A/N: Episode 187.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER FORTY-ONE: CHANGE

Palace dining hall...

"And until that time came, we were in a prison." Future Dusk was saying.

"'That time'?" Happy quoted.

"Um, why did you come from the future, Dusk-san?" Wendy asked.

"In order to change a terrible future..."

"A terrible future?" Akame repeated.

"What happened in your future?" Yukino questioned.

"Despair awaits in the very near future. A swarm of more than 10,000 dragons will attack this country. The city is burned down. The palace is destroyed. Many lives are lost." Future Dusk replied, leaving everyone in shock.

"What... the hell... is that?!" Natsu screamed out.

"Use your indoor voice!" Lily scolded.

"Over 10,000 dragons..." Zack mumbled.

"Why would that happen?" Yukino asked.

"Oh my gosh!" Happy shrieked.

"Maybe it has something to do with the dragon graveyard?" Wendy guessed.

"I don't know." Carla said.

"It's unfathomable." Bruno added.

"Oh my gosh!" Happy continued to freak out.

"That's annoying!" Lily told him in irritation.

"I wonder where they'll come from." Lucy said.

"Is it even possible for them to be lying in wait without being discovered?" Loke questioned.

Natsu was holding a bunch of spears. "Anyway, we gotta stop wastin' time here and prepare for war!"

"We're going to fight?!" Lucy exclaimed.

"That'd be impossible!" Happy added.

"Everyone... You believe me?" Future Dusk blinked in shock.

"Is it a lie?!" Natsu accused.

"No! But..." Future Dusk paused. "I didn't think anyone would believe something like this."

"Why would we doubt your words, Dusk?" Akame asked.

Future Dusk glanced down and smiled slightly. "You're my future self, but that's pathetic! Have more trust in your friends!" Dusk scolded.

"I'm scolding myself?!" Future Dusk exclaimed. "But you're right..."

Carla walks up to Future Dusk. "Hey, what happened to us in the palace when the dragons came?"

Future Dusk glanced down and didn't reply. "Carla, I'll take a guess. Maybe we..." Wendy started to say.

"...d-died?"

"No..."

"We... died?" Happy teared up.

"Because I was with you? Bringing bad luck..." Yukino thinks to herself.

Future Dusk glanced down, recalling the dragons sprouting fire everywhere as he was buried under debris.

"Akame! Akame!"

"I don't remember how many days passed. When I came to, I remembered Eclipse. I didn't know how to activate it, but Lucy and I opened the Gate by instinct. We both had faith in the possibility of going back in time. And then we really did go back to the past. July 4th, 791." Future Dusk explained.

"That's... so recent." Loke commented.

"With Eclipse, can you only go back to the recent past?" Mira asked.

"But the plan was to go back 400 years in the past and defeat Zeref..." Wendy reminded.

"I don't know. Part of it was broken, so maybe that's why." Future Dusk stated.

Arcadios was leaning on the wall, now conscious. "I see. He's the mysterious person from the future who advised the princess. But something's bothering me..." He thought.

"There are Lacrimas placed all throughout the city to film the Grand Magic Game. I want you to go underground to meet up with Jellal and his comrades." Future Dusk instructed.

"Jellal?" Natsu repeated.

"I told him everything. I'm sure he's developing a strategy right now."

"Developing a strategy?" Dusk quoted.

Future Dusk glanced down. "I'm sorry. I didn't come from the future with an answer. I don't know how to keep all of this from happening." He confessed.

"As I thought..." Arcadios noted, thinking back to his conversation with Hisui. "Why? You're the one who sold the princess on Eclipse 2. And you arriving on the 4th is a lie, too. Why are you lying to your comrades?"

"I'm really sorry. It's like, why did I even come here in the first place? Until today, I didn't know what to do, so I just wandered around the city." Future Dusk said.

"Nah. We'll do somethin'." Akame promised, making Future Dusk glance up.

Akame kneeled down, taking Future Dusk's head in his hands and making him look at him. "Thank you. You're doin' this for our future." He smiled as Future Dusk recalled what had happened to his mate.

Dusk had woken up, his eyes blinking for a moment as he sat up. When he turned, his eyes widened upon seeing Akame's body not moving.

"Akame..." Dusk tried to shake him awake.

He was cold.

"No... No!" Dusk exclaimed. "You dumbass! You used that spell, didn't you?!"

Future Dusk began sobbing as Akame wipes his tears away. "I swear we'll change the future." Akame promised.

"It's not all necessarily true?" Ultear quoted.

"You mean the Future Dusk is lying?" Meredy asked.

"Why go to all that trouble?" Ultear questioned.

"More than 10,000 dragons... Eclipse... Magic power... It just doesn't add up." Jellal explained.

"Then..." Meredy started to say.

"...he's purposely giving misinformation about the future?" Ultear concluded.

"Are Dusk's words lies? Or is his entire existence a fiction?" Jellal asked.

Future Dusk currently had his hood up as the group was following him. "This way!" He instructed.

"I'm surprised you know the way!" Natsu confessed.

"Yeah, well, you can thank Lucy's future self for that. We wanted to at least avoid a future where everyone is captured by the imperial army." Future Dusk explained.

"Makes sense." Bruno commented.

"You two must have studied the underground passages, huh?" Happy asked.

"I want to send up a flare soon." Mira informed.

"Especially since everyone must be worried about us." Wendy added.

The group finally made their way into the palace halls, the sound of the royal guards were soon coming their way.

"There they are! The fugitives!"

"Capture them!"

"The imperial army? They were stationed here?!" Future Dusk exclaimed.

"How...?!" Dusk questioned.

Natsu cracked his knuckles. "Don't worry! If I can use magic, we won't get caught."

"That's right." Loke agreed.

"E-Excuse me!" Wendy shouted. "Arcadios-san isn't here!"

"Neither is Yukino!" Mira added.

"What?!"

"Why would they go off on their own?!" Lucy asked as Future Dusk had a dark shadow casted on his face.

"I don't care about the knight, but I can't leave Yukino behind. I'll go back!" Mira claimed, turning around and heading the opposite direction.

"Mira!"

"Don't! We'll get separated!" Lucy shouted.

"Everyone, be careful!" Mira warned.

"Leave it to us. We're gonna..." Natsu started to say.

"Yeah." Loke and Akame agreed.

"...run through these guys!" Natsu, Akame, and Loke finished in unison as they got into a fighting stance.

"Get them!"

Natsu leaped into the air with a fist covered in flames, attacking some of the guards as Akame and Loke attacked some more.

"Mira-san..." Wendy thought worriedly.

"Yukino..." Lucy thinks to herself.

"I'll protect you, Carla." Happy claimed, holding up a stick.

"This uneasy feeling..." Carla had her paws to her head. "What should we do?!"

Jellal raised his head as him, Ultear, and Meredy all sensed it. "This magic..." Ultear muttered.

"I'm sure of it!" Meredy added.

"In the city..."

"Calm down. The Future Dusk has become caught up in a battle. If Natsu and the others are with him, there's no need to panic." Jellal informed.

"Get back, Dusk!" Jim warned as he used his Transformation Magic to grow larger once more.

"I'm fine!" Dusk reassured.

Wendy threw some wind up in the air, attacking the guards.

"If this is how you guys normally handle criminals, I feel sorry for the kingdom. Azure Dragon's Brutal Fist!" Zack called out, engulfing his fist with blue light energy and punching the guards.

"Even though they're just kids, they're damn strong!"

"Call the anti-magic unit!"

"You're not getting past us!" Loke claimed, kicking one of the guards as both Natsu and Akame threw back more royal guards.

Natsu and Akame suddenly got blasted by magic. "Direct hit! Ready waves two and three!"

"Was that magic?" Carla asked.

"Who are those guys?" Happy questioned. "Natsu!"

"Akame!" Chii called out in worry.

"The kingdom has a magic unit, too..." Bruno muttered.

Natsu pats his back. "That's a surprise."

Akame chuckled as he turned around. "You guys actually make a living with magic like that?"

"It didn't work!"

"Are those kids monsters?!"

"What should we do?!"

"Hi! Sorry I took so long!"

"Don't!"

"We weren't waiting for you!"

"Don't just come out on your own!"

"Who the hell are you?!" Natsu asked.

"Sorry, sorry!" The dolphin spoke.

"Me? I'm the kingdom of Fiore's strongest magic soldier."

"That's going too far!" The dolphin exclaimed.

Akame turned to look at Natsu. "I can't tell if that's a man or a dolphin." He stated, making Natsu shrug.

"What is this guy?" Lily questioned. "A wizard? Not a Celestial Spirit?"

"They don't have people like him." Lucy responded.

"Time for punishment, isn't it, Princess?" Virgo asked.

"I'm gonna go all out for the lovely Princess Hisui."

"Ball! Get it!" The dolphin said, moving through the guards.

"He's bowling over his allies?" Wendy questioned.

"That guy's scary!" Happy exclaimed.

"In more ways than one..." Bruno commented.

The dolphin guy crashed into Natsu as Akame moved out of the way. "You got some power there!" Natsu claimed.

"I got confidence in my physical strength!" The dolphin said.

"Your man there's exhausted!" Natsu pointed out.

"Sorry! I can't..."

"You can't?!"

"All right!" Natsu lit his fist on fire. "If you claim to be the strongest, then I'm gonna do my worst!"

"Okay! I'm waiting for it with open arms..." The guy was sweating.

"All that sweat!" The dolphin complained.

"Fire Dragon's Fist!" Natsu called out, punching the man-dolphin away.

"We tried!"

A/N: Another chapter is completed!

Thanks for reading!

~ Kaleb.