//------------------------------// // The Wizard In Armor // Story: The Great And Powerful Fairy Tail // by The Corrupted Champion //------------------------------// The Wizard In Armor The five of them continued the road in a carriage pulled by a large purple boar. A couple hours had passed and the townspeople of Lilac town were so grateful that they provided the carriage back to Magnolia. "I'm glad that we got a ride back." Gray said with slight relief. "Yeah..." Lightning said in agreement. "...after getting our asses kicked six ways to sunday, I'm not really keen on walking back to...what was it again?" "Magnolia..." Gray answered. He looked over to the silver haired girl, Trixie, and noticed she had taken Lazaro's top hat with her and was examining it. "why do you have that?" "Because, there's some kind of magic in it." Trixie stated, then an excited grin pulled at her lips. "...and I intend to figure it out and learn it." "hm..." Gray nodded thoughtfully. "It's kinda my thing..."She said with a shrug. "...I tinker with magic..." Gray nodded. "That's pretty cool..." Sunset was looking out her window when she asked "So, what's Magnolia like?" "It's a seaside city, and our guild hall gets an awesome view of the ocean, just off the back yard." Gray said with a smile. "sometimes I like to just go out and watch the ships go by from the guild hall." Luna smiled. She always knew the look of nostalgic whimsy when she saw it... Trixie couldn't help but think of Manehatten as he spoke. "Sounds like a place I would enjoy..." she said softly. Gray frowned. "When we get back, I'm gonna have to ask the master about that 'Blood Diamond' Guy..." he muttered. This brought Lightning's attention to him. "You mean the creepy masked guy?" she asked, getting a nod from the Ice wizard. "...Why? we totally creamed him...right?" "This time..." Luna corrected. "Take into account that he disappeared before we could figure out what to do about him; I wouldn't be surprised if we encounter him again somewhere down the road." "That's right." Gray confirmed. "Dark guild thugs like to strut a nasty reputation with an even nastier list of crimes under their belts... This guy was messed in the head; I wouldn't be surprised if he turns out to be a cut above your average dark guild criminal...". "There aren't a lot of people like that are there?" Sunset asked nervously. She had seen how well he fought, and was in no hurry to go against him, or anyone like him, anytime soon. "well, dark guild wizards aren't exactly popping out of the wood works, so... I don't really have any other encounters to compare it to." He confessed. It was true; he had never run into an actual dark guild wizard before today, as they were surprisingly good at hiding for how chaotic and destructive they are... but then, Fairy Tail wizards had a reputation for being chaotic and destructive as well... He couldn't help but smirk at the irony. As time went on, Sunset felt a pang of guilt, eventually, if they really wanted this Fairy Tail guild to help them, they would need to confide their secret to...someone. The four of them had already agreed that they can't get back to equestria on their own; they needed help, and could only pray that there even was a way to get back... They rode in an uncomfortable silence for about 45 minutes before Gray called over to the driver. "Hey, stop the wagon for a bit!". The wagon took a moment to slow to a stop, at which point Gray stood up and hopped out. "Where are you going?" Sunset asked. "Gotta use the bushes..." he answered nonchalantly. Though Sunset had a suspicion that there was something else, probably the awkward silence was getting to him too... Trixie set the top hat down on the seat next to her as she saw him taking off his shirt and toss it against a tree as he passed it. "...seriously...?" she groaned standing up and following after him to pick up his discarded clothing. Luna merely chuckled in amusement at the sight. ....................................................................................................................... His shirt... His pants... His shoes... ...and one sock... Trixie glared at the bundle of clothing tucked under her arm. "...I swear, if this becomes a regular thing, I'm going to hang that jerk with his own pants..." she seethed. After another ten minutes, she heard two voices cry out. One of them was Gray. "...Found you..." she deadpanned in annoyance, before cutting through some bushes to the source. "Do you always have to fight?! she asks worriedly..." a strange new voice said. It was a hoity toity canterlot-esque accent. "You can take em Natsu!" another new voice said triumphantly. A child, perhaps? Trixie trudged out of the bushes to find Gray, thankfully still in his boxers at least, glaring down another guy with pink hair and a scarf. To her right, were what she guessed to be the sources of the new voices. A very expressive blue cat with a green rucksack and...wings? Sitting atop the shoulder of a grandfather clock with arms, legs, and a face? Trixie tried to tell herself that she'd seen stranger things, but that was down right weird... "Why is He in his underwear? the lady inquires in confusion." It turned out that the talking clock was speaking for the golden haired girl...sitting inside? she would have to get the story on that later...but first... "THESE!" Trixie threw the shirt at Gray; it ended up draped over his face. "ARE!" She threw the pants at him next. His surprised stumbling caused the pantlegs to get tangled around his ankles. "YOURS!" Finally, she threw his shoes at him, nailing him right between his legs, causing him to howl in pain. "NOT COOL!!" he wailed, causing the pink haired guy to burst out laughing. "HAHAHAHA! That just made my day!" The pink haired guy cheered. "What's 'not cool' is me having to collect all your crap that you scattered through the forest on the way here!" Trixie bellowed. "...And now you've gone and picked another fight!" Trixie then took a closer look at the pink haired guy. He had a tattoo in red on his arm that matched the blue one on Gray's chest. "Your with Fairy tail right?" she asked. "That's right, I'm Natsu; I'm what you call a dragonslayer." He said cheerfully. What? That word brought Trixie's mind to a grinding halt. He said he was a dragon slayer...like Sombra... there were others? How could there be others? this was a completely different universe...right? how was this possible? did Sombra go here at some point and learn it? Did Blood Dust originate here? but if that's the case, how did he get from here to Equestria? How did one of Equestria's most ancient and terrifying enemies jump between their two worlds...unless...Discord? The chaos spirit wasn't always their ally, it was no secret; and Discord was familiar with the name while the princesses knew next to nothing about him... -Snap!- -snap!- "Aahhh! what?!" she shrieked in panic. Gray, now fully clothed, had snapped his fingers right in front of her face. "You spaced out on us for a minute." the girl from the clock informed. Oops. "Oh, uh...sorry..." she said awkwardly. "...and who is 'Sombra'?" Natsu asked. "That's what you said right? Sombra?" Trixie's shoulders drooped. How could she have been so stupid? she just said it out loud like that, what else did she blurt out? 'Oh crap...' she thought. "...It's... a long story..." she defended lamely. "Is this Sombra guy a dragon slayer too? 'cause ya looked like you were about to freak out when I said I was one." Natsu asked. "This'll be easier if I get the others to help me explain..." Trixie offered. As much as she loved to be the center of attention on a show stage, she hated being put on the spot off of one. "Sure." Gray agreed while Natsu and his companions turned to follow her back to their wagon. "So, your name is Trixie?" the clock girl asked. "Yes, Trixie Lulamoon; but, how did you know?" she confirmed. "Gray told us while you were in lala land!" the blue cat declared cheerfully. "My name is Happy, by the way." "...and I'm Lucy, it's nice to meet you." the clock girl said, finally giving her name; referring to her as 'clock girl' would get tiresome after a while. "Yes, nice to meet you too." Trixie chirped back. That's when it happened. A tidal wave of sand crashed into them. Trixie had no idea how far it pushed them as they crashed and tumbled quite a bit; the former unicorn couldn't hear or feel anything but the buffeting sand and the howl of the wind that carried it. she could have sworn that she'd heard Happy cry out for a moment before the sandstorm faded. "Ugh..." Lucy groaned. "What happened?" Gray asked as he slowly rose out of the sand and shook the clinging grains out of his clothes and hair. "Happy!" Natsu called through the sand in his mouth. "...Help me!" the little blue cat whimpered. "Heheheh, no berries for us tonight." said one young man in a red coat. "Yeah, finally we get some actual protein!" his identical twin cheered. On the other side of a hogtied Happy, was...she wasn't quite sure what they were. One looked like a blue skinned goblin; considerably shorter then his companions, his frog like face was decorated with purple tattoos on one side, and pointed ears. Staring at Happy with a staff in its hand and a look of desperate hunger in its eyes, was a large yellow...thing... she literally hadn't the foggiest idea as to what this being was. It looked like a giant plush chicken without a beak. It had a red mohawk on its head that looked like a chicken's waddle, with a matching...beard? Trixie was so perplexed by what she was seeing... "MEAT!!" It declared inarticulately. Well...It seems like it is capable of speech at least... The last one she noticed was a considerably normal looking chap compared to the previous two... "...Our future holds a feast..." he said softly. "Hey, come on guys..." Happy pleaded. "...please let me go; I gotta go to the bathroom real bad!" "Who cares?" the goblin scoffed. He turned to the yellow creature. "Cook him!" "MEAT!" it growled menacingly as its staff ignited a fireball at the end. "NOT SO FAST!" Natsu shouted from their vantage point, making them all flinch. "That's our friend you're trying to spit-roast there, pal! you're going to have to make other plans." "Hey, you're wizards aren't you, what guild are you with?" Gray demanded. The Goblin merely grinned and held out a hand; a yellow spell circle flashing above his palm. "I'm not telling." he declared. "SAND STORM: FURY'S TORRANT!". The area around them exploded in howling wind and buffeting sand once more. "Let's do this Gray." Natsu said, preparing to jump down into the fray. "Fine, but don't go telling me what to do..." he shot back. With that, they both charged forward; Natsu plowing through the red coat twins, while Gray front-flipped over the yellow one with surprising ease. The sand storm's wind began to change. "SAND BALL, GO!" the Goblin bellowed. The wind began converging on Natsu. The swirling sand and wind now focused solely on the dragon slayer, lifting him up in the air. "Natsu!" Lucy called, running to his aid, only to be stopped by Gray. "He'll be fine, go help Happy!" he ordered. Lucy nodded and ran over to the cat. "Ah! Help me! Lucy's gonna eat me!" Happy shrieked hysterically. "Oh, shut up, cat!" the blonde snapped. "What am I, chopped liver?!" Trixie demanded as she held out both hands. Purple and silver spell circles appeared at each hand and a barrage of star shaped projectiles fired from each, bombarding the soft-spoken man with the crystal ball, and the yellow one both. "Don't you punks ignore me!" "Pipe down!" The Goblin shot back. That's when Natsu exploded out of his sand prison. "...Uh oh..." "You jerk!" Natsu groused. "Now I have a mouth full of sand and its all your fault!". His fist burst into an intense flame as he launched himself forward. "FIRE DRAGON: IRON FIST!!" ..................................................-BOOM!!!-........................................... The battle was over quickly. The dust had settled and the five of them were tied to the base of a large tree. Natsu, Gray, Trixie and Lucy stood around them when Gray turned to Natsu. "You went a little overboard, don't you think, Natsu?" Natsu, not looking Gray in the eye merely looked off to the side. "Oh, shut up! It got the job done didn't it?" he shot back. "You're an embarrassment to the guild!" Gray spat. "What'd you say, Snowman?!" While Natsu and Gray argued, Trixie joined Lucy, who seemed to be talking to the goblin. "What was that? Lul...?" "...Lul...laby..." he rasped out. "Lullaby?" Trixie and Lucy chorused in confusion. "What's Lullaby?" Trixie asked. Lucy put a finger to her chin. "I don't know..." Trixie looked back over at Natsu and Gray; still arguing...of course...wait- What seemed like a living shadow was barreling toward them. 'Oh great...there's more of them...'. She spun back to the big yellow creature and her eyes flickered with a violet glow. His gnarled staff was enveloped in a matching glow and zoomed to her open hand. She focused her magic into it and a blaze of violet and silver ignited at the end. That's when something strange happened. Her body went into a strange autopilot. some how she knew exactly how to move and how to focus; how to mould her magic. "COMET HAMMER!" She roared, jumping into the air, twirling the staff over her head before swinging the head of the staff down to the ground, creating a small explosion of purple energy. "Aaahhhh! It's Eisenwald!" The goblin shrieked. "Ya gotta untie us, please!" "Look alive boys, we got more visitors!" Trixie barked over to Gray and Natsu. "What?!" they both gasped. The moving shadow charged into the boys, sending them flying The shodow split off into multiple smaller shadows. Three of them shot out of the ground, suddenly becoming three dimensional, and transformed into punching fists. Each one striking at Trixie; one to the stomach, one to the chest and the third struck her square in the jaw. she was sent sprawling sevral feet away. then they wrapped around Lucy's ankles, Hammer tossing her on top of Trixie. "Guaaagghhh! Get off me!" Trixie croaked. "No, NONONONONO!!!" one of the prisoners frantically stammered. The shadows merged together once more, taking the form of a giant hand. The fingers rose out of the ground and engulfed the five of them and pulling them under. Trixie watched in morbid fascination as they all sank into the ground as if the ground beneath them was quicksand. Oh wow, the shadow hand even took a good sized chunk of the tree with them... Lucy slowly climbed off of Trixie as Gray ran up to them. "You girls okay?" he asked. "What was that?" Lucy asked shakily. "Who was that?" Natsu countered, asking what Trixie thought to be the bigger question. "...well, whoever it was, they're fast..." Trixie grumbled. She had to admit, whoever it was, was good at evading persuers, and they reacted quickly to her interferance. "That short guy said it was "Eisenwald". any Idea who that is?" Lucy asked. "I imagine Eisenwald is one of those 'dark guilds' you told us about, right?" Trixie asked Gray. Gray nodded with a sigh. "...well that makes two dark guild run-ins today...man..." This drew Natsu's attention. "Really, you ran into someone else from a dark guild already?" "Yeah, some psycho from 'Blood Diamond'." Gray answered. "Turns out he was the one behind the bandits of Lilac town job..." "Lets just go back to Magnolia before we get dragged into any more fights, okay?" Lucy pleaded. Everyone agreed and Gray and Trixie lead Natsu and Lucy back up to their waiting wagon. Sunset and Luna met them half way. "There you are, what happened?" the redhead asked, concern written all over her face. Trixie, with an annoyed deadpan expression held up one finger. "First, we met up with some of Gray's friends from Fairy Tail..." another finger went up. "...Second, we were attacked by a bunch of lowlife hooligans who tried to mug us for food..." a third finger went up. "...and third, we were attacked again by someone from another one of those 'Dark guilds' that Gray told us about before..." Then Happy piped in. "um...I think it's more accurate to say that the second attacker was there for those other guys rather then us. We were just in the way." He stated matter-of-factually. Sunset stared wide eyed at Happy for a moment. "Oh, My name is Sunset, by the way!" she blurted sticking her hand out. Natsu took it heartily. "My name is Natsu, and this is my partner, Lucy!" he said cheerfully. "...And my name is Happy!" chirped. "My name is Luna, if there are to be introductions." the moon princess greeted with a slight bow. with her new human body, she didn't hold such a prominent height difference over her peers that she had back in Equestria. she couldn't help but find it...refreshing...to be able to look someone in the eye without looking down all the time. "I am pleased to see that none of you are seriously harmed. Will you be accompanying us back to Magnolia, then?" Lucy nodded exasperatedly. "Yeah, I've had my share of excitement for today..." "Yeah...I'd rather get back to town as quick as possible." Gray said warily. "Erza's due back in town any time now, and I'd rather not get caught in her path in my current condition..." Lucy gawked at the nasty looking bruises all over Gray's body. "...oh wow..." she said quietly. Natsu suddenly looked terrified. "What, really?!" "THE Erza?!" Lucy asked with all the youthful exuberance of a total fangirl. "I can't wait to meet her!" she gushed. Then a thoughtful look washed over her face. "Now that I think about it, I've never even seen a picture of her in 'Sorcerer weekly'. What's she like?" Gray's shoulder's drooped. "Let's just get back to the wagon, I'll explain when we're finally moving again..." Sunset noticed a wooden staff in Trixie's hand that she hadn't seen before. "Where'd you get the staff?" Trixie blinked, then looked down to the staff in question. "Oh, that's right; I'd almost forgot about this thing... got it off one of our attackers." She gave it an experimental twirl. It seemed to glimmer with magic energy like stars in the night sky. "It seems to be a catalyst for casting spells..." she chose to leave out the bizarre moment of clarity in which she somehow knew exactly what to do with the blasted thing. Trixie would have to ask Luna or Sunset about it later when they had a little more privacy. The magic of this world works differently then what she was used to... This definitely needed some research and experimentation... "...I think I'll keep it." And so they all made it back to the wagon, Lightning Dust introduced herself and Natsu and Lucy did the same. The latter also heard Lightning Dust's side of their encounter in Lilac Town, and Gray and Natsu regaled their new friends on tales of the 'terrifying and deadly' Erza Scrlet. Of course, Lightning found it far-fetched to the point of being laughable. As well, she found it harder to take the boys seriously the more and more they exaggerated. It wouldn't be long however, before they met Erza in person... ..........................................Magnolia 2 days later........................................... She tromped down the street; a humongous horn held over her head with a single steel gauntleted hand. Her long red hair danced in the breeze. Her Paldrons clinked heavily against her chest plate. After vanquishing a giant cyclops that was attacking a fishing town, the locals were so grateful, they decorated the severed horn for her to take home as a souvenir... Her name was Erza...and her mission was not over; not if the rumors she'd heard were true... She just needed Natsu and Gray to help her...She just needed those two to work together... ........................................................................................................................ "Really? he had the poor guy locked up in a jail cell for three whole years?" Sunset asked incredulously. Lucy had been telling her of her 'job' with Natsu to infiltrate the mansion of some crooked little business tycoon named Everlue who had a book in his possession that they were supposed to destroy. Lucy then went into a lengthy commentary of the terrible things that surrounded its creation. The author had been locked in a jail cell and been forced to write it or else his family would lose their citizenship and be unable to make a living. It turned out That the man had a large list of his other illegal dealings under his belt, and he ended up losing everything from his wardrobe to his estate and everything in between once the Magic Council got wind of the events that transpired. Trixie smirked. "Sounds like karma kicked his teeth in good..." she said loosely. She may not have been an angle, but this Everlue guy sounded like a total scumbag... She took a swig of her drink and looked over to see Wakuba, a man with a pompadour hair style and a very odd practice of casting magic through chain-smoking cigars... this guild was definitely something else...anyway, she saw Wakuba, flirting with Mirajane, a transformation specialist who was easily the kindest woman she's ever met... "So Mira, when are we going to go on a date?" he asked confidently. "Wakuba, there's just one small problem..." with a snap of her fingers, she was enveloped in a pink aura before a cloud of pink smoke swirled around her with a loud pop. "You're already married!" she said cheerfully as she took the form of a larger woman with brown hair and a frilly pink dress. The look of horror on Wakuba's face was priceless as Trixie struggled not to spew her drink in a fit of laughter. Luna was inspecting the Job board when Mira walked over. "If you find a job you're interested in taking, let me know. The master's away for a conference, so I'm filling in." she said with the same cheerful attitude that reminded her of Pinkie Pie, back in Equestria. Mirajane however, was a far more reserved cheerful, and seemed to have adopted the role of a guild wide 'older sister' of sorts. "What sort of conference?" Luna asked. "It's like the Magic Council, but not...basically, the guildmasters all get together to discuss the state of things." Mira explained. "Excuse me, Reedus, may I borrow a Light pen?" Reedus, a man of impossible proportions drew the item from his pocket with a nod. "Oui." he replied. A Light Pen, it turned out, was a magic item that allowed someone to write in thin air... this world was surprising her at every turn with its ingenuity, both practical and quirky... As old as she was, she couldn't help but watch with child like awe and interest as Mirajane proceeded to draw out a diagram to illustrate the politics of the guilds and the magic council, explaining the process all the while. Luna nodded. "So the guilds are all interconnected, that's good, it helps keep everything from falling apart." she summarized. Mira nodded. "That's right, it can be a really stressful job." "Why don't you pick us another job, Lucy?" she heard Natsu ask. she turned to see Lucy glaring at Natsu and Happy. "Why would I wanna do that?" she deadpanned. "Well we are a team, aren't we?" he asked as if the answer should have been obvious. "Yeah, we picked the job last time, so it's your turn now!" Happy cheered. "You'd be better off with someone other then those losers" Gray called over from his spot by Cana. "What'd you say, Snowman?!" Natsu bellowed. "What ever the hell I want, Firecracker!" Gray countered. Luna merely arched an eyebrow. 'really?' she thought. 'this again?' "Lame insults, guys..." Lucy moaned. "Yeah, they run out of ideas sometimes..." Happy drawled. Meanwhile, everyone watching was having a good laugh at their antics. This however, was short lived as the resident heart throb, Loke, burst through the front door. "BAD NEWS!!" he shouted. "It's Erza...she's on her way here!" The whole room erupted in panicked murmuring. "Wow, just mention Erza's name and everyone freaks out." Lightning Dust mused from her place at the bar. Then the room went deathly silent. heavy foot steps were heard as they clomped ever closer. Everyone whispered quietly amongst themselves. Sunset decided to stand up and wait as a looming figure walked in the doorway. A young woman who didn't seem much older then herself with a massive horn held above her head with a single hand. Her relaxed expression suggesting that she was barely putting any effort into lifting it. Sunset took a couple steps forward, drawing the woman's attention. "Uh...hi. do you...need any help with that?" she asked awkwardly. The armored woman took a moment to look at her. "I have it well in hand, thank you." she said casually. The armored woman effortlessly set down her new trophy with such force That Sunset would have sworn the floor would collapse under it with how loud the heavy thud was. Then she turned to address Mirajane. "I have returned; where is Master Makarov?" Mira simply greeted her with her usual smile. "Welcome back, Erza. The master is away on conference right now." Erza didn't seem fazed at all. "I see..." "Impressive trophy." Luna said, clearly impressed that she even brought it all the way back from...where ever it was that she got it... "What manner of beast did it come from?" Erza turned to Luna with a curious look in her eye. "It was a cyclops that I defeated. the locals were so grateful that they decorated it up for me to take home..." "To slay a beast of such magnitude...You are living up to your reputation miss Erza. My name is Luna Solaris, It is a pleasure to finally meet you in person." Luna offered with a bow. Erza smiled. "The pleasure is mine. It's always wonderful to see new faces around the guild." Her expression then went hard and cold. "Now listen up!" everyone else in the room flinched. "While I was on the road, I heard a few things. Rumor is Fairy Tail has been causing nothing but trouble as of late." her glare intensified. "Master Makarov may not care, but I most certainly do." she whipped around to face Cana, whose face was obscured by the keg she drank from. "Cana, you need to start controlling your drinking!" the drinking woman now sat stalk still with a look as if she had just looked death in the face. "Vijator, please take the dancing outside!" The young man wearing a black bodysuit who, for some reason, was always dancing, flinched in terror. "Mab! I suspected I'd find you dawdling in front of the request board. Just hurry up and PICK A JOB!" She then turned to Macao, an older member of the guild who wore a white trench coat and used a strange variation of fire magic. the man flinched at the eye-contact. "Macao!" she sighed warily as she rubbed the bridge of her nose. "...I don't even know where to start..." Trixie and Lucy stared in awe. "...wow, she's really tearing into everybody...it's almost like she's taking over." Lucy said in amazement. "Yeah, no kidding..." Trixie nodded in agreement. Erza spoke once more. "Are Natsu and Gray here?" The two boys in question put up obviously fake and terrified smiles. "Oh, hey Erza, we're just hanging out like buddies do...heheheh...." Gray stammered. "Aye!" Natsu chimed in. both of them were already sweating bullets. Lucy now had no idea what was going on. "...why is Natsu talking like Happy?" "Isn't it obvious?" Lightning Dust smarmed. "She clearly has their balls in her purse." she smirked at her little joke before taking another drink. "Oh, they're both terrified of her, because Natsu challenged her to a fight and she beat him up pretty bad." Mira chirped. "Then she found Gray walking around naked so she decided to beat him up too." "Like I said...she's got their balls in her purse..." Lightning Dust said once more. Erza nodded; a satisfied smile on her face. "Good. I'm pleased to see you two getting along so well." she said. Cana and Macao smirked. "Then she beat up Loke for trying to hit on her..." Cana jeered. Macao merely chuckled at the memory. "Yeah...not surprised in the slightest..." Trixie deadpanned as she remembered her own first experience with him. "Can't say I blame her..." Lucy agreed. The two girls had become quick friends at the agreement that they both found the heartthrob more obnoxious then charming... "Natsu, Gray, I need you to do me a favor." Erza said drawing everyone's attention once more. "While I was traveling, I heard a few things that have me worried. Normally I'd consult with the master before acting, but he's not here, and this is a matter of utmost urgency..." Trixie and Lucy stared as they listened in. "...wow, this looks serious..." Lucy whispered, getting a nod from Trixie and Luna both. "The two of you are the strongest wizards here and I could really use your help." Erza continued. Her words hit Natsu and Gray like the front grill of a train going at full speed. they both did a double take before turning to face each other for a brief moment. Even Mirajane was slack jawed. It seemed even to the woman who would just brush off a bar brawl as another day in the office, had never seen this coming. "...did that...did that really just happen?" the room had once more erupted in murmuring; this time, it was bewilderment. "We'll meet at the train station tomorrow morning..." Erza said, blissfully unaware of how surreal this development seemed to all the others in the room. "Natsu, Gray and Erza?" Mira asked more to herself then anyone else. "working together as a team?" she continued, still trying to wrap her head around what just happened. "...This could be the strongest team Fairy Tail has ever seen..." ....................................The Next Day: Magnolia Train Station........................... "Rrrraaaaaaaagggggghhhhhhh!!!" Natsu roared. "I hate this! having to work with you is the worst thing ever!" "Yeah, tell me about it. Erza made a huge mistake asking a loser like you to come along!" Gray shot back. the two were once again glaring disdainfully at each other; Their magic energies blazing in auras around them, red and orange for Natsu, and blue for Gray. Trixie and Lucy sat close by on a station bench. Lucy cradled what looked like a living snowman...apparently it was one of her 'Celestial Spirits' that she can summon to fight with her in a jam. while this one was generally harmless and she kept him around because he was cute and cuddly. She stared awkwardly at the ground in front of her. "...let's just sit here and pretend we don't know them..." Trixie, for her part was quite adept at pretending that she wasn't paying attention, as she sat in a relaxed manner reading a magazine. "Maybe Erza will show up without them noticing and give them a thrashing so we can get on with whatever she needs our help with..." she mused, her eyes never straying from her page. "It'll be a huge pain if this becomes a regular thing with these two..." Happy, who was sitting with them was simply enjoying a fish that he brought with him. "What made you decide to come with us?" he asked over the fish in his mouth. Lucy sighed. "Mirajane asked us to tag along..." ...........................................Flashback.................................. Moments after Erza had said her piece and left, Natsu and Gray were once again at each other's throats, glaring and seething. "They're hopeless..." Lucy groaned. Their ti raid against each other, was cut off as Trixie stepped between them, taking a firm hold of their ears as she pushed them apart. '"OW! owowowowowow!" they both wailed. "KNOCK. IT. OFF!!" Trixie screeched before bringing her hands behind the heads and cracked them together violently. They both groaned in protest. "Stop your whining, that's more Gentle then what Erza would have done!" She then went back to her seat and downed her drink with a scowl on her face. "Nicely done!" Mira chirped. "Hey, those two are going to be in each other's faces whenever Erza's not looking, so I'd like you two to go with them and keep them in line, okay?" "WHAT?!" Lucy shrieked. "I'd better get something out of this..." Trixie grumbled. .....................................End Flashback............................... "...you're not doing a very good job..." Happy stated. "They're hopeless, what can I say...?" was Lucy's response. That's when Erza arrived. "Sorry I'm Late..." she greeted. "...have you been waiting long?" Trixie looked up and her eyes went wide at the sight of all the luggage that Erza was towing behind her, but said nothing. "Oh no, It's gyah!" Lucy trailed off in mid-sentence at the sight as well. Seriously, what could she need with all that stuff? "It's time to go, good buddy!" Gray cheered comically. "Aye, hahahah!" Natsu replied with an equally comical tone. "Good, I love to see you getting along..." Erza said with a soft smile. then she turned to see Trixie and Lucy. "...and what were your names? I believe I saw you at the guild yesterday...?" "Oh, I'm Lucy, I just recently joined." the blond girl greeted. "I got in with a commendation from Natsu!" Erza's smile brightened. "Oh, it's a pleasure to meet you, I heard you beat a vulcan on your first job. It'll be great having a wizard of your skill with us." "...and I'm Trixie. Trixie Lulamoon. I got in with a commendation from Gray." Trixie greeted casually. "You've already met the first half of my team, Luna and Sunset..." she offered her hand, which Erza took happily. Trixie now sported a new outfit that consisted of a sky blue tanktop with her familiar magic wand insignia on the front, black jeans and her familiar blue boots. Blue and purple fedora and dark sunglasses completed her new look. "Yeah...since we're new in Fairy tail, Mira said we should tag along and see if we can learn a few things. I hope that's alright with you...?" Erza smiled. "Of course. The more, the merrier." Natsu finally decided to drop the 'BFF' act with gray and speak up. "Hey Erza, I'll help you out, but on one condition!" he declared. Gray looked mortified. "Shut up, man!" Erza quirked an eyebrow. "Really? Well, let's hear it then." "When we get back to Fairy Tail, I want a rematch!" Natsu said, a fire od determination in his eyes. "I'm a lot stronger then I was last time, and this time it's going to be different because I'm going to beat you!" "You got a deathwish?!" Gray demanded. Erza closed her eyes. "hmm..." she said thoughtfully. "...It's clear that you have improved..." she granted. "...whether it's enough to beat me, however...that remains to be seen..." Erza looked back up at Natsu with an almost malevolent look in her eye. "...very well. I accept your challenge." "Yeah! I'm fired up!!" He roared triumphantly as his body burst into flame. Soon after, their train departed. what was this task that Erza had enlisted their assistance for? only time would tell... ................Elsewhere...In the secret headquarters of the dark guild "Blood Diamond" ......... Lazaro stood in front of the guildmaster. he was seething. "...to think that you were ousted by some Fairy Tail whelps...shameful." The guild master, Marik, said calmly. though anyone else in Blood Diamond knew that when Marik spoke in such a calm fashion in regards to a failure, there was always venon in his intent... "what have you to say for yourself, Lazaro?" The masked man glared back his superior. "...They got a lucky shot..." he growled. "Next time, they won't get so lucky..." Marik's eyes narrowed. "...see that you make their deaths painful..." he said coldly. Their conversation was interrupted by a sultry female voice. "Perhaps I could provide you an opportunity, gentlemen..." The two of them spun around to face the intruder. "Who are you?!" Marik demanded. "and how did you find this place?!" The intruder, a young woman garbed in black and red with a similar mask to Lazaro's except hers was a featureless surface with eye slots that held only empty blackness. Across the right eyeslot, a blood red crescent moon was etched into the mask. "...A kindred spirit, I assure you." she said with a laugh. "you see... I'm quite familiar with the group that foiled your mission...which I am guessing was for the purpose of aquiring this?" she offered reaching under her black cloak and pulling out a piece of paper. "The deed to one "Crichton Silver Mine"...?" Lazaro glared at the woman. "How did you get that?!" he bellowed. Once again, she merely laughed it off. "...by happy coincidence, I happened upon it during the raid..." "...and the original owner...?" Marik asked. She smiled under her mask, and blood seemed to gush out through the cracks in the tile floor at her feet, forming a large puddle. The blood seemed to ripple before a skull rose from it, still stained red from being submerged. "...He tasted quite delicious..." she said huskily. "...so did his family..." It was Lazaro's turn to smile under his mask. "...you said you had an offer of sorts...did you not...?" "Why, yes I did..." she said, holding out the deed. "...Consider this the payment for my request..." Marik took the deed and smiled. "...What did you have in mind...?"