"Wait...How crazy dangerous is this guy?" Lucy wondered before a familiar girl with dark blue hair ran into the manor and tripped on air. Before she could face plant on the ground, however, Dealana's hand shot out, on instinct, and conjured a low cloud that caught Wendy just in time.

Everyone followed the direction of Dealana's outstretched arm to see Wendy getting off the cloud, looking at it in confusion and recognition before her brown eyes met everyone else's. "Um...I'm sorry I'm late. I'm Wendy from Caitshelter. It's nice to meet everyone!"

Lucy was shook, "A kid?"

"A girl?" Lyon and Gray questioned.

Dealana shot them both a look before turning to Wendy with a lazy grin, " Hey, Wendy! I was hoping it was you."

The Storm Dragon Slayer approached Wendy, ignoring the confused comments thrown about by the other alliance members. Dealana was just happy to see her friend again.

"Dealana? I didn't realize you were going to be here too," Wendy told her with a relieved smile.

Jura, unfazed by Wendy's young appearance, continued on as if this were normal, "Now then, since all guilds are present, we can begin."

"He's not even fazed by this?" Gray exclaimed. Dealana shook her head, she was no older than Wendy, in fact, Dealana was actually younger than Wendy by two months. It was strange to think that growing up in the Fairy Tail Guild changed how they viewed the twelve-year-old Dealana. They knew she was tough and capable, but she supposed that didn't translate to Wendy's arrival, though Wendy was an unknown to them.

"Obviously not," Lyon replied. Sherry raised her concerns, "What in the world is Cait Shelter thinking? Sending a little girl on this kind of mission. They must really be hurting for members if they sent her here on her own."

Dealana was about to turn around and snap at Sherry, but a new voice interrupted. A voice belonging to someone Dealana had been eager to meet ever since Wendy talked about her. "She isn't alone. You shouldn't jump to conclusions, gotty trollope."

From behind Wendy emerged a petite, but formal white cat, much like Happy. Wendy had spoken of her friend, Carla when she spent the day with Dealana and the sky-blunette could only grin, she and Carla could be good friends if they both agreed on protecting Wendy.

"What is this?" Gray asked rhetorically, he was trying to process all the strange happenings in the past few minutes. "And how does Dealana know them?"

"A cat?" Lyon questioned.

"Woah, she's just like Happy," Natsu remarked with wide eyes. He had never seen anything else like Happy, maybe there were more than just the two out there somewhere.

"She can talk too?" Lucy wondered, slightly in awe of the other cat.

"What a stupid cat."Sherry grumbled, "I'm not gotty."

Lucy stared at the woman in confusion and surprise, "That's your beef!?"

"Oh, Carla, you followed me here?" Wendy asked.

"Of course I did. You are far too young to be traveling unaccompanied, child." Carla explained with a scolding tone.

"Pretty kitty," the Trimens remarked, each in a sparkling pose.

"Back off, creeps!" Dealana warned, holding up a blizzard covered fist before turning to Carla. She bent her knees slightly and held out her hand to the white cat saying, "It's nice to finally meet you, Carla. Wendy told me all about you when she was in Magnolia."

Carla paused, looking at the heterochromiac apprehensively before reaching out her paw to shake Dealana's hand. "That makes you Dealana." she nodded, "Wendy spoke highly of you, but this was not what I was expecting." Carla's eyes landed on Dealana's lack of shoes and the beginnings of the scar on her back. She would have to do her best to ignore it for the sake of the first friend, other than herself, that Wendy made, but then again she couldn't judge a book by its cover. At least, not yet.

"Sorry," Wendy spoke up to the rest of the group in a soft voice, "I'm probably not what you expected. I know I'm much smaller and younger than most of you, and I may not be much of a fighter, but I can use all kinds of support magic, so please...let me join the group! I'd be so embarrassed if you sent me home!" she exclaimed, causing Dealana to tilt her head with a small sigh.

Carla was quick to reprimand Wendy saying, "You'll never gain their respect if you can't show confidence, child."

"I'm sorry, Carla." Wendy apologized.

"I swear, you'll drive me to catnip." Carla responded, crossing her fuzzy little arms.

"I can't help it!" Wendy exclaimed before Dealana spoke up, "Don't worry about it, Wendy, we're happy to have you on board. If anyone doesn't agree," Dealana turned her dual-colored eyes to the rest of the group, her fist engulfed in an ice storm, "They can deal with me, after all, technically I'm the youngest here. They send you back, they send me back."

Both Wendy and Carla gave the Storm Dragon Slayer thankful looks as Erza stepped forward. She was taken aback by not only Wendy's rather unexpected appearance, but also the fact that she and Dealana knew each other.

"Forgive me, I was caught off-guard." Erza apologized to Wendy finally taking her foot off of Ichiya who was still on the floor. "Rest assured, no offense was meant. We're glad to have you aboard, Wendy."

Wendy's eyes went wide as she took in the armor and scarlet hair, "Oh wow! You're Erza, right? I can't believe it's really you!" she gasped.

"You're not quite the monster I pictured." Carla commented.

"Just wait, you haven't seen all of Erza yet," Dealana murmured just low enough that the redhead didn't hear.

Before Dealana could realize what was happening, Hibiki led Wendy to a table and love seat set up a little ways away. Wendy, being the innocent bean Dealana knew her to be, didn't realize what was happening and went along with it.

Ichiya stood by Jura commenting, "You've sensed it too? That girl's parfume is quite unique. She is no ordinary child."

Lamia Scale's looked down at the troll in agreement, "I sensed that about her right away. The magic she possesses is somehow different from our own, yet similar to the young Tempest." he looked over at Erza, "It seems Lady Erza has noticed her power as well."

"Impressive." Ichiya hummed before the sound of wood smashing caught their attention. Dealana brought a blizzard-enfused punch down upon the table, destroying it before snatching Wendy's wrist and leading her quickly away from the boys of Blue Pegasus. She needed to shut them down before they tainted Wendy's innocence.

"I told you three, we're here on business." Ichiya scolded the Trimens. "Now clean this place up!" he ordered. The three mages were quick to clean up the love seat and now broken table. A spotlight suddenly turned on underneath the troll and he began to address the entire group, "Okay, now that all the involved parties are present, I think it's about time to get the mission briefing underway."

"You gonna brief us through interpretive dance?" Lucy asked as he continued to strike and change poses while speaking.

Ignoring the busty blonde, Ichiya continued. "Our first order of business, is determining the location of the Oración Seis." he fell silent for a few moments before waddling away saying, "Right after I make a letter of the alphabet."

Dealana rolled her eyes and looked around the room at all the faces and came to an important revelation. Aside from the two cats, Dealana was the shortest member of the Allied Forces. She was only an inch shorter than Wendy, but it made her think. Was she always this short. She knew she was still young and had growing to do, but it concerned her a bit. She supposed she never really noticed because she floated on clouds at eye level with people at the guild. She would also float near eye level with Arashi too. Dealana wondered if another reason she chose to float on clouds all the time was because she had a hidden insecurity about her height.

Her revelations came to a close as Ichiya had returned, "Much better. Now, please pay close attention. To the north lies the Worthwood Sea where the ancients once sealed a powerful force. A magic called Nirvana!"

"Those poses are getting really old." Gray deadpanned.

"Nirvana?" Lucy and Natsu repeated while Lyon also commented saying, "I've never heard of it before."

"Do you know what it is?" Sherry asked Jura, but he simply said, "No, I do not."

"We don't know much about this magic other than it's name." Ren revealed, "And that it's destructive in nature."

"And that Oración Seis wants it badly." Eve added on.

Lucy grew nervous for the nth time saying, "Okay, bad feeling confirmed."

Wendy gulped as she listened, but Dealana gave her a nod of reassurance in hopes of setting her friend more at ease.

"We assume that's why they traveled to the Worthwood Sea." Hibiki explained, "They're desperate to get their hands on such a powerful magic."

"To prevent that from happening," Ichiya began to say as Dealana felt another sparkling pose coming on. The delegates of Blue Pegasus said in unison.

"I'm so over the posing." Lucy sweat dropped.

"I think they're starting to grow on me." Gray admitted unbelievably, while Dealana raised an eyebrow saying, "They reek of perfume and sparkles are coming out of nowhere around them. How is that even possible?"

"We may have the advantage in numbers, but remember," Ren stated.

"We can not underestimate them," Eve continued. Hibiki then took his turn speaking, "They're incredibly strong. We may well be in over our heads." Hibiki then snapped his fingers and a yellow hologram screen appeared. He typed quickly with one hand as Jura identified the magic he was using.

"That's Archive." he informed. Lyon added on saying, "I don't believe I've seen it in use before."

"And it does what exactly?" Sherry asked.

"More than you right now." Dealana muttered under her breath only to have Natsu stifle a bit of laughter, while Wendy had a small smile on her face. The heterochromatic paused at Wendy hearing her. Granted she stood next to Wendy, Dealana was also equally close to Erza, who surprisingly didn't hear her. She tried to recall if she and Wendy ever talked about their magic. Obviously, Wendy knew that Dealana could create clouds and float on them, but she had never told Wendy about being a Dragon Slayer or about Arashi.

Before she could come to any conclusions, six hologram pictures showed up in front of them as Hibiki replied to Sherry's snippy question. "Storing information. Such as these photographs of our enemy, don't ask how we got them." he explained before their attention was drawn to the man with tanned skin and maroon hair. Perhaps the most noticable and, in Dealana's opinion, the coolest part was the large purple snake he had around him.

"First up is the Snake Wizard, Cobra."

Natsu wasn't impressed as he commented, "Beady eyes and a mischievous smirk , he looks like trouble to me."

"Talk about the pot calling the kettle black," Gray and Lyon said in unison before the second picture depicted a slim man with a pointy nose and yellow mohawk that looked rather fluffy.

"Next is a wizard, who judging from his name likely uses speed magic. Meet Racer." Hibiki said.

"I don't know what it is, but I don't like the looks of this guy." Gray commented.

"I don't either." Lyon agreed. Dealana raised an eyebrow as she stared up at them saying, "Does it have to do with your ice magic affiliated with the word 'slow'?" Gray gave her a look before shaking his head, an amused smile on his face while Lyon stared at the girl with hair the color of the sky. Jura had mentioned her being called Tempest, but he hadn't been expecting a child.

"Then there's a wizard willing to wipe out an entire military unit if the price is right. Divine eyes, Hoteye." Hibiki introduced the next member, a large man with an outfit resembling that of a priest while appearance otherwise could only be described as 'squarely'. The next picture was of a woman with white hair and a revealing feathery outfit, "She's gorgeous, but just as vicious. This is Angel."

"She's the beautiful but deadly type, huh? Is this chick for real?" Lucy asked.

Dealana couldn't help but think, 'This Angel, chick has got nothing on Erza or MiraJane that's for sure.'

The next picture was of a guy sitting cross-legged on a magic carpet, his arms also being crossed. The dark haired guy appeared to be asleep too. "The next member is such a mystery, all we know is his name. Midnight."

"That's an odd name," Erza remarked, "Does it correlate to his power?" wondered.

The final picture was of a tan man with black markings on his face and the guild mark for Oración Seis on his exposed chest. He wore an open jacket with black puffy trim and carried a staff adorned at the top with a skull and feathers. "Finally, the commander of Oración Seis, Brain."

Dealana couldn't help it, she snorted. She received a scolding look from Erza, and quickly retained a serious expression, but she began to wonder; of all the names to pick, why pick 'Brain'. She understood Angel, Racer, Midnight, and Hoteeye. Cobra was also a sweet name to have, but Brain? She knew in a battle, she wouldn't underestimate his power, but something about the name was amusing considering the names of his guildmates being far superior.

"Alone they could wipe out entire guilds, and together they're unstoppable." Hibiki finished. The pictures disappeared as he said, "We have thirteen to their six, but that's our only advantage."

Lucy and Wendy were shaking. Lucy raised her hand saying, "Question, can I volunteer to stay behind and not die today?"

"I don't want to die either so may I please go home?" Wendy begged before Carla scolded her yet again, "You may not. We have a job to do, child."

Dealana nodded in agreement with the white cat, "Don't worry, Wendy, we'll be there too. It's not too scary when there's strength in numbers."

"Curve your fear, my friends," Ichiya declared, "There is more to our operation than mortal combat. With your help, perhaps we can find the enemy's stronghold!" he revealed.

"Stronghold?" Natsu repeated. Dealana tilted her head asking, "Like a homebase?"

"Exactly," Ren replied, "We've looked everywhere but have had no luck."

"Here's the deal," Eve said as a picture of the Worthwood Sea popped up in front of them, "they've got to have a temporary base somewhere in the Worthwood Sea."

"And once we've located it, our plan is to gather the Oración Seis inside," Ichiya explained. Dealana began to think, and out of habit, she rubbed the scar along her nose as she did. The Trimens said they've looked for the base already, but they also didn't have a Dragon Slayer on their side, let alone the two from Fairy Tail. Perhaps they could use this. She looked to Erza, who also appeared to be in thought about the plan.

"What's the next part of the plan?" she asked. In response, Ichiya pointed a finger in the air, referring to the Magic Bomber: Christina.

"Then, we'll give them a one-way ticket to oblivion! Courtesy of Christina, the majestic pride of the Blue Pegasus Guild."

Lyon's eyes widened as he took in a sharp breath. Sherry was also in shock as she said, "I've heard about the Magic Bomber, but I thought it was just a myth."

"Woah!" Lucy exclaimed, "Is that necessary? There's only six of them."

"That's the type of enemy we face," Jura said, scaring Lucy with his stern expression. "Remember, under no circumstance should you ever engage the enemy in solo combat. Our best bet is to separate them and devote two wizards to each with the exception of one group of three to fight." he explained.

Everyone nodded while Lucy and Wendy continued freaking out. Dealana shook out her hands and made sure she had both her gauntlets and lightning lacrima gloves equipped. She mentally went through a list of her non-lightning based spells.

Natsu, ever the protagonist, caught his flame-engulfed fist in his opposite hand saying, "Let's go! I'm all fired up!" Dealana watched as he proceeded to utterly destroy the front doors and sprint forward shouting, "It's time to hunt me some demons! Ready or not, here I come!"

Dealana blinked once, then twice before sighing. There was no changing Natsu. "Where do you think you're going?" Lucy called after him.

"Always acting without a thought in his head," Erza sighed.

"Somedays I wonder about his mental health," Lucy commented as she watched the dust clouds in the air behind where Natsu was running.

"What do you guys want to bet he didn't even hear the plan?" Gray asked.

"I'll bet five fish he didn't." Happy replied raising his paw.

"Enough gawking, let's move." Erza ordered.

"Guess we're playing catch-up with that dork," Gray uttered with a frown. Lucy cried, once again terrified, "Aww! Do we have to?" but Erza was already in pursuit of the Fire Dragon Slayer. Dealana waited behind, wanting to give Wendy some reassurance, and because she didn't really want to chase after Natsu.

"Their energy is as infectious as I remember," Lyon remarked with a small smile as took off after them, "Ready Sherry?" he asked.

"Yeah!" she replied, chasing after the other Ice-mage

"Wait! Stay together!" Jura called after them.

Dealana looked to the shaking Wendy and offered her hand, "Come on, I'll be right there with you. I won't let anything happen to you, alright?"

Wendy's big brown eyes were on the verge of tears as she looked at Dealana. To Wendy, Dealana was brave and confident, two things she wished she could be. Dealana was also more experienced and Wendy felt that couldn't begin to compare herself to Fairy Tail's Tempest even if Dealana would tell her that kind of thing didn't matter. What Wendy knew for sure was that Dealana wouldn't lie to her intentionally. So, putting her faith in Dealana, Wendy put her hand in Dealana's and together, the girls ran after the rest of the group.

Neither of them noticed the small spark of electricity that seemed to flow through their veins when their hands connected.

➵

So, I lied about keeping the episodes to a single chapter. But this so far was a tiny bit over 3000 words, and I figured it would be a good stopping point for now.

Comments? Questions? I'm planning on writing another chapter tonight before the weekend, where (fingers crossed) I'll be able to write some more. Thank you all again for all the support!