I hope you like this story! :)

Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail

Chapter 1: Monsters and Stunts

Lucy pulled her dagger out of the monster. Its acidic blood immediately began to eat away at the metal, and as it bore through her fingerless gloves, she cursed and flung it onto the ground. Examining her wound, she kicked at the monster's carcass, apparently upset that her favorite weapon had just been destroyed by the thing. A few more seconds passed before the creature burst into magical lights, but the blood still remained, killing the grass on the ground. The blonde removed her right hand's glove, and wiped off the remaining acid.

"Ms. Supetto!" she called, trudging through the densely, overgrown forest. A branch appeared out of nowhere and hit her face. Frustrated, she broke it off and stabbed it into a tree trunk.

Things had gotten out of control ever since Fiore's monster populace had risen seven years ago. And just five years ago, Lucy's mansion had been overrun by the filthy creatures and they had taken the lives of her family. Ms. Supetto, crying and breathless, had dragged the unconscious blonde out of her house and had gotten her to a safe shelter. The maid had then settled themselves in a house in an isolated area where Lucy had trained herself in the art of sword fighting. The blonde had lost all her Celestial keys back at the old mansion, and when she had returned there to retrieve them, they had disappeared. Overtime, a group of people called the Monster Slayers had appeared, announcing that they would take care of the wild beasts that ran around freely in Fiore. Most of these people gathered into groups to fight monsters – mostly because a person's magic alone wouldn't do any good to perish a creature - but Lucy had had another thought. She had decided to play it solo; in her perspective, having teammates would only hinder her progress as a Monster Slayer. And the thing was, the blonde didn't use magic. She couldn't use any other magic besides Celestial Spirit magic, and now that her keys were gone, she was helpless. Stores and shops rarely sold any keys anymore, and Lucy could barely scrape enough money to purchase food, let alone buy magical items.

"Ms. Supetto!" she tried again. This time her voice had an urgent pitch. Today was supposed to have been a peaceful moving day from their isolated home to Magnolia, the safest city yet. This was mostly due to the work of a wizard guild by the name of Fairy Tail, but the blonde knew nothing about them, since she held no intention of entering it.

"Ms. Su-!"

"Over here!"

The maid's raspy old voice echoed from somewhere to the blonde's right. Lucy peered cautiously into the interwoven trees before her and entered them. The silence pressed on her ears, and she could barely see anything that was more than three feet in front of her. These woods had grown so packed together that they barely let any sunlight stream down; it was a miracle they were still alive and grew green leaves out of their branches. Up ahead, the blonde could make out the silhouette of an old woman. As she approached even closer, she could see that it was Ms. Supetto, sitting on the ground with her foot caught under a fallen tree. Lucy ran up to her and knelt down, examining the situation closely. It was a thin trunk and looked sickly and ill; it would not be difficult to lift it up.

"I was running…and I tripped," the maid explained breathlessly. Something about the tone of her voice made the blonde uneasy, but she pried at the tree anyway. Almost immediately, the trunk came up and Ms. Supetto slipped her foot out. The woman got up, brushing off her skirts and checking her foot for wounds.

"Why…thank you…sweetie…" Lucy snapped her head around, and dropped the tree in horror as Ms. Supetto grew a pair of fangs, beady red eyes, a snake's body, and a Velociraptor's body. The blonde resisted the urge to scream, and instead reached to her back to unsheathe her sword.

"What did you do to Ms. Supetto, you beast?" The point of her weapon was directed at the reptilian thing, looking dangerously sharp and intimidating.

"You…mean…that old hag?" asked the creature, pointing a scaly finger to a tree behind him. Chained to the trunk was the old woman, knocked out cold and sporting a few new scratches on her face.

"You bastard," Lucy snarled, taking on a fighting stance. "I guess I can't go anywhere without killing one of you guys."

"We'll see about that."

The monster charged towards her; in a heartbeat, the blonde propelled herself into the air, flipped, and brought herself crashing into the monster's shoulder blades. It hissed, flailing its arms behind it. The thing only succeeded in scratching the blonde's knee. Somersaulting out of the way, Lucy tried a direct charge, dodged its fist, and plunged her sword into its stomach. For a moment, there was only a terrible garbling sound, and then the monster burst into lights. Emotionlessly, she sheathed her weapon, and said, "Only about a level two monster or so."

Whipping around, the blonde made her way towards the maid and checked her pulse; it was fine, and Lucy let out a sigh of relief. No matter how much of a humanoid a monster might seem, they had a natural killer's intent. Quickly, she got out a knife that was partly made of diamond – retrieved when she had entered a desolate battlefield where Monster Slayers had been brutally murdered; using that knife she had slaughtered the monsters who had done so -from her belt and cut away at the metallic chains binding her close friend. The old woman fell into her arms, and Lucy set her down the ground gently. Pocketing the knife, she brought out a water bottle and let the liquid dribble in the woman's mouth. Next, she used the water to clean off Ms. Supetto's wounds; using a first aid kit, she bandaged them carefully and skillfully. During the process, the woman opened her eyes lazily, wincing at the sting of water on her cuts.

"Are you okay?" inquired Lucy. Groggily, the old maid nodded, and the blonde hefted her onto her back so that she could carry her.

"Don't worry, Supetto, Magnolia's only three miles away."

The two of them emerged from the forest they had come from and began to walk on a dusty road, the sun beating down on them. Sweat dripped down the blonde's head, but she took step after step unhesitatingly. She concentrated on nothing but the road ahead of them and the weight on her back, but even that managed to bring her back to the thought that she was tired and sore. On the way to their destined location, they had faced a great deal of mischievous creatures, all determined to kill them. Some had been plants and others had been furry and misshapen. Suddenly, as if protruding from out of nowhere, Magnolia appeared out of the flat landscape. Lucy was ready to fall to her knees, and weep for joy, but she clenched her mouth together until she found an inn. The name of it was cheesy – COMFY INN – but it served as a decent shelter, and Lucy pushed open the door. People's heads turned as she made her way into the lobby; mothers pulled children out of the way when they spotted her weapon and injuries, and fathers pushed their wives and kids out of the way, determined to protect them at all costs.

The blonde ignored them all and carefully put Ms. Supetto down on a chair. She went to the front counter.

"We request a room?"

A lady with a neatly tied up bun looked up from her notes. She nodded curtly and lifted her hands up; immediately a screen and keyboard appeared out of nowhere. Lucy knew about this rare type of magic; it was called Archive and it could help the individual who used it research helpful and useful information.

"Your room is 702. Here are your keys…and please don't destroy anything," the lady added when she eyed Lucy's sword. The blonde saluted in thanks and went back to carry Ms. Supetto up the stairs. The climb up made her legs ache even more, but letting Ms. Supetto sleep in a comfortable bed was worth it.

A nice, comfortable bed turned out to be a shabby and dusty mattress set down on the floor that was filled with hay. Not only was it itchy, but the pieces of straw that stuck out poked any bare skin painfully. But a bed was a bed, so despite the blonde's exhaustion, she laid out the blanket that was given over the mattress –surprisingly more comfy than the bed was – and lay the old woman down carefully. Surveying her work proudly, Lucy trudged off to take a shower and came back wearing a blue sweatshirt and skirt. The shower had rejuvenated her, so she decided to take a nightly stroll. Although Magnolia was described as the safest city to be in, Lucy strapped her sword sheath to her back just in case. What was it that the Americans say? Oh yes, better to be safe than sorry. She slipped on her worn black leather boots and wrenched the room's door open. She checked twice to see if the door was properly locked, slipped the room keys into her belt –it reminded her painfully of her magical ones – and turned around, feeling at ease.

The blonde clambered down the steps, crossed the lobby, and creaked open the inn's door. Right away, a breath of fresh air blew into her face, and the blonde stretched her sore muscles. The breeze felt good on her face, and the blonde closed the door behind her, and started her walk with a slight bounce in her steps. From her sweater pocket, she withdrew her fingerless gloves. In the bathroom, she had deftly washed them and sewn them so that they appeared brand new. She slipped them on and for a while, she clenched and unclenched her fists to check if they would tear. When they didn't, Lucy felt a satisfied feeling arise from within her.

Tomorrow, Lucy and Ms. Supetto would go and find the house that they had bought beforehand. For now, they could just rest within an inn, and feel safe for the first time in their lives. Indeed, Magnolia had an air of calm about it that Lucy couldn't deny as she walked along the empty, silent streets. Feeling at peace, the blonde inhaled the clean, sharp and fresh night air into her lungs.

Along with all the good times she now experienced, Lucy also brought forth her sorrowful memories. Sadly, she thought of all the times she had gone on walks with her mother and father, Layla and Jude Heartfilia. Lucy had been the daughter of the rich Jude, owner of the Heartfilia Konzern. After the monster attack, everyone had thought that every Heartfilia family member had been murdered, including Lucy. She had seen it in the newspaper herself, shocked at the article's picture depicting the total destruction of her childhood home. The article said that she was dead, and every person interviewed said it was such a tragic thing for a twelve-year-old to die now. Little did they know that the little miss was nurturing her fighting skills until she had reached a top level.

Lucy looked up ahead of her. Many times, Ms. Supetto had told Lucy that her parents would be proud if they could see her today – to which the blonde responded that if they were here today, she would have never learned sword fighting at all. The blonde could give up all her top notch skills to have her parents back, but resurrecting people was not in her list of talents.

In the distance, Lucy could make out a castle shaped building with a surrounding gate. There were turrets and windows, balconies, and plants…it was beautiful, even more so than the Heartfilia Mansion had been. Out of curiosity, the blonde quickened her pace and approached the huge building. She stood just outside of the gate, and peered into the courtyard. Nobody stirred, and she wondered if this magnificent place was just on display, a building no one actually lived or did anything in. Indeed, this was what swam around in her mind as a shrill alarm ripped through the air, making her jump and her heart pound faster.

A loud voice sounded above her, screaming in panicked tones, "Monster! It's a MONSTER!"

Screams filled the air as people shut and locked their doors, slammed window shutters shut, and pulled curious children inside. Lucy hugged the gate behind her, a lump of fear and panic rising in her throat. No matter how many times she had gone through something like this, alarms and panicking people always increased her stress level.

"Monster!? We'll kick its ugly little butt!" a raucous voice yelled from behind the gate. The bang of doors flying open made Lucy grip the gate even harder.

"Ha! I bet monsters get colder faster than they get hot!" another male voice said, and the first voice growled, "Wanna make a bet?"

"Stop you two!" a low female voice commanded.

"You three! Just go!" This tone sounded old, but frightening and demanding. There was a thud of feet on cobbled floors and three people came into the blonde's view.

One of them had scarlet hair and donned the top half of an armor suit over her shirt. Otherwise, she wore a normal skirt and leather boots.

Another person, a guy, had black hair and didn't even have a shirt on. The only article of clothing he adorned was his black cargo pants.

The third person had salmon hair –yes, salmon – and wore an open vest, white pants, and a fabric that matched the colors of his vest hung over his pants. Around his neck was a scarf, white with black criss-crossing stripes.

On all three of them, the blonde spotted the same mark, but on different places. It was strange symbol, both bird and fairy-like. Salmon Head had the mark plastered on his right upper arm while Scarlet Head had hers on her left upper arm. Possible Stripper had his on his right pectoral. For a moment, the three of them glanced at Lucy, then went sprinting on. Up ahead, Lucy could make out the silhouette of a huge monster with an octopus's body and a tyrannosaurus rex's head. Shrill yells of terror buzzed around the city, and the blonde found herself doubting if Magnolia really was as safe as it claimed to be. Still, Lucy cocked an eyebrow at the three story tall creature; she had fought monsters four times this large…and those ones had been a piece of cake.

Coming out of her frozen state, the blonde launched into action, following those three individuals stealthily. As she ran behind them, the Octo-Saur loomed above them. When the trio stopped, the blonde hid behind a building and spied on them.

"Fairy Tail!" the hideous creature moaned and brought a slimy tentacle down towards them.

"Ice Make: Lance!" Possible Stripper screamed and cold, icy structures shot forth, penetrating the monster's skin. Immediately, Octo-Saur recoiled, writhing in pain. Furious, it swung its arms instead at the female. Unconcerned, she drew out a sword from out of thin air, and stabbed the creature.

Octopus Dinosaur wasn't happy as it retreated back yet another punctured hand; big blobs of inky blood dripped down, splashing buildings everywhere. The city was just lucky the fluid was not acidic, or Magnolia would have been destroyed by the time morning came.

"Hey! Butt face, over here!" Salmon Head shouted as he ran up one of the thing's arms. The monster swung the said tentacle and the mage was projected into the air; he flipped, cupped his hands around his face, and shouted, "Roar of the Fire Dragon!"

The creature was enveloped in flames, and for a moment, it only stumbled around, roaring in rage and pain. Lucy almost decided to leave the rest up to the three apparent wizards when she paused in horror. The ugly blob was approaching Ms. Supetto's inn! About ten more steps would bring its plump body crashing down on the building. Lucy was pretty sure she was not going to be happy with a pancake-like Supetto.

Without thinking, the blonde unsheathed her sword, and charged out of her hiding place. She ran past a surprised looking Possible Stripper who shouted, "Oi! Crazy woman! Stop!"

Scarlet Head, in the middle of removing a puddle of ink from someone's window whirled around, screaming, "What are you doing!? You'll get yourself killed!" The blood, while not acidic, was sticky, and held on fast to the female mage. Scarlet could not bring herself to move away from her position, and tripped over her feet trying to.

Salmon Head grinned recklessly. "That's a cool sword!"

"Stop her Natsu!" his two friends screamed at him.

The fire mage, apparently named Natsu, snapped into action and caught up to the blonde fast. He tried to reach out to grab on to her, but she gave him a drop kick that sent him sprawling. Sprinting and gaining momentum, Lucy leapt, and landed on Octo-Saur's tentacle. Annoyed, it swung around wildly, trying to get the pest off of him. Lucy slashed at the makeshift ground below her feet, and immediately, the arm fell away, and buckets of ink dripped down. Not taking any time to hesitate, Lucy ran up the length of the slimy "walkway" slashing and stabbing. At one point, the creature was close to knocking her off, but the blonde front flipped, sending herself into the air, and making herself end up on the thing's head. From that nauseating height, Lucy looked down and gulped. She had a plan, but it was crazy. Then again, her insane plans had kept Ms. Supetto and her alive for quite some time now.

Backing up to prepare herself, Lucy sprinted and jumped off the head. Rotating herself in midair so that the front of her body faced the creature, the blond brought forth her sword and it plunged into the monster's forehead. Lucy had sincerely hoped that the dinosaur head wouldn't be too scaly and rough for her weapon to cut through, and her wish had been granted. As she fell, the sword made one long cut down the monster's face, then neck, then body. The ground beneath her neared, and quickly, she thrust her sword out of the beast and used its body to fling herself outwards.

"Somebody catch me!" Her high-pitched scream sliced through the air, and for a horrible moment, she thought her plea for help had been lost in the din of the chaos until…

Something crashed into her, wrapped its arms around her and broke her fall. Behind and above her, she could hear the octopus roaring and shattering into light, but she couldn't look up. Whoever had caught her had strong arms and was clutching her close to their body. Body heat radiated off them and washed over her, making her feel strangely cozy.

"Natsu! Are you okay?" Scarlet Head's voice called.

"Yeah, Erza, I'm alright!"

"Jeez, that girl was insane!" It was Possible Stripper's voice this time.

"Shut up, Gray! It was pretty awesome!"

Natsu pulled her off of him and peered into her face. His onyx eyes were fascinating, and Lucy felt herself getting lost in them.

"You okay?"

"Urgh…"

No, she didn't feel okay. The world around her was spinning, and she was feeling weak from her fall. She had never had to pull a stunt like that before when she was defeating a similar monster. The urgent atmosphere of the job had overtaken her and controlled her to do something completely insane. If she hadn't reacted quickly, Ms. Supetto and everyone else in the building would have been crushed under the octopus's weight.

"We better get her to Fairy Tail," Erza said.

"Agreed," stated Gray, dusting himself off of debris. The blonde felt herself being lifted up by Natsu, but she didn't resist against the help. Her legs dangled uselessly off the sides of his arms, and the salmon-haired boy smiled down at her face.

"You're going to love our guild!"

Please review and tell me what you think about this story! It'll encourage me to write more of it! Thank you! :D