Well hello, this is the first chapter of my first Fanfiction, I really hope you all find it interesting, I know this chapter starts slow but believe me I just wanted to set up the mood for the rest of the story, I really hope you like the how the characters are potrayed

This wouldn't have been possible without the HUGE help of my awesome beta, TriforceandSheikahArts, I wrote the story and she made it look awesome.

Enjoy

Chapter One

It was a warm day in the dense forest of the Nopon, where the air, as usual, felt warm and thick, yet had a refreshing touch of water particles flowing through it making it feel quite refreshing. Hidden within the forest were none other then Reyn and Dunban, who were collecting wood for the great Nopon carnival that was going to be held that evening to commemorate the opening of the new village.

"Reyn, let me help you with that." Dunban said as Reyn was struggling to carry an excessive amount of wood all by himself.

"It's all right, Dunban, this ain't anything." Reyn replied as a piece of wood fell onto his head. "Ouch." He said with a smile.

"Don't worry, Reyn. I know my arm isn't in perfect condition, yet I can still be useful." Dunban responded as he was looking down at his right arm.

"No need to remind me, Dunban, you never had problem beating those mechon." Reyn replied with a smile on his face.

"Now let's see..." Dunban said while picking up some of the wood Reyn left on the ground. Rather unsurprisingly, the bark was wet and full of little insects that seemed to escape through the cracks in the wood.

"Do you think Sharla will have any problem with those?" Reyn asked as they were both walking to the village.

"You mean the insects?" Dunban inquired with a curious look on his face.

"Yup," Reyn replied, paying attention to where he was stepping.

"I'm sure she'll have some trouble, she doesn't really like insects you know... But I'll be sure to help her, if she needs it."

"So you're going to leave me alone to do all of the hard work, uh, Dunban?" Reyn inquired with a teasing tone lining his voice.

"I never said that." Dunban replied. "If anything, I'm going to finish this job as soon as possible so I can help you both finish yours." He said with a very serious voice and look in his eyes.

"Relax, I was kidding Dunban." Reyn said while looking at the sky. "You've done enough; I'll wake up Shulk and tell him to lend me a hand."

"I'm pretty sure he's tired from last night." Dunban voiced as he was looking at a strange insect that was following them. "We should just let him rest," he advised. "The carnival is going to take place tonight and he wouldn't enjoy it being tired."

"Whatever you say, Dunban," Reyn replied with a hearty laugh.

-o0o0o-

Sharla and Fiora were in the midst of preparing the decorations for the carnival when Reyn and Dunban arrived, carrying in their arms an overwhelming amount of wood. At the sight of a shirtless Reyn, and mud covered Dunban, Sharla couldn't help but smirk.

"Seems like you didn't have trouble bringing those, eh guys?" Sharla voiced with a teasing tone.

"Yeah right." Replied Reyn, knowing it was supposed to be a joke.

"How are the decorations going?" Dunban questioned as he cautiously set the wood down on the ground beside them, being mindful with the splinters.

"We're almost ready. I think Riki is taking care of Melia." Fiora said.

"This is going to be awesome! Is Shulk still asleep?" Reyn asked.

"He's still upstairs... why don't you go check him out?" Sharla said as she was struggling to reach a high spot for the decorations.

"Let me help you with that, Sharla," Dunban said.

"Alright, thanks Dunban." Sharla mused. Dunban smiled and then slowly picked her up by her legs, making it so that she could reach the high spot with little difficulty.

"Well, while you're having fun here making it all ready and pretty, I'll go check out Shulk." Reyn said, beginning to walk off.

"Ok but, umm, Reyn… If he's asleep, please do not wake him up. He had a lot of work with those Nopon last night." Fiora advised.

"Don't worry, Fiora!" Reyn exclaimed with a smile. "I'm not that kind of guy. Do you guys think I'd be able to be so cruel?" Reyn said while looking at Dunban, who was now drinking a glass of cold water.

"…"

"…"

"…"

There was an awkward silence for a moment.

"Ah, well, we better keep going," Dunban advised.

"Ah, whatever…" Reyn mumbled and headed upstairs.

"Dunban, why don't you go get ready? I don't think you have anything left to do here." Fiora suggested as she was eyeing her brother's dirty clothes.

"Don't worry, Fiora, I'm staying here to help you both." Dunban said as he was putting the glass on the table ready to help some more.

"But look at you!" Fiora protested.

"At least get some clean clothes on or you won't be ready in time." Sharla said with a worried look in her eyes.

"I guess you're right." Dunban murmured. "Fiora?" he then said.

"Yes, Dunban?"

"These are the only clothes I brought." Dunban looked at the floor, knowing he was about to get scolded… even though he was the older sibling.

"DUNBAN, YOU'RE UNBELIEVABLE!"

Sharla was trying not to laugh by pretending she was focused on the decorations.

"I guess you'll need to use that blade armour the Nopon have here," Sharla surmised smugly before continuing. "In fact, why don't we all use those to match Dunban and just the carnival in general?"

"I guess you're right, Sharla. Oh well… and there was I thinking I would surprise Shulk with my new dress," Fiora said, sighing in disappointment.

"You don't have to if you don't want to Fiora. This is my mess; you all don't have to do this." Dunban said while scratching the back of his head.

"No worries, Dunban. I think I'll stick with that armour," Sharla said with an optimistic look.

"Oh well, I might as well just use it so we all match," Fiora replied, looking at Sharla.

"Great, then it's settled." Dunban sighed in relief.

Fiora looked at him and said: "Change your clothes...go."

"But ..." He protested.

"GO!" Sharla and Fiora yelled.

-o0o0o-

Meanwhile Reyn was going upstairs to check on Shulk.

"Hey, Shulk..." he whispered as he was slowly opening the door. "Are you awake yet?" He saw Shulk lying in bed with his eyes closed.

Ha, ha ... he's still sleeping like a baby, Reyn thought with a little smile on his face.

The room was dark with only the rays of light coming through the window that were open just enough to let a small amount of air circulate. Reyn approached the bed and stared at Shulk's face very closely.

...

…

"HERE COME THE MECHON!" Reyn screamed waving his hands around madly.

"AAAH, WHERE!? FIORA?!" Shulk yelled as he got up from the bed with his mouth opened wide and his eyes the size of dinner plates.

…

Soon after, Reyn's screams were heard below… Fiora and Sharla heard them as clear as daylight while they were decorating.

"That clown Reyn," Sharla said, almost feeling ashamed, as she had both of her eyes closed.

Fiora sighed. "I guess Reyn never changes…"

-o0o0o-

"I can't believe you got me with that again!" Shulk yelled quite angrily.

"Hahaha, you never change Shulk. You need to relax a little more," Reyn said, laughing.

"How am I supposed to relax with you around, Reyn? You do this every time!" Shulk yelled while lying on his bed.

"Yup, it never gets old." Reyn said while looking at the window, remembering the other times he had done the same prank and gotten away with it.

"So what were you doing here—WAIT!" Shulk checked if he still had his pants on.

"Hahaha, relax Shulk, I came to see if you were still sleeping." Reyn said, almost laughing again.

"Ha-ha... very funny," Shulk said sarcastically, fiddling with his palms. "But to tell you the truth, I wasn't sleeping. Actually, I can't sleep with all those fireworks being tested outside." Shulk said, scratching his head.

Reyn approached the window. "Yeah, I guess you're right, but ain't you excited?!" Reyn replied as he was looking at the beautiful scenery in the distance. "At least we can do this kind of stuff without worrying about getting caught off guard like before," he said remembering the old times.

"Y-You're right, I can't wait!" Shulk agreed sharing a bit of Reyn's growing excitement. "How are things going down there, anyway?" He inquired curiously.

"It's all left to Sharla and Fiora; they're the ones taking care of the food and decorations."

"What about the others?"

"Dunban's probably helping them; he helped me earlier with a bunch of stuff I had to carry… you know hard work." Reyn said looking quite tired as Shulk laughed.

"Don't laugh man, it was harsh. Dunban almost fell in the water more than a few times." He started to chuckle. "Anyway, I think Riki left yesterday for Alcamoth to tell Melia about the carnival." Reyn said, looking back at Shulk.

"Melia..." Shulk said vaguely.

"What's wrong, Shulk?" Reyn asked.

"We haven't heard about her since that day..." Shulk said while touching his chin.

"She's okay, I think... I mean, she's a princess n'all... Anyway, are you going to keep laying up here making us worried or are you going to head downstairs and join the others?" Reyn asked with his arms crossed behind his head.

"Why should I?" Shulk said still a little angry at Reyn's joke.

"Whatever man, I'm going to get ready for Sharla." Reyn said, fixing his hair.

"Good luck with that." Shulk said, sitting up on his bed.

"'K man, see ya later." Reyn left the room closing the door behind him.

-o0o0o-

Meanwhile Riki was in the "New Alcamoth" as Melia likes to call it, trying to talk with her. The city was in the middle of a beautiful sea... the air was so refreshing you could look at an endless horizon above the blue water through the windows of the city.

"Riki need to talk to Melly," he said to the imposing guard standing before him.

"Who are you exactly little Friend?" A guard asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

"I'm the Great Heropon RIKI~!" Riki replied while singing the phrase.

"Let him enter." A familiar voice was heard from inside the tall building.

"Melly!" Riki exclaimed extremely happy, as usual.

Meanwhile, Melia exited from building, sporting a beautifully designed green dress that touched the ground.

"Hello Riki." Melia said while hugging the soft Nopon. "Why are you here?" Melia asked, standing up.

"Melly is invited to carnival of Nopon, carnival have food and music!" Riki said while dancing as if he was trying to explain how dancing works to Melia.

She laughed. "Alright Riki, when is it going to take place?" She asked with a smile on her face getting become excited herself.

"Now!" exclaimed Riki with a big jump.

"Ooh..." Melia said with a sad and disappointed look on her face.

"What's wrong, Melly?" Riki asked rather concerned.

"Riki, I will not be able to assist you, the people here need me; you should have asked me earlier."

"Come Melly, come to carnival, please! It will have food, Riki promises!" Riki insisted, grabbing Melia's arm trying to drag her away.

Melia pursed her lips together, knowing fully well that Riki knew she could not run away from her responsibilities. She had an important responsibility as Leader of the High Entia, after all. Melia sighed and looked down at Riki, seeing those dark eyes. She sighed miserably and looked at the guards, a tad concerned.

"Please go, Lady Melia, we shall take care of the matters here," the guard informed her with a placid smile.

"Plus, I do not believe there will be any important events for today or tomorrow," the other guard spoke.

Melia looked at them and said with a smile: "Thank you my good gentlemen." Melia was known throughout Alcamoth as being a trustworthy and kind leader who treated her citizens with respect and kindness.

"Not a problem, Lady Melia!" Both guards saluted her.

"Yay!" replied Riki with excitement.

"I suppose I shall depart with you, Riki." Melia said, sharing Riki's excitement, then she looked at his garments and realized something. "But first I shall need to get myself ready." Melia then headed back inside the castle.

"Aww," Riki whined, pouting.

"What's wrong Nopon friend, Melia is going to the carnival after her, no?" A guard spoke.

"Melly takes too much time with these things," Riki said, looking down at the ground.

The two guards merely laughed.

-o0o0o-

At the Nopon village, Dunban was getting ready in a separate room, equipping the blade armour that Sharla had suggested. Dunban was in the midst of tying his hair and surveying himself in the full length mirror the room provided.

The guys'll have a great night today… My goodness, I haven't had a night like this since I was child… and before we had to worry about the war… Times sure have changed. Dunban thought with a bright look in his eyes.

"I wonder if Reyn is going to get drunk." Suddenly there was a knock at the door.

"Dunban, can I come inside?" Reyn asked from the other side of the door.

"Oh yeah, Reyn, don't worry." Dunban said with his armour now fully equipped.

Reyn entered the room. "Wow, Dunban you're looking awesome!"

"Thanks Reyn, aren't you going to put on yours?" Dunban asked, looking at Reyn from behind through the mirror.

"But of course man," Reyn said while taking his armour out of his backpack.

"Oh, you came prepared." Dunban said, surprised.

"Yeah, how else was I supposed to show off to Sharla without this?" Reyn said with confidence oozing from his voice.

"I don't know. You tell me." Dunban replied with a hearty chuckle. "I thought you were already showing off by going shirtless all day."

"It was hot Dunban, and I guess this night is going to be hot too, right?" Reyn said while looking at Dunban with a strange look on his face.

"Yeah Reyn, the weather here is pretty strange. I wonder why the Nopons always choose this specific date to—" Dunban was interrupted by Reyn.

"That's not what I meant Dunban," Reyn said, smiling as if they both really knew where this conversation was going.

"Then what is it Reyn?" Dunban said genuinely interested while looking for his sword.

Reyn continued: "Sharla told me we're all going to wear this armour to "match with the carnival" and all." Reyn said while doing a "gesture" with both of his hands.

"Uh?" Dunban said, looking more than confused.

Reyn, tired of pretending finally, sighed. "She wants to show off a bit… just like me."

While laughing, Dunban spoke. "… Show off? Why would she want to do that?"

"It's simple: she likes me." Reyn said with confidence while fixing his hair.

Dunban put on his sword and said, "Well, sorry to disappoint you Reyn, but the whole reason we're doing this is because I didn't take off my clothes while helping you, and they got all dirty. It was Sharla who suggested this idea and..." Reyn was looking more and more disappointed. As Dunban continued, he noticed this and said, "I mean - I suggested to rush back to the colony and change clothes, but she kept insisting that we should all sport the same armour. Thus, we all agreed." Dunban expected Reyn to not accept his reasoning; however he was in for a surprise.

"Ohh, then it means she COULD be interested?" Reyn said, getting his hopes up.

Oh, Reyn, Dunban sighed to himself.

"Yeah, Reyn that's highly likely, and believe me, I've got an eye for this kind of thing," Dunban said with a smile on his face. He knew that if there was a person Reyn trusted completely it was him.

"Yeah! Dunban this night is going to be ours! Wait, you don't have anyone to be with, right?" Reyn asked not trying to upset Dunban.

"No, Reyn." Dunban said looking at himself in the mirror.

"But don't worry about it; I'll just hang out with Riki. We usually have very thoughtful conversations." Dunban said with a smile, looking back at Reyn who was equipping his armour.

"You and the Furball? This I have to see," Reyn said, surprised, looking at the wall.

"I myself get pretty thoughtful when I'm drunk—" Reyn was suddenly interrupted.

"Do not get drunk Reyn." Dunban said with a serious look in his eyes.

"But Dunban, both you and Shulk get pretty embarrassing when you're drunk..." Dunban started to blush.

"Reyn!" he shouted.

"Not a problem, Dunban!" Reyn bellowed with a laugh causing Dunban to sigh.

-o0o0o-

Meanwhile, Shulk was upstairs feeling a little irritated because he knew he wasn't going to be able to sleep anymore.

"Why Reyn, why?" yawned Shulk. "What a wonderful friend you are…" He mumbled under his breath sarcastically while searching for his shoes. The room was dark but he could see the silhouette of his shoes below the window. Shulk approached the window trying to get some fresh air.

He took a deep breath and then thought. Okay, Shulk, go show them you're feeling it today.

He put on the rest of his clothes and left the room with an extremely tired face. When seeing Sharla and Fiora nearby, his eyes widened and he groaned with despair. "I don't want them to see me like this." Even though Shulk knew they wouldn't mention how tired he looked, he didn't want to let the girls see him like this… especially Fiora.

Shulk saw a purple Nopon going downstairs too. He grabbed him politely and said, "Um, hello, I know this might seem odd, but I need you to cover my face for a while... until I reach the bathroom… Please, if you don't mind?" He inquired all too hopefully.

"Oh, Hom Hom doesn't want female Hom Hom to see Hom Hom's face because Hom Hom look horribly tired?" The purple haired Nopon said with a straight face.

Do I look that bad? Shulk thought worriedly.

Shulk sighed more than embarrassed. "I suppose you're right." They both headed downstairs as the Nopon was covering Shulk's visage.

"Oh, hello Shulk," Fiora said as she saw Shulk rushing to the bathroom.

"Not now Fiora, I need to get rid of this Nopon!" Shulk exclaimed nervously as he rushed to the bathroom. It was so fast that not even Sharla could look back and see him perfectly

"Was that Shulk?" Sharla inquired curiously.

"Yeah, it was… but he was acting pretty strange," Fiora replied, blinking profusely.

Sharla murmured, "Fiora, I think we're done."

Meanwhile, Shulk was in the bathroom washing his face with a lot of water and soap. "Thanks buddy," he said to the Nopon while he was looking for a towel.

"No problem, Hom Hom friend." The Nopon said as it left the room.

-o0o0o-

It was almost time to start celebrating the carnival. There was a huge round table set up right in the heart of the village where all of the guests would sit, eat and enjoy each others company. Not too far away situated on the beach was a large display of fireworks ready to be lit and enjoyed after supper. The weather was perfect; it wasn't warm but it wasn't too cold either. It was perfect, which made it ideal for the Homs and High Entia to even sport light clothing and take an evening swim, if they preferred. Plus, before the evening fireworks would commence there was a huge and exotic orchestra of both Nopon and Homs ready to play music for the guests' enjoyment. It was going to be the party of the century.

Reyn, who could smell the delicious food, couldn't help but say: "Alright, where are Melia and the Furball? They don't want to miss this." He and Dunban were sitting side-by-side at the table.

"I'm sure Riki is on his way Reyn. I doubt the chief would start without their magnificent Heropon." Dunban said while playing with his cutlery to pass the time.

Shulk then entered the hall still looking a little tired—but that was to be expected.

When seeing him, Reyn smirked. "Well, look who decided to stop slacking off and show up to the party."

"Stop it Reyn, I'm not in the mood for jokes right now." Shulk replied as he sat beside Dunban. "Where are Melia and Riki?" He politely asked Dunban.

"No idea." The older swordsman answered. "They should arrive pretty soon though." Dunban said, standing up. "Boys, I think I'm going to wait for them at the top of the tree." Dunban continued.

"I'm coming with you, Dunban; please don't leave me alone with Reyn." Shulk said laughing a little knowing Reyn was probably going to get pissed.

"Hey man! We're supposed to be a team, remember?!" Reyn exclaimed, standing up too.

"Forget it, Reyn, we'll need you to help the Nopons carry all the food to the table." Sharla said, appearing from the other side of the Great Nopon Hall.

"Bah, okay you win." Reyn walked out of the hall and for the kitchen.

Dunban sighed. "Well, Shulk, let's go."

They both arrived to the top of the village where usually the big High Entia vehicles docked. The sky was clear and full of stars; there were even a few torches burning bright to provide extra lighting for the arriving vehicles.

Dunban groaned. "Shulk, I want to tell you something very serious... now that Reyn isn't here."

Shulk was starting to feel uncomfortable when seeing Dunban's face turn from cheerfully delight to seriousness. "What is it, Dunban?" He asked.

"Reyn's probably going to do stupid things tonight; I can feel it in the air. You know the saying; it's always calm before the storm… Well, I think he's like a frustrated beast waiting for all of his instincts to takeover, he's far too excited… as per usual."

Shulk laughed at the comment, but was still confused. "While that might be true Dunban, I'm still confused by your meaning. Could you, perhaps, elaborate a tad more?"

Dunban looked up towards the starry sky. "Shulk, this is a serious matter. While I know Reyn is romantically interested in Sharla, I have no fears from him regarding Fiora."

Shulk arched an eyebrow. "What does this all have to do with Fiora?"

"It about you, Shulk," Dunban answered seriously, turning to face him.

Suddenly a moment of silence invaded the place; it was as if everyone and everything had stopped moving merely to hear the reason why Dunban had to say such thing.

"Me?" Shulk said, surprised.

Dunban nodded. "I don't want you to do anything stupid tonight; both you and Reyn become… quite dim in these kinds of situations."

Shulk stared at Dunban for a second, unsure of what to say.

"Also, Shulk, if you do anything stupid to Fiora tonight… I'll cut you in half… no hesitation." Dunban said with a thick voice, his face darkening.

Shulk kept staring at Dunban. "Um, do not worry Dunban." Shulk said nervously, faking a smile.

"Good, Shulk." Dunban responded with a laugh.

"Erm, please excuse me… I have to change—I mean brush my feet—I mean teeth!" Shulk then rushed downstairs.

-o0o0o-

I guess I became a tad too harsh there, but at least the thought was clearly articulated, Dunban thought to himself.

A few seconds later, a High Entia vehicle arrived with both Riki and Melia inside.

"Hello Dundun," Riki exclaimed jumping into Dunban's arms.

"Well, hello Riki, we were missing you," Dunban replied with a smile. He then looked towards Melia and smiled when seeing the beautiful orange evening gown she had chosen to wear. Not surprisingly, it matched perfectly with Riki's fur colour. She was a perfect mixture of elegance and adorable. However, although Melia appeared calm on the outside, on the inside she was screaming.

Riki! Why did you not tell me that Shulk and the others would be here?!

aaand that's the end of the chapter I hope you all enjoyed it , It will get more interesting as the story progresses

and thanks again to TriforceandSheikahArts, this story was a mess since my english isn't exactly excellent but she made it look awesome!

Any suggestions are welcome Im just a beginner and I want to get better :)