The following is posted with proper tags in the Fairy Tail: Next Generation Specials book. I posted it here as well for readers who are going through Volume IV. Happy reading and see you in Volume V. 

Everyone was wet, tired, and confused when they suddenly arrived back in the guildhall in a row of chairs all facing one surprisingly awake woman with a cup of tea and phone in hands.

She was Katie, and she was back at it again.

"Sup you sad nerds."

Everyone just stared, except for Liddan who just broke into tears.

"It's a rough time for you," Katie said with a nod, "I get it though, I just had to put my dog down last week. True story, but I'm okay."

While everyone sat in uncomfortable silence, Katie cleared her throat, "Mhmmm, we've all done this before, we know what we're doing, let's get into it.

From Crazypanda5859, for everyone, between the Celestial world and Edolas where would you like to go? What would be the first thing you do there?

"Celestial world," Liddan said right away.

"And why's that?"

"Because I can skip over large gaps of time in only a day while in the celestial world. I can just...skip over horrible seasons of my life." Liddan sighed, hiccupping a little as he held in some tears.

"I'd want to go to Edolas and see a play," Ezzie said, "I feel that'd be a good way to explore the culture."

"I just want to be wherever Nashi is," Gideon said, a vacant look in his eyes.

"What if she was in Edolas?" Katie asked.

"Then I want to be in Edolas and get my fiancee back."

"Spoiler dude, ha!" Katie laughed, no one else did and she quickly realized this wasn't a good crowd for jokes. "Next question...

From TheStrongestOne, to me! My heart has fallen out again, I need help."

Katie laughed for a moment, "So has mine, I miss my dog and I'm so tired. Moving on...

From TheStrongestOne, to Marigold, what was it like to be in Liddan's body?"

Marigold, who was barely present emotionally, gave a long painful stare at Katie. "It was exhausting...and sweaty."

"Did you, you know...check to see how big it was?" Elwin asked far off on the other side of the room.

"I already know that, what would the point be," Marigold shrugged, Liddan sinking deeper into his chair from the embarrassment. "Overall experience, I feel like he made me feel angrier than I normally would be in those situations like his emotional response was influencing mine."

"Sounds tricky, glad you two are separated then, moving on!

From StrongestOne again, to everyone: dafuq is going on with your lives right now?"

Everyone let out a collective groan.

"Understood, everything is terrible." Katie gave a nod, "maybe I should pass out beer before I do these things."

"From TheStrongestOne, to Jude, are you okay? Both physically and mentally."

Jude sighed, "Well, I'm a literal child and I'm currently planning to murder a grown man so you decide how okay I am."

"That would be a no then," Katie said, "Oh, TheStrongestOne also asked, 'Where's Romeo?'"

Romeo, who was sitting a few seats away from Jude, furrowed his brow. "I'm right here, what's that about?"

"Nothing, you were just out of the story for a while, that's all." Katie sighed, okay, final question from TheStrongestOne, to me, 'Katie would you be interested in some green tea?" Katie gave a soft sigh, "Thanks, but I'm good with the tea I got. It's lavender, I'm actually not big on green tea, feels like I'm drinking a weed if I'm honest. Not the best."

"I hate you so much right now," Marigold muttered under her breath.

"Don't we all! Now From vivienpan24meep, to Sylvie, how does it feel to know that Marigold occupied Liddan's body considering he just kissed you and he was your best friend?"

"Liddan wasn't really my best friend," Sylvie said, "I see it more like...I was his best friend, cuz he was just such a mess and I was the only one willing to help pick up that mess."

"Yeah...that tracks," Liddan sighed.

"But honestly, I wish it was Marigold who kissed me, because that would be less weird than Liddan kissing me," Sylvie paused for a moment, "it might have been a little hot, honestly."

"Okay, no thank you," Marigold shook her head, "I didn't know about the kiss and now I'm both upset and confused."

"So are all my readers," Katie laughed, no one else did. No one will ever laugh.

"From gabbythepoet, to Elwin, this isn't really a question but for some reason I really love you."

"Aw...that's so sweet," Elwin said, "I hope one day Layla will say the exact same thing to me."

"Oh boy," Layla said, hiding her face with her hand.

"Alright, to Liddan from Gabby, do you have a favorite sibling? If so who is it?"

"Igneel," Liddan answered right away.

"Really? Why's that?"

"Because I feel like I've disappointed him the least."

"Oh, boy..." Katie shook her head, "moving on, from Kadets64, What's the story behind Jude and his trauma with lobsters? We need details."

"Well...okay," Natsu sighed, leaning forward for a long period of time before lifting his head, "So...we were at this seafood restaurant and they had this big lobster tank in the middle of the waiting area, and Jude was being a little bratty so—"

"No!" Jude stood up, "NOPE! We're not telling this story! NO!"

"Moving on then," Katie said with a wave of her hand, "From KalebShields, will we get to learn more about Team Howl Caedo in Volume V?" Katie squinted at the screen of her device, "Funny, that isn't addressed to anyone. I mean if he wanted he could totally just ask Howl Caedo what their deal is, they're here."

Everyone turned to see a clump of random people from Howl Caedo in the corner. A fog of cigarette smoke surrounded them as they played cards out of disinterest and Liz filed down her index and middle finger to the nub. "I do it for love," she muttered.

"But to answer your question, we will learn more about them in the next volume, but it might be a while," Katie said with a laugh.

"HURRY IT UP ALREADY!" One of the space Howl Caedo folk shouted,

"Don't hurt me—okay!" Katie scrambled to find the next question, "From Kaleb, to Liz, will you tell your family about Hannah?"

"I wish," Liz said, staring at her nails as she continued to file them down, "I never get to see my family cuz of Howl Caedo. I mean, I worry they wouldn't like her since she also works for the organization that took me away from them, but who knows."

"That's fair," Katie nodded, "final question from Kaleb, to Lucy, Would you be willing to take Ema as your apprentice if none of the triplets want to be Celestial Wizards?"

"If none of the triplets become Celestial Wizards I'm killing myself and you can quote me on that," Lucy said, nursing a jar of Nutella as she ugly cried in the corner. "But also, yes, I would consider teaching Ema and leaving my keys with her, cuz I feel she would be a good holder for my spirits. She's sweet as heck."

"Good to know," Katie said, tipping her own Nutella jar to Lucy as she continued, "Moving on, some more questions from Crazypanda. This one is for me, 'Why did you do all that in the last chapter huh? You didn't have to make me cry as I watched everyone's world crumble before their very eyes. So tell me why! Why did you traumatize all your oc babies?!' Also, it says: Love you, you're the best."

Katie laughed as she breathed out a sigh, "Okay, so yeah, this ending has been planned for a long long time. I knew that this chapter would end with multiple women being 'gone' or missing. That list being Marigold, Nashi, Molly, Felicity, and Lugi. As I approached the finale, it became more important to me that the women had more choice in their fates than being thrust around by chance or the antagonistic men in their lives. Like, excluding Molly, who is a child, all the women really decided their fates in a somewhat sacrificial moment. Marigold sacrificed her connection to Liddan to protect Lilly and Liddan alike. Felicity gave up her identity to protect Zailo from Florence. Nashi chose to go to Edolas to help Gideon and her own counterpart. And Lugi, of course, wasn't killed while being held captive, but willingly ran back into the action to protect Liddan. All this was important to me cuz the autonomy of women is something that is lost in fiction and I just sorta wanted to rant about that. Anyway, I'm trying to set this up into something that will separate the conflicts individually and allow each one to be resolved on their own. And of course, eventually, give Molly the same autonomy as the other women surrounding her in this chapter. I'm glad you had a strong emotional reaction, cuz that makes me feel like I succeeded as an author. So thanks!" Katie gave a thumbs up and smiled, everyone in the crowd staring with confusion for how long her explanation was.

"Does anyone understand what she's talking about?" Nashi whispered. "I know I heard my name at some point but—"

"To Elwin from Crazypanda," Katie continued, "how do you feel knowing Layla chose you over Xavier? (Sorry Xavier)."

"Really?" Xavier said, "I mean...the phrasing of the question was bad enough, but adding the sorry was just a slap in the face."

"Whoa whoa, it's cool, it's cool," Elwin said, leaning so far back in his chair he was practically floating. "Me and Layla just started dating anyway—"

Elwin tried to put his arm around Layla, but she quickly pinched his hand, forcing him to pull his arm back.

"Anyway," he continued, swishing his hand around to try and relieve the pain, "it's not that important to have won over Xavier, I'm just happy that Layla feels the same way I do but...it sorta feels super great—like, seriously, I am so happy and I want to rub it in everyone's faces because I'm not dating the coolest person in the world—"

"Shut up, Elwin," Layla scoffed before whispering, "don't stop, this is really good for my ego."

"Yeah, wrap it up, you two," Katie said, waving her hand, "okay, final thing from Crazypanda, she asks 'Can I give you all hugs? I think you all need it after what happened in the last chapter'."

Everyone stared vacantly at Katie before each slowly responding, "Yeah..."

"Too bad," Katie said, "Next few questions from Kaleb, boy ain't ever done. So, to Lucy, would you be willing to take Ema as your apprentice if none of the triplets want to be a Celestial Wizard?"

"If none of the triplets become a Celestial Wizard, I'm killing myself, and you can quote me on that," Lucy said, jabbing a finger with a lit cigarette at Katie.

"Lucy, I thought you quit smoking," Natsu whispered.

"My baby's missing! I'll smoke if I want!"

"To Sylvie and Laurie, from Kaleb," Katie continued, trying to move on as Lucy and Natsu continued to fight, "I wanted to get you a baby gift so I got an ocean blue teddy bear with white snowflakes around it, I hope your little one loves it. Also, I have to ask how does it feel that you're gonna be parents."

The guild all turned to the dead-eyed Sylvie and Laurie, who sat next to each other silently with a lifeless expression. "Don't answer that Laurie," Sylvie hissed.

"I wasn't gonna—" he snapped back, "gosh, I said one thing about not feeling ready for this and now you think I'm renouncing the child or something—can you for once see things from my side—"

"Okay!" Katie clapped her hands, "They're clearly going through something so we're gonna leave them alone for a bit..." with a sigh, she looked back at her phone for the next question, "Okay, from Kaleb, to Nashi, what do you think about going to Edolas, and how do you think you're going to handle not being able to use magic—"

"WHAT!?" Nashi said, lifting her head "I can't use magic in Edolas?!"

Frost, who was also there, turned with shock, "You didn't know—I mean—I thought that was very obvious—"

"Oh crap," Nashi sank back into her seat, "maybe I didn't think this through..."

"Yeah, no kidding," Katie laughed, "this one is from Kaleb to me, Katie! So, he says: I'm writing a Beyblade fanfiction along with a couple of other stories. If it's alright can you give a shout-out when I finally post the first chapter?" Katie laughed again, "No. Well—consider this your shoutout, but I haven't watched Beyblade so reading a fanfic for it wouldn't be super stimulating for me—also, I wouldn't want to recommend something to my readers that I myself haven't read. Just saying." With a shrug, Katie awkwardly continued onward, "From TheStrongestOne, to Liddan, do you think Marigold's crystal is destroyed or just hard to find? Also, will you go looking for it?"

"I will never give up," Liddan said, tightening his fist and staring up to the right, "I mean...I don't really have anything better to do...except kill my own counterpart as a metaphor for destroying the evil within me. That sounds like a good idea too."

"Cool," Katie said, "again from TheStrongestOne to Liddan, you may not remember this, but what was 'the shoes' about from the Valentine's Day Special?"

"Oh," Marigold spoke up, "it's just that Liddan had this fetish—"

"HYA!" Liddan tackled Marigold to the ground, quickly silencing her.

"Okay," Katie said, "next from TheStrongestOne, to Isaiah, would you care for an egg with a side of D E A T H?"

"Well..." Isaiah said, at the far end of the room away from everyone else, "No thank you."

"And our final question from TheStrongestOne," Katie continued, "to me, well, uh, it says: This request might seem odd but for just two minutes of the answers III could you write me in with a gun pointed at Incubus Welch's head at point-blank range please?" Katie paused and quietly shook her head. "It'll be okay, but let's not do that, okay?"

The Strongest One, who was already holding a gun up to Incubus Welch, slowly lowered their gun, sighed, then left the guildhall.

"Next then, from Kaleb again," Katie continued, "to Simie, Are you developing feelings for Gideon?"

Simie, who was off to the side with the other Mermaid Heel members, started to laugh uncomfortable, "What?" She waved her hand, "No! No! No. NO!"

As her no's quickly became more violent, everyone felt much more uncomfortable.

"Okay," Katie nodded, "To Ellabentra, from Kaleb, when you said you were to raise Lilly did you talk to her and Marigold about it, or did you just make the decision without their consent?"

"Whoa whoa whoa!" Ellabentra intervened, "What's that supposed to mean? I haven't been able to contact Marigold for months and Lilly's a four-year-old in a coma, I mean, I think I'm in the right to decide to take care of the dead woman's kid. Why you making it sound like I'm doing it against their wishes?"

"Calm down, it's okay," Katie whispered to Ellabentra, "I'm sure he didn't mean it that way, but, he also said he got Lilly a sketch book and colored pencils as an early birthday present, so that's nice."

"Right, I'm sure the comatose child will love that," Ellabentra scoffed, "I've got my eye on you, Kaleb Shields..."

"Well okay then," Katie said, "this one is from Kaleb to me, what are you most looking forward to in Volume V? And will there be more scenes with the Dragneel triplets?" Katie put down her phone and meditated on the question for a moment. "Well, the triplets might not be in the book too much since they're still infants, but! I am definitely looking forward to Volume V, I've got so much planned for it and I've already begun writing the first chapter, which I hope you all will enjoy when it's released!"

"So are we gonna be stuck in limbo for several months again," Liddan asked.

"Shut up Liddan, you slept with Felicity, and apparently she's a war criminal or something, I don't know," Katie muttered, "I know I'm the writer but I can't know it all!"

"That is literally your job," Marigold said, still on the floor from after Liddan tackled her.

"Shhh!" Katie hissed, "okay, question from someone new finally, from CaioCosta048, to Wrath, how are you going to explain all this to Aloke?!"

Wrath, or Achilles, or Andrew, or whatever he's supposed to be called, sat with his legs propped up, "Eh, he'll get it, right?"

Aloke stood up, "No I don't! Please explain this to me!"

"Right," Katie nodded, "this one is also from CaioCosta, to me! They ask, I know Volume IV is over now, but do you have any predictions for when Volume V will be out?" Dropping her phone, Katie responded, "Great question. I'm actually already working on the newest volume. I'm actually hoping to get a few chapters written before I start publishing so I can publish on a schedule! It's sorta a lot but because I'm hoping the chapters will be shorter, having a release schedule might be a breath of fresh air for a lot of the readers who have just had to sit around waiting months and at some point over a year for the next chapter. I've got some work to get done before I get Volume V out, including figuring out what art I'm gonna do for the cover as I'm still not sure what to do yet...we'll see. We'll...we'll all see."

Katie cleared her throat then took a moment to think quietly to herself, still unsure what she was going to do for the cover of the next volume.

"Okay! next question from my good friend, , he's got a lot so let's get it over with. To Ezzie, remember my question from last time?"

Ezzie made a face, "No..."

"To Liddan," Katie continued, "Why is your name pronounced different than it's written and why does it sound like the German word of suffering?"

Liddan lifted a glass of liquor and simply answered, "I think you know why."

"To Elwin and Layla," Katie asked, "What word describes your relationship status best?"

"Uhhh," Layla glanced at Elwin, "just...two people...who do some unprotected hand-holding."

"Yeah man," Elwin nodded, "gloves off."

"To...Isaiha..." Katie squinted, then groaned under her breath, "I'm not asking this, next one, to me, is Jude gonna be thorfinn—no Kevin. I've already told you this." She sighed, shaking her head. "Then finally, to Jude, what is your opinion on—oh my gosh, no."

Katie dropped her head onto the table and sat there silently for a long time. "Okay," she finally said, lifting her head, a little red mark on her forehead remaining. "To Marigold, from newtaku, WHY? What gave you the bright idea to yeet yourself into that water?"

"It was—it was a moment of rushed thinking and bold statement on how my body would be used!" Marigold said in defense of her actions, "but yeah, maybe I could have done something different."

"Right on," Katie nodded, "from newtaku, to Fairy Tail (particularly the Dragneel Family), do you guys think you'll ever be ok again?"

"I'm fine," Nashi answered with a chipper attitude, "don't know what all you guys are so worried about—"

"WHY DID YOU LEAVE NASHI?!" Gideon cried out.

"Again, from Newtaku," Katie said, "to Katie, will Marigold EVER get a happy ending?"

Marigold sat up and gave Katie a piercing look.

"Yeah—uh," Katie nodded, "in her own way, I guess."

"What is that supposed to mean!?" Marigold said, more like shouted.

"Next question—well, this is more just a long spewl from Kaleb Shields again, he's just...got a lot to say so I'm just gonna drop this in for everyone to hear:

To Liddan, Jude, and Marigold.This isn't a question just so you know, far from it, but I believe you need to hear this.

Liddan I know you've done things which are unforgivable, and you have been given a second chance to make up for them. Don't waste this chance, set things straight and make it right. The road will be long and hard, but I believe you are up to the task so best of luck.

Jude you've grown so much since Volume I's chapter 9 you've grown from this annoying bratty little kid whose family only put up with. To this brave, sensitive, kind-hearted, courageous young 12 year old man I'm proud of how far you've come, don't doubt yourself and keep your head held high, I believe you will save Molly when the time comes. Oh and when you see Welch burn him into a pile of ashes for me okay.

Marigold, throughout your life you have suffered great hardships, lost and sacrificed more than any other person ever would in life. And yet despite all you endured you never lose yourself. You've always had this light inside you that shines in the darkness. Never let that light go out, keep letting it shine. And always remember this Marigold you are real, you are not some soul trapped inside the shard of a stone you are Marigold. I don't know how and I don't know when, but I believe you will have a body of your own again. So never give up, stand proud and stay true to yourself."

Katie looked up, "Got all that?"

All three politely nodded, "Yeah...we got it."

"Good!" Katie nodded, "and our final question is from Kevin—I mean TryToEpic—and he asked me this privately, but this is for Ezzie, why is Othello so g*****n hot, I mean look at him, he is smashing, how is this possible for one man to be this handsome?"

Ezzie bit her lip as she nodded, "I know right, like, you look at him, and he just looks like some tired guy, but then he starts talking and you're like 'Oh man I just wanna take him and AHAHA! And I wanna sit on his f—"

"Okay!" Katie nodded, "right, we get it, Othello is super hot, but like, in a sorta weird way. Like how Benedict Cumberbatch or Adam Driver is hot. Or David Tennant—gosh I love David Tennant."

"I don't know who these people are," Othello said, "but thank you for the compliment."

"OKAY!" Katie stood up, threw her phone across the room hitting Isaiah in the head, and sighed, "Finally, I'm done! That took way longer than I wanted it to."

"Yeah, seriously, the chapter has been out for over a week, how long is this stupid chapter supposed to be," Liddan grumbled.

"Shut up, Liddan!" Katie crossed her arms, "Okay, well, that's the end of the Answers Part III, I'm glad you all read along and I hope you enjoyed and may Lugi rest in peace."

"Oh my gosh—" Marigold stood up, "Lugi is dead?!"

"Oof," Katie sat back down, "yeah, uh, we'll talk later, goodbye!"

See you next time.

Katie the Terrible