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Chapter 519 - Two Fairy Tails in a Mess

"Huh? Is that me?"

"Am I… saving myself?"

"Evergreen? Didn't you already—"

As the injured slowly regained consciousness, voices of confusion, joy, and surprise echoed through the ruined streets.

Some people chatted enthusiastically with their counterparts, others found their alternate selves unbearable, and a few quietly remembered those they'd lost.

The two Fairy Tails, one from Earth Land, the other from Edolas, had collided in chaotic harmony, bringing laughter and a new burst of energy to the desolate royal capital.

Nearby, the older Wendy stood in awe as her younger self used healing magic to patch up wounds.

"Wow… so the little me is this powerful."?"

Wendy pouted. "If possible, please use a different adjective."

"Eh?" The older Wendy blinked, then smiled warmly and adjusted the front of her robe. "Ohhh, I get it. You're worried about that? Don't be. I looked just like you when I was ten. You'll catch up."

"That's the problem!" Wendy wailed. "I'm already twelve!"

"Ah....right, well..." the older Wendy scratched her cheek, clearly flustered. She quickly launched into a list of recommended snacks, secret recipes, and stretching routines to encourage growth.

The younger Wendy sniffled, still sulking, but continued healing while mentally noting down all the tips. Just in case.

"Juvia! Are you alright?!"

The heavily bundled Edolas Gray stumbled toward Edolas Juvia, wrapped in enough layers to withstand a snowstorm.

The two Juvias locked eyes, but their expressions couldn't have been more different.

Meanwhile, Earth Land Juvia caught sight of her Gray, with stars in her eyes.

"There are two Lord Grays… is this a dream?"

Edolas Gray stared at the scene, just as starry-eyed. "There are two Juvias… this must be heaven!"

Gray crossed his arms and scowled at his alternate self. "Seriously? Couldn't you wear fewer clothes?"

Juvia from Edolas turned to Edolas Gray with a deadpan glare. "Come back and talk to me when you're dressed like him."

But as soon as she looked at Gray's sculpted physique, his one visible shirt barely clinging to him, her cheeks lit up like fireworks.

Wait… was Gray always this fit under those layers?

Juvia's gaze sharpened like a dagger. "W-what?! Even Juvia wants to steal Lord Gray from Juvia?!"

"Is Lord Gray going to betray Juvia… and fall for Juvia?!"

Gray groaned and held his head in frustration, while Edolas Gray could only stare in disbelief.

"So in Earth Land… Juvia actually likes me…"

Nearby, Lucy sighed and rubbed her temples. "I don't even know what she's talking about anymore."

Edolas Lucy, holding her injured arm, smirked. "The me from Earth Land sure likes to whine."

Lucy turned. "Aren't you whining about me right now?"

Natsu burst into laughter, hands on his hips. "Lucy, don't complain about yourself! That's just dumb! Aha ha ha ha!"

Both Lucys twitched.

Their expressions darkened in perfect sync.

Then they turned toward Natsu and glared as one.

Edolas Natsu cautiously poked Natsu's arm. "Hey, talking to Lucy like that is a good way to get smacked."

"Hah? Who gets smacked by Lucy, ha ha...wait, hold up." Natsu paused mid-laugh, narrowing his eyes. "Don't tell me you're always getting bullied by Lucy over there? Hey, you're supposed to be me, and you can even ride vehicles! Man up!"

Edolas Natsu shrank back. "But Lucy is really scary… and it has nothing to do with riding stuff."

Before he could finish, Edolas Lucy grabbed him by the collar. "Who are you calling scary, huh?!"

Nearby, Levy was wrapping a bandage around Edolas Levy's arm. "Wow, so Lucy-chan here has this kind of personality."

"'Lucy-chan'?" Edolas Levy frowned slightly. "So you actually call that violent woman something cute like that."

"So I guess you and your world's Lucy don't get along, huh?" Levy smiled. "Over here, there aren't many girls my age in the guild, and we just naturally hit it off."

Before Wendy joined, Levy had been the youngest girl in Earth Land's Fairy Tail. Mikki, Laki, Cana, and Bisca were all about a year older. Erza and Mira were two years older. Evergreen was three years older and hardly hung out with anyone.

Juvia was the same age as Levy, but she had only joined recently, and without Gray nearby, she was often gloomy and hard to approach.

So Levy preferred spending time with Lucy. They'd trade books, go shopping, gossip… the usual stuff close friends did.

"Aren't there other girls our age?" Edolas Levy asked. "Like Lisanna, Juvia, Wendy, aren't they all seventeen?"

"…Oh."

She trailed off awkwardly, finally realizing something felt off. That world's Wendy was still a child, and the others had their own differences too.

"By the way… what's up with those two?" she asked, pointing subtly.

"Ah...well..." Levy began hesitantly.

She turned and introduced Jet and Droy, both of whom had been shamelessly ogling the two versions of her the entire time.

Jet elbowed his friend excitedly. "Yo, Droy. Two Levys."

Droy nodded, a bit flustered. "Jet, I—uh… yeah. They're both cute. Different personalities, but Levy is still Levy."

Edolas Jet crossed his arms and scowled. "Ahem! We're the top candidates for strongest in the guild. You two better act with some dignity!"

Jet and Droy blinked. "Top candidates?!"

They looked at each other in disbelief. Was this guy serious?

"Even if you don't count the Master," Droy said, "the strongest people in Fairy Tail are obviously Erza, Mira, and..."

"Mira? That Mira?" Edolas Droy cut in, incredulous, pointing at Earth Land Mira and Elfman.

The gentle, kind Mira? The always-flustered Elfman?

No way could that sibling pair rank high in terms of strength. Just a few days ago, they'd been yelling at Edolas Elfman for slacking off during missions.

"If you're gonna be a real man, be stronger!" Earth Land Elfman now lectured his alternate self, who was bawling dramatically on the ground.

"How do you expect to protect your sister when you're crying like that?!"

"I'm sorry...boo hoo, this is so embarrassing!"

"If you're a real man, then," Earth Land Elfman kept lecturing passionately, puffing out his chest. Then he turned toward his sister and pleaded, "Sis, say something too, help me out!"

Mira smiled gently and offered a half-hearted response, "There, there… you should be kinder to yourself."

She said it more out of habit than conviction, clearly distracted, because at that moment, she was sizing up her Edolas counterpart.

The two Miras stood face-to-face and soon struck up a conversation. They quickly discovered that not only did their personalities align, but their daily duties, and even their favorite hairstyle, were exactly the same.

Edolas Mira tilted her head curiously. "How come everyone else is so different, but the two of us are basically identical?"

Rhodes, trying hard to stifle his laughter, leaned over and nudged Mira with his elbow. "Yeah, how come you two are the exception?"

Mira instantly knew what he was getting at. She shot him a sharp glare, though she couldn't exactly explain to her counterpart that she used to be very different before calming down.

After a moment of silence, she found her counterattack. "Maybe it's because I have to put up with someone annoying like you, and you don't."

Edolas Mira looked at Rhodes, then smiled softly. "Annoying? He doesn't seem annoying to me. In fact, he looks like a pretty great guy… in every way."

Mira's expression froze for a second.

Mira felt cornered, she grit her teeth and shot back, "See? Even our taste in men is totally different!"

...

Bonus @1600

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