Acnologia walked in and smiled.
"Line up you brats," Acnologia ordered. The dragon slayers grinned and obeyed expecting a line of reprimand followed by a hug or two. Acnologia walked up to an unlucky Natsu who was the first in line.
"Natsu," Acnologia smiled. Natsu grinned.
"Hey Uncle," Natsu smiled... he was then sent flying by a punch to the face. He landed behind the bar and lay there stunned.
"You *input word*, I know you were one of the ringleaders behind this!" Acnologia growled. He looked to Rogue and gave him a right hook in the jaw sending him into the ground. "And YOU what the *input word* was that? You hi-jacked your own minor guild so you could go continue with this petty fight! YOU KNOCKED OUT DOBENGAL ON THE BIG SCREEN YOU *INPUT WORD!" Acnologia then walked up to Wendy who smiled lightly and looked down. Acnologia sighed and softly slapped her in the back of the head. She grinned and rubbed her head slowly. "I know that you were doing what you thought was right... I know you all were doing that, but Wendy had the purest intentions out of all of you... would you all disagree?" Acnologia growled looking around.
"Uh-uh," Sting shook his head viciously.
"Nope," Erik agreed.
"She's pure!" Natsu laughed from behind the bar.
Acnologia walked up to Sting who stood next to Wendy. He looked pitiful with all his bandages. Acnologia slapped him very hard on the back of the head.
"AND YOU SIR-" Acnologia growled, "Let's get something straight if you weren't broken inside and out I would send you flying to Edolas with no regrets, do you understand me?" Acnologia growled.
"Yeah," Sting laughed nervously.
"Infiltrating Sabertooth, betraying Sabertooth, almost getting killed, who the hell do you think you are," Acnologia growled walking past Sting. He walked up to Gajeel who was trying to look as injured as possible.
"And you," Acnologia growled. He knocked Gajeel's feet out from under him with a kick and made Gajeel fall on his back knocking the wind out of him, "You are about a guilty as Natsu and that is saying something."
"Yes Uncle," Gajeel breathed from the ground. Acnologia walked up to Erik next. He didn't say anything but punched him in the gut making the dragon slayer stumble back.
"Try it again, I dare you to do it again," Acnologia growled.
"I won't" Erik breathed holding his stomach.
Finally, Acnologia faced Laxus. He held out his hand Laxus took it... and was then thrown over Acnologia's shoulder and into the floor.
"You set up a RUNE BARRIER! DID YOU WANT TO DIE! CAUSE YOU ARE GOING TO DIE NOW! I COULD MURDER YOU RIGHT HERE, RIGHT NOW!"
"Sorry," Laxus chuckled.
"Oh, you're all going to be sorry," Acnologia laughed darkly. He somehow managed to grab hold of all the dragon slayers, he dragged them to the door, kicked the door open and dragged them out.
"SERENA!" Acnologia roared.
"The Fabulous God Serena has come with punishment!" Serena laughed hoisting the large cardboard box over his head.
"No!" Gajeel cried. Everyone in the guild began to laugh.
"No, no, no, Uncle we're sorry!" Natsu cried.
"Please don't make us," Sting pleaded.
"Is this really necessary!?" Erik asked.
"Would you rather me pick you all up in my claws fly thousands of feet into the air and then drop you? because I contemplated doing that," Acnologia growled.
"No sir," all the dragon slayers peeped. And so they were all stuffed in the box looking rather undignified.
Acnologia grabbed the rope and began dragging the cardboard box down the street ranting the whole way as the dragon slayers sent death glares to their guildmates who were taking lacrima photos.
"You want us to accompany you?" Pantherlily asked.
"No pets during punishment, they get no happiness," Acnologia growled.
"I must object to being called a pet," Charle announced in her human form.
"No," Acnologia ordered.
"Okay," Lector shrugged.
"First you're going to the council and apologizing for all this trouble... that means Serena too!" Acnologia snapped dragging the box away faster.
"Sorry Cousin Serena," the dragon slayers recited looking to the wizard saint who was taking lacrima photos of them and following the box.
"OH NO!" Acnologia growled, "I mean hands and knees, groveling. Do you hear me? groveling. You'll apologize to him in front of the entire council... Serena how many councilmen stay at the base in the capital?"
"'Bout a thousand," Serena estimated.
"You'll do it in front of them all, do you seven understand?" Acnologia growled.
"Yes," they all sighed.
"I'M NOT DONE!" Acnologia yelled, "Then we're going to the king and princess, you'll get on your hands and knees and apologize to them too for disrupting the games, and then you'll go to the leaders of the Grand Magic Games, whoever they are, and apologize to them! After that, we'll go to every guild involved with this fiasco and you'll apologize to them. SAME WAY! HANDS! KNEES! PLEADING FOR FORGIVENESS!" Acnologia seemed to be seething, but the dragon slayers all had smiles on.
"WIPE THOSE DAMN GRINS OFF YOUR FACES BEFORE I MAKE YOU ALL STAR IN SERENA'S MUSICAL!" Acnologia snapped.
The grins were gone.
"Could they?" Serena asked eagerly.
"No... but they're grounded for six months... I'll send them to your place for a month so do what you will," Acnologia growled.
"WHAT!" Sting cried.
"That ain't fair!" Gajeel growled.
"We're grown men!" Erik objected.
Wendy sighed knowing there was no way she would get out of it.
"Come on, don't you think you're being kind of hard on us?" Natsu asked.
Acnologia stopped tugging the box and looked back. His eyes were small and he eyed the dragon slayers dangerously.
"Maybe I should just go throw you seven off a cliff," he growled.
"NO THANKS!" all seven cried.
"Then shut your jaws and think about why you're in this predicament instead of who is punishing you. You kids gave me so many heart attacks that I thought I was going to die. I couldn't breathe I was screaming at you seven idiots so much. Serena basically had a panic attack when he found out. Do you kids know what you do to me?" Acnologia ranted continuing to pull the box towards the magic council base.
The day was full of apologies, rants, growls, and slaps. Finally, the dragon slayers got to the guilds.
Their apology at Blue Pegasus was met with sparkles and rhinestones... with suits that the dragon slayers tried to run from. Eventually, they escaped and made their way to Lamia Scale. The apology there was met with cheers and toasts. Sherria tackles Wendy and apologized for not being able to help her. The Dragon Slayers were treated like heroes until Master Ooba spun the seven of them making Serena laugh for twenty minutes. Next came Quatro Cerberus. Warcry thanked Sting over and over again for stopping Treena and it seemed that the rest of the guild felt the same. After the jeering of the slayer's apologies, the slayers were welcomed there too as heroes... somehow in the thirty minutes they were there Serena managed to get drunk with Bacchus.
Now Acnologia dragged the cardboard box full of dragon slayers down the street with a drunk Serena prancing behind them.
"Hey, guys... when I say coffee-flavored water... what do you think?" Serena asked.
"Mental Health," Laxus grumbled.
"Help," Erik muttered.
"Being drunk," Wendy claimed not amused at Serena's current state.
"Hear me out... coffee-flavored water is literally just coffee! Right?" Serena asked.
The dragon slayers rolled their eyes and looked at their uncle who was still dragging them in the box... then they realized he was right.
"Holy *input word* he's right," Gajeel gasped.
"I KNOW RIGHT!" Serena giggled, "A-and the purpose of a lock is to turn a door into a wall!" Serena laughed.
"Serena... stop it," Erik warned.
"Oh. My. G-" Natsu gaped.
"I'm telling you, alcohol makes me smart!" Serena laughed prancing around. He got to close to Acnologia who knocked him on the head, knocked him out, and threw him in the box.
"Crime Sorciere is next," he growled as the dragon slayers made space for Serena inside the cramped box.
Crime Sorciere's apology was full of giggles, snarls, and death threats.
"Sawyer, take another picture, I dare ya!" Erik yelled as he bowed.
"NO THREATENING!" Acnologia roared.
*click*
"SAWYER!" Erik roared.
"ERIK!" Acnologia roared.
Next up was Mermaid Heel. They all apologized and to their surprise, the woman cheered and patted them all on the back. A few of them congratulated on their victories. Kagura smiled as her guild thanked the dragon slayers. She looked over and realized Rogue was looking at her, she met his gaze and smiled but he quickly looked away. Kagura contemplated Synal's words.
'No wonder the Shadow Dragon Slayer holds a fondness for you.'
Perhaps the psychotic monster wasn't as crazy as Kagura had once thought.
Sabertooth was the most serious of all the apologies. The seven apologized as Serena slept off his alcohol in the cardboard box, and then Sting and Rogue came forward and made their own private apologies in front of the guild bowing before Minerva.
"You two," Minerva stated seriously, "Betrayed the trust of Sabertooth, used your honorary member status against us, and attacked your own comrades. Sabertooth does not approve of such actions and you should both know that we are all stunned and shocked by your actions... that being said..." Minerva smiled. She walked up and hit them both on the head, "RISK YOUR LIVES LIKE THAT AGAIN AND I'LL SIC RUFUS ON YOU!"
"Yes ma'am," the two cried.
From the corner Orga, a bandaged Rufus, Doranbolt, and Yukino giggled. Sting sent Yukino and glance and smiled softly to himself, everything was right in the world.
Finally, they got back home to Fairy Tail, apologized and smiled as Acnologia ranted to them one last time about how their groundation would start when they got home.
"You remember the first time Acnologia grounded em'?" Wakaba asked.
"Oh yeah, that was funny," Macao grinned.
"I wasn't there, what happened?" Happy asked.
"Yeah, I want to hear this too," Lucy grinned walking up. Levy behind her.
"Well I forget what they did but I think all seven of them brought down a building or something," Wakaba began.
"That sure sounds like them," Levy grinned sitting down.
"Well, Acnologia ran off to fix it declaring that they all were grounded. He came back and found out that Erik and Laxus had convinced the boys that being grounded meant that Wendy got to bury them until they learned their lessons," Macao laughed.
"What?!" everyone laughed.
"It was funny when Acnologia came back and saw that four of his dragon slayers were neck-deep in the dirt." Wakaba laughed.
"I see it too well," Lucy giggled.
"Yeah... unfortunately, I don't think this one will be as fun," Macao grinned looking back at the seven.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Pantherlily chuckled.