Hey guys, I'm back with the next chapter for this story! I'm glad to see that you all seemed to enjoy the last chapter because I had a ton of fun writing it! This chapter will pick up where the previous one left off and will continue Natsu and his friend's mission to save the other members of Fairy Tail and defeat the king of Edolas. So, I hope you're all looking forward to that.
**Also, I know it'll annoy some of you that I'm mentioning this again, but I'm gonna keep plugging it whenever I can lmao. If you haven't already ready please check out my P atreon at p atreon com/JTZ29Fanfiction (just remove the space after 'p' and add a '.' before 'com') and consider supporting me and my writing. If you do, you'll be able to get updates on what I'm writing, see previews from upcoming chapters, and vote in exclusive polls that will help influence more stories (the first poll is already live, helping pick where Ash and his group will go next in my Pokemon story)! I hope that you'll consider supporting me, every little bit helps!**
Well, that's all I wanted to say, so let's get to the fic!
"Speech"
"Thoughts"
Magic
Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.
(Two Hours Later: Hotel within the Town of Shicca)
"Oi! You guys, gotta check this out!" Ashley exclaimed excitedly as she darted out of the bathroom, her hair still wet and her body loosely wrapped in only a small white bath towel. Wendy's eyes widened in shock and her face instantly flushed bright red in embarrassment. Natsu nearly fell out of his chair, completely caught off guard by the busty blonde brazenly flaunting her tantalizing body. "This is so wild! This chick's body is the same as mine too! Even our asses are the exact same!" Staring down at her impressive bust, Ashley paused for a moment and cupped her breasts. With a pondering look, Ashley bounced her breasts in her hands. "Although...now that I'm really looking at them...her tits may be a bit bigger than mine."
"Ugh, would you hurry up and get back in here..." Lucy groaned, tucking in her own towel as she followed Ashley out of the washroom. Gripping Ashley's arm, Lucy tried to coerce her back into the restroom. "Let's just finish our bath, you're bothering Natsu and Wendy." Seeing her mate's flustered expression, Lucy shot him an annoyed look. "Don't you dare get any funny ideas, Natsu!"
"HEY! Give me a little credit! I would never think of making a move on Ashley! She likes my Edolas counterpart!" Natsu exclaimed as he regained his composure, but was unable to hide his reddened cheeks. The pink-haired dragon slayer did his best not to ogle Ashley, wildly gesturing to her practically naked body. "But cut me some slack, Luce! I mean...look at her! She's sexy as hell, just like you!" Lucy couldn't but feel a rush of happiness because of Natsu's accidental compliment, a small smile spreading across her face. "It'd be weird if I didn't look at her!"
"Huh, now this is unexpected. I thought little miss prissy princess would be all embarrassed about a boy seeing her naked." Ashley said as she stepped toward Lucy, a teasing smirk plastered on her face. "Don't tell me...have you and Natsu done..." Leaning in even closer, Ashely's devious smirk widened as she wriggled her eyebrows at Lucy. "'It'?"
"'It'? Are you twelve?" Lucy scoffed, quirking an eyebrow and crossing her arms underneath her chest. Natsu's eyes were firmly glued to both blonde's bountiful towel-covered breasts, watching as they grew dangerously close to squashing together. "You already know that Natsu and I are dating...so I don't see any point hiding it...yes, Natsu and I have had sex. Quite a few times actually."
"Oho! Are you really bragging about how many times you've banged, Natsu?" Ashley asked as she stroked her chin, before glancing over at the pink-haired dragon slayer. Natsu felt a rush of embarrassment, seeing the curious and ravenous look Ashley was giving him. "So, I gotta ask...how was he in the sac? Now you've got my intrigue peaked."
"Ugh, when did you turn into a horny old man?" Lucy said, releasing a light sigh and rolling her eyes. When Lucy spared a glance over at Wendy, she couldn't help but chuckle, seeing steam practically billowing out of the blue-haired dragon's ears with her entire face burning a vibrant shade of red. Coughing her fist to suppress her laugh, Lucy shot Ashley an annoyed look. "I am not discussing my sex life with you. I don't care if you're an alternate version of me."
"Oh come oooooooon..." Ashley drawled out as she got a bit closer and wrapped an arm around Lucy's shoulders, whispering into her alternate self's ear. "Your Natsu looks a hell of a lot like mine...and I'm sure they share a lot of...similarities...if you catch my drift." Lucy's eyes widened slightly, fully understanding what specific information Ashely wanted to know. "If I ever do get a shot with Natsu...I want to know what to expect."
"*Sigh* Fine..." Lucy relented, slowly shaking her head before making her way back to the bathroom. "If you want to hear all the dirty details, get your ass back into the bath so that we can finish washing."
"YAHOO! This is gonna be fun!" Ashley cheered as she pumped her fists into the air, causing her massive breasts to bounce around violently, her towel threatening to fall off at any second. This time, Natsu did fall backward out of his chair, a thin trail of blood leaking from his nose. Wendy squeaked in surprise seeing the pink-haired dragon slayer collapse, quickly rushing over to check on him. In her excitement, Ashley began to push Lucy into the bath, eager to get all the naughty details she could. "We'll out in bit guys, so just chill out here!"
"Come on, Natsu. I'll help you back up..." Wendy said in a concerned tone, helping the frazzled pink-haired dragon slayer back into his chair. With a groan, Natsu dropped back into his seat, hiding his head in his hands. "Natsu...are you okay?"
"Two Lucys...in skimpy towels...that is a dangerous combo..." Natsu murmured before he leaned back in his chair and stared up at the ceiling. "Sorry if I worried you, Wendy. I'm fine, really.
"Good lord, why am I surrounded by horny teenagers..." Carla groaned, releasing a heavy sigh and pinching the bridge of her nose. "With Wendy being around these perverts constantly, it's only a matter of time before they corrupt her too...I already see the way she stares at that pink-haired gorilla."
"Pffftt..." Happy giggled to himself as he watched both blondes disappear into the bathroom. "Things sure are lively with two Lucys."
Things were relatively calm for almost ten minutes, with Natsu managing to get his raging lust back under control. Wendy was still rather flustered by the whole spectacle, but despite her embarrassment, a part of her wanted to join in on the raunchy conversation going down in the bath. The blue-haired dragon slayer may have been completely experienced when it came to physical and intimate romance, but the subject did tend to pique her curiosity. So with her enhanced hearing, Wendy tried to listen in on what Lucy was saying, but couldn't quite hear what was being said in the bath. She did however catch Ashley occasionally laughing or gasping her surprise. However, as Wendy strained her ears to try and pick up on any specific things Lucy was stating, she quirked an eyebrow when everything in the bath suddenly went silent. Then, Wendy heard the distinct sounds of some quickly standing up in the bath, followed by a completely unanticipated shout from Ashley.
"THERE IS NO FUCKING WAY HIS COCK IS THAT BIG!" Wendy seemingly began to choke on air, sputtering and coughing violently as her entire body seemed like it was about to catch on fire with how red she was. Natsu almost fell out of his chair for a third time as his entire body whipped around to face the bathroom, his face a mixture of utter embarrassment and discomfort. "LIKE HOW THE HELL IS THAT EVEN SUPPOSED TO FIT INSIDE YOU!?"
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!" Natsu screamed in his head as he resisted the almost overwhelming urge to sprint out of the room and jump off a bridge. The pink-haired dragon slayer glanced over at Wendy and saw that the poor girl looked as if she were about to pass out. Natsu then turned his attention toward Happy and Carla. The blue cat looked as if he was about to explode from holding in his laughter, his cheeks puffed out with the occasional giggle slipping out. Carla on the other hand looked completely mortified as she fiercely glared at Natsu. "Fuck me, Carla is never going to let this one go."
"Did you really have to yell like that? I swear, everyone in the whole hotel just heard you." Lucy said in an exasperated tone, now fully dressed and still drying her hair as she stepped out of the bathroom. However, as Lucy stepped back into the living area and brushed some hair out of her eyes, she saw that everyone was staring at him. "Oh...hey guys...I'm guessing you heard that?" Natsu and Wendy simply nodded in response, both of them too flustered to speak. "God damn it, you have the biggest mouth! Would it have killed you to dial it back just a little bit?!"
"Oi, don't be getting snippy with me bitch, I will lay you out in a second." Ashley snapped as she strolled out of the bathroom in her normal outfit, tossing away her damp towel. "And can you fucking blame?" Plopping down cross-legged in a chair, Ashley pointed directly at Natsu. "I didn't know this son of a bitch was packing a god damn third leg! If my Natsu is even half as big, I've got quite a lot to look forward to."
"Oh my god, why do you have to be so crude?" Lucy groaned, running her hands down her face. Noticing that Natsu was giving her a pleading look, Lucy released a heavy sigh and rested her hands on her hips. "Can we please, for the love of god, talk about literally anything else?"
"Sure, sure, ya bunch of prudes. Looks like chibi Wendy over there is about to faint anyways." Ashley said as she rubbed the back of her head, feeling a tad bit guilty for causing such an awkward situation. However, as Ashley stared at her alternate self's scowling face, something odd about the blonde celestial spirit mage's appearance caught her attention. "Hey...with all the shit that's been happening the past few hours, I didn't really notice until now...but what the hell's up with those pink streaks in your hair? And I swear, I saw a fuckin' wicked tattoo on your shoulder when we were in the bath. I would never have thought a princess like you would have any ink."
"Uh...about those..." Lucy said, struggling to think of a way to answer Ashley's question. Instinctively reaching up to touch her mate mark, Lucy glanced over at Natsu for support. "Can I tell her?"
"It's not my call to make, Luce. If you want to tell her, I won't stop you." Natsu replied as he ran a hand through his spiky pink hair. "I only told her that we're dating...anything else you want to tell her is up to you."
"Oh my! Did I stumble upon an interesting subject?" Ashley asked in a teasing tone, mimicking Natsu's mannerisms from when he had razzed her earlier in the day. Leaning forward in her seat, Ashley rested her head in her palm. "You already told me about your amazing sex life, what other juicy details could you possibly be hiding?"
"Alright, I'll tell you..." Lucy said as she walked over and sat down next to Natsu, twirling some pink hair around her finger. "You'd probably find out eventually, so I don't really see a reason to hide it. First, I have to ask, are their dragons in Edolas?"
"Dragons? That's a weird question..." Ashley replied, quirking an eyebrow in confusion. "I mean, there are legends about dragons existing thousands of years ago, but everyone knows they're just fairy tales."
"Well, that may be true for Edolas, but in Earthland dragons do exist...or at least they did." Lucy explained as she reached over and gently grabbed Natsu's hand, feeling him tense slightly at the mention of dragons disappearing. "And some of those dragons taught humans their magic...and those humans became known as dragon slayers. Natsu is one of those dragon slayers."
"No way!" Ashley exclaimed, her eyes lighting up in excitement as she turned to face the pink-haired dragon slayer. "Were you seriously taught magic by a real dragon?!"
"Yeah, two actually...their names were Igneel and Valinor...and they were like a father and brother to me..." Natsu replied with a sad smile, tightly gripping the fabric of his pants with his free hand. "But they both disappeared seven years ago without a word...I've been looking for them ever since."
"Damn, that's heavy..." Ashley said as her excitement quickly weened, acutely aware that she had brought up a difficult subject for Natsu. "Sorry about bringing up painful memories."
"They aren't painful...I still love Igneel and Valinor...and I know they wouldn't abandon me without a good reason." Natsu said, giving Lucy's hand a quick squeeze. "I'll find them both one day and make them explain why they disappeared."
"We'll help you find them, Natsu! Everyone in Fairy Tail will help!" Wendy cheered as she flashed the pink-haired dragon slayer a bright smile. "If we find Igneel and Valinor, then we'll definitely find Grandeeney too!"
"Hold on a second, is this little pipsqueak one of those dragon slayers too?" Ashley asked, gesturing toward Wendy, which garnered an enthusiastic nod from the blue-haired dragon slayer. "Get the fuck out here! That kicks ass, chibi-Wendy!" With a toothy grin, Ashley turned her attention back toward Lucy. "So...I get that Natsu was raised by dragons, but what's that got to do with your hair being pink?"
"Well, dragon slayers take on some dragon-like traits, like enhanced senses of smell and hearing...they also take part in the same...mating...rituals as dragons." Lucy stated as her face flushed slightly, feeling her cheeks starting to heat up. "One thing about dragon mating is that they pick one partner to mate with for life. Once a dragon has chosen its destined mate...they mark them to signal to other dragons that they've been claimed." Brushing her hair aside, Lucy leaned forward so that Ashley could get a better look at her mate mark. "That 'tattoo' you saw is actually a mate mark...and it tells others that Natsu has claimed me as his mate...the pink hair is a part of that as well."
"Damn, that's wild!" Ashley exclaimed, slapping her knee and looking between Natsu and Lucy several times. "So, you two are basically bonded for life."
"Yes, the mate mark helps us sense each other's presence...it's also allowed me to gain senses similar to a dragon slayer but to a lesser degree. Also, it's only happened once, but it seems that I'm briefly able to tap into Natsu's magical power because a small amount of it is stored in my mate mark." Lucy explained which caused Ashley to let out an impressed whistle. "There's one other thing...Natsu isn't quite like other dragon slayers...you see, Igneel and Valinor were both dragon kings...and mating works a bit differently for them."
"Shit, I should have made some popcorn." Ashley said with a smirk, eagerly leaning forward in her seat. "This is getting really interesting."
"You see, dragon kings have an instinctual drive to pass their magic on to their offspring..." Lucy continued as she paused for a moment, taking a deep breath to prepare herself for what she was about to reveal. "Because of this desire to pass down their magic, dragon kings would often...take several mates...and since Natsu was raised by two dragon kings, that instinct is applied double for him."
"Wait...are you telling me that because Natsu inherited some ancient super magic from two dragons...that he gets to have a harem?" Ashley asked, causing Natsu to nod his head. Letting out a long exhale, Ashley sat back in her seat, processing everything she had just learned. "Okay...that's fucking nuts. So...you probably know what my next question is gonna be...is Natsu dating more than one girl?"
"Including me, Natsu currently has three mates...technically four I guess, but I don't know if the fourth girl counts." Lucy answered as she rubbed the back of her neck. "And I'm sure there will be more girls...a lot more."
"How the hell does something like that even work?" Ashley asked, before standing up and moving closer to Natsu and Lucy, sitting on the edge of a table in front of them. "I would expect you girls to be at each other's throats...or to be kicking his ass."
"I didn't like the idea of sharing Natsu at first...but over time, I've come to love it." Lucy said as she turned to Natsu and gave him a loving smile, gently squeezing his hand. "Because of the mate marks, I feel a strong connection to Natsu and his other mates. It's like we're sisters and share an unbreakable bond. I don't know, it's hard to explain without experiencing it yourself. But I love Natsu and I don't regret becoming his mate, I wouldn't change a thing in our relationship."
"Look Ashley, I know you probably think it's scummy of me to be dating more than one girl, and I don't blame you for that..." Natsu spoke as he got out of his seat and stood in front of Ashley, locking eyes with her. "But I want you to know, that I love Luce and my other girls with every fiber of my being. I'd do anything to keep them safe and happy."
"Heh, that sounds like something my Natsu would say when he was trying to act cool." Ashley said, looking away and chuckling to herself. "And I know you love your Lucy, it was obvious the moment I saw you two together, I never doubted the feelings you have for her. I'm sure you love those other girls just as much, you don't seem like the type of guy to go around breaking women's hearts."
"Good, if you understand, then don't get mad when I say this..." Natsu said as he reached over and placed a hand on Ashley's shoulders. "I went through the exact situation you're in with my second mate. We both grew up together and I knew we had feelings for each other, but she loved another guy as well. But I never gave up on her and fought hard for her love. You have to do the same thing, if you truly love your Natsu, don't give up on him so easily if he doesn't reciprocate your feelings right away. And in the end, if he's still torn between his feelings for you and Knightwalker, at least consider sharing him with her." Natsu saw anger flash through Ashley's eyes but cut her off before she could lash out at him. "I'm just saying you keep it as a possibility. If your Natsu really has feelings for both you and Knightwalker, he won't want to hurt either of you. And in the end, he may not pick either of you to avoid hurting the other."
"God damn...that is totally something he would do...he's too much of a pussy to make tough decisions like that." Ashley said, gritting her teeth in frustration as she crossed her arms underneath her chest. After a few moments of mulling over what Natsu had said, Ashley released a light sigh. "Fuck...alright, I'll at least consider it. I may hate that bitch Knightwalker, but I love Natsu even more. So for him...I think I could tolerate sharing. But! If I can convince him to forget his feelings for that cunt, I'm taking that chance to steal him away from her and keep him all to myself!"
"Good, I'm glad you'll at least give it a chance..." Natsu said with a smile as he patted Ashley's shoulder. "I'm sure everything will out between you and your Natsu."
"I sure hope so..." Ashley said with a small smile, glancing over at her alternate self and appearing to be pondering something. After a few moments, Ashley walked over and rested her hands on her hips. "Hey, since we look damn near identical, I don't want to confuse people, especially my guildmates. I may know what's up with your whack hair, but they won't. I want a way to quickly distinguish each other to avoid any mixups. You said that one of your spirits can give haircuts, right?"
"Uh yeah, Cancer can do that." Lucy said as he grabbed her keyring, singling out Cancer's golden key. With a flash of light, the celestial spirit materialized in front of Lucy. Then, in one swift motion of his scissors, Cancer snipped Ashley's hair, cutting it to just above her shoulders. "Wow, there won't be any confusion now. But are you sure this is okay?"
"Why wouldn't it be?" Ashley asked, running a hand through her now shortened hair. "Are there customs in your world about treasuring hair?"
"Not really..." Lucy replied as she stroked her own hair. "I just thought most girls treasured their hair in some way."
"Girls huh? Well, I don't stress about the differences between boys and girls." Ashley explained, smiling and shrugging her shoulders. "Most people in this world are trying hard just to live their lives."
"Everyone in your guild looked so happy." Happy pointed out as he looked up at Ashley. "Are things really that bad?"
"Of course, we looked happy because if you don't force yourself to laugh, then your heart would break in no time." Ashley explained, crouching down and patting Happy's head. "Also, there are people who need us in this world. That's why even though we've been labeled a dark guild, we all must stay together, just like a guild should." Chuckling grimly to herself, Ashley stared down at the floor, speaking her next words barely above a whisper. "But...I suppose that's just not good enough..."
(The Following Morning)
"WHAT?! I DON'T BELIEVE THIS!" Lucy yelled as she stormed over and slammed something onto a table, startling Natsu out of his sleep. "WHAT THE HELL IS THIS?!"
"Ugh, could you please not yell first thing in the morning, Luce..." Natsu groaned, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes as he sat up on couch he had used as a bed. "So, what's got you so worked up?"
"Edolas me ran away!" Lucy exclaimed as she shook a piece of paper in front of Natsu's face. "I found this on the dresser!"
"The royal city is to the east, about three days on foot. I'm going back to my guild. See ya later and good luck." Natsu read the letter out loud, before groaning and laying back down on the couch. "That sucks...but at least she told us where to go."
"I thought she was going to help us out!" Lucy scathed as she crumpled up the note and tossed it aside, gritting her teeth in frustration. "Damn it! The nerve of her!"
"Aren't you two basically the same person?" Happy asked, causing Lucy to whip around to face the blue cat. "You're kind of insulting yourself right now."
"You better shut your mouth, cat! Because I am in no mode for your jokes!" Lucy scathed as she shook her balled fist at Happy. "I will not hesitate to punt you out of this damn hotel room!"
"Please calm down, Lucy. I know this is unfortunate, but this can't be helped..." Wendy tried to reason, attempting to ease the blonde spirit mage's anger. "From the very beginning, Ashley made it clear that she had no intention of fighting with us."
"No way! I can't forgive!" Lucy yelled as she shook her head, clenching her fists in disdain. "As a different version of her, I can't let her off so easily!"
"I know you're pissed, Luce, but we don't have time to worry about that stuff right now." Natsu said in a sympathetic tone, patting his mate on the shoulder before grabbing some of his stuff off the couch. "We should get going soon. I'll wash up, then we can head out."
As Natsu and the other members of Earthland Fairy Tail prepared to depart, Ashley was busy hurrying through the streets of Shicca. Lucy's Edolas counterpart had a determined look in her eyes as sped through the crowded avenues, her ultimate goal was to return to her guild.
"They may be able to change the world? Ha! that's some wishful thinking on my part." Ashley thought as she hid her face and ducked into an alley, avoiding a patrol of royal army guards. "If we really want this world to change, then we need to work hard on our own! If they can rescue their friends on their own that's fine, but they'll have a tough time fighting against the kingdom. So, I need to convince everyone at the guild to help! It's time for us to take up arms and fight together!"
(Forty-Five Minutes Later: Streets of Shicca)
"Wow, her mood did a complete 180..." Wendy said, watching as Lucy smiled brightly and hummed to herself, hugging a book against her chest. "I guess she's happy that she found a rare book."
"How could I not be excited?" Lucy asked as she turned to face her friends, continuing to walk backward. "This historical archive will tell us all about this world! It's actually a pretty interesting place! For example..." Opening the book up, Lucy rapidly flipped through the pages. "Oh, here! Over 100 years ago, a race known as the Exceed used to live here."
"Luce, I'm glad that you're excited about-" Natsu was cut off when a massive shadow began to creep over them, eventually covering the entire street. Instantly, Natsu stood protectively in front of his friends as they all looked up into the sky overhead. They were surprised to see a large airship descending, soon landing and unloading a fresh wave of royal army soldiers. "Damn it, they sent reinforcements to look for us."
"HURRY UP!"
"WE'RE DEPARTING AT ONCE!"
"We really need to hide..." Wendy hissed in a panic, pushing Natsu and Lucy into a nearby alley as more and more soldiers got off the airship. As Wendy poked her head out to observe the soldiers, her enhanced hearing picked up a conversation two of the higher-ranking soldiers were having. "Wait...those two are talking about something important. They mentioned...a giant lacrima extraction in two days...and missing out on the event of the century if they're later..."
"Giant lacrima..." Natsu muttered as his brow furrowed, crossing his arms over his chest. "They have to be talking Magnolia."
"Two days until the extraction...that's really bad! If we walk, there's no way we'll make it in time!" Lucy gasped, a chill running down her spine at the thought of them failing to save their friends. "What's going to happen to everyone if we don't make it!?"
"If they complete the extraction..." Carla said as she stared down at the ground, tightly gripping the hem of her dress. "We'll never be able to return everyone to their original forms."
"Screw walking..." Natsu said, looking out and watching as the airship slowly began to take off. "We should steal that airship."
"Isn't the plan usually to 'sneak' onto the ship?" Carla corrected with a huff as she shook her head. "I swear, you are too hotheaded."
"I don't really do sneaky..." Natsu said with a grin, punching his fist into his palm. "I'm more about busting heads."
"I never thought you'd actually want to ride on a vehicle, Natsu." Happy pointed out as he tugged on the pink-haired dragon slayer's pant leg. "What about your motion sickness?"
"I...I'll just deal with it..." Natsu said, his face turning a bit blue as a shiver ran down his spine. "That airship is our best shot. So, I'll risk puking my guts out if it gets us to the capital faster."
"Natsu is right, we need to go for it." Lucy said with a smirk as she patted her mate on the shoulder. "We won't make it if we don't steal that thing."
"How are we going to do that though?" Wendy asked, watching a large patrol of soldiers walk underneath the airship. "Natsu and I can't use magic and there's a lot of soldiers out there."
"I'll handle it. I'm in my element right now." Lucy said with a smug smile as grabbed her celestial spirit keys. "I realized this when we fought those soldiers yesterday. I'm pretty sure Earthland's magic is far more advanced than any magic here in Edolas."
"Considering that they rely solely on magic tools, that does make sense." Natsu said, stroking his chin before a grin spread across his face. "Alright, let's do this! Wendy and I will back you up, Luce! Do you still have that poison dagger, Wendy?"
"Yeah, but I lost my wind capsule after I used it yesterday..." Wendy said as she reached into her skirt pocket and pulled out the small, dark purple blade. "I don't know how effective this thing will be though. I may only be able to use it a few times."
"Well, I don't have my spear or fire staff anymore, they were both burnt out in our fight yesterday." Natsu said, before reaching out and patting Wendy's head. "Aside from Luce, you've got our only source of magic, Wendy. We're gonna be counting on you."
"You're right!" Wendy cheered with a bright smile as she clutched the dagger against her chest. "I'll do my best!"
"Okay, if we're ready, I'll head out first!" Lucy exclaimed, grabbing a particular key and dashing out of the alley, with Natsu and Wendy following closely behind her. "Let's do this guys! We need to get that airship!"
"HEY! WHO ARE YOU GUYS!"
"THIS IS A RESTRICTED AREA! LEAVE NOW!"
"Open, the door of the Lion..." Lucy chanted as the celestial gate key began to glow brightly with shimmering golden light. With one swift motion, a flash of light materialized in front of Lucy. "Lok-" However, Lucy's eyes widened in shock when she noticed that the wrong celestial spirit had been summoned. "VIRGO!? What the hell!?"
"Sorry to keep you waiting, princess." Virgo said in a monotone voice, turning to Lucy and performing a slight bow. "I've come to assist you."
"What is going on here!?" Lucy hissed as she felt a sudden rush of panic and embarrassment, watching the royal army soldiers stare at her in confusion. "I summoned Loke, not you!"
"Big brother is on a date right now, so he cannot be summoned presently." Virgo explained, performing another quick bow. "He gives his humblest apologies."
"B-Brother!?" Lucy exclaimed in confusion as she noticed that the soldiers had recovered from their bewilderment and were advancing toward them. "Since when was he your brother?!"
"Leo-sama ordered that I call him that from now on." Virgo replied without missing a beat, appearing to be quite befuddled by Loke's request. "I don't understand why though."
"That perverted sunglasses-wearing idiot!" Lucy growled as her face burned red in a mixture of anger and shame. "The next time I see him, I'm going to kick his ass!"
"HEY! THAT WOMAN IS LUCY!"
"CAPTURE ALL OF THEM!"
"What should I do now!?" Lucy asked herself, her mind racing as she tried to think of a new plan. "My whole idea was to have Loke blow all these guys away! I can't summon Aquarius or Scorpio, they're on a date too and she'll murder me if I interrupt it! Aries can't take out all these soldiers by herself! And I don't have enough magic left to summon Taurus! What am I gonna do?!"
"Excuse me princess, but I am prepared to go all out..." Virgo said in a deadly serious tone as she struck an odd pose. "I will perform a dance and distract these men. Use that opportunity to strike."
"You get the hell out of here!" Lucy exclaimed as she performed a quick swipe with Virgo's key, closing her celestial gate. The blonde celestial spirit mage squeaked in surprise when she saw that the soldiers were drawing closer. "Guys! This isn't looking good!"
"Looks like we need to step in, Wendy!" Natsu yelled, charging toward the soldiers and letting out a defiant roar. As Natsu drew closer, the soldiers attempted to jab him with their spears. But the pink-haired dragon slayer displayed his incredible reflexes, sliding underneath the spear thrusts and pouncing on the first soldier in front of him. Cocking his arm back, Natsu hit the soldier with three rapid punches to the face, knocking him unconscious. With a smirk, dodge another spear thrust and stole the soldier's weapon, snapping it over his knee. "You don't fight against Erza Scarlet for almost a decade and not pick up some sick hand-to-hand combat skills!"
"I'll help too!" Wendy exclaimed as she charged in as well, vaulting over two soldiers' attacks and slashing them in the back with her dagger. The cuts weren't very deep, but the poison on the dagger was fact-acting. Within seconds, the soldiers Wendy had cut collapsed to the ground, twitching slightly as the poison rendered them completely immobile. With her eyes wide in surprise, Wendy stared down at her dagger. "Woah...I was not expecting this thing to be so effective."
"Wendy, look out!" Natsu roared, before dashing over and tackling a soldier that was about to attack the blue-haired dragon slayer from behind. With a feral growl rumbling in his throat, Natsu grabbed the back of the soldier's head, before slamming his face directly into the ground. Leaping off the unconscious soldier, Natsu sprang toward his next target. After successfully dodging the soldier's sword swing, Natsu grabbed his arm and kicked the trooper in the stomach. With all the air knocked out of him, the soldier collapsed to the ground. "You need to pay attention, Wendy! If you space out in a fight, you're gonna end up in big trouble!"
"Right!" Wendy shouted as she rolled away from a spear thrust, before launching forward and slashing through a group of four soldiers. As the poisoned soldiers crumpled to the ground, Wendy spotted another batch charging toward her and Natsu. "More are coming! We can't keep fighting these guys forever!"
"Shit, these bastards are like cockroaches! They just keep coming, no matter how many we take out!" Natsu grunted, grabbing one of the soldiers by his shoulders and hitting him with a devastating headbutt. The soldier's eyes rolled into the back of his head as he fell to the dirt. Hearing another soldier coming up behind him, Natsu sidestepped a sloppy spear thrust. With a devious smirk, Natsu slapped away the soldier's weapon, before rearing his leg back and hitting the trooper with a powerful kick to the groin. Howling in pain, the soldier was seeing stars and he collapsed, grasping his throbbing family jewels. "Cup shot! AHAHA! You guys may have the numbers advantage, but you're all weak as hell!"
"Natsu! This isn't the time to be having fun!" Lucy exclaimed as she pointed into the sky. Whipping, Natsu's eyes widened in surprise when he saw that the airship was taking off. "We need to hurry or we won't make it!"
"Okay, we'll-" As soon as the words left Natsu's mouth, the airship rose higher into the air and took off. Growling in frustration, Natsu charged the nearest soldier and hit him with a violent knee to the face. Starting to pant lightly, Natsu tightly balled his fists as soldiers surrounded him. "God damn it!" However, as the soldiers started to advance toward Natsu, a piercing, screeching sound echoed out from down the street. A revving engine could be heard as a figure cloaked in dust drew closer. "What the hell is that thing?"
The Earthland Fairy Tail members were shocked when a magical four-wheeler suddenly performed a power-slide and barreled through a large group of soldiers. Each soldier that magical vehicle hit was sent flying away. The magical car's engine roared to life as its wheels spun in place, kicking up a large cloud of smoke. Screeching tire's echoed out as the four-wheeler performed several donuts, spewing out large plumes of fire. Any soldiers that weren't blown away by the flames were forced to retreat.
"Everyone look!" Happy exclaimed, wildly gesturing toward the magical four-wheeler. "There's a Fairy Tail symbol on the roof!"
"Hey! I heard what's going on from, Lucy!" A familiar voice called out from within the four-wheeler as the vehicle came to a screeching stop. "Hurry up and pile in!"
"Let's go, guys!" Natsu urgently ushered all of his friends into the four-wheeler. Once all of his friends were inside the vehicle, Natsu dove into the backseat. "Go! Go! GO!"
"Hang on tight, cause we're gonna fly!" The person driving the four-wheeler shouted as he slammed his foot onto the gas. The magical vehicle's engine screamed, kicking out a large explosion of fire as it raced down the street. The driver of the four-wheeler laughed hysterically, sticking his arm out the window and flipping off the soldiers they were leaving in their dust. "GO! FIRE!"
"Man...you really saved us back there." Lucy said, breathing a sigh of relief as she sank down into the front seat. "We were in a real pinch."
"Yeah, thank you so much!" Wendy cheered as she hugged Carla tightly, poking her head out from behind Lucy's seat. "Things weren't looking good, there were so many soldiers."
"We...ugh...we could have...totally handled...them..." Natsu groaned, all the color draining from his face as he was slammed full force by his motion sickness. Chuckling to herself, Wendy allowed Natsu his head on her lap, gently running her fingers through his hair. Natsu still felt an intense wave of nausea, but Wendy's soothing touch did help ease his pain. "T-Thank...though."
"No need to thank me, I'm happy to help. You guys want to get to the royal capital, right? Well, this baby is way faster than that piece of trash airship." The driver said as he turned to face the Earthland Fairy Tail mages, pulling up the googles that had been covering his eyes. Everyone, minus Natsu who was too sick, was surprised to see a familiar face staring back at them. "I'm the fastest man in Fairy Tail, Natsu the Fireball!"
Edolas Natsu was a well-built man of average height. He had spiky pink hair protruding in all directions. He wore maroon-colored goggles which he had placed on his head. His eyes were noticeably less slit than his Earthland counterpart. Edolas Natsu's attire consisted of a red leather jacket with a white trim located on the sides of his collar and its suspender area. White arm straps were located on the area of his biceps. His jacket also had a belt strap where a white belt was left hanging. In addition, the wrist areas of his sleeves were brazened with a fiery design. He wore blue navy pants with a belt strap where a white belt is seen. Lastly, he wore a pair of dark brown shoes.
"Oh...great..." Natsu managed to say, fighting back his urge to throw up. "I-It's...Edolas...me."
"Man, this so weird..." Edolas Natsu said as he gazed at the Earthland versions of his friends. "Lucy was right, you guys look just like us...and is that supposed to be me?" Edo Natsu scoffed as he gestured toward his alternate self. "What's up with him? He looks seriously pathetic right now."
"Our Natsu gets motion sickness whenever he's in a vehicle." Wendy exclaimed, chuckling awkwardly as she continued to comfort the pink-haired dragon slayer. "Did he seriously just call our Natsu pathetic after just meeting him? What's up with this guy, he seems really arrogant."
"Man, I can't believe that's supposed to be me with a condition like that!" Edolas Natsu laughed as he punched the acceleration, racing the magical four-wheeler out of Shicca. "In this world, I'm Fairy Tail's magic transportation specialist, known as the fireball, ya know! But to help avoid any confusion, you guys can call me Dragion!"
"Hey, wait a second..." Happy said, glancing around the inside of the magical four-wheeler. "I don't see an SE plug anywhere? How is this thing moving?"
"SE plug?" Dragion parroted in a confused tone as he glanced back at the blue cat. "What the hell is that?"
"A self-energy plug...it converts the driver's magical energy into fuel." Carla explained, looking out the window as the four-wheeler sped through the flatlands outside of town. "Since no one in Edolas has magic naturally in their bodies, they have no need for SE plugs. Their vehicles must run purely on magical power. It would seem that their transportation is much more advanced-" Carla was cut off as the magical four-wheeler suddenly came to a skidding stop, kicking up a large cloud of dust and knocking the Earthland Fairy Tail members around the vehicle. "HEY! What the hell was that for!?"
"You're not quite right..." Dragion said as he stopped the engine for the four-wheeler, tightly gripping the steering wheel. "Since magical energy is limited, the amount of fuel that can be converted from magic is also limited. It isn't easy to get ahold of either. That's why this is as far as I'm taking you all. Get out."
"Wait! You can't!" Wendy exclaimed, feeling a rush of panic as she leaned forward in her seat. "We need to get to the capital as fast as possible to save our guildmates!"
"Sorry, but if I take you any further then I won't be able to make it back to my guild." Dragion explained as he clicked his tongue and rubbed the back of his head. "Those guys just had to move the guild around without saying anything to me. I'm barely gonna make it back now."
"Thank god we stopped!" Natsu cheered, practically leaping off of Wendy's lap and out of the four-wheeler. With a massive smile, Natsu stretched out his limbs. "I never want to ride in that damn thing ever again!"
"See, the other me has the right idea." Dragion said as he kicked the other Earthland Fairy Tail mages out of his four-wheeler. "Right, off you go!" With a grunt, Wendy and Lucy fell out of the vehicle, quickly getting back onto their feet and dusting themselves off. Lucy in particular was pissed off by how rude Dragion was being, glaring at the pink-haired man. "Going up against the kingdom is really stupid. Don't get my guild involved. I only came to bail you guys out because Lucy...my Lucy...asked me to come. I don't want any trouble, I just want to keep driving around in peace."
"Oi, I've been meaning to say something to you...so, you get out too." Natsu said, walking up to the four-wheeler's front seat and tugging on Dragion's arm. The pink-haired dragon slayer was surprised when Dragion instantly started to resist him. "As my alternate version, I've got something to say to you."
"N-No! What the hell are you doing!?" Dragion grunted as he tried to break free of Natsu's grasp, but the dragon slayer proved to be too strong. "J-Just let me go, damn it! Don't take me out of my ride!"
"Calm the hell down man, I just want to talk to you..." Natsu said, finally managing to pull Dragion out of the four-wheeler. The pink-haired dragon slayer quirked an eyebrow as Dragion fell to the ground, refusing to get back up. Releasing a light sigh, Natsu crouched down in front of Dragion. "Listen, I get that you don't want to be involved in fighting the kingdom...I don't care about that...but you didn't have to be a dick to me and my friends. Especially kicking them out of the four-wheeler like that, seriously not cool man. If you apologize to us, everything will be good between us."
"T-That...you..." Natsu and the other Earthland Fairy Tail members were shocked to hear Dragion start sniffling. The pink-haired dragon slayer was caught completely off guard when he saw tears forming in Dragion's eyes. "I-I'm sorry about that! Please, don't get mad at me!"
"W-What the hell..." Natsu said in a completely baffled tone as he crossed his arms and leaned closer to Dragion. His Edolas counterpart gasped in surprise and quickly backed away. "Are you seriously the same person from a few minutes ago?"
"Y-Yeah...I get that a lot..." Dragion said, turning his head to avoid Natsu's analyzing gaze. "People say that my personality changes whenever I get in a vehicle."
"This is more than a 180...he's like a completely different person!" Lucy exclaimed in shock before she stormed over, resting her fists on her hips. "But Natsu is right! You were so rude earlier! What's up with that!?"
"I-I said I'm sorry, okay!?" Dragion cried as he began to tremble, curling his body up into a ball. "Please don't use such loud voices! It scares me!"
"And this guy called me pathetic..." Natsu thought with a frown, before moving over and helping Dragion sit back up. With a heavy sigh, Natsu patted his alternate self's back. "Okay, calm down man. We won't yell anymore, so please stop crying."
"I-I'm sorry about that..." Dragion muttered as he sniffled several times, wiping away his tears. "But I was serious before, it's really impossible for me to take you guys any further. I really did only come because Lucy asked me to and I didn't want to upset her."
"It's fine, really..." Wendy said with a small smile, sitting down next to Dragion. "Please don't push yourself too hard."
"Wow...are you really Wendy-san?" Dragion asked as he stared at the blue-haired dragon slayer in wide-eyed surprise. "You're so small and cute."
"I'm Happy and this is Carla!" Happy cheered, gesturing to himself and the white cat next to him. "And you already know Natsu and Lucy!"
"Uwah, cats, so cute..." Dragion said with a smile as he leaned forward to pet Happy and Carla. However, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw the annoyed glare Carla was giving. "Eeek! Never mind!"
"Carla! Be nicer to him!" Wendy scolded, scooping up the white cat. "He may not have gotten us to the capital, but he did save us from those soldiers!"
"U-Uh...about that..." Dragion said nervously as he pointed toward the edge of a nearby cliff. Natsu, Lucy, and Wendy all looked at each other, before making their way over to the cliff's edge. The Earthland Fairy Tail mages gasped when they spotted a massive, sprawling city below them. "Lucy said that I only needed to bring you guys here..."
"No way is that the capital!?" Wendy exclaimed, her eyes widening in shock as she stared at the huge castle in the center of the city. "It's huge!"
"Geez, why didn't you just tell us we were here." Natsu said with a toothy grin as he wrapped an arm around Dragion's shoulder, making his alternate self feel slightly uncomfortable. "You had us worried there for a minute!"
"Uwaah...I'm sorry..." Dragion mumbled, nervously wringing his hand together. "It...I just didn't phrase my words correctly."
"Awesome, I didn't expect us to get here so quickly." Natsu said as he patted Dragion's back, gazing out at the sprawling city below them. "We made great time!"
"Somewhere in that city, we'll find everyone who was turned into lacrima..." Lucy said, clutching a hand over her heart. "Don't worry everyone, we'll save you guys."
"Well, we should get a move on." Carla said as she hopped out of Wendy's arms and began to make her way toward the capital. "We don't have time to stand around."
"Carla's right, let's get going!" Wendy said, waving to Dragion as she followed after the white cat. "Thank you for your help, Dragion!"
"Yeah, you were a huge help!" Lucy said with a smile before she dashed after Wendy, waving goodbye to Dragion as well. "Say hi to me for me!"
"Guess, I'll be going too..." Natsu said, walking over to Dragion and flashing his alternate self a grin. "You sure you don't want to come along?"
"Are you guys...really going to fight...the kingdom..." Dragion asked in a nervous tone as he gave Natsu a worried look, his hand trembling slightly. "There's...no way you guys will win."
"That may be...but we have to try. Our friends are down there and they're in danger." Natsu said, reaching out and placing a hand on Dragion's shoulder. "If those guys refuse to let them go...then yeah, we'll probably have to fight them." Dragion looked like he was about to speak up, but paused when he saw the determined look burning in Natsu's eyes. "Before I go...when you see Lucy...your Lucy...she'll probably have something to tell you and make sure you listen to everything she has to say."
"What..." Dragion said in a confused tone as he quirked an eyebrow. However, as Dragion stared into Natsu's eyes, he got an idea of what the pink-haired dragon slayer was talking about. "Ah...I think I get it. Yeah, Lucy and I do have a lot to talk about...especially regarding Erza."
"Just be honest with her and I'm sure things will work out." Natsu said with another grin, before patting Dragion's shoulder. Turning around, Natsu began to race after his friends. "Hopefully we'll see each other again, other me!"
"I don't know how he can be so confident...I hope things work out for those guys..." Dragion thought as he walked back over to his magical four-wheeler. Sliding into the driver's seat, Dragion turned the engine on and pulled down his goggles. After a quick burnout, Dragion raced in the direction of his guild. "I need to get back to Fairy Tail, Lucy and I have some important things to discuss."
(Twenty Minutes Later: Edolas' Royal City)
"Wow, this place is crazy..." Lucy breathed out, gazing at the bustling streets all around her. While magic may have been banned in other parts of Edolas, it seemed to be flowing freely in the capital city. Everywhere she could look, Lucy saw various magical tools and luxury items, a stark contrast to what she saw at Fairy Tail and other cities across Edolas. "It's like we're in a completely different world...you would have never thought this country was ruled by a dictator."
"After what we've seen in other towns, I'd have expected this place to be more run down." Wendy said as she watched two children zoom past her on two miniature horses, using magic power to float in the air. "We've even gotten pretty deep into the city, I figured we would have seen some shadier parts of the city by now."
"It's like this place is fucking amusement park..." Natsu grumbled, watching a group of people laugh boisterously around a brightly lit up bar that used magic to pour their drinks. The pink-haired dragon slayer felt a pang of anger, remembering the struggling people in other parts of Edolas. "After seeing Shicca and Luen, this place makes me sick."
"I must concur, this town is a disgusting waste of magical energy." Carla lamented as she walked next to Natsu, crossing her arms over her chest. "They've taken magic from all across Edolas and focused it into the royal capital."
"Tch, a city of relaxation and entertainment was created to gain the popularity of the citizens." Lucy scoffed, resisting the urge to spit on the ground as she imagined all the magic-deprived people across Edolas. "What a wretched king."
"Hey guys, it looks like something is going on over there." Wendy said as she pointed toward a large crowd of people who were gathered down one of the capital's main roads. "Should we go check it out?"
"Maybe it's a parade or something?" Lucy suggested, shrugging her shoulders as she watched several more citizens run down the street to join the expanding crowd. "It couldn't hurt to see what all the commotion is."
"Everyone stick together, we don't want to get lost in this crowd." Natsu announced as he gripped Lucy and Wendy's hands, leading them through the dense crowd. The sounds of cheering and chants were overpowering as Natsu and his friends drew closer to the front of the gathering. Lucy and Wendy struggled to push through all of the people, but because of Natsu's strong grip, neither of them lost their way. However, as Natsu approached the edge of the throng of people, he spotted something that made him stop in his tracks, causing Lucy and Wendy to walk into his back. "What...the...fuck..."
"Natsu, why'd you-" Lucy stopped mid-sentence when she too saw what Natsu was looking at. All of the Earthland Fairy Tail mages' eyes widened in shock when they witnessed a gigantic lacrima crystal being pulled through the capital. "H-Holy shit...that Lacrima...it's enormous."
"I-It can't be..." Wendy said, holding back tears as she clutched both hands over her heart. "Everyone in Magnolia...is in there..."
"No, that's not all..." Carla corrected as she pointed toward one of the lacrima's jagged edges. "That is only one part of it. Those marks are from where they split this chunk off."
"Are you serious!?" Happy exclaimed, his yells barely rising above the cheering crowd. "How is there even more than that?!"
"LONG LIVE THE KING!"
"WE LOVE YOU, YOUR HIGHNESS!"
"MAY YOUR REIGN BE EVERLASTING!"
"Children of Edolas..." All of the Fairy Tail mages tensed as they watched Faust, king of Edolas, walk onto a podium in front of the immense lacrima. "Our kingdom, through the use of Anima, has produced 10 years of magical energy."
"Produced...you bastard..." Lucy growled as she tightly balled her fists, feeling intense anger welling up inside her. "You stole all of that from Earthland."
"Sing together, dance together, let us share in each other's laughter!" Faust proclaimed, raising his staff high into the air which caused a roar of cheers from the crowd. "The people of Edolas have a right to shared ownership of this magical energy! For we are the only people who will progress to the future, the holy race!" With every word Faust spoke, Natsu could feel his rage burning hotter and hotter, veins bulging all along his body as he grit his teeth. "No shall steal our magic from us! And I promise you this, we will have more, even more, magical power!" Natsu's immense rage reached a boiling point as he watched Faust strike the lacrima crystal with his staff, breaking off a large chunk. "We shall have enough magic to make this amount look like garbage!"
"EDOLAS!"
"EDOLAS!"
"EDOLAS!"
"This fucker...I can't just stand back and let him do this!" Natsu thought as his rage burned hotter and hotter with every one of the crowd's chants. However, as Natsu stepped toward the podium, he was stopped when something hugged his back. Whipping around, Natsu was prepared to fight off whoever had stopped him. But his rage began to ease when he saw that it was Lucy and Wendy, both girls holding onto him tightly. "Luce...Wendy..."
"Natsu...please bear with it..." Lucy said through clenched teeth, feeling tears sting her eyes as she tightly wrapped her arms around Natsu's waist. "I know what you want to do...and believe me...Wendy and I want to join you. But we can't...not here."
"But...I can't..." Natsu growled as he tightly balled his fist, almost hard enough to pierce through the skin of his palms. "That lacrima...those are our-"
"We know, Natsu...we all feel the same way..." Wendy said, hugging Natsu from the other side as she felt tears of frustration flow down her cheeks. "But Lucy is right...now is not the time to attack."
"..." Natsu didn't say a word, simply gazing at the anguished expressions on his friends' faces. He knew that if he sprang into action, they would undoubtedly follow him into the fight. But buried underneath Natsu's scorching rage, a small voice of reason was burning brightly. That voice of reason told Natsu that Lucy and Wendy were right, now was not the time for impulsive action. If they were to attack now, then they'd more than likely be captured and executed. Taking a deep breath, Natsu managed to extinguish his searing anger for now. As the pink-haired dragon slayer turned to face the podium, he glared fiercely at Faust, an ember of immense rage still burning in his heart. "It may not be today...but believe me, I will kill this motherfucker for what he did to my friends and mates!"
And done! Oh, things are starting to get spicy! Natsu and his friends have finally arrived in the capital and are shown firsthand what Faust has done with their friends! I hope you all enjoyed reading this chapter because I had a blast writing it! I'll be putting this story on the back burner for a bit as I start working on my Batman story next. But please be patient and new chapters will be out eventually! Remember to follow/favorite if you enjoyed, PLEASE LEAVE A REVIEW (I LOVE/NEED YOUR FEEDBACK!), PLEASE CONSIDER SUPPORTING MY P ATREON (ANY SUPPORT YOU CAN GIVE IS GREATLY APPRECIATED!), remember to check out my profile and other stories if you haven't already, and PM me any ideas you might have for my stories. So, until next time, I'm outta here!