Return to Vale
Team SAPR arrived at the skydock first and were waiting for the hourly skybus into Vale when Team RSPT arrived to join them.
“I’m sorry if we kept you waiting,” Penny said. “Twilight had to check her checklist three times!”
“Organisation is very important, Penny,” Twilight informed her.
“There’s no need to apologise,” Pyrrha said. “If anything, we were here early; the skybus isn’t due for a little while longer.”
“Oh, Jaune,” Twilight said. “I, um, I spoke to your sister Aoko, and I mentioned that I’d seen you. It was… a little weird.”
Jaune’s eyes narrowed a little. “What did she say?”
“Um… that she’s still waiting for those snacks.”
Jaune rolled his eyes. “That doesn't surprise me.”
Sunset frowned at the guns strapped to Rainbow’s hips. “Are you bringing your weapons?”
“It’s not Atlas, of course, I’m bringing my weapons,” Rainbow said, managing to make Sunset sound like the idiot for not bringing her weapons. “You should be glad I didn’t bring my Unfailing Loyalty.”
Sunset frowned. “Is that the shotgun or the wings?”
“Unfailing Loyalty is the shotgun,” Rainbow said, with a touch of exasperation. “The wings are called Wings of Harmony.”
“Well, excuse me for not having the names of every weapon in your excessive loadout memorised,” Sunset replied.
Rainbow grinned. “You can laugh, but when you’ve used up those six lousy shots in that gun of yours, I’ll still have rounds to spare.”
“Were those all of your weapons that you were wearing yesterday?” Pyrrha asked.
“Yeah,” Rainbow said. “Why?”
“I couldn’t help but notice that you don’t have a close quarters option,” Pyrrha said.
Rainbow held up her fists. “I got two close quarters options right here, Pyrrha.”
“Oh, you’re another true hand to hand fighter,” Pyrrha declared. “You must be quite skilled in manipulating your aura.”
Rainbow raised one eyebrow. “What makes you think that?”
“I presumed that you must use it to increase the potency of your strikes,” Pyrrha replied. “Do you have some sort of burst or shock attack in which you direct your aura outwards and then expend it to create effects?”
Rainbow chuckled. “Come on, Pyrrha, you can’t expect me to give away all my secrets.”
Pyrrha laughed too. “Of course not, but equally, you can’t deny me my observations.”
“How many hand to hand fighters do you know, Pyrrha?” Penny asked. “From my study of your matches, I can only think of Arslan Altan.”
“She is the only such competing at the highest level,” Pyrrha agreed. “It’s a rather difficult discipline to master; as I was saying to Rainbow Dash, it requires an extraordinary degree of aura control. Not everyone has the patience for it.”
“That is not the actual reason why very few people practice it,” Sunset argued. “The real reason is that it’s a stupid way to fight. Why rely on your fists when you could have a weapon?”
“Yang fights with her fists,” Ruby pointed out.
“Your sister has rocket shotguns strapped to her arms, that… that only half counts, at best. In fact, I’d say it counts about a third, maybe.”
“I guess you’ve got a point,” Ruby admitted, “and about the aura control too. Yang and I never really learnt much more than we needed to control our semblances. Learning to use Crescent Rose took up most of my time with Uncle Qrow.”
“Hey,” Sunset said. “At some point, you and Rainbow Dash should have a race. See which of your speed semblances is quicker.”
Rainbow folded her arms with a very smug look on her face. “Setting your own teammate up to fail and succumb to disappointment. That’s cold, Sunset, even for you.”
Sunset’s eyebrows climbed up her forehead. “Or maybe I just want to wipe that cocky look off your face, Dash.” She leaned on the top of Ruby’s head with one elbow. “Our Ruby has quite the turn of speed.”
Rainbow continued to look supremely confident. “No offence, Ruby, I’m sure you’re fast, but you’re not Rainbow Dash fast.”
“Oh, really?” Jaune declared. “Well maybe we should put that to the test.” He hesitated. “I mean, if you’re okay with that, Ruby?”
“Uh, sure,” Ruby said. “I mean, it’s all in good fun, right?”
“Yes, Ruby, it’s all in good fun,” Sunset agreed. “But for the honour of Team Sapphire, you’d better win.”
“Sunset,” Pyrrha murmured reproachfully.
Ciel sighed. “You are such children, arguing over who is the fastest.” She paused. “That being said, if you intend to engage in this contest, then the pride of Atlas demands no less than victory.”
Twilight rolled her eyes.
“So, Penny,” Pyrrha said, “do you follow the Mistralian tournament circuit? I can’t imagine that’s particularly common in Atlas.”
“Actually,” Ciel began, “it is more common than-“
“Oh, no,” Penny said. “My father and Mister Ironwood had me watch lots of fights by great fighters so I could build up an understanding of combat.”
“Oh,” Pyrrha said, sounding slightly surprised. “I… see.”
Rainbow Dash was looking very uncomfortable about something. “Penny-”
“I have to say,” Pyrrha continued, not realising that Rainbow had spoken, “without intending any disrespect to your father or… Mister Ironwood.”
“General Ironwood,” Ciel corrected, as if automatically.
“Yes,” Pyrrha said, “I’m not sure that’s the best way to train to fight. After a certain point, all you’ll be learning is how a certain number of fighters, well, fight. The reason why we train instead of simply studying is so that we can develop our own styles.”
“Really?” Penny asked, leaning forward. “Wait, does that mean that I’ve wasted my time?”
“Not necessarily,” Pyrrha allowed. “There are some on the tournament circuit who believe in obsessively studying their opponents’ previous matches so they can learn their movements; do you know Kurt the White Wolf?”
“I’ve only seen her fight you, and it wasn’t that impressive,” Penny said. “You beat her easily.”
“It… was not my most difficult fight,” Pyrrha acknowledged, “but that doesn’t wholly invalidate the method.”
“But it’s not what you do?”
“No, I prefer to hone my skills in general; I think it makes them more applicable to the circumstances.”
“So I should be doing that too?”
“We will not be throwing out your existing training programme upon the word of Pyrrha Nikos,” Ciel said firmly. “No offence, Miss Nikos, but Penny’s training regimen has been set by some of the top minds of Atlas.”
“It wasn’t my intent to interfere. I was only offering some advice,” Pyrrha said, her voice devoid of offence. “Although, I find myself forced to ask, has your father any combat experience, Penny?”
“No, he’s a scientist.”
“Hmm,” Pyrrha murmured.
“Let me guess,” Sunset said, “your father is a well-connected scientist who decided to indulge his daughter’s desire to become a huntress and pulled strings to get you on a team led by General Ironwood’s attack dog so that you’d be safe long enough for you to realise that this isn’t really what you want to do with your life?”
“I-”
“That will do, Penny,” Ciel said calmly. “There is no need to answer such speculation.”
“Also… attack dog?” Rainbow repeated.
“Would you rather I called you an attack horse?” Sunset replied.
“You know General Ironwood?” Ruby inquired.
Rainbow preened. “I don’t like to brag-”
Sunset snorted.
“-but I’m kind of his protégé,” Rainbow continued as though Sunset hadn’t interrupted.
“And his babysitter, now,” Sunset said. “And can I ask what was up with the way you were talking to Weiss at breakfast yesterday? No problem, Miss Schnee; anything I can do to help, Miss Schnee. And after she insulted you worse than Blake.”
“She didn’t insult me worse than Blake; she just made a mistake.”
“She thought you couldn’t be the leader of your team because you were faunus.”
“Or because Ciel greeted her first,” Twilight murmured.
“Well, I am the leader of my team, and you know what else I am?” Rainbow demanded. “Somebody who wants to get on in the military, and I’m not going to do that if Jacques Schnee asks General Ironwood to kick me out of the Academy because I made his little girl cry.”
“I thought you and General Ironwood were so tight that he wouldn’t do that to his protégé.”
“No, he wouldn’t, but nobody will want me in their unit when I graduate if the SDC has it out for me,” Rainbow replied.
“Anyway,” Jaune said loudly, “what are you guys hoping to get to in Vale?” His voice lowered. “Assuming we don’t kill each other waiting for this bus.”
“We have a list,” Ciel said, producing said list from the blue purse worn over her shoulder – and which was open just long enough for Sunset to see she had a pistol in it. “We require books, stationary, ammunition for small arms and heavy weapons-“
“'Heavy weapons'?” Ruby repeated. “Which one of you uses a heavy weapon and what is it?”
“That would be me,” Ciel answered. “I fight with an eighty caliber armour-piercing rifle.”
“Eighty caliber!” Ruby gasped. “That must be even bigger than Crescent Rose!”
“Not having seen Crescent Rose, I cannot confirm,” Ciel replied. “Distant Thunder is, however, a substantially-sized weapon.”
“I can imagine,” Ruby said. “I’d love to see it, can I see it? Can you penetrate a deathstalker’s armour with a single shot? Can you bring down a goliath? What do you do when the enemy closes the range; does it turn into anything?”
“I see no harm in showing you,” Ciel said. “In theory, yes, but it would depend upon the size of the deathstalker; likewise for the goliath. At close range, I have a short sword, although I must confess that I am only an indifferent swordsman. No, Distant Thunder does not turn into anything, although it is collapsible. And please remember to breathe.”
Ruby giggled and snorted at the same time. “Sorry, I like meeting new weapons. Especially unique ones. Speaking of which, did you say you have wings, Rainbow Dash? As in, you can fly?”
“Yep,” Rainbow said proudly.
“That is so cool,” Ruby declared. “Did you make them yourself?”
“No, I could never do anything like that,” Rainbow said. “Twilight made them for me.”
“So cool!” Ruby cried. “And what about you, Penny, what weapon do you use?”
“Floating Array is a backpack containing a dozen swords on a wire guidance system,” Penny announced mechanically. “The swords also reconfigure as laser carbines.”
“So cool!” Ruby squealed.
“Ciel, why don’t you finish off that list?” Rainbow suggested.
“Dust is our only other essential,” Ciel announced. “However, we would be much obliged if we could also visit a hobby shop and a grocer's for our kitchenette.”
“Yeah, we went shopping for kitchen supplies our first trip into Vale,” Jaune informed them. “And I’m sure we can find a hobby shop too, although do you mind me asking why?”
“I make models,” Ciel explained.
“Oh,” Jaune said. “Cool.”
The skybus arrived not long after, and they – the only students taking the bus at this hour – climbed aboard and took their red, comfortable seats on the airship as it lifted off the dock and glided over Vale.
The seats on the bus were arranged in rows of four, and Penny nabbed the seat between Ruby and Pyrrha, which – with Jaune sitting next to Pyrrha – left Sunset without much choice but to sit next to the rest of Team RSPT. She could have sat on her own, but that would have said more about her than about RSPT, and she wasn't about to give Rainbow and Twilight the satisfaction of making her act like a despised outcast. So she sat down at the end of the row, with Rainbow sitting on her left, and ignored all three of them.
Or at least she tried to.
"Sunset?" Twilight asked, in a quiet, almost tremulous voice.
Sunset's ears twitched in irritation as she glanced past Rainbow Dash to look at Twilight. "Yes?"
Twilight recoiled ever so slightly into her seat. "I just, uh… how are things between you and Flash these days?"
Sunset came very close to baring her teeth. "How do you think?"
"Oh," Twilight said. "It's just that… you seem to be doing a little better now, and I thought that maybe you two had… you know."
"I'm doing a little better?" Sunset repeated. "I'm a better person now." She paused daring Rainbow Dash to contradict her. "That doesn't mean that he is."
Twilight winced. "Flash… you know that there was never anything between us, right?"
Sunset's glance flickered between Twilight and Rainbow Dash. Truth to tell, she had sometimes suspected that there might be something between those two, if only Twilight wasn't too, well, Twilight to do anything about it. "Maybe not," she replied. "But I remember whose side you were on."
It was a relief when the skybus docked outside Winchester Park and Sunset was able to get off and put some distance between herself and the Rosepetals by standing on the other side of her own team.
"So," Ruby said, as they left the skydock, Vale's skyline with its mixture of the antique and the hypermodern rising around them, "what do you guys want to see first?"
"Everything!" Penny declared.
Pyrrha chuckled. "That might be a little much for one day."
"We should attend to our necessities," Ciel said, "and then we will know how much time we have left over."
"That sounds fine, but why don't we get a cup of tea, first?" Pyrrha suggested. "Before we start walking up and down these streets."
Ciel checked her watch, but Rainbow answered before she could. "Yeah, that sounds fine. You guys know a good place?"
"Not exactly, but it shouldn't be hard to find somewhere," Ruby said. "There are tons of coffee places."
Indeed, as they ventured forth in search of refreshment, they saw no less than three coffee shops – all of them branches of the same chain, no less – on one street. It was a wonder that they all stayed open, and yet, all three of them seemed to be doing pretty good business, so clearly, the demand was there. They looked a little crowded to be sure of getting a table for eight, however, and so the search continued.
A large screen, elevated above the shops, ceased showing advertisements for the latest model scroll and started broadcasting a news bulletin.
"Good morning, Vale. I'm Lisa Lavender here with a news update," Lisa Lavender declared from out of the elevated screen. "Another dust shop was robbed last night after the premises had closed. The owner of The Dust Bucket discovered that the windows had been smashed when he went to open the store the next morning. The police would not confirm what was stolen but said no one was injured. The authorities are currently appealing for anyone who may have witnessed the robbery to please come forward. This marks the ninth robbery of a dust shop in just over a month since an attempted heist was foiled by a pair of concerned citizens."
Sunset grinned down at Ruby and gave her a brief squeeze on the shoulder as the younger, smaller girl smiled back at her.
Lisa Lavender continued, "First Councillor Novo Aris dismissed the idea that this was a crime wave, insisting that it was too early to speculate on whether a single criminal actor was responsible for crimes across the city of Vale and maintained that district aldermen and the VPD had adequate resources to keep their streets and communities safe. However, both opposition parties criticised the current Council for its stance on law and order."
"See?" Ruby demanded. "This is why we need to do something!"
"You heard what the First Councillor said, the VPD have adequate resources to handle this," Sunset replied.
"But they're not handling it!" Ruby retorted. "Novo is abandoning this city just like she abandoned the villages."
"What are you talking about?" Penny asked.
Sunset sighed. "Ruby wants to be a hero and stop the dust shop robberies."
"Don't say it like that," Ruby protested. "I don't want to do it for me or so that I can get on the news or something."
That would be the best reason to do it, Sunset thought. "No, you're right, your motives are… nobler than that." She paused for a moment. "You're still wrong, though."
"But we almost caught Torchwick the first time!" Ruby insisted. "With Jaune and Pyrrha too, I'm sure we'd get him."
Penny's face lit up. "Rainbow Dash, perhaps we could-"
"No," Ciel said, cutting her off. "We have no legal authority in the city, Penny, and neither your father nor General Ironwood would approve of you being put into live combat at this point. This is an internal Valish matter; even if Atlesian assistance were requested, it would be rendered by the proper authorities."
"So we should let our friends fight alone?" Penny said.
"Don't worry, Penny, your friends won't be fighting anyone," Sunset informed her.
"Why are you so against this?" Ruby demanded.
"Because we could get killed, or worse, expelled," Sunset replied.
"Or someone else could get hurt because we said it wasn't our problem," Ruby said.
"You put us all to shame with your courage and the nobility of your heart," Pyrrha said, "and if it were merely a case of opposing a villain, I would stand beside you without hesitation. But I fear it is not that simple. If these crimes are the work of a single mastermind, this Roman Torchwick whom you fought, or else an employer of his, then the fact that the police in so many districts have failed to apprehend him may be more than mere luck or skill on the part of these criminals. He may be buying the police."
"Buying them?" Ruby repeated. "Like, to let him get away with it? But… but they're the cops; they're sworn to uphold the law!"
Pyrrha sighed, and Sunset was sure that Pyrrha must be feeling – as Sunset was feeling – the weight of the reminder that Ruby, for all her skill, was still in some ways a child, with some traces of a child's naivete left. Pyrrha knelt down and put one hand upon Ruby's shoulder. "I do not know how it is in Vale, but in Mistral, alas, such things are far from uncommon. Not too many years ago, Lord Rutulus, the Commissioner of Police, the highest officer of the law in Mistral, was murdered by one of his own officers; it was widely thought that said officer had been paid by one of the criminal cartels."
"'Thought'?" Sunset said. "Didn't they catch the guy? Or were more crooked cops paid to let him get away."
"Perhaps they were, but he did not escape," Pyrrha replied. "The late commissioner's ward hunted down his killer, and many other men she must have at least suspected of having a hand in the murder. She killed them all. It was her duty to avenge a man who had been a father to her, and no charges were ever brought, but it meant he was not able to answer questions." Pyrrha fell silent for a moment. "The point is, I fear that if we took this step, we would be entering into a murky world for which our martial training has ill-prepared us." She paused again. "Nobody wants to see you shot in the back by someone you thought you could trust."
Twilight said, "There's a reason why police training, even elite police units where the members have their auras activated, go through quite different training to that of a huntsman. It's a very different set of skills, both to help you survive in a quite different world than the one that huntsmen are expected to inhabit and to help you investigate crimes and make criminal cases rather than just fight monsters or stop bad guys."
Ruby sighed disconsolately. “I just wish… I feel like we ought to be doing more to help.”
“And we will help, plenty, once we graduate,” Jaune said. “This… this stuff is for people who’ve completed their training.”
Rainbow frowned. It looked as though she might agree with Ruby, but fortunately, she recognised Sunset’s rights as team leader and said nothing.
They resumed their search for a café, stopping at a place called Alexandria Coffee. It had an old world feel to it, with heavy wooden countertops on which the cakes and pastries sat exposed to the air, a blackboard with the prices of drinks written in chalk upon it, and an incongruous-looking wooden puppet in the window. Inside, there were plenty of empty tables, but as the young huntsmen entered, Sunset was surprised to find that one of the tables was being occupied by Cardin Winchester.
Cardin Winchester accompanied by a girl his own age – or thereabouts - and two younger bird faunus with white wings emerging out of their backs.
The girl was pretty, some might have said even more than pretty, with sea-green hair cut to shoulder length down the side on which it fell across her face, while on the other side, it was brushed back behind her ear and fell down her shoulder and back almost to the waist. Her eyes were as blue as oceans, and a pink rose was woven into the hair just above her ear. She wore a gown of flowing turquoise, and a necklace of large pearls seemed tight around her neck.
Of the two faunus, one was a girl who looked a little younger than Ruby, and the other a boy yet younger still. The girl's hair was blue, mostly so pale that it verged on white, but intermittently streaked a little darker. It was arranged so that it formed a sort of crest in the centre of her head, leaving the left of her head and face bare, while it fell all down the right-hand side of her face and body. Her eyes were violet, and she wore a pink top with a Schnee snowflake picked out in silver upon it and a pair of dark blue jeans, while a purple gem of some description, an amethyst maybe, dangled from a string around her neck.
The boy was wearing a matching necklace. His hair and eyes alike were turquoise, and in the case of his hair cut short, if unevenly so. He was wearing a plain white shirt and dark grey pants.
"-can't believe you're on the same team as Weiss Schnee!" the faunus girl was saying as Sunset, her team, and RSPT walked into the coffee shop. The boy looked faintly bored, while the older girl was staring at Cardin in the way that Sunset imagined that it might have looked when she had had just stared at Flash sometimes, in the good days before things went wrong and she had just wanted to remind herself that, yeah, this guy was hers and he was great.
"I mean Weiss Schnee!" the faunus girl continued squealing. "Does she ever sing for you? What's she like? Is she as great as she seems? Oh, what am I saying, of course she is. Could you get me some of her hair? Actually, forget that last one, it's creepy."
"Yeah, yeah, enough about that," the boy said. "Tell us about all the monsters you've killed."
Cardin smiled proudly. "Well, only yesterday, I-"
"Cardin!" Jaune exclaimed as he followed Sunset through the door.
The smile fell off Cardin's face, which paled visibly. He stared at the newcomers to the coffee shop, his blue eyes widening. "Jaune!" he yelped. "Sunset!"
The girl in the turquoise dress, the one who had been staring at Cardin, rose quickly to her feet as she gasped in surprise. "Sunset?" she said, as she crossed the shop towards the two teams, and towards Sunset in particular. "Are you Sunset Shimmer?"
I would have thought I knew what he'd been saying about me, but now I'm not so sure. "Uh, yes, why-" The words were knocked out of Sunset as the girl threw her arms around Sunset, enveloping her in a soft embrace.
"Thank you," she cried, holding Sunset close. "Thank you for saving Cardy's life. I don't know what I'd do if anything happened to him."
Did we just walk through a hidden portal into yet another dimension when I wasn't looking? Are we in opposite Remnant where Cardin is a stand-up guy? She glanced at her teammates for help; they all seemed just as lost as Sunset felt.
"You're… welcome?" Sunset ventured. "I mean, um," - she cleared her throat - "just another day in the life of a huntress in training."
The other girl released Sunset and stepped back. "Spoken with the modesty of a true hero," she said. "You're all so brave. I asked Cardy not to go to that school because I worry so much about him, but of course he's noble that he can't stay away. I don't know how you all do it, risking your lives against all those horrible monsters. I can't even imagine it."
"It isn't always easy," Ruby said, "but someone has to keep the world safe, and since we can do it, we owe it to the world to try."
The girl's blue eyes widened as she looked at Ruby. "You're so young," she gasped. She shook her head. "Excuse me, where are my manners? I'm Skystar Aris, and these are my cousins Silverstream and Terramar; it's an honour to meet all of you."
"Ruby Rose, it's nice to meet you."
"Pyrrha Nikos, the honour is ours."
"Jaune Arc," Jaune murmured, still sounding surprised by all this.
"I'm Twilight Sparkle; it's a pleasure."
"Ciel Soleil at your service, Miss Aris."
"I'm Rainbow Dash."
"And I'm Penny Polendina! Salutations!"
Skystar chuckled. "So are you all Beacon students like Cardy?"
"They are," Rainbow said, gesturing to the four sapphires. "My team are from Atlas; we're here for the Vytal Festival."
Skystar's eyes widened. "The Atlas students have arrived already? Why didn't anyone tell me you'd be getting here so early? I haven't even started planning the reception yet!"
"We're actually here very early, so there's no need to worry," Twilight said quickly. "Although, what was that about a party?"
"Oh, mother asked me, well, she kind of appointed me, but I was happy to do it, to be the Amity Princess of this year's Vytal Festival. I get to organise the parades and the dances and be the public face of Vale welcoming all our foreign visitors, so if you need anything, just let me know."
"Your mother," Sunset repeated. "Wait, Aris? Are you the First Councillor's daughter?"
"Well, yes," Skystar admitted. "But please, there's no need to make a big deal out of it." Skystar gasped. "Were you about to come in here? You should come and sit with us! Wouldn't that be fun, Cardy?"
Cardin had been catatonic with shock during the conversation, but now, he appeared to stir back to something approaching life once more. "Uh, I mean, uh, well… Sunset? Can I talk to you for a second? Outside?"
Sunset grinned. Oh, I'm going to enjoy this. "Sure you can, Cardy. Skystar, don't mind us; we'll be right back."
"Oh, of course," Skystar said, beaming brightly. "Have fun, Cardy."
"Sure," Cardin muttered, in the tone of a man going to his execution. As Skystar ushered the rest of the two teams to tables nearby – where they claimed their seats before heading up to the counter to get their drinks – Cardin made his way towards Sunset.
"Oh, Cardy?" Skystar said, in a sing-song voice.
Cardin turned towards her. "Yes, Sky?"
"Aren't you forgetting something?" Skystar asked, making her mouth seem very small for a moment.
Cardin hesitated for a moment, his bull neck turning red, before he took Skystar's face in his hands and kissed her. "Goodbye, for now."
"I miss you already," Skystar said.
"I miss you more," Cardin replied, as he and Sunset left the Alexandria and moved down the street so they were out of sight of the shop windows.
"So," Sunset said, as the door swung shut behind them. "What's up, Cardy?"
"Shut up," Cardin growled. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm not following you, if that's what you're worried about," Sunset replied. "You're not that important to me." She put her hands on her hips. "Skystar seems nice. I take it your parents arranged that with her mother."
"What, because I wouldn't have a shot on my own?"
"Well, you are kind of an ass," Sunset pointed out. "And can I ask: are you actually a racist, or do you just not like me?"
Cardin scowled. "You heard Skystar; they're her cousins," he explained. "Their mother is Skystar's aunt; she married a faunus, and those two kids are the result."
"I'm surprised you haven't tried to pull their wings off yet," Sunset observed.
"I wouldn't do that!" Cardin protested. "Skystar loves her cousins."
"And she has no idea who you really are, does she?"
Cardin's face turned purple. "Skystar knows exactly who I am."
"Oh, so the person I know from Beacon who bullies and abuses faunus, that's not the real you?" Sunset demanded. "You just pretend to be a bigoted jackass because it's funny? I'm guessing your girlfriend wouldn't see the amusing side." She took a step closer to Cardin. "I have to admit, I'm kind of impressed. I wouldn't have expected you to be able to hide your contempt."
"Silverstream and Terramar aren't like other faunus," Cardin protested.
"That's because you haven't taken the time to get to know any other faunus," Sunset snapped at him. "Of course they don't act like animals, because we're not animals. I should walk in there and tell the three of them just who and what you really are. See how interested Terramar is in hearing about your made-up exploits then."
Cardin swallowed. "You- you've got no proof."
"I can be pretty persuasive."
"No, you can't!" Cardin yelped. "Please, Sunset, you… you can't. Skystar… there's no way she'd choose me over her family. You can't tell."
"I should," Sunset said. "I think Skystar deserves to know that her prince charming is nothing but a bully."
"Please!" Cardin implored her. "Sunset, I'm begging you, I'll do anything!"
Sunset smiled wickedly. "Well, isn't this familiar?" she said. "I seem to recall that it wasn't too long ago that you had Jaune over a barrel because of a secret of his, or at least, you thought you did. Do you remember that, Cardy? Do you remember all the ways you took advantage of Jaune because you thought you had the right to play with my toys?"
Cardin swallowed again. His eyes were wide with panic. "I-I remember."
"Fortunately, I've become a little nicer since then," Sunset said. "Plus, I'm also smarter than you, so I don't need you to do my homework for me or anything like that. All I'm going to ask in return for your secret is that you be nice. That might be difficult for you, but I don't care. The moment I see you reverting back to type is the moment I'll get proof of it and see that proof gets back to the Amity Princess in there. So be nice and remember: I’m just like you, and you’re just like me. Understand?"
Cardin nodded silently.
"Good boy," Sunset said. "Now, we should probably get back inside before Skystar starts to get ideas."
They went back in to find Twilight embroiled in an argument with Silverstream about whether Weiss Schnee's music was starting to sound overproduced.
"Listen to her early work, listen to 'Wings,'" Twilight insisted. "Watch some of her live performances where she's only being accompanied by a piano. There's a clarity to her voice, a purity of intent that's being drowned out by all the rock stylings that her record label is forcing her to incorporate."
"It's not the studio; it's the evolution of her style," Silverstream replied. "She's moving into a different genre, and it bangs! How can you not like 'This Will Be the Day'?"
"I don't dislike it," Twilight said. "I just think that Weiss' lyrics are clever and inventive and deserve to be appreciated as such without being drowned out by heavy drumbeats and guitar riffs."
Sunset let the discussion roll over her, feeling ever so slightly smug in the knowledge that whatever else happened, she had already done a good day's work.