I would like to thank everyone who reviewed, favorited or followed this story since I updated it, and for getting this story up to 45,000 views! Here's hoping for 50,000.
Altajir95: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. I really enjoyed writing out the final showdown with Hades, and I hope you like the next chapter.
Morregen: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. I tried to give Laxus a better fight than in canon, and Luke did lose technically, but he was able to do some major damage. Cana was one of Luke's main motivators, but she also saved him at the last second by destroying Hades' Devil Heart, which cut off his supply of magic power. Yes, the climax of the Tenrou Island arc will be coming next chapter. I did want to have a moment between Luke and Cana, and I almost went through with it, but I couldn't take away from her moment with Gildarts. I felt that was too important for me to pass up. As for giving Luke a fight scene with Acnologia, keep in mind that he would be considerably weakened after the fight against Hades, and I don't want to risk overpowering him too soon.
Jaemos: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked the chapter. Yeah I'm not shy about it in the slightest, I hate Teen Titans Go with a burning passion. Just for the sake of clarifying though, I wasn't making a jab at Doctor Who. I was just making a joke about how the show's ratings have plummeted.
Guest: Thanks, I'm glad to see you liked it. The fight between Luke and Hades was something I really enjoyed doing. Yes, Luke's Dual Element Dragon Force is the highest level of power he can achieve at the moment, and it's going to stay that way for the time being, but he'll find ways to make it work.
Ragns Bredvolts: Thanks, I'm glad to see that you liked the chapter so much, and that you're so enthusiastic about how much you like it. Yeah, I tried to include the canon elements I thought worked the best, and then included my own contributions in there. Yeah, Luke and the others blowing through Hades with everything they've got, not to mention pretty much draining themselves in the process, will have a role in what happens the next chapter. Also, if you want to try and continue and old Fairy Tail story of yours, I say you should go for it. As for your suggestions for the 1-year time skip, I'm very open to suggestions, so go ahead. Just as a side note, I saw the first episode of that Spongebob anime, and I loved it. I eagerly look forward to when the next episode will come out. That's all I have to say for now, and you make sure to have a nice day as well my friend.
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At long last, the war with Grimoire Heart had finally come to an end, and Fairy Tail had emerged victorious.
With the battle finally over, Luke's Dual Element mode instantly faded as he fell to his knees, panting heavily and coughing up blood "Well master… Cana… Aftershock… everyone… we finally did it… we showed him what we're made of… we put all of it on the line… and we showed him what what we can do together… That's just the first… of a really long list of reasons… why you don't… mess with… Fairy Tail…" his strength finally gave out and he fell all the way forward, only to find himself being caught by someone, and his eyes widened slightly at who it was "Cana…"
Sure enough, Cana had appeared on the scene, holding Luke up and keeping him from collapsing to the ground, and she shot him a smirk "Looks like I got here just in the nick of time. I saw you blast him to kingdom come, and after I destroyed the Devil's Heart I came here to help you guys out as fast as I could."
"I see… I guess you saved me then… thank you…"
"You've been saving me and the rest of us god only knows how many times since you came back to us, so as far as I'm concerned this is just me returning the favor."
"I guess…" Luke let out a weak chuckle "I'm just glad… it's finally over…"
"I know what you mean." Erza let out a sigh as she requipped back into her basic Heart Kreuz armor "So after everything, we won and it's finally over."
"Yeah… it's a major relief… Wait, where's my-"
"You mean this don't you?" Cana held out his sword to him "I know your dragon would want you to hold onto that."
"Yeah, he would… thank you…"
"Sure. By the way, I wasn't sure when the best time was to mention this, but we do have one other problem."
"What's that?"
"Please help us!" this was when Happy and the other Exceeds came running onto the scene in pure terror "You've gotta help us the heck out!"
"...Should I even bother asking what that's about?"
"I think you already know." Cana let out a sigh and pointed at the numerous nameless soldiers of Grimoire Heart that were charging towards them with their weapons raised.
"Well… talk about shitting timing in every sense of the word."
"I don't suppose you have any magic power left to use?"
"You've gotta be kidding me, I can't even stand up without any help right now. What's your status then?"
"To be honest, I used all of the power I had left when I used Fairy Glitter to destroy the Devil's Heart inside the ship."
"Fair enough. I don't suppose any of you guys have any magic power left?" he was met with silence from Natsu and the others "I didn't think so."
"Stay right where you are!" fortunately, this was when reinforcements arrived on the scene in the form of Makarov and the rest of the Fairy Tail wizards on the island, all visibly wounded and heavily bandaged, but well enough to the point where they were ready to fight."
"Master… everyone… I see, so they're finally better. That's good, I was worried about all of them, but it looks like nothing can keep him down. I guess with the Tenrou Tree having been returned to normal, so has the blessing and protection it gives to all of those who bare the Fairy Tail guild mark.' he glanced over to see Laxus locking eyes with Makarov for a moment, and then to see the various Grimoire Heart soldiers freaking the hell out.
"Oh shit, there's more of them?!"
"Wait a second, isn't that Makarov?"
"Hey look over there, it's Master Hades!"
"Oh god, he's been defeated!"
"I will say this once, so listen and listen well!" Makarov slowly stepped forward and addressed the soldiers, containing his suppressed rage "As the current master of Fairy Tail, I order you to get off of this island immediately!" and that proved to be enough to send them running away screaming, which led to the rest of the members of Fairy Tail celebrating.
"Leave it to you to send them running master, you always did have a way with words." Luke let out a chuckle, then noticed Gray looking rather unsettled "What's the matter? Something on your mind?"
"I guess you could say that." Gray muttered "I have no idea where Juvia is."
"No idea, did she ever show up back at the base camp?"
"No idea, I haven't gone back there myself yet. I just hope she's alright out there. And for that matter, what happened to Zeref?"
"No idea, I haven't seen him since before this whole mess started."
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At the same time, on another end of the scene, Makarov was looking down at Laxus sitting on the ground, pacing back and forth until he finally spoke "I'm proud of you for coming back." and then he exploded in a comical fashion "IS THAT WHAT YOU WERE EXPECTING ME TO SAY?! HOW DARE YOU SET FOOT ON TENROU ISLAND AFTER I KICK YOU OUT OF THE GUILD! WHAT WERE YOU THINKING, DID YOU FORGET THAT YOU WERE EXPELLED?!"
"For crying out loud old man, would it kill you to give it a rest?" Laxus muttered "At this rate you're gonna have a heart attack, and leave the Big Head Jutsu to Naruto. You trying to get sued or something?"
Freed and the rest of the Thunder Legion however, they were left frozen and nearly in tears at the sight of their former leader "It's Laxus…" and then they pounced on him.
"What the everlasting fuck are you-"
"You came back to us! We thought we'd never see you again!"
"For fuck's sake, will you get the hell off of me?!"
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Elfman and the other Strauss siblings watched the exchange between the Dreyar family and the Thunder Legion from afar "Even when he's hurt, the master is as strict as ever. That's the true sign of a real man now isn't it?"
"Yeah I guess so, but he'll have a change of heart." Mira let out a sigh "Just wait and see for yourself, it's gonna happen soon enough."
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Despite all of the merry-making, Natsu eventually gathered up enough strength and bravado to do his thing "Alright, now I say it's about time we get back to the trial!" he was met with various voices of protest "Come on and think about it, the first round was interrupted by Grimoire Heart showing up so it doesn't count, so I say we just simplify things and have an all out brawl with each other!"
"Are you fucking kidding me?!" Gajeel took the chance to round on Natsu "Seriously, were you dropped on your head when you were a baby? You have to have a metric fuckton of brain damage if you think you stand a chance against me when you're all banged up like that!"
"Does it look like I give a shit? It doesn't even matter, because in case you didn't notice, I'm a Lightning Flame Dragon now so I can-" then he promptly passed out in a comical fashion.
"Oh for fuck's sake, if you're gonna talk shit then at least have the decency to back it up on some level!"
"He was only half right." Luke pointed out dryly "Thanks to Laxus transferring some of his lightning magic to him, he does have a Dual Element Mode of his own sure, but the main problem with it is that learning to use it on command and properly regulating the output of magic power requires a lot of training. It took me almost six months to learn how to use mine to the level I'm at now."
"Which explains a few things actually." Cana let out a sigh "Anyway, if we're done with all of the mingling then I think it's about time for all of us to head back to base camp."
"Good idea. After all, if we don't get some rest soon then chances are that our bodies are going to give out on us. Hey Lucy, you gonna be alright to head back to the camp?"
"About as alright as I can be." Lucy let out a sigh "I don't have a ton of energy left, but at least I can stand, more or less."
"Perhaps I may be of assistance." this was when Capricorn popped up and took Lucy up into his arms "If you would be so kind, then please allow me to carry you my lady, as well as any of your companions that are having difficulty carrying themselves."
"Thank you Capricorn, I really appreciate the help."
"I'm simply doing my duty in service to you my lady. Sir Luke, Lady Cana, I believe those are you names, do either of you require assistance?"
"I think I'll be alright, but thanks for the offer." Luke tried to move a few steps, but he quickly fell forward and had to use his sword as a crutch "I stand corrected."
"It's alright, I've got you." Cana gently slung Luke's arm over his shoulder and started carrying him away from the scene.
"Thanks for the backup."
"Like I said, I'm just paying you back for all of the times you've pulled my butt right out of the fire." but then Cana's face fell 'I just hope my father is alright.'
"I know what you're thinking about right now Cana, and you don't have anything to worry about with him. He's the strongest wizard our guild has to offer, someone like that guy with the gravity magic has nothing on him."
"I know. You look like you've got something on your mind too."
"I guess you could say that. It's something that Aftershock said to me before he took off, and once before during the whole thing with Edolas."
"That thing about how he says your life flashes before your eyes, where you see all of the stuff that you love."
"You saying that happened to you?"
"He told me about it, it sort of happened when I was dealing with that Bluenote guy before you saved me."
"What did you see?"
"Well to be honest, pretty much everyone in Fairy Tail. And you.'
"Yeah, I kind of had the same thing happen. I saw everyone in Fairy Tail, all of my friends, the people I want to protect."
"Uh huh. Anything else?"
"Well…" Luke paused for a moment, then let out a sigh "No, not really."
"Alright then, I mean you care about the guild and everyone in it, don't you?"
"Of course I do, how could I not?"
"Yeah of course."
'...Well there was one other thing that I saw.' he spared a glance over at Cana while she wasn't looking, watching the sun reflect off of her beautiful face 'Sure I saw the guild, my friends, the people I call my family… but there's one thing that I kept seeing more than any other, and that was her. Aftershock was right when he said you don't see everything, only the things that you truly love, so by that logic, I guess it means… I'm in love with her.'
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By now, all of the Fairy Tail wizards present were taking their leave of the scene.
"Makarov." despite lying on the ground in a bloody and crippled heap, Hades was still able to call out to Makarov, stopping him in his tracks "Tell me, why do you not finish me off now that I've lost?"
"Over the years…" Makarov breathed a deep sigh "Over the years I've learned a great many things from you, so as thanks I'm willing to overlook what you've done this time, but only on the condition that you and your remaining forces leave this island immediately."
"Tell me, how can you be so naive? You should be fully aware that if you let me live then I shall return, and when I do I intend to crush your guild completely underneath my boot."
"You may have defeated me in battle, but even despite that you've seen for yourself that you and your army of darkness are no match for the children I've raised."
"You're wrong. The one with the Dual Element Dragon Force was able to put up quite the valiant effort sure, but he too fell before my might. I was unable to finish him only because my heart had been destroyed, whereas your so-called children had been empowered by the Tenrou Tree being restored. It was merely a coincidence, otherwise I would never have lost to any of them."
"Perhaps, perhaps not, there's no use in dwelling on it. Tell me though, why did you let yourself fall to the dark side?"
"It's as I told you once, darkness is the true nature of magic, and it is comprised of miracles that had been born in the shadows, and only then are they subsequently brought into the light. After I had passed the title of Master onto you and retired from Fairy Tail, I began to travel down the path of sorcery in the hopes of learning the underlying principles of the world. I came to learn that the world we have come to live in, the one with its overflowing magic, is a complete and utter lie. The Grand Magic World that was described by Lord Zeref, that is the one true world of magic. I came to want nothing more than to see it for myself, and to make that happen I began collecting all of the keys that I would need to resurrect the legendary Black Wizard." with what little strength he had, he reached up above himself "I was so close… so incredibly close to attaining the dream I had strived for for so long. At long last, the Primordial magic was finally within my grasp."
"...Even if your dream had been realized, it wouldn't change anything."
"What?"
"If the true nature of magic is darkness then I can accept that, and if its true nature is light then I can accept that as well. The reason for that is because magic is alive, so the purpose it fulfills continues to evolve with the times, and it grows along with the wizards who use it. There is no definition of magic because everyone thinks of it differently, it is as limitless as one's very own imagination, it can become darkness or light depending on the one who casts it. The wizards and people of Fairy Tail are free to use magic however we see fit. All of these things are lessons that I had learned from you, Master Precht." and with that, Makarov took his leave, leaving Hades all alone to contemplate what he said.
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Now that the fighting had finally come to an end on Tenrou Island, things had quieted down considerably across the island. That is, except for the sound of snoring coming from a certain Fire Dragon Slayer.
"Oh for fuck's sake!" Elfman let out a groan "How the hell are we supposed to relax when we have to listen to Natsu sawing logs like that?!"
"Hey come on now big brother, he needs his rest just as much as the rest of us." Lisanna told him calmly, and then she got an idea "Hey I just thought of a great idea, check this out!" and two minutes of work later, guess what she came up with "It's Natsu with pig tails, isn't he just the cutest?"
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Luke on the other hand, he was lying in a sleeping bag propped up against a tent wih a book in hand, and he took note of the merrymaking going on around him, such as Laxus mingling with the Thunder Legion and Capricorn advising Lucy in a well meaning but still somewhat offensive way, though his mind was drifting, reflecting on the battle with Hades 'I guess Aftershock was more right on the money than I gave him credit for, the face is that Hades was without a doubt the toughest fight that I've ever had. I gave it everything I had, I pushed my Dual Element Dragon Force to the limit, but in the end it wasn't enough. To be honest, I'm kind of lucky I was able to last for as long as I did. Most of it was me being pushed to the limit by the levels of stress from having to fight all of Grimoire Heart. Well from here on out, the only options I have are to train myself to regulate that power properly, or to find an even greater power beyond that, whatever the hell it might be. I guess this is one journey that isn't at its end, not by a long shot. New and stronger foes are going to show themselves in time, new adventures will come and go, and I have to make sure that I'm ready for them.'
"Do you want me to do your wounds next?"
"Hm?" Luke looked up to see Wendy looking down at him "Oh hey Wendy, I appreciate the offer but I'm fine right now." he cringed at the wounds, which was enough proof that he was lying through his teeth "Fine let me rephrase that, I can hold out just fine. For now you should focus on healing the others."
"I already took care of everyone else, so you're the only one left."
"I'm seriously fine though, get some rest yourself and conserve some magic power. You took a beating yourself during the fight with Hades, so you could probably use some downtime."
"No thanks, I'm fine. I can't tell you how amazing I feel now that the Tenrou Tree is finally back to normal."
"Yeah I know. That's what I don't understand though, how did the tree come back like that in the first place?"
"You think Noah had something to do with it?"
"No, he uses Earth based magic so I doubt he could do something like that."
'Yeah, how did it stop?' Gray frowned in thought when he heard this 'Ultear, was this your doing somehow? No, it couldn't be.' then he whipped around at the sound of rustling in some nearby bushes "What the hell? Alright whoever is there, come out and show yourself!"
"It's alright my beloved…" as it turns out, it was just Juvia crawling out of the bushes "It's just me, please don't attack me…"
"What the hell, Juvia? For crying out loud, what the hell happened to you?"
"I'm so sorry my beloved, I tried to catch Zeref but he ended up getting away from me, so I'm afraid you're going to have to punish me! Come on my darling Gray, go ahead and spank me as much as you see fit!"
"Thanks but no thanks, I'm not into that sort of thing."
"But I've been such a bad bad girl!"
"Okay, I think I speak for everyone when I say that if you want to get kinky, then you should do it on your own time." Luke pointed out dryly, then let out a sigh "Oh for fuck's sake, I'm getting the feeling that Aftershock is rubbing off on me."
"Probably, but either way, I guess Gildarts is the only one missing now." Cana let out a sigh, only to be met with a comforting hand on her shoulder, courtesy of Luke.
"I doubt that's really worth worrying about too much."
"Yeah I know, he's the strongest wizard in our guild and it's not worth freaking out over because we both know he'll be fine."
"That, and he's right over there." he jerked a thumb over to the other side of the camp.
As it turns out, Gildarts had made his way back to camp and was now picking on Laxus in a comical fashion "So let me get this straight, you mean to say you actually fucked up so bad that you got kicked out of the guild by your grandpa? Man you're so lame, seriously dude that's just sad."
"See what I mean?"
"As plain as me being an alcoholic." Cana noted dryly, only for her to break down laughing as the sun reflected off of her face.
'Holy crap, I knew that she was beautiful, but now… damn…'
"There you are Gildarts, come and fight me!" this was when Natsu suddenly pounced onto the scene, still having his hair in pig tails, only to be quickly calmed down by a quick surge of electricity from Luke.
"Dial it back pig tails, none of us have the time or energy to put up with any of it from you at the moment."
"Ow… Hey Wendy, can I get a little bit of help here?"
"If you have to heal him shrimp, then save him for last." Gajeel told her dryly "At least then we'll be able to hear ourselves think. Speaking of which Levy you'd better go first, I'm more worried about you than me."
"Well I don't see the reason for that, keep in mind that you're the one covered in bandages and what I hope is dried blood." Lily pointed out.
"Yeah but it's not mine."
"Oh man." Levy looked around at the line behind her "Looks like you've got quite the line forming now."
"Oh it's alright Levy, I really don't mind." Wendy assured her "I'm just happy to be able to help out in any way I can."
"Yeah that's fine, but you really shouldn't overdo it."
"I know, but I'm okay, really."
"We appreciate that Wendy, but I can take over for you." this was when Erza showed up on the scene, clad in a sexy nurse outfit, earning some stares from almost everyone present.
"Wow you look amazing Erza, but why exactly are you dressed up like a nurse?"
"Why else, I'm here to help with giving medical treatment to the others."
"But I thought you didn't have any sort of healing powers."
"I don't, but differences in ability don't matter in the heat of a true battle. What's going to be tested is simply our hearts."
"What do you mean by battle?" Wendy started shaking where she was "To be honest Erza, I'm getting kind of scared."
"Oh come on now Wendy, you don't have anything to be scared of." she sat down and promptly took a pose to attract as much attention as she could "Alright then gentlemen, so who's going to come up next? If you would be so kind as to tell me where it hurts, then I'll be able to decide whether I should take your temperature first, or if I should just go ahead and proceed with giving you an injection."
Luke just watched the scene unfold from his place on the sidelines "Does she seriously think people are going to fall for that? Seriously, they're not that hard up."
"Don't be so sure about that." Cana pointed to where Natsu, Gray and Gajeel were cutting their way to the front of the line forming in front of Erza, with pretty much every other male in the guild, including Makarov and Gildarts, right behind him.
"Well that shows what the hell I know." they glanced down to see Wendy on the ground brooding in what appeared to be self pity "Hey look on the bright side kid, at least now you don't have to deal with that?"
"Is it because she has bigger boobs than I do?" Wendy muttered.
"Well yeah I'm pretty sure that's a big part of it, but another big part of it is for the sake of sex appeal."
"Sex appeal?"
"Yeah I mean, when you've got the assets you might as well use-"
"Nope." Luke promptly slapped a hand over Cana's mouth, his expression deadpanned and his tone increasingly dry "Look, poisoning your own mind is one thing, but at least try not to poison the mind of an innocent youth who clearly has no idea what the hell you're talking about."
"Well it's true!" this came out muffled.
"And it's also increasingly irrelevant." he glanced over at the sight of Erza trying and failing to treat Gray and Gajeel properly and ended up tying up both of them, much to clear unyielding fury of Juvia and Levy "Looks to me like things are back to normal." he finally took his hand off of Cana's mouth.
"Just like that, it seems as if the whole mess with Grimoire Heart is in the past."
"One day with this guild is like five lifetimes, but then again that's just how things seem to work in this guild. Still though, it is a nice sign that things are finally getting back to normal after all the hell we've had to go through up until now."
"True enough. So I don't mean to be that girl right now, but what do you think we'll do about the trials?"
"I think that's up to the master, but if I had to guess then I'd say that he's most likely going to end up cancelling them for this year."
"Yeah, makes sense."
"Which raises the question. What are you going to do?" he received no reply.
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Following their defeat at the hands of Fairy Tail, the barely alive Hades was slowly making his way away from the island in what was left of the airship, along with Kain and Rustyrose, the only remaining members of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, the three of them lamenting over the failure of their mission, only for their brooding to be interrupted by the sudden unexpected arrival of Zeref, who was practically seething in quiet over the fact that their wicked minds were responsible for summoning Acnologia, and he told them that the current era was about to come to an end.
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"Alright everyone, listen up." once all of the shenanigans came to an end, Makarov promptly mounted himself on top of some boxes and looked down on all of the others "You had best be prepared, for a great change is on the horizon. I have a very serious announcement that I have to make to all of you. As of now, we are making preparations to leave Tenrou Island and return to the guild in Magnolia, and once we do return… all female members will be required to wear uniforms, sexy nurse outfits and school swimsuits galore!"
"...Why is it that I'm the only guy in the guild who's not a fucking perv?" Luke let out a sigh of aggravation.
"Swimsuits huh?" Cana gave a shrug "I don't really see the need for it."
"Like that's supposed to surprise anybody, you walk around in a bikini top 24/7." Luke then surged his magic power, or as much of it as he could muster in his current condition "Get serious already master, you're a man of a high position so act like one already."
"Alright alright." Makarov let out a sigh "Can't an old man have some fun?"
"Not when it involves you acting like a perv, that sort of running gag wore out its welcome a long time ago."
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Hades and his remaining followers were shocked by the sudden appearance of Zeref in front of them on their ship as they were taking their leave from Tenrou Island. Hades was at first very pleased that Zeref had appeared before him, and demanded that Kain and Rustyrose retrieve the keys that were required to awaken him. However, Kain and Rustyrose found themselves unable to move, and Zeref went on to reveal that the keys needed to awaken him did not exist, as they were part of a simple fairy tale created by a group of his followers, and Zeref himself was never asleep to begin with. When Hades denied these claims by asking how someone on the level of power that Ultear was at could have been able to defeat him, Zeref explained that over the years he had wandered the Earth, he began to appreciate and value human life, and he was therefore fighting those around him while respecting their life. He claimed that while he remembered the weight of human life, he could purposely limit the deadly effects of his magic. However, if he began to forget, his magic could spiral out of control. He then went on to leave Hades shocked by revealing that the evil actions taken by Grimoire Heart had summoned Acnologia, but before anymore information could be given out on that matter, Zeref was quick to cast a spell and told them to repent for their two sins, those being the summoning of Acnologia, and the other being allowing him to forget the value of life.
The next thing any of them knew, the lifeless body of Hades fell to the ground with a loud thud, courtesy of Zeref's spell, with the caster turning his head to the sky and claiming that Acnologia had arrived.
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Contrary to the previous scene, things were pretty quiet with the three main survivors off of the island's coast.
Ultear and Meldy were floating away from the island in a small wooden boat, the former noting how downcast and upset the latter looked, and then she looked over to see Noah doing what appeared to be earthsurfing a short distance away from the boat "So… what exactly are you doing over there?"
"What's it look like, I'm earthsurfing." Noah told her flatly "Toph did it after all, I see no reason why I shouldn't be able to do the same."
"I know, but you're more than welcome to join us in the boat."
"If you knew a single fucking thing about Dragon Slayers, then you know that's not an option for me."
"I understand. Listen you two, I know this isn't going to be easy, but here's an idea. Why don't we just forget about Grimoire Heart, and about Lord Zeref too."
"Trust me, that was my plan. Right now, my first order of business is to get for myself what four of my fellow Dragon Slayers have."
"Are you going to say something about being part of a family?"
"Fuck no, you think I'm that sappy? I was talking about getting myself a talking cat that has wings and can fly."
"...Okay then."
"It's not as bizarre as it sounds."
"I believe you."
"Ultear, is it true?" this was when Meldy finally spoke up, leaving Ultear frozen in fear and anticipation "Noah and I heard it from Zancrow earlier… Was it true that you were the one who was in charge of destroying my hometown? My family, all of my friends, everything that I had ever known… I desere to know the truth."
"...Yes, it was me. I'm sorry, I always intended to tell you the truth someday. I used to consider the life we're currently living to be the first try, and I thought that by mastering the Arc of Time and reaching the Grand Magic World, I could bring about our second try. I believe that every action taken in this life didn't have any sort of real meaning, that we would be able to start all over again, and this philosophy enabled me to act in horrific ways without feeling or showing any sort of remorse. I honestly led myself to believe that the second time around would be my true life, and yours as well. Even Noah's to be honest. A life full of happiness, peace and prosperity for all of us. That's the main reason why I did what I did."
Meldy said nothing, she just bolted to her feet and gritted her teeth, her fists clenching tightly as well.
"I was so wrong, so wrong in every sense of the word. I had no right to cause as much suffering as I did. I was a fool, a fool responsible for committing countless atrocities for the sake of pursuing a delusion, when all I needed to be happy was standing right in front of me. And I know that I can't ask for you to forgive me, but at the very least, let me say that I'm sorry. I understand very well that you're filled with hatred for me. However…" and then she proceeded to summon a sword and stab herself through the gut "And now there's no need… for you to dirty your hands ever again… I can promise you that… because after today… I won't be hear… and you can finally be happy…" and then she threw herself off of the boat.
"ULTEAR!"
"Find your joy… you're free to live your own life now… with the one who's… always open and honest… compassionate and patient… and will always stay by your side…" she said all of this while looking at Noah "So you go out there with him… and make something of yourself… I love you… Meldy… my daughter…" and then with a loud splash, she disappeared into the ocean.
"ULTEAR!"
'Well on one hand she's with her mother again, so that could be considered a happy ending at least on her end. On the other hand, Meldy's crying… nope, it rules out. Mountain Dragon Tectonic Uprising." Noah dove down into the sea and held out one hand towards where he could make out Ultear sinking into the depths 'It's kind of funny, a few months ago I would've just let her sink out of sight without a second thought. I guess that means Thunderclap rubbing off on me more than I thought.' he then rose up on top of a pillar of earth from within the depths of the ocean, with Ultear by his side "Alright mother of the year, get the hell up."
Ultear's eyes shot open after a moment, and she looked around, then up at Noah "You… You saved me… but why?"
"Because throwing yourself into the Shadow Realm like that isn't gonna make Meldy as happy as you think it will."
"What…?"
"Ultear, please…" Meldy looked over at her and grabbed her wrist, revealing the tears streaming down her face "Let's live, the three of us… and let's do it together…" her touch left a pink mark on Ultear's arm.
'This mark, her Sensory Link?'
"I can feel all of it, your frustration and your sadness… You can't blame yourself… You made a mistake, but even despite that you're still a mother to me… nothing is ever going to change that in my eyes… It's okay, I forgive you… Just promise me you won't talk about that sort of thing ever again… I can't bear the thought of not having you in my life Ultear… I love you too, so please live with the both of us…" she pulled Ultear into a tight hug as the two of them began sobbing quietly.
Noah just watched the exchange in silence, and after a moment he began using his earth magic to carve out a path across the water 'As touching as this little scene is, it doesn't change the fact that we've still got a long way to go before we get back to shore, and beyond that… well I guess we'll just have to see what lies in store for us.'
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Meanwhile, back on Tenrou Island…
Following the ending of the guild's typical shenanigans, a certain announcement had been made, and most of the members present, namely Natsu and a few others, were NOT happy when they heard about it "IS THIS SOME KIND OF FUCKING JOKE?!"
"No it's no joke, now you'll just have to deal with it." Makarov told them flatly "Believe me when I tell you that I'm not fond of this either, but given everything that's happened, I don't have any other choice but to cancel the S-class wizard promotional trials for this year."
"But we can still compete in the trials or whatever, we've been through a metric fuckton worse than this so let us finish it! I'm not leaving this island until I'm an S-class wizard!"
"ENOUGH!" and cue the Big Head no Jutsu from Naruto "As I said in case you or any of the others were bothing to actually listen, I'm not fond of this either. I don't want to cancel it, but you and the others should try putting yourself in my shoes. First a member of the Magic Council found a way to infiltrate our guild to try and find a way to get it disbanded, and then the trial was interrupted by Grimoire Heart. When you consider everything that's happened to day, such a thing can't be helped."
"Oh come on, there's no way in hell I'm taking this crap without a fight!"
"Oh for fuck's sake, I don't have the energy to deal with this." Luke let out a sigh "Natsu get this through your thick skull, if the master decided not to continue with the trail after we fight a literal WAR, then you should respect her wishes, or did you forget about that beating that you got from Aftershock."
"But I was so close, dammit I wanted to become S-class!"
"And you think any of the others didn't? Hell even Elfman knows to accept this, and to explain it in his words, a real man knows when to call it quits. Don't forget what I told you. The wizards who know the true meaning of courage are those exceptional who that know when the time has come for them to stand down, back off, and most importantly, shut the hell up. Did I get the point across to you this time, or do I have to electrocute you again?"
"But-"
"Calm down Luke, it's alright." Makarov assured him "He's not going to listen to reason, so how about this. So be it Natsu, I'll make an exception and let you take the final test. If you're able to defeat me here and now, then I'll gladly promote you to an S-class wizard."
"So let's do this thing! Get ready you guys, you're looking at the newest S-class wizard of Fairy Tail! You'd better be ready Gramps, cause there's no way in hell I'm holding back. Now I've got a fire in my belly, so let's-" he was promptly punched into a nearby tree and fell to the ground in a heap.
"You fail, no S-class for you."
"I was so… so close…"
"No, you really weren't."
"You realize that's only a temporary solution right?" Luke pointed out.
"I know, but if you have a better solution, then I'm all ears."
"I don't have the energy to waste brain cells on that." but the he turned serious "So about our little discussion from before."
"I did take it into consideration, and I'll allow you to deal with this yourself."
"Thank you."
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Meanwhile, with the other members of the Tenrou Team…
Mira wasn't exactly keen on having Laxus tug on her face "Okay so, what the fuck do you think you're doing exactly?"
Laxus could only blink "Okay, so you're real. Well I'm glad that's settled, so what's it like being dead?"
"You keep touching me like that and you're gonna find out."
"Looks like being dead hasn't screwed with your personality."
Evergreen and the rest of the Thunder Legion just watched the exchange in amusement and fascination "Come on Laxus you've had your fun, there's no need to torment the poor girl or anything."
"His perception seems to be much sharper." Freed noted "He must have been training hard since the last time we saw him. I believe that his example is one we should learn from, so that we can better ourselves.
What none of them noticed was that Wendy and Carla were watching Laxus from afar from their place hiding behind a tree "He seems like a pretty decent guy, but I'm still kind of scared of him to be honest. Kind of weird isn't it?"
"What?" Carla shot an incredulous look at her "Oh don't be silly child, he's absolutely fine so you have nothing to worry about."
"I know, but still…"
"She's right you know." this was when Erza came up to her "You shouldn't believe the rumors you hear about Laxus, the fact is that deep down he really is a decent guy, even if he does have some issues."
"You think so?"
"Yes I do, the only thing is that he's got a few issues he's had to work through over the past year or so."
"Really? Then I guess I should go ahead and meet him, then maybe I can see what he's like for myself."
"Good idea."
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Meanwhile, with Lucy and Cana…
By this point, Lucy and Cana were taking a bath together in a spring filled with herbs, though it was a lot more painful than soothing "So just to be clear, this is supposed to help right?"
"The herbs in this spring are medicinal, so they're supposed to speed up the healing process, but knowing that doesn't make them sting any less." Cana muttered.
"No it doesn't. So tell me, how is your arm holding up?"
"I wasn't sure how to feel about it at first, but now I kind of like the look of having my arm full of stuff from Fairy Glitter, and from the looks of it I'd say the spell is here to stay." she held up her arm to reveal that the Fairy Glitter mark was still on her right arm.
"I see, so that's good I guess." and then a brief awkward pause between them.
"...Hey Lucy, I want to apologize."
"For what?"
"What do you think, for ditching to go and look for Mavis' grave. You got beaten down by one of the Seven Kin of Purgatory, and if Gajeel hadn't found you when he did… I'm so sorry."
"Oh come on, it all worked out in the end. It really doesn't bother me."
"Maybe not, but it sure as hell bothers me. I betrayed one of my closest friends, one whose done nothing but go out of her way for me this entire time, and it's something I'm going to regret for the rest of my life."
"Well I never thought of it as a betrayal, you were just doing what you had to do in order to win so that you could confess to him, so it's really not that big of a deal. I'm your partner and your friend, and I know how important the S-class rank is to you, and why it's as important as it is to you in the first place, so please don't let it eat away at you for so long."
"...Alright. But I did decide on something pretty important. Even though I didn't make S-class this year either, I don't think I'll be able to live up to that promise I made."
"You mean…"
"Yeah, I'm staying in Fairy Tail, and I still have to bite the bullet and finally tell my father the truth."
"Couldn't have said it better myself."
Cana and Lucy glanced over to see Luke make his way out of the thick forest towards the edge of the spring "Hey."
"Hey. I think we need to talk." Luke sat down on the edge of his spring, using his sword to steady himself due to him still being so weak, and he let out a sigh
"I told Master about what happened, mainly because I'm partially to blame for what happened back there."
"What are you talking about?"
"I've been aware of the reasons behind your obsession with being S-class for a full three years now, but rather than have you address it or address it myself, or really take any course of action regarding it, I let your negative feelings about the matter fester. It was inevitable that it was going to lead to something unpleasant happening, and frankly I'm just relieved that it wasn't anywhere near as bad as it could've been."
"You're not the one to blame for that, I made my own choices."
"But I could've stopped you before that, and I didn't. Either way, I had to tell Makarov, so this is going to go on your record when we get back to the guild. Lucky for both of us, I was able to talk him into letting me handle your punishment in a way that I see fit, which I will. Your punishment is… you have to tell him the truth. Right now."
"...I should've seen that coming. Just let me get dressed."
"Alright."
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Meanwhile, with the man in question…
Gildarts was in the middle of doing some quiet fishing with Natsu and Happy, only for him to notice the constipated look on his face "For crying out loud Natsu, try not to look so excited over there or you're gonna blow a gasket." his tone was laced with sarcasm.
"I can't help it." Natsu grumbled "It's not my fault this is so boring."
"You just can't appreciate it, fishing is part of the spiritual journey of a man."
"Oh it's a journey alright, down my throat and into my belly!" Happy tried to make a grab for the fish they had already caught, only to be stopped by Gildarts.
"Eating the fish isn't the important part, it's the thrill of using your instincts for hunting, the sense of becoming one with mother nature. The name they gave to the game out here is survival of the fittest, this is the playground where men can feel alive!"
"Yeah, I can feel it." then Natsu shook off the sarcasm once he actually got a bite "Holy crap check it out, I actually can feel it now!"
"Yeah there you go, now go ahead and pull it in."
"Hey now." this was when Luke showed up on the scene with Lucy and Cana, the latter now dressed in a new and less revealing outfit, consisting of a short-sleeved light green shirt with dark inner edges, revealing much of her neckline, a dark pleated miniskirt, distinctive tights covered in a leopard pattern, and dark boots "You guys having any luck?"
"Give us a minute, Natsu is about to discover the true spirit of fishing, so don't interrupt us right now."
"Hate to break it to you Gildarts, but that's not an option right now. Cana has something she needs to talk with you about, and it can't wait."
"That so? Alright then, come on over and let's talk."
"Glad to hear it, so you guys go ahead and talk and me and Lucy will take idiots one and two off of our hands." he slung Natsu and Happy over his shoulder, and then he and Lucy dragged them into the nearby bushes, where they watched the ongoing conversation in earnest 'This is it, the moment of truth at last. You can do this Cana, I've got faith in you.'
"So you wanted to talk to me, what's up?"
"To put it simply, there's something I have to tell you." Cana told him slowly "I doubt you ever knew this, but the main reason I joined Fairy Tail all those years ago… it was so I could find my father."
"Actually that's the first I've heard of it."
"I'm not surprised."
"Wait a second, you said you were going to find him, so does that mean that your old man as a member of Fairy Tail too?"
"Yeah, he was, or rather he is… Luke is right, it's now or never….' so with clear nerves, she took a deep breath and then finally came clean "His name is Gildarts." this left the man in question dumbstruck, Natsu and Happy in disbelief, and Luke and Lucy nodding in pride.
"...Huh?" it took a minute for him, but the dots finally connected "HUH?!"
'Well he's taking it better than I expected. I tried to tell you about it before, but things kept getting in the way."
"So what you're saying is- You mean you're my-?!"
"Yeah, I guess it's pretty hard to believe isn't it?"
"Wait a second, which one is your mother?! Was it Sarah? Naomi? Clara? Lena? Mary, or was it actually Liza? No wait, the hair color is all wrong! Was it Emma, Lily, Jenny, Sydney, Kate, the Yugao sisters-"
"Sisters?! For fuck's sake, just how many women have you been with?!"
"No wait it's Sylvia, that has to be it! It's that face, she made that face a lot with me!"
"Are you fucking kidding me, I finally come clean to you after all these years, only for me to find out that my old man is a dead beat who can't keep it in his pants?! You know what forget it, it doesn't matter. I was just letting you know, so see ya." she started walking away.
"Wait hold on a second!"
"I don't have anything else to say to you. I won't be moving in so you don't have to worry about that, I would hate to ruin your game, so just feel free to carry on like I'm not around-" she was cut off by him pulling her into a hug.
"You're Cornelia's daughter, there's no doubt about it."
"Please let go."
"Why did you wait so long to tell me?"
"It's like I told you before, things kept coming up and getting in the way, but as time went on, maybe I just got too scared to tell you the truth."
"Your mother Cornelia was the only woman I ever truly loved, marrying her was the happiest moment of my life. She left me 18 years ago because all I ever did was work, and that killed me inside, and when I heard that she had passed away, it was like a shot to the heart. A part of her is still with me, and it always will be. I'm sorry, this is something that I should've figured out a long time ago."
"Hey don't worry about it." Cana released herself from his hold "Don't forget that I'm the one who tried to keep this hidden for so long, so I'm sorry I didn't tell you sooner. I have to admit though, it does feel good to finally have this weight lifted off of my shoulders."
"I had a daughter all this time… she was right in front of me… and I never even realized that…"
"Hey come on now Gildarts, there's no need for the water works. It's not like I really expect anything from you. You don't have to treat me any differently than you normally do, but if you don't mind, can I say it just this once? I'm glad I finally got to meet you dad, I really am." she gave him a small smile, only to suddenly be pulled into a tight hug by Gildarts while he had tears streaming down his face.
"I promise I'll never do anything to make you feel sad again, I promise I'll always be there for you no matter what. I promise I'll be right by your side, it doesn't matter if it's on a job or hitting up the bars."
"I'm not really sure that you can keep up with me."
"Maybe or maybe not, but all I ask is that you give me the opportunity I missed out on, to be a loving father to you." and they continued to embrace.
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Meanwhile, in the bushes…
Luke and the others observed the long-awaited reunion between father and daughter with a pair of fond smiles, or comical crying in the case of Natsu and Happy "So yet another sad story from Fairy Tail gets a happy ending."
"Yeah, hopefully with many more to come." Lucy wiped away a few tears "So, a loving father huh?"
"You thinkin about seeing your dad?"
"I'm thinking that maybe I should go and see him, just for old time's sake."
"I know the feeling. I haven't tried finding any more information on Kaminari or the other dragons for awhile now, maybe when we get back to the guild, I can dig up some more leads on them." the two of them shared a smile, unaware of the sinister presence making its way to Tenrou Island.
It was on this day, December 16th, X784, that Tenrou Island would be destroyed…
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Meanwhile, on another part of the island…
Makarov sat on a rock a short distance away from the camp, his mind drifting as he heard a certain noise in the distance 'That ungodly sound… I don't understand, what could this mean for all of us?'
"Master." this was when Erza got his attention "I just received word that the ship will be ready to take us back to the mainland very shortly."
"I see, that's good."
"Also Master, regarding Laxus…"
"I have nothing to discuss with or about that boy."
"I understand that Master, I really do."
"Except to say that he's got quite a pair on him, daring to set foot on the most sacred ground of the Fairy Tail guild. That is one privilege that he no longer gets to enjoy."
"I know, but given what he's done for all of us…"
"Yes I heard all about his heroic fight with Hades, how he saved all of your lives by putting himself directly into harm's way. My appreciation for what he did is more than words would ever be able to convey, so while he did set foot on our sacred ground without permission, I'll let it go this one time. But as far as Fairy Tail is concerned, he is still an outsider, albeit one to whom we owe our gratitude."
"I see. So your position is firm then is it?"
"Of course it is." this was when Laxus got her attention from where he was leaning against a nearby tree with his arms crossed "That's how the guild has been able to stay strong for as long as it has. You can't buy your way into the guild with a single good deed, it takes a hell of a lot more than that."
"Yes, that is true."
"Anyway you guys were in a jam, and I owed a favor to Luke from something that happened a few weeks back, so I did what any decent passing stranger would do in that situation and I tried to help out in any way I could. There wasn't any kind of ulterior motive behind what I was doing here today. He old man." he was met with a glare from Makarov "Yeah that's the look, it's just classic isn't it? That's probably going to be the last time I see that scowling face in person for a good long while. Well I guess I'd better get going, later." he started to take his leave, but stopped at the sound of a roar to fill the air around them.
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Gildarts was still in the middle of his embrace with Cana, only to freeze and then look up at the sound of the roar "No way…"
"What's up, is something the matter?" asked Cana.
"God I sure as hell hope not."
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Lucy and the others quickly noticed the tension as well "Okay is it just me, or does something seem really off right now?"
"You're not the only one, it smells off too." Luke told her "I'm picking up some kind of strange oder, and whatever's causing it, it's definitely something powerful. And this scent seems familiar somehow, like something I haven't picked up since-" he suddenly froze "You've gotta be kidding me…"
"What's the matter?"
"I've got a really bad feeling about this."
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Meanwhile, at the Fairy Tail base camp…
Elfman shot a very incredulous look at Gajeel "Okay hold on a second, there is no way that's true in any sense of the word."
"What, I just tell it like it is." Gajeel told him simply "It's not rocket science and you don't need to be a real man to understand it. Tom Holland is the best Spider Man, Tobey Maguire is totally overrated."
"Why do you say that?" asked Gray.
"Because in order to do a live action Spider Man properly, there are two sides of him that you have to get down pat. The first side is the geeky and socially awkward nerd, and the other is when he puts on the costume, goes up against the bad guys and gives out snarky comebacks and one liners, and he doesn't know when to shut the fuck up for his own good. To put it simply, you need to balance out being Peter Parker and being Spider Man. Tobey Maguire does a good job with being socially awkward and geeky, but his one liners are about on the same level as the level of Salamander's intelligence, as in basically non-existent. Andrew Garfield has the same problem going for him, except the exact opposite of the spectrum. He does a good job of being snarky, overconfident and never shutting up, so he does a good job as Spider Man, but he is not suited for playing the role of Peter Parker. Tom Holland is the only one out of the main three that is able to do both Peter Parker and Spider Man, and he does them damn well. And for anybody who hates the Spider Man movies he's in, that's the kind of problem that you take up with the script, not the actors."
"Huh. You know that actually makes sense. But bashing or defending superhero movie actors aside, what the hell was that noise? And now it sounds to me like there's some kind of animal in heat panting."
"My guess is that the latter has something to do with the chair you're sitting on."
"What do you mean my chair, is it squeaking or something- What the fuck do you think you're doing?!"
As it turns out, Juvia was lying on the ground acting as Gray's chair, and she was much too gleeful about it "You refused to spank me for my failure, so I believe that serving as your chair would be a fitting punishment for me."
"I almost smacked you for scaring the crap out of me like that, but now I'm worried that you would get the wrong idea!"
"Not the first time she's done that either." Gajeel commented dryly "Anyway back to the whole debate on Spider Man movies, I'm just gonna come out and say it: the Tobey Maguire trilogy is overrated as fuck." he was met with various gasps from everyone at the camp "Yeah that's right, I said it. Granted I think Spider Man 3 gets too much hate, but that's for another time. Seriously though, those movies are so fucking predictable and boring to me. Trying to adapt a comic book plot into a movie is one thing, but they're so predictable. At least with Spider Man Homecoming and Far From Home they have the decency to try and change things up a little bit so you don't see what's coming from a fucking mile away. And don't even get me started on how overrated I think the Godfather is." any screaming objections that he would received were promptly overshadowed by a deafening roar that nearly blew them off of their feet "You've gotta be fucking kidding me!"
"That was definitely the roar of a dragon." Wendy pointed out.
"No doubt about it, I'd recognize one of those anywhere and anytime."
"Hey you guys!" this was when Luke and the others came rushing onto the scene "Is everyone okay, we heard the noise and came back as fast as we could."
"So you know what that is too?"
"I have an idea of it." then Luke glanced over to see Gildarts hunch over in pain "You alright, what's the matter?"
"Dammit, I can feel my wounds staring to burn like hell." Gildarts muttered "There's no doubt about it… that dragon is getting real close…"
"I know the feeling, I can smell it getting closer by the second."
"And it's here."
"Shit, already?" Luke glanced upwards, and his eyes widened and his blood ran cold at the sight before him "Oh you've gotta be kidding me."
"What's the matter?" Cana and the others looked up and their jaws all pretty much dropped at the sight of a massive black dragon swooping downwards and landing on the surface of Tenrou Island "Oh you've gotta be fucking kidding me… I don't believe this…"
"I don't think any of us do right now. Well on one hand, Natsu and I were right all along when said that dragons still exist. On the other hand, the malic and magic power this thing is putting out is on a whole other level.'
"I was afraid of this." Gildarts muttered "That thing is known by people as Acnologia, the Black Dragon of the apocalypse. I know that dragon anywhere."
"Which raises the question, what the hell are we going to do?"
"Well0
"Hey dragon!" this was when Natsu started calling out to Acnologia "You have any idea where I can find Igneel? And the same goes for Kaminari, Grandeeny and Metallicana! Start talking, where are they-" he was silenced by Gildarts grabbing him by the shoulders.
"Stop it Natsu, believe me when I tell you that you don't want to provoke him. Did you forget about what happened to me when I met that thing, how it ripped off my arm and my leg and one of my organs I have no intention of naming? Hell I'm lucky I didn't lose my life when I met him that day!"
"Guys enough trying to get through to the idiot, we've got bigger problems." Luke gestured towards where Acnologia was landing on the ground in front of them "He's right though, this dragon is nothing like the one that raised me. The level of malice I'm picking up from it is off the charts."
"That's about the way I'd put it, this dragon is the most evil thing that I've ever encountered in my lifetime."
"You think we should try fighting this thing?"
"Forget it, there's no way we can fight it. You should understand how dire this situation actually is. This isn't about winning or losing a fight, this is about getting, and I'm not even sure if all of us are going to be lucky enough to do that."
"Gildarts… you really think that not all of us are gonna get out of this alive?"
"There's no more time to talk about this, everyone has to get out of here NOW!" this was almost immediately followed by Acnologia letting out a roar that sent a good number of them flying, as well as pretty much blowing away the entire base camp, along with one other thing.
When the smoke cleared, Luke was revealed to have protected everyone with a Thunder Dome cast from his sword, though he was still left dumbstruck by what he saw 'You've gotta be kidding me, this thing was powerful enough to blow away the entire forest? It wasn't even a Dragon Roar either, just a scream and it wiped out everything in its path. So this is what the real deal is truly capable of, but how strong is it when it actually tries?"
"It's not just strong, he's pure evil and rotten to the core. That roar he used on us just now was nothing more than his way of getting warmed up. Listen to me Luke, and this goes for the rest of you too. If all of you want to stay alive then you can't waste time freaking out, you have to pull yourselves together so we can get the hell out of here!"
"Dammit… As much as I hate to say it, he's right. We're all running on fumes as it is after all the crap we went through with Grimoire Heart."
"STOP WASTING TIME, EVERYONE HURRY AND GET TO THE SHIP!"
"The ship is right through the trees you guys, now we have to get out of here!" Luke quickly motioned for everyone to take off running, and once everyone did start runnin he then did the same.
"Wait Luke, you can communicate with a dragon right?" Lucy pointed out "Is there any chance you could try and talk it down or maybe see what it wants?"
"Hate to break it to you Lucy, but that's not going to work. Anyone can communicate with a dragon, they do speak English after all, but I think it's blatantly obvious that this one isn't here to talk or mingle." this was followed by another deafening roar as Acnologia began looming over them and attempted to devour them "Get down!" he quickly threw Lucy and Cana out of the way while he propped its mouth open using his sword "Trying to cut off our escape route? I guess you know what you're doing, but then again so do I! Lightning Dragon Talon!" he promptly dealt it a lightning-enhanced kick to the face that caused it to recoil while he returned to the ground with his sword in hand "Okay we've got a problem, this thing seems to have brains to go with all of its brawn."
"But why us?" this was when Wendy called out to Acnologia while she was also in the middle of tearing up "Why are you doing this? Answer me!" she received no reply.
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From his place in the Grimoire Heart airship, or rather what was left of it, Zeref could only look on at the massive form of Acnologia looming over the island, in which he noted that the black dragon was not going to answer them or even speak to them, for it thought of all of them as nothing more than vermin. He also took note of how Acnologia was doing nothing more than playing with them, as a beast of that much power would never dream of using all of its might against them, for he viewed them as insignificant.
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Meanwhile, back on Tenrou Island…
The struggle against Acnologia was not going well for the Tenrou Team, even if they were fighting with everything they had left. Case and point…
"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Natsu pounced at Acnologia in a blind rage, only to be swatted with one of its claws and sent tumbling backwards.
Fortunately, Luke was able to catch him before he hit the ground, but he still shot a dry look in his direction "If it didn't work the first seven times, what the hell made you think it was going to work now?" he received no answer, as it was cut off by Makarov ripping off his shirt "So what exactly are planning on doing right now master?"
"The only thing I can do… buying time, now get to the ship!" Makarov promptly expanded into his giant form and started trying to hold back Acnologia, though he was clearly straining to do so.
'So he's planning on sacrificing himself, he can't beat that thing and he knows it. He's trying to buy time for us to get away.'
"Master please, this is no time for you to be trying to play the hero!" Erza protested "The guild needs you to stay alive!"
'I shouldn't be surprised Erza is the first one to protest.'
"You have to get out of here, NOW!" of course, Makarov was met with protests from almost everyone present.
"I intend to fight by the side of Master!"
"No way in hell some overgrown lizard is gonna be allowed to tear this guild apart!"
"I'm going to stay with you to the bitter end!" the voices of protest continued, until…
"WILL YOU BRATS JUST SHUT UP AND HONOR THE FINAL WISHES OF YOUR MASTER?! GET OFF OF THIS ISLAND RIGHT NOW!"
'Final wish… so I was right, that is how he plans on doing this…' Luke glanced over and locked eyes with Laxus, and he gave him a simple nod.
'You don't have to be said, I know.' Laxus promptly returned the gesture.
"For fuck's sake Gramps, me and a bunch of others are Dragon Slayers, this is what we were born to do so let me-" Natsu was cut off by Laxus grabbing him by the scarf and then dragging him away.
"Forget it kid, that's not happening today."
"Dammit Laxus, get the fuck off of me-" Natsu cut himself short when he noticed the tears brimming in Laxus' eyes.
"...Best of luck Master, now come on everyone, we have to go!" gritting her teeth, Erza took off running, with all of the others following right behind her.
'What good children…' Makarov could only watch them running away as he continued trying to hold off Acnologia 'I know it may be hard for you to believe now, but the fact is that this truly is for the best… It's times like these that teach you important lessons for your future, such as knowing that tears are wasteful things, nothing to trouble over… Is death caused by sadness, or is sadness caused by death? The answer is something that can be found in your hearts… My dear children, you must learn and grow, and above all, you must LIVE! Listen and listen well you foul creature! I don't know what your goal is here, and frankly I don't care, I don't have any intention of allowing you to advance any further! I will never allow you to bring harm to my children!"
Acnologia let out a snarl as he pushed Makarov back with incredible levels of physical strength, until he eventually managed to pin him to the ground, digging into his skin with his claws, causing him to cry out in pain.
However, Makarov's screams eventually turned into chuckles 'This is what a father will not hesitate to do for his family. I have no regrets, and now I will be able to die as a truly happy old man.' he closed his eyes and waited for the inevitable, only for his eyes to snap open at the sound of footsteps, and he was shocked when he saw who they belong to 'Luke?!'
Sure enough, with his magic power surging, Luke was blitzing towards Acnologia with his sword in hand, and he wasted no time in activating his Thunder Drive, and he quickly leapt up onto the shoulder of the massive creature "I'm taking Makarov back, all of us are!" he was met only with the force of Acnologia trying to throw him off, but he quickly thrusted his sword into its skin, earning a howl of pain "I don't expect you to understand this, but two years ago a bad experience filled me with the overwhelming need to protect my guild and all of the people in it, and that includes the old guy you're using as a chew toy!"
Makarov found himself swatted into a nearby plateau, which forced him to revert back to his normal state, only for him to see Erza and various others standing in front of him, as if they were trying to shield him "Erza, you too?"
"Kind of surprising isn't it?" Laxus got his attention, standing on the opposite side of him "I was personally down with the plan to evacuate. I'm sure there are plenty of folks out there that would let an old guy take the fall, but there sure as hell isn't anyone like that in your guild."
'Laxus…'
"Now everyone, attack!" Erza pointed one of her swords forward and made the call, which prompted everyone to charge forward and hit Acnologia with thei strongest attacks.
"You… You damn stupid bunch of kids…" Makarov ended up with tears streaming down his face.
With a primal roar, Laxus bulked up as his body started surging with electricity "Alright listen up you guys, we're gonna hit this overgrown lizard with everything we've got! If you let loose on him and I blast him with a million wats of lightning, then that will be enough to teach him why he should never mess with Fairy Tail again! And word of advice Luke, you'd better get the fuck out of my way or absorb what hits you, because it's coming either way!"
"Way ahead of you." Luke removed his sword and leapt off of Acnologia as his magic power began turning a shade of blue along with the usual gold "Change Mode: Lightning Sea King Dragon!"
"RAGING BOLT!" Laxus unleashed a massive blast of lightning.
"FAIRY BURST!" Erza requipped into her Armadura Fairy armor and unleashed a massive blast of magic energy from one of her swords.
"SUPER FREEZE ARROW!" Gray shot forward a large arrow made of ice.
"WATER NEBULA!" Juvia shot forward a powerful stream of water.
"SOLID SCRIPT: FIRE!" Levy unleashed a stream of flames using her Solid Script magic.
"Now Sagittarius, GET HIM!" Lucy summoned Sagittarius and had him fire a stream of arrows forward.
"EVIL EXPLOSION!" Mira flashed into her Satan Soul and unleashed a powerful blast of dark energy.
"We shall use the full power of the Thunder Legion!" Freed sent forward a barrage of slashes from his sword.
"Come on babies, time to rock!" Bickslow unleashed a blast of magic energy from within each of his dolls.
"Fairy Machine Gun: LEPRECHAUN!" Evergreen unleashed a barrage of blasts of magic energy, with every blast being unleashed combining into one, slamming into Acnologia with incredible force.
Fortunately, Luke was able to blitz out of the way of the blast right using teleportation magic right before it hit, but he quickly noticed something out of the corner of his eye in the form of a young girl with blond hair watching them on a nearby hillside 'Wait a second, what the hell? It's a girl, one that I've never seen before and… is she praying?'
"Hey Luke, do us all a favor and FOCUS ON THE FUCKING FIGHT!" Laxus barked at him from were he "Dammit, we're totally unloading on this bastard and he's still smiling at us like he's the fucking Joker! LET US SEE WHAT YOU DRAGON SLAYERS CAN DO!"
"Trust me, that's the plan." Luke blitzed along a nearby cliffside and braced himself "You guys start it with a combination of Roars, I'll finish off with a dual element attack!"
"Right!" so with their Exceeds flying them up, Natsu, Gajeel and Wendy all charged upwards towards Acnologia and charged their magic power "Fire Dragon/ Iron Dragon/ Sky Dragon ROAR!" the three of them all let out simultaneous roars infused with properties of fire, iron and air respectively, the combined blast engulfing Acnologia and sending him hurtling back.
"Lightning Sea King Dragon ROAR!" Luke let out a roar infused with the properties of both lightning and water, which combined with the other roars to apparently overwhelm Acnologia, sending him hurtling backwards into the ocean with the explosion that followed. With the sudden calm taking over the battlefield, Luke powered back down to his base state and fell to his knees in exhaustion 'After that fight with Hades, this is all I can really do against him. In a perfect world, that would've worked."
"But this sure as hell isn't a perfect world." Gildarts told him flatly "I can tell that he's not even using half as much of his power as he did back when I first fought him. To put it simply, he's just toying with us."
"...Oh shit." this was immediately followed by Acnologia taking back to the air, looming high above them and looking incredibly menacing "Take what I said before and square it. You've gotta be kidding me, all of that and he doesn't have a single scratch on him? His power is incredible, we gave it everything we had, four Dragon Slayers combining their powers for one single attack, and it did next to nothing.'
"Dammit, this shouldn't be happening!" Natsu slammed his fist into the ground "This just shouldn't be happening! I'm supposed to be a fucking Dragon Slayer, this is my whole purpose, so why the hell couldn't I beat him?!"
"Becuase you don't have enough plot armor for that. The question is, what is going to try and do next?"
"Maybe he'll just decide to leave us alone and go back home." Wendy muttered.
"Again, in a perfect world, which this isn't. In any case, we can't let down our guard." Luke then glanced up to see Acnologia inhaling and gathering magic power "Or else something like that is going to happen, now it's prepping what I would have to guess is a Roar. Dammit, at this rate he's probably going to try and wipe out the whole island with a single attack. This isn't looking good.'
"Dammit, I hate this…" Cana gritted her teeth and clenched her fists at the sight of all of their supposed doom looming over them "There has to be something we can do, anything! I finally tell my dad the truth and what, we all just up and die here?" she was met with Luke gently gripping her hand in a reassuring way.
"We're gonna find a way out of this, I promise. Alright then, all users of defense magic bring out your most powerful spells."
"But I can't, I don't have time to write an enchantment." Freed told him.
"Levy, you have a solution?"
"My Script magic will work." Levy told him "It has a lot of other defensive spells that we can use right now."
"And Freed should be able to help you out with that. Alright everyone, concentrate whatever magic power you can spare over to Freed and Levy! Holding hands will make that process work faster." he tightened his hold on Cana's hand, and then gently took hold of Lucy's hand when he saw her crying on the ground "Come on you guys, there's no way we're going to give this thing the satisfaction of seeing us go out in a bunch of crumbled messes on the ground. If there's one thing that you should never forget about Fairy Tail, it's that we never give up the fight. We're going to look our fears in the eye and spit on them, we're gonna show this thing that we've got bonds way too strong to even dream of breaking. Remember this everyone, when the day is done, we're all gonna go back home together, with smiles on our faces and our heads held high." this was followed by everyone from the Tenou Team joining hands in a circle "We're going back home to Fairy Tail!"
And then Ancologia unleashed his Dragon Roar, sending the blast hurtling straight down towards the island, the blast being visible for miles off of the coast, much to the clear horror of anyone who did actually witness it.
When the blast subsided, a massive crater was all that remained of Tenrou Island… and the same went for everyone that was present when the blast hit.
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Meanwhile, with Zeref…
Seeing the horrible sight of Tenrou Island being completely eradicated, Zeref could only close his eyes and bow his head "I suppose it's over then… farewell Natsu…"
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"All of it happened on this day, December 16, X784, on Tenrou Island. The day that it was wiped off of the map by Acnologia. With his work completed, he disappeared into the wild blue yonder above. Search crews from the Magic Council and various guilds spent almost 6 full months scouring through the nearby waters for any sign of survivors. Unfortunately, none of those lost were ever found. Despite this loss, time continues to march on, and before anyone knew it, 7 long years had passed since that fateful day. The world had gone through a multitude of profound alterations during that time. Great changes had been made, and others were still to come. But those will be saved for another time…"
A/N:
And with this chapter, the Tenrou Island arc finally comes to an end, though it's not exactly a happy one. While Fairy Tail has emerged victorious from their long and brutal war with Grimoire Heart, we see the unveiling of a powerful new threat in the form of Acnologia, a black dragon that Gildarts had previous encountered, and subsequently been crippled by, who then appears to destroy Tenrou Island and everyone on it with a single attack, which leads into the 7 year time skip. Let me make something clear to all of you now: Things are NOT going to be the same as they were in canon. What I mean by that is, as difficult as it was for me to decide to go through with this, some of the characters that stayed behind at Fairy Tail during the arc, some of them won't live to see the others return. I'll explain that more when we actually get to see the chapter, but like I said, some of those characters won't be returning.
But on a more positive note, now that the battle with Grimoire Heart is over, I got to give some more character development to Luke, mainly regarding his relationship and feelings for Cana. Noah's life advice about your life flashing before your eyes played a big part in that, as in his life flashed before his eyes and he saw the truth for himself: that he's in love with Cana. That doesn't mean they're going to get together right away though, it's still going to be some time before that happens. I did think about having it happen before Acnologia showed up, but I couldn't take away from the moment between Cana and Giladrts. So like I said, it will be some time before that happens, but I can tell you that when it does happen, it's going to be very satisfying.
Just as a side note, I know that Cana gets back the Fairy Glitter spell by the time we get to the Grand Magic Games, so I decided to just have her keep that spell on her until then, rather than just have her get it back. Plus it gives her a good reason to start training with Luke, which I'll be going into in a later chapter.
Now then, to end this chapter, I'd like to point out yet another milestone this story has reached, as in we've reached 40 chapters! That's only happened to one other story for me before now, and it's been more than two years since then, so I'd like to thank you for all of your support. All of you made this possible.