THIS IS THE LAST PART OF THIS FICLET!
I don't know whether to be sad or happy. :'D I loved writing this! And I loved sharing it with you :3 Thankyou all so much for your enthusiasm and love.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, EVERYONE!

Before the newly formed little group continued on their journey, however, Igneel stopped Natsu by putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Wait a moment, my boy," he told him, moving to rummage through the large bag at his side. He pulled out numerous things (and Lucy got a feeling this bag held way more than should have been physically possible) before he found his desired object. He pulled out a long, gray scarf that was frayed on both sides, as if it had been well worn.

The scale pattern resembled that of his own body.

"Take this," he said as he held it out to Natsu, "And guard it well."

Natsu accepted it curiously. "Is this for protection aswell?" he asked.

Igneel raised his brows in question, and Natsu clarified, "Like the cloak." as he pointed at himself. The dragon grinned, showing off sharp canines.

"Yes. It will protect you," he chuckled.

He watched as Natsu fumbled with the material a little, placing it around his neck and comparing it to the cloak.

"It's magical, you see. It will sustain your energy with my own, so that you can never be snuffed out – no matter how dark it gets," he said with a grin that made happy wrinkles appear around his eyes. "You have my flames with you always now, my boy."

For once, Natsu was speechless.

Then, slowly, a blinding smile spread across his face, and he launched himself into Igneel's arms.

The dragon was taken by surprise, but welcomed the affection gladly, offering a bear hug and head rub in return.

"Lucy, I really like this guy," he laughed, "Bring him around one of these days, and I might teach him some magic tricks."

He spoke with so much confidence, as if the only outcome of their mission could only be one of success, and Lucy found herself believing once more. Picturing a happy future, one where she had friends again, and maybe even a little family of her own – a cat, a flame and a dragon, who would have ever guessed – filled her with enough determination to face an entire forest of nightmares.

All these stories she so admired, all the danger, passion and adventure; she could create her own.

It was infinitely more terrifying than she had ever dreamed – and infinitely more thrilling.

All stories, when lived, begged to be retold. And Lucy understood it now, this desire, experienced it first-hand.

She would make sure to live to tell the tale.

Happy, demanding attention, loudly meowed at Natsu, who promptly picked him up.

"Woah, Lucy," the boy suddenly cried out, "He has wings!"

Both Lucy and Igneel leaned in curiously, and indeed: two tiny wings had sprouted on Happy's back, right between his shoulderblades. They flapped a little, and the cat looked almost proud as it lifted up into the air just the tiniest bit before dropping back down. He yawned from the effort, snuggling into Natsu's new scarf. They all laughed, and Natsu contently petted his friend's head.

"Let's put an end to this," Lucy said with newfound confidence. With a flying cat, a dragon and a flame spirit by your side, the darkness was a lot less terrifying. It could be as menacing as it wanted, growling from the shadows, but it would not reach them anymore.

And it was time that it left for good.

They'd been journeying through the forest for quite a while when Lucy suddenly halted.

"Oh!" she exclaimed excitedly, "I know where we are! It's not far now!"

The promise of their goal being within reach filled their tired bodies with new energy.

The longer they tread, the lighter the forest seemed to be getting: it was a little odd, because they were only venturing deeper and had not been expecting the darkness to fade.

The heavy blanket of sadness that had been weighing down on them seemed to weaken with every step, and even the occasional, hesitant bird song could be heard up in the treetops.

But the faint glow between the branches was not sunlight.

There was a strong magical aura lingering over this place. And it only grew stronger the closer they came to the gate.

Natsu gaped at his surroundings. "So this is the forest without the darkness…" he mumbled, mouth wide open as he admired a flower that defiantly raised its head. "Now I'm even more fired up!"

A part of Lucy was aching for him, thinking how he had never even seen the beauty of what was now his home, how he had been born as an untamed fire that brought a little light into a deep pit of darkness. But a much bigger part was infinitely excited for him to see, to show him just what this forest could be.

They were so entranced with the newfound magic that they almost missed their destination, almost walked past the tree that held what they had been fighting so hard to reach. Maybe it was because it was not as large and impressive as one might have thought: it did not shine brighter than the stars, nor did it attract much attention. In fact, it was so concealed by foliage and overgrowth that you had to know what you were searching for, and where to look, to find it at all.

Oh but when you found it, when you looked, it was a thing of beauty.

It was carved into the thick bark of the massive tree, winding along its sides and travelling upwards, the lines not mere embellishment but part of a structure that held up the tree itself. There was no telling where the gate ended or the tree began; they were one and the same. Half-hidden behind a group of younger trees, it was beautiful and compelling – and so, so old.

It was peaceful here; the darkness had not yet found a way in.

"Does the spirit king live here?" Natsu asked, knocking on wood. Surprisingly enough, nothing happened. "Oi, spirit king!"

"Natsu," Lucy laughed, "That's not how it works. He doesn't exactly… live here."

"He doesn't?" Natsu asked, pouting.

"This gate connects our world to the one us spirits originated from. This is where the spirit king lives, and he can only be summoned by few." She took a deep breath. "And I am one of those."

"So, guardian of the forest," Igneel declared solemnly, "How is it done?"

"With a key," she told them, proceeding to take off her overcoat. Her tail, now no longer weighed down by her heavy robe, swayed softly and curled at her side. She stepped closer to the gate, resting her right hand flat against it and closing her eyes. A glow engulfed it and spread along the treetrunk, filling the carvings like liquid gold.

"What key?" Natsu whispered devoutly to Igneel, who shrugged and pointed at Lucy.

Her tail flicked, rising to stroke against the tree. It found what it was searching for at the height of her stomach: a small hole in the bark.

She pushed against it – and then turned.

A loud creaking travelled up the tree.

They understood now: it was a magical key, residing in Lucy's tail.

The golden glow became brighter and brighter, until they had to avert their eyes from its force. The gate was opening, transforming the whole tree as if it were modelling clay.

A faint sound rang through the woods, like the soft chime of bells, but it might just have been the wind. It that had picked up considerably. It blew harshly against them, coming from the gate itself (from another world, you could feelit), tousling their hair and rustling the crowns of the trees.

When it died down and the blinding light faded, the tree looked exactly like before, as if nothing had happened at all. However, the tall man clad in armour who stood in front of it now was living proof to contradict any doubts.

One look was enough to see he was anything but human. If his size had not been enough to tell (he loomed over them, almost as large as the old tree), then the golden glow that covered him like fairy dust, and his peculiarly shaped eyes would have done the trick.

They were deep as an entire ocean, and the knowledge they held would have been too much for a human to comprehend. Too much for anyone to know.

It was a burden, and a blessing.

"Old friend," he smiled, reaching out a hummongous hand to fondly tap his index finger against Lucy's head.

The girl obviously was overwhelmed – and a tad bit terrified – but managed a shy smile.

"I'm sorry, but we have never met, your… majesty," she spoke carefully, "Perhaps you are confusing me with my late mother."

"You don't know me, Lucy," he said with a booming voice, "But I certainly know you. I recognize your spirit. A fine forest guardian, like your mother before you. Time moves differently for us over there, you see. You're all… linear here. It's confusing."

The three friends certainly considered themselves to be the confused ones, but questioned no further. He was a king, after all.

And yet, manners had always been a mystery to Natsu.

"Hey old man," he called upwards, "Do you know why we're here?"

Always Natsu, cutting right to the chase.

The king laughed, and the sound made the ground shake and the trees tremble. "I certainly do. You're here to ask me a favour. And I am more than willing to comply. This is my forest, too, after all."

Lucy bowed her head, her voice pained. "I'm sorry for not being able to protect it for you," she said quietly, "I could never have dne it on my own."

"Whatever are you talking about?" the spirit king asked gently, "Who said you'd have to do it alone? Look at you, summoning a king! You protected your home in all the ways possible – and above all, with love."

Feeling an arm around her shoulder, Lucy looked back up to find Natsu smiling at her. She smiled back warmly, wiping away the inklings of tears beneath her eyes.

"Thankyou," she told them with a voice that was just the tiniest bit shaky, but filled with happiness all the more, "All of you, thankyou so much."

"Hogwash!" Igneel interrupted with a grin, "Nothing to thank us for! Now, let's save the happy tears for when we win!"

Nodding, Lucy beamed back at him, leaning into Natsu's side.

They huddled together once more, firmly gripping each other's hands. Even the spirit king, large as he was, got down on his knees and joined their circle.

Holding hands was for the big and small, and all the sizes in between, after all.

"My friends," he said, "Let us lend each other strength one more time."

They all poured their hearts and emotions into their magic, letting it spill over to lend all their power to the king at their side.

There was a lot to give, and even more to welcome their energy, and merge it into one large beacon of hope and love. The magic of the forest, of all the living and breathing things residing in it, came together in one might uproar; a declaration to protect what was theirs, to help their friends with all their might.

The sirit king started growing at an amazing speed, and yet the movement was tranquil at the same time. As he expanded before them, he be came pure light, growing and growing until he enveloped the whole forest. It was an amazing sight; the woods ablaze with light and colour.

The darkness was quite literally ripped out, and no amount of clinging or gripping or screeching could stop it from being purged. And so it ran, fleeing the light, until it reached the edge of the forest. What happened to it then, no one can tell.

And then, slowly, the spirit king's magic dispersed. The light he left behind shone brightly.

The four left behind stared at the sky in awe, watching as the natural light was let back into the forest that was their home, watched it spill between the treesand rush along the ground like wildwater. The woods were breathing a sigh of relief as a heavy weight was up-rooted and blew away with the fresh, warm wind.

Natsu laughed, then, and the others joined right in, smiling so hard it hurt.

They had a lot to smile about now, a lot of happiness to give.

Natsu went on to live with Lucy and Happy in their little home. Together, they looked after the forest, caring for its inhabitants with unconditional love and a fierce will to protect. Igneel often visited them, dropping by after long travels into distant lands (that left him with the most peculiar souvenirs, and the one or other new scar full of stories), when he needed the calm and comfort of a good home and the warm affection of a happy family.

A little kindness could go a long way, and in these wild woods it had travelled so much further.

Lucy's home was filled with happiness and laughter yet again, the light at last bringing back everything that had been taken, albeit in a different form. Love worked like that, sometimes.

And it was in front of this very home where they parted ways with Igneel after their adventure.

They smiled brightly at each other, moving in for a large, heart-felt hug.

Together, the five of them had driven the darkness out of the forest.

There was no telling where it was now, or if it would attempt to return one day. But it did not matter, because if it did, someone would always be there to stop it. Even the smallest flame could shed light into the darkness. The smallest things could make a difference.

Sometimes, even a smile was enough.