Reconvening and hitting the hot springs

The girls met back up at the front of the inn before heading out to eat. Between enjoying her cake and locating Lucy, Erza had picked out a bistro right on the waterfront, giving them a beautiful view of the moon lit coast. Surprisingly, there wasn't much talking during dinner, besides discussing the menu and marveling at how delicious everything was. And they were too caught up in appreciating the town's nighttime atmosphere during the short walk back to the inn.

However, once back, they all were quick to head to the hot springs and change out of their clothes. To their surprise, the bath was entirely indoors. A circular, steaming pool sat in the middle of a grand stone rotunda illuminated by several floating beacons of light that warmly radiated throughout the place. The domed ceiling was speckled with colorful stain glass pieces. Lucy imagined how beautiful it must look during the day and made a mental note to come back while the sun was up. At the far side of the room were three large black boulders stacked against each other. They were decorated in a rather unique manner, large fragments of glass had been carved into the rock, giving them a glowing effect as they reflected the light from the orbs. A stream babbled out of the crack between the boulders, feeding the pool, its trickling sound echoing throughout room.

The girls marveled at the simple, yet still impressive, spectacle as they waded into the bath.

"Huh, that's kind of weird," commented Lucy as she eased herself down into the warm waters, her voice reverberating off the stone walls.

"What is?" asked Levy, seating herself close to the blonde.

"Well, the hot springs are supposed to be the main attraction of this town, but we're the only people here. Doesn't that seem....well, off?"

"Hmmm, that is certainly convenient for us, almost too-" Erza began in agreement but cut herself off.

The green glow of the glass had intensified, as if it was shining on its own, and had grabbed each of the girls' attention. They stared at the glow and soon each of their eyes glazed over with a green hue. Then the light faded.

"No, nothing is off," stated Cana and Erza in a synced, vacant tone.

"Yes, everything is as it should be," Juvia agreed blankly.

"Yes, no need to worry," chimed Lucy and Levy in together.

After a second, the girls shook their heads, coming back to their senses. They began to talk about their experiences in the town, having completely forgotten about Lucy's former concern.

"I can already tell that bakery will be my favorite part of this vacation," said Erza. "That cake was exquisite. I'm half tempted to move here, if it means I could have it every day."

"Well I got the best massage ever," gushed Levy. "You all have to try the spa here! Seriously, the masseuse I had- Aaliyah- I can't even explain how good she was. I can't think of the last time I felt this good."

"What about you, Cana?" asked Lucy.

"I had a great evening, I finished several barrels of this town's finest ale," bragged the brunette.

"And Juvia went gift shopping for Gray," Juvia proudly added in.

"Why am I not surprised with either of you?" Lucy teased.

Levy tapped Lucy's shoulder.

"What did you do, Lucy?"

"Umm, nothing too note worthy," Lucy shrugged. "I was just exploring the town and listened to a street performer."

"Don't be modest, you were dancing to it, and beautifully I might add," encouraged the red head.

"Yeah, it was all kind of fuzzy," Lucy hesitantly admitted.

"Well, tomorrow I'm going to do some yoga in the morning, you should join me for that too!" Levy advocated as she grabbed Lucy's shoulder.

"That does sound tempting," Lucy answered with a nod, "although for some reason, I wanna go back to that place where that music was..."

Levy looked at Lucy with determination.

"You can do that anytime, come on, it'll just be for an hour or two in the morning."

Lucy smiled and let out a sigh, "Alright, fine. It'll be a fun way to start the day at the very least. Yoga into spa sounds like a great combo."

"Yes!" Levy looked around at her other friends eagerly. "Anyone else? Please, let's make it a group activity!"

Erza shook her head. "I'd rather go do my own little exploration, I haven't gotten to truly sight see the town for myself yet-"

"I mean you could if you hadn't spent all afternoon at that bakery," murmured Lucy.

"What about you, Juvia?" proposed Levy.

"Juvia must also decline, she wants to make sure the gift is perfect for Gray. And nothing is going to get in the way of that."

"Hey Cana, you've been a little quiet," Lucy noticed. "What are you planning on doing?"

"Well..umm, I was thinking about checking out the town's academy...."she admitted sheepishly.

The four other girls stared at her dumbfounded. Before collectively asking: "Why?"

"I don't know, while I was drinking this lady walked up to me and then she bought me a drink and then gave me an invite and..and..."

As Cana tried to explain herself, no one noticed the boulders begin to shine again, nor their eyes reflecting the green glow.

"..and it's just what I want to do. There's nothing unusual about that," stated Cana, completely monotone.

"You're right, nothing unusual," said Lucy in an equally dull tone.

"Everything's fine," echoed Levy and Juvia.

"Everything is...wait-wha-" struggled Erza as she began to resist.

The four others turned to face her rather mechanically before standing up, towering over her, water dripping off their bodies.

"Erza, you don't need to worry," ordered Juvia.

"Yes, everything is fine," chanted the other three.

"Don't worry?.....Fine?" Erza stammered, trying to fight it.

"We are all relaxed. You are relaxed," the four droned.

"I am...relaxed..." Erza repeated, her face becoming slack.

"Yes, everything is as it should be."

"Everything...is as it should be. Yes," agreed Erza.

Her mind became blank, as she stood up to join them, ensnared by the spell. The light from the boulders began to shine even brighter, blanketing every corner of the room with an emerald glow. As if this was a cue for them, the Fairy Tail girls began to speak in unison.

"It is safe and good in Shamballa. We have nothing to fear in Shamballa. We have no reason to be distrustful in Shamballa. We will trust the citizens of Shamballa. We will not be suspicious of anything in Shamballa. It is safe and good in Shamballa...."

For the next several minutes, the girls stayed entranced, their voices echoing off the stone walls as they recited their mantra. Finally the rocks pulsed with a bright flash.

"And when the time comes, we will let ourselves be claimed and submit to the will of Shamballa," they all said in one voice.

The glow receded and after a few seconds the girls sat back down into the water, rubbing and blinking their eyes. A few more seconds passed before they resumed their conversation.

"Well, I hope you have fun at the academy," said Lucy supportively.

"Let me know if they have a library," chirped Levy.

The girls continued to chat for another several minutes but eventually finished their bathing, none the wiser to what had happened to them. They went back up to their rooms, wished each other good night, and collapsed into their beds.