A/N: Hello, readers! Another chapter is here!

Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Fairy Tail, I only own my OC's.

CHAPTER SIXTY-FIVE: MAGICAL BALL

At the Fairy Tail Guild...

Natsu is searching for a job. Happy presents him with one, which requests the capture of an escaped convict named Velveno. Lucy shows up and states that it is perfect, since she has no money. The client's name is Balsamico and Macao comments that he is hosting a Magic Dance Ball; a dance for wizards only. Natsu wants to go, but Lucy tells him that he needs to know how to dance first.

Outside...

"We'll start with the basic steps. Okay, hold my hands." Lucy instructed.

"Jeez, this is a pain in the ass..." Natsu complained as him and Lucy began dancing.

"What are Natsu-nii and Lucy-nee trying to do?" Romeo questioned.

"Social dancing!" Happy replied.

Romeo turned to look at him. "Social dancing? What's that?"

Natsu stepped on Lucy's foot. "Ow!" She exclaimed.

"Sorry 'bout that!" Natsu apologized.

Aira sighs. "Something the flame head's not good at, apparently." He answered Romeo's question who just sweat drops.

"So it's a game where you step on each other's feet..." Romeo stated.

"I don't think that's the aim..." Kinana said.

"Social dancing is where a man and woman pair up and dance at a ball." Mira explained.

"Huh..."

Gray soon shows up. "That looks like a fun game!"

"It's not a game!" Lucy scolded.

Gray strips off his shirt. "Let me do it, too!"

Lucy kicks him away. "You just disqualified yourself!"

Juvia soon came outside. "If it means being able to dance with Gray-sama, Juvia will strip, too!" She declared, throwing her overcoat off as Macao and Wakaba went wide-eyed at her statement.

"I was once known as the 'Dancing Demon', so if you want to learn social dancing, leave it to me." Erza claimed.

"Erza!"

"Requip!" Erza shouted, changing her outfit. "All right, Natsu! Let's go!"

"Nah, I'll pass." Natsu nervously chuckled.

"No excuses! Dancing is all about... fighting spirit!" Erza grabs Natsu and spins him around.

"I'm gonna throw up!" Natsu screamed as he spins around.

"Anybody who dances with Erza always gets sick to their stomach. You can see why she was called the 'Dancing Demon'." Happy commented as he shook in fear.

"I guess I'll have to be the one who teaches Natsu how to dance." Lisanna claimed.

"No, I'm gonna take a little break..." Natsu struggles to sit up.

Then, Lisanna spins him around, like Erza. "That's it, Natsu! Let your shoulders relax!"

"I can't take any more!" Natsu yelled.

Elfman shows up. "How can an adult be that delicate?! And you call yourself a Man?!"

"Elfman, you're up next!" Erza grabs him and spins him around.

"A Man... gets sick!" Elfman shouted.

"Is this social dancing? It's lovely!" Wendy commented, admiring the act of dancing.

"Shall we dance?" Warren reaches his hand out and offers her a dance.

Wendy nods her head and takes her hand. "I'd love to." Warren and Wendy dance normally.

"Huh! Wendy's great at dancing!" Happy walks up to Carla.

"But why is she dancing with Warren?" Carla questioned.

Happy gets down on one knee. "Shall we dance?"

"If you insist..." Carla takes his paw.

"Let's you and me try dancing, too!" Romeo said to Kinana.

"Sure! It looks like fun!" Kinana agrees to dance with Romeo.

Macao approaches Mira. "Would you give me the honor of a dance, young lady?"

"Of course." Mira replied.

"Yesss!" Macao cheered.

"Bastard! Taking advantage of the chaos is playin' dirty!" Wakaba argued.

"Shut up and get outta the way!" Macao pushes Wakaba away.

"Dad..." Romeo gets embarrassed of his dad.

Gajeel looks at Levy, catching her attention. "Hey!"

"W-What?!" Levy asked.

"Just so you know, I ain't gonna dance!" Gajeel said.

"Well, nobody's asking you to!" Levy argued.

"Levy, dance with me!" Jet and Droy ask her at the same time.

"What the hell?! I said it first!" Jet said.

"I was first!"

"It was me!"

"No, me!"

As Jet and Droy argue, Gajeel and Levy start dancing. "I guess I have no choice if you're gonna be like that about it..." Gajeel said.

"But, I didn't say anything..." Levy mumbled.

"What the hell is that?!" Jet and Droy exclaimed.

"Would you like to dance?"

Satsuki glances over to see Aira reaching his hand out to her with a bored look on his face. She scoffs and takes his hand. "Whatever."

"When it comes to dance, I'm the master!" Vijeeter joins the scene.

"Vijeeter, your dances are something else entirely!" Lisanna commented.

"To be frank, you're just in the way here!" Erza added.

"This has become a big fuss right under my nose..." Lucy said. "But... somewhere along the line, I lost my partner!"

"You called?" Capricorn appears out of nowhere.

"No, I sure didn't!" Lucy replied. Soon, Lucy begins to dance with Capricorn. "Huh... You're really good at dancing."

"As a member of the Heartfilia family, you need to be raised as a proper lady, Lucy-sama. Thus..."

"Yeah, yeah. But I think this is a little overkill..."

"That matters not. Let's take it from the top once more." Capricorn said.

Other guild members start to dance outside the guild.

Balsamico Palace...

"We made it!"

"So the magical ball's gonna be held in this palace, huh?" Lucy asked.

"It was farther away than I thought." Aira said.

"That can't be helped. We're doing it for the dance!" Erza stated.

"You shouldn't have tagged along if you're only doing it to dance!" Lucy sweat dropped.

The door opens up and a young woman stands there. "May I ask who you people are?"

'She's a real dish!' Warren mentally commented.

"There's no need to mentally shout that!" Lucy yelled.

"Who are you?" Aira questioned.

"I'm Aceto, daughter of Balsamico, lord of this palace." She introduces herself to the team.

'That's a name you'd probably bite your tongue saying!' Warren said.

They all hear his thoughts and shout at him in anger. "Warren!"

"I'm Natsu of Fairy Tail!"

"We've accepted your request of your father, the Count." Erza informed.

"In that case, I'll show you in." Aceto leads them the way in. "This way, please."

Inside...

"I'm Count Balsamico, the client." He greets them as he sits down on his daughter's lap.

Natsu laughs out loud. "He's not only got a sour name..."

"His face is sour, too!" Happy laughed.

"Clam it, you two!" Lucy yelled.

"Getting down to business, it's a little more complicated than what I wrote in the request." Balsamico informed.

"Let us hear the details."

"It's about the apple of my eye, my beautiful daughter..." Balsamico started off.

"What was her name again? Tonguebite-san?" Natsu attempts to remember her name.

"Aceto!" Balsamico corrected, yelling at Natsu.

Erza punches Natsu into a wall. "My apologises. Please continue."

"Actually, my daughter's husband will be decided at this evening's magical ball."

"What?! Her husband?!" Lucy repeated.

"For that purpose, I've got a ring that only comes out once every seven years. It's a precious ring that the Balsamico family has handed down from generation to generation." The Count claimed.

"Then Velveno has his eye on the ring?" Lucy asked, taking a look at the flier.

"Indeed. In truth, Velveno went after the ring seven years ago, but failed." The Count sighed. "As a result, though, the husband selection process was ruined."

"But with a face like this, even disguised, wouldn't Velveno be easy to catch if he tried to sneak into the ball?" Erza pointed out.

"He uses Transformation Magic and Magical Drain." The Count replied.

"Magical Drain? What's that?" Elfman questioned.

"It's a truly troublesome form of magic that lets him copy the magic powers of whatever wizard he touches for a short period of time." The Count explained.

"Huh! That ain't too shabby!" Natsu said like it was nothing.

"I want you to combine your powers and protect the ring from Velveno! Then capture the scoundrel and send him back to prison!" The Count ordered.

"We've got you covered!" Natsu said, giving him a thumbs up.

"We won't let you down, sir!" Erza added.

"And just to make sure, if we catch Velveno, you'll follow through with what was written on the request form..." Lucy reminded him about the reward.

"Indeed. I'll pay 4,000,000 Jewel in cash." Balsamico replied, promising the reward.

"Yesss!" Lucy cheered. "Cash! Right when I need it the most!"

At Night...

Wendy, Lucy, and Erza get ready for the ball, and Wendy notes she should cast Troia on Natsu, since the dancers dance on floating, moving platforms.

Warren, Happy, Cain, and Carla are outside, watching the scene from a communication Lacrima that Warren had previously set up.

"Where are Natsu and the rest?" Lucy asked.

"There they are!" Wendy points over to the guys in the crowd.

Natsu notices the girls at the other side. "Lucy and the others are here, too."

"Then why don't we blend in with the other guests and dance?" Aira suggested.

"Th-That's... Man!" Elfman shouted.

"What are you nervous about?!" Aira teased.

"Still, is Velveno really going to show up at a glitzy place like this?" Erza asked.

"All we can do is look for a suspicious guy without ruffling any feathers..." Lucy responded.

A man approaches Erza. "Hey there, baby! No frownin' now! C'mon, cut the rug with me!"

Outside...

"Some suspicious guy just invited Erza to dance!" Happy pointed out.

'Check him out!' Warren said.

Inside...

'Gotcha.' Natsu and Aira start toward him.

"Fine." Erza decides to dance with the man.

"Poor guy..." Lucy thought. Erza starts to spin him around. "I figured..."

"That the guy?!" Natsu asked.

"The world is spinning! I mean, more than usual!" The man said.

"You don't have enough spirit!" Erza spins him more.

Natsu thinks there's no trouble between her and the man. "About Erza, we, uh..."

"...don't have to worry about her." Aira finished.

Next, a man asked Lucy to dance. "Shall we dance?"

"Y-Yes!" Lucy replied.

Outside...

"Now someone asked Lucy to dance!" Happy exclaimed.

"He's suspiciously good-looking!" Carla commented.

"You should check him out." Warren said.

Inside...

"So Lucy's next..." Aira looks over at Lucy who is about to dance with a suspicious guy.

"Let's go!"

However, a woman grabs Natsu and starts to dance with him. "Since you won't take 'no' for an answer..."

"...we have no choice but to dance!" Another woman grabs Aira and dances with him.

"What the hell's your problem?!" Natsu yelled.

"We didn't ask you!" Aira pointed out.

Elfman decides to carry the mission. "Alright! I'll handle this..."

"May I have this dance?" A woman asked.

"Man! This is what a Man is!" Elfman gladly dances with her. "I'm so happy I was born a Man!"

Outside...

"It's fishy for a beautiful woman like that to go up to Elfman!" Happy stated.

"If she's Velveno, she probably intends to drain Elfman's Beast Soul power!" Carla added.

"The woman who asked Elfman to dance is suspect!" Warren informed.

Inside...

"We're on our way!" Natsu and Aira find a way to escape from the two ugly ladies.

"How dreamy!" The women slide away.

They get rid of their partners and start toward Elfman.

Outside...

"Elfman! Let Aira take over!"

"Forget it!" Elfman responded.

"What?!"

"When you're in love, the bigger the obstacle, the more fired up you become! And that is precisely... a Man!" Natsu tackles Elfman as Aira switch places with him.

"Time for a new partner." Aira takes her hand.

"You're a pretty nice-looking guy yourself." The woman commented.

"Being a guest here at the magical ball must mean you're a wizard, too, right?" Aira asked. "What kind of magic can you use?"

"Oh, my. Before asking a young lady about magic, it's proper for a gentleman to say what kind of magic he does first." The woman informed.

"Unfortunately, I have no interest in being a gentleman." Aira scoffed.

"Oh? In that case, I'll show you mine first." The woman offered. "Ice-Make: Swan!"

"So you use the same kind of Ice-Make Magic that my best friend uses, huh?" Aira dodges the attack. "Very well, then. Water Dragon's Arrows!" He places his hand out and shoots water arrows directly at her, but she dodges it. They both land on the ground as the guests watch in entertainment.

"Okay, how about this? Ice-Make: Polar Bear!" It charges at Aira as he leaps into the air.

"Water Dragon's Prison!" Aira shouted, trapping the polar bear in a water-made prison.

"I love when it gets intense like this! Ice Bazooka!"

"Water Dragon's Roar!" Their attacks connect mid-air.

"If you'll excuse me..." Annoyed, Erza requips into her prince outfit. "You two, that's enough!" Erza slashes the two, putting an end to their battle.

"It looks like things have gotten out of hand, as usual..." Lucy commented as she continues to dance with the guy.

"Aceto-san has come out!" Wendy pointed out.

Soon, Aceto comes down with her father. "Aceto, it seems that you're so beautiful, no one dares ask you for a dance." Her father chuckled.

"Your dazzling beauty is too Manly!" Elfman complimented.

"Although I'm a woman..." Aceto responded. "Excuse me. May I have this dance?" She asked Erza, who's still dressed like a prince.

"Why not?" Erza agrees to dance with Aceto.

"Ah! Why is Erza dancing?!" Lucy questioned.

Natsu's too busy eating his food. "Don't ask me!"

Later, a young boy asks Wendy for a dance.

Outside...

"Who the hell is that little kid?! He's way too young for her!" Warren complained.

"Relax!"

"The ball's over at midnight and it's nearly that time." Cain informed.

Inside...

The clock starts to ring.

"W-What the...?!"

"It begins at last!" Balsamico announced.

"What begins?" Erza questioned.

"The unveiling of the ring." Aceto replied. "The giant grandfather's clock only opens once every seven years, releasing a device that displays the ring."

"And following Balsamico family tradition, whatever man can obtain the ring from there has the right to propose to my daughter!"

Outside...

"The man who gets the ring...?"

They discover that someone has been tied up.

Inside...

"Okay! Those of you men who would propose to my daughter, go for that ring!" The Count ordered. All of the men rush to get the ring.

"If you're a Man, propose!" Elfman, too, rushes to get the ring.

"What would you even do if you proposed?!" Lucy questioned.

Warren and Happy notice the boy was tied up by an afro guy and immediately warn Wendy that she is actually dancing with Velveno and she gets away from him.

After they find Velveno at the ball, he explains that he just wanted to marry Aceto, and she happily accepts.

A/N: Another chapter is completed!

Thanks for reading!

~ Kaleb.