AN's: Happy birthday to me. I know some of you were a tad upset because the first chapter was the same one that I had posted as a sneak peek in My Dragon God, so here is chapter 2 you greedy bastards. Enjoy. :3

Disclaimer: Still don't own shit.

Chapter 2

Birth of the Dragon Rider

(Lucy pov)

The crowd roared to life. Everyone yelled their outrage. No one was louder then the members of Fairy Tail, more specifically the members of Team Natsu. Those who weren't shouting were stunned into silence. Laxus and Gajeel were two of these people. Joining their 'stunned-stupid' club was Sting, Rogue, Orga, Hibiki, and Makarov.

Natsu's fist erupted into flames. "I won't let you take Lucy from me!"

Draco released what sounded suspiciously like a snort. "Yes, because you all did so well against the seven Dragons I just defeated for you."

"Damn right we did!"

Draco went silent, simply staring dumbly at his pink-haired challenger. "Sarcasm is a foreign language to you, isn't it?"

Gajeel shoved his frenemy to the side. "Alright, Listen here! I don't care that you're the God of Dragons and I don't give a damn about the fact that you knew my dad! No one is going to take Bunnygirl away from us! I will fight you, to the death if I must, to keep your grubby claws off of her!"

"A Celestial Mage made me a promise to give her life in return for my help." I saw him turn to me from the corner of my eye. "I have heard of Princess Lucy from her Spirits and I know that she always keeps her word."

The shadows around Gajeel started wavering, rising from the ground to swirl around his form. "You think I give a shit about her fucking promise?! You want to take a life, then take mine! Everyone in Fairy Tail will lay down their lives to save Lucy's! If you're dead set on taking Lucy away from us, then you better prepare for the fight of your life!" The Dragon Slayers, the God Slayers, hell, the entire Mage community gathered on or near the dais assumed a defensive stance. Even Erza, who was exhausted and injured equipped into her Heavens Wheel Armor. It touched me that my friends, and even my Guild's sworn enemies were prepared to stand up for me.

Alas, a promise is a promise.

"Draco. I gave you my word. My life for theirs. I am ready to make due on my vow."

Draco simply stared at me, his head cocked to the side. "You offered me your life. I never said I accepted that offer."

The crowd quieted and I looked up in shock. "You… What?"

"I find you much too interesting to just kill. Besides, I have a feeling life is about to get much less boring with you around." He chuckled at my dumbstruck expression. "You seem surprised, Princess. Don't tell me you think yourself plain."

'No shit.' "No, not plain. Just…"

Draco lowered his head to my level, which is quite the feat because I'm damn short. He pointed his snout at the crowd behind me. "You see those people back there."

I hesitantly looked back at my friends and supposed enemies. "Yes."

"Don't listen to them. They are stupid and do not know the meaning of true power. They are beneath you."

I nearly choked on my breath. "What?! They are not less than me! If anything, I am beneath them!"

Draco's eyes widened. "A Princess should never say such things."

"I'm not really a Princess. It's just a title. A nickname given to me by Virgo that all my friends use, sometimes as an insult."

"Now I see why the Celestial King selected you as his heir. Though we will have to do something about that self-esteem issue."

I drew back. He couldn't possibly be serious. "You're kidding me, right?"

"I do not jest." Draco's tail flicked upwards before settling around his bent legs. "It is one of the reasons I refuse to kill you. To do so would be high treason, punishable by death. My life my be a bit dull, but I'm not going to set myself up for an execution."

I was completely dumbstruck. All I could do was stand there and stare at him like an idiot. Me, the Princess of the Celestial World? It couldn't be true. The Celestial King must have lost his mind to choose me as an heir to the throne. I am weak! I know it. Fairy Tail knows it. All of Fiore knows it now! I am the weak link in Team Natsu. Though almost everyone in the Guild denies the obvious and smile to my face, they showed their true colors in Edolas. When Edo Jellal said I was the only one who could get my family back home, everyone groaned in defeat and accepted that Edolas was their new home. I did it in the end, but their lack of faith in my has done damage that can never be fixed. It seemed like Laxus was the only one brave enough to call me weak to my face. He did that before his banishment, but I know he stands by it even now. If I am so strong, how could I lose both matches in the GMG?

"So you're not gonna kill Luce?"

Draco huffed in irritation. "Would someone slap him?" Several fists struck Natsu. He would have been fine if it weren't for the Iron Club taken to his head. Natsu fell with a thud. "To answer his question: no. I do not intend to take Princess Lucy's life. She is much too important and I have plans for her."

Natsu climbed back on his feet. "Of course she's important! She's my best friend!"

Draco shot a stupefied glare at Natsu and growled at the small group of Slayers. "Damn, you are a stupid little fuck."

Natsu scowled. "Well, this stupid little fuck will beat up anyone who tries to hurt Luce! And that includes you, Draco!"

"Who is the Alpha? I demand someone take his place! I swear that if this boy is the Alpha, I'll kill all of you right now!"

The Dragon Slayers looked at each other. Gajeel answered for the group. "What are you talking about? There is no Alpha."

"Hm. That explains much." Draco's ears twitched. "No wonder Lucy had to call me."

"Are you saying something?"

Draco glared at Sting. "Drop your tone. I didn't have to help you."

Sting opened his mouth and was quickly knocked down with an Iron Club. Sting lay motionless, his soul leaking from his mouth. Gajeel kicked him in the side. "Continue."

"You all were losing the battle because you were not fighting as a team. You all fight by yourselves and that makes you all vulnerable."

Wendy, sweet little Wendy, looked up at the Dragon God. "I don't understand. Dragons are solitary. Are you implying we are a pack?"

"Dragons are solitary, true, but humans are not. And even though we prefer our own company, we still have a distinct hierarchy. Like a sixth sense, we know whom is more powerful and not to be trifled with useless, petty fights. You wouldn't go challenging your Guild Master, would you?"

She shook her head, looking as cute as a button. I smiled at the awestruck sister of mine. We had grown close since she joined Fairy Tail. She was a sister I never had and I a mother she always wished for. "So you're saying we need to establish a hierarchy? A pecking order?"

"Something like that. To defeat such a powerful enemy, you all must fight as single entity. You cannot do that without an Alpha, without an established hierarchy."

Laxus crossed his arms. "So how do we decide on an Alpha?"

"By doing what you've spent the entire week doing; fight. An Alpha is the strongest, the fastest, and the smartest. He must lead his pack and keep them in line. It is similar to the job of a Guild Master." Draco peered down at me and smirked. I shivered at the knowing glint in his bright orange eyes. I had a feeling that whatever was about to happen would be really good, or the worst thing to ever happen to me ever. Thankfully, his gaze left me and landed on Natsu. "Son of Igneel. You said you would eliminate all that attempt to harm Princess Lucy."

The pink haired Slayer nodded. "Damn right I will!"

An odd light sparked in the great Dragon's eyes. "Just how far are you willing to go in order to protect her?"

"As far as it takes!"

Luminescent orange orbs danced over the rest of the Slayers. "And the others?"

Natsu spared a look for his brothers (and sister) of Magic. "They'd protect her, too. If they didn't, I'd beat 'em up!"

Draco hummed in delight and pulled back to look down on us. His eyes held such sorrow and hope that it was hard to look away. "A pack must be formed and an Alpha established. And I think I know just how to get you runts started. A little push in the right direction. As Princess of the Celestial World, Lucy needs a Guardian to keep her safe. So I'm going to kill two beaks with one stone, as you humans say."

"Birds."

Draco cocked his head. "Pardon?"

"Birds." I repeated. "The term is kill two birds with one stone."

"Why would you use a stone to kill a bird?"

"How do you kill a beak?"

Draco's nostrils flared. "Touche."

Makarov hopped onto a broken piece of the Eclipse Gate. "Excuse me, but…!" Draco's tail flung the poor man into a wall as he turned to see who had spoken. He examined the empty space before settling.

"Forgive me, I thought I heard something."

Master lay in the most recent pile of rubble, groaning in pain.

Draco's head hovered above me. "Now don't move. This might hurt a bit. I haven't done this in awhile."

I froze. "What haven't you done in awhile?"

"Hold still!" Lightning began crackling around his snout, condensing into a large ball of energy in his gaping jaws. When I finally processed the danger above me, it was too late to run. The beam of light shot from his mouth and engulfed me in it's blinding brilliance. The ground disappeared beneath my feet and lifted me into the air. A moment of confusion and wonder was quickly overcome with searing pain.

My back arched as I tried to escape the cold fire encasing my flesh. A high-pitched scream filled my ears as the pain retreated from my limbs to pool in the small of my back. The ringing in my ears grew louder as the cold fire turned hot and slowly began spreading. It crawled along my back and seeped between my thighs. The fire burned hotter and hotter, melting through the skin and past my bones, seeping into the very essence of my soul. My Magic Container, the part of me that held my Magic, swelled to the point of breaking. The agony increased ten-fold, matched only by the wail that pierced my eardrums. The sweet void of oblivion began to encase my mind, dulling the pain. I finally realized the loud cry I heard was mine as the darkness consumed me.

It felt like an eternity had passed when the sound of infuriated screams pulled me from the agonizing abyss. My body throbbed painfully with each beat of my heart. It was painful, but definitely not the worst I've ever suffered. Not by a long shot. I heard Gajeel declare my consciousness to the world and the air went silent. I held up and hand and gave the crowd a thumbs up. "I'm. Okay!" My hand fell to the pavement. "Ow."

Draco sat back on his haunches and grinned smugly. As much as a Dragon can grin anyway. "That went much better than I expected considering it's been a century since the last time I've done this. Give or take a few decades."

I found the strength to lift up my head and snarl at the hulking beast. "What exactly did you do to me?! I feel like I've been used as Laxus and Gajeel's punching bag! How could it possibly get any worse than that?!"

Draco lifted his shoulders in a shrug. "There are worse things than death, Princess Lucy. Many things worse than death. What you've just experienced is nothing compared to what I've seen what you humans have done to each other."

I hated to agree with him, but he was right. Not everyone was like Natsu. Or Erza. Or me. There were people out there like Minerva, worse than Minerva, that enjoyed inflicting pain upon other human beings. Reasons varied from lust, to anger, and even sadness. Give me an option between death by man or death by beast, I would throw myself at the animal without thinking. Animals killed to survive. Nothing more. Nothing less. Getting mauled by a bear would be painful, but it would end soon enough. Humans, however, could be downright sadistic. They could draw things out like no other could. They would use their victim's to sate their needs of pain, and even pleasure in some cases, and make the prisoner beg for oblivion.

I ignored the excruciating pain and crawled to my feet. A part of me wondered why Natsu wasn't hovering over me and clinging to me while spewing threats at the Dragon God. It wasn't until I examined my surroundings that I noticed the barrier keeping my family separated from me. I peered up at Celestial being with a grimace. Fucking shit, everything hurt. "What in the hell did you do to me, Draco?!"

The Dragon spread his wings. "Welcome to the rank of Dragon Rider, Princess."

With that, Draco jumped into the sky. I gawked as he circled over us like a vulture honing in on a dying animal. "What in the fucking hell is a Dragon Rider?!"

"You'll find out!" He replied before fading into glittering blue and gold dust. It fell like snow over the crowd, me more than anyone. The elegant beauty of the moment went unnoticed as his final statement rang in my head. I didn't like his tone when he said that I'd find out. It reminded me off Bickslow and Bacchus when they sprinkled innuendoes and reach-around jokes into their conversations. Just what in the hell did he mean? Was he really leaving me to discover this new gift, this new power, by myself?

Anger rushed in and suppressed my growing panic. I shook my fist at the sky, hoping that Draco could see it from his seat in the stars. "Get back here, you son of a bitch! I'm not finished with you! What the fu…?!" A glint between my fingers caught my eye. I lowered my hand and uncurled my fist.

There, laying in the palm of my hand, was a Platinum Key.

Draco's Key.

I can't believe it. I am holding Draco's Key. The Key itself hasn't been seen in centuries. It was rumored that Draco, abhorred by the abuse of Celestial Spirits, hid his Key so that he would never suffer under the hand of a violent Master. To know that he trusted me with his Key spoke volumes. I curled my fingers around the warm metal. It made me happy to have gained the trust of a seemingly lost Spirit.

"LUCE!" Warm arms wrapped me into a familiar embrace. Natsu's chest vibrated as he continued speaking words I could not hear. His hot chest against my back filled me with a sense of security I had lacked my whole life. He continued to ramble on about this and that when we were swarmed by our family. Erza ripped me from his arms and held me tightly to her armored chest. The dull ache in my head exploded upon the sudden, abrupt contact of a hard surface.

"Lucy! I am glad your safe!" She squeezed me again. If I didn't escape now, I wouldn't live much longer.

I patted her back. "Yup! I feel great! Could you let me go?"

She released me with a final pat (smack) to the back. My freedom lasted all of two seconds before being scooped up by another set of arms. These were much cooler than the average person, and bare. Very bare. "You scared me, Luce."

"Good to see you too, Gray."

A feminine arm slipped between us and pulled me from one chest to another, this one more busty than the last. "So Luce, I didn't know you could summon a Dragon." For the first time since the S-Class Trials, Cana didn't smell of booze.

Natsu popped into my line of vision. "Oh yeah! That was awesome, Luce! Why didn't you say their was a Dragon Spirit? He was a real jerk, but he's still cool!"

Gray smacked him upside the head. "You idiot! She didn't summon any old Dragon. That was the Dragon God. He said so himself."

As Natsu and Gray began arguing over who was the bigger idiot, I felt a tap on my hip. I turned to see a worried Wendy. "Hey, honey. What's up?"

"There's something on your back."

"What?"

She blushed. "There's a something on your back… and your legs."

I couldn't see my back without a mirror, so I settled on looking at my thighs. Right there, tracing the inside of my thigh from my knee to beneath my skirt, was a black outline of a tribal tattoo. It reminded me of Laxus ink', only more feminine. The lines were slender and curly, caressing my legs in soft vines. I was tempted to peek under my skirt, or what's left of it, to see if it was apart of the tattoo on my back.

But I didn't need to check.

I knew they were connected.

I felt each line as it was seared into my soul.

"Woah! Lucy! Nice tat!"

Everyone heard Cana and focused on me. Eager eyes trailed my body, looking for the newest, and first, ink. "Wow! That's cool! When did you get that, Lucy?"

I stared incredulously at Natsu. "I didn't!"

Gray's cool hands gripped my shoulders and held me still for his evaluation. "Woah, Luce! It looks like it crawls up your spine and under your shirt. Kinda makes me wonder where it ends."

I screeched and pulled away from my Teammate. "Pervert!"

"Though your new tattoo is nice, I'm more interested in what Draco said before he left." Levy had somehow wormed her way through the mass of people and was rubbing her chin in thought. "Gajeel, have you ever heard of a Dragon Rider?"

The heavily pierced man shook his head. "Nope. Sorry. First time I've ever heard of it, Shrimp."

Natsu shrugged. "Igneel never mentioned anything about a Dragon Rider." He perked up and beamed at me. "Does this mean that you can use Dragon Lightning now?"

I backed up. "Uh… I don't think so, Natsu."

Wendy nodded, "I agree with Lucy. If Draco had gifted her with Dragon Slaying Magic, he wouldn't have left her here to figure it out herself. Besides, she's much too old to receive Dragon Slaying Magic. The heightened senses would have sent her into a state of shock and she would have either died of it or gone mad."

"Ha!" Sting pushed his way through the crowd and stood proudly in front of Natsu. He almost reminded me of my many rich suitors; peacocks flaunting their pretty feathers. "As if the God of Dragons would make Big Tits over here a Dragon Slayer! Dragons only pick the best of the best to share their Magic with!"

Gajeel scoffed, "Metalicana picked me up in the remains of a ransacked house."

"My dad found me wandering the woods!"

"Jellal led me to Grandeeney."

"I had a Dragon's heart lacrima implanted in my head."

Rogue's eyes were downcast, glazed in a memory. "Dragon Rider… I think Skiadrum might have mentioned it once…."

Levy's eyes glinted and she pounced on poor, unsuspecting Rogue. "Really?!"

Rogue gulped and stepped away from the tiny terror. "Well, it was a long time ago. I don't remember everything Skiadrum said about them. The only thing that sticks out is that Dragon Riders are extremely rare. Only one is made for each… set of Dragon Slayers. There hasn't been a Dragon Rider for well over a century."

Freed appeared at Levy's side. "Why?"

"Uh… I don't know. If Skiadrum told me, I don't remember."

Both bookworms slumped over. Both were always eager for more knowledge. For them to learn of a new type of Dragon Magic before anyone else was enough to have them salivating and frothing at the mouth. Shivers ran down my spine when their heads turned and the stared at me with gleaming eyes. Since they couldn't get anything from Rogue, they had to watch it first hand through the newest Dragon Rider. Me.

Laxus slid between me and my would be torturers, hiding me from their gaze. "That's enough! We've all had a long night. Let's all head somewhere to sleep and get some shut eye. We'll deal with this shit storm in the morning."

The crowd dispersed. The only ones left were the Dragon and God Slayers. Wendy and Chelia yawned. The small Sky Maiden tugged on my hand. "Don't worry, Lucy. We'll find out what a Dragon Rider is. I promise."

I smiled and stroked her head. "Why don't both of you go get some sleep. I believe the King has offered the palace rooms for us to use for the night."

Wendy smiled and wrapped her arms around my waist. I hugged her back and shooed them off to the still standing, albeit scarred, castle. She was joined by Charla and soon after our group was bombarded by four exceeds. Natsu, Gajeel, Sting, and Rogue had tearful reunions with their companions as the rest of us looked on with amusement and envy. Cobra sighed heavily. "I miss my snake."

"Don't worry, Cobra. I think we can find you an exceed. That would be nice, right?"

He sighed again. "I guess."

I giggled and looked over at Laxus. "What about you, Sparky? You looking for a feline companion?" The lustful gleam in his eyes unnerved me. I knew he was about to say something perverted. Most likely about pussies. "Don't answer that. You just stand there and try to look like you're doing something besides just standing there."

His booming laugh shook the air like thunder. "Whatever you say, Blondie."

"You're blonde too, numbnuts!"

"Oh I guarantee you Blondie, my balls are just fine. You're free to check them yourself. All you have to do is ask."

Cobra started cackling like an idiot. Even Orga reacted to his rival's cheeky comeback. The stoic man's face cracked into a grin. I huffed irritably and turned to Rogue and little Frosch. "Rogue, are you sure you don't remember anything else about Dragon Riders? Anything at all would be helpful."

He shook his in shame. "Forgive me, Lucy, but I'm afraid I didn't pay much attention to things outside of my training. I will think more on it and try to remember, but I don't have high hopes. All I know is that they're incredibly rare."

"But why? There are seven Dragon Slayers now. Who knows how many there were back then. Why can they make several Slayers but not Riders? Why only one and why did they stop making them?"

Frosch twisted in Rogue's grasp. "Maybe it has something to do with hair archery."

"You mean hierarchy?" I thought over the last few minutes before Draco returned to the Celestial Realm. "Now that you mention it, he did say something about an Alpha. Then he got that dark gleam in his eyes and that's when everything went to shit. You might be onto something, Fro."

The exceed's chest puffed out in pride.

"Stars above. You two are just the cutest pair I've ever seen. I just wanna hug you both and lock you in my room and make you say words." I cooed at the cute blush on Rogue's cheeks. My good mood dropped as the situation dominated my mind once more. "Still, that raises a lot more questions. Maybe Grandpa Crux will know something."

Sting cocked his head. "Who is Grandpa Crux?"

I flicked through my Keys until I came upon a familiar Silver one. "He is the Spirit of the Southern Cross. He is the keeper of knowledge and cares for the Celestial Library that contains every book ever written. If anyone will know about Dragon Riders, it would be Grandpa Crux." I held out the Key and poured what was left of my Magic into the metal. "Open, Gate of the Southern Cross! Crux!"

A soft bell chimed through the air announcing the arrival of the old Spirit. The snoring cross floated in mid-air, napping as he usually did when not recording significant events of Earthland and Celestial history. I coughed into my hand to wake up the surprisingly light sleeper. "Ah! Miss Lucy! How can I be of service?"

"Hello Crux. I was wondering if you had any knowledge on Dragon Riders."

"How on earth did you hear of…" The Spirit, normally relaxed and lethargic, tensed at the phrase. His soft eyes widened in angered fear, his gaze focused on the dark stains on my skin. "Oh no… I have to inform his Majesty of this calamity!"

"Grandpa Crux? Are you..." The Southern Cross vanished in a puff of smoke. "What the hell?!"

Natsu looked uncharacteristically worried. "Luce…"

I nodded, "I know, Natsu. That isn't like him."

Before anyone else could voice their questions, a large cloud of shiny dust appeared out of thin air and cleared to reveal an irritated Lion. "Good evening, Princess. I was helping Virgo prepare your nightwear when Crux kicked in the door and started screaming about…" Just like the Cross, Loke fell silent as soon as his saw my new tattoos. So many emotions raced across his face that it was hard to keep track. Although his emotions shifted faster than a menstruating woman's, the underlying horror was blatantly obvious. A hysterical chuckle escaped Loke's throat. "Those are some nice tat's Princess. I didn't know an artist can do such extensive and precise work in such a short amount of time. Very nice art work. It suits you beautifully."

I took a hesitant step towards my most powerful Spirit. "Loke, these weren't created by a tattoo artist. Draco gave me these when…"

"No no! No no no no! No no no! No. No! Those are tattoos. Draco wouldn't dare break his own law and create another Rider. That's just insane!" His eyes roamed my form as he cackled in demented glee.

"Loke, he said that I am a Dragon Rider now. I was hoping that maybe Crux would know something, but he went back home before I could ask why he was upset."

The Spirit stilled, resembling a marble statue. It was strange seeing him like this. Loke was a man of dramatic speeches and flamboyant gestures. Loke was genuine. Always showing his emotions to the world without caring for what others thought. Though not an inch of him moved, we all could sense the building rage just underneath his skin. This was the calm before the storm.

There was no warning when Loke snapped. One second he was stone. The next he was a wild inferno of panicked malice. He danced around me, raging at the sinuous constellation stretching across the sky. "You fucking son of a blasphemous bitch! Get your scaly ass down here and fix what you've done!"

My hand shook as I tapped the Zodiac's leader on the shoulder. "Uh, Loke…?"

Loke collapsed on his knees and started punching the ground. "Why?! Why did it have to be my Princess?! It could have been anyone else! Why not Erza? Or Mira? It should have been Yukino! I don't care about her!"

My eye twitched. "I care about her."

"Luce? Shouldn't we do something?"

Loke sat up and pinned his fiery gaze upon poor Natsu. "You! This was your fault, wasn't it? You're always getting my beautiful Princess into trouble! Well, I've got news for you and the rest of you uncultured, barbaric heathens! None of you are good enough for my dear Princess! I will find a way to make her well again! None of you will soil my Princess! No one!"

"Loke!" I snapped. "Why did Crux freak out? Draco said that this was a way to protect me and unite the Slayers into a pack."

Loke snorted and turned away from me. His usual bedroom eyes glossed over in old sorrow. All of a sudden, the lion Spirit tensed, sorrow fading into disgust. A few moments of heavy silence passed when Cobra cried out. I swung around to see the Poison Slayer covering his ears. "STOP IT!"

His head snapped in Cobra's direction. Hazel gold eyes narrowed on the quaking male. "That's what you get for trying to sift through my head. I know about you, Erik. The Celestial Realm has ways to keep people like you out of our thoughts."

Cobra, or Erik, scowled at the lion. "What are you hiding?"

Loke emitted a low growl from his throat and stepped into my personal space. I was practically wearing Loke with how damn close he was. A thunderous snarl erupted in the air and made me flinch. Loke kept me from looking back to see where the terrifying noise had come from. Loke squeezed me tightly and buried his nose in my hair. "I can't believe it. What the hell could have encouraged Draco to break his own law?"

I pulled away to look my friend in the face. "Loke?"

Loke stared at me in panicked determination. "Do not worry, my Princess. I will do all in my power to convince that old snake to remove the spell. I will call Celestial Justice upon him if I must so that nothing can stand in the way of our love."

My mood brightened somewhat at Loke's normal behavior. "It started out nice and then perverted, horny Loke had to make an appearance."

"Our love shall conquer all!" Loke slowly pulled away and straightened his suit. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to go confront an overgrown and glorified lizard into fixing the mess he created. Natsu, I am counting on you to keep your fellow Slayers' dirty claws off my Princess and keep her pure. You are a perfect candidate seeing as you are a seasoned warrior and still have no idea what sex is let alone how to go about."

Natsu stopped grinning as soon as he picked up his veiled insult. "Hey! Are you saying something?!"

"Yes, I'm saying you wouldn't know sexual intercourse if it kicked in the door to your hovel, announced itself, and proceeded to beat your ass into the ground."

Natsu scoffed, "Yeah right! I'd beat him up first!"

Sting, Rogue, and Cobra looked utterly mystified with Natsu's childlike naivety. I heard Sting mutter under his breath, "This is the guy I looked up to for eight years?"

Natsu either was too focused on Loke to have heard the Light Slayer or he ignored his degrading question. "And besides, I know what sex is."

Loke smirked. "Really? What is doggy style?"

"Pf! That's a yogurt position! Right, Luce?"

I shot him a glare. "It's called yoga and it's the downward dog not doggy style."

"I got my ass handed to me by this moron?" Cobra deadpanned.

Loke crossed his arms. "I rest my case. Protect my Princess until I can save her from Draco's mistake."

I gripped his arm before he could leave. "Dammit, Loke! Give me something! Why are you and Crux freaking out about this gift?"

Loke's eyes hardened. "It's not a gift, Lucy. It's a curse."

And then he was gone. Just like that. I would have fallen to my knees if it weren't for Gajeel. I punched his arm as hard as I could (which was even more pathetic given my sapped energy) to vent my frustration. "What the fucking hell!?"

Laxus laid a hand on my head. "Relax, Blondie. You're tired. You've been put through the ringer today and used up a lot of Magic summoning Draco and those two bozos. Let's all find our rooms and get some sleep. The problem will still be here tomorrow and a clear head will help us solve this little conundrum."

"You're going to help me?"

Gajeel snorted. "Of course we're gonna help, Bunny Girl. You're a Dragon Rider now, so you're one of us. Besides, I still have to punish your ass for offering your life for some Spirit's help."

"I did it to save everyone."

Gajeel brought his hand close to my face and flicked my nose. "Bad Bunny."

"Ouch! What the hell, Gajeel!" I cupped my stinging nose.

He simply glared at me. "No matter what we are facing, no matter how bleak things look, do not ever trade your life for ours. Ever try it again and I'll beat your ass."

I stuck my tongue out at him.

It was Laxus that responded. "Stick out that tongue again, I'll bite it."

I sucked my tongue back into my mouth. The straight look on his face suggested it wasn't an empty threat. He'd do it and enjoy it, too.

Natsu swung an arm around my shoulder. "Come on, Luce! Let's go to sleep!"

"You sound like you're about to throw party."

"A party? I love parties!"

We all entered the palace and followed the soldiers to our rooms. The second I hit the bed, I was out like a light.

The last thing I thought before I faded into my dreamland was a question.

'Why did they stop making Dragon Riders?'

Why indeed. Find out in the next chapter!

-SPN :3