updated 15/11/2024 (wow look at me go) (i updated the ao3 version several times and. forgot. to update this one. whoopsy), replacing chapters 22, 23, 24.

for phantom lord, i made a number of major changes to the structure of the arc, so it's a lot harder to tell where to say 'these are the chapters getting replaced'. a lot of plot points have been shuffled, is what i'm getting at. by the end it should sync up to the current last chappy though so that'll be nice :)

Phoenix(1), who knows what they're doing? Ooh, we get close to that, but one of those three is having none of it. Fairy Tail knows! Hallelujah! Well, granted, they (and we) have barely scratched the tip of the iceberg but hey. You're Phoenix, right? No worries about your mind burning out then, if it does then a new one will just rise from the ashes. Ooh, we're getting fancy vocabulary now. Incredible! Extravagant! (Oh no you used stupendous, I'm out of fancy words now. Uh oh.)

Guest, (hey you chose my childhood favourite! Yay!) Hickory dickory dock, Laxus is a shock, the mouse ran up the clock, Gajeel will start to mock, the clock struck one, we're gonna have fun, the mouse ran down, Jude should be a clown, hickory dickory dock. I sure hope Natsu starts trusting Fairy Tail. Considering some of the stuff I have planned, I should hope you guys aren't calm. Haha.

Otaku789, is this soon enough? I should hope!

Phoenix, Gahaha! Gajeel! I have so many plans for you, you lump of metal! And Laxus too! Granted this mishmash arc wasn't actually what I initially had planned for Laxus but ey. It's workin. Evergreen spares no one. Unless they're under a table. Or in a back room. Or something else I won't specify. Jude is a real butt-muffin isn't he? A real stubborn butt-muffin. Honestly I'm not fully decided on if he'll give up or not. Depends on the retribution I will probably maybe someday unload on him. Well I mean Juvia is currently a slightly damp rock, so I mean I don't think she's gonna be doing much. Not yet. Actually, it's not really something I hear often, more so I read it often but hey. (My English teacher tells me my writing leaves something to be desired. Excuse you lady but I don't see your stories with one hundred followers. I don't see one of your stories that you half regret writing on a school recommend archive. Give me more than half an hour to write something adequate dammit!)

Guest, Jack and Jill went up the hill to fetch a bucket of water, with what the authors got planned someone might-as-well as shot her, Jack fell down and broke his crown and Jill came tumbling after, really truly now what does Laxus' plan even matter? Ok, I'll admit that was a tough one. The last lines kinda weak too cause Laxus' plan definitely matters. Gah. School. Don't remind me. Mine starts like a week before my birthday. Couldn't start a week later, nooo. I've probably overindulged myself considering I've done lots of reading but not nearly enough writing…

Otaku789, thank you! Man it almost physically pained me to compare Natsu with Endeavor but I managed it (Never again never again). Well, we'll just have to wait and see, eh? This is soon, right?

Phoenix, honestly I would have loved to keep going but I had to give myself somewhere to build off of. But I admit, it really does suck when you're really into something and then you're snapped out of it. I look forward to seeing how your predictions match up with what's going to happen, so feel free to share! By the time this chapter is posted I'll likely be back in school, wish me luck! To be fair, if I'm not interested in the subject I'm writing about then my writing quality is going to fall quite a bit, unfortunately. And hey, status doesn't matter to when it comes to personal stuff! (I mean if a police officer threatens to strangle me over an (admittedly) terrible pun then I'm gonna take it a whole lot more seriously then a teacher.) I'll do my best!

Guest, Jack be nimble, Jack be quick, people's ideas tend to stick, Jack jumped over a candlestick, though some of them are as dense as a brick. Haha, hopefully I'll keep you going! Honestly if you wanted to use a Genie wish then you should make so I have all future chapters prewritten! Then there'd be no long times without updates or instances of writers block coming back!

Otaku789, oh wow, you're happy eh? Yeah! Positivity!

Phoenix(2), no worries, my friend! Trust me I'm not gonna ditch this in the middle of an important arc. I've gotten attached now so if I ditch it I'd probably emotionally damage myself and eventually come back.

Guest(2), UPDATE!

Phoenix(3), oh yeah! Fixed iPad! Oh no! Cracked phone! And yes! Blending these two chapters smoothly was admittedly tough, but I did it! Haha yeah, I'm actually really surprised at the response for last chapter cause I didn't like it too much. As of current, it's before my birthday. But hey, I appreciate the sentiment! Thanks! Yeah I'm kinda hoping for a new phone or laptop or something cause all of my devices are like… My iPod is three years old? And my iPad. Oh gee. I have no clue how old this thing is.

Natsu slips out while everyone is still staring at the banner. The streets of Magnolia, despite being no less busy than they usually are, feel cold. His pulse is sitting somewhere in his throat.

He knew. He knew, damn it, he knew that this would happen. Damn it! He was just— he was greedy. He was greedy. He stayed much longer than he should have, why did he think that was a good idea?

Silently, he picks his path towards the edge of town, but his thoughts are all wrapped up in his next steps— he can't do this again. So he won't— he won't join another guild. Can't, probably, with the Fairy Tail guild mark, and the thought of getting rid of this one… no.

He'll become a recluse, that makes sense. Keep his distance from everyone, because just knowing him is dangerous. And if no one knows him, then Jude can't find him.

Fairy Tail… Fairy Tail was nice. It was nice. He wishes he could have stayed longer, but— but this was what him staying brought.

Mind set but heart unsettled, Natsu makes a break for the forest at the edge of town, only to almost slam face first into a barrier that shimmers into existence out of nowhere. He brings his hands up at the last possible second, catching himself a hairs breadth from smacking his nose.

Cubic purple runes stretch into the sky, rippling out from the point of impact. He squints for a moment, but the runes are totally unfamiliar, and then moves away. If anyone's watching, then he's just set off a beacon to his location, and he needs to move.

He might be trapped, but he's not going to make capture easy.

Around the city, lightning imbued lacrima rise into the sky.

.•.•.•.

"Who the fuck did this." It's Gray who speaks first, expressing what's on everyone's minds. Phantom Lord, obviously, but was it a rogue agent, or has their guild gone totally dark?

"Oh, you're back!" Comes a chipper voice from the doorway— Mirajane. "We thought we heard someone upstairs. We're all in the basement right now. No one was hurt!" She cuts right to the heart of the issue, what everyone was worried over— the guild could be rebuilt, but harming their guild mates? Unacceptable.

"Still," Makarov says, "I will be having some strict words with the master of Phantom Lord, if his guild thinks this is acceptable."

"Um," Juvia says, "Juvia thinks she knows who did this."

She looks surprised to have spoken up, and then ashamed. Mirajane, the master of handling rough emotions, claps her hands together. "Oh! Are you a new member?"

That pulls Juvia out of her head, and with a quick blush, she nods. "Excellent! I think the stamp is still behind the counter."

She weaves past them and through the debris of the guild with the ease of someone who spends a lot of time walking through active bar fights. The counter is almost inaccessible, with a giant iron beam punched through the walls around it, but Mirajane manages to wedge her way in enough to reemerge, victorious, with the stamp. She has loose chunks of wood caught in her hair, but she doesn't seem to care.

"Where would you like it?" She asks.

Once Juvia's membership is affirmed— the paperwork will come later, the mark is what really matters— Juvia picks up what she was saying.

"Juvia used to be a member of Phantom Lord, but when Juvia heard that they were planning to attack Fairy Tail… Juvia left."

"You did the right thing," Erza says. "So this was planned? Why."

"I— I can't say!" Juvia blurts, "it isn't Juvia's place to say." She turns her head, as if to anxiously glance at someone, but that anxiety settles into confusion. "Um," she says, but whatever she's about to say next gets cut off by a newcomer.

"Finally back, are you? And you've invited another weakling! Laxus was right; this guild is in need of a major overhaul."

"Freed," Makarov greets cordially.

"What the hell is your problem, man?" Gray takes an angry step forwards, "this isn't the time for complaining! We need to—"

"Oh, I disagree. This is precisely the time for complaining, no, fighting!" With a flourish, Freed produces a rapier, and swipes. A line of runes follow the movement, rises. Fills the broken doorway. "For starters; how about this! Only one of you can leave."

As quickly as he appeared, Freed is gone again; which is just as well for him, because Erza slams, blade first, into the barrier a second later.

"What the hell is he planning?" Gray asks, angrily.

"I'm more worried about Laxus," Makarov says. He knocks against the barrier, and clicks his tongue. "We'll have to get out another way. Look for one of those posts loose enough to remove."

"You can't! Juvia knows… Juvia knew Gajeel very well. He would have made it so removing any post will bring the whole thing down."

"Gajeel?" Lucy asks, already jotting the name down in her list of 'guys whose asses she needs to kick'. "You think he did this?"

"Juvia knows he did this. Gajeel is an iron dragon slayer."

Instinctually, the group turns to look at Natsu. Natsu, of course, isn't there.

"Where the hell did he go?" Gray asks, though it's clear no one has the answer.

Or something like that. Makarov sighs like the weight of the world is on his shoulders, but something in his countenance firms. Resolve.

"I agree with Juvia," he says, "this is not my secret to share, especially if Natsu hasn't said anything to the rest of you. However, there is little doubt in my mind that Natsu considers this attack to be his fault, and as such, he's likely under the impression that leaving will draw Phantom Lord away from Fairy Tail. He might be right. Does that matter?"

"Of course not!" Lucy, Happy, Gray, and Erza snap in unison, followed by a "I don't see why it would," from Mirajane, and, after a longer gap, a very hesitant "… no?" from Juvia.

"It doesn't matter at all!" Makarov agrees. "Now let's find our way out; who cares about this old building?!"

.•.•.•.

Gajeel tosses another bolt into his mouth, crunching down on the metal. It was damn annoying that the geezer who hired them didn't have anything with his brat's scent; that would have made this a hell of a lot easier. Aria is somewhere northeast, while what's left of the elemental four are still with the guild hall. He thought roaming the streets would be more exciting, more fights to pick, but so far it's been a boat load of nothing.

Damn, he hates jobs like this. He joined up to fight, not hunt down lost kids. Geezer must'a been desperate to turn to them. Whatever. Phantom Lord gets results.

He tosses another bolt into his mouth, the last one he had. As he's chewing, he moves from his perch, nose picking up the smell of something interesting in the centre of town. Maybe he can pick a fight with a Fairy.

.•.•.•.

By necessity, trying to move around stealthily in a town full of mages means using as little magic as possible. Especially when people are actively looking for you. Despite that, Natsu's fire is pushing at him, coiling around his throat. It's a wonder he isn't exhaling smoke.

People will expect him to be skulking around in back alleys, hiding in corners. So instead he's blending with crowds, following the flow of foot traffic.

The problem with that is that someone is following him, and there's no way he can make a break for it without being suspicious as hell.

By scent, it's the guy who attacked the guild. He's getting closer, because he doesn't care about being stealthy like Natsu has to.

Except, well. Natsu is already trapped. The odds of him avoiding detection until the barrier that stopped him goes down— or, until he discovers that the barrier that stopped him is down— are exceedingly low.

And this guy has really pissed him off. Either he can let this asshole run him down, or Natsu can make a stand.

Choice made, Natsu turns, cutting through the crowd and towards the Cardia Cathedral. He tucks himself into the shadow at its side, where few crowds are lingering, and ignites fire around his feet. People exclaim in surprise, moving away, but Natsu isn't picking his fight here; he's going up. It's not his subtlest work, but he's able to melt a series of footsteps into the side of the cathedral, carving his path to the top. It's a rounded roof, but that's fine. There are no people up here.

As Natsu thought might happen, a man vaults up after him, lifted by an arm that turns into pure steel. He lands, solid, already smirking.

"You a member of Fairy Tail?" He asks.

"You a member of Phantom Lord?" Natsu returns.

"What's your name? I wanna tell my guild mates whose ass I kicked."

"You'll be telling them who kicked your ass. Natsu."

"Natsu, huh? Funny how that works out." The guy rolls his shoulders, settles his stance. "Guess I'll return the favour. Gajeel."

Natsu recognizes the stance Gajeel is in a second later, as Gajeel takes a deep breath in— he's about to roar. Natsu went into this expecting a fight, of course, so it's nothing at all to adjust— slide his feet apart, bend his knees, and roars back.

A razor of metal erupts from Gajeel, all sharp edges and brutality. It meets a flood of fire from Natsu, and the two attacks cancel each other out.

"Huh," Gajeel says, "never seen someone do that before."

Natsu opens his mouth to respond, and that's when the Fairy Tail guild hall, which had been tenuously standing, collapses in on itself. Huge metal beams thud into the earth, and a plume of dust and rubble is shot into the sky, the impact great enough that they can feel it even here.

Gajeel turns to look at the destruction. When he turns back, Natsu is throwing a Fire Dragon's Iron Fist at him. He takes the blow, skips back across the roof, and then has to leap out of the way as Natsu chases him with a wing attack.

He throws a punch of his own, and Natsu catches it, ignited hand starting to superheat the metal. Gajeel snarls, sweeps Natsu's feet, and tries to stomp his ribs— Natsu rolls out of the way, springs back to his feet, clearly favouring one of his shoulders. Huh. Gajeel didn't hit him there.

The smell of ozone fills the air, and lightning comes down on Natsu.

"Hmph," someone says, some blond guy that Gajeel doesn't recognize. "Yet another pathetic guild member. I suppose Evergreen must have missed a couple."

"Who the hell are you," Gajeel demands, annoyed that someone got in the way of a good fight.

"I don't recognize you. Phantom Lord? I'll deal with you lot later. Fairy Tail is coming under new management."

Both of them are surprised when a bolt of fire flies at blondy.

"Like hell it is," Natsu says, wiping his mouth. He doesn't look even singed— did he eat the lightning? He's in for a hell of a stomachache later, Gajeel thinks.

"That was dragon lightning," Natsu continues, "are you Laxus?"

Laxus curls his lip, annoyed. "I don't see how that matters to you."

It isn't often that Gajeel has introspective moments. Seeing Natsu take a depth breath, feeling the heat that had been radiating from him die out, and then seeing him erupt into lightning?

Yeah, Gajeel thinks, I'm going to get my ass kicked.

It isn't a matter of physical strength— if it was, Gajeel could take both of these losers for breakfast. It's just the nature of metal.

.•.•.•.

"Everyone in the basement has been turned to stone," Mirajane reports. Her magic, even though it's long unused, swells dangerously around her.

"Evergreen," Erza surmises with a snort. "I'll deal with her."

"There should still be a few members around in the city— we were all pretty congregated after the attack, but Loke, Wakaba, and Levy weren't in there."

"I'll be going to deal with Laxus," Makarov says. "He's my grandchild, therefore my responsibility."

"I have a bone to pick with Freed," Gray says.

"Juvia will go with Gray."

"I'm going to look for Natsu," Lucy says. "If Phantom Lord is still around, they're going to be doing the same."

"Aw, how cute, they're planning!"

"Planning! Planning!"

Bixslow makes himself known, perched atop one of the roofs across from where the Fairy Tail guild hall used to be, his little totems floating around him.

"Gotta say, old man, we didn't expect you to destroy the guild hall like that! Heh ha!"

"Bixslow," Makarov greets, even as Erza, Lucy, and Gray all call up their magic, taking hostile stances. "I surmise Laxus has decided to try and stage an uprising?"

"More than try; we are. Get attacked by Phantom Lord and because you're off fucking around at a resort, we're just supposed to lie down and take it? No way!"

"No way, no way!"

"Laxus is going to remake Fairy Tail, bolder and stronger than ever. Starting by getting rid of all the weaklings." Bixslow points upwards, unknowingly echoing a gesture supposed to be full of meaning for Laxus and Makarov. "Just look up! If you don't give up in an hour, Laxus will set all of these babies off!"

"You'll die, you'll die!"

A grim punctuation to his declaration, the Cardia Cathedral erupts into lightning, frantic sparking pathways carving into the air, dancing down its sides. Bixslow grins wide, "See what I mean?"

He gets about five seconds to be smug about this, and then he has to throw himself backwards as Erza flings herself at him. The rest scatter— Mirajane ducking back into the guild itself while everyone else heads in a different direction.

Bixslow is quick on his feet, and his babies lay down cover fire that means Erza can't afford to hold still. That doesn't matter because Erza isn't holding still— requip puts her in her Black Wing armour for the mobility, and she moves damn fast in it. It's all Bixslow can do to keep a— rapidly closing— gap between them.

His babies spiral out, surrounding Erza in a hail of fire, lasers searing through the sky. The wings protect her back, the lasers scattering, ineffective, against the enchanted metal. Requip puts a wide, flat blade in her hands— she turns it, catches the incoming lasers on the polished side— and flings them back to where they came. The attack is broken as the babies scatter out of the way, cries of surprise and alarm coming from them, and Erza surges forwards, as inexorable as the tide.