➵

Erza, Lucy, Wendy and the cats looked up to where Gray was perched on the dragonoid's snout. Dealana was no where to be found, which worried the redhead. Though she knew and had complete faith in the Storm Dragon Slayer that didn't mean Erza would sit back while the girl faced dangerous opponents. At the moment, her focus was on getting answers out of Gray.

"What is this?" Erza demanded the ice-mage. Gray jumped from the dragonoid and landed on a relatively high rock cluster. "If you've betrayed Fairy Tail then there'd better be a good reason for it!"

"I'm sorry," Gray said in a mocking tone. "I don't have any reason."

"But Gray..." Erza was taken aback by the apparent malice in his voice.

"Yes, yes, yes!" Daphne said from inside the dragonoid. "After countless hours of blood, sweat and tears, I've produced this wonder of science! The dragonoid! If you had any kind of manners, you'd at least congratulate me on a job well done."

"You're the one who's responsible for this madness?" Erza questioned. "Release Natsu now, or else!" She ordered.

"Sorry, but fire boy stays right where he is," Daphne replied, her voice muffled by apparent food in her mouth. "Since dragonoid is using him as a battery after all. So I have no intention of letting him go. You might as well say your goodbyes while you have the chance. Natsu Dragneel won't be around much longer."

"Magic power is life to a wizard, we have to stop her before it drains him," Erza realized.

"You messed with the wrong guild, lady!" Lucy shouted. Happy was worried and asked, "What do we do? If this keeps up, Natsu's done for!"

"If you want to try and stop us, be my guest," Gray smirked. "Then again, considering how weak you all are, I doubt you'll survive to see the dragonoid's full glory."

"How could you?" Erza questioned him, her glare, for once, not having the normal affect on the ice-mage.

"I seem to recall hearing about a deranged female wizard who was obsessed with dragons and even tried creating artificial ones." Carla piped up. "But I thought it was just a rumor."

"That sure sounds like her," Wendy agreed.

"Oh, now that's just insulting, I'm far from deranged, by this time tomorrow the academic world will speak my name with exalted praise and utter fear thanks to my glorious dragon." Daphne told them. "The road's been long and filled with obstacles, but I overcame each one brilliantly."

Daphne revealed her past experiment with her artificial dragonoids in her hometown and how she permanently trapped the townsfolk in their own hidden spell. It had become known as the City without Sound.

"After years of continuous research, I had found the solution to my problem. In order for the dragonoid to work properly, I needed the power of a Dragon Slayer. Yes, yes, yes, now that you're here Salamander, I have a task for you. So, ready your powers so that my dragonoid can live! Do my bidding and burn baby burn!" Daphne cackled.

"This chick is totally insane!" Lucy exclaimed as they were nearly crushed by the dragonoid's talon.

"Tell me, Daphne! Why'd you create this monster, surely not just for show?" Erza inquired loudly, looking up at the dragonoid.

"My, my, my, my, you've got a keen mind Erza Scarlet! My ambition is to complete the ultimate dragonoid and this beauty is still just a prototype, and field testing it is a real blast!" Daphne replied before the dragonoid's talons moved about nearly crushing Lucy and Wendy who screamed.

"What a psycho," Lucy remarked. "Is she trying make us part of her experiment?"

"Give me a minute and I can whip a nice big hairball we can put in her shoes," Happy told them.

"We have to stop her at any cost, understood?" Erza said to them.

"But what's gonna happen to Natsu if we just start attacking that thing? What about Dealana?" Wendy asked.

The sound of a magic mobile arriving filled their ears. Macao was driving with Wakaba poking his head out the window and Elfman stood on top, miraculously not falling off despite the rough terrain and speed. "You've got some explaining to do!" Macao shouted at the ice mage.

"And you better hope everyone at the guild likes your answers!" Wakaba added.

"If you're a real man, you'd never double cross your friends," Elfman told Gray before jumping from the magic mobile and delivering a crushing punch to his gut, not even using magic. "Sorry I had to do this, but Gramps wants you back at the guild."

While Macao filled Erza in on Makarov's orders, Lucy noticed something terrible. "Erza! This is bad! I think big boy over there is about to––" she exclaimed, bringing everyone's attention on the now spreading wings. "Fly!"

The Dragonoid was now in the air and began to fly off in the direction of Magnolia. They all gasped at the sight of a limp Dealana being held by one of two lizardmen riding on the back of the monstrosity.

"Dealana!" Wendy exclaimed in horror, while Erza felt a mixture of anger and guilt. She shouldn't have brought Dealana with them when if involved dragons. If she had been more stern, maybe the Storm Dragon Slayer would've listened. But now was not the time for the blame game, Erza knew that. What mattered now was getting her and Natsu back while stopping Daphne's deranged plans. Erza gave the orders for Lucy and the others to return to the guild in order to protect Magnolia no matter the cost.

Titania Erza, Queen of the Fairies was going dragon hunting. All the while she could only wonder, "Gray, what have you done?"

➵

Meanwhile, Dealana groggily opened her eyes to find Daphne sitting in a chair facing the control panel. She struggled to move her arms and soon realized why. Magic resistant cuffs had been placed on her wrists, and they were tight.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Dealana demanded as soon as she found her voice. Any attempts to use her magic were nullified by the restraints.

"Yes, yes, yes, the second experiment is finally awake," Daphne grinned as she whirled around temporarily facing Dealana with a maniacal expression. "The Tempest, the Storm Dragon Slayer, a raw vessel of power just waiting to be transformed into a scientific splendor!"

Dealana curled her hands into tight fists as it was all she could do. "I'll ask you again, lady, what the hell. Do you think. You're doing!?"

"My, my, no need to be so temperamental, save that for when you're given my gift," Daphne replied laughing at her attempt at a joke. Dealana wasn't having any of it. She thrashed about from where her restraints were attached over her head to a wall and nearly managed to kick Daphne as the woman moved to put something on her head.

Dealana realized it was a headband of sorts that sent a tingling sensation right at her temples. "Get this off of me, I don't want your 'gift'!"

"Yes, yes, yes, it's just as my beloved ice-cube described. The angrier you get the stormier it gets outside, even while wearing magic restraints." Daphne grinned at the girl in front of her.

"Wh-What?" Dealana stuttered in shock. "Ice-cube? Gray? What are you going on about? Where's Natsu and Wendy!?"

"Yes, my beloved Gray told me everything I needed to know about you while he helped me get the Salamander to power my dragonoid. I had so many questions about your magic and he happily supplied the answers I desired." Daphne explained while eating something on a stick that made Dealana's nose scrunch up in disgust.

"Gray wouldn't betray Fairy Tail!" Dealana refused to believe it. "He wouldn't do something like this!"

"Oh, but he did," Daphne told her with a mocking sympathetic look that quickly morphed into a crazed smile. "You hold so much power and you don't even realize, so Gray informed me of how your emotions grant you even more strength, like when you broke down in the crystal cave and released immense magic power without even realizing it. That power will power the final version of my unstoppable dragonoid, but I need to run some tests first of course."

Dealana's blood ran cold. She hadn't told anyone of her breakdown after they returned from Galuna Island. She doubted that Gray would have either, until now. A floodgate of emotion washed over her in waves. Betrayal, anger, sadness, rage, guilt. It was all there and a monitor nearby beeped in response. Daphne took a look at the readings and grinned like a deranged Cheshire Cat when she realized this was what she was hoping for.

Two lizardmen grabbed Dealana by her forearms and moved her to a different chamber where she felt a sharp pain course through her head and down into her veins. It was like when she lost control after Laxus' stupid comment magnified. Dealana tried to bring her hands to her head to remove the headband but she couldn't. The Storm Dragon Slayer crumpled to the ground on her knees and let everything out in a massive, thundering scream of agony.

➵

All of Magnolia could hear it. The pained cry that instantly darkened the sky as clouds began to conceal the moon and stars. Rain, hail, thunder, lightning and strong gales became apparent as Dealana was in immense pain. They could feel the power radiating from where they stood at the guild hall, and Erza, who was on the back of the Dragonoid nearly lost her balance as she listened to Dealana in pain.

The Thunder Legion paled and the hairs on their necks stood on end as they witnessed something they hadn't seen in years. They hoped they would never see storms of this magnitude again. Once before, Dealana had accompanied them on a job, just to watch them take down a measly dark guild, but they underestimated the wizards and she had been captured.

Laxus and the Thunder Legion went berserk trying to find and get her back. Dealana didn't remember that time, but the Dark Guild had thrown her about until she finally snapped when they threatened Fairy Tail. It had taken the combined efforts of the Thunder Legion just to break through one of the storm barriers Dealana subconsciously created in her suffering and Laxus was scratched and torn up by the time he reached the sobbing girl.

He managed to calm her down before the things took a turn for the worst and the weather anomalies worsened. Laxus had let her listen to music from his headphones to keep her calm and they began to focus more on Dealana's control when helping her train.

Dealana tore through the side of the dragonoid as the pain only worsened the more she tried to stop it. When her heterochromatic eyes caught sight of the what her pain was causing, she knew she couldn't stay around Magnolia and let her family get hurt.

Master Makarov planned to wait for Gray's return before they created a strategy to defeat the Natsu-powered-Dragonoid, but Dealana couldn't be ignored until then. He immediately sent Freed, Bickslow and Evergreen after the inconsolable Tempest while she floated off on a raging storm cloud, intent on getting as far from any people as she could.

Not even Daphne's lizard men could touch her. It was just as she said. They could copy her magic, but they couldn't copy the emotion that strengthened it. Right now, Dealana was feeling more emotion and pain than ever.

➵

The Thunder Legion followed the trail of havoc Dealana unwillingly left behind as the weather around them grew harsher by the minute. She had already passed the point they previously witnessed. Dealana secluded herself near a cluster of mountains far enough from any civilization to cause harm. A cyclone wall with ice and hail mixed in blocked anyone from getting inside, where Dealana sat curled up and screaming, the magic cuffs long since destroyed while she desperately tried to rip the headband off.

Freed's enchantments were blown right back into her face when he tried to break through the barrier, so he instead set about to create a defensive rune barrier to prevent anymore damage from happening outside of the area they were in. Evergreen and Bickslow were also unable to make a dent in the storm barrier. Even if they were somehow able to break through the first barrier a second one of lightning and wind would be waiting.

They were at a loss in saving Dealana, even after they promised to watch over her.

➵

Elsewhere in Fiore, an old woman with silver hair and eyes the color of rubies felt a shift in the winds. The Thunderbirds perched around the tribe campsite grew restless. Many of the other members of their nomadic tribe looked around at each other wondering what the strange feeling could possibly be. The old woman, Chief of the Storm Talon Tribe, stood gazing in the direction of Magnolia.

"Makani," she ordered the brown haired man standing nearby. "tell Cress and Laxus they need to hurry if they wish to save the Tempest from herself."

➵

...so....any theories?