From Puppy to Prince

Puppy Love and Human Tears

It was yet another day at the guild. Cana was sitting on one of the tables, her barrel of beer in her lap. Happy was over at a different table with Wendy and Carla, thanking them for doctoring him, as he'd been bedridden with food poisoning for a few days. Kinana behind the bar restocking the wares while Mira chatted with Lucy and Natsu about their latest adventure. It hadn't gone unnoticed to the She-Devil the way the two friends were sitting slightly further apart and making sure not to brush against one another, or the way Natsu kept glancing at Lucy, whose cheeks would be stained just a bit with pink every time she caught his gaze. Mira knew something had happened on the job that the two were avoiding.

"So what was the job for you two? I thought it was a bit fishy that all it listed were the reward and location." Her eyes glinted with all the possible reasons for their awkwardness, her inner matchmaker going wild.

Natsu's eyes lit up at the chance to tell the story, "It was amazing! Once we got to Shirotsume Town that is..." His face turned slightly green at the memory of the train and carriage rides. Lucy decided to finish the story for him.

"Once Natsu recovered and we had our hotel room, we went to the address on the flier. It was a little cottage outside the town about five minutes. When we knocked on the door, a little old lady answered."

*Flashback*

Natsu knocked on the old wooden door. After a moment it opened, revealing a woman who appeared to be in her late 70's or early 80's. "We're mages from Fairy Tail, I'm Natsu and she's Lucy. We're here about the job." He held up the parchment for reference.

"Oh, yes! Come in, come in! I'm Mrs. Trina. The pot of tea I made just finished brewing. Would either of you like a cup?" Lucy nodded, while Natsu declined the offer. The woman fixed the tea, and served it to Lucy, setting the tea set on the coffee table in front of them. Once everyone was settled, the elderly lady pulled out a vial that some swirling reddish brown liquid in it. "I posted the job because I need help testing something. I make potions for the nearby village. Well about a week ago, I overheard some of the village children talking about how it would be amazing to be able to turn into their favorite animals for a few hours. So I made a potion, this one here, that would allow one to become a dog for about six hours. I tested it on myself first, and it works well with no side effects."

Lucy leaned forward, "So why do you need us? You already tested the potion."

Nodding, Mrs. Trina smiled and continued, "Well some of the villagers have magic, and I don't know how this potion would affect them." The two mages looked confused. "To solve your confusion, I don't have any magic. The potions I make, while they do have magical properties, don't require magic to be made."

"Why don't you just ask one of the villagers if they would help test it for you, then you could save your money?" The blonde mage nodded at her partner's question, also wanting to know.

"If I asked one of my friends, and the potion didn't work as planned, they could be stuck in that form, or even killed." Both mages gasped. "By killed, I don't mean dead. I simply mean that their mind would slowly adapt to the form they had taken, meaning they would lose their human identities. But if I can make sure that these potions are safe for mages, and then I'm sure my money spent paying you two to test them would be recouped quickly. Currently I only have this dog one. So, will one of you help me test this? I'm certain there is minimal danger."

Lucy hesitated. As exciting as it sounded, she couldn't help but worry about the risks involved. She turned to Natsu, to discuss it with him, but he had already grabbed the vial and downed over half of the elixir. "Natsu!" She quickly knocked the vial out of his hand, but it was too late.

"Hey Luce, I feel funny..." After that, he began shrinking in his clothes, with Lucy unable to do anything but watch. It seemed like it took forever, but in only five seconds, her friend was gone. The pile of clothes where he had been sitting twitched, and there was a shuffling sound, then it started to move. She peeled back the layers of clothing, startled when a small, salmon-haired puppy popped into view.