Chapter Text
Beacon Academy is one of the four prestigious Huntsmen Academies, the finest places of learning in all of Remnant when it comes to becoming a Hunter. Beacon Academy is #2 when it comes to teams sticking together after graduation, too (Vacuo is #1)! Not only that, but Beacon has always welcomed recruits from all walks of life. They say that if you apply, you’ll be allowed into orientation, with almost no difficulty…of course, Ruby Rose never thought she’d be invited early! All she did was stop a robbery…and okay, yeah, she’s a legacy, so that might be part of it.
Either way, Ruby is now on an airship to the one and only Beacon Academy! Professor Ozpin invited the 15-year-old girl to Beacon Academy two years early, and now Ruby is attending in the same year as her older sister, Yang.
Ruby looks out the window quietly, seeing Beacon on the horizon. She has her hood up shyly, her suitcase at her side, and her silver eyes glitter in the light. Ruby looks back at the colorful array of students, dressed to the nines in their combat gear with their weapons at their side. Ruby’s eyes, analytic like a sniper’s should be, take in every detail of every weapon she can see, and her ears pick up on the din of conversations around her and pick out a handful of words.
“This is crazy, Ren!” an orange-haired girl laughs. “The bus is actually flying!”
“We’ve already been flying for two hours, Nora,” the calm boy says next to her. “And I keep telling you, this is an airship, not a bus.”
Her weapon looks like it unfolds into a hammer, and the barrels are too wide to be normal bullets…a grenade launcher, maybe? Ruby internally analyzes. And that guy…it almost looks like he doesn’t have any weapons, but there’s a glint of metal underneath his sleeves. Gauntlets like Yang, or just hidden weapons? It’s probably something at least adjacent to close-quarters combat.
Ruby’s eyes trail to other interesting weapons in the room. That airsick guy looks like he has a classic shield and sword. Mundane, but classic. And that’s Pyrrha Nikos! Milo and Akuo are even more impressive up close…not just a powerful bladed shield, but a primary weapon that’s a rifle, spear, AND a sword! All the best weapons have three forms.
“Is someone creeping on weapons again?” Yang hugs her little sister from behind, who AGKS in surprise! “Come on, Ruby, you’ll have time to ogle later! Right now, I just wanna enjoy the fact that I’m going to Beacon with my baby sister!” She grins. “They’ll be calling you a prodigy soon enough. Everyone’s gonna think you’re the bee’s knees!”
“I don’t wanna be the bee’s knees, or a prodigy!” Ruby huffs. “I don’t wanna be any kind of knees! I just wanna be a normal girl with normal knees. I just…being moved ahead two years is an honor, but it’s also a lot, you know? I don’t wanna stick out too much. I just wanna go through Beacon the same way I went through Signal.”
“Ruby, you went through Signal without having any friends!” Yang pouts and shakes her head, keeping an arm around her sister. “Look, your talents are amazing. Everyone knew you’d move ahead sooner or later, and while no one really thought you’d move ahead two years, you gotta face it: you’re talented, sis! And going through school without friends isn’t gonna be an option. You’re gonna be on a team!”
“Well…maybe I can wait until teams are assigned before I talk to anyone…?” Ruby pleads.
“Hmm…nah,” Yang grins and drags Ruby along. “Come on, let’s go meet some people!”
“Yang, noooo!” Ruby whines as she’s dragged by her sister.
“Let’s see, who looks bored and alone?” Yang muses, and her eyes soon land on a girl sitting in the airship window, reading a book. The girl has black hair, golden eyes, and wears a bow.
“Hey, there! Got a minute?” Yang greets the girl, who looks up at them wordlessly. “I’m Yang, and this is my adorable baby sister and soon-to-be best huntress at Beacon, Ruby Rose.”
“Yang!” Ruby blushes and pulls her hood up more.
“What’s your name?” Yang smiles innocently, as if she’s not doing everything she can to completely embarrass Ruby.
“...it’s Blake,” the girl answers quietly as her eyes trail back to her book. She says nothing else.
“So…isn’t the weather lovely today?” Yang tries to break the ice.
“Yes. Almost as lovely as this book,” Blake turns a page, “that I’ll continue to read as soon as you’re gone.”
Yang pouts, clearly a little upset that her attempt to make a friend isn’t working. Ruby decides to take another step, at the very least to make Yang feel better.
“What book is that?” Ruby asks.
“It’s about a man with two souls,” Blake slowly answers, “each fighting for control over his body.”
“The Man with Two Souls,” Ruby reads the cover, “I think we have that book at home…I’ve never read it, though.” Ruby says. “But I do like reading! Stories about heroes and monsters. Those tales of epic heroism are why I want to be a Huntress.”
“The real world isn’t like a fairy tale, you know. There aren’t always happy endings.” Blake says.
“Well, that’s why we’re here.” Ruby smiles, and the purity seems to catch Blake off guard. “To make the world a better place and make a happy ending.”
“Aw, look at my baby sister, being poetic already!” Yang headlocks Ruby lovingly.
“Agh! Yang, you always do this!” Ruby complains, and Blake smiles a little bit at the sisterly display.
“Come on, you never let me headlock you this long! You usually escape by now,” Yang muses.
“My semblance makes a mess! I don’t want rose petals everywhere!” Ruby protests.
As Ruby complains, the nearby news bulletin catches her attention…truly, it catches most people’s attention.
“A riot broke out when members of the White Fang forced their way into a recent Faunus civil rights protest.” Lisa Lavender reports. “Due to suspicions of the White Fang’s involvement in a series of Dust robberies, the Schnee Dust Company is considering fortifying its security division and increasing precautions.”
“The Schnee Dust Company and the White Fang…” Ruby sighs. “I guess they really are all over the news, like Dad said. Is it true that Mom supported the White Fang? I can hardly remember.”
“Yeah, but that was before the violent change,” Yang answers. “I’m more concerned about the SDC. Uncle Qrow says they’re the most corrupt in the world. He says their Faunus labor borders on slave labor.”
“Excuse me,” a voice says from behind the girls, and they turn around to see a prim and proper girl in white with white hair and blue eyes. “What did you just say? You two don’t even know what you’re talking about.”
“Who are you supposed to be?” Yang questions.
“I am Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company!” The girl says haughtily.
“Seriously?” Yang’s eyes widen a little.
“Uh…sorry about all that!” Ruby says nervously. “Our uncle just hears a lot of rumors, and he’s pretty much a drunk, so I’m sure at least a few of them are exaggerated!”
Weiss’s eyes narrow as she truly takes in Ruby’s appearance. “Aren’t you a little young to be here? This isn’t your typical combat school, you know. This is Beacon Academy.”
“Hey!” Yang gets defensive. “My sister has earned the right to be here. Professor Ozpin himself invited her!”
“Yang, don’t go telling people that!” Ruby practically hisses in a hushed tone.
“Oh, please. You expect me to believe the Headmaster saw some unforeseen potential in a girl who believes baseless rumors, spread by the anti-human Faunus and that lowlife group of thieves, the White Fang?” Weiss scoffs.
Suddenly, a BAM silences the girls, and they look back to see it was Blake, violently and loudly closing her book with one hand.
“The White Fang were once a pacifist group,” Blake says calmly and stares at Weiss, “at least until your Father’s company started to exploit them with the unsafe working conditions and unsavory business partners that he introduced when he took the reins.”
“Wha- how dare you!” Weiss sputters.
“Alright, hold on!” Yang steps between the girls and speaks to them in a motherly tone. “Let’s try not to let politics get in the way here. We’re all on the same side, right? We’re all students, so let’s get along!”
“Yeah, Yang’s right!” Ruby smiles. “We’re all training to be huntresses, and that means helping everyone. Even hunters who aren’t on the same team should work together, so we should still be friends…right?”
“Oh, for sure!” Weiss says mockingly. “We can paint our nails, try on clothes, and talk about cute boys, like…tall, blond, and scraggly over there!” Weiss vaguely gestures to the airsick guy, whose attention has been vaguely caught by the conversation when he’s mentioned.
“Really?” Ruby smiles hopefully.
“No.” Weiss scowls. “Don’t even speak to me again.” She turns and huffs as she struts away.
“...I’m bad at making friends,” Ruby mutters.
“Hey, don’t be like that! We met Blake.” Yang tries to make her feel better.
“Blake walked away while Weiss was mocking me…” Ruby mutters, and Yang turns to see where Blake was and frowns.
“Well, at the very least, she didn’t seem to hate us.” Yang shrugs. “We’ll call her an acquaintance.”
“And what do we call Weiss? A negative friend?” Ruby pouts.
“There’s no such thing as negative friends! We just made…an enemy!” Yang grins teasingly.
“I don’t wanna make enemies!” Ruby complains, and Yang chuckles.
“Welcome to Beacon,” a woman’s voice rings out, and the screens fade as a holographic display of Professor Goodwitch rises. “My name is Glynda Goodwitch, one of the instructors here at Beacon Academy. As you know, you are here for orientation, and so the airship you are on will not yet take you to the main campus: it will deliver you to the Emerald Forest, the site of your orientation test.”
Mutters surround the airship, a surprise at there being a test before even reaching the main campus, but Ruby and Yang smile a little at each other. Their dad warned them about this…only the best of the best are allowed at academies like these, so each academy has its own style of entrance exam.
“Before we land, though, Professor Ozpin has a few words he’d like to say,” Glynda reports, and the hologram shifts to that of Professor Ozpin, holding his cane and a cup of coffee.
“Greetings, students,” Professor Ozpin greets, “I’ll keep this brief. You have all traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But from what I have seen on the airship's security feed…all I see is wasted energy.” He narrows his eyes. “In need of direction and purpose. You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. The first step to growing beyond this need is the Emerald Forest test, where we shall evaluate the true worth of your training.” A map appears to help direct the students; a test of their memories comes first, it seems. “Arm yourselves and place your bags in one of the personal lockers that the ship’s attendants will direct you to. You have twenty minutes until the ship lands. Once the test begins, you must make your way to the old temple and eliminate any Grimm that stand in your way. Proctors will be hidden across the forest to evaluate you and rescue you if you are in true danger…but if that occurs, and your life is truly saved with your aura depleted, you will be removed from this year’s class roster.” Despite the dour tone, Ozpin pushes his glasses up and says one final thing. “I’m sure you’re all wondering how teams will be assigned. Rest assured, that will be explained once you land.” He says, and the hologram fades.
Teams being formed…that’s the one thing Dad never told us. Ruby frowns. He wanted it to be a real surprise. I just hope it’s something we can choose…I want Yang on my team.
Ruby takes a deep breath. “Okay! I’m ready! Not gonna let a few bad experiences with people keep me down. It’s time to let my sweetheart do the talking.”
“You know initiation’s gonna be as much about teamwork as it is about fighting Grimm, right?” Yang crosses her arms and arches an eyebrow.
“Well…I’ll just be on a team with you,” Ruby shrugs.
“Maybe you should try being on someone else’s team?” Yang gently suggests.
“My dear sister Yang, are you implying that you do not wish to be on the same team as me?!” Ruby shrieks dramatically.
“What? No! Of course I do!” Yang holds up her hands defensively. “I just thought…I don’t know, maybe some new teammates would help you break out of your shell!”
“I-I don’t need to break out of any shell!” Ruby crosses her arms and huffs, and Yang sighs.
~=~
Weiss Schnee walks through the airship’s locker room. She’s already armed herself easily, and it’s here that she sees the person she’s been looking for: Pyrrha Nikos.
“How do you do?” Weiss greets the Invincible Girl. “I am Weiss Schnee.”
“Yes, I overheard you earlier…” Pyrrha smiles politely as she gets her armor and weaponry in place. “My name is-”
“Pyrrha Nikos, right?” Weiss smiles, and Pyrrha’s expression becomes pensive. Around them, people begin to whisper as they realize Pyrrha Nikos is here, and Weiss smirks with pride as the first person to speak with Pyrrha here.
“Have you given any thought to whose team you'd like to be on? I'm sure everyone must be eager to unite with such a strong, well-known individual such as yourself!” Weiss compliments.
“I was planning to let the chips fall where they may,” Pyrrha doesn’t make eye contact with Weiss as she shifts Milo between its three forms to test out the smooth transition.
“Well, I thought that perhaps you and I could team up together!” Weiss suggests.
“That’s a nice offer…I’ll certainly consider it,” Pyrrha says politely.
Perfect! Weiss grins internally. The smartest girl, myself, will work with the strongest girl, Pyrrha! Together, we’ll be unstoppable! I can see it now…popular, perfection, fame, and glory await us! My connections and her growing renown will make our team unstoppable, no matter who else is on our team! Especially if I’m in charge. Nothing can come between us now!
~=~
Pyrhha Nikos has long been called “The Invincible Girl.” For such a high pedestal, Pyrrha wanted to come to a Huntsman Academy, where she might finally be on an equal level to some others, and she chose Beacon because Sanus is a completely different continent from Anima, a place where she could perhaps be unknown. Professor Ozpin’s declaration was admittedly intimidating…Pyrrha has heard that most headmasters let their students spend a single night on campus grounds, but the vicious idea that everyone here must earn their place is genius. Ozpin is using the adrenaline and drive every student is feeling to their advantage. Everyone here earned the right to attend orientation, and Ozpin is dangling Beacon Academy in front of them just out of reach, making it clear that all they’ll ever want will be here if they can earn it.
Of course, Weiss Schnee is causing a slight annoyance to Pyrrha’s hopes. She had hoped to spend at least a day without being recognized, but alas, Pyrrha had no such luck. The girl is clearly opportunistic…well, Pyrrha has heard a rumor that the team-building process for Beacon is “semi-random”, whatever that means, so maybe there’s still hope for some better-suited people on Pyrrha’s team. For now, she’ll be polite, tell Weiss that her offer is nice, and leave it there.
“You know what else is nice?” a new voice says, and Pyrrha arches an eyebrow to see a blonde-haired boy leaning on lockers nearby, wearing armor with a sword at his waist. “Me, Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you ladies,” he says with perhaps the most false bravado Pyrrha had ever seen in her life.
“Ugh, we’re in the middle of something…” Weiss scowls.
“Nice to meet you, too, Jaune.” Pyrrha smiles politely.
“So, I couldn’t help but overhear your fondness for me back there. I hear we’re forming teams, and I figure you and me could make a good one,” he winks and fires a finger-gun at Weiss, who seems utterly appalled.
“I believe each team has four students,” Pyrrha says, amused by his antics, though she’s waiting for the other shoe to drop when he realizes who he’s talking to.
“Oh, is that right? Play your cards right, and you could both be on the winning team!” Jaune says with a pompous facade.
“Hm, is that right?” Pyrrha amusedly ponders his words. There’s no awe to his tone like most people, nor any wish for advantage like Weiss…he couldn’t just…not know, could he?
“Wait, wait, hold on just a second, do you even know who you’re talking to?” Weiss asks, and Jaune looks at her inquisitively. “Top of her class at Sanctum Academy? She won the Mistral Regionals four years in a row? Pyrrha Nikos?”
“Yeah, uh, I have no idea who that is.” Jaune chuckles.
“Oh, for goodness…she’s on a cereal box!” Weiss pulls out her scroll to pull up a picture to show him.
“Wow, that’s awesome!” Jaune says earnestly, his false bravado lowering for a moment, letting Pyrrha see the boy underneath.
He really doesn’t know… Pyrrha smiles to herself. It’s been a long time since someone saw me as a stranger.
“My little sisters like it, but to be honest, I never really liked that cereal,” Jaune says with a little brutal honesty.
“I actually don’t either,” Pyrrha smiles. “It is not very healthy.”
“Yeah, I guess that’d be the sugar, huh?” Jaune talks to her casually. Pyrrha Nikos is having a normal, casual conversation with someone! About cereal, of all things! Such mundane words…she had forgotten how good it felt to speak them.
“Oh, back off!” Weiss pulls Jaune away, and Pyrrha frowns.
“Wha! Bu…why?” Jaune asks, looking like a kicked puppy.
“Because nobody invited you,” Weiss scoffs.
“I…I’m sorry.” Jaune sulks and walks away.
Pyrrha looks toward Jaune and smiles a little bit. She wouldn’t mind being on a team with him.
~=~
Jaune Arc sighs and slumps against a locker.
“Having some trouble there, ladykiller?” A blonde girl approaches with a shorter girl who has black and red hair. “Aren’t you the guy who got airsick? Bold move to follow up vomit with what you probably think are smooth moves.”
Jaune sighs and hangs his head. “My Dad said all women look for is confidence.”
The blonde laughs, and the shorter girl giggles. “Oh, is that what that was?” the blonde chuckles.
The entire airship begins to slow down, and everyone feels the ship land.
“Looks like we’re here. Good luck…Jaune, right?” Ruby says.
“Yeah,” Jaune sighs and stands up. “Same to you.”
~=~
As the students step out of the airship, they find themselves not in the Emerald Forest itself…they are on a cliff overlooking it. Each student positions themself on a metallic dais, which Ruby can tell is meant to launch them into the forest. It’s basic hunter training: landing strategies! That’s probably the first part of the test.
“Initiation will push you to your limits,” Professor Ozpin remarks. “It will test your navigation skills, your memories, your resourcefulness, and most of all, your combat training.”
“Now, I’m sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams,” Professor Goodwitch says next to him. “Allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates today.”
Ruby stiffens up anxiously, but may this won’t be so bad…
“These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well.” Ozpin warns. “That being said…the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years.”
“W…what?!” Ruby exclaims.
“Any further questions?” Ozpin asks.
“Uh…sir-?” Jaune tries to raise his hand.
“Good!” Ozpin ignores him, and the platforms launch the students into the air and into the forest!
~=~
As she soars through the air, Ruby pulls out Crescent Rose. She expertly fires the gun as an opposite momentum to slow her descent, and then she shifts her weapon into scythe form and catches a tree branch to slow herself further and land on the ground securely.
“Alright! Gotta find Yang-” Ruby begins to mutter to herself, but she suddenly hears screaming above her. She looks up and sees a figure thunk into the large tree she landed at the bottom of: that Jaune guy! It looks like Pyrrha fired her javelin to save him, since, based on his flailing, he had no landing strategy to speak of.
“Well…at least he seems nice, aside from the fake confidence.” Ruby shrugs and uses her Petal Burst to transform into a cloud of roses, twirl around the tree to scale it, and then land so she’s sitting on a branch next to where he’s hanging. “Hey!”
“Wha! Where’d you come from?!” Jaune exclaims.
“Need some help?” Ruby asks.
“I…” Jaune struggles a little to get free, and then sighs and slumps, defeated. “Yes.”
Ruby smiles and pulls Milo free from the tree and catches Jaune before he falls, carrying him to the ground.
“Jeez, how are you so strong?!” Jaune exclaims.
“Hey, it’s not like you aren’t heavy!” Ruby huffs as they land. “But hey! We’re teammates now.”
“Yeah!” Jaune smiles a little. “Uh…guess we should introduce ourselves properly.”
“Right! I’m Ruby Rose,” Ruby holds out her hand for him.
“Jaune Arc,” Jaune shakes her hand. “Short, sweet, rolls on the tongue…ladies love it!” He winks with false bravado.
“Do they?” Ruby smirks skeptically.
“They will! Probably. Maybe…” Jaune sighs. “Anyway, uh…we should probably get moving, huh?”
“Right! We gotta find the temple Professor Ozpin mentioned.” Ruby says.
“Any chance I could have my weapon back?” a kind voice asks as Pyrrha emerges from the treeline.
“Oh, you’re Pyrrha!” Jaune smiles. “So that was your javelin, huh? Thanks for the save.”
“Here you go!” Ruby holds out Milo to Pyrrha. “Milo’s even more impressive in person.”
“Not many people know the names of my weapons,” Pyrrha smiles and takes the weapon back. “I suppose you two are a pair now, so I’ll just need to find my own partner.”
“Well, good luck! Maybe we’ll see each other later!” Ruby smiles.
“I’d certainly hope so,” Pyrrha gives the duo a nod of respect, and they part ways.
~=~
Pyrrha has to admit, she’s a little disappointed that she didn’t get to Jaune first…he seemed quite nice. Alas, that young lady found him first. She seems quite nice, too…an eye for weaponry, Pyrrha surmised, and quite young. Being allowed into a huntsman academy so young is quite unusual, no matter your skill level. Pyrrha knows that personally. Perhaps they’ll both make good friends.
“Pyrrha!” a jovial voice says, and Pyrrha looks over as her eyes meet Weiss’s. “I found you!”
Pyrrha takes a deep breath, but smiles politely. “Oh, Weiss! How lovely to see you.”
Well…this might be a bit difficult. But maybe it won’t be so bad.