Chapter 2: Welcome to Fairy Tail
The magic council, ERA, is made up of the most well respected wizards in the world. The council watches over the many magic guilds and ensures peace is maintained between all of them. Currently, the members of the council are discussing the recent events that took place in Hargeon one week ago.
"Those Fairy Tail wizards have done it again!" one member said in frustration. "This time they've destroyed an entire port!"
"What is the matter with them?" another councilman asked in exasperation.
"I'm rather fond of them actually," a younger council member with bright blue hair said calmly.
A much older and shorter man with gray hair nodded in agreement.
"They may act like fools, but we must remember that they are a capable lot."
"That's true, they present quite the quandary," another councilman said with a thoughtful look on his face.
"I say we let them be," the blue haired young man said with a smile. "After all, without those fools, just think about how boring this world would be."
It had been a day since Natsu dragged Lucy and Senko away from Hargeon. They were now standing in front of Fairy Tail with Lucy having stars in her eyes while Senko had a look of indifference.
"Well, we're finally here!" Happy said with a smile. "Welcome to Fairy Tail!"
Before anyone could say anything Natsu walked forward and kicked the double doors open.
"We made it back alive!" the pink haired wizard yelled.
"We're home!" Happy cheered.
Lucy and Senko looked inside and were impressed by how many wizards there were. They were also surprised to see each and every one of them greet Natsu.
"Hey Natsu, so you made it back huh?" One of the wizards said with a big grin. "Heard you went all out in Hargeon. Still causing trouble I- ahh!"
Natsu cut the guy off by kicking him in the face, sending him flying back and crashing into one of the tables.
The two newcomers were taken aback by the sudden attack while the rest of the guild acted like it was just another day. Before they could say anything though, the entire guild fell into a giant free-for-all.
"My opinion of this guild is greatly decreasing with each passing second," the kitsune prince said with a sigh.
Lucy, however, was too enamored by just being inside the Fairy Tail guild hall.
"Oh wow, I'm actually inside the Fairy Tail guild hall!"
"Uh, Lucy, you might wanna take a few steps back," Senko said before using a barrier to knock away a wizard that almost crashed into his blond haired friend.
"Hello there, you two must be new here," a feminine voice said.
The two turned to see an attractive young woman who appeared to be around Lucy's age. She had slightly tanned skin, white lavender hair that went past her shoulders, and a red dress.
"You're Mirajane! Oh wow!" Lucy said in awe, her eyes now emitting pink hearts.
"You can be starstruck later!" Senko said in annoyance. "In case you didn't notice, the guild is about to destroy itself!"
"You don't need to worry about that," Mirajane said with a smile. "This happens all the time."
"Oh, well if it happens all the time then by all means continue," Senko said sarcastically.
"Um, I kind of agree with my friend here. Shouldn't we stop them?" Lucy asked.
"I tend to just leave them be," Mirajane answered. "They'll tire out eventually."
Immediately after saying that, one of the guild wizards crashed into her, shocking Lucy.
"Besides, it makes things more fun," the now downed female wizard said before passing out, her soul leaving her body.
"NO! Don't die Mirajane!" Lucy yelled in panic as she tried to retrieve the woman's soul.
Senko, who was getting tired of both the nonsense and the random attacks flying at him, grew a tick mark and decided to put a stop to the fighting.
"ENOUGH!" he yelled as he slammed his staff into the floor, creating a shockwave of magical energy.
Everyone froze in place. Some of them even froze in mid-air, which confused the kitsune.
After seeing he had all of the wizards' attention, the fox prince cleared his throat and spoke.
"I have been here for less than two minutes and I'm already disappointed and disgusted by you all. I heard many things about this guild, both good and bad. But after seeing such a display, I'm more inclined to believe the bad."
Senko shook his head.
"I already had mixed feelings about being invited to join Fairy Tail and after all this, I have lost any interest in the idea. I came here expecting to find a respectable guild with many powerful wizards. Instead, I find something akin to a tavern full of drunken brutes ready to slit eachothers throats."
"If this is how the wizards of one of the most respected guilds in the kingdom act, then all I can say is that you should be ashamed. I don't know why the council allows this, but one thing is for sure, Fairy Tail clearly isn't what it used to be."
Senko turned to leave, but turned his head to give everyone one last glance.
"I suggest you all get your acts together, otherwise this farce of a guild won't last."
The wizards of Fairy Tail gave the kitsune, not that they knew he was one, several different reactions. Some of them growled or glared at him for talking down to their guild. Others looked down at the floor, feeling guilty for their actions.
"Hey! Just who do you think you are?!" a voice somewhat deeper than Natsu's yelled.
Senko turned towards the direction of the voice where he saw a young man who seemed to be the same age as Natsu glaring at him. He had dark blue hair and a calm disposition with an air of aggression. He was also completely naked except for a pair of boxers.
"You know, the fact that the guild allows a stripper into their ranks only further proves my point," the young kitsune said with a deadpan look.
The blue haired wizard looked down at himself and let out a gasp before asking where his clothes went.
The prince of foxes shook his head again and started to leave when another voice, a female one, called out.
"Hold it right there fox boy!"
Senko turned around and saw a girl a little older than Lucy sitting at the bar with her back to him. She had long chocolate brown hair and tan skin. She wore a blue bikini top, two navy blue arm bands, maroon colored jeans, and navy blue sandals.
"Can I help you with something?" Senko asked with a raised eyebrow.
"I was just wondering what made you think you get to walk out of here so easily," the young woman said before turning around to face him, a tarot card in her hand. "You come here, trash talk our guild, and you think we're just gonna take that lying down?"
"Not really," the beige colored fox answered with a smirk. "I honestly expected to be attacked, which would only further prove my point."
"You don't like it when others make negative comments about your guild, yet you don't do anything to disprove their claims. Even now, you're trying to intimidate me and would probably go as far as to beat me up. If you really wanted to prove me wrong, wouldn't it make more sense to act like respectable wizards instead of a bunch of rabid animals?"
The girl didn't back down. She understood where Senko was coming from, but her pride as a Fairy Tail wizard wouldn't let this slide.
"Well, since you already know what comes next, then there's really no point. Name's Cana, and I'm gonna make you regret smack talking to us like that."
Senko readied his staff for battle. He was about to create a magic circle when he noticed the other wizards surrounding him, their own magic at the ready.
"So, every one of you against little ol' me. Not very fair."
"Shut up!" Natsu snarled as his fists were engulfed in flames. "I've been hearing you bad mouthing my guild for long enough!"
The pink haired wizard lunged at Senko with his fists cocked back, but before he could even get two feet off the ground, he was immediately stepped on by a giant who appeared out of nowhere.
"That's quite enough!" the giant said.
"He's huge!" Lucy yelled.
"Welcome back master," Mirajane said with a smile.
"That's your master?" Senko said in shock.
"Hmm, who are these two?" the giant asked.
"These two are here to join our guild," the white haired serving girl answered.
Before the two could say anything, the giant began to emit smoke. He then shrunk down and revealed himself to be a tiny old man in colorful clothing.
"Hey there, top of the morning to ya!"
"He's so tiny!" Lucy said in shock.
"Are you just gonna point out everything?" Senko asked with a raised brow.
Before anything else could be said, the old man jumped into the air, doing several back flips before hitting the back of his head on the railing of the second floor. He quickly composed himself before glaring at the guild wizards.
"You really did it this time, you bunch of clods! Just look at all this paperwork! The only thing you brats are good for is getting the higher ups mad at me!"
The fairy tail wizards looked down in shame. That shame lifted however when they heard their guild master laugh.
"Then again, to heck with the magic counsel," he said with a smirk setting the papers ablaze with his magic. "Now listen, magic isn't some miracle of nature. It is a talent that only works when the flow of natural energy and your own spiritual energy come together as one. If you want your magic to grow, then you must explore everything this world has to offer."
All the wizards began to perk up at this, including Senko.
"Don't let those blowhards on the council scare you into limiting yourselves. Show them all that there is nothing that can stop you! Follow the path you believe in, because that is what makes the Fairy Tail guild NUMBER ONE!"
All the wizards cheered as they raised their hands while making the sign of the guild. Even Lucy and Senko got caught up in the excitement and cheered along with them.
After an hour long interview, Lucy and Senko came back to the main hall sporting Fairy Tail marks. Lucy had it on her right arm and Senko had it on his left shoulder, though his was a little different. According to the guild master, whose name they learned was Makarov, the mark would disappear after three months.
Master Makarov gave him this mark as a way to show the kitsune's probationary period. He wanted the fox prince to join for real, but understood his concerns and came up with this as a compromise. After the three months were up and the mark disappeared, prince Senko could either leave the guild or become a permanent member of the Fairy Tail family.
"Natsu! Natsu! Look at this!" Lucy called out as she ran over to her pink haired friend while showing off her hand. "Check it out, I'm an official member of Fairy Tail! Isn't that great?!"
"Huh? Oh, yea, that's great loony," Natsu said in a bored tone and a blank expression on his face, not taking even a single glance at Lucy.
"The name's Lucy and what's with that face?" Lucy said irritably.
"Wow, you asked her to join the guild and then act like she's not even here?" Senko asked sarcastically.
"Oh hey, you're still here?" the fire wizard asked in that same bored tone as he turned around.
"Geez, what is your problem?" Lucy asked with a scowl.
"Try not to scowl Lucy, it's not good for you," the kitsune said before addressing Natsu. "As for your question, I'm on probation. Master Makarov brought up a lot of good points about joining Fairy Tail that I couldn't argue against. Of course, the same thing could be said about the issues I brought up and so this is what we came up with."
"Yea, Senko will be on a three month trial period and after that he can say whether or not he wants to officially join," Lucy explained.
"Wow, I haven't heard of a probationary wizard in quite some time," Mirajane said as she walked over with a tray in her hand. "Most wizards tend to just join any guild they can until they find one that's more to their liking."
"I thought about that, but the paperwork would've been a nightmare," Senko answered the unasked question.
"Anyway, I'm a member of the guild now and I'd like to start looking for a job."
As soon as the fox prince said that, a little boy ran past him and the others. Senko looked at the boy and estimated that he was about six years old. He had dark purple hair with some prominent bangs. He wore a dark green shirt with light green highlights and brown shorts.
"Master!" the boy all but shouted as he ran over to Makarov who appeared to be lost in thought. "Have you heard anything? Please tell me you know where my dad is?!"
The guild master opened one eye and looked at the boy with a calm expression.
"Ah, Romeo, your back again I see."
"Never mind that, do you know where my dad is?" Romeo asked as tears started to form in his eyes.
"Hmm, I believe he took that job on Mt. Hakobe," Makarov answered with a thoughtful look.
"That's right and it's less than a day's travel… and it's been over a week now!" the boy yelled with no small amount of concern. "Why haven't you sent anyone to look for him?"
"LISTEN TO ME!" Makarov yelled sternly. "Macao is a member of the guild and as such can take care of himself. So why don't you go home, have some milk and cookies, and wait for him to come back!"
"JERK!" Romeo cried as he punched Makarov in the face before turning and running out of the guild hall with tears in his eyes. "I HATE YOU ALL!"
All the Fairy Tail wizards could do nothing but watch the whole thing unfold. Prince Senko let out a silent growl while Lucy looked on with worry and Natsu staring blankly at the job request board.
"You know," Mira said softly, getting everyone's attention. "Despite what he just said, the master is worried."
"So why not send someone?" the kitsune asked.
"It's because of Macao's pride. Romeo has been getting bullied by the local kids. They mock him for being the son of a 'stupid, lazy wizard that reeks like booze' and it was starting to get to him. He couldn't take it anymore and asked his dad to prove them wrong by taking a job. Macao loves Romeo and wanted to make the boy proud to be a wizard's son. If Makarov sent someone after Macao, it would shame him because he would've failed Romeo."
Senko stared at Mira for a moment before turning to the entrance.
"I kind of understand, but at some point you need to know when to cut your losses. Macao is making his kit worried. That alone should be enough of a reason to come home, even if he failed the mission."
Lucy looked down at the floor. She couldn't help but agree with Senko, but also understood what Macao wanted. She started to wonder what she would do if she was in that situation.
"If I may ask, what exactly was Macao's job anyway?" Prince Senko asked.
"Oh, it was just a standard monster hunting quest," Mira answered thoughtfully. "It was to hunt vulcans I believe."
"WHAT!?" the fox prince yelled as he stood up suddenly, startling everyone around him. "He went to hunt vulcans and he still hasn't come back?!"
The kitsune grabbed his staff and ran out the entrance.
"Hey! Where are you going?" Mira called out.
"You people are idiots!" Senko snarled back.
Before anything else was said, there was a loud bang that came from the back of the guild hall. Everyone turned to the sound and saw Natsu with his fist making a large indent in the request board.
"What the hell Natsu?!" one of the wizards yelled. "You're gonna destroy the board!"
Natsu ignored his guildmate as he ran out of the guild hall with Happy following behind
Senko, Natsu, Happy, and even Lucy found themselves on a caravan headed for Mt. Hakobe. Senko was reading a book while Natsu looked like he was about to throw up. Meanwhile, Happy was munching away on a fish and Lucy was lost in thought.
"Hey Lucy, not that I mind, but what made you decide to come with us?" Senko asked as he put his book down.
Lucy, who snapped out of her trance, looked at the fox.
"Well I… I couldn't just sit back and do nothing, not after seeing Romeo like that, you know?" the blond girl answered softly.
What Lucy didn't tell Senko was that Mira told her something before she decided to come along.
Flashback
"Why was Senko so upset and what got into Natsu?" Lucy asked with worry.
"I can't say for your friend, but it's kind of personal for Natsu," Mira answered.
"Personal?" the blond asked.
The white haired girl nodded.
"Yea, Natsu knows what it's like not to have a dad or any parents. That's something a lot of us have in common actually. Everyone here in Fairy Tail treats each other like family, but I'm sure it's hard for him not knowing what happened to Igneel."
"Igneel… that's the guy Natsu was looking for," Lucy said in realization. "Wait, are you telling me he was looking for his dad?"
"Igneel wasn't his real father, but he is the one who raised him," Mira answered before smiling. "He was a dragon you know."
Lucy let out a gasp as she imagined a giant dragon with green scales roaring and breathing fire.
"Are you serious? Natsu was really raised by a dragon?!" the celestial wizard said in disbelief.
"That's what Natsu claims. According to him, Igneel raised him since he was just a baby. Igneel taught him everything he needed to know and from how Natsu talks, you can tell he really loved him. Then one day, the dragon just disappeared and Natsu hasn't seen him since," Fairy Tail's fashion model explained sadly.
Lucy just looked down. The pain of losing a parent was one she knew all too well.
"It wasn't long before the master found him and brought him to join the guild," Mira continued. "I remember how happy he was. Still, he never gave up on finding Igneel and would do anything to see him again. He probably sees a lot of himself in Romeo."
Flashback End
Lucy was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't realize Senko was talking to her until he used his staff to jab her in the leg. The blond wizard let out an eep before glaring at the kitsune prince.
"What was that for?" she asked angrily.
"I've been trying to talk to you for the past five minutes but you were just staring off into space. I tried shaking you a bit, then poking you, then snapping my fingers in front of your face. When none of that worked I jabbed you. If you didn't wake up after that, I was gonna take you back to the guild," Senko explained.
Lucy blinked one, then twice, and three times before she sheepishly scratched the back of her head.
"Oh, sorry about that. I was just lost in thought."
"It's alright, but you should work on being aware of things even when lost in thought. If I wanted to, I could've stabbed you and left and you wouldn't have realized it until it was too late," the fox prince warned.
Lucy paled at that, but quickly shook her head
"I'll try."
Before anything else could be said, the two heard Natsu lose his lunch. They turned to see if he was alright, only to see him hanging from the window. Their eyes widen before grabbing the pink haired wizard and dragging him back in.
"Are you insane?" Senko asked before punching the top of Natsu's head, his face contorted into a snarl.
"That was dangerous!" Lucy yelled.
"Sorry about that, Natsu gets terrible motion sickness," Happy explained.
"That's no excuse, but I think I can do something to help," Senko said before examining the fire dragon slayer.
After checking what he needed to, the kitsune created a magic circle. After a moment, a green ethereal barrier surrounded Natsu. As the light from the barrier engulfed the teen, Lucy and Happy watched in awe as Natsu slowly started to sit up right, no longer gagging and his face regaining some color.
When the spell ended, Natsu was still inside the barrier looking a lot better. It was clear he still wasn't feeling well but he at least looked like he could sit up on his own.
"Hey Natsu, are you ok?" Happy asked in concern.
"Hey… little buddy," Natsu answered with a forced smile. "I'm alright."
"Wow, your motion sickness must be really bad," Prince Senko said with no small amount of surprise. "The only time I've ever seen that spell fail to cure it completely was with my younger brother."
"Really?" Lucy asked. "What happened?"
"We were on a ship traveling to a small resort and he got sick. I was used to helping people with seasickness and so I cast the spell on him. The problem was that his was so bad that it only made the sickness bearable instead of curing it. It surprised me since the spell always worked until that day. That's when I found out it can't cure serious cases."
"Wow, Natsu must be really bad with traveling if the spell didn't work."
"Seems so. Although, the good news is that he should at least be able to deal with it until we get to Mt. Hakobe. He'll just have to sit inside the barrier until we get there."
Senko turned to Natsu who was holding his stomach, his ears folded back and his tail drooping.
"I'm sorry I couldn't cure your motion sickness completely. I'll try to do research and see if I can enhance the spell."
Natsu looked up at the fox with a grin on his face before waving him off.
"Naw it's fine. You already helped me out a lot. Thanks to this spell, I'll be able to make it no problem."
Senko was still worried but he already knew Natsu was the stubborn type and would continue to insist that he's fine. He let out a sigh and decided to let it go for now, but he silently vowed he would try to improve his barrier.
The group made it to Mt. Hakobe after another ten minutes of travel. Lucy and Senko were amazed they arrived so quickly. As soon as they got off the caravan, Natsu let out a mighty roar, happy to finally stop moving.
"What the heck!" Lucy shouted in disbelief after walking out into a blizzard. "Where are we?"
"Mt. Hakobe of course," Senko answered. "Hopefully we can find Macao quickly."
"How is there snow when it's summer right now?"
"Mt. Hakobe experiences snow storms all year round, Lucy," Happy answered.
"Come on, let's go!" Natsu yelled as he ran off, prompting the others to follow.
"Oh man, it's freezing out here," Lucy said, trying her best to warm herself up.
"That's what you get for coming out here in such light clothes," Natsu retorted.
"HEY! It's not like you're dressed for it!" Lucy yelled indigently before pulling on the blanket Natsu had. "Now hand over that blanket."
"Man you're annoying," Natsu grumbled.
"Aye," Happy agreed.
The two got a hit to their heads, courtesy of an angry Senko and his staff.
"That was uncalled for," the fox prince said in an annoyed tone. "She came with us to help, the least you two could have done was offer her the blanket or use your magic to warm her up."
"Oh, I know!" Lucy said in realization, catching the others' attention.
The blond wizard pulled out one of her keys. She pointed it forward and a magic circle began to form under.
"OPEN! GATE OF THE CLOCK CONSTELLATION! HOROLOGIUM!
The area was engulfed in a brilliant golden light. When it died down, a large, wooden, grandfather clock appeared. At the top of the clock was a tiny house that showed the face of a French butler, mustache and all. From the sides came out two cartoony stick arms and below it came out two cartoony stick legs.
"Tick Tock!" the grandfather clock said.
"Wow!" Natsu said in amazement.
"That's so cool!" Happy said with stars in his eyes.
"So that's celestial magic," Prince Senko said as he examined the clock.
Before anyone could say anything more, Lucy climbed inside the grandfather clock. She closed the class door, keeping the cold air out while wrapping herself in the blanket.
The three noticed Lucy saying something, but the casing silenced her completely.
"I can't hear what she's saying," Natsu complained.
"I'm staying in here and I'm not coming out," the clock answered for Lucy in a gentleman's voice.
"Then why did you come along?" the pink haired wizard said in annoyance.
"Excuse me, Horologium was it?" the kitsune prince asked, getting a nod from the grandfather clock. "If I may ask, what kind of celestial spirit are you exactly? I've read that there are different spirits for different situations such as ones that are good for fighting and others that are good for research."
"I am one of the lesser spirits that inhabit the celestial realm though I am a higher being than the average spirits that inhabit the mortal realm. I am able to tell you the time in every time zone in the world as well as the status of the flow of time around us. I am also able to house my wizard inside my body as you see with Miss Lucy here," The clock spirit explained.
"That's definitely useful," Senko said thoughtfully as he brought a hand up to his chin.
As soon as Senko finished his thought, something fell in front of the group. They couldn't see what it was thanks to all the snow and dirt that was kicked up, but they could tell it was big.
When the snow finally cleared, it revealed a large white haired monkey that was twice the size of a gorilla with a single horn on its head. Its legs had dark blue fur making them look like pants and a long blue tail.
"What in the world?" Senko said in shock.
"That's a big vulcan!" Happy yelled in horror.
"That's a vulcan?!" Horologium said calmly, clearly speaking for Lucy.
The vulcan let out a mighty roar that pushed everyone back. Senko, Natsu, and Horologium stood their ground but Happy had to hold on to Natsu's scarf to keep from being blown away.
"Hey you!" Natsu shouted as fire flew from his mouth. "Where's Macao you stupid monkey?!"
The vulcan didn't seem to even register Natsu as he looked at each of us. He stopped when he saw Horologium and by extension, Lucy. He shot her a creepy grin before racing over to her and the celestial spirit.
Lucy let out a scream when he pushed his face against the glass.
"LUCY!" Senko yelled before he readied a fire spell.
He was going to shoot, but stopped midway when he saw how close the three were. He knew that if he fired his spell he could either engulf Horologium along with the vulcan or the vulcan could jump out of the way, leaving Lucy and her spirit to take the full attack.
Horologium! You need to shake him off so I can hit him!" the fox prince yelled.
"Sorry, but I do not have much physical strength," the grandfather clock answered evenly.
"I'll get him!" Natsu yelled as he engulfed his fist in flames.
"Wait Natsu! You'll hit Lucy!" Senko yelled,
"It's too late!" Happy screamed in horror.
Natsu jumped into the air and was about to hit the monster with a flaming right hook but was suddenly backhanded by the white monkey and sent flying. He crashed into Senko and the two went skidding back deep into the snow.
Senko quickly pushed Natsu off of him and immediately saw the vulcan pick up Horologium before running away.
"Lucy!" Natsu yelled.
"Guys! Help me! She said dreadfully," he celestial spirit said calmly despite the situation.
The two could only watch as the monster and their friends disappeared in the blizzard.
"LUCY!" Natsu roared, his voice echoing in the wind.
Lucy was scared. No, she was terrified. She didn't know how long it had been since she and Horologium were spirited away, but for her, it had felt like hours. It didn't take long for the Vulcan to bring her and the spirit to an ice filled cave and since then he'd been dancing around and yelling "woman" non-stop.
Lucy was yelling something from within Horologium but the glass silenced her.
"What is wrong with the monkey?" The grandfather clock answered for Lucy evenly. "Senko, Natsu, Happy, where are you?"
Just then, there was a loud beeping sound and in an instant, Horologium disappeared in a puff of smoke, leaving Lucy completely exposed.
"Ahh!" Lucy screamed. "Where did you go Horologium? You can't just leave me like this!"
"Sorry, but my time is up," the spirit answered in an echoed voice.
"Give me an extension! Please!" the blond wizard cried.
"Woman!" the vulkan yelled as he lunged at the now vulnerable Lucy.
The blond haired wizard screamed as she put her arms up in a futile attempt to protect herself. She waited for the weight of the white furred monster to fall on her, but it never came. Confused, Lucy looked up and was shocked to see the vulkan painfully pressed against an invisible wall.
"LUCY!" a familiar voice yelled.
The celestial wizard turned and was relieved to see Senko, Natsu, and Happy running towards her, the fox's staff radiating with magical energy.
"You guys!" she yelled happily.
Just then, the vulcan pushed himself off the barrier Senko had created. He looked at the approaching wizards and snarled at them. Before the beast could attack, Natsu started yelling at him.
"Hey you! Where is Macao?" he roared.
His friend's looked at him like he was insane.
"You can understand me, right?" Natsu asked. "I'm looking for my friend Macao, he's a human man!"
"Natsu, what makes you think he knows where Macao is?" Senko asked, never once putting down the barrier. "Just because he came up to slain these things doesn't mean the vulkan knows where your friend is. Vulkans are solitary creatures so it's possible that Macao never ran into this one."
As Senko finished saying his piece, the monster started to oook. The team looked at the giant monkey and saw him waving and pointing to an opening in the cave.
"Hey, I think he's gonna show us!" the pink haired wizard said excitedly.
Before anyone could stop him, Natsu ran over to the hole. As he poked his head through in order to find Macao, the vulkan rammed into him, pushing Natsu out of the cave and sending him careening down the mountain, screaming as he did.
"Natsu!" Lucy and Senko shouted in horror, Senko's tail standing up stiffly.
"Don't worry, I got him!" Happy yelled as he rocketed out of the cave.
With Happy gone, that just left the kitsune prince and the human wizard to fight the vulkan alone.
"Hey Lucy," Senko called out. "Do you have any celestial spirits that can help us out here?"
Lucy, who was still in shock, snapped out of her stupor and reached into her pocket. She then pulled out a set of keys and nodded.
"Oh yea, I know just the one. Can you buy me some time?"
"You got it!" Senko answered with a foxy grin.
The young fox engaged the beast in battle. He shot out multi colored fireballs and a large dragon made of fire for good measure.
The vulkan jumped out of the way of the fireballs but was struck in the arm by the fire dragon. He let out a pained scream before looking at Senko with hate filled eyes. Angered that his arm was now a burnt mess, he lunged at the kitsune and attempted to crush him with a double fist attack.
Senko jumped out of the way and attempted to put the monster into an illusion. This seemed to work as the vulkan started to wobble around like a drunken idiot.
Meanwhile Lucy channeled her magic energy into a golden key that was in the shape of an axe.
"Open! Gate of the Golden Bull! Taurus!"
The area was lit up in a golden light and the sound of an angry bull mooing was heard. When the light died down it revealed a white very muscular humanoid bull with black spots. Its only clothes were what looked like a pair of black wrestler's underwear, black boots, and white wrappings around its forearms. On its back was a large great axe.
Senko looked over at the bull and blushed furiously. However, he wasn't sure if it was because of the bull man's admittedly attractive body or because of the lack of clothes. Clearly this bull did not know the meaning of modesty.
Shaking his head, the fox prince looked back at the vulkan who was still trapped in his illusion. Before he could say anything, he heard Lucy screaming some rather vulgar language. He turned back to his friend and saw her yelling at the bull.
"Hey, what's going on?" Senko asked. "Shouldn't he be attacking the vulkan?"
"Sorry Senko, but this idiot is a big perv too," Lucy said with a sigh. "Not even here five seconds and already he's asking for a smooch."
"You can't really blame me Miss Lucy," Taurus said in a bumpkin accent and with hearts in his eyes. "You've just got one attractive body. A small kiss wouldn't hurt too much, would it?"
Senko just blinked owlishly before face-falling. He quickly got up and shook himself, regaining his senses. He got a tick mark as his ear flicked in frustration. The fox prince liked to think himself a patient man but there was only so much nonsense he could take.
"Hey, Taurus, in case you haven't noticed, we have an enemy in front of us. So can you please stop flirting and help us before I BURN YOUR FUCKING BALLS OFF!"
The kitsune's voice echoed throughout the entire mountain, causing even the blizzard to go quiet and waking the vulkan up. The other three turned to him and felt a shiver go down their spines. Despite his calm stance and the mask hiding his face, they all felt the anger that resonated in the mask's eyes burning like a white hot fire.
Taurus, who was taking the brunt of the anger, was shivering in his boots. He truly thought the fox would go through with his threat and turned to the vulkan and took a ready stance.
"Yes sir, as you wish sir!" he said in a voice that told everyone he was focused on the fight.
"Why are you calling him sir all of a sudden and why are you talking like a soldier?!" Lucy yelled with her eyes bulging out of her head.
The bull, ignoring his actual mistress, brandished his great axe and charged at the still dazed vulkan. He leaped into the air and slammed his axe into the icy floor, creating a shock wave that hit the monster dead center and sent it crashing into a wall.
"TAKE THAT YA MOOOONKEY!" Taurus moo'ed in triumph.
The vulkan shook his head before glaring at the celestial spirit. He pushed himself out of the wall and charged at the bull with his fists at the ready.
"Heads up," Senko yelled.
"Get him Taurus!" Lucy ordered.
The bull didn't need any prompting. He charged straight at the vulkan with no fear or hesitation whatsoever. The two beasts clashed in the center of the cavern. The monkey-like monster's fist was blocked by Taurus's axe, but the zodiac spirit was slowly being pushed back.
Taurus jumped back before sending another shockwave at the vulcan who dodged out of the way. The bull took advantage of this by jumping over to where the monster would land and hitting him with a haymaker, sending him to the ground.
The vulkan sprang back up however and punched Taurus in the face, sending him skidding back. He then tried to attack the bull with a double fist downward strike, but it was blocked by Taurus who kicked his opponent in the stomach, pushing him back.
"It looks like they're evenly matched in terms of raw strength," Senko said as he analyzed the fight for any openings.
"Is there any way we could help?" Lucy asked.
"I have an idea but I need you and Taurus to trust me," the kitsune answered.
Lucy looked at her new friend for a moment before nodding to him. The fox nodded back and looked at the celestial spirit.
"Taurus, I know this sounds strange, but I need you to let him land an attack," Senko called out.
The bull man looked at him like he was insane but a nod from Lucy was enough to do as this new companion asked.
"Alright! Let's see what you got!" the bull called out.
Senko nodded and pointed his staff at the bull who started to emit an orange energy from his body. The two wizards watched as the vulkan threw what looked like a powerful punch at Taurus who braced himself. To Lucy and Taurus's surprise, the monster was sent flying into a wall.
"What? How?" Lucy asked in shock.
"That's one of my barriers," Senko answered. "That barrier is for sending a physical attack back at the attacker at double the strength."
Lucy's eyes widened.
"Th-That's incredible! I didn't know a spell like that existed!"
"Wait, if you have a spell like that , then why did you need me?" Taurus asked.
"That spell's power is based on the raw strength of the person it's cast on. In other words, your physical strength is what made the barrier so powerful. Since I'm not that physically strong, the barrier would most likely have failed," Senko explained.
"I get it. It's a spell that's meant to support close range fighters like Taurus or Natsu," Lucy said in understanding, getting a nod from the fox prince.
"That's right. I also know its counterpart that reflects magic attacks and as you can guess, its strength is based on the person's raw magical power."
The two nodded at the fox. The trio had to quickly put their guards up however when the vulkan landed in front of them with murder in its eyes.
"Just how strong is this thing?" Lucy asked.
"Don't worry, Miss Lucy, I'll finish this right now!" Taurus moo'ed.
The zodiac spirit jumped into the air while he twirled his axe. He then smashed his axe into the ground with all his strength, creating the biggest shockwave the two wizards had ever seen.
The vulkan jumped high into the air at the last moment, avoiding the attack altogether before charging at Taurus. He was about to strike Taurus's jaw but the bull was suddenly punched in the face by a fiery fist and sent crashing to the ground where he promptly passed out.
Lucy and Senko gasped as Natsu landed in front of them with a grin.
"Hey guys, sorry I'm late!"
"Natsu!" Lucy called, relief evident in her voice.
"I'm glad you're ok but you just KO 'ed our backup!" Senko said in shock, his eyes widening underneath his mask. "Also, how are you here?"
"Happy helped me out," the pink haired wizard answered as he pointed at the blue cat. "Thanks for that buddy!"
"Aye!" Happy answered.
"So, uh… why are there more monsters here than when I left?"
"He isn't a monster, he's one of my spirits!" Lucy yelled in anger.
"The monkey?" Natsu asked.
"Not him! The bull!"
The vulkan, having had enough, let out a battle cry and charged at Natsu.
"Alright you stupid monkey, time for round two!" Natsu said as a magic circle appeared under him and his fist was engulfed in flames.
"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"
Natsu punched the white furred monster in the face with one of his most powerful attacks and sent him crashing into the wall and kicking a large dust cloud.
When the dust cloud dispersed, it revealed the vulkan holding Taurus's axe.
"That's not good!" Senko said.
"Aw crap!" Natsu murmured.
Lucy, after seeing the axe, ran over to Taurus and tried to wake him up.
"Taurus! You have to wake up! If you go back, the axe will disappear with you!"
"Be careful Miss Lucy," the bull said in a daze with swirls in his eyes.
The vulkan attacked Natsu who caught the axe before it could hit him.
"No way!" Lucy said in disbelief.
"Natsu! Use this!" Senko called out and shot a huge blue fireball that took the form of a fox.
Natsu saw it and immediately ate it. When he finished, his body radiated with energy and his once orange flames turned blue.
"Alright! Now that's what I'm talking about!" the muscular wizard yelled before he pushed the vulkan away and made him drop the axe.
The vulkan looked up at Natsu who was now surrounded by blue fire.
"Alright monkey, time for something new!" Natsu said with an evil grin.
"Blue Fire Dragon Roar!"
Natsu breathed out a giant torrent of blue fire that shot straight towards the monster.
"I'll help too!" Senko yelled, fire surrounding him before taking the form of pink flower petals.
"Sakura Storm!"
Senko sent the whirlwind of burning blossoms at the downed vulkan and watched as his attack joined Natsu's.
The white furred beast let out a pained howl as he was engulfed in the dazzling flames, his body burning to a crisp.
"Beautiful," Lucy said in awe.
"Moo," Taurus agreed.
"Wow, how pretty!" Happy said as he watched the blizzard of cherry blossom petals mix with the blue fire.
"Wow, what's that?" the pink haired wizard asked.
"That's my Sakura Storm, one of my most potent fire spells," Senko said proudly, his tail wagging with joy.
"Those flowers are made out of fire?" Natsu all but yelled with amazement.
"You bet, though it's not an easy spell to learn." the fox prince answered.
Natsu ignored him as he watched the storm die down, the petals fading away as if they were never there. When they were gone, the male human's eyes widened when he saw a beaten up Macao on the floor.
"Macao!" he yelled as he ran over to his friend.
"That's Macao?" Senko called out, his eyes widened in shock as his tail and ears stiffened.
"Wait, where did that pervy monkey go? Shouldn't there be a burned monster?" Lucy asked.
"It looks like Macao was taken over," Happy answered.
"Taken over?" the blond haired wizard parroted.
"Yea, vulkans can use a type of magic that takes over a person. They're evil body snatching monsters!" the blue cat explained.
"I see," Senko said thoughtfully as he brought his hand up to his muzzle. "So when we beat the vulkan, it freed Macao from the spell.
"That's right," Happy cheered.
The three heard Macao groan as Natsu helped him to his feet.
"Natsu, is that you?" the man asked.
"Yea, I'm right here buddy," Natsu answered.
"Man, I'm so pathetic. I took down nineteen of those things and let my guard down. That's when that last one got me."
"No way! He took down nineteen of those nasty things?" Lucy said to herself in absolute shock."
"If that's the case then why is he calling himself pathetic?" Senko asked no one in particular as he tilted his head, his ears twitching slightly. "That's quite the accomplishment, even if he did fall victim at the end."
Natsu, having heard that, nodded his head in agreement.
"You hear that? The new guys just called you awesome. So quit with the self loathing."
Macao looked up to see a grinning Natsu.
"Come on, your little boy is waiting for you."
Macao's eyes widened at that.
"It's time to go home," the dragon slayer said with the others nodding.
"Yea, let's go," Macau said with a smile of his own.
It was now evening and Romeo was sitting by the fountain in the square. He was so worried about Natsu and the others that he didn't even think about going home. He could only pray that his friends would be successful in their rescue mission.
As he continued to wait, he couldn't help but remember how things ended up like this. He remembered the stupid bullies teasing him. He hated them so much because if it wasn't for them, his dad would be here now. He also hated himself for being so weak that he couldn't handle a few kids, even if they were older.
Just as he was about to berate himself again for making his dad take that job, he heard someone calling his name. He looked around but stopped when he noticed a pink dot in the distance. He squinted a bit before his eyes widened. There, down the street was Natsu.
Wasting no time, the six year old ran as fast as his little legs could carry him. As he got closer, he noticed Senko and Lucy walking behind him. He completely stopped in his tracks however when he saw the man he wanted to see. Walking next to Natsu was his father, a little worn out but alive.
"Hey son," Macao said with a smile on his face.
"Daaaaaad!" Romeo screamed as he tackled his father to the ground.
"I'm so sorry dad!" the six year old cried. "I shouldn't have made you go on the mission."
"No, I'm sorry for making you worry," Macao said apologetically as he held Romeo tight.
"I can handle it, because I'm a wizard's son!" Romeo said through Macao's shirt which he was clinging onto.
"Next time those bullies bother you, here's what I want you to say. Can your old man take on nineteen monsters all by himself, because mine can," the older man said with a big grin.
Meanwhile, Natsu, Senko, Lucy, and Happy were watching the exchange. They all smiled, happy that they were able to reunite the two. It made all the trouble they went through worth it. They turned around and headed back to the guild to give their reports. As they did, they heard Romeo calling out to them.
"NATSU! HAPPY! THANKS FOR ALL YOUR HELP!"
"No problem buddy!" Natsu answered back.
"Aye," Happy added.
"SENKO! LUCY! THANK YOU FOR HELPING THEM BRING MY DADDY BACK TO ME!"
The fox prince and blonde wizard turned their heads and smiled back at the father-son duo. They waved at them as they continued their way back to the guild.
Journal entry #1
I'll admit, this wasn't what I was expecting at all when I joined Fairy Tail. At first, I thought they were all a bunch of brutes with no tack what-so-ever. Yet, today's adventure showed me how quick I was to judge them. They're definitely rough around the edges, but smooth those out and you'll find some truly precious gems. It may have only been my first day and I may still be on the fence about all this, but I mean it when I say I look forward to what the future will bring.
Prince Senko
