Erza Scarlet. She was a mighty warrior, a beautiful woman, and a loyal mage. Everything Lucy Heartfilia wanted to be. Yet again and again, Erza outshone her.
Lucy groaned in despair as she saw the results for the Miss Fairy Tail contest. "Second place is Lucy!" someone called out. Well, there goes my rent money! she thought. "And third is Juvia! Congrats!" someone else squealed.
Lucy shoved forwards to the front of the crowd. Her jaw dropped as she saw who had come first. Erza! She looked to her right to see the woman dressed in her armour. Erza smiled kindly at her. "Well done Lucy, second place!"
"Congrats on first, Erza," Lucy smiled back. But her heart wasn't in it. It wasn't only the loss of the rent money. Really, it was that Erza had outperformed her. Lucy was fine that Erza was better at most things than her. But couldn't there be at least one thing she could do better than her?
"Hey, Lucy?" Lucy turned to see Natsu. "Want to go on a job?"
"Not right now, Natsu," Lucy sighed. She saw the salmon-haired fire mage looked disappointed, but she wasn't in the mood for a job.
"I'll go with you, Natsu," said Erza.
"Really? Yay!" Natsu rushed off to get the job approved by Mirajane.
Erza turned to Lucy. "Are you sure you don't want to come? Natsu seems to be sad you aren't."
"No, I don't really feel like working just now. The two of you and Happy will be just enough. I'm not really much help anyway." Lucy said the last sentence rather bitterly.
"If you're sure." Erza walked away. Then she turned around. "Like I said, he seems pretty disappointed."
"What's that supposed to mean?" Lucy snapped.
"Oh, nothing."
Lucy lay back on her bed and stared at the roof. For some reason, she felt slightly depressed. Pulling out a celestial key, she sat up and enunciated: "Open, gate of the Canis Minor! Nikora!"
Plue appeared and began to dance. Lucy sat on the edge of her bed and watched him. Maybe I should have gone with Natsu. Erza went. He'll start thinking Erza's the better teammate. He'll ask her to go on missions instead. He want ask me anymore. He won't want me anymore, not the useless Lucy Heartfilia. Her eyes began to fill. I can't even earn my keep through stupid beauty shows! Good for nothing! With a cry, she lay face down on her bed and sobbed into her pillow. Plue stopped dancing. "Puun, puuuuuun!" Lucy looked at him, tears trickling down her face. "Return," she whispered.
The next day, Lucy felt better. After drinking some tea, she dressed and headed to the guild.
As she reached the street the guild was on, Lucy saw some red hair. She quickly turned the corner, not wanting to meet Erza and Natsu just yet. Peeking around the corner, she gasped. NO! It couldn't be! Her heart thumping, Lucy jumped out from the corner and pointed an accusing finger at Erza. "You… What are you doing!"