//------------------------------// // Your Huntsmen and Huntresses... // Story: The Multiverse in a Nutshell // by Pennington Inkwell //------------------------------// "GUH!" A guttural grunt was all that Sunset could manage as the entire world shifted around her, followed by a shock wave that ripped through her body and knocked every molecule of air from her lungs as she struck the far wall. Soon after, gravity reasserted itself and followed up the wall's haymaker to her spine with an uppercut to her tailbone. Sunset's brain told her body to get back up, but her body responded with only a series of painful denials. Even her hands seemed to be rebooting from the shock, having gone limp and lost their grip on her lightsaber. With getting up not being an option, Sunset focused on trying to get her lungs up and running again. Her eyes widened as the Beowulf leaped at her, jaws wide and its blood-red maw ready to clamp down on her throat... And then paused mid-air, the hard-light projection flickering slightly as the lifelike motion came to a full stop. "Miss Shimmer, if you're not going to take this seriously, I advise that you go home." If Sunset had been capable of talking, she would probably have replied to that with some form of expletive. For the moment, she only nodded as she pressed her hands on the ground to push herself into a crouched position. The simple act of moving her back at all sent pain racing back and forth through her muscles and up her spine, but she gritted her teeth and simply nodded to Professor Goodwitch as she limped her way out of the room. "Refusing to use your aura adds an admirable amount of self-discipline and consequences to your training, but there is a limit at which discipline becomes self-sabotage. I would advice that you take time to examine which side of that line you wish to walk on during your time at Beacon." It was a long, painful walk back to the dorms, but Sunset eventually found herself standing outside of her team's room, staring at the door. For some reason, she hesitated to enter, just staring and staring. Maybe she was ashamed of how beaten she felt, perhaps she was questioning if she really COULD manage to go back in there and get herself ready for another round of this. Sunset didn't quite understand, herself. However, it was the first time she really had afforded herself a chance to catch her breath since she'd left the training room, and she felt it in her gut. It was relief and trepidation all at once, staring at that door. "You certainly look as if you took a beating. Are you alright?" Sunset turned as quickly as she dared with the throbbing pain in her back. There was Pyrrha, her face a mix of pride and concern. Sunset let out a long breath, letting go of the tension she had unconsciously been building moments before. "I... yeah, I did," she confessed. "I thought that I could just walk into Beacon and do what I came here to do. I guess I didn't really know what I was getting into." Pyrrha smiled and reached out to grip Sunset's shoulder. "And what was it that you came here to do?" Sunset looked up into Pyrrha's piercing green eyes, so full of care and concern for everyone around her. In the back of her mind, she still couldn't help but think about the fact that, according to Penn, this girl was supposed to DIE. But it wasn't just Pyrrha. Penn had said that Beacon was going to be destroyed. Three of team RWBY's members would vanish and one of them would be maimed. In his own words, "the bad guys pretty much won." And she still was mad that he had tried not to do anything about it. "I came here to stop people from getting hurt. Innocent people. People who don't deserve it..." She straightened her posture, the throbbing pain finally starting to dull in the face of renewing her convictions. "I made a mistake a while ago and it caused people to get hurt... some people even died because of what I did." Pyrrha's eyes widened and her smile faltered slightly, but she didn't interrupt Sunset. She did remove her hand from Sunset's shoulder, though. Sunset's mind fell back to her first meeting with Penn, seeing the Daleks killing indiscriminately once they'd come through the path she had opened to them. "I tried to fix it, make up for it as best I could, even risking my own life to stop the ripples. But... there's some things you just can't fix once they're broken. Even if it was an accident, I can't bear to let a disaster like that happen again." She steeled her gaze, staring straight back into Pyrrha's eyes. "Not on my watch. Never again." Pyrrha paused for a moment, clearly digesting the new information, and Sunset worried that the deluge of information had driven her new friend away. The fellow redhead finally seemed to reach an equilibrium, looking at Sunset with a touch more respect and a note of pity. "It sounds to me as if you've already lived through far more than Beacon Academy can throw at you, and came out all the stronger for it. With a will as strong as that, I don't think that there's anything to worry about." Sunset's pain was almost completely gone, now, and she gave her shoulder a rub and rolled it in its socket, which seemed to disperse the last of the soreness. "Thanks, Pyrrha. I think... I really needed someone to ask me that. I was starting to forget, if I ever really knew, to begin with, that is." She stepped forward, giving Pyrrha a quick hug of gratitude. "You're the best." Pyrrha seemed surprised at the sudden embrace, awkwardly patting Sunset on the back a few times. "You should get some rest. Healing with aura is a nice short-term solution, but your body DOES still need to recover properly." "OH!" Sunset pulled away. "That's right! I needed to ask you something- wait, what did you say?" "Your aura can heal you well, but you can burn through your energy exceedingly quickly that way. Go get some rest." She smiled and finally wrapped her arm around Sunset's back for a short-and-awkward hug of her own. "And if you ever need to talk again, consider my door always open." Sunset looked down at her hands as Pyrrha disappeared into the door across the hall, finally noticing the red glow around her body for the first time. Is this... my aura? "I did not wish to interrupt your conversation, but it would appear that a previously absent electromagnetic phenomena has appeared around your body, Sunset Shimmer. It coincided with an immediate boost to all of your biometric readings." Sunset considered going back into the room and laying down like she had planned, but she suddenly felt energized. The thought of standing still didn't hold the appeal it once had. "Hey, Isis? Where could I find the rest of my teammates?" "It would appear that Yang and Blake have retreated to the library to study together. Meanwhile, tensions between Ruby and Weiss have come to a rather explosive head. They engaged in a rather scathing argument before going their separate ways. Ruby is currently chatting with the headmaster while Weiss has set off towards the nearest outdoor recreational area." "Weiss and Ruby had a fight?" "Affirmative." "Well, I don't want to deal with Ozpin, so... point me towards Weiss." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- It was a beautiful evening outside. The air was clean and crisp, moreso than Sunset could remember it being since she'd left Equestria. It may have had something to do with Beacon Academy's high altitude, but she wasn't about to go thinking too hard about it. It was just nice. The sun was starting to set, creating a stunning skyline of the numerous buildings that comprised the school. Sunset could see Weiss chatting with one of their professors, only for the conversation to end just as she was drawing close enough to overhear. "-and be not the best leader, but the best person you can be." With the conversation finished, he walked away in the opposite direction, and Weiss took a seat on a nearby bench, clearly somewhat overwhelmed. Sunset smiled and walked into her field of view, giving a quiet wave before gesturing to the spot beside her. Weiss gave her a quizzical look, but nodded. Sunset let the silence sit for a few more moments before finally breaking it. "I heard you and Ruby had an argument... what happened?" "Great, as if I wasn't already a prime candidate for gossip..." Weiss rolled her eyes. "If you must know, I got fed up with watching our illustrious leader make a complete fool of herself. She acts like a child, she doesn't take any of our classes seriously, and I-" she paused, catching herself before sinking a little further into her dejected posture. "I didn't think she should have been our team leader. I still don't! I was talking to Professor Port about how I thought I should be the leader of Team RWBY, but... he pointed out that throwing a tantrum like that was rather childish, as well. So now I'm not sure WHAT to do!" "That... sounds awfully familiar." Sunset felt a painful echo of Weiss's attitude in her own past. She leaned back against the bench as memories began to come flooding back to her. "It reminds me of when I was a fill- when I was a kid. I used to act the exact same way." Weiss rolled her eyes disbelievingly. "You hardly seem the type. I don't think you showed even a hint of frustration the entire time we were working together during initiation!" That made Sunset chuckle. "I appreciate that. I've come a long way... but I used to study with- well, with a REALLY good teacher, and I took it for granted. She was one of the wisest people I've ever met, and she treated me like I was her own daughter, spoiling me rotten with all of the resources to my studies and praise for my efforts that I could ask for. She nurtured my talents, and it seemed like there was nothing I couldn't do... and I knew it." Sunset felt a pang of shame as she thought back to her days studying under Princess Celestia. She had spent many long nights berating herself for taking her first mentor for granted, and wondering what could have been if she hadn't learned the most important lessons about magic the hard way. "So I decided that the student should become a master. I tried to force my way into the same power and authority she had. I started digging through things that she had forbidden from me, and for good reason... And I confronted her, telling her- demanding from her- that I deserved the same things she had. The power she had, power I wasn't ready for." Weiss had sat up, clearly enraptured by Sunset's past. "What happened next?" "She saw through me easily." Sunset rolled her eyes at the thorough anticlimax of Celestia nipping her rise to power in the bud. "She saw that my ambition was out of control, so she dismissed me as her student. I stole what I could to try and strike back at her, but... I failed. And when I was beaten, it finally gave me the clarity of mind to realize how awful I had been to everyone else, the ways I had hurt people with my words and actions all in the pursuit of what I THOUGHT was the position I deserved." Sunset shook her head, then smiled a bittersweet smile. "But I didn't know any other way... until I met my friends. They chose to let someone so broken in so they could show me what people could do when they worked WITH each other, rather than competing against one another or claiming authority." "You mentioned initiation, and I'm glad you did. Think about what Ruby did that day. She looked at the people around her and understood them. She didn't try to order anyone around or claim authority, she just thought about each of us and where we would be the most help to each other." Sunset finally turned back to Weiss and smiled. "I get that not being the one in control can be frustrating, and it's easy to find fault in people who DO have authority, whether it's given or earned. If you think you have what it takes to be a leader, then help Ruby." She took a hold of Weiss's shoulder, turning her until she was staring straight into Weiss's icy eyes. "Help Blake and Yang, too. Be a teammate who works WITH the people around you, rather than a leader who's commanding them. Be a friend. I bet Ruby can learn a lot from you, and vice versa!" Weiss sat back, eyes wide as Sunset's words sunk in. After a few seconds, though, Sunset saw the corners of her mouth inch upwards into a shallow smile. "Thank you. I think... I understand what Professor Port was trying to tell me, now." "Don't mention it. If I can help someone avoid learning the hard lessons the same way I did, I'm happy to help." Sunset gave her a pat on the shoulder before rising back up onto her feet. "Anyway, the sun's nearly gone, we should probably head back to the dorms, right?" "Actually, before we go, I have one more question!" "Yeah?" "WHAT was it that you were studying in which you were so prodigious? To be frank, judging from your technique I doubt it was swordplay." Sunset grimaced slightly, reaching to her belt and tossing her lightsaber to herself. "You've got me there. To be honest, I only started using this about a month ago, I just grabbed it in the middle of a life-or-death battle and never let it go. Until then, the only fighting I'd ever done was hand-to-hand." "You've only been using your signature weapon for A MONTH?" Weiss cried, mortified at Sunset's answer. "Yeah..." Sunset blushed slightly with embarrassment. "Just announce it to the whole school, why don't you?" Weiss marched up to Sunset, snatching the hilt from her hand and flicking on the glowing red blade. She gave Sunset a sideways glance before raising it to a ready position. She made a few experimental swings, then a trio of precise jabs at the empty air. She swept the blade wide, pivoting on her heel to strike down an invisible opponent before readjusting her grip and pounding it downwards, stopping just short of driving the tip into the pavement. There was a beat of silence before she hummed with satisfaction and switched it off again, placing it back in Sunset's hand. "Well, I don't know what I expected, but it's lighter than I would have thought. The blade itself is nearly weightless! That could be both an advantage and a disadvantage, you'll have to establish an awareness of its position with very little tactile feedback." She began walking towards the door leading back inside. "Your training starts tomorrow night in the simulation room, the same place you have your normal combat class. 8 PM, sharp! Don't be late, I don't like waiting!" Sunset blinked in confusion, wondering if she was assessing the situation right."Wait, wha- Are you saying.. you could teach me?" Weiss looked back over her shoulder, giving her a genuine smile. "You DID say I should work WITH my teammates, didn't you? That includes you, and you are in desperate need of a teacher who knows her way around a rapier." Sunset felt a wave of gratitude beginning to well up inside her, and she couldn't stop herself as she rushed forward, wrapping Weiss in a tight hug. "Thank you! I don't know what I'd do without you, Weiss!" "I know, I know... But don't thank me yet, I'm not going to take it easy on you! Now come on, we have homework to get done before tomorrow!" Sunset chuckled to herself as she released Weiss from her grip. "Homework on the first day, I still can't believe it! Not even my old teacher was THAT tough!" "Well, Beacon IS the best! Expectations for students here are high!" Weiss replied. "Besides, it's nothing we can't handle... together... right?" Sunset held back a chuckle at how hard Weiss was having to force herself. The most important thing was that she was trying to be a team player. "Right! Nothing Team RWBYS can't handle!" ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- A week. An entire week. That was how long Penn and Isis had spent slaving over this design alone, and it was still bulky and heavy. It made him feel sluggish, and there was almost no point in even having fingers on the gauntlets considering they were too bulky for any kind of precision. He couldn't move his hands quickly while he was wearing them, which worked against the point of the design. But the strength needed would come. That was why they had agreed that he would wear the gauntlets for at least three days a week from now on, from when he woke in the morning to when he went to bed at night. It would serve two purposes: strength training AND making him comfortable with his new weapons. "Isis... Are you ready for the extraction?" "Affirmative. Are you?" He nodded, but Isis could tell from his elevated breathing rate and pulse that he was frightened. It made sense, this was their first act of grand larceny which would be committed in person, rather than via digital means. Rerouting automated dust deliveries had been child's play. Setting up a falsified appointment at a weapons forge even more so. Creating a bank account into which she had funneled a large amount of capital for their purposes had been slightly more challenging, but only slightly. This, however, was the theft of an Atlesian military prototype. It was completely unlike anything they had ever done before. Unfortunately, it was necessary. They NEEDED this item if they were going to make the right first impression on the individual they planned on approaching. The falsified Schnee Dust Company credentials she had created had been enough to get them into the base. Penn's acting skills and casual dropping of classified data into conversation had been enough to convince them that he was an SDC inspector checking on the company's investments into research and development. From there, they had bluffed their way into being left alone with the unit for a "more detailed inspection." Penn took a deep breath to steady himself before giving his wrists a swift twist back and forth to lock a fresh cartridge into the chambers. "Y-yeah... Let's do this. Worst comes to worst, we don't just have to flee the country, we can flee the whole universe, right?" "The worst outcome would be death." "You're just a ray of sunshine today, truly..." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Missy paced back and forth along the rooftop of Beacon's dorms, growing increasingly frustrated. Since the first day, she'd been fit as a fiddle, and Isis had run test after test on her, only to declare that they were all inconclusive. I am THIS close to just going looking for Penn on my own just to relieve the boredom! It hardly felt like a reward for her patience at all when Isis finally came back. "I believe that I have come to a conclusion." "FINALLY! What is it?" "There is nothing wrong with you." "THAT'S IT?" Missy stamped her foot and gave her wings an annoyed flutter. "Seriously, Isis?" "If you would be willing to indulge me, there is one final test which I would like to conduct. However, it may cause another instance of your unnatural exhaustion." Missy threw her hands in the air. "FINE! If it gets me a clean bill of health, I'll do it!" "Then please follow me." Being as healthy and energized as she ever was, it was a piece of cake for Missy to follow Isis as they flew away from the school. It felt like forever, but eventually they dipped back below the trees, arriving at their destination. It was a familiar spot deep in the forest of Forever Fall, where a deep gash had been dug out of the ground by the bottom of a certain Oldsmobile, a pair of hasty tire tracks exited through the trees, and there was an energetic shimmer to the air for the keen-eyed. "The camp?" Missy tilted her head in confusion. "Specifically, the portal through which we entered this dimension." "Okay... what are we doing here? Looks like you and Penn already took off!" "I have a theory. While the transition of this unit between universes may look smooth, it requires drastic re-calibration when moving from one dimension to the next. Remote transmission is... difficult. I put a great amount of calculation into keeping up the appearance that there is no decrease in performance." Missy pondered on the words for a few seconds, but it was like a boulder in her brain: she could go around it, over it, even under it with enough effort, but she couldn't seem to get through it. Finally, she gave up and shrugged. "I don't get it." "Allow me to simplify: it takes more energy to transmit information to this universe from my home, an entirely different wavelength. Your ability to summon monsters and other supernatural phenomena would indicate that you still have ties to your own home dimension." Missy nodded at the last statement, it was finally something she could wrap her head around. "Well, yeah! Obviously, I'm still a duel spirit, no matter where I go!" "My current analysis would indicate that you utilize a form of quantum entanglement to create a matter supersuspension of yourself manifested here while your true self and consciousness remains in your home realm. If this is so, that would explain the need of the summoning method and cards: a doorway and framework upon which the subatomic entanglement is built. Additionally, if that theory is correct, the energy needed to maintain quantum homeostasis across a transdimensional barrier would be several orders of magnitude greater than maintaining your form in any single universe." Missy blinked. THAT was a boulder that had gone completely over her head. "In English?" "Moving through the portal saps your energy. You were tired because you needed to recharge." "What? No way! Penn and Sunset didn't have any trouble!" Missy waved away the idea. "Penn and Sunset are self-contained entities. You are a duel spirit. You exist across multiple planes, of which your physical presence here is merely one. Theoretically, of course." Isis's tail pointed to the shimmer in the air, and Missy got the message pretty quickly. "So you want to test it by having me go through the portal again?" "Affirmative, if you would find the risk of another period of exhaustion acceptable." Missy rolled her eyes and strolled casually up to the place she knew the portal was. "Look, I REALLY don't think that this is going to do anything, but if it'll get me out of house arrest then I'll do it!" She cringed slightly as the portal sent tingles down her spine and across her skin, but a few seconds later, she was slammed by a wave of hot summer air and blazing sunlight. She was back to standing in the middle of the highway they had come in from. She placed her hands on her hips, then glanced at her wrist. She wasn't wearing a watch, but she didn't need one to count off a ten seconds without incident. Convinced Isis's curiosity would be sated, she hopped backwards, floating back through the portal. Another moment of unpleasant tingling later and she was back in the forest, lounging comfortably in the air as she floated away. "See? Nothing!" "It took some time to settle in upon the first instance. We should carefully observe-" "Isis, I'm FINE!" Missy dropped back down to the ground and stamped her foot to drive the point home. She grinned as a way to absolutely prove it came into mind. "Watch this!" She spread her wings, jumping up and flying in tight circles through the portal. "WHEEEEeeeeeEEEEEeeeeeEEEE!" One second she was in the forest, the next on the highway, then back in the forest. After five laps, she finally landed back at the old campsite, sliding on her feet to come to a stop directly in front of her robotic friend. "SEE? It was just a fluke! When we were doing Sunset's landing strategy, I must have just overexerted my..." she staggered back slightly as her head began to spin. "myself... Whew, maybe I went a little too fast back there! Can anyone else taste chartreuse or is that just me?" The next thing she knew, she was staring up into the sky. The ground had been kind enough to move under her back so she could have a nice bed. Time for a quick... nap... "It would appear my theory was at least functionally correct." "Thash jusht an Isis-y way of sayinn 'I told youu so...'" Missy muttered as she became unable to keep her eyes open. "Affirmative." ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Now, back to first position!" Sunset nodded, dropping her hand down almost to her side. The blade of the lightsaber was extended out in front of her, angled only slightly upwards from being parallel to the floor. She kept her gaze focused straight ahead, even as she heard the sound of clacking heels marching in an arc behind her back. She felt a pair of firm hands press down on her shoulders. "You're still keeping tension in your shoulders and neck, Sunset. It isn't going to make you faster, it makes your movements stiff!" Sunset made the conscious effort to let go of her shoulders, letting them fall way from where they had been pulled tight. There was another nudge, this time at her right elbow. She didn't wait for Weiss's instruction, already knowing her mistake. She raised her arm slightly, steadying her grip on the saber. A nudge to the small of her back corrected her slight slouch, forcing her to push out her chest and stand up straighter. A pair of sharp fingernails to her shoulder blades reminded her to align her shoulders with her hips. She felt a sharp prod from the tip of Weiss's sword at the back of her knee, and she realized she had once again failed to put her leading foot forward. "Sorry-" "Don't apologize!" Weiss snapped, the sound of her high-heeled shoes growing more distant as she marched away from the platform. "If you want to make up for it, then show me what you've learned! Isis, run the program!" "Affirmative, Weiss. Are you ready, Sunset?" Sunset nodded, silently trying to commit her corrected posture to memory. "GO, SUNSET!" Ruby cheered at the top of her lungs. Sunset couldn't help but giggle at the over-the-top support. Ever since she and Weiss had worked out their differences and determined to work together, she'd been throwing herself into everything with maximum effort to become the best team leader she could be. That included her verbal support for the rest of Team RWBYS during their training. "You're improving by leaps and bounds!" Blake added. "Show those colored dots who's boss!" Yang punched the air enthusiastically. Sunset took a deep breath. There was a loud buzzer, and a set of circular green targets materialized around her. They hovered mid-air, a pair of concentric circles to indicate where she was to strike. She didn't turn her head, but glanced out of the corner of her eye to wait for Weiss's signal. "And.... BEGIN!" Sunset stepped forward with her leading foot, carefully jabbing with the tip of the blade. Each time the saber made contact with a target, it would turn red and give a low buzz indicating she had scored a point. She made her strikes as precise as she could, but she was still all over the place with her jabs, often missing the center of the targets by a wide margin. It just seemed impossible for her to nail the fine motor control Weiss seemed to have. Still, she was rewarded regardless, as long as she hit them. That was the goal. She pivoted on her heel, sweeping her leading leg around as she continued to make her jabs, knocking out target after target... She missed one. A jab swerved to the side as her wrist began to feel the taxing of their long training session. Sunset cringed and made a second attempt at the same target, only barely managing to strike it before her leading foot had carried her on. After a few seconds, every target had been buzzed and she was standing at the center of a ring of red dots. "Stage one complete." Sunset wiped a smattering of sweat from her forehead before she settled back into the ready position. "How was my time?" "A new personal record." Sunset smiled with satisfaction. She was improving. "Exactly three-point-seven-four seconds behind Weiss's time. Prepare for stage two." Sunset's smile diminished somewhat. When it comes to good moods, Isis giveth and Isis taketh away, I guess... Stage two presented Sunset with a new set of targets. These ones were solid circles, but with an empty channel through the center. Each one had an arrow drawn in one side, indicating a direction parallel to the empty channel. "And... BEGIN!" This time, Sunset swiped the saber instead of jabbing with it. The goal was to follow the arrows and avoid the green portions. The closer she kept to the center, the more points she was awarded. These motions were much more fluid... or, at least, she tried to keep them more fluid. Each motion was supposed to flow into the next, it had been designed so that she never needed to double back on herself. Unfortunately, there was still one major mental block she had to deal with: the fact that she was terrified of the glowing energy blade in her hands. Every time she had to swing it below her waist, she had a mini heart attack at the thought of nicking her leg or slicing her ankle. When the motion was supposed to go past or over her head, she would flinch back out of fear of taking off her own head. Even if the motions were calculated to be safe, even if she had a wide margin of safety, she couldn't get the imagery out of her mind. As a consequence, her movements were contracted, sudden, constantly flinching and retreating away from her own sword. She still made it through all of the targets, but the glowing lines indicating her path were wobbly and often clipped over the edges. "You're still afraid of your own sword..." Weiss muttered. Sunset forced herself to ignore the disapproval, returning to the ready position as best she could remember it. "Isis? Let's give stage three a try." "Your performance in stage two would still indicate that you are not ready for-" "I just want to try it. Please?" "...affirmative. Stage three will begin momentarily." This time was different. It was a mix of jabs and slashes, all shuffled around without any apparent rhyme or reason, and they were no longer staying in place. The entire cloud of targets began to orbit around her, moving on their own trajectories and speeds. It was a blizzard of green circles, more than triple the count of the previous two rounds. "Sunset, you don't have to prove anything!" Blake called out from the bleachers. Sunset took a deep breath, steadying her hand. She HAD to be in the moment. She had no way to predict the movement of the targets, which was the point of this entire exercise: putting her skills to use in an environment she couldn't predict by more than a few fractions of a second. To turn training into instinct. "Three. Two. One. Begin." Sunset addressed the first target in front of her: a jab. She struck it dead in the center, turning it red. With a circular flick of her wrist, she passed the blade through the center of the one passing behind it, perfectly executing the slashing target. She began to turn with her leading foot, only to see a flash of green in the corner of her eye, followed by a dull blow to her temple. Disoriented, she had no way to see the next target coming towards her, knocking past her shoulder. She swung blindly, setting off several buzzers that indicated she had made an incorrect blow. When the next target struck her ankle, she finally dropped to the ground, switching off the lightsaber as she fell. "ISIS!" And with a single word, it stopped. Sunset opened her eyes, looking around her. She had hardly struck more than five of the targets properly, and more of them were closing in on her before her cry of surrender had frozen them in place. After another second, each of the targets flickered out of existence one by one, leaving her in the center of an empty training area. "That was reckless." Weiss declared as she appeared above Sunset and offered her a hand. Sunset grimaced and took the help in getting back onto her feet. "Well, the Grimm aren't going to just stay still and wait for me, are they?" "Maybe not, but if you are planning on skipping ahead of my lessons, you might as well stick to hacking with your sword like a lumberjack!" Weiss chided her, but a few seconds later she had let go of her angry expression and transitioned to a softer look. "Are you hurt?" Sunset shook her head. "Just my pride." "You DO know that you're doing phenomenal for having only trained a few weeks, right?" "Praise? From Weiss? Are we sure SHE wasn't the one who got hit in the head?" Yang quipped. "HEY!" Weiss turned on her teammate with an accusatory finger. "I'm quite magnanimous with praise when someone deserves it! It just so happens to be rare that anyone in this school actually earns it!" Yang rolled her eyes and shrugged before shooting Sunset a knowing smile. "And THAT is why people call you 'Ice Queen!'" "Well, either way, you're getting better every time, and that's a good thing!" Ruby added, strolling up beside her sister. "And our teamwork training is only getting better! I've got a few new ideas once you're a little more confident that I think you're really going to like!" Sunset smiled at that. In the spirit of everyone knowing each other's strengths and the could work together, she'd been pairing the rest of the team up for special "combo moves" with cool codenames. Sunset had a few combinations with her teammates, but not nearly as complicated or effective as the other duos. "For now, we should really get some sleep. We're going out into Vale tomorrow to go see the preparations for the Vytal Festival, right?" Blake added, closing the loose sheaf of papers she had been reading from and tapping them against the desk. "That's right!" Weiss grinned, her earlier wrath instantly forgotten. "Oh, this is going to be so delightful!" There had been rumors about this "Vytal Festival" ever since school had started, and they'd only been increasing as the semester continued. Isis had told her that it was a festival that celebrated the unity of this world's four kingdoms after long and bloody conflict, and traveled from city to city every two years. Penn had told her that the Vytal Festival was where the villains were going to make their biggest move, sabotaging the symbol of peace in order to sew fear and doubt into the people. It was going to be a linchpin in her plans to make sure that they couldn't if she wanted to stop them. Which was why she, Isis, and Missy were all planning on scoping out the preparations for any signs of subterfuge while the rest of the team was sightseeing. "It's certainly going to be interesting!" Sunset quipped. "I've never actually BEEN to the Vytal Festival before, so it'll all be new to me!" "Something Sleepwalker's never done before, why am I so surprised?" Yang rolled her eyes with a smile. Sunset responded with an eye roll of her own. She disliked that the nickname had stuck, but she'd been called MUCH worse than "Sleepwalker" in the past. "Hey, maybe we'll see one of your friends there, too!" Ruby chimed in. "People from all over Remnant come to the Vytal Festival, after all!" Sunset's smile faltered slightly, but it was back a moment later. "Yeah, maybe! But let's just enjoy ourselves, okay? I don't want you all not to have fun!" From what Isis had told her, there had been no sign of her friends anywhere online, and Sunset hadn't caught a single glimpse or hint of them in almost a month at Beacon Academy. She was starting to wonder if her geode had led them astray... Soon after that, the five of them were back on their way to the dorms, more than ready for their weekend plans. While Weiss, Ruby, and Yang were all chatting excitedly, Sunset fell back until she was walking astride Blake. "So, you come up for air yet?" Blake smiled, a sight that Sunset was growing more fond of seeing as it became more frequent. "It's a fascinating premise, I'll admit it's hard to take my eyes off of it." she whispered. "And you say one of your friends wrote this?" "Well, friend of a friend..." Sunset shrugged. "Isis just happened to be able to snag me a couple copies!" "No auras, no semblances, no dust, no Grimm... It's strange the number of things we take for granted, huh? The only monsters there are the ones humanity made themselves. It's like a whole different world." Sunset snickered slightly at that, which got her a curious look from Blake. "Sorry, just... that was funny to me for some reason. Can't put my finger on it... But you're right, whole different world." "So, have you read it before?" Sunset shook her head. "No, but a certain someone spoiled the ending for me." "Do they win? The AI? The Full Integration Devices?" Blake looked down at the folder she'd been keeping the loose pages in. Sunset blinked, surprised at the question. "Don't worry, it's not a bad ending-" "Bad? They deserve to win!" Blake cut her off in hushed tones. "Humanity made them, and treated them like lesser beings just because they weren't originally human! They were just trying to make people's lives better!" Sunset blinked, surprised at Blake's take on the story. "But... they're forcing people to be prisoners in their own minds! Hacking apart their bodies and rebuilding them with metal prostheses!" Blake looked down at the folder again in hushed tones. "Only because it was that or be destroyed... Humanity labeled them as monsters before they even had a chance to defend themselves, so they became those monsters just to survive. I'm not saying their methods are perfect, but they don't deserve to lose and be wiped out, either!" Sunset paused again, beginning to understand Blake's perspective. "Well... I'm not going to spoil it, but... it's a happy ending. For nearly everyone." "Nearly?" Sunset smiled and lifted up her phone. "Isis has a bit of a... complicated story, in the end." "Affirmative." Blake's eyes narrowed. "That's another thing... is this the SAME Isis that's in the book?" Sunset's eyes widened, and her mouth drew into a tight line. "C-come on, Blake! Don't be silly! It was based off of her, but there's no way it could be the exact same Isis! Whole different world, remember?" Blake's suspicious look didn't relent, leaving Sunset to sweat under her lie. Is THIS what it's like to be on the other side of the interrogation glare? Thankfully, rescue came in the form of her phone switching itself on. "Sunset Shimmer is correct. The story, while containing a character based off of myself, is a work of pure fiction. Any similarities to persons, living or dead, is coincidence." This finally seemed to make Blake relent, if only enough so Sunset stopped sweating bullets under the scrutiny of her golden eyes. "Except for the similarities to you, Isis?" "I am neither living nor dead." "Well, THAT doesn't sound ominous at all!" Yang chimed in from ahead of them. Blake seemed surprised that their conversation was no longer private, but Sunset had noticed that the chatter from ahead of them had ended a few minutes ago. "It is factual." Finally, the five of them reached their room. After a quick moment to each get changed into their pajamas, they each climbed up into their beds, including Sunset's hammock hanging between the pair of bunk beds. "Get some sleep, girls! Tomorrow's going to be a busy day!" Ruby ordered as she buried half of her face in her pillow. Knowing that tomorrow was going to likely be the first big step towards stopping the incoming disaster, Sunset had to agree. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Roman Torchwick was, as he enjoyed reminding people (since they seemed rather quick to forget, that was what he got for being the nice guy he was), the greatest thief in Remnant. Unfortunately, that also made him the busiest thief in Remnant. It was hard being on top, and harder still to stay on top. His skills were in high demand from powerful people, and his most recent employer had been an absolute slave driver. No respect for finesse or style, just demanding more and more speed from him. And as much as he hated to say it, she gave him a bad case of the shivers. He'd learned a long time ago that a large part of power was to already act as if you had it, and, as they say, "Nature abhors a vacuum." But Cinder Fall didn't just walk the walk and talk the talk, she made it a point to show off every chance she got. She was that rare and frustrating breed: someone who had power and didn't need words to get it across. Because of that unfortunate trait, he had little choice but to fill her demands. A couple months ago, however, she had come to him entirely displeased with his results. She'd said that their timetable had been accelerated, that she needed results and she needed them twice as fast. What that had meant was that he'd been forced to spend every resource he had at his disposal to get together every possible speck of dust in the kingdom of Vale under his control. Cinder and her creepy kids had been practically breathing down his neck, and he'd been up to his neck in faunus sent over from the White Fang to "help" him. What that meant was that, on top of all his work being done double-time, he also had to train a bunch of wild animals to lie, cheat, and steal well enough to avoid having everything blow up in his face... both literally and figuratively. That also meant that he had been burning through cigars twice as fast as usual. His budget was deep in the red and his stress was through the roof. It was a lousy time to be a master thief who was used to running a small, tight crew. "Uh, sir?" Speaking of the words "lousy" and "crew..." He thought to himself as he turned on his heel. "Yes, Perry? What is it?" "There's someone outside who wants to see you, sir." "Is it someone related to our enigmatic employers?" he asked before taking a long draw from his cigar. "I- I don't think so, sir." "Then I don't have time. Deal with it yourselves! Don't we have guard dogs for a reason?" "Well, sir-" "WHAT?" Roman snapped, finally losing the last of his patience. "Why do you idiots need me to weigh in on every little thing? What do I bother training you all for? Can't you see I've got my hands full trying to work out the details of our biggest score, yet?" "He's got one of the giant robots, sir!" THAT threw Roman for a loop. "One of OUR giant robots? Be more specific." "N-no, sir, they're all accounted for! He says he stole it, himself... And it's carrying dust. A LOT of dust!" Roman looked back down at the numerous papers he had been reading over, then up at the map he had so thoroughly marked. Between guard rotations, shipping manifests, cop patrols, and flight plans, he was starting to border on blowing a fuse... and this sounded too good to miss. I could use a five-minute break, anyway. He snatched up his cane, readying himself in case a fight broke out. He looked expectantly at the masked goon and waved him ahead. When they stepped outside the warehouse, he found Perry hadn't been wrong. There was a giant robot, one of the Atlesian Paladins, the same model they had stolen nearly a dozen of straight off of the assembly line. Its arms were currently carrying an entire shipping container emblazoned with the Schnee Dust Company logo, and a young boy was sitting on top of that, giving a casual wave. "Finally, just the man I wanted to see!" he called down. Roman rolled his eyes. "If you're here for my birthday party, you're a few months too late!" The boy made a waving motion to the cockpit of the mecha, and it lowered the shipping container to the ground, immediately followed by him jumping off of the top and landing on both feet. "Well, I never WAS very good at remembering birthdays! My presents are always late!" Roman immediately didn't like how casually this kid was acting, but his curiosity outweighed his offense. "So what's the deal, kid? Why show up on my doorstep like this? I'm a busy guy..." The boy held out his hand for a shake, which Roman declined. "Name's Henry. Henry Utterson. I'll get to the point quick to avoid wasting time. I don't think I have to tell you that this world sucks. I've gotten a raw deal over and over, and I'm sick of it. I want to reverse the roles, take this world for a ride... and I hear you're the authority on that." Roman rolled his eyes. "Don't come whining to me, kid. Everybody gets a raw deal, that's life. You're not that special." The kid nodded, stepping back slightly and jabbing his thumb the giant robot behind him. "But is everybody a supreme-level hacker specializing in cyber crimes? I know my reasons aren't anything special, which is why I brought THESE with me." He turned around and patted his hand on the shipping container. "Who needs a crew when you can get the goods delivered straight to you? The Schnee stooges gave this right to me with a smile on their faces!" He pointed up at the cockpit of the Paladin. "I convinced an entire army base that I was an SDC inspector and they walked me right up to this baby!" He turned back around and snapped his fingers. The gigantic machine lifted the case of dust up over its head. "I haven't got some boo-hoo tragic backstory, I'm just a guy who wants to be on top... and you're the best person I could think of to learn that from. THIS... is just my audition." Roman considered the position he was in... and came to a conclusion rather quickly. "I'm not looking for an apprentice, kid, and I don't need somebody with lofty aspirations trying to undermine me. Go home." "I'm not looking for an apprenticeship! I'll start at the bottom, I just wanna watch a master at work!" "Give it up, kid! A no is a no!" Roman turned and began walking back towards the warehouse. "Besides, I KNOW you're not working alone, there's gotta be somebody piloting that thing! If I'm not wanting one apprentice, I'm sure as hell not taking two!" "Not true! I've got one more ace up my sleeve!" I'll give the kid this, he's persistent... "And what, exactly, would that be?" The cockpit of the Atlesian Paladin popped open with a hiss of pressurized air, revealing... nothing. Wait, not nothing, there was something small and silver crawling out from inside. It was a tiny metal dragon, with a diamond-shaped pink crystal embedded in its chest. It jumped down onto the shipping container with a clang, then hopped onto Henry's shoulder, where he gave it a soft stroke behind the head and down the back of its neck. "THIS is Isis, the Integrated Superior Intelligence System. She can hack and control ANYTHING, I built her myself! You want to know what I can offer you? How about remote control of any system you could ask for?" Roman was almost impressed, but he held up his scroll and gave it a shake. Along with their little dust theft operation, Cinder had given him a little virus on his scroll, one that he was supposed to distribute to a few key computers so they could take control when the time was right. "Too little, too late, kid. Already got that. My current employers give me VERY good tools." To his surprise, the kid SMILED at that, as if what he'd said was funny. Roman felt his scroll vibrate in his hand, and then the face of the tiny dragon appeared in the glass, staring up at him. "Your tools are sub-par. I am better." Roman glanced at the robot on Henry's shoulder, then back at his scroll, then repeated the motion a few more times just to make sure. "Should have known... piece of junk." He tossed his scroll over his shoulder, then waved for them to follow him. "Fine, you get ONE chance! Lucky for you, I've got a big job going down this Sunday and I need all hands on deck. Help me make sure it goes smoothly, and we'll see whether or not you have a future in my operation... but I'm making no promises!" "Wouldn't trust a promise if someone gave it to me, anyway. Where do I start?" "Bring your little 'audition tape' inside, and I'll show you what systems I'm going to need taken offline for this job. Let's see if you're really as good as you say you are..." "As good and better, boss! Can't wait to get started." "Boss." At least he already had the respect part down. Roman didn't like convenience, it was almost never a coincidence. But in this case, there was enough pressure coming down on him from Cinder that he was willing to take the risk of this not being on the level in exchange for things moving smoother and faster.