Summary: "Unwavering faith and resilient bonds will bring even miracles to your side." Companion piece to Heart. Spoilers for the Tartarus Arc.
A/N: Because I am going crazy while waiting to find out what's going to happen next. I took heavy liberties with what happened with the rest of the Tartarus Arc. I just needed Lucy to be happy and not heartbroken.
Pure
The Celestial Spirit King graciously transfers Aquarius' powers to her so that she can continue to fight. He then easily destroys Plutogrim, reversing its effects and saving the members of Fairy Tail that have been absorbed in, before moving on to Mard Geer, stating that he will honor the sacrifice Lucy by destroying Tartarus.
Focusing on her newly acquired magic, Lucy uses the Urano Metria spell to defeat Jackal, telling herself that she can cry later.
Tartarus is strong, but the Celestial Spirit King causes enough damage that they are forced to retreat, and because they can no longer regenerate themselves thanks to Mirajane destroying Hell's Core, he even manages to bring the book of E.N.D. into Fairy Tail's possession.
He graciously transports them to Magnolia, placing them in the middle of the rubble and debris that used to be their guild, and as soon as Lucy sees her unconscious nakama, she collapses, utterly spent, her emotions overwhelming her. "Aquarius…" She whispers, no longer trying to hold in the tears.
We did it.
When the guild members come to and realize they are back on Earth Land, they are confused at first, but that confusion turns to worry when they see Lucy.
They cannot remember seeing Lucy Heartfilia ever looking so completely and utterly heartbroken. Loke materializes, drawing her into a gentle hold and trying to comfort her, but the girl cannot be comforted by the loss of her first friend.
Her body trembles as she wraps her arms around her knees, clutching her keys tightly as tears run down her face and she murmurs, "Aquarius…"
Loke fills the guild members in on the incredible sacrifice Lucy made to summon the Celestial Spirit King to save them all, and they are noticeably impressed by the strength of the Heartfilia heiress.
They understand her heartache, but there is nothing they can do to help, and they cannot help but feel helpless.
"Lucy…" Loke murmurs, feeling his mistress' pain. "She's not dead. It's just…"
"I know, but it hurts so much, and I'm glad that I could finally save everyone for once instead of them saving me, and that at least she's still alive, but it doesn't make it any easier. She was my first friend," Lucy sobs.
Days pass into weeks, and Lucy finds it harder to smile.
She knows everyone is worried about her, but if she pretends everything is okay, they'll pretend too.
They try to make things as normal as possible. Wendy shyly asks if she wants company on warmer days and Juvia picks fights with her over Gray, who strips to ridiculous lengths. Erza and Natsu and Happy randomly show up at her apartment and make sure she's never alone, and Loke flirts with her to pass the time. Cana reads her love fortune on tarot cards and Levy asks about the novel she's writing. Even Gajeel and Laxus will awkwardly make small talk as he passes the celestial spirit mage.
It just feels so strange when she heads into battle, reaching for the golden key to call Aquarius only to realize that the key no longer exists.
Her smile wavers but she pushes on, knowing that Aquarius would kick her if she saw the state she was in right now.
Weeks pass into months, and one day, Loke appears in the guild, his face utterly serious. "There's a situation in the spirit world. The Celestial Spirit King needs you."
"Well, we're coming with her!" Natsu declares, and Happy, Gray, Juvia, Erza, Wendy, and Carla nod in agreement.
The celestial spirit shrugs, and the group disappears in a flash of white smoke.
Lucy feels a sense of déjà vu as the celestial spirit realm comes into view again.
And in the center of it all…
"You stupid idiot. I told you I wasn't going to die."
Lucy bursts into tears again, although this time they are tears of happiness. "Aquarius!"
The mermaid huffs as the celestial spirit mage throws her arms around her, but everyone can see the slight smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
Aquarius lets Lucy hug her for a few moments, before pushing the girl back and poking her forehead. "You looked so pathetic, moping around. You would've thought I died or something."
Lucy sniffs, a wavering smile accompanying her watery eyes. "I've been getting better."
"Geeze, if this is how you are when you can't see me anymore, I'd hate to see you if I died."
When Erza sees Natsu getting upset, she places a hand on him, restraining the dragon slayer and giving him a look that commands complete obedience, causing him to freeze where he stands.
None of the members of Team Natsu save Loke really understand the strange relationship between Lucy and the mermaid, but Lucy only smiles.
"I've missed you."
"Old friend," The Celestial Spirit King greets, and Lucy smiles gratefully. "Thank you for everything."
The king chuckles. "Don't thank me yet." At the girl's frown, he continues gently, "We summoned you here because of the incredible sacrifice you made to save your friends, and the choice was without a doubt a most difficult one. But had it not been difficult, then you would not be here."
He pauses, looking at Aquarius for a moment and exchanging a look with her, before continuing, "We have had the pleasure and honor of watching you grow, and you have surpassed any and all expectations placed on you. You demonstrated the highest level of technique, never before seen in any mage before your time. Not only have you harvested these powers to their fullest ability, you have done so with the same kind and loving heart your mother had before you."
And then the Celestial Spirit King does something that surprises every member in the room. He drops down on one knee and bows his head, his voice a low rumble that echoes for everyone present to hear.
"We are in your debt, Lucy Heartfilia."
At that statement, the other celestial spirits follow suit, dropping on one knee to bow or, in other cases, simply bowing. But there is not one look of resentment on each and every single smiling celestial spirit's face.
Erza glances at the celestial spirits and catches Aquarius smirking, but before the requip mage can ponder the expression, a golden light suddenly surrounds the group, and they know they are being sent back to their world.
The Celestial Spirit King's last words follow them back to Earth Land as a whisper. "Only the pure of heart can accomplish miracles."
When Lucy finds the golden key clutched in her hands, she falls to her knees, holding the key close to her chest.
This is real. This is really happening.
Various guild members rush towards her in concern, but they stop when she starts crying. But rather than tears of sadness, they are tears of joy that stream down her cheeks as she smiles, truly smiles, for the first time in months.
Despite the team's three month absence, the rest of the guild cannot help but smile as they realize that Lucy is smiling again, that somehow, something miraculous has happened.
Mavis Vermilion's words echo in all of them.
"Unwavering faith and resilient bonds will bring even miracles to your side."
Fin.