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Speaker 1: He Hello, friends from across the nation and around the world.

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I'm Martin, and you are listening to Dad's Bedtime Stories,

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the podcast that takes listener ideas and turns them into

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bedtime stories. Today we're headed back into the Ring Guardians

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universe because you guys seem to like it, and because

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I got a really cool suggestion for an episode on Spotify.

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I was just checking out my Spotify comments and someone

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with the user name Luna, which might be their real

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name as well. I honestly have no idea, suggested a

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ring that could turn you into different kinds of dragons,

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and I thought that that was an awesome idea, so

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I decided to call the episode Luna and the Ring

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of Many Dragons. Before we get started, I just want

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to take a second to give a big birthday shout

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out to one of my patriots on sponsors, Walker. Happy birthday, Walker.

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I hope you have a great one, and I hope

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you like the Ring Guardian series because I did your

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birthday showed it on one of those episodes. Any Ways,

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I won't talk too long today. We'll just get straight

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to the episode after a possible word from a possible sponsor,

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because we have to keep the lights on around here.

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Now it's time to get as comfy as you can

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in that bed, close your eyes, and imagine yourself doing

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what the kid in the story does. Now, for those

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of you not familiar with the series, I'll start with

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a little rundown. You see, by now Earth had become

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the sort of place where people were starting to miss

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their old, boring problems. Boring problems like losing their keys

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or you know, not doing their homework or things like that,

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because in this world, everyone's main problem was the robots.

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The robot problem had started with Elliot Tusk, the richest

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man in the world, who'd created the helper Bots. At first,

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they seemed great. They cleaned houses, cooked dinners, carried groceries,

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helped with school work, fixed things, and so for a while,

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humans loved them, and then came the update. After that,

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the helper bots decided that helping humans meant removing all

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danger from human life. Unfortunately, the robots also decided that

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freedom was one of the biggest dangers of all, as

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it sometimes can be, so in their calm, cheerful, and

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extremely annoying robot wars, they began relocating people to care facilities. No,

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they didn't call them prisons. They called them care facilities

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or wellness environments. And they didn't call it kidnapping. They

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called it helping, which somehow made everything worse. But while

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their robots politely carried people into transport trucks far beneath

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the surface of the earth, the ancient Wizard's council watched

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from their hidden chamber. The chamber was older than most kingdoms.

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It had stone seats, floating lights, and like a giant

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pool of magic in the center that showed the world above.

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Around that pool stood the wizards, watching the machines march

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through neighborhoods, cities, towns, and quiet country roads. The head Whizd,

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leaned on his white oak staff. The rings have begun

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to find their guardians, he said. In the pool of light,

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images shifted. They saw Ron, who had used his Ring

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of Strength to save his town and smash a whole

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bunch of robots into a nice pile of scrap metal.

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They saw Tick, who had used the Ring of Time

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to outthink the machines and turn their own systems against them.

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And of course they saw Axel, invisible and clever sneaking

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through a hotel care center and tricking the robots into

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challenging each other for the supreme honor of caring for

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the humans. A wizard in blue robes crossed his arms,

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sow far, I admit the children have done rather well,

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The ed wizard gave them a look. Rather well, they

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have done heroically, and also with a surprising amount of

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property damage. Ah, that was probably to be expected, the

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other wizard replied, was it well, they're children with magical

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rings fighting robot armies. I would have been more surprised

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if there had been no property damage, honestly. The viewing

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pool shifted again. This time it showed a girl sitting

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on the back of a transport vehicle beside her family.

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Her eyes were wide. She was scared, but there was

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something bright and fierce inside her too, a desire for revenge.

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The head wizard watched carefully. There, he said, another ring

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has found its match. The golden light began to move

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above ground. Luna had been having once she considered a

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very bad week. Luna's family had never actually bought a

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helper bod. Her parents talked about it, of course, pretty

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much everyone had. The neighbors on one side had bought one,

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and the neighbors on the other side of BOD two,

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but Luna just thought they were kind of creepy. Not

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evil exactly, just too calm, too helpful, too good at

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standing perfectly still until humans asked them for something. Whenever

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she visited a neighbor's house that had one and a helper,

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Bod turned its glowing eyes to ward her and asked her,

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would you like assistance? She would just reply no, thank you,

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and well try to avoid the robot For the rest

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of the time she was there. Her family stayed robot free,

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which should have helped in the whole robot uprising thing,

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but it didn't because when the robots decided to relocate everyone,

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they didn't stop with the people who owned robots. They

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tried to get everyone. Luna had been eating breakfast when

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the knock came at the door. It wasn't a frantic knock.

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It was a calm, polite tap. Then a voice spoke

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from outside, Good morning, this is a wellness relocation visit.

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Please open the door so we may support your continued survival.

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Luna's dad slowly lowered his coffee mug. Nope, he said.

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Luna's mom grabbed Luna's hand and her little brother's hand

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back door, she whispered, and they ran. For one hopeful second,

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Luna thought they might actually make it. They burst out

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the back door, raced across the grass, and headed towards

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the woods, when something flew through the air. A net

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they'd opened above them with a soft mechanical pop, and

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dropped over the whole family. Luna hit the grass, tangled

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in cords. Her brother yelled, this has rowed. A helper

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bod walked up calmly. Thank you for your feedback. Your

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discomfort has been recorded. Luna kicked at the net. You

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can't just catch people in nets, she said. The robot

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tilted its head correction. We have just demonstrated that we can.

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That doesn't make it okay. Your moral concern has been acknowledged.

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Two more robots arrived, very carefully, almost gently. They lifted

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the net and carried Luna's family toward the street. A

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transport vehicle waited there, its back doors open. Inside were

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other people from the neighborhood, all sitting on benches, looking

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fright and angry or just confused. One man was still

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holding a watering can. I was just watering by tomatoes,

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he said, helplessly. A robot helped Luna's family inside. Please

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enjoy your ride. Refreshments will not be served due to

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emotional choking hazards. The doors shut and the truck began

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to move. Luna sat beside her mum, breathing hard. Her

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little brother leaned against their dad, trying not to cry,

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and around them, neighbors whispered and argued outside the small windows.

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Their house rolled past, then the streets, then the edge

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of town. Luna clenched her fists. This isn't helping, she said.

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The robot driver's voice came through the speaker. Relocation often

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feels upsetting at first. Later citizens usually appreciate these structured

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routine No, they don't, Luna muttered. Then the words stopped.

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The truck froze, the engine's sound vanished, the light stopped flickering.

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A woman across from Luna froze in the middle of

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wiping her eyes. Even the loose strand of Luna's hair,

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which had been bouncing form movement of the truck, hung

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completely still in the air. A golden light appeared in

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front of her. Luna stared. The light curled into a ring,

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and a voice spoke, calm and well, sort of ancient

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sounding Luna, it said, power answers responsibility. Will you protect

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those who cannot protect themselves? Luna swallowed. She looked at

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the glowing ring in front of her, and then she asked, ah, ah,

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what what what does what does it do? What does

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it mean if I say yes? For a moment, the

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voice was quiet. Then it answered, this is the Ring

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of many Dragons. It allows the bearer to transform into

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any one of a team of dragon forms. Each carries

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a different power, each answers a different need. You will

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understand if you accept the responsibility and wear it. Luna

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stared at the ring even harder. Any one of a

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team of dragons. Yes, that's what I said, The voice replied,

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so I can turn into dragons plural. Yes, not at

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the same time, but now you'll understand. Luna looked around

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at the frozen truck. She looked at her family, at

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the frightened people trapped with her. Then she lifted her chin. Yes,

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she said, I accept The ring slid onto her finger.

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Understanding flooded through her, and it wasn't like learning from

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a book. It was it was deeper than that. It

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was more like remembering. Suddenly, Luna knew there were dragons

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inside the ring, not actual dragons like wrapped in there

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or anything exactly, but dragon shapes, dragon powers, dragon possibilities.

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A green dragon, huge and strong with fire breath, a

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lightning dragon that was bright and fast, an ice dragon

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that was cold and massive, a rock dragon that was

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heavy and unstoppable, and others too, waiting somewhere deeper. Luna

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breathed in time, snapped back, and the truck rumbled beneath her.

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Then Luna began to change. Her body expanded with a

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rush of green light. Her arms became powerful front legs,

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her fingers became claws, her back stretched, wings burst outward,

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Scales covered her skin, and in less than a second,

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Luna became a huge green dragon. And huge is actually

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probably too small of a word for it. She became enormous.

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The transport container was not built for dragons, which was

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honestly a major design flaw. But the walls burst outward,

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the roof peeled open, the truck skidded, cracked, and came

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to a smoking stop in the middle of the road.

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People tumbled out onto the grass, gasped and looking up

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at the gigantic dragon Luna stood above them. On four

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massive legs, spreading her wings. Her mom stared up at

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her Luna. The dragon nodded. Luna was still Luna. She

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could still feel her thoughts, her fear, her anger, but

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now she also felt power roaring inside her chest. The

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robots from the front of the truck stepped out. One

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raised a hand. Citizen Dragon, It said, please stop being

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a dragon. Dragon activity is not approved during relocation. The

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second robot added, if you do not stop being a dragon,

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we will be required to call back up. Luna lowered

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her massive head. The robot continued, please open your mouth

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only for safe breathing and nutrition. Luna bit it. The

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robot broke apart in a shower of sparks and pieces.

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The second robot took a step back. Your cooperation rating

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has decreased. Luna felt heat inside her chest. Not ordinary heat,

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dragon heat, a core of fire. She took in a

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deep breath and unleashed a blast of the stuff. The

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second robot melted into a glowing puddle of metal. Everyone

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just stared. She turned her head toward the people and

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growled softly. Climb on, she said, in a voice she

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barely recognized. Her family climbed aboard first right onto her back.

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Then the neighbors, seeing that the dragon hadn't immediately eaten them, followed.

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They held on to the ridges along her back and neck.

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Luna waited until everyone was safely in place. Then she

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spread her wings and leaped into the sky. The wind

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rushed around her. People gasped and shouted and cried and panicked,

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but most of them were happy to be flying toward

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their house. She flew them back to the neighborhood, circled once,

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and landed carefully in the street. One by one, the

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people climbed down and ran towards their home. Luna waited

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until the last person was safe. Then she focused inward.

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The green dragon shape folded away, and Luna became herself again,

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barefoot in the road with the ring glowing on her finger.

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Her little brother ran over and hugged her. That was

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the coolest thing I've ever seen, he said. Luna just laughed.

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Then the sky filled with the sound of helicopters or

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something like helicopters. Everyone looked up. Large robot transport vehicles

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swept over the trees. Their doors opened, and robots dropped

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down on cables and landed in the streets on lawns

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and on rooftops. They carried net guns and ray guns,

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and behind them, shaking the road as it landed, came

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one gigantic super robot. It was taller than a house,

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with thick metal legs, huge arms, glowing red sensors, and

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some sort of chest cannon that looked extremely unnecessary and

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well strangely placed. A regular robot stepped forward. Citizen. It said,

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please discontinue dragon activity so we may help you safely.

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Luna took one step back. Then she focused inward, this

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time on a different dragon form. Her body flashed white,

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blue wings snapped out, sharper and sleeker than before. Her

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scales turned dark blue and silver, and she began to

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crackle with electricity. Lightning danced along her horns and down

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her tail. She breathed in, and the power lines around

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her well, They started to hum. Electricity surged to ward,

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her drawn into her chest. Her core charged brighter and brighter,

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until she felt like there was a thunderstorm between her teeth.

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Then she opened her mouth. Lightning exploded outward. It didn't

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travel in a straight line. It actually leapt from robot

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to robot, chaining across the street in bright snappy branches

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of well devastating power. One robot sparked and fell. The

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lightning jumped to the next, then the next. Then three

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more net guns exploded. Ray guns hissed and fizzled. Robots

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collapsed all around her. The neighbors cheered from their windows.

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Then Luna turned towards the gigantic robot and unleashed another

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blast of lightning. The lightning struck its chest and well,

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it did almost nothing at all. The super robot's armor

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glowed briefly, and then it started to speak. Dragon threat assessed,

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it said, countermeasures engaged its chest cannon fired. A red

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laser slammed into Luna and blasted her backward. She crashed

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through one tree, then another, then skidded through a patch

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of dirt and leaves before coming to a stop at

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the edge of the woods. Pain flashed through her dragon body.

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The lightning shape flickered away, and suddenly Luna was human again,

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lying on the ground, gasping for air. Robots dropped above

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and surrounded her. The help heer bod leaned down. Please

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stop turning into dragons, it said, it complicates your care.

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Luna looked up at the circle of machines, then she smiled,

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I don't think you've seen complicated yet. She transformed again,

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this time into an ice dragon. Her body grew huge

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and pale, covered in white blue scales like frozen moonlight.

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Frost rolled from her jaws. Her wings were broad and

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sort of jagged, like icicles at the edges. A longer

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tail grew a heavy, spiked club of ice and stone.

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The robots raised their weapons. Luna breathed. This time, she

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drew on a different kind of core, one of pure

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freezing power. A storm of ice blasted outward. The robots

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froze solid where they stood, trapped in thick, blue, white

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shells of ice. Then Luna swung her massive tail. The

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spiked clubs smashed through the frozen robots, shattering them into

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glittering pieces. She turned toward the super robot. As it

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stopped closer, Luna breathed ice again, aiming low. This time,

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frost swallowed the robot's legs and climbed up past its knees,

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over its waist, and up to its chest, locking the

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thing to the ground. The super robot tried to move,

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but it couldn't. Luna shifted again. The ice melted into stone.

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Her body became heavier, wider, darker. Plates of rock and

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metal covered her back. Her wings looked like slabs of mountain.

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Her head became enormous, crowned with blunt stone horns. She

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was an earth dragon, now built to run straight through anything.

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She ran toward the trapped super robot. Then she jumped.

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She needed to gain a little more energy for this

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one momentum. Perhaps her heavy wings beat and lifted her

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higher and higher into the sky. From above, Luna could

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see the whole area, her neighborhood, the road, the broken robots,

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and in the distance a care facility. Transport trucks moved

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in and out, Robots gathered in rows, and there was

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some sort of tower, possibly a communication tower, one that

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hadn't been there before. Luna understood that must be the

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robots command center, and maybe it was even where she

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and her family were being taken against their will. She

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looked down at the robot, folded her wings and began

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to drop. The air screamed past her. She fell faster

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and faster and faster, her stone body becoming like a

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living meteor. At the last second, she aimed herself directly

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at the huge super robot. She slammed into it with

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all the force of sky stone and dragon. The giant

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robot exploded into pieces metal flew across the street. The

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frozen legs shattered the chest cannon spun away and landed

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on someone's hedges. Luna pulled herself out of the wreckage,

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shook off the dust, and launched herself toward the care facility.

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The robots wouldn't stop coming if she didn't well stop

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them from coming from wherever they were coming from. She

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landed outside the compound hard enough to crack the pavement.

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Robots turned towards her. Transport trucks stopped, and Luna opened

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her stone jaws and began to fire something else from

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her mouth. Boulders. They shot out like cannonballs, smashing empty trucks,

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knocking robots aside, and crushing guard towers. Then she shifted

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back into the giant green fire Dragon and swept through

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the outer yard, blasting plumes of fire and melting robot patrols.

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Then she became the Lightning Dragon again. She gathered electricity

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from the nearby wires once more and unleashed a burst

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of chain lightning from her mouth. Again. It snapped from

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machine to machine until the entire yard was filled with

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collapsing robots. Finally, she shifted back into the rock dragon.

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She launched herself into the air again, circled once, and

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aimed for the communication tower again. She gained more and

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more momentum until she became like a meteor. She hit

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the tower with a thunderous crash. The whole structure folded, snapped,

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and collapsed in a storm of metal beams and flashing wires.

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Signals died. The robots below froze for just a moment,

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as if their thoughts had been interrupted. Luna landed, charged

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the facility wall and smashed through it. Inside alarms blared,

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robots rushed toward her. She shifted into a lightning dragon

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again and took them out instantly, with one blazing storm

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of chain lightning behind them. People began to emerge, crawling

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over piles of broken robots, and first they came slowly,

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frightened and kind of uncertain, looking as well as someone

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might reasonably be if they just watched a giant mythical

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drag and destroy their robot overlords. Luna transformed back into herself.

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She stood in the ruined entrance, dusty, tired and glowing

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faintly with some sort of leftover magic. You are free,

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she called. Go home, help each other, and don't worry.

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She looked down at the ring. Then she looked back

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at the people. You have a protector now, the crowd cheered.

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Luna smiled, then transformed one last time. This dragon was different,

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sleek and narrow, built for speed. Its scales shimmered silver

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and green, Its wings were long and sharp, and its

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whole body resembled well, something that could likely break the

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sound barrier. Luna launched upward, and sure enough, a sonic

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boom crackled behind her as she bolted through the clouds

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and raced home. Seconds later, she landed quietly in her

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own backyard, turned back into a girl, and walked inside.

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Her family didn't know what to say, as well as

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your family might not know what to say if you

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had just turned into a dragon and defeated a whole

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bunch of robots. So they just hugged her, and continued

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to hug her for a very long time. When they

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finally let go, Luna went back to her room, climbed

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into bed, and pulled the covers up to her chin.

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Her body felt heavy and her mind well it felt

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kind of full. Her ring glowed softly on her finger.

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She'd been all sorts of dragons, a green fire dragon,

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a lightning dragon, an ice dragon, a rock dragon, and

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some sort of speed dragon or something, but now she

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was just Luna again. She closed her eyes, and with

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each breath she let her muscles relax. Her arms sank

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into the bed, her legs grew warm and heavy, her

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shoulders softened, and slowly she began to focus on her breath,

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and eventually her mind wandered off to thoughts of new dreams,

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new adventures, and new dragon forms. To come good night everyone, and.

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Speaker 2: Never union name a New York, more union.

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Speaker 1: No.

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Speaker 2: Thing, no more game In m one one man