So... This was what I was trying to get at with the FT story from before.
I just prefer the direction that this other idea is going.
Certainly, the other idea had an interesting plot, which I may integrate into this story, but, as Professor Oak says,
"Emerald, now is not the time to use that!"
Now, let this (hopeful) masterpiece begin! I hope you all enjoy. :)
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A Musician's Quest
Chapter 1: The Musical Wizard, Prologue in A Major
...
A brown-haired figure, looking around seventeen years of age, walked through the streets of Kuras, a lesser-known city in Fiore, though it had one of the most expansive magic shops in the entire country. Despite his odd appearance, he drew very little attention.
It appeared that he had been walking for several hours, as sweat covered his form, which was covered in a white t-shirt with a treble clef emblem emblazoned on it and a black, unzipped jacket with tails that flapped behind him as he walked. He also bore black jeans and combat boots, with a conductor's baton in his right hand.
It was then that the mysterious figure heard a scream coming from a nearby alley. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion as he began sprinting in the direction of the sound.
"Hey! Give me my Keys back!" a girl's voice yelled.
A couple more voices were heard laughing.
"What, are you not going to get into your house because of these?"
The voice could be heard pleading. "Please give me them back!"
Another of the men felt obliged to give the mysterious figure their reason for taking this girl's keys. "Not a chance. You have three Zodiac Keys... these will make a fortune on the Fiore black market!"
The girl's voice began to cry, and the figure had heard enough. As the mystery figure turned the corner, he could see a blonde-haired girl that had been beaten and bruised.
"Probably trying to protect her keys," The mystery man thought. As he saw the two goons, he cleared his throat before speaking.
"I believe that you bullies had best run away."
The two goons, both with bright orange hair, looked to see the brown-haired, vested figure, pointing a conductor's baton at them menacingly. The two couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you going to do, stab me with your baton? Oh, Perrick, this is just too good!" One henchman said.
The other, apparently named Richie, began to laugh. "Ain't that the truth, Richie. No one messes with the Tempest Brothers!"
The conductor figure grinned. "Then allow Amadeus S. Allegro be the first."
The two goons suddenly stopped. "That name sounds familiar," Richie commented.
"It does, bro..." Perrick replied with a smirk, "But there's no way he can beat us both!"
They insisted on firing off their attacks first, and a magic circle appeared in front of each of them.
"Needle Magic - Rapid Fire!" Richie yelled.
A large sum of needles all began to fly at me from one end.
Perrick's response came from right behind Amadeus, in the form of, "Gust Magic - Raging Tempest!"
A gigantic blast of wind appeared behind Amadeus, locking him between the two powerful attacks.
The girl he had seen before had her eyes wide in fear at what was going to happen to the guy who was kind enough to help her.
What happened next surprised all three of them: A smile from Amadeus.
"They sure don't make criminals like they used to..." Amadeus spoke before a magic circle appeared under his feet.
"Composer Magic - Tied Whole Notes!"
Immediately, a projection of two ovular shapes appeared, one in front of him and one behind him, held together by strings set in an arc. When each of the attacks neared Amadeus, a white force field was visible around him, reflecting the attacks harmlessly upwards.
The Tempest brothers stared in shock.
"Our combo..." Richie began.
Is broken..." Perrick finished.
Amadeus couldn't hide a grin as the projections disappeared. "It's a miracle you've made it this far if that's your only combo attack."
Both brothers took offense to that, and began to charge him with magic energy charged in their hands.
Amadeus sighed. "So reckless...
"Conductor Magic - Allegrissimo." Another magic circle appeared around him, coating his body in a golden aura. As the Tempest brothers ran towards him, screaming like maniacs, Amadeus sprinted up to them at an astounding speed, dove low with his arms stretched wide, and knocked them both flat on their faces. Amadeus rolled once before regaining his footing, looking at the crooks struggling to get up.
"Give up yet?" The musical mage asked, trying to stifle a laugh.
As the Tempest Brothers both got up, gasping for breath, they charged at him once more, exhaustion on their faces.
Amadeus sweatdropped. "This again? Oh well..."
A magic circle appeared a little before Amadeus, directly in the Tempest Brothers' path. He raised his right hand, which was holding his baton, and started, "Conductor Magic -" He swung his hand down just as the Tempest Brothers moved over the magic circle. "Sforzando!"
Immediately, a stream of various musical staffs, clefs, and notes erupted from the magic circle, throwing the unsuspecting criminal duo several feet in the air before they slammed back into the ground.
Amadeus sighed with relief, as they didn't get up from the fall this time. He turned to Lucy, who was staring at him in awe. Amadeus grinned.
"Low on magic energy, huh?"
She gasped. "How did you know?"
Amadeus chuckled lightly. "You could have summoned one of your spirits to help you if you could... which means you can't."
The girl shrugged. "I guess..."
Amadeus smiled. "So... what's your name, miss?"
The blonde girl half-smiled. "Lucy Hea-" She paused for a second, hesitant, before continuing. "Heartfilia."
Amadeus looked at her in confusion in a second before leaning against the wall. "You didn't have to tell me at all... I'm just some random guy off the streets."
Lucy was upset at this, an anime-style tick mark appearing on her head. "Then why ask, you baka?"
Amadeus shrugged. "Just curious. In any case.. will you have further need of my services?"
Lucy looked down indecisively. "I don't know."
Amadeus nodded. "While I don't have all day, I can help you. Is there a home you have to get back to?"
Lucy stiffened at the question. "Not... not anymore..."
Amadeus felt his mistake and looked away nervously. "Sorry about that... I had absolutely no clue..."
Lucy sighed, still looking down. "I mean... I guess it's fine, since you didn't know." She turned to him with rage in her eyes. "But I'm warning you, I'm a powerful wizard, and not one to cross!"
Amadeus grinned at her declaration of strength. "So am I, Miss Heartfilia." He turned away, his smile faded. "Well, I guess I should probably be going now, since you don't want anyone on your tail."
Lucy caught his arm just as he was about to make a step, freezing the boy in his tracks. "I... I would like you to take me somewhere where I can blend in, for a while..."
He shrugged at that. "I suppose... I was going to head towards Hargeon Town. It's a good port city... and I hear that magic isn't used too much, though there is a magic shop."
Lucy nodded. "I mean, if you would..."
A frown finally formed on Amadeus' face. "I do, however, have one stipulation as per my request."
Lucy felt more suspicious and her hand flew to her gate keys. "What is it you want?"
Amadeus began laughing and put his hands up in mock surrender. "I'm not a pervert or a cheat, if that's what you're thinking of. It's just that, when we get there, I want you to try and forget that I was with you here."
Lucy's eyes were wide. "But... but why?"
Amadeus sighed. "I'm on the run from a Dark Guild known as Shadow Mantra... They almost joined the Barum Alliance, but were rejected because their guild was tracking too much attention to itself. In order to prove themselves, they had to capture a powerful, freelance wizard and force him into a dark guild." He sighed. "Guess who the lucky winner of their attention was..."
Lucy frowned after hearing his story. "That's horrible..."
Amadeus nodded. "So I want you to forget that I was ever with you here... I can't do it myself, but I want to escort you and make sure you reach Hargeon safely."
Lucy smiled. "Thanks, Amadeus. You're a good friend!"
As they began to walk towards the train station, Amadeus looked down, his face emotionless. "I guess I should cut the girl a break- She's told me her full name, which I know she hesitated on."
"One more thing-" Lucy turned back to him in confusion as he continued. "The only reason to tell anyone that you've seen me is if a), your life is in danger if you don't tell people what they want to know, or b), if you're talking to one of the ten wizard saints."
Lucy nodded, accepting the odd exceptions to the rule. "I guess... But why would I ever meet one of them?"
Amadeus chuckled. "I have this feeling. You haven't joined a guild yet, but Im sure you'll meet one of them when you join one."
Lucy blushed. "You... you really think I can make it into a guild?"
Amadeus smiled. "Of course, Miss H. All it takes is hard work and perseverance... and maybe a little bit of luck."
As they continued walking, Lucy smiled. "Thanks! I really want to join one of the most popular guilds out there..."
Amadeus looked towards her, confused. "Blue Pegasus? Lamia Scale? Fairy Tail?"
At Fairy Tail, she was star-struck. "Yes! I've wanted to join Fairy Tail all my life!"
He grinned. "Their methods are unorthodox, but they're one of the best guilds out there. You should be a cinch for the guild."
Lucy's blush returned. "Thank you..."
By that time, they were at the train station. Fortunately, there were no ticket lines, so Amadeus stepped up.
"Two tickets for Hargeon, please." He spoke softly.
The lady recognized him quickly and smiled. "Ah. It's you, street performer. I'm sorry to see you leave; your music helps us get a lot of business."
Amadeus chuckled. "I promise I'll come back here eventually, okay?"
The lady nodded, grinning from ear to ear. "Perfect!"
Amadeus quickly paid for the tickets, despite Lucy's insistence that she could pay for herself, and they both entered the train towards Hargeon.
...
It was a one-and-a-half hour train ride from Kuras to Hargeon, and they were both silent for a great deal of it. Amadeus was leaning back against the wall of the train, eyes closed as he appeared to be resting.
Lucy was just looking out the window, at the scenery.
About an hour into the train ride, Amadeus spoke up. "I know why the name Heartfilia sounds familiar."
Lucy looked to him, confused. "Why, then?"
He smiled. "My parents played at the Heartfilia Wedding, along with my aunt."
Lucy looked to him in shock. "Your parents were music mages, too?"
Amadeus shook his head. "No. My mom was a water mage who played violin, my dad was an Archive mage that could play trombone, and my aunt was an earth mage who played harp. They learned their instruments the old-fashioned way: through hard work and practice."
Lucy was in awe. "So why did my parents ask yours to play?"
He smiled. "Because their orchestra was the top-rated orchestra at that time. I'm sure you've heard of the Fiore's Symphonic Brigade?"
Her mouth opened wide. "Your parents were part of that?"
Amadeus had a sly grin. "Yep... and my grandmother might have founded it..."
She gasped. "You mean you're a descendant of Kara Whitman?"
Amadeus laughed. "On my mom's side, yeah. That's the reason the lady back in Kuras called me street performer- my parents taught me their instruments, and I can play piano and guitar, as well as sing."
Lucy was pretty darn impressed with this guy. "Wow... you've had a heck of life."
The announcer... announced on the intercom, "Next stop, Hargeon!"
As the train slowed to a stop, Amadeus frowned at Lucy's statement, turning his head away from her as he said, "You don't know the half of it."
Once they got off the train, Amadeus and Lucy briefly looked around the city before Amadeus put a hand on Lucy's shoulder. "Miss H?"
Lucy looked back at him, frowning. "You have to go, don't you...?"
Amadeus grinned at that. "You're a smart girl, Miss H. I've no doubt you'll join Fairy Tail soon enough."
Lucy smiled before hugging him. Amadeus stiffened at first, but soon returned it.
"Thank you for everything you've done, Amadeus." Lucy said.
The musical wizard smiled. "It was my pleasure, Miss H."
He then stepped back from her and began to walk away, turning back to give her a salute with his thumb straight out and his index and middle fingers pointing at her, like a gun. Lucy returned the salute and started walking towards the magic shop. Something inside of her told her she should forget him, but another part wanted to join him.
"No," Lucy thought as she reached the magic shop, "I'd just be a hindrance to him..."
She smiled, though, knowing that she should focus on the task at hand- finding a gate key with at as little of a price as possible.
...
So yeah, prologues are kinda my thing. In any case, I do wonder who Lucy would be paired with for this story. I think the choices would be:
-OC x Lucy (as kinda indicated by this chapter - but anything can happen. This is fanfiction, after all. :P )
-Natsu x Lucy
-Loki x Lucy
-Gray x Lucy
(Not sure I'll go all the way to the GMG, but if I do, RoLu and Sticy would be viable options.)
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For the record, the pairing you choose does affect the direction of the story. (No, I won't have him going ballistic and joining the Oracion Seis or something like that, but there are a couple paths this story could take.)
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In any case, I hope you've enjoyed this little prologue. Next chapter will be where Amadeus meets Fairy Tail again.
Until next time,
-E.D.