Time to finally conclude this filler!

Chapter 4: Wendy's Growth

Fairy Tail

"STEP ONE, cauldron of water, 8 inches!" Levy declared with strict authority, spectacled eyes locked tight on the book.

"Got it!" Juvia plopped the cauldron on the table and splashed her magic water inside.

"Step Two, 3 Bulberies SQUISHED fresh!"

"MANLY!" Elfman crushed the round fruits in his large hands and let the juice pour in.

"Step Three, 4 Banyangrove Leaves."

"Coming up." Romeo stuffed them inside.

"5 strands of Snowbunny hair?"

"You owe me one." Gajeel said, his eye blackened as he dropped the hair inside.

"Thrino's horn?" ("Check." said Mirajane.) "Two teaspoons of Super-Sizzle?" ("Yup." said Lisanna.) "Sour Apple?" ("Right here." confirmed Cana.) "I hope you're stirring." ("I am, I am." Happy panted hurriedly.)

Carla sat on a stool by the wall, Wendy on her head. The tiny mage never saw the Fairy Tail wizards move so quickly, their thundering rapid stomps ringing in her ears and a very noticeable wind caused by their speed. "Making a potion sure is hard work." Wendy noticed. "All of you doing it together makes it look so easy."

"Everything's easier when you ask friends to help you, Child." Her cat told her informatively. "We might not have agreed to making this potion originally, but if you'd insisted, you'll be amazed what the power of many can do."

"I don't want to rely on them TOO much. I'll have to start looking after myself eventually. But until that time comes, I'm extremely thankful for all their help!"

"Now throw IN the mushrooms!"

"Gladly!" Erza dropped the 5-inch mushroom piece they worked so hard to get.

"COME ON, kitties, STIR that stew!" Levy ordered with passion.

Happy and Pantherlily worked tirelessly together to stir the spoon, not stopping for 5 minutes though their arms felt like falling. "In retrospect, I could have changed form before doing this." The latter noticed.

"Aye, Sir." Happy was too tired to get aggravated about that.

"Now HEAT IT UP!" screamed Levy.

"Way ahead of you!" Natsu ignited the base of the cauldron with orange flames, the potion bubbling.

"ALL RIIIGHT!" Levy smirked and posed proudly, her left arm raised skyward with the index pointed. "Chef Levy is proud to announce, the near-completion of Biggum Bigacious! Aka, the Growth Potion!"

"Chef? We did all the work." the boys moaned.

"Just gotta wait it for 30 minutes, let it cool for 20, then Wendy will be big and bodacious again! (Well, sort of. ;))."

"Can I just say," Wendy began, standing atop Carla's head, "that I am EXTREMELY grateful for all of your hard work!"

"That's my girl!" Mirajane tapped her head with her pinky. "Kind and courteous, that's the young ladies' way."

"But it looks like we have 50 minutes to kill until then. What should we do?" Lucy asked.

"I say we hit the town for some grub." Natsu proclaimed. "We're giving Wendy a FEAST when she's bigger!"

"Aye!" agreed Happy.

"Lucy, want to go clothes shopping?" Erza asked. "We can get Wendy some new outfits."

"Sure!"

"Gray my darling, let's go out on a pre-celebratory date!" Juvia exclaimed lovingly, following Gray as he walked outside casually.

"Come on, Juvia…" he mumbled quietly.

Many of the guildmates left for certain errands. Mirajane returned behind the bar to clean glass, giving Cana her "deserved prize", and Romeo approached Wendy on the table. "Bet you're glad to be almost done with this, huh?"

"Heheheheheheheh." Wendy turned red again, wiggling. "I can't be Itsy Wendy forever, can I Romeo-kun?"

"You were still a lot cooler than Natsu when he got shrunk. I found a job the two of us could take tomorrow; wanna come with?"

"S-Sure! I'd love to see your abs in action—I mean, see your flame grow—I MEAN, fan-my-wind-with-your-flames-as-soon-as-I-grow-bigger!… in physical size."

"Heh heh heh heh! Well, I should go, too. Gotta make sure my dad isn't in the bathhouse again… siiigh." With a gloomy face that spoke with shame for his father, Romeo left.

"Now Child, I don't care what you say, I'm drinking the potion first this time as a test." Carla told her firmly.

"But Carla, then you'll be giant."

"Better to be 10 feet tall than you poisoned. I will take that risk for you, Child."

"If you want to… heh heh. You've been helping me so much, Carla, I feel indebted to you. I feel like just saying 'Thanks' all the time won't cut it."

"Everything is my pleasure, Child. I want you to grow into a confident young wizard as well; and you can't do that if you stay small. I must say, I can't wait until you're holding me in your arms again."

"Ha ha ha ha!" Wendy glanced away and shifted a foot along the floor. "I know, it feels so weird. I can't even remember how small you used to be. If you wanted to, you could… step on me anytime you wanted."

"Hmmm… never thought about it like that." Carla smirked slightly, looking at her paws compared to Wendy's size. "After carrying and giving you a bath, I never realized how much power I have over you. I should be making the best of these 50 minutes."

"AAAAaaaahhh what'll I do, what'll I do!" Wendy grabbed her face and began wiggling in a silly fashion. "I'm so small, there's no way I can defend myself if you attack me!"

"Indeed you can't." With a dark face and devilish eyes, Carla raised her foot over Wendy. "Maybe I don't want to go back to being the pet. The idea that you are so helplessly small is invigorating."

"No Carla, please don't step on me, pleasepleaseplease!" Wendy was on her knees and pleading in such an adorable fashion. "I'll do anything you say, anything- UUEEH!" Carla's foot came down, Wendy underneath. She raised her foot and found Wendy stuck, dizzy, since her paws were much too soft for any fatal damage. "Eeeeeehhh…"

"Please, betraying you after all this is very unladylike." Carla picked Wendy up, brushing her dress off. "I would not let such great powers go to waste."

"Heh heh ha! Hey, but if I still have time, we should do something fun. Let's go flying, Carla! The wind is much nicer when you're small; and you can fly faster now that I'm not so heavy."

"Aren't you scared of being eaten by birds?"

"Not in the least!" she spoke bravely.

"Then I shall." She set Wendy on her head, sprouted her wings, and soared out of the guild entrance.

Master Mavis sat on the windmill tower, smiling as Carla took flight to the clouds above, Wendy's cheerful squeaky cries ringing in her ears. "Hm hm hm! Just like the time Zeira turned tiny. Remember that, Zeiry? I looked around forever and you were stuck between my toes the whole time!"

The sky

Violeta was soaring over the clouds on a broomstick, squinting her eyes from the wind in her face. She could see the backside of what was currently Fairy Tail in the distance. "Nothing hard… just fly over, look for the Dragon Slayer… figure out a way to catch her. Cassie and Maya'll come and distract the other wizards, too. Sigh… I hope."

Wendy stood high on Carla's head, arms outstretched like wings while her hair flailed behind her. Her eyes were closed and she was smiling wide, for this moment, all she knew was freedom. Although Carla was flying, a gentle breeze under her wings, a child's imagination was bigger when you were smaller. "Flying is so much better this way!" Wendy proclaimed. "There's a lot less danger of being dropped! N-Not that I'd think you'd ever drop me, Carla."

"I'm finding a better sensation in flying too, Child. It's hard to enjoy when carrying such a large weight all the time, I must be honest."

"Heh heh heh!" Wendy flushed. "I wonder if I could learn Size Magic and shrink down all the time. Carrying me would be so much easier!"

"No." Carla said with an assuring smile. "I only want to see you in your full natural size, Child. As long as you can fight to full strength, I'll sacrifice this leisure."

"Stop making me feel guilty, Carla! I'll never be able to make all this up to you."

"You're already making it up to me: being alive and healthy, my friend Wendy Marvell."

"Huh." Wendy scoffed jokingly and said under her breath. "Friend, you act like a mother if anything."

'Course, she was between Carla's cat ears. For a while, Carla didn't speak. Only the breeze roared in Wendy's ears. The mage frowned, feeling tension from this quiet. Wendy began to think her words offended. "Carla?"

"Whuh-?" Carla was startled. "Oh… sorry Child, I spaced out."

"I didn't mean to offend-"

"Nono, you didn't, I'm just… feeling a little lightheaded." In fact, a tear formed in Carla's right eye, but since Wendy couldn't see from her view, she was trying to avoid rubbing and let it drop on its own. The comment touched her more than she wanted to admit, so she fought to avoid making more tears.

Wendy took Carla's word and passed that transaction off, trusting that it wasn't hurtful. Wendy stood and returned to pretend-flying, 'til- "Huh?" she spotted a faint shadow in the cloud ahead.

Violeta flew through a cloud, the fluffy wetness in her face as she shook it off. "WAAH!" The witch rammed Carla headfirst and both ended up taking the fall.

They crashed and fell through the branches of separate trees, landing bumpily. "Ow…" Carla rubbed her rear and stood up. She gasped, frantically feeling her head and searching other parts of her body. "Wendy! Child!" She crawled around, speaking quietly and worriedly. "Where are you?!"

Behind some bushes, Violet scratched her head as she sat up. "Huh?" There appeared to be a bug sitting on her nasal bridge, but she narrowed her eyes together and saw its odd shape. Very lightly, she took the bug in her fingers and held before her huge red eyes. "Who are you?"

"Hey, let me go! Carla, heeeelp!" Wendy's arms were binded by Violet's gentle grip. She inhaled a gust of air, "Sky Dragon ROOOAAAR!"

A teeny cyclone hit Violet's nose, making it tickle. She scratched it lightly. "Hold on… you're the Sky Dragon Slayer. From the forest."

"Put me down, LET GO!"

Violet's red eyes beamed. "I don't believe it! I caught her! I better take her back while I have the chance."

"NOOO! LET ME-" Violet encased Wendy in both hands and began running.

Her shuffling through the bushes caught Carla's attention, the Exceed whipping around. "Hu! Wendy!"

It was hard for Violet to run in such a rugged area with her hands folded this way, but as long as she got the Dragon Slayer back in one piece. "Please! I need to get back so I can drink that potion!" she yelled as loud as she could through the impenetrable flesh of Vi's hands.

"Just gotta take her back!" Violet spoke to herself, panting with an excited look. "Take her back, put 'er in a jar. My sisters will be so proud, I didn't have to do a thing, the Dragon Slayer's right-"

"I'M BEGGING YOU, PLEASE TAKE ME BACK!"

Violeta stopped on the spot; that yell seemed much louder. She opened her hands to find Wendy bowed, her hands folded tight. "Please… my friends worked so hard to make that potion. I'll do anything you ask afterward, just please let me drink it."

Violet put aside her feelings of success. The Sky Dragon Slayer, whom Violet believed to be very powerful, and was afraid to face, looked so helpless, like Violet had complete control over her at this moment. "Why… are you begging?"

Wendy looked up; the tiny tears streaming down her fierce, angry face were very clear to Violet's eyes. "I would NEVER beg my enemies for anything, I would NEVER be afraid to fight with all my strength. But I'm just too small, I admit it, I can't waste my strength trying to fight you. My friends wasted so much time and effort trying to create that potion, so I'll risk all of my pride if it means I'll be able to drink it!"

"But why are you so tiny?"

"Because I made a mistake, okay?! I made a stupid mistake that all of my friends had to work together to fix. I feel bad for making them do so much for me, but I don't want all of their efforts to go to waste. Please, I promise to do whatever it is you wanted me for, just let me drink that potion, pretty please."

There was much passion in her tiny voice, and such a loud volume, Wendy's lungs were hurting. Violet was confused about so many things. "Drinking that potion means that much to you? And your friends?"

"YES, because if I don't drink it, I'll shrink into nothing, and all my friends will be upset."

"…And if I let you drink it, you promise to use your Sky Dragon power on our necklace?"

"Yes, I'll do whatever!" Wendy bowed forcefully. "Just let me drink it!"

"…" This was all Violet wanted: to have the upper hand over her enemy, to possess an advantage that would make her teammates admire her. The Sky Dragon was a key component in their plan, and Violet had her, helpless and pleading. …It was a terrible feeling. "What's your name?"

"Wendy."

"My name's Violet. I'm really sorry, Wendy." Violet said with a look of sympathy. "I would really give you that potion, no questions… but if I don't capture the Sky Dragon for my sisters, they… C-Cassie will hurt me!" Enormous tears started to form in her great red eyes.

"W-Whaddyou mean she'll hurt you?" Wendy asked.

"I just joined their group a few days ago, and I, I'm terrible at what I do. I'm doing my best to master Fire Magic so I can be a part of them, but no matter how hard I work, I just can't get better, and I… Big Sister hurts me!" Her head sunk, unable to repress the tears.

"Violet, that's terrible. I… Even I don't have it that bad. I'm a bad wizard, too; I always feel behind all my friends. But my friends are really supportive and encouraging, so… I-I'm sorry if I'm offending you, I'm just saying…"

Violet looked up, her tears calmed. "You're a bad wizard? I thought Dragon Slayers were… powerful."

"Well…" Wendy smiled and blushed, "apparently I am pretty powerful. I just… never saw myself that way. Now I'm all small and powerless… being this way, I never appreciated myself more for what I was. Even if I wasn't that strong, looking back, I…I should've heard things from my friends' point of view, instead of jumping conclusions. …" She spoke more seriously, "Violet, I'm sorry for how your sisters treat you, and I would really like to help. Just let me drink the Growth Potion, and I will."

"…Wendy, I'm sorry about all of this. I promised my sisters I would capture you for them, but I…I feel like we're alike. I want to be accepted by my sisters the same way you do with your friends. You're really lucky to have friends that care about you. I wouldn't feel right if I took you from them, for myself. …I'll let you have the potion, and I won't ask you for anything."

"Are…Are you sure?"

"I owe you for saving me back in the forest, so I don't deserve to ask you another favor. I'll take my sister's punishment, it's better than taking you from people that love you."

"Maybe I can promise you something." Wendy spoke with an inviting hand raised. "If you help me, I promise to be your friend."

"My friend? I thought we were enemies; you said so."

"Enemies are people that hate each other, or feel no connection towards. I feel as though we connected, and after getting to know you, I don't hate you, and I'd like to have you as a friend. When you're as small as I am, a friend is a really good thing to have. I can't force you to choose like this, so I can only ask."

"…Then… I would like to be your friend." Violet smiled and gently shook Wendy's hand with her thumb and index.

"Thank you, Vi." Wendy bowed. "I'll never forget your kindness."

"THERE YOU ARE!" Violet turned. Nothing could describe the anger and madness in Carla's eyes. "Give her back to me RIGHT NOW!" The kitten marched forward, ready to murder Vi if she didn't comply.

"Carla, wait!" She stopped on Wendy's request, but was still ready to kill. "This is my new friend, Violet! Violet, this is Carla, my best friend ever!"

"Hi, Carla." Violet spoke shyly. "I'm sorry for taking her. You can have Wendy back." She lowered her hands.

Carla's madness was replaced with confusion. She took Wendy back. "Th…Thank you, Violet."

"Carla, what else do we say when someone apologizes?" Wendy asked with a bright smile.

"I…I forgive you."

They jumped at the sound of an explosion, whipping around to the guild's direction. "Oh no!" Violet gasped. "My sisters!"

They rushed back and entered the back entrance, finding huge soot craters and Cana, Mirajane, Droy, and Jet on the floor, sizzling with sparks. "Hmm… guild's a lot emptier than I was hoping it'd be." Cassandra said. "Doubt Violet could've distracted 'em so easy. Little twerp's a coward."

"What's that?" Maya asked, pointing at the steaming cauldron on the table. Carla, Vi, and Wendy still hid in the entrance, watching with worry.

Cassandra examined and sniffed the cauldron. "Nothing I recognize. Maybe these wizards were making something. Hmmm…" The Ice Witch smirked. "I wonder how important it is. Maybe we could trade it with 'em in exchange for the Dragon Slayer. Pick it up, Mai, we're taking it with us-"

"STOOOOOP!" The witches turned. Asuka had run in, pointing accusingly. "Windy-chan needs that! Windy-chan needs that to be big! Give it back to Windy-chan!"

Cassie smirked. "'Needs it to be big', huh? And what's Windy-chan gonna do if we take it?"

"Leave that alone, it's for Windy-chan!" Asuka whipped out her toy gun and fired its pellets. The eldest witch marched forward and forcefully kicked Asuka against the wall. "WAAAAH!"

"Hmph." Cassie smirked coldly. Maya lifted the cauldron in both arms and began to walk out with her.

"HEY!" They turned again. Violeta ran out with Carla behind. "Put that back, it's Wendy's Growth Potion!"

"There you are. Whaddyou mean it's her—this is a Growth Potion?"

"Heard those were hard to make." Maya said with a desperate urge to pick her nose, but she was holding the cauldron at the moment.

"Heh, maybe we'll just take this altogether. We'll learn the recipe and make a ton of copies for our guildmates. Shadow Empress will be unstoppable! Even you'll be worth something, Vi—"

"I'M NOT LETTING YOU TAKE IT!"

Both witches were stunned at their sister's outburst. "What?" asked Cassie.

"Wendy's friends made that and they worked really hard! I'm NOT letting you take it before she drinks it!"

Cassandra was all the more curious who 'Wendy' was. She noticed the white kitten behind Violet, and the tiny blue-topped thing on its head. Smirking, Cassie dodged around Violet and blasted an ice beam that froze Carla's body except for her head.

"Carla!" Wendy exclaimed, but couldn't react for long before Cassie's fingers grabbed and lifted her to the tall witch's face.

"Blue hair… the Dragon Slayer?" Wendy frantically shook as Cassie observed her. "Don't tell me this is the one?"

"Aaaaaahhhh let me go, RIGHT NOW!" she cried helplessly.

"Grrrrr! PUT HER DOWN NOW!" Carla desperately tried to free herself of the ice.

"I see…" Cassie put two-and-two together. "A little downsized, are we? This is just too easy. Come on, Maya, let's hit the-"

"NO!" Violet blasted two flames at Cassie, who yelped and threw Wendy into the air. She was flying above Maya, sights aimed dead on the Growth Potion, but the fat witch changed position and let Wendy land on her hat.

"GRRR!" Cassie lashed an Ice Whip and knocked Vi against the wall. "More useless than I thought." She rushed over and grabbed Wendy off Maya's hat—judging by the rash way of doing so, Carla was ready to murder if Wendy got crushed. Violet recovered and tried to attack again- "Try anything else and this brat dies." Cassie indeed threatened to crush Wendy between her fingers. "Since you care about her so much. We could always find another way of powering the necklace."

Violet looked from Carla to Cassie. The Exceed was frantic over her master's safety, so Violet wouldn't risk. "Be seeing you." And Vi remained still as the sisters escaped.

The witch-in-training hurried to Carla and began to melt her ice with a flame. "Forget about me, go save Wendy!" she ordered.

"But I can't beat them, and what if they hurt—"

"At least look for our friends and inform them, we have to get Wendy in that potion! …" She looked at the clock. "Six-fifty?! She needs to drink it by 7:30, please!"

"!" Mind racing with thoughts, Violet left Carla and hurried outside.

The two witches were hurrying down the hill- "Move faster, Mai!" the chubbier sister waddling along while carrying the heavy cauldron, droplets flinging off the sides. As they made it to the hill's base, about to turn the trees to town, they ran into a group of people.

Natsu, Happy, Erza, Lucy, and Gajeel fixed ominous glares. "Mind explainin' why yer takin' our potion?" asked Natsu.

Cassie immediately revealed the squirming Wendy in her fingers, the guildmates freezing in place. "Hmph. You Fairies are so easy. Just takes one of your guildmates to bring down to render you all helpless. No wonder you all fell at the bottom of the ladder."

"Ice-Make FLOOR!" The ground suddenly froze below their feet, and Cassie tripped and flew Wendy to the air.

"Wendy!" Juvia ran up and positioned her hands together, the child landing safely on her palms. "Are you okay?"

"Y-Yeah. Thank you, Juvia."

The Water Mage held Wendy close as they all glared at the witches. With their friend in safe hands, all that's left was the Growth Potion. They were at a loss, for Cassie was outnumbered, she couldn't think the next move. Maya, however, did the first thing she always thought of: she guzzled the Growth Potion.

"NOO!" screamed the Fairies.

The chubby witch felt a wild sensation, her flesh unbearably wobbly. The Fairies backed away, as did Cassandra, and Wendy truly felt herself shrink further. The fat, yellow-haired witch grew 30 feet tall, the cauldron safely in her palm. "Whoa… what's in this stuff, rotten nachos?"

"THAT'S IT, Maya, CRUSH THEM!" Cassie screamed.

"Okay." When Maya lit her left hand with lightning, the very air became static, tingling their skin. The witch aimed and struck lightning, the Fairies hurriedly dodging around.

"REQUIP!" Erza created a dozen swords, flew to the air, and slashed the giant's face.

"GUUUH!" Maya stomped backward, holding her face. "Maya, give me that potion, too!" Cassie yelled.

Happy carried Natsu to her face as the Fire Dragon readied to punch with a flaming fist, but Maya encased her fingers over the cauldron and lit her planet-like body with lightning, shocking the two and Erza and causing them to fall.

"Iron Dragon-" Gajeel charged to stab his spear in Maya's ankle, but Cassie froze the ground herself and caused him to slip. Maya raised her electrified boot and smashed the iron man, leaving him soot-covered in a crater. With that, the giant took the cauldron in her fingers and lowered it to Cassie.

"Hnn." The Ice Witch turned to Juvia and Wendy, with fierce glares. "Say good-bye to your chances with the big girls." And so, Cassie guzzled the potion herself, a larger amount than Maya. The friends backed away further when Cassie grew to 40 feet high. "Well, look at that. The Fairies have become Pixies. Hey Ice-Maker, make something like THIS!" She unleashed a powerful blast of ice and froze the whole forest, Gray protecting himself, Juvia, and Wendy in a shield, but everyone else was frozen. "You know what, keep your precious Dragon Slayer. We got more than enough power to squash any wizard we want." The Growth Potion still in hand, both witches stomped toward the town.

Violet finally came down, having watched this ordeal from afar. "GRRRrrrr!" Natsu broke free of his ice with his flames. "Those bitches!"

"I'm really sorry! This is all my fault!" Violet bowed. "I had a chance to stop them, but I didn't-"

"Forget about that, Vi!" Wendy yelled. "We have to get the potion back!"

"We have to unfreeze these-" Gray began.

"No, go after them. I'll unfreeze 'em." Violet jabbed the tips of her fingers to each frozen mage, sending a quick tiny candle. She released a calm sigh, increasing the flames' size as they slowly began to melt.

"Okay… we'll leave it to you. Juvia, keep Wendy safe." With that, Gray and Natsu chased after the witches.

"Juvia, some of the others are injured, take me back." Wendy told her.

"Okay." Juvia kept her hands stable while running back to the guild.

Magnolia

Townspeople panicked and ran everywhere as the two giants stomped through town, smashing many buildings. Elfman, Lisanna, Laki, and Levy gaped at the sight. "The witches from Shadow Empress?!" the latter exclaimed.

"They got some MANLY bodies now!" Elfman gaped.

"That tall one is holding something!" Lisanna pointed at Cassandra's left hand. "I'm going to see what it is!" Her arms morphed into gold-feathered wings as she flapped up. She gasped at what sat in Cassie's hand. "The potion! They've taken it!"

"We have to get it back!" Levy yelled.

"Full-Body BEAST SOUL!" Elfman became a monster, though his size didn't rival Maya's very well. He charged forward and performed a mighty leap at Cassie's face.

"AAAH!" The witch frantically tried to shake him off. Still in bird form, her feet having become talons, Lisanna soared down and attempted to grab the cauldron.

"Please." Maya reached over, pinched Lisanna in her electrified fingers, and shocked the shape-shifter, then flicked her to the ground like a fly.

"GRR!" Cassie punched her own face and injured Elfman, grabbing the tiny beast man and throwing him to his comrades.

"Wood-Make HAND!" Laki created a large wood hand to catch him, but he smashed through the substance and crushed Laki instead.

Maya's sights were then set on Levy, who on that moment, could only see the brimming electricity in the giant's hand. A rope of purple fire launched over, grabbed Levy around the wrist, and yanked her away before the lightning struck. "Romeo!" she gasped.

"Hey." The Fire Mage pulled his whip back. "Sorry I'm late."

Both gaped as the Lightning Witch charged another strike and aimed at them. "Iron Dragon SPEAR!" Gajeel flew overhead using Pantherlily and dropped, slicing the witch's wrist and blasting the bolt just across the fat of her belly, making her yelp. Gajeel bounced off the belly and landed near Levy and Romeo. "You two, get back to the guild and help protect Wendy. We'll take care of this."

"Maybe I wanna fight, too!" Levy protested.

"My bust is heavier than yours or these hags', so get movin'."

Levy's cheeks puffed, wanting to protest, but Romeo grabbed her hand and pulled her along. "Let's go!"

They ran past Natsu, Happy, and Gray, the former facing Gajeel. "Coulda sworn you were frozen a minute ago."

"You ain't the only one who c'n get outta a bind, Salamander. I've got more fire in my belly than all Fire Dragons combined."

"You wanna put that to a wager?!"

"Gladly." Gajeel fist-palmed. "But only after I beat the crap outta some hags."

"Let's GET IT on!" The clash against the enlarged Maya and Cassandra commenced.

At the guild

Juvia had set Wendy on Mirajane's left thigh where the Guild Mark lay, the Sky Dragon healing to the best of her current strength. Once again, the apparent enhance in strength took effect as Mirajane groaned awake. Juvia picked Wendy up again while Mirajane helped herself up. "Wendy… what's happening?"

"The witches from Shadow Empress stole the potion." Wendy panted, exhausted from healing her and Cana. "They drank it and turned giant."

"What?! Without that potion, you're going to-"

"We must hope they haven't drank it all, we need to get Wendy to a reasonable size soon." Carla said, now free from the ice.

"But it's almost 7:30, that isn't much time!" Juvia yelled, looking at the clock.

"Wendy! Are you all okay?!" Erza yelled, making it back inside with Lucy, Romeo, and Levy.

"We saw what happened!" Levy yelled.

"I'm in the middle of healing them." Wendy panted. "I just have to do Droy and Jet-"

"You are resting, Child." Carla took Wendy from Juvia. "You are not exhausting yourself before we even have a chance."

"Carla, please, let me-"

"Droy and Jet will be fine, they can wait 'til you're bigger." Levy insisted.

"Child, if you end up shrinking, we want you to save as much strength as you'll need."

Wendy looked at Carla's eyes, too weak with exhaustion to argue. From her view, Wendy could see the worry mixed with strictness in those giant eyes. "Okay… I'll wait." She lay in Carla's paws and rested. Every one of them prayed the others would come victorious.

Downtown

Maya rolled into a gigantic electric ball and rolled toward Elfman and Gajeel, whom both ended up crushed by her power. Maya got back up to view the soot-covered men, but gasped when Pantherlily flew up in his humanoid form and slashed the witch's face. "Iron Dragon ROOOAR!" Gajeel didn't stay down long, and blasted a mighty beam of iron, striking Maya in the nose and toppling the giant backwards.

Cassandra was unleashing a constant ice beam at Gray and Natsu, both combining and countering with their elements. Cassie ceased and watched humorously as they panted. The giantess only exhausted a little bit of magic. "Fairies. No different than flies. Easy to squash after getting them tired."

"Ice-Make SPIKEWHIP!"

Gray stretched two long whips with huge icicle spikes, flailing one at Cassie's outstretched hand to wrap her wrist. "Ow!" the witch yelped as Gray swung around and upward via the previous whip, lashing the next one at her face, but Cassie grabbed the whip in her teeth and shook her head, flailing Gray around.

"Natsu, what'll we do!" Happy cried as Natsu gasped for breath. "How're we gonna beat them in time!"

"We don't have to beat them… just have to… get back that potion… heeh…"

"Natsu!" The Fire Dragon turned, seeing Violeta run up. "Natsu, you're a Fire Dragon Slayer, right? Let me power you up."

"You sure, Vi?"

"I don't know how much I can give you, but it's the only way you'll have a shot."

"Okay then. Give me EVERYTHING you have!"

Nodding seriously, Violet channeled every ounce of Fire Magic to her arms. She aimed at Natsu and unleashed two constant beams, Natsu guzzling it all like smoothies through straws. Violet's arms were tired, she never released so much magic at once, but she couldn't stop now. Like she promised her sisters, and promised Natsu just now… she would give everything she had.

After Cassie had flailed Gray away, she set her sights on Natsu. A fiercesome red flame ignited his form. "Yeah… now I'm fired up." And he released all his fury against Cassandra's ice.

Fairy Tail

Wendy was set on a table, having recovered in strength, but heart racing with worry. Erza, Lucy, and Mirajane were watching the hills outside, hoping someone would come running with the potion, while the others watched the clock. 7:10 was nearing. In just 20 more minutes, it would happen. But time would fly a little bit faster.

Wendy panicked, feeling the odd sensation again. She didn't need to go to the bathroom… her hands and feet were wobbling, and the floor of the table appeared to stretch as her vision sunk. "No… NO! GUYS! I'M SHRINKING!"

"WHAT?!" Lucy gasped, the friends all whipping around.

"NO!" Erza screamed.

"Hang in there!" Romeo shouted.

"It's too late! Sniff…" Wendy fell to her knees and let her emotions pour in the form of tears. She was steadily shrinking beyond their sight, her voice faint as she yelled the top of her lungs. "Thank you ALL for being friends with me! I'll never forget everything you've done!"

"Wendy, please!" Carla crouched on all fours, using all her catlike senses to see and hear her. "Do not leave us!"

"Good-bye, Carla! You've always been like a mother to me, ever since Grandeeney left! You were my closest friend, and I'll never forget you!"

"Wendy… don't say that…" Tears dripped from Carla's eyes. Wendy's voice was fading from her ears.

"Good-bye, everybody! I'll never forget Natsu, Lucy, Erza, Gray, and EVERYONE at Fairy Tail. I know you guys will be Number One again, but I'm sorry I won't live to see that! GOOD-BYYYYYYYYEEEEEEEE!"

Carla looked as close as she could. The best she could make out was an oddly-colored speck of dust. Wendy was so microscopic. She couldn't be heard, barely be seen, if Carla took her eyes away, she might never find her again. Carla wanted to keep looking. Keep seeing her master, her friend, as much as possible. She would never accept this.

For Wendy, it was like being in a whole new world. She couldn't see the ceiling of the guild, the table's top looked like an endless canyon. The sight before her eyes made this unbearably painful, like her eyes would melt with the tears. A tremendous white mass of trees of immeasurable size. Brown, watering eyes that looked like lakes, the pupils sunk in the tears as they focused on Wendy. They didn't blink a bit. "GO AWAY, CARLA, IT'S TOO LATE FOR ME!" Wendy cried with all of her heart. "STOP LOOKING! YOU CAN'T DO ANYTHING! Don't worry about me!" She buried her eyes. "Please go away."

Carla couldn't hear anything Wendy might've been saying. Unable to contain herself, she placed her paws over her eyes. "Wendy… Child… please… don't give up… don't leave me… my dear… please…"

The guildmates burst into tears before long. They couldn't believe it. Their friend was gone, now one of many specks of dust in this old tavern. Erza, Mirajane, and Lucy held each other close, letting the tears fall. Cana couldn't stomach another beer; she was sorry for all the 'short' comments. Pain consumed Romeo's heart too; Wendy was truly someone he admired for her power, and he was sorry he missed the chance to take her on a mission. The guild had never been so unhappy. One of their most powerful wizards, most beloved and dearest friends, they would never hear her voice again. Levy could still not contain her guilt, taking the absolute blame for why they didn't act sooner. For the rest of her life, she would never forgive herself.

"RRRRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" Everyone whipped around to the hill outside. There came Natsu, full of unfathomable anger and rage, the steaming cauldron in his arms. "WEEEEENDYYYYYYYYY!" Completely blind to everything else, he charged into the guild and flew the potion forward without thinking.

"AAAAAHHH!" The guildmates dodged, including Carla, the contents spilling all over the table. Natsu panted, seething with more anger than ever.

Wendy had known nothing from that moment. She was floating… in a dimension of green liquid. Bubbles of incredible size. Drowning…

Downtown

Elfman was knocked off his feet, reverting back to human form. "Iron Dragon ROOOOOAAAAAR!" Gajeel unleashed another powerful breath, but with Cassandra's and Maya's conjoined magic, the giantesses sent him flying several meters.

"Hmph. How sad such a great guild has fallen." The eldest witch scoffed. "Even their Dragon Slayers are helpless to the power of a potion."

"Oh, I wouldn't be so sure about that!"

! The witches' jaws almost fell off. No way they were prepared for what they were about to face.

"All right WENDYYYY!" Natsu cheered to the heavens.

"KICK SOME BUTT!" Lucy pumped.

"Ahhhh! Is that-?" Gajeel gaped.

"Is it possible?" Lily asked.

Wendy Marvell was 50 feet high, larger than every building in Magnolia. Her indigo hair blew like a curtain, and her young body held so much energy and excitement. A terrifying amount of strength and spirit flowed through her veins, and now she would unleash it with all her force. "Is that the… Sky Dragon?" Cassie asked.

"Uuuuhh…" Maya didn't know what to say.

"He he he!" Violeta giggled.

Carla had never been so proud… so happy. There Wendy stood… bigger and full of more pride and passion than ever before. Carla couldn't describe how she felt… how much she admired Wendy, this very moment.

With lungs of fantastic proportion, Wendy sucked in so much air, the clouds swirled into a tornado and flowed into her mouth. "Skyyyy Dragon MEGA ROOOOOOOOAAAAAAAARRR!"

"AAAAAAAAHHHHH!"

Wendy's breath had the power of a storm, and 5 times the strength. The witches and their colossal size went flying across the horizon. They wouldn't be coming back.

"ALL RIGHT!" Lucy cheered. "That was amazing, Wendy!"

"YEAH! You were really FIRED UP!" Natsu yelled.

"Oh, man! I should've learned Air Magic if I could do that!" Romeo cheered.

"That was the MANLIEST thing I've ever SEEN!" Elfman cried.

"I think I speak for all when I say how amazed we are how you've grown up!" Levy beamed.

"Ha ha ha ha ha!" All these compliments were making her blush for all to see. "I could never have done it without all of my Fairy Tail friends!" All of them… She looked at the sky, thinking of Mavis.

"Great, but uhhh… what about this girl?" Gajeel asked, pulling Violet over by the hand.

Wendy knelt down, picked up, and gently raised Violet to her face. "Thank you for helping me, Vi. I would've been finished if it wasn't for you."

"Don't mention it, Wendy. I know what it's like to feel small… you deserve to be with the friends you have."

"They can be your friends, too. Join Fairy Tail, Vi. We may not be the strongest, but everyone is really sweet. You'll make friends in no time."

"That's very nice Wendy, but… I belong in Shadow Empress." Violet spoke with slight regret. "It's become too close of a home for me, and, after seeing what you all do… I wanna work to change Empress. I wanna make it as nice as you guys."

"Then I wish you the best of luck. But if you ever change your mind, we'll be happy to have you. I hope we get to see each other again one day."

"I do, too. You're a great person, Wendy, and I'll miss you. See you later?"

"You got it!"

Wendy placed her hand on the ground and let Violeta run off. The smaller witch waved happily to the giant 'til she vanished behind the buildings. The giantess then looked down at her friends. "Well, I'm glad things turned out well for everybody."

"Yes, but… won't the same exact thing now happen with the Growth Potion?" inquired Carla.

No sooner did everybody seem to freeze in time for a split second. "AAAAAHHHH! You're right, you're right!" Wendy tugged her hair and started crying. "What'm I gonna do, I'm gonna grow outside the atmosphere and suffocate, THEN there'll be a giant dead BODY over the planet, WAAAAAH-" But in a sudden blast of magic, followed by a huge cloud of smoke… Wendy was back to normal.

Her face was still and her tears vanished. For many seconds, everybody just stood and wondered what the heck just happened. "Nice to know I wasn't invited to this party." a gruff voice remarked.

"Master Makarov!" Natsu beamed, seeing the short old man behind Wendy, his wand aimed at the girl.

"Can't I leave my guild for a single day without my students turning into monsters?"

"Oh Master Makarov, THANK YOU!" Wendy kneeled and embraced the man in her most gracious of hugs.

"Now now, don't celebrate just yet. I want you to visit Porlyusica to make sure she gets every last ounce of potion that may be inside you out. The only mage I wanna see alternating size is ME." He grinned.

"Ha ha ha ha!" Wendy blushed.

"But what about those mages from Shadow Empress?" Erza asked. "With their sizes, surely they'll return."

"Yes, but can I assume they consumed the potion their selves?"

"Y…Yes?"

"Then don't be worried. A potion wears off after a few hours when it's just swallowed. Different story when you spill it on yourself, heh heh."

Wendy looked totally ditzy. But this time, she didn't want to shrink out of sight in embarrassment.

"Hey Master, look what I found." Romeo held up a golden necklace with a rainbow jewel. "I think it's something the witches dropped."

"That's what they stole from Balsamico!" Lucy recalled.

"I say…" Makarov took the jewel and observed it. "This is the Dragon's Jewel. In the old days, the dragons imbued their power in this to control the weather. Of course, the only ones who could ultimately make it work were the Sky Dragons."

"The Sky Dragons? So THAT'S why they wanted me." Wendy deduced. "Is a gem like that really powerful?"

"If ancient tomes still hold credibility. I know we got a job request, but I think it best to keep this safe." Makarov stuffed the necklace down his shirt.

"So no month of rent for me." Lucy wept defeatedly.

"But are you certain the witches won't come back?" Erza asked.

"I did my share of research on potions too, so… I wouldn't count on it."

Shadow Empress

"VIOLETA! YOU BETTER START WORKING ON THAT GROWTH POTION RIGHT NOW!" Cassandra cried like a teeny-weeny mousy.

"Or at least bring us some food!" Maya cried.

Violeta was overcome with joy and adoration. Her sisters were teeny-tiny dots on the palm of her hand, and sounded too adorable for words. "Awwww look how cute you aaaaare! You're so tiiiiinyyyyyy."

"YOU ARE GETTING SERIOUS PUNISHMENT IF YOU DON'T GET STARTED!"

"I just can't take it anymore!" Violet's grin was wide and sparkly. "I just wanna eat you up, you're so cute! In you go!"

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!" The hand flew for the child's great open mouth, and the darkness awaited.

"…Just kidding!" She stopped just inches from doing so. "You guys would taste YUCKY." X3P

Magnolia

"Well, I need to be off. I should… probably speak to someone about these damages. As you were!" Master Makarov left toward town, where many buildings had been crushed into rubble.

"HAHA!" Natsu, Lucy, Erza, and Levy grabbed Wendy immediately and crushed her in a four-way hug. "Told ya Makarov would make everything better!"

"Ha ha ha!" Wendy never cried more tears of joy. All her heart ever knew at that moment was deep love and gratitude to her friends. "Thank you guys so much for everything you did for me! There's nothing I can do to repay you, I'll never stop being grateful, never never never never!"

The friends released her, and Carla seized the moment to jump into Wendy's arms. "Oh, Child! I thought I'd never see you again." Her little arms reached to either side of Wendy's chest, the child holding her close. Their hearts were as one, and powerful love existed. Tears fell down Carla's face and drenched Wendy's dress, and Wendy's tears wetted the fur of her head.

Wendy reopened her eyes to see her friends, "Thank you again. I can't imagine where I'd be if not for you all—I'm so thankful to have friends like all of you, if it takes the rest of my life, I'll repay you."

"There's nothing you have to do to repay us, Wendy." Lucy assured her. "But just promise us one thing:"

"What's that?"

"Except for learning some new skills, promise us you'll never change who you are."

"And promise us you won't try to make anymore potions." Gray told her smoothly. "I think we're all in agreement that should be left to experts."

"Hahahaha." She blushed once more. "You're right. No more potions."

"And if you're truly set on repaying us, promise you will work hard to become stronger." Erza told her with pride and passion. "If you make mistakes, promise you will stay proud and true, keep working, never let them control you. And never forget Fairy Tail will always be by your side."

"I WON'T!" Wendy exclaimed with pure devotion. "I WILL keep getting stronger, and I'll do it with my own power and strength!"

"THAT'S the spirit, Wendy!" Natsu slapped her back. "COME ON, let's go back to the guild and PARTY!" He lifted Wendy onto his shoulders and ran away.

"I'll need a thousand drinks after a MANLY adventure like this!" Elfman proclaimed.

"He said to take her to Porlyusica first, COME BACK, NATSU!" Lucy infuriatingly chased after them.

Wendy continued to hold Carla close while she sat over Natsu's shoulders. The kitten was so peaceful. "Oh, how I've missed being in these arms."

"You're the one I need to thank most of all, Carla. If you weren't with me when I shrunk, who knows how long I would have to wait."

"I would've found you eventually, Child. I couldn't imagine my life without you."

"Me either. I'm so glad to have a friend like you. I'll miss being in your teensy-weensy paws."

"Those moments of holding you are ones I'll always treasure. But from this point forward, I hope to continue to be the small one. You grew so much today, Child, I hope to be around to watch you grow more."

"No matter how much we grow or shrink, Carla, I hope we're with each other forever."

"I couldn't wish for anything more."

The rest of their day was eventful all the same. Wendy visited Porlyusica to have any traces of potion in her bloodstream extracted; a long arduous process that concluded with the promise Wendy wouldn't have any more unnatural size-spurts. A party was held at the guild in celebration, and Wendy received her promised slices of cake. The girls decided to hold another slumber party with the full-sized Wendy invited, able to engage in pillow fights, paint nails without getting too messy, and exchanging conversation with normal, non-deafening voices. Wendy took a bath in a normal-size tub afterwards, revitalizing her after the struggles of today. To conclude the night, Wendy was giving Carla a well-deserved grooming, an activity she would've certainly missed. Then, they went to sleep, where Wendy held Carla like a small stuffed animal. They would keep each other warm in their sleep, in peaceful dreams. Wendy's mind was allowed to wander as well, reflecting what she's learned these past two days.

After seeing what my friends can do… I want more than anything to become as strong as them. To grow and blossom into a powerful wizard! It was silly of me to feel ashamed about my size, looking back. In the end, I felt like almost shrinking into nothing… helped me grow into something more. Because every experience and every mistake helps me to learn. That's what I learned these past 24 hours. And I'm glad I have so many friends to teach me. In time… I'll know that I don't NEED a Growth Potion to grow up big and strong!