Update 7/23/18
I took a little bit of liberties with the Fairy Tail lore here. But I tried to make it still fit seamlessly regardless. I hope you all like it.
Chapter 2Even through her bleary, sleep riddled eyesight Lucy noticed her mistake. The train in front of her was vastly different than the one she would normally take. The engine car before her was a beautiful polished sleek chrome color and looked decades younger than the one she was used to. She arched an eyebrow at it then looked down at the words imprinted on her ticket. She had to squint a bit since her eyes weren't ready to focus yet that early in the morning. "Business Line?" She read questioningly.
"Did you not realized you purchased 'business line' tickets, Lucy?" Yukino asked behind her.
"No, I...what does that mean exactly?"
Yukino smiled, immediately pleased that she could impart some wisdom to her friend. "This particular train always runs earlier than the normal train. It's intended purpose is to arrive at its destinations rapidly. I didn't bring it up because I thought you bought these tickets on purpose. I figured you wanted to get there before the symposium would start."
Lucy shook her head. "I looked at the schedule and the first event I was concerned about doesn't happen until tomorrow. I figured today would just be a day to shop around first. I mean I thought we would check out the shop stands and hopefully find some rare keys maybe." She looked at the train again. "So how does it work?"
"Oh well, it's a magical vehicle unlike the coal engines of the normal trains. It has two standard SE-plugs installed in the engine car. The conductors of this train are all mages." Lucy briefly remember the time Erza had drove them around in the magical vehicle she had borrowed. It was quite fast for a mode of transportation so she had a slight inkling of what to expect from this train. There was no way she would be able to ride this particular train with Natsu though. She didn't want to imagine how sick this train would make him. It was just too early to envision his green butt face right now. Then something slowly trickled into Lucy's mind about the power of the train. "But, wait that would drain a lot of energy wouldn't it? I mean with even two conductors that still would be difficult to maintain I would think." They both began to board the train and find a place to sit.
"Yes, you're right. They resolve this issue by switching out conductors at every stop. That's most of the reason for the elevated price." Once they sat down both eyed the seat belts in confusion before getting comfortable. "I only know all this because a couple of the guys from Sabertooth took a job as substitute train conductors."
"Oh man, I could have saved jewel had I bought a normal ticket." Lucy whimpered.
"Yes, but a normal trip to Clover Town would probably take close to seven hours. I'd imagine this trip would take probably half that, maybe even a little less."
"Wow, that's impressive." No sooner the words were out of Lucy's mouth then the train began to slowly lurch forward. Lucy frowned at the slowness in the beginning. But it rapidly changed pace in the blink of an eye and the girls had to cling tightly to the edges of their seats to not fall out of them. "I guess there was a reason for these seat belts after all." They both began to quickly regret not taking the seat belts into further consideration before the train began moving.
"I guess all we can do at the moment is hold on tight and fix our seat belt dilemma at the next stop." Yukino proposed. It soon became apparent just how difficult a chore that would be with how they were sitting precariously in the wooden seats, and how their fingers were tightly gripping the sides. It began to quickly become quite uncomfortable and exhausting. If it weren't for the rapid moving vehicle surrounding them the two might have passed out from the weariness overcoming their bodies. It was never easy to deal with two types of debilitating exhaustion at once, and the two were both dealing with the physical and lethargic types at the moment. The two would soon find out that they had to sit this way for a total of thirty minutes before they arrived at the station in Onibus.
Of course despite the fast moving scenery outside their shared window those thirty minutes went by at a snail's pace. But once the train began to noticeably slow down the two quickly regained their composure and latched together the metal closure to securely fasten their seat belts. "If I ever take a business line like this again I will definitely remember to fasten my seat belt. Not that I think I will have the opportunity with Natsu's motion sickness."
"Oh, gosh, imagine dealing with two motion sick dragon slayers. I'm constantly going on jobs with Rogue and Sting, and most of the time I get outvoted and we travel by foot. But when we have to use some mode of transportation it is such a nightmare."
"Eww, yeah spare me the details on that one please. I have enough trouble dealing with one."
"Didn't I hear that Wendy can cure their motion sickness though?" Yukino asked curiously.
"Mm, yes but Natsu seems to have developed some kind of resistance to it. If it works at all the time frame is really short. If Erza is with us she just usually will knock him out. Somehow his head always ends up in my lap no matter if Erza is with us or not." She wasn't really sure why she brought up the thing about Natsu laying in her lap and would have regretted it if she were in mixed company.
Yukino blushed at the visual. "Er, but isn't that kind of uncomfortable for you?"
Lucy shrugged her shoulders as the train began to move again. "I never really liked it in the beginning, but honestly it's a lot easier than dealing with his head out the window and his butt in my face." At least I can cover up the way my mouth decided to run away from me.
Yukino covered her mouth coyly as she began to giggle at the mental representation her mind concocted.
"So, I have been meaning to ask you how you were doing in Sabretooth since Sting became the new Guild Master."
"Oh gosh, it's a lot better atmosphere that's for certain. He has adapted to the idea of guilds being a family like Natsu was spouting off about the day he came to the guild to defend me. I..I honestly wish I had been there to see that particular moment."
"Yeah, Natsu may be an idiot most times but he has strong convictions and protects those he views as his friends fiercely."
"I think the protection thing is a dragon trait. Rogue and Sting are quite the same way. They take the front line in fights before I even know one has begun. Then once I summon one of my spirits one of the two is always by side to keep my body from coming to physical harm. The Grand Magic Games was one of the few times I have fought on my own honestly. Sting was quite adamant that I shouldn't participate at all. But I wanted to show to everyone in the guild how strong I could be."
"I know exactly what you mean. I always feel like my magic is sub par compared to the other members of my team.
"I mean first there's Erza. She is an S-Class Equip Mage whose ability seems to have no bounds. Taking on all 100 of those monsters in that challenge wasn't even necessary. But she did it because she wanted to show to all the viewers in the stands that Fairy Tail was still the number one guild. That particular challenge is probably what made the fans in the stands turn favor towards us.
"Then you have Gray. Gray has gained the ability to think on multiple levels when he fights and learn his opponent's disadvantages. Once he does he tries to turn the table on his opponent by striking out against those disadvantages. Take his fight with Rufus for example. Gray realized that Rufus could only use his Memory Make magic so fast. So Gray began casting his spells to the point it confused Rufus. That's how he took him out. I have been training to utilize a way to think like that. But Gray makes it look easy.
"Of course I can't forget Natsu. You would think that the way that Natsu rushes into things without thinking would be a detriment. I won't lie most of the time it is. But there are several moments where that quick reaction time has saved several of us. I will never completely forgive Flare for trying to hurt Asuka. I know she was just following Ivan's orders. But hurting a defenseless little girl is the lowest of the low. Luckily Natsu's enhanced hearing caught how I whispered her name in shock and he was able to save her. I just wish that all had went down sooner rather than later so the fight would have ended differently."
Being able to share these self doubts and worries with another Celestial Mage was helping Lucy heal a part of her self esteem she wasn't completely aware was damaged. She still was determined to learn something relevant about her magic at this symposium that could strengthen her magic to make her an invaluable member to her team.
About an hour after leaving the Onibus station and making another stop at the Kunugi station the train began to make its approach to the Oshibana station. Lucy began to be infiltrated with memories. She remembered Eisenwald's attack and the threat of the Erigor's utilization of Lullaby. That was definitely the first demanding magical battle she had been in. But it was mostly Natsu, Gray, and Erza that had done the work in that battle. She sighed as she once again in a way felt mentally defeated.
Lucy looked at the train station once more after it began moving again. I guess there are some good memories here though too. I mean this is where Happy gave me Virgo's key.
The trip from Oshibana to Clover Town was probably the most difficult part of the journey. The train was navigating the curves and sloping through the mountains at such a speed that it nearly had Lucy feeling sick to her stomach. It was also the lengthiest part of their journey as there was more actual land to cover. Unlike the other jogs on their journey this remaining chunk, from Oshibana to Clover Town, took an hour long to traverse.
Once the train arrived in Clover town Lucy and Yukino trudged off it on heavy, slightly unsteady feet. "Now I think I may know how the dragon slayers feel dealing with motion sickness all the time." Yukino muttered. Lucy silently agreed but she would never share this piece of information with Natsu. Mentally saying his name in her mind just then had her worrying over the state of her apartment and silently cursing his name. She would probably come home to her kitchen being burnt, her living room a pigsty of a mess, and more than likely a set of pink locks peeking out from under the comforter on her bed.
Yukino placed a hand on Lucy's shoulder as she noticed her whole body went stiff. "Hey, what's wrong?"
Lucy shrugged off the tension that infiltrated her joints and quickly smiled at Yukino. "Sorry I was mentally worrying over the shambles I am more than likely to find my apartment in when I get home."
"Mm. Yeah I can imagine. Fire is a pretty destructive magic all on it's own. From the stories you have told me of Natsu's childish behavior I have to imagine his magic in particular has to be at least twice as destructive."
"Try more like ten times as destructive." Lucy sighed. "I really shouldn't be worrying about him right now though…" All she was doing right now was borrowing trouble, and there was really no point to letting it bother her. She took a deep breath and let it out, determined to put those worries behind her. She turned and smiled at Yukino. "Let's go find our hotel."
It wasn't hard to find where they would be residing over the weekend. Clover Town was small because of its location nestled in the mountains. But the streets were a lot busier than normal due to the numerous merchants stands set up. Some indeed were magic shop merchants which both the two Celestial Mages anticipated. What they were surprised to discover was that there were weapons, armor, clothing, and jewelry merchant stands set up also. There were also a few food vendor stalls that all smelled heavenly in their own way. "Let's get settled in quickly. I'm starving, and I really don't want to pass up on any deals these stands might have." Lucy planned on trying to bargain for the lowest prices possible for her purchases. But there was a cornerstone in her mind that was encouraging her to splurge. If she wanted something badly enough she shouldn't leave Clover Town without it, regardless of the price tag.