//------------------------------//
// Chapter 9: Story’s of our weapon’s 
// Story: R.O.S.E 
// by Madforce Entertainment 
//------------------------------//

It was midday at Beacon, and Team Rose was at the shooting gallery, with Team Wave, Team Yellow, Team Blight, and Team Juniper. Ruby, with her Crescent Rose, was shooting at the holo Grimm. She fired her last shot at the last holo Grimm. After her last shot, the scoreboard showed her results were 85%.

“WHAT!? ONLY 85!” Ruby shouted in a disappointed tone.

“Looks like you need more practice, Ruby,” Yang said to her younger sister.

“Hey, didn’t she score higher than you?” Ember asked Yang.

“Ok, so maybe my score was only 33. But in my defence, I’m the up close and personal type,” Yang replied with a confident smirk.

“Alright, before this goes any further, who’s next?” Octavia asked. The randomizer chose Pyrrha. 

“Oh, it’s my turn,” Pyrrha said, stepping towards the shooting gallery, with her Miló in its rifle mode. As Pyrrha approached the gallery, Ruby returned to her teammates.

Once she was in position, Pyrrha began to shoot at the holo Grimm. Ruby sat next to Onyx. “Hey Ruby, are you okay?” He asked.

“Yeah I’m fine, just a little bitter about my score,” Ruby said with an annoyed frown.

“Forget about it Ruby, those scores are just numbers,” Eclipse said. “At the end of the day it’s combat experience that counts.”

“He’s right Ruby. Plus 85% isn’t anything to be ashamed of,” Sunset said encouragingly. After Sunset’s statement, Pyrrha shot the last holo, Grimm. Everyone looked up at the scoreboard, which said 92%.

Ember whistled, “92%, impressive,” She said.

“Well, I’d say that’s the highlight score of the day,” Declared Vinyl.

“Wait a go, Pyrrha!” Nora cheered, while Pyrrha smiled humbly as she rubbed the back of her head.

The randomizer selected the next student, which was Onyx. “Looks like it's the Shinra's turn,” Indigo said.

Onyx then stood up. “Wish me luck,” He said to his teammates.

“Good luck Onyx,” Ruby said as he walked to the gallery.

Pyrrha returned to her teammates. “You did great out there Pyrrha!” Nora said with a big smile.

“Yes, you performed wonderfully at the gallery.” Ren agreed.

Jaune looked at the scoreboard with his team’s scores. Nora’s score was 56, Ren’s score was 67, and now Pyrrha’s score was 92, the highest score of the whole class. But this was at a shooting range. Unfortunately, his score was at zero, because his weapon was a sword and shield, so his score would be the lowest out of the whole class.

“Are you okay Jaune?” Pyrrha asked her partner, snapping him out of his thoughts.

“Oh, I’m fine Pyrrha,” Jaune replied to his partner with a shrug. “Looks like Onyx is getting ready.”

Onyx stood in the same spot that Pyrrha was standing a moment ago. “Let’s see how good the Shinra boy is,” Lyra said, watching Onyx closely. Before he started his turn, Onyx grabbed 4 magazines in between the fingers of his left hand.

“Hmm, that’s interesting,” Octavia said, very interested in Onyx’s method of holding his extra magazines.

Onyx pushed the start button, and the gallery started to project the holo, Grimm. As they appeared, Onyx opened fire at the fake Grimm. As he let out shot after shot, Onyx mentally kept count of each bullet in his magazine. When he knew the last bullet was in the chamber, he quickly switched magazines. After the fourth magazine was loaded into his gun, Onyx switched hands, and with his right hand, he grabbed another four magazines just like before he started.

“Wow look at him go,” Said Lemon Zest in awe.

“Are we sure he’s human?” Indigo asked with wide eyes.

“He’s human,” Twilight stated, “I’ve scanned his physiology once before, and I must say, he’s very well trained.”

Onyx shot the last holo Grimm, ending his turn, and all eyes were on the scoreboard, as they waited to see his results. After a moment, the board showed Onyx’s results, 96%.

“YAY, ONYX!” Ruby cheered as she clapped her hands excitedly. 

“Wow, that's some fancy shooting!” Applejack declared.

“Yang, isn’t that your sister’s partner?” Asked Octavia.

“Yeah, I think he is,” Yang replied absentmindedly as she was still looking at the scoreboard.

“Hmm,” Blake said as she looked at Onyx. “He’s good with his handgun.”

“Oh yeah, that Shinra boy’s outdone the Invincible Girl,” Stated Indigo.

Everyone was talking about Onyx beating Pyrrha’s score. “Wow, Pyrrha, looks like you have some competition,” Nora said, tapping Pyrrha with her elbow.

“Hmm, well I welcome the challenge,” Pyrrha said with a smile.

Onyx returned to his teammates. “Hey, Onyx, who taught you to shoot like that?” Eclipse asked.

“One of my sisters, she’s a complete gun nut,” Onyx replied casually.

“Really?” Ruby asked with stars in her eyes.

“Oh yeah, the walls of her room have different types of guns hanging on them, and the floor was always covered with bullets,” Onyx said again. “Whenever I had free time, she would cram much training as much as possible, showing me everything she knew about guns,” He smiled as he thought about his gun-ho sister.

“I say your training paid off well,” Sunset stated. “Just seeing your score is proof enough.”

“HE CHEATED!” Called out the obnoxious voice of Cardin Winchester. Everyone looked in his direction as the large boy stood up from his seat. “Let’s be honest with ourselves here. The only way he could have gotten the highest score and beaten Pyrrha Nikos is by cheating,” He declared snidely to the whole room.

“And what evidence do you have to support your claim?” Ren calmly asked the irate student.

Cardin smirked and pointed to the scoreboard. “My evidence is right there,” He answered. “So Shinra, how did you cheat? Did you upload a program to the system? Or did you pay the Invincible Girl to dive you?” He asked Onyx accusingly.

“None of the above,” Onyx said simply. “But to quote what Eclipse just said not long ago, the score are just numbers, it's combat experience that counts,” He stated.

“So what exactly are you saying?” Cardin asked again.

“I'm saying you're attention-seeking, because your score is zero like Jaune Arc’s,” Onyx said, turning to Jaune. “No offence Jaune,” He said apologetically.

“None was taken,” Jaune said with a shrug.

Cardin glared as he walked menacingly towards Onyx. “So I’m just seeking attention huh?” He asked with a growl.

“I’d say so, considering your weapon is just a stick with a couple of spikes,” Onyx said with a smirk.

“Do you want to fight, little man?” Cardin threatened Onyx as the rest of his team appeared from behind him. Onyx and Cardin stared challengingly at each other, but then, the bell rang to tell the Students to go to their next classes. “Huh, saved by the bell, Shinra,” Cardin said with a scowl.

“Yeah, you were,” Onyx said with a smile. Cardin clenched his fist and stalked off for his next class with his team.

“What’s his problem?” Ruby asked.

“He’s just a meathead, Ruby, and all meatheads are stupid as hell,” Sunset said with her arms crossed.

“Well, anyway, come on guys, we gotta get to class,” Eclipse said to his teammates.

“He’s right, let's get going,” Onyx agreed, and Team Rose left the gallery and made their way towards their next class.





The next class was with Professor Port, inside a workshop with tools of all kinds sitting at the ready for use, and he was teaching the importance of weapons maintenance. The lecture began with a story from Professor Port’s past.

“Back in my early days as a young Huntsman, I was hunting an Ursa Major that was terrorising a small village. After several days of tracking down the beast, I fought the Grimm with my trusty weapon, but during the battle, my Weapon was destroyed by the Grimm, but thankfully I always carry a second weapon, and with my second choice I managed to slay the Grimm and put an end to its threat to the village. Since that day, I learned one valuable lesson, always take care of your equipment, or you’ll regret it. Today, you are going to have your first sparring match, so you are all going to do some maintenance on your weapons. Everything you'll need will be provided, so time to get started on your maintenance,” Professor Port instructed his class. 

The students organised themselves to perform their maintenance on their weapons. Ruby started her maintenance on Crescent Rose, disassembling the scythe. Onyx did the same with his Echo’s Shadow.

“Hey, Onyx, where did you get the idea for your weapon?” Ruby asked her Partner curiously.

“Hmm, well, I had two teachers, my sisters and…” Onyx paused for a second as he concentrated on separating the gun from his Falx.

“Well? Don’t leave me hanging,” Ruby said eagerly, causing Onyx to chuckle at her love of weapons. 

“Oh sorry,” Onyx apologised. “The Gun was my Sister’s favourite, it’s a Shinra AG 454 Casull Auto, and the sword came from a story I was told by my teacher about my mother. She said my mother used a sword called a Falx, she also said no one was safe from her blade. So I combined the two weapons, and Echo’s Shadow was created,” Onyx finished proudly. “What about your weapon?” He then asked.

“I copied my Uncle’s weapon, but his scythe was a shotgun, and mine is a 50 Cal sniper rifle,” Ruby replied. “Hey, who was your teacher?” she asked again.

“Oh no one you would know, hey what’s your Uncle's name?” Onyx asked, changing the subject.

“Qrow,” Ruby replied.

“Qrow? You don’t mean Qrow Branwen do you?” Onyx asked.

“You know my Uncle?” Ruby asked in surprise.

“No, not personally, but I’m familiar with his work,” Onyx said as he continued to work on his weapon.

Meanwhile, Sunset was sharpening the blade of her Sunburn. She saw Eclipse taking his weapons apart. She noticed that there were scratches on both of his scissor blades, with both sets of scratches in the same area on each blade. “Hey Eclipse, what’s with those scratches?” She asked.

“Oh, just wear and tear,” Eclipse replied nonchalantly as he continued to take his weapon apart.

“So what’s your weapon's name?” Sunset asked again.

“Excuse me?” Eclipse said as he looked at her curiously. 

“Your weapon's name? Like mine is called Sunburn, and Onyx is called Echo’s Shadow, and Ruby’s is called Crescent Rose,” Sunset explained as she moved to clean the barrel of her rifle. “So, what is your weapon’s name?” She asked once more.

Eclipse took a moment to think of an answer. “Their names are Forgiveness and Redemption,” He answered mysteriously.

“Forgiveness and Redemption? What’s the meaning behind that?” Sunset asked.

“I made a lot of mistakes in my past, and I seek Forgiveness and Redemption,” Eclipse explained with a slightly remorseful and solemn tone in his voice.

“Wow, that sounds insane,” Sunset said sympathetically.

“Yeah it was,” Eclipse said with that same remorseful tone.

As he continued working on his scissors blades, a memory from his time with the White Fang moved to the front of his mind.





A younger Eclipse was in a room filled with tools of all kinds. He was just finishing engraving the names of his weapons, Vengeance and Vendetta. After giving them the finishing touches, he took a moment to admire his work. 

“You made yourself a huge pair of scissors?” Asked a male voice.

Eclipse turned and saw Adam Taurus, the Bull Faunus. “Hey Adam, when did you get here?” he asked.

“Just now, I needed to sharpen my sword,” Adam said, grabbing a whetstone to sharpen his sword. “So why did you design your weapon like a pair of scissors?” He asked Eclipse again as he sharpened his sword. “Are you planning on being a barber?”

“No, I designed my Weapon to be a pair of scissors to cut the chain that humanity has used to suppress us,” Eclipse explained with pride and determination in his voice.

“So, you're going to cut away the chains of suppression?” Adam asked again.

“Of course, my scissors will cut the city of Atlas itself right out of the sky!” Eclipse declared with enthusiasm. He then frowned as Adam laughed at Eclipse’s statement. “What’s so funny?”

“You're still such a kid, Eclipse,” Adam said. “You know when your mom takes over the White Fang, we’ll have our work cut out for us.” He then looked at his reflection in his red blade. “Do you think your scissors will be sharp enough to cut the chain of suppression?” He asked Eclipse seriously.

“What do you mean when my mom takes over?” Eclipse asked in confusion.

“You haven’t heard? Chieftain Ghira Belladonna is stepping down, and our brothers and sisters want your mother to be in charge,” Adam explained.

“What? If Chieftain Ghira steps down, what about Blake?” Eclipse asked in concern and slight worry.

“I’m staying,” Blake said firmly as she entered the room. “My parents are cowards, and I won’t follow in their footsteps. I’m staying with the White Fang, and I’m going to help save our kind from Humanity,” she declared.

“Well I say that answered your question,” Adam said as he finished sharpening his sword. “I’ll see you later, Eclipse,” he said, leaving Eclipse alone with Blake.

Black stepped closer to Eclipse who was still working on his weapon. “I heard what you said,” she said. “Saying your scissors will cut the chains that suppress us and that you're going to cut Atlas out of the sky.” She gave a warm smile.

Eclipse couldn't help but blush a little in embarrassment. “You heard all of that?” He asked bashfully.

“Yes I did, and I think you can do it with your scissors. Cutting us free and bringing Atlas back to the surface,” Blake said encouragingly.

“You think so?” Eclipse asked hopefully.

“Yes, I do Eclipse. I do,” Blake said happily as Eclipse finished reminiscing about the day he created his scissors.





Back in the present day, as he continued working on his scissor blades, Eclipse looked curiously at Sunset’s weapon. “Hey, Sunset, what’s the story about your weapon?” He asked the Fox girl.

“I had this teacher, and she gave me this weapon to train with. After I finished my training I asked if I could keep it. She said yes, and I modified it to be a hunting rifle that shoots fireballs as well as bullets,” Sunset explained, checking her weapon for any damages.

“So you could say it’s a keepsake?” Eclipse said.

“Yeah, a very close keepsake,” Sunset said in a soft, nostalgic tone as she resumed work on her weapon.





Weiss was sharpening the blade of her Myrtenaster. She didn't create this weapon, it was made for her. But credit for its design was all hers though. The Rapier half was inspired by her Grandfather Nicholas Schnee who wielded a greatsword. He trained her with the Rapier, and she loved spending so much time with him. Unfortunately, however, the happy times did not last, when he was killed by a Grimm that looked like a Yeti. Poor young Weiss cried so much that day, and her father took over the Manor. 

Weiss then moved on to the Revolver half of her weapon, and this part of her weapon was from her second Grandfather, Vergil Frost. She remembered when she first saw him. Entering the Schnee manor, he was a Huntsman and came to see his son. She also remembered the warmth that came with him. The day he taught her how to use a revolver, she showed a flaw of hers, one of which her father despised with a passion. Weiss remembered how hard her father slapped her cheek, leaving a visible bruise on her face. When Vergil saw her face, he was enraged, and she remembered with a chill what happened next. Vergil screamed at her father for hitting her, then she remembered when Vergil stormed up to her father and pointed his gun inside his own son’s mouth. Weiss also remembered what he said to her father.

“If you EVER touch her like that again I’ll blow your worthless head clean off!” He’d bellowed furiously. Weiss then remembered with a chuckle the image of her father’s pants turning from white to yellowish green. 

Then, soon after, Vergil had trained her to use a revolver. Unfortunately, she then remembered that he died of an illness, and on his deathbed, he gave her his gun, and she was told to hide it from her father. Before he passed away, she’d promised she’d take extra special care of it. But somehow, the revolver went missing soon after the funeral. To this day, despite searching many times, she’d never found her beloved grandfather’s revolver. A small tear fell from her eye from the sad memories.

Applejack, who was working next to her, noticed this. “You OK, Sugarcube?” She asked her leader gently.

“Hmm?” Weiss said as she looked up at Applejack.

“You’ve got a tear in your eye,” Applejack said, holding out her handkerchief to Weiss.

“Oh, I didn’t even notice,” Weiss said, taking the handkerchief from Applejack, and using it to wipe away her tears. “Thank you,” She said, giving back Applejack's handkerchief.

“So what was that about?” Applejack asked in concern. 

“I was remembering something about my Weapon,” Weiss replied.

“Want to talk about it?” Applejack said, offering a sympathetic ear.

“No, thank you, I’ll be fine,” Weiss replied, resuming work on her weapon.

“If you say so, sugar cube,” Applejack said as she continued to work on her Boomstick.

Weiss then looked across at Applejack’s weapon. From her point of view, it looked very basic. “Applejack?”

“Yep.”

“What is your family Heritage?” Weiss asked.

“Pardon?”

“Your Heritage, I’m just curious about your family,” Weiss replied.

“Ohhh,” Applejack said, understanding what Weiss meant. “I come from a long line of Farmers,” she said proudly.

Hearing this, something didn’t add up for Weiss. “Wait, where did those grenades come from?” She asked in confusion.

“Oh, those are from the Great War. Most of my family is Mistralian, and during the Great War, my family would provide Apples for the masses. But some of the warehouses we had were being raided by thieves from the other Kingdoms. So my Great Great Grandfather came up with an idea to put an end to the thieving. He injected Nitroglycerin into some of the Apples, and they were set to explode when someone bit into them, blowing them all to bits,” Applejack explained. 

Weiss’s eyes widened in shock at what she’d just heard. “I have a feeling I should be careful with what I say to you in future,” she said with a hint of fear in her voice.

“I would too, Sugarcube,” Applejack said slyly with a wicked grin, making Weiss shiver as a sudden chill went up her spine. 

“Wait, wasn’t there anyone from your family history that was a Huntsman or that served?” Weiss then asked again.

“Nope,” Applejack said simply.

“Are you telling me you're the first person out of your whole family history who’s training to become a Huntress?” Weiss asked Applejack once more.

“Yep, one day, my little sister Applebloom was playing in her treehouse with her friends. They started to argue about something silly. A Grimm sensed them arguing, which drew it right to them. I was collecting Apples, and I heard their screams. I grabbed the nearest weapon, which was an axe, and I ran towards the treehouse. The Grimm was an Ursa Minor. I fought it as best as I could, and I wasn’t doing very well considering it was the first Grimm I’ve ever seen. I took a claw to the gut and was sent flying towards a tree, but then, just as the Ursa was about to come at me for the kill, someone else shot at it, killing it almost instantly,” Applejack explained.

“Who killed the Grimm?” Weiss asked with interest.

“It was Professor Port, and after he saved me and my Sister and her friends, he said I had the potential to become one of the best Hunters that Remnant had ever seen, and that’s why I’m here, to keep little girls and boys safe so they can play in their treehouses without fear,” Applejack finished explaining with great pride and conviction in her voice for her cause.

“Wow, that’s amazing, Applejack,” Weiss said, very impressed.

“Yep, everyone has a story. What’s yours?” Applejack asked curiously.

“Ohh, umm, that’s…” Weiss said hesitantly. 

“It’s alright. You can tell another time, when you feel more comfortable, Sugarcube,” Applejack said with an understanding smile as she resumed work on her weapon.

“Yeah, I might tell you someday,” Weiss said softly, resuming work on her weapon.

At one of the other tables, Vinyl took her boombox apart to give her weapon a full overhaul. As she worked, Emerald, who was sitting next to her, was cleaning the barrel of her revolvers. 

Emerald looked up from her work and looked curiously at the inner workings of Vinyl’s musical weapon. “Wow, that looks complicated,” She said.

“Yeah, when I first came up with this weapon I went somewhat all out, you know?” Vinyl said with a shrug as she looked closely at the circuit board of her Noisy Boy. “What about you, where did your weapon come from?” She asked Emerald.

“Oh, my guns are a pair of 454 ACP Revolvers. I got them from my mom…after she died,” Emerald said with a sad tone.  

“Oh man, I’m sorry. What was she like?” Vinyl asked with a sympathetic look.

“Hmm?” Emerald said as she looked at Vinyl in surprise. 

“Your mother, what was she like?” Vinyl asked again.

“She was an amazing woman, she worked in security for the Shinra Corporation. Then one day she got a promotion and we moved to Mistral. We were happy living there, then one day, a riot happened. She tried to help anyone who was trying to hide from the fighting.” Tears started to form in her eyes as she went on sadly. “Then she was killed by the Athenians, and they never took any responsibility for what happened that day. She was a faceless woman who got killed by the protectors of Remnant,” Emerald finished with a mournful sigh.

“Oh geez, I’m sorry to hear that about your mother,” Vinyl said with a sad frown.

“It’s OK, it happened a very long time ago,” Emerald said reassuringly as she continued her work on her revolvers.

“But isn't it hard to be on a team with Weiss, because she’s from Atlas?” Vinyl asked with concern.

Emerald takes a moment to think about Vinyl’s question. “I don’t know yet. I haven’t been with her long enough to judge her, so I’m going to give it a while longer before I make up my mind,” she replied thoughtfully.

“That’s probably for the best,” Vinyl said as she fused some circuits.

“So what about your weapon?” Emerald asked, moving the subject to Vinyl’s weapon.

“Long story short, I love rave parties, and I’m crazy about Techno Music. When I was a little girl, I had a boombox that I would carry on my shoulder and play loud music from it. The assault rifle came from this arcade game I used to play, which I had the highest score on it by the way, and as for the hammer, it came from another game called Whack A Grimm,” Vinyl explained with a smirk. 

Emerald scoffed after hearing this story. It was a little ridiculous to her. “Sorry, keep going,” she said.

“I went to combat school with Octavia and the rest is obvious,” Vinyl Scratch said with a shrug. “Nothing else to tell.” 

After hearing Vinyl’s story about her BoomBox, Emerald began to feel a bit better. “OK, hearing your story about your weapon did cheer me up a little,” She said with a cheery tone in her voice.

“Yeah, I know the story behind my Noisy Boy is kinda silly but it’s 100% true,” Vinyl said, checking for anywhere else that needed fusing inside her BoomBox.

Emerald smiled. “So how do you think sparring matches will go?” She asked.

“Not sure, but I’m sure it’s going to be a lot of fun,” Vinyl said with a smile as she moved on to the next part of her weapon.

“Yeah, maybe,” Emerald said, moving on to the next part of her weapon.





Yang was using a screwdriver to remove the outer shell of her Ember Celica. She then used a magnifying glass to have a closer look at her Gauntlets. “Hmm, I need to replace that Firing Pin, and I’ll need to clean the loader and the barrel. But besides that everything else looks fine,” she said to herself as she studied each part of her Ember Celica closely.

“Hey Yang, can I have the screwdriver?” Ember asked as she held out her hand.

“Sure,” Yang said as she passed the screwdriver to Ember. “Here you go.”

“Thanks,” Ember said, taking the Screwdriver and starting to remove the panels of her Flare Blitz.

“Hey Ember,” Yang piped up.

“Yeah?” Ember said without looking up.

“What’s the story behind your weapon?” Yang asked.

“Oh well, the gun came from a movie I watched with my parents. There was this woman who was in love with this guy, and he was wanted by the Law. At the climax of the film, he stood tall and laughed as he yelled, (YOU’LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!) and that’s where the gun half came from,” Ember explained.

“And what about that Axe?” Yang asked again.

“Well, to be honest, the blades drum of my gun can be fitted for different types of blades, like Axes, Scythes and Spears, just to name a few examples,” Ember said, as she continued looking over the inner workings of her Flare Blitz.

“Wow, talk about having a multi-tool,” Yang said, impressed by how multi-optional her partner’s weapon was. “So you know how to use a scythe-like Ruby?” 

“Nah, I was only trained in Axe fighting,” Ember replied.

“Ohh, I thought you were because you listed the different types of blades,” Yang said with a raised eyebrow.

“Yeah, I know you would think I was trained in different fighting styles, but my dad only knew one, and that was with a Battle Axe,” Ember explained as she rolled her eyes a little. “So what about your weapon?”

“Well my dad was a Huntsman and he trained in hand-to-hand combat. I did try using a weapon but for some reason, I get an adrenaline rush whenever I give anything a beat down, I still needed a type of firearm so I did a lot of looking around, and I found this glove with a device on the backhand, but it was only a one-shot weapon. So I used that as a base for my Ember Celica,” Yang explained.

“Oh, so you're an adrenaline junkie,” Ember said with a grin.

“That’s one way of putting it,” Yang said with a smirk as she continued to work on her weapon.

Octavia was repairing her Final Encore from the damages that Yang caused when she killed the Tunnelling Terra. The damage was bad, to say the least. “Hmmmmm,” She hummed in concentration as she removed some of the outer platings to see how much damage there was. “Yes, just as I thought, Yang almost destroyed my weapon,” She said to herself in a resentful tone as she closely examined the damages.

Lyra couldn’t help herself but hear Octavia's statement about her weapon. “Hey, Octavia, do you think you can fix it?” she asked.

“I hope I can, I ordered some new parts to replace the damaged ones,” Octavia replied with concern, pulling out a package with her name on it and opening it. Inside were enough parts to build at least three weapons. 

As Octavia began taking the parts out of the package, Lyra noticed that it was marked with the Shinra Corporation logo. “Oh you use Shinra parts for your weapon,” she said.

“Yes, they traditionally have the best parts on the market,” Octavia said as she began to take apart her rifle.

“Yeah, I agree with you. Most of my Tonfa are made using Shinra parts,” Lyra said, removing the outer panels of her Tonfas. “So Octavia, why did you become a Huntress?” she asked curiously.

“A long time ago I was attacked by a Grimm, and I was saved by a Huntress. I remember how beautiful and elegant she was, and I knew that I wanted to be just like her. So I enrolled into a combat school, and now I’m here,” Octavia said with a smile. “What about you?”

Lyra took a moment to think about her answer to Octavia’s question. “When I was a little girl, I and my friend Bon Bon used to read stories about Huntsman slaying Grimm and saving lives,” she began. 

“One day after Combat School, I and she were doing some practice in the local Forest, and we were attacked by a Grimm. One I’ve never seen before. It looked human but it was missing its head, and it was wearing Armour that belongs to one of the local Huntsman, it even had their weapon. We took off and ran back towards our village, it chased us, but then in our rush, we got separated. I hid under a tree and I was found after hours of hiding. When I got home, my mother held me in her arms as she cried. Not long after, I was told the worst news I’d ever heard in my life.” She paused as her lip quivered at the terrible memory before she took a breath and continued. 

“They told me Bon Bon was killed by the Grimm, and they never found her body. They only found her weapon.” Her sad look then fell into an angry, determined frown as she finished her story. “I made a vow that day that I would continue to become a Huntress for the both of us, so I could fight in her honour, and one day find that monster who took my best friend away from me.”

“I see, so you’re seeking revenge,” Octavia said evenly.

“No justice,” Lyra declared with determination.

“What was her weapon?” Octavia asked once more.

“It was her Tonfa, we both had one each. Mine was the left one and she had the right one. I kept it to remind myself why I continued to be a Huntress,” Lyra explained further.

“Hmm, then let’s hope you’ll have the revenge you desire, both for yourself and for your friend,” Octavia said solemnly, resuming her work on her weapon.

“Yeah, let’s hope,” Lyra said, resuming her work on her Tonfas.





Blake separated her Gambol Shroud. The cleaver just needed sharpening, but the Gun Katana needed a little more work. She was about to start, when Lemon Zest, who was next to her, looked over curiously at Blake and wanted to ask something.

“Hey, Blake?”

Blake looked up at Lemon. “Yes?”

“Where did you get the idea for your Weapon?” Lemon asked.

Blake sighed as she thought about her answer. “My mom, she started to train me when I was younger. But one day, I abandoned her and trained with Eclipse and his mother,” Blake told Lemon in a regretful tone.

“Ohh, so what happened between you and your Mother?” Lemon asked again.

“I haven’t seen her in almost 5 years,” Blake said sadly.

“5 years, why haven’t you contacted her, or gone to see her?” Lemon asked.

“I…I don’t deserve to see her, not after what I called her,” Blake said with deep regret in her voice.

“I’m sorry, Blake, I shouldn't have asked,” Lemon said with a hint of guilt in her voice.

“It’s OK, it’s just a sensitive topic for me,” Blake said softly. “How about you tell me about your weapons?” Blake asked, wanting to change the subject.

“These? Well, there’s no special story behind them, I was good with SMGs and close combat. So I did some research and before you knew it, I created my Sucker Punch,” Lemon said with a shrug.

“I see, that's pretty straighforward,” Blake said, nodding her head. “Why did you name your weapon Sucker Punch?” she asked.

“No particular reason, it started as a joke and the name just stuck around,” Lemon said with a hint of amusement.

“Hmm, another straightforward story,” Blake said as she sharpened her cleaver.

“Yeah, I know the stories behind my weapons aren't that exciting, but it’s the truth,” Lemon Zest said, taking apart her weapons. Blake nodded as she and Lemon continued to work on their weapons.

Indigo was checking her weapon for any wear and tear, as Twilight placed a case on the work table. She opened it and inside were two robotic arms. Indigo couldn’t help but notice the synthetic arms.

“Whoa, those are hig-tech, what are those for?” she asked.

“These are my combat arms,” Twilight said.

“Combat arms? Wait, you're not saying ...” Indigo said before trailing off as her eyes went wide.

“I lost my original arms a long time ago and I’ve been using synthetic arms for most of my life,” Twilight answered casually, without hearing Indigo’s question.

“Ohh, wow, how did you lose your arms? Was it a Grimm?” Indigo asked with much intrigue in her voice.

“No, it was the White Fang,” Twilight replied again.

Indigo was shocked to hear how Twilight lost her arms. “Umm, is it hard having me as your partner?” She asked Twilight hesitantly, fearing her answer.

“No, it’s not, there are good and bad Faunus’. It's the same for Humans. You haven’t given me any reason to hate or distrust you,” Twilight said truthfully.

Indigo smiled in relief. “I’m glad,” she said, glad to hear that Twilight didn’t hate her.

“What about your weapon?” Twilight asked.

“There’s a story about an undersea Huntsman who used a trident, so I copied that weapon, and my brother was a marksman, and he showed me how to shoot, and that’s everything about my weapon,” Indigo explained.

“Was it a good story?” Twilight asked.

“It was my favourite story, I would read it every night before bed,” Indigo smiled nostalgically.

“Hmm, stories can shape us and inspire us to become something more,” Twilight said with a smile.

“Who did you just quote?” Indigo asked.

“My old teacher, Celestia. She would read many stories to me when I was little,” Twilight smiled fondly at the memory of her old mentor.

“She sounds more like a sister than a teacher,” Indigo observed.

“Yes, She was, both to me… and to her,” Twilight said as she gazed over at Sunset for a moment.

“To who?” Indigo asked.

“No one important,” Twilight said dismissively as she resumed work on her cybernetic arms.

“Well if you say so,” Indigo said as she resumed work on her weapon.





Throughout the class, the students repaired and sharpened their weapons in preparation for Professor Bloodstone’s sparring matches.

“Now, students, I know you all had sparring matches back at all your combat schools. When you enter Professor Bloodstone’s arena it will be no different than from your younger days,” Professor Port announced. Just then, the bell rang. “Well, it’s time, good luck Students,” He said as his students began to leave to join Professor Bloodstone for the sparring matches.

On their way, Ruby was excited for her first match. “I haven’t sparred with anyone since Signal!” She said with a skip in a step.

“Same, the last person I’d sparred with was my teacher,” Sunset said, agreeing with Ruby.

“Yeah, the last time I sparred with someone was with Blake,” Eclipse stated.

“To be honest, this would be my first sparring match against anyone,” Onyx said to his teammates.

“Didn’t you spar with your teacher?” Asked Sunset.

“Not really, she trained me in real-life combat. She would find some people for me to fight if we were in the wild, but at Midgar, we would use the training room,” Onyx explained.

“She trained you in real-life combat?” Sunset asked with a raised eyebrow. 

“Yes, she told me to practice and training only goes so far. She also said it’s not just Grimm that Huntsmen fight, it’s Humans and Faunus also,” Onyx replied.

“What did she mean by Humans And Faunus’?” Eclipse asked.

“I don’t know, I never asked her. She didn’t like me asking too many questions,” Onyx replied.

“What kind of relationship did you have with your teacher?” Ruby asked.

“The need to know the kind,” Onyx answered mysteriously.  

Ruby couldn’t understand why Onyx’s teacher was so strict and secretive. Her uncle would answer most of her questions. But come to think of it, there have been questions she asked that he would never answer, like his missions and why he drinks a lot. Maybe Onyx’s teacher, whoever she was, must have her reason for leaving Onyx’s training on a need-to-know basis.

As they walked, they were getting close to the locker room. “Hey guys, we're almost at the locker room,” Eclipse said.

Ruby snapped out of her thoughts. “Oh, yeah, thanks Eclipse,” she said.

“You OK, Ruby?” Onyx asked his younger partner.

“Yeah I’m fine,” Ruby replied.

Everyone entered the locker room to change into their combat outfits. After they finished changing, Onyx encountered his cousin Bruinen with his team.

“Hey, Bruinen, how did combat practice go?” he asked.

“It was great, me and my teammates dominated the matches!” Bruinen said with a victorious smile. “Are you ready?” He asked.

“My sword is sharp and my gun is cleaned and my Dust Gloves are refilled. I’d say I’m ready,” Onyx said as he changed his gloves.

As he did, Bruinen looked down at Onyx’s hands. “Has anyone seen-”

“No! Nobody has seen them, and they never will!” Onyx stated firmly, cutting Bruinen off in mi-sentence.

“Got ya, good luck Onyx,” Bruinen said with a smile.

“Thanks, I’ll catch you later,” Onyx said gratefully as his cousin left to rejoin his teammates.

Ruby was changing with Yang. “Hey Ruby, are you ready for the matches?” Yang asked.

“Yep, I’m ready!” Ruby replied with a cheery smile.

“Good to hear it, sis,” Yang smiled as she equipped her Ember Celica. “Say, have you called home yet?” she asked.

“No, not yet,” Ruby replied as she tied her boots.

“You should, Dad wants to hear how you’ve been doing,” Yang suggested.

“Yeah you’re right, I’ll call home after combat practice,” Ruby promised as she closed her locker.

Eclipse had now finished changing into his combat outfit along with Blake.

“Ready?” She asked.

“Yeah, I’m ready,” Eclipse smiled.

Sunset had just finished changing into her combat outfit, but when she closed the door to her locker, Twilight was standing right behind the opened door. “Twilight!” she exclaimed in shock at seeing Twilight after all this time.

“I need to talk to you, I’ll contact you tomorrow for a time and place,” Twilight said in a no-nonsense tone, before leaving immediately after.

“She wants to talk to me?” Sunset knew exactly what Twilight wanted to talk about, and knew it was going to play on her mind until they did talk. “Damn it!”

At that moment, an announcement was made by Professor Bloodstone over the sound system.  

“Attention all students! Report to the combat arena for sparring matches immediately, and DO NOT BE LATE!” he shouted in his deep, growling voice. 

After hearing that, the students left the locker room and entered the arena where Professor Torch was waiting for them.

To Be Continued…