A Railgun In Fairy Tail, Book 6: Apocalypse

The Gate is Opened...Farewell to the Slumbering Fiore.

Mikoto watched at the darkness creeped further and further across the sky, It's everlasting blackness getting closer and closer. Meanwhile, the Gate of Entry seemed to be getting brighter and brighter, as if the power it had needed to open had finally charged.

"It's finally time.." Mikoto murmured.

Nicole nodded. She walked over to Maverick's silent form and picked him up in her arms as tears began to pour down her face.

"We should bury him.." said Lucy. "Here..on this beach...before the gate opens"

"We don't have the time to dig a hole.." Happy said.

"No..but I still have some magic energy left." said Lucy taking out a gold key. "Open, Gate of the Maiden..Virgo."

In a flash of golden light, a girl in a maid's outfit appeared and nodded at Lucy. "I shall do it Princess."

Virgo spun her body, drilling a hole in the ground. she leapt out and watched as Nicole gently lowered Maverick into the hole. Mikoto couldn't help but marvel at how peaceful the little Exceed looked. It was as if he was sleeping...

As Virgo closed the hole over Maverick's body, Natsu blew a slow steady stream of fire over some of the sand next to him until he had a large rectangular shard of glass. Natsu traced his finger in the molten glass until it said:

Here lies Maverick,

A True Member of Fairy Tail.

Natsu took the glass shard and placed over the spot in the sand where Maverick was buried. "It's not much...but I'm sure the others will give him something more proper once this is all over..."

Mikoto wiped a tear from her eye. Her eyes seemed to burn a bit. She could imagine how red they were, she had spent much of today shedding tears. They had sacrificed much, and they had seen much...Mikoto was pretty sure an adult would say that at her age, it was thoroughly unhealthy. But it didn't matter anymore what the long term affects of this would be...she was already dead...in the end, her grave was clearly marked, it was likely she would never see her little sister Lucy Misaka come into this world.

"Kinda makes me wonder what they'll put on our graves." Mikoto murmured.

"I know what I'd put on yours.." said Lucy with a smile. "Here lies Mikoto...possibly the strongest person I have, or ever will meet..."

"I'm not that strong.." Mikoto said as she blushed slightly.

"You kidding?" said Natsu. "You had an entire leg blown off, and you didn't even say a thing about it!"

"It's going to grow back.." said Mikoto. "Either that...or a Xenomorph is gonna hatch out of my chest..whatever that is.."

"Mikoto," said Happy. "A Xenomorph is those monsters from the movie Alien."

"Oh..so he was joking." said Mikoto with a slight chuckle. "I could never tell with that guy."

"Come.." said Nicole looking up at the Gate of Entry. "It is time."

Sure enough, the gate was beginning to open outwards. For such a large gate, it was astounding how noiselessly it opened...silently gliding it's doors outwards like ghosts. The massive doors opened to reveal a massive shimmering rainbow collored energy surface...much like the Rainbow Gateway that was now sealed within darkness back at Magnolia Town.

"It's only going to be open for a short time.." said Lucy. "We have to hurry!"

"I will carry Princess's friend.." said Virgo as she picked Mikoto up in her arms. "Is this alright?"