Summary: In Lucy's first ever scene she implied that someone told her that Hargeon had lots of magic shops. This was a little idea I wanted to explore on the idea that Lucy may just have been manipulated into taking the path to Hargeon in order to meet Natsu.

Pairings: None. Shocking, I know.

YouTube Prompt: A Fairy Tail Girls tribute to 'Story about a Girl' by Three Doors, the first line itself is a tribute to Juvia and the rest sound relatable to the others.

Lucy was woken up by the sun shining on her face.

For one bewildered moment she blinked and looked into the blinding light. Huh? She thought to herself as confusion welled up within her. She survived?

It had been ten months since she had run away from home and since then she had been in various difficult scenarios. She had been attacked, mugged, battled monsters, groped by perverts who would have done more if she hadn't called Cancer out in time (or even Aquarius when she got near some water), but despite those terrible moments she had always been able to find some shelter for the night.

Until last night.

Last night she ended up stranded in the middle of a forest, as a fierce storm raged on, and had been completely unable to find shelter. Taurus had helped attempt to build one but the wind had been so strong it had blown the wooden hut to pieces. For majority of a terrifyingly long night, Lucy genuinely thought she was going to die.

She had ended up curled against a large oak tree, shivering, crying, and just a tiny bit hoping that death would come. Because surely, despite her miserable and pathetic end, it would only get better on the other side…..she would be with her mother after all.

But no she made it. She made it through the night. She survived. And now she knew she could survive almost anything.

What more can life throw at me? She thought idly. Unaware how inviting that could sound to fate.

Determined to find civilisation, have a bath, eat some food, and make some sort of attempt to improve herself some more before she reached her final destination….

It had been ten months and she still didn't think she was ready.

Was she ever going to be ready though? She was spoiled, pampered, used to having others do things for her, hell her own magic consisted of summoning people and asking them to do the job for her….not well, after all who could tell Aquarius what to do? But still….she was never going to be Fairy Tail material.

"I just need to get stronger," she muttered to herself fiercely, her hands curled into fists, her nails digging into the palm of her hand, "stronger, better, and too good to resist. They can't turn me down if I have lots of keys and skill, right? I need more keys!"

Her stomach gurgled in reply and someone giggled behind her. "Are you sure it isn't more food you need, dearie?" Lucy whirled round, Taurus' key at the ready, only to find an old lady, a hermit by the looks of her, standing behind her with a friendly smile on her weathered old face. "Food can do a world of wonders. After all, it's the path to a man's heart."

"Erm, sure," Lucy agreed with a smile on her face. Who the hell is this weirdo and how long had she been standing there?! She inwardly screamed to herself. "You don't happen to know a way out of these woods, do you? I've been lost for days."

"Oh I wouldn't worry, dearie," the old lady crooned, "If you keep heading the way you were going you'll reach the main road, now if you go right, you'll reach Walla-"

"Walla? As in the biggest magical city in all Fiore?!" Lucy interrupted excitedly. "They must have lots of magic shops with celestial keys and other spells!"

"But that's not where you want to go," the old lady told her sternly.

"It's not?"

"No, you want to go left," the old lady told her, "to Hargeon, it's a little port town but there are many magic shops," she explained to her, "and since they trade with other countries there will be more exotic magic including celestial keys."

"Yosh!" Lucy said excitedly as she pumped a fist in the air. "Hargeon it is then! Thank you, old lady, is there anything I can do in return?"

"Just have fun," the old lady smiled, "it's always good to see young people enjoying themselves on their adventures."

"Erm…right," Lucy sweat-dropped.

And with that she took off to follow the directions the old lady had given her. Excited to see what special and rare keys she might find in this little port town. Maybe, just maybe, she'll find something to help prove her worthiness for Fairy Tail!

As the blonde girl began to disappear from sight, the old lady glowed a golden colour, and suddenly transformed into a much smaller, younger, girl, with lighter blonde hair than the girl she had directed, and eerie sea-green eyes. She looked very much like a fairy described in children's tails, beautiful, young-looking, but so very old in reality.

"Yes," Mavis smiled dreamily, "Go to Hargeon, and have all of your dreams realised little one," she murmured after Lucy. The girl she had spent all night protecting with her magic from the storm. The girl she had been looking for. The girl whose future shone brightly above all in Mavis' divinations….the girl who she just manipulated for her own purposes. "Grow," she prayed, "Grow into the light I know you'll be and save them all. Save Fairy Tail."