(AHA! The awful puns just keep on coming!)

Hey guys, I'm finally back with another chapter for this story! I'm so sorry that this chapter took so very long to get out, but I was very extremely busy with college, especially this last semester in particular. I also won't lie to you guys either, a lot of my free time recently has been eaten up by Red Dead Redemption 2, Fallout 76, Let's Go Pikachu, and BFV. I was also quite sick over winter break and didn't really have the energy to do any writing. But now I'm finally back to get this new chapter out! This chapter will pick up where the previous one left off and will have Natsu and the others racing to get Wendy back so that they can save Erza's life. Also thank you all so much for getting this story to over 3,000 followers! That's completely insane!

**(PLEASE READ THE A/Ns, THEY'RE IMPORTANT!)**

P.S. I recently started a Batman story, and I would love for you all to check it out and give me your feedback! It features a BatmanxHarley QuinnxThird Mystery Girl (the mystery girl is revealed at the end of the first chapter) romance and will be set in the Batman Arkham video game universe, and it takes place after the events of the Harley Quinn's Revenge DLC. The story will show Harley's transformation into a hero and will eventually lead to the events of Arkham Knight. So again, please check out the story and let me know what you think, it's called It's Still Possible to Turn Your Life Around.

P.P.S I just recently saw Spider-man Into the Spider-verse, and I have to say it might possibly be my new favorite superhero movie, definitely my favorite Spider-man movie, and quite possibly my favorite animated movie of all time. I'm not joking when I say this movie is Amazing! Spectacular! Superior! Ultimate! Or any other adjective used to describe Spider-man! Everything about this movie simply oozed style and creativity, from the abso-fucking-lutely jaw-dropping animation, the soundtrack, and the story and characters. This film was simply stellar and I can't sing its praises enough, it absolutely deserves all the glowing reviews it's been receiving. I know that Sony is already working on two possible sequels, one a more direct sequel, and one that is supposedly a spin-off centered around the female versions of Spider-man. All I can say is that if both those movies even have a damn ounce of the passion and creativity that went into this film they will both be fucking fantastic as well, and I cannot wait to see them in theaters when they eventually come out. If you listen to anything I say, GO SEE THIS MOVIE! If you love Spider-man, superheroes, comics, animation, or even just good movies in general, do yourself a favor and support this movie! Hollywood needs to see that movies like this are worth wild and that people want to see creative and amazing animated movies. If we're lucky Into the Spider-verse will open the door for more big budget animated comic book movies in the future. Also stick around for the end credits scene, because it's great and definitely opens the door for plenty of Spider-verse sequels, plus it's the first non-cringe worthy meme I've ever seen incorporated in a movie.

P.P.P.S Into the Spider-verse got me so pumped that I even started writing my own little Spider-man fanfiction. It will be similar to my Batman story, nothing too long or serious. Our favorite Wallcrawler will definitely have a harem full of beautiful ladies from the Marvel universe, mainly from the various Spider-man series though. The story is called Spider-man: Love Across Dimensions, and I would love it if you all checked it out and gave me your thoughts.

Well, that's all I wanted to say, so let's get to the fic!

"Speech"

"Thoughts"

Magic

"Telepathy"

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.

(Oración Seis' Hideout: Unknown Location)

"This village was once the capital of an ancient civilization...the villagers worshipped their gods within these caves...legends say a priestess would enter this cave to receive word from the gods..." Brain explained, gesturing to various paintings etched onto the cave's walls, before roughly throwing Wendy and Happy against a decrepit altar. Both yelped in pain as their backs slammed into the hard stone.

"You jerk..." Wendy hissed as she glared daggers at Brain, her eyes narrowing dangerously. "You're lucky I don't know any offensive magic..."

"Oi! There's no need to get violent!" Happy exclaimed, standing protectively in front of Wendy. "She's just a girl, you big meanie!" Happy's screams of protest were cut off when Brain suddenly grabbed ahold of his face. Wendy watched in fear as Brain's hand tightly wrapped around the blue cat's head. Happy desperately tried to free himself from Brain's grasp, but it was to no avail, his body soon going limp.

"HAPPY!?" Wendy screamed in horror as Brain tossed the unconscious cat back towards the altar. Catching Happy before he hit the ground, Wendy gently cradled the injured cat. "Don't worry Happy, I'll use some of my healing magic...you'll be okay..." With her hands faintly glowing green, Wendy pressed her palms against Happy's head. "Thanks for standing up for me...that was very brave of you."

"Hey Brain, give the kid a break, you're scaring the hell out of her..." Angel said in an annoyed tone, resting her hands on her hips. "We just HAD to take her with us, so we might as well try to get her to cooperate with us."

"Hey, why the hell did you snatch that brat anyways, Brain?" Racer asked as he quirked an eyebrow, leaning against one of the walls in the cave. "She doesn't look very special to me."

"Does she have something to do with Nirvana?" Cobra added, walking up with his hands in his pockets. "She was with goody two shoe mages from earlier, so she must pretty damn important."

"Pfft, there's no way she's related to Nirvana..." Angel scoffed as she rolled her eyes, gesturing towards the blue-haired girl. "I mean just look at her, an innocent kid like that...no way she's mixed up in all this."

"Ah, I've got it!" Hot Eye suddenly exclaimed, slapping his fist into his palm. "We're going to sell her for money!" Wendy's eyes widened in fear when she heard this, inching away from Hot Eye's greedy stare. "I know a couple of potential buyers...she'll sell really quick."

"We're not selling her you dolt..." Brain said in an irritated tone before an evil smirk spread across his face. "This girl is quite adept in the healing arts of Sky Magic."

"That is lost magic..." Angel muttered, resting her head on her palm. "Why does a child know magic like that?"

"That little girl...no way..." Cobra grunted as he carefully looked Wendy over. "There's no way such a meek-looking girl is a dragon slayer." Cobra's eyes widened when a sudden realization struck him. "Wait! You can't mean-"

"Exactly!" Brain exclaimed boisterously, raising his arms into the air. "We'll resurrect him!"

"There's no way I'm going to help bad people like you!" Wendy yelled as she stood back onto her feet, still protectively clutching Happy in her arms. "Natsu will definitely come to get me out of here and we'll take you guys down!"

"Oh, I sincerely doubt that..." Brain said as he turned to face Wendy, a twisted smile on his face. "You most certainly will revive him..." Seeing a hint of worry in Wendy's eyes, Brain chuckled and turned back towards the other members of Oración Seis. "Racer, bring himhere."

"Even if I go my fastest, it will take at least an hour." Racer said, pushing himself off the wall he was leaning on.

"No matter, just get it done." Brain said as he waved Racer off. "Whatever it takes."

"That makes sense..." Cobra said with a devious smirk, his large pet snake slinking over his shoulder. "With him, we will have pretty much found Nirvana."

"Cobra, Hot Eye, Angel..." Brain said as he gestured to the remaining members of Oración Seis, excluding Midnight who was still asleep. "You three go out and continue to search for Nirvana."

"But we won't need to if that guy is revived." Angel countered, crossing her arms underneath her chest. "I don't really feel like crawling through that disgusting jungle anymore."

"There is always that one-in-a-million chance..." Brain said as he cast a glance back at Wendy, causing her to flinch slightly. "Midnight and I will remain here."

"Tch, I don't really think Sleeping Beauty was going anywhere..." Angel groaned before huffing in frustration. "Whatever, we'll keep looking."

"I guess we're heading out then..." Cobra said as he glanced at Wendy one last time. "Brain is crazy...no way that little brat is gonna be able to help us."

"Hey, why don't we make this a competition?" Angel asked, perking up slightly at the prospect of livening up their search. "The first to find it-"

"Get a million jewels!" Hot Eye exclaimed as he stepped in between Cobra and Angel.

"That's way too much," Angel muttered, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Let's just get going."

"This Nirvana..." Wendy said as her grip on Happy tightened slightly. "What type of magic is it?"

"Heh...I'm glad you asked..." Brain said with a smirk, turning back to Wendy and completely towering over her. "It takes darkness and light...and reverses them."

(Same Time: With Lucy)

"Erza just stay strong..." Lucy whispered as she tightly gripped the red-haired knight's unpoisoned hand. "Everybody please hurry..."

"Looks like all parties have safely entered the forest," Hibiki said, gazing at the several magical projections spread out before him. Casting a sideways glance, Hibiki stared at Lucy as she continued to comfort Erza. "You aren't going out there too?"

"I can't just leave Erza like this..." Lucy said with a sad smile as she kept a watchful eye on Erza, making sure her condition didn't deteriorate even further. "If I didn't stay behind then Natsu definitely would have...there's no way he'd leave Erza alone after she was hurt..." Releasing a heavy sigh, Lucy stared up at the sky overhead. "And no matter how you look at it, I have the least strength when it comes to fighting abilities."

"Such humility..." Hibiki muttered with a light chuckle, typing away on a projected keyboard. "You know, I've heard rumors about you...they say you defeated a three-meter tall gorilla...and that you put the master of Phantom Lord out of commission...hell, there's even one saying that you defeated a thousand man army all alone in Acalypha."

"Okay, each of those stories is blown WAY out of proportion..." Lucy said with a deadpanned expression before she turned her attention back to monitoring Erza. "Hey, you wanted to know about me, but why aren't you heading out there either?"

"How can any man simply leave two women alone, especially when one is injured?" Hibiki asked, smiling at Lucy before turning back to his magical projections.

"I have a boyfriend, you know? Erza too...you better watch yourself, Natsu will seriously kick your ass if you keep hitting on Erza and me..." Lucy clarified as she watched Hibiki deflate slightly, causing her to chuckle. "But thanks for worrying, that's very sweet of you."

"Besides, my magic will allow everyone to know where we are," Hibiki explained, rapidly typing on his keyboard and closing several projections and opening others. "Even if we free Happy and Wendy...it'll mean nothing if we can't all regroup."

"Ah, I see..." Lucy said as she nodded her head in understanding. "That makes a lot of sense."

"So..." Hibiki said, not looking away from his projections, letting his curiosity get the better of him. "You and Natsu...are together?"

"Natsu, Erza, and I are together...there's also Mirajane back at the guild." Lucy clarified which caused Hibiki to stop his typing for a moment, his cheeks tinting a light shade of red. Lucy smiled warmly as she thought of the four of them all being together once again. "We're all like one big happy family...I can't imagine living my life without them anymore. I love each of them so much."

"I'm sorry but I'm a little confused...how did this even happen? Why are you all in a relationship like this?" Hibiki asked, turning his attention away from his projections to look back at Lucy. "How can the three of you all be with the same guy?"

"Well, the three of us all love Natsu...we love him with all our hearts and want to spend the rest of our lives with him...hopefully settling down and starting a family one day..." Lucy explained as her face turned pink, feeling slightly embarrassed about revealing one of her most intimate desires. "But it's also because Natsu was raised by two dragon kings, the magic that he learned from them has given him numerous dragon-like instincts...and one of those instincts is the need to gather several...mates...to help ensure that his magic passed down to future generations." Lucy saw Hibiki quirk an eyebrow in confusion and knew he was likely going to misinterpret what she had said. "Now don't think that Natsu doesn't love each of us, or that he's some sleazy womanizer because he's not and he loves each of us with everything he has, don't you doubt that for a second. He'd do everything within his power to make us all happy, I'm sure he'd even give his life to protect any of us...so please don't look down on Natsu because he's in a relationship with more than one girl..." Lucy reached back and gently stroked her mate mark, feeling a comforting warmth emanating from it. "We all share a strong, mutual love for each other and we're all linked together through Natsu."

"I see..." Hibiki muttered with a thoughtful look in his eyes, before turning back to his magical projections. "I'm sorry about what I said to Natsu earlier...he's right, I didn't understand the relationship you all shared...I had no idea it was so...deeply intimate...I'll try to speak with Ren and Eve when I get the chance and explain things to them...I don't want there to be any bad blood between our guilds. Especially over something like this..."

"Thanks, that means a lot..." Lucy said with a small smile as she gently squeezed Erza's hand. "You really are a nice guy."

(Same Time: With Natsu, Gray, and Carla)

"So flame brain, back there you said that Wendy is a sky dragon slayer..." Gray said, sprinting through the forest alongside Natsu and Carla. "What exactly does she eat? I know you eat fire and Gajeel eats iron, but what about her?"

"She eats air," Natsu replied without missing about beat as he leaped over a fallen log in his path.

"Isn't she just breathing then?" Gray thought, deciding to keep the question to himself.

"Wendy was so excited to go on this mission," Caral said as she slowly shook her head. "I've never seen the girl so worked up before...she thought there was a chance she'd meet you again this mission...well I guess she got her wish."

"Don't worry Carla, we'll get Wendy back..." Natsu growled, feeling anger well up inside him once again. "And I'll pummel the guys who took her away."

"Both of you hold up!" Carla suddenly exclaimed as she pointed at the forest ahead of them. Both Natsu and Gray's eyes widened in shock when they saw that several of the trees had turned pitch black. "The tree...what happened to them?"

"This is really freaking me out..." Gray muttered, taking a few steps away from the strange looking trees.

"They say that it's Nirvana's influence, Big Brother Zatô." A new voice said which caused the Fairy Tail members and Carla to whip around.

"Yeah! It's such powerful magic that the earth itself is dying, Big Brother Gatô!" A second voice exclaimed moments later.

"Who the hell..." Gray said, his eyes widening when he saw that over a dozen mages had surrounded them, even in the tree overhead. "How the hell did they sneak up on us? We're completely surrounded here."

"My bad, I wasn't paying attention and they got the drop on us..." Natsu said as he coated his fists in intense blue flames. "But if they try to stop us from finding Wendy, I'll mop the damn floor with them."

"Oi boss..." One of the mages said, pointing towards Natsu and Gray. "I recognize those two...they're with Fairy Tail!"

"Fairy Tail..." The head mage, who appeared to be named Zatô, growled as tightly balled his fists. "That's the guild where that bastard Laxus was from...I need to pay them back for what that asshole did to me." Cracking his knuckles, Zatô and his men began to advance towards Natsu. "We're Naked Mummy and we're working with Oración Seis! We're gonna play with you guys for a while!"

"So the enemy wasn't just Oración Seis themselves..." Carla muttered, standing behind Natsu for protection, her entire body trembling. "We fell right into their trap!"

"Trap? No, this is a good thing..." Natsu said with a devious smirk as he punched his flaming fist into his palm, causing a small burst of blue flames. "This is perfect timing actually."

"How the hell is this a good thing?!" Carla exclaimed, staring up at Natsu with a worried look in her eyes. However, her worry began to fade when she saw the determination burning in Natsu's eyes.

"I'll beat these bastards until they spill where their secret base is," Natsu explained as he nodded towards Gray, both mages knowing what to do without saying a word. "Hey ice princess, I got the ugly bastard with the bad afro and the freaky dude next to him, can you handle the rest?"

"Please, these guys won't even be a good warm up," Gray replied, sliding into his Ice Make stance as the air around him began to chill.

"I think these stupid brats are trying to diss us..." Zatô said as he tried to mask the anger in his voice. "We're gonna kill all you idiots real slow!"

"What's with these Fairy Tail wizards?" Carla thought, watching as Natsu and Gray stood up to the enemy mages without a hint of fear or worry. "I don't know who I'm more scared for."

"Lightning Dragon's Flash Step!" The Naked Mummy mages watched in shock as Natsu's body morphed down into a streak of electricity. In the blink of an eye, Natsu re-emerged in front of Gatô, his eyes wide in surprise. "Fire Dragon's Purifying Iron Fist!" With his fist coated in scorching blue flames, Natsu struck Gatô with a devastating overhead punch, sending the dark mage crashing into the ground head first. All the Naked Mummy mages stood in shocked silence, having witnessed one of their leaders being taken out in a single attack. With a wicked grin, Natsu punched his flaming fists together. "Alright, who's next!?"

"Gatô!?" Zatô exclaimed, feeling intense anger well up inside him as he watched his brother collapse onto the ground. Spinning around, Zatô wildly gestured to the rest of the Naked Mummy mages who were still just standing around. "What are all you idiots waiting for!? Get these fuckers!"

"Gray..." Natsu said as he glanced back at the ice mage. "You're up."

"You don't have to tell me twice," Gray said, pressing his fist into his palm, ice magic gathering around in his hands. "I'll take these guys out in a second!" Zatô watched in utter horror, as each of his comrades was taken out, encased in blocks of solid ice. "Told you these guys wouldn't even be good warm-ups."

"You...you bastards..." Zatô stuttered out with fear in his voice as he backed away from the Fairy Tail mages. "You...you don't...k-know who you're m-messing-"

"Fire Dragon's Erupting Fist!" Before Zatô could even finish, Natsu rushed forward and struck him in the stomach, knocking all the air from his lungs. Clutching his stomach, Zatô roared out in pain moments later when his entire body was suddenly engulfed in raging blue fire. When the flames died down, Natsu approached the scorched Zatô and roughly yanked him up by his collar. Zatô flinched in fear when he saw the anger burning in Natsu's eyes. "Now I'm going to ask you this one time...where is your base hidden?!" Zatô yelped in terror when Natsu held up a fist crackling with orange lightning only inches away from his face. "Lie to me...or try to escape...and things are gonna get real ugly real fast." Zatô gulped audibly, not seeing any way to escape his situation, especially now that all his guildmates were taken out.

"Alright...alright..." Zatô said as he held up his hands in defeat. "They didn't tell us too much, but their little hideout is hidden in an abandoned village to the west."

"Thanks for the info..." Natsu said with a toothy grin, before cocking his fist back. "I'll make sure you don't lose any teeth!" Before Zatô had a chance to retaliate, Natsu's fist rocketed into his stomach once again. His eyes briefly widening in agony, Zatô passed out seconds later. "Well we know where they are, so let's get going, we need to find Wendy fast!"

"Lead the way, I'll be right behind you!" Gray exclaimed as he followed closely behind Natsu.

"These Fairy Tail mages...they're something else..." Carla muttered to herself, gazing in awe at the numerous defeated Naked Mummy mages, before flying off after Natsu and Gray. "I guess I won't have to worry about them after all."

As Natsu and Gray defeated the mages from Naked Mummy, the other teams searching through the forest had also run into teams of dark mages sent to ambush them. Naked Mummy wasn't the only dark guild Oración Seis had hired for help, several other dark guilds had also come to assist them, all of them going after the mages from the light guilds. However, much like Natsu and Gray, the other teams had managed to defeat their attackers, even learning the location of Oración Seis' hideout as well. Well, all of the teams aside from Ichiya...who had been captured once again.

(Same Time: Back with Wendy)

"God damn this thing is heavy!" Racer grunted as he lugged in what appeared to be a large cross-shaped coffin that was wrapped in several chains. "I couldn't get any momentum carrying this stupid thing!"

"Heh, there really is no one faster than you," Brain said with a light chuckle, helping Racer carry the coffin deeper into the cave. With a devious smirk, Brain and Racer set the coffin down in front of Wendy. The blue-haired dragon slayer took one look at the casket, before backing away several steps. "Wendy, you will cure the man in here."

"Sorry, but my magic can't bring back the dead," Wendy said as she glared at Brain defiantly, crossing her arms over her chest. "And I already said that I'm not helping you criminals like you!"

"Oh, but I disagree!" Brain exclaimed, throwing his arms up into the air. "You will cure him! You must cure him!" Before Wendy could say another word in protest, the chains around coffin feel away and clattered loudly onto the ground. Moments later, the coffin slowly began to open, billowing out clouds of white smoke. When the smoke began to dissipate Wendy's eyes widened in shock, seeing an all too familiar face chained up within the coffin. His twisted smirk widening, Brain gestured towards the man inside the coffin. "This man is named Jellal! At one time he even infiltrated the magical council...in other words, he's a man who will know where Nirvana is!"

"J-Jellal..." Wendy breathed out as she gasped audibly, feeling tears well up in her eyes. "What is he doing here? Why is he like that?"

"He was absorbed in ethernanos and became like this..." Brain explained, gesturing to the numerous cracks in Jellal's pale skin. His body was completely motionless, appearing to not even to be breathing as if he were dead. "You're the only one who can bring him back." Brain loomed over Wendy, his smirk sending a chill down her spine. "You do owe him your life...right?"

"How...How can this be?" Happy said with a shaky voice as he stared at Jellal's unmoving body. "Is it really that Jellal..."

"You know him Happy?" Wendy asked, gazing down at the stunned blue cat.

"It's...it's complicated...I don't even know all the details..." Happy replied as he turned his head away from Wendy. "I think it'll be better if Natsu explains everything to you."

"That guy's a ghost who was possessed by a ghost...an insane idealist..." Brain said with a light chuckle, staring at Wendy's slightly trembling form. "But to you, he's your savior..."

"No! Wendy, I know Jellal is important to you, but you can't bring him back!" Happy exclaimed as he walked in front of Wendy, seeing that her eyes were full of confusion. "We can't help Oración Seis, no matter what!"

"You're testing my patience!" Brain suddenly roared before he pulled a dagger out of his cloak. "Hurry up, child! Revive him now!" Wendy's eyes widened in horror as she watched Brain stab the dagger's blade into Jellal's arm. Tears welled up in Wendy's eyes when she saw blood pouring from Jellal's wound. "If you won't revive him, then he's useless to us and I can just slit his throat..."

"No don't!" Wendy screamed, tears pouring from her eyes as she rushed over to the coffin. "Don't hurt him anymore!"

"Stupid brat!" Brain exclaimed with cold eyes as he hit Wendy over the head with his staff, sending her crashing to the ground. "Revive him! It should be easy for you!"

"You can't Wendy! Jellal is a bad man!" Happy pleaded, running over to Wendy's side. "He'll just take Nirvana for himself!"

"I understand that...but even so...he saved my life..." Wendy said with tears still streaming from her eyes as she slowly got back onto her feet. "He was like a big brother to me...and I loved him...I heard he did some bad things, but I don't believe it..."

"What are you talking about?!" Happy said, staring up at Wendy. "Natsu and I were right there when-"

"Somebody must have been manipulating him! I'm sure of it!" Wendy suddenly exclaimed which caught Happy off guard, not expecting that from the usually meek teenager. "The Jellal I know would never do anything like that!" Wiping the tears from her eyes, Wendy stood in front of Brain. "Please! Give me some time to think about it!"

"Fine." Brain said with a small smirk, holding up five fingers. "You have five minutes, better think fast."

"Natsu..." Happy thought as he watched a very conflicted Wendy stare at Jellal's coffin. "Things are getting really bad. You need to get here fast!" As if on cue, Happy and Wendy perked up when they heard shouts coming from outside the cave.

"HAPPY! WENDY! YOU GUYS HERE!?"

"Natsu..." Wendy breathed out, feeling fresh tears of joy well up in her eyes. "You came to save me..." But Wendy soon turned her attention back to Jellal, her small fists clenching tightly. "But he saved me too..."

"Racer, don't let those worms get any closer." Brain ordered which caused Racer to nod his head before he rocketed out of the cave.

(Same Time: Back With Natsu and Gray)

"WENDY! HAPPY!" Natsu called out, his voice echoing out into the deserted village below.

"Oi! Keep it down flame brain!" Gray hissed as he punched Natsu in the arm. "Do you want to alert them all that we're-" The ice mage was cut off when a loud, booming sound went off below them. Looking down, Natsu and Gray were both surprised to see Racer sprinting up the cliff towards them. Both Fairy Tail mages leaped backward just in time to dodge a blazing fast attack from Racer.

"This bastard again!" Natsu growled, coming to a skidding stop several feet away. "We don't have time for this!"

"Natsu, leave this guy to me..." Gray said as he tossed off his coat. "You go save Wendy and Happy."

"Gray..." Natsu said, his eyes widening slightly. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, I know how important Wendy and Happy are to you," Gray said with a smile as he looked back at Natsu. "So you need to go save them."

"Like I'd let you do that!" Racer exclaimed, rushing towards Gray and Natsu once again.

"Ice Make Floor!" Slamming his hands onto the ground, Gray coated all of Racer's path in slick ice, which caused him to slip and crash into the ground. "Get going! I can take this guy!"

"Come on Carla!" Natsu yelled as he grabbed ahold of the surprised white cat and leaped off the cliff's edge. "Let's get down there!"

"Natsu, use this to get down there faster!" Gray called out, pressed one of his hands onto the edge of the cliff, creating a slide of solid ice. "Ice Make Slide!"

"Thanks, Gray!" Natsu exclaimed as his voice trailed off in the distance, rapidly approaching the village below.

"You little prick..." Racer growled in an annoyed tone, slowly getting back onto his feet. "So one of you managed to get passed me?"

"Heh, looks to me like you just slipped and fell." Gray mocked which earned him another throaty growl from Racer. "Some mage you are, can't even run without tripping over himself."

A few feet above the ground, Natsu sprang off the ice slide, coming to a sliding stop just outside of a small cave. Natsu's keen sense of hearing immediately picked up the sounds of voices deeper within the cave, two of them he picked up being Happy and Wendy's. However, Natsu felt an intense rage well up inside him when he heard the distinct sounds of a girl crying. Suddenly, Natsu's body became engulfed in raging blue flames, as he charged into the cave without a second thought, leaving Carla behind.

"Hey, wait up!" Carla exclaimed, quickly chasing after the furious dragon slayer.

"ALRIGHT!" Natsu roared as he burst into the cave, his bright blue flames illuminating the entire cavern. "WHO MADE WENDY-" Natsu stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the scene before him, his eyes wide in shock. The pink-haired dragon slayer instantly spotted Wendy and Happy, both of them sobbing quietly, with the blue-haired dragon slayer muttering 'I'm sorry' over and over. But what shocked Natsu the most was the fact that Jellal was standing before him, and it wasn't the Jellal he had met when he was a child, no it was the Jellal he had fought at the Tower of Heaven. "What...what the hell is going on here!?"

"I'm so sorry..." Wendy said once again, sniffling several times as she tried to wipe away her tears. "But he saved my life, Natsu...he's our friend...I couldn't just leave him..."

"Wendy! You used your healing magic!?" Carla called out as she flew up next to Natsu, finally catching up with him. "What do you think you're doing?! Using that power so carelessly!"

"Wendy...that guy isn't-" Natsu tried to explain in a shaky voice, but stopped when Wendy suddenly collapsed. "WENDY!" Seeing Wendy fall unconscious, Natsu turned his attention back to Jellal, memories from the Tower of Heaven surfacing in his mind. Natsu's burning rage bubbled up once again, veins bulging on his body as he remembered the pain that Jellal had caused his loved ones, especially Erza. "You...you son of a bitch..." Natsu tightly balled his fists, his entire becoming engulfed in blue flames, filling the cave with sweltering heat. When Natsu looked into Jellal's cold, emotionless eyes he lost it and charged forward. "What the hell are you doing here, Jellal?!"

Jellal stood unmoving as Natsu rushed towards him, unflinching despite the scorching blue flames drawing closer. When Natsu was only a few feet away Jellal raised his arm and a massive beam of magical energy fired out of his hand. The wave of magical energy completely engulfed Natsu for several seconds. When Jellal's attack stopped Natsu still stood a few feet away from him. The pink-haired dragon slayer was panting heavily and crouched down onto one knee, a wall of blue flames standing protectively in front of him. While Natsu appeared relatively unharmed by Jellal's attack, he did appear to be severely drained, having used up a large amount of his magic.

"You always have had an excess of power, Jellal..." Brain said with a smirk as he gazed at Natsu. "But it appears this boy isn't to be trifled with either...for him to block one of your attacks like that...it's quite impressive." However, Brain's eyes widened when Jellal suddenly grabbed him by the neck, lifting him off the ground. As Brain struggled to breathe, Jellal walked him backward until he hung over a large pit within the cave. Without a word, Jellal dropped Brain into the pit and walked away. Jellal silently gazed at Happy and Natsu for several moments before walking past them. Before exiting the cave, Jellal briefly glanced at the still sleeping Midnight, but eventually turned his head away and exited the cavern.

"Jellal! Where do you think you're going?!" Natsu exclaimed, weakly getting back onto his feet, the exhaustion for using so much magic taking its toll. "Get back here!" Natsu attempted to pursue Jellal but was stopped when Carla grabbed ahold of his vest. "That son of a bitch! Let me go after him!"

"He's gon," Carla said as she gestured towards Wendy and Happy. "I know you and Wendy have a history with that man, but our first order of business is getting her back! You want Erza to survive don't you!?"

" I know, damn it!" Natsu exclaimed, punching the cave wall next to him, completely shattering it. "We'll go after that bastard later, saving Erza is our top priority! Let's go Happy! Carla, you grab Wendy!"

"Yes!" Both cats exclaimed simultaneously before they all flew out of the cave together.

"I didn't expect that...removing his restraints was my fault..." Brain muttered to himself, sitting in a pile of rubble he had fallen into. "But he never should have felt that enmity for me...should I have questioned him about Nirvana when he was still asleep?" Growling in anger, Brain slammed his fist into the wall next to him. "Jellal! You can't be trying to get Nirvana for yourself, can you?!" His blood starting to boil, Brain grit his teeth as he stood up out of the rubble. "I won't allow it! That power belongs to us! I won't hand it over to anyone else! I'll kill anyone that tries to take it from us! Cobra, do you hear me!? Jellal has run off! Chase after him immediately! Wherever he is Nirvana will be!"

(Back With Gray)

"Gah!" Gray grunted as his back slammed into a tree. Gasping in surprise, Gray suddenly rolled out of the way, avoiding a blazing fast kick from Racer. The ice mage clicked his tongue in annoyance, watching as Racer leaped between several trees, easily reaching their tops branches. "Jeez, just how fast can this freak go..."

"My code name is Racer, I'm faster than anyone, faster than anything!" Racer exclaimed, staring down at Gray. "I just run."

"Huh, Natsu didn't seem to have trouble keeping up with you..." Gray taunted with a smirk, moments before something overhead caught his attention. The ice mage's eyes lit up when he saw Natsu and Happy flying overhead, with Carla and Wendy right next to them. "They did it!"

"That's not possible!" Racer yelled, staring up at the flying mages in shock. "Brain was there, how could they possibly escape!?" A low growl rumbling in his throat, Racer shot up the tree, launching towards Natsu and Wendy. "Damn it! You're not getting away!"

"Natsu, you have to dodge him!" Gray exclaimed which alerted Natsu to Racer's incoming attack.

"Carla! Get behind me! Back off asshole!" Natsu ordered before he inhaled deeply, his cheeks swelling with flames. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" Opening his mouth, Natsu expelled a stream of scorching orange flames, which Racer barely managed to dodge at the last second. With Carla hot on his tail, Natsu and Happy swooped down, landing on the ground next to Gray. Looking up, Natsu frowned when he saw Racer diving towards them. "Damn this guy is persistent!"

"I said you're not getting away!" Racer roared as he rapidly descended towards the Fairy Tail mages. "I'm taking you all down and bringing you all back to Brain!"

"I don't think so!" Gray yelled, pressing his fist into his palm. "Ice Make Rampart!" A split second later a massive wall of ice materialized in front of Gray and Natsu, which Racer promptly smashed into, momentarily stunning him. "Get out of here Natsu, I told you I'd take care of him."

"Are you sure man?" Natsu asked in a worried tone as he noticed the various injuries on Gray's body and that he appeared to be exhausted. "You've used up a ton of your magic power too, let me just help you. If we work together we'll take this bastard down in a second!"

"We don't have time! There's not a second to spare!" Gray exclaimed, surprising the pink-haired dragon slayer. "I'll die before I let this prick passed this point! Now go and save Erza! She's your mate right, you need to save her!"

"You're right..." Natsu muttered as Happy lifted him off the ground. "You better stay safe yourself ice princess...because Erza is gonna be fine and she's gonna wanna thank you for helping save her!"

"Heh, of course she is!" Gray exclaimed with a smirk, watching as Natsu and Carla flew off once again. "With you watching her back, I'm not worried about her at all. You'd go through hell and back just to make her smile."

"This is the second time you've stopped me..." Racer growled as he walked up next to Gray and slammed his fist into the wall of ice. "And it's seriously starting to piss me off..."

"We'll get ready to be pissed a lot because I plan to stop you as many times as I can..." Gray said, his smirk widening when he saw a flash of rage on Racer's face. "Try as hard as you want, but you'll never pass us. You'll always be looking at the fairy's tail!"

(Two Minutes Later: With Natsu)

"That bastard Jellal..." Natsu growled as Happy flew him through the forest, with Carla trailing just behind them. "I have to clear things up with Wendy and make sure she realizes that's not the Jellal she remembers...anyways, what the hell is that Jellal doing here? Something doesn't feel right..."

"Natsu-kun! Can you hear me?"

"Hold up Happy!" Natsu called out, hearing a voice echo out in his head. "This voice...is that you Hibiki?"

"Yes, thank goodness! I was starting to worry since I haven't been able to contact anyone."

"Where are you?" Natsu asked as he scanned the forest around him. "You must be pretty close for your magic to work on me."

"Please keep it down Natsu-kun, one of our enemies has extremely good hearing. He might be able to hear every word we say...that's why I'm speaking directly into your mind."

"It's gotta be that asshole with the snake..." Natsu thought, tightly balling his fists. "I'll make him pay for what he did to Erza..."

"Have you found Wendy yet?"

"Yeah, we've got her right here..." Natsu said as he glanced at the blue-haired dragon slayer. "She's unconscious though...but other than that she's fine."

"Excellent, I expected nothing less from you. I'm going to upload a map leading to us into your head, it's gonna feel strange for a moment, but use it to get here as quickly as possible."

"Got it..." Natsu said moments before an entire map of entire flashed through his head, Erza's location clearly highlighted. "Holy crap...this is really trippy...but I can see where Erza is now, so I'll be able to get there in no time!"

"You have to hurry Natsu-kun! We don't know how much longer Erza has!"

"You don't have to tell me twice!" Natsu exclaimed, flying through the forest at a blazing speed. "Happy, follow my directions, I'll get us back to Erza and Luce!"

"Aye sir!" Happy cheered as he started to fly as fast he could.

"Hold up you two!" Carla called out, struggling to keep up with the blazing fast Fairy Tail mages.

(Same Time: Back With Lucy)

"That magic of yours is quite impressive..." Lucy said as she glanced back at Hibiki. "How'd you do that?"

"My magic is Archive. It's information compression magic." Hibiki explained without missing a beat, continuing to type away on his projected keyboard. "It's a method of compressing information so that it can be shared with others much faster than through speech."

"Huh, I've never heard of that type of magic..." Lucy muttered before she turned her head away sheepishly. "But to be fair there's lots of different magic that I don't know about."

"Well, I'm not too surprised..." Hibiki said with a light chuckle, momentarily stopping his typing. "The very concept of using magic to turn information into data, is in itself, a fairly new discovery."

"I'm just glad that Wendy is safe..." Lucy said with a small smile as she stared down at Erza, a pained expression on the scarlet-haired knight's face. "You just need to hold on a little bit longer Erza...Natsu is bringing Wendy back and she'll fix you right up!" Gently gripping Erza's hand, Lucy hugged it against her chest. "I'm going to protect you...at least until Natsu gets back! That I promise!"

"I see it now..." Hibiki thought, glancing back at Lucy, seeing a fiery determination blazing in her brown eyes. "I can see the bond they share...not just as guildmates...but as people who sincerely love each other...they truly do share an incredibly strong connection...a connection that will never be broken...I truly was wrong to doubt the love they shared."

And done! Not a super long chapter, but quite a bit happened. Wendy has been rescued and Jellal has returned! The next chapter will pick up right where this one left off and will have Gray finishing his fight with Racer and Natsu reuniting with Lucy and Erza! I don't know when the next chapter will be out, but it shouldn't be that long. I'm also considering writing a chapter for my Batman fix sometime soon, so that might affect when the next chapter will be out, but I'm not sure yet. Remember to follow/favorite if you enjoyed, PLEASE REVIEW (I NEED AND LOVE ALL YOUR FEEDBACK), please check out my profile and other stories, and PM me any ideas you might have for any of my stories. So unti next time, I'm outta here!