Hope you all enjoy my story. I don't own the title image.
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An extended summary of As Time Go's By:
Just after the Infinity Clock Arc. As the guild celebrates another victory for Fairy tail Lucy can't help the sadness that has slowly started to consume her world. The infinity clock took away many of the Celestial Mage's magic and she knows she is one of the few who can perform the now rare Celestial Magic. Determined, upset, and a little frightened Lucy sets out on another rent determined mission in hope of dragging herself out of the funk she has fallen into. But after a mysterious note appears in Lucy's apartment it sets into motion more questions than answers. Making Lucy's already confused mind even more riddled with questions. As Lucy races to find the answers she desperately seeks will she be able to find the answers and strength to face and fight the person that threatens her life, and her guild. Will Lucy have enough time to protect the one's she loves before her time runs out? Lucy's clock has started and will she reach her goal before her clock finally stops...
I do not own Fairy Tail.
The damsel in distress was a situation she always loved growing up. The pretty maiden stuck in a tower guarded by the dragon, and a handsome valiant knight protecting the maiden and sweeping her to a beautiful palace and living a happy and wonderful life. A fairy tail ending for each beautiful and enchanting story. However for Lucy her view on damsels in distress started to become shaded and unwanted as time went by. She had been born into a wealthy family and had the dresses, the balls, and the extravagance of a princess but she lived far from happiness. After the passing of her mother her world turned cold and distant. The once happy family became broken with the cold personality of her father and the sad memories of the loss of her mother. Lucy wanted her own fairy tail ending so she embarked on her own journey to find happiness and found it in the guild known as Fairy Tail.
Ironic that the guild she joined was called Fairy Tail. Lucy had always dreamed of the fairy tail ending and read many books amercing herself in the perfect love stories, filled with adventure and true love. But after being in Fairy Tail for over a year know (or was it 8 due to the time lapse….) she only thought of it as ironic. The adventures they went on were always hilarious, exciting, and always very dangerous, but she enjoyed it nonetheless. Every adventure they went on had their own story, problem, and happy ending, until the next adventure took place. She loved it; to Lucy she was living the life she had always wanted. Filled with everything that she had lacked at her cold and distant home. She had a family that loved her and protected her, she had many memories of laughter, and she went on adventures that tested her ability and strength. It was everything she had wanted when she was little; to live in a fairy tail riddled with adventure, love, and laughter.
However not everything could be picture perfect for Lucy Heartfillia. Her adventures had there dangerous side, and entertaining side, but lately it always seemed like she was the one needing saving, always the one to be captured, and always the missing piece to someone's puzzle. She began to hate how weak she appeared. She had been captured a long time ago by the element four for her father's own gain, and she had been taken in order to start the infinity clock and had barely made it out alive. Not to mention in Edolas when she was the only one for a while able to use magic and had been useless and had gotten everyone thrown in jail.
Every job Lucy and her team went on she helped as much as she could but when it came to battle she would be cast aside and had to watch from the sidelines as she tried to gather the strength to help her team. Sure Lucy had her strengths and she helped out her team more than she thought but when it came to stamina, or physical battle she was the weak link. She hated always looking weak in front of her guild members; she didn't want to be the damsel in distress that everyone had to hurry to save or protect because she was to weak to do it herself. Lucy however did appreciate how concerned her nakama were for her, but always being captured was beginning to grind on her nerves.
Deep down Lucy knew that her nakama would always protect their own, it just so happened that lately it had always been here that someone needed, and her guild would come flying to her rescue. Lucy wanted to be able to fight for herself as well. She knew she wasn't that weak. Sure she wasn't as strong as Erza, Gray, and Natsu, but she was strong in her own element, and in her own way. She was a Celestial Sprit Mage after all, and she was the only one in Fairy Tail. However Lucy still wanted to show that she didn't need someone to fight for her, to protect her, and save her from the clutches of evil, she just didn't know how.
Lucy sat on her usual bar stool sipping on a strawberry milkshake peacefully, contemplating what to do next. She wanted to train, but no-body at the guild could help her in Celestial Sprit's since her magic was a dying breed. She considered asking Erza or someone else to help her in martial arts and physical strength, but was a little too frightened and hesitant to get beaten to a pulp every day. Lucy shivered at the thought. The image of Erza training Lucy flashed through her mind as a chair flew by her ear bringing her out of the horrifying thought. Her chocolate orbs stared at the chair for a few second before she slowly turned around, milkshake in hand, to take in the state of the guildhall. She wasn't surprised to see that it was as noisy as ever.
Natsu and Gray were fighting, throwing chairs, flipping tables, and throwing insults at one another, typical. Lucy saw a shirt fly up in the air, knowing that Gray was unconsciously stripping during battle. Lucy heard the usual shout of Natsu yelling Stripper from across the hall only confirming her thoughts. Cana was downing a whole keg to herself. Elfman was yelling about being a man while punching another guild member. Juvia was hiding behind a pillar watching Gray fight Natsu with hearts in her eyes. Levy had her nose deep in a new book unaware of a chair flying over her head. Gajeel sat close to Levy and started yelling at the person who had thrown the chair at her then leaping into the fight himself. Mirajane was humming to herself watching the chaos with warm eyes and passing a glass over to Lissanna, and Wendy was running towards the exceed gang and Romeo with a happy expression. Lucy watched as the table that Erza was sitting at flipped throwing her beautiful cake to the ground. Natsu and Gray continued to fight unknown to them the wrath that they just unleashed upon themselves. It was chaos but it was home. Lucy thought as she took the scene in with warm and watchful eyes, a small smile gracing her lips.
They were all so oblivious. It had only been a week since the incident with the infinite clock and the members of the guild had already reverted back to their usual rambunctious selves. For Lucy however she couldn't shake the feeling that she was one of the last key holders in the country, she couldn't help but feel a little uneasy and alone. There had been many Celestial Mages who had been saved during the infinity clock incident but all had lost their ability to perform magic. It also didn't help that she had been completely useless as the clock slowly devoured her. It made her sad and angry at the world and at her herself, she felt so useless when it came to intense battles, and protecting people she loved. She couldn't even move when she was in the infinity clock just watch with unemotional eyes as Natsu fought to save her.
She finished her milkshake setting it firmly on the countertop with a few jewels. Mirajane swept it away with a happy smile as Lucy got up to look at the request board before heading home. Lucy was however unaware of Mirajane's smile slowly reverting to a sadder smile as she watched the silent Celestial Mage. However oblivious to Mirajane's look Lucy had her mind set on the request board. It was nearing that time of the month again and she would need to go on a job soon to secure money for rent and food. She lazily gazed at the request board, not really reading, and not really paying attention to the amounts either; her thoughts were somewhere else. She heard a thump behind her and turned a little to see who had been thrown across the guild. No surprise crossed her face as she glanced down at the pink haired mage on the ground.
Natsu groaned and held his head. Erza must have finally caught up to him. His dark eyes land on chocolate and he gives Lucy his signature bright smile flashing his canines. Lucy returns the warm smile laughing a little and lends him a hand to get up, which he accepts.
"What'cha up to Luce?" Natsu asks as he stands beside her at the request board.
"Just looking at request's. We should go on one soon, or else I won't be able to pay for food and rent," Lucy says waving a hand to the request board.
"Sounds good to me," Natsu say's eagerly and Lucy smiles at his enthusiasm.
Lucy can't help but think that a job will be good to get her mind off of her problems. Anyways everyone always says that experience is what helps one get stronger and her rent was due, so job it is then. She would have to put off her thought on training and maybe doing some research for another day. Erza and Gray appear on either side of Natsu and look at the request board.
"You guys thinking on taking a request?" Gray asks.
"Yea. Rent's due soon," Lucy says glancing at the little group that has formed.
"What request were you looking at, maybe I will join," Erza says her eyes devouring the request board like it was her next slice of cake.
"I don't know. I hadn't gotten that far," Lucy says looking at the request forms nothing really jumping out at her.
"What about this one," Natsu says snatching a request off the board.
Lucy looks it over and sighs. A typical Natsu pick. The job asks for the capture of bandits, and the extermination of a few monsters that have been spotted around the town. It was going for a 230,000 jewels. It was a decent amount of pay, and a pretty straightforward job, however Lucy couldn't help but think that it was mostly brute force that was needed. Gray, Erza and Natsu would do most of that, and Lucy would be left to clean up after them. She sighed but nodded in agreement since she needed the money.
Wendy appeared at Lucy's elbow with hopeful eyes and asked if she could join and the group all agreed. After working out a few details in transportation, time, and supplies they all went their separate ways. Erza went to give the details to Mirajane, Natsu and Gray were butting heads again, and Wendy went off to sit with Romeo. Lucy sighed and headed home for the night deciding she needed a quite night with her thoughts and maybe think of a solution for her troubled mind.
Mirajane watched Lucy walk out of the guildhall with worried eyes. She could tell that something was bothering the blonde mage, but she couldn't think of what the cause could be.
"What's wrong Mira?" Erza asked as she took a bite of her cake.
"I'm just worried about Lucy," Mirajane said with a sigh.
"Why's that?" Erza said putting her fork down and listening to the ex S-Class mage in front of her.
"She's been so quite lately, and I always find her zooning out while at the guild. I hope everything is okay," Mirajane says with a small sad smile.
"I guess your right. She has been a lot quieter lately. She hasn't even tried to Lucy kick Natsu and Gray when their fights get out of hand," Erza says and continues to eat her cake.
"She's been through so much, I worry for her sometimes," Mirajane says still glancing at the door.
"Me too," Erza says with a sigh and finishes her cake.
Lucy walked out of the guildhall and out into the chilly night. She took her usual walkway balancing on the stonewall beside the glossy river. Her blonde hair shone in the moonlight as she made her way to her little apartment, unaware of the person cloaked in shadows who slowly followed at a safe distance.
"Miss Lucy. Be careful!" She heard the familiar shout from across the dark water and smiled.
"Don't worry I will be," she called back and waved to the friendly fishermen.
She looked up at the starry sky and smiled up at the familiar constellations. She loved the stars and the night sky, which made sense since she was Celestial wizard, but she always loved to star gaze anyways. Sooner then she wanted too she reached her apartment. Taking one last look at the bright sky she unlocked her door and went in excited to take a calming bath. The door shut gently behind her and she made her way up the staircase and into her little flat. Quickly putting the water on she got ready to take a bath.
Outside of her small apartment the clocked figure emerged from the shadows of a nearby alley. A cool breeze blew through the night billowing the clock around the shadowed figure as it walked in front of the small apartment. The night was quite as the figure lifted it's hooded head and looked at the slightly open window on the second floor. The warm light from the room fluttered down onto the pavement in front of the stranger. The stranger could hear the running of water from the street, a small smile playing across their lips.