When Natsu awoke from his fall, Happy and Aatamgosh were at his side, relieved that he was still alive.

"Oh my head." He groaned.

"Are you okay?" Happy asked him.

"I think so. Did we make it out?"

He looked up at the solid cavern ceiling. They were trapped. Trapped like a rat underground with no way out.

"That two-faced son of a jackal!" Natsu cursed at the old man. "He left us here!"

"I told you not to trust him!" Happy said. "I told you we were going to regret this!"

"Nobody likes an 'I told you so' Happy."

"Oh we're going to die down here!" Happy moaned pitifully. "Well at least we're already buried."

"Don't panic Happy." Natsu said.

"Don't panic?! Look where we are! We're underground and with no way to get back up to the surface! It's over! We're done for! My only hope is the myth about cats having nine lives turns out to be true!"

"I'm sure if we try, we can find a way out. Or at least make one. Let's start digging."

For many hours Natsu, Happy, and Aatamgosh tried to dig their way out. Pulling and pushing sand and rubble aside in hopes of somehow making a hole that would lead to the outside world. But their efforts seemed to be in vain. Each time they took aside one handful of sand, more just came seeping down.

"This isn't going to work." Happy said. "We might as well just give up, say our prayers, and wait for death to take us."

"Maybe we would have better luck if there was more light in here." Natsu suggested. "Aatamgosh, do you mind giving us a breath?"

"Bad idea pal." Happy said. "One breath from him could barbecue us."

"Good point. Well maybe we could use this instead?"

He took the lamp from his satchel and checked to see if there was any oil. He prayed that there would be oil because if there was then all he had to do was create a spark with some rocks and he would be able to light the lamp. Unfortunately there wasn't a drop to be found.

"Damn it!" He cursed. "Well it's made of copper so maybe we can use it to start a fire. Let's see how well it sparks."

It started to rub the lamp with a small rock he found, suddenly the lamp started to shake like mad. Colorful smoke spewed out of the spout while also releasing flashes of fire and shots of ember. Then in after a huge burst of flames, the smoke took the form of a tall, muscular man with shoulder-length orange hair, a stubbly beard, and a body surrounded by a strange aura.

"At last fresh air." The man said stretching. "Oye! Twenty years in there can give you such a crick in the neck. Or have I been in there for thirty years? Forty maybe?"

For five minutes he just continued to stretch and crack his joints, really enjoying the outisde world after years of being concealed. After he was finished, he looked over to find Natsu staring at him wide eyed and confused.

"What's the matter? Haven't you ever seen an all powerful genie before?" He asked him.

"Uh...Uh...I...I...Uh..." Natsu stuttered.

"Not much of a talker are you?" He then noticed Aatamgosh. "Hey it's my favorite reptile! Never thought I'd see you again!"

Aatamgosh gleefully greeted the genie with the same licks and nuzzles he had given Natsu.

"Oh knock it off you big lug." He laughed. "Nobody likes a kiss-ass."

"Um..." Natsu said warily. "I'm sorry but who...Or what...Are you?"

"Oh right! Duh! Where my manners?" He coughed and recomposed himself. "I am Gildarts, former student of the wizard Zeref and now the all powerful genie of the lamp. I have spent the last decades trapped down here, only to be freed by a descendant of my former mentor. I'm guessing that's you?"

"I...I guess. But I didn't think genies were real."

"You dare doubt my existence? You dare to call me false? You dare to be so insolent?!" He shouted in a voice like thunder. "For this insult you deserve to die!"

"No! I'm sorry! Please! I'm too young to die! I have a cat!" Natsu pleaded.

The genie called Gildarts then released a hearty chuckle.

"I'm just kidding. I can't kill you. I can't kill anyone, I'm forbidden to."

"You are?"

"Of course."

"Well that's a relief."

"Now then, I've introduced myself, won't you do the same for me?"

"Alright. My name is Natsu and this my cat Happy. We're just two street urchins trying to make it through life. Although considering were trapped down here, we'll be living quite shortly."

"Nice to meet you. Nice to meet anyone really. There's no one to meet in the lamp, except for my many split personalities. That can happen when you're without human contact for too long."

"Time out! You're saying that you, a great big guy, were trapped in this teeny, tiny, lamp?"

"Correct. You see the lamp is cursed to imprison all genies and make them slaves to whoever rubs it. I was once a man you know, but when I became a genie, somebody put me in there."

"Who?"

"I can't remember. Memory loss can also happen when you're trapped, alone, for too long. Some things I can remember like my name, my powers, the dragon here, and Zeref but that's probably because they're all connected to my life as genie."

"So as a genie, what exactly do you do?"

"In a nutshell I grant wishes for whoever rubs my lamp."

"Really?"

"Yep. Just ask and I'll give you whatever you wish or desire." Then he paused. "Well there are some limits."

"Like what?"

"Well for thing you only get seven wishes. No more, no less."

"Again with the seven stuff. Why is seven such a big deal with all this."

"Duh, seven days of the week, seven colors of the rainbow, seven virtues, seven sins, seven is big number for a lot of stuff."

"Good point."

"So here's a few more limitations I have. As I said before I can't kill anyone. I can't make anyone fall in love, I can't raise the dead, I can't grant immortality, and I can't turn anyone into a god. You'd be surprised how many weirdos have actually wished for that last one."

"That's all?"

"That's all. So what will your first wish be master?"

Natsu looked at him skeptically, not sure if any of this was real. After all he did have one nasty fall and he had been underground for hours. How much oxygen was getting down here exactly?

"Happy I think I must have hit my head harder than a thought."

"I don't think this is all in your head pal." Happy replied. "Cause I can see him too, and I can understand him."

"Of course you can." Gildarts said. "We supernatural beings can understand many animals."

"Can you understand him?" Natsu asked pointing to Aatamgosh.

"No. Creatures like dragons don't speak a language. For them they communicate through feeling and aura. Same applies to water horses, phoenixes, and manticores. That's why they can never lie and can always tell when someone is speaking the truth."

"Okay. Good to know." Natsu said. "And you're sure that you're real? You're actually here and I'm not having some kind of dying dream?"

"I think I would know if I was a figment of your, I'm guessing rather small mind."

"Hey!"

"Believe me kid, I am very much real with real phenomenal, comic power and a real obligation to grant you seven wishes. But if you still doubt me, you can just stay down here and die. Won't matter that much to me."

"No, no, no. I believe you and for my first wish, I wish that you could get all of us out of here."

"Your wish is my command."

Gildarts then made a gesture so huge that it spun him around and with aresounding boom, a crack appeared in the ceiling above, with light pours through. Aatamgosh quickly lifted Natsu and Happy onto his back, flying on out with Gildarts zooming up close behind. Oh how wonderful the morning sun felt on the dragon and the genie after spending so many years trapped in the dark. It was beyond incredible and exhilarating.

But for Natsu, the incredible and exhilarating feeling came from riding Aatamgosh. He couldn't believe it, he was actually riding on the back of a dragon. He was soaring high above the desert, being close enough to the sky that he could almost touch it, for a moment he thought that he had to be dreaming. After all, what are the odds of him of all people actually having the chance to fly?

"Isn't this amazing Happy?" Natsu said.

"Aye!" The cat replied excitedly.

"Oh I wish Mother and Father could be here with us. They would've loved this."

As they were approaching Lazan City, Aatamgosh flew higher up so that the clouds could hide him from the humans below but not so high that Natsu couldn't see everything down in the city.

"Hey I can see our hovel from up here!" Happy pointed out.

"And I can see the palace!" Natsu said. "And the princess."

Despite the great distance, Natsu could clearly see the sultan's radiant daughter dressed ricchly in her robes and veils, being escorted to a litter by the palace guards. Today was the day she and her father would be leaving for the Magnolia Nation where she was to spend the Summer with that prince she was being set up with. Natsu suddenly felt his excitement turn to melancholy. No doubt the next time he saw her, she would be married. Married to some arrogant, pompous, self-centered, creep who's only virtue was his title. Just like that Prince Dan he had met. Lucy didn't deserve a husband like that.

She deserved a husband who could be her true friend. Someone she could talk to and be herself with. Someone who would try to make her happy and make her feel that she was amazing just because of she was. Not because of her beauty or because she was a princess. She deserved a husband who actually wanted her as a wife and not a trophy that he could display. That's what all those suitors ever saw her as. A prize to be won and nothing more. It wasn't fair and it wasn't right.

But what could he do about? Well luckily he'd find out very soon.