Chapter 92

People and Dragons

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Magic"

Flashback

Location / Date / Time Skip

The smoke rose off the back of Motherglare as Rogue stared back at Natsu. "It's useless, humans can't win against a dragon."

"If we can protect everyone and win, we don't need to be human." He replied.

"Motherglare!" The tamer shouted as the beast roared in response. Eggs began popping out from the beast's underbelly before they rained down over the city.

"Are those eggs?" Lisanna asked before they started cracking. Small, draconic creatures emerged from the shells and roared, stomping towards the humans.

"As if the big ones weren't trouble enough!" Cana complained before Laxus slid in front of her.

"I got this." He threw a fist forward and the lightning pushed Atlas Flame back, wincing in pain. "I got this guy, you focus on the small fries."

"You can't do this alone!" Romeo shouted.

"He's not alone." Freed declared as the Thunder Legion stepped forward. "We will support him."

"Did you hear what Natsu said? Only Dragon Slayers can defeat dragons." Mavis declared. "We must leave this to Laxus and his team. Gajeel, go into the city and look for another dragon. The rest of you, focus on the small ones!"

"Yes ma'am!" The entire guild saluted before charging into battle.

Back in the sky, Natsu gripped the beast's scales and forced himself back up. "This is what humans can do!" He declared. "When we come together, there's nothing we can't do!"

"You still don't know the dragon's true power." Rogue declared before the two charged at each other.

With Sabertooth

"Rogue, move to where another dragon is!" Sting ordered. "Find a guild that doesn't have a Dragon Slayer and help them!" His teammate nodded and raced away ad Sting pulled his arms back, light gathering between his hands. "Natsu's voice gave me courage, not to fight, but to protect my friends!" He thrust his arms forward and the light attack launched forward, peppering the beast.

"The ruthless Sabertooth is no more." Rogue declared with a smile. "We're moving forward."

With Blue Pegasus

"This is a joke!" The stone dragon chuckled as he brushed off a perfume attack from Ichiya. "What could humans like you possibly do against me!?" He raised its foot to stomp them to dust, only for a purple attack to hit him in the head.

"What was that!?" Ren asked in surprise.

"Move away, you weirdos." Cobra declared, his presence shocking the guild.

"Shouldn't he be in jail?" Eve asked.

"It doesn't matter why he's here right now." Jenny said. "He's our best chance to beat this thing. Let's leave him to it."

Reluctantly, the other members agreed and raced away to deal with the smaller creatures. "Now then, let's have some fun, ugly." The criminal chuckled, his arms turning into scales.

With Lahar & Doranbolt

"And we ended up doing what Jellal wanted." The captain sighed.

"I hope we only just get fired." Doranbolt chuckled.

"You can worry about the future when we have one." His friend replied as the Rune Knights marched up from behind. "Let's get in and help too."

"YESSIR!" The squad shouted.

Mercusius

Zirconis laughed as he stared down at the humans, drool escaping his lips. "Normally, I'd savior a smorgasbord like this. But I'm rather hungry, so I'll just eat you all at once!" A ball of magic forked in his mouth before it fired.

"Duck!" Laki tackled Yukino to the ground as Mira did the same to Wendy. Lucy hid on her own as the attack hit the army.

The smoke cleared and the entire army watched as their clothing and armor peeled off like bananas. "Humans are rather tasty, but their clothing gets stuck in my teeth and claws." The dragon confessed as the army ran away in embaresment. "Maybe I should have killed them first."

"Princess, are you unharmed?" Arcadios asked.

"I'm fine." She replied.

"Princess?" The dragon asked in curiosity, eyeing the girl. "Royalty is the best tasting human."

"That was your magic?" Wendy asked as she pushed herself up.

"What of it, kid?" Zirconis replied, blowing another spell at Lucy and rendering her naked. "My magic is made to steal a humans' dignity."

"Then my magic is made to defeat you." Wendy declared with clenched fists.

"Defeat me?" The beast chuckled as he picked up Lucy. "Well, can you beat me before I eat this young lady?"

"Arms X Vernier! Enchant!" Wendy chanted as Laki started glowing in a blue aura. "We will!"

"Cocky little brat." Zirconis chuckled as he took to the sky. "Did you really think I would fight on an empty stomach? I need a snack first." Drool poured out of his mouth as tried forcing Lucy into his gaping jaw.

"Let her go!" Laki shouted as Rose carried her into the sky, letting her uppercut the dragon and slam its maw shut.

"Two Dragon Slayers!?" The jade dragon asked in surprise before a tornado hit him in the back of the head. "Annoying little worms!" He tossed Lucy into the city and glared at the two.

"Lucy!" Rose shouted before Laki nodded. "Wendy, we're leaving this lug to you! There's another dragon that needs stopping in the city."

"Got it!" She nodded before the other two off into the city.

"Wait for me! I'll save Lucy!" Happy shouted as he followed the two.

With Natsu

"No matter how you slice it, nothing will change!" Rogue shouted as he punched Natsu, sending him sliding back. "There's a seven year gap between us. I'm stronger than I ever was during these Games."

Natsu glared at the time traveler in anger before a scream caught his attention. "Lucy?" The naked blonde hit him and sent him tumbling off the beast. "Why the hell are you naked!?" The two crashed into a bell and it rolled down a building before coming to a stop near a river.

"So care to explain why you're naked and flying?" Natsu asked as he crawled out of the bell.

"Don't look, you idiot!" She shouted back, kicking him in the face.

"That dragon we meet in the cave came through the Gate." Laki explained as she, Rose and Happy reached the two. "Apparently his magic let's him strip people of their clothing so they're easier to eat."

"Why doesn't he just peel them off?" He asked, motioning like he was peeling a banana. "I mean, he's got claws, right?"

"ARE YOU TWO REALLY HAVING THIS CONVERSATION RIGHT NOW!?" Lucy asked, making Happy chuckle as he handed her a towel. "Shut up! Are all dragons like this? I can't imagine Igneel or Drusta being as violent as that fire one that came back. I mean, I was almost eaten for crying out…"

She secured the towel and turned to the couple, only to find them staring at her. "What?"

"A fire dragon came through the Gate?" Laki asked, having missed the invasion force.

"Why didn't you say so sooner!?" Natsu asked, shaking her. "We have a way to beat them! Let's go, Happy!"

"Aye sir!" The cat took his partner by the collar and flew into the sky. "Wait, do you even have a plan?"

"Of course I do." He chuckled as he glanced at the female pair.

"We'll find a free one and take of it!" Laki shouted, Rose flying her in another direction.

"You know, you could give me some clothes!" Lucy shouted as Virgo appeared behind her.

"We have a lovely selection for you to choose from, Princess." The maid said, waving to piles of clothing.

"I don't need the store clerk attitude right now!" The blonde snapped back, only for a glint of light to catch her attention. "What the?" She walked over to a small crate and picked up a small brown book before opening it. "This is… Laki's journal?"

With Erza

A creature slammed into the red head and sent her tumbling along the ground. 'Damn it, I got separated from the others.' She tried to stand only for her legs to give out. 'Looks like Minerva did more damage then I thought.' The hatchlings hissed at her as her sword slipped her grip.

'All this time, putting on an act of strength…' The mob jumped at her and bared their fangs, ready to kill her. 'This is the end, I guess.'

A bright golden light raced past her and smashed the creatures, saving her life. Erza looked up and found Jellal standing over her, his palm glowing. "Need some help?" He chuckled.

He turned around and offered a hand up, making Erza smile as he pulled her up. "Jellal…" The two turned to the side and found Milianna glaring at the man in anger.

With the Thunder Legion

The fire dragon roared in anger as Freed opened his left eye. "Dark Ecriture: Zetsuei!" Charging forward and changing into his demon form, he slashed at the creature in a cross fashion. Evergreen and Bickslow fired their own spells, giving Laxus time to prepare his own spell.

"Lightning Dragon Roar!" Unleashing a massive bolt from his mouth, the spell hit square in his face.

"That won't work!" Atlas Flame shouted, completely unharmed. "My hellflames burn down any magic!"

"This is a bad match up for Laxus!" Freed cursed.

"Aren't they're any water type dragon slayers?" Evergreen asked.

"Don't need one." Bickslow chuckled, his eyes glowing as he looked up at the sky. "We have a fire type right here."

Laxus looked up and saw Natsu falling from the sky, landing square on the dragon. "Who the hell are you, human!?" Atlas Flame shouted.

"I'm Natsu Dragneel!" He replied, opening his mouth wide. "And I'm gonna eat you!" The hellflames started getting sucked into his mouth, shocking the quartet.

"Nice one, Natsu." Happy chuckled from above. "No one would have thought of that."

"Eat me!?" Atlas Flame asked back. "Don't be kidding me!" He started slamming into buildings trying to shake Natsu off, but the pink haired slayer stayed fixed.

"Laxus! Go to the castle!" Natsu shouted, confusing the four even more. "Help Wendy!"

"Wendy might be a Dragon Slayer, but she's still young." Evergreen pointed out. "She's not strong enough to do it alone."

"Right." He nodded as the four ran from the beast. "You three, take out these little pests. Happy, I need a ride!"

"Got it!" The four agreed as Happy picked up Laxus and carried him away.

"Cut it out, brat!" Atlas Flame shouted. "Don't make me angry!" He slammed into several buildings, but Natsu stayed firmly on his back. "A human can't eat my flames!" His eyes suddenly snapped wide as he stopped writhing. 'This feeling… Could it be? No, impossible… But this feeling reminds me of…'

"Brat…" The dragon spoke up, catching Natsu's attention. "Who are you? What's your relationship to Igneel?"

"Igneel!?" Natsu repeated in shock. "Do you know him!?"

"He is the king of the fire dragons." Atlas Flame replied. "And a close friend."

"I see…" The human chuckled, still eating the fire. "Igneel is my dad."

With Future Rogue

The time traveler looked down and smiled at the destruction raging around him. "Splendid! This is the dragons power! So much destruction!" He chuckled. "With this power, I can definitely kill Acnologia. And then I will rrule this world. The earth will break, the sky shall burn, lives will be consumed. I am the king of dragons. The new king in this Dragon Festival! Shadows will become light! I'll become the ultimate light and illuminate this world!"

"We don't need such a dirty light!" Rogue turned at the sound of Natsu's voice, only to wide eyed as he saw him riding Atlas Flame into the sky. "Our light is inside our hearts! With your light, I can't see anything!"

Atlas Flame head-butted Motherglare, creating a shockwave of power. "Why is he riding a dragon? Did you betray me, Atlas Flame!?" Rogue asked in anger.

"I just followed my heart." The dragon replied. "The son of Igneel is my friend."

"Let's do this, uncle!" Natsu cheered, confusing the great beast.

"What did you do!? Did you overcome my magic!?" Rogue shouted.

"You used magic to overwrite our will?" Atlas Flame asked.

"There was no trick. We just became friends." Natsu confessed. "Let's go, uncle!"

The burning dragon charged forward and slammed into the other creature. The flames blasted Motherglare and pushed him back, forcing the other dragon to unleash a roar. Atlas Flame flew to the side and the beam hit a mountain, creating a massive explosion and wiping out the rock.

"Your attacks won't hit work on my flame body." Atlas Flame declared.

"And you cannot burn my adamant body." Motherglare said back.

"Never underestimate my hellfire." He replied. "It is the giant's fire rushing out of hell, and my new friend has eaten it." Natsu jumped off the back and dived at the dumbfounded Rogue, the new attack almost punching Motherglare out of the sky.

With Laki

Rose carried Laki over the battlefield as the bespectacled girl sniffed the air. "To the left!" She cried out and the cat turned the corner, letting the two two see the giant, wispy dragon crushing a building with its claw. "Rose, put me down and get back to Wendy. You'll be safe there."

"Are you sure about that?" The Exceed asked, earning a nod from Laki. Rose dropped Laki and flew away from the upcoming battle.

"Hey, dragon!" Laki cried out, making the beast turn to her. "Take this! Wood Dragon Splinter Shot!" Laki unleashed a swarm of wood shards and peppered the beast, angering the dragon. Raising its left claw, it prepared to retaliate with a roar. Laki jumped from the claw swing and wrapped her whip around the creature's neck.

She swung around and released her grip, letting her fling into the air. "Wood Dragon Roar!" She pulled her head back and unleashed a massive blast of wood, making the dragon hollow in pain as she landed. "Something tells me this won't be getting easier." She said before the dragon swung its tail, forcing her to dodge.

With Rogue

Rogue panted as the dragon stared at him. "Enough of this game, Rogue. We both know you can't defeat a dragon."

"How do you know my name!?" Rogue shouted back.

"Because I was ordered not to kill you." The dragon explained, shocking Rogue. "You must stay quite, only you will be allowed to survive in this new world. And you will become king."

"The hell are you talking about? I don't want to become king!" Rogue shouted. "Who gave you that order?!"

"You did." The dragon declared, shocking Rogue. "You're the one behind our summoning. And you are trying to become king. That is the plan you will make seven years from now."

"It's the truth…" The same voice from the battle with Gajeel echoed around him as he stared at his shadow. "I'm your future, I'm the shadow and your hearts dark desires."

"Shut up!" He shouted as he stamped on the shadow. "It's a lie… it's nothing but a lie…"

"Accept it, your heart is dyed in darkness." The dragon declared. "You won't die here. Your fate is sealed."

Off in a small overlook, Ultear stared down and at the man. 'Rogue…'

One Hour Ago

"Natsu, you're still injured!" Meredy shouted as the boy tried to move.

Ignoring the pain, Natsu willed himself over to Future Laki's body and collapsed, crying. "Who was that man?" Ultear asked.

"He said he was Rogue from seven years from now." Natsu replied.

"So he's the other one who came from the future. What's his goal?" Meredy asked.

"I don't know…" Natsu confessed. "But what he did to Laki, he's an enemy."

"Rogue might have become a skilled wizard, but he still had a weak point." Ultear pointed out. "If we kill this time's Rogue, then the one from the future will cease to exist."

"But won't that cause a paradox?" Meredy asked.

"If time was flowing normally, yes." Her 'mother' replied. "But the Eclipse Gate has disrupted the flow of time. If we kill the present Rogue, the one from the future will disappear."

"No!" Natsu declared, shocking the two. "I'll defeat the Future Rogue. He took the wrong path, not our Rogue. If we kill him, then we'll be the ones taking the wrong path."

"…Very well." Ultear sighed. "I promise you, I won't touch the present Rogue."

Present

Ultear looked up and stared at the destruction in the city as the battle raged. "I'm sorry. But there's nothing else we can do, Natsu." She said to herself. "Rogue is the focus point of all this. If he never came back from the future, the Gate never would have opened and the dragons wouldn't have been released. If we want to save the future, killing Rogue is the only way."

"Why the hell are you just sitting there!?" The two humans perked up and turned to the side to see Sting running at Rogue. "Thought I'd drop in and save your butt. Let's do this!"

"Wait, then you already beat yours?" Rogue asked, only for the building behind the blonde to explode, the dragon chasing after Sting.

"Nope! Figured I just bring him with me!" Sting chuckled. "Come on, buddy! We're the Twin Dragons, aren't we? So let's kick their asses!"

Rogue nodded and the two stood back to back, their elements rolling off their bodies. Ultear lowered her orb and hung her head.

With Erza & Jellal

"Finally… I found you, Jellal!" Millianna growled at the man.

"Millianna, listen to me." Erza spoke up. "I've forgiven Jellal, and so should you."

"How could you ever defend a monster like him!?" The cat girl shouted back. "Did you forget he murdered Simon!? He's a murderer and he has to pay! I'll kill him myself or die trying!"

"That path you walk right now will only lead to pain and suffering." Erza replied. "Killing him won't bring back the dead."

"So I just pretend like nothing happened!?" Millianna asked. "Not gonna happen! That's just wrong!"

"I agree." All three perked up as Ultear walked up from behind the Mermaid Heel member. "You can't blame Jellal for what he did back then. I was the who was pulling the strings he was tied to." Millianna glared at the time mage in anger, the new target of her revenge.

"You see, that's the kind of woman I really am. There's no point in fighting it. No matter how hard I try to be the hero, the truth of it I'll always be a wicked woman."

"And what makes you say that?" Jellal asked.

"It's just a simple fact." She answered walking forward. "Besides, this isn't exactly the time for us to be standing around, talking. This area is still crawling with that mother dragon's offspring. We should deal with them first." She came to a stop and turned back to Millianna. "And one more thing, kitten.

"I alone am to blame for your friend's death. As a matter of fact, you're looking at the one behind the Tower of Heaven herself. I'll give you a shot of revenge once this is all over, but you'll have to survive."

She walked away from the three as Millianna stared at her, anger almost seething out of her. "Believe it or not, she's a victim herself." Erza spoke up. "She was raised as a test subject, and known nothing but pain." Behind a wall, Kagura sheathed her blade as a look of confusion filled her face.

Ultear walked along the destroyed city and dropped to her knees, clenching her fists in anger. 'This is who I really am…' She realized.

Gray ducked and tacked Juvia out of the way of a blast of draconic energy before Lyon crafted a tiger and the beast slaughtered the trio. "You guys okay?" He asked.

'Gray… touched my butt…' Juvia thought with a blush on her face.

"JUVIA!" The water woman turned and saw Meredy sprinting at her. "I can't find Ultear anywhere, have you seen her?"

"I can't say that I have." She replied, unaware of the beast behind her.

"Move, Juvia!" Lyon shouted before she turned just in time to see the creature fire its beam. A force pushed her down and she it the ground. She pushed herself up in time to see the beam rip through Gray's chest. Before anyone could do anything, more beams shot through him before one went right through his head. He fell to the ground and Juvia crawled over, hoping against hope.

With Ultear

"I stopped just short of murder…" She realized. "I might not have gone through with it, but that's not the problem. The fact is I would taken the life of an innocent man and not batted an eye. Why would that be the first place my mind turns? I guess, deep down in my core, I still crave it."

She stared at her hand and blinked, seeing blood one second and then it was clean. "I haven't changed at all, damn it. Crime Sorciere is nothing but a joke. I could never atone for the sins of my past." Tears fell from her eyes as she stared up at the sky. "I'm unfit for this world. I don't deserve to live."

Wow, there was a LOT of filler in this batch of episodes. Like a LOT of filler. And if it's not in the original manga, I'm not putting it in unless I think it advances the plot. And what was in here did not do that. But hey, up next we have the reason why Ultear is high up on my FT best girl list. See ya then.

Beta read by General Feng Xiang.