Disclaimer: I do not own Fairy Tail or its characters.

-The Enchanter of Fairy Tail-

Chapter 47: Magnolia's First Harvest Festival!

Year: X757. 27 years till Canon begins.

Cade POV:

I found myself waking up a bit earlier today. Perhaps that was because I had a big day ahead of me today.

I quickly washed and dressed myself before I headed downstairs to have a rather big breakfast. After all, I might not get that much time to just have whatever I want today.

I was to be ready to perform on the floats at 7:00pm when they would start moving across Magnolia. Granted that may be a lot of time, but I would be doing lots of other things today such as visiting the town square and seeing everyone and everything today.

While I wasn't that bothered about it, I did plan to go and see the Miss Fairy Tail Competition. It would be some interest to me to see who the most interesting performer on stage was. That in question would be happening at around 12:00am so I had plenty of time to get to the guild.

Arriving downstairs into the dining room, and I saw mother already dressed and ready for the day. She was wearing a nice dress and was having some breakfast at the table.

She turned to see me when I came in. "Good morning Cade. Hope you slept well for today." She smiled at me.

"Hey there… I'm still really nervous about today." I sighed as I took a seat at the table. "So when will you be heading down to town today? The stalls will be getting set up at around noon, but the parade will be at 7:00pm."

Mother thought on that. "Well, some of my friends are coming around at 11:00am. I'll probably head down to town with you when you're heading to the guild." She answered.

"Alright then. After the contest in the guild, I'll be wandering around town until around 6:00pm. At that point I'll be getting ready to perform on one of the floats. Do you think I'll see you?"

"The chances are low. Me and my friends will mostly be moving around the town and seeing all the different things here. Many of them will be visiting Magnolia for the first time." Mother explained.

"Ah. Alright then. I was going to see everything and everyone here at the festival. Though I'll probably catch most of them at the Miss Fairy Tail Competition." I realised, as Pierce then brought me some food from the kitchen.

Mother then paused and gave me a quizzed look. "Say Cade… Are you sure you want to go see the Miss Fairy Tail Competition today?" She asked.

That surprised me. "Huh? What do you mean?"

Mother then looked like she was struggling to get her next few words out. "I mean… Do you know what the competition will be about?"

"Uh… It's a beauty contest." I answered without much care, as I took a bite out of my breakfast.

"But do you know… what the women will be wearing?" Mother asked hesitantly.

I blinked. "Uh, they'll just be wearing some nice clothes to impress the guys." I answered as I took another bite.

Mothers face scrunched up. "Oh. Right… We, er… if you don't want to see it, or get bored of it then try to come find me in the market. I'm sure I'll be there." She said with a smile afterwards.

"Well alright then!" I said cheerfully as I took another bite of my breakfast.

The rest of my meal went by in relative silence. I got the feeling that mother wanted to speak to me, but she never said a word to me. Anyways, I had a nice big breakfast before I kicked around the house and waited to head down to town with mother.

When the time came, we both left the house to Pierce and Charles and headed down to Magnolia. Apparently, mother's friends were coming by train, and the first was arriving in a few minutes.

Upon arriving to the train station, I saw that it was mostly empty with very few people around the station. I then saw the next train pull in, and I noticed that it had a few extra carriages attached to it than usual.

The doors then opened, and dozens of people spilled out of the train cars.

"What in the world? How is there this many people coming out of the train carriages?" I questioned to myself.

"My goodness… I knew that turnout for the festival would be high, but I didn't think it would be this high." Mother muttered to me.

The train station was now packed with people leaving the building to get into the town and see the events that were on. My mind was still stunned by all the people that came out of the train – and more were coming out!

"This is only the first train into town today! How many people are coming to see the fair?!" I wowed in astonishment.

"It seems that we have visitors across all of Fiore." Mother remarked.

As I was looking at all the different people leaving the train carriages, I spotted my mother waving out of the corner of my eye. Curiously, I shifted my gaze in her direction and saw someone I didn't expect to see.

It was Lyra Heartfilia! She had come back round to see the festival!

I also waved at her as she approached the both of us. When she got to us she went up and hugged mother, happy to see her. Mother returned the gesture, happy to see her old friend. When the hug broke, they had a small conversation about how they had been. When that was finished Lyra turned to me.

"Good to see you again Cade." She greeted me with a smile. "I hope you have been well since I have last saw you."

"I've been great Lyra! My magic has progressed a lot since I last saw you!" I said with a grin.

Lyra nodded her head at me. "Ah that's good to hear. Your mother has told me that you will be performing in the parade today. I'm looking forward to seeing what you can do!" Lyra cheered.

I scratched the back of my head awkwardly. "Heh… I'll do the best I can."

"Say June. When can we be expecting the others?" Lyra questioned to my mother.

Mother scratched her chin. "Hmm, they do live a few towns away, so I think we can expect them to be here at around 1:00pm."

"Well, we have some time to kill before then. Perhaps I can see how the towns changed since I've last been here." Lyra suggested, happy at the idea.

I then shifted my gaze to look at the large wall clock and saw that the time was 11.37am.

"Oh! Look at the time!" I gasped. "I have to get to the guild!"

"Well just remember that you don't have to see the competition if you don't want to!" Mother reminded me with a tint of concern.

"Yeah yeah I know." I said as I prepared to make away to the guild. "Oh right!" I remembered.

I quickly summoned my camera from my Requip storage and handed it to mother. This was in case I didn't see her again, it meant that she would be able to take some photos of me when I was performing in the parade.

"Just remember to be careful with it!" I reminded her as I turned away from the two ladies. "Nice to see you again Lyra!" I shouted as I sped away from them.

Next stop was the Fairy Tail guild. I was looking forward to seeing the competition and voting for a winner. It always felt nice to take part in guild event like this.

Arriving at the guild and I found that the doors were wide open. Looking into the guild I saw that there was absolutely nobody in the building.

While this confused me, I saw that the back door was open that led out the back of the guild that overlooked the nearby ocean. I heard some loud voices vaguely coming outside from the door, so I entered the guild and headed over to see what was going on.

Exiting the guild and coming out on the small cliffside I saw a huge stage that must have been set up by the wizards in our guild, as it wasn't there yesterday! The stage was wooden and had a large red curtain behind it.

Dozens upon dozens of wizards from the guild that I recognised as well as many other people I've seen in Magnolia stood in a crowd facing the stage. They must be here for the competition!

I did make my way through the crowd and saw that there was no sign of Gildarts. I suppose he must be busy with Cornelia. While I didn't see any of my other friends that I usually talked to in the guild, I did bump into someone; and while I made moves to apologise, they surprised me by what they said next.

"Ah! There you are! Oh it's so good to see you Cade!" Came a thankful voice.

"Huh?" I was still confused by who this was, but then I recognised who they were upon getting another look at them.

"Oh, wait… Scarlet, right?" I said upon remembering her.

Scarlet was a young female wizard at our guild that used some Glitter Magic. I never often saw around at the guild, but I still knew her. She was one of those people that you knew of but didn't actually know personally.

"Yes, yes it's me!" She hissed quickly. "Listen." Scarlet then surprised me by pulling me away from the crowd and near the guilds back wall. "I need your help here!" She requested quite suddenly.

"You… need my help? Er, how exactly?" I was interested in how I could help Scarlet, considering I think this is the first time I've ever had a conversation with the young lady. Also why on earth did she pull me away from everyone?

"Listen. I'll be entering the Miss Fairy Tail Contest in a few minutes." She began. "Could you… use some of those enchantments on me that can make me soar into the air and all that?" She requested with a whisper. "I've heard that you can do it. So could you please help me?" She begged.

"You… want me to enchant you?" I said with hesitation.

You see, I had never actually used my enchants on another individual before. I had simply never thought about it, as I've never really needed to. The only person that had accompanied me on jobs before was Gildarts, who was the last person that needed a power up.

"Oh… I mean I can try. I've never actually done it on another person before…" I was a little skeptical about this. Would it actually work?

"Yes! Yes! Please help me with this!" Scarlet insisted. "The contest is in less than ten minutes, so you have to do it fast!"

"Ok…" I said with a bit of a nervous look. I started by holding my hand to Scarlet and focusing my magic on her.

'It should be as easy as this right?'

I did feel my magic begin to work itself. Issue was, it was working on me and not Scarlet.

'No. Not me.' I thought with a bit of frustration. I then tried to force my spell out of my hand and onto Scarlet.

This surprisingly, worked the first time. Or at least it felt like it worked. I felt the spell fade away, and I myself didn't feel the usual feeling of being powered up by magic.

"How do you feel? I think the spell worked?" I asked with interest.

"Oh it worked alright!" Scarlet cried with joy. "I feel so much lighter than I was before. Do I just have to jump in the air and the magic will work for me?" She asked.

"Yeah that's how it worked for me. Soar will make you jump up high into the air, and Soft will make all fall damage redundant as long as you land on your own two feet." I explained to her.

Scarlet seemed to feel the energy around her, before she then gave me a big smile. "This will help me out so much! Thank you Cade!" She then ran off into the crowd and went behind the large stage.

Not long after Scarlet left, I heard a loud voice from the front stage.

"Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the first ever Miss Fairy Tail Contest!"

I saw a man on the stage holding a microphone. Everyone in the crowd seemed to cheer at that mention and shifted their focus to the stage, eager for the participants.

"I am your host, Harrison Rednought! Lined up behind me on this stage we have five beautiful women ready to show themselves off for the grand prize of 500,000 jewels! Each of them are beloved members of the Fairy Tail guild, and they have been finding the very best outfits to win your vote!"

As Harrison said that last part, a sheet of paper suddenly appeared in my hand. On it were the names of all the women taking part in this competition.

"On the piece of paper, you have just gotten are the names of the beautiful bombshells that you will be voting for today! Here's how it works – Simply number the ladies from 1 – 5 based on their performance, afterwards the paper will be taken back in and the scores will be counted up to see who will have won the Miss Fairy Tail Competition!" Harrison declared.

"Now let's get onto the main event!"

Harrison moved off to the side of the stage. I moved a bit closer to the crowd to see the event. I was at the back of the crowd, but I could still see fairly well.

"First to the competition we have a wizard who was lucky enough to get a chance to pose for Sorcerer Weekly! Give up for… Tilda Rose!"

As he announced that, the giant red curtain rose and revealed Tilda. She was a young, blonde lady that had been in the guild for a few years now. She had a usual outfit on which confused me. Wasn't this a beauty contest?

"Take a look everyone! Here's what I have to show you!" She cried happily as she used her magic to cover herself in bright ray of light to reveal…

Her in a pink bikini.

W-Wait what?!

"And would you look at that! Tilda had just used her magic to change into a lovely bikini!"

There were several cries of excitement from the crowd at what was happening. Many cheers and whistles were heard – wait was that Master Makarov whistling for her?

Tilda then used her magic to summon a few rays of light to wow the crowd and… struck a few… erm… poses… but they weren't like anything I've seen before.

In fact… right now as I watching the stage… I felt… something weird…

…

… !

What… What was this feeling I was suddenly experiencing!?

'Wh-What?! What am I feeling right now all of a sudden!? I… I've never felt like this before!'

This feeling I felt… no matter what I did, I wasn't going away!

'My heart! It's beating so fast! What is going on!?'

My eyes were, for some reason, locked onto the stage where Tilda was posing for the crowd. Why couldn't I look away!?

Before I knew it, the curtain fell on Tilda with her giving us a big wave before she disappeared behind it.

When she left, I felt a weird feeling of… disappointment?

No, no! Why was I disappointed at her going away?!

"What a wonderful performance from Tilda! You can certainly see why she made into Sorcerer Weekly. Next up we have a lady who has a rough side to her good looks. Give it up for… Kaitlin O'Herr!"

The curtain was then raised, and I saw a rather good-looking woman with short purple hair on the stage. She gave a scoff when she saw the crowd.

"You boys better vote for me after this. Or you're getting it!" She shouted as she summoned some fire on the ground which engulfed her completely. The fire then exploded outwards and revealed Kaitlin in a rather attractive black bikini.

'H-Her as well!?' I cried internally as the weird feeling I felt didn't go away.

Kaitlin also made moves to pose for the crowd, causing more and more cheers to be heard from everyone.

'Ugh… this feeling… It's so weird! It doesn't feel bad in a way… but it makes me feel a bit uncomfortable. And why can't I stop looking at the women so eagerly!?'

Before I even knew it, my eyes were glued to the stage, locked on Tilda.

I began my face turning a bright shade of red all of a sudden. Why… Why was I eager for the next contestant!?

'W-What is going in with me today!? I have a performance later on! I can't lose focus like this for the rest of the day!'

'I… feel like I should leave… but I can't! My feet… aren't budging!' I found myself stuck to the floor for the next few minutes as I saw the next two contestants come up and "perform" for the crowd. Like the other two girls, they also wore swimwear which didn't make the weird feeling go away any better!

Finally, Scarlet was up last.

"We've seen four wonderful ladies show off some lovely swimwear for us here in the audience. We've got one person left to see, so give it up for… Scarlet Hexea!"

The curtain was then raised for the final time and revealed Scarlet.

"Take a good look at me boys!" She declared with a very attracting voice, as she then began to cover herself in glitter. When the glitter disappeared, she was wearing a light red bikini.

"What do you boys think? Am I not Miss Fairy Tail material?" She asked cutely.

Everyone in the crowd began to cheer very loudly at Scarlet right now, while I was still confused at my feelings.

Scarlet then struck a few poses, before she left up into the air and casted some glitter around the stage, helping to boost her performance.

The way she jumped up into the air…

The way her hair blew in the air…

The way the glitter flew around her…

Ugh… why I am so excited!?

Scarlet then landed back on the stage on her toes and gave a few kisses to the crowd, before the curtains fell on her. Ending the performances.

'It's… over…' I thought with a sigh of relief.

"And there we go! All five if our performance ps for the day are finished! Now if you want to number the beautiful ladies in order of who you think should win, we can get our winner and our very first Miss Fairy Tail!"

'Agh! I forgot we had to vote! Ach, who do I vote for!? They were all so… eye catching…' I found myself suddenly struggling very hard to find a clear winner in this.

Before I knew it, I had numbered the ladies from five being the best, and one being the least good. As I finished circling the numbers, the sheet suddenly disappeared into thin air.

"Alright then! That's our judges round the back counting up the votes with some gale force reading glasses!"

The curtain then raised to reveal all the ladies's who were eager to hear who the winner was. They were all still in their bikinis. That did not help me quell these feelings.

"There we go! We have the winner right here!" Harrison shouted as he held up a piece of paper, before he looked at it. "I am pleased to announce that the winder of the Miss Fairy Tail Competition is…"

"Scarlet!" He announced with happiness.

There were rounds of applause and cheers for Scarlet as she won the contest. She in question gave a few waves to the crowd, thanking them for their votes.

Scarlet then noticed me watching her. She smiled and gave me a wink, which caused me to get very flustered all of a sudden.

Harrison then thanked everyone for seeming before presenting Scarlet with the 500,000 jewel reward. After that, Master came up on stage and thanked the ladies for such a lovely performance. He then said that all the merchant stands in the town square would all open by now.

Taking that as a sign to leave this area, I quickly darted away from everyone.

I found that my heart was still racing quite quickly as I was leaving. Yet I don't think it was because of the running.

'What happened to me back there?! I… I felt so entranced by the ladies there… I've never felt like that before!'

'Ugh… I need to get a break. Perhaps the town square will have some good things for sale. As long as I'm back at the guild for 6:00pm, I should be fine.' I decided as I walked out into the town square to see what everyone had to offer.

No POV, Pierce and Charles:

"What about this over here Pierce?" Charles asked his friend.

"Hmm. Not sure if I'd buy it. I mean, it's all yours if you want it." Charles waved his hand in an amused manner.

The two butlers had finished cleaning the house a little early and had locked the place up before heading down to see the festival that was on. This was the first time that it had ever happened, so simply being here felt like they were making history in a way. Though it may only be small at the most.

"I must say, this festival is everything they said it would be. Lots of merchant stalls, the parade will be later, and the food is off the charts!" Charles remarked as he looked around.

"Do you think that they'll have it again next year?" Pierce wondered, as the two butlers moved through the square making sure not to lose each other.

"The mayor would be mad not to. Look at all these people!" Charles stated as he held out his hands at the crowd of busybodies.

"True. The tourism for this will be off the charts. Maybe then the mayor will finally introduce that Gildarts Shift that Cade brought up to us." Pierce muttered as he then eyed a man selling jewellery at a stall. A quick look at the prices turned him away however.

"Hopefully that won't affect the manor. It'd only make our jobs a while lot harder for us!" Pierce groaned after.

Charles gave a half laugh at that, before he then spotted a very interesting looking seller, who seems to not be getting any customers.

It had a very mysterious and almost bizarre aura around it. The wood was painted purple, and a white cloth sat on the table of the stall, with a crystal ball on top of it. Running the stall was a young lady who seemed to be a peace with all the loud noise in the market.

"Hey Pierce. Check this out." Charles spoke as he nudged his friend on the shoulder. Pierce turned round to see the woman at the stall. He gave his friend an amused look.

"A fortune teller?" Pierce said with scepticism.

"Aw come on! It's not every day that one of these kinds of people come into town. Let's just check it out." Charles said, as he then brought Pierce to the fortune teller (much to Pierce's dismay)

The fortune teller had her eyes closed, but when the two men approached her, she opened them as if she was expecting them.

"Welcome. Have you come to have your fortune told?" She inquired with a sweet voice.

"We have indeed." Charles answered, as he took a seat in front of the lady, with him then giving Pierce a forced look.

Pierce rolled his eyes and sat down next to Charles. The fortune teller smiled. "Now then. Whose fortune shall I read first?"

"Just do the both of us at once. We're in a bit of a rush." Pierce said, wanting to get this over with.

The fortune teller simply nodded. Perhaps she was expecting that answer? "Very well. That should not be difficult, as I see that both your destines are intertwined down the line." She then held her hands over her crystal ball, and the ball began to glow a light blue colour.

The fortune teller then began to focus. Despite the loud talking and bustling people around her, she seemed to be doing quite well.

Pierce and Charles gave each other a confused look, before they then spoke up to the fortune teller.

"What do you see?" Charles asked.

The fortune teller seemed to harden her gaze and closed her eyes. "I see that you will both stand together years down the line. However, I see that you will eventually choose to leave the place you know the most and live to help others who need it." She answered.

She then opened her eyes, and the colour in the ball disappeared. "There." The lady smiled at them. "Another reading will cost you, if you are interested." She suggested to them.

"Ah no thanks. We do have to be going now." Charles apologised as he stood up.

Pierce sighed and followed suit. "Yes do forgive us. Lots to see here." He smiled as he gave the fortune teller a nod of thanks, before both men moved away back into the market.

A minute later, Charles spoke up to Pierce. "So what did you think?"

"Eh, never been a fan of my fate getting told for me. I like to find things out by myself." Pierce replied.

"What did you think of the whole "leaving the place you know most behind?" I found it to be rather interesting." Charles admitted.

Pierce thought on that for a second. "Mmm."

"What does that mean?" Charles questioned.

"It means that I didn't find what she said completely boring. I mean… the idea of doing something noteworthy in my life has often been something that I've considered." Pierce admitted.

"That so?" Charles remarked. "I have… wondered what it would be like if I never took up the job at Philipe manor you know. Where would I be? Would I still be here? Who knows…"

"Can't believe we've started talking about this during this fair… This is the sort of stuff you talk over when having something good to drink." Pierce smirked.

"Well it's never too late for that! We passed the local saloon on the way here. How about a drink before Cade performs?" Charles suggested.

Both men then made their way over to the local bar for a good drink before Cade would be set to perform later in the evening.

No POV, June Philipe:

"Ahhhhhh… This water is delightful." Sighed Lyra as she sank a little deeper into the water.

After the rest of their friends arrived, June had taken her friends to the hot springs in Magnolia for some relaxation; a time to get away from all the crowds that had been forming in the last few hours. Seemed like she had the right idea.

"I felt the same when I came here for the first time." Said June with a smile, as she turned to look at her friend. "It feels like you can melt away here in the water."

"What are our plans after this? I think we could go to a nice restaurant that I saw?" Questioned one of June's friends.

"Oh who cares! Let's just take the day as it comes!" Rebutted one of her other friends.

"Alex is right. We have tons of time left here in the water, so there's no need to rush." June said as she leaned back against one of the walls.

"What time is it that your son performs again?" One friend asked.

"He performs at 7:00pm. We should be able to see him in a few hours time." June answered.

Just then, she and her friends heard some discussion from some other women across from them, that was not a part of their group.

"You see that's how I won the competition!" Remarked a young woman.

"Right… I see. I mean I'd think that outside help would be illegal, but then again it wasn't mentioned in the rules."

"That's what I figured. If it weren't for Cade then I would have never became Miss Fairy Tail." One of the ladies said as she giggled with joy.

June had a confused look on her face.

"What is wrong June?" Lyra asked.

"O-Oh it's nothing. I erm, just remembered that Cade was at a competition at Fairy Tale today." June muttered.

"Oh right. The Miss Fairy Tail Competition, right? From the posters I saw on the way into town, it looked… how should I say… rather appealing to the male eye." One of her friends spoke with some shame.

June sighed. "I'm just hoping that he didn't see anything he shouldn't have seen…"

June's friends began to giggle slightly at that comment there.

"H-Hey!" June said. "Not funny ladies. Not one bit!" She stated with a scowl.

For a few more minutes the ladies sat in peace in the water, however they began to feel the temperature dropping.

"Well that's the temperature dropping. Guess we have to head out now…" June sighed.

Lyra on the other hand, smirked. "Relax. I have a plan for this." She then pulled out a Golden Key that she held under the water out for everyone to see.

"Open Gate of the Water Barer, Aquarius!" Lyra called for her lifetime friend to appear… But Aquarius didn't show.

"Hmm? Oh, don't tell me she's busy with Scorpio…" Lyra sighed at her friend being preoccupied right now.

But as she sighed in defeat, a golden glow did appear!

"Ah, Aquarius! For a second I thought that you were-"

But instead, a man appeared from the golden glow.

He was of average height and had orange hair. The hair in question is much longer, and kept in many more, comparatively larger spikes jutting in every direction, with a pair framing his face. He had teal eyes and wore some light sunglasses. He wore an elegant dark suit, with the jacket left unbuttoned and the loose trousers held up by a light-coloured belt, over a lighter shirt with a zebra-striped tie around the neck, plus dark shoes.

He appeared on a rock that was out of the water, him sitting on it and giving the ladies a wink.

"Well hello there ladies. I take it you summoned Lyra?" He said with a cool voice. "Aquarius was busy so I thought it be nice for me to-"

All the ladies screamed when he appeared. Then they started to rush the man for peeking in on them, before using towels to cover themselves up.

The man with the orange hair now looked frightened at the sight of dozens of angry women coming to attack him. Now granted, if a beautiful woman was running towards him, he would not have complained one bit.

But this was dozens of angry women, ready to send him back to wherever he came from. Besides, Lyra was with them, and nothing was scarier than his Master getting furious.

"Gah! I'm sorry my Queen! I thought that I'd be helping youuuuuuuu!" The man yelled as he was kicked out of the room, crashing through the roof at a lightning-fast speed.

When he left, all the ladies relaxed.

"Well, I guess we're out of the water now. Grr! That Leo!" Lyra huffed in anger.

"He was one of yours?" June remarked as she raised an eyebrow. "Also, what was with the whole Queen thing?"

Lyra blushed a little. "Oh just something that I thought would be funny that's all." She said as all friends let out a laugh at that mention.

No POV, Makarov Dreyar:

Master Makarov Dreyar was strolling through the market that had been set up.

It was currently the early afternoon, and it would only be a few hours until the parade would commence. He of course planned to be there and support his children from the crowd. He did want to perform, but he decided to assess their performance from an audience perspective.

As the Master walked, he saw the dozens of vendors selling various goods. He saw the number of people here was bigger than any town he had ever been in! Telling his children to go and spread the word of this event was the right choice.

A few hours ago, he had watched the Miss Fairy Tail Competition and got to see each of the girls perform. What a show it was! Truly, the way the girls performed was quite extraordinary! The way they used their magic to project their image on the stage was very well done!

Scarlet won of course, the way she flew across the stage was quite impressive; not to mention she was able to use her glitter to enhance their performance! She certainly won his vote! Still, the man did wonder who it was that she winked at in the crowd. Hmph, they were certainly lucky whoever they were.

As he turned a corner, Makarov hoped that the competition would go on next year, as well as the festival. With all the booming success of the tourists that were coming here, profits would be up through the roof.

Perhaps he could finally get that big renovation he had always wanted for the guild? It was a good thought at least.

As he was checking out a stall that was in front of him, he heard a voice from behind him.

"Nice fair you got going on here. It becoming a yearly thing?"

Makarov jumped with surprise when he heard the voice. He turned around and saw two of his old friends.

The one the right was a man of slim height and looked be in his late 30's. He had light brown hair that came down his shoulders, and he wore some sunglasses on his face. He wore a set of dark clothes, namely a plain T-shirt and some trousers. On his head sat a dark hat, possessing a wide brim and a torn top pointing backwards. Circling the hat is a lighter band sporting massive, rounded spikes, and is virtually identical accessory that comes in the form of a collar around his neck.

The man on the left was a slender figure, who looked like he was also in his mid 30's. He had short swept black hair, and he wore an aubergine suit. A much less bizarre look than the man next to him.

Makarov couldn't believe who he saw. "Bob? Goldmine?!" He exclaimed with surprise and joy.

"While we did both come here knowing that you'd be in town, I still didn't think we'd actually find you in this huge crowd Makarov." Remarked the man on the left (Bob.)

Makarov gave a look of happiness at seeing two of his old friends and former guild members again. "I don't believe it! How've you two been?!" He asked with joy when he saw them.

"Ah not much. I've been trying to finish setting up my own place for awhile now. Each time I think I'm getting somewhere though, I find myself back to square one." Grinned the taller man (Goldmine)

"Ah yes…" Makarov gave a look of interest when remembering what his two former friends explained what they planned to do when they left the guild. "It's hard work, but you'll both get it done." He nodded with pride.

"I was thinking of getting a makeover myself." Spoke Bob as he pointed his hands at himself. "I think it'll look good on me." He remarked with a smile.

"Anyway, this festival is huge! Me and Bob ran into each other by coincidence here. We just got some of your guild members come up and give us the information about the festival a few days back. Apparently, there's a parade later?" Goldmine wondered.

"Yup. It'll be happening at 7:00pm. Perhaps we can watch it together? I was just going to watch it by myself, but I think it'd be better with some old friends." Makarov suggested.

Goldmine and Bob smiled at the idea. "That sounds great." They said in unison.

With reunions complete, the three friends moved through the market and decided to catch up on old times.

"So tell me. How's that firecracker Porlyusica doing?" Asked Goldmine with curiosity.

Makarov gave a scoff when he heard that. "Same as always. If you ever want to see her, just head up to the East Forest." He pointed his thumb backwards out of the town.

"She really doesn't change, does she?" Bob chuckled.

"Say…" Makarov looked a bit hesitant to say this next part. "Any of you heard from Rob?"

Both men gave a look of worry. "No, haven't seen him since he left years ago." Goldmine said, as he crossed his arms with a frown. "I still like to think he's been travelling the county like he said he'd do."

Bob put a hand on his chin. "I did try to look for him at some point, but alas; I could not find the man." He sighed.

Makarov gave a begrudgingly nod, as if he expected that answer. "Right, was just curious."

"How about Yajima?" Bob spoke up, to clear the awkward mood that was placed. "Did he actually join the Magic Council after all?"

"You bet he did." Makarov replied as he folded his arms.

"To think he joined the one place that we always swore against back in the day. I thought he hit his head when he said that he wanted to join the council!" Goldmine remarked.

"I thought about the same." Makarov nodded in agreement. "Say, how about I show you two the guild for some good old times?" He grinned at the idea. "Should have plenty of time to go and see the parade afterwards."

Both Bob and Goldmine agreed, so the three old friends moved to the guild to see how much things have changed. With some luck, they would have time to see the parade and the Fairy Tail members performing in it.

Cade POV:

"Thank for the purchase!" Said the vendor after I handed him the jewels.

"No bother." I smiled as I raised a hand to the man, before walking off.

It had been a few hours since the Miss Fairy Tail Competition, and the very weird feeling that I had felt had more or less gone away. I was glad that I did as I was set to perform in a few hours. I had been moving through he square and saught out some of the merchants here it see what they had to offer.

I didn't buy much, just some nice food that I ate, and a few other small things that I put away into my Requip storage for safe keeping.

I had been wandering around the town to see if I could see anyone that I recognised. Sadly, I saw no one that I was good friends with. Not my mother, nor Gildarts or anyone else from Fairy Tail.

I had just finished seeing the east side of the market, and had been moving to head to the guild to see if I could see anyone familiar. As I was walking though, I heard a familiar voice from behind me.

"Is that you Cade?"

I knew that voice. It was Lilly!

I turned around to see her and when I did, I saw that Lilly was wearing a nice red dress which came down to her ankles. Her hair was also done up, that being straightened making it look very smooth and silky in a way. She wore some nice white shoes.

Her dress… it was red… red like-!

I immediately put that memory out of my head, as I felt my face flush up in red.

Wh-What was I doing thinking of such things at this point!? The contest was over! There was no need to remember the things that I saw there… right?!

I quickly tried to cover my cheeks to avoid the redness of them being seen by anyone.

Lilly seemed very taken aback by my reaction to seeing her. "Cade? You ok?" She asked with confusion.

"Huh? Oh y-yes I'm completely fine Lilly! I'm just great!" I replied with a fake smile.

'Why do I still feel this awkward and uncomfortable feeling?! I thought it was only with the women who were wearing the swimwear for the contest. I've passed by other women today and I've felt nothing towards them; so why is it happening with Lilly!?' I thought as I felt my heartbeat get faster and faster,

'Get a grip Cade! You'll be performing later, and you'll be seeing dozens of women up there!' I told myself as I readjusted my mind.

"Cade!" Lilly spoke with a smidge of annoyance at me.

"Huh? Wha-" Was Lilly trying to talk to me there? Gah, I wasn't paying attention to her! "Oh, er sorry Lilly! What were you trying to say to me?" I apologised as I lowered my hands from my face.

Lilly sighed before she smiled at me. "I was wondering if you liked my dress? My mother got it for me." Lilly then spun around to show me the dress in full.

I found myself quite entranced by the way she spun around, with the dress and her hair moving in the air.

"It's great! I think you look quite good in it!" I approved with a nervous smile.

Lilly turned a little red when I said that. "Y-You think so?" She then put a hand to her cheek. "My mother wanted me to pick a different dress, but I felt like this one was good for me. Glad to see that I was right." She gave me a smile afterwards.

"Heh, you're welcome." I said as I scratched my head with an awkward smile. "Um, anyway! Have you seen Gildarts and Cornelia around here?" I asked Lilly, as I looked around the market. Some of the vendors were taking down their stalls; a sign that the parade was coming soon.

"No, I tried looking for them, but I had zero luck." Lilly informed. "So Cade, what float will you be on? I'll be looking for you in the crowd!"

"Oh, I'll be in float number four. They go around from orders 1–10, so it won't be long until you see me." I explained to her. I could feel that my emotions were calming down slightly – a relief on my part.

"I'll be there with my mother watching you. You know what they say: break a leg!" Lilly cheered me on.

"Uh… what does that mean?" I gave a puzzled look.

Lilly looked a bit dumbfounded, as if she expected me to know that. "It means good luck!" She exclaimed. "Anywho, I have to go and find my mother. Hope to see you in a few hours!" She waved farewell to me as she went off into the crowd.

I waved as she left, before my gaze drifted to a vendor that was selling clocks. All the times on the clocks read that the time was 5:46pm.

'Look at the time! I have to be getting back to the guild for preparing for the parade!' I realised.

When I arrived back at the guild, it was exactly 6:00pm. All the guild members that would be participating in the parade were getting into their costumes and were setting up the floats.

They were all delicately decorated with lots of glitter and paint on them, as well as other decorations to help enhance them for the audience.

I was to be performing on a float that was decorated like a small ice palace, with the primary colours used for it being white and different shades of blue. While on it, I planned to use my brand new Iceflake magic to cause some ice to shoot up into the air, before it would explode into minuscule bits of ice that would rain on the audience.

I had considered using stone, but felt it would probably not be as pretty and as eye-catching as Ice Magic.

Of course, I wouldn't be wearing some regular clothes, nor my Crimson Armour either. Mother made sure to that.

I would be wearing a outfit that resembled that of a prince. The colours for it would be a very light blue colour, with some white layered through it. I also planned to comb my hair back, as this was a parade after all.

It took some time for it all to get set up, and when I (and the float) was ready and in position, all I had to do was wait until 7:00pm, and then the floats would start moving.

Time seemed to drag on until the designated time, in which I could feel butterflies flying around in stomach. Is this how everyone who performs on a stage feels when going up for try first time? In a way, this felt like a big leap in my life.

When it got closer to 7:00pm, I got up onto my float. They in question, were located in a back corner of the town. When the parade started, they would move in a straightish line though Magnolia, before coming to a stop just near the outskirts of the town.

As I was thinking about what I would do after this, my float suddenly moved forward, almost causing me to stumble over.

The parade had begun!

All the floats were now moving forward into the fenced off area that they were meant to move though. While this area of the town was mostly dark, we were coming up on a much more lit up and louder area.

When my float turned a corner, I saw gigantic crowds of people in a very lit up area. The streetlights were on full beam illuminating the way forward. To the left and right of the square we would be passing through were the fences that were packed with people standing right up to the fences due to the size of the crowds. They were cheering loudly for the performance that was coming. Some very loud music was playing over the cheers that helped make this performance even better for the crowd.

As my float came up to the crowd I made to smile and wave to everyone in the crowd, before I began to cast off some magic.

"Now, Five-Layered Iceflake!" I shouted with joy, as the ice materialised at my back. I then had it shoot up into the sky above me before it then exploded and caused small bits of ice to rain down from the sky.

The audience members let out a cheer when this happened, with them applauding at me for my act just there. I continued to wave and give a laugh of joy as I passed by more people in the audience.

As I passed, I kept using my Ice Magic to make the audience happy and enthralled by my performance.

As this was happening, a sense of joy and excitement passed through me. To be up here performing for all these people and making them happy gave me a sense of relief and pride almost.

I liked – no, loved this sense of happiness that was rushing through me. This would be a night to remember for the rest of my life, I'd wager.

Honestly, if this happened again next year I might just perform again!

When I moved through the crowd some more, I swore that I saw some familiar faces.

'Hey! Is that Cornelia and Gildarts down there?' I think I saw the both of them cheering at me just there! My eagle eyes were also able to spot Ivan with his girlfriend.

As I kept moving, I was saw Master Makarov cheering everyone on with a huge smile on his face. I think… was he crying tears of joy? In any case, he seemed to have some friends there to comfort him as I spotted two men beside him giving him a pat on the shoulder.

After another minute of moving forward through the square (and doing some more magic and waving) I spotted Lilly and her mother, them giving me a big wave and joyful expressions on their faces. I made sure to wave and smile back at them, as well as casting off a spell for them.

Hang on. Was that…? Yes! It was Pierce and Charles! They were able to make it to the fair! I waved at them, and casted a spell for them to witness.

As we came to the final stretch of the parade, I was able to spot my mother with her friends giving me huge waves and smiles! She then frantically started to take around 100 photos at a rapid speed, with Lyra having to catch them as they came out of the camera.

I gave a big wave and a cheerful smile for her, before I casted off a pattern of ice spells that made the crowd and my mother cheer for me. I made sure to wave to her, wanting her to enjoy me being up here.

We then came to the end of the square where the lights dimmed, and the floats all turned around a corner. The excited voices and cheers of the crowd dimmed as we kept going. The floats eventually came to a stop with me jumping off mine.

I saw that all the guild members that performed were congratulating each other for a job well done. I made sure to give praise to those that worked hard tonight, and I even received a fair share of praise myself!

When all the floats stopped, and all the guild members were chatting to each other in the dimly lit area away from the crowd I could hear the mayors voice coming off faintly from the crowd that we just left behind.

The other guild members picked up on it, and we all then headed through the alleyways to hear what the man was saying.

We came out at the back of the left side of the crowds, and we were able catch the mayor giving an announcement to the town using a magical lacrima to project his voice.

"-we stand today, cheering for those that performed here at the town today!" The mayor declared to the people.

"With this incredible performance and the amount of people that have came here from across the country, I have decided from this moment forwards to have the Harvest Festival take place this day each year!" He shouted with joy.

Everyone in the crowd and even many of the guild members around me that were listening let out a cry of delight at getting to experience this each year from now on. As this cheering was going on, the mayor spoke out one final time.

"Now cue the fireworks!" When he said that, dozens of fireworks went off in the sky creating a beautiful sight. Mother better be getting some photos.

As they went off in the sky, many of the guild members discussed what they planned to do after this, as there was still a bit of time before the festival was officially over. I planned to track down my mother and see her so she could tell me how I done.

As I walked through the bustling crowds, I smiled at the idea of this becoming an official yearly event. I'm sure this would help make the town a better and more exciting place for everyone.

—

And so, from then onwards the Magnolia Harvest Festival would occur on the 15th October, with the Fantasia Parade being the main attraction.

—

And… cut! That's one more chapter done. Do leave a review of your thoughts.

Oh boy that was a long chapter. Not my longest, but one of the longest.

I decided to include the entire festival, as I felt like it would be best to have it altogether instead of splitting it up like I originally planned. Honestly, I'm quite happy the way that it turned out.

I was almost killing myself with embarrassment at Cade's… erm, moment in this chapter. You gotta wonder how that will turn out later…

I also gave the other characters in this story a chance to have a scene for themselves. Felt like it was best to get a few different perspectives for the festival.

Anyways, I hope you all liked reading this chapter and I shall see you in the next one! Take care!

Guest - I felt like I had to bring up the festival somehow. This felt like a good way to mesh it together. I appreciate the review, and I hope that you liked the way that it played out.