Magic Of The Stars

Chapter III

"Wow! I'd forgotten how pretty Crocus can be!" Wendy exclaimed excitedly. Carla nodded in agreement. They had gotten to Crocus in the afternoon and the sun was high on the sky.

Lucy, however, wasn't paying attention to her surroundings. Being back in Crocus reminded her of less than pleasant things. Things like people lying limp on the ground and dragons big and small fighting her friends. And the splatter of blood on the castle floor as her future self jumped in the way of an attack meant for her.....

"Lucy-nee? Hey, Lucy-nee, are you ok?"

Wendy's voice snapped Lucy out of her thoughts. She turned towards the young girl and gave a bittersweet smile. "Hai, I'm fine. It's just....being back here....kind of reminds me of certain things," she said.

Wendy nodded, understanding completely. Carla glanced away, opting to look at more flowers.

They continued walking through the streets, keeping an eye out for anything they might need. A couple of minutes later, Lucy spotted a small boutique with cute dresses lining the window.

"Hey Wendy, what do you say to looking for some new clothes for you and Carla?" she suggested.

"Really? But you don't have to–" Wendy started saying but Lucy waved away her concerns.

"Don't worry about it. Let me get something for my little sisters," Lucy smiled down at her, causing both Wendy and Carla to smile back.

The next few hours were spent inside the store, trying on different outfits and generally having a good time.

When they had finally left the store, the sun was beginning to set. Lucy summoned Virgo again and allowed her to take their new purchases to the Celestial World.

"That was really fun!" Wendy exclaimed happily.

Sitting on Wendy's shoulder, Carla looked to Lucy and smiled slightly. "Yes, quite. I haven't had a good time such as that in a long while."

Lucy grinned at the both of them. "Glad you guys had fun. Now, since we couldn't find any magic stores with stuff we'd actually want, I think it's time we head to the forest on the outskirts of town. You guys don't mind sleeping outside right?"

Wendy shook her head. "Not at all. I actually think it sounds exciting! Being out there with nothing but the sounds of nature? Count me in!"

Carla shook her head too, a slight smile on her face. "Wherever Wendy goes, I go. Plus, it actually sounds quite nice," she admitted.

Lucy giggled. "Then it's settled! Once we choose a spot we can make camp and get some sleep since it's almost dark. We can start training in the morning."

"Hai," Wendy nodded.

They started heading towards the edge of town, each one with varying degrees of excitement. Carla was excited because Wendy was, Wendy was excited because she's gonna get the chance to become stronger while also getting to spend time with her sister, and Lucy was excited because she was one step closer to becoming stronger like she wanted.

Finally, they've arrived at the edge of town and at the edge of the forest just outside of it. Lucy turned to look at the others. "We won't go in too deep since night is falling. Let's find a big enough tree so we can make camp."

"Ok."

Without trepidation, they entered the forest. Wendy silently oohed ahhed at the small birds she hasn't seen before. Carla was taking in her surroundings with a interested expression on her face. And Lucy was keeping an eye out for the perfect spot to make camp.