Four days after the Grand Magic Games; all the guilds went back to their respective areas in Fiore, some happier than others. The happiest guild of course was none other than White Eclipse, who celebrated in their humble abode in the mountains, partying as though tomorrow would never come. "WE WON!" Aira shouted while hopping up and down excitedly.
"Wasn't easy, but we finally managed to show everyone that White Eclipse is the strongest guild in Fiore..." Luke nodded, giving a victorious grin as he ate from a bag of chips.
"And Cosmic Star finally got what they deserved too..." Kairi said with a smile. "Those guys were really getting on my nerves..."
"Could've been worse, but hey, we did it. Plus, we got bragging rights for an entire year." Cygnus said with a smirk.
Reve walked in the main room, holding up the latest issue of Sorcerer's Weekly, a large grin on his face. "You know what else we got? Cover page of the latest issue."
"We're on the front page?!" Saeko's eyes sparkled with excitement.
Reve opened the magazine, showing everyone the White Eclipse article, reading it aloud. "The results of the Grand Magic Games; White Eclipse, Fiore's self proclaimed strongest guild proved themselves worthy of that spot by winning the Grand Magic Games, followed by..." Reve then shut the magazine, not really caring about what else it had to say. "The rest doesn't really matter, but I knew we'd win. We said we'd show everyone White Eclipse is the best, and we proved it. I'm proud of you all."
"You didn't do too bad yourself, gun slinger~" Taya said with a slight smirk.
"Can we play Twister to celebrate?!" Nami asked while throwing her arms up in the air. "Please?!"
"...I guess we can play Twister this ONE time..." Reve said with a nod. "In celebration. You all earned it."
"YAY!" Nami cheered, running off to get the game.
"I hope you all know..." Sidney started, getting everyone else's attention. "Now that we've become the strongest guild, people are going to challenge us, and do everything they can to strip that title away from us much like we did Fairy Tail."
"We'll be ready!" Waiston shouted, an arrogant smirk forming on his face.
"We'll all be ready," Takeru said while nodding.
"That's what I wanted to hear..." Reve smirked slightly.
"Sidney, are you gonna join us?!" Aira asked, though the ghost mage seemed to be thinking about something else right now.
"Hm? Of course not...I don't need to play such games...this is your time, and you should enjoy it while it lasts." Sidney replied.
"Okay!" Aira nodded, rushing over to the center of the room as the Twister game was brought out.
While the members of White Eclipse played the game, Sidney thought back to the last stretch of the Grand Magic Game, how a certain ace managed to force a dragon to yield, and the defeat of Laxus, Luke, Takeru, and Natsu to the same female. "She's...decent..."
"I wouldn't count the dragon..." Adam said while walking over to Sidney. "Compared to a normal human, she's unbeatable...but to a dragon such as I and Mithril...she's weak."
"I see..." Sidney replied, though he stared out into space, still listening to the dragon.
"I do give her credit for controlling herself in such a situation, but that's about it," Adam nodded.
"I'm more interested in the one who caused her to yield...but that's about it," Sidney responded, keeping his gaze forward.
"Adam!" Skye shouted, grabbing the large "male" by his arm, and attempted to pull him over to play Twister, though she was failing miserably; making no progress whatsoever. "Aren't you gonna join us?"
Adam blinked a few times, just walking forward to make Skye's job easier. "Play...?"
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Happy flew in the doors of Fairy Tail, a semi depressed look on his face as he flew in, eventually sitting at a table, solemnly eating a fish he found, not saying a word after. "Happy..." Cynthia sighed, walking over to the blue exceed. "No sign of him today either, huh...?"
"No..." Happy replied.
"Natsu's been gone for a few days now..." Lisanna sighed while a frown appeared on her lips. The young takeover mage then walked over to Happy, cradling the saddened cat in her arms. "The day after the Games ended...he just vanished..."
"He wouldn't leave us, would he...?" Cynthia asked, feeling stupid for asking such a question, but she wasn't sure at this point, granted by the mixed moods of the guild.
"Of course not!" Lucy replied as she dug into her skirt pocket. "We may have gotten third place this year, but next year, we're taking it!" Lucy nodded, and pulled out a note after. "Natsu wrote this...he left it on my nightstand the day before he left."
"What's it say?" Makarov asked while taking a sip of his beer. He wasn't in high spirits, but he wasn't in low spirits either, since Fairy Tail did manage to come in the top three, and only lost by a small margin. Plus, it wouldn't be good if the Master of the guild's upset attitude to reflect off him and onto his children.
Lucy opened the note. Her eyes narrowed for just a moment, because good lord, this hand writing was terrible. But she began to read it aloud. "Fairy Tail; don't worry about me. I've left to go to a certain location; a place where I can get stronger, so next year, Fairy Tail will take back that number one spot! I'll be back before you know it, so don't worry, alright! You all better stay safe in the mean time." Lucy closed the note after. "That's all it says.
Within seconds, Virgo appeared next to Lucy, bowing apologetically. "Princess, do I receive punishment for not being helpful?"
"No, none of that!" Lucy replied to the masochist spirit.
"I'm surprised he wrote all that..." Gajeel scoffed, crossing his arms after.
"There's no reason to feel down, next year, we'll win for sure!" Mirajane said while giving a sweet smile.
"Exactly!" Cynthia gave a cheerful nod before casually making her way upstairs, attempting to snag an S class or SS class job while everyone was distracted, but Laxus threw her back downstairs after.
"I suggest we prepare for whatever next year has to offer," Erza said while giving a nod, eating a piece of strawberry cake to make herself feel better from her battle with Reve. After about ten minutes, the doors of Fairy Tail slowly opened, much to everyone's surprise. The one who let herself in was Alex, who still had a cast around her arm. "Cosmic Star...?"
"Not anymore..." Alex replied while seating herself at a table.
"Sis..." Cynthia walked over to Alex, taking a seat next to her. "You...you didn't know about the cheating, did you...?"
"Well..." Alex started, rather hesitate because she felt as though everyone in the guild was staring at her as though she were the bad guy. "I did...at least, for the first day. Though, I didn't know about it during our fight on day 2. After my injury, I wasn't kept in the loop about what happened with Cosmic Star and their plans, so I just watched from the sidelines. Master...Er...Karma, was the one behind each and every plan, and he used Magnus' magic of knowing everything to execute those plans, which is why everything almost worked out for them in the end, but Magnus didn't think of human emotion, so that led to their downfall...as for Gaia, I haven't seen her lately either...in fact, the entire guild disbanded after the Games.."
"The entire guild?" Mirajane asked while blinking a few times.
"Aye...I haven't even seen Karma around after the Games ended." Alex replied. "But you know...I think everyone wanted to lose after carrying on the cheating for so long."
"You know, if you need a place to stay..." Cynthia started.
"Oh. No, that's fine. You don't have to worry about me!" Alex nodded, giving a false smile, though she hoped it was enough to convince her little sister.
"Massssssstttteerrrr!" Cynthia started, walking over to Makarov with puppy dog eyes. "Can Alex please stay until she's well enough to handle herself?"
"Cynthia I just said..." Alex started.
"Hm..." Makarov crossed his arms, taking a few minutes to think. "She did mean you no real harm in your battle...and I'll trust her story, given on how Karma was acting to her during the Grand Magic Game. So, she can stay, but if she harms anyone..." As Makarov spoke, his tone towards the end became lower, menacing almost.
"D-don't worry! I'm not planning to!" Alex replied with a sweat drop on the side of her head, somewhat afraid of Makarov. "I think I properly got that stuff beaten out of me. I wasn't planning on staying here either but I guess I don't have a say in the matter..."
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"Second strongest guild in Fiore!" Melanie shouted while throwing her hands into the air.
"Not bad guys, not bad at all. I think you all did an excellent job out there," Flynn said with a nod.
"Don't count yourself out, Flynn," Rylo said while twirling his top hat around excitedly. "You're the reason we even made it in to begin with."
"Ah...I didn't do too much..." Flynn replied while waving a hand. "It was you all who did the heavy lifting!"
"Second place isn't bad at all considering it was our first appearance either," Alexander replied with a nod.
"Not to mention all of the publicity we're getting too," Rylo continued. "Just the thing we needed. We may not have brought Fiore to the Twilight Zone this year, but they know what we're capable of now."
"And those bastards finally got what they deserved," Alexander said, an arrogant smirk on his face after.
"You all did great," Evanee said while walking out into the main room of the guild, giving a nod to everyone.
"And there she is, the last one standing in the Grand Magic Game!" Rylo shouted, the current audience applauding for Evanee, walking over to Evanee. "How do you feel after being the last one standing?"
"Not bad," Evanee replied, a subtle smirk forming on her features as she thought back to the moment when the mighty Gaia, the earth dragon, yielded to her. "Not bad at all."
"We should go somewhere to celebrate!" Melanie shouted with enthusiasm.
"To celebrate Evanee's victory! Where to?!" Tsami asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
"A trip...?" Evanee blinked a few times, though that's not what really surprised her; what really surprised her was the fact Tsami called her Evanee. "Did you just say Evanee?"
"Yeah!" Tsami replied, nodding a few times. "I figured I'd drop the Chwan part since you didn't like it."
"Bosco Land!" Melanie chimed in after finding an article about it in an issue of Sorcerer's Weekly. "Can we please head there?!"
"I don't see why not," Flynn said while shrugging. "We can use some R&R after those brutal five days, heh."
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The mood at Lamia Scale was less than spectacular; in fact, everyone was rather upset due to the fact they placed 8th with only 9 points; unable to even get into the double digits. To make matters worse for some members, a certain Sky God Slayer left the guild with a note that reads: "Dear Lamia Scale: I'm sorry I was unable to help the guild at all during the Grand Magic Games...I'm also sorry about my attitude during those days, and the action in which I allowed the darkness to take me over...until I can find my way again, I'll be leaving Lamia Scale for awhile...I don't know if I'll come back, but I should at least let you know. From, Chelia Blendy."
"She left the guild...?" Sherry's eyes widened as tears began to surface.
"This last week hasn't been a good one for us at all..." Lyon mumbled under his breath. "But next year...next year, we'll rise to the top, and show everyone that Lamia Scale is not a joke! I will strive to make myself and this guild better..."
"That's the attitude I like to hear, Lyon-Dono," Jura smiled slightly at Lyon's determination. "And I'm sure Chelia-Dono will return shortly. We all lose ourselves at some point in our life's, and she's at that point; it's not easy either since she's so young, but she's strong, and she will find her way soon."
"I hope so..." Sherry replied while wiping away some of her incoming tears.
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Rather carelessly, Veronica allowed Melody to relax in Tartaros Castle, despite the fact she was a legal mage and all, the dark mage couldn't help herself. "No need to feel so down!" Veronica said, waving a hand as she spoke in a cheerful tone, trying to boost her amnesic friend up. "You did great!"
"Eh...I did find out a guy's weakness, so I guess that's something," Melody shrugged, rubbing her side where Erza had slashed her. "That Erza though..."
"She's an annoying one, eh?" Veronica replied.
"Yeah...I guess...I feel like I've met her somewhere though...and that she's fought me before..." Melody replied while rubbing her head.
"Oh...well..." Melody started.
"Bloody hell?" Maggie asked as she, Ruika, Ur, and Bryon walked inside the same room the other two females happened to be in. "Why is she in here?!"
"I brought her here!" Veronica replied, blinking a few times once the females before her were giving a stare, only to realize seconds later what she did. "Oh..."
"Idiot...!" Ur groaned, placing the palm of her hand on her forehead.
"My head hurts..." Melody replied, ignoring everyone else around her as she held her head. "I should probably leave..."
"But..." Veronica started, but she just sighed, shrugged after. "I'll take you back then..." With a nod, she and her former friend exited the castle.
"Wasn't that lass an amnesic or something?" Maggie asked while crossing her arms.
"Who cares?" Ruika replied, looking over her collection of keys. "I think a more important issue is the fact I still don't have Leo, or the 13th key..."
"You keep complaining about it..." Byron mumbled from the other side of the room.
"Why don't you go get them then?" Ur asked while tapping her foot on the ground. "All you've done the past nine days is complain about Aries..."
"She's useless in terms of offense...how can you be happy with something like that?" Ruika retorted, scoffing towards the S class mage.
"You know..." Tobias started while walking through the room, only hearing bits and pieces of the conversation. "Why don't you just steal her keys while she's not expecting it?"
"Tobias, shut up," Ruika replied. "We tried that, and it ended up with me getting Aries instead of Leo because SOMEONE messed up."
"Yeah, the one who picked up the key without looking isn't the one who screwed up here..." Byron replied.
"I don't believe you're really one to back talk, mate," Maggie replied to Byron. "Speaking of...where's my dinner?"
Bryon let out a heavy sigh before turning around, walking towards the kitchen. "Coming right up..."
"Anyway..." Ruika started once again. "At this rate, I won't be able to get those keys..."
"Ruika, if I may interrupt..." Rugal started as he walked into the room.
"What is it, Rugal?" Ruika asked, starting to get quite annoyed at the constant interruptions of her thought process.
"I was scouting Fairy Tail in secret the other day, and it turns outs that Natsu Dragneel has left to an unknown location." Rugal replied.
"...The fireball is gone?" Maggie blinked a few times.
"He does have a habit of showing up whenever she's in danger from what I've heard..." Ur stated.
"...I just got an idea." Ruika said as twinkles appeared in her eyes.
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It was night time in Magnolia now; the activity in the streets quieted down. Lucy entered he apartment, and the first place she went two was her bedroom; she went there because she was half expecting Natsu to be out cold on her bed, but that wasn't the case. At the sight of an empty bed Lucy let out a heavy, depressed sigh before plopping onto her bed, taking a quick glance at the key ring around her waist. "He'll be back..." Lucy whispered softly as she laid on her side. "And I'll be safe as long as I have you guys..." Lucy closed her eyes, starting to drift off into sleep.
"Gate of the Ram, I open thee." A voice said in a quiet whisper, though it was loud enough to cause Lucy to shoot up, the words sounding all to familiar too her. "Aries."
"What?!" Lucy looked around, only to see that the inside of her window was filled with pink wool, blocking any look into it. "This wool...!"
"Kinda useless in some cases, isn't it?" Ruika asked as she walked from the shadows, twirling Aries' key around her finger. "Anyway, I'll be taking the rest of those now."
"You...!" Lucy immediately placed her hand protectively over her key ring. "You're the one who attacked me and stole Aries!" Lucy's eyes then widened as she looked at the spirit next to Ruika, none other than Aries. "A-Aries!"
"Don't even try it; she can't hear you." Ruika replied.
"What did you do to her?!" Lucy asked, beginning to reach for a key to deal with the spirit.
"I made her stronger," Ruika replied, pointing her hand forward after. "Aries."
"Wool Bomb!" The spirit shouted, not even hesitating for a second due to her nature, or from attacking her former key holder. Aries threw her hand forward, and I the next second, a cloud of pink wool appeared around Lucy, and though comfortable, it was smothering her.
"A-Aries!" Lucy screamed, but it was muffled by the wool. Eventually, Lucy's eyes closed as her breath cut short, entering a state of unconsciousness.
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Lucy's eyes slowly opened; she was in a half conscious state, noted by her blurry vision and half hearing. She tried to move, but she found her movement was restricted by something. After a few minutes she was conscious enough to the point where she had full senses, she looked up, noticing some kind of tendrils restrained her. "W-What's going on..?" Lucy asked to herself as she looked around. "My key ring...!" Lucy looked down to her waist, noticing her key ring was gone.
"Oh, look whose awake..." Ruika said as she, Maggie, Kiora, Sora, and Rugal walked to the cell door, twirling Lucy's key ring around with her finger, a victorious and taunting smirk on her face. "Missing something...~?"
"G-Give them back!" Lucy cried out.
"Let me think...no." Ruika snickered before placing Lucy's key ring around her waist, letting out a sigh. "Oh...this is great."
"Can I eat her?" Mithril said while walking into the room. "I can tell she's a virgin..."
"You can't eat her...yet," Ruika replied. "There's something I still need to do first..."
"And what's that?" Sora asked innocently while tilting her head to the side.
"This." Ruika took a step back, a magic circle appearing under her feet; a bright glow then enveloped Ruika's body, and a few seconds later, she was revealed to be the image of a completely different person.
"What." Kiora blinked a few times as she glanced at the person Ruika changed into.
"W-What?!" Lucy's eyes widened as Ruika transformed into none other then...Lucy.