> Compass Rose
>  by enigmaMystere
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

> Chapter 1
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	"Sure hope the girls were just seeing things…" The man grumbles as he cuts his way through the thick bushes. "Random light shows at night are rarely a good thing in small out of the way places."
The tall gray trees around him, though familiar, do not keep him from tensing at the howl of a Beowulf.
"Might have to go take care of that one if it gets closer." He looks around, trying to spot anything that doesn't belong in the forest.
All is drab and dreary around him, very much the norm for the island of Patch.
Then he sees a flash of gold.
"Huh?" He goes over to it, machete still in hand.
As he approaches, he hears sniffling, the gold withdrawing into a bush when he steps on a twig.
"Is someone there?" He asks, concerned now as he keeps going.
The bush rustles in response.
"Come on, I won't hurt you." He adopts his dad voice that he uses to calm his girls, reach a bit into the bush and trying to move it aside.
The first thing he sees is those big, bright rose eyes, staring up at him and filled with tears.
"Aww, hey there, sweetie." He says softly, crouching down on one knee. "Are you lost?"
She nods, whimpering a bit when her oversized pith hat falls down over her face.
Reaching down he lifts it up a bit, pausing when he sees her pony body. "Well, aren't you an odd cute one?"
She sniffles, looking up at him in silence. Then the howling begins again, causing her to flinch.
He looks up, eyes hard. "Beowolves are around." Looking back down with a soft expression, he holds out his hand in front of her. "You don't want to be around when those things are. Want to come with me? I bet my daughters would love you if you're nice."
Shivering a bit, she stands and walks over, sniffing his hand a bit before stepping into it, looking up at him nervously.
He brings up her." You're a tiny one, too." He puts her into a pocket on the inside of his vest, letting her head stick out. "There, that should be warm and safe for you."
She looks up at him, then down at her hat, whining softly.
He sees, this pets her head with his hand before he reaches down. "Oh, you want this?" Spotting writing on the inside, he turns it until he can read it. "Daring Do? Is that you?" He looks to the pony, putting the hat lightly on her.
She shows the first sign of happiness, babbling brightly as she tries to grip the too-big hat.
He chuckles, making sure it's not going to fall as he pets her again. "You like that? Well, it's yours. Come on, let's go home." He starts walking.
A large black creature jumps in his path, landing on all fours and growling at them.
The man crouches in a fighting stance, shifting his grip on the machete. "Ah, there you are. Well, at least I'll get rid of your before the girls are in danger."
The Beowulf says nothing, lunging at the man with its maw open wide.
It promptly intercepts a hat to the mouth, staggering backwards from the blow as the young pony catches the hat in her mouth, flipping it back onto her head afterward.
He grins at this. "Well, a fighter? I think you and little Zwei will get along just fine." Lunging forward, he takes advantage of the stunned creature and jams his blade into it's head up to the hilt. The creature falls to the ground once he withdraws it. "There, now, let's head home, huh?" He laughs fondly at the filly.
She babbles happily in response, turning and nuzzling his chest, the only part of him in her reach.
He chuckles, following his path home. "Heh, you sound like my girls when they were babbling babies. I wonder if that's what you are..."
The filly just looks around as he walks, trying to reach out to a few plants as they pass.
He smiles, taking her hoof in a few fingers and playing with it. "Curious one, aren't you? Don't worry, we're almost home and there will be plenty for you to explore."
Her attention, briefly caught by his fingers, turns to him and she gives him a bright smile.
"Daww..." He rubs her head and ears. "I wonder if the girls would forgive me if I kept you for myself... nah, I couldn't do that to them." He laughs as she house comes into view.
Daring turns her head and manages to catch his fingers, gumming at them.
He smiles as he walks to the door. "Hmm... we're going to make sure you're not hungry and thirsty. I don't feel teeth, so nothing hard..." His other hand goes to the door and opens it.
He immediately gets tackled by a small form, hugging his legs tight. "Daddy!"
The pony actually gets startled at this, ducking inside his vest until only her hat is visible.
He reaches down, rubbing the girl's head. "Hey, Ruby! Miss me?"
She nods, smiling warmly at him. Then she notices the hat, reaching out for it. "Gift?"
"Not quite, Ruby." He smiles, crouching down to see her. "I found a little something out in the forest. This hat belongs to... actually, I really need to check it's gender." He says, peeking inside his vest.
"It?" She peeks along with him, her eyes widening a bit in surprise when she catches sight of Daring. "Puppy?"
"Not quite, we already have one of those." He opens his vest a little, holding his hand palm up to the pony inside. "You want to come out, Daring?"
The only thing she does is place a hoof in his hand, the foal in question looking out nervously. However, Ruby's bright smile eventually convinces her to step out, all four hooves on his hand.
Ruby squeals in delight, hugging the golden pony quickly. "Pony!"
Her dad takes a quick peek under the foal's tail. "Yep, that does seem to be what she is. I found her out in the woods with this hat with her name on it. She's a little scrapper too."
Ruby blinks, looking up at him in confusion, letting go of the struggling filly. "Scrapper?"
He picks up the foal, gently hugging her to his chest. "Yep, she threw that hat of hers to stun a beowolf we ran into."
She blinks, her young mind trying to process this information. Then she grins and throws her arms up in the air. "So cool!"
A small bark comes from within the house, like a puppy asking what the commotion is about.
The man chuckles. "Looks like everyone's getting up, and you were all supposed to be sleeping."
"Nuh-uh! I wasn't going to miss my wish!" Ruby looks up at him, defiant. "I wanna meet my baby sister!"
He sighs, rubbing her head with the hand that isn't holding the pony and her hat. "Ruby, falling stars aren't on the ground..." After a moment, he thinks of something. "But, if you want, this little one might be your new sister if you're nice enough."
Her silver eyes widen, and she grins in excitement. "Really, daddy?"
"...d... da... da?"
The girl blinks, looking at the filly in awe. "Did... she speak?"
He looks down at the filly, shocked. "Just how smart are you little one? Can you say dada?"
She laughs, tearing up and placing her hooves on his chest. "Dada!"
"Dawww..." He gives her a hug, looking at Ruby. "She reminds me of you and yang when you were learning to talk."
"Really?" She tilts her head at this, then jumps when the filly jumps down and starts tottering off down the hall.
"Dada dada dada dada..." She repeats the same word over and over again as she heads to the source of that barking from earlier, driven by curiosity.
"Yep... exactly like you two." The man chuckles, quickly taking off after her. "Come on, let's see how she likes the rest of the family."
Ruby quickly nods and follows after her, hoping that this pony would be the new sister she wished for.
As they enter the room, a corgi puppy is on the floor, bouncing around as another girl sits up from her bed. She wears a white nightshirt and her yellow hair is a mess as he speaks. "What's all the noise?"
Daring tries to climb on the bed, her tiny wings fluttering as she does so. For a while, she's hanging on the edge with her front half on the mattress. "Dada dada..."
The blonde girl picks up the pony as the puppy comes over, sniffing. "Dad? Am I seeing things?"
The filly looks up at her, eyes wide, before pouting a bit. "Nuh dada..." even though she says this, she nuzzles the girl's hand.
The mane walks over, rubbing the filly's head. "Well, Yang, this smart girl here may just be you and Ruby's little sister."
"Huh?" Yang just blinks at this. "But, she's a pet, but she can talk, so... sister?"
As the older girl spoke, the filly turns to the puppy, leaning down and holding a hoof out to him, cooing happily.
He gives her a sniff before licking her hoof and giving a yip.
She giggles brightly, using both hooves to pet him. The rose eyes turn to the man, giving him a happy smile. "Dada!"
He gently takes the foal as his blonde daughter shakes herself a bit. Cradling the foal to his chest, he waves a finger above her. "I think she's a baby like you two were, just a different shape."
When she reaches for the finger, babbling happily, Ruby can't help but squeal in delight. "Yay! Another sister! My wish came true!"
The puppy barks, jumping up on the bed and snuggling against Yang while the man responds. "Yes it did Ruby... yes it did." He move the finger down to the filly's stomach, poking it gently to see if she's full.
Her stomach suddenly growls, as if he pressed a button to activate it. When she starts sniffling, Ruby, the toddler she is, wags her finger at her dad. "No making her cry!"
He looks mock offended, defending himself. "Hey now, it wasn't me! She's hungry! Now... what could she eat... she can't speak yet, and I didn't feel teeth... Milk, I suppose. I still have your old bottles around."
Daring starts gumming his finger once more, making his youngest giggles brightly. "She's hungry for daddy!"
"Not quite, but I think I can help." He says, smiling and standing up. "You girls can go back to bed if you want." Yang looks like she's seriously considering this.
"'Kay, daddy." Ruby hugs him, giggling softly. "Night!"
"Good night, Ruby." He rubs her head before he kisses it. Walking over to Yang, he does the same to her, getting a smile from the girl. "I'll see you both in the morning."
The smaller of the two moves over to her bed, climbing up and getting beneath the covers quite easily.
He smiles at the two of them, well, three as Zwei moves over to Ruby's bed for the moment and curls up. The man chuckles, knowing he'll switch half a dozen times during the night. At another growl from the pony in his arms he gives them all a smile and shuts the door.
"Alright, let's get you something, huh?" He says down to the filly as he heads for the kitchen.
She says nothing, just nuzzling into his chest a bit more.
In the kitchen, he fetches a bottle and nipple from under the counter, running them under warm water as he grabs milk. filling and capping the bottle, he puts it briefly in the microwave before it's ready. "There we go." He sits down at the small table, testing it first before nodding and holding it to her mouth. "Let's see if this works."
She sniffs at it before latching on, eagerly suckling on the bottle for sustenance.
He smiles. "Well, glad I learned how to do this right." His fingers rub the back of her head as she feeds. "Just don't drink too fast."
It seems as though he need not worry, as the soothing motions of his hand make her relax and slow down her drinking.
"Now let's see, you've got a name, we know what you can eat and drink... You can probably sleep with me tonight and we'll see about doing a couple things to test how smart you are tomorrow. If you're as smart as I think you are, I'll just have to raise you as a daughter who's a quadruped." He talks as she eats.
Daring pulls away from the bottle and yawns, nuzzling against his chest sleepily. "Dada..."
"Dawww..." He leans down, kissing her forehead. "Ready for bed, Daring? I bet it's been a big day for you."
She nods, curling up a bit more in his embrace.
He chuckles. "You seem to understand me well enough." Putting the bottle the fridge for now, he stands up, heading to his room. He begins shedding his vest and a few other pieces of clothing, getting comfortable. "Try and let me know if you need anything during the night."
Another nod as she snuggles up more against his chest.
He smiles, now in just his shorts. "Alright." Getting into bed, he turns onto his side and pulls the covers up, no completely covering the filly. "Sleep tight, Daring."
"Nigh', dada..."
He smiles softly, tucking her against his chest and resting his chin on her to complete the protectiveness as he closes his eyes.
> Chapter 2
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

	The morning comes, the man not having moved during the night. When he opens his eyes, he looks down to check on the foal he had found. 
He finds an empty space, instead.
Blinking, he lifts up his arm, doing the same ot the covers as he looks around. "Daring?"
"Dada!" Her voice is a little distant, coming from the direction of the living room.
"Huh?" He slips on a shirt, moving through the house as he hears light barking as well.
When he gets to the living room, he finds Daring petting Zwei, both of them wearing the oversized hat.
He chuckles, pulling out his scroll and taking a picture. "Adorable. I see you're both happy this morning."
Zwei barks, stubby tail wagging.
She turns to look at the man, beaming brightly as she holds the puppy close.
"I see you and your possible sparring partner are getting along well." He walks over, rubbing both of them on the head fondly.
Daring happily nods, pulling off the hat and holding it in front of her. "Wook, dada!" She takes it in her mouth and tosses it over Zwei's head, much like a frisbee.
The puppy barks, jumping up and chasing after it. He leaps, catching it and flipping to throw it back to land on her head. Unfortunately, he ends up on his back after the jump, wiggling.
The man claps his hands, smiling. "Very nice. Still need to work on the landings though, Zwei."
"Bark!"
Daring giggles, toddling over to the puppy and nuzzling his belly. "Good 'Wei!"
He wags his tail happily as the man follows the two. "Yeah, he's definitely a good dog. He's smart too, though I think you have him beat there."
She giggles brightly, sitting down so she can use both hooves to rub over his belly, even as she looks up at the man.
He sits next to her, smiling. "What should we do with you today... I suppose we start with breakfast and seeing if your sisters are up."
Her stomach growls at the word breakfast, and she raises both forelegs up to him.
He chuckles, picking her up. "Alright, so, milk again?" He pauses. "Actually, do you need to empty out last night's? Do you even know what that means? Oh boy... I'm pretty sure I don't have diapers."
She tilts her head at his question, her smile turning to a bit of a worried frown from his tone. "Dada?"
"Well, one way to check that." As the puppy tags along, he walks into the bathroom, clicking the light on. "Anything in here look familiar?"
She blinks, looking around before she points at the sink, then at the bathtub, then the toilet.
"Oh, good, and you seem to understand plenty, even if you can't say it yet." He smiles kneeling next to the toilet. "Do you... need this?"
She seems to think for a moment before nodding, squirming in his grip.
"Okay, don't fall in." He warns, setting her softly onto the ground. "Come on Zwei, let's give the little lady some privacy."
Before he can leave, he hears the squeaking of hooves on ceramic followed by a splash. "Dada!"
"Well, should have seen that coming." He turns, neatly fishing her out of the water. Grabbing a towel, he starts drying her off. "I guess these aren't really sized for you."
She sniffles, pouting up at him through the wet mane clinging to her face.
He dries her off, kissing her head afterwards. "I'm sorry, Daring. I think I have some training toilets that are more your size."
She looks up at him, bafflement making her look more cute than usual.
He gives her a gentle hug before reaching under the bathroom cabinet and pulling out a colorful red plastic training toilet, shorter than even the foal is. "Here we go, and no water to fall in."
Daring sniffs at it a bit, then moves to sit on it, the sound of liquid hitting plastic following soon after.
"Wow... you were ready to go." He rubs the back of his head, looking away for privacy as he scratches Zwei's head.
She finishes up, then starts to squirm, whimpering a bit.
He picks her up once more. "What's wrong, Daring?"
She looks back at her rump just as a certain pair of siblings appears in the doorway. The shorter of the two is the one who speaks up. "Daddy? What's going on?"
He puts the filly on her back in the sink, pulling out some wet wipes and cleaning her up a bit. "Just reliving when you girls were younger."
Daring babbles happily, reaching up for the man cleaning her.
Ruby tilts her head to the side, curious. "You mean when mom was here?"
He pauses for a moment before continuing. "Yeah, something like that. There, all better?" He gently grabs each of Daring's hooves.
She babbles happily, moving her hooves, and his hands, in circles as she looks up at him.
Laughing, he plays with her a little longer before picking her up once more and turning to the other girls. "So, who wants breakfast?"
Ruby quickly raises her hand, then grabs Yang's and makes her raise it too, if only to chest height. Daring promptly sits up and copies her motions, her other hoof taking hold of Taiyang's to mimic the other part.
He chuckles. "Alright, alright, I see how this vote is going. Who wants eggs, toast and whatever else I end up making?"
Ruby blinks, looking at the filly and back to him. "...can Daring eat that?"
He shrugs. "I'm not really sure. I'll going to give it a shot with something bland like grits and see. If not, we just go back to the bottle."
"What if she doesn't like bland food?" The girl points out. "What do ponies eat?"
"Grass, hay, flowers, sugar cubes, carrots..." He lists off what he can think of off the top of his head.
Ruby taps her chin, thoughtful. "...pancakes?"
"Waffles are better." Yang says with a smirk.
She looks up at her defiantly. "Eggs and bacon!"
"Bacon and waffles!" She touches her nose to Ruby's.
Daring's babbling snaps the two of them out of it, and they turn to see the filly sucking on their father's shirt.
The younger sister looks to the other, lips pursed in thought. "...everything?"
Their father rolls his eyes. "A little bit of everything, sure, I can do that." He shoos them all out of the bathroom and to the kitchen. "Think you can wait a bit, Daring? Or do you want something now?"
She just looks up at him, still sucking on his shirt.
"Yeah... I think a small bottle to keep you occupied might be good." He strokes her head a bit as he fetches the bottle, filling it up just a bit and getting it ready. "Alright girls, I'm thinking toast, eggs, waffles, pancakes, bacon, milk, and juice. I'm sure I'll think of something to make you, too." He grins and winks at them.
"You'd better!" Ruby cries out, giving another pout from just beside him.
He smiles, rubbing her head. "Don't worry. I was just kidding. The food's for all of us. It just might take me a little longer at first while Daring's eating since I'll have to do it one handed." He offers the foal the bottle.
She quickly latches on, happily suckling at it as the girls watch.
The man chuckles. "Cute, isn't she?" His other hand start getting out things from the fridge.
Ruby follows after him, gently tugging on his shirt. "Can I help?"
He crouches down, smiling at her. "Sure, Ruby. Do you want to hold her?"
She frowns a bit. "...can Yang do that? I don't wanna drop her..."
The other girl blinks from her seat. "Wait, what? But how do I-"
Coming over, her father kneels down. "Just hold her against your chest so she won't fall. Let me know if you want me to come get her again."
"Okay..." She takes the filly, eyes wide as she looks down at her.
Those rose eyes look back up at her, just as wide, as the pony drinks, one golden wing extending to touch her nose.
Yang giggles, nuzzling the wing since she's worried about moving her hands. "I hope you can fly with those."
On the other side of the kitchen, the noise and blur of her father making breakfast is completely normal.
Next to him, the younger daughter is happily stirring the mix for the pancakes, glad she can help in some way.
Daring, meanwhile, giggles happily, moving her wing back and forth as though trying to dust the blonde girl's face.
As Ruby's dad asks said girl what jelly she thinks they should put on the toast, Yang puts the foal's bottle on the table so she can play with her properly. "I bet you're gonna be awesome. Some kind of cute, flying, kick butt pony sister."
Daring smiles at her, both hooves raised up towards the girl and babbling happily.
"Boysenberry? Oh, grape!" Ruby grins at him and holds out the spoon. "Did I do good?"
He smiles, nodding. "You did great, Ruby. Nice and smooth. Want me to make yours in a fun shape or just go normal?"
Yang laughs more, taking a finger and tapping on each of the filly's hooves.
She tilts her head to one side. "...can you make a beowolf?"
As Yang plays with the pony, she can feel the hooves she's tapping try and grip her fingers, as though molding briefly at her touch.
"Hmm... I could make the mask." He offers that, knowing the whole body would be huge.
Yang tilts her head, pressing lightly again. "Huh... I bet you could grip things like that..."
Daring grabs her fingers and starts swinging her forelegs back and forth. "Ababababa."
Ruby pouts at her dad a bit, wanting the big pancake.
Yang goes along with the game, gently resting the foal in her lap soe she can swing her arms with her.
"Oh, fine, just stop with the face." He grins at her. "You know there's plenty of other things to eat, too, right?"
She's distracted from answering by Daring jumping up and landing on top of Yang's shoulder, squealing happily and pointing forward.
"Hey!" Yang laughs, hands moving up to hold her. "Since when can you jump high?"
The filly simply nuzzles the hands, her hooves too busy holding herself still.
Ruby, having watched this, turns to look at her father, confused.
He shrugs, working on the pancake. "I don't know. We're really just sort of guessing most things about her."
They hear the sound of a bird flapping, causing Ruby to turn and stare as her new pony sister flies over and lands on Taiyang's shoulder. "...she can fly?"
He stares at the foal before nuzzling her and making sure she doesn't fall. "Apparently. Which means she's all the more capable for both good and mischief."
She babbles happily, pressing her cheek against his. "Dada..."
The smaller girl looks up at him, curious. "What do you mean?" She gasps, eyes wide and a hand covering her mouth. "She won't steal my cookies, will she?"
He looks up on top of the fridge where the jar sits as he flips the pancake. "...maybe I'll move them just in case."
Daring's gaze follows his glance, and she tilts her head a bit.
Ruby crosses her arms, pouting at the pony. "Don't even think about it!"
"I'm not sure she can even eat cookies, Ruby." He says placatingly. "We're still trying to see if she can have solids."
"What should she try to eat first?" Yang asks, coming over as her waffle is almost done in the iron.
Taking a moment to point two fingers at her eyes and turn them towards the filly, Ruby turns and looks over the food being prepared. "...eggs, maybe? That might be easy enough..."
"That should be nice and soft." He nods, putting the pancake on one plate and the waffle on the other along with a piece of toast. "What do you girls wants to drink?"
Ruby smiles up at him, hopeful. "Do we have any milk?"
"You just saw me give her a bottle of that." He says, chuckling.
She glances at her sister, blushing a bit. "...I thought it was baby milk..."
He chuckles. "Milk is never just for babies." He puts bacon in the pan now, it sizzling almost immediately as he goes over to the fridge. "You and I can have milk, Ruby, and I'm guessing Yang wants orange juice?" He sees the blonde nod.
He feels a shifting on his shoulder, and Daring's weight suddenly vanishes.
He quickly looks over with both huntsman and dad reflexes to check if she's falling.
Instead of a falling filly, he finds the golden pony flying up towards the jar above the fridge.
"Daddy, stop her!" Ruby rushes over, trying to jump up and grab Daring.
He reaches up, gently grabbing the filly around her middle. "Hey now, no sweets before breakfast."
Yang nods sagely. "Yeah, no matter how you ask."
That's when the filly turns and gives him one of the cutest pouts he's ever seen, eyes begging him for a cookie.
He brings her down. "Now now, between, you, the girls, and the puppy, there's plenty of cute. You can have a sugarcube after breakfast if you have room."
She turns her head, quietly sulking.
Ruby, not quite as immune to cute as he is, steps up beside him and starts petting her head. "Don't worry, you can have one after dinner." She raises a hand when the filly starts looking excited. "Just one. And only if you're good."
Daring nods, leaning into the hand with a big smile.
A little put out by the filly reacting better to Ruby saying almost the same thing he did, the man shakes his head, setting the filly down on the counter as he takes the bacon out of the pans and starts on the eggs.
He then sees her reaching for Yang's waffle, having toddled over to her plate.
Yang smiles at this. "Hey, at least let me add syrup before you ask for a piece."
She stops at the words, sitting down and looking hopefully at the blonde girl.
"Start with a small one." Her dad warns.
Yang nods, looking excited to try it. She puts syrup on her waffle before cutting a small piece and carefully offering it to the foal on a fork.
The tiny pony promptly takes hold of the implement in both forehooves, holding it up to her mouth with her tongue extended... only for the piece to fall off.
Daring stares at it a moment before turning the fork around, spearing the morsel, and bringing it back up to happily lap away at it.
Yang blinks at this. "Wait... you know how to use a fork?"
The pony pauses and points to where Ruby had a piece of bacon on a fork.
"Wow... you certainly learn fast." The dad comments, now putting a pile of scrambled eggs on a different plate. "So, did you like it?"
Even as the filly nods, Ruby feels the need to speak up. "Daddy, she's only licking it. It'll get mushy before she actually eats it."
"Well, time for my part, then." He turns off the stove, going over to the foal and gently putting his fingers on the fork. "Daring? Can I have this?"
She seems reluctant, but she does give it to him.
He points the food part back at her, opening his mouth wide. "Say 'ahhh'."
She does as he does, mouth wide and tongue out. "Ahhhhh."
The man gently pops the waffle bite into her mouth.
She closes her mouth, looking a bit like a chipmunk with her rose eyes focused on him.
His youngest daughter moves over, watching curiously. "...does she even have teeth?"
"...right." He opens his mouth once more and takes it out when she does. "Tiny amounts of eggs then. It's so much easier once you get teeth..."
While he's distracted, she starts gumming one of his fingers.
He laughs at this while Yang is eating the rest of her waffle. "Well, at least you want to try." He gets a tiny piece of soft egg, offering it to her now. "Want to try this?"
She takes it, and the fingers holding it, into her mouth, swallowing the food and beaming brightly once she's done so.
"So, you like that?" He asks.
She nods, then looks at the bacon beside her. One sniff and her muzzle scrunches up in disgust.
"...I'm gonna guess she doesn't like meat?" Ruby speaks up, eating another piece of bacon.
"Probably." He nods, divvying up all of the food onto plates and taking them, and Daring, to the table. "At least it seems like she can have soft foods."
"And milk. Can't forget the milk!" The young girl beams up at him.
"Of course." He chuckles, getting up and making all their drinks.
As he does, Daring moves over and tries to bite Yang's waffle, only succeeding in gumming the softened pastry.
The girl laughs, trying to lightly pull it away. "Hey, didn't you already try to eat this?"
Ruby grins playfully. "I think she likes it, Yang. Maybe she wants to keep your waffle?"
"But it's my waffle." She argues. "Try giving her a piece of your pancake, it's softer."
One of said pancakes is tossed and lands perfectly on the back of the blonde girl's hand. Daring stops trying to eat the waffle to laugh and clap her hooves together.
Yang snorts before smiling and tearing off a tiny piece, dipping it a bit in syrup before offering it to the foal. "Here, maybe you'll decide to try and get Ruby's next."
She promptly chomps down on her fingers and the food, though she lacks teeth.
Yang giggles. "Hey... that tickles!"
The filly continues to gum her fingers, whining softly.
"I think she wants you to let go, sis." Ruby snickers.
"Oh, right." She withdraws her fingers.
Daring promptly swallows, smiling in bliss.
"I think she likes it." The man says as he returns with drinks.
"Yep!" Ruby beams brightly, then gestured towards the pancake her sister is holding. "You want to feed her some?"
He chuckles, "Sure." He reaches over, taking the pancake and breaking it into tiny chunks before speaking. "Daring? Can you come over here please?"
She couldn't move and faster if she tried, quickly tottering across the table and around each dish that was laid out, all so she could sit in front of him with excitement in her eyes and a smile on her face.
He smiles dotingly, putting a piece on a spoon he brought and offering it to her.
She opens her mouth, leaning forward and accepting the tiny morsel happily. Then, after swallowing, she starts to try biting the spoon.
He chuckles, taking it away and putting another piece on it. "I feel like you're teething... We'll need to find something for you to gum on."
She does so with his finger, much to his daughters' amusement.
He smiles, letting her do so. "I didn't mean me."
"Too late, she picked you." Yang teases.
"...is it odd that I want her to do that to me?" Ruby pouts a bit, eating another bite of her own pancakes.
"Not at all, it's adorable." Her dad says, giving her another bite of pancake. "I bet it would help you bond."
"...bonding by being a teething toy?" She grins. "Sounds great!"
Chuckling, he feels the foal's stomach. "Once she's full, you're free to do that."
It seems he presses a bit too hard, because she burps.
"...I thought she was past needing to be burped?" The brunette rubs her head in confusion.
"These things can sneak up on you." He offers her another bite. "Want more?"
Daring promptly lets go of his finger and lunges for the food, her hat falling off and revealing her monochromatic mane.
"I'll take that as you're still hungry." He smiles, putting her hat a little tot he side but still on the table.
Right when he lets go, she hits it with her hindleg, sending it spinning through the air and onto Yang's head.
Smirking, Yang straightens it and does a pose. "How do I look?"
"Like an adventurer!" Ruby grins, flinging her arms wide. "Getting ready to take on the world!"
"Yeah!" Yang raises a fist in the air as her dad just continues to feed Daring.
It only takes a few more bites before she's whining and bringing a hoof to her belly.
He gently picks her up, cradling her in his arms. "All full?" He rubs her stomach gently with one finger.
She nods, still looking a little uncomfortable.
"Maybe that was a bit too much..." he puts her on his shoulder, patting her back gently.
She burps, her body slumping over his shoulder afterwards in visible relief.
He smiles, bringing her to his face and rubbing his nose against hers. "You're never too old to have gas problems."
Daring just taps his nose with a hoof, blowing a raspberry.
He laughs, looking at Ruby as he brings Daring to his chest. "Did you want to have her gumming you while I eat?"
She taps her chin, thoughtful. "Did Yang get gummed, yet? I want her to have a turn, first." A finger points at the older girl. "Having her bite trying to get food doesn't count."
"Hey, how come I have to be chewed on?" Yang asks indignantly, munching on bacon.
"Because you can take it." She sticks her tongue out at her.
She snorts. "Well, I'm still eating."
Ruby throws her hands up, not noticing how Daring copies her by their father. "So am I!"
He chuckles as he watches this. "Well, we all have to eat, so maybe we let her decide?"
The filly walks to the center of the table, poking at the plate of eggs by Yang. She tilts her head. "Aren't you full?" The tiny pony just continues poking, as though unaware that she was even asked a question.
Ruby giggles a bit. "I think she likes watching it jiggle a bit. I didn't know eggs did that, myself."
"Teething toys, jiggling toys..." Her dad nods to himself. "I'll need to make sure to get those."
"Yep." Ruby nods, trying to suppress laughter when she sees the filly approach and gum on Yang's free hand.
Sighing and using her other hand to eat, Yang wiggles her fingers a bit. "There, you like that?"
Daring squeals happily, hugging her hand as she nuzzles and gums on her digits.
Yang laughs. "That tickles!"
Ruby's mouth twitches a bit, and she hurries to eat her food as fast as possible, wanting to play with their new sister. Her dad calmly does the same, though more for reasons of just having the chance to eat while he can. Yang is the least fortunate as having only one hand to eat slows her down, as does the distracting filly.
Daring turns her head to look at Zwei, allowing the girl to feel something sharper than gums in the back of her mouth.
Yang tilts her head, looking thoughtful. "Huh? Dad, I thought you said she didn't have any teeth."
That's when she gums once more- or, rather, bites.
Yang winces. "Okay... this is starting to feel like when we first got Zwei and he chewed on us."
Finished eating, her dad reaches over and picks up the pony. "Easy now, Daring, no biting your sisters."
Ruby, having watched on with a case of the giggles, speaks up, pointing at the confused filly. "Maybe you should check what teeth she has!"
He looks at the foal curiously, opening his mouth so she'll copy. "Say 'ahh'."
She eagerly does so, even copying his pointing to mouth gesture.
Looking inside, he hums. "Well, she only has the tips of a few molars... no wonder she wants to chew things."
She promptly starts gumming on his finger, humming to herself as she does.
He checks on Ruby. "Ready to be gummed yet?"
Daring once more turns her head to look where he's looking and accidentally bites him.
He flinches a bit, but doesn't yank his hand from her. "Yep... getting baby flashbacks."
"Really?" Ruby, distracted enough to forget her response, leans forward, her eyes sparkling with curiosity. "Did we both bite you, or was it just Yang?"
"You nibbled for long periods, she would occasionally bite." He answers.
"...poo." She rests her head on her palm, poking her plate with a fork. "I was hoping I could hold that over her..."
He looks up, grinning. "Well, you were the one who used to nibble her pacifier while she slept..."
She looks up at him, eyes wide and lips pouting.
"What? It was cute." He offers her the foal to apologize.
She accepts her adopted sister, nuzzling her and smiling when the affection is returned in kind.
Yang, meanwhile, has finished scarfing down her food. "Good stuff, Dad!"
The younger girl smiles and nods in agreement, laughing a bit when Daring does the same.
"Any idea what you girls want to do after I clean up the kitchen?" He asks.
Ruby raises a hand, the filly following suit. "Can we play in the forest?"
"'Owes'?"
"You can play at the edge, and I'll be there to make sure nothing happens that's dangerous."
The girl, and the pony in her arms, happily hug him. "Thanks, daddy!"
"Dada!"
As Yang joins in, he hugs all of them. "You're welcome, girls. Daring, we'll have to try teaching you new words later on. I think you want to learn."
She nods, reaching up for him and nuzzling his chest. "Pwease, dada!"
He blinks at this, petting her head. "I think you're too smart for your own good."
She just sticks her tongue out, much like her sister did earlier.
"Yeah, see? Already figured that out." He kisses each of their heads." Now, how about you all go play, inside, while I clean up?"
"Sure!" Ruby rushes off, followed by her sister.
The little filly, however, clings to the front of his shirt. "Dada pway?"
He strokes her mane, putting an arm under her so she doesn't fall. "I'll play with you, but I need to clean first."
She pouts, but nods, climbing up onto his shoulder to watch while he works.
He gathers up all the plates and pans, bringing them over to the sink. Turning it on, he begins to scrub.
The young pony watches in rapt attention, her hindlegs lightly kicking his back, draped over his shoulder as she is.
As he gets past the big stuff, he chuckles, reaching a up hand and putting a little bit of soap bubbles on top of her muzzle.
Her eyes cross as she tries to look at it, and she tries to blow up at it, rather unsuccessfully.
He chuckles, scooping it off for her.
She reaches out for the bubbles, babbling happily as her wings flap a few more times.
He chuckles, continuing to wash. He puts the bubbles on one of her hooves.
Bubbles which are quickly applied to his face, all while the filly blows another raspberry.
He laughs, sticking his tongue out at her while he continues washing.
Daring watches in silence before a crash from the other room startles her off his shoulder and into flying beside him.
He shakes his head, finishing up and looking over his shoulder as the barking of a puppy starts. "Let's see what happened, hmm?" He gently takes Daring into his arms, walking into the other room.
They find the girls standing by a broken lamp, eyes wide as they see him. Ruby quickly points at her sister. "She did it!"
As Yang quickly shakes her head, he sighs, shaking his own. "Okay, neither of you would have done this on purpose, right?"
They both shake their head, clearly nervous.
"So... how did it break? You don't need to name names." He asks, crossing his arms but not frowning.
Ruby rubs her arm, his kind expression not exactly helping her feel calmer. "We were tossing a ball back and forth, then Zwei joined in and... we knocked it over..."
He nods at this, picking up the broken bits. "Alright. If it was an accident, I'm not mad. Just try to play away from breakable stuff in the future, and don't cut yourself on the pieces."
He's promptly hugged by the brunette, who grins happily at him. "Thank you, daddy!"
He pats her head. "You're welcome, Ruby. Just be careful, okay?"
She nods and turns to hurry off... if not for what her adopted sister says next.
Daring pokes his cheek to get his attention, then points down at the glass in his hands. "Nah cuh, dada?"
He chuckles. "No, I'm not cutting myself, I'm being careful. Thanks for being sweet."
She nods once, stretching from where he's holding her to poke the piece with its edge pressed to his palm.
He gently moves it to on it's flat side. "There, better?"
The filly nods, picking up a piece in her hoof and looking at a flower on it. Then she brings it up to her mouth.
"Whoa, hey!" He quickly but gently takes it from her. "No biting on that, Daring. I don't want you cutting your mouth."
She just stares at him in confusion.
Ruby taps his arm. "Daddy, I don't think she knows what it means to be cut."
"Well, I'm not going to show her by cutting myself." He says, putting the pieces away in a trash can nearby. Taking the filly, he nuzzles her. "How about we all go play now?"
"Yay!" Ruby and Daring cheer together, hugging him happily.
Yang stand by the door, having changed into short and a tank top. "I'm ready, too!"
The pony stops cheering, looking at Yang for a moment before flying past her, emerging from the room a moment later with her hat in her hooves.
Yang laughs. "Can't forget that, huh?"
She shakes her head, smiling warmly as she puts it on. Sadly, it gets in the way of her wings, and she starts to falter in her flying.
Yang catches her on her head. "You'll grow into it."
Daring giggles from under her hat, patting the girl on her forehead. "'Ank you, Yan."
She laughs as she pats her back. "We need to get you to practice certain letters."
"'Kay!" She sits up and tosses her hat perfectly onto Taiyang's head. "Pway!"
He laughs, picking up Ruby and looking down at her. "You heard the other two. Are you set to play like this?"
"Let me get dressed!" She tries to get away, but his embrace prevents her from doing so.
He laughs setting her down. "There you go."
She hurries past her sisters, closing the door as the filly takes flight once more. Daring hovers in front of the man, tilting her head to one side as she regards him in her hat.
He straightens it, looking at her. "How's it look?"
She just smiles at him, hugging his face briefly. "'Wei'!"
The puppy barks questioningly.
"She meant great!" The younger girl calls from within the room.
"How can you tell?" He calls back, offering the hat to the filly.
"Context!"
He chuckles, playfully scooping the fly filly up inside her own hat.
Daring peeks up out of her hat, her forehooves resting on the inside edge as she smiles at him.
He chuckles, rubbing her head as they wait for Ruby. "You are adorable. I hope you'll enjoy playing so that maybe I can work it into theirs or Zwei's training."
She blinks, tilting her head adorably. "'Wainin'?"
"Making sure they can protect themselves when they're older." He clarifies.
"And become huntresses." Yang adds quietly.
Daring's ear twitches, and she turns to the older girl, interested. "Hun'wess?"
She grins. "They're awesome fighters who hunt monsters and protect people!"
The filly seems to consider this for a moment as she turns to her adoptive father. She points at herself, rose eyes full of hope. "Hun'wess?"
He blinks at this before chuckling. "If that's what you want to do, you can, though I'd prefer if you waited until you knew what that all meant."
She cheers, falling on her back in her hat just as Ruby emerges from her room. The skirt she put on flutters as she comes to a halt, trying not to squeal at how adorable that was.
Her dad looks down at her, smiling. "You look cute, Ruby."
"Thanks, daddy!" She hurries over and hugs him tight.
"Still loving your skirts?" He asks as he hugs her back, still holding the filly in her hat.
She raises her hand in the air. "Combat skirt! And yes!"
"Atta girl." He picks her up, walking to the door with her and Daring. "Everyone ready?"
Everyone nods from where they are, Daring flying up so he is just holding the hat.
Nodding, he opens the door, releasing the little ones. "Then let's go!"
They all cheer as they rush outside.
> Chapter 3
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The months pass, and the little filly has grown a little, now able to reach Taiyang's knee when standing on her hindlegs. Her teeth have also started growing in, though she still has trouble with r's, f's and t's.
At the moment, she's playing keep away with Zwei, Ruby, and Yang, with herself in the middle for letting Ruby catch it. They're all laughing and carrying on, the filly flitting about as she tries to catch her ball.
Taiyang watches from a chair next to the house, sipping from a glass and enjoying the calm and happiness of his daughters.
At one point, the ball bounces off a rock, speeding over and knocking the glass right out of his hand. The girls look at him, surprised.
His reflexes allow him to keep it from tipping when it falls onto the grass, making him sigh in relief. "Well, that was odd." Upon hearing himself say it, he looks around.
Daring flies over, picking up the ball and looking at him in confusion. "Wha's w'ong, dada?"
"Dare I ask how you conceived a tiny flying horse, Tai?" A figure steps out from the side of the house, causing the filly to squeak in surprise.
The man smiles as he pets Daring's head. "It wasn't a fling with a faunas if that's what you're thinking. I found her."
The other guy, dressed in blacks and silvers, leans in close, the acrid smell making the filly's muzzle scrunch up a bit. "...did you paint her, or something? Why's she golden?"
"No, I found her like this." He says, taking the filly out of the air and cradling her to his chest. "Don't you think you should say hello?"
Chuckling softly, he waves a hand at her. "Hey, I'm Qrow. Nice to meet you."
She mimics his action, if a little nervously. "Dawing."
The guy just stares at her. "...what?"
"Her name is Daring." Tai translates from her infant speak.
Meanwhile, the girls have noticed the company and come running over.
He notices and grins, squatting to get at eye level with them. "Hey, how's it going?"
"Uncle Qrow!" Yang says, running up to him and smiling.
"Uncle Qrow!" Ruby echoes her, hugging his side.
"Hey, kiddos." He smirks playfully. "When were you going to tell me your father was dating a horse faunus?"
"I'm not!" He protests, nuzzling Daring.
Yang laughs at her father's predicament.
Qrow chuckles, waving a hand dismissively, trying to ignore the filly as she gums on his friend's shirt. "Sure, sure. Still, how has it been? I haven't seen you in... what, five months?"
Yang nods. "Yeah, we got Daring like a week after you last visited."
"...really, a week? Wow." He turns to look at the filly. "...so I'm really not seeing things, right?"
"Nope! She's really there!" Ruby beams at him. "And adorable, too!"
"Right..." He rubs his chin thoughtfully. "...maybe I should've considered that one faunus' offer... nah, too much trouble."
"And she has skills." Tai adds, nuzzling her.
Qrow crosses his arms. "I'm having trouble believing she's a talking horse with wings. Don't push it."
"Pony!" Daring pouts, crossing her forelegs at him.
He blinks for a moment before turning to the man and pointing at the equine. "She shouldn't be able to do that."
"Do what? Correct you?" He asks with a smirk.
"Bend her legs like that." He raises an eyebrow. "Don't be ridiculous."
He shrugs, laughing a bit. "It's just how she is."
"Yeah, sure." He looks down at her, thoughtful. "...you know what? I can buy that. So, she has skills?"
He nods. "When I first found her she threw her hat into a beowolf's face and bounced it perfectly back onto her head."
"That's... actually impressive." He chuckles, reaching over and patting her head. "Nice job, squirt."
She happily coos at this, nuzzling into his palm.
"There you go, see? Uncle Qrow's not so bad." Tai says, smiling.
Then Daring bites a finger.
Qrow stares blankly at her for a moment. "...I kinda want you to be affected, now... but, you know, something minor."
"Hey, no trying to give that to my daughters." Tai warns, pulling Daring away.
"You know I was kidding." He scoffs quietly, pulling something out of his vest a moment before remembering present company and putting it back. "Besides, I have no control over it."
There's a loud growl as a black bear with a white, red-marked mask and yellow eyes steps into the clearing.
"...wasn't expecting that, at least." The raven-haired man picks up the girls and turns to take them inside.
Tai takes a defensive stance behind them as they back towards the door. "You brought your sword, right?"
"I came here to visit my friend and his two - sorry, three little girls. Are you crazy?" Qrow turns to him, smiling a bit. "Of course I did."
Grinning back, the other man deposits his last girl inside the house. "Stay safe." He warns them before shutting the door, leaving himself and Qrow outside.
"So, you keep it away from the house, while I take it down?" Qrow glances at him, then frowns. "You left your weapon inside, didn't you?"
"I try not to let any wandering little hands be tempted." He admits before picking up and axe off a high shelf next to a wood pile. "I can work with this, though."
The other man just stands there, clearly baffled and concerned as he stares at the bear. "...I can certainly see why you do that... and why she's called Daring."
Before he can ask what he means, a flash of gold catches his attention, and he sees a blur of motion around the bear as it tries to futilely smack the tiny flying pony.
Eyes wide, he rushes in. aiming to end this quick. "Daring, get out of there!"
Apparently she hears, but doesn't understand, landing on the Ursa's muzzle and happily waving at him. She notices the black bear drawing back a paw, so she jumps over its head at the last second, making the creature slam itself in the face. She then kicks right between its shoulders with both hindlegs, knocking it forward onto the ground, momentarily dazed.
Taking the opportunity, Tai finishes his rush with an axe blow to the bear's head.
Instead of felling the beast, it growls and headbutts him, sending him flying back into the side of the house.
Before anything else could happen, a sword finds its way through the Ursa's neck, silencing it for good. The body slowly dissolves away, the axe falling to the ground soon enough. "No more of that, thank you."
Daring didn't see any of this, having flown over to the man against her home, whimpering softly and nudging his face a couple times, trying to get a response.
Grunting, he opens his eyes, putting a hand on her head and rubbing. "Heh, it's okay, Daring. Not the first time I've been tossed into a wall."
Qrow walks up, chuckling when the filly happily hugs him. "Would that be by a Grimm or by a girl?"
He laughs. "Mostly Grimm." He rests where he is. "Did I leave a window open or something?"
There's a tapping on the window by his head, Ruby's voice soon following it. "She snuck out before you could close the door."
"Of course." He sighs before smiling at the pony. "Well, it was dangerous, but she managed to not get hit and help us."
She smiles softly, reaching up and tapping her hoof against his nose. "Dada."
The other man smiles a bit, then frowns as a thought occurs. "...but what if she did get hurt? I highly doubt that you unlocked her aura already."
He holds her to his chest. "No, we haven't. I think that should be a priority for all my girls, for the durability alone."
"So when are you going to do it?" He frowns a bit more.
A golden hoof taps Taiyang on the chin, the filly it belongs to looking at him curiously. "Auwa?"
"I'll explain in a bit, sweetie." He says to the foal, stroking her mane before looking back up at Qrow. "I was thinking when she was a bit older so she could understand it. I didn't expect her to be jumping into fights."
"Maybe she was feeling protective." The raven haired man shrugs. "Or maybe she wanted to prove herself to her daddy. I don't know."
"Maybe." He looks to the window. "You girls can come out now."
The door opens up quickly, the two girls hurrying out and hugging their father.
He chuckles, hugging them. "Don't forget to thank you uncle, too."
"No need. Probably wouldn't have been a problem, even if I wasn't here." He pats the both of them on the head. "Besides, I hear someone's birthday is coming up."
Ruby looks at him in confusion. "Yang's birthday is next month."
"...oh." He scratches his head. "Well, I guess I got a gift this early for no reason."
"Gift?" The blonde looks up sharply, eyes shining.
He taps her nose. "Wait until your birthday."
"Are you gonna come visit again for that?" She asks.
"Of course." He smiles, ruffling her hair as he turns to walk away. "Maybe I'll find an even better gift in the meantime."
"Hey wait, are you leaving already?" She asks, walking after him a few steps.
"I did mainly come here for a party," he points out, coming to a stop. "Unless you're trying to keep me here so you can get at your present?" He smirks playfully.
"No, we want you to stay so you can play and tell stories!" She gestures Ruby over to back her up.
"Yeah, what she said!" Ruby throws her hands in the air. "Play time and stories!"
Daring, having been silent all this time, turns to look at Taiyang, curious. "S'owy?"
He chuckles. "You know, like one of those I read to you girls at night sometimes? Except Qrow doesn't need a book."
She looks contemplative at this, turning to observe the others.
Ruby is hanging on her uncle's arm, laughing happily as he recalls the last mission he was on. "She nearly got me, but even with her low cut, I managed to play it cool."
"See? He can't help but tell them when they ask." Tai chuckles.
"And that's why a woman's most powerful weapon is attractiveness." He nods and crosses his arms, looking at the other man. "Right, Tai?"
The man groans a bit. "I don't know if that's a lesson I want them to learn..."
The filly looks back and forth between them, baffled. "A... a'wac... iveness?"
He ruffles her mane fondly. "You're too young for that anyway. Don't worry, you'll understand more words as you get older."
She pouts a little, then shifts a little on his lap, getting more comfortable before curling up for a nap.
He chuckle, gentle stroking her while he keeps an eye on his other girls and their uncle.
He turns back just in time to see his friend coaching Ruby as she slowly swings his sword.
He raises his eyebrow at that, wondering if Ruby will always prefer big weapons.
The younger girl starts chasing them around the yard with a sword too big to carry easily, laughing all the while, even as she starts to pant.
Tai laughs quietly as he watches, calling over. "You'll have to train hard to weild something that big."
"Then I'll train however I can!" She eventually lets it drop, panting and gasping for air.
"You'll need your own weapon for that. Don't want you getting used to mine when I'm the one who's using it." He playfully ruffles her hair, much to her pouting disapproval.
Tai nods. "Yeah, we'll need to start planning those eventually..."
"Can we start soon? I want a scythe! No, wait, a gun!" Ruby beams brightly at this.
"Well, at least we have something to work off with you." Her dad says, laughing. "Now we just need to see how big you en dup so we can scale it."
"What about Yang?" She glances at her sister. "What would you use?"
"Maybe it's best to see what your semblance is, first." Qrow pats both their heads. "It can influence your weapon quite a bit."
"True, but it's good to know a place to start anyway. Figuring out your semblance might be even harder than getting a weapon if it's a stubborn one."
"Yeah?" The man smirks. "Then why don't you teach them to fight with their fists?" He glances down at Daring. "...err... hooves?"
The dad hums in thought. "That could work, nothing wrong with knowing how to fight weaponless in case things happen."
"Yep." Qrow chuckles, letting go of them so he can approach his friend. "And who knows? Maybe one of them might like boxing."
He nods. "Maybe, I'm thinking Yang or the sleeping one." He strokes Daring. "Ruby seems to have her mind made up."
"...would she even be able to do that?" The raven-haired man eyes the pony curiously.
"Traditional boxing, probably not, but she more than willing to hit things."
His friend just raises an eyebrow. "What other fighting styles do you know?"
Ruby leans closer to her sister, speaking in a stage whisper. "Don't you hate it when they ignore you? I'm not a big fan of it."
Yang shrugs. "Eh, they're adults talking to each other. They heard that you wanted a scythe at least."
"Yes, but then they paid so much attention to Daring they didn't wait for the answer to what you wanted!" She crosses her arms, pouting a bit.
Yang waves this off casually. "I dunno what I'd want right now anyway. Dad's boxing lessons sound cool, though."
"...maybe." She turns to her, smiling broadly. "I get to train with Uncle Qrow, though!"
"Hey! You can't always hog him!"
Ruby sticks her tongue out in response.
Yang sticks hers out right back at her, wiggling it and blowing a raspberry.
Ruby does the same, her face turning a little red from the exertion of keeping it going longer.
"...think we should stop them before they black out from lack of air?" Qrow looks at their father with an eyebrow raised.
"They're sisters, they just do stuff like this." tai says, smiling. "They'll stop when they get bored, distracted, or run out of breath and have to pant for a bit."
There's a thud that's loud enough to wake up Daring, making her jump in Tai's lap. They turn to see Ruby on her face, passed out.
The dad sighs. "Okay... apparently we're at this point." He gets up, holding onto Daring. MEanwhile, Yang is crouched down, poking her sister in the cheek.
She quietly groans as the other three approach, Daring turning to poke her father's chest softly. "Dada? Is Wuby okay?"
"She's fine, Daring, just a bit dirty now." He reaches down, rubbing the girl's head. "Hey, you hit anything in the way down, bud?"
She turns her head towards him, her eyes apparently turned into swirls. "The room is spinning... hi, Darings... fly me to the moon!"
He chuckles, tucking Daring under one arm as his other goes down to pick Ruby up. "She'd have to be a bit bigger to do that."
The girl rises unsteadily to her feet, rubbing her chest as the rock she landed on makes itself known.
Looking a bit concerned, Tai actually sets down Daring to pick Ruby up, looking at her. "You alright?"
"Dumb rock." Yang says, stomped down on it and cracking it into tiny pieces. "Hurting my sister."
The brunette smiles sheepishly at him. "I'm fine. I... may have had worse tumbles."
As she speaks, Daring tries to copy what Yang did, tongue out in concentration. Her hoof grinds the bits of rock into dust and sad, leaving just a pile as her dad gives Ruby a hug and a forehead kiss.
Seeing how the girl was curled up against his chest, Qrow shrugs, then turns to enter the house. "So, is the whiskey in the same place as before?"
"Yeah, should be plenty!" Tai calls back at him.
"Thanks!"
Something pokes his knee, and he looks down to see a curious filly. "Whiskey?"
He shakes his head. "Uncle Qrow's drink, not for little ones."
She pouts a little, but nods in understanding, moving up to hug and nuzzle his face, her monochrome rainbow of a mane tickling his nose.
He chuckles, nuzzling her in return as Yang comes over, poking Ruby. "Hey, you okay?"
"Yay, candy!" The girl, in her daze, bites the finger that poked her.
"Ow, hey!" Yang yanks it away, rubbing her finger.
Qrow walks back over, chuckling quietly. "You know, I bet a certain something would protect her from that sort of injury."
Daring throws her hooves up in the air, looking at her father. "Up?"
As he shifts Ruby to one arm and picks up Daring with the other, Tai groans to Qrow. "Alright alright, I get it. I'll see about activating their auras."
"Good. Best get inside before another Ursa comes..." He trails off as he thinks of something. "...wait, what's an Ursa doing on Patch to begin with?"
"I have no idea." Tai says as he starts walking towards the house with the girls. "I picked this place because it's safe."
"Is that right?" He scratches his cheek a bit. "In that case, I'll see you in another month. Make sure Ruby works on her strength while I'm away." He passes Yang and pats her on the head. "Don't get too crazy without me, okay?"
"Okay, Uncle Qrow!" She ays, smiling fondly at him.
"Good." He walks away from the house, waving at them over his shoulder and smiling to himself.
They all wave to him before heading inside, the dad looking at Ruby. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired..." She gently hugs his side. "...a little in pain..."
"Okay, come on, we'll go see if we can get some stuff from the first aid kit for you." 
"Is she gonna be okay?" Yang asks.
"She'll be fine." He smiles at her since his hands are occupied. "Why don't you go play with Zwei?"
"Okay..." She nods, heading into the other room.
As Taiyang starts treating the little girl, Daring sneaks off to find her other sister, flying low so no one can hear her hooves hitting the floor.
She finds the other girl crouched in front of the puppy, both play batting at and dodging each other.
Eyes narrowed, she tries to sneak up on the two of them, more specifically the blonde girl.
They don't notice, too absorbed in their game.
She takes this opportunity to jump on Yang's calf, squeezing tight with all four legs.
The girl jumps a bit as Zwei barks, looking behind to see the pony. "Oh hey, you scared me!"
"Yang gwea'!" She giggles, then jumps on the puppy, rolling around a bit with him while laughing happily. "Zwei!"
The fluffy corgi licks her face, stubby tail wagging as Yang laughs.
Daring immediately gets up, pointing at the girl. "Ge' her!"
He springs forward, knocking the laughing girl on her back and bouncing up and down on her stomach while she keeps laughing.
The filly joins him, jumping up and down while giggling brightly, her wings fluttering to help make sure she doesn't hurt Yang.
Yang blows a small raspberry. "You guys are lucky you're smaller than me, and cute."
The filly copies her action, landing on her chest to do so.
Zwei just barks, tail wagging.
Laughing, Yang picks up Daring around her middle, holding her up. "It's still cool that you can fly."
She happily squeals, all her legs stretched out as her wings begin to flap, batting at the girl's hands.
Yang laughs, moving her around and making airship sounds.
As they do this, two people watch from the hallway. The little girl looks up at her father, curious. "Should we join them?"
He chuckles. "We can if you're feeling better." He looks down at her chest where he had put a bandage and pain killing ointment.
She openly pouts at him. "I feel better. Let's go play airship!"
He laughs, "Sure." Picking her up, he makes the same sounds Yang is, holding Ruby in the air as he moves towards the other group.
And so the family played together, the girl and filly pretending to be planes as their family lifted them through the air, the puppy barking and jumping around in an attempt to catch them.
> Chapter 4
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The morning begins as it always does, Daring waking up in the morning before the sun could shine into the room. Getting up and stretching her legs and wings, she flies over to where she hid a hand mirror, walking over to the dresser and watching the sun rise.
When it gets to the point it's shining in her eyes, she tilts her hat down and watches the reflected light, moving the mirror until the beam stops shining on his mouth and instead lands on the man's eyes.
The man grumbles in his sleep, ducking his head down to try and escape the light.
She doesn't let this get her; she directs the beam of light at the glass-covered portrait on the wall, making it shine back in his face, if a bit less intense.
Grunting, he opens his eyes, shielding them from the light. "Darn light..."
She quickly stashes the mirror away and jumps off the dresser, gliding through the air until she lands on his chest, looking at him with inquisitive eyes. "What does 'darn' mean, daddy?"
"It means daddy needs to watch his mouth..." He says quietly, smiling and stroking her mane. "Good morning, Daring."
"Morning!" She beams, happily nuzzling his cheek. "Are you gonna get up, soon?"
He chuckles, kissing her head. "Well, if you're up, I probably should. Got things to do today."
The filly's eyes instantly light up at this. "Oh, you mean the-"
He covers her mouth with his hand, shushing her softly. "Wouldn't want to spoil it."
There's silence for a moment before he feels something wet dragging along his palm and fingers.
He smirks, taking it away and wiping it on the sheets. "Yep, every time."
"Every time?" She tilts her head to one side, confused.
He smiles. "Every time I do that my hand gets licked."
She just stares blankly. "...even with Yang?"
He nods. "Yeah, but I only did that to her when she was really little."
"Why?"
"Oh, she was being fussy so I was trying to get her to calm down." He shakes his head, picking her up as he sits up.
"...I don't get it." She crawls up his arm and lays down on his shoulder.
He chuckles, nuzzling her as he stands up and stretches. "Anyway, I think a good birthday needs to start with some nice decorations and a good breakfast."
"Decorations?" Daring clearly doesn't recognize the word, though the growling of her stomach does distract her from it.
"Well, maybe some food for you first, huh?" He tickles her stomach lightly with a finger.
She squirms as she struggles not to laugh, but she finds the strength within to nod happily.
"Alright, what do you want this morning?"
"Pancakes!" She beams happily at him.
He laughs. "That, I can do." He takes her with him into the kitchen.
There he finds the youngest of the two girls, bright-eyed and doodling something on a piece of paper.
"Well, good morning, Ruby." He greets.
She looks up and beams, waving her hand. "Hi, daddy! Look!" She holds up her drawing, a picture of five candles. "I made this for Yang!"
He smiles, coming over and ruffling her hair. "It looks great! I'm sure she'll like it."
"Yep! I'm gonna put it on her cake!" She shrugs. "You said not to play with fire, after all."
He blinks, tilting his head before laughing. "You know what? I think that's a great idea. It'll be fun."
"Yay, I'm helping!" The girl jumps up and hugs her father happily.
He gives her a hug in return, kissing her cheek after. "I'm making pancakes, you want some?"
She just eagerly nods, her smile only growing wider.
"Alright, first, let me get this..." He takes her paper. "And put it in here with the cake." He puts it in the fridge on a colorful box. "And then we do breakfast." He starts on the pancakes.
Daring, still on his shoulder, watches all of this, as well as how Ruby jumps up to help.
The man goes for simple shapes this time: tiny circle to make tiny pancake stacks.
Leaning forward a little, Daring's hat falls off her head and towards the skillet. Rose eyes wide in shock, she leaps for it, not wanting it to be ruined, despite there already being twenty arrow holes in it.
Time seems to slow as she ponders what exactly an arrow is.
Suddenly two strong hands come into play, honed by years of fighting. They catch the girl and the hat, plopping them back where they belong as the spatula clatters in the pan. 
"Look before you leap, Daring." Her father chides her.
The filly's ears fold back against her head, and she nuzzles his cheek. "Sorry, daddy..."
He nuzzles her. "It's okay, just trying to keep you safe."
She gently hugs him, keeping herself close to his body. "Thank you."
He nuzzles her as he makes their tiny pancake stacks. "Now, you're free to fall on these, before the syrup is added. I would suggest you eat them instead."
Ruby eats one of the stacks before either of her family members can react, her cheeks puffing out like a squirrel's.
Her dad chuckles. "Wow, everyone's hungry this morning."
Both the girl and the filly nod, the latter still embracing the man's neck.
Chuckling, he finishes both their plates and his, bringing them over to the table with syrup. "Well, here you go."
Daring promptly takes the handle in her mouth, turning her head sideways so she doesn't pour it all over the table. She brings it over to her plate and lets it pour... and pour... and pour...
"Careful not to overflow the plate now." Tai warns, knowing her sweet tooth.
She turns her head to look at him, causing the syrup to splash onto his plate. "Hmm?"
He gently tilts it up so it stops boring. "Careful." He gently touches her nose with a finger.
She nods, then turns back and goes back to pouring on her own pancakes.
"Daddy!" Ruby reaches across the table, fingers inches away from the bottle. "She's going to use it all up!"
"Daring, don't you think that's enough?" He says as he pulls out the spare syrup and hands it to Ruby.
She shakes her head, splashing syrup over the table as a result.
He grabs the bottle, holding it still. "Okay, I think that's enough, you're getting a little messy." He chuckles.
Reluctantly she lets go, but she brightens up right away after seeing the sugary delight that is now her pancakes.
He caps the syrup, putting it to the side. "You know Daring, if you use a little less, I bet we can find you some stronger sweeter syrup with different flavors next time we go shopping."
She turns her attention back to him, muzzle scrunching up a bit. "...but that wouldn't mean it'd be sweet every bite, right?"
He shrugs. "That depends how much you use."
She thinks for a bit, then holds up her saturated pancake on a fork, which is between her hooves. "This much. Try it!"
Smiling, he leans down and bites it off, chewing thoughtfully. "You want every bite to be that sweet?"
"Yep!" She grins at him, ignoring the girl who's rapidly eating her own stack.
"I think we can do that if you dip the bites into the syrup that drips on your plate." He nods. "So, interested in flavored next time?"
She taps her chin, then nods, smiling softly. "Okay, daddy."
He smiles, nodding as he goes to his own pancakes. "Are you both excited for today?"
Ruby raises her hand, cheering loudly. "Of course!"
"Good, because I'd appreciate both your helps setting up for it."
Daring tilts her head to one side, eating the pancake held between her hooves. "I can help?"
He nods. "Yep. I was hoping you'd help with streamers and other things."
"Sure!" The filly beams. "I'd be happy to!"
"That's my littlest girl." He pets her head fondly before turning to Ruby. "You don't mind helping me with a few of the more down to earth parts, right?"
She gives a little salute, though the form isn't quite right. "Yes, daddy!"
He chuckles, going to his food. "Alright then, after breakfast."
The girls nod and wolf down their breakfast. Daring has to stop and cough at one point, though.
Tai pats her back softly. "You getting sick or was it the food?"
She spits up a glob of pancake, collapsing onto her side soon after. "...ow..."
He gently picks her up, softly rubbing her belly. "You and your growing appetite..."
She sighs softly, her forelegs held tight against her chest as she luxuriates in the gentle motions of his hand.
He smiles, looking to Ruby. "Can you put the dishes in the sink for me, please?"
She happily nods and gathers up the plates, letting Daring take her pancakes with a fork.
Tai shakes his head in amusement. "Easy Daring, don't want to give yourself a stomach ache."
She pouts a bit, then takes a bite of the speared stack, anyways.
"Cheeky little girl..." He chuckles, setting her down on the table with one last belly rub. "You can finish that while I get the decorations."
She smiles brightly, speaking through her mouthful. "Okay, daddy!"
Chuckling, he goes into the closet and comes back out with boxes of banners, streamers, and even balloons.
Daring quickly but carefully finishes her food, dropping the fork on the table before lazily flying over to him.
He chuckles, catching her on a box. "Okay now Daring, your job will be to tape these,"  he pulls out long colorful streamers, "to the ceiling so they hang down."
She blinks curiously at him. "Tape?"
He nods, showing her a roll of scotch tape with easy rip lip. "It's sticky on one side."
As the filly tries to juggle everything, Ruby speaks up from next to her father. "Isn't there an easier way?"
He takes most things from the filly, giving her just a streamer and the tape. "How's this?"
She quickly flies up, putting them in place above the table before flying back down to him and smiling. "Like that?"
He nods. "Yeah, though you have a few more than just one." He points to the box that's full of them. "Just sort of spread them around the house."
She nods, taking the tape and pulling some off, getting it stuck to her hooves and mane as she tries to break a piece off.
He laughs, gently freeing it from her and putting some pieces lightly stuck on her hoof. "How's that?"
She beams brightly at him, flying up and nuzzling his cheek. "Thank you, daddy!"
"You're welcome." He smiles and nuzzles her back before he starts fishing out other things. The first is a big birthday banner.
Ruby, ever the inquisitive child, looks between the banner and her adopted sister, frowning a bit. "Can she lift that?"
He shakes his head. "I don't think so, besides, this is for me to hang up."
"Oh. Okay!" She smiles at him, then tilts her head a bit. "When should we wake up sis?"
"If she's not up by the time we're done, we wake her up then."
"Okay." She smiles at him, then looks up at the ceiling, now confused. "...that was pretty fast."
He looks up from where he had been planning on where to hang the banner.
The streamers have all been set up, some even sweeping from one side of the room to the next. He also sees the filly hovering in the middle of the room, a bright smile on her face and tape in her monochromatic rainbow of a mane.
"Wow, great job!" He nods approvingly as he surveys it all. "You'd think you'd done this before."
Daring just shrugs and lands on his shoulders, hugging his head so she won't fall off. "Need anything else?"
"Hmm..." He hangs up the banner, keeping it high enough so no one will hit their heads on it. "Want to put the tablecloth on the table with Ruby?"
"Sure!" She places her hat on his head as she moves to help Ruby set up the table. "Ooh, what are these?" She points at one of the many pictures adorning the fabric.
"Hmm?" He looks at them. "Oh, those are some general weapon types. Its a cool thing I thought the girls would enjoy."
Ruby grins, pointing at one of the scythes. "These are my favorite. They look so cool!"
"Yes, Ruby, that's one reason I got it." He says with a chuckle.
A pair of hooves covers his eyes in their owner's eagerness. "What are those things that look like your shoes?"
"Boots?" He guesses, gently tickling her hooves with his fingers.
When the pony tries to bat at the hands, the girl leans down to look at it closer. "I think Uncle Qrow called them greaves?"
"Ah, leg guards." He nods. "You know, when you get older, we could probably get some for you if you wanted, Daring. Just to have leg protection."
She blinks, then taps her chin thoughtfully. "...can they be weapons?"
He smiles. "Daring, anything can be a weapon if you find a talented place to order it from and a good idea."
She nods once more, eyes sparkling in delight. "Can you show me how for my birthday, daddy?"
Chuckling, he nods."Sure, I can do that. It'll be fun."
She hugs him tight, nuzzling his cheek. "I love you, daddy!"
"I love you two, Daring." He smiles. ""Now... I think that's everything that isn't food or presents..."
"Ooh, can I go wake Yang up?" She grins brightly, waving a hoof as she volunteers.
"To be fair, she's too small to carry presents..." A familiar voice says. As they turn to look, one side of the banner falls, smacking Taiyang in the face.
He pulls it off with a smile. "Glad you made it so early, Qrow."
"What can I say?" He chuckles, reaching down to ruffle Ruby's hair. "I'm a sucker for these kids."
Chuckling, Tai puts the banner back up. "Well, I know they appreciate it. We just have to get the birthday girl up and we're ready to start."
"Is that right?" He looks at each of them in turn. "Which one of you is doing that?"
"I believe Daring wanted to." Tai offers.
"Yep! I'll be back in time!" She jumps up and flies off, giggling happily to herself.
Inside the other room, Yang is still snoozing, one arm and leg hanging off the bed as she snores.
Daring slowly flies closer, trying to move her wings to make her flapping as quiet as possible.
The girl sleeps blissfully on.
She smiles, proud of herself. Then her wing cramps up, making her fall right onto the girl's belly.
"Snck, gah?" Yang sits up, rubbing her eyes. "Alright... who's on my stomach this morning?"
Daring, having tumbled onto her lap in a pile of limbs and feathers, just looks up at her, nervous. "...quack?"
The girl blinks before laughing and hugging the pony. "Are you a ponyduck now?"
"Maybe." She tries flexing her wing, trying to hide her grimace.
"Aww... did you hurt it?" She hugs her a bit more gently.
"...a little..." She sighs, then lays on the side opposite her hurt wing. "...sleep well?"
"Yep, how about you? Still snuggling with Dad?"
"Yep!" She grins widely. "It's the best!"
"I'll bet." She smiles. "You're free to sleep with me and Ruby, too if you want."
"Maybe tonight." She shrugs a bit, then clambers up her shoulder. "Are you hungry? I think daddy's making pancakes."
"Oh, that sounds good!" She nods quickly, getting up while still in her night shorts and shirt.
As she gets situated, Daring pokes at the clothes she's wearing, her muzzle scrunching a bit. "...Yang?"
"Yeah?" She asks, running her hands through her hair.
"Your... clothes smell a bit." She gives a sheepish smile. "Could you please change?"
"Huh?" She lifts her shirt, sniffing it. "I don't smell anything... but okay." She shrugs. "You'll half to get off my shoulder though. Want me to put you on the bed?"
"...can't I stay on your head?"
"I pull shirts off over my head."
The filly is silent a moment, trying to come up with a retort. "...so?"
"Well, I guess if you think you can hold on..." She shrugs, moving and pulling off her current shirt.
Daring closes her eyes and grips the girl's head, careful with her precious golden locks.
Once she gets the shirt off, she works on her shorts and what's underneath. "You think you'll ever wear clothes besides your hat?"
She looks down at her, frowning a bit. "Should I?"
"I don't really know..." Yang shrugs, finding a new pair of underwear and slipping them on before she goes to her drawer of shorts. "You have fur, so you're not cold too much, but everyone wears clothes."
"...how about a vest? That could be useful." She smiles at that thought.
"That... could work, but it doesn't really cover your girl parts on it's own." Yang says, putting on a pair of blue shorts and now looking for a shirt.
"...girl parts?" She looks down at her in confusion. "What do you mean?"
"You know, like what under my underwear and what's under your tail." She says, making gestures to try and explain something that seems simple to her.
"I think my tail works for that." She shrugs, then points at the window. "Look! A birdy!"
"Huh?" Yang looks where she points.
She gets to see the bird for a moment before something dashes through it. Daring is understandably distraught.
"Birdy, no!"
Yang puts on an orange shirt, moving to the window. "What was that? Is it okay?"
"I... don't know. I think it was a cat?" Her mind goes back to the books Tai used to teach her, the picture of a cute kitty bringing a small smile to her face.
"Well... anyway, pancakes?"
"Yep!" She gets off her head, flying and grinning widely. "I bet you can't make it to the kitchen while blindfolded!"
"Oh yeah? I'll show you!" She giggles, getting a bandana from a drawer and wrapping it around her eyes.
"No peeking!" She pats her on the head. "I'll know if you do!"
"I'm not gonna peek." She says, arms reaching out in front of her. "Though, stop me if I'm gonna knock something over."
"Sure!" She beams happily, then takes her spot on Yang's shoulder.
"Now let's see..." She follows the walls, fingers brushing them as she laughs and takes careful steps.
Meanwhile, a small pile of presents and a handle of balloons have joined the decorations in the kitchen.
Ruby hugs her father from his left. "Do you think she'll like it?"
"I think so." He smiles, petting her head as he hears sounds from the other room. "I think that's her, now."
The girl grins, then hides behind the table, ready to jump out and surprise her sister.
Eventually Yang slowly works her way into the doorway of the kitchen, blindfold now visible.
Ruby stares on in confusion. "Yang, why are you wearing that?"
Hearing her sister's voice, Yang smiles. "Daring bet me I couldn't make it to the kitchen blindfolded, but I did!"
"Chair." Daring speaks up too late to keep her from banging her toe against the furniture in question.
"Ow!" Yang yelps, jumping away and holding her foot up. "Dumb chair..."
The younger girl giggles, moving over and patting her sister on the shoulder. "Do you want daddy to kiss it better?"
Qrow raises an eyebrow at this, his attention on his friend. "Do they normally include you without asking first?"
Tai shrugs. "What can you do? They're my girls. They know I'm free to say 'no'. Over time it'll teach them how to negotiate."
"...sure, why not." He sighs and shakes his head. "Regardless, don't you think we should take off her blindfold?"
"Yeah, I think she won a little prize."
"Prize?" Yang says as she blindfold is removed.
"Happy birthday, Yang."
The blonde beams, looking around at everyone. "Wow! Thanks, guys!"
Qrow chuckles, ruffling her hair playfully. "You're very welcome." He glances at the filly, smirking a bit. "I bet you had her put on the blindfold on purpose."
She sticks out her tongue, dropping her party favor. "Maybe."
"Atta girl." Tai praises.
She practically glows from his praise, while Ruby pouts.
"Now, I was going to save this, but I think I can make an exception today." Going to the fridge, he pulls out the white and yellow frosted cake with the picture Ruby drew earlier curled in a cylinder on top so you can see it at all angles.
"Hand drawn candles?" She giggles, looking at Ruby. "Did you do that for me?"
She blushes a bit, rubbing the back of her head. "Daddy said I'm too young to play with fire. So I did that, instead!"
Yang hugs her. "I like it. Maybe it'll be easier to blow out."
Qrow smirks, leaning in to whisper to Tai. "Or blow over."
"Hey, we can always put it back for another round." He whispers back as he puts the cake on the table. "Five already, huh? Let's make it official." 
"Yeah!" Yang raises a fist in the air as she cheers.
"Yeah!" Daring grins, then looks to Tai, confused. "How?"
"Blow out the candles of course." He pets the cake on the table, Yang sitting down eagerly in front of it.
The filly flies up to her father's shoulder, whispering into his ear. "How do you blow out paper?"
"You try." He says, motioning as everyone gathers around the birthday girl. She smiles at all of them before she takes a breath and blows on the paper candles. They resist a moment before flying off and flying into the opposite wall, causing Yang to cheer. 
"Got all of them!"
"Yay!" Daring claps her hooves together approvingly. "Way to go!"
"Can I have this for breakfast?" Yang asks, pointing to the cake. 
"Heh, sure, but only for today." Tai says, moving to cut the cake.
As Qrow moves to the side, watching with folded arms, Ruby moves next to Yang, tongue extended as if to lick the cake directly.
"Hey!" Yang playfully pulls her away. "Tongue off my cake!"
Daring suddenly faceplants in the cake, her body falling onto the table right after.
"Daring..." Tai just sigh, shaking his head before he fishes her out. "Well, it'll still taste the same."
She stays silent, her head resting on his arm as she watches Ruby smush a piece into Yang's face.
Tai chuckles, snagging a piece on his finger and tasting it. "They haven't changed..."
Qrow glances at the filly, then up at his friend, leaning over and talking to him. "You should probably take her somewhere to talk, Tai. Let the girls have their fun; I'll watch them while you do that."
"Huh? Well, alright, you three have fun bonding." He nods appreciatively before taking the frosted filly towards the bathroom.
Daring is quiet, not to mention shivering a bit as she tries to swipe at her face.
Standing in front of the sink, he gets a wet cloth and start cleaning her face, smiling as he does so. "Finally hit your limit on sweets?"
She doesn't respond, her wings held tight to her sides as she stares down at her hooves.
"Hey, you okay, Daring?" He asks, finishing clearing her face and now trying to meet her eyes.
She sniffs, looking up at him in concern through the tears in her eyes. "...how... how do I fly? I... I can't remember..."
> Chapter 5
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

"...how... how do I fly? I... I can't remember..."

"Huh?" Her father looks at her, confused. "You've always just flown by instinct, I thought. Just flapping your wings in the right way."

"But what way is the right way?" She pouts quietly, hugging his arm for security.

"I... don't really know." He says softly, kissing her forehead. "Maybe you can practice once we get you cleaned up?"

She nods quietly, letting go of his now-sticky arm. She looks down and giggles softly, giving a sheepish smile. "Sorry for the icing hug..."

"It's fine, though I think both of us are going to need to clean up." He chuckles, shutting and locking the bathroom door. "I'm thinking shower, then maybe a bath if you're still feeling bad after and want to try practicing flying in water first."

She quietly nods, reaching up in reflex to try and pull a hat that's not there down over her face. "Okay, daddy."

He chuckles, picking her up once more and bringing her to the bathtub. "Now, let's get you cleaned up. I know you're sweet, but this is a bit much."

She sticks out her tongue at him and giggles quietly. "Your jokes are the best."

"Daww... I'm glad to see being a dad hasn't changed that." He chuckles, turning on the water to get the temperature right.

She just gets settled in his arms, gripping his shirt so she doesn't fall on accident.

He looks down at his shirt, seeing the icing on it and not minding. "Do you want to be in the shower when the water comes on or get in after?"

"...which one is better?"

"Hmm... probably getting in after." He admits.

She smiles, holding up a hoof. "Then let's do that."

Chuckling, he nods and turns the shower on, light steam coming from it as he angles the nozzle so the water won't escape the tub. "There we go, ready to get in?"

She nods, smiling weakly at him. "Please don't drop me..."

"I was just going to set you in there... did you want me to come in with you?"

"...I don't know..." She sniffles a bit. "I just... don't wanna fall..."

He kisses her head, nuzzling her after. "Hey, it's okay. I'll go in with you. I just need to set you down a moment so I can get undressed."

She quietly nods, turning to nuzzle him in return.

Smiling, he gently sets her down on the bathroom counter. Swiftly, he disrobes and picks her back up. "Okay, ready?"

"I guess." She looks at her legs, pouting cutely. "It's starting to harden..."

"Don't worry, we'll clean you off and have you back up and flying in no time." He gently touches her nose with a finger before stepping into the water.

"...I sure hope so..."

Meanwhile, back at the party, Yang is licking frosting off her fingers with a smile. "Great party!"

"I sure hope so." Qrow smiles, then points at her cheek. "By the way, you have a little frosting there."

"Right here!" Ruby pushes a finger with melted chocolate ice cream on it against her sister's cheek.

"Hey!" Yang playfully pushes her hand away. "Don't make me start the dessert fight again."

The toddler just sticks her tongue out in response.

Yang puts a dollop of icing on it. "There, eat that."

Ruby pulls her tongue back into her mouth to eat the food while Qrow places a hand on Yang's shoulder. "So, what do you want to do while we wait for Tai to clean Daring up?"

"Umm..." She looks around. "Should we clean up the cake or just leave it?"

"We can put it in the fridge." He chuckles, looking at where there's a near-perfect imprint of the filly's face. "This is sure gonna be a funny story to tell..."

Yang giggles. "You think if we just had t shaped like Daring for Ruby's birthday it would save time?"

Ruby looks appalled at this, shaking her head vehemently. "I don't want to eat Daring! Not even Cake Daring!"

"What do you call that, then?" Yang asks, pointing to the cake.

"An untouched part of the cake." She sticks her tongue out.

Yang makes a disregarding sound, waving her hand. "Anyway, what should we do next? Presents, games?"

"Until your father gets back, I'll have to insist on games." Qrow closes his eyes, knowing that they would try the puppy dog eyes on him.

"Hey, stop cheating by closing your eyes!" Yang's tiny fist can be felt lightly thumping his stomach.

"It's not cheating. It's a perfectly sound tactic." He smiles wryly.

"Ruby, help me team up on him!"

"...I'm not opening my eyes." He turns and walks over to the presents, lifting them up over his head. "No opening them until your dad gets back. It's only fair he gets to see your excitement, isn't it?"

"Then we'll do something else to kill time." Yang says quietly, giggling.

"...you're getting punished for any trouble she causes, Ruby."

The girl stares at him in shock. "What? Why?"

"Because it's her birthday. Then you get to remind us what she did tomorrow so we can punish her then." He smirks at Yang, opening one eye to see her. "Sound fair to you?"

"Put down the presents, and then I'll tell you what I think." She says, smirking.

"So you can try to open them, or try to play fight?" He makes no move to put them down.

"I'm not going to try to open them, I promise." She smiles at him.

"...fine." He places the presents down on the counter, pushing them back until they're against the wall.

Once his hands are free, she looks to her sister with a grin. "Let's get him! I bet we can take Uncle Qrow now that we're older!"

"Ah, so you wanted to tussle?" The man chuckles, picking up Ruby and holding her sideways across his chest. "Try my shield!"

"No, Yang, he got me!"

"Hey!" Yang springs forward, locking his leg into a hug as she tries to throw him off balance.

"Rawr, you can't beat me!" He starts walking around the room, taking the two of them along for the ride.

"Ruby! What do we have for weapons?" Yang cries out, letting go and moving to try and jump on his back.

"I can't reach anything except..." She looks down. "...his belt!"

"Whoa, hey," he lifts the girl above his head, "you're too young to reach for that. Plus you're like family."

"...what?"

"Hold on!" Yang darts to the couch, picking up a cushion in each hand before diving at her uncle, pummeling him with them.

He laughs, carrying Ruby around like a basket. "No, she's my hostage! You can't beat me, pillow-mage!"

"I'm not a pillow mage, I'm a pillow fighter!" She lets out a small war cry before jumping up and latching onto his back, punching him with her pillow pads.

His legs get unsteady beneath him, much to his concern. "W-whoa, careful! I don't wanna drop Ruby!"

Yang stops, hopping off him. "Then release your hostage!"

"...only if you say I'm better than your dad."

"At what?"

Qrow grins cheekily. "Everything."

"Nope." She says with a grin, trying to jump up and grab Ruby.

He pulls up a leg to keep her at bay, chuckling quietly. "Not good enough."

Yang pauses, giving him a look before she suddenly smirks once more. "Last chance to let her down before I do my next move."

He stares at her suspiciously, while Ruby kicks her legs idly. "...should I be worried?"

She nods her head solemnly. "Just make sure to drop Ruby on the couch or something when I get you, or just surrender."

"Can we put pillows down? Please?" The brunette looks at her sister upside down.

Yang blinks, looking at her weapons. "I guess my next move doesn't really need these..." She tosses them back onto the couch.

Ruby flails her arms. "I meant on the floor!"

"Pfft..." Yang blows a raspberry as she puts them on the floor. "So... ready to give up Uncle Qrow?"

"No." He gives her a cocky grin. "You can't beat me."

"Oh yeah?" She grins before jumping toward him and reaching up to start tickling his stomach.

"Hey, wait, no!" He tries to dodge her hands, slowed down by Ruby enough to barely be able to do so.

"You can't win! Put her down!" Yang laughs, pursuing him.

"Never!" He jumps around as he avoids the girl, unable to keep the smirk off his face.

"Zwei! Help!" Ruby flails her arms to try and get the puppy's attention.

The puppy barks, launching himself at the command, aiming for Qrow's chest.

The man lets out a manly yelp as he gets hit, bringing Ruby to his chest as he falls so she won't get hurt.

Instead, they both land on Yang, if only partially.

"Hey, get off!" She tries to get them to roll off her.

He seems to think for a moment before setting Ruby on her chest, staying where he is on her legs. "I don't know. I'm kinda comfortable here."

Yang looks thoughtfully at her sister. "Does this mean we win?"

"I think so." She giggles, turning and picking up the puppy to pet him. "Good boy, Zwei!"

"Yeah!" Yang smiles, leaning back and kicking her legs a bit. "Finally got you Uncle Qrow."

"I don't think so." He chuckles, turning to smirk at her. "Zwei got me. I've got you pinned."

"Doesn't Zwei count as being on our team?"

"He was a neutral party." He places the puppy in question right by the older girl's face.

As Zwei starts to assault her with licks to the face, the girl tries to roll away but can't. "Hey! Zwei!"

"See? He's true neutral." Qrow smirks slyly at her as he props himself up.

"Ugh...." she slumps backwards onto the floor, smiling. "I did better than last year though."

"Yep." He chuckles, reaching over to ruffle her hair once more. "I'm not cruel enough to deny that."

She giggles. "Okay... can you get off me now?"

"Oh, right." He stands, brushing himself off before helping both the girls to their feet.

Giggling, Yang hugs him before she feels a weight on her head and looks up to see Zwei sitting on it. He barks happily.

Qrow just blinks at this, confused. "How did he get up there?"

Yang shrugs. "He's springy when he wants to be."

He raises an eyebrow, leaning close to the dog for a moment. "Is that right?"

Zwei pants happily, wagging his stubby tail and tilting his head at the man.

"...I wonder what else he can do..." The man scratches behind one of the dog's ears.

Yang shrugs as the puppy leg kicks. "I don't know, Dad says he probably has an aura and semblance, too."

He just smiles softly. "Of course he has an aura. He has a soul."

"Heh, yeah..." Yang giggles. "But then when I asked dad what semblances deer and stuff had if they had auras, he couldn't tell me."

"That's because we don't know." He shrugs a bit. "Have you taken the time to look at just what every deer in the forest can do, and if they even all have abilities?"

"Well... no." She admits, thinking. "There's other stuff to do."

"There you go." He nods to himself, smiling softly.

"Huh... okay." She looks to the bathroom. "I hope Dad gets Daring clean soon."

"Let's go check." He picks her up and starts walking towards the bathroom.

Once at the door, they can hear the girls' dad's muffled voice and splashing.

Qrow awkwardly stands there. "...I guess they're still in the bath, then?"

The splashing stops for a moment as they talk, followed by a slightly clearer voice from within. "Do you want me to let them in?"

"It's fine with me." This is followed by a quiet giggle.

Yang looks at the door curiously until it clicks and Tai is standing there, looking at them wearing a very soaked pair of shorts. "Sorry we've been taking a while, I'm helping Daring with something."

Ruby frowns a little, having just approached. "Is frosting that hard to get out of fur?"

"A little, but I'm helping her with something else now." he says, going back to the tub.

"What's that?" She walks inside, standing right next to her dad as they both get splashed.

"She's having some flying issues." He explains. "I thought it was because she hurt her wing, but now I think it's something like she was doing it instinctively before, but now she suddenly thought about it so much that she can't because she doesn't know how she does it."

Qrow just stares blankly at him. "...do you know if you can help her with that?"

He shakes his head. "Not really, but I had to try. She was depressed as soon as she couldn't fly."

The man looks at her, thinking for a bit. "...maybe I can teach her."

Yang tilts her head at this. "You can fly, Uncle Qrow?"

"I might be able to teach her how." He says, reaching down and ruffling her hair once more.

"If you can help, then by all means." Tai gestures to the filly.

"I can't do it right now." He points to the Pegasus as she paddles through the water. "Her wings are wet, so it would throw her off if she tried to do it while they're dry... I guess we could always practice form..." He quietly mutters as he makes his way over to her.

Yang giggles as she watches. "It's like a small pool for her. I never thought of that."

"Yeah, imagine if she was in a regular pool." Ruby looks up at the ceiling as she thinks.

"She'd be like... a duck in a pond." Yang smiles at the thought.

Apparently overhearing this, the filly turns to them and smiles. "Quack!"

Tai chuckles as the girls laugh, petting her head. "You might make a cute duck."

She just nuzzles his hand, floating there in the water.

He smiles, looking to the other man. "So, how can I help?"

"Be there for emotional support. Unlock her aura so there's less chance of injury." He shrugs a bit. "Those are what come to mind, first."

Nodding, Tai reaches out and rubs the filly's head more, starting to lightly glow.

Daring, almost feeling compelled to, closes her eyes at this.

A shimmering field flashes over his body, touching hers.

Ruby watches in awe, her hand gripping Yang's tightly.

When his aura touches the filly, it seems to pause for a moment before a matching olive green light comes from her, soon covering her entire body.

She squirms a bit, the light tickling her body and making her hold back a giggle.

When it completely covers her, Tai takes his hand off. "There we go."

She shivers, shaking her head and getting water everywhere. "What was that?"

"Giving your aura a jump start." He says with a smile.

"You keep saying that word." Ruby pokes her father's shoulder to get his attention. "What does it mean?"

"Hmm? Have I not given you girls this talk yet? I thought I had."

"Is it possible you only explained it to Yang?" Qrow speaks up, smirking slightly.

"Maybe..." he rubs his chin. "Well, I guess now's as good a time as any."

The young girl smiles, sitting down next to him and waiting to hear what he has to say. Daring does much the same, though while floating in water.

"Right, so to keep it simple: aura is the manifestation of your soul. It get's stronger with experience and training and can be used in many different ways. The most common one, and the one I mainly did this for, is the fact that it acts as a sort of barrier around your body for injuries and blows. Normally, you naturally unlock your aura as you get older with enough willpower and a bit of coaching, but I agreed with Qrow in that you could use a head start."

As the other man nods, the filly turns her curious gaze to him. "...so... it's just a force field?"

Ruby blinks, quietly wondering when she got into the comics Qrow left them.

"Well, that's part of what it can do." Tai explains. "It also powers semblance and can be used for a number of other things but we're focusing on the shield for now."

Daring quietly nods, even though she burns with curiosity for semblances.

"So, that should help you out with any more crashes." He finishes, looking to Qrow.

"...daddy?" She pokes the hand resting on the edge of the tub. "What are you looking at uncle Qrow for?"

"Hmm, oh, just wondering what the next step of your flying lessons is." He says quickly, smiling at her.

"She needs to be dry, and elevated so she can practice the motions easily." The man shrugs a bit. "I'll have to go into more detail when she's set up."

Nodding, Tai holds his hands out to Daring. "Ready to get out?"

She nods, swimming closer to try and climb into his hands, her hooves slipping on the porcelain surface.

He scoops her up when she gets close, wrapping her up in a towel and starting to dry her off.

She squirms in his grip, clearly not enjoying the feel of a non-fluffy towel rubbing against her.

He chuckles, wrapping her up with her head poking out before he kisses her head. "Towel too rough?"

She nods, quietly pouting as she looks up at him.

He nuzzles her, making sure she's still dry. "We'll get some better ones next time we go to the store. I'll even let you girls pick out a special one for each of you."

Ruby cheers, hugging her dad's side gleefully.

Yang gives a fist pump as he sets down the filly on the floor and pets Ruby's head.

The girl just happily smiles as Daring gets up and walks off, looking for Zwei. Once in the hallway, she tries to whistle for him, only succeeding in blowing out some air.

"Now... I believe there's a party to get back to." Yang beams as he says this.

Daring appears in the doorway, riding on Zwei's back. "To the party!"

Laughing a bit, Tai nods, putting his shirt on and picking up his other two girls. "Let's go!" He heads towards the kitchen

The filly looks down at the puppy, hopeful. "Take me to the kitchen, please?"

He appears to think about it before giving off a howl and happily heading into the kitchen.

Daring cheers, throwing her forehooves up in the air.

When they get there, Yang has been let down and is now looking at her presents meaningfully.

Qrow sighs, playfully shaking his head. "Go on, kid."

"Woo!" She pounces on the small pile, picking up one with a smile as she brings it over to the table.

"Ooh! That one's mine!" Ruby grins excitedly.

Yang hugs her befores starting to open it.

She sees the tiniest bit of silver peeking through a crack in the box.

"Ooo..." she looks curious as she fully opens the box.

There lays a pair of fluffy pink handcuffs with a silver chain attaching them.

"Friendship bracelets!" Ruby beams brightly. "I found them in dad's room!"

"..." Tai groans, shaking his head as Yang looks at them. "Why would Dad have these?"

"Umm, Ruby, those are mine." Tai says, steadily ignoring any looks Qrow is giving. "Maybe we can pick up some actual friendship bracelets for you two next time we're in town?"

"Okay!" She grins, then hugs her sister. "I hope you'll like them! Maybe he'll let you choose one you like!"

"Yeah, I bet we can find some cool ones!" Yang says, hugging Ruby in return.

Daring giggles, poking one she and Zwei are by. "Look at the one daddy and I got you!"

"Oh, you guys teamed up?" Yang says, interested as she picks up the next present. "I wonder what it is..."

The filly sheepishly smiles. "Daddy chose it, honestly... he said I'm too young to go places..."

Qrow raises an eyebrow at Taiyang. "...how old is she, exactly?"

"Honestly, I'm not completely sure. She couldn't speak and was bottle fed when I first found her less than a year ago, so she wasn't that old. But look at her now, speaking." He gestures to the filly as Yang opens the big box, revealing it to be a sort of young child's dark leather jacket with wings on the back.

"Awesome!" She says with glee.

"Cool! You got wings too, now!" Daring grins, hopping in place on Zwei's back.

She slips it on as Zwei barks, spinning around. "This is so cool!" She looks at Qrow to see his opinion.

He smirks, nodding once as he messes with her hair once more. "It definitely suits you. Though I'd like to think my gift is just as cool."

"Oh?" She looks to the next gift, pointing at it questioningly.

"Well you aren't going to see what it is by staring at it!" He chuckles, then awkwardly coughs. "As... counterintuitive as it may sound."

Giggling, she goes and gets it, bringing it over before she starts to unwrap it.

She finds both light and dark yellow peeking out from behind tissue paper.

"Ooo..." She goes faster, soon having the thing exposed.

It turns out to be a couple pairs of boxing gloves, with a set of bangles underneath with her name written on them.

She gasps, looking them over before slipping them on and throwing a few punches. "Awesome! Thanks Uncle Qrow!"

"You're welcome." He looks to Taiyang, smirking a bit. "There's a pair for your sister, too, so you can spar with her. And I know your father has a pair."

"Yeah, you can't imagine the times when I'd find her trying to use them." Tai says, chuckling.

"Like yesterday!" Daring speaks up, beaming brightly.

Yang giggles, looking down at the gloves in her hands before walking over to her uncle. She lightly socks him in the arm before hugging him.

He chuckles, rubbing the top of her head gently. "Happy birthday, kid."

"Thank you, Uncle Qrow! Thanks Ruby! Thanks Dad! Thanks Daring! Thanks Zwei!"

They smile in turn, and the filly rubs the puppy's head.

"Now, how about some cake for everyone?" Tai says, showing he has actual cake slices salvaged onto plates.

Ruby gasps, eyes wide in shock.

Qrow decides to speak up for her. "...none of those are the Daring part, are they?"

He shakes his head. "No, this is the other part, but I did save it for those of you who don't mind."

The girl just pouts. "I'm not letting anyone eat Daring!"

The filly looks on in confusion.

Tai looks curiously at her. "Then what do we do with that part of the cake?"

"Preserve it!" She says, throwing her hand up in the air.

"... would a picture work?" He offers hopefully.

She blinks, then taps her chin thoughtfully. "...I guess?"

"Good, ta cake takes up a bit of space, but for now..." He offers her a plate.

She happily takes it and shovels the food into her mouth.

Chuckling as Yang does much the same, Tai offers Daring hers.

She takes the plate, looking at the small amount on it with a tiny pout.

He leans down. "You can have more after you eat that if you want, but I figured I'd start small in case you were sick of it after being covered in it."

She stares up at him as if he was speaking blasphemy. "No way!" She takes big bites out of her slice, finishing it off quickly.

He laughs, giving her another one. "There you go. Better?"

She nods, eating this one in much the same way.

As the girls are all distracted, Qrow leans close to Taiyang. "Are you sure you want to wait? You could hurt her..."

He sighs. "Look, give me a bit to eat and get my strength back. You know activating an aura takes a bit out of you."

"Yeah, I guess..." He shrugs as he looks to Ruby, who had slipped on a glove and started bopping Yang on the head with it.

Tai chuckles as Yang tries to fend her off while laughing. "Since you brought it up, it'll be another present."

He gives him a wry grin in return. "I'm sure she'll love it."

Nodding he eats his own cake. "Think I should wait for Ruby's birthday for hers or do that one today too?"

"That I'll leave up to you." He shrugs, then walks over and pats the shorter girl on the head. "Having fun?"

"Yep!" She then bops her sister on the nose.

"Hey!" Yang pulls Ruby into a hug and gives her a soft noogie.

She squeals, flailing her arms and making the glove fly off and land on Daring's head, nearly smushing her face into her third slice.

Tai takes it off her head, rubbing the filly's mane fondly as Yang eases up on Ruby.

She smiles up at him, happily nuzzling into his hand. "Thank you, daddy."

He kisses her forehead. "You're welcome. Have you had enough?"

She nods, yawning softly and shifting closer to him. "Yeah..."

Chuckling, he picks her up. "Tired from your active morning? What about your flying lessons?"

"They can wait until she's rested." Qrow chuckles from where he's petting Zwei. "I don't want to chance her getting hurt."

Tai nods approvingly, tucking the filly into his arms as the other girls continue to play.
> Chapter 6
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Months later, Tai is outside with Yang, the two having a little sparring match that mostly amounts to her punching his padded hands and trying to get around his guard.

Ruby watches them, eagerly mimicking Yang's moves as best she can without falling over again.

Yang tries to stand light on her feet as she jabs, jumping a bit to try and get above her dad, who just moves to block her again with a smile.

Daring watches from where she's sitting in the shade, slowly moving her wings in the motions that Qrow taught her, pausing every so often to fold and unfurl her wings.

After another series of punches, Yang suddenly jumps forward in a full body tackle, catching Tai off guard as she hits his stomach. With an 'oof', the man lets out a wheezy chuckle and pats her head. "Very good. Changing it up is a valuable tactic."

Ruby and Daring both applaud her, smiles on their faces.

Yang looks proud of herself as her dad rubs her head. "So this means I win?"

He laughs. "Yeah, you won."

"Woo!"

The smaller girl giggles, holding a cookie up for her sister. "Here you go!"

"D'aww, thanks Ruby." Yang says, hugging her and taking the cookie.

Before she can eat it, Daring hops up and takes a bite out of it as it moves between them.

"Hey!" She quickly tries to shield the rest. "Didn't you already get a cookie?"

"Maybe." She sticks her tongue out playfully.

Yang playfully swipes at her, not aiming to hit as she eats the cookie.

She easily dodges, though she does end up backing right into Tai's legs. "Sorry, daddy!"

Snorting, he scoops her up and nuzzles her. "And how did your own training go?"

She frowns, flapping her wings slightly. "...it still feels weird..."

"Even with what Qrow said?" He checks on her wings, holding them softly.

"Maybe she's overthinking it?" Ruby tilts her head a bit. "Kinda like what Yang does when playing games with Uncle Qrow?"

"Maybe..." He offers, lifting the filly up a bit. "Underthinking is probably what got her into this, but I guess she could be overcompensating."

Daring looks up at him, confused. "How?"

"Well, keeping in mind what Qrow said, how does it feel like you should be flapping your wings to fly?"

"...umm..." She starts flapping them, though rather slowly, almost lazily. "...kinda like this?"

"Hmm... well, that might work if you have updraft... seems slow to me, but you're the one with wings." He moves his hands so she's more resting on them, but able to lift upward out of them.

She starts to lift up, but her hooves grip him as her wings flap faster and out of sync. Her breaths come quickly and her pupils shrink to pinpricks - especially noticeable, given how big her eyes are.

His fingers close over her back as he tries to calm her. "Easy now, panicking wont help."

She nods, blushing in shame. "S-sorry..."

He brings her down and hugs her. "It's alright, just try focusing on a consistent flap rate instead of trying to tire yourself out, okay?"

She looks over his arm at the ground, then grips the limb in a death grip, whimpering softly.

Sighing, he tuckers her into his chest and strokes her mane. "I think you've done enough for now. We can head back inside if you want."

She nods once, trembling in his arms.

As they head off, Ruby leans close to her sister, whispering to her. "Hey, Yang? Do you think she's scared of heights?"

"Maybe... she didn't used to be, but maybe the falling got to her?" She asks, scratching her head.

"Probably had to do with the cake, too..." She looks up at the sky. "...at least she's not afraid of water, right?"

"At least who isn't?" A hand rests on each of their heads and ruffles their hair.

Yang turns, getting back into a sparring stance.

He chuckles, patting her head playfully. "You sure you wanna spar? I don't have boxing gloves like you do."

She smiles as she sees who it is. "Oh, hey Uncle Qrow! We were just talking about Daring."

He raises an eyebrow. "Why? Did something happen?"

"She's still having trouble flying and she might be scared of heights now." Yang says. "We're not sure."

"That... actually sounds bad." He looks towards the house, frowning a bit. "Maybe it could wait until later..." Shaking his head, he turns to head off when a long white object falls out of his pocket.

Being the curious girl she is, Ruby walks over and picks it up, opening it to reveal a house and a woman. "Oh, she's pretty! Look, Yang!" She turns it to her sister before Qrow can react or protest.

"Huh?" She turns her head a bit and looks at it, seeing something... familiar about it.

"Thank you." He swiftly takes it back. "It's not for your eyes, I'm afraid. Only your father's."

"How come?" Yang asks, mind buzzing.

"Because." He leaves it at that, heading inside.

Ruby scratches her head, confused. "...what was that about?"

"I don't know... but I don't like that reason." Yang says, crossing her arms. "That lady kind of looks like me..."

"Really?" The smaller girl taps her chin. "Because her hair's longer. And darker."

"Her face kinda looks like mine." She insists. "Plus, my hair can get longer, too."

She looks at her with a mix of profound curiosity and innocent confusion. "...will its color change?"

Yang shrugs. "I dunno."

"If it did, I think you'd want to change it back." She smiles brightly at her. "You look great just the way you are!"

"D'aww, thanks, sis." She hugs Ruby. "I think your hair suits you, too."

"Of course!" She grins brightly. "Daddy always said I'm the cute one!"

"What does that leave me and Daring as?" Yang asks, curious.

"You're pretty. And she's... uh..." She thinks for a bit, not wanting to share or give up her mantle as the cutest. "...cuddly?"

"Hmm... I think that sounds about right." She nods. "She does have that soft fur all over her."

Ruby fist pumps, excited she gets to keep her title.

Looking around a bit, Yang takes off her sparring gloves. "Wanna go see what's going on in the house?"

She gives her sister a curious look. "Sure?"

"Don't you want to see what was important about that photo too?"

"I guess?" It was more of a confused question than an answer, but it was all Ruby could give her.

"Well, I do anyway." Yang says, heading towards the door.

Not wanting to be alone, the smaller of the two quickly hurries after her.

When they get inside, Yang looks around. "Now where did they go?"

Daring, sitting on a cushion on the floor next to Zwei's bed, raises her head and points to their father's bedroom.

Confused at why she was left alone, Yang sneaks over to the door.

"I'm telling you this as a teammate." The familiar voice of her Uncle Qrow filters through the crack at the bottom of the door. "As your friend, you should stop looking and focus on your family."

"She's part of this family." Her father's voice replies.

"You know what I meant, Tai."

"...yeah, I do." There's a sigh. "So, she was around long enough to take a picture?"

"I barely got that before she disappeared. I don't think she knew I was there."

"Ah, guess she didn't ask about the girls, then." It's not a question.

"...seriously?" The tone is perfectly flat.

Another sigh. "Alright, maybe that was a stupid thought. Is it so wrong to think for a moment she might be interested in her daughter?"

Yang blinks at that, confused because she knew her mother was no longer with them.

"...honestly, there's no way to know what's going through her head. Kinda like Yang, sometimes."

The girl narrows her eyes.

"Well, I guess it's good to know she's still around, in a sense. Thanks, Qrow."

"Yeah." There's the sound of a chair creaking. "Dunno what she wanted with the old place, though..."

Yang backs away from the door, heading back to the other room, looking thoughtful.

The filly sits up completely, looking at the girl with concern and curiosity.

"Yang?" Ruby gently pokes her sister in the shoulder as she passes by. "You okay?"

Sitting down between them, Yang lays back and stares up at the ceiling. "I'm confused..."

"About what?" Their attention turns to the tall man in dark clothing, who is looking at Yang curiously.

She barely spares him a glance before looking up at the ceiling. "Nothing."

He crosses his arms, looking at her skeptically. "You're confused... about nothing."

She sticks her tongue out at him. "I'm just thinking."

He squats down beside her, Ruby sitting down on her opposite side as the filly moves to sit on Yang's belly. "Anything you'd like to share?"

She looks between all of their faces, sighing and smiling sweetly at the man. "I'm fine. Did you only come to visit Dad?"

"Of course not." He chuckles and ruffles her hair. "I came to see my favorite nieces."

Giggling, she smiles more genuinely at him. "You've been doing that more lately. I like it."

"I have?" He taps his chin thoughtfully. "I didn't notice anything different."

Sitting up, she hugs Daring to her. "Well, it's been nice anyway."

"I'm glad." He stands back up and stretches a bit. "Otherwise, I'm being an uncle wrong."

She giggles. "I wouldn't know if you did."

Ruby looks to the filly, clearly confused. "Do you know what they're talking about?"

Daring can only shrug, their wording throwing her off.

At that moment, Tai walks into the room, looking surprised to see all of them there. "Well, everyone having fun?"

The brunette scratches her head a bit. "...is it fun being confused?"

He chuckles, coming over and rubbing each of their heads. "Sometimes, but I think you'll figure it out."

Yang smiles at him before she remember something and looks to Qrow. "Oh, didn't you want to talk to Daring about flying more?"

"Oh." He winces slightly, then turns and rubs the back of his neck. "Yeah... wasn't expecting to do that, today, so-"

There's a loud pop as the lights to the cabin go out, plunging them in darkness, broken only by the light coming through the windows.

As the girls yelp and cling to the nearest body, Tai groans, stroking Ruby's hair as she's the one that latched onto him. "Well, at least we have spare bulbs."

Qrow, having been hugged by Yang, looks very nonplussed at this. "You should check your breakers, just in case."

"Yeah, I'm on it." Pulling out a scroll device from his pocket, Tai takes on it to make it give off a small light. "Come on, Ruby." He gently takes the girl's hand as they walk off towards the breaker panel in a different room.

She does as he says, gripping his hand tight out of nervousness. Eventually, she speaks up. "Daddy?"

"Yeah, Ruby?" He asks, looking back at her.

She looks up at him, his face silhouetted by the light of his scroll. "Who was that pretty lady in the picture?"

"Ah... you saw that?" He says, smiling fading a little but still there.

"Yeah, Uncle Qrow dropped his thingy outside." She tilts her head a bit. "Who is it?"

"She's... an old friend, and the one who gave birth to Yang." He answers softly.

She blinks, frowning a bit in confusion. "...mommy?"

He shakes his head, bending down and hugging her. "No, Ruby... not Summer. This woman helped make Yang, but she didn't stick around after that."

She hugs him tight, arms wrapped around his chest as far as they can reach. "Why'd she go?"

"I... don't know. It was her decision and despite it, well, because of it, I found your mom and got you." He says, kissing her forehead.

The words make her smile, but she feels bad for doing so, since it seems to be at Yang's expense. "...can you tell us about mommy, sometime?"

"Sure, Yang can probably help, too." He gives her another light squeeze of a hug.

She blinks, tilting her head at him. "She can?"

He nods. "She helped me raise both you and Yang. So she knew her a bit longer than you."

She's quiet for a bit, but she eventually nods, smiling softly at him. "Okay, daddy."

Smiling at her, he sets her down and takes her hand once more, going to the fusebox and opening it to see what's wrong.

A couple pairs of eyes look back at him. Frowning, he pulls Ruby back and clenches his fist.

She looks at it in confusion, flinching when it hisses at her. "W-what is that?"

"Tiny taijitu." He says simply before darting his hand in and pulling out a double-ended black and white snake by both it's heads.

The little girl blinks, confused. "...daddy, what's the snake doing in there?"

"Making trouble." He says, glaring at the snake. "And a sign that I need to check the defense in small grimm are getting through."

"...defense? I thought our yard was open..."

"It is, but I have some things around that keep us safe." He says, squeezing the snake until it pops into smoke and fades away.

She relaxes slightly, her grip on his hand loosening a bit. "...then where's the fence?"

"It's less a fence and more aura and scent that instinctively makes bad things steer away from our land." He explains, going back to the breaker box.

"...scents can have a hole in them?" Ruby is very clearly trying not to laugh, her cheeks puffed up and her lips curling into a smile.

"Well, sort of, if it get weak enough." He answers, flipping the switches back on, the lights coming on soon after.

The girl squeaks, covering her eyes from the sudden brightness. Even so, she feels compelled to ask. "...does that turn on the smells, too?"

He shakes his head. "No, the smell is always on. I just need to go make sure it's fine after this. Since it was only a small Grimm, I probably just need to boost the aura a little."

"Okay?" She scratches her head in confusion, but doesn't ask anything else.

"Wanna go check on your uncle and sisters?" He asks, taking her hand once more.

She nods, smiling happily. "Yes, please."

He leads her back to the others, checking the lights in each room they pass to make sure they work.

They all seem to, except for the closet, which seems to have broken glass on the floor.

He grunts. "Well, at least we have spares. I'll replace that in a bit."

Ruby eyes the glass on the floor, pressing closer to her father's side.

He scoops her up into his arms, shutting the door and continuing to move through the house. "Good job being careful of glass."

She beams at this, chest puffed out in pride. "Thanks, daddy!"

Chuckling, he kisses her head as they rejoin the others.

They find Qrow sitting with his back against the couch, and everyone else, Zwei and Daring included, laying on him, fast asleep. He frowns and carefully points a finger at his friend so as to not disturb the pony on his shoulder. "Not a word."

True, Tai doesn't say anything out loud, but his grin says plenty.

Ruby looks up at her father, innocent curiosity filling her gaze. "...daddy, when did uncle Qrow become a couch?"

"Apparently when we weren't looking." He says, looking at her. "Want to join them while I clean up that light bulb?"

She points at them, confused. "But there's no room..."

"Well, I'm sure we can figure something out, but you can just come with me if you'd rather do that." He says quietly.

She nods once and gently takes hold of his shirt, smiling up at him.

Chuckling, he looks back to Qrow. "You keep an eye on those two and Ruby and I will do a little bonding."

"Sure. I guess I can continue to be a bed for a little while longer." His voice and expression are completely deadpan.

"Good." Tai says cheerfully as he heads back out of the room with Ruby, chuckling as soon as he gets through the door.

The girl just looks up at him, confused. "Daddy?"

"Hmm?" He looks down at her as he gets the broom.

She tilts her head to one side. "Why were you laughing?"

"Because your uncle thinks doing stuff like that would ruin his image but he can't help himself around you three." He replies with a smile.

"You know I can hear you, Tai!" His voice comes from the living room.

He just chuckles more, heading back to the closet with Ruby and the broom.

The whole time, his daughter never lets go of his sleeve, wondering how the broom was going to pick up the glass.

Getting the dustpan from the back corner of the shelf, Tai sets it on the ground before looking up at the bulb itself.

He sees a little bit of glass still attached to the base of the bulb, still firmly screwed into the fixture.

He nods at that. "Yep." Flicking the switch to make sure it's off, he reach up and starts working to unscrew the bulb. "Always be careful doing stuff like this, Ruby."

She nods once, watching in fascination.

When it comes out, he catches it, his aura keeping him from getting cut. Putting it on the ground, he sweeps it up with the rest. That done, he reaches into the top of the closet, pulling out a lightbulb from a box and twisting it back where the other was, testing it after with the switch. "There we go."

Ruby just blinks a bit. "...that was kinda boring..."

He laughs, rubbing her head. "What were you expecting just changing a lightbulb? Did you want me to let you try to put it in?"

She blushes a bit. "...maybe..."

Chuckling, he turns the light off and unscrews the bulb, offering it to her.

She takes it, holding up her arms and looking at him pleadingly.

He picks her up, holding her so she can reach the ceiling. "There you go."

She quickly screws the bulb in place, cheering happily once she does so. Of course, she accidentally kicks the switch with a foot, causing it to turn on in her face and her hands to fly to her eyes. "Owie..."

He flicks it off and pulls her head to his chest. "Sorry, that happens sometimes. It'll wear off in a minute."

She clenches his vest in her hands, whimpering softly.

He strokes her hair, bringing her out of the closet. "It's okay, look, you did it yourself, right? That's something to be happy about."

She sniffles, then offers him a weak smile. "...okay..."

He hums in thought. "I think I know what might make you feel better." He takes her to his room, reaching onto a shelf and popping a pair of sunglasses onto her head before showing her herself in a mirror. "Some cool shades!"

She blinks a couple times before biting her lip, trying her hardest not to giggle at how silly she looks with oversized sunglasses.

He puts his head next to hers, wearing another pair. "There, now light bulbs can't get either of us."

She can't help but break into laughter at this one, leaning up against her dad so she doesn't fall.

He laughs with her, hugging her to him and just riding out the fun.

It takes a minute or two, but she eventually calms down, hugging him happily. "Thank you, daddy..."

"You're welcome, Ruby." He says, straightening her shades. "Want to keep those?"

She starts bouncing on her seat, grinning brightly. "Can I?"

"Sure!" He says, hugging her. "You can grow into them."

"Thank you!" She hugs him tight, unable to contain her enthusiasm.

Chuckling, he spins her a bit. "You're welcome, Ruby. Want to do anything else while we have alone time?"

She tilts her head a bit, then shrugs slightly. "Dunno. Cookies?"

"Works for me." He nods, heading tot he kitche now. "Chocolate chip or something different?"

"Chip!" She nods once, clinging to his leg and letting him carry her to the kitchen.

He chuckles, commenting as they walk in. "I swear the sweet level of this house has increased ever since we found Daring."

She looks up at him, her features scrunching a bit. "Sweet level?"

"We've been having more desserts and snacks." He clarifies.

"Oh!" She nods, then giggles brightly. "I thought you were talking about how our family got better!"

"Well, that's true, too." He says, rubbing her head as he starts the oven, the machine glowing orange with dust.

She watches curiously from where she stands on his foot, excitement slowly starting to build for her.

"Hmm... what do you think, two or three for everyone?" He says, smiling at her.

She pouts quietly, muttering to herself. "Why should they get any if they're asleep?"

"Well, it's more for later for them, in case they want some." He leans down. "We could probably have more and they won't know."

Ruby slowly begins to grin. "Deal. But I want eight."

He laughs, gently poking her stomach. "Think you can eat all those?"

She nods, fiercely determined to eat all her cookies.

He chuckles, getting out a cookie sheet. "Alright, but if you feel full, you might want to stop eating if you don't want a stomach ache."

She smiles, hugging him happily around the waist. "Thank you, daddy!"

One hand comes down to hug her as the other continues to work, placing premade cookie dough on the sheet. "You're welcome, Ruby."
> Chapter 7
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that night, when everyone else had gone to sleep, Yang's eyes open. The girl sits up in bed before hopping out and starting to get dressed.

The noise doesn't carry far, but it does wake up her sister, who groggily rubs her eyes as she tries to find the source of the noise. "...hello?"

Yang looks back at Ruby. "It's just me, go back to sleep."

"...why are you getting dressed?" She yawns, sitting up as she looks at her sister. "Where are you going, this late?"

"I'm going to find my mom." She says, looking determined.

"...what? You mean the lady from the picture?" She's more awake now, but not enough to get up off her bed, yet.

She nods. "Yeah, I heard Dad say to Uncle Qrow that she left, and I'm gonna go find her."

"...why?" She scratches her head, resigned to not get any more sleep, tonight.

"Because I want to bring her back." She says, determined.

Ruby looks down at her sister's hand, where the only source of light is in the room. "...is that Uncle Qrow's scroll?"

Yang nods. "Yeah, I bet we could find this place and ask her why she left."

The younger of the two just blinks dumbly at this. "...how did you even get that?"

"I, uhh... got it from Uncle Qrow's pocket..." She says with a bit of guilt.

"You got what from where?" The voice comes from the ajar door, which opens to reveal Daring, sleepily rubbing her eyes.

Yang groans in frustration, covering her eyes. "Did everyone wake up?"

"What do you mean?" She quietly yawns, tottering her way to the blonde girl. "I had to go, real quick..."

Sighing, Yang pulls her into a hug. "Look, just go back to sleep, okay?"

The filly shakes her head. "I can't. Not if you're going somewhere."

Ruby nods, pointing to the littlest sister. "Yeah! What she said!"

Yang sighs. "What, you going to come with me or something?"

They both nod as one, Ruby supplying the reply. "If that's what it takes."

Huffing, Yang nods. "Fine, we'll get the wagon so I can just pull you two."

They quietly cheer, just barely remembering in time that their father is asleep in the next room.

Nodding, Yang stands up in some of her normal clothes. "Okay, get dressed and come on."

They nod and Ruby rushes to her dresser, while Daring simply straightens her hat.

Yang giggles as she hugs Daring. "Lucky you, you get ready so fast."

The filly giggles, hugging back and nuzzling her cheek.

When Ruby is done dressing, Yang stands up. "Okay, let's go. We have a lady to find."

Her sisters nod, the smaller one hitching a ride on the blonde girl's shoulder as they quietly hurry outside.

Going to the wagon, Yang motions for Ruby to sit down. "Here, you can sit in here and I'll pull."

She nods and eagerly climbs in, beaming as memories of being pulled around for fun come back to her.

Yang looks at Daring next. "Do you want to ride with her?"

She shakes her head, patting the girl's shoulder where she's laying. "I'm comfy."

Nodding, Yang picks up the handle to the wagon. "Alright, let's go find her!" With the sort of confidence children tend to have, she sets off into the night.





Later that night, Yang is looking tired as she continues to drag the wagon behind her. She double checks the photo before looking around and sighing.

Ruby has already fallen asleep in the wagon, and Daring starts to nod off. The only thing keeping the girl and the filly awake is the sun starting to peek over the horizon, its light bright enough to shine through the trees and into their eyes.

The oldest girl lets her hair fall in front of her eyes to shield them from the light as she crests the next hill. Her legs stop their auto pilot for just a moment as she gets to the top, unsure if she should keep going.

Daring, honestly more tired than she'd like, slumps to the side, rubbing up against Yang's cheek.

Looking to her, Yang reaches up and rubs her head. "You can go to sleep if you want. I'll keep walking."

"...nuu... you'll be bored..." She flaps a wing uselessly, trying to right herself.

"Heh, I've been bored for a bit on this trip already." She answers, looking up once more before she stiffens up. "Is that...?"

Daring's rose-colored eyes narrow as she looks forward. "...I dunno... sun's in the way..."

"It's some kind of building." Yang says, moving once more down the hill, a smile on her face showing her hope.

The filly's ear twitches, a sound she finds familiar drawing her attention. She gently prods the girl's arm with her hoof.

"Huh?" She looks to her sister curiously.

"Yang, I... hear something..." Her eyes and ears turn every direction they can, her sleep-deprived brain trying to figure out what it was or where it came from.

"Like what?" She asks, continuing to walk.

"I don't know... scratching? Growling?" They're almost at the building before it all clicks. "...oh, no..."

"Huh?" Yang looks to Daring, not looking in front of them as she walks.

She suddenly hears a howl as four pairs of glowing eyes appear in the doorway of the building before them.

Yang freezes as she sees them, eyes wide. "...Grimm?"

Four beowolves emerge from the abandoned cabin, their eyes fixed on the girl, the wagon, and the pony. One of them starts to howl as the others edge closer.

Eyes wide and fearful, Yang tries to back up with the others towards the tree that surround the yard.

Growling, two of them rush forward to try and cut them off.

Instead, they get cut in half.

Confused, yang looks up to see a familiar figure.

Her Uncle Qrow smiles wryly, putting something in his pocket. "Hey, kiddo. You have a fun adventure?"

She shakes her head, a bit stunned from his sudden appearance. "Not really... we walked all night."

"I can see that." He pokes her head, letting her hair fall over her eyes. "Next time, don't run away without letting someone know where you are. And don't take my scroll without asking."

She looks down, scuffing the ground with her foot. "Sorry, Uncle Qrow..."

"Apology accepted. Now stand back as I finish these two-" He chokes on his words, eyes wide in shock as he sees a certain filly tottering over to the beowolves, her hat barely hiding her sleepy expression. "D-Daring, get back here!"

She turns to look at him, which gives the creatures the opportunity to lunge at her.

Fortunately, the man was faster, slicing them in half at the neck and kicking their bodies back at the shack.

As the corpses dissolve into smoke, Yang runs over with the wagon, picking up Daring. "You're not supposed to go closer to Grimm!"

She whimpers quietly. "I wanted to help..."

Yang hugs her. "No crying, no getting hurt." She nuzzles her.

The filly hugs her in return, trying to forget what just happened. She knew it was useless, but she felt she had to try.

"...that was brave though." Yang adds after a time. "I just worry about my sisters."

Qrow sighs, patting her on the head. "You realize you're supposed to start with the positive, right? Makes them more likely to get everything and not focus on the negative."

She looks up at him, bags under her eyes as she blinks. "Huh?"

"...you know what, I'll explain it to you later. For now..." He holds out his hand, an eyebrow raised. She sheepishly puts his scroll into it. "Thank you." He opens it and sees the pictures, sighing softly to himself. "...Yang... this place is abandoned. I'm sorry to disappoint you."

"Oh..." She slumps a bit. "So she's not here?"

"I'm afraid not." He shrugs slightly. "I'm not even sure what she was here for."

She sighs, looking up at him. "Can we go home?"

"Sure, kiddo." He takes the handle of the wagon from her, gesturing inside. "Hop in."

She does so, bringing Daring with her as she settles in, trying not to wake Ruby. "How did you find us?"

He reaches into his pocket and pulls out a thin white object with a yellow diamond in the center. "Your father's scroll. It made it easy to locate mine, and I knew you had it."

"Cool." She giggles softly. "I'm glad you found us."

"So am I." He huffs quietly, muttering to himself. "Who knows what would've happened if I were a few moments later..."

"Yeah..." Yang shivers a bit before snuggling close with her siblings. "Is Dad mad?"

He is silent for a while, looking back at her and her two sleeping sisters. "...I think it's better for him to tell you, himself."

"Oh... okay." She nods, her eyes drifting closed. "Good night..."

He chuckles, shaking his head. "Sleep tight, kiddo."





When Yang wakes, it's in a more familiar environment on a couch she knows well.

She feels a familiar weight on her chest, and can see Ruby draped across their father's chair once she opens her eyes to look around.

Groaning, she tries to crane her head to see a clock or something, having no clue what time it is. The only thing that makes her know what happened wasn't a dream is the soreness in her legs.

"See? I told you she'd be awake in time for dinner."

"I wonder if the other two will be." Her dad's voice responds, sounding a bit tired.

"Who knows? It's been a long night for all of them."

Yang looks to Daring as she sleeps on her, a hand coming up to rub the filly's ears. A smile almost instantly grows on the little pony's face, an ear twitching beneath her fingers. Yang giggles as she hears her father sigh quietly.

"Thanks again, Qrow."

"Hey, I was the one who came to you with my issues." He shrugs a bit. "It's only fair I help with yours."

Nodding, Tai walks over to Yang, placing a hand on her head and whispering seriously to her. "We'll talk later, but don't ever scare me like that again or endanger your sisters, got it?"

She nods, tension clear in her body.

Grunting approvingly, he leans forward and kisses her head. "You can sleep more if you want."

"Yeah, she was pretty much asleep on her feet, earlier." He scratches his head a bit. "I'm amazed they were still awake when I got there."

"Were they delirious yet?" Tai asks as he moves to stand.

Yang hugs her dad before he can stand up. "I'm sorry..."

Leaning down, he does the same for her. "I know."

"I don't know. But Daring was especially... well, daring, in trying to protect her sisters." He points to her. "She could barely walk."

"You'd think she was the big sister." Tai says, chuckling as he pets the filly in question.

One of her ears flick at the touch, and her eyes slowly flutter open. Then they're wide open and she jumps to her hooves, wings flared and body tense.

Yang snorts a bit, murmuring in her half asleep state.

Tai strokes the filly's head more. "Easy, you're back home."

She only relaxes a little bit, turning to look at the man in confusion. "...daddy?"

"Yeah?" He asks, picking her up.

Her muzzle scrunches up a bit as she considers her question. "...did we win?"

He nods, rubbing her head. "Yeah, you won."

She relaxes slightly, then closes the distance between them quickly for a hug.

He hugs her in return. "Are you okay?"

"...I'm fine... not hurt at all..." She clutches him a little tighter. "...just... scared, a bit?"

"That's understandable after what happened. He says softly. "You're safe now, though."

She rests her head against his chest, closing her eyes to try and focus on him. "...thank you..."

"You're welcome." He takes her into the kitchen to make sure dinner will be ready, holding her against his chest.

Qrow smiles at this, walking over and patting Yang on the head playfully. "I'm glad you're all safe."

She briefly wakes up again to look at him. "I still want to look for her... but not like that. That was stupid and the others could have gotten hurt..."

"Yeah, I think that's the best course of action." He shrugs. "I'm glad you learned something from this, at least."

She smiles at him, leaning up and kissing his cheek. "Thank you, Uncle Qrow."

"You're welcome." He chuckles, crossing his arms and smirking at her. "Don't think you're getting out of your punishment, though."

"Aww..." she pouts a bit before yawning.

"Get some rest." He glances at the kitchen, then leans in to whisper to her. "I'll make sure he doesn't take away your desserts."

She giggles, nodding as she yawns once more. "You're the best uncle..."

"I know." He grins cheekily, ruffling her hair.

She smiles, closing her eyes as she once more goes to catch up on sleep.

"Sleep tight, princess." He sighs, standing up and pulling out his scroll. He opens it up and looks at the picture inside. "Need to be more careful..."
> Chapter 8
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Years later, the family strolls down the path towards home, Tai leading the way with the girls behind him.

Ruby carries along a few books, barely able to see over the oversized stories. Daring trots along with a couple bags on her sides, stuffed with supplies she has no idea the names of.

Yang has her backpack slung over one shoulder, walking with confidence as her waist length hair trails behind her.

Ruby speaks up, trying to peek around her books. "Dad, when did you say we were starting school, again? Because there's this movie I want to see that premieres, tomorrow..."

"Oh? What kind of movie?" He looks back at her, curious.

She throws her arms up, dropping her books in her excitement. "Adventure!"

He stops and picks up her books, Yang having done the same as he talks. "Well, I think we can probably go see it, even if we have to go after school."

She practically beams at this, hugging him tight around the waist. "Thank you!"

Chuckling, he pats her head. "You're welcome, Ruby, but careful with your books, okay?"

"Okay!" She giggles, though she doesn't let go.

He hugs her in return before tapping her head. "Come on, we can't just stand in the road."

"Okay, dad." She lets go and hurries off down the road, leaving him with her books.

Yang plops the rest on his pile, giggling as he grunts before she goes off after the brunette, making sure she doesn't go off on her own.

Daring just blinks at this, looking up at her father in concern. "...do you want me to carry some of that for you?"

He smiles and shakes his head, shifting the books under one arm. "I've got it. You're books aren't heavy. Want to run ahead excitedly with them?"

The filly just shakes her head, smiling warmly. "No, I want to stick with you."

He smiles appreciatively as they walk. "You excited for school?"

He chuckles, smiling back at her. "Yeah, but don't think I'll be going easy on you just because you're my daughter."

She grins cheekily. "Like that'll stop me."

He reaches down and rubs her mane. "Fair enough. Any particular classes you're looking forward to?"

She bites her lip, glancing off to the side. "...history?"

"Oh?" He looks curiously at this as they walk. "Maybe I should have seen that coming considering all the questions you asked when you were younger."

She throws her hooves up in the air, shifting into a sitting position as a result. "But it's all so interesting!"

He pauses as she does this. "I get that, and I'm glad you're interested. Our world has plenty of fascinating things about it."

She giggles softly. "I'm glad you agree."

"And you know to go to me, your sisters, or your uncle if you ever have any trouble with anyone, right?"

"Sure, but why?" She tilts her head to one side. "I'm getting better at flying, so I could just avoid them, soon enough!"

He nods. "And that does make me less worried, but I just wanted to make sure you knew."

"I understand, daddy." She smiles warmly, standing up and walking over to gently hug him.

Chuckling, he picks her up and hugs her back, starting to talk once more. "That's my girl."

She giggles brightly, hugging him tight in return.

"Now... how far away did they get?" He asks, looking ahead.

He sees Ruby flat on the ground, her foot next to a rock in the road.

As he picks up the pace, he sees Yang pulling Ruby to her feet, dusting her off.

She hugs her sister gratefully. "Thank you."

Tai smiles at this as they approach. "Probably a good thing I had your books. They would have gone everywhere. You okay?"

"Never better!" Ruby giggles, pumping her fist into the air. "This aura stuff is amazing!"

He chuckles, nodding. "Yeah, just remember there is an eventual limit. You aren't indestructible."

"I know." She nods once, then crosses her arms, pouting at him. "Yours seems to last forever, though. Yang hasn't harmed you at all when brawling!"

Daring tilts her head to one side, confused. "...I thought that was to get better, not hurt each other?"

He offers Ruby her books back as he explains. "They try to measure the scuffs on me as how we'll they're doing. They won't be doing any real damage, though, my aura's been strengthened through years of training."

The filly taps his arm at this. "Will we eventually get as tough as you are, dad?"

He smiles at her. "Maybe even tougher if you want to be."

"Let's all get stronger!" Ruby laughs, starting to jog ahead once more. "One more training session before school starts!"

Tai chuckles. "Alright alright, but we have to get home first."

"Okay!" She calls back, grinning in excitement.

Daring giggles, snuggling a bit more into her father's arms. "Little big sis is pretty excitable, huh?"

He nods, chuckling. "I guess being a huntress to her is like learning history to you."

"Hurry up!" She calls back, bouncing on her heels with unrestrained giddiness. "I want to practice as much as possible!"

Laughing, he picks up the pace. "Alright, alright. And here I thought you all woul dbe hungry when we got home."

Daring raises a hoof. "I'm a little hungry."

"Well then you can have a snack while the other girls train." He nuzzles her. "What would you like?"

She taps her chin thoughtfully. "...can I get some cookies?"

Ruby pauses, leaning back to hear.

"Well... I'd have to bake those." He looks at her. "Are you sure you don't want something more immediate like those fudge cake snacks we bought or a sandwich?"

Daring pouts a bit, but soon relents. "...grilled cheese?"

"Want anything special on them?" He asks teasingly.

"Pickles. Roses." She flings her hooves up in the air. "Mayonnaise!"

Laughing, he nuzzles her while the house comes into view. "I think that's moved past grilled cheese at that point and to just a grilled sandwich. Your tastebuds still baffle me at times."

She sticks her tongue out at him. "You're just jealous you can't taste deliciousness."

Chuckling, he rubs her head. "There's that cheek. We'll make your 'deliciousness' and see if I can get Ruby and Yang to spar with each other in the meantime."

"Okay!" Daring tilts her head to one side, a little curious. "...by the way, when do we start making weapons? Big sis already had stuff planned out for hers."

He rubs her head. "I figured I'd let you girls get some ideas on how you want to fight from your classes before I brought that up. If you have ideas though, I'm up for listening."

She taps her chin, frowning a bit. "...honestly, I'm wondering if I'd even be able to hold a weapon..."

"I'm sure we can figure something out." He looks at her hooves. "We might need to do a little experimenting, but there's ways for everything to work."

"You could always just attach something to her hooves," Ruby points out. "Like a chain. Or a gun. Chain gun!"

"Maybe, but it could be hard to walk like that." He points out. "We'll figure something out."

As the little girl pouts, Daring pokes the man's arm. "What's a chain gun?"

He smiles at them. "Probably not a gun that shoots chains, like Ruby's thinking. They're huge guns that are usually automatic and more designed for things that are stationary."

Ruby pouts a bit. "But they sound so cool... why'd they have to be stationary?"

As they head for the front door, he explains. "Because they're usually really large, heavy, have a lot of kick, and use a lot of ammo. I'm sure someone has found a way to use them portably, but I haven't heard of it."

The filly hops out of his arms, happily trotting to the kitchen. "Weapons talk later. Food now, please!"

Yang laughs as their Dad looks at them. "Well, you heard her. You two can spar if you like until we come out."

"Okay!" Ruby picks up a pillow and smacks her sister in the face with it.

Yang sputters a bit. "Hey, let me put my books down first!"

"Nope!" She smacks her again.

"Oh you're going down." Yang says, narrowing her eyes as she sets her books next to the door and grabs a pillow.

"Not if you can't catch me!" She giggles, dashing away behind the couch.

As Tai sets Ruby's books down and heads into the kitchen, Yang chases after her sister, intent on vengeance.

Daring watches her father enter the room from her spot between the stove and fridge, stomach rumbling for food.

"Alright alright, I'm coming." He says, chuckling. "So let's see... you said grilled cheese, pickles, and... what else?"

"Roses and mayonnaise!" She tries to jump on the counter, wings fluttering for any height they can get.

He scoops her onto it, nodding. "Okay, I think I know what to do." He gets out a pan and the ingredients, glad they found a good place to get flower petals a while back. Buttering the pan, he puts in two pieces of bread, one with cheese and starts to grill them. "This shouldn't take long."

She trots closer, watching the stove hungrily as her tail swishes behind her.

He offers her a large petal to snack on while things cook. "Don't really want the pickles and stuff burning so we have to put it together after the cheese melts."

She nods, happily nibbling away at the treat.

"Do you know what you want to drink with this?" He asks, checking the underside of the bread.

She thinks for a bit, which gives her the chance to swallow her mouthful. "...milk?"

He nods. "Good choice." Seeing the bread and cheese done, he quickly assembles the rest of her colorful sandwich and puts it on a plate. "Give it a minute to cool so you don't burn yourself." With that said, he heads for the fridge to fix her drink.

Not heeding his warning, the call of her stomach overwhelming her, she decides to sneak a bite.

The sandwich is a roller-coaster of taste, texture, and temperature. Everything from mushy hot cheese to soft room temperature petals mixes in her mouth.

She hums happily in delight, her wings flapping behind her much like a hummingbird's.

Tai chuckles when he sees her, a glass of milk in his hand. "Like it?"

She eagerly nods, beaming brightly at him. With the food in her mouth, of course, she can't speak to expand on that thought.

Smiling, he sets the glass next to her. "Well, hope that fills you up. Know what you want to do after you eat?"

She swallows, picking up the glass as she smiles up at him. "Can we watch them spar a bit?"

He nods. "Sure, that way I can see how they fare when they're against someone other than me."

They hear a loud thud from the next room.

He blinks, turning and peeking through the doorway. Yang is sitting on the floor, rubbing her head. "She used a jump attack."

He turns back to see half the sandwich gone. "Really? Huh."

He nods, going back to Daring. "Verticality can be important in a fight."

"...is this your way of nudging me to do more flight practice?" She narrows her eyes at him, holding her drink close.

"Well, Qrow did say practice was important, but that's not what I was getting at." He rubs her head softly.

Daring looks up at him, oblivious to the quiet "oof" from the next room as Ruby sits on her sister to claim victory. "What did you mean, then?"

A soft groan becomes giggles in the living room as Tai speaks. "I was more talking just in general how altitude can allow you better positioning on your opponent and gives you more options. It's like being able to switch between melee and ranged weapons."

She tilts her head to one side, considering his words as she continues to eat.

"I'm sure that'll be covered in some of your classes in some form." He smiles, stroking her mane.

"I see... so the challenge is to know when to use each, right?" She looks up at him, smiling broadly as though she just solved a world-class mystery.

He nods, looking proudly at her. "That's my girl."

She giggles brightly, putting down her sandwich to hug him.

He hugs her to his chest, smiling. "Finish up your snack and we can go play with your sisters, okay?"

"Okay!" As soon as they let go of each other she practically dives into her dish, eating it fast yet savoring as much as she can.

He laughs softly, leaning against the wall to keep an eye on both her and his other daughters through the door, something he's never sure if he was trained better for as a hunter or a parent.

She finishes her sandwich and leaps off the counter, gliding towards him until she can hug his belly. "Let's play!"

Chuckling, he carries her back into the living room.

They find that Ruby has flipped Yang over, pulling on one of her legs as she sits on her back. "Say uncle!"

"Never!" Yang grunts, looking like she's struggling.

Tai goes to sit on the couch, Daring in his lap as he watches. "Yang, you know you could probably get out without hurting her."

She looks surprised at this before nodding and rolling onto her side, taking Ruby with her.

Ruby, now pinned under Yang's rear, flails her arms wildly. "Nooooo!"

"She does have size and weight advantage." Tai coaches as Yang takes advantage and flips over once more, pinning Ruby by laying across her stomach.

"I win!"

"No! I refuse!" She turns her head and bites her sister's thigh, wanting to win.

"Ow!"Yang rolls off, holding her thigh while Tai looks on thoughtfully.

"Yaaaah!" Ruby jumps up and starts smacking her with two pillows, alternating between blows.

Yang braces herself for a bit, leaning over to  cushion the blows. Suddenly, she comes back up with a pillow over each hand and tackles Ruby.

Ruby yelps, then dashes away before she can be hit, leaving behind rose petals.

Tai chuckles, seeing the lightly glowing Yang looking away fiercely. "Gotta love little ones figuring out their semblances."

Daring looks up at him, curious. "...you used that word a few times... what does it mean?"

"Well, a semblance is like your own special power." He explains. "They can be genetic, unique, or anything really. It's the special way someone can use their aura."

She tilts her head to the side, then holds up her hoof, eyes narrowed. "Za warudo!"

Ruby calls from the kitchen, "It's not stopping time!"

Tai just blinks at this. "Is this some sibling thing I'm missing?"

The girl pauses in the doorway, looking thoughtful. "...let's say yes."

He nods before looking back at Daring. "As for you, I'll tell you what my parents told me: only you can discover your semblance, so don't worry that you don't know enough, you'll figure it out."

The filly slowly nods, giving him a small smile. "Okay, daddy."

He looks back up at Ruby. "Now, did you still want to spar?"

"Sure!" She points at her still-fuming older sister. "Just not with her. Not when she's angry."

Nodding, he calls to his oldest daughter. "Yang?" She blinks and looks at him. "Come hug Daring until you calm down." After hesitating a moment, she walks over, getting the filly plopped into her lap as soon as she sits down.

Daring looks up at her with wide eyes, then smiles and embraces her, nuzzling her affectionately.

As Yang embraces her, her glow seems to fade back, a smile coming to her face.

Ruby smiles warmly, then carefully takes Tai's scroll. She opens it up and snaps a picture of the two of them.

Her dad gives her a thumbs up and a nod for that, silently chuckling.

Right at that moment, a wing moves up to tap on the blonde girl's nose.

Yang giggles at that, giving Daring a squeeze. "D'aww, thanks, sis."

"My pleasure!" She giggles brightly, looking up at her in adoration and admiration.

As their dad stands up and goes to the middle of the room, gesturing for Ruby to come at him, Yang smiles at the pony. "What do you want to do while they spar?"

The filly tilts her head to one side, then holds a hoof up to her. "Rock paper scissors?"

Laughing, Yang nods. "Sure." She holds up a fist before realizing it still has a pillow on it.

Ruby calls from where she's boxing with their dad. "How would she even play? She has hooves!"

"Hmm..." Yang holds one of Daring's legs, looking at it. "Maybe straight out for paper, curl up for rock, down for scissors?"

"Sounds complicated." Ruby ducks under her father's hand and bops him in the stomach.

His aura takes the blow, but he still nods. "Good job spotting the opening!"

"Well, it's not like she can make hand gestures." Yang counters.

"Then why don't we make something so she can?" Ruby yelps as she gets smacked and falls backwards.

"If you're going to communicate during a fight, learn to multitask." Tai says simply.

"Like what?" Yang asks. "Fingers?"

"More like... robotic limbs... I don't know..." She holds her head. "...too much pain..."

Yang glares at her dad. "You said you wouldn't hurt her!"

Tai goes over to Ruby and picks her up. "I said her aura would protect her from bad hits. A little ache usually happens during a good sparring session. It's how you learn."

Daring tilts her head before looking up at Yang, confused. "He's never hurt me, before..."

Ruby flails her arms. "That's because you're too cute to hurt!"

"Hey, I think you're all cute!" Tai tries to defend himself. "I didn't mean to hurt Ruby, but she and Yang are getting more serious about their sparring."

The brunette girl looks at him curiously. "...what's Daring doing, then?"

"Exploring her interests, from what she tells me." He winks at the filly.

She turns and raises her hoof, smiling warmly. "Daddy helps me out with it!" She looks up at her sister. "We also try to find stuff to do together. He likes rubbing my belly."

Yang looks up at him. "Oh, you do that, too?"

Ruby stomps the floor with a foot, pouting. "Oh, come on! How come I'm the only one who's never done it?"

Her big sisters offers her the littlest one. "Want to?"

The brunette literally pounces on this opportunity, knocking the couch over and tackling them both in her exuberance.

As the giggling begins, Tai shakes his head, righting the couch and seeing his pile of daughters on it. "I wonder if this is just the point in Ruby's life where she has a lot of energy or she's just growing into how she'll be normally..."

Daring looks up at him, curious. "Can it be both?"

"Well... sure." He nods. "Nothing wrong with being high energy."

"Good!" Ruby giggles brightly. "I don't plan on suppressing myself!" At the filly's confused look, she holds up a finger. "Dad's books had words I had to look up."

Tai nods approvingly. "There's nothing wrong with a good vocabulary."

Hearing this, Daring's eyes light up and she thinks of the biggest word she can think of in an attempt to impress him. "Fortune... fornication? Solitude?"

The youngest girl just frowns, crossing her arms. "I only know one of those words..."

Suddenly, Tai scoops all three of them up. "Hey, so are you girls excited for school to be starting?"

Surprised by the sudden subject change, Daring can only stammer, her train of thought lost.

Yang nods. "Yeah, it's gonna be great having all of us there, now!"

Ruby grins, clapping her hands together. "I want to see all the weapons!"

The filly tilts her head to one side. "...would they even have those, yet?"

"Well, your teachers that are hunters would," he explains. "And if you're interested in them, this is the point in your life where you would start looking into what kinds you want."

"I want one like Uncle Qrow's!" The girl speaks up once more, grinning in excitement.

Chuckling, her dad rubs her head. "Yeah, I figured that. You've loved that thing since you first saw it transform."

She nods quickly, grinning widely.

Daring just tilts her head in curiosity. "What is his weapon, anyways?"

"It's a sword that turns into a scythe." He explains.

"...that's it?" She scratches her head. "How does he hit faraway enemies?"

"He's pretty mobile." Tai tries to explain once more. "Qrow just prefers melee and knows how to get around."

"...I guess I can get that?" She shrugs a bit. "I think I'd prefer some amount of range, though."

He nods. "To each their own. Though ranged and melee options are pretty standard for a reason."

"I want mine to have the greatest range!" Ruby cuts in, grinning brightly.

"Sniper rifle, scythe, got it." Tai rubs her head fondly. "It might be a bit heavy."

"Don't care. I'll get stronger!" She nods decisively. "I wanna use a cool weapon!"

Yang smirks. not saying anything but having a face her dad can read a mile away as he responds. "I bet you will, Ruby. Maybe Qrow can help you design it since he worked on his himself."

"Yay!" She giggles giddily, kicking her feet and falling off the couch and onto the floor in her excitement.

Her dad scoops her back up, chuckling. "You're practically exploding with energy today, Ruby. Did you have sugar or something?"

"Five cookie samples!" She grins excitedly, jumping back up and picking up a pillow. "Ready to spar again?"

"If you are, sure." Smiling, Tai gets back into position.

The girl narrows her eyes, then looks behind him with a grin. "Compass Rose!"

Before he knows what hits him, something collides with his knees and knocks his legs out from under him. Ruby jumps on top of him with a cry of victory, smacking his face mercilessly with a pillow.

He laughs as he shields his face with a hand. "Alright, you got me!"

The brunette grins, turning and sharing a high-five with Daring. "We did it!"

Yang laughs as her father smiles at them. "Good to see you working on teamwork."

"It's important!" Ruby clears her throat, causing the girl to blush as she continues. "Or... so I've been told..."

The golden pony nods in agreement. "Uncle Qrow said we should focus on that, as well."

Their dad nods. "Yeah, if nothing else, Qrow knows how to fight."

"Yep!" The filly nods, getting up on her hindlegs and throwing a few punches. "He's been teaching me to fight, too!" She drops back down onto all fours. "Of course, I don't think I'll be using his weapon. It's a bit too... big."

Yang nods at this. "Yeah... swinging something huge isn't my style either."

"Not to mention I'm not sure I'd be able to hold onto that." Daring waves a hoof as if in clarification.

Ruby pouts for a moment before shrugging. "Why don't you two just wear your weapons? Less chance of losing your grip, right?"

Her big sister nods once more. "That's what I was gonna do. I'm thinking something that I can wear on my arms."

Daring simply looks at her hooves, frowning thoughtfully. "...hmm..."

Tai holds up a finger. "Remember though, school isn't all about making your weapon. It's all your education."

At this, she turns her attention to him, smiling softly as she moves to hug him. "I know, daddy."

As he hugs her back, he adds, "and feel free to think of me as your favorite teacher."

Ruby holds up a finger. "What about Uncle Qrow?"

"He's allowed to be your second favorite." He says, sticking out his tongue in a silly face.

Daring taps his tongue with a hoof, giggling quietly. "You're silly, daddy."

"Well, Ruby had to get that from somewhere." He chuckles.

She nods in agreement, then starts climbing up on his shoulders to her favorite spot. Her hooves hug him around the head as she seats herself on his shoulders, smiling happily.

Chuckling, he scratches behind her ears. "I'm sure you'll all do fine in school."

As the filly smiles, Ruby crosses her arms, looking off to the side. "I sure hope so..."
> Chapter 9
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Tension is an odd thing. Sometimes good, sometimes bad, and sometimes, present even though the rest of the house is sleeping. Tai senses this as he works, awake well before his girls. His focus doesn't exactly help, his hands and eyes on his task while his ears stay alert. Finally, he adds the last touch just as he hears what he expected.

A groggy brunette, a sleepy pony, and a drowsy blonde all manage to stumble their way into the kitchen, the first two clinging onto each of his legs.

"Good morning, girls." He smiles at them all.

"...why do we have to be up so early?" The filly whines, nuzzling into his knee.

"Because today is your first day of school." He pets her head softly. "I already made you all breakfast."

The girls are silent for a moment.

"Chocolate chip pancakes?" Ruby ventures.

"Yes, I knew you'd ask for that." He dramatically pulls the sheet off a stack of them.

She practically jumps on them, grinning thankfully at him before she takes the whole stack for herself.

Chuckling, he puts the next plate into Yang's hands. "Eggs and bacon, just the way you like."

The blonde leans up and kisses his cheek. "Thanks, Dad!"

A sudden weight on his shoulders tells him that a certain pony jumped onto his back from the counter. She rests her head on his shoulder, looking at him hopefully.

Hmm... now what could I have made that you would want..." He looks up, feigning ignorance.

He hears a quiet whimper right next to his ear.

"How about... this?" He pulls out another plate, this one with a large fluffy waffle topped with bananas and strawberries.

Her eyes widen and she grins, pecking his cheek before chowing down, laying over his shoulder as she does so.

Ruby looks up, frowning with her mouth stuffed. "Doesn't she get heavy like that?"

"Not as much as you'd think. She's pretty light, plus I'm used to carrying both of you." He gestures to the other girls.

The filly in question pats his head with a feathery appendage, which then darts forward to tickle his nose.

He snorts, waving it away gently. "Why don't you focus on your food? I've got a couple more things to do."

She turns and nuzzles his cheek with a smile, getting whipped cream on his face. "'Kay." She promptly resumes eating, not bothering to move from his shoulder.

Chuckling, Tai gets back to his other project while the girls eat.

Less than ten minutes later, Tai shuts the lid on the third and final box. "And there you go, all set for lunch."

Daring accepts it in her mouth, holding the handle between her teeth. "Fenk hyoo!"

Ruby looks at her little sister with a small frown. "I do not envy you."

Tai smiles sadly. "Sorry, the box is a bit too big to fit in your bags. Maybe I can work on a strap for it after today so you can attach it to the side."

"I could carry it." Yang offers.

While the filly looks up at her, hopeful, Ruby looks thoughtful. "...couldn't she just, you know..." She holds her own lunchbox above the pony's back.

Yang shrugs. "I dunno. She could try if she wants."

Daring looks to her sisters in befuddlement, the brunette's arm back by her side before she can see what she was talking about. "...try what?"

"She wants to know if you could just balance your lunch on your back." Yang explains.

Daring blinks, tilting her head to one side. "...can I?"

The bigger sister shrugs, taking the lunch box and setting it on her back experimentally while their father watches, amused and curious.

Though it starts to tilt to one side, Daring quickly catches it with a wing, helping it stay balanced on her back.

Tai smiles. "Well, I guess that's an option so you can still talk."

The filly nods once, looking towards her back, then up at him, pouting a bit. "...but now I'll drop it if I hug you..."

Smiling softly, he musses her mane. "It's just for today. I'll do some work on your bags tonight so you don't have to worry about it."

She smiles in return, but not quite as confidently. Turning, the filly gently nudges Yang's thigh, urging her to start heading off so they wouldn't be late.

Nodding, Yang waves to their father as she turns around. "Bye Dad! See you at school!"

Tai smiles at all of them. "Alright girls, have a good first day!"

"We will!" Ruby calls back, waving excitedly as they exit the house.

"I can still carry that if you want." Yang offers to Daring as they walk, pointing to her lunchbox.

She looks up at her, smiling warmly. "If it looks like it'll fall, then please do." After saying this, she spreads her wings and brings them up, pinning the box between them.

Her bigger sister smiles at that. "What classes do you guys have? Do you have any together?"

The two of them stop at the exit to the forest, looking at each other in confusion before the younger one addresses Yang. "We might not have classes together?"

Yang nods. "Yeah, lunch and gym are with everyone, but the others classes are kind of random where they put you."

Daring pouts quietly. "...so we won't be in the same classes? Not even with each other?"

"You could be." Yang pets her head. "I'm a few grades ahead of you, so I was just gonna see you at lunch and gym anyway."

Ruby's eyes light up. "Does that mean we'll get to see you spar with others?"

"Maybe. If they let us, sure you can." She smiles back. "I'll whoop their butts for you."

"Yay!" She hugs her sister, almost knocking her into a tree in her exuberance. "Thanks, Yang!"

"Oof! Hey, you're welcome!" She laughs, catching herself and her sister before they fall.

Daring bites the older girl's skirt, whining as she tugs on it. "Come on!"

"Alright, alright..." Yang grunts as she gets back on the path, setting Ruby down. "We definitely don't want to be late, I swear Dad can hear about anything we do at school if he wants to."

The golden pony looks up at her, curious. "He can?"

Yang nods. "Yeah, with him being a teacher, he knows the other teachers, and he can ask them about us."

She tilts her head to one side, thinking a bit. "...any chance he may be close to any of them, besides Uncle Qrow?"

"Umm... I don't really know any he's close to." She admits.

She clucks her tongue in response. "Darn..."

"We'll figure it out." She giggles. "For now, you want to see if you have any of the same classes?"

"Sure!" The two sisters respond as one, grinning at the blonde girl excitedly.

Nodding, Yang swings her backpack around and digs in it. "Okay, Dad gave me your schedules so we just have to check..." she pulls out three sheets of paper.

Ruby quickly snags one, looking at it intensely for a moment before sighing and handing it back. "That one's yours..."

"Yeah... my name's at the top." She says with a smile, handing her a different one.

She sheepishly takes it, looking at the page. "...homeroom is Miss River Song? That's a pretty name."

"Oh, I had her!" Yang voices. "She was nice, I think you'll like her."

Daring pokes the girl's arm. "What about me?"

"Here you go." She offers her a page as well, turning it so she can read it.

The filly scans the page, then tugs Ruby's arm with her paper down using her left wing, scanning it carefully. "...only two classes are different? That's great!" She looks up at her younger sister, beaming brightly.

It falters when she realizes she's not looking at her, instead staring at the ground where her lunchbox lay, open but with the food still inside.

"And that is big sis's cue to save the day." Yang closes and latches the box before picking it up. Taking a small hair tie out of her bag, she does a quick bit of work until the handle of Daring's lunch box is secure to the strap that goes across the filly's back. "There we go! That'll work for now."

The filly jumps up and hugs her legs. "Thank you! My wing was getting numb holding it up!"

Yang rubs her head. "Yeah, sorry, I just thought of it."

"Come on!" Ruby groans, gesturing to the road. "If we're late, dad might take away our cookies!"

Another child seems to have similar thoughts, their quickly walking form seen coming down a joining path.

Unfortunately, Daring isn't one of them who sees them, turning to nod to Ruby before rushing ahead, yelping when a foot hits her side and grunting as someone trips and lands on her. "...ow..."

"Hey, watch where you're going!" Yang shouts out as she and Ruby run over.

"Sorry, sorry..." The boy, as his voice reveals,  groans, getting up and shaking his head.

The filly's leg twitches, her body splayed on the pavement, as shown after he stands up. "...help..."

As the boy backs off, shaking his head, Yang scoops her youngest sister back onto her hooves. "Are you okay?"

"...I feel like a pancake." She shakes herself off, looking up at the guy before her. "...I don't know whose fault that was. So... sorry, I guess?"

He smiles sheepishly at her, revealing teeth a bit sharper than they should be. At the same time his hand comes away from his head to show blue ears on top of it. "I'm sorry, too. I was just running a little close to be late and I'm not used to watching out for things shorter than me."

Daring suddenly leaps up at him, hooves hooked around his shoulders as she gives him a piercing stare. "I'm not small. I'm compact cuteness."

Ruby stares blankly for a bit before turning to Yang, pointing at their youngest sister. "How is he able to support her like that? Her hooves are in his gut..."

Yang shrugs. "Shock? Or maybe he's strong."

The boy blinks his icy blue eyes at the filly. "Okay, okay, not small, got it."

"Thank you." She nods once and jumps off him, gliding over to Yang and resting on her head. "I think I'm gonna stay up here, for now. Less chance of being kicked."

While Yang reaches up and pets her head, the boy checks over himself. When the boy does a little spin, it's shown he has a canine tail to match his ears. When he turns back to face them, he seems unsure. "So... are we good?"

Daring stares at him for a while, a frown on her lips, before slowly gesturing him closer with a hoof, the other taking her schedule from Yang's hand.

Ears and body lowering a bit, the boy moves forward, looking up at the filly. Yang looks on, curious.

She bops him on the nose with the now rolled up paper. "Bad puppy. Watch where you step."

He flinches even at the relatively light tap, the response coming automatically. "Yes ma'am."

Ruby just frowns at him, confused. "Ma'am? She's younger than I am!" She points at her face. "Am I a ma'am?"

"Well, umm..." He looks between them. "Neither of you really look like a 'ma'am', but she acted like the alpha."

The filly blinks, looking down at Yang. "What's an alpha?"

The girl shrugs while the boy chimes in. "The alpha is generally like the leader of the group. It's just how I was taught to see things."

The oldest girl hums in thought. "Wouldn't I be the alpha then?"

The brunette beside her shakes her head. "No, that would be daddy, right?"

Daring, having glanced around, asks nervously, "...what time is it?"

Yang checks her watch. "...time for us to really really get going."

She nods, pointing forward with a hoof. "Onward! To school!"

Giggling, Yang takes Ruby's hand and starts quickly heading towards the school, light padding behind them showing the boy is following them.

The filly turns to look back at him, still hugging the blonde girl's head securely. Her lunchbox bounces rhythmically against Yang's shoulder as she regards him thoughtfully.

He looks curiously at her, tail streaming behind him. "I think we go to the same school." The running seems not to affect him, his breathing still even.

"Huh. Neat." She giggles, reaching over and petting him like she would Zwei, unable to help herself.

He smiles at this, tail wagging behind him. "What's your name?"

"Daring Do." She giggles, bringing the hoof down to hold out to him. "You?"

He shakes her hoof eagerly, smiling his pointed smile once more. "Argent Gale. Nice to meet you!"

"Same!" She smiles, then looks from him to her sister and back. "...are you in Yang's classes?"

"Umm... maybe?" He looks to the blonde, curious. "I'll find out today."

Ruby just shrugs, no longer sure how to take all of this. They all look forward to see the school in front of them.

The building is one of the most grand in the area. Its design brings to mind a gently rolling hill with a few spots smoothed out to make platforms and courtyards.

Daring blinks in surprise at this. "...it certainly looks impressive..." She taps Yang's forehead. "We're going to make it, right?"

She checks her watch once more. "Mmm... yeah, we'll make it." The children join a few other stragglers heading inside.

Daring looks around as she's carried in, curious but not enough to let go.

Yang stops in front of a door, looking to both her sisters. "Okay, I think this is your first class. I have to go off to mine." At some point, the boy had disappeared, likely to his class as well.

The little golden pony whines pitifully. "Do I have to get off? I just got comfortable..."

Lifting her sister off her head, Yang hugs her. "I know, but I have to go to class, too. You still have Ruby."

She just pouts in response. "...but her head's not as comfortable as yours..."

Ruby shrugs, already inside the doorway. "To be fair, you do have more hair."

Setting the filly down, Yang offers her  the lunchbox she had been holding. "You'll be fine. You can lay on my head on the way home."

She takes it from her, holding it in her teeth as she gives her best doe eyes. "Pwomiff?"

Yang giggles, nodding. "I promise. Now hurry up before you're late."

Daring nods, rushing into the room and bumping into the lady at the front in her haste.

She gives a small sound of surprise before looking down. "Oh, hello there. Go on and find a seat, class will be starting soon."

She looks up at her, then around the room, considering all the seats for a moment before climbing up onto a chair, her eyes barely visible over the desk.

The teacher, spotting this, grabs a textbook from the shelf and comes over. "Here you go. We can put this in your seat for a boost."

She nods, smiling as she climbs up onto the desk so the book can be placed in her seat. She doesn't notice the snickering from the back, simply grateful towards her new teacher.
> Chapter 10
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

She sets the big book in the seat, smiling at her student. "Let me know if you have any more issues, okay?"

She salutes, scrambling to get back in her seat afterwards.

Nodding at this, their teacher heads back to the front and looks up when the bell rings. "Hopefully that's everyone."

Ruby, sitting next to Daring, just shrugs, not sure whether it is or not, and not really caring at the moment.

She claps her hands once. "Alright class, my name is Miss River Song, and I'll be your homeroom teacher this year. I'll be the one you can come to for homework help and any other things you might have questions about."

One student in the back raises their hand. "Why is there a tiny horse in the classroom?"

She answers smoothly, as though she had been expecting that. "She's just a faunus like some of you are."

"But Faunus don't have both ears and tails!" Another student interjects.

"Not normally, but seeing as there are no better theories, we believe she is simply a different type of faunus." She explains patiently.

"But she looks like a horse!"

"And?" Miss Song asks, giving that student a flat look.

She squirms in place, blushing softly. "...we have horses... I like horses... riding and petting..."

Her friend pats her on the shoulder reassuringly.

Smiling once more, the teacher continues. "There's nothing wrong with liking horses. Just make sure you remember that she's a student, not a pet, not an animal."

The girl from earlier whines a bit.

The teacher sighs. "Sweetie, I need to start class, but if you're still worried after, come talk to me once I let everyone have free time, okay?"

She nods once, her eyes wandering to Daring.

Nodding, Miss Song turns partly to her board. "Now class, the only real announcement today is 'welcome to the first day of school'. Today will be about meeting your teachers and getting a feel for your subjects. It's alright if you don't understand everything right away, because you're here to learn. Now, does everyone have their schedule? IF you don't, come see me and I can give you another copy."

Daring holds up her own in her mouth, letting her see it. Ruby and the other kids all just bring out the paper in question.

"Excellent. Well, there's not too much to do today, so I'll let you all talk amongst yourselves and get to know each other for the rest of the class." She claps her hands once.

The filly promptly hops off her seat and hurries over to the teacher, climbing up several drawers to reach the top of her desk. "Hi."

She looks at her with a smile. "Hello. Normally I'd have to tell a student to get off the desk, but I think I can make an exception for you since it's a bit hard for you to see sometimes."

Daring giggles, then looks at her curiously. "Miss Song? May I ask you something?"

"Of course, Daring." She motions her hand encouragingly.

"You know dad, right?"

She nods. "Yes, I know your father."

She looks down bashfully, her hooves pressing together to wrinkle a piece of paper in front of her. "...what do you think about him?"

Not expecting that, she tilts her head thoughtfully. "He's a nice man. He adores you and your sisters, and he seems to enjoy his job."

The filly looks like she's about to continue when her sister appears next to her, frowning a bit. "When we talked about finding a new mommy, I didn't mean ask everyone we come across."

Daring blushes softly in embarrassment. "...oh."

Miss Song laughs softly. "Well, if it helps, I'm flattered. Is your dad actually looking for someone?"

The girls look at each other, a little nervous, before Daring speaks up. "We... actually don't know."

The teachers smiles knowingly. "Maybe you should talk to him about it. I didn't really get the sense that he was looking for anyone, he was just focused on you three."

The filly, pouting a bit, looks up at their teacher hopefully. "...if he is... would you ask him out?"

"Hmm... I think I could do that, sure." She nods at the cute begging face.

The two siblings, beyond relieved, embrace the woman with big, happy smiles.

The girl from before squirms in her seat, her eyes focused on all of them, but especially the filly whose hooves are wrapped around Miss Song's neck.

Seeing this, the teacher motions her over once the hug ends.

She approaches, but stays on the side opposite the others, hands gripping the edge of the desk.

"Did you want to talk?" Miss Song as softly. "You've been a bit tense."

She whimpers, ducking her head down below the edge of the counter. "...I wanna hug her..."

Miss Song looks to Daring. "Would you like to allow that?"

She gives a small nod before the girl practically drags her into a hug, nuzzling her cheek affectionately.

Ruby, seeing the amount of attention this is getting, mutters to herself. "Maybe we should charge a lien per hug..."

Her teacher whispers to her. "It could be a way to get some extra money, but be sure it's safe."

The brunette girl just looks up at her questioningly.

"Make sure she wants to let them hug her, too." She explains.

She thinks for a moment before shrugging. "I'll let her choose if they can hug her. Or pet her, maybe..."

Miss Song chuckles. "Well, good luck with the lines you might have of students wanting to do that. Be sure to spend some of that money on a treat for her afterwards."

She blinks, looking at her curiously. "She's my sister. Why wouldn't I?"

"Because children your age can sometimes forget things in the excitement. I just wanted to be sure." She glances back at the filly.

She finds Daring stuck in the middle of a three-way hug, her cheeks squished.

"Daring... are you alright?" She asks, unsure if she should intervene.

Her leg kicks slightly as her face slowly starts turning blue.

Miss Song scoops her out of the hug, setting her on the desk. "Alright, children, give her some time to breathe."

Ruby pokes her arm, trying to get her attention. "I think she passed out."

"Oh dear..." She picks her back up. "Ruby, come with me to the nurse's office. The rest of you can go to your next class when the bell rings."

She nods, moving to follow her teacher and her unconscious little sister. "...I think I'll make sure it's one at a time, if we go through with it..."

"Probably a good idea, and keepa  better eye on her." Miss sone leads her down the hall. "I think she should be fine, I just want to let the nurse have a look to be sure."

The girl nods and reaches up to comfortingly rub Daring's head. She casts a glance back at the students standing in the doorway of the classroom, who look back at her guiltily.

"Hopefully she wakes up before your next class," Song continues. "I wouldn't want you missing any classes on your first day."

"I hope so, too." Ruby looks up just in time to see a hoof twitch, a sense of relief coming over her.

Feeling the movement, the teacher looks down at the filly as they walk. "Maybe sooner than we thought."

The filly stirs, burying her muzzle in the crook of Miss Song's arm.

"How are you feeling?" She asks softly, stopping their walk.

"...squished..."

She nods. "I understand. That's why I took you from them so you could catch your breath."

She sleepily nods, leaning into the embrace. "...so warm..."

Song laughs softly. "Now now, no sleeping during school. You need to be awake to learn."

"...but I'm so comfy..." She snuggles closer, whining a bit.

"I can tell." She smiles. "But you still need to stay awake. Do you feel up to walking?"

"...I like being carried..." She looks up at her, pleading once more.

She sighs, shaking her head with a rueful chuckle. "Fine, I'll carry you back to the classroom."

Daring smiles softly, nuzzling into her neck as she tries to hug her.

"Daww... you are just an adorable sweetie." She giggles softly as she leads Ruby back to the room.

The two of them return to see the girls crouching behind the teacher's desk, an air of gloom about them.

Seeing them, the teacher smiles and walks over. "Girls? She's fine. We didn't even make it far before she woke up."

Startled, the one who didn't ask rushes away, while the other hugs the teacher around her hips, apologizing the whole time.

Setting Daring down on the desk, Miss Song pats the head of the girl hugging her. "It's alright. Just remember to always be gently when you're hugging."

She nods, casts the filly one more longing, if regretful, glance, then dashes to her desk, as well.

Sitting back at her own desk, Miss Song looks to the filly. "It might be good to let her know there aren't any hard feelings so she doesn't feel guilty."

Daring frowns a bit in thought, but shrugs in response. "I'll tell her later."

"Now are you two excited for school?" She asks the two sisters.

"Yep!" They both cheer at once.

She laughs. "I'm glad to hear that. Did you have any questions about it?"

"Can you tell us about history?"

"Can you tell us about weapons?"

The answers come at once, and the two look at each other curiously before turning back to their teacher, sheepishly smiling as the filly offers a third option. "...history of weapons?"

Smiling at them, she thinks. "Hmm... well, you'd be better off waiting for the actual classes, but if you want a little preview: did you know the first weapons were just improvised tools?"

They blink, looking at each other uncertainly. Ruby speaks up this time. "Then... weapons weren't also guns, back then?"

She chuckles, shaking her head. "Not at all. That came along way later. If people wanted ranged options, they needed to carry another weapon."

The girl blows a raspberry and crosses her arms. "That sounds like too much trouble."

The teacher holds up a finger. "And that's why those who wanted to be hunters started to get special training to handle that."

Daring, ever the curious one, leans closer, eyes sparkling in excitement. "They did? What kind of training?"

"Well, first they had to start with actually training with weapons instead of just swinging them how they felt was right." Taking a pencil, she draws them a small picture on a paper. One figure holding a sword is in front of many.

The sisters lean in, watching the pencil move with unbridled interest.

"Before there were so many different ways of fighting known, everyone would just be trained at once by the same master." She draws them all in the same pose. "We didn't really have the more individual fighting styles of today."

Ruby frowns, crossing her arms on the edge of the desk and resting her head on them. "That... sounds boring. Different fighting styles show a person's own... ness."

"That's true, and that's something that's important today. However, back then..." she draws some looming dark shapes. "The point was to be able to stay safe."

Daring taps her chin, looking at the new shapes. "Are those the Grimm?"

Their teacher nods. "Yes, Grimm are the primary threat we train against."

"How did they fight them?" She tilts her head to one side. "Did they have special plans?"

She nods. "Ambushes, flanking, and all the other tactics you'll learn. They were practiced for the Grimm."

The filly nods, satisfied with the answer. The girl pokes her teacher's arm. "So they kept them safe?"

She nods sagely. "Yes, the most important part of a hunter's job is to keep people safe."

Ruby stands up straight once more, grinning excitedly. "That's what I'm gonna do!"

"I'm sure you'll be a great one, Ruby." Miss Song responds as she nods. "It's great to see someone your age so determined about what they want to do."

Daring, not wanting to be forgotten, holds her hoof up and waves it for attention. "I wanna help people, too!"

Song turns to her, still smiling. "I'm glad to hear that. I bet you'll help in your own way."

Her hoof lands on the desk as the filly gives her a curious look.

"Fighting isn't the only way to help people." She clarifies. "There's all sort of combinations of ways."

Ruby, a little disappointed that the subject strayed from weapons, picks a pen from the cup on her desk and starts doodling on a day planner.

Daring, however, looks interested and hopes she'll continue.

"You could be a doctor, a teacher, one member of a hunter team who goes out on special exploration mission instead of just combat.." She lets her voice fade as she looks up, thoughtful.

The golden pony tilts her head, reaching over to poke her hand with a hoof. "Miss Song?"

"Hmm, yes?" She looks back down at the filly.

"What are you thinking about?"

"Oh... I'm just remembering some teams I used to hear about." She smiles softly. "Sorry, I suppose I drifted off for a moment."

They look at each other, silently asking if they should enquire about the team.

Then the bell rings.

"Well, that's all for today. You girls don't want to be late for your next class." The rest of the class is filing out even as she speaks.

They nod, but Daring hugs the teacher one last time before they leave.

She waves at them as they go, smiling happily.

"That was fun." Daring says, smiling brightly.

"Yep!" She brings her arms up behind her head, looking around at everyone. "I hope she becomes our new mom. She's really nice."
> Chapter 11
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later that day, Daring is sitting in another class as a couple stragglers filter in before they are late.

She hums softly to herself, carefully placing the apple she had for her teacher on the space between her and the empty seat beside her. She was glad this class had tables instead of desks, as the desks were kind of confining. She did have to stand on her seat, though, and prop her front half on the table's surface.

As another girl walks in, she looks around before settling her green eyes on the empty seat. She strolls over before noticing Daring, giving her a strange look before speaking. "This seat taken?"

The filly just shakes her head, smiling and gesturing with a hoof to the other seat. "Go right ahead. Just don't eat the apple."

The tanned girl sets her bag down and sits. "You saving it for lunch?"

"Nope!" She picks it up, beaming brightly. "It's for the teacher!"

"Oh..." She rests her cheek on a fist as she looks at it. "Why didn't you give it to your homeroom one then?"

She blinks, turning to look at the girl in confusion. "Because I gave her a hug."

The girl tilts her head at this, one of the dark brown braids framing her face falling in front of it instead. "And she let you?"

"Yep!" She grins. "She called me adorable."

She smiles at this. "Well... you are tiny and look soft. That does make you cute."

"I'm glad you agree!" She giggles, then holds out her hoof, the apple still in it. "Daring Do."

The girl smiles and reaches out, only to look at her hoof curiously from a few different angle before firmly gripping it further down her arm before gently shaking it. "Jade Nekame."

"Jade? Like your eye color?" She points at her eyes with a free hoof.

She touches her cheek, smiling. "Yeah, like that. Apparently I had big eyes when I was a baby."

"I bet mine were bigger." She sticks her tongue out teasingly.

She narrows her eyes a bit before laughing and nodding with a smile. "Probably. I've never seen a faunus like you before."

"Neither have I." She giggles along with the girl, jumping a bit when the bell rings. Glancing around, however, reveals that there's no teacher to be found.

Jade peers around as well. "Late on the first day? What kind of teacher do we have?"

"The kind who isn't late."

The two of them tense, slowly turning to look at the adult behind them, who is sternly frowning back. "I'm glad to see you two are in your seats, at least."

Jade meets her eyes evenly, replying. "Yes, ma'am."

The woman says nothing, moving around until she's at the front of the class. She then turns and taps the board with her finger. "Welcome to math. I'm your overqualified teacher who wants to push you to your limits." She pauses for a moment before sighing, resting her face in her palm. "That was a joke."

There's a few half-hearted laughs around the room, but the joke seems to have gone over most of the little one's heads.

"...yeah, I guess it's a bit advanced for most of you." She sighs, then shakes her head. "Anyways, I'm Night Song. Some of you may know my sister in law."

Jade looks to Daring to see if she knows what the teacher is talking about.

The filly simply shrugs. "River Song is my homeroom teacher. Maybe that's who she's talking about?"

The lady groans, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Yes, that's her."

A few other students murmur and nod at this information while Jade shrugs. "I wonder if I'll have her as a teacher..."

Night smiles wryly. "Well, since she also helps you kids in third grade make weapons, I'd say the chances are pretty high."

The girl seems to brighten up at this, grinning at the thought. "When do we get to do that anyway?"

"What, you think it's that simple?" She frowns, crossing her arms as she leans back against the board. "You have to learn the basics, first. Practice with mock weapons to see where you excel, then build your own personal weapons around that." She points a finger at her, then at a boy sitting in the back. "You two might want something similar, then find out your semblances work better with something else entirely."

"Oh..." She looks disappointed at this.

Night grimaces slightly at this. "...of course, some people have been known to master a weapon in as few as five days..."

Her grin snaps back onto her face with information, eyes glinting with challenge.

"Anyways, back to math!" She turns and starts writing on the board, her hand starting to slow down a bit as realization dawns on her. "...I've got chalk on my back, don't I?"

A student pipes up from another table. "Eh, just a little dust."

"Ice or fire?"

There's a few giggles. "Chalk!"

"Good." She turns and smiles, pointing at Jade. "Would you like to come up and solve the problem on the board?"

She blinks at being singled out, only to nod as walk up to her.

She offers her the chalk and directs her towards an equation that has parentheses and an exponent. "Take your time. No need to rush."

"Umm..." She blinks as she looks at it. She writes down the results of he numbers below the parenthesis, but pauses at the raised number.

Night watches in silence, almost in an expectant manner. Daring does the same, if only a bit less patiently and more squirmingly.

After a moment the girl writes a number before combining them all into an answer. She sets the chalk down, looking up at her teacher expectantly.

She eyes the board, considering how to best approach the situation placed before her. Finally, she turns to face her student. "You got everything but the exponent right." She smiles wryly, crossing her arms. "The point of this was to have you acknowledge what you do and don't know and request help when you needed it."

"Oh." She blinks and scowls for a moment before her expression softens. "Do I... need to stand up here to learn how to do that?"

"No." She shakes her head, crossing her arms as she smiles at the girl. "See, we're actually covering exponents next month."

Jade smiles back. "Oh, okay." With that said, she goes back to her seat, remarking to Daring. "I didn't think that was advanced stuff."

The filly frowns a bit. "...I mean... it's a little advanced?" She shrugs a bit. "I dunno."

"We weren't supposed to know it yet, I mean." She clarifies, looking forward before she can get in trouble for talking and not paying attention.

Chalk zooms past her face, where her nose was, before hitting the table behind her and covering the other students in dust.

"Oh, that reminds me." Night smirks playfully at them. "We are allowed to test your reflexes during the school day. So no dozing off, okay?"

Jade grins at this, narrowing her eyes challengingly. "Yes, ma'am!"

She nods once, then holds up a finger. "Keep in mind, only teachers are allowed to do this. Any students caught throwing items at others with intent to harm or otherwise fighting will be disciplined."

There's a couple murmurs around the room, but most students are nodding at this while a few sigh in relief.

She nods, then claps a hand on the board. "Now, who wants to learn about fractions?"

She's met by only blank stares and one student speaking up. "Aren't those hard?"

"Only if you jump in at the deep end." She points at the board before stopping, staring at the planner on her desk. "...wait, that's supposed to be mid-semester... why did..." The woman blinks, then brings a hand to her face, groaning quietly. "Dang it. River got me again..."

There's a little bit of slight snickering before Jade speaks up. "So what are we doing?"

She quietly sighs, shrugging a bit. "Honestly, I have to properly organize my notes... since I don't know how long that will take, you all should review what was covered last semester and get to know the classmate beside you; you'll be grading each other's assignments, and be paired for any projects."

As the class starts to chat, Jade look at Daring. "We do the grading?"

The filly shrugs. "Maybe it's another way to review, and a way to get kids to do better?" She smiles slyly. "You know, since someone else can see how you're doing."

She nods at this, looking thoughtful. "Yeah... I can see that. Do you want to pair up, then?"

"Sure!" She smiles brightly at her. "I'd be happy to!"

Smiling back, Jade nods. "Great! I guess we won't see that yet, though." She glances up at the teacher.

Night Song clearly agrees, even though she is shuffling through paperwork and not really paying attention.

Turning back to the filly, Jade shrugs. "So, what do you want to do?"

"Hmm..." She looks around the room, tapping her chin with the tip of her hoof. Daring can see posters on the walls, a number of students besides herself as they chat and gossip, their teacher idly spinning another piece of chalk in the air an inch above her finger, and a plush toy with an unusually long head and a hand on its tail. There were a good number of items in the room, she realized. "...I Spy?"
> Chapter 12
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Before long the bell rings to signal most students' favorite time of the day: lunch. Throngs of students of all grades meander towards the large cafeteria the school boasts, a variety to choose from in each line for those who didn't bring their own food.

Three who did, however, move together to find a table. Daring, slightly embarrassed, looks up at her older sister. "I could carry my own lunch box..."

"I know, but then you couldn't talk or you'd have to walk slow." Yang smiles down at her. "You know I don't mind taking care of my sisters."

She points a hoof at their other sister. "Then why didn't you carry hers?"

"Because Ruby can get grabby with her food if you try and take it." The blonde nods at Ruby.

She pouts, hugging her box to her chest. "I don't want you to take my cookies..."

"I have been known to do that." Yang admits.

"And that's why I'm holding onto mine." She sticks her tongue out, not noticing how her younger sister is staring up at her lunchbox nervously.

"Anyway, how about that table?" The oldest sibling points to one near the wall.

The other two nod in agreement, Daring dashing over to make sure no one else claimed it.

As they walk over, Yang looks to Ruby. "So, are you two having fun so far?"

Ruby nods as the filly clambers up onto a bench. "Yep! The teachers are really nice!" She frowns, rubbing her forehead gently. "One hit me with some chalk, though..."

The big sister narrows her eyes. "What? Oh, wait, was it Miss Night Song?"

Her eyes widen in surprise. "How did you know?"

"I have her, too." She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a pink piece of chalk. "I kept it as a souvenir."

Ruby throws her hands up. "But mine exploded! I can't keep a souvenir of dust!"

"But you can of Dust!" Yang points out, grinning.

She opens her mouth to respond, then stops, looking at Yang in confusion. "Was that supposed to be a joke?"

"Yeah, cause you know, Dust like huntsmen use in their weapons." Her smiles becomes a bit more sheepish. "Dad said jokes like that are called puns."

"Jokes that need to be explained aren't very pun-ny," Daring speaks up, smirking playfully. "The punchline needs a good amount of punch to it."

"So... I should wear my boxing gloves?" She asks with a smirk.

The filly frowns a bit. "Too much punch, sis."

"No such thing." She replies, rubbing her head as they sit down.

As the three of them prepare to eat, someone approaches their table, a tray held in their unsteady hands and her ears twitching nervously. She stands there a few seconds, worrying her bottom lip with her teeth, before she gently pokes Yang with the corner of her tray. "E-excuse me..."

"Huh?" Yang turns to look at her. "Hey, what's up?"

She flinches a bit as all three of them turn to look at her, but she gives her best smile, even if it looks like a grimace. "H-hey, can I... join you?"

The oldest sister looks over her a moment before smiling. "Sure, we've got room."

She relaxes almost immediately, bowing in thanks before turning and sitting next to Daring, reaching over and petting her head gleefully.

Ruby leans close to Yang, whispering in her ear. "So... is she a pony Faunus, too?"

She shrugs, humming in thought. "I think so... her ears look like Daring's."

They sit in silence for a moment, watching as the new girl starts scratching the filly behind the ear, before Ruby mutters, just loud enough for Yang to hear. "Pretty touchy... wish I thought to start charging, already..."

"What do you mean?" The blonde asks, looking down at the muttering girl. "Do people keep scratching her ears a lot?"

She just nods. "Our whole class was interested. Two almost squished her."

Yang makes a small o with her mouth. "Wow... she's pretty popular, then."

"Yep. Thinking of charging one lien per hug." She smirks a bit. "What do you think?"

"Is there a family and friends discount?" She asks.

"Family gets hugs free. Friends only pay half."

"Wait," the girl across from them speaks up, confused, "how does one pay half a lien?"

Yang hums in thought. "Two for one deal?"

She scrunches her nose a bit, but sighs and shrugs. "That works, I guess."

Ruby blinks then turns to look at her sister. "Hey, do you know her name?"

Yang shakes her head. "No, I think I saw her in one of my classes, but I didn't get her name."

"Sky Riverdale." They turn to see the girl hugging Daring to her chest, blushing in embarrassment. "S-sorry I didn't introduce myself, earlier."

Yang smiles as she opens her lunchbox. "It's cool, nice to meet you."

The filly pokes the girl's cheek, drawing her attention to her. "I'm Daring Do."

Ruby quietly mutters, just loud enough for Yang to hear. "Still wish we called her Compass Rose..."

The blonde leans down, whispering. "But then unless we said her full name, we'd just be calling her Compass."

She turns, then sticks her tongue out at her. "Still an awesome name."

Yang laughs, putting a hand on Ruby's head and mussing with her hair. "Alright, it is. Make sure you eat your lunch."

As she turns to do so, the filly speaks up, her hoof raised. "Hey, you didn't introduce yourselves to her!"

"Oh, whoops." Yang rubs the back of her head, laughing. "I'm Yang Xiao Long and these two are my sisters."

Ruby, a cookie in hand, smiles as well. "I'm Ruby Rose." She then starts eating, not really noticing the confusion on Sky's face.

"...wait, what?" She tilts her head to one side, absently picking up an apple as she looks at each of them in turn. "Why do you all have different last names?"

"Different moms." Yang replies casually, taking a sip of her drink. "Same dad."

"Well, except for Daring, anyways," Ruby points out.

"Nah, our dad is still her dad." The older says, nodding at her own logic.

Sky blinks, looking down at the filly eagerly eating her lunch. "...then who's her mother?"

Yang shrugs, taking a bite of her sandwich. "Whoever dad ends up liking, I guess."

"...how did you get a sister without a mother?" She scratches her head in confusion.

"Dad found her." The oldest sister answers once more as another shape approaches the table, one that they had met on the way to school.

"So... does that mean she's ad-"

"Puppy!" Daring suddenly jumps up, knocking her head against Sky's chin, both of them wincing and holding their sore spots.

"Oh, it's you!" Argent smiles at them. "Do you have room for one more?"

"Sure." The filly weakly smiles at him, still in a bit of pain.

Sitting down on her other side, he looks at the two in pain curiously before digging into his lunchbox and pulling out two cold packs. "You want to borrow these? I don't need them since it's time to eat."

They gratefully accept them, though Ruby does have to give him a confused stare in response. "Why do you have two ice packs? Wouldn't one be enough?"

"One's specially for my drink," he replies, pulling out his lunch which includes some kind of cooked animal leg.

She blinks, then holds up her red container of milk. "You don't use a thermos?"

He shakes his head, pulling out a large cup with a lid on it. "I can fit more drink in this."

A golden hoof reaches over to poke it. "What's in there?"

He smiles, cracking it open and taking a sip. "Strawberry, banana, and pineapple juice." His tongue slides out to lick his lips afterwards.

Daring blankly stares at him. "...that actually tastes good?"

The brunette girl giggles off to the side. "Not as good as milk."

Pouring a little into his lid to serve as a cup, he offers it to the filly. "You'd be surprised."

She looks at him questioningly, then leans forward, grips the lid in her teeth and tilts it up to drink.

The berry and banana blend nicely together to form a smooth satisfying flavor while the pineapple provides a sharp end and aftertaste.

The wolf faunus watches her with anticipation, ears pricked forward.

She nods, sighing blissfully as she flips the lid perfectly onto his cup. "Yeah, that's pretty good. You should try this, though!" She offers her own thermos to him.

His tongue lightly flicks out as he sips, humming afterward. "That is nice... I usually just drink milk with cereal."

"It's my go-to drink!" Ruby grins eagerly, throwing her arms wide and nearly smacking her sister in the face.

"Hey, watch it!" Yang says, laughing.

"So both of you drink this at lunch?" The boy looks to the filly and the brunette.

"Yep!" They glance at Yang, tilting their heads to the side cutely, in unison, asking the same silent question.

"I mean... I like milk, but sometimes I drink other stuff." She smiles sheepishly.

The younger girl bops her on the nose with her spoon, pouting a bit. "Traitor."

The only boy at the table bites off a chunk of his lunch, watching curious as the siblings interact. After he swallows, he looks to Skye. "What about you? What do you drink?"

She furrows her brows, slowly lifting up a bottle of clear liquid. "Water?"

He tilts his head. "Do you not drink anything else?"

"No." She scrunches up her nose. "There's too much sugar in other drinks."

He looks down at his juice mix curiously before shrugging. "If you say so. As long as you like it, that's fine."

Sky nods, then starts to drink, humming happily to herself. She then hacks a bit from the water going down the wrong pipe, getting water and spittle all over Daring's mane.

Yang winces. "Eww... hold on." Digging into her backpack, she pulls out a small towel and drapes it over Daring's head. "Dad gave me this for gym, but it's still clean right now."

The filly's muzzle scrunches up a bit. "...think daddy can help clean me up a bit?" She looks around at everyone. "Is there a shower?"

Yang nods. "There are showers in the gym. We have that class right after this. You could probably just dry off and shower after class."

She nods, then quietly pouts. "...wish I had my hat..."

"Yeah... probably would have helped there." Yang agees.

"...wait... is her hat some kind of tan color? A pith helmet?" Sky, no longer choking, points at her own head questioningly.

"Yeah, that's it!" The blonde nods. "How did you know?"

She flinches, then points somewhere across the cafeteria. "The... school bully... has it..."

Yang's eyes narrow as she turns her head to see where she's pointed.

She sees a mountain of a girl, laughing with her group at one of the larger tables. The two things she can tell, since her back is facing them, is that she has a lion's tail, long red hair... and Daring's hat on her head.

The filly blinks at this, surprised. "...I thought we couldn't wear hats in school?"

"I never asked, but if we can't..." She gets a sly smile. "Dad wouldn't want us getting in trouble for fighting, but if he sees her in that hat, I bet he'd confiscate it."

Ruby looks around, then frowns softly. "...but dad's not here..."

"Yeah... maybe we can call that plan B." She hums in thought. "She might have gym after this, most kids do. They have us change during then, so we might be abel to swipe it in the locker room."

Sky raises the hand that had been soothingly rubbing Daring's belly. "What if she never lets it out of her sight?"

"Well... she has to if we really can't wear hats, especially in gym, right?" The blonde seems like she's running out of ideas.

"Yeah, I guess... so... where is she going?" The pony-eared girl points to the golden pony, who is currently trotting over to the much larger - compared to her - girl.

"Uh oh..." Yang quickly slides out of her seat and follows.

She stops right behind the girl, puffing her cheeks out and spreading her wings, trying to be intimidating. Of course, since she does this, she can't exactly speak.

As Yang walks up behind Daring, Argent shows up at her side, looking curious at how the exchange will go.

The large girl finally notices, turning to look at them and raising an eyebrow. "What? You need help finding something?" When Daring opens her mouth, she just holds up a hand and smirks. "Oh? If you're looking for the point to your lives, I think it's down a well, somewhere."

Argent narrows his eyes, a quiet growl coming from him while Yang bristles and speaks up. "Better than being locked up like you'll be!"

"For what?" She shrugs, smiling wickedly at her. "I did nothing wrong. Just told her somewhere to look."

"You also took her hat." Yang counters.

"Says who?" She smirks, running her finger along the brim. "I say this is my hat, and you can't prove otherwise."

Daring's eyes light up, and she turns to Yang, smiling happily as they recall something only they know.

"Yes, we can. The kind of proof any teacher would believe if we told them." Yang says with a smirk.

The bully rolls her eyes, turning and waving her off. "We both know you're bluffing."

Argent leans down to the filly. "Should I actually go get a teacher or do you have this handled?"

She nods, looking up at him with a smile. "Let's do this the right way. Maybe humble her while we're at it."

Nodding, the boy heads off, going to one of the teachers just standing against the wall on the other side of the cafeteria to make sure no fights break out.

The taller girl blinks, staring at the boy in confusion. "...what is he doing? Why are you two suddenly smiling?"

The boy returns quickly with the soft smiling Miss River Song. When she spots Daring, she speaks. "Everything going okay over here?"

She pouts and points a hoof at the bully. "She stole my hat!"

She growls, pointing a finger back at her. "She's lying!"

Miss Song looks between the two thoughtfully, trying to gauge their faces.

After a moment, Yang holds up a finger. "Daring's name is on the inside."

River raises an eyebrow at that and holds out a hand for the hat. "Let me check."

The tall girl huffs, crossing her arms defiantly. "I don't have to show anyone anything."

River's voice goes straight to stern. "Do it, or you'll have detention on the first day of school and every time I ask it will only get worse."

Everyone is shocked by this, and the girl simply takes the hat off and hands it to her.

"Thank you." She goes right back to smiling as she flips it over and looks inside. "This definitely seems like yours, Daring." She sets it on the filly's head. "You can keep it with you, but you might have to put it in your bag at times, alright?"

She nods, beaming brightly and moving to happily hug her.

She pats her head softly. "You're welcome. Now, you probably want to make sure you finish your food. Gym class is coming up and you'll need your energy."

She nods and hurries to her seat. The older girl watches her, frowning deeply all the while.

As the other two follow the pony, River heads back to her spot.

When they sit down, Daring takes a seat in Argent's lap and looks around, fighting to keep the frown off her face. "...I thought there'd be cheering..."

"Well, maybe they don't want to draw attention?" The wolf boy point her head towards a nearby table where there are a few smiles directed at her. "A change of leader usually isn't that simple. She might try something else."

She frowns, nodding a little bit. "Yeah, I guess I can see that." The filly smiles and tips her hat at the other group.

They give her a few waves and thumbs up.

Yang smiles as she watches. "Looks like you might get admirers at this rate."

Daring looks up at her, curious. "...what's an admire-rer?"

She grins as she eats. "A word dad taught me that means people look up to you."

"Really?" Sky can't help but speak up, frowning a bit. "I thought it was someone who wanted to be your boyfriend..." She glances at Argent. "...or, uh... girlfriend?"

The boy looks behind him before returning the look at Sky while Yang responds. "I think I've heard it used like that, but not much, so maybe you're right."

Ruby speaks up. "We could always ask dad or Uncle Qrow."

Yang nods. "Yeah we should. Maybe we'll have one of them for a class later."

Sky mutters to herself, resting her head on her open palm. "Isn't one of them one of the gym teachers?"

"Uncle Qrow is, but he sometimes goes off on missions." Yang explains.

She just furrows her brow in response. "Missions? I thought he was just drunk... or hungover."

"I think dad's said that he's good about not drinking when he's teaching..." The blonde looks up as she thinks before shrugging. "Guess we'll see."

Daring and Ruby look at the two of them in turn, bafflement clear on their faces.

Argent, who is absentmindedly chewing the last bit of meat off his bone from lunch, comments. "How long do we get for lunch anyway?"

The bell rings right after he finishes his question.

Ruby raises her hand. "That long."

Nodding as the mass of students start to get up and chatter, the boy holds his hand out to Sky and Daring. "Can I have those ice packs back?"

They nod and hand them back, though the filly has to do so with her mouth. She pauses to briefly nuzzle his hand before hurrying after her sisters.

Sky watches them go, smirking a bit at the boy. "She's pretty cute, huh?"

He smiles and clenches his hand a bit. "Yeah... cute and brave."

The horse girl giggles, bumping his hip with hers. "I bet you think more than that." Then she starts cleaning up her tray, getting a last few quick bites in before she has to leave for her class.

Argent pauses after he picks his lunchbox, looking at her curiously. "What do you mean?"

"If you have to ask, you aren't ready!" She calls back at him as she races out of the cafeteria, pausing just long enough to throw her trash away.

Tilting his head in confusion, the wolf boy is soon off to his own class.
> Chapter 13
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Qrow sighs, sitting on a bench outside the school as he looks out at the empty tracks. "...school starts too early, I think."

A familiar face walks over, having changed into something more appropriate for gym after having watched over lunch. "You sure you don't just stay up too late?"

"No, I don't." He shrugs and takes a swig from his bottle, turning and placing it on the bench next to him. "So, when do you expect the first ones will show up?"

"When they realize they don't know if they need to change or not." She replied with a smile. "So, maybe five minutes."

"And what about my niece?" He points at a spot just behind her and to the left, where said filly is standing, an excited grin on her face.

River turns and spots her, laughing. "You know, I've been seeing you everywhere today."

"Except in math." She grins cheekily. "That was your sister."

"Sister-in-law." Qrow quickly corrects.

She smiles. "Yes... though it's understandable you wouldn't get that since we do have the same last name."

She tilts her head, frowning a bit. "...does that mean Miss Night Song joined your family?"

She nods. "She married my brother."

Before Daring can say anything else, Qrow interjects once more. "Yes, she's still single. No, I won't date her, despite how cute she looks."

River gives him a look. "Now now, at least let her speak so you know f that's what she was going to say."

"...that was pretty much my question." She gives her uncle a look. "Just the first one. Then I was going to ask if my sisters needed to change."

"Hmm... everyone should have their uniforms by now, right?" She checks with the man.

He shrugs. "As far as I know, Ruby and Daring don't have theirs. Not that she seems to wear pants, anyways." He smirks at the sheepish pony.

"Yeah... I had been wondering about that. I would have thought she at least wear combat skirts or something." The other teacher comments.

The filly puffs out her cheeks briefly before answering. "Skirts feel weird on me. And a vest is all I need anyways, right?"

River scratches her head. "I don't know... maybe? You might be fine when it comes to decency laws because of your tail."

The man beside her starts to reply but suddenly stops, turning to look at his fellow teacher for a long moment. Then he chuckles and grins cheekily.

She gives him a long look before finally asking. "What are you thinking?"

"Something not suitable for the current audience." He chuckles, reaching over and gently petting Daring's head, enjoying her happy sigh.

"Well, alright then." She nods before looking up as other students filter in, some uniformed, others not. "Maybe the first thing we should do is assign uniforms so everyone has them."

"Good idea." He rubs his chin thoughtfully. "You help the girls, I help the boys?"

"Perfect." She smiles at him, before clapping her hands to get the attention of the students. "Alright, it looks like that's almost everyone. Girls, follow me and we'll get you your uniforms. Boys do the same for Mister Qrow."

They nod and do as told - all but Daring, who just sits by the bench and pokes the bottle sitting on it. "...why does this water smell weird?"

Seeing the filly hanging back, a familiar face from math calls to her. "Come on, Daring! You'll miss it!"

She blinks, turning to look at her in confusion. "Miss what?"

"Getting your uniform!" The girl actually stops, hands on her hips as she shows that she already has her on, though she seems to have made a modification to make hers sleeveless to show off her muscular arms.

Daring blinks, looks down at her vest, then back up at her, whining softly. "But I like what I'm wearing..."

"Do you want it to get sweaty?" Jade asks, crossing her arms.

"...no..." She pouts at her, slowly making her way over.

Keeping an eye on them, River motions them into into a doorway. "Come along into the locker room and we'll get you all sorted. Those of you who don't have uniforms or need bigger sizes let me know."

As they all head inside, the filly sticks close to her favorite non-familial teacher. This proves to be troublesome when the lion girl from before steps up, scowls a bit at her, then turns to Miss Song, who is barely half a head taller than her. "I need a bigger outfit."

"Alright, what size do you need?" She asks, walking to a collection of boxes with folded clothes in them.

She groans, crossing her arms in front of her as she blushes. "C-can't you just measure me and not make me say my size out loud? Please?"

Smiling, she nods and grabs a tape measure. "Sure. Just come over here and I'll do that. You'll just need to be still for me." Many of the other girls who already have uniforms chatter amongst themselves.

Daring smiles and waves at the friends she remembers making earlier, completely missing how the tall girl brushes past her.

As Miss Song works with the bigger girl, Yang walks over in her own uniform. "Yeah, they do this every year, but at least it's only the first day."

The filly can only tilt her head to one side, confused. "...so... you look a little odd when you're not wearing your normal clothes..."

She looks down at herself. "Yeah, red and white aren't really my colors, but they're the school ones so we don't really get a choice."

Her sister stands beside her, looking quite put out. "I happen to like red, Yang."

The blonde rubs the brunette's head. "Well yeah, but that's why I said they weren't my colors. Red definitely works on you. I'm more of a yellow girl."

An uncertain voice speaks up from nearby. "Is it because you're blonde?"

"Well, yeah, that helps." She turns to see who it is who spoke.

She sees Sky waving at them, standing next to Daring's other friend, both of them wearing uniforms.

The three sisters walk over, Yang speaking up. "Well, at least not everybody has to get new uniforms. We should still be able to have fun this class."

Daring's gaze wanders to the clothes nearby. "...any chance I can just go with the shirt?"

Yang shrugs. "I don't know. You sure you don't want a pair of shorts or something? they usually have versions with tail holes for faunus."

She frowns, pointing at her backside. "I really don't think they have clothes that work with my body."

"You never know until you try." Her oldest sister says.

"...then one of you four pick out something..." She mutters to herself, moving over and picking up one of the smaller tops.

Pointing to Ruby, Yang says simply. "You should probably pick out yours, too. They don't offer skirts for gym though, sorry."

"...aww..." She walks over to where the filly is, sorting through the clothes together.

Meanwhile, the teacher offers a set of clothes to the lion girl. "Here you go. These should fit nicely. Let me know if you feel you need different ones."

"Yeah, sure, thanks..." She takes them and hurries off to an isolated stall to change.

With that done, she looks around to the rest of the girls. "Does anyone else need help?"

Sky raises her hand, then points to the two still digging through clothes.

Walking over, River watches them for a moment before talking. "What seems to be the problem?"

They both jump, then look at her, then at each other. Ruby decides to speak up. "We... need our uniforms?"

"Are you having trouble finding sizes?" She asks, looking at them curiously.

The filly nods, but Ruby shakes her head. "I was hoping for a skirt..."

Sifting through the shirts and holding one out for the filly, Miss Song looks to Ruby. "I'm sorry, but the code is pants or shorts to avoid students tripping, keep things aerodynamic, and make sure your clothes don't get caught on things."

She pouts, but after getting no reaction, she sighs and moves to go get a pair of shorts.

"How's the shirt fit, Daring?" The teacher asks as she looks back at the filly.

She looks uncomfortable. "...it's... pinching a little in the shoulders..."

The tall lion girl passes by, scoffing quietly. "The word is either biting or cutting into. Pinching is for armors and fingers."

"Here, take it off and we'll try one size up." She pulls out another shirt, not deterred in the slightest.

She just nods, struggling to take the clothes off.

Meanwhile, Sky watches with no small amount of curiosity. "...do you think she should have her uniform tailored for her wings?"

River helps the filly get it off, getting the new one on after. "I'll cut some holes for them once we find a good size. It won't be pretty, but it'll work."

Daring moves around a little in the new shirt before nodding and smiling at her teacher. "It's a little loose, but it's comfortable, at least."

"Good, now I just need to see it a moment..." She takes this new one, heading to the desk to grab scissors.

Meanwhile, Jade speaks up, looking unsure. "So... are you naked right now?"

The filly looks at her, confused. "...yes?"

Sky sighs, crossing her arms as she mutters under her breath. "Don't make this weird..."

She flicks her eyes to Sky, hissing. "I was just asking! I don't know what the rules are for... people who walk on four legs."

Ruby taps her chin, thoughtful. "I think her tail covers her well enough..."

Jade shrugs. "If you say so."

At that moment, River comes back with the shirt. "Here, Daring, try this. Ruby, did you find some shorts?"

She suddenly looks very guilty. "...no..."

"... what's wrong?" River asks.

She bows her head, her answer quiet yet still clear. "...I miss my combat skirt..."

"It's just for one class, dear." She crouches down as she speaks softly. "You get to put it back on afterwards."

"...but it still feels weird."

Sighing, the teacher thinks. "What if I gave you a longer shirt and a little belt? It would hang down over your short just a bit to give you a skirt."

Ruby stands there in silence for a few moments. "...that's all I can hope for, isn't it?"

She nods. "I'm sorry, Ruby, but I do have rules to follow. We have shirts, shorts, and pants. That's it."

She whines before caving in, giving a small, reluctant nod. "Okay..."

With the sorted, the teacher offers her one of their skinny but longer shirts and a pair of shorts. "Here you go. Now..." she looks to the room at large. "Does anyone else need help?"

The lion girl raises her hand. "How come the pipsqueak gets to go without pants?"

Sighing, River rubs her head. "That's been a subject of discussion since her enrollment. Daring, let's at least try to get you into a pair of shorts and if they don't work, we'll just say your tail and stance is enough." She holds up another pair of red shorts like the ones she gave to Ruby.

She tries to protest. "But my tail-"

"Is enough?" Ruby ventures.

"Is surprisingly smooth?" Sky interjects. 

Daring yanks her tail from the horse-girl's hands. "...might get in the way." She finally finishes.

"I'll just cut a hole like I did for your wings." River offers.

It's clear she wants to put up a fight, but she acquiesces, not wanting to make this take longer than necessary. She nods, stepping over to try it on.

Before she holds it out, River actually pulls her scissors out of her pocket, cutting the tail hole first. With the done, she opens and holds them out for her to step into.

Placing her forehooves on her shoulders, she carefully steps into the clothes, not quite used to standing on two limbs like everyone else.

River helps her put them, on, even popping her tail out for her. "There you go. It looks like it fits fine."

She looks back, shaking her rear. "It feels weird..."

There's a rapid knock at the door, and Qrow's voice filters through. "Hey, you through playing dress-up? We have to get going; the time for changing is up!"

River claps her hands. "Alright girls, you should all be set now. Starting tomorrow you'll be required to change into your gym clothes at the start of class, you'll change out at the end. Now come on, time to see how the boys look in theirs." There's a few giggles as she leads them out.

Daring rushes out the front, excited to see her other friend. Sky can't help but giggle a little at this.
> Chapter 14
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

The boys are milling about when they exit the locker room, entertaining themselves in various ways. Some are actually just watching the girls come out, Argent being one of them.

The wolf boy's body hair is a bit darker than others his age, and while his muscles aren't the largest, they do seem defined.

Of course, the filly rushes straight up to him, grinning brightly. "You look great!"

Rubbing the back of his head, the boy grins and laughs. "Well, thanks. Same to you! I'm glad they found a uniform that worked for you."

"Are you kidding?" She turns around to show him her shorts, pouting a bit. "I have to wear these... and no underwear underneath, which really doesn't feel good."

He clears his throat, cheeks pink. "Well, umm... didn't you bring any underwear?" His eyes lock onto her tail.

"No." She turns back to him, pouting rather adorably. "I didn't think I'd need them."

"Well... you can just bring them tomorrow, right? So it'll be better." He still smiles at her. "We can still have fun today."

She scrunches up her muzzle a bit. "...I don't actually have any..."

Argent blinks at this. "How... how do... wow, you really do never wear pants, huh?"

She nods. "And now you know why I'm upset."

"Well, sorry..." He bends down so his head is on her level. "Anything I can do to help?"

She just rears up and hugs him, nuzzling his neck for comfort. His hands gingerly come around her before he switches to hugging her warmly.

Yang watches on, looking thoughtful with her own smile.

Meanwhile, next to her, Sky giggles excitedly.

As he hears Miss Song clap to get their attention once more, Argent reflexively stands up, forgetting to stop hugging Daring and ending up holding her up.

"Alright, students, time for you to get a little exercise."

The filly looks to her as she embraces the boy a little tighter, visibly straining not to look down.

He changes his hold to supporting under her, more comfortable and more stable. As the teachers start to say what they'll be doing, he whispers to her. "I won't drop you."

She blushes softly at this, turning and gently nuzzling his cheek. "T-thank you..."

"And now, Qrow, if you would?" River looks to her co-teacher.

He blinks, looking at her as he pulls his bottle away from his lips. "Sorry, what? I wasn't paying attention. Was this tag or keep away?"

She rolls her eyes before facing the students. "You'll be playing tag, but there will be three people at a time who are it, and no getting too rough with each other."

"Right." Qrow points at Daring and Argent. "The cuddling couple of kids are two of them. Who wants to be the third?"

Jade raises her hand while the other two get a bit pinker. "I'm up for it."

"Good." He nods, then looks at River once more, taking another swig. "Your turn."

She nods before looking at all the assembled children. "You have ten seconds before they start tagging."

They all quickly scatter, leaving the three kids alone with the adults in record time.

River laughs. "That gets them going... don't worry you three, we have team games some days, too."

Daring nods in thanks, still not wanting to let go of Argent.

"So... I guess we should go get them?" He asks her.

Jade just smiles at the two, eyes scanning for her first target.

Daring nods, but still doesn't let go.

Miss Song looks at each of the chasers. "Aaaaaaand... go."

Jade takes off towards the nearest group of students, a grin on her face as she chases them down.

Before he can rush off, the filly taps his arm with a hoof. "Hey... do you think we should play smart? Plan this out?"

He looks down at her and nods. "Surround them so they can't escape?"

"And cut them off when they're fleeing from Jade." She grins excitedly.

"Should we split up for that?" He asks, still not having let her go.

"Not for making sure she catches them." She grins, then leans up and whispers into his ear.

Nodding, Argent smiles as he starts to head towards the others, Jade already among them like a hawk among pigeons. They can even see a panicking Sky somewhere in the mix, trying hard to avoid her friend's touch.

Darting around the side Jade isn't on Argent heads for the thickest crowd of students.

Daring tenses, looking up at the boy with eyes full of trust.

He braces his arms under her before tossing her a ways in front of him, giving her a bit of air time, but not getting her too high.

Her wings spread as soon as she's tossed, a golden glow surrounding her as she somehow glides through the air. She jumps from person to person, tagging each with a feather light touch before suddenly crashing to the ground at the wolf-boy's feet.

Chaos erupts among the children as newly made 'it' people turn on their friends. This is made even more hectic as none of them even know who the real one who is 'it', forgetting the rules they'd heard only minutes before.

Meanwhile, Argent scoops Daring back up, brushing her off as he moves to stay away from the crowd, having already tagged his successor to the 'it' title. "Are you okay?"

"...I'm fine, I think." She rubs her head, confused. "...what happened, anyways?"

"You glided and tagged some people." He explains, doing a small leap away to dodge a charge. "It looked like you were glowing, it was so well done."

The filly blushes brightly, hugging him a bit tighter. "...not what I meant, but thank you..."

He smiles, looking back to see they've separated the the main groups and no one has seemed to notice. "Looks like we outran them."

"More like you outran them." She giggles, tapping him on the nose.

His ears wiggle as he laughs. "Yeah, I guess I haven't really let you run yet... did you want to be put down?"

She hugs him a little tighter at this. "...did you want to put me down?"

He nuzzles the top of her head. "Not really. I want to stay like this for a bit."

"...we could probably hide somewhere so we won't be bothered." She smiles up at him hopefully.

He thinks for a moment before grinning. "Yeah, let's do it!" He looks around the fairly open gym, wondering where they could go.

She points at the bleachers beside them. "How about there?"

Nodding, the boy casts one more glance at the other students before prowling over to the quieter and less hectic area behind the seating. He looks around, smiling as they go a little further in. "It's kind of like a little den."

She looks up at him curiously. "A den? Like a living room?"

"Umm, sort of, sorry, it's just a term my family uses to describe a homey place." He blushes a bit as he sits down, her now in his lap.

"Oh, that's neat." She smiles up at him, turning to better cuddle up against him. "So... how long do you think we can get away with this?"

He turns his ears towards the edge of the bleachers, listening. "I think we can stay here until the teachers call us."

"Good." She smiles, then leans into his embrace, closing her eyes and sighing happily.

Argent looks a bit off-put at first, unsure what to do with a girl all but sleeping on him. In the end, he tuned out the sounds of the class that he can still hear and just starts stroking her mane.

Her soft breaths are surprisingly soothing, and she flicks a ear towards his hand as he continues. It's actually pretty mesmerizing.

So much so, in fact, it takes the sound of shattering glass to make him notice the smaller of their teachers nearby.

River peeks at them. "Hey, you two. Just letting you know, a light fell and there's a bit of glass right now. We're dealing with it, but just be careful when you come out, okay?"

Daring slowly nods, hugging the boy tighter for security, hoping they won't get in trouble. Who knows if they're supposed to be under there, after all. "O-okay."

"And for the record: don't think you can get out of every gym class by hiding under here and getting cozy with each other." She grins at them knowingly. "However, today is one of the days you can."

She blushes brightly, shakily nodding in the face of this new information.

"Alright, you two have fun, then." She smiles and disappears from view.

Argent speaks softly after a moment. "She's very understanding."

The pony can only nod, unsure what to make of that. "Should we, you know... do something?" She looks up at him, nervous. "There's glass, after all..."

"Well, she said they were keeping everyone away from it, so I don't think they would let us help clean it up," he reasons. "We could do something here, though, and it would be listening to them."

"True..." She smiles at him, leaning up and nuzzling his cheek. "What do you want to do while we wait for the end of class?"

The boy looks thoughtful as his cheeks stay pink. "Well, we've been talking, so we could keep doing that, or maybe we could play a game or something?" Looking around, he confirms that the bars they're among under the bleachers would make running hazardous.

Daring clearly realizes this as well. "Hmm... what game can we play that doesn't involve too much moving?"

Argent takes one hand off her to rub his head. "I don't really know, my family's games usually involve moving around, and when they don't, it's usually board games or something."

"I wouldn't know, either." She shrugs, then edges closer to him, nuzzling into his chest. "Your family sounds pretty interesting, though. Are they all puppies like you?"

He shakes his head. "No, my dad and I are wolf Faunus, but my mom and my sister are fox Faunus."

Her eyes widen at this. "Does that mean they have bushy tails?"

He nods with a grin. "Mom has a red fox tail, my sister has a snow fox one."

She squirms a little, nervous. "...would they be mad if I tried to cuddle their tails? They sound really soft..."

He looks thoughtful at this. "They are. I hug mom's and my sister snuggles hers when she sleeps. I bet they'd like you and let you hug them if you asked." By the time he's done talking, he's absentmindedly touching Daring's tail softly.

Daring notices this, but doesn't say anything, either because she doesn't want to embarrass him, or because she genuinely enjoys it. 

"That'll be two lien."

The filly jumps in surprise, turning and staring in surprise at her sisters, who had somehow snuck up on them.

Yang leans against the wall. "I was starting to wonder where he'd carried you off to."

She can only blush at this. "...y-you saw us, then?"

"Well, I mean you two were just standing there with him holding you before the game started." She points out. "You've been looking pretty comfortable like that, sis."

She gives a sheepish smile. "He's... really comfortable..."

Ruby just looks at her older sister, very confused. "But I thought she said you were comfortable, earlier, Yang."

"She did..." She narrows her eyes at her pony sister. "Do I have to share with him now on being comfortable to you?"

"...maybe?"

While the other two are distracted, Ruby sneaks over to Argent, poking his shoulder. "You still owe us two lien."

He looks down to the filly still in his arms, looking back up at Ruby with a pleading face. "But... she likes it and we're friends, do I still have to pay?"

She thinks for a moment. "Friends get half off, so..." She holds out a hand to him, smiling warmly. "One lien."

He does a small snort, having to take one arm off Daring so he can fish into his pocket and pull out the one lien chit. "Here, at least it's definitely worth it."

She smiles and takes it from him. "Pleasure doing business. And hey, maybe you'll join the family and it'll be free."

He puts his arm back around the filly, hugging her. "I'd like that. I'll end up spending way too much money if I don't."

"Then find a way to join our family." Daring looks up at him, hopeful. "I certainly wouldn't mind."

He smiles at this. "Maybe we could hang out after school sometimes?"

The filly eagerly nods, nuzzling under his chin. "I'd like that..."

Yang cuts in. "We'd need to ask Dad first, he'd probably want to meet him."

She blinks, turning to look at the blonde girl. "We do? He would?"

Yang nods. "If we want to play with anyone after school, yeah. Otherwise, Dad will worry. You know how he gets."

She nods, then taps her chin, frowning a bit. "...what class does he teach, again?"

"History." Yang answers, smiling.

She blinks, grins, and then frowns cutely. "How come he didn't tell me he taught my favorite subject?"

"Maybe he wanted to surprise you?" The oldest sister offers while Argent has started to stroke the filly's mane once more.

"Maybe." She smiles lazily, leaning into his touch and humming happily.

Yang continues, remembering her schedule from earlier. "I think you have his class after this."

The wolf boy speaks up. "I have history after this, too."

"Great!" She jumps up and hugs him around the neck. "Carry me to class?"

Ruby frowns a bit, pointing a finger at her. "Shouldn't you get changed first, though?"

"Yeah, weren't you all like 'pants are dumb!' when we were in the locker room?" Yang adds, making her voice higher as she imitates the pony.

Daring curls up a bit more against Argent, pouting quietly. "...I don't sound like that..."

He nuzzles the top of her head as Yang continues. "Plus, the rest of us and the boys have to change, too."

"But I'd be willing to carry you after that." The boy quickly adds.

She squeals in delight, bouncing in his lap in glee.

Ruby frowns, looking over her shoulder and between the seats at the clock on the wall. "Don't we have twenty minutes, though? And that's if they clean up all the glass."

"So that just means we still have time to do stuff, right?" Argent smiles, looking down at Daring.

"It sure seems like it." She smiles back at him, an ear twitching.

"...what can you even do, here?" Ruby looks around, frowning a bit. "It's so crowded."

"It's less crowded than out there." Yang points a thumb over her shoulder.

"Yeah, but what games can you play when there's bars every five feet?" Ruby retorts.

"That's what we were trying to figure out." Argent answers, looking around. "I think we pretty much have word games, ones that keep us sitting, or maybe some kind of obstacle course."

"There's also truth or dare." A voice says from the other side of the bleachers.
> Chapter 15
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

They turn and see a familiar black and gray clothed man leaning against the seats, holding a water bottle.

"Hey Uncle Qrow!" Yang waves to him. "What do you mean?"

He turns his head enough to see her, an eyebrow raised. "You've never played truth or dare?"

"I mean, we dare each other, but it's never really been a game, it's just been a thing." She shrugs.

"Then make it a game." He whistles, waving the other teacher over. "Hey, teach them how to play truth or dare."

She comes over, giving him a look. "At least they're not older, when this game becomes trouble."

"What, like what happened between you and Night?" He chuckles, taking another swig.

"Shush." She holds up a finger to him as she goes over to the children. "So, this game is actually pretty simple. One person ask another 'truth or dare'. If they answer truth, you ask them a question that they answer honestly. If they say dare, you dare them to do something. Once that's done, the person who was asked, asks the next person."

The filly blinks, surprised. "...that sounds... surprisingly simple."

She nods. "The rules are supposed to be like that. Some people add other ones like punishments if you don't want to do a dare, but that's up to you. Just don't do anything bad, okay?"

Ruby raises her hand. "Can the punishment be to drink from Qrow's water bottle?"

"Nope." He holds it protectively. "Not gonna happen."

"Try not to involve people who aren't playing's things." River chides lightly, holding up a finger.

"...but he was the one who suggested it," she replies, confused. "And it's just water, right?"

Qrow noticeably avoids eye contact.

She quickly shakes her head. "Don't worry about it. You kids just have fun, okay? Qrow and I can't play because we need to keep an eye on the other students, too."

They nod, though Daring turns and points at Yang. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare." She smiles confidently at her.

"I dare you to find that lion girl and hug her!" She grins at her older sister.

Yang instantly groans. "Of course..." She peeks out from behind the bleachers, looking for her.

She finds her with her friends, scowling up at the empty spot where the light was.

Yang narrows her eyes before looking over at her uncle. "Hey, can you come with me so she doesn't just punch me? Cause then, I'd have to punch her back and then we fight and Dad would be mad."

"Yeah, sure." He shrugs, then pushes his bottle into River's hands. "Don't drink it."

"I won't." She answers as Yang leads Qrow over to the group of girls. When she gets close, Yang pretends to trip, hanging onto the lion girl in a sort of hug to keep falling.

"Whoah!"

A hand grips her by the collar, lifting her up off the ground as a growl rumbles in the taller girl's throat. "You did that on purpose."

Yang kicks her feet a bit as she smiles. "Hey, all I did was catch myself on you. I didn't make you fall."

She snarls and pulls her arm back to fling her, only to be stopped by Qrow. "Yeah, no, I can't let you do that, Miss Blaze." He carefully extracts his niece from her grip and sets her back on the ground.

"Yeah...so... sorry!" With a wave, Yang darts back to behind the bleachers and announces to the others. "Did it!"

"With some help from Uncle Qrow," Ruby points out.

"Hey, if we want to keep the game going, I had to do something. That girl would never let me actually hug her." The blonde snorts. "Now... Ruby, truth or dare?"

"Truth." She frowns a bit. "I don't feel like hugging that girl."

"Yeah... but here's one: if you couldn't wear red at all, what color would you wear?" She watches, curious.

She blinks, rubbing her head thoughtfully. "Uh... black or white, I guess? Yellow's your thing, and those are still colors for roses, I think."

"How come not pink?" Argent asks.

She blushes, rubbing her arm awkwardly. "...because I kinda forgot about it."

Yang giggles as she rubs Ruby's head. "Yeah, I dunno, a lot of those seem too bright for you. Who do you wanna ask?"

She thinks for a bit before leaning back and calling out to the gym. "Hey, Jade! Truth or dare?"

The girl soon shows up, a light sheen of sweat on her body. "Truth."

She stares, baffled. "...what were you.. wait, no, question!" She taps her head with her hands before she continues. "Have you ever wanted to do what Argent is doing?"

She glances at the wolf boy before shrugging. "Eh, a little during math, but just to see if she was as soft as she looked. I don't think he'll be giving her up anytime soon, though."

She glances at the two of them, then shrugs. "I guess not."

"Daring? Truth or dare?" Jade asks, sitting down and wiping sweat off her forehead.

"...umm..." She looks up at Argent, as if expecting him to have the answer, then shrugs and sighs. "Dare, I guess?"

"I dare you to..." She stops and thinks. "Fluff out your wings and make a bird noise."

She blinks, then shrugs, spreading her wings and grinning at her. "Jade wanna cracker!"

There's a assorted giggles around as the girl laughs. "So you really are a bird horse, then?"

A hat smacks into her face and rebounds into Daring's hoof, her expression even, betraying no thoughts. "Could a bird do that?"

The girl grumbles, rubbing her face a bit. "Just take your turn, Feathers."

"Sure." She looks up at Argent, smiling warmly. "Truth or dare?"

"Hmm... dare." He answers with his own grin.

She hums thoughtfully, her eyes moving to Jade for a moment. "...I dare you to mess up her hair."

He flinches a little. "That's, not what I expected..."

Jade raises an eyebrow at him, as if challenging him. "You're lucky we have showers here, so I can fix it after."

Daring smiles, gesturing the girl closer. "I'm not getting up."

"You never know, he might put you down." She says, only moving one step closer.

Argent shakes his head. "Not unless I have to." With that said, he reaffirms his grasp on the filly as he stands up.

She grabs his arm, not wanting to be dropped.

As the girl stares straight at him, Argent gingerly reaches up and rubs her hair back and forth quickly to mess it up. She grits her teeth, letting it happen but frowning at him. "You're lucky this is a dare."

A golden wing comes up and messes it up even more. "There. That fits Jade pretty well, right?"

"Maybe?" He offers while the girl tries to straighten her hair a bit.

She speaks up as she does so. "I was thinking of getting it cut shorter."

Daring blows a raspberry, patting her on the head. "You look good as you are. Why change it?"

She blows a raspberry while Argent looks thoughtful. "Ruby, truth or dare?"

"Wait, what?" She whimpers softly. "I just went. Can't you ask, I dunno..." She glances through the bleachers, then points at a certain horse girl. "Her, Sky!"

As the girl comes over, Argent sighs. "I guess I can change it."

Sky slows to a stop as she rounds the bleachers, frowning a bit. "...should I be concerned?"

"Truth or dare." Argent asks her simply.

She blinks twice. "...dare?" She scratches her head in confusion, muttering to herself. "What's a dare?"

"I dare you to... try and take Ruby's belt so she doesn't have her 'skirt' anymore!" He points at the girl who deflected his question.

The girl in question squeaks, suddenly dashing off to avoid this fate. At some point during this, she suddenly veers to the right, grunting when this makes her hit a metal x in the bleachers. "...who put that there?"

Sky walks over, removes the belt, and then moves back to put it on Argent's head. "There you go."

"Okay, your turn." As the boy shakes it off, Yang goes over to Ruby to make sure shes okay.

Sky shrugs, then turns to the girl beside her. "Truth or dare, Jade?"

After seeing everything else, her answer is quick. "Dare."

She nods towards the other side of the bleachers. "Do something to humiliate Delta Blaze."

"...who, and do they deserve it?" She asks with a straight face.

She frowns, reaches over to grip her chin, then carefully turns her head so she sees the lion girl they'd met at least twice, as a group.

As she sees the girl, Jade says simply. "Have you ever heard the phrase: don't poke the dragon?"

"She's not a dragon, she's a lion." She crosses her arms at her. "Come on, aren't dares supposed to be binding, or something?"

Daring, baffled, looks up at Argent for confirmation.

He shrugs as Jade cracks her neck. "I'm gonna do it, I'm just saying she's gonna be mad." She narrows her eye as she looks around for something to use.

"Please, take your time." Sky smirks playfully. "Just do it before class ends."

She snorts. "Do I still get to ask someone?"

"Of course you do." She pats her on the shoulder.

Smiling, she looks over at the others, looking thoughtful. "Ruby Truth or dare?"

She blinks, still a little frazzled from colliding with steel bars. "...what?"

"Nevermind, want to go again, Daring?" She quickly changes targets.

The filly blinks, looking from the girl to the boy holding her and back. "...the opposite of what I did last time? I can't remember."

"Truth then." She smiles, eyes darting to the boy. "What exactly are you liking about that boy holding you?"

"He's nice. And a cute puppy." She giggles, turning so she can pet his head with a wing.

"Anything else?" Jade asks as the boy's ears wiggle.

"Umm..." She taps her chin thoughtfully. "He's comfortable? I don't think I can think of much else before we learn more about each other."

"Think you'll be even harder to get away from him then?" Her grin gets wider.

"Yeah, I guess?" She tilts her head to one side. "Why?"

"Just wondering." She laughs softly. "Your turn."

She considers everyone there, then looks at Argent, smiling softly. "Truth or dare?"

"Umm... whatever you want." He smiles sheepishly.

Yang tilts her head. "Is he allowed to say that?"

Sky can only shrug, unsure what to say in the face of that.

Daring, however, has no qualms. "I dare you to tickle one of the other girls until they beg you to stop. Like dad does with Yang."

"Hey!"

All the other girls tense up as he processes this. "Hmm..." His eyes dart up, scanning all of them.

The pony girl looks ready to bolt, if her trembling legs are any indication.

Ruby doesn't seem to know what's going on, glancing around at the others in confusion.

Argent gingerly sets Daring down before going for little Miss Rose. Yang abandons the girl to her fate, backing off as the boy starts to tickle.

"H-hey, what... hey!" She grabs his hands, trying to stop him while doing her darnedest not to laugh. "S-sis! Help!"

"It's just part of the game, you know what you have to say to get him to stop." Yang laughs as she watches.

The brunette grits her teeth, then, in a quick blur, switches places with her sister and promptly jumps back three feet.

"Hey wait!" Yang's cries are cut off with laughter as Argent continues, though with a surprised look at Ruby. "Okay, okay, stop stop!" Yang plants a hand in the boy's face as she gives up, panting.

Golden feathers pop up, tickling her from behind briefly, just enough to make her think it'll go on longer.

"Gah!" She quickly rolls away from them both. "Hey, I thought the dare was until I gave up!"

Daring smirks, pointing at the boy now standing beside them. "That was for him."

"I'm so gonna get you later." She vows with a smile.

As Argent picks the filly back up, River pokes her head underneath to speak to them. "Time to come out. You need to change and shower if you like before your next class."

Daring nods, then pauses, lifting a foreleg to sniff at herself.

Argent smiles down at her. "I think you smell fine."

"That's all well and good, but I don't." Jade says as she starts marching towards the locker rooms. "And I have a prank to pull."

Daring shrugs, then starts taking off the shirt that she didn't want to wear in the first place.

The teacher quickly comes over and stops her while Argent's face gains a slight pink tint. "Daring... wait to change until you're in the locker room."

She whines, looking up at River Song dejectedly. "Do I have to?"

"Yes, we can't just have a student running around naked." She pulls the shirt back down on her. "At least you can go back to your normal clothes, right?"

She frowns at her, crossing her forelegs as she pouts. "I have my vest under my hat... it's not like I was going to run around without anything on..."

"Well, we have to start good habits early, and you'll generally want to change in the locker room so you can shower after." The teacher insists, starting to usher them all in that direction.

The filly groans, knowing there's no way she's getting out of this, and just snuggles a bit more into Argent's embrace.

"And you can't go into the boys room either!" River calls as they close in on the doors. 

The wolf boy leans down, speaking to the filly. "I'll carry you again once we change if you want."

She nods, blushing softly as she smiles up at him. "...I think I'd like that..."

As he smiles back, Yang walks over and plucks Daring from his hands. "Okay, come on. You two are going to take forever at this rate." She and the other girls head into the room as the boy just waves.

The filly bites her lip then, careful to take her vest out of it, tossed her hat to Argent. "Hold onto that for me, okay?"

He nods, fingers running along the brim as the door closes behind them.

Yang looks down at Daring with a knowing smirk. "Wow, you really like him, huh?"

She smiles and shrugs a bit. "I like him. I feel I can trust him."

"It looked to me like you wanted to keep him as your puppy." Jade comments as she finds the group once more, her whole body lightly damp and a towel wrapped around herself.

"Maybe." She quickly strips out of her clothes and tosses them at her friend and sister. "But wouldn't I also be his pony?"

Jade dodges to let Yang take the clothes to the face. "Yep. You would be each other's. The closest and most inseparable of allies. Kind of like my mom and dad."

She pauses with her vest partially on, frowning a bit. "...oh, yeah, we need to see about getting dad and Miss Song together." Nodding to herself, she snaps her vest closed and starts heading towards the doors. "I wonder if we can ask dad, next class..."

The olive skinned girl watches as she goes while she gets dressed herself. "She's very focused when she wants to be."

Ruby nods, frowning a bit. "Yeah... makes me wonder why she doesn't try flying, again..."

"Can she not fly?" Jade asks, looking curious. "She seemed like she could earlier when she was hopping from kid to kid."

"She didn't move her wings," Sky points out. "That wasn't flying; that was gliding."

"Oh." The other girl finishes dressing before she speaks again. "That's too bad. Flying would be a good advantage."

"It's not like she isn't trying," Ruby mutters quietly.

Jade still ears this. "Well, maybe when her wings get bigger or something, she'll be able to." With that done, she glances over to where the lion girl is in the shower. With a few swift movements, she takes the girl's deodorant and puts it under the bench toward the wall where it's hard to see, but could possibly have fallen.

The brunette tilts her head to one side, then turns to Yang. "...do you think that counts, sis?"

"Hmm... depends what happens." The blonde looks thoughtful. "If she doesn't use it or freaks out, I think it does."

She's about to respond when Delta steps into the room, wrapped in a towel. She heads straight for her stuff, about to search through it when she stops, frowning a bit. "...someone's been through my stuff..."

A few girls look over to her, Jade not included as she continues to casually talk to the others. "So what classes do you girls have next?"

The pony girl shrugs, thinking for a bit. "...history, I think?"

"Math for me!" Ruby butts in, waving her hand excitedly.

Yang nods. "I've got science."

Finally, Jade finishes the sharing. "I've got English. Well, at least I have some classes with you girls."

She's suddenly spritzed in the back of the head with something that smells like the forest. Turning, she sees the taller girl, frowning at her. "Don't touch my stuff, squirt."

Rubbing the back of her head, she turns to the girl fearlessly. "Alright."

"Oh, by the way?" She pulls out another can, similarly colored save for a red stripe. "This was the can you 'bumped' off the shelf." She promptly sprays a little bit on Jade's collar, grinning. "If you wanted to borrow it, you should've just asked."

The sentence is barely done before a foul smell reaches the girl's nose, yet doesn't seem to affect anyone else in the room, likely due to the amount and position of it.

She wrinkles her nose, holding it after a moment. "Why would you want to stink?"

"No, it's not for me." She sneers, turning and walking away. "It's for those who try to make a fool of me. Or who'd try to steal my stuff."

Narrowing her eyes, Jade starts trying to wipe off the smell. "Alright, I don't like her."

Sky, standing nearby, sighs and nods as she finishes pulling her shirt back on. "Now you feel my pain."

"I feel like she's going to be a problem." Jade says simply as the others finish getting ready.

"Probably." Ruby turns and starts heading out the door, opening it a bit before pausing, eyes wide in surprise.

"What's up?" Yang asks as she walks up behind her.

She turns and points over her shoulder at the scene before her. This turns out to be Argent with golden wings apparently growing from his back, and the pith hat on his head.

"What the heck?" She walks out, going closer to the boy before she spots Daring and laughs. "Oh, you had me going there!"

The filly peeks out over his shoulder, sticking her tongue out playfully at her sister.

"Having fun with your puppy?" Jade asks as she walks out as well.

"Yep!" She grins, then turns to happily nuzzle his neck. "He's a good puppy."

As the boy smiles happily, he speaks. "Should we start walking to class?"

"Sure!" Daring giggles, hugging him a bit tighter. "Can I stay on your back?"

Nodding, Argent does a little test walk. "As long as you don't fall."

"I'm secure, don't worry." She smiles, tail swishing behind her as they move about the gym.

River comes over to them as Students are filtering out of both locker rooms. "Okay everyone, you can go ahead and start heading to your next classes. The bell will be ringing in a moment, so you're just a little early."

"Alright! Let's go to dad's class, Argent!" She points over his shoulder, grinning as if they were going on an adventure.

They can hear Yang's laughter as they set off, out of the gym and onto their next destination.
> Chapter 16
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------

Later, after the class, the students are filtering out, having been dismissed by Tai.

Daring, however, drags her friend over to the teacher's desk, beaming up at her father and waiting for him to notice them.

He turns to them with a smile and a fond brush to the filly's mane. "So, I get to meet this friend who was holding you all class?"

"Yep!" She moves behind him to give him a little push towards Tai. "Dad, this is Argent Gale. He's my new friend!"

The man looks the boy over before nodding. "Well, Argent, it's good to meet you. I'm glad one of my daughters is making new friends." He keeps his smile even as his tone changes a little. "Be sure to be nice to her, alright?"

"Yes, sir!" The wolf boy barks out, nodding briskly back.

Daring peeks out from behind him, confused. "...did I miss something? That just sounded really odd."

"Just doing a dad thing." Tai chuckles. "I'm glad you two have been getting along. Friends can help you go a long way."

"Really?" She bounds over to him, grinning happily. "Can it help me fly?"

There's snickering from the one other person in the classroom, who was still gathering up her stuff.

Tai gives them a look before smiling at his daughter. "Well, not directly, but maybe he can help you work at it by keeping you motivated in your training or something."

She nods, then turns to Argent, eyes sparkling. "When are we going to start?"

He looks at her sheepishly. "I mean, I don't really know what to do, but whenever you want, I guess."

"Not until the end of the school day." Her father interjects.

She nods, then gets back to being relatively serious. "So, what's your next class, Argent?"

He looks thoughtful for a moment. "Umm... Science, I think."

Daring blinks, frowning as she tries to think. "...what's my next subject, again?" She opens her saddlebag with a wing and stretches her neck to search through it.

Argent's hand comes over her and fishes out a sheet of paper. "Is this it?"

"Yeah, that's it." She smiles up at him, letting the flap of her bag fall back into place.

"So what do you have? You seem like you have some classes in my grade and some in a lower one." He looks curiously at her.

"I... honestly can't remember." She sheepishly smiles, letting out a "squee" sound.

"Then read your schedule." Her dad says simply, watching the two with an amused expression.

She pouts, then takes the paper and holds it up to him. "You read it!"

He gives her a small look before glancing at the paper. "You have science next, too."

"Awesome!" She turns and jumps onto Argent once more, giggling happily. "Let's go! Don't want to be late, right?"

"Make sure to focus in your class!" Tai calls as he watches them go.

"Alright!" Daring calls over the boy's shoulder, waving happily.

He speaks to her as he goes down the hall. "Your dad seems nice. He looks after you."

"Yeah he does." She giggles quietly. "I'm very grateful for that."

As something occurs to him, he looks to her with an expectant grin. "Hey, if it comes to it, you wanna be lab partners?"

She grins right back, patting him on the shoulder. "I'd like that."

As he heads for the door, he asks another question. "Do I get to be your chair again?"

She looks up at him, contemplative, then shrugs, smiling slyly. "Only if you want to."

"Well, I like holding you, so I wouldn't mind."  He admits, looking away a little.

"Good." The filly nuzzles him once more. "Maybe we can get into a group easier, that way."

"Yeah, I wonder what our teacher is like?" He opens the door for them, heading inside the room.

"I actually don't know." She looks over her shoulder, frowning a bit. "Maybe it's Miss Song?"

"Teaching three classes? Wouldn't she be too busy?" He thinks on that as he takes a spot for them at one of the tables. The room is designed out more to give a couple of students a fair amount of space to work at each table.

With most of the other tables full, it doesn't take long for another person to sit at their table. This one, however, is a familiar face, who stares at them in disbelief. "...why am I seeing you two everywhere, today?"

Argent shrugs, securing his hold on the pony. "I guess cause we're in the same grade."

Delta rolls her eyes and points at the pony. "Then what's her excuse?"

He looks down at her curiously before hazarding a guess. "Because she's smart?"

She scoffs, then faces the front. "Yeah, sure."

Argent gives the smaller girl an apologetic look. "I didn't know the reason so I just guessed."

"It's fine." She grins at him. "I really am smart."

"I thought so." He chuckles, nuzzling her. "I bet you get a's in almost everything."

She weakly smiles. "I wouldn't know... this is my first time in school."

"Well... just don't forget to do homework." He winces a bit.

Daring gently pats his arm with a hoof. "If you want, we can always do the tough stuff together." She grins at him. "It's not like our classes differ too much, right?"

Delta snickers to their right.

"I guess not, plus it would let us hang out more." He strokes her mane.

A familiar black-haired man steps into the room, and he frowns at the boy. "No public displays of affection in my classroom. And especially not with my niece."

Argent quickly puts his hand down as he whispers to the filly. "Are all the adults in your family teachers here?"

"I don't know if Yang's mom is," she helpfully offers.

As he glances back up at the teacher, the boy continues. "Is he as nice as your dad? I couldn't tell in gym."

"I like to think so." She giggles as she watches him scribble on the board. "He's like our fun uncle."

"In science?" He smiles at this, ears standing up. "Cool."

"Yep!"

"Listen up, class." He takes a swig from a water bottle, then puts it on his desk. "Whoever is at your station will be your lab partner for the rest of the year." He turns a bit and taps the board with a knuckle. "Now, let's talk about physics."

"Umm..." Argent blinks rapidly, looking between Daring and Delta. "So... are we a group of three?"

"Yes, you are." He answers without missing a beat, then tosses him a ball. "Tell me, class, what did you just see?"

While Argent looks to the ball he had caught with a smile, another student speaks you. "You throwing a ball?"

"Correct, but what about the path it took?" He gestures for the wolf boy to toss it back.

He does so, arcing it in the air until Qrow catches it.

"A curve?" Another student tries to answer.

"Exactly." He smiles, gesturing to the ball in his hands. "Now, would you believe me if I said all projectiles - objects moving through the air - have a similar path?"

"Even bullets?" The same student asks.

"Yes, even those." He tilts his head to one side. "Granted, they're usually going too fast to observe, but they do arc."

Argent's ears flick as he tilts his head to one side. "I didn't know that. I figured they went in straight lines."

"Not exactly." He turns and gestures to the board, where a caricature of Yang is shown shooting at a target in the distance off a cliff. "Just like the ball, everything is affected by gravity. And I'm not talking about the Dust."

There are sounds of general murmuring from the kids, a few nods, and some hums of thought.

"Now clearly I'm not going to let you fire guns in my science class, so we'll do the next best thing." He pulls a box of balls of all kinds from behind his desk. "You're going to toss these around, get a feel for them, because we're doing a lab, next class."

The air in the class becomes excited to an almost tangible level as the kids chatter.

He tosses the first ball at a random student. "See if you can make a pattern of passes. No one's ever achieved this, before."

"How come? It's just throwing a ball." They toss it to another student a couple tables away.

"Fumbling a catch, hitting another ball in flight," he tosses a second one into the mix, "and stuff like that."

As more passes are made, the air soon becomes chaos, balls flying everywhere and the occasional squeal from someone not expecting one.

Qrow nods his head, impressed they had seven going through the air and no collisions, yet. Of course, just as he thinks this, two hit each other and go flying where they aren't supposed to. He easily catches the one flying at his face, but the other clocks Daring in the forehead.

Argent tucks her against him more to shield her while he looks at her with concern. "You okay?"

She waves a hoof at him, nervously giggling. "I'm fine. My aura kept me safe... though it still kinda hurt..."

He gives her a hug before having to duck another ball.

Surprising only the two of them, this actually causes the boy's lips to press against her forehead, especially since she had also reflexively pulled away from the ball's path.

Qrow calls out to the two of them as he passes another ball. "Second warning. No public displays of affection in my room."

"Lucky..." Someone nearby whispers. "...most only get one warning..."

She smiles at him sheepishly. "It wasn't your fault... though I, uh, didn't mind you doing it..." The filly blushes a bit, knocking a ball away with her wing and looking at everyone but him.

As the boy's ears start to get a bit pink, too, the room seems fully chaotic now. The kids seem to have forgotten the goal of making a pattern and are now just throwing balls back and forth wherever they like.

Qrow just looks at his watch, humming thoughtfully. "Fifteen minutes. That's a new record."

One student next to him looks up. "Huh?"

He shrugs a bit. "Just timing how long it'd take for this exercise to break down into chaos. This class took the longest time, so far."

Argent is laughing as he catches and throws balls with one hand. "This seems more like PE right now!"

"It makes sense," Daring points out, "since he's also a gym teacher."

He looks at her curiously. "Think we'll do anything else, too?"

"Dunno." She shrugs helplessly, then deflects a ball heading for his face.

"Thanks." He smiles at her. "I'm surprised more people haven't gotten hit."

"My leg!"

She blinks, then turns to the source of the noise. "...huh. Who threw a ball hard enough to do that?"

"I don't know..." The boy answers as he slowly lifts up his legs to shield them with the table.

Delta, beside them, just smirks at the scene. "Don't worry about him. He's a wuss."

As the boy lowers his legs, he looks to her curiously. "Oh... you aren't worried about being hit?"

She looks at him, an eyebrow raised as she slashes a ball to ribbons. "Should I be?"

"No destroying school property," Qrow speaks up from the front of the class, drawing everyone's attention to their station.

Argent winces a bit. "I didn't realize you had claws..."

"Got them from my dad." She beams proudly at this fact. "Of course, he's a puma and not a lion, but still."

"Are they always out?" He asks, eyeing them.

"Of course not." She scoffs, poking her cheek with a finger. "That would be unbelievably inconvenient if I wanted to do something delicate."

"Oh, that makes sense." He throws another ball before looking down at Daring. "Are you still okay there? I know I'm moving when I throw stuff."

The filly starts to respond when Delta grabs his head by the chin and turns it towards her, scowling in annoyance. "We're finished when I say we're finished."

Argent blinks, surprised before he bares his teeth at her and tries to pull away. "Let... go..."

She huffs and does so, leaning over and growling at him. "What were you gonna do if I didn't?"

He growls back at her even as his ears lay back. "I'd... umm..." His words falter slightly as he thinks.

"You'd do nothing." She scoffs, crossing her arms briefly before having to catch a ball aimed at her face. "Watch where you're throwing that!"

The wolf boy keeps his eyes on her, backing onto his seat. He snorts lightly, turning away from her once more.

Daring frowns, looking at him in concern. "What was that about?"

"I don't really know." He mutters, trying to think of reasons for her actions. "It seemed like she was trying to prove she was the alpha, but if that was the case it wouldn't be let go that easy."

A ball promptly bops him on the head. "Quiet, I'm trying to concentrate."

He lets out another soft growl. "On what?"

"The class, of course." She tosses the ball at Qrow, who effortlessly catches it.

Argent blinks as he watches. "Huh... I don't get you."

Delta freezes, then turns to him with narrowed eyes. "You have ten seconds to clarify that."

His ears fold back reflexively before he straightens up. "You're mean sometimes, but then you don't mind working with us and you want pay attention to class."

She gives him a wary stare. "I just don't want to get kicked out. Do my family name some good, you know?"

He nods at this, giving her a small smile. "I get that. You're making your parents proud."

She looks away, resting her cheek against her hand. "...thanks for that, I guess."

Daring, eyes narrowed, hugs Argent close to herself.

The boy looks down, chuckling and giving her a one-armed hug in return, hoping their teacher doesn't get mad.

Surprisingly, he pays them no mind, having to deal with kids who thought it'd be great to pelt each other with the balls.

Argent grins, looking down at Daring. "So... do you want to do something after school some time?"

"Of course!" She grins at him. "What do you want to do?"

He smiles wider at her acceptance. "Well, we could play, hang out, our parents would probably want us to study, too..."

"Yeah, that's always a good thing to do." She nods understandingly. "We can try all of that, if you'd like."

"Yes!" He quietly cheers, squeezing her a bit.

She lets out a quiet squeak at this.

Delta blinks, turning to them in confusion. "...why did she make a sound like a dog toy?"

Argent shrugs. "I dunno... but I liked it." He looks to the filly curiously. "Do you do that a lot?"

She shakes her head, just hugging him in return. "No... I think that might be the third time?"

"I think it's neat and special, then." He rests his head lightly on top of hers.

"You're on the edge there, Mister Gale." Qrow speaks up, having gathered the last ball. "Don't push it."

He straightens back up, sighing a bit.

"That being said, the last ten minutes of class are free for you to converse or whatever." He shrugs and starts putting the tote holding the balls back under his desk.

Argent comments to Daring. "The balls were fun, but that got a bit crazy."

"Yeah, it did, actually." She giggles, turning around in his lap to face him. "So, school's out, after this. What can we do in town?"

He shrugs. "There's a lot of places to eat, an arcade, a park... my parents just like me to tell them if I'm gonna be out later and to always have an adult with me."

Daring blinks at this. "...but dad and Uncle Qrow have stuff to do after school..."

"Well, it'd have to be my parents that take us into town then... but wait, what are your sisters gonna do?" His ears perk as he thinks of this.

She frowns slightly, unsure. "I... don't really know." A golden hoof taps her chin thoughtfully. "Maybe they can come with us?"

He nods. "I'd be fine with that. They seem fun."

"Great!" She giggles, hugging him happily. Her ear twitches and she turns to look at the girl beside them, whose gaze aimlessly wanders about the room.

The boy whispers to the pony. "Should we... talk to her or something?"

She shrugs, glancing at him nervously. "...do you want to?"

His ears fold. "Not really... I don't really know what to think about her."

"I can hear you, ya know." She casts a glare at them out of the corner of her eye.

"Oh... do you have really good hearing?" Argent asks, trying to change the subject.

"No, you just weren't as quiet as you thought you were." She turns to face him, bemused. "So what did you plan on asking me, exactly?"

He shrugs. "I didn't really have anything in mind. I just thought you might want to talk to pass the time or get to know each other since we'll be working together. Trust is important in team work."

She stares at him a moment before turning away and nodding. "Yeah, sure. Sounds fun."

"So... what do you do for fun?" he asks, fishing for ideas.

"Dance, spar, watch cheesy horror films." She pauses, then pokes his nose with a finger. "Tell. No one."

He crosses his eyes to look at his nose. "Okay," he says in a slightly nasally voice. "Why not, though?"

"Because I don't want that getting out." She huffs, turning to face the front as the bell rings.

"Alright, class," the teacher says, pulling a bottle out of his coat pocket, "you're going to get your books and your first lab tomorrow. Be safe out there."

The kids cheer as they all head out of the classroom, finally free after their first day.