Chapter One:

"We're back to the Grand Magic Games pre-game show, with Chapati Lola and Mr. Yajima, brought to you by Lacrima Vision."

Everyone all over Fiore was glued to their screens as the two familiar faces of the Grand Magic Games announcers appeared.

"GOOOOOOOD Evening everybody! And welcome to the Grand Magic Games pre-show!" Chapati cheered from where he sat at his desk next to Yajima. "And boy, oh, boy, what an exciting tournament do we have ahead of us, don't we Mr. Yajima?"

"Well, it oughta be seeing as this is the 25th anniversary of the Grand Magic Games," Yajima smiled.

"Good golly! It's really hard to believe that it's been that long since these silly things started, isn't it?"

"It most certainly is," Yajima nodded. "But here we are! And everywhere you look in Crocus all you can see are 25th-anniversary celebrations going on!"

"You've got that right!" Chapati cheered. "Every hotel, restaurant, and club is packed to the brim with patrons and fans. Eagerly awaiting the countdown to initiation trails to see which eight lucky guilds will get to compete in this spectacular tournament that will be sure to go down in history!"

"Don't think you'll be seeing any wizards there, though," Yajima added. "No, they'll all be furiously preparing for tonight's trial."

"Speaking of which, what are your predictions for who we'll see in this competition, Mr. Yajima."

"Well," the older man stroked his chin thoughtfully. "I know they've had a bit of a rough history, but we've been seeing huge improvements in Twilight Ogre this year. I wouldn't be too shocked if we see them make it to the main games this year."

"Excellent observation. Of course, there's always Crocus' hometown guild, Sabertooth. They're always shoes in for the Grand Magic Games."

"I suppose that will go for Blue Pegasus and Lamia Scale as well, as they've now become Grand Magic staples."

"True, true. Of course, the real questions isn't going to be who makes it into the final games, but who wins!" Chapati pointed out. "So far in the Grand Magic Games history, we have only actually had guilds come out victorious if I'm not mistaken…"

"No, you are correct Chapati," Yajima nodded. "Titan Nose was the first ever Grand Magic victors, but haven't been able to pull out a win since."

"Mermaid Heel, Blue Pegasus, Lamia Scale, and Scarmiglione also all have one win under their belts."

"Our homeborn guild of Sabertooth has six wins!"

"Yes, but no doubt about it, the absolute champions of The Grand Magic Games is Fairy Tail, with a whopping 14 wins and counting!" Yajima declared.

"So I guess the golden question is whether or not Fairy Tail can get that 15th win," Chapati mused.

"No doubt everyone is going to be doing their absolute best to try and keep that from happening, though that will be a bit difficult to do this year."

"Why is that?"

"After their twelve-year streak a few years back, several of the Fairy Tail hard-hitters took a break from the Grand Magic Games due to having young children, but the kids are getting big and they're back and ready for action!" Yajima smiled. "Fairy Tail's team for this year has been confirmed to be the following: Erza Scarlet-Fernandez, Mirajane Dreyar, Gajeel and Levy Redfox, and Wendy Conbolt."

"Whoa, ho, ho, ho! Golly-gee! That's one group I certainly want to go up against!"

IIIIIIIIIIIIII

11-year-old Roman Fernandez smiled as he watched the pre-show from the hotel room he and his family were staying in for the tournament. His three younger siblings had already fallen asleep, but not before making him promise to tell them when "the boring old guys stop talking and Mommy starts kicking butt!"

This was going to be Roman's first time actually watching her compete. Oh, he'd heard stories! Erza's Pandamonium run was now Grand Magic Games Legend and was always brought up every year. That, however, had happened long before Roman was born. Now he was here, and he was giddy with excitement.

So giddy that he didn't notice the whirlpool of fire forming above his head until a rain shower of children landed on the bed next to him.

"Gah! What the-Really, Nashi!? Can't you at least give a guy a lacrima call before you do that!" Roman shouted.

"But this is so much more fun," 12-year-old Nashi Dragneel grinned as she sat up, knocking 11-year-old Koree Redfox off her back. Koree's twin sister, Persephone, was lounged on the bed next to the other two girls, grinning mischievously at Roman.

"Yeah, that face you make is priceless," Persephone said.

"I don't make a face," Roman pouted as he crossed his arms.

"Really?" Persephone arched an eyebrow as she conjured up and archive screen, displaying a picture of Roman's startled expression.

"Delete that!"

"Nope."

"I'm warning you, Redfox! You better delete that!"

"Or what? What are you actually going to-"

"Nothing," 12-year-old Storm Fullbuster cut in. "He's not going to do anything to you, and you'll delete that in 15 minutes after you've had your fun just like every other time you two get into the same tit-for-tat."

"Tch. Kill-joy," Persephone frowned as she put the screen away.

"C'mon, guys," 12-year old Cato Dreyar grumbled. "If we're going to go we need to do it now before we get caught."

"Wait, what," Roman's eyes widened. "Guys...what are you doing?"

"We're going to a party!" Nashi answered merrily.

"WHAT!?" Roman screeched.

"Yeah we're gonna go dance, and play games, and eat lots of junk food, and probably get sick, but it's going to be awesome!" Koree cheered.

"For the record, you get motion sickness on a ride I'm not using cleanse on you," Storm pointed out.

"Aw, c'mon, Stormy! Help a sis out!"

"One, don't call me 'Stormy.' Two, you're a dragon slayer. You know you can't handle roller coasters. Not my fault if you're dumb enough to get on one anyway. Three, you're not my sis, you're hers," Storm pointed to Persephone.

"Unfortunately," Persephone mumbled.

"Hey!" Koree snapped.

"Uh, did I miss something?" Roman asked. "Because last I checked our parents told us NOT to go to any parties."

"Which is why we've gotta go now if we don't wanna get caught," Cato reminded them.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, excuse me?" Roman sputtered.

"C'mon, Roman," Koree threw an arm around his shoulders and pinched his cheek. "I know you're a wittle goody-two-shoes mommy's boy, but live a little, 'kay?"

"Stop that!" Roman smacked her hand away. "And you guys are crazy!? You have any idea how much trouble you'll be in if you get caught?"

"Probably gonna be grounded for the rest of our lives, but that's only if we get caught," Nashi answered.

"We? There's no we! I'm not going!" Roman declared.

"I thought you'd say that," Nashi nodded, before grinning evilly.

Vwoom! A bright red light, and then darkness. Roman gasped, or he would have if there was any air to gasp with. He wasn't worried about that though. He knew exactly what this was. He'd been through hundreds of Nashi's Styx Portals before. No, he was worried about where she was taking them.

A second later the world reappeared. Only Roman was no longer in the hotel room but in the middle of a bustling street fair and market. Games, fireworks, songs, toys, food, and loud chatter swirled around him as his heart stopped.

"Nashi Lucy Dragneel, what have you done!?"

"You'll thank me later," Nashi assured him as she and the rest of the Birthday Gang stood up from where they'd dropped to the ground and began brushing themselves off.

"Thank you? You just kidnapped me!"

"Did not."

"You took me against my will, that is literally the definition of kidnapping!"

"Not if it's your friend!"

"That has nothing to do with it!"

"Eh, technically he's right," Persephone shrugged as she slung an arm around his shoulders. "We did take him against his will after he repeatedly turned his offer down, and we are forcibly making him go against his moral compass. But it's all for his own good, so we'll be fine."

"You do realize how much that does NOT make sense, right?" Roman asked.

"Shut up, Grape Head! You're going to have fun tonight whether you like it or not," Persephone declared.

"You can't force someone to have fun!"

"Watch me! Mark my words, Fernande-KOREE, NO! DO NOT GET ON THE MERRY-GO-ROUND! YOU'LL BE PUKING FOR MONTHS!"

Persephone took off at top speed and tackled her sister to the ground before she could get on the ride...and the two girls tumbled right into another person.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Sorry," Persephone apologized as she struggled to sit up. "Just trying to stop my idiot sister from-"

"HEY!" Koree shot straight into a seated position, knocking her sister in the jaw and onto her back.

"Ow!"

Koree ignored her injured sister and stuck her hand out to the stranger they'd clobbered into, who turned out to be a young boy about their age with blue eyes and light blond hair.

"Koree Redfox, how ya doin' this fine night?"

"You pushed me in the dirt," the boy snapped. "How you think I'm doing, you klutz!?"

"Yeesh, it was just an accident! Don't be such a sourp-OUCH!"

Persephone knocked Koree in the back of the head with her foot. "An accident caused by you trying to get on a ride that will make you sick as a dog! Seriously, is there anything in that head of yours?"

"I thought we'd already worked this out," Koree said as she turned back to her sister. "You brains. Me brawn. That's how our team works."

"Can we really be a team if I've been trapped with you since the womb?"

"C'mon, you know you love me."

"Yeah, enough to constantly be saving your tail since, once again, the womb! Can't a girl get a little appreciation around here!?"

As the two girls kept arguing, the boy noticed a gray emblem on Koree's shoulder, peeking out from under her short sleeved, pink sundress.

"Ah, Fairy Tail. I oughta have known. Only Fairy Tail would let two idiots."

"Hey."

"Hey!"

Both girls shouted.

"For your information-" Persephone began.

"Fairy Tail is awesome!" Koree interrupted.

"And my sister is not an idiot! She's a genius! I'm an idiot, so you got me there, but not her! She's brilliant!"

"Wow…" Persephone face-palmed. "Really laying it on thick there, sis."

The boy just arched an eyebrow at them both. "Right…"

"Anywho, sorry about crashing your night. Want us to buy you some food to make up for it?" Koree asked.

"Wha-HOW DID YOU GO FROM DEFENDING OUR GUILD'S HONOR TO THAT!?" Persephone shouted.

"I'm a woman, I'm allowed to be fickle."

"Do you even know what that word means?"

"No, but I heard Mom say that before, and it sounded good, so I'm using it."

"Oy, vey," Persephone face-palmed again.

"Sure, I'll let you buy me some food," the boy shrugged.

"Great!" Koree smiled as she skipped over to a food booth and bought three churros, passing one to Persephone and one to the boy.

"Here you go," she smiled brightly.

"Thanks. Now get lost!" the boy shouted, pointing in one direction and walking away in the other.

"Yeesh! Rude! A simple thank you would be enough, y'know!" Koree shouted after him.

"I already said thank you," the boy said.

"Oh, yeah, you did," Koree grumbled. "Well, can we at least get a name!?"

"Carmen," the boy answered before disappearing into the crowd.

Persephone just turned to Koree with a frown. "How am I related to you again?"

"Shut up!" Koree snapped back. "Okay, guys, sourpuss is gone we can-"

Koree gasped when she realized the other four Birthday Gang members were gone.

"What, they left without us!?"

"Did you expect them to wait around?" Persephone questioned.

"Eck! Guess I gotta sniff 'em down. C'mon, Sephy, let's go!"
Koree grabbed her hand and they took off running, chasing after their friends who had by then made their way to a D.J. booth to enjoy the music. They had all begun dancing, even Roman was swaying slightly to the music despite his worries. The D. J. then began throwing out glow sticks, each of the four children managing to catch one.

"What!?" Cato grinned as he threw an arm around Roman's shoulders. "Is that a smile I see?"

"Shut up, I'm still mad at you guys," Roman grumbled.

"Yeah, yeah, sure you are," Cato grinned as he ruffled Roman's hair and stepped back-

-right into another person.

"Oh, excuse me!"

"Oh, sorry!"

"Wait? YOU!"

Cato shouted in unison with the person he'd bumped into, his older sister Farrah.

The two siblings then doubled over laughing.

"Oh, Mama and Papa would die if they knew what we were doing right now," Farrah giggled.

"How did you get out!?" Cato shouted. "I mean, I had Nashi, but how did you sneak out without Papa hearing you?"

"I had a little help," Farrah smiled as she grabbed the shoulder of someone behind her. "I had Benedict use his soundmagic to cancel out the noise."

Benedict Orlando, one of the few wizards in the younger generation who joined the guild rather than being born into it, crossed his arms as Farrah put an arm around his shoulder. "I did not agree to this adventure, I was taken by force."

"Join the club," Roman called from behind Cato.

"Hey, guys!" Koree's voice ran out as she and Persephone finally caught up. "No fair leaving us behin-OH! FARRAH! You're sneaking out after hours, you naughty girl! You're going to be in big trouble!"

"Koree, we're sneaking out after hours," Persephone grumbled.

"Oh, yeah."

"Alright, quick question," Benedict said as Storm came running to the group, Nashi riding on his back. "Are you sure you're not related to her?" Benedict asked Koree as he pointed to Nashi.

"That's what I'm saying!" Persephone exclaimed.

"Oof," Nashi said as she dismounted Storm's back. "I'm not feeling so great."

"You're not a dragon slayer, you shouldn't be getting motion sick," Storm said. "We haven't even been on a-"

"No, I ate the glow stick juice," Nashi said.

"WHAT!?"

"I wanted to see if it would change the color of my fire."

"You're fire is already all different colors!" Storm exclaimed. "Rhea's pink, Thea's crimson, Styx is red, Eos Orange, Iapetus Black, and Atlas Yellow!"

"But none of them are green or blue," Nashi pointed out, holding up the empty blue and green glow sticks she'd drained.

"Oh, for the love of-Cleanse!" Storm sputtered as he cast the healing spell.

"Wait, she gets a cleanse and not me!?" Koree shouted.

"She doesn't usually do dumb stuff like this."

"Does she, though?" Farrah asked.

"Okay, fine. She's at least usually sneakier about it and doesn't get hurt," Storm shrugged.

"That feels better, thanks," Nashi sighed as the spell ended.

"Why do I hang out with you guys again?" Storm muttered.

"I'm hanging with him from now on," Persephone declared, grabbing Storm's arm.

"No you don't, I called dibs!" Nashi protested, grabbing Storm's other arm.

"I'm not a thing!" Storm protested. "Now let go! No 'dibs' on the Fullbusters!"

"Hey, the qualifying trials are about to begin!" someone in the crowd called as everyone began flocking around a screen. The children and teenagers also flocked towards it, eager to watch their guild prosper.

The countdown began.

"Five! Four! Three! Two! One!"

Video footage of the courtyard of the massive resort all the guilds had been housed in popped on the screen. Several magic seals appeared in a circle on the ground, each with a guild emblem in the center. Wizards flocked from the resort buildings and took their spot on their respective mark.

All but one.

As the crowd of wizards in the courtyard organized themselves, one seal was strangely left empty.

Not a single wizard ran out to step onto the Fairy Tail seal.