The trio sat on a patio connecting to one of Lucy's favorite restaurants. It was a beautiful sunny day in Magnolia. After getting the wonderful news last night, Natsu and Happy wanted to Celebrate the only way they knew how. A huge feast! Of course Lucy tagged along with them. The trio was going to be spending a lot of time together in the future.
Once Happy saw the duo enter the guild hall yesterday, he knew something was definitely different about Natsu and Lucy.
"WOOOOOOAAAAAHHHHH!" The little blue Exceed screamed once he got a good look at his best friend. Having been with Carla and Wendy, Happy was a little occupied trying to impress his crush. He barely noticed the Dragon Slayer walk in, and all of the commotion it caused.
"Natsu! What happened to your hair?!" Happy flew straight to the pink haired wizard, seeing that it got longer and changed color.
"Uh, Happy.." Lucy chuckled from behind the two boys.
"LUCY TOO?!" The blue exceed flew around the Celestial mage before he made a beeline for his best friend.
"For goodness sake, Tomcat." Carla rolled her eyes as she walked towards Natsu and Lucy. Wendy was right beside her, a huge smile on her face. "Compose yourself!"
"I can't believe it's finally happened." Wendy giggled, rushing to hug Lucy. "I'm so happy for you!"
"What happened?" Happy questioned his best friend, sitting on the Dragon Slayer's head. "What's she talking about, Natsu?"
"Something wonderful!" The pink haired wizard grinned. "Lucy and I have decided to get serious about our relationship. How about we go home? I'll make dinner, and we can fill you in on it."
"Aye sir!"
Happy was ecstatic about Natsu and Lucy getting together. The Exceed knew his best friend loved the Celestial Mage. Her last mission nearly killed the Dragon Slayer. The blue cat had never seen the pink haired wizard so distraught.
Today, he looked like a whole new person.
"So.." Natsu spoke between bites of food. "Who are you gonna partner up with?"
Lucy'd been silent for most of the trip, in their own thoughts. The young blonde was taken aback, still surprised at how well the Dragon Slayer could read her. All Lucy could think about was who she wanted to pick for her companion in the S-Class Trials. Her Top Four picks were already out of the running. Natsu, Gray, and Levy were competing. Erza has been S-Class for several years now, making her out as well.
"I'm not sure." The young blonde answered honestly. "There are a lot of powerful wizards in the guild that aren't S-Class. I just don't know who would be a good match for me." Lucy took a couple more bites before speaking again. "What about you, Natsu?"
"Happy's my partner of course!" The Fire Dragon Slayer grinned at his best buddy. "Isn't that right?"
"Aye, sir! I am a Fairy Tail Member!" The blue Exceed smiled. "I'd love to be your partner for the Trial!"
The Celestial Mage chuckled, shaking her head. "I wish it were that easy."
"Why don't you just ask Loki to be your partner?" Natsu questioned. "He's a member of Fairy Tail, and he's one of your Celestial Spirits. I'm sure he'd do it."
Lucy contemplated his idea. Sometimes the young blonde forgets one of her Spirit's is also a Fairy Tail Member. Loki was her strongest ally when it came to her keys. However, each one of them was an important part of her team. Every one of their abilities has been integrated into her magic.
Nodding, the young blonde smiled. "I bet you're right! That's a great idea!"
"You rang, beautiful?"
Appearing out of nowhere, Leo snickered at his friend. The blonde haired Celestial Spirit noticed the shocked expressions of everyone around him. However, he chose to ignore them. "It's so good to see such a beautiful woman, with a new look!"
The Celestial Wizard jumped, looking up. "Perfect timing! I want to ask you to be my partner in the S-Class trial. I could really use the help."
Rubbing the back of his head, the Lion instantly glanced away. "Uh… about that."
"Are you backing out?" The Dragon Slayer raised a brow, continuing to eat his food.
"You see, Lucy. I kind of have plans that day."
"Uh-oh.." Happy said under his breath. "Here comes angry Lucy."
"What do you have going on that's so important?!" The young blonde nearly yelled.
Leo sighed, taking a deep breath. "I have already been chosen for the Trials. Gray was able to get a message to me, saying he was going to need help during that time. I assumed it was for the Trial since it was the same day."
Lucy's eyes widened. She wanted to crawl under the table. "I'm so sorry… Of course that's a great idea. Do you know how their mission is going?"
"Unfortunately, I don't know much. " Loki shrugged. "Just that he's going to need my help the day of the Trials. Have you thought about asking Virgo? I'm sure she would love to assist you."
The young blonde nodded. While the Maiden would surely help Lucy, she wasn't sure if Virgo was strong enough to assist her through the entire trial. During their training together, the pink haired Spirit was a fantastic sparring partner. However, she would begin to tire before Lucy was prepared to quit. This resulted in her using the Celestial mage's energy.
As if reading her mind, the Dragon Slayer piped in. "I'm not sure if Virgo would be the best fit. Do you have anyone else in mind?"
Leo raised a brow, but shrugged it off quickly. The Lion knew several of the wizards in the guild were currently doing everything they could to stop Grimoire Heart. It didn't leave many options left for partners in the Trial. "Uh… Well, you're looking for someone with strength. I'd suggest Pantherlilly, maybe even Wendy?"
"Wendy would be a great partner!" Happy chimed in.
The Celestial Mage nodded in agreement. "Either one of them would be good options. Thank you!"
"If that's all, I must return to the Celestial Realm. I have some business to attend to."
Lucy gave Loki a look of confusion. "What business?"
Before he answered, the Lion disappeared as quickly as he'd arrived.
Natsu shrugged, watching Loki vanish. "I think you should pick Wendy."
"Really? She's so young.." The blonde's feared the Sky Dragon Slayer wouldn't be ready for such a big competition.
"She's also a Dragon Slayer. Not only that, she's been learning and perfecting the new spells from Grandina. I think she'd be a great fit." The pink haired wizard smiled at his partner.
Lucy considered the options. Out of all the wizards in Fairy Tail, who would be the best fit for her?
"Alright, I've made my decision." The young blonde grinned at the Dragon Slayer. "After we eat, let's go visit my potential S-Class Partner."
This can't be happening. This CAN'T be happening!
Carla paced on the patterned carpet. Her small fingers ran through her white fur nervously. Visions of a raid not only on Magnolia, but Tenrou Island as well. Finally, the episode featured a large black dragon. His aura was menacing, bringing death and destruction to everyone in his path.
I won't allow Wendy to be harmed in any way! There has to be something I can do to keep her safe.
Ever since the duo returned from Edolas, Carla and Wendy have been closer than ever. Although the white Exceed felt as though she'd betrayed her friends, everyone stayed by her side and supported her along the way. Fairy Tail was an amazing place to call home. Carla hated to think someone would want to harm them.
However, Grimoire Heart unfortunately had the guild in their sights.
"Hey!" The Sky Dragon Slayer's voice rang through the living room. "Carla, are you hungry? I was going to find something to eat."
"Uh… Not really. You can eat without me." The Exceed did her best to put on a brave face for her friend.
"Is everything okay?" The young bluenette raised a brow. Although Carla was smiling, Wendy could tell there was something on her mind. The young Dragon Slayer took a seat on the couch. "If there's something you need to talk about, this is a safe space." The bluenette grinned.
Carla took a deep breath, knowing it was best to be honest. However, she didn't want to scare her best friend. They were going to be in for the fight of their lives. As a healer, Wendy is extremely useful. She could aid everyone in Magnolia from the Drip fiasco. The strongest were going to be on Tenrou Island, the Sky Dragon Slayer didn't need to be there getting in harm's way.
"This has really upset you.." Wendy leaned forward, placing her elbows against her knees. "Did you have another vision?"
The Exceed nodded to her best friend. "This is unlike anything we've dealt with before. I'm afraid that I won't be able to protect you."
The Sky Dragon Slayer's eyes widened, seeing the despair in her friend's eyes. "What happens?"
As Carla opened her mouth to answer, there was a knock at the door.
Wendy glanced at the front door. She debated whether or not to answer. The situation with Carla was important. To be honest, she wasn't expecting company. However, the scent of another Dragon Slayer began to linger outside. What are Natsu and Lucy doing here? Is everything alright? The bluenette wondered.
"Answer the door, child." Carla sighed.
"Hold that thought. We're going to talk about this later" Wendy stood, walking towards the door. Another knock came, much louder than the first. As the Sky Dragon Slayer opened the door, a blue cat flew right past her head.
"Good afternoon, Carla!" Happy grinned at the beautiful Exceed in front of him.
"What are you doing here, Tomcat?"
"He's with us!" Natsu waved as he walked through the threshold of Wendy and Carla's place. Seeing the drained look from the white Exceed caused the Fire Dragon Slayer to raise a brow in concern. As the pink haired wizard glanced at his partner, he noticed that she observed the same thing.
"Is this a bad time?" Lucy questioned. "We can always come back later."
"Nonsense." Carla leaned back on the couch. "You're already here."
"If you don't mind me asking, why are you here? It's not like anyone to just stop by. Most of the time, it's because something bad's happened." Wendy asked, doing her best to be a mediator in this situation. She could tell her friend was still emotional about their previous discussion. She wanted to get to the bottom of it, as well as find out why Natsu and Lucy were here.
The Celestial Mage grinned happily. "No bad news this time! We actually stopped by so that I could ask you something."
"Oh!" The Sky Dragon Slayer sounded more surprised than she intended. "Please, ask away!"
"As you know, I was selected to take the S-Class Trial this year. I've taken a lot of time to think about who I would want as a partner. After all of my considerations, I chose you, Wendy." Lucy smiled happily. "Would you please help me become an S-Class wizard?!"
"NO! Absolutely not!" Carla nearly screamed. She was standing from her seat on the couch, a look of fury all over her features. "Wendy will NOT be participating in such a dangerous game. I forbid it!"
Everyone turned immediately to the white Exceed, shocked by her outburst. Natsu and Lucy glanced at each other, unsure of what to say. While silence began to fill the room, the Sky Dragon Slayer moved to sit next to Carla, who sat back on the sofa.
Worried for her friend, the bluenette pulled the white cat into her lap. "Carla, does this have anything to do with the vision you had?"
"You saw something?" Happy asked curiously.
"Tell us what it is, Please!" The Fire Dragon Slayer begged.
For a few moments, the clairvoyant Exceed was silent. While she needed to tell her best friend about her vision, she didn't want to expose it to the entire guild. Knowing Salamander, it would be all over Magnolia in a matter of hours.
"Is it Grimoire Heart?" The Celestial Mage felt a cold chill run down her spine, her legs began to lose feeling. Her voice was just above a whisper, almost as if Lucy's mind were in a different place.
Carla's head snapped towards the blonde. "How did you know?"
"It was just a guess." Lucy's voice sounded almost defeated. "After my undercover mission, I knew it wasn't going to be the last time I heard their names."
"They're planning an attack during the S-Class Trials!" The white Exceeds paws began to shake. "They're going after everyone, even the citizens of Magnolia."
"Guys! This is Fairy Tail we're talking about!" Natsu reminded them, his tone cheerful, almost overconfident. "I'm sure that our guild is much stronger than theirs! We've got what it takes to kick their asses!"
"Aye sir!" Happy exclaimed, his fist pumping into the air.
Carla let out an exasperated sigh, rubbing her temples. "It's not going to matter." She hated to be a constant downer. However, none of the wizards in the room knew what they were signing up for. "Not only is this attack happening. I'm seeing visions of a person I've never seen before. I see them crying as things around them die. My vision ended with a large black dragon. A single attack from him completely decimated the island. There's nothing left!"
The room was silent for quite some time. No one really knew what to say to break the ominous tension in the room. This was not something any of them were prepared for. A Dragon? While there were three Dragon Slayers in the guild, would it be enough to actually take one down?
Wendy rubbed Carla's back in an attempt to soothe her friend. "I know you're scared. This is going to be an enormous challenge. But, I can't just sit back and allow them to hurt my friends."
"I just think you would be extremely useful in Magnolia." The Exceed glanced at her friend, her eyes brimming with tears. "I don't want you to be anywhere near Tenrou."
"Carla, I'm a Dragon Slayer." Wendy laughed. "It only makes sense that I do what I can. There are so many others that are capable of helping the citizens. Not many people on this Earth can do what Natsu, Gajeel, and I do."
The white haired Exceed took a deep breath, sighing in defeat. "It sounds like you've already made up your mind…I can't stop you from doing what you think is right."
The bluenette looked towards Lucy, a grin on her face. "I'm honored that you've asked me to be your partner. I'd love to help you achieve your goal of becoming an S-Class Wizard!"
"Awesome!" Lucy pumped her fist in the air cheerfully.
"Training starts tomorrow!" Natsu grinned. "We're going to need to go at it day and night to get ready for this!"
"Aye!"