Future Rogue Theory

Okay. So, here's my humble theory about what's going down. (Don't read if you aren't caught up on manga):

 I think that, in the original time line, the gate opened and a bunch a bad stuff happened. We know that Natsu dies in this original time line and a lot of other people die as well. So, after this terrible tragedy, Lucy goes back in time in a desperate attempt to try and change this. In this second time line, Lucy probably discovers some reason why the gate has to be closed. Maybe it's really being used to aid the dragon attack. Maybe it's being used by someone who wants Zeref's power or Zeref himself or something along those lines. Who knows?  For whatever reason, she finds out that she needs to close the gate, so she closes the gate in the second timeline, which would explain why Future Lucy wouldn't know about closing the gate. She hasn't done it yet.

So, Future Rogue (or someone masquerading as Rogue or Possessed-By-The-Shadow Rogue) comes from seven years in the future to stop Lucy from discovering whatever she discovers and preventing the future he wants from happening. I think this because:

• Lucy is a pretty reasonable person. If Rogue could explain what would happen in the future without being suspicious, she would believe and listen to him. But, all he does is accuse Lucy and then quickly tries to end her life, which he probably does to make completely sure that she can’t discover what is wrong with opening the gates.
• He keeps talking about how fate can’t be changed. He can’t let Lucy live because she is fated to close the gates. He can kill Natsu because Natsu is fated to die. But, he went back in time to change fate. That is what he is claiming, right? He claims he wants to save the future. What he says and what he does are conflicting. But, if he’s actually going back in time to prevent the future from changing, then he isn’t being hypocritical.
• Mashima took the time to introduce this shadow character that we know has the ability to take over Rogue and control him. We saw that shadow take over him and change him. The shadow has a completely different personality from Rogue as well, that the Future Rogue seems to share. Huh. How suspicious. Natsu even comments on Future Rogue’s change in personality. Present Rogue has a kind smile and is quiet and soft spoken. Future Rogue is more like the shadow where he is cocky, smug, and condescending.  I’m like 85% sure that Future Rogue is being possessed by the shadow. He even has these suspicious tattoos/marks on him. The chapter he appears in is called The Shadow That Comes and Goes. Sure, Rogue uses shadows as his magic, but I think that it’s more likely that this is referring to the shadow that possessed him during his fight with Gajeel.
• Future Rogue doesn’t even act like someone who’s come back to save the future. He doesn’t seem desperate or worried at all. Future Lucy was agitated, injured, anxious, and desperate. But, he keeps smirking and seems to be laughing at them. Why would someone who claims he comes from such a horrible future that he has to change act that way? It doesn’t make sense.
• God, Future Rogue is so suspicious. Natsu says he can smell evil on him (which, btw, I took as something similar to when a dog can sense someone is dangerous or malicious and will growl and be hostile to them) and what does Future Rogue do? He freaking makes this smug-ass face. I mean, LOOK AT HIS CHARACTER DESIGN! It just screams villain!

At first, I was willing to trust Future Rogue and give him a chance, but I now I think he’s shady as hell and not to be trusted. I get bad vibes from him and think he’s bad news. This isn’t the Rogue that Mashima has slowly been revealing to us as kind and gentle. He tells Natsu that seven years can change a person, but why would seven years of terrible-ness and loss turn someone kind and gentle into an arrogant prick? I would expect him to be more jaded and cynical than anything.

So, we are now entering a third time line, where Lucy is worried that she'll destroy the future because of what Future Rogue said about what would happen. But, she also seems to be wary of the gate. Why is it open already? Why would she close it? She can’t imagine closing the gate unless she had a really good reason to do so. She probably has very jumbled feelings and thoughts about what is going on and is probably really worried about messing things up. I feel so bad for her. ):

Natsu better not freaking die.

So, About That Sting Kid

Holy shit. Sting Eucliffe’s character development was so subtle that I didn’t even notice it until it hit its climax. And, he’s developed so much. It’s hella crazy. And, I have so much to say about it, so – if you stick with me throughout the whole post – there’s gonna be a lot of words.

Okay. So, Sting seems a little confusing at first. He says and does lots of conflicting things.

Why does he do this? I don't think it's because he's a hypocrite. On the contrary, I think it's actually because of how he views strength and weakness. Something that he really starts to struggle with after Natsu and the rest of Fairy Tail show up. And, I think this is where his character development starts. Almost right at the beginning.

We don't know a lot about Sting's past. We know that he's a Dragon Slayer. One who has a lacrima and was raised by a dragon. And, that he killed the dragon who raised him. We don't know what his dragon was like, what his childhood was like before the dragon, who put the lacrima in him, why that person implanted the lacrima, the circumstances surrounding him joining Sabertooth...basically, there's a lot we don't know. So, my first point is a little bit of conjecture.

To Sting, strength is being able to stand alone and beat anyone. That strength is being able to take down those who are above you and put yourself on the top. My conjecture with his dragon, is that he killed Weisslogia not just to become a 'real Dragon Slayer' but to prove himself. How can he be strong if there were people (or magical beasts) stronger than him? If he's weaker than anyone, than he's not strong. So, that's why I think he killed his dragon. He had to defeat his dragon to move up and to show that he was strong.

I think that Sting views relying on anyone as weakness. That needing or accepting help from anyone was a sign of weakness. We often see him trying to do things on his own. Having mercy, needing your team or friends, letting others care about you, losing any fight...these are signs of weakness. He doesn't hate his comrades  but he'll be damned if he accepts their help. Strength is survival of the fittest.

And, this is where his development comes in. Natsu and the rest of Fairy Tail show up and they challenge this viewpoint that he's built his whole life around. Something that has stopped him from making meaningful relationships with anyone other than his Exceed, someone he was allowed to befriend because Sting wasn't in danger of relying on him. They show up with their conflicting idea that friends and accepting help could make you strong. That there's more than one way to be strong. And, they are incredibly strong.

So, to Sting, beating Natsu becomes even more important. It's like with his dragon, where he needs to prove himself. If he can beat Natsu then he isn't wrong and he can continue his life style unchallenged. Sting needs to win, otherwise he has to come to terms with the fact that he's been a bad person. And, he'll have to change his way of thinking. Things that he accepted as a part of life and the need to be strong will be wrong and allowing things like what happened to Yukino happen would make him bad.

This is the ultimate fight to prove himself. And...he loses it. In front of everyone and the person (well, Exceed) that he made a promise to win for. This is the ultimate sign of weakness for him. Him and Rogue were beat down by someone who claimed to get his strength from his friends. Someone who said that strong people took care of their friends, even when they broke 'the rule' and were weak. That his friend failing their fights didn't make him weaker or hold him back, but in fact made him stronger. Natsu represents everything that he thinks makes a person weak and somehow gains strength from these things. Sting lost spectacularly to someone who technically should be weak.

(Not to mention, Natsu was able to do what he couldn't: take on two dragon slayers and win.)

After the battle with Natsu is over, he finds himself in the same position as Yukino. This time he lost a serious match that he actually gave his best in. There were no excuses. At this point - even while he is already being forced to come to terms with losing his most important fight - he realizes how much he actually relies on Lector. Lector was his only true friend and emotional support. Even in the face of being kicked from the guild from their cruel and strict leader, Lector stands up for him. (Which, by the way, is another form of strength that comes from your friends...further driving Natsu's victory over Sting)

Then, on top of that, Sting isn't even strong enough to protect his friend who tried to protect him.

I think when he's shown sitting and waiting for his part in the final fight, that he's not just preparing himself for his part, but is also having a sort of inner battle. He has a lot of things to rethink.

Then, oh God, Fairy Tail is so strong. Even if they're beaten up and it would be so easy for him to defeat them, he knows it won't be a real win. He hasn't beat them in their best shape. And, even knowing how easy it would be for him to finish them off, they aren't going down without a fight. It is pure strength and determination that is keeping them standing. They are still standing for their friends and 'family'. This is real strength.

And, Sting realizes that compared to them, he is weak. So incredibly weak and bad and pathetic. If he were to continue on with the plan, he knows that it will only confirm that he is bad. It wouldn't be the sort of fight that he could proudly tell Lector about. He would be just like Gemma, taking someone down for protecting their friends in a way that wouldn't be fair.

His inner battle comes to an end as he realizes that these guys - while stronger than him - aren't that much different from him. That, even though he tried to do things alone and not need help, he still relied on Lector. That Lector was a huge factor in what strength he did have. And, he knows he can't continue as he is.

He surrenders. The only reason he's fighting is for Lector. He doesn't want to win this for Sabertooth. At this point, I think he couldn't give a shit about Sabertooth. What's the point in continuing the fight? Even if he gets Lector back, what will the Exceed think? And, when facing this level of determination and character, he is horribly outmatched.

And, isn't it great that at his lowest point, he's reunited with Lector? He's finally come to terms with being wrong. He's ready to start over. And, like a reward for realizing this, his best friend is returned to him. It was a truly beautiful moment. (':

If he joins Fairy Tail after this, I won't be mad in the least. It would be perfectly logical. The master and others in the guild are big believers in redemption. And, Sting is at the point in his life where he needs to turn over a new, better leaf. He has so much potential and his personality actually fits with the feelings of Fairy Tail. It always seemed to me that his talk and actions didn't really fit what he actually thought a lot of the time.  And, looking back, it seems like his expression shows his inner struggle pretty often. What had seemed like a slightly crazed look to me before now looks like he's fighting himself. Like, he was lying to himself.
I would love to see him in Fairy Tail. I don't care if they have too many Dragon Slayers.

tl;dr: I'm pretty much in love with Sting Eucliffe.