I'M ALIVE!
Hello and welcome back to another exciting chapter of The Fairy Tail Shapeshifter! I am incredibly sorry for how long it took to get this out; all I'll say now is that life majorly got in the way. I'll explain more at the end.
This may upset some people, but I will indeed be doing the Galuna Island Arc. This will be the last canon arc before I begin an original one for Sparky.
Now for the reviews from last chapter:
bull Locke the the grim head: Thanks! Sparky will most certainly have to work for his victories as he did with Natsu. At this point, he knows he'd more than likely lose to Laxus if the two fought, and it's dubious to him that he could even beat Erza right now. So he'll have to get stronger!
Batthan the Dark Knight: Most likely not 'cause after Happy does it the first time, Erza will make sure he doesn't do it again.
RHatch89: Thank you!
Professor Writer: Thanks! I did that since his journey is mostly based off of the games, and I thought Dedenne would be an interesting twist! As for Blaze… hm, who knows (besides me ;P)?
Thank you! I'm glad you liked that I do my best with that. Good to see you enjoyed that scene!
Yep, Sparky won, and Natsu now knows not to eat that flame.
Oh, this will come up again in the future.
Hm… I don't know how far you are now, so I won't reveal anything, but for now, Sparky is not fond of him and vice versa.
Thanks again!
GracefulArt: Hm… okay, I'll tell you. I am including Mega Evolution in my story. As for your second question, you'll have to wait and see.
BeastHunter01: Thank you very much! I'm glad you like those two!
Now without further ado, on to the next chapter!
Chapter 8 – Galuna Island
Now the dead of night, all was quiet. Everyone in the town of Magnolia was currently inside their homes sleeping away until morning would come to wake them all up. Everyone, that is, except a certain trio consisting of a Dragon Slayer, a Celestial Wizard, and a flying blue cat.
"Alright, time for our first S-Class mission!" Natsu cheered.
"Aye, sir!" Happy joined in.
"Would you two be quiet?!" Lucy shushed them, looking back and forth nervously. She may have chosen to join them, but she really didn't want to get caught, especially not so soon.
Natsu glanced at her as the three moved to exit the town. "But this is so exciting! I can't wait to see the look on Gramps' face when we ace our very first S-Class mission!"
"Yeah, this will be a piece of cake!" his feline companion agreed.
"Well, keep it down! We don't want to wake everyone in town before we leave!"
"Who are we going to wake up, Lucy? Everyone is sound asleep in their homes," Happy said.
"Hey, guys!" The shout made all three of them flinch, and they turned to see Sparky walking over to them with a smile on his face.
"S-Sparky?!" Lucy shouted. "What are you doing here?!"
"I was out for a walk. I always go for a walk before I turn in for the night," the blond answered. He stared at them questioningly. "What about you guys?"
"Oh, well, we were also just taking a walk," Lucy responded anxiously. Of all the people to run into, it had to be Sparky. What were the chances of that?
"Really? How about I join you?" Sparky offered.
"No!" Lucy and Natsu yelled hastily, making the trainer blink in surprise. The former spoke up. "W-We're already heading back home anyway, and I live really close, so you may as well head back to the Guild. We'll see you tomorrow!" And with that, the three rushed off, leaving the confused Trainer staring after them.
A few minutes later, the three of them were breathing heavily now that they had stopped running away. "Was it really a good idea to run from Sparky like that?" the Dragon Slayer questioned.
"Of course!" Lucy snapped. "There's no way we can let him find out we're sneaking off to do an S-Class quest! If he tried to stop us, we wouldn't stand a chance against him, and I don't wanna die fighting his pokemon!"
"I bet I could take him!" Natsu protested.
"Natsu, we saw how well you fared against him earlier," the cat reminded him, making Natsu deflate. "In any case, we should probably get moving before he decides to follow after us."
"I think it's a little too late for that," said a voice to their right. The trio flinched upon realizing that it was Sparky once again, who had managed to track them down and was standing a few feet to the right, casually leaning against a building.
"S-S-Sparky?! How'd you find us so quickly?!" Lucy yelled in disbelief.
The blond narrowed his eyes at them. "One thing I forgot to mention about aura: it allows me to sense how people are feeling. You guys were clearly feeling nervous about something, and then ran off in the opposite direction of Lucy's home, so it made me suspicious. All I had to do was follow your auras and cut you guys off when you stopped." The blond's eyes narrowed further. "Now what's this about taking an S-Class quest? Aren't those only reserved for S-Class wizards?"
"Uh, w-well…" the Celestial Mage trailed off.
"We're going to take an S-Class quest and we're going to complete it!" Natsu declared boldly.
"I may be new here, but isn't that against the rules?" Sparky questioned sternly. "And why would you even want to do that when you know how dangerous it is? We were just talking about this not too long ago, Lucy!"
Lucy gazed at the ground nervously while Natsu spoke up. "It doesn't matter how dangerous it is! I'm positive we'll be able to finish it!"
The blonde quickly spoke up afterward. "Yeah, and just look at this reward!" she said, showing him the request paper.
"It doesn't matter how much money they're offering, it doesn't change the fact that—" Sparky paused as he took a good look at the paper, then his eyes bugged out as he grabbed it from Lucy's hand. "Holy cow!" At first, the three thought he was shocked at the reward, but that turned out to be wrong. "This request is 3 years old?! They've got to be in serious trouble! Do you guys know how to get to… Galuna Island?"
The trio stared at him blankly before shouting in unison, "EH?!"
The Aura Guardian looked puzzled. "What? You don't know?"
"W-What are you saying, Sparky?! Are you trying to say you'll come with us?!" Happy questioned.
Sparky blinked. "Yeah, that's right," he answered as though it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"But weren't you just talking about being against it?! You were just saying how it would be dangerous and against the rules?!" Lucy pointed out.
At that, Sparky smiled sheepishly. "Well, to be honest, this wouldn't be the first time I broke the rules to do something dangerous. No, that tended to happen a lot back on my world." Lucy gawked at him in response as he continued. "Besides, now that I've seen the request, even if we do put it back, I wouldn't be able to stop thinking about it, so it would probably only be a matter of time before the Master found out about this."
Before Lucy could say anything else, Natsu cheered happily. "Alright! With Sparky with us, we'll get this job done for sure! Come on, team, let's go!"
"Aye, sir!"
"Better get a move on and get there before anyone else realizes we're gone," Sparky agreed.
And with that, the four began their trek to their destination.
Morning had come and the Fairy Tail guild had slowly started to fill up. A few people had yet to arrive so far, but it was becoming livelier as time continued to pass.
Everything was brought to a halt when Mirajane came running down the stairs in a panic. "Master! I don't know what's happened, but one of our S-Class quests is missing!"
Makarov had been calmly sitting on the countertop and drinking coffee as she said that, and then her words registered as he took another sip, causing him to do a spit-take.
Everyone else was stunned as well. "Say what? One of the jobs on the second floor is missing?" Wakaba repeated.
"But all of the jobs there are S-Class," Macao stated. "Anyone know who took it?"
"Someone really strong or really stupid," Laki commented.
"I know," another voice spoke up from the second floor. It was none other than Laxus, who was surprisingly still here and had a smug smirk on his face. "A little blue cat flew up and ripped it off the board."
Mira whirled around to face him. "Happy took it?!"
"He must have stolen it for Natsu and Lucy, then!"
"That's crazy! What are they thinking?!"
"They've got some real nerve taking an S-Class quest!" Alzack said.
"I don't know if I'd call it nerve but it's definitely dumb," Bisca agreed.
"Master… Sparky isn't here either…" the white-haired barmaid noted. "He likes to go out for a while in the morning, but he's usually back by now. You don't think…"
"Heh, the new kid? I saw him walk out the door last night, but he never came back to the guild. Probably decided to tag along with those three," Laxus confirmed. He looked over at Makarov. "Hey, Gramps! Pulling a stunt like that would get you kicked out of the guild, isn't that right? Not that it matters since there's no way those four losers will make it back from an S-Class quest."
The Guild Master remained silent while Mirajane stormed up the stairs to confront the blond Mage. "Laxus! If you saw them leaving, then why didn't you stop them?!" she demanded.
"Oh, relax. All I saw was a blue cat flying away with a paper in its mouth, trying to act sneaky. I had no idea it was Happy. Besides, Natsu isn't cleared for S-Class. I never imagined he'd break the rules, and drag our newest members into it," Laxus replied smugly.
Everyone could tell he was lying about the first part. After all, there were no other blue cats that hung around the Guild aside from Happy. Natsu breaking the rules also wasn't that surprising, and it would make sense if he and Happy dragged Lucy into it. However, if Sparky left the guild and didn't come back, it was likely that he ran into them and, knowing him based on the circumstances that landed him on Earthland to begin with, decided to join them willingly.
In response to Laxus' uncaring answer, Mirajane shot him a glower so frightening that it would have even scared Erza. The cocky wizard just laughed. "You haven't given me that look in a while."
Finally, Makarov spoke up. "This is bad…" He sighed and looked up at Mira. "Well, which job did they take?"
Still glaring at Laxus, she answered, "For lifting the curse on… Galuna Island."
Makarov's eyes widened. "What?!"
"Galuna Island?!"
"Are they insane?!"
"They're even dumber than we thought!"
Makarov turned to the Lightning Mage as he got off the countertop. "Laxus! Go bring them back here immediately!" he ordered.
"I'll pass," Laxus declined instantly. "I have better things to do with my time. Shouldn't everybody in Fairy Tail be capable of taking care of themselves?"
"I don't care how you feel about Natsu and Sparky! The fact is you're the only one here strong enough to bring them back by force!" Makarov shouted.
Abruptly, someone rose from where they were sitting behind the Guild Master. "Sorry, Master…" Gray said, getting the old man's attention. "But I'm afraid I have to disagree with you there."
Meanwhile, the group of four had made it to Hargeon. They had decided not to leave for Galuna Island right away, partially so that they could rest for the trip and partially because there would be no one to take them during the night. Now it was morning, and the group was prepared to finally get on their way.
"Wow, this sure brings back memories! It feels like just yesterday that we all met here!" Lucy mused.
"It practically was yesterday; you don't have to get all mushy," Natsu responded.
Happy snickered. "Yeah, you sound like an old lady!"
His comment earned him a glare from the Celestial Wizard, though the trainer spoke up before she could say anything else. "Come on, Happy, don't tease her like that. She's got a point," he said. "I've been here for about a week and a half, but so much has happened already, and it all started here!"
Lucy smiled at Sparky's statement before walking towards the port. "Alright, time to find us a boat that'll take us to Galuna!"
"Are you crazy?!" the Dragon Slayer cried. "Forget the boat, let's all just swim to the island!"
"And you think I'm the one who's crazy?" the blonde sighed.
"Natsu, we don't even know how to get to the island. Trying to swim there would just be a waste of time and energy," Sparky told him. "We should probably find a boat quick. I have a feeling they found out we took an S-Class quest back at the Guild."
"Huh?" His three companions were puzzled. "What makes you say that?"
"I just picked up on Gray's aura entering the town, so I'm guessing he was sent to bring us back."
They panicked upon hearing that. "Well let's go, then!"
Unfortunately, they had no luck finding anyone willing to take them to Galuna Island. All of the sailors spoke of how the island was cursed and no one would want to get anywhere near it, not even pirates. Despite the lack of progress, Natsu looked elated that they wouldn't be able to go by boat. "Guess we'll be swimming there after all!"
"Aye, sir!"
"We're not swimming there, Natsu!" Lucy yelled.
"Yeah, and I think we have a bigger problem anyway," Sparky pointed out.
"Huh? What's that?" the Dragon Slayer asked.
He got his answer when a certain dark blue-haired teen put his hands on Natsu and Lucy's shoulders. "I found you!" he said in a singsong voice, making the two and Happy react in shock.
"Hey, Gray! What's up?" Sparky addressed him cheerfully.
"Don't 'what's up' me like you aren't doing something wrong right now!" Gray shouted indignantly. "Gramps found out about your stupid scheme and sent me to bring you guys back!"
"Why?! We aren't even in danger yet!" Natsu complained.
"Well, if you come back now, then maybe Gramps won't kick you out of the Guild," the Ice Mage said.
"Kicked out?!" Lucy cried.
"Oh, that does sound bad…" The trainer looked worried.
Natsu bared his teeth as he glared at Gray. "I don't care! I'm going on this S-Class quest!"
"You're way out of your league here! Just come home!" Gray argued. His face took on a scared look. "When Erza finds out about this, she'll be pissed!" Natsu, Lucy, and Happy also seemed frightened by this, but Sparky remained calm with a deadpan expression.
Happy immediately flew over to Gray to appeal to him. "You gotta help me, Gray! I told them this was a bad idea, but they forced me to come along!"
"YOU ARE SUCH A LIAR!" Lucy screamed.
"I've got to prove my power to Erza! So I'm doing this whether you like it or not!" the pink-haired mage declared.
"I don't care about proving anything to anyone. I just want to help these people," Sparky said. "I mean, three years of going through what these guys have? They need someone to help them, so I'll do it!"
Gray hesitated but shook his head. "Sorry, but I still can't let you guys go. Master ordered me to bring you back, so if I have to drag you guys back, I will!" Ice formed in his hand.
"I'd like to see you try!" Natsu challenged him as his own hands were set ablaze.
Sparky's eyes narrowed. "I don't want to have to fight you, Gray, but don't think I won't," he said as aura surrounded his hand, spreading down his arm.
The man on the boat that the group had been talking to perked up as he saw this. "Magic…?" he mumbled quietly. He stood up, raising his voice as he addressed the five in front of him. "Excuse me, but are you wizards?" His question grabbed their attention. "Have you come to lift the curse on the island?"
The trainer stared at him with determination on his face. "That's right."
"W-Well, maybe…" Lucy said hesitantly.
"That's not happening!" Gray growled.
The man trembled slightly as he took in the resolute expression that Sparky wore, as if he were positive he could solve this problem. Finally looking away, he gestured to his boat. "Get in."
The change of heart surprised the wizards. "Wait, what?" Lucy said.
"You serious?" Natsu asked excitedly.
"No way!" Gray protested.
The blond sighed before raising his arm, still surrounded in aura, and slammed his elbow into the Ice Mage's gut. Caught off-guard by the abrupt attack, Gray was unable to defend and was knocked unconscious. "There, now let's get going," Sparky said as he stepped onto the boat. He turned around to see Natsu picking Gray off the ground. "What are you doing, Natsu?"
"I'm just taking Gray with us!" he answered.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Lucy questioned.
"We can't let him go back and tell the Guild! Otherwise, they'll send Erza next!" Natsu and Lucy shivered fearfully at that thought. Sparky sweatdropped, but understood his point; even he wouldn't be able to do much if Erza tried to stop them right now.
Hours had passed as the man was taking them to Galuna Island. Natsu, of course, had been slumped over the edge for pretty much the whole ride due to his motion sickness. Gray eventually regained consciousness, only to find himself tied up tight and unable to move his arms. His demands to be untied went unheard, so he resigned himself to his fate.
Now the day had turned into night as the group had been traveling for almost the entire day. The water had started to become a bit darker, and it was getting quieter and quieter the more they sailed on. The atmosphere seemed to be affecting Lucy as she had a nervous look on her face. "Okay, I'm starting to get a little scared now," she confessed.
"Well, look on the bright side, at least you're not tied up!" Gray snapped. He faced the sailor guiding the boat. "This is your fault too, pal! Why did you decide to let us on?!"
The man in question turned back to look at the Ice Mage. "My name is Bobo, and if you must know, I used to be a citizen of Galuna Island," he answered. "But I had to flee… I just couldn't take it anymore."
"What exactly happened?" Sparky inquired.
"It was a great tragedy… It befalls anyone who sets foot on the island. It's unavoidable… unless you can lift the curse." At that, he removed the cloak he had on, and the Fairy Tail wizards' (minus Natsu) eyes widened as they gasped at what they saw. Bobo's left arm was black and looked a bit like the exoskeleton of a bug. "This vile demon's curse…"
"Whoa, what happened to your arm?!" Gray questioned.
"Is that… the curse?" Lucy asked warily.
Bobo didn't answer; he simply stared at the group before looking away. "We're almost to the island."
Sparky's eyes narrowed. "Why is he avoiding the question?" he wondered. Nevertheless, he and the other Mages looked over as the island started to come into view.
As they gazed at the island, Lucy noticed something peculiar. "How strange… Why is the mountaintop glowing like that?" the blonde questioned.
"I suppose we'll find out when we get to the island. Unless you know something about that, Bobo?" the Trainer said, directing his question to the sailor as he glanced over his shoulder, only to jolt in shock when he saw that said sailor was no longer on the boat. "What the—?!"
"Huh?" Gray and Lucy both looked over and saw what had Sparky so stunned. Their eyes widened. "Where did he go?!" the Celestial Mage shouted.
"Did he fall out?!" Gray panicked.
"He couldn't have! There was no splash to indicate that!" Sparky said.
"It's like he just vanished into thin air!" the cat exclaimed.
Natsu's groaning got worse as a rumbling noise could be heard, slowly getting louder. "What's that sound?" Lucy wondered.
The Ice Mage looked behind himself and grew shocked at what he saw. "Uh, guys?!"
Everyone turned around and saw the problem instantly: a tsunami was heading for them!
"That's not good!" the Trainer stated. Thinking quickly, he grabbed the motion-sick Natsu and the bound Gray in each arm. "Lucy, Happy, grab onto my back!" he instructed.
The two did as they were told, and as the wave came crashing down on them, a Magic circle appeared underneath Sparky's feet. The group was sent under, and the sea seemed to get calmer… until the surface was broken by Snorlax's enormous bulk. Gray and Natsu were still in his arms, and Lucy and Happy were now holding onto his large back.
"Everybody alright?" the pokemon inquired.
Lucy and Happy seemed shaken up but otherwise okay. Natsu was still out of it and Gray was fine as well, though no longer tied up. Upon receiving confirmation from mostly everybody, Snorlax passed the two in his arms up onto his back. "Hold on to these two, things are gonna get bumpy," he said. With everyone secured on his back, the pokemon, much to everyone's surprise, actually started swimming to the island.
"Whoa! This big guy can swim?!" the Ice Mage exclaimed.
"This is pretty new to us, too!" Happy stated.
It was only a matter of minutes before Snorlax had reached Galuna Island. Once there, the pokemon let everybody off his back before changing back to Sparky. Finally back on solid ground, Natsu was quick to recover from his motion sickness. "Alright, we made it to Galuna Island!" he cheered.
"I still can't help but wonder what happened to the guy who gave us a ride," the Celestial Mage mused. "He just disappeared after he told us about the curse."
"That makes two of us, Lucy," Sparky sighed.
"Let's worry about that later and go exploring now!" the Dragon Slayer said with excitement.
"Aye!" Happy agreed, hopping up and down.
Lucy deadpanned at the two. "We've been here for 30 seconds and you two already forgot about the mission?!" She pulled out the job request to take another look at the details. "It seems there's only one village on the whole island, and the chief of that village is the one who sent out the request."
"Then let's go see this chief," Sparky noted.
"Not so fast," Gray spoke up, catching the group's attention.
The Trainer's eyes narrowed. "Don't even try to take us back now, Gray. I won't hesitate to knock you out again."
"Yeah, and our boat's destroyed, so you couldn't take us back if you wanted to!" Natsu pointed out.
"You're right," the dark blue-haired teen said. "That's why I'm coming with you." The three Mages gazed at him with surprise at his statement. "There's no way I'm letting you three make S-Class before me, and if you were kicked out, the Guild would be pretty boring. Gramps will be upset, but if we manage to pull this off, I don't think he'll stay mad at us for long." Their surprise turned into happiness as they all smiled. "Let's go!"
"Right!"
It took the group of five a while to reach the village. Fortunately, they didn't have to spend too much time looking for it as Sparky could sense a large gathering of aura and thus served as their navigator through the forest. A couple hours later, they found themselves standing in front of a huge wall with an equally huge gate that had a sign reading "Keep Out."
"So what do we do now that we found the village?" Gray wondered.
"Man, look at that gate. When they say 'keep out,' they mean it," Natsu commented.
"I guess we should let them know we're here?" the Aura Guardian suggested.
"Is anyone home? We came here to help you!" Lucy called.
A few seconds passed but no one responded. Natsu clenched a fist as he smirked. "Let's bust in!"
"Absolutely not!" the blonde screamed.
Fortunately, two guards appeared at the top of the gate before Natsu could put his plan into action. "Who goes there?" one of them called down, catching the group's attention.
"We're Fairy Tail wizards here to complete your quest!" Lucy responded confidently.
"Why weren't we notified when you accepted the job?!" the second guard questioned.
Lucy faltered at that. "Uh… Well…"
"That's a thing?" Sparky whispered.
"Sorry, there must have been a mix-up with the paperwork," Gray answered.
"Then show us your emblems right now!"
To the two guards' amazement, the group of five did just that. Natsu showed off his right shoulder while Happy moved his bag to the side, Lucy held her hand up, Gray pulled his shirt up, and Sparky moved his bangs up to show off his forehead.
"They're here… They're really here!" the guards said, before they proceeded to open up the gate.
The wizards observed as the gate opened up to reveal a large group of people wearing cloaks that covered their bodies. "It's like we're walking into a giant monster's mouth!" Happy noted.
"Are you trying to freak me out?!" Lucy hissed.
The person at the front of the group spoke. "I'm Moka, the village chief. On behalf of everybody here, I welcome you. Pleasantries aside, there's something you must see." He turned to the crowd behind him. "Now, my people!"
As one, everyone dropped their cloaks, revealing that some part of their body was inhuman. Arms, legs, some people had horns, but a common thing they shared was that they were part demon somewhere.
"This is the same thing that happened to the boat guy," Gray observed.
"Yeah…" Lucy agreed.
"What kind of spell could have caused this?" Sparky wondered.
"OH WOW, YOUR SIDEBURNS!" the Dragon Slayer exclaimed, completely focusing on the wrong thing.
"Not that! I'm trying to show you what's happened to my arm!" Moka said, moving said arm for emphasis. "Everybody on the island has suffered horrible disfigurement because of this curse! Even the animals are affected by this!"
"Please excuse me for asking, sir, but what makes you think it's a curse?" the Ice Mage questioned. "What if it's just some kind of infectious disease?"
"Gray may have a point," Sparky added. "Your auras feel different, but it doesn't actually feel like there's anything wrong with you…"
"We've consulted with dozens of doctors, but they all agree that no such disease exists!" the chief refuted. "You see, our symptoms began around the same time the moon fell under an evil spell."
The trainer's eyes widened. "There are spells that can affect the moon?!"
"What kind of spell was it?" Lucy inquired.
"Since ancient times, this island has absorbed the light of the moon, causing it to glow almost as beautifully as the moon itself," Moka explained. "But several years ago, the moon's color started changing and an eerie purple glow was cast upon the island."
"So the moon turned purple…?" Natsu said.
The blue cat gazed up at the sky and gasped. "It's coming out from behind the clouds!" True to his words, the clouds were parting, revealing the moon in all its purple glory as it shone purple light down on everyone.
"Oh wow… It really is purple…" Lucy noted.
"Man, that's creepy-looking," Gray remarked.
"It's the curse!" Moka cried. "Stand back! The change is about to begin!" Abruptly, he and the other residents of Galuna Island started screaming and writhing in pain.
The Fairy Tail wizards were understandably shocked. "Whoa! What the heck?!" the blonde shrieked. Before their eyes, everyone's bodies underwent a transformation from part demon to full demon.
"They're changing!" Gray shouted in horror.
"Yeah, I see that!" Lucy replied.
"Why is this happening to them…?" Natsu questioned.
Sparky looked up to the sky. "Is the moon really causing this?"
Finally, the screaming stopped as everybody had fully changed into a demon. "I apologize if our appearance frightens you," Moka told them.
"It's fine, I'm just totally confused," Gray admitted.
"You poor people…" Lucy muttered.
"Actually, I like your appearances!" the Trainer exclaimed, much to everyone's surprise. "You guys look pretty cool! It almost makes me feel like I'm back home!"
"Sparky's right! You guys look so awesome!" the pink-haired mage agreed. "You have horns and everything! Man, I'm so jealous!"
The demons seemed mystified. "They think we're cool?" one of them murmured.
"No one's ever said that to us before…"
"Come on, you guys! Don't be insensitive! They don't want to look like this!" the Celestial Mage scolded.
Sparky rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "I know, but I wanted to make them feel better with a compliment."
"I guess we should help them out, then!" Natsu said.
"That is why we're here," Happy reminded him.
"Seriously, get a clue…" Gray murmured.
Moka went on from there. "Anyway, as you've seen, whenever the purple moon makes its appearance in the sky, everybody in the village takes on a horrific demon form! If it's not a curse, then what else could this possibly be?!" Indeed, the Fairy Tail group could see how anguished the villagers were. "We'll return to normal when the morning comes and the sun rises, but… there are some poor souls who can no longer revert to their human forms for they have lost their minds."
"How sad…"
"The fate for these unfortunate souls in the grip of madness… We've no choice but to put them to death."
The mages gasped at that. "But they might change back to normal someday!" Natsu protested.
"If we wait for that to happen, then the monsters will kill us first. We've tried to restrain them but they always break free. It's no use; once it takes hold, there's no way to save them," Moka said. Tears formed in his eyes as he held up a picture. "I should know, as I was forced to kill my own son."
Gazing at the photo, the group gasped again in shock when they recognized the person. "That's the guy… from the boat!" Lucy realized. She tried to speak up. "But we just saw that guy—"
Gray shushed her. "Now I understand why he disappeared on us the way he did. He's dead… but his soul can't rest in peace."
The blonde looked a little scared at that. "A ghost?!" she thought.
However, Sparky's eyes narrowed. "That can't be right. I've felt ghosts' auras before, and that guy definitely felt alive. What's going on here?" he wondered.
"Please lift this evil curse from our island! If this goes on for much longer, we may all fall victim to it! We'll die!" the chief begged, bowing to the wizards.
"We won't let that happen!" Natsu shouted resolutely, making Moka stare at him with surprise.
"Natsu's right. We'll fix this problem for you, we promise," the blond told him.
Moka looked at them in awe before he lowered his head. "There's only one way this horrible curse can be lifted. The moon… the moon must be wiped from the sky!" he shouted, leaving the group of wizards stunned.
With the conversation over, Moka had some of the villagers arrange a hut for the Fairy Tail group to stay in for the duration of the quest. As the humans were settling in, Happy sat on the windowsill, staring up at the purple moon. "I never knew the moon could be so creepy…" he commented.
Lucy turned to face him from where she was rummaging through Natsu's backpack, already wearing her pajamas. "Hurry up and close the window! You heard what the chief said! We gotta stay out of the moonlight!" she chided. "You may not care, but I don't want to risk turning into some freaky-looking monster!"
"I'm not so sure about this job, guys," Natsu admitted.
"Do these people really think we can destroy the moon?" Gray pondered.
The Dragon Slayer clenched his fist. "I wonder how many punches it'd take. Do you guys think I could handle it?"
"Are you serious?!" Gray exclaimed before he calmed down. "Don't be stupid, man."
"Natsu, there isn't a single wizard who could accomplish that," Lucy agreed.
"But that's the job we were hired to do!" Natsu argued. "We can't just take a job and back out, 'cause that would make Fairy Tail look bad!"
"What they're asking of us can't be done! How do you even plan on getting to the moon?"
"Happy can fly me there," Natsu answered, pointing to his cat companion.
"I don't think so, Natsu…" the cat declined.
"Well, what if Sparky used one of his pokemon to fly up there?" the pink-haired teen suggested.
Sparky glanced up from where he was thinking when he heard Natsu call his name. "Sorry Natsu, but there's only a handful of pokemon that could take a trip into space, and none of the guys I have are any of those pokemon."
"Aw, man…"
"And besides…" The wizards turned back to Sparky as he continued talking. "Something's been bugging me about this mission. I don't think the moon is the problem."
"Say what?!" Natsu shouted. "But you saw what happened! It showed up in the sky and everyone changed into a demon!"
"I know that, but hear me out. Moka told us that the moon turned purple years ago, which caused all this… But I've been on this world for over a week, and before I got to this island, I've never once seen it purple."
The group looked shocked at that. "Hey, now that you mention it…" Gray said.
"You're right! The moon was totally normal last night!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Exactly. But if the moon was normal before we got to the island, then why is it purple now?" Sparky asked rhetorically. "I think the answer is somewhere on the island, so our first course of action should be searching around the island for anything suspicious."
"That's a great idea, Sparky!" Happy said.
"In that case, we should probably get some shut-eye so we can do that tomorrow," the Ice Mage said, taking off his shirt, pants, and socks. "I could definitely use some after the day I've had."
"Please don't remove any more than that," Lucy told him.
"Alright then! Our investigation will start tomorrow morning!" Natsu declared. He and Happy dove onto one of the beds. "Time to hit the sack!"
"Aye, sir!"
"Sounds like a plan," Gray agreed, plopping down on his own bed.
"Yeah, I guess I'm pretty sleepy myself," Lucy admitted.
Sparky stood up. "You guys go ahead. I'll be back in a bit."
"Where are you going, Sparky?" the blonde questioned.
"I'm just gonna take a walk. I always walk around before I go to sleep, remember?" And with that said, the Trainer stepped out of their hut.
Sparky returned about 15 minutes later and went right to sleep. It was quiet, except for Natsu's heavy snoring and Gray's lighter snoring. Then Lucy popped up from in between them a few seconds later.
"SO LOUD! How am I supposed to sleep when the beast and the perv keep snoring?!" she complained.
Morning finally came about, and the Fairy Tail group found themselves standing outside their hut. Most of the wizards were looking fatigued.
Natsu yawned. "Man, it's so early…"
"Yeah, I'm never up at this time…" Gray complained.
"You two kept me up all night and you don't hear me complaining! So quit your whining and let's get going!" Lucy proclaimed.
"Aye, aye…" Natsu, Gray, and Happy responded unenthusiastically.
"Ready when you guys are," Sparky said, fully awake. Waking up early was not a problem for him thanks to his trainer lifestyle.
Lucy pulled out one of her silver Keys. "Open: Gate of the Clock Constellation – Horologium!" A Magic circle appeared as Horologium came into view, informing them that it was now 7:48. With that done, the group of Fairies began their trek through the island.
"So you guys really think there's another way to lift this curse?" Natsu inquired.
"We don't exactly have much of a choice," Gray replied. "Even if the moon were the problem like the villagers think, everyone else likes it. Plus, destroying it could have some serious consequences."
"You're right!" Natsu realized. "If we didn't have the moon, the tides would get all crazy and the sky would be pitch-black at night!"
"Without it, salmon could go extinct, and they're my favorite fish!" Happy added.
Lucy glared at the three of them. "'Would you guys keep it down?! We don't know what's lurking out here, so we shouldn't draw any attention!' the lady demands impatiently," Horologium said.
Natsu and Gray glance back at her. "You know, you should walk on your own," the Dragon Slayer remarked.
"He's right. Do you just summon your Spirits because you're lazy?" Gray questioned.
"'Listen, this curse is freaking me out. We have no idea what we're up against and I'm scared!' she says nervously."
"Are you kidding? This is awesome! S-Class Quests rule!" Natsu cheered.
"Yeah, I think I could probably freeze that dumb curse," Gray said.
Sparky gazed over at the two. "Lucy has a point, you two. Mira told us that S-Class missions are super dangerous. Please try to be serious about this and keep… your…" The Trainer trailed off and stopped in place as he felt something strange.
His guildmates stopped walking when they saw him pause. "Huh? What's wrong, Sparky?" the blue cat inquired.
"…I feel something heading our way," Sparky answered. "And it's big." He turned in the direction they came from, prompting his friends to do the same, just as they felt the ground begin to quake. A few seconds later, the group gawked as a shadowy figure suddenly loomed over them, laughing menacingly.
"What the—?!" Natsu yelled.
"It's giant!" Gray shouted.
"'What are you waiting for?! Take it down, you guys!' she yells frantically," Horologium relayed.
The giant figure reared its head back as if to attack, prompting Gray to quickly throw up an ice shield to block it. However, it released a foul-smelling gas instead, much to their displeasure.
Lucy gazed on worriedly. "'Oh no, what's wrong?!'" She looked down, seeing Happy inside with her. "'Did you seriously sneak inside here?!' 'Aye!' answers the little… blue… cat." At that point, the gas started to affect Horologium, and the Spirit was forced to return, leaving Lucy and Happy out in the open.
"Stinky!" they cried as they covered their noses.
The giant figure laughed heartily as it stood up fully, revealing it to be a huge rat wearing a black corset. "It's a rat!" the Celestial Mage screamed fearfully.
"Natsu, get up already!" Gray urged the pink-haired teen, who was nearly unconscious on the ground, being more affected by the gas thanks to his enhanced sense of smell.
"The smell did a number on him!" Happy stated.
Sparky stepped forward. "I'll handle this!" A seal appeared under his feet, bathing him in light; when the light died down, Snorlax could be seen standing in front of everyone.
"Alright, it's Snorlax!" the cat cheered.
"Beat it up, Sparky!" Lucy encouraged.
"Guess I'll get to see what this guy can do," Gray noted.
However, a few seconds passed with no movement from the pokemon, leaving the wizards puzzled while the rat raised a brow. "Uh, why isn't Sparky doing anything?" Natsu, having recovered enough from the gas now that the smell wasn't lingering, asked.
"Is he sleeping or something?" Gray questioned.
Seeing its opponent wasn't moving, the rat decided to take the initiative and slammed its paws down onto Snorlax, knocking him onto his back. Despite this, the pokemon still made no move to attack, so the giant animal continued slamming its paws down on him.
"What are you waiting for, Sparky?! Hurry up and start fighting back!" the blonde screamed.
"Seriously, what is going on with him?!" Gray yelled.
The rat laughed again as it raised its paw again to attack. As it brought it down, Snorlax's mouth seemed to move, saying words that only the Dragon Slayer could catch. "…Sleep…Talk…"
Before the paw could connect, Snorlax's hand shot up, stopping it entirely. The Fairy Tail group watched in shock as the pokemon finally reacted, standing up with a glowing fist reared back. Throwing it forward, the punch smashed into the rat's gut, sending it crashing backward.
"Whoa! Where did that come from all of a sudden?!" Lucy exclaimed.
"Alright, way to go, Sparky!" Happy praised.
"Yeah, nice hit!" Gray agreed. However, the group watched in confusion as the pokemon abruptly fell over on its back. "Crap, don't tell me that was all he had!"
"Wait, look at him," Natsu spoke up. Carefully observing him and taking in the slow rise and fall of his chest, the group facefaulted when they finally realized what the issue was.
"HE REALLY IS ASLEEP?!" Lucy shrieked.
"Wait, so he threw a punch while he was sleeping?" the dark blue-haired teen questioned.
"The rat's getting back up!" Happy warned.
True to his word, the giant rat stood up, looking furious. It jumped in the air, clearly intending to squash the pokemon under its body.
"Sparky, you gotta get up!" Lucy called out.
Snorlax didn't seem to hear her, though they noticed his mouth begin moving again, once more uttering words only Natsu could pick up. "…Sleep…Talk…" As the rat got closer, the pokemon jumped to his feet, much to the wizards' surprise. A bronze-colored aura surrounded his body and he leaped up to intercept the animal. The two clashed and entered a brief struggle before the pokemon managed to push the rat back into the ground.
"Alright, Sparky!" the blue cat cheered.
"Huh, he fights pretty well in his sleep," Gray noted.
Snorlax landed on his feet once he fell back to the ground. It looked like he was about to fall over again, but then he let out a loud yawn. "Ah, that was a good nap," he finally spoke out loud, scratching his belly.
"Sparky! You're finally awake!" Natsu exclaimed.
"Huh?" The pokemon looked over at the group. Gazing around, he saw the giant rat getting to its feet again. "Oh, that's right. Better wrap this up quick." With that, he crossed his arms in front of him, causing a symbol that looked like his foot to appear in front of him. Going through a series of poses, he readied his next attack, encompassed in an orange aura this time.
"Whoa, I feel so much power…" the Dragon Slayer muttered.
"Is this a Z-Move?" Lucy wondered.
Then the group gawked when Snorlax suddenly shot forward like a rocket at the giant animal. Once he was a few feet away, he leaped high into the air. The rat, finally recovered from the last blow, looked towards its opponent, only to see him not there anymore. It looked around before glancing up to see the pokemon coming down towards it stomach-first, making it scream in terror right before Snorlax made impact, causing a massive explosion that kicked up a lot of wind and dust.
Once the dust settled down, everyone could see Snorlax standing over the unconscious rat. He changed back into Sparky shortly afterward, who proceeded to wince and rub his face. "Ouch, that's gonna leave a mark." Turning to his friends, he started walking past them. "Alright, let's get going, guys."
The group of mages rushed after him. "Sparky! What was that?!" Lucy demanded.
"Yeah, why were you sleeping when you first turned into Snorlax?" Gray questioned.
The Aura Guardian had a sheepish smile on his face. "Well, when I transform into one of my pokemon, I take on some of their habits and personalities. Snorlax has a bad habit of sometimes stepping into battle asleep."
"For real?!" Happy gasped.
Sparky nodded. "That's right. In order to not be hindered by this, I had him learn how to use Sleep Talk. It's a move that allows the user to use one of their other moves at random if the user is asleep."
"Oh, so that's why you kept saying Sleep Talk right before you would attack!" Natsu realized.
"Yep." Sparky stopped walking. "Hey, look over there, you guys."
Gazing where he was, the group could see a building in the distance. "It's some kind of building," Lucy observed. "We should go check it out."
Once they got inside the building, the wizards took a look around. "This place is so big!" Lucy noted.
"It's also falling apart," Natsu pointed out.
"It must be pretty old," Gray said.
They all looked up to see strange red symbols on the wall in front of them. "Hey, what are those?" Natsu asked.
"They're moons," the Ice Mage answered. "It makes sense since Galuna used to be called the Island of the Moon."
Lucy put a hand to her chin. "A moon island, a moon curse, and now these weird moon symbols? You gotta wonder what this all means…"
"And if the villagers know about this temple," Sparky added.
Natsu turned away to investigate more of the temple. "Man, this place sure is a wreck." He started stomping on the ground. "This floor doesn't even look safe to walk on."
Lucy glanced over at him and saw what he was doing. "Hey, don't go stomping on it, then!" she admonished him. Unfortunately, her warning came too late as the ground cracked and gave way underneath the pink-haired Dragon Slayer before spreading out to the rest of the mages.
"Natsu, you moron! Look what you did!" Gray yelled as the group plummeted down below.
One rough landing later, Natsu emerged from a pile of rocks he'd been buried under. Quickly looked around, he called out to his friends, "Is everyone alright?"
"I'd be better if you didn't knock out the floor!" Lucy berated.
"If you actually stopped to think before you acted, maybe you'd cause a little less destruction!" Gray agreed.
"Honestly Natsu, stomping on the floor like that was unnecessary," Sparky sighed.
Once they were all on their feet, they stared up the way they came. "Looks like we're underneath the temple now…" Gray noted.
"Do you think you can fly us out of here, Happy?" Lucy asked the cat.
"Sorry, but no… I could only carry one person at a time," Happy replied.
"I could help with the flying," Sparky mused. "We could all get up that way."
They didn't get to do anything, though, before Natsu spotted another way out. "Wow, a secret cave! This is so cool; let's go explore!" He immediately ran into the cave without a second thought, much to his guildmates' irritation.
"Would you stop running around like a crazy person?!" Gray shouted after him as everybody followed after him.
Running through the cave with excitement, Natsu swiftly made it to the end, only to stop in shock at what he saw. "Whoa…"
His friends found him shortly afterward, staring up at something. "Natsu?" Lucy questioned.
"What's got you so mesmerized?" the blond inquired.
Natsu didn't look away from what was in front of him. "Uh, guys… what is that?"
Stepping around him to get a look, Lucy, Happy, and Sparky were equally stunned at the sight. Gray, however, gazed on with horror.
In front of them was a massive block of ice, though that wasn't a big deal. What was a big deal was what was inside the ice: a gigantic, demonic figure that only Gray recognized.
"No… That's impossible…" he muttered, his voice slowly growing louder. "It's Deliora! How is it here?! What the hell is it doing on Galuna Island?!"
And done! Man, this chapter was surprisingly hard to work on! Sorry if the ending was too abrupt.
So here we have the beginning of the Galuna Island Arc! Of course Sparky would be tagging along; he loves to help people! And he seems to suspect that something is amiss about the whole situation!
The time passage was kinda weird in canon in my opinion. Natsu, Lucy, and Happy left Magnolia at night, arrived at and left Hargeon in the morning, made it close to Galuna at night before being washed away by the tsunami, woke up in the morning, then finally made it to the village at night. Then Erza finally showed up the next day, three days after they first took the job. I had to fill in the gaps and basically reduced the time it took to get to the village. Everything will still play out as it did in canon, but I thought I'd still share that info.
Now as for why this chapter was so late. I've been INSANELY busy with college, so I hardly have time to work on my stories nowadays. I'm constantly taking classes with very few breaks in between them. And when I do get to take a break, I tend to spend it just trying to relax. I promise to do my best to make sure these stories don't go unfinished, even if it takes years!
With that out of the way, here are my story recommendations:
Quantity of Quirks by Primordial Vortex – This is a collection of fic ideas where Izuku either has a different Quirk or is better at using OFA. PV's come up with some amazing ideas, some of which have a chance of becoming full stories, so check this one out!
A Green Dragon's Hoard by Ignis18 – This story will make more sense once you've read the first chapter of the fic recommended above. Basically about the Izuku from that chapter, and it's a great read!
Deku: The Sharingan Hero by MrAuthor18 – This neat little fanfiction features an Izuku that has the Sharingan (obviously)! It's a really good story, so give it a go!
Now before I close this author's note, I'd like to let you guys know that I'm on Discord! This server I'm on isn't mine, though; it actually belongs to the author of the last story I just recommended. However, he was kind enough to give me my own story channels, so if you want to talk to me about story progress, then head over to his server! Here's the link: discord . gg / vWb7QTxbCd (remove the spaces).
Alright, that should be everything! I'll see you all on another exciting chapter of The Fairy Tail Shapeshifter! Sparky D., out!