~*****~

Knightwalker has a large army of strange creatures at her command. "You pathetic traitor. You're not a noble exceed. You're just a lousy fallen. To think you would forget your debt to our king and dare betray his orders."

"It's the Edolas Erza!" Natsu gasped.

"The one called Knightwalker!" Happy gasps.

"Lily!" Coco sobs.

"Heartless broad, you're gonna pay!" Gajeel growls.

"No, we have to do something to help Lily and Ballad!" Chargot pleads.

"It's too dangerous, Chargot!" The old exceed helping her fly says.

"Don't worry, your highness! I'll go down there and help out!" One exceed exclaims.

I snap my gaze back to Knightwalker. "It's Knightwalker--" Erza growls.

"Let me handle this." Mystogan says. "I've had enough of your insolence, Captain Knightwalker. How dare you point your sword at me, the Royal Prince of Edolas!"

"The Prince?" Erza echoes.

I rub at my forehead. "Great, there's another headache coming on. Our Jellal looking guy is just a vagabond kid, and this worlds is a prince?" I ask.

A laugh echoes out in the air. "You, the Royal Prince of Edolas? Don't make me laugh. You don't deserve the title because I never thought of you as my son!" The King shouts.

"That's the King's voice!" Coco exclaims.

"Yeah, where the heck is he?" Lucy asks.

"You have some nerve, you can't run off for seven years and then suddenly waltz back in as though nothing happened. Do you think you can fool me? I know you've been in Earthland sealing all of teh animas! You're a traitor! And as such, you must be punished for your actions!" The King declares.

"Where's that voice coming from?" Wendy asks.

"I have no idea, but he certainly sounds angry, doesn't he?" Carla nods.

"Come on! Show yourself, bucko!" Natsu bellowed.

"Come out and face us!" Happy shouted.

"Yeah, show us you're not compensatin' ya old creep!" I bark.

"Your anima plan has failed. Please surrender peacefully." Mystogan orders. "You've no reason to fight anymore."

"Ridiculous. Who says I need a reason to fight?" The King barks.

There's a dull ringing echoing out from somewhere. "You guys hear that, too?" I ask as I press my hand to my ear.

"Yeah, I do," Gray agrees. "It sounds like it's coming from underground!"

"Feel the magic power building up in the air?" Lucy asks.

The ground starts shaking violently as an unnatural green glow blooms from the cracks appearing. "This is not a simple fight. No, this is retribution. The extermination of all who would dare oppose their king!"

"What the hell is that?" I gasp. "Some kind of weapon?"

"Since you and your meddlesome friends insist on standing in my way, I've no choice but to obliterate each one of you!" The King bellows. "Regardless of who you are!"

"Father, please--" Mystogan starts.

"I'M NOT YOUR FATHER!" The King barks. "I AM THE KING OF EDOLAS!" The device cracks open, revealing a monstrous looking dragon creature. "If I dispose of you here and now, I'll no longer have to worry about you sealing my animas in Earthland! I'll be free to create another giant Lacrima and fuse it with the Exceeds! Limitless magic power will be mine!" The king began laughing hysterically again. "Try as you might, there is no stopping me! I AM THE KING! MY POWER IS ABSOLUTE!"

There's a ripple of disbelief among the exceeds. "The Dorma Anim." Mystogan gasps. "From our old language, it means Dragon Knight. It's enhanced Dragon Armor."

"A... dragon?" I echo.

"Certainly looks like one. Don't you guys think so?" Happy asks.

"Is it magic armor?" Wendy asks.

"It's unlike any I've ever seen before." Carla says.

"It's an enhanced armor made from an anti-magic Lacrima called wizard canceller." Coco explains. "It's bad news for us, because our attacks won't have any effect on it. The king must be inside of it. He's controlling the Dorma Anim's every move."

The giant beast opens its mouth, revealing a large cannon within. "As your king, I order you to capture the exceeds at once."

"Yes sir!" The Royal Army chants.

"Hurry! Fly for your lives!" Mystogan orders. They all scatter.

"They're getting away!" Knightwalker shouts. Thousands of cannons fire off, hitting exceeds and turning them into Lacrima. "After them!"

"Yes, Captain!" The army shouts louder.

"Do your best to protect the exceeds from the Royal Army," I hear Erza order. "I'm going to try to take down Knightwalker."

"You got it." Lucy chirps as I land on the beast. "Well, look at you, two. Good job, I thought riding this legion would make you nauseous. Did you guys have Wendy cast a Troia spell to help you with your motion sickness?"

I scratch at my head. "Well, technically, Ballad cast a Troia spell on me earlier, but I don't know about Natsu." I mention as I stare down at him.

"Jeez, why would I be nauseous when I'm not even riding on a vehicle? This guy's lending us a hand as our ally. Man, you're cruel." Natsu complained.

"I'm sorry. That's my mistake." Lucy retorted. "I thought you looked like you were gonna barf, but it's just your ugly face."

"Hey, he's not ugly, he's such a cutie pie--" I comment as I kneel down to pat his head.

"We've got to stop that monster. Quit bickering and help me out, losers," Gray snapped.

"Hey, who're you callin' a loser?!" Natsu barked.

"I wouldn't go near that thing if I were you." Coco commented nervously. "Your magic is useless against it."

"We'll just have to dodge its attacks." Mystogan states. "We must do what we can to protect the exceeds. They're completely defenseless right now."

"All right, here goes!" Natsu grinned.

"Think you can dodge me? We'll see!" The king jeered before cackling. "I will obliterate anyone who gets in my way! I won't let a single human escape my wrath! Be gone!"

Just as he fires his cannon, Mystogan summons a shield to block the blast. "Mystogan!" Erza shouts.

"Mystogan? Don't tell me that's the name you chose to be called in Earthland? Your name is Jellal!" The king barked.

I hummed irritably and stabbed at my forehead with my finger. "Didn't he say that wasn't his name?" I ask irritably.

"Erza! Get out of here while you still can!" Mystogan shouts.

"What about you?" Erza calls back.

"Forget about me!"

"Will he be okay?" Coco stammers.

"Yeah, he's got this," I hum as I squat down. "He's a Fairy Tail wizard, too."

"Right," Natsu agrees.

"Three-Layer magic circle; Mirror Wall!" Mystogan chants. Three impressive seals appear and repel the blast back towards the Dorma Anim.

"Think that got him?" Gray asked.

"Has it ever been that easy for us?" I ask.

"He's so powerful," Lucy cooed in amazement.

Although the king just giggled. "Goodness, that tickled."

"Whoa, it's not even scratched!" Natsu exclaimed.

"You're kidding!" Lucy yelps.

"That's crazy!" Gray shouts.

The power powers up again. "Behold! This is the power of the Great Wizard Canceller! You can attack with all your might but it will not stop me! The Dorma Anim is impervious to all forms of magic!" The dragon fires again, hitting Mystogan and his beast head on. We all shout after him while the King just laughs. "The Mighty Prince has fallen! I'm sure he'll feel right at home crawling along ground with the other pests."

I leap off of the edge of the beast we're on and race towards the giant beast. There's explosions ringing out all around him as I slam into it's back.

"Who's attacking? I don't understand!" I hear the King bellow. "The Dorma Anim shouldn't be affected by their magic attacks!"

"Sky Dragon Roar!" Wendy cries. It knocks the anim to the side, and I beam down at her before I land on the ground.

"You little brat!" The King barks.

"Pretty impressive job, Kiddo." Natsu compliments.

"Yeah, you're hard work is finally paying off." I add.

"Thank you. But I'm sure the three of you can cause a lot more damage than I can." Wendy comments.

"Geezer, you're gonna regret hurting my cat." Gajeel snarls.

"It was you. I should've known." The King growls.

"Natsu! Aria!" Happy cries.

"Please, be careful!" Carla shouts.

"Yeah, don't be doing anything stupid!" Ballad's voice carries out from the wreckage where I assume she's healing Lily at.

"You guys can do it!" Lucy calls out.

"We're good. Just keep the cats safe." Natsu retorts.

"In that case, I'll leave it to you." Erza states.

~*****~

"Let's do this, lizard freaks." Gajeel snaps at us.

"Great, I have to team up with you again." Natsu groaned.

"Quit your whining, will you?" Gajeel asked. "We can settle our score after we're done."

"I'm all fired up now!" Natsu beamed.

I rolled my eyes. "Goodness, can we just get to it and avenge Gajeel's kitty?" I ask impishly.

"I'll punch you for that later," Gajeel snapped at me.

"Not a chance, buddy--" Natsu snapped.

"Quit arguing and focus on destroying that thing!" Wendy exclaimed.

"I would love to see you try!" The King sneered.

"I'll lend a hand. Swift Wings!" Wendy chimed. "That speed through the heavens!"

"What the--" Natsu gasped.

"No way-- I feel so much lighter--" I exclaim as my wings shiver from the less strain.

"Yeah, same here," Gajeel agrees.

"Vernier!" Wendy chants. My body is enveloped in a dim blue light before we blast off for an attack.

"Whoa-- we're really flyin'!" Natsu exclaims.

"Did I really need this?" I comment dryly. I shake my head and grin.

"I can't lock my targets on them!" The king complains before he realizes that we're closing in for an attack.

"Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" Natsu shouts.

"Iron Dragon Club!" Gajeel barks.

"Ice Dragon Talon Score!" I shout.

We continue to wail on the Dorma Anim. "I don't understand what's happening here! Their attacks shouldn't affect me. Why is the Dorma Anim taking damage?!"

"Come on! It should've fallen by now!" Gajeel barks at us.

"Well quit complaining and hit harder!" I shout back.

"Let me help! I call upon thee-- the Stalwart Might to cleave the heavens!" Wendy cries.

A bright light explodes from underneath us. "What's she doin' now?" Gajeel asks.

"ARMS!" Wendy chants.

My body starts tingling. "That's awesome. I feel way stronger." Natsu exclaims.

"Cause it's an attack enchantment spell!" Wendy explains.

"You ready to crush this old guy?" Gajeel asks.

"Oh, hell yeah!" Natsu grins.

"Always ready!" I agree.

"Nonsense!" The King barks. "Why is there magic power increasing all of a sudden?" We attack again, not giving him an opportunity to ponder it.

"Fire Dragon Brilliant Flame!" Natsu shouts.

"Iron Dragon Spear! Demon Log!" Gajeel barks.

"Ice Dragon Freezing Blizzard!" I exclaim.

The Dorma Anim swerves it's head around wildly until it finds Wendy. "It's her. You're done for, Brat! Launch Dragon Rider Missiles!"

"Look out, Wendy!" I shout.

"Don't worry, I can handle this!" She calls back. "Vernier!"

She avoids some of the blasts, but a lot of them are still chasing her. "They're tracking her?" Gajeel gasps.

I groan as she trips and hits the ground-- as she usually does. I don't hesitate to leap over to her, blocking her body with my own. Of course, I can't have all the glory. Glory Hog Natsu leaps in to destroy the blasts. "You saved me!" Wendy chimes.

"I won't let him hurt you." Natsu huffed.

I grimace. "Yeah, no, not me literally using my body covered in armor scales to protect her." I mention irritably. "Glory Hog."

"O-Oh, I didn't mean to offend you, Aria! Thank you so much for jumping in, too!" Wendy chirped nervously.

I pat her head. "Try and stop me!" The King shouts.

I wince at the sound of Gajeel wailing on the metal beast. "You ain't shootin' no one, you hear me, old man?" He barks loudly.

"You're grating on my nerves!" The King bellows.

Two missiles fire off. "There's still two missiles left?" I gasp.

"I'll take care of 'em!" Natsu barks as he charges.

"No, wait, Natsu! Those are different than the others!" Wendy shouts.

I leap onto Wendy and cover her body as an explosion rings out. My wings ripple before I curl them around us, wincing at the heat trying to break through my scales. I can vaguely hear Natsu shout in surprise before it's drowned out by the roaring fire.

The King's laughter cuts through it, and I peer over my shoulder. "It's about time you lowly wizards learned your place! You couldn't slay a dragon if it laid down before you!" The familiar sound of Natsu sucking in the flames echoed over the now dwindling fire. "Impossible!" The King shouts as the fire clears. "He's eating the flames from the Dragon Rider Missiles?" There's a crunching noise coming from the tail of the beast and the King glances over and shouts. "Is he insane?! Why is he eating the Dorma Anim's tail?!"

I reach into the cup of the stupid outfit I'm still wearing and tug out my last two Ice Diamonds. "Man, that was some seriously nasty tasting fire." Natsu commented as I popped them into my mouth. "Don't think I've ever tasted a flame that gross before."

"Wait till you try Gemini's fake ice magic." I comment dryly through my crunching.

"The Iron's gross, too." Gajeel stated as he spit out a small screw. "Bad stuff, but even so..."

"I'm starting to feel like I got a real fire in my belly." The three of us chant.

"Are you trying to copy me?" Natsu complained.

"It was just a coincidence, numb nuts." Gajeel snapped.

"Not for me. I wanted to try it out since everyone steals it. Just feels wrong." I retort casually.

"Unbelievable--" The King stammers. I let my gaze flicker back to the Dorma Anim. "Are all Earthland wizards this powerful?!"

"Man, this thing's hardcore," Natsu hums. "No wonder they call it a dragon."

"That ain't a dragon." Gajeel retorts. "It's just a dumb, old man hiding inside a big hunk of junk."

"He's out here alone without any guards to protect him," I mention.

"Yes. All we have to do is take that thing down." Wendy states.

Natsu grins. "I'm fired up now."

"So these are the dragon slayers..." The King pondered. "Such power!" He says with a disgusting huff. "I will not rest until I have it for myself!"

"What's happening?" Gajeel asked.

"This is bad, you guys!" Wendy exclaims. "It's gaining power, pulling it from the air!"

"And it's flowing into the armor," Natsu says.

I hum in surprise. "It's changing!" I exclaim as it stomps towards us.

"I shall rob you of the will to fight!" The King shouts. "You'll be begging me for mercy! Witness the power of Dorma Anim! Black Heaven!" A strange sound echoed through my ears, causing me to wince and cover them. "I've got you now!" I crashes a spear at us, Natsu flying into the surrounding structures. He's not down long. He rockets back to attack. "You'll have to do better than that!" The King bellowed before batting him away.

"No, Natsu!" Wendy cried.

"He hit that thing with his arms attack, and it didn't even flinch!" Gajeel exclaimed.

The King laughed joyously. "Can you feel it, this absolute magic power? It's spectacular! Don't bother falling to your knees, begging for your lives! Stay right where you are, so I can watch you tremble in fear! You can't stop me! I'm the one dragon you cannot slay!" One attack decimates the ground, sending us flying.

~*****~

There's an intense pain throbbing in my wing as I try to get up. I grimace and grip at the joint that's twisted unnaturally. My wings retract after I've freed it from the rubble encasing it. The King's laughter rings through my skull and I grimace at the throbbing it's causing. "You're pathetic!" He sneers. "You don't stand a chance of winning!"

"Everyone in the world's suffering 'cause there's no magic power!" Natsu barked as he stood up. "I'd like to know why their crazy king seems to have more than his fair share of it!"

The King just chuckles "You'd be hard pressed to find a king who hasn't imposed a tax on his people. That's how monarchy works, my boy! The Dorma Anim requires a constant influx of magic power! So it's gathered from all over the world! That's why it was sealed away as a forbidden weapon. Now that I've activated it, the fate of this world is dependent upon my victory!"

"Why should we believe you!" Wendy shouts.

"You don't give a rats ass about what happens to this world!" I hiss. "That's why you're stealing all it's magic power!"

The King just laughed in response. "One of the reasons I joined Fairy Tail was so I could help others. To be honest, I couldn't care less what happens to your stupid world. But I do care about everyone who lives here." Natsu growls. "So I'm about to kick your butt for them!"

"Can't you see that you're just wasting your energy? There's no defeating me and my Dorma Anim!" The King bellows as I stagger to my feet. "I have complete control over the magic power of this world! Therefore, I have the right to use it however I please!"

"You should share it with your people!" Gajeel roars.

"If you're selfish with such a gift, you don't deserve it!" I shout.

"If you think you're indestructible, then I've got news for you! You and that phony dragon of yours are about to go down!" Natsu bellows.

"Sky Dragon Roar!" Wendy exclaims. It hits the dragon but does little to no damage.

The King laughs gleefully. "How many times must I tell you not to waste magic power? I hate to think how much your attacks might be affecting my supply." My ears twitch at the mention.

"What do you mean your supply?" Gajeel snaps. "My magic power belongs to me. It ain't nobody else's, got it?" He leaps onto the tail. "Iron Dragon Club!" He smacks it against the tail, but yet again, it does nothing.

The Dorma Anim lights up, knocking Gajeel off like a fly. "It's only a matter of time now. It will be mine; your lives and power are my spoils of war!"

The King just laughs and laughs as I gaze at it. "Not if we stop you!" Natsu shouts. He attacks again, and I do all that I can just to avoid his attacks.

"Earthland Wizards are a fortunate lot indeed." The king hums. "They possess unimaginable power because they are born with an eternal spring of magic. Then there are the Dragon Slayers. Your power surpasses even the most absurd concept of limitation. That power will belong to me. With it, I can replenish this world's supply." I pant heavily as I stare through the hair hanging in front of my face. "It appears you couldn't live up to your namesake. As long as I possess the Dorma Anim, I am God! My army will pave an inexorable path of conquest in both worlds! I will reign supreme!" I wince, the drawback of my magic starting to burn at my organs and bones, but it doesn't stop me from trying to get up. "I see! There's some fight left in you! Your power is truly remarkable. And I shall savor every ounce of it! Prepare yourselves, Dragon Slayers!" He attacks again, sending us flying. My body sings with horrible pain as I hit the ground. "I need more. I call to thee, oh heaven and earth. I ask that you relinquish all your magic power to the Dorma Anim." I push at the hair still covering my face and try to roll onto my front. "I feel it! The last remnants of Edolas' power are vanishing! That means your time is up! I must harvest your power immediately."

I groan as I get up. "If he wants it so bad," I say in a breathless tone. "Then let's give it to him. Natsu, Gajeel, you got one good roar left?" He groans in response, but I can vaguely see him nod his head. Gajeel grits out a response. "Wendy. You too."

"All of us at the same time?" Wendy asks.

"There's no sense holding back," Gajeel states as he turns his head over his shoulder. "We gotta take down this walking scrap heap."

"Are you ready or not?" I snap as I stagger to my feet.

"You bet I am!" Wendy chirps.

"Yeah!" Natsu barks.

"You ain't showin' me up!" Gajeel exclaims.

We all take in a mighty breath, cupping our hands around our mouths, and unleash a powerful attack.

"Fire Dragon..."

"Iron Dragon..."

"Ice Dragon..."

"Sky Dragon..."

"ROAR!" All four blasts unleash, swirling around each other and focusing tightly together as it sails directly at the Dorma Anim. A large explosion shakes the very ground as we stare hopefully.

"We got it," Gajeel snorts.

We hear the King's laughter echo out and we sling our gazes up. "Up there!" Natsu gasps.

"How did something so big jump that high?" Gajeel asks.

"Oh, no! Our four-on-one attack didn't even touch him!" Wendy gasps.

"Then we'll try it again!" Natsu barks.

"You fools!" The King shouts as he sails towards us. "Dragon Knight Diffusion Cannon!" We're hit with another barrage of attacks, sending us crashing every which way until we slam onto the ground. "For the world! For my beloved Edolas! You worms couldn't possibly understand our plight! You have an abundance of the one thing we desire most. The citizens of Edolas have no use for guilds. They would serve no purpose here! What they need is everlasting magic power! And I'm determined to give it to my people! I want them to experience the bliss you Earthlanders have kept to yourselves!"

I groan as I stop my top from snapping off. "Not good." I groan.

"I'm out of power..." Gajeel groans.

"Finally reached your limit, have you?" The King sneered. "You may be powerful wizards, but I imagine it takes time for you to recover the magic power you've exhausted. If you wish to surrender, this is your chance. Agree to supply my world with magic power and I will compensate you accordingly."

I groan and try to stand up. I manage to get to my knees before I buckle and wrap my arm around my waist. I can't give up now. No way am I going to just bow down to this creep. "Don't you dare give up!" I hear Natsu snap. "No, this fight ain't over! What're you waiting for?! Hit me with your best shot! Do it! I'm standing right here!" Natsu shouts as he gets to his feet.

I gaze in awe at him for a moment before my gaze snaps up to the Dorma Anim, my head rattling with the King's voice shaking it. "With pleasure!" He lifts his large foot up. "I've let you pests scurry around long enough."

"No--" I snap as I try to leap forward. I hit the ground and sling myself back up to see Natsu holding the leg up.

"What are you doing?" Gajeel groans. "You can't stop him. You're all out of power."

"NO I'M NOT!" Natsu bellows and staggers to a knee. "IF I RUN OUT OF POWER TODAY, THEN I'LL JUST BORROW SOME FROM TOMORROW!"

That same feeling I got deep in my gut every time he went all out like this. God, I thought I'd be over it by now. I thought I'd got back to thinking of him as a very dear friend. Was this... was this love? Or some deep rooted affection. Either way, there was no way I was going to play damsel for someone I wanted to impress. I managed to stumble to my feet as Natsu sends the monster flailing to his back.

"DON'T EVER UNDERESTIMATE THE DRAGON SLAYERS!" Natsu shouts. "GOT IT?!"

"Come on--" I hiss as I take a step forward. I slap at my stomach, willing the freeze to absorb into my body, rather than cause pain.

"You need to learn your place, you piece of filth." The King growled after righting himself. He attacks Natsu, sending him into the air. "I am the King of Edolas! Bow down before me!"

"YOU'RE THE ONE WHO'S GONNA LEARN YOUR PLACE, OLD MAN!" Gajeel and I shout as we attack from both sides; underneath and above. "Because, in the end, it'll be on your knees."

"What happened?!" The King growled as I leapt back a few paces.

"We locked your foot in place," Gajeel snapped.

"And froze your joints." I add. "Pull that jumping crap again and you just might lose all of them."

"CURSE YOU!" The King bellows as the Dorma Anim begins to creak with all the ice and metal clogging it all up.

"C'mon, Salamander! You're our only hope left!" Gajeel roared. "IT'S ALL UP TO YOU NOW!"

"WENDY! ROAR AT ME WITH EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!" Natsu bellowed. "YOU, TOO, ARIA!"

"RIGHT!" I shout as I help Wendy stand. We suck in deep breaths and let loose another roar that seems to suck the power right out of us.

"Ice Dragon Roar!"

"Sky Dragon Roar!"

Natsu's body uses the momentum of our roars and blast a hole straight through the Dorma Anim's body. I can hear the King shout as Natsu hauls him along. I stagger to a knee as the machine explodes.

We all stare at the King irritably, and from the look on his face, I'd assume we scared him good. I chuckle and snapped my arm against my chest as my top finally breaks from the damage I'd gotten. "We totally took down the king!" Natsu cheered, suddenly full of energy. "Hey, this is the point where I get to yell checkmate, right?"

"Actually, I think you're supposed to say that before you take down the king." Wendy comments.

"Way to ruin it," I call out to Natsu. "You totally coulda ended that fight with a cool line."

The ground begins to shake, causing Natsu to stop cheering. "Wait, what's going on?" He asks irritably.

"Great, enemy reinforcements?" Gajeel wondered. "I hope not."

"Yeah, I'm kinda havin' a wardrobe malfunction." I comment irritably. "Plus, I used up everything I had in that fight."

"Yeah, same here." Gajeel grunts.

"No, up there!" Wendy exclaims. "Look!"

Our gazes fly upwards to see all the islands start to fall from the sky. "The floating islands are falling! What the heck?" Natsu gasps.

"Well, he did say all the magic was now in the Dorma Anim, remember?" I say. "They have nothing holding them up anymore." I try standing up again, but I can only manage to stagger to my knees.

Natsu helps me stand all the while managing not to look at my nakedness. "Put somethin' on will ya?" He asks irritably.

I grunt angrily and tug on his sleeve. "Then give me your shirt. I lost my overcoat in that stupid scary palace." I snap at him. Thankfully, he does.

"I think we should head back to the royal city." Wendy states.

"Any particular reason?" Natsu asks curiously.

"She's right," I sigh. "If the citizens start panicking, a lot of people could get hurt. We need to go out there and see if there's some way that we could help."

"Yeah, and if we can find this world's me, he might know what to do." Gajeel nods.

"All right. Let's go." Natsu agrees.

"Wait for me!" Wendy cries as we stumble forward.