Disclaimer: My ass is the only thing I own… well, also my whole body, but you get the point.

I am mad. Really fucking unbelievable mad.

My computer is shit, and it stopped on me. Had to reformat everything. And by everything, that meant all the chapters I've written for a Christmas present to my readers. That meant erasing this chapter, another chapter for the Gaming Magus, another one for Zero Night, and lastly, another one for Azure Blade Works. All of which had over 10'000 words in each chapter and wre done, well, save for this one. And to those that say I should have backed it up, you're right. But then again, there was absolutely no indication that my computer would just up and fail me… Again. Fuck. I should take the past as lessons.

But I'm not mad at you, no, I'm mad at… I don't know anymore. I feel resigned, yet at the same time, I just… Fuck.

I want a new computer, but unfortunately, one of the perks of being poor in a poor country makes it really fucking hard. I could get a part-time job, but that would probably affect my grades in my college courses. But at this point, I'm fucking desperate.

Anyway, all that aside, I'm doing everything from ground up again. So… Yuletide greetings to all, and I hope that I've made this as good as I originally intended to be. Not like you'll know what the original was, but meh. Ho, ho, ho! Merry Christmas! Or happy Hanukah, or anything that you celebrate, or not celebrate.

XxX

"What are you doing?!" He heard the sharp reprimanding voice of Carla as he detached himself once more from her to plunge down, towards Sugarboy who was on the flying wooden carousel horse.

He didn't pay any mind to Carla, and just chose to ready Kanshou in his right hand for a beheading strike as he approached the blonde knight. Ready to kill, ready to maim, to decapitate and end.

But in the end, Sugarboy lived up to his title as a knight in service to a king. Sugarboy detached himself from the carousel, opting to let himself fall as he approached the knight.

He wondered why he would purposely put his life on the line like that, and then realized that he wasn't putting it on the line at all. He watched in fascination as Sugarboy began doing something that could practically be counted as a lost magecraft. He started to fly.

No, that was wrong, he wasn't flying. He was merely floating, slowing his descent so that he wouldn't reach terminal velocity with his heavy armor and risk breaking every bone in his body. So if he was doing that, then wh-

He felt claws attach onto his back, digging into his skin and then pulling him upwards as quick as they could. It didn't come a second sooner, as the carousel that Sugarboy had been riding on had barreled through the air where he had been just moments ago.

"Stop doing reckless things! I do not have a limitless supply of magic energy!" Again, he heard Carla reprimand him. Normally, he would have felt abashed and taken aback at being called out for being reckless like that, but he hadn't the time nor was this the place.

"Dodge!" As if illustrating his point of needing to dodge, another wooden horse, this time, with Hughes riding on it, charged towards them. Carla managed to do a roll to avoid taking the brunt of the force, but because of the sheer proximity of both of them with Hughes as he charged, he had managed to get a glancing strike in with the sword he had been holding in his hand. Nicking his right thigh and drawing a moderate amount of blood.

He winced as Carla righted herself in the air, her breathing having escalated to pants after the maneuver she had just done. But even though she was still tired, she had still managed a question to him. "Are you alright?" She asked him.

He winced a little as he looked down at the gash on his leg, before he shook his head. "Yeah, for now." He said truthfully. And it was true, he was okay as long as his body kept on stitching together false flesh and arteries and veins that were made of metal, but after that, they would recede, and he would need medical help.

As Carla steadied herself, their opponents also took the time to catch their own break. Having flown until they were both side by side riding on their flying wooden horses. It was Hughes however, who spoke first.

"I had been hoping that would amazingly slice off your leg." At the mention of leg, his eyes wandered towards the still mangled and completely useless leg that was dangling down one side of the horse Hughes was in.

Seemingly seeing his eyes flicker towards it, Hughes let out a harsh, derogatory laugh. "It's useless now. Your amazing arrow managed to tear veins, arteries, and nerves. I won't be able to put weight on it again for the rest of my life." Hughes tone was getting darker and darker as he described the extent of his mangled leg. "And I shudder at just what would happen if your amazing arrow had managed more than a glancing blow and if it were fired with a bow."

He was sharp. But then again, it wasn't exactly a secret that he had adjusted Caladbolg to become an arrow. An arrow that he threw as if he was fencing as well. Severely limiting the spiraling force of the sword by at least one-thousand percent.

Needless to say, if he fired that from his bow, and had come that close to Hughes when he had jumped from his roller coaster before, he would be nothing more than a mangled corpse twisted in ways that a body should not be twisted in.

The dull in the battle alerted him of panting. But it wasn't coming from him; it was coming from the feline attached to his back that's claws were still digging into him. He raised his head so that he could take a look at the white cat, and what he saw was a picture perfect face of pure concentration.

"Are you alright?" That he had just broken, but it wasn't his fault. The words had slipped before he could rein them in.

Carla responded by closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. "More or less." She began. "But I'm feeling the constant strain with trying to keep my wings out while also compensating for your idiotic moves." Carla finished, her harsh voice sounding but not affecting him in the slightest.

"Sorry," He said sincerely. "Try and put me do-"

Before he could finish, a sharp pain erupted in his back. He realized that Carla had extracted more of her claws to dig into his back more. "Are you an even bigger idiot then I took into account for? Your leg is wounded, what good would you do against an enemy that can fly over your head and sweep towards you if you cannot even properly dodge?"

She was right, if he stepped down onto the ground, he would die. If not from Hughes and Sugarboy attacking him, then certainly from collateral damage coming from the metal dragon still rampaging and fighting Fairy Tail down there.

But he hadn't a choice, if this continued, Carla would die with him. And he'd rather die alone then drag someone else down to their death with him.

"Do not even think of it." Carla whispered harshly, seemingly sensing what he wanted to do, and that was to detach himself from her again. "We stay together. They will hunt you down, and by extension me. You've made yourself an enemy to them, and whether or not they believe that you're a part of Fairy Tail is a moot point. They've already made it known that they don't care about anyone other than themselves."

She was right. He couldn't deny that. Everything she pointed out was true to the point that it was ridiculous. Even if he left Carla and went to fight himself, they would keep hunting down Fairy Tail members.

So with that said, he knew that sticking with Carla was the best course of action. After all, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

A Magi's Tale

XxX

What's wrong?

She had to dodge another strike, only this time, her dodge wasn't smooth, it was sloppy and it translated into a glancing blow that hit her leg, causing a gash to appear across both legs on both thighs. She grit her teeth and continued the motions of her dodging, putting as much distance as she could from the giant mechanical dragon's claw from herself.

Where's the strength of Fairy Tail?

"Gajeel!" She shouted in alarm as the tail swept the iron dragon slayer and dragged him with it. The long black tail flicked, and Gajeel was thrown through one of the castle's towers, sending the rest of the structure falling on top of him.

The black dragon seemed to have noticed its work, and a deafening roar escaped its maws as it turned towards the fallen structure. Its maw opened, and an eerie colorless glow began to shine inside it, the sheer power behind the gathering strength caused her blood to run cold.

If this is what you offer me,

She was already on her way in between the dragon and where Gajeel was. Her armor already changing, towards the only thing that could possibly tank an attack she knew the dragon would do. But she also knew she was too slow, too far away, and she cursed as the shining in its maw stopped and the damning sound of whirring told her that the attack would continue through.

Then die

"Screw you!" At the last possible second, a red blur appeared and gave a rough uppercut to the dragon's jaw, sending the head – and by extension, the mouth – upwards. The beam fired, and it tore through the air and shot like a bullet, clearing the clouds as it passed through them, before it exploded in a brilliant show of lights thousands of feet above them.

"No one messes with my friends!" She looked back towards Natsu, and found him still clinging onto the mechanical dragon's chest. Punching futilely with fire-empowered fists that disappeared as soon as they landed on the black carapace of the dragon knight.

Bothersome insect

In retaliation, an armored claw went up as if to swat Natsu away from its chest. Only, it was stopped, by a spear-wielding red-haired woman. Knightwalker held the claw in a deadlock for a few seconds, before she shouted and redirected it to the side, causing the dragon to spin from the sudden loss of the deadlock caused all the momentum to exit to the side of it.

"Go!" She heard Knightwalker shout towards Natsu, who immediately detached himself from the dragon knight's chest and landing himself a few meters away from it. Knightwalker followed suit, kicking against the dragon's chest before she did so.

She watched as Knightwalker landed a few paces away from Natsu, the dragon slayer giving a few words of praise to her fellow red head as she did so, and wondered just how they got here. How Knightwalker had changed from wanting to murder them, to now helping them fight against the one she has sworn an oath to.

It was, to put it mildly. Weird. For her, breaking an oath was something akin to sacrilege. She believed that once you promised something, you shouldn't go back on it. It was the reason why she didn't give out promises as easily as most others like Natsu. In fact, the last promise she gave anyone was to Natsu, and that had been in his arms after the Tower of Heaven.

So seeing someone that looked like her, that was as strong as her, and could probably be said to be her, breaking a promise she gave someone, was just strange. It felt like Knightwalker was the embodiment of everything she wasn't, and everything she didn't want to become. Yet at the same time, she couldn't find fault in that.

Knightwalker!

She snapped out of her thoughts as the pilot inside the dragon roared. The voice sounding more menacing than petulant then when the pilot had been outside talking himself.

The Dragon roared once more, and every piece of glass within the vicinity was shattered and turned into fine powder due to the sheer force of the roar itself. She had to cover her ears to protect her eardrums, and even then it still felt like something was shouting right by her ears.

A sudden swish, and she looked up in time to see Knightwalker getting swept by the mechanical dragon's tail. Sending her, and Natsu right next to her, flying just like Gajeel had.

She moved. It was fortunate that the tail dragged them towards her direction.

The tail flicked, and sent both Natsu and Knightwalker flying towards her direction. She jumped just as they were about to reach her, and caught both Knightwalker and Natsu's arms and dragged them with her jump.

They landed in a roll, a few paces closer to the Dorma Anim. She let go of both of them, and then proceeded to look over them both for any signs of outward injuries.

"Are you alright?" She asked, not to one, but to both. She roamed her eyes over both their bodies, and found nothing out of the ordinary aside from the nicks and scratches both had received on their bodies and clothes during all the fighting.

"I'm fine." Was Knightwalker's curt reply. Her Edolas counterpart proceeded to stand, staggering slightly, before she used the spear in her hand as a crutch to keep herself upright. She was not fine; she was injured in more ways than one.

"No you ain't." Natsu said from the ground. She looked at her fellow guildmate and wondered how he got to that conclusion with his eyes closed.

"You can't see her Natsu." She said dryly. Though a bit of amusement sparked within her at the Dragon Slayer's own conclusions.

Natsu let out a snort of his own, before he coughed; the sound a deep rasp as he coughed again and again. She was at his side in a second. "What's wrong?" She asked, concern evident in her voice as she stared at Natsu. He hadn't heard him cough since… she never heard him cough period. He had been hit by things before, but it had never caused him to lose his breath so much that he'll cough like a dead man would on his deathbed.

Natsu's eyes opened, and she could see that despite his obvious pain, he was still the same cocky Dragon Slayer of Fairy Tail. But in those eyes, she could see a seriousness she saw every time Natsu knew when to be serious. "I know she's not okay, because I'm not okay." He coughed again.

Brash, not cocky. She corrected herself mentally as she looked over Natsu. She ripped open the shirt he was wearing to get a better look at where the Dorma Anim had hit. She winced a little at how red his chest was. And was a little surprised at his injuries.

He had been hit by that tail over and over, yet he showed no signs of getting worn down. No, wait, he was hit over and over. And no matter how strong a person is, if you hit the same spot again in a short period of time, you're bound to get that other person hurt.

"Damn it." She cursed under her breath as she looked around for Wendy.

"Don't put me on the same league as you." She heard Knightwalker say, but she was too enraptured with looking for their healer to say something in defense of her friend.

She heard Natsu wheeze out a laugh. She would have chastised him if not for her duty of trying to help him. "Stronger than you." His voice was hoarse, but she could still detect his amusement and brashness in his weakness.

"Natsu enough." She growled as she finally caught sight of Wendy. Fortunately, the blue-haired girl was already running towards them.

"Natsu!" Wendy shouted as she got close enough. She stopped just a few feet away from them, breathing heavily, but nonetheless dropping to her knees and moving towards Natsu's side. Her eyes immediately scanned the pink-haired dragon slayer, looking for any injury that had been dealt to Natsu.

"H-hey Wendy." Natsu coughed again, and she grimaced. She hadn't seen him this damaged… ever. It was odd seeing the normally unflappable Dragon Slayer getting injured and not getting up.

"Oh geez." Wendy said, her voice holding apprehension and a little shock. She touched one part of Natsu's chest, and she saw Natsu wince. Wendy repeated the action until she had effectively touched all of Natsu's ribs. "You've got three broken ribs, one that's not even there."

Wendy held out her hand, and magical energy started to swirl around and envelop Natsu. She Natsu give a shuddering breath, before he relaxed. "Ah man," Natsu moved to scratch the back of his neck, but stopped as Wendy gave a glare to the Dragon Slayer. Natsu gave a nervous chuckle before he continued. "Kinda expected that really." She then noticed his eyes trail towards Knightwalker, or more specifically, the spear in Knightwalker's hands.

A thought popped into her head. She looked at Natsu, at where the general ribs were broken, and the red smear of something elongated that was evident on his chest. As if something had pressed against it.

"Why'd you jump in front of me?" Confirming her thoughts, Knightwalker questioned Natsu. Natsu for his part, only chuckled, before coughing again as one of his ribs apparently was put back into place.

"What's that old saying? "You scratch my bad, I scratch yours?"" She let out a snort of amusement. Even hurt like this, he was still cracking jokes.

"It's back Natsu." She corrected as she stood, her adamntium armor clacking against each other as she did so. She was winded, but she could continue.

"What's back?" Natsu said, his head whipping around despite his pain. "Is the Dorama Anus here?!" Somehow, she knew that would be the first thing Natsu would think of. But also, she didn't think he would pronounce it so horribly.

"Dorma Anim." She corrected again, her voice growing stern. "It would be wise not to call that thing something so… lewd next time in my presence. Or in Wendy's presence for that matter."

"Why don't you just shut up and let him think what he wants to think Scarlet." Knightwalker let out a laugh, probably at Natsu's mispronunciation than anything else. "And the kid's got to grow up sometimes. Besides, "anus" isn't even that bad a word. It's the scientific way of saying "asshole"." She felt her jaw hang at the… promiscuous way Knightwalker spoke. Had she no shame?!

"Erm, uhh." She was snapped out of her shock as Wendy spoke up. Wait, Wendy! She had – oh n– The last thing she wanted was for Wendy to be corrupted!

"You!" She heaved her giant stone-like sword and pointed it at Knightwalker. The knight captain for her part, only raised an eyebrow at her.

"Yes?" She asked, her voice taunting and more than a little snide.

"You will not corrupt Wendy you wench! You utterly uncouth barbarian! You-"

"Calm down Scarlet." Knightwalker interrupted her tirade as she smirked. "Don't get your knickers in a knot just 'cause you can't handle a little adult words. Shall I use 'kid' friendly ones for you?"

Of all the-

"Guys!" Wendy's shout stopped her from releasing her own curses, all of which were aimed at Knightwalker and her uncouth behavior.

Having noticed all eyes were turned on her, Wendy seemed to shrink in herself. She smiled at the girl's bashfulness. And silently swore to herself to keep her innocence safe. It was a sister's duty after all!

"Natsu's going to be fine." At Wendy's words, Natsu seemed to get reinvigorated as he jumped to his feet, letting out a holler. This had the effect of making him keel over and clutch his chest as he started to cough again. "Just don't let him strain himself…" Wendy's words came a bit too late.

She shook her head at Natsu's antics. "Will he be able to fight?" She turned her head towards Knightwalker, surprised at her interest in the injured Dragon Slayer.

Wendy frowned at the question, but nodded her head. "I wouldn't recommend it but…" Wendy's eyes darted towards the mechanical dragon rampaging. She saw Gray creating a shield of ice he then used to block a claw that was coming towards him. She then saw Gajeel, apparently having freed himself from the tons of rubble that had fallen on him a few moments ago, hitting the Dorma Anim's hide with pillars of iron made from his own hands. None of those pillars managed to dent any part of the Dorma Anim's hide.

She bit her lower lip in frustration. Natsu was in no shape to fight, that much was true. But she knew that if she tried to stop him, that he would just go behind her back and do it anyway. So she wouldn't speak, she could only act. She wouldn't chastise Natsu, but she could at least warn him from being reckless.

"Natsu." She turned towards the Dragon Slayer, who had managed to straighten himself into a sitting position, one hand clutched on his chest. Their eyes met, and before she could get another word out, Natsu nodded his head at her.

She felt a smile tug on her face. For all of Natsu's denseness and lack of general intelligence, he could be surprisingly perceptive when they needed him to. Or maybe they just understood each other much more deeply.

Well, it didn't matter. What did matter was Natsu understanding what she wanted him to know.

"If you two are done flirting." Her eyes turned towards her Edolas counterpart, who started walking forward, towards the Dorma Anim. "We've got a Dragon to slay."

She felt a bit of blood rush to her face. They weren't flirting! But before she could retort or say anything, Natsu moved and stood up. "I don't know what this 'flirting' is, and to be honest, it doesn't sound all that appetizing." Natsu walked forward until he was side by side with Knightwalker. His fists then ignited, showing off the brilliant orange flame she was so accustomed to already. "But you're right. We can't just sit here and let others do the work. 'Sides, I'll be damned if Gray manages to slay a dragon before I do!"

She shook her head, both in amusement and exasperation. Again, she remembered that Natsu was really simpleminded. She looked towards Wendy, who was staring at both Knightwalker's and Natsu's back. "Wendy." She called out.

The blue-haired girl turned towards her, her eyes filled with wonder and awe at seeing something that she probably wasn't used to seeing yet. "Take care of the others." She then reached out and ruffled the girl's hair before she too stood up and walked over towards Knightwalker and Natsu.

It hit her then. Wendy's eyes were filled with wonder and awe, because this was probably the first time she was seeing Fairy Tail fighting something that would have been impossible to defeat. Nirvana hadn't counted simply because they were fighting humans, wizards like anyone else.

The Dorma Anim was no wizard, it was an embodiment of a dragon made by human hands. It had all the strength of a dragon, forged by the mind of man. It was something that should have been impossible to defeat, impossible to overcome, impossible to move.

But with Fairy Tail, it was possible. They had stopped unstoppable forces before, they had moved immovable objects. They did the impossible. Not by themselves, but with Fairy Tail.

Fairy Tail's power didn't come from any one person individually, they came from everyone that was Fairy Tail.

And this was what Wendy was probably seeing now. Fairy Tail fighting. She probably already knew who would win as well.

"Ready?" She asked as she got into a stance. Her stone-like sword clutched to her side in a fencer's stance.

Natsu's grin looked like a smirk. But she knew it for what it was. He was excited. And to be completely honest with herself, she was too.

It was Knightwalker who answered her question. "Been ready since ten seconds ago." Was all her counterpart said before she charged forward.

Knightwalker was followed by Natsu, a roar escaping his lips as he charged in a literal blaze. Orange fire coating his body as he charged forward into battle.

Soon enough, she followed as well, with her own shout to accompany her own charge.

XxX

"My prince." He awoke with a start. He felt a rush of breath leave his lungs and exit through his mouth, and before long, he was taking long winded sighs.

He looked up, and saw a face with brown hair and brown eyes. He looked vaguely familiar to him, but he couldn't make out who it was as he was too busy readjusting himself.

He still felt sore all over.

Shaking his head, he pushed his hand on the ground, idly noting that he was propped up to a wall. Internally, he checked himself. His hands began to go over everything he thought would be the first thing broken. Ribs were intact, shoulders he could still move, legs were responding. He didn't seem to have any injuries aside from the headache he was experiencing. Maybe he was concussed?

"Prince Jellal." He looked up again, at the person in front of him. He then noticed that the person was wearing a typical Edolas army knight's uniform. He would have made to move, but his headache wasn't doing him favors. So he kept still and tried to figure out why he wasn't killed yet, and why that person seemed to familiar.

The man in front of him sighed before he stood up and shook his head. The man then turned his head until he was looking behind him, and shook it. Was someone else here?

"Looks like he's out of it." The man in front of him said, turning his body. This allowed him to look towards who the person was talking to, and saw a head full of blonde hair with a rather skimpy outfit sitting right across from him, by another wall.

She looked… Lucy!

Memories came surging back, and his headache increased a hundred fold. He couldn't stop himself from giving a strangled cry as he remembered.

But through the pain, there was a singular thought that was in his head.

Yup, he had definitely been concussed.

"Jellal!" The knight was at his side in an instant. Kneeling down next to him as an armored hand held his shoulder and back. "Are you okay?"

He looked up, his headache easing a bit, and nodded his head at the knight – the knight that had been with Emiya for the majority of the discussions with the king.

"I'm fine," He reassured the knight. He had to get his name. "My head was hit and I suddenly remembered a lot of things. I've been through worse."

"You look like you've been through worse." Lucy spoke. He looked up towards he blonde, who had a smirk on her face, before she gestured with her chin at his body. He followed it, and saw that his clothes were ragged and had holes in places all over his chest and arms. Even his cloak was in tatters, in fact, it was only half there. The other half was apparently burned off judging from the scorch marks on the edges of it.

Another memory, and he looked to his sides. He let out a relieved sigh to see his staves, all grouped up and propped on the wall a few feet away from him.

"They were reacting to you." He looked towards the knight, who had apparently seen is relief when he saw his staves. "I had to get them away from you because I was nervous that if I touched you, they would set off and burn the area."

And then some. He finished in his mind. But the knight didn't need to know that.

A roar sounded, a terrifying roar that he knew only belonged to one thing. "What's happening?" He asked, though his mind was still addled with a few memories, he pushed through. He needed to.

Edward started walking towards the end of the wall he was leaning on, before he leaned out from the corner, apparently taking in the mayhem that was happening just behind it. After a few seconds, Edward walked back towards him with a grim look on his face.

"The Dorma Anim is giving the Fairy Tail members a run for their money." Edward then shook his head, sighing all the while. "It's gotten progressively worse now that it's changed forms."

He cursed. On the plus side, that meant that they managed to damage it enough that his father had to resort to its overdrive. On the negative side, that meant it was on overdrive.

He knew that the Dorma Anim wouldn't last long now. Going into the second mode triggers the safety for its magical core. Meaning that for every second it was moving, it was consuming energy at a blistering rate.

Yet at the same time, he knew it wouldn't run out. The Dorma Anim literally sucked the magic from the air, ground and water. It could run indefinitely as long as there was magic in its vicinity. And with the Fairy Tail members surrounding it; that meant it would last as long as they lasted. And he very much doubted that his father would just let them leave to recuperate.

"Damn." He couldn't stop himself from cursing again, this one escaping his lips. He withheld himself however, from letting loose a more vulgar way of expressing his anger.

"Mystogan." He looked up, towards Lucy, who was giving him a look of determination. "Is there anyway to beat it?"

No, there wasn't. There was no set weakness about it, nor was there any sort of weak spot. He idly wondered how they managed to push his father so far, but decided that it was simply Fairy Tail.

"Well, guess that's it." He looked up, surprised at Lucy's words. They sounded final, like she had – He watched as she suddenly began to stand up, using her back as a crutch against the wall as she did so. "I'm gonna have to go out there and start fighting too."

He blinked, before he realized that he was wrong. Hopelessly wrong. Lucy was a part of Fairy Tail, that meant that she had everything any Fairy Tail member had. She wouldn't give up, no matter what. That was the Fairy Tail way. They fought and fought and fought, until either they couldn't anymore, or their opponents couldn't. When an unstoppable force was thrown their way, they stopped it, when an immovable object blocked their path; they pushed it and moved on.

That was Fairy Tail; that was the guild he had grown up in and learned to love.

He snapped out his thoughts as a hand appeared in front of his face. He looked towards the owner, and saw Lucy giving him a bright smile, a look of determination and confidence in her eyes. "You're coming too right?"

He felt a smirk appear on his face. He reached upwards and grasped Lucy's hand, letting the blonde pull him up. His body may have felt like it was straining under its own weight, but he didn't care. She was right. They were right. Fairy Tail was right.

They couldn't give here, if they did. Countless lives will be lost. Lives that mattered, lives that counted.

That was why he wasn't going to fight. "You go ahead." He said to Lucy. Who in turn gave him a confused look. He just waved his hand at her, before he went over to his stack of staves. "I'm gonna start channeling a spell that'll hopefully take down my father." A true blue lie, and if Lucy saw his face right then and there, she would have called him out on it.

He heard her shrug. "I'll see you out there then." She began to walk, but then stopped. "You're going to help us right?"

She was apparently talking to the knight. He was trying to apparently look over his staves. "Of course I will." He heard the knight say. He heard Lucy hum in understanding, before her footsteps were heard again, this time, sounding like she was in a jog.

Noting that Lucy was gone. He picked up his staves and turned towards the knight that had looked over him while he was knocked out. He gave him a grim smile, but before he could say anything, Edward spoke. "You're not going out there."

He held his surprise, before he nodded his head. "I still have one more job before everything is finished. I'd rather get it done now."

Edward gave him a reprimanding look. It was almost comical to him how a knight in the army was looking like he wanted to scold him. "And leave your friends to die?"

He laughed. He didn't mean to. But the laugh escaped his lips before he could control it. The very idea… "You honestly believe I believe that they will lose?" He asked, having regained control of his laughter.

Edward gave him another confused look, before he sighed and shook his head. "You're as stubborn as Emiya."

He didn't know if that was a good thing, but for now, he would take it as a compliment. "Thank you." He then turned and started to run down the hall. Hopefully, Fairy Tail's guildhall wasn't too far from here.

"Where are you going?" He heard Edward shout from behind him.

"To find our fairy tale." To find his happy ending, he was going to make everyone else's.

XxX

This was getting ridiculous.

He thought to himself as he sliced apart another wooden pony that had come from the same flying carousel ride that had been on their tail for some time. Hell, he was pretty sure that it couldn't have that many horses. He had lost count at 43.

He bucked a little as Carla banked left. He caught sight of something going past them, but it had gone by too fast to make him think of it. So instead, he faced forward, allowing Carla to bob and weave through each approaching carnival ride.

He redacted the idea that Sugarboy was his worst enemy here. Hughes' control over a whole carnival that flew and went after them like heat-seeking missiles was nigh impossible for him to counter. What good was a sword rain if his opponent could just power his way through it?

He lurched again as Carla banked. The blood rushing up towards his head almost made him queasy, but he managed to push down his queasiness in time to slice apart another horse. No wait, this one was a unicorn. It had a horn on its head. Not that it mattered, but apparently it was going to skewer him.

"Try and get in the clouds!" He shouted towards Carla. He felt her grip tighten behind him, almost as if she was apprehensive about what he had said.

"If I do that we won't be able to see anything." He heard Carla reason from behind him. And honestly, he knew that too. But right now, they couldn't keep bobbing and weaving through these things, it was pathetic. Not because they weren't fighting back, but because they were fighting a losing battle. Their enemies weren't getting tired, allowing Hughes to keep sending wave after wave of carnival rides at them without stopping. While they had to expend energy to try and survive.

"I know!" He grunted out as he cut through another ride, this one being a wooden log. "Just try and get inside one large enough so we can hide along with the rides. If we can't see them, they can't see us." It was a foolhardy plan, something that only he could think of. But right now, they couldn't afford anything more. Hopefully, the rides would hit each other while inside as well.

"Alright." He heard Carla speak up from behind him. He readied Kanshou in his left hand to slice through another ride, but he didn't get to the chance to as Carla suddenly swooped downwards. "Hold on!"

He felt his grip on Kanshou tighten as Carla dove, reaching speeds that went past terminal velocity. She began to pull up, and he watched as they rapidly approached a cloud. He closed his eyes as they impacted on it. Drenching both of them in water.

Carla began to slow, and soon he heard her let out a deep breath. "Hopefully, this will hinder them somewhat." She spoke slowly. As if digesting her words. Finally, she let out another sigh. "I never thought I would hear those words come from my own mouth."

"Somewhat?" He asked, not sure what she was talking about. He felt her shake her head behind him.

"No, hopefully." He raised an eyebrow, but realized how stupid that was since she couldn't see him. In fact, he couldn't even see two feet in front of them. It was also very dark here, suggesting that either the cloud Carla had chosen was really thick, or really big. Either way, this would definitely stop Hughes from doing anything rash.

"I can't keep this up for too long." He tried to look over his shoulder, but all he could see was Carla's wings on his back. He the opted to just listen to her. He heard her breathing, slowly and raggedly, like she had just run a marathon.

He wondered what he could do, and offered the first thing that popped into his head. "I could try and shoot my arrow again." He thought idly, but shook his head as he realized that was stupid. "No, never mind. That would be suicidal. I'd only have one shot to use it, and doing so would drain me too much." One Caladbolg was enough to drain him to the point where he needed to conserve prana by Tracing Kanshou and Bakuya one at a time. If he Traced two, then no doubt he would be down and out before he could confirm that it hit.

"We've got to stop both of them." Carla said. He agreed. Stopping both Hughes and Sugarboy would be the best course of action. The problem was, he needed to get- wait, no he didn't.

Pulling on the last dregs of his prana reserve, he recalled the bow. Sleek and black. It was in his hands in the next second.

"Try and give me a clear shot." He said softly, Tracing a sword. He Altered its makeup in his hands, and soon, it turned into a sleek silver arrow-like tool.

"How many of those things can you still fire?" Carla asked. He shrugged his shoulders.

"Honestly I have no idea." He frowned as he felt the image of the sword appear in his head again. He didn't need to Trace another one yet, but having it in his head would help. "I'm guessing I have 3 or 4 more to make before I go over my limit."

"Limit as in no more, or limit as in your body just can't?" Carla asked, and for a second, he was confused. That is, until he understood what she was talking about.

"The first one." He could go over his limit. He had done so multiple times already. The second one that Carla spoke of hadn't happened to him yet, and for that reason, he didn't know what would happen if he did hit that limit.

He felt Carla's claws on his back tighten, and he braced himself for what she was about to do. "Don't miss."

Carla shot up, shooting upwards as they passed through the cloud. Drenching them in cold water. He ignored it and focused, clearing his mind. He felt the water stop rushing, and it got brighter. He realized that they were out the clouds.

He felt Carla immediately dodge, moving to the left. Probably avoiding something that would crash into them. He didn't pay much attention. He was too focused, too busy looking for his targets. He wouldn't let himself miss a chance to take a shot, to try and end this as quickly and as cleanly as possible.

His eyes scanned the air, ignoring the mass of metal and wooden rides coming at them. He only needed to find what he needed. He needed to- There!

In hindsight, wearing bright pink armor wasn't really subtle. Then again, what did he know about subtlety?

He breathed in, and pulled. He focused, making sure both eyes were open. He adjusted his shot, moving his aim to the left slightly to adjust for the wind around them. He exhaled, and let loose the arrow.

With a twang! The arrow shot off, fast and furious as it soared past ride after ride to reach the target. He cursed as he realized he had overcompensated. It wouldn't hit the area where he had aimed. But it would still hit.

He watched as the arrow imbedded itself onto Sugarboy's shoulder. The pink-armored man cried in pain as the arrow more than likely split a tendon if not hitting the pivot socket and dislodging his arm at all.

He Traced another sword and altered it. He took aim again, and fired another shot. Now that he knew where he was targeting and how much he needed to compensate, he could hit the target.

The arrow flew, and just like he figured, it soared for Sugarboy's head. Ready to impale the man as he struggled to free the arrow that was still lodged into his shoulder.

Something flew upwards and blocked the arrow from reaching Sugarboy. He blinked, before he realized that it was a carousel ride. Cursing underneath his breath, he realized that just firing at Sugarboy wouldn't do any good with the number of moving cover that was around them.

Damn it, this was getting harder and harder.

"Did you hit him?" He heard Carla ask from behind him. He clucked his tongue before he Traced another sword and swung it to cleave a ride that was threatening to hit them, splitting it in half.

"I did." He answered as he Altered the sword into an arrow. He took aim again, but cursed his luck as his view of Sugarboy was now blocked. He dropped the bow and the arrow to his side. " But I didn't manage to kill him."

Again, he felt Carla's claws tighten behind him. "Do you need to kill them?" She asked.

He was surprised by the question, but otherwise, shrugged his shoulders. "No I don't." He answered honestly. "But it's the quickest and simplest way to stop all this." He lurched again as Carla banked, narrowly avoiding another rollercoaster and its multiple cars lined up.

He heard Carla let out a deep breath. He wondered if that was because she was tired, or because she was exasperated. "I don't suppose you have anything that can poison them do you?" A valid question, and had he enough prana, he would have used something like that.

As it stood though, he lacked the necessary prana capacity to Trace the sword, and the poisons that came with those swords. Of course, he could Trace a sword that already had the poisoning effect with it, but that would require him looking through Unlimited Blade Works, and time wasn't something they had.

He readied himself again, taking aim towards where Sugarboy had been. He saw a clear shot, and was about to take it, before the momentum around him and Carla started shifting.

"Not now!" He looked up, towards Carla. And he saw nothing. No flapping white wings. He could still feel Carla attached to his back, but now that she had nothing to help them fly, that meant all their movement was going to shift towards one direction. Down.

He cursed as he refocused, he could at least take this shot-!

He fired and it soared, but like the previous arrow, it had been blocked by another ride. He didn't bother figuring out which, as it was too late to Trace another and fire. They were falling now.

He shifted his head until he was looking downwards. They were near clouds, and would reach terminal velocity in a few more seconds. If they landed, he didn't think he could take it.

Turns out however, he didn't need to worry about going splat. As a rollercoaster was rapidly approaching them from below, ready to stop their decent with its own rising. He doubted his body could physically take having a bigger and faster mass splat against him and turn his kinetic energy backwards. In fact, he realized that his limbs would most likely detach from his body because of that.

"I'm out of energy!" He heard Carla shout from behind him, her panicked voice spiking higher than normally. It surprised him that he thought it didn't suit her.

"Trace On!" He shouted as he held out his left hand. The sword's image appeared in his head, and he put all his effort into building it as quick as he could. The tip spiraled until it showed a drill like blade, thicker and bulkier, and the handle to it seemed to bury itself under the blade, no longer attached to it like his own Altered version.

This was Caladbolg like it was meant to be. As a sword.

"Hold on!" He shouted as he put he made himself as small as possible. He felt Caladbolg begin to spin, but not from his own work. It came from the winds around them, making the unique blade rotate until it started to elicit a slight hum.

The blade collided with the coaster and it immediately parted from the tip. He felt the immense strain on his arms, but kept his hold steady on the blade. It wouldn't do good for them if he let go.

Car after car, the coaster split. Caladbolg doing its work as it split the carnival ride into two. It lasted longer than he wanted it to, but as the last car was split, he felt the pressure in his arm release. He let the large blade in his hand dissipate, before he let out a deep breath. That was close.

"I don't suppose you have anything else to help our fall?!" He heard Carla shout, and he immediately remembered that even with the coaster gone, they still had the problem of falling to their deaths. And unfortunately for them, he had nothing except the bow in his hands to try anything. Not even a sword with a chain could help them. If he did so, he would only accomplish detaching his arm from his torso.

He shook Carla off him, before he turned and gripped the cat into a hug as close to his body as he could. "What are you-?!" He heard Carla shout, but he kept his grip on her as tight as he could. He could at least save her right?

He heard something rush past them, the flapping of winds like Carla's. He opened his eyes, and turned his head to look at what he had heard. And saw the sight of Pantherlilly flying just a few feet ahead of them.

He watched as Pantherlilly turn his body, before he slowed, matching their speed with his own and finally, caught them both in his arms. He looked up at Lilly, and saw his wings outstretch, slowing their decent as much as he could. Finally, all their momentum dissipated, and Lilly began to hover. He looked behind him, and realized at how close they were to the ground. They were already as high as the towers around the castle.

"Are you alright?" Lilly asked, looking down at them with concern. He let his body relax, throwing his arms to the side as he let out a breath of relief. He had honestly thought he was going to die there. And as odd as it was that he was so calm about it, he realized that was just who he was. Huh, guess Rin was right about him, he really lacked a sense of self.

Carla stood on his chest, and he looked down towards her. There he saw her, hands (paws?) on her hips as she glared at him. "What were you thinking?" She asked, her voice calm and dangerous.

He shrugged his shoulders. "Trying to save you." He answered dryly. He didn't need another one of these lectures. Can't people just take the help without getting mad at him? Sheesh.

He heard Carla snort. An undignified sound that contrasted with her own haughty sounding voice. "If I wanted to do that, I would have detached myself from you. Cats have a habit of surviving tall drops." She explained to him. He just stared at her blankly.

"But regardless," Carla began. "I told you that we would stick together and fight. And if that meant dying together, then so be it. I would not properly leave an ally to their death, no matter how stupid they may seem to be." Oh geez, her tongue was as sharp as Rin's, not to mention the fact that she acted just like her.

He smiled at Carla, before he nodded his head. "Thanks." He said truthfully. It was nice to know that someone had his back like that.

"I see that save for your magical energy; your biting sarcasm is still very much in tact." He turned his head as a new voice spoke. There, right behind Pantherlilly was another cat, as white and much more regal looking than Carla. A crown adorned the top of her head, and its white dress clashed with the almost green background that was the sky.

"Queen Shagotte." He heard Carla reply to the voice. He turned back towards her, and saw that Carla's eyes had narrowed as she stared at the queen of Extalia. "Are you here to take advantage of the chaos and enslave the people of Edolas?" Carla accused, her voice harsh as she stared up at the queen. He wondered if everyone in this world had a habit of using other people to make their ends meet, before he realized just how damning Carla's words were.

"I had honestly contemplated doing so." He turned a hard look at Shagotte. He was surprised she would admit that, he had guessed she would veil her interests under the guise of wanting help like the King had. He cast a hard look towards the queen, but due to his peculiar position, he guessed she hadn't seen it.

Shagotte then shook her head. "But I've learned that doing so would cause more grief than anything." She paused, allowing her words to sink in for a moment, before she spoke again. "I've decided that for Edolas to prosper, working together would be the best way to go about doing it."

He agreed with that. Then again, as long as people were saved and people were happy, he guessed he would agree with just about anything. Take the King for example. Not that it lasted too long.

He heard Carla snort from his chest, a bit out of character for her, but he could tell that Shagotte got under her nerves for whatever reason. "I take it you were needed to be convinced by someone else?" Carla accused.

"Does it matter?" He blurted out without stopping himself. Carla turned towards him, before she gave him a raised eyebrow in both incredulity and exasperation.

"Did you honestly just ask that?" Carla asked, sarcasm dripping through her voice. He actually felt himself pout at her. Honestly, that was just rude of her. It didn't really matter if they thought about it, as long as she didn't think enslavement was the better option, then it was good enough for him. Then again he was a bit too willing to look into the good side of people. Something that Rin, and now Carla, found exasperating.

"What's wrong with that?" He asked, almost defensively. His tone sounding like a child would when they were trying to make people see things their way. It didn't really help him any, but still… it just didn't matter!

Great, now he was thinking like a child as well.

Carla let out a sigh as she shook her head. She then turned back towards Shagotte and opened her mouth, but before she could say anything, Pantherlilly spoke up. "I agree." He looked up at the large panther-like Exceed. "What's wrong with that?"

Carla looked ready to retort, but Lilly shifted his hold on his body and spoke up. "To question why she would choose this path is an insult. She chose to save as many lives as possible, that is all there is to it." It irked him a little he was being carried like a princess and that Lilly was sounding like a knight, but it beat the alternative of being let go and falling.

He heard Carla sigh again, before she looked up at Lilly. "It matters because if she doesn't truly believe this path, then it is liable that she turn into another Faust." Her eyes than narrowed, before she looked straight into Lilly, and then to his own. "And you talk as if you would blindly accept anything as long as people were saved. Look where that had gotten both of you."

Alright, that was just plain mean and low. "I'm not exactly a subterfuge kind of guy." He admitted as he locked eyes with Carla. "And I just don't care if I'm used. As long as I'm doing what I think is right, why should I feel guilty?" It was childish and immature to think like this. Then again, his dream was childish and immature.

It looked like Carla was about to retort, but Shagotte's voice cut her off. "Regardless of why I chose this path. It looks like you both need help." He then remembered what was happening, and refocused his eyes above. He wondered why they hadn't been attacked while they were talking, until he saw what looked like an army of cats wielding weapons and donning armor charging and attacking the carnival rides.

Huh, guess that the previous army of Exceed-turned-crystal hadn't been the entire army. He wondered just how many cats there were in Extalia itself.

And then his eyes focused, and he realized that those cats weren't army cats. In fact, they looked like regular people. Their 'weapons' were pitchforks and clubs, and their 'armor' were clothes and light leather.

"Those aren't soldiers." He heard Carla say. Apparently, she had also looked up as he did and saw what he saw. He saw her look down and look at Shagotte, a look of pure surprise on her face. "Those aren't soldiers." She repeated as if confirming her words.

He turned towards Shagotte, and saw her nod her head, a small smile on her snout as she did so. "Your friend is quite the charming fellow. A bit simple-minded, but he can get people rallying under his cause if need be." He looked back up, and saw, in the middle of the chaotic fighting, a familiar blue cat holding onto a woman wielding a sword and donning armor. He didn't need to think twice to realize that those two were Happy and Ellen.

"And that woman that was with him," He turned back towards Shagotte. "She managed to turn his ragtag group of followers into a passable militia. Telling them to follow her orders as they charged at those rides, she managed to make those villagers smash a good amount of them before some started to get injured. She's quite the captain that one." He wasn't exactly surprised to hear that. Out of the three of the people that he had met here, Ellen had been the one that had the sound head on her shoulders, sounding like she knew what to do in situations that needed a calm mind. Edward was the voice of reason, and Nero… he didn't know. He didn't feel regret that he had died, but he did feel… some lament that he didn't know what he was in their little clique.

He looked back up, and sure enough, he saw Ellen directing the Exceed around her and Happy. Pointing in different directions as she ordered them to take down each ride methodically and surely. There was no hesitation in movements, and she even joined in with those around her in following her own orders.

"The strength to make others follow you even in the face of danger." He heard Shagotte say, her voice wistful and almost longing. He turned back towards her, and saw that she was sporting a melancholy smile. "Truly an amazing gift you Fairy Tail wizards have."

He heard Carla scoff. "Now you believe us?" Her tone was accusatory, yet also mildly curious.

He saw Shagotte look over towards Carla, before her melancholic smile turned into a full-blown wistful one. "Your friend, Happy." A strange almost imperceptible look appeared on Shagotte's face. He almost missed it, but even though he caught a glimpse of it, he wasn't sure what to make of that look. "He is quite the man. A fitting catch."

He had a feeling he was missing context here, but before he could point that out, Carla spoke up. "I-I believe you have the w-wrong impression." Now that was strange. He looked towards Carla, and saw what looked to be a blush beginning to form on her face. It was miniscule, and had it not been for the fact that her ears were red as well he would have missed it.

Still missing context here. But he decided he'd just drop it, no use trying to figure that out if it wasn't anything dangerous.

"Regardless," He turned towards Lilly, and he was reminded that he was still being carried like a woman would be by a man. "An army of regular men and women can only go so far. We must make haste and give aid. The enemy are machines, they will not stop, and they will not rest. They will overwhelm them in a matter of minutes if the head is not cut off." Lilly said, his voice grim and holding a bit of apprehension.

Huh, for a minute there, Lilly reminded him of… himself. Given a far more cynical and far more older self, but still, he did remind him of him.

"Pantherlilly is correct." Shagotte began. "My subjects cannot hope to stand against an army made of cold steel. We must find the one controlling them and make haste to stop them."

"You didn't need to repeat yourselves twice." He heard Carla sigh in exasperation. "But I can see the need to." Carla paused, before she turned towards Lilly. "Pantherlilly was it?" She asked the big manlike Exceed.

Lilly nodded his head. "I've heard much about you from your friend Happy." An almost teasing smile appeared on the Exceed's scarred face. "He speaks highly of you."

Carla didn't rise to it, but he did see the faint traces of red begin to appear in her ears. "Can you take us higher? Somewhere we can give Emiya a clear vantage point of the battlefield?" Carla asked, to which Lilly nodded his head.

"I can easily." Lilly said assuredly. It wasn't boastful, merely him speaking the truth of the matter. Lilly then turned around and faced the queen. "Queen Shagotte, I must take my leave." Lilly said. And without even bothering with a reply, his wings folded, before they flapped, forcing air behind them and propelling them upwards.

XxX

It was a strange sight. And that was no mean description.

Edolas was full of strange Flora. From vines that grew purple to flowers that towered over trees, Edolas was not short on things that made its air breathable and hospitable.

But the sight right before his eyes could be considered one of the strangest things he had ever seen.

It was a sprout. But more than that, it was a tree. A sprout tree that looked like it was in the early stages of its birth. But that was impossible, at least, he thought so. If this tree matured, it would tower over the entire island and perhaps reach spaces above even the clouds.

But for all its impossibility, the insignia embroidered just above the door that somehow led into it told him that it wasn't impossible, merely improbable.

"Do we just knock?" He had blurted out without really thinking. He didn't know how they would take them being here, and he didn't want to find out what they would do if they decided they didn't want them here. He wasn't useless in a fight, and he had been trained to fight wizards ever since he had joined the king's army. But that had been with a platoon, a squad of men standing side by side with him. In a one on one fight, he would no doubt lose and probably suffer major injuries if not death.

So yeah, he was a bit apprehensive going into Fairy Tail's guildhall wearing the king's knight's garments.

"Don't worry." The prince assured him, a small smile gracing his face. He then pointed towards his hand, where a blue insignia just like the one above the entrance was shown. "I'm a member."

He raised an eyebrow in question, a wistful smile on his face despite himself. "Isn't that for Earthland?"

The prince however, just shrugged at him. "Once a member always a member." He said, before he paused and then turned back to him. "Unless they leave or are expelled. Both of which I have not met the criteria for."

With that said, Jellal turned away from him and walked through the door, not a care in the world.

Despite himself, he found himself following, squashing his nervousness as he looked around the guildhall that was… so lively and jolly.

He had to blink once or twice to understand what he was seeing, and when he did, he realized that everyone in this guildhall was basically doing… what his old platoon did when they were on their free time.

Men were drinking by the bar, singing tales of their horrible wives and beautiful women. Women were gossiping in every other table, occasionally giggling as once or twice they looked at some man or even woman. Heck, he even saw an entire table dedicated to playing card games that looked very much like the card games he played with his old army friends.

It was surreal. He wasn't one to stereotype, but through the years of service he had been thought that his enemies were abominations of nature and fiends that chose to fight for themselves. Now that he was here, in the den of those supposed fiends, they were just like any other group of people.

Enjoying life with the people around them.

"A knight!" He heard someone shout. He didn't who shouted or who it came from, but before he could raise his hands in surrender, he was on the ground with a thick leather whip tied around his neck, constricting his windpipe and preventing him from breathing. Grimly he realized, that now he couldn't very well defend himself while choking.

"I don't know how you came about this place," A familiar voice began. It was familiar, recently familiar. But instead of the almost girlish pitch and shy confidence in the voice, there was a tough and borderline arrogant tone to it. "But this will be the last sight you will ever see. Say good-bye Kni- guh?!"

The weight was lifted off his back and the whip detached from his neck. He took in much needed breaths as he scrambled on his feet, reaching for his weapon even though he was still out of breath. It was more an instinctual thing really. He didn't get the feeling that these people would allow him to talk if given the chance, and that had been his best skill. Trying to talk to people.

He looked towards where he heard the voice take off, and saw a blonde woman that looked like the blonde that the Fairy Tail wizards from Earthland had. It took him a second to register that this wasn't the same person since the other one was still probably fighting the Dorma Anim with her guildmates. He then realized that this was Lucy Ashley, one of the key members of Fairy Tail from his world. From his dimension.

"Mystogan?!" Ashley clutched her chest as she looked behind where he was. He followed her gaze, and saw that the prince had a staff extended and pointed towards Ashley. He presumed that he had gotten her off him before he had been strangled.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?!" Ashley barked as she shook off the hit that Mystogan had dealt. He still felt like he was being scrutinized, but thankfully, most of the looks were redirected towards the prince. Easing the feeling of apprehension he was feeling.

"Stopping you from killing one of the few people that actually want to help." The prince's voice was harsh, almost vindictive in its tone. But it still held a sort of warmth to it, a feeling that Jellal was talking to someone he knew well. All in all, that turned the prince's voice into someone sounding like they were scolding a child.

"Why would he want to help?" Ashley asked, her voice still gruff but this time holding genuine confusion.

In response to that question, he saw Jellal shake his head. "Not help you." The prince emphasized the word 'you'. Before he turned away from the blonde and began walking. He made to keep pace. "He wants to save the world."

He felt his face flush under his helmet. Okay, not that it wasn't true. But hearing it spoken so casually makes it sound so… embarrassing. He wondered how Emiya had done it, without at least sounding abashed. It was… it wasn't you go around proclaiming unless you want people to look at you funny. He felt his respect for the red-haired otherworlder grow. He not only made it not sound awkward when he said it, but he made it sound honest and believable as well.

Thankfully for him, the prince's words only garnered snorts of derision and disbelief. Among those that didn't believe him was a woman. Beautiful and fully grown. Her head of dark blue hair that fell to her waist gave her an almost mystifying aura that made him weak in the knees. "You're kidding right?" She spoke in a tone that he had heard-

Oh gods…. Did he just…. Was he attracted to the grown up version of that little blue-haired girl?!

"Not in the slightest." He heard the prince answer for him. He turned back towards the man, and saw that he had stopped in front of another woman with blue hair. Only this time, her hair was short and she was sporting a smirk that practically said 'cocky'.

"Yo," The woman spoke. Her voice confident. "What brings you heard 'Stogan? Here to check on our baby?" Something about the way the woman spoke told him that she wasn't talking about flesh and blood.

"How many times have you used it?" The prince asked, his voice betraying none of his emotions.

The cocky blue-haired woman was about to answer, but she was interrupted by another voice. He turned towards it and saw that it was still Ashley, and she was approaching them with a gait that practically screamed anger.

"You can't just barge in here and throw me off!" He heard Ashley shout. He gripped his weapon as she continued her approach towards the prince. And despite his entire body telling him 'don't mess with her!', he stepped in between her and Jellal, blocking her march towards the blue-haired monarch.

He saw her eyes go over him, before they stopped at his visors. And even though his eyes were hidden behind the slits in between them, he could tell that she was looking straight into them. "Move aside." Her voice didn't quaver, nor did it stutter. And it told him that if he didn't obey, he would be on the receiving end of her whip again.

He took a breath, a bit louder than it needed to be. Before he countered her words. "No."

His voice didn't quaver, he didn't stutter. And he matched her tone with his own. He understood what she was doing, knew it to a degree even. He was used to talking to people, gruff and meek, shy and proud. He knew just how to talk to them and how to appeal to them.

He didn't take a step back as Ashley took a step forward, practically invading his personal space. He could faintly hear the prince still talking behind him, probably to that cocky blue-haired woman, but he didn't register the words. He could only match Ashley's stare as she approached him, closer and closer until she was practically touching his helmet with her head.

He wanted to turn or step back. He was never the best fighter. He was the diplomat of the trio, the one that did the talking. It was because of him (though he didn't much like to admit it), that Ellen, Nero, and him had been promoted to knights in the first place. It was usually Ellen or Nero who did the fighting.

But they weren't here, and he was alone. He had agreed to come with the prince because he wanted to help, to do something that could be said that he helped save the world. Not because he wanted fame, but because he just… wanted to. He never expected to be stared down by one of Edolas' fiercest wizard.

Finally, Ashley took a step back. "You've got bone in that suit don't ya?" Her voice was amused, and when he refocused onto her face, he saw that she was grinning at him.

Idly, he wondered why the sudden change in attitude. But then, he wasn't one to look a gift horse in the mouth. "I've got a reason to." Was his answer.

Ashley nodded her head at him. "Well, can't say you're a coward. But you mind moving a bit? I've got a bone to pick with the guy behind you." Now she was resorting to asking nicely? Well, as nice as she could anyway. Still, she seemed almost… bipolar at this point.

"Can't do that." He said. He then felt his ears burn as he realized what he was going to say next. "Saving the world business, very hush-hush stuff."

He could literally hear Nero laughing at him now from the afterlife.

In response to his words, instead of laughing or mocking him. Ashley hummed, as if taking his words in serious consideration. "Saving the world huh?" She repeated. He nodded his head at her.

"Saving the world." He confirmed.

"Alright then." Ashley turned, and he relaxed. For a second there, he thought she was going to-

He drew his sword as quick as he could, but it was still slow as Ashley already had her whip wrapped around his right forearm. He felt the whip crack against the metal of his forearm protector, before he felt it getting yanked, arm and all. He fell to the ground in a clatter, his right arm extended as he heard footsteps approaching in front of him. He looked up through his visors, and saw Ashley standing over him with her hands on her hips.

"Saving the world or not. That doesn't have anything to do with Fairy Tail." Ashley stated before she literally walked over him, stepping on his back before making her way towards the prince.

"You mind telling me what saving the world has to do with you and a knight being here?" He scrambled to his feet as he heard Ashley speak. He turned around, and was met with the back of the blonde as she stared down the man a full head taller than her.

In response to Ashley's words, Jellal only raised an eyebrow. "I'm part of this guild right?" The prince asked, a hint of dry confusion in his voice. He could tell that he was being sarcastic now. "And as part of this guild, I would want to make sure it survives right?"

He saw Ashley sigh before she shook her head. "I thought we were done." She began, exasperation evident in her tone.

"We will be," The prince said with a nod. "When we agree that this is in your best interest too."

"And I thought I told you that we want no part of this." Ashley countered. "We've done everything you asked us Mystogan. Our agreement was that you don't get us involved in the fighting."

"Our agreement," Jellal emphasized the word. "Was that you would help me save this world. That you would help me save Fairy Tail."

"It was at this point he realized that this was a conversation repeated multiple times already. These two were going at it like it was rehearsed, like it was expected. He was a bit miffed that he lacked some context, but gathering what he could, he could guess that they were talking about the needs and wants of saving the world.

"Both of you shut up!" He turned his head, and saw the long blue-haired woman approaching the both of them. She walked past him, and he couldn't help but admire her long and slender bac – No. Nope. He wasn't going to think about this.

"If you two keep bickering about crap like this, then neither of you will get anything done at all!" Her tone was that of a mother scolding her children. Though her words were that of a thug that was in a bar. It was an odd mixture.

He looked up to the prince, before he saw the prince nod. Jellal then turned around and faced the other blue-haired woman. "How many times?" He emphasized each word in his question, as if the saving grace of the world depended on their so called 'baby'.

In response to his question, the blue-haired woman shrugged. "About ten or twelve times, not really sure which end though. Your little Fairy Hunter really strangled us for a while, but your little work of art saved our asses from a premature death." The short-haired woman then locked eyes with Jellal. "You sure you don't want to give me the schematics? I reckon I'd be able to make a more powerful one. One that'll take us off this godforsaken floating meteor."

"And what makes you think it's not powerful enough to do that now?" Jellal spoke in a confident tone. He could just imagine the smirk on the man's face.

In response, the woman he was talking too abruptly stood up, her chair scraping against the floor underneath it. "What?!"

The prince didn't answer, and instead, turned around and faced the blonde that was still behind him. "I want you to think about this Lucy." Jellal's tone was deathly serious. He could feel the atmosphere around them grow heavier from the words themselves.

In response, he heard the woman scoff. "Think about what?" She said. Her tone was full of bravado, but from the slight quiver in it, he could tell that she knew this was serious as well.

"Think about what you're going to do next." Jellal began. He raised a hand as he saw Ashley begin to speak, interrupting her. "What I have, what Fairy Tail has, is a magical artifact powerful enough to save not only this world, but also another. What Fairy Tail has is our hope, our dreams for a better future. What Fairy Tail has is the ability to save countless numbers of lives, or doom them to death." The prince's words were damning, they filled him with a sense of apprehension that if Ashley so chose, she could doom this world and the people inside of it.

And yet, even if those words were hinging on Ashley's decision, he couldn't take his eyes off the prince. This was a man he could follow, could die for. This was a man that knew what was at stake, yet chose to play with his hand shown. A man that shared the same virtues of not only him, but also his friends.

"Think Ashley." Jellal's words echoed in the silence his previous ones caused. "Save the world, or die with it?"

XxX

He couldn't keep this up.

"Gah!" That was Erza. Their Erza. She had been smashed aside by the dragon's tail, and this time, it didn't look like she was getting up. He had followed her arc, and watched as her armor dissipate as she flew. He would have made chase to try and catch her, but he was too busy trying to keep the claws from reaching his neck.

Watch Dragon Slayer.

"Erza!" Damn it Gray! Don't break format-

It was too late. The tail had swept around and caught the ice mage the same way it had Erza. Smashing against his chest, sending him flying head over heels through the air. Only this time, there was no wall to stop his momentum. And so the ice mage flew, and flew, and flew, and flew. He flew until he landed on the ground face first, skidding against the ground and shoveling dirt with his face. He skidded and stopped, his back arcing until he landed on his chest, unmoving.

He would have made fun of him, but he wasn't moving. Not anymore. Fear gripped his heart, and he felt as if he had lost a brother.

Watch as each of your friends die before you.

Next to go was Knightwalker. An armored claw splitting the spear she wielded in two. It dissipated into blue motes, motes that weren't even done disappearing before the claws were raised and slashed upwards, groin to shoulder.

He winced as he watched her land on the ground. The dirt around her staining red from the blood that was pooling out of her. It was amazing she was still managing to move, but from the amount of blood dripping from her, and the amount of blood that saturated the ground all around her, he could tell that even if she had survived the attack, she would bleed out soon.

A pity you had to die Knightwalker. You were such a useful tool.

He struggled against the claws, but it only served to lessen the distance between his throat and the claw itself. He wanted to ignite his hands, to put fire into them so he could at least soften the metal in the claw, but he couldn't. Every time he did the fires would disperse into smoke, before they were all sucked into the Dorma Anim's… something. He didn't know if it was its claws, its core, or its force field. But whatever it was, it prevented him from using his flames, lest it be used against him instead.

The baloney was not lost on him… wait, that wasn't right. Baloney? Attorney? No, it started with an I….

Stay still, your time will come after your friends'.

He was broken out of his thoughts as the claws descended again, this time, towards the other Dragon Slayer.

Gajeel caught the claws with both his hands, managing to stop them like he had by mere inches from his throat. He could tell the iron Dragon Slayer was struggling though. Through gritted teeth and almost manic eyes, he could tell that his fellow Dragon Slayer was on his last legs as well.

Ha

He turned his head at the sound.

Ha ha!

He grit his teeth in frustration. He didn't need this, he didn't want this right now!

Hahahaha! Dragon Slayers?! These are Dragon Slayers?! These are the ones the Exceed fear? The ones that the Exceed would cast their sons and daughters for? These are the mighty and fearsome ancient ones?!

The laughing was grating, yet all he could do was push against the claws that threatened to kill him. He saw Gajeel doing the same as well, pushing and trying to get the claws away.

But it was for nothing. The claws were too heavy, and they both held no leverage as their backs were to the ground. They couldn't even use their legs and feet as the ground was too uneven from the rubble that they were laying on.

Pitiful! To think we feared the Exceed when they fear beings as low as 'Dragon Slayers'. You aren't even strong enough to face the full might of my army, let alone the Dorma Anim!

The words were mocking, were meant to hurt and distract. And they did, he felt the claws push against him, closer and closer to his neck. It came to the point that if he swallowed, he felt that his throat would tear and he would bleed out.

Your monikers aren't suited for you. You are nothing but gnats beneath my heels, fleas that threaten to destroy our world by taking everything for yourselves. You pitiful little-

"WIND DRAGON'S ROAR!" A sudden shout, louder than normal and possessing an innate desperation rang out. It was followed by an intense gust of wind. No, it was no mere gust. It was a veritable tornado. The air dissipated, parted as a sudden onset of newly made air pushed through.

It was strong, so strong that it had managed to uproot even the grass around them. No, not the grass, it was the ground itself that was giving way. Splotches of dirt that were firmly rooted to the ground had begun to lift, the numerous number of debris that surrounded them also followed. Even the buildings around them seemed to sway under the immense pressure, threatening to fall to the ground or risk blowing with the wind itself.

It was awesome, it was powerful, and it was what a real Dragon Slayer could do.

All it did was budge the Dorma Anim by a few inches.

But it was enough. It was enough for the claws to lighten, the brief second off the ground that came from the Dorma Anim moving had created an opportunity. And he had enough sense to take it, pushing against the claws before using his legs on the ground to kick himself away.

He skid through the ground before he flipped and landed on his feet. Taking large skipping steps as he made as much distance from the mechanical dragon from himself as possible.

He landed where the previous roar initiated. Where Wendy was panting and grabbing her knees as she struggled to breath. He couldn't help but turn to her and give her the brightest grin he could.

"That was awesome Wendy!" It really was! Her roar had managed to move the Dorma Anim through sheer wind power alone! That was like… a thousand times better than what he had done so far!

"Gotta admit," He raised his head. Gajeel! He had used that opportunity too! Awesome! "Salamander's right. Ya managed to do something that all of us took forever to do. Almost seemed impossible actually."

He felt a bit peeved at Gajeel's words. "Maybe for you lughead. But for Fairy Tail, nothing ain't impossible!" That's right. That should shut him-

"You do realize that three negatives make another negative right?" Gajeel said. He felt a surge of annoyance.

"What the hell does math have to do with this you ironhead?!" Seriously?! What the hell! There were no numbers there! And if there were there wouldn't be any negative ones! Those damn things were too confusing as is!

"Ya got hot fumes for your brains!?" Gajeel countered, butting heads with him. "Numbers don't mean jack here! I was talkin' bout grammar! Something you should already know!" After a second, Gajeel continued. "And what do you mean "maybe for me"?! I'm part of Fairy Tail too!"

"I never said you weren't!" He countered, this was getting annoying! "And what do negatives have to do with language! Erza never thought me any of that!"

"Guys!" He turned his head towards Wendy, who had closed her eyes and had her hands balled into fists while leaning towards them. "Don't start fighting now!"

He was about to say that they weren't fighting, more like debating, but the ground shook before he could.

I will admit, I never expected that kind of power to come from someone so small.

He was annoyed at the words. "Hey! Wendy's just as strong and powerful as any other Fairy Tail wizard! Dragon Slayer or not!" No one underestimated his friends but him! Which reminded him… "Except for that stripper Gray! He's weak!"

The dragon's maw opened, before it let loose a warbled cry followed by the sound of King Faust's demented laughter. The extra octaves given by the Dorma Anim only resulted in making Faust's voice deeper and more menacing than usual.

I could care less about Fairy Tail now. I was talking about Dragon Slayers. I had clearly underestimated the power hidden underneath your frail human bodies.

"Keep talking you rat-faced coward!" Gajeel shouted from his side. "Our bodies are just as strong as any other dragon's! And we're gonna use them to smash your face in!"

Truly now? You think you have the power to overpower my Dorma Anim? The pinnacle of human engineering? The Dorma Anim which, as I'll remind you, defeated each and every last one of your Fairy Tail friends?

"Don't think for a second that'll make us second guess!" He was the one shouting this time, he felt both Gajeel and Wendy step beside him to his right. And that was enough for him. "A dragon is still a dragon! And we're wizards that were trained to slay dragons!"

Again Faust laughed. The Dorma Anim's tail swished behind it as if it was alive, and for a second, he was confused as to why it did that. But he didn't get to contemplate the reason as Faust was talking again.

Come then, try and best me. Slay my dragon, defeat me. For if you lose, then my wrath will be tenfold of what you do.

"Guys." He turned his head towards his right, towards Wendy. Gajeel had also turned towards Wendy, only his head turning to his left. "I… I think we should forget about looking for a weak spot."

His eyes locked unto Wendy's small frame, before he felt a grin appear on his face. He then turned towards Gajeel, and saw him smirking to his grin. Apparently, he had been taught the same as well.

"Remember what our parents taught us Wendy?" He asked, eliciting a surprised look from Wendy as she turned towards him. His grin only grew. "About fighting dragons? About fighting each other?"

Wendy's eyes nodded her head. "A dragon is a strong and proud creature," Wendy began, as if quoting something.

"A creature that has no weaknesses," It was Gajeel that continued. Gajeel's eyes had a modicum of excitement in it. "A creature that will sunder the ground it steps on."

"A dragon is something no human can beat," He took over this time, both Gajeel and Wendy's eyes locked towards his own. "Therefore, when facing a dragon, you do everything in your power to make sure you're not alone."

He took solace in those words, as did the other two near him. This was the first lesson that was taught to him by Igneel, a lesson taught to him when he was only a child. A human child with fear of his parent and awe at their power.

"But," Gajeel continued. He nodded his head, first at Gajeel, and then at Wendy, before he turned to face forward again. Towards the dragon that they were going to face. "We aren't human."

"We aren't weak," He took over again. He felt his hand get grabbed by softer and smaller ones. He squeezed his hand around them, and through his peripheral vision, he could see that Gajeel was in very much the same situation. "We are men and women that were trained with a purpose. With a passion."

"We are Dragon Slayers." Wendy finished, her hand squeezing his own. "We face a dragon as if facing an equal. For we are the only ones that can."

"We are Dragon Slayers." Gajeel joined Wendy as she continued. "We fight a dragon without backing, without stopping."

"We are Dragon Slayers." He joined, and together, their voices melded. Three voices becoming one, three dragons joining to slay a fourth. "And we will slay dragons!"

He took a breath, and felt his fellow Dragon Slayers doing the same. He felt the magic from each one of them begin to disperse between their arms. Acting as conduits to amplify each of their strength with each others. The ground shook as the power between them seemed to boil over, seemed to make the very air around them hotter.

"Unison Raid:" They all began, their voices one. He watched as the Dorma Anim took a step back. He didn't know if it was from fear or if it was bracing itself. But it didn't matter.

The air stilled, the ground stopped, the sun dimmed. Finally, as one, they roared.

"Dragon's Chorus!"

XxX

I broke my rules again. Damn it. Breaking the 15'000 word count. Geez man, that's a new record for me.

So, for those of you that read the top AN, you're probably guessing when I had started writing this chapter from the ground up, and had probably thought I had started writing on the 31st of December last year. You are right on the money.

Honestly though, don't remind me of my computer… because I bought a new one! WOOOOO!

Well, a gaming laptop, but hey, it's something right? And now I can write stuff, on the go! And while that's exciting and all, that's not the only thing I have. I am now also a proud owner of a current gen handheld. That's right! A 2DS! What? Expecting something else?

Meh, never cared for 3d anyway. Makes my eyes hurt. Besides, all I'm after are pokemon and Fire Emblem… also Bravely Default and its sequel, but what the heck, I still got a 2DS.

Now that my personal life is out of the way, let's discuss this chapter.

Honestly speaking, I'm amazed that I managed it as well as I did after repeating it. The general outline is the same, but now that I got a second look at this, I realize that this is a far better one than the original lost one. And I'm honestly very proud that it came out like this.

That's all for now though, the next one on the chopping block would be… Azure Blade Works and then Gaming Magus. After that, it's time to draw straws.

So without further ado, I'm gonna leave you guys and go play Fire Emblem. Oh, and FYI: I paired my Robin (M) with Cordelia. Red heads are my weakness man!

C.O.Y.L out, peace!

P.S: In the spirit of being lazy. I'm going to post this chapter in all its unedited glory! So enjoy the grammar mistakes and such. Don't worry though, I'll get to editing it when I get home from classes tomorrow.