➵

"Huh," Dealana's Edolas counterpart grinned wider as she took in the expression of utter shock on the Gajeel in front of her, "I suppose you happen to be acquainted with my counterpart. This'll be fun to hear about."

"Wh-Whaa!? How come you ain't a pipsqueak in this world too?" Gajeel questioned loudly. Edolas Dealana blinked before she burst out laughing, holding her stomach as she tried to recover her breath.

When they were both once again calm, Dealana sat on the ground cross-legged in front of Gajeel. They sat on the roof of a building under a simple tarp covering that served to block out the sun. Dealana hadn't put her mask back on as she listened to Gajeel describe her counterpart.

"So, in your world, I'm a kid with attitude? That sounds so weird to think about," She smiled. "Other me sounds like a grumpy kid that someone needs to give a hug."

Edolas Dealana, Dealana Borealis, was different from her counterpart in age and personality. This Dealana smiled more often and seemed to be more cheerful and optimistic. It kind of freaked Gajeel out to see Dealana, even one from a different world, be so happy and energetic. Another thing he noticed was that while this Dealana had the same thin scar the stretched over her nose as the Earthland version, Edolas Dealana did not have a small scar above her blue eye. That was something Gajeel was silently thankful for.

"Are you a part of the Fairy Tail here in Edolas?" Gajeel asked. Older Dealana sighed, but kept a small, fond smile as she answered him.

"Yeah, I mean, technically I'm still a member," She reached into on the pouches on her belt and fished out a silver compass with the Fairy Tail symbol etched in the back. "But I haven't visited in a year or so. It was partly my fault we lost so many people and lead the Fairy Hunter to the Storm Talon Tribe's location. I couldn't face them after what happened, so I started spying on the royal army and gathering information on any plans to hurt Fairy Tail before giving them to Gavin." She admitted. Apparently, Edolas Dealana was fairly open about her past and what bothered her. It was really strange to not have to push to get her to open up.

"Gavin?" Gajeel repeated, not having heard the name thrown about in Earthland. Dealana nodded.

"Yeah," She smiled again, returning the compass to its place in her belt as she continued speaking, "Gavin was a member of the Storm Talon Tribe, he was the only one not present at the camp when the royal army arrived. He's been in communication with Fairy Tail ever since and acts as the messenger between Gajeel and I to the guild...well, this world's Gajeel." She explained.

"How do you know the other me?" Gajeel wanted to know. Dealana grinned.

"I was in a rough spot and stuck laying low inside a city crawling with units of the royal army. Other you spread rumors that a masked girl with light blue hair was spotted in an area outside of town. Once I was in the clear, I met up with him and I've been supplying him with inside information ever since. I help him out and he continues to be a rock in the king's shoe. A win win situation if you ask me."

"You are really different from the pipsqueak," Gajeel muttered. Dealana only stretched her arms above her head, glancing at the streets below.

"We'd better get moving, they'll be an opening soon," She stated. "Ready to find a way to save your friends?"

"They ain't really my friends,"

"You say that now," Edolas Dealana teased before wrapping her scarf around her head to hide the blue hue of her long hair.

"Ah, shut up, other pipsqueak!"

➵

Meanwhile, Earthland Dealana and Gavin had arrived in the royal city after getting some information from a friend of the dark-haired male. They were scouring the area until they arrived at what seemed to be a big celebration. They moved closer to investigate only for Dealana's eyes widened at the sight before her.

A huge lacrima was being guarded and celebrated.

That lacrima contained her friends and family. To see people so excited over using her guild for a magic power supply sickened her. Subconsciously, Dealana had moved forward angrily but stopped and realized what she was doing when Gavin took a firm hold of her upper arm. His yellow gaze was narrowed at the crowd and lacrima, his expression stern and calculating.

"To save your friends, you can't do anything reckless. Even if you have magic, the number of royal army soldiers can still overpower that," He stated, his gaze still focused on the lacrima ahead of them. "Observe and make a plan, that way there's less risk of something happening to your friends early, okay?"

Dealana reluctantly nodded. Moving closer and blending in with the crowd, the pair watched a bearded old man stand on the podium above them. By the cheers he received and the outfit he wore, Dealana could only assume this was the king of Edolas.

"Children of Edolas," The king addressed the mass of people. "It brings great joy to my heart to tell you that our Anima Program has produced enough magic power to last another decade!"

Dealana bristled further but didn't budge from her spot. She couldn't risk exposing herself yet and Gavin still held onto her arm. To others, it was as if he was her older brother not wanting to lose her amongst the crowd, but in reality he was making sure she didn't do something they'd both regret.

"Let us rejoice together, let us sing and dance, let laughter roar through sacred kingdom!" The king shouted. Something about him was familiar to Dealana, but she couldn't place it. Any speculations she came up with were drowned out by the loud cheering of the crowd around them. "The power within this lacrima belongs to all loyal subjects of our homeland. Today we hold our future in our hands to ensure its prosperity into tomorrow and beyond! Therefore, we must swear to protect this gift from heaven with our very lives!"

"My dear children, today I shall make a most solemn pledge to you as your benevolent ruler," He announced before he pushed his staff back, shattering a small portion of the lacrima. The action made Dealana shake in anger, Gavin staring with wide eyes at her, unfamiliar with her personality compared to the Dealana he knew. "I will bring you more power, so much more than you could possibly imagine."

A few small bits of the lacrima broke off from where the king's staff hit it and fell unnoticed by the crowd to the ground. Dealana noticed it. She definitely noticed it. Her heterochromatic eyes were glued to the falling pieces as they clattered to the ground. The lacrima was her friends and guild, this crazed ruler was using them and going to kill her friends to take their power. She wasn't going to let that happen.

Dealana could feel a storm brewing inside of her as her rage continued to build. Gavin felt a strange sensation of buzzing and small crackles of static electricity coming off of Dealana. He looked at the hoodie-wearing girl in awe.

Her magic was more powerful than Lisanna had described.

➵

"Man, what a joke," Gajeel uttered as he and Edolas Dealana were watching the crowd from around the corner of a building. "The people here are a bunch of suckers. They fell for his whole act, hook line and sinker."

Dealana's older counterpart stared at lacrima for a moment before following after Gajeel. The gears in her mind were turning as she began to formulate various plans to keep that lacrima from being converted into magic power. The problem was getting close enough without the attention of the royal army.

Glancing about for any sign that people recognized her, she could've sworn she saw a familiar head of dark hair and green scarf amongst the crowd. When she blinked and looked again, but couldn't find them. Dealana shook her head, it must've been something else. He wasn't supposed be in the royal city yet, but it gave her an idea.

"Hey, Gajeel, I know a place we can lay low until the time is right," Dealana spoke up. She navigated the shadowed streets and lead him to an old-fashioned tavern. The creaking sign above the door had the name painted in worn calligraphy; The Bittercress Rose.

Dealana opened the door, despite the sign clearly stating that it was closed, and stepped inside with Gajeel following behind her. The inside was orderly but somehow also casual. Wooden tables with chairs were scattered about and it reminded Dealana of the guild hall's set up. A long bar with many crystal decorations was along one side of the room.

Behind the bar was a young girl, no older than twelve or thirteen cleaning some empty mugs with a rag. She had magenta hair that reached her shoulders and a small side pony-tail. Upon hearing the door open, she spoke but didn't lift her gaze.

"I'm sorry, but we're closed today for the lacrima festivities,"

"We're not here for a drink, just a place to lie low," Dealana replied, moving forward towards the bar while removing her scarf. Hearing the familiar voice, the girl looked up and revealed her crimson red eyes that were shining with excitement upon seeing her friend.

"Dealana!" She jumped over the bar, and rushed to greet the sky-blunette with a hug.

"Lorna! It's good to see you again," Dealana said returning the sweet embrace before pulling away after a few moments. She was well aware of Gajeel watching the interaction, probably feeling slightly awkward. "Do you think my friend and I can stay here for a bit?"

Lorna nodded with a smile, "Mhm! We're closed for the lacrima stuff anyways." She said before her smile morphed into a saddened expression. "It's a big lacrima this time, Lana. It's a lot of magic, but that means it's a lot of people too, right?"

Dealana gave the girl a reassuring smile, "That may be, but we're going to find a way to stop the lacrima from being converted to magic power, and if we're lucky, we may just stop the royal army once and for all too." Lorna's eyes lit up in excitement.

"Really?"

Dealana nodded saying, "I hope so. But first, we need a plan and you need to meet Gajeel." She told the girl, stepping aside to reveal the Iron Dragon Slayer. Lorna frowned and quirked an eyebrow.

"But I already know Gajeel, we give him information for his writing," she said confused.

"This is Gajeel from the world on the other side, Lorna," Dealana explained, "In that world, we all have counterparts that are different from ourselves." Lorna opened her mouth and closed it, much like a fish as she took in the more wild version of their reporter friend.

"Why's a kid running a bar?" Gajeel asked. Dealana looked over and assumed that he was a little confused about where they were. Smiling, she began to explain.

"It's not really Lorna's bar, it belongs to a friend of ours. I told you about him earlier too, his name's Gavin. He uses this as one of his hideouts and it doubles as a bar that we help run in an effort to gather information." Lorna had since moved back behind the bar and began rummaging through the various drinks.

"Do you want anything, mister other Gajeel?" She inquired. "I want to know more about the other world and counterparts, it sounds weirdly interesting."

"If you find any iron, I'll tell ya, kid," Gajeel sighed.

➵

A little while later, as the sky turned a golden hue, Dealana, Lorna and Gajeel were strategizing potential methods to get to the lacrima without alerting the guards. Lorna had managed to scrounge up some iron from counterfeit magic items they still had lying around while Dealana was content with mixing herself a drink.

They were all on high alert when they heard the door open. Dealana was the first to move out of her seat, a hand reaching for the tanto blade she had sheathed horizontally on the back of her belt. She didn't recognize them at first and flung the blade with expert precision. It landed just above the head of the taller figure who shrieked like a girl.

However, Dealana knew that girly shriek anywhere.

"So it was you I saw in the crowd," she stated while Lorna was poking her head up from behind the bar, shaking slightly in fear. Gajeel looked more impressed by her aim than anything before his red eyes narrowed seeing the shorter figure.

A young man with dark hair stepped forward after pulling Dealana's tanto blade out of the wall. "Geez, Dealana a little heads up would have been nice before you nearly decapitate me," he said with a smirk.

"That was a terrible pun attempt," both Dealana and the shorter, hooded figure said simultaneously, only it was weirder since their voices were eerily similar. Everyone was silent as Dealana stared at the bare foot person wearing a maroon hoodie with no sleeves.

"That's just creepy," Gavin muttered before his smile returned and he clapped his hands together. "Alright! Dealana this is Dealana," he said gesturing from Edolas Dealana to the hoodie girl. "And Dealana, this is Dealana." he continued, this time gesturing from the hoodie girl to Edolas Dealana. Gavin finished his whole act by pulling off the hood from the shorter girl revealing her to be a younger version of Edolas Dealana.

"Dealana?" Gajeel questioned in disbelief while Edolas Dealana felt her jaw go slack as she stared at the mini her.

"I already told you their names," Gavin groaned though his face held a smirk as he enjoyed the coming interaction.

"Shut up, Gavin, there's a mini-me standing right next to you," Edolas Dealana finally found her voice. She was admiring the adorableness of her grumpy counterpart, who was staring at her in equal confusion and fascination.

➵

Not sure if that was the best place to leave off the chapter, but Edolas Dealana meets Earthland Gajeel and Dealana and vice versa! I also added Lorna's counterpart, (if you don't know who she is, I suggest you check out the companion book titled Tornado of Roses) what do you think?

Questions? Theories? Let me know what you think, I'd love to hear your thoughts! :)