Chapter 16
Reunion
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
"Magic"
Flashback / Dreams
Location / Date / Time Skip
"It's just as Fale proposed." Byro told the table of captains and the king. "He's proven that the power Earthland wizards possess comes from within their bodies."
"They're much like the Exceeds then?" Sugarboy asked.
"I would give them that much power if I were you." The troll said back.
"Wait, then does that mean even that Lucy girl is like that?" Coco asked. "She has magic inside of her too?"
"Indeed." Byro nodded.
"Then we should totally keep her alive." Hughes proposed.
"No, she must be terminated." The king said, catching everyone's attention. "The Exceed queen, Shagotte, has given us orders. Any argument against it is just a waste of time."
"The order came from the queen herself?" Coco asked, a little bit scared.
"Then its settled." Sugarboy said. "We cannot go against the Exceeds."
"Man, this blows." Hughes huffed out. "This is a giant waste."
"Our technology is lacking at the moment." Byro spoke up. "Even with Fale's help, we have not yet been able to preform a magic extraction in a human."
"So, what shall we do with the three dragon slayers?" Pantherlily asked.
"Those three are walking the line between human." Byro answered. "They're something of an anomaly. If Fale is successful with his experiments, we'll be able to extract an infinite amount of magic power."
"Now that's cool!" Hughes cheered.
"Really cool!" Coco added.
"Very well, have Fale start the process." Faust said. "And as an added precaution, begin extracting the magic energy from the lacrima immediately."
"Right away." Byto nodded as he, Coco, Hughes, and Sugarboy left.
"Man, it's a good thing Fale came over to our side." Hughes said. "Thanks to him, we're about to have unlimited magic power!"
"I know, he's awesome." Coco added.
Pantherlily sat alone at the table, sans the king. "Is something troubling you, Pantherlily?" He asked the catman.
"M'lord, if I might ask about this surge in our weaponry-" He started before Faust glared at him. "I understand... please excuse me." He stood up and left, leaving the king alone in the room.
Prison Cell
Lucy sat in her cell, staring at her hands as she mulled over everything she'd been told about the three cats. "It sounds ridiculous. Happy, Carla and Slate are called Exceeds. Exceeds are like angels in this world. They're above the humans in this world, and their queen is like a God. She has total control over everything, and her word is never questioned or challenged. She has final say over who lives and dies. How could anyone choice to live like this?"
"My, aren't you informed?" Lucy looked up at the door as it slowly opened to reveal Erza Knightwalker.
"Erza!? Is everyone else okay?" She asked the red head.
"Yes... they're all safe and sound." E. Erza answered.
"Thank goodness." Lucy sighed out.
"I'm impressed that you could be so calm right now. Do you understand the situation you're in?" The captain asked. "It's far from desirable."
"Yeah, I guess your right." Lucy agreed. "It's just, you sound exactly like the Erza that I know. I guess I just let my guard down."
"You mean my Earthland doppelgänger?" Knightwalker asked.
"In my world, you're one of the strongest, most loyal member of Fairy Tail." Lucy said.
"I'm what?" The red head asked back.
"You're powerful, cool and collected, and just a little bit scary." Lucy continued. "But every member of the guild trusts you with their life. You love cake and cute clothing, and it's surprising how girly you can be. One time, you-" Knightwalker reached down and started dragging Lucy by her hair.
"I've heard more than enough." She said. "I'm not the Erza you know, so sorry." She threw Lucy to the side of the wall and huffed in contentment.
"Please listen to me!" Lucy begged. "All I want to do is save my friends! I know you're not the same person, but I know that you have a heart! You can't just laugh at someone else's pain!"
"Be silent!" Knightwalker shouted before holding the blonde over the edge with her spear.
"Please... Erza." Lucy begged.
"I hope you've made you're peace in your world." Knightwalker mocked.
"You can't do this to someone who wasn't fighting back!" Lucy shouted. "My Erza is kind, and she would never do something like this!"
"I thought I made myself clear, I'm not the same as your Erza." Knightwalker said. "I enjoy watching other people write in agony. I've more than earned my title as 'The Fairy Hunter', because no one has killed more Fairy Tail wizards than me."
Lucy looked up at the red head on the verge of tears. "You can't say that... not with Erza's face."
"Then this is goodbye." Knightwalker shook the spear forward and knocked Lucy off it. As she fell to the ground, the blonde heard a voice call out to her.
"Lucy!" The blonde looked over as Happy and Carla flew over to her.
"Exceeds?" Knightwalker asked in shock.
"Everything's gonna be okay! We're gonna save you!" Happy shouted... before crashing into the wall and letting Carla save Lucy.
"Thanks a bunch." Lucy said before notincr the wings. "Wait, when'd you get your wings back?"
"Our wings were fine, but our hearts were weak." Carla explained.
"Where's Slate?" She asked as Happy flew over.
"He stayed behind so we could come here." Happy explained as they reached E. Erza.
"Why? The queen ordered me. This Earthlander was to be executed at once." Knightwalker said confused.
"The order has been recalled." Carla explained.
"Forgive me, but even though you are Exceeds you don't have the authority to do that." She said back. "With respect, I ask that you hand over the girl at once."
"Do you not know your place human?" Carla asked. "You are in the presence of royalty. I am the eldest daughter of queen Shagotte, but you may call princess Carla."
All three stared in shock before Knightwalker bowed. "Please forgive me, your grace." Lucy and Happy stared flabbergasted of the action shown.
"Where is Wen- er, the three Dragon Slayers?" Carla asked.
"In the basement of the west tower." E. Erza answered.
"I order you to release them at once." Carla declared.
"I don't have the authority to do that. I'm sorry." She said back.
"I won't except any excuses!" Carla shouted back.
"Erza! Those two are fallen Exceeds!" All four turned to see Pantherlily running towards them with half a dozen guards with him. "They've been banished from the kingdom of Extalia! The third is there causing havoc right now!"
"That doesn't sound very good." Lucy mumbled. "Please tell me you know who that is."
"I've never seen him before." Happy replied. "All I know is that he's the biggest cat I've ever seen."
"We need to move, now." Carla said as she floated away.
"Wait, aren't you some kinda princess?" Lucy asked as Happy followed Carla.
Pantherlily reached Knightwalker as she pounded the ground in anger. "Damn you..."
The castle alarms started blaring around as the soldiers started looking for the three. "Thanks for saving me." Lucy said to Carla and Happy.
"You're not mad at us?" Carla asked.
"Why would I be mad?" The blonde asked back.
"We're the ones who got you captured." Carla answered.
"Buuuuttt, you did come back and save me." Lucy pointed out. "Right, Happy?"
"I'm sorry, Lucy." Happy said.
"If you guys haven't come back to save me, it might be a different story." Lucy teased. "But I'm more surprised that Carla turned out to be a princess in this world."
"I didn't know that either." Happy added.
"That was just a bluff." Carla said, shocking the two. She glanced over to find Happy smiling at her. "Why are you looking st me like that, Happy?"
"I'm smiling because that's something you would do." He answered.
'She just called him Happy right now.' Lucy thought to herself with a smile. 'That's a first.'
"We need to focus on finding Natsu, Nicholas and Wendy." Carla said.
"Where are they?" Happy asked.
"Weren't you listening? She said they were in the basement of the West tower." Carla said before looking down at Lucy. "Why are you smiling, Lucy?"
"Oh, it's nothing." The blonde said before glancing forward. "Is that the west tower there?" They flew over to it before a flapping noice caught their attention. "What's that noise?"
"Guys!" The three looked behind them to find a mass of Exceeds chasing Slate. "I got a problem!"
"Give up, fallens! Escape is futile!" Nichiya shouted.
"That's a lot of cats." Lucy mumbled in fear.
"Slate, why did you lead them back here!?" Carla shouted.
"Do you think I did this in purpose!?" He asked back, reaching the others.
"We're too visible in the air! We need to get to the ground!" Carla shouted before flying downwards.
"I don't think that's a good idea. They're all over the ground too!" Happy shouted as the Royal army swarmed the courtyard.
"Hey, can you use your magic?" Slate asked the blonde.
"Not with this stuff on me." Lucy answered, showing off the gooey cuffs.
"What is the meaning of this?" Faust growled in anger as he looked out the window.
"The Extalian Royal guard have come in pursuit of the fallen." Coco answered. "What should we do?"
Faust stared at the flying army in a fiery anger. "Activate Code ETD at once!" He shouted.
Upon his orders, horns started blaring around as the flags were put away and swapped out with cannons.
"But Code ETD is still untested!" E. Erza shouted as the others looked around.
"This is the last line of defense in our aresenal, and we went right to it." Sugarboy mumbled.
"We need to get inside at once!" Carla shouted as the others followed her into the castle.
"Code ETD, fire!" One guard shouted as a bright light escaped the device. The beams hit the Exceed army and trapped them in a sphere.
"How dare you raise your hand against us, humans!" Nichiya shouted as his whole army screamed in pain.
"Why are they going after the Exceeds?" Carla asked.
"The heck is going on here?" Lucy asked in shock. "I thought people here worshiped the Exceeds. Is this a rebellion?"
"I don't know myself, but we can use this confusion to our advantage." Carla said. "It's our only chance to rescue Wendy and the others." She flew into the castle and the others followed her.
"The fallens have taken the prisoner!" E. Erza shouted before running after them. "Call for more defenses at the western tower."
Back in the sky, the ball of light began shrinking. "You'll pay with your lives, humans!" Nichiya shouted. "The queen will see to it!" In a poof of smoke, the whole Exceed army was transformed into a giant cat shaped lacrima that crashed into the ground.
The whole army was in a panic at their own feat, fearing what would happen next. "There are no gods in this or any world!" Faust shouted, catching everyone's attention. "For too long we humans have suffered with the scraps of magic while the Exceeds flaunt their limitless power, hoarding it to themselves. It's time for us to grab what was always in front of us, to claim our rightful prize! The era of humans begging is at an end, and we must fight for the future of humanity!
"We shall build a kingdom based on the principle of limitless magical power of all. We will rise up and take what is ours! As of this moment, I am initiating Code ETD; Exceed Total Destruction! These false angels shall met their extermination at our hands!" The whole crowd burst into cheers at the plan the king proposed.
"Things just took a very interesting turn." Hughes said.
"It was bound to happen one day." Sugarboy added.
Pantherlily wasn't as excited by the idea. "So this why they had Fale create all those weapons." He growled out.
"Once we take the power of the Exceeds, our kingdom will have enough power to last generations." Faust said in joy.
"But your majesty. The queen could launch a counter attack." Coco, who was looking over the railings, pointed out. "And they have such a strong army. I don't know if we'll be able able to fight them off."
"That is why we have the Dragon Slayers." He said back. "With their power, the Exceeds will be helpless against us. But we must act at once if we wish to win. Byro, Fale, extract the Dragon Slayer magic at once..
Extration Chamber
"This might sting a little... just kidding. It burns like fire!" Fale joked as he held up the extraction device to an unconscious Natsu, Wendy, and Nicholas. "We thank you for your contributions to science and our kingdom."
Castle Stairway
"The situation just keeps getting more and more dire." Slate said as they ran down the hall.
"Who knew Edolas was so close to war with the Exceeds?" Lucy asked aloud.
"It doesn't matter to us." Carla said. "We don't have a stake with either side. They can wipe each other out for all I care."
They kept running down the halls before a four pronged spear cut them off. "You'll go no farther." Knightwalker said.
"Seriously? Don't you have more important things to do?" Lucy asked, annoyed.
E. Erza chuckled before her spear glowed and let out a wave of magic that knocked the four of them backwards. "Impressive." Knightwalker said as she pulled her spear out of the ground. "You just took a direct hit from my magic and you're still alive. I can rectify that."
She walked over to Lucy, who was still in pain from the attack. "You see, my orders said nothing about taking you alive. So that means there's only one option left." She raised her spear and it sparked again, but before she could take Lucy's head, Slate tackled her to the side and the spear hit the ground, creating an explosion that sent the four of them falling to the ground.
'So, this is what it's like to give your life for someone else...' Slate thought as he fell to the ground. '...It feels nice... probably should have done it more.' His mind flashed with images of him turning people in, stalking his targets, catching them, and getting paid. 'I just realized, I never had any real friends...' An image of Nicholas flashed in his head. 'Maybe I did, and I just never noticed...'
Carla grabbed Lucy and Happy grabbed Slate before both flew away from the impending ground.
Extraction Chamber
"Eat up, me." Fake said as he stuffed chunks of rock into Nicholas' mouth before forcing him to swallow. Next to him, Byro was siphoning magic out of Wendy and Natsu, making them scream in pain. "He's ready." Byro turned to the Earthlander and started siphoning him as well, making Nicholas scream as well.
"I must admit, I'm fascinated with his digestion system." Byro said.
"It's a mystery alright." Fale nodded. "A shame I won't get to study it. But at least we get magic power out of it."
"Wendy..." Natsu groaned out. "Stay strong. No matter what they do to us, you can't let them win. Don't you dare give up hope, understand?"
Wendy gave a weak nod back. "I'm sure everyone is on their way to save us." She glanced over to Nicholas who tried giving a small nod.
Fale let out a small chuckle. "Such a shame that none of are willing to face reality. Is this bull headedness another Dragon Slayer trait?" Byro shifted back to Natsu, who screamed in pain.
"Listen to me, Natsu!" Nicholas shouted. "Stay strong! You can't let them break you!"
"Oh, shut up." Fale said before shoving more rocks into his clones mouth.
Storage Room
Lucy held Slate in her lap as outside guards were looking for them. "As we are now, we're trapped here like rats." Carla mumbled.
"I'm sure that wherever Natsu and the others are, they have a ton of soldiers waiting for us." Lucy added.
"We came so close... Wendy. I'm sorry." Carla wept.
"It's not over yet." Happy said back. "We owe it to Natsu and the rest to keep fighting until our last breath. That's what he would do for us. We have to keep trying or we don't deserve to survive."
"...Well said." They all looked to Slate as he weakly stood back up. He glanced over to a stack of flour bags before walking over and grabbed one. "Now, let me show you a trick I learned."
Outside, guards were standing watch in the hallway before an explosion rocked the hallway. "What was that?!" One shouted before an alarm went off. "Fire! Quick, all hands are needed!" The whole hallway ran toward the direction of the blast, leaving their post.
"It actually worked." Carla mumbled impressed. "Let's go."
Lucy nodded and followed her before staring down a corridor. "I just hope those two are okay." She mumbled before racing forward. Seconds later, she and Carla were knocked back by Knightwalker's spear.
"I'll admit, an explosion was unexpected. But the tactic was still predictable." She said walking forward. "Do you seriously take us for ametures?"
A scream caught Carla's attention. "That's Wendy!" She shouted, knowing the voice all too well.
Next to scream was Natsu, followed by Nicholas. "What are you doing to them?" Lucy asked.
"In order for us to successfully utilize Code ETD, we need to obtain the magic power required to do so." E. Erza explained with a sick grin. "That's what Fale is doing right now."
Wendy screamed in pain again, making Carla start to cry. "Please... you'll kill them!"
"We found the other two." A guard said as he tossed Slate and Happy to the ground.
More screams dominated the hall as E. Erza walked forward. "And just like that, your lucky streak has run out."
"Please, let Wendy go!" Carla begged, only for Knightwalker to raise her spear at the cat. She glanced out of the corner of her eye to find Happy and Slate walking over, the latter brandishing a knife.
"You want her..." Slate panted. "You'll have... to go through us..."
"I won't let you hurt Carla..." Happy added. "You'll have to kill me first..."
E. Erza smirked at the idea. "As you wish." She raised her spear and was about to strike when behind her the wall exploded from a blast of ice. "What's going on?"
The Fairy Tail members stared in shock as three figures walked through the mist. "You've got some nerve, lady." A male voice said. "You know they're with us, and you picked a fight with them anyway."
"Any and all who would harm our guildmates will be dealt with accordingly." A stern female voice spoke up.
"How? I thought you were gone!?" Carla asked in shock.
"You just pissed off the wrong guild, and now you're gonna pay for it." A second female voice said. "You should have known better than to do this."
Knightwalker looked on as the mist cleared, revealing Erza Scarlet, Gray Fullbuster, and Brianna Greenhawk. The captain stared in shock as the guards started commenting on their similarity. "Erza... Gray... Brianna..." Lucy mumbled with tears.
"Why are Gray Surge and Brianna Stone here?" One soldier asked.
"No, they're from Earthland." Another pointed out.
"You guys better start talking..." Brianna growled as she turned into her Glaistig form before raising her hoof.. "Where the hell are all of our friends!?" She slammed her foot down and vines burst out of the ground, sending the basic soldiers into the ceiling.
Knightwalker jumped into the air and charged the girl, bringing her spear down. Erza stepped in front and blocked the spear, creating a massive shockwave as they glared at each other. "Erza against Erza..." Lucy mumbled in fear.
A scream from down the hall caught everyone's attention. "That's Wendy!" Carla shouted.
"Is she nearly?" Gray asked.
"Probably down the hall." Carla answered.
"Nicholas and Natsu should be with her!" Slate added.
"Who are you?" Brianna asked, returning to normal.
"You two go on, I'll handle this." Erza said, punching against the spear.
"Right." Gray nodded before racing over and freezing the goop off Lucy's wrists. "You think you can stand?"
"Yeah." She nodded, standing up. "How the heck did you guys get here?"
"We'll explain everything later." Brianna said running forward. "Let's go." The others nodded and followed her as she turned to Slate. "You first."
Knightwalker and Scarlett's weapons pushed against each other before both pushed each other back. "Never would have thought I'd be stopped by myself." Knightwalker said.
"It's a strange feeling, isn't it?" Erza asked back.
"I'm the captain of the Kingdom of Edolas' Second magic warfare unit, Erza Knightwalker." She introduced herself.
"I am a wizard of Earthland's Fairy Tail, Erza Scarlet." Erza said back.
"Well, it's a pleasure to meet you, Earthland me." Knightwalker said, raising her spear as it changed shape. "Now, let's see what you can do! Silfarion!" She started glowing and launched forward, delivering rapid fire strikes at blinding speeds.
"She's faster now..." Erza mumbled as Knightwalker raced around her. "Well then, Requip: Flight Armor!" She donned herself in her fastest armor and matched the captains speed.
"She changed her armor, and now she's faster?" E. Erza asked confused. Erza swung her sword and Knightwalker jumped over it as her spear changed again, this one with green crystal guard. "Mel Force!" She launched a blast of wind at Erza and it sent her crashing through a wall. Knightwalker jumped after her as her spear turned red and started glowing.
"She can requip?" Erza asked in shock. "No, she's just changing her weapons form."
"Explosion!" E. Erza slammed the spear down, creating another blast that sent Erza into another chamber. The dust settled and showed Erza in her Flame Empress Armor. "Her armor changed again..." She mumbled before figuring it out. "So your magic power let's you change both your weapons and armor, is that it?"
"Seems unfair, doesn't it?" Erza asked as her counterpart jumped down to the bridge. "All you can do is change your weapon."
"It might see, that way to you, but my strength is increased by the form my spear takes." Knightwalker bragged.
"The basics are different, but it's effectively the same as The Knight: Requip I use." Erza said back.
Knightwalker shifted her feet and held her spear above her head. "Let me give you a taste of my spear: The Ten Commandments."
"Bring it!" Erza said, holding her sword in a fighting stance. Both then launched forward and locked their weapons, creating a shockwave that sliced a stone statues head off.
With The Others
"Wait, you mean the giant lacrima in the center of two?" Lucy asked Gray as they ran down the hall.
"That's the one." Brianna nodded. "Turns out, the three of us were trapped inside it."
"Seriously?" Lucy asked.
"But how were you guys able to turn back to normal?" Happy asked, making Gray and Brianna stop.
"It's thanks to Gajeel." Gray answered.
"Gajeel?" Happy and Lucy asked at the same time.
2 Hours Ago
Gajeel jumped into the air, turned his arm into its sword form and struck the lacrima. "Just try and stop me!" He hit it again and the crystal glowed before it exploding into a bright light. The crowd stared in shock as he landed, looking right into the light. "What the?" The crystal shrank and the glow died down, revealing Brianna, Erza and Gray rising to their knees. "You're kidding me. It was just you three!?"
The crowd of guards watched in mild horror of what they were actually guarding. "Look alive! You're free now!" Gajeel shouted as the three rose to their feet. The glow around them died as they slowly opened their eyes. "Was worried they might have fried your brains."
"Gajeel?" Erza asked confused as Gray and Brianna looked around.
"What's going on?"/"Where are we?" They asked at the same time.
"We'll talk later." Gajeel said. "Right now, we gotta move."
The guards snapped back to reality and charged them, making Gray bring his hands together. "...My magic isn't working!" He shouted.
Brianna tried focusing, but her body remained the same. "I can't change, either! My souls are working."
"What!?" Erza asked in shock.
"I said I'll explain everything." Gajeel said, chomping down on some metal before turning around to the guards. "Iron Dragon Roar!" He blasted them with his breath attack, creating an opening for them all to escape.
Minutes later, the four hid behind a building as the guards raced past it. "Let's start with an easy question; why can you use magic?" Brianna asked.
Gajeel reached into his pocket and pulled out a vail filled with red balls. "I'll tell you after you take one of these."
"What is it?" Gray asked.
"Enough with these games. Just tell us what's happened." Erza demanded.
"The three of you had been turned into a giant lacrima." All looked to find E. Gajeel walking forward, his hat covering his face.
"Told ya, it'd be easy." Gajeel said.
"I'd expect no less from Earthland me." The reporter said back, flicking his hat up. "I knew you,were the right man for the job."
"The hell!?" Brianna asked.
"This is crazy!" Gray shouted.
"There's two Gajeel's?" Erza asked.
"We might look alike, but we're actually quite different." E. Gajeel said as his counterpart wrapped his arm around him. "Edolas Gajeel, at your service."
"This guys been a big help. Crazy how much we look like each other, right?" Gajeel added. "Like twins."
"Can we go back to the part about being turned into a giant lacrima!?" Brianna asked, prompting both Gajeel's to explain everything.
"I know it sounds crazy, but all the Earthland wizards were turned into a lacrima." E. Gajeel spoke. "The king wants to get his hands on your magic power. The one in the squat was so big, we thought it was everyone."
"Obviously, we were wrong." Gajeel mumbled. "All we got was the three of youse. Now we gotta find one even bigger."
"So many question, but I think I know where to start." Gray said. "What's that you're forcing on us?"
"These pills are called 'X-Balls'." Gajeel explained, holding up the vial. "You can use your magic here unless you take one of these. I mean, that's what I heard." He opened the vial and gave one to each of them.
"And who told you this?" Erza asked.
"Big bulky guy in rags. Called himself Mystogan." Gajeel answered.
Present
"That's right, I forgot you had another Dragon Slayer." Slate said. "So it makes sense the Anima wouldn't work on him either."
"So all the Dragon Slayers were left in Earthland?" Lucy asked.
"'Ccording to Gajeel, Mystogan told him to come here." Gray explained.
"Why wouldn't he just come here himself?" The blonde asked.
"Because apparently, Dragon Slayer magic can do all sorts of crazy things in this world." Brianna answered. "Case in point, it turning us back to normal after our lacrimacation."
"Seriously..." Carla mumbled in shock.
"Carla and I saw that giant lacrima earlier." Happy said. "I know exactly where it is."
"You think you can get close to it?" Gray asked, earning a nod. "Then we can call off Gajeel. He's tearing up the town looking for it. You sure you can lead him straight to it?"
"As long as you're sure he can change everyone back." Happy said.
"He's our only hope." Gray replied. "The others have the power to do it, but I don't think they know how."
"Don't worry." Happy jumped into the air and activated his wings. "Gajeel and I will handle it. We'll get everyone back right now." He took off out the nearest window.
"You sure he'll gonna be okay without a weapon?" Slate asked.
"...He'll be fine." Carla said.
"We need to move." Brianna spoke up. "We need to find Nicholas and the others." The others nodded before racing down the hall. At the end of it was large metal door. "Let's see what's behind..." Her body glowed as she entered her Minotaur form. "Door number one!" She slammed her shoulder into it and broke the door down.
The rest entered behind her to find the Slayers lying on the ground. "Natsu!/Wendy/Nicholas!" Lucy, Carla and Brianna shouted as they raced over and Brianna returned to normal.
"Come on, talk to me!" Gray begged Wendy.
"Wendy..." Carla mumbled on the verge of tears.
"Come on, wake up!" Slate shouted right in Nicholas ears.
"I'm here now!" Brianna shouted.
"Natsu, stay with us." Lucy begged.
"They're out cold, we can't wake them up." Gray said.
"I'm sorry, Wendy..." Carla wept on the girl.
"Don't leave me..." Brianna mumbled, on the verge of tears.
"This is no time to be sleeping around, pyro-breath!" Gray shouted, shaking Natsu.
"Are you trying to cause brain damage?" Lucy asked.
"Maybe we should feed them an X-Ball!" Brianna suggested. "That might snap them back to normal."
"It's worth a shot." Gray said before pulling out the vial. "Open up, ya loser..
"What are those?" Lucy asked.
"Magic pills Gajeel told us to take." Gray explained. "Didn't Mystogan give you one when you ran into him?"
Lucy let out a small gasp. "So that's what that was."
"Good thing you took one, other wise you couldn't have use magic here without it." Gray said before pouring one down Natsu throat.
The effect was instant as Natsu started coughing. "Now give me one for him!" Brianna shouted, reaching for the vial.
"No, Wendy first!" Carla shouted, jumping up to grab it.
The coughing stopped as Natsu took a deep breath. "You feeling better?" Lucy asked. Her answer came in the form of a flaming fist to the ground.
"I have to stop them..." He groaned out.
"Stop them?" Lucy asked confused. Natsu let out a flaming roar before charging out the room. "Natsu!?"
"Get back here, ash for brains!" Gray shouted.
Wendy started cough, catching everyone's attention. "Wendy!" Carla cheered as Brianna grabbed the bottle from her.
"Carla..." Wendy groaned as she opened her eyes. "It's horrible... The others are in trouble. The king... is planing on destroying Extalia... by crashing the giant lacrima into it!" Everyone sans the unconscious Nicholas let out a shocked gasp. "Everyone in Fairy Tail is in danger because the king is gonna use them as a magic bomb!"
Throne Room
Byro walked forward, a wicked smile on his face. "Apologies for the delay, milord. But the extraction has been completed."
"I'm glad to hear that, Byro." Faust said.
"The Dragon Slayers magic exceeded even Fale's calculations." Byro confessed. "With this power, weaponizing it would prove to be a simple task."
"At long last, the moment I've been waiting for." Faust said with a grin. "On impact, the magic of the lacrima and the Exceeds will fuse together. And everlasting magic power will rain down from the sky!"
Extraction Chamber
"I don't know if you've noticed, but Edolas has islands floating in the sky." Lucy spoke up. "Apparently, it's Extalia's magic power that keeps them afloat. What's more, the book I read said it's what maintains the magical balance of the world."
"And you think our friends might be stuck on one of those islands?" Gray asked.
"Yes, on one very close to Extalia." Carla explained. "Both Extalia and the lacrima containing our friends are floating in sky directly above us."
"The royal army is planning on hitting that floating island with Dragon Slayer Magic." Wendy continued. "They want to force it into directly into Extalia."
"What happens after that?" Brianna asked concerned.
"They say that when their powers collide, it'll create a gigantic explosion and their magic will fuse together." Wendy said, on the verge of tears. "Then magic power will rain down on the kingdom forever."
"But if that happens, everyone in the guild will be lost forever." Lucy said in fear.
Footsteps caught everyone's attention as they looked to the door. "Hear that?" Gray asked.
"Guards?" Lucy asked in a panic as Brianna held Nicholas protectively. All stared at the door, ready to fight... Natsu?
"Did you see that!? There's two Erza's!?" He shouted in a panic. "As if one wasn't bad enough? Is the world coming to an end!?" He looked over and finally noticed Gray. "Are you my Gray, or the weird Gray!?"
"Cool it, or you're getting a left hook to the jaw, pyro." Gray said back.
"That answer your question?" Lucy asked. "It's obvious he's Earthland Gray and Brianna."
"She's here too?!" He asked in shock.
"I'm right here." Brianna pointed out. "Long story short, stuff happened, now we're here. Same with Erza and Gajeel."
"Happy is taking him to stop the lacrima." Lucy added."
"Wait, you're real Gray?" Wendy asked in shock. "Why didn't you say so?"
"You mean you just now noticed?" Carla asked, earning a nod. "And what about Brianna?"
Wendy looked over at the two toned haired girl. "Yeah, she's ours." That simple answer crushed Gray even more.
"I get it... it's because it's so dark down here. Not because I'm some loser whose practically invisible." He mumbled, on the verge of tears.
"Wait, does that mean you're the one who saved us?" Natsu asked before turning to the side. "Lucy, you're safe too?"
"I'm starting to think almost all Dragon Slayers are clueless." Lucy deadpanned.
"I'm sorry I offended you, Gray!" Wendy shouted before bowing. "Thank you so much for saving us." She turned and looked down at Carla, whose face hadn't changed since the start of the conversation. "I didn't forget about you, Carla. Thanks for saving me again." She hugged the cat, but the felines face didn't change.
"Dude, put a shirt on in front of the kid." Natsu told Gray.
Gray looked down in shock. "When did this happen!?"
"Did he seriously forget he showed up like that?" Slate asked.
"...Quite..." All looked over as Nicholas' eyes started to open. "I'm trying to get some sleep." The eyes fully opened and he looked around.
"Good to see you're moving, rocky." Natsu joked.
"Lucy, Gray, what's going-" He started to ask but stopped when Brianna wrapped her arms around him. "What the-? Brianna, how'd you get here?"
"Did he miss the whole conversation?" Slate asked, making Natsu shrug his shoulders.
"You're okay..." Brianna mumbled before looking up at him with tears in her eyes. "You're okay. I've never been so happy!" She leaned in and kissed him on the cheek.
Everyone stared at the sight and Nicholas was flabbergasted. "I-uh-wh-"
"How touching..." Everyone looked back to the door to find Fale walking over, maquahtuil in hand. "Reunited with an old friend just in time to die."
"What are you talking about?" Lucy asked.
"See, if the people of Edolas knew what I do here, they'd demand my head." Fale teased. "So none of my exprement subjects live to tell the tale." He gripped the handle of his swordclub in both hands. "Which means none of you are getting out of here alive."
Nicholas glared at his counter part before sinking into the ground. "Earth Dragon Quake!" Seconds later, he shot up and hit Fale in the jaw before pulling his fist back. "Earth Dragon Diamond Fist!" His fist made contact with Fale's club when raised it to block, but the impact still sent him down the hall. "Get back here!" He shouted, running after himself.
"We have to help him!" Brianna shouted before running after Nicholas.
"Wait up!" Slate shouted before following her.
"So... I guess we should find the king." Lucy suggested.
"Makes sense to me." Gray said, throwing on a jacket he found.
"Let's get going!" Natsu said as Lucy and Gray ran ahead of him. "Wait! Don't go that way!" He shouted, making them stop. "That's where the monsters are fighting! This way!" He pointed in the opposite direction.
"We can't just leave Erza alone." Lucy said back.
"You wanna step in the middle of that?" Gray asked.
"Good point." Lucy nodded before they ran the other way, leaving Wendy and Carla alone.
"Carla, I think the two of us need to go to Extalia." Wendy said, out of the blue.
"That's foolish!" Carla said back.
"We have to warn them about the Royal army's plan and help them evacuate." Wendy said, turning around.
"I thought we were going to stop the attack?" Carla asked.
"We can't just let the king do what ever he wants!" The girl shouted back. "Natsu and the others will stop him, but what if the kingdom has other weapons we don't know about? This is the only chance we have to warn them! They have the right to know what's going on!"
"No, I won't go back!" Carla protested. "I couldn't care about what happens to those horrid creatures."
Wendy knelt down and looked Carla in the eyes. "This has nothing to do with being Exceeds or human. If there's omethign we can do to save another life, then we have to do it." Carla thought back to Lucky and Marl, the only two Exceeds that were kind to her. "I promise I'll be right by you're side. Don't be afraid."
Wendy gave a smile and Carla could only nod. "Okay."
Street Level
Happy flew as fast as he could until he saw a mob of soldiers surrounding Gajeel. "Gajeel!"
The pierced man punched a soldier before turning to the cat. "Good to see ya, cat."
"I know where the lacrima everyone was turned into is, so I'm gonna take you there." Happy explained before picking Gajeel up.
"Wait a second!" Gajeel protested.
"Did you have to do anything special to change the other three back to normal?" Happy asked.
Gajeel smiled at the question. "Just smash it with Dragon Slayer magic."
The simplicity of the answer shocked Happy. "How'd you know that would work?"
"I just did what Mystogan told me to do." He answered back. "Gotta problem with that?"
"So is Mystogan in Edolas somewhere?" Happy asked.
"What are you asking me for?" Gajeel asked back as they reached the island. Gajeel was taken aback by the sheer size of the crystal. "Man, its huge."
"It's even bigger than I imagined." Happy added.
"Couse it is, what a high maintenance guild." Gajeel complained before his stomach growled. "I'd better be able to eat a truckload of iron after this."
"You can have as much as you want." Happy agreed. Before Gajeel could strike, a massive blade struck the island, sending both crashing away.
The dust settled to show Pantherlily floating in the air, holding a massive sword. "That cats got a giant sword!" Gajeel shouted.
"Not you again." Happy complained.
White wings shot out of the cape, shocking both on the ground. "The Royal Army's first magical warfare unit captain. Pantherlily." The giant cat introduced himself. "My current operation is dependent on this lacrima. Make one wrong move, and you're dead!"
"This guys an Exceed too?" Happy asked in shock.
"Get behind me." Gajeel ordered before throwing his arm forward. "Iron Dragon Sword!" His arm turned into a blade and launched towards the cat.
Pantherlilly moved out of the and held his sword high. "Bustermarm!" The blade glowed before the length increased a great deal. The vision on his helmet flipped down as he swung the blade at the confused Gajeel. He barely moved out of the way as the cat sliced off a giant chunk of the island.
"Is that giant sword really necessary?" Happy asked before hitting the lacrima back first.
Gajeel looked up at Pantherlily as the dust settled around him. "He's strong."
"Do you truly believe you can defeat me?" The captain asked as he and Gajeel shared looks.
Castle
"Where is this king hiding!?" Natsu shouted as he, Gray, and Lucy ran down the hall.
"Well, he's a king, so he's probably in some high and mighty place." Gray said back.
Natsu grabbed Gray and slammed his head into his rivals. "I was asking for specifics, frosty!"
"How the hell should I know?" Gray asked back. "I've never been inside this castle, so cut me some slack."
"Cut it out, guys." Lucy said, but to no avail. "I don't get the layout of this place. The cells are high and the courtyard is complex. I've heard of concentric castles, but this isn't like that. It's just so different from anything in Earthland, we don't have a clue as to where he is."
"What are you talking about, Lucy?" Natsu asked, pulling himself away from Gray.
"Is this castle's layout really so weird?" Gray asked.
"Yeah, it is." Lucy nodded. "It's so crazy, I wouldn't be surprised if we found an amusement park in here." The group kept running until Lucy caught up to Gray and Natsu, staring in shock. "What's the big deal?" She reached them and joined their shocked looks. There before them was a giant amusement park, complete with rides and colorful signs. "I was just kidding!"
"Is the king actually sane?" Natsu asked before grinning like a mad man.
"Judging by your face, I think you two would get along great." Gray said. The three walked forward through the gate and the carousel turned on.
As the ride spun around, Sugarboy appeared on one of the horses. "I love carousels." The three looked at him in shock, almost missing the giant ship coming up from behind. They jumped out of the way as the ship rocked back.
"Who'da thought that unlimited magic power would be so much fun?" Hughes asked from the edge of the ship. "It's sucks to know that we're running out." The Fairy Tail wizards stood back up and glared at the two captains. "Just the thought of it pisses me off."
"Our kingdom is going to achieve a limitless supply of magic, and we'll do whatever it takes to make it happen." Sugarboy added.
"We're desperate." Hughes added. "So if anyone stands in our way, we gotta crush'em!"
Little bit of background on Slate, and Brianna seems to be getting closer to Nicholas. And just because it's one of my favorite openings, you guys get this.
Opening - The Rock City Boy
The camera pans down to show Natsu, Wendy, Erza, Lucy, Brianna, Gajeel, Nicholas and Gray sitting/standing with Slate, Carla, and Happy before them. The three cats get a character shot, followed by Gray and Gajeel, Erza Lucy and Wendy, Nicholas and Brianna, and then Natsu. The camera shifts to the royal city as it pans up. The Fairy Tail logo flashes on to the screen the camera stops at the lacrima floating above the city before the screen turns white.
Natsu is then shown punching a monster in suit before Hughes waves a wand and more monsters jump up. The scene then shows Gray and Sugarboy battling over a key trapped in ice. Byro is then shown chasing Coco, holding said key. The camera then shows Lucy gripping a sparking whip, with Coco and Virgo watching.
Both Erzas are then shown clashing with their blades before another character shot of their faces. Nicholas then catches a maquahtuil against his side as Fale looks down at him. Gajeel then blocks a massive sword with his arms before he and Pantherlily glare at each other. Faust is then shown glowing in a purple aura before a massive silhouette of a beast is shown with rocks floating in the air. Before him, the Dragon Slayers ready for a fight.
A long screen shot is shown of the Edolas Fairy Tail members, followed by a white Exceed in robes looking at Carla as Happy looks confused. Mystogan, with out his mask, shown hoisting his staff into the air as the people of Edolas did the same. Natsu's face is shown against a bright background, followed by Nicholas', then Gray's and finally Gajeel's.
Happy and Carla are shown falling though the sky before their wings shot out of their backs and they share a glance. A mirade of shots are shown before the Dragon Slayers take up the screen. The camera pulls back to show everyone else, before pulling back one more time.
Don't expect me to do that with every theme, just the one so REALLY like.
I can't get a hold of James or Chistopher, so I had to Beta myself. Forgive any and all errors.