Fairy Tail: The Dark Swordsman

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Around 4-10 chapters are available if you want to read them ahead. Chapter 50 should be available by the time this chapter was uploaded.

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[X784, Magnolia]

— Lucy Heartfilia —

"I can't believe it, I'm really in Fairy Tail!" Lucy said with awe as she stood by the doors to the Fairy Tail Guild Hall. Natsu and Happy smiled wide at her reaction.

"Welcome to our guild!" The blue cat exclaimed happily as he raised a paw. 

As the trio took the step past the doors, the trio was immediately assaulted by the sounds of laughter and rambunctiousness. Lucy's eyes swept across the hall, getting her first sight of the members of Fairy Tail.

There weren't many people here, only around thirty or so. Some were sitting at tables, others were by the bar, just drinking and chatting with one another. A few mages were by the corner, looking at a large board with mission papers posted on it.

Lucy's smile widened upon seeing everything. It was all she ever wished for and more. Various waitresses walked around with trays of drink and food, and that was when she spotted a familiar figure with long platinum white hair. 

Gosh, was that Mirajane?! She looked even more beautiful in real life. The picture's on Sorcerer Weekly did not do her justice. She wore a sleeveless azure dress, with a long slit near the leg that revealed the dark-red Guild Mark on her left thigh. She had her hair done in a high ponytail, with her face being framed by two long locks of her hair. 

"Mira, can we get two beers over here?" A mage that had a brown coat requested from the table he shared with a woman that had long green hair.

"Coming right up!" Mira replied over her shoulder as she was already balancing a tray on her hand filled with food and drinks.

Lucy was pulled from her thoughts when she heard Natsu's distinctive yell closely followed by the sound of breaking wood.

"Hey Max! That Salamander you sent me after was a fake!" The salmon-haired mage yelled at another guild member sitting in the remains of what had been a table. "He was pretending to be me!"

The other Fairy Tail member, which Lucy learned was named Max, wasn't cowed by the sight of the Dragon Slayer. "Of course he was, you idiot!" he shouted back with a fist-shaped bruise visible on his face. "I told you to take it with a grain of salt, but you ran off before I could finish talking!"

"It was news about Igneel! Of course I'll rush when you tell me that!"

"Then learn some goddamn patience!" came Max's reply as he grabbed a piece of the broken table and hurled it at Natsu's head. Natsu managed to duck out of the way, only for another guild member to be struck in his place. 

"Oi! That hurt, dammit!" The other guild member screamed out before taking an empty bottle and throwing it in retaliation. Only for the bottle to knock over someone else who was just walking by. He kicked a chair over in revenge and soon enough the entire guild was dragged into a brawl.

Lucy was struck into silence and her jaw dropped at the sight of the chaos and senseless destruction. "What the hell is going on?!"

"Did I hear Natsu's voice?! Is that guy back yet?" A shirtless mage said aloud, his black Fairy Tail mark visible on his chest. Lucy recognized him as well, Gray Fullbuster, an accomplished ice mage. "Time to finish our fight, flame brain!"

"You're on, ice cube!" Natsu replied as he rushed his fellow mage. The two met in the middle with a clash of their forearms that blew loose utensils and the other guildmates off-balance before they started fighting all over the guild, leaving behind fire and ice wherever they went.

The other fights continued around them, but from the way everyone else tended to avoid crossing paths with Natsu and Gray, it seems that the two were in their own weight class among Fairy Tail.

Her assessment was proven immediately when a couple of mages accidentally got too close and were instantly punched by both fighters. "Stay outta this!" the duo screamed.

"A man's worth is told by the fights he could win!" Another mage piped up. Lucy's eyes widened at the sight of him. The man had white hair a similar shade to Mirajane, but had a tan that was missing from Fairy Tail's model. But truly what caught her attention was his size. The mage towered over everyone here in the guild, with thick muscles visible under his blue jacket. "Let me get in on this!" He screamed as he rushed towards Natsu and Gray.

To her surprise, instead of getting launched back, the large man seemed to transform mid jump and grew large horns as his skin turned a silvery-hue.

"Beast Soul: Iron Bull!"

He launched his hammer-like fists towards the fire and ice mage, only to be blocked by the pair as they crossed their arms. Natsu's grin widened at the challenge. "Elfman! Hell yeah!"

As chaos ensued once more, Lucy nervously around the guild as she tried to figure out what to do. She wanted to ask Happy for help, but the cat was flying up by the rafters and yelling encouragement towards Natsu. 

Before she could make a decision, a pair of strong arms scooped her off of her feet. She let out a squeak before looking up to see the man that had grabbed her, only to squeal even higher when her eyes met a pair of brown that she had seen numerous times on Sorcerer Weekly. This was Loke! Currently number 1 on Fiore's bachelor list and 'Mages I'd Like to Be My Boyfriend'! He earned the spot around a year ago when Dannis Martell, the Dark Swordsman, was rumored to have an unknown girlfriend and lost his place in the bachelor list. 

She still remembered the nation-wide gasp when that happened, along with an army of fangirls that had ripped up their magazines when news of their idol getting hooked. Jason, an experienced reporter from Sorcerer Weekly, attempted multiple times to secure an interview with the enigmatic mage, only for Dannis to remain tight lipped.

But she didn't care about any of that as Loke carried her to a relatively safe corner in the guild. A fated encounter with one of the hottest men in Fiore? This day just keeps getting better and better!

"As always, Natsu remains to not possess any type of class. Hello there, my name is Loke. And what's your name, Miss?"

"Lucy," the blonde introduced herself with a blush.

"Lucy," he repeated before giving her a dazzling smile. "What a beautiful name. Why don't you come with me and I'll show you around Fairy Tail."

"That would be great!" Lucy immediately accepted, appreciating both the tour and escort. "Just let me get my things."

"Of course." Loke set her down and let Lucy grab her suitcase before hooking an arm around her waist and leading her over to an empty table. "Now how did a beautiful woman like you get stuck with Natsu of all people?"

"We ran into each other in Hargeon and Natsu saved me from some slavers—before he destroyed the port," Lucy was quick to clarify. She knew that the incident would be in the papers soon and didn't want Loke to think that she was involved in that, despite having Aquarius beach the cruise ship back onto the port in the first place. Her spirit hadn't even destroyed anything when she did that. All the destruction came after they'd been beached when a certain Dragon Slayer wouldn't stop beating on the guy impersonating him.

Loke nodded in understanding. "Yes, he does tend to do that, destruction seems to follow wherever he goes." He chuckled. "There's actually a funny story related to that and why a section of Fiore is no longer considered a forest. Would you like to hear it? Perhaps over a drink?"

"I'd love that," Lucy agreed. Things were going great! Not even an official member yet and she was already scoring a date with one of the most desirable men in Fiore!

"Still, you seem like a capable mage, I'm surprised that you were captured in the first place."

Lucy flushed in embarrassment. She didn't want to talk about how that fake 'Salamander' had tricked her with an offer to join Fairy Tail, especially to an actual member. She had seen how upset Natsu had gotten at the man impersonating a guild member; she didn't want to ruin things by implying that she thought Fairy Tail members were all sleazy like that. "I was tricked into boarding their ship then they ambushed me and took my keys so I couldn't summon any of my spirits."

She felt Loke freeze as his arm around her waist tensed and he paled behind his designer glasses. "Your... keys? That summons... spirits?!".

"Yep! I'm a Celestial Spirit Mage!" Lucy proudly declared, not determining his discomfort with her magic. She unhooked the key ring from her belt and proudly presented the gold and silver keys attached to it. "I've already got several of the silver keys and even a few of the gold ones!"

"That's…great!" Loke grit out as his scalp started to sweat. His eyes darted around the guild until they landed on several mages sitting at a table. A girl who bore a striking resemblance to Mirajane, and another woman with a bikini that was chugging on a barrel of alcohol. When he did so, he abruptly changed directions and dragged Lucy with him. He pushed the blonde in front of the sitting mages and rushed through her introduction. 

"Lisanna, Cana! This is Lucy! She's a Celestial Spirit Mage that wants to join the guild! I was going to help her through the process and show her around, but I just remembered that I have an urgent something I need to get back to! Can you guys cover for me and help her out? Thanks, I owe you one!" Loke left immediately before any of them got a chance to reply or even process what he said. 

Lucy blinked at his sudden exit, especially considering he tried his best to charm her for the last minute. She immediately called out to his retreating back. "Wait, Loke! What about that drink?"

"I–I'll come find you later, okay! See you!"

She was slightly bummed by the way he dismissed her so easily when she turned back to the two people sitting at the table. The Mira look-alike sighed exasperatedly as the bikini-clad woman let out a boisterous laugh.

"That Loke is always biting off more than he could chew." She said before once more lifting the barrel and taking a generous swig of her drink. 

"Um, hello? My name's Lucy and I'm here to join the guild." Lucy tentatively waved at the duo as she introduced herself. 

The white haired girl gave her a soft smile as she waved back. "Hi, Lucy. I'm Lisanna. This is Cana. Don't worry about Loke, he just has some issues with Celestial Spirit Mages. None of us really know the reason, but try not to take it personally."

Cana snorted. "How much you wanna bet that he had escapades with a Celestial Spirit Mage before and accidentally knocked her up? That should give a person a big enough trauma to avoid any other Celestial Spirit Mages like the plague." She snickered. 

"I think I'll pass on that one. That's a fool's bet if anything." Lisanna chuckled before looking back towards Lucy. "Feel free to join us, Lucy. Welcome to Fairy Tail."

Lucy smiled back as she took the offered seat. If anything, at least she managed to strike up proper conversation with another group of mages. It certainly helped that they were nice as well. 

Before she could continue, the magical pressure in the building spiked as the temperature started to fluctuate wildly between freezing and scorching. She looked back towards Natsu to see him, Gray, and Elfman kicking it up a notch as they used bigger and bigger moves.

Yet her two new companions seemed completely unaffected by the growing danger, choosing to learn more about Lucy than the escalating fight. 

"So, Lucy, I saw you come in with Natsu and Happy. How did you end up meeting each other?" Lisanna questioned.

"I'm sorry, but am I the only one concerned by that?!" Lucy asked hysterically while pointing towards the upcoming fight. All three mages had taken specific stances as their magical power kept rising and rising. The other members weren't idle either as other people started to use their magic. Aren't they gonna destroy the building at this rate?! Was everyone in the guild that insane?!

"Oh they're fine. You're quite lucky it hasn't reached the point where Gray goes full nude. Trust me when I say no one wants to see that." Cana piped up as Lisanna giggled.

"This isn't the worst it could get?!" Lucy screamed incredulously. 

As if the world wanted to spare Lucy anymore headache, a giant figure suddenly appeared and filled up the entire center of the guild. His head fully reached the ceiling of the building as a fist larger than caravans slammed Natsu, Gray, and Elfman to the ground, breaking the floor and sending them spiraling downwards. "Knock it off, dammit! How many times do I have to tell you brats not to use your destructive magics in the guild?!"

"Oh come on, gramps! We're just having fun! Besides, Master Mavis likes it!"

Cue the sound of childish laughter as Lucy's gaze went towards the second floor, where a small fairy-like girl sat by the rafters swinging her legs and chanting the words 'Fight! Fight! Fight!' over and over. 

"That's not any sort of reason to break things, you fool!" Makarov bellowed before letting out a heavy sigh. He shrank back to normal size, which revealed a very short old man that barely reached her knees. But she knew enough to never underestimate the master after the display he just put up. 

"Hmm? A new face?" The master mumbled as his eyes met Lucy's from his position by the bar. 

"Y–Yes, sir. I–I'm here to join the guild." She gulped.

"Oho, are you now? Well I'm glad to welcome you. My name is Makarov, the master of Fairy Tail. But before that…" Makarov jumped all the way up to the second floor railing, standing next to the fairy-like girl from before.

"Listen up you brats!" Makarov bellowed as he held up a stack of papers. "Look at these bunch of complaints from the Council!" Several of the mages looked at the floor at those words. "Gray! You managed to capture the smugglers and completed your mission, but then you ran through a busy marketplace completely nude and stole a civilian's clothes from the line!"

"Well I couldn't just keep running around naked…" The shirtless young man who fought Natsu muttered out as he rubbed the back of his head.

"Why did you get naked to begin with?" Elfman questioned him, before getting interrupted.

"Elfman!" Makarov's voice instantly got the Take-Over mage to snap to attention. "While performing a bodyguard request for a noble, you ended up attacking members of his retinue!"

"Oh well, some of them, uh, made a crack about a man's worth being his education so…" Elfman mumbled as he scratched his cheek. "Next thing I knew…I challenged them to a fight." 

Makarov just shook his head at the muscular young man as Mirajane and Lisanna both giggled.

"Cana! Not only did you buy a bottle of wine for fifteen-thousand jewels—which is ridiculously overpriced for a bottle of wine—but you also claimed it as 'expenses' for the mission and sent the bill to your client!" Makarov read off another complaint.

Lucy's new companion merely clicked her tongue. "Damn it, he found out."

Hearing all of this, Lucy was shell shocked. "It's like a more in detail article on Sorcerer Weekly."

"Natsu…" Makarov physically slumped. "When chasing a bunch of bandits through a town, you burned down ten acres of farmland in the process! Breeze Town's famous clock tower was nearly burnt to a crisp! When hunting a drake that a local village asked you to slay, you also ended up burning an entire forest to the point the maps of Fiore needed to be updated! And don't get me started on everything that happened back in Hargeon! You're a fire mage! How the hell did you burn down an entire port?!"

"I completed all the missions though…" Natsu grumbled from the broken section of the floor.

Why isn't she surprised that most of the things she read on Sorcerer Weekly about Fairy Tail's escapades are caused by Natsu.

"Mira…Levy…Warren…Alzack…Bisca…" Makarov listed name after name. "Why can't you all be like Dannis! At least he never breaks things when goes on missions!" The master sighed, suddenly looking much older. All of the named mages immediately looked ashamed.

"But then again, who gives a crap about all of this!" With that statement, the stack of papers burst into flame as Makarov tossed it towards Natsu, who quickly devoured the meal.

"Magic is all about freedom! To hell with anyone who wants to suppress that! You kids are the future of the guild! The world is a dangerous place and we've a bunch of enemies ourselves. Screw anyone who wants to limit and suppress your freedom! Follow the path you truly believe in! That is what it means to be a Fairy Tail Mage!" Makarov yelled and every member cheered and let out cries of excitement.

Lucy couldn't help but smile from ear to ear. This was exactly what she had been looking for her whole life. A place that would let her be who she truly was without anything holding her back. An unfamiliar feeling bubbled up inside as she raised her fist along with the rest of Fairy Tail and joined in on the cheers. 

Whatever the feeling was, it was exhilarating. 

It was liberating.

It was magical.

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AN: And we have officially reached canon. God can't believe we're here. This Lucy POV was not only meant to introduce the best character in all of Fairy Tail, but also show the slight and subtle changes that Dannis had created.

The biggest one of course being Mavis' presence as well as Lisanna not going to Edolas. Elfman is also a little more capable than his canon counterpart.

Hope you enjoyed the chapter, it was quite a meaty one with over 3k words.

Cheers lads.