A/N: Episode 195.

Enjoy!

CHAPTER FORTY-TWO: PEOPLE AND DRAGONS

Atlas Flame stepped forward as he roared while the Raijinshuu and Laxus were nearby.

"Don't underestimate the Raijinshuu, huge one. If you're a living creature, then I'm sure you'll be able to feel pain and agony!" Freed claimed as his bangs moved, showing his covered-up eye.

"Darkness Ecriture! Absolute Shadow!"

"Fairy Machine Gun! Leprechaun!"

"Go, babies! Baryon Formation!"

"Lightning Dragon's Roar!" Laxus shouted, releasing a blast of yellow lightning. "How does it feel to get hit with everything at once?"

Atlas Flame laughed. "I don't feel a thing! My hellfire burns through Magic!" He replied.

"Dammit! This ain't funny." Laxus said.

"You've got bad chemistry with this one, Laxus. Fire and lightning together..." Freed trailed off.

"Isn't there a Water Dragon Slayer around?" Evergreen questioned.

"Haven't heard of one..." Laxus responded.

"We got a Fire Dragon Slayer over there, anyway." Bickslow added, pointing at the sky.

"There it is, Natsu!" Happy informed.

"Drop me, Happy!" Natsu ordered.

"Aye, sir!" Happy complied, dropping Natsu over Atlas Flame.

"Natsu?!" Laxus exclaimed.

Natsu soon lands down on Atlas Flame. "Found you, Fire Dragon!"

"Who the hell are you?" Atlas Flame asked.

"I'm Natsu, and right now I'm gonna... eat you!" Natsu replied as he began eating Atlas Flame's fire.

"Unbelievable!"

"Moronic!"

"That's Natsu all over. Nobody else would come up with that." Happy commented.

"You're going to eat me? What nonsense!" Atlas Flame claimed.

"When I say I eat, I eat! And these are delicious flames!" Natsu said.

Atlas Flame tried to shake Natsu off. "Get off of me!"

"Forget it!"

"Natsu! What the hell are you trying to do?!" Laxus shouted.

"I'm... getting this guy!" Natsu responded.

"Getting?!" Laxus quoted.

"Go to the palace, Laxus! Help Wendy!" Natsu ordered.

"Certainly, Dragon Slayer or not, Wendy is young." Evergreen informed.

"She could be in trouble if she's on her own." Bickslow added.

"Let's go, Laxus." Freed said. "It takes a Fire Dragon Slayer to kill a Fire Dragon... right?"

"Natsu! So we can leave you with this one, yeah?" Laxus shouted.

"Yeah! I'm gonna get more powerful by eatin' this guy!" Natsu answered.

"Okay, let's go to the palace." Laxus said.

"Roger!"

"Happy, go with 'em!" Natsu instructed.

"Aye!"

"This has gone on long enough, boy! Don't anger me!" Atlas Flame claimed as he continued stomping around and destroying buildings.

"A human... eating my flames?!" Atlas Flame exclaimed. He continued to try and get Natsu off of him until he stopped suddenly.

"This feeling... Don't tell me... No, it's impossible... But this feels so much like... Igneel, the King of the Fire Dragons!" Atlas Flame recalled. "Boy! What is your connection with Igneel?"

"Igneel! You know Igneel?!" Natsu questioned.

"He is my friend and the King of the Fire Dragons!" Atlas Flame responded.

"I see... Igneel is my dad!" Natsu revealed, making Atlas Flame get taken aback.

Future Rogue was overseeing the destruction. "Wonderful. This is the power of dragons. What destructive force!" He clenched his fist tightly. "With this power, I'll definitely be able to kill Acnologia. And then I'll rule this world."

"Be torn asunder, ground. Burn, sky. Lamplight of life, be extinguished. I am the Dragon King. A new king, born from the Dragon King festival! Shadows will become light here. Absolute light that will illuminate the world!" Future Rogue continued his monologue.

"Nobody needs a dirty light like that!"

Future Rogue turned around. "Natsu..." He muttered. However, his eyes widened upon seeing Atlas Flame.

"Our light is within our hearts! I can't see a damn thing with your illuminatin' light!" Natsu shouted.

Atlas Flame crashed his head against Motherglare. "Why is Natsu riding on a dragon? Have you betrayed me, Atlas Flame?!" Future Rogue asked.

"I am only following my heart."

"What?!"

"Igneel's child is my friend's child."

"I'm countin' on you, Uncle!" Natsu said.

"U-Uncle?" Atlas Flame sweat dropped.

"My Dragon Control Magic... What did you do, Natsu?!" Future Rogue questioned.

"Magic that blocked my will, eh?" Atlas Flame asked.

"All we did was become friends... right?"

"Mm-hm."

"Friends, you say?!" Future Rogue quoted.

"Let's go, Uncle!" Natsu exclaimed.

Atlas Flame attacked Mother Glare. "All right! Circle around an' get in close!" Natsu said.

"Mother Glare, don't let them get behind us!" Future Rogue ordered.

Mother Glare fired at Natsu and Atlas Flame, destroying a mountain in the process.

"Are you okay, Uncle?" Natsu asked.

"Breath and the like are ineffective against my flame body!" Atlas Flame replied.

"And flames can't burn my adamantine body." Mother Glare claimed.

"I wouldn't take my hellfire so lightly. Gigantic flames that erupt and rage from hell!" Atlas Flame said as Natsu appeared covered in flames. "And the one that devoured them... My fellow Fire Dragon!"

"He devoured Atlas Flame's hellfire?!" Future Rogue thought as Natsu charged at him, creating a huge explosion in the sky as some guards and Toma were watching.

"Your Majesty! That's..."

"Dragons battling each other?!"

"I-It's awesome, but why?!"

"The once-beautiful capital of flowers has become pure chaos, stained with blood. A festival of people, dragons, and demons... Human is fighting human... Dragon is fighting dragon... Human is fighting dragon... This is none other than the ancient calamity, the Festival of the Dragon King." Toma ranted, collapsing to his knees.

"Your Majesty!"

"What's wrong?!"

"Please stay composed!"

"I-It can't be stopped... Nothing can return to the way it was..." Toma muttered.

"I remember... Memory Make! Sword of Frozen Black Lightning!" Rufus called out, attacking the mini dragons.

"Shrine of the Raging Wind Fang!" Rufus swiped his arm as tornadoes appeared.

More of the mini dragons showed up as Rufus tried to catch his breath.

"There's no end to them... These numbers... This sense of intimidation... I have no memory of it!" Rufus muttered.

"Ice Bringer!" Gray shouted, attacking a mini dragon that was about to attack Rufus.

"Gray!" Rufus said in shock.

"Don't just stand there! You remember the skill that took you down, don't you?" Gray questioned.

"Well, yes. Okay, then, by your leave, I'll use it." Rufus responded, smirking at Gray in which he returns.

"Let's go, Droy!" Jet exclaimed.

"Yeah! Even without Levy here, we're Shadow Gear!"

Jet charged forward. "Falcon Heavenward!" He shouted, attacking a mini dragon.

"Knuckle Plant!" Droy shouted, attacking two more mini dragons.

"You still got it, Droy!"

"You can count on me!"

"Purple Flare!" Macao yelled.

"Why, you...!" Romeo exclaimed.

The two fire attacks hit the mini dragon, destroying it.

"Father and son flame attacks. Nice! But you can't top me!" Wakaba claimed as smoke appeared and a mini dragon was revealed. "Uh-oh! That's just my smoke!"

"Come and get it, monster!" Macao said, attacking the mini dragon.

"You did it, Pop!" Romeo cheered.

"I didn't think you still had it in you!" Wakaba teased.

"Shut up!"

"Lightning God's Charged Particle Cannon!" Orga shouted, throwing a blast of black lightning at the mini dragons. "Um, so how many have I mowed down now?"

More hatchlings surrounded them. "Crap! When did they arrive?" Orga asked himself as the mini dragons aimed their attacks at him.

"Iron Rock Wall!"

An iron wall protected Orga from the attack. "Jura!" Orga exclaimed.

Jura places his palms together. "Rock Mountain!"

"You're a pain in the ass as an enemy, but as an ally, I don't know anybody who's more reliable!" Orga claimed.

"White Drive!" Sting glowed white as he activated his Dragon Force. "White Dragon's Roar!"

Sting sent a blast of holy light at the dragon, but it had no effect as he leaped into the air. "Then how about this?!"

Sting used his White Dragon's Claw. "That should keep you from moving!" He claimed as the stigma disappeared.

"It was itchy. But it had no effect other than that. Are you seriously attacking me?"

"Shadow Dragon's Roar!" Rogue shouted as he was trying to catch his breath. His Dragon Force soon deactivated.

"Let's leave it at this, Rogue. You can't beat a dragon."

"H-How do you know my name?!" Rogue asked.

"I was ordered to spare you, and you alone."

Rogue's shadow soon began to talk to him. "It's all true."

"Who are you?!"

"I'm one more possible future. I'm your shadow as well as the darkness in your heart."

Rogue stomped on him in anger. "Shut up! Shut up! Shut up! Shut up!"

He looked back at the dragon. "Submit quietly. You're the only one who shall survive in this world of despair. And you'll become a king."

"What are you talking about?! I don't wanna be a king! Who's giving you orders?!" Rogue questioned.

"Why, you yourself, Rogue! You summoned us dragons... because you want to become the king of the world. It's all part of your plan seven years from now."

Rogue laughed. "That's ridiculous!" He claimed.

"It's true." His shadow spoke.

"Accept it. There is darkness in your heart."

"What?!"

"Or, no. I suppose I should say it will become steeped in darkness from here on out. All you can do is accept your fate. You will not die here."

Rogue clenched onto his head, collapsing to his knees. "It's a lie! All lies!"

Ultear was watching him from above a building. "Rogue..." She mumbled.

One hour earlier...

"Natsu! Hang in there!" Meredy said.

"You can't move yet!" Ultear added.

"How is Samuel...?" Natsu asked.

Natsu looks at Future Samuel's deceased body. "Samuel..." He mumbled, standing up and walking forward while holding onto his bleeding side.

He then dropped to the ground as his whole body shook. Future Samuel's bangs covered his eyes. "Dammit!" Natsu exclaimed.

Ultear and Meredy both frown seeing Natsu's state.

"Who was that guy from before?" Ultear questioned.

"He said he was Rogue from seven years in the future." Natsu responded.

"So there's another time traveler from the future..." Meredy muttered.

"What's he after?" Ultear asked.

"I don't know." Natsu replied.

"Is he an enemy?" Meredy questioned.

He is." Natsu answered, clenching his fingers. "The bastard killed Samuel..."

"It sounds like Rogue really grows to become a powerful wizard." Meredy pointed out.

"But if we're talking the future, he has a weakness. If we kill Rogue from this era, the Future Rogue will cease to exist." Ultear said.

"But if we think through the time paradox, one hypothesis is that as long as Future Rogue exists, nothing will be able to kill the past Rogue."

"That's only if time is flowing normally. Right now, time is in a state of chaos. We know about Future Samuel and that time is in disarray. We can become an unknown factor that disrupts the normal cause."

"Then..."

"It's highly likely. If we kill the present-day Rogue, the Future Rogue will be wiped out."

"And if the Future Rogue is wiped out, maybe the Samuel over there won't be..."

"No." Natsu spoke up, getting Ultear and Meredy's attention. "I'm gonna take out the Future Rogue."

"You can't give in to anger." Ultear told him.

"I'm not!" Natsu said, standing up. "At some point, the Future Rogue chose the wrong path. That ain't the Rogue of now."

Natsu turned around. "The present-day Rogue hasn't done anything wrong. Kill him, you say... You want us to go down the wrong path, too?"

Ultear sighed. "You're right. I promise. I won't lay a hand on the present-day Rogue." She said.

"That's not me... I'm..." Rogue trailed off as Ultear glanced at the destruction.

"Natsu... The situation is hopeless. Rogue is becoming the trigger for everything that's happening here. In other words, if Rogue never came from the future, the portal wouldn't open. The dragons wouldn't have attacked..." Ultear thought as she had a dark look on her face, narrowing her eyes.

"The only way to put the world back the way it was is by murdering Rogue."

A/N: I will not apologize for what's about to come :)

Thanks for reading!

~ Kaleb.