Deep in the mountain in the center of the city of Era, ten figures stood in a circle in a darkly lit room. The only source of light being a large blue magic circle underneath them, that blocked them off from the outside world. Here the Top Seats of the Magic Council decided on the most important matters of the Magic World. In truth, not all of them are there. Being busy people, some were elsewhere, using a unique type of thought projection to access the room from across Ishgar.

The Chairman, a rather large man by the name of Crawford Seam, stroked his beard thoughtfully before speaking. "And now we may finally move onto the final topic of our monthly agenda, Fairy Tail…again." he sighed, hearing likewise signs of annoyance and exasperation around him.

Yajima dipped his head sorrowfully. "What did they do this time?"

A rustling of paper was heard, and everyone gathered turned to look at Org. The tall, elderly man looked down at the notes in front of him before speaking. "According to this, they summoned a tidal wave at the port town of Hargeon, beaching most of the boats, before setting one of them on fire in the center of town!" A few gasps and grumbling could be heard at the news, but a couple of voices could be heard laughing at the news. Org looked over at the two sources of amusement, giving a glare of annoyance. "Is there something you would like to add, Hughes?"

"Only that you forgot to mention the important part! Seriously Org, I swear you could make a child's birthday party sound like the end of the world." a young man with white and purple two-toned hair said amused. He was dressed extremely casually compared to his contemporaries, portraying his youth, or immaturity depending on which of the member you asked.

"Excuse me?" Org said offended.

"Quite. The Guild's anarchist tendencies aside, they seemed to have done so with the best intentions in mind." said the man next to him, one with a large cleft chin and expertly styled blonde hair. In contrast to the erratic dress choice of his partner, he was dressed professionally, but all in pink, with a flamboyant flair that made him stand out just as much as the member next to him.

"Sugarboy is correct. According to the report, there was a man imitating one of their members. He was using outlawed charm magic to kidnap woman for the slave trade. Later questioning has revealed the man as Bora, who was recently added to the register of Dark Mages." a short elderly man said. He had two pairs of white tufts of hair at the top and bottom of his head, mirroring horns and fangs.

Belno looked over at the last member to speak. "One good act does not negate all the wrong ones. They're still nothing but troublemakers, Byro." the middle-aged woman complained.

"But you can't deny that they are one of the most effective and powerful Magic Guilds in Fiore." he responded.

After much circular debate, the council found themselves at an impasse. "So, we've come to the same conclusion we do every time this topic is brought up. We shall leave them be for now, until they become more troublesome than their worth." The Chairman said.

Yajima nodded before speaking his mind. "I believe that to be the best option. If it's any consolation, I can't see the group getting involved in anything crazier than they already have…"


Lucy had a bad feeling in her stomach, and she didn't know why. Maybe she caught something, or maybe she was developing motion sickness like Natsu. But the most likely reason was because she was standing in front of Fairy Tail's Guild Building. The pit in her stomach grew, a nagging voice in the back of her head worrying that she might not be accepted despite being literally dragged here by two members of said Guild.

Natsu strolled up to the great doors of the Guild Hall, before throwing them open more violently than a man of his size seemingly should be able to. As the doors slammed against the walls and everyone turned to look over at them, Natsu bellowed out loudly. "We're back!"

Lucy was standing next to Lisanna looking both embarrassed at her new friends' action, but too much in awe at the sight around her to care. Looking around the Hall she could recognize dozens of members, and it was taking every inch of her willpower from squealing at the site of them and going off on an hour-long rant about each of them. That's when she noticed the Mirajane approaching them and she unconsciously checked her hair and clothes, not wanting to make a bad first impression with one of her biggest idols.

"Lisanna, you're back! Did anything bad happen? Did you get hurt anywhere?" Mira said in a worried tone, throwing her arms around the girl beside Lucy. She looked over in shock at 'The Demon' acting like an overprotective mother. This was the hard-assed fiend of Fairy Tail, right?

"I'm fine sis, as usual." Lisanna said, clearly annoyed by her fretting. Lucy then finally realized that the two were sisters, and suddenly felt even more self-conscious. One of her current companions was sisters with Mirajane and she never noticed! She thought back to all her interactions with Lisanna, trying to find out if there would be anything her dangerous sister might hurt her for doing. What if she didn't let her join Fairy Tail?! "Anyways, we actually brought someone back from our job with us, says she wants to join Fairy Tail."

Huh? Lucy looked at Lisanna in surprise, seeing her smiling back. Lucy didn't know what the proper course of action for joining the Guild was, so she decided that politeness was the best course of action. Remembering her father's lessons, she bowed slightly before speaking. "My name is Lucy Heartfilia. I'd be honored if you would let me join the Guild. If you'll have me, that is." she said in as calm a voice as she could with everything going around her (which wasn't that calm at all). No one spoke for a second, and she couldn't help but doubt if she was good enough to join in the first place.

Suddenly, a voice called out from above Lucy. "Of course we would!" She looked up to the second floor of the Hall above the bar and saw a woman with scarlet red hair and wearing a suit of armor. Lucy recognized her instantly. "Fairy Tail is not just a guild, it's a family, and we'd never turn away family." Erza Belserion continued. "Welcome to Fairy Tail!"

Lucy looked wide eyed up at the most recent S-Class Mage in Fairy Tail, the Fairy Princess, and back down at Mirajane, who simply nodded in agreement. "Guess I'll go grab the guild stamp." she shrugged.

As they walked over to the bar, Elfman started walking over from one of the tables. "Hey Natsu, did you get that note about that manly rumour I found?" he asked loudly.

"Yeah! It was a bunch of crap!" Natsu yelled back, before launching himself at the larger man in anger. The two Mage's fell back onto the table Elfman had arrived from, causing its occupants to jump up and begin fighting as well. This fighting spread across the Hall like a wildfire, and in seconds everyone around the three girls was having a rough and tumble brawl, overturning tables and spilling drinks everywhere. Lucy looked around worried at the chaos around her, but Lisanna just put herself behind her fretting friend and kept pushing her along. Happy also flew ahead and down behind the counter, hiding from the chaos.

"Don't worry about this all. They just get like this sometimes-" Mira started, before suddenly transforming her arm into a monstrous form and catching a flying Elfman right before it hit Lisanna. "Hey Natsu! Keep your toys in the play area!" she shouted, before chucking her own brother at the Dragon Slayer who had launched him their way, people and furniture being sent all over at the force of Mira's demonic pitch. Her arm turned back to normal and she continued her walk towards the bar as if nothing had happened.

When they reached the bar, there were two women dressed in waitress attire. The black haired one held a stamp in their hand, holding it out for Mira. "Thanks Heine." she thanked.

"No problem, Lady Mira." Heine said politely, before the blonde one next to herself threw herself in front of her partner, demanding attention.

"Sooooo, Lisanna. Don't you normally chase off new members? What's so special about this one?" The blonde one asked unabashed.

Lisanna glared at the woman's lack of subtlety. "That's because most of them are obsessive fangirls who do nothing but hassle Natsu, Juliet. Lucy here is a perfect fit for our Guild."

Lucy just stood there, trying her best not to look like the obsessed fangirl of Natsu that she was. Lisanna grabbed the stamp out of her sisters' hand and turned to Lucy. "Enough wasting time. Guild mark, place and color." she asked Lucy.

"Oh, pink please, right here." Lucy said, holding up the back of her right hand. Lisanna did something with the stamp in her hand, then pressed it against Lucy's skin. There was a flash and Lucy felt a surge of magic on her hand. Lisanna removed the stamp, and upon turning her hand back Lucy could see a pink mark that looked like a fairy. She couldn't wipe the grin off her face as she brought her other hand to touch it, as if to make sure it was real. But in the middle of her inspection, she was covered in a shadow, and when she turned around and looked up at the cause of the darkness she tripped backwards, the bar catching her before she fell on the floor.

Before her stood a giant in the middle of the Guild Hall, staring down at the roughhousing rabble. Natsu lay squirming under one of its massive feet, swinging his arms in anger. The fighting slowly stopped as they all turned to look fearfully at the hulking figure. The being looked around until it finally locked eyes with Lucy. She couldn't help releasing a squeak like a mouse that's been caught in the gaze of a cat. The giant then began to shrink and jumped up to the second floor next to Erza, who had stood there watching the fight with amusement. In a moment, what was once a giant was now a dwarfed old man, looking down at them with an air of judgement. Lucy could recognize him now as the Third Guild Master of Fairy Tail, Makarov Dreyar.

"I hear some of you have been causing a lot of trouble lately. I've been getting reports from the Council about your behaviour. Do you want to know what I think about that?" he asked dangerously, waving said reports in his hand.

Lucy looked up in fear, feeling her stomach knot up again like when she entered. She couldn't believe it; she really was going to get kicked out of the Guild on the first day. At least she got her guild mark for a minute…

"Who cares!"

Huh? She looked up to see Makarov grinning ear to ear. "Don't worry about those people! There's nothing for us to fear, for we're Fairy Tail!" he shouted, and used Magic to burn the reports in his hand and throwing them at Natsu, who ate them like a treat. Everyone began partying again, turning tables back over and picking up drinks as if they hadn't been kicking each others' teeth in a moment ago. Makarov then hopped down onto the bar next to Lucy, turning to greet her. "Happy to have more people joining the Guild. Don't worry, from what I've heard you'll fit right in." he said before Juliet handed him a drink, and he walked of to talk to the other members.

"Thanks… I think?" Lucy said.

"I hope Natsu wasn't to troublesome to deal with." a small voice hidden behind the bar spoke. A young girl with blue hair popped up from behind the counter, and a second later a white cat-like creature just like Happy did as well, along with the blue feline himself.

"Actually Carla, Lucy was the one who caused most of the damage this time." Happy said.

Lucy glared at him. "Excuse me?!"

"Oh great, more anarchists. I'm beginning to think this Guild attracts nothing but crazy people." Carla said sarcastically.

"Don't be mean Carla! I'm sure Lucy is a great person." the girl said, before addressing Lucy directly. "Hi, I'm Wendy. Nice to meet you."

"Thanks for sticking up for me." Lucy said. "Why are you behind the counter? You look a bit young to be serving drinks?" she couldn't help but ask.

Wendy shrunk behind the counter a bit to hide her embarrassed face. "I don't like fighting as much as the others, so my sister said I should just hide here when things get weird."

"Which is all the time, unfortunately." Erza said, walking down from the second floor. "If you wanted to join them, I could train with you a bit. Just like old times?"

"I think I'll pass." Wendy said sadly, sinking even farther down so she could not longer be seen.

Erza looked disappointed but didn't say anything as she walked over to greet Lucy. "Nice to meet you." she said holding out a hand.

Lucy shook the hand excitedly. "T-Thanks. I've always wanted to meet the Fairy Princess-Ah!" She suddenly felt her hand under a harder grip than before.

Erza let go and pulled her hand away quickly. "I'm so sorry! I'm just not a fan of that nickname." she said looking down ashamed.

"Here, give me our hand." Wendy said from behind the bar, her arms reaching up like the tentacles of a deep-sea creature. Lucy put the hand with her guild mark near them and Wendy's hands enveloped hers with a blue light. In a moment, Lucy felt all better.

"You can use Healing Magic? I didn't even know that was a thing!" Lucy said amazed, taking her hand back and looking it over in amazement.

Wendy arms retreated into the depths of the bar. "It's because I'm a Sky Dragon Slayer. It's impossible for anyone else apparently."

"Wow… Wait a moment, Dragon Slayer? You mean like Natsu?" Lucy questioned.

"Yes. Their situations are… similar." Erza said, with a pointed look towards Lucy that made it clear not to ask anymore about it.

Lucy sat there for a moment before remembering something important. "Oh, would any of you know a good place to rent around here? I did just kinda get into town after all." she said embarrassed.

"There's always Fairy Hill. It's the official dormitory for female Fairy Tail members." Erza said.

"You guys have that? Cool! What's the rent?" Lucy asked excited.

"100,000 Jewels!"

Lucy's face morphed from excitement to horror. "Do you perhaps… know of any cheaper options?"

"Not off the top of my head." Erza said unfortunately.

Lucy sniffed. "Oh well, I guess I'll get looking, I-ah, ah, ACHOO!" She suddenly sneezed violently. Luckily, she turned away in time and sneezed harmlessly into the empty air.

"Are you Ok?" Mira asked worried, handing her a tissue.

As Lucy used the tissue she put a hand to her stomach, feeling the same sensation she had earlier upon entering and encountering the Master. "I thought I was just nervous about joining, but I guess it's more than butterflies in my stomach, huh. Can you make me better Wendy?"

Wendy finally stood up from behind the bar, still barely uncovering herself though. "Sorry, my magic is more for physical injuries. If your disease was magical it might help, but all I can do for a normal flu is help regulate temperature and make you less dizzy."

Happy leaned over to Lucy and sniffed. "You smell… like a fish!" He declared.

Lucy suddenly felt very self-conscious about not having showered since her earlier adventure. "We were a bit busy running from the authorities to freshen up! But I guess going for a swim like that wasn't great for my health…" She said.

"You should go see Porlyusica." Mira suggested. "You should go get a checkup as well Lisanna, it's been a while since your last-"

"All right, all right." Lisanna interrupted.

Lucy looked between the sisters confused. "Who's Porlyusica?"

"She's the Guild's resident nurse and medical advisor. I don't know if she's an actual member, but her and the Master go way back apparently. She doesn't use any Magic, so she's great at concoctions and stuff. She's a real master in the field of medicine." Erza said. "Wendy, do you want to take the two of them to her place? Maybe you could learn a thing or two from her as well."

Wendy's eyes went wide with fear at the suggestion, like she was a dog who just learned they were going to the vet. "NO! I mean I'm fine, thanks. I'll just go home for today, see you all later." she said as she hopped out from behind the bar and suddenly ran off in a sprint.

Carla just sighed before flying of after her. "Worth a shot…"

Erza just looked at her sister running off sadly, before turning to Lucy. "I guess I'll show you the way there."


After Erza walked ahead of Lucy and Lisanna, leading them through the dirt path of Magnolia's East Forest for a while, the blonde's curiosity got the better of her. Lucy turned to Erza and said the question she'd been trying not to ask since they started their trek. "So, why is Wendy so scared of this lady. You said she doesn't use Magic, right. Is she some old hag who uses some dangerous backwards techniques?!" she suddenly started worrying.

"What? No, Porlyusica is a great doctor. Why would you think that?" Lisanna asked confused at the sudden spike of fear.

"It's just that when the girl known for healing magic is scared of a doctor of all things, I tend to think there might be something worth worrying about." Lucy said.

"I see how that could come across as worrying, but I assure you that Wendy's issues are unrelated to Porlyusica's abilities." Erza assured her new guildmate.

Lucy looked perplexed by the statement. "Then why is Wendy so scared of her?"

"… I don't think she's scared of her." Erza muttered.

"What was that?" Lucy asked.

Erza looked conflicted about sharing more, but eventually gave in. "You know how my mother has been missing for a while now?" she asked Lucy.

"Um, yeah?" she responded, surprised by how personal this suddenly got.

"Before she disappeared, Wendy and Porlyusica were inseparable. My sister was always running off here to learn something new from Porlyusica. But after Mom left, Wendy seemed afraid to get anywhere near her." Erza let out another sigh. "It's not just her either. Wendy used to want to learn how to fight, and me and Natsu were more than happy to help. But now she doesn't do any training with others at all. She says that she's training by herself, but there's only so much a girl her age can learn on her own."

Lucy looked over at Lisanna, who nodded to confirm what had been said. "Is there… anything I can do to help?" she asked hesitantly, not wanting to overstep her bounds.

"I've tried everything, but if you think you can help, be my guest." Erza said in a defeated tone. "Looks like we're here."

The girls looked forward to see the path had opened up into a clearing. In the center of it was a large tree, which Lucy noticed had window's and doors like a house. She turned to look at the other two in surprise. "She lives in a tree?" They just shrugged, so she walked over to the wooden door, knocking on it. "I'm so glad this Porlyusica is a nice person though. I was worried she'd be all mean and scary!"

Erza and Lisanna looked surprised by her statement and looked at each other weirdly before turning back to her. "We're sorry we gave you that impression…" Erza said, trailing off as she looked away guiltily.

"What sort of trouble have you gotten yourselves into now?" an aged and cranky voice said from behind the door. It creaked open, revealing an elderly woman with pink hair. Despite her apparent age, she stood taller than the girls who had come to visit her, looking down at them with a stern gaze.

"Uh, Hi?" Lucy waved.

Lucy's checkup only took ten minutes, but it was an agonizing ten minutes. Not because Porlyusica's techniques were bad, but because she wouldn't stop nagging her patient throughout it.

"Do you usually go for swims with all your clothes on?"

"You didn't even shower afterward; I can smell the salt on you from here!"

"Not even in the Guild for a day and you already need my help? This is why I hate humans…"

When Lucy's checkup finished, she walked out of the literal treehouse with a pouch of medicine and a mountain of shame. Lisanna walked past her into Porlyusica's house, and Erza walked over and put her on her friends' shoulder. "At least your feeling better. Physically, at least." Barely a minute passed before Lisanna exited, looking down at the ground in thought. She quickly turned to Lucy and asked how she felt.

"She said that I shouldn't do anything stressful for a couple days, so I can't take any jobs. But once I feel better, she says I'm all clear." Lucy tried to say cheerfully, looking at the bright side.

"You still need to find a place, right? You can stay with me and my siblings till you find one." Lisanna suggested.

Lucy looked surprised at the offer. "What? I'm fine, I don't want to impose-"

"Please! It's my fault you got sick in the first place, let me help you out. I can't ask you to look for a place to live in your condition." Lisanna insisted.

Lucy looked at Lisanna and saw the guilt all over her face. "Okay." She agreed. "And Lisanna…"

"What?"

Lucy made sure that Lisanna was looking her in the eyes, so that her point would be clearly made. "You helped get me into Fairy Tail, and that means more to me than anything in the world. A little cold means nothing in the long run. So… thanks." she said, feeling embarrassed at being so honest about her feelings.

Lisanna looked surprised at the thanks and put her arms behind her back and looked away with tinted cheeks. "D-Don't mention it. Being a family to other guildmates is just common courtesy."

The two girls stood there awkwardly for a few moments, before Erza coughed. "Well, since that's all worked out, I guess I'll go check on Wendy. See you when you're better Lucy!" she waved, before shuffling off.

Lisanna looked around awkwardly a bit more before finally talking again. "Why don't I show you the way back."


Lisanna led Lucy back into Magnolia, and eventually to a townhouse on the main road. "We can't live at Fairy Hills since Elfman's a man, as he will so often remind you, so we got this place of our own. We have a spare bed in my room, so none of us will have to sleep on the couch or anything." As they opened the door, they found Mira sitting in the living room already. "Huh? What are you doing here Mira?" she asked confused.

Mira gave her sister a smirk. "I figured something like this would happen, so I decided to make sure to properly prepare for our guest. Elfman's here too!"

"Sis, the bath is now ready!" a voice said, approaching from upstairs. Elfman walked down and was surprised to see Lucy had arrived. "Oh, you're here? Mira was spot on with the timing."

"You prepared a bath for me?" Lucy said surprised, looking between the two older siblings.

"Of course! Helping a woman in need is one of the Manliest things one can do." Elfman boasted.

"I overheard Happy, and decided you'd appreciate no longer smelling like the harbor." Mira said as well.

Lucy sniffed at her clothes and realized that she had been tuning out the smell for a while now. "I think I'll take you up on that offer, thanks."

As Lucy walked up to the bath, Lisanna turned to Mira. "Where's Natsu. I'm surprised he didn't run off after me when we left." she asked.

Mira laughed at the thought. "Macao went on some job a while ago and his kid was whining about him taking to long, so Natsu decided to run off and go find him." She then leaned in after hearing the bathroom door upstairs close. "So, what's up with the new girl."

"I already told you, I'm just being nice to her. It's my fault she needed help in the first place. Is it not important to show the new members the ropes?" Lisanna huffed.

Mira smiled slyly. "I'm sure you'll give her all the ropes tonight-"

"Alright, that's enough. Elfman, come help me make dinner." Lisanna interrupted, walking toward the kitchen.

"You know, if you wanted, I can go ask Levy about making some soundproof runes…" Her oldest sibling continued teasing.

"I can't here you, I'm in the kitchen!" Lisanna shouted down the hall.

Elfman looked between the two in confusion. "… What are you two talking about?"

"Get your butt into the kitchen Elfman!" her younger sister demanded.

"Eep!"


Lucy lay in the spare bed of Lisanna's bedroom, lying in pure bliss. After a bath, home cooked meal, and sleeping in a comfy bed, she felt like she had ascended to another level of existence. She knew it was now morning, as she could feel the sunlight shining against her closed eye's, but she refused to leave the comfort of her sheets. She was sick, right? No one would judge her for sleeping in.

The light was suddenly ceased though, it's warming rays blocked from her. Refusing to see what had interrupted her respite, she brought an arm out from under the bedding and began to wave it in front of her, hoping to remove the disturbance.

*smack*

The noise of flesh hitting her palm reached her ears. That wasn't the sound she expected. Had Lisanna come over to wake her up, and she just slapped her?! She immediately opened her eyes and got up to apologize. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to hit you Lisanna, but I didn't think you were… up?"

Rubbing the sleep out of her eye's, Lucy's sight adjusted to the light to see that Lisanna was still in her bed. She turned her gaze over to her outstretched hand to see it resting on the cheek of one Natsu Dragneel. "Good morning."

"AAAAAAAAHHH!" Lucy shoved the invader away while pulling the sheets up, hiding her body. She could also see Happy sitting on her bed. "Lisanna, a little help!"

"Huh, what happened…" Lisanna mumbled as she woke up. She rubbed her eyes and saw Natsu splayed out on the bedroom floor from Lucy's shove, and Happy sitting on the edge of the bed, laughing at his friend's surprise. "Oh, it's just you two." she said, laying back down and rolling over.

"What?!" Lucy said surprised. "These two broke into your bedroom!"

"Yeah, they do that sometimes. Don't worry about it." Lisanna said dismissively.

Lucy looked over at Natsu horrified. "…Why?"

"Because sometimes she takes forever to wake up. I'm usually able to get up, pick a mission, and pack everyone's stuff before she even wakes up." he complained, crossing his arms as he shot Lisanna a look.

"It's really handy. He packs all my clothes and everything for me." Lisanna said. "I hate to tell you, but Lucy can't go on any missions, she's sick. Besides, I was going to help her find a place to rent."

"I know, that's why I've brought this." Natsu said, holding up a newspaper in his hand. "I asked Macao about it after I saved him from those Vulcans yesterday, and he said you can find places to live in these things. So, I grabbed this morning's issue and ran right over!"

"After I reminded him!" Happy said, getting an unimpressed look from Natsu.

"Oh. Thanks, Natsu." Lucy said, taking the papers. She was surprised by the Dragon Slayers thoughtfulness. He knew his senses were good, but to hear about her needing a place to live and that she was sick while he was fighting on the other side of the building? She felt touched that he was still paying attention to her even after joining the guild.

Lisanna's sigh could be heard on the other side of the room. "I guess that means we should get up now. Natsu, get out."

Natsu tilted his head. "Why?"

Lisanna just shook her head. "… Just go wait downstairs or something."

Natsu got up, annoyed at being told to leave. "Fine then. I'm gonna go to Elfman's room, see if he can make something for breakfast. I'm sure I'll be much more appreciated there." He said as he walked out the room, Happy floating behind him, and closing the door behind him.

There was silence in the house, except for the sound of Natsu stomping down the hall, and Lucy looked over concerned. "Should we…?" but Lisanna just shushed her.

Then the sound of a door being slammed open echoed out followed by Natsu's voice, muffled by the distance. Elfman's annoyed response, however, was clearly heard through the walls. "Barging into other people's rooms is UNMANLY!" followed by a loud crash.

"Hahaha!" The two girls began laughing at their friend's buffoonery and misfortune, before getting out bed to change. Lucy looked over at the paper Natsu had dropped off and flipped it to the Classified section. Despite a rocky start, things seemed to be looking good now. Lucy couldn't wait to start taking jobs as a Mage of Fairy Tail.

Next Chapter: Enter the Everlue Estate