[AN: Gasp, it's alive! I genuinely apologize for how long this chapter turned out. Explanations (and excuses) will all be in the ending author's note so I hope you read that and forgive me :(.
Aside from that, I hope you enjoy this chapter! Cheers guys!
...
[X784, Edolas, Taren Mountains]
— Levy Mcgarden —
"Well, well, what do we have here?"
The owner of the voice surprised them as he appeared. Levy and Juvia's eyes darted left and right, between the two versions of the same man.
They looked eerily similar, with only a few notable differences. The hair was done differently, as well as their way of dress. Where their Dannis was calm and composed, the other had a wilder look, his face hardened by scars.
Though, there was one glaring difference between the two. Where Dannis' red lacrima eye existed, Edo Dannis had an eyepatch that covered his left eye, the thin line of a vertical scar just visible beneath it.
A crow perched on his shoulder cawed sharply, its beady eyes flicking from one Dannis to the other as though amused by the mirrored confrontation.
[Edo Dannis Image]
Levy swallowed and glanced around. They weren't alone. Dozens of men and women had fanned out around them, clad in the same rough leathers and patched cloaks as Edo Dannis. They stood silent and watchful, gazing at Earthland Dannis with looks of awe.
The most notable piece of outwear that they had, was the strip of black cloth each wore tied around their foreheads or biceps.
'The wanted poster called it the Black Band Rebellion,' Levy realized, her fingers twitching nervously against her thigh. 'That explains the name.'
Edo Dannis finally broke the silence with a low snort, his single eye raking over his counterpart.
"So you're the other version of me? You don't look like much, do you?"
Earthland Dannis arched a brow. "I'm the one with two eyes. If anything, I look better than you."
Levy chuckled nervously. 'Not helping, Dannis.'
But Edo Dannis only grinned, wolfish and sharp. He nodded toward the sword strapped to his counterpart's side. "Can you use that thing, or is it just for show?"
"What do you think?" Earthland Dannis replied coolly, gesturing with his chin at the scattered Vulcan corpses littering the ground.
Another snort. "Quite snobby, aren't you?"
"I could say the same to you," their Dannis replied.
Levy quickly jumped in before the conversation dissolved into more posturing. "Um, Dannis-san… do you know what drove the Vulcans into such a rage?"
Edolas Dannis turned his gaze on her, and for a moment Levy had to force herself not to shrink back. There was certain wildness in his eyes that very much didn't fit the image of Dannis she was used to seeing.
It was the look of someone who'd lived far too long with war on his doorstep.
"Yes," he said simply. "A beast has appeared in these mountains. At first we thought it was just a rumor, but then… we saw it. A massive airship, unlike anything in Edolas, drifting through the skies. I assumed they came from Earthland. Commanding it was a man, though his presence made me feel like he was a monster in disguise instead."
The crow gave a sharp caw as if punctuating his words. Edo Dannis tilted his head slightly, eye narrowing.
He continued. "Some miles east, one of its officers is fighting a man who breathes lightning."
Levy's breath caught.
"That's…" Juvia whispered, eyes wide.
"Laxus!" Levy blurted, excitement breaking through her anxiety. Relief swelled in her chest. If Laxus was here, they weren't alone.
Earthland Dannis noticed something they didn't. His voice was level when he spoke again, but Levy heard the curiosity behind it. "So you know where we're from. You know of Earthland."
For the first time, Edolas Dannis' expression softened, only slightly. He let out a tired sigh. "Yeah. Yeah, I know."
"Then there's no reason for us to be enemies." Earthland Dannis' hand rested on his sword hilt, not in threat but as though grounding himself. "We heard you're fighting Faust. We want in."
Edo Dannis fell silent, weighing them with that same look that made Levy's skin prickle. It was so strange, so wrong, to see a face she knew so well wearing none of the familiar warmth. Her mind flickered back to Edo Erza, the way she nearly ended Levy's life without hesitation.
Would this Dannis be the same?
The crow suddenly flapped its wings, giving a low, throaty squawk. Edo Dannis glanced at it, then back at them, and gave a single nod.
"Come with me then," he said.
Relief coursed through Levy's chest.
They moved as a group, the rebels falling into formation around them. As they climbed the winding mountain paths, Levy couldn't help but study them. Their clothes were patched and worn, weapons mismatched, but there was a fire in their eyes that no hardship could dim.
'The Black Band Rebellion', she thought, her mind already racing. 'A resistance force, fighting against Faust's rule… if anything they'd make for good allies.'
Finally, through the trees ahead, Levy caught sight of flickering orange light, campfires. Voices rose, low and steady. The murmur of a hidden army.
As the trees parted, they saw it.
A truly massive camp, where sounds of activity echoed. It looked nearly as wide as a city. Edo Dannis smirked at her reaction.
"Welcome," he stated, "to New Magnolia."
…
[X784, Edolas, New Magnolia Camp, near the Taren Mountains]
— Dannis Martell —
Before them stretched a city of tents, watchtowers, and barricades. Torches burned at every corner, smoke curled from cookfires, and the clang of hammers on steel rang through the air.
Children darted between tents carrying water pails, while armored scouts checked their weapons at the gates.
It was chaos and discipline all in one. Dannis can't help but be impressed.
Men and women stopped what they were doing as Edo Dannis passed, fists pressed to chests, heads bowed with respect. Some whispered, some saluted. All eyes followed him, the one-eyed swordsman, leader of the Black Band.
The crow on his counterpart's shoulder gave a sharp caw, as if he was proud of the man below him.
They were ushered into the central tent, wide enough to house a war council. A map of Edolas sprawled across the table, marked with black pins, red ink circling patrol routes and supply depots.
Edo Dannis rested a hand against it, letting out a sigh. The crow fluttered to its perch, pecking at seeds laid out like it was a permanent fixture here.
Levy broke the silence first. "New Magnolia?"
Edo Dannis' eye flicked to her. "Magnolia was a kingdom once. When Edolas was forged from fractured realms, Magnolia was consumed into Faust's empire. This camp is what we built in its memory and as a promise that one day, Edolas won't belong to him."
Dannis remained quiet, watching, listening. Edo Dannis shook his head.
"If you people really want to help, then I need to catch you up to speed about what's going on. Some of my men have already left to find this friend of yours, Laxus was it?"
"That's right." Levy confirmed. "He's really strong, and if he can use magic here, it means he knows how to make us be able to use magic as well."
"Well, I certainly won't say no to a guy who can shoot lightning out of his mouth." Edo Dannis said. "You Earthland people sure are weird."
"How do you know about us?" Earthland Dannis asked, "I was under the impression that information regarding parallel worlds was kept strictly to those who work with Faust."
It was here Dannis saw his counterpart gain a look of melancholy on his face. "Because I was there when the Anima was created."
His words caught everyone by surprise.
"I don't know about you, but the Martells here were a noble lineage with centuries of history. Our family were the former kings of Magnolia."
Dannis blinked. Juvia and Levy merely gaped at the fact Dannis was supposedly royalty.
"The Martells were a noble house, the only ones considered to be rivals with the Fernandez's. Faust Fernandez has always coveted power, and he hated the fact that our influence nearly matched him as the King of Edolas." Edo Dannis said. "Things turned even worse when Jellal, King Faust's son and heir, loudly proclaimed his support of us."
"My father, Ellias Martell, was one of the chief engineers and scientists of the Anima project. We knew plenty about the plan to revive magic in the entire continent." He continued. "However, when he discovered that Faust's attempt in doing so revolved in stealing the magic of another world, he fought against it."
Despite being surprised at hearing his father's name, Earthland Dannis kept his composure. "Let me guess, it's because taking magic from Earthland means enacting doom and the complete destruction of the entirety of the world."
Edo Dannis nodded. "Precisely. Of course, Faust didn't like that. He knew it meant doom, but Faust didn't care. Having gained the support of many other noble families, he used this chance to label us as traitors to weaken the prestige of the Martell family."
Edo Dannis clenched his fists as his single eye blazed with anger. "He framed us. He had his agents plant bombs across four different towns in the borders of Edolas and detonated them. A little under five hundred people died that day."
"No…" Levy gasped with horror.
"Faust framed the Martell's for doing it, saying that the bombs were my father's creations. This event caused the Martell's to lose our wealth, our prestige, and the people's trust."
Dannis shook his head in disgust at that. They knew Faust was a bastard, but this went even beyond that.
Edo Dannis continued his tale after that.
"After that night, Faust had sent the Royal Army to our family's estate to capture us, under the pretense that he was putting us under arrest for 'acts of terrorism'. He sent Erza Knightwalker, along with a hundred of the best soldiers he had to offer." His eyes narrowed then. "But my family, despite recent losses, weren't so weak that we could be swept away just like that. I fought off Knightwalker to a standstill, and our family guards distracted the Royal Army long enough for my family to get to safety. When Faust heard of this, he declared us traitors and swiftly put a bounty on each of our heads."
He shook his head, glaring at the map as if it offended him. Earthland Dannis tilted his head, taking the chance to study the scar that peeked from Edo Dannis' eye patch.
He continued, "Our forced retreat from the royal city sent waves across all of Edolas. It wasn't everyday that a noble family fell from grace so publicly and explosively. Weeks after that, Faust started a purge across Edolas. All magic guilds were to be disbanded and any traces of magical artifacts and lacrima-based weaponry were to be brought by the capital. By force if needed. He had declared that anything, object or person, with a smidgen of magic within them, were property of the crown."
"Which sparked outrage across all of Edolas," Levy finished, "And you used that chance to rally the people to fight back."
Edo Dannis snorted, "A desperate fight through fire and ash, sure."
That started his rise as a black-marked rebel, a ghost in the mountains.
Edo Dannis shared of how he fought across the many lands of Edolas, inspiring many others to do the same. He stopped supply routes, ambushed soldier patrols, stole shipments of lacrima. Anything he could to give the people hope.
His actions caused his name to become dreaded in the Royal Capital. A monster that the wealthy feared to name aloud.
But to the people? Those that lived on the outskirts, the downtrodden, the ones that were forced to live a life without magic.
To them, he was a beacon of hope. When the secret came out and that the Martell's were never responsible for the explosions, his fame skyrocketed.
People started to take the color of black as a symbol, wearing black headbands across their heads as a sign of rebellion towards Faust's regime.
In his rage, Faust named him a terrorist, the leader of the Black Band Rebellion.
As he finished his tale, the weight in the tent grew. Juvia clenched her fists and Levy's brow furrowed as if etching every word into memory.
Dannis felt something else entirely.
Their stories were so similar, yet so different all the same. Two people who came from happy families, only for that to be robbed in a single night. Though what caught his attention were the part the story regarding the night of their escape.
"Long enough for my family to get to safety…"
A tremor in his voice escaped before he could stop it, one that the other Dannis caught, "You're parents…they're still alive."
Edo Dannis' eye widened minutely, before nodding. "Yes."
A strange mix of relief, dread, and jealousy wanted to well up in his chest. But he forced it down and buried it.
'The time for emotions can come later. Focus on the task at hand.'
"Dannis…are you alright?" Juvia's voice was gentle, concern etched into her features. Levy's too.
"I'm fine," he lied, shaking it off, turning back toward his counterpart, who gazed at him with a knowing look, one that Earthland Dannis ignored. "What about Fairy Tail? We were hoping to look for them here in Edolas."
At that, Dannis' look turned cold. "I noticed that mark on your arm. I assumed you'd bring them up sooner or later."
"Of course. We're all part of Fairy Tail." Levy answered as she and Juvia showed their own marks. "They're friends and family."
A bitter snort escaped Edo Dannis. "Well I commend you then, for your world is luckier than mine. The Fairy Tail here are nothing more than cowards. A guild that hides in the shadows, drinking themselves stupid while the rest of us fight and bleed."
"What?" Juvia's lips parted in shock. "But…Fairy Tail won't abandon people."
"Believe what you like," Edo Dannis replied with a shrug, "I went to them once, asking for help. They're one of the few remaining magic guilds that managed to avoid capture by the Royal Army. I thought I could find some likeminded allies in them. Oh how wrong I was."
Earthland Dannis narrowed his eyes at that, feeling there was more to the story.
Edo Dannis straightened then, "If you want to see them, then be my guest. Just don't keep your hopes up. Until then, I'll be here fighting the good fight."
The two Dannis' locked eyes. "You fight well. That incident back in the capital already reached our ears. The fact that you could hold your own against Knightwalker means you'll make a valuable ally. You're good with a blade, and I have a feeling that you're not being totally forthright with your abilities. I'm fine with that, but I hope you told the truth about working together. I could use the help."
He strode toward the tent flap, the crow hopping back onto his shoulder in one smooth motion.
"You're free to stay as long as you want," he said over his shoulder. "I'll have some people set up a few tents for you. When you're done playing a goose chase with that sorry excuse of a guild," His gaze lingered, sharp as a dagger. "…then come find me."
With that, Edo Dannis left, the sound of the camp swallowing him whole.
…
AN: I genuinely, GENUINELY, forgot I had this chapter finished. Turns out, I've already written all the way to chapter 102, but completely forgot to post it since Skyrim took over the muse for months. Really sorry about that :).
So I thought to post this for the next week while Skyrim is on a break, with the hopes that the muse for Fairy Tail will return enough for me to continue it. The other three chapters are already available in my P-word if you're interested in finding it there instead. There's also a bunch of more one-shots and starter stories from all kinds of fandoms that I've built up for those of you who wants to check them out :).
Anyways, making Edo Dannis' backstory was fun. Mixing it and drawing certain parallels with Earthland Dannis was a challenge to make, but thrilling all the same. More of it will definitely be revealed in the coming chapters, along with Earthland Dannis' actual reactions to all of it.
Also, some harsh truths here, for the Edolas version of Fairy Tail had given up. They had good reasons for doing so of course, many of their members having been killed in their many years on the run. I'm still unsure how much of them I wanna include here, since Natsu, Wendy, and Lucy's whole journey is still happening anyways in the background.
I hope you guys enjoyed the chapter, cheers guys!