"Of all the stupid…!" Natsu exclaimed hotly as he kicked a hulking boulder tumbling down the slope of the mountain.
"Asinine…!" the dragon slayer continued as he grabbed onto an innocent yet elderly dead log and chucked it past the horizon.
"Shark jumping bullshit!" a sphere of indignant golden flames swelled between his fingers before he reeled his arm back and prepared to hurl it out into the cosmos where it would cause untold devastation.
He was in an entirely different dimension of existence. And he had left behind a very dangerous, very salacious wizard with a bag full of world breaking magic spells. It was obvious she hadn't followed, he couldn't smell or hear her presence.
Ishtar's magic had proved itself to be infuriatingly inconsistent, but this, this was just dumb.
"Wait a sec." eyes widened with incredulity, he held up the hand still engulfed in the brilliant gilded roar of Dragon Force's flames.
He could still use his magic.
How?
Natsu shook the flames from his hand and allowed everything that had just happened to him to fully register.
Literally everything else could wait. Edo-Fairy Tail came first.
They were his best bet at finding out a bunch of other questions he found too confusing to think about, but most importantly, they were his only shot at getting back.
Staring out at the admittedly breathing taking skyscape, Natsu strengthened his resolve by setting his jaw and sought higher ground, but not before carping,
"Man, being smart's hard."
The rounded mahogany doors to Edo Fairy Tail's old guild hall creaked in protest as Natsu pried them open, allowing a blast of bitter air and dust to roll past him.
Nestled within a dense dripping mire was the guild hall Natsu had stumbled across during his first adventure here.
Built beneath massive sturdy roots that twisted and coiled together to create a hardy sizable shelter, its exterior showed very little signs of decay.
Its interior told of a very different story, one of abandonment and recapture by nature's tenacity.
Obviously abandoned, its damp cimmerian insides were provided meager sunlight, the dripping tree tops of the untempered bog blocking most attempts of illumination.
Natsu didn't bother announcing his presence, the state of deserted disarray everything was in telling him no one was home, or had been in a long time.
From what he could remember, this version of Fairy Tail had been on the run from the royal something or other, and thus they had many different guild halls scattered about the kingdom.
He frowned, snapping a candle flame to life between his fingers to light his immediate surroundings.
The scents that cherished every surface were far too faded for Natsu to gain anything from them.
Despite that, the concrete floors that now had to share their space with eagerly growing weeds and the rotting cinnamon wooden walls clung to their happy memories.
Holding up his hand to share the natural hallowed glow of his fire with the guild hall's interior, Natsu recognized its layout as a near exact copy of Earthland Fairy Tail's first location.
Sure, there were some minor differences, no parquet floors, no looming rafters, but just the sight of it sent welcome memories through Natsu's head.
Venturing further in, a tiny smile nudged scarred lips as the dragon slayer was enveloped in nostalgia and memoirs of better times.
Despite the chaos he had been put through not half an hour beforehand, Natsu allowed himself a moment of peace.
Natsu righted a fallen stack of chairs before he stopped in front of the bar, looking up at the second floor railing where Master Makarov was almost always perched.
There he would survey the ruckus that was his family with watchful wise eyes, an expression worn upon his aged face that told everyone he would always know what to do.
Natsu blinked dust from his lashes as the smile fell from his face and his reminiscing neared its end.
Before Natsu turned to leave, realizing he needed to keep searching, he spared that second floor railing one last meaningful glance.
"Natsu!"
The deafening blare of Master Makarov's commanding boom drew a startled blench from Natsu as he moved for the door, a comparatively muted reaction to his normal squeak and tremble at such a sound.
The chattering guild kept quiet as their guild master spoke from atop the wooden second floor railing, "Come see me in my office. Now." he ordered with neutral brusque before he leapt back out of sight.
As the guild resumed its noise, anxious and excited to reclaim its spot as the strongest in the upcoming Grand Magic Games, the dragon slayer couldn't help but gripe to himself,
"Gramps has no respect for the grind. I was just about to go training."
As he sulked his way up the stairs, Natsu weaved fingers together behind his head ponderously, wondering what he could be in trouble for this go around.
Natsu mumbled to himself, "Whatever it is, just tell him it was Max's idea." as he shimmied in place in front of the office door, nervously rubbing his eyebrow.
Mustering enough courage, he pushed the door open to see Makarov's short frame plopped atop his desk, arms folded neatly in front of his chest expectantly.
"Yo Gramps, wanted to see me?"
The older man grunted in acknowledgement, his thoughtful squint was distant as if he was going through his train of thought one last time to ensure everything was in proper order.
Using an ankle to nudge the door shut behind him, Natsu stepped closer.
"First off, quit yer shivering brat, you're not in trouble." Makarov began.
Surprisingly, Natsu didn't give a comically large sigh of relief or deflate, his nervousness no longer stemming from genuine fear but the lingering ghosts of habit clinging to his brain.
Instead, he looked genuinely addled, "Uh-okay, so….. What is it then?"
"Tomorrow, you and Laxus have scheduled a rematch near the town square, correct?"
"Y-yeah, what about it?"
Lips pursed, Makarov leaned forward and revealed, "I am going to increase Fairy Tail's chances of winning the games by registering a second team."
"That seems like it should break a lot of rules." Natsu stated, "Sweet, but what does that have to do with Laxus?"
"Use your brain brat, Laxus is going to be on the second team." Makarov chided.
"Should you and Laxus fight-seriously-then I have no doubt you would prevail." he admitted, belatedly noticing understanding dawn on Natsu visage, "Given our worse than usual public image, this could cause problems for morale."
"Think about it Natsu, should an S-class mage fall in combat to a non S-class combatant, any faith the public has left in us would vanish. You've seen it for yourself brat, how much of a laughing stock my family has become."
Aged fingers digging into his coat, he mumbled angrily,
"No one laughs my children and gets away with it. We are here to prove the world wrong, to show them what I've known all along. There is nothing stronger than Fairy Tail."
Natsu urged, "Gramps, spit it out."
"I want you….. T-to….. to throw the fight with Laxus." the older man spluttered out, wincing at how bad it sounded hearing it for the first time.
"Oh, that was already the plan." the dragon slayer explained with a dry conspiratorial laugh, mischief shimmering in his eyes.
Makarov's head snapped up to stare at him, "W-what?"
"Explain yourself." he insisted.
"I'm sorry, I really am, uhmm," Natsu began bracingly, scratching at his jawline, "I'm… I'm done with trying to prove myself to you. I don't care if you take me seriously as a mage anymore."
"What?" Makarov rasped.
"You've made it clear you don't want me becoming S-class, that I'll always be missing something. First it was-what was it-conviction? Then strength, then control, then wisdom, then humility."
"S-class isn't something Fairy Tail takes lightly." the older man reminded chidingly.
Natsu exhaled from his nostrils at that, "It's an empty title Gramps, it don't mean anything more than bragging rights and the ability to act like a dick with no consequence."
"So you're giving up? This has been one of your dreams since you were a child. You're seriously just going to throw it away just because you've finally had a taste of what it takes to achieve it?" Makarov challenged.
"I didn't want S-class Gramps, I just wanted somebody to be proud of me."
The older man choked up at the sliver of defeat in Natsu's always burning eyes.
"W-what are you going on about? I've always been proud of you, of all my children." Makarov rebuked, composure thoroughly tested.
Natsu smiled patiently at the guild master's instance, "I'm sure you are. But after I gave you all I had on Tenrou, you played patty cake with me and a cliff side."
Makarov paled at the memory, hindsight blindsiding him with the force of a hundred locomotives.
"I-i-"
Natsu held up a hand, "Gramps, don't sweat it, you had your reasons. I'm not knocking ya, I understand why you won't give me S-class. You are right. I am not good enough. I'm just tryna say that all I care about now is protecting you and the family you gave me."
Silence lingered over the room.
"But... yeah, I'll throw the fight no problem." Natsu reiterated honestly as he moved for the door, grinning, "Good idea with the second team thing, I can't wait to show everybody Fairy Tail's back."
The moment Natsu's hand, covered with freshly mended scars, brushed the door handle, Makarov spoke despondently,
"Y-your quitting? Do you truly think so little of me?"
Natsu froze in place, his head half cocking in abashment as he turned to look at Makarov, genuinely dumbfounded how the older man could jump to that conclusion.
For a brief meaningful moment, there was nothing but silence.
Eventually, Makarov was forced to rise and meet the Natsu eye to eye.
"Gramps, I think the world of you."
Makarov's heart sank something fierce as he coughed out a breath. There was so much beaming authentic sincerity in his words. After everything, after being told that he wasn't good enough for S-class, after being squashed after giving his all for the guild on Tenrou, Natsu spoke with unyielding admiration.
Despite that, the older man couldn't help but feel his insides being blended together by the blades of emphasis that was put on the resignation in Natsu's voice.
Resignation and Natsu didn't go together. They were oil and water.
Natsu didn't give up. He didn't get tired. He put his all into everything.
But for a moment, just a moment, a crack revealed itself and Natsu sounded so thoroughly done.
His vulnerability was short lived, the young teen looking to prove himself long gone, as he squared his shoulders and proclaimed,
"I ain't ever quitting on you Gramps, there is no Fairy Tail without you."
Makarov discreetly wiped at his cheeks, "T-then what changed?"
"I realized I got a good thing going on here, and I don't wanna lose it. I gotta keep training, I gotta. I don't care about any glory, I just have to be the strongest I can be to protect Fairy Tail."
The guild master couldn't help but chuckle, despite the lingering shame at the fact he had helped put Natsu on this path.
"You say your proud of me?"
"Of course." Makarov confirmed all to eagerly.
Natsu's cheeks were pulled apart as he showed his teeth, "Then that's what matters to me. Not some title, not fear or respect, or any of that."
He gestured to the ruckus of the guild beyond the thin door behind him, his smile getting wider.
"They matter to me. You matter to me. Gildarts made me realize that I can't protect y'all with just a plucky attitude and a dream. I gotta work."
"Will you ever be satisfied with your strength?" the older man mused, the raising of his chin curious.
Natsu grinned wide, "Nope!"
As he pulled open the door, the younger man shook off the fatigue that had snuck up on him like he was a dripping wet dog.
"And brat, start a brawl, do something other than training, the quiet is killing me!" Makarov called out to him playfully, Natsu responding with a faux salute before he shut the door.
From his office, Makarov couldn't help but grin as he heard the first floor erupt in pandemonium.
But that had been a stark reminder of something he had trouble remembering. Just because Fairy Tail stood strong in the face of the tides of change, didn't mean it was incapable of change itself.
His children were growing up.
Natsu was the very last person he expected to do that first.
Natsu had wandered his way through all sorts of terrain before he stumbled upon a wide dirt road that split a boreal forest in two.
Poking through every hidden biome on the planet wasn't an option, so he concluded the Royal City was his best bet at gaining any information or directions.
Said Royal City stood glamorously above the horizon ahead, built on a circular plane so its palace could tower above everything else. It was far larger than Magnolia, and would undoubtedly be packed with people.
Tons of people.
The thought of the crowds almost made Natsu sick, but the distant yet approaching symphony of an engine, composed of perfectly choreographed pistons and switches, snapped him from his daze.
Natsu had barely turned his head before what could only be described as a boat on wheels blasted past him, showering him with dirt and dust as it raced down the loam avenue.
The car, or vehicle, or whatever seemed almost familiar, but he couldn't quite put a pin on where he knew it from.
The vehicle abruptly screeched to a stop, its tires leaving grimy tread marks in the earth before it slowly reversed, rolling to a stop beside Natsu.
The dragon slayer stopped walking, sorting through his memory banks for where he had last seen this thing. The answer was given to him before he could figure it out.
Opaque windows slowly rolled down with a hushed whir to reveal a gaping wide eyed Natsu Dragion.
Silence settled for a moment.
His Edolas counterpart, obviously aged up, blinked once, then twice, rubbing his eyes with a thumb and pointer finger before looking back at the dragon slayer in disbelief.
The uncomfortable lack of noise only lengthened in span as the purring hum of the vehicle's engine was the only party willing to speak for the moment.
"I-i… I don't even know where to start." Edo Natsu finally confessed with a helpless shrug.
"Really?" Natsu gave him a look, "How do you think I feel?"
"What's with the, uhh," Edo Natsu made a circular motion with hand as he gestured to the dragon slayer's face, "Scales and horns?"
"It's called Dragon Force. Sorry you have to see me this way, it ain't a good look, but it's a dragon slayer thing and I can't exactly flip the off switch." he said, fighting a wince.
Edo Natsu shook his head, resting an elbow out the car door, "Don't apologize, you look freakin' awesome."
"Wait, did you say horns?" Natsu prompted, to which his counterpart nodded,
"Yep, adds to the whole dragon motif. I almost didn't recognize ya, and that's not because you walk like a hobo."
The dragon slayer pursed his lips, his fingertips gracing the base of the horns as he arrived at a realization.
Dragon Force never gave him horns. Increased height and muscle mass, changed pupils, dragon scales, but not horns.
Edo Natsu pulled over to the side of the dirt road and hastily parked, snipping the growing roots of those thoughts for the time being.
Pushing the door open, his Edolas counterpart jumped out onto the grassy knoll that served as barriers for either side of the road to eagerly size him up.
There was confidence that had settled into his well built frame, an amiable friendliness in his eager eyes, a generally pleasant veneer attached to his attitude.
"Jeez, you been juicin' bud?" Edo Natsu accosted with an affable quip, stopping a foot before him to inspect the dragon slayer carefully, "I don't remember you bein' this built."
Natsu responded in kind, "That makes two of us." He looked to the still running car, then to its driver, "You grew a spine?"
It was more of a statement than a query.
"Just like you asked." Edo Natsu confirmed crisply, resting his hands on his hips.
"Started working out, got into martial arts, among the other things you 'requested' I do."
"Hey, sorry for bettering your life."
Edo Natsu snickered, "Man, I didn't think I would ever see you again." he admitted.
With a squint and rub of his chin, Dragion finally caught on to the numerous gnarly stories of battle written into Dragneel's skin.
Edo Natsu loosened his brows as sympathy slowly set in across his face, "You've had a rough go of things since we last met, huh?"
"How much time has passed here?" Natsu sucked in some air and deflected.
"Nine years and some change. You?
"Same here. Although something happened after we came back and I'm only like two years older physically."
"Really, cause you look twice my age. Is… is everything alright?" Edo Natsu leaned against his car, "Do I even wanna know how you got here?"
The dragon slayer massaged the tip of his nose and groaned, "Uh, well-"
"-Summarize." Edo Natsu interrupted briefly to suggest, his stare still attentive.
Natsu took his council to heart and kept it quick, "Long story short, I was flyin' solo on a mission, fought a lady who can control space and time. She tried to send me back in time, I politely declined."
"Does that translate to 'I tried to punch her'?"
"It was on the table. I went with plan B."
"Plan B being?"
"I tried to blow it up." Natsu gladly answered.
Adjusting his vermillion leather jacket, Edo Natsu quizzed, "That's plan B?"
"Yep, pretty foolproof."
"Wait, wait, wait," Edo Natsu took a moment to look away, thoughtful, "How does blowing up a portal through time send you here?" he asked, enthralled.
Natsu blinked, "Weird, right?"
"Not the term I would use."
"After I got here, I looked at your old guild hall in that swamp before deciding it was best to head into town." the dragon slayer eventually finished, gesturing to the road, "Got lucky that you were driving by."
"Yeah, after you dethroned that senile moon bat Faust Fairy Tail moved to the Royal City." Edo Natsu elucidated.
While Natsu mouthed the insult to himself in confusion, his counterpart coughed into a fist, "Now, you're in a pinch and need some help? Right?"
At Natsu's desperate nod, Edo Natsu smirked and threw a thumb at his car, "Then jump in bud, I'll take ya to the guild. The rest of the gang will be pretty jazzed your here."
Natsu instinctively frowned as he looked at the vehicle, his stomach playing the old tune of motion sickness just at the sight of it.
Watching the dragon slayer balk, Edo Natsu winced sympathetically, "Yeah, forgot about the motion sickness, sorry."
Natsu waved it off, "I've gotten used to it by now, I'll be fine." he said as he moved towards the passenger door, posture betraying his haughty indifference.
As the two Natsu's settled into their seats, the Edolas counterpart's favorable smile twisted into a smirk, "Buckle up buttercup, we'll be there in no time." he said, flipping his goggles down over his eyes.
Natsu sighed in defeat and buckled himself in, preparing for the worst.
"Let's blow this popsicle stand!" Edo Natsu exclaimed as he slammed on the acceleration.
When the car lurched to a stop, Natsu gasped in relief and clumsily dragged himself from the car in a hurry, but not before bonking his forehead against the dashboard.
His feet meet sweet, sweet paved concrete as another new order of smells, sounds, and sights were served fresh to his jarred senses.
The car's engine ceased its purring as Edo Natsu stepped out, "Hey, you steady?"
Pressing a hard palm to his temple, he pushed aside the horrible pain in his skull and straightened his back.
"M'fine, it fades quick."
Edo Natsu circled his parked car to clap him on the back supportively, "If it helps, you did much better compared to last time."
Natsu knew that was because a good majority of his nervous system had long since been fried to mush, and not based on any built up immunity.
Edo Natsu cast his watch a glance and made a wry face, pushing his goggles up from his eyes, "Imma' bit late, Luce ain't gonna be happy."
"Well if there is one thing I know about women is that they don't hold grudges, they are very easy going."
The remark earned a bark of laughter from Edo Natsu, "Good to see you haven't completely changed."
Done reeling, he took in the sight of the same guild hall he had just been at, this time nestled between two modern rather lavish buildings.
In fact, the whole city that surrounded him was ornate and gaudy compared to the cozy Magnolia.
"Pretty neat ain't it?" Edo Natsu mused as he stuffed his keys into the one of numerous pockets sewn into his cargo pants, "With no magic, we gotta advance the ole' fashion way."
As Natsu indecisively followed him towards the main doors, steeling himself for yet another overwhelming bout of stimuli, they burst open on their own.
A small pink blur barged past them and made a bee-line towards Edo Natsu.
"Daddy!" a child's voice squealed with glee as a young girl with familiar pink hair leapt into his counterpart's awaiting arms.
"Woah, there's my little ember!" Edo Natsu guffawed as tickled his daughter's face and neck with kisses, "Ya miss me?"
Her squeaking laughter pressed against the air harder as she grasped his shoulders with tiny hands, her large twinkling eyes an unmistakable chestnut brown.
Natsu's chest tightened. The child looked exactly like her mother.
"You're late! You said you would be-"
"I know, I know, I'm sorry Nasha, I got hung up on something important."
'Nasha' gave a pout that didn't last too long before she nuzzled herself against her father's stubble, "Momma's been worried about tonight, she is saying funny words again."
The young girl jumped from her father's arms and grasped his wrist, intent on leading him inside. She froze, however, upon noticing Natsu's presence.
Nasha did a double take.
"Two Daddies?" she muttered after several moments of delay, face scrunched in an adorable squint of dissertation.
Edo Natsu bent down to confer with her, "Remember the stories me and your mother told you about the other world?"
She played with her hair, deep in thought, "E-earthland?"
"Yep, and remember how we met other versions of ourselves?"
Natsu could see the gears furiously churning and twisting inside her little head as Nasha nodded, naively interested eyes still boring holes through him.
Shame stabbed and clawed away at his insides like a rowdy cat with a little too much energy. A child, especially around Asuka's age, was the last person Natsu wanted to be exposed to Dragon Force.
"Why is he so scary lookin'? Is he evil?" her question wasn't accusatory, but blunt and curious.
"Hey, that wasn't very nice. 'Earth-Natsu' is far from evil." her father's scold was mild, "Remember you manners Nasha and introduce yourself."
Nasha didn't seem too put off by the fearsome appearance of her father's doppelganger as she strutted up to him, her fingers shifting in constant as she peered up at him and grinned brightly.
"Hi second Daddy, I'm Nasha!"
Despite all his inner turmoil, Natsu acted on instinct, offering a warm smile as he lowered himself to one knee, a scarred palm ruffling her pink hair.
"I like your scarf Nasha." he rumbled softly.
Nasha preened at the praise, "Thanks! I like yours too!"
Apparently she didn't find that topic all too fascinating anymore as she jumped to the next point of interest.
"Are your horns real?"
Edo Natsu sighed in defeat at the question, but chose not to reprimand his daughter.
The dragon slayer flashed his fangs as he grinned, "Yep, wanna feel?" he confirmed, craning his neck so his head pointed downwards.
Nasha murmured in amazement as her hands explored the stout bony protrusions with surprising carefulness
Her delighted smile continued to split her face as she prompted excitedly, "Ooh, are you a dragon?"
Natsu raised his head back up to shake it, "Not exactly. I'm just a mage."
After she repeated the term back to him, he held out a palm and let bundles of tame golden fire swirl together to create the outline of a dragon.
Both father and daughter gasped, with varying degrees of astonishment.
The enchanted Nasha squealed at the sight, while Edo Natsu more or less choked on his own spit.
"You are a dragon!" she piped, her almond eyes sparkling like they were polished amber beneath the sun's rays, "Can you breathe fire?!"
Natsu tilted back and puffed a tiny burst of fire from his lips, which caused Nasha to erupt into more enraptured laughter.
"H-how are you doing that?" Edo Natsu asked he as came closer.
"I-i thought mages like you couldn't use your magic in Edolas."
Natsu, too enthralled by Nasha, didn't cover himself with layers of deflection and was brutally honest with both himself and his counterpart.
"I'm a lot stronger now man, like ridiculously so."
Nasha paced in circles like she was being jangled by invisible strings from above, except her puppeteer was intoxicated.
"I can't believe it! Second Daddy is a dragon!" she perked up with a gasp, "I gotta go get Asuka!"
"Stay right here I'll be right back!" Nasha hastily announced before she scrambled off, throwing open the guild doors before rushing inside, shouting her best friend's name for all to hear.
Edo Natsu scratched the back of his head, tone apologetic, "Now you've met my daughter."
"You should be really proud." Natsu responded, rising to his feet and eyeing the ring on Edo Natsu's finger, "I'm really happy for you man, honestly."
His Edolas counterpart smiled sheepishly, "Thanks. Didn't expect I'd be a Dad someday, but now I can't imagine not being one."
"She looks just like her mother, doesn't she?"
Natsu's reply was muted as such freezing melancholy wafted from him.
Edo Natsu managed, somehow, to detect the breeze of anguish blow from the dragon slayer. He couldn't even begin to pick it apart, all he could do was shudder in its wake, wondering how life could have sucked so much joy from someone.
"Y-yeah." Natsu eventually agreed, rousing himself up and out of his angst by clearing his throat, "She does."
A supportive hand rested itself on his higher shoulder,
"You've had a long day, let's go inside so you can unwind, everyone will be super happy to catch up with you." Edo Natsu suggested helpfully, "We can figure everything else out a little later, capiche?"
Natsu agreed with a nod, letting his more sociable counterpart lead him towards the guild doors, "Any more surprise kids of yours I should know about?"
"Uh, no, I don't think so. I mean it's still a little too early to say for sure-"
"You know what?" Natsu interrupted, "Forget I asked."