How long do I have to follow this thing? Lucy thought as she trudged through the thick brush covering the forest floor. She could see the light in the distance, bobbing up and down. It would do this whenever she fell behind before moving again once she caught up. Where are we going? Lucy thought. The light moved again. As Lucy followed it, she noticed the trees getting thinner. Suddenly, she broke into a clearing around some ruins. The light had moved quickly, and was bobbing in front of what looked like an entrance. It wants me to go inside. Lucy thought, crossing the the threshold. She felt a great presence inside. Suddenly, a familiar golden figure appeared.

"You!" Lucy cried. "You're the one I saw earlier!" It smiled.

"I am." It said. It's voice was more melodic than before.

"Forgive my actions earlier. We needed to speak, and time was short."

"Why am I here?!" Lucy demanded.

"To learn the truth." It said. "You have a great power within you. I am here to help you master it."

"What power?" Lucy asked.

"The power.... of a dragon."

"What?!" Lucy asked, eyes wide. "A dragon?"

"Indeed." They figure said, smiling at Lucy's apparent shock. "You are what's know as a dragonborn, as well as my half-daughter. My name is Celeste, and I am a celestial dragon."

"How is that possible?" Lucy asked, still shocked.

Before you were born, " Celeste began. "Your mother took care of me. I had been injured by a dark guild looking to steal my power, and your mother helped me to recover." Celeste smiled. "So I blessed you when your mother became pregnant with you, turning you into a dragonborn." Celeste's face turned solemn. "But then I was forced to leave. To return to the dragon realm because of Zeref. Thus, your powers did not manifest."

"What about Wendy, Gajeel, and Natsu?" Lucy asked. "Are they dragonborn too?" Celeste shook her head.

"No." She replied with a sad smile. "They were raised by dragons, but they do not have dragon's blood." Lucy stood then silently, thinking on what Celeste had said.

"So what now? Lucy asked quietly.

"You must come back to the dragon realm with me to train."

"What?! Why!?" Lucy asked.

"Dark forces are gathering, and only you can stop them. First Zeref returned, and now dark guilds are becoming restless."

"What about my friends?" Lucy asked, fearing the answer.

"They cannot join you. Only you can stop the darkness. If you don't, they will be consumed along with the rest of Fiore." Celeste sniffed. "I'm sorry my child. I know they are like family to you, but you must leave them for a time in order to save them." Lucy sniffed, eyes tearing up.

"Can I at least tell them I am leaving?" Lucy asked. Celeste smiled sadly.

"I will do my best to, but my time in this world is short."

Lucy looked up at Celeste, tears in her eyes but looking determined.

"Alright. I'll do anything to make sure that my friends are safe!" Celeste smiled. She took hold of Lucy's shoulder, and the pair disappeared in a flash of golden light.

"Lucy!" Natsu yelled. Lea and Happy were holding him, using their wings to carry him.

"I-I-I hope nothing bad happened.." Lea wailed. Happy was silent, but looked worried. Natsu smelled the air. That's it! He had caught a small whiff of what smelled like Lucy. They currently were floating above some of the various ruins around the island.

"Happy, Lea! Down there!" Natsu pointed below him. They landed in front of the ruins. The trio quickly ran inside.

"Lucy!" Happy and Lea shouted, while Natsu sniffed. the air. Suddenly, he noticed something shiny laying on the floor of the ruins. It was a huge scale, larger than his hand. It seemed to shimmer whenever the moonlight hit it. Natsu bent down and picked it up. Odd. He thought, smelling it. It smells just like Lucy, but.. different somehow. He turned back to the entrance of the cave.

"Happy, Lea! We need to find the others." He called out. the two quickly flew over to him.

"Did you find her?" Lea asked.

"No," Natsu replied. He was taken aback, as Lea quickly burst into tears. He hastily continued. "But I did find something that might lead us to her. We need to find the others first." Lea sniffed, then she and Happy picked up Natsu, and started flying south.

"Looks like an ordinary scale to me."

"I'm telling you, it smells like Lucy!" Natsu had found Erza and Gray in a clearing near the southern tip of the island.

"Well, either way, we need to return and tell the master what happened." Erza said. She had a deep frown on her face. "We shall return to the village to refill our supplies, and leave tomorrow." She turned a began walking back to the village. The others followed her. Wherever you are, Natsu thought. Be careful Lucy.