However, she did not recommend the film for newcomers to the franchise, and criticized the brevity of Natsu's character development, despite considering his struggle with his identity 'a cool idea'. Sarah Nelkin of Anime Now gave the film a positive review, calling it 'a fun romp stuffed with all the elements Fairy Tail is known for that fans can enjoy, from visuals to music to characters'. In the present, Acnologia callously destroys the ribbon as Zeref observes him from afar alongside Brandish μ and Invel Yura, declaring that his battle with Natsu is imminent. In a flashback, a young Sonya loses her ribbon after being mortally wounded by Animus' gang of dragons, whom Acnologia kills in retaliation a dying Animus inhabits Sonya's body during this time, enabling their survival. In a post-credits scene, the ribbon is picked up by Acnologia.
However, Natsu refuses, sensing from his contact with the staff that it contains the malicious intent of dragons that were killed by Acnologia. Sonya implores Fairy Tail to leave the staff in Stella, warning that Animus's ritual could prevent a potential magical disaster from destroying the kingdom. The team escapes Stella with the help of Zash's reluctant accomplice, Sonya, who is also Animus's aide and childhood friend. Natsu accidentally alerts Zash to their presence upon touching the staff, which eventually results in his team being captured by Zash and the kingdom's elite military unit, the Three Stars. The wizards pursue Zash to Stella, whose ruler, King Animus, intends to use the staff for a ritual. Fiore's royal family recruits Natsu Dragneel and his team from the Fairy Tail guild to recover the staff, which is imbued with magical power capable of annihilating the kingdom. Fiore's treacherous minister of state Zash Caine steals the Dragon Cry, a mystical staff discovered in the dragon graveyard beneath the capital city of Crocus.