The buses hissed to a halt in the bustling heart of Crocus, the capital of Fiore. The city was already alive with the pre-festival fervor. Flags of a hundred different designs fluttered from balconies, and the streets were a river of tourists, merchants, and mages.
Master Mavis stood at the front of the lead bus, clutching a clipboard that looked comically large in her small hands.
"Alright, everyone! We have arrived!" Mavis announced, her voice bright but commanding. "I have finalized the roster for the primary team representing Fairy Tail. We shall call them Team Fairy Tail!"
She pointed a finger dramatically.
"Natsu Dragneel! Gray Fullbuster! Erza Scarlet! Lucy Heartfilia! And Wendy Marvell! You five will carry our hopes in the main bracket!"
"ALRIGHT!" Natsu screamed, high-fiving Happy. "I'm gonna burn this whole tournament down!"
"Don't burn the stadium, Natsu," Lucy sighed, though she looked determined.
"A solid team," Erza nodded, her arms crossed. "We will not fail."
Mavis smiled enigmatically. "I expect great things. Now, listen closely. The organizers have been secretive about the preliminary rounds. All guild members must be inside their designated hotel rooms by 12:00 AM sharp. Do not be late. Disqualification would be... tactically disadvantageous."
"Understood!" the guild chorused.
As the meeting dispersed, a small tug on Blake's trouser leg drew his attention downward.
"Daddy?" Alphonse looked up, his black eyes shining with pleading intensity. "Arthur said there's a carnival. With big rides. And sugar."
Beside him, Celeste was bouncing on her toes, holding Mirajane's hand. "Carnival! Carnival! Please, Papa! Please, Mama!"
Blake looked at Mira, who offered a soft, yielding smile. He looked at Cana, who was already checking her wallet.
"Well," Blake grinned, scooping Celeste up. "We have until midnight. Let's go win some prizes."
---
The carnival was a sensory explosion of neon lights, calliope music, and the smell of roasting nuts and spun sugar. It was a rare moment of respite for the mages, a chance to be families before they became warriors.
The group moved as a unit: Blake with his two wives and children; Laxus and Brandish with their son, Arthur; and Alzack and Bisca with Asuka.
"Faster! Faster!" Alphonse screamed.
He and Arthur were strapped into a ride called the 'Wyvern Dive,' a miniature roller coaster that whipped around sharp corners.
Blake stood by the railing, watching them. Beside him stood Laxus. The Lightning Dragon Slayer looked intimidating as always, with his coat draped over his shoulders, but his eyes were fixed on his son with quiet pride.
"Arthur handles the speed rides well," Laxus grunted approvingly.
"Alphonse just likes the danger," Blake chuckled. "Look at him. He's laughing while the other kids are screaming."
Meanwhile, near the food stalls, the mothers were having their own adventure.
"I want the blue one! And the pink one!" Celeste pointed at the massive clouds of cotton candy.
"You can have one, sweetie," Mira laughed, wiping a smudge of dirt from Celeste's cheek. "If you eat two, you'll vibrate through the walls."
"Let her have 'em," Cana grinned, buying a candy apple for herself. "They need the energy to cheer tomorrow."
Brandish, shrinking a massive stuffed bear she had just won so it would fit in her bag, nodded. "Agreed. Arthur gets cranky if his sugar levels drop."
They moved to the shooting gallery. The stall owner, a man with a mustache, looked confident. "Step right up! Knock down the targets, win a prize! It's harder than it looks!"
"Is it?" Bisca asked sweetly.
She stepped up, grabbed the cork gun, and didn't even use her magic.
Pop. Pop. Pop. Pop.
Six targets down in three seconds.
"I'll take the giant heavy dragon plushie for Asuka, please," Bisca smiled. The stall owner looked ready to cry.
Further down, at the 'Test Your Strength' hammer game, a crowd had gathered.
"Papa! Papa, do it!" Celeste cheered, sitting on Blake's shoulders.
Blake looked at the high striker. "Alright, sunshine. Watch this."
He just swung the hammer with casual brute force.
CLANG.
The bell flew off the top of the tower and landed in a popcorn stand ten feet away.
"Oops," Blake winced.
"Yeah! That's my Papa!" Alphonse roared, mimicking Blake's stance.
As the sun began to set, painting the sky in hues of orange and purple, the families gathered near the central fountain. The kids were exhausted, faces sticky with sweets, clutching their prizes.
Blake held a sleeping Celeste in one arm, her head resting on his shoulder. Cana leaned against his side, while Mira held Alphonse's hand.
"It's almost midnight," Blake said, checking the clock tower. "Game time."
---
The guild members rushed back to the 'Honeybone' hotel, the designated lodging for Fairy Tail.
The atmosphere shifted instantly. The laughter of the carnival died, replaced by a thick, suffocating tension.
The clock hand ticked closer to twelve.
Everyone waited on the balconies.
DONG... DONG... DONG...
Midnight.
Suddenly, a massive holographic projection appeared over the center of Crocus. It was a giant, floating pumpkin-man with a mischievous grin.
"Good evening, pump-kins!" the voice boomed across the city. "I am the mascot of the Grand Magic Games, Mato! Welcome to the annual brawl!"
Lucy, standing on the balcony of Team A's room, frowned. "A pumpkin?"
"Focus," Erza commanded. "He's announcing something."
"We have a slight problem, kabo!" Mato continued, floating in the sky. "We have one hundred and thirteen guilds registered this year! That's too many! We can't have that many matches! It would take forever!"
"113?" Lucy gasped. "Are there even that many guilds in Fiore?"
"So!" Mato spun around. "We are going to have a little culling! A preliminary round right now! We will narrow it down to the top eight teams! Only the first eight teams to reach the goal will participate in the main games!"
"Right now?" Natsu grinned, cracking his knuckles. "I'm ready!"
"The goal is the arena, Domus Flau!" Mato pointed downward. "But getting there won't be a straight line. Prepare yourselves... for the Sky Labyrinth!"
A low rumble shook the foundations of the hotel.
"What's happening?" Wendy cried out, grabbing the railing.
"The ground..." Gray looked down. "It's moving!"
Before their eyes, the city of Crocus began to fracture. Massive pillars of earth shot up into the sky. Bridges twisted and connected in impossible geometries. Buildings were hoisted thousands of feet into the air.
Within moments, the city had transformed into a gargantuan, spherical maze floating in the night sky.
"The rules are simple!" Mato's voice echoed. "All five registered members must reach the finish line together! Use magic, use force, use whatever you want! Let the games... BEGIN!"
From the spectator balcony of the Honeybone Hotel (which had fortunately remained stationary on the ground level), Blake watched the chaos unfold.
Beside him, Alphonse and Celeste were wide awake now, pressing their faces against the glass.
"Look at them go!" Alphonse pointed.
"Go Uncle Natsu!" Celeste cheered.
High above, Team Fairy Tail was running.
"This map is changing constantly!" Lucy shouted, holding her horoscope keys. "We need to find 'East', but East keeps moving!"
"Just blast through the walls!" Natsu yelled, inhaling deeply. "FIRE DRAGON ROAR!"
"No, you idiot!" Erza smacked him. "If you break the floor, we fall to our deaths! We need to map it!"
It was a grueling, chaotic race. Teams were sabotaging each other. Raven Tail was seen setting magical traps. Lamia Scale was using Jura's earth magic to bridge gaps.
Blake watched calmly, his eyes tracking the magical signatures.
"They're struggling," Levy commented, standing beside Blake.
"They'll make it," Blake said confidently. "Erza is with them. She'll drag them across the line by their ears if she has to."
Hours passed. The sun began to crest over the horizon.
Finally, the sphere began to deconstruct, returning the city to normal.
The preliminaries were over.
---
The next day, the Domus Flau was shaking.
The colosseum was packed with tens of thousands of spectators. The roar of the crowd was deafening.
"WELCOME TO THE GRAND MAGIC GAMES X791!" Chapati Lola, the commentator, screamed into his microphone. Beside him sat Yajima, the former council member.
In the Fairy Tail designated seating section, Blake sat with the children. Alphonse had a foam finger that said 'FAIRY TAIL #1'. Celeste was waving a small flag. Arthur was stoically holding a bag of popcorn.
"Let's introduce the teams that survived the hellish Sky Labyrinth!" Chapati announced.
"In 8th place! The darkness lurking beneath the light... Raven Tail!"
Boos erupted from the Fairy Tail section as Ivan Dreyar led his team out. Blake narrowed his eyes. He saw the way Ivan looked at the stands.
"Bad man," Celeste frowned, sensing the mood.
"Very bad man," Blake agreed.
"In 7th place! The dancers of death... Mermaid Heel!"
Kagura Mikazuchi walked out, stoic and calm, leading her all-female team.
"In 6th place! The sparkle of the night... Blue Pegasus!"
Ichiya struck a pose, sparkles literally flying off him. Beside him was the Trimens and... a person in a blue bunny suit?
"Is that a rabbit?" Alphonse asked.
"Don't ask," Blake sighed.
"In 5th place! The divine love... Lamia Scale!"
Lyon Vastia waved to the crowd, while Jura Neekis walked with the presence of a Wizard Saint. A young girl, Sherria, bounced beside them.
"In 4th place! A new challenger appearing this year... Team New Dawn!"
Jellal and the people Blake rescued from the Tower of Heaven.
"In 3rd place! The former champions... the Tigers... SABERTOOTH!"
The crowd erupted.
Sting Eucliffe and Rogue Cheney walked out, soaking in the applause. Sting looked arrogant, grinning up at the screens. Their master, Jiemma, watched from the VIP box.
"In 2nd place! They barely scraped by, Team Fairy Tail!"
Natsu, Gray, Erza, Lucy, and Wendy walked out. They looked exhausted, covered in dirt from the labyrinth, but their heads were held high.
"We made it," Lucy panted. "Barely."
"2nd place isn't bad," Gray muttered. "But who was first?"
"And now!" Chapati Lola's voice reached a fever pitch. "The shock of the tournament! The team that cleared the Labyrinth in record time! The sheer destructive force of nature!
Please welcome... TEAM FAIRY TAIL B!"
Natsu froze. "Team... B?"
Erza's eyes widened. "What?"
From the opposite tunnel, five figures emerged into the sunlight. The sheer magical pressure radiating from them made the air shimmer.
Leading the pack was Laxus Dreyar, his coat billowing, lightning crackling softly around his shoulders.
To his left was Gajeel Redfox, grinning like a maniac, cracking his iron knuckles.
To his right was Mirajane Strauss, looking terrifyingly beautiful.
Beside her was Mirajane.
And finally, Cana Alberona, her face set in a look of supreme confidence.
"WHAT?!" Natsu screamed, his jaw hitting the floor. "SINCE WHEN IS THERE A TEAM B?!"
"Laxus?! Gajeel?!" Gray shouted.
"Mira and Cana too?" Lucy squeaked. "That team is... that team is monstrous!"
Mavis, sitting on the railing of the balcony above, giggled. "I thought it would be better to show the full power of the guild!"
In the stands, the children went wild.
"MAMA!" Celeste screamed, pointing at the arena screens where Mira's face was projected.
"MOMMY! UNCLE LAXUS!" Alphonse yelled, jumping up and down on his seat.
"GO DAD!" Arthur cheered for Laxus.
Down in the arena, Cana heard them. Despite the roar of thousands of people, she picked out those little voices.
She looked up toward the family section.
She saw Blake standing there, holding Celeste, with Alphonse jumping beside him. Blake gave her a thumbs up and a wink.
Cana's fierce expression broke for a second. She beamed, a genuine, loving smile, and waved vigorously at her kids.
"Bring it home, Mommy!" Alphonse shouted.
Sting Eucliffe, who had been smirking a moment ago, stared at Team B. He looked at Laxus. He looked at the sheer power coming off Brandish and Mira.
The smirk vanished.
"Two teams?" Sting muttered. "And the second one is... monsters."
Blake leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms with a satisfied smile.
"Let the games begin,"