Sorry for the long wait, and also sorry if I might not be able to update as frequently as before; I'm going to try to find a rhythm again. This is all I got for now but I hope you'll enjoy! Writing and reviews (thank you for those!) always motivate me most ^^

"Natsu?!" Lucy came to the same conclusion as Erza when the giant rabbit set a table on fire.

"What happened here?" Erza entered by far less cautiously than Lucy, Wendy and Juvia. "Where's Jellal?" She asked as if the rest was as clear as day.

The tall bird turned to look at them, almost falling over with the sudden rotation of only its head. The look in her eyes seemed familiar, although Lucy did not know what had brought 'her' to her mind. It was definitely Lisanna's complete bird transformation, but it was not Lisanna.

Lucy grimaced when Erza was about to stomp over to Laxus who looked equally lost – at the same time as if looking for something he had lost. On his heels was a small pig. It sprouted a tuft of green hair, almost making it too easy to figure out who it was.

"You're back," Mira hurried over to them, "I'm so sorry, but we're going to need your help," she said. Sweat drops were pooling on her nape, a constant frown settled on her forehead. She was holding a carafe of water, a fish swimming inside it that looked about as ready to keel over as she did.

"What happened?" Wendy asked, a hand hovering in front of her mouth. Juvia was staring down the fish so intensely, Lucy expected lasers to come out of her eyes any second, while Erza seemed on the edge of shaking. Her eyes were darting about, unquestionably to find Jellal.

"The boys tried something with a new spell, something with defence I think, and Lisanna volunteered to try it out," Mira hastily explained. "We think it might have ricocheted and turned into a defence against her own magic – everyone was turning into animals all of a sudden, and these are the Animal Souls she possesses…" she pulled a face when looking at the carafe. "I'm sorry Juvia," she said, genuinely discontent as she handed it over. Juvia gasped.

"Gray, my darling!" She caught on immediately. Snatching away the carafe, she pressed it to her face as if trying to hug him despite his container. Tears were already gushing out of her eyes.

"Elfman is doing his best, but Natsu doesn't seem to understand his situation – he keeps running things over and I'm afraid he might knock down a pillar or wall," Mira said. "Could you try and talk to him, Lucy?"

"Me?" Lucy flinched.

"I think they still hear and understand us, only he isn't listening," Mira pulled a face.

"And we don't want him to discover how destructive he can be…" Wendy quietly added. All three faces fell. They had to act, and quickly. One table on fire was already not too good a start.

"Where's Jellal?" Erza pressed, her thoughts not anywhere near the potential destruction of the Guild Hall.

"I'm sorry, Erza, but we haven't found him yet,"

"What?" Erza's entire body bolted into a straight position. Her eyes flashed from side to side, jaw tightening. All she saw was the rabbit, the bird, the fish and the pig that was most definitely Freed. Her eyes pierced Laxus, who had apparently escaped the accident. "Where is he, Mira; where's my husband?!" She was somewhere between a holler and a screech. Lucy's stomach lurched in pity.

"He was here when it happened," Mira pursed her lips apologetically. "But we haven't seen him since the enchantment took effect – Lisanna is still unconscious and I wanted to ask Jet to get Porlyusica but he is also gone," Mira's distress voiced itself by a slight tremble. Both women appeared close to collapse, so Lucy stepped over to the rune circle. "Having the Animals Souls removed might be causing her Magic Deficiency," Mira went on quietly, perhaps more to herself.

"I'll go see if I can help," Wendy said, hurrying upstairs to the infirmary. Mira nodded gratefully.

"I have to find Jellal," Erza ascertained. The hope of him not having been hit was still there, even though she did not believe in it.

The ground shook, almost throwing them off balance for a moment. Wendy clutched the handrail on her way to the second floor while Lucy supported herself on a table. The big bird fell, knocking Juvia over with her who did not let go of the carafe for even a second.

They all stared at the corner where Elfman had grabbed a pillar as not to be knocked down. Natsu had figured out how to jump.

The ground shook again, this time on purpose as Natsu hopped up again, crashing down. The next leap sent him right through the floorboards, breaking in with his feet. He yowled, unable to speak. Fire shot out his mouth in frustration and pain at the stinging boards in his feet.

"Lucy," Mira urged hopefully.

"Okay, okay, I'll try to-" another crash, this time more like an explosion. The side door was gone, and with it half the wall, the lintel gone. Natsu was gone with it.

Elfman reacted quickly, stacking tables and benches like a madman lest the side of the Guild Hall crumble down. He nodded over to them, dutifully hurrying out the main gate, still in his beast form. Evergreen gave chase where they attempted to at least not let Natsu get out of their sight.

"Maybe I'll stay here and help with the runes instead…" Lucy mumbled. "Where's Levy anyway? Please don't tell me she's an animal, too,"

"No, Gajeel took Levy home when it happened – I know she was fine," Mira retold. "He was quite angry actually, yelling something like not bringing her back any time soon…" she pulled a face. Lucy mirrored it, though she understood his point of view. Natsu in the body of a huge rabbit was one thing, but a pregnant animal for a girlfriend…?

"Do you think Jellal was transformed?" Erza burned her gaze into Mira, obviously hoping for a 'no'. Not least because she could not make herself believe just that.

"Well, all that's left to find is a penguin, a cat and a harpy," Mira enumerated. Erza furrowed her brows, looking around with as much sympathy as fear for her poor beloved. "The harpy might not have left Lisanna's body at all, though I'm not sure," Mira said. Lucy frowned, so Mira went on. "It was never in a body; at least not when she acquired it. It was merely the soul trapped in an object, and it was gladly accepted as opposed to the more difficult transformations," she explained.

"But if Laxus is still here..." Erza glanced at the Lightning Dragon Slayer with unease. Her pupils had already shrunk, and Lucy noticed the quivering fists where she balled them as not to give anything away. Always the strong one, even at her worst.

"I'm afraid Jellal might have gotten caught up in it too," Mira speculated carefully. "Laxus dodged it but I'm not sure about Jellal; I haven't seen him anywhere," she said. "But I was also busy saving Gray and bringing Lisanna to the infirmary, so he might have left without me noticing," she quicky added. She had also caught wind of Erza's gradual unravelling.

"He said he'd wait for me…" Erza whispered. Her head was low, eyes overshadowed by her hair.

"What?" Mira tilted her head. Lucy wished she had not asked.

"Jellal said he'd wait for me here!" Erza growled, and they knew it was as not to break. She had always forbidden herself to cry in front of others – Natsu and Gray were still stunned speechless whenever it did happen on a rare occasion. The thought of hormones intensifying her emotions did not even cross Lucy's mind that instant. "Jellal said-"

"Jellal, Jellal," a strange croaking came from the side. All three of them turned towards the beaked face that gaped at them somewhat stupidly. Erza blinked to get rid of the itch in her eyes. It had sounded like a parrot; someone merely repeating words, but Mira had said they were capable of understanding.

"Meredy?" Erza guessed. Lucy's eyes went wide. Now that she mentioned it, those eyes did resemble those of the Maguilty Sense Mage. Her feathers were mostly of a greenish turquoise, and the tips being pink did not have to point at her original hair colour since they appeared the same way when Lisanna used them.

"Jellal, find Jellal," the squawking voice told them.

"Where is he?" Erza asked. She was too concerned to find the entire situation odd, at least so Lucy thought, wondering how she adapted so quickly. She had been a wizard of Fairy Tail for a long time after all.

"Jellal fear, find Jellal," Meredy blabbed. Erza's pitiful frown returned. So then he had been transformed. Of course he would be afraid, and the way Erza looked around more hectically spoke of another fear – him having run away. Lucy's imagination spun her images of a tiny penguin waddling aimlessly around town, possibly getting driven over by a cart…

Whatever Erza's imagination conjured up for her must have been worse, judging by the horror on her face.

"Meredy," she sounded urgent, the tremble in her voice coming through like ripples on the usually stoic surface of the pond that was her façade. Meredy scratched herself with one foot, tumbling over face first to the ground, not knowing yet how to cope with her body. Erza crouched down, hastily scratching the spot in her stead. "Meredy, can you cast a Sensory Link with Jellal?" She asked. It would even make sense, Lucy realised: Natsu had used his magic instinctively.

Just then, the penguin Lucy had pictured shambled in through the front gate. It was enormous for a penguin. They all stared at it for a moment. It looked lost. Confused. Perhaps afraid, but it was hard to tell. It took another step, then stumbled and fell.

"Meredy," Erza pressed. She received a long look of puzzlement, but eventually, Meredy let out a squaeek and a pink bracelet glowed along her wing. The same could not be said for the penguin's wing, all eyes boring into him.

Droy appeared next, nudging the bird back to its feet with a lot of effort.

"Whenever he tries to use his magic, he just falls," he said. Jet, they concluded. How ironic (and most likely even more frustrating than Natsu's scales having turned into fluffy fur).

"I brought Lisanna upstairs earlier; maybe we'll have a better view from the second floor," Mira proposed with what was supposed to be encouragement. Erza quietly thanked Meredy who stopped the spell, looking exhausted. She stayed where she was, somewhat sitting, somewhat lying on the ground, following them with her long neck peering over the closest table as the three women climbed the stairs.

"We have to find a solution as fast as possible," Mira said, her voice tight with worry. "Lisanna passed out and looked a lot as if having serious Magic Deficiency,"

"But they're not magic energy, right? She didn't lose her magic, so she should be alright," Lucy pondered aloud. "She didn't have Magic Deficiency before obtaining her Animal Souls," she reasoned. What bothered her even more than the theory behind the entire dilemma was how to reverse it. If Jellal really was transformed, Levy locked up at home with Black Steel Gajeel guarding her, and Freed in the body of a pig… it was up to her to fix it!

"Perhaps because she now lost them so at once...?" Mira shrugged helplessly. "She didn't seem just passed out, more as if in a trance," she said as they arrived on the balcony overlooking the guild.

"Jellal?" Erza called anxiously. Down below, Laxus was now rummaging through the bar, Freed quite obviously annoyed where he followed his every step. Droy and Reedus were occupying themselves with a sulking Jet, so Lucy let the Animal Souls Lisanna possessed repeat themselves in her head. According to Mira – if she was right – all that was missing was…

"Jellal?" Erza had turned towards the second floor now. Mirajane joined her, lifting the tablecloths. Wherever she peered beneath, there was nothing, not until Erza marched back to the balcony. "I'm going to ask Meredy again to cast-" she froze when there was a sound. Lucy frowned. It was not human, more of a meow, but it had sounded so much like 'Erza' she almost mistook it for Mira speaking her friend's name.

"Jellal," Erza muttered, not making the same mistake. She had heard it, too. Turning around, she pronounced his name again. Mira was just as spurred on, lifting cloth after cloth until she reached the table in the far corner.

She was not yet done raising the cloth when a shadow shot out from under it. Lucy winced, shrieking in fright when the dash bolted towards Erza. Another meow, again sounding like her name. Erza fell to her knees, opening her arms for a slender grey cat, almost seeming a tinge blue with its pelt shiny yet standing on end.

"Jellal," Erza breathed, tears standing in her eyes. He all but bounded into her, up onto her lap and into her stomach, pressing his face to her dress as if to hide again. "Is that you?" She asked regardless of already knowing. He only mewled miserably in response. Like a whimper, sounding close to 'help', Lucy thought.

Quietly, gently, Erza hushed him despite her own apprehension. Stroking his back, she whispered promises. He again tried to vanish by pressing his head into her palms. His fur prickled with irritation at how his tail seemed to have a mind of its own, hackles rising without his consent.

"Lucy!" Erza's head snapped around. Lucy jumped, hands in front of her chest out of reflex. Jellal spooked at the suddenly raised voice, though she suspected her own presence to have scared him as well. He disappeared beneath Erza's dress within a heartbeat, scrambling between her knees. "You need to reverse this," Erza instructed as if it was only a question of will. "The runes should still be there, right?" She turned to Mira. "Then we can undo this unholy curse," she turned back to Lucy. Her eyes were not so much commanding as they were pleading.

Mira nodded at Lucy, and they led the way back down. The rune circle had been hard to miss where they had chalked it on the ground in front of the bar. Behind them – and Lucy could not help but get a glimpse over her shoulder – Erza patiently waited for Jellal to reappear. She followed them a minute later, her transformed husband in her arms. He was clutching the dress with his claws, trembling lightly.

"Let's see then…" Lucy encircled the writing on the ground.

"You tryin' to reverse it?" Laxus suddenly stood next to her. As if she had not been surprised enough that day. "Did you find him then?" He sounded hopeful. It really was strange, that liking he took in the Heavenly Body Mage. Then again, it was his fault – in a way – that all of this had happened; he must have felt guilty.

"We did," Lucy reluctantly uncurled a single finger to indicate the cat in Erza's arms. Laxus gulped. "Is this what it looked like when it happened?" Lucy focused back on the inscription. "Did it activate by itself or did you have any spell to chant?" She enquired.

"It activated by itself," he said, pulling a face as he recalled. "Lisanna was eager to try it. We didn't even ask her or anyone to do so," he shot a regretful glance at Mira. "Freed had already figured out that it was for defensive purposes, and I thought it might be good to have an advanced spell protect the guild," he explained, "something that would activate when we need it,"

"And stay dormant otherwise," Lucy finished. She remembered most of Freed's barrier spells, if only the fact that he was capable of casting them. Most if not all of them triggered with anyone stepping in, abilities of caging in their prey varying depending on which rules he applied. The battle of Fairy Tail had shown that all too well.

"Yeah," Laxus grunted. "I'm not sure what Jellal was babbling about but he had several ideas to complete what was missing," he retold. "We didn't let anyone touch it until he had changed it up a couple of times and was content with it. Lisanna was still excited about her mission, so she just stepped in without warning," he lowered his head. Lucy could hear Mirajane suppress a sigh.

"Can you change it, Lucy?" Erza asked. "If they all turn back, I'm certain Lisanna will be alright again," she stepped closer to Mira for support. They exchanged a glance, gratefulness and trust hardly coming through the lack of confidence.

"I'll do my very best," Lucy promised, forming fists to boost her morale.

"Oi, Romeo," Laxus called. Romeo came running over from where he had enjoyed watching penguin-Jet, eyes widening when he caught sight of the cat Erza was carrying.

"No way!" He edged closer. "Don't tell me that's Jellal!" He gasped. "But he was like- I mean Natsu is so huge, this can't be right, right?" He looked from Mira to Laxus. "Right?" He seemed more excited than shocked. He then turned to Erza. "Can I…?" He held out a finger. Jellal recoiled slightly, pressing his back into Erza's chest, ears flattening against his head where he tried to escape without leaving his safe spot. Erza tightened her arms in the fear of him fleeing. "Sorry," Romeo moved away, understanding. "I can't believe this happened – and to him," he kept staring though, watching Jellal intently for any resemblances of his once teacher.

"Go find the others and tell them to bring back Natsu," Laxus instructed. "If we figure this out, I guess he should be here if he doesn't want to stay a bunny." Romeo nodded seriously.

"I'll bait him with my fire," he flamed up his hands, enthusiastic about his new task. To him, it must have been just another adventure in Fairy Tail.

"Whatever, just hurry," Laxus jerked his head towards the entrance. Romeo sprinted out, calling for Natsu, Elfman and Evergreen. Freed nodded his little pig snout approvingly of his idol's deduction, having planted himself between Laxus feet. Jellal only ceased to tense his every muscle when not only the fire was gone, but all eyes went back to the circle Lucy was scrutinising. Erza kept a steady pace where she soothingly brushed a thumb over her beloved's shoulder.

"This is a tough one…" Lucy said when feeling the attention on her. She was kneeling on the ground, trying to read the partially faded chalk. Laxus backed away – nearly stumbling when Freed tried not to leave his safe spot either – and returned with a miniature communication lacrima. "I didn't know you had one,"

"Who doesn't?" Laxus rolled his eyes. Crouching down, he held it up to her face. "Maybe this helps; it's what we copied this from," he indicated the circle on the ground.

"Hmm…" Lucy mused. Her finger followed the writing on the ground while her eyes scanned the image of the lacrima. Thanks to its see-through screen, she could overlap them, squinting at the small scribbling.

"'Hmm' what?" Erza was growing impatient.

"Maybe it's best if we let her work in peace," Mira gently advised. Erza swallowed the next remark, seeing reason in spite of her body language screaming with distress. Jellal gave a single cough where she squished him too tightly.

"Alright, so this is all fine," Lucy traced a few lines, then skipped over another few, "but I really don't understand these," she tapped several of the letters. "A circular shape is not uncommon, but usually, runes are very angular and not this… curved," she said, seeing Laxus nod.

"That's Jellal's handwriting – we added this," he pointed at the respective rune, "this, this, those two, and another two over here. And this one,"

"I see," Lucy frowned. Two fingers went to her chin. "That's why I don't see the meaning in them – to be honest, I've never seen either of those anywhere before," she indicated. "Although one looks like the moon,"

"He said it stands for silver," Laxus recalled, brows furrowing. "Or was it gold?" He wondered to himself. They all stared down when he nearly winced. Freed was shaking his head heftily, tiny pink ears flapping against Laxus' ankles. "Not gold?" More flapping. "Silver?" He asked dubiously. This time, Freed nodded, almost heftier than before.

"It's alright, we understand you," Mira bent down to put a calming hand on his head when he accidentally hit his nose on the ground.

"But if this is the moon and it means silver…" Lucy sat back on her heels, "then this is a completely different system! I never learned runes of metals; elements and zodiac are fine, but this…" she pulled a face. She could feel Erza's nervousness as if it was sitting in her own stomach, twisting it into a knot. The Queen of the Fairies looked about ready to throw up. "Okay, hold on," Lucy hurriedly continued. "This part is fine, I know what it means – and it's almost more than half of everything," she attempted a smile. "And then… well, we know these belong to a different system, so we just need to find a book on that.

"I'm sure Levy will be able to help," she said, realising her mistake when Gajeel came back to mind. "B-but of course I can just do it myself, too! No problem," Lucy felt sweat pooling on her back. "So here we have the zodiac symbols – my speciality," she gave another grin towards Erza. "We can deduct this from the opposite side – in this case, they're offset which means we need to go down one row," Lucy grabbed the chalk on the ground, drawing lines.

It was almost as if the Guild Hall was holding its breath, waiting for her to just know. The pressure seemed to weigh on her like blocks of concrete, but she knew she could not give up now – her friends were counting on her. Natsu, Gray – almost her entire team was dependant on her skills, Erza perhaps more than anyone.

"Lucy," Erza spoke up. Her voice was faint, as if she really tried not to interrupt but could not help it.

"Don't worry, I totally got this," Lucy gave a thumbs up. "Here, look," she tapped the circle with the piece of chalk. "If I combine these, it makes sense again. I just have to- oh wait, I can't use this because you added it later, so- no, hold on, I can use it since this is how it was activated," she triumphed. "I just have to… there," she added a small note after connecting two circles inside.

Mira and Laxus frowned, clueless. Freed was tilting his head here and there, mostly nodding to himself. Jellal only kept his head in the fabric of Erza's dress, feet flinching reluctantly as not to sink and rest on her belly with his claws beyond his control.

"Now just add the elements to the appropriate zodiac – why are there only two…?" Lucy mumbled, getting chalk all over her hands. "Then this is the defence; yes, it's definitely that, and this here enhances it, so if I just… uh…" she hovered over the remaining piece of the inner circle. An uneven number. No missing runes, but an entirely disconnected section – whether on purpose or not, she did not know.

But it had made sense, up until…

"Lucy," Erza tried again. Her brow was twitching uneasily, but she was clearly putting great effort into remaining collected. "I have no idea what you just said – please, just tell me that you can turn him back," she asked. Lucy's lips tightened alongside her insides. How could she tell her now; both of them?

"That's what I've been saying…" she started with caution. Erza was almost impossible to read, the way even Mira held her breath unsettling Lucy even more. She could not lie, however. Admitting a lack of confidence did not mean she would stop trying after all. "I… really don't know if I can. I'm sorry, Erza,"

"What?" Erza nearly shrieked. "You mean he might forever be a cat?!" Her voice was going haywire, head too, it seemed when she staggered momentarily.

"I don't know, we might still-"

"My poor Jellal; this can't be happening," Erza panted. "He won't ever come back to the guild with me and I can't blame him," her legs buckled when she shook her head. Shit, Lucy thought, was Erza crying? "But I can blame you!" She roared, spinning to glare Laxus down. Okay, she's back, Lucy found, pulling an awkward face. With blazing eyes, Erza had a sword drawn, the tip close to nipping at Laxus throat in her headless rage, Jellal all but dangling from one arm.

Lucy had always wondered – and she was sure not to be the only one – how he coped. Never mind how they all survived regular-crazy Erza, but how in the world did Jellal survive hormone-driven-crazy Erza? And every day…

"How dare you put my dearest in such precarious situations! I'm blaming you entirely and if you don't find a way to turn him back, I swear, I will-" she fumed when Laxus cut her off.

"Shut your howling trap for a moment, will you!" He hollered, booming even above her voice. "It's not like I wanted any of this to happen; I'm trying just as much to come up with a solution,"

"I'm not seeing any-"

"Well I'm not seeing you do anything either!"

"Excuse me! I'm not the one who-"

"Oh, shut up will you!" He raised both hands, and for the split of a second, Lucy feared he was going to hit her. "I didn't mean for any of this to happen! I- argh, whatever! I'm going to talk to Gajeel; see if Levy will come and help…" he sauntered away before anyone could comment on that crack in his voice they might have just imagined. His head was hanging, usually squared shoulders slightly hunched, and he snarled when Freed remained glued to his ankle. Shoving him aside with his foot, Laxus left the Guild Hall alone.

A most uncomfortable silence settled. Jet had hidden his head beneath a table alongside Droy. Juvia, who had aided Meredy with finding a position where she would not fall over again, now had her hands covering her mouth. Big eyes wandered from the entrance to Erza. Her chest still heaved, furious eyes visibly stinging with tears.

She ignored them, turning on the heel. Rucking up Jellal up in her arms, she pressed him to her as she made for the stairs.

"We're going to see Wendy," she announced, much more softly than expected. She was fleeing, Lucy fathomed.

A pitying sigh escaped her. Lowering her eyes, she glanced at the added and smeared circle. Lisanna… her mind wandered upstairs. Natsu, Gray, Freed, Meredy, Jet… Her gaze followed, seeing scarlet disappear in the infirmary. Jellal…

She would find a way to reverse it, she promised her friends – promised herself. If only Freed and Jellal would be able to speak. If Levy were allowed to come. Lucy shut her eyes tightly, seeking resolve in herself. There was no way she would fail; she would not allow it.

For now, she had to figure out the missing elements and try to comprehend Jellal's theory. That, and pray the spell did not have a time limit of reversal…