Fairy Tail Rewind (Completed)

Chapter 11 -- The Treasure Hunting

A cerulean sphere spread above their heads as the game began. Enveloped under it, Lucy could no longer hear the whistling sound of the wind coming from the cave entrance. She had a feeling that the sphere could muffle the noise they might make during the game as well.

Natsu hopped onto the squares. The moving squares intimidated Lucy. She was scared that they'd swallow her. Gingerly, she tapped the tip of her toe on a square to ensure that she wouldn't sink, before stepping onto it. Virgo and Happy followed suit. 

Unwillingly, Gray adhered to Lyra's instruction. Lyra's grip on his arm had never loosened. At first, Gray looked like a marionette whose strings were being constantly pulled at. But his rigid countenance soon relaxed as he became focused on which squares to jump. 

The first three lines offered them no threats, and they jumped from squares to squares according to their favourite colours. Festive music rang when Lucy hopped onto red squares; solemn dirges were played when Natsu jumped onto those black ones. This looked like the dancing game Lucy used to play when she was young. The field was soon suffused with their laughter. Lucy thought this chessboard was a music box, until-- 

Gray sidestepped onto a brown square. Mud bubbled up and glued around his feet, hampering his movement. Bending his body, he tried to move his feet out of the mud but to no avail. "Do something!" He shouted nervously at Lyra.

The sea serpent just stood with her eyes fixed on Gray in an expression of watery adoration.

"Urgh! Talking about teamwork! And stop ogling at me like that!" Exasperated, Gray sat down on the square. The mud spread quickly with a funny farting sound, up to his waist, his chest, leaving only his head lolling helplessly above the static body.

Happy burst out laughing. "You look like an aging tree, Gray." Pained with laughter, his body rolled onto a blue square. There was a loud pop, and suddenly, he was being turned into a hairy blue sea urchin. "This is unfair! I want to be turned into a dolphin!" Happy whined aloud.

"Humph, serve you well!" The edge of Gray's lips curled upwards.

Lyra laughed so hard, before taking out a camera from her copper box. SNAP! SNAP! The world's hairiest sea urchin was something not to be missed. Virgo held out her hand, trying to save Happy, but halted it half-way, scared that the transformation was infectious. She stood rooted in the white square, looking at Lucy with a plea in her eyes. Lucy laughed at Happy so much that her feet hitched, and she stumbled onto an orange square, which changed her into a sea horse.

"You're so cute in a sea horse form, Lucy, much cuter than when you're in human's." 

Natsu bent forward to pinch Lucy's cheeks, but Lucy leaped aside. Shaking her head ferociously, Lucy murmured something, which the brainless Natsu assumed were some swear words, but the group could only hear the bubbling of bubbles. 

Lyra lay on the chessboard, clutching her stomach that was pained with laughter, as she saw more bubbles coming out of Lucy's long snout. The bubbles hit Lyra's face and turned her into a starfish with blond hair, which was sprawling on all fours, still gagging. 

Once Lucy's bubbles hit Lyra and turned her into the starfish, Lucy morphed back to human. Happy, however, remained a sea urchin. So I was right about this. If I were being changed into something else, all I need to do is touch my opponent, and the effect will be transferred to him. 

After studying the patterns of the colourful squares, Lucy realized something new too. Pulling Natsu close to her, she whispered her finding to him. Now, they'd only keep stepping on the red and black squares, since they'd confirmed that those squares wouldn't turn them into any marine creatures. There was one time when Lucy almost missed the step, and one of her legs stepped on a purple square, which turned it into an octopus' tentacle.