Fairytale of Doom

By CrimsonStarbird

Chapter Three – No Fairy Godmothers Please

Lucy was absolutely not being Cinderella, thank you very much.

Oh, it hadn't taken her long to work out what was going on. She'd loved these stories as a child. So many rainy afternoons she'd spent on the sofa with her mother, watching the best film adaptations on the lacrima-projector; so many nights she'd been led into pleasant dreams by Layla Heartfilia's gentle voice promising a happily ever after.

Lucy had recognized the familiar-unfamiliar attic in which she'd awoken even before the mice had started talking to her.

And by the time the violent shouts of the Wicked Stepmother echoed up the stairs, demanding to know why her breakfast hadn't been brought to her yet, there was no doubt in Lucy's mind.

Somehow – by some cruel trick of the enemy's magic or otherwise – she had been transported into a fairytale as Cinderella.

And she was having none of it.

An abused and helpless heroine whose only hope of escape was to marry a prince?

No. Way. In. Hell.

Yes, she'd loved these stories – as a child. Then her mother had died, and she'd found out what it really meant to grow up without love. She hadn't been treated as a servant, but only because the Heartfilia family already had enough servants. Instead, she'd been treated as an asset, a fine piece of jewellery to be sold off at the opportune time to adorn the arm of some wealthy man she'd never met.

But she hadn't sat around and waited for some Fairy Godmother to save her. She'd run away. With nothing but her celestial keys, she'd escaped from that life, found a new home, fought dragons, defeated demons, and made a name for herself as part of the strongest mage guild in Fiore.

And now, some cruel spell had put her right back to the start.

Well, she'd show them. She'd rescued herself once. She could do it again.

"Cinderella!" shrieked the nasally voice of an Ugly Stepsister, and Lucy paused shovelling supplies into a knapsack for just long enough to give the kitchen door the middle finger.

"Not today, Drizella," she muttered. "You've captured the wrong heiress."

Slinging the bag onto her back, Lucy stepped out into the grounds of the estate in search of a horse that wouldn't turn back into a mouse on the stroke of midnight. There was an old grey one, she remembered, called Major.

Ugh. She hated that she knew the horse's name. She'd been so obsessed with this stupid story as a child, it was embarrassing.

Sure enough, the stables held a grey horse who whickered fondly at her approach. She saddled him up as she'd learnt to do on the Heartfilia Estate long ago. Another princess skill. Sometimes it felt like she would always be seen as the pretty heiress, no matter what she accomplished as a professional mage. Seriously, why couldn't she have been a clever heroine like Belle, or a badass one like Mulan?

"Don't worry, boy," she said to Major, as she swung herself up onto his back. "We're getting out of this stupid story. Yah!"

With a whinny of agreement, the horse leapt into action. Wails of "Cinderella!" rose up into the sky behind her as she burst through the gates and rode off in search of her own happy ending.

Once she had ridden far enough to feel comfortable that she wouldn't be found – and for the passion of her flight to have died down a little – Lucy reined in her horse at the top of a hill and dismounted in an attempt to get her bearings.

She wasn't entirely surprised to find that she didn't recognize her surroundings. There was nothing particularly notable about the meadows rolling out around her, the forest rising against the horizon, the criss-crossing roads occupied by the odd carriage or travelling peddler. The beginnings of a city in the distance, backed by the sapphire swell of the sea, could have been any coastal settlement in Fiore.

She knew this wasn't Fiore, though.

Cinderella wasn't set in modern-day Fiore. Cinderella wasn't real. And if she had been transported into a story, then it stood to reason that this whole world was some sort of fantastical creation, slipped from the pages of fiction and brought to life for… well, for some nefarious purpose, no doubt.

After all, if she was too busy trying to get to the ball and win Prince Charming's heart, she wasn't saving her guild from Alvarez, was she?

Right. The war. Last she remembered, she had been fighting Brandish to try and protect Natsu. Then Dimaria had shown up, and-

Lucy shivered as the image of Dimaria stabbing Brandish flashed through her mind. It wasn't supposed to be that way, friend against friend, brutality against one who had sought a peaceful solution. And Lucy hadn't been able to stop her. Hadn't even been able to protect Natsu properly, because as Dimaria had assured them, Brandish had only been pretending to fight the battle that had pushed Lucy to her limits. And now she was wherever here was, unable to help anyone…

It occurred to her, then, that although she was dressed in the same clothes she had been wearing during the battle, she had none of the injuries. Not even some old, fading bruise to indicate that she had ever received them. That brought her a flicker of hope. This place wasn't real – perhaps it wasn't even in the same flow of time. There was a chance that breaking this spell would return her to reality at the exact moment she left it, able to save Brandish and re-join the fight.

The emotional impulse that had driven her to flee Cinderella's home cooled and solidified into an old, steely resolve.

First of all, she needed a plan. Something to give her some indication of where to go and what to do to break the spell that had trapped her in this world of fairytales.

Luckily, she had the perfect Celestial Spirit for that. She thrust her silver key towards the sky: "Open, Gate of the Compass! Pyxis!"

Nothing happened.

Lucy tried once more. "Pyxis!"

Nothing.

Swallowing, she lowered the key. That wasn't good. Her fingers rested on the handle of the whip at her side, but though the familiar curves of it pressed fondly into her palm, not a spark of magic jumped between it and her.

This unknown world seemed suddenly very large.

It was easy to run away from home when you had the power to stand on your own.

For a moment, just a moment, Lucy glanced back the way she had come. She could go back and play the role that was meant for her, apologize to the Wicked Stepmother, wait for her Fairy Godmother to show up…

No.

Never again.

She swung herself back into the saddle with such vigour that it earned her a huff from Major. "We're still going," she said fiercely. "Last time I ran away from home, I went straight for Hargeon Port and the sea. And if it ain't broke…"

With a nudge of her knees, she angled her steed towards the city on the edge of the ocean, and resumed her escape.

The port probably wouldn't have qualified as a city in Fiore, though Lucy had a hunch it did in this fantasy world. It was simply too enchanting: all glowing whites, smooth sandy browns, and seashell pinks beneath an impossibly blue sky.

It was bustling, but not industrial. Trade was an adventure here, not a business, old shipping routes carved out by wanderlust and watched over by the gulls who ruled the skies. Roads, smoothed by the passage of cargo, led one and all to the seafront – and to the three majestic ships that strained against the ropes that bound them to the shore.

Not even Lucy was immune to it. Her fingers gripped the railing as she leaned against it, fighting not the seaward breeze but the inexplicable urge to jump aboard one of those ships and commit herself to adventure unknown.

And why shouldn't she? She had no reason to believe that the explanation for her current predicament was more likely to be found on this continent than any other – except, perhaps, for the fact that her story had begun here. But she had rejected being Cinderella. Why shouldn't she go further still; prove that she wasn't going to play by the rules of this world?

"No, really, there's been some kind of mistake-"

Lucy's ears pricked up. She knew that voice.

"I said- get off me!"

Despite the indignation in that shout, Lucy couldn't stop a smile from taking over her lips. Because running away from a home that was a prison and stumbling across a Fairy Tail mage was exactly how her story was supposed to go.

Down below, where the closest ship was docked, a half-naked man was struggling in the grip of two burly sailors. A well-dressed elderly gentleman was wringing his hands as he watched. "Your Highness, please, enough of these silly games! Your ship is ready to depart!"

"For the last time, I'm not Your Highness, and I am not getting on your boat!"

Lucy cupped her hands around her mouth and hollered, "GRAY!"

The struggles from below ceased. The half-naked man blinked up at her owlishly in the brightness of the day. "Lucy? Is that you?"

Lucy took the weathered stone steps three at a time, hurtling across the waterfront with a recklessness that might not have been out of place on the battlefields from which she'd been whisked away. By the time she reached them, the sailors were no longer holding Gray. The black eye slowly developing like ink seeping into the skin of one of them may or may not have been the reason.

Gray's arms were folded, cutting quite a figure for a man wearing nothing but his underwear. Then again, compared to the old gentleman, who was now hopping from foot to foot in agitation, anyone would have looked composed.

"Lucy," Gray said, as she approached. "Thank goodness. Please tell these creeps that my name is not Eric."

"Well…" Lucy gave him a rueful smile. "The thing is, it actually might be."

"What?"

"For now, just roll with it." She nodded towards the ship, and the sailors seemed to sag in relief that she was on their side. "I'll explain on board."

Gray gave her a strange look, but nodded. The knot in her stomach that she hadn't even realized was there began to loosen. It didn't matter which world they found themselves in. The trust of their team was unbreakable.

"But, Your Highness," the old man tried helplessly. "Who is this woman? She can't just-"

"She's my friend," Gray told him brusquely. "And if she doesn't come on this stupid boat, neither do I."

With that, he brushed past the man and strode up the gangplank. So authoritative did he appear in that moment, it was almost enough to justify him being called Your Highness. If he had been wearing clothes, that was.

Lucy hurried after him. "I'm surprised that worked," she joked.

"Yeah, me too. These guys seem to think I'm some sort of prince, or something." His smile slid into something more severe. "What the hell's going on here, Lucy?"

"Alright," she sighed, guiding him over to the side of the ship. Up close, it really was a beautiful thing. She was no stranger to sea vessels, of course – and if she could survive a journey on a pirate ship commandeered by Erza at her most frightening, then a little seasickness was nothing – but this one seemed almost magical.

The planks gleamed with nature's gold beneath their feet. Rolled-up sails clung to a precisely engineered skeleton, waiting for the command to unfurl. Sailors swarmed around them, tossing ropes and banter to each other, all knowing their parts too well to need instruction. When they cast off, they did so with a grace that belied the ship's size. The whole scene was so picturesque, it could only have come out of a storybook… or perhaps they had gone into one.

Once she was sure that neither the sailors nor the nervous gentleman were paying them much attention – too relieved to have finally got their errant prince onto the boat to risk antagonizing him again – Lucy let out a sigh. "Gray, I think we're trapped inside a fairytale."

"…You what?"

"Well, there must be multiple fairytales," she amended. "Since I'm sure there's no one called Eric in mine." Looking him dead in the eye, she willed him to suspend his disbelief and listen. "I'm Cinderella, Gray. I woke up inside this fancy mansion with a Wicked Stepmother and two Ugly Stepsisters trying to make me do chores. I took the old horse – Major, from the story – and ran away before anyone could enslave me… or worse, make me go to a ball."

She pulled a face. In truth, she felt a bit bad about leaving Major in the stables on the outskirts of the port, but with no kindly servant-girl in his story to care for him, he'd probably have a better life there than he would back at the estate.

"And you, Gray. There's a seafaring prince called Eric in-"

"The Little Mermaid," he finished.

"…How did you know that? I didn't have you down as the kind of guy who is into fairytales."

In the raw brightness of day, there was nothing to hide the faint blush rising on his cheeks, even as he deliberately turned away to gaze out over the ocean. "Lucky guess. With the sea and all."

"Uh-huh." Lucy didn't believe him, but it was far more important that he believed her right now. "So… you think I'm right?"

"It's better than any explanation I've come up with," he shrugged. "It seems to fit the evidence. But, how? And why?"

"I was hoping you could shed some light on that. What were you doing before you woke up here as Prince Eric? Were you fighting one of the Spriggan Twelve who could have done this with their magic?"

"I… don't really remember." There was a mist in his eyes, one the bright sun should have burnt away by now; she thought he was telling the truth. She saw his hand move to his side, though he didn't seem aware he was doing it, and there was no mark on his bare torso to suggest why it might have been important.

But his brow was furrowed, digging deeper and deeper into the permafrost. "I was fighting… Invel? And then-"

His eyes burst open. It wasn't treasure he'd found under the ice of his memories, but a corpse, frozen horror staring sightlessly back at him, not quick enough to stop himself from pulling it out. So dreadful was the expression on his face that Lucy knew what he was going to say even before he said it: "Juvia. Oh, God, Lucy, she died."

"What?"

All of a sudden, the sunlight was pounding in Lucy's ears. The waves were too close, the wind too loud; the rocking sea was trying to pitch her over the side of the boat and the edge of the world. Had she really been worrying about being trapped in a story? The danger, the real danger, had always been in the world she'd left behind… no, the world from which she'd been rescued; dropped into a picturesque harbour with a dear friend and no overpowered empire trying to kill them.

Trying, and maybe succeeding.

"What happened, Gray?" The words came out before she could stop them. She hated herself for it, but nothing so strong flickered in his dull eyes.

"He… did something that made us fight each other to the death," he recounted, with the numbness of one who should have been immune to the cold. "I would rather die than hurt a friend, so I stabbed myself… but Juvia did the same. And when we were dying, she used the last of her magic to reverse my blood loss and save my life. But I- I couldn't save her-"

As his voice cracked, Lucy did the only thing she could, and pulled him into a hug. She didn't say anything. How could she? It was all she could do to hold back her own tears. She couldn't have stayed standing without him in that moment any more than he could without her.

Juvia, one of her best friends, so irritatingly, wonderfully, optimistically full of life. It was so wrong. She shouldn't have found out like this. Not on the gentle ocean of a world that wasn't even theirs, disconnected and alone, so far from the battle and any scars of their own.

"Gray," she murmured suddenly. The noise he made in response – barely more than a sob – couldn't have expressed any more strongly that he didn't want to talk right now, but she had to know. "You said you stabbed yourself. Where?"

When he didn't respond, she persisted, "I mean it, Gray. Please tell me."

"Here," he mumbled. His fingers prodded his side again. This time, they realized what they hadn't before: that the skin was smooth, unmarked. "I'm sure it was here…"

"Juvia's magic may have saved you, but she couldn't have made your stab wound vanish," Lucy pointed out, frowning. "If nothing else, there would be a scar."

"But that doesn't mean anything!" he burst out. "We're in a made-up world! None of this is real! Why would they bother recreating every single scar from the outside when they dumped us into this fantasy?"

"But-"

"Dammit, Lucy! I didn't imagine her dying!"

"I know, but…"

But didn't he want to have hope?

Because they were, right now, living in a fairytale – and if this were true, why couldn't a happy ending where they all survived also be true?

She didn't have the courage to put it into words, though.

Fortunately, someone else did: "Juvia is alive."

And unlike Lucy's tenuous argument, based on a hundred tonnes of hope held up by a tiny thread of logic, the newcomer spoke with such certainty that she couldn't help but believe it.

"She is alive and unharmed in this world, just as you are," reasserted that ethereal voice. "She was not yet dead when she was pulled in, and as you already suspected, Lucy, in this place, her body has been restored to full health."

Gray let out a shuddering breath. "O-Okay," he stammered. "Okay. That's good."

If it had been anyone else who had spoken to him, he would no doubt have rejected it just like he had rejected Lucy's hope, but both of them trusted the First Master of Fairy Tail.

Mavis Vermillion hovered above the ship's railings. The wind rushed through her without dislodging a single hair on her head; the ship rose and fell, but she did neither, floating there like an angel of light. Though the soft glow of her body should have been drowned by the sun's liquid gold rampage, deep purple clouds were gathering in the distance, and they framed her like she was a living bolt of lightning. Her ghostly form seemed to crackle with static electricity.

"First Master!" Lucy cried, overwhelmed by joy: the relief that Juvia was still alive; the sanctuary of having someone older and wiser to guide her; the delight that the spirit of her guild was still holding strong. "Is it true? Are we really inside fairytales?"

"It certainly seems to be that way," Mavis answered gravely.

"How is that possible? Is it an enemy's magic?"

"Uh. Well… maybe."

"Maybe?"

"Or… it, uh, could have been an accident by someone on our side…"

"An accident?" Lucy echoed.

"Hey, it probably saved Juvia's life!" Mavis said defensively.

"…"

"How many of us are trapped here?" Gray interrupted, gesturing between himself and Lucy. "I presume it's not just us and Juvia."

Mavis frowned. Her form flickered briefly, and when it stabilized again, she answered, "I think about ten, though it's difficult to say at this stage."

"Ten!" Horror stole the colour from Lucy's face. "If ten Fairy Tail mages are trapped here, how the hell are those left behind in Earthland going to cope? Alvarez aren't going to stop their advance just because we're living out some stupid fairytales!"

"Lucy's right," Gray added. "We need to get back home as soon as possible."

"Oh! I've already figured out how to break the spell and get out of this fairytale world," Mavis assured them.

"How?" Gray and Lucy demanded simultaneously.

"It's simple, really." The ghost spread her arms wide, emitting a golden glow against the looming stormclouds. "It's a fairytale! All you have to do is follow your story to find true love and thus win your happily ever after!"

Silence followed this pronouncement.

There was an ominous rumble of thunder in the distance.

"…You're kidding, right?" Lucy checked.

Mavis blinked. This was not the reaction she had been expecting. "Uh, no?"

"So, you're telling me that the only way to get back to my friends who are currently fighting for their lives against Alvarez is by committing to spend the rest of my life with one of the nine other people who are trapped in this world with me?" Lucy shrieked. "I'm young! I'm free! I am not ready to settle down, and certainly not with someone this spell has chosen for me, thank you very much!"

Mavis glanced from the fuming Lucy to Gray, who looked rather queasy, and not because of the boat. "You know," the First Master frowned, "I honestly thought you'd be a bit happier about this."

"Why?" Lucy shot back. "I ran away from home to join Fairy Tail because my father was trying to marry me off against my will! Now Fairy Tail is trying to do the exact same thing!"

"It's different!" Mavis protested.

Lucy's hands were on her hips. "How so?"

"Because this is true love!"

"Oh, like that's real," Lucy scoffed. "And for that matter, why does my happy ending have to involve true love? Why can't the conditions for leaving this world be becoming an S-Class mage or writing a bestseller?"

"Well…" The poor First Master was sounding increasingly lost. "That's not really the point of classic fairytales…"

"Then it's about time someone wrote some new ones!"

"But," Mavis floundered. "Don't you want to fall in love?"

Lucy almost snapped back that falling in love hadn't done Mavis any favours, but she held her tongue. Mavis hadn't known her time with Zeref was going to plunge her guild into a deadly war nearly a century later. If not for that awful tragedy, perhaps a lot of good could have come from their love. Lucy was a firm believer in that. It would be churlish to pretend she wasn't just to spite her.

"Well, yes, of course I do," she said awkwardly, feeling her cheeks heat up. "But it's supposed to be, you know, natural. Unexpected. Wonderful. Not being told at nineteen years old that you're spending the rest of your life with this person and that's that!" Her gaze was almost pleading. "Are you sure there isn't another way to break the spell?"

"Uh… I'll keep looking," Mavis said lamely. It didn't exactly fill Lucy with confidence. "The problem is, nothing is as powerful as true love. Especially in a world of fairytales." Her gaze flicked to Lucy somewhat hopefully. "I realized that when I was watching you and Natsu fight Jacob in the guildhall, you see."

"…Wasn't that the fight where I had to take my clothes off to distract the enemy?"

"Well- uh- I mean, it wasn't that bit in particular I was thinking of…" Mavis squeaked. "The trust you have in each other, and the strength of your bond, was truly inspiring. Maybe this wasn't quite the way you were expecting it, but I'm sure that this unfolding fairytale will turn into the perfect opportunity for you both to realize your feelings and take that bold step forwards in your relationship. I have every faith that Natsu will be waiting for you at Cinderella's ball."

"Right," Lucy said flatly. "The ball that I am totally on my way to right now."

Not appearing to notice, Mavis turned to Gray. "And Juvia awaits her prince under the sea!"

"Y-Yeah," Gray managed.

Mavis clasped her hands together, the very picture of a heavenly being, even as another flicker disrupted her form. "I would accompany you if I could, but my powers are weak here. I cannot maintain my projection for much longer, and therefore I must leave it up to you to locate all our friends and spread the message."

The strongest disruption yet passed through her body, and her voice was nothing but static. When it settled, she was saying, "…I believe in you both. I truly do. Follow your stories through to their conclusions, overcome adversity as you always do, have faith in each other, trust your hearts, find your happy endings, and I know we will all be back in Magnolia in no time. Good luck, both of you."

And with that, her ghostly visage faded into nothing.

With the disappearance of the First Master's glowing form, the world seemed suddenly darker. Perhaps it was understandable, given the creeping blanket of deep purple that had been pulled across the sky like a theatre preparing for the dramatic next act while they had been distracted with the prologue – but then again, the waves had picked up substantially in the storm's pressure, and their savage strikes against the side of the ship were having no impact whatsoever on the frozen Lucy and Gray. The environment rather paled into insignificance compared to the tasks with which the First Master had left them.

Lucy was absolutely done with Fairy Godmothers.

But what could she do about it? She couldn't change the rules of this world. No one could. And on the battlefield, she had sworn to do anything to protect Fairy Tail and win the war. This was just another obstacle to overcome – and compared to what she had faced fighting Alvarez so far, following Cinderella's story through to its end was really rather tame.

And yet it felt so … intrusive.

For her, Fairy Tail had always meant freedom. That was what she was standing up to the Alvarez Empire for. What was the point, if taking that stand meant forcing herself back into the role she prided herself on having escaped from?

But she had to.

Her friends were counting on her. She had to get back to Magnolia, no matter what.

"Well, maybe following the story won't be so bad," she doubted. It had about as much effect on her spirits as the warm gale tugging at her clothes did on her shoes' love affair with the deck, but at least she was trying. "Fairytales always have a happy ending, don't they? Maybe Mavis was right, and I should be looking at this as an opportunity to sort out my love life once and for all…"

Gray made a non-committal noise. When Lucy glanced at him, he looked very pale. The shadows of the oncoming storm accentuated the sharp lines of his face, giving an almost anaemic impression.

"Yeah, who am I kidding?" Lucy groaned, slumping against the side of the boat. "At least you're okay. You've got Juvia here, who is already head-over-heels for you. You can make that work no problem. I've got to somehow catch the attention of the guy who doesn't appear to have noticed I'm a woman in two years of partnership. Or maybe he has noticed and just doesn't care."

"Mmm," Gray said, again.

Lightning momentarily split the world in two. So close was the thunder that she could feel the sound washing over her.

At last, the turbulence of reality surpassed the turbulence of her mind. She seized the side of the ship as it roiled, trapped between the twin storms of sea and sky.

"I'm sure it's nothing to worry about!" she shouted to Gray. "The storm is just-"

"-how The Little Mermaid starts, right?" he finished, so quietly that she shouldn't have been able to hear him over the wind. "The ship is hit by lightning, Prince Eric is separated from the rest of the crew, and he's saved from drowning by the mermaid."

Lucy stared. "How do you know that?"

Gray gave a shrug.

There was another flash of lightning, this one blindingly close. It captured a moment of furious sea and was gone again.

"Well, at least you know that the ship sinking is going to work out for you," Lucy remarked, as she watched the sailors scurrying around like mad things on the ship. "I have no idea how I'm going to get back to my story…"

"Lucy," he interrupted. He sounded oddly distant. She could almost see the last flash of lightning imprinted on his inky pupils.

"…What is it?"

Gray didn't answer.

Instead, he kissed her.

What?

What?

She blinked once, twice, but this was really happening. The thunder of her own heartbeat in her ears put the raging storm to shame. She could feel his lips on hers, but at the same time she couldn't, the sensation lost somewhere in the whirling of her own mind, trying to determine where this had come from, how it had happened, what signs she had missed…

Even when he pulled away again, her head was still churning more violently than the storm-tossed waves. Her mouth flapped like the struggling sails, and all she could do was stammer, "W-W-What?"

Then lightning hit the main mast.

The detonation jerked the deck away from under them. Fire streaked across the sails like phoenix wings igniting. Burning timbers were falling, shrieks were rising; the ship writhed this way and that in a vain attempt to escape from itself. The sky, the sea, the boat – all were flames and shadow.

Lucy staggered back to her feet, but she had lost sight of Gray. She shouted his name. The wind hollered back, catastrophe on its tongue.

Gray would be safe, she knew, his fairytale ensured it, but she was in the wrong story… and come to think of it, did any of the sailors except Prince Eric survive this disaster?

The last thing she knew was a splintering crack from somewhere overhead – and then nothing at all.

A/N: I don't know about anyone else, but I'm just here for Sassy Lucy.

As an aside, Lucy's views do not necessarily represent the views of the author, or indeed the only interpretation of Disney's Cinderella. Alternative interpretations are available, and will be important to the plot and her character development in later chapters.

Also, a bit of an apology. Because Gray's storyline is just about the slowest to kick off of all of them. So it's going to be quite a few chapters before we get any kind of explanation for what the heck just happened... ~CS