Lullaby arc

The Lullaby arc is the third story arc of Fairy Tail.

It features the first appearance of Erza Scarlet and Gray Fullbuster's first actions as a main character. The story follows Team Natsu as they attempt to stop a Dark Guild, Eisenwald, from trying to kill the Guild Masters.

Enter Titania: Erza's Return
Lucy Heartfilia begins the search for her next job but has a hard time deciding. Mirajane tells her that if she finds one that interests her then she should let her know because the Master is off at the Regular Meeting. She then explains to Lucy about the structure of the Magic World government from the Magic Council of Era to the numerous guilds, and how peace is maintained. She also informs her about the guilds that don't follow the rules of the council which are called Dark Guilds. Shortly after Natsu Dragneel and Gray Fullbuster begin their usual bickering, Loke flirts and try to ask Lucy to form a team with him instead. However, Loke notices Lucy's Celestial Spirit Keys and quickly runs away from her in panic. He suddenly returns moments later to tell the guild of Erza Scarlet's return, to the guild's great shock. Erza walks in the guild while carrying a giant monster horn and scolds everyone for their bad habits and the trouble they have caused. She later asks where Natsu and Gray were, and Lucy is surprised to see them afraid of Erza (to the point where they're sweating and acting all “buddy-buddy” with each other), and that Natsu is acting like Happy. Mirajane explains how Erza could easily beat up anyone (including Natsu, Gray and Loke) to a pulp, making her a fearsome Mage. Erza then asks Natsu and Gray to form a team and help her on her next mission. Mirajane comments that they could be Fairy Tail's strongest team ever.

Encounter with Eisenwald: Erigor's Evil Plot
The next day, everyone arrives at Magnolia Station, waiting for the train's departure. There, Natsu and Gray continue their argument, and Lucy, who was asked by Mirajane to watch the two, tags along. Erza then arrives pulling a cart full of luggage bags. Before they leave, Natsu tells Erza that he will come only if, when they return, they have a match. Erza agrees to Natsu's challenge. On the train, Natsu gets his usual motion sickness so Erza decides to knock him out with a punch to make him feel better.

After some small talk about Magic, Erza proceeds to explain their mission, having grown suspicious after overhearing some men in a bar talk about a sealed Magic Item called Lullaby. Erza adds that at first, she thought they were Mages on an unsealing job, but that thought was erased when she heard the name "Erigor", the Shinigami of the Dark Guild Eisenwald who only takes on Assassination requests. She had asked for their assistance because she plans to head straight into the guild. Upon getting off at the next station, they quickly realize that they left Natsu on the train by accident, which had just departed without them.

Natsu, who is still sick, gets an unexpected visit from Kageyama, a member of Eisenwald. After Kageyama lightly chats with him, he kicks Natsu in the face and they start to fight. Natsu has trouble at first since the train keeps moving. However, the train suddenly stops, thanks to Erza and the others who hit the emergency brake for his sake. Due to the sudden halt, Kageyama drops a strange flute which Natsu catches a glimpse of. A pissed-off and non-motion-sick Natsu hits Kageyama in the face with his fists aflame. When the train starts to move again, Natsu jumps out of the train window and bumps into Gray, who is at the top of the Magic Four-Wheeler Erza drove in order to catch up to the train. He tells everyone about the Eisenwald member who attacked him, resulting in him getting a slap in the face from Erza for not stopping the Eisenwald member who belongs in the target Dark Guild of their mission.

This shocks everyone because Natsu couldn't have known any better since he was unconscious when Erza told them about Eisenwald. When Natsu mentions the flute he saw, Lucy quickly realizes what it is and explains that it is a spell to play Lullaby, a mass-death Magic song which sucks out the souls of anyone who hears its tune. Meanwhile, Kageyama meets up with Erigor at Kunugi Station and gives him the flute. Erza and the gang try to chase after them before they can use the Lullaby.

Erigor later gets furious with Kageyama for having someone see the flute. As punishment, Erigor cuts a bit of Kageyama's ears with his scythe. He does not want anyone getting in their way and decides to teach the fairies a lesson. Meanwhile, Team Natsu is still searching for Eisenwald. Happy tries to remember something he had to do that relates to Lucy. After a while of Erza's speedy driving, they later see the damage done to Oshibana Station and rush in to find the army pulverized by Eisenwald. They soon meet the entire Eisenwald Guild in the innermost parts of the station. Erza asks what Erigor is planning and he says that he plans to use the broadcasting system of the station to play the Lullaby's melody throughout the town. Erigor claims that those people who will die are simply being punished for their sin of not knowing that there are those who have been revoked of the rights they revel in. Natsu later manages to recover after hearing Kageyama's voice, saves Lucy from Kageyama's attack and joins the fight. Erigor flies away, leaving the battle to the rest of Eisenwald and Erza orders Natsu and Gray to chase after him. They quickly comply while Rayule and Kageyama also leave the site to follow the two.

The Knight and The Summoner vs. Eisenwald Members
Erza and Lucy then battle with the lesser members of Eisenwald, with Erza displaying her Magic Requip and high-level weapon combat skills. She later shows-off the true abilities of her brand of Magic, The Knight, by being able to quickly change into different weapons and armors and simultaneously use them against the Eisenwald Mages. Lucy also helps out by summoning the Giant Crab, Cancer, to battle, hoping to leave a good impression on Erza.

They manage to take out almost all the remaining members in an instant. Karacka realizes that Erza is the famous Titania, Queen of the Fairies, and decides to run away instead of fight. She then orders Lucy and Happy to chase him. Shortly after they leave, she collapses due to fatigue from using up too much power in driving the Magic Four-Wheeler from earlier.

Caged Faires: The Wind Wall Trap
Natsu and Gray continue their search. However, the two grumble about it being impossible to work together and decide to separate when they reach a split path. Gray thinks about how Erigor wanted to broadcast the Lullaby so he searches for the broadcasting room, only to find no one there. As he looks around, one of the Eisenwald Members, Rayule, attacks him and he manages to evade.

Meanwhile, at the Guild Masters' Regular Meeting, Makarov is conversing with the others Guild Masters about Fairy Tail. A bird suddenly arrives with a letter to Makarov from Mirajane informing him of the formation of Natsu, Gray and Erza's team (along with Lucy and Happy). After hearing this news, Makarov panics, knowing full well the damage they're capable of doing.

Back in the station, Erza goes out to the balcony to confront the growing crowd and yells for them to leave, revealing what the Eisenwald Guild is up to. The crowd immediately disperses after hearing the news. Soon after that, a very strong wind blows all around the station.

In the midst of the fight, Rayule destroys the broadcasting equipment, much to Gray's confusion. Rayule then reveals that they never intended to play the Lullaby at the station and simply used it as a trap for the Fairies. He adds that Erigor's Wind Wall has probably been already set up, preventing them from leaving the station. Outside the balcony, Erza is shocked by the appearance of the wind barrier. Erigor appears before her and pushes her into the barrier. She attempts to exit but fails because the wind is too strong. Erigor then bids her farewell and flies off.

Rayule continues to attack Gray while gloating that with the Death Flute, they'll kill the Guild Masters who are all the way at Clover Town where Erigor's heading. However, this only proves to anger Gray who promptly grabs Rayule's face and freezes it, vowing that they'll stop them and make them regret for trying to mess with the Guild Masters that they consider their "parents".

Erza returns to the station and demands that the defeated Eisenwald members dispel the barrier. However, they don't know how. Gray soon re-groups with Erza and reveals what Erigor is planning, but with the group stuck behind the wind wall, it doesn't seem like they'll make it in time to save the Guild Masters. Erza then remembers that Kageyama is can dispel the magic and the two decide to capture him. Once the two are out of sight, the Byard, one of the fallen Eisenwald Mages, calls out to Karacka who had been hiding in a pillar. Karacka appears and apologizes for his cowardice. When told that the Fairies are after Kageyama, he retorts he can't help him. However, the Byard tells him that he has a much easier task for him.

Natsu continues to rampage around the station and look for Erigor when he is ambushed by Kageyama and his Shadow Magic. The two have brief fight where Natsu manages to overpower Kageyama and defeat him. The noise of their fight attracts Natsu's allies to their location. Upon seeing Kageyama, Erza points her sword at him and demands that he dispel the wind barrier. As Kageyama is about to surrender, he stabbed from behind by Karacka. The job that Karacka had been given by Byard was to kill Kageyama and prevent Fairy Tail from escaping. Angered at his lack of respect for his fellow members, Natsu quickly takes Karacka out while Gray and Erza try to heal Kageyama. They manage to patch his wounds but the attack leaves Kageyama unconscious, much to the Fairies' dismay. The group heads back to the lobby of the station where Natsu tries his power to get through the wind wall but fails. Natsu then remembers what happened at Duke Everlue's mansion when he was able to teleport to another location by passing through the Celestial Spirit World. Lucy tells him that it's impossible as there are no Celestial Spirits outside the wind barrier for that plan to happen, plus it a breach of contract for a human to enter the Celestial Spirit World. Happy suddenly remembers what he wanted to tell Lucy earlier, revealing the Gate Key of Virgo to her. At first, Lucy thinks Happy stole it but he tells her Virgo herself wanted Lucy to have it since Duke Everlue was arrested after the Daybreak incident. When Lucy puts off the offer, Happy tells her that he thought Virgo's Diver Magic could help them get out of the barrier because she could dig a hole underground for them to escape.

Lucy quickly accepts the key and summons Virgo, who unlike last time where she was in a hulking brutish form of a gorilla, has now changed into a more petite and feminine form. Lucy tells Virgo to forget the contract for the moment and use her Magic to create an escape route for them. Virgo quickly obliges, creating a path for the Fairy Tail Mages. Natsu also brings the wounded Kageyama along, stating he wouldn't feel right if he died after fighting him. Soon the Fairies get outside of the wind barrier but are still miles away from Erigor who has a head start on them. Erza however realizes that both Natsu and Happy are no longer with them.

Wind against Flame: Erigor vs Natsu
Erigor, meanwhile, is using his Wind Magic to fly over the canyon leading to Clover where the Guild Masters re. Just as he sees the town on the horizon, Natsu, with Happy flying at Max Speed, slams into him with a kick and knocks him onto the railroad bridge below. Erigor recovers and the two Mages square off while Happy faints, having used up his power to catch up to Erigor.

The others once again use the Magic Four-Wheeler to cross the bridge with Kageyama along for the ride as they couldn't get him treated back at the train station. When asked why they saved him since they were enemies, Gray tells him that life and death aren't always the usual outcome and that Kageyama and Eisenwald should live their lives more positively. The vehicle nearly swerves off the road though as Erza is driving it and has run low on Magic from her previous driving session and the fight with Eisenwald that came afterwards. She prays for Natsu's success in stopping Erigor.

Natsu and Erigor begin their fight. Erigor knocks Natsu off the bridge with his Wing Magic but Natsu manages to change the properties of his flames to the kind that can help him to save himself and pull himself back onto the bridge by molding it into the shape of an arm with a hand. Natsu recalls that this type of flame had been taught to him by Macao Conbolt when he was young because he specializes in a similar type of Magic. Natsu then rams into Erigor and kicks him before Erigor takes the fight to the air and attempts to hit Natsu with multiple attacks. However, when Natsu manages to block and overpower most of Erigor's follow-up attacks, Erigor activates Storm Mail, rendering all of Natsu's flame attacks useless.

Natsu is easily knocked down by Erigor and takes a direct hit from Emera Baram. While Natsu envelops himself in flames and is frustrated with not being able to get close to Erigor, the now-conscious Happy notices that the wind is suddenly blowing in an odd direction. The odd direction had been caused by Natsu's growing flames that are sucking in the wind, as fire is known to suck up oxygen and wind to flow towards areas with lower pressure. Happy then purposely taunts Natsu, telling him he can't win against Erigor and he should leave it to Gray. This comment angers Natsu and he increases his flames, nullifying Erigor's Storm Mail. Seeing that Erigor is now vulnerable, Natsu slams into him with Fire Dragon's Sword Horn, defeating the Eisenwald leader once and for all.

Monsters vs Monster: Team Natsu vs Lullaby Demon
The rest of the Fairies soon arrive and see the aftermath of the battle. Kageyama is shocked that their leader has been defeated. Natsu and Gray quarrel a bit on the win while Erza congratulates Natsu for saving the Guild Masters. Just as all seems well, Kageyama suddenly steals the Magic Four-Wheeler and the Lullaby flute and dashes onward to Clover; The Fairy Tail Mages get over their shock and they quickly move out to follow him. Night soon falls and by the time Kage reaches the place where the Guild Masters are, he finds that their meeting is still going and proceeds to play the flute. Before he can, Makarov interrupts him as he is leaving from the meeting. Realizing who he is, Kageyama asks Makarov if he'd like to hear him play a song on his flute. Makarov is initially suspicious but agrees do so. Kageyama grins, thinking that he wins, but then after he remembers the words of Team Natsu through the whole ordeal, he finds himself becoming increasingly hesitant. Team Natsu soon arrives on the scene and is about to intervene but is stopped by Bob from the Blue Pegasus Guild as well as the other guild masters who insist they just watch.

Kageyama tries to force himself to play, thinking everything will change once the Guild Masters are gone. But Makarov retorts that nothing will change and that they'll still be weaklings. However, humans are weak to begin with and that's why there are guilds, a place to gain friends that help one another in tough times. Makarov adds that by striving and pushing yourself every day, one can gain true strength to live strong. These words touch Kageyama and he drops to his knees, admitting his defeat. The rest of the team comes out and congratulates Marakov and once again all seems well. However, the flute suddenly comes to life on its own and transforms into a monster, the true form of the Death Flute Lullaby.

The Lullaby proceeds to attack and tries to draw everyone's souls. However, Natsu, Gray and Erza easily defeat the demon by combining their powers, much to the surprise of the Guild Masters. Unfortunately, they accidentally end up knocking the Lullaby monster onto the meeting site, destroying it in the process. This, of course, angers the other Guild Masters. Makarov and the Fairies make a run for it, except for Natsu who misunderstands and unsuccessfully joins the angry mob.

Tired, Hungry, and Lost (Anime only)
Following Team Natsu and Makarov's escape from the other Guild Masters, Happy decides to take the lead and leads everyone home. However instead of reaching Magnolia, he leads them to the Web Valley, which is filled with numerous canyons and earthquakes and they become lost. Shortly, everyone starts to feel hungry but then Happy notices a school of winged fish, which are supposed to be a legendary delicacy. Everyone immediately decides to fish for some, but it proves to be extremely difficult and they only manage to catch one, which they decide to let Happy have. Happy immediately starts eating it while everyone looks on angrily, but when he finishes it, he says that the fish tastes gross.

As they continue deeper into the valley, they stumble into a village but find it deserted. Despite the presence of fresh food, Erza tells everyone to not touch it, saying they should investigate first because the village is suspicious. While Erza and Makarov are investigating, Natsu and the others try to gather mushrooms. However, when Happy, Gray, and Natsu each start eating them, they grow a mushroom on top of their heads. Back at the village, Erza and Makarov discover seams on the ground. They hear moaning sounds around the village. The mushrooms on Gray's and Natsu's heads fall off and their group heads back to the village. They notice the ground light up along with the buildings that are also starting to bend. Makarov then tells everyone to head towards higher grounds. As they do, they observe the buildings turn into strange monsters. Makarov then explains that these monsters are the result of the Forbidden Magic, Alive, which turns inanimate objects into living things.

Erza assumes that the village must be a Dark Guild's village because of the amount of evil Magic Tools she had found while investigating and also because of their use of Forbidden Magic. They set these facts aside, though, as Makarov emphasizes on the fact that these monsters are alive, therefore, they can be eaten. Everyone except Lucy then attacks them and uses their Magic to "cook" them to their liking (Erza slices them with her knives, Natsu burns them while Gray freezes them). Each of them, as well as Lucy, takes a bite out of the monsters.

However, everyone soon finds out that the monsters are disgusting to the tongue and cannot be eaten no matter how hungry they are. Moments later, a Magic Circle appears again and triggers a destructive spell. Just as they are falling towards it, Makarov manages to revoke the Magic Circle and reverse the Take Over spell that let the monsters Take Over the bodies of the villagers. He makes the villagers promise that they will never perform such Magic again and he will refrain from reporting to the Council if they do. Nobody knows it was Makarov who dispelled the Magic Circle except Erza, but when asked about it, Makarov does not admit. Everyone then leaves to head home but is still upset since they're starving.

Erza's Arrest
The group finally makes it back to Magnolia. Lucy writes a letter to her mother about the recent events concerning Eisenwald and her being part of Fairy Tail's strongest team. When she finishes, she is surprised when she sees a half-naked Gray sprawled out on her couch. After she chastises him about trespassing and stripping, he reminds her that Natsu and Erza's battle is on that day and takes her out to watch.

When they arrive at the battlefield, the conversation soon goes into who is the strongest member of Fairy Tail. Gray and Elfman mention Mystogan and Laxus Dreyar, but definitely nominate Erza as the strongest female. Moments later, the fight begins, and Erza changes into her Flame Empress Armor, an armor that halves the effectiveness of flames. Natsu and Erza begin their fight, but a messenger of the Council interrupts the fight and arrests Erza.

The rest of Fairy Tail retreats to the guild and is upset about the recent events, but conclude they cannot do anything against the council. Natsu, having been transformed into a gecko and trapped in a glass, insists that they let him out and turn him back to his original form. Mirajane and Makarov don’t let him out though, in fear that he’ll do something stupid like fight against the Council.

Meanwhile, at the Fiore Branch of the National Council, Erza is greeted by a Thought Projection of Siegrain just before she enters the courtroom. They argue shortly and then Siegrain leaves, but not before reminding her to keep quiet about the past for both of their sakes. Inside the court, Erza’s prosecution begins.

Back at Fairy Tail, Lucy is now taking Natsu’s side on the incident. She thinks they should leave immediately, but Makarov counters that no matter how fast they go, they won’t reach her in time. At the same time, Natsu is still shouting to be let out, and Makarov asks him if that's what he really wants, which quiets him down. Makarov then breaks the glass, and the gecko is shown to be Macao Conbolt, who pretended to be Natsu because he “owed” him. He had transformed himself into a gecko in order to pose as Natsu. The real Natsu has already left in order to pursue Erza. The Mages panic but Makarov states that they will patiently wait for the results.

Erza is found guilty of the charges as witnesses claim that the culprit had been an armored female Mage. In those same moments, Natsu, dressed as an undertaking Erza, shows up and destroys half the courtroom. They are both escorted to the cells where Erza tells Natsu that the arrest was just a show. She explains that the Council convicted her in order to make it seem as if they actually enforce the law. She is momentarily mad at him but later shows her appreciation for his thoughtfulness.