AN: This chapter happens between the Grand Magic Games arc and Tartaros arc. This chapter is also based on the episode "Sleepover" from Star vs. The Forces of Evil, with a touch of the episode "Butterfly Trap".

It was night at Magnolia, a quiet night... But perhaps not so quiet at Fairy Hills, where the girls there were having a slumber party. They had all arranged at Erza's room, since she was the one with the biggest space (because of the fact she had rented five rooms and had them joined).

They had prepared their sleeping bags there, all while gathering some pillows for their comfort (or even for a pillow fight). They had also brought many other things to entertain themselves with, like games, and also some snacks. Not just that, but Lucy had also been one of those invited to the party. When she arrived, she said:

"Hey, there, girls..."

"Yeah, Lucy arrived!" Cana shouted, gleefully, already drunk and holding a bottle of wine, not wasting any time to put an arm around Lucy's shoulders. "Now the party can really start!"

Despite being great friends with Cana (especially after their time at Tenrou Island), Lucy couldn't help but always feeling a little bit uncomfortable whenever she got too much friendly after drinking too much.

After Cana's reception, Lucy looked around and saw that most of her female friends were there for the slumber party, as they greeted her. She could see Wendy, Carla, Levy, Juvia, Mirajane, Lisanna, Evergreen, Laki and Kinana. Even Bisca came, having left Alzac at home to look after Asuka. They all seemed to have been having a great time talking and eating the snacks.

"Where's Erza?" Lucy asked, noticing the absence of the one that was hosting the slumber party.

"Oh, she went to get something she has been baking especially for the occasion" Mirajane replied.

"She even asked me for a dessert recipe from my homeland" Bisca told.

"We told her we didn't need it, since we already have a lot to eat for the party, but..." Levy started.

"But you know Erza" Laki ended.

"Yeah, I sure do..." Lucy replied, with a nervous smile, as she and Cana went to join the others.

"What I am intrigue is what our dear Queen of the Fairies will bring us... and if it is going to be edible" Evergreen commented.

"Evergreen, you shouldn't say that!" Lisanna said. "Erza... does her best."

"Come on, I think we all agree that if there's one thing Erza is not good at is at baking" Evergreen replied.

Despite the way Evergreen put it, no one could actually counter that, since they all knew that Erza indeed was not that much skillful when it comes to make food that actually tasted good enough to enjoy.

"Now I am a little scare of what Erza is baking" Wendy confessed, nervously.

"That is no reason to be so afraid" Carta replied to her.

"I personally like Erza's baking goods" Mirajane said, always smiling.

"Yeah, Mira, but you always love to eat food that is hard to eat..." Lisanna said, as some of the girls chuckled.

"Do I hear someone talking about food?" a voice asked.

The girls got nervous when they saw that Erza had returned with a plate full of small square cakes.

"Oh, Erza!" Lisanna exclaimed. "We were just..."

"Talking how we are all... excited to taste your cakes" Lucy hasted to tell.

"Is that so?" Erza asked, with her serious look that always managed to make anyone in her guild nervous.

"Yeah... I just got here and everyone couldn't stop talking about it" Lucy replied.

There was a pause where everyone was nervously waiting for Erza's response.

"I'm glad to hear that!" Erza said with a smile. "Because they have just been taken out of the oven."

The girls all looked nervously to the tray with the cakes... except for Mirajane who said:

"Oh, I can't wait to taste them!"

"Wait..." Erza said. "Sorry, Mira, but I think Bisca should be the one to taste them first."

Everyone turned to Bisca who asked:

"Who, me? No... Erza, you don't have to..."

"Come on, now" Erza insisted. "These were made following your recipe. It's the least I can do to thank you for letting me use it. Besides, I bet you want a taste from home."

Despite it was true that those cakes normally would bring Bisca to feel like she was back at her homeland in the western continent, she was afraid of how they would taste like when baked by Erza. The other girls placed their looks on her, as she extended her hand and took one of the cakes. She traded a look with Erza, who was expectant, and so (with a slightly trembling hand), Bisca took the cake to her mouth and bit it.

Judging by the look on her face, the other girls quickly realized the flavor wasn't exactly great. But Bisca, determined to not upset Erza, made a brave face and smiled while acting like she was enjoying. After making a great effort to swallow it, she said:

"Wow, Erza... These for certain are the most certainly... unique."

"Oh, I am so glad you enjoyed them!" Erza exclaimed, happily. "Come on, now, girls, help yourselves!"

"Oh, we would, if we could..." Cana replied.

"What was that, Cana?" Erza asked.

"Oh, nothing, Erza!" Cana told, with a nervous smile, as she took a cake and then whisper. "Maybe a little wine will mask the taste..."

The other girls tasted the cakes and they had the same reaction as Bisca, all while pretending to like it. Mirajane really seemed to be the only one to enjoy them.

"Uh, I am so happy you are all enjoying the cakes so much!" Erza exclaimed. "Maybe I should go and bake some more..."

"No!" the girls all shouted at the same time, making Erza to make a confused look.

"Well... we don't want you to miss the games we are about to do..." Levy replied, causing all the other girls to nod in agreement.

"It is true that the best part of a slumber party are the games..." Erza said, thoughtfully. "Very well, let's all engage in some slumber party games."

That made every girl sigh in relief, as they all sat together near each other.

"So, what games are we talking about?" Erza asked. "Pillow fights? If so, you better pick up the best pillows..."

"Why don't we pick a game that is less... intense" Lucy said, knowing full well how intense Erza could be in a pillow fight. "You know, just to start."

"Does anyone have an idea for a game?" Kinana asked.

There was a pause where everyone thought for a moment and the Juvia said:

"Maybe... we could tell each other the most romantic gesture we ever did to our beloved! I bet I would win that one... My beloved Gray just loves all of the romantic surprises I do for him..."

"Yeah, I wouldn't call that love..." Lucy commented, remembering how disturbed Gray would get with all of Juvia's romantic gesture.

"What was that, love rival?!" Juvia asked, making that fulminating look that she would normally do to Lucy whenever she thought that there was something between her and Gray.

"Oh, nothing..." Lucy replied hastily.

"Do we really have to do that game...?" Wendy asked, all embarrassed.

"Of course not, child" Carla replied. "Don't you see that most of us don't even have a boyfriend."

That comment from Carla really hit hard on most of the girls there.

"Wow, Carla, no need to be so brutal..." Lisanna whispered to the Exceed.

"Well... even if Juvia's game seems... interesting... it gave me an idea for one that is a classic in all slumber parties" Cana said. "What about we play... Truth or Dare."

That suggestion seemed to have satisfied most of the girls, with Erza even saying:

"Great choice, Cana" Erza said. "A classic is always a great choice."

"Sorry, but... I don't know how to play it" Wendy said.

"Honestly... neither do I" Carla added. "We never played games like that one."

"Well, the game is pretty simple" Lucy told them. "One person asks another if they want Truth or Dare. If you choose the former, you need to answer truthfully to any question the asker does."

"What kind of question?" Wendy asked.

"It can be anything, really" Levy continued. "But it needs to be some kind of personal question. Nothing about trivia. But... if you don't answer the question... or if you don't answer truthfully, then you need to perform a dare. The same thing happens if you choose Dare instead of Truth."

"And what kind of dares are we talking about?" Carla asked.

"Oh, that's the fun part..." Cana said, with her speech a little sluggish due to the alcohol, while putting an arm around Lucy's shoulders. "It can be anything, really. And you are compelled to do it, if you want to stay in the game."

And she started to play with one of Lucy's breasts, much to the latter's discomfort.

"Cana, could you please stop that?" Lucy said, as she moved away a little from her drunken friend.

"Yeah... I don't know about that..." Wendy said.

"I agree, that game sounds a little tasteless, if you can give any dare" Carla said.

"Maybe... we should put some ground rules, if we consider this is Wendy and Carla's first game" Levy suggested.

"Or maybe they can just watch" Evergreen also suggested, as she waved her fan. "After all, what fun is Truth or Dare, if we can't play it fully?"

The girls started to think about what to do when Laki chuckled and said:

"Or maybe... we can play a new game and have a fun experience together."

"A new game?" Kinana asked.

"I thought this party could need a little kick in the gut, so I brought a game I bought during my last job" Laki said, as she went to get from her bag a strange bluish-green cube with lighter blue lines covering all of its sides like a circuit board. "It's called... Truth or Punishment. Apparently, it is similar to Truth or Dare, but the cube is the one to make us questions. All the questions are directed to all the players. They can be harmless... like, something about your interests... Or they can be all about your deepest secrets... And, if any of them lie, then everyone suffers a small punishment until the one that lied tells truth."

Most the girls made a weird look, especially because they all knew Laki could get a little sadistic when it comes to her interests.

"Are you out of your mind?!" Carla asked. "That sounds even worse than the previous game!"

"Although... it may even help us get even closer and improve our teamwork" Erza said. "This game will force us to answer truthfully, if we don't want for our comrades to suffer. Not to mention it can also develop our endurance for anything an enemy may throw at us."

"Wait... are you for real?!" Lucy asked.

"Yes, we shall play the game and prove the value of our friendship!" Erza exclaimed, with her excited voice.

"Well... I was already going to ask some very naughty questions and dares, so..." Cana said.

"Who knows, may even be fun" Mirajane said.

One by one, the girls started to agree with the game, even Wendy and Carla, what resulted in Lucy to also agree.

"Okay, let's do it, then..." she said.

"Very well..." Laki said, while holding the cube. "It is going to be just three questions, each one harder than the last. And... you already know what to do."

She pressed the top of the cube and, as soon she did that, the cube glowed and the lines sticked out slightly from its sides, while starting to levitate on the air. It was then that a sinister male voice started to come out of the cube, saying:

"Deceit and fables, lies and fiction, even with complete conviction. If truth is absent from these events, all will face the punishments."

"Okay... I am starting to have second thoughts about this..." Lucy said.

"So am I..." Wendy seconded.

It was then that a section of the cube's top face slid up, revealing then a demon-like face with an open mouth that had a hole on it. The cube then said:

"Pledge an oath of truth. Pink swear to me."

Some girls were really starting to get nervous, with a few even gulping. Laki then was the first one to do it. Extending her pinky finger, she placed at the mouth of the face and said:

"I promise to tell the truth."

Erza then advanced and she did the same, saying:

"The truth."

"Well, if Erza is doing it, then I, as the real fairy here, must also do it" Evergreen said, while extending her pinky finger to the mouth. "The truth."

Cana also went on and said:

"The truth."

"Oh, this is going to be fun..." Mirajane said, also extending her finger. "The truth. Come on, Lisanna."

Sighing, Lisanna followed her sister.

"The truth" she said, while extending the finger.

One by one, all the girls did it. Wendy and Carla traded a nervous look, but they eventually did the same. Lucy was eventually the only one left.

"Come, Lucy, don't be a killjoy" Cana said.

"Don't worry, Lucy, whatever question is made to us, you can trust in us" Erza replied. "And if we end up facing any punishment, we will overcome it together."

Despite feeling uneasy with that game, Lucy ended up being moved by Erza's confidence and so she hesitantly extended her pinky finger and placed it on the mouth, saying:

"The truth."

Once she did that, the cube said:

"It's time for Truth or Punishment."

The demon-like face slid down back to the inside of the cube.

"The first question is..."