Huntresses of Fairy Tail
"So boring!" Ruby whined, laying her arms out across the table. "When's Raion gonna get home from this job? He's been gone for nearly two weeks."
"Patience, Ruby." Seras said. "S-Class Quests take time. They can sometimes take up to a year to complete."
"A year?" Ruby questioned. "But that's too long."
"I doubt a job in Menagerie is gonna take that long." Blake chuckled, amused at Ruby's reaction to what Seras said. "Besides, my mom's probably given him the best guidance for completing the mission as efficiently and as fast as possible.
"Oh? Was your mom an S-Class Huntress or something in the White Fang?" Yang asked.
"Wouldn't surprise me if that were true." Weiss said. "I don't know how I didn't connect the dots earlier about you being related to Ghira and Kali Belladonna, but your mom was known as one of the fiercest Huntresses among the White Fangs ranks, if not THE fiercest. Even my father was forced to give her the respect she was due."
"Well, she wasn't S-Class, but she was pretty damn close to it." Blake smiled. "Actually, she was my reason for wanting to come to Fairy Tail to begin with. It's not a well known fact, actually she tried to do everything in her power to hide it, but my mom was actually one of Fairy Tails strongest non-S-Class Huntresses alive, before she quit. Then a couple years after she met my dad, she joined the White Fang when he founded it."
"That's awesome." Ruby said, stars of awe in her eyes.
"But why isn't it well known?" Seras asked.
"Because the White Fang made a lot of enemies. True the number of enemies would have been lessened if it were public knowledge that the wife of their Guild Master was a former Fairy Tail Huntress, but that would have also come with the claims that the White Fang were riding a superior guilds coattails, and the whole point of the White Fang when it was founded, was to show the world that Faunus were strong, and capable of standing on their own, while deserving of the same respect humans get on a regular basis." Blake explained. "At least that's what my mom told me anyways, when she told me about her days here at Fairy Tail. She did her best to try and hide that information from me, but she eventually told me when I found an old photo album she still keeps hidden from my dad."
"Oh yeah, wasn't it founded a couple years before you or I were born?" Yang asked.
"It was actually founded the same year Raion and I were born." Seras said.
"Uh guys, the job he took was in Menagerie, right?" Ruby asked, her eyes glued to her Scroll.
"Yeah, what about it?" Weiss asked.
"Did something happen in Menagerie?" Yang asked.
"Take a look at this." Ruby said, putting her Scroll in the center of the table, and projecting the feed playing through it, showing a surprising news broadcast that none of them were expecting.
*"Breaking News today, as a shocking, and terrifying development, appeared in the nation of Faunus, Menagerie, several days, to a week ago."* The Lisa Lavender said. *"What was once hostile desert wasteland, has somehow miraculously been converted into a hospitable utopia of fruitful abundance, and prosperity. The new living conditions provided to the desert lands, were said to be the rumored Menagerie Ruins of Myth, that would come and go, sprouting up from the ground, after a multi-century disappearance, only to vanish within a months time. However, it seems that the ruins are now here to stay, and an unknown and lost magic, known as Arc of Time, has restored the ruins to their former prosperous glory, before what is assumed to be their first vanishing act."* She stated, as the feed showed a birds eye view of the restored ruins, with a river of fresh drinking water running through the canals, and fruit trees, baring a bountiful harvest of fruits.
"Okay, this day has just gone from normal, to freaky, at record speeds." Yang said.
*"When asked about the sudden appearance and restoration of these ruins, Chieftain Ghira Belladonna, only had this to say."* Lisa said, before the feed switched to Ghira standing before a newscast.
*"People of Menagerie, it is with a humble heart that I come before you today, and tell you that from this day on, I am no longer the Leader of this nation, and relinquish the title of Leader to the true King."* Ghira said, shocking the five girls sitting around the table. *"While I do wish to share the identity of our new ruler, who's the rightful monarch of these lands by birthright, as those ruins were built by his ancestors, and has claimed the throne in the act of saving my life, he has wished for me to remain silent on the matter, and so I shall, and have been appointed as his proxy to rule in his stead while away, as well as his right hand advisor."*
*"It is upon this day, that an old nation, lost to the sands of time, has restored itself, and until further conjecture about the nation is made public, shall be watched over, with a careful eye, from the other Allied Kingdoms, until such a time comes to determine this nation a threat, or a new ally, to be welcomed into the fold. This is Lisa Lavender, signing off."*
The five girls just watched in shock, as they had no clue what to make of this sudden development. But that's when they realized that the Guildhall was eerily quiet, and they looked around to see the entire guild was shocked silent, at the news that had just transpired.
"Uh, Ruby…" Yang said.
"What?" Ruby asked.
"Did you happen to play the broadcast on the Guilds speaker system?" Seras inquired.
"I uh…" Ruby paused to check her connections, before she hissed in realization as she saw she was wirelessly connected to a broadcast system within the Guildhall. "Yeah, looks like my Scroll automatically connected to it, when I put it on speaker mode."
"I'm back!" Raion called out, pushing the Guildhall doors open while carrying a bag over his shoulder. "An' I'm exhausted."
"Welcome back Raion." Yang said, hesitantly. "So… how was the job?"
"Don't ask." He sighed, sitting at their table.
"You seem, even more exhausted then you should be big guy. Was the job that difficult?" Qrow asked, coming to the table, and giving him a drink before sitting with them.
"It was that, and more." He groaned.
"Raion… what's that on your finger?" Ruby asked.
Seras, Qrow, and the rest of Team RWBY looked to Raion's hands, as the hybrid froze up, when they saw Zaruba on his finger.
"That's Zaruba, only the Chieftain of Menagerie is supposed to wear that. It's their symbol of power." Blake said, recognizing the ring.
"Uh-oh." Raion hissed, hiding his hand away from sight.
"What are you doing with Zaruba?" Blake asked, grabbing Raion's wrist, and pulling his arm out for them to see. "This should be with my father!"
"I assure you Blake, I am right where I am supposed to be." Zaruba said, causing the others to jump.
"Did… did a piece of fancy jewelry just speak?" Weiss questioned.
"He's… more then just a piece of jewelry." Raion sighed, before his bag flopped over, and out rolled the circlet, and landed in the center of the table. "Really?"
"I told you that would happen." Zaruba said.
"Can it Z." Raion sighed.
"Is that a crown?" Yang questioned.
"Hold on… the news just declared that Menagerie's Chieftain gave up his throne of power, to someone who claimed to be the rightful king." Seras said.
"Okay first off, I never claimed that." Raion said, before smacking his hand over his mouth. "Shit!"
"Explanation now Raion." Blake said, grabbing him by the front of his shirt.
"Alright, alright. I explain things to you, but first…" Raion sighed, before turning to the bar. "Mira, I'm needing another Guild Mark. My old one kinda got damaged during the job I took."
~One Explanation Later~
"Wait, wait, wait… Zachary Grimmig? As in the Beast Tamer General?" Weiss questioned.
"The same Atlas Noble who'd been Disgraced and striped of his title, because of his torture methods?" Qrow asked. "One of which, I might add, caused even the King of the Atlesian Kingdom at that time, to feel sorrow for the Faunus held under his grip."
"The forced inbreeding one, yes I know which one you're talking about, I read the historical article about him. An' yes it was Zachary Grimmig himself." Raion sighed putting his mug down. "Turns out he was a voluntary test subject for Salem, before she partnered up with Zeref."
"I can't believe it, so that's what happened to him." Weiss groaned. "An' he… killed Ghira Belladonna, before taking over his body?"
"That he did."
"But then how's my Dad still alive?" Blake asked.
"Because with Grimmig's residual magic, I reconnected the severed parts of his body."
"From there, I used some of my power to get his heart pumping." Zaruba said. "However, it wasn't enough."
"Death, already had a hold of his soul." Raion stated. "So I made a little deal with Death."
"Death, as in the primordial force of nature who comes for us all, in the end?" Qrow asked.
"Yep, that would be him." Raion said.
"What sort of deal did you make?" Yang asked. "Please tell me you didn't bargain away a portion of your life."
"No, it wasn't anything as cryptic as that." Raion said. "I just had to answer a few riddles correctly, in the order they were given."
"How many riddles were there?" Seras asked.
"Nine." Raion said. "An' I had to try and figure them all out, in the heat of battle against Grimmig, when he jumped from Ghira's body, to the body he'd made out of countless Kryptonian skeletons, and a big enough slab of my flesh."
"That's bad." Qrow said. "How big are we talking kiddo?"
Raion stood up, and removed his shirt, revealing the new guild mark was on his right shoulders, while showing them the scar, lining the wound caused by Grimmig cutting off a chunk of his flesh.
"Raion, those scars… he didn't actually."
"Yeah, he did." Raion said, putting his shirt back on. "Had to eat a handful of Healers to repair the damage, but that was nothing special."
"What about this isn't anything special?" Yang questioned. "We have to get you to a doctor right away."
"Relax Yang." Raion said. "Kali already had me looked over, an' aside from readjusting a few vertebra in my spine, I was perfectly fine."
"Why are you addressing my mom in such a casual way?" Blake asked.
"Because she insisted I call her by Kali, since we're both from Fairy Tail." Raion said, taking another swig of his drink. "She and your dad say hi by the way, and they wish you'd come by and visit every once in a while. They also asked if you were planning on giving them grandkids anytime soon."
"You tell them I am not ready for such responsibilities!" Blake stated a blush on her face as she jumped to her feet, her hands slammed on the tables surface.
"Okay, okay. No need to make such a fuss about it." Raion said, before handing her a slip of paper. "Here, your parents got some new Scrolls recently and asked me to give you their numbers, to add to your contacts."
"Thanks." Blake said, in a hushed tone as she sat back down, and took the paper, steam pouring from both her human and cat ears.
"Pushing all that aside, are you sure you should even be in Fiore kid, let alone Magnolia?" Qrow asked. "You're now the monarch of an entire nation. One who's throne is your birthright."
"It will be fine. I need to pay a visit to the castle anyways. There's something I gotta ask the King about." Raion said.
"Is it about the castle's layout?" Zaruba asked.
"It is." Raion nodded.
"What's wrong with the layout of the King's castle?" Seras asked.
"It's not the King's castle I need to ask about." Raion said. "The layout of the Kryptonian Castle's Great Hall, looks exactly identical to that of the Kings Great Hall."
"You do know, the King's castle was likely built centuries after the Kryptonian Castle." Qrow said.
"Oh definitely." Raion said. "Though, the ghost of my ancestor said that I'd rule, with someone named Ozma by my side, just like him."
The mention of that name, caused Qrow to spit take, while trying to cover his mouth, before looking to Raion.
"Ozma, you're sure, that's what he said?" Qrow asked.
"Rain-El said that Ozma was his right hand advisor." Raion said. "But I don't know who he is, or what for that matter if he's still alive after all these centuries."
"Does sound kinda suspicious to me." Seras said.
"Not to me it doesn't." Qrow said. "Ozma is a Huntsmen, one of the best I know."
"So you're able to get in contact with him?" Raion asked.
"I'll set up a meeting for you two." Qrow nodded.
"An' while you're doing that, I'm gonna pay King Toma a visit." Raion said.
"Hey Raion?" Blake asked.
"What's up Blake?"
"I was just wondering, would… you be able to help me plan a trip back to Menagerie? You know, some time after the Harvest Festival?" Blake asked.
"Oh yeah, that's coming up in a couple days, isn't it?" Raion asked. "Sure, no problem."
"Won't they be coming to see the festival though?" Yang asked.
"They might, but they're gonna be a lot busier then ever, now that Raion's their monarch, and they have to quell any chaos that may rise from this sudden change of monarchy." Blake said.
"Oh, before I go anywhere. I got something for Seras." Raion said, pulling out a sheathed blade from his bag, with the scabbard and hilt made from gold line emerald, likely carved and placed over the actual wooden sheath, with the emerald on the pommel of the blade.
"Whoa…" Seras said, taking the blade. "If this is your way of proposing, then yes I will marry…"
"It's not, a wedding proposal." Raion said, stopping her. "During my check up, Ghira had the sheath and hilt of that weapon replaced with a custom order that he had made to have done in record time. Open it for me."
The others looked to Raion as he stepped back, while Seras just looked at the weapon, as she pulled the blade out of the sheath, resulting in the green gemstone blade shinning brightly.
"Whoa, an emerald Baselard short sword?" Ruby asked.
"It's not emerald." Yang said, noticing how Raion was reacting to the blade. "It's Kryptonite, close the damn thing, quickly!"
Seras didn't even argue, as she closed the blade, giving Raion a reason to come closer to their table.
"The hell kid, why give Seras something like that?" Qrow asked.
"Because she needs it, as a contingency." Raion said.
"What contingency could she need that for?" Qrow questioned.
"The same contingency, that he prepared us for." Ruby said, as she brought out the lead box Raion had given her, with the rest of Team RWBY bringing out three other identical boxes. "After the war with Phantom, he gave each of us shards of the Kryptonite powering Jacques's suit, to put him down in case he ever lost control, and became a danger to everyone around him."
"That blade, is what Grimmig used to slice me up." Raion said. "I'm wanting everyone on my team, to have a failsafe, that'll be able to stop me. An' with that much Kryptonite wielded against me, I'd be brought to my knees in an instant."
"But… why give this to me?" Seras asked.
"Because I know that you won't hesitate, if it comes to killing me, in order to save everyone else from my rampage." Raion stated.
~Crocus Castle~
"Have security subdue the Grimm in the north, and make sure the Dragon Cry has remained untouched. We don't know who's gonna want to get their hands on that blasted doomsday weapon." A short man, wearing a crown, and sitting in a throne said.
"Yes sir." One of the guards said.
"My King." A man in white armor, with dark skin and a long nose, said as he came and knelt at the King's throne. "The Huntsman with the title of, God of War, has made an appearance, requesting an audience with you."
"Let him in Arcadios. Do not keep such an important man of his power waiting." King Toma said.
"Yes my King." Arcadios said, before turning to the doors. "Let the God of War, enter the Great Hall!"
The doors to the Great Hall, opened with a bit of a loud boom, and were going rather slowly, before they were suddenly thrust open as Raion pushed them open, with just enough force to where they'd stop before hitting the walls.
"Sorry about that, but you know how it annoys me with how slow those things open." Raion said.
"Well, we can't all have your impressive might Sir El." Arcadios laughed.
"Welcome to my Castle once more Raion." King Toma smiled, hopping down from his throne and coming to grip Raion's hand. "What is it I can do for you?"
"This is a rather, delicate matter that I must speak with you and Arcadios about, in private. Just the two of us, no other guards, not even those who'd stand outside the doors." Raion said. "Not even your shadows can be among us for this conversation, unless they're sworn to absolute secrecy, and facing a charge of treason if they were to openly spill their guts."
"Oh my, this sounds serious, and very sensitive indeed." Toma said. "Arcadios…"
"Yes my King." Arcadios said. "Right this way Raion."
Arcadios lead the way for Raion and King Toma, with the short man standing behind his Knight Captain, and in front of the Huntsman. The Knight Captain dismissed the guards who tried to follow, stating they'd be fine, so long as Raion was with them. When they were finally alone, within Toma's private study, Arcadios called for a maid to bring refreshments for their conversation. It wasn't until those refreshments arrived that Raion and King Toma could finally get down to business.
"So, what is this sensitive matter you're so secretive about?" Toma asked.
Raion sighed, before he reached into his pocket, and pulled Zaruba out, as he'd hidden the sentient jewelry there before he'd gotten to the castle, and put it on the table before the King and Knight.
"Does this look familiar to either of you?" Raion asked.
"That's… that's the ring signifying Menagerie's Monarch!" Toma said, his body shaking at the sight of the ring. "Raion, please tell me you didn't steal this from Ghira Belladonna."
"No, he openly gave me Zaruba actually." Raion said. "You saw the news today right, about what happened to the Nation of Menagerie, and how Ghira Belladonna abdicated from the throne? He gave the title of Monarch, to someone he believed deserved it far more then him, because he'd managed to restore the ruins to their previous state?"
"Don't tell me, you somehow did that?" Arcadios asked, both his and Toma's expressions, showing they knew exactly what he was talking about.
"Not exactly." Raion sighed. "As you've been made aware, I'm not a Faunus, or human. But rather I'm a hybrid of two powerful species, known as Kryptonian and Saiyan."
"We're fully aware. Your report on what you found on Galuna Island more then testifies to the findings of your heritage." Toma said.
"Well, as it turns out, the ruins that would appear and vanish again every few centuries, was built and ruled over by my ancestor, Rain-El." Raion stated. "He was one of many Kryptonians who'd escaped the Dimensional Prison, known as the Phantom Zone, and made a home here on Remnant. He founded the Nation of Menagerie, and was its guardian. But when his nation fell to ruin, he used his own soul to power the device that would cause the ancient city to be swallowed up by the earth, before appearing again every few years to recharge his soul with sunlight."
"But on the news, it looked as though the ruins weren't even damaged at all." Toma said.
"Because the device was built with a powerful spell from the lost magic, Arc of Time." Raion said. "That spell would only activate when the crown had been passed on, to a successor Rain-El himself found worthy."
"How would a dead Kryptonian decide who was worthy or not?" Arcadios asked.
"The device that had the restoration spell built into it, was housing his soul. Essentially, forcing it to remain tethered to the Great Hall of his castle, while allowing him to see and hear everything that went on around said device." Raion said. "Rain-El, picked me because I made a choice. One he saw as noble."
"An' that choice was?"
"I had a chance, to either restore myself to full health, or save Ghira Belladonna's life." Raion said. "I chose to save Ghira's life. But Rain-El traded his soul to Death, in order to restore me to full health. The details about the battle to take place prior to my crowning, has already been sent to your Scrolls, and yours alone."
"We'll be sure to read them later, but now we can see why this subject is so sensitive." Arcadios said. "You're essentially Menagerie's Monarch now, as Ghira Belladonna, has freely given you the mantle of power to come with that ring."
"A ring, my mother gave to one of the previous Chieftains." Raion said. "But, that's beside the point."
"The point at this junction, is that you're now a King. An' you need to make a choice on what to do." Toma said.
"Well I don't wanna be a King." Raion said. "I never asked for this position of power, it was just thrust upon me."
"No one, ever asks to be put in such a position Raion." Arcadios said. "But now's your chance, to try and make a change, do something good with the power you've been given as ruler of Menagerie."
"We can start, by turning that land of yours on the outskirts of Magnolia, into the new Menagerie Embassy. We'll also expand the borders of it a bit to accommodate for any combat training needs." Toma stated.
"I've currently got five Huntresses in training, living at my house, one of them being Ghira Belladonna's daughter Blake. I don't think that's gonna work right now." Raion sighed. "An' three of them are sisters."
"I'm sure it'll be fine." Toma said. "Though, I'm certain if you don't wish for the throne, there's always abdicating it to someone you think would best suit the role of monarch, at least until you think you're ready for it."
"There, is one person I think I could give it to." Raion sighed, leaning back in the chair. "Problem is, how am I gonna give it to him, without making him look like an ass, because he gave up the mantle of Chieftain, for me to take the throne."
"Ghira Belladonna?" Arcadios asked. "Why him?"
"Because he's an experienced monarch, and he knew when to quit the White Fang, before it became a problem for the whole, Gods Damned Planet!" Raion groaned.
"Indeed." Toma said. "I think he's a fine choice for the throne."
"Speaking of the White Fang, Sienna Khan's denying knowing anything about what was happening with the soldiers we arrested at the peer." Arcadios said.
"What do you want me to do about it?" Raion asked.
"After you return the title of monarch to Ghira Belladonna, we'd like to make an official request of the God of War, for speaking with her." Arcadios stated.
"Officially, I can't accept the request yet." Raion sighed. "But it shouldn't be a problem. It'll have to wait for after the Harvest Festival though."
"Before you go, we were just wondering something." Toma said. "Or rather I was."
"What's on your mind, your majesty?" Raion asked.
"It's about the magic you used against Roman Torchwhick and Neopolitan during the fight, that night at the peer." Toma said. "You reported having lost it after witnessing your future self, bringing Seras Xiao Long, back from the dead. Is it still gone?"
"Nope, I have it back." Raion said, using the magic Toma was talking about, to create an exact replica of Zaruba. "I got hit with a rope of the magic power that returned the lost city into the oasis it once was, and it somehow restored that power, when it passed through me."
"Interesting." Arcadios said. "Can you create anything with that magic?"
"Hold your sword out for me, for a sec Arcadios." Raion said. Arcadios looked at Raion, as if he'd grown a second head, before looking to Toma, who gestured him to do as instructed.
"I don't see how this is relevant." Arcadios said, holding out his blade.
"Trace on!" Raion said, holding his hand over the blade, before a light shined over the weapon, as if scanning it.
Stepping back, Raion held out his hand, and projected a perfect replica of Arcadios's sword.
"Incredible." Arcadios said.
"I need to have a perfect image of the weapon in my mind, and concentrate on its structure, before creating it. Generally, scanning the original item with the magic helps to solidify that image. It's a type of magic, deriving from one of the universes, my mother traveled to, in her attempts at trying to return to her world." Raion said. "She actually amassed quite the collection of souvenirs from the multiverse before finally returning home. Zaruba being one of them."
"That's amazing." Toma said.
"Just think of the military might that we could achieve with such items. The Kingdom of Fiore would be…"
"No Arcadios!" Toma stated. "Should we even attempt at monopolizing these weapons, then we'd be making an enemy of not only the Four Great Kingdoms, but all other nations as well. An' we cannot have that happen."
"But my King."
"The weapons, shall remain where they are. An' shall only be used at Raion's discretion." Toma said. "An' that is final."
"As you wish, my King." Arcadios said with a bow.
"Now Raion, we shall convene on the matter of your abdication on another date, with Ghira Belladonna himself." Toma said. "In the meantime, I believe you've got a Harvest Festival to prepare for."
"Right, I gotta get Seras, as well as Team RWBY ready for their performances on the float." Raion stated.
"So the rumors are true." Toma chuckled.
"What rumors?" Raion asked.
"The rumors, that your Guild Team's gonna be doing performance concerts, during their jobs." Toma smiled. "I assume you thought of this as a way to uplift the spirits of people who are suffering?"
"Initially yeah." Raion said. "An' it's my dumbass that has to be their manager. Meaning I have to foot the bills for their expenses. Which shouldn't be a problem, since I'll be taking it out of their pays for the jobs we take."
"Good luck to you Raion." Arcadios said. "Could, I keep the copy of my sword?"
Raion looked to Arcadios, before the sword copy in his hand.
"Go ahead, won't last long though." Raion stated. "It'll shatter after one swing."
~Harvest Festival~
"Food… must eat everything in sight." Natsu said, stumbling through the Festival with Happy cheering him on.
Meanwhile in the back, Grey, Lucy, Juvia, Raion, and Team RWBY were looking at him, Lucy most of all with concern, while Ruby just ate a stick of cotton candy.
"What's going on with him?" Raion asked.
"He ate some of the Ethernano from the Tower of Heaven when you weren't looking." Yang said. "He wanted to use it to boost his power, which it did for a moment, but he's suffering the consequences of his actions now."
"Natsu still hasn't fully recovered?" Lucy asked.
"He is looking rather ill." Juvia said.
"Is he gonna be okay?" Ruby asked.
"He'll be fine. Once he gets some food in his system, he'll be back to his old self." Grey stated.
"You haven't changed a bit Grey."
The group turned around to see a tan skinned man with black hair, carrying a bag over his shoulder, as if just returning from a long journey.
"Hey Warren, it's been a while." Grey said, smiling at his friend. "Glad you're back. Just in time for the Festival."
"Didn't think I'd make it back in time for the Festival, but here I am."
"Guys this is Warren Rocko, he's a total workaholic." Raion jabbed. "Warren, this is Team RWBY and Seras."
"Oh yeah, I saw the five of you on the cover of that new Sorcerer Weekly issue." Warren said.
"This guy takes on so many jobs it's as if he's a ghost around the Guildhall." Grey added.
"Come on now, I'm not that bad am I?" Warren asked.
"You are. I mean, do you even know what a vacation is?" Raion asked.
"Warren here specializes in telepathy magic, so he's perfectly suited for the espionage type jobs that the Guild gets requests for, and we get a lot of them." Grey explained.
"Nice to meet you, I'm Ruby Rose."
"Weiss Schnee."
"Blake Belladonna."
"Yang Xiao Long. I'm Ruby's older sister."
"I'm Juvia Lockser."
"I'm Lucy Heartfilia."
"Nice to meet you." Warren said.
"Enough talk, let's get to the Miss Fairy Tail Contest." Yang smiled.
"Oh crap, I completely forgot I was supposed to be in that." Lucy cried out, running off towards the Guildhall.
"She does know there's still like, twenty minutes before it even starts, right?" Grey asked.
"A Contest?" Juvia asked. "I refuse to be out-shined by that Bimbo."
"So I guess you'll be entering then?" Grey inquired.
"Calling Lucy a Bimbo is a little harsh, don't you think?" Seras asked. "What'd she do to deserve it?"
"She believes Lucy is a rival for Grey's affections." Ruby said. "Raion and I have told her, multiple times, that she's not. But Juvia refuses to listen."
"On another note, what is the Miss Fairy Tail Contest anyway?" Seras inquired.
"It's sort of like a talent show and beauty pageant mixed together, but it leans more towards the talent show style." Blake explained.
"Sounds like that could be fun." Seras smiled. "Maybe I'll join in next year."
"Um, excuse us."
The group talking turned to who'd addressed them, and Blake nearly had a panic attack, when she saw her parents standing there.
"Ghira, Kali, you made it." Raion smiled.
"Thanks to your invite, your majesty." Ghira said.
"Enough with that already. I'm not the King of Menagerie." Raion said. "I don't think I'll ever be ready, but I will come to claim the throne one day. But until then, you'll remain the monarch of Menagerie, Ghira."
"I suppose it can't be helped." Ghira chuckled. "But that won't stop me from addressing you with the proper respect you deserve. I owe you that much, for saving my life."
"Think nothing of it." Raion said.
"Raion, what are they doing here?" Blake hissed.
"I invited them to partake in the Harvest Festival. Don't worry, I'm positive they left delegates they can trust, to run Menagerie while they're gone." Raion smiled.
"But still I'm not ready to…"
"Blake?"
The Faunus girl jumped in place, before turning to see her mother was addressing her.
"Hi, Mom." Blake said. "Look, I know that I said some things that hurt and I just want to say…"
"Shut up." Kali said, pulling Blake in for a hug. "I'm just happy to hold my baby girl in my arms again." She said with a smile, her voice filled with emotion.
"An' I'm proud of you for forging your own path." Ghira stated, wrapping his arms around the both of them. "It must have been hard, but I'm still proud of the young woman, you've become."
"Thanks Dad." Blake said, hugging them back.
"Now doesn't that just warm the heart?" Grey asked with a smile.
"I think I'm gonna cry." Ruby said, with the tears already flowing.
"You already are you dunce." Weiss said, while crying as well.
"You're both crying." Seras sighed, handing them both a tissue. "So now that we've gotten the family drama out of the way, let's get going to the Guildhall. The pageant's gonna start soon, and I'm interested to see what the talents are gonna be."
~Pageant~
"Hey, has anyone seen Team RWBY anywhere?" Seras asked, as she and Raion made their way through the crowd of people gathered in Fairy Tail's main hall for the pageant.
"Last I saw, they were getting ready for their performances, before heading back stage." Natsu said. "Lucy should be doing the same right about now actually."
"Guess we don't really have much choice, but to trust they know what they're doing." Seras said.
"Why aren't you participating in the pageant Seras?" Raion asked.
"Because it's not really my thing." Seras shrugged. "I mean, would the prize money be nice? Yes, but am I gonna possibly humiliate myself to get it? Hell no."
"Fair enough." Raion said. "Still though, their absence is concerning to say the least."
"Shh, the show's about to start." Qrow hushed him.
"The long wait is finally over, ladies and gentlemen!" Max exclaimed over the microphone. "Welcome to the one and only, Miss Fairy Tail Pageant, where your favorite fairies fight in a battle of beauty! I'm Max Alors, sand Sorcerer Extraordinaire, and I'll be your host for this exciting event!"
"I expected to see Elfman here, but why you?" Grey asked as Natsu stuffed a pastry in his mouth.
"Because he's a man." Elfman declared.
"Actually here's here to see Lucy in the cheerleader outfit she's going to be wearing." Happy teased.
"So this is the Fairy Tail Harvest Festival?" Ghira asked. "I am quite impressed with the dedication to putting on quite a performance."
"It's not that hard to do, when it happens once a year." Raion said. "But we tend to party at the Guild during any occasion, for any reason."
"I have to say though. I wasn't expecting the Guildhall to have gone through such drastic renovations." Kali said.
"The Guildhall was destroyed in the war against Phantom Lord. So we took advantage and expanded the layout. The old design was nice, and personally my favorite, but this new design just speaks volume about our power. Had to take a huge loan from the bank to afford the building materials though, so now we got that to worry about paying off. So our rewards are diminished some, as a percentage of them, goes to paying off the loan." Raion explained.
"Now let's meet entry number one! The exotic beauty who'll drink you under the table any day of the week. Cana Alberona!" Max announced as the spotlight converged on her. "Now bust out some magic and show us your stuff!"
Cana smiled as she pulled out a deck of cards, and sent them spinning around her body in a show of magical skills.
"She sent her deck spinning. What could she be doing behind all those cards?" Max questioned as a flash of light erupted from the cards and revealed Cana in a seductive pose in an orange and green striped bikini. "She changed into a swimsuit!"
"The prize money can cover my tab!" Cana smirked.
Behind the curtain at the entry side of the stage, Lucy was looking over with shock.
"A swimsuit, no fair!" Lucy complained.
"That's a clever idea. Maybe I should do the same." Erza said peeking over under Lucy.
"You're in this too?" Lucy questioned.
"Whenever I hear the word 'contest', I get all worked up!" Erza smiled.
"Bye-bye rent money. It's over for me!" Lucy comically cried.
"On to entry number two!" Max announced. "She may be new to the guild, but her magic is S-Class. A radiant beauty in rain or shine, Juvia Loxar!"
"Please…" Juvia began. "Let these feelings reach you, my beloved prince!"
"The lovely lady is all set for a fabulous day at the beach!" Max said as Juvia had transformed into a purple dotted blue bikini.
"Look at me Grey, do you like what you see?" Juvia asked, her eyes dazzling like stars.
"Another swimsuit? Gimme a break." Lucy complained.
"Next up is entry number three, Fairy Tail's famous centerfold. Her beauty has stolen the hearts of men and women all over the land, Mirajane!" Max announced jumping out of the way. "Now show us your stuff!"
"My specialty is transformation magic, so I'll show you a new side of me." Mira smiled putting her hands over her face. "This is my, Happy face. Aye." Mira stated moving her arms away quickly before moving her hands over her face again changing its appearance. "Here's my Gajeel face."
"BOO." Gajeel shouted.
Mirajane moved her hands around her face again, showing she'd transformed her face into Raion's.
"An' this is my Raion face!" She stated.
"Come on, I'm not that ugly!" Raion called to her.
"Notice though how you didn't deny the fact that you are ugly." Seras snickered.
"Shut up."
Over at the table with the quartet of men and one cat, Happy was laughing his face off as Natsu was still working on the same pastry as before.
"Well I'm glad at least someone's enjoying this." Grey exclaimed.
"She's a man?" Elfman questioned.
"Oh well, less competition for me." Lucy smiled, no longer worried about Mira winning, as Lisanna went and did her act, which was some tantalizing full body take over transformations.
"Entry number five, the Fairy Queen who needs no introduction…" Max began.
"That's my cue." Erza stated jumping out on stage.
"Erza Scarlet." Max shouted.
"Wow she's really popular." Lucy said, once again feeling bad about her chances of winning.
"Let me show you a requip you don't get to see every day." Erza smiled.
With that, Erza focused her magic on a specific outfit that didn't have any armor to protect her at all.
"Gothic Lolita?" Lucy shouted in shock.
"Looks like I win." Erza smiled.
"Never thought I'd see her dress like that." Macao stated.
"Oui." Reedus agreed.
"Here is entry number six. Petite and cute, this fairy is as smart as she is charming." Max announced. "Let's hear it for Levy McGarden."
"Levy." Jet and Droy cheered loudest.
"Let me show you my solid script." Levy smiled as she made the words, snow, metal, butterfly, and flower, appear floating behind her in their own unique design.
"Levy." Jet and Droy cheered again as they had hearts surrounding them.
"Here we have entry number seven. The sniper with the sights on your heart, the one and only Bisca Mulan." Max announced as Bisca stood there already dressed in a purple bikini.
Bisca held up four coins with a heart on each of them, before throwing them up into the air, and reequipping her favorite sniper rifle. Aiming up, Bisca fired once, hitting all four coins before holding out her hand, and catching the coins, and holding them between her fingers, with a smile, revealing a perfectly aligned hole in each coin.
"That's hot." Alzack exclaimed hearts in his eyes.
"How can I top that?" Lucy questioned.
"Let's move on to entry number eight, Fairy Tail's rising star." Max began.
"Here we go." Lucy stated feeling determined.
"She shines as brightly as the spirits that guide her way, Lucy Heart-"
"Ah. Please don't say my last name out loud!" Lucy pleaded. 'There's no way they'll give me the prize money if they find out who my dad is.'
"What was he about to say?" Kali asked, looking at Raion.
"Heartfilia. She's the heiress to the Heartfilia Railway family business." Raion said. "She ran away from home, because her father became neglectful and abusive after her mother passed away."
"Now show us what you got." Max cheered on.
"Me and my celestial spirits are gonna do a cheer for you guys." Lucy exclaimed.
"Entry number nine." A woman's voice called from behind the stage.
"Hey hold on. I haven't even started to do my cheer yet." Lucy complained as Max was looking around, trying to figure out who'd taken over as commentator.
'Number nine's Ruby's number. What's going on?' Raion questioned.
"I am the very definition of Fairy. Not to mention the very definition of beauty." The woman stated, coming up from behind.
The woman was dressed in a green ball gown like outfit, with a skirt that only reached to her upper thighs, with a pair of fairy wings on her back, and glasses on her face, while her hair was done up in a pin through it. (Think of an evil human sized Tinkerbell with brown hair, glasses, and a fan.)
"I'm the only woman here who embodies everything men desire. Therefore, the winner is… Me, the lovely Evergreen. Now this idiotic contest can end." Evergreen stated.
"Oh no!" Raion groaned.
"Who's she?" Seras asked.
"Evergreen. A member of the Thunder Legion. A four Huntsman team with Laxus as its leader." Raion said. "If she's back, then it means Laxus must be here too."
"Can't you go mess up a different contest? Give me a break here. I really need this prize money." Lucy complained.
"Lucy don't look her in the eye." Grey shouted.
"I'm sorry, what was your name?" Evergreen asked, lifting her glasses.
The moment Evergreen stared Lucy in the face, she turned the blonde cheerleader to stone.
"This is bad. Everybody get out of here now!" Max exclaimed to the crowd.
"What do you think you're doing Evergreen?" Makarov shouted as the crowd of nonmembers, minus Kali and Ghira, ran out of the Guildhall. "You'll ruin the festival for everyone."
"Ha-ha-ha. On the contrary. I think things are just getting interesting." Evergreen declared as the curtain behind her rose, and revealed all the participants of the pageant to be stone statues.
"No Mira." Elfman shouted.
"She got Erza too?" Happy questioned.
"I don't see anyone from Team RWBY up there." Raion said. "Evergreen, where is my Beacon Team?"
"As if I'd tell a muscle bound idiot like you!" Evergreen said mockingly with a laugh.
"Don't be a fool!" Makarov began. "Return them to normal this instant. An' reveal to us where Team RWBY is."
A bright light formed on the ceiling of the Guildhall before a bolt of lightning struck down on stage. When the dust cleared, it was revealed Laxus was now on center stage.
"Well, looks like all your fans decided to head home. Pity because the party's about to start!"