The all-girls dormitory known as Fairy Hills was a large brick building that consisted of a central, elongated section with two wings that extended outwards at its sides, giving it the shape of an 'H'. In the front, central part of the building was a porch with a steep tiled roof split into sections by beams held up by wooden pillars paired with arcs. The two wings each had a small number of large, arched windows while the central section's windows were similar in design but smaller and more numerous. The main entrance, which was a set of double doors, was located in the right wing. Sitting in front of the entrance were two stone-brick pillars that were each topped with stylized sculptures of the Fairy Tail symbol and held up a large, arched sign that displayed "Fairy Hills" in long, dark letters.

Inside of the dormitory, Erza laid upon her bed and looked up at the ceiling with her arms spread out. She was reflecting on her unforgettable conversation with Braedey in the park yesterday evening.

"Erza Scarlet, I love you with all of my heart... and I want to be with you..." Braedey's heartfelt confession played in her mind over and over. No matter how many times she thought about it, her face still flushed red and her heart rate increased.

"So... will you be my girlfriend, Erza?" Braedey's warm smile from that moment was permanently etched into her mind, and it brought a soft smile to her face every time she saw it.

The scarlet-haired wizard then recalled the moment they had both agreed on a meeting time for their date.

"I can pick you up from your dorm tomorrow at seven. Sound good?" Braedey asked.

Erza smiled brightly and nodded. "Yes... that sounds perfect."

Now, a day had passed and Erza's date with Braedey was tonight. She glanced over to her bedside table to read the time on her clock; it read three-o-clock. Erza looked at the clock momentarily until suddenly... an expression of panic grew on her face. She immediately sat up, beginning to take deep breaths.

"W-wait... hold on. I've... I've never been on a d-date before..." She stuttered to herself. "I... I don't know what to do!"

This would be Erza's first ever date and she had no experience with relationships. In fact, over the years, she had given little thought to dating and focused more on improving her skills as a wizard and completing job requests instead. Another more personal reason was the scar inflicted upon her heart from Jellal's betrayal when she was young. However, thanks to her recent experience in the Tower of Heaven, she had cast off those old fears and was ready to move on with her life. After so long, she was finally ready to open her heart to someone... and that person was Braedey Martin.

But still... what would she do on a date? What would she wear? What would she say? How was she supposed to act? These questions weighed heavily on her mind.

The little knowledge Erza possessed on romantic relationships came from the erotic books stored in a wooden chest off to the side of her bedroom. She glanced over to the wooden chest as scenes from the various novels flashed through her mind.

Erza blushed like crazy and started shaking her head. "No, no, no! I can't be thinking like that!" she exclaimed as she shook her head and slapped both sides of her face. It took her a few moments before she finally got her breathing under control and calmed her nerves. Once she did, she let out a deep sigh. "The things in those books... they're just fantasies, nothing more. This... this is my first real date. It has to be done right!"

However, with no knowledge regarding relationships, Erza had no clue what to do. Suddenly, an idea then popped in her head. She realized that even though she may be ignorant about dating, a couple friends from the guild may have more knowledge in this matter.

The scarlet-haired warrior knew that she would need to seek advice from her friends. With her decision made, Erza got up from her bed, re-quipped into her Heart Kreuz outfit, and walked towards the door.

~*~*~

The Fairy Tail guild hall was a little quieter than usual. Natsu, Gray, Lucy, Happy and Elfman had headed out early in the morning for a job in Onibus to fill in for the roles as stage performers in a theatre play. With Braedey and Erza being unable to join them, the team had asked if anyone else could fill in, and Elfman -whom had no current plans at the time - was happy to tag along with them.

With Fairy Tail's rowdiest members not present, the guild hall had a calm and relaxed atmosphere. Currently, Mirajane was waiting on a table that Macao, Wakaba, Max, Warren, and Laki were all sitting at. Cana was on her favorite barstool by the counter, consuming a large amount of alcohol and thinking about taking a job in order to cover her drinking expenses.

Everyone else in the guild was talking and interacting in a normal manner. However, these types of normal flashes were rare and short-lived in the Fairy Tail guild.

All of a sudden, the calm was broken when the front doors burst open and a frantic Erza ran straight into the building. Everyone present in the guild hall turned their attention to the redheaded warrior in bewilderment.

Mira and Cana turned to the noise of the doors slamming open and were quite surprised to see it was Erza. As soon as Mira placed the tray in her hands down, she was caught off guard when her scarlet-haired friend suddenly appeared by her side and threw her over her right shoulder.

"Wait! E-Erza!?" Mira squeaked.

Erza swiftly ran over to Cana and pulled her off the stool with her left arm and threw her over her left shoulder, causing her to drop her beer barrel on the floor.

"Hey! What the hell, Erza?!" Cana shouted, annoyed.

"Alright, yes! This is fun, but we have things to do, don't ask any more questions. Thank you, come along!" Erza spouted nonsensically, a panicked expression adorning her visage. As quickly as she came, the redheaded wizard sprinted out of the guild with Mirajane and Cana in tow, a dust trail in her wake.

Meanwhile, the present members of the guild watched the scene with wide eyes and dumbfounded looks.

"What the hell was that?" Max asked.

"I have no idea..." Wakaba muttered, equally confused. "Has anyone else noticed Erza's been acting strangely lately?"

"Yeah..." Macao joined in on the conversation. "She has. I wonder what the deal is with that."

Wakaba let out a puff of smoke from his pipe. "Who knows what?"

"Maybe it has something to do with Braedey?" Laki suggested.

Macao, Wakaba, Max, and Warren turned to the speckled, purple-haired girl curiously. "What makes you say that?" the former inquired.

"Well... didn't you notice when Braedey came in yesterday? He seemed to go straight over to Erza, and then left just like that." Laki pointed out.

"Huh..." Wakaba blew out a little smoke. "That does seem kinda fishy, the more you think about it..."

"Yeah," Max held his chin in thought, "I wonder what's going on."

"Maybe they're dating?" Laki suggested offhandedly.

The three other men looked at the girl like she was insane.

"What...?" Warren said.

"You're joking, right?" Macao said incredulously.

"There's no way that would happen." Wakaba added.

"Erza, Queen of the Fairies, going on a date... that seems a little too farfetched to me." Max commented.

"It was just a suggestion... dummies." Laki pouted.

Quick to recover from her idea being shot down, Laki crossed her arms and legs and looked down in contemplation while everyone else in the guild talked with one another on Erza's recent change in behavior. She was onto something. She had noticed the subtle differences in Erza's behaviour around Braedey for the last few weeks. The difference only became more apparent to her when Team Prime had returned from Akane Resort. The Wood-Make girl's intuition was telling her that something was definitely up between the guild's own Fairy Queen and the otherworldly Shape-Shifter.

~*~*~

Erza ran through town as fast as her legs could carry her with Mira and Cana on her shoulders. The townspeople could only stare in confusion as the redhead zoomed down the cobblestone streets with a dust trail being thrown up behind her. Erza arrived back at Fairy Hills in little time and sprinted back up to her dorm room.

Upon entering her room, the scarlet-haired mage unceremoniously dropped Mira and Cana on her bed and went to close her door. The brunette card mage and white-haired barmaid sat up from the bed, shaking their heads from the wild ride.

Cana looked at Erza in irritation. "What's the big idea, Erza?! I was trying to enjoy a drink in peace for once!"

"And I was waiting on tables." Mira said as she stood up from the mattress. She then glanced over to the Card Mage brunette. "By the way, Cana, your tab is about to be maxed out."

"Yeah, yeah, I know." Cana rubbed the back of her head sheepishly and chuckled. "I'll... be sure to take a job soon so I can pay it off."

"I'm sorry I pulled you both out of the guild hall so abruptly." Erza said, her back turned to them as she stood facing the door. "It's just... my date with Braedey is tonight... and..."

"Oh yes, that's right!" Mira said animatedly. "Your first date. How exciting!"

"Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for yah, Erza. But what does that have to do with you kidnapping us?" Cana asked in confusion.

Erza turned around and the duo was surprised to see the panicked expression across her face. "Because... I've never gone on a date before... and... I NEED YOUR HELP!" she cried out frantically.

Mira and Cana blinked, both dumbfounded at the redhead. They could understand Erza being nervous over her first date, but they never imagined her anxiety being so intense.

"Uh... you need our help?" Cana parroted. "You realize this is just a date, right? You're acting like this is your wedding or somethin'."

Erza blushed lightly at that remark. "I'm... aware of that. But as I said, I have no experience with dating... and... I have no idea what to say, what to do... what to wear!" she lowered her head in embarrassment and continued, "Please... I... I would greatly appreciate your assistance."

Mira looked at Erza for a moment before she covered her mouth and giggled. 'Who would've thought they'd both ask for my help...' The white-haired barmaid mused as a flashback from last night ran through her head.

~*~*~

Mira was cleaning the bar as she got ready to close the guild hall for the night. It was late and everyone had already gone home. After she finished wiping down the counter, she let out a deep, satisfied sigh – happy to finally be done.

With her duties completed, Mira was ready to lock up and head home herself until she heard the front doors open.

"I'm sorry. The guild hall is clo – Braedey?" Mira was a bit surprised to see the shape-shifter come in when it was so late.

Braedey ambled over to the counter while rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. "Hey, Mirajane! Sorry to bother you so late."

Mira smiled brightly. "It's no trouble at all. But I'm curious as to why you're here so late. Everyone else has already turned in for the night."

"Yeah, I know, but... I need to ask you something." Braedey said.

"Okay. I'm all ears." Mira said in her usual sweet voice.

"Well, you see..." Braedey glanced away with a tint of pink on his cheeks, "I just... I just asked Erza out this evening on a date and -"

"Oh, did you? That's so wonderful! Congratulations!" Mira gushed. She was already aware that Braedey and Erza were a thing now after spying on them along with Lucy and Cana earlier, but she made sure to feign surprise to ward off suspicion from Braedey.

"Heh... thanks." The blush on the jacket-clad teen's face intensified. "Anyways... I wanted to ask you if... well..."

"Mhmm..." Mira hummed, urging him to continue.

"...if you had any suggestions for where I could take Erza?" Braedey asked, finally finding his words.

"Huh...?" Mira tilted her head in bewilderment. "You mean, you don't know?"

"Well, the thing is... I'm not exactly from around these parts, so..." Braedey reasoned. "I was hoping, since you've known Erza longer than I have, if you could give me any suggestions on where I could take her."

"Hmm... I see," Mira could understand Braedey's concerns and situation. He was still new to this world, after all, and didn't quite know about all of what Earthland had to offer – aside from magic, of course. The white-haired beauty did find it sweet that Braedey would ask her for advice on where to take Erza for their date.

Mira lowered her head and gave it some thought. "Let's see..." Suddenly, an idea popped up in her head that made her face brighten. "Ooh, I know! Erza's a big fan of plays!"

"She is...?" Braedey blinked in surprise. He wasn't expecting that.

"Yep! She loves the theatre!" Mira said excitedly. "And you're in luck! I just remembered from a job request that was posted on the board today that there's a play going on in Onibus tomorrow night!"

"Onibus, huh?" Braedey tilted his head, trying to recall if he had ever been to or heard of that town. He shook his head as he was met with zero results. "Nope. I haven't heard of it."

"That's understandable. It's a small town close by to Magnolia, and it's also one of the stops on the railway to Clover." Mira explained. "It's well known for its theatre, and it doesn't have any magical guild of its own, so Fairy Tail gets job requests from there occasionally."

"Oh, alright then." Braedey said, making a mental note of that. He still wasn't familiar with all the towns and locations in Fiore yet.

"However, since the next play is tomorrow, I'm sure they must be close to running out of tickets – if they haven't already." Mira mentioned with slight concern. "Not to mention how the train station should be closed by now."

"No worries! I can handle with that." Braedey smiled confidently. "By the way, Mirajane," he paused as he leaned in closer, "could you keep all of this a secret for now? I think Erza wants to wait till after the date before we tell everyone."

Mira smiled and nodded. "You have my word."

"Thanks, Mirajane!" With that, Braedey turned and ran toward the front doors. "I owe you one!"

"Good luck!" Mira waved at him. Upon exiting the building, a blue light flashed off of Braedey's body as he transformed into Bumblebee and drove off into the evening.

Mira continued to smile as she headed out the door herself, happy to see romance blossoming in the guild. She was excited to see what the future had in store.

~*~*~

Mira shook her head with a smile. She walked over to Erza and placed her hands reassuringly on her shoulders. Erza brought her head back up to see Mira smiling brightly at her.

"We'll help you." Mira said. "But there's no need for you to worry so much, Erza."

"Yeah," Cana chimed in, "After all, it's only a date."

Erza blushed lightly as she grabbed her left arm. "I know. Still... I... I just don't want to mess it up. That's all."

Mira nodded in understanding. "Of course... but Braedey loves you, doesn't he?"

The scarlet-haired mage's cheeks turned a brighter shade of pink as she glanced away in embarrassment. "Y-yes... he does."

"And you know he means it, right?" Cana questioned.

Erza nodded firmly without any hint of doubt in her visage. In that moment at the park yesterday, the scarlet-haired warrior could tell that Braedey meant every single word he said. There wasn't a shred of deceit in Braedey's eyes that would make her question him.

"I know he does." She answered confidently.

Mira's smile brightened from that response. "Well... then what is there to worry about? If Braedey loves you, why would you want to change the way you act?"

Erza's eyes widened as she exhaled a small gasp in shock.

"Yeah," agreed Cana, "take it from someone who's gone on dates before – just be yourself. A lot of my failed dates happened because the guy tried to be something he's not... and... well... other reasons." She murmured the last part of her sentence in annoyance.

The redhead took a short moment to process the advice Mira and Cana had given her, and smiled. They were right. Braedey loved her for her. There was no need to be anxious or act differently around him.

"Yes, you're right." Erza lowered her head and placed her hand on her forehead, feeling silly for her overreaction. "I suppose I am overreacting to this. Thank you."

"Hey," Cana waved her off nonchalantly, "don't sweat it. That's what we're here for."

Mira nodded in agreement.

"I guess now the only thing left to address is my outfit for tonight." Erza placed her right thumb and index finger on her chin and held it in a thinking manner. "But what exactly?"

"What time is your date tonight?" Mira asked.

"Seven o'clock. Why?" Erza responded curiously.

The white-haired barmaid looked at the clock on Erza's bedside table to see it was four-o-clock. They had three hours till Braedey was scheduled to arrive.

"We've got plenty of time. How about you re-quip into what you have in mind?" the former She-Devil suggested.

"Alright," a golden light encompassed her body and when it disappeared, she was clad in a purple dress with red roses all around it with white gloves that stretched to her upper arms. Her hair was tied up in a bun and a couple bangs hung from her temples. It was the same attire Erza had worn in the casino at Akane Resort before her old childhood friends kidnapped her.

"Well... what do you think?" the scarlet-haired mage smiled, posing with her hip cocked and her left hand resting on it and her right arm behind her head.

Mira and Cana both sweat-dropped at Erza's choice of wardrobe. It was a beautiful dress... but...

"That is a beautiful dress." Mira complimented. "But... it's a tad much just for a first date, don't you think?"

Erza looked down at her outfit pensively and hummed. "Perhaps..."

"You should go with something nice, but not too formal." The white-haired beauty suggested.

Another yellow flash of re-quip of magic shined off Erza's body. As it died down, Mira and Cana were floored by Erza's new outfit.

She wore a tight, one-piece red outfit that hugged her body tightly and had a white Fairy Tail emblem on her left breast with a yellow asymmetrical cross that stretched from the right side underneath the symbol. She wore black stockings, red-heeled shoes, a pair of long, black bunny ears that were attached to a band on her head, and white cuffs on both wrists. Her red hair was tied up in a long ponytail.

"How about this?" Erza then looked down and smiled at her outfit. "Braedey seemed to like my other bunny suit. I figured he may like this one even better."

The white-haired barmaid and brunette alcoholic stared at Erza and chuckled weakly; both being equally flabbergasted.

"Um... I think it's a tad too revealing." Mira said, referring to the amount of cleavage Erza was exposing.

"I think Braedey would appreciate it." Cana smirked slyly.

Erza's face flushed a light pink, remembering what happened between her and Braedey in the hotel room in Peony.

"Although..." Cana looked up in contemplation, "I doubt he could last the whole date with you wearing that."

"Cana does have a point. Maybe you should go with something more... graceful." Mira advised.

"Very well," another yellow light flashed off the redhead's body. Now, the Fairy Queen was clad in her Heaven's Wheel Armour. "What about this?"

Mira and Cana both sweat-dropped at Erza's logic.

'This is gonna be even harder than I thought...' Mira inwardly sighed.

~*~*~

Over two and a half hours had passed and the girls were absolutely nowhere close to determining an outfit for Erza to wear. It didn't help that the redhead was re-quipping into random outfits that ranged from formal dresses, to cosplay costumes, and different kinds of armour. Speaking of armour...

"What about this one?" Erza said.

"You realize that's your Black Wing Armour, right?" Cana mentioned.

"Braedey said he liked it while we were fighting Phantom Lord!" retorted Erza.

Mira closed her eyes and sighed deeply. "Still... I don't think wearing battle armour on a date is the best idea, Erza..."

Light flashed off the redhead's body once more. "And this?"

"That's a bikini..." The card mage sweat-dropped at Erza's black swimsuit.

"Is that a no?" Erza asked.

"For the first date, yes." Mira then tilted her head in thought. "Although, I can't really think of any date where you should wear a bikini... unless it was a late-night stroll on the beach." The albino-haired beauty gushed from her own wild fantasies. "Goodness, that does sound romantic, doesn't it?"

Erza sighed in frustration and re-quipped back into her white blouse and blue skirt attire, taking a seat in a chair by her dresser. "This is hopeless."

"Look, you need to relax. Here." Cana pulled out a bottle of booze seemingly out of nowhere and offered it to Erza. "Throw one back. It'll calm your nerves."

"What?! No!" Erza exclaimed girlishly. "I need to be fully alert. Prepared for anything!"

"Pfft. It's a date, not a job, Erza." The brunette said dryly.

Mira sighed once more and stepped toward Erza. "Cana's right. About the relaxing part, I mean. There's no need to panic... especially over clothes." She said sagely. "Just wear something casual but nice. Something you'll feel comfortable with. And don't worry, no matter what, Braedey will still go out with you either way."

Erza lowered her head and let out a deep smile, a small smile forming on her lips. "I suppose you're right."

"Just remember... no armour, bunny suits, or fancy dresses." Cana mentioned, taking a quick swig from her bottle. "Just casual."

Mira looked at Cana and blinked in confusion. "Where did you get that bottle?"

"Hmm... casual but nice?" Erza hummed as she pondered Mira's suggestion. A short moment passed before another flash of gold shined off of the redheaded wizard's body.

Erza was now clad in a reddish-black long sleeve shirt, an orange-and-red plaid skirt, black stockings and dark brown dress shoes. Her scarlet hair was tied up in a ponytail with an orange-and-red plaid ribbon, and a couple long bangs hung freely from her temples.

She looked back up. "Well... how about this?"

Mirajane and Cana stared at Erza in slight shock for a short moment until smiles graced their faces.

"I think we have a winner." Cana smirked, holding up her bottle.

"It's perfect!" Mira praised with stars in her eyes, holding her hands over her chest. "You look amazing!"

Erza smiled gratefully as she rested her hand on her left hip. "Thank you. I knew I could count on you two."

"Don't mention it." Cana waved her off.

"And to think it only took you two hours and," Mira paused as she looked at the clock, "fifty minutes to pick the right outfit."

"Wait! How long?!" Erza shrieked. She looked over at the clock and her panic only increased when she saw it was 6:50. She let out an uncommon girlish yelp. "Braedey will be here soon!"

~*~*~

Braedey Martin was currently strolling down the path that led to the all-girls dormitory, Fairy Hills. The sky was turning a dark shade of blackish-blue and a few stars twinkled into existence as the sun set below the horizon. A pleasant, early October breeze blew by and flapped his brown hair around as he proceeded down the road.

The teen hero glanced down at his clothes to make sure he was presentable. He was dressed in a formal outfit that consisted of black dress shoes, black slacks, a dark blue button-up shirt, and a black dress jacket.

'It's a good thing I got this formal getup when I was buying clothes.' Braedey thought. 'Although, I have got to admit... I'd never thought this would be the reason I'd wear them.'

He continued to walk at a leisurely pace since he would be at the dorm in less than five minutes; plus, he wanted to give himself a little more mental prep time. This would be his first date in two years since Jane's death; needless to say, he was definitely a bit apprehensive.

'It's okay, Martin. Just relax.' He calmed himself. 'You know what to do. Just stick with the plan, stay cool, and everything should go smoothly...' that last statement lingered in his mind for a moment before he let out a deep sigh of exasperation. '...that is, unless some bad guy or monster tries to attack us.' A sweat-drop raced down his face as he slumped his shoulders in defeat. 'And with my off-track record, that's bound to happen.'

Another thought soon entered Braedey's mind. Had he ever been on a normal date? On his first date with Jane, what he had hoped at the time would be a pleasant night with her at the pier, ended with him being attacked by carnival rides, Jane getting captured by one of said rides, and discovering an old Autobot Ship. That night had ended with Jane finding out about aliens and Braedey's hero identity.

To this day, Braedey was still amazed at how well Jane had taken all that life-changing information and stuck with him, instead of just panicking and leaving him on the spot like any sane person would have.

Braedey stopped walking and stood motionless on the dirt path. He looked down with a slightly downcast expression. Now that he thought about it, had he really been a good boyfriend to Jane? Early on in their relationship, he and Jane sadly didn't get to spend much time together due to his hero career. This eventually led to them taking a break for a while before Braedey admitted how big of a jerk he had been to her and made up.

After the Dragonstorm incident, Braedey promised that he would spend more time with Jane whenever he could and their relationship steadily improved. Unfortunately, the couple never really got to have a normal date thanks to all sorts of miscreants, robbers, monsters, and criminal aliens. He felt guilty at times that he never got to take Jane on a proper date, but at the end of the day, he knew it was out of his control. The universe just loved toying with him, and ensuring there wasn't an ounce of normalcy in his life.

'Stupid universe...' Braedey inwardly grumbled.

Suddenly, the teen hero recalled the moment in the park yesterday when he and Erza agreed to meet up.

"I can pick you up from your dorm tomorrow at seven. Sound good?"

"Yes... that sounds perfect."

The bright smile on her face made his stomach flutter every time he saw or thought about it. Braedey clenched his fists as a determined expression crossed his face. There was no way he was going to let anything ruin this date.

'I'm not gonna repeat the same mistakes I made with Jane. I'm going to take Erza on a nice, normal date and nothing bad is going to happen.' Braedey vowed.

~*~*~

"Why didn't either of you tell me it was so close to seven?!" Erza chided Mirajane and Cana with both hands on her hips.

"I guess we just lost track of time." Mira shrugged.

"And it didn't help that you were re-quipping into every single outfit you owned under the sun..." Cana remarked, taking a swig from her bottle.

"This is no good!" Erza held both sides of her head, mildly panicking. "I haven't mentally prepared myself for this!"

Cana blinked a couple times. "You're still stressing over that? Didn't we just get through telling you to be yourself?"

A couple knocks came from the door, causing Erza to yelp comically. "Is that him?!"

"Relax... Come in!" Cana said.

The door opened and Juvia poked her head through the door. "Um, Erza... Braedey is at the front door for you, and he..." the blue-haired rain woman trailed off when she noticed Erza's nice attire. Coupled with the fact that Braedey was dressed up nice as well and asked for Erza specifically, Juvia came to the simplest conclusion.

Juvia gasped sharply as she held her hands over her mouth. "C-could... could it be?" she said with a starry-eyed look. "Braedey and Erza are going on a d-da-"

Before Juvia could finish her sentence, Erza rushed over and covered the rain woman's mouth. "Shh," she shushed, "keep your voice down."

The blue-haired beauty nodded before Erza let go. "But is it true? Are you and Braedey going on a date?" she whispered.

Erza looked away with a blush. "Y-yes... we are."

Juvia squealed lightly in joy. "I'm so happy for you, Erza. Love is such a wonderful thing." She then turned away with a devious look on her face. 'This also means I have one less rival to contend with for the heart of my darling Gray!'

"Didn't I tell you to keep your voice down?!" the redhead griped.

"Well, Ole Braedey got here right when he said he'd be." Cana noted, glancing over at the clock that read 7:00. "Right on the dot."

"Being on time is a good sign." Mira smiled.

Erza felt her face flush even more from Juvia finding out combined with Mira and Cana's teasing. She could practically feel steam rising from her head. She took a deep breath to calm her nerves before resting her hands on Juvia's shoulders.

"Juvia, can you do me a favour and keep this to yourself?" Erza requested nicely. "I'd prefer no one else know about this until Braedey and I inform everyone ourselves."

The blue-haired wizard gave Erza a resolute nod. "Don't worry. I won't tell."

Erza smiled in appreciation. "Thank you, Juvia." She then closed her eyes and lowered her head, letting out a sigh. "Well... I guess this is it."

The redhead glanced up with a nervous look. "Are you sure I look nice?" she asked hesitantly.

"Yes... geez, Erza. I swear you're hopeless." Cana remarked, rolling her eyes.

"You might wanna get going." Mira said, smiling. "You don't wanna keep your date waiting too long, do you?"

Erza blushed lightly and nodded. "Y-yes... right. Well, wish me luck."

"Knock him dead, girl!" Cana cheered, and then added sheepishly, "...not literally..."

"Have a great night, Erza." Juvia waved.

"Oh, this is all just so wonderful!" Mira said giddily.

Erza walked out of her room and strolled down the hall. As she stepped down the stairs to the first floor, she could feel her heart rate steadily increase. She took in a deep breath and exhaled.

'Calm yourself... like Mira and Cana told you... there's no reason to panic. If I just be myself, everything should go smoothly.' Erza thought. When she made it downstairs and reached the dormitory's front doors, she hesitated for a short moment. 'Right...?'

~*~*~

Braedey stood in front of Fairy Hills' main entrance - which was a pair of wooden doors - and was rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly. 'I sure hope Juvia isn't suspicious of this.' He let out a defeated sigh. 'Who am I kidding? I'm sure she's already figured it out. Hopefully Erza won't be too mad about it...'

Braedey was brought out of his thoughts as the left side door opened to reveal Erza. Before he could give any greeting, he was dumbstruck by her appearance. Her outfit, though simple, was very nice and amplified her beauty. His mouth opened a little as he looked at her dumbly. 'Woah...'

"B-Braedey... hello. It's good to see you." Erza stammered lightly. She looked at his outfit and was impressed with how well he looked. "You look really nice."

"T-thank you," Braedey replied, rubbing the back of his head out of habit. "You look really nice too." His eyes then widened from the possibility that she may misinterpret his words. "I-I mean...mnot that you don't always look nice. You look beautiful in whatever you wear... it's just... in this circumstance..." He ceased his stammering and looked down in embarrassment. "I'm making this awkward... aren't I?"

Meanwhile, three curious women were eavesdropping on the superhero and re-quipping mage from the latter's bedroom window.

"Someone's looking nervous," Cana noted, smirking.

"It's so adorable." Mira snickered quietly.

Juvia simply nodded, smiling happily. 'Oh, this is all so romantic! It's like something out of a love story!'

Erza blinked for a second before a smile graced her lips. 'I see. So, he was nervous as well.' She thought. 'It's understandable. He hasn't been on a date in so long...'

The redheaded wizard stepped forward and placed a soft kiss on Braedey's left cheek, making him freeze up. It took Braedey a moment before he snapped out of his stupor and looked back at Erza, who was smiling softly at him.

"Not at all. I appreciate the compliments. But there's no need for you to be so nervous." Erza said. "We're already quite familiar with one another. Let's just be ourselves and I know that we'll have a great time tonight."

Braedey was amazed at how confident and wise Erza sounded. Needless to say, any apprehension he had began to steadily drain away and allowed his usual calm and confident self to reemerge. "Yeah, you're right. I guess I was being a little too nervous..." he smiled.

Mira, Cana, and Juvia, however, sweat-dropped from the scarlet-haired mage's statement. 'But wasn't she just freaking out over exactly the same thing?' the trio thought simultaneously.

The brunette offered his right arm to the redhead. "Well, how about we start heading out? We don't wanna spend all night just standing here."

Erza nodded and hooked her left arm through his right, and the couple began to walk away from the dormitory. Mira, Cana, and Juvia continued to watch Braedey and Erza as they strolled down the dirt path.

"Well... there they go." Cana said.

"Erza's first date. I'm so happy for her." Mira gushed.

"I'm amazed that there's actually a guy who can handle her." The brunette alcoholic commented.

Mira and Juvia both nodded in agreement.

"Hopefully those two don't have too much fun tonight. It's only their first date, after all." Cana remarked slyly, taking a swig from her bottle.

"Cana!" Mira scolded.

"Those two look so happy..." Juvia suddenly grabbed both sides of her head and cried out in frustration, "Oh, how I wish my darling Gray would take me out on a date!"

~*~*~

Braedey and Erza continued walking down the path toward Magnolia Town and when the latter noticed they were out of range of the dormitory, she glanced at the former curiously. "So... where exactly are we going tonight, Braedey? Or what are we doing for that matter?" she asked.

Braedey smirked and pulled out a folded-up piece of paper from his left jacket pocket. "I'm glad you asked. I think it's something that you'll really enjoy."

The couple stopped as Erza took the paper and unfolded it. After scanning over the page's content, her eyes lit up and she let out an uncharacteristic girlish squeal. "We're going to a play?!" she exclaimed giddily.

Braedey smiled and nodded. 'Mirajane was right. She does love plays.' He thought.

"I haven't been to the theatre in such a long time. This is going to be so exciting!" Erza proclaimed eagerly. But the S-Class wizard suddenly paused when she studied the flier closely; more specifically, the time and location. "Wait... hold on... this says the play will be in Onibus tonight at 7:30."

"Mhmm..." Braedey nodded.

Erza looked up at the shape-shifting hero in mild panic. "But even by train, we'll never make it there in time! We'll miss the play!"

Braedey shot the redheaded knight his trademark confident smirk. "No, we won't. I got a way that'll get us there instantaneously." He pulled up his jacket sleeve to activate the Transformatrix. After selecting the transformation he needed, he slammed down the dial. Erza, out of reflex, turned away from the blinding blue light and in Braedey's place was Energon.

Before Erza could inquire as to what Braedey was up to, the blue crystal alien slapped the Transformatrix dial on his chest. Four prongs extended from the dial's rim as another blue light consumed his body and replaced Energon with his Ultimate Form.

Erza blinked in confusion at the tall, hulking blackish-red crystal alien. She remembered Braedey using this form in the Tower of Heaven to absorb its energy and somehow teleport her and Natsu away from the tower.

"Ultimate Energon..." Her eyes suddenly widened when she deduced what Braedey was doing. "You plan to use him to teleport us to Onibus... like you did with Natsu and I on the tower?" Erza inquired, looking up at him.

The hyper-evolved Crystal Autobot nodded. "Yep. I practiced using him all morning so I could get the hang of his powers." He explained. "It turns out that if I know the exact place of where I want to go, I can teleport myself or anything else to that location."

Erza took a moment to ponder this new information. "I see. But if that's the case, why didn't you just send us to the resort itself instead of some random spot on the beach?"

Ultimate Energon chuckled weakly and rubbed the back of his crystal head sheepishly. "Heh-heh... well... I was trying to send you two to the resort... but I guess my aim was off. That was my first time using this guy's power and I was in a perilous situation at the time... so..."

Erza nodded in understanding. "And you're sure you can get us there?"

The Ultimate Alien nodded. "I'm sure. I know this might sound strange and I could've just asked if we could meet up earlier to make the train, but I thought this would be a better and faster way for us to get there."

The red-haired beauty adopted a thoughtful look. "Hmm... well... it is unconventional. And I don't remember seeing anything like this in the books I've read when a couple go on a date... but it's our only option to ensure we make it to the theatre on time." She put emphasize on the word theatre.

Ultimate Energon sweat-dropped, having an idea of what kind of books she was referring to. 'I sure hope she doesn't mean those books...'

Erza looked up to Braedey and clenched her fist in determination. "So, yes. Let's do it!"

"Alright. Just grab my hand and we'll be on our way." Ultimate Energon held out his large crystalline hand. Erza placed her hand in the center of his palm since her hand was too small to wrap around his large one.

Ultimate Energon closed his eye and focused on the location of Onibus and, more specifically, the spot where the theatre building was located. He had flown there last night as Jetfire to purchase tickets for the play and knew exactly where it was. He did get some surprise looks from people in town when they saw a large green and cream coloured aircraft fly overhead, then turns into a robot-like humanoid, and back into human form.

All of a sudden, blue-coloured energy shone off of the crystalline alien's body and before Erza could process what was happening, a bright flash enveloped them. When the light disappeared, Ultimate Energon and Erza had vanished into thin air.

~*~*~

The sun had set over the horizon and many street lights came on to illuminate the small town of Onibus. Outside the massive well-known theatre building, many people were starting to line up for the show.

Suddenly, a bright blue-coloured light flashed in the street in front of the theatre and took nearby townspeople off guard. After the flash quickly disappeared, bystanders were shocked to see a giant, blackish-red crystal-man and a red-haired girl.

In two blue flashes, Ultimate Energon transformed into Energon and finally back into Braedey, startling several passerby.

"Well, we're here." Braedey smirked.

"Amazing..." Erza looked around in slight awe, "Teleportation magic is nothing new to me but still... it is quite impressive that you got us here all the way from Magnolia."

"Thanks," Braedey smiled. He offered his arm to her once more. "Shall we go in?"

Erza smiled and took his arm. The couple proceeded toward the theatre building, taking no heed of the bystanders looking at them in surprise.

"I wonder... do you think you can teleport us to our destination when we go on missions?" Erza inquired.

"Well, I have to know exactly where it is. So, unless it's somewhere I've been before or I know exactly on the map where to go, I'm afraid that's a no-can-do on that." Braedey explained. "Sorry."

"I see. Well, that is a little disappointing. I suppose Natsu will just have to continue toughing out vehicular transportation." Erza said.

Braedey smirked to himself. "For some reason, I don't see him getting over his motion sickness any time soon."

As the couple made it across the street and walked up the flight of concrete stairs leading up to the theatre building, Braedey overheard a few people talking.

"Whoa... did that crystal guy just change into a person?" a male bystander remarked.

"Yeah... must be a Take-Over wizard of some kind." Another man said offhandedly.

"I thought I saw a Fairy Tail mark on his arm before he changed back."

"Really?" a woman said. "I heard a rumour that Fairy Tail has a new Take-Over wizard. Think that's him?"

"Yeah, I heard that rumour too!" the first man said. "I also heard that he can change into a giant!"

Braedey sweat-dropped slightly. 'Maybe transforming into Metroplex back then wasn't such a good idea. CrystalGon could've absorbed Jose's Jupiter Cannon and wouldn't have gotten me this much attention... right?'

"Is something the matter?" Erza asked, looking at Braedey curiously.

"Oh... no. It's nothing." Braedey stammered, snapping out of his musings.

Erza glanced back at the gossiping villagers and turned back to Braedey with a smile. "It would seem that you're becoming quite popular, huh?"

Braedey sighed in a slightly deflated matter. "Yeah...I guess so..."

"What's wrong? You don't like people knowing who you are?" Erza asked.

"Well... not exactly. I'm glad what I'm doing is getting people's attention. It's just before my world found out who I was, I kept my hero identity a secret. As a kid, I always wanted people to know who I was because I wanted the attention and the fame... but..."

"But..." Erza urged the teen hero to continue.

"...that was until my identity was actually revealed a couple years ago." Braedey continued. "It was fun at first... being a celebrity... but it got really old really fast, faster than Blurr's top speed. The news was pretty harsh on me at times - especially one jerk - and I couldn't go out to grab a slushie without having packs of crazed fangirls trying to rip me apart."

Erza furrowed her eyes at Braedey, subconsciously tightening her hold on his arm. "Fangirls...?" she murmured darkly.

Braedey chuckled weakly. "Yeah... wasn't my idea. The point is, I guess I'm just worried of how everyone's going to start reacting to me now when they see me."

Erza smiled reassuringly. "There's no need to be concerned. Almost everyone knows of me and Natsu... and you don't see fans swarming around us."

Braedey sweat-dropped. 'Maybe that's because people know how dangerous you two are...' He shook his head and smiled. "Yeah, that's true."

Erza then tightened her hold on his arm, making him wince slightly. "And... if any fangirls do try to come for you, I'll smite them all with my blade." She declared, spitting out the word fangirl as if it were rancid water.

"Heh... thanks," Braedey replied nervously.

The couple waited in line for a few moments until they made it up to the ticket booth. After handing the clerk their tickets, the couple stepped into the theatre. It was a large room with multiple rows of seats that declined downward towards the stage to ensure that viewers on every row could see the performance. Two aisles went down toward the stage, splitting the seating sections into three parts. On the side of the walls were a few balconies, angled in a way for special guests and wealthy people who purchased these spots to have an optimal view of the stage.

Braedey obviously couldn't afford any of those seats; plus, they had been sold out when he had come to buy tickets last night anyways. He wasn't the least bit concerned about that though. The teen hero was confident that Erza would love the show no matter where they were in the building. It didn't take long before Braedey and Erza found their seats in the center section on the tenth row right next to the aisle.

'Row number 10...' he noted in his head.

As the duo finally took their seats, Braedey noticed Erza's features perk up in elation. 'She reminds me of myself when a Daytona 500 comes around.' He noted.

"Ooh, this is so exciting!" Erza said giddily.

Braedey could only smile from her excitement. Even though he never really was into plays or the theatre in general, he was glad to see Erza so happy and promised himself that he would bear through the performance. Who knows... it might turn out to be a good show.

Several minutes later, after everyone had taken their seats, a loud buzzing noise echoed through the theatre followed by the lights being shut off. The crowd immediately went silent and turned their gaze to the stage. The sounds of a harp played, followed by the voice of an angel.

"~Ages ago, there lived a prince alone~"

'Whoever's singing sounds really good, but... why does that voice sound so familiar?' Braedey wondered.

The red curtains rose and a limelight shined down on the source of the lovely melody. It was a young girl with long orange hair wearing a blue dress with yellow hearts printed by her waist, leather shoes, and a pink bonnet on top of her head. She stood by a harp and plucked its strings expertly. Many of the men in the audience were stunned by her beauty, and some even had hearts in their eyes.

Braedey's eyes, however, widened in recognition. 'Wait... I know her! That's one of Lucy's spirits! Lyra!' He had remembered Lucy summoning her during their adventure on Galuna Island. But what in the world was one of Lucy's spirits doing here?

"~His heart cried out. Its echo returned of a princess in a distant land. So far away~"

Lyra continued to sing as another limelight came down and revealed a tall, buff man with a scar on his face. His long, white hair was slicked back to give him a debonair appearance. He was attired in regal prince gear, complete with a sword strapped to his waist and a long, green cape.

The audience looked at the prince with surprised expressions. They certainly hadn't expected the prince to be so huge!

"Wow... that prince is really tall." A woman whispered to her friend.

"Yeah...he looks kinda scary too." Her friend replied timidly.

Braedey's eyes widened like dinner plates as his lower jaw nearly fell off his face in shock. 'Elfman!?' he inwardly shouted. 'What in the AllSpark is he doing here?! I thought he went on a job with Natsu, Gray, and -'

At that moment, Braedey recalled what Mirajane had said to him last night when she had told him about this play. "I just remembered from a job request that was posted on the board today that there's a play going on in Onibus tomorrow night!"

'Out of all the jobs on that board, why did they have to pick this one...?' Braedey inwardly groaned.

Elfman was poised and stretched out his right arm in a dramatic manner. "Here ye, here ye!" he bellowed, making some of the audience jump back in surprise from the volume of his voice. "Behold, I am... I am..."

Elfman looked puzzled for a second, almost as if he were trying to remember his line. "Uh... my name..." he whispered. "Oh! I'm the prince! And I've come to save the princess, like a man! Yeah! A REAL MAN!"

Braedey winced. He may not have been an expert when it came to theatre production, but he had seen enough bad movies to know when someone's acting was bad. 'Yikes.' he thought.

Elfman pulled out his saber from his scabbard and held it up, apparently struggling to remember his lines.

"And I wield the power to..." Elfman stammered, choking on his words. "So, I wield the power... THE SOUL OF A BEAST!"

A bright yellow light enveloped Elfman's body. In the wake of the flash stood a large beast that was built like a tank with limbs rippling with muscle. The skin on its arms and back was a darkish red colour while the face and torso, in contrast, were greenish-gray. Bony spikes jutted up from each shoulder and an impressive pair of horns were sticking out of its forehead, along with a bristly mane of white hair. The only item of clothing it wore was a torn pair of blue pants that was miraculously held up by a belt, while Elfman's prince attire had been ripped to shreds. Its legs ended in five-toed claws with scaly skin like some kind of bird.

Elfman held up his sword, which was comically like a tiny toothpick in his gargantuan hand.

"AHHHHH!" The audience screamed in alarm.

"Okay... this is getting crazy." Braedey murmured. The teen hero was slightly apprehensive as he glanced over to Erza. She had been so excited to see this play, and in return she gets this kind of performance. He could only imagine how disappointed she must be.

He summoned the courage to look over at her, and was thoroughly shocked. Instead of disappointment like he expected, Erza was absolutely beaming. Braedey could've sworn he saw her eyes sparkle like stars.

"Oh! This is so perfect!" Erza squealed. "A prince turned into a ferocious beast. It's so dangerous and romantic!"

Braedey's stared at Erza, dumbfounded. 'What? She actually likes this train wreck of a show?!'

Before Braedey could comment, Lucy, who was dressed in a pink princess-style dress, appeared on stage. She was lowered down by a rope and suspended off the floor, acting the part of the captive princess.

"Oh my beloved Prince Fredrick. Please save me!" Lucy pleaded. "I'm held in the terrible clutches of that fiendish brute, Siendhart!"

"Who the heck is Siendhart?" Braedey muttered, cocking a brow. "He wasn't mentioned before..."

"I am the Great Julius." Gray walked up on stage to the left of Elfman, wearing a regal outfit that consisted of a blue coat with yellow trim, white pants and boots, and a flowing red cape. "If you want to save the princess you must first cross blades with me."

Braedey blinked, confused. 'Okay... what the heck...?'

"Who the heck is this guy!?" some guy shouted.

"Yeah! What happened to Siendhart?!" a woman followed up.

The audience was certainly not pleased with the jumbled-up mess this play was.

Braedey rested his hand on his forehead and sighed heavily. "Oh boy... this is really going downhill faster than a runaway train."

"Everything's getting intense. Ooh, I can't contain my excitement anymore!" Erza squealed, apparently not listening to what Braedey had said. "Come, Braedey! It's time for us to get in on the fun!"

"Huh? What do you-"

Erza suddenly stood up, grabbed Braedey's left hand, and ran down the aisle pulling him behind her.

"ERZA, WAIT!" Braedey yelled as he was dragged across the floor.

Braedey's cries went unheard as Erza jumped on stage with him in tow, causing the audience to cry out in shock and surprise. As soon as Erza's feet touched the stage, she let go of Braedey – which led to him falling face-first on the floor. The brunette grimaced lightly from the impact and glanced up. He was stunned to see Erza acting as if she were part of the play... trying to play the part of what she said was the knight who guarded the princess's castle.

'She likes plays so much that she runs up on stage... just to get in on it?' Braedey thought, flabbergasted.

However, as soon as Erza noticed that the audience's eyes were trained on her, she quickly broke down into a stuttering, shaking mess. Who would've guessed that the mighty Titania Erza would have stage fright?

"I-if any of you wish to save the p-p-princess... you must first... c-cross me..." Erza stammered, her face turning blue and swirls appearing in her eyes.

Lucy, Gray, and Elfman were too dumbfounded by Braedey and Erza's sudden appearance to respond immediately. The crowd soon began to shout in frustration from the absurdity of what they were seeing.

Braedey groaned, still lying on the floor and turned his head away from the displeased audience. "Maybe the play wasn't such a good idea..." he grumbled.

~*~*~

Happy was dressed in a miniature-sized version of Braedey's hero outfit, complete with the Transformatrix. He slapped his paw against the faceplate and, in a flash of blue, he transformed into a blue-furred Leobreaker and a green knapsack on his back.

He puffed out his large chest, extending his hand claws at full length, and roared, "And THEN..."

~*~*~

Braedey and Erza were currently walking down the stone steps away from the theatre building and onto the street. The latter had a skip to her step as she beamed with joy while the former had an awkward look with sweat dripping down his face.

"Ooh, what a marvelous show!" Erza beamed, clenching her fist. "We certainly brought the roof crashing down with our captivating performance!"

Braedey chuckled weakly as he glanced back at the remains of the theatre building. True to Erza's word, the roof had literally come crashing down along with the walls in large piles of rubble. The only thing that remained of the luxurious theatre were the seats and the charred and splintered remnants of the stage. It was amazing how nobody had gotten hurt.

This was the aftermath of a battle royale between Erza, Elfman, Natsu, and Gray. Apparently, Natsu – who was playing the part of a dragon – had been so eager to come out that he had entered the play long before he was supposed to and started spewing his flames everywhere. Not that it mattered, considering the play was already a train wreck at that point.

When his flames accidentally struck Gray and Elfman, the Take-Over and Ice-Make wizards retaliated, naturally. This annoyed Erza so much that she broke out of her stage fright and proceeded to punish the trio. As a result, the building's superstructure had been compromised, causing the roof and walls to come tumbling down in short order.

Needless to say, Braedey wasn't surprised by his friends' actions. He was getting used to it by now since it happened all the time in the guild hall. What he was not expecting was for the audience to cheer with thunderous applause. Even though the play had sucked, the fight had certainly made up for it.

"Sure... let's go with that." Braedey commented sheepishly.

Braedey and Erza stepped onto the street and caught the attention of a group of people consisting of two guys and two gals.

"Hey, look! It's her!" one of the guys exclaimed, pointing at Erza. "Titania of Fairy Tail!"

"Great performance up there, Miss Titania!" The second guy yelled.

"Yeah!" one of the women added. "You sure brought the butt-whooping on those guys!"

"You're amazing! Can I have your autograph?" the second women pleaded, with stars in her eyes.

Erza paused and looked at the group in shock. "I – I... have fans... already." she whispered.

Not wanting their date to get sidetracked, Braedey immediately took action by taking Erza's left hand. "Sorry guys. We're a bit preoccupied at the moment. Maybe some other time!" he waved at the group before leading Erza down the street.

"B-but... my adoring fans..." Erza stammered, glancing back at the villagers with a disheartened look.

"They'll have to catch you some other time. Besides," Braedey turned to the redhead with a smile, making Erza's face flush lightly, "our date's not over yet. There's still one more place I'd like us to go."

'That's right. The date?! I was so preoccupied with the play, I almost forgot.' Erza thought, feeling ashamed of herself.

The couple walked down a couple streets and strolled into what appeared to be a town park before Erza decided to own up to her blunder. "I-I'm sorry." She said, holding her head down.

"Sorry? For what?" Braedey said, confused.

"I... I let my newfound stardom get to my head... and... I nearly forgot that we were on a date. That's unforgivable! You may strike me if you wish." Erza answered, bowing to the brunette hero.

Braedey blinked a couple times. 'Newfound stardom...'

The teen hero smirked and stretched out his right hand toward the redheaded warrior. Erza saw Braedey's hand approach her and closed her eyes tightly, preparing for a strong strike, only to receive a flick to the forehead. She stood back up straight and looked at Braedey, confused to see him smirking slyly. He wasn't angry with her?

"You know, for someone who's always strict... you can be pretty funny sometimes, Erza." Braedey commented.

Erza blushed at Braedey's statement and glanced away, embarrassed. "I – I don't know what you're talking about."

Braedey smiled and closed his eyes while shaking his head. He had to admit, Erza was really cute when she was embarrassed. The brunette hero activated the Transformatrix and slapped down the dial. After two flashes of blue light, Braedey transformed back into Ultimate Energon.

The hyper-evolved Crystal Autobot looked down at Erza and offered her his hand. "How about we head out? I'm sure you must be hungry after giving that captivating performance like you did." He teased.

Erza felt her stomach growl upon the mention of food, making her blush once more. She had been so fixated on the date that she had not eaten much today.

"I... I could go for something to eat." Erza replied.

"Well then, allow me to oblige you."

The scarlet-haired mage took Ultimate Energon's hand. "Where exactly are we going to eat?"

Ultimate Energon grinned. "You'll see."

With that, the duo was enveloped in blue-coloured light and vanished in a flash once more.

~*~*~

Barely a second after teleporting from Onibus, Erza opened her eyes as the rainbow light disappeared and studied their new location. She and Braedey appeared to be on a large grassy ledge that hung off the side of a mountain. The stars were shining bright and the moon was in its waxing gibbous phase, shining its light upon the land. At the cliff edge in front of them was a thin patch of grass and a small tree.

Before Erza could ask about where they were, Ultimate Energon disappeared in another flash... leaving the redheaded mage alone. "Huh? Braedey?!" she said, slightly alarmed.

'Where'd he go? No...' Erza's eyes widened as a fearful thought crossed her mind. '...did... did I just get stood up? NO! He wouldn't do that! He-'

Erza's panicked thoughts were interrupted when Ultimate Energon reappeared in another blue-colouredp flash. This time, however, he was holding a large picnic basket in his left hand. In two flashes of blue, Braedey transformed back to human.

"Sorry about that. I-" Braedey couldn't finish as Erza pinched him in the arm. "OW! What was that for?"

"You jerk! I was worried you had left me here!" she exclaimed.

"What? No, no, no!" Braedey shook his head and free hand in a placating gesture. "I just went back to my place to grab our food. I didn't wanna leave it out here because animals might get into it... and it would spoil anyways."

Erza hummed and contemplated Braedey's explanation for a moment before giving him a nod of understanding. "Fine. Just don't do that again." She pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.

"C'mon," Braedey smiled as he set the basket down and pulled Erza into a hug; her cheeks growing pinker as a result. "You know I'd never do that to you. Besides, even if I did, there's nowhere I could hide from your wrath."

Erza chuckled lightly and felt her tension fade away. As he released her from the embrace, she playfully punched him in the left arm. "You've got that right... and don't you forget it, hero."

The scarlet-haired mage's gaze shifted to the picnic basket on the ground. That's when a stunning realization came to her. "Wait... a-are we... having a p-picnic...?" she stammered.

Braedey cocked a brow, confused as to why she was stuttering. "Yeah. I figured it'd be nice if we could eat underneath the stars. Is that okay? If not, we can go somewhere else." He offered.

"No, no! It's not that. It's just that... I..." Erza continuing eying the basket with wide eyes. "I've never been... on a picnic before..."

"Seriously?" Braedey said, a little surprised. "Like... in never?"

Erza shook her head.

Braedey blinked a couple times. He certainly wasn't expecting that. He would've thought that Fairy Tail would at least have some kind of outdoor get-together in the years since Erza joined as a child.

He shook his head and smiled. "Well, if this is really your first picnic... then we'll definitely have to make it count."

Erza smiled brightly and nodded eagerly. Braedey picked up the basket with his left hand and took Erza's hand in his right and led her to the tree growing near the ledge. As they approached the cliff's edge, Erza could see small, faint lights shining in the distance. It took her a short moment before she realized what the source of the lights was.

"That's... Magnolia." Erza noted.

Braedey nodded. "Yep. We're on one of the mountains outside of town."

They came to a stop under the tree in a spot where they'd have a full view of the landscape in front of them. The couple sat on their knees while Braedey reached into the basket to pull out a traditional red-and-white checkered picnic blanket. Erza positioned herself across from him and helped him spread the checkered sheet flat on the ground.

"I must say," the re-quipping wizard took another moment to admire the serene scenery around them, "this spot is beautiful. How'd you find this place?"

"You remember the day when we came back from Galuna Island... and Makarov told me that I couldn't return home?" Braedey asked.

Erza nodded soberly.

Braedey sighed. "Well... after he broke the bad news to me, I needed some time to myself, so I changed into Blurr, ran out of town, and... I eventually came to a stop somewhere in these mountains. I spent some time thinking out here until finally making the decision to join Fairy Tail."

"A couple weeks back, I was feeling a bit homesick and came back here to clear my head, and stumbled across this spot. I thought it was nice and decided I'd come up here whenever I needed to relax." Braedey looked at Erza, smiling. "Now, I want to share it with you."

Erza smiled and gently took Braedey's left hand in her own. "Thank you. I'm honoured that you would share this place with me."

"Well, you did save me from an evil killer mind spell. It's the least I could do." Braedey joked.

Before the re-quipping mage could respond, she felt her stomach growl which made her blush in embarrassment.

The Transformatrix bearer chuckled. "Someone's hungry. Let's fix that."

Braedey reached into the basket and pulled out a plate of small sandwiches that he'd made himself, a thermos full of strawberry slushie, and a strawberry cheesecake he had picked up from her favourite bakery. Naturally, Erza squealed in girlish delight upon seeing her two favorite things - strawberry dessert and slushies - being placed before her.

As the brunette picked up a triangular slice of ham-and-cheese sandwich, Erza went straight to cutting out a piece of strawberry cheesecake and sipping a strawberry slushie. Braedey could only chuckle and shake his head at his girlfriend's response.

'I swear... Erza and her strawberries...' he thought.

A few minutes passed by as the couple sat on the blanket and ate their food. Erza was having a mouth orgasm over her cheesecake while Braedey munched on his sandwich. It was then that something popped up in Braedey's head over something Erza had mentioned earlier.

"Hey, Erza..."

The redhead placed a piece of cheesecake into her mouth before looking back up at Braedey, the fork still in her mouth. "Mhmm..." she hummed.

"You said that you've never been on a picnic before. I was just wondering... how? I mean, ever since you were a kid, the guild never had any outdoor activities or get-togethers in the park or something?" he questioned.

Erza swallowed her delectable dessert before replying, "No. Fairy Tail does put on festivities for Magnolia Town every year. In fact, Fairy Tail will be hosting the Harvest Festival in a couple of days. After that, we have the Twenty-Four-Hour Endurance Road Race and the Rainbow Cherry Blossom Festival taking place within the next few weeks. Naturally, food is served at these events... it's just... I've never been on an actual picnic before."

"Oh, I see." Braedey nodded. Then, another question entered his mind. "Wait... The Harvest Festival? What is that? I don't remember anyone mentioning it."

Erza looked at her boyfriend with a confused expression until she slapped her forehead, feeling like an idiot. "Oh, that's right! With that whole Dark Entrapment fiasco, we forgot to tell you about it." The Fairy Queen cleared her throat. "Well, I guess I'll start at why we celebrate it. It's... essentially a tribute to the olden days. Where, after a successful harvest, everyone would celebrate that they had enough food to make it through the Winter. These days, however, it's a holiday centered around the town's history, as well as a chance for Fairy Tail wizards to put on a show for everyone to enjoy. People from all over Fiore are welcome as well."

"Oh, I get it." Braedey nodded in understanding. "I think a lot of small communities on my world throw celebrations like that too. Although, I lived in the big city so we didn't really have events like that. Around this time of the year, on October 31st, we would celebrate something called Halloween."

"Hollow-what?" Erza parroted, befuddled.

"Halloween. It's an old holiday. I don't know about all the details of its origins, but basically kids dress up in costumes, we celebrate everything that's scary so we don't let fear control us, and kids travel to houses and are given free treats. A time for kids to go out and be kids." Braedey answered.

"And parents let their kids have these dubiously handed-out treats?" Erza cocked a brow in suspicion.

"Well, parents usually check the candy. But normally the kids only travel to homes in their neighbourhood where houses are lit up and decorated, or go to people that they know." Braedey said.

"I see," Erza held her chin in a thoughtful manner, "it does sound like an intriguing holiday... and I certainly can't argue with getting free sweets."

'A world with no slushies, and now Halloween?! There's still a lot of work to be done here.' Braedey thought determinedly.

As the couple ate, Braedey and Erza continued explaining the details of the Harvest Festival and Halloween respectively. The former learned that at the end of the festival, Fairy Tail hosted what was dubbed the "Fantasia Parade" where wizards in the guild rode on floats to perform different styles of magic to entertain the townsfolk.

The teen hero admitted that it sounded pretty cool. He was a little shocked though when Erza, who pushed her index fingers together in a cute manner, had asked if he was interested in performing on a float with her. The blue-eyed teen quickly shook off his surprise and eagerly agreed; much to Erza's excitement. With her and Braedey working together, there was virtually no limit to what they could do for their performance.

Braedey, meanwhile, was enlightening Erza on how to celebrate Halloween: jack-o'-lanterns, scary costumes and decorations, candy, et cetera. The red-haired wizard had to admit, it sounded like a fascinating holiday. She wondered if there was any chance the guild could possibly celebrate it in the near future...

Later, after Braedey and Erza had finished eating their sandwiches and cheesecake, the former switched topics and told the latter of one of his earlier adventures: the Fountain of Youth.

"So, there I was throwing a complete temper tantrum," Braedey said, "I swear I was putting out heat even hotter than Natsu possibly could as Hotrod. Jessie keeps taunting me and working me up into a real bonfire of anger. Mystic screams out in dismay – like all villains do – and the whole fountain is completely evaporated."

Erza listened to Braedey's story with baited breath; it was certainly one of Braedey's more intense and interesting tales. An underground lake of water that could de-age people and keep them young? It was truly fascinating. More than anything, though, Erza gushed on the inside at the image of Braedey as a toddler... and even more so at the image of his transformations being young as well.

"And how long did it take for you to age back to normal?" the scarlet maiden asked.

"I think it was about three hours." Braedey answered. "But I never heard the end of it from Jessie and honestly... Grandpa Jackson turned out the best. Even though he wasn't younger physically anymore, he sure felt a lot younger than he was before getting dunked in the water."

"So, he looks like an old man but feels none of the limitations and was still spry?" inquired Erza.

"Yep." Braedey smiled. "I, for one, think it's one of the reasons he's gonna be around for a while."

Erza smiled and chuckled. "Well, the idea of you throwing a tantrum as a child, and Hotrod for that matter, reminds me so much of Natsu. Had I been there," she gave him an evil grin, "I'd have spanked you so hard for such behaviour."

Braedey laughed nervously at that idea.

After sitting upright on the blanket for an hour, the couple decided to get more comfortable. Braedey leaned up against the tree behind them while Erza sat in his lap, looking out at the starry sky and the lights of Magnolia in a distance. The couple remained silent for a few moments, simply enjoying each other's presence and the lovely view.

Braedey and Erza eventually got lost in conversation with each other once more. The re-quipping wizard regaled the teen hero with the Lullaby incident – which had taken place a mere week before his arrival in their world. Braedey couldn't hold back a laugh when Erza told him they had defeated the demon flute Lullaby by punching holes into its wooden body in order to prevent it from playing its Melody of Death.

The newly formed team consisting of Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy and Happy had successfully defeated the Dark Guild Eisenwald and saved the guild masters. However, Erza sheepishly admitted that in the process, they had completely destroyed Clover's Conference Hall building – reducing it to nothing more than a deep crater.

"Wow..." Braedey chuckled, "you guys really went overboard, huh?"

Erza looked away in embarrassment. "Yes... though it wasn't like we intentionally set out to destroy the conference hall."

"I can relate." The brunette replied. "I can't tell you how many things got destroyed when I was fighting some alien criminal or monster. When I got older I tried to limit the collateral damage as much as possible... but it still happened from time-to-time."

"Yes... although collateral damage appears to happen more often with Fairy Tail than the other guilds, unfortunately..." Erza sighed in exasperation.

'I noticed... And after Peony, I'm just as guilty as you guys...' Braedey internally mused.

"I think I remember Natsu mentioning that you were arrested by the Council after that incident. Is that right?" he asked.

Erza growled lightly as she recalled that experience. "The Council needed a scapegoat for all the damage that the fight with Eisenwald and Lullaby had caused, so they arrested me to set an example for other wizards. You could say it's one method they use to ensure order in the magical world. I would've been let off with a mere slap on the wrist had Natsu not burst into the courtroom dressed as me."

Braedey blinked in surprise. "What? Dressed like you?"

"That's exactly what I was thinking." Erza said. "He was trying to pass himself off as me so I wouldn't be convicted, but he wound up getting us both thrown in jail for the night."

"Geez... that sucks. Reminds me of when the Air Force threw me in a cell for a couple hours after Jessie, Rex, and I entered government airspace without clearance." Braedey mentioned. He shook his head. "But at least his heart was in the right place though."

Erza nodded and smiled. "Don't get me wrong. I appreciate what he did... but –"

"It didn't save him from getting punished... am I right?" Ben smirked.

The redheaded wizard grinned. "Obviously."

A moment of comfortable silence went by as the couple looked out at the moonlit landscape. Braedey laid his right hand atop Erza's right and gently squeezed it, bringing a warm smile to the scarlet mage's face. She couldn't be happier right now.

"Thank you," Erza breathed.

"For...?" Braedey queried.

"For tonight, of course." Erza laughed lightly. "This has been the best night of my life. I got to have my first date, experience my first performance in a play, and go on my first picnic... all with my first boyfriend."

"You're welcome." Braedey smiled. "This has been the happiest I've ever felt in years."

"About that, Braedey," Erza glanced back with a slightly nervous expression, "this may sound selfish of me but... the love you felt for Jane... is there... any way you could ever feel that way for me?"

Braedey closed his eyes and looked away with a serious countenance. Erza inwardly panicked. Had she upset him? She cursed herself. How could she ask such a stupid question like that?! Of course he wouldn't –

"Erza... deep down... there will always be a place in my heart for Jane that no one else can fill. No matter how much time passes." Braedey admitted honestly.

Erza nodded, a solemn look on her face. She felt saddened that even though Braedey loved her, he may never love her the same way he did with Jane. Before Erza could stew in her thoughts, he continued.

"But... that doesn't mean there isn't room in my heart to love someone just as equally important." Braedey squeezed Erza's hand once more. She looked back and was surprised to see the brunet looking at her with a warm smile. "I said this once and I'll say it again... Erza Scarlet... I love you with all of my heart, and I want to be with you. Question is... do you want to be with me?"

Erza stared at Braedey in shock for a short moment until tears welled up in the corners of her eyes, a bright smile crossing her face. "Idiot..." she turned around and wrapped her arms around his neck, kissing him passionately.

Braedey was a little surprised at first, but quickly melted into the kiss and rested his hands on her hips. The same warm and peaceful sensation he felt when she kissed him overtook him once more. There was no denying it now. He was in love with the Fairy Queen, Erza Scarlet, and she was his girl now.

The passionate kiss between the shape-shifting hero and re-quipping wizard continued. At that moment, nothing else in the world mattered to them.

Meanwhile, on a cliffside ledge in the distance, stood a man who appeared to be in his mid-forties. He wore tan shoes, black pants, and a white lab coat while his eyes were a light blue and his jet black hair was cut short. Overall, his appearance practically screamed 'scientist'.

He stood on the edge, watching Braedey and Erza. A smile crossed his face when the latter pulled the former into a kiss. The man chuckled lightly and turned away as he pulled out a gold/copper pocket-watch from his lab coat. In a flash of white light, the man disappeared.

~*~*~

Nearly an hour later, the couple admitted they were getting a little sleepy. They checked the time and were startled to see it was past midnight; it seemed that they had both lost track of time. Reluctantly, they decided to call it a night and head home. However, instead of changing back into Ultimate Energon to teleport them back like Erza expected, Braedey transformed into Predaking to fly her home in his dragon form.

She had no complaints, though. Flying into the starry sky with the clouds and moon above her was spectacular... a dream come true. In that moment, Erza remembered a moment she'd shared with old Rob in the tower as a child. She was pretending to fly around on a broomstick and promised to take Rob on a flight someday. The memory brought a few tears to her eyes, but the air rushing past her immediately dried the liquid up.

Ten minutes later, after flying at a casual speed, the Cybertronian dragon landed outside the entrance to Fairy Hills and allowed Erza to slide off his back. After shifting into robot mode, in a flash of blue, Braedey changed back to human form and took Erza's hand, walking her to the door and making the redhead blush from his chivalry.

When Braedey and Erza reached the door, the latter turned his back to the door to face the former. "Thank you, Braedey. I had a wonderful time tonight." She said sincerely.

"Me too," He smiled, and then began to rub the back of his head sheepishly. "So... I guess we'll tell everyone tomorrow then, huh?"

Erza blushed lightly and nodded. "Mhmm... yes... they deserve to know."

"Ha!" Braedey laughed, "I can't imagine what everyone's reaction will be."

Mira, Cana, Lucy, and Juvia were already aware that Braedey and Erza were now a couple. The swordswoman just hoped that those four could be good actresses tomorrow and act surprised when they broke the news.

Erza grinned. "It will certainly be interesting... that's for sure. But, in time, I'm sure they'll adjust to our relationship."

The brunette and redhead shared a warm smile, but both were feeling a little nervous about how everyone in the guild would respond to their relationship. Nevertheless, they were confident that their guildmates would accept it.

"Hey, before we tell everyone, did you wanna meet up for breakfast at the guild hall tomorrow morning?" Braedey asked hopefully. "We can share ideas on what we can do for the parade."

Erza smiled brightly and nodded. "Yes. That sounds perfect! Ooh, after giving that marvelous show tonight, I have so many ideas popping into my head!" she exclaimed happily.

'Hopefully none of those ideas involve fighting and destroying buildings...' Braedey thought sheepishly.

"Alright," Braedey chuckled lightly, "sounds like a plan."

Erza stepped up and wrapped her arms around his neck, pulling him into a heartwarming kiss. Braedey didn't complain and wrapped his arms around her lower back, pulling her body towards him. The wizard and superhero continued their kiss, lost in the moment. After a few moments, the two reluctantly separated for much needed oxygen.

Begrudgingly letting go, Erza stepped back to the door. "Goodnight, Braedey." She smiled, a healthy blush on her face.

"Goodnight, Erza." Braedey turned around and activated the Transformatrix . In the wake of blue light stood Bumblebee, who waved goodbye to Erza before heading off into a sprint, then shifting into vehicle mode, and drove away into the night.

The Fairy Queen smiled as she opened the door and stepped into the dormitory. She closed the door and leaned her back up against it, placing her hand over her beating heart.

'So... this is love.' Erza mused, a warm smile plastered over her features. The armour she had worn to guard her heart for so long had been shattered, and her heart claimed by a man from another world. She chuckled, admitting that it sounded like a cheesy plot for a romance story. Regardless, the re-quipping wizard's heart was complete and she couldn't be any happier.

~*~*~

It was mid-morning in Magnolia and the townsfolk were either getting ready for work or had already gotten up earlier. Currently, Fairy Tail's newest member, Gajeel Redfox, was in Southgate Park with Levy, Jet, and Droy. For some reason, Team Shadow Gear had requested for the Iron Dragon Slayer to meet up with them underneath the tree in the middle of the park.

Gajeel neither knew nor cared what they wanted. But he figured after what he did to Team Shadow Gear during the whole Phantom Lord mess, he should at least hear them out. Nevertheless, he just wanted to get this over with and get back to work.

"So, what's the deal? Why'd you ask me to meet you out here?" he asked irritably. "Make it fast. I gotta get to work!"

Jet and Droy stood a few metres in front of Gajeel, glaring daggers at the Dragon Slayer. Levy, meanwhile, was timidly hiding behind the tree.

"We have a bone to pick with you!" Jet shouted.

"After what you did to us, there's no way you're joining our guild!" Droy angrily added.

"C'mon guys," Gajeel knew that they were referring to when he had beaten them and hung them on the tree right in front of them. He placed his right hand on his hip and teased, "can't you just forgive and forget?"

Jet and Droy's glare only intensified from Gajeel's comment.

"Maybe he's right." Levy hesitantly spoke up. "I mean... now that he's in the guild he's not going to do it again..."

The male members of Team Shadow Gear were not convinced, however.

"We gotta let him know," said Jet.

"-that he can't mess with us." Droy finished.

Gajeel simply smiled in response.

"That's right! Go ahead and act tough... while you still can!" Jet bent his knees back before blasting forward with a rush of speed. Within the blink of an eye, he delivered a strong kick into Gajeel's chin before flipping back and landing back on his feet.

As Gajeel careened back, Droy threw out several seed pods onto the ground. "Secret Seeds: Knuckle Plant!" Little yellow magical circles shone underneath the pods before long green tendrils with fists at the end sprouted out of the pods and punched Gajeel all over his body.

Jet didn't let up as he appeared right in front of the black-haired wizard in a burst of speed. "Falcon Heaven Sword!" he shouted while sending a kick into Gajeel's stomach. The blow was strong enough to send the Iron Dragon Slayer skidding backwards, leaving a couple foot-long trenches in the dirt.

Levy looked on at the fight with baited breath. She was shocked to see that Gajeel wasn't fighting back at all. The long, spiky-haired man was on his knees and looked up at Jet and Droy, clenching his teeth.

"You had enough yet?" Jet demanded.

"What happened to the tough guy act?" Droy mocked.

"You're not giving the new guy a hard time... are yah?" an intimidating voice spoke out.

Jet and Droy turned around and were surprised to see Laxus standing behind them. He was wearing black boots, black pants, a purple button-up shirt with the collar flipped up, and a long black jacket with gray fur trim. He had his arms crossed over his chest and a frown plastered on his face.

"Laxus?" Jet said, startled by his appearance.

Gajeel remained silent as he locked eyes with spiky, blonde-haired man – who looked back at him with a frown and narrowed eyes. Needless to say, the Iron Dragon Slayer was feeling a bit nervous in the presence of Laxus. Though Laxus currently looked calm, he could feel the anger boiling off the blond-haired wizard.

"But seeing as this is the punk who tore down our guild hall, I can understand how yah feel." Laxus took a few steps toward the Iron Dragon Slayer, "I bet the only reason the old man let you join the guild was because he was scared of you wrecking the place again."

Laxus's facial expression contorted into rage as veins popped out on his forehead and the side of his face. "We've become the laughingstock of the magic community... because of YOU!" He exclaimed.

Team Shadow Gear remained silent as they watched the exchange.

"On my way back from my last job, I stopped off at a few pubs and I heard some things that really pissed me off! Everybody was talking about how weak the Fairy Tail guild is now. No one dared to say that about us until you came along!"

Yellow bolts of lightning started to flash around Laxus's head until, all of a sudden, a large lightning bolt shot down from the sky and struck Gajeel dead on. Gajeel let out a loud scream of agony from the high-voltage attack.

"Now," Laxus reared back his right fist, "YOU'RE GONNA PAY!" he punched the ground and a pinwheel-shaped bolt of lightning tore across the earth and struck Gajeel. The wheel of lightning cut through the ground and curved to the left before it rammed into a tree, reducing it to a pile of charred splinters.

When the dust settled, Gajeel was lying at the end of the trench that Laxus's attack had dug into the earth.

"You're taking this too far!" Jet shouted in panic. "Calm down, man!"

"I know Laxus is strong and all, but something's not right." Droy pointed out. "It seems like Gajeel's going down too easily."

Jet gasped lightly as the realization dawned on him. "I didn't realize it till now... he's not fighting back."

Levy stood by with her hands covering her mouth in horror and pity. "He's letting them take their anger out on him... I think he's trying to gain our acceptance..." She said to herself.

Meanwhile, on the pathway that stretched along the outskirts of the park, Braedey was walking towards the guild hall with a smile on his face. Naturally, he was looking forward to meeting up with Erza for breakfast and to talk about the parade. At the moment, he was brainstorming some ideas for what he and Erza's performance could be until he heard yelling from a familiar voice.

He turned his attention to his right, and down the hill he saw Laxus approaching Gajeel, the latter of whom was currently on his stomach, lying in a trench with scrapes and cuts all over his body. Braedey could see anger displayed all over the blonde blowhard's face. He cocked a brow in suspicion. What in the name of the AllSpark was going on down there?

The teen hero was caught off guard when Laxus picked up his foot and repeatedly slammed his boot into Gajeel's head, shocking the black-haired wizard with each stomp.

"You never should've messed with Fairy Tail, punk!" Laxus yelled. "Because now you're going to have to deal with ME!"

Braedey's eyes went wide, not with surprise, but with concern. He had come to expect this kind of behaviour from Laxus, but even so, the S-Class wizard was way out of line this time. Braedey placed his hand on the railing that ran along the outskirts of the park and jumped over it. As he ran down the hill, he tapped the Transformatrix's faceplate.

"Give it a rest, Laxus! Leave him alone!" shouted Jet.

Laxus turned back to the speed wizard and retorted furiously, "I'M NOT TAKIN' ORDERS FROM YOU!" He thrust out his right hand and fired a bolt of lightning at the trio; however, the bolt zoomed past Jet and headed straight for Levy instead. The blue-haired wizard gasped and covered her eyes.

Braedey's eyes widened in panic, worried that he wouldn't get there in time. Before the hero could select an icon, a black blur rushed across the park and appeared in front of Levy. The cackle of thunder echoed across the park. Braedey and Team Shadow Gear's eyes widened in shock.

Gajeel stood in front of Levy with his left arm morphed into an iron club. A section of his iron appendage was glowing yellow from where Laxus's lightning had struck it.

"G-Gajeel..." Levy said, shocked.

Braedey paused and stared at the black-haired wizard in disbelief. Gajeel had jumped in front of Levy to block the lightning? After what the Dragon Slayer had done to her during the Phantom Lord incident, he certainly wasn't expecting that.

Laxus looked at the scene in disinterest.

Gajeel lowered his club as it reformed into his normal arm. His body mildly trembled as a result of Laxus's lightning. "You through with me now...?" he muttered shakily, "cause I got other things to do..."

With that, Gajeel proceeded to walk away while holding his injured left arm close to his abdomen.

Levy turned to him and called out, "Um... Gajeel, I –"

"Leave me alone," he weakly cut her off.

Braedey watched Gajeel walk away in pain. 'Gajeel... you took a hit for Levy, even though you didn't have to...' At the moment, Braedey couldn't help but be reminded of Rex from when he and Jessie first teamed up with him three years ago.

The brunette hero then turned his attention to Laxus, who was walking away in the opposite direction, anger plastered on his face.

He narrowed his eyes in contempt. 'I don't know what happened here... but something tells me it's not over yet...' he mused. 'This is all but the calm before the storm...'

'I can't take much more of this.' Laxus inwardly seethed. 'Fairy Tail has become totally pathetic! It's nothing but a joke now.' the lightning wizard clenched his fists tightly; his ire increasing even further. 'The stupid old geezer is running it into the ground. When I take over the guild, things are gonna change...'

~*~*~

A/N: Hey, everybody! Glad I finally got this chapter done. I put a lot of thought and work into this chapter. After all, a lot of you readers had been eagerly waiting for it. Wanted to make sure it was as good as I could possibly make it.

Alright, we've arrived to the Fighting Festival arc! This has been an arc I've thought about a lot. I'm hoping I won't disappoint.

Next Chapter - Fighting Festival: Part 1

Anyways, please leave any comments or critique in the review box. Thank you all for the love and support! Until next time...