AN: So not been as long as last time, but still long enough, so here is the next chapter and I hope you all enjoy it. As some people might have noticed by two recent updates on my Naruto/ Fairy Tail story, I've been somewhat reinvigorated in regards to Fairy Tail, especially since they are now continuing the story and not leaving it at that crappy ending they did before. Don't get me wrong I am still annoyed with how the Acnologia and Zeref arcs ended but am hopeful for a return to how good it used to be.
As I've said before I have this story planned all the way to the Tartarus Arc, and may continue into the Avatar Arc and Alvarez Arc if I want to. But anyway I hope you all enjoy the chapter and leave a comment or a review.
Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson or Fairy Tail.
( - )
(Last Time)
Percy smiled faintly as he heard that before he nodded. "Very well then, maybe you can meet up with young Natsu, I'm sure he would be just as curious to meet his counterpart as you are to get to know yours."
Edo Lucy's cheeks turned a little pink as she heard that, she hadn't known she had been so transparent. Natsu meanwhile perked up as he heard that, now very curious to see what a parallel version of himself would be like.
"Thanks so much for your help." Wendy said softly as she looked up at Percy.
"Think nothing of it." Edo Percy replied kindly, a fond smile on his face as he looked down at a miniature version of his daughter. "It doesn't matter if we are from different worlds, the Fairy Tail Guild always sticks together!"
( - )
Chapter 17
( - )
(In the Royal City)
"Oh, wow!" An androgynous looking man with partially black and partially white hair said loudly, his hands on his hips as he leant back and whistled, his dark eyes fixed on the colossal, crystal like structure he could see through the castles window.
The crystal itself currently being in the midst of being transported through the city and to the keep where Byro, the Kingdom's Chief Scientist could start running tests, and then later draining it of its magical energy. "Have you seen this, Pantherlily? That is one big ass lacrima?!"
"I saw it when I arrived, Hughes." Pantherlily, a large six foot tall, anthropomorphic feline, with thick dark coloured fur, cold amber eyes and a stocky physique replied. The giant Exeed in question currently wearing a full suit of plate armour, with a black cloak hanging from his shoulders and a large sword sheathed on the back. Smirking slightly, Pantherlily revealed a row of razor sharp, white teeth as he looked over to Hughes, his voice coming out deep and gravely. "It really is a beautiful thing."
Hughes merely laughed in response, an almost maniacal grin on his face. "That's the magical power of tens of thousands of humans from Earthland, you know?"
"To be more precise, it's the magical power of about a hundred mages... and a multitude of lesser people." Pantherlily replied emotionlessly, his pity and compassion for most humans having long since faded over his time as the Commander of the army's First Division. Some people may him callous for this attitude, but as far as he was concerned he was just being practical. That being said he did still hold a soft spot for human children, after all they were still innocent of the bigotry and hatred that often infested their race, in his eyes.
"Who cares about the details?" Hughes, the commander of the army's Third Division replied dismissively, waving away Pantherlily's responses he did so. "All I'm saying is that this thing is amazing! I mean just think of all the power it will give us, enough for at least a decade from what I heard Byro mumbling about!"
Pantherlily hummed at that, before he tore his gaze away from the lacrima and instead fixed on his sadistic compatriot. "Have you heard any more about what happened with Sugarboy?"
Hughes snorted as he heard that. "Apparently Sugarboy and Knightwalker ran into the Fairy Tail Guild Master, you know the old man, Percy. Anyway they ran into him, and there was a fight and Sugarboy ran away like a coward, he lost his magical weapon to if you can believe it, and was then banging on about how that old weakling was way more powerful than he is. I mean how embarrassing is that?"
"And what of Knightwalker?" Pantherlily asked calmly, dismissing Hughes's mocking as he focused in on the details. After all, he had met Percy Jackson and knew for a fact that although the man had some skills, he was more of a thinker than a fighter. Which made Sugarboy's story all the more suspect, especially since he surely knew that people wouldn't believe it.
"Missing in action." Hughes shrugged, before he grimaced. "Though that's probably a good thing. I mean did you hear, apparently the King ordered that Sugarboy was to be locked in the dungeons, pending a trial and a potential death sentence, how fucked up is that?"
"He failed, and he ran from the enemy. Cowardice and failure must be punished." Pantherlily replied bluntly, not caring one jot that the overly flamboyant and eccentric Sugarboy was currently stewing in the castles dungeons. On top of that he knew the man was probably already doomed, the King had after all been becoming more and more unstable, his obsession with stealing magic having consumed him.
"I know, but this now leaves us two commanders down." Hughes replied with a scowl, as he looked away from the lacrima and out at the city. "It leaves us vulnerable."
"I am sure the King knows that." Pantherlily said dismissively, waving the comment away as he turned away from the window, his attention instead on the squat, shrivelled old man that was approaching them, his lip curling in disgust as he did so. "Lord Byro?"
"Pantherlily." Byro replied, his voice very nasally as he came to as top in front of the two commanders, with the short, old man only coming up to just above Pantherlily's waist. Not that this seemed to bother the old man as eh just looked up at Pantherlily mockingly. "The King has commanded that you will take over Knightwalker's old responsibilities, hunting down and wiping out Fairy Tail and the other remaining Dark Guilds is now your job."
Pantherlily scowled as he heard that. "And what of Knightwalker."
"She has failed, if she is dead, then she's dead, and if she's not and we find her, well she will be punished for her failure, severely." Byro replied, an amused and nasty smirk on his face now. "But you shouldn't be worried about that, no, you should be more worried about completing the task that was given to you. The King's patience is already wearing thin, especially with how far along we are in the grand plan."
"Hn, you and this grand plan. What are we ever going to be told what it is?" Hughes asked as he turned and looked down at the older man.
"When you need to be." Byre said dismissively, before he then turned to walk away. "And I would hurry up Exceed, the longer Fairy Tail and their Master remains around, the less patience the King has. I mean who knows, maybe if you fail it'll be death…?"
"That bastard." Pantherlily snarled as he saw the wizened old man shuffle off and disappear around a corner. "What I would do to rip his guts out and feed them to him."
"Well I think you would have to get in line, I don't think there is a single person who likes the man, not even the King. Then again Byro is useful, and so long as he remains so he is untouchable." Hughes replied with a shrug, before he made to walk away. "By the way, the guy might be a little shit, but he doesn't make idle threats. I would start trying to capture Fairy Tail if I were you!"
"And what will you be doing?" Pantherlily snarled back.
"Why, I'll be the one guarding the lacirima, nice and safe in the heart of the capital." Hughes said mockingly, his grin widening before he waltzed off, leaving the armoured Exceed standing alone in the hallway.
( - )
(In the Throne Room)
"Your Majesty!" A young, brown haired girl called Coco shouted as she sprinted into the throne room, her voice echoing around the cavernous and mostly empty room, and immediately getting the attention of the grizzled old man, sat on a throne at the other end of the hall. "Your Majesty!"
Looking up the old man coolly watched the girl's approached, his hand coming up to stroke his long, grey beard as he looked at her with barely contained irritation, and intrigue. Both annoyed at her noisy entrance, and proclivity for running, yet very keen on hearing her report.
Coming to a halt in front of the throne, Coco, instantly went down onto one knee, her breath coming out quite fast as she looked up at him. "I've just received word from Lord Byro. He has confirmed that we can begin extracting magical energy from the giant lacrima, and that the work can begin in two days' time!"
"It will still be insufficient." King Faust growled out, his fingers now drumming impatiently on the arm of his throne.
The girl tilted her head as she heard that, unsure of really how she should reply. "Huh?"
"I'm sorry, Your Majesty. Did you just say something?" Coco asked, a bit uncomfortable now as the King turned his baleful gaze on to her, his expression cold and callous.
"I said that it will be insufficient." The King grunted back.
"If I may speak freely, Your Majesty..." The girl said, speaking now as the assistant to the Kingdom's Chief Scientist. "That lacrima contains the magical energy of an entire magical city from Earthland. It will be enough to supply our country with magical power for at least the next ten years! Maybe even longer!"
"The glorious kingdom of Edolas cannot be bound by limitations." The King replied irritably, his gaze now leaving her and instead staring out of a nearby window, a window which gave him a view of Extalia, the Kingdom of the Exceed.
"Your Majesty…" Coco said nervously, holding back a wince as she saw the hint of madness in the old man's eyes.
"More..." The King said loudly, standing to his feet now. "We need more magical power!"
"There needs to be enough to last for an eternity!" Faust, the King of Edolas, bellowed, his voice echoing around the room. "And I don't care how we get it, or who stands in our way. For the good of my Kingdom, and this world I will see to it that we secure supply of magical power that will never end!"
( - )
(Elsewhere in Edolas)
Letting out a sigh, Percy distractedly prodded at the merrily, crackling fire in front of him, shifting around a few of the logs with a stick and causing the fire to let out a sudden flurry of embers as one of the logs collapsed. The casting an eerie light, and making the small forest clearing he was in seem even more forbidding than it already was, not that Percy was all that concerned.
Absentmindedly brushing one of the embers off of his shirt, Percy then stuck his hand over the fire, testing the heat of the embers, before with a satisfied smile, he took his eeys off the fire and got to work.
Turning away from the fire Percy grabbed the first of a trio of hares he'd just skinned and prepared. His hands moving with ease as he spitted the first hare on a stick, before laying it on a makeshift trestle he'd built over the fire. Following on from that, Percy put the rest of the meat on to cook, quite pleased as he did so that he'd managed to find himself a few herbs and wild garlic whilst he was foraging in the forest earlier.
"It won't be long now, the food will be ready soon." Percy muttered out, before he turned to look to his side, his sea green eyes twinkling in amusement as he saw a pair of stern hazel eyes glaring up at him from the ground.
"Mrphhhh!" His companion responded, Erza Knightwalker looking less than pleased as she struggled to free herself from the rope Percy had used to bind her arms and legs, her mood not helped by the gag Percy had also put on her restricting the flow of curses she had sent his way ever since she had woken up after her defeat at his hands.
Smiling at that, Percy then looked down at the girl. "If I remove your gag do you promise not to curse me out again, or spit at me?"
Erza paused as she heard that, her brow furrowing before she gave a stiff nod.
"Good." Percy replied pleasantly before he reached over and pulled the cloth out of her mouth. "So how are you feeling?"
"Like a Legion just sat on me." Erza Knightwalker grumbled, her gaze still harsh but her tone now resigned.
"You'll get over it." Percy replied pleasantly.
"Why?" Erza asked bluntly, her hard, brown eyes fixed on Percy.
"Well, people heal, you're feeling sore now, but that's just because you just lost a fight…" Percy replied a bemused smile now on his face.
"No, why am I still alive? You defeated me, but you didn't kill me?" Erza replied, her voice faltering for a moment as she spoke, a slight glimmer of confusion and fear leaking through for a split second before it was replaced by anger and irritation.
Percy tilted his head to the side curiously as he heard that, before deciding to give her a half truth. "I didn't kill you because I didn't see any point in doing so, you were beaten and were thus not a danger to me or my comrades, and I am many things, but I don't kill people for fun, or for the sake of it."
"So what now? Are you going to interrogate me?" Erza grunted out, shifting as she did so, so she was in a better position. The red head now kneeling on the floor opposite Percy. Her armour quite ruffled and cracked in a few places, whilst her body was also covered in grazes and darkening bruises. Despite that though she still looked as striking and beautiful as ever, which was somehow enhanced by the defiant look she sent Percy.
"Yes." Percy replied bluntly. "But first we eat, and I will interrogate you on our journey to the Capital. Just as soon as I find some good transportation."
"I won't tell you anything." Erza replied back abruptly. "It'll be certain death for me if I do."
"Possibly, but that is only if you go back to them." Percy said with a shrug, turning the meat over the fire as he did so.
Erza let out a bark of laughter at that. "What, is this the part where you try and convince me to switch sides?"
"Yes." Percy replied calmly, his lips quirking up in amusement.
Erza's expression became mocking now. "And why would you make an offer like that to me? You do know I've killed hundreds of people, including dozens of Fairy Tail mages. On top of that I also serve the King who kidnapped your comrades from Edolas and turned them into a lacrima. I am irredeemable, so why would you bother?"
Percy paused as he heard that, his sea green eyes shifting over to Erza and freezing her in place as she saw the intensity, power and fury they held. For her it was like looking into the depths of an ocean during a storm, a swirling, unpredictable maelstrom of barely contained wrath.
Meeting his gaze for just a moment Erza felt a sudden feeling of dread running through her, knowing as she did that this man could kill her at any time, and it was both terrifying and intoxicating. Despite that though she held firm, biting down on her emotions as she just glared back at him, her body tense and her jaw clenched shut.
For a few moments the two of them just stared at each other, before with a sigh Percy looked away. His gaze moving from Erza and over to the rest of their camp, looking at the makeshift canvas tent, and the two swords and a spear that were resting against a log a few feet away. With one of the swords being Backbiter, whilst the other was a magic sword he had taken off of that blonde haired buffoon, as for the last, that was Erza's spear.
"I am bothering Erza, because I have seen the person you could one day become like, the person you could have become like if things had been different. That is why I am giving you a chance, a chance to become better than you are now." Percy replied simply, his mind going back to the Erza he knew, the fiery and passionate woman who did things because they were right, and who would push aside her own fear and fight for other people, even if she didn't know them.
"Is that the Earthland version of me?" Erza asked curiously, her brown eyes softening for a moment as she saw the slight smile on Percy's face.
Percy looked over to Erza as he heard that, once again struck by just how similar this woman was to his Erza, and yet also how different. "Yes, Erza Scarlet. She's a woman very like you, someone powerful and passionate, someone who would go above and beyond to do what she deemed to be the right thing. Only unlike her, your moral compass is somewhat more skewed, after all I don't think you hunted mages down and kill them because you like it, or because you want to. Instead I think you do it because you think it is your duty to do so?"
Erza's breath caught as she heard that. "You don't know me!"
"No, not yet." Percy allowed. "But I will get to know you."
Erza let out another huff as she heard that, though this one held a faint trace of amusement in it. "You're impossible you know that."
"You have no idea." Percy replied with a smile.
( - )
(In the desert near the Capital City)
Wandering through a dry, desert like region of Edolas, a small group of people slowly headed in the vague direction of the Capital city, which they could even now see as a small smudge on the horizon, a smudge that never seemed to get any closer, despite the group having walked for hours now.
Leading the group was the leather clad Lucy Ashley, a grumpy expression on her face as she weathered the harsh wind that blew against them, her eyes narrowed against the wind as she fruitlessly searched for something, her gaze constantly scanning the horizon.
Following along behind her were Natsu, Gajeel, Wendy, Carla, Happy, and of course another Lucy, only this one was from Earthland, and was less than happy at the moment as she trudged along after the rest of them. The eagerness that had once suffused the group after they first left the Guild Hall now gone, blown away by the biting wind and the blazing sun.
"Hey, other me?" Lucy called over to Edo Lucy, catching the rest of the group's attention as she did so. "What are you looking for?"
"Our ride." Edo Lucy shouted back, her tone somewhat harsher than her Earthland counterparts. "He was supposed to be doing a delivery near the Capital, and should be coming back this way. Master Percy said he would get in contact with him, and send the idiot our way so we can get you all to the Capital faster."
"How will he know where the Guild is?" Wendy asked, her hair currently tied back in a ponytail to stop it from whipping around as she looked to Edo Lucy. A little bit disappointed that her alternate self hadn't come with them like she had volunteered to do before the jump, unfortunately though with everything that had happened she wasn't able to. Which was a shame as Wendy had been hoping to find out more about Edolas Percy, and the relationship her alternate self had with him. Her own feeling still being very confused over the revelation that Perseus could be her father.
"He has a navigation system in his ride, one which is linked to the Guild building, so he'll still be able to find it if it moves." Edo Lucy replied abruptly with a shrug. "One of the gadgets Percy tinkered around with."
"Isn't that kind of dangerous though? What if the Kingdom got their hands on it?" Earthland Lucy asked curiously.
Edo Lucy snorted at that. "He would destroy it before that happens. Natsu isn't stupid. Besides there are safeguards built in."
"Huh, that's weird, because the Earthland Natsu is…" Gajeel snorted, sending Natsu a mocking look as he did so.
"What did you just say bolt for brains?!" Natsu snapped, his ire rising as he glared over at the iron dragon slayer.
"Cut it out!" Edo Lucy snapped, turning on the two a furious look on her face now.
Both Gajeel and Natsu stopped their arguing as they saw that, though they still sent each other nasty looks, and occasionally cast mutinous looks at Edo Lucy's back, the girl having not made the best of impressions with her gruff and abrasive personality, a far cry from their Lucy's kinder and softer side, though they both could yell when they wanted to, the two dragon slayers had definitely noticed that.
"Ahh good, there he is." Edo Lucy muttered, her eyes narrowing as she saw a fast approaching dust cloud in the distance, one of her hands raised to shade her eyes from the sun.
"Really?" Wendy asked, narrowing her eyes as she stared out into the distance, her eyes locked on the approaching dust cloud as she did so. Her own curiosity rising as she wondered what Edolas Natsu would be like, after all Lucy's version was the complete opposite of her, whilst Wendy's version was older and more mature, as for Perseus's, well he was more of a thinker than a fighter, which was a contrast to the Ace of Fairy Tail who was infamous for his fighting skills.
"Yeah stand back though, he can be a complete manic when he's behind the wheel." Edo Lucy warned as the dust cloud quickly got closer, a loud roaring sound now being heard.
"What…?" Gajeel started to ask, his eyes narrowing, only to pause as he saw that the source of the dust cloud was a large, armoured car, one which was rapidly approaching the group, the sun glimmering off of it as it shot forwards, its engines making a roaring sound, comparable to that of a small dragon.
What followed next was a screech of wheels, and a spray of rock and sand as the armoured car screeched to a stop, its back end spinning out slightly and covering the already dusty travellers, with another layer of dust.
"A magic four-wheeler?" Natsu said, his skin already turning a pallid green colour as he looked at the large dusty car, his gaze roving over its massive spiked wheels, its mud spattered red paint, and the Fairy Tail symbol he could see painted on the door. "The Edolas version of me drives a magic four-wheeler…" Natsu trailed off, his skin still tinged a slight greenish colour as he already felt like he was going to be sick.
"I believe that's what they call irony." Carla spoke up from where she was standing just beside Wendy.
"God dammit Natsu, it took you long enough!" Edo Lucy snapped out, as she walked over and banged on the window of the car.
"Hey screw you too." A cocky voice replied as the door was swung open and the driver was revealed, the driver looking almost identical to Natsu, save for the fact he was wearing driving goggles and gloves, and was also wearing black jeans and a leather jacket. "I didn't have to come here you know? In fact I was tempted to just ditch you and not waste the fuel, but old man Percy insisted."
"Natsu?" Earthland Lucy said in disbelief, her jaw practically dropping now.
"That's... me?" Earthland Natsu added on, glancing at the Edolas version of himself weakly, before he almost hurled in his hands at the thought of being in that monstrosity.
"Ha! You look like just as bigger prick here!" Gajeel barked out, before he let loose a loud, grating laugh.
"I'd watch it if I were you punk, I mean you want to get to the Royal City, right? Then you better start behaving!" Edo Natsu replied menacingly, leaning forwards and glaring at Gajeel as he did so. "This beauty is after all much faster than any bulky old airship. Plus it's driven by me, the fastest man in Fairy Tail..." The teen then pushed up his goggles, the cocky grin back on his face. "Fireball Natsu, and that's me."
"Come on everyone get in." Edo Lucy said bluntly, as she threw herself into the front seat, before watching as Gajeel, Lucy and Wendy scrambled into the back seat, with Lucy being stuck in the middle with Wendy on her lap, all of them looking expectantly at Natsu.
"Come on Natsu." Lucy shouted, gesturing for her Natsu to get in. "If we want to help the rest of the Guild then we need to get to the Capital."
Natsu groaned at that, before without another word he forced his way into the car, sitting beside Lucy, an already uncomfortable expression on his face.
Happy and Carla then followed after that, both of them sitting in the back, perching on the green faced Natsu's lap, though the two of them were prepared to move the minute his motion sickness got the best of him and he began hurling.
"Huh, you two really do look identical." Edo Natsu grunted as he looked between his version of Lucy and the other one, before he glanced over to the alternate version of himself, an unimpressed look on his face. "And that's the other me? How sad."
"Our Natsu doesn't handle moving vehicles well." Wendy explained, sending Natsu a nervous look as she did, after all she didn't want the dragon slayer throwing up on her.
"And he's supposed to be me?" Edo Natsu laughed loudly, before he slammed on the accelerator, his vehicle roaring to life as literal fire erupted from the exhaust, even as the car sprang forward, sand and dust flying as it turned around and shot off in the direction of the Capital City. "In this world, I'm the transport magic specialist known as the Fireball, you know!"
"Ugh..." Natsu moaned, slumping over as he did so, his severe motion sickness already taking its toll.
( - )
(With Percy elsewhere in Edolas)
"I take it you don't have another one of those giant, flying lizard things hanging around do you?" Percy asked as he looked away from the nearby airship, and instead looked over to Erza.
"Not since you killed my personal one." Erza replied dryly, the red head looking marginally better than before after eating a good meal, plus she now no longer had her arms and legs bound by ropes, though neither did she have her weapon as it was still slung over Percy's shoulder. He had given her a bit of leeway when she told him about this place, but he wasn't quite willing to give her any sharp, pointy implements just yet.
"Talk about holding a grudge." Percy muttered as he looked away from her and instead looked back at the airship, his gaze roaming over the dozen or so armoured soldiers he could see around it, some of whom were organising the loading of the provisions, whilst others were just standing guard, magical spears and swords held in their hands, all of them embedded with a lacrima and capable of long ranged and short ranged magical attacks.
"It happened a day ago…" Erza shot back, in a flat tone.
"Exactly, it's in the past." Percy replied with an amused smile.
Erza rolled her eyes at that. "So what exactly are you planning?"
"I am planning on commandeering a ride, and then using said ride to get to the Capital City." Percy replied his eyes narrowed as he began to spread his senses through the moisture in the air, looking for any hidden enemies who might be lying in ambush before he made a move, fortunately he found none.
"Well that will be subtle won't it?" Erza said sarcastically. "You do that and you'll alert the Kingdom that you're coming."
"We that's part of the plan." Percy shot back, a smirk on his face.
"How is drawing the attention of the King and his armies going to help your captured friends?" Erza asked, now a little bit confused.
"I believe they call it a distraction…" Percy replied dryly.
Erza opened her mouth at that, only to pause. "There are more of you here from Earthland aren't there?"
"Yep." Percy replied popping the 'p' as he did so.
"And you think drawing away the King's armies and his attention will make their job easier?" Erza asked with a sigh.
"Now you're catching on." Percy cheerily replied.
"You're going to get both of us killed, you know that don't you?" Erza sighed again, already regretting the slight help she'd already given him when she directed him to this nearby platform. Though she also convinced herself that her help was more for her benefit than his.
"Hey, I have a plan." Percy replied back with a tone of mock offense.
"Well that just fills me with confidence…" Erza trailed off sarcastically.
"I'm glad." Percy replied, before without another word he leapt out from behind his cover and charged the soldiers, his right hand already whipping through the air lashing out with a long water whip which struck the first soldier and slapped him a dozen or so metres away.
Following on from that Percy then thrust his hand out and turned the water whip into a hail of ice shards, all of which bombarded the surprised soldiers, bringing down another two.
"Hyah!" Percy then grunted as he swung around and stamped his foot, the ground beneath him erupting as a twenty foot long fissure was created in the ground, from which exploded a whole forest of earthen spikes.
"You're a moron!" Erza Knightwalker shouted as she slammed into a nearby soldiers, braking the soldier's wrist with a single twist of her own, before she grabbed his spear and spun it around, the spear making a whooshing sound as it whipped through the air and struck a soldier in the head cracking his helmet and poleaxing the man.
"And you're helping me." Percy retorted with a grin, as he whipped his hands around and sent a tsunami of earth at some other soldiers, burying them beneath a tonne of rubble, before with another twist he whipped his hands through the air, gathering the moisture on the end of his fingers, before with a flick he froze the water and sent all five spikes at another soldier, piercing his armour in nonfatal spots and sending him to the ground in a slowly expanding pool of his own blood.
No, I'm helping me!" Erza retorted sharply, thrusting the spear forward and blasting one of the soldiers off of the airships ramps with a beam of magic. "I'll still be betraying you once we get to the Capital."
"So you say, but somehow I think you'll soon be on Team Perseus." Percy replied cheerfully, as created a sword of ice, fencing with two soldiers for a few moments, before he disarmed the pair of them with a flick of his wrist, and froze their heads in a cone of ice, only to then submerge them both underground.
"You wish!" Erza shouted, even as she hid the faintest of smiles, instead busying herself with batting away the few remaining soldiers who dared to approach her.
( - )
(On the Outskirts of the Capital City)
They had been driving for close to forty minutes now, and even Lucy was starting to feel a little ill as they the car rapidly bounced across the bumpy terrain. With that in mind the blonde looked around for something to distract herself with, unfortunately though the three dragon slayers she was travelling with didn't look quite up to it, as even Wendy and Gajeel had turned a little green as the car rattled about on its journey through the desert.
With that being said Lucy looked ahead, inspecting the vehicle as she did so, a curious look on her face as she compared it to the magic four wheelers she had seen in Earthland. "Hey, I've just noticed, your car, it doesn't seem to have an SE plug anywhere?" Lucy spoke up, leaning forward as she looked for the tell-tale wire Earthland's cars had, wires which when attached to a wizard, drew on their magic and used it to power the engines. "I guess this thing must run purely on magic then. I have to admit, that's far ahead of Earthland's technology."
"Not exactly." Edo Natsu replied, a slight frown on his face, before he brought the car to a screeching halt. "Since magic energy is limited here in Edolas, the amount of fuel that can be made from magic is also limited. It's not easy to get a hold of nowadays, either." Natsu then continued, sighing as he looked back at his passengers. "That's why this is as far as I'm taking you. Now get out."
Edo Lucy scowled at that, before she got out, the others following after her. Wendy, Gajeel and Natsu all looking very thankful to be back on solid ground.
"Sorry." Edo Natsu said as he looked to his Lucy. "Any further and I won't be able to get back to the Guild."
Lucy nodded in understanding at that, before she looked to the Earthland mages. "Come on you lot, get up!"
"Woohoo!" Natsu cheered in response, his nausea quickly fading.
"The other me has the right idea." Edo Natsu observed as he saw his alternate self cheering, before he looked over at the others, noticing the disgruntled expressions on Lucy, Gajeel and Wendy's face, as he did so, before he looked over to his Lucy, only to see her expression was firm and full of resolve.
"Going against the kingdom is reckless." Edo Natsu then warned, his brow furrowed. "We've only taken you this far because Master Percy asked it of us, plus Lucy was curious about you. But now we're done, and you're on your own. I don't want you involving my Guild in any more of your shit." He then continued as he looked away from them. "I don't want any trouble. I just want to continue driving around."
"Hey!" Natsu snapped, grabbing his counterpart and dragging him out of the car. "You get off too. As you are me in a way, I want to say something!"
"L-let me go!" Edo Natsu stuttered as he tried to break out of his Earthland counterpart's grasp.
"You..." Natsu gave a hard yank and pulled Edo Natsu out of his car and sent him sprawling onto the floor. "How are you able to handle vehicles so easily?"
In response to this however, Natsu and the others all watched in shock as Edo Natsu curled up into a ball on the ground and began trembling. "I-I'm sorry..." He mumbled, covering his face with his arms. "I don't know either."
"What?" Natsu replied looking confused, before he then looked over to Edo Lucy for an explanation as he did so, only to see the exasperated look on her face. "Are you really the other me we were talking to?"
"I... I get that a lot..." Edo-Natsu whimpered. "People say my personality changes when I get behind the wheel."
Gajeel let out a roar of laughter as he heard this, the obnoxious sound grating on everyone's ears as he pointed at Natsu in amusement. "This is the real Edo Natsu?"
Edo Natsu scooted back as he heard that, a nervous expression still on his face. "P-please don't use such a loud voice..." He begged. "I'm scared..."
Natsu froze in disbelief at this.
"I'm sorry..." Edo Natsu then continued, his voice still trembling. "But I'm only here because Master Percy asked me to do this..."
"It's ok." Wendy told him kindly, patting the now nervous man on the shoulder as she did so. "Don't push yourself too hard..."
"Wendy?" Edo Natsu replied, "You're so similar to your counterpart here."
"And you're nothing like yours!" Lucy exclaimed loudly, making the now nervous Edo Natsu flinch.
"Get back in the car and stop whining." Edo Lucy then snapped out, getting the rest of the group's attention as she did so.
"Ok, so what now?" Lucy asked the Edolas version of herself.
"Now? Now Natsu and I are heading back to our Guild. Life goes on after all, and we've got to do another supply run to liberate some magic from the Kingdom to fuel our weapons, the Guild and Natsu's car. You heard Master Percy didn't you, we only have enough juice for one more jump!" Lucy replied brusquely, ushering Natsu back into the car, before she climbed in the passenger seat.
"Wait, I though you said you would guide us to the Capital, or the Royal City, or whatever you call it?" Wendy asked.
Lucy frowned at that, before she gestured over their shoulders. "And I have, the Capital is right there."
All of them turned around as they heard that, before they looked down at the huge, round city spread out below them.
"This is the Royal City... it's huge." Lucy gasped out her eyes widening as she saw just how colossal the city was.
"Haha!" Natsu cackled. "You could have just told us we were here!"
"Uwaaah!" Edo Natsu flinched. "I'm sorry!"
"Stop being a baby!" Lucy snapped as she saw Natsu still hadn't gotten in the car.
"Come on this is where our Guild mates are being kept, and where Perseus said he'd meet us." Lucy spoke up. "We're going to need to sneak in and try and find where they're being kept."
"Uh, um... are you really going to fight the kingdom?" Edo Natsu shouted after them, as the group began to walk away from the car, throwing a few goodbyes and thankyous over their shoulders as they did so.
Natsu looked back. "Maybe, I dunno. We just want to save our friends. I guess... if they don't let them go, well, then I guess won't have a choice..."
Edo Natsu lowered his gaze. "T-there's no way you'll win... not against the Royal Army."
In response Natsu simply grinned.
( - )
AN: So things have gotten moving in this Arc and it won't be long until it reaches its climax as all the players move into position. Hope you all enjoyed the chapter and leave a review.
Can't say what next story I will update, though it will likely be either my Naruto story 'Dead Man Walking, my Harry Potter/Highschool DxD story 'Harry Potter: Gods and Angels', or it will be my Harry Potter/Percy Jackson story: 'Carpe Diem'.
Thanks for reading and I'll see you later.
Seagate.