised an eyebrow. "Huh?"

Lucy shook her head. "Oh, nothing." She walked over and took Natsu's hands. "Let's stay a little while longer and dance!" She then dragged him onto a platform.

Natsu smiled and went along with it. "Hey Lucy?"

"Yeah?"

He held her close and whispered in her ear, "It's not impossible."

Lucy blushed. "What?"

Natsu chuckled. "C'mon, I'm a Dragon Slayer. I could hear what you said."

Lucy turned a dangerous shade of red. "O…Oh. You did?"

He nodded. "Yeah. And it's not impossible. It won't happen tonight," he paused to give her a kiss, "but one day."

Lucy smiled and kissed Natsu. "I love you, Natsu."

"I love you, too, Luce," he replied as the two continued to dance.

Off to the side, Nikolias sat with Mira at a table.

"That was quite the outburst," Mira said.

"It's how I feel," Nikolias said. "It's what I believe."

"I know," she said as she took his hands. "You were thinking about Michelle, right? How people told you that you two were too different and shouldn't be together."

He nodded. "Yeah."

"Are you alright now?"

He squeezed her hands. "I…I don't know, Mira. Ever since we got back from Tenrou, something feels off. I just…somehow don't feel like myself."

"What do you mean?" Mira asked worriedly.

"I mean, when I saw you go on the dance floor with that guy, I could think of nothing but tearing the guy's arms off and beating him with them." He looked at his hands. "I shouldn't have felt so angry."

Mira touched his face. "Believe me; even if you feel different, you're still the same wonderful man that I fell in love with. Just look at what you did for Aceto and Velveno. It was very sweet of you and that's who you are; a kind and understanding man."

"Thank you, Mira."

"You'll be okay, right?" Mira asked, still concerned for Nikolias.

He smiled and placed his hand over hers. "I will be as long as I have you with me." He leaned forward and captured her lips with his for a passionate kiss. "Come on. Let's dance. We haven't danced once all night."

Mira smiled and nodded. "I'd love to."

The two walked onto the dance floor and rode a platform into the air. The two slow danced, holding each other tightly.

"Mira," Nikolias whispered as he held her tighter. "I love you so much."

"I love you, too," Mira whispered back, closing her eyes to fully enjoy the moment.

Nikolias closed his eyes as well. 'I wish I could stay like this forever.'


And there you have it! An original mini arc is heading your way before I dive into the original arc. I hope you're excited!

Also people, keep something in mind. I have a lot of moves for Nikolias. If there's a move you'd like to see more of you'd like to see more new moves, let me know! I can work it out.

Anyway, thanks for reading! Rememberm chapter 48 will be an ORIGINAL STORYLINE!