Just want to say a quick thank you to PinkFireandGoldenStars for helping me with my chapters! OMG THANK YOU! Everyone else should probably do the same - cuz without their help, I would still be stuck on all of my stories... yeah... anywho, on with the story, though I would like to apologize for how short it is, I do intend to keep it above the 1500 word range from now on!

The voice behind them was Miss Spetto, who'd been watching them since Lucy opened the door to go outside.

"Miss Spetto?" Lucy asked, surprised to see her up at such an hour.

What they didn't notice until just then was that the older woman held a small box in her hands - something that looked a lot like a jewelry box, but much smaller than the average.

Both of them stood up at the sight of Miss Spetto, wondering why she was up at such an hour.

"Am I wrong?" she asked, looking into Lucy's eyes for her answer.

Lucy blinked at the older woman and then said, "No, you're right. I'm looking for them."

Miss Spetto nodded, then opened the small box. Inside, laid a key. But not just any key. A golden one, with a special handle and stem – Aries' key.

"Your mother once told me you'd come looking for her keys to do what she never could – end this war between magic and non-magic users. For good."

Lucy could only stare at the woman in front of her, wondering why this hadn't been mentioned in the note her mother had left her. Perhaps this is what she'd been talking about when she spoke of the war being her burden to bear?

Lucy – her hands shaking – reached out and took the lone key. As soon as her fingers wrapped around the small handle, a bright golden light engulfed the area, now pulsing with magic.

When the light faded as soon as it came, before them stood a young woman with near snow-white skin that was covered in a fluffy and short white dress, her face framed by pink hair with two small brown horns at the top of her head.

"H-hello M-miss Heartfilia," said Aries.

"Just call me Lucy, okay?"

Aries stopped fidgeting, looked Lucy in her eyes, and breathed out deeply.

"O-okay, Lucy-san."

"I suppose now we make a contract?" Lucy asked her, ignoring for now the added honorific.

Aries nodded, and the contract was made valid. She could now call upon three Celestial Spirits - Lucy was quickly reaching her newfound dream to be as strong as her mother obviously was.

Aries faded back to the Celestial Realm as Lucy looked back at Miss Spetto.

"You're mother would be proud. And while I wish you could stay and catch up, I believe you have a quest to finish. So in the morning when everyone is awake, I'll send you all off with a good breakfast so you will travel well," Miss Spetto said with her eyes tearing up a bit.

"Thank you for your kindness and for telling me about my parents Miss Spetto. I really appreciate it, so much."

The woman simply nodded at her as she went back inside, closing the door behind her to give the two teens some privacy.

"So where to next?" Natsu asked Lucy after a few moments of silence passed between them.

"My mother said Capricorn's key is next: where the sun touched the earth... do you know anything about that?"

Natsu shook his head, not knowing what Lucy's mother meant by the statement.

Lucy looked at the three keys in her hand, wondering where this road would take her.

"Maybe one of the others know? We can ask them in the morning" Lucy said as she headed for the door. She needed to sleep whether she was tired or not.

Both headed inside as they knew they needed to sleep, saying their goodnights as they went to their separate rooms.

The next morning...

After a delicious breakfast, Miss Spetto sent them on their way - which way, Lucy still wasn't sure.

"Lucy, where to next?" Erza asked her as Miss Spetto went back inside the inn.

"I'm not sure," was her response.

Wendy blinked at Lucy, while Erza squinted her eyes, curiosity in their depths.

"In my mother's note for me, she said after Aries I should find Capricorn. Do either of you know where the sun touched the earth?"

Lucy was surprised when no one spoke up, though she supposed she shouldn't be. If this were easy, then anyone would've been able to find the keys.

"Well, does anybody have any idea of where we should start?" Erza asked as she continued to think of who could possibly know the meaning behind Lucy's mother's words.

Wendy spoke up then, saying, "Levy might know right? Since secrets have been passed down from her predecessor, she might know-"

"She will not know what it is you are seeking," said a semi-familiar voice behind Lucy.

The others' eyes widened upon the arrival of this person, and so she turned around to be face-to-face with Fairy Tail's leader - Makarov.

"The brat knows a lot, I'll give her that - but she does not know any location of any of the keys Layla distributed throughout the land," he continued, "I assume you have found the first key that belonged to your mother?"

Lucy blinked rapidly, then nodded quickly, wondering how the leader of Fairy Tail could be out and about at such a dangerous time for the wizarding world.

"Where is it you are looking next?" Makarov said, looking to Lucy for the answer.

"U-um, uh," Lucy was unsure of why she was so nervous - this man was her leader, after all, shouldn't she be at ease around him?

"Where the sun touched the earth," Erza told him, ignoring Lucy's internal struggle.

"Hmm..." the bearded man looked down in thought, "where the sun touched - ah, yes - I remember now - the mountain range, a familiar place for Wendy and Natsu, if I do in fact remember that part correctly."

Lucy's eyebrows scrunched together in confusion as she looked behind her at the two Dragon Slayers, their heads bowed, hiding their faces.

"Well, I must be going, I didn't come all the way out here for you brats - good luck!" he said as he turned around and walked away waving to the group now behind him.

"Mountains?" Lucy sighed when he was out of earshot, "What mountains? The only thing around here is rolling hills!" she exclaimed as she looked around.

"The mountains Gramps was talkin' about are the other way - towards Crocus and Magnolia City," Natsu said, head still bowed.

Lucy looked once more at the two Dragon Slayers, then to Erza.

Erza closed her eyes and shook her head, indicating to Lucy to leave the subject be.

Lucy's shoulders fell slightly as she nodded, and they headed back the way they came - towards Fairy Tail, and the city Lucy swore she wouldn't go to again so long as there was breath in her body - Crocus.

I am so incredibly sorry for how late this update is, as I planned to post this a very long time ago - like, in November, but I had a huge case of writer's block, and so was unable to even create this chapter, let alone post it. But now I have a new laptop, and my creative juices apparently flow only whenever I sleep deprive myself, because the other night I didn't fall asleep until about 10 o'clock... in the morning. Hehe... whoops. But hey, whatever it takes to get a new chapter posted! Please review, as I do read them and enjoy reading them, and if anyone has any questions feel free to PM or ... leave a review. Hope everyone had a good Christmas and New Year! Till next time!

-FairyTailFanGirlie