Onibus is a bustling commercial city, even more prosperous than Magnolia.
And like Magnolia, it has a canal that runs through the city.
After the President announced free activities, Rhode and Mira chose to take a tour on the canal in one of those small boats designed for tourists.
The two leaned against each other, listening to the sound of paddles hitting the water and watching the startled fish swim away beneath them.
After boating, they wandered around interesting places they had just seen, picked out clothes for each other, and tried some enticing delicacies.
They packed some food to take back for Elfman and set some aside for Warm.
Interestingly, they overheard people discussing Erza and the others' performance while they were shopping.
The play currently showing at the Shizad Theater was "Frederick and Yandilika," which sounded like an old story about a prince saving a princess.
But they heard that the flyers were being distributed by a flying cat, and that mages would participate in the play, making it especially thrilling.
So quite a few people were interested and said they would check it out.
"It sounds like it's going to be a hit even before it starts." Mira listened to the discussions around her, "Looks like I'm going to win again this time."
"Hope they don't mess it up." Rhode didn't mind losing a bet; he just hoped they could manage it smoothly for once.
As the start time approached, throngs of people gathered near the theater.
Although no one knew how the story was, the promotion seemed quite successful; these folks really knew what they were doing.
Rhode and Mira followed the crowd inside and soon saw the large billboard at the theater entrance, depicting a warrior, an evil dragon, and a princess.
"I have a bad feeling about this." Rhode looked at the dragon in the picture, knowing exactly who would be playing it.
Mira chuckled lightly, "It's going to be so fun."
The guild's companions were all sitting in the same area, and they immediately spotted the drunken gaze of the President and the equally tipsy Kana.
Mira puffed up angrily, "The President should get banned from drinking again, he got drunk just yesterday and here he is today like this."
Rhode nodded, "I agree."
No way should a man his age be drinking like this every day.
The theater was packed, and the audience was noisy.
When the lights dimmed, the audience quieted down, except for the Fairy Tail section, which remained somewhat chaotic until the soothing sound of a harp began, quieting them slightly.
It was a piece played by Lucy's Star Spirit, Lyra Constellation's Lira, and as the ethereal singing began, the audience was enchanted.
"So beautiful." Mira held her face, feeling that all her happy, beautiful memories were summoned by the song, simply listening to it brought a sense of happiness.
The power of the Star Spirits is truly amazing.
"Yes." Rhode nodded; even he couldn't easily say 'you sing better' before the song ended.
The only issue was, the lyrics were terrible.
Aside from mentioning the prince and princess, there was no useful information.
From an opera perspective, the play was flawed from the start, if not for Lira's enchanting voice, the audience might have started booing; no wonder the theater hadn't been doing well.
As the curtain rose, Erza appeared in male attire, the song fading, and she struck a cool pose to begin her lines:
"I-I-I-I… my name is…"
The initial aura upon her entrance vanished entirely, and Erza delivered her lines stiffly and stammered, her body shaking unnaturally.
Her acting was already abysmal beyond compare.
But the Fairy Tail crew found it hilarious, seeing the usually gallant Erza so flustered was unexpectedly endearing.
Watching a professional act and watching a friend act are entirely different experiences.
Mira had already begun to laugh happily, Erza was just too amusing.
Then Lucy, playing the princess, was hoisted in by a rope, and the villain Gray appeared, introducing himself with a name that was entirely different from what Lucy had said.
Their chaotic line changes and casual character names left the audience bewildered.
But when an Ice Sword appeared in Gray's hand and Flying Swords floated around Erza, the audience who wanted to leave decided to stay.
Even though the script was lousy, the magic battles were cool.
While the script was bad, the fun with friends was way too entertaining.
With both sides of the audience in different moods, they watched with great interest all the same.
When Hapi flew out with Natsu dressed in a giant dragon costume, the chaos on stage escalated further.
Natsu, like a real dragon, continuously spewed flames.
When Hapi failed to keep hold of the rope, Natsu crashed down, damaging the stage, and accidentally unleashed an even fiercer flame due to the fall.
The stage caught fire, the set was wrecked, and even Princess Lucy's dress got set on fire.
Sitting in the front row, Rhode could distinctly feel the surge of heat from the stage.
The performance was a complete mess, utterly disastrous.
He didn't worry about a more severe fire breaking out since they had Gray on stage and a whole bunch of mages off stage.
Lucy, in her burning dress, sought help from Gray, only for Erza to suddenly draw her sword, slashing Lucy's clothing to pieces.
Erza's swordsmanship was exceptionally precise, as Rhode could clearly see; though Lucy's clothes were gone, she remained unharmed, smooth and unscathed.
"Oh! Oh!!" the audience erupted in applause.
Macao and other seasoned watchers had hearts in their eyes, "Fantastic! This ticket was worth every penny!"
"Ow…" Rhode received a pinch on his waist.
But Mira didn't force him to look away as Erza quickly covered Lucy with a cloak.
"Princess! Are you okay?"
Princess Lucy began to rant on the spot, "With acting this bad, how are you still in character?"
"Princess, I-I-I… will defeat the villain immediately!"
Over on the other side, Natsu seemed to have really become a dragon, constantly breathing fire and wrecking the stage.
Though Gray managed to stay calm, it wasn't in his nature to just not fight back when being attacked by Natsu.
Thus, a magical brawl involving three people unfolded on stage.
Makarov broke out in a cold sweat, his body began shaking, drenched in sweat; his drunkenness had sobered, and he was filled with a sense of impending doom.
Indeed, the Shizad Grand Theater started to shake, crumble, and finally split down the middle.
Makarov felt sorrowful and drew a golden magic array, shielding the audience.
"Oh dear, oh dear…" Mira laughed, "It turned out this way again."
"Old habits die hard." Rhode sighed, "Erza seems to still be acting…"
Yes, even with the theater collapsing, Erza continued to immerse herself in the role of the prince determined to save the princess.
Not until she had thoroughly pummeled Natsu and Gray and exited the stage with Lucy in her arms did she stop.
Seeing the mess Natsu and the others had caused, Macao asked, "P-President, what do we do now?"
"What else can we do?" Makarov's tone was grave, "We run, and make sure no one knows we're with them!"
Even though he knew he'd have to write a reflection letter as the President when the Advisory Council received the complaint, he planned to dodge responsibility for as long as possible.
A band of Fairy Tail mages made a hasty retreat.
As for the culprits, they'd have to figure out how to recompense for the damages themselves!
But this crowd of spectators was incredibly calm.
Watching the theater collapse, they didn't panic, but generously offered applause, laughter, and cheers, even staying until the very end.