New chapter! You may have noticed I haven't included any of the Exceed's; mainly because their presence wouldn't fit in this story, so they won't be appearing.

Let me know what you think!

Lucy sighed; she never thought going on jobs would be so exhausting, or maybe it was exhausting because of Erza and her team. Regardless, she still couldn't believe she was finally part of Fairy Tail and it was everything she could imagine, that is if you exclude the constant brawls the guild had, but except that, everything was perfect. She even met another fellow Celestial Spirit Mage, Yukino Agria; and much to her surprise, she also possessed some Golden Celestial Keys. The two Celestial mages had actually just finished a job together along with Sting; well it was actually Sting who wanted to go and dragged the girls along with him. The job was to retrieve a book; sounded easy enough at first, but the shenanigans that came along certainly weren't. First the client had raised the reward to two million jewels; then they find out that the book was written by a very famous author Kaby Melon who was imprisoned and forced to write the book by a corrupted politician, Duke Everlue. All in all, the job ended in a failure because they didn't actually fulfill the job description.

"You look tired" Yukino said, breaking Lucy out of her thoughts.

"Just disappointed that we didn't get a reward for our last job" Yukino giggled taking a seat next to her by the bar.

"It's to be expected; it's a guild policy that we don't accept payments if the job is incomplete" she explained.

"I understand, but I could really use the money right now" Yukino looked to the blonde concerned.

"Are you really low on money right now? If you want I could lend you some" Lucy smiled at the offer but shook her head.

"No, it's just that I need money for this month's rent" she replied. Gray approached and sat next to her.

"Well you could always join another team for a job; I heard you did a very good job on that last job, so you'll probably get a lot of offers" he said, Lucy looked dejected.

"I really didn't do much"

"Don't sell yourself short; I heard that you single handily took down the Vanish Brother's" Lucy rested her head on her palm pointing at Sting.

"Sting was the one who did all the fighting" Gray turned to him.

"That was you?" Sting glared at him, mouth full of food.

"You got a problem with that?"

"Gray, your clothes" Yukino said

"Again?" Gray yelled. Sting rolled his eyes going back to his meal.

"What a pain in the ass" in response Gray grabbed Sting by the collar.

"Oi, did you just call me a pain in the ass; you stupid flashlight?" Sting wasn't backing down.

"A massive pain, you ice freak!" while the two were bickering, Loke was by Lucy's side trying to work his charm on her.

"If you want, we can form a Love Love team" Lucy backed away a little disturbed.

"Why did you repeat love?" however Loke wasn't listening, he inched closer.

"You truly are beautiful, even with my dark shades your aura of beauty glows brightly; if I were to ever take my glasses off, my eyes will no doubt shatter into pieces"

"Then please take off those glasses" Lucy replied. Loke then noticed Lucy's Celestial Keys; he instantly back away.

"You're a Celestial mage?" he cried.

"Yeah" Lucy responded not really sure what got him so spooked. Loke turned to run away.

"What tragedy! To think that our fated encounter would end up like this! I'm afraid I must end our relationship" Lucy watched Loke run away, not at all fazed by his reaction.

"There never was an 'us' to begin with" she muttered. Yukino giggled.

"He had the same reaction with me" she explained. Erza appeared also watching him leave the guild.

"We suspect that he had a bad run with a Celestial Mage in the past" she said. Mira watched with interest; she never was interested in romance, but she did enjoy watching other people fall in love; she found it entertaining; which is why she was famous in the guild for being an avid matchmaker.

"By the way, where is the Master?" Lucy asked noticing the short old man was nowhere to be seen.

"He's currently attending an annual Guild Master meeting. He should be back in a couple of days" Mira said. That was when Loke had run back into the Guild.

"Everyone!" he yelled, catching everyone's attention "The First is back". Everyone was struck with surprise and jumped into action. Lucy looked around to see everyone cleaning up the place.

"What's going on?" she asked. Yukino was the one to answer.

"Over the years; it has always been the First who cleans up the Guild when everyone goes home for the night, so whenever she returns from a mission, we make sure to repay the favor by making sure the Guild is sparkling clean" Lucy looked over at Sting and Gray; they were actually working together for once. She could only imagine who this First really was to warrant such a reaction from them all. Only five minutes have passed and the entire Guild looked completely new.

"Erza and the others have told you about the First right?" Yukino asked. Lucy shrugged.

"A little bit; I only know that she is Erza's mother figure" Yukino nodded while smiling. The Guild doors opened and everyone sat watching in anticipation. A woman strolled in, looking to be around her early to mid twenties.

"She's beautiful..." Lucy whispered, a light blush forming on her cheeks.

"Welcome back First!" they all called. The woman smiled.

"It's good to be back" everyone immediately crowded around her. Lucy sat by the side watching the scene; she was quick to stand up when Yukino led the First towards her.

"First, I'd like to introduce you to our newest member, Lucy" Yukino introduced. "Lucy, this is Fairy Tail's first Guild Master, Mavis Vermillion" Lucy was confused.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Lucy" Mavis greeted with a smile; Lucy was turning red with embarrassment.

"No, no, the pleasure is mine"

"How are you liking Fairy Tail so far?" Mavis asked. Lucy nodded furiously while smiling.

"It's been great, everybody has been very nice and helpful" Lucy made sure to choose her words carefully, not wanting to offend the founder. Though she still found it odd, she didn't think there would be someone that old still amongst the living. But Lucy's first impression of the First can be described as mesmerizing; she couldn't explain it, but the First had this aura of grace and authority to her. She could now could understand why everyone in the guild respected her so much.

"Where have you been all this time?" Erza asked what everybody has been wondering for the past three months. Mavis smiled apologetically at the red head.

"I left to go on a training trip; I'm sorry to have worried you all" everyone seemed to accept the answer; Erza however knew there was more to it, but decided to question her master at a later time. "Where is the Third Master?" Mavis asked.

"He's currently at the annual Guild Master meeting" Cana replied. The First nodded, turning to face Erza, Mira, Sting and Gray.

"It is sudden, but I need you four to help me on a mission tomorrow, meet me at the train station at noon" was all she said before leaving the guild once again. Everyone could only stand stunned.

"The First needs help with a mission?" Macao whispered, Wakaba could only watch, equally as stunned.

"Well that's certainly interesting" Cana said having returned to her drinks. Lucy turned to look at her.

"Why is it weird that the First is asking for help?" Cana took a swing of a barrel before answering.

"The First is the strongest mage in our ranks; nobody can match her power, not even our ace; so to hear that she needs help on a job is quite alarming" Lucy's eyes went wide.

"She's that amazing?" Cana smirked.

"Believe me, there is nobody out there who can overpower her" Lucy stared at the door which Mavis left through.

It was getting late and the only thing Mavis was thinking about was the softness of a bed. She turned a corner and noticed the lights to her house were on; her eyes narrowed and she marched to her door and slammed it open.

"Why the heck are you in my house again?!" she screamed. Natsu and Wendy were sitting around Mavis' dining table.

"Because you have a great place" Natsu said munching on some cookies; Mavis' eyes widened and quickly grabbed the box of snacks.

"My limited edition lemon cookies" she whimpered sadly while staring into the near empty box. Natsu laughed nervously.

"Sorry about that, but they were very addicting after the first bite" he apologized. There was more munching sounds; Mavis turned around to see Wendy eating a bag of rice crackers. Mavis jumped forward taking the bag away from her, Mavis shook the bag; it was empty.

"I stood in line for three days to get these" she whispered.

"If it makes you feel better, they taste terrible" Wendy tried to assure her.

"No! That doesn't make me feel better!" she yelled. There was a moment before Mavis realized there was a sizzling sound coming from the kitchen.

"Oh! It's ready!" Koishi's voice surprised Mavis; she didn't even notice the girl was sitting next to Wendy; though that is to be expected considering her ability to manipulate the subconscious. Koishi came back with a plate of steak. Mavis stared at it.

"You're the biggest offender of the three!" the blonde screamed, she dropped to her knees crying her eyes out. "I spent five hundred thousand jewels on that piece of steak" Natsu went over to her and patted her head.

"There, there; but if you don't want people to eat your food, you shouldn't leave it lying around in your house like that" Natsu comforted her. There was a knock on the door, which actually frightened Mavis; she didn't want any more demons invading her home. But she stood up to open the door.

"Good evening" it was Sayla, the only demon Mavis didn't mind having over. Mavis grabbed Sayla's hand and pulled her inside.

"Please help me kick these three out!" Sayla looked confused at Mavis' request.

"Are we not having a dinner party here tonight?" Mavis stared at her; then turned back to Natsu who was attempting to get a piece of meat from Koishi's plate.

"Who told you that?" she asked Sayla.

"Natsu did" Mavis' reaction was to throw her bag of cookies right into Natsu's face.

"Don't organize parties in other people's homes without their consent!" she screamed; Natsu chuckled, waving her off. Sayla frowned at him as well.

"Natsu... we've discussed this before; if you're going to organize a party like this, at least make it a surprise party" she scolded her Master. Mavis' face faulted.

"That's not really the problem here" but was left ignored. There was another knock on the door; Mavis hesitated but opened the door anyway; Jackal, Kyouka, Ezel and Satori piled inside. It was only now did Mavis notice Sayla was carrying a basket. She sighed knowing there was no way to escape them.

Jackal the Elemental Bomber; his destructive nature was well known throughout Tartaros; Fiore has had many mysterious cases of explosions, mostly in guilds and houses of political figures; all of them would point to Jackal. Ezel the Mad Executioner; was brash and wild, he has a thirst for combat and would go out of his way to pick fights, whether it is against humans or demons he wouldn't hesitate to cut them down. Kyouka though she didn't possess any nickname like the others, she was equally as terrifying if not even more so; she was a demon of enhancement, possessing power of sense manipulation; though she wasn't as adept with manipulating the brain like the Komeiji sisters, her combat prowess made up for it.

The party certainly was hectic; mostly because of Natsu, Jackal and Ezel going wild with the alcohol. Kyouka turned out to be a crying drunk; she was sitting on side with Sayla and Wendy comforting her as she cried her heart out; something about a boyfriend from what Mavis heard. Satori and Koishi were sitting quietly, Satori was drinking a cup of tea, Koishi was eating one of Mavis' secret cakes. Despite the sudden intrusion, Mavis had to admit, Sayla's cooking made up for it. She stepped outside into the empty night; she looked over the calm river bed and sighed.

"Shall we begin round one?" Mavis said. Natsu was standing behind her with a devious smile. "That is what you want to talk about isn't it?"

"You always seem to know what I am thinking" he stood next to her. "Lullaby will be the objective; I'm sure you already know what it is, so I won't bother explaining it" Mavis glanced at him noticing the faint hate in his eyes.

"I shouldn't be surprised, but how did find out?" she asked

"About the mission you are going on tomorrow?" Mavis nodded. "Because I know everything about you" he leaned in close to a whisper "Down to the last detail" Mavis blushed pushing his face away.

"I'd rather you not say something like that, or I'll report you for sexual harassment" Natsu chuckled.

"Alright, alright; but anyways, I had Satori read your mind" Mavis sighed.

"Of course you did"

"You intend to destroy the object" he said causing Mavis to eye him waiting for him to continue. "I, however want to acquire the item"

"I figured as much; however I hope you understand that it is in the hands of another guild" Natsu's smile widened.

"I'm counting on it. Now the rules of the first round; your team is to try and destroy Lullaby; my team is going to try and steal it. If you can destroy the flute before my team puts it in my possession, then it will be your win"

"And your win, if you can manage to get your hands on it" Mavis finished; Natsu nodded before continuing.

"Of course, a very important rule; we are not allowed to participate; break the rule then the round is immediately won by the apposing team" Mavis knew this was coming, though she had hoped Natsu wouldn't bring it up. "We are however allowed to command from a distance" Mavis could role with that. He placed a hand on her shoulder. "The round will start tomorrow once you leave Magnolia" he smirked. "Good luck" normally Natsu's sinister tone would concern her, but having known the demon for over eighty years, she's grown accustomed to his quirks.

Six Fairy Tail mages were sitting in a private carriage on the train heading towards the next station. Erza and her group sat quietly as Mavis began explaining the details of the mission; Mavis had cast a spell on Sting to prevent his motion sickness; she needed his full attention. Lucy was also there after being told by Yukino to tag along; Mavis was happy to have her join them, but told Lucy to stay away from the fights, at least until she got a better understanding of Lucy's capabilities in magic.

"Lullaby; it is a cursed object created to kill all those who listen to its melody. Our mission is to find it and destroy it" She glanced at them; none of them spoke, so she continued "The item is currently in the hands of a dark guild called Eisenwald"

"Isn't that the guild that Erigor is in?" Mira asked. Lucy looked to her in wonder, which Mira noticed. "Erigor is known as the Shinigami, a man who only ever takes assassination jobs" at this Lucy wished she didn't ask; she glanced over the others and they didn't look at all fazed, in fact they all looked eager to take them on.

"We'll take them down First; those punks don't stand a chance" Sting exclaimed; Gray nodded.

"For once I agree with the light bulb"

"Don't worry First, we will find Lullaby and destroy it before they can do anything with it" Mira assured. Erza however didn't say anything, out of the three, she's known Mavis the longest; she knew when something else was worrying her master.

"It is good that you are all so determined; however, Eisenwald is not who I am concerned about. Erza, Mira, Gray, Sting" Mavis said. "Five years ago I told you the reason why I was training you to be some of the strongest mages in Fairy Tail" The four of them widened their eyes, realizing what she was implying. "Lucy; everything I say now must be kept a secret" Lucy looked nervous but nodded; Mavis held a grim expression continued explaining "The game has begun; and our true opponent is the Guild Tartaros"
"So we finally get to face off against them" Gray commented.

"Bah, it doesn't matter; we will still defeat them" Sting said, full of confidence. Mavis narrowed her eyes.

"I recommend you move with caution; the members of Tartaros are dangerous"

"Master..." Erza finally spoke; Mavis turned to her. "I understand that you've made it your task to study them and find all their weak points so that one day we can eliminate them. So out of all of us you know this guild the best. Are you able to tell us who we will be facing?" Mavis shook her head.

"I'm afraid I cannot. Their Master left out all the details" everyone jumped at what she said; they understood that Mavis knew a lot about the enemy guild, but they didn't think she would actually meet their Guild Master; they were under the assumption that her investigations were in secret. "Do not be alarmed, it is to be expected that I would be contacted personally for the details of the first round" everyone was still on edge. "The rules of the first round are as follows; our objective is to destroy Lullaby; their objective is to steal it from Eisenwald. We must destroy the flute before Tataros can bring it back to their Master" Everyone nodded. But Lucy was confused; out of everyone she was the one out of the loop.

"Sorry, but I am confused. What game are you talking about First?" Lucy asked. Mavis sighed; she expected this but right now but she didn't want to explain the situation.

"I will explain when things settle down Lucy; for now I must brief you on the plan" Mira raised a brow at this.

"First, do you know what Tartaros is planning?" Mavis shook her head.

"No, but I do have a good idea what Eisenwald is planning. In regards to Tartaros; I cannot plan a counter for them until I know who we are up against. So for now, just be on the lookout for their members".

"Understood" they said; Mavis smiled.

"Now here is the plan".

Sayla was taking a stroll in the woods close by her home when she felt a chill slowly rise up her feet. She stopped and looked behind her; four girls stood waiting. Sayla smiled at them but frowned when they started kneeling; she sighed.

"What have I told you about bowing to me?" she questioned them.

"Not to do it" Meredy said.

"And what are you doing?" Sayla questioned again.

"Bowing to you" Ultear replied with a grin. Sayla sighed rubbing her temples.

"You girls..." they stood up all with smiles on their lips.

"We have returned from our recent job" Kagura reported.

"I hope everything went well" the four girls nodded.

"We were able to eliminate our target" Lisanna said. Sayla nodded.

"Good; but as much as I would like to give you girls a break, you have a new assignment" this caught their interest. "Master has begun his game; you four are to seek out a Dark Guild by the name of Eisenwald and steal an item called Lullaby; your opponents are from Fairy Tail; steal it before they can destroy the object" they nodded; before they could leave Sayla called out to them, specifically Lisanna.

"Lisanna; one of the members from Fairy Tail is your sister" Lisanna's eyes went dark as hatred consumed her; the white haired girl turned away; her voice turning cold.

"Mirajane Strauss is no sister of mine".