Chapter 1: Beacon

Ember's POV

As a girl who's pretty fond of moving along solid ground, I still say that travelling to school by airship is the best start to Initiation Day.

The glass of the ship window fogs up as I gasp in wonder at the urban phenomenon spread out before me. My eyes are already wide and my heart tries to thump straight through my chest at the sight of the sprawling adventure playground. So many streets I haven't seen, so many corners I haven't explored, so many roofs I haven't jumped over, so many bridges I haven't danced across….

"Oh, man, I can't wait to get down there," I squeak, running to another window to get another perspective of my new home quickly. I've come from Atlas, so this whole landscape is new to me, literally never seen before. I guess that doesn't really excuse my almost childish excitement, but I couldn't really care less because I'm too absorbed by the potential beneath and around me.

But the harsh sound of cruel snickering makes me turn around, more out of curiosity than immediate defensiveness. I spot the source pretty quickly; some mean-looking punks with smirks on their faces directed at me arrogantly and openly. And I know what they're looking at, what they're laughing at.

Some faunus are blessed with small add-ons from their animal connection; ears that can be covered easily if one should so desire, I even met a cheetah faunus whose only obvious physical attribute was that their skin had very pale spots. Not me though; nope, as a fox faunus, my eyes reflect my name in a hue that's unusual for humans, and a large, thick, bushy, animal-appropriate tail sticks out of a hole I made carefully in my shorts, the white tip reaching right up to the top of my head. No hiding my status.

So I give my usual response to this sort of attention. I give a bright smile while sticking my ass out further and wiggling my tail joyfully. The punks seem to do a double-take, apparently unused to people being unaffected, even relishing, their mockery. They freeze with their stupid looks on their even stupider faces. Being more or less impervious to bullets like theirs is great by itself, but being able to deflect them back to their source is just the best bonus I can think of.

After scrunching my eyes in the most patronisingly joyous smile I can think of, I turn my back on them, making a promise to myself to swish my tail a little more than I normally would from now on. A small, unobtrusive laugh peals from my right, so I tear my eyes away from the awesome view once again to find the owner, sensing a more benign reason behind this laugh.

I can't even begin to define what stands in my sight. Imagine gentleness and fearsomeness occupying the same space, a combination of daintiness and brawn, a mixture of amity and steadfast opposition reserved for those who truly deserve it.

Very intrigued by this enigma that stands before me, I let this strange girl make the first move.

Her smile is as gentle as her laugh. "You seem very practised at that." She refers to how I dealt with the punks.

I shrug in response, giving my own smile in response. "And you don't seem surprised by that fact or the fact that that sort of immaturity was seen in here."

"Not surprised, no," she replies sadly. "Saddened, and ashamed on their behalf, but not surprised."

I turn back to the architectural spectacle out the window and continue, hoping she doesn't think I'm rude but instead realises that I have a habit of staring off into space even when engaged in conversation. "Never be ashamed on someone else's behalf; you'll rarely get thanked for it."

"Maybe not by them," she responds immediately. "But they're not the ones that matter."

Her words cause me to blink at her, momentarily stunned. Her sweet nature while being very aware of the presence of horrible people in the world only adds to her strange and fascinating paradoxical personality. Her violet eyes seem to shine with trust yet wariness. Her reply to my advice gives the impression that she has already made up her mind about my character but is tentative of that conclusion, for whatever reason.

I'm pretty good at reading people anyway, and I know that she has effectively thrown me a gauntlet, or put her hand out for shaking despite her fear. And though I know this girl can most likely take care of herself, I feel the need to protect her in some way. So I make my move.

I smile gently at her before sticking my hand out to her. "I'm Ember."

A light brightens behind her pale eyes, as does her smile as she takes my hand, shaking it politely but firmly. Her hand looks like it would be soft, but I can't really feel it through my gloves. "Aurora."

We end the exchange there for now, both turning back to the city in amiable silence. Sneaking glances at my new – friend? I think she might actually be a friend – I smile to myself as her name almost completely matches her physical appearance. Her hair tumbles in a plaited river of golden light to the tops of her thighs. Her clothes make her look like she's just stepped out of one of the fantasy novels I used to – and still do, sometimes – read, but it seems to suit her. Her feet are adorned with beautiful, sleek, practical riding boots of the purest white that I would love to know how she maintained while fighting as much as she must have done. The rest of her legs are covered by comfortable violet leggings, but I'd love to see her fight to see if they – combined with the skirt slit on both sides up to her hips as part of the overall dress she's wearing – hinder her in any way. The aforementioned dress is mainly white, but is marbled all over with light blues, pale purples and reds and yellows and greens and any other colour you can think of, imitating the visual wonder referenced by her name. To add to the image, a hooded cloak of dark blue hangs around her shoulders, velvet as the night sky. And the cherry on top? A bow. No joke. An actual bow – although no quiver, so that's strange – is slung over her shoulder, the string travelling across her chest.

She's such a unique sight that something tells me that, yes, we're going to be very good friends.

I return my gaze to Vale, reinstating conversation. "This place looks incredible."

Aurora shrugs. "I guess it does to first-time viewers."

"You're from Vale?" I ask.

She smiles. "Yeah. I didn't see any point in moving anywhere else; I mean, I like it here, so where else should I go? Seemed the smartest idea to stay home."

I laugh. "Fair enough. I'm the complete opposite; I love new places, and while I always love a home to come back to, I sort of have lots of homes all around the place. I'm from Atlas."

"Tech central?" Aurora refers to my home city's most well-known resource.

"The very one. It was awesome, don't get me wrong; all cities are awesome for exploring. But I decided I needed a change of scenery to accompany the start of my next stage of Huntress training."

Aurora's smile remains soft as her eyes linger on mine before gazing out to the city again. "I admire your independence and adventure."

"And I, your candidness and steadfast morals."

Her surprised expression tells me that she hasn't been those attributes before, maybe even none of those others that I know she must possess but she has yet to show me. And that just makes me vow to compliment her as much as I can from now on. Don't be mistaken, it's not out of pity; it's out of duty. She must have been ignored so much in her past, so I must now compensate for the neglect and ignorance of those around her, of those not letting her know just how awesome she is. From here on, she won't ever again be thinking that she's not good enough, if I have any say in it.

The hologram that has been playing in the background suddenly catches my attention.

"This Saturday's faunus civil rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony."

I glance quickly away, trying to tune it out again by looking at Vale. But for some reason, my eyes are drawn to Aurora, and my heart breaks; the disappointed disapproval on her face cuts straight through the connection I had just made with her.

Who am I to give approval of her? I'm not qualified to do that.

I turn back to the city, but fail to get excited about it with my self-worth and –esteem lying shattered at my feet and an invisible microscope being held to my conscience. My shoulders cave, my neck collapses and my tail droops onto my right shoulder, hiding Aurora's disapproval from what little pride I have left.

Another hologram replaces the news, saving my conscience further external torment.

"Hello, and welcome to Beacon."

I straighten and turn to the new image, staring past Aurora, trying to ignore her look of pained confusion about my sudden mood change. I distract myself from the pang of guilt in my chest by focussing on the woman in the hologram.

She seems nice enough, with a warm smile and kind voice. She's definitely a teacher though, or at least someone high up in the staff. I don't know what gives it away specifically; the beautiful blonde hair put in a sensible up-do, the small oval-shaped glasses or the no-nonsense suit-like thing – disregarding the epic cape at the back.

"My name is Glynda Goodwitch," she continues. "You are among the privileged few who have been selected to attend this prestigious academy. Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsman and Huntresses it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."

The hologram fizzles out, revealing the city again. Her words blind me to its marvel though, as it really hits me; this is real. No more faking, no more cruising. I am on my Initiation Day for Beacon Academy, and at the end of this road – only a few steps in relation to my entire training – I will be a Huntress. Missions, responsibilities, battles, from here on they are all real. My neck tries to hide itself from the weight of this epiphany, but I clench my fists – revelling in the confidence that alone brings – stand up straight, and glare my defiance out at the world laid beneath me.

ЖЖЖ

Aurora's POV

I said something wrong. I must have; why else would she be open and friendly one moment and then closed off the next, blanking me. Shy glances at her are the only attempt I make to determine her thoughts. Unsuccessful, I try to ascertain her character instead.

Going by her antics before, she's obviously very self-confident and brave. Her appearance claims that, too; I mean, it takes real courage to wear a black crop-top with only a short-sleeved, grey, undone shirt over it, along with black shorts. I would never be comfortable showing that much skin, though the black combat boots with green lining and metal clips cover up to her thighs while the vibrant green padded gloves do the same to over her elbows. Those just emit more self-assurance, though, and more danger. The colour goes fantastically with her vibrant eyes, and her hair is the same colour as her tail. Add the black leather choker with a carefully-angled lightning bolt, not to mention the guns holstered at her hips, and you have one self-declared badass.

That's probably it; she's too badass for me. I mean, I've always preferred skirts and elegance over…however you would describe what she's wearing. The most badass thing that she's seen so far is probably my bow (although my fighting skills are not to be scoffed at; I've been told that enough times by enough people that I accept that it might be true). But she must think that she's too good for me. Yes, that makes sense now. There's no way a shy girl like me could hope to find friendship in someone so naturally outwardly defiant.

As I am about to walk away with my head lowered, she whirls around from the window, her bright smile dazzling any thoughts of leaving from my mind.

"This is going to be so fun!" she squeals.

Confused and disorientated by her mood swings, I simply smile back, unable to think of a response but delighted that she's talking to me again.

"Look, look, look, look, look!"

She skips over to me before taking my hand and bringing me closer to the window, and I laugh at her enthusiasm.

"Look how awesome it is!"

I'll admit it does look awesome; a huge castle on the edge of a cliff, the green light of its namesake glowing brightly even in the summer sun from the top of the middle and tallest tower in the centre of the structure. But I think the thing that makes my chest flitter in excitement is the prospect of a friendship with this marvel. Her almost childish wonder at the entire world is refreshing to see in a world of suffering. It's even more encouraging that she seems to have received a fair bit of that suffering from faunus discrimination, and her eyes still sparkle when starting a new school. Her strange strength is inspirational to say the least, and I sincerely hope she'll let me stay with her throughout my time here.

As the airship docks next to the school, Ember weaves and hops her way through the queue right to the edge by the door, practically buzzing as she waits for it to open. I can't help but smile as I look on with something of a motherly amusement and pride. As soon as the doors are open wide enough for her sideways, she zooms through them with speed and agility I think is impressive even for someone with obviously extensive combat training.

She zips about ten yards from the doors before stopping in the middle of the path, gazing around in wonder. "This place is amazing!"

Ember throws her arms out and whirls around in joy, paying no attention to the indignant shouts of the fellow freshmen who she almost smacks in the face. Her juvenile innocence strikes me again as I laugh loudly, hurrying out the door to meet her and muttering apologies on her behalf to her near-victims. As I approach her, part of me – the motherly part – wants to reprimand her gently, telling her to be more careful of others around her. But I feel like that would kill her joy, no matter how slightly. And that blissful look on her face, both serene and electric at the same time…. I can't take that away from her. Or the sight of it from me.

Twirling to face me in that way I've now come to associate with just Ember, she smiles brightly before grabbing my hand and taking off running, with me trailing behind her, curious and confused but willing.

"Come on!" she insists. "Let's explore the grounds!"

"Hang on," I demand weakly; I can't help but want to join in her enthusiasm, but there's something I need to check first. "Don't we have to meet in the entrance hall for Initiation?"

She snorts in an unladylike way, but something tells me that sort of thing doesn't bother her. "Not for another half hour. Come on, let's go!"

"Okay, okay!" I laugh, running alongside her joyfully.

We wander – quickly – through the grounds, with Ember continually babbling about any idea that comes to her head; "And that hill looks great to just lie on and sunbathe, but, oooh, that tree looks awesome to sit under and study, and obviously we'll need to go into town so you can show me all the sights and I can jump over all the buildings, but look there's an awesome open space where we can just run around, and this is going to be epic!"

Despite the fact that she seems to say this all in one breath, I'm the one who's breathless; I'm laughing so hard at her youthful joy I'm gasping while running. The tears streaming down my face do nothing to dim the brightness of the future she paints for us though, and the scenery she points to is, indeed, wonderful. The wide open spaces and natural greenery provided in the grounds speak of joy and tranquillity. But the most incredible part of each picture she decrees will depict both of us; everything she says includes "us", "you and me", "you and I", "we" and other various beautiful collectives. In all this joy, we will be together, sharing our laughter. For me, that's the most appealing part of this future.

After we settle under a tree next to one of the numerous large fountains for a "test run of our social life" – seriously, I swear nothing this girl does astounds me anymore, and I've known her less than half an hour! – a tranquillity that I didn't expect to find with Ember settles over both of us. Pleasantly surprised by the fact that I can still enjoy peace with Ember, I smile at the girl reclining on the grass with her hands behind her head and her eyes closed blissfully, her tail squashed beneath her. Content with our silence of companionship, I turn my face to the sun, closing my eyes as the rays warm my skin and soul. The silence lasts a good long while before Ember speaks again, albeit softer than she had before.

"Hey," she says, her voice evidently curious about something, and I turn to face her. Sitting up again, she gestures to the back of her head.

"What's that?" she asks.

Smiling, I move my head so she can see my ponytail again, exposing the object I know she's inquiring about; the top of my ponytail, as it is gathered against my head, is bound by a white ribbon with a golden metal sigil shaped like the sun rising over the horizon.

"My emblem."

"Right," she chuckles lightly. "'Aurora'. It's beautiful."

Despite the fact she can't see me, I smile shyly.

"I guess the sun is easier to physically depict rather than ribbons of light in the sky."

Laughing, I face her again. "Probably. It's also because light refers most closely to my semblance." The vivid fascination on her face, encouraging me to continue, causes me to giggle. "I create illusions. Light tricks, basically." Turning away from her, I gaze further down the grass, and she immediately follows my gaze, as I knew she would. As soon as she does, she lets out a squeak.

"Awww, look!"

I chuckle quietly so as not to startle the small rabbit shuffling its way cautiously towards us. Ember wastes no time in holding out her hand, encouraging the little creature to come forwards, almost buzzing as she fights to keep quiet. It's almost a shame to be doing this; the joy and light on her face only grows as the distance between her and the rabbit shrinks. Then, just as her fingers touch the rabbit's nose, she recoils her hand back. I imagine because she felt not fur beneath her fingertips, but empty air. She turns to me stunned, before her expression morphs into one of begrudgingly impressed chagrin.

"Light tricks," she says accusingly. I try not to smile at her sulking face as I nod.

"They don't change what people see," I explain. "I don't project the image in their minds. The projection is actually in the environment. If I concentrate more, I can even apply sound, although if you're listening closely you can tell they're not quite real; there's something a little different about them. And it can be pretty hard to do anyway."

Ember nods absent-mindedly as she mulls that over, seemingly entranced by the possibilities. The rabbit vanishes as I stop concentrating on its existence. Ember smiles.

"It was really life-like. Not only in the quality of the picture but in the way it moved and behaved. Really impressive." I blush at her compliment.

"Okay," I smile. "Now that you know mine, what's your semblance?"

I was wrong; she can still surprise me. As her eyes snap back to me at my question, her lips slowly spread in a grin so dark and dangerous I would never have expected such a terrifying expression to come from one that had been so sweet and innocent up to now.

"I probably shouldn't give a demo," she intones lowly. "Mine could be a bit more dangerous, or at the very least damaging to school property." In lieu of a physical demonstration, she simply points to her choker, specifically to the lightning bolt design.

"Let's just say that that's my emblem."

My eyes widen in both slight fear and more than a little wonder. "Electricity? Wow." After a few seconds, I laugh. "Fitting for an Atlas girl."

Her grin widens, more like the ones I have already seen from her, but still with a glint of the full-force badass. It's obvious she gets a kick and a thrill from fighting, and I'll be lying if I said I didn't either. Only a little bit; I won't fight unless I have to. But I am good at it. The ability to actually physically have an influence has always called me just as much as having intellectual abilities.

That last thought makes my smile and gaze drop. Before Ember notices, I quickly find a distraction.

"We should get going to the introduction ceremony," I say, glancing away from Ember towards one of the big clocks we have passed frequently in the grounds.

"Oh, yeah." Ember nimbly flips to her feet from the ground as I rise. Our silent companionship remains as we walk back towards the main hall.

Among all the greenery, the school buildings look magnificent, fortresses of wisdom standing proud and bold. The main hall building is massive, and the doors to the building are no exception; their width could fit two of me lying down, and they are at least five times as tall as me, and the windows flanking each side are about half that height again. Ember and I stride proudly through the door, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end from the electrifying both the atmosphere and the personal experience of actually being here at Beacon. The hall is alive with bodies, a mix of freshmen and obviously more experienced, returning students.

"Huh."

I glance back at Ember at her noise. She flicks her eyes to me before nodding her head into the throng. "The Dust Princess is here, too."

Following her gaze, I spot a poised young lady whose image heavily features white and other very pale shades. Her natural elegance and grace sparkle even from this distance, and while her face is obviously attractive, it seems closed off somehow. Nevertheless, it's easy for me to recognise the youngest daughter of the founder of the Schnee Dust Corp.

"You mean Weiss Schnee?" I clarify, faintly amused by Ember's nickname for her.

"The very one," she intones, almost sighing. "We were in the same class back in Atlas."

Raising an eyebrow, I smirk. "Now, now, don't praise her too highly."

She laughs at my sarcasm, shrugging. "Hey, I'm sure she can be nice. But we're just too different; she likes order and perfection, and is super uptight. As you can probably already tell, that's not exactly my thing."

I smile, before raising my hand to point to two people near Weiss. "There are some people from my class, too. Those two are sisters, Yang and Ruby."

I know she has seen them when she notes: "Little Red Riding Hood looks a little young for this place."

Vaguely wondering if she has nicknames for everyone – and worrying about what mine is – I answer. "Yeah, Ruby's only fifteen while Yang is seventeen, but I heard Professor Ozpin, the headmaster here, saw some video footage of Ruby being awesome and intervening in a dust-store robbery and let her join early."

"Wow. Well, that's one way to gain entrance."

The microphone crackles to life from on stage, and the headmaster himself clears his throat.

"I'll keep this brief."

I blink in surprise at his odd statement, and Ember and I meet eyes again, hers a few inches below mine and under a frown.

"What, no grandiose 'I'm so happy you're here, look at my awesome academy'?" she mutters to me. I shrug in response, just as baffled at his sober address as she is.

Ozpin continues. "You have travelled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." Gee, thanks, professor. Ember's expression tells me she's thinking along the same lines. "You assume knowledge will free you from this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

Ember and I share another look as Ozpin steps aside to let Glynda take the mic. "You will gather in the ballroom tonight. Tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."

"Nothing like a good, thoughtful pep talk to really reignite people's motivation," Ember quips.

"Absolutely. It's like he has other, bigger stuff to worry about."

Ember shakes her head dismissively. "It's probably how much paperwork he still has to do to keep this place up and running. Come on, let's go and see if they've taken our stuff to the ballroom, like they said they would."

"Sounds good," I smile at her.

As Ember and I walk off together – I'm still happy and thankful of that – I steal a glance towards the stage, where Glynda still stands surveying all of us. Our eyes meet eventually, and I nod and smile slightly at her, which she returns. Luckily no one around seems to either notice or care, including Ember. I'll tell her eventually, obviously, but right now it would be too complicated.

Yay, I'm doing a RWBY fanfic! This idea has been driving me crazy for ages, and I love it to pieces. And believe it or not, I've actually properly thought about this; the plot, the characters, everything! I never plan my stuff! So my best friend – inspiration for Aurora – has been waiting patiently for this chapter to go up, and I hope it meets your expectations. Hope you all enjoy it anyway.

Reviews are always welcome!

Fly on,

NitnatRide