Lucy groaned, blearily rubbing her eyes. Her head was throbbing more painfully than the time she had been cajoled into a drinking contest by Cana (frankly, it was impossible to say no to the loud-mouthed brunette…). Just when she thought her headache couldn't get any worse, high-pitched squeals sent her into another wave of misery.

Wait…those voices…it couldn't be?

Lucy bolted out of bed, raging at the idea of uninvited visitors daring to break into her apartment. Every nasty curse was on the verge of leaving her lips as she fumbled with her doorknob, jostling it open. And then she stopped.

The door swung wide open, revealing pale green walls and clashing purple curtains, which were certainly not hers (she prided herself on her good taste, after all). If not her apartment, then…where was she?

"My…apartment?" She whimpered pitifully. Lucy felt her head began to pound again, praying that this was a dream—or maybe a nightmare, those curtains would definitely haunt her for days…

"ELLA! ELLA, YOU'RE AWAKE!" The squealing had returned.

"NNNgggh?" Lucy moaned, still in a state of shock. She blinked a couple times, finally focusing on two very familiar faces. "Wendy? Levy?!"

At this point, Lucy began worrying about her current state of mind. Was it safe to receive so much trauma in such a short amount of time?

"Oh, Ella-chan! You won't believe the most amazing thing I've just heard!" Levy shrieked, choosing to ignore Lucy's dumbstruck expression. She danced around Lucy, waving her arms madly. "There's going to be…" Her voice trailed off in excitement.

"A BALL!" Wendy chimed in.

"A BALL!"

"A BALL!" The two girls chorused, spinning each other around in dizzying circles.

"A…ball?" Lucy repeated. Had her world flipped completely upside-down?

Clearly unimpressed by Lucy's lack of enthusiasm, Levy and Wendy stopped dancing and leaned in to peer at Lucy worriedly.

"Ella-nee, are you feeling alright?" Wendy asked, concerned. "It isn't like our older sister to act like this!"

They keep calling me Ella…

And there's a ball…

Older sister?

Lucy fell over in a dead faint. Suddenly, everything was clear as crystal…or should she say, as clear as glass?

I'm CINDERELLA?

And once again, Lucy found herself opening her eyes with yet another agonizing headache.

"Oh, Ella-nee, are you okay?" Wendy peered down at Lucy. "That was quite a fall!"

"Wendy," She groaned. Then she paused. Was this actually Wendy, the kind Dragon Slayer, or simply just a character playing a part? Was she the only one who still remembered Fairy Tail? Did anyone even recognize her as Lucy Heartfilia? For now, it seemed the best plan of action was to play along until she finally figured out how to extract herself from this mess.

"Tell me about the ball," She said instead. Lucy frantically tried to recall one of her favorite childhood stories. At these times, she was thankful to be a writer. It would make logical sense that if she allowed the story to progress, it would reach an end, right? And that end could finally take her back home where she belonged.

Wendy looked a little doubtful, but eagerly launched into the story of the King's announcement.

"There's going to be a ball in three days for the Prince! Everyone knows he's of marriageable age, and it's about time he finds a bride. And every maiden in the country is to be invited!"

"And I suppose I'm not allowed to go, right?" Lucy said. This was her element! She relished in her knowledge, she knew exactly what was going to happen…

"Why do you say that, Ella-nee? Don't you want to see the prince?" Levy had just walked in, holding a cool washcloth in her hands.

Lucy felt her jaw drop. "Aren't…aren't you guys my stepsisters?"

Levy and Wendy exchanged a glance, certain that their beloved Ella had lost control of all her mental facilities.

"Of course we are," Levy began applying the cool cloth to Lucy's forehead. "Don't you remember?"

"Shouldn't you be…meaner?" Lucy questioned in shock. "No making me slave away on your behalf? Sew your dresses? Clean your floors? Lick your shoes?"

"Perhaps you really should sit this one out, Ella-chan. You really aren't making any sense," Levy said anxiously.

Lucy felt strangely unprepared. These fairy tales…they weren't the classics her mother had lovingly told her. No, these were different, unpredictable, wild…

Exactly how a story should be.

On the other side of town, a similarly chaotic scene was playing out. Never had a town faced such a monster, such a beast—as the terrifying demon known as Natsu Dragneel.

"He's eating the fire!" A woman screamed.

"Is he crazy? Save yourselves!" The townspeople ran terrified, trying their best to avoid Natsu's rowdy rampage. Sadly, that was a reaction he was rather accustomed to, and simply ignored it.

"Mmmph!" Natsu groaned. "This is some good stuff!" He cackled, stuffing sticks of fire down his throat.

Finally full, Natsu decided to explore this strange, exciting, and delicious place he had crash-landed in. One moment, Lucy's deadly foot was buried in his gut, and the next, he was sent flying into…well, wherever this was. He was almost proud of his partner's ferocious kick, which he considered quite Erza-worthy.

As he strolled down the street, a passing reflection quickly caught his eye. He gazed into the adjacent shop's window, and suddenly realized why the entire town had scampered off in fear.

"Oh fuck! The hell am I in a dress?"

To his horror, he had sprouted wings, his puffy blue dress had practically swallowed him whole, and was that body glitter?

Natsu would have certainly made Fairy Tail's Mavis proud, as he had surprisingly turned into quite a lovely fairy.

Bibbidi-Bobbidi-Boo, anyone?