I've been on a Mard x Lucy kick lately, so here's the start of another one! I've been planning this for a couple of months, to be honest. I'm excited to get it started! That being said, though, this fic will focus less on romance, and more on the relationships between Celestial Mages and their Spirits.
Some elements of the Eclipse Keys arc will be making an appearance, but for the most part I'm ignoring that arc entirely. This takes place after the GMG's, but before Sun Village. In fact, think of this as a replacement arc to Eclipse Keys.
This fic is heavily inspired by the song, "Stardust" by tyDi featuring Kerli. I highly urge everyone to check the song out!
Update - this is now a song fic with lyrics.
Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail
It's A New World
It's A New Start
It's Alive With The Beating Of Young Hearts
It's A New Day
It's A New Plan
-Bryan Adams "Here I Am"
Lucy raised her arm high, Fleuve D'Etoiles clenched firmly in the same hand. "And here's what you get for thinking Celestial Wizards and their Spirits are weak!" she shouted, snapping her arm down as hard as she could. Fleuve D'Etoiles' length lashed out, brilliant blue with golden sparks dancing. The bandit it was aimed at squeaked in alarm, scrambling backwards only to fall over the upraised tree roots that surrounded them. The whip sailed harmlessly over his head as he grinned and then rolled to his feet.
"That all you got, girly?!" he mocked, snapping his fingers. "Pitiful - is this really all your kind are capable of? Even your little spirit lackeys got so fed up with you they abandoned you!" Iridescent bubbles formed all around him. Lucy knew from experience that despite their rainbow sheen and innocent appearance, those things were made of a rather nasty variety of acid that burned away all it touched. Her clothes had already faced the brunt of his previous assault, and were now hanging in tatters off her form. Acid burns dotted her skin, and made every movement painful.
But there was no way she was going to let this moron get the best of her. She had the reputation of Fairy Tail to protect! And no one got away insulting her bond with her Spirits. No one.
To the bandit's great surprise, Lucy grinned back at him. "Maybe instead of insulting me, you should have been paying more attention to my whip!" Far too late for him to react, Lucy yanked her arm backwards. Her whip's coils tightened around the bandit's feet, where Fleuve D'Etoiles had been resting after Lucy's initial attack, pulling the ruffian off his feet. "And who said my spirits were gone?! Sagittarius, hit him where it hurts!"
"As you wish, my lady!" the archer replied from his perch high in a nearby tree. "Goodbye and farewell, fiend!"
The bandit screamed in terror as a barrage of arrows fell like rain all around him, pinning him thoroughly to the ground and bursting his acidic bubbles with soft hisses.
Lucy gave her Spirit a thumbs up. "That was great, Sagittarius! Thank you!"
He bowed low, leaving Lucy to wonder how the horse head part of his costume didn't send him careening forward off the tree branch with its bulk and weight. "A pleasure to serve, as always!"
She giggled at him. "You can go back if you want, now. Thanks again for the help."
As he straightened from his bow, Sagittarius gave Lucy a fond smile. "Then until we say hello again!" Disappearing in a shimmer of golden sparkles, he departed back for his world. His golden gate - clearly visible to Lucy's inner eye - shut firmly behind him.
Her attention returned to the catatonic bandit, and Lucy set about trussing him up with her whip. Tying him to a gargantuan tree root, Lucy then stepped back to admire her handiwork. There was no way he was getting out of that anytime soon, even with his little acid trick.
A heavy sigh whooshed out of her as she took in her own condition. "Wonderful," Lucy grumbled to herself, picking idly at the scraps of cloth barely covering her important places. "And here I really liked that outfit, too!"
"I brought you a change of clothes, Princess," a monotonous voice piped up behind her.
"EEK!" she shrieked in surprise. Clutching her chest, Lucy breathed hard, her heart trying its utmost to escape the confines of her ribcage. "I have got to learn to get used to that." Virgo was smiling knowingly at her when she turned around. Never let it be said that Gemini was the most mischievous of Lucy's Spirits. That title belonged solely to the maid-outfit-wearing pink-haired maiden constellation. "Thank you so much, Virgo. I really appreciate you bringing me these," Lucy told her.
The space around Virgo's eyes softened as she relinquished her items. "These should help foster the healing for your burns. I included a matching set for your friend, as well."
Lucy couldn't help but smile at that. "Thanks, again! I'm sure Yukino will be very grateful you thought of her."
Virgo bowed. "If that's all, Princess, big brother is going on a rampage in the Celestial World right now. He's upset that you didn't summon him for this fight. I will inform him that you are in good health."
"That silly lion..." Lucy muttered under her breath. "Of course I didn't summon him! There's no way I'm letting a close-combat specialist anywhere near those acid bubbles." She met Virgo's gaze once more. "Tell Taurus I'm sorry, please? I should have realized sooner what they were."
"He is already recovered and is currently taunting big brother about being summoned instead of him," Virgo curtly replied. "But I shall let him know about your concern so he may wheedle big brother about that as well."
The Celestial Mage resisted the urge to facepalm at the antics of her Spirit friends only through great force of will. Also, her hands were full of clothes. "Thank you again, Virgo."
With a nod, the Spirit left in a shower of sparkles and wavering light.
Swiftly, Lucy changed her outfit using a giant tree for cover. Virgo's gift was even cuter than the destroyed outfit! After that cheerful observation, Lucy paused to glance around the dense, ancient forest. She wondered how Yukino was faring with her own opponent; at some point during their battles they had separated as Yukino took on the close range opponent and Lucy the mid-ranged one.
It had been quite the surprise to find herself on a job with her fellow Celestial Wizard, truth be told. Yukino had just shown up at the guild, job request in hand, and a glimmer of delight in her eyes as she asked Lucy to go on the job with her. With a letter of Guild Master Sting's full support in her possession as well. Master Makarov had heartily approved of the idea of inter-guild cooperation, and Lucy had been ecstatic to spend some quality time with her Sabertooth friend. Team Natsu, on the other hand, had proven quite troublesome when they insisted on coming along. It had taken both Mirajane and Makarov to hold the very dejected group of mages behind.
Lucy hadn't liked ditching her teammates for a job, but it had certainly paid off well! Now she had enough money for this month's rent, she got to do something with Yukino (even if the job had turned out to be a fighting-oriented one in the end), and nothing important had been demolished or otherwise destroyed.
All in all, she counted this as a success. Even her minor burns hurt less, thanks to the clothes from the Celestial World.
"Lucy-sama!" a high-pitched, familiar voice called in the distance. "Where are you, Lucy-sama?"
"I'm here, Yukino!" she shouted back, her own voice echoing amongst the trees.
A dull thud reached Lucy's ears. Confused, she anxiously peered around the forest. What was that noise...? It was steadily increasing in volume and pace. The leaves of the tree shook around her. Bracing herself, she crouched into a fighting position, just in case.
She was definitely not expecting a giant, bright pink, robotic teddy bear to come leaping out of the surrounding foliage. Yukino sat in one of the bear's paws, and an unconscious man was being hauled unceremoniously under it's other arm.
"I'm glad to see you're alright, Lucy-sama!" Yukino declared happily. She patted the robotic bear's arm. "Thank you for carrying me, Polaris! Can you please set me down over there?" The Celestial Spirit (apparently) gently placed its keyholder upon the ground. "Thanks again!"
It nodded, and then turned to look at Lucy.
Lucy smiled at the Spirit. "It's nice to meet you, Polaris!" she greeted. "I'm Lucy, of Fairy Tail!"
Seeming to contemplate this for a moment, it then bowed slightly.
"He's a fan," Yukino said to her. "I may have told him quite a lot about you after the Grand Magic Games..." A red tinge danced across the silver-haired woman's cheeks. "He's an Ursa Minor."
"That's fine," Lucy replied. "I'm happy you guys seem okay! So how was your fight?"
Yukino shrugged. "He didn't put up much of a challenge, to be honest. I spent most of the time wandering around looking for you."
It was Lucy's turn to flush in embarrassment. "Oh. Sorry I ended up so far away from you."
Alarm flashed through Yukino's countenance. "Oh, no, Lucy-sama! I-If anything, it was my fault..."
Lucy waved her arms in a frantic denial. "No, no, no! I should pay more attention to where I am when I fight!" She let out a nervous giggle. "This isn't the first time - once I ended up falling off a cliff because of that habit..."
A mildly awkward silence befell them.
Breaking it, Yukino suggested, "Why don't I... um... take your mage and we head back to the requester?"
Lucy nodded frantically, eager for a subject change. "Yeah, that's a great idea!"
Yukino let out a sigh of relief. Casting her gaze about, she swiftly discovered Lucy's trussed up opponent. She stared at him for a long moment. "Um... Lucy-sama?"
Nervous sweat ran down the blonde's neck. "Yeah? What is it?"
The Sabertooth mage opened her mouth to say something, only to hastily shut it. Opening her mouth again, she stuttered out, "H-he's still alive... right, Lucy-sama? He's still alive... right?"
"W-why do you ask?"
"Oh, erm..." Yukino flushed again. "It's just that he's... well, you know. Foaming at the mouth."
Lucy glanced at the man. "Yup. He... he certainly is." There was a moment's pause, before Lucy clarified, "Alive, I mean. And foaming too. He's definitely... doing that as well."
"Excellent! Splendid! Well done! Oh, this is simply delightful!"
Lucy and Yukino flushed a little under the profuse praise being heaped upon them. As requested, they had delivered the two dark mages to the local Rune Knight faction. But not before the pair had been thoroughly searched for the documents they'd stolen from the job requester, a man by the name of Ortez Vrillic: an older, portly fellow that was not very tall; he was, overall, shaped rather like a balloon. He seemed like a friendly sort, though. Deep laugh lines were etched into his face, and not once had he harassed the two women. Instead, their limited interactions with him had been full of good cheer, despite the circumstances of the theft that had led to him posting the job in the first place.
"Thank you so much for getting these back! My company has a rather important to-do coming up, and it would be a rather unfortunate affair should these have hit the market before our official announcement," he confided. "But where are my manners? I'm sure you would like to be paid for your hard work! Excuse me, George - could you please bring out the reward I had prepared? And also bring the other thing, if you would be so kind."
George, his butler, bowed. "As you wish, sir." He left the sitting room with nary a sound.
Ortez turned back to the two mages and beamed at them in delight. "I must say that I never expected mages from Sabertooth and Fairy Tail to both show up for my little job request. Let alone a pair of Celestial Mages! Your kind are getting rather rare, if I'm not mistaken."
Lucy blinked in surprise. It wasn't exactly common knowledge that Celestial Mages were all but gone. She and Yukino were both aware of that fact, of course, but this was the first time she'd heard someone outside her circle of friends voice the observation. "Yukino and I became friends during the Grand Magic Games," Lucy told him. "So we took a job together. I'm surprised you know that about Celestial Mages, though. It's not really something we advertise."
He smiled kindly at them. "Honestly, it's wonderful to hear that you're friends. Too many Celestial Mages have killed each other for power, prestige, and keys over the years." Ortez let out a heavy sigh. "To be honest, I have a bit of a personal interest in the affairs of Celestial Mages, and I've done a good deal of research on the subject myself. My grandfather was a Celestial Mage, himself... though not a very strong one. My father and I did not inherit any of his magical ability, either, I'm afraid."
"That's really interesting," Yukino stated, delighted by this news. "Did you know your grandfather well?"
"I did; I can recall many boyhood summers spent at his home." Wistfulness crossed Ortez's face. "Those were some of the best times of my life. I loved listening to all of his stories - he was once a guild mage himself. I believe he belonged to... oh what was it named again?" He contemplated it for a long minute. "I'm sorry; it seems that I can't quite recall. It was a very long time ago."
"What was his name?" Lucy asked eagerly. "I have a Spirit who we can ask." She drew out her keys, and pulled out Crux. "Crux, the Southern Cross. He's knowledgeable about all sorts of Spirits and to a limited degree, he can tell some things about who summoned them in the past."
Ortez stared at her oddly for a moment, without answering.
"Mr. Vrillic?" Lucy inquired, concerned for him. "Is something the matter?"
"...No," he finally replied. "No, I just..." He paused, and then began again, "Actually, if you would be so kind, I might have another job for you. It won't take very long, I assure you. And you would be compensated."
It was then that George returned, a briefcase in one hand and a small pouch in the other.
"Impeccable timing as always, George!" Ortez declared, his cheer suddenly returned. "I do not know how you do it. I need one more thing, however." When George nodded, he continued, "That little wooden box that I keep in my nightstand, could you bring it here?"
George seemed taken aback by the request. "Certainly, sir," he smoothly agreed a second later, schooling his features. He set the briefcase on the small table between Ortez and the two women, along with the pouch. "I shall return shortly."
"Good man, good man!" Ortez smiled as his manservant departed once more. "Really, no one better than George at taking care of me. Now, the briefcase contains your agreed upon payment for the job, and the pouch there is a little something extra I decided to throw in when you both first showed up." He gestured at them enthusiastically. "Please, please take a look."
Curious, Lucy and Yukino both regarded the pouch. It appeared old, and was crafted from very fine leather worn from use. Yukino reached out to the object first. "It is very soft," she commented, running a finger along the leather. Then she gently pulled on the drawstrings to open it. A soft gasp fell from her lips as she drew out the contents and laid them upon the table.
"Keys," Lucy breathed in astonishment. There were two - both were silver, and gleamed where they lay on the tabletop. One had an elegant fish carved into the handle, and the other a running horse.
"Dorado and Equuleus," Ortez explained fondly. "These two were my grandfather's companions."
"We can't... we can't possibly..."
The older man held up a hand to forestall any further protests on their part. "It is time for them to go to mages who will love and care for them. I have resisted parting with them for far too long as it is. I'm sure they would love to be summoned once more." His smile deepened. "I have many fond memories of these two. Please take care of them for me."
Lucy nodded, swallowing thickly and unable to respond properly.
Likewise inhibited, Yukino also nodded her thanks.
"Now, I'm certain you would like to know a little about them. Equuleus is a horse... or a pony, they were all equally large to me back then and I honestly don't know the difference otherwise," Ortez told them. "Dorado is a goldfish, but he lets off a beautiful glow in the dark. I can remember nights when my grandfather and I would sneak off to the kitchen for a late snack, Dorado swimming around us and lighting our way. Equuleus would often give us lifts to town if we needed something, and he was very affectionate... OH, MY!" he exclaimed, his speech interrupted suddenly by the two Celestial Mages hugging him. Ortez patted them awkwardly on the back. "Oh, my," he muttered again. "Oh, my."
"...I do hope that I'm not interrupting," George's droll voice came over them. "But I have brought the box you requested, sir."
Releasing Ortez, Lucy and Yukino resumed their seats. Grins were plastered across their faces.
"Excellent! Thank you, George!" Ortez said, taking the box from him. "Go ahead and have a seat."
"Thank you, sir." George sank down into a waiting armchair with apparent relief.
Ortez placed the box upon the table. It was made from a dark, red wood, polished and sleek. "This pertains to that other job I mentioned a few minutes ago," he explained. "If you could take a look at what's inside and identify it for me, you may keep it. Sound fair?"
"Sure," Lucy agreed, slightly bewildered by how well this job had turned out. She gestured to the box. "May I?"
"Go right ahead," Ortez urged.
Lucy gently grasped the box, pushing back the lid. Inside lay a pillow of fine, white satin that shone in the light. Nestled upon it, was a long object. It was mostly clear, with only the faintest tinge of lavender around the contours to reveal its shape to Lucy.
"It's a... key as well?" she questioned. Picking it up, she cradled it in her hand. It was definitely a key, but it was unlike any she'd ever seen before. "I take it you suspect this to be a Celestial Spirit key?"
"I know it to be one." His answer was calm, and confident. "This key has been passed down through the Celestial Mages of my family, but none have had the strength to summon it in a very long time indeed. They always hoped that the next generation would possess the ability the prior lacked, but alas... here we are. I do not know what Spirit it belongs to."
With a growing smile, Lucy brandished her faithful silver key. "Let's find out, then! Open, Gate of the Southern Cross! Crux!"
An old Spirit appeared with a great harumph. He floated in the air, legs crossed and his silver, cross-shaped head bowed. Ortez stared up at the elderly Spirit, wonder in his gaze.
"Hello, grandpa Crux!" Lucy greeted. "It's good to see you!"
"Yes, it is good to see you as well, Lucy. How may I help you?"
"We were wondering if you could identify this key for us?"
Crux glanced at the object in Lucy's hand. His eyes shot open to their full extent and he let out a screech.
Yukino and Ortez both yelped at the unexpected noise from the Spirit.
"That was a fast search," commented Lucy, unfazed by her Spirit's eccentricities.
"I do not need to do a search on that key, Miss Lucy," Crux informed her.
She blinked in surprise. "You know it on sight!"
The Spirit nodded, settling back and regarding her. "This is a rare key, one of only five of its kind. It belongs to the constellation of Corvus, the Crow... and it is a Ghost key."
I've Been Waiting For You
Here I Am
-Bryan Adams "Here I Am"
Sorry if the ending feels a little rushed. Let me know what you all think!
