#put her in some armor get her some proper eyeshadow to go with it now you may head out and gaslight teenagers into suicide

[nerice]

that 'you're not going out dressed like that / ok slay' meme but it's eliada/faye........ canon

[thewickedmerman]

Winx Club - Enchantix

It's finally time for the FINAL transformation (Which is gonna STAY the final transformation)! The fan favorite, ENCHANTIX! I am making some changes both for aesthetic reasons and for character reasons. They will all have the Bloomix wings because those are the best wings out of all of the transformations. I will be doing them in order of who earns their Enchantix.

Layla

Starting off with the BEST fairy! I didn't make too many changes, apart from the makeup, the color, the wings, and the skirt. I made the skirt a flowing high-low skirt that resembled a waterfall and a wave. I still included the straps but made both pink and kept the yellow seaweed looking things. But I also added a transparent pink thing to the skirt to make the front a little longer and to add some dimension to it. Layla has had the colors of her Enchantix outfit change from blue to green in the actual show, which I guess was because of how Bloom earned her Enchantix and they didn't want two of them to be in blue (Even though Layla's color always should've been blue and Bloom's really should've been red). However, I stuck with blue but also made is an aqua shade just like all of her past transformation looks. I also add some painted toenails because I wanted to. I changed her makeup because my girlfriend, who is half-black and is very protective of black females (Particularly full-blooded dark-skinned ones), pointed out that her makeup in her official Enchantix didn't look quite right because the lips were too light. So I used a slightly darker shade to fix that, as well as made her eyeshadow purple instead of green because it just looks better. Also, just wanted to point out the two little white things by her eyes because that is part of her original Enchantix form as well. They look like two little dewdrops. She still earns her Enchantix by using the last bit of sunlight to healing the queen of the mermaids instead of restoring her sight that was stolen by Valtor. Also, apparently the queen is supposed to be her aunt, which I'm guessing is more of an honorable love like family thing because of how the royal family of the merpeople are clearly not black and aren't even the same species as Layla. Anyway, I hope you guys like it.

Stella

Stella's Enchantix went through A LOT of changes. Don't get me wrong, her original Enchantix was gorgeous but I didn't feel like it showed enough of her sun and moon powers. I also wanted to give her a more Greek inspired look and went with her prototype Enchantix hair, which is so gorgeous and suits her and the outfit so much. I still went with her hair being lighter just like with her official Enchantix because I feel it does show her moon powers. I just really love the way she turned out. She still earns her Enchantix by saving her father from a dragon.

Musa

Musa's Enchantix went through A LOT of changes. Her original Enchantix was gorgeous but I felt that it should've ditched the pigtails and had more of an Asian influence to it. I went with her Bloomix hair because it is very Asian influenced, though I just added chopsticks, which was suggested by my girlfriend. I also tried to make her makeup look Asian inspired to just add to the look, which I really love. The blue of the outfit was almost gold but I changed it so that it would match the wings. The outfit is mainly purple, which I have as her signature color, but also made sure there was red because of how it is an important color in Asian culture. I made sure to add a music note on her top because of how she is the fairy of music and it goes with her wings. I really love her look and I'm pretty proud of how she turned out. Musa still earns her Enchantix by refusing to leave Princess Galatea behind and nearly dies protecting her. However, I also have Galatea be Musa's cousin because I'm keeping the 4KIDS canon of Musa being a princess, though one that is the daughter of a prince that denounced his throne. I feel like Musa being royal adds to the story of her parents because of how her mother rejected her classical training and her father rejected his royal title in order to have a career in music. However, they still didn't have much money and that added her mother dying because they couldn't afford the right medical attention. This resulted in her father giving up music forever and deciding to beg his family to let him back into the royal family, in order to keep Musa from struggling like he did and would have the means to have proper medical attention, so he wouldn't lose Musa either. He was let back into the royal family for the sake of Musa. However, her father would not be the one to inherit the throne, which would go to Galatea's father. So this means that Musa isn't just saving the princess of her planet that is a friend, but also saving a family member. I'm just assuming that Galatea is Asian with blonde hair (I mean, Musa has blue hair, so why not?) because her father is shown to look like a Chinese Emperor and the planet of Melody is very Asian influenced. Sorry for rambling.

Flora

I really didn't do any changes to Flora's Enchantix, apart from the Bloomix wings because Flora's Enchantix is perfection. She still earns her Enchantix by saving her little sister, Miele (Yes, I prefer her actual name over her 4KIDS name, Rose).

Tecna

For Tecna's Enchantix I really wanted it to be the most revealing of her fairy outfits (Well, tied with Sirenix) because of how I had her starting to show off more skin for her Believix form and it shows how she's grown and opened herself up to others and let herself be emotional instead of just logical all the time. Just because she isn't skinny it doesn't mean she has to alway be covered up. But I did adjust the length to make it more tasteful (Even though her original Enchantix wasn't distasteful). I also wanted to add some elements from her Bloomix form besides just the wings. I added the technology pattern she had on her leggings because they looked so amazing (But were a pain to do) and gave her that transparent fabric she has in that form. While Tecna's hair has grown in this transformation (Just like with all the girls), I didn't want to make it more than a few inches below the shoulders because her short hair makes her unique. I didn't add sparkles to the armor because I wanted to make clear the difference in material. Since I have her color being green, I did have to mess around with the coloring a bit and I love the way it looks. The way she earns her Enchantix is my favorite of all the girls because she saved not only her home planet, Zenith, but other planets by closing the portal to the Omega Dimension on Andros. That's just a whole new level of sacrifice. She doesn't die and does manage to escape, of course, but the impact of what she did is just a staple in the Winx Club and how much she means to the group and what an awesome character she is.

Bloom

Bloom's Enchantix was one I was VERY excited to do because of the GORGEOUS hair and how I really wanted to make her dress look like fire. This has gone from one of my least favorite Enchantix forms to one of my favorites. Don't get me wrong, her original Enchantix form was gorgeous but really didn't feel like it suited her powers. I did combine this with her Bloomix form because for one, the hair is just GORGEOUS and I really wanted to include the scales from the form. I wanted to have the top also have some flow to it. I especially wanted that with the skirt. I wanted it to appear like actual flames with red, orange, and yellow. I also blended the colors as they transitioned. I added blue-looking flames because of how fire does have a hint of blue to it, which is the hottest color. I decided to make her gloves orange to go with her fire powers and made her jewelry gold to go with her fire powers, as well as purple gems to go with her wings. I gave her a dragon necklace because it looks really badass. I went with a fiery-looking eyeshadow with blue and orange, which was easier to do because of how her hair isn't orange here. As for how she earns her Enchantix, I am NOT having her earn it by that bull crap of it being sheer force of will, which I know that my amazing friend @bellatrixobsessed1 will appreciate VERY much. Also, just so you all know, I'm keeping her birth parents and the entire population of Sparx DEAD! Yes, it's tragic but it's also something that gives Bloom a huge layer of depth. Anyway, what I decided to have happen is that she is on Pyros doing all she was doing in the show and basically trying to cheat to get her Enchantix with the help of Maya. However, Valtor, wanting to destroy Bloom once and for all and knowing that Pyros would be where she was at and that he couldn't enter because of a barrier that kept out dark magic decided to get Bloom to come to him by going to Earth to put her adopted parents in danger. Bloom, deep in meditation learns that her parents are in danger because her sister, Daphne appears to her in a vision to warn her. Bloom in desperation to save her parents begs Maya to help her to Earth. Maya warns her that if she leaves now that she may never be able to earn her Enchantix and that without it, she could die while trying to leave Pryros. Bloom says she doesn't care because Valtor may have taken her birth parents from her but she was NOT going to let him take her adopted parents. Daphne and Maya, reluctantly, use their magic to help Bloom get to Earth through a portal. Traveling through the portal was physically painful for Bloom but she kept on going and refused to give up. She nearly dies but as she arrives to Earth, just as Valtor was about to kill Mike and Vanessa (Bloom's adopted parents), a weakened Bloom with what little strength she had left threw herself in front of them to save their lives. She was close to death but this selfless act saved her life because of how it was what had her earn her Enchantix. Why? Because Faragona said that in order to earn Enchantix, you have to save someone from your home world and make a big sacrifice in the process. Home doesn't mean a place you are born in but rather a place you're loved and have a life. Earth is her home world, so saving her adopted parents allowed her to earn her Enchantix. Bloom, now more powerful than ever was able to fight off Valtor, forcing him to flee. Did you guys like my version of how Bloom earned her Enchantix? Let me know.

My final group picture of the Winx Club in their final forms. This was a lot of fun, a lot of work, and a lot of headaches. I couldn't have done it without the help of my girlfriend, @keeloves, who gave me suggestions and ideas, as well as feedback during the process. Thank you guys so much for liking my stuff, even if you didn't leave comments. I'm really happy to be done with this and I'm grateful for all the love this has been getting. Also, I have the girls flying instead of just standing like I did with their Magic Winx, casual looks, and Believix.

Credit for the bases goes to SelenaEde of DeviantArt

Credit for the wings goes to AstralBlu of DeviantArt

Credit for the backgrounds goes to xKaJot of YouTube & Keerene and SparxGuardian

[dragbunart]

If You Ever Come Back Chapter Five

Chapter 5: Everybody wanna steal my girl

 Warning: Attempted Murder, Blood, Unwanted groping

       Lotor smiled at down at his wife as she stared at herself in a mirror. The dress was just as elegant as the one she wore for their wedding. She looked just as ethereal if not more. Today she wore a dark purple dress that reached the floor with a slit that went from the ground to about where her fingers would rest by her sides. The top was a halter type that was held up by a purple metal that laid around the base of her neck. It was long sleeved, almost like gloves, but exposed her freckled shoulders. Her back was also exposed by the dress but covered by the cape connected to the dress. She also wore a deep purple eyeshadow, masquerade, dark red-almost-purple lipstick and light blush. She looked amazing if a little uncomfortable.

       “Maybe I should wear heels.” She mumbled moving to take off the fancy black sandal-like shoes she wore. Lotor stopped her.

       “You’re fine the way you are. Besides my people haven’t had a proper queen in 10,000 years.” Lotor stood up straight an offered Pidge an arm. She took a moment to take him in.

       He wore black armor that made him look regal and powerful.

       “It’s not fair, you get armor and a sword, and I get a tight dress and a dagger.” She mumbled. Lotor chuckled.

       “You’re right it’s not, Kitten. But I just wanted an excuse to show off how lovely you are.” Pidge rolled her eyes but took the arm offered to her.

       “So today, you become an emperor.” She looked at him in awe. “But, if you are a bad leader I’m rejoining Voltron and coming back with Green to give you a lesson.” He chuckled at her joke. “Don’t laugh I’m being serious.”

       “I know.” Lotor led her to the throne room. Zarkon and Haggar waited for the couple there.

       “Lotor.” Zarkon greeted.        “Father.”

       “I see you brought the Green Paladin.”

       “I know you and Haggar missed the wedding, but she is my wife.” Pidge shifted uncomfortably under Haggar’s gaze, it was the first time she faced the Altean without armor.

       “As long as she doesn’t distract you from your duties.” Haggar turned her attention to Lotor. “I suppose you two have already begun the process of making an heir?”

       “Can we please not talk about that right now!” Pidge blushed bright red.

       “If we have, it’s none of your business what my wife and I do,” Lotor smirked. “Now, I have a coronation to attend. Come on, Kitten.”

        The coronation went off without a hitch. Now Pidge just had to survive the reception afterword. She felt so out of place. Compared to the rest of the party goers she was short. Most of them were wearing military uniforms. And they kept glaring at her, she didn’t know if it was because she defeated their past leader, was married to their current leader [and wasn’t Galra], or just because she was a paladin.

       She sat down at one of the many tables while Lotor mingled.

       “Empress Kathrine, it an honor to meet you.” One of the high up soldiers considered a war hero walked up to her.

       “Call me Pidge. May I ask your name?”

       “Goyil, at your service.” He bowed to her.

       “Nice to meet you too, Goyil. You know, you’re the first person to approach me. Thank you.”

       “Not everyone is confident enough to approach our new Emperors wife.”        “They shouldn’t have to be. I was just a regular citizen on my planet.”

       “It’s also because a few of us soldiers made a bet on who could woo you and I got first pick.”

       “Is that a joke?” Goyil put a hand on Pidge’s thigh.

       “Come on, just go down easy, we won’t tell Lotor.”

       “Take your hand off me right now!” Pidge warned.

       “Or what? You don’t have your fancy ship or Bayard. And who do you think everyone will believe? A trusted High Ranking Galra soldier or the alien who married into royalty after being on the rebel side for years.” Pidge grabbed his hand and threw him onto the table.

       “Don’t EVER touch me like that again!” Everyone around her froze.

       “You think you’re so above me? I worked for my position, you slept your way into yours.” Pidge went to punch him only to have someone grab her hand. Lotor pulled her back, drug her to his throne, and sat her down.

       “Why did you stop me!? Someone has to teach him a lesson!” Pidge struggled to fight Lotor’s force that kept her sat down.

       “Stay here. I’ll deal with him.” Lotor growled. “But first I have to prove something to people like him.”

       “And what is that?”

       “You are mine.” He growled. Pidge opened her mouth to say something but Lotor slammed his mouth onto hers. The force of it caused Pidge’s head to hit the throne. When Lotor broke it Pidge was panting for air. Lotor wiped the spit from his face before kissing Pidge on the cheek. “Now stay.” Pidge could only nod, the pain in the back of her head had her a bit dazed. Lotor marched over to Goyil. “You had some very unsavory things to say to my wife. Do you dare repeat them?”

       “All of us are thinking it, there’s only one reason you’d marry someone below you-“ Lotor grabbed the soldiers throat.

       “I’ll have you know my wife and I didn’t do anything until after we were married, at her insistence. And I will not tolerate any disrespect towards her.” Lotor threw Goyil at the foot of the throne. “Now apologize, and after that, I don’t want to see you near her ever again!”

       “I-I’m sorry, Pidge.”

       “You do not get the honor of calling her that! She is Empress Kathrine to whelps like you!”        “My sincere apologies Empress Kathrine.” Goyil picked himself up and ran. A few other soldiers and a commander were hot on his heels. Pidge watched in dazed wonder.

       “I want them imprisoned,” Lotor ordered the nearest, highest ranking officer.

       “Would you like them killed, sire?” The Officer asked nervously.

       “No, I shall decide on their punishment later.” Lotor returned to Pidge. He noticed her dazed, but slightly pained expression. “Katie, are you alright?”

       “I hit my head.” Lotor checked the back of her head, sure enough, a bruise was beginning to form. Lotor picked her up Bridal style and cradled her to his chest.

       “The rest of you should enjoy the festivities, I’ll be helping my wife retire for the night, but I will be back.”

        Lotor laid Pidge down in bed.

       “I’m sorry, love. Does it hurt?”

       “Hmmm? I’m fine.” Pidge curled up on the large bed, making her seem even smaller.  Lotor stroked her hair, being mindful of the bruise he caused.

       “You need to let me know if I hurt you.” He mumbled. He wasn’t even sure if she heard him. He quickly changed her into some comfortable pjs before making his exit. “Kitten, I’m locking you in, so don’t panic.”

       After mingling at the party for a few hours he returned to his room. As soon as he turned to the hall he saw the door was wide open. He ran towards it.

       When he got to his room he saw a figure holding a pillow over Pidge’s face, and her arms limp by her side. He drew his sword in a blind rage and killed the figure. After he threw the body off Pidge he felt for a pulse.

       It was weak but there. He was so glad he learned human CPR from Lance. Soon Pidge’s eyes opened and she started gasping for air.

       “Katie! What happened?”

       “I-I don’t know, I kept drifting in and out of sleep and I heard the door open, and I couldn’t breathe.” Lotor nodded and cradled her to his chest. He glared at the body on the ground.

       “Pidge, go change and bathe. I’ll handle everything.” He gently ushered her into the bathroom and grabbed her a change of clothes. He changed the sheets and cleaned the blood off the floor the best he could. He got rid of the body and investigated how the hitman could’ve gotten into the room in the first place. He checked the doors security system and deleted everyone who wasn’t himself from that door. He reentered the room.

       Pidge hadn’t left the bathroom yet. Lotor ran in to find her. She was in the bath staring blankly as she washed the blood off. He walked over and removed the armor from his arms and torso. He worked some soap into her hair. She blinked and whipped around, she blushed as soon as she saw it was Lotor.

       “It’s ok, Kitten, just let me spoil you.” His voice was low and soft. His fingers worked the shampoo into her hair carefully.

       “I… I shouldn’t be reacting like this. I fought in a war… I should be used to people trying to kill me.”

       “The war is over though, and whoever is after you used underhand methods to attempt to take you from me.” He placed a kiss on her shoulder, ignoring the taste of soap.

       He helped bathe her and watched her get dressed. He picked her up bridal style and set her on the bed. He changed the rest of his armor out for a pair of PJ pants, leaving his shirt off.

       Lotor laid down next to his wife. Pidge started to doze off as Lotor stroked her hair. Her breathing was starting to even. He kissed her lips gently. He stroked her cheek. He listened to her soft breaths. He wished he could fall asleep with her.

[tbehartoo]

Is There a Fairy Godmother in the House?

Fandom: Fairy Tail

Main Characters: Lucy, Natsu

Others that get a speaking part: Levy, Erza, Wendy, Happy, Gray, MiraJane, Cana, Evergreen, and my OC’s Auntie Olga and Peter.

Rating: General

Word Count: 12,551 total

Summary: Natsu admits he’d like to go to the guild’s formal Christmas dance a mere two days beforehand. Lucy asks him to go with her, but now how is she supposed to be ready in time- Anyone have a spare fairy godmother they can loan her?

Chapter 1- The Invitation

Lucy fiddled with the pendant of the necklace she was wearing while she waited for Levy to finish applying eyeshadow to her lids. This was the first time she’d been actually excited to be going to a formal dance ever since her cotillion at fifteen. When she’d lived at home these kinds of dances had been opportunities for her father to set her up with possible suitors from other powerful business families, but this time she was going to go with one of her best friends.

She was so glad that she had asked Natsu to go with her when they were walking back to her apartment after having breakfast at the guild. They had been talking about a little bit of everything and eventually they got to the subject of the upcoming ball.

“Aren’t you going to the dance Natsu?” Lucy asked in surprise. “You said you were really looking forward to it.”

“Yeah, well it’s turned into more of a couples thing,” Natsu said with a scowl. “I was just going to go with Gray and Elfman and they’re not available any more.”

Lucy nodded. She knew that Gray had asked Kinana to go with him the day Master Makarov had made the announcement that there would be a formal ball and not just the regular rowdy Christmas party at Fairy Tail this year. She snorted. Poor Elfman had been threatened with being turned into stone if he didn’t ask Evergreen! He finally declared that only a Real Man would ask her to the dance and then proceeded to faint when she accepted.

“You could just take Happy with you,” she suggested.

Natsu shook his head. “There’s some kind of exceed celebration going on and he’s going to be there with Carla and Lily.”

“Well, why don’t you just ask someone to go with you?” Lucy asked, reasonably. “You don’t have to be actually dating someone to go to a dance with them, you know.”

Natsu turned a blushing pink around his ears. “Well it’s only two days away. No one is going to want to have such a short time to get ready for a fancy dance.”

Lucy shrugged. “I guess it depends on who you ask.”

“What about you, Luce,” Natsu said. When she looked questioningly at him he added, “Didn’t you want to go to the ball?”

Lucy thought about it before answering. “I don’t know, I used to go to those kinds of things all the time.” She shuddered, “My father would try to set me up with these horrible guys, usually the rich heirs of his business partners, but sometimes the old rich guys themselves, and they were either really vain and full of themselves and their wealth or…” she broke off as her lips formed a tight line, “handsy.”

Natsu’s hands balled into fists and Lucy could see the flames starting to flicker around them.

“Natsu calm down!” Lucy ordered as she grabbed his arm and started to wave his hand in the air. “Don’t you think I could take care of myself?”

Natsu’s sly grin lit up his face. “I’m sure you could Luce, but I’d still like to explain to those guys about proper behavior when in the presence of a human being.”

Lucy laughed, “Natsu, stop being silly.” Natsu’s flames immediately went out. Lucy nudged his arm with her elbow. “Besides, that’s all in the past.”

They continued to walk along in silence. Lucy was lost in thought as she remembered those parties that seemed to be a lifetime ago. Natsu was waving to the people on the barges floating down the canal.

“You know, Natsu,” Lucy said as she was walking along the wall of the canal. “If you really wanted to go to the dance, you could have just asked me. It's not like we aren't friends.”

Natsu looked at her completely dumbstruck. “You’d, want to go?” He didn’t seem to be grasping what he’d heard. “With me?”

Lucy hadn’t even looked back at him, she was concentrating on where she put her feet on the icy wall. “Yeah, why not?” she asked. “You know that we’re friends. If you really want to go to the party, I could go with you.” She stopped to look at him, smiling. “Natsu Dragneel would you like to go to the Fairy Tail Christmas Ball with me this Friday night?”

Natsu looked down at his feet with a frown and seemed to be thinking over the proposition thoroughly. When he didn’t answer, Lucy shrugged and started walking along the wall again. He looked up as he took a breath to speak and suddenly realized that Lucy wasn’t in front of him. He looked left and right before spotting her at the front door of her apartment building. He ran to catch up with her.

“Hey, Luce, did you mean it?”

“Did I mean what?”

“Did you mean to ask me to go to the dance with you?”

“Sure, Natsu,” she said as she unlocked her door. “I think it’d be fun to go with you.”

“Well then, yes,” he said, “I’d like to go to the Christmas dance with you.”

“Okay, well then what do we need to do to be ready?” she said as they walked through the door. She went to her desk for paper and a pen. “I’ll need a dress, I don’t have anything that’s formal, but I guess my blue dress could do in a pinch. And maybe new shoes if I don’t have something that matches,” she said as she started to write. “Do you have a suit?” she asked him.

“What?” He chuckled. “Lucy have you ever seen me in a suit?”

“So, no on the suit,” she looked him up and down. “Well maybe Gray could lend you some slacks and a button down shirt,” she started making a separate list for Natsu. “Would a tie be too much to ask for?”

Natsu’s look of horror made her laugh. “I didn't know what I was thinking. No tie.” She looked back at her list. “You’ll need black dress shoes and some dark socks. I ought to get a mani-pedi, but Levy and I already had those planned for this afternoon.” She wrote it on the list anyway. “Do you think Erza would be up for a shopping trip?”

Natsu nodded his head.

A thought suddenly struck her. “Do you want me to get you a flower for your buttonhole?”

The first real laugh she’d heard that morning escaped Natsu’s throat. “Why would you get me flowers?”

“Aren’t you planning on getting me a corsage?”

“A cor-what?”

“A corsage,” she said pointing to her wrist. “It’s a small bouquet of flowers that’s meant to be worn on my wrist,” she explained. “I don’t like the kind that get pinned on.” She looked thoughtfully at Natsu’s blank expression. “Never mind, I have some nice bracelets that will do.” She looked over her lists again. “I think that’s everything.” She handed Natsu his list. “Will you be able to play nice with Gray long enough to ask about borrowing the clothes?”

Natsu scowled but nodded his head.

Lucy laughed, “Thank you. I know we were planning on spending the morning getting ready for our next job, but I need to get ahold of Erza. If I can find a dress I like, it might need some alterations, and while I know those seamstresses are able to work miracles it’s best to give them some time to work it in.”

“Okay Luce,” Natsu said as he pocketed his list. “I’ll get right on this.”

Lucy patted his shoulder and smiled. “I know I can count on you.”

Later that morning Lucy was shopping with Erza, Levy, and Wendy.

“I’m glad you asked me to come with you,” Erza said to Lucy as they entered their second dress shop.

“I’m glad you wanted to come since you’ve already got a dress,” Lucy replied.

“Oh, I’ve got to find a new one,” Erza said offhandedly as she grabbed several dresses and headed to the dressing room.

“But, why?” Lucy asked. “That evening gown you got last week was beautiful!”  

“It’s my fault,” Levy said with a sigh. “I found this really cool dress that looked like metal plates riveted together. The woman at the shop called it steampunk. And then I found these gray, high heeled boots with little gear buttons as decorations on them that looked like iron. And I thought that they would be perfect because they match Gajeel’s magic so well.” She blushed before she continued, “When I showed them to Gajeel he went out and bought a suit that has each part decorated with words!” She smiled remembering the sight. “The jacket has a pinstripe with the word “jacket” in the tiniest stitching I’ve ever seen. And they’re matched with pants that have the word “trousers” on them. His tie even has the word “tie” woven into the fabric.” There was a fond look in her eyes. “And of course Laxus wouldn’t be out done by Gajeel so he declared that he’d be wearing a red and silver hakama in honor of Erza’s strongest armor. Which meant Freed and Bickslow suddenly were coming up with suits to match Mira and Lisanna and then those two were finding clothes to match the guys’ magic.”

“Oh, I don’t envy Lisanna trying to match Bickslow’s talent,” Lucy said as she looked through a rack of skirts.

Wendy laughed. “She decided to just go with a babydoll dress and let that be good enough.”

“She’ll look adorable in that,” Lucy said while Levy nodded in agreement.

“Freed and Mira are just doing matching pantsuits with opposite colors since their magics are so similar,” Wendy reported. “And Evergreen is wearing a dress with several different animal prints while Elfman went out and bought a slate gray suit.”

“That sounds so cute,” Lucy said. Then her face fell. “I don’t think I’ll be able to find anything that matches Natsu’s fire.”

“Don’t get discouraged Luce,” Levy said. “We’ll find the perfect gown for you.”

“What do you think of this one?” Erza asked as she came out wearing a stunning electric blue dress with gold embellishments. It was strapless and form hugging. The length of the skirt could generously be called mini and the gold chains that held the sides together were straining to do their job.

“Wow, Erza!” Lucy exclaimed.

“That looks fabulous,” Wendy said.

“I don’t know,” Erza said as she checked herself in the three-way mirrors. “It seems a little loose.”

Levy just laughed. “Erza there is nothing loose about that dress.”

“Hmmmm,” was all she replied. “Well there are a few others I want to try first.”

After going through the entire contents of the dress shop, Erza decided to get the blue and gold dress. Lucy failed to find anything that she really liked in this shop or the next three shops they visited. They all decided to stop for some lunch before continuing the quest.

“I hope we find something soon,” Lucy said as she skewered a piece of chicken with her fork. “We’ve got to head over to the nail shop in an hour and I kind of hate doing anything right after a manicure.”

“I know what you mean,” Levy said. “It doesn’t matter how much they assure me my nails are dry, I always find a way to mess up at least one of them.”

The others chuckled and nodded in agreement.

“So, Wendy, who are bringing to the dance?” Levy asked as she took a bite of her sandwich.

The younger girl blushed before answering, “Um, I invited Chelia to come with me.”

“You two have been spending a lot of time together,” Lucy said with a smirk. “Is there anything you want to tell us about the pair of you?”

Wendy merely blushed and shook her head.

Lucy looked a little disappointed. “Oh, I was hoping that you were at least going on a few dates.”

Wendy looked at her with a scowl. “What have you heard?”

Lucy’s smirk was back. “Nothing, just that you two are hardly ever seen apart.”

“I heard that they were holding hands in the park,” Levy added in a conspiratorial whisper. “And more than one person at the guild thinks they’d make a pretty cute couple.”

Wendy’s face was now a solid pink color.

“I’ve always thought their fighting styles matched really well,” Erza supplied. “They are certainly able to take care of enemies quickly and efficiently when they fight as a team. They’d be unstoppable with a unison raid.”

All of the women laughed together at that comment. It seemed to diffuse the cloud of embarrassment that gathered around Wendy. Lucy and Levy stopped teasing her, but both of them made notes to pay particular attention to the couple at the dance.

“You know Lucy,” Levy said after taking a sip of her drink, “I think we’ve been looking in all the wrong places for a dress for you.”

Lucy was confused. “Lev, we’ve been in most of the clothing shops in Magnolia. Where else would we find a dress?”

“I think we ought to visit Aunt Olga,” Levy said with a shrug.

Erza nodded. “Yes, I should have thought of it before. We really must visit Aunt Olga she’d want to be a part of this,” she paused as she watched a waiter go by with a tray of pastries, “after dessert of course.”

Ten minutes after they finished eating they were standing in front of a discreet red door in one of the wealthier parts of town. Lucy’s mouth dropped open when she realized where they were. Erza pulled the doorbell and a musical note floated out to the street. A large, burly man with a face full of scars answered the door. Lucy was reaching for her keys when she saw the man smile at Erza, look past her to see the others, and his smile widened.

“Zaza! You’ve come back!” he cried as he enveloped Erza in a crushing hug. “And you’ve brought a new friend. Come in! Come in!”

He waved for the others to follow Erza into the front room of the establishment. He gave Levy a bear hug and merely placed a hand lightly on Wendy’s hair before he excused himself and hurried back into the rest of the building.

Lucy whispered urgently, “Levy, how is it that we are being welcomed into Dame Olga von Lanik’s front parlor without a three year reservation?”

Levy giggled. “You just have to know the right people Luce.” She looked at her stunned face and said, “You know you don’t have to whisper here.”

“I do not know that,” Lucy huffed as she crossed her arms. “How would I know that? I've never been here!”

Wendy let out a short laugh, “Try to calm down Lucy. Auntie Olga will be here any second.”

“Is she everybody's aunt?” Lucy asked, bewildered.

“I am no one's aunt, and everyone's aunt,” a woman said as she swept into the room. She was only slightly taller than Levy, but her bearing was more fiercesome than Erza in full battle mode. Her orange hair was swept up into a messy knot on the top of her head. A silky, sky blue shirt was tucked into a short orange skirt that matched the woman's hair. Her three inch heels made a tapping sound as she made her way to Erza, the long ropes of pearls around her neck faintly echoing her footsteps. She kissed both of Erza’s cheeks before continuing to speak. “Erza you look as robust as ever,” she proclaimed. “Levy! My lovely bookworm. Are you studying hard dear?” she asked as she greeted her with cheek kisses as well.

“Yes, auntie,” she replied smiling warmly at the woman.

“Good. Good.” She moved down to embrace Wendy. “My sweet sky dancer! You've come back to visit me. So good to see you again.”

“Good to see you too, auntie,” Wendy said with a grin.

“And you've brought a new friend with you!” the woman exclaimed as she stopped in front of Lucy. “Another fairy girl?” she asked. When Levy nodded she looked Lucy over carefully. Auntie Olga sniffed. “A star mage,” she said with a disdainful tone. Lucy suddenly felt like a lamb before a hungry lioness. There were several tension filled minutes as the woman's intense stare sized her up. A smile suddenly broke across her face. “She’s a good one. A very happy aura,” she declared. “May I greet you dear?”

“Wh- uh, yeah?” Lucy said as she recovered from the feeling that this woman had looked into her soul and judged her worthy. Worthy of what, she didn’t know, but she was relieved to have passed the test.

The little woman took Lucy by the shoulders and said, “I am Olga Clarise von Lanik.” She pressed a kiss to Lucy's right cheek. “And I am a faithful friend of the fairies.” She placed a kiss to Lucy's left cheek. “You may call on me for help, as I will rely on you.” A third kiss was placed in the center of Lucy's forehead.

Lucy was stunned, not least by the magic she felt now connecting her to this woman.

“We're here Auntie,” Levy began while Lucy recovered, “because of the dance on Friday night.”

“Ah, yes,” the woman said as she smiled at the girls, “it sounds like it will be quite the party!”

“It certainly will be,” Levy agreed. “Everyone is pulling out all the stops. The problem comes with Natsu.”

“What?” she sounded affronted. “What has my sweet little Natsu got to do with problems?”

“He's got many things to do with problems,” Erza said matter-of-factly. “In this case, he's waited till today to ask Lucy to go with him.”

“Actually, I'm the one who asked him,” Lucy said quietly as she'd finally found her voice.

“Ah! My little boy is going to the dance?!” She looked at Erza who nodded. “With a girl?” She asked Wendy as she gestured at Lucy.

“Yes,” Wendy smirked. “Who would have believed it?”

“Thanks Wendy,” Lucy grumbled while Aunt Olga celebrated.

“Come, come,” she said as she grabbed Lucy's hand to pull her into her workroom. “I will make you such a dress!”

The others waited in the front room while Lucy was whisked away.

Lucy stopped in awe at the doorway. The room was impossibly huge with a high ceiling and several arches. Three walls were covered in fabrics of every hue and design, while the fourth wall had threads to match each bolt. There was a large table in the center of the arches with several sewing machines located in the corners where seamstresses were busily working.

“Yes, yes,” Dame Olga said in a bored tone as she placed Lucy on a step stool to start taking measurements, “It's so big, so amazing, you are so in awe.” She grabbed a tape measure and a pad of paper. “So, what kind of dress are you hoping for?” she asked as she started to measure Lucy’s waist.

“Well, um, it is a formal dance so I was hoping for something almost floor length but not so long I’ll step on it,” Lucy began and saw the dressmaker nod as she wrote down a number. “And I'd prefer a halter top or something with sleeves, because I haven't had much luck with strapless dresses.” The dressmaker nodded again. “The difficulty is that the couples are trying to have clothes that pay homage to their partner’s magic and well…” she trailed off looking for the words.

“Natsu has such marvelous magic,” the little woman said. “You could get a red dress, or an orange dress, or even a yellow dress and it would match part of Natsu’s magic, yes? But nothing out there is the flickering flame? The warmth of the fire? The heat of the dragon!”

Lucy breathed out in relief. “Yes, exactly.” She paused, trying to decide if she should go on, and the silence of the other woman seemed to draw the next statement out of her. “I really want this to be special for him. He wanted to go more than he let on, and he seemed so disappointed that he wasn’t going to have anyone to be his friend at the dance.” She smiled down at the woman who had stopped measuring to look at her. “He’s my best friend, you know? I want him to be happy.”

The older woman nodded and smiled up at her. “Yes, yes, I see it now. I know just what to do for you.” She helped Lucy down from the stool. “Come back...” she thought for a moment, “Friday morning. Not before nine!” She rang a bell and the man who had answered the door was in the hallway. “Peter, this girl is expected back Friday morning.” The man nodded. “You’ll see, Lucy was it?” and the girl nodded, “It will be the perfect dress for the friend of my little Natsu!” She walked Lucy over to the doorway. “You know, you remind me of someone I used to be acquainted with. What’s your last name?”

“Heartfilia,” Lucy answered worried that her father had once tried to do business with the woman and had somehow offended her.

“Lucy Heartfilia?” Olga thought for a moment. “Are you related to Layla Heartfilia?”

Lucy nodded. “That was my mother’s name.”

“Oh, my lovely Layla!” the little woman exclaimed as she grasped Lucy’s hand. “She was a dear friend to me. She was the first one to commission a dress from me, you know.” A happy memory seemed to float across her face. “You my enchanting Lucy, you will find me a true friend! I know your mother would be happy to see you in one of my dresses. Just you wait. Auntie Olga will take care of everything! Simply everything!” And with that she handed her off to Peter.

The last thing Lucy saw was Olga calling for her helpers to start clearing the table and prepare a dummy for the dress.

It wasn’t until they were sitting at the salon getting their nails done that Lucy even dared to ask how Dame Olga, dressmaker to queens and princesses, was known as a friend to Fairy Tail. Apparently she had been friends with Master Makarov and Master Bob since about the dawn of time. She hadn’t always been a designer but some unfortunate incident had made her stop using her magic and switch to designing clothes. She didn’t come to the guild house very often because she and Porlyusica differed in opinion on too many things, one of them being Master Makarov, and so she only came for grand occasions. She liked to be visited by anyone from the guild, though it tended to be the girls that came most often, and delighted in hearing about the comings and the goings of “her fairy friends.”

Once done at the salon, the girls retired to a little cafe for some refreshment. They finished their tea, and Erza finished her strawberry tart, before they set off shoe shopping. Their shopping trip was finished off with a visit to a jewelry store to look for earrings, bracelets, or other baubles they might need for the dance.

Lucy sank into her couch at the end of the day. Her purchases, still in their bags, were laid on her bed. It had been quite the adventure and she was exhausted. It was with a little irritation that she saw Natsu crawling through her window.

“Natsu, you have a key. I'm obviously home. What do you have against coming through the door?”

Natsu just shrugged. “It's easier to come through the window,” he said with a grin. “Did you get everything you needed?”

Lucy couldn't help the weary smile that formed on her face. “Yeah, I think so. We went through almost every shop in Magnolia!”

“Why?” Natsu seemed genuinely confused.

“Well, it's a big night,” Lucy said. “I wanted to make sure I had something special to celebrate it with you.”

“Oh,” he grinned again at her. “That's nice, Luce. Are you too tired to make dinner?”

“Ugh, I can't even get up enough energy to get off the couch right now,” she said to the ceiling. “I don't think I even have the energy to think about dinner,” she moaned.   

“That's okay. You stay right there. I'll be right back!” Natsu dived back out the window and Lucy laughed.

 Lucy had drifted off to sleep when Natsu came back carrying take out boxes filled with noodles and veggies. He carefully moved the bags off of Lucy's bed, taking the opportunity to check their contents, before moving Lucy herself to the bed. She woke up as he set her down.

“Natsu, what are you doing?”

“We're having dinner in bed so you can just go to sleep when you're done.”

She didn't say anything for a moment then she exclaimed, “That's brilliant!”

“I know,” he said as he brought the food to the bed. He handed her one of the containers and a pair of chopsticks, then sat down next to her. “Are you sure you got everything?”

Lucy nodded and swallowed her mouthful of noodles. “Yeah, I got a couple more pairs of shoes because I’m still not sure exactly what the dress will look like.”

Natsu looked at Lucy obviously confused.

“Levy took me to Aunt Olga’s and she's decided to make my dress.”

His look went from confusion to concern. “Aren't her dresses really expensive?”

“Yeah,” Lucy said with a shrug. “I'll probably be paying her back for years and owe her my first born child, but-” she smiled at Natsu as she nudged his side, “You're worth it.”

Natsu just ducked his head and shoved a spear of broccoli into his mouth.

“Were you able to borrow something from Gray?” Lucy asked with a yawn.

Natsu nodded but the smile had gone from his face. “I had to promise to pay for two months’ worth of laundry service for the big snow baby, but he loaned me a nice shirt and pants.” He ate some noodles before adding, “And I got the shoes and socks, too.”

“Oh thank you, Natsu,” she gave a sigh of relief. “I guess we're all ready.”

“Except for your dress.”

She leaned against him as she sleepily repeated, “Except for my dress.”

Natsu took the carton from her hands, so she wouldn't drop it, and put it on the side table. He finished his dinner as Lucy’s head rested on his shoulder. Once he determined that she was truly asleep, he moved her so that she was tucked securely under her blanket. Then he put her food in the fridge and left through the window.

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