The amount of noise coming out of the Honey-Bone Inn would have earned Fairy Tail multiple noise complaint citations if not for the fact the whole city was celebrating their astonishing victory in the finale of the Grand Magic Games.
Even with the rule change allowing for two teams per guild, no one thought a single guild would sweep the competition.
Makarov watched from his seat at the bar as his guild, his children, drank, partied, and retold some of the best moments over again. Hopefully, he begged, his soul dying a little inside as the first chair was thrown, they would let out all this rambunctious energy now and not break anything during the official closing ceremony at the palace.
He could already envision it. Priceless vases. Statue busts. Maybe even the crystal chandeliers. He did not want to win thirty million jewel only to lose it in damages!
"They're having so much fun."
Makarov didn't acknowledge the child-like voice of the First Master. Fairy Tail parties were the epitome of fun, after all, if fun could be redefined as chaotic, including many brawls, untold amounts of property damage, and keg barrel surfing.
The last one actually did look fun. Makarov was itching to try it himself. Even his grandson had given it a go, and Laxus typically avoided joining in on what he deemed some of the dumber antics.
He felt content, sipping his beer and enjoying the revelry from the periphery. This might be the only chance his children had to celebrate. The celebration banquet would be the last battleground.
Unless they failed to stop the princess and her collaborator.
LINE
The banquet hall, if a room large enough to fit his whole guild building inside and then some could be called a hall, was resplendent. The crystal chandeliers bounced light around to room, aided by the magical bubbles that caught the light and drifted above the space. Tables ladened with food, enough to feed an army, had been replaced at least three times trying to keep up with the appetites of seven guilds, harboring six dragon slayers.
The event opened with the king, who revealed himself to be Mato, garnering equal amounts of laughs and incredulous exclamations, present Master Makarov with a gleaming gold trophy and the check for thirty million jewels.
Makarov would smack anyone that claimed he cried more over the check than trophy.
Natsu watched discerningly, frequently checking his magical senses for the unique signature that was Zeref or the time-traveler. The party started late and the king had waited until it near midnight before starting up his congratulatory speech.
Soon it would strike midnight. Would the princess make her move as soon as the clock struck 12?
Beside him, Erza stood ramrod straight, as if she had replaced her spine with one of her steel swords. "Lighten up a little. It's a party. People are going to notice if you're not having a good time."
It wasn't exactly hard for them to play up the expectations the general populace had of their guild. Natsu simply needed to spend time around the buffet and 'accidently' light a tapestry on fire.
"Don't you think the crown would look good on me?"
His mate snapped her neck towards him. The dragon slayer grinned, purposefully display sharp canines. "Don't even joke about that. We don't have time to break you out of jail for stealing the king's crown."
Natsu tapped his chin, faux thoughtfully. "I don't know, Erza. He seems pretty cool. The man made of fool of himself wearing a pumpkin head and saying kabo all the time. I could probably convince him to let me try it on."
The swordswoman snorted. "And forget to give it back?"
"If the crown fits."
Erza finally relaxed. "Just don't forget we're on a mission. We don't have time for fun and games."
The dragon slayer didn't disagree. The stakes were high. Higher than anything he had faced before, and he had wrecked his magical core defeating Acnologia-the Dragon King of Destruction.
But, until the princess made her move, Fairy Tail was stuck trying to appear to be enjoying the party while not getting blackout drunk as they typically would. At least the food was good. Made up for not being able to enjoy the unlimited alcohol. Natsu had created a new trick where he burned off all the alcohol in his mouth before swallowing, so he was at least getting to taste without getting drunk.
Aside from Cana, who would be fine unless she drank everything in the castle's wine cellar, his guild mates were having to get creative in disposing of their champagne glasses.
"Let's do both." The pinkette tugged on Erza's hand, ignoring her quizzical stare as he led her onto the dance floor. "Take a spin with me. It'll be a great way to survey the whole room unobserved and we can have a little fun."
Nagneel rumbled in his chest, pleased as their mate's cheeks turned a fetching shade of pink.
The couple was on their third spin around the room when Warren's telepathy cut across.
'The princess's thoughts are getting anxious. She's keeping a mental countdown and keeps looking at the clock.'
'What's the time frame?" Erza immediately demanded.
'3 in the morning,' confirmed Warren.
Quite late. Would the party still be going in another—Natsu checked the clock himself; 12:47—two hours?
Erza hissed to get his attention. "There! The princess just ducked out into the garden."
Well, that was their queue to find a secluded spot in the garden to act lovey-dovey so they could spy on the princess.
With Warren directing them in the princess's direction by following her thoughts, Natsu and Erza went on a stroll about the gardens, occasionally stopping to share a kiss or for the dragon slayer to pluck a flower and claim that its beauty compared in comparison to his mate's.
"Remind me why Mavis isn't handling this part?" Natsu asked under his breath as the green-haired princess dove into the hedge maze. The First Master was literally invisible to anyone that did not bear a Fairy Tail mark. Seemed like a no brainer to him to have the ghost who could not be seen shadow the princess.
"Because she's trying to find the gate's location."
Warren interrupted to tell them the princess had stopped moving. It sucked that he couldn't handle the surveillance on his own either. There was no way for his Telepathy magic to hide undiscovered. If you were connected, you heard everything. There were several hedges between them, but not enough to prevent Natsu's enhanced senses from picking up the conversation. Warren's telepathy would share whatever the dragon slayer overheard.
"Everything has gone as you said, aside from Lucy Heartfilia." A spike of panic lanced his gut. Had they missed something happening to Lucy because they were too focused on watching Hisui and Yukino? The blonde was quick to chime in over telepathy that she was fine, happily discussing with the reporter Jason about how writing for a magazine differed from writing a novel.
"And yet my men haven't seen a hint of a dragon army approaching."
"Dragons can swoop across a nation in the span of mere minutes, Your Highness. Have no doubt."
Natsu's eyes widened. The second voice was a man's! That ruled out the co-conspirator being Yukino, present or future version, but left the door wide open.
'His identity doesn't matter,' Erza's voice was firm in his head. 'Whoever is beneath that hood, we cannot let him open the gates.'
"I can't help but notice that Lucy is enjoying the party and not spending quality time with your executioners."
Several Fairy Tail members closed ranks around the keyless Celestial Wizard. Natsu struggled to tune out the side conversation so he could keep focused on the princess's conversation. Her tone was distinctly defiant now.
"I have possession of her keys. There is no longer a need to remand her to a jail cell."
The hooded man hissed. "You've seen her summon her pets without them. If Lucy Heartfilia isn't dealt with, she will close the gates and doom the world to dragonfire!"
Natsu's brain hurt, and not just from all the voices of his guildmate's screaming in his head. None of it made sense. How could Lucy affect the gate without her keys? Why would she close it in the first place if it was protecting them from an army of 10,000 dragons? In Future-Levy's future, the bluenette hadn't said anything about Future-Lucy trying to close the gate. In fact, they had had to wait another seven years for the gate to gain enough power for Future-Lucy to sacrifice herself to open it so her friend could come back and warn them.
'It's possible that the second time-traveler comes from a different future than Future-Levy.' Suggested Mavis, clinically. Flashes of her thoughts snuck through as the Fairy Tactician attempted to calculate how such a future would come to be.
"If she does anything I'll stop her," promised the princess. "But right now she's celebrating Fairy Tail's victory with the rest of her guild, in full sight of a ballroom full of people. Now, I must go finish preparations for the Eclipse Cannon."
The princess's footsteps stomped off, back in the direction of the ballroom. Natsu never heard the second person move though. One moment his breathing was there, and the next it was gone.
"None of this makes sense," the pinkette growled as he and Erza rushed back to the party. "The stories don't match up. And for Igneel's sake, if the princess is really expecting 10,000 dragons to appear and attack, why hasn't she asked a dragon slayer for help!"
"Maybe she has. It might be why the Sabertooth guild were the first to claim residence in the capital. They were originally based in Gazania, I believe. But seven years ago, they moved to Crocus."
Natsu knew he had come a long way since the days where he charged in, fists flaming, with no other plan than to beat his enemy to a pulp. That didn't mean he had developed an appreciation for these kinds of complex, long-term strategies and the convoluted puzzles that couldn't be solved until you flipped the pieces over and saw a different picture on the back.
3AM was swift approaching. They had a new wild card in the form of the still unknown time-traveler that apparently had it out for Lucy.
Protecting Lucy, already a major part of the plan since she had been targeted specifically by the princess who had taken her keys in what appeared to be a bid to prevent one catastrophic future, was even more important now. The time-traveler had not been pleased with Princess Hisui's simple solution in light of the Celestial wizard proving she did not need her keys.
The party vibe of the Grand Ball vanished as the earth began to shake. Chaos reigned as various party goers screamed when the first crystal chandelier hurtled to the ground, shattering explosively and sending crystal shards everywhere.
'OUTSIDE!' Mavis's shout echoed throughout her guild. 'The princess is raising the gate to the surface!'
It was difficult to reach the windows through all the pandemonium. Natsu's first instinct was the smash it; to jump out the window and shake the princess and demand she return Lucy's keys.
However, the windows were warded against destruction. Runes briefly shimmered as his fist pounded against the glass surface.
"Guilds of Fiore, I beg for your assistance." The king's voice projected over the ongoing turmoil. "As I speak, a horde of dragons is preparing to descend upon our nation. The Princess Hisui is using her Celestial Magic to power the Eclipse Cannon, our ultimate weapon."
That was an unexpected revelation. It explained why she had simply taken Lucy's keys. The princess had never revealed her magic type, likely for this reason.
"For seven years we have hosted these Grand Magic Games, not with the intent of crowning the strongest guild in the nation, but so the Eclipse Cannon could harvest your magic to defeat this threat. I have faith in my daughter's plan. In her desire to protect this country from the devastation wrought by an army of dragons. But now I must ask for your help."
King Toma bowed his head low. "The cannon takes time to prepare, and the dragons are almost upon us. I ask that you help fend off these vicious beasts until the cannon is ready."
Dead silence. The crowd of attendees stood, virtually frozen, by the king's revelation. And then the mayhem resumed as various mages began screaming and shouting.
"How could you hide this from us?"
"You've been stealing our magic all this time?"
"That means the games have been rigged!"
"What a load of crock! Everyone knows the dragons are gone!"
Predictably, it was the Sabertooth guild that commanded everyone's attention when Sting stepped forward to boldy declare that he had already killed one dragon. "Let them come. Ten or 10,000, it doesn't make a difference. If the other dragon slayers are too cowardly to fight, Sabertooth can handle this on its own."
Rogue, silent as his shadows, nodded beside his brighter counterpart.
Gajeel growled. "That little punk. I'll show him cowardly." The end of his arm transformed into his Iron Dragon Sword. Natsu still thought it ought to be called Chainsaw Sword at least, since it was edged in dozens of jagged spikes that rotated around the outside of the blade.
Intentional or not, all eyes were on the Fairy Tail guild after Sting's verbal challenge. Their guild claimed twice as many dragon slayers as Sabertooth, even if many people forgot Wendy because of how cute and small she was.
Laxus scoffed. "Of course we'll help. Fairy Tail never walks away from a fight."
Palace guards sprang into action, escorting the six dragon slayers—and the majority of their guilds who refused to be left out of the fight—to the courtyard where Princess Hisui stood. Cloaked in a fur-lined cape and carrying a staff, she was supposed to give off an aura of strength and authority. Instead, her hands shook, which she tried to hide beneath the cloak, and her eyes were far too white.
One by one, the locks on the oversized door disengaged. The gates swung open, revealing a glowing white portal. The magical energy it let off felt strong enough to take out 10,000 dragons. Natsu's skin tingled, unconsciously transforming to dragon scales due to the high saturation of magic.
For a moment nothing happened. And nothing continued to happen. The crowd of wizards waited anxiously for the first sign of the approaching dragons, but aside from the lunar eclipse in the sky, there was nothing to be found.
"I don't understand," the princess whispered. "Where are the dragons?"
Lucy wrenched her way out of the protective hold Freed and Levy had placed upon her with their runes and Script magic. "Don't you get it?! There never were any dragons! The dragons are more likely to come out of that gate behind you—connected to 400 years ago—than they are from the sky! Whoever told you the dragons were coming lied to you, Princess!"
Natsu blinked at Lucy's tirade. How could that be true when Future-Levy claimed the same fate befell her world?
Unless this wasn't the first time the time-traveler had opened the gate in the past to unleash the dragons, he thought horrified. But why? Why keep coming back to trick Hisui into opening the gate to let 10,000 dragons through?
It was unfathomable to think that six dragon slayers could hold off 10,000 dragons, no matter their supposed ability to slay them. Such a plan would always lead to devastation and ruin. There was nothing to gain!
If the second time-traveler was also trying to prevent an apocalyptic future, it couldn't possible involve convincing the princess to open the door to let dragons roam Earthland once more.
What was he missing?
A shadowy figure sprung out from the princess's shadow and drove a black blade into her ribs.
The princess crumpled to the ground while her assailant, cool as a cucumber, flicked the blood off his dagger.
"You knew the Eclipse Gate was a doorway to the past and you let me convince you that it was a weapon to be wielded against a nonexistent dragon army."
Some knight-captain—Arcadios or something, cut him a break, Natsu was never good with names and faces—ordered the palace militia to subdue the princess's attacker. Their own shadows rose up from the ground to consume veil them in writhing cocoons.
Where was Future-Levy? Wasn't she supposed to be on standby so she could be the first one through the gate?
In answer to his unspoken question, the man's shadows undulated again, spitting out the beaten form of Future-Levy.
"Nothing will stand in my way, urk—"
The time-traveler, in what could only be karmic irony, was cut off. Cut down in the same manner he had done to the princess minutes before.
"Zeref."
"Get back! It's the Black Wizard!"
The pink haired dragon slayer was one of the few that didn't retreat, fixated on the man that just appeared. The wizard that pushed and pushed, insisting that Natsu had to become strong enough to kill him.
The Black Wizard turned to face Natsu, melancholy smile upon his lips. "Impressive display in the finale, Natsu, but I grow tired of waiting."
Zeref walked towards the gate. "I built this gate to travel back in time, did you know. To save my brother, who died to a dragon attack. I must thank you, princess, for opening the door for me."
The Black Wizard Zeref stepped into the blinding light, disappearing into the past.
And Natsu?
He didn't stop to think. He exploded into action, fingers latching onto the edge of Zeref's toga, following history's darkest wizard into the unknown. He wasn't about to let Zeref wreak havoc on 400 years of history.
Cries sprung up almost immediately as soon as Zeref vanished, calling for the gate to be closed so he couldn't come back.
Erza stared numbly at the Eclipse Gate, barely processing the panicked energy of those around her. This wasn't the plan. Future-Levy was supposed to go through the gate and establish the connection to the future.
Zeref, for all that Future-Levy had carried his scent and the gate felt of his magic (which made sense knowing that he created it), hadn't factored into their plans because he wasn't supposed to be here!
Natsu was supposed to prove that he was ready to fight Zeref, though the Re-Quip mage secretly feared that he would never be ready. How was he supposed to kill an immortal being? Why did said immortal wizard claim the job could only be completed by Natsu? Why couldn't he just keep hiding in some unpopulated corner of the world and leave her mate alone?!
Blankly, she registered Yukino, tears spilling down her face, pleading with Lucy to help her close the gate. Lucy, crying not for the princess but for the friend who introduced her to her new family, refused. She would not take part in trapping Natsu in the past.
Future-Levy coughed. "It doesn't work like that. The doors don't need to be open on this end for Natsu to open them on the other side. The gates would never work if you had to coordinate opening it in sync across indeterminable time. But if you close it now, it'll be seven years before it'll collect enough ethernano to open again."
More possibly, if the Grand Magic Games had been created to produce an excess of ethernano for the gates to collect.
No. Erza was not going to stand by as Natsu vanished from her for another seven years.
She marched forward, crouching at the side of her future guild mate. "If I go through now, will I wind up in the same place as Natsu?"
"I wish I knew. There's too much I don't understand about how the gate works. It could be connected to a specific point in time that Zeref has chosen, or it could be that each person who walks through choses their destination."
Resolved, Erza strode for the gate. Either she would come out the same time and place as Natsu (and Zeref her mind whispered) or she wouldn't. She wasn't going to focus on a specific time. Her thoughts filled with memories of the pink haired dragon slayer.
The small moments they spent together, cuddled in each other arms. The triumphant ones where Natsu seemingly evolved his powers to protect the guild they called family. The slant of his eyes when he smiled with his whole face, digging into plates of Mira's specially prepared flaming meats. Missions that inevitably spiraled, causing untold property damage and headaches for the Master. The tough ones, where they butted heads as children because they could not understand the other's pain. The hollow ones, where she only had his memory and his word that he would return to her one day. Even the dark thoughts that overwhelmed her sometimes, trying to make Erza believe that her current happiness was underserved.
The gate was going to bring Erza to her mate because she would not be separated from him again.
"Erza, wait!" The swordswoman hesitated at Lucy's call. "How will you open the gate on the other side without the keys and a Celestial Wizard."
Erza's determination faltered. Of course, how could she be so stupid. If she went through, there was no guarantee of coming back.
What does it matter? She snapped to herself. Natsu doesn't have the means to return either. If I do nothing, they'll close the gates and I'll lose any chance of following him for another seven years.
She squared her shoulders. "Understand, Lucy, I have to do this, even if I have to collect the keys and learn Celestial magic myself."
"Lucky for you, you won't have to do that." Lucy held out her ring of keys. "Cause I'm going with you."
"No," Erza denied with a swipe of her hand. "You only have ten of the requisite keys. I cannot let you risk your life like that."
"Count again, Erza."
How? The princess had obviously had all twelve to open the gate, but how had Lucy gotten a hold of them?
"Yukino was the other Celestial wizard. Pieces and Libra are her spirits. She's letting me borrow them so we can go save that knucklehead."
Erza wasn't a Celestial wizard, so she didn't understand how it worked aside from knowing contracts were involved. The silver keys had many copies throughout Earthland, but there was only one of each Zodiac. How would it work if Lucy brought her keys to a past where they already existed?
"If you guys are going, so am I." Gray came to stand on Erza's other side. "We'll help you get him back and then beat it into his thick skull to stopping jumping head on into dangerous things."
"Erza, Gray, Lucy."
The three wizards turned at Makarov's call. "Go bring Natsu home. Fairy Tail will be waiting for you."
"Yes, Master!" they snapped a salute.
"Wait! Don't forget about me!" Happy dropped out of the sky and onto Lucy's head.
"Us, you tomcat. Wendy and I are coming as well." Carla, held in the arms of her dragon slayer, glared ferociously and dared anyone to disagree.
In a blinding flash of light, the remaining members of Team Natsu ventured through the gate.
Those left behind bore witness as Future-Levy shimmered and disappeared, her fate unknown.
It took me an age but this one is complete. I could apologize for the wait, if it would mean anything. Some will simply be glad to see a chapter after nearly 4 years. Others will have forgotten about it and moved on most likely. All I can say is that life exists outside this wonderful fantasy world and the others I dabble in. Often times, I don't have the time or motivation to right. Sometimes I'm taking a break to catch up on what others have written. Plenty of times, I'm choosing other activities, time spent with friends and family, enjoying my other hobbies, like building legos, crocheting or getting consumed by video games.
If you stuck around long enough to read this note, know that I am grateful that someone out there is enjoying the fruits of my labor. The hours spent typing and untyping. And, if you're willing to stick around another 4 years, hopefully, I'll get to work on the last book in the story. (You think I'm joking about the 4 years but I'm not. I know who I am as a writer, and my strength doesn't lie in freeform creative writing. I play in others' sandboxes, picking at the threads of what if choices usually. The next story, when I get around to it, isn't going to have a script for me to keep going back to and bouncing off of.)