Up in the air, a humble crow, minding his own business, soared gracefully along.
That was until, suddenly, Ruby crashed into him. “Birdy, noooo!” She yelled.
She then used her gun, shooting 3 times to slow herself down, and then using her Scythe to hook onto a tree branch, before swinging down to the ground.
Once she hit the ground, she picked a direction, and ran off to find her sister. “Gotta find Yang. Gotta find Yang,” She muttered urgently to herself.
Onyx flew through the air, humming a happy upbeat tune to himself. The cuffs of his left glove rotated to the gravity chamber. He raised his left hand and created a black Glyph, positioning himself to land on it, before he created more black Glyphs, making a stairway in the air. After landing on the first Glyph, he strolled down to the ground, with his hands behind his back, as he started to whistle to himself, a song called This Will Be The Day. Once he set foot on the ground, he looked around, seeing nothing and no one about.
“Okay, so which way is north?” He asked himself, as he checked his compass. He got his direction, and headed off into the trees, heading north toward the ruins.
Sunset was soaring along through the air before she curled into a ball, and flames shot out of her feet, slowing her down. She landed on the ground in a skid leaving a trail of fire in her wake. Once she straightened up, she looked all around her, eyes narrowed as she looked for any threats. Seeing none, She began her journey north.
Flying through the air, Eclipse was casually reading a manga, chuckling to himself at the story he was reading.
“Where do they get their ideas for these?” He said to himself in amusement. Just then, he looked up from his book and saw the ground approaching. He then put away his comic and used his telekinesis to stop himself, mere inches from the ground. He placed his feet on the grass and looked around him.
“No sign of Blake,” He said with a slightly worried frown. “I better find her fast. I don’t wanna risk being on a team without her.” With that, he quickly headed off to find Blake, heading towards the north.
Walking through the forest, Onyx kept a lookout for Grimm and the other students. Just then, he heard a noise, something coming towards him fast. He pulled out his handgun, which had a carved bayonet.
Suddenly, Ruby came running out of the bushes and came to a stop as she ran into him, before he aimed his gun at her, pointing it right at her nose, which made her stare at it with crossed eyes.
“Umm, hi Onyx,” Ruby said nervously. Onyx didn’t reply, and the look in his eyes said he was ready to kill. “O-Onyx, are you going to put down your gun?” She asked in a cold sweat. Again, he didn’t respond. Instead, he clicked his gun. “Onyx, did I make you angry? It’s the cookies, isn't it? I'm sorry, but you did offer them!” She said hurriedly, waving her hands in a panic. Instead of shooting, Onyx suddenly grabbed Ruby’s hand and pulled her in close. She blushed at the sudden action. “Uhh, Onyx?” She said in a whisper.
Then, Onyx shot his gun at a tree behind her. After a second, a Grimm decloaks and drops down to the ground dead. “Cloaker. They are so annoying,” Onyx said with an annoyed mutter, while still holding Ruby’s hand. “So I guess we’re partners now,” He said, when he looked back at Ruby, seeing how she was blushing. “Oh, sorry, Ruby,” He apologized.
“It’s okay, it just caught me by surprise,” Ruby said, letting go of Onyx’s hand.
“Alright, well anyway, let’s head north and get our relics,” Said Onyx.
“Okay, let’s go. Try and keep up,” Ruby said in a cheery tone.
“Don’t worry, I can…” Onyx began but stopped talking after seeing Ruby run off as fast as the wind, leaving a trail of rose petals in her wake. “OK, I might have some difficulty with that. Hey Ruby! Come back!” He waited for a reply, but there was none. “She’s too far.” Then, he heard something. “Ruby, is that you?” He asked, but it wasn't Ruby. A pack of Beowulf appeared, surrounding him. “How long were you guys there for?” One of the Beowulfs roared in answer before it jumped to attack him. He shot the Beowolf in the head, bringing it down in an instant.
Then, another Beowolf charged from behind him, and he caught its claws with his bayonet, and then he fired another shot, shattering the Grimm’s claws. The Grimm howled in pain, and Onyx cut his head off with the bayonet.
Two more charged at him before he shot one in the leg, and the other jumped, making Onyx jump back, placing a Glyph on the ground. When the Beowolf landed, ice spikes impaled it, killing it. “Heh. Childsplay,” He said tauntingly.
Another Beowolf ran at him, and he kicked it in the throat, sending it hurling into the air, and spun around, kicking it in the stomach, and sending the Beowolf colliding into another one, before he shot three times, killing them both. Then, the alpha Beowolf, much bigger than the others, appeared from the shadows and howled in fury. “And the big cheese comes out to play,” Onyx said and got ready for a fight.
The alpha ran towards him.
Onyx pointed his gun at it, before rotating his right glove to the red chamber, and the red glowing lines went down the fingers, which moved to the barrel of the gun, which turned a deep red. “That’s right big boy just a little closer,” He said, ready to blow it to ashes.
Just as he pulled the trigger, from nowhere, Ruby rushed in and slashed the Grimm in half. Onyx, with only a split second, pointed the gun away from Ruby. The gun went off, and the bullet hit one of the other Beowolfs, causing it to explode into flames. Unfortunately, these flames resulted in the start of a forest fire. Onyx then quickly grabbed Ruby by the hood.
“Come on!” He shouted, and he began dragging her away from the fire.
“Hey! What was that for?! We could have taken them!” Ruby yelled back at him indignantly.
“Are you serious right now?!” Onyx asked her back in frustration as he dragged her onwards.
Ruby was confused at Onyx’s reaction.
“I almost shot you back there! You just came out of nowhere just as I pulled the trigger to kill that Alpha Grimm! Thank the Gods I managed to point my gun somewhere else!” He yelled in anger. “I could have killed you back there. What would I tell Professor Salem and Yang?” He said, placing his hand on his head. “Oh sorry she just came out of nowhere, and I just pulled the trigger of my gun!”
“Look, I’m sorry, I didn’t know you had already pulled the trigger!” She yelled.
“Regardless, the fact remains Ruby!” Onyx went on as he looked at Ruby, before reminding himself that she was just a kid. “Look, I’m sorry for shouting at you,” He said, before then taking a deep breath to calm himself. “You just freaked me out back there.!
“No, you're right, I shouldn’t have just jumped out like that,” Ruby said, accepting responsibility for her actions.
“OK, I’ll let you off with a warning this time,” Onyx said in understanding. “Alright, come on, we've got a deadline to meet, so let’s get going.” He pulled out his compass and checked it. “This way,” he said, pointing north, and leading on.
Ruby followed him, keeping her head down for the moment. What neither of them noticed, was a Giant black feather, as it floated down and landed where they had just stood moments ago.
Meanwhile, Eclipse was walking through the Forest, looking anxiously for Blake. “Where are you, Blake?” He asked. “I haven’t been away from you for this long before. I know I've just gotta find you before I find anyone else.” He then heard Gunshots from the distance. “That must be Blake,” He said out loud, before using his Telekinesis to fly towards the gunshots.
Meanwhile, Sunset was being attacked by three Ursa Majors. She quickly backflips, and with her rifle, she shoots at one of the Ursas. She then flipped her weapon, transformed it into a Pudao, and threw it at the Ursa. As she throws it, the Pudao fires a shot, giving it more thrust, before it lands in Ursa’s head. She runs toward the dying Grimm, jumps and grabs her Pudao, before pointing it at the two remaining Ursa’s.
As she fights, Eclipse hovers above the trees, while watching Sunset as she fights the two Ursa’s. “That’s not Blake, and because of the loophole, we’re not partners until we make eye contact,” He said, about to fly away, when he saw two more Ursa appear from the shadows. “OK, she's good, but I don’t think she can handle four of them,” He stated, and despite his worries about finding Blake, he rushed in to help her.
Sunset turned and saw the other two Ursas as they closed in on her. “You gotta be kidding me!” she shouted in frustration. She was surrounded. She then transformed her weapon from Pudao mode to Dadao mode. Then she takes a defiant stand to fight the four remaining Ursas. At that moment, Eclipse fell from the sky, and he pointed his two blades at two of the Ursas. “I got your back, Sister,” He said with reassurance.
“Don’t call me Sister!” Sunset hissed at him. She was not happy about being helped. She then ran towards two of the Ursas, and Eclipse ran towards the other two Ursas. One of the Ursa’s swung its claws at Sunset, but she slid on her knees, under the attacking Ursa, and with her Dadao, slashed its back leg. It collapsed to the ground, before Sunset jumped on its back, and slashed its neck, killing the Ursa.
Eclipse, with both of his scissor blades, stabbed one of his two Ursas in its paw, and threw the other blade in the head of the second Ursa, easily killing it. He used his telekinesis to bring the blade back to his hand. The first Ursa swings his second claw at him, but he turns and stabs it again, with both blades, in both of Ursa's claws. It roared in fury and pain and tried to bite him in his head. Eclipsed jumped back, before attaching the loops of his swords to a double blade, and the blades began to spin. He then ran at the Grimm and cut it in half from the waist.
Sunset had just finished off the last Ursa. Eclipse then turned to look at her. “Well, hi again. I guess we’re a team now?” He said with uncertainty.
Sunset turned to look back at him with a frown, but before she could say something, a fifth Ursa came stalking towards her from out of the bushes. “Five Ursa’s?! This is just getting ridiculous now!” She said in annoyance.
“You’ve done enough, I’ve got this,” Eclipse said as he gets out his scissors and opens them before jumping in front of her. “Alright, big boy, a little off the top?” He asked Ursa jokingly before he used his scissors to decapitate Ursa’s head.
Sunset could only stare in terrified shock at this. “You just... decapitated an Ursa... with a huge pair of scissors,” She stuttered with dilated pupils, and with one of her eyes twitching.
“What else was I going to do, dance with him?” He asked rhetorically.
“Well no but still...” Sunset paused to take a deep breath to calm her nerves. “Well, I guess this means we’re partners now.”
“Yeah, I guess we are,” Eclipse said. “Right, we need to head north to find Blake.” He started to walk into the forest.
Sunset quickly followed him, falling into step beside him. “So who is this Blake? Is she like your big sister or something?” She asked.
“She has been like a big sister to me for a very long time,” Eclipse said with a contemplative tone. “And I owe her a lot.”
Sunset nodded in understanding of what Eclipse was saying, and the two of them continued to make their way north.
Meanwhile, Onyx and Ruby continued heading north. “Onyx, can I ask you something?” Ruby said.
“Go ahead,” He replied with a nod.
Ruby took a breath, before asking in a quiet, uneasy and cute voice, “Umm, do you think I belong here?”
Onyx stopped and turned to look at her. “Okay, how long have you been a prodigy?” He asked.
“Just under a month,” Ruby replied with a hesitant look.
“Okay Ruby, I’m not going to answer that question. You are still young. I could say yes you belong here, and at the same time, I can say no you don’t belong here. You haven’t been here long, so I’m not going to give you an answer. That’s for you to figure out, and you alone. Now, come on, Let’s go. We still got a deadline to meet,” Onyx said with big brother-like Wisdom, before counting heading north.
Ruby smiled warmly. “Thanks, Onyx,” She said softly. “For being honest with me.”
“Don’t worry about it. It’s what teammates do,” Onyx said with a smile and a shrug.
“So, can I ask you about Emerald?” Ruby asked as she stepped up beside him again.
Onyx already knew what the question was going to be. He sighed and explained, “Emerald’s mom used to work at the Shinra Corporation. She and I used to be close friends, like siblings in a sense.”
“So what happened?” Asked Ruby curiously, even though she could tell the answer wasn’t good.
“One day, I showed Emerald something…” Onyx stopped talking, as remembering the past was upsetting to him.
“Are you okay?” Ruby asked with concern, as she reached for Onyx’s hand to comfort him. However, the second she touched him, Onyx pulled his hand away fast, a sudden look of panic crossing his face, as he was breathing heavily.
“Onyx, what's wrong?” Ruby asked in confusion.
“Nothing,” Onyx said, as he took a deep breath through his nose. “Anyway, Emerald left and went to Mistral, and I haven’t seen her since then,” he said to finish his story.
Ruby could see how the subject of Emerald was uncomfortable for Onyx to talk about. “Um right, yeah. Hey, we must be getting close to the ruins now.” She said, changing the topic.
“Yeah, I think we are,” Onyx agreed. But, just before anything else can happen, they looked up and saw Jaune come flying through the air, screaming like a little girl. “Hey, was that Jaune?” Onyx asked.
Just then, Pyrrha came running past them. “Run!” She yelled in a panic.
Before anything else could be said, a Deathstalker came crashing through the trees.
Ruby and Onyx looked at each other with shocked faces, before turning and running for their lives, with the Deathstalker chasing them.
As this was happening, Eclipse and Sunset had just arrived at the Ruins.
“Alright, here we are,” Eclipsed said.
“Yep, so let's just grab our relics and get back to Beacon,” Said Sunset as she approached the pedestals.
Before she could grab one of the remaining relics, they both turned and saw an Ursa appear from the bushes, accompanied by the screaming of two voices, with the Ursa screaming in pain and rage, and another voice screaming in excitement and joy, followed by an explosion, causing the Ursa to collapse to the ground dead.
“Wooo hooo!” A ginger-haired girl cried as she jumped off Ursa’s head, where she had been riding it. “Aww, it broke,” She said with a sad tone as she looked down at the now-dead Ursa like she had lost a new toy.
Off to the side, a boy dressed in a Chinese-style outfit struggled to get back on his feet. “Nora... never... do that... again!” He said, huffing and puffing as he tried to regain his breath.
Sunset and Eclipse just stood and watched the newcomers with deadpan stares.
“Any ideas who they are?” Asked Eclipse.
“Not a clue,” Replied Sunset.
Just then, more high-pitched screaming was heard, as Jaune came plummeting out of nowhere, and crashed in front of Sunset and Eclipse with a dull thud.
“Hey, vomit boy,” Eclipse said casually.
“Where did he come from?” asked Sunset as she looked down at the groaning boy, but before she got an answer, Onyx, Ruby and Pyrrha came running past them at an alarming pace.
“RUN!!!!” Ruby screamed as she zipped past.
Then, the Deathstalker rammed through the trees, and, upon seeing it, Sunset and Eclipse turned and ran for their lives.
Jaune soon got back to his feet and followed them, while Onyx turned around and shot his gun at the giant Grimm.
The bullet hit the ground, and ignited, the resulting firewall stopping the Deathstalker in its tracks.
“What the hell! You idiots were stupid enough to lead a freaking Deathstalker here?!” Shouted Sunset in anger and disbelief.
“Hey, don’t look at us! It was sir puke-a-lot and little miss perfect over there!” Onyx yelled back, pointing toward Phirra and Jaune.
“Yeah!” Agreed Ruby.
“Is that firewall going to be enough to hold back that Deathstalker?” Asked Eclipse.
“Yeah, for now. Deathstalkers don't like fire,” Replied Onyx.
“Are you okay, Jaune?” Pyrrha asked the blond boy worriedly.
“Yeah, I think so,” Jaune replied, panting.
“What the hell were you two idiots thinking?!” Sunset shouted at the two of them.
“Hey, look we only just-” Pyrrha began before she was cut off as, from the sky, a Nevermore flew overhead.
“What’s a Nevermore doing here?” Asked the boy in green.
Ruby took a closer look at the Nevermore and saw a small bird flying alongside it. “Wait, is that Birdy?” She asked.
“Umm, Birdy?” Asked Nora with a raised eyebrow.
“Yeah, I crashed into a cute...little...birdy,” Ruby said slowly, as her eyes widened just as she realised why a Nevermore was there. “Oh no.”
The Nevermore then flapped its huge wings hard and fired a shower of its quill-like feathers at the group.
“MOVE!” Yelled Pyrrha.
The group ran from the rain of giant feathers. The Nevermore then flew away, for now, at least.
“Hey guys, it's coming back around!” Jaune pointed out.
“And my firewall is going out!” Onyx added.
“Hey, can we use this?” Jaune asked, pulling out the Anti Grav Grenade.
“Is that the Anti Grav Grenade I gave you?” Onyx asked.
Before Jaune could answer, the flames died out, and the Deathstalker charged towards the group.
Seeing the incoming threat, Eclipse quickly took the Anti-Grav Grenade from Juane. “Need to borrow this,” He said before he armed it. He then used his telekinesis and threw it at the Grimm with great force.
The Grenade exploded and released a dome of Anti Gravity. The Deathstalker began to float above the ground, unable to move. “We only have 5 minutes before the Anti Grav Grenade wears off,” Onyx explained.
“Look, the relics are right there, let’s just grab them!” Sunset said insistently.
“Yeah, she's right,” Agreed Ruby. “We’ve no time to waste.
The Nevermore was once more on the approach as the group reached the ruins. “SNATCH AND RUN Y’ALL!” Eclipse yelled out.
Everyone ran up to the relics. “Get a relic, Ruby!” Said Onyx.
“Leave it to me!” Ruby said as she ran ahead and grabbed one of the Crowns.
Eclipse then used his telekinesis to grab the other Crown as well.
“Why did you take The Crown?” Asked Sunset.
“Who gives a damn, let's just get the hell out of here?!” Eclipse replied frantically.
Jaune and the others took the last remaining relics, the two sword relics, and then ran after them.
As they all kept running, the Nevermore flew ahead of the group and turned to face them once more.
“He just cut us off!” Said the boy in green, and the Deathstalker was not far behind them. The Nevermore then shot more of its deadly feathers, and the group scattered to dodge them. “Nora, distract it!” The boy Ordered.
“You got it, Ren!” Nora replied with a smirk, as she pulled out her grenade launcher, and opened fire at the Nevermore.
The Nevermore flew away, and then the Deathstalker tried to grab Nora with its pincer.
Seeing this, Onyx shot at it with ice bullets, causing its pincer to freeze.
Eclipse then used his telekinesis to move her out of the Deathstalker’s path. “Thanks!” Nora called gratefully.
“Anytime!” Eclipse replied.
They came upon a high bridge across a deep gorge. Ruby and Sunset quickly crossed the bridge.
“Wait, where’s the others?” Asked Ruby.
Onyx and Eclipse were in combat against the Deathstalker, along with Jaune, Pyrrha, Nora and Ren. The Deathstalker struck with its huge stinger, making everyone jump back.
Eclipse, using his scissors, tried to cut the stinger off. “My scissors are stuck!” He shouted as the blades became wedged in its long tail.
The Deathstalker pulled back its stinger, and struck at the defenceless Eclipse, throwing him toward Ruby and Sunset, pulling his weapons with him.
“Thank you!” He shouted to the Deathstalker as he hit the ground in front of the girls.
“Did he just thank a Grimm?” asked Jaune.
“Yep, He just thanked a Grimm,” Confirmed Pyhrra.
“What a weirdo,” said Nora.
“Says the weird girl,” Muttered Ren.
“I heard that!” Yelled Nora indignantly.
“You okay?” Ruby asked Eclipse.
“I’ll live,” Eclipse replied as he jumped back to his feet.
The Nevermore came flying towards the crumbling tower, as Ruby, Sunset, and Eclipse opened fire on the Grimm bird.
“ONYX! WE NEED YOU!” Ruby yelled.
“Go! We got this!” Called Ren as they held off the Deathstalker.
“Thanks,” Onyx said as he ran towards Ruby and the others.
The Nevermore dived under the bridge, As Onyx ran to the others, then the Nevermore flew up the other side, and shot its fathers at them, destroying the bridge, but Eclipse then used his telekinesis to bring Onyx up to join them.
“Thanks, man,” Onyx said with a smile.
“Anytime,” Eclipse replied with a smile of his own.
“We’re not doing any damage!” Stated Sunset.
“Then we hit him with everything we’ve got!” Ruby ordered, transforming her weapon into scythe mode, and the four of them began throwing everything they had at the Nevermore.
Sunset shoots fireballs from her rifle. Onyx used his Glyphs to enhance his shots. Ruby shot at it with her sniper rifle. Eclipse shot at the Grimm with his scissors guns.
The Nevermore then crashed into the tower, bringing it down, and the four of them jumped and climbed up the falling pieces, with Ruby using her speed to jump from piece to piece, Onyx using his glyphs as steps to run up the pieces of falling debris, and Eclipse using his telekinesis.
Sunset then used her semblance, shooting fire from her feet to fly. Then, the Nevermore flew towards her and caught her in its mouth. Sunset turned her weapon into Fighting Spear mode and used it to keep its mouth open. She then snaps her fingers, causing a crackling sound to be heard before she began shooting flames down its throat. “Here’s some heartburn for ya!” She yelled.
Onyx, Ruby, and Eclipse then landed on the second bridge. “Where’s Sunset?” Asked Eclipse.
The Nevermore came flying over, with Sunset still in its mouth, and Sunset still shooting her flames down its throat. “Cook, you overgrown Chicken!” She shouted in rage.
“Found her,” Said Onyx, as he pointed his gun at the Nevermore, and shot out its eye. It screeched from the pain and released Sunset from its mouth. She came tumbling down, using her flames to slow her descent and landed beside Ruby and the others. “Not gonna lie, Guys,” She said, “This one’s a tough one.”
The Nevermore flapped its wings, shooting a slew of feathers at them once more. Eclipse combined his two blades into a double blade and threw them at the feathers to destroy them.
Onyx transformed his gun into a long hooked sword, and both of his cuffs rotated to wind and ice. Then he placed both hands on the handle. The dust infused his blade, changing the blade edge into a mix of blue and green, and he pulled the trigger, shooting to give more power to the swing, and a huge blue beam of light flew from his blade. “Frozen Blade Beam!” He shouted. The Nevermore was hit by the beam, and in an instant, it was trapped on the cliff’s wall, in a sheet of ice. The Nevermore quickly began trying to break free of the ice. The others all turned to stare at him. “What?” He asked.
“What the hell was that?” Sunset asked with an incredulous tone.
“My special attack,” Onyx said. “When you perform it, you shout out its name. Doesn't everyone do it?”
“No!” Shouted Sunset. “That’s stupid!”
“Onyx,” Ruby said softly, patting him on the shoulder, “No one in their right mind does that.”
“Except for Anime characters,” Said Eclipse, “which we are not.”
They were then interrupted by loud, angry screeching, as they looked to see that the Nevermore was almost free of the ice. “Oh, yeah, forgot about that,” Ruby said nonchalantly. She now saw her opportunity. “Eclipse! Help me get closer!” She ordered, and Eclipse used his telekinesis to fling Ruby toward the Nevermore. As the Grimm freed itself from the ice, Ruby hooked her scythe into its neck, and Onyx then created a set of Gravity Glyphs up the side of the cliff, which Ruby used to run up the cliff face, dragging the helpless Grimm along behind her.
Sunset then jumped off the bridge, and with her flames, she flew up above Ruby and the Grimm, before she spun her weapon above her head, and pointed her blade down. She shot fire from the weapon and dived towards Ruby. Once the two girls met, Sunset stabbed the Grimm, and Ruby cut the Nevermore’s head clean off, the Nevermore finally dying, and at the same time, Jaune and his team had just finished off the Deathstalker.
Soon, the boys had reunited with the girls on top of the cliff, along with Jaune’s team.
“We did it! We just took down a Nevermore!” Cheered Ruby in pure happiness.
“Hell, yeah! I haven’t felt this much adrenaline in what feels like a lifetime!” Agreed Eclipse with a satisfied smirk.
“I gotta admit,” Sunset said, “I had my doubts, but I stand corrected. We made a good team out there.”
“You know what? I think we’re going to be the best team ever!” Onyx said with his rush of adrenaline, as he raised his weapon into the air, and let off a shot in his excitement.
“Whoa! What the hell!” Eclipse exclaimed.
“Hehe, sorry, I just got excited,” Onyx said with a chuckle.
Their celebration was then cut short, as a Bullhead came hovering down before them. They turned to look, as the door opened, and Miss Goodwitch stepped out, a very strict look on her face. “Get in,” She said sternly.
“What? But why?” Asked Ruby in confusion.
“I’m afraid you have all missed the deadline,” Miss Goodwitch explained, “So none of you will be attending Beacon this year.”
“WHAT!?” Everyone yelled at once in shock and disbelief. They all tried to protest, but, unfortunately, it was no use arguing with Miss Goodwitch, who ordered them all aboard the Bullhead, which they did so with their heads hung, as they handed over their relics to her.
On the flight back to the Academy, Ruby, Onyx, Sunset and Eclipse were all depressed about not attending Beacon.
“You know what? Who cares about not going to Beacon?!” Onyx suddenly spoke out. Everyone turned to look at him. “There are three other schools on Remnant,” Onyx went on, “and my Aunt is a teacher at Haven. I’m sure She’ll let us attend there instead.” He then muttered under his breath, “After a lot of begging.”
“You’re right. I’m from Haven, and you guys might not be as good as Blake, but I like you guys,” Agreed Eclipse.
“You know, I rarely get along with humans,” Said Sunset with a slight smirk, “but I have to agree with Shinra. This team is possibly the best group I’ve ever worked with.”
“Yeah, Onyx is right,” Ruby said with an optimistic smile. “Let’s do it. If we can’t go to Beacon, then we’ll go somewhere else, and with you three, I believe we can do anything!” She was very happy that they all agreed to stay together no matter where they went.
Jaune and his team looked on with smiles, as they also agreed to stay together.
Unbeknownst to them, Salem had been watching the whole exchange through the Bullhead’s onboard security cameras. Seeing the newfound loyalty between the new teammates made her smile. She then used her scroll to make a call. “Glynda? There’s been a change of plans.” On the screen, Miss Goodwitch rolled her eyes. “I saw that,” Salem said with a smirk.
In the great hall, the students had all gathered to see all the formations of all the new teams.
Up on the stage, Salem listed off the names of each new team member. “The first new team of this year will consist of Weiss Schnee, Applejack Smith, Vinyl Scratch, and Emerald Sustrai, who retrieved the Staff relic. You will be known as Team Wave.”The girls stepped forward onto the stage and bowed respectfully. “And your leader will be Weiss Schnee.” Weiss smiled with pride and a hint of smugness before Salem moved on to the next team.
“Next, Blake Belladonna, Lemon Zest, Indigo Zap, and Twilight Sparkle, you retrieved the Lamp Relic,” she continued as they now stepped forward. “You shall be known as Team Blight And your leader shall be Blake Belladonna.” Blake looked noticeably nervous about being in the position of leader. They left the stage as Salem went on speaking.
“The next team shall consist of Yang Xiao Long, Ember Bloodstone, Lyra Heartstrings, and Octavia Melody,” she said as they now stopped forward. “You retrieved the Shield Relic, and you shall be known as Team Yellow and your leader will be Yang Xiao Long.” This made Yang smile her biggest grin.
As the ceremony went on, Ruby and her teammates watched from the side of the hall with solemn looks. “Okay, I’ll book us a hotel to stay, and tomorrow I can arrange transport for us,” Onyx explained. “So, we best decide which Academy we’re going to.” The others nodded, and they were just about to turn and leave but paused as Salem announced the names of the next team.
“And the next team shall consist of Jaune Arc, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos and Lie Ren.” The four of them stepped forward, looking very surprised, especially Jaune. “You retried the Sword Relic, and you shall be known as Team Juniper, and your leader shall be Jaune Arc.” Jaune looked astonished, while Pyrrha smiled at him proudly, and she then gave him a friendly punch to the shoulder, which knocked him off his feet, making everyone in the hall laugh.
Ruby and the others were surprised at this development, to say the least. “Wait, I thought they missed the deadline like us?” Asked Ruby, very puzzled. But then, all four of their jaws nearly hit the floor, as Salem made her next announcement.
“And last, but most certainly not least, Ruby Rose, Onyx Shinra, Sunset Shimmer, and Eclipse Khan.” They stared up at her in disbelief, before stepping forward, and onto the stage. “You four retrieved the Crown Relics,” Salem went on, smiling proudly at them, “and from this day forth, you shall be known as Team Rose And you shall be led by Ruby Rose.” The four of them just looked at each in utter confusion, all thinking the same thought, was this happening?
Salem then turned to look at the rest of the students of her Academy, smiling at them all. “Today, you are all now Hunters and Huntresses in training. Starting tomorrow, you will learn how to protect Remnant from the forces of Grimm, and those who have chosen to go down the dark path. This is not a simple task, and it will come with many dangers and perils. I will not lie, this is not a path for the faint of heart. Some of you may lose much along this journey, including your lives. But remember, this is a path you have to choose to go down. And also remember, that you shall never walk this path alone.” With those words, she finished her speech, and the ceremony was over.
As the assembled students left the hall, Ruby and her team walked up to Salem. “Professor Salem, why did you let us stay? I thought we missed the deadline?” Ruby asked in confusion.
Salem smiled as she said, “Yes, you did miss the deadline, but when I saw your performance in the Emerald Forest today, I must say, I was most impressed. How could I possibly decline your entry into my Academy?” She explained to Ruby. “Now, I must take my leave, as I have other matters to attend to, and you and your team should get some rest, Miss Rose. After all, you four have a big day tomorrow.” Salem nodded her head respectfully to all four of them, before turning and walking off the stage.
“So, she’s just gonna overlook the fact we missed the deadline?” asked Sunset with a raised eyebrow.
“Seems so,” Shrugged Eclipse.
“Well, anyway… I’m tired,” Yawned Onyx, “How about we head to our dorm room?”
With that said Ruby, Onyx, Sunset, and Eclipse left the hall and their way to their dorm room.
When they got there and looked inside, they saw four bunk beds.
“I call the top bunk!” Ruby cried excitedly, running and jumping up onto the left-hand top bunk.
“I’m okay with the bottom,” said Onyx casually, as he sat down on the bed beneath Ruby’s.
“So Sunset, top or bottom?” Asked Eclipse as they looked at the right-hand bunks.
“Don’t care,” Sunset replied with a noncommittal shrug. “You can have the top if you want.”
“Thanks!” Eclipse said with a big smile, before rushing over to the bunks and hoisting himself up onto the top bunk.
Sunset just smirked and rolled her eyes. “Such a kid,” She muttered good-naturedly.
Soon, everyone had changed into their nightwear and were tucked into their beds. “Well, everybody. Big day tomorrow," said Ruby softly.
“Yeah, big day, indeed,” Agreed Onyx, “still can’t believe we’re all still here.”
“Hey, are you going to be OK without your big sister Blake to hold your hand, Eclipse?” Asked Sunset teasingly.
“Yeah, don’t you worry about me? I’m a big boy,” Joked Eclipse.
“Yeah, sure you are,” Sunset said, rolling her eyes again.
Ruby then let out a huge yawn. “Well, goodnight guys,” She said sleepily, snuggling into her pillow.
“Sweet dreams,” Onyx said.
“Night,” Said Sunset.
“See you guys in the morning,” Eclipsed said.
They all drifted off to sleep with their thoughts full of anticipation of the new lives that lay ahead of them.
In her large office, which had a glass floor, through which could be seen the cogs and gears of a great machine, Salem was at her desk, which was also made of glass, through which could be seen more cogs and gears, going through some paperwork.
“The next generation of guardians. I pray they can be the shining light in the darkness,” She said contemplatively, looking out of the large office window at the broken moon.
To Be Continued...