Chapter Text
Beep beep beep!
Another day at Beacon. The sun has awakened from its temporal slumber from a blanket called 'horizon', as it slowly rises. Its beaming light encroaches the ground of Remnant and saturates the walls of a prestigious academy. With its towers soar high as if it is grazing the morning sky, the grand castle-like structure, and its numerous dorms fit into the confine, there's a tremendous sense of pride among the lucky students who were chosen to enroll there. Among those lucky ones is a first-year outlier named Ruby Rose, leader of the team RWBY.
Their dormitory is illuminated with a dim green tone, influenced by the curtain. The curtains sway softly like a calming sea. As the cold spring breeze enters the room, a gush brush on Ruby's skin, causing her to shiver. The wind calls her to wake up and smell the roses, even though there isn't one nearby. She finally concedes and wakes up, revealing her silver eyes to the world once again. She straightens herself to a sitting position while rubbing her eyes. She stretches her arms high up while making an audible morning moan. She looks left of her to check on Yang, her blondie step-sister who has a temper issue (which also activates her Semblance), and Blake, a cat Faunus with raven-colored hair.
Yang sleeps with a contorted posture, and her mouth establishes a miniature saliva waterfall, dripping onto the pillow sheet. Her almighty snore, though, blares the room so loud, metaphorically, you can't hear the growl of the Grimm, nor the sound of gunfire. Luckily, Ruby grows accustomed to the snoring, so it wouldn't be an issue, aside from any unfortunate soul who crosses paths with them. A ruffed strand of her hair lands on her mouth, but she's too deep in her slumber to even care. Oh wait...she whips the hair with her mouth, and she flips around to the other side. The sound of springs creaking under her weight when she flips is audible and brassy.
Blake, meanwhile, has a 'ruff'-er time to sleep. Why? It's with the dog, Zwei, sleeping on her bed, of course. Zwei is a hassle to control even for Ruby and Yang. When he arrives at the academy, through a small, long cylindrical package (don't ask me how), Blake's instinct jumps in. She actively avoids him through her acrobatic skills. Although they seem to accept each other nowadays, Blake allows Zwei to sleep with her the previous night. Zwei was elated to hear that with his enthusiastic bark and playful swirl and hops. Ruby remembers seeing her smile for the first time. Her ribbon twinges and she's drooling with occasional wipes of her drool, signifying she must have a great dream.
Ruby smiles sweetly at them, then looks below the bunk beds upside down. There, lies another girl, who is 2 years older than her, resting princessly with blinds that have her family's emblem on them. Her snow-white hair, though, was not of a princess attitude. Freely lays on the bed, untied and unkempt. Her icicle-shaped tiara, used to tie her head, sits marvelously on their sole desk, facing towards her.
"Good morning, Weiss," Ruby gleefully greets with another sweet smile of hers. She sees Weiss's mouth slightly crook upward. She grabs her bolster and vaults down from her bed, which is supported by ropes attached by hooks on the ceiling, as opposed to a stack of books utilized by Blake and Yang. She warns Weiss of her upcoming mischief, "Wake up, or you're gonna get the fury of the Bolster Ravagers."
"Try me," Weiss boldly challenges her with whispers but no sign of her being tired. True to her words, she swings her bolster toward Weiss hard, inflicting multiple damages. However, Weiss doesn't budge after Ruby's first attack. Weiss's cocksure grin said it all. She's into this, so gladly playing with someone outside her hierarchy.
She teases, "Is that the best you can do?" Undeterred, Ruby resumes her attack until Weiss finally admits defeat. Weiss reluctantly, but also heartily emerges from the bed. She stretches and moans after a good night's sleep. She rubs her eyes to remove any eye stains collected during her sleep.
Meanwhile, Ruby goes into the bathroom for a bath. She takes her towels hanging on the hook, and hastily enters the shower. It felt refreshing every minute of showering after an intensive yesterday. After that, she wraps herself around with her big towel, covering her chest to her knees. She rubs her hair with her other, smaller towel while walking towards the mirror. After she finishes up with her hair, she throws her towel into the laundry basket and picks up her red toothbrush.
She puts the toothpaste onto the brush, places it back on the cup, and begins to brush her teeth. However, when she looks at the mirror, she is shocked to see what's on the other side. Instead of her reflection, another girl is standing in front of the mirror. She isn't like the other girls she sees quite often. In fact, both Ruby and she are in different animation styles and color palettes.
Her world is cartoonish and bright in contrast to Ruby's more grounded and mute palette. Her almond-shaped eyes are uncannily large, a bit uncomfortable for Ruby. Her eyelashes are only two strokes of line curved upward, one big and one small, and situated on the upper edge of the outline. When she looks at Ruby, her eyelids crush the eyes into a trapezoidal shape, indicating that she's also puzzled at what she saw. Her emerald green eyes, though, somehow captivates her, a connection.
She gestures to her by a simple wave, in which she also waves, copying her gesture. Both simultaneously give an awkward simple before getting distracted by Weiss's call.
"Ruby, are you done yet?"
"About to," Ruby replies. When she looks back at the mirror, her reflection returns. No sign of the girl. Ruby blinks in confusion about what just happened. Hands off the sink, she has a mountain worth of questions piling on her mind. However, she can't focus on her now, that's for later. She hurriedly finishes brushing her teeth and gurgles with tap water. A little quick splash on her face, and she scurries out of the bathroom.
~''~''~''~
Sunset has arrived at her school via bus. She is holding a tumbler filled with instant coffee she prepared at home. She takes a sip while sitting on the school's entrance stairs to wait for her friends. In the meantime, she takes her book out of her bag, which contains her cutie mark on the cover, and writes a report on last week's occurrence to Princess Twilight.
Dear Princess Twilight,
How are things back at Equestria? Still busy with work as a princess? I hope you are okay there.
For the report, I'm happy to say that there is one Equestrian magic on-the-loose case that happened here last week. Although, it's quite a tough fight fighting against this creature on the loose. Equestrian magic had possessed a dog, which morphed into a—how to describe it– a large, terrifying gargoyle. Why gargoyle? I have no idea. Trying to catch it is a pain in the ass if you excuse my language. Luckily, we were able to contain it with Rarity's magic. A little help from Applejack and Rainbow Dash must be stated, though. They are working together as a team, despite their differences and occasional bickering. Other than that, Canterlot City is safe for now.
Summer is just around the corner. I can't wait to go to the fabulous beach just off the coast. The girls would definitely come, and I'll make sure I take a few quick pictures to send. Applejack is still getting permission from Granny Smith. Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle would also come, but we still wait for any word from Scootaloo. So, that concludes the report. Let me know if you have any questions you may have. See ya soon.
From, Sunset Shimmer
"Sunset Shimmer!" She recognizes that yell. Sure enough, when she looks up, Pinkie Pie, a pink-skinned girl with big, candy-pink, stylized hair, cheerily skips like a hyperactive bunny with a smile radiant with positivity.
Following her behind are her friends, and bandmates. Applejack, the cowgirl who wears a cowboy hat and stylized boots, places her hands on her waist while shaking her head at Pinkie's usual behavior. Rarity, the violet-haired girl with truly white skin, and Fluttershy, a light-pink-haired, cream-yellow-skinned girl, are discussing in the background, probably fashion. When they arrive, Rainbow Dash, an appropriately rainbow-colored hair girl, wraps her arm around Sunset.
"Are you excited about the trip, Sunset?" Rainbow exuberantly asks Sunset.
"Of course," Sunset answers. She places her book back into her bag and tells them, "C'mon".
As they entered the school foyer and halls, which were filled with Canterlot High students, something caught Sunset's attention. A group of four girls, clearly not from this school, walk down the same crowded hall in the opposite direction. The cluttered chat from the students is replaced by silence as Sunset eyes on one particular girl. While the other girls are either distracted or never noticed the sudden change, one girl stares directly at Sunset. Eye-to-eye. It's the same girl again. Shirt, black hair, and silver eyes. With the same, confused expression as her too.
When they passed by, Sunset felt a little force on her heart. It felt cuddly, ticklish, and warm. Both of their checks are visibly flustered as they gaze at each other. They also turned around, never breaking eye contact with each other. Eventually, both she and her group disappear into the ocean of people. It was a surreal experience. When she snaps out of the trance, she bumps into Rainbow Dash and drops her coffee tumbler. Luckily, Rainbow was quick to react, catching and returning it to her.
"Are you okay, darling? You seem to space out for the moment there," said Rarity, worried. Sunset blinks a few times to process what had just happened. Sunset gazes behind again to check if she is losing her mind there. Sure enough, the girl and her group vanished after the dust had settled. When she looks towards her friends, all of them give a concerned look.
"Oh, I must've been distracted by something. I mean, last week has got to be the most tiring task we have," Sunset lies to her friends. Sure, they dealt with some crazy magic shenanigans like last week, but still, Sunset doesn't want to burden her friends for her hullabaloo that she witnessed. Especially when summer break is just around the corner. Sunset fakes a smile and precipitously runs away from them, till she accidentally crashes onto a locker because she didn't pay attention in front. She scoots into the corner and catches her breath.
'What's wrong with me?' Whoever the girl is, she rapidly developed a feeling towards her despite never meeting her. Even Sunset flustered when she thinks of her. Her short, black hair. Her fair skin. Her black with red lining attire akin to Red Riding Hood. Her red stylized rose emblem on her cape pin and belt. But the most important of all, her silver eyes.
She feels a warm, almost comforting feeling in her heart. She presses hard on her chest as the feeling intensifies. All she thinks of is her and her name, which she has no idea how she got it.
'Ruby...why do I feel this? What do you and I have in common?'
~''~''~''~
Ruby heard someone's voice in her head. She wants to ignore it, passing it off as an imaginary thought. However, this nagging feeling persists and even, unexpectedly talks back, as if this person understands her thoughts. It's almost terrifying to think about it. And she is certain that the person on the other side would think the same thing, which doubles the eerie factor. A second thought.
'I have too many questions about what's happening to us,' said the person from the other side.
'Me too,' she finally replies.
'Also, we don't need some ambiguous formality here since we both know who we are.'
'Okay… Sunset.' It felt surreal to hear herself say that. Greeting a total stranger like the closest friend, with the name and such. Only known for a few hours into the day, and yet knows more of her than her sister. Ruby bets Sunset, whoever she is, agrees with her.
Then, she heard someone call her name. She instinctively looks in the direction of the voice, on her left. However, instead of Yang, who is sitting next to her, she is greeted by Applejack. Hold on, how did she know who she is?
Frantically, she darts left and right, and finds herself in an alien area. She's surrounded by Sunset's friends (again, she can't understand how) and inspects herself. To her shock, she's not herself anymore, she's Sunset herself.
Before she can process what's going on, someone calls her again. She looked left once again, it was Yang. Soon, she found out she's back at the cafeteria again, surrounded by her teammates and friends, again with the same worried expression.
"Are you okay, Ruby? You seem to go crazy for the moment there. What happened?" asked Weiss, concerned for her. Without hesitation, she promptly stands and tells them, "I'm going to the bathroom."
Then, she dashes out of the cafeteria at lighting speed to the nearby bathroom. Once there, she checks if there's anybody else in there. No one. Good! She walks towards the large, horizontal, rectangular mirror, hoping Sunset to be there.
Sure enough, she's there, on the other side. As expected, Sunset, too, is confused about what they saw back at the cafeteria, judging by her demeanor.
"What was that?" Sunset questions. Hands-on the brim of the sink, she shook her head. She signals to her if she, too, experiences something similar to this.
"Not to this extent. This is all Greek to me." Whatever that is happening to them, both Ruby and Sunset are sure that this isn't a normal thing. They both exchange an awkward smile as they figure out what to do.
Then, Ruby notices two things about Sunset. One is that Sunset suddenly blushing for no reason, and another is that a glowing heart materialized on her chest. It is illuminated in a hue of soft blue, and whenever Ruby looks at it, she feels… tingly.
"Sunset? What is that?", she remarks. Sunset looks below, comments, "Oh, this is peculiar. You also have this on your chest too."
She quickly checks below and, sure enough, the same heart also forms on her too. When they both look at each other, they blush intensely. They tried to look away for a moment. However, that doesn't diminish the awkwardness and the intensity of their feelings. Ruby feels uneasy and her heart begins aching.
"Are we…" Then, her visions begin to redden. Does that mean…
"Sunset?" They were both shocked when they heard the voice. It was Twilight. She must have followed her to here. She responds back to her, saying she's okay. But, she's not buying it judging by her next question.
"You have never behaved like this before. What's going on?" Sunset looks at Ruby for a moment, asking silently, "What should I do?"
Ruby only shrugs. Then, they both see Twilight entering the toilet via the reflection. Sunset turns around, which suddenly cuts Ruby off. Soon, all Ruby sees is her reflection. Only her. Then, she sees her teammates appear in the reflection. They group around her and voice their concern. Weiss asks her, "Is there something that bothers you?"
"Oh, look at you. Did my sister finally break that cold demeanor of yours?" Yang teases Weiss.
"Yang Xiao Long! This is not the best time to crack a joke! This is a serious issue!" Weiss berates.
"I'm okay," Ruby finally spoke. She grabs the rim of the sink and ponders for a moment. Ruby still can't believe what was going on with her today. Yesterday was a normal day, and now, it has become the weirdest day in her life. The weirdest of all is Sunset.
Who is she? How does she know her? How does Ruby know Sunset too? What's going on? And above all, why did she feel like she loves Sunset— romantically?
She shook her head. No way Ruby loves Sunset, not once. They just met each other. But what about the heart stuff? All this thinking aching her head, except it's a quite strong one, an unusual one at that.
She feels dizzy and nauseous for no reason at all. She hobbled around, struggling to keep her balance. Weiss asks her if she's okay. Then, she collapses on the floor. Weiss catches and holds Ruby up until she stabilizes herself. Ruby's face goes pale and she feels frail. Weiss puts her hand on her cheek.
"We need to get to the clinic," Weiss told Blake and Yang. But Ruby refuses to go with a sickly response, "No".
"I have to tell you something."
"~" ~"~"
Ruby sits on the edge of Weiss's bed while surrounded by her teammates. Weiss sits across from her on Blake's bed. Yang sits on a chair backward, arms on the back. While Blake is sitting on the floor, cross-legged. Ruby is brushing Zwei's fur, who is sleeping on her lap when her sister finally breaks the silence.
"So, you're connected to someone who is not from this world," Yang tries to understand the story. Ruby nods her head.
"That someone and you can literally understand each other because both of you can feel the same thing."
"We can also communicate via a mirror, hence why I went to the toilet," Ruby adds.
"So, that means that your freak-out at the cafeteria is a… What words describe it?"
"An out-of-body experience?" Weiss answers. Yang agrees with her with a snap, her finger-pointing to Weiss, and a nod. Ruby only shrugs because she, too, is unsure of how to describe the incident back at the cafeteria. Then, they hear a knock on the door, followed by a familiar voice, "Can we come in?"
"Sure," Ruby replies. Entering the room is another team of four, a neighbor from across Team RWBY's dorm. Jaune, a scrawny yellow-haired boy who is also the leader, has the look of worry. And so does the rest of them, Pyrrha, Ren, and Nora. "Is it about what I said last week? Is that why you're freaking out there?"
Ruby is quick to clear the misunderstanding. "Ah, no. No! It wasn't like that!" Jaune breathes a sigh of relief. Ruby understands his concern. And she guaranteed that Sunset would feel the same thing if she's in her shoes.
Weiss comes over to her and comforts her, "I don't know the specific details of your problem. But you have us and you, I, and they are always looking at each other's backs."
Ruby smiles and thanks her for that encouraging statement. Then, Ruby remarks, "Funny. Sunset did tell me, or rather, I know that Sunset and her friends were battling with a creature last week."
Weiss wraps her arm around her and she feels a comforting warmth from the wrap. But her face falls because she feels something. Something familiar and unfamiliar at the same time. She looks to the right where Weiss is sitting— except Weiss isn't there. Instead of her lies a girl with exaggeratedly big almond-shaped eyes with emerald-colored irises. Her long hair of red and brilliant yellow flows down over her with a tiny swirly bang on the forefront. The short leather vest with spikes on the lapel. Her emblem is on her bright orange undershirt and her necklace. It was Sunset.
Ruby can't take her eyes off Sunset's oddly alluring eyes. As if she's the only thing that she only sees. Oh...this feeling again. Both of their cheeks blushed intensively.
"Sunset!" Someone snaps her back into reality. When she returns, Sunset realizes she's in The Sweet Shoppe, Pinkie's family business. Surrounded by her concerned friends, Sunset is dazed by what just happened while Applejack tells her, "Your head is in the cloud again. What's bothering you?"
"Don't forget you just stare at Twilight for thirty seconds," Rainbow barges in with an impish smirk. Sunset can't believe her. She looks at her left and, sure enough, Twilight is there too. She too is confused by Sunset's unusual behavior.
Sunset hides her face in embarrassment while Rainbow Dash laughs at the outcome before being elbowed on her hip by Applejack. Pinkie Pie chimed in by asking, "Is it the girl you mentioned earlier that you're staring at, right?"
Still hiding her face, Sunset nods. Everyone looks at each other while Sunset finally shows herself. Fluttershy places her hand on Sunset's shoulder to comfort her. "You always have us. I'm sure we will welcome Ruby with open arms."
Sunset smiles and thanks Fluttershy for the comforting word. Then, Sunset comments, "Funny. Weiss said the same thing to her as well." The comment left everyone puzzled.
"Who's Weiss?" Twilight is quick to ask.
"Oh, she's Ruby's lover," Sunset subconsciously told everyone. After Sunset realizes what she had just said, she quickly rebuts her statement, "Friends, she's a friend and teammate of hers."
Everyone laughs it off from the snafu. Sunset apologizes to Ruby for the mistake, to which she accepts the apology, although with a flustered tone.
"So have you spoken to her about this already?" asked Rarity.
"I do." Sunset then takes her magic book out of her bag, flips through the page, and places it down on the table. Everyone leans in to take a peek.
I examine the ailment you describe with intense scrutiny but I cannot determine the actual ailment itself and its causes. From what you describe, it sounds like an Equestrian magic just like you suspected. However, either it was an obscure form of magic, or wasn't discovered before, I can't find a single reference to it. Believe me, I tried.
I scoured the entire section of Canterlot library and mine, every nook and cranny. I got nothing. I even asked Princess Celestia, Luna, Cadence, and even Discord himself about the strange ailment. No one has any idea of what ailment you and the other girl, Ruby, are contracting.
Not to worry though, I won't give up. I'm gonna dig through the forbidden section in search of any clues. Stay strong, Sunset...and Ruby.
"Not inspiring any confidence here, is it?" said Applejack. "Nope. I guess we have to wait and see." Sunset knows Ruby doesn't want to drag this problem even more, not in this current state. But they had to, and Ruby knows that too.
'Hang in there, Ruby. We'll sort this out eventually. I hope.'
End of Chapter 1