~*****~

We ran back to the tree Ultear had Zeref leaned against, and as I expected, she was already long gone. "He's gone!" Natsu complained.

"Are you sure Zeref was right here?" Lucy asked skeptically.

I sigh loudly and pinch the bridge of my nose. "Yes. I can smell him, but only faintly. She took the advantage of us being distracted."

"Yeah, I think she must've done something to mask the smell, I can't tell which way they went." Natsu stated.

"Same here..." I sigh.

"Don't forget about Cana... she's gone, too." Lucy explained.

"Can I play with the doll?" Happy asked curiously.

I glared down at him as he patted at my deep pants pocket. Natsu groaned. "This is lame. I'm gonna go take a nap."

"There's no time for that." I retort irritably as I grasp Happy's head and toss him into the sky. "Okay, Lucy, can you explain the plan that you heard?"

Lucy nods and we all take a seat. "From what I understand... Grimoire Heart's plan for taking over the world completely revolves around Zeref."

"Why do the bad guys always wanna take over the world?" Natsu complained. "It sounds like such a huge pain in the neck if you ask me."

"If I took over the world, I'd make sure there were yummy fish everywhere!" Happy cheered.

"I think I'd just stick to robbin' trains," I comment dryly. "It's like, the one thing that all bad guys gotta do, ya know?"

Natsu hummed. "Then you get to drive the train, oh, but then again, the motion sickness might kill me."

I nod thoughtfully. "Maybe derail it and turn it into a cool hide out."

"Hell yeah!" Natsu beamed.

"You guys are morons." Lucy murmured. "I don't think these guys want to go robbin' trains or making sure there's fish everywhere."

"Let's go find 'em." Natsu stated firmly. "We gotta settle the score for what they did to gramps. When I get my hands on those scumbags... They're gonna wish they never set foot on Fairy Tail's sacred ground."

I stared at him for a moment until Lucy turns her gaze into me. I turn my face to hers, glaring at the smug look before snorting out a huff of cold air. "How did they get here..." I hum.

"Well, they must've traveled on some kind of ship to get here, right?" Lucy asked. "And that dark haired woman said she was planning to take Zeref back with her to see her master, didn't she? I'll bet whatever ship they came in on is anchored somewhere near the island. That's gotta be where she's taking him!"

"Happy, Ballad, do you guys think you can fly around and look for it?" I ask.

"You know I would... but now I'm kinda out of power... Sorry..." Happy murmured.

Ballad raised her paw. "I used the rest of my magic to find you." Ballad murmured. "I don't think I can fly around too long. Besides, if I build up any magic, I should use it to heal the wounds you already have... like that one that's still bleeding."

I stare at the hole in my shoulder, cupping a palm over it to freeze over the hole. "That's all right." I sigh again.

"In that case, I guess we should head back and check on Gramps and Wendy." Natsu hummed. "Maybe Carla and Lily can look."

I hum delicately. "I guess Carla had a vision she couldn't ignore." I mention before reverting back to normal.

~*****~

Just as we trek up the hill, I finally pick up their scents. "Wendy!" Natsu calls loudly.

"You made it back! Did you find anything?" Wendy asks.

"Is master doing any better?" Lucy asks.

"I can't say his condition has improved." Carla sighed.

"Although it would seem that the master's wounds are quite serious, for some reason, I don't feel as though his life is truly in danger." Lily mentioned.

"Perhaps it has something to do with this island being considered sacred ground," Carla mentioned.

I hum in response. My body flinches to the side as Mest suddenly appears with a strange Lacrima. "The traitor's returned!" Lily commented.

"Traitor?" I echo. "Okay, I'm totally out of the loop."

"Where'd you run off to, whoever-you-are?" Natsu asked irritably.

"That's Mest, the spy from the Magic Council." Lucy states.

"To be quite honest, my name is Doranbolt." He explains.

"What are you doing here?" Wendy asked nervously.

"Please, don't be afraid, Wendy..." Doranbolt hummed. "I guess you could say I'm on a rescue mission."

I step closer and start peering up at him suspiciously. "Rescue, you say? Who the hell are you rescuing. Because I don't like the idea of someone like the Black Wizard being in your hands, either."

"It's nothing like that." Doranbolt stated softly. "I can use my teleportation magic to transport your guild members somewhere safe. I'll get you as far away from this island as possible. But first, I need to know where everybody is in order to do that."

I glance back at Natsu and snort roughly. Frost appears over Doranbolt's eyebrows. "We don't need your help. What makes you think we'd trust anyone who's acting in the interest of the magic council?"

"This is our problem, not yours; and we're more than capable of taking care of it by ourselves." Lily agreed.

"Listen to me!" Doranbolt shouted. "I guarantee once the council find out what's going on here, they'll do whatever it takes to neutralize the threat!"

"They're seriously willing to use another Etherion Blast? Did they forget what happened the last time they tried that shit?" I ask irritably.

"What's Etherion?" Lily asked. "Do you know?" He turns to Ballad.

She nods eagerly. "Yeah, the first time we experienced it was when our Jellal tried using the Tower to Heaven to revive Zeref. It's super power destruction magic!"

"Really? How did you manage to survive?" Lily asked.

Ballad hummed. "The tower was actually a giant Lacrima that absorbed the blast." She explained.

"Yet another example of this guild running into major trouble wherever they go," Carla sighed.

I snort in response. "And this island ain't Lacrima, so if they decide to fire on us again... Well, let's just say this time we won't survive."

"Then we'll have to take care of business before that happens," Natsu states.

"Your master's been defeated! And Grimoire Heart's got incredibly powerful wizards on their side! There's no way you can beat them!" Doranbolt exclaimed.

"Oh yeah? So we should just blow up the whole island, huh?" Natsu droned.

"We can't let that happen! Our guild considers this sacred ground because our first master is buried here!" Wendy cried. "We have to try to protect it!"

"Here's a message for the council... Tell them they had better back off... If they don't, they're gonna be sorry." Lucy threatened.

"Yeah!" Happy shouted. "Tell 'em Fairy Tail can always take care of itself!"

"Are you threatening the magic council? Some lowly wizards?!" Doranbolt asked.

My hands snapped up, grasping his shirt tightly as my eyes narrowed into slits. "You listen, and you listen good. It doesn't matter who it is, Fairy Tail ain't backin' down. You hurt one of us, and we'll all rain down on you. It doesn't matter who you are. Magic Council or Grimoire Hearts. We'll make you regret messin' with us."

Thunder boomed overhead, but I kept my glare on Doranbolt. "The sky..." I hear Wendy murmur delicately. "There's a storm coming..."

I release Doranbolt after a moment more. "You're bleeding again..." Ballad commented as I trail back to the master.

"It's fine." I say softly.

"No, it's not!" Wendy cried. "Here, take a seat, I want to take a look at it."

I grimace irritably as she peers at the wound on my shoulder, prodding and poking for a moment before she presses a scrap of cloth onto it. "Easy, it's a little tender!" I exclaim over my shoulder.

"Well, you shouldn't have froze it in the first place. Now sit tight while I heal it." Wendy snapped.

I grumble irritably and stay in my spot as she starts using her magic. Unfortunately for her, and fortunately for me, it starts to rain, so we move into one of the tunnels from the beginning to get out of the rain.

~*****~

Ballad laughs outside as she plays in the rain, freezing the droplets and tossing them into a little handkerchief for me to eat. I smile affectionately at her before angling my head back to rest. I tug on the dress Virgo put on me and attempt to kick off the heels. It must be some sort of twisted magic, because all the straps seem like they're never ending.

"This rain sure isn't letting up," Lucy hums as she approaches us.

"It's nice to be dry... but I feel kinda helpless." Wendy mentions as Ballad trots back in, hauling a her ice magic behind her. I chuckle as I stare at her and dig through her bag for the small brush I use to comb out the snags in her thick fur.

"I know what you mean," I hum as I start squeezing the excess fur on Ballad. A little puddle forms beneath her feet. "There's only one way to run, and if they attack the tunnel, we're gonna be caved in."

"I could use--"

"Yeah, yeah, teleportation magic," I comment as I flick ice from my fingers. "We got the picture, Dorkbolt."

"It's Doranbolt." He murmured irritably.

Lucy chuckles at me trying to once again kick off the heels. "Hey, Carla! Did you lose Lily?" Natsu called out.

"We decided to stop by base camp on the way here... Gajeel and Mira are in pretty bad shape." Carla explains as she lands in the tunnel. "So Lily's staying with them while they recover."

"I hope they get better soon," Happy murmured.

"Me too... but the good news is, we spotted Grimoire Heart's ship off the east coast of the island." Carla mentioned.

"Let's swim over and bust heads." Natsu ordered.

"Hold on, I think we should go back to base camp first..." Lucy mentioned. "If Cana and Gray show up, we could really use their help."

"She's right..." Wendy hummed. "If it's up for a vote, then I'm with Lucy. We should check the camp."

I raise my hand. "I agree. More hands on board, the better."

Natsu hums. "All right... let's go. I'll carry gramps."

"What about me?" Doranbolt asked after a moment.

"Keep the council from blowin' us up," Natsu stated. Doranbolt stared incredulously. "Listen, we don't want the magic council's help; we can take them down ourselves."

"Tell them there's no need to fire an Etherion Blast!" Wendy added hopefully.

"You think they'll listen?" Doranbolt scoffed.

"In that case, just try to find a way to buy us some time. We're countin' on you." Natsu explained before walking to the mouth of the tunnel with Makarov on his back.

"Come back! You can't beat them!" Doranbolt cried. "No guild that's faced Grimoire Heart has lived to talk about it! Do you even have a plan?!"

I raise my hand as if I'm bidding him goodbye. "We'll give 'em everything we've got." I retort plainly. "That's all."

~*****~

My nose twitches violently as I smell something strange. "Hold on--" I bark. "Someone's up ahead. And I don't like the smell of 'em."

As he gets closer, we all shudder. "He's strong!" Wendy gasps. "I can feel his power!"

"The rain's pouring down on him as if there's a storm cloud over his head!" Carla exclaims.

"My Happy sense is starting to tingle..." Happy states.

"Who are you!? One of the Kin?!" Natsu barked.

"Tell me, have you learned to fly?" The man asked. My brows furrow in response. "No? Pity." The hairs on my neck stand straight up as the rain falling from the sky immediately stops. "Then you'll fall." The pressure on us is astounding. I can feel my bones grinding and shifting against the heavy magical prowess this guy has. It's insane. It's like Gildarts power made a rise, but he's not even on the island anymore. I can barely lift my head when the pressure dissipates. "You knew personally. Neither the Fairy Tail guild... nor our plans for Zeref... mean much of anything to me. But there is one thing... I've been longing to do on this island. Where is the Grave of Mavis Vermillion? I wish my pay my respects to Fairy Tail's guild master."

"The-- The grave?" I murmur delicately. There's definitely something different about that grave. The serenity I felt there... there must be something hiding there that he wants. There's no way he'd want to pay his respects.

"Alright, jerk wad. What exactly are you after here?" Natsu barked.

"As I said before, I want to know the location of Mavis Vermillion's resting place." The strange man hummed.

"Well, you'll be looking for a while, 'cause we don't know either!" Lucy shouts.

"I wonder what he wants with Master Mavis." Wendy hummed. "Do you think it may have something to do with the second part of the trail?"

"I think I just figured out what he's after!" Happy exclaimed.

"I'm sure we'll end up dumber once we hear what you have to say but, by all means, go ahead." Carla sighed.

"Mr. Crazy Pony Tail wants to be an S-Class wizard too, so he came out here to make us accept him as a member of the guild!" Happy explains.

"Wow, you're right. My brain cells made me blind after hearing that." Ballad states.

"No, dear, your fur is in your face." Carla sighs. "I'm surrounded by idiots, I swear.... No, Happy!" Carla cries as a circle of magic flattens Happy into the ground.

"All right, that's enough!" The man snaps. "No more comments from you. I'll say this once, so listen well. I don't know anything about a trial, and I have no intention of joining you pathetic fools."

"The only fool I see here is you!" Lucy shouts.

"Lucy," I hiss.

"Her grave is more than just a headstone! It's sacred ground!" Lucy continues. "Even if we knew where it was, we'd never tell someone like you--" Her voice tilts as her body lifts into the air before slamming into the ground.

"What do you want?!" Natsu shouts. "Tell me!!"

"I want the sparkle of faeries. Fairy Glitter." The man snaps. "One of your guild's Three Grand Spells. Just as powerful, if not more so, than Fairy Law itself."

"Is glitter all you want? Try hittin' up a craft store!" Natsu shouted. He gave a shout of pain as he slammed into the ground by the man's strange magic. "Ow! I'm a human pancake!"

"I want that merciless light." The man snapped. "Tell me where to find it or I'll squash you until you pop."

"Like we'd tell you--" Happy gets cut off by the magic squishing him again.

"Stay strong, you can push through this!" Carla exclaimed.

"Which of your friends would you like to see crushed first?" The man asked.

Natsu began lifting his head through the intense magic. "I'm Natsu Dragneel... I'm the son of Igneel! It'll take more than what you've got to keep me pinned to the ground, pal!" He stands up and starts to run at the man. "I won't be defeated so easily!"

"He's running!" Wendy exclaimed.

"Wow, under that much gravity? Amazing!" Lucy gasped.

"I hear it was sealed away with Mavis when she was buried." The man explained. "Tell me where it is, and I'll leave you alone."

I could feel the subtle shift in Ballad. I peer over at her as she clutches her paws over her mouth, shaking violently as her teary eyes peer up at him. "He jumped?!" Wendy gasped.

My hand slung back around to see Natsu literally sailing through the air under all that gravity. "He seriously hate's losing, huh?" Lucy squeaks.

"Fire Dragon Iron--" He slams into an invisible wall before getting shot back into the ground.

"You should listen when someone's talking to you." The man retorted.

Natsu groaned lightly as he lay in a crater. "Natsu!" Happy cries.

"He's down!" Wendy gasped. I sling my gaze back up to the man, battling myself on whether or not to tell him. If Fairy Glitter is sealed there, I can't let someone like him have it. There's no telling what kind of trouble he'd cause. "What'll we do now? There's no way we can touch him..."

The man sighs. "I see you've brought Makarov... Perfect. I'll just ask him where it is." The man mentions.

"No!" I bark and leap over to him, pressing my body over him.

"Mess with gramps and I'll roast you alive!" Natsu shouts. "We're not done talkin'!"

I hear the others shout in pain. "We're done talking when I say we're done." The man snaps. "Now, are you going to be helpful, or should I squash you all flat? Well?" I glance back, chew on my lip, turn to the man and glare. "So, you know, then. Will you tell me?" The man comments. I continue to glare, my skin rippling violently with the scales appearing for defense. "Then I'll just have to crush you as well." A strange barrier shoves me back and I'm crushed against the ground. I shout loudly, trying to push my body against the gravity pushing down on me.

He approaches me slowly, staring down at me with an emotionless gaze. I hold my arm out-- as painful as that may be-- in an attempt to protect Lucy, Wendy, and the others. "Are you the one I need to squash?!" I hear Cana's voice exclaim loudly.

"Look!" Natsu shouts.

"Cana!" Lucy cries.

"She's okay!" Wendy exclaims.

"Better late than never!" Carla beams.

"AYE!" Happy and Ballad cheer.

"I'm not letting you lay another finger on my friends!" Cana shouts as she leaps into the pit after the man. She shoots out some of her cards before rearing her arm backwards. "You're going down!"

"Whoa--" I yelp.

"What's that?" Carla gasped.

"I was gonna ask you!" Happy cried.

"No way..." I sigh in amazement. The man stares for a moment before he uses his magic to stop her, slamming her into the ground.

"Tell me what that magic is or you die here." The man snaps.

"Is it possible she learned to use Fairy Glitter?" Carla asked.

"I'm sorry. For leaving you in the forest, I mean," Cana apologizes as she stumbles to her feet. "I betrayed you and our friendship. That was unforgivable. But with this I can begin to atone. One shot from this spell will make sure this creep doesn't bother anyone again."

"Awesome!" Lucy cheers. "Does that mean you found the grave?!"

"What? She did! But if she found it that means! Man!" Natsu cried. "I don't get to be S-Class this year..."

Ballad waves her paw. "Technically, Aria found it just to warn master about Zeref," Ballad states.

"Shut up--" I hiss quickly and cup my hands over her mouth.

Cana smiles. "We'll all talk about it later, guys. Right now, I need your help to beat this guy." Natsu just whimpers as I stand up. "Keep him distracted long enough for me to gather the power to send him packin'."

I slap at Natsu's shoulder playfully. "C'mon, it'll be cool to witness the spell, just think about that."

Natus grumbled irritably as the man spread his arms out. We gave a sharp shout as we're immediately thrown back. "Little girl, you're gravely misjudged the gravity of your situation." The man hummed. My body is once again assaulted with the intense gravity magic that threatens to squish me like a bug. "I never thought Fairy Glitter would be delivered to me personally... Now, if you'd be so kind, it's time I took that spell off your hands."

"Unless you plan on joining the Fairy Tail guild, that's not gonna happen. This spell is useless to anyone else!" Cana shouts.

"If you knew the origins of magic, you'd realize all spells are fundamentally the same. Every type of magic that exists today was once part of a single, unified whole." The man explained. "I've approached the abyss of Sorcery. I don't need to join your guild to use that spell or any other."

The pressure on my back lessens as I start taking on more and more transformations. My limbs bulk up, my wings start pushing from my back, and what was once a short, stubby stump, burst to a slim, toughly scaled tail that lashed wildly as I pushed myself upwards on the intense gravity.

"I have a question for you. Did you think you were capable of wielding an advanced spell like Fairy Glitter?" The man asked.

"Got a problem with that, jerk?" Cana asked through her teeth.

"It's an ultra-level spell that uses pure light to deny the existence of anyone this wielder deems to be an enemy. You bet I've got a problem with an amateur who thinks she can control such power." Cana begins to scream at the intense gravity squishing at her body. "Don't worry. I intend to relieve you of it as painfully as possible."

My tail slams against the ground, sending me sailing towards the gravity mage. "Ice Dragon Talon!" I bark, slicing my claws against him, forcing him to drop Cana. Her body lands against mine and I quickly move her behind me, staring down the gravity mage.

"Cocky little brat!" He snarls as he uses his magic to try and send me flying. I cross my arms over my face, standing strong as my tail presses against the ground, shoving me back against the pressure.

"Thanks, Aria!" Cana calls.

"Do it!" I shout at her.

"This amateur's about to rock your world!" Cana exclaims. She raises her fist into the air. "Assemble! O River of light guided by fairies! This is what a Fairy Tail member can do!"

A pillar of light bursts into the air, filling the sky with so much light. "She's doing it!" The man gasped. "But how?!"

"May your radiance shine and vanquish the fangs of wickedness!" Cana chanted. A large halo of light appeared above Cana. "Adios, you bastard! Go! Fairy Glitter!" The ring of light surrounded him, and began shining brightly against him. I had to cover my eyes. "For my family!" Cana bellowed.

"Fall!" The man shouted, sending us all flying. The spell shattered. I hit the ground several times before flipping back onto my front, ready to strike. "So that's the skill it takes to use Fairy Glitter? Don't make me laugh. I guess even ultimate power can be garbage when it's put in the hands of lowly trash like you." He began to approach Cana again. "I'll take the spell now. And the good news I don't need you alive to do so."

"Cana!" I shout as the pressure builds down at me, shoving my face against the dirt as it grows and grows.

"Another day that I don't get to fly. Maybe sending you to hell will lift my spirits." The man hummed. My brows quirked violently as a familiar figure appears in front of her, way quicker than my eye could follow. He effortlessly knocks the man backwards.

"I don't believe it!" Natsu exclaimed.

"Gildarts--" I stammer. I feel the ground behind me start rumbling from the constant thrashing my tail is doing. I snatch the end to stop it.

The man hums delicately as he stares at Gildarts. "So, this is the legendary Gildarts."

"The old man came back!" Natsu cheered.

"You need to get outta here." Gildarts said in a deathly calm tone.

"What for?!" Natsu barked.

Magic pressure begins to pour off of him and I immediately know why. I'm no coward to admit when I need to get the hell out of somewhere. "That's-- that's our cue," I mention shakily.

"That's an intense looking face," Ballad murmured as she finally managed to reach me.

"Yeah, no kidding," I shudder.

"NOW GO!" Gildarts ordered.

"You got it--" I salute before running toward the others, carefully maneuvering around the battlefield. I grasp onto Happy and Carla's tails. "Let's go, let's go--" I say urgently, my tail thwapping against the ground almost violently.

"C'mon, I wanna see the fight!" Natsu complained.

My tail swings out and wraps around his torso. "Cana." I call softly. She doesn't speak for a moment. "Let's go. Gildarts can handle it. We'd only get in his way if we hung around."

"C'mon, at least let me walk!" Natsu complained as I ran towards the forest.

"Absolutely not, you'll stay behind cause you're an over obsessed fanboy for Gildarts!" I exclaim.