Chapter 40

Worst Date Ever

"Speech"

'Thoughts'

"Magic"

Flashback

Location / Date / Time Skip

Natsu leaned over the railing of the ship and let the breeze of the sea hit his face. "So this is what the ocean breeze feels like. This is awesome!" He turned and started running around, screaming in joy.

"Careful." Wendy warned. "Troia doesn't last that long." As if on cue, Natsu crashed to the deck with a green face.

"Come here, Natsu." Laki sat down next to him and rested his head on her lap.

"Hey, I've been meaning to ask something?" Rose spoke up. "How come you and Wendy don't get motion sickness like Natsu?"

"Yeah, that is kinda weird now that you mention it." Gray added.

"Honestly, I don't know." Laki answered. "Must be a male thing."

"That just means Wendy is tougher than him." Gray chuckled, making Lucy laugh as well.

"Was that an insult to Wendy?" Rose asked.

"I can't wait for you three to join Fairy Tail." Happy told Carla.

"I'm only going because Wendy is going, not because I want to go." The white cat said back.

"I can't wait to join Fairy Tail!" Wendy cheered.

Lucy looked at the sky and smiled at the memories of the others leaving, and the fact that she got three new gate keys; Aries, Scorpio, and Gemini.

Fairy Tail Guildhall

"Because of this, Wendy, Carla and Rose are now members of Fairy Tail." Erza explained as the whole guild looked at the three new members. "Treat them well."

"Nice to met you all." Wendy said with a bow. The guild surrounded the thre and welcomed them.

"I'm so glad you made it back." Mirajane said to Erza as she walked over to her and the master.

"Is this okay with you, master?" Erza asked.

"I'm sure everything will calm down, soon enough." Makarov told her. "Of course I'll welcome all three of them."

Water filled up the guild hall as Juvia cried in joy that her 'beloved' Gray had returned. Wendy looked around in joy and wonder as Mirajane walked over to her. "Hello, there, I'm Mirajane. It's nice to meet you."

"Wow, first Erza, and now Mirajane." Wendy cheered.

"I'm assuming your two cats use the same magic as Happy, would you mind telling what magic you use?" The model asked Wendy.

The comment about the cats angered Carla while Rose just nodded. "Don't mind her." Wendy told Mirajane. "I use healing and support magic. I'm a Sky Dragon Slayer." The whole guild stopped and stared at Wendy. 'Did I do something wrong?'

"THAT'S AWSOME!" The whole guild shouted, shocking Wendy. The whole guild started praising Wendy and bragging about how they now have four dragon slayers.

Gajeel looked down from the balcony and glared at the slayers next to their cats, before some stupid petty jealously over took him.

"So, what's up with those two?" Macao motioned behind the group to Natsu and Laki, holding hands.

Laki turned into a radioactive tomato as Natsu scratched the back of his head. "Natsu final grew a pair and told Laki how he felt." Gray chuckled out.

"That's not exactly true..." Laki mumbled.

The guild stared at the new pairing before erupting into one, signal word. "Congratulations!" The guy's and girls pulled Natsu and Laki away respectively and began too ask questions and congratulate them when one voice interupted them all.

"Pay up, losers!" Cana shouted. Several members pulled out their wallets and gave her money, including Mirajane. "Told ya they would get together."

"Wait, you all bet we wouldn't end up together?" Natsu asked, making the many men and few girls mumble.

"Well, no offense Natsu, but you've just always seemed kinda... dense." Jet mumbled. His answer earned him a fist in the face.

"Hows that for dense!?" He asked back. Jet tackled him back and this sparked a routine brawl in the guild that sucked almost the whole guild in.

"This whole place is insane." Carla said, watching the event.

"You kidding? This is awesome!" Rose said before tackling Happy into the brawl.

"Not going to join them?" Makarov asked Laki as he walked over.

"Nah." She shock her head in response. "It's so hectic, I can't find who bet against us. They're the only ones how deserve a punch from me."

"Well, shall you get mine out of the way?" Mirajane asked.

"Sure." Laki walked over and pulled her fist back, but instead of a hard punch to the gut, it was a flick of her fingers on the bridge of the nose. "There, we're good now."

"Glad that's taken care of." Mira said. Laki turned around when Mirajane grabbed her arm. "Now, will you tell me how you REALLY got together?"

"I'm actually curious as to the truth myself." Makarov said, hoping up on the bar top.

Laki let out a sigh before looking st the two. "What I tell stays between us, okay?" The two nodded as Laki told them everythingh. Her fight with Cobra, Brain tricking Natsu with illusions, the fight, and the kiss... the kiss that saved him.

"That's so romantic!" Mira shouted with tears in her eyes. "Why doesn't the whole guild know?"

"Beacuse it tears him up inside." Laki explained. "He hates the fact that he hurt his friends, even if he wasn't himself." She looked out into brawl as Natsu beat up Wakaba, another of the nah sayers. "Let's not have the whole guild looking at him in fear."

"Understood." The master nodded as Mirajane gave him a beer. "Here's to a long and healthy relationship."

"Thank you, master." Laki said back before ducking a flying guildmate. Up on the balcony, Mystogain looked down at Wendy laughing underneath a table before fading away.

Three Weeks Later

The ex-Cait members quickly got their marks and earned their short stripes for their guild, going on a few jobs with team Natsu. Hell, Rose was made a permanent member of the group for all the jobs she went on with Laki.

Speaking of the purplette, her relationship with Natsu was now... milktoast to say the least. First, he offered to let her move in with her. She saw no problem with that, they'd certainly known each other long enough to avoid crossing any lines. But Erza had other ideas.

The second before Laki could answer, Erza punched him clean out of the guild, and the city. Something about the relationship being too new and they need at least a year of dating. Most likely, she pulled that number out of one of her many 'romance' novels she buys when she thinks no one is looking. She even had a little list of what is and is not a date. At the top of the list, 'going on a job'.

"How do I do this again?" Natsu asked Mira as they looked over at Laki, talking to Rose and the other members of his team, sans Erza who was off buying something.

"Just go up to her and ask her out." The barmaid said back. "You've told me you've practice a hundred times at home."

"Yeah, but every time I try, I end up asking her out on a job." He said.

"Just replace the word 'job' with 'date'." Mira said. "Oh, I know the perfect little resteraunt for your first date. It's right here in town."

"Keep it down." Natsu told her. "If Erza gets word of this, she's gonna go full romance-Nazi on us. It's like she's obsessed with all this lovey-dovey stuff." He looked back over to Laki. "I'm just worried I'm gonna screw this up before we even start."

"Natsu, just calm down. Take a deep breath." Mira told him and remarkably, he listened to her. "There's nothing you can do that would make her hate you. Remember that time you broke into her room at Fairy Hills? She didn't hate you then."

Natsu shuttered at the memory of that horrifying day. "Don't remind me." He grabbed his shot glass of fire whiskey and quickly gulped down the liquid courage. "Well, here goes nothing." He stood up and walked over the table. "Hey, Laki..."

"Yeah?" She asked. He quickly mumbled something, confusing the whole table. "What did you say, Natsu?"

"Isaidwouldyouliketogooutwithmetoday." Natsu repeated a little slower.

"I still can't hear understand you." Laki said.

Natsu took a deep breath as Gray took a sip of his drink. "I'm asking you if you want to go out with me to day."

"What, like a job?" Laki asked.

"No, a... date." The second he said that last word, Gray pulled a spit take all over Rose.

"Dude, that's disgusting." Rose complained pulling her dress off. Showing off her new emblem in brown, she rinced her dress of the liquid before shaking it dry.

"Sorry, I'm just not use to pranks this early in the morning." Gray said, choking down some of the drink still in his mouth.

"It's no joke. I'm serious." Natsu said back. "Well, what do you say, Laki?"

"S-sure." Laki nodded. "So, what do you have planed? A picnic? A movie?"

"Wait, I actually have to do something?" Natsu asked. "I thought a 'date' was like a magic word. You say it and something cool happens."

"No, Natsu, that's not how it works." Lucy said. "You actually have to go somewhere, and that usually involves making plans."

"Oh..." Natsu went wide eyed in revelation. "So, what you're saying is I screwup up?"

"Pretty much." Happy nodded.

"Sorry." Natsu turned and was about to walk away when a certain barmaid walked over.

"Come on, you two love birds. Follow me." Mirajane grabbed the two by their wrists and lead them out the guild.

"I guess Mirajane has a plan..." Lucy suggested. The reat ofthe table continued their conversation, as one member of the guild glared at the two leaving the Guildhall.

Magnolia

Mirajane lead the new couple down the street until they reached a little dinner called 'Klingers Kitchen'. "I've taken care of everything. The reservation, the time of day, all of it."

"When did you set this up?" Laki asked.

"Uh... when did you break the news you two were together?" Mira asked back.

"You set this up almost a mouth a go?" Natsu asked in shock.

Mira nodded and pushed open the doors. "Max, here's the happy couple." She told the pudgey chief (A/N: The bakery owner from the original arc).

"Welcome, welcome!" The owner said back, cooking something on the grill. "Sorry I can't come out and shake your hand personally, dinner rush and all. My newest waitress will show you to the table."

All three stared as a woman in a cowgirl outfit and a pair of glasses walked over to them. "My name is Daphne. Follow me to your table." She turned and lead the two to a table in the center of the resteraunt, after an encouraging push from Mira.

"Ah, young love." Max said as the Fairy Tail barmaid left. "If only Loraine could see me now."

Natsu sat down at the table before Daphne pulled him back out. "No, no, no. You pull the chair out for the girl BEFORE you sit down yourself."

"Oh, okay." He pulled the chair out for Laki and pushed it in before sitting back down as Daphne put down some menus.

"I'll be back with your water." She turned and left as the two opened up their menus.

"So... what do we do now?" Natsu asked.

"Well, normally on these kinds of dates, we order some food, talk about some stuff, and then the guy pays for the meal." Laki explained. "Hey, Natsu. You know we're being watched right?" She twitched her neck to the side, making him look over as Juvia raised up her own menu and sank back down on her bench.

"Isn't that grooviya?" He asked, making her chuckle.

"No, her name is Juvia." Laki corrected. "What is she doing here?"

'This is all for my beloved.' Juvia told herself. 'If this is some trick to make Gray jealous, I'll drown them both right here and now.'

Daphne walked back with two glasses and a pitcher of water before pouring it into the crystal. "Have you made up your mind yet?" She asked, holding a pad of paper and pen.

"No, we need a few more minutes." Laki answered, taking a sip from her glass.

"Alright, I'll be back in a little bit." Daphne said with a smile as Natsu took his own sip. "Enjoy yourselves." She walked away, a small smile on her face.

"Do you get a creapy vide vroom jer?" Laki asked, slurring her words for some unknown reason. Her vision began to blur before she fell backwards, forcing the chair to the ground.

"Hey Laki, you feelign osy way..." Natsu's head dropped on to the plate before rolling off the table.

Juvia looked past her menu and found the two passed out. 'Dragons slayers can't get drunk on booze, let alone water.' She almost ran over to them before she hid behind the menu and watched as Daphne walked the two.

"Good ol' Rohpol batch number 101010." She bragged as Max looked out through the kitchen window.

"What's going on here!?" He shouted. "Get back ta-" He looked down at the couple and his eyes damned near popped out of his head. "What did you do!?"

The 'waitress' raised her hand and snapped her fingers. "Deal with him." Daphne ordered. Suddenly, all most all of the people around them grew out of their clothing, ripping it to shreds as their skin turned green and black spikes grew out of their backs. Their mouths lengthened and grew razor sharp teeth as a tail shot out of their backs.

"Lizardmen?" Juvia whispered as the beasts began tearing up the restraunt, attacking the few real humans in there. Two picked up the slayers and followed Daphne out the back door. The rain wizard had two choices; follow her, save them and hopefully make it back in time to save everyone else, or save everyone and track them down with help.

A child's scream forced her to make an earlier-than-ready choice. "Water Jigsaw!" Bouncing off the creatures as a mobile whirlpool, she knocked all of the beasts away from the customers before landing in front of them. The beasts began to crack where she hit them before they shattered into pieces.

Having no time to question the reason for the spontaneous explosions, Juvia ran out the back and kicked it down, only to find blank air. "This can't be good..."

Unknown Location

Natsu groaned as he grabbed his head in pain. "What the hell happened?" He pushed himself up to his feet and looked around, only to find solid stone walls. "Where am I?"

"I see the test subject is awake." Daphnes voice boomed all around.

"Wait, you're that waitress!" Natsu shouted. "What's going on? Where am I?"

"Your in my private scientific laboratory." Daphne answered. "All seven million acres of it. As for why you're here, we're just here to play a little game." A light shined on in the distance as a chain lowed down. Natsu squinted his eyes and saw Laki dangling off the hook at the end.

"Let her go!" Natsu shouted.

"Why would I deprive you of your prize?" She asked as the whole room was lit up, revealing a massive maze. "This is the game: I'm going to let you run this maze like the mouse you are. Your prize if you reach the center: your girl. When you fail, you'll be come my test subject." The wall behind him slowly lowered to the ground, revealing a way out lit by tourches. "Begin."

"Really?" Natsu looked up, like he was talking to her directly. "Listen lady, I don't know who you think you are, but there's one thing you need to know about me." He walked over to an adjoining wall and pulled his fist back. "I don't play by anyone's rules! Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" He swung his fist and hit the wall, only to wince in pain as he pulled it back. "What the hell?"

"I thought you might try something like this." The female said over the speakers. "Feel around your neck." Natsu listened to her and felt a collar around his neck, studded with a magical jewel. "That collar prohibits your from using your magic to smash your way to her. My game, my rules."

The walls opened up and holes popped out, spitting out lizard men of many sizes. "Alright, let's do this the hard way." Natsu cracked his knuckles before running down the hall and punching a beast in the snout.

Fairy Tail Guildhall

"So, why were you following them?" Lucy asked Juvia, who ran back to the guildhall after the incident at the diner.

"Why are you obsessed with them that part of it?" Gray asked the blonde. "Natsu and Laki have been kidnapped! We gotta find them!"

"Okay, how?" She asked. "It's not like this crazy waitress is gonna leave us a note telling us where she went."

With a sigh, Gray turned to the bar as Gajeel gobbled down some silverware. "Yo, Black Steel. Think you can track them down?"

"Why are you asking for my I help?" He asked back, wiping his mouth clean.

"Because Wendy is out on a job, and since we can't use her nose, you're all we have left." Gray answered.

"Yeah, not my problem." Gajeel said back. "Salamander and Greenie can handle themselves."

"Gajeel..." The Dragon Slayer quivered in fear as Erza glared at him. "You will track them down for us. I will not have their first date ruined."

"How about the fact that some crazy girl just kidnapped two of our guild mates?" Lucy asked.

"That two." The red head added.

Rolling his eyes, he jumped over the bar. "Okay, let's get this over with." The two walked out of the Guildhall as Lucy turned back to the bluenette.

"So, WHY were you following them?" She asked Juvia again.

Daphnes Maze

Control Room

"You're not gonna get away with this." Daphne spun around in her chair to look at Laki, shackled up against the wall. "Natsu's gonna realize that's a fake down there, and he's not gonna be happy."

"Oh, I'm not to worry about that." Daphne pushed her glasses up as she turned back to the monitor, watching Natsu fight with his back against the wall, literally. "I bathed that thing in your scent. There's no way he's smart enough to figure out it's a dummy." A short alarm went off and she rolled the chair to another monitor to see Gray, Erza and Gajeel standing around a rocky plain.

"I'm telling you, this is where they are." Gajeel said through the screen.

"And I'm telling you, there's nothing here!" Gray said back. "Maybe you need to get your nose fixed."

"Great idea, and maybe we can fix your stripping habit." Gajeel pointed to the near naked Gray.

"How can they not find us?" Laki asked. "We're in a giant maze!"

"They can't find us because we're a mile underground." Daphne chuckled as she pressed a series of buttons. "Okay boys, get them." Three pods, occupied by the lizardmen, shot up out of the room.

"You're sending those things after them?" Laki asked. "Natsu can take those things out without any magic. They won't stand a chance."

"I'm using the old model on him to tire him out." Daphne explained with a smile. "Let's see them deal with the new and improved version!"

Above Ground

"This doesn't make any sense." Erza mumbled.

"Yeah. The scent is here, but there's nothing but dirt and rocks." Gajeel agreed, looking around.

"How could Max make such a mistake about who to hire?" She asked herself, making both Gray and Gajeel fall over in disbelief.

"What is it with you?" Gajell asked before his nose caught something. "We got company coming." Three circles popped out of the ground as the lizardmen rose out of the ground.

"These are things Juvia told us about." Gray said as the three stood in a circle.

"That's it..." Gajeel realized about the smell. "They're under the goddamn ground."

"So we deal with these things and then we start digging." Erza summoned a sword and charged the one in front of her. Gray jumped at the one in front of him as Erza swung her blade at her opponent. A clang caught her attention as the lizardman copied her actions. "What?"

"Iron Dragon Club!" Gajeel's arm turned into a pole and flew at his opponent. The lizardman crouched down and its tail shot forward, turning into a matching pole that hit Gajeel's. "What the hell?"

"Ice-Make: Saucer!" Gray summoned a buzzsaw of ice that he then chucked like a discus. The lizardman summoned his own and the two discs hit each other and shattered. "This thing uses Ice Magic?"

"Something's not right..." Gajeel pulled his arm back and the lizardman did the same with his tail. "I've killed a bunch of these things on jobs, and none of the could use magic, let alone stuff this is advanced."

"So these things aren't natural?" Erza asked, pushing her opponent back. "If I had to guess, I'd say this Daphne woman made them."

"Ah, well. I've always wanted to fight myself." Gray said, unaware that he stripped down, again. "This should be fun."

"Iron Dragon Roar!" Gajeel pulled his head back and tried to just overpower the beast. The beast copied his actions and the roars met and exploded with shards flying everywhere. While Gajeel blocked with his arms, the lizards tail shot forward as a pole and hit Gajeel in the gut before flinging him over head.

Gajel hit the ground with a thud before pulling himself out of the crater and cracking his neck. "Okay, now I'm mad."

"Ice-Make: Lance!" Gray summoned a barrage of spears at the beast, who copied the action. The spears met and shattered upon contact, angering Gray. "This is gonna get old, really fast." Gray charged the beast and delivered an uppercut that barely faded the beast. The lizard slammed both hands down on Gray, digging him into the ground. "Okay, that was a bad idea."

The beast picked him up and flung him over its shoulder. Gray slid along the ground until making a ramp to brace himself. The lizard copied the action, giving Gray an idea.

"Requip!" Erza donned herself in her Heaven's Wheel armor and charged the beast, only to have the creature copy her actions and swing its own swords at her. "Imitation might be flattery, but this is just disgraceful." Erza cloaked herself in the Giants Armor and the lizard did the same.

"Ice-Make: Floor!" Gray slammed his hands into the ground and the beast copied him. The ground froze over and the lizard began to slip and slid around as Gray quickly skated around the beast. "Can't copy what you can't see!" He slammed his palm onto the beasts back. "Now Freeze!" Ice engulfed the lizards body until it covered the body. "Ice-Make: Hammer!" Gray summoned a large hammer and swung it, shattering the ice trapped lizard like glass.

The lizard shot the pole out of its tail and Gajeel grabbed it before pulling the beast in. The lizard flew at him and Gajeel ducked before reaching up, grabbing the beasts tail. With brute strength, he flung the beast over his head and down into the ground agaim and again before throwing it into a large stone nearby. "Iron Dragon Sword!" Gajeel swung his arm and sliced the beast in half, making it crumble away.

Erza swung her spear at the beasts feet and it jumped back before it did the same to her. "You might copy my magic, but not my skill. Requip!" Erza quickly donned herself in the adamantine armor and the lizard dis the same. She jumped into the air and cloaked herself in her Black Wing Armor before slicing it in half.

"You've got a collection, but just because you can my armor doesn't help at all. None can Requip faster than me." She returned to her normal out as the other two panted as they reached Erza, who summoned some shovels and pickaxes. "Okay, let's start digging."

Fairy Tail Guildhall

"We're back." Wendy pushed open the door to the guild before she and Carla noticed the look on the guild members. "What's wrong?"

"Natsu and Laki have been kidnapped by some crazy chick named Daphne." Lucy explained.

"Daphne?" Carla repeated before turning to Wendy. "Didn't we get a warning about some crazy woman asking about dragon slayers on the job?" She asked, making the girl nod.

"What makes her crazy?" Rose asked.

"For starters, she claims to have seen a dragon, yet she's not a Dragon Slayer." Carla explained. "She's incredible conniving and smart. On top of that, she seems obsessed with something called the Dragoniod."

"That doesn't sound good." Lucy said.

Daphnes Maze

Natsu was tired. He just battled his way through the whole maze, without his magic, to save Laki. Reaching the center, Natsu stared at his 'prize' hanging on a hook. "Laki!" His shout garnered no response from her as her 'hair' blocked her eyes.

With the last of his strength, Natsu jumped out to grab her and Daphne pushed a lever up. The hook pulled up, ripping the dummy of Laki to shreds as Natsu put two and two together. "You bitch!" Natsu fell down the hole as the whole maze started to shake.

"What's going on!?" Laki asked as stone began to fall outside the room.

"Something wonderful." The cowgirl chuckled as she pushed some buttons.

The ground rumbled around them as they brandished their axes like weapons. "An Earthquake?!" Erza asked as the ground split opened. She jumped on to the side with Gajeel and Gray. A plume of fire shot out of the crack as it grew wider and wider until something rose out of the ground, making them all drop their shovels.

All three staired in shock at a massive dragon thing with a giant lacrima in its chest rose out of the ground. "Behold the mighty Dragonoid!" A female voice boomed out of the top of the head, where a little control center sat. "And with Salamanders power as its life's blood, nothing can stop us!"

"Well, we found one of them." Gajeel pointed to the head and the other followed his finger to find Laki trapped in it. The beast took a step forward and marched, forcing the three to move out of the way.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Dahpne was practically dancing in her seat. "Behold the ultimate combination of science and magic: my Dragonoid! I'm waiting for my congratulations."

"So I assume you're Daphne?" Erza asked. "Let Natsu and Laki go now!"

"Not going to happen." Daphne chuckled. "See, my baby needs its bottle, and Salamander just so happens to be it. So he's not going anywhere." She spun her chair around and looked at Laki. "If I were you, I'd say your good byes. Natsu Dragneel won't survive this."

Natsu floated around inside the power orb as the collar disintegrated off him. "This thing is gonna suck up all my power..." His anger start rising before he erupted into flames. "Screw this!" Electric energy shocked him as Daphne started laughing.

"Yes, that's it." She laughed. "Use up all that energy you have. Things are going just as planed. My baby will soon be charged, and then I'll show the world my power."

"If we don't get him out of there, flamebrain is gonna get drained like a sponge." Gray said. The Dragonoid took another step and they jumped out of the way.

"Why did you create this monster!?" Erza shouted. "It can't be just fr show!"

"My, my, you are smart, Titania." Daphne teased. "My dream is to make the ultimate Dragonoid, but this beauty is still just a prototype! And field testing is a real blast!" She pushed some buttons and the leg slammed back down again. "Hm... Leg controls are lagging, I'll have to fix that in the next model."

"This chick is insane!" Gajeel shouted. "We ain't no damn guinea pigs! I say we storm that thing, and take her out!"

"And what happens if we just trash this thing!?" Gray shouted. "He won't survive the assault!"

"That's war, frosty!" Gajeel said back. "Not everyone makes it back."

"The hell they don't!" Gray shouted back.

"Both of you, calm down!" Erza shouted as they jumped out of the way of another stomp.

"Let's show the world out power!" The wings began to flap before it took off, heading straight for the way they came.

"That thing is headed for Magnolia!" Gray shouted.

"Try to stop me, and you'll just end up as another number in my data." Daphne teased.

"You two, get back to the guild and prepare to evacuate the city." Erza said, redonning herself in her Black Wing Armor. "I'll try to slow this thing down and save Laki." She took off the ground as the they raced towards the magic mobile that brought them here.

"Let's go!" Gray plugged in SE plug and the car took off. "Hey, you look a little green, Gajeel."

"Shut up." The metal wizard said back.

Dragonoid Cockpit

"You're insane, you know that!?" Laki shouted.

"Oh, now that's just rude." Daphne said back. "By this time tomorrow, the academic would will be singing my praises in fear. Yes, the, road been hard and filled with obbstecals, but I over came them all. The first step might have been the hardest. I had to hatch artificial dragons and then make sure the young ones survive. Then I need test subjects, and my hometown had plenty to offer."

"You unleashed these things into your own town!?" Laki shouted.

"Indeed I did." The 'genius' said back. "However, they all practice Concealment Magic, so they just hid before my test could start and the whole experiment was ruined. But I showed them. I sealed them away within their own spells trapping them forever. The Dragonoid should have been able to sense them, but they were defective. So I had them self terminate and started over. And then I left that miserable place behind."

"After countless experiments, I found the solution to my problem. In order for my Dragonoid to work properly, I need the power of an actually Dragon Slayer! And now that Salamander is here, I have a task for you! Surrender your power to me so my Dragonoid can live!" She pulled some levels and Natsu screamed again.

"Stop it!" Laki shouted. A thud drew their attention to the rear as Erza landed on the tail end. "You're in trouble now." Laki said with a smile.

"I wouldn't be to sure about that." Daphne clapped her hands and more lizardmen appeared in front of the dome. "I told you, my whole town knows concealment magic. I'm no different. Let's see how she does against my lizardman 2.5! Show me your stuff, Titania!"

Magnolia

Fairy Tail Guildhall

The whole town began to evacuate towards the guild hall. Everyone from the guild was helping, except for Gajeel, who locked himself in the bathroom for some reason. "Look alive, people. Fake Dragon dead ahead." Cana said, pointing to the Dragonoid in the distance. "Man it's huge."

"Don't suppose anyone has figured out how to beat them thing?" Drop asked.

"Can we really protect the guild hall and the town at the same time?" Levy asked in fear of failure.

"Master has some kind of strategy, right?" Jet asked Mirajane.

"If he does, he's not telling anyone." The model answered.

"We can't just sit here twiddling our thumbs. We need to do something!" Cana shouted.

"Brother..." Mirajane mumbled, worrying about her brother in town.

Outside Klinger's Kitchen

"Let's go!" Elfman shouted, motioning people to the guild hall. "The Guildhall is safe."

"I'm not going anywhere!" Max shouted, holding a cleaver in his hands. "I built this place from the ground up! I'll stay here until hell runs over!"

"Klinger, let's go!" Macao shouted as he tried to pull the man out of his restaurant.

"Hey, do you guys hear something?" Wakaba asked as a whistling noise made them all look up. Three objects crashed through the roof before they opened up. Three of Daphne's lizardmen roared and charged the Fairy Tail wizards as Klinger ran out of the restaurant.

"Looks like hell just ran over!" Elfman shouted as he tackled the three out of the restaurant. Macao and Wakaba ran out of the hole as Elfman and his opponent tumbled on to the bridge behind the restaurant.

"Shall we?" Macao asked. Wakaba was already sliding down the hill as Macao followed him.

Elfman swung his fist and the lizard caught it. Both pushed against each other before Elfman head butted it at the same time the lizard did. "Okay, this is getting annoying." He pulled his fist back and transformed it. "Beast Arm: Iron Bull!" He swung it forward, only to have the lizards tail copy him. "What the-"

"Smoke Crush!" Smoke shot out of Wakaba's pipe and pummeled the lizard copy of him, only to have explode into smoke. Looking around, he found himself surrounded by other copies, including the real one among them. "Its just like Gray said! These things are coping our magic! I think I need some help."

Wakaba screamed in pain forcing Macao, who was using his fire as a blade, glanced over as the pipe flew out of his friends mouth. "Hang on, buddy!" That distraction let the lizard blast him back.

Elfman and his lizard traded blows with their fists and tail as Macao's copy launched a blast of purple fire at him. He jumped out of the way, only to stumble down a small hill. "There goes my back." He pushed himself up to find his lizard standing over him. Both fired a blast of magic that met each other head on.

"There's no way I'm going down this easy." Macao groaned. "After everything Natsu and Laki have done to save my sorry hide, there's no way I'm gonna let them go through this!" The copies flames pushed the originals back, forcing him to the ground as Elfman took the blast for him.

The other lizards jumped to the side of Macao's as the dust cleared. "I'm ending this now! Full Body Tske-Over: Beast Soul!" He turned onto his full body form as his copy did the same.

Dragonoids Back

"Magnolia is certainly beautiful." Daphne said as Erza fought on her 'baby's' back. "Just the thought of raising it to the ground makes me excited. And Erza..." She spun around to watch Erza fighting. "If you can survive my lizardmen, you'll join Laki in the VIP section for the fire works. But I'm not expecting you to survive."

A loud beeping and some warning screens showed up. "How the hell is he putting out that much juice!?"

"Because he's Natsu, that's how!" Laki shouted with a smile.

"The Dragonoids can't take this much power at once. I have to stop him." Smoke shot out of the robots mouth as Erza stumbled to her knees.

"Is this thing breaking down?" Erza asked.

Daphne pushed some buttons and pulled some levers. "Now I get it; you're trying to overload the Dragonoids systems all at ounce. But all I have to do match the input ration to your output and, hey presto!"

The flames died down around Natsu as he floated exhausted. "Okay, this is gonna be harder than I thought..."

Erza stood back up before she launched forward and swung her sword at the beasts. The blade hit one before she ducked and kicked two more out of the way before swinging her sword at the one with the shield. "Natsu! Are you lying down on the job!? We've known you far too long to think this thing has done you in!"

"Erza!" Natsu shouted from the orb.

"Laki is here right now!" Erza added. "She needs you more than ever now! If this is all it takes to stop you, then the tower was nothing more than a fluke! You give people courage to face their problems..." Her body glowed as she donned herself in her Clear Heart Clothing. "So I refuse to stand by and watch you give up! All three of us are going home together!"

She charged the lizards and dealt with all of them, making them turn to dust. "Let's end this!" She charged the cockpit before the beast started to to shake, making her fall to the side.

"Erza!" Laki shouted, pulling on her chains.

"Sorry, but you've run out of time." Daphne teased as the Dragonoid landed in Magnolia, making the red head fall off.

Magnolia

Fairy Tail Guildhall

"Mirajane!" Levy shouted. "Elfman and the others at back!" The model stood up from her chair and raced out of the guild hall to find her brother, Macao and Wakaba bruised and battered.

"Get Macao and Wakaba inside, now!" Cana ordered.

"Can I do anything to help?" Mira asked her brother.

"Mira... just make sure we save them." Elfman told her. "After everything that's happened... we need to... bring them home..." Elfman fell over in pain as Wendy rushed to him.

"I'm heal him." Wendy activated her magic.

"Thank you, Wendy." Mira said. Elfman groaned in pain after a few minutes of the spell. "How is he?"

"Hell be fine." Wendy said before falling into Lucy's arms. "I'm fine, but might need help getting to the others so I can help them."

"Absolutely not!" Carla shouted. "If you keep using your magic, you'll kill yourself."

"If that's what happens, then so be it!" Wendy said back. "I'm not a baby anymore, Carla. I'm a wizard of Fairy Tail, so I'll act like one wither you like to or not!"

Carla stared at her before letting out a sigh. "I swear, Rose's stubbornness is starting to rub off on you."

"If you didn't coddle her, I wouldnt have to teach her how to be stubborn!" Rose shouted back.

Wendy's little speech inspired Lucy as she stood back up. "We're all Fairy Tail wizards, so let's get out there and rescue them!" The others nodded in agreement and cheered.

"What a guild..." Mirajane mumbled with a smile as she lifted her brother up onto her shoulder.

"Hold it!" Makarov said from the top of the railing. "The well being and safety of both Magnolia & the Fairy Tail guild are tied together. Preventing Magnolia from turning into a hole in the ground takes priority over everything else!"

"But what about flamebrain and Laki!?" Gray asked. "They're stuck in that thing right now!"

"We can't destroy them inside that thing!" Happy added.

"I'll make this as clear as I can." Makarov spoke with authority. "As Fairy Tails master, I ORDER you to stop the Dragonoid at all costs! Do not worry about Natsu! He's as tough as they come. If anyone can survive this, it's him! Now get going!"

With somber nods, the whole guild ran into town to where the beast had landed. "Prepare to be crushed, Titania!" The Dragonoid raised its foot and brought it down over Erza, only for the whole guild to blast it back.

"Erza!" Lucy ran over and held her friend up as the redhead and helped her up. "You okay?"

"I think so..." Erza stood up on her own feet. "What's going on? What does master want us to do?" The whole guild stared at her before Gray told her the masters orders. "Let me get this straight, master told you that destroying the Dragonoid takes top priority? But what about Natsu and Laki?"

"Laki's in the cockpit, so I think she's safe." Gray said. "But... master said Natsu's tough enough to survive this."

"I see... Natsu!" Erza shouted to the orb in the beasts chest. "We have orders from Master Makaorv to destroy the Dragonoid at all costs. But before that happens, I want to know what you want us to do. Answer me!"

Natsu chuckled. "Its about time someone asked me. Now listen up, because I'm only gonna say this once! Save Laki! If you have to destroy me, then do it!"

"Natsu..." Laki mumbled.

"Destroy this thing before there's nothing left of Magnolia!" Natsu shouted again. "I don't care what happens to me!"

"Please tell me you have a different plan Erza." Lucy turned to the red head for answers, only to find her staring at the beast. "Erza!"

More lizardmen shot off the Dragonoid and swarmed the town. "First things first, we need to deal with these things." Erza said, slicing one in half.

"Got it! Let's go, Juvia!" Gray grabbed the love struck girl and carried her away.

"So, what is the rest of the plan?" Lucy asked.

"... I don't know." Erza regetfully answered.

"This is such a rush!" Daphne screamed in joy. "It takes me back. I'll never forget what I saw that day. The way it made me feel. Majestic, powerful, ferocious. It was more beautiful than I ever imagined. I kept waiting for it to return, but it never did. Then one day, I decided to make my own dragon. People called me crazy! They told me there's no such thing as a dragon. Well, who's crazy now?!"

"You are!" Laki shouted. "Look at what your doing right now! Do you think anyone is gonna take you seriously now!?"

"It doesn't matter now..." Daphne said darkly. "Let's see them mock me when my Dragonoid destroys this whole city, and then a country!"

"She's insane!" Lucy shouted as the beast let out a roar. "What the heck is with all this power!?"

"Power..." Erza mumbled before an idea crossed her head. "That's it." She donned herself in her Heavens Wheel Armor. "All of you hold off the lizardmen for as long as you can. I'll handle the Dragonoid."

"But what about Natsu?" Happy asked.

"This is our masters will, and that makes it the will of the guild!" Erza said back. "We must protect this city at all costs, even out own lives." The others nodded as she raced towards the beast. "Blummenbault!" Swords bounced off the beast as she probed it fro any weak spots.

With Gray and Juvia

The two stood on top of the toy store looking out over Magnolia. "Perfect, she won't even know what hit her." Gray mumbled. "Hey, can you keep a secret?"

"Yes!" Juvia nodded feverously.

"I always thought I'd end up dating someone before Natsu." Gray confessed. "The guys as sharp as a bowling ball, not to mention he's hotheaded, impatient and loud. Laki's no better, all those years of friendship have rubbed off on her. But still, the guild wouldn't be the same without either of them." He turned back to her. "That's why I need your help. If we can pull this off, Natsu might have a chance. We're doing a unison raid."

"Right..." Juvia nodded as the two grabbed hands.

"Magic fusion!" Both chanted as they began glowing in a blue aura. "Unison Raid!" The town river shot up like geysers before they started raining down icicles, taking out all the lizardmen.

"We did it, my love." Juvia said as the last of the ice fell. "You know, if you ever want to start dating, I'm availa-" She turned to Grsy, only to find him missing. "At least let me finish the sentence!"

Magnolia

The beast roared again and started speaking in Natsu's voice, begging for help before saying it will destroy everything. "Natsu, what's wrong!?" Laki asked.

"I'm afraid it's just a small side effect." Daphne teased. "Seems like both him and the Dragonoid are merging into one. Only three percent left to go."

"Natsu, you have to fight!" Laki shouted as he started stomping around.

"Natsu, what the hell's the matter with you?" Gray shouted, catching everyone's attention. "What's taking you so long to beat this thing!? It's pathetic! I should have know you were never any good at anything! Stop this stupid comedy routine and man up!"

"Cool it, freezerburn!" Natsu shouted back. Happy protested the argument before he, Lucy, Erza and Rose joined in.

"What the heck are you guys doing?" Laki asked. "All you're gonna do is-" Her eyes wend wide as she figured out the plan. 'I get it...' "Natsu, can you hear me!?"

"Laki!" Natsu shouted.

"I pour my heart out to you and this is how you repay me!?" She asked, angering me him. "I thought you were supposed to protect the people you loved, not let them get captured! Maybe I should have picked Gray to date!"

"What!" The Dragonoid opened its mouth and let out a torrent of flames.

"If can't protect the woman you love, then there's no need for you in Fairy Tail!" Erza shouted, catching Natsu's attention. "If your precious dragon ever saw you, he'd beat you senseless for disgracing his name!" The robot charged him and Erza, now in her Purgatory Armor, jumped off the roof and swung her club, chipping the stone Natsu was trapped in.

"I'm done playing around!" The creation of man burst into flames as Daphne started to panic.

"What did you do!?" She asked, spinning around to Laki.

"I just pushed his buttons, that's all..." Laki answered with a smirk.

The Dragonoid roared again as everyone stared at the glowing beast. "Well, looks like it's time for me to step up." Gajeel said, walking forward. "I don't like the idea of playing hero, but if it'll shut him up, I'll do it."

He jumped into the air and started spinning. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Karma Demon - Iron God Fissure!" His legs turned into a drill bit and he pierced the crystal holding Natsu. It exploded in a firey boom, leaving freed amount the shards. "You're lucky, this wasn't my plan. I was gonna sneak up on you and beat the tar out of you in all the confusion."

"Is that so?" Natsu asked with a smirk.

"Lucy! Call up you're horse guy!" Gajeel shouted. "We need some flaming arrows up here, right now!"

"You got it!" Lucy shouted as she summoned the archer spirit. "Guys, we need to come up with as much fire as possible." Everyone around her nodded as Sagittarius fired his arrows.

"Time out, time out!" Daphne shouted as she pushed some buttons. The fire and arrow combination flew towards the center of the Dragonoid.

"This chick has tarnished the dragons reputation for nobility and grace." Gajeel mumbled as he jumped out of the way of the fire. "Teach her a lesson she won't forget."

"You don't have to tell me twice." Natsu said as the blast hit the robot. He quickly ate the flames and wiped his mouth clean. "Now this is a fire in my belly!" With a roar of flames the Dragonoid started burning as Natsu dealt with the last of the lizardmen. "You wanna see a dragon? Let me show you an angry one!"

He punched a hole on the head and fell into the control room. "You wouldn't hit a girl, let alone a girl with glasses, right?" Daphne asked.

"Who said I was gonna hit you?" Natsu asked. He walked over to the wall and ripped Laki's chains off her wrist. "Sorry it took so long."

"Not a problem." Laki said, moving her wrists around in a circle before glaring at Daphne. "You ruined our date!" Daphne started shaking in fear as Laki's magic flared around her and wood knots* formed on her knuckles. "Dragon Slayer Secret Art: Dryaids Might- Knot Knuckle Fury!"

The top of the dragon robot exploded before Natsu and laki landed. Daphne was on Laki's shoulder, covered in bruises. "Hey.." Natsu scratched the back of his head, nervous. "You were joking about dating Gray, right?"

Laki grabbed his scarf and pulled him in for a kiss. "Damn right I was." She let go and threw Daphne to the ground before hugging Natsu.

'What a woman...' Natsu though with a smile on his face as the sun began to rise.

*Wood knot- the part of a tree where a branch grows out of. REALLY hard to split with an axe.*

Daphne is done! A few things to explain. Natsu NEVER went to Daphne's village in this story, so I decided to turn her into on of my favorite arch types; a TRUE mad scientist. I say true because in the show... she was a little TOO goofy. Still, no matter what anyone says, I liked this arc.

Now, I need help. Next up is the start of the edolas arc and I have NO IDEA what to do with Laki's counterpart. So please, leave ANY ideas you have for her in the reviews, otherwise, I'm just gonna say she died.

Beta read by Natsu is Awesome.