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The Water Fairies

Chapter 13

Summary:

As Nirvana's seal is undone the odds become more and more stacked against the Fairy Tail Wizards.

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

"Hey wait up!" The four conscious Wizards snapped around to see Happy and Carla flying towards them as fast as their tiny wings could carry them.

"Happy! Carla!" Ava said, mildly surprised Carla was flying as well. "I thought you two were staying with the Thunder Legion."

"Well, Hibiki stole Wendy away so I have to stay by her side to make sure nothing happens to her because of you hooligans!" Carla snapped. Ava raised an eyebrow at the white cat as she crossed her paws over her tiny chest, making her sleeves seemingly become one.

"You seem to forget it was us hooligans who just saved Wendy, not even thirty minutes ago," Laxus deadpanned.

"And it was you who attacked her without reason!" Carla snapped flying right into Laxus' face and pushing on his nose to emphasize her words. The massive blonde batted her paw away with an annoyed glare.

"Carla, although Laxus' actions may have seemed rash, his justifications are enough to-"

"You're a rather biased party considering you're married to this brute!" Carla snapped, cutting Ava off mid-sentence. The raven-haired woman narrowed her eyes but took a deep breath.

"You're right. I am. However, please listen to what I have to say." Carla let out a haughty 'Hmph' as she crossed her arms over her chest and looked on expectantly. "Laxus just finished telling Lucy, Hibiki and myself that Nirvana has the ability to turn light into darkness. Basically, once it's fully activated, it can turn everyone in the Alliance evil."

"My word," Carla gasped, her arms falling to her sides.

"That's not good...What if Natsu turns to the dark side?!" Happy cried.

"I wouldn't worry about Natsu," Laxus sighed. "More than likely, he'd be creaming about wanting to fight everyone and everything until there's no one left. Basically, same Natsu as ever."

"I guess evil Natsu would be the same as normal Natsu, huh?" Happy joked.

"I had a feeling he was just a powder keg ready to explode," Carla snapped, paws landing on her hips authoritatively. Ava groaned.

"In any event, we have to find Natsu and Erza. If Laxus doesn't stand a chance against Nirvana, neither will they," Hibiki pointed out.

 

Grey grunted as he shoved massive dead trees and shrubs out of the way. All signs of living greenery had been stripped clear of the forest area, leaving only burnt, brown dirt and wood in the wake of the explosion. No animals scattered and fled in Grey or Sherry's presence nor did any birds fly overhead, crying out in fear of the wizards. There weren't even bones to mark the existence of any living creatures before the blast. All in all, the only things that seemed to have survived were the skeletal remains of massive trees and thick shrubs that almost fell to splinters in Grey's hands as he tried moving them.

"I know he's around here somewhere," he said, more to himself than the silent redhead behind him. He'd known Lyon back when they were kids and even after the years apart, he knew Lyon wasn't one to just die the way he had. No, the silver-haired Ice-Make Wizard was too proud of his status as a pupil of Ul Milkovich to allow for something like that to happen. Lyon's ultimate goal in life, back as a child and the last time he and Grey had seen each other, was to surpass Ul.

A single thought made Grey pause in his tracks as he reached for a large branch.

Ul had died protecting Grey and Lyon from a demon, sacrificing herself for them. And Lyon had basically done the exact same thing.

Grey shook his head quickly and went back to work, ignoring how rough splinters from the wood dug into his palms as he lifted. Lyon was still alive somewhere. He had to be.

"Where are you?! Answer me Lyon! Hey!" Grey called when he found nothing under the branch but more dirt. "Can you hear me?! Lyon!" Grey waited a moment, brushing his hands on his pants in and attempt to be rid of the splinters stuck in them. They weren't deep enough to draw blood yet, but they could if left alone. It wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing if they bled but using his magic on cuts always stung and that was always an inconvenience. Not to mention made the wounds even bigger than before.

He bent back down and started shifting through a massive tangle of tree and bush branches. Completely unaware of the redheaded woman behind him smiling as thin, sickly-looking vines slithered over the dirt towards him.

 

Sylvia stabbed the pointed tips of her Trident into the bark of a fallen tree and began pulling and pushing, trying to make it move. After a few unsuccessful moments, she jumped up and hung by her hands on the long staff, trying to use her weight to move it.

"Bad leverage point," she muttered before moving to try pulling the points free of the wood. After a few unsuccessful tugs and pulls, the silver-eyed girl looked to the heavens as if begging for help. "Really? Why me?" Sylvia went back to her task of removing the Trident from the dead tree.

The blast hadn't been nearly as strong on this side as the other. Yes, most of the greenery was dead, but there were dead leaves hanging from everything, the earth was warm and muddy in some places and animal tracks were visible leading back to the green forest. And the worst part for Sylvia was how everything was sticky.

The mud had stripped her of one sandal, dead leaves that seemed more like slime than anything living freckled her dress and face, and the air was an odd combination of just dry heat and stickiness. There was no humidity but there was a sort of dry stickiness to the air that made a trickle of sweat run down Sylvia's face and neck with every movement, further staining her dress to black and wearing away at her quickly depleting patience levels.

Sylvia braced her feet against the tree and pulled on the Trident one more time, releasing a squeal of surprise when it came loose, and gravity promptly dropped her on the ground. The blonde growled under her breath when she realized she'd landed on another bush of slime-leaves. "I hate my life today."

Sylvia sat up and rubbed at where some branches had stuck her in the back. Suddenly, the blonde felt something wrap around her throat like ropes. She screamed in terror and grabbed at her throat, only to find slimy remnants of leaves and sweaty skin. Nothing was there that could obstruct her breathing.

But if that was the case, why did it feel like she couldn't get enough air into her lungs? Or that something was wrapping tighter and tighter around her neck?

Black spots swam in front of Sylvia's vision and her stomach flipped around as if she was being thrown around like a ball.

Then, just as quickly as it had started, the sensation stopped. Her stomach settled and hard coughing raked through her, tearing painfully through her throat and vibrating in her chest.

"What the heck was that?" she huffed out between coughs as she pushed herself up and onto her feet. The blonde cleared her throat and rubbed at her neck, still feeling some sort of lingering touch there. "I've got a bad feeling about this," she thought to herself.

Harsh coughing snapped her out of her musings and pulled her attention to a fallen tree with blackened roots not too far away from her.

"No way," she breathed.

 

Natsu froze in his tracks at the top of a cliff and sniffed the air.

"I know that smell," he muttered before sliding down in incline towards a river, where he caught sight of a bright orange hoodie and black hair sticking up out of the water. "I'm tellin' ya, the nose always knows," he said with a mental pat on the back. "Yo Grey!" The pink-haired Dragon Slayer waded into the water. "Strange place to take a nap man. What about that speedy dude? Did ya beat him?" Grey was unresponsive. Natsu growled in annoyance. "Wake up!" he snapped. He looked over his shoulder at the pillar of light, where Jellal was. Natsu snarled again as he bent down to drag Grey out of the water. He had to go stop whatever Jellal was doing but Fairy Tail was about family, you don't just leave family laying around without making sure they're okay. Natsu bent down and all but hauled Grey up and out of the water. His clothes were soaked through, adding to the weight and making Natsu grunt at the effort. "Gah, you're heavy. Come on man, I'm in a hurry," the fire Wizard groaned as he started shaking his teammate's shoulders. "Wake up dude!"

Grey's eyes snapped open. But there was something off about them, even Natsu could tell something wasn't quite right.

"Uh...you okay?" he asked as Grey smirked. The raven-haired teen pulled up the hand still submerged underwater, revealing a rope that was pulled tight. Natsu felt the ground shake and his stomach pitched. Under his feet came a raft, rather poorly held together with old, wet rope, but still, the sudden movement and the fact he was now floating down the river made him nauseas. "How'd you hide a raft down there?!" he demanded before losing his balance and wrapping his arms around his aching stomach as he collapsed.

"Talk about pathetic," Grey snapped. "Poor Natsu. Your motion-sickness will be the death of you." Natsu let out a noise as close to a growl as he could, which ended up being more of a pathetic whimper.

"What gives?" he managed to grit through his teeth. Grey's foot came down on his head, pressing it into the wood.

"I'm tired of having to deal with a loser like you. Let's face it. Fire and ice, they just don't mix. I've had enough so I think I'll just end our partnership here," the Ice-Make Wizard said as he raised one hand above his head, cold mist spreading from his palm before a long spear made of ice with a barbed tip appeared. "This is good-bye, pal," Grey sneered. Natsu snarled as best he could. Grey brought the spear down, only to have it shatter in his hand at the last second. The enraged Wizard spun around, ready to use his magic again. "Alright, come out!" he barked.

"Mind telling me what the heck you're doing?!" Lucy demanded as she, Laxus, Ava and Hibiki appeared from the trees followed by Happy and Carla and a lanky, dark-haired man in a brown horse costume armed with a bow and arrow ready to fire.

"Looks obvious to me!" Happy declared.

"It would appear we've foiled his foal play," the archer joked, earning him an incredulous look from Laxus and a light groan from Ava.

"Nice...shot...Lucy," Natsu managed before he gagged and tried to keep himself from visibly vomiting.

"I know you're motion-sick and all, but watching you nearly puke after saying my name is killing my self-esteem!" Lucy complained at the Fire Dragon Slayer.

"Shall I shoot him?" the archer asked, pulling his bowstring back a little.

"Sagittarius, don't," Lucy groaned.

"What's the matter with you Grey?!" Ava demanded.

"Yea, you're taking this whole fire-ice thing way too far!" Happy added. "Unless he stole your fish then you'd be completely justified!" The blue feline found himself on the receiving end of two glares from both conscious female Wizards.

"Don't give him an out stupid cat!" they barked in unison. Grey snarled.

"Could you be any more annoying? Mind your own business. I'll deal with you once I'm done with him so keep your little mouths shut and wait your turn!" he snapped.

"What was that?" the Lightning Dragon Slayer snarled as he stepped in front of Lucy and his wife.

"Laxus, easy," Ava said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "You might want to take a backseat on this one. If you use your magic here, you and I will be the only ones standing and we can't afford to take out our own in this fight." Laxus nodded but did not move back. "Aside from that, this could just be Grey under Nirvana's influence. If that's the case then I doubt his words are his own."

"Ugh...why won't it stop?" Natsu groaned, drool sliding down his chin from his pursed lips. "It's wobbling...and swaying...let me off..." Laxus grit his teeth in partial sympathy for the other Dragon Slayer and Ava hissed in discomfort and slight disgust.

"How are you still sick when it's not even moving?" Lucy asked. Happy leapt into the air, wings appearing as he flew towards the pink-haired Slayer.

"Hang on buddy I'm coming!" he cried. Just before he could grab Natsu, Grey reached out and Happy was encased in ice, thrown back towards the group. Lucy ducked and Laxus yanked Ava back a few steps, letting the cat hit the wet mud behind them.

"How could you!" Carla gasped, astounded.

"That's no way to treat one of your friends!" Lucy added.

"Happy may be able to fly, but he can only carry one person at a time. He has no combat skills...That's all the info Grey has on the pest," Grey muttered. "Well that wasn't helpful."

"What's he talking about?" Ava asked.

"My guess would be he's the first victim of Nirvana's magic," Laxus said.

"So that would mean he's turned to the dark side, right?" Lucy asked, earning a nod in response.

"He's got plenty of info on Lucy though. A newcomer to Fairy Tail, definitely easy on the eyes." Grey smirked. "He likes the whole package." Ava pinched the bridge of her nose as Lucy's face went so red steam was almost coming out of her ears.

"Should I be hearing this?" Lucy asked, taking a step behind the hulking blonde wall that was Laxus Dreyar.

"She can be as hotheaded as Erza, but she hides her pure heart...Oh! She's a Celestial Wizard?! That so?" Grey quickly shot ice at the group, only to have Hibiki step in between them and use Archive to create a shield.

"That's not Grey," he muttered to the others before facing the black-haired teen on the raft. "I can tell you're an imposter! Drop the act!" he ordered. The person began chuckling and burst into a cloud of smoke. As the vapor cleared, another figure stood where the Grey-look-alike had been.

"ME!?" Lucy cried, looking over the mirror-image of herself now standing over Natsu.

"Heavens above and oceans below," Ava groaned. "Do you honestly think you're fooling us? We know you're not the real Lucy so there's no use trying to trick us with this nonsense. Might as well just show us your true form before I start losing my temper."

"Oh I'll show you. And I think you'll find I'm every bit as real as that bimbo," the false Lucy said as she pulled up her top to reveal the ample breasts underneath. Laxus covered his eyes with a groan of annoyance as Sagittarius and Hibiki were reduced to blubbering maniacs at the sight. Ava just glared at the imposter, her patience rapidly thinning.

"Pathetic," Carla commented.

"So wobbly," Natsu groaned, too focused on his upset stomach to even notice what was going on above him.

"Yep they're real!" Hibiki and Sagittarius exclaimed, earning them both a hard kick to the head from Lucy.

"I hate both of you!" she screamed as her twin put the top back down.

"Think of the kind of example you're setting for Wendy you floosy!" Carla snapped. Ava growled slightly.

"Carla! That's not even really Lucy! Heavens above and oceans below, there's no need to be calling people that kind of nonsense when they haven't even done anything!" the raven-haired woman snapped.

"Why does this kinda stuff always happen to me anyway?!" Lucy cried. The blonde clone smirked sadistically.

"Sorry, but it's only gonna get worse from here on out. Because now I know exactly what keys you're carrying." Lucy grasped at the pouch on her hip for said keys. "You had an audience with the Celestial Spirit King? How did a newbie like you get the honor?" The false Celestial Wizard straightened herself. "Whatever. It doesn't matter. Listen up Sagittarius! Take them out." Ava's eyes widened and she threw up the butt end of her Trident, catching an arrow the Spirit had fired just before it could strike Laxus.

"Did I do that?" the archer cried in surprise.

"Are you crazy?!" Lucy cried.

"But I thought you only took orders from Lucy!" Carla yelled as Sagittarius knocked another arrow.

"I-I'm so sorry Lady Lucy...My body is...out of control..."

"Move!" Ava barked, shoving Lucy and Hibiki forward before she and Laxus leapt out of Sagittarius' way and a barrage of arrows flew where the group had been standing mere seconds before. Ava touched the tips of her Trident to the water and threw up a shield before the archer spirit.

"Carla! Take Wendy and get her to a safe place! Laxus! You go with them! Lucy and I can handle this!" Ava cried. Laxus turned to lightning as Carla grabbed Wendy and took to the skies.

"I can handle this on my own!" Carla snapped at the Lightning Dragon Slayer.

"Quiet down furball!" he snapped right back. Ava groaned as her enhanced hearing picked up on their argument.

"I'm gonna close your gate so you can take a break. Don't worry I know it's not your fault!" Lucy called as she pulled out the key.

"I regret I cannot aid you further Lady Lucy."

"No! Lucy!"

"It's about time," the false Lucy said, a malicious gleam appearing in her darkened eyes. "Now Open, Gate of the Archer. Come back Sagittarius." In a cloud of smoke, the archer appeared again, but this time next to the false Lucy, making the real one gasp in horror.

"I am happy to jump back into the fray," he said with a salute. Ava moved her shield so it was between the spirit and the girls again as he began to realize the situation. "This cannot be...By what means have you summoned me?" he asked the imposter.

"Don't sweat the small stuff and you'll live longer. All that matters is that I summoned you so you have to do whatever I ask." The imposter made a cutsy-smile only to have the gesture be snubbed by Sagittarius.

"I shall not betray my charge, no matter what you say!" he declared proudly.

"Let's just give it a shot, okay?" the imposter asked with a cutesy smile before turning towards where Carla, Laxus and Wendy were headed. "Put one right in the middle of that white cat's back!" Ava's eyes went wide as she turned her head towards where her husband and the Cait Shelter Wizards and flown off.

"I cannot do that!" Sagittarius declared, earning him a harsh glare from the false Lucy.

"What's that? Are you disobeying an order from your master?!" she demanded. Sagittarius visibly flinched and clenched his teeth in his attempt to keep from moving to obey the order.

"You may share her appearance and abilities, but comparing yourself to Lady Lucy is a travesty upon her name. So I...shall...not obey...you," he ground out as his hand slowly reached into the quiver on his back and knocked an arrow. Ava squared her shoulders, the water in her shield beginning to swirl and churn, preparing for a new usage.

"Keep fighting her!" Lucy encouraged.

"Please! Send me back my lady!" the archer cried as his muscles shakily started pulling the arrow back, preparing to fire.

"Okay." Lucy held up her key and slashed it through the air. "Closing, Gate of the Archer!" she cried, only for nothing to happen. Ava's eyes widened in partial horror.

"What?" the raven-haired woman hissed through her teeth.

"Hey moron, did you forget I summoned horse-face?" the imposter asked. "And only the Wizard who calls a Spirit can force it back."

"No," Lucy whimpered in defeat as she stepped back.

"Shoot that cat out of the sky! I don't have all day!" the false Lucy barked.

"That's quite enough," a voice said as it neared, catching the attention of the false Lucy. "Nirvana's been found so the runt's useless to us. Let's stop wasting energy my pets."

"As you wish."

"I'm sorry, Sagittarius," Ava murmured as she slipped one foot back and thrust the Trident forward, turning the shield into a ball of water and shooting it towards Sagittarius. Just as the attack struck the archer spirit, the false Lucy vanished in a puff of smoke.

"I'm sorry my lady!" Sagittarius cried as he vanished.

"Sagittarius!" Lucy cried.

"I'm sorry Lucy," Ava said sadly.

"No. I'm sure he's fine. Anyway, he was obviously fighting against himself so I think you actually relieved him," Lucy explained with a light smile.

"Thank you."

"Why hello Lucy and Ava my darlings!" The two female Wizards turned their attention to the opposite bank to see Angel standing before them. "How does it feel to gaze upon an angel?"

"I'm fairly certain we'd both rather be blind, lady!" Lucy called, making the smile on Angel's face vanish.

"Well, I'm sure that can be arranged. Have my pets been entertaining you? I'm quite fond of their little trick," she said as the two spirits appeared before her.

"I'm Gemi," the male wearing the black shorts said, moving forward to distinguish himself.

"And I'm Mini," the female in orange said.

"Piri piri."

"I believe you know them as the Gemini twins," Angel said, a smirk forming on her face. "Celestial Spirits make the best toys, wouldn't you agree?"

"You're a Celestial Wizard alright. Just like Hibiki said."

"Oh? You already know of me? This is rare," Angel commented.

"Only enough to know you make me sick!" Lucy barked as she pulled out another key. "I'm confident I won't fall to the dark side. And I doubt Miss Psycho Swan is gonna be fighting for truth and justice any time soon. So at least I won't need to worry about Nirvana's trickery right now. Natsu's down for the count and Hibiki's in bad shape. Ava's got my back if I need her. And thankfully, we're next to a river and wherever there's water, there's Aquarius."

"Lucy?" Ava said as the blonde took a few steps forward.

"I got this Ava. If something bad happens, get the boys out of here okay?"

"Alright," the Water Wizard said as she took a few steps back.

"Your Gate Keys will make a lovely addition to my collection, so hand them over now or you'll be wearing lots of red!" Angel ordered.

"Never to the likes of you!" Lucy barked right back before leaping into the water so the river touched the key. "Open Gate of the Water Bearer, Aquarius!" The mermaid Spirit leapt out of the current like a salmon, wearing a deep scowl from the moment she burst out of the water. "Wipe her out! I don't care if you have to take me with her!"

"That's just what I was planning on doing," Aquarius snapped, causing Ava to give her a horrified look and Lucy to deadpan.

"What did I ever do to you?" Aquarius hoisted her silver urn onto her shoulder and the river surged around her.

"Every last girl out here is gonna drown!" she screamed in rage. Ava lifted her Trident, ready to defend herself and Lucy from the enraged Spirit. Angel daintily lifted a golden key of her own.

"Now Open, Gate of the Scorpion, Scorpio," she said with a smirk. The riverbank became engulfed in golden light.

"What did she say?" Lucy asked.

"This could be bad," Ava added as the light began to fade, revealing a tall, dark-skinned man with half a head of red hair and half stark white. He wore a very intricate red and gold collar around his neck with metal almost like an exoskeleton on his legs, forearms and creating a tail behind him. A belt was wrapped around his waist, showing the Scorpio symbol and holding up a red cloth that wrapped around him.

"I was born to be wicked!" he cried, folding down all but his index and pinkie finger on both hands like a rock star.

"Honey bunches of hunk!" Aquarius half-sighed, half-cried in joy.

"Hunk?!" Lucy cried in surprise. Ava groaned as the two Spirits all but leapt into each others' arms.

"Well whadda ya know? It's my mermaid of delight, Aquarius. Back that wicked tail up for me."

"You don't know how much I've missed you love-muffin," the blue-haired mermaid cooed. Ava covered her mouth and gagged slightly.

"No way. Please don't tell me that Scorpio is-"

"Yep, my boyfriend!" Aquarius cheered. Scorpio looked over at Lucy before leaving Aquarius' hold to move closer to the blonde Wizard.

"Heard a lot about ya. Finally getting to meet my blue bombshell's Wizard is...wicked." Lucy blanched.

"So what exactly has she told you?!" she cried, hardly believing it. Aquarius all but threw herself in between Scorpio and Lucy, dragging the blonde away some to hiss in her ear, "Loos here blondie if you wanna keep breathing, listen closely; Don't even think about embarassing me in front of my Scorpio. Or you're gonna suffer. Clear?"

"As crystal," Lucy assured. Aquarius leapt back to Scorpio. Lucy let out a sigh of relief as the two started walking off, talking.

"What was that?" Ava asked.

"She's gonna kill me one day," Lucy said as Scorpio called to Angel over his shoulder that he and Aquarius were going on a date.

"Have fun!" the Oracion Seis member said cheerfully. Lucy snapped around and ran after the quickly fading forms of the couple.

"Wait! You can't just leave me here! Don't go! No!" she screamed, the two Spirits vanishing as she spoke.

"How have you survived this long without knowing how the Celestial Spirits relate?" Angel asked as she approached the blonde.

"Lucy!" Ava cried as Angel struck out with her leg, landing a harsh blow to Lucy's back, sending her flying.

"A novice like you can't beat me!" the white-hared woman jabbed with a wickedly sadistic smile plastered on her face. Lucy's head slipped under the water. Her lungs and nose burned some as she thought about her situation.

"How am I supposed to beat her without my strongest Celestial Spirit in play? Wait." Lucy shot back up into the air, holding up another key. "She's not the only powerhouse I can call! Open, Gate of the Lion, Loke!" Immediately, a man dressed in a black suit with a red tie, a number of rings on his fingers, blue glasses on his nose and orange, almost mane-like hair.

"Your handsome prince has arrived," he declared proudly.

"We have to beat this chick or the Guild's in danger," Lucy said, pointing at Angel. Loke popped his knuckles.

"Sounds easy enough." Angel chuckled to herself.

"You're a slow learner, aren't you? Let me give you another lesson in compatibility." The Dark Wizard lifted another golden key. "Open, Gate of the Ram, Aries." A young woman with pink hair and big dark eyes, dressed in a small white dress seemingly made of wool with a brown belt around her waist, holding a pouch that was marked with the symbol of Aries. On top of her head were two tiny horns like a ram.

"I hope you can forgive me, Leo," she whimpered meekly. Loke stared at Aries, eyes wide.

"It's you."

Notes:

Justie: Holy cow I cannot believe the time it took me to do this! For crying out loud this is nuts! I am ever so thankful for everyone who kept reading but these past months for me have been nuts. First I contracted Shingles then I got sick with something else entirely that just made me miserable, then my psychology class has decided to basically try robbing me of my life! I know college professors don't have any obligation to care about what happens with their students once they've been paid for the semester, I just wish the one that preaches about how humans operate on a psychological level would act like he knows the difference between foundations and intricacies of psychology. On top of all that, finals for the fall semester are coming up. Ugh. On the upside, I'm working on making these chapters longer and better.

On another note, another reason for my tardy update is because a couple ideas for the next story grabbed my attention. I'm already preparing Ava's next few chapters as well as Sonya's chapters so that my updates can be more regular. But after this book for Ava, I'm gonna do Sonya's.

Please leave a comment, kudos or bookmark for this poor dying-of-nerves author. I can't wait to find more time to write and make these stories more regular. I love you guys and see you next time! Bye!