A.N: Konnichiwa Reader-san. I hope you enjoy this new chapter of Downhill. It's longer than what I usually write and because of that, it took longer to write. Cobra still hasn't appeared yet, but he will next chapter. I don't exactly have a set schedule for this story, but I plan to at at most update this twice every month. I have tried to write different writing styles in this chapter, so if it sounds different, that's the reason. Also, Tiger Eyes is a brown colored gem. Please leave a review and thank you for taking your time to read this.

Disclaimer: I don't own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does. But if I did... Lucy would be more powerful and the plot would be crap.

"Lucy-sama, it's been a while." said the goat spirit as he was called out.

"It has, hasn't it, Capricorn? I have been trying to get over the past week's occurrences. Enough about me. How have you been?" Lucy said, hoping to create small talk before she asked him the big question.

"It has been rather hectic... But other than that, things have been good. How have you been Lucy-sama?" Capricorn said redirecting their conversation back to her.

"At the moment, I'm fine." Lucy said as she smiled. Capricorn gave her a calculating look and she dropped her head.

Shit. I was hoping to ask him later.

You do realize that I can hear your thoughts when I am out, ne Lucy-sama?

Yes, Capricorn.

"Well... I was hoping that you could help train me to become stronger." Lucy replied steadily.

"Fantastic, Lucy-sama. In fact, I already have a schedule made for you." Lucy froze for a second, then looked at Capricorn with caution when he pulled out a list, a long at that.

"You had this planned out already."

"Why of course, Lucy-sama? Why wouldn't I?" There's a teasing lilt to his voice.

"Why would you, Capricorn?" Lucy replied with a question of her own.

"I always have to be prepared. I am a butler. Your personal butler."

"Ah, I guess that makes sense. It wouldn't be because of how much I weigh or that you knew I would ask soon, ne?"

"Yes, I heard your thoughts earlier. I just didn't say anything to alarm you."

"Can you always hear my thoughts or can you stop hearing them?"

"Yes, but I felt that you were nervous and listened on."

"Arigatou, Capricorn." Lucy said as he handed her the list to look over.

"Open, Gate of the Twins, Gemini." The sounds of the train nearly blocked out all the noise, but the classical music playing in her compartment.

"Piri-Piri. Hey, Lucy! How may we help you?" The adorable twin spirits asked as they floated in front of her.

"I was wondering who you last transformed into." Lucy said with curiosity laced in her voice.

"We last transformed into Erza and Wendy. Piri-Piri." Gemi and Mini replied.

"Perfect. I would like for you to keep Wendy and lose Erza the next time I ask you to transform into someone. Okay?"

"Yes. Anything else before we leave."

"No, but thanks for everything."

"You're very welcome, Piri-Piri." Gemi and Mini said before returning to the Celestial Spirit World.

It was quiet when they left and her heart reached out to something that wasn't there. Lucy sighed and hated herself for missing someone who left so eagerly.

"Gomen ne... It's for the best that I do this. I can't and won't lose anybody else. Ever again." Lucy said as she looked out the window of her compartment, subconsciously rubbing her broken key. The music slowly became louder as she drifted off to sleep. Last thinking about what she would first do when she searched the Heartfillia Kozern.

"Open Gate of the Lion, Leo. Open Gate of the Maiden, Virgo." Lucy said as she arrived in front of the enormous mansion. A golden light appeared along with two faint ding dongs.

"Punishment, Hime?" said the pink haired maid who's already bent over.

"It's nice to see you well, Lucy-hime." Loke said as he grabbed her hand and kissed it. Lucy immediately took her hand out of his grasp.

"Not today Virgo, but if Loke keeps doing what he does best," Lucy said glaring at the lion spirit, "you might have someone to punish."

Virgo's eyes suddenly started to sparkle and she started to rant to herself about what she would do. Loke, well Loke, was on the floor begging Lucy not to let Virgo punish him. Lucy giggled and straightened her back and gave her two spirits a look telling them it was time to get to work. They stopped and gave her a nod.

"We will be searching for a very important item. It doesn't look so important, but it is. It is a small white box that is decorated with golden stars. Once we find it, I will tell you what it is and why it is important. After that, I would like for you two, to tell the rest about it. Deal?" Lucy said to the two Zodiac spirits.

The two being mentioned nodded, taking what she said seriously as they could hear Lucy's mental struggle to not break down in front of them as she remembered the memories she had of her mother and Aquarius.

"Now. Virgo, I would like for you to search the Eastern and Northern Wing of the mansion for it. Loke, you will search Western Wing for it, and I will search the Southern Wing. If one of you find it, immediately communicate with me and I'll tell you where I'm at so you guys can come. If I find, I will tell you and you are both to come with me."

Lucy pushed open the dual-doors of the mansion and entered. Silence greeting her, unlike when she was a child. Tears gathered in her eyes as she gave them the directions to the places they would search.

As the two left, tears ran down her face and wiping them away were waste because they would come back again. Lucy shut her eyes and took a few breaths to calm herself down. It worked and she fell along the path that were intertwined with memories, good and bad.

"Kaa-san! Kaa-san! Look I was able to summon Cancer! It wasn't for long, but I still did it. I hope next time I'll be able to call the pretty siren." Lucy said, jumping around in excitement. She looked to where her mother was and frowned. Layla, her mother, coughed up blood and sat down. Layla gave Lucy a smile, but Lucy could tell it was strained.

"I'm fine, Lucy. Just a bit tired. I am so proud of you my little star. Soon you'll be as great as me. And I'm sure the 'pretty siren' would like for you to call on her. Come now, Lucy. I have something I would like for you to have." Layla said as she grabbed Lucy's tiny hand. They walked until they arrived to a room Lucy hadn't seen before.

"Kaa-san, what room is this?" Lucy said as she looked up at her mother with curiosity.

"This room is only revealed to those who are of the Heartfillia decent. There's a catch though. You must be a powerful celestial mage and have to be 18 years old to enter, but since I'm here my magic will make up for yours and you will be able to enter." Layla said as she a gold light engulfed her right hand and she twisted the doorknob. A ding dong sound was heard and the door opened. Lucy held onto Layla's hand like it was her lifeline. Layla chuckled before feeling the need to cough, she held it in and they entered.

The door was slammed and Lucy jumped in shock. After a moment or two, Lucy gathered her senses and look around the room. The room... It wasn't so much of a room, but more of a different dimension. It was like the night sky, but the constellations were more visible than she had ever seen. What would've been the black sky, there was a deep dark blue and a violet color that replaced it.

She snapped out of her trance when her mother tugged harshly on her hand. She looked up to see that her mother was wearing something completely different from her pink gown. Instead she wore tight black pants, a tight, yet billowy golden shirt with long sleeves that were accented with black stripes on the ends. She also wore a pair of black combat boots that went up to her knees. Her hair was up in a high ponytail with her signature two strands of hair hanging on the sides of her head along with her side bangs. On the top of her head sat a small tiara, but a tiara none the less. It was golden and was decorated with Tiger Eyes and Topaz.

"Kaa-san? You look different, but it's a good different." She gave her a small smile before she coughed up more blood. Lucy's eyes watered and as a tear began to make it down her face, Layla wiped it away.

"Kaa-san, you won't leave me, ne?" Layla's eyes watered, but tears never fell. She just grabbed Lucy and held her.

"My little star... There will be a time I won't be around." At this Lucy frowned, " As much as I want to, I won't. It is the reason I am showing you this room. You see this room... This room is where our world and the Celestial Spirit World collide. Because of something I opened that I wasn't supposed to, it created a rift between both worlds. Since Heartfillia woman have naturally potent magic, we have the ability to jump between worlds and it would be like no time had passed if we were to go to the other realm then to ours. I have a key that specifically helps me with this and it will soon be yours. When you first touch it, you will feel all the celestial spirits' auras, and let me tell you. I fainted soon after, not used to feeling that much magical pressure.

If you don't have the key and you get transported there, one day there will is equivalent to three months here. When the time is right, you'll know, come back to this room and find a small white box that is decorated with a golden star." Layla put Lucy on her back and carried her sleeping body to her room. She exited and closed the door, the excess magic leaving her body and the pain came back full throttle. She groaned and only walked away before taking one last look at the room she would never be able to visit again.

Loke, Virgo. Can you guys leave back to your world for a moment? I will call you guys out once I do something, okay?

I don't mind, but call me as soon as your done.

I will only be a call away, Hime. Please do call me, and not Leo-nii-sama, for I am far more better than him.

Moments later, she felt the slow drain on her magic stop and smiles leaving to where she remembered the room to be. Of course she didn't know where it was exactly, but she had a feeling that it'd call to her.

After minutes of roaming the South Wing, she felt something pull her. She smirked at the knowledge that her theory was correct and headed in the direction she felt the pull. She turned down a few hallways and got lost for a minute before she found her way to a familiar door.

She stepped forward and pulled out a small amount of her magic and felt the swell of it surround her body. She concentrated it on her right hand and watched as her magic made its way to her hand.

As soon as all her external magic went to her hand she grabbed the handle of the door and closed her eyes as she entered. Her eyes opened instantaneously when she felt all the magic surrounding her. Lucy fell on her knees breathing in short shallow intakes.

After she took a deep intake of air, she regained her surroundings. It was as she remembered. The bright constellations and the breathtaking sky. This time, she noticed, she was floating on nothingness. There was no ground, just an endless path.

She looked around and found the box immediately. It was just as she remembered it as. She took a step forward and felt as the magic in the Inbetween dragged her down every step she took to the box. Just as she was about to reach it, she fell over.

The pressure being too much for her body to handle. She growled and pushed her body to its limit as she got up and snatched the box. The box now in her hold, the pressure gone and she felt no pain. She let out the breath, she didn't know that she was holding in. She smiled as she felt arms close in around her, her eyes opened and looked at her loyal spirit.

"Arigatou... Loke... I'm going to sleep now." He nodded his head and she snuggled into the warmth he produced.

Light... That is all that Lucy saw when she woke up. She groaned and closed her eyes. She felt something or someone gently shake her. She ignored it and she felt herself being shook even more. She grabbed whatever it was in and punched at it.

"Go the fuck away. If you couldn't tell I was sleeping." She opened her eyes and squeaked when she saw Virgo on the floor with a nosebleed. She had sparkles in eyes and looked as though she was in literal heaven.

"Oh Mavis. I'm so, so sorry, Virgo." Lucy helped Virgo up as she started to ramble on about how heavenly that punch was.

"It's okay Hime. I have been filled with deepest amount of satisfaction." Lucy sweatdropped and helped Virgo up. "May I be punished again Hime?" Lucy fell in disbelief and shook her head at her spirit's antics.

"No, Virgo. That was just a one time thing." Virgo only nodded her head in defeat, knowing that she would never be able to feel heavenly again.

"Would you like for me to call Leo-nii-sama out? You still have to recover your magic." Lucy nods and Virgo left. Seconds later, two golden lights appeared and both Leo and Virgo were there.

"Hello and good morning, Lucy-hime. So, are going to tell us what happened?" Lucy nodded her head and pulls the box out from her pocket.

"After you guys left, I..." And so went on the story.

"One ticket to Hargeon please." Lucy handed the attendant the money for the ticket.

"Here is your ticket. Have a lovely ride." Lucy entered the train and searched for an empty compartment, finding one, she entered. She sat down and leaned her head on the window. She shifted her body as the train began to move. The music once again lulled her to sleep.

"I wish I had never been contracted to you. You are a failure to me, the rest of your spirits, but most of all, your mother. I bet she thinks that you are a failure to the Heartfillia name." Aquarius sneered as she slapped Lucy in the face. Lucy only nodded, knowing what Aquarius had said was true.

"You'll only ever be a weak little girl. It is the reason why those of your guild left you. They probably left you because they knew that you decided to sacrifice me and probably think you'd do the same to them."

Tears streaked down her face, accepting that Aquarius hated her. Lucy eyes widened when she saw that the rest of her spirits were behind Aquarius. Every single one of them had a disgusted look on their face, yet three that stood out the most were Aquarius, Virgo, and Loke.

"Lucy-hime... No... Traitor. At first, I believed you to be different than Karen, but I was wrong. You are worse." His words stung her heart as her heart felt as if it had been stomped on. She couldn't bare to look at any of them anymore and looked at her hands. She gasped when she felt her keys snatched. She looked up for a second, and regretted it immediately. It was Jackal.

"Don't mind if I do, Girly." Lucy screamed as she felt a searing pain in her hips, where her keys were once located.

She squeezed her eyes closed and opened them as soon as she hard nothing. She was in the cave that she had sacrificed Aquarius. She watched helplessly as Aquarius was sacrificed, her last words to her repeated over and over.

Lucy let out a small sob and shook her head head, trying to rid the dream of her mind. Her heartbeat loud enough for the world to hear, maybe it was just her who could hear it. But she knew that even if they couldn't, she would still think it to be audible. Her breaths ragged and face wet with tears, she slapped her face. She repeated slapping herself until her sobs were gone and reassuring herself that her spirits would never say such a thing

"It was all but a dream, yet it felt so real. Why? Why does that memory haunt me so?" Her voice barely above a whisper. Although she no longer made a noise, tears would continue to fall. "I will not... I can not... I should not... Never could I... Yet why do I fail?" Her heart beating too fast, too loud, and too unsteadily. "I will smile... If only for them. For they are the only ones that care. The others left, so they will be the ones I'll smile for. Maybe... Maybe one day, I'll be able to smile correctly."

Her smile still hasn't reached her eyes since the incident. No one noticed of course, she kept it that way. Lucy grew up on a rule, Never burden others with your problems, yet she wanted to because she knew she wasn't strong enough to keep it to herself. She just wanted to talk about it to someone, anybody. Yet no one saw her inner struggle. S

he kept her pain away from her spirits because they didn't deserve to know what transpired in her dreams. She would continue to hold her mask until... Well, she didn't know when she would drop it, but when she did... Let it be known that she would break, every single thought and dream she put off to the side would come to the surface, and hopefully someone would be there to pick up the pieces. For it there wasn't... Who knows of what would become of Lucy Heartfillia.

Edited: not really, but kind of. 7/8/2018