*Sigh*

I was hoping to write something a little less depressing, but I guess lately I've been in the mood for writing angst stories.

Okay, so before you start reading I'm going to warn you guys about a few petty things that you probably don't even care about (but I care, so I'm gonna mention them).

There is going to be some OOC stuff here. The mood is just so serious I couldn't make some of the characters as… normal… as I'd like them to be…

Also there may or may not be some capitals missing at the beginning of titles such as 'dragon slayer' or 'celestial spirit' and the likes, since some of the episodes I watch have them and others don't it kinda confuses me (must be because I watch from so many different sources). If anyone knows can you let me know whether or not they should have them, then I will edit appropriately, be aware of this for future fics and be eternally grateful ^_^

Now I'm gonna stop yapping and get on with the story, since that's why you're all here.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail or any of its characters.

A Turn for the Worse

Lucy Heartfilia had a good heart, caring for her friends and sticking by their sides through thick and thin. She did lose her temper at them sometimes, with good reason more often than not, but she could still find the will inside her to turn around and have a laugh with them all a few hours later. The ones she cared about the most were her spirits, her trustworthy companions that she could call upon to assist her whenever she needed them. She always felt bad that they had to do most of the work whenever she went out on a job, so she took it upon herself to treat them with as much respect as she would anyone else. She didn't see how they were so different from humans, aside from the crazy get-ups and the fact they lived in a different world. She didn't know it, but the spirits always spoke highly of her, saying that there was no other celestial spirit mage like her and that there probably never would be again.

Nobody really knows when that began to change. Lucy didn't even realize she was doing it until it was too late. Erza realized that she yelled more often than before, but dismissed it as 'that time'. Gray also noticed, but rather than think about it he just steered clear of her whenever he wasn't fighting with the fiery dragon slayer. As for Natsu and Happy, they were just far too oblivious and used to getting scolded by Lucy to see the change. Most of the other guild members didn't pay much attention to Lucy, so they were also unaware. The ones who did notice, and often were on the receiving end of an earful or a beating from Lucy, were her closest friends from the spirit world.

Taurus couldn't look at her 'nice body' the same anymore, Aquarius actually became scared of her after receiving whip lashes, Sagittarius' limbs went stiff to his sides whenever he was summoned, Cancer practically became a mute around her and Horologium would cry his eyes out when she called for him. Lyra and Crux were rarely summoned, but they'd heard what had been going on from the other spirits and weren't keen on going back to the human world. No-one knew how Plue, Virgo or Loke felt about the matter, as they remained completely silent whenever the topic was brought up (not that anyone would understand Plue anyway). For several weeks after Lucy's mood had spun out of control her spirits got together daily to share their experiences.

"What did she do to you today?"

"Who is she going to summon next?"

"Please don't let it be me!"

"I don't want to go out there either!"

"What can we do?"

"There's only one option…"

Plue sat obediently on the end of Lucy's bed and watched as she chased after a mischievous Natsu, who had once again come through the window, uninvited, and helped himself to her pantry of food. It didn't take him long to scoot back out of the apartment and make a run for it down the street, leaving the frustrated mage alone with her spirit. Lucy did the first thing that came to mind and turned to the innocent dog and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"You useless mutt! Why didn't you get up and help me? You could have at least shut the window to slow him down a few seconds! You good-for-nothing spirit!" She didn't see the tears that welled up in his eyes or hear the little whimpers that escaped his mouth. She did, however, notice when he disappeared in a white puff of smoke. Even though it didn't take much energy to summon him back she decided not to bother herself with him and huffed as she stomped her way into the kitchen to observe the mess left behind by her teammate. She felt a strange warmth from behind her as the room lit up for a moment, and turned around to find Loke standing in the room, obviously looking disturbed.

"Lucy…"

"What do you want? I didn't summon you, can't you tell when you're not wanted?" Lucy butted in. The words she spat made him flinch for a second, the things she said always hurt more than any slap to the face she would give him, but he didn't return to the spirit world like he normally would. Instead he stood his ground, waiting a few seconds to let those words settle, and for Lucy to calm down before taking a deep breath and continuing.

"Lucy, all the spirits have been talking and, well…"

"Talking? About me? What do I care what they think? Half of them can't even do the jobs they're meant to do, they let me down time after time, why should they have a right to complain?" Lucy's temper began to rise again, so the lion spirit decided it would be best to get straight to the point.

"Lucy, the spirits want out." That made her freeze. Lucy stood wide eyed with her mouth hanging open as her brain processed the words that just hit her ears.

"What? But… why?"

Loke sighed and replied "They are afraid of you because of the way you mistreat them. You yell at them for no reason and you physically punish them when they don't deserve it." The celestial wizard swallowed a lump in her throat as she watched her spirit turn away from her slightly and close his eyes, not able to look at her as he spoke. "You know I'll do whatever it takes to set them free, but really they can't be released from their contracts without your co-operation." He opened his eyes once more and glanced at her. She hadn't moved an inch. "I'll give you some time to think about it all, but I will be back." He said before vanishing in another flash of light.

His words were harsh and serious. He had never spoken to Lucy in such a way before, but he needed to in order to get the message across. It took Lucy a while to fully comprehend the situation she was in, but in time the truth sank in and she realized what had happened. When she did she collapsed on her bed and cried into her arms for half an hour. She continued to sob even when she had run out of tears, but eventually she sat up, ready to pay the price. She grabbed her keychain off the bedside table, staring at the many keys she had acquired since she first became a mage before picking off a golden key and holding it out in front of her.

"Open, gate of the golden bull. Taurus!"

Within a few seconds, the giant bull stood before her with his enormous axe strapped to his back. However, his posture was slouched and he seemed unhappy and afraid. Normally he would let out a mighty roar whenever he stepped through the gate into the human world, but instead he let out an unenergetic 'moo' whilst staring into space. It was the first time in a long time Lucy really looked at him and noticed all these things. She sniveled, having no more tears to spare for her friend, before stepping towards him and hugging him, surprising him greatly.

"I'm sorry… I'm so, so very sorry…" She wept. She couldn't see the expression on his face, but she felt a hand on her shoulder for a minute, before she pulled away. She looked up at him once more to see him looking a little less upset, but his face still held a solemn look. Lucy took a shaky breath before saying "I hereby give you permission to break contract. Do you accept?" With a grunt, Taurus nodded. As he did, his key glowed for a few seconds before disappearing into thin air, relocating itself to be found by another wizard. Taurus lingered for a minute before returning to the spirit world, out of Lucy's reach. The young blonde began to shake again, still in shock of what was happening, but still pulled another key off the chain, and another, and another, until she was only left with three keys.

"Open, gate of the canis minor. Nikolas!"

Plue found himself once again standing in front of his master. But instead of being scared or sad he was his same old, happy self. It was like he'd completely forgotten what had happened before. He bounced up and down a few times before landing with one paw up in the air, then jumped up on the bed and patted Lucy on the arm.

"Oh Plue…" Lucy felt a pain in her throat once again, and couldn't bear to look him in the eye after what she had done. So she continued on as she had before. "I hereby give you permission to break contract. Do you accept?" The little dog's reaction surprised her, as he hastily shook his head and jumped onto her lap, staring up at her expectantly. She just stared back for a few seconds before lifting him up and pulling him into her chest while crying "I'm sorry Plue, I'm a bad owner." She felt his head shake again in reply, which made more tears well up in her eyes. She held him up in front of her to take another good long look at him, seeing as how she hadn't really done so in a long time. His fur was a little more ragged and more of an off-white color, rather than a snowy white like it was supposed to be. Lucy put him down on the bed and let him return to the spirit before pulling off one of the two remaining zodiac keys.

"Open, gate of the maiden. Virgo!"

A petite maid soon stood before her, bowing down in front of her as she said "What is it you wish of me today, princess?"

Lucy just shook her head to empty it of the thoughts that began to flood in and said in a quivering voice "I hereby give you permission to break contract. Do you accept?"

Virgo merely blinked and replied "Why would I want to do that?" Lucy gave a short gasp of shock, confused why Virgo would want to stay with her. "You've never treated me so horribly, I have no reason to hate you, therefore no reason to leave you."

"But… what about those times I punched you to the ground?" the mage stuttered.

"What about them? I deserved it didn't I?"

"Well… I thought so at the time… but, now that I think about it, you probably didn't."

Virgo smiled and said "There are worse things that could have happened to me than a punch to the stomach. Why, I have been chained to the human world for five days straight… and that wasn't the worst punishment that I received." Her master continued to stare at her, completely speechless that the spirit was completely unfazed by the mistreatment she received. "Princess, I wish to continue serving you, if you so desire." She said as she bowed once more. Lucy slowly nodded, and the maid spirit returned to her world.

Lucy began to feel the lump in her throat return as she held her last key in the palm of her hand the same way she did when she first received it. But before she could say anything, Loke appeared before her as if he knew she was about to summon him, hands stuffed in his pockets the same as always. Although, his stern expression was no longer present on his face, and had been replaced by a sad one. The two just stared at each other for a few minutes before the silence was broken.

"I'm sorry!" Lucy bawled, finally with enough tears to cry once more. "I'm sorry for what I did to everyone else, I'm sorry for the things I did and said… I'm sorry that I ever became like that." Lucy hiccupped once before hiding her face in her hands for a minute, not wanting her friend to see her like that. As she did, Loke looked down at her keychain, noticing how empty it was looking. He felt a sharp pain in his heart, being the one to break the news to her. It hurt him enough to do it once before, this time it was ripping him apart. He tore his gaze away when Lucy lifted her head up again, her face red, her eyes puffy. It was obvious how upset she was about having to let so many of her spirits go. She took several deep breaths before she said once more "I hereby give you-"

"No." Loke interrupted in a short, sharp voice to make sure he had her attention. She seemed rather confused at the responses she had received from the last three spirits. She couldn't understand why they would want to still be with her even after everything she had done to them.

"But… why?"

Loke stepped forward, sat next her on the bed and said "Lucy I made a promise to you, to protect you with my life no matter what. Besides, you gave me a second chance. You deserve one too." Lucy sobbed once more before her eyes flooded with more tears and she buried her face in his chest, clinging to his shirt as if he was going to disappear if she let go.

"But… you deserve better than me. You all do…" She muttered. She felt her body warm up a little as his arms wrapped around her and pulled her closer.

"We don't want any better. We just want you as you are, Lucy." He whispered. "We're staying because we believe in you, and we know you'll go back to being yourself. That's all we could ever want."

Lucy's grip on him loosened as she relaxed in his arms, feeling sure that he wasn't going anywhere. She felt like she didn't deserve to have him there, let alone have Virgo or Plue, but it seemed like Loke wasn't letting go anytime soon so she ran several thoughts through her mind, slowly accepting the fact that she wasn't going to be completely alone despite everything she did. A small part of her was glad that Loke was staying, she wasn't sure why but she felt much safer with him around.

Lucy didn't sleep at all that night. She stayed in Loke's arms, crying 'sorry' and sobbing 'why' over and over again.

===ONE YEAR LATER===

Lucy stood with Loke by a river, far from the bustling city of Magnolia. It became more difficult for her to do missions ever since she released so many of her spirits that night, but Loke made it up to her by giving up all his free time to be available whenever she needed him. Whenever he was too exhausted or injured to come when called, Virgo filled in for him. The two were sharing a lot of weight, as Lucy hadn't found any new keys since then and Plue couldn't fight to save his own life, let alone his master's. Despite the position she was now in, she was able to pick herself up and continue life as best as she could. Before long she was back to her normal, caring self, and had become even closer with the spirits that stayed by her side.

"So… why are we here?" Loke asked, breaking the silence between them.

Lucy continued to stare off into the distance as she replied "I just thought it would be nice to take a walk down here today." She then turned back to him and smiled as she continued "It's a nice day to take a break from doing jobs all the time." The ginger spirit just blinked a couple of times before shrugging and turning around to observe the scenery some more. He froze when he saw something in that he recognized.

"Lucy, look!" She obediently turned around and gasped when she saw a golden key lying half buried in the dirt by a tree. She ran over and yanked it out, dusting it off to look at the symbol carved on the end. It was once one of hers.

"What is something like this doing here?" She asked.

"Who knows? Maybe after it relocated nobody found it, although I don't see how that's possible in a place like this…" Lucy stared at the key as memories of the spirit it called upon flooded back into her mind.

"Can I… should I try?" she stuttered, uncertain whether she had the right to summon the spirit again. She received a shrug in response, which didn't help her at all, before Loke returned to the spirit world to allow Lucy to perform the ritual. She shakily raised the key and chanted the words to attempt to open a contract once more. "I am linked to the path to the celestial spirit world. Now, spirit, answer my call and pass through the gate." She held the key up high as she then said "Open, gate of the golden bull. Taurus!" The gate opened without a problem and the mighty bull once again found himself standing in front of Lucy, arms crossed as he observed her for a minute.

"Lucy?"

"Hi Taurus." She shakily replied with a faint, sad smile. She didn't expect Taurus to want to make another contract after everything she'd put him through, and was waiting for him to disappear. Instead he tilted his head and grumbled for a few seconds, contemplating a few things to himself whilst still examining her.

"You wish to make another contract?" the bull spirit said in a low voice.

Lucy gulped and replied "Only if you want to…"

They eyed each other off for a few seconds before Taurus said with a straight face "I wish I could know for sure that you're the same person I made a contract with once before." Lucy's head lowered at those words. She couldn't ever imagine being forgiven by her spirits. "But I can tell whether or not you're the same person I broke contract with." Lucy raised her head once again to make eye contact with him once again, letting him make a final judgment on her. After a minute his serious face burst into tears as he cried "Ohhh, LUUUUUCYYYYYYYY!" She just smiled weakly and let herself be hugged by the giant bull. He was squeezing a little too tightly for her liking, but she was just glad that he was also willing to give her another chance.

As he loosened his grip, after noticing her face turn blue, she said sincerely "I'm sorry Taurus. I won't break my promise again." She was then caught by surprise as Taurus let her go and disappeared in a flash of light. A few seconds later Loke reappeared in front of her with a smile on his face before embracing her once more.

"I'm glad it worked out." He said softly in her ear.

"Me too." She replied as she snaked her arms around his neck and rested her head on his shoulder. "Do you think any of the other spirits will forgive me?"

"I know they will."

Wow, I got sloppy at the end! My brain was begging me to just end it, so yeah it's kinda rushed in the last part.

Now I know Lucy wouldn't be like that to her spirits, and the spirits are waaaaaay OOC, but it seemed like an interesting plot that popped into my head while listening to music, so I decided to give it a shot. And epically failed at it… and yet I still published it… -_-

Oh well, something different.

Also it might seem weird that Plue gets abused, then suddenly acts like nothing ever happened. But that's pretty much a typical dog from what I've seen. You yell at them, they get a little down when you leave them alone, then you come back later and you're still their best friend

Virgo may also seem a little strange… to me she seems like the kind of spirit that doesn't seem bothered about how she is treated.

And Loke, well, I don't think he'd be joking around at all if he had to go through the 'Karen Lilica' situation again with Lucy, hence why he's so serious.

Anyway, please review if you liked it, or even if you didn't (as long as there's no flaming, constructive criticism is always nice). It may encourage me to put more of my ideas to paper, and I can tell you right now that it's not half as depressing as this fic ^_^

Even if you don't review, thanks for taking the time to read this!

:D