Do to new ideas and overall dissatisfaction with how I wrote my first Fairy Tail fic I decided to redo it and make some changes. The first couple of chapters are largely the same but have several parts edited/added for clarification and new story adjustments. Things really start to change around chapters 4 and 5. I haven't reached the same point in the storyline as my other fic so the last couple of chapters I wrote in the first story aren't present yet. They will be incorporated with heavy adjustments in the future. I hope you like the changes!

I'd also like to give a big thank you to everyone who graciously signed up to donate money on the artist donation page we all know about but whose name fanfiction won't allow anywhere on their site (which is kinda understandable). I really appreciate all of your support!

Also like to say thanks to Blazblade who has been constantly PMing about the progress on my stories and letting me use them as a sounding board.

With that said I'd like to present the new and (hopefully) improved:

The Legend of Fairy Tail

Chapter 1

A New Companion and a New Land

xxx

Link sighed and stretched his arms to the sky, a tired but contented grin on his face. His grand adventure in Termina had finally come to an end and after passing through the gate between worlds he once again found himself in the ancient forest he was originally traversing. He chuckled as Epona snorted beneath him at the sudden change in smell that assaulted her nostrils. The young Hylian also took a deep breath, inhaling the rich and comforting aroma that only the forest could give off. Having spent his early life growing up amongst the Kokiri, Link felt most at ease when surrounded by the dense trees. They reminded him of simpler times when he lived as a Kokiri, a child of the forest.

Lowering his arms with a relaxing breath he urged his faithful steed onward, delving deeper into the woods and resuming his original search for his long lost fairy partner. He didn't fear getting lost even in a forest with a name as disconcerting as the Lost Woods. It had, after all, at one point been part of his home. As the familiar atmosphere swirled around him, Link couldn't help but let his mind wander to his childhood and the years he spent as a Kokiri. He cherished the memories of those years and the experiences he had.

While Link had never quite fit in with the others he would never have guessed the grand destiny that fate had in store for him. He had always been a bit different than the other Kokiri and it hadn't just been because he didn't have a guardian fairy. He was more adventurous, energetic, and curious than the others. His curiosity often led to him wandering off and getting into trouble. Link was also physically stronger, faster, and more agile than his fellow forest children. All these factors and the fact that he didn't have a fairy meant the others usually treated him distantly. Sure he had friends and did things with the others but he was never fully accepted among them. His best friend, Saria, had been a tremendous blessing for his childhood. She was the only one who accepted him completely and accompanied him almost everywhere.

Another difference that separated him from the others, but was much less known, was the fact that he had a rather close relationship with the Great Deku Tree. He had spent many evenings with the ancient forest spirit listening to his tales and words of wisdom. The Deku Tree comforted Link when he was down, chastised him when he got in trouble, and praised when he deserved it. He was a true father figure to the future Hero of Time and his death had greatly affected the young Hylian.

While some of those times had been rough, Link wouldn't have changed anything. They had made him into the person he was and would become. Those years had laid the foundation for a hero to grow and it was a hero that had risen to face the evils threatening not one, but two worlds.

One would think that after all the good he had done and sacrifices he had made that the Heavens would grant the now young Hero of Time a small respite or some measure of reward. Perhaps what happened next could be counted as such, although if any were to bear witness to the event they would have called it a curse.

It started when the traveling pair entered an open glade, a rare but not unusual sight even this deep in the Lost Woods. Rays of sunlight unobstructed by the space in the canopy illuminated the area and fell upon beautiful flowers and plants that hungrily basked in the heavenly nourishment. Butterflies flitted from petal to petal and the air was thick with woodlights and fairyflies, a testament to the magic present in the ancient forest. Link smiled at the sight as memories of countless hours playing amongst the magical lights and glowing insects with the other Kokiri flowed through his mind. He watched idly as a particularly large woodlight floated through the air towards him in a lazy lilting path. The young hero tenderly reached out and let it alight upon his open palm before bring it closer to his face. He gazed fondly at the glowing manifestation of the forest before gently blowing it back into the air. His grin widened in amusement as the woodlight collided with another and both burst into several smaller ones that spread out on their own paths.

"EEK!"

A sudden scream jolted Link from his reverie and he snapped his head to the far side of the clearing where he saw a large ball of light wildly jerking about in midair. He blinked in surprise, instantly recognizing the light for what it was: a fairy.

A sudden surge of hope burst through his chest at the discovery but was just as quickly quashed, even from the distance he could tell that it wasn't Navi; his former partner didn't glow pink. Despite the pain brought on by the sudden dash of hope, Link wasted no time as he hurriedly made his way over to the distressed forest sprite. It didn't take him long to ascertain the reason for her frenzied state.

The poor fairy was trapped; wrapped tightly and bound by the sticky threads of a spider's web. Link watched her frantic struggles as he approached, her exertions only making her situation worse as she tangled herself further with each frantic pull. Her arms, legs, and gossamer wings were bound completely making escape impossible. Nevertheless she fought and Link couldn't help but admire her tenacity.

As he drew closer he spotted a small Skulltula, the reason for the fairies dilemma, crawling its way toward its helpless victim and clacking its mandibles loudly. Link clicked his tongue in disgust. Skulltulas were one of the few forest creatures that would actively feed on fairies. As creatures deeply connected to the forest, fairies were well respected by its other inhabitants and only the darker monsters dared to attack them. Skulltulas were among them. The helpless fairy soon became aware of the approaching monster and with another terrified scream she redoubled her efforts to break free.

With a scowl Link immediately drew his bow and killed the creature with a shot straight between the eyes of its patterned abdomen. The fairy let out a startled gasp in surprise at the sudden turn of events. One minute she had been staring fearfully into the jaws of death and suddenly those same clacking jaws had disappeared from her sight as Link's arrow knocked the monster from its web.

She turned her head in confusion and her eyes widened at the sight of her saviour approaching on a horse. She was too surprised to think clearly although she idly recognized the figure's garb as that of a Kokiri, though the presence of weapons on him indicated otherwise. She continued to stare speechless as the boy dismounted and walked up to her, his height making him perfectly eye level with her.

"Are you alright?" He asked kindly, his piercing blue eyes full of concern.

"I…uh…umm…y-yes…I-I think so," the young fairy stammered in reply.

"Good, I'm glad," Link smiled warmly in relief causing the fairy to blush at the tenderness in his voice and expression. "Here, let me help you."

He reached forward with one hand to cradle her body while using the other to carefully snap the threads around her with deft fingers. It didn't take him more than a few seconds to remove her from the entanglement. Luckily the Skulltula that spun this web had been small, otherwise the silk would have been much thicker and stronger. He then held the fairy at chest height to examine her and frowned.

Despite being free from the web itself she was still covered in its threads. One of her arms was pinned to her side and her left leg was bent at the knee with her ankle bound to the calf of her other leg, not to mention the silk that tightly wound around the rest of her body and wings. Link doubted she would ever be able free herself from such a state and he couldn't just start pulling the stuff off or he might hurt her. With a heavy sigh he reached into his item pouch and withdrew his waterskin.

"Sorry about this," he said as he removed the cap with his teeth.

The fairy blinked at him. "Wait…what are you do-AARGH!"

Her shrill cry was slightly muffled by the sudden gush of water he dowsed her with. It may only have been a drizzle by normal standards but for someone of her stature it was a torrential flood and it was bloody COLD! Unfortunately bound as she was she could do nothing but take it.

As soon as he was finished she shook herself off as best she could before glaring daggers at Link who grinned sheepishly. He replaced the cap on his waterskin before reaching forward to pinch some of the silk around her legs and began to pull. While the water couldn't dissolve the spider's threads it did help to loosen their hold on the poor fairy. He worked slowly and carefully, mindful not to injure the sprite, and soon had her free of most of the offending stuff. As soon as she was able, the fairy rose to her feet and began trying to wring the water out of her dress.

"Was that really necessary?!" she whined.

"Would you rather I tried ripping that stuff off without it?" Link chuckled lightly and watched as she tried pulling on some web that was still stuck to her elbow.

"I suppose not," She sighed in response when she finally managed to remove the sticky gunk. The fairy then proceeded to try getting the last of the stuff out of her hair and it was then that Link took the opportunity to get a good look at her.

Despite her size she had a willowy figure with long slender legs. She wore a form fitting thigh high magenta dress with straps that fell around her shoulders leaving the tops and her arms bare. Like all fairies she was barefoot. Her auburn hair was short, only reaching to her neck, but suited her very well. Like him she had long pointed ears but unlike him her eyes were bright green. Topping off her appearance was a coiled armlet on right bicep, a beaded bracelet on her right wrist, a similarly beaded necklace, and a pair of earrings in her right ear, all of which matched her eyes perfectly. The fairy would have been considered absolutely beautiful by anyone's standards.

He watched as she finally managed to rid her hair of the sticky thread and then began flapping her wings rapidly in an effort to dry them, wet as they were now she wouldn't be going anywhere for a few minutes.

"Here," Link offered. "Maybe this will help." He raised a finger and with a touch of magic produced a small flame at its tip which he lowered towards her. While he had never been nearly as gifted in the magical arts as Zelda he could easily manage something like this.

"Oh, thank you!" She smiled happily and put her hands towards the flame to warm herself.

"No problem," Link chuckled. "Least I could do after soaking you like that."

"Mmmm…" the fairy hummed but didn't reply. After a moment she stood back and let Link dissipate the fire before turning fully to him. She clasped her hands in front and bowed low to him.

"Thank you very much for saving me!"

"My pleasure," Link smiled at her. "What's your name?"

"Spryte," the fairy replied standing up straight and moving her hands behind her back.

"Nice to meet you, Spryte. I'm Link."

"Link? That sounds kinda familiar. Are you a Kokiri?" Spryte asked curiously, rocking back and forth on her heels. "You look like one but no Kokiri I've heard of carries weapons like you do."

At her words Link's smile turned sad yet still maintained a soft warmth.

"No," he replied. "I'm not, but I was raised as one."

Spryte blinked at his response. "You were…raised as a Kokiri?" She tilted her head to the side in thought. "But the only one like that I know of was…" She trailed off and her eyes widened as realization dawned on her. "Are you the Hero the Great Deku Tree Sprout spoke of?!"

Link laughed sheepishly at her reaction and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah…that's me."

Spryte immediately gasped, snapping her hands to her mouth in shock. Her wings beat furiously, lifting her off his hand and she began flitting about his face excitedly.

"Oh I can't believe it! All the fairies in the forest know about you! And you show up just in time to save me? Wow!"

Link couldn't help but laugh at her antics. He liked her; she was energetic, playful, and spunky.

"I'm just glad I was passing through, you're pretty lucky you know," the young hero replied.

"Don't I know it," Spryte sighed heavily. "What are you doing this deep in the Lost Woods? No Kokiri ever comes this far."

"I…" Link hesitated. "I was looking for my friend, a fairy like you actually. Her name's Navi, perhaps you know her?"

"Oh," Spryte's face suddenly fell. "I suppose you wouldn't know…"

"Wouldn't know what?" Link asked in alarm. "Have you met her? Do you know where she is?"

The young fairy winced at his sudden change in tone but she answered uneasily.

"I...I have never met her personally, but…like you… all fairies know of her."

"Can you tell me what happened to her?" Link asked, desperate hope in his eyes.

Spryte hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. "Do you…do you know why fairies do what we do?"

"Huh?" Link tilted his head in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"When fairies are born, we are born with a purpose. This purpose drives us and we exist to fulfill it. That being said we have a lot of leeway within our calling and we can do whatever we want as long as we tend to the duties given to us. If we ever complete the specific task given to us then, depending on the nature of our previous task, we are either given new purposes or sent out to find our own. Most of us are called to tend to the forest and provide healing to creatures in need which is a life-long task. Other fairies are called to be guardian partners of a Kokiri, a task which lasts as long as the Kokiri lives. There are others of course but those are the main ones you probably know about."

She paused for a breath and to make sure Link was following before continuing.

"Navi…Navi was a special case. Her task wasn't to be your guardian fairy, since you're not actually a Kokiri, but to help you on your quest."

Again she paused and watched the slow realization dawn in the young Hylian's eyes.

"When your journey was complete, her task was fulfilled and she was called back to the forest. She couldn't have stayed with you even if she wanted to."

Link swallowed hard at the news and fought to keep his shaky breaths even. He wasn't succeeding.

"Then…do you know where she is now?

Spryte shook her head sadly in reply. "No, and I doubt you will ever find her either…"

"What?! Why not?!" Link demanded angrily.

"Navi was lauded as a hero upon her return and she was given a reward for her accomplishments."

"A reward?"

Spryte nodded. "Fairies who manage to accomplish particularly great deeds are considered the best of us and ready to take on the greatest of purposes. They are given the blessing to grow and become Great Fairies. When this happens they must leave in order to create a personal Fairy Fountain to house them while they grow into their new bodies and powers. For some this can happen very quickly…but for most the transformation takes years, sometimes as long as a lifetime. Navi was the last fairy to receive this blessing."

Link was stunned. He opened his mouth to speak but no words came out. He just couldn't believe that all his searching had been for naught. Navi was beyond his reach. Great Fairy Fountains were well hidden and could be located anywhere in the land. Some were known to the Royal Family and the other races of Hyule, but Link didn't doubt there were many no one knew existed. Not only that but it was very likely that her transformation wasn't even complete yet. Even if by some miracle he did somehow manage to find her, he knew that she could never be with him again. Her duties as a Great Fairy would prevent that.

With this new revelation the Hero of Time lowered his head dejectedly, tears welling up in his eyes.

Spryte flew down and rested a hand comfortingly on his head. "I'm sorry," she said quietly.

"It's…it's alright…" He choked out before falling silent again. Spryte let him have his moment to gather his thoughts and grieve. After a few minutes he slowly lifted his head back to her and smiled. "Thank you for telling me this. It hurts that I'll probably never see her again but…at least I know she's well. Thank you."

Once again Spryte flushed at his warm smile and watched him turn back to his horse and mount her. She casually fluttered over to him and hovered in front of his face.

"If it helps, I know that she truly cared for you and wouldn't have left if she had any other choice."

"How do you know that?"

"Like I said, Navi was a special case. When a fairy is able to truly fulfill their purpose it is meant to be a joyous moment because it is so rarely done. Most of them are either lifelong commitments or incredibly difficult and as such many fairies grow comfortable in their current position, making progress slow. Completing a task deemed worthy of becoming a Great Fairy is something we all dream about but realistically never expect to happen. So when it does, they mark the times of our greatest and most joyous celebrations and all fairies know of it."

Spryte paused to give Link a comforting smile.

"When she completed her purpose and was named the newest Great Fairy, Navi was the first fairy to ever shed tears because of it."

Link blinked at the news, mouth agape. He stared at Spryte for a long, silent moment, before slight smile grew on his face just in time to divert the drop of water the fell from his eye. With a sniff and a shallow exhalation he quickly wiped his eyes dry before turning away to compose himself.

"Thanks, Spryte…" He said shakily, though his voice grew stronger with each word that followed. "That does help…a lot."

"You're very welcome," the little fairy smiled at him.

"I guess that means my search is over…"

"What are you going to do now?" She asked curiously.

He didn't respond right away but after a moment he sighed. "I don't know...my life up until this point has been one big journey after another. Now that this one is over…I'm at a loss."

"Well," Spryte giggled mischievously. She crossed her arms behind her back and bent towards him. "If you're unsure do you think I could-?"

Whatever she was about to say was interrupted by a sudden crack of thunder overhead. Startled, the pair looked to the sky through the clearing, shock appearing on their faces from what they saw. Dark clouds had suddenly begun swirling above, conjoining into a black hole directly overhead. Heavy winds began rocking the canopy of the trees and could be felt even down to the ground. As the clouds thickened flashes of lightning emanated from the swirling hole, growing larger and more intense with each passing moment.

"Wh-What's happening?!" Spryte shouted in alarm and darted closer to Link to avoid the wind. The young Hero raised an arm overhead to stare at the anomaly as the wind picked up even more. The lightning increased in frequency and intensity until suddenly a wide column of light burst from the hole and fell upon the area around them. The wind instantly grew to a hurricane force gale that swirled within the column of light.

"KYAA!" Spryte screamed holding on to Link's shirt tunic for dear life as the wind threated to blow her away.

"Spryte!" Link shouted in fear when he saw her losing her grip. Try as she might she was not strong enough to hold on and the fabric of his tunic slowly began slipping from her fingers. A sudden violent shake wrenched one of her hands free and left her dangling by what little strength she had in her other. Just as she was about to be blown away, Link acted. With the lightning fast speed and reflexes of a warrior built in battle Link whipped his arm out and caught the hapless fairy in one of his empty bottles. He quickly capped it off before clutching it tightly to his chest.

The wind continued to pick up and he squeezed his eyes shut from the intensity. Beneath him Epona snorted and whinnied fearfully but remained in place like the steadfast steed that she was. Rocks, dirt, and twigs started lifting from the ground, carried up into the dark void in the sky. The malevolent vortex soon gained enough power to lift both Link and Epona from the ground. The panicked cries of the young hero and his horse were muffled by the howling storm as the wind carried them around and up towards its foreboding epicenter.

Just as they were about to be pulled into the black void, a golden glow emanating from his left hand wrapped around Link. The young Hylian gazed in shock as the symbol of the Triforce burned brightly on the back of his hand. The frantic cry of his beloved horse caused his attention to snap towards the poor creature as she flew passed him. With a desperate cry he reached out and managed to snag her mane. As he did so the golden light enveloped her as well, slowing their pace but not halting it. Just as they were pulled into the dark void a brilliant flash of golden light dispersed the storm almost as quickly as it came. The light shone in the air like a brilliant star even brighter than the sun before suddenly receding into itself and winking out of existence leaving nothing in its trace.

With that light, Link, the Hero of Time and bearer of the Triforce of Courage, vanished from Hyrule.

xxx

Magnolia, Earthland X778

"I'll kill you, you tin can wearing floozy!"

"I'll make you beg for mercy, you bare-stomached bimbo!"

The mages of Fairy Tail watched with trepidation as the two strongest female members of the guild butted heads. It was a fairly regular occurrence for the guild known for its rambunctious and over-the –top members. The two girls fought just as much if not more than Natsu and Grey and THAT was saying something. The only difference was that while Erza always broke up the fights between the boys, no one dared do the same for her and Mirajane. There was some unwritten law of the universe that prevented men from breaking up a catfight and there weren't any female members strong enough to try. The few times that Natsu had tried to intervene had ended with him being knocked through the wall or roof. As such the two were usually left alone until something happened to interrupt their fight or the Master himself intervened.

"Red-haired idiot!"

"Old hag!"

"Tramp!"

"Wench!"

The two young women traded blows endlessly, pulling hair, and throwing insults with abandon. Though there was very little actual skill involved, a sharp contrast to a legitimate wizards duel, it was nonetheless a vicious and brutal brawl with no rules whatsoever. They fought for several minutes before they suddenly broke apart; Erza summoned a sword with her Requip magic while a dark magic circle appeared over Mira's head. Panic spread throughout the guild as the two powerful girls prepared to clash when suddenly something crashed through the roof and cratered the floor between them.

All movement in the guild ceased as people coughed and tried waving away the dust that was kicked up by the impact.

"What was that?!" Someone yelled through the haze.

Confusion was etched on the faces of everyone as they waited for the dust to settle. Erza and Mira were the most surprised of all since the sudden interruption had quite literally broken up the fight between them. As the air cleared they approached the crash cautiously and gasped in surprise at what they saw. A young boy clad in a green with a long floppy hat and a sword and shield strapped to his back lay unconscious in the middle of the small hole. His long pointed ears were easily visible through his golden blonde hair.

"It's a boy!" Mira exclaimed loudly shocking the other members of the guild.

"A boy?"

"Where did he come from?"

"What's going on?"

These and many other questions echoed around the hall until a low groan pierced through the noise and silenced everyone. All eyes immediately turned to the mysterious boy who struggled to sit up. Erza immediately raised her sword, ready in case the intruder was hostile. She watched carefully as the boy sat up and rubbed his head before slowly opening his eyes.

She was the first thing that he saw and she blinked in surprise as their eyes met. His were a deep and piercing blue, sharper than any eyes she had seen before. Though there was confusion in them she also saw something else; something familiar…a hardness that indicated strength, experience, and danger. The sight made her unconsciously tighten her grip on her sword, an action which did not go unnoticed by the boy who narrowed his eyes in response before suddenly lunging forward with a loud cry.

In one swift leap he had closed the distance between them while smoothly drawing both sword and shield. Erza barely had time to respond before she was forced to raise her blade to block the lightning fast strike of the strange boy's weapon. The power behind the blow surprised her but she wasn't one of the strongest female mages in Fairy Tail for nothing and she easily held her ground, their blades locked.

The boy pushed hard against her, trying to break through her guard for an advantage, but Erza was strong and held firm. The stalemate lasted for a second before Erza pushed his blade aside and tried to counter. The green clad boy swiftly dodged the blow and struck again. A furious exchange of blows followed with neither the boy nor Erza gaining the advantage. They struck, dodged, blocked, countered and parried one another in a wild dance of blades.

Erza blocked another attack then swung her sword in a wide horizontal slash which the boy rolled away from and around to her back. She gasped in surprise and quickly Requipped another blade which she swung over her shoulder behind her back just in time to stop the boys counter. The boy looked surprised at the sudden display of magic and Erza took full advantage of the momentary pause to attack again with both weapons in hand.

A cry of dismay left the boy as he struggled to stave off the redhead's furious assault. He managed to block all of her strikes but her powerful blows numbed his arms and he was slowly being pushed back. Erza smirked as she realized her advantage and pressed on, striking with increasing ferocity. Finally she swung both swords up with enough power to break through his guard and cause him to stumble. In a single fluid motion she continued her movement into a tight spin, Requipping out both swords for a polearm which she swung to strike the boy. She hit him in the stomach with the shaft of her weapon and sent him crashing into the far wall.

For a moment all movement stopped as everyone watched the boy drop to the ground with a groan. Erza relaxed her stance, placing one hand on her hip with a smirk of triumph. That smirk however turned into a frown when she saw the boy rise to his feet again and glare at her with determined eyes. She readied herself once more as the boy lunged forward again.

"ENOUGH!"

A commanding voice bellowed as a gigantic fist smashed between them. All eyes turned to see the angry face of the Guild Master Makarov glaring at them all, his magically enlarged arm separating the strange boy from Erza. He locked eyes with the young boy who returned his gaze with an unwavering determination that mildly impressed the Guild Master. The stare down continued for several tense seconds before, to everyone's surprise, the boys sword suddenly dropped from his hands with a loud clang and he fell to the floor unconscious; a pool a blood slowly spreading from his body.

"He's hurt!" the gentle voice of Lisanna, Mirajane's younger sister, exclaimed.

Everyone gasped and crowded around the boy while Erza blinked in surprise.

"He was hurt?" She thought to herself. "How did I not notice?"

"LINK!"

A new voice cried out and everyone looked up to see a glowing ball of light zip through the hole in the roof towards the boy.

"OH NO!" She screamed when she saw the blood. "Hold on, Link! You'll be ok!"

She then turned to face the people around them and frantically pleaded. "Please! You have to help him!"

For a second no one moved, too surprised by the sudden presence of the tiny flying women.

"Hey, you're kinda pretty!" Natsu, the bluntest person present, broke the silence. "Are you some kind of firefly?"

"What?!" the little women suddenly glowed red with rage. "I'm not a bug! I'm a fairy!"

Dead silence fell around the guild.

.

.

.

.

.

"WHAAAAAT?!"

xxx