I do not own Fairy Tail, Hiro Mashima does. Fairy Tail had so much potential. While it has its bad moments, it also has plenty if-not more good. This is simply my re-telling of the story, here will be the following changes:

1. Natsu will be showing his smart side more often (I've always considered him to be smart, he just doesn't show it in order to fool everyone). He also won't be completely terrified of Erza and Mira, he'll have his moments but he'll have some more spine in general.

2. Natsu will be more powerful, I intend to have him train with Gildarts and Erza, as well as having trained with Igneel for a little bit longer. Natsu will also be getting stronger after each of the Arcs considering he finishes off 90% of the final bosses, he should have been getting progressively more powerful in the canon.

3. Erza will be treated as a Human being, not as a Mary-Sue like Mashima treated her. I find it highly unrealistic that she would easily forgive Jellal for all of the things that he's done even if he doesn't remember or regrets it deeply. That and I'm a Natsu X Erza shipper. Don't expect Jellal X Erza.

4. Igneel will be grooming Natsu to be his successor from an earlier age, he won't automatically know Fire Dragon King Mode right off the bat, however Natsu will be considerably more powerful than he was in canon when he joined Fairy Tail.

5. Natsu will know Crash Magic, cause I love that sh*t and I plan to expand upon the father-son relationship between Natsu and Gildarts.

6. I don't plan to introduce any OCs as of now, I will consider it in the future though.

7. I'll be posting chapters by the Arc. As in I'll finish writing up an Arc and then I'll post it, instead of going chapter-to-chapter. I prefer to not leave on a cliffhanger.

8. For the pairing, I plan to do Natsu X Erza. I'm fine with Lucy as a character, but I don't like her pairing with Natsu. I'll probably only pair him up with other chicks if it's a harem, or possibly Ultear (I really like her).

9. I also plan to space out the years between Natsu's arrival at Fairy Tail and his meeting with Lucy. Aka; Natsu will be older by a few years compared to when he met Lucy in canon.

Alright, giant wall out of the way, here we go with Chapter 1.

"Sup" - Dragon/Demon speech

'Pfff' - Dragon/Demon thoughts

"Sup" - Normal speech

'Pfff' - Normal thoughts

Unknown Time/Location

"Awww come on! You honestly don't expect me to break that rock all by myself do you?!"

Igneel sighed at the boy's declaration. 'I swear this boy's ignorance will be the death of me', how was the boy supposed to succeed him if he kept this kind of attitude, it was not befitting of a Dragon Slayer, much less a Dragon Prince.

"I'm not asking the impossible of you my boy, I know you have the power to do it, stop doubting yourself." he said with a cocky grin, "Know that you are a true Dragon Slayer and that you should take pride in that accomplishment. Know that whatever happens that I, Igneel, will always be proud of you."

Natsu looked down at the ground and then looked to the rock he had slammed his head against, sporting a smile after hearing his father's encouragement. "Ok I'll try again", he then looked to Igneel, "But I still don't know what to do!"

"What would a Dragon do Natsu?", Natsu shrugged and returned to his solemn look from before. "Natsu my boy, destruction is an aspect of life itself. This aspect is what a Fire Dragon will take to heart, and something that you must take to heart as well. I believe in you my son, I know you can surpass me. Now show me that you can do it!" Igneel cracked a smile and gestured for Natsu to continue. Natsu returned his smile with a toothy grin and turned back to the rock.

"FIRE DRAGON'S SWORD HORN"

Natsu flew head-first into the rock, shattering it in the process. Even though the giant red bump on his forehead remained, Natsu instantly jumped up and shot his fist in the air. "Yeah! Take that you stupid rock!"

Igneel simply chuckled at this display of his son's power, he truly was going to be a fine Wizard. "Well done Natsu, that seems to conclude this session. I hope you've learned something from this my boy.", Natsu nodded and yawned. It seemed that their training session had taken alot out of him, Igneel chuckled to himself inwardly.

'This is but only the start my boy'

~6 Years Later~

Natsu jumped up from his slumber to see the sun begin it's usual trip across the sky, he was excited to know what his father would impart on him today. Today was his birthday and he was sure that Igneel had prepared something special for him. He walked out of the cave that he and Igneel lived in to find the Dragon drawing something on the ground in a nearby field. Igneel turned his head as he had heard Natsu wake up, smiling at his son and then went back to his drawing. After walking over, Natsu's curiosity got the better of him, "Hey Dad, what's that your drawing there?".

Igneel chuckled and turned his head to Natsu, "Why my boy, it is a Crowning Mark," Natsu frowned in confusion as he looked at the large circle on the ground, in and around it were intricate runes and Markings as well as a Dragon spewing flames from its mouth. Igneel continued, "Normally I wouldn't need to use such a ritual on my heir, however it is tradition in order to name your successor in this fashion."

Natsu still looked confused, Igneel laughed again which provoked Natsu to get a tick mark on his forehead. "Hey stop laughing at me old man!"

"Do not worry Natsu, I am finished with the Mark. All I require is for you to step in the middle of the circle and we may begin the ritual, I wish to name you as the Fire Dragon Prince and my heir." Natsu calmed down and nodded as he realized the situation, he walked into the circle as Igneel backed away from it and stayed a short distance away. A few seconds after Natsu stood in the middle of the mark, it glowed a faint red on the ground, "Alright Natsu look directly at me. I want you to perform a Dragon's Roar to recognize me as your King, and I shall perform one to recognize you as my heir." Igneel calmly stated. Natsu complied and screamed into the sky, his yelling becoming more beast-like and eventually matching a Dragon's Roar. Igneel then replied with his own Roar, however his easily being the more dominant of the two as well as being louder. The Mark on the ground where Natsu stood began to glow brighter, eventually the circle began to catch fire and as it surrounded Natsu, a giant pillar of Fire shot up into the sky.

Igneel smiled 'It is done' he thought to himself. The Pillar diminished and the glow died out, revealing Natsu with a new mark on his neck that went down to his chest. It looked like a Red Dragon with its tail curling into a circle at Natsu's chest, as well as its wings being spread put.

"Well done my son, you have no idea of how proud I am of you. You have learned so much from these past few years, discovering Dragon Force at the age of ten is no easy feat and now that you are twelve, you can begin your first steps into realizing your full potential as Fire Dragon Royalty." Igneel bowed his head in respect to his son, Natsu did the same to his father. "Your the best Dad that anyone could ask for!" Natsu ran out of the circle towards Igneel and proceeded to hug the Dragon King's claw.

Igneel made an executive decision then and there that perhaps just for today, he and Natsu could relax, "Let's go fishing Natsu, maybe we can also visit the other Dragons and their Slayers as well!" Igneel couldn't help but grin as he saw Natsu give him an ear-to-ear smile. "Awesome! I get to see Wendy again!" Igneel chuckled at Natsu's statement as he lowered his head for Natsu to get on.

"What about Gajeel? I thought you two were friends?" Natsu huffed when he heard this, folding his arms and looking sideways "Yeah, like I'd be friends with Metal-head. He's a jerk!"

Father and Son continued their banter throughout the rest of the day. They caught breakfast and visited the other Dragonslayers, Wendy was especially happy to see Natsu. Gajeel and Rogue started bickering and Sting celebrated Natsu's birthday by trying to pick a fight with him, only to get clocked in the head.

The other four Dragons; Grandeeney, Metalicana, Skiadrum, and Weisslogia along with Igneel watched their children run around and play in their clearing from a distance.

"They are ready." announced Igneel. Grandeeney looked closely at Natsu and then back to Igneel, "What training did you put the boy through? His magic seems to be stronger than the others."

Igneel knew this would come up, but he had nothing but pride in his answer, "The boy wanted to grow stronger to protect his friends, anyone who he loves. He put in the work, I simply showed him the way. For now however, we must wait until the Gate is ready, then the world will be in their hands." Igneel bowed to his friends and walked towards Natsu, who was currently brawling with Gajeel.

"You wanna go Metal-head?!"

"I think you need a good knock on the head Flame-brain!"

"Your one to talk trash-can!"

"That's it! Your going down fire punk!"

The two slayers heads clashed together, they didn't even realize the large shadow that was casted over them.

"Enough Natsu. It is time to go, we must begin your new training tomorrow." Igneel said as he made his presence known to the two. Natsu was reluctant at first but ultimately backed away and climbed onto Igneel. He took one last look at Gajeel and said "This isn't over Pole-dancer!"

Seeing the tick mark form on Gajeel's forehead, Igneel took this chance to begin his flight back to the cave he and Natsu live in. Natsu was laughing all the way back.

For Natsu and Igneel, today was simply perfect.

~Present Day~

July 7th X777

A thirteen-year-old Natsu woke up in the Cave he and Igneel lived in. However it was clear that Igneel himself wasn't present. Natsu looked around before walking outside, detecting no trace of the Fire Dragon, he walked back into the cave and noticed a chest with a note lying on top of it. He picked up the note and opened it, tears falling down his face as he read it.

Natsu, my dear sonIf you are reading this, then that means that I have left. Do not take this as a sign that I do not love you, because nothing could be farther from the truth. I know that I might get some flack for telling you this, but I cannot hide the truth from you. I merged with your body in order to prevent something called Dragonification, a process where a Dragon Slayer who abuses their magic too much becomes a Dragon themself. This has only happened once, and the results were horrifying. While I have left the physical plane, that doesn't mean that I am lost to you. I assure you that we will meet again someday, know that I will always be proud of you. You have taken your first steps into becoming the Fire Dragon King, train yourself my boy, but above all else; live. Live life to its fullest, make friends, fall in love, and never forget that I, Igneel, will always love you.Love, Igneel

Natsu fell to his knees, tears streaming from his eyes. At least his father had told him his reason for leaving, but why now?

After awhile, Natsu finally got up to his feet and opened the chest, inside revealing a set of clothes and a scaly scarf. The clothes consisted of a dark red coat along with baggy white pants that went down to his knees, a black shirt, sandals, and a cloak. Natsu recognized that the clothes that Igneel had given him were fireproof, making thank his old man one last time before setting out. As he walked out of the cave, he wrapped his newfound scarf around his neck, instantly taking a liking to it.

'Thank you Igneel, I'll make you proud of me. When we meet next, I'm gonna punch your lights out for leaving me!'

He looked around but couldn't decide where to go, eventually he just walked west of the cave he used to live in with Igneel. He eventually found a road and immediately got confused, 'Ahhhh! This doesn't make it any easier! Which way do I go!'

His antics seemed to have caught someone's attention as he heard someone walking on the road to the left of him, he turned around to see a man standing before him. The man himself had orange, slicked back hair and a light stubble on his face. He was wearing a cloak and carried a large pack on his back.

"Hey kid, you get lost or something?" asked the man.

Natsu shook his head, "Not exactly, I just don't know where to go really." the man looked confused for second and then knelt down so his head was at the same level as Natsu's.

"Oh really? Well I just got done with a job and I was heading back to my town anyways, you wanna roll with me? It'll probably be easier than spending the rest of the day wandering around in the forest." The man broke out a small smile.

Natsu pondered this for a minute before deciding, 'Hey what's the harm!'.

"Sure. Why not!" said Natsu as he gave a toothy grin. The man returned with his own grin and held out his hand, "The name is Gildarts, what's your name kid?".

"Natsu, Natsu Dragneel." Natsu shook Gildarts hand, feeling a slight rumble upon contact. Natsu stared at the man for second before asking, "You wouldn't happen to be a Wizard would you?"

Gildarts nodded, he was also surprised at this kid, one for reading his magic and two because the kid himself had extremely high levels of magic. Maybe if he brought the kid back to the guild, the kid might join, but Makarov would be crying his eyes out because of the monster he just let in.

'Ah screw it. What's the worst that could happen.' he chuckled inwardly.

"How about this kid, I work in a guild for a living so maybe if you want, you could join. It could be a great place to start and you'd fit in well there." he asked in earnest. Half of it was to help this kid find a purpose in life and the other half was to make Makarov suffer from property damage.

Make friends

The words from the letter rang in Natsu's ear. He never let Igneel down and he wasn't about to start. "Why not!" He exclaimed.

Gildarts smiled as he rose up from his kneeling position, "Alright then, let's get going."

The two smiled at one another and began walking down the road, little did Natsu know what he was getting himself into.