"What?! There's only one magic shop in this entire town?!" Lucy had hoped there would be at least more than one she could stop by. She certainly didn't come to Hargeon just to enjoy the sunlight and the salty breeze! Not that those weren't nice things that she totally was loving, but still! She sighed as the vendor elaborated, mentioning that so few people use magic in this fishing focused port town, and his shop was aimed at selling to travelling wizards. She couldn't help but feel her entire visit had been a waste of time. "Ugh I can't believe I came all this way for nothing." She grumbled.
"Now now, don't say that! Look, I have all the latest goods in stock!" The small man whipped out a thin pink box sporting a mirror on the bottom. "This Colors magic is popular with the girls! You can change the color of your clothes to match how you feel that day! See, look!" He activated the device, and with a dramatic wave of his arm, his hoodie turned from a light yellow to a darker purple.
"I already have one." She replies as the man does another wave of his arm to change the color back. "I'm looking for powerful gate keys."
"Gate keys, huh? That's a rare request. He brings out a small box and sets it on the table. He then opens it to reveal a silver key with a blue shape resembling a head on the handle.
"The White Doggy!" Lucy immediately exclaimed, a gleeful smile on her face.
"It's not powerful at all." The vendor quipped.
"That's okay! I've been looking everywhere for it. How much?!"
"20,000 Jewel."
Lucy paused, "Aha…" Surely she heard wrong. Adding a bit of inflection to her voice, but keeping her smile plastered on, she asked, "...How much again?"
With a similar inflection, and no indication of backing down, the man repeated, "20,000 Jewel."
Clearly Lucy needed to pull out her trump card. Flirting was a woman's best friend, after all!
A few minutes later, Lucy was grumpily marching down the cobblestone street. "He only lowered it by 1,000 Jewel! Is that all my feminine charm is worth?!" She pouted, "That's so cheap!"
The sound of a chattering crowd interrupted her tantrum, drawing her attention to the street below her, where a large group of girls surrounded a lone man.
Behind her, two more enthusiastic girls ran to join them, shouting, "A famous wizard is here! The Salamander!"
"Salamander?" Lucy repeated, blinking. Once it clicked, she grinned. "The famous wizard who can use magic you can't find in stores!" She absolutely had to meet him! Lucy hastily checked her hair in her pocket mirror, then undid and re-tied her one sided mini ponytail, making sure her blonde locks fell just as she wanted them to. She had to make a good first impression, after all!
When she neared the crowd, she heard comments like, "What a dreamboat!" and "Please burn me!" break through the clashing chatter, and as she got closer, she realized why. The man at the center of attention was incredibly attractive, with a nice face and cooly cut dusk blue hair. The way he posed and grinned, swishing his dark purple cape behind him was suave and casual, and Lucy was very aware of her own heartbeat thumping harder. Her jaw dropped, and she could feel herself blushing harder than she was used to. What's gotten into me?! She thought to herself as the man soaked up all the attention coming his way. Why is my heart beating so fast?!
He looked her way and she heard herself squeak, instinctively clutching at the fabric of her shirt over her chest. Is it because he's a famous wizard?! Could it be-? Am I in-?
"Igneel! Igneel! Igneel!" A pink haired boy poked his head out from the sea of girls, calling for the Salamander's attention. All of a sudden he slouched, looking utterly confused. "...Who are you?"
"Does the name 'Salamander' ring a bell?" The gorgeous man responded, after a beat of astonishment.
"Disappointment." The boy mumbled, immediately leaving the crowd.
"Wait, you're leaving already?" the Salamander called, his voice shrill with surprise.
"How rude!" The girl beside her growled, stalking after him as a few others joined her. "Mr. Salamander is an amazing wizard! Apologize right now!" Usually Lucy wouldn't care so much about the reputation of a total stranger, however this Salamander had her feeling some serious feelings, and she couldn't deny she was just as angry.
As the girls tackled the boy, pinning him to the ground, she made to join them, only to be accidentally pushed out of the way. She felt her hip collide with something hard, and a grimace replaced her frown of anger. She had run into a magazine stall, displacing a few of the products by doing so, and a quick glance showed they were issues of the Sorcerer Magazine, one of her favorites. As she looked at the cover of the week's issue, featuring a knight with stunning scarlet hair, she felt an immediate change in her mood, and scrambled to fix the display she'd disturbed. "I'm so sorry!" she apologized quickly, backing away from the crowd slightly.
"Now, now. That's enough! He didn't mean anything by it!" The Salamander laughed, running a hand through his hair. Looking at him, Lucy realized she didn't feel a thing anymore. All that blushing and racing heart business was suddenly just gone. She crossed her arms and studied the man in front of her as he forced his autograph upon the inconvenienced boy, acting as though he had achieved some great feat and was showing pity on him. Looking closer at the rings he wore, her suspicions were confirmed. The ring on his index finger sported a heart shape indicative of a charming spell. "Well, I have business at the port, so I must be off." He announced, snapping his fingers and chanting 'Red Carpet'. A red magic circle appeared, and purple flames trailed behind him like a snake. "I'm having a party on my boat tonight! You're all invited!" He called as he zipped away, leaving a trail of purple in his wake.
"Who was that?" Lucy's attention turned back to the boy, who was now sitting on the ground.
"Guess it wasn't him after all?" A blue cat offered. It seemed to be the boy's companion.
"That guy was a creep." Lucy commented, walking up to them. "Thanks, by the way!"
"Huh?" The boy tilted his head.
Shortly after, Lucy found herself sitting across from the boy and his cat at a restaurant, attempting to introduce herself as they wolfed down a large amount of food at an almost worrying pace. She had offered to pay for their meals, but after seeing them go to town on it, she was starting to regret that decision. There goes the 1,000 Jewel that guy saved me… "So...Natsu and Happy, was it?"
"Yeah! You're really nice!" The boy, Natsu, affirmed, food still in his mouth.
"Well, that guy was using a charm spell. It can attract people to you, even against their will." Lucy explained, "Though, sale of it was supposed to be banned years ago. It's pretty creepy to go that far, just to be popular!" She rested her elbow on the table, putting her chin in her hand and looking at the duo appreciatively. "You barging in helped me break free of the spell, so this meal is my thanks."
"I see." Natsu replied, still focused on the food in front of him.
"You know, I'm actually a wizard too!" Lucy continued, "I haven't joined a guild yet, though." She paused for a beat, Oh! He might not know what guilds are! "By the way, guilds are organizations where wizards gather to find work and share information. If you aren't in a guild, you can't be considered a full-fledged wizard." At Natsu's silence, she kept on talking, excitement bubbling through her as she gestured animatedly, "There are lots of guilds all over the world, and getting into the popular ones is apparently really tough! The one I want to join is filled with amazing wizards, and even if it's tough, I really want to join it!" At Natsu's look, she laughed, "Oh, sorry! This wizarding talk must sound like nonsense to you, huh?"
"You talk a lot." The cat, Happy, stated.
"Oh yeah, come to think of it, it sounded like you were looking for someone."
"Aye! Igneel!" Happy answered.
Natsu nodded, adding, "We're here 'cause we heard a Salamander was coming to this town-"
"We rode the train twice!" Happy interjected.
"-but it was someone else." Natsu finished, unaffected. "A Salamander's a fire dragon, so we thought he'd be Igneel."
"Wait, what?" Lucy blinked, "Why did you take the train twice? And what kind of person would look like a dragon?"
"You see, Natsu's-" Happy started.
"-No, Igneel's not like a dragon, he is a dragon!" Natsu interrupted, as if trying to keep Happy from spilling some kind of secret. She didn't really care at the moment, however. A dragon?! Dragon's were very rare creatures, and were hardly ever seen! It was likely they were even extinct! Why is he looking for a-?! Wait…
"Natsu...why would there be a dragon in the middle of town?!" Both Natsu and Happy went slack jawed, and raised a finger as if to protest, however both of them remained silent. They seriously didn't think about that?! "You're only just now realizing that?!" She sighed, placing some money down on the table. She'd about hit her limit with socializing, and was seriously looking forward to some relaxing time on her own. "Well, I've got to get going. Enjoy your meal!"
As she made her way to the door, the greeter's shocked expression prompted her to turn around, and what she saw immediately made her take a quick, bracing breath. Natsu and Happy were bowing to her in the middle of the restaurant floor. "Thank you for the meal!"
"Stop it! You're embarrassing me!" Lucy exclaimed, looking around at the people now staring at them, "It's okay! You helped me so now we're even!"
"I don't feel like we helped her though…" Natsu said, turning to Happy.
"Aye, I still feel indebted." Happy agreed.
"I know!" Natsu said, pulling out the autograph the phony Salamander forced him to take, "You can have this!"
"I don't want it!"
Finally alone, and with a newly purchased Sorcerer Weekly magazine, Lucy flipped through the pages as she relaxed on a park bench. It was the same issue she'd disturbed the displays for earlier in the day, and as she read on, she laughed slightly. "Sheesh. Fairy Tail caused trouble again? Devon Bandit Clan Wiped Out? Seven Homes Destroyed? Talk about going overboard!" She flipped to the next page to see two gorgeous shots of a girl in a flowing sundress as white as her hair, a blue flower pin in her hair that complimented both her eyes, as well as the vast ocean stretching out behind her. "Wow, Mirajane looks so beautiful! So, she's the glamour model this time, huh?" As much as she loved Mirajane, she kind of wished the girl on the cover had gotten some glamour shots too. Honestly, this issue was just blessing her with beautiful women to look at, and she considered that maybe this was her new favorite issue. As she flipped another page, she found her thoughts drifting back towards joining a guild. "How do you join Fairy Tail, anyway?" She murmured aloud, "Is there an interview or something?" She closed the magazine, and gave a whimsical sigh, "The Fairy Tail wizard guild is just so cool…"
"Oh? You want to join Fairy Tail?"
Lucy almost jumped out of her skin at the unexpected, yet familiar voice. "S-Salamander?!"
"I've been looking for you." He stated, holding up his hand in a way that clearly showed her his rings, "I wanted to personally invite you to the party I'm hosting tonight."
Lucy stood up, "Your charm spell won't work on me!" She pointed at him in an accusatory manner, "Its weakness is awareness! It won't work on people who are aware of it!"
Salamander laughed, "I knew from the moment I saw you that you were a wizard. No matter. Just come to my party."
"Yeah, right! Like I'd ever go to some creep's party!" She crossed her arms and scowled at him, "Your charm spell. Would you really go that far to be popular?"
"It's only a formality!" He assured, giving a sparkling smile, "I just want to feel like a celebrity during the party."
"For a so-called famous wizard, you really are stupid."
"Oh! But you want to join Fairy Tail, right? Surely you've heard of the 'Salamander' in Fairy Tail."
Lucy gasped and thought for a moment. "I have!...Wait, you're a member of Fairy Tail?!"
"That's right. If you want to join, I can put in a good word with our master." He grinned smugly, and she knew he had her right where he wanted her. As much as a creep he may be, she couldn't waste an opportunity to join the guild of her dreams.
"It sounds like it'll be a really nice party!" She said, throwing on her most charming of smiles, "I'll be sure to come, then!"
"Wow, talk about a simple personality." He chuckled to himself, basking in his victory over her.
Lucy felt her smile waver, but successfully held it in place, pretending she didn't hear him. "So, can you really get me into Fairy Tail?"
"Of course. But in return, don't say anything about the charm spell."
"Sure! No problem!" Lucy lied through her teeth, smile still firmly in place. Like hell she was going to keep quiet about that! Once that creep gets me into Fairy Tail, I'm ratting on him. In her opinion, it was absolutely never okay to force someone to fall in love with you against their will. Plus, she was still angry about being affected by the spell herself!
"All right! See you at the party!" With a snap, he flew off the same way as before, purple flames trailing behind him. After he'd left, Lucy dropped the smile and stuck out her tongue at the receding trail. I only have to be nice to that idiot until he gets me into Fairy Tail… She turned and started for where she was staying, mentally picking through her on hand wardrobe for what she wanted to wear.
The night air on the docks was cool, and slight breezes here and there played with her hair as she approached the Salamander's boat. She had decided on a nice, elegant red dress, and had used a red bow in her hair to match it. She didn't care what Creepmander thought of her looks, but she did want to leave a good impression, should any other Fairy Tail members, or even the master themself be there. Nearing the vessel, she found herself feeling lost within the sea of people, until she heard the Salamander call her name. He grinned at her, and she couldn't help noticing how he hadn't changed his clothes from before. "Lame." She mumbled from behind a very fake smile, moving through the crowd to meet him.
"Shall we?" He held out his arm to her, and if this were anyone else, she might have said it was charming.
"Of course!" She agreed, begrudgingly taking his arm and following him onto the boat and into the heart of the party. They weaved in and out of the crowd as the boat took off into the night, and Lucy truly started to wonder if she'd made a deal with a devil. The pure amount of socializing he was putting her through was hellish, and she was getting very exhausted very fast. Nonetheless, she kept up her facade, keeping a pleasant demeanor as the creep whisked her all around the boat. She was almost thankful for his charm spell in the moment, as all the lovestruck girls crowding them barely left room for a word in edgewise, minimizing how much talking she'd actually have to do.
After a lap around the party boat, Salamander led her to a private room, separated by a curtain and set up for fine dining. There were two glasses, and an expensive looking bottle of juice on the table, and to the side were big windows showcasing the dark ocean waves. Lucy wasn't exactly hungry, nor was she about to trust any drink Creepmander gave her, but she was at least relieved to have some privacy. After they'd sat down, Salamander crossed his legs and gave her a flirtatious look. "Let's start with a toast." He suggested, pouring the juice into the two glasses. He snapped, and orbs of wine floated from her glass. "Now, open your mouth and savor the jewels of fruit juice as they enter." He said, clearly attempting to sound alluring, but only succeeding in sounding like more of a creep.
With a small shiver going down her spine, she rapidly ran through multitudes of possible excuses she could give to deny him, before she sensed something off. Eyes narrowing, she stood up abruptly and swatted the juice orbs away. "What's the big idea?" She demanded, all traces of cooperation having vanished. "That was sleep magic."
"Oho…" He lifted his hand to his chin, showing off his rings once again. The ring on his middle finger bore a symbol of a double face, and a closed eye. "I'm impressed."
"Don't get the wrong idea. I want to join Fairy Tail, but I have no intention of being your girl." Lucy stated, placing a hand on her hip.
"Heh...you're a tough one." He snapped, and the curtains separating the room opened, revealing many rough looking, muscular men carrying the unconscious party guests.
"What's going on here?!" Lucy stepped back, realizing just how trapped she was.
"Welcome to my ship. You will behave yourself until we reach Bosco...girl." Creepmander sneered, his expression and tone completely different from before.
"Bosco? Hey, what about Fairy Tail?!" She asked, despite the feeling she knew the answer. She swallowed, the sinking feeling in her stomach only getting worse as the seconds went by.
"Forget about it, you're our merchandise now." He grinned again, but this grin was cold and full of pure malice.
"Why, you…!" Lucy reached for the gatekeys at her hip, but as she saw his magic circle appear, she knew she was too late. The Salamander's purple flames burst towards her and wrapped around her wrist, forcing her keys out of her hand and sending them flying Salamander's way. He snatched them from the air, and she clutched her wrist with a hiss of pain. The flames dissipated, and the Salamander made a noise of disinterest.
"Gatekeys...A celestial wizard, huh? Only contract holders can use this magic, meaning they're useless to me." As she watched, he chucked her gatekeys out the window of the ship, sending them plunging into the waves below. She dropped her gaze to the floor, desperately trying to think of something, anything, she could do to get herself out of this. With her gatekeys gone, and her dominant wrist burned, she couldn't use either of her primary means of defense. Without the keys, she couldn't use her magic, and without proper use of her wrist, she couldn't use her whip. At this point, a physical fight was all that was left, which she was not proficient in whatsoever, nor would it help much against so many. She thought back to how he said he was from Fairy Tail, and found herself shaking both in fear and in rage. I can't believe a wizard in Fairy Tail would do something like this…! As menacing laughter sounded around her, and tears pricked her eyes, Lucy grit her teeth and defiantly met the Salamander's gaze.
"Using magic for evil to fool people…" She could feel the tears freely running down her face now, but she continued speaking, "You're the worst kind of wizard there is!" She yelled. She braced herself as two of the men grabbed her from both sides, but a sudden collapse of the ceiling froze everyone in the room to the spot. Landing on top of the wreckage was Natsu, face hardened, with his white, scaly scarf flapping behind him. "Natsu!" She exclaimed, hope flooding over her once more.
Natsu looked at her a moment, then puffed out his cheeks and turned away, covering his mouth with his hand. "I can't handle this after all…" he groaned, looking as if he were about to puke.
"So uncool…!" Lucy couldn't help but comment.
"What are you doing, Lucy?" Happy was floating above the hole Natsu had created, white wings coming out of his back. Lucy didn't remember Happy having wings, but she was just thankful they were here.
"I was tricked! He said he'd get me into Fairy Tail!" She told him, then added, "Also, you have wings?!"
"We'll talk later." Happy said, curling his tail around her waist, "Let's go!"
He pulled her up into the sky and flew off. Below her, Salamander yelled, "After them! We can't let them report us to the council!"
"What about Natsu?!"
"I can't carry two people!"
Salamander growled and another magic circle appeared, "You're not going anywhere! Prominence Whip!" At least a dozen trails of purple fire erupted from the circle and made their assault on the duo. Happy weaved through them as best he could, and Lucy winced as one barely brushed by her leg. Leading all the trails towards him, Happy darted out of the way at the last moment, and they all collided with one another, exploding into a fantastic fireworks display.
"We have to go back and save Natsu and the guests!" Lucy wasn't sure how to do that exactly, but she knew they needed to!
"Listen, Lucy!"
"What?! This isn't a good time!"
"My transformation is over!" With a poof, Happy's wings disappeared, and they both plunged into the cold, salty water.
Under the water, Lucy opened her eyes and noticed a glint on a nearby rock. Swimming towards it, she found what she was hoping for. There they are! She grabbed her keys and swam back to the surface, where Happy floated tiredly. "Here goes!" She yelled, singling out one of her golden keys. "Open, Gate of the Water Bearer!" She plunged the key into the water and turned, a distinct ding-dong sounding as the magic circle appeared. "Aquarius!" In a swirling rush of water, a blue haired mermaid appeared, holding a large jug that sprayed a trail of water behind her.
"A fish!" Happy exclaimed.
"No." Lucy responded.
"That was amazing!"
"I am a celestial wizard!" Lucy bragged, "I can use gatekeys to summon celestial spirits from another world!" Turning back to the matter at hand, she pointed towards the receding boat. "Aquarius! Use your power to push that ship back to port!"
Aquarius frowned, "Ugh."
"Did you just say 'ugh'?!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Heed this, annoying child. Drop my key again, and I'll kill you." Aquarius warned, gaze hard and imposing.
"W-We're sorry!" Lucy and Happy echoed each other, wilting under the mermaid's terrifying look.
Getting to work, Aquarius released a powerful water vortex from her jug, yelling aggressively as she did so. With a boom, massive waves shoved the boat backwards, almost threatening to capsize it as they did so.
Within a dizzying whirlpool, Lucy yelled, "Don't sweep me with it!" as the large, destructive wave crashed into the port town, overtaking many buildings. As the last of the waves rained down, Lucy continued, "What were you thinking?! Why did you sweep me with it?!"
"Whoops. I accidentally swept up the ship, too."
"You were aiming for me?!"
"Don't call me for a while. I'm going on a week-long trip with my boyfriend." After a pause, she repeated, "With my boyfriend." before disappearing from their world.
"I heard you the first time!" Lucy shouted to nothing. It was just like Aquarius to brag about having a partner.
Picking up Happy, she ran to the now beached party boat. It was slowly being surrounded by astounded locals, curious at exactly what had happened. Atop the wreckage, she could just make out a shadow that looked familiar. "Natsu!" She yelled to get his attention. She stopped as she drew closer and saw the darkened expression on his face.
"You're a Fairy Tail wizard?" Natsu questioned in a low, threatening voice to the washed up Creepmander.
"Yeah, so what? Get 'im, men!"
"Let me get a closer look at you." Natsu ordered, removing his jacket in preparation for a fight.
"Natsu!" Lucy yelled again, afraid the boy would get himself hurt. Did he even know self defense? Nice arms don't mean nice skills, necessarily!
"It's okay. We should've mentioned earlier, but Natsu's a wizard too." Happy chimed in, happily holding a fish to his mouth.
Shoving the first assailant out of the way with ease, and with a face filled with enough rage to put Aquarius to shame, Natsu announced, "I'm Natsu of Fairy Tail! I've never seen you before in my life!"
"Wha-?!" Creepmander exclaimed, caught in his lie.
"Fairy Tail?! Natsu's a Fairy Tail wizard?!" Lucy was astounded, to say the least. Why hadn't they told me back then? Why did they let me go on and on as if they didn't already know every word I was saying? Oh man, that's so embarrassing… Now that Natsu had taken off his jacket, she could see the red Fairy Tail emblem on his right shoulder clear as day. Except it's night.
"Th-That emblem!" One of Creepmander's men spoke up, "He's the real deal, Bora!"
"You fool! Don't call me by that name!" Creepmander, or Bora, screeched.
"Bora...Bora the Prominence." Happy stated, frowning. "He was kicked out of Titan Nose wizard guild years ago."
Walking towards Bora with a heated aura, Natsu continued. "I don't care if you're a good guy or a bad guy...But I won't let you tarnish Fairy Tail's name!"
"And what are you going to do about it, kid?! Prominence Typhoon!" A swirling vortex of purple fire shot towards Natsu, who failed to react in time. The impact created an explosion, and a column of flames. "The bigger the talk, the weaker the man." Bora stated, turning his back on the destruction, assured in his victory.
"This tastes horrible." Natsu complained, stopping Bora in his tracks. "Are you really a fire wizard?" Natsu asked as he devoured the flames around him. "This is the worst fire I've ever tasted." Within moments, all the flames were gone, and Natsu grinned. "Thanks for the meal."
"I've never seen magic like that before!" Lucy knew a lot about magic, but this was definitely a first for her. Eating fire?
"Now that I've eaten, I feel re-energised!" Natsu slammed his fists together, and a flame colored magic circle opened up from the impact. "Fire Dragon's Roar!" He shouted, spewing flames from his mouth just like a dragon would. The spell created a large explosion, causing even more destruction, and wiping out most of the men.
Bora, having floated out of range with his own fire magic, lowered himself once again as one of his still conscious men spoke to him, "B-Bora! I've seen this guy before! That pink hair and scaly-looking scarf! No doubt about it, he's the real Salamander!"
"Pay attention, now! This is what Fairy Tail wizards are like!" Flames engulfed both of Natsu's arms as he spoke, and he launched himself forward. In a panic, Bora released another spell, but none of the showering flames managed to hit Natsu. Jumping up to even ground, Natsu gave Bora a fiery punch that sent him flying a long distance.
"He eats fire...punches with fire...is this really magic?" Lucy couldn't believe it, she had never heard of anything like it whatsoever.
"Dragon lungs for breathing fire, dragon scales for dissolving fire, and dragon talons that are wrapped with fire. It's an ancient spell that lets his body take on the qualities of a dragon." Happy explained, "It was originally used for taking down dragons. It's dragon slayer magic! Igneel taught it to him."
"Hell Prominence!" Bora shrieked, emitting a huge, concentrated fire beam from his magic circle. The beam cut straight through the harbor town, leaving a line of smoke and destruction in its wake.
"I'm gonna cook you like a grilled fish!" Natsu growled, "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" With one last fiery punch, Natsu took down Bora, and the ex-wizard slammed into a crumbled building.
"That was amazing! But…" Lucy looked around at the ruined town, "Way too overboard!"
"Aye!"
"Don't just say 'aye'!"
At the sound of marching guardsman, Natsu bolted, grabbing Lucy by the hand and dragging her with him. "Crap! Let's get outta here!"
"Why do I have to?!"
"You wanna join our guild, don't you?!" He looked back at her and grinned, "Come on!"
Smiling back, she gave an enthusiastic, "Yeah!" And joined him in running from the authorities. Maybe it hadn't gone as she'd expected, but she met a Fairy Tail mage! And helped save a bunch of people from a massive creep! All in all, she couldn't call it a bad day.