//------------------------------// // Electric Avenue // Story: Spike the Fairy // by PonyJoel //------------------------------// It's 9:30 in the morning in Magnolia. Spike wakes up after oversleeping a bit due to last night's dinner service at Mermaid Heel's venue. He yawns and looks around the room. He doesn't see Lucy but sees a note on the table. "You think Lucy went food shopping, Rage?" "Possibly. Go read what the note says." Spike gets up and goes to the table. The note reads: Spike, last night while we were asleep, Natsu and Happy broke into our home and took some food. When I woke up around 6:30 after smelling something foul, the fridge door was open, and our food got spoiled. We're going to have to do some food shopping later today. Ugh. I'm off to the guildhall to get breakfast, and hopefully, by the time you wake up, I'll have a job for us to go on. See you at the guildhall. Lucy "Well, how unfortunate," Spike puts the note on the table. "You gonna smack Natsu and Happy around for what they pulled?" "I'm sure Lucy already did that. Well, might as well freshen up before leaving," Spike goes to the bathroom to freshen up for the day. He thinks about what kind of job he'll be going on today. After ten minutes, Spike leaves the bathroom and the apartment. "Hey, Spike," The Landlady approaches him. "Hey. Is there something wrong?" Spike asks. "I heard about the cookies courtesy of my cousin. He saw you cooking with Mermaid Heel last night. Think you can spare some cookies for me?" "Well, the food upstairs is spoiled, so I can't bake at the moment. When I can, I'll be sure to give you a dozen." "Thanks," The Landlady pats Spike's head. "See you around, Fairy Dragon." Spike flaps his wings and flies to the guildhall. He waves at the people below him to see if any would wave back. Some do wave by, especially the bystanders on the boat delivering goods. Spike arrives at the guildhall to see it packed. He sees Natsu and Happy slouched on the stool. They appear to be starving. "Feed me..," Natsu is starving. "This is life or death." "I eat you if I had the strength," Happy said. Mirajane notices the two. "Did the last job not pay too well?" "Seems a lot of money until we spent it," Natsu replies. "Hey, I have a plan. Let's nab that book Lucy is writing and sell it!" Happy insists. "That's brilliant! It's gotta worth at least one meal!" Natsu said excitedly. "Oh no, you don't!" Lucy overhears the two. "What did you just say?! Talk! Do not make me ask you again!" "We're hungry," Happy and Natsu said. "Take a deep breath," Mirajane tries to calm Lucy down. "Long time no see. Why don't you buy us some lunch, and we'll catch up!" Natsu suggests. Lucy whacks Natsu and Happy hard. "Are you two insane! Not only did you break into my apartment, but you also stole food and left the fridge open! If anyone is going to be buying lunch, it's you two pinheads!" Lucy angrily shouts. "Natsu, Happy. Did you break into Lucy and Spike's apartment and raid their fridge?" Mirajane asks. She notices Natsu and Happy cringing a bit. "Well, uh, I don't remember raiding a fridge. Did you Happy?" Natsu turns to Happy. "Uh, no. I uh, did not take that ham and cheesesteak sandwich with fried pickles and onions," Happy sticks his tongue out while reliving the delicious moment. Lucy whacks him on the head, causing Happy to bite his tongue. "OOOOW!" "You liars! You're gonna pay for what you took from my fridge!" Lucy is livid. "Get up, you lazy bums, and pay me now!" "They can't," Mirajane said, speaking for Natsu and Happy. "Why not? There are plenty of jobs on the-" Lucy sees one job flier on the board. "The job specifically asks for Laxus," Mirajane explains. "Oh, great," Lucy sighs. Spike flies up to Lucy, Mirajane, Natsu, and Happy. "Hey, how's it going?" "Slow. Sorry, Spike. There are no jobs for us to take," Lucy said. "Here," Spike gives Lucy the 100,000 Jewels. "Buy as much food as you can and get a little something for yourself." "Thanks, Spike," Lucy smiles. "Can you buy us lunch, Lucy!" Natsu and Happy make puppy dog noises. "No!" Lucy is still angry at Natsu and Happy. "You two raided our fridge and lied to me. That's not what friends do." "Friends don't let other friends go hungry, do they?" Happy and Natsu try to use the guilt-trip tactic on Lucy. "Don't try to play the victim in all this!" Lucy is getting annoyed with Happy and Natsu about their food situation. Spike flies away and sees Laxus and the Thunder Legion walk in. Spike flies up to them and greets them since it's been a while he last spoke to them. "Hey, Laxus, Freed, Evergreen, and Bickslow." "Hey, Spike. It's been a while." "Hey, Fairy Dragon," Bickslow said. "Fairy Dragon, Fairy Dragon. Hello." Bickslow's Tikis said. "Nice to see you again, Spike," Freed said. "Hey, Spike. How's it going?" Evergreen asks. "It's going good," Spike replies. Freed walks up to the job board and takes a look at the flier. "This job does expressly asks for Laxus," Freed hands the flier to Laxus. "I told you," Makarov already knows what the job is about. "Why would I say so if it weren't true?" Laxus turns to his grandpa. "So, what's the deal, Laxus?" Natsu shouts. "What kind of job did you get?" "None of your business," Laxus replies. "Aw, c'mon!" Natsu complains a bit. "Spike, want to tag along?" Laxus asks. "WHAAAAAAAAAAT?!" Natsu is enraged that Laxus asks Spike to go instead of him. "Sure. It'll be the first time going on a job with you," Spike answers. "Man, it's been long overdue," Bickslow said. "Agreed. Our first task as the Thunder Legion with Spike as our honorary member," Freed said. "Should be fun. Two dragons with lightning magic," Evergreen said, smirking at the idea of the Thunder legion defeating Team Erza in a fight. "Don't let the lightning control you, boy," Makarov warns Laxus; he's drinking his chug of beer. "What? Like how liquor controls you, old man?" Laxus leaves with Spike and the Thunder Legion. "So, how far is the town, Laxus? I'm sure I can fly us there," Spike said. "Riding on Fairy Dragon sounds freaking cool," Bickslow gets excited. "We're going to Borwatt, Spike. Have you been there?" Freed asks. "Nope. Never heard of that town before," Spike replies. "Best to follow us on foot," Freed said. "Alright then." Six hours later. The Thunder Legion arrives in Borwatt. The town is shrouded in dark clouds, and every house has lightning rods. The area is so static that Freed and Evergreen's hair sticks out. Bickslow made a joke about going super. "Hah, that's a good one," Spike chuckles at their hair standing up. "Heads up," Laxus warns his friends. They look up to see lightning hitting every lightning rod in the area. A burst of lightning strikes burns a tree, causing it to fall. "Okay, yeah, that didn't look natural at all," Bickslow exclaims. "All those lightning rods seem a bit overkill. Now I understand," Freed said. He sees Laxus moving. "Laxus, wait! Where are you going?" "I got a client to meet up with," Laxus sees lightning about to strike him. He raises his arm and absorbs the contact. It doesn't phase him a bit. Lightning continues to strike Laxus for over a minute. "Lightning should never last this long!" Freed is astonished to see lightning strikes lasting for over a minute. "For real, though, this gotta stop sometime, doesn't it?" Bickslow panics a bit; he doesn't understand why the lightning is relentless. "If the lightning doesn't run out of juice, Laxus will. We gotta help him!" Evergreen said. "Laxus, use your Lightning Dragon Roar at the clouds." "Will that work, Fairy Rage?" Freed asks. "It's worth a shot since Laxus is a Lightning Dragon Slayer." "Lightning Dragon Roooooar!" Laxus' lightning roar is so strong, that it pierces through the dark-thick clouds, allowing the sun to shine on the city. "Hey, that worked!" Bickslow shouts excitedly. "Those clouds will be back soon for sure. Nice idea to create a temporary fix, Rage." "Thanks, Laxus." "We need to find a more permanent fix," Laxus said. "There's just as much static as the floor," Evergreen feels the static all over her body. "Which suggests that the storm is not the source of the problem but the symptom," Freed said. "We need to investigate thoroughly as to why," Spike suggests. The Thunder Legion watches the townsfolk come out and graciously thank them for blowing the storm away. They swarm and get close to them, complimenting Laxus and Spike on their achievements during the Grand Magic Games. Laxus is not used to people praising this close and personal. Laxus walks past his admirers, the rest of the Thunder Legion catches up with him. "Why, hello there. It's a pleasure to meet your acquaintance," The Mayor of Borwatt approaches the Thunder Legion with the town's Secretary. "So, you must be our client, then," Freed asks the Mayor. "It's good to finally meet you. Let me introduce you to Mr. De Cybele, the fine Mayor of Borwatt. My name is Ge Maille. I serve the town as Secretary," Ge Maille gives each member of the Thunder Legion his card. "To answer your question, yes. We are the men who hired you. One of the better calls we make." "We saw how you, Laxus, wiped the clouds that struck lightning on our city for weeks on end. We would like to see more," The Mayor said. The Mayor and Secretary of Borwatt monolog about Laxus vanquishing the storm clouds and praising themselves for coming up with another executive order to save their beloved town. The townsfolk rejoice about returning to their livelihood while the Thunder Legion remains in silence. The Mayor and Secretary invite the Thunder Legion to the Mayor's house to have a private discussion while addressing the citizens that the Thunder Legion will stay and protect them. Twenty minutes later, the Thunder Legion is sitting in the living room of the Mayor's house. The Mayor is sitting across from them, smiling heavenly, while the Thunder Legion remains calm. "This lightning plague. Exactly when did it first strike?" Freed asks the Mayor and Secretary. The Mayor and Secretary look at each other then get serious. "The lightning came when you did. You screwed this town, Laxus!" The Mayor angrily exclaims. "Huh?" Laxus is confused. So are his friends sitting beside him. "You do recall your visit, don't you? It was around a week before the Grand Magic Games was scheduled to begin in Crocus," The Secretary of Borwatt said. "That's impossible. I can vouch for Laxus. I was with him during the final month of our training before the Grand Magic Games," Spike said in defense of Laxus. "You accusing us as liars?" The Mayor asks. "I've spent two months training with Laxus. The first of the three months and the last of the three months. We were nowhere near this town," Spike replies. "Uh, Spike..," Laxus recalls the faithful night. "I do have a confession." "No way," Spike said in shock. "During the final days of our training, while you were asleep, I decided to go out for a drink. I had a little too much that night and wanted a bit more. A couple of thugs approached me and pissed me off. I unleashed my lightning on those punks as a reminder not to mess with Fairy Tail and why they shouldn't be robbing in the first place." "Since then, my city has been thunderbolt city, you reckless moron!" The Mayor retorts. "Is it just me, or does the Mayor seem different?" Bickslow whispers to Freed's ear. "He's showing his true colors," Freed whispers to Bickslow's ear. "No one prospered ever since you left the wrath of a Lightning God in your wake. Everything that made our beloved city busy came to a halt. People's lives changed for the worse with the fear of being struck by lightning. Thanks to your abuse of power, we lost more profit in weeks than we normally do in a decade!" The Secretary says in anger. "Do you have any proof of that claim?" Evergreen said. "Enough," Laxus speaks. "Tell me what you want me to do about it." The Mayor smirks. "I want you to clean up your mess." "And nothing else?" Freed asks. "Really?" "I only ask you to finish the job you were hired for. Figure the knowledge that you caused this chaos in the first place might put some spring in your step," The Mayor responds. "The people see you as a hero, but they don't realize that you savaged our entire economy to win a back-alley brawl. Have you heard the phrase Higher the Climb, harder to fall? Think how opinions will change when they learn the true root of their troubles. Think of your guild's reputation. Can it take the hit?" Laxus gets up and leaves. The Thunder Legion follows him. The Mayor and Secretary watch the people's beloved heroes going to work. "Something is off with the Mayor and Secretary's tone." "I agree with you, Rage. That Mayor really chaffs my hide," Evergreen said. "If what we saw was their true self, they must have something planned," Freed said. "Spike, what do you think?" Bickslow asks. "Right now, the Mayor and Secretary just blackmailed Laxus to do their bidding even though he signed up for it. The only thing I can come up with is a device to control Laxus' lightning and release it on the town. Then use Laxus as a guineapig for their benefits until they say his debt is paid off." "That sounds wickedly ingenious. I hope that is unlikely," Freed said. "Damn Fairy Dragon. Your theories are like listening to a horror movie," Bickslow said. "I concur," Evergreen said. Laxus looks at the town and now understands what Makarov was telling him. "Guess you were right, old man. I let the lightning and liquor control me. Now I'm paying for it." The storm clouds return with thunderous roars. Borwatt got dark real quick. "The storm clouds are back. Better move fast," Bickslow said. "Could you dispel them the way you did before?" Freed asks. "No. Quick fixes aren't going to solve this dilemma. I started this, and I'm going to end it. That's the least I can do for this town." "Right behind you," Evergreen said with confidence. "Whatever it takes, we'll do it," Bickslow gets excited. "We're with you all the way. As always, is at your beck and call, Laxus," Freed said. "Let's do it, bro," Spike said. "Thanks. Sorry for dragging you into this," Laxus said. "You dragged us into worse," Bickslow said. "I recall experiencing the worse on my second day in Magnolia," Spike said. "I was a different man back then, Spike. Have some faith in me." "I have more faith in you than you think. I always believed you'll rejoin Fairy Tail when you got expelled." "That you did. I'm grateful for that, bro," Laxus feels static. "The town. It doesn't have an electric charge. It's building one." "Are you sure, Laxus?" Freed asks. "Spike, please be wrong about your theory," Bickslow said. "From the times we've seen Spike answering questions no one has answers to, his guesses are accurate," Evergreen said. "Please be wrong," Bickslow says again. "The town feels like it's draining the lightning out of my body," Laxus said while watching the storm clouds swirling. "That leads you with one option, Laxus," Evergreen said. "Please be wrong, Spike," Bickslow wants Spike to be wrong with his guess about a device controlling Laxus' lightning. "We're going have to snoop around." "What's our objective, Laxus?" Freed asks. "The Mayor or the lightning?" "I'm thinking both," Laxus answers. "Let's go!" "Right," The Thunder Legion nod and follows Laxus into town. They see how severe the lightning is. It's all over the town and intensifies at rapid speeds. Then Elemental Lightning Creatures swarm. "What are those things!" Evergreen shouts. She has never seen lizard-like lightning before. "Those are Lightning Elementals," Laxus starts punching and absorbing them. "They're what!?" Bickslow, Evergreen, and Freed said in shock. Laxus' body starts illuminating a lightning aura. "Be careful buddy, you're charging up too fast, and it'll be tough to handle," Bickslow warns Laxus. "I don't have a choice here! If I can't handle it, I'll blast the whole town and you along with it!" More Lightning Elementals appear. "It looks like we're surrounded," Bickslow said. "Gotta thin their numbers," Evergreen said. "Fairy Machine Gun Leprechaun!" Evergreen unleashes a torrent of energy needles at the Lightning Elementals. It does some damage but multiplies their numbers instead. "Ah, crap." "Shredding them won't do the trick. We gotta destroy them completely. Baryon Formation!" Bickslow's Tikis align themselves in a pentagon pattern releasing a powerful magic beam on the Lightning Elementals incinerating them. "Inferno Heat Wave!" Spike conjures a Sparkling Green Fireball and presses forward, creating a heat cannon annihilating a swarm of Lightning Elementals. "Nice work, Fairy Dragon," Evergreen said. "Thanks," Spike smiles. Freed notices that lightning is coming from the ground. He also notices a statue of the Mayor generating a lot of static electricity. Laxus drops to one knee. "Laxus," Freed turns to him in worry. "Don't worry. I'm fine." "Look by that statue," Freed instructs Laxus. "Why?" Laxus looks at the statue. "Metal grills beneath it. That's the spot where I zapped the punks for pissing me off." "A good start to investigate the town's lightning problem." "You three go on ahead," Evergreen said. "We'll make sure nothing follows you," Bickslow said. "Right," Laxus nods and gets up. "Let's go." "Right," Spike and Freed follow Laxus. They enter the sewers leading to the statue. "What the hell?" Laxus sees a gigantic orb of lightning. "That sphere is filled with my electricity." "How can you be certain?" Freed asks. "Every wielder of electric magic has a unique wave link, sorta like a fingerprint. This must be the electricity I blasted into the ground that night." "So, it's been drawing in static and lightning ever since, and that's making it grow? I didn't think it's possible." "I sense a lacrima implanted in there." "What?" Laxus angrily responds. "Are you certain, Rage?" Freed asks. "I'm no expert with lightning magic, but I do sense the manipulations of magic in the works. I have a unique ability to sense what's real and manipulative. Reading Spike's books from the Magic Library opened new bounds for me to sense." "What do you suggest, Rage?" "I would suggest for Spike to eat it, but it may be too much. Laxus should use his lightning magic to snuff out the sphere." "Dragon Slayer Secret Art!" Laxus powers up while Freed casts a quick enchantment to hold the blast radius within the area. "Roaring Thunder!" Laxus punches the sphere with his heavily damaging lightning strike, dispersing the sphere. The lacrima falls after the lightning sphere is snuffed. "Well, you were right, Spike," Freed picks up the lacrima. "There was a device controlling Laxus' lightning." "Bickslow may panic a bit when we tell him my theory was spot on," Spike turns to Laxus. "How are you holding up?" Laxus takes a breather after unleashing one of his powerful spells. "I'll live. I've been through worse." "We've figured it out," Evergreen and Bickslow come down to warn their friends. "What Evergreen and Spike felt about the Mayor and Secretary is confirmed. The Mayor set this whole mess to frame you for money. While back at the mansion, I had one of my babies possess a statue to eavesdrop on any conversation the Mayor and Secretary said." Bickslow said. "Spike's theory on Laxus' lightning is confirmed, Bickslow. There was a device controlling Laxus' lightning," Freed said. "Damn, dude. You're freaky with your theories." "So, what now?" Spike asks. "I'm going to teach those bums a lesson about messing with Fairy Tail!" Laxus is irate. "Mind if I step in your mind, Laxus? I want to see if there's something else in play." Laxus rolls his eyes and allows Fairy Rage to enter his mind. Fairy Rage departs from Spike's mind and enters Laxus'. Laxus leaves the sewers. "Has Rage ever left your mind like this, Spike?" Freed asks. "Yea. To possess a Kraken." "SAY WHAAAAAAAAAAAT!?" Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen shout in shock. A few moments later, Laxus makes a grand entrance by storming into the Mayor's mansion, using his lightning to input fear for what the Mayor has caused to his town. Laxus sees the Mayor and Secretary. He tosses the lacrima hitting the Mayor's stomach, causing him to wheeze in agony. The Mayor and Secretary become fearfully afraid of Laxus' power when the Mayor's granddaughter comes into fear. Laxus was about to unleash a surge of lightning bolts when she came and shoots a lightning strike intercepting the attack. "Huh, you are good for something. When I found out what you unleashed on your town, I figured you were a selfish human waste. Make things right with your people, Mr. Mayor, or I'll be back," Laxus leaves the mansion. "You sensed anything, Rage?" "I sense they are pulling the same schemes on different wizards. If I receive word from any of the guilds we're in an alliance with, I'll be sure the people will learn the truth and impeach the Mayor. I can only hope they learn their lesson after being caught red-handed." "Typical. They are lucky the Mayor's granddaughter made an appearance." "They should count their blessings before forgetting about it." Laxus rejoins with the Thunder Legion. Fairy Rage returns to Spike. "Alright, I'll teleport us back to the guildhall," Spike said. "I keep forgetting that Fairy Rage can teleport us back home," Bickslow said. "Well, it's not often we spend time like this with the dragon," Evergreen said. Spike uses his fire breath to teleport his friends back to the guildhall. Laxus sits with Makarov having a drink while Spike, Freed, Bickslow, and Evergreen sit at the table and order food. Lucy, Natsu, and Happy sit with them to hear the story. They explain their story at the table of all that transpired. "You gotta be kidding me. That's when you're supposed to beat the tar out of him. How else would he learn?" Natsu said. "I know it's tough to grasp, but it's called mercy," Lucy explains. "Plus, the guy's granddaughter was watching. Wouldn't that be awkward?" "So, you did end up getting paid, right?" Happy asks. "No way, that's taking dirty money and Fairy Tail doesn't accept dirty money," Spike answers. "What he said," Bickslow points at Spike, drinking his mug of beer. "Would you accept dirty money, Natsu?" Freed asks. "Well, yeah! Money is money at the end of the da-ow!" Erza whacks Natsu's head before he can finish his statement. "We don't take dirty money from corrupted people. Think again before you speak!" "Sorry, ma'am," Natsu is dazed from the hit Erza gave him. "Were you able to buy food, Lucy?" Spike asks. "Yep," Lucy nods. "Thank you for allowing me to keep the change, Spike. I was able to get a little something for me." "You're welcome. I'm still grateful that you allowed me to live in the apartment with you." "Fairy Dragon, you need to come on more jobs with us," Evergreen said. "Especially you, Fairy Rage. You were most helpful today," Freed said. "Your theories and guesses still scare me," Bickslow said. "You possess souls, and those souls can possess inanimate objects. How are my theories and guesses all the scary?" Natsu, Happy, Lucy, Evergreen, and Freed laugh at Spike's statement while Bickslow groans. "Hey, Spike," Makarov calls Spike. "Come over here." Spike walks over to Makarov and sits on the barstool. "What's up, Master?" "Mirajane, give Fairy Dragon a drink," Makarov commands. "You have apple cider?" Spike asks. "Sure, coming up," Mirajane pours a mug filled with apple cider for Spike. "Thanks," Spike smiles. "A little toast for your official one-year anniversary with the guild. I know we've gone through the seven-year gap, but in technical terms, you've been with the guild for an entire year." "Oh wow, I lost track of time," Spike chuckles at his pun. "Cheers, boys," Makarov said. His, Laxus, and Spike's mugs cheer. "To another year of Fairy Dragon with the guild." Makarov, Laxus, and Spike drink their drinks.