Disclaimer: I (unfortunately) do NOT own Fairy Tail or any of the characters. I only am responsible for the (albeit poorly written and devised) plot.
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Looking back at it, Virgo didn't know how she hadn't recognized her at the very first glance.
Maybe it had been because both of the slender hands laid over her stomach were blank. Perhaps that had been why.
To her very soul, Virgo had believed Lucy was dead. Why would she even consider the possibility of this strange new Spirit being her recently deceased key holder?
Or maybe it had been because any sense of hope had immediately been distinguished when Loke had returned. When he'd left, the magic energy that had summoned him had been off, and they'd all felt it. Things had been feeling... off for several hours now. (Again, remember that it's equivalent to a while longer in the Human World. Also, Lucy's Spirits hadn't been alerted for a few weeks.)
Through clenched teeth, he had been short and to the point, leaving no room for argument.
"She's dead," Loke replied flatly.
Lucy was dead. Definitely. No 'what ifs' or 'buts' this time. No exceptions. But Aquarius was stubborn, the most stubborn creature any of them had ever met in their years of service, and she was not letting it go that easily.
"That's it?!" Aquarius demanded harshly after a moment of stunned silence."Is this some kind of sick joke?! That's all you're gonna tell us?! You must be crazy if you think I'm going to just sit here and take that bullshit without-"
"She was shot and fell off a cliff," Loke deadpanned.
"...Natsu was the one to retrieve the body," he added after a minute."About three weeks ago. They tried to reach us but... Well, the only one who's able to call any of us out is Yukino. And she didn't even know about it until a few Earthland hours ago."
Virgo didn't think she'd ever seen Aquarius shed a tear. Not after all this time of knowing her.
She could now say for sure that it was an experience she never wanted to repeat.
Virgo's expression had melted into a contented half-smile as she watched the newborn Spirit soar overhead, twisting and turning, sometimes even looping over and under the pathways. The laurel perched atop her head miraculously stayed in place (though Virgo had a strong suspicion that there was something more to the hair ornament, whether it be magic or simply clips securing it to her head) as she experimentally tested the strokes of her wings.
"Miss Lucy," the King called out. Lucy slowed down, to hover. The trio came to a standstill, as Lucy lowered to the ground. Hovering a mere three feet off the ground, Lucy still had to crane her neck to meet the eyes of the king. Respectfully curtsying (in midair no less, Lucy somehow would always possess the qualities of a well-groomed lady), Lucy looked at him inquiringly.
"Yes?"
"There's something I nearly forgot. The matter of your key," the King responded.
"Yes, I know, Virgo and I were just discussing it," Lucy said. "From what I've gathered, my key should rightfully pass on with the rest of my k- my old keys," Lucy corrected her slip-up quickly. Though the King had most definitely heard her stumble painfully over the mistake, he didn't mention it. Clearly a topic that shouldn't be touched.
"That would be correct. Logically, the key that anchors you to a contract holder would be passed on to the young lady who now possesses the other 12 golden keys"
"Other? You mean... I have a golden key too? But... But with all due respect your Majesty, that's impossible! There are only twelve of them! I would know, I used to own more than half of them!" Lucy exclaimed.
"There were only twelve keys," he corrected. "But now that's changed."
He went silent for a minute.
"...I got this just when I felt your energy appear out of nowhere," the Celestial Spirit King admitted. Holding his hand out, a shiny gold key rested in his palm. He offered it to the stunned Spirit. Flapping her wings once, just enough to propel her high enough to reach the trinket he was presenting to her.
Gingerly, Lucy's new 'calling card' so to speak was exchanged between the two. Floating in her cupped hands, the key was glowing.
"Why- why is it doing that? How come it was normal when you held it?" Lucy asked, mesmerized at the levitating key.
"Because it's yours," The King responded with a hearty laugh. "That key is tied to your energy, a link that is able to somehow convey the will of the keeper of your key. You'll feel it; that they want you to come out. And in stronger situations, you might even be able to feel that without the key. Maybe even their emotions."
Lucy just stared, not knowing what to say, as she looked the small part of her, that was essentially tethered to her soul.
"...Wow," Lucy finally managed, tearing her eyes away from the little metal piece. "So... I'm not Yukino's Spirit yet, right?"
"That is correct Princess," Virgo confirmed, noting her head. Lucy turned her head, a sad glint in her eyes now.
"Virgo... You really shouldn't call me that anymore. We're not contracted any- I don't hold your key anymore," Lucy corrected, though it hurt to admit. Looking at it, both the King and Virgo were surprised at how Lucy had been taking it. Any normal person would have had a much harder time accepting that they were dead.
"Be that as it may, but to me, and to all of your old Spirits, you will always be our Princess," Virgo reassured.
"And besides, what part of the legend did you miss? Andromeda was the princess of Ethiopia. Ergo, the term stays."
Lucy, amused at her the maid's word choice, who was time and time again proving to be very... proper as usual. (I mean, 'ergo?' C'mon. Imagine Vrigo casually dropping that word. It totally could happen.)
Virgo's mouth twisted into a grin now, and was surprised herself that she was actually excited for something.
"Now let's go see what this princess can do."
Gajeel scowled.
Dammit.
God.
Fucking.
Dammit.
"Are you kidding me?!"
Gajeel rose from his seat, face stormy. Looking at the Master with something very far from respect, Gajeel seemed to be restraining himself from killing someone right then and there.
"Have you gone senile, old man? I leave for three weeks on a mission and come back to this train wreck. You want me to what?"
"Compete in the Grand Magic Games," Master Makarov responded calmly. "Last time, you were one of the five members who helped us win the final event. Rationally, it made sense to put you on the team once more-"
"That's not the issue," Gajeel objected through clenched teeth. "The issue is that this isn't the time to start worrying about our guild's appearance. Not like last time, when we had something to prove since the majority of Fairy Tail's disappearance. This year, especially now-" he gulped. "-since... you know. But this year? Why?"
"Because Fairy Tail needs to get their minds off of things. A common objective. I'm afraid if we don't do something soon, the grief will simply swallow us whole," Makarov explained, gesturing around the guild hall. "Tell me, what do you see?"
Gajeel snorted.
"It was a rhetorical question. You see what I see, a family who has lost a family member." Bowing his head, he gestured that the request board, which was surprisingly barren. "You see that? That's how we're coping. It's how we've been coping for the past month. Job after job. Channeling grief and anger into magic and beating our (very unfortunate) opponents. But we can't do that anymore. Now, at the very least, we can all cope together, and fight together as one guild."
Gajeel nodded.
"Aright. I understand. So, who else is going up? Assuming we'll have only one team this year."
"So far, what I have in mind is a team of you, Gray, Erza, Juvia, and..." Master Makarov looked down guiltily, fiddling with his fingers. Gajeel's eyes widened.
"...please tell me that you're not thinking of putting..." Gajeel trailed off, a very bad feeling forming in his gut. Just the once, he prayed that he was wrong. Just this once.
"Yep."
"I take it all back. That's nuts. You're nuts," Gajeel added on, jabbing a finger at him. "Good luck with convincing that hothead to compete."
"I thought it would be best for those taking it the hardest to go up and represent us."
"What about Levy? She didn't seem to be doing very well either. They were really close, after all. What about her? Why not send her up?" Master raised an eyebrow at his subtle transition of the conversation, as the Iron Dragon's focus was (quite predictably) on the petite Solid-Script Mage. Noticing his rather... smug expression, Gajeel scowled at him.
"What's with that look?"
"...Miss McGarden really seems to have caught your attention there," Makarov mused, tilting his head to the side as if imagining something. Trying to rationalize a theory.
"I see. So, what is it you kids say nowadays? Do you 'have the hots' for Miss Levy?" Makarov asked, only mild curiously in his voice. Gajeel simply stared at him for a moment, not quite sure what he was asking. Until he'd finally deciphered the meaning hidden in the (amazingly our of date and rather awkward) phrase.
Quickly transitioning from tan to scarlet, Gajeel was a shade that bore a striking resemblance to a tomato's hue. Or perhaps a fire hydrant. Maybe even a deep red rose.
But that could all be relived and laughed about at a later time. Now, Master Makarov was occupied with the task of trying to to lose it right then and there at the sight of the poor boy's face. Stifling his gleeful laugh with a well-timed cough, Makarov was quick to dodge Gajeel's half-assed attempt at a swipe.
"Shut yer mouth!" Gajeel hissed, still scarlet-faced. Lunging for the old man wasn't going to work, because a) this was the Master of one of the most powerful Guilds in Fiore and b) Gajeel is much, much slower when he's flustered.
Then again, he always fought better when he was desperate...
"Oh, so you do have-"
"SHHH!" Gajeel shushed, head snapping around to make sure no one was watching this little scene. Most importantly, the little bookworm herself. With her size, it would be easy for her to go unnoticed in the room. Especially when her vibrant blue hair was usually hidden, as she was typically buried in a large tome.
Relief flooding his body when he saw that none was around to witness the Master's (true) speculation, Gajeel relaxed. Waiting for the color to wash out of his cheeks, Gajeel inhaled deeply.
Breathe in.
Breathe out.
Once his heart rate was back to normal, and his face was a healthy tan once again, he cautiously scanned the room while he waited for his breathing to return to normal.
Satisfied that the tiny girl was't crammed in a corner or something where she could easily overhead the Master's rather unexpected (by all of Gajeel's accounts anyway) accusation, Gajeel let out a sigh of relief. But this time his hand shot out, and made contact with the old man.
Lifting him up by his shirt, a thoroughly humiliated Gajeel had Master Makarov dangling from his fist. Master Makarov clearly could've escaped the hold, but... not without at least one blow to the face. (And, he had a sinking feeling that the fist coming at him would not be flesh, but most likely iron.) But the Master just regarded him calmly, simply tilting his head a bit more to the left.
"So... That's a yes then?"
Gleeful at the panic suddenly flashing across the Iron Dragon Slayer's face, the Master took the chance to slip away, mischief written all over him.
"Well, well. What do you know? Don't worry son, your secret is safe with me!" And then the little devil had the audacity to run off.
Rolling his eyes, Gajeel stomped off, now looking to find none other than Gray Fullbuster.
There was a certain feeling in his gut... they needed to be ready to deal with a distraught Natsu Dragneel.
Better safe that sorry, right?
"Excellent, Princess," Virgo praised, lightly clapping. "You're doing wonderfully!" Virgo called up at her.
Lucy, looking uneasy as she brought her hands up, tried one more. A golden glow started in her palms, but quickly sputtered out after a few seconds. Lucy let out a frustrated groan, and would've stomped her foot right then and then if she hadn't been a good twenty feet in the air.
"Princess, you just have to let it come to you. Relax and just stop thinking about it so hard," Virgo coaxed. "Just... let it happen," she finished lamely, not sure how to explain the sensation of summoning certain moves or powers. Sighing, Lucy released the tension in her shoulders.
Instinctually, Lucy found herself holding her hands out, glowing light suddenly blossoming from her fingertips. Spreading them in front of her, the light expanded from both hands and pooled together in front of her to form some sort of... shield. Lucy stared in awe, at the thing she had created.
Dropping her hands, Lucy watched the shield dissolve.
Pulling her wings in and dropping like a stone, Lucy landed next to Virgo, who was almost startled by her sudden control. Though she had fallen with great force, Lucy landed on her feet, not even teetering a fraction of a centimeter. Slightly tipping her head down, Virgo gave an approving nod.
"Now, Andromeda-"
"It's Lucy, the blonde interrupted, immediately looking apologetic. "I'm sorry, your majesty. I meant no disrespect." The King laughed, casually waving her off.
"You are excused," he said, making her exhale with relief. "I'm sorry I should have realized, you were not going to part with your human name."
"Thank you."
"As I was saying, I want you to try and see what other abilities pop up. You aren't even fully developed as a Spirit yet. And even so, fully matured Spirits can develop more powers. Some other things are bound to show up, besides your defensive capabilities. When put in certain situations, your body will react on instinct, making it easier for you to identify what you can do. Like this-" The King suddenly lunged out, stabbing his sword forwards.
Reacting automatically, Lucy raised her arms, a shield erupting over her and Virgo from all sides, and connecting to form a dome. His sword stuck, bounding off harmlessly. Through the gold light, Lucy saw the King smirk, and her eyes narrowed, a smile playing at her own lips.
"So you see, you can do other things. Now, let's see what else you've got."
If he wants to play that way, fine.
She lashed out, her shield dissipating instantly. A huge blast of energy shot out from her hand, striking him in the chest. The other had formed a protective barrier in front of Virgo, who was taking this all in with thinly veiled amusement.
Now, her hand outstretched, Lucy found the light swirling from her fingertips was twisting and shaping itself.
Into a sword.
Now, the glowing light fading out, Lucy stared at the well balanced weapon she held in her hand. (Erza had tried to arm her with a sword once, just for extra protection. Just in case, god-forbid, something happen with her keys, as it did in the Eclipse Celestial Spirits Arc. It was decided, after the sword had been handed to her and Lucy had nearly collapsed under the weight of it, that maybe she could just stick with the whip.)
This... This felt right. In her hand, it was a perfect fit. (But, that was probably because she had created the sword herself... With her own magic...)
Tossing the sword from hand to hand, Lucy found herself smiling, and looking up, she found the King smiling as well.
"There you go," Virgo said, stepping forward. "Princess, I think you're ready to meet your new master."
A pleased sort of look suddenly crept up into her eyes. The rest of her face remained impassive, though. Virgo was regaining her ability to keep her cool demeanor, despite being rather pleased on the inside.
"But first... I think you should say hello to some old friends."
Hey guys. So, I know this chapter was pretty slow, and Lucy's powers seem kinda... suckish so far. But just in case anyone wants a list of what my ideas for her powers are of far, I'll put it in the AN in the beginning of the next chapter.
Hope it wasn't all that bad,
-Pyro