Alice is sleeping on the floor and she's covered in blankets. She's breathing heavily and sweating. Fragrant Olive is laying next to her.  Lucy is sitting on a barrel next to Alice with Natsu and Happy next to her.

People are talking about getting revenge and Macao with Wakaba and a few others are looking at a map.

Macao:"Okay, so their headquarters is here. So I'm thinking we should try and hit them with some long range spells from this southeast hill."

Wakaba then grba sand looks at some Lacrimas.

Wakaba:"I'm bringing out all my explosive lacrimas next time."

Macao:"Hey guys! I'm gonna need some spell books for a holder-type magic from the archives."

Gray looks to Lucy and she looks guilty.

Gray:"Don't worry. We'll get them back for this."

Lucy sighs.

Lucy:"I know. I'm not worried about that. It's just..." *Lucy looks to Alice.* "All my fault."

Elfman:"Being targeted by dangerous people is just one of the downsides of being rich. At least you're protected by a real man like me."

Gray looks to Elfman, annoyed.

Gray:"Hey, would you give it a rest already?"

happy:"I gotta say, I was shocked when I heard the news. Why'd you hide the truth from us, Lucy?"

Lucy:"I wasn't trying to hide anything. I mean, there's no way to bring up the fact that I'm a runaway in casual conversation. I've been gone for a year, and my father hasn't cared. Now all of a sudden he wants to force me to come home? He's done all those horrible things just to get me to go back. I hate his guts! Still, if I hadn't run away in the first place, none of this would have ever happened."

Elfman:"Come on. Don't be ridiculous. Your dad's the one to blame."

Gray:"Idiot."

Elfman panics a little bit.

Elfman:"Uh... I mean, it's Phantom's fault."

Lucy:"No. I'm the one who brought trouble to the guild, and it's all because of my own selfish choices. I'm so very sorry. I'm just gonna go back home, and hopefully all this will be over with."

Natsu:"I don't know about that. I can't see you playing the part of the pretty princess sitting around in your mansion."

Lucy gasps.

Natsu:"Laughing with us in this filthy guild hall, going on adventures even though you freak out all the time, that's who you really are. Besides, you'd have to go through Alice fist. She seems to like you too much just to let you leave."

Lucy sighs and looks to the sleeping Alice. Alice's breathing has become normal, but she's still sweating.

Natsu:"And you said you wanted to stay with us, right? Why would you ever go back to the place you ran away from? Come on, who are you trying to kid? You're Lucy of Fairy Tail. No more running 'cause you belong here with us."

Lucy starts to cry.

Gray:"Ah, don't cry. It's just not like you."

Elfman:"Yeah, please. Real men are weak to womanly tears."

Lucy:"Sorry."

 

 

 

Cana is trying to do a read with her cards. Then she gets frustrated and throws them up in the air.

Cana:"Come on. I'm not getting any kind of read on where Mystogan is."

Mira is nearby at a viewing Lacrima.

Mira:"Oh dear. You did your best."

Cana:"If Lucy's their real target, they're bound to attack, and I would bet it's sooner than later. Right now we've just got too many wounded to put up much of a fight."

Mira:"Master's seriously injured and Alice is unable to fight. And we can't seem to locate Mystogan."

Mira looks to the viewing Lacrima.

Mira:"You're the only on left that we can turn to. Help us, Laxus."

Laxus groans.

Mira:"We could really use you about now. Fairy Tail is in terrible danger."

Laxus:*Viewing Lacrima.* "Man, Makarov and his attack dog are freaking pathetic." *He laughs.* "I don't see how this is remotely my problem. You're big girls so deal with it yourselves."

Cana:"So you're not gonna help us?"

Laxus:*Viewing Lacrima.* "Of course not. Why would I? That senile old toad started this. Why do I have to be the one to clean up his mess?"

Mira:"Please, Laxus. Phantom's trying to kidnap Lucy."

Laxus:*Viewing Lacrima.* "Who? Do I even know her? Og wait. Is it that new girl? I'll tell you what, if you can talk blondie into being my woman, I'll do anything she wants."

Cana:"You are such a pig!"

Laxus:*Viewing Lacrima.* "Are you sure you want to talk that way to a guy you're begging to help you? Do me a favor, if that geezer manages to pull through this, tell him he's over the hill and he should hand the guild over to me."

Laxus Laughs and Mira punches the viewing lacrima, breaking it. Mira starts to cry.

Cana:"Mira..."

Laxus:"I don't understand. How can someone in Fairy Tail be so heartless and cruel?"

Mira turns to Cana.

Mira:"I can't just sit here and watch. I have to join the others and fight."

Mira starts to walk.

Cana:"Wait. Don't be ridiculous."

Mira stops.

Mira:"I feel totally useless being stuck here at the guild hall. I want to help."

Cana puts a hand on Mira's shoulder.

Cana:"I understand. But you'll only get in the way as you are now. Even if you were once an S-Class wizard."

 

 

 

Alice groans in her sleep and she breath heavily a few times. Gray crouches down to her and casts some ice magic on his hand and puts it to her head. Alice calms down.

Elfman:"How is she?"

Gray sighs.

Gray:"She's gotten better from before."

Elfman:"Why didn't she go to Porlyusica."

Natsu:"I bet she was to stubborn too."

Happy:"That's Alice for ya."

Gray looks to Alice is worry.

Gray:'Come on Alice. You've got to pull through, we need you.'

Suddenly the Guild hall shakes and Gray stands up.

Gray:"Hey, what's going on?"

Alzack:"Outside!"

The Members of Fairy Tail gun out the back door and look out to the sea.

Natsu:"What is that thing?"

Happy:"It's a guild hall with ginormous legs!"

Loke:"Is it Phantom?"

The Guild takes a step and the ground shakes and everyone gasps.

Wakaba:"How do we fight that thing?"

The guild takes another step. Erza is shaking. She's only wearing a towel.

Erza:"I never anticipated this. I can't believe they'd go to such extremes to attack us."

The guild hall sets down in the ocean and a cannon comes out from it and Magic starts to form in the barrel. Erza turns to the others.

Erza:"Run! Get out of here now!"

Erza runs forward.

Mira:"Erza!"

Macao:"Don't be stupid!"

Erza Requips armor.

Cana:"She requipped."

Loke:"What are you doing?!"

Erza:"Protecting the Guild Hall."

Happy:"That's her adamantine Armor."

Bisca:"Is she gonna try to block the cannon's shot?"

Alzack:"But there's no way her armor's gonna hold up against a blast that strong."

Wakaba:"You're just risking your like. This is ridiculous."

Erza:"Just Stay back!"

Gray holds Natsu back as he tries to go to Erza.

Natsu:"Erza!"

Gray:"We're not gonna be able to stop her. We just gotta have faith in her."

The Cannon fires and Erza slams her Armor shield together and a massive magic circle appears in front of her. The shot connects with the magic circle.

Natsu:"No!"

Erza struggles against the magic beam and her armor starts to crack. Erza's armor breaks just as the magic beam disappears and she's sent flying back. Before she hits the ground someone catches her. The smoke clears and the beam carve a hole in the ground to where it collided with Erza.

Macao:"I don't believe this. She actually managed to stop it."

Elfman:"Once again, Erza's the manliest one in the guild."

 

 

Erza opens her eyes and looks up to see the sunlight shining on someone.

Alice:"You alright?"

Erza:"Alice?" 

Alice moves her head to block the sun and Alice gives Erza a smile.

Alice:"The one and only."

Natsu:"Alice! Erza!"

Natsu runs over and crouches down to them.

Natsu:"You okay?"

Alice:"I'm better, but Erza here."

Jose:*Speakers.* "Makarov has fallen."

Alice eye's widen and her pupils shrink and she stands up and uses her sword as support.

Jose:"Alice can barely stand and Now Erza can no longer stand."

Alice growls and tightens the grip on her sword.

Jose:*Speakers.* "Any change of victory has slipped through your fingers. Surrender Lucy Heartfilia immediately. You have no choice."

Alzack:"That's not gonna happen."

Bisca:"Like any guild would hand over one of their own to a monster like you."

Macao:"You hear that? Lucy's staying put."

The rest of Fairy Tail start to cheer.

Jose:*Speakers.* "I won't ask again."

People keep cheering and shouting.

Alice:"Never! I'll never give you one of my family!"

Erza/Alice:"You'll have to kill us first!"

Everyone:"YEAH!"

Natsu:"You can stop asking now, 'cause we're not gonna give you any other answer! We're taking every one of you jerks down!"

Everyone continues to shout.

Alice:"We never betray family and we never will!"

Jose:*Speakers.* "If death is what you want, I'll give you a second helping of jupiter! You've got 15 minutes to ponder the folly of your actions!"

Elfman:"No way."

Cana:"What'll we do?"

Loke:"They're gonna fire at us again?"

Mira comes over to Alice and Erza. Erza groans.

Mira:"Erza..."

Gray:"Oh no. She's out. And she's the only reason the rest of use are still standing after that first shot."

Alice gently sets Erza on the ground. Shades come out from the Phantom Lord Guild hall.

Alice:"What the hell?"

Alice stands up.

Jose:*Speakers.* "You're in quite a quandary aren't you, Fairy Tail? There are only two ways this situation can play out. Either my troops will tear you apart, or you'll be blown away by Jupiter."

Macao:"Are you kidding me?! If he fires at us he'll kill his own men."

Wakaba:"Surely he's bluffing. Who'd do something like that?"

Cana:"No, he's gonna do it."

Macao and Wakaba gasp.

Cana:"Those Phantom Soldiers were created by Jose's shade magic. They're not human, so it won't matter to him if they're destroyed."

Bisca:"What the heck are Phantom Soldiers?"

Alzack:"You saying they're ghosts?"

Cana:"We've got to do something to take out that Jupiter cannon."

Alice looks to Natsu.

Alice:"Natsu can do it."

Natsu smiles and he slams his fist into his palm.

Natsu:"I'm gonna smash that thing to pieces. I only got 15 minutes to wreck it, right?"

Cana:"Mm-hmm."

Natsu starts to run towards the Phantom Guild hall.

Natsu:"Come on, Happy."

Happy picks up Natsu and they head towards the Phantom Guild hall.

Happy:"Aye, sir!"

Gray and Elf man start to run towards it too.

Gray:"Okay, Elfman, we're gonna strom the place too."

Elfman:"Oh yeah!"

Alice takes out her sword and points it at the shade soldiers.

Alice:"And we're gonna stay here and protect the guild hall. Am I right?"

Everyone:"Yeah!"

Alice:*Shouting.* "Hey Jose! How about we pick the third option of kicking your ass!"

Everyone cheers and Jose growls.

Alice watches gray and Elfman head to the phantom guild hall.

Alice:"I'll join you guys soon!"

Gray  gives her a thumbs up.

The shade soldiers make it to the group and Alice starts to slash at them. One almost touches her but she rolls to the side.

Loke:"Whatever you do, just don't let them touch you."

Alice slashes a couple of shades.

Jose:*Speakers.*"That is correct. With a single touch, my Phantom soldiers can weaken your life force. Shade Magic!"

Alzack:"So we just don't touch them, right?"

Bisca:"Let's give them a taste of what we do."

Alice jump away from a few shades trying to touch her.

Alice:'If I only had more magic power.'

Bisca and Alzack are kicking ass, but the soldiers regenerate.

Alice:"Don't give up. Fight for your family!"

Alice:"World Call: Generate cryogenic element. Form element, shield shape. Discharge."

A big ice shield forms in front of Alice and it blocks some shade soldiers. Alice quickly turns around and slashes a few soldiers behind her. 

Alice:"Just how many are there?"

Alice slashes a few more soldiers.

Alice:"Come on, Natsu. There's only a few more minutes!"

Alice turns around and sees a bunch of Shade soldiers heading towards her. Alice holds up her sword.

Alice:"Bring it on."

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03-04-2022

1865 words.