//------------------------------// // Maaaaaaan Walking // Story: Spike the Fairy // by PonyJoel //------------------------------// It's 10:00 in the morning. Spike is with Lucy heading to the guildhall. It's been quiet for the past three days in Magnolia. Newer jobs posted on the job board ever since the Thunder Legion returned from their job. "So, what job should we take, Lucy?" Spike asks while flying next to her instead of walking. "A simple job. I don't feel like going on a hectic job today. Also, it may rain later, so I would rather stay remote." "Fair enough," Spike enters the guildhall with Lucy. He flies to the job board to see if any jobs are subtle for Lucy. "Morning, Spike," Wendy approaches from behind and hugs Spike. "Morning, Wendy," Spike smiles. "Hey, Carla." "Hey, Spike. See anything on the job board?" Carla asks. "8 Island Restaurant has moved into Magnolia. Yajima is requesting volunteers to help out on an opening day." "Mr.Yajima, huh? Sounds delightful," Erza said. She takes the flier. "I'm in." "The same goes for me," Juvia said. "Same with me," Levy said. "Sign me up. That's the job I'll be taking," Lucy enjoys the idea of working with her friends at Mr.Yahima' 8 Island Restaurant. "I know where I'll be heading," Wendy said. "The same goes for me," Carla said. Spike gets an image of Wendy in a cute waitress uniform. "I'm in. I'm sure my cooking will help bring in customers. Also, the idea of Fairy Dragon cooking in a restaurant would encourage more people to come to see me." "Wonderful. From what I heard, Mermaid Heel's venue has doubled in profit since you baked, grilled, and cooked for them," Carla said. "Excellent, let's not keep Mr.Yajima waiting any longer. Let's go," Erza commands. Spike, Erza, Lucy, Wendy, Carla, Juvia, and Levy leave the guildhall. They walk into town searching for Mr.Yajima's 8 Island Restaurant. Mr.Yajima is outside, scrubbing the outdoor tables before the lunch hour comes. "Mr.Yajima," Lucy approaches him. "Lucy, nice to see you again," Mr.Yajima becomes delighted to see his potential workers of the day. He becomes ecstatic to see Spike the Fairy as well. "So, you lot are here to help on opening day?" "Yes, Mr.Yajima. We are ready to work with you," Erza said, speaking for her friends. "Great. I have uniforms for each of you. Spike, you don't have to wear a uniform. I know how you are with clothes," Mr.Yajima said. "Thank you, Sir. I won't mind wearing a chef hat and apron." "Think you can outcook me?" Mr.Yajima smirks. He wants to test Spike's cooking in the kitchen. "I know I can. I can melt customers' hearts with my cooking techniques," Spike smirks. "Show me what you got then. Everyone else, head on over to the dressing room to wear your uniforms." "Yes, Mr.Yajima," Erza lead her friends to the dressing room. "The lunch hour is approaching; think you can handle that?" "Yes, I can," Spike enters the restaurant. He puts on a chef's hat and apron. After a few moments, Erza, Juvia, Levy, Carla, and Wendy come out wearing an orange waitress uniform consisting of white thigh-high socks and light brown shoes. Lucy comes out wearing an 8 Island Bunnysuit Mascot. Spike gazes at Wendy, and his wings flap. "Easy, tiger. Focus on the food. Not your pretty lady," Mr.Yajima said. On cue, customers enter the restaurant and start taking seats indoors and outdoor. The lunch hour has started. Erza, Levy, Juvia, Wendy, and Carla take orders while Lucy is outside with a sign, telling people to eat at 8 Island's Grand Opening. Spike and Mr.Yajima start cooking meals together as well as separate dishes. Two hours have gone by; many customers tip the waitresses nicely. Spike and Mr.Yajima are receiving a ton of praise for their excellent cooking. Lucy feels discouraged with her position in the revealing Bunnysuit 8 Island Mascot attire. Erza is delivering drinks while Levy, Carla, Juvia, and Wendy are taking their half-hour break. "I'll deliver this outside, Mr.Yajima," Spike has a plate of BBQ Ribs with a medium-size hamburger. "Thanks, buddy. I have to say, your excellency in the kitchen is top-notch, Spike," Mr.Yajima delightfully said. He has tasted some of Spike's dishes and is amazed by his cooking techniques. "Thank you, Sir," Spike leaves the kitchen and delivers the plate to the hungry customer outside. "Who cooked this, Fairy Dragon?" The hungry customer asks out of curiosity. "I made the burger. Mr.Yajima made the BBQ ribs," Spike replies. The customer takes a bite out of the hamburger first. Like all the other hungry customers that tried Spike's cooking, their eyes roll up in satisfaction, savoring the flavoring as long as he can. "Hey, Spike," Wendy waves from the table. "Hi, Wendy. You look lovely today," Spike smiles. "Thank you," Wendy smiles. "Hey, have any of you seen Jet and Droy?" Levy asks. "They said they'll be here." "I just came outside to deliver a customer his food. I haven't seen the two," Spike replies. Wendy turns to see Jet and Droy aimlessly walking for some reason. "Hey, you guys sit wherever you want. Spike and Mr.Yajima will whip up something fresh for the two of you." "Levy..," Jet said in an eerie tone. "Levy..," Droy said in an eerie tone as well. "Hey! What took you so long?" Levy waves at her friends; she becomes horrified to see Jet and Droy looking like Ichiya. Lucy, Erza, Wendy, Juvia, Carla, and Spike gasp in horror. "Maaan," Jet and Droy said in unison. "Sniff sniff. Sniff sniff," The two said while sniffing as well. The girls shriek while Spike warns people to flee from the area. Something is horrifyingly wrong. "What happened? Why do they have Ichiya's face!" Erza said in distraught. "I think my mind just blew up," Lucy said in tears. Wendy cries a bit, seeing two of her friends disfigured horridly. Spike and Carla try their best to calm Wendy down. Droy and Jet continue to say sniff sniff while cornering Levy. "Levy!" Lucy wants to help Levy. "Lucy, don't!" Wendy snaps out and grabs her arm. Juvia is helping Wendy ensure Lucy's safety. "I get the feeling we should keep our distance!" Juvia said. "No! Levy!" Lucy gets free only to be held back by Spike's grip. "Don't do it!" Spike pleas. "I sense something manipulating from the duo." "What's wrong, Lucy," Ichiya-Levy said. Droy and Jet step back, allowing Levy some breathing room. "Maaan," Levy looks like an Ichiya with lipstick. "Aaaaaaaaaaah!" Lucy screams in horror. "If they sniff you, it's game over," Juvia said in horror. Wendy is panicking after seeing Levy transformed into an Ichiya. Lucy steps back; she wants this nightmare to end already. "We need to get out of here, now!" Carla advises her friends. Erza holds a magazine and twists it to use as a baton. "Curse you, Ichiyas! Mark my words; you will be punished! Hurry back to the guildhall! I'll make sure these three are dealt with!" "Sis, are you insane!" Spike said with a little terror in his mouth. "I'll be fine. Ichiyas are slow and clumsy in comparison. Now get moving!" Erza demands. Her friends flee from the scenery. She swats team Shadow Ichiyas away. They cry maaaaan in the process. "I should find Mr.Yajima," Erza looks down to see him grabbing her ankle. Mr.Yajima has turned into an Ichiya and sniffs her. Panic fills the street while Spike, Lucy, Wendy, Carla, and Juvia run to the guildhall. They want to bring survivors to the guildhall if they can find some. Many people are being swarmed by many Ichiyas like a zombie apocalypse, turning into an Ichiya. The men, women, and children of all ages are getting turned by the second. "What do we do?" Juvia asks. Wendy is whimpering a bit. "The town is filled with Mr.Ichiyas." "Is this the end of the world?" Wendy is in tears while continuing to hear the screams of people turning. "It's not the end. We'll get through somehow," Spike said, showing a bit more optimism at the moment. "Hey, where's Lucy?" Carla asks. Juvia, Spike, and Wendy look around. They figure she must have gone lost and turned by now. They hear Gray running down the alley they are resting. "Hey, you guys alright?!" Gray shouts. "Gray!" Wendy said in happiness. "Oh, the true-pretty man has come to rescue us!" Juvia is awestruck and imagines gray having the answer to solve the crisis as a true hero. "The entire town is filled with Ichiyas. Thought I was having a nightmare at first." "How are things at the guild, my beloved?" Juvia asks Gray. Gray grits his teeth. "Bad. Real bad. Everyone at the guildhall has turned into an Ichiya. Laxus as an Ichiya is unstoppable. Are you the only ones that got away?" "Erza and Lucy are still out there, but we don't know for how much longer," Carla said. "We got separated from them," Wendy said. Juvia walks up to Gray and hugs him. She's afraid of becoming an Ichiya as all the others have. Gray holds her, which helps comfort Juvia, only to realize that Gray has a delayed reaction and turned into an Ichiya, sniffing her relentlessly. Spike, Wendy, and Carla flee as there is no saving Juvia. A few minutes while running in the open, Spike, Wendy, and Carla see Romeo catching his breath. "Romeo!" Spike calls him out. Romeo turns and is normal. "Wendy, Carla, Spike. You're safe," Romeo smiles in relief. "Are you alright?" Wendy asks. "I'm fine except for my old man and Wakaba," Romeo replies. "What if they're stuck like that forever..," Wendy sniffs a bit. "Control your imagination, child. Now it's not the time to lose hope," Carla said. "Actually, it's a hunch, and I think I figured out their weakness," Romeo said. "Really?" Carla asks. "Care to explain?" Spike asks. "Yea, but I want to test something first," Romeo replies. "Let's get moving." "Alright," Wendy said. Romeo leads the way while Wendy, Carla, and Spike follow close by. They wind up running into an Ichiya hoard. The hoard starts getting closer. "Carla, time to fly," Spike grabs Romeo. "Right!" Carla grabs Wendy. Spike and Carla take flight and away from the hoard. They hover high in the sky. "Spike. Have I ever told you how happy I am that you have wings?" Romeo asks. "No. You never told me until today, that is." "Romeo, what's your theory? How can we fix this?" Carla asks Romeo. "I have two ideas. Fairy Rage, can you do something to fix it?" "Clever idea but, I cannot. It's widespread like a virus. I can give you of you a ring of defense spell. It'll last for ten hours. Restoring someone will take a lot of time and magic. Also, I'm not sure what side effects the Ichiyas carry. Spike if you will." "Right," Spike nods. He lifts his claw. "Ring of Defense!" Spike's ring of defense goes into the minds of the Fairy Youth Squad. Each of them hears a click in their heads. "What's your second idea," Wendy asks. "Erza gave Natsu a lacrima deodarant spray. If we can find it, the spray should wipe out the parfumes of the Ichiya and could free the people of their virus. I remember seeing the spray in the guildhall." "Alright, Fairy Youth Squad, we're going in!" Spike declares. He swings Romeo so he can land on his back and increases his size. Romeo now has a firm grip on Spike's back. Spike and Carla fly Wendy and Romeo to the guildhall. On the way to the guildhall, Fairy Youth Squad sees Happy, Lucy, and Natsu hovering in the air. "Natsu!" Wendy shouts in happiness. "Lucy!" Spike is happy to see Lucy unscathed. "Losing grip! Too heavy!" Happy can't hold on to the two for much longer. "Spike wants more!" Spike increases his size into a half-size dragon, Happy places Lucy and Natsu on Spike's back. Carla places Wendy on Spike's back. "Thanks, Spike!" Happy said in relief. "Anytime. Ring of Defense!" Spike conjures a ring of defense for Natsu, Lucy, and Happy. The same one he conjures for Fairy Youth Squad. "Listen, we have an idea of stopping and possibly curing the spread. The deodorant Erza gave you could be key in curing the Ichiya virus. First, we need to get to the guildhall to grab it," Wendy said. "I'll lure the Ichiyas in the guildhall away," Spike said. "I remember where you last put it. We need to get to it before it's lost," Romeo said. "Let's go, Spike!" Natsu shouts. "I'm all fired up!" Spike flies to the guildhall and hovers on the second-floor balcony. Lucy, Natsu, Wendy, and Romeo hop off of Spike's back. Carla lands next to Wendy, Spike reverts and lands next to his friends, and enter the guildhall. "Alright, the first floor is flooded with Ichiyas. I see where the deodorant lacrima spray is. It's on the counter of the bar," Natsu said. "Gray mentioned Laxus being an Ichiya. Possibly stronger and more durable than before. I'll take him on," Spike said. "What are we supposed to do?" Lucy asks. "If Romeo's theory about the deodorant is true, Carla, Happy, and I will take you three to the store where they have that deodorant spray and fly all over Magnolia, spreading the cure and freeing the people from the nightmare." "Sounds simple enough," Wendy said. "Natsu, let's go," Spike hops down and lands on top of an Ichiya Laxus. "Fairy Dragon, sniff sniff. Sniff sniff. Your parfume is exotic!" Ichiya-Laxus said. He sees Natsu and tries to zap him. "You're dealing with me! Lightning Inferno Flame!" Spike's claw ignites in Sparkling Green Lightning Flames. "Demolition Fist!" Spike punches Ichiya-Laxus. He hurls and crashes into a wall. "Wow, that was easy." Natsu moves around while other Ichiya-Fairy Tail Wizards try using their magic and sniff Natsu. "Look out!" Natsu sees a swarm of Ichiya-Fairy Tail Wizards crowding Spike. "Spike! Noooooooooooooooooo!" Wendy screams horridly, which draws the attention of the Ichiya-Fairy Tail Wizards. Spike increases his size and breaks free of the crowd. He doesn't turn into an Ichiya-Spike. "How? Sniff sniff?" Ichiya-Laxus is confused. "My Ring of Defense Spell. Plus, I have Fairy Rage. Mind Manipulations and trickery doesn't affect me." "Maaaaaaaaaaaaaan," All the Ichiya-Fairy Tail Wizards say in anguish. "Gotcha!" Natsu grabs the deodorant lacrima spray. "Natsu!" Ichiya-Laxus lunges at Natsu with a Lightning Dragon Iron Fist. "Man!" "Time for your wake-up call!" Natsu sprays the deodorant at Laxus' face. Laxus reverts to normal, no longer being an Ichiya. "Hey? What's going on?" Laxus asks. "Ring of Defense!" Spike places a Ring of Defense Spell on Laxus. "Spike? What the hell is that clicking sound?" Laxus sees his guildmates. "What the hell?! Why is everyone so ugly!" Laxus is confused. "Long story," Spike said. "Heads up, Ichiya!" Natsu sprays his deodorant in the guildhall, freeing many of his friends from the Ichiya plague curse. Natsu runs outside, spreading the deodorant to everyone infected by the Ichiya Plague Curse. It turns out that one bottle of the lacrima deodorant spray is all it takes to free everyone. There is no need to grab other bottles. A few hours later, after a whole lot of explanations. "Virus? More like the apocalypse. Next time I see Ichiya, he's dead meat," Gray said. "I have a feeling you'll have to get in line for that, dear," Juvia said. "The question is, how did it start in the first place?" Lucy wants to know if any of her friends found out the truth. "Apparently, it's a pretty-man potion Ichiya developed," Erza explains. "I can't believe that little troll caused such a calamity," Carla said lividly. "The Magic Council slapped that sucker with the forbidden label, and Ichiya is serving hard time," Mr.Yajima said. "He got off easy," Gray states. "I shudder to think what the world would have looked like if Natsu hadn't found that lacrima," Juvia said. "You should thank Romeo for his theory," Spike said. "Mmhmm," Wendy nods. "He's the one that figured it out." "Let's not forget the many scars that have to heal as well. Especially those unfortunate souls that turned into mindless-Ichiyas," Erza said. "Doesn't that include you, Erza?" Lucy teasingly asks. Erza sighs. "Please.., don't remind me..." "I need therapy," Panther Lily is one of the unfortunate souls that turned into an Ichiya. "I need a hot bath and a shower," Levy wants to forget what transpired. "I didn't think it was that bad," Gajeel is another that turned, but he's recuperating faster than others are. "Spike," Wendy grabs Spike's arm. "Yes?" Spike replies. "Can I come over and sleep over with you. It may take a while for me to forget the Ichiya apocalypse." "Yes, you can," Spike nods. "Let's go, lovebirds," Lucy grabs her stuff. "I need a bath. A long one." "We're coming," Spike and Wendy said. "I'm going as well," Carla said. "I need a cup of tea, and being alone in the room will not help me ease up."