Disclaimer: I do not own Ranger's Apprentice or Fairy Tail.

Halt was at the annual Ranger's gathering. He had decided that at this year's Choosing, he would present Will, to whose father he owed his life, a chance to become his apprentice. He was speaking with Corps Commander Crowley when he and the other Ranger's heard the giggling of a young girl behind them.

They whirled around to look at the little girl who had decided to perch on the large center tent. She swung her legs back and forth as she smiled cheerfully. She had dark green eyes and pale blonde hair reaching almost to her ankles, with wing-like ornaments on either side of her head. She had a very pale complexion and she wore a loose white dress with pink and white patterns on the upper half. There seemed to be an almost unearthly glow about her.

"Hello there!" Gilan greeted in his usual cheerful manner. "Are you lost?"

The girl giggled. "Nope. I'm right where I want to be!" she said cheerfully.

"How did you find this place?" Halt questioned, decidedly less cheerful than his former apprentice.

The girl put her index finger on her chin as she tilted her head in thought. "I suppose . . . I just appeared here!" she said, giggling again at the last part. She stood up and stepped off the tent, startling the Rangers, and then shocking them as she floated down to land safely and gently on the ground.

" . . . What . . . are you?" asked Crowley.

She tilted her head again before speaking. "Something like . . . a spirit?"

"Well, what the hell do you want?!" Halt demanded.

The others stared at him in shock. They weren't superstitious in the least, but they knew that you shouldn't anger a spirit, even if it looked like a harmless little girl. However, instead of being angered, the girl just giggled again.

"I'm glad you asked." She gestured with her right hand to the air beside her.

As if on cue, a large golden orb appeared. Inside it was a young woman of 15 or 16 with golden blonde hair that hung past her shoulders. Her clothes, which revealed way too much by Halt's standards, or rather the standards of anyone that wasn't looking for a whore, were torn and the girl herself had numerous bandages. At her hip was a belt that had whip, a cylinder with a small star hanging from on end, and a leather pouch from which several keys could be seen. Aside from the torn clothes and bandages, the girl was also covered in multiple scratches and bruises. On the back of her right hand was a pink tattoo.

"I would like you to take care of her. Rather, I would like you to make her as your apprentice, Halt." the girl said, smiling expectantly at Halt.

Halt let out a short bark of laughter, a laughter that didn't reach his eyes. "And why would I do that?" he asked, his gaze turned hard.

"Well, considering she's from an entirely different dimension, you don't have to worry about any secrets getting out. She's also quite strong, when given the chance to prove herself. And very resourceful. Your little group may find her to extremely useful." the girl said.

As she spoke, the orb drifted down and laid the girl gently on the ground before disappearing.

"Even so, I already have an apprentice in mind." Halt said.

"A girl like her needs to be taught by the best. And you Halt, are arguably the best Ranger, next to the commander of course. Don't worry, she doesn't mind sharing." said the girl with her now signature smile. Then, with a flash of light, she disappeared, leaving the Rangers to decide to do with the blonde girl.

Or at least that's what seemed. A few moments later, the kid returned and placed a stack of papers next to her. "She'll need these. But don't read them!" she said sternly. She smiled again. "Bye-bye." Then she left again.

"Okay, would someone mind telling me what just happened?" said Gilan.

Crowley sighed. "Believe me, your guess is as good as mine."

"Well, a little girl just showed up, claimed she's a spirit from another dimension, dropped a girl, also from another dimension, onto me for babysitting duty, then disappeared, leaving a bunch a papers we're not supposed to read." said Halt unhumorously.

"Remember when things made sense? Yeah, me neither." Gilan joked.

"Then apparently you have an extremely short memory." said Halt. "More importantly what are we going to do with her?" he asked, nodding towards the girl.

Ten minutes later, Crowley and Halt were having a private discussion, with the subject of their discussion behind them, lying on Crowley's cot. To be fair, it wasn't really a discussion. Crowley was pacing the length of his tent while Halt stood quietly, waiting for Crowley to make his decision.

Finally, after a few more minutes of pacing, he said, "I think you should do it."

"Do what?"

"Make her your apprentice." Crowley replied.

"What?!" Halt exclaimed.

"I'm just saying, perhaps we should humor the spirit. If the girl poses a danger, then who better to watch her than you? Also, it might interesting to have a female Ranger, if she makes it that far."

Halt let out an exasperated sigh. "And what about Will?"

"The boy? There's always the chance he won't accept your offer, and if he does, you can let another Ranger train him."

"No! If he's willing to become a Ranger, I will be the one to train him. I owe him that much. And his father."

Crowley nodded, aware of what Will's father had done for Halt. "I thought so." he said. Then he grabbed the papers that had been left by the spirit and began to read them as he waited for Halt to think about the situation that had been forced upon him and make his decision.

With a heavy sigh, Halt said, "Fine, I'll take her on as my apprentice."

There you have it, the prologue of The Celestial Ranger. Hope you enjoyed and please leave a review.