~ Narrator's POV ~

If you asked any mage from Fairy Tail to describe a typical day at their guild, you'd always get the same answer: "Complete chaos." 

By now, most wizards were used to the havoc. It was completely normal to step inside the door and get hit in the face by a piece of cake, and then be pushed to the wall for being in the way of a fight. After that, when you're wondering how you are not dead yet, a whole team of people would tromp over you on their way to the job flyers, preparing for a new mission.

Seventeen-year-old Arthur Kirkland stared at the flyers, considering the benefits and consequences of each job. So far he had made it fifteen seconds without being hit by food, which was a new record. 

"Slaughtering a giant, capturing flying fish, finding an ancient stone ..." he muttered. Then something caught his eye. "Aha, here's a good one!"

He read the paper up and down a couple times. "Stop a four-man team of robbers who stole from the History Museum of Fiore, and bring them to Mr. Jonathan Terra, the owner. For 80,000 jewels. Free hotel provided. Huh, sounds nice. I'll take it."

Arthur snatched the piece of paper, but someone else grabbed it at the same time. He whipped around to look at the idiotic wanker.

That wanker's name was Alfred F. Jones, a notorious dragon slayer who was known to have ordered twenty hamburgers for a single meal before. He was powerful, yes, but a complete pain in the neck at times. His exceed, Tony, acted the same way.

"Pleeeeaze, Arthur?" Alfred wheedled. "You know I always wanted to catch thieves and stuff like that."

The other blonde rolled his green eyes. "Alfred, you only want jobs where you can so-called 'be a hero to mankind and save their sorry butts from the dark perils of the world'."

"Well, yeah! I mean, that's what a hero like me does - WAIT A SEC!" Alfred held up a finger. "We rock-paper-scissor. Winner gets the job."

"Loser."

"Fine, loser. Let's do this, Eyebrows. On three, two, one!"

Arthur was still smirking when he reached the museum. "I never knew I could use something I sucked at to get what I want. Well, serves that git right."

He walked to the front desk, showing the flyer to the person. "Excuse me-"

"Oh!" the woman interrupted with a smile. "Thank you for showing up. I'll take you to Mr. Terra." She led Arthur down a long, carpeted hallway to a room where a stout, pleasant-looking gentleman sat.

"Hello, sir." Arthur bowed slightly. "My name is Arthur Kirkland and I-"

Mr. J. Terra nodded warmly. "No need for introductions. We all know what you're here for and I hope you do too." He laid out some pieces of paper. "Here are sketches of what the guards assume the burglars to look like. The person saw them run away around midnight." He gave Arthur a map. "And here you can find where the hotel is. I've already checked in for you."

"Thank you, sir."

The wizard grabbed his belongings and the map, then settled in the hotel room where he ordered dinner and took a quick nap. He needed the energy for the action that would happen later.

At exactly Eleven O'Clock, Arthur stood waiting at the gates of the History Museum of Fiore. He scoured the outside corners of the building, then went inside. 

Quiet as a mouse, he tiptoed around the large place. There was no need to worry about seeing, since there were small oil lamps everywhere, creating a dim, eerie light which cascaded across everywhere.

Half an hour later, he was still slinking around the shadows of the museum and starting to fall asleep, when Arthur felt like he was being watched. He ducked behind the velvet ropes surrounding a realistic sculpture and posed next to it.

Sure enough, a tiny man with a sneering face similar to that of a rat's stepped in view. He whipped his head around, then put his eyes on Arthur, who had dangled an expensive watch in his pocket so it shimmered in the candlelight. 

The thief smirked and marched towards Arthur, chin up in the air. He paused for a moment as his grin widened, lifted an arm, and extended it. His fingers were an inch away.

And he screamed. What he thought was a mere statue turned out to be a live human, who had the burglar pinned to the floor in two seconds, hands no longer free. 

Arthur's lips twisted to form a smile. He didn't have any rope, but he could use another resource: his clone. 

He concentrated until an exact copy of himself unfolded out of thin air. Arthur instructed the other Arthur to keep holding the thief down before running away; the last thing he saw was his clone tying the thief's hands - for he had lots of string in his pocket - and dragging him down to somewhere the other bandits wouldn't find him.

One down, three more to go.

Next, he guarded the area where the first rat-faced thief had tried to steal his watch. The others would soon get suspicious and come to rescue him, but Arthur and his clone would prevent that.

Of course, he certainly didn't expect it when two hands suddenly grabbed his shoulders, gripping them like steel.

"I got 'im!" a rough voice grunted.

Arthur kicked and struggled, but the huge man was stronger. Soon, two more bandits surrounded the wizard, and Arthur felt thick leather being wrapped tightly across his wrists and ankles. That was when he finally made his clone return to him. He tried thinking of ways to escape, but then something else happened. He couldn't feel the ground.

The biggest man who grabbed him was lifting him up into the air. His thick, strong arm winded back, until he took a deep breath and looked at the open window.

And Arthur was flying! In midair out of the museum! Except it was so quick the next thing he felt was sharp glass slashing at his skin as he collapsed on the ground. Spots danced before his vision, and darkness swarmed him.

After an hour, he woke up again.

He grumbled, going over what had just happened inside his head. First, he got caught before the thieves tied his hands and ankles up. Then, the burliest, gorilla-faced one picked him up and threw him inside a random house. Two windows were smashed in this process.

Arthur grunted as he kicked the carpeted floor, making no noise at all. "Just great," he groaned. "What do I do now?"

Then a thought hit him. This house, one of the few located near the museum, obviously had inhabitants; Arthur saw lights emitting a soft yellow glow through a window as he arrived in the evening. So why didn't anyone hear the sound of gkass breaking as he lightning-bolted through the window?

"Or," he said out loud, "the person must be one of those airheads who spend their nights at bars partying away. Of course.

"DAMMIT!" The wizard frustratedly yelled, for all his patience had worn out. "CURSE THIS STUPID PERSON WHO WALKS THE FLOORS OF THIS BLOODY HOUSE. HOW WILL I GET OUT NOW?"

"Pun."

Arthur's heart skipped a beat. Finally! He awkwardly scooted to the door and cried, "Yes, yes I'm stuck in here and could use some help. Could you please unlock this door and untie me?"

"Puu-puun?" the high, unfamiliar sound came again in question format.

Another voice - male - answered, "I'm not quite sure about that, Pierre."

Arthur felt his stomach sink. "Please, sir. I'm tied up and can't get out." he begged again. 

"Hmm, I don't know," The other human's voice had a teasing tone to it. "You did call us stupid, and I don't help stingy strangers who say unkind things like that."

"Please! I'm sorry! I'll give you a hundred jewels if you open the door."

"I apologize, but I won't be bribed with money."

Arthur was now on the end of his wits. "Look, sir," he began, trying to hide the exasperation boiling up inside him. "I am on a quest to stop a bunch of bandits who stole from the museum very close by. If they can't be captured, your house might be next!"

This made the wooden doorknob wrestle itself, and finally click open. In stepped a strange little creature, and then a young man about Arthur's age and height.

The man didn't look like he had been woken up by what Arthur did. There was no sleep in his blue eyes, which showed concern for the broken window before looking at Arthur curiously. He wasn't slouching either. However, he had on a bathrobe and slippers, so there was no way he had just gone out either.

His odd companion tugged at his arms, jumping up and down. "Pun!" It gestured to Arthur, arms waving frantically in the air.

"Yes, Pierre," the man said. "His clothes are horrendous. I wonder what fashion school he graduated from? And heavens above, look at those eyebrows!"

Yes, my eyebrows. Arthur thought grouchily. They're always the first things people notice about me.

"PUUUN!" Pierre squeaked louder. He - Arthur assumed it was a he - shook his head frantically, waving towards Arthur.

"Um," Arthur put in. "I think he means you two should untie me. Thank you very much."

A/N: Wow, this is probably the longest chapter I've ever written.

Anyway, if you readers haven't caught on yet, it is revealed that Arthur is capable of Thought Projection - as well as something else - which is when you create a psychic clone of your body, so you're allowed to basically be in two places at the same time. This means that Thought Projection magic can work as a hologram in order to communicate with others. * 

*This information was gathered from Fairy Tail Wiki.