Chapter Text
Ruby Rose woke up as if she was waking up from a nightmare, the sudden intake of air and then her following fast deep breaths, followed by patting herself to check for an injury she was certain she had convinced she was not dead. After making certain she had no injury, Ruby looked around still alert only to realize she was in her room. It had been just a dream.
Ruby was no stranger to strange dreams, from following a surprisingly caring commander against a horde of robots protecting the last remnants of humanity, to leading a team mech pilots in an attempt to stop the crashing of a space colony into a world or even just now in the dream she just woke up from, leading a team against horrific forest monsters that looked like a mix of animals and people. And yet, this last dream felt more real than the last, from the frustrations, the feeling of tiredness, the adrenaline, even the horrible smell! It all felt so real.
After calming herself down, Ruby realized she wouldn't be able to go back to sleep, so she got out of her bed and prepared to take a shower, change herself, eat breakfast and then do maintenance on Crescent Rose. At least that way she would be able to visit her mother earlier than she originally planned to.
==============================
Weiss Schnee woke up completely confused, she felt as if something or more accurately someone was missing and yet another part of her brain was telling her there was nothing missing. Looking around and finding her bedroom looking the exact same way, Weiss soon found her confusion turning into frustration. It had all been a dream.
Weiss hated those dreams, the adventure, the freedom, the fact she didn’t have to deal with her less than stellar family, fighting for a just cause. All things she once wanted and looked forward to, childish dreams that will never come true. Shaking her head trying to forget said old wishes and dreams, Weiss got out of her bed deciding to concentrate on the following test to come. She only needed to complete it to go to Beacon, no matter what her father had prepared, she would be ready.
However, the strange feeling of realism this last dream left her never really went away through the rest of the day. Nor did the horrible smell.
==============================
Jaune liked his dreams, there he could be everything he was not, a knight, a confidant, a savior, a fighter, a leader … a hero. Yet now wide awake, he was forced to the reality of his situation once again. He was in his bedroom, in his family’s house, in the middle of the night and nowhere closer to his dream than several years prior, not in the desperate fight in a forest he had just dreamed about. His parents, a farmer and a teacher by career, had been vehemently opposed to his attempts at being a huntsman, saying it was too dangerous, that he would be more helpful taking another job and yet his sisters were all following his dreams, why couldn’t he do the same! He had managed to get some under the table tutoring and his dreams gave him cool ideas but still, it was nowhere near enough to what he wanted.
Then, a flash of an idea hit him, he could still be a hero. His family would most certainly be angry but if things went as he planned, he would be ok. Realizing he didn’t have much time; he got out of bed to write a goodbye note and then continue with his plan. He figured he could wing it. Now if only he could stop feeling that damn smell.
==============================
Pyrrha was used to success, she however was not used to failure and yet, this last dream had been exactly that, a desperate fight they had failed to win. Overwhelmed by the animalistic monsters surrounding them in a desperate, Despite being a dream it made her uneasy, failure was supposed to be something everyone dealt with and yet, she had never truly felt how it was to truly fail, seeing it happen so decisively was a strange experience specially since it was a dream, even if a terrifyingly realistic one, she could feel the smell even now wide awake.
Looking at the clock and realizing getting back to sleep was going to be impossible, she got up to get ready for her daily training. Being the invincible champion was not easy after all and it depended on her continuing her training although it caused the problem of keeping her reputation so overwhelming it made people put her on a pedestal.
Hopefully her going to Beacon would change that, after all, with going to such a prestigious huntsman academy nobody would have any reason to look up to her and instead she would finally get true peers. That very idea made her sincerely smile.
==============================
For Ruby, visiting her mom had become a tradition, it gave her time to think, to try to establish a connection she never had with her mother. However, this time it really didn’t matter, she had news to tell!
“Hey mom, well, yes I know I’m early but, I have so many things to tell you!” - says a happy Ruby
“Yang is going to Beacon! Yeah, she is going to Beacon. Sure, she still needs to pass the entrance exam but it's Yang! She’s going to pass that exam.” - continues Ruby in a nonchalant voice.
“But that's not all! She is going a little bit early to Vale and I’m going too! We both need a bit more dust ammunition and I need a few more materials to make new spare parts for Crescent Rose”
“That said …”
Ruby stops for a small moment organizing her thoughts before continuing, traces of doubt entering her voice
“... the strange dreams continue. They’re not really bad but recently they have become more and more realistic. To the point I sometimes believe they could be real. It feels so strange and yet, it somehow feels normal.”
Shaking her head to dispel the doubts, after all dreams were just that, dreams. With that thought, Ruby continued to talk to her mother, telling her other things, most of them much less important than the previous news.
Soon, Ruby was finished and started to walk her way home through the forest only to cross a pack of young beowolves in one of the clearings. Seeing no way to avoid the beowolves surrounding her, Ruby prepared to fight.
==============================
To defeat an opponent of his choosing, that was the single condition her father had given Weiss for her to be able to go to Beacon Academy. A single opponent was all that stood between her and the beginning of her road to make the SDC something better.
Spinning Myrtenaster’s dust revolver chamber after checking they were completely full Weiss let herselfThe options were many, the most probable was a mech or a robot of some kind or if she was unlucky enough, perhaps even some huntsman he managed to make a contract with. The mere thought gave Weiss shivers.
“Calm yourself Weiss, this is not how a Schnee should act”
Closing her eyes and taking slow deep breaths, Weiss manages to force herself to calm down.
“No matter” - Weiss thinks to herself full of determination
“Whatever my father has prepared, I’ll beat it”
“He won’t stop me, specially now”
Now with all doubts left aside, Weiss entered the arena where her fight would happen. The massive room was similar to the other rooms in the Schnee mansion, immaculate, massive, ostentatious and a feeling of emptiness.
Looking around Weiss could only see her father’s personal secretary and puppet waiting for her. Barely keeping her frustration out of her face, Weiss exchanged empty pleasantries and started with her training of the day. Sooner or later her true target would appear and when that happened …
“Finally, I’ll be able to follow my dreams”
==============================
While Jaune did not learn many if any combat abilities from his family, he did learn a lot about other more basic yet similarly important skills. Like being able to move within the house without waking anyone up, even if that meant taking a shower and making breakfast.
At the end, no matter the difficulties, he not only had managed that but also managed to get his clothes (including his onesie) ready and also gotten some extra food but also had gotten Crocea Mors and all his savings, he even had a plan! One that would earn the ire of his family (and the police) if it was discovered but he had a plan at least.
Deciding to not waste more time than necessary, Jaune finished packing his things and started to write a small goodbye note to his family. If everything went to plan, things would work out.
Getting out of the house, even before the sun rose up, Jaune started his personal journey.
==============================
Pyrrha expertly evaded the trust of her opponent before using Miló to strike several hit on her opponent before finishing by transforming it into his Javelin form and firing a single shot sending her opponent flying out of the arena, the strength of the shot-enhanced stab of the tip being to much.
Cheers exploded from the crowd as Pyrrha won yet again as the referee announced her followed by the announcer shouting to the top of his lungs “and the invincible girl wins again ladies and gentlemen!”
Another victory, yet another reason for people to push her further above themselves. Pyrrha hid her frustration behind a cordial, practiced smile, before going towards her opponent before helping her to stand back up and then shaking her hand while giving her honest thanks for the good fight, her opponent responding that she wasn’t really expecting to last this long actually.
What came after was just a blur for Pyrrha, from the interview, to receiving the first place cup. She just went through them using careful and well practiced actions and speeches as if on autopilot.
Beacon couldn’t come fast enough.