Fairy Tail Rewind (Completed)

Chapter 12 Part III -- Reborn of Deliora

From the corner of Lucy's eyes, Natsu was dealing with Toby and Vincent. The three of them had lapsed into a verbal argument, before the hot-tempered Natsu shooting a billow of orange flame at Vincent. The enemies escaped into the forest, and Natsu tailed behind them instantly.

Lucy watched Natsu's shadow thin. Sweat poured from her brows as she struggled to gain control over her pounding heart. Natsu's gone. As the bile of anxiety coated her throat, the chorus of excitement thumped in her ears. This is the very moment to prove myself.

"Why, Little Blondie, are you scared now, without your boyfriend besides you? Just surrender." 

Shelly combed her hair in a seductive way, which on the other hand, was revolting to Lucy.

With a determined mien, Lucy directed Sagittarius. "Like you wish! Mr. Mohawk, finish her off!"

"Such pity. A Light Mage is actually a bad match against me. My Magic Doll Attack allows me to manipulate anything that's not human, which unfortunately for you, also include Stellar Spirits." Shelly clucked her tongue four times. "Mr. Mohawk, it's her who you should attack!"

The horseman's body stiffened. Shelly then drew a circle in the air, and the horse-man turned around abruptly to glare at Lucy. The round, black eyes that used to swear loyalty were gone, replaced by thin slits of coldness. Mr. Mohawk rose his arm; three arrows on the loose. 

"My Fair Lady Lucy, I-- I can't control my body." His cordial tone now filled with fear. As he galloped towards his Master, he let go of his arrows. Lucy dodged aside and tripped over a stone. "I'm sorry, Lady Lucy. Even as I will it, my body won't listen to my own command."

"Wake up, Mr. Mohawk. Gather your senses!" Lucy roared at the horse-man who'd gone berserk. From behind a coconut tree, she took out her Key when another set of arrows swooshed past, nearly missing her ear. She coughed for air before chanting, "Close up, Gate of Sagittarius!"

The horse-man neighed frantically, trying to shake away Shelly's spell but to no avail.

Shelly laughed eerily. "So hilarious! Aren't the Stellar Spirit and the mage themselves need to open and close the gate together? How about showing your master some horse punches, Mr. Mohawk?" Shelly made a gesture like pulling the invisible strings of a marionette.

Mr. Mohawk stood on his strong hind legs. His front hooves shone and became triple of their original size. "Lady Lucy, I wanted to stop but--" Wincing, he brought them down onto Lucy. On the third strike, one of the hooves hit Lucy's left shoulder, and Lucy yelped in immense pain. 

"Please remember your Contract with me! You said that you would definitely protect me whenever and wherever. Didn't you?" Tears rolled down her eyes. Mr. Mohawk lowered his hooves. His eyes returned to normal -- then became pupil-less -- and he attacked her again.

Stupid Doll Manipulator! Lucy shut her eyes in fright and wrath. Her emotions engulfed her, and her head exploded into a surreal inferno she couldn't contain. In her mind's eyes, she saw herself climbing a staircase -- the staircase to Heaven. She'd lapsed into her subconscious state. 

There was a thin mist hanging across the pink and gold sky. A woman with long, blond hair was standing in front of a golden door. Her body was aglow with translucent light. Suddenly, she turned around and Lucy gasped in surprise and exhilaration. Mama... She called silently.

"Don't fret, my daughter. If you have faith in yourself, you can achieve greatness." She beamed at her, before turning the knob. The door opened, rippling a hole between the worlds. She entered through it when the high-pitched neighing of a horse assailed Lucy's ears. Her eyes flung open.

"Come to your senses, Mr. Mohawk! You can close the gate yourself! You're strong enough!" 

This time, Mr. Mohawk's eyes returned to normal and remained normal for a good three seconds. "My Fair Lady Lucy, I'm truly sorry for hurting you." Lucy shook her head, comforting him. The Golden Key in Lucy's grasp shone, and the horse-man retreated into it.

"Mr. Mohawk has leveled up." Though her shoulder ached, her heart squealed with delight. 

Shelly harrumphed. "No matter how many Stellar Spirits you call out, I'll manipulate them."

"How about you fight with me, Barbie Girl?" Lyra stood beside Lucy; a thrilled smile on her face.

"Lyra, you make it here on time!" Lucy managed to climb from her fall with Gray's help.

"Don't place your hope too high. This is my first fight. That just make things so exciting!" 

"In this case, I shan't be too worried!" Shelly made that uncanny sound with her tongue again.

Lyra smirked. She spread her arms horizontally and six cloned Lyras flanked each of her sides. 

A horror look took over Shelly's beautiful countenance. "How could you! This is impossible. I've never seen a Stellar Spirit so powerful before." She cursed as she accidentally bit her tongue. She wasn't powerful enough to manipulate thirteen Stellar Spirits at the same time.

Lyra clapped her hand jovially like a girl who had just received a Barbie Doll for her birthday present. "Now, do you want to listen to my singing?" The familiar golden harp appeared in her grip. She closed her eyes and began running her fingers robustly across the strings of the harp.

"I failed to send you to the moon, Lucy. This time, I'll make sure I succeed in sending her." Tidals of waves, real, materialized from the harp. Shelly paused screaming for two seconds to catch her breaths, then she shrieked again before she and the automaton rat were being sent skywards. 

"You are amazing! You've saved me twice in the same day." Lucy hugged the sea serpent.

Gray gave Lyra two thumb-ups before saying, "Let's go check out Natsu and Happy."

Not far away, they found Natsu. The short mage, Vincent, lied unconscious on the ground.

Natsu stared at the mage with the wolf mask. A sinister grin on his face. "You look interesting."

"I'm much stronger!" He waved his hands and long, green nails jutted out of his fingers. "There's a dark secret hidden within these claws. One touch from them, and you're done. You'll become immobile for five minutes before my venom maims your entire body. Now, taste my poison!"

"Wait a minute!" Natsu feigned an innocent look. "There's something sticking to your head!"

"Really?" Toby scratched his head and -- "You tricked me!" He collapsed with a loud thud.

"He's definitely the stupidest idiot I've ever seen." Natsu crouched down to straighten Bobo's tombstone, which had been kicked by Shelly when she first arrived. He patted the stone and said in an undertone, "We'll avenge your death. That's a promise. Then, you can rest in peace."

"Can't deny that Toby is stupider than you, Slanted-Eye." Gray limped towards him.

The duo was about to argue again when they heard a distant mountain-shaking roar.

Gray's face turned chalk-white. So did the rest. "Deliora has been resurrected! Let's go!"