~*****~

The battle raged on between our group and the soldiers for quite a while. "Guild wizards--" A familiar voice cuts me out of slamming my heel against a soldier's back and into the ground. "I understand what compels you." I peer at Kama irritably. "But I must carry out my obligation to the court. For your crimes against the kingdom, I will be collecting your head."

"Give me a break, Kama!" I complain loudly.

"Terrain effect! Scorching wind zone!" I give a loud groan as Uosuke whips up a very hot, and I mean, very hot wind.

"Oh, yeah, you know I love to feel the heat!" Natsu grinned broadly. "I'm all fired up!"

"Yeah?" Uosuke hummed. Natsu lets loose a powerful roar attack. "Terrain Effect! Iceberg zone!"

"Aw man, what a pain in the butt!" Natsu complains.

"Pain for you, but lunch time for me!" I bark happily.

"Get him, Aria!" Natsu cheered.

His ice was disgusting and the fire in my belly destroyed the small amount I could eat. I'd need one of my ice diamonds to get back on track with my own magic. I had no choice but to use the fire magic inside of me. And even with Natsu's help, I was totally at a loss on how to get it stronger for the fight. "What's wrong? You look plum tuckered out!" Uosuke jeered as I wiped at my lip.

"Ya know, it doesn't really matter how I'm feelin'," I comment irritably. "And it doesn't matter how many of you jokers there are, either."

"Yeah, we're gonna get out of here! End of story!" Natsu barks. "You can keep gettin' in our way and slowing us down. But you are never gonna stop Fairy Tail!"

We keep fighting and fighting. And the fire in my belly just grows and grows. It's kind of refreshing now that my body is acclimating to the heat. Then the sudden onslaught of chill runs through me. Perhaps this will work in my favor. "I'm gettin' the hang of this fire of yours!" I exclaim as I hold up my burning fist.

"Mine?" Natsu snorts. "If you haven't noticed, sweetheart, my fire is all orange!"

And the sudden teasing. That'll work in my favor too. "Wonder how much longer I can hold out. This is getting kinda fun."

"How many of these guys are there?" Lucy wondered.

"Enough to wear us down if this keeps up," Wendy retorted.

"The exit can't be far," Natsu states. "We've gotta bust through, and fast!"

"Why don't we summon more spirits?" Happy asks. "Like the fluffy goat girl!"

"You kiddin' me? I can handle this many myself!" Natsu retorts. "Watch me go to work!"

I sigh lightly. "That's Natsu for ya." I mention. Ballad hummed in confusion. "A GREAT BIG GLORY HOG! SAVE SOME FOR ME, SALAMANDER!" I bellow as I start pounding down some soldiers.

~*****~

"Do any of you know what time it is?!" Natsu shouts.

I fish out my pocket watch irritably, peering at it as I hold down a few soldiers with boot. "No clue! My watch broke! But it's gotta be night by now!" I shout loudly.

"The games should be over!" Happy commented. "Maybe we won and all of this will end too!"

"Course we won! Which means we can't be wastin' time here!" Natsu exclaimed. "Last I checked, we had a kingdom to save!"

"You got that right!" I bark. "Ice Dragon Blue Flame Fist!" I bellow as I slam my fist down onto a soldier. "Let's meet up with Master Makarov and the others! They need to know about the Eclipse before it's too late!"

The fighting continues. "I'm way too hungry for this!" Natsu bellows.

"I'd offer the blue flames, but I don't know if they'll be of any use since they came from your own fire crystal." I retort loudly after avoiding an attack from Uosuke.

"Gimme a bite! Let's see what happens!" Natsu barks. "Let's see those punks execute us when I got the power of blue fire!" I toss a small ball of fire into the air and it hisses violently when it hits Natsu's tongue. "Man, that's cold!" He bellows before attacking the group of guards.

"Happy! Carla! Ballad! Get out of here and find the rest of the guild! Tell them what's happened to us!" I hear Pantherlily order.

"Aye, sir!" Ballad and Happy cry.

"We're on it!" Carla exclaims before the three cats are stopped by Uosuke.

"Nuh-uh! Y'all gotta stay put, ya hear?" Uosuke barked.

"It's that weird guy again!" Ballad cried.

"Nobody's gettin' outta this castle, understand?!" Uosuke stated firmly. "Huh?"

My gaze sweeps low at the sense of dread suddenly filling the room. Shadows are creeping along the floors, snagging the soldiers feet tightly within it's grasp. "It's holdin' 'em down!" Happy exclaimed.

"Is that some kind of shadow magic?!" Carla gasped.

My brows quirk as I try peering around to see if he's here. "He can't be... He's in the games..." I murmur. "What the heck's goin' on here?"

"All of those royal soldiers..." Ballad stammered. "They were pulled into that scary shadow..." She clutched onto my coat and hid between the folds, peeking out meekly.

"But why didn't it target us?" Pantherlily asks.

"Someone's inside!" Loke barks.

"Keep your guard up." Lucy orders.

Out from the shadows, comes a familiar face. My brows quirk again. "Rogue?" I murmur to myself, confusion burning in my head.

"Shadows can reach beyond the present to both the past and the future," Rogue hums with a sick sneer on his face. "And into the hearts of men. It seems we meet again, Natsu Dragneel, Aria Tangia. I've traveled quite a ways from the distant future. I'm Rogue."

"No way. How can you be Rogue?" Natsu wondered.

"The same one from Sabertooth?" Wendy asked.

My brows draw together. "You came from the future, too?" I ask irritably.

"So I'm not the only one..." Future Lucy sighs.

"Why're you here?" Happy asks.

"You took out all of the Royal Soldiers. Are you tryin' to help us?" Loke asks.

"You seem pretty different than you were before," Natsu mentioned.

"Why did you come back?" I snap. "What the hell is your goal?"

"All I want... is to use the Eclipse." Rogue hums.

"But what's that gonna do?" Lucy stammered.

"It can save us all, if we tap into it's hidden power. As you know, it can be used for Time Travel. But it can also serve as an offensive weapon known as the Eclipse Cannon. That is the only chance you have of defeating the ten thousand dragons." Rogue explains.

"So, then it's really possible..." Future Lucy murmurs. "We can win..."

"Well, that sure makes things nice and simple!" Natsu comments. "Glad we gotcha on our side!"

"Awe, yeah!" Happy cheered. "Let's go and kill ourselves some dragons!"

"Does this mean everything's gonna be okay?" Wendy wondered.

"'Fraid not. You see, I've come from seven years in the future. A time when the world as you know it will have ceased to exist. The dragons will have destroyed everything and rule over the ashes." Rogue retorts.

"They're gonna take over?" Natsu echoes.

"But, what happened to the people who survived the attack?" Wendy asked.

"In my time, not even ten percent of the human race remains. Furthermore... Our Eclipse only has a fraction of power that yours can wield. Which means that this is humanity's last chance. We stop them now or die." Rogue says lowly.

"Seems pretty simple, all we gotta do is open the gate and blow 'em up!" Natsu chirps. "Let's get to it!"

"Seven years in my past something happened. Someone prevented Eclipse Two from activating." Rogue explained.

"But how come?" Lucy asked. "Why would they do that?"

"Because of that one person's actions, the gate remained shut." Rogue continues. "And humanity was left defenseless against ten thousand raging dragons. This person let ninety percent of humanity die. So I've come back to save those lives, by eradicating theirs."

"How barbaric!" Carla gasps. "Why don't you try explaining the situation to them before you resort to violence!"

"She's right. There's no need for bloodshed," Pantherlily agreed.

"A person's destiny is immutable." Rogue explained. "Even if I did persuade them somehow, they would still end up stopping Eclipse. Fate has stolen that choice from them. Their future is set in stone."

"They don't have a choice?" Lucy echoes.

"None of us are stronger than fate," Rogue hums. "The living remain, and the dead are gone. The one who closed the gate before, will always do the same. As long as they're alive, it's bound to happen again."

"I don't have a clue what you're talkin' about, buddy." Natsu comments. "Spill it! Who's this person you're after, anyway?"

"It's you... Aria Tangia!" My skin ripples as Rogue sends a violent attack in my direction. I vaguely hear Ballad scream as I toss her to the side on instinct, my body attempting to move out of the way. But just as the attack nears, someone leaps in front of me. Taking the full brunt of the attack. I can only hear the violent beating in my chest as Future Lucy falls to the ground, blood oozing from the horrible wound.

"Lucy!" I shout, diving for her. I start patting at her cheek hurriedly, panic washing up and down my body. Blood is still oozing from that nasty wound. It wasn't something she'd be able to survive. "Come on, you gotta hang in there--" I stammer.

"You didn't do it," Future Lucy murmurs with a cough rattling in her chest as I try putting pressure on the wound. "You didn't close the gate... You would never do that...

"Stop talking like that!" I hiss. "I know I wouldn't do something stupid like that. Saving innocent lives is more important than anything! What the hell were you thinking?! I can take a stupid attack like that!"

"I couldn't bear to watch you die again..." Future Lucy whimpered. "You gave me the last bit of your life so I could come here and warn you all..." Tears blur my vision as I stare down at her. "It's strange... I feel like I was just holding you while you died... That's a wild turn of events, isn't it?"

"Shut up!" I hiss again. "We won't let you die, you hear me? I'll-- I'll do something--"

"Don't cry, Aria... It's okay..." Future Lucy smiles softly. "I'm really glad I got to see my friends again... And that's enough, to make up for the hell that I've been through..."

"B-But, you can't die--" Ballad sobs. "We need you!"

"Oh, sweet Ballad... I'm not the Lucy you know." Future Lucy hums. "I'm from a different time. A whole other world. There's no reason for you to cry. You've still got the me from this time. You still get to keep on living with her. So, please... don't cry."

"It's only natural to cry!" Ballad sobs. "You're still our friend! We don't care what world you come from 'cause no matter what anyone says you're still our Lucy! You're our friend and we love you! We don't ever wanna lose you! Stop telling us not to cry!"

Future Lucy sighed as Ballad slammed her face into her chest to sob louder. She stares up at me and chuckles. "We've come a long way from those two girls who joined Fairy Tail together, huh?" Future Lucy hummed delicately. "It seems so far away when you started flashing that guild mark any chance you got... I did, too..."

"What happened to your mark?" I ask shakily as I grasp her unmarked hands.

She doesn't answer me. "I just wish... I could've..." She gives a choking gasp before falling limp in my arms. "Please..." She croaks. "Protect the future..."

I sling downwards, hugging her tightly as anguished wails escape my throat. It didn't matter that our Lucy was rubbing my back. It didn't matter she was alive and well. Whether it be the past, future, or Edolas, I loved Lucy like my own sister. And seeing her die was like a thousand knives tearing into my heart over and over again. I vaguely hear Rogue say something before I'm setting Lucy on the ground and blasting past everyone, my fist sinking into Rogue's gut and sending him flying backwards, down the hall with a terrifying force.

"You wanna tell me my fate?!" I shout, fire crackling against the scales on my fist. "How about I tell you that you don't know me, pal! No one's gonna tell me that I got no choice! Especially not some punk who'll kill someone without trying to fight that fate!" I sling off my overcoat. "Everyone get the hell out of here!"

"I ain't leavin' you to fight him alone!" Natsu barked at me. "This psycho's out to kill you!" I flinch when I feel him grasp my shoulder. "We'll fight him together. I've got your back."

I'm grateful for the support. I really am. The pain in my heart still burns me, but I needed to pick my head up for this. Rogue opens his mouth to say something else, but it's drowned out by our attacks. And it's a hard fight, especially when I was still dealing with the aftermath of consuming such a volatile element.

The building begins to shake around us. "What's the sound?" Natsu wonders.

"The Eclipse is finally opening!" Rogue barks loudly. I sling my arms to brace myself against his attack. "Even without killing Aria Tangia, time moves forward!" My body is forced to a knee against his attack. "But still. You will get in the way of things, without fail! You will close the gate! It's set in stone!" I tumble backwards, shielding my face from the debris on the ground.

"No way she'd do something like that!" Natsu shouts, standing in front of me. "You obviously ain't got a clue on just what kinda person Aria is! She'd never endanger our future!"

"Move aside!" Rogue barks. The floor below us explodes upwards, blasting us with that horrible shadow magic. "I will end her life and you can't stop me."

"You won't touch her!" Natsu bellows as he sails towards Rogue. "Change Mode! Lightning Flame Dragon!"

I shield myself against as the resulting collision causes an uproar in the hallway. I roll down the hall, grunting in pain as I hit hard. I pull myself up and peer down the hall again. "Change Mode: White Shadow Dragon!" Rogue sneers.

"So he's got-- Sting's power, too--" I stammer softly as he overwhelms Natsu. He hits the ground in a heap. "Natsu!" I exclaim. I try to move towards him, but I only stumble and hit my front. "Crap-- my legs--" I whine. "How did you get Sting's powers?!" I shout.

"I took Sting's powers when I ended his life." Rogue answers with a sick grin on his face. "It wasn't easy, but it was absolutely necessary. In retrospect, I should've done it sooner."

"Amazing. I knew you were all about darkness, but I had no idea you cared so little about life!" Natsu growled.

"Now you know. And you can take that with you to the grave!" Rogue snaps. Natsu stumbles to his feet. "White Shadow Dragon.... Silk!"

A familiar smell hits my nose and I perk up. "Flash Forward!" I hear Ultear's voice ring out moments before Rogue's met with a barrage of her crystal orbs.

The smoke clears and Rogue is nowhere to be seen. "He got away!" Meldy exclaims.

I try to get up, but something is wrapping around my body, pulling me downwards. "Shit--" I bark.

"The shadows are pulling them under!" Ultear exclaims.

The hairs on my neck stand on end, causing me to sling my head up. Something inside of me is urging me to leave. Something bad. "I don't like the feel of that..." I murmur. A loud rumble shakes the building again, followed by a deafening roar. "He's not trying to save the world-- he's trying to destroy it! There are dragons on the other side of the gate!" I bellow. It echoes off of the hallway. I feel a hand grasp one of my arms and it tugs me out of the shadow puddle easily.

"C'mon. We've gotta go and save the future." Natsu hums. "Can you run?"

I nod immediately. "If I can't I'll just crawl! Let's go!" I bark and stumble after him before I finally gain my bearings. "Lucy's got my magic in a little crystal with her, that should be more than enough to close the gate without me there! Let's focus on the dragons!"

"I'm goin' after Rogue!" Natsu snapped back. "Be careful out there!"

"The same goes for you!" I snap back.