"I know how to defeat them! NATSU! YOU HAVE TO DESTROY THE GATE!"
The Dragon Empress' voice rang through the air, reaching the six mages and the four dragons that flew in the air. Future Natsu gasped as he made eye contact with his wife, the blonde smirking as she knew that her younger self found the notebook she purposely dropped before Vetani surrounded her within the explosive barrier. She gave a small nod towards her husband in a reassuring manner, the pink headed time traveller's doubts soon fading away.
It didn't seem like Usami, Ushin and Vetani heard the blonde's words but the two pink headed and blonde mages knew that Motherglare and Betherion did, Igneel and Atlas Flame became curious as to why the two didn't inform their masters of Lucy's words. But the two fire dragons didn't dwell on their thoughts for long. So long as the twins and the masked woman didn't know the fact, they had the advantage... and that was all they needed.
"You sure you're gonna be okay, Luce?" Future Natsu asked.
"Don't tell me you're doubting your wife now, are you Natsu?" Future Lucy retorted, making the younger dragon slayer blush while the older dragon slayer smirked at her sassiness.
"Alright then." The time traveller then nodded towards Igneel, knowing that they had to buy Natsu some time to power up so that he and Atlas Flame could tackle both Betherion and Motherglare towards the Eclipse. "Let's go Igneel!"
They immediately casted a Fire Dragon King's Roar, Atlas Flame getting out of the way so they had a clear shot. Future Lucy then took the opportunity to get out of the explosive barrier by turning into her Aquarius x Scorpio Star Dress and shooting a blast of sand on the barrier before quickly surrounding herself in a water barrier to minimize the explosion. Vetani and Ushin were surprised by the sudden explosion and dodged as Future Lucy fell off the dragon's back.
"Happy!" She cried, the blue exceed catching her just before she came in contact with the ground.
They both looked at one another before sighing in relief. The blonde instructing him to bring her back to the Eclipse gate to foresee the end of this battle. "Aye sir!" Happy cheered, going at max speed towards the gate.
Future Natsu, sensing that his wife was safe, relaxed and he nodded at Igneel again. The two casting a Fire Dragon King's Wing Attack which made Betherion and Motherglare's flight unstable, moving out of the way with smirks as Atlas Flame and Natsu came from behind them. The speed the fire dragon was flying at being incredibly fast. But before Atlas Flame could tackle the Eclipse dragons, he surrounded Natsu with his flames and sent him flying forward.
As Natsu flew by Igneel and his future self, the two sent him some of their own fire and the dragon slayer ate it happily, gaining even more power as a massive flame surrounded him and his opponents. "Don't you ever dare try to hurt my friends ever again!" Natsu said as he forced Motherglare to crash into Betherion and punching Usami square on the cheek. "Fire Dragon King's Demolishing Strike!"
Meanwhile, with Lucy, she watched as her pink headed partner brought Betherion and Motherglare down towards the Eclipse gate. She was standing atop a roof far from the gate and her magic aura grew yet again. "It's about time we end this terrible battle..." She thought as her constricted eyes turned gold and brought her hands together. "Celestial Fire Dragon Empress'...Sun Crater!"
Both her attack and the two dragons surrounded by Natsu's flames came in contact with the Eclipse gate, the overwhelming power and the weight of the dragons smashing the gate into mere metal pieces. Future Lucy, Happy Wendy, Carla, Hisui, Arcadios, Yukino and Laxus' eyes widening in shock. After a few moments, one by one, the Eclipse dragons began to glow gold and began to fade back to the time they came from. Lucy's dragons and the other mages ceasing fire and watched as the Eclipse dragons roared in defeat.
Future Natsu, Igneel and Atlas Flame soon descended to the ground, landing in front of the Eclipse gate as the fire dragon began to glow gold as his dragon dragon brethren. Igneel and Future Natsu nodded toward him as Natsu rose back from the rubble, Usami and Ushin nowhere to be found while Vetani remained completely unconscious and utterly defeated from the attack. Lucy getting down from the rooftop and taking a moment to rest as she used more magic power in that attack than she usually would.
"It was great to see you again... old friend..." Atlas Flame said as he faded away. "I will always remember you and your son."
"Couldn't have done it without you, Uncle." Natsu and Future Natsu said under their breath.
"Good to see you as well, Atlas Flame." Igneel said as he bowed his head.
Hearing someone run towards them, Igneel and the two fire dragon slayers turned around only for the pink headed time traveller to receive a tackling hug from his wife. The others watching from a fair distance. Natsu made his way to his nakama, the princess and Arcadios as members from the others guilds, Lucy's dragons and the king soon followed to the area. Cheers of celebration coming from the mages while Sting, Rogue and Gajeel were somewhat bitter about not being able to slay a dragon.
When the fairies gathered at the front of the garden, where both Natsu's, Future Lucy and Igneel stood, their mouths dropped to the ground at the sight of Future Natsu hugging Future Lucy with much care. The pink headed time traveller caressing the back of her head with much care and telling her that everything was finally over while kissing the crown of her head as the blonde time traveller cried her heart out in relief. None of the mages needed confirmation on who Future Lucy's husband was now.
Natsu looked around, noticing that Lucy was nowhere in sight and was about go off to look for her when he smelled a familiar scent running towards the garden along with some others behind her. Igneel, the other dragons and the two time travellers seemed to have sensed the approaching scents and smiled as Grandeeney, Metalicanna and Celeste joined the group of dragons as they all turned into their human forms. Shocking the other guilds besides Fairy Tail.
However, Future Natsu and Future Lucy's eyes were completely fixated on the six year old girl that had come with the three dragons. While the fairies helped the other guilds understand that the dragons had human forms, the two time travellers watched as the peach haired girl ran towards Natsu and greeted him happily. The fire dragon slayer picking her up and hugging her as he bragged about defeating the bad guys without breaking a sweat. Her laugh ringing in their ears, as if putting them in a trance.
Future Natsu had already seen Nashi from afar with Grandeeney thanks to Igneel, and he would be lying if he said that seeing her didn't make him emotional. So he already knew what his wife must be feeling. "Nashi...?" Future Lucy asked.
Her words somehow not only caught the attention of Natsu and Nashi, but all the mages that stood before them. The rest of the guilds and the royal knights' eyes widening at the presence of older versions of Natsu and Lucy. But they knew that they would get an explanation sooner or later. When Nashi looked at the two, her eyes widened as the suppressed memory of what had happened to her back in the future flashed before her eyes. Future Lucy's tears streaming down her face like waterfalls.
"Nashi... you know who we are, don't you?" Future Natsu asked, the peach haired girl's eyes beginning to water at the sound of her father's voice. "It's us... Mama and Papa."
Everyone, especially Natsu's, eyes widened in absolute shock. Not once had they considered Nashi to be someone from the future like the two time travellers. But it definitely made sense. It would explain why there were no reports on a missing child the day Lucy found Nashi. It would explain Nashi's resemblance to the two mages and why her magic is the same as Natsu's. It would explain why Vetani was targeting Nashi and trying to capture her. She is the child that Future Lucy sent to the past in order to be safe.
Both parents came down from where they stood on the rubble, standing a few metres away from Natsu and Nashi. Future Lucy letting go of Future Natsu's hand to kneel down as Natsu brought Nashi to stand on her feet. The blonde time traveller becoming even more emotional seeing her grown daughter in the flesh rather than a screen. She could not only sense how much the child had grown physically but magically as well. She and Future Natsu couldn't have been any more proud at the moment.
"Nashi... it's me... Mama." Future Lucy said, unhooking the locket around her neck and opening it to reveal their family picture inside. "Remember this? You have the same one around your neck."
Nashi's eyes widened as she revealed the hidden necklace from underneath her shirt, opening to find the same family picture which caused the fairies to gasp in surprise. "Mama...? Papa...?"
Future Lucy nodded as didn't dare try to stop her tears. "Yeah... Mama and Papa..." She was able to choke out. "I'm sorry we took so long to come get you... We're sorry that you had to grow up without Papa for so long..."
"Nashi... we can go home now." Future Natsu said as he soon began to cry, kneeling down and opening his arms to invite Nashi into his embrace. "Storm, Senna and Gale are probably waiting for you back at the guild, you know?"
The peach haired girl then remembered all her friends as well as her aunts and uncles that she had forgot that also belonged in the guild back in her time. She could no longer hold back her tears as she remembered what her mother told her before sending her back in time. Her nightmare was over now that they were there. Without a second thought, Nashi left Natsu's side and tackled her parents into a tight hug. Her cries filling the garden as Future Natsu and Future Lucy returned her embrace and kissed her tears away.
Their small family was finally reunited after three years of being separated. Natsu was definitely happy that Nashi had found her actual parents (who knew that in the end he was actually her father) but at the same time, he couldn't help but feel sad. Like Lucy, he had also gotten attached to the child. It made sense since he was her father, but hearing her having to leave with his and Lucy's future selves... left a bad taste in his mouth. He could only guess that Lucy would feel the same.
It was then that Natsu remembered that Lucy still hadn't arrived to the garden like everyone else had and immediately looked to Igneel with a concerned expression. "Luce should be here by now..." He said, making the time travellers look towards him.
"She will turn up soon Natsu." Igneel reassured. "She was quite the distance when she casted her Sun Crater spell, so she should be almost here."
It was then that Future Lucy wiped away the last of hers and Nashi's tears, Future Natsu had already stopped crying earlier than they did, and the two parents stood up and shook their head. "No... Natsu's right." The blonde said. "We should go look for my younger self. I still have to thank her for taking care of Nashi."
"Yeah. Especially since I didn't tell her the part about us having a kid and that you sent her here." Future Natsu added, making the Fairy Tail mages gape at him with shock.
Future Lucy had then hit him on the head without hesitation with anger in her eyes. "And why exactly did you leave that out huh?"
"Ow Luce!" Future Natsu whined, earning a giggle from Nashi. "I just thought that learning about Nashi would be too much of a shock to her! She was practically paralyzed when she saw the wedding ring!"
"It's like the dragon invasion hadn't happened at all..." The mages, dragons and knights thought whilst sweatdropping.
It was a shame that that happy moment couldn't last any longer. While the mages watched the couple argue in amusement, Nashi was the only one to sense the incoming danger. She turned to look at a nearby destroyed rooftop to see a chain sickle heading straight for her parents and so, without hesitation because she feared her parents would get hurt, Nashi threw herself in weapon's way... the blade piercing through her body before being forcefully pulled out.
At the same time as the sickle impaled the peach haired girl's body, Lucy (who was already a short distance away from where everyone else was) had stopped in her tracks when she felt an ache in her heart that made it hard for her to breathe. The blonde empress immediately knew, in that instance, that something had happened to Nashi and she began to run desperately towards the garden. Praying that her daughter was actually fine and that it was only her paranoia.
"Please..." Lucy begged in her thoughts. "Please let Nashi be alright!"
Nashi fell to the ground, blood spurting from her mouth as the Dragneel couple's eyes widened in absolute agony. Natsu's, as well as the rest of the people present, eyes following after them. Both Future Natsu and Future Lucy rushed to their daughter's side, kneeling down to hover over her while grabbing her hand. Wendy and Grandeeney rushing towards them in attempt to heal the peach haired girl. The dragons and dragon slayers present cursing at themselves for not being able to sense any danger.
The six year old continued to cough up blood as colourful magic energy left her body and was instantly placed within Future Lucy's body. The blonde woman regaining her dragon slaying magic and her Dragon Empress power restored to her. Once she realized she had her sky dragon slaying magic, she began to help Wendy and Grandeeney. "Just hold on Nashi! Don't close your eyes!"
"Ma...ma... I-"
"Don't say another word! Save your strength, okay!?" Future Natsu commanded, holding onto his daughter's hand tightly. "Just keep looking at me, Papa and Mama are right here!"
Everyone was completely paralyzed, unable to know what to do with the current situation. They just watched as Grandeeney and Wendy's expressions became regretful as the injury proved to be fatal and refused to close. They bowed their heads in shame as they stopped, Future Lucy denying the reality before her as she kept pushing herself to heal her daughter. As much as she wished to close the hole in her daughter's body, sky magic could only do so much to heal.
Nashi knew this and moved her hand so that she could place it atop her mother's, the blonde's tears falling on her child's cheeks. Then, she squeezed her father's hand so that he would look at her. Her parents' faces completely stained with tears and the air stinging her nose from the scent of salt. "Mama... stop..."
"I won't stop! I won't stop until you're healed!" Future Lucy cried, shaking her head.
"Ma...ma... Pa...pa... it's... it's okay..." Nashi choked out, coughing up more blood. "I... I finally... got... to pro...tect... you..."
"That's not your job to do, Nashi!" Natsu shouted, his anger directed at himself more than her. "As your parents we're supposed to protect you! It's okay for you to hide! Just let us protect you!"
Nashi ignored her father's words and turned to her guild, forcing a smile on her face. "Thank you... for being... my... my nakama..." She said, before making eye contact with Natsu. "Tell... Mama... thank you... for... for being... my... parents here..."
"Nashi... please..." Natsu said in a low whisper she was able to hear. "Don't go..."
"We love you, Nashi!" Her parents continued to cry. "We love you so please... please hold on while we heal you!"
The peach haired girl began to cry as she looked back to her parents and began to close her eyes. "I... love you too... Mama... Papa..."
Once the child's eyes closed and her body went limp, Future Natsu and Future Natsu's eyes widened as they gasped. Their crying becoming louder as the other Fairy Tail mages began to cry silently at the loss of their adorable little member. Natsu falling to his knees in disbelief as the dragons turned away and hid their tears beneath the bangs of their hair. The little princess who they loved as much as she loved them was now gone. The fairies and dragons lost a piece of their nakama.
"No..." Lucy thought as she heard every word said by the two time travellers and her, now known to be, future daughter. Tears fell from her eyes as her body shaked uncontrollably, her mind whirling like a tornado as she knew without a doubt that Nashi is dead. "My future daughter... my daughter... she can't be..."
'Mama!'
'So that's Aquarius and that's Scorpio, Mama?'
'Mama! Look, Grandpa's giving me a ride today!'
'Are we going on a job today?'
'Yay! I get to train with you today! Let's go!'
'Go Mama! Go and beat the mean lady!'
'My mama is the great Athena!'
'I love you Mama!'
'We'll always be together! You, me and the guild! We're nakama!'
Lucy stared at Nashi's body from afar, the daughter she cared for for practically three almost four years now lifeless and cold. It seemed like time itself had stopped and all the blonde empress could hear was her own heartbeat slow its pace. Ushin and Usami's malicious grins widening as their plan was finally going to reach its final conclusion. Natsu may have been able to destroy the Eclipse Gate, but they could care less about the dragons they brought from 400 years in the past. Their true goal had been something else.
A gasp came from Future Lucy's lips, her body glowing gold as she began to fade away. Future Natsu, who had been crying over his daughter's cold corpse, soon noticed it and his tears flowed even more. He immediately went and held his wife in his arms, asking her why in the world she was suddenly fading away and drawing the attention of everyone else. Natsu, who finally stood up while still in absolute shock over Nashi's passing, then turned to see not only Future Lucy fade away but his future counterpart fade as well.
Future Lucy then made eye contact with the two twins and her eyes widened in shock, understanding everything as she moved her pupils to look for her younger self. The blonde woman finally began to weep bitterly at her failure, silencing Future Natsu' questions as she placed her hand on her husband's cheek and placed a kiss on his lips quickly. It was then that Future Natsu realized that he too was fading and looked at the woman before him who forced a sorrowful smile upon her face while she hugged him tightly.
"It was never Nashi that they wanted, Natsu..." She whispered so low only he could hear. "She was only a tool... just like you... and just like me... They got what they want... They got her..."
Her husband stared at her in shock, understanding what she meant before placing a gentle kiss on her forehead. Future Natsu thought back to the nearing future, where he had nearly died because of a war. The only reason he didn't die back then was because of Future Lucy. If she was disappearing, it meant that he would have to disappear as well. But he had hope that time would be altered once more and turned to see Nashi's body fade away completely. The couple believing that their nakama could still change what has been done.
He nodded to her as Future Lucy fully faded into the light, the majority of his body already gone. He turned his attention to Natsu and though his body was fading, Future Natsu could feel his heart mourn the loss of his wife. "Hey... you gotta promise me something." Future Natsu said as his tears faded into the air. "Promise me... Promise me that you won't let Lucy die. No matter what."
Natsu's eyes, along with everyone else's eyes, widened at the time traveller's words. They had just watched Nashi's and Future Lucy's bodies faded away just now and Future Natsu was next, but now he was making Natsu promise that he won't let Lucy die? Of course the fire dragon slayer wouldn't allow that, Lucy was his best friend and partner next to Happy! Natsu stared at his future self with narrowed eyes, but nodded regardless. He just saw Nashi die... he wasn't going to let Lucy die either.
"I would be the one dying before she ever does." Natsu said while the fairies stared at him in shock from his vow.
Future Natsu let out an empty chuckle as his head began to fade away completely, one last tear falling from his scarred cheek. "That's good." He replied. "After all... she's my one and only... she's... our mate..."
No one was able to catch the final words of the pink headed time traveller as he turned into specks of light and disappeared. Natsu's face was still drenched in tears and since Lucy was nowhere in sight, it was up to him to break the news to her. That Nashi is dead and who her actual parents are. Somehow, he had a feeling that the blonde empress already knew that her adopted child was their future selves' daughter because that's how smart she was, but that didn't stop his dragon instincts from screaming at him in worry.
Every single mage and the dragons that were present stayed in silence as a means of respect, but that moment was soon broken when they heard Usami and Ushin's insane laughter. They all whipped their heads to where the twins stood, atop a destroyed roof, the silver haired woman and the navy blue violet headed man staring down at them with complete satisfaction. Everyone completely surprised that they had the nerve to remain in their time even though the dragon invasion had failed.
"Looks like you guys don't understand when you've lost." Natsu said in a threatening manner, Usami's smirk widening as she placed a hand on her hip.
The twins just laughed at his remark, the reaction to their loss the complete opposite. If anything, they seemed thrilled that the dragon invasion had failed. "You just don't get it, do you? You lot didn't win, that whole dragon invasion was just a distraction that would lead up to our goal." Ushin stating in a mocking way as the mages and dragons gasped. "And now, we've got what we truly wanted."
Before anyone could dare ask what their goal was, Usami brought her hand up as Lucy walked forward from behind the building. Her body shaking immensely as she fell to her knees and getting down on all fours. Her right hand clutching her head in pain as she tried to set her mind right. The fairies were in shock at the sight, Natsu about to run and attempt to comfort her but was held back by Igneel. The Fire Dragon King and the other dragons bearing utterly terrified faces.
"Dad!? What-"
"You should listen to that dragon father of yours, Dragneel." Usami warned as she flexed her hand and somehow making Lucy cry out in pain. "For you still have one more hostile dragon to slay."
Lucy's nails began to turn into claws, her skin being decorated in golden scales. Her clothes began to rip at her growing limbs and a golden tail appeared from behind. The mages all gasped in shock as the blonde empress began to transform, presumably because Usami had done something to her. Yet when looking at the dragons, Fairy Tail realized that their reactions were not of shock but of fear. They knew exactly what was happening to Lucy... and it was making them fearful of her.
Two horns, that resembled Wiesslogia's, grew from the two sides of Lucy's temples and when she opened her eyes, they constricted as the pupil disappeared and left her with soulless eyes. Her fangs became more prominent and her hair vanished as her head became a dragon's mane. Two large wings grew from her back and soon enough, her body stopped struggling in pain. Instead, the golden dragon before the mages could no longer be recognized as Lucy. There was no trace of the blonde empress in the dragon's eyes.
"What the hell is going on here!?" Gray demanded as he grabbed Kai from the collar. "Why the hell did Lucy turn into a dragon!?"
"Grandeeney... please tell me you didn't know about this..." Wendy begged, only for the sky dragon to turn away in shame.
"You mind saying something!?" Gajeel shouted as Metalicana remained frozen in his spot.
"No way... we... we just barely got out of that nightmare..." Sting said as Lector clung onto his leg in fear.
"She is... on a completely different level than those dragons we had to face..." Rogue thought.
Usami, practically living with the fear in each mages' eyes, turned her attention to Igneel. Every thing happening at that moment couldn't have been anymore enjoyable for the twins. "Go on, Fire Dragon King... tell them the truth." She said, causing the red headed man's body to twitch. "Tell them about how your empress had gone through dragonification."
The fairies were all shocked by those words. None of the other guilds knew about the fact that dragon slayers who had learned their magic by dragons would transform into dragons themselves, if it weren't for a dragon going into their body via a secret art to create defenses against it. No one else even knew that the chaos dragon, Acnologia himself, was a dragon slayer before becoming the dragon he now is in the current era. Especially Sting, Rogue and Cobra. Natsu's body was shaking as he slowly turned his head to his dragon parent. Igneel, along with the other dragons, hung their heads low and giving a simple nod.
"It's true..." Igneel said as the mages' hearts dropped in disbelief. "Lucy had unfortunately gone through dragonification upon learning her tenth dragon slaying element, around the fifth year into her training."
"We were ready to reverse the process when the earliest signs of dragonification began taking over her body... but her grown body rejected our spell and the more she learned, the more she became a dragon." Metalicana added.
"No..." Levy said as she covered her mouth.
"Luckily, she was able to keep her sanity after the transformation and soon learnt how to transform back into her original human body like how we transform into humans." Ava explained. "She didn't want any of you to know."
"Yes... and now we finally have the world's most powerful dragon under our control!" Ushin cried as his and Usami's power grew. "First we'll slay all of you and then! We'll go and slay Acnologia before conquering all of Earthland!"
"I'm afraid you'll have to slay her in order to stop us." Usami said. "Because unfortunately, she can't vanish like the other dragons had."