Chaos.

Lucy didn't know how long she'd been separated from the rest of her guild-mates. The moment they portaled to the village, they were immediately attacked, as if Oracion Seis knew exactly where they'd show up. Gray and Lyon were the first to run off, each vaulting after the echoes of the speedster with lances of ice. Natsu was next. After pausing to give Lucy a nod of encouragement, he ran off into the woods on the outskirts of the small village, growling about a poisonous stench. Wendy stayed close to Erza until the Valkyrie was struck by a vicious attack that sent her sprawling back.

Everything after that was a blur. Lucy found herself running through the forest with Sagittarius at her side keeping an eye out for any enemies and for the mysterious Celestial mage. So far, they'd had no luck. She could hear fighting in the distance and figured she would head that way and join in.

"Lucy! Up ahead, I sense an enemy!" Sagittarius said, leaping up onto the branches of a nearby tree and pulling back his bowstring to let loose a torrent of magical arrows into the distance. Lucy slid to a stop, glancing up at her strangely dressed spirit, who was still in attack mode. She reached for her keychain, wondering if she should try to summon another spirit or her sword of starlight. Before she had a chance to decide, a swirling tornado of sand flooded through the surrounding trees and struck her.

When the sand finally fell away, Lucy burst from the pile covering her with a cough. She called out for Sagittarius, frantically digging herself out of the sand and checking her surroundings for any signs of her attacker. She spotted Sagittarius still up in the trees, clinging to a thick branch. Her spirit dropped down onto the sand covered ground and helped her rise to her feet. Dusting sand off her clothes, Lucy quickly summoned her sword. Golden light shimmered against the sand beneath them as her sword burst into existence with a flash. The powerful hum reverberated against her hand and filled the air.

She could already feel the drain on her magic, but it wasn't too bad yet. Lucy scanned her surroundings, using her heightened senses to try and find her attacker. She didn't remember any intel on an earth or sand mage being a part of the Oracion Seis, but maybe they enlisted help from other dark guilds. It didn't seem likely, but Lucy couldn't discount anything.

A drop of sweat rolled down her temple and she could feel the coarse sand scratching at her skin from underneath her clothes. She heard an echoing laugh in the distance, the sound reverberating through the woods around her. Spinning slowly, Lucy scowled. She was being taunted, and she hated the feeling of being watched.

She stood back to back with Sagittarius, the two vigilantly watching their surroundings. The forest was eerily still and silent, as though the trees themselves were holding their breath. Lucy tightened her grip on her mystical sword, her breath quickening with each passing moment.

She felt the hair on the back of her neck rise as goosebumps spread down her spine and she jumped to the side just in time to avoid the brunt of another sand attack. Sand splattered and scratched against her skin as she rolled across the ground. Lucy released the hold on her Starlight sword and let it fizzle away, then reached for her keys. She still didn't know who the best would be to summon but trusted her instincts and grabbed the key that felt the warmest.

There was a brilliant flash and Virgo appeared beside Lucy. "Princess, how may I help?"

"I need you to find where they are and bury them." Lucy brushed sand from her clothes and looked to Sagittarius. "And if you could use the trees to get high ground, and maybe scout."

Her spirits nodded, Virgo spinning and drilling into the ground before disappearing beneath the earth and Sagittarius jumped up into the canopy. Lucy could feel the drain on her magic grow stronger, since she was holding two golden gates open at once, but she had a better idea of how deep the well of her power went and knew she would be okay.

"So, this is the supposed might of a true Starchild," a disembodied feminine voice echoed through the trees. "I was hoping for more of a challenge."

"Come out and face me and I'll give you a challenge," Lucy responded. She spun in place, waiting still to see anyone or anything emerge from the surrounding trees. A moment later, she saw a shift of movement behind one of the trees. Lucy lowered into a defensive position, quickly summoning her sword again, nearly wincing at the drain she felt on her magic.

As Lucy stared at the form walking towards her, she felt dread coil in her stomach. It wasn't someone else she saw walking closer, but rather a reflection of herself. Lucy stared in shock as another her stopped a few feet away, a dark smirk on her lips.

She nearly dropped her sword in shock. She heard a rustling in the trees and knew Sagittarius was equally surprised. The second Lucy smiled wider and looked up into the trees.

"Close, Gate of the Archer, Sagittarius!" The other Lucy shouted. Lucy gaped and watched in horror as her spirit yelped and was forced back into the celestial realm. The cord connecting her power to Sagittarius was abruptly cut, causing her to wince.

Lucy looked at her copy in shock, still unsure of what was happening. How could there be another her, and how could this copy close a gate she was holding open?

Her questions could be answered later. Now, all that mattered was the enemy in front of her. She knew that this other Lucy was somehow connected to the spiritual realm, perhaps even a spirit itself. Deciding against summoning another spirit, Lucy strengthened her grip on her sword, the blade shining brighter as she focused her energy.

"You have to do better than that, Starchild." The voice called again. Lucy gritted her teeth. She guessed that whoever was talking was the mage who could use Celestial magic. She cursed herself for losing the others so quickly. If she had backup, she wouldn't be as nervous.

But, as Natsu would say, there was nothing she could do but beat the bitch's ass who was in front of her. Backup or no. She was a mage of Fairy Tail, and Fairy Tail never gave up.

Lucy spun her sword in her hand, taking a few cautious steps around the copy of herself. It felt weird, looking at herself from an outside perspective. Something seemed off, though, but she couldn't quite put a finger on it. The other Lucy just seemed, dull.

There was a slight tremor in the ground beneath her, and Lucy remembered she was not alone. She had Virgo. The Lucy-copy smiled, and a figure stepped out from behind one of the trees in the distance. The figure walked closer and Lucy nearly dropped her sword.

It was a woman, scantily clad in some kind of white bodysuit with a fan of swan feathers across her back. The woman sneered at Lucy, looking at her with only disdain. The celestial mage tossed a lock of curled silver hair over her shoulder, the sneer morphing into a smirk as she measured Lucy with her gaze. The Lucy-copy jumped to the woman's side with a matching expression. It was definitely disconcerting to see her face twisted into such malcontent.

"You know, I'm really not impressed with you. I mean, just look at you," the woman said with a shake of her head. The Lucy-copy clicked her tongue. "Mistress Angel, you are truly the one who was meant to soar in the heavens."

Lucy-copy's voice was distorted and strange, as though two voices were speaking at the same time. Lucy pursed her lips and reached for her keyring. Virgo was still around, hiding underground out of sight. Somehow, the copy of herself had been able to force Sagittarius's gate to close. Was it because the spirit was imitating her? Or could it be some advanced form of Celestial magic? She had too many questions and couldn't risk summoning another spirit and losing more magical energy. Lucy would have to figure this out on her own.

"You can try to be a Starchild all you like, but that won't change the fact that you will never truly be able to reach the stars." Lucy spat. Somehow, Lucy could feel the sadness and pain emanating from the spirit before her, be it the slight furrow of its brow or the pain hiding in its eyes. Angel's face twisted into a mask of fury and she lifted a golden key.

"Scorpio!" The key flashed, and a column of sand rose from the earth next to Angel. The sand fell away and revealed a tanned man with a large scorpion tale. His hair was split down the middle, one side red and the other white and he wore only baggy red pants. Lucy watched sweat gather on Angel's forehead, a telltale sign that the woman was pushing her magical limits. Smiling, Lucy lowered into a defensive position and waited.

Her mind whirred, trying to think of how to get out of this predicament. She had to somehow defeat two Zodiac spirits without risking Virgo being sent back to the celestial realm. And after defeating Angel, she had to go find and help her friends. It was going to be a long day, that was for sure.

Scorpio lifted his tail and a wave of sand shot towards Lucy. She threw herself to the side, barely managing to avoid the brunt of the attack. Grimacing, she shot back up to her feet but had to dodge yet another attack. They continued like that for a while, Lucy being forced to stay on the defensive as Scorpio kept up his relentless attacks.

She was hiding behind a tree, sand shooting around the trunk, waiting for her to emerge, when Virgo attacked. Lucy was crouched and gritting her teeth, cursing the sand she could feel all over her body, when the attack suddenly stopped. She peeked around the trunk and saw a large pit where Scorpio had been standing. Mouth gaping, Angel looked at where her spirit had been with confusion and anger.

"Princess," Virgo said as her head popped out from the ground at Lucy's feet. She barely managed to conceal her shriek of surprise at the sudden appearance of her spirit, having to clamp her hand over her mouth.

"Virgo! We have to be careful or they'll send you back too," Lucy whispered. Though she was glad to see her friend, and grateful for her assistance, she couldn't help but worry for Virgo's wellbeing.

"Do not worry about me, Princess. Now you have a better chance, and you can punish me later." Virgo disappeared back beneath the earth and Lucy shook her head. She knew Virgo was right. Now was her chance to get the upper hand. She tightened her grip on her sword made from starlight and took one deep breath before bursting from her hiding place and charging at Angel.

The silver haired mage looked surprised to see Lucy coming at her, but that surprise morphed into twisted glee as she lifted another golden key. Cursing, Lucy pushed all of her energy into her legs, hoping to cross the distance before her opponent managed to summon another spirit. How many did she have?

Lucy cried out in rage and lifted her sword, the light shining bright, and just as she brought it down upon Angel, there was another flash of light. Blinded momentarily, Lucy blinked away the spots in her vision. She didn't know what had happened until the light faded, and she saw who her blade had struck.

Angel had succeeded in summoning her spirit at the last second, right before Lucy struck and standing in Angel's place, was a spirit. She was shivering and looked confused. Looking down, Lucy saw her sword piercing the spirit's stomach. Golden ichor dripped from the wound and the spirit cried out in pain.

"A-aries is s-sorry mistress-" the spirit sputtered, ichor coating her lips and dripping down her chin.

"N-no, no no nonono," Lucy stammered, dropping to her knees with the spirit, her sword fading away as she released her hold on the magic. Her shaking hands hovered over the wound, but Lucy couldn't do anything to help Aries.

"I'm so sorry," Lucy whispered, tears filling her eyes as she met the terrified gaze of the spirit. Aries blinked in surprise and lifted her hand to wipe a tear as it fell down Lucy's face. The spirit smiled softly then, staring at Lucy with an aching longing.

"Please," Aries began, but the wound was too great, and the spirit began to fade into a soft light before disappearing. Lucy stared at the golden ichor on her fingers before it too faded away, back to the celestial realm. Chest heaving, she looked at the ground where Aries had been, the memory of the pain and longing in her soft face sending a stabbing pain through her chest. Aries didn't want to be used as a tool, and she didn't deserve to be. She didn't know what the spirit was going to ask her before she disappeared, but Lucy had a good idea it would have been a plea for help.

Angel's coarse laughter filled the air as she stared down at the Starchild before her. "Such weakness is why you'll never live up to your bloodline's legacy."

The pain in Lucy's chest twisted and morphed into rage. She glared up at the mage before her, the mage who had used a celestial spirit as a shield, uncaring and unflinching at the pain Aries must have felt. Leo's key burned against her thigh and she could feel his rage building alongside her own. His power flowed into her through their connection and Lucy rose to her feet.

"How dare you," she said, fists clenching at her sides. She could feel the stardust in her blood starting to heat. Her fists began to emanate a soft glow as her power pooled. Lucy's anger only grew the more Angel laughed. The mage was saying something, but Lucy couldn't hear her words over the ringing in her ears. The stardust inside of her was whirling and boiling. Angel froze as she finally saw what was happening.

Lucy's whole body was glowing, her eyes shimmering pools of golden light. She couldn't think, couldn't breathe. All she could see was Aries's pained expression, all she could hear was Angel's laughter as she watched her spirit fade away.

Something shifted in Angel's demeanor then, something almost imperceptible. There was fear in her eyes now, fear that she wouldn't be strong enough to take on a real Starchild. Grimacing, Angel waved her hand and the Lucy-copy shot into action.

Her mirror image ran at her and spun, foot high in the air and coming down right at Lucy's head. She barely managed to twist, the strike hitting her chest instead and sending the girl flying across the grass, the air knocked from her lungs.

Cursing, Lucy struggled to her feet just as her copy came at her again with a flurry of punches. One strike hit her cheek, another her stomach. Lucy coughed and swung her fist wildly, somehow managing to strike the copy in the jaw. The spirit hissed in pain and stumbled back. Lucy froze, watching as her other self's face twisted in pain. She couldn't do it, she couldn't give in and hurt this spirit too, not when the real enemy was standing before her.

"Virgo! I need you," Lucy called, resigned to the fact she might lose Virgo too, but she needed a distraction so she could get close to Angel again. Since the mage hadn't summoned another spirit yet, Lucy hoped she had nothing left.

There was a burst of earth and Virgo flew up into the air, spinning and coming down right on top of the copy. The copy lifted her arms and defended against the strike, feet digging into the grass and sliding back. Virgo used the copy's arms as a kickboard and flipped to land on her feet a few feet away. Lucy didn't waste any time and started sprinting for Angel, who had retreated farther back into the forest. She couldn't bring herself to summon another sword but punching the bitch in her smug face would do the trick.

She was halfway there when she heard her own voice call out, "Close! Gate of the virgin, Virgo!" She felt the connection between Virgo and her sever and she nearly stumbled at the violating feeling. She didn't have time to waste. Screaming, she put all of her strength and magic into her fists as she flew towards Angel, feet pounding against the ground.

But her copy was faster. Just before she could reach Angel, the copy appeared and tackled Lucy to the ground. They rolled over each other through the dirt and rocks before crashing into the tree line. Groaning, Lucy felt her magic begin to sputter. She was losing strength and hadn't even landed a hit on Angel yet. There was a stabbing pain in her ribs from where she'd hit the tree trunk, and her body was bruised and battered. The copy weakly rose above Lucy, looking just as tired.

"Finish her, Gemini!" Angel called. The spirit looked towards her mistress then back at Lucy. She could've sworn she saw an apology in the spirit's gaze. Gemini rose to her feet and kicked Lucy in the gut just as she was beginning to rise. She fell to the ground again, Gemini wasted no time and kicked her again. Lucy rolled across the forest floor, ears ringing. She grabbed Gemini's foot as the spirit tried to kick her again and pulled it down to the ground.

Lucy rose to shaking feet and stumbled away from her copied self. She still couldn't bring herself to attack the spirit, knowing that it had no control over its actions. Leo's key was still a burning amber against her skin, but Lucy couldn't bring herself to summon him. He would just be sent back like the others and she would be nearly out of magic.

"You don't have to do this, I can help you," Lucy said to Gemini. They circled each other and Gemini tilted their head. "You don't deserve to be treated like a tool."

Gemini dropped their fists then, looking at Lucy with a blank expression. "We do not get to choose," the copy said. Lucy shook her head. She wiped the blood from her lips and smiled gently.

"You should always get a choice," she responded. Gemini's brow furrowed then as they looked back at Angel. It was then that Lucy had an idea. It was dangerous and probably wouldn't even work, but if it did, she might have a chance at winning. While Gemini was distracted, Lucy shot forward and grabbed her copy's face.

Gemini looked at her, wide eyed. Lucy pulled the dregs of stardust she still had inside of her, pulling from the deepest parts of her magic. She gathered as much magical energy as she could and shoved it into Gemini. The spirit cried out as the magic entered its skin, and the two began to glow together.

"Close!" Lucy shouted, pushing her magic deeper and deeper, searching for the link that tied Gemini to Angel. Raw magical energy pulsed from the two of them, sending a shockwave out into the forest that knocked Angel off her feet.

"You can't!" Gemini cried, tears falling down the face it wore, her own face. Lucy gritted her teeth, pushing her magic further and further until it found what it was searching for at last. A small, slightly frayed, golden thread.

"You deserve to have a choice, and I'll make sure you get that chance," Lucy said as her magic reached that thread. Gemini looked at her with awe and fear.

"Close! Gate of the twins, Gemini!" She screamed. A hoarse cry burst from Gemini as the thread was cut. The light was nearly blindingly bright now as Lucy did something she didn't even know was possible, as she closed the gate tying Gemini to Angel and sent the spirit back into the celestial realm with an explosion of light and magic.

Lucy collapsed; her magic nearly spent. She was alone in the clearing now and there was no sign of Gemini. She laughed weakly in disbelief. It worked, she did it. She was so caught up in what just happened she didn't notice Angel approaching.

"You bitch," Angel spat. The mage grabbed Lucy by the hair and dragged her across the ground. Lucy cried out in pain and grabbed at Angel's hands, her nails digging into the skin. Angel cursed and shoved Lucy down into the grass.

"I'll show you, I'm the one who's meant to reach the heavens. It's supposed to be me," Angel cried. The mage kicked Lucy and stomped on her chest. Her breath left with a gasp and she struggled to breath as Angel pushed her weight down onto Lucy's chest. She clawed at Angel's leg and kicked her feet, trying to escape, but her body was weakened both from the beating and the magic she'd just spent.

"You will never be like me, I am the true angel, I deserve it!" Angel lifted her foot only to slam it down again. Lucy gasped and sputtered. As Angel lifted her foot again, Lucy rolled out of the way and spun to kick Angel's legs out from under her.

Leo's key stopped burning and Lucy felt his presence with her. He wasn't fully summoned, instead it was like he was in limbo between the two worlds. It was a strange feeling. Lucy scrambled back towards the trees as Angel slowly rose to her feet.

Lucy, you need to listen to me, Leo's voice called inside her head. Panting, Lucy pulled herself behind an outcropping of large trees and paused to catch her breath. Lucy, I need you to repeat after me. I know you can handle this spell. I know you are strong enough.

She felt some of Leo's power leak into her own, bolstering her magic and deepening the well of power that dwelled inside her. Repeat after me.

Survey the heavens, open the heavens…

She repeated the words, and felt the beginnings of a spell, a powerful one. As she repeated after Leo, she felt the words begin to appear in her mind before he even spoke and soon their voices joined in unison.

"All the stars, far and wide, show me thy appearance…" The magic inside Lucy rose in answer to her call, filling her body and building stronger and stronger. "With such shine. Oh Tetrabiblos…"

Angel was nearing, her voice growing louder. Lucy rose to her knees, palms outstretched, and face turned towards the heavens. Her eyes were beacons of light now, her skin shimmering with golden light.

"I am the ruler of the stars…Aspect become complete…Open thy malevolent gate…" The ground beneath her began to rumble and shake, cracks appearing around her body as the magic within her swelled. The sky above darkened, but not from clouds. No, it was a revealing of the space beyond their world. A space filled with stars and light. As Lucy spoke, the spell drawing power she didn't even know she possessed, the pinpricks of starlight against the blackened sky grew brighter.

"Oh eighty-eight Stars of the heaven…Shine." Lucy was a beacon of golden energy. It pulsed and burned and the forest around her began to turn to ash at the heat and power. Lucy looked down at Angel, her voice unlike her own, filled with an ancient presence.

"Urano Metria!" She cried and the spell was unleashed. From the heavens the pinpricks of starlight grew larger and larger. The light from Lucy's body was that of a true star plucked straight from the heavens. And as she called out to that power drawn from the ancient stars, they answered and rained down destruction. Lucy watched distantly as the lights above her came crashing down and slammed into the earth with such power it sent shockwaves through the ground and the heat of the impact was so intense the forest didn't even burn, it just disappeared. The area of destruction grew and grew and grew, and she sensed it was reaching the rest of the battle, somewhere far away as she could feel the rage of the stars directed at multiple locations.

In a radius around her body there was only destruction as the heavens brought their fury in answer to Lucy's call. But the ground around her was untouched. As the onslaught slowed and finally stopped, the starlight inside Lucy dimmed until she was no longer a shining beacon. Swaying, she felt an emptiness yawn open inside of her. She fell on her back, body limp and completely drained. She couldn't even feel the pain from her injuries anymore. Her vision started to go black and she stared up at the night sky she'd summoned above her, the window to the heavens she came from. As she stared that yawning emptiness was joined with an intense longing. Lucy weakly lifted a hand, reaching towards the lights she could see above her, light that was just like her. Starlight.

But it disappeared as her magic faded, and she was left lying alone in a field of destruction, the earth around her decimated. Her hand dropped and the black overtook her vision.

Lucy, hang on. Just hang on, please.

She tried, she tried to hang on as the voice asked but everything was so dark and she felt so very alone.