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!

Fairy Tail—The Master and the Dragon

Chapter 91

In the heart of Fiore, there were vast acres of farmland. Cows, horses, goats, sheep, and various other creatures grazed in wide open green pastures. Strong breezes spread across the land, bending the grass. The rectangular blades of the many windmills spun around and around to provide power for the farm buildings.

Bordering the edge of the farmlands was a tall mountain range. It was deep within this mountain range where Wendy, Ash, and Bickslow were climbing. There was a path that they were on that cut through the mountains and it wasn't too steep.

"How are you doin', girls?" Bickslow asked over his shoulder as he led his teammates.

"Good!" Wendy replied cheerfully.

"Man this so bites," Ash groaned as she brought up the rear. "Why the hell are we going into the mountains?"

"Relax there, Ash," Bickslow said. "This is where we were told to go."

"Whatever. Are we there yet?" Ash asked.

"Almost. We've just gotta make it to the other side of this mountain range," Bickslow replied.

"Yeah…not what I wanted to hear," Ash sighed.

"Keep your spirits up, Ash!" Wendy said encouragingly.

Bickslow groaned and put a hand to his head. "Geez, those two couldn't be more opposite. I can feel a headache coming on. Well at least the weather's nice."

Suddenly, thick, black clouds blanketed the sky. Thunder boomed and the wind picked up.

"Oh come on," Bickslow sighed loudly.

"A storm?" Wendy asked.

"Because this couldn't get any better," Ash whined, throwing her arms in the air. "I hate rain!"

"Today's weather…I cannot recall it."

An echoing voice drew the attention of the Fairy Tail members. Sitting atop a stone pillar ahead of them sat Grim Reaper, his tattered cloak billowing behind him. His large scythe rested on his shoulder. His blank stare was fixed on them.

"Grim Reaper, right?" Bickslow asked.

"According to Natsu and the others, he used to be named Erigor, a member of the Dark Guild Eisenwald," Wendy said.

"Eisenwald…Erigor…," Grim Reaper repeated slowly, his expression remaining the same. "I've never heard of them."

"Your memory sucks," Ash commented. "How could you forget who you used to be and what guild you used to be a part of?"

Grim Reaper lifted his scythe. "I know what weather is coming next."

"That felt dismissive," Ash grumbled.

"Squalls from above!" Grim Reaper shouted. Columns of air descended upon the Fairy Tail members. They leapt out of the way as the strong winds bore into the stone.

"That's some power!" Bickslow marveled as he looked at the new, massive hole in the ground.

"With occasional tornadoes from the sides!" Grim Reaper said while swinging his scythe across his body, summoning powerful tornadoes that spun parallel to the ground. Bickslow was able to use his dolls to create a quick shield to block the spinning winds. Grim Reaper lowered his scythe. "Defying weather phenomena…not even insects should attempt such a thing."

"Oh that's it," Ash spat. Her hair became wild fire and her eyes burned orange. "I'm ready to fight now."

"Bickslow, Ash, I'll support you with my magic," Wendy said. She lifted her arms and summoned a light blue magic circle. Green orbs of magic surrounded Bickslow, Ash, and Wendy herself.

"Alright!" Bickslow cheered, feeling Wendy's magic boosting his power.

Ash grinned. "Sounds good. Then let's kick some ass!" She burst forward and leapt into the air as Wendy's magic flew her over to Grim Reaper.

Wendy and Bickslow were right beside her. "We'll show you what happens when you insult Fairy Tail!" Bickslow bellowed.

Grim Reaper lifted his scythe. "Heavy gusts from below!" Strong winds began to push up on the three Fairy Tail members, halting their flight. Grim Reaper then swung his scythe back down, directing the winds to knock the three away. The green orbs of magic power vanished as the three slammed into a rock pillar and fell to the ground. "What's the matter? Were you all talk?"

Ash coughed roughly as she got to her knees. "That didn't feel good."

"Damn he's strong," Bickslow said as he pulled himself to his feet.

"I'll cast healing magic," Wendy offered as she stood.

"No time," Bickslow said. "We need to go on the offensive before—" The sound of thunder overhead interrupted him as he looked to the sky.

"Fairy…Tail…," Grim Reaper said slowly, his scythe pointed at the sky. "It doesn't ring a bell." Lightning bolts danced across the dark sky. "But I do know what weather is coming next."

"That's not good!" Ash cried.

"A storm from directly ahead!" Grim Reaper shouted. He swung his scythe at the Fairy Tail members, sending a pillar of lightning-infused wind at the Fairy Tail members.

"I'll stop it!" Wendy said as she leapt in front of her comrades. She breathed deeply. "SKY DRAGON ROAR!" A blast of wind erupted from her mouth and met the incoming attack head-on. They pushed against each other, but neither attack gave ground.

"I'll help," Ash said as she spat a small ember into Wendy's attack. The strong winds created by the young Dragon Slayer were quickly consumed by flames, making it look like Natsu's Fire Dragon Roar. The extra strength gave Wendy's attack the boost it needed to overpower Grim Reaper's winds. It pushed forward, forcing Grim Reaper to leap away.

Bickslow took the opportunity to use his magic to view Grim Reaper's soul. However, he couldn't fathom what he was seeing. He couldn't get a good read. "What the hell is this guy's deal?"

Grim Reaper swung his scythe. "Lightning from behind!" Powerful bolts of lightning lashed out at the backs of Ash and Wendy. However, Bickslow was able to use his dolls to create a barrier, blocking the attack. The lightning disappeared and Bickslow's dolls fell to the ground, charred and broken.

Bickslow grinned. "Good thing I already switched my souls into other dolls!" Five new dolls appeared around Grim Reaper, forming a circle pattern. Bickslow held out his hand, creating a magic circle. "Take this! POINT BLANK BARYON FORMATION!" Blue magic sparked to life and linked the five dolls together. The magic struck towards Grim Reaper, but he leapt away at the last second. He levitated in the air.

"You're kidding," Ash said. "He can fly?"

"Not fair, man!" Bickslow shouted over the wind.

Grim Reaper slowly lowered himself down upon another stone pillar. "Hmm…so it would seem. I had forgotten."

"How do you forget that?" Ash asked.

Grim Reaper narrowed his eyes slightly. "By the way…who are you?"

"Oh come on!" Ash cried, slapping her forehead.

"We've already been forgotten," Wendy sighed.

Grim Reaper pointed his scythe at the group, releasing a column of powerful winds.

"Here comes another!" Bickslow said.

"SKY DRAGON WING ATTACK!" Wendy shouted, thrusting out her arms and releasing jet streams of wind. The two attacks collided and swirled together.

"The impudence of using wind magic against one who controls weather," Grim Reaper said. He held up his hand. "Know your place!"

"Wendy, look out!" Bickslow cried.

Wendy looked up to see large boulders falling from the sky. "Oh no!"

Bickslow dashed to her side and shoved her out of the way. The rocks crashed down, burying Bickslow.

"Bickslow!" Ash shouted.

"No," Wendy breathed. "It's all my fault. Now Bickslow…Bickslow is…"

"If you feel that badly, you could not write me off," Bickslow groaned. His entire lower body was covered in rocks, but he was at least alive.

"Bickslow!" Wendy cried in relief as she ran to his side. She held up her hands and began to heal him. "Just stay strong! I'll do my best to heal you. Ash, please remove the rocks!"

"Right," Ash said as she tried to move the rocks. However, they were simply too heavy. "Damn, they won't budge!"

"Just forget about me," Bickslow rasped. "Run away, you two!"

"It's no use," Grim Reaper said as he hovered above the three. "You cannot save him. Even if you were to move the rocks, his body is far too broken." He pointed his hand at Wendy and Ash. Gusts of wind and bolts of lightning shot forward, blowing the girls away. They screamed in pain as they hit the ground hard.

"Wendy…Ash…," Bickslow wheezed.

"People's strength and resolve are so easily knocked flat in the face of natural phenomenon," Grim Reaper said while shaking his head. However, he was shocked to see Wendy pushing herself to her hands and knees and crawling over to Bickslow. She immediately started to heal him again.

"Wendy," Ash said softly. She was astounded by Wendy's determination to help Bickslow.

"Why?" Grim Reaper asked. "You might have a slight chance at victory if you abandon him. And yet you refuse to leave him."

Wendy was shaking. Her body was injured and in pain, begging her to rest. And yet she continued to try to heal Bickslow. "I would never, EVER abandon my friends!"

Ash's eyes widened. "Wendy…"

Grim Reaper's face twitched. "Friends…" For some reason, that word stirred something strange within him. He once again sent wind, rain, and lightning at Wendy. The attack landed, but Wendy fought against it. The lightning burnt her skin and the wind and rain agitated her wounds and threatened to topple her over, but she stayed strong and continued to heal Bickslow.

"You idiot! Just get out of here! Quit being miss nice girl, would ya?!" Bickslow spat. He didn't care that he was being cold. He was more concerned with Wendy and Ash's well-being. "Sometimes you've gotta have the courage to leave your friends behind!"

"No!" Wendy shouted back at him. "I won't abandon you! No one in Fairy Tail would ever turn their back on a friend! HEAVEN'S AURA!" Light blue magic radiated from Wendy's hands, intensifying her healing power and expanding outwards in a radiant sphere.

"Beautiful," Ash marveled. The magic had reached her and she could feel her whole body relaxing and her wounds felt like they were disappearing.

The outwardly expanding magic enveloped Grim Reaper, bathing him in its soothing glow. "Friends…," he mumbled as strange images of people appeared in his mind. But they were dark and he couldn't make out their faces. "What is this?" He gripped his face with his free hand. "Who was that?" He lowered himself and barked at Wendy, "What was that just now? Stop! Stop it now!" He was covered in a thick sheen of sweat. His soulless eyes were moving wildly. "Stay out! I don't want any memories!"

"He's getting his memories back," Bickslow said.

"Regaining his memories?" Wendy asked.

"Stay away, Kageyama! Be quiet!" Grim Reaper shouted at the wind. His grip on his head tightened.

Even though he was in pain, Bickslow activated his magic and peered at Grim Reaper's soul. "He's getting his memories back, but there's something that's trying to push it back. Whatever you did, Wendy, reminded him of something and now it's crushing him."

"But now he's in pain," Wendy said quietly.

"Huh?" Bickslow said in surprise. "You feel bad for the guy?"

Wendy nodded. "If I can use my healing magic to return his memories to him…"

"Come on, you can't be that much of a goody-two-shoes!"

"She's right," Ash said, walking over to the two. She lit her arms on fire and, with a powerful yell, shot out twin flamethrowers that knocked all of the rocks away from Bickslow. With the rocks no longer blocking the flow of magic, Wendy's Heaven's Aura quickly went about mending Bickslow's broken body.

"Ash," Wendy said softly.

Ash smiled at Wendy. "He may have made some poor choices, but that doesn't mean we need to turn our backs on him."

"You can't be serious," Bickslow said. He could feel his body getting better, but he couldn't move just yet.

Ash looked at him. "Sky and I were like that. We made bad choices and ended up working for someone who thought of us as nothing more than disposable tools. But Nikolias and Gracie and all the others didn't give up on us just because of that. They fought to free us." She blushed slightly and placed a hand to her chest. "That meant more to Sky and me than they could ever know. So if Wendy can do the same for this Grim Reaper guy, then I say she goes for it."

Wendy smiled and nodded. She finished healing Bickslow and began to stand, but quickly fell over. She was caught by Ash before she hit the ground. "Thanks."

"Don't push yourself, though," Ash warned.

Wendy used Ash for support to stand. "I'll admit I'm a little tired, but I will do this. I'm going to try!" Her magic swarmed around her.

Grim Reaper lifted his scythe. "This is all your fault, girl! Begone!" He swung his scythe to send another weather attack of lightning and wind at Wendy.

"SKY DRAGON ROAR PLUS CURE!" Wendy shouted as she released a column of wind from her mouth. It seemed to sparkle as her healing magic infused with the attack.

The two attacks crashed into each other.

"Get ready to be vaporized, girl!" Grim Reaper bellowed.

"Please remember!" Wendy shouted.

The blowback from the colliding attacks created winds that Ash and Bickslow had to shield themselves from.

"Talk about reckless," Bickslow said. He was able to move now, so his arm was shielding his eyes.

"Go, Wendy!" Ash cheered.

Grim Reaper and Wendy continued to push against each other with their respective wind attacks. However, the healing factor that was added to Wendy's attack was pushing its way through until it reached Grim Reaper.

"Hey!"

In the recesses of Grim Reaper's mind, a vision appeared. It was hazy and there was very little visibility, but when he turned towards the sound of the voice he had just heard, he could see someone standing before him.

"You look pathetic, you know that? Is this really the strength I wished for?" The speaker looked very much like him except this person had a full head of long, spiked white hair. The scythe this person was holding also looked a little different. The skull on the end was that of an animal.

Grim Reaper blinked. "You're…me?"

And then it happened.

Black lightning erupted from inside of Grim Reaper. He shrieked in pain.

"What just happened?" Ash asked.

"Something just came out of his soul," Bickslow said as he got to his feet.

Grim Reaper fell towards the ground, his body smoking. Smoke even poured out of his agape mouth.

Wendy was out of strength. Between using a Half-Dragon caliber technique combined with her injuries, she was exhausted. She fell to her knees, panting. Still, she was still concerned about Grim Reaper. "No way. I used my healing magic to heal him, but I hurt him instead," she said sadly.

Ash knelt beside Wendy and wrapped her arm around her shoulder. "What are you talking about? You did great!"

"Huh?"

Bickslow slowly walked over and put a hand on Wendy's head. "Ash is right. I can tell. You actually managed to heal his mind." He walked towards Grim Reaper, knelt down, and roughly lifted the unconscious man off of the ground by the clasp of his cloak. "Alright, rise and shine there, Erigor. Get the hell up!"

"You don't have to be so rough," Wendy pleaded.

"He needs to wake up. There's a lot we've gotta ask about," Bickslow replied as he continued to try to shake Erigor awake. "Now tell us what your goal is! Where's the Infinity Clock?"

With a groan, Erigor's eyes slowly opened. He grasped his head. "I don't…know," he rasped. "Everything's so hazy. I don't even know what I was doing…"

Bickslow released him. "Like I buy that."

"His memory did just return. His thoughts are probably still unclear," Wendy said.

"Word is you were in a prison cell. Any idea how you got out?" Ash asked.

Erigor nodded slowly. "I do. I'm unsure of when, but I had this horrible nightmare, like someone had crept inside of my dreams. And then after that…"

"You became Grim Reaper, huh?" Bickslow surmised.

"It sounds like you were subjected to a spell that controls a person using their dreams," Wendy said.

"Wait, people can do that?" Ash asked incredulously.

"Sure can," Bickslow replied. "In this case, it probably involves influencing someone's brain waves bit by bit to take control without them noticing."

"I did as I was told," Erigor said. "I surrendered my memories as I was instructed, and in return I was given magic power that could control the weather." He gripped his head tighter. "But I…I forgot everything! It was so painful. There's nothing more agonizing than that. They say that great power comes at a great cost, but this was too much." He removed his hand slowly and looked over to Wendy. "And then I heard your voice. While I have no intention of befriending you, please allow me to offer my gratitude."

Wendy smiled sweetly. "Right!"

"Wait a goddamn second!" Bickslow roared as he leapt to his feet.

"What's wrong?" Ash asked.

"Cana said something when she used her fortunetelling to create these teams," Bickslow replied.

"Did she?" Ash asked as she thought back.

"She said she was sleepy and that she didn't know why, right?" Wendy recalled.

Ash's eyes widened. "No way…could it be that she was also being controlled through her dreams without realizing it?" She grit her teeth. "Damn it, I knew something felt fishy! There's no way I should have been separated from Sky!"

"Yeah, that's right, Ash," Bickslow said. "Our teams from the very start were designed to suit them best, not us! We should have seen that clear as day!"

"No," Wendy whimpered.

Ash's head hung. "It was a trap and we fell for it hook, line, and sinker."


"Doesn't anyone else think it's odd?"

Happy looked over to Carla. The small white Exceed's brow was furrowed as she walked. It was clear that she was lost in thought. "What do you mean?"

"No one finds it bizarre that the three of us are a team of our own? Without Natsu or Wendy or Gajeel, the three we work best with?" Carla continued.

"It is rather strange," Panther Lily replied with a nod, "but Cana's cards said this team would work out. Perhaps it will be like back on Tenrou with invading the airship."

"I know, but it still doesn't sit right with me," Carla said.

"As speculative as always."

A voice from behind caused the three Exceeds to turn. It was Samuel, standing there with his small arms folded behind his back.

"Sammy!" Panther Lily exclaimed.

Samuel adjusted his glasses. "Hello to you, Brother. And to you as well, Happy and Carla."

Panther Lily crossed his tiny arms. "We don't have time to deal with you right now. The Infinity Clock has been assembled and taken by Oración Séis."

"Oh believe me, Brother, I'm very aware," Samuel said.

"So then what are you up to now?" Carla asked.

Samuel lifted his book and adjusted his glasses again. "According to my calculations, the situation has changed from our original predictions and become even more complicated. I can't even calculate."

"I bet you're looking for our help, aren't you?" Happy asked.

"You're correct," Samuel said. He strode over to his fellow Exceeds. "If things were to get out of hand, the situation could become too much for simple humans to deal with."

"So now you see that things could go badly," Carla huffed. "And here I thought that Zentopia's teachings were all that mattered to you."

"Our doctrine is quite important, but this isn't the time to be stubbornly clinging to it," Samuel replied.

"So what can we do?" Happy asked.

"Well this isn't something you can help with since all you think about is fish. Plus, Brother is too much of a muscle-brain," Samuel answered with a shrug of his small shoulders.

"That's rude!" Happy spat.

"Did you only come to pick a fight?" Panther Lily roared.

Samuel ignored them and looked towards Carla. "Have you sensed anything at all with your precognitive powers?"

Carla lowered her gaze. "Well…I have had a variety of unclear visions. They were extremely ominous."

"Anything from Key of the Starry Heavens?" Samuel asked.

"Yes. My belief is that it was a warning."

"The clock wasn't meant to be assembled. It originally belonged to Zentopia. And now we've been given a task that I cannot comprehend. What's worse is the possibility that Zentopia's doctrine is being used for evil purposes."

"Evil purposes?" Panther Lily exclaimed. "What do you mean?"

Samuel lifted his glasses to rest on his forehead. A purple glow surrounded him as he grew to his Edolas form. "Before I explain that, Brother, I challenge you to a rematch."

Panther Lily glowed green as he grew to his Edolas form. "Very well. I'll take you on."

Happy sweatdropped. "Why are we doing this now?"

"Samuel must have doubts about something," Carla replied. "When it comes to thinking, males never make much sense."

Panther Lily and Samuel leapt at each other with fierce battle cries. They each threw a swift punch that smacked into the face of the other. Panther Lily regrouped as he demanded, "Explain what you meant! What is Zentopia scheming?" He threw another punch that connected with Samuel's chest. The gray-blue Exceed crashed into a boulder, destroying it.

Samuel recollected himself and leapt back for a moment. "Before we left, Cardinal Lapointe gave us separate assignments." He charged forward with a punch and a kick that were blocked by Panther Lily. Panther Lily leapt back to try a new assault. "Dan and Mary were sent to stop you, Sugar Boy was put on standby in case of emergency, and Gatman was…"

"Who's Gatman?" Panther Lily demanded at the mention of a new name.

"He's a newcomer that replaced Coco."

Panther Lily froze. "What happened to Coco?!"

Samuel saw his opening and leapt forward, swinging his leg and striking Panther Lily in the upper body. "She was imprisoned as a traitor to the Legion!"

Panther Lily grabbed Samuel's leg and swung him away. "For what reason?"

Samuel landed on the ground. "It was for supporting you people and such. In any case, I'm unsure of the task that Gatman was given, but I have a very bad feeling about him. According to my calculations, the moment the Cleaner steps into the limelight, that's when Zentopia will face a threat from the inside." He dashed forward again. "There's another issue as well. A peculiar task given to Lord Byro and myself." He spun his body around Panther Lily, wrapping his legs around his neck and pulling him to the ground. He held him there while holding Panther Lily's arm in his strong grip.

"What do you mean by peculiar?" Panther Lily grunted.

"The task itself is odd enough, but the oddest part about it is that we weren't told to recover the Infinity Clock, even though stopping it should be our top priority now!"

"I see," Carla said from the sidelines. "That is odd."

"We should really be working together then!" Happy added.

Panther Lily forced himself to roll, throwing Samuel from his body. He leapt to his feet. "So that's why you wanted to utilize Carla's precognition!"

Samuel slowly got to his feet. "Even after all this, Lord Byro's loyalty still remains intact. But I can no longer—" He was silenced by a swift punch to the jaw from Panther Lily. He hit the ground hard and, in a puff of smoke, left his Edolas form.

Panther Lily huffed. "You put up less of a fight this time around, Sammy. Your techniques are filled with hesitation. You'll never achieve victory over me like that." In a puff of smoke, he left his Edolas form as well. "First, we must put an end to your inner doubt."

Samuel sat up, and adjusted his glasses back to his face. "Can I count on you to help me, Brother?"

Panther Lily, Happy, and Carla all looked at each other before nodding. "Based on what we heard, that probably is the smart plan," Carla replied.

Samuel summoned his wings. "I'm glad you could see it the way I do. Let us dally no longer. We must move quickly."

Panther Lily, Happy, and Carla summoned their wings as well before all four of them took off into the air.

They traveled in silence across Fiore, flying over mountains, forests, rivers. They traveled into the heart of a storm, rain pouring down upon their heads and soaking their fur and feathers, but they did not slow their pace.

"It really does feel off," Happy said quietly. "Lucy's dad leaves her a hand of the Infinity Clock and Zentopia pursued it. But in the end, both we and the Legion Platoon were tricked and used by the reborn Oración Séis. And now the Legion Platoon isn't even trying to get the Infinity Clock back?" He shook his head of the raindrops that had stuck in his fur. "Why? Why does it feel like we're overlooking something huge? Natsu…I really hope you're okay."


"Well aren't we lucky?" Natsu said with a big grin. He cracked his knuckles as small embers sparked from his fists.

He, Lucy, Michelle, and Elfman had been traveling toward their church with no complications. The sky was cloudy, thunder boomed, lightning danced in the sky, and there was a bit of a sharp wind, but they encountered no obstacles and arrived at the church relatively quickly. Before they could approach any closer, however, they saw a figure standing before them and another off on a high cliff overlooking the plain to their right. It was Jackpot who stood in their way and Byro who was standing on the cliff.

Elfman tightened his fist. "I remember this freak from before. He's one of the reborn Oración Séis, right?"

"That's right, that's right!" Jackpot cheered. "Except I go by Jackpot."

"I don't really give a damn what they call you," Natsu said. "I'll still gladly kick your ass." He looked over his shoulder. "And I'll be dealing with you later, Octo-Jerk! Count on it!"

Byro said nothing as he glared down from his vantage point.

"You must be pretty confident to think you'll survive," Jackpot laughed while pulling down on his lever, causing the slots to spin.

Natsu and Elfman charged forward, Natsu with his Fire Dragon Roar and Elfman with his Beast Arm: Black Bull activated.

The slots stopped spinning and the pictures were of three blue popsicles. "Alright! Magic Ice Pop!" Jackpot cheered. A large blue Popsicle appeared out of nowhere, blocking Natsu's Fire Dragon Roar. Thick steam erupted from the cold object, creating a thick veil of mist.

Natsu stopped in his tracks. "Damn it, I can't see a thing!"

"Damn it, I can't see a thing!" Elfman roared as he swung his fist wildly, landing a punch to the back of Natsu's head.

"What the hell, man?" Natsu shouted. "Watch where you're swinging that thing!"

"Sorry, my bad!" Elfman apologized.

"Guys, focus!" Lucy said. "This guy may look like a joke, but he's still part of Oración Séis. We have to use teamwork!"

"Right!" Elfman shouted.

"You got it, Lucy!" Natsu nodded.

Lucy took out her key for Cancer, quickly summoning him in a flash of light. "Cancer, help us out please!"

Cancer ran forward with his scissors in his hands. "Leave it to me, baby!"

Elfman charged alongside Cancer with his Beast Arm at the ready.

Natsu leapt towards Jackpot, streams of flames whipping from his arms. "FIRE DRAGON WING ATTACK!"

But the strange member of Oración Séis had already pulled his lever and the slots had already come to rest on three pictures of a large iron slab. "Now we're talking! Steel Walls!" Several large steel walls appeared and surrounded the Fairy Tail wizards. The new enclosure captured Natsu's flames, igniting Cancer and Elfman.

"Damn it, Natsu!" Elfman roared.

"Are you tryin' to cook us, baby?" Cancer hissed.

"Why the hell are you blaming me?" Natsu cried.

The steel walls vanished, revealing a smoking Elfman and Cancer as well as an irritated Natsu. The three were glaring daggers at each other.

"You guys need to stop fighting with each other and focus on the actual enemy!" Lucy yelled.

"It doesn't seem like they're a very good match," Michelle noted.

"But how can that be? Cana chose these teams with her fortunetelling," Lucy replied. "These teams are supposed to be good matches for teamwork as well as for the destination."

Jackpot cackled, pulling down on his lever. The slots spun and landed on pictures of a lightning bolt. "Sweet! Lightning Bolt Bonus!" Bolts of lightning shot down where Lucy and Michelle were standing.

"Lucy!" Natsu roared as he took off running towards her.

"A real man doesn't run from his enemy!" Elfman called out after him.

Natsu lifted Lucy carefully. "Are you okay?"

Lucy winced but nodded. "I'll be alright."

Jackpot laughed wildly. "Against my Slot Magic, you're nothing but lowly worms! You're completely at the mercy of the ever-changing odds!"

Natsu carefully lay Lucy down on the grass before standing up. "I'll beat your freaking odds! Just you watch!"

"We're getting nowhere, though. What can we do?" Elfman asked.

"Ain't it obvious?" Natsu asked, dashing forward.

Elfman smirked and followed suit.

""Beat him senseless!""

Jackpot pushed down on the lever and the slots landed on three pictures of brown clouds. "Alright! This is hot! Shaggy Pool!" Large clumps of brown, coarse hair fell from the sky, burying Elfman, Natsu, Cancer, Lucy, and Michelle.

"This is my time to shine, baby!" Cancer said with glee. He rapidly began snipping away at the hair at inhuman speeds until it had all completely disappeared. However, there was no celebration, for all of the Fairy Tail members found large metal wash bins raining down on their heads, courtesy of Jackpot's magic.

It was then that the clouds opened up and the rain joined the thunder and lightning. It was steady, but growing heavier by the minute.

Jackpot laughed and pulled down on his lever. "What silly little kids you all are!"

"He's attacking again!" Elfman said.

Lucy smiled. "It's okay! Our luck just turned. Because where there's water…" She paused to take out one of her Gate Keys. "OPEN GATE OF THE WATER BEARER! AQUARIUS!"

In a flash of light, Aquarius appeared with her jug under her arm. "You called, girl?" she spat. "You summoned me out of some muddy old puddle again, didn't you? It's like you want to get hurt!"

"Sorry!" Lucy squeaked. "But can you forgive me for a second and take care of that creepy thing in front of us?"

Aquarius sighed loudly. "Why do you always call me when I'm on a date? Seriously, what's the deal?"

"I swear it's just bad timing!"

"Well whatever," Aquarius said, pointing the mouth of her jug at Jackpot. "I'll take care of this freak for you!" A stream of fast moving water bullets shot out of the jug.

Elfman ran forward again. "Manly!" he shouted.

Natsu caught up with him, his fists ablaze. "Hey no fair! I'm gonna hit him first!"

Jackpot's slots stopped spinning and landed on pictures of a turnaround arrow. "Round and round we go!" Just before Aquarius's attack could land they turned around and barreled right into the bodies of the unsuspecting Elfman and Natsu. They were both pushed backwards and into Aquarius. The three landed roughly on the ground in a heap. "What a hot payoff!"

Natsu ground his teeth together. "Can't you just stay out of my way?"

"You stay out of my way, damn it!" Elfman shot back.

Aquarius whacked them both in the back of the head with her ceramic jug. "Both of you shut up!" she bellowed before disappearing.

"Again?" Lucy said in disbelief. "Why does this keep happening?"

"There's no teamwork at all," Michelle said sadly.

Lucy took out another key. "Maybe this one will work better. OPEN GATE OF THE LION! LEO!"

In a flash of light Loke appeared. He adjusted his glasses. "Hello there, Lucy. What can I do for you today?"

"Loke, think you can help us out?" Lucy asked, pointing to Jackpot.

Loke nodded as he took a battle stance.

"Damn it all!" Natsu roared as he pushed his way to his feet. "We haven't landed a single hit! Fight us without the tricks!"

Elfman got to his feet as well and turned his right arm into his Iron Bull. "A real man uses his fists to fight!"

"Natsu," Lucy said softly. "Are you getting a strange feeling like Cana's fortunetelling backfired on us?"

"I don't care if it's backfiring or not!" Natsu said, shaking some rain from his hair and running forward. "I'll still beat this guy senseless!"

"Natsu, wait!" Lucy cried.

Loke and Elfman took off as well. Each one leapt towards Jackpot with a drawn back fist.

Jackpot laughed as he spun his slots. They stopped on a picture of a steel trap. A large steel trap appeared and clamped down on the three men. Jackpot spun his slots again and this time it landed on the picture of a lightning bolt. Lightning shot down, electrocuting them severely.

Natsu leapt back and slid on the ground, his skin smoking slightly. "Son of a…!"

"Natsu, are you alright?" Lucy asked.

Natsu stood. "Yeah, I'm good. Hell I'm just getting started." He smiled over at Jackpot. "Hey freak! I can still stand and now your ass is grass!"

Lucy smiled, walking up beside him. "Yeah! Our fighting compatibility doesn't matter at all, especially if it's you and me!"

"Hell yeah! Let's do this, Lucy!"


Gildarts and Laki walked down a dirt path into a nameless town. The reason for their visit was to investigate the Lobster Plantation, the place that Michelle had been born and raised before arriving on their doorstep. They had been sent by Master Macao to do some digging and put to bed a few suspicions he had.

Needless to say, they couldn't have expected what they saw when they reached the plantation. Miles of overgrown grass, broken down windmills and small buildings, skeletons of animals; the place was dead. No sound could be heard except for the lonely wind.

Gildarts shifted the bag on his back. "It certainly is a large farm. Nothing but fields and pastures as far as the eye can see."

"A glory long gone," Laki said. "Even the smell of grass is a distant memory, never to be remembered. An untouched album left behind by the flow of time."

"That's a pretty deep way of saying that the place is dead," Gildarts mumbled. "You could just say that it's been years since the place was abandoned."

The two stopped in front of a large, run down mansion. The white paint of the walls was chipped and fading. The red tiling of the roof was falling off. The shutters of the glassless windows were cracked and teetering by a hinge. Parts of the house had caved in, leaving behind gaping holes. Broken off boards were scattered around the ground. The massive stone windmill located directly behind the building was broken and unmoving.

"This is where Michelle grew up," Laki said.

Gildarts sighed. "Nothing to see here. Let's keep moving."

Laki nodded and the two continued down the dirt path. The landscape was the same no matter how far they walked—until they came upon a strange monastery covered in strange, thick, black tree roots. Large trees surrounded—and in some places bore into—the solid stone walls. Curious, they walked towards it.

"I've gotta say, Laki, you've gotten to be a real babe over the past few years," Gildarts complimented.

"I'm going to tell Cana you said that."

"Hey, I was complimenting you!"

"It's sexual harassment."

Gildarts groaned as they stopped in front of the door. "You're a real stick in the mud, too."

Laki stuck her nose up.

Gildarts sighed before shouting, "Hey! Anyone home?"

A slit in the door slid over. Through the opening Gildarts and Laki could see a woman's face. Her dark eyes seemed to focus on nothing. She replied with a monotonous voice. "Outsiders are not permitted inside."

Gildarts smiled, trying to turn on the charm that had bedded him many women. "Oh, come on," he purred. "You don't have to be like that. You can let us in." The slit in the door slid closed. "She's a tough nut to crack."

"You're disgusting," Laki sighed.

"Hey, hitting on girls is an art. You have to be direct like that."

"Nikolias was never direct like that, you know."

Gildarts scratched his head. "He doesn't count. Guy's a freak of nature when it comes to making girls swoon. Pretty legendary. Maybe he could teach me a trick or two."

"You're disgusting."

"Okay you can stop that now." He turned to her and grabbed her shoulders. "We don't have a choice now. Laki, I need you."

Laki's face turned red. "Wha—?"

"The truth is…"

Laki pressed her hand against his face. "Try anything funny with me and I'll tell Cana immediately! Some of it will be true, but at least 85% of it will be false."

"Oh come on, I'm being serious here," Gildarts assured. "Just look at this monastery."

Laki blinked and turned her head. Her eyes widened. "Oh! I see!"


The inside of the monastery was barren. Large pillars of wood lined the walls at crooked angles like broken tree trunks. A broken Zentopian symbol hung by a chain, its point buried in the stone floor. A few wooden tables and stools were set up. Pacing and standing mindlessly around were nuns and monks. It was as if they were on guard.

This was the scene that Gildarts and Laki saw from inside the bark of a wooden log. Laki had used her Maker Magic to sneak herself and Gildarts inside of the building using the trees that broke through the walls and they had continued to crawl through the pipeline-like wooden logs that crossed all over the place. They occasionally stopped to get another look before continuing.

"Your magic is just as handy as I thought it would be," Gildarts said quietly. But his hand accidentally grazed Laki's backside and the young mage cried out.

"Don't try to cop a feel!" she hissed, lashing out with her foot.

Her heel caught Gildarts square in the nose. Out of reflex he shot straight up, tearing through the bark and exposing them. "Damn that hurts!" he groaned while rubbing his nose.

Slowly and stiffly, the nuns' and monks' heads turned towards the two. "Intruders…intruders…intruders," the nuns and monks repeated over and over and approached them like zombies.

Laki and Gildarts leapt from the wood. "They spotted us," Laki said.

Gildarts lowered his hand from his face. "And after all of that good sneaking, too."

"Whose fault was that?" Laki asked irritably.

Gildarts didn't reply. He scanned the area. They were completely surrounded by the nuns and monks. And he could tell that something wasn't right. "What is this?"

"These guys are creeping me out," Laki shivered. She slammed her hands on the ground. "WOOD MAKE: THE HEART FEELS DISTANT!" Several wooden objects sprung from the ground, creating a wall to block off the advancing masses on one side.

Gildarts, however, took a more offensive stance. "Get lost!" he shouted, kicking and punching anyone who got too close with all of his strength.

Laki shrieked. "What the hell are you doing?! We can't beat up monks and nuns!"

Gildarts clicked his tongue. The nuns and monks he had hit were getting back up as if possessed, bodies twisting in inhuman ways, some crawling back towards them on hands and feet like puppets on string. "Take a closer look at 'em."

"Seize them…seize them…seize them," the nuns and monks chanted as they continued their slow advance.

"What's with these people?" Laki asked, unconsciously moving behind Gildarts.

"This is getting so annoying," Gildarts grumbled.

Laki slammed her hands on the ground again, summoning more wooden structures to act as a barricade. "Stay away!" she shouted. However, they just crawled through the cracks like insects.

Gildarts raised his hand. "I've had enough of this!" A white light shone from his palm, engulfing several of the nuns and monks. When the light disappeared, all that was left of those touched by the light was small cubes that blew away from the force of his magic.

Laki nearly fainted. "You…you…!"

"Stop freaking out and look closely," Gildarts said roughly. "These guys ain't human."

Laki looked down at the cubes on the ground created from Gildarts's Crash Magic. She gasped, bending down to pick one up. "No way. They're dolls made of earth and wood!" She examined it closely. "It doesn't seem to have been made using a Make Magic spell."

Gildarts looked quickly over to the fallen Zentopia insignia. "What the hell are those Zentopia guys thinking? Or rather, what is it they're hiding?"

Laki stood back up. "It's possible this is something far more serious than Master suspected."

"That sounds like a safe bet," Gildarts replied. "Looks like you hit the jackpot, Macao." He held up his hand again, activating his Crash Magic and blowing away more of the dolls. "Don't hold back, Laki! We need to get further inside!"

"Right!"

The two continued to push through the dolls, taking advantage of any opening they saw to move deeper inside the monastery. The dolls didn't cause too many problems, but their sheer number was enough of a handful that the two had to always be on their guard. They entered a tunnel, hoping to only have to deal with the dolls from one direction. And slowly but surely, the dolls' numbers began to shrink.

The two reached a small room at the end of the tunnel just as the last dolls fell. It was very poorly lit, since the only light came from a single lamp at the far end and a little from the tunnel. The walls had shelves filled with vials and jars. There no labels, but they were probably medicines and potions.

Gildarts rolled his shoulder. "Looks like we hit a dead end."

Laki pointed to the end of the hall. "Do you see that?"

Gildarts followed Laki's finger to the far end of the room where the lamp was. There was a bed with a small table on one side of it. On the other side of the bed was a stool with a lacrima. The rounded wall behind it was covered from top to bottom with shelves and potions as well. And inside the bed was a person; a young girl with long brown hair covered in tightly wrapped bandages. She was hooked up to the lacrima by the bed. "Someone's here."

"I think she's alive…," Laki breathed.

They walked up to her to get a closer look. Her lower half was covered by a thin, dirty sheet. She wore no clothes, but her large chest was wrapped tightly and completely in bandages as were her left arm, her right upper arm, her neck and her eyes.

"Who is she? And why the hell is she hidden back here?" Gildarts asked.

Laki picked up a clipboard with papers beside the bed and flipped through the pages. "Let's see…it looks like she underwent treatment here after a big accident a few years ago." She looked back to the girl. "However, this lacrima is meant to keep her in a coma even if she does manage to recover. How could they do this to her?"

"So then someone doesn't want this girl waking up, huh? Well, what's her name?"

Laki looked back to the papers and read through the contents. Once she found it, she gasped. "This…this can't be."

"What? What is it?"

Laki looked at Gildarts, her lips trembling. "Her name…it's Michelle Lobster."

Gildarts looked at the girl in the bed. "This is Michelle Lobster?"

"There's no doubt. All of the paperwork says so. This is Michelle Lobster, the sole daughter who lost her family in the Lobster Plantation accident."

Gildarts gulped. "Hang on a minute. If this is Michelle," he looked back at Laki, "then who the hell is the Michelle that's with Lucy?