A/N: Hello everyone, and welcome to the latest chapter of Advent of the Stars the Sequel. I would like to thank all of those who have read this story and submitted their oc's for the Grand Tartaros Games. I would also like to say that this will be the final chapter I will write for this story. Now before you all start raising your pitch forks and torches, I would like to say it's not the true final chapter. Advent of the Stars will be entering a hiatus for the time being. I shall be working on Danganronpa and Pokemon Legends of Kalos, two stories that I've been wanting to do for a while and I want to get it to a decent place, so that I could work on this one. I haven't updated Nekopara either, so I was planning on writing another long chapter for that one, to finish what I should have finished months ago.

I also would like to say that I will try to update this soon, but it might be a while. Being that I am putting a lot of attention to my other two fics, I might be a while, that and I'm trying to catch up with the manga, which is getting really fucking good. regardless, I hope you can all understand my reasoning for this hiatus, and I promise Alex and Wendy shall be back, along with the rest of their Guild for the Grand Tartaros Games arc. But for now, I hope you all enjoy this "Final Chapter" of sorts. I might do some holiday chapters or what not, but a real official chapter might come in later, probably in September or October, depending on where I am with Danganronpa and Pokemon. Until then, May the Stars Be with you!

Advent of the Stars

Road to the Grand Magic Games

Chapter 10

Into the Spirit World

If someone had told her that she would have to climb a cliff in order to train, Lucy would have stayed at home, under the soft covers of her bed, most likely sleeping the day away and having a lazy day off. But no, here she was, nearly a thousand feet off the ground, barely hanging onto the rugged edges of a cliff side, trying to carefully make her way to the top. Her arms felt like jelly and her legs were about to give up, but she knew that if she did, it would be certain death. Well, Sabrina would catch her, but she could bring her back to the spot she was at in order to keep going. Angel grit her teeth, reaching for another spot, and once she had a good hand hold, she pulled herself up, knocking a few rocks loose. She cringed, watching them plummet to the ground below them.

"Who in their right mind does this for training?" she asked, glancing at Lucy, who gave her a deadpanned look. She wanted to shrug, but she physically couldn't.

"Trust me ladies, this is the kind of stuff you have to do in order to increase your physical strength. You may hate it, I know I did, but thanks to that, I was able to punch a boulder clean in half with only half of my strength." Sabrina said, floating next to the two. Alex had already reached the top and was waiting for the two to make it up there.

"So this stuff really works?" Lucy asked, losing her footing. She gripped the wall tighter, quickly jamming her foot into a solid foothold. Sabrina giggled, sweeping some silver locks behind her ear.

"Trust me, it will work. If you do this every day for a few weeks, you'll get faster and faster." she said.

"I still think he's insane for pulling this kind of shit on me. The training I got in Oracion Seis was more fun than this." Angel said. She was really regretting wearing sandals for this. And she was a bit cold too, since she was wearing a swimsuit.

"That's reassuring." Lucy muttered dryly.

"Step it up girls, you can do it!" Alex called down, earning glares from the two. He chuckled dryly, looking away from them.

"Maybe making them climb the ridge was a bit too much to start." he said. The area behind him was rather bland, the area was lush with greenery, but it lacked trees, only having a few shrubs here and there. The river beside him was flowing quite rapidly, the water gurgling loudly before tumbling over the edge. The air was crisp as well, and he had been snacking on it for a while, thankful for his Sky magic since he didn't bring any food with him. He had been looking at Aries's key, hoping she would answer her call. She had told him that she had been busy with a sheep problem at the Ram Palace, but recently, whenever he had tried to contact her, Meissa stepped in, telling him she was busy. Other times, Artemis came through stating that she had taken over for Aries, mostly because she was bored. There was one time Nidalee came through the gate, just because she was annoyed with him. He still didn't know why, but it had been a...riveting conversation.

Ten minutes passed and the two celestial mages finally reached the top. They struggled to pull themselves over the edge, and Alex finally felt bad enough to help them. They panted for breath, looking at the sky, eyes glassy.

"Well then, it took you two an hour and a half to climb to the top, that's an accomplishment if I do say so myself. It took me three hours to get up here the first time." Alex said.

"Took me four." Sabrina added, landing next to the two.

"So...how...does..this..help?" Lucy asked.

"Like I said, it will help with stamina. You might not notice it now, but this is a great work out for you. Besides you could both lose a bit of that baby fat." he said, turning around. Angel angrily reached for her keys, only for Lucy to grab a hold of her hand, telling her quietly to let it go.

"Okay, now that you've taken a break, its time for me to explain what I want to work on. Angel, I want you to just focus on increasing your magic power. You already have a lot of it, and since you have that lacrima in your body, you get an added boost. When I deem you've increased it enough, I'll use my Arc of Time to unlock your Second Origin." he said.

"Will that be painful?" Angel asked, earning a laugh from the teen.

"Excruciatingly painful. Don't worry about it, I went through it and so did Lucy. I'll be there to keep an eye on you, I'm not that much of a dick." he said.

"If you say so." Angel muttered under her breath. Alex ignored her and looked at Lucy, who was brushing some of the rocks out of her hair.

"As for you, we'll work on increasing your magical container. I also want to work on something else I was able to find in the Celestial Library. It's called the Star Dress." he said.

"Star Dress?" she asked, clearly confused.

"It's a form that a Celestial Spirit mage can undergo if they have access to the Golden Zodiacs. Essentially, you'll be able to use the magic from your contracted spirits, let's say you use Aquarius's Star Dress, you'd be able to use her water magic. It also ties into why I want you to increase your physical capabilities, so you can use that new magic to your advantage." he said happily.

"How do you manage to get this information so easily?" Angel asked.

"Artemis has a lot of magic tomes in her collection, and has direct access to the Celestial Library. Since I contracted her, she's been showing me a lot of cool stuff from the spirit realm that I didn't know before. This is something that came directly from the top, usually you'd need to get permission from the Celestial Spirit King to use this kind of magic, but he knows I myself am worthy, and he's grateful to Lucy for what she's done in the past, so he allowed it." he said.

"Does that mean you and Aries have a Star Dress?" Lucy asked curiously, earning a chuckle from Angel.

"Seeing Alex in a dress, that'd be the funniest thing ever." she said. He glared at her before looking at the blonde.
"To answer your question Lucy, no. I don't have a Star Dress yet, the reason being that Aries has been busy with something in the Celestial Spirit world for a while now. Well...it seems like a while to me, but its most likely been two days for her. Regardless, that's not what matters. What matters is starting out with this training. First thing's first, hand over your keys." he said, holding his hand out.

"Why?" Angel asked curiously.

"Because you won't be needing them. Don't worry, if I deem it necessary, I'll give them back." he said. Lucy nodded, taking off the pouch attached to her belt and handing it to Alex, who attached it to his belt loops. Angel did the same, handing over her six keys, which were on a small decorative ring.

"Do you want me to do anything specifically?" Lucy asked.

"No...just focus on absorbing as much magic as you can. After an hour, we'll see if your magic container has increased enough to attempt a star dress. Seeing as Aquarius is the spirit you have been the longest with, it's the form we'll try first." he said.

"Alright, I'll give it my all." the blonde cried excitedly. She was eager to learn some new magic, especially if it had to do with Celestial Magic. Alex himself decided to start one a few new spells he had come across in his Galaxy Magic book. It had been quite hard to even learn one spell, especially with how hard it was to read the text, but he was going to learn it even if it killed him.

"You look stressed." Sabrina added, glancing at her partner. He sighed, glancing at the human exceed.

"I am. I'm really worried about Aries...it's been so long since she actually wanted to talk to me and I don't know what's wrong with her. Seeing as she almost never shows up anymore. I'm starting to think she doesn't want to be contracted with me anymore." he said.

"Don't say that. Aries was there from the beginning, way before your dad forced you to give away her key. You've been through a lot and she wouldn't give up on you at the drop of a hat. There must be something else she's not saying." she said.

"Maybe she reverted to her shy persona? I know she was trying to be confident before, but Aries is shy by nature. I know that if something is wrong, she would tell me about it. There is something else that concerns me." he said.

"And what would that be?" she asked curiously.

"Celestial Mandate. Once a contract between the key holder and the spirit in question has been forged, the spirit has to aid the key holder when they call them. If they deny their services for a long period of time, then they could lose their ranking as a spirit. Our contract can be suspended and she could even be demoted to a Silver spirit until the King deems her worth to fulfill her role. Whatever is going on over there, she needs to deal with it, before it becomes serious." he said firmly.

"I didn't think Aries would be having problems though...has anyone else talked to her recently?"

"Meissa did...but she was reluctant to say anything. It was the same with Artemis, who apparently talked to her even before I had her key. She likes to dabble about, it seems." he said.

"Maybe you can talk to Meissa about it?" Sabrina asked.

"I would, but I left my keys with Mira. I wanted to personally talk to Aries today." he said, drawing out her key.

"Do you think she'll show up?"

"She'll have to eventually. It's time to face the music, Open, gate of the Ram: Aries." he chanted, holding the key outward. It glowed a bright gold, and for half a second, he actually expected Aries to come through the gate, but instead he was greeted with Artemis, who yawned and rubbed her eyes.

"Oh, hey Master. I was taking a nap you know." she said.

"Artie, I need to talk to Aries, and it's really important that I do." he said.

"Well...Aries is a little busy at the moment...it's why she sent me instead." she said. Alex sighed, rubbing his eyes with his hand.

"Listen Artemis, It's important that I talk to Aries right now. I want to see my happy little lamb again. I don't know what I did to her, but you and I both know that if she keeps doing this, the Celestial Mandate will kick in and I don't want to watch my friend lose her spot among the Zodiacs for breaching contract." he said firmly. Artemis sighed, looking away from her master.

"It's not my place to say this...but Aries is going through a lot right now, mostly involving you. I get that you want to talk to her, but sometimes a girl needs some time to herself." she said, disappearing in a shower of golden light.

"Seriously, I don't know for the life of me what the issue is." he said, crossing his arms. Sabrina smirked.

"How much you wanna bet its because she likes you?" she asked. Alex looked at her with a raised brow.

"Aries does not like me. She knows me and Wendy are getting married."
"So does Mirajane but you don't see her stopping her flirting. I mean come on, all of that time you were talking in the kitchen, it was obvious she was flirting with you. I mean, she put her hand on top of yours." she said.
"Were you spying on us?" he asked firmly.
"You bet your ass I was. I was hoping she kissed you or something."

"Man, I don't know if you know this, but when I say I'm getting married, that means it's to one woman. One."

"Bullshit, I bet you if you had pussy lined up for you, you would hit it in a heart beat. I mean, come on its Mirajane...the poster girl for Fairy Tail...If I were you, I would hit that." Sabrina said, wiggling her brows.

"Listen, I'm sure you are already settled with your...sexuality...but that doesn't mean I want to have more than one girl in my life. I love my fiancee and I'm sticking by her." he said.

"Is...that what you really want?" a soft voice asked from behind him. Alex whipped around, setting eyes on Aries. She wasn't tanned anymore, her skin being its normal light color. Her hair was still straight, reaching to the middle of her back, and she was wearing a dress similar to her old one, which hugged her curves quite nicely. She had kept her leather boots on, as well as her black gloves, which had white puffs of wool at the bottom. Around her waist, she wore a brown belt, with her Zodiac sign on it, though this one had little sheep embroidered on it. She wasn't wearing her light pink glasses anymore, instead just going without. She had a pained look on her face, and was on the verge of tears.

"Aries." he cried out in surprise.

"You know, I came here to talk to you..but it seems I already got my answer." she said, disappearing in a puff of wool.

"Shit." he muttered dryly.

"So, I was definitely right about her liking you." Sabrina said. Alex glared at her, a pissed off look on his face.

"This isn't a joke Sabrina. I just hurt my closest friend, and I didn't even get the chance to talk to her." he snapped.

"Well I'm sorry, jeez. I'm just trying to lighten the mood." she said. He sighed and shook his head.

"Go get my keys for me would you? I need to head into the Celestial Spirit world to talk to Aries personally." he said.

"What? You do know that she might not.."

"I don't care...I want to talk to Aries, even if I have to give up my time to do so." he said firmly. She gave him a nod and walked toward the edge of the ridge, jumping off without a second thought. He glanced back at Angel and Lucy, who had been watching him attentively.

"Are you okay?" Lucy asked curiously.

"Honestly, I'm not. I'm not sure what I'm getting myself into, but Aries means a lot to me. I just have to make sure she's fine." he said firmly.

"Do you want us to come along with you?" Angel asked, surprising Alex. He wasn't expecting her to even offer something like that, since she was normally the proud type. Seeing the sympathetic look on her face made him smile inwardly, seeing just how much the Ex-dark mage had changed over time.

"Sorry girls, but this is something I have to do alone. I hope you understand." he said. Lucy nodded, giving him a smile.

"We understand. The bond between a Celestial Spirit and their contractor is the most sacred thing among them. It's admirable that you want to make Aries feel better. It shows just how much you'd go through for your spirits." she said.

"All we can do is wish you luck kiddo." Angel added, earning a smile from the Celestial Dragon. Sabrina returned a few minutes later, holding his belt in her hands. After handing Lucy and Angel their keys back and telling Sabrina to bring them back, he pulled out Meissa's key, holding it in front of himself.

"Open, Gate of the Shining Star: Meissa." he called out. The key glowed brilliantly, opening the gate. Meissa appeared before him, giving him a polite bow. She held onto her staff rather tightly, and seemed to be missing her mirror shield. Her bright green locks and clothing moved with the light breeze that seemed to have picked up. The look on her face was sad, and Alex suspected she knew the reason he had called her.

"I'm pretty sure you know why I called you." he said. She gave him a nod.

"Aries was really upset when she returned to the Spirit world. Many of us tried talking to her, but all she did was lock herself in her Palace and hasn't bothered to talk to anyone." she said. Hearing this made Alex feel really rotten. He had no intention of hurting one of his closest friends. He didn't even know Aries felt this way toward him. He sighed and shook his head.

"I need to talk to her, and she's not going to answer my call. So I need you to take me to the spirit world."

"If I must. It's also a good thing you have decided to talk to her personally...I was beginning to grow worried, especially with the Celestial Mandate that we all have to follow." she said. With a wave of her staff, Alex's clothing was enveloped in light, changing to Spirit Clothing.

He was now wearing a black and blue collared coat, with thin white markings on the collar and arms. The collar was folded down, allowing his scarf to securely wrap around his neck. He wore black leather gloves, that reached up to his elbows, and folded downward. They had little glowing gems on them, that glittered brightly in the light. He coat was left open, exposing his toned chest, which still had a long scar running across it, from his fight with his brother. He wore matching white pants, with two crossing belts on the thighs and legs. He wore knee high black boots, with studded toes. Around his waist was his brown leather belt, holding his keys and Photon Blade, the Fairy Tail belt buckle holding it together. The final piece to his outfit was a very beautiful hat, which was black in color, and had a very wide brim, with a golden trim. It had a very long light blue plumage, almost reaching to the teenager's lower back.

"As always, you look quite dashing in that." Meissa said with a small smile.
"Thanks, can we head to the Spirit world now?" he asked, a bit of worry in his tone. Meissa seemed to pick up on it, giving him a firm look.

"If you are worried about the time lapse, then it is for naught. The Celestial Spirit world has gone into an era of repose, where the time of the Mortal Realm and the Spirit Realm run parallel to each other. This is a phenomena that happens every 400 years or so."

"That's not what I'm worried about. I'm worried about what Aries will do when I get there. I can tell she's reverted to that shy persona of hers, and if anything she'll most likely attack me in an attempt to not talk to me. I guess it's something I'll deal with when I get there." he said.

"Aries wouldn't hurt you. She knows better than that, regardless, that is between the two of you. If you are ready, we shall depart." She said. He nodded and took her hand, grasping it tightly. He felt a little weird as he passed through the gate into the Celestial Spirit world. He saw millions of stars whizzing past him as they entered the channel between worlds. It had been a long time since he had traveled through into the Spirit World.

They arrived shortly thereafter, landing in the very center of the Spirit World, right in front of the stone gate. The long stone path that lied ahead, split off into all the different constellations and planets that were the homes of the Celestial Spirits. Large stone pillars that rose down from the milky blue surrounded the small circular stone plaza, with glittering crystals, that kept the area very well lit. Large glowing five point stars floated all over the place, glowing in a wide array of color. Alex looked around, spotting the large planets the seemingly floated throughout the world. It was a truly beautiful sight, beyond a single person's imagination.

"Thanks for bringing me here Meissa." he said, turning to the green haired spirit. She gave him a polite bow.

"It was no problem. Shall I accompany you to the Ram Palace?" she asked.

"No, I think I can manage. Go take a break, I've been summoning you quite a lot as of late, and you deserve some time off." he said.
"It isn't necessary Alex. I am your Spirit, and I am here to serve, that is the solemn promise I made to your mother after all." she said, earning a smile from the teen.

"I appreciate it. But really, go home and relax for a bit...you've done too much for me already." he said. She gave him a nod.

"If that is what you wish for me to do, I shall do so. Thank you Alex." she said, disappearing in a shower of sparkles. He had forgotten that Spirits could teleport within the Spirit World, to allow for faster travel through the massive realm. He started walking briskly through the stone gate, heading toward the Zodiac Constellations that weren't to far from where he was. He took a look around, seeing a few Nikora spirits running about, giving him a wave as he passed them. He gave them a smile and waved back, chuckling at their antics. He passed by Lyra who was singing to a few of them, and for a minute he had stopped to listen to her song.

However, as he passed by the Water Palace, he had caught a peppery scent coming from there. He looked at the light blue shimmering path that lead up to the large blue planet, wondering if Aquarius had received some visitors as of late. The Water Bearer seemed to hold some respect for Alex for being the surrogate son of Stalwart Fang. It seemed she was a big influence in the entire realm, being the most powerful Spirit, aside from the King himself. He sniffed again, eyes widening at the scent itself. It smelled like Peppermint, mixed in with Chocolate.

He knew he had to get to Aries, and he knew he had to talk to her, but curiosity got the better of him, and he quickly turned onto the shimmering blue path. As he walked, he saw the path rippling outward...since it was the path that lead to the Aquarius Constellation, it made sense that it was made out of water. He was amazed when he reached it, the planet itself was like a utopia, filled with nothing but endless ponds of beautiful clear water. He could see rare fish swimming around, as well as some other fish like spirits. The Water Palace itself looked like something out of a dream, the best way that he could describe it as would be to compare it to a large conch shell, with large spikes coming out of it. The center of it coiled upward, forming a beautiful spiral tower, with glass windows that seemed to be made of water itself. There was a large water spout that coiled around the entire palace, the crystalline water flowing from it dropped slowly into the largest pond. He stood there for a minute before even uttering anything to himself.

"This is Aquarius's Palace? This is beautiful...I never though anyone could live somewhere...like this." he said to himself.

"Hey, what are you doing here?" a familiar voice called out, forcing him to tear his eyes away from the palace. He met eyes with Delphinus, who was swimming in one of the smaller ponds. He was holding a bucket, filled with what he assumed was food, for the fish most likely.

"Oh, sorry to intrude Delphinus. I was just...passing through and I caught a familiar scent. I thought I'd drop in and ask your sister if she's had any human visitors lately."

"I haven't seen anyone lately. Not a lot of humans come to the Spirit world to parade themselves like they own the place, well...unless their the son of the Celestial Dragon that is." he said.

"Ha ha, but seriously...did you see anyone come through here?"

"Like I said, I haven't seen anyone. If you want to talk to Aquarius, go right ahead, unless you want to get blasted to high heaven...oh wait...I think she went on a date with Scorpio." he said, looking up at the starry sky.

"That's alright. It's not really important, besides I need to get to the Ram Palace anyway." he said, turning around.
"Whoa there...wait a second. You aren't planning on visiting Aries are you? Because if you are, then you are shit out of luck."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"No one knows exactly, because she was a blubbering mess and no one could understand her, but she seems to have locked herself up in her palace and isn't letting anyone in. Polaris and her friends Trixie and Miku seemed to have gone up there to talk to her, but they haven't gotten a single word out. Not even from the lambs that usually run around the place." he said.

"Hmm...thanks for the information Delphinus, I really appreciate it."

"Heh, its not like I owe you or anything, I just want Pinkie to stop crying. And you better not break her heart or anything asshole, or you'll answer to me." he said firmly. Alex nodded and started walking back toward the main road, thinking back on what the dolphin spirit had told him.

"Trixie and Miku huh? I really hope he meant Bellatrix, I need to find her key soon, and thanks to the person who found Cassiopeia, I'm gonna have a hard time locating Andromeda, maybe I'll be able to get some information out of her. As for Miku, If my guess is correct, then she's the Songstress spirit. It would be nice to have her come with me." he mused to himself.

The Peppery scent assaulted him with a vengeance as he was approaching the deeper parts of the Celestial Spirit world. It was really starting to annoy him. He wanted to figure out who it belonged to, though he already had a formulated guess in mind. He took another deep breath, ignoring the other scents in the area and focusing solely on the Peppery scent. It had grown strong, and seemed to be drifting from the Leo Constellation. He figured Loke brought a human girl with him back to the Spirit world, but since the laws were pretty strict, them being you had to be a Spirit Mage in order for someone to bring you into the world itself, and even then the laws were a little strict on it, for one, you had to treat your spirits like living beings, like friends, or else you wouldn't be worthy in the eyes of the King. Many Spirit Mages had lost their keys this way, and throughout history they were remembered as the bad Spirit mages.

Thankfully, Alex had proved himself many times over, even getting the direct approval from the king himself, allowing him to walk freely among them, and he could even own a home in the Celestial realm if he so wished. He started following the scent, noticing that it wasn't exactly coming from Leo's constellation, but from the one next to it, the one that belonged to Aries. He swallowed hard, seeing the medium sized planet floating in the endless abyss of the Spirit World.

A fluffy looking pink path connected to the main stone structure that seemed to cut across the entire world, and lead toward the pink planet that represented the Ram Constellation. He took a step onto the path, sinking in a bit. He almost thought he would fall through it, but it held true. He slowly started making his way up the path, becoming more nervous as he walked.

"Well, this is it. You better let me talk to you Aries, I don't want you to see me as an asshole for the rest of our time together. Let's just hope I can actually walk in." he muttered to himself, as he finally reached the top of the path.

Unlike Aquarius's home, Aries's home was drastically different. The land was a soft pink color, and everything looked like it was made of wool. The Ram Palace itself was quite different than anything anyone would expect. It was rather large, resembling a princess castle, with tall golden spires. The archways seemed to be made of the finest wool, mixed in with golden thread. It was a sight he had grown fond of, as he had spent some time in this palace when he had been training during his time away from Fairy Tail.

As he walked further onto the pink planet, he had to avoid some the lambs and sheep that were running around. Some of the rams gave him an odd look, and he prayed none of them felt the urge to tackle him. He spotted four figures in front of the palace entrance. He quickly recognized one of them as Polaris, the Diamond Spirit of the North Star, who was knocking on the large pink doors, hoping to get a response.

The woman next to her, had long light blue hair, reaching down to the small of her back. She had her bangs slicked up, except for one strand that fell across her forehead. She had light brown skin, free of scars or any other types of blemishes. She was scantily clad, wearing a black polka dotted cloak that closed at the front with a small broach, bearing her constellation. Under her cloak, she wore a blue bandeau with tassels, which were decorated with colorful beads on it. She wore a short blue flowing skirt, which had her constellation embroidered on it with golden thread, which glittered brightly. The skirt angled at the knee, leaving her long legs bare. She finished off her look with some light blue sandals, the straps of which criss crossed on over legs, fastening on the back with star shaped clips. She was leaning back against one of the pillars, eyes closed. Her eye lashes were perfectly lined out, and she had a little bit of pink lip stick on her lips. She was wearing a pair of pink heart shaped earrings, which had little diamonds encrusted into them.

The woman next to her looked a bit younger than her, perhaps in her late teens early twenties. She was a slender girl, with long violet hair that cascaded down her shoulders. She had equally bright violet eyes and a very beautiful face with a light complexion. She was wearing a light pink jacket, over a silky purple sundress. She wore long white gloves, that reached to her biceps, and had a styled fringe at the top. She wore matching lavender heeled slippers that tied around her ankles, along with long white stockings. Attached to her hair was a pendant, in the shape of a crescent moon, with a small microphone on it. Around her neck she wore a golden chain, in the shape of a beautiful golden flower, at the center of the flower was her constellation. She had a bracelet around her right wrist, made of small yellow flowers, though what kind, he didn't exactly know.

The final person present was someone he hadn't seen in quite a while, and the owner of the peppery chocolate scent that had been driving him insane over the last hour. She had long emerald green hair, tied up into an upward ponytail, with a golden ribbon. She was wearing a pair of emerald earrings, along with a golden necklace, with an emerald as the center piece. Her outfit, consisted of a white cloak, with golden trim around the hem, and round silver colored shoulder guards. She was wearing a light blue top, which covered her voluptuous chest, the thin straps, crossed over the center of the top, tying into a bow around her neck. She wore a matching bikini bottom, the straps of which attached to the thin ones that were connected to the top, crossing over her bare navel. She wore a light pink waist cape, along with matching detached sleeves. She wore light pink knee socks, with matching light green boots. Around her waist was a light green belt, which held a small pouch. It was emblazoned with the mark of Fiore's royal family. It further confirmed his suspicions on who it was that had taken Cassiopeia's key.

"This is gonna go great." he thought to himself, coming to a stop before the three spirits and celestial mage. The green haired woman quickly caught his scent and looked away from the pink door, eyes widening a bit.

"What are you doing here?" she asked firmly, getting the attention of the other spirits.

"Master." Polaris said, quickly bowing to her contractor. Alex shook his head.

"No need to bow to me Polaris, I've told you this before. I'm your friend, not your master. And I could ask you the same thing Hisui, aren't you busy running a country?" he asked, crossing his arms. The young woman, who was revealed to be Hisui, scoffed tilting her head a bit.

"Not really. My father has allowed me to study magic, as I am a Celestial Spirit mage. I've even been traveling through Fiore as of late, and getting to know the citizens of many different towns." She said with a bright smile.

"Yeah, and that lead you to the Fiore Badlands, deep into a cavern, where Cassiopeia's key was resting...right?" he asked. She giggled, shaking her head.

"I knew you'd figure it all out sooner or later. I'm sorry Alex, but you aren't the only one going after the diamond set, not anymore at least." she said with a wink.

"Right...all you've done is derailed my search a bit. Even without the scrip written on Cassiopeia's key, I can pinpoint Andromeda's location, by using the positioning of her Constellation in relation to the area where her mother's key was located." he boasted.

"Except you'd be greeted with an empty tomb, because that key is also in my possession." she said, flashing the Diamond Key for further emphasis. Alex grit his teeth, clenching his hands tightly. He took a deep breath, closing his eyes.

"You know what, I don't care right now. Phoenix, Bellatrix, Betelgeuse and Regulus's keys are still out there, and I'll find them before you do." he said firmly. A snort came from the blue haired woman standing by the pillar. She finally opened her eyes, which were a soft blue, the pupils were in the shape of five pointed stars, and glowing a bright gold in color.

"Kid, you'll never find the location of my key. I've hidden it way to well, and sadly without Andromeda's script, you'll never be able to find it. I don't care what Draco says, you may be her son, but I don't think you are worthy to carry my key, especially not after what you did to poor Aries." she said, the last part sounding quite harsh. He looked down, feeling rather ashamed of himself. The other woman slapped her arm.

"Trixie, don't be so harsh on the boy. Clearly he's come all the way here to make amends with her. After all, they have had a lot of history, and don't badmouth Lady Maria's son." she snapped, making Trixie look away from her.

"Lady Maria...you knew my mother?" Alex asked, earning a nod from the purple haired woman.

"Of course I did. Your mother was a wonderful person, she treated us like family. I used to be contracted to her, but when she retired from being a mage, she gave my key to one of her trusted friends. I've been waiting to meet you Alex, my name is Miku, the spirit of the Songstress constellation. I'd like to work out a contract with you." she said happily, earning a scoff from Trixie.

"Sure, but we can sort that out later. I have to talk to Aries now." he said, walking toward the door.

"Good luck with that, we've been trying to the last half hour." Hisui said.

"She hasn't said anything, and she is definitely not opening this door." Polaris added. Alex shook his head, and drew the Golden Ram key from his pouch.

"That's because you guys don't think outside the box. There is a reason this is called the Ram Palace after all." he said, slipping the key into the door knob. He turned the key, and an audible click was heard.

"I would have never thought of that." Trixie admitted, surprised with the young man's quick thinking.

"Loke told me that their gate keys also opened the doors to their personal dwellings. I don't know if it works the same for the Diamond Spirits, I haven't bothered to try it." he said with a shrug, opening the door. He allowed the girls entree, and they all looked at the foyer of the palace itself. The marble floors were polished to a bright seen, and the long rugs were made of pink wool, as were most of the tapestry. Before them was a large stairwell, leading to other parts of the palace itself. At the top of the stairs, was a flag bearing the symbol for the Ram Constellation.

"Are you sure we should be in here?" Hisui asked curiously.
"I've stayed here on many occasions so I know my way around the place. However, I'd like to ask for some time alone with her...I feel like an ass for hurting her and I want to apologize." he said.
"What was it that you did to her?" Polaris asked curiously.

"Personally, I didn't do anything to her. Me and my friends were training for the upcoming Magic Games, and I got into a conversation with my partner Sabrina. Somehow, she started talking about me getting a harem, one thing led to another, and I stated firmly that I was getting married with my current fiancee. Aries overheard that and disappeared before I even got a word in. I'm really worried about her, especially with the Celestial Mandate thing." he said.

"So, this is all a misunderstanding? I thought you had actually hurt her, seeing as the past holders of the Ram key have been assholes, minus the Princess of the Stars, Lucy Heartfilia. She set a new era for all the Celestial Spirit mages, something we hadn't seen in ages." Trixie said.

"Yes, and thanks to that, I made her cry. I'm supposed to be her master, her close friend, hell I grew up with her by my side. I'm no better than the people who had her key before me." he said.

"Don't say that. After you explain everything, I'm sure she'll forgive you. We're worried about her too, so why don't you go talk to her about it? We'll wait here." Hisui said firmly. He gave her a nod.
"Sure, but you and I still need to talk to you, especially about those two keys you stole from me." he said.

"Pfft, right. I found them fair and square...I don't know how you call it stealing." she said.

"We'll see about that." he said, heading toward the stairwell at the other side of the foyer. He walked up the marble steps, the clacking of his boots echoing in the tall ceilings. He took the right stairway, which lead to the East Wing, where Aries's bedroom was. He disappeared through a set of pink doors right after.

He still didn't know exactly why the Zodiac Spirits got a Palace all to themselves. It must have been rather lonely, then again, under every Constellation was a powerful sub spirit. He had met Loke's little brother, Leo Minor, which was less arrogant than Loke, but still a massive flirt, borderline pervert at times. He was glad Lucy was yet to meet him. He knew she would be driven insane with someone like him around. It was the same for Aquarius, who shared her palace with her brother Delphinus, as well as Hydra and a few other Water Spirits.

Aries however didn't have a little brother or sister, which explained why she had so many lamb, sheep and rams all over the place. She must have felt lonely, so she surrounded herself with the animal she represented because they made her feel comfortable. The idea that she possibly harbored intense feelings for her worked its way back to the forefront of his mind, and the more he thought about it, the more it made sense. He was kind to her, treated her like family and even invited her to be part of his guild. He treated her like a person, instead of a tool, way before anyone else had, and the fact that she had been abused for most of her time away from him, further cemented those strong feelings for him. When she ran into him again by chance, and Lucy was nice enough to pass her key onto him once more, she had realized that the strong feelings weren't going away. And he felt absolutely horrified to have shattered her heart, even if unintentionally.

He finally arrived at her bedroom, the doors were firmly shut. Even then, he could hear the girl's quiet sobs through the wooden door. He rose his hand and gave three soft knocks on the door. He could hear her audible gasp, most likely unaware of someone being within her palace. He decided to speak, to ease her mind a bit at least.

"Aries, it's me...I came to talk to you." he said.

"Go away!" she shouted, though it was a bit muffled. He sighed, looking up at the ceiling.

"Please don't make this harder on me. I know I hurt you and I feel like crap for doing it. I came here so I could apologize and so we can talk."

"Well, I don't want to talk. You were a meanie and I don't talk to meanies!"

He had to chuckle at that. He almost missed hearing her cute drabble..something she tried to get rid of with her confident look. This was the Aries that he liked hearing. However, he wasn't having any of it, and instead reached for the door knob.

"Aries, if you don't let me in, I'll come in anyway. Your gate key opens every lock in this palace so its no problem for me to get in." he said firmly. It was a bullshit lie, the key only opened the front door of the Palace itself, but Aries didn't exactly need to know that. Not many spirits knew their keys could even be used for something like that. He heard a bit of shuffling on the other side of the door, before a soft click filled his ears. The little lamb opened the door a crack, enough for her to peek through it. She had been crying a lot it seemed, her eyes were still a little puffy and red, and tear streaks ran down her face. Her hair was a bit mattered, and her dress was mattered and wrinkled in places.

"Please Alex, go away." she said quietly.
"No...you know what will happen if we don't resolve this. I don't want Celestial Mandate to kick in, we either resolve this now or I'll suspend our contract...and trust me, it hurts having to consider that." he said. She sighed, and opened the door to let him in.

Even though the room was quite large, the furniture inside it was quite modest. There was a queen sized canopy bed near the center of the room, placed against the light pink back walls. The canopy was blue and pink in color. The bed sheets were also a light pink in color, matching the soft wool quilt that rested atop it. There was a large dresser in front of the bed, with a round vanity mirror on it. The dresser had several things on top of it, including different kinds of make up, and a few pairs of pink glasses. There was a smaller dresser on the other side of the room, which was much smaller in size. There was another door in the room, leading to the small bathroom adjoining the room. Aries turned around, walking back toward her bed. He noticed she was barefoot, not bothering to wear any socks or even her favorite pair of slippers. She had some empty tissue boxes on top of the bed, along with a few wrappers of candy on the bed. She sat down on the corner of the bed, brushing away some of the tissues. She didn't look up, focusing on the marble floors. Alex took his hat off, setting it on the night table that sat beside the bed. He took a seat next to the pink haired spirit, a small smile on his face.

"What's wrong little lamb?" he asked. He remembered doing that when he was younger and hadn't learned to say her name yet. She tried to suppress a giggle, though she frowned right after.

"You know what's wrong." she said.

"You'll have to elaborate a bit sweetheart." he said. She growled a bit, balling her hands.

"Fine, I'm angry at you for being a dumb meanie. I've been trying for days to get a hold of myself, I didn't even realize we entered a period of repose, so it was way longer than I thought it was going to be. I've been dealing with this for three months, three months Alex. And I know the mandate would kick in sooner or later, and finally when I stomach everything so I can follow our contract, you admit that you don't like anyone else." she snapped, looking away from him.

"I'm sorry if that upset you Aries, but Wendy is my fiancee. I can't exactly fall in love with another girl while being in a relationship with her. It's wrong." he said.

"Is it wrong for two people that love each other to be together?" she asked firmly, still not facing him.

"It's not wrong...but you know we're getting married. Why didn't you say anything before?"

"I didn't know I was in love with you before. I didn't even know you were alive. For the last Sixteen years, I was tortured on a daily basis...being used as bait by Karen and being used as a literal servant by Angel. I was seen as nothing but a tool, and Mistress Lucy finally set me free of that hell. My mixed feelings for her made it even harder to deal with, but then when I saw you again...gah...I don't even know what to do anymore. I started falling deeper and deeper in love with you. I changed my image, became sexy...because I thought that would get your attention." she shouted, tears running down her cheeks.

"Aries."

"No...I'm not done! After you and Wendy started dating, I figured that maybe I could get a chance to go on one date with you, maybe even go on a date with you both, I don't mind at all really..but then you ended up marking her, and then asking her to marry you..It broke my heart to see that..but I still held on to hope. And when we left Fairy Tail to train, I thought I would get these feelings out in the open, but my shyness made me screw up, that was the reason why I didn't answer any calls for so long. And finally, when I was ready to tell you this, you all but shatter what was left of my fragile heart. I couldn't take it." she shouted, gripping the pillow in her lap tightly.

"Aries." Alex said, though the spirit didn't respond.

"It hurt...it still hurts...and I'm pretty sure you came here to finish the job, and stomp out what's left. If that's the case, then we can end it here, our friendship and our contract." she said.

"Aries!" he shouted, startling her a bit. He gripped her shoulders tightly, making her face him. Her eyes widened, when she saw tears brimming his eyes. He pulled her into a tight hug, pressing himself as close as he possibly could without hurting her.

"I didn't know...I didn't know you felt that way. I hurt you...I hurt you and I didn't even realize it." he said.

"I...I'm sorry." she said.

"No...you don't need to apologize. I'm sorry, for being an inconsiderate douche bag. Of course I didn't realize someone like you would be in love with me...we've been together for so long. Our years apart served to further strengthen this bond, and I feel like an asshole for not noticing this. I don't deserve your key, I don't deserve to be your friend." he said. She pulled away from the hug, looking him directly in the eyes.

"Don't say that. I would be even more heart broken if you disappeared from my life. Even if I ended my contract with you, knowing you, you would give my key back to Lucy, and I would still see you. The best thing you could have given me was your friendship, and I promised Maria I would look after you, for as long as we both possibly stayed together." she said firmly.

"You know Dragons live for a long ass time right?" he asked jokingly, earning a giggle from her.

"Of course I do. Celestial Spirits are immortal." she replied. He shook his head, taking her hand in his own. She blushed brightly, her face being almost as pink as her hair.

"Listen Aries, this is going to be hard. I don't know how Wendy will take this. I love her with all my heart, but I don't want you to be sad either. Even if she doesn't approve, I still want you to be happy...so...I suppose I can try giving our relationship a try. Wendy is a nice girl, and I'm sure she'll understand."

"I don't want to be the reason you two break up Alex. I know how weak the mark between you two is. And I don't want to be the cause of it's shattering. Draco told us all about it you know." she said.

"I know, its a bond that I have to nurture, but I have to nurture this bond as well. We've been together for year, and I want my Happy Little Lamb to be the happiest girl in the world."

"Are you sure about this?" she asked, earning a nod from him.

"I'm sure."

"And just so you know, I find your current look to be cute. You don't have to buy a skin tight dress or tanning lotion to gain my attention. Your shy persona is who I love the most, and that's who I want you to be from now on. Well...I do love your straight hair." he said, running his fingers through her pink locks, earning a cute giggle from the girl, though it sounded more like a sheep call, which made it even cuter.

"I suppose I can keep it like this, if you truly like it. But I'm not giving up my sunglasses." she said with a little smirk.

"I didn't think you would. We should go talk to Wendy about this...by the way, your friends are in the foyer. They were worried about you." he said.

"Oh dear...I'm sorry. I should have let them in sooner." she said standing up. She ran over to her dresser, pulling out a pair of cream colored stockings, quickly slipping them on. She walked into her closet, slipping into her black boots.

"I think Miku wants to form a contract with me. Did you know her from before?" he asked.

"Of course, Maria had us both under contract, way before you were even born! Actually, she had several spirits under contract, including a Diamond Spirit." she said.
"Really? Who was that?" he asked curiously.
"Trixie...she may act proud all the time, but she's actually a sweetheart."

"She acted like a hardass to me outside." he said with a dry chuckle.

"Well, I should let you know that your mother gave her a final request before she released her contract, and that was to be one of your spirits. No one has found her key because she has it in her possession. She's been assessing your skills for a while, waiting for the time where she could approach you herself." she said. She brushed her hair free of tangles, and placed her belt around her waist. Alex stood up, placing his hat back on his head, backing sure the large plumage wasn't caught on anything.

"Really? Well this will be interesting, looks like I'll get a few more spirits on my side before the Grand Magic Games." he said with a smile.

"I've been meaning to ask, if you do get picked that is...how are you going to play it out?" she asked, grabbing a pair of sunglasses, placing them on over her eyes. She almost looked like her previous self, minus the tanned skin and the fluffy mini dress she now was wearing.

"Well, I can't underestimate anyone. I'll most likely fight with a mixture of Celestial Dragon magic as well as Spirit magic, I'll let all of you shine for me. I'm not going to slack off though..and if that bastard from Cosmic Deity shows up, I'll show him not to mess with Fairy Tail." he said with a smile. She gave him a cute giggle, walking over to the door. He followed after her, taking her hand in his own.

"This is a little weird...but I'm really happy too." she said.
"I'm glad. Sorry for being a douche, and I hope this doesn't hinder our contract." he said.
"It won't...thanks for hearing me out. I haven't poured my feelings out like that in a long time." she said. She stood on her tip toes, giving him a kiss on the cheek, making him blush a bit. He instead returned it with a kiss on the lips, fully taking her by surprise. Her eyes slowly closed as she melted into it. She wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling herself closer to him. Finally after a minute, they broke apart for air.

"Wow." she muttered.

"Was that...your first?" he asked quietly, earning a nod from her.

"I'm happy it was with you." she said.

"It's the first of many...let's go back and talk to the others, they must be getting worried." he said, leading her down the hall. In that moment, Aries was the happiest girl in the Spirit world, and possibly the Mortal world as well.