A week passed since the Allied Forces returned to Magnolia.
For Wendy Marvell, transitioning from the quiet, peaceful village of Cait Shelter to the daily madness of Fairy Tail was... an experience.
"GIVE IT BACK, YOU OVERGROWN LIZARD!"
"COME AND GET IT, STRIPPER!"
A flying wooden table smashed into the wall, showering splinters everywhere.
Wendy ducked, clutching her glass of juice with both hands. Carla sighed, crossing her white paws on the tabletop.
"These barbarians don't know the meaning of peace," Carla muttered, her tail flicking in annoyance.
Ace sat across from them, casually reading a bounty poster.
Patamon rested on his head, happily chewing on an apple.
"You get used to it," Ace said, not even looking up as a stray tin mug sailed past his ear. "If it's quiet in here, that means something is wrong."
Wendy smiled, taking a sip of her juice. It was loud and chaotic yes, but it was warm. She didn't feel lonely anymore.
"Let's grab lunch," Erza announced.
She walked over with Natsu and Gray in tow—both of them sporting fresh bruises on their cheeks.
Lucy trailed behind them, looking exhausted. "There's a new restaurant down the street. I hear their strawberry cake is passable."
"Food! I'm starving!" Natsu yelled, instantly forgetting his brawl with Gray.
They headed out into the sunny streets of Magnolia.
The restaurant was a cozy little place with wooden booths and a large menu board. As soon as they sat down, the boss walked over. A nervous bead of sweat dropped from his brow at the sight of the Fairy Tail emblems on their arms.
"W-Welcome," the boss stammered, holding his notepad like a shield. "What can I get you?"
"I'll take five plates of fire-roasted beef!" Natsu slammed his hands on the table. "And make it extra hot! Like, literal fire!"
"Just bring us your specials, please," Lucy smiled apologetically at the boss.
When the food arrived, the table turned into a warzone.
Natsu inhaled his food like a vacuum, nearly biting Gray's hand when the ice mage reached for a bread roll.
"WATCH YOUR DAMN TEETH, ASH BRAIN!" Gray shouted, standing up and knocking his chair back.
"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU GONNA DO ABOUT IT, ICE STRIPPER?!" Natsu roared back, flames leaking from his mouth.
"Both of you, sit down and eat quietly," Erza said.
Her voice dropped to a terrifying, dark pitch, and she held up her fork like a deadly weapon.
Natsu and Gray hugged each other, trembling in fear.
"Aye, sir!"
Wendy giggled, covering her mouth. Even the scary moments were funny. She looked at Ace, who was quietly sharing a piece of bread with Patamon, ignoring the chaos.
Just as Erza took her very first bite of strawberry cake, the ground trembled.
It wasn't a small vibration since the entire restaurant shook!
Plates rattled, and glasses tipped over, spilling water across the tables. The boss shrieked and dove behind the counter.
"Earthquake?!" Lucy panicked, grabbing the edge of the booth.
"No," Ace said, looking out the front window. "Listen."
A loud, rhythmic bell began to toll across Magnolia.
GONG.
GONG.
GONG.
"That bell..." Natsu's eyes went wide.
His usual goofy expression vanished, replaced by a massive, feral grin.
"He's back!"
"Who's back?" Wendy asked, looking around in confusion.
Outside, a deafening mechanical grinding noise echoed through the city.
Wendy watched in awe as the buildings across the street began to move.
Massive gears shifted beneath the cobblestones, splitting the city down the middle and raising the structures on massive, sliding platforms.
Within seconds, a wide, straight path was cleared from the city gates directly to the Fairy Tail guildhall.
"The Magnolia Shift," Gray muttered, stepping out of the restaurant to look at the cleared path. "I can't believe he's actually home."
"Why did the city just rearrange itself?" Carla asked, her tail puffing up in shock.
"Because Gildarts is back," Natsu explained.
Ace tossed a few coins on the table for the boss before stepping outside with the others.
"He's Fairy Tail's strongest mage. But he's got a bad habit of destroying whatever is in his way using Crash magic. The city literally splits in half so he doesn't accidentally walk through people's houses." Gray said.
Wendy's jaw dropped. "He's that strong?"
"He's a monster," Natsu grinned, cracking his knuckles. "And I'm gonna beat him this time!"
They hurried back to the guild.
A massive crowd had already gathered outside the front doors.
Walking down the cleared, empty street was a tall, heavily built man wearing a tattered black cloak.
He carried a large travel bag over his shoulder.
His orange hair was slicked back, and a rough stubble covered his jaw.
He looked tired, but his physical presence was suffocating. It felt like a walking mountain was approaching.
Gildarts Clive.
He stopped in front of the guild, looking up at the sign with a lazy, carefree smile. "Man, it's good to be back."
"GILDARTS!"
Natsu didn't waste a single second.
He launched himself from the crowd, his fist wrapped in roaring flames. "FIGHT ME!"
Gildarts didn't even blink.
He didn't shift his stance or drop his bag. As Natsu flew at him, Gildarts just lazily raised a hand and swatted the air.
BAM.
A wave of sheer kinetic force blasted Natsu into the stratosphere.
The Fire Dragon Slayer shot backward like a cannonball, crashing right through the roof of a nearby building.
"Idiot," Gray sighed, shaking his head.
"Ouch," Patamon winced from Ace's shoulder.
Gildarts scratched his chin, looking at the smoking hole in the roof. "Was that Natsu? He got a little faster, I think."
The crowd parted as Makarov walked out, a wide smile on his wrinkled face. "Welcome back, you clumsy fool!"
Gildarts' lazy smile faded just a fraction as a dark shadow passed over his eyes, but he quickly covered it up with a loud laugh.
"Ahhahaha its been a while Master, here look, I brought souvenirs!"
He walked into the guild, the members parting like the red sea, cheering and welcoming him home.
Wendy watched him walk past, feeling the immense, crushing weight of his magic.
She looked up at Ace.
"He really is the strongest."
"Yeah," Ace agreed, his eyes narrowing slightly.
He noticed the subtle stiffness in Gildarts' left arm and leg beneath the heavy cloak.
"But even the strongest bleed."