Frozen Heart
Chapter 77
“So you can’t use your magic?” Jack queried once both Lucys finished enthusiastic retelling what the group had been through since arriving in Edolas.
“No…” Wendy admitted, big brown eyes watery. “Even Carla and Happy…”
“Hey, why can you use magic?” Earthland Lucy wondered. “Did Mystogan give you a weird pill-thing, too?”
“Nah, I didn’t need an X-Ball.” Jack replied, waving the thought off. “I may be part human, but I’m also a Winter Spirit, and not being in Earthland doesn’t mean I’m not still deeply connected. I have way too much magic for it all to be blocked.”
“But it is blocked?” Wendy fretted, hugging Carla tighter.
“Only a little.” The winter-girl assured, Baby Tooth chirping worriedly in her ear. “My limits aren’t what they used to be, but I still have plenty of magic to beat up that old pile of rags.”
A jumble of groans and dry heaves came from poor Natsu, where he was hanging off the edge of the sleigh with Bunny, who was trying to ease both their discomfort.
“Yeah, who was that guy?” Happy wondered, rubbing his partner’s back in an attempt at comfort.
“Is Pitch Black, the Boogieman.” North interjected from his spot in the ‘driver’s seat’, steering his reindeer towards Edolas’ royal city. “Calls himself Nightmare King. Does not have much Belief, so is very upset.”
“So what’s he trying to do?” Edolas Lucy questioned. “Make everyone afraid?”
“Not everyone. The children.” Tooth explained, standing carefully in the moving sleigh. “Nothing is more powerful than the Belief of a child. It’s why we protect them, keep them believing in our Centers, so that Pitch Black can’t corrupt them with fear.”
“Centers?” Jack piped up, brow furrowing.
“It’s what makes us Guardians.” Bunny grumbled, still looking a bit air-sick. “An’ it’s what we protect in the anklebiters.”
“Pitch’s plan is to make the kids stop believing in us by ruining our work.” Jack Frost continued, perched behind the mages with balanced ease. “He attacked Tooth first, since she’s Guardian of Memories, so we can’t remind the kids of all the good times we’ve given them on Easter or Christmas. And since winter’s almost over, it’ll be easy for them to forget me and all the Fun I help them have.”
“But still have advantage!” North insisted, seeing the mage’s unease. “Still have Wonder and Hope! And Sandy’s Dreams much stronger than silly Nightmares!”
“And they’ve got me.” Jack reminded them, smiling. “So I’m leaving finding the lacrima to you guys, okay?”
“What?” Carla erupted, surprised. “How do you expect us to get anywhere without our magic?”
“By being smart.” She replied calmly. “All you need to do is find it and figure out a way to turn everyone back.”
Wendy almost jumped as white-gloved hands covered her own, closing them over the crystal-ice snowflake, and looked up into snowflake-dotted blue eyes.
“If you have any problem, all you have to do is call and I’ll be there.”
Taking strength from the half-Spirit’s confidence, the Sky Dragon Slayer nodded, a smile taking shape on her face.
There was no way they could lose.
After all, they were Fairy Tail mages.
“No…” Wendy admitted, big brown eyes watery. “Even Carla and Happy…”
“Hey, why can you use magic?” Earthland Lucy wondered. “Did Mystogan give you a weird pill-thing, too?”
“Nah, I didn’t need an X-Ball.” Jack replied, waving the thought off. “I may be part human, but I’m also a Winter Spirit, and not being in Earthland doesn’t mean I’m not still deeply connected. I have way too much magic for it all to be blocked.”
“But it is blocked?” Wendy fretted, hugging Carla tighter.
“Only a little.” The winter-girl assured, Baby Tooth chirping worriedly in her ear. “My limits aren’t what they used to be, but I still have plenty of magic to beat up that old pile of rags.”
A jumble of groans and dry heaves came from poor Natsu, where he was hanging off the edge of the sleigh with Bunny, who was trying to ease both their discomfort.
“Yeah, who was that guy?” Happy wondered, rubbing his partner’s back in an attempt at comfort.
“Is Pitch Black, the Boogieman.” North interjected from his spot in the ‘driver’s seat’, steering his reindeer towards Edolas’ royal city. “Calls himself Nightmare King. Does not have much Belief, so is very upset.”
“So what’s he trying to do?” Edolas Lucy questioned. “Make everyone afraid?”
“Not everyone. The children.” Tooth explained, standing carefully in the moving sleigh. “Nothing is more powerful than the Belief of a child. It’s why we protect them, keep them believing in our Centers, so that Pitch Black can’t corrupt them with fear.”
“Centers?” Jack piped up, brow furrowing.
“It’s what makes us Guardians.” Bunny grumbled, still looking a bit air-sick. “An’ it’s what we protect in the anklebiters.”
“Pitch’s plan is to make the kids stop believing in us by ruining our work.” Jack Frost continued, perched behind the mages with balanced ease. “He attacked Tooth first, since she’s Guardian of Memories, so we can’t remind the kids of all the good times we’ve given them on Easter or Christmas. And since winter’s almost over, it’ll be easy for them to forget me and all the Fun I help them have.”
“But still have advantage!” North insisted, seeing the mage’s unease. “Still have Wonder and Hope! And Sandy’s Dreams much stronger than silly Nightmares!”
“And they’ve got me.” Jack reminded them, smiling. “So I’m leaving finding the lacrima to you guys, okay?”
“What?” Carla erupted, surprised. “How do you expect us to get anywhere without our magic?”
“By being smart.” She replied calmly. “All you need to do is find it and figure out a way to turn everyone back.”
Wendy almost jumped as white-gloved hands covered her own, closing them over the crystal-ice snowflake, and looked up into snowflake-dotted blue eyes.
“If you have any problem, all you have to do is call and I’ll be there.”
Taking strength from the half-Spirit’s confidence, the Sky Dragon Slayer nodded, a smile taking shape on her face.
There was no way they could lose.
After all, they were Fairy Tail mages.