Amethyst sat happily with her friends at the cafeteria as she watched everyone with a smile on her face. The first semester was over and now they were all taking a break even if beside her, Blake was looking through what the brown haired girl assumed were notes. A lot had happened since the moment Blake was revealed to be a Faunus and it turned to the better. In fact, none of the school, beside Team RWBY and JNPR (and possibly Ozpin) knew Blake's true heritage as they all kept it a secret.
Even better Amethyst , for a while now, had noticed that she had feelings for a certain Red Maned Lion but knew that this relation would be impossible as she was Human and Simba a Lion. It saddened her to no end as she knew that her Golden Friend loved her back. Some nights, she would be prayed every night for a way to become a Lioness so she could stay with Simba forever.
However, her thoughts were quickly interrupted by a slamming binder, courtesy of Ruby Rose of all people and everyone were caught of guards by the sudden action as all of them looked at the red teen who cleared her throat before gesturing to everyone at the table " Sister... friends... Weiss..." "Hey !" the Ice Queen shouted at her Team Leader and Amethyst couldn't help but smirking at her. " Four score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream..." Ruby added, completely ignoring Weiss's intervention.
"This ought to be good..." Yang remarked out-loud to herself as she caught a berry with her mouth. "A dream that one day, the five of us will come together, as a team, and have the most fun anyone has ever had... ever !" Ruby declared in a excited tone as she looked at her team-mates and Amethyst was touched that Ruby saw her as a team-mate. "Did you steal my binder ?" Weiss asked her leader with a frown who made a 'peace' sight with her hands responding back "I am not a crook !"
"What are you talking about ?" Blake asked the red girl whose silver eyes landed on her as she responded back while pointing her with a finger "I'm talking about kicking off the semester with a bang !" "I always kick my semesters off with a Yang !" The blond brawler of Team RWBY replied to her sister's words which caused everyone to groan at her pun.
Nora tossed an apple at Yang with a 'Boooooooooo' as it hit her on the head which caused Ruby's sister to glare at the orange haired girl of JNPR. "Look guys, it's been a good two weeks and between more exchange students arriving and the tournament at the end of the year, our second semester is going to be great ! But, classes start back up tomorrow ! Which is why I've taken the time to schedule a series of wonderful events for us today !" Ruby added seriously as she looked at everyone present.
"I don't know whether to be proud or scared of what you have in store…" Weiss commented with a bot of worry in her tone and Amethyst nodded at her with agreement : sometimes Ruby could be… unpredictable. Yang, for her part, tossed the apple away while still glaring at Nora who giggled when someone nearby yelled out a "Hey !" "I don't know... I think I might sit this one out..." Blake began to say until Weiss took over " Sit out or not, I think that however we spend this last day, we should do it as a team !"
Amethyst then looked at Nora when the pink-clothed girl pulled out a pie from who-know-where and was aiming at Weiss. A smirk appeared on her face as she watched the scene " I for one think that..." The Schnee Heiress began to say until it was interrupted by Nora's pie which landed right on her face. Amethyst putted a hand on her mouth to prevent her from laughing as the look both Team RWBY and JNPR were exchanging : while the formers all harbored a look of surprise the second were more varied.
Nora was pointing at Ren who had his head in his palm while beside them Pyrrha had covered her mouth with a hand in shock and Jaune was simply staring wide-eyed, covering his ear with his palm. However before anything could happen, Amethyst instantly got up with a gasp with caused everyone to look at her "Amethyst are you okay ?" Blake asked her with concern "I almost forgot about this ! I promise Simba to go out with him !" the brown haired girl responded hurriedly as she looked at everyone with panic.
"Oh then go ! Don't worry about us !" Ruby hastily pushed her away while Yang added with a grin "Yeah ! We have some business to take care of here~" she was eying Team JNPR at those words. "Okay See you guys !" Amethyst inquired as she swiftly ran away from the cafeteria, knowing what was about to happen the second she will be out of sight. The brown haired girl went directly toward the building Opzin had gave her and Simba as dorm and found her friend standing there.
"Hey Simba !" she called out for him in a excited tone and the Great Lion turned his head to look at her with a smile on his muzzle "Amethyst ! Back so soon ?" he asked her as his best friend hugged his head as tightly as she could "Yes our friends are in the cafeteria… and I think they are food-fighting right now..." Simba blinked at the last sentence and looked at his friend with a raise-brow "There's a story behind this right ?" Amethyst grinned as she responded mischievously "Nora threw a pie at Weiss..."
Simba couldn't retain himself and did what everyone would do when they heard such a thing : he laughed. " Now what do you want to do ?" Amethyst asked him with grin "Anything as long as we don't go in Vale !" the Golden Lion responded in a alarmed tone which caused his best friend to laugh in amusement.
Since the day he revealed to both Team RWBY and JNPR who he really was, his life had turned to the better as no one treated him differently despise him being a Prince and all. Even better, a few days after Blake was found again, Ozpin had presented him to the people of Vale and at first the habitants had been scared of him… until he saved some people from a fire. He became a Hero in the eyes of the populace and later, got a good reputation among Faunus for defending one of them against Racist Policemen.
Amethyst, being his closest friend, also got some recognition from the habitants of Vale and thanks to the Faunus students of Beacon, saw her own reputation brightening even more. Sometimes, when she and her Lion friend walked in the streets of Vale, they would got nothing but friendly greetings and welcoming smiles. Amethyst was happy that her friend was not feared and isolated like what she thought he would be while Simba ,while happy to not be treated as an outcast, was embarrassed by the attention.
Among the habitants, the ones would seemed to like him the most were the children both Humans and Faunus. The Golden Lion would sometimes took some for a ride under the vigilant eyes of their parents. Thanks to the popularity of the Lion, some stores even sell plushes which looked exactly like him ! To everyone's shock, the sells were a success ! Of course, the money won from it went directly to Amethyst as Simba didn't needed it.
However, instead of keeping it, Amethyst preferred to spend this money on different manners : one to help Faunus to have more rights in the eyes of the Law, second to help her friends financially… Back to present, Simba was glaring at his laughing friend, grumbling under his beard "Awww come on Mr. Grumpy ! Can't you let a girl have her fun ?" Amethyst cooed to her friend as she looked at him teasingly. At those words, Simba grinned deviously as an idea formed into his mind "Well then… We will stay here today and train for a bit..."
The grin of Amethyst's face disappeared at those words as she stared at him with horror : their latest training sessions became nothing but torture in the girl's eyes as Simba was pushing her to her limit, especially on the use of her Semblance. Thanks to this, she could now merge with the Lioness-like figure (not enough to be a total Lioness with fur and all) and her senses became sharper ever since the first try.
"No please anything but this !" Amethyst begged her friend who grinned at her "Come on Ame… Couldn't you let a guy have his fun ?" Simba asked her back with an innocent grin on his face as he used her own words against her. Amethyst's horrified expression turned into a scowl as she crossed her arms, huffing "Meanie..." she mumbled with a cute pout, looking away from him as he laughed in response at her words.
Simba then gently pushed her with his muzzle and she glared up at him but then blushed when the Lion gave her a warm smile, the smile that always warmed her heart and caused it to bump faster. She just couldn't resist it. "Idiot !" Amethyst mumbled playfully as she pushed his large face away with her purple eyes shining in amusement.
The Golden Lion smiled at her before crouching down, offering his back "In for a ride ?" he asked her with excitement and she replied in equal excitement "You bet I am !" then she quickly climbed his back and yelped when Simba went back on his feet before dashing away into the forest with his best friend, riding him.
"Is that all you got Simba ?! COME ON BIG BOY GO FASTER !" Amethyst yelled at him with nothing but pure bliss and excitement. "You want speed ? Here it come !" The Golden Lion shouted back as he went faster which caused his passenger to laugh loudly as a stronger wind crashed against her brown hair. After a long moment of running, Simba stopped near a river situated in an open-field, free from any trees. As the Great Lion lowered his head down to drink, his passenger climbed down his back to take a drink for herself.
However when she wasn't looking, Simba would interrupt his drink to shot her a sideway glance, eying her. As she watched her drinking, the Golden Lion couldn't help but admire her grace and beauty. Despise not being a Lioness, she was utterly beautiful and a pang of sadness caused his heart to ache as he realized (again) that he would never be with her as they were from different species…
With a deep sigh, Simba looked back toward the water, looking at his reflection unaware that it was now Amethyst's turn to glance at him. She loved him so much… It had been this way for a long time now… At first she wanted to dismiss those thoughts but as the time passed and she got to know the Lion more, her love for him didn't decreased but instead, grew. She wanted nothing more then to become his like she wanted him to be hers but it was impossible. He was a Lion and she was Human. There was no way for the two of them to be together...
Right ?
Suddenly, they both heard a strong and deep voice echoing from nearby "Simba..." Amethyst turned her head toward where the voice came from… only to gasp in surprise at what she saw : it was a Lion who was the carbon copy of her friend except that this Lion had amber-golden fur and darker red mane while Simba had a brownish-gold fur and russet mane.
In addition, the new Lion looked more muscular than her friend and had a much more stronger looking face. Also, Amethyst noticed that she could look through him as the newcomer looked like a ghost surrounded by a golden aura-like thing. His eyes was showing nothing but pure kindness and compassion. "Father..." Simba greeted the newcomer with a soft smile and Amethyst's eyes widened in shock as she looked at the newcomer.
Simba had told her a lot about his father and now she got to meet him face to face ! The brown haired girl suddenly felt nervous as the Lion before her was formally a King, a good one at that… And just by saying him, she could tell he was a great King as he was regal looking and walked with a confidence you could find only in someone of Great stature. In respect, Amethyst bowed before her friend's father "Your Majesty..." she whispered in respect, her eyes lowered down.
Mufasa chuckled before inquiring in a kind tone "Rise young one… You don't need to bow before me... You are my son's friend..." Amethyst quickly went back on her feet to face the Mighty Lion before her. His kind voice , despise how deep and strong it sounded, was reassuring her in a welcoming way even if his appearance was intimidating to say the least. "Father… What are you doing here ?" Simba asked the former King of the Pridelands with confusion.
Usually, Mufasa would appear to him to his dream and it was the first time he came while he was awake ! "Dark Forces are moving as we speak… The Queen of Grimm are moving her pawns… Remnant need you more than ever !" Mufasa responded to his son in a serious tone , the one he used when situation was problematic. "Queen of Grimm ? There is no Queen of Grimm !" Amethyst shouted in disbelief as she looked at the Golden Spirit with stunned eyes.
"There is young one… Her name's Salem… Some people in this world know about her but keep her existence hidden..." Mufasa resumed in a calm tone but was interrupted again by the brown haired girl " What ? Why ?!" Simba had frowned at his father's words but then a flash of realization passed through his eyes as he responded "To not cause a panic among the people of Remnant !" then he looked at his best friend who had looked away from Mufasa to stare at him. "Remember ! Grimm are attracted to negative emotions like fear !"
Amethyst's own eyes widened as she finally understood what the two Lions were insinuating "Its one of the reason yes but others want to keep her secret… because they serves her..." Mufasa's next words shocked BOTH of them to the core "WHAT ?! But why would they do that ?!" Amethyst asked the Spirit with bewilderment "Not all people fight for peace… Many fight for gaining powers or just for love of destruction… Do you remember the woman you fought when you met Ruby Rose ?"
Amethyst froze at the question as her mind went up to the night she met Ruby and their chase after Roman Torchwick. Then her mind went to the woman who fought Glynda Goodwitch. While Amethyst couldn't saw her face thanks to the darkness of the Bullhead, the brown haired girl had saw WHAT the woman wore : a dark dress with yellow designs on it. She had also saw the blue feather-like accessory on the woman's right hip at the top of an open portion of the dress. What she also saw was the woman's eyes : amber.
"Yes I remember her… I wanted to hurt her when I used my Semblance for the first time… But I missed..." Amethyst responded to the former King of the Pridelands who shook his large head in disagreement "No you did not young one… You did touch her… You left her a large gash on her right cheek… Needless to say she has a strong vendetta against you..." Amethyst was feeling satisfaction after hearing this information but then the Lion said something that caused both her and Simba to froze dead in their places.
"This woman will soon head to Beacon with some of her allies...You must stop them before they commit something irreparable !" Mufasa inquired the two of them in a strong but alarmed tone "We will !" Simba said as he growled in determination "Yes ! We will do it ! For Remnant !" Amethyst agreed as she looked at the Spirit with a burning purple fire in her eyes. Mufasa seemed pleased by those words and as he slowly dissipated, he whispered something that caught them off guard "The day you reveal you true feelings will change the life of you both !"
Then he fully disappeared out of sight, leaving behind two students people who then looked at each other before looking away with a blush "Well… maybe we should go back to Beacon..." Simba mumbled in embarrassment to change the subject and Amethyst quickly followed his example as she replied back hurriedly "Yes we should ! Professor Ozpin must heard about this !"
After climbing on Simba's back, the Lion rushed back toward Beacon where they were greeted by Glynda who seemed surprised to see them in such a hurry "Both of you ! Why are you in such a hurry ? Miss Aster shouldn't you be in class ?!" The Professor asked the brown haired girl sternly but Ameshyst (despise how embarrassment at forgetting this small detail) quickly replied in a hurried tone "Professor Goodwitch ! We must see Professor Ozpin ! Its important !"
"It concern Salem..." Simba added before the Professor could ask them what they meant. The second the name left his mouth, Glynda looked like she had seen a ghost "I'm sorry but did you said 'Salem' ?" Glynda asked them in an alarmed tone but still in a soft manner as if she didn't wanted people to overheard them. "We did ! We discovered something that Ozpin must know or else Beacon will be in danger !" Simba responded somberly and the Blond Teacher nodded firmly before leading them toward Beacon Tower where Ozpin usually was. But then Glynda stopped as if she remembered something before looking back at the two "Miss Aster ! You come with me you Simba… Be prepared to be called by Ozpin later..."
The Golden Lion nodded before watching as both teacher and student swiftly headed toward Beacon Tower to see Ozpin. Sighing, Simba then headed toward where he and Amethyst usually sleep. As he walked toward their 'dorm', the Golden Lion was thinking about the last thing his father said before disappearing "The day you reveal you true feelings will change the life of you both !" What did he meant by that ? Simba sighed , not having the answer for this.
(To be continue…)