Earth Land, Ishgar, Bosco, Unnamed Mountain Range.
February 27, x792.
While the wizards of Fairy Tail were discussing the battle in their own, highly destructive and chaotic, way, Alfonzo took a seat next to Irene, who had flopped on the ground in exhaustion.
"That was fun." Alfonzo said while sitting with his left knee raised, his left arm resting across it, and his right hand supporting the rest of his body on the ground. "I don't remember the last time I had a fight like that. The closest thing would have been the fight with Jellal at the Tower of Heaven, I think."
"You're just as much of a battle junkie as the rest of the guild." Irene replied while rolling her eyes. She then scooted closer to Alfonzo before resting her head on his right leg and letting out a satisfied sigh before continuing. "But I must admit, fighting with all my strength for the first time in a longtime… was pleasant."
"And not having to worry about dying made it even better." Alfonzo said with a grin.
"Yes, it did." Irene added while closing her eyes.
The desolated mountain range fell into silence after that. However, that did not last long, as the sound of the Blackbird drawing near broke the silence.
About a minute later, the Blackbird touched down. Then, the boarding ramp lowered, and the first to rush off the airship was Sun, who wore an excited smile.
"You two are amazing!" Sun shouted as she ran towards Alfonzo and Irene. "It makes me wanna fight, too, ya see?"
It did not take long for the others, Ultear, Erza, Mirajane, Marin, Lucy, Saeko, Shizuka, Rika, Ai, and Miyuki to arrive. And just like Sun, they all gushed about the fight. The only exceptions being Shizuka, who was more concerned about checking Alfonzo's and Irene's injuries, Ai, and Miyuki, who were on standby in case anyone needed anything.
"Why are you all like this?" Irene asked while rolling her eyes at the ladies. She then snapped her eyes in her daughter's direction. "And Erza, why are you trying to inch onto my pillow? I'm the one who's tired, not you."
"You know, I was thinking the same thing." Lucy muttered. "A lap pillow from Alfonzo is always nice."
Though she was quite quiet when she said that, somehow, Lucy's words traveled to everyone's ears. As a result, the other ten women who came from the Blackbird nodded emphatically, leaving Irene to sigh loudly while Alfonzo laughed in amusement.
"Anyway, can we have this conversation on the Blackbird?" Alfonzo asked while stretching his arms over his head. "Although I still have a lot of magic power left, I'm really fucking tired after fighting for six fucking hours."
In response, the eleven women who came from the Blackbird all wore expressions that said: "Ah, that's right. They must be really tired."
"Yes, as am I." Irene added, though her act of snuggling onto Alfonzo's thigh made it clear that she would be okay if they stayed there a little longer.
Yet, when those same eleven women saw Irene taking advantage of the situation to snuggle up with Alfonzo, their expressions changed to: "Yeah, let's get back to the Blackbird immediately, this bitch is getting way too comfortable."
"Yes, Alfonzo is right." Erza said, her tone much sterner than it had been as she reached down to grab Irene by the arm. "Come, mother. I'm sure it will be much more comfortable aboard the Blackbird. We can start heading back to the guild, as well. I'm sure they are looking forward to seeing the two of you, as well."
"Hey, Erza, what are you doing?" Irene shrieked as she tried her best to not be pulled off of Alfonzo's lap. "I can get up on my own. Besides, I just went through a long, arduous battle. Don't be so rough."
"And that is all the reason why we should get you to a proper bed." Erza said, not giving in, in the slightest. "I'm sure you are aware of how well stocked the Blackbird is. You could even have a glass of wine while you rest."
"*Sigh* it feels like I failed in raising you." Irene muttered playfully as she continued to struggle with Erza.
"You didn't raise me at all." Erza replied dryly. "Not that I blame you for that anymore. But that's not the point. Mother, please let me help you to the Blackbird. It will be much more comfortable than lying on the ground."
With that said, Erza stopped trying to drag her mother off Alfonzo's lap. Instead, she crouched down and slipped her arms under Irene's back and knees. Then, she lifted her with little effort into a princess carry.
"That's not fair, Erza." Irene said with a pout. "You just flipped the board with that move."
"This isn't a game, Mother." Erza replied sternly. "I'm just concerned about your well-being."
"Uh huh…" Irene replied with a pout on her face, her arms crossed over her chest, while shootting Erza a side-eye.
Ignoring her mother's protests, Erza strode confidently, if not a bit faster than usual, towards the Blackbird, leaving the others standing around Alfonzo.
"Hey, I haven't checked her injuries yet!" Shizuka shouted after Erza.
"You can check them on the airship." Erza shot back. "I just want to make sure mother is comfortable for now."
While most of the women present either nodded their heads or gave Erza a thumbs up, Shizuka sighed in exasperation. But at the same time, her lips curled into a satisfied smile. Because like all the other women, Shizuka also wanted to have a lap pillow, and seeing Irene monopolize Alfonzo's lap made her a bit dissatisfied.
Meanwhile, when Alfonzo saw the smile on Shizuka's face, he could not help laughing aloud.
Not long after that, Shizuka finished checking Alfonzo's health.
"Other than a few muscle strains, you're in perfect health." Shizuka said while patting Alfonzo's chest. "So, we can all head back to the Blackbird. There, you can take a shower and get freshened up."
As soon as she finished speaking, Shizuka leaned over to whisper into Alfonzo's ear.
"And if you'd like, I can help you get cleaned up in the shower, Fonzie." Shizuka whispered in a seductive tone while drawing circles on Alfonzo's chest with her fingertip.
"Well then, please allow us to assist you, master Alfonzo." Ai and Miyuki said in unison as they forced their way between Alfonzo and Shizuka before helping him to his feet. "As your maids, we will help you bathe."
Shizuka could only blink in confusion as Ai and Miyuki gently, yet firmly, separated her from Alfonzo. Then, when they started walking Alfonzo back to the Blackbird, Shizuka joined Irene in pouting viciously.
Meanwhile, the other ladies all clicked their tongues in unison.
"They're getting rather sneaky." Ultear muttered. "Using their status as maids to take advantage of the situation like that."
"Maybe I should borrow Virgo's [Star Dress] and join them." Lucy muttered to herself.
Unfortunately, Lucy was not as quiet as she thought she was, as when she raised her head from her muttering, the others were glaring at her.
"Hahaha…. I was just kidding." Lucy said quickly while frantically waving her hands.
The maids, Shizuka, and Lucy were not the only ones plotting on how to spend some time with Alfonzo after the battle, as they were all a little more excited than usual after seeing a fight like that. Still, with things the way they were, they decided to let Ai and Miyuki have him… for now.
Not long later, everyone, including Heine and Juliet, who had seemingly been forgotten, was back aboard the Blackbird, with Ultear in the pilot's seat. Then, once everyone was settle in, Ultear controlled the Blackbird to take off. And without Alfonzo and Irene taking all their attention, they could see just how badly the mountain range was damaged.
"Those two really did a number on this place, didn't they?" Sun asked from the co-pilot's seat.
"Yeah." Marin replied with a nod. "If it wasn't for that barrier Fonzie and Irene set up, I bet Bosco would be sending complaints to the magic council because of this."
"Speaking of which, how does that work?" Lucy asked curiously.
"Like this." Alfonzo said as he, Ai, and Miyuki approached the cockpit.
*Snap!*
Then, with a snap of Alfonzo's fingers, the anker points he placed all over the area began to glow. A moment later, that glow expanded to cover the entirety of the battlefield, the light so bright that everyone had to cover their eyes. And by the time the glow faded, the mountain range had returned to its initial state.
Earth Land, Ishgar, Kingdom of Fiore, Magnolia.
When Alfonzo activated the barrier's true function, the flash of light caught everyone's attention, bringing the chaos in the guild hall to a temporary halt, as well. And when they saw the completely restored mountain range through the lacrima-Vision screens, everyone looked on with awe.
"Hey! Do you think Alfonzo could make a portable version of that barrier thingy?" Natsu asked excitedly, breaking the silence that fell over the guild hall at such a spectacular scene. "If he could, I could go all out on quests and not have to worry about breaking and burning everything,"
"Or… You could just try not being an idiot." Laxus said disdainfully. "You and your team are the only ones who still destroy everything you come across on quests."
"Well, they're actually not the only ones." Elicia, still [Transformed] into Gray, said while glancing at Cana. "I mean, Cana still breaks a lot of stuff… Even when she's not allowed to drink on quests. Whoa!"
As soon as she finished ratting out Cana, Elicia was forced to leap way much faster than she had been while acting like Gray, as a large number of ice roses swarmed her previous location.
"Ha! I finally found you!" Ur shouted. "There's no way Gray would have the wherewithal to comment about Cana while I'm chasing him down. Now, let yourself be caught for punishment, Elicia. I promise, it will be over quick."
*Poof!*
"Yeah right!" Elicia shouted as she [Transformed] back into her original appearance. "You'll never take me alive! I'm gettin' high with my four-five cocked on these n****s! Time to die!"
"I have no idea what the hell you're talking about." Ur said angrily as she chased after Elicia with even more vigor. "But I do know this, it looks like Alfonzo is gonna lose one of his wives today."
Seeing all that, the chaos in the guild hall calmed significantly. Though, all the wizards had to be careful not to be hit by stray ice spells. Still, it allowed everyone to discuss the barrier in relative peace.
"Anyway, it's not my fault everything is so fragile." Cana said while uncorking a new bottle of mead, no remorse present in her tone. A moment later, she turned to look at her father. "Besides, I got nothing on Dad. He's still the king of destruction."
"This king and his princess will reign supreme." Gildarts said happily after deciding to take Cana's statement as a compliment.
"I'm sure that was NOT a compliment." Mavis said in an exasperated tone. "But I'm sure saying anything about it won't change anything, either."
Earth land, Ishgar, Bosco, Bosco Airspace.
"Incredible." Erza muttered in awe. "Just think of all the money Team Natsu could save if we could take that barrier with us everywhere we went."
"Or… Maybe you and Natsu could try not destroying everything you touch." Lucy grumbled. "If it weren't for Alfonzo, I bet I'd never be able to afford rent thanks to all the fines our team has to pay because of the two of you."
"I can't help that everything is so fragile." Erza replied with a frown.
"Why do I feel like Erza just channeled her inner Natsu and Cana at the same time just now?" Alfonzo asked with an amused grin on his face.
"It's because we all know them so well." Ultear added. "I bet Natsu said something about taking a portable version of the barrier with him on quests back at the guild hall. Then, Elicia pointed out that Cana destroys everything, too. And finally, Cana said it was the world's fault, not hers while drinking a copious amount of alcohol."
"I don't think there's anyone on this airship dumb enough to take that bet." Rika said with a smile while cradling the back of her head with her hands. "We all know that's exactly how it went."
Rika's statement received unanimous nods from everyone.
"Anyway, take us home, Tear." Alfonzo said with a smile. "While we're on the way, Irene and I should get cleaned up."
Alfonzo then turned towards Irene before continuing.
"Irene, do you wanna go first?" Alfonzo asked. "Unfortunately, the shower stall isn't big enough for four people. Otherwise, I'd invite you to join me while Ai and Miyuki helped me get cleaned up."
"It's fine, you go first." Irene, lying on a bed in the cabin, replied while waving dismissively. "I'll just get Heine and Juliet to help me wash up after you're done."
"As you command, Lady Irene." Heine replied with a bow.
"Yay! Bathtime with Irene!" Juliet cheered happily.
"Juliet, be more respectful when addressing Lady Irene." Heine said sternly.
Yet, Juliet seemingly did not hear Heine as she continued to cheer about taking a bath with Irene. As a result, the two sentient swords began to bicker shortly afterwards.
"If you say so." Alfonzo replied with a shrug before turning towards the Blackbird's bathing area. "Well then, Ai, Miyuki, let's go. Getting all this dust out of my hair is gonna be a bitch and a half."