Ten years ago was when Natalia's nightmare began. Natalia actually lived on an island known as Palm Island when she was a child. She soon woke up on the day that her entire life was turned around.

"Good Morning, Mommy." Natalia said as she came down the stairs. Natalia's mother was named Nicola and she looked a lot like Natalia, but had blonde hair. They lived alone in that house, but there was one problem.

"Morning, Natalia." Nicola said. "I made some breakfast for you. I've got to get to some work. Sorry I can't stay." Nicola didn't wait around for Natalia to say any objection and went out the door.

'That's nothing new.' Natalia thought as she took a seat at the table and ate her breakfast in the empty house. 'Mommy's always working. She works at the school here on the island, studying up on whatever book is in there and helping others learn. It gets pretty lonely around here, but she never really wants to hear how I feel about it. She never sticks around that long.' When Natalia finished with her breakfast, she went out on her own. However, her life out of the house wasn't that much better.

"Look. It's that girl."

"Eew. Keep her away."

"What a freak."

"Why haven't they kicked her off the island yet?" A lot of people, mainly children, say those sort of things about her.

'All the kids on the island are so mean.' Natalia thought. 'They know I have magic, but they stay away from because of it. They don't want me around. At least I have one person I can turn to.' Natalia went to the other side of the island where someone lived alone. "Shrew? Are you here?"

"I'm over by the garden. That you, Natalia?" Shrew called out.

"Yeah." Natalia said as she went over to the garden. She walked over and was soon met with a guy wearing overalls and had shaggy red hair and a beard. "Hi, Shrew."

"You're just in time, Natalia. I just harvested a couple watermelons. You want a slice or two?" Shrew asked.

"Okay." Natalia said. Shrew took a break from his work and cut up a watermelon and gave a slice to her. This was basically Natalia's life on the island. She appeared to have a hard time, but she had at least one person she could to.

"So what's the matter, Natalia? You seemed a little blue about something." Shrew asked.

"It's nothing, but the usual." Natalia said. "Mom is always working and all the kids seem to be afraid of me."

"Afraid of you?" Shrew questioned.

"They are and this is why." Natalia said as she moved her hand against the ground and some flowers grew.

"Oh! They fear you because you have magic." Shrew said. "It's actually natural. Anyone using magic here on this island is really rare. They're only afraid of you because they don't understand it and when people don't understand something, they tend to be afraid of it."

"So they don't understand me and that's why they're afraid of me? That doesn't really make me feel better." Natalia said.

"Just give it time. You just need to show people how beautiful your magic can be." Shrew said.

"Beautiful?" Natalia questioned.

"Of course. Its' hard to be afraid of something that can create beautiful flowers." Shrew said. "It's easy to make it since they actually come from a beautiful flower."

"You mean me?" Natalia said. It did make her feel better to hear Shrew say such kind things about her, but it still didn't make it easy.

"Natalia, if you're really bothered by all this, just talk to your mother and those other kids about how it makes you feel." Shrew said.

"I don't think I can. My voice goes unheard." Natalia said. "Sometimes I feel like I should just disappear, but then I think of you Shrew. How do you do it? You live outside of everyone else in the village and I'm the only one that visits you. How do you live with the loneliness?"

"Who says I'm lonely?" Shrew questioned.

"You're no?" Natalia asked.

"No." Shrew said. "I might not be needed in the village, but that doesn't mean I'm not wanted. You come all the way out here to visit me because you want to. Besides, if you have one person you know that cares for you, whether they're here or out in the world, I think it can be hard to get lonely." Natalia never really thought about that, but she is just a child. Wanted and needed, two words that would actually haunt Natalia. "How about you just go and talk to your mother? If she won't hear you, make your voice heard. Speak proud and loud so she will listen."

"Loud and proud?" Natalia questioned and she thought she should try it. "Okay. Thank you." Natalia finished eating and went to see her mother.

"Sweet kid." Shrew said. He got up and was about to get back to work. Just before he did, he saw some ice on the plants. "How did this happen?" He got his answer when he felt his entire body freeze and his entire body shattered.

"Sorry, but we have a job to do."

…

Nicola

Nicola was in a library and was looking over all the books in there. She was one of those people that was focused on her studies, but it was a bit secretive as to what she was studying.

"Mom." Nicola turned around and saw Natalia there.

"Natalia? What are you doing here?" Nicola said.

"I want to talk to you about something." Natalia said.

"Is there any chance it can wait, honey?" Nicola asked.

"N…No. Please, Mom. I really need to say this." Natalia said.

"Okay. What is it?" Nicola said. Natalia wanted to speak, but she held her tongue. "Natalia, I can't really be distracted. I've got some import work to do. So if you need to say something, just say it." She wanted to, but she was too scared. She didn't have to speak because there was an explosion outside they both heard. "What was that?" Both of them ran outside and saw something horrible. Houses were burning and people were being attacked.

"What's going on?" Natalia questioned.

"Damn." Nicole said. She lifted up Natalia and started running.

"Mom, what's going on?" Natalia said. "What is happening to our home? Who are those people that are attacking others?"

"There's no time to explain." Nicola said as she kept running. "We just need to get to a boat I have out on the water and get the hell out of here." Natalia was really scared for she did not know what was going on. However, she saw trouble.

"Mom, behind you!" Natalia said, but it was too late as Nicole slipped and fell. She noticed that she slipped on ice and someone was following them.

"I'm sorry, but I can't allow anyone here to escape." The person who was speaking to them was Kojishi from ten years ago. E.R. was the one responsible for this attack.

"Damn. I didn't think something like this would happen." Nicola said.

"I'm afraid it has. Nothing personal, but this could possibly help our goals. If we have to take lives to do it, we will." Kojishi said.

"How can you people be so callous?" Nicola said.

"Mommy, what's going on? Who are these people?" Natalia said. She didn't understand what was going on and was understanding what Shrew was talking about.

"I admit that we're not proud of what we doing, but I became part of this and there's no turning back for me." Kojishi said. He held out his hand and was preparing some of his magic. "Ice Crippler!" He unleashed a powerful cold gust of wind. Nicole acted without even thinking as she shielded Natalia from the attack and took the full power of it.

"Mom, are you okay?!" Natalia said, but Nicole screamed in pain as a response as the bottom of her feet was turning to ice and slowly rising up her body.

"Natalia, listen to me." Nicole said. "I know I haven't been the best mother lately and I'm sorry for that. I wish there was time to make it all better, but there isn't. Just run towards my boat and get out of here."

"No. I can't." Natalia said.

"Yes you can." Nichole said. "I wish I could go with you, but I can't. I know you don't understand now, but I did what I did in hopes of protecting you in the future. I know it seemed like I ignored you and I can't tell you how sorry I am for all of that."

"I forgive you! Let's just go!" Natalia pleaded. "I need you! I don't want to be lonely!"

"You won't be. The world is a vast place so I know that one day you'll meet real friends." Nicola said.

"Real friends?" Natalia questioned.

"Friends that will stay by your side and never leave you for no one is ever meant to be in this world alone." Nicola said and she smiled when she said that as the ice completely covered her body. Natalia couldn't believe what happened to her. She reached out to her, but that was a mistake as Nicola's body completely shattered right before her. It was this moment that caused Natalia's fear of ice magic for it constantly reminded her of what she just witnessed. Natalia cried at the top of her lungs and ran as fast as she could.

"She sacrificed everything so her daughter could be safe." Kojishi said as he stared at the ice and stared at Natalia as she ran away. Natalia ran as fast as she could as she made it through all the destruction as the island was swallowed by flames. Natalia soon made it to the shoreline and saw the boat, but she saw Kojishi beat her to the boat. Natalia was so afraid that she might actually die here. "Follow the ice and you'll reach land."

"What?" Natalia said. She looked at the boat and saw Kojishi formed a trail out of ice.

"You're lucky I'm more merciful than those in my unit." Kojishi said as he walked past her. "I might be sparing your life, but don't think that means I'm your friend. You'll have to survive on your own, but if that's too much for you, stay and burn with this island."

"Why are you doing this? Who are you people?" Natalia asked.

"That's really not your concern anymore." Kojishi said. Natalia didn't understand anything of what was going on. All of this was happening so fast and she didn't know why. It was too much for a child to handle. All she knew was that she had to do what she was told and left. She got on the boat and followed the ice. As she rowed her boat, she had no choice, but to watch as her island burned and everything she knew burned with it. Her mother, Shrew, and everyone else going with it. If she didn't feel alone before, she surely does now.

…

Natalia

That was the how Natalia's life began and was twisted around. She managed to make it off the island and made it to Ishgar.

"You later learned that E.R. was behind that attack in another one of our attempts to find Eclear." Rod said as they went over her life story. "All of that happened in one day and that would have traumatized anyone, but you were off to a bad start with how you lived on that island before." Erza and Gray heard the whole story and they felt so bad for Natalia. Gray practically had white knuckles as he gripped his pants.

'That all happened to Natalia when she was just a child. I'm such a jerk.' Gray thought and felt horrible for what he said to her. 'I was wrong. She does belong in Fairy Tail.'

'Wait. If E.R. was behind that attack, why would Natalia join forces with them?' Erza wondered.

"After that day, you tried to make it out on your own in the world, but you failed at that as well." Rod said. Natalia thought back to those times as well, but al she can remember was being pushed to the ground.

"Get out of here!"

"Look what you did! Get lost!"

"You little brat! Get out of my sight!"

"Everywhere you went, you only made things worse for a lot of people. No one wanted you around and no one needed you." Rod said. "You were nothing, but a burden to everyone." Natalia couldn't forget. It was like she was running through a tunnel of misery as a child and it would last forever as all those horrible things echoed in her head. "In your whole life, the things you felt, the things you said, what you did didn't matter. No cared enough to hear what you wanted or needed. You soon learned about E.R. and decided to join us because Kojishi sparing you was the only sign that someone actually cared about you after you lost your home. You thought that if the world didn't want you around, you would disappear in shadows. That soon brought us to today. You stuck to that foolish belief that you owed your life to that person in the guild. You stayed because you thought you needed to in the guild and it would only be a matter of time until we hear about this and come after you, but you didn't think you would actually enjoy being there. It's too late now. Now there's nowhere in the world that needs your or wants you. Once we reach our fortress in Sea Lily Town, your fate will be sealed. They can't save you…..even if they're hiding in the train." He said as he turned his eyes to the back of the cart.

'He knows we're here!' Erza thought from surprise. Rod held out his fingers and shot a couple magic bullets that destroyed the back seats and showed Gray and Erza hiding back there.

"Gray?! Erza?!" Natalia said. The truth of Natalia's past has been revealed. Can Erza and Gray save her from E.R. and her nightmare or is Natalia truly lost forever?