"So..what's up with the weird outfit?"
"Could say the same to you, gihi."
"Tch, ain't weird, it's part of my thing. I'm a journalist see. And I'm tryna figure out what the hell the king is doing with those big ass lacrimas that are sitting in the middle of the plaza."
"What big ass lacrimas?"
"Those ones over there that showed up not too long before you did."
Now Gajeel knew he was slow, and sometimes stupid, but even he could put two and two together. If those giant lacrimas showed up the same time he did then it was no coincidence that they had something to do with his missing guild mates.
"Copy me, any idea so far what the king wants with them?"
Edolas Gajeel flipped through his notes before looking at his doppelganger.
"Well, from what I've heard through the grapevine, they got something to do with everlasting magic for Edolas. But if I'm being straight with you, I don't know how the old kook plans on doing that."
"Tch, no use just standing around guessing, lead the way to those lacrima things and I'll get everyone out in no time, gihi."
Edolas Gajeel stared at his counterpart in surprise, this version of him was nothing like him. Yeah, he liked this Gajeel.
"Gihi, alright let's go."
"Natsu. Where's Lucy?" Wendy cried, as the pain increased from where she was hanging.
Natsu had to bite his tongue to stop himself from cussing his best friend out in front of the small girl.
"She's..she's on her way Wendy, any minute she's gonna bust through that wall over there and with a big goofy smile she's gonna kick every one of these guards' asses and save us", Natsu said with a pained smile.
The sweat dripping down Natsu's face as he tried to hide the pain, he was in didn't really convince Wendy of his words, but nonetheless she tried to somewhat believe in the other dragon slayer.
Wendy offered a teary smile to the older teen before letting her head fall down. She was just too tired. After everything that had been done to them, she could no longer hold a brave face.
She wondered if Lucy would look at her in disappointment once she saw her tied up and beaten. All those lessons and she had absolutely nothing to show for it.
Wendy couldn't help the tears that fell from her eyes, not from pain or even sadness at being captured. No, she cried because she couldn't bear to see the look on her big sis's face when she saw how much of a failure she was.
"I'm so sorry, Lucy" Wendy sniffed.
"Luce. Where the fuck are you" Natsu whispered. He couldn't bear seeing the state Wendy was in. Drained in power and beaten, the dragon slayer felt like the biggest failure in the world. He couldn't even get Wendy out of here and knew that Lucy would never forgive him for this.
For hours it seemed, Natsu and Wendy were essentially being drained of their power. For what, they still had no idea. And the few breaks they got were only spent receiving a beating. These people were the scum of Earthland.
"So, you see when you two mate you'll probably want to clear your schedule because princess hasn't been with anyone in a while and by my estimate, she'll keep you occupied for I'd say a good 5-
"10" Aquarius interrupted.
"Right 10 days" Loke explained, nonchalantly.
Erza tried her best to act as if the two spirits' words did not bother her one bit but hearing that caused her face to turn as scarlet as her name implied.
"WILL YOU TWO SHUT UP I DON'T PLAN ON MATING WITH THAT DUMB DEMON!"
"You know that's what a majority of the people princess met said but then boom just another notch in the...she's never had a bed post so what would that be?"
"Stitch in the cloak?" Aquarius offered.
"Yeah, that works." Loke shrugged.
"You're not making that idiot look good."
"You love her" Loke sang.
Edo-Lucy continued to walk in silence alongside her companions. She wasn't too sure what she could add in this conversation. Although she would say this, you would never catch her dead in the bed of Edo-Erza, that bitch was crazy.
At some point Edo-Erza had begun to think that perhaps she was coming on too strongly with this lucy and if she toned it down then maybe she could win her over. That thought was thrown out the window once she blew up her entire 3rd legion army that had shown up a few moments prior to help her out.
"Well back to the stronghold method I suppose." Edo-Erza sighed.
"Lucy! Lucy! THIS WAY!" Happy shouted.
After hearings Gemini's retelling of the cave scenario, the shock of seeing the cat that ended up betraying the most important person in her life alongside Happy was almost enough to cause Lucy to blow the entire castle up. However, she knew by doing that she'd be dooming Windy, Natsu and her mate as well as the guilds peoples to instant death.
So yeah, that was a no-no. Instead, Lucy decided to just choke Charle a lil.
I.. SAID..WAS...SORRY.
"You're so fucking lucky I got crazy hot Erza chasing after us, otherwise I'd burn ya to a crisp." Lucy threatened, while still running away from the hot Edo-Erza.
"Why are you here?" Edo-Erza frowned, while also running after Lucy and the cats.
"You're supposed to be in that weird cat land place."
"Splain, chocolate?" Lucy whispered to coco.
"It's Coco, and it's where all the exceeds reside. Those two should be there right now. It's weird that they're here instead", Coco huffed still in extreme pain.
Charle glanced over towards Knightwalker. "Execution-rescinded. Lease prisoners" Charle choked out from Lucy's stronghold.
"I don't know. Even if this is a direct order from an Exceed, you shouldn't have the authority to override the queen's command." Edo-Erza countered. "Please fall back and stop interfering" Edo-Erza said before waving her spear at Lucy who quickly jumped over the weapon.
"Even if wanted to choke now" Charle scowled.
"You make a good point, but that still doesn't mean you can rescind any orders for me to not kill anyone" Knightwalker explained.
"Charle can! She's the daughter of Queen Shagotte and Princess of Extalia!" Happy explained.
Everyone's eyes widened.
"I suppose that-ha-does change things" Edo-Erza grunted tossing chains at Lucy.
Charle looked, or at least she tried to while getting choked at Edo-Erza. She thought revealing she was the daughter of the exceed queen would do something.
"Tch, so you're still useless I see" Lucy scoffed.
"Wait- Dragon slayers?" Charle choked out, hoping that she could at least get Wendy and Natsu released.
"Oh, those two? They're in- stay still! - the basement of the west tower." Edo-Erza told her while trying to grab Lucy who dodged the other woman trying to grab her.
"Rease." Charle coughed, while still in Lucy's hands.
Edo-Erza bowed her head. "I'm afraid I don't have the authority for that."
"Just do it!" Lucy snapped.
"Yes, my love!"
"Erza!" Panther lily interrupted, doing his best to steady himself on the castle wall, heavily bandaged with a group of soldiers behind him.
Erza paused in her run to look at the second Captain. While she wanted to keep chasing after the blonde her fellow captain was heavily injured and in need of help.
"Ah, Panther lily. You look horrible, explain?"
"That damn blonde is a crazy bitch!" Panther lily growled.
Erza looked at Lucy who was still running from her, before the blonde turned the corner she looked back and smirked at the heavily injured cat.
"You make me yearn for you more and more you know that right!"
A shiver ran down Lucy's spine at those words. They sounded innocent-they didn't- but Lucy knew that no matter what happened she couldn't stop running.
As a matter of fact, it was at that moment a chill ran down Lucy's spine as she continued to run from Edo-Erza. Something told her that her lil Windy was in a lot more danger than she had originally thought. The celestial mage growled at not only the girl under her arm but the woman she had left behind. She was no longer playing around.
"Cappy. You understand what's about to happen right?"
Capricorn could only nod solemnly. While he did not condone his master killing people, he knew that Miss Wendy was someone of great importance to her. It was officially out of his and the rest of the zodiac's hands now, he could only pray that the number of casualties were not that high.
"So, Panther lily, care to explain EXACTLY why you look like shit?" Edo Erza calmly asked.
"That blonde girl attacked me and my army and almost killed us! Not to mention those cats that got away are fallen exceeds!" Panther lily snarled, watching as they escaped.
Edo-Erza shook in anger, smashing an armored fist into the floor. "You..."
"Announcement to all troops!" She bellowed for the entire castle to hear. "My lover has escaped with two exceed traitors! If you find them, eliminate them immediately! The exceeds not my lover!"
Meanwhile Happy was in the middle of pushing Lucy out an open window before following her out. "Come on Luce, let's go get Natsu and Wendy!"
Lucy glared at the blue and white cat as she fell from the top floor of the castle. She was still angry about everything that went down but refused to fall to her death so instead began using her flames at jets to propel her to the lowest floor of the castle, all the while ignoring Coco's screams.
Lucy couldn't help but frown as they flew away. "I'm still pissed at you, you fucking-yo Choco what's the word for someone who switched up on you?"
"You mean traitor?" Coco answered, while keeping her eyes shut tight in hopes of not dying by falling to her death.
"Yeah that."
"Yes, I know. And I know nothing I say or do will ever make up for what I've done but for now please let's put aside our differences and focus on saving Wendy" Charle pleaded. "Please."
Lucy glared at the white cat before nodding. "Fine. but after that you need to stay away from me for a long while.
Charle sighed, accepting the consequences of her actions.
"Now then onto more important matters, Cantina where's this basement at?"
"IT'S COCO! And we need just need to go straight down that hall for now." Coco sighed.
Lucy raised an eyebrow at the little girl before replying. "Talk loud to me again, see what happens Coocoo."
Coco nodded silently.
"My dumb demon's senses are tingling" Erza said.
"Great so we're close then" Loke smiled.
"Yo, Cortana where's the basement, we've been heading down this hallway for a while now?"
"Corta- never mind" Coco sighed. "We're nearly there keep heading straight then take a left. You'll see a huge door with several guards watching it. Once we get in that's where it'll be tricky since the halls are heavily guarded and-"
"Oi, shaddup. I'm stronger than everyone in this castle. I'm also gonna kill everyone in this castle. And I'm gonna enjoy it" Lucy said with a creepy smile.
Coco couldn't help but ask but one question. "Ahem, uh Wi-will I be excluded from those people?"
Lucy side eyed the younger girl, "hmm, I'm feeling generic, so yuh you can live."
"Miss Lucy, I believe you mean, generous." Capricorn whispered popping out of the spirit world just so he could correct his master.
"Eh, Lucifer, luce. Same thing, right?"
"...Sure" Capricorn chuckled.
For the first time since being captured by this Lucy, Coco sighed in a breath of relief.
"Sorry everyone, but this girl is crazy. Everyone person for themself" Coco thought.
Gihi, so this is where the lacrima is huh, any idea how to get my guildmates out?"
"Nah no clue."
"Brute force it is."
"Wait, what do you mean by the-"
"IRON DRAGONS FIST!"
At first glance it looked like Gajeel did no damage but slowly the lacrima in front of him started to crack eventually breaking and releasing-
"WHAT THE FUCK ALL THAT POWER WAS JUST FROM ICE BOY AND RAIN WOMEN?"
"What, where the hell are we?"
"Juvia is also curious as to where we are."
Shaken out of his stupor by his doppelganger, Gajeel approached his guildmembers.
"No time to explain we gotta go before those fancy guards come."
Line break
"Now why do I feel like the dumb demon is about to do something she will later regret" Erza asked.
"Nah she's good" Loke assured. He was told by Capricorn what his master would be doing and a knew no matter what Lucy would never regret saving her little Wendy. No matter who must die for it.
"CELESTIAL FIRE DEMON ROOOOAAAAR!"
"HELP, IT BURNS!"
"AHHHHH!"
"LIGHTNING FIRE DEMON WRATH"
"BOOOOM"
"Whoa, she wasn't joking about taking everyone out" Coco whispered, scared at the feat of strength she was witnessing.
"Well then Cocoon, where to now?"
"Uh, that door down the hall your uh friends should-
"LUUUUUCY. WHE-WHERE ARE YOU?" a familiar voice cried.
Within seconds Lucy was soaring through the air and busting into the room where she had heard that familiar voice. The sight before her was enough to activate her demon force.
"You monsters." Lucy said, as a maniacal look was beginning to form in her eyes.
Before Lucy's very eyes were badly beaten to the point, they looked almost dead Wendy and Natsu. Tears were streaming down Natsu face as whatever he was strapped in continued to sap his magic, meanwhile Wendy was already passed out and just barely breathing.
Lucy looked to the person performing such horrible deeds on her best friends/family only to see a cowering little man in the corner along with a few soldiers.
"Ah, uh now let's not be too hasty. We needed this power and uh-maybe we coulda held back on the beatings, but uh orders are-
"Capricorn, Aries get Wendy and Natsu out of here."
"Yes, Ms. Lucy."
"I'm sorry, right away."
"What?" Boros asked.
"Die. Celestial Demons Purgatory."
With flames as hot as Lucy's it was no surprise the men had no chance to even scream in pain. In seconds they were burnt to a crisp. But before she went to go check on her little Windy and Natsu, Lucy allowed a tear to fall from her eye. She failed to protect her family yet again. How could she ever face those two, she'd never be able to atone for her carelessness.
From now on she will take care of them and never leave their side.
Wendy wasn't sure why, but her body wasn't hurting anymore. As a matter of fact, it was feeling a lot better, and her magic seemed to be coming back too. Slowly, very slowly she was able to open her eyes, and when she did, she couldn't help crying.
"LUCY! You came!"
"Always lil dragon. I'll always come for you. Sorry, took s'long" Lucy said looking away.
"I DON'T CARE, IM JUST HAPPY YOU FOUND ME AND NATSU!"
Lucy smiled at her lil dragon happy she was able to forgive her for taking so long to save her. Meanwhile Natsu who had also been healed up by gemi-Wendy couldn't help but smile happily at his friends being reunited together.
"I knew you'd find us Luce!"
"Course, you're my family, I was never not gonna find ya dummy" Lucy laughed,
"Now then, let's get our family and get the hell out of here. I'm done with this place".
While Happy and Charle took Wendy and Natsu far from the dungeon per Lucy's orders, the blonde had stayed back and lit the entire dungeon in flames destroying whatever had been sucking her lil dragons and Natsu's magic.
"Welp, that should delay whatever the heck these edolo people were tryna use my lil dragons magic for" Lucy smirked.
AUTHORS NOTE: Back by popular demand heres another chapter. im kinda over the edolas arc so ill probably only do one more chapter and skip the huge fight and what now depends honestly. Anyways like comment follow please
