"Are you ready, Lucy?" Layla's voice was as gentle as a breeze, yet it carried an air of refined excitement.
Jude beamed, holding out a hand toward his daughter. "Come now, my little angel!"
Lucy hesitated, her face already beginning to lose its color. She looked at the ornate vehicle waiting behind them with genuine dread. "Wait up, Papa... Mama... do we have to take the horse carriage?"
"Well, of course, dear," Layla answered gracefully, smoothing her skirts. "We are heading to Magnolia for the Harvest Festival. A carriage is the only proper way to travel."
"But..."
"No 'buts,' my little angel," Jude reassured her, misinterpreting her hesitation for simple discomfort. "I've seen to it personally. This carriage has been modified to be as smooth as possible. I promise you won't feel a single bump, so that motion sickness of yours won't be an issue."
Lucy stared at him, her lips pressed into a thin line. I understand, Papa, she thought, her expression earnest, though a deep sense of doom settled in her gut. She knew better.
Ever since Lucy had inherited the Water Dragon Slayer Magic, the world had become a much more nauseating place. It was a cruel irony. In her past life, she had spent so much time teasing Natsu for his green-faced antics on the train or the cart. Now, the universe was paying her back in full.
"Are you sure she'll be alright, dear?" Layla asked softly, glancing at her daughter.
"Don't worry," Jude replied confidently. "I made sure it's even more comfortable than the last one."
He couldn't have been more wrong.
The moment the wheels began to turn, Lucy's intuition was proven right. Within minutes, the world began to tilt and spin. A wave of extreme nausea crashed over her, more violent than anything she had ever felt. Her stomach did a somersault, and she felt the desperate urge to be anywhere but inside this moving box.
I'm so sorry, Natsu, she wailed internally, clutching the velvet seat. I will never, ever make fun of you again. This is a nightmare.
"Ara, Lucy-dear? Are you quite alright?" Layla leaned in, concerned.
Jude frowned, looking at the high-end suspension of the carriage. "That's strange... I was so sure I'd made this perfectly comfortable."
"No, Papa... it's... okay... ugh..." Lucy managed to choke out, her head lolling against the window frame. Karma hit me hard, she thought miserably. I'm sorry for everything, Natsu. This is terrible.
By the time they finally reached Magnolia, Lucy was a ghost of her former self. While the city was buzzing with the energy of the Harvest Festival, she was forced to retreat immediately to the hotel her parents had rented.
It wasn't exactly the "best day ever," but as she lay on the bed, watching the sky through the window, she felt a flicker of gratitude. In her past life, the Harvest Festival had been a chaotic blur of the 'Battle of Fairy Tail.' She remembered the helplessness of being turned to stone by Laxus and the sheer luck she'd needed to defeat Bickslow.
Seeing the Fantasia Parade from the perspective of a guest was a revelation. From her balcony, the city was a sea of sparkles and light, punctuated by the thunderous bloom of fireworks. It was beautiful.
But the beauty was fleeting, shadowed by the looming return journey.
"We're leaving for the mansion, Lucy!" her father called out eventually.
She looked at the carriage waiting below, and her face went pale all over again.
"Sorry... Natsu..." she whimpered, bracing herself for the ride home. "Karma... really does hit hard..."