Chapter One: Exchanged
"Attention passengers, we would like to apologize for the inconvenience. We are currently working on some technical difficulties. Once we are done, we will be on our way to Magnolia Town. If you need anything, please just ask."
Lucy leaned her head on her hand and sighed. "Of course, we end up on the train that breaks down."
"It's not so bad." Natsu beamed.
"That's because you don't have motion sickness anymore." Happy muttered.
Lucy turned and looked out the window. The scene outside was a barren wasteland stretching for miles out to the horizon. It was hard to imagine that a city like Magnolia was little less than a ten minute train ride away. Lucy let out a yawn and stretched her arms upwards. "We've been out of town for a week. I can't wait until I get to sleep in my bed."
"Agreed." Natsu and Happy chimed in.
Lucy narrowed her eyes. "Who said you were invited?"
But the two ignored her, talking about the reward money they had just received. The mission she, Natsu and Happy had taken up involved traveling to the north in search for a robber. They managed to defeat the man and received the bounty on his head as a reward. Lucy smiled at the sack in her lap.
"I can already smell all the fish we're gonna cook." Happy said, hugging the sack of money.
"Oh no!" Lucy picked up the sack out of Happy's little cat arms. "This money is going towards the rent."
"B-But Lucy!" Happy complained.
"No!" Lucy replied with a harsh tone. Happy forlornly sat down, muttering about fish.
Natsu suddenly leaned forward, eyes staring intently into Lucy's.
"What is it?" Lucy asked. She immediately started fixing her hair, as if there was something wrong with it.
Natsu stood up and let out a loud sniff.
"What are you doing?" Lucy asked, standing up now.
Natsu turned towards the door. "Something's coming this way." He looked up at the ceiling, just as the sound of footsteps could be heard on the roof. "And they're up there!"
And then, more footsteps could be heard up on the roof. Natsu raised his hand in the air and flames circled up his arm and out of his fingertips. The flare ball melted a hole in the roof. Natsu jumped up through the hole.
Lucy rubbed the side of her head and groaned, knowing they would have to pay for a new roof. "Happy!"
"Aye sir!" Happy shouted, two wings sprouting from his back. He grabbed Lucy and they both flew through the hole.
Lucy could see five figures running up the train. One was Natsu, flames circling around his fists. The other three were men in purple robes, chasing after a teenage girl. The girl had short, brown hair and wore an orange shirt only covering her chest. She had matching orange shorts with a brown belt with two daggers sheathed and brown combat boots. She reached the caboose, and turned around. She unsheathed one of the daggers, ready to take on the three men.
"Wh-" Before Lucy even had time to run, more of the robed men appeared. It seems that they were the ones who stopped the train and were after the girl. Lucy told Happy to go help Natsu as she took out her gold keys.
"I call upon thee, Gate of the Ram, Aries!" Lucy shouted, and Aries appeared, with pink wool already swirling around her hands. She wrapped the wool around the men, who stumbled to the ground. One of them rolled off the train.
"Who are you?" Lucy demanded. They were fairly weak for people who had hijacked a train.
"We are the Brotherhood." The men said in unison. "We have only one goal and one goal only: to rid the world of darkness."
"Darkness….?" Lucy turned to look at the girl in orange, who was now slashing at the three men. "That girl doesn't even look scary."
The three men rose to their feet, their wooly chains disintegrating. One man aimed a purple ray at Aries, who jumped out of the way just as it was about to hit.
"How did they escape….?" Lucy was astonished.
"Don't underestimate us," One man began.
"Lucy Heartfilia." The second finished.
Natsu jumped up into the air and slammed one of the robed men into the train roof. The two others and the girl were astonished, not expecting him to appear. Flames enveloped Natsu's arms. "Who are you?!"
"Natsu Dragneel." The one slammed into the train muttered. "We didn't expect you to be here."
"So you've heard of me?"
"It would be impossible not to have." The man replied back. He slowly stood up; the damage Natsu had done disappearing.
"Oi, oi, what are you?"
"We are the Brotherhood." The three men said in unison. "We have one-" They stopped suddenly, as one of the men groaned and feel to his knees. The orange girl stood behind him, her blade dripping with blood.
"You were off guard." She then round-house kicked the man's face and he fell harmlessly off the side of the train. The other two sat there, purple lights enveloping their hands.
"Natsu!" Happy shouted, flying up to him.
"E-Exceed?!" The two men exclaimed. Even the girl seemed a little shocked.
The two men looked at each other and nodded. The purple lights dissipated and the two men vanished into thin air.
"Teleportation?!" Happy exclaimed.
"A Dragonslayer and an Exceed." The girl unsheathed her second dagger and raised them both at the two. "A deadly combination, but a perfect pair of sacrifices."
"Sacrifices?" Natsu muttered. "For what?!"
The girl smiled. "It doesn't matter, you'll be dead soon enough."
Lucy and Aries turned to each other for a second and then back to the men—er, where the men were. They all suddenly just vanished without warning. Lucy snapped out of it a little.
"Thanks Aries." Lucy said.
"A-Ah." Aries replied, disappearing.
Lucy turned around just in time to see the girl take a jab at Natsu, who jumped back. Flames erupted from his mouth as he did a Dragonslayer roar. The girl was quite agile, and jumped up into the air, a dagger aimed at Natsu's head.
"Shit!" Lucy grabbed a gold key and held it up in the air as she ran. "I call upon thee, Gate of the Lion, LEO!"
Leo appeared behind her, and lifted her into her arms.
"O-Oi!"
"Let's go." Leo smiled and sped up towards the back of the train.
"Oi, oi, oi." Natsu said, barely dodging the girl's attack. Her foot slammed into the train roof, leaving a dent. In one quick motion, she whirled around and attempted to round-house kick Natsu. He deflected the kick, but still stumbling backwards. The girl then muttered something under her breath and her two blades began glowing white. Before he could get up, she pinned his hands to the ground and put the dagger to his face. He tried to light a flame, but it wasn't working. Happy was flying a little bit up, watching helplessly.
The girl cracked a smile. "Your magic doesn't work anymore."
"What?" Natsu muttered.
Leo ran up to the second-to-last train, and then let Lucy down. He then got down on his knee and clutched his chest.
"Oi, Leo, are you alright?!"
Leo looked up and glared at the girl. "She's….doing….it." Leo fell forward and shimmered out of existence.
"Oi, what are you doing?!" Lucy shouted.
The girl turned and cracked a smile at her. "The cat. Bring him to me."
Lucy stopped and got a creepy sensation from the girl. Is this what those men meant by darkness? "No."
"The cat." The girl aimed the other dagger at Lucy. "Bring him to me."
"No!" Lucy repeated.
"I will ask one more time. The cat. Bring him to m-" In that instant, Natsu's body began glowing white.
"Oi, what are you doing now?!" Natsu shouted.
The girl stepped back, stunned. "T-That's not me." And then suddenly, Happy hit the girl in her side, and she stumbled over. Happy then immediately retreated behind Lucy.
"Natsu?!" Lucy shouted.
Natsu slowly rose to his feet, the light intensifying. "What…is…" And then a puff of white smoke suddenly filled the air. Lucy waved her hand in front of her face, coughing ferociously.
"Oi, oi," The girl said. "Who are you?!"
Lucy and Happy both looked up where Natsu was standing. Instead, someone else was standing there. It was a boy about the same age, except he was wearing a red hooded robe and black attire. He had his back turned to them, but Lucy could tell that he had golden hair tied into a thick braid.
"Nat…..su?" Lucy muttered. The boy turned around, and fierce golden eyes stared at them.
"Where am I?!"
The girl stood there, stunned for a second, and then let out a loud scream. She jumped off the train and retreated.
The boy stood there, confused. He turned back to Lucy. "Oi, where am I?"
"Y-You're on a train headed to Magnolia."
"Magnolia?" The boy asked. "Is that in Amestris?"
"Amestris?" Lucy asked. "You mean Earthland?"
"Earthland? Where the hell is that?!" The boy shouted. He pulled out a silver pocketwatch. "My name is Edward Elric, State Alchemist. I work in Central Headquarters for the military. Tell me, how do I get back to Central?!"
"You? In the military?" Lucy asked. "And I don't know where Central is?! Where is Natsu?!"
"Natsu…..?" Edward looked down at the ground for a second. "Oi…..don't tell me…."
"What is it?" Lucy asked.
"Is it possible that I traveled to a different world…." Ed thought. "If that's the case…..then the laws of equivalent exchange would apply since it was alchemy that got me here….meaning…that Natsu person and I most likely switched places."
"What's your name?" Edward asked.
"L-Lucy. Lucy Heartfilia, and this is Happy."
"H-Hi…." Happy muttered, still behind Lucy.
"Ok then, Lucy Heartfilia, I want you to do me a favor."
Lucy stood there, confused.
"I want you to tell me everything there is to know about Earthland, and in exchange, I will tell you what happened to your friend Natsu." Ed felt the proposition was suitable, after all,
It was an equivalent exchange.