Cynthia tossed and turned in her sleep. Wendy was trying to shake her awake but it was just to no avail. "She's not waking up…" Wendy frowned while continuing to try and wake Cynthia. "What's going on…?"

.

As of right now, Cynthia's mind was a complete and utter warzone. One half was ablaze in blue flame, where Cynthia retained her true blue eyes, while the other was red and Rose stood on that side. The two stood across from one another, both flames fighting for dominance within their shared body. "You know…" Rose began while frowning. "You've become exceedingly annoying these last few days. You should just give up and hand all control of this body over to me. It'll be easier for everyone involved."

"Not happening!" Cynthia shouted back. "This is MY body and it always has been! You're the one that needs to go!"

"Geez…" Rose sighed heavily. They were both too obstinate on this matter to budge even an inch. "Your friends can't protect you forever. I think they've done a pretty bad job on that actually. It's because they failed that I exist you know. We should just turn on them again. I think that would be a blast!"

Cynthia shook her head, vehemently denying such a thing. "No. After all they've done for me…I was stupid before to think they really did abandon me…"

"You are absolutely insufferable. Who forgives someone who kills them!?" Rose asked while placing her hands on her hips.

"She's not a bad person." Cynthia shot back. "And she's a mother too…a mother who wanted to protect her child. My mom was like that the same way. But you wouldn't know anything about that. All you ever think about is hurting people and death. We are NOTHING alike!"

"Wrong!" Rose lifted a finger up. "We're exactly alike. We're two sides of the same coin, Cynthia. Unfortunately…the coin that is our body is starting to break. It can't handle both of us at the same time. These talks are nice, but they should come to an end soon. I can't keep walking around in such a rundown body…It's so bad Wendy has to help you up a lot…"

Cynthia frowned and rubbed her arm. "She's been helping you too. But you're right. We can't share this body anymore…I will get rid of you one way or another!"

"And how do you intend on doing that?" Rose questioned.

"I…I'll find a way! And you won't be able to stop me either!" Cynthia shouted.

"Yeah, well…you have fun with that." Rose waved her hand dismissively. "I'll let you have fun for now. But when you find that method let me know, because only one of us can exist." She turned and started to walk off. Something made her pause, though. "Only one of us gets that luxury..."

"I know…" Cynthia said with a nod.

.

.

Back in Fairy Tail, Makarov was discussing some rather important guild matters with the S classes present: Erza, Mira, and Laxus. It seems they all had plans regarding a certain trial that was to take place before the Games. They still had a few weeks before the Grand Magic Games began after all. Mira handed Makarov a list with a few names on them. "Here you go, Master. We've all compiled a list of those we think are eligible to compete."

"Although we were at a brief stalemate concerning one of those names…" Laxus cut his eyes to Erza and Mira, but they both offered him smiles. "I was outnumbered."

"Let's see…" Makarov adjusted the list within his hands before reading it aloud. "Natsu Dragneel, Gray Fullbuster, Freed Justine…" Soon his voice came to a murmur and he nodded silently in agreement to most of the names on the list…except the last one. "…I assume this was the one that caused a disagreement."

"Yeah." Laxus scoffed. "I don't particularly agree with it, but these two weren't giving me much of a choice."

"I think she's a good pick. Despite all appearances, she does fit the criteria." Mira said while smiling sweetly. "She is responsible, even though she pretends not to be. Don't you think so, Master?"

"Hmmm…" Makarov paused. "I will trust in your judgement. I do think there is some truth in what you say."

"I must be the only one still against this…" Laxus scoffed quietly. "Whatever…at the very least it will be an interesting thing to watch…"

.

.

As usual, Fairy Tail was bustling about in activity. It was a rowdy day as per usual and Zelos tried to worm his way in somehow just like the other day. "Ah, this place is just so lively! I'm sure I've added a breath of fresh air to this guild!"

"You really just don't stop talking do you?" Lucy snapped at Zelos while resting her face in her hand.

"Of course not! I love the sound of my own voice, although yours is just that much sweeter, Lucy-chan~" Zelos hummed while leaning closer. Lucy began to sweat, but luckily Mii had her back and pulled Zelos by his ear.

"As long as it has a female body, it's good enough for you, isn't it?" Mii sighed.

"As long as it has a body, it's good enough for you, isn't it?" Zelos retorted while giving Mii a sly wink. She blinked several times before just tightening her hold on Zelos' ear with her monstrous strength, smiling innocently. "Even I have my standards…and they aren't that low."

"Ow ow ow ow my precious ear!" Zelos whined while trying to free himself from Mii's grip.

"Come on you two, knock it off…" Levy said while puffing her cheeks out. Although she really didn't care what happened to Zelos, she figured that someone had to at least try and mediate.

Mii shrugged and released Zelos. "Someone has to control their hormones…"

"That is a very ironic statement coming from you." Levy rolled her eyes.

"Oh…! You wound me…!" Mii clutched her heart, overdramatizing the 'pain' she felt from Levy's words.

Gray sighed at the commotion, shaking his head. "Those two are so loud…it's incredibly obnoxious. Where's Erza at a time like this?"

"She went out on a job." Mira explained from the bar counter. "She'll be back soon enough. I'm sure you can handle the noise without her."

"They make more noise than Gray and I." Natsu said with a firm nod. For once he and Gray were able to agree on something.

"The noise is annoying…" Lucy mumbled. Were those words even her own? She was feeling a little off as of late, but she didn't think much of it. At the very least she didn't have to worry about hiding her mark ridden arm anymore. It was around then that Cynthia gently tapped Lucy on the shoulder to get her attention. "Huh…? What is it, Cynthia?"

"Uh…" Cynthia poked her fingers together sheepishly. "I wanted to know if you could help me with something…"

"Sure." Lucy turned around, facing Cynthia with a smile. "What do you need?"

"I want you to help me find that…what was it…Mirror of Truth?" Cynthia's voice lowered, not because she was embarrassed, but unsure.

Zelos, however, overheard this and practically leapt over the table to arrive as the savior. "Ooooh? You believed my little story the other day, huh?"

"Butt out!" Lucy snapped at Zelos again. "It was in that old book…so it's probably true it happened. But still…what's this about?"

"I want to get rid of Rose!" Cynthia exclaimed. "I'm so tired of sharing my body with her…it hurts so much. I'm in constant pain…"

Wendy and Carla were sitting at a table nearby, watching Cynthia speak to Lucy. Cynthia already told them of her idea before. But it was still hard for Wendy to relate to Cynthia's pain. All she could do was console and support Cynthia the best she could. "…."

"Should we beat her out of you?" Natsu suggested while pounding his fists together.

"That is a terrible idea." Lucy shook her head. There was a pensive pause as she tried to figure out how they would track down such an ancient artifact. "…Oh! I got it." The blonde pulled her set of keys, this time using a silver one. "Gate of the Southern Cross, I open thee! Crux!" A bell chime echoed throughout the guild hall along with a golden shine. When the shine faded, Crux sat cross legged on the table…asleep.

"Ooooh, this is a new one…" Mii said with a tilt of her head.

"I've had this one for a while…" Lucy shook her head before looking to the sleeping spirit. "Crux. Is there any way you can find the Mirror of Truth…? If we're lucky it could be in Fiore…" Crux remained still, completely snoozing away.

"I think it's broken." Mii frowned.

"If it were me, I wouldn't keep such a lovely lady waiting with precious information." Zelos said firmly with a nod of his head.

"If only you could be so useful…" Mii snickered.

After a few moments of awkward silence, Crux awakened with the information Lucy desired. "Apologies for the wait…this was a particularly hard one to search for. The Mirror of Truth is an ancient tool that the Celestial Spirit King helped create. It was placed in hiding many years ago…as the continent changed, its resting place remained the same. It can be found deep within a cave in Southern Fiore. But if I may ask…for what purpose do you need such a thing?"

"It's to help a friend." Lucy said with a firm nod.

"I should've expected nothing less from you." Crux gave a nod before falling back asleep. It was fine because Lucy dismissed him.

"Southern Fiore…? How convenient." Cynthia balled her tiny hands into fists.

"So when are we going?" Natsu asked.

"Actually…." Cynthia glanced away. "I want to go by myself…and before you say anything, I know you all are more than willing to help me and that means the world to me. But…we all have something personal we have to do, you know…? Like…when Wendy cut her hair, she was serious about wanting to change. I want to change too…I want to face my darkness alone. Actually…why did you cut your hair, Wendy…?"

"Oh?" Wendy blinked, glancing at her hair before turning to Cynthia. "Well…it was for you. Er…not just for you. But for everyone else, too. I wanted to protect them, but I know I can't do that by fumbling around and crying like I used to. I won't cry anymore, and I'll put forth all my effort in supporting everyone!"

"I see…" Cynthia nodded. She understood where Wendy was coming from. "And that…That's what I want to do, too."

"Are you sure you don't want us to at least come with you…?" Lucy worriedly asked.

"I'll be okay. I promise." Cynthia nodded. She already had a bag prepped for all this and slung it around her shoulders. "Southern Fiore, right? I can do this!" Without another word Cynthia left the guild, leaving silence in her wake.

"Are you okay with this?" Lucy asked Wendy who stared at the doors.

"…A little." Wendy admitted while rubbing her arm. "I know Cynthia's strong…but she's also very fragile too. She tries not to show it around us…even me…and that's what worries me. I'm worried she'll break…she's been so fragile with everything going on. But I have to trust her; too…we all have things we have to do alone."

"What a beautiful, mutual trust you all share…" Zelos hummed.

"Are you making fun of us?!" Natsu growled at Zelos' tone.

"No, never." Zelos said with a slight smirk. "It was just an observation. You're all so worried for Cynthia-chan, just as she's worried for you. If this were me, I bet you wouldn't trust me at all to handle it."

"You got that right…" Gray scoffed.

"So I was just thinking that you've all built up a strong mutual trust with all the time you've spent together." Zelos continued while taking a seat. "That's all."

"You're so weird…and annoying…" Lucy shook her head. She stared at the doors as Cynthia left, probably long gone now with her ability fly. "…I'm sure she'll be fine. She's one of us after all…"

Wendy stared at her hands in her lap. "I know they both can't exist the way they do now. I love Cynthia...and those feelings extend to Rose as well. I wanted her to feel welcome. If she felt welcome, maybe she wouldn't feel the desire to hurt anyone. I don't know if it worked. I don't want her to use Cynthia's body to hurt anyone..." It was complicated for Wendy. She felt like she made some progress with Rose, but in the end...was Rose just a heartless monster? No, Wendy didn't think so. It was deeper than that...if she had more time, maybe...

.

.

Cynthia grew accustomed flying. One of the good things that almost turning into a dragon provided her. Unfortunately 'southern Fiore' wasn't exactly much to go off of. She was just wandering around in circles with Rose pretty much laughing at her in her head for trying. "This is going nowhere…"

"I can't believe you really trying to look for a 500+ year old artifact. I knew you were stupid, but you really are some kind of moron." Rose was having a riot with this.

"It has to be around here somewhere! I told you I'd split us apart one way or another. Don't make me come in there!" Cynthia huffed.

"Don't make me come out there!"

And so Cynthia ended up punching herself in the gut. Both her and Rose ended up groaning in pain from what was a terrible idea. "Ow…"

"Oof…you idiot..."

"That wasn't my best idea…" Cynthia admitted while descending to the ground in the middle of a wooded area. She rested against a tree, panting heavily while taking out her map. "I…don't know why I brought this. It doesn't help at all…"

"Nice job. You really thought this plan through. Are you sure you just didn't want to sound cool in front of everyone? I wouldn't put it past you." Rose scoffed.

"S-Shut up…" Cynthia groaned while leaning back against the tree. She wasn't going to admit that she thought this through poorly while Rose was laughing. But she should've thought this through more. Now she felt like an idiot. This was a waste of time. She'd have to head back with her tail between her legs. "Ugh…I guess I'll go back for now…"

"You needn't go so soon, child…"

"Now you're calling me a child?" Cynthia stared up at her forehead. "Real mature…"

"I didn't say shit…but I heard that…" Rose grumbled.

"Come follow my voice…I promise I will not lead you astray, you who looks for me…" The strange, ominous voice continued. It was difficult to ascertain if it was a male or female speaking, but they were speaking to Cynthia. What luck could this be?

Cynthia stood up, following the sound of the voice. It was faint, but as she drew near its origin point the louder it became. It was almost like she was in a trance when following the voice. "…"

"Cynthia. Cynthia. What are you doing? Where are you going…?" Rose was trying to move Cynthia's legs in the opposite direction. The voice speaking gave her a strange chill and she didn't want to be a part of it. Unfortunately she couldn't do anything. "Guess we're going for a ride…."

Some time did pass as Cynthia walked. Eventually she came to an old, decrypt cave. Cynthia could hear the voice clearly now. "What is this place…?"

"My resting place."

"Red flag." Rose quipped.

Cynthia ignored Rose and pushed forward. The cave was small and did seem out of place. That was when she saw a glimmer out the corner of her eye. Using her flames to illuminate the cave, Cynthia could see a mirror in the corner of the cave. The mirror was small and could be held in both hands…but that had to be it: The Mirror of Truth. Some strange miracle led her to this ancient artifact! "So this is it…it really exists…" Cynthia lifted up the mirror and pointed it at her face. She could see her own reflection; her right eye was blue and her left was red; representing both Cynthia and Rose within her. "So…how does this work…? Don't I just point it at myself?"

"Not true. You must first head to the place where your 'self' was distorted. Then the mirror will act as accordingly."

"The mirror…?" Cynthia blinked a few times. Something about that phrasing seemed off to her…but that wasn't important. What was important was finally severing her tie with Rose. Cynthia made her way out of the cave, now heading towards the location where she fought Avani: the place where Rose truly came to be. Once she arrived the mirror floated from her hands and shone brightly. Cynthia covered her eyes from the blinding light while feeling her body become…lighter? When the light faded her eyes opened slowly and she saw the mirror in front of her body. "Is…is it over…?"

"Not a chance…" Another voice spoke out. There was Cynthia…and then there was Rose, standing across from her on the field. "Finally…I can get some fresh air without having to fight you for it."

"This is the power of the Mirror of Truth. You must face your darkness in the eye and clash with it head on. Only then will it be decided which one of you is the 'real' Cynthia. The truth will always shine through the darkness…so whichever one wins, is the truth. Simple as that."

Cynthia clenched her hand into a fist. "So we have to fight…" But this was fine. This confrontation was truly a long time coming. Vermillion flame erupted around Cynthia's body. This was the first time she felt light…but she also felt heavy. The weight of losing herself was on her own shoulders. That weight was constantly on her ever since she came back to Fairy Tail…and this fight was the only way to be free from it.

"Hah…" Rose smirked while letting out a sigh. "Once I take care of you and regain my true self, I'll be able to accomplish my mission at long last. You've held me back for a while, Cynthia…but no longer. This is where we decide things once and for all…" Darkened cerise flames erupted from around Rose's body; her demonic flames incinerating everything within the immediate area. It was finally time for the dragon to face the demon within herself…Cynthia's blue eyes locked with Rose's red. The winner of this fight would be the 'true' self.

"I won't lose." Cynthia uttered.

"Neither will I." Rose retorted. There could only be one…

.

.

Next Time: Cynthia vs. Rose!