Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail.

Hey everyone! Sorry this is so late. I was away from my computer for several days enjoying a Con. But to make up for it, look how long this chapter is!

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!

Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon

Chapter 76

Lucy closed a thick book and sighed. She was sitting at a table inside of the guild hall with a pile of books. "Still nothing."

Michelle was with her, standing over the memento and looking it over. Upon hearing Lucy sigh, she turned her head and smiled encouragingly. "It's alright, Lucy. I know you can figure out what it means."

Lucy hummed. "Well it won't be easy and I'm not finding any clues."

"It's only been a few hours. Don't give up," Michelle said.

"Oh I won't," Lucy assured.

"Luuuuuucyyyyyy!" Gracie called out as she came skipping into the guild. Gray and Erza were directly behind her.

"Hey Gracie. What's up?" Lucy asked.

Gracie leaned on the table, a big smile on her face. "Put down the stuffy books for a while. We're going on a mission!"

Lucy raised an eyebrow. "A mission?"

"That's right," Erza said. "We've accepted a new request."

"There's some bad guys stealing gold that we need to go catch," Gray explained.

Lucy smiled and clapped her hands together apologetically. "Sorry, but I'm gonna pass on this one."

"Aw, but why?" Gracie whined.

"We're having a hard time getting very far and finding out what this inscription says," Michelle replied.

"But you can take a break, right?" Gracie requested.

"I'm sorry, Gracie," Lucy said.

"That's fine I suppose," Erza said as she looked around. "Where's Natsu and Nikolias?"

"Nikolias is on a date with Mira. I think he was taking her out of town for a day so they won't be back until tomorrow. As for Natsu, I have no idea where he went. He took off a while ago," Lucy said.

"I see. What about Sky and Ash? This could be their first mission," Erza said.

"They went out into town earlier," Lucy said.

"Alright then. I guess we'll be off then," Erza said to Gray and Gracie.

"Right!" Gracie cheered.

"Wait, hang on a sec," Gray said. "Just the three of us are going?"

Erza glared at him. "Do you have a problem with that?"

Gray gulped. "P…Problem? Of course not."

"Oh how precious," Gracie teased. "He's scared of being alone with two gorgeous women."

"That's not…knock it off, Gracie!" Gray shouted, his face a dark shade of red.

"If we hurry there's a chance that we could be back before night fall. Let's get moving," Erza said as she made for the door.

Gray sighed. "Right."

Gracie grabbed onto his arm and pulled him along. "Oh it'll be fun! Stop worrying so much." She winked at him. "I promise I won't bite."

"Would you cut that out?" he asked in embarrassment.

Gracie giggled. "But it's so fun and so easy!"

As the three made their way out the door, a certain blue haired water mage was watching them with envious eyes from behind the request board. 'This is a major problem!' Juvia cried in her thoughts as tears stung the corners of her eyes. 'Why did you not insist that Juvia go along with you, Gray-sama? How could you be so cruel?' Her grip on the board tightened and a chunk of wood snapped off. 'Juvia must follow them! Juvia can't let Gray-sama be tempted by other women!'


Deep inside the East Forest along the river, Natsu and Happy sat quietly fishing. It was, of course, Happy's idea which was evident from the look of glee on the little blue Exceed's face and the look of pure boredom on Natsu's. The Dragon Slayer sat hunched, barely even gripping his pole as he groaned. "This is so boring."

"Get serious! This is lunch we're talking about!" Happy exclaimed. "Tell me what's so boring about that?"

"It's not the lunch part that's boring. It's the getting it yourself part. Couldn't we have just eaten in the guild? I wanna help Lucy."

"Fish straight from the river is so much tastier. Now come on, let's see your game face!"

"Alright alright," Natsu said before his head fell forward and he began snoring.


In another section of the East Forest, Laxus walked down a dirt road with his hands in his pockets and a frown on his face. He came to the forest frequently whenever he needed to clear his head and he had needed to do so a lot these days. This particular afternoon was no different than most; he had heard that Nikolias and Mira were going on a date. Really anything involving those two put him in a foul mood. He just couldn't comprehend why she was with someone like that.

He suddenly stopped and huffed in irritation as he looked to his left. "What do you want?" he growled.

Out of the tree line stomped a large green Gorian. It laughed as it approached the Lightning Dragon Slayer, towering over him and staring at him with white eyes. "I was just thinking about how much I would love to settle the score with those Fairy Tail losers and then what do you know? One of them walks right onto my turf."

Laxus narrowed his eyes. "So you've got a bone to pick, eh monkey?"

The Gorian drew back one of its massive fists. "Yeah, I've got to pick which bone I want to break first. I think I'll start with your face!"

Lightning danced violently around Laxus, cracking at the air like whips. "You know I could really blow off some steam right about now. You'll do just fine." He released his lightning, electrocuting the giant Gorian and sending a pillar of lightning into the sky.


Natsu snapped awake upon hearing the sound of lightning. He looked up and saw a pillar of lightning shooting up through the trees and towards the blue sky. A massive smile appeared on his face. "Things just got a whole lot more interesting!" He dropped his fishing pole, sprang to his feet, and ran off towards the lightning.

"Natsu, wait!" Happy cried, summoning his wings and taking off after Natsu. "What about lunch?"


In another part of the East Forest, Gajeel saw the lightning appear over the canopy of the trees and smirked. "Geehee. That may as well be an invitation." He cracked his knuckles. "It would be rude not to reply."


As Natsu ran through the forest, he heard fast approaching footsteps to his right. He turned to see Gajeel running up to him. "What do you want, metal head?"

Gajeel huffed. "None of your business, flame brain."

"Oh yeah? Going somewhere?"

"I just said it was none of your business. Are you going somewhere?"

"I won't tell if you won't!"

"Fine then. Who cares?!"

Natsu rammed into Gajeel's shoulder. "Quit following me!"

Gajeel pushed back. "I ain't following you. You're following me! Now get lost!"

The two Dragon Slayers both slid to a stop, pushing against the other's forehead and growling.

"Would you guys cut it out?" Happy asked. "We need to check out that lightning strike!"

Natsu turned around. "Oh yeah! I've gotta go put the smack down on Laxus!"

"Are you kidding me?" Gajeel exclaimed. "You don't have a chance in hell of beating Laxus! Don't you remember the last time you fought him? I was there helping you and you still got the shit beat outta you."

"Oh please. I didn't need your help then and I don't need it now! I'll beat him with my own two hands!"

"Not if I get there first!"

"Who's beating who again? I didn't quite hear you," an annoyed voice said.

The two arguing Dragon Slayers turned to see a peeved Laxus walking over, hands buried in his pockets and a scowl on his face. "Laxus!" they both exclaimed.

Laxus tsked. "Is it everyone's goal to piss me off today?"

Natsu chuckled as he punched his palm with his fist. "Come on, Laxus. Let's throw down and see who comes out on top."

"Sounds good to me," Gajeel said as he crossed his arms.

"You think I'm gonna take that lame ass bait? Well I ain't interested," Laxus retorted while turning away. "I've got better things to do then fight weaklings like you."

"So you're running away?" Natsu asked.

Laxus froze. "What did you say?"

"You never back down from a challenge. I don't know what's up with you today, but it's not like you," Natsu said. "Maybe you're scared?"

Laxus gritted his teeth before chuckling. "Alright then. Fine. I'll take you up on your challenge."

Natsu and Gajeel both pumped their fists. "Alright!" they both cried.

Laxus began cracking his knuckles. "You both could use a lesson and this beating you're about to get is the perfect way to get it through your thick skulls."

Natsu stepped forward. "Sounds like a lot of fun to me," he said with a determined and excited smile.

Laxus crouched down slightly. "Alright Natsu, looks like you're the first to get slaughtered."

Natsu lit his fists on fire.

Lightning crackled around Laxus.

"Wait!"

Natsu turned around to see Wendy and Carla standing behind him. Wendy appeared nervous as she looked on. "Wait? What for?"

"If you guys are going to fight, you need to make sure that it's for a special occasion!" Wendy cried.

Natsu's flames disappeared. "I don't follow."

"What are you talking about, kid?" Gajeel asked.

Wendy furrowed her brow to look serious and pointed at the three other Dragon Slayers. "The match will take place tomorrow!"

Natsu blinked before shrugging. "Okay. If it means that much to you we'll do it tomorrow." He looked back to Laxus and grinned. "I can wait one more day to wipe the floor with you!" He pointed at Laxus. "Meet me tomorrow under the big Sola Tree in South Gate Park!"

"Geehee. And once he's done getting his ass kicked it'll be my turn," Gajeel said.

Laxus turned around and walked off. "Sounds like a plan."

Wendy released a heavy sigh of relief. "Thank goodness they didn't fight."


Inside the Fairy Tail guild hall, news of the fight between Laxus, Natsu, and Gajeel had already begun to spread like wildfire.

"You guys hear about the big showdown?" Wakaba asked as he puffed on his cigar.

Macao sighed. "Yeah we heard. Natsu must be stupid to take on Laxus."

"What are you talking about? Big time fights are so manly!" Elfman shouted. "This is going to be the best one ever!"

"I'm more concerned about Natsu and Gajeel getting hurt," Lisanna said worriedly.

"And you should be. They're gonna get pounded," Wakaba said while crossing his arms.

"I didn't realize that Laxus was that much stronger than Natsu and Gajeel," Kinana said.

"Yeah he's one of our strongest members for sure," Wakaba said. "I'd say the only ones who could go toe to toe with him are Gildarts and Nikolias."

Macao pumped his fists. "Well as the Master of the guild, I'd better start getting things ready!"

"Yeah! Fight party! The manliest party there is!" Elfman roared.

"Yeah, that sounds great! We'll turn this into something fun for everyone!" Lisanna cheered.

"Alright!" everyone cheered.


By nightfall, the entire town of Magnolia was alive and bustling with laughter and jocularity. Bright lights illuminated the town, but no place was more festive than South Gate Park; the site for the next day's showdown between Laxus, Natsu, and Gajeel. Stands selling food and merchandise encircled the Sola Tree while colorful streamers climbed up from the ground poles to the high branches. People had swarmed into the park to enjoy the sudden festival that Fairy Tail had thrown.

"This is crazy!" Natsu exclaimed as he looked around the park. "What's going on here? Was there some kind of festival going on that I forgot about?"

"Everyone's partying!" Happy cheered.

"Yeah, and it's all because of you. You realize that, don't you?" Lucy asked as she and Michelle walked over to the two. Michelle was carrying around various kinds of food.

"Hey, Lucy. What do you mean this is because of me?" Natsu asked.

Michelle smiled brightly. "I'm having so much fun and all of the food is simply wonderful!" she cheered as she took a bite of her food.

Lucy sweatdropped. "You really are a bottomless pit, aren't you?"

"So Natsu's the reason for this festival?" Happy asked. "It's not his birthday."

"It has nothing to do with that. Everyone heard about the big fight," Lucy explained.

"So the guild decided to put together a festival the night before!" Michelle added excitedly.

Natsu hummed as he looked around.

"That's Magnolia for you! They love to party!" Happy said.

Natsu looked back to Lucy. "So how'd your search go?"

Lucy smiled at him. "Unfortunately we didn't get anywhere figuring out that ancient language. It was getting frustrating, so this festival actually provided the perfect opportunity to unwind."

"Natsu! Lucy!" Ash called out as she and Sky ran over. "What the hell is all this?"

"A festival for Natsu and Gajeel's fight against Laxus tomorrow!" Happy explained.

"A fight? Why are you fighting each other? And why celebrate it?" Sky asked nervously.

"We have matches all the time in Fairy Tail," Lucy said. "As for why there's a festival for it, well…Magnolia really enjoys festivals."

"Oh," Sky said. "That's nice. I think I like festivals, too." She looked around. "It's so pretty."

"Have you ever been to a festival before?" Lucy asked.

Sky shook her head. "Uh uh. We've never seen or been to a festival before."

"Well then you two are in for a treat," Lucy said with a big smile.

"Oh look!" Michelle said as she pointed to a pink tent where a stage was set up. "Someone's getting on the stage!"

Everyone looked over. Lucy groaned once she saw who it was. "Aw man. Not that Jason guy from Sorcerer's Weekly…"

Jason was a tall, thin blonde man who was infamous for his easily excitable nature. He had sunglasses on his head and at the top of his head his hair stuck straight up like a spike. He wore a pink T-shirt and jeans and he was beaming with joy as he pumped his fist over and over again. "SO COOOOOOOL!" he shouted into a microphone as everyone began to gather around the small stage. "I can hardly believe it! Ladies and gentlemen, it has been too long, but your favorite reporter Jason is back on the scene! It's a reunion seven years in the making and what a cool way to celebrate, because this is gonna be the most insane, awesome fight in the history of fighting!"

"Get off the stage!" Wakaba shouted.

"Yeah, bring on the real talent!" Macao added.

Jason began waving his hand. "I regret to inform you all that the lovely and super talented Miss Mirajane is not available today. Apparently she's out of town! But we have a wonderful surprise for you all!"

Off to the side by a meat stand, Natsu was tearing into a turkey leg.

"Hey Natsu, don't you think it would be a good idea to at least do a little training before the big fight?" Happy asked as he hovered in the air.

"Not necessary," Natsu said with a mouth full of food. "I was just gonna hit him really hard with everything I've already got." He then continued to devour more food.

Happy sighed. "Of course. Why would I ever think that you would have any real strategy in mind?" He began searching the area. "I wonder how Gajeel is preparing for the showdown."

"He's afraid he's gonna get beaten, that's for sure," Natsu replied. "He's probably doing some super crazy training somewhere."

"Now without further ado," Jason's voice echoed, "allow me to introduce a singer who has soul and style, a true one of a kind performer like you've never seen! GAJEEL!"

A spotlight suddenly appeared on the stage and sitting there in a completely white tux with a white hat, white pants, white shirt, red tie, and a red rose on the left breast pocket was Gajeel. He wore sunglasses and he had a guitar in his hands. He strummed the instrument, sending out a powerful sound. The crowd all sweatdropped.

Natsu spit out the food that was in his mouth from complete shock. "What in the hell is he doing up there?"

"What kind of training is that?" Happy cried.

"Thanks folks," Gajeel said into a flying microphone. "I appreciate you all comin' out to see me tonight."

Macao and Wakaba groaned. "I didn't come to see this crap," Wakaba complained.

"Mira's still on her date," Macao said. "She wasn't available. Who would have thought that Gajeel would jump on stage? Curse Nikolias' timing!"

"By special request, I'd like to start with a little jingle I wrote myself," Gajeel said into the mic.

"Someone actually asked him to play?" Macao asked in bewilderment.

"Here we go! I call this one 'Best Friend'," Gajeel said.

"ANYTHING BUT THAT!" Macao and Wakaba cried in desperation.

Gajeel began to sing his song. The whole crowd was extremely confused and not at all thrilled.

Levy, Jet, and Droy were listening in the back. "I don't think I like this side of Gajeel all that much," Levy said quietly. "His singing is pretty bad."

"He's super bad!" Jet and Droy exclaimed excitedly, hoping that Levy's affection would be theirs.

"It's a good thing there are so many other great sides to him," she added softly, which went unheard by her teammates who were swept away by her initial comment.

"Levy!" Lucy cried as she ran over to the group. "You're back!"

"Yeah we're back from our mission," Levy replied.

"You're just in time! I need your beautiful brain to translate an ancient inscription," Lucy said excitedly.

Levy blinked. "Huh?"

Lucy giggled. "Don't worry. I'll explain everything!"


While everyone else was celebrating, Erza, Gracie, and Gray were deep in the mountains. Their packs were resting on the ground behind them as they stood on a cliff that overlooked a canyon. On the other side of the canyon on a cliff was a small house. A wooden bridge was the only way across the deep canyon.

Gray sighed. "Looks like we're camping out tonight. So much for making it home before night fall."

"It's true that it took longer than I anticipated, but at least we were able to locate their hideout," Erza said. "Now all we have to do is wait for them to return with the stolen gold in hand."

"Yeah, you're right," Gray said.

Gracie hummed as she squinted at the hideout across the canyon. "It's certainly a remote location. Not bad for a bunch of no good thieves." She stretched her arms over her head. "Well I'm fine with camping out. It's been forever since I did that!"

Erza smiled. "That's a very positive way of looking at things."

Gracie clapped. "I'm going to explore a little. Be back in a bit!" With that she skipped off.

Gray and Erza sat in complete silence. Erza closed her eyes as she stood leaning against the mountain. Gray fidgeted as he sat, feeling increasingly more and more uncomfortable as time passed. He carefully looked over at the silent and still Erza before turning back around. 'Man this is awkward. Being stuck alone with Erza is strangely uncomfortable. I never know what to do or talk about. Geez, when is Gracie coming back? At least when she's around there's no such thing as silence'

Erza opened her eyes. "Is something wrong?"

He looked at her. "Huh?"

"You're not stripping."

"Say what?" he asked in shock.

She smiled at him. "I would assume that you'd be far more comfortable sleeping naked."

In a nearby bush, Juvia was having a heart attack as she hid from the group. 'Juvia knew it! All Erza wanted to do was steal Gray-sama away! And it's only a matter of time before Gracie makes a move as well!'

Gray blushed. "Look, I don't feel like stripping okay? It depends on my mood. And besides, you're still hanging out in full armor."

Erza chuckled. "Fair point." The silence returned and once again, Gray was feeling extremely uncomfortable. After some time passed, Erza spoke up again. "Gray?"

"Yeah?"

"Sleep?"

"Oh yeah. Right."

In her bush, Juvia was completely misunderstanding everything. She gnawed on the branches viciously. 'How forward! Juvia can't believe how demanding she is! Juvia thought she was more of a lady, not a man stealing hussy! After all, Gray-sama is very complex and sensitive. He needs a more tender and loving approach.'

"I'm back!" Gracie called out softly.

Gray sighed. 'Thank God.'

"Just in time," Erza said as she sat on the ground. "We were just about to sleep."

"Kay!" Gracie sang. "I've been looking forward to it for a while now. I'm beat." She then blinked and looked at Gray. "Why are you wearing your clothes?"

Juvia was internally screaming. 'There it is! She made her move, too! She wants to see Gray-sama's incredible body and keep it for herself!'

Gray blushed furiously. "Why does everyone suddenly want me out of my clothes? Everyone's always yelling at me to put them back on!"

Gracie giggled. "Easy, tiger. I was just surprised, that's all. I started getting used to your habit so seeing you fully clothed is different."

Gray lied down. "Whatever."

Gracie laughed. "You're adorable, Gray. You know, if you did strip you wouldn't be alone this time. I'll be naked, too."

Gray nearly had a nosebleed. "Wh…What?"

Gracie blinked. "What? It's how I sleep. I can't sleep fully clothed."

"I remember you mentioning that once before," Erza said with a nod as she rested her head on the ground.

"Hold on!" Gray exclaimed. "How am I supposed to sleep if you're naked?"

"Hoh?" Gracie cooed as she inched closer to Gray, her blonde hair cascading over her shoulder and slightly covering her face. "Are you afraid that you'd get excited?"

Juvia's soul was starting to leave her body.

Gray said nothing as he turned his back to her and faced Erza. "Just do what you need to do."

Gracie laughed as she lifted her black tank top over her head, revealing her black bra. "You're too funny, stripper boy."

Gray gulped as he heard the sound of rustling clothes, meaning Gracie was removing the remainder of her clothing. 'What have I gotten myself into?' He looked over to Erza, whose back was to him. She had already fallen asleep. 'How the hell did she fall asleep so fast? Is sleeping like that even comfortable?' Erza then softly moaned and turned over so that she was now facing Gray. He remained perfectly still as he looked at her sleeping face. 'It's funny. Seeing her all peaceful and quiet like this makes me realize how pretty she actually is.' Erza's eyes suddenly snapped open, forcing Gray to turn his head away quickly out of reaction. 'Shit, I'm dead!' And then he realized that by turning away from Erza, he was now looking at Gracie—a naked Gracie.

She had just finished slipping off her white shorts so that she was wearing nothing but black lace panties. Her shapely breasts were in full view as she looked over at Gray. She smiled mischievously. "Couldn't resist a peek, huh? Pervert."

Gray pinched his nose to prevent blood from gushing out and sat up while waving his hand wildly. "No no no! You've got it all wrong! It was an accident!"

"That's enough for now," Erza said as she stood up. "The thieves have returned."

Gray sniffed and wiped his nose. He quickly stood up and looked towards the hut. He could see the figures of four men making their way towards the bridge. "Looks like it."

"Let's go," Erza said.

Gracie began to quickly dress. "Their timing sucks," she grumbled.

Juvia was crying tears of joy. 'Gray-sama was tested, but he resisted! Juvia knew he was saving himself for Juvia!'

As soon as Gracie had finished dressing, the three wizards ran towards the small hideout. They arrived just as the thieves crossed the bridge. "Stop right there!" Erza demanded.

The four men turned around. They all wore masks and sweatshirts. Three of them wore wool caps and they all had baggy pants. Three of the men had large sacks slung over their shoulders while the fourth was carrying a briefcase. "Who the hell are you?" one of the thieves barked.

"I am Erza Scarlet, a wizard from Fairy Tail," Erza said proudly.

"Gracie Amier, also a wizard from Fairy Tail!" Gracie said happily.

Gray sweatdropped. "You didn't have to take the question so literally. I doubt they really care about our names."

Erza ignored him. "We've been sent to recover what you've stolen from our client." She quickly summoned a sword in her hand and held it up. "Resistance is futile. Now hand over the gold immediately!"

Gracie summoned her twin katanas and twirled them in her hands. "Don't give us a reason to hurt you."

One of the men laughed. "We thought that they might send someone after us, so we went and hired us some bodyguards."

"Bodyguards?" Gray repeated.

"Alright guys!" the man called out. "We're giving you a pretty big chunk of our loot, so you better deal with these pesky fairies!" With that the four men scattered, revealing two other figures that had been concealed in the shadows.

"Nice night for a battle," one of the men said. He was the shorter of the two and had blue hair that stuck out on the sides of his head. His face was covered in red characters. He wore a white and green jacket with black pants and he had a navy blue armband on his left upper arm. In his hands, he was clutching what appeared to be a large pan.

"Too bad you're up against the Vanish Brothers," the other man said. He was very tall and his blue hair jutted out like the arms of a starfish. He had a goatee and a red headband on his forehead. He wore a leather blue jacket and white leather pants with a blue belt. He had a white armband on his right upper arm. "Let's make this quick."

"So you're the Vanish Brothers," Erza said. "I've heard of you before."

"Same here," Gray added. "These are the same clowns that Natsu beat the shit out of at Duke Everlue's place."

Gracie scratched her head with the handle of one of her katanas. "I'm confused. These guys are bodyguards? I would have guessed traveling chefs. That is a frying pan, right?"

"We're not chefs," the shorter man said in an annoyed tone.

"I got it!" Gracie exclaimed. "They feed people super fatty food and ruin their cholesterol."

"We're not chefs!" the shorter man barked.

"You're talking about ancient history," the taller man said. "We've been training nonstop since that day at Duke Everlue's estate. At our level, taking on the mighty Erza Scarlet sounds like a breeze."

"Hey! You forgot about me!" Gracie whined.

"I've often wondered about mercenary guilds," Erza said. "How much power could one possibly have with no loyalty whatsoever?"

"Funny," the taller man said.

Gray stepped forward. "Let me handle these two solo."

The two brothers seemed surprised. "Oh yeah?" the taller one asked.

"Are you nuts?" Gracie asked.

"Don't worry. I'll be fine," Gray assured. "Natsu could do it without a problem, so I'm sure it'll be just as easy for me."

"That's not what I'm talking about!" Gracie yelled while stomping her foot. "How could you be so selfish and call dibs on both of them? You're a meanie!"

"Big bro," the taller brother said, "I think this guys is mocking us."

"Don't let him get to you," the shorter brother said. "Remember that this is business, so there's no reason to take things personally."

"And our job is to cave in his skull, right?" the taller brother asked.

"That's right, so let's get to work."

Gray took his Maker stance as ice particles began to flow into his hands. "I'll put you on ice."

"Lame," Gracie said monotonously.

"Shut up," Gray grumbled.

The shorter brother held out his pan to the side. "It would appear that he's an ice wizard. Although my frying pan is perfectly suited to absorb fire attacks, I'm sure ice will prove to be even easier."

Gray thrust forward his hands. "ICE MAKE LANCE!" Multiple ice shards shot at the two brothers, but each and every one soared right into the frying pan and disappeared. "What the hell?"

"My frying pan will trap your attack, double its strength and send it right back at you," the shorter brother said as he spun the frying pan around to the other side of his body and shot a blast of magic energy straight at Gray.

Gray chuckled as he leapt into the air, dodging the attack. "You think you can hit me with that?" He quickly put his hand in his palm and sent out another Ice Make Lance.

The brothers leapt out of the way as the Lances struck the ground. "Impressive," the shorter brother said as he landed on the ground.

"Let's give him double trouble," the taller brother said as he landed inside his brother's frying pan.

The shorter brother then thrust his brother into the air. "Heaven and Earth Annihilation Technique!" he cried.

Gray watched the taller brother fly into the air. "What are they doing?"

The shorter brother charged Gray with his frying pan. "Look towards Heaven," he swung his frying pan and struck Gray in the side, "and we strike from the Earth!"

Gray slid across the ground. "Shit."

"Look towards Earth and we strike down from Heaven!" the taller brother cried as he plummeted to the ground with both his fists facing down. Both fists connected with Gray, pushing him into the ground and creating a large dust cloud. Gray cried out in pain as the taller brother leapt out of the dust cloud and landed in the frying pan once again. "Very few have survived," he began as he was once again thrust into the air by his brother, "our ultimate combination attack!"

Gray stood back up only to find the shorter brother charging him and the taller brother descending upon him once again. With his injuries, he didn't have time to dodge the blow from the frying pan and was hit into the air. He was then driven into the ground by a punch from the taller brother. He bounced on the ground just as the shorter brother began another swing. The frying pan connected with his body and sent him flying through the air.

Erza watched the whole fight since it was Gray's desire to fight alone. She wanted to respect his wishes, but she was becoming concerned. 'Natsu may have defeated these two once before, but that was over seven years ago. Perhaps they truly have improved.'

Juvia was watching the whole fight from behind a boulder. She looked on worriedly as her beloved Gray was beaten senseless by the two brothers. 'Don't worry, Gray-sama! Juvia is coming to save you!' She began to make her way to the fight.

"Gray let us help you!" Gracie cried. She couldn't stand watching this anymore. Gray was bleeding pretty badly from all of the blows he received and she could tell that at least some ribs were cracked.

"I got this okay?" Gray shouted, causing Juvia to freeze and Gracie to take a step back. He looked at Erza and Gracie out of the corner of his eye before looking back to the brothers. "You talk a big game," he said before tearing off his jacket and shirt, revealing his bare and bruised torso, "but I feel just fine!"

"Nonsense!" the two brothers cried as they once again began their Heaven and Earth Annihilation Technique. "Prepare to die!"

Gray took his Maker stance and ice danced in his hand. "You guys may have Heaven and Earth," he paused as he summoned two blades of ice in his hands, "but let me show you what I've got!" He burst forward towards the charging shorter brother. "ICE BRINGER!" He leapt at the taller brother who was descending upon him and batted him away with a swing of both swords. The taller brother crashed into the ground and was knocked unconscious. He then continued to charge the shorter brother. He swung his blades of ice at the brother, who blocked with his frying pan. Gray swung his blades over and over again until he wore through the brother's defenses and landed a diagonal blow across his body, knocking him out cold. He slid to a stop, panting and clutching his ice blades as blood trickled from his small wounds.

Juvia's eyes sparkled from her hiding spot. 'Gray-sama is so amazing! Juvia knew he could win!'

Erza smiled warmly. 'Well, it looks like Gray has improved over the years as well.' She then made a serious face. "I'm surprised it took you so long to beat them."

Gray turned to her and chuckled. "What? I can't have a little fun?"

"Gray!" Gracie cried as her katanas disappeared and she flung herself at the boy. "You did great!"

Juvia bit down on the boulder and nearly shattered it. 'What does Gracie think she's doing throwing herself at Gray-sama like that?!'

Gray blushed slightly. "Geez Gracie."

"What?" Gracie said as she nuzzled his cheek with hers. "I'm just congratulating you."

"Then say so! Don't cling to me!"

"Oh don't be boring," she said as she leapt off of him. "Fine then. I'll say it in words. Good fight!"

"Thanks."

"Now as for you four," Erza said and the four thieves immediately got in front of her on their hands and knees. They were clearly afraid after watching their bodyguards get thrashed. "You will return every ounce of gold that you stole from our client." She crossed her arms. "Do I make myself clear?"

The four men bowed their heads. "Yes ma'am! Crystal clear!" they all cried.

"Yay! Mission complete!" Gracie cheered. "We rock."

"Yeah, it'll be good to get back home," Gray said.

"But before we go, we need to patch you up a bit," Gracie said as she looked over Gray's injuries. "Nothing too serious, but we don't want anything getting infected."

"Good point," Erza said. "Once we return the gold and officially complete the mission, we'll get Gray bandaged up and then head home."

"Sounds like a plan," Gracie said. She pinched Gray's cheek. "Don't you worry. You'll be all patched up in no time!"

Gray groaned. 'What did I get myself into?'


THE NEXT DAY

"Oh, this is horrible!" Wendy complained as she walked through East Forest with Carla by her side. "The only reason I told them to wait a day was so that they could calm down and call off the fight."

"That plan appears to have backfired, child," Carla said. "Not only is the fight still happening, but now it's a public spectacle."

Wendy sighed in disappointment. "I never thought that would happen."

"Something troubling you, Wendy?" Makarov asked as he approached the young girl from the opposite direction.

"Oh, Master Makarov. Yes actually, there is something," Wendy said while folding her hands in front of her.

"Where have you been hiding?" Carla barked. "We've been looking everywhere for you!"

"Have you now?" Makarov asked. "Tell me, has something happened?"

"Natsu and Gajeel are in trouble!" Wendy cried. "They're about to have a fight with Laxus!"

Makarov's face fell. "THEY'RE DOING WHAAAAAT?"


"That was so lovely," Mira said with a sigh. She and Nikolias were walking through the entrance to Magnolia as they returned from their date. Her right arm was hooked with Nikolias' left arm and she leaned against his side so her head could rest on his shoulder. "I almost hated to leave."

Nikolias kissed the top of her head. "We could always go back another time."

Mira put her free hand to her cheek and squealed in delight. "That would be wonderful! That bed and breakfast was simply divine! The room was cozy and the food was delicious."

"I really am glad you enjoyed yourself. I honestly wasn't too sure you'd like it."

"I did! I promise I did. It was a perfect date."

He chuckled. "That really makes me happy."

As the two continued to walk, they began to notice that there was no one around.

"Where'd everybody go?" Nikolias asked.

"No idea. It's like a ghost town. I wonder if something happened."

Suddenly, Nikolias' ears twitched and he looked towards the sky. "What's that? It sounds like…someone shouting into a microphone?"


Meanwhile, underneath the big Sola Tree in South Gate Park, spectators surrounded an open space that was to be used for the fight. Pretty much the entire town had arrived, anxiously awaiting the highly anticipated showdown. Laxus was sitting in a chair with his arms crossed and his eyes closed. The Thunder Legion stood behind him. They were positive that Laxus could defeat both Natsu and Gajeel.

"COOOOOOOOOOOOL!" Jason cried into a microphone. "Laxus is so calm and collected it's terrifying!"

Laxus grumbled quietly. 'This is beyond stupid. I can't believe I agreed to waste my time like this.'

Jason then turned to the other side of the arena and shouted, "SWEET! It looks like Black Steel Gajeel is here and ready to throw down!"

Gajeel glared at Laxus as he stood opposite him.

"The two heroes stare down their opponent!" Jason quietly said to build suspense. "The tension is so thick you could cut it with a knife!"

Gajeel looked towards Panther Lily, who was in the front row of the crowd. The two shared an intense look for a while before Gajeel shot him a determined smirk. Panther Lily returned the smile and nodded.

"Alright! Here we go!" Natsu cried as he leapt over the crowd and landed in the arena.

"Natsu Dragneel has arrived!" Jason cried. "All three warriors are in their places!"

Laxus opened his eyes to look at Natsu. 'So he had the balls to show up. What else would I expect from Natsu?'

Natsu grinned. "Check this out, Happy! I'll wipe the floor with 'em!"

"Aye sir!" Happy cried as he flew overhead.

"I hope Natsu will be okay," Lisanna said.

"Oh he won't be," Cana chuckled.

"This is so manly! Start already!" Elfman roared.

"I'm surprised Lucy would miss this," Lisanna said as she looked around for the blonde.

"She's so busy with that ancient inscription that she probably forgot all about it," Laki suggested.

"I've never seen a sparring match before. This should be cool," Ash said.

"Yeah. Cool," Sky agreed.

"What the hell is going on here?"

Everyone turned to see Nikolias and Mira walking through the crowd to the front where all of the Fairy Tail members stood.

"Welcome back, Mira!" Lisanna greeted.

"Lisanna, what's going on?" Mira asked.

"Natsu and Gajeel challenged Laxus to a fight," Lisanna answered. "It turned into quite the event, though."

"Natsu and Gajeel challenged Laxus?" Nikolias repeated. He palmed his forehead. "What were they thinking?"

Mira giggled. "I don't know. It sounds like them, though. I'm actually more surprised that Laxus agreed."

"You two are just in time," Macao said.

"Yeah, it looks like the fight is just about to get under way," Wakaba said.

Nikolias and Mira turned to watch the fight. Nikolias' attention was strictly on Natsu. 'Come on, Natsu. Show me that strength of yours. Show me how much you've improved.'

Laxus noticed Mira and Nikolias arrive. He then sighed, stood up and walked over to Natsu.

"Laxus has stood up!" Jason commented. "It looks like Natsu is getting the first crack at him!"

The two stared each other down for a while in complete silence before Laxus spoke. "Let's do this thing already."

"Bring it!" Natsu shouted.

"But I've gotta warn you that I'm not gonna hold back," Laxus said.

"And I don't blame ya," Natsu replied.

"Then you understand that if you don't survive this, it isn't my fault."

Natsu lit his hands on fire. "I could say the same for you, big guy!"

Laxus narrowed his eyes and lightning crackled around him.

Natsu turned to Happy. "You'd better get back, buddy."

"Good luck, Natsu!" Happy cheered. "I'm rooting for you!" He then flew towards the crowd.

"Thanks, pal!"

The two stood completely still for a while just staring at each other. Neither made any hint of moving first and beginning the fight.

Natsu suddenly erupted in flames, a fierce battle cry echoing in the air.

Laxus followed suit as his lightning intensified and completely consumed him.

"WHAT POWER!" Jason shouted over the loud roar of the two Dragon Slayers' magic.

'This is going to be intense,' Macao thought.

'Whoever strikes first will lose,' Panther Lily thought.

Nikolias nodded slightly. 'Good, Natsu. Wait out your opponent. There's no need to be hasty and…'

Natsu leapt forward with a roar, his right fist cocked back in preparation to strike.

Nikolias sighed. 'Or not.'

Natsu threw the punch right at Laxus' face. However, Laxus easily moved his head out of the way and threw a quick punch at Natsu's face. The attack struck him square in the head and the Fire Dragon Slayer fell to the ground. His flames went out as he lost consciousness.

Everyone in Fairy Tail was in complete shock as they stared with wide eyes.

"TKO!" Jason cried.

Macao and Wakaba laughed. "Poor kid didn't land a single hit," Macao said.

"He hit the ground pretty hard," Wakaba joked.

Happy ran over to Natsu. "Are you okay?" he asked. Natsu could only release small whimpers in acknowledgement.

Laxus turned around where he was immediately swarmed by the Thunder Legion.

"Great job as usual, Laxus!" Evergreen complimented.

"Natsu's still got nothing on you, bud," Bickslow said.

Freed cried tears of joy.

Laxus turned back around. "So, you ready for Round Two, Gajeel?" he asked. However, Gajeel was nowhere to be found.

"He's gone," Lisanna said softly.

"When did he leave?" Mira wondered as she looked around.

"Maybe he didn't want to get his face hit," Sky offered.

"Gajeel has run away!" Jason cried.

"You mean that lousy coward split?" Wakaba shouted.

"WHAT?" Panther Lily yelled. "I always thought that you had the heart of a warrior, Gajeel!"

"Alright everyone, let's find him!" Macao shouted. Everyone yelled their agreement.

"Hold on," Laxus said, effectively silencing everyone. He smirked. "We can still have a second fight just as promised." He pointed to Nikolias, who was standing with Mira and holding her hand. "What do you say, Nikolias? Feel like a fight?"

Nikolias blinked. "Are you serious?"

"Absolutely," Laxus said with a nod. "That first round was too quick. I barely broke a sweat. I could use a bit of a workout since I'm here."

"COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!" Jason cried as his body shook with excitement. "Laxus has actually issued a challenge to make up for Gajeel's vanishing act!"

Nikolias chuckled. "Sorry, but I'll pass. If the two of us went at it the whole town could burn to the ground."

"So you're a coward then?"

Nikolias narrowed his eyes at Laxus. "Careful there."

"Nikolias is no coward!" Ash shouted.

"He's very brave," Sky added with a nod.

"Laxus, just drop it," Mira said. "He doesn't want to fight and that's fine."

"It sounds like you don't think he can win," Laxus teased. "Makes sense. You don't want to see him knocked out cold."

Nikolias huffed as he released Mira's hand and stepped forward. "You're a bit too cocky, Laxus. Alright, I'll take you up on your challenge." Shadows began slowly wrapping around him. "You need someone to knock you down a few pegs."

Lightning danced around Laxus once again. "Then by all means put me in my place." He grinned. 'I can't pass up this opportunity to get some hits in on you.'

"He accepted the challenge!" Jason cried. "Nikolias will now take Gajeel's place in this showdown! This is so COOOOOOOOOOOOOOOL!"

"Nikolias, don't do this!" Mira begged.

"It's alright, Mira," Nikolias assured. "This is just a sparring match. We'll throw a few punches and I'll knock him out. I promise no one will get seriously hurt."

Mira bit her bottom lip. "You better keep that promise."

He nodded as his shadows intensified.

"This is actually gonna be even better than seeing Gajeel fight him," Wakaba said.

"True," Macao said with a nod. "We'll find and chew out Gajeel later. For now, let's watch an awesome fight!"

"Best of luck, Nikolias," Sky breathed.

"Kick his ass!" Ash cheered.

Mira giggled. 'They really do adore him.'

The crowd cheered as the two fighters stared each other down.

Nikolias leaned forward slightly and narrowed his eyes as he analyzed Laxus. 'He's fast and powerful. That much I could tell from his fight with Natsu. It would have been a safe bet regardless since Lightning Dragons are known for strong and quick strikes. Other than that, I don't know much about his fighting style. I've never really watched him fight before.'

Laxus leaned forward slightly as well. 'I know he's powerful and I know he's fast. I have to give this everything I've got if I'm going to beat him and show everyone that he's not that great.'

"You can do it, Laxus!" the Thunder Legion cried, although they had to admit that facing Nikolias was not ideal.

"Nikolias," Mira whispered as she clasped her hands together. "Win, but be safe."

The two remained completely still as their power danced around them. It was almost as if the first round of the fight was to see who could intimidate the other. After a few minutes had gone by, neither fighter moved nor had they taken their eyes off of the other. Nothing had happened…

…until Nikolias chuckled. He held up his right hand so that the palm was facing Laxus.

"Oooooooo! Are they finally about to get started?" Jason shouted.

"About time," Wakaba yawned.

Nikolias closed his hand. "SHADOW PRISON!" he cried.

Laxus looked around using his peripheral vision, but he couldn't see anything. 'Was that an attack? Was he trying to get me to turn away so that he could strike?'

Nikolias then shot forward with his right fist cocked back.

"If that didn't work for Natsu, what makes you think it'll work for you?" Laxus roared as he prepared to dodge.

"SHADOW DRAGON FIST!" Nikolias cried as he threw a punch at Laxus.

Laxus chuckled as he began to dodge and prepare a swift counter.

Except that he found he couldn't move.

Nikolias' attack struck Laxus in the stomach, forcing all of the wind out of his lungs. He coughed out saliva as he was sent tumbling across the field. Nikolias straightened up and grinned. "There. Can we call this over now?"

"Laxus!" the Thunder Legion cried.

"Nice one!" Ash cheered as she punched the air.

"Yay!" Sky said with a clap of her hands.

"WOOOOOOO!" Jason screamed. "Nikolias showed some impressive strength there and Laxus didn't even attempt to dodge! Did he underestimate the power of Nikolias?"

Laxus pushed himself to his hands and knees and coughed. "What the hell? Why couldn't I move? Did he do something when I wasn't looking?" He shook his head and stood up as his lightning enveloped him once more with even more intensity. "Lucky shot." He leapt towards Nikolias. "I guarantee it won't happen again!"

Laxus began throwing several swift punches at Nikolias, but none could land. Each blow was easily dodged by Nikolias' swift movements. Laxus began to add in a series of swift kicks, but nothing was landing.

On Laxus' next series of attacks, Nikolias leapt far backward and cocked back his arms. "SHADOW WHIP!" he cried as he thrust his arms forward. Several shadow tendrils made their way towards Laxus. He attempted to dodge them all, but every once in a while one wrapped around his body. Soon he was being held in place by several tendrils. Once he was still, Nikolias landed on the ground and pushed off with extreme power and speed. "SHADOW DRAGON FIERCE KICK!" he shouted as he positioned himself to land a kick. His foot became shrouded in shadows as he landed a powerful kick in Laxus' gut. Once again, the wind was knocked out of him and he coughed up saliva. The shadow tendrils then threw him across the field.

Laxus rolled to a stop and coughed as he tried to regain his breath. He clenched his fists. 'What the hell? He keeps immobilizing me before striking. And I can't even land a hit to counter!'

"SO COOL! Nikolias is absolutely owning Laxus right now!" Jason shouted. "He's going to have to turn things around if he hopes to win this fight!"

"Nikolias is doing great!" Lisanna cheered.

"Yes," Mira said with a sigh of relief. "He's even avoiding landing any serious blows. He's keeping his promise of no one getting seriously hurt."

Nikolias sighed as his shadows vanished. "I think that's enough, Laxus." He turned and walked away. "This fight is over."

"AND NIKOLIAS HAS WON!" Jason cried. "With very little effort, Nikolias has beaten Laxus!"

Mira ran over to him and embraced him. "You were wonderful, Nikolias! Thank you for keeping your promise."

He pet her head. "Don't mention it. Come on; let's go the guild. I'm starved."

She nodded. "Sounds good!" With that, the two left hand in hand.

"Well that was quite a fight," Wakaba said.

"Yeah. Now let's go find Gajeel," Macao said.

"Yeah! We need to show him that running away isn't manly!" Elfman yelled. Most of the crowd then took off running in search of the Iron Dragon Slayer that ran away. Happy picked up the still unconscious Natsu and carried him underneath the Sola Tree.

Laxus struggled to his hands and knees as he continued to cough. "Damn it. I couldn't beat him. I couldn't even touch him."

"Laxus, are you alright?" Evergreen asked as she knelt beside him.

"You're not seriously injured, are you?" Freed asked fearfully as he thoroughly scrutinized every inch of Laxus' body.

Laxus slowly got to his feet. "I'm fine," he grumbled as he brushed himself off.

"Thank goodness," Evergreen sighed.

"So, causing trouble, Laxus?" Makarov asked. Laxus turned around to see Makarov with Wendy and Carla. The old man looked unhappy.

Laxus shrugged his shoulders. "Natsu and Gajeel challenged me. You know them. They wouldn't back down unless I fought them."

"True," Makarov said, "but I was talking more along the lines of your little skirmish with Nikolias. It's unlike you to challenge someone in that fashion."

"The people wanted a good fight. Who else would have been able to provide it?"

Makarov hummed and closed his eyes. "Another fair point. You and Nikolias are two strong fighters so it was quite the performance." He opened his eyes and gave Laxus a serious look. "If I were you, I'd be careful of shining light on your true feelings."

Laxus huffed and walked away without another word.


Inside of Lucy's apartment, Lucy was sitting at her table with Levy and Michelle. Michelle and Lucy were sitting anxiously while Levy read through books in search of what the inscription could say. It had been a few hours since they started, but they still had nothing to show for it.

Suddenly, Levy shot up from her seat. "Oh sweet! I found the language! It's written in ancient Potamelian."

"What's Potamelian?" Michelle asked. "I've never heard of it before."

"So if you know the language, do you know what the inscription says?" Lucy asked hopefully.

Levy furrowed her brow as she tried to decipher it. "It looks like it says 'Time ticks forward on toward inevitable chaos'."

Lucy thought over the phrase. "Time ticks forward…"

"…on toward inevitable chaos?" Michelle finished.

Lucy crossed her arms. "It sounds familiar. Where have I heard it before?"

"You've heard it before?" Michelle asked.

Lucy closed her eyes as she racked her brain for where she may have heard that phrase. "Yeah I have. I just don't know where." She stood up and walked to her bookcase, pulling out several books. She glanced at each of them and leafed through their pages. Once she was sure she hadn't heard the phrase from that book, she put it down and leafed through the next one.

Michelle and Levy watched. "Any luck?"

"It's not from this one," Lucy said to herself as she put down another one. "Or this one." Another book was placed down. Her face then lit up upon seeing the cover of the next book. "Here it is! I found it!" She walked back over to the table and opened up the book. She leafed through the pages until she came to the desired place. "That spooky phrase is in here. I knew I had read it somewhere before."

"What's the book about?" Levy asked.

"Basically, it's about an old clock that passes from one owner to the next over a long period of time and a lot of mysterious things happen around it throughout its history." Lucy flipped to the next page. Her eyes then widened. "Wait, I think I get it!"

"What do you mean?" Michelle asked.

"Check out this picture," Lucy replied softly.

Michelle leaned over her shoulder and glanced at the picture Lucy was pointing to. As soon as she looked at it, she immediately gasped. "That's…"

Lucy nodded. "The memento that Dad left me isn't just some random object. It's the hand of a clock."


As the sun began to set, three mysterious figures entered Magnolia.