Greetings, fair readers! TOP is at it again, and she's got yet another story to unfurl upon you. Aren't I the greatest? Pardon me whilst I shoot myself.
My darling friend Gui and I are having a FicWar. This is a private war in which we select a plot sample (amongst other variables) and write a story. YOU, the READERS, will decide whose story reigns supreme!
MINE OR HEART-AWAY?!?
Thank you.
DISCLAIMER: If I owned Fairy Tail, there would be some naughty things going on in chapter 106.
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A Pink Peppered Perspective
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Lucy clenched her shaking hands at her sides and swallowed her regrets. Sweat trickled down her back and she had to fight not to move and relieve its itch.
She glanced left; of course Natsu was the poster child of courage in adversity. She dared another glance to the right; And Gray. Poor, poor, Gray. His pride was what held him here, and Lucy knew, despite his overwhelming tactical strength, he would not make it out of this fight with his pride. Maybe even his life.
Lucy calmed herself with a mantra and picked herself up (metaphorically speaking) to face the oncoming battle.
"Welcome to John-Luc Belles' biannual Spring Pepper Tasting and Contest!" Mirajane smiled happily as the guilds' attention was brought to the stage. Lucy immediately felt like dribbling into a puddle on the floor.
"Today, we have seven taste bud-defying, tongue torturers ready to take on John-Luc's latest hybrid peppers! This year, he's been gracious enough to throw in an extra! Anyone who can last through ALL twelve rounds of his pesky peppers stands to win 100,000 Jewel!"
The guild cheered as the curtains were drawn back to reveal a long table and the seven aforementioned contestants, each in their own state of preparation.
Lucy wrung her skirt. She could already hear the audience mumbling their predictions – all of which seemed to exclude her in the standing. Suddenly, Lucy found her new goal. Now, not only was she participating in this hell of a contest for the money, but she was ALSO participating to show her guild how strong she could be!
John-Luc walked across the stage and there was silence. He took his time to plate each pepper with care. Lucy watched his tongs place a pepper the color of seawater on her plate.
It basically looked like a banana.
A blue… banana.
She began to question the ways of the world when she was interrupted by John-Luc's cough into the microphone.
"Yes…thank you. Rules are as follows. Eat the whole pepper. If you cannot, you are eliminated. If you use external devices, such as magic, to aid in the consumption of your pepper, you are eliminated. And finally, no, you will not be given water. Thank you and begin."
Lucy felt her eyelid quiver ever so gently before she crammed the ocean-banana-pepper thing into her mouth.
She chewed.
And swallowed.
It really wasn't that bad. Lucy patted herself on the back. Maybe this wouldn't be so bad.
"GRAY-SAMA!" Jubia screamed from the audience. Upon looking, Lucy practically exploded at the sight of Gray writhing on the floor in some kind of pain. His bright red face and inability to breathe made him look like an octopus. Natsu, three people over, was absolutely hysteric.
The second pepper came and went without incident. Its waxy yellow rind made it hard to chew but Lucy toughed it out.
But by the third pepper, Lucy was quaking. She had never liked spicy food, so it came to no surprise to her when she bit into the pumpkin shaped veg she instantly regretted joining the competition.
The fourth pepper was placed and oh, Lucy wanted to cry. It was a small bumpy, purple thing. It was a very ugly pepper. Maybe the ugliest vegetable she had ever seen!
Lucy took hold of the pepper by its oily skin and prepared to take a bite – but opted to drop the pepper instead, finding the oily secretion burning her hands. She looked around the table. Erza, Elfman, and the Dancer seemed to be having the same issue.
Lucy shook her head and took a firm grasp of the pepper a second time. Upon the attempted consumption of the foul pepper, Lucy felt pain.
Just pain.
WELL.
Maybe a little agony and defeat, but mostly just pain.
She spat the offensive pepper out and covered her burning mouth. She was surprised to hear another moaning; Elfman was standing stock straight, the pepper halfway out of his mouth acting as a muffle to his cries of misery.
Lucy was dumbstruck as she was escorted off the stage shortly after her taller 'Brother-in-Defeat'.
"Lucy."
She turned to face Natsu.
"I'm gonna win!" He gave her a thumbs-up. She returned it with a smile.
Of course he bloody would. He could eat fire! How on earth would a dumb pepper beat his mouth?
Lucy sat down next to Gray as the contest entered round five. He handed her an icicle and she gladly pressed it to her burning lips.
Rounds six and seven were unspectacular by most means. In the seventh, Dancer choked on his grape sized pepper and ended up spitting it out and was disqualified.
Round eight made Gray jump out of his seat with joy; Erza, who had appeared to be holding her own (as Lucy expected) actually fell backwards into a state of unconsciousness after devouring her brown pepper.
As the redhead was moved out on a stretcher, rounds nine, ten and eleven seemed to fly by. Gazille and Natsu didn't seem fazed by the fact that the peppers they were eating could be used as explosive fuel in an atom bomb.
The twelfth round reared it ugly head at last. John-Luc appeared on stage in a silver suit, gloves and a welding mask. The pepper-breeder unscrewed the lid of a massive cylinder he was carrying and reached inside.
Out of the cylinder, he pulled two peppers and set them upon the Dragon slayers tableware.
Each pepper had the appearance of a briquette of charcoal.
Gazille and Natsu each stared at their respective peppers briefly before reaching out for them. Natsu practically inhaled it whilst Gazille almost didn't.
Gazilles reluctance had been the right thought as the Iron-Man exhaled a jet of fire into the air. Natsu laughed and actually asked if he could have another.
The audience cheered as Gazille was escorted from the stage. Mirajane attempted to thank everyone for coming as the guild began to disperse.
Lucy walked up to Natsu who had happily perched himself on the table with the canister of peppers.
"Congrats, Natsu! So… what're you gonna do with all that cash? Fire food, I assume?"
Natsu stopped eating and stared at her. "I won money? I thought I won these peppers!"
Lucy shook her head and refused when he offered.
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La Fin
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AN: I tried SO hard to make it a fluff. But this was the only ending I could conceive that worked right.
Don't forget to visit Heart-Aways' "Situational Irony" and vote on both of our profiles!
Review and win a toothpick used by Gazille! Limited editions set in gold now available! Get 'em while they last!
~TOP