And here is chapter 3! Finally some story progression! And a little bit of more characters!


All rights go to Hiro Mashima, the creator and lord of Fairytail.


Lucy tried to contain her excitement as she walked down the cobblestone path that led to the Fairy Tail guild. It had only been a week since she's been apart from her nakama and was finding it hard to suppress the urge to run to the guild. She could hardly contain the excitement that bubbled within her and was ready to rid of the rather silent walk with the sound of her rowdy teammates.

"Pun pun~" Plue crooned, wiggling in her arms.

Looking down at the snowman, she laughed at the sight. Her energy must be affecting Plue if the spirit was trying to wiggle out of her arms to race toward the guild. She cooed at him, "Ne Plue, just a bit longer, okay?"

He nodded in his own, shivering way. That didn't stop his urgent wiggling, nor the way he would clap his hands at the sight of a familiar face as they continued down the cobblestone path. They were close, as the noise of the latest brawl could be heard from where she walked. It only encouraged the small spirit in his wiggling ways, a source of entertainment as she quickly made her way through the rather bustling town.

The tall building of the guild began coming into vision, the dark brown wood that held the Fairy Tail crest coming into sight. Smiling brightly as if the building itself gave her the fuzzies, she skipped along the remaining distance to the beckoning doors. Pushing them open, she came into sight of the filled guild in all its glory.

There were shouts of greeting, most coming from the large brawl taking place in the middle of the guild while others came from the darker corners within the guild. Waving back at everyone, she hopped over to the awaiting barmaid that looked at her expectantly.

"Ohayo Mira!" Lucy chirped once she made it over to the bar before placing Plue gently down onto it as he called out for Mira's attention, "How are you?"

"Ohayo Lucy, I'm doing more than fine now that you're back from your first-ever solo mission! How did it go?!" She questioned, continuing to wipe a mug clean with her rag before her eyes strayed toward the needy spirit. Smiling gently, she dug under the counter and handed over a lollipop to Plue who quickly snatched it and waltzed away.

Lucy rolled her eyes at the sight, watching as Plue began playing with Happy on the other side of the bar. Keeping a watchful eye on her spirit, she turned back to the bartender and sighed, "It went better than expected, though I did get two new spirits!"

At that, Mira's smile widened for her friend. "Ah! Congrats Lucy, who did you get?"

Grabbing a hold of her key ring and searching for her two latest editions, she showed them to Mira gleefully of the new two stone keys. "This one here is Fornax the Furnace," she pointed at one of them before pointing to the other, "and this one is Cygnus the Northern Cross!"

Mira's keen eyes scanned the two keys while admiring the rare objects. "Dunno, I thought there were only gold and silver keys?"

Lucy's eyes widened at that, pausing as Mira continued to look at the keys admiringly. She totally forgot that was why she rushed home in the first place. This was a new discovery of what is known about celestial magic, and she had to report the new information and how the mission went to Master. She hated cutting her conversation with Mira short, but she had to inform them before it got later.

"Ah Mira, is the Master in his office today?" Lucy asked, humming in thought, "I need to tell him about my new keys and the mission."

Mira nodded as she placed the rag and mug down before she tapped her cheek in thought, "I believe so, he should be in his office."

"Perfect!" Lucy chirped while hooking her key ring back onto her belt, "Can you make me a smoothie once I come back?"

As Mira nodded before resuming her quest on cleaning up the bar, Lucy looked around for her teammates. It didn't feel fair to not tell them the news, and it seemed to be better to get it done all at once rather than individually.

Finding Natsu and Gray in the midst of the guild brawl, and Erza and Wendy off to the side at their own table, she chose to go the safer route. Making her way over to the table whilst dodging stray chairs and the occurring body, she quickly caught the attention of her female teammates.

"Ohayo Erza, ohayo Wendy," Lucy greeted the familiar duo. "Can you round up Natsu and Gray and meet me in Master's office?"

Wendy's face was downturned into a concerned look at her words. She ignored Carla's nagging as Wnedy voiced out her concern, "Are you okay Lucy-san? Why do we need to go to the Master's office?"

"I agree, is something the matter Lucy?" Erza questioned, placing her fork onto the plate she held. Both shot concerned looks at Lucy causing her to giggle at their antics. It made Lucy happy that her teammates cared for her.

"Hai, everything is okay," Lucy smiled reassuringly at both of them. "I just need to update you guys and Master on some things, if that's all right?"

Erza looked hesitant at first before sighing. Lucy watched as Erza looked around before landing on the destructive duo of the team and nodding to herself.

"Of course Lucy, leave it to us," Erza said before gesturing to Wendy to head towards the bickering duo still in the fray of the brawl.

Lucy sighed in relief before making her way towards the bar to pick up Plue that seemed pleased at her return. She knew Erza would somehow get the others into the room some way or another. Making her way up the stairs and over to the main door, she breathed in before knocking gently on the wooden door, "Master? It's me Lucy, may I come in?"

She waited a few seconds, knowing it was better to wait than open it to something she would rather not see. She hummed while waiting a few seconds as shuffling was heard from behind the door. Plue wiggled in her arms, cooing at her. Taking it as a sign she dismissed him back to the Celestial World.

"Ah-yes Lucy, come in! Come in!" Master called out. Lucy took that as her cue and opened the door to see him shifting uncomfortably on his chair. She sighed at the sight before closing the door behind her and taking a seat in front of his desk. She knew her friends would come storming up the stairs and into the room soon, so she chose to wait till they were in the room to begin.

As both waited in silence for the others to join them, they didn't have to wait long as knocks came from the door. With no time to answer, Erza and Natsu shuffled in quickly.

Natsu's gaze turned towards her, his smile lifting into a grin. "Hey, Luce- Awk!"

Erza pinned him down with a glare after bonking him on the head, staring at the now swelling lump on his head. Unclenching her fist, Erza then planted him onto an empty chair before sitting beside him on the same couch.

"Wait till the Master is ready to speak before talking, Natsu." Erza scolded as the remaining members of Team Natsu made their way into the office. Wendy quietly took her place on an armchair to the side of Erza while Gray took a seat on Lucy's chair. Feeling Gray nudge her shoulder, she nudged him back playfully. He sent a wink her way before turning towards Master who began clearing his throat to begin the meeting.

Lucy rolled her eyes at him. The same old Gray. Though, she did miss their friendly banter. She missed all of her friends, and it was reassuring that they possibly missed her too. The thought had her smiling before tuning into the conversation.

"My children, Lucy, here has called for a team gathering with my presence today," Makarov stated, gesturing for Lucy to take the floor.

"As Master was saying, I called for the team to be here as I discovered something while on my mission. I have discovered a new set of keys-"

"New keys?! Lemme' see Luce!" Natsu exclaimed, eyes shining in wonder.

A clank was sounded in the room as Natsu yelped in pain, Erza pinning him down with a harsher glare. "Wait your turn Natsu!"

"As I was saying," Lucy began again, unfazed. "Apparently, there are more than just the known silver and gold keys, rather there are multiple key sets out there that are either hidden or unknown. I have gathered two new keys while on my mission, the stone keys: Cygnus the Northern Cross and Fornax the Furnace."

"Woah!" Wendy gasped in awe when Lucy brought out the keys for everyone to look over.

Lucy continued on speaking, "That's not all that I discovered while I was out on my mission. One of my spirits has figured out that I have had a hidden magic within me."

There were collective gasps around her. Lucy smiled before saying, "I think he would be better at explaining in more detail since I'm still new to this as well."

She waited for Master to give his silent approval, seeing him nod at her in interest as her permission to silently call out Cygnus.

The spirit appeared in a cloud of golden sparkles, looking indifferent at the new faces around him. She could see him analyzing everyone while he crossed his arms over his chest. He chose to be in his human form which stood tall in comparison to the sitting bodies in the room.

Smiling brightly at the spirit, she waved hello to help calm her anxious nerves. She was excited yet nervous for her friends to find out more about this mysterious magic of hers. Lucy knew that her friends along with her spirits would help her contain it.

"Hey Blondie," Cygnus acknowledged her, a curious look on his face at the sight of her. She knew she possibly looked like a mess since she skipped dropping by her apartment to freshen up. Instead, she chose to rush to the guild in her excitement.

Lucy quickly asked him to explain her magic to everyone in the room. He grunted in response before sitting on the armrest of her chair. Her eyes strayed towards his bushy hair, before going back to his face as they awaited for Cygnus to speak. Totally brushing his hair once I get home…

"Blondie here has what we spirits now call Star Dress; an ancient magic to borrow a spirit's ability in magic. In other words, Lucy has found it to be a form of Requip. However, from what I have gathered from the spirit realm archives is that she shouldn't have this magic," He spoke with his posture tense. His body language screamed his unease at the situation.

Everyone in the room went silent, even Lucy herself. This was new information. Very new information in fact. She wasn't supposed to have Star Dress?

Sensing confused eyes on him, he looked toward Lucy. Cygnus had a frown, one that made her even more uneasy. "The only way to achieve Star Dress is from the Spirit King himself blessing you with it."

Her heart sank. What did this mean? Did she possibly break a celestial law somehow by using this magic? When did the Spirit King bless her? As more questions swarmed her mind; a reassuring hand rested on her shoulder. Glancing over to see Gray looked at her with his own tense smile. The gesture made her feel less anxious. Smiling appreciatively at him, she felt her body mellow out.

She and the rest of the humans in the room awaited the spirit's next words, all overly curious to speak. Even Natsu waited patiently, his foot tapping on the wooden floor in an uneven pattern.

Master decided to break the silence, his face in a worried frown. "What does this mean for Lucy? Will she be punished for using Star Dress?"

Her breath hitched at the question. An obvious question that no one had the guts to ask besides Master. Lucy felt her hand clenching the cushion before Cygnus answered. "She won't be punished. As of right now, the Spirit King has granted you partial approval to harness it."

"A partial approval?" Erza questioned, her armored hand stroking her chin in thought.

"Yes, we may need Lucy in the future to be able to fully utilize this power, hence why he is letting her continue to train without punishment," Cygnus explained before sending another glance at the now again anxious blond. He could tell that her mind was going a mile a minute, but he couldn't blame her. The Celestial Realm was in chaos that most spirits were either ignorant of or in the midst of panic. ``From what I understand, the Celestial Realm is preparing for something big to happen. Only a few know the true reason as to why."

"Do you have any guesses as to what can make the King so silent?" Lucy spoke up. It wasn't normal for the King to be unsure about anything, nor silent on any upcoming dangers in the Celestial World. He was a thoughtful leader, one who had a plan for anything and everything. Looking at Cygnus, she could tell that even he was thrown off by the King's behavior. First the blessing mystery of how exactly she got this magic, and now the King was being secretive.

Cygnus wrung his hands on his pants, not knowing what to say. He didn't have an answer. He was known to be almost as sharp as the king and prided himself on that feat alone. Now though, he was left questioning what the hell was happening to the home that he once knew. Spirits were closed off now, and the once light atmosphere was dull in comparison.

He's seen the desperate look the silver keys gave towards him and Crux for answers, and how the gold keys began to pester Loke on why the King has been so absent. All of Lucy's spirits became guardians of those who held no key holder, and the pressure was high to become temporary leaders. From what he gathered from the pussycat, the King was having meetings constantly with a select few spirits in regard to the updated security. Something was coming, and no one knew what to do about it. "I have a guess as to what it is, and so does Fornax. We believe someone is trying to release a spirit from the celestial prison."

"A celestial prison?! That's so cool!" Natsu shouted from his seat, not being able to contain his excitement anymore. Lucy wanted to laugh as he soon was knocked out by Erza's fist, rolling her eyes as she gestured for Cygnus to continue.

Cygnus chuckled while grinning at the spectacle. It was a mood booster compared to what he's been living with. He knew his master's friends were going to be wonky when he met her, but seeing it first hand was something else entirely. He would have added fuel to the fire if it wasn't for the demanding look the guild master gave him, so he chose to continue speaking. "We have theorized that this is why the Spirit King is letting Blondie continue using this magic. Us spirits will continue to train Blonie in the case that something does happen."

Master Makarov nodded, stroking his chin along with Erza. Both seemed to be having a silent discussion now. Lucy knew not to interrupt so she waited patiently for them to finish.

"Well, what can we do to help Lucy?" Gray piped up, choosing to ignore the hushed whispers between his teammate and master. "I want what's best for her and if it's figuring out this new magic, then so be it."

Lucy flushed at his words as she looked at her teammate. Of course, Gray was the first one to step up to help her. Well, besides Natsu, but he couldn't count since he still was knocked out. But it was so Gray to be the first to drop everything for her. She shouldn't have been surprised that he would volunteer to help her. If anything, her chest warmed at the gesture.

"Thank you," she whispered to him, leaning in closer for him to hear better.

He only grinned back before looking at the now glowering spirit questioningly. Both awaited his response.

Wendy looked over at them hesitantly causing Lucy to look at her questioningly. The small girl got up from her seat silently and then hesitantly came closer to the spirit before going into a half-bow. "I would like to help Lucy-san if that's okay, Cygnus-san."

Wendy smiled at the rough spirit once she stood up straight. Lucy held in her giggles at the sight of Cygnus's shocked face. No one could resist the kindness that Wendy breathed, not even her grumpy spirit.

"Fine," Cygnus grunted.

Wendy looked elated, furthering Cygnus' stiff poster at her thankful hug before she returned back to her seat. Lucy couldn't resist holding in her giggles anymore causing her spirit to round in on her. "Oi, don't start with that Blondie."

"Or what?" she challenged, raising a pointed eyebrow at him.

"Or nothing." Erza glowered, answering for Lucy, whilst garnering the attention of the room. Erza's arms were crossed over her armored chest, a noticeable frown masking her features. However, she resumed speaking with almost a growl in each syllable, "Master and I have discussed what would be the best solution to solve this predicament."

Lucy looked awaiting at the two in curiosity. Erza almost seemed pained when speaking, which while not a rarity in itself; still caught the attention of the awake portion of the team.

"Lucy, you will be trained by the guild," Makarov said. At this, she balked in surprise. The whole guild? What about missions?! Or her rent!? She could almost see her rent money burn up into a crisp. All of her time would be taken up by training and then she would have to live in the guild or worse, Natsu. Before she could plead for her case, Master cut her off.

"This is a great opportunity to branch out within your guild mates. There are powerful and useful wizards here who can help with certain aspects of this Star Dress that others in your team cannot. Child, I would not pass up this opportunity," Macrov stated. His eyes held a warmth that she recognized as fatherly love. The same gaze he dotted on everyone who was in the guild. She couldn't deny what he said was true, nor go against his words that told her to make the right choice. He's never steered her wrong before, so she hesitantly nodded in understanding.

However, unlike her, her teammates were all but enraged at the words.

"Luce is not leaving the team!" Natsu sprung to life with a shout, fire bellowing out of his mouth as he stomped over to Master.

"Master, as much as I trust you on most of your decisions. I'm not going to let Lucy be taken out of the team," Gray commented. He scooted closer to her as if guarding her from being taken away from them. Even Erza and Wendy looked upset at the idea as both avoided looking towards both her and Master.

"She is not leaving Team Natsu. However, this is an opportunity for her to practice this magic to its fullest potential. You will support your nakama in her journey to get stronger," Makarov stated. Team Natsu grumbled out their silent protests. Master Macarov hopped out of his desk chair and began ushering out her team, "Now leave, I need to speak to Lucy privately."

He ignored everyone's protests and quickly shut the door to drown out their whining. He sighed before he returned back to his plush chair. Lucy waited for him to speak, knowing he was still mulling over the situation. She decided to let him think it over, knowing Cygnus was also awaiting on his next words. It seemed that the cross respected the wise old man.

She didn't know how to feel. She let her team protest for her, and yet it didn't get rid of the acceptance of what Master said. She knew this was the smartest situation for her and her spirits. To get stronger she needed to trust her nakama and their skills. She promised to herself, and to them that she would get stronger.

"Lucy, my child. How are you?" Macarov questioned. He looked at her worriedly with his hands clasped together over his desk.

She answered quickly, "I'm worried this won't work. I don't want to force my nakama to get involved."

He laughed and chortled, a sound that came from the heart that had her smiling in response. "My child, you have nothing to worry about. We're nakama, and nakama always helps one another out. Your kindness will be responded to in full my dear, you'll see."

Her cheeks tinted red. Lucy never really thought about everything in that perspective. The weight of bothering her nakama lifted from her shoulders instantly at the realization.

"Thank you, Master. I won't let anyone down, I promise," Lucy promised from her heart. She was determined to make everyone proud of her.

"I know you will, my child. Now before you go do consider reaching out to other guilds on your quest to become stronger. I know both Sabertooth and Blue Pegasus have a history with celestial magic," he said with a grin. Her mind instantly thought of Yuniko and Karen, and thought that giving both guilds a future visit would be important to find out more information.

Lucy nodded before standing up to leave, quickly bowing before shuffling out the door. With Cygnus right behind her, the hand that tried swatting at her butt was caught by Cygnus instantly.

"Watch it old man," he huffed, letting go of the lengthened arm.

Makarov only grinned cheekily while he waved goodbye to them. She rolled her eyes at the pervy master before shutting the door.

She sighed once knowing the door was shut. That meeting didn't go as expected. She would have to speak to her spirits after sorting out her training situation.

Her eyes scanned the guild to find her team gathered around a table. Quickly making her way towards them with Cygnus following along, she heard Erza barking out demands. "Wendy and Carla will gather the list of those who choose to volunteer, and Gray, you will make sure these rules are implemented when the occasion arises that there are contract breakers."

"Uh, guys?" Lucy hesitated, looking over Natsu's shoulder to see papers scattered around the table. Out of curiosity, she grabbed a hold of one to read it over.

"Oi!" Cygnus barked while trying to hold in his laughter. "What the fuck is this?"

Erza turned her steely gaze towards him before answering, "A Lucy contract."

"No- I mean what is this? What does 'an individual or team cannot keep Lucy after mission/training is finished'?" He questioned as he pointed out the specific section. Lucy herself still held the paper in shock. She didn't know how to react to what she was reading. Shock? Anger? A mixture of both?

"It is as it states, buddy. She's a part of Team Natsu so we thought it would be better to make a clarification of that before the sign-ups begin," Gray answered while looking under the table for his missing shirt. Wendy looked for it along with him as she moved the papers around.

"You can't just make a contract for this!" Lucy whispered in bewilderment. She knew her team would be upset about what the master said. But this?

"Why not Luce? We're just trying to protect you," Natsu grinned at her. She smiled at his boyish charm. It was sweet with how they were concerned for her in their own odd way. She couldn't give them too much of a hassle when they were only looking out for her.

"Yeah, yeah you big goof. Scoot over," Lucy chided before taking a seat next to her best friend. Cygnus stood behind her still in amusement over the contract.

"Umm, what about this part? 'Those who defile Lucy will receive punishment or worse'?" Cygnus questioned to which Lucy flushed at his words. She rounded on Natsu and Erza, one looking sheepish while the other proud.

"What does that even mean?!" Lucy cried out.

"It means that if anyone dared to defile your honor," Erza said with a fist to her heart. A twinkle was in her eyes that Lucy could only admire. "Then I shall avenge your honor in the most respectable of ways."

Lucy eyed the redhead. She couldn't tell whether to take that somewhat threat seriously. Instead, she chose that ignorance was bliss as she waved Mira over.

She ignored Natsu as he began begging Cygnus to fight him, and her team seemed to egg on the somewhat inevitable brawl. Lucy waited patiently till a perfectly delicate, strawberry smoothie was placed in front of her before sitting back to watch her nakama start another brawl.


It was the morning after the guild hall was almost destroyed by her spirit and team that she found herself frozen in place. Her day started out perfectly. She woke up to the sounds of birds chirping and a surprise of breakfast in bed from Loke and Aries. Even more, she loved the outfit she chose out.

Of course, she should've known by now that being a Fairy Tail mage had a way of making the unexpected happen.

It didn't raise any suspicion when she saw a line coming out of the guild. It was normal when Cana had constant bets going on or a new batch of missions came into the guild. But as she got closer to the rowdy group at the front of the line in curiosity to see her teammates arguing with Team Rajinshuu had her gut twisting in knots. A sure sign of her team is up to no good.

"Hey, guys!" She approached innocently. She wanted to give her team the benefit of the doubt. Sure they were rowdy and oftentimes the source of the problem, but the way they lit up at seeing her made her return their enthusiasm.

"Hey, Luce!" Natsu hugged her with a squeeze. He let her go when an angry 'oi' sounded from the line. "Back off man! Wait your turn!"

"Turn?" Lucy asked while looking over at a fussing Evergreen arguing with Erza.

"Yeah, we finished the contract so sign-ups are happening," Gray answered for Natsu as she shuffled the already signed contracts in order. "We already have your first mission set up."

Going around the table to look over the sheets Gray had, she saw some names she recognized on the list.

Some made sense. There was a scribbled Cana on one sheet, and an overly cursive Lisanna on another. As she grabbed the ones in a pile labeled "ready", she let her thumb skim over them in search of names. Gajeel popped up near the front. She had to do a double-take before smiling. She felt flattered he even bothered signing up.

She continued as she ignored the bickering between teams. She knew Erza had it somewhat handled. As she came to the last few, she saw Laxus's individual name before Team Shadow Gear came last. She almost squealed at the idea of going on a mission with her best friend. Of course, she was excited to hang out with Jet and Droy as well.

"I knew you would be excited," Gray said coolly, now missing his shirt. Lucy chose to ignore his state of undress while looking around for Levy. She could see a head of blue at a table in the corner of the guild away from the commotion. Waving bye to her friends, and watching as finally whatever problem that had Evergreen and Erza butting heads resolved as the brunette signed over papers.

She made her way over to the stacks of books that shielded the petite girl from the guild.

"Ohayo Levy-chan!" Lucy chirped as she settled herself by her friend. Levy jolted in surprise before smiling back.

"Ohayo Lu-chan, how are you today?" Levy asked whilst shutting her book.

Lucy couldn't keep the grin appearing on her face as she gushed, "Amazing now that I know we're going on a mission together!"

That caught the attention of the other three members of the table. Jet and Droy smiled at the girls before going back to discussing how their wooing tactics were not working. Overhearing their conversation made Lucy roll her eyes. They were so lovestruck with the girl that they were almost clueless.

As for the third member of the table who acted indifferent towards the girl duo, he continued to snack on the plate of metal before him. Lucy knew better than to try and converse with him when he was eating. It was a recipe for disaster.

Levy gasped before clasping her hands together. "I didn't know we were the first ones to sign up! I stayed up all night to make sure we would be one of the first!"

Both girls squealed in delight. It was technically their first mission together, along with Jet and Droy. Lucy didn't mind using this opportunity to get to know both men better.

"Jeez women…" Gajeel grumbled before continuing to chew on a screw.

Both girls ignored him in favor of discussing the upcoming mission Levy had selected. It was to look over an old magic shop in Clover. Apparently, the owner had his daughter's wedding to attend and was in need of assistance to look over the shop over the weekend. It was honestly perfect for their temporary team, something simple and enough time to catch up.

"And the best part is…" Levy almost drawled out, "Is the reward!"

"Reward?" Lucy almost forgot about the reward in her excitement.

"The reward is awesome," Jet added in with a knowing smirk.

"You'll totally love it Lucy," Droy said. Both men shared knowing looks. This piqued Gajeel's interest as his chewing stopped.

"Well, what is it?" Lucy questioned. Her eyes lit up in anticipation. She suppressed bouncing in her seat as the group made her wait to make it more suspenseful.

"Gihihi!' Gajeel couldn't help but watch as Lucy anxiously bounced in her seat. The true epitome of a bunny.

Levy gave him a knowing side-eye causing the man's chuckles to halt before he went back to the forgotten screws. She grabbed the hidden mission flyer before handing it over to the blond. "Take a look at this, Lu-chan."

Reading over the unfolded paper did Lucy gasp. Two celestial keys. And not only were they celestial keys, they were wooden keys. Lucy frowned for a second.

Wooden keys? First stone, and now wood. It was almost too lucky to happen upon another key set so soon after discovering more about the sets. It was almost too good to be true. But the possibility of getting new keys clouded her mind from her worried musings.

Lucy hugged Levy tightly with a squeal. Of course, her best friend was thoughtful about what mission they took. "You're the best Levy-chan!"

"Aww Lu-chan!" Levy cried happily as both girls clung to one another. The men at the table couldn't suppress the small smile at the girl's antics.

Both chatted animatedly after discussing they'll leave that afternoon to get a hotel and spend the night over in Clover. Even after the group began leaving the guild to pack for their upcoming mission, and Lucy being the last one to leave with a cheerful goodbye did Gajeel sigh.

He was admittedly worried. The blond had a knack for getting into trouble. The sudden sign-ups for Lucy to be put into temporary teams worried him even more. Something was going on, and he needed to figure it out. Huffing as he chowed down the rest of the metal before signaling to Pantherlily on his departure; he quickly left the guild. He breathed in the air once out of the guild doors. His shoulder sagged a bit at the smell of strawberries.

Instead of checking on her as his inner dragon wanted, he chose to stick to the alleyways on his way home. Whatever he was feeling was affecting him more now that she was back home. With one last thought, he almost growled it out into the air.

They better protect Bunny.


The door chimed as the team made their way inside the quaint magic shop. The same as the day before, the same wooden interior greeted them. The same dust that none were tall enough to clean, and the boxes of magical items they needed to organize were waiting on the counter.

Lucy breathed in the old smell. It was familiar, almost like the smell of old books. But with a hint of magic.

She almost giggled out at her musing out loud.

She quickly made her way to the counter while the others went in the back to finish organizing the spell books. As she began organizing the knick-knacks, her mind took over at the steady pace she made. They had gotten into Clover Town two days ago, and so far it was uneventful. The owner was a shy man who hid behind a mask in fear of revealing his identity, to which the group sweatdropped as the man yelled out pleasantries. Besides that, they were each assigned to tasks to finish over the weekend and help out any customers that came in. Seeing as it was now the temporary team's last day managing over the shop had Lucy appreciating the time she spent in it. It was as if they walked into an enchanted library. Each shelf was covered with books and magical items. The wall's pillars had intricate designs of creatures lining it.

Lucy could spend the whole day here without noticing the time. That was what happened yesterday after all. They had got into a routine immediately as the day flew by. Between Lucy and Levy organizing everything for the kind shopkeeper with Droy and Jet taking over the heavy lifting, it went almost too perfectly. Brushing the hair out of her eyes that blocked her vision from the box of trinkets she found a pair of shoes.

Grabbing onto them, she almost laughed at the sight. A pair of gladiator sandals that had fluffy wings attached to them.

"Those look sick!" Jet appeared next to her with his eyes pleading towards her. She didn't get the chance to answer as the shoes were quickly snatched away with a squeal.

She watched in confusion as Jet quickly tossed off his running shoes to replace them with the sandals and stormed off into the back. Once the swinging doors of the back area finally stopped swinging, she belly laughed. The man was so eager to have those shoes for some reason.

As a crash sounded from the back that caused a halt to her laughter, the doorbell chimed to her. Effectively straying her attention to the new customer, she knew Levy and Droy could handle whatever Jet did with the monstrosity of shoes.

The woman made her way over to the counter before asking, "Hello, I was hoping to know if you have any books on celestial spirit magic?"

Lucy stilled before gasping in delight. It was rare to run into another celestial mage. Lucy gave the woman a bright smile before responding, "Yes, we have a few books on celestial magic!"

Quickly going around to one of the boxes that were against the wall and looking through the pile, Lucy began gathering the books for the awaiting woman. After retrieving three of the books that solely focused on the magic requested did she return to the counter, "I only have three books on celestial magic."

Before the woman could respond, Lucy continued, "But I highly recommend this one for the basics on celestial magic and the stars, this one for the enchantments, and this one for other types of celestial magic!"

When Lucy spoke and pointed out the books, the woman's smile turned into something more. "Ah, do any of these go on about the history of celestial spirit magic?"

Lucy faltered a bit, but said, "No, I believe the only ones that do are in the Crocus library."

"What a shame," the customer tsked, "I wanted to know more about the evil travesties caused by spirits."

Lucy was taken aback. Evil travesties? What was she talking about?

Hesitantly Lucy took a step back. If the woman caught this, she made no sign of acknowledgment before she continued. "I have heard of celestial spirit mages using them for evil."

Relief flooded Lucy at the silk words. "Ah, yes that is true. However, there are good celestial mages out there!"

"O único espírito abbandonato." A whisper sounded in the room, so low that Lucy missed the words spoken. "Preciso de você…"

A squawk at the back caught both of their attention. Turning back after hearing more tumbles, Lucy turned back to excuse herself but found no one there. A frown took hold of her face before rushing to go help her friends.

As Lucy went in the back and began helping Droy pull out Jet from the lamp by his legs, Levy frowned from the corner of the room.

She heard everything that girl said to Lucy. The way her words almost hissed out about celestial spirits caused the small mage to shudder. Once the bell chimed it was as if a winter breeze swept over the store from how cold it became. It wasn't till Levy quietly peeked out to find the woman glaring at Lucy. Worried, Levy nibbled at her bottom lip.

The words the girl spoke under her breath caught her attention. If it wasn't for her paying attention to the newcomer she would've missed it. Whatever she said, Levy felt the need to translate it. Her chest tightened at the thought. She definitely needed to translate it. And warn Master.

Whoever this woman was spelled trouble.