My Light and My Darkness

The Dragon Queen

Candy POV:
The king has called for everyone from each guild to gather for some reason, in the middle of the city. As I walk with the rest of the members of Sabertooth to where the King called all of us to meet him, I can’t help but get a terrible feeling. What could be so urgent for us to have to gather when most of the guilds haven’t even finished bandaging their wounds. We all make it to the center of Crocus, and await the king's words. “Thank you all for coming. I hate to spoil the mood after the splendid display of wizardry we’ve seen today, but I’m afraid Friore’s heart may soon be in the claws of a dragon hoard. Everyone gasps at his words, including me. A dragon hoard?! But where would it even come from?! They’re all extinct, right?! “As we speak, a large-scale counter offensive is under way at the castle. The Eclipse Cannon.” Eclipse?! That door thing that Natsu and Lucy told me about? I didn’t know it could be used as a cannon. If the king himself is worried, and taking such drastic measures, he must be telling the truth. That thought has me terrified. I grab Rogue and Sting’s hands, nervous. They grip my hands tightly, also just as nervous and worried as I am. “We will use it to wipe out the attacking dragons. All 10,000 of them at once. I can sense your concern. Regrettably, given the sheer number of the dragon’s forces, we expect that at most, a few hundred will survive the attack.” That makes sense. The king raises his arms, “So I implore you guild wizards, please lend Fiore your assistance in dealing with this crisis. You are the best hope we have for slaying any dragons the Eclipse cannot. I beg of you! Don’t let this kingdom fall into ruin!” He bows, begging us here to help him. Everyone shouts their agreement, “Hell yeah! Can’t say I’m against fighting another dragon.” I say, smirking. Rogue and Sting smirk with me, nodding their heads in agreement. The king starts crying, thanking us for agreeing to help him. Rufus turns to Olga and says, “I’m no more eager to see her than anyone else, but where’s M’Lady?” I drop my smile and glare at him. “MINERVA is a coward. We don’t need that backstabbing bitch to help us with this situation.” He and Olga nod, understanding the hint I’m putting down to NOT TALK ABOUT HER! The king keeps saying thank you, and I turn to him, “Your majesty. There’s no need to cry. We’ll knock their teeth in!” He continues to say thank you as his voice gets higher pitched, “I mean it! Thank you! Thank you, pumpkins!” Everyone goes silent at what he just said. HE SOUNDS EXACTLY LIKE THE REFEREE PUMPKIN DUDE FROM THE GAMES!!! “Pumpkins?!” Erza asks, shocked. Ichiya then speaks, “I recognize the parfum of that voice!” The king clears his throat, and his deep voice is back. “Let’s destroy these dragons!” We all cheer with him, deciding for his own dignity to ignore that misstep. I still can’t shake that weird feeling in my stomach though. And I don’t think it’s about the dragons. It’s something to do with Rogue.

Third POV:
Natsu and Future Rogue are still fighting, and the others have left the hallway for Lucy’s safety. Natsu suddenly stops and says, “Question. Did you really come here to save the future? My nose is telling me that everything about you is evil!” Future Rogue smiles devilishly at Natsu’s words, confirming his suspicions.

Outside the castle, Lucy, Wendy, Freed, and the three cats have joined Princess Hisui, Colonel Arcadios, and Defense Minister Darton, as well as an army of Royal Soldiers, in front of the Eclipse Gate. It has been unlocked for some time now, and it’s now beginning to open up. Everyone watches in shock as fog starts to seep through the opening in the huge gate. Lucy starts to get a weird feeling, and notices a power that feels significantly like Acnologia. She starts to walk forward, her eyes widening as she comes to a realization.

Back with Natsu and Future Rogue, their fight is starting to get even more intense as Future Rogue keeps threatening Lucy’s life, which only pisses Natsu off even more. Future Rogue suddenly starts to glow white while being surrounded by his shadow. It’s confusing, and Future Rogue suddenly says, “Change mode, White Shadow Dragon!” Natsu widens his eyes in shock at his words, wondering how Rogue can have Sting’s powers. Future Rogue’s powers are even more powerful, and he attacks Natsu easily, knocking him to the ground. Natsu is unable to get up, and he strainfully asks, “White Shadow?” Future Rogue chuckles evilly, and says, “I took Sting’s powers when I ended his life! It wasn’t easy, but it was absolutely necessary. In retrospect, I should’ve done it sooner.” Natsu glares at him and says, “Amazing. I knew you were all about darkness, but I had no idea you cared so little about life!” Future Rogue smirks down at Natsu and says, “Now you know. And you can take that with you to the grave.” Natsu slowly stands up, and says, “What about Candy?” Future Rogue is caught off guard by this question, and remains silent for a moment. Natsu takes the time to continue, “She would never forgive you for this. How could you become the very thing she’s vowed to destroy?” Future Rogue closes his eyes and frowns, “She was a part of the 90% that died seven years ago. I’ve all but forgotten everything about her by now. Her voice, her smell, and how she looks. She’s just a memory that existed once, and disappeared forever.” Natsu widens his eyes in shock at the man before him, and realizes that he’s completely lost himself because of Candy’s death. With that, Future Rogue smirks at Natsu and is about to take him down when Ultear shows up out of nowhere and stops him from attacking Natsu. Future Rogue goes into his shadow and takes off. Natsu falls unconscious on the ground, and Future Rogue’s shadow starts to pull him under. However, he wakes up just in time for Ultear and Meredy to pull him out.