Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail, it's characters, plot, and anything else that is from the series, and all rights go to Hiro Mashima.

The only thing that belongs to me here is the plot and setting. I think everyone knows how to distinguish between what's mine and the original creator's materials, so I don't need to explain that part much.

Anyways, without further ado, I now present to you…

A Successful Failure

Chapter 1: A Bimbo's Dream

"THAT sucked," said the judge. "I have never, EVER, heard or seen someone as horrible as you and I can't possibly see how anyone could ever emulate the performance as bad as you did today."

Is what the judge just said to her in front of the whole audience of people who probably thought she was horrible now as well and there probably wouldn't be a second chance anymore, seeing as this was already her third chance and there isn't a second chance after a third chance because that wouldn't make any damn sense. That's just really stupid.

The young blonde-haired teenager picked up her props, which consisted of a whip and a chain of fake golden keys, before lowering her head in thanks for their time and quickly paced off of the polished, wooden set to escape her humiliation behind the large curtains of mahogany. A few other women who haven't had their turn of the audition tried to make eye contact, but she just shielded their gazes with her bangs. After completely exiting the building, she sped towards the alleyway behind the backdoor and quickly looked around for signs of any people before kicking the side of the cement wall as hard as she could.

"OW!" she immediately gripped her throbbing foot as the pain seeped through to her knees. Coupled with her current emotions, which are obviously anger and humiliation, the young woman is currently one of the angriest people on Fiore. "Dammit!"

She had lost count of how many auditions she had performed for, and how her right leg seems to have grown twice its original size from kicking various walls because of her failure to land a gig at any of them, which includes this one as one can tell. They all told her the same things, "You're bad at acting, you're bad at singing, and you have no talent at all. You should never have attempted show business, it's just not your calling."

Lucy Heartfilia stood up, dusted off her blue skirt, and clenched her fists so hard that she stopped because it started to hurt her palm, she couldn't even clench with determination without messing things up. What a total fail. It looked cooler in Lacrima shows, but that's just acting and Mavis knows that she sucked at acting. Still, there was no way she was going to give up, her dreams were reachable, she was young, and she had her determination.

"I ran away from home and gave up my future just to follow my dreams," she huffed. "And I'm not going to let any of my sacrifices go to waste. I'm not going to end up working at a fast food restaurant even if it fucking kills me."

Memories of her father threatening her flowed into her thoughts the very moment she said the magic word, "fast food restaurant". He scolded her for pursuing her dreams to become an actress because it's "unrealistic" and she would end up unemployed. Back then, Lucy didn't know about the real world and how cruel it was, she just wanted to be loved by fans.

Living alone in the big city wasn't that easy, at least that's not how the media portrayed the city lifestyle. She had to pay for rent, bills, and somehow keep herself from starving with the little money she had left. To her, if she could land one gig, then she knew she would become the famous celebrity she had always dreamed of and finally be appreciated for her existence.

Yet somehow, that didn't seem like the real reason she wanted to become a celebrity. Well, becoming one is pretty fucking awesome too, but maybe there was a deeper meaning to it and she wouldn't stop until she found it. What was she saying? This stuff sounds cheesy anyway, just stupid angsty drama from Lacrima Vision shows.

With that, the so-called "newly fired up" Lucy casually walked out of the alleyway and off towards the sunset as cool as she could because actors in action movies did so as well. With her resolution at hand and one foot the size of a melon, the fierce, young lady disappeared into the light of a new dawn. Nothing would stand in the way of her dreams, nothing.

And she could feel it.

"Here's your seasoned boar grill and side of veggies sir," Lucy winked. "We're terribly sorry to have kept you waiting, our cook has his hands full, and tonight's discount night, so please understand our situation."

The man who had waited impatiently for his meal snatched his food from her hands and told her off while mumbling about how restaurants these days have the worst customer services. Lucy wasn't fazed by this rudeness at all, she was used to being treated inferiorly by her customers. It was her job. The customers weren't there to love the waitress, they were there to feel better about themselves. All she had to do was say "yes sir or mam" and smile as wide as her facial muscles would let her because she was a waitress and they were inferior to customers.

Hell, even the owner of the restaurant is considered inferior to customers because Mavis forbid they run out of business, which is all the owner cares about. So if the owner is inferior to the customer on the hierarchical scale of social structure, she would be on the shit tier, just above the scum because shit can at least fertilize the vegetables fed to the customers.

"Waitress, over here!"

"Yes, coming!"

Lucy scurried over to the source of the call, which was a table inhabited by a rather tall, but abnormally thin gentleman whose face looked like it was on the verge of melting. His posture suggested that he was a wannabe socialite who tries to convince others that his carefully positioned fingers clasped together was sophisticated. Yet he failed at that. Nice hat though.

"How can I help you, sir?" she asked in the most polite way possible, almost fake British.

The man wasted no time getting to the point, "There's a fly in my soup."

"I-I'm sorry?"

He let out a deep and slow sigh, "I said, there is a fly here. Dead in my soup."

The blonde waitress slowly shifted her eyes from the man's beady eyes down to where his bony finger was pointing at. Cradled atop the white thickness of the clam chowder, laid a black dot with wings. The fly had apparently struggled to escape its sticky prison as there were tiny black sticks surrounding it, which got pulled off by the soup's unrelenting will to be embraced by the insect forever. A touching tale, one would think, right?

"We'll get you a new one right away sir," Lucy bowed her head apologetically. "Would there be anything else I could do for you?"

"I said there's a fly in my damn soup!" the man ignored her question by slamming his fists down on the table, swiping the bowl of chowder as well, which flew with joy and hugged the black coat of the man before it. A splash of white and the smell of seafood was noticeable to Lucy as she watched in horror at the events that just transpired.

"Um…sir?" she knew there would be no way to console him now. He has officially gone past the point of no return and she saw it when his whole face changed from its natural color to a bright red. Would another bowl of soup help him?

It didn't help that Lucy could feel the eyes of other people piercing towards her way, followed by gasps, snickers, and a few "holy shits!" Who could blame them? At least they're safe from whatever will happen to her now, which isn't going to end well.

She knew because she saw scenes like these from the movies and the waitress would end up fired for her doing absolutely nothing. She then has to find a new job, which seems like an easy thing to do in the movies, but in real life? Ha, hell no. The actors were lucky and it's their job, Lucy wasn't an actress, she was a waitress and she isn't lucky, she was sucky.

"Lucy, what happened here?"

The blonde waitress cringed, recognizing her manager's voice because this whole fiasco wouldn't be without a punishment on its way. A whole fist of punishments has probably set its coordinates to bomb the country of Lucy, and it would be a one-sided war.

"Lucy, I asked you, what is going on—," the voice was cut off by a few seconds of loud silence, followed by a loud, walrus-like thump on the floor. The manager had fainted. She was probably traumatized by the whole image of the crime scene and her heart couldn't take it. Lucy didn't even want to look beside her, she didn't like seeing fainted people. Stupid Lucy.

Lucy was a blonde. Most people think blondes are dumb, especially female blondes because they just are. It's been written in the unwritten book of societal rules ever since the first descendants of the blondes graced the land of Fiore. And in the center of today's civilization, Miss Heartfilia was the biggest bimbo of all. If there was an award that existed just for that achievement, Lucy would be the immediate victor. She's so lucky.

Manager let out a long depressing breath as Lucy's hands pulled and untied the knots held within the manager's deltoids. She signaled wither her grubby fingers for Lucy to stop and stretched out her back, and the spinal cord sang with its crackling voice before the woman sat back down on her wooden chair which squealed a creak from her weight.

"Lucy, it wasn't your fault," the manager blurted. "You explained to me what really happened and I believe you."

"Yeah but…" Lucy's response was halted by her manager's shaking head.

"Don't worry about what that man thinks of this place now," manager reassured the pseudo-bimbo. "All that matters is that you told me the truth and let's just forget about it, alright?"

Lucy's shoulders relaxed in relief. Manager's always got wise words for her and it's nice to have an old lady to talk to because old ladies just seem easier to have conversations with, they seem to understand a young woman's feelings.

"Besides, you're a great waitress and everyone loves your service skills," the granny stated. "You've got a natural talent for that."

"Manager, what do you think of customers like that man?" Lucy asked suddenly. "You never seem to reveal your feelings on them."

The manager's eyes shifted from a wide-eyed appearance to a more distant and thoughtful glance. Perhaps this question wasn't asked very often to her or maybe she didn't like these types of questions. Of course! Old ladies don't hate anyone! They're too kind and innocent to feel hatred for others, a truly nice person indeed!

"They're like a piece of shit."

Which surprised Lucy, "You think so?"

Manager nodded her head eagerly, "Totally, they think they're better than us because they order us around and shit, but once they go back to their jobs, they're just like us." The old woman of sixty began to light a cigarette, which Lucy thought was cool because cool people in movies always smoked cigarettes. "Honestly, I feel pity for those little puppies because they need to take out their anger on others to feel better. So it's kind of our job to provide that stress relief for them, strange huh?"

"I guess that's true…" added Lucy. "I understand how someone would feel if a job's tough and they can't do anything about it."

"Precisely girly," the manager blew out a stream of white smoke. "So there's no need to truly hate anyone for whatever reason unless they're a scumbag just to be a scumbag. Then, you're granted permission to whip their asses into shape!" Her laugh was followed by a screechy cough.

Lucy looked at her watch to see that it was an hour over her curfew, and she needed to get back to her apartment as the evening isn't so pleasant. Especially for a bimbo-looking girl like her.

"Lucy."

"Yes, manager?"

The old woman smiled, her teeth had rotted from the years of smoking and the dentures were obvious from anyone's eyes that signaled her old age. The webs of her skin were so saggy, that they were prone to flapping in the wind.

"You're twenty years old," the manager puffed. "You shouldn't be worrying about financial crap. You should be making yourself up and trying out cute skirts."

"Thanks, manager," Lucy picked up her brown sack and gave a wave before thrusting out the back door.

Letting go of a most anticipated sigh of relief, Lucy stretched out her bones and made her way out to the summery night. Manager's words stuck to her cranium like leeches, "You should be making yourself and trying out cute skirts." What a cheesy conversation. As she made her way to the old apartment complex, Lucy noticed the hordes of people in fancy suits and dresses make their way like ants towards the largest building in Magnolia, Fairy Tail.

Of course the high class people would go there, Fairy Tail is one of the most popular hotel resorts in Fiore and many celebrities like Jenny Realight reserve there because it's so expensive, but luxurious. If only she had become an actress like she had wanted a few years ago, then she would experience how amazing the hotel is with its top notch services by hot guys, five star cuisines, and spas that are just like from a fairy tale. She would even be content with just being able to work there! Oh well, a loser like her is never going to be allowed entry there.

Shaking her head to clear her stupid fantasies, she sensed a strange aura burrowing into her skull from above. She tilts her head to notice a young man standing on a platform that hung from one of the glass windows of the hotel. He was wearing a large blue jumpsuit that was clearly unfitting and in his hands was a long windshield wiper. His hair was a quiver of pink porcupine quills that seemed to point in all directions, but swayed softly like sunflowers in the winter breeze. The neon lights atop the large building further enhanced his features and gave him a glow like a passionate flame burning beautifully outward…

Lucy shook her head. What the hell am I thinking? He's a freaking janitor for crying out loud!

"Hey, no trespassing allowed."

Lucy snapped right back into reality at the voice. Wha?

"I'm talking to you, blondie," the voice came from the pink haired janitor. There were hints of amusement in the man's expression, shown by his curious gaze and semi-grin.

She didn't expect someone to notice her, let alone strike up a conversation, yet did not realize how close she was to the entrance of the fabulous hotel until he had spoken to her. The blonde immediately jumped back in surprise, but unfortunately lost her footing and her butt landed right smack on the cement sidewalk.

"Ow…" she rubbed the source of her pain, but immediately stopped when she realized her embarrassing predicament and bolted right up. The bruise on her derriere throbbing as fast as her heart was pounding at the moment.

"Hey! Are you okay?"

"I-I'm fine!" she snapped. "You just surprised me, that's all!"

"Well, SORRY for my surprising you for trespassing forbidden grounds!" he retaliated. "Commoners like you shouldn't be wandering around, ya know."

C-commoner? Who the hell was he to call her a commoner when he was clearly a commoner himself!

"I'm sorry, but that was rude," Lucy defended her social status on the hierarchy of class in Magnolia, which was clearly on the lower end as well. "I barely even know you."

"Kay, kay, don't get so ruffled up about it. I'm just doing my job, that's all," he gestured with his hands in a "pushing away" motion and a hint of annoyance that was demonstrated in his rolled back eyes.

The blonde didn't want to spend any more time with this rude, commoner anymore, she had work the following day and sleep would be most welcome in her state of exhaustion at the moment. Without even a gesture of farewell, Lucy turned around and began to walk away from the hotel and the janitor. Yet, she knew she wasn't able to get away that easily from a conversation as she barely took three steps when the pinkheaded dude's voice reached her ears.

"It's not polite to walk away when someone's speaking to you."

Lucy's head slowly twisted around to meet the janitor's now-smiling face. He looked like he was enjoying this, she looked like she was about to kill somebody, and that somebody would most likely be the irritating janitor.

Strangely, his question surprised her. "I didn't catch your name, blondie."

"W-what?" the pseudo-bimbo coughed. "I mean, it's um, Lucy and stop calling me blondie."

"Loo-see," he emphasized the syllables in her name. "So your name means 'toilet-see'"?

Loo-see closed her eyes and crunched her teeth, an angry bead of sweat rolling down her neck. The nerve of this guy…

"Cool Lucy, I'm Natsu and I'm glad to meet you," he smiled.

"Y-yeah? I mean, nice to meet you as well," Lucy was stumbling to find the right words to counter this "Natsu" who didn't make any sense, had taken up quite a bit of her time this evening, and this wasn't even a date!

Natsu raised an eyebrow, "Well? If you're not here for a job, what are you waiting for? Scram."

That does it, she wouldn't speak to him after this. Lucy quickly swirled around, lifted up her chin in a pouting manner, and stalked off. This guy…how bothersome!

She told herself she didn't want to see him again because he's an "annoying low-life" janitor who doesn't know how to mind his own business and was probably a closet pervert trying to pick up innocent girls like her! Yet, somewhere within her heart, there seemed to be a warmth that emanated out and flowed all around her body. As if the passionate fire of the mysterious Natsu had caught on her and heated up her tender heart…

What the hell was she thinking?!

Lucy quickly turned in her clumped up bed sheets and tried to fall asleep, but there was just one thing on her mind. No, not Natsu because he's an "annoying low-life janitor" who probably is a closet pervert. Yes, there was something that might be her one way ticket into stardom and her dreams of being cheered on by devout fans could become a reality! She laughed maliciously atop her soft pillow as she dreamed of walking on the red carpet.

She was going to apply for work at Fairy Tail and become the actress she had always wanted to be. She'll show everyone that she was more than just a commoner, she'll show the low-life janitor, Manager, and more importantly, her father, what she was capable of. She was going to transform this failure into a success and she could feel it in her bones.

But for some odd reason, her idea of success wouldn't be what was in store for her.