Author's Note 1: I own nothing except my OCs and original magic.
Chapter 3: Infiltrate the Everlue Mansion
A few days after the Mt. Hakobe incident, Lucy had found a comfy little apartment for herself. Alyssa had offered her a room at Fairy Hills (the women's dormitory for Fairy Tail), but the blonde girl wanted a place to call her own. Currently, she had just got out of a relaxing hot bath and was changing until she heard a knock on her door. "Be there in a sec." She said as she put on a red t-shirt and jeans. After she put on her cloths, she opened her door and saw Team Morningstar.
"Hey Lucy." Natsu greeted.
"What's up?" Alyssa asked.
"Nothing much. I just got out of the bath." The blonde answered.
"Ew. Who takes bathes?" Zeke stated. Lucy just stared deadpan at the archer before asking the team something.
"So why are you guys here?"
"It's a housewarming party!" Happy stated as he held up a fish to her.
"Ya, we decided to officially welcome you to Magnolia." Natsu said. "Although I still think my original idea would have been better."
"Your original idea involved breaking into the apartment instead of knocking." Zeke said.
"So? It would have been funny." The dragon slayer grumbled.
A few minutes later, Lucy had made them tea as the group sat her table. They also noticed some her luggage was still out.
"Sorry about the place." The celestial wizard said. "I wasn't ready to have guests over yet."
"It's alright." Alyssa replied as she drank some tea.
"So, is there a reason you guys came over aside for the housewarming?"
"We'll get to that later. But first..." Zeke pulled out a journal and pencil. "I was wondering if you could show us some more of your Celestial Key Spirits. So far we've seen a talking clock (still trying to figure out how that's even biologically possible), a super-strong bull with an ax, and a fish lady according to Happy."
"Well I can't summon all of them. That would use up all of my magic energy." Lucy explained. Zeke started righting notes in the journal, making Lucy raise an eyebrow.
"Don't mind him." Natsu said. "Zeke's a bit of an egghead when it comes to new magic. By the way, how many keys do you have a contract with anyway?"
Lucy smiled and grabbed her keys. "I've got six in total. Not to brag or anything, but I've even got a few different types." She laid down three silver keys on the table. "These are the kind you can find in any store. So far I've got three of these. Horologium the Clock, Lyra the Harp and Crux the Southern Cross." She then laid down three golden keys. "And these are the gold keys. They're super rare and there's only twelve of them that open the gates of the zodiac. I've got Taurus the Golden Bull, Aquarius the Water Bearer, and Cancer the Giant Crab."
"Giant Crab!" Happy exclaimed, drooling at the thought of giant crab legs.
"So are there only Gold & Silver Keys or are there keys of different colors?" Zeke asked.
"I've only heard of the Gold & Silver keys." Lucy answered. "Hey I know, you guys wanna see how a contract between a wizard and a Celestial spirit is made? I bought a new key back in Hargeon and I still haven't made a contract with it."
"Go ahead." Alyssa said, curious about how the contract worked.
"This isn't some kind of weird blood ritual, is it?" Natsu asked.
"Of course not!" The blonde retorted as she stood up and held out her new silver key. "Now pay attention. I call upon thee in the world of the Celestial Spirits. I beckon you to my side at once. Pass through the gate!" Lucy chanted as a seal appeared under her feet. "Open, Gate of Canis Minor - Nicola!" From out of the gate came a bubble that quickly changed its shape...into a small snow-white creature with a drill nose that was severally shaking.
Team Morningstar had different reactions to this new creature. Natsu and Happy looked at the weird being in shock. Zeke raised an eyebrow as he took down some notes. And Alyssa tried to hold back a laugh but failed and started rolling the ground in laughter while holding onto her sides.
"Nice try." Natsu & Happy said.
"Shut up! I meant to do that!" Lucy then looked down at the shaking creature, looking over it before bringing it into a hug. "Aw, you are such a cutie-patootie!"
"So...that's a being from the Celestial World, huh?" Zeke asked. "Kind of...tame compared to Horolugium and Taurus."
"It doesn't take a lot of energy to summon these little guys, so a lot of celestial wizards keep them as pets."
Happy crossed his arms with a scowl. "This pet talk doesn't sit right with me."
Lucy pulled out a notepad and pencil of her own and faced the spirit. "Alright then, let's move onto the contract. Are Mondays are good day for you?"
The creature made a 'Puupunn' sound as it shook its head. "Tuesdays?" This time it nodded.
Lucy continued to ask the small creature about what times & days were good from him as Morningstar watched.
"Kind of underwhelming." Alyssa said as she watched, having finished her laughing fit.
"More like boring." Her boyfriend followed up.
"Aye." Happy agreed with him.
"And done!" Lucy said as the creature nodded.
"Well that was easy." Natsu commented.
"I know it might seem easy, but it was very important." Lucy explained. "When a contract between a Celestial Wizard and Spirit is made, it becomes an important promise. That's why I always make a priority to keep my promises."
"Nice." Natsu nodded, agreeing with her moral code.
"Now all I need to do is give this little guy a name."
"But isn't his name Nicola?" Happy asked.
"No, that's the name of his species." Lucy said as she started to think. "I got it!" She held out her arms to the creature. "Come here Plue!" The spirits ran into her arms and the two hugged.
"Plue? That's really what you're going with?" Natsu asked. Alyssa started to laugh again.
"What? It's a cute name." Lucy pouted.
"It's kind of weird though. He's a dog, but he doesn't bark." Happy said.
"Well I don't hear you meowing." Lucy said as Plue jumped out her arms and started doing a dance.
"What is he doing?" Zeke asked as he wrote down some more. Natsu looked at the dancing dog* and smiled.
"You're a funny little guy."
"You can understand him?" Lucy exclaimed in surprise.
"Natsu has a way with animals." Alyssa stated as Happy nodded in agreement. Zeke put away his pencil and loudly closed his journal.
"Well then, onto the next order of business." The archer turned to the cat. "Happy, if you would be so kind?"
"Aye." The cat saluted as he reached into his backpack and pulled out a tiny trumpet. He started playing a ceremonial tune as the three members of Morningstar stood up and looked at Lucy, confusing the celestial wizard.
"Lucy Heartfilia, you have been officially chosen to join Team Morningstar!" Zeke proclaimed.
"Really?!" She said before suddenly getting confused. "Oh yeah, I been meaning to ask why you guys have been calling yourselves a team."
"Allow me to explain." Happy said as he put his trumpet away. "While everyone in the guild is allied to each other, there are some who get along so well they join together and form teams, like us. Those teams can handle missions that are better suited for bigger parties or even help out other team on extremely dangerous missions."
"That sounds awesome!" Lucy excitingly said. "And you guys really want me join your team?"
"Sure. We all put to a vote last night and you seem like a nice girl." Alyssa stated with a smile.
Natsu held out his fist. "So what do say? You wanna join Team Morningstar?" Zeke and Alyssa held out their fists as Happy floated up with wings and held out his.
"You bet!" Lucy nodded and bumped her fist with theirs, officially joining the team.
"Awesome! And I got our first mission right here!" Natsu handed her a poster, giving Happy a sneaky look as the Happy mirrored it before joining Plue in another dance.
"Let's see. Shirotsume town, that's not too far." The blonde looked at the reward money and her eyes widened. "200,000 jewels just for stealing book from some rich guy named Duke Everlue?!"
"I wouldn't get too excited if I were you, Lucy." Zeke stated. The blonde was confused but keep reading it and saw a picture of a bizarre looking man with a curly mustache and verrrrrry creepy smile.
"Please note: Duke Everlue is a dirty old man who is currently looking for blonde maids." It took a few seconds for the realization to hit her. "HEY, WAIT A MINUTE!"
"Well lucky for us, we happen to know a blonde girl." The dragon slayer said with a mischievous smirk.
"Aye. You can dress up like a maid and sneak us in." Happy followed up.
"If that's your plan, why don't you have Alyssa dress up?" Lucy said as she pointed at the taller woman.
"Because I'm not blonde." The speed queen responded.
'Alyssa in a maid outfit.' Natsu started to think about this girlfriend in such a outfit. Soon, a perverted expression appeared on his face and he blushed. However, his fantasy was interrupted by the real Alyssa lightly pulling on his ear.
"Now, now Natsu. You shouldn't be thinking such lewd thoughts in front of friends." She lectured.
"You're right. Sorry about that." He apologized. Alyssa smiled before leaning in and whispering something into his ear. Whatever she said caused steam to blow out his ears and his entire body turned red.
"ALRIGHT! LET'S GO!" He exclaimed, causing Happy and Zeke to laugh and Lucy to giggle at the couple's interactions.
Meanwhile, another team consisting of Levy, Jet and Droy were looking over the job board with disappointment. "Did someone already take the book stealing mission?" The bluenette asked.
"Sorry Levy." Mirajane said as she was cleaning the bar counter. "Morningstar already took that job earlier. If I'm right, they should be leaving really soon."
"Aw, man." The script wizard groaned. "I could have really used that money."
"Don't despair, Levy." Makarov said as he sat on the counter with a beer mug in his hand. "It's probably for the best. I just got a call from the client and they've changed it up bit."
"Did they cancel it or something, Master?" Mira asked.
""Nope. In fact, quite the opposite. The reward has gone up to 2,000,000 jewels." The small man stated, shocking every nearby wizard.
"Woah! Two million just to steal a lousy book?!" Jet asked.
"That's fighting monsters kind of pay!" Droy followed up.
"Did they give a reason why?" The white-haired barmaid asked. The master only shook his head. Nearby, Grey had heard the whole thing as he cooled his drink with ice magic.
"Sounds like this mission just got interesting."
"Your clothes are gone." Cana stated. The black-haired man looked down and saw that he was in nothing but his boxers.
"DAMN IT! NOT AGAIN!"
And then...
"You know now that I think about it, this is a pretty easy job." Lucy stated as the group rode in a carriage to Shirotsume. As usual, Natsu was experiencing the negative side effect of being a dragon slayer and was laying in his girlfriend's lap as she stroke his hair.
"I thought you were mad about the job." Happy stated as he was eating the fish he was going to give Lucy earlier.
"Ya, you seem pretty excited now." Zeke said as he sat next to her.
"Well, it is my first job." The blonde said as she pumped her fist in excitement. "I know I'm gonna totally rock it! After all, I just gotta sneak into a mansion and get a book."
"It's also the mansion of a dirty old man." The archer stated.
"That's what makes it so easy." Lucy gave a short pose. "With my good looks, I'll charm my way in no time flat."
"All you humans look alike to me." Happy stated, causing Lucy's eye to twitch.
"Anyway, I think we should talk about our pay scale." The blonde said. "Since I'm doing most of the work, I think we should split it 60: 10: 10: 10: 10."
"You only want 10%?" Alyssa asked.
"I'm the sixty!"
A few hours later, the team had gotten off the wagon as they reached Shirotsume town. "Finally!" Natsu proclaimed. "I am never riding one of those things again!"
"You say that every time." Alyssa retorted as they started to walk into town.
"So, do you guys want to do anything before we meet our client?" Zeke asked.
"Let's grab a bite!" Natsu said as he pointed to a nearby cafe.
"Of course." The brunette sweat dropped.
"Can't you just eat your own fire?" Lucy asked.
"Great idea, and why don't you just eat Plue or Taurus while we're at it?" Natsu asked back.
"Why would I do something like that?!" Lucy exclaimed with a horrified expression.
"It's the same thing really."
Lucy sweat dropped at this. "So you can eat fire, but just not your own? That's kind of weird."
The salmon-haired man pouted and headed for the restaurant. "You coming?"
"Nah, I got something else to do real quick." Lucy said as she started to walk off. "Catch ya later."
"So much for eating as a team." Alyssa said as she crossed her arms.
'Probably thought she'd end up paying for us again.' Zeke thought as the group headed in.
A few minutes later, the group was enjoying their lunch. Natsu was eating several different types of meats, Happy was chowing down on some sushi, Alyssa was enjoying her third bowl of beef noodles and Zeke was just staring at his friends as he held up a burger.
"You would think I'd be used to watching you guys engorge yourselves by now." The brown-haired archer said.
"Hey, you could stand to put some meat on your bones." Natsu said through a mouth of chicken. "And make sure to leave some food for Lucy. She'll need the energy for the mission."
"Let's save all the fat." Happy said. "From the looks of her, that's seems to be what she likes the most."
Alyssa gave a disappointed look at the cat, lecturing with a full mouth of noodles that roughly translated to, "Happy! You shouldn't make fun of a woman's weight!"
"Hold up, cat! What's that supposed to mean?" Lucy's voice called out from behind.
"Oh Lucy, perfect ti..." Natsu started as the group turned and saw Lucy in a maid uniform. To her credit, it was a lot more tasteful then you would think. "Um...wow."
"I know. I look super-cute in this." Lucy said as she started her maid routine. "Have you had enough food Master, or should I bring you some more? Your wish is my command."
"Hmph." Zeke said with a surprised expression. "You actually pull a convincing maid. Congrats."
"You were right about being super-cute." Alyssa smiled at her friend.
"Aw, thanks guys." The blonde girl said bashfully as she saw Natsu had just gone back to eating. "Nothing to add, Natsu?" The salmon-haired wizard turned as the blonde girl winked cutely at him. However, he was unaffected.
"What am I suppose to say?"
"You could say I look cute or something."
"Why? I already have a girlfriend." He said as he swallowed what he was chewing.
"Aw! You're so sweet!" Alyssa blushed as she hugged Natsu and gave him a kiss, making him blush before he decided to kiss back. Zeke and Happy sweat dropped and Lucy giggled at the sweet scene.
And then...
After lunch, the team went to meet with their client, a man dressed in a black suit, grey hair, and a short mustache. He invited them into his house, group sitting in a couch across from him as his wife stood close by.
"Nice to meet you." The man said. "My name is Kaby Melon."
"I'm Natsu Dragneel." The dragon slayer greeted back. "And your name sounds tasty."
"Dude!" Zeke yelled. "I'm Ezekiel Hudson. You can call me Zeke and I apologize for my friend's comment."
Kaby just chuckled. "It's quite alright. I get that all the time."
'For some reason, that name sounds familiar.' Lucy thought to herself. "I'm Lucy Heartfilia."
"Alyssa Grunewald." The taller woman greeted herself.
"The name's Happy, and I'm a cat." The blue feline said proudly, making the man and his wife chuckle.
"Yes, I see. I never would have guessed that wizards from the renowned Fairy Tail guild would accept my request."
"I'm more surprised the mission was still up for grabs." Natsu stated.
"Indeed." Kaby replied. "Now, about your mission." He started as Morningstar payed attention. "I only ask one thing of you. I want you to find a book in Duke Everlue's mansion called 'Daybreak' and destroy it. That is all."
"Huh? But the job said you wanted us to steal it." Alyssa stated.
"Well, I am asking you to destroy someone else's property, so it's kind of like stealing."
"Destroying it should be easy enough for us." Zeke said.
"I'm sorry, but do mind if I ask what's so important about this book?" Lucy asked. "I mean a 200,000 reward seems like a lot for just destroying it."
"Actually, the reward has been raised to two million." At this new information, Team Morningstar's collective jaws dropped and their eyes widened.
"TWO MILLION JEWEL!" Natsu exclaimed, his mind figuratively blown. "WOW I SUCK AT MATH, BUT THAT'S A LOT!"
"Wow!" Alyssa said as she started imagining herself in surrounded by all the plushies she could buy.
"I GOT IT!" Zeke proclaimed as he did the calculations in his head. "SPLIT FIVE WAYS, THAT MEANS EACH OF US GETS 400,000!"
"Okay, I take back my 60:10:10:10:10 offer." Lucy dreamily said as thoughts of paying rent and having a crap ton of money left over floated around her head.
"FISH!" Happy said, drooling over all the seafood that he could buy with 400,000 jewel.
"Oh my, it seems you weren't aware of the pay increase." Kaby deduced.
"Hey, for that kind of money, I'll burn down his whole mansion for ya!" Natsu said as he lit his pointer finger on fire.
"No way!" Lucy snapped. "I'm not going to jail for arson."
"We're just going to destroy the book." Zeke stated.
"Thank you." The older man replied. "I can't forgive that book's existence. It must be destroyed."
And then...
"Excuse me! I heard you had an opening for a maid! Hello?" Lucy shouted as she stood in front of the gates to a fancy mansion. 'This is gonna be so easy. Charm the old geezer with my looks, burn the book and hello 400,000 jewels.'
Nearby, the rest of Team Morningstar were watching from behind some foliage.
"Knock 'em dead, Lucy." Alyssa whispered.
"Good luck." Natsu and Happy whispered together.
"You'll do great." Zeke whispered.
It wasn't long until a giant brute of a maid with pink hair burst from the ground in front of Lucy, freaking the Celestial wizard out. "So you're a maid?" The woman asked.
"Ya." Lucy squeaked.
"I assume you're here because of the master's ad."
Suddenly, something else burst out of the ground.
"Boyoyoyoyo!" The person landed, revealing the strangeness known as Duke Everlue. "Did someone say Master?"
'Holy crap! That mustache is coming from his nose!' Alyssa shouted in her mind, sharing in the shear WTF faces the rest of her team had.
"Let's see here." Everlue said as he looked over Lucy, who was doing a cute pose.
"Well I sure hope you like what you see." The short man continued to stare, creeping Lucy out on the inside.
"Hmmmmm...I'll pass." Everlue said. "Now scram ugly."
And that comment felt like a stab in poor Lucy's pride.
"You heard the man." The giant maid said she lifted her up. "Beat it ugly."
And another stab.
"Sorry, but a man of my standing has certain standards to uphold." Everlue said four more maids popped out of the ground. "That's why I only hire the fairest of the fair."
And at the sight of these 'fair' maidens, Lucy, Natsu, Alyssa and Happy looked in shock while Zeke vomited into a nearby bush. "There goes lunch." He grunted before spewing some more.
(Please note that the author of this story does not discriminant against anyone based on physical appearances. But to paraphrase the Nostalgia Critic, beauty is in the eye of beholder. And anyone with eyes can clearly see that those maids are ugly as sin. We now return to your regularly scheduled fanfiction.)
A short bit later, Lucy was crying near a tree as Alyssa patted her back in comfort.
"Well, that plan was doomed from the start." Natsu stated as Happy nodded. Zeke said nothing as he was chugging a water bottle to get the taste of vomit out of his mouth.
"I tried!" Lucy cried out. "But that idiot wouldn't know beauty if it bit him in the ass!"
"Well, then." Zeke said as he wiped his lips. "After Lucy changes out of that maid costume, we go to Plan N."
"Alright!" Natsu exclaimed.
"What's plan N?" Lucy asked. She was answered by Natsu wrapping his scarf around his head so that only his eyes and hair were visible. He made a symbol with his hand as Happy made his ears stand and made the same symbol.
"Ninja!" The two proclaimed, making Lucy sweat drop and Alyssa giggle. Unbeknownst to them, they were being watched a security orb.
Twenty minutes later, Morningstar had snuck in through the roof and were now searching for Daybreak. They quickly noticed that every room had something with Everlue's face on it, including the toilet Zeke found.
"This is a whole new level of narcissism." The archer stated. "Also, ew!"
The group reconvened in the foyer as they snuck on a walkway. They also noticed a giant golden statue of Duke Everlue.
"You wouldn't think it'd be this hard to find one book." Alyssa said.
"Maybe we should take a staff member hostage and make them tell us." Natsu suggested.
"I'd rather not get near those 'fair' maidens again." Zeke said as his face turned slightly green. Unfortunately, those same maids burst out of the floor.
"Intruders Virgo!" One of them said as the biggest maid popped out.
"Let's get them girls!" Virgo said as they jumped towards them.
"Oh god no!" The archer yelled as he struck a battle pose. Natsu jumped into the air and ignited one of his fists.
"NINJA POWER!" The dragon slayer yelled as he punched the smaller maids out with one arc swing. Virgo jumped and landed on Alyssa. However, the orange-haired amazon lifted the pink-haired maid up and tossed her into the air before jumping after her.
"Speed Queen: Hundred-Strike Kick!" After hitting Virgo 99 times, Alyssa used the final one to knock the gargantuan maid into the ground.
"We mustn't let ourselves be discovered." Natsu stated as his girlfriend landed. "For we are Ninja!"
"Ninja!" Happy repeated.
After that short tussle, the team found a large library and started looking. Natsu and Zeke searched the lower bookshelves, Alyssa used her speed to help look, while Happy and Lucy used the ladders to search the higher ones.
"Say what you will about Duke Everlue, but the guy has good taste in books." Zeke said as put a back an adventure novel he also happened to like.
"This is gonna take forever." Lucy groaned as she looked through the autobiography section.
"Hey guys!" The group turned and saw Alyssa holding up a golden book. "I found it!"
"Have we been here that long?" Happy asked.
"Okay, how should we destroy it?" Natsu asked as he created a fire in his palms. "I say we light it up!"
"Actually, I could probably just tear it apart quickly." Alyssa said as she vibrated one of her hands.
"Well I regurgitated my lunch and part of my breakfast, so I should use it as target practice." Zeke stated as he conjured his longbow.
"Hold on a second!" Lucy exclaimed as she grabbed the book from Alyssa and looked at the author's name. "I didn't realize this was written by Kemu Zaleon!"
"Zala-what?" Natsu asked.
"Zaleon was a great wizard and an amazing novelist." The blonde girl stated as tiny stars twinkled at her geek out. "I'm such a big fan! I was totally positive that I'd read every single sentence he'd ever written, but this must be an unpublished novel!"
"Meh." Zeke replied. "I'm more of a James Robinson or Al Ewing fan myself."
"Who cares?" Natsu said as he lit his finger. "It all burns the same to me."
"Don't you dare touch this!" Lucy retorted as she protectively held the book. "It's a great work of literature! You stay away from it, Pyro!"
"But what about our mission?" Happy asked as stared intently at Lucy.
"Forget the mission!" The blonde girl retorted.
"Failure is not an option!" The blue cat exclaimed.
"He's right." Alyssa said. "Let's just trash it."
"Come on, guys. Can't we just stay we burned it and be done with it?" Lucy asked in fear as Natsu glared at her with fire in his hand. "I'll keep it a secret."
"I'm not a liar." Natsu replied.
"Well, well, well. What do you have here?" A voice called out from below them. Suddenly, Duke Everlue burst from the floor. "I knew you brats were after something of mine."
"And this is what happens when take too long." Natsu stated as pointed to the weird man.
"My bad." Lucy sweat dropped.
"But I have to admit I'm a bit disappointed." Everlue continued. "Out of all the treasures you could have stolen, you pick a piece of trash like Daybreak?"
Lucy thought for a second before retorting. "That works out great. If it's trash, you won't mind if we keep it."
"No way! It's still mine!" Everlue yelled.
"Greedy guss." Lucy pouted.
"Shut your trap, ugly." The weird man stated, stabbing Lucy's pride again.
"Then I guess we should destroy it then." Alyssa stated as she glared at Lucy.
"Not gonna happen!"
"Lucy, this our job!" Zeke snapped. "Quit screwing around and let us trash it already!"
"Well then at least let me read it first." Lucy said as she started reading it.
"YOU'RE READING IT NOW!?" Team Morningstar and Everlue yelled.
"Okay, enough of this nonsense! How dare you lay your filthy hands on my property!" The short duke declared. "Come forth, Vanish Brothers!"
A set of bookshelves opened up, revealing two men. One had star-shaped hair, a blue shirt, white pants, an armband and an orange bandana. The other man had a monk-like appearance with four characters on his face, a mostly bald head in a ponytail, a white shirt and black pants. In one of his hands was a large frying pan.
"You called us, sir?" The monk asked.
"Can you believe these brats are from Fairy Tail?" The punk-looking guy asked. "They don't look so tough."
"Judging from those armbands, I'd say you're mercenaries from the Southern Wolves." Zeke stated.
"Observant, aren't you?" The monk retorted.
"Wow, this is.." Lucy whispered as she was reading the book before standing up. "Guys, I need you to buy me some time. I'm not sure yet but I think this book holds some kind of secret."
The group looked at their newest member before looking at each other and nodding. "Alright, but you better go somewhere safe." Natsu replied. The blonde girl nodded and ran out of the room.
This got Everlue's attention. "You two, handle these brats. I'll go after the girl." He said as he sunk into the floor.
"Right boss." The Southern Wolves replied.
"Happy, go help Lucy." Alyssa ordered as she and Natsu struck their own fighting posses as Zeke aimed his longbow. "We'll handle these guys."
"Got it." Happy said as he activated his wings, flying off.
"Pretty big talk for a bunch of punks." The star-haired mercenary taunted.
"Perhaps we should put them in their place." The monk followed up. "Speed, Archery and Fire magic are no difficulty for us."
"Let's just see about that!" Natsu yelled as he charged with a flaming fist, only to be blocked by the monk's frying pan.
"Hate to break it to you, but fighting fire wizards is something we do exceptionally well." The taller mercenary said.
"Then try this! Arch Shot: Rapid Succession!" Zeke proclaimed and fired a stream of magic arrows. The two mercenaries evaded as the punk one aimed a kick at the archer, but Alyssa caught the kick. The amazon and the mercenary traded blows until the monk swung his pan in an arc, knocking Zeke and Natsu out of the room and onto the tongue of the giant golden Everlue statue. And her teammate's sudden departure gave Alyssa's opponent the chance to kick her out of the room and towards her fellow wizards.
"Fairy Tail may be a big time guild," The taller one taunted. "But in the end, you're still just pathetic wizards. You're no match for professionals like us."
"Tough talk for guys who fight with a frying pan." Alyssa retorted.
"Are you mocking us?" The star-haired man yelled.
"Tell me. Do you know what a wizard's greatest weakness is?" The monk asked them.
"Motion Sickness?" Natsu asked.
"Needles?" Alyssa asked.
"Gelatin?" Zeke asked, regarding his allergy.
The monk sweat dropped. "I think those are more personal issues. But no. Their weakness is...their bodies!" He jumped towards them and swung his massive pan, destroying the statue's tongue as Morningstar evaded. "Since Wizards have to focus on their mental abilities..."
The taller one came down with a granite shattering punch that they also dodged. "They end up neglecting their physical training, which leaves their bodies weak."
"Against people who train their bodies everyday like us..." The monk started as the combatants landed on the floor.
"Our speed and power far surpass ours." The punk finished.
"Oh, I'm so scared!" Natsu taunted with sarcasm. "So are you gonna talk us to death or actually fight us?" The salmon-haired wizard taunted as gave the come on motions with his hands.
"Hey bro, combo attack?" The punk asked.
"Sounds good to me!" The monk replied as he held the pan out. The taller brother jumped onto the pan and held his hands out.
"Heaven and Earth Annihilation!" The Southern Wolves proclaimed.
"Bring it!" The Fairy Tail wizards exclaimed as they prepared their magic. The shorter brother sent the up with a swing. As soon as the team looked up, the monk charged.
"Look towards heaven and we strike from Earth!" He proclaimed as he swung the giant pan in an arc, hitting the three away but they landed on their feet.
"Face the the Earth and we strike down from Heaven!" The punk said as he came down.
"Speed Queen: Twister!" Alyssa quickly reacted, creating a small cyclone that sent him flying back to his brother.
"You know Wind Magic?" The monk asked in surprise.
"Nope." Alyssa replied. "I'm just really creative with my magic."
"You were the ones going on about a Wizard's mental abilities." Natsu said he sucked in some air. "Fire Dragon Roar!"
"Heh. Fire magic." The punk smirked. His brother also smirked as held the pan in front of him.
"Flame Cooking!" He yelled as the fire hit, seemingly absorbing it. "My frying pan absorbs all fire magic and doubles their strength..." He spun the pan and aimed it at Morningstar. "Right back at ya!"
The pan unleashed as massive blast of fire that zoomed towards the trio, causing an explosion.
"Ha ha! Now they,re flame broiled fairies." The star-haired mercenary laughed.
"You would think so." Zeke's voice said from the smoke. Suddenly, the fire started to disappear and the two saw Natsu swallowing the fire. Needless to say, the Vanish Brothers were starting to panic!
"Oh yeah! Now I got some fire in my belly!" Natsu yelled as he charged up his next spell. Zeke and Alyssa did the same.
"Fire Dragon Wing Attack!" Natsu yelled as he jumped and swung two streams of fire.
"Speed Queen: Twin Twister!" Alyssa exclaimed as she spun her hands so fast it caused two twisters to launch from them.
"Arch Shot: Final Arrow!" Zeke yelled as he fired a massive magic arrow.
The three attacks hit, causing every window of the mansion to shatter, the walls to crack and the roof to be damaged, getting the attention of everybody in town. Inside the mansion, the smoke cleared and the trio saw the Vanish Brother charred and pile on the ground.
"I think we might have overdid it." Alyssa said as she scratched the back of her head in embarrassment.
"Aw man, really?" Natsu asked.
"Ya, that was kind of overkill." Zeke replied. "Well, we better check on Lucy and Happy." The other two nodded, unaware that a nearby Virgo was starting to get back up.
Meanwhile, Lucy was underneath the mansion. Specifically a walkway in the sewer system. She was using an item known as the Wind Reader glasses to read Daybreak at an incredible pace. "I knew this book contained some kind of secret. But I didn't expect this." Suddenly, a pair of hands burst from the wall behind her and grabbed her wrists. Lucy turned her head and saw Duke Everlue partially through the wall.
"Secrets don't make friends you know." The Duke stated. "Now why don't you share that secret with me?"
"No way! A man like you doesn't deserve to know this book's secret! You're an enemy of literature!" Lucy yelled as the rich man added more pressure to his hold.
"An enemy of literature? I am culture's greatest friend! My massive collection of books and art is proof of that!"
"But your ugly maids show you don't know squat about beauty!" The blonde girl proclaimed.
"How dare you!" Everlue said as he tightened his grip more. "My maids are the definition of beauty! Now what secret does this book hold? A treasure map to his buried fortune or something like that? You better tell me or I'll snap your arms like twigs."
Lucy's response was to stick her tongue at the weird man, causing him to pin her to the ground. "Don't get me sassy with me, missy! I'm the one who commissioned Kemu Zaleon himself to write this book for me! Therefore, any secret hidden in the book is rightfully mine!"
The celestial wizard grit her teeth until Happy came in and kicked Everlue in the face, knocking him away from Lucy.
"Happy!" Lucy said with a smile. The blue cat grinned back at her. "That was so cool!" However, Happy's wings disappeared, causing him to fall into the sewer water. "And that wasn't."
"What mockery is this? A flying cat?" Everlue asked.
"The name's Happy." The cat said as he reached into his backpack. "And here's a present for ya!" Happy tossed a clear orb that started to glow until it exploded, causing a lot of rubble.
"What was that?" Lucy asked.
"A Lacrima grenade." Happy explained "Zeke invited them for me to use in battle. Just add some magic energy and then...BOOM!"
The smoke cleared and Everlue popped from the group. "Okay, I'll admit I wasn't expecting that. Kudos, cat."
Lucy took out one of her golden keys as she held Daybreak in her other hand. "Well it looks like the tables have turned. But if you let us have the book, we'll consider going easy on you."
"So you're a Celestial Wizard?" Everlue asked. "But for a reader, you seem to have confused the phrase. Saying the tables have turned suggests that the weaker party has gained an advantage." He grinned as a brown magic seal appeared behind him. "And even with those bombs of yours, you two still have no chance against my Diver Magic, boyoyoyoyo!" And with that, he vanished in the floor.
"So Everlue's a wizard too." Happy stated as the fat duke keep coming out and attacking them from different angles. Lucy and Happy continued to evade. Happy attempted to hit Everlue with a few lacrima grenades, but the Diver wizard just sunk back in to avoid the explosions.
"I've read your book! It's a horrible adventure novel about a trashy main character named Duke Everlue!" Lucy angrily stated.
"Seriously?" Happy asked, surprised by the duke's massive ego (as if the golden statues of himself wasn't enough proof.)
"I wouldn't go as far as to call the main character trashy, but yes!" The short man replied as he continued to rampage through the sewer like a cannonball. "The story is crap! And to think it was written by the great Kemu Zaleon is inexcusable!"
"How arrogant are you? You forced him to write it!" Lucy said she evaded another attack.
"Arrogant? It should be considered an honor to have me as a main character!"
"Then why did you blackmail him into writing it?" The blonde questioned.
"Blackmail?" Happy asked.
"What's the big deal?" The diver wizard asked as he popped out of a nearby wall, twirling his nose mustache. "It was his own fault for refusing me in the first place."
"Oh really?" Lucy asked with skepticism.
"I told him to write a book with me as the protagonist." Everlue explained as he swam through the floor. "Anyone would have jumped at the chance to have me as their muse. But that idiot had the audacity to refuse me! So I gave him some inspiration in the form of an ultimatum. Either write the book or I would revoke his entire family's citizenship!"
"What?!" Happy asked as Lucy glared at him. Taking away their citizenship would mean none of them would be able to join a guild and make a living. "Do you really have that kind of power?"
"I have the power to do anything I want!" The duke gloated as he disappeared into the ground again. "I got him to write the book, didn't I? But I was still peeved at his first refusal and attitude, so had him write the book in one of my personal prisons, boyoyo! He talked big about being a great novelist who would never give into threats, but in the end, I got what I wanted!"
"You did such terrible things to him just to satisfy your own ego?!" Lucy yelled. "He was locked up for three years! Don't have any idea how hard it must have been for him?"
The short man jumped from the ground in front of them, but Happy tossed another grenade, causing him to sink into the floor and evade again. "Perhaps it took him that long to realize how great I am?"
"Wrong. The truth was that he couldn't stand you, but he swallowed his pride to protect his family. Even if that meant writing your character as a champion of justice."
"You seem to known an awful lot about this." Everlue pointed out. "I'm quite curious how."
"The proof's all in here." Lucy stated as she held out Daybreak.
"I've read that book cover to cover, and Kemu Zaleon is never mentioned."
"That's true. If you read it normally, his name is never mentioned. But you should know that long before Kemu Zaleon was a writer, he was a wizard! And when he finished writing the book, he gathered his remaining strength and cast a spell on the book." She stated, surprising Everlue.
"No, he couldn't have! He must cast a spell that reveals what I did to him!" Everlue reasoned as he attacked again, but the two still dodged him.
"That's true. But the stuff detailing the terrible things you did to him are only a small portion. In fact, the true secret of the book has nothing to do with you!" Lucy said as she held out her key.
"What!?" Everlue yelled.
"That's why I refuse to let you have this book. It was never meant for you to begin with. Open Gate of the Giant Crab - Cancer!" Out of the gate came a snappily dressed man with shades, cornrow hair with antennas, six orange crab legs coming out of his back, and two large crab-themed scissors in his hands.
"It's the giant crab man!" Happy cheered.
"So Lucy, how would you like your hair styled, baby?" The crab spirit asked with a cool voice.
"Not the time." Lucy stated as she pointed at Everlue. "I need your help dealing with this creep."
"You got it, baby." He said as he struck a pose.
"Two can play at that game." Everlue stated as he pulled out a golden key of his own. "Open, Gate of the Maiden - Virgo!"
"That's your trick, Lucy!" Happy said in surprise as a magic seal appeared under Everlue.
"No way!" Lucy yelled.
And with that, Virgo burst out of the floor. "Did I hear my master summon me?"
"So she was a Celestial Spirit?" Lucy asked. However, the three noticed that Virgo wasn't alone. Natsu was on her left shoulder, Alyssa had grabbed her stomach, and Zeke was being held in her right hand.
"What is this absurdity?" Everlue yelled.
"Guys! How did you get there?" Lucy asked.
"Well, she got up and started to attack us. So naturally, we decided to fight back." Alyssa explained. "Next thing we know, we're suddenly in the sewers!"
"But that means...you guys must have passed through the Spirit World and then through a gate. THAT'S IMPOSSIBLE!" The blonde freaked out.
"Can you guys finish this conversation later?" Zeke choked out as Virgo held him. "I think she's crushing my ribs."
"Virgo, clean up this trash!" Everlue ordered.
"As you wish master." The giant maid replied. However, Happy tossed a lacrima grenade at her right arm, making her let go of Zeke and the archer escaped.
"Payback time!" He summoned a group of arrows and aimed. "Arch Shot: Rapid Succession!" Natsu and Alyssa jumped out of the way as the stream of arrows hit the maid.
"Take this you gorilla!" Natsu yelled as he and Alyssa charged. "Fire Dragon Iron Fist!"
"Speed Queen: Momentum Punch!" The orange-haired woman yelled as she and her boyfriend hit the large spirit with their combined attacks, sending her flying.
"Inconceivable!" Everlue shouted at the defeat of his maid. Suddenly, Lucy wrapped her whip around him.
"No escaping this time!" Lucy tossed him into the air and Cancer jumped after him, attacking with his scissors. The three landed, Everlue knocked out and completely bald. "Evil men like you have no right to be in one of Kemu Zaleon's stories."
"What do you think of this new look, baby?" Cancer asked, referring to the unconscious duke.
"Way to go, crab man!" Natsu complemented with a smirk.
"Another one of your spirist?" Zeke asked. But before they could continue, the mansion started coming apart from the day's battles. "And that's our que to leave!" The group ran, evaded the collapsing debris as they made it out, the mansion crumbling behind them.
"Looks like you're going to fit right in a Fairy Tail." Alyssa said to Lucy as they watched the mansion collapse.
"But aren't we suppose to not destroy stuff?" Happy asked.
"I don't really fell bad about destroying the house of that scumbag." Zeke stated.
"I hope the master doesn't blame me for this." Lucy cried.
"Whatever. Let's just head back to Mr. Melon." Natsu suggested as the group started to leave, not noticing that Virgo was watching them from the rubble.
And then...
It was now nighttime as Team Morningstar was sitting around a campfire, waiting for their food to finish cooking. After they had returned to Kaby's place, he was angry that the group hadn't destroyed the book like he requested and Lucy revealed that he was Kemu Zaleon's son. Kaby mentioned that he would destroy Daybreak himself since his father said it was complete trash. Surprisingly, Natsu was offended that Kaby was still going to destroy the last thing his father ever wrote, something the dragon slayer would kill for himself. The older gentlemen proceeded to tell the group about how his father came home and cut his own arm in shame of the utter garbage he had written, ending with him the hospital and Kaby yelling at him for abandoning his family, that being that last conversation they had before he died. He then went on to explain about how his anger and resentment slowly turned into regret and remorse, leading him to believe that destroying the book that caused his family so much grief would be what his father wanted.
However, Lucy said he was wrong as the book started to change thanks the spell Kemu Zaleon AKA Zekua Melon had cast all those years ago, changing the title from Daybreak to Dear Kaby. Lucy explained that the spell Zekua cast had rearranged the letters so that no else but Kaby would be able to read it. That the book was actually a three year letter that Zekua had written. A masterpiece detailing all the things he ever wanted to say to his son. As the spell finished, Kaby remembered the last words his father said.
"I thought about you the entire time I was gone."
Overcome with emotion, Kaby held onto the book that he now knew was his father's greatest work. He swore he would never let any harm come to it. He offered the team the reward, but much to Lucy's shock, the team refused. Zeke explained that the group had technically never completed their mission, so they shouldn't get a reward for not finishing a job. Lucy complained a bit, but the group stated that they had Fairy Tail's rep to think about. As it turns out, it didn't matter anyway, since Kaby and his wife were just borrowing the mansion of one of their friends to hide the fact that they didn't have any money. Even after that, Lucy still knew that they would have helped Kaby even without the reward.
"By the way..." Lucy asked Natsu in the present. "How did you know that wasn't their house?"
"That's easy. The house didn't smell like them." The dragon-slayer stated as he pulled his cahbob out of the campfire.
"That's it?"
"Pretty much."
As the group started to eat dinner, Alyssa turned towards Lucy. "So you're a big book fan, right?"
"That's right." Lucy replied.
"So that's what all those papers on your desk were." The blonde girl was confused at the taller woman's statement. "I saw them when we were back at your place. I'm guessing that's the story you're writing."
The celestial wizard's cheeks turned red with embarrassment and she covered her face with her hands. "Please don't tell anyone!"
"Why not?" Zeke asked.
"Because I'm a horrible writer and I would die of embarrassment if anyone read it." She whimpered.
"Oh come on. It's not like you wrote smut." Zeke stated. However, this only made Lucy's face redder. "Wait, did you seriously write smut?"
"NO! I mean...that is...it's just a few love scenes! But they're not even explicit!" She yelled out.
"Don't worry, we won't tell anybody." Natsu chuckled, happy about the group bonding.
The next day, the group was walking through a swamp while Lucy was inside Horolugium. Since Natsu refused to take another wagon ride, Zeke said that he knew a shortcut back to Magnolia. However...
"I'm pretty sure we've past that u-shaped tree before. Are you sure you know where you're going, Zeke, the lady inquires."
"Of course I do." The brunette said as he held out a compass-like device. "It's the job of every Hudson to known Fiore like the back of their hand."
"What do you mean every Hudson, she asks."
"Please don't ask." Natsu grumbled.
"I'm glad you asked." Zeke said as Natsu, Alyssa and Happy face palmed. "You see, the Hudson family has a long history of extraordinary people. Starting from my great-great-great-great-great-great grandfather, the explorer Reginald Hudson to my mother, the Grand Knight Amelia Hudson."
"Amelia? You mean the Royal Knight that led the battle against the army of Golems?! She asks in surprise."
"The very same." Zeke said with pride as his longtime friends groaned. While for the most part, Zeke was considered as the more rational of their group, you get him talking about his family's history and he never shuts up. "And then there was my great aunt Silica Hudson, who was vital in pioneering of..."
"Dude! Focus!" Alyssa and Natsu yelled, snapping Zeke out of his tirade.
"Oh right. Sorry about that guys." He said as he scratched his head in embarrassment. "Anyway, we should be coming out of the swamp in a bit."
And indeed the group had exited the swamp and were now in a forest area. But as they trekked on, Natsu heard something moving in the bushes and jumped it. To their surprise, it actually Gray. To no one's surprise, he was just in his boxers.
"What's the big idea?!" Gray yelled. "Can't I go to the bathroom in peace?"
"So that's what you were doing?" Natsu yelled. "Who takes off their clothes to go to the bathroom?"
"It's not like I meant to do that! And I certainly didn't want to bump into you, Flame Breath!"
"Say that again, Ice Prick!" Natsu yelled back as the two bumped heads and glared at each other. As the two keep calling each other names, the rest of Team Morningstar just watched. Gray later explained that he was on his way back from a job and confirmed Zeke's shortcut.
"I should head back. And so should you." Grey said to the team.
"Why's that?" Natsu asked.
"Because Erza's on her way back."
An anger tick appeared on Alyssa's head as she grit her teeth. "Oh really? How...wonderful." She said with a passive aggressive look.
"Aw man." Natsu and Zeke sighed.
"Erza? As in the strongest woman in Fairy Tail, Erza?" Lucy asked in surprise.
"She wishes." The speed queen said under her breath.
"You know, I've never seen pictures of her in Sorcerer Weekly. What's she like?"
Gray suddenly became sullen. "She's a monster."
"Oh come on. You're not still scared of her, are you?" Natsu asked.
"Hey, unlike you guys, I'm not stupid! Erza's crazy strong!" The Ice wizard panicked. "She could destroy a mountain with one punch!"
"Quit exaggerating." Zeke picked his ear with a bored tone. "At most, she can destroy a plateau and with multiple punches, not just one."
"Either way, she still sounds strong." Lucy whimpered, imagining the aforementioned woman as a giant monster rampaging through town.
However, this conversation was interrupted as the group was ambushed by a large wave of sand.
"Okay, where did that come from?!" Zeke yelled as he climbed out of the sand. Alyssa spun her way out and then proceeded to help Natsu out.
"Wait, where's Happy?" Lucy asked, noticing their feline friend was nowhere to been seen.
"Happy!" Natsu yelled with some sand in his mouth. He sniffed the air bit before running. "I got his scent."
Speaking of Happy, things were not looking good as he was being held over an unlit fire pit like a goose. The group that kidnapped him consisted of a gray elf-like man, two identically dressed twins, a man holding a glass orb, and a man who looked like a chicken and was holding a fire staff.
"Alright, boys! We found tonight's dinner!" The elf guy said.
"Sweet." One of the twins replied.
"No berries for us tonight." The other twin said.
"I see a feast in our future." The man with the orb stated as the chicken man just squawked.
"Please, you guys don't want to eat me!" Happy cried. "I'm small and haven't taken a bath in a day. I'll probably taste weird and I won't go down easy! So please don't eat me!"
"Don't care." The elf replied before addressing the chicken man. "Light the fire."
The chicken man squawked and held out his staff, lighting the end of it with fire magic.
"Hey, assholes!" The vagabonds turned and saw Team Morningstar and a now fully-clothed Gray standing on a nearby rock edge. "You better think twice before you decide to eat my pal!"
"Natsu! Alyssa! Zeke! Lucy! I'm saved!" Happy cheered. "Oh and guess Gray too."
"HEY!"
"There's no way we're letting our dinner go! Get them!" The elf yelled as the two groups started to fight. The elf managed to capture Natsu in a Sand Tomb spell as Gray was fighting the twins, who had each pulled out a dagger. Zeke was facing off against the orb guy but instead of fighting he said something weird.
"I see you meeting your true love very soon, but also some problems with water."
"You read my fortune?" The archer asked. "Is that all you do?"
"Pretty much." And with that, Zeke knocked him out with just his longbow.
Lucy was untieing Happy as the chicken man was about to attack. Only to be halted by Alyssa.
"Eat this, Chicken Man!" The orange-haired woman said as a she gave him an uppercut, knocking him out and sending a few feathers flying.
"Oh no, this is not good!" The sand wizard said as his fellow vagabonds were falling. Even worse, Natsu burst free from the Sand Tomb, pissed even more.
"Okay, now you've made me mad! Fire Dragon Iron Fist!" He ignited his fist and charged, knocking the elf into a tree.
"Well, that was easy." Gray said.
"Why are you naked?!" Lucy yelled, causing Gray panic over his sudden state of undress. A minute later, the ruffians were tied up to a tree.
"There, there." Alyssa said gently as she gave Happy a confronting hug and petted his head. "It's okay, Happy. You're safe."
"Anything?" Natsu asked as Zeke looked through an information Lacrima.
"Nope. These guys aren't wanted or anything big. Probably just some wizards down on their luck." The archer replied.
"That's still no excuse for trying to eat Happy." Lucy said as she glared at the mostly unconscious wizards.
"Well, look on the bright side."
"What bright side?" Gray asked, having put his clothes back on.
"According to my fortune, I'm going meet the love of my life soon." Zeke said with a smile, making the Ice Wizard stare deadpan.
"Well...good for you."
"Lu...lula..." The elf groaned, getting the group's attention.
"What did you say?" Lucy asked. "What's Lula?"
"Lul...laby."
As soon as he said this, a shadow came out from the deeper part of the forest and moved under the tree. The shadow shifted into a hand shape and closed, dragging the tree into the ground and crushing the vagabonds.
"WHAT WAS THAT?!" Lucy, Happy and Grey yelled.
"Natsu!"
"I'm on it!" The dragon-slayer replied to the archer, quickly sniffing the air around them. "Damn it! The scent has already become faint. Whoever did this is already long gone."
"Did you have his scent at least?" Alyssa asked.
"Ya. Ancient Wood and Sulfur." Natsu said as the group looked at the sunken tree, a sudden sense of looming doom coming over them.
"Lullaby? Just what is that?" Lucy worrying asked.
Author's note 2: DAMN! This one of the longest chapters I've ever had to write! But I wanted to get the Everlue story in one chapter so I could get to the Lullaby Arc. Also, I used this chapter from some comedy, establishing character and setting up events differently than the canon story. Plus, the stuff with Kaby Melon always makes me tear up a little. Also, don't misconstrue Alyssa pulled Natsu's ear as the Double Standard Women can Hurt Men in Anime bullshit. The tug wasn't even painful, just a slight sensation to get our favorite dragon-slayer out of his perverted thoughts
*I don't care what they say. There is no way in hell that Plue is a dog!
And to DraigTrueEmperor9, I am not giving Zeke his own requip or making Alyssa have Take Over Magic as her secondary magic. I have my own plans to increase their magic arsenal.
(We see chibi versions of Gray and Zeke in front of the request board.)
Zeke: Thanks for helping with the shortcut Gray. I was starting feel stupid.
Gray: No problem. But I though it was the job of every Hudson to know Fiore like the back of their hand?
(Looks at the back of his hand in confusion.)
Zeke: It is odd. I don't remember having a pimple there.
Gray: You're suppose to be the smart one, right?
Zeke: Smart enough to know that you're naked again.
Gray: OH COME ON!
Zeke: Next Time: Team Morningstar vs. Eisenwald! Let's show them how we kick ass in Fairy Tail!
Thanks for the reviews, favorites and alerts everyone! See ya next time!
