//------------------------------//
// A Dragon Encounter 
// Story: Spike the Fairy 
// by PonyJoel 
//------------------------------//

It's 8:00 in the morning in Magnolia. Spike is waking up from his slumber. He gets up from his sleeping bag and goes to the bathroom to freshen up for the day. After his bath, he leaves the bathroom and sees Lucy making breakfast.

"Morning, Spike," Lucy smiles. 

"Morning, Lucy. You had a goodnight's sleep?" Spike smiles as well. 

"I did. Did you?" 

"I sure did." "I dreamt of Wendy. I wish I didn't have to wake up." Spike thought to himself. 

"You want some eggs, bacon, pancakes?"

"Yes, please. I am hungry," Spike said as he pats his belly, he goes to the fridge and grabs orange and grape juice, and brings it to the table. Spike grab two cups, forks, knives, and syrup. 

"Spike, can you grab the-" Lucy is surprised when she sees Spike already assembled the table.  "Oh, Spike. You didn't have to do everything." 

"I wanted to do it. You were cooking. It's the least I can do ever since you allowed me to live here with you." 

"You're too kind, Spike," Lucy gives Spike two pancake slices, three strips of bacon, and two eggs. 

"Thank you, Lucy," Spike graciously thanks. 

"You're welcome," She gives herself the same amount of food on her plate. She then sits down. 

"Want some juice, Lucy?" Spike offers. 

"Sure. I'll have grape juice." 

Spike pours Lucy grape juice in her cup. He then pours orange juice into his cup. He sits down at the table. 

"Hey, Lucy." 

"What's up, Spike?" 

"I'm thinking about going on a solo mission today. I want to use the money to buy me a bed." 

"Of course. I have been pulling that off cause I need to pay rent and in advance just in case. There are plenty of jobs on the board for you to do. I would steer clear from the S-Class jobs, though."

"Point taken. Thanks for the advice." 

"You're welcome." 

The two eat their breakfast and enjoy each other's company. After eating their breakfast, Spike and Lucy work together in cleaning the dishes. Spike feels happy that he's able to help and have someone to help him. He feels at peace knowing that all he's experience is not a fantasy. A half-hour later, Spike and Lucy leave the apartment and start walking to the guildhall. 

"Morning, Fairy Dragon," A Bystander on a boat passing said.

"Morning, Mister. Have a safe travel!" 

"You too!" He replies. 

"Careful, Lucy. One of these days, you'll go for a swim!" Another Bystander on a boat passing said.

"Don't worry, I'm fine," Lucy replies as she walks on the edge of the street. 

"If anything, I use my breath to teleport you before landing in the water." 

Minutes later, the two arrive in the guildhall. Spike and Lucy see their friends hanging around, eating, and drinking. 

"Alright, Lucy. I'm going to check the job board." 

"Have fun picking the right one," Lucy sees Levy and starts a chat with her. 

Spike walks up to the job board. He observes the jobs listed. "I need something right with me. Something not too complicated," Spike analyzes some more to pick the perfect job. 

Wendy and Carla walk into the guildhall. They look around and see Spike looking for work. Wendy and Carla approach Spike. 

"Hey, Spike," Said Wendy. 

"Morning, Spike," Said Carla. 

"How come you didn't say morning to me, Carla?" Asked Happy, feeling upset that she said morning to Spike first. 

"That's because I didn't see you, Tomcat," Carla responds, turning away from Happy. 

"Hey, Wendy. Morning, Carla." 

"We want to say sorry for what you've been through," Said Wendy. 

"Huh?" Spike is confused. 

"Erza, Evergreen, and the girls told us what happened to you and this Equestria world. We heard the horrors you've endured," Carla explains. 

"Oh," Spike groans a little. "Well, now you know my story. No need to fret. I'm fine." 

"Good. Just need to be sure," Wendy smiles. 

"Hey, Spike," Erza calls Spike to come over.

"I'll be back in a few to talk more. Erza needs me," Spike walks over to meet Erza. Wendy and Carla start looking at the jobs on the board. "What's up, Sis?" 

"Hope you don't mind. I explained to Wendy and Carla what you told the guild a while back." 

"It's fine. Thanks, Erza." 

"Also, you interested in going on a job with us as a group today?" Asked Erza. 

"Uh, not today. I'm going on a different job to earn enough money to buy a bed." 

"Very well, there are other jobs that await us in the future. I wish you luck on your first paying job, Spike," Erza smiles, knowing Spike will do well. 

"Thanks, Erza," Spike walks back to the job board. 

Wendy and Carla are having a hard time finding the right job to start on. Mirajane walks up to them. 

"Has any on the board caught your interest?" 

"There's so many it's hard to pick one," Wendy responds to Mirajane's question. 

"Take your time, though you wouldn't mind a little advice. I would stay away from solo jobs for now. Since your just starting out. It might be best to assist another team out with one of their jobs. You'll take a pay cut, of course, but the experience is well worth it." 

Wendy looks at Carla then back at Mirajane. "Sounds like a lot of fun." 

"I admire your enthusiasm but take a look at your potential partners," Carla said as she pointed to those around her. Some are eating; some are drinking; some are fighting each other; some are drunk. Happy comes behind her as a perfect partner. "Not a chance," Carla coldly states, causing Happy to go away in sadness. 

"Mirajane," Spike holds a flier. 

"Yes, Spike."

"I'm taking this job," The job Spike picked is gathering gigantic strawberries for the Cake Shop Owner. The reward is 90,000 Jewels. Beware of Vulcan territory by the mountains. 

"Hey, Fairy Dragon," Gajeel approaches Spike. 

"Hey, Gajeel. What's up?" Spike asks. 

"Thought you and I can go on a job together."

"Uh, sure," Spike finally relents and allows one of his friends to join on his job. "I hope you don't mind that I want to use the money to buy a bed. Whatever is left is yours." 

"Sure, what are we doing?" 

"Gathering gigantic strawberries by the mountains. The flier mentions these Vulcan creatures. The Cake Shop Owner wants those strawberries for a baking project."

"You grab the strawberries and, I'll pummel those apes," Gajeel chuckles, his arm turns into an iron club. 

"Spike. Mind taking Wendy and Carla with you?" Mirajane asks. 

"What?" Spike's eyes widened after hearing Wendy's name. 

"Yea," Levy walks up to the group with Lucy. "Strawberry picking sounds like fun and safe for Wendy. Especially with Gajeel around doing most of the fighting."

"Well.., uh..," Spike is lost for words as he didn't anticipate something like this to happen. 

"Yea, compared to what I had to go through to get experience by working with Natsu. So many dangers I faced," Lucy said in tears of fear a little. 

"Well, I think Spike makes an excellent teammate for Wendy. Also, the job doesn't sound too vicious," Said Carla. "Along with Gajeel."

"Alright, then. I'll have you two come with me." 

"Thanks, Spike. This'll help Wendy for sure," Mirajane graciously smiles. 

"Alright, let's get moving," As Spike, Gajeel, Wendy, and Carla are about to leave, Happy stands in front of the exit. 

"Can I come too?" Happy asks. 

"No. I really need the money to buy a bed. Another time, Happy." 

Carla sighs in relief. She's glad Happy isn't coming. Happy pouts but, he has this look to spy on them. Erza catches onto Happy's antics. She grabs hold of his tail. 

"Nice try, Happy. Can't have you spying on Spike, Gajeel, Wendy, and Carla." 

"Noooohohooo. Life is cruel. I want to be with my one and only," Happy thought to himself. He watches Carla walking away with Spike, Gajeel, and Wendy. 

"Alright, I just need a map to find the mountains where those Vulcans reside, and we'll get the strawberries we need," Spike said as he's walking. 

"This should be fun. Three dragons, working together side by side. Along with Carla." 

"Agreed," Spike nods. 

"There has to be a cat for me out there by the mountains. I'm a Dragon Slayer and want a flying kitty cat." Gajeel thought to himself as he walks. 

"Also, how many strawberries are we getting?" Wendy asks out of curiosity. 

"The flier said around 20 gigantic strawberries. What I will do is either borrow a cart or enlarge my size to carry them like actual strawberries." 

"20 gigantic strawberries?" Carla and Wendy are perplexed by the number. 

"Yea, which isn't so bad. 90,000 Jewels will be more than enough for me to buy a bed. I hope you don't mind me giving you the change of my purchase as the cut. Just as I mentioned to Gajeel." 

"What have you've been sleeping on since you came to Fairy Tail?" Wendy asks. 

"A sleeping bag that Lucy has. I don't mind it but, I really want a bed."

"We understand. What you give us will be fair enough. There are other jobs with higher rewards for us to grab in the future." 

"Thanks for understanding, Carla. That means a lot." 

"You're welcome." 

Spike, Gajeel, Wendy, and Carla are at the train station. Spike takes a map from the station to see where the mountains are. 

"We can't take the train, so we'll have to walk it," Said Spike. 

"Fine by me. I'm sick of trains," Said Gajeel. He sighs in relief in his head. He dodged a bullet of taking the train, thus getting motion sickness. 

"Lead the way," Said Wendy. 

Spike, Gajeel, Wendy, and Carla walk towards the East Forest. From there, they navigate their way out of the East Forest. A Vulcan has their fur colored green, their pectorals, abdominals, hands, ears, and facial features colored a bright shade of purple. Also, they have a decorative pattern on their arms consists of five pink hearts on their arms. One tries to snatch Wendy but, Gajeel intervenes and uses his Iron Club. The Vulcan holds his stomach and falls back, and starts wheezing.   

"Well, here's one of those apes," Said Gajeel. 

"Wendy, are you alright?" Spike asks. 

"Yea, I'm fine. What is up with that ape?" 

"Trying not to scare you kid but, these apes sometimes get perverted," Said Gajeel.

"I'm sorry for trying to nab you," The Vulcan apologetically expresses. 

"Now that you're talking, we have some questions for you," Gajeel picks up the Vulcan. 

"Please, don't hurt me," The Vulcan begs for his life.

"I won't unless you lead us in the wrong direction. Your death will be slow and painful." 

"What do you want?" He asks. His hands are in a prayer position. 

"The strawberries, lead us to where those gigantic are at," Gajeel commands. 

"Of course," The Vulcan nods. 

"Show us," Gajeel lets go and shoves the Vulcan forward. 

The Vulcan walks and strategizes on the way. Gajeel turns his arm into an iron sword. Just in case the Vulcan decides to betray him and his friends. 

"This'll be easier than I thought," Said Spike. 

"Yea, and strawberry picking. I can't wait to see how big they are," Said Wendy.  "I hope we can take an extra for the ride." 

"We will have to see, child," Said Carla as she's flying next to Wendy. 

Two hours later. The Vulcan stops as they reach the mountains. Gajeel and Spike look around and see no strawberries in sight. 

"Where the hell are they?" Gajeel demands. 

"Over that mountain," The Vulcan points to, "is where the strawberries you desire are at." 

"Better be," Said Gajeel, keeping his guard up. 

The Vulcan's friends and family show up, surrounding Gajeel, Spike, Wendy, and Carla. There are about fifty of them. 

"We're surrounded!" Wendy shouts as she becomes terrified. 

"Where did they all come from?" Carla asks as she looks around. 

"We have our places when needed to ambush unfortunate souls," The Vulcan laughs. "This is payback from the gut punch, runts." 

Gajeel and Spike powers up. Gajeel's body turns into Iron as Spike's body is ablaze with Sparkle Green Flames. The Vulcans are perplexed by the sudden change of Gajeel and Spike. 

"Hey, Fairy Dragon. Up for a little game?"

Spike chuckles. "I"m down."

"Let's see how many of these wimps can one of us take down the most," Gajeel's right arm turns into an Iron Dragon Lance. 

Spike claps his claws together, creating a metallic flame sword. "I'll have more than you." 

Some Vulcans panic a bit, seeing hostility from Gajeel and Spike's eyes. Some back away, not wanting to die today. 

"Let's do this!" Gajeel and Spike shout as they fight the Vulcans. Carla and Wendy got out of the way as Gajeel and Spike takes it too far. 

"Iron Dragon Lance! Demon Logs!" Several steel spears fire towards the Vulcans. Each Vulcan fell after getting hit in the chest and sides. 

"Flame Sword Slicer!" Spike slashes his sword in mid-air. Sparkling Green Flame Slicers cause some Vulcans to burn in agony. "I got eleven. What about you, Gajeel!" 

"Fifteen!" Gajeel throws a Vulcan away as he falls down the cliff. 

"Fairy Dragon!" Spike conjures his fire breath. 

"Iron Dragon!" Gajeel conjures his iron breath. 

"ROOOOAR!" Their breath attacks collide in unison as they both took out nineteen Vulcans. 

"Wait! We surrender!" The remainder of the Vulcans and those that survived the attacks raise the white flag. "We will take you to the gigantic strawberries," They say in unison. "Please, no more torture." 

Wendy and Carla regroup with Gajeel and Spike. She's astonished to see Gajeel and Spike work together. She wishes to muster enough bravery to fight alongside Spike in the future. Carla couldn't believe how powerful Spike and Gajeel were, and yet, she feels that they were both holding back. 

"How are you two holding up?" Spike asks. 

"Fine. Just amazed to see what kind of magic you use, Spike," Wendy answers. 

"Well, I held back if I had to be honest." 

The Vulcans overhear that statement and gulps. They now know they didn't stand a chance against a baby dragon. Let alone an Iron Dragon Slayer. 

"I have to say, you and Gajeel have good chemistry," Said Carla. 

"We once fought together against Laxus. Though during that time, I was a novice at best. Using my magic for defense instead of offense." 

"Now," Gajeel picks up one of the Vulcans. "Take us to those strawberries." 

"Of course. Please, follow us," The Vulcan quivers in fear. 

The Vulcans navigate the group over the mountain. Spike, Gajeel, Wendy, and Carla are amazed by the sheer size of the strawberries. The strawberries are half the size of Erza's wagon to carry her belongings. 

"Wooooooooow," Spike, Gajeel, Wendy, and Carla say in unison. 

"Amazing, right?" The Vulcan asks. 

"How are we going to carry that? That's twice my size," Said Gajeel. 

"Spike wants," Spike increases his size into a full-size dragon. In which he believes to be a full-size dragon. For Gajeel and Wendy, Spike is a quarter size of a dragon. 

"Yea, that should do it," Said Gajeel. 

The Vulcans panic and run far away from Spike's sheer size. They believe he'll gobble them alive. They leave a trail of smoke behind. 

Spike starts grabbing the strawberries. He manages to carry ten gigantic strawberries in each claw.

"Alright, I got them," Spike sighs. "I wish I had a cart or a wagon." 

"Walk Fairy Dragon. Shouldn't be that far with your size," Said Gajeel. 

"You're right. I need to remember not to squeeze my claws." 

"Wow, Spike is incredible. I never thought I see him increase his size so easily. I wonder if he thinks about me after I kissed his cheek the other night." 

"Wendy," Spike calls her. "Want a ride on my shoulder?" Spike uses his tail to pick up Gajeel and places him on his left shoulder.

"Sure, Spike," Wendy smiles. 

Spike uses his tail to pick up Wendy and places her on his right shoulder; Carla flies up to Wendy. Wendy holds Carla in her arms. Spike jogs a little to get used to this size. 

"Now this is how you travel," Gajeel gets motion sickness and falls off of Spike. Carla dives down and catches him. 

"Boy, you're heavy, Gajeel," Carla grunts a little after catching Gajeel.

"I'm an Iron Dragon Slayer. Of course, I'm going to be heavy," Gajeel retorts a little. 

Carla puts Gajeel on the ground and flies back to Wendy. 

"Keep going, Fairy Dragon. I'll catch you by the guildhall later." "In the meantime, I'll search for my flying kitty cat."

"Alright then, thanks for the help," Spike continues to jog as Gajeel follows. 

"Wow, the air feels nice up here," Said Wendy as Spike continues to jog. 

"I'm glad you are enjoying the breeze," Said Spike happily. 

"I concur, Wendy," Said Carla. "It does feel nice when I'm not flying. So, how are you doing, Spike?" 

"I'm good. I can't complain for the first time in my life. I'm genuinely happy. I have a guild to call home to, the greatest friends a guy could ever ask for and, to be loved and cared for; I continue to make new friends along the way," Spike smiles. He sighs in happiness. 

"That's good, Spike. I'm glad your wish came true," Said Wendy. 

An hour later, Spike arrives in Magnolia after picking up the pace. The people in Magnolia are not panicking since they are aware of Spike the Fairy. Seeing the emblem on his chest made them feel more secure than ever. Wendy and Carla hop down to knock at the Magnolia Cake Shop. 

"Coming," The Cake Shop Owner opens the door to see Wendy and Carla. 

"We have your strawberries," Said Wendy. 

"Oh, where are they?"

"Come on out," Wendy steps aside as the Cake Shop Owner comes out. He is startled a bit by seeing Spike the Fairy. 

"Relax, it's me. Spike the Fairy." 

"Right, my apologies, Spike. I have never seen you this big."

"Well, how else would I have carried all these strawberries," Spike places them down gently; the gigantic strawberries are still fresh. The Cake Shop Owner is stupefied. He becomes ecstatic. 

"Oh, thank you so much, Spike the Fairy."

"You're welcome," Spike smiles. He shrinks down to normal. 

"Now that's the dragon I remember. Thank you so much for getting these. Now I have enough to make my cakes." 

"You're welcome." 

"Here you go," The Cake Shop Owner gives Spike 90,000 Jewels. He rolls the gigantic strawberries into his bakery one at a time. 

"Here, Spike," Wendy uses her Sky Magic to heal Spike. "It's to prevent you from having a migraine and a nosebleed."

"Thank you, Wendy." 

Spike, Wendy, and Carla walk down the street together. Spike is looking for Magnolia's furniture store. After a while, he finds it and enters. A store clerk approaches Spike, Wendy, and Carla. 

"Hello, Fairy Dragon. My name is Mark. How can I help you?" Mark is aware who Spike the Fairy is after seeing him from the Fantasia Parade and hearing the rumors about him in town.

"Hi, Mark. I'm looking for a bed to sleep on." 

"Follow me, Fairy Dragon," Mark navigates Spike to the bed section of the furniture store. "See and feel which one you want."

Spike tries out the first bed he sees. It was too soft. He tries another bed, and it was firm. He lays on his side and gets real comfortable. 

"Ooooh, yea. This bed feels too good for me." 

Mark approaches Spike. "I see you like the twin extra large bed. It's a firm mattress, Spike the Fairy."

"I love it. How much?" 

Mark takes a look at the price tag. "60,000 Jewels."

"I'll take it," Spike gives Mark 60,000 Jewels to pay for the mattress. Mark's co-workers go to the back to bring out the firm mattress Spike purchase. Spike gives Mark the info where he's residing. 

"We will deliver the mattress you purchase to the apartment you reside with Lucy Heartfilia in an hour or so. Give or take. Gotta grab a few components before shipping," Mark explains. 

"Thank you, Mark. Please let the landlady know that the package is for me." 

"I will. Take care, Fairy Dragon," Mark waves as Spike leaves.

Wendy and Carla are outside waiting for Spike. Spike comes outside.  Counting the remaining money he has left. 

"Hey, Spike. How did it go?" Asked Wendy. 

"Great. The bed cost 60,000 Jewels. So, here's you pay," Spike gives Wendy and Carla 10,000 Jewels each. 

"Thanks, Spike. The experience is greatly appreciated."

"You're welcome, Wendy." 

"Hopefully, the next job we go on, we'll be more useful," Said Carla. 

"No need to worry. It wasn't like we faced a powerful guild. Just a bunch of Vulcans." 

"Let's head back to the guildhall and see how everyone else is doing." 

Spike, Wendy, and Carla walk back to the guildhall. Mirajane and Lucy see the trio coming back. 

"Welcome back, you three. Did you had fun?" Asked Mirajane. 

"I did. It was cool seeing Spike using his magic and increasing his size," Said Wendy. 

"You did what?" Erza stares down at Spike. Most of the time, whenever Erza stares at someone, it puts fear in people. It doesn't bother Spike as he laughs a little. 

"I didn't have a wagon to carry what I needed to bring, so I had to improvise."

Erza sighs and pats Spike's head. "Well, I give you a pass for thinking logically. Next time, prepare how you will approach things," Erza walks to have a chat with Master Makarov. 

"I will, Sis." 

"So, where's your bed, Spike?" Lucy asks. 

"It'll be delivered later today. Have you seen Gajeel?" 

"Right here, Fairy Dragon," Gajeel is chowing on iron. 

Spike walks up to Gajeel. "Here you go," Spike gives Gajeel 10,000 Jewels. His cut on the job. 

"Pleasure fighting alongside, Fairy Dragon," Gajeel takes the money and chows on another piece of iron. 

"What?!" Natsu runs up to Spike. "You went on a job without me?!" 

"Yea, sorry. I thought I'll be going alone. Gajeel wanted to tag along and, Mirajane wanted me to bring Wendy and Carla." 

Gray walks into the guildhall with crucial info for Natsu to hear. "Yo Natsu." 

Natsu turns to see Gray. "Yea, what is it?" 

"What's wrong my, love? You seem troubled," Asked Juvia, worried about Gray. 

"When I was on my way here, I heard something.., crazy," Gray said, sounding serious. 

"And that would be?" Natsu is curious to know how crazy it has to be. 

"The rumor mill is running pretty hardcore around town. Apparently, there's been a dragon sighting." 

Natsu's eyes beam open in revelation. Wendy overhears the conversation. After a seven-year disappearance of their dragons, they have a newfound hope of seeing them again. 

"Okay, you have my attention. Was it Igneel?" 

"I didn't hear any names specifically," Gray replies. 

"Alright, did you at least talked to the guy who saw this dragon?"

"No, like I said. It's just a rumor I heard. Apparently, the person who started it, is some woman named Daphne. Who says there is more to the story. According to her, she didn't just see it. She says she actually spoke with the dragon." 

"Like in person? Is it true, Gray?" Natsu looks at Gray, wanting to know more. 

"Don't know, but it's worth checking out," Gray smiles. "Don't you think?" 

"How do we find her?" Happy asks. He flies next to Natsu after hearing about the dragon rumor. 

"Goes to the Rise Lodge. It's in the western wasteland." 

"Thanks, I owe you one. Let's go, Happy." 

"Aye, Sir," Happy nods. 

"Mind if I come?" Wendy asks. Hoping the dragon that this Daphne person spoke to is Grandeeny. "I won't bug you. I want to see if it's Grandeeny." 

"Sure, the more, the merrier. Tagging along Gajeel? What about you, Spike?" 

"No way," Said Gajeel. "You hear a rumor about a dragon sighting and now going for a wild goose chase? Think for two seconds. The story is sucker bait." 

"Sucker bait?" Natsu feels conflicted. "What if it's Metalicana?" 

"Look, here's a legitimate reason why it's sucker bait," Gajeel points to Spike. 

"What about Spike?" Natsu is still confused. 

"Spike is the only dragon that people have seen. Our dragons left us. If you truly believe that this Daphne person saw a different dragon, then she hooked on a sucker." 

"I'm not going. I believe it's a scam. People would want to profit from dragon sighting and exaggerate the story. I've seen dozens of people every day, and for all we know, one of them told this Daphne person, and she sought to change the perspective of the story. Also, my bed will be arriving later and, I would like to set it up." 

"Guess it's just us then," Natsu turns to Wendy. 

"Now, hold on, child. I know how ambitious you are but, listen to detail. Gajeel and Spike made bold statements of what it could be. I don't want you wasting your time on nothingness and meaningless."

"I have to see this through. I can't pass this opportunity. What if it is Grandeeny? What if it is her and I miss my chance of finding out where she is. Natsu will go searching in a heartbeat looking for Igneel without thought," Wendy responds rebelliously. "Let's go, Natsu." 

Carla sighs. "Just don't get your hopes up. You may feel disappointed later." 

"Right," Natsu nods. "Let's go." 

Natsu and Wendy run as Happy, and Carla flies with them. Gray watches and goes on his way. Spike and Gajeel look as they left. 

"Wow, Spike. I'm surprised you decided not to go with them," Said Lucy. 

"I've seen many dragons in my lifetime. Back in the other world, the dragons have their kingdom near the volcanic. Some dragons are big, some small, some huge. Knowing that I'm the last young dragon of this world is my reason why Daphne may have used my name as profit." 

"Fairy Dragon is thinking clearer compared to those morons. What this Daphne punk is trying to do is sell some merchandise or food, I bet," Gajeel claims as he eats more iron. 

"Hey, Spike," Erza walks over. "I'm going to get Wendy and Carla a welcome present. Want to join me?" 

"Sure, I don't see why not. It'll help me kill some time." 

Spike and Erza leave the guildhall. They walk down the street as several people wave and greet Spike. 

"So, where are we going?" Spike asks as he waves at some people. 

"Going to one of my favorite shops in Magnolia." 

"Cool." 

Half an hour later, Erza and Spike walk into the Cake Shop. Spike couldn't help but chuckle; since he was here a while ago. 

"Welcome back, Fairy Dragon. Hello Erza," The Cake Shop Owner happily greets his customers. 

Erza looks at Spike. She wonders what kind of job Spike went on. "I would like this one," Erza points to the Strawberry Cake that has the Fairy Tail Emblem on it. 

"Sure. I must say, you are my most loyal and frequent customer." 

"I buy one each time we recruit new members," Said Erza. "I guess you can say it's tradition now." 

"So, this is where you got the Strawberry Cake when I joined Fairy Tail." 

"Yea," Erza nods. "I had them deliver it to the guildhall. So I can share with you." 

"Thank you, Erza," Spike smiles. 

"You're welcome." 

The Cake Shop Owner cheers. "Happy to know that my treats are appreciated."

"You're a master of your craft," Erza compliments the Cake Shop Owner. "So are fifty cakes doable?" 

"Huh? You've recruited fifty new members?" The Cake Shop Owner is in awe. 

"Only two, actually. The rest are for me." 

The Cake Shop Owner is stunned in disbelief. Even Spike is stunned. Both their jaws drop after hearing Erza's response. 

"Well..," The Cake Shop Owner chuckles a little. "Good thing Spike here gave me all those gigantic strawberries as I ordered." 

Now Erza is stunned. She turns to Spike in utter shock. "Gigantic.., strawberries..?" Erza is lost for words now. 

"They were huge, and the Cake Shop Owner needed it. Good thing he now has a fresh supply, huh," Spike laughs a bit, seeing Erza's shocking reaction. 

"I meant to say twelve gigantic strawberries, not twenty on the flier," The Cake Shop Owner chuckles. "Good thing I have eight spare to make fifty cakes for Erza." 

"Well, I bid you a farewell," Erza leaves with Spike. 

"Please, come again," The Cake Shop Owner says as he sees Spike and Erza leaving. 

Erza feels that an unknown force is watching her and Spike. She keeps her guard up as Spike follows. 

"So, you upset that my first paying job was gathering gigantic strawberries?" Spike curiously asks. 

"Well, I can't say that I am. I'm glad you went on your first paying job. I wish I can see those gigantic you, Gajeel, Wendy, and Carla saw. How big were they?" 

"I had to increase my size to fit-" Erza shoves Spike aside as a hooded enemy drops down. 

Erza dodges the sword attacks that the hooded enemy used; she requips her swords to counter the hooded enemy. Erza blocks the sword strike from the enemy. 

"What is that?" Spike asks. He sees the hooded enemy giving Erza a run for her money with swords. 

"I don't know," Erza breaks the hooded enemy sword. It spawns two sets to fight Erza. "Requiping!" 

Spike uses his fire breath to teleport the hooded enemy away from Erza. It lands behind her as Erza turns and shatters the enemy's two swords. Erza jumps up as the hooded creature sees what Spike is doing. 

"Fairy Dragon!" Spike conjures his fire breath. "Roooooar!" It's not quite powerful but should have some effects on the hooded creature. It gets burned by the flames and vanishes. 

"Spike, did you teleported it away again?" Erza asks as she no longer senses its presence. 

"No. I was aiming to burn the enemy. It wasn't human but reptilian. I saw its tail. It was green and had scales."

"We should regroup at the guildhall and see if there is any news relating to what we encountered," Spike suggests. 

Erza and Spike head back to the guildhall. They keep their guard up in case the hooded enemy decides to strike back. Minutes later, they return to the guildhall to inform Master Makarov of the recent ambush. Master Makarov ponders on the situation. 

"Strange that he would attack then retreat," Said Makarov. 

"He was letting us know that he's out there and attack us whenever he chooses," Said Erza. 

"As I mentioned. The guy is a reptilian. He's not human," Said Spike as a reminder to everyone else in the guildhall. 

"Sounds to me another dark guild out there needs a manly kicking in the pants," Said Elfman. 

"We'll be cautious but not overly so," Makarov decrees. "I'm sure we'll see him again.

"Are we to sit back and do nothing?" Erza questions Makarov's command. 

"That's exactly what we'll do for now. We waste resources otherwise. Proceed as nothing has happened. That should provoke him into revealing himself sooner rather than later." 

"Right," Erza nods. 

"Don't worry. We'll pay this guy back. Plus interest," Said Lucy. "Spike and I are with you, Erza." 

Spike nods. "After I assemble my bed," Spike chuckles nervously.

"Lucy and I will help assemble your bed as quickly as possible. Then, we'll wait for Natsu and Wendy to come back." 

"Thanks," Spike graciously said. 

Spike, Lucy, and Erza head over to the apartment. Upon arrival, they see Mark and his crew bringing in the bed. 

"Just in time. Want us to assemble it for you?" Mark asks. 

"Yes, please," Spike answers. 

Lucy heads upstairs to allow Mark and his crew to assemble the bed. After twenty minutes, Mark and his co-workers leave. Spike sees how nice the bed is and goes back to the guildhall with Lucy and Erza.

It is now 8:30 at night in Magnolia. Natsu and Wendy have been gone for four hours. 

"They're late. What can possibly hold them up?" Said Erza. "It doesn't take this long for a simple lead."

"He was asking someone about the dragon sighting. You think he found what he's looking for?" Said Lucy. 

"I doubt it. What kind of caring dragon would leave the one they raised without any word or reason behind it? Plus, Natsu has told me how passionate he is with Igneel during his youth. I'm pretty sure the same is for Wendy," Said Spike, still thinking that Daphne's ploy is a scam. 

"Or, maybe he's catching up with Igneel," Macao suggests. 

"Or he got tired of chasing rumors, got fed up, and called it a night," Wakaba noted. 

"No," Mirajane shakes her head. "Normally, I would agree, but Natsu had Wendy with him. He would have brought her back first." 

"Salamander might be reckless but, he wouldn't keep a kid out this late at night. It's not the kind of man he is," Said Elfman. 

"What's more. The hooded reptilian hasn't made any moves since attacking Erza and me earlier today. Perhaps it went after them?" Spike implies as he crosses his arms. 

"I'm afraid that Gray is out there needing my help. We should form a search party immediately. If something happened to him, I'll never forgive myself for not being there," Juvia worriedly expresses. 

"Gray's a big boy. He can take care of himself," Macao reassures Juvia. 

"Seriously, you worry way too much. It's bad for your health," Said Wakaba. 

"You be wise not to underestimate the intuition of a woman madly in love," Juvia infuriatingly said, feeling conflicted by Wakaba and Macoa's statements. 

"I'm going to look for them. Lucy, Spike. You're with me," Erza commands. 

"Right," Spike nods. 

"Lead the way," Said Lucy. 

"I will accompany you as well," Said Juvia, wanting to find Gray more than ever. 

"You're going to need a man with you," Elfman proposes. 

"No, we can't divide our forces so thinly," Said Erza. 

"Especially with the hooded reptilian enemy that could be lurking around Magnolia. He may have friends with him as well," Spike advises. 

"Point taken, Spike. We'll do our part," Said Mirajane. "Careful out there, you three." 

Spike and Lucy go with Erza as she leads the way. They're heading to the Rise Lodge in the western wasteland. After an hour of running, the three arrive at what should have been the Rise Lodge but, they don't see it in sight.

"Is this the spot?" Spike asks. 

"I don't know. I've never been to the Rise Lodge before. You, Erza?" Said Lucy. 

"Yes, but something is not right. Keep your guard up. I fear we are not alone," Said Erza. 

The same hooded reptilian rises from the ground. It growls a little, freaking out Lucy. 

"What is that thing?" Asked Lucy, she's a bit petrified at the moment. 

"The punk that attacked Erza and me," Spike said as he's eager to battle it. 

"I had a feeling he'll show up again," Said Erza, getting ready to embrace the battle. 

"I think this hooded reptilian may be the cause of Natsu and Wendy's disappearance. Why else would he attack us earlier?" Said Spike. 

Erza requips into her Heaven's Wheel Armor, the hooded reptilian requips two swords that are identical. The two attack, slashing swords. 

"Tell me what you're planning here?" Erza demands. "Are you the reason why Natsu and Wendy haven't come home? Answer me!" Erza slashes her sword revealing the reptilian creature. 

"An alligator?" Spike is surprised to see an alligator wielding the swords. 

The alligator attacks Erza, once more giving her a run for her money in the sword art. Spike and Lucy run after the creature attacking Erza. 

"Open, Gate of the Maiden, Virgo!" Lucy uses her Celestial Spirit to summon Virgo. 

"Is there someone you would like for me to spank, Princess?" Virgo asks. 

"We gotta work on your term of phrase," Said Lucy, profoundly. Spike laughs a bit. 

"I look forward to being disciplined," Said Virgo. 

"Whatever, Erza needs our help pronto," Lucy commands. 

"It would be my pleasure," Virgo descends a little until she senses the same creature appearing behind her. Another alligator soldier appears in front of Lucy. "Have no fear, Princess. I'll take care of this one," Virgo drills into the earth to get under the creature.

"She's going to try and catch it off guard. That's a great idea, Virgo," Said Lucy. 

"Lucy, look!" Spike shouts. Lucy sees the alligator copying Virgo's magic by drilling into the earth. 

"Spike! Lookout!" Lucy shouts as an alligator soldier appears behind Spike. 

"Didn't think they'll be more than one!" Said Erza as she continues to fight the one in front of her. 

Spike's claws glows Sparkling Green. He claps his claws together, forming a metallic sparkle green flame sword, and wields it. He attacks the alligator soldier before it can copy his magic. With one slash, the alligator soldier holds its left side. The alligator soldier tries to copy Spike's magic but struggled for some reason. Spike lifts his claw and conjures a fireball. 

"Inferno Heat Wave!" Spike lowers the fireball and presses both his claws forward. Creating a heat cannon incinerating the alligator soldier. 

Spike turns to see Erza and Lucy holding their own. Virgo rises after taking a pounding from the creature. Lucy closes her gate key and summons Loke (Leo the Lion). 

"It's been a while, sup gorgeous," Said Loke. His hair extended into fashion reminiscent of a lion's mane, and he's wearing a black suit.

"I'm kinda in a bind right now, but I know you can help me out," Said Lucy. 

"I never turn my back on a beautiful face. That's not how a leader of the Zodiac spirit does things. I still owe for taking Aries and the others," Loke confidently said. The alligator soldier lunges at them, and Loke punches it away. It changes form into looking like Loke with hair, a red tie, and black pants. 

"No, it changed again." 

"Alright, he'll be a tough nut to crack," Said Loke. "It's nice to have challenges."

Loke and the alligator soldier exchange blows in hand-to-hand combat. Loke notices that the alligator soldier is increasing in power and strength. 

"I just figure out what's its doing," Said Lucy, a bit terrified. 

"Fairy Dragon!" Spike conjures his breath attack immensely. "Rooooooooar!" Spike's fire breath incinerates the alligator soldier that was fighting Loke. The alligator soldier didn't stand a chance as it incinerates. 

"Whoa!" Lucy looks back in shock. 

"Nice save, Spike," Loke is impressed with Spike. 

"No problem," Spike sees how Erza is faring. 

Erza figures out that the alligator soldier is using imitation magic. Erza requips into her Giant Armor. A large, furry, golden colored armor with that sports a large cross on the breastplate. The armor also has headgear with the appearance of a pair of large metal ears. The alligator soldier copies Erza's armor and weapon. 

"Fairy Dragon!" Spike conjures his breath attack immensely again. "Rooooooooar!" Spike's fire breath incinerates the alligator soldier that was fighting Erza. He runs up to Erza. "Those things don't have a shot against my fire for some reason and have a problem imitating my magic. I want to say I'm their kryptonite." 

Erza chuckles. "Well put, Spike. Now then," She turns. "Let's go find our friends." 

Sanddust from the ground rises as a loud roar is sound. It's no longer invisible as a mechanical dragon emerges. Spike, Lucy, Erza, and Loke are stunned, shocked, and in awe at the same time. Their jaws drop as they remain motionless. Spike thought he saw colossal dragons back in Equestria. He now stands corrected. 

"Yes, yes, it's alive! Concealment magic dispersed. Prepare to activate lacrima core. Neurotransmitter lacrima is good to go. Anyone not named Salamander, get away from my precious baby!" Daphne yells as she's in control of the dragon he's piloting. "Yes, yes, yes. Firing up this bad boy with a Salamander Heart!" She plays an organ piano keys. "Let's get this party started!"  Pressing some keys, Daphne powers up her Dragonoid by draining Natsu's firepower. "Now, my Dragonoid, activate!" 

"Okay, that's bigger than any other dragon I've seen in my lifetime."

"Interesting name choice," Said Erza. 

The Dragonoid roars loudly. "Yes, yes, yes. Like a newborn, it cries!" Daphne cheers. "Such majesty. The world's first-ever artificially constructed dragon. The unstoppable Dragonoid and that Salamander magic is its lifeblood." 

"She's using his magic power?" Said Erza. 

"Apparently so," Said Spike in shock. 

"Lucy, Erza, Spike," Wendy runs up to the trio. Happy and Carla is flying next to her. "You're okay." 

"I'm glad you're safe," Said Erza. 

"We need to do something fast!" Happy said. 

"Way ahead of you," Said Spike. He starts powering up. 

"No! That kind of buildup will be too much for you, Spike!" Erza knows that Spike is planning; to match the size of Daphne's artificial Dragonoid.

"I have to do this!" Spike has pushed himself a bit too much. He falls to one knee as his magic power is depleting. He pants as he realizes that he overused his magic power a bit too much. "I.., I used too much magic.., I can't match the size," Spike looks up at the Dragonoid. 

"Oh.., Spike..," Wendy becomes more worried about Spike than ever. 

"You have to tell us what's going on," Said Erza. 

Happy explains that Natsu is inside the dragon. Daphne is piloting the dragon, and Gray is working for her. Gray and Daphne planted an ambush for Natsu to fall. 

"What did you say?" Erza, Lucy, Loke, and Spike say in unison. They are in shock. 

"What's worse is he's not being manipulated. It's all on purpose. Gray's doing all of this on his own free will," Said Wendy. 

Lucy turns. "Up there," Gray is on the snout of the Dragonoid. 

Gray hops down, telling Erza he doesn't have a reason for betraying the Fairy Tail guild. Everyone eyeballs Gray. Spike couldn't believe he'll betray them. Daphne reveals that Natsu will slowly perish as he'll be the heart of the Dragonoid. Within the heart of the Dragonoid, Natsu is struggling to free himself. He sees what the Dragonoid sees. 

"Wendy.., lend me some of your Sky Magic..," Said Spike. 

"What are you planning..?" Wendy looks at Spike. 

Spike struggles to stands up a little. "What needs to be done," Spike turns to Wendy. "Use your breath on me." 

Gray sees this and wonders what Spike is thinking. 

"Sky Dragon!" Wendy conjures her breath attack. 

"Huh?" Daphne looks down and becomes fascinated. She couldn't tell if her eyes are playing tricks on her. 

"Roooooar!" Wendy's air breath hits Spike.

"What are you doing?!" Daphne shrieks. 

Spike is consuming Wendy's air breath, replenishing his magic as he starts powering up again. Spike roars as it startled Daphne a bit. 

"Spike wants!" Spike increases his size like before. His spikes from his body enlargen, his claws become sharper, his muscles expand more as he's becoming ripped. He levitates in the air as he's growing into the same size he was when gathering the gigantic strawberries. 

"Oh.., wow," Gray said in utter shock. 

"That's.., that's a real dragon!" Daphne smiles happily, knowing that people will have to believe her dragon story when she was younger. "I knew it! I knew they were real!"

"Real enough to take you down!" Spike lunges at the Dragonoid, causing it to stumble back a bit. 

"Yes, yes, yes! I now have a real challenger on my hands! What's a better way of testing my Dragonoid against a real dragon! Fight, fight, fight!" 

The Dragonoid flies up and stomps on Spike. Spike then uses his fire breath to teleport the Dragonoid behind him instead. The Dragonoid stomps on the ground, and Spike grabs the Dragonoid's tail. Spike pulls and yanks the tail ripping a piece off in the process. The Dragonoid back wings Spike in the process. Spike collides next to a mountain. 

"Yes, yes, yes! So much data I'm collecting for my prototype. I wish that the dragon was older and more of a threat," Daphne wants to agitate Spike for calling him a weak dragon. 

"Phew, phew!" Spike mimics gun motions with his claw, causing the Dragonoid to take flight dodging all the sparkling green flaming bullets. 

"My my, what an interesting spell you're using. Mind if I add that to my next Dragonoid creation!" 

"You can use it in Hell!" Spike jumps but doesn't reach the Dragonoid for not having wings yet. 

"Such a weak dragon with no wings! How pathetic! Yes, yes, yes!" Daphne programs the Dragonoid to stomp on Spike. This time it connects as the Dragonoid cracks a few ribs on Spike. 

Spike roars in pain from the impact. 

"Spike!" Erza, Lucy, Loke, Happy, Carla, and Wendy shout in horror. Blood-curdling screams are all Spike can hear from his friends. Gray cringes a bit but doesn't show it. 

"We gotta get him out of here!" Wendy shouts. 

The Dragonoid continues to stomp Spike, wanting to see more of Spike's capabilities. Spike couldn't think as the Dragonoid continues to stomps his body. Spike is taking heavy blows. 

"No, no, no! No way out for this sorry excuse of a dragon!" Daphne programs the Dragonoid to lift Spike with its mouth. "I expected more from you, you pathetic dragon. Now perish! Yes, yes, yes," Daphne coldly states. She drops Spike and kicks him far away. Spike turns back to his size as he's unconscious from the kick. 

"Spike!" Happy flies in pursuit of Spike.

Sounds of a magic mobile driving draw near the group. Macao is driving with Wakaba and Elfman riding. They are pissed at Gray for betraying Fairy Tail. Elfman jumps up and punches Gray in the stomach, knocking him out cold. Erza runs up to Elfman as Macao pulls over. 

"Master sent you?" 

"Yea, when he got word what Daphne is up to, he told us to come out here," Macao explains. 

"He said he'll decide what to do about the oversized lizard once he gets to talk to Gray one on one," Wakaba informs Erza on what Makarov told them. 

"Erza! Daphne is taking flight!" Lucy shouts as Daphne programs the Dragonoid to take flight. 

"Oh no," Wendy is appalled. "The Dragonoid is heading the same direction where Happy flew to grab Spike." 

"That direction leads to Magnolia," Lucy pants a bit. "Daphne wants to test her dragon on the people of Magnolia!" 

"Alright, listen up," Erza watches the Dragonoid flying in the direction towards Magnolia. "I need you all to return to the guildhall as quickly as possible. Get everyone ready to fight the Dragonoid by all means. Wendy," Erza turns to Wendy. "As much as I hate to ask you.., heal Spike and have him ready for round two against the Dragonoid. He may be our best option in taking it down." 

Wendy nods, understanding her task at hand. 

"What happened to Spike?" Macao worriedly asks.

"What you mean by round two, Erza?" Wakaba is confused. He wants to know what she meant by round two. 

"The Dragonoid defeated Spike in his first encounter," Said Erza, filled with rage against the Dragonoid.

"Oh, man," Macao said as he pictures the fight in his head. 

"Poor dragon, he must have felt like a failure for losing his first fight," Wakaba said. 

"Spike's not a failure! How dare you call him a failure?!" Wendy retorts at Wakaba, showing emotion for Spike. "He'll bounce back from this! I just know it!" 

Carla is a bit surprised that Wendy showed that much care for Spike after knowing him for three days. She sees that Wendy is changing more and more when she's with him. It's peculiar. 

"Okay, okay, calm down, kid. We gotta get back to the guildhall," Wakaba said after upsetting Wendy. He didn't mean to upset her like that. 

"What are you going to do, Erza?" Lucy asks, wondering what Erza is planning after giving them an instruction. 

Erza gets on top of the mobile as Lucy enters. "I'm going dragon hunting." 

"Carla, we better fly ahead. Gotta get to Spike before the Dragonoid gets to Magnolia."

"Understood, Wendy," Carla grabs Wendy and flies in the direction, following Happy's trail. 

Happy flies faster, nearing closer to Spike. Spike feels the winds hitting him as he starts waking up. He groans in pain as he feels his ribcage. Happy swoops under Spike, catching him from the rear. 

"Gotcha, Spike." Happy pants a bit from flying faster than he thought. 

"Thanks..," Spike takes a deep breath to steady himself. "Oooh, what happened?"

"You got your butt handed to you by an artificial Dragon Daphne created." 

Spike groans after hearing that. "Right, I tried to take it down, but I was no matched for it cause it can fly, and I.., I can't..." 

"We're close to Magnolia. I'll fly us to the guildhall to inform everyone of the artificial dragon." 

Spike nods as Happy flies to the Fairy Tail Guildhall. As they arrive, they see some of their fellow guild members evacuating the town into the guildhall. Spike and Happy are confused. Happy continues to fly when he sees everyone else outside of the guildhall. Happy land, releasing Spike as he lands on his feet. Spike struggles and collapses onto the floor. 

"Spike!" Mirajane runs up to Spike, comforting him. "What happened?" She worriedly asks. 

Spike sighs in defeat. "I got my ass handed to me by Daphne's artificial dragon after I increased my size," Spike hears loud gasps from everyone around him except for Happy. 

"No way," Levy said in shock. 

"Unbelievable," Droy said. 

"Did it fly?" Jet asks. 

Spike nods with tears in his eyes as he failed to stop the dragon. Mirajane holds him as he's hurting. Cooing him softly that everything is going to be alright. 

"What do we do now?" Juvia asks. 

"We fight. And bring down that fake dragon once and for all. For Spike," Said Cana confidently. 

Carla and Wendy arrive at the Fairy Tail guildhall. Wendy looks for Spike and sees him in Mirajane's arms. Wendy feels a bit jealous but pushes that emotion aside. 

"Mirajane, I need to heal Spike."

"Go ahead," Mirajane lays Spike on the ground as Wendy uses her Sky Magic to heal Spike. 

"Where's everyone else and Natsu?" Levy asks. 

"Daphne is using Natsu as a battery for her Dragonoid. Draining his magic to amplify the Dragonoid's power," Everyone except for Happy and Spike gasps louder. 

"Gray, Lucy, and the rest should be here soon while Erza is trying to slow down the Dragonoid from coming here," Said Carla. 

"And I thought I was crazy for tackling the Dragonoid on my own," Spike claims as he feels his ribs healing. 

The roars of the Dragonoid made everyone feel dreadful. They all turn to see the Dragonoid flying in Magnolia. It's miles away, but the sheer size sends terror down their spines. Spike stands up after Wendy heals him but feels discouraged fighting the Dragonoid a second time. 

"Spike, you ready to go at it again?" Jet asks, throwing the thumbs up. 

"I'm not sure," Spike looks down. "I got my ass handed, and I'm afraid that it'll happen a second time.., or worse. What if I fail again..," Spike sighs in defeat, unsure how to handle the Dragonoid a second time. He starts doubting himself and his power. 

Minutes later, the magic mobile arrives. Elfman, Macao, Wakaba, and Lucy are all beaten up. They have Gray safely returned. What happened was that the lizard soldiers appeared and ambushed them. It took them some time to defeat the lizard soldiers. Wendy starts healing Elfman, Macao, Wakaba, and Lucy. Gray grunts a little, causing Cana to try and wake him up. 

"Leave him alone," Juvia shoves Cana a little. Her love for him is stronger than petty traitor talk coming from the other guild members. "Don't you dare call him that! My beloved will never turn his back on Fairy Tail," Juvia said in tears as she defends Gray, standing in front and shielding him from everyone else. "Whatever happened to hearing both sides of the story before accusing someone? I have faith in him even if the rest of you don't. I always will-" 

Gray puts his hand on Juvia's shoulder. "That's enough. It's alright. You're supposed to take me to see Gramps, right? I'm ready unless you want to chat some more." 

"Fine, start walking," Alzack said, wielding his magic pistol. 

"My trigger finger is itchy, so don't give me a reason to scratch it," Bisca said, holding her magic rifle. 

Alzack and Bisca escort Gray to have their discussion with Master Makarov. Wendy finishes healing Elfman first and loses some of her magic in the process. She becomes a bit tired. 

"Wendy," Mirajane and Spike said after seeing Lucy catching Wendy a bit. 

"I'm okay. I might need help getting to other people to treat them." 

"Definitely not. If you keep using your magic to heal others, you risk losing your own life, child," Carla demands. 

"If that happens, so be it!" Wendy answers with determination.

"No! I forbid you!" Carla responds profoundly. 

"I'm not a baby anymore, Carla. I'm a Fairy Tail Wizard so, I'll act like one whether you like it or not!" 

Carla is stunned by Wendy's statement. "Such stubbornness, I can't imagine where you get it." 

"Wow, I have never seen Wendy that passionate or strong before. Perhaps I should start acting like a Fairy Tail Wizard as well. Not lose hope but to keep fighting!" Spike thought after taking a good look at Wendy and hearing her thoughts. 

"We're all Fairy Tail Wizards! So let's take down that dragon and rescue Natsu!" Lucy encouragingly shouts. 

"If we were trapped, he wouldn't waste any time crushing what he got in the way!" Jet proclaims. 

"He helped every single one of us at some point, so it's time to pony-up!" Said Droy. 

"Yea, he was there for us when Phantom struck and always fighting for what we believe in!" Said Levy. 

"He taught me I can do anything if I try. I got courage cause of him," Said Romeo. "We all do, this is our chance to pay him back," Everyone agreeing with Romeo. It's time to rise up and fight for Natsu. 

"Okay, guys. Let's work together and bust him out of there!" Happy rallies everyone. 

"AYE!" Everyone says in unison. 

"I'm ready for round two! This is for you, Natsuuuuuuuuu!" Spike, now rejuvenated, starts powering up. 

"Not so fast!" Makarov commands. Spike stops powering up to hear what the Master has to say. "The well-being of both Fairy Tail Guild and the town of Magnolia are tied together. Preventing Magnolia's destruction takes priority over everything else."

"But if we do, what would happen to Natsu?" Lucy asks. 

"We can't destroy it while he's inside!" Happy shouts to Makarov. 

"I'll make this as clear as I possibly can. As Fairy Tail's Master, I order you to stop the Dragonoid before it can destroy the town. There's no need to worry about Natsu. He's as tough as they come. If anyone could survive this, it's him." 

The Dragonoid lands in Magnolia. Everyone sees it from afar. 

"Let's take it doooooown!" Spike shouts as he leads the charge. 

"YEAH!" Every Fairy Tail Member charges at the Dragonoid. Some shoot their magic from long range, and some shoot from short range. 

"Spike wants!" Spike increases his size into a quarter size of a dragon. His spikes from his body enlargen, his claws become sharper, his muscles expand more as he's becoming ripped. Spike roars louder than before. It's his warcry roar. 

"The Dragon?" Daphne sees the dragon she desolated earlier, now rejuvenated. "Yes, yes, yes! More data for my Dragonoid!" She ignores the other attacks from the other Fairy Tail Wizards and sees Spike from afar. "Still no wings, but you will lose! Yes! YES! YES!"

Spike runs to where everyone is heading to; they find Erza standing by. Daphne waits patiently. Why start attacking and lose more data. She'll wait for a while to see what happens next. They inform Erza what Makarov told the guild to do. 

"Let me get this straight. Master told you destroying the Dragonoid should be our top priority? What about saving Natsu?" 

"He said he's tough enough to survive this," Lucy answers Erza's question. 

"I see... Natsu, we've been ordered by Master Makarov to destroy the Dragonoid by any means necessary. But before that, I need to know what you want us to do," Erza said to Natsu. Daphne ignores it as it won't affect her creation. "Answer me." 

"Sure," Natsu chuckles. "It's about time someone asked that." 

Erza and everyone becomes worried with that statement, seeing that Natsu is willing to die for the safety of Magnolia with his predicament. Spike is unsure of handling the Dragonoid. He can't end the life of his best friend. Spike looks down in sadness as the idea of killing a friend starts giving him guilt. 

"Now listen up. I'm going to say this once, so clear the gunk out of your ears. Forget about me! Destroy this thing no matter what!" 

Spike looks up at the Dragonoid. His confidence fades as the thought of seeing his friend dying becomes too much for him to bear. Daphne becomes bored and decides to spice things up. She programs the Dragonoid to roar and creates havoc around them. Everyone jumps and lands on the rooftops surrounding the Dragonoid. Spike is a few feet away from the Dragonoid but paralyzed in thought like he's in a trance. 

"Wake up, pathetic dragon!" Daphne yells at Spike. He ignores Daphne's voice as the thought of ending a friend's life puts him in a trance. "Grrraaah!" She programs the Dragonoid to charge and kick Spike while the others continue to hit the Dragonoid with long-range attacks. "Naptime will start when I kill you, so wake up!" Daphne is fuming. 

The kick from the Dragonoid wakes Spike up from his trance. He stares at the Dragonoid but powers down. Daphne becomes infuriated when she sees Spike lowering his size. Everyone else sees it too. 

"Spike, why are you decreasing your size?" Juvia asks as she's closer to Spike. 

"I can't do it," Spike shakes his head. "I can't take the life of a friend away. I'm not.., strong enough to muster enough bravery and confidence." 

As everyone starts formulating a plan of attack while encouraging Spike to fight the Dragonoid, Gray starts talking to Master Makarov about Natsu and the Dragonoid are related. 

"I was working on a job when I started to hear the rumors. There was someone who was trying to build an artificial dragon. So, I looked into it."

"That's when you had this secret rendezvous with this reckless fool?"

"Her plan centered on capturing Natsu somehow and then using his magic to power this fake dragon. I don't think she realized it then but, she told me something I thought was important. Once it starts, the only way to stop the Dragonoid is for a Dragon Slayer to attack it from the inside."

"Yes, that might be helpful at this point but, you could have prevented it from ever starting in the first place if you never handed over Natsu," Said Makarov, disappointed in Gray that his decisions led to this. 

"I had to, your missing part of the story, Gramps." 

"What is it, my boy," Said Makarov, now intrigued with the other half of the story. 

"There's another city counting on us. It was for their sake. Natsu made a promise to the city without sound but forgot about it cause he's an idiot. Self-control isn't his strong suit, you know. So I used to check up after he finished a job to make sure everything is cool. Whenever anyone mentions Igneel, he gets distracted and completely forgets the task at hand." 

"So, you feel the need to tell him while finding Igneel is important; fulfilling his obligation to the guild is more important." 

"I never had my chance to prove myself to Ur but, there's no limit for him. Every challenge that's put before him, he overcomes. I know he ever found him, he would beat Igneel. He always has that. He can always be ready for that day. He needs to get stronger and stronger. He's the only person I need to prove myself too!" Gray sighs after getting heated. "However, I messed up. I thought he had no problem beating this fake chicken or dragon. Let me clean this up. Please." 

Makarov sighs after hearing what Gray had to say. He looks at Gray in the eyes and sees the remorse he has. Gray has good intentions but made foolish decisions. Gray waits while his conscience is reminding him of the foolish decision of luring Natsu into the Dragonoid while reliving the moments that Spike was getting stomped. He's willing to allow Spike to smite him for that. Gray sighs deeply for putting his friends in a heap of trouble. 

"Very well. But you must promise to do exactly what I tell you," Makarov has already figured out the solution for Natsu to overcome his predicament. 

"What is it, Gramps?" Gray asks after seeing the tone of his Master changing rather quickly. 

"Light a fire in Natsu, if you know what I mean," Makarov smirks. 

Gray smirks as well, now knowing what needs to be done.

Meanwhile, the Dragonoid continues to create havoc as Spike gets out of the range of the Dragonoid's feet. He's using his magic for long-range attacks as he still couldn't muster enough courage and bravery to take down the Dragonoid head-on. Knowing it'll end Natsu's life. Daphne is having a lot of fun collecting all sorts of data while trying to encourage Spike to grow in size once more. She wants another match with her Dragonoid and the baby dragon. Natsu has enough with Daphne using his power like a battery. Daphne monologs that no one believed her that dragons exist thus, going into insanity. 

"C'mon you, little runt, increase your size, or else I'll kill all your friends. It'll be your fault that they all die because you wouldn't transform! Yes, yes, yes!" Daphne programs her Dragonoid to roar, causing some members of Fairy Tail to hurl back. 

"SPIKE!" Natsu yells. "It's okay! You have to defend Fairy Tail! You have to defend Magnolia! You are a Fairy Tail Wizard! Start acting like one and fight!" 

"Says, the one that's willing to give up so easily like a coward," Said Gray in response to Natsu's plea. 

"WHAT?!" Natsu irately responds, which fuels the Dragonoid a bit more with the added energy. Daphne documents the energy flowing from Natsu's rage burst. 

"Gray," Spike turns to Gray. He is upset at him for all he's caused. 

"You have a lot of nerves showing yourself," Said Erza. 

"Okay, I'd be the first to admit I screwed up," Gray said admittingly. 

"Damn right you did," Spike responds. "What were you thinking?" 

"Look, I need everyone here to listen to me." 

"Go on," Said Erza, speaking for everyone. 

Gray reveals the forgotten promise Natsu made years ago. Natsu made a promise to the town of silence that he'll free them from the curse Daphne plundered on them with a spell after a failed experiment using smaller artificial dragons. For the curse to be uplifted, Natsu needs to defeat Daphne and the artificial dragon. After hearing the story furthermore, everyone is upset, angered, and stunned. 

"Are you serious?" Lucy asks in disbelief. "How could he forget something like that?"

"Well, better late than never. I know and experienced the never part many times in my life," Said Spike as he reminisced his time in Equestria. 

"I swear, no matter what happens, he never learns," Erza is livid at Natsu's forgetfulness. 

Juvia is relieved and happy that Gray is alright and that it's not entirely his fault. 

"This was the only way I could think of to make things right. But, before we can do that, we gotta deal with the Dragonoid first." 

"How do you propose we do that?" Carla asks. "Spike's transformation is out of line due to how he feels about Natsu being trapped in the Dragonoid." 

Wendy sees a civilian on the ground from the wreckage. "There's someone down over there," Wendy points to the Cake Shop Owner. 

"The man from the cake shop," Erza points out. 

Jet and Droy go with Erza to rescue the Cake Shop Owner. Daphne programs her lizard soldiers to spawn and attack everyone. 

"Damn, there's a ton of these things," Bickslow sees more inbound. 

"Spike wants," Spike increases his size again. The same size he was earlier. His is spikes from his body enlargen, his claws become sharper, his muscles expand more as he's becoming ripped. Spike roars louder than before.

"Finally! He grows in size! The fight I've been waiting for; Yes! Yes! Yes!" Daphne said with more enthusiasm. 

"Fairy Dragon!" Spike conjures his fire breath. Due to his size, his power with his fire breath is stronger than the other times he'd unleashed it. Daphne becomes too excited to maneuver Spike's next attack. "ROOOOOOOOOOOAR!" Instead of aiming at the Dragonoid, Spike uses fire breath to incinerate the lizard soldiers. 

"What?!" Daphne is perplexed. She makes some quick diagnoses to see why the lizardmen are vulnerable to Spike's breath attack. 

"Whoa, Fairy Dragon took them all out," Bickslow said after seeing what Spike can do to the lizard soldiers. 

"I'm their kryptonite. As for the Dragonoid, I don't think I can take it down. Not while Natsu is still in there." 

"What were you thinking of being out like this?" Erza asks while checking on the Cake Shop Owner. 

"My shop is flat as a pancake, but I was able to save this for you," The Strawberry Fairy Tail Cake he made for her friends. 

"So, you put your life in danger." 

"This is a gift for your new friends, right? We can't make this monster truly forget what is important." 

Wendy walks up to the Cake Shop Owner and heals him using her Sky Magic. She then notices the cake Erza has for her and Carla. 

"Um, I can't stand the taste of pickled plums," Said Wendy, hoping she doesn't get Erza upset with her gift. 

"Pickled plums?" 

"I know they're good for you but, I won't eat them. It's kinda like my weakness. Everyone's got one, you know. I'm still new to Fairy Tail, and I got a lot to learn. There's a bunch of things I need to do to be part of the guild. I want to go through more stuff with you guys. To laugh and cry, get mad together, to go on more adventures together. I want to get better at high-fiving with Natsu. Along with fighting with Spike the Fairy after seeing what he can do earlier today. So please, save Natsu," Wendy passes out from using too much of her magic. 

Mirajane checks on Wendy, assuring Carla that Wendy needs to rest awhile. Erza wants to know why Master Makarov insists on attacking the Dragonoid when Natsu is capable of handling it himself. Then, Erza understood the fruition of Master Makarov's plan.

"Gramps told me what to do in order to defeat the Dragonoid, Erza," Said Gray. 

"I know. I figured it out," Erza Requips into her Heaven's Wheel Armor. "Now, the rest of you take out the lizardmen."

"I took care of that, Sis," Spike walks up to the group. He tears a lizard soldier in half and tosses it. 

"Spike, I need you to come with me. We need to weaken the Dragonoid a bit for Natsu to shatter." 

"Understood," Spike nods and gulps a little. He charges at the Dragonoid. 

"Haha! Round two, baby! Yes! YES! YES!" Daphne becomes ecstatic. 

"Heaven's Wheel!" Erza conjures many swords to spawn. "Scatter petal!" A fury of sword hits the backside of the Dragonoid. 

Spike uses his breath to create a portal on the ground. He jumps in as Daphne is confused with the tactic. 

"Where did you go?" Daphne surveyed around in hopes of finding Spike. 

"Inferno Blazing Fist!" Spike appears from the skies and lands on the back of the Dragonoid. His claw is ablaze with Sparkle Green Flames as he punches the Dragonoid. 

"Hey! No fair!" Daphne complains as the Dragonoid trembles a bit from the punch; she programs the Dragonoid to fly in the sky. Spike grabs a grip of the Dragonoid's wing. He punches the size of the Dragonoid. "Stop that! I'm warning you!" Daphne does a barrel roll in hopes that Spike loses his grip. 

Erza flies under and strikes many different areas of the Dragonoid, trying to figure out where is the weak point. "Where is it?" She wonders where the weak point is. 

Daphne programs the Dragonoid to collide with several buildings on the side Spike holds on to; it causes Spike to loosen his grip as he lets go. He lands on the ground hard but still in his size. The Dragonoid roars, but it sounds more like Natsu's roar. It's so loud that everyone has to cover their ears. 

"Help you guys. You gotta stop me! I mean, you'll never stop me! I'm going to destroy everything!" Natsu is on the brink of insanity as the Dragonoid continues to drain his magic power and soul. 

"What's happening?" Lucy asks while seeing the Dragonoid moving as Natsu was controlling it. 

"The Dragonoid is nearly done absorbing Natsu's spirit. He's at the breaking point. This isn't good at all," Said Bickslow after sensing Natsu's soul. 

"Destroy! I mean, destroy me! Aw man, I don't know what I'm thinking anymore!" 

Spike watches as he's unable to form a plan of attack, he seeing Natsu's final hour. A wave of lizard soldiers attack Erza but, she quickly annihilates them. 

"Would you two shut up! If your going to argue, at least get out of my answers!" 

"What's happening now, Bickslow?" Cana turns to Bickslow. 

"Apparently, Natsu is seeing his version of a shoulder devil and a shoulder angel interacting with his subconscious. These are the weary effects of losing your spirit at times." 

"Aw crap!" Spike sees another wave of lizard soldiers. "How many more of these pests are there?!" Spike gets up then shivers a little. "What is that?" 

On the Toy World's rooftop, Gray asks Juvia to lend him her power so they can help everyone destroy the lizard soldiers Daphne keeps producing. She agrees, and they fuse their magic together, creating a unison raid. Ice and water generate spikes to penetrate all lizard soldiers only as everyone is unharmed by the attack.  Everyone is astonished to know that Juvia and Gray pulled off a unison raid. 

"No, I can't let the cold claim me," Spike gets up, standing tall and embracing the cold instead of succumbing to it. 

The miniature Natsus sees and compliments that Gray is more awesome than Natsu is. 

"Shut up! This is making me so mad!" Natsu is controlling the Dragonoid in a stomping frenzy of anger. "I should just squash everything! No, I should. Yes, I should! What the heck is wrong with me?!" 

"Listen up, you pink-haired freak!" Gray shouts. 

"What you say?!" Natsu barks at Gray. 

"Are you seriously that helpless man? It's pathetic. I should have known you were nothing but a bunch of hot air. We're tired of this lame comedy routine you doing there, so man up already!" 

"Hold it, freezer burn!" Natsu is getting irritated. 

"This isn't the time to be mean with each other," Then Happy realizes what Gray is doing. 

"What are they thinking?" Spike shrinks in size and runs back to the group as the Dragonoid and Daphne are distracted. 

"You know that a real Fairy Tail Wizard never forgets a promise! You're making the guild look like a bunch of liars!" Gray shouts in anger. "You should show them how we really do it. Smash that thing into smithereens." 

"I'm super duper disappointed in you, Natsu," Said Happy. 

"What?" Natsu uses the Dragonoid to turn to Happy lividly. 

"I mean, what's your problem? I thought you're the kind of guy that crushed whatever trouble you got into no matter what! Now you're going to let this fake dragon beat you?" Happy shouts angrily at Natsu. 

"Oh, c'mon. Help us out. Everyone in Fairy Tail needs you right now, and you're just gonna give up? We expected a whole lot more from you. But I guessed you decided to take the easy way out and let this thing win!" Lucy shouts, irritating Natsu even more. 

"WHAT?!" Natsu responds lividly. He groans as his body starts becoming ablaze with his fire magic. "Give me a break Lucy. You don't have to get so personal." 

"They're right, Natsu. I know you got caught off guard at first but, you lost heart so quickly," Erza claims as she requips into her  Black Wing Armor. 

"No, I didn't! Yea, I give up. NO! NEVER!" Natsu is struggling to maintain his sanity. 

"You said to destroy it with you inside. That's the very definition of losing heart. It's nothing more than a pitifully embarrassing display of weakness. Allow me to give you what you asked for; I'll put you out of your misery myself." 

"Uh, why being mean to Natsu in his final hour?" Spike rejoins the group standing by. 

Happy whispers in his ear that sometimes pissing off Natsu gives him an adrenaline rush to overcome his toughest challenges. Spike nods in understanding but doesn't partake in provoking Natsu. He watches how the others continue to press his buttons. 

"Give me your best shot!" Natsu roars as the Dragonoid breathes a wave of fire. 

"Yes, yes, yes!" Daphne is enlightened with the power surge Natsu is providing. "I lost all my lizardmen, but this glorious power makes up for it."

"Woooo, hahaha," Natsu feels satisfied with the display of his fire dragon roar as his mind is nearly submerged within the Dragonoid. 

"If you can't muster the confidence to value your own life, Fairy Tail has no need for you!" Erza shouts. 

"Say what?!" Natsu continues to provide power to the Dragonoid. Daphne becomes elated as the Dragonoid is having new waves of power. 

"I'm sure if your precious dragon ever saw you again, he'd be ashamed of what you've become. If he had any kind of pride, he'd beat you senseless for disgracing his legacy." 

"This ends now," Natsu is now spoiling for a fight. His subconscious duplicates are telling Natsu with this kind of power. They can finally beat Erza. "You and me, Red. It's time to party! I've been waiting for this day for a long time!"

"Were you able to locate any weak points on the Dragonoid when you and Erza were fighting it, Spike?" Happy asks. 

"No," Spike shakes his head. "I only managed to rip the tail, but the tear wasn't big enough. The only other spot on the Dragonoid I haven't attacked was the head and the chest. The Dragonoid is very durable. Then again, I wasn't the exact height of the Dragonoid. If I were, it would be a different scenario," Spike sighs. "Who knows?" 

Daphne is starting to lose control of the Dragonoid with Natsu controlling its function. She's trying to burn the power that Natsu is overloading. Erza goes for the attack at the chest of the Dragonoid. It wasn't good enough to make a scratch. Natsu becomes so fired up, his flames burst through different sections of the Dragonoid as Daphne starts to lose more control of the Dragonoid. 

"No, no, no. There is way too much power being absorbed. Geez, what is going on?" Daphne starts to panic a bit. 

"All your trash talk has got me more fired up than ever!" Natsu powers up more as the Dragonoid looks like it's on fire. 

"No way," Spike, Lucy, and Happy are in awe as Carla is silent. 

"Man, that kid is an idiot," Said Gajeel, walking his way to the scenery. "I tried to warn him that this kind of thing might happen. Even Spike claimed that this punk is all talk. I expected Natsu to be a hot-headed loudmouth, but this is taking it way too far." 

"Gajeel," Spike, Lucy, and Happy turn to see Gajeel. 

"It's time to make him shut up," Gajeel said as he looks at the Dragonoid. 

"You know where to strike the Dragonoid?" Spike asks. 

"Yea," Gajeel nods. 

Spike turns to the Dragonoid to help aim Gajeel. "I can use my breath to teleport you above the Dragonoid, giving you a wide range of your attack."

"First of, I didn't know you had the power to do that, Fairy Dragon. Very cool. Second, let's do this!" 

Gajeel runs at Spike. Spike uses his breath to teleport Gajeel high above the Dragonoid. Everyone else that didn't know Spike can teleport using his breath is astonished. Gajeel is now in range. 

"Dragon Slayer Secret Art, Karma Demon Iron Spiral!" Gajeel transforms his legs into a giant drill, which rotates at high speed, heavily damaging and piercing through the chest of the Dragonoid. On impact, the chest of the Dragonoid is shattered. Natsu is now free of his imprisonment. 

"Gajeel," Natsu is surprised and yet happy to see him. 

"You can thank Fairy Dragon for the assist. You lucked out that this isn't the way how I planned. I was hoping to sneak up in the middle of all the confusion to beat the ever-loving snot out of you." 

"Is that so?" Natsu cracks a smile.

"Hey, Lucy. Call up your weird horse guy. We need to get some flaming arrows over here A S A P," Gajeel shouts to Lucy. 

"Good thinking, open Gate of the Archer. Sagittarius," Lucy opens the gate key to unleash Sagittarius. 

"Howdy do, my good lady," Sagittarius salutes while wielding his bow and arrow. Sagittarius is a tall, black-haired, and lanky man sporting a horse costume. The horse costume consists of a green vest with yellow trims over a white dress shirt, followed by a red and yellow pair of striped pants and purple frills.

"Alright guys, we need to come up with much fire as we can." 

"You got it, Lucy!" Spike lifts his claw and conjures a fireball. He focuses his magic power on increasing the size. 

"Yea, you bet," Said Cana. 

"Oui," Reedus concurs. 

"And then, we're going to give it all to Natsu," Said Levy. 

"Fire it up," Bisca said, wielding her rifle. 

"Yep," Alzack said, wielding his pistol. 

"Count me in," Said Macao. 

Erza Requips into her Flame Empress Armor. "The perfect occasion for my Flame Empress Armor," Erza's flame sword is powering up. 

"It's all you, Sagittarius," Lucy commands. 

"Okie doke," Sagittarius steadies his bow. 

"Hold on! I call timeout!" Daphne pleads as she's losing stabilization within her Dragonoid as it becomes unstable. "If I get any more power, this thing will blow sky high!" 

"That boneheaded chick tarnished the dragon's reputation for nobility and grace, so teach her a lesson that she won't forget," Gajeel said as he hops down. 

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Natsu smirks devilishly. 

"Alright, now. Fire away!" Lucy orders. 

"Yes, indeedy," Sagittarius fires his arrows. 

"Bring that bitch down, Natsu! Inferno Heat Wave!" Spike presses his claws as the fireball turns into a fiery heat cannon hitting the arrows. The Sparkling Green flares are stronger than before. 

"Solid Script Magic, Heat Spell!" Levy uses her solid script to spawn the word fire as it intercedes with the arrows. 

"Requip!" Bisca shouts. 

"Guns Magic!" Alzack shouts. 

"Blast shoot!" Bisca and Alzack shout in unison, shooting a flare bullet at the arrows. 

"Oui!" Reedus draws a cannon on his belly, and it fires a fireball at the arrows. 

"Explosion Flames!" Cana uses her cards to light up the arrows in flames. 

"Hey, Natsu! I told you I owed you one!" Macao unleashes his purple flames at the arrows. 

Erza roars as she uses her flame sword to light up the arrows with fire. All the combined fire attacks light up the arrows. 

"There you go, Natsu. Now, eat up!" Lucy said as she controls the arrows that are hurling directly at Natsu. 

The Dragonoid takes heavy damage as Daphne is blind from the firelight. Natsu consumes the fire his friends conjured. 

"Now I got a major fire in my belly!" Natsu is all fired up now. "I'm all fired up!" Natsu roars as his flames engulf the Dragonoid. 

"His most Powerful Dragon Force will be his righteous anger," Makarov walks up to his children (Fairy Tail Wizards). 

"Oh, hi, Master," Said Mirajane. 

"If you want Natsu to push through, to triumph over adversity, to overcome any obstacle he may face, make him mad. It's a sure-fire way to give him the proper motivation." 

"You're right about that," Lucy replies to Makarov's statement. 

Wendy wakes up after hearing Natsu's roar. She sees everyone and Master Makarov walking up. 

"What happened?" Wendy asks. 

"A change of tides in this battle. Fairy Tail is about to win, Wendy," Said Spike. "Look," Spike points as Natsu leaps into action. Natsu to pummeling the Dragonoid left and right. 

"I told Gray to make Natsu extremely angry. It appears that Erza figured it out on her own. I have to say, Spike. I'm impressed with your size capabilities. Perhaps I can lecture you on increasing it furthermore." 

"I would like that, Master," Spike nods with grace. 

"You're about to see a Fairy Tail Wizard in action, carrying out our most sacred duty as a guild. Eradicating evil," Said Makarov as he and everyone else observes the action from afar. 

"You've seen what a dragon can do, but now, prepare to see what an Angry Dragon can do!" Natsu refers to Spike as he's sure Daphne has seen him by now. Natsu scorches the two lizardmen that tried to subdue him at ease. 

Daphne panics as she sees Natsu in front of her. She sees malice and no remorse in Natsu's eyes. 

"Let's see if you try to pull that vanishing act, four-eyes. My senses are sharper now than they ever been. And I got so much power running through me I might explode," Natsu said menacingly. 

"At last, I get to see it again," Daphne, for whatever reason, can see the dragon she witnessed as a child. 

"You owe Igneel and Spike a big apology!" Natsu's fist is on fire and continues to power up. "Along with hurting my friends for your sick twisted game! You stupid dragon wannabe!" Natsu uses his Fire Dragon Iron Fist to annihilate the Dragonoid. The Dragonoid explodes from Natsu's attack. All that's left is debris from the Dragonoid as Daphne is defeated. 

Somewhere in Earthland, the Town of Silence is now free from Daphne's vanishing curse, freeing everyone to live another day of life. Natsu fulfills his promise to the Mayor now that he has Daphne in his clutches. 

"Wherever you are, Igneel. I hope you saw that." 

"Well, guys. Looks like the Dragonoid's weakness was an-" Gray cuts off Gajeel to finish the sentence. 

"Was an unstable power source known as Natsu." 

"Funny how that worked out, isn't it?" Mirajane asks. 

Natsu tosses Daphne aside for the moment. "What's the big idea with putting me through all that, Gray?!" Natsu retorts at Gray for putting him in the clutches of Daphne to use as a battery. 

"It's your own fault for breaking promises!" Gray responds, just as angry as Natsu. Everyone gets a good laugh.

"That was amazing," Spike said in awe. He never knew that Natsu could be that powerful in anger. He turns to Wendy. "How are you holding up, Wendy?" 

"I'm fine," Wendy smiles. "Thanks for asking." 

Spike smiles. "You're welcome. I have to say. Thank you for your encouraging words." 

"Huh?" Wendy is confused. "What you mean?" 

"About acting like a Fairy Tail Wizard. It made me realize that I was too quick in giving up a fight that seemed hopeless. After getting my ass handed by Daphne, I wasn't sure about a round two. I wasn't strong enough, but now, I have more than enough motivation to keep me going. Thank you, Wendy. For sparking that motivation," Spike hugs Wendy. 

Wendy wants to gasp but kept it silent. She returns the hug while trying to hold the blush. She and Spike let go of the hug. The two of them, smiling at each other. Spike turns to see everyone in high spirits. 

The sun rises as it dawns on a new day. Everyone heads to the guildhall to celebrate a momentous victory. As for Daphne, she was turned over to the local police that'll be waiting for the Fiore Royal Military to escort her to their imprisonment. Spike sits with Lucy, Erza, Natsu, Happy, and Wendy. 

"Well done, Spike," Erza pats Spike a bit on a job well done. "You've continued to amaze me. 

"Thanks," Spike gets a delayed nosebleed. It's a sign that his body is adapting to the size increase. Soon he won't be getting those nosebleeds anymore. 

"Spike, you okay?" Wendy worriedly asks. 

"Yea," Spike rubs his nose to see blood. "Not again. Ugh," Spike, however, doesn't get a migraine. "I don't have a headache, so that's good." 

"Hey, Spike," Gray walks up to him. 

"Hey," Spike waves at Gray. 

"Sorry that I put you in that situation," Gray refers to the time when Daphne used the Dragonoid to stomp on Spike relentlessly. 

"It's fine. You had good intentions this whole time. Kinda wished we got a warning ahead of time, and we could have acted all along," Spike sighs a bit. 

"My apologies. I won't be making that mistake again." 

"Good," Spike yawns. "I'm surprised that you got away with this scotfree." 

"Oh, Graaaaaay," Master Makarov said in an eerie tone. Gray begins to sweat and tremble in fear. "It's time for your punishment," Makarov laughs sinisterly. 

"I rather not go through with another punishment!" Gray then tries to make a run for it but, Erza grabs his arm. 

"You're not getting away that easily. Master, what you have in store for Gray this time?" 

"Candy?" Master Makarov has a big bucket filled with candy as a double extra-large piñata to stuff Gray inside. 

"Noooooooooo!" Gray shouts as several of his friends start to stuff him into the piñata filled with candy. The piñata is shaped like the Dragonoid they fought a while ago. "You can't do this!" Gray's head is sticking out from the Dragonoid piñata. 

"Alright, everyone. Start whacking the piñata for your candy," Master Makarov decrees. 

"Hold it," Natsu walks in front of the piñata. "Spike should have the first swing. I saw what has happened, and Daphne did stomp Spike."

"Spike, please. I didn't mean for that to happen to you," Gray pleads. 

"Hehehehehehe," Spike grabs a bat for whacking piñatas. "Round three," Spike chuckles. 

"Nononononono, Spike, please!" Gray pleas as Spike as he swings at the piñata several times. 

"My turn," Spike hands Natsu the bat to take a swing. The piñata, like the Dragonoid, is durable as Gray is getting beaten by the swings. 

After several swings from everyone except for Carla, Wendy, and Lucy, the piñata breaks as candy fall to the floor. Gray falls face-first onto the floor.  Everyone, including Spike, grabs their haul of candy. 

"Hope you learned your lesson about working with the enemy, Gray," Master Makarov said in a pleasant tone. 

"Lesson learned, Master..," Gray said with many bumps on his head and bruises from his body. 

Spike yawns as he holds his candy. "Well," Spike yawns again. "I'm ready to go home, Lucy." 

"Sounds good. Bye everyone, see you tomorrow," Lucy said as she waves to everyone. 

"Bye, Lucy. Bye, Spike. See you tomorrow," Everyone except for Gray and Gajeel say in unison. 

"Later, Fairy Dragon," Gajeel said, chowing on a piece of iron. 

As Lucy and Spike walk home, they see Daphne getting into a prisoner's wagon, hyperventilating about seeing dragons. The Royal Amry issued about Spike's presence being the only dragon to walk among them, labeling Daphne as a lunatic. 

Twenty minutes later, Spike and Lucy enter the apartment. Spike places his candy on the table first, then leans down on Lucy's bed. 

"Home sweet home," Spike said in satisfaction. 

"Aaaaah," Lucy leans down on her bed. "No kidding. Though I am surprised your lying on my bed instead of yours," Lucy points at the bed Spike bought yesterday. 

"I forgot I bought that after last night's altercation. I guess you can say this is a new tradition for me after a long day." 

"Hey," Lucy shrugs a little. "Who am I to complain?" 

Spike gets off of Lucy's bed and sits on his. He then lays back and feels the firmness of his bed. "Oooooooh yeah, this feels great." 

"What kind of bed is it, Spike?" 

"It's a firm mattress," Spike yawns. "I'm going to sleep, Lucy." 

"Same with me," Lucy takes off her boots. "After an all-nighter, I can use a day off." 

"Night, Lucy. See you tomorrow," Spike yawns. 

"Night, Spike. Have a good sleep," Lucy smiles as she drifts to sleep. 

"You too, Lucy," Spike drifts to sleep.