It was just another normal day in the town of Magnolia. The houses and stores ran rich with the scents of food, the sound of water, and the softness of the wind. The fields regularly flowed with golden waves of grain and lush green tides of vineyards, with every crop in between. And because today's climate was springtime, the town was permeated with the rich earthy scent of blossom. Agriculture formed another backbone of the town's economy, and the workers took great pride in their accomplishments.

Just then, the rumbling of wheels and a massive trail of flames that scorched the dirt path broke the usual silence as a cart outfitted with a large stack of items sped down the road leading to town like a blazing comet. Makarov Dreyar held on for dear life alongside his horse, Penelope. Normally, Penelope would be the one pulling the cart, but her leg suffered a sprain, so someone else volunteered to move the cart: Makarov's adoptive boy, Natsu Dragneel, who was now ten years old, and his magic, strength, and speed had grown stronger by the day. His attire consisted of a red long-sleeved sweater and yellow shorts, and he still wore the scale-patterned scarf he received from his father, Igneel.

"N-N-N-Natsu!" Makarov cried, grasping onto the cart's edges. "Slow down!"

"Why should I, Gramps?" Natsu asked his adoptive father with a cheerful smile. "It was your idea! You wanted me to be the horse! And a horse does whatever he wants! So I like it fast!"

Makarov muttered to himself, "Kids just don't listen to their parents like they used to. And I'm a dad, not a grandpa." He then paused, "Then again, that's what Natsu affectionately called me."

"Faster, Natsu!" the voice of a boy cried. "Faster! You run like a donkey!" The voice belonged to a slim, straight dark-haired 6-year old boy standing on top of the stack of items. He wore a dark green T-shirt with a nakajima symbol adorned at the front, light brown shorts with two large pockets, and simple sandals. His name was Romeo Conbolt, Natsu's best friend on Earth. Unlike Makarov, who was startled by Natsu's reckless driving, Romeo was screaming for joy as he was having the time of his life.

Standing alongside Romeo was a 5-year old girl with short dark blue hair, and she wore a white shirt with a red collar, red shorts, and light shoes. Her name was Wendy Marvell, one of Natsu's friends, and of course, his adoptive sister. Much like Natsu's discovery in the mountains, Makarov and Porlyusica discovered Wendy abandoned in the forest during a trip to Hargeon five years ago. The Dreyar family was kind enough to take her in, so that Natsu could have a sister he never had. Like Romeo, Wendy was enjoying Natsu's wild and crazy ride to Magnolia.

"YEE-HAW!" Romeo whooped. "Ride 'em, cowboy! Giddyap, horsey!"

"Wheeeeeeeeee! This is fun!" Wendy cried happily. "Just like the roller coaster ride!"

"Hey, guys!" Natsu called to Wendy and Romeo from below. "How'd ya like to go overdrive?"

"Overdrive?" Makarov gasped. "I don't like the sound of that…"

"Well…" Wendy began.

"Sometime, yeah," Romeo smiled.

"How about now?" Natsu shouted, and his body transformed into a living ball of flame, dragging the cart with him, and increasing his speed ten-fold. With a mighty blaze, the cart approached the town's entrance in less than ten seconds. Wendy and Romeo screamed with more joy than ever, while Makarov and Penelope screamed in alarm.

Romeo laughed, "Wow! Totally fast! I wish I could go that fast!"

"Me too!" Wendy agreed. "If I practice a bit more, I can use my Sky Magic to—"

"LOOK OUT!" Makarov yelled, pointing towards a group of construction workers at the gate. The group consisted of Bacchus Groh, Rocker, Warcry, Jager, Nobarly, and Semmes.

"WHOA!" Wendy and Romeo cried, and they jumped from the stack of items and landed safely on the seat, moments before the stack collided with the gate and knocked Bacchus and his friends off balance.

When Natsu turned around, he noticed that he went too fast; he nearly shoved the construction workers off the gate. He said sheepishly, "Oops! Sorry, guys!"

"Hey, what where you're goin'!" Bacchus angrily shook his fist while hanging on the edge of the gate.

"Sunday driver!" Rocker yelled.

"That's not wild!" Warcry shouted.

The cart arrived at the town square, and Natsu skidded to a halt, bringing the vehicle to a complete stop. In the process, Natsu's feet created enough force to break the earth open and bury himself shoulder-deep in the ground.

Romeo disembarked from the cart and smiled, "Oh, yeah! No speed limits in this road! We oughta let Natsu do the driving for a living."

Placing his hands on his hips and holding his chest straight, Natsu said proudly, "Not bad, huh, Romeo?"

Wendy got off the cart as well. She said, "Gee, I wish I could go as fast as you, Natsu."

"Trust me, Wendy," Natsu grinned, brushing Wendy's hair. "Maybe someday, your Sky Magic can get you fast just like your big bro. A little more practice, and you've done something amazing."

"Thanks," Wendy smiled back.

"Whoa…" Makarov shuddered, recovering from the invigorating experience. He climbed down the cart and said, "That was some crazy but crafty driving, son. And it's a great idea to bring Wendy and Romeo with us today."

Wendy blushed, "Oh, it was nothing, Daddy."

Romeo nodded, wrapping his arm around Natsu's shoulder, "All in a day's work, Mr. Dreyar. You know I can't miss out my best friend."

Natsu agreed, "You said it."

Makarov stated, lifting Penelope's sprained leg, "When old Penelope twisted her ankle back there, I thought we were done for. We'd never get this stuff over to Magnolia."

"No problem, Gramps," Natsu said, lifting the huge bundle of items in one hand. He looked around expectantly, waiting to be told where to put the stuff. "I'll help you out."

"No, no, no," Makarov shook his head. "Don't unload just yet. First I have to finagle with Bob."

"Okay," Natsu confirmed.

"Finagle? What's finagle?" Wendy asked Romeo, having no idea what the word meant. "I think it means to dance or eat with bugs." She added with a shrug, "Ewww."

"I dunno. Never heard that word before," Romeo shrugged.

Complying Makarov's request, Natsu dropped the stack of items back into the cart, creating enough force to send Penelope flying into the sky with a whinny.

"Wow!" Wendy exclaimed. "Flying horses!"

"Oops! Sorry, Penelope," Natsu apologized. So strong was his magic and strength that it often led to collateral damage, which is why most people tend to avoid him as possible.

"Throw me, throw me!" Wendy cried happily. "I wanna fly, too!"

"Sorry, Wendy," Natsu refused. "You might get hurt."

Wendy pouted, "It's not fair. I never get to do anything."

"You can't fly yet. Not until you're older," Natsu suggested. "Next time, I promise."

Wendy sighed in defeat, "Okay..."

"Look, son, I know you're very eager to help with all the work," Makarov said to Natsu. "But this time, just…"

"I know, I know," Natsu groaned, and he caught the falling Penelope in his arms. "Stay by the cart."

"That's my boy," Makarov chuckled, and he ruffled Natsu's hair, before heading off to business matters.

For ten years, Natsu had proven himself a strong and fair child, but his Fire Magic was uncontrollable at times that it caused a fair share of disasters, even though he never meant any harm at all. He was treated an outcast as a result of his freakish powers. So far, the only people to ever talk to him were his parents, Wendy, and Romeo.

Natsu spouted, "It's not fair. I never get to do anything."

Wendy stated, "That's exactly what I said."

Romeo said, "You know, it stinks to just sit around and do nothing, but that way, you won't cause any trouble."

"Oh, please. I'm sick of playing safe," Natsu moaned. "I just wanna do something useful with my life, just for once."

"So, working in your dad's merchant business wasn't useful?" Romeo raised an eyebrow.

Natsu shrugged, "I didn't say that."

Romeo stated, "My dad told me that the Dreyars have been selling lots of neat stuff all over Fiore for five generations."

"I know that," Natsu nodded. "But it's not enough for me." He gestured to his bare hands, "I know I had these powers when I was born, and I don't know why. But I felt that…" He paused to let it sink in, "I felt that I had these powers for a purpose." His face beamed with ecstasy, "I want to do something, make a difference. I want to change things."

"I know you will," Romeo chuckled. "Maybe someday, when the time's right, you can make a difference. If your dad can sell things, you can do something even better. That way, they'll look up to you."

Wendy added, "Can you imagine it, Natsu? My big brother, helping lots of people with his amazing Fire Magic."

"But for now, you gotta take it easy with your Fire Magic," Romeo suggested. "Just give those people a breather to understand your super-duper special talents."

"Sure thing, guys," Natsu grinned. "I'll give them a little time, and I'll show them I'm not bad as they say I am."

Wendy agreed, "The people here are nice. Things will be fine."

The three paused to hear a yelp and turned to the one making the noise. They saw a small man attempting to carry a large clay pot outside. He had short purple hair with two large strands shaped like an antenna, a purple curvy mustache, a tiny rectangular nose, and a small mouth. He wore a red orange tuxedo with a blue bowtie. His name was Rabian, the owner of Magnolia's clay pot shop.

"Oh, my goodness. Gentle, gentle, gentle…" Rabian muttered. "Too expensive..."

"Looks like he needs a little help," Natsu pointed out.

"This could be it," Romeo hoped. "Maybe you can do something to help without causing any trouble!"

"Yeah! Hopefully, there's no accident involved!" Wendy beamed.

"Come on!" Natsu said, and he entered the clay pot shop, followed by Wendy and Romeo.

The large clay pot suddenly slipped from Rabian's grip, but Natsu caught it just in time and helped the shop owner balance it. "Careful."

"Oh, thank you very much…" Rabian sighed in relief. He was unaware that he was talking to Natsu, until his face emerged from behind the pot.

"No problem," Natsu grinned.

"Why, Natsu!" Rabian yelped. "W-W-W-What a pleasant surprise."

"Hi, Mr. Rabian," Wendy waved.

"Hey there, Mr. Rabian," Romeo greeted.

"Oh, and Wendy and Romeo," Rabian laughed nervously.

"Here, we'll help you with that," Natsu offered, grasping the large clay pot.

"No, no, no, no, no!" Rabian cried in alarm. Like others, he witnessed the chaos his powers wrought, and he would rather not associate himself with a reckless, destructive youth. Even worse, Natsu's friends were associates of his careless destruction. "I'm fine. I can take care of myself. You just run along, kids. I'll be okay. Thank you so very much."

"Are you sure?" Natsu was confused. He just wanted to help.

"Oh, yes," Rabian sweated. "Absolutely."

And so…

The three kids were left outside the shop. It would appear that Rabian rejected their help, even though it sounded like he needed it.

Romeo frowned, crossing his arms at Rabian's refusal, "Wow, some people are just plain stubborn."

Wendy asked, "How could he be so rude to us?"

"Can you blame us?" Romeo replied. "We're not exactly the most popular kids in town, and Natsu's a ticking time bomb." He turned to the salmon-haired kid, "No offense."

"None taken," Natsu said. "Maybe it's best to stay by the cart so we won't cause any—"

Just then, a frisbee fell at Natsu's feet. A voice yelled out, "Yo! Give it here!"

Natsu picked up the frisbee and looked up to see four young boys named Erik, Sawyer, Macbeth, and Richard Buchanan approaching where the object fell. They were in stunned silence upon seeing the one who held the frisbee.

"Hey, guys! Hey, Erik!" Natsu shouted happily, holding up the frisbee. "You need an extra player? My friends and I can join!"

"Yeah, come on!" Romeo agreed. "Me, Natsu, and Wendy, we'll be one team! We'll take on your team! So how about it?"

Wendy asked eagerly, "Is it okay if we join your game? I'll do my best. I can throw the frisbee, if that's alright with you."

The boys also knew of Natsu's inability to control his powers, and it won't be pretty if they were to let him play with them, especially Wendy and Romeo, since they associated with Natsu's accidents and crazy antics. There's no telling what could happen if Natsu's group were to play with the four boys.

As Sawyer, Macbeth, and Richard tried to think of a way to reject Natsu without hurting his feelings, their leader, Erik, spoke up, "Uh… sorry, Nat. We've already got enough players."

Macbeth added, "Besides, only five can play, and we want to keep it an even number."

"Wait a second," Natsu crossed his arms, raising an eyebrow. "Five isn't an even—"

"See ya, Nat!" Erik swiftly grabbed the frisbee from Natsu's hand, and he and his friends departed with a mean laugh, much to Natsu and the others' confusion.

"What a geek!" Sawyer commented. "He's an absolute lunatic."

"He's a destructo-boy." Richard added. "Oh yeah!"

"And his two little stooges are a bunch of crybabies," Erik stated. "Maybe we should call him Natsu Jerkneel."

"Yeah!" the rest of Erik's group laughed in agreement.

"Geez," Romeo groaned. "They're a bunch of jerks."

Wendy stated, "They're so afraid of Natsu's Fire Magic. They had to stay away from him. They think that Natsu's powers are dangerous." She then shook her head, "But I don't believe that. I know my big brother. His Fire Magic is very special and unique. You and I had a lot of fun things together with him."

Romeo crossed his arms, "But most people don't get just how special Natsu or his powers are yet. Yeah, people often get scared or angry of what they don't understand."

Wendy giggled, "That's silly. Natsu would never do such a bad thing to anyone."

Romeo nodded, "I believe you, Wendy."

The two turned to see Natsu sitting down at the edge of a fountain, hanging his head down with a sad sigh. Romeo went over to his salmon-haired friend and said, "Come on, Natsu. Don't let it get to you."

Wendy suggested, "They didn't mean those things. You still have us. We can play our own game."

"Thanks, guys… but you two were the only friends I've got," Natsu admitted. He appreciated that Wendy and Romeo wanted to help, but at this point, nothing could cheer him up. "How come I don't get any new ones?"

"HEADS UP!" Natsu lifted his head to see the frisbee whizzing by. With a cheerful smile, the salmon-haired kid jumped up to catch it, hoping to earn the respect of Erik and his group.

"I got it!" Natsu caught the frisbee with his hand.

"No, stop!" Erik protested.

Unfortunately, Natsu ignored Erik's warning as the frisbee in his hand flung him a few miles away from the square and crashed him against the wall of a towering house with tremendous force, and he collapsed onto the ground.

"Natsu!" Romeo and Wendy rushed to Natsu's aid. "Are you okay?"

As he realized where he was, Natsu looked up to see the house beginning to crumble. "Uh-oh…" Desperate to fix the house, he quickly stood up and covered the cracks affecting the house with his arms. "Come on, you stupid piece of rock! Don't crack!" But the cracks kept on growing and growing.

"Stupid house!" Natsu screamed in frustration, the fire in his body suddenly erupting. He threw a burning fist and smashed it through the wall, intensifying the cracks. The salmon-haired boy then realized that he made it even worse. "Oops."

"Um, Natsu?" Wendy asked nervously. "Did you just break the Hyper Gasoline Super Store?"

"Hyper Gaso-what?" Natsu was confused by Wendy's question. But the answer came in the form of mounds of gasoline spilling from the house's cracks. The gasoline kept on spilling. And it was attracted to Natsu's flames surrounding his fist. His face was contorted with stunned silence and extreme shock. He replied with a soft squeak, "Mommy…"

KA-BOOOOOOOOOM! The heads of all the people of Magnolia, including Makarov's, immediately jerked to the direction of that sound, looking towards a red explosion erupting from where the Hyper Gasoline Super Store stood. Suddenly, the rising flames that were mostly obscured by the exploding gasoline were sucked down to the ground, as if pulled by a gravitational force.

"Uh, that big a problem?" a citizen named Bora guessed, standing next to Makarov.

"Oh, no…" Makarov's eyes widened with horror. He knew exactly what that meant.

When the flames disappeared, the rubble was all that's left of the entire Hyper Gasoline Super Store. Wendy and Romeo stood there in silence, looking at Natsu, who clutched his chest in pain.

"Ugh… My belly…" Natsu groaned, feeling his stomach rumbling. "I've got a fire in my belly… It's coming out… I think I'm gonna explode…"

Wendy and Romeo gulped, "Uh-oh."

"I'm gonna… I'm gonna…" Natsu wheezed, his face turning red. "I'm… I'm… Ah… Ah… Aaaahh…"

Then it happened!

"HE'S GONNA BLOW!" Wendy screamed.

"RUN FOR THE HILLS!" Romeo yelled.

Due to the tremendous amounts of gasoline he consumed, Natsu sneezed from his mouth and nostrils a gigantic, rampaging breath of fire that devastated everything in its path. Hundreds of homes, reduced to ashes, Stores, burned to cinders. Thousands of people, screaming and running away from the inferno. And fire, fire everywhere. Every time Natsu moved his head, the enormous fire breath moved in separate directions, bringing destruction whenever it pleased. The rampage did not stop until the flames had subsided.

"Natsu! Wendy! Romeo!" Makarov screamed, frantically looking around. "Where are you?"

"Hang on, Mr. Dreyar!" Romeo cried, hugging a terrified Wendy in his arms. "We'll be right there!" Somehow, they had to help Natsu stop his uncontrollable flames.

With every building in Magnolia charred and burned, the last building remaining was Rabian's clay pot shop. Rabian was stepping outside, holding loads of clay pots in his arms. And to his horror, Natsu's mega fire breath was heading towards him!

"Oh, my!" Rabian shivered. He braced himself for his inevitable doom as the mega fire breath inched closer, destroying more than half of his shop. "Oh, no! Don't! Oh, no, no, no, no! No, no, no, no, no…"

But to his surprise, the mega fire breath had disappeared. Rabian looked around for any trace of the inferno that destroyed his shop, but found none. Relief rose in Rabian's stomach than he had ever felt before. "Thank you very much…"

"WATCH OUT!"

Rabian was stunned to see Wendy and Romeo screaming, slipping on a watery substance and sliding right towards him. "Oh, dear…" he whimpered.

The collision resulted in the clay pot shop exploding into rubble, the bundle of clay pots Rabian carried falling and breaking into pieces. The last of Magnolia's buildings had fallen.

The bliss of the once-peaceful town had been shattered, and it suffered the worst collateral damage ever caused. The streets stood gutted and bleak. Plant life was burned away. Houses were reduced to piles of rubble and ash.

Makarov sprinted to the town square— what remained of it— where a large crowd was gathering and surrounding Natsu. Groaning and slightly recovering from his flaming fiasco, the salmon-haired boy wiped his nose with the frisbee still in his hand.

Erik, with an annoyed expression on his face, snatched the frisbee from Natsu. He scowled, "Nice catch, Natsu Jerkneel." He then walked off with his friends, never to speak to the destructive boy again.

"Son!" The sea of people parted, forming a large space for Makarov to run through. He enveloped his adoptive son in a crushing embrace, relieved that he was safe. "Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, Gramps," Natsu reciprocated the hug.

"Where's Wendy and Romeo?" Makarov asked.

"Right here!" Romeo arrived with Wendy, who ran into Makarov and hugged his body with a sob.

"Daddy!" Wendy sniffled. She needed the comfort of her adoptive father to relieve her fear of that scary disaster.

"I'm so worried about you both," Makarov whispered softly, hugging both Natsu and Wendy with affection in his eyes.

Abruptly, a distorted voice interrupted the family's blissful reunion. Rabian, his clothing charred and ripped apart, emerged from the wreckage with a clay pot stuck on his head, his voice muffling inside. "This… is the last…" He managed to remove the clay pot, revealing his face sporting a furious look. "STRAW, DREYAR!" He then threw the pot, smashing it in frustration.

An instant later, the crowd gave hateful comments towards Natsu. Karen Lilica accused, "Ever since that boy came here, he was nothing but trouble! He's a menace!"

"He's too dangerous to be around normal people!" Bora shouted in agreement.

"It wasn't his fault. He didn't mean any harm," Makarov tried to reason with the angry crowd. "He's only ten years old. He just can't control his flames."

"Yeah!" Wendy shouted in agreement. Her eyes were still watered, but her face had more outrage than sorrow. "Natsu is our friend, and we love him! He's done a lot of good things for us, you big bullies. So you can't assume anything!"

"Everybody has problems!" Romeo added angrily. "It's not like you people can do better!" He yelped when a few faces in the crowd threw rocks at him and Wendy. "Hey!"

"Stop that!" Makarov protested, defending the children from the rocks. "They're just kids! What did they ever do to you?!"

"If you're defending that monster, then we don't want you, your blue-haired sissy girl, or your black-haired brat either!" Macbeth stated.

Sawyer added, "You three are as worse as Nat!"

"We're warning you… All of you…" Rabian growled, his body trembling with rage as he pointed a finger at the saddened Natsu. "You keep that… that… that… FREAK… away from here!"

"Yeah! Freak! Go away!" the rest of the crowd shouted in agreement as they stormed off, leaving Natsu, Wendy, Romeo, and Makarov alone. The old man tried his best to cheer up Natsu, Wendy, and Romeo, but it was too late for comfort; Natsu was hurt emotionally by the anger and scorn of the whole of Magnolia, Wendy's tears kept on flowing from her cheeks, and Romeo just stood there, visibly upset.

They weren't welcome anymore.