I got my heart full of hope

I will change everything

No matter what I'm told

Or how impossible it seems

I walked into the arena on the final day with the other members of my team, greeted by the spectators with shouts of confusion. They had been hoping to see another fight involving Natsu and the Sabertooth dragon slayers, and everyone wondered why I had taken his place. There was no way to explain what had happened, so we simply ignored the shouting as we waited to begin. Eventually, Mato came onto the field for the last time to speak. The final event was explained to everyone before we were released.

We were then led into the city, to a fountain that was Fairy Tail's designated starting point. I glanced down at my outfit, fidgeting nervously. I wore a black hood-less cloak that had sleeves ending at my elbows, over a (f/c) tank top and black shorts. My fishnet tights were held up by thick black garters and I had my trusty pair of boots on my feet. It was an intricate outfit, but fitting for this final fight. I checked over it again, making sure everything was in place. In reality, I was trying to distract myself from my racing thoughts. We would have to fight everybody else throughout the city of Crocus in this battle.

I really hope I don't run into Jura.

All morning I felt restless, worried about what would happen. Mavis had gone through with us in depth her strategy for the event. It was confusing, being that she wanted us to sit and wait for a while before starting. However, I trusted her to make the right call. Bickslow and Laxus spent most of the morning with me, helping me relax and prepare. I was so grateful for them, especially since Laxus was competing himself. He assured me everything would go fine, and that he'd take out everyone he had to for us to win. The declaration had made me giggle; his face had been so serious. Still, I really worried about what would happen if I ran into Jura again. Even Mavis had admitted that she was clueless as to what we should do about him.

"Listen up." Erza said as it grew close to the time for us to begin "We have no choice but to win. To get Lucy back in case the others fail!"

"Yes, but don't forget," Gray said, grinning "We have another reason for winning too."

"We've gotta win for everyone in the guild who struggled while we were gone for seven years." Laxus continued, looking directly at me as he caressed my cheek.

"And I'm gonna show you guys just how hard I worked for this." I smirked, feeling much more confident with everyone surrounding me. This group of mages was incredible, and together we were unstoppable.

The gong sounded, signaling the start of the final event. We all nodded to each other, and I stood beside Laxus as we carried out the first master's plan. None of us moved from our starting position, and I heard the the announcers voicing their confusion. Nobody knew about this tactic except for the five of us and Mavis. Not even Makarov or the guild knew, and they were all confused on what was going on. I closed my eyes, blocking out everything as I began to meditate. The other four closed their eyes well, and we stood in silence. I used this time to mentally prepare, going over everything Mavis had prophesied and what I needed to do. Laxus stood next to me, his hand barely brushing my arm in a silent gesture of comfort.

I tried my best to block out the announcer's, but it was irritating to hear about all the scores going up while ours stayed still. I longed to get out there and fight, but we had to follow Mavis's directions. She insisted we remain calm and trust her, since she was a master tactician. We had all been surprised to hear about her exploits during her time on Earthland. However, after what she told us, there was no doubting her skill. With her guidance, we would win this event and the Grand Magic Games.

After what felt like forever, we heard Mavis instructing us to begin Operation Fairy Star. I opened my eyes, and we all immediately took off running. I looked over to Laxus and nodded to him as we left each other. He grinned back, his sharp canines glinting as he grit his teeth in determination. Mavis continued giving each of us different instructions, and I dodged as an attack from Rufus came flying from the sky and crashing down next to me. It was the same tactic he had used the first day, and this time it did not hit any targets besides Laxus, who was impervious to the lightning. He simply absorbed it, using it as a power up. Although I used lightning and had some resilience to it, there was no way I could take a direct hit without it causing some damage.

Erza, Gajeel and Gray all came into contact with enemy players at this point, and easily defeated them. We were now tied with Sabertooth. I slowed down, hanging back to keep an eye out for any stray opponents. The rest of my team moved into their positions. According to Mavis, Gray would soon begin his fight with Rufus. She had warned him that she wasn't sure he could win, but he insisted on trying anyway.

"Good luck Gray." I muttered, continuing to walk along the streets. The battles continued on, and I silently cheered when they finally announced that Gray had beaten the Sabertooth mage. Now it was only a matter of time before those bastards fell.

By this time, Mavis had told me I would be coming into contact with someone. She said it was most likely Sherria. It was going to be somewhat difficult to defeat her, especially since she could heal herself. I reached the point that I was told to be at, and barely had to wait a second before I felt the presence of the small mage. She attacked swiftly, and I turned towards her as her blacks wind came barreling down. I easily avoided it and began to formulate a strategy.

Wind and earth attacks would be useless against her, so I would have to use mostly lightning, water, and fire based storm attacks. She probably knew how to counteract any ice storms, being that she was in the same guild as Lyon. The god slayer quickly sent another wind attack my way and I braced myself against it.

As it cleared, I moved to strike using my teleportation. I appeared behind her, using a kick to smash her out of the air and into the ground. Briefly, I heard the announcement of Erza's fight with Kagura. It was not what Mavis had predicted, but I wasn't worried. Erza was a powerful opponent who could triumph over the Mermaid Heel mage. I focused back on my fight with the god slayer, seeing her stand and quickly heal up.

"Damn, that's gonna get annoying." I muttered as I planted my feet firmly on the ground. The announcers continued shouting, and I could only focus on my fight as they spoke of the other battles going on. Gajeel and Rogue clashed as Minerva joined Erza and Kagura.

The small mage finished her healing, and I bit my lip. I would have to outlast her in magic power, or defeat her with one devastating blow. I wasn't sure how well my storm magic would fare against her, so I opted for the first option. I would continue getting Sherria to use magic on attacks and healing until she ran out. With my second origin, I believed it was the best choice. I could outlast her.

We continued trading blows, until I heard Laxus's name spoken by the announcers. It caught my attention instantly, I was curious to hear what was happening. Sherria used my momentary distraction and ran at me, using her Sky God's Dance spell and knocking me into a nearby building. The air left my lungs in a whoosh, and I groaned as I dropped to the ground, cursing myself. How stupid was I that I left myself open to attack just because I heard my boyfriend's name?

"You're getting distracted!" She giggled "Is there something going on with you and Laxus?"

"That's not really important." I frowned as I stood back up. My ribs felt bruised, and I ached all over. That girl had some real power behind her attacks.

I vaguely heard them mention Orga, and not long after the two men traded their first blow, I heard Jura's name as well. From my location, I could feel their strong magical energy and hear the loud explosions. My boyfriend's magic power sent my heart racing, but also reminded me about my own battle. I trusted Laxus to do what he needed to make sure we would win. I steeled myself to do the same, and focused back on Sherria. All my guild mates were counting on me to win this. I briefly wondered who was left, and then I saw Lyon walking down the street we were on.

"Awh, would you look at this!" The white haired ice mage grinned "(Y/n), you look so cute! I remember when you used to be Sherria's size!"

He patted her head as he reached her side and she pouted "I'm not just a little kid!"

"Dammit." I muttered as I watched the two begin to argue. Two of the strongest Lamia Scale members were now standing before me. I wasn't sure I could beat both of them at the same time. Mavis hadn't said anything about me fighting Lyon. However, I was determined to win and I'd fight as hard as I could to prevail.

As I began thinking of what I should do, I felt someone come up behind me. I glanced back and saw Gray, shirtless and looking a bit beat up. I was so relieved to see him, despite his disheveled appearance "Gray! Congrats on your fight."

He grinned "Thanks."

"Well would you look at that!" Lyon said as he noticed the other ice mage "What's wrong Gray? You look a bit worn out."

"I just had some minor business to take care of." Gray responded, before he turned back to me "Let's take them both out (Y/n). It'll be easy if we work together."

I felt shivers run down my spine when I heard someone cursing my name, and realized it was Juvia. How in the world am I able to sense her from this far away? Shaking off the weird feeling, I nodded to Gray. "Right!"

We attacked, Gray using his ice magic as I summoned a tsunami. He froze large chunks of ice and the wave sent them flying towards the other two. They narrowly avoided the attack, and quickly moved to counter.

"I will prove my love to Juvia by defeating you Gray!" Lyon shouted, summoning a large ice serpent that struck my teammate.

With his back turned, I quickly moved to attack Lyon with a lightning storm strike. Sherria blocked the spell with her wind and yelled at the older man "Pay attention you idiot! There's two of them ya know!"

"You can take care of (Y/n)!" Lyon said, turning back towards Gray "I have some personal beef with this one!"

Sherria pouted, upset that her teammate had such a one track mind. These two weren't working well together, and we could probably use that to our advantage. Gray locked eyes with me, as though he had read my thoughts. We both nodded, moving together to send another wave of attacks towards both mages. They were once again caught off guard, having been arguing about Lyon's obsession with Juvia. They jumped apart at the last second, and I braced myself as Sherria sent a strong wind attack back at me.

They seemed to finally realize just how serious we were about this fight, and it dragged on as we continued sending powerful attacks back and forth. These two were strong, and I was starting to feel a drain on my magic. My ribs ached painfully from their earlier abuse, and my breathing was labored. Gray stood beside me, looking just as worn out. He grit his teeth "Damn, this is getting annoying!"

"I agree," I responded "We need to figure out something quick!"

Sherria pouted at her teammate, "Lyon, take out (Y/n) so we can focus on one of them! You're stronger than I am, you can easily defeat her. Then, I'll heal you so we can both defeat Gray."

"I'm not interested in fighting (Y/n)!" He responded, "You must do it. I need to focus on Gray, if I defeat him my darling Juvia will fall for me!"

The small god slayer whined "Who cares about her!"

"They're seriously lacking in teamwork" Gray muttered "(Y/n), we need to join forces, do you think we can?"

I faintly heard the shouting of the announcers, and I felt a powerful wave of energy hit me when I heard that Laxus had defeated Jura. It felt amazing to hear the words, and I knew I had to make him proud of me. I turned to Gray, suddenly sure we could beat these two. If my boyfriend could beat a wizard saint, there was no way I would allow myself to be defeated. "Yeah, let's do it!"

He nodded, and we both summoned all the magic power we had, focusing it into our palms. We combined our strongest attacks, clasping our hands together and sending it towards them. The two waves of magic powered swirled rapidly as it bore down on its target. By the time the two Lamia Scale members saw it coming, it was too late. It hit them directly, knocking both mages completely out.

"We did it!" I sighed, completely drained but ecstatic. I realized our hands were still twined, and quickly let go. Juvia was so going to kill me. It was like I could feel her anger from here.

"That was awesome!" Gray responded "Lamia Scale is completely done for, and we're in first!"

"Yeah! I can't wait to see Laxus and congratulate him on beating Jura." I grin. I was hurting all over, especially where my ribs had gotten hit. I felt totally drained of power, but my adrenaline was still keeping me going. "Let's go meet up with everyone. Sounds like Erza's fight is almost done too."

We begin making our way to the team meeting place, listening to the announcers. We moved slowly, both of us feeling pretty tired and looking awful. My cloak had long since been torn apart, leaving me in just my tattered shirt and shorts. My tank top had huge tears in it, and so did my tights. I pouted when I realized this was my favorite pair. I should have known better. It had been a tough day, but the end was in sight. When we're a block away, we hear them announce Erza as the winner. Gray and I simply grin, knowing she would prevail.

"Who's left?" Gray asks, and I shrug, unable to remember everyone that had been defeated. By now, most of the guilds had been completely knocked out of the tournament. There couldn't be many opponents left. However, anyone who hadn't been defeated yet were definitely strong mages.

We turn the corner to see Laxus and Gajeel, both men slumped against a wall. They barely look up as we approach. Their fights had been tough, and probably more tiring than my fight with Sherria and Lyon. I smile brightly at my boyfriend, who simply smirks.

"I'm so glad I never fought you during training babe," I giggled, pressing myself gently against his chest and greeting him with a kiss. His shirt was torn completely open, leaving his skin bare. I couldn't resist lightly trailing my hands over his chest, careful of his injuries. "I'd probably be in the infirmary for a week."

He winked "Told ya I would take care of it."

"Gi-hi-hi, all we gotta do is take out one more person." Gajeel grunts. His hair is sticking up wildly and he looks like he's about to collapse.

"Who?" I ask, pulling away from Laxus.

"Sting." Erza spoke, having suddenly joined us. She was barely walking, her ankle red and swollen as she used a wooden stick to help her stay up. "And I'm afraid we're all pretty injured."

"You can say that again." Gray muttered, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly "I barely have any magic power left."

"That bastard probably planned this." Laxus sighed "He waited until he could over power whoever was left, knowing they'd be worn out."

"That doesn't matter. We can do it." I said, "No matter how tired or sore I feel, I'll keep fighting. And I know, with you guys there fighting with me, there's no way we can lose."

They grinned, and as the sun began to set, Sting sent out a flare to lead us to him. We all moved slowly, our bodies weary. It would be a fierce battle, but there was no way we could come this far and not prevail. No matter what it took, Fairy Tail would win.

We eventually make our way to the Sabertooth mage, who has a cocky smirk on his face as he leans against a fountain. It's dark out, and the area is lit by lacrima lamps. It's the final showdown, and the tension is thick. Sting chuckles as we stop before him "You guys look pretty injured! This is gonna be easy."

"We didn't come here to chit-chat." Gajeel grumbled "Let's get this over with."

"We'll fight you one on one, so pick somebody." Gray said

"Oh yeah? You sure you don't want to try all at once?" Sting chuckled "It'll be boring if we do one on one."

"Don't underestimate us." Erza spoke, gently placing her injured foot down and standing tall. The man's cocky expression wavered, and then he sneered.

"I was trying to give you guys a better chance to win." He shouted "I'm stronger, I can take you out easily. I'll do it for Lector!"

Laxus frowned "You really think you can take all of us by yourself?"

"I know I can!" Sting responded.

"Very well," Erza said, "If you're so determined to see this through, then we'll fight on your terms."

"Alright!" He grinned, and I braced myself for his attack. He summoned his power, bright white light swirling around him.

We stood there, prepared to fight until we could no longer stand. I felt anxious, but there was no way Sting could take all of us. Despite our injuries, I knew that we were stronger together. I would push past the pain and fatigue to finish this fight. The five of us did not waver as Sting's magic power grew, and he focused his gaze on us. However, he hesitated. The white light around him suddenly disappeared and he grit his teeth in frustration. His feet moved just barely as he tried to walk forward, but he ended up falling to his knees instead.

"I can't do it… I can't beat you guys," He muttered, pounding his fist into the ground "Dammit. I surrender!"

My heart skipped a beat at his words. It took me a moment to realize just what had happened. Sting was giving up, and there was nobody left to fight. Suddenly, I heard a roar of shouts from the stadium across town as Fairy Tail was crowned the victor of the Grand Magic Games. "No way!"

I looked over to my comrades, who were all grinning widely "We did it! We won!"

I felt tears of happiness spring to my eyes, and I jumped into Laxus's arms. He grunted at the rough treatment, but hugged me back fiercely. After all the years of defeat, Fairy Tail had finally prevailed. Not only that, but I had gotten a spot in the final team. I'd been a part of this victory. It was the most incredible feeling. I continued to cry tears of joy as Laxus laughed, hugging me into his side.

I look over to Erza, who walked up to Sting and softly asked, "Why did you back down?"

"I don't know..." He muttered, tears gathering in his eyes "I was so sure I could beat you guys. That's all I had to do, and I could see Lector again. But I froze up. I felt like maybe I wasn't good enough. I lost hope… And now I'll never get to see him again…"

"That's not true." Erza said, and turned as her friend Millianna walked up to us. She had a small cat in her arms that I immediately recognized as being Sting's exceed.

He looked up, his eyes going wide. Lector's eyes fluttered opened, and he smiled when he saw his friend. "Sting!"

"Lector!" The slayer shouted, standing up and running towards his exceed. We all watched, smiling at the tender moment as Lector jumped into the man's arms. "You're okay!"

Their reunion was tearful, but extremely heartwarming. I had always seen Sting as a cocky jerk, but he really had a soft spot when it came to his exceed. We all turned away, letting them have their moment in piece to talk.

"Man those cheers are so loud." Gray smirked.

"Yeah, all this noise is starting to make my wounds hurt!" Gajeel grumbled, and I rolled my eyes.

"Awh don't be like that! We won!"

Erza grinned "Yes, these are cheers of celebration. I bet Master is beside himself with happiness right now."

"More importantly," Laxus said, putting his arm around me "This makes up for all those seven years our nakama had to suffer through."

I looked up to him, smiling tearfully "Yeah. I'm so happy I could be a part of it."

"Although, it's kind of strange not having Natsu around hollering and making noise." Erza mentioned "Have any of you guys seen their signal flare yet?"

"No, but I've been keeping an eye out for it the whole time." Laxus said "Well, except when Jura knocked me flat."

I giggled "I haven't seen it either."

"Knowing Natsu," Gray sighed "He probably forgot to light it off."

"I hope so..." Erza muttered, and we all went quiet. I was sure my guild mates were starting to feel worried, just like me. Surely they would be okay, but it was taking the rescue group an awfully long time.

All of a sudden, Sting spoke up, breaking the silence "Tell me something…"

"What?!" Gajeel growled, getting into the man's face "You got a problem, punk?"

"Sorry, it's just…" He looked away "Where was Natsu? Why wasn't he in the fight today?"

Gajeel stood back, glancing at the rest of us. We had no explanation to give him. It was too difficult to explain. How did you tell a person about the royal military and their plan to travel back in time to defeat the greatest dark wizard ever? And then go on to say one of your member's was being held hostage in the castle. There was no way. So, we stayed quiet.

"What's the matter?" Lector asked, frowning "Is Natsu hurt, is he gonna be okay?"

"He's fine; he just had some things to take care of." I offered, feeling bad that these two were genuinely worried and we couldn't tell them anything.

"We should probably get back to everyone." Laxus said, and with that we left. Sting simply stood and watched us as we walked away.

There was tension in the air despite our victory. We were all grateful for our win, but nobody had heard from the rescue group. There was no telling what happened. Had they been captured? I couldn't shake the odd sense of foreboding as we made our way to the inn. Porlyusica was waiting for us there, prepared to dress our wounds after we all showered and cleaned up. I relished the hot water as it soaked into my sore muscles. Afterwards, I glanced at myself in the bathroom mirror. My bruised ribs had not yet started to show, but I knew they'd be bad in the morning. With a sigh, I slowly got dressed and left the bathroom. Everyone else had finished with their showers as well. We were once again gathered in the team room, and there was medical supplies laid everywhere.

"Let's get this over with!" Porlyusica sneered "You guys stink."

"We literally all just finished showering." Gray grumbled, walking around in his boxers.

I laughed as he narrowly avoided a bottle of medicine thrown his way as the woman shouted at him to put clothes on. I picked up some supplies and made my way to Laxus, who was leaning languidly against a dresser. Everyone was injured, so I wanted to help out and dress my boyfriend's wounds as our guild's healer went to work on Erza first. She definitely had the worst injuries of everyone, especially her ankle. Laxus tried to refuse my help, wanting to make sure I got taken care of, but I quickly stopped him. My wounds were not nearly as bad as his. So, he stood towering over me with a grumpy expression as I gently rubbed salve on his wounds. I tried not to blush at his incredible physique as I finished wrapping gauze around his midsection.

"There, all better." I grinned, proud of my work. He was covered in bandages, and I made sure they were wrapped well so they wouldn't come loose.

"Not until you kiss it better." Laxus muttered. He tried for a serious expression, but it looked more cute to me than anything.

I giggled, leaning in to kiss him as the other men in the room groaned their disgust. Laxus zapped them, quickly shutting them up as he pressed his lips against mine. Before dating, I never would have expected Laxus to be the affectionate person he was, but I loved it. He pulled back, gently putting his hands on my waist and lifting me up onto the dresser he'd been leaning against. He grabbed the bottle of healing salve and silently went to work on my cuts. I winced, trying to endure the sting.

The Thunder Legion entered the room then, heading straight towards us. I waved to them as Laxus grabbed the gauze and began wrapping it around my injuries. "Hey guys!"

"You all were so amazing!" Evergreen said, hopping up onto the dresser beside me before Bickslow could. "Congratulations!"

The seith mage pouted "Hey, I was gonna sit next to (Y/n)."

The fairy mage stuck her tongue out at him as Freed spoke "Laxus, I am so honored to be in your presence after that extraordinary display! You truly are the most incredible mage I've ever known!"

We laughed as Freed teared up, and Laxus rolled his eyes. I talked excitedly with the Thunder Legion as Laxus quietly finished tending to my injuries. Afterwards, I stood up carefully, feeling incredibly sore. Bickslow held me, helping me keep upright as we left the room to join everyone downstairs. There was a bunch of noise, all the guild members talking joyfully about our victory. At the same time, some of us felt unease as the night grew late and the rescue team had still not returned with Lucy. They must have gotten captured, which meant we'd have to talk with the king to have them released.

After awhile of intense celebration, someone arrived dressed in royal military gear requesting the entire guild's presence immediately for an urgent message from the king. We all stared in confusion as the man left, and Makarov sighed. He put down the mug of ale he was drinking from and stood "Well, I suppose we can't refuse the king."

I looked over to Laxus, who had a somber expression. Nothing like this had ever happened before, and there was no telling why the king wanted to speak with us. I grabbed his hand, intertwining our fingers, and he looked over at me. The corner of his mouth turned up in a grin and he squeezed my hand. Bickslow grabbed my other hand, smiling at us both. The small gesture helped ease my anxiety a bit about what was about to occur. "Let's go."

They nodded, and we carefully made our way to the Crystal Plaza that was at the very center of Crocus. There were many other guilds already gathered, and we made our way to the front. The king stood on a large podium, looking troubled. He was surrounded by guards standing at attention, all of whom were dressed to the nines in battle gear. The crowd quieted as he began to talk.

"Thank you all for coming." He said, his voice loud and grim "I hate to spoil the mood after the wonderful display of wizardry we witness today, but I'm afraid this city, the heart of Fiore, may soon find itself in the claws of a dragon horde."

The crowd began buzzing, voicing their confusion and doubt. I looked over at my boyfriends "Wait, how is that possible? I thought the dragons had all disappeared."

Laxus shrugged, scowling "No idea."

"Last time we fought against a dragon, we lost seven years…" Bickslow muttered.

I bit my lip in worry as the king spoke up again,

"As we speak, a large scale counterattack is being prepared at the Castle. The Eclipse Cannon!" Near me, I saw Gajeel, Erza, and Gray stiffen in shock. That name was similar to the plan that got Lucy locked up. What were they going to accomplish with it? "We will use it to take out the dragons, all 10,000 of them at once!"

"10,000?" Bickslow gaped, his babies repeating the word. "There's no way they expect to be able to take that many out with one attack."

"That's probably why they gathered all the guilds together. To take out whatever's left." Laxus responded with a sigh. I stayed silent, the fear gripping me tightly and making me unable to speak. How could we hope to take on any dragons in our condition?

"Regrettably, due to the sheer number of them, we expect at least 100 of these beasts to survive the blast. And that is why I am asking you all for your help! Guild wizards of Fiore, please join us in our fight against these dragons. You're the only hope we have…" He began to cry, hiding his face in shame "I beg you… Don't let this country fall to ruin!"

I stood there, shocked, as the crowd stayed silent for a moment before everyone began shouting excitedly. They all seemed completely determined to fight, and I shook my head. How could I have ever doubted our strength? Laxus looked over at me, grinning as he spoke "I guess this is my chance to finally slay some dragons!"

The king looked over the crowd, tears falling as he thanked everyone profusely. Erza turned angrily to one of the guards nearby and the poor guy nearly fainted, "Some of our comrades have been captured by the royal army and are in the castle. We'll be needing their help."

"Don't worry ma'am; we were all informed of their safety." He mumbled, bowing deeply "They've joined Princess Hisui at the gate."

"Awesome." Gajeel said, pounding his fist into his palm "I can't wait to start rampaging!"

I giggled. It seemed like all slayers were excited at the prospect of letting loose and fighting dragons. However, they were covered in bandages, and I hoped everyone would be okay.

A/N: And that commences the end of the Grand Magic Games, and the beginning of the fight to save the future of Fiore. How will Reader fare? Dun dun duunnnn

Seriously, I'm so excited for the next chapter. I may update sooner than I usually do, haha!

Let me know what you think, and I'll see you in chapter 13!