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 106

"Huh? Wendy's not with them?"

"You mean she's missing?"

Romeo and Nab stood before Happy. The little blue Exceed was clearly worried when he arrived and, after explaining the situation to them, they could understand why. The first words out of his mouth were that Wendy never arrived at the inn to join the team.

Happy nodded. "Aye. Carla, too."

"But don't the rules of the Games say that all five people have to be there?" Romeo asked.

Happy raised a paw. "Gracie happened to be in the inn visiting and took Wendy's place."

"Seriously?!" Romeo exclaimed. He scratched his head furiously. "So you mean if I had gone to the inn, I could have been in the elimination round?! Damn it!"

"That's beside the point," Nab said. "Gracie took care of the problem on that end. More importantly, we need to go look for Wendy and Carla."

"Spread the word around," Happy said as he summoned his wings. "I'll start searching!"

Nab nodded. "You got it. We'll split up into teams and stay in contact using Warren's telepathy. Good luck!"

Romeo looked to the night sky. "I hope they didn't get caught up in some kind of trouble."


Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, and Gracie stood inside of the Sky Labyrinth, trying to make sense of the situation. There were no walls, so depending on where you looked you either saw the starry night sky or the cityscape. Staircases floated about, going in all directions, with some even hanging upside-down. Each staircase led to a door that seemed to lead to nowhere. The group struggled just to get their bearings. This truly was a labyrinth in every sense of the word.

"This place is trippy as hell," Gracie commented as she looked all around. "Anyone else feeling dizzy?"

"Can't argue with you," Gray said. "This place is a 3D maze."

Natsu scratched his head. "I'm not great with mazes."

"Keep it together, Natsu," Lucy said. "We have to work together and be one of the first eight teams to arrive at the goal. We'll be cut before we can even try to get back the number one title!"

Natsu grinned and punched his palm. "You're right! We've gotta get through this so we can pummel those Sabertooth bastards!"

A fire ignited in Gracie's eyes. "Oh yeah! Now that I'm participating, I can get my sweet revenge! I'll make 'em cry and beg for mercy! Hey, let's really screw them over and beat them to the goal!"

"We should head east. That's the direction of the arena," Erza said.

Lucy pumped her fist. "Well if that's the case, leave it to me!" She whipped out one of her Celestial keys. "OPEN! GATE OF THE COMPASS! PYXIS!"

In a puff of smoke, a small red creature appeared. It had a body representing a bird with a disproportionately large head. It's beaming face was white with black lines. A compass was attached to the top of its head. It spun around and chirped happily.

"Pyxis, please tell us which way is east!" Lucy called out confidently.

Pyxis nodded. The compass needle atop its head began to spin around rapidly before stopping. It then pointed in the direction of east.

Lucy pointed with him. "That way is east!"

Erza coughed. "S…Sorry, Lucy." She held up a compass in her armored hand. "I brought along a compass."

Lucy and Pyxis sat in a corner, sulking. "Good job, Pyxis," she said monotonously.

Pyxis chirped sadly once before vanishing.

"At least he was cute!" Gracie offered.

"That doesn't help," Lucy retorted.

"Come on, let's get moving," Gray said.

Everyone nodded and ran for the staircase that appeared to be heading east. As they ran, the stairs twisted in different directions to the point where the sky was below their feet and the ground was above them.

"Seriously trippy," Gracie murmured.

"I'm guessing we won't be able to just stay east the whole time," Lucy said. "This place is built to go all over the place."

They paused on the next flat platform. The stairs they were running on stopped heading east and branched off. They looked around, trying to regain their sense of direction.

"By the way, how are you feeling, Natsu?" Erza asked.

Natsu raised an eyebrow at her question and nodded. "Not sure why, but I don't feel sick at all."

"Allow me to explain that!"

Out of nowhere, a screen appeared in front of the group displaying the pumpkin-headed figure.

"Holy…Big Brother is listening!" Gracie cried as she looked all around for surveillance devices.

"For this elimination round, the Sky Labyrinth has been treated with magic so everyone can compete fairly, even if they have motion sickness!" With the explanation complete, the screen vanished.

"I see," Erza nodded. "Very informative."

"So it's like the Troia spell then?" Natsu asked.

Gracie shivered. "Moving on from the fact they're listening in on us, we should keep looking for an eastward leading stairway."

After some more investigation, the group selected a set of stairs that appeared to be continuing east. Further down that path, there was a door. Erza opened it to reveal a dizzying black and white checkered path that spiraled downwards. The walls had massive keyhole-shaped holes set into the stone at even intervals, but there was no light filtering in from the other side. The ceiling was low, making it dark and even harder to tell what to expect.

"Geez. Just looking at that is making me feel off-balance," Gray muttered.

"I can't even tell if the end is above or below us," Lucy added.

"It doesn't matter. This is the path we must take, so let's move," Erza said.

The group followed Erza's lead as they ran down the path.

"I wonder how far this path goes," Lucy wondered aloud.

"Eh, what does it matter?" Natsu shrugged. "At the end of this path will be the goal for sure!"

After several minutes of running, the group reached another door. However, once they opened it, they saw nothing laid out before them but a drop. They had reached a dead end.

Gracie squatted down and whistled as she looked over the edge of the floor. "Yeah, there's no recovering if you fall from here. We would have been done for."

Gray nodded as he looked over her shoulder. "Falling from here would land us on the streets of Crocus—headfirst."

"And that means we'll need to be cautious with the paths we choose," Gracie cautioned as she stood up.

"But if we search the whole place that carefully, there's no way we'll reach the goal in time!" Natsu shouted. "I say we just keep going full force!"

Erza put a hand to her chin as she looked around. "I think it would be wise to take notes as we move forward."

"What kind of notes?" Lucy asked.

Erza turned to her. "For instance, the route we took to reach this point, the kinds of places we've passed, any landmarks we've noticed. If we can't understand where we are right now, our progress will be hindered."

"I see. You want to make a map," Gracie smirked. "I like it!"

Natsu scratched his head. "How the hell are we supposed to make heads or tails of anything? Everything is all over the place and looks the same."

"Can't you smell the goal, Natsu?" Gray asked.

"My nose isn't working," Natsu replied while shaking his head.

"Maybe that's another effect of the magic placed on the Labyrinth," Lucy offered.

"All teams are given the same conditions to make it fair, so it stands to reason," Erza agreed. "Anyway, about our notes…"

"Leave it to me!" Gracie cheered, thrusting her fist in the air. "Just get me some paper and something to write with."

Erza handed her the materials she needed and Gracie got to work. She sat on the ground, staring at the paper as her mind started running through everything they had experienced. After a few seconds, her hand began to fly across the paper, creating a loose sketch of the paths they had taken. "Okay, I think that's everything so far."

Erza looked over the map and her eyes widened. Somehow Gracie had not only accurately depicted their direction but had managed to include depth as well. "I'm impressed, Gracie. This will definitely help moving forward."

Gracie giggled. "Aww, shucks, no need to flatter me. Unless you really want to." She turned to Gray. "Go on, flatter me!"

"You must be joking," Gray sighed.

Gracie puffed out her cheeks. "Jerk…"

Erza looked at her compass and pointed east. "Come, let's keep moving!"

Suddenly, Natsu's head twitched. "Erza."

Erza kept her gaze fixed to the east. "Yes, I heard something, too."

"You're the one who said it was this way!"

"How the hell is this my fault?"

"Idiots, we've been this way once before."

"Right?! I knew it!"

"Guys! We need to keep going or we'll run out of time!"

The disembodied voices echoed on the still night air. The group looked around for their location.

"I completely forgot. The other teams are in here, too," Gray said.

Natsu twirled around. "There!"

Walking down the path to the group's left was Twilight Ogre, the same group that had constantly pestered Fairy Tail over the past seven years—and the same group that had been thrashed by the returning members.

The leader of the group, Thibault, noticed them, his face twisting in disgust. "Oh, you've got to be kidding."

"It's Fairy Tail!" another member cried.

Gracie pointed at them and gasped. "Hey, it's the…who are you again?"

A tick mark appeared on Thibault's forehead. "You serious?! How can you not remember us?!"

"Twilight Ogre," Erza said as she glared at them.

Thibault huffed. "Honestly. Your memory is as piss-poor as your guild."

Gracie crossed her arms. "Hey, I can remember stuff really well! It's not my fault you weren't worth remembering."

"I didn't expect to see you guys participating," Gray said.

"The same could be said of you," Thibault countered. "Fairy Tail is always in last place. Can't believe you'd want to embarrass yourselves even more."

"This year is different!" Natsu shouted.

Thibault snickered and reached for his club. "Oh? How so?"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Lucy cried. "We're not going to fight here, are we?"

Thibault laughed. "You serious? We're allowed to use magic in here and there are no restrictions! Of course we're going to fight! And we'll crush you in seconds!"

Gray took his Maker stance and smirked. "These morons don't learn."

Natsu lit his hands on fire. "I'm fired up!"

Erza grinned and raised her sword. "The fewer rivals the better."

"We're seriously going to fight?" Lucy groaned.

Gracie summoned and twirled her katanas. "Aren't we lucky? I get to give my new blades more of a test drive than just threatening someone!"

"""""Let's get 'em! Make 'em pay!"""""

With a battle cry, Twilight Ogre leapt at the Fairy Tail mages, their various weapons drawn back and at the ready.

The battle was over in the blink of an eye. With flashes of steel, waves of fire, and bursts of ice, Gracie, Erza, Natsu, and Gray easily batted Twilight Ogre away. The five mages shrieked in fear as they plummeted down towards the streets of Crocus.

"We've got our eyes set on overthrowing Sabertooth," Natsu snickered.

"And becoming the number one guild in Fiore again," Gray added.

Gracie looked over her shoulder, a dangerous glint in her eyes. "Sorry, but you guys were simply in the way of that. Sucks to suck."

Suddenly, bright red lights flashed from outside of the labyrinth and an alarm sounded. Moments later, the labyrinth began to shift.

"What's happening?" Erza cried as the floor below her began to spin upwards.

"What is this?" Lucy whined as she held onto the platform she was on for dear life.

"The floor is moving?" Gray asked while trying to maintain his balance.

Gracie drove her katanas into the stone and used them to hold herself in place. "Afraid it's not that simple. The whole damn labyrinth is rotating!"

"Rotating? How?" Natsu shouted.

All around them, the Fairy Tail mages could hear screams of people as they fell from the labyrinth.

"Hang on! It's rotating on a Z-axis!" Erza called out. Her platform had completely rotated. With no ground left to stand on, she was left to dangling from the now vertical edge. "If we fall out, we're disqualified!"

"Everyone move to the flank!" Gracie ordered.

Lucy could feel her grip slipping as her platform continued to turn. "I don't know how much longer I can hold on!"

"Hang in there, Lucy!" Gray shouted while struggling to hold onto his own platform.

However, it was no use. The constant rotating made it too challenging to maintain her hold. With a shriek, Lucy fell. The wind whipped around her, muffling her own screams.

"LUCY!" Natsu roared. Without a second thought, he twisted his body so that he had his feet flat on the surface and pushed off, cracking the stone platform. He fell through the air like a missile, desperately trying to close the gap between them. Fortunately, he had generated enough speed with the force of his push to catch up to Lucy. He wrapped his arms around her. "I've got you!"

"Natsu!" Lucy cried. Her joy towards Natsu's attempted rescue was short-lived, however, and was quickly overcome by despair as she remembered the situation they were in. Tears welled in her eyes. "Natsu…I'm sorry. If I hadn't fallen, we wouldn't have…"

"Don't give up!" Natsu tightened his hold on Lucy with one arm and aimed his other to the side. "We won't be losing here! FIRE DRAGON PULSE!" A massive orb of flames quickly collected in Natsu's palm before firing outwards. The orb collided with one of the staircases and exploded, sending out a discharge of fire. The force of the concussive blast slammed into Natsu and pushed him and Lucy to the side until they were above another platform. They landed with a crash.

Natsu groaned as he rubbed his head. "Lucy, you oka—ghgg?!"

The wind was knocked out of Natsu's lungs as Lucy tackle hugged him. She held him tight, her head pressed against his chest. "Natsu, thank you! You saved me and kept us in the race!"

He grinned and patted her head. "Of course! I've always got your back!"

She nuzzled his chest. "I know you do."

"You guys okay?" Gray called out. With the rotations having stopped, he and the others had finally found solid footing.

"We're okay!" Lucy replied.

"Way to think on your feet there, Natsu!" Gracie praised Natsu as she pulled her katanas from the stone.

"What the hell is this place?" Gray asked in annoyance.

Erza looked around. "It's a logical method for eliminating teams and narrowing it down to the final eight."

"A lot of teams did fall," Gracie nodded, holding her hand above her eyes as she surveyed the ground below. Several pale green magic circles floated in the air, carrying the fallen teams to prevent serious injury. "Even though they said they take no responsibility for lost lives, they certainly have some nifty safety precautions in place."

"Their goal isn't to actually kill anybody, you know," Gray sighed.

It was then that Erza noticed a stack of papers a few steps away. She walked over and picked them up. She analyzed the pages. "A map?"

Gracie took the papers from her. "Hey, that's lucky! Must be from one of the other teams!" She compared them to her own notes. "If I combine these, I can make our map even more accurate!"

An evil glint appeared in Erza's eyes. "I see. I'm starting to understand how this elimination round works."

Gracie laughed evilly, a similar sparkle appearing in her eyes. "Heh heh heh, I think I am as well!"

Natsu leapt up to the group with Lucy. He chuckled darkly. "There's only one thing to do then!"

"Natsu, your eyes are kinda scaring me…," Lucy breathed.

"We just have to steal maps from other teams," Gray summarized with a smirk.

Gracie pocketed the maps safely and twirled her katanas. "They called this a race. How cute. They should have just called it what it is—a cut-throat, high-speed battle royale!"

With that, Fairy Tail got to work. They ran east, searching more for other teams than correct paths. Every time they came across a team, they leapt into battle, easily dispatching their unexpecting opponents, stealing their maps, and knocking them over the edge.

Only Lucy seemed hesitant to engage in such actions when their overall objective was reaching the end of the maze. However, she remained silent. She knew having an accurate map was critical to their success. There was nowhere near enough time to explore on their own, so this was truly the only logical course of action, even if it seemed immoral.

"Alright!" Natsu cheered, holding up more papers. "That makes six total for me!"

"Six here as well!" Gray declared.

Erza, clad in her Black Wing Armor, swung her sword at another team. "I've gathered seven!"

"Hand 'em here! I'll put the pieces together!" Gracie said.

As teams fell in quick succession, the flashing red lights and alarm returned. This time, everyone knew what to expect. They held on tightly to something as the rotations began. More screams from falling participants echoed on the air. After several moments, the rotations stopped. Everyone found their footing and continued their map quest.

After gathering a couple more maps, the Fairy Tail members stopped finding other teams. It was then that Gracie called for everyone to stop.

"What is it, Gracie?" Erza asked.

Gracie leafed through the maps. "You know guys, I'm not so sure our current strategy is effective."

"I was thinking the same thing," Lucy agreed. "The rotations are making it difficult to keep heading east."

Gracie nodded. "Exactly."

"So then what do you think we should do?" Gray asked.

"We need to head to the center of the labyrinth," Gracie replied. "That will negate most of the effects of the rotations, if they will even continue, and there's a good chance that it will give us a more direct route east than trying to maneuver through all of these outer paths."

The group agreed to the new strategy and changed course towards the center of the spherical labyrinth.

Once they arrived at the center, they were surprised by what they saw. There was a wide open landscape spread out before them, as if the creators of the labyrinth had managed to squeeze an entire meadow inside. Ruined stone walls and pillars sporadically dotted the landscape. There was even a river, a small waterfall, and a blue sky with clouds.

And to make things even stranger, this entire landscape was above them. The path they were on was floating upside down in the sky.

"What in the hell?" Gracie mumbled softly as she looked up. She couldn't fathom how a place like this could exist inside the center of the labyrinth.

Erza looked down at her compass. The needle was spinning wildly. "Unfortunately, it seems directions don't exist in this place.

"That's a problem. How the hell are we supposed to know which way to go?" Gray asked.

Erza pumped her fist. "We can't afford to be held up here. We must keep moving forward!"

"And how are we supposed to do that when we don't know where we're going?" Gray doubled down on his questioning.

Lucy put her hands on her hips and smiled with pride. "I was waiting for a time like this."

Natsu scratched his head. "What are you talking about?"

Lucy took out one of her Celestial keys. "Just watch! OPEN! GATE OF THE COMPASS! PYXIS!" In a puff of smoke, Pyxis appeared once more. However, he immediately cowered behind Lucy, his eyes fixed on Erza as he trembled. Lucy patted his back reassuringly.

"Aww, it's the cutey from before!" Gracie squealed.

"Is he scared of something?" Natsu asked, curious as to why the spirit was shaking like a leaf.

Lucy smiled slightly. "Well, he's a bit traumatized by Erza's compass."

Erza appeared devastated. "It's my fault?!"

Lucy squatted down and turned Pyxis to face her. She looked into his eyes with determination. "Pyxis, this is your time to shine! Compasses are completely useless here!"

Pyxis froze and blinked. He turned to Erza as if seeking confirmation. Erza held up her compass to show the spinning needle. He turned back to Lucy, still seeming unsure.

"We really need your power!"

"My sincerest apologies for before. Will you please help us?"

Lucy and Erza worked to try and convince Pyxis to offer his aid. Pyxis chirped with delight and danced about, a clear sign that it was willing to help out.

"Kinda fragile-minded, huh?" Gray chuckled.

"Eh, can you blame him? He was going against Erza of all people," Natsu sighed.

"Did you say something?" Erza was upon them in less than a second, staring them down.

Both Gray and Natsu broke into a nervous sweat. It was as if Erza's presence had swallowed them whole. They shook their heads vigorously. ""Nope, not a word!""

"You boys never learn," Gracie shrugged.

Everyone watched Pyxis's compass. Like before, the needle spun around for a while before settling on a direction. Pyxis chirped as he pointed diagonally upwards.

Lucy mimicked the motion. "East is that way!"

"Wait, you want us to go up?" Gray cried. "How the hell are we supposed to do that?"

"And you're sure that's east?" Gracie asked.

Lucy smiled. "Of course! A Celestial Spirit's power is way stronger than a regular old compass!"

"So how do we get there?" Natsu asked.

Before anyone could answer, a familiar sound echoed in their ears.

The Sky Labyrinth was rotating.

Once it did, the path they had been standing on was suddenly above them. They fell towards the river, which was now below them, and splashed into the water. Everyone pulled themselves out of the water, their clothes dripping wet.

"That's one way to go about it," Gracie grumbled as she wrung her shirt.

"Now that that's settled," Erza said, "let's continue onward!"

The group ran along the path heading east. It was anything but straight, but it led them across an ocean-sized body of water. The choppy waves would have made it impossible to cross by swimming and they surely would have lost valuable time attempting to do so.

"Okay this is just ridiculous," Gracie bemoaned. "I guess a meadow and river are one thing, but now there's a whole freakin' sea in here? Come on! This labyrinth wasn't that big!"

"Just how far does this go?" Lucy asked. She could see nothing past the horizon line.

Erza glanced upwards. "Look. The sky is fake. It's been painted onto the walls."

Sure enough, some spots in the sky had chipped away, revealing the metal gears that operated the labyrinth.

A large smile split Natsu's face. "So you mean…"

"We've reached the end of the path," Gray continued.

Gracie leapt up, ignoring her previous gripes about logic. "We've made it to the goal!"

With this realization motivating them, the Fairy Tail mages ran even faster forward. After a while, they could see the path wind upwards, leading to a lone doorway. There was a fancy sign hanging above the frame. They climbed the stairs of the path and could see that the sign said "GOAL" in large, brightly colored, flashing letters.

Standing before the door and clapping was the pumpkin-headed figure from the announcements. He was much shorter than they would have guessed.

"Erza Scarlet! Gracie Amier! Gray Fullbuster! Lucy Hearfilia! Natsu Dragneel! Congratulations! You've passed the elimination round!" the pumpkin-headed man declared theatrically. Everyone smiled with pride at having passed the first round of the Games.

"Of course we passed," Gray chuckled.

"Are we in first place?" Lucy asked excitedly.

The figure tilted his head. "Nope. You were eighth. In fact, you barely made it."

Everyone's faces fell. All the pride from before had vanished and was replaced by the sudden realization that they had passed by the skin of their teeth.

Still, at the end of the day, Fairy Tail had conquered the Sky Labyrinth. They would advance to the Grand Magic Games.


Happy gazed up at Mercurius. He was hovering before the massive stone walls that separated the palace from the rest of Crocus. For a brief moment, he was stunned with fascination, but he quickly recovered and remembered his purpose for being here.

"I really hope Wendy and Carla are here."

He had searched several places but was unable to find any clues as to where Wendy and Carla could have gone. He also knew from Warren's telepathic communications that no other teams had any luck either. There was only one other place Happy could think of that Wendy might be: the palace.

He flew over to the staircase that led into the palace grounds. Two guards were standing watch. Once they noticed Happy approach, they held up their spears to bar his way.

"Hold it!" one of the guards demanded. "What are you doing here at this hour?"

Happy waved his arms as he explained the situation. "You see, one of my guildmates who was supposed to participate in the elimination round for the Grand Magic Games has gone missing! We've looked all over Crocus and this is the last place we haven't checked!"

The guard who spoke leaned over to his partner, holding up his shield to hide his mouth as he whispered into his ear.

The second guard nodded. "Right. His Majesty is greatly looking forward to the Grand Magic Games. You can look around in the courtyard for your friend." He and the first guard moved their spears and stood to the side.

"Thank you!" Happy cried as he flew in. He reached out to Warren telepathically. "Warren! I just went into Mercurius to look for Wendy and Carla!"

"What?! Are you serious?! I'm so jealous!"

"They said I could look in the courtyard," Happy said. "I'm surprised they let me in at all."

"Well, the gardens are open to the public. And knowing Wendy, I can imagine she might be interested in looking at the flora they have there. Best of luck with your search. Keep me posted."

"Aye!"

The main path through the gardens branched off in several directions. Along each side of the path was a large bed of flowers surrounded by tall hedges. Their purpose was to keep people from stepping beyond the permissible areas while they viewed the beautiful flowers. Happy hummed as he considered where to go. The gardens were a massive area to search alone, and he didn't want to waste any time. "I'll try this way."

As he flew, if he found no clues or signs of the girls, he would take a new turn at the next intersection. The longer he flew, the more worried he became that they weren't there.

Suddenly, a loud gong sounded. He looked up to see the same pumpkin-headed mascot being projected into the sky. The projection was so large it could be easily seen from anywhere within the city.

"All eight teams are now present!" the figure announced. "And with that, Sky Labyrinth, the elimination round of the Grand Magic Games, has come to a close!" A bell chimed as if a heavyweight fight has just concluded. "Now then, which guilds will be participating in the real Games?" The figure spun around and posed. "You'll have to find out at the Opening Ceremony!" With that announcement, the projection cut out and vanished from the sky.

"The elimination round is over. I wonder how Natsu and everyone did," Happy muttered to himself as he flew.

And then suddenly, he froze. A truly awful sight made his heart drop in his small chest.

Lying on the stone path was a small purse, adorned with a heart clasp. He recognized that purse.

"Wendy's bag…" He looked around frantically. "Wendy! Carla!" Panic fueling him, Happy beat his wings quickly, determined to search the immediate area for his missing friends.

After several minutes of scouring the area, he finally found Wendy and Carla. They were both lying on the ground unconscious, several hundred yards away from Wendy's purse. Tears welled up in Happy's eyes as he rushed to their side. "Wendy! Carla!" Neither of them responded. He reached out telepathically to Warren. "Warren, I found them! They're not moving! Please get help!"

"Right, we're on it!" Warren replied.

Happy gently touched Wendy's arm. It was odd. Wendy didn't look injured, but it felt as if Wendy's magic power had been completely drained from her body. He then walked over to Carla. He was getting the same sense from her as well. "What do I do?"

A soft groan made Happy's ears twitch. He turned to see Wendy's eyes slowly open.

"Wendy!" Happy cried with relief. "What happened?"

Wendy didn't respond. Instead, she slowly held up her weak arms in front of her face and shook her head. "No…please stop…"

Happy flew up over Wendy's face. "Wendy! It's me, Happy!"

Wendy slowly turned her head. "Ha…ppy?" Light began to return to Wendy's eyes. "What…happened…to me?"

"That's what I want to know. What happened to you and Carla?"

"We were…we were…"


THE NEXT DAY

"WENDY!"

Natsu burst through the door to Domus Flau's infirmary with Lucy, Erza, Gracie, and Gray close behind. As soon as the Sky Labyrinth was over and news of Wendy reached them, Natsu and the others rushed over to check on their friend.

Lying in one of the beds were Wendy and Carla. Happy was by their sides as they slept. He turned when he heard the door. "Natsu…everyone…" Happy's eyes and voice were trembling from worry.

"Where was she?" Natsu asked.

"Near some bushes in the palace garden," Happy replied.

A soft moan caught everyone's attention. Everyone looked to see Wendy's eyes start to open. Natsu leaned closer. "Wendy!"

Wendy turned her head slowly. "Natsu…"

"Wendy, what happened?" Natsu asked gently.

"I'm sorry. I don't really remember," Wendy breathed before wincing in pain. She barely had the strength to speak.

"You poor thing. What could have happened to you to leave you in such bad shape?" Gracie wondered aloud.

"It would seem she has magic deficiency disease."

A voice by the door made everyone turn. Standing there was Porlyusica.

"What are you doing here?" Lucy asked.

Porlyusica walked into the room and over to Wendy. She flashed Lucy a look. "Is there something wrong with coming to cheer you on?"

Lucy waved her hands in front of her nervously. "N…No, not at all!"

Porlyusica looked down at Wendy. "I heard about your condition and it made me worried, so I came right over. Now let's take a look." She bent down and gently put a hand on Wendy's forehead.

"Before you mentioned she has magic deficiency disease," Erza said. "Can you explain what that is?"

Porlyusica carefully removed her hand as she pondered things. "Magic deficiency disease occurs when there is a sudden loss of a great deal of magic power, causing all of the muscles in the body to weaken."

"Will she be alright?" Gracie asked hopefully.

"Provided she rests for a while, she will recover."

"But what happened?" Natsu asked again. It was killing him not to know what had happened to Wendy.

Wendy closed her eyes. "I can't remember it clearly. I do think I remember a small black animal…" Suddenly, Wendy's eyes widened. She gasped, fear evident on her face. But the fear was quickly replaced with sadness. As tears began to fall, she turned over in bed and pulled the covers up to her face. Her small body shook. "Everyone…I'm sorry. After all the training I did, I…I can't…participate." Tears flowed freely from her eyes as guilt wracked her small body. "Gracie. Please compete in my place."

Gracie smiled softly. She knew how frustrated Wendy felt and she knew how difficult it was for her to admit that she couldn't compete in the Games. "Yeah. You can count on me. I've got you covered. Just get better, 'kay?"

"Alright, everyone should leave," Porlyusica ordered. "She needs her rest."

Erza nodded. "Let's go, everyone. The only thing we can do is compete in the Grand Magic Games."

Everyone gave Wendy and Carla one more concerned look before shuffling out of the infirmary. As soon as she heard the door close, Wendy's crying intensified.

Porlyusica began working with the medicine she had at hand within the infirmary. "Oh, stop that crying. The Grand Magic Games is a festival that takes place over the course of seven days. If you can recover, you'll still have the chance to take part."

Wendy's eyes shone from her tears, but also with renewed hope. Tears still fell, but her sobbing calmed down.

"On my honor as Fairy Tail's advising apothecary, I swear I will cure you."

Wendy rolled over and looked at Porlyusica. Her face was flushed from crying, but she gave Porlyusica a happy, tired smile. "Thank you, Grandeeney."

Porylusica huffed. "Don't call me by that name."

Wendy giggled softly. "Okay."


The late morning sun was high in the sky, casting some shadows over Crocus's massive battle arena, Domus Flau. Puffs of colored smoke went off like fireworks. Hundreds of balloons of varying colors floated up into the sky. Thousands of people were packed into the three audience stages, cheering loudly as they eagerly awaited the festivities. Vendors walked through the crowd, selling food and beverages. At the very center of the arena, beautiful cheerleaders performed a routine in front of a raging fire.

The Opening Ceremony for the Grand Magic Games had begun.

"It's that time of year again, folks! The annual magic festival—the Grand Magic Games!" An announcer's voice echoed out, exciting the crowd even further. The entire arena rocked from the noise.

Erza turned towards the noise. She and the rest of the team were in their waiting room, but the noise from outside was carrying through the inner halls. "That's quite a lot of cheering."

"I can't believe how many people are here," Lucy marveled.

"Fiore wizards and regular spectators from all over, I guess," Gray said.

Gracie pumped her fists, her eyes sparkling and smoke pouring from her nostrils. "Oh man, this is getting me even more pumped up! I can't wait to get this started!"

Natsu wasn't paying attention to anything being said. He was tugging at his shirt. "Man, I really don't like this outfit…," he grumbled.

He and the rest of the team were all in matching Fairy Tail uniforms. They were all purple in color with a white Fairy Tail insignia embroidered across the left chest. His in particular was a long, closed purple waistcoat and gray baggy pants. He still, of course, had Igneel's scarf wrapped around his neck.

"It's kind of pointless to whine about that now, Natsu," Lucy said. "Master wanted us wearing matching team colors." Her outfit consisted of a strapless purple halter top that covered her stomach with a white ribbon in the center of her chest. She had a short navy-blue skirt with her whip and keys attached to her belt. Over her shoulders was a short piece of purple cloth with golden designs stitched into it. She had her hair done up as a side ponytail with a purple ribbon.

Erza stood with a pleased look on her face. "I like mine. It's cute." She was wearing a long purple coat that was held closed by two leather belts across her torso. Underneath was a pair of navy-blue bikini bottoms. She had thigh high navy-blue boots and separated purple sleeves held to her arms by leather belts. Her scarlet hair was tied up with a black ribbon into a high ponytail.

"Yep. I like mine too." Gray agreed with Erza's opinion. He was wearing…absolutely nothing.

"Says the guy strutting around half naked," Gracie snickered. She was wearing a purple tight T-shirt and navy-blue athletic shorts. Her blonde hair was tied up in a high ponytail with a white ribbon.

Gray huffed as he threw on his long-sleeved long purple coat. "Oh shut up."

A knock came at the door. "Start making your way to the arena," a muffled voice on the other side called out. "Once you're called, exit the hall and enter the arena."

Erza turned to everyone and held out her hand. "So it begins. We aim to win it all."

Everyone placed their hands on top of Erza's, smiled, and nodded.

They made their way out of the waiting room and walked silently down the hall. At the end they could see light pouring in from outside. The roar of the crowd was even louder.

Natsu clenched his fists. "Do you think the bastard who harmed Wendy is part of the tournament?"

Lucy nodded. "It's possible."

"Are they just trying to weaken us?" Gray asked.

"Dunno. But one thing's for damn sure. If they are, we'll make 'em pay for it," Gracie said.

"All we can do is give it our all to win. For Wendy and everyone in Fairy Tail," Erza added.

The announcer's voice called out on the microphone.

"In just a moment, the curtain will rise on the Grand Magic Games! I'm your MC, Chapati Rola. Next to me is former Council member, Mr. Yajima, who will provide commentary. I'm looking forward to working with you, Mr. Yajima!"

"Likewise," Yajima's old gruffy voice echoed out.

Chapati continued. "I'd also like to introduce our guest for Day One of the Games. Please give a warm welcome to the current Miss Fiore, Jenny Rearlight of Blue Pegasus!"

"We're gonna win this year!" Jenny's sweet voice called out.

"Alright! The players are about to take the field!" Chapati cried.

Everyone knew what that meant. Filled with determination and confidence, Natsu, Lucy, Gracie, Erza, and Gray silently strode forward and into the arena.

"We start with the eighth-ranked team! Can they recapture their former glory from years ago? The group whose name is synonymous with rowdiness; FAIRY TAIL!"

Boos rained down from the crowd. It was hard to imagine that a crowd that was so hyped and filled with cheer could switch gears so suddenly.

Natsu was surprised by the reception. "What? Why are they booing?"

Gray clicked his tongue. "Before we even do anything, huh?"

Gracie sighed, crossing her arms over her chest. "Seriously, talk about bias."

"Fairy Tail has finished last place every year, but they did manage to survive the elimination round, though even there they finished last. Will the Tenrou group that created a buzz with their homecoming manage to become Fiore's Number One?" Chapati continued his analysis of Fairy Tail with more factual yet hurtful remarks.

"Hey now," Lucy whimpered.

"Don't let it get to you," Erza said. "Keep your head held high."

Yajima, a small old man with gray bushy eyebrows and a short, bushy, gray moustache, gave the group a thumbs up and smiled warmly. "I'm just glad to see them return safely. Congratulations, Fairy Tail."

Jenny giggled cheerfully as she waved down at Fairy Tail, her beautiful blonde hair bouncing with each motion. Her crystal blue eyes sparkled with glee. Her outfit, a purple dress that revealed much of her bountiful cleavage and a thick gold necklace, made it clear why she was the current Miss Fiore. She was stunningly beautiful.

"Let's start cheering them on!"

From their assigned balcony, the members of Fairy Tail who weren't participating screamed their best wishes at Makarov's declaration. Hearing all their friends offering their support, Natsu and the others smiled.

"As long as we have the support of our comrades, that's all we need."

"Yeah, you're right."

Lucy smiled warmly at Erza's comment. After all, she was right. With their friends by their side, it didn't matter if the entire world was counting them out. They wouldn't fail.

"Ummm…guys? Is anyone else seeing this?" Gracie asked, tilting her head to the side as she peered into the Fairy Tail balcony. Everyone else looked where Gracie was and were surprised by what they saw.

"No way!"

"I don't believe it!"

"How?"

Gray, Lucy, and Erza all cried their disbelief at what they were seeing.

Even the spectating members of Fairy Tail were staring, slack-jawed, at what had appeared in their section.

"Hooray! Hooray! Fai-ry Tail!"

Sitting on the balcony railing, bare feet swinging back and forth as she cheered contently, was Mavis, Fairy Tail's first master.

"Master Mavis!" Makarov exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

Mavis turned and beamed. "I've come to show my support!"

"But you…you came…"

"It's fine," Mavis assured him. "Only people bearing the guild's insignia can see me."

"That's not exactly the issue here."

"I have nothing to do being cooped up on Tenrou Island all the time, you know. This is such a lovely change of pace!"

Natsu laughed. "It's really reassuring to have the first master watching us and rooting for us!"

"But she's a ghost," Gray muttered.

Unaware of any of the events that were transpiring, Chapati continued with the unveiling of the participating teams. "Alright! Let's move on to the team finishing seventh! The hounds of hell; QUATRO CERBERUS!"

Exiting one of the tunnels, carrying their guild's flag, Quatro Cerberus stepped out. They were dressed like thugs, their fists in the air.

"WILD!"

"FOUR!"

The one who appeared to be the leader began the cry and the other four followed with their reply.

"In sixth place, we have the all-female guild! The dancing girls of the great deep; MERMAID HEEL!"

Pale blue light erupted in front of one of the entryways, giving the appearance of raging waves. Stepping through the light were the women of Mermaid Heel. All of them were beautiful. The one at the front of the group had straight, long black hair and a serious look on her face. Another woman had green hair and wore clothes with web-like designs on it. Another member seemed like a young girl who waved excitedly at all the cheering crowd. The fourth member was short and stout with thick, curly black hair and a confident smile. The final member wore a cloak with a cat-eared hood that covered her face, but underneath she was wearing a small black bikini. All the men were drooling as soon as the five members came out.

"In fifth place are the bright blue wings in the pitch dark; BLUE PEGASUS!"

Appearing from their entryway under a spotlight, Ichiya led Hibiki, Ren, Eve, and a mysterious member clad in a giant blue bunny suit into the arena. All five of them struck a pose.

"Do your best, everyone!" Jenny called out sweetly to her guild mates.

"Continuing on with fourth place! The goddess of love and war, the holy destroyer; Lamia Scale!"

Explosions of colored smoke appeared near one of the entryways. Stepping out from the cloud were Lyon, Jura, Yuka, Toby, and a young girl with hot pink hair tied up in pigtails. However, it didn't take long until the girl tripped and fell on her face.

Natsu blinked. "Who's she? I don't recognize her."

"What happened to her usual 'love' crap?" Gray smirked.

Lyon put his hands on his hips as he looked down at the girl. "Sheria, you shouldn't get flustered."

Sheria laughed and scratched her head. "Sorry about that, Lyon."

Yuka looked over at Natsu when he noticed his confused look. "Sheria is Sherry's cousin."

"Cousin?" Natsu parroted.

"She's super strong!" Toby announced proudly.

Sheria shook her head. "No, I'm really not. I don't have nearly enough love."

"I'M COMPLIMENTING YOU!" Toby roared, forcing Sheria to cover her ears.

"Don't lose your head over that," Yuka sighed exhaustedly.

"So both cousins are all about love, huh?" Gray smiled.

Lyon walked up to Gray. "Don't forget our promise, Gray."

Gray raised an eyebrow. "Promise?"

"If we win, Juvia joins our guild."

Gray sneered at him. "I don't think I ever agreed to that, but it's not like we're gonna lose to you anyway."

"In that case, I'll take Erza," Ichiya said as he skated over to Erza.

Erza flinched. "You're not taking me anywhere!"

Ichiya sniffed her. "As always, you exude an exquisite parfum."

Erza felt chills run up the full length of her spine. She shuddered violently.

Ren walked up behind Lucy. "I'll choose you. Though it's not because I especially like you…"

Lucy shook her head. "You really don't change."

Natsu stepped between them. "Try it, I dare you!"

"Calm down, Natsu. You know he's harmless," Lucy said, gently patting Natsu's shoulder.

Eve walked up to Gracie. "And I shall choose Miss Gracie!"

Gracie smiled sweetly. "Y'know, now that I'm not rushing to save Niky, I think your pickup lines are still stupidly annoying. Cut it out before I kick you in the balls!"

Eve tried to maintain his composure but couldn't help but flinch at Gracie's harsh words coupled with her innocent, bright smile.

Hibiki leapt over to Mermaid Heel. "I'll join this guild!"

"STAY ON TOPIC!" Toby shrieked.

Chapati kept the ceremony rolling. "Next up, placing third in the elimination round…oh my! What a surprise! The first appearance of this guild, and they placed third! The midnight mobile force; RAVEN TAIL!"

A thick, black haze shrouded one of the entryways. Black feathers rained down. Stepping out were five menacing-looking members. The leader of the group was dressed in gold and purple armor that completely covered every inch of his body. A black, fur-lined cape was wrapped around his shoulders, and he carried Raven Tail's flag. Beside him were a small, purple man, a thin woman with red twin-braided hair and a crazed look in her eye, a man with spiky black hair and thick black lipstick that matched his black clothing, and a very tall doll-like figure with a small black creature on its shoulder.

"Raven Tail?" Natsu shouted his surprise.

Erza gulped. "That's the guild of Master Makarov's son, Ivan."

Lucy's eyes widened. "But isn't that…a Dark Guild?"

Makarov shook his fist in rage as he bellowed to the announcers. "You're letting a Dark Guild participate in the Grand Magic Games?!"

"Calm down, Master," Macao warned. "You'll give yourself a heart attack."

Mavis blinked. "I certainly do sense malice coming from them."

Chapati looked down at a stack of papers in front of him. "According to the official record, Raven Tail has been around for more than seven years, but it's only recently that they've been recognized as a legitimate guild."

Yajima hummed. "Recognized by the Guild Federation, not as a Dark Guild?"

Makarov looked over to where Raven Tail's section was and spotted his son, Ivan, standing with a smug look on his face. "Damn you, Ivan. What underhanded scheme did you pull?"

Ivan chuckled as he watched his father flail about angrily. "Keep it down, Father. Let's not spoil this day."

The members of Raven Tail stopped in front of the members of Fairy Tail. The leader looked down at them. "Fairy Tail…the girl was our way of saying hello."

The small black creature snickered. Suddenly, its face turned into a small version of Wendy's. It flailed about and acted as if it were dead.

A dark shadow fell over Natsu's face as he glared at Raven Tail. "You…you did that to Wendy? I will make you pay for that!"

"You're all dead men walking," Gracie growled.

The leader laughed in response to the threats. "Let's all enjoy the festival."

"Now, there are still two more teams that made it through the elimination round!" Chapati continued, ignoring the drama unfolding down below. "The second-place finisher is…oh…oh my. What a strange turn of events! The team that placed second in the elimination round is…

"SABERTOOTH!"

There was stunned silence. Some people clapped slowly, while others looked at their neighbors with confusion. The guild considered the strongest, invincible, undisputed champion had not placed first.

The members of Sabertooth walked out of the entryway. Leading the charge was Sting. He walked with his fists in the air and a smile to try and pump up the crowd, but there was no denying the twitch in his eye. He was clearly irritated. Behind him was Rogue, who appeared indifferent to placing second instead of first. The three other members were a beautiful girl with short white hair and feathered clothing, a massive man with long pale green hair, and a man dressed like he was ready for a theatrical performance.

"There they are," Natsu muttered.

"I'm surprised they placed second," Lucy said.

"I thought these guys were supposed to be the strongest guild in Fiore. Is there another guild that strong that kept itself hidden?" Gray asked, stunned.

Erza put a hand to her chin. "A guild strong enough to outshine Sabertooth at the start. Does it have a connection to the magic power that Jellal was talking about?"

Sting looked over at Natsu. He managed to put on a smug look in spite of his frustration. "Let's have a good time, Natsu."

"You've got this, Sting!" Lector called out from Sabertooth's balcony.

"Fro thinks so, too!" Frosch cheered.

"And now, the moment I'm sure you've all been waiting for. We have one more team to introduce to you! Who could have performed such an upset and placed first in the elimination round?" Chapati continued. He looked down at his notes and audibly gasped. "U…UNBELIEVABLE! IMPROBABLE! The final team is…!"

There was a sudden crack of lightning, illuminating the final entryway with blinding light. Electricity crackled along the ground and walls. The final team stood before all seven other teams and the crowd. And there was not a single jaw that was not on the floor in the entire arena.

"FAIRY TAIL B TEAM!"

Standing there were Nikolias, Mira, Gajeel, Laxus, and Juvia. Nikolias was dressed in his black T-shirt with jagged gold patterns and forest green pants. His arms were crossed and he bore a serious expression as he stood in front of the others. Mira wore an off the shoulder black dress with white lace. Her smile spoke to the pride she felt in passing Sabertooth and placing first. Gajeel wore his normal black tunic, black scarf, beige baggy pants, and green feathered ornament over his right shoulder. His grin was similar to Mira's but with more swagger. Laxus had on his usual tight black shirt and red pants underneath his heavy coat. He stood tall with a prideful stare. Juvia wore the same clothes she was wearing the other day when she met up with Gray. She tried to look as serious as some of the others, but she couldn't help but try and steal looks at Gray to see if he was looking at her.

"Mira?!"

"Gajeel?!"

"Juvia?!"

"Niky, what the fuck?!"

Erza, Natsu, Gray, and Gracie couldn't help but voice their shock.

All the other teams looked on with surprise as well.

"Another Fairy Tail team, huh?" Ichiya mused.

"That's Fairy Tail for you," Hibiki smiled. "They actually had two teams make the cut."

Lyon felt his body overflowing with warmth. "Juvia…"

Sheria puffed out her cheeks at seeing Lyon's reaction to another girl. "So that's the one you love, Lyon?"

The masked leader of Raven Tail took notice of two members in particular. "Laxus…and Gajeel."

Sting grinded his teeth together in irritation. "You're joking. We lost? To Fairy Tail?"

"The hell is this?" the leader of the Quatro Cerberus team asked. "Why does Fairy Tail get two teams? That's a bit too wild."

Some of the crowd started to boo and question the final team as well, but most were still too stunned to even move.

Chapati looked towards Yajima. "It would appear people are surprised by this year's revision to the rules."

Yajima nodded. "Yes. It is true that for this tournament, each guild is allowed to have up to two teams participate."

Lucy whirled around to face Makarov. "Why didn't we hear anything about this, Master?"

Makarov laughed heartily, a stark change from mere moments ago. "You see that?! Now that's Fairy Tail! And a first-place finish to boot!"

Chapati scratched his head. "The Grand Magic Games will be a battle between all of the teams, so will members of the same guild be able to fight each other?"

Yajima shrugged dismissively. "I don't think they'll have a problem with it."

"But is this really fair?" Jenny questioned. "Just think of it this way. If one member from each team competes in an event, it's kind of like only Fairy Tail gets to fight as a pair, right?"

"So then you're saying that the two Fairy Tail teams have an advantage?" Chapati clarified.

Yajima laughed dryly. "It certainly is an advantage to them."

"I see now," Lucy said. "That explains how there were so many teams participating. I thought the numbers seemed odd."

"OH, GIVE ME A BREAK!" Natsu roared. The entire arena went silent. He stomped over to the other Fairy Tail team. "We may be in the same guild, but there's no way I'm showing any mercy in a showdown! You better believe I'll be going all-out! You guys are a competing team, and that makes you the enemy! I'm not losing to any of you bastards!"

"You took the words right out of my mouth," Gajeel sneered. "Mister Eighth-Place."

Nikolias smiled. "I'd expect nothing less. If we end up facing off, you better come at me with everything you have, because I won't be holding back."

Mira smiled at Erza. "Let's make sure to do our best, right Erza?"

Erza nodded. "Yes. May the best team win."

Gracie strode quickly over to Nikolias. "Niky, seriously, what the fuck are you doing here? I thought you were still in Shile?"

Nikolias raised an eyebrow as he looked at her. "Really? That's the first thing you have to say to me after three months?"

She pointed at him. "Answer the question!"

"And now I'm on trial?" he sighed. "Alright fine. I got back with Mira, Angel, Sky, and Ash yesterday, so I guess we just missed each other. As for what I'm doing here, we caught Master right before he and everyone else were leaving the guild for Crocus. That's when he let Mira and I in on his little scheme to have two teams enter the Games. It sounded like fun, so we agreed."

"What about the girls?"

He pointed behind him to the B Team section. Sky was waving and Ash was screaming out her encouragement. Beside them stood a hooded figure, their face completely concealed. Even their figure was a mystery beneath the large fabric. "They're in the spectator section for our team."

Gracie peered at the balcony. "Is that Angel under that get-up?"

"Yep. She wanted to come watch and cheer me on. I told her she could as long as she wore the cloak. She's a wanted fugitive, after all. I don't want her getting arrested on me."

Gracie wiggled her eyebrows. "How considerate of you, Niky."

"Knock that off, it's weird."

Her expression softened, a gentle smile replacing her impish grin. "And you're okay, right?"

He pounded his chest with his fist. "Better than ever."

"Still, I'm impressed that you all beat Sabertooth," Erza spoke up. "How did you manage to move through the Labyrinth so quickly?"

Nikolias smirked, pointing to his nose. "That little mascot guy? He's got some strong cologne. All I had to do was carry everyone with my shadows towards the smell. We didn't even have to worry about the rotations. Easy."

"You could pick up the scent?" Natsu asked. "I couldn't smell anything in there."

"Never underestimate the power of a dragon's senses."

Chapati grabbed the mic excitedly. "Now that all the teams have been revealed, what are your impressions, Mr. Yajima?"

Yajima sighed. "I envy their youth."

"That's not exactly what I meant," Chapati sweatdropped. He coughed and quickly recovered. "Okay, everyone, you've waited long enough! The time has now come to announce the program for the Grand Magic Games!"


Current Standings:

Fairy Tail (B Team)10 pts

Sabertooth8 pts

Raven Tail6 pts

Lamia Scale4 pts

Blue Pegasus3 pts

Mermaid Heel2 pts

Quatro Cerberus1 pt

Fairy Tail (A Team)0 pts