Title: The Dragon's Dungeon

Summary: Lucy and the rest of Fairy Tail infiltrate a Dark Guild to save Natsu, who was captured while taking a solo job with Happy.

The dungeon was like a one-way labyrinth, winding and long with no end in sight. Lucy ran as fast as her legs could carry her down the long, stone passageway, torch in one hand and keys in the other.

The only light was that of her torch. The ceiling was low and arched, made entirely from stone, just like the walls and floor. Every now and then, Lucy would pass a cell, gouged from one of the dungeon's walls, and when she did, she would inspect the cell for all it was worth.

So far, she'd found nothing. Only rotting bones and scurrying rats.

"Come on," Lucy murmured to herself, gritting her teeth as she ran all the more fast down the narrow tunnel, having once again found an empty cell. The doors and bars were rusty, and a musky, dank smell hung in the air; if Lucy didn't know better, she'd say no one had been down here in centuries.

But she knew better.

"Natsu, where are you!?" she shouted down the corridor, hoping for a response, but her echo was the only answer she received. She waited a bit, listening for any kind of reply Natsu might shout back, before calling again. "Natsu, if you can hear me, I need you to say something!"

The chances of him hearing her without replying were slim, but they were there. She refused to lose hope; she was just too stubborn for that. Her friends wouldn't give up, and she wouldn't, either. They were counting on her to find Natsu while they kept the enemy distracted. She wasn't going to let them or Natsu down.

"Natsu!" Lucy shouted once more, the keys in her hand jingling as she ran. The keys she held weren't her Celestial Gate keys; no, those keys were still hooked onto her belt. The keys she currently held had belonged to one of the dungeon's guards, and they had been snatched away by Lucy on her way in the dungeon (something Lucy would brag about in any other situation).

She only hoped that, whatever cell Natsu was in, one of the keys opened it.

Lucy kept running, checking cell after cell by the light of her torch, getting more and more frantic by the second. Thoughts flooded her mind: What if Natsu's not even in this dungeon? What if they're keeping him somewhere else? What if they knew we were going to attack them? What if they killed-

She forced that train of thought off the rails right around the same time she peered into the next closest cell.

She gasped in shock, nearly dropping her torch.

"NATSU!"

She'd finally found his cell, but the scene that laid before her was one she would never be able to unsee.

She'd found Natsu alright, and it wasn't how she'd hoped to find him. He seemed unconscious (Please just let him be unconscious), forced to stay on his feet by shackles which bound his hands to the wall on either side of his head. His usually bright pink hair was covered in grime and what looked like dry blood, as was the rest of him. His clothes were tattered, and if Lucy didn't see the feeble rise and fall of his chest, she would have thought he was dead.

"Natsu!" Lucy screamed again, and this time, she did drop her torch, though by some miracle it stayed lit once it hit the ground. Instantly, Lucy was fumbling with the keys in her hand, filled with a new sense of purpose. She tried one of the keys, jamming it into the rusty lock of the cell.

The lock didn't budge.

"I don't have time for this!" Lucy shouted at the keys, picking a second at random and trying it out on the lock. Just like before, the key didn't turn.

"Natsu, just hang in there!" Lucy begged, even though she knew he couldn't hear her, and she tried a third key. Nothing. A fourth key. Still nothing. With only one remaining key, luck was not in her favor.

Heck. When was luck ever in her favor?

"C'mon, c'mon, please, let this one work," Lucy said, pushing the key into the lock, praying this final key would somehow be the right one.

It wasn't.

"SCREW IT!" Lucy shouted, throwing the keys onto the ground with more force than necessary, and she pulled her Celestial whip from her belt, cracking it against the air.

Keys were great and all, but when it came down to it, kicking the fricking door down was just as effective.

"YAAAAAAH!" Lucy screamed, and she swung her whip with all her might at the cell's rusting lock. It took more than one hit (three, to be precise), but the lock finally gave way and snapped, leaving the cell's door to swing open.

Lucy didn't waste any more time. She grabbed the keys again (just in case they unlocked Natsu's shackles), sheathed her whip, and raced inside.

She did her best not to look at her best friend as she tried the keys on the first shackle. She considered using her whip again on the shackles' locks, but she didn't want to risk accidentally hitting Natsu in the process.

This time (blessedly), one of the keys worked, and the shackle came undone. Lucy couldn't help but notice the skin of Natsu's wrist was rubbed raw from the friction of the shackles against his skin. She wondered, tasting bile in the back of her throat, just how long he'd been like this.

She went to work on the second shackle, and once again, the keys saw her through. As soon as the shackles were off, Natsu slumped forward, and Lucy surged forward to catch him before he face-planted the ground, holding him up so his head rested on her shoulder, her arms hooked underneath his.

He was ligher than she remembered. She'd dragged him around a lot on missions, specifically when he was motion sick and could barely move himself, but this...this was wrong. He'd never been completely limp like this before. It was unsettling, unreal, almost as though he really were dead…

Stop it, Lucy, Lucy snapped at herself. Don't you dare.

Putting it out of her mind, she sank to her knees, still supporting Natsu entirely; lighter than she remembered or not, she still wasn't strong enough to hold him up for more than a few moments.

She pulled away, taking his face in her hands and staring at his closed eyes, her stomach twisting in worry. "Hey, Natsu," Lucy said, whispering just in case any foes were nearby. "Natsu, I need you to wake up."

His skin was freezing against her palms. It terrified her. His brand of fire magic usually kept his body heat far above the norm. She'd never seen him cold before, let alone this cold.

"Come on, don't do this to me, Natsu," she pleaded when her efforts were in vain. "Talk to me, please. I need to know you're okay."

And then, remarkably, he opened his eyes. Just barely, granted, but it meant he was conscious now, and Lucy's hopes soared. Natsu looked at her blearily, blinking against the dim light of the torch. Lucy wondered, how long had it been since Natsu last saw any kind of light? Just how long had the enemy kept him in the darkness?

"Lucy…?" Natsu rasped, sounding confused; he didn't quite meet her eyes, staring into the empty space of air just beside her. "What're you doing here…?"

Lucy gently turned his head to look in her direction, smiling softly. "We're busting you out," she said. "Everyone else is above ground fighting. They're just waiting for me and you now."

Natsu blinked again, and then shut his eyes with a small, exhausted smile, his head lolling forward and falling against Lucy's shoulder again. "...I knew you'd come for me," he murmured. "Never doubted you for a second."

"Duh," Lucy replied, also smiling. She turned her head, looking over her shoulder at the long, winding tunnel from whence she had come. "Hey, Natsu," she said, turning back to him, "I hate to say it, but we've gotta move. Think you can stand?"

"Probably," Natsu said tiredly, nodding against her shoulder. "But...one problem…"

"What?" asked Lucy quickly. "What problem?"

Natsu held up two fingers. "Actually, two problems," he refrained. "My ankle. It's...shackled…"

"That's not a problem," Lucy told him, looking over his shoulder to see what he meant. There was one final shackle she hadn't noticed before, clamped around his left ankle. Lucy had no doubt one of the keys would unlock it no problem, and if it didn't, she always had her ace in the hole - her Celestial whip.

"What's the second problem, Natsu?"

Natsu swallowed and sighed. "My leg," he said. "They broke it."

Lucy froze. "They...they what?"

"So I couldn't run," Natsu clarified, but he really didn't need to; actually, Lucy wished he hadn't. The gravity of the situation caught up with her, and she wrapped her arms around her friend tightly, tears burning her eyes.

"How could they do this?" she whispered, but the question was rhetorical. All the same, she didn't understand how wizards - wizards, humans, people, just like her and Natsu - could be so cruel. She didn't understand. How could someone be this heartless?

"Luce...it's okay-"

"No it's not," Lucy snapped, shutting him up. "They captured you for no good reason, and they hurt you-"

"Luc-"

"They chained you like you were an animal-"

"Lucy, I know." He pulled back, steadying himself with one hand on her shoulder, staring into her teary eyes. "I know. It's wrong, but it doesn't matter right now. We'll deal with it later, okay?"

Lucy swallowed back the lump in her throat and scrubbed at her eyes with the heels of her hands. "You're right," she said, putting aside her anger for the time being. "We need to get out of here first."

She rose to her feet, leaned Natsu against the cell's wall so he didn't fall over, and got to work. The keys pulled through once again, unlocking the third and final shackle. This time, Lucy noticed a strange engravement on the shackle, and realized that the metal had been infused with anti-magic particles, which explained why Natsu hadn't broken out sooner.

"There," Lucy said, throwing the shackle aside with disgust. "The shackles were infused with anti-magic particles. You should be feeling a little better now that they're off, Natsu."

Natsu nodded, eyes closed. Satisfied, Lucy moved on to the second problem: his leg. She was going to ask which leg was broken, but in the end, it was obvious. His left leg - the same one that had been shackled - rested at a bizarre angle.

Lucy was just glad she hadn't had to use her Celestial whip on the shackle. His leg probably pained him enough on its own without her swinging a whip at it.

She tore off a long strip of her skirt and carefully began winding it around Natsu's leg. Natsu tensed and winced immediately, gritting his teeth in pain.

"I'm sorry," Lucy said, not meeting his eyes, focused on the task at hand. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."

"S'okay," Natsu said, but his voice was much weaker now. "Just...do what you gotta do. I trust you."

Lucy sniffed and nodded. It took only another minute for her to finish wrapping her makeshift bandage around his leg, and as soon as she was done, she sat back, wiping sweat (and a few stray tears) off her face.

"That should do it for now," said Lucy, "but it's a bad break. We need to get you to Wendy so she can heal you."

Natsu nodded. Lucy couldn't help but notice that now, any trace of color was drained from his face, and his breath was labored and heavy, sweat trailing down his face. Lucy bit her lip, hating herself for causing her friend pain.

"Thanks, Lucy," said Natsu weakly.

Lucy shook her head. "You don't need to thank me," she said, kneeling beside him and taking his arm. "Save your strength. It's time to move."

"Such joy," Natsu said, raising one fist to punch the air. "Woooooo."

"Yeah," Lucy said, and she pulled his arm around her neck, hooking her other around his waist. "Ready?" she inquired, and once he'd nodded, she hoisted him onto his feet, letting him lean most of his bodyweight on her. Then, after grabbing the torch in her free hand, Lucy and Natsu began the long, slow journey back up the tunnels, out of the dungeon.

"It'll be okay, Natsu," Lucy whispered, pulling him closer to her side when he swayed. Right now, the look he had on his face could be fairly compared to that of a sick puppy. It pained her.

They walked on a little further. Lucy's joints and muscles began aching, but she didn't say anything, nor did she stop. If Natsu were in her place and she were in his, she knew he wouldn't give up, and that meant she wouldn't, either.

Without warning, Natsu stopped, digging his heel into the ground. Before, he had been dragging his feet trying to help Lucy in any way he could, but now, he stopped any movement entirely. "Wait," he said, voice suddenly firm, and Lucy, too, halted dead in her tracks.

"What is it?" Lucy asked urgently, surprised by his sudden behavior. "What's wrong?"

Natsu looked around for a moment or two, suddenly very alert (though his eyes still held a dazed, glassy look). "Someone's coming," Natsu said, looking down into the dark hallway that laid ahead.

Lucy jerked her head to follow his gaze, knowing better than to question him. Disoriented or not, his dragon-like senses were always top notch. "Who's coming?" she asked instead.

"...Not a friend, that's for sure," Natsu answered. "They smell like…" He froze suddenly. "Oh crap."

"What? Oh crap what?" Lucy pleaded.

"Soldiers," Natsu said. "Same guys who threw me in the cell in the first place. Keepers of the dungeon. They must have figured out you guys came to get me."

Lucy groaned loudly. "Can't we ever catch a break?" she moaned. Now that she listened closely, she heard distant sounds of clanking metal, approaching from the tunnel ahead.

It would only be a matter of time before they were overwhelmed.

"Okay, Natsu," Lucy said, springing into action, moving aside and letting him lean against the wall instead of her, "I need you to stay put. Hold this." She pressed the torch's handle into his hands, and he blinked at the fire dazedly.

Satisfied, Lucy turned back so she faced the tunnel ahead, one hand reaching for her whip while her other reached for her Celestial keys.

"Lucy, wait," Natsu said; although a bit slow on the uptake, he finally realized what she was planning to do. "I can help you fight these guys off-"

"No," replied Lucy firmly, gripping her whip tighter. "You've always protecting me, Natsu. It's high time I protect you. I can handle it."

Natsu swallowed heavily. "...Okay," he said reluctantly, "but...if it looks like you need help, don't expect me to hang back."

"Don't worry," Lucy said, smirking, her confidence rising. "I won't let you down."

She waited, whip and keys at the ready. Natsu was counting on her. She had something to fight for. This was one fight she wasn't going to lose.

She saw the light of a torch up ahead, and she picked a battle stance, ready to go. The light of the approaching soldiers grew brighter, and brighter, until she could make out the silver masks and armor of the assailing enemies.

"Go time," Lucy said with a smug grin, and she raised one of her Celestial keys into the air. "OPEN, GATE OF THE-"

Something knocked into her side, pushing her out of the way and cutting her off mid-summoning. With an indignant yelp, she smacked her hip against the wall, her keys flying out of her grip.

She spun around, staring at the space she had occupied just a moment before.

"Natsu! I told you to butt out!" Lucy snarled. "What are you doing!?"

Natsu held one hand out to her, his other still clenched around the handle of the torch. Lucy froze at the grave expression on his pale face. "I just remembered something," he said.

Before Lucy could even ask what he'd remembered, the light of the torch went out, leaving nothing but the light of the approaching soldiers.

And then…

"FIRE DRAGON ROAR!" Natsu's shout echoed throughout the entire corridor, and a huge wave of orange and red flames soon followed, moving through the tunnel, racing towards the soldiers.

Lucy reached up to shield her face from the heat, barely able to remain standing. Now she knew why Natsu threw himself in front of her - if she hadn't been behind him, she, like the unfortunate soldiers, would have been caught in his flames.

But what she didn't understand was why Natsu stopped her from using her Celestial keys in the first place.

When the dust settled and the fire went out, nothing remained but soot-covered stone and the smoking armor of the soldiers, who now laid unconscious. Their torches sill burned as brightly as ever, and through that light, Lucy was able to see.

She moved, snatching her Celestial keys off the ground and hooking them to her belt before rounding Natsu and grabbing him by the shoulders, shaking him roughly. "Natsu!" she began furiously. "What were you-!?"

She stopped, her anger vanishing as though it'd never existed. If he'd looked bad before, he looked absolutely horrible now. His eyes were foggy, and his breath came in heaving gasps. His cheeks were now flushed an unhealthy shade of red, the rest of his face washed out by a sickly, chalky white.

"The air...these tunnels…" Natsu panted. "Magic...no good…" His voice trailed off, and he collapsed to his knees with an exhausted sigh.

"Natsu!" Lucy cried, kneeling down in front of him and taking his shoulders again. "Are you okay!? Talk to me!"

"M'okay," Natsu slurred, cracking his eyes open just enough to look at her. "Just dizzy. The air in here...it's rigged."

"Rigged?" That was a strange choice of words. "What do you mean it's rigged?"

Natsu nodded, his eyes sliding shut again. "It's...it's laced with some sort of...anti-magic toxin," he said between long gasps of breath. "If you...use magic...while breathing it in...it saps up your strength…makes you sick for a while..."

The instant he finished speaking, it clicked in Lucy's mind. "And you…" she started. "You kept me from using magic because of that?"

A nod from Natsu was all the confirmation she needed. "But I can take care of myself without magic," Lucy insisted, but even as she said it, she knew it wasn't true. "You should have let me handle it. Look what you've done to yourself…"

"They had swords, Lucy," Natsu told her with a sigh. "Weapons. Armor. You wouldn't...have stood a chance…" He stopped mid-sentence, clutching his chest with a pained groan.

"Natus!" Lucy cried for what felt like the hundredth time that day.

"It's fine," Natsu said weakly. "This isn't the first time...this has happened to me."

Lucy watched him uncertainly, not sure if she believed him or not. "Natsu…"

"Just...just give me a few minutes, Luce," Natsu said breathlessly. "I'll be okay, I just...I...I really don't think I can move anymore."

"Alright," Lucy said, but her worry wasn't soothed. "I'll let you rest, but we have to keep moving soon. If more soldiers come…"

"We're dead...gotcha...dying no good…"

"Yeah, definitely not."

There was a beat of silence.

"...Hey, Natsu...what happened to our torch?"

"I ate it."

"...Makes sense."

Author's Notes:

This was originally supposed to be a one-shot, but when I got over 3,000 words with no near end in sight, I decided it'd be best to split it into multiple chapters, that way I can make it longer if I have another idea.

Right now, I can't see this going over three chapters, but if you guys have any suggestions for this story, feel free to give them to me. I have it pretty much planned out, but it's always fun to spice it up sometimes, right? :)

Anyways, thanks for reading! I hope you guys liked this. Let me know what you think; the more constructive advice/reviews/suggestions I get, the faster I write. :) I don't know when this will be updated, but I promise it won't be more than a week. I have Thanksgiving break until next Monday, so I've got time to write. :)

Speaking of which, happy Thanksgiving! And if you don't celebrate Thanksgiving...well...um...happy random Thursday! :D