Epilogue: Games

It was a bright and beautiful day and the crowds were cheering as loudly as they could as the sky exploded into bright colour and explosive fireworks. Streams of pink, blue, green, red and yellow danced through the air, tiny pieces of paper floating down and falling into the hands of excited children. Music blasted through the stadium, and a positive vibe rushed through the city of Crocus and flooded through the hearts of the people of Fiore. The last Grand Magical Games had been the most exciting comeback they had ever seen in their generation, and the question on everyone's lips this year was how could Fairy Tail possibly top that? Would another guild finally be ready to steal the crown as Fiore's strongest magical guild, or would the title remain firmly in their hands? The chatter was alive and the general consensus was not only that Fairy Tail could win, but that they should win. Barely a bookmaker in the city took bets for their team anymore, realising they would quickly lose all their money if the favourites smashed their way to the top once again.

It had been a difficult ten months since the attack on the Fairy Tail guild. They had expected enemy guilds to come in their waves to try to take advantage of Fairy Tail, but what had surprised them the most was the continued support from every other guild. The danger the master of Crow Wing had described had been very real, they realised quickly, as the guild was attacked and threatened multiple times after the funeral and for the following months. Sabertooth, Lamia Scale, Mermaid Heel, Blue Pegasus and many more guilds had stayed in Magnolia for weeks after the first attacks, lending their aid wherever they could and making sure that both civilians and wizards were kept safe from the dark guilds. The rival official guilds knew that an open attack against the strongest wizard's of Fiore threatened everything that guilds stood for. For the most part, they were able to stop the enemy plots before they had even unfolded, but there had been times that a full war waged between the light and dark. One by one the other official guilds were also attacked and though the other guilds eventually retreated to defend their own towns, if anyone was in danger than it was common knowledge that the surrounding guilds would come to their aid no matter what. One by one the enemy fell under the full union of wizards.

The Magical Counsel had quickly found themselves between a rock and a hard place, knowing that to argue against the inter-guild conflicts was to threaten all six of the strongest guilds at the same time, plus many more smaller guilds which had offered from time to time to lend their aid. Even the people began to offer their support, unable to fight themselves but able to scream and shout if the magical counsel threatened to take away the members of the light guilds. The Magical Counsel eventually agreed to not only discount the official guild's actions as self-defence but to offer additional protection, mostly under Doranbolt's leadership. It was the closest thing to an alliance that the magical counsel and the guilds of Fiore had had for a great many years, and the rewards spoke for themselves. The crime quickly faded to almost nothing, the dark guilds crept into silence once more, and an uneasy peace began to spread over the country. The shield that had been created to protect Fairy Tail at it's weakest was now protecting all good wizards of the world.

The Grand Magical Games this year was not only a celebration of power and strength but also of allegiance. When the competitors looked upon each other's faces in the arena there was barely a stranger in sight. These were people that they had fought alongside each other, either at the last Grand Magical Games or in the guild wars of the last few months, and it would prove to make an interesting competition. Every one of them knew each other's strengths and weaknesses now, their alliances and their motivations, and the audience gossiped at the many possibilities that could unfold from this.

A huge cheer erupted from the stands that made it clear to the whole city that Fairy Tail had entered the ring. The commentators could barely hear their own voices pushed magically across the crowds, all three of them shouting "Fairy Tail has entered the arena!" and still finding their words drowned away.

Natsu, Erza, Wendy, Lucy and Elfman walked into the arena, their heads held high as they watched the crowd lose control of their excitement. A wide grin graced every one of their faces as they watched the adoration around them, the tiny fluttering's of colourful paper scattering through the air and the sky above exploding into a brilliant light. They all wore matching outfits, a different design to last year, each draped in the colour of their Fairy Tail symbol with a large black guild mark sketched into backs. Blue and white cuffs and dark trousers or skirts held their outfit designs together, and every one of their costumes showed off their guild marks with pride. Quite frankly, however, they could have walked out in paper that covered them from head to toe and the guild pride would have still been inescapable.

"The crowds are really going wild here, aren't they, kubo?" the disguised King asked from the commentator's box, his giant pumpkin head tilted to the side.

"Well, it's not hard to see why!" the main commentator said into his microphone, obviously sounding just as excited as they crowd around him. "This time last year they were the underdogs and no one had even expected them to qualify."

The second commentator, the retired Magic Counsel member, nodded slowly. "And if the rumours are true, they have even more to play for this year. Let's not forget that this last year has been a constant battle for most of the guild's in Fiore, Fairy Tail most of all. They really need to prove to the world that even with one of their members down they can still regain their title. I think everyone is expecting great things from Fairy Tail this year."

Not listening, Natsu grinned up at the audience but eventually turned to the others inside of the ring, seeing the many familiar faces in front of him. While many had a determined look in their eyes he could sense no malicious intent from a single one of these people, a great many of them he would call his friends, though he wouldn't let that hold him back. This year, with the upset of the inter-guild conflicts and the controversy of Raven Tail last year, they had been particularly strict in only allowing guilds which had been official for over five years. It had also helped thin the rankings as over the last year the amount of wizard guilds in Fiore had tripled. People were finally starting to see the protective nature of an official guild, and new masters scattered across the land to offer their own safe havens. The number of dark guilds disbanding had also created a lot of rogue wizards, many of which were ready to see the light, though it was not an easy task to ensure that they truly changed their ways. Even Fairy Tail had taken on many unusual characters, and though it wouldn't be right to say they were instantly trusted, in most cases the warming light of the guild had been enough to ensure loyalty and respect from their newest recruits.

The heart of Fairy Tail never truly changed, however. They continued to fight for what they believed, defended their nakama until their bodies were broken and tried to make the most of every single day. Though they had lived by this mantra every day, the Fairy Tail reputation meant more than anything. While it was undeniable that Fairy Tail was the most influential of all guilds, there was some debate whether it was still the strongest. This Grand Magical Games was the final nail to ensure their place in Fiore and even if they did not come out as number one they still had to be victorious. Natsu himself wouldn't accept second place, and while he was sure that there were many in the games who would be willing to give him his victory, he would accept no less than a fair win.

Suddenly, he was pulled out of his thoughts as Lucy gently tapped him on the shoulder, staring back at the Fairy Tail stands. There, Mavis's legs swung from the sides of the walls as she looked below, a glint in her eyes. Though she found herself often avoiding human interaction whenever she could, she could not rightly refuse the Grand Magical Games. While the days went slowly for a woman asleep for almost a century, the once a year event could always bring a sparkle to her eyes. She put her hands together, looking down at the guild that she had created as her heart overflowed with pride. "Go Fairy Tail!" she shouted out, though her words were drowned to all but those immediately beside her.

One of those close enough to hear was her very own creation, Gray. He leaned over the wall and watched with interest, ignoring the stunned faces of his friends beside him as he counted each of the faces he had recognised from the last games. There was a bitterness as he watched, however, as he said under his breath "It doesn't feel right not being there with them," to the First Master, catching the eye of the dragon slayer below.

The Fairy Tail members in the arena momentarily forgot themselves, all staring into the stands in disbelief. It had taken some time for them all to realise that this wasn't some strange reincarnation and that Gray had been created the same way that Mavis had called upon him before, though with none of the familiar ice magic in the air was anyone's guess how true to his character he really was. "Mavis…" Erza breathed under her breath, her voice coming dangerously close to anger. She cursed herself, knowing that she should have expected the First Master to watch over them as she had the year before, and with that it was not so unreasonable to assume she would bring company.

"Mavis could have at least created him with a shirt on…" Lucy whimpered, not quite sure where she was supposed to look.

Juvia looked up at the Fairy Tail stand, her heart suddenly racing in her chest as she took a step forwards. It pained her to see her friends again, and she had been tempted to not fight in the Grand Magical Games at all. The cousins Sherry and Sherria had both convinced her that the event was supposed to be fun, good for the reputation of both wizards and the guilds themselves. The younger pink-haired girl claimed she would be no doubt fighting against her friend too. Juvia could not explain how it was different, how the people that she would be against she truly wished to win, and though a Lamia Scale guild mark pressed against her skin she felt that the people in front of her were still a part of her family.

"What is it?" Lyon asked, seeing her tense and suddenly looking to her old guild.

The fluttering in Juvia's chest did not go away, but while a Lamia Scale mark was against her skin and the Fairy Tail mark was not, she blind to the illusion Mavis had created. She sighed, her hand close to her chest as she mumbled "I thought I saw something…" disappointedly. She had been strong, trying to push back all memories of this place and the times that she had spent alongside Gray here, and she had told herself not to cry on such a beautiful day. She couldn't afford to risk the persistent rain coming back into their lives. Lamia Scale had been kind to her, far kinder than Fairy Tail had the strength to be. Lyon had continued to be extremely thankful for the day that she had ran straight to him with the terrible news those ten months ago, and since that moment he had offered to care for her. Not once did he complain about the rain that followed her constantly, and he even offered to make it into a beautiful snow for her. Juvia had been touched by his affection and drawn to his cold and familiar nature, and he had not been the only one she had been drawn to. Sherry and Sherria had welcomed the depressed rainwoman with open arms, doing all they could to bring some stability to her life. Though it had taken a long time for her to build the strength she eventually realised she spent more time within their guild than her own, and left the people of Fairy Tail to progress her new home. That had been two months ago now, and her new guild mark had never itched more than it did now.

Lyon nodded, thinking that he understood her hesitation. "We all have friends and family in different guilds now," he told her, looking up at the guild stand above them and for the briefest of moments thinking that he had seen the flicker of a familiar face within their spectators, not realising just how close to the truth he had been. "It isn't like it used to be. The world is changing; the guilds are closer than ever now. Even before…. ever since we defeated Oración Seis, when the guilds first worked together to defeat them, the guilds have been close. Being a member of Lamia Scale doesn't mean that you can't be a part of Fairy Tail," he advised her, though deep down as with most of the words he spoke to her he wished desperately that he had been able to listen to his own advice earlier. When Juvia had come to him all those months ago with tears in her eyes and guilt riddled through her body, he had screamed at her it wasn't her fault. While she had seen he was being there for her, he knew inside even now, even after all he had done for the rainwoman, he was being tormented by the years Gray had blamed himself for Ur's death, all because he hadn't been able to say those words to Gray in time. At least with Juvia he could make a difference, he knew as he looked at her again and smiled. Gray may have been gone, but Lyon knew that he would have never wanted any harm to come to the blue haired girl, and he would do everything to fulfil that wish.

A small smile crossed Juvia's face as she looked back at Lyon, her heart fluttering for a different reason now. She cursed it for betraying her true feelings for the man she could never see again, but the blush remained on her cheeks. "That's true," she told him, looking back at the Fairy Tail members and knowing that she would make this Grand Magical Games count, for both Lamia Scale and Fairy Tail.

Natsu's eyes were still pinned on the ice mage, seeing now that he had his attention. He saw from his expression that Gray was out of place and somewhat uncomfortable, unable to control his urge to dive into the arena and aid their fight even if most of Fiore could not even see him. Natsu knew he wasn't as useless as he must have felt, however, and knew that the flame inside of him was jumping up and down from seeing his friend again, so much so that it hurt. He gritted his teeth into a tight grin, and lifted his hands into the air.

Gray looked back, standing up straighter as he caught with interest the strange hand gesture that Natsu was making. Even from this distance he could tell it was a rather imperfect version of the fist against palm hand movements Gray had usually used when casting his magic, though he was confident to the untrained eye it probably looked incredibly accurate. There was something incredibly strange to see the flame wizard pulling upon a movement that was so specifically trained for ice, and even stranger to see that as he lifted his arms those beside him did the same. Erza's hands were against each other, her technique more accurate he noticed, but still completely flawed. Lucy too raised her arms, and even Elfman beside them. Gray frowned in confusion, not realising what it could possibly mean, but took a staggering step back as he saw it was not just the Fairy Tail members creating the strange hand gesture. A wave of arms raised across every wizard in the arena, though not a drop of ice was created, not even from Lyon. Eventually every person standing within the arena was facing the audience or stands around, each with their hand flat against their palm.

"What is this, kubo?" the games master asked as he tilted his pumpkin head to the side.

The commentator leaned forwards, his eyes gleaming in admiration. "It's the symbol of Wizard Allegiance…" he said, watching in amazement as the symbol began to spread like wildfire across each of the guild stands. "This is a symbol wizards and their supporters started using a few months ago, showing a unity of all guilds and Magical Counsel members and overcoming impossible odds. This is… incredible!" he said, gasping as he realised that it was even spreading across the audience.

Gray's eyes opened wide, realising that the entire audience was flooded with the powerful symbol of hope. Children pulled their hands together, their parents beaming at them proudly as they did the same, while the elderly confidently claimed with their own gesture that they were in full support of magic and unity. Over the past few years the world had seen too much suffering and pain, too many loved ones stolen away from the conflicts between the official guilds, dark guilds and a corrupted Magic Counsel. More often than not it was the innocent people who had been caught in the cross-fire, and while Gray had not been the first victim at the hands of a dark guild, the disrespectful nature of his attack had shocked the guilds into action and had become the hair to break the camel's back. In ten months, the world had changed. The Grand Magical Games this year was not just a symbol of strength of individual guilds but one true message that all wizards were one, they would fight together for what really mattered, and they were here to show the world just how strong that they could truly be.

Gray looked back at Natsu, realising that he had been responsible for so much of this change. He had never doubted his friend would do great things, but he had never expected anything so drastic, especially not in his name. Gray smiled as he leaned over the wall, resisting the urge to tell them all… that they were doing it wrong. The look on Lyon's face showed that it was actually taking an incredible effort to break the habits he had drilled into him and create the imperfect symbol. It actually made Gray laugh out loud, his cheeks blushing at the tremendous display of unity in front of him. Just like the reclaiming of the guild, however, he knew that while they used a symbol he had created this had very little to do with him. He had already left this world, and the people of the new Wizard Allegiance had created a wonderful place for the living. He knew with certainty that no matter what came ahead, they would be just fine.

A huge magical explosion fired into the air. "Let the Grand Magical Games begin, kubo!" shouted the king, and the crowd roared as one.

Perfect Contrast has now come to an end guys! WAHHHHH!

Not going to lie, I've spent most of the day working out what I'm supposed to do with myself now. I need a new story, hopefully something happier.

Thank you SO SO SO much for all your continued support and for reading so far. Please continue to leave any reviews or messages or anything you want. Even if you need to yell at me for the feels-trip, that again is totally cool. Though it has been heartwrenching I do hope that you've at least enjoyed some of this. This has been a great writing experience and now I'm just going to go cry in the corner. #phew

Also a quick note on the timings of this. This whole series takes place a couple months after the Grand Magical Games in canon, and the events of this pushed back Tarturus. While I have no doubt that the demons would still attack eventually, with the wizarding world so united their plans were pushed back several months and will start shortly after this event, with obviously different results. Poor Silver. Just sayin'.

I don't have a lot of other writing on the go at the moment, Chaos and Time is drawing to a close also and that I'd finished before I even begun PC.