Wheels of Fire

Edoquakes Again

Natsu found shelter from a windstorm inside the stables attached to the tree-like guild. There were a dozen stalls, but only a few animals, all of them the weird tanchimo creatures that these people used for riding, since magic was gone from Edolas and cars were useless. He pet his alternative-self's tanchimo, a purple beast named Yusō. The animal that looked like something between an emu, a horse, and a rabbit was normally wild, but it settled down around Natsu. He guessed he and Dragion smelled alike. Animals went by smell, and Yusō liked to sniff him. Natsu enjoyed petting the tanchimo, although he refused to ride one.

"He's not transportation, you know."

Natsu jolted. He had not been paying attention to the sound of footsteps, and a stiff breeze that morning blew the smell of the approaching person away, so he was startled to see Edo-Cana walking forward. She wore a prim calico dress, a massive sunbonnet, and she held in her hands a saucer and teacup.

"Or, that's what Natsu Dragion used to say," she went on, stepping delicately around a pile of tanchimo droppings. "At first, Natsu was determined to think of a tanchimo as just another means of transportation. However, as time passed, the creatures no longer fulfilled what Natsu needed. He still felt timid, even while riding. The trouble was, he got too close to them. They became friends. He couldn't feel the freedom of travel when he was merely riding along with a friend. So he kept switching tanchimos, a new one nearly every other month. Yusō here is the tenth one he owned. Actually, all of our current tanchimos were originally Natsu's. He would break in an animal, train it to carry a rider, but then he'd get attached. As soon as he did, it was no longer transportation, and the effect wore off. I wonder if the same would work for you."

"Yeah," Natsu agreed, petting Yusō's neck. "Happy isn't transportation. He can fly me around in any way at all, and I don't ever feel sick."

"You've bonded well with Yusō," Cana said, coming up beside him. "Try riding him. It's obvious that Yusō thinks of you as a friend, so maybe he will work for you. I think you'll find more joy and freedom with a tanchimo. We can go riding into town on a shopping trip. I could use someone to carry back my crates of tea. I go through tea ever so quickly," she lamented, taking a sip from the porcelain cup in her hand.

"Riding, huh?" Natsu asked, looking up at the creature's tiny black eyes, thick eyebrows, and fat cherry-red lips, with long purple ears like a rabbit. He held up a carrot, and Yusō happily devoured it. "I wouldn't mind more freedom."

He was also thinking, if he could learn how to ride, he could escape this dark guild Fairy Tail and ride off to Royal City. Knightwalker did not scare him, and he knew Mystogan, or King Jellal, would do everything possible to help him. The only reason he had not left yet is that Lucy Ashley insisted it would take weeks, and he did not know the land well. With a tanchimo, perhaps that journey would only be days.

Cana set her teacup to the side. "I'll show you how to saddle him up. You'll have to keep him calm, though. Yusō is notoriously wild around anyone but Natsu Dragion."

She got a saddle and showed Natsu how to strap it around the chest and hind of the creature, just above the bunny-like puffball tail. It held still as Natsu carefully climbed up and let his weight sink onto the saddle. Suddenly, Yusō bucked up, and Natsu gulped down vomit.

"Your weight is more than he's used to," Cana realized, trying to hold onto the reins. "He doesn't recognize the weight. Try talking to him."

"Uuuuugh!" Natsu moaned in sickness. "This was a really bad idea."

At the sound of his voice, Yusō looked around and saw the pink-haired man. Immediately, it calmed down.

"There, see!" she said with a pleasant smile. "Yusō knows Dragion by his voice as well as smell. Keep talking."