I'm going to write a total of five chapters before I go on to my other story. This one starts us on the flight to Beacon and our lovable Rubes meeting up with people. I admit to be sad about a lack of reviews, but hey, I always enjoy seeing favorites and follows! Heck, just having the view count go up is pretty nice. ^_^

Anyway, to the tale!

~To Beacon

How on Remnant did I end up here?!

My wonderful sister was squeezing the life out of me, and squealing with joy that I'd be going to Beacon with her.

I'm sorry, but how did this happen?! I was expecting Dad to get a message from Beacon stating I'd been accepted when I got out of Signal, and he'd be all proud of me, after he scolded me for how I got the invitation, of course!

Instead, we got a letter saying I was to be enrolled in the coming semester. Then, we got a message from Signal saying that all the paperwork had been cleared and approved. I was now officially two years ahead of my friends.

That had been a shock, understatement of the year, but… I just didn't want to be treated as special. I mean, I have that whole thing with being able to scare off weak Grimm if I use a quarter of my Aura, but I didn't want to be ostracized.

Oh, hey, I used a word Yang doesn't know. I'll have to pull my twenty Lien from her later.

"Hey, Rubes, you ok? I thought you'd be super excited for this."

I sighed, and stepped away from Yang. "I am, trust me I am, but I just don't like all the looks. I mean, I'm the youngest one here, and I haven't heard from Plush in almost a week, either."

I pouted, not really wanting to think about it. WhitePlush, or Plush for short, hadn't responded to the message I sent them last week about what was going on. I mean, I knew it was shocking and they were getting ready to come to Beacon, but no answer was a little much.

I mean, we could actually meet! Two years early, admittedly, but that didn't justify the silence.

Yang sighed. "Rubes, you'll be fine. Heck, people will be all over you, trying to get to know you! You'll make friends in no time. Besides, Plush is probably busy. I haven't been able to touch my scroll 'till just yesterday, with all the prep."

I pouted again. "Yeah, all that prep you passed over to Dad. The only time you helped was when it had to do with your personal things. Dad and I had to do all the paperwork, while you goofed off!"

Yang held up her hands. "Hey, you wouldn't have been packed in time if not for me. You got so absorbed in trying to figure out which mods to bring, you almost forgot clothes."

I blushed and turned away. That may have been true, but I refused to give her the satisfaction.

Yang just smiled at me. "Ah, come on. We're going to Beacon, Rubes! I mean, look outside, you can see Patch from here!"

I looked out the window and felt myself nod. I could see Patch from here, so at least we weren't super far from home. "Hey, uh, Yang? Do you… think we could be on the same team?"

Yang jerked back, eyes looking at anything but me. "Oh, uh, yeah, that sounds great! I mean, we don't really know how the selection thing goes, so we'll just have to see.

My face fell flat. "Yang, are you saying you don't want to be on my team? Do you really want to abandon your little sis to the tender mercy of strangers?"

Yang's face was stricken. "What, no! I just… want you to make friends, ok? I know you couldn't bring yours with you, and I don't want you to be lonely."

I smiled. "That's sweet of you, Yang. But, I know you just like to go out and party with your friends too. Don't think that us being on different teams would only benefit me."

Yang slouched. "Yeesh, I forget how smart you are, sometimes. Thing is, you can go from weapon nut to top student really quick… Hm, maybe you have multiple personalities."

I winced, Yang hitting closer to the truth than she knew. See, that whole power of mine? Well, when I use it, I start acting different. Like, I start acting all high and mighty, and think that I won everything before me. It's not pleasant, to say the least.

"Come on Yang, don't joke about that."

She just laughed at me. "Ah, I'm only kidding. Oh, by the way, your scroll's been buzzing the last few minutes."

I blinked before finally feeling the buzz in my pocket. I yelped and fumbled with the fabric, before finally pulling out my scroll. It had, like, a dozen messages from Plush; the earliest ones were congratulatory, while the most recent one was demanding I message them.

I sighed. "Hey, Yang, can you go check on when we'll be landing? I'll be a minute."

Yang smirked, then pulled me into another hug. "Hey, you never know. Plush there may be a real cutie! Man, that'd be funny, wouldn't it?"

A blonde guy wearing a hoody and white armor stumbled past us, clearly ill if his pallor was any indication. "Bathroom, bathroom!"

We shied away from him and I sighed. "I… really hope that's not Plush."

Yang laughed. "Ah, come one, he wasn't that bad. I mean, sure he looked sick, but he was pretty built."

I rolled my eyes. "Yang, don't go calling guys 'built'. We both know you prefer girls."

Yang slapped a hand over my mouth, a finger to her lips. "Shh, don't say that out loud! I can get lots of free things by feigning interest, I don't need you ruining that!"

I rolled my eyes and pulled her hand off, before turning to address yet another buzz coming from my scroll. "Yang, please go. I need to do this before Plush gets really mad at me."

Yang finally left, but not before throwing a wink over her shoulder. I sighed and started tapping away at my scroll, going through the usual string of apologies and reassurances, before Plush finally told me something new.

To: WhitePlush

From: RoseWolf

Hate to say it, but I'll be coming in late. My ship got caught up in some turbulence, so I won't be there until after you land. Sorry, but I don't think we'll meet today. :(

I sighed and tapped back a reassurance. I may not be able to meet them today, but we should be able to meet tomorrow. I heard a sick sounding burp, and turned in horror to see the sick boy stumbling towards me.

"No, ew, get away from me, you'll get puke all over my boots!"

~Beacon, Airship Dock~

Vomit Boy, as I will call him until I get a name, raced off the airship and started retching in the nearest bin. I did feel a bit sorry for him, but there was nothing I could do.

"So, Yang, you said you didn't know about the selection process, right?"

We were strolling along, admiring the view of Beacon. Personally, I loved that set of green lanterns that hung at the top of the central tower, but I had no idea where anything else was.

Yang hummed. "Nope, not a clue. They make sure it's a big secret so people don't just try and pair up out the gate, ya know?"

I pouted. "Well, at least I get to see all these cool weapons. None are as great as my sweetheart, though!"

I pulled out Crescent Rose to show her off, nearly taking off Yang's foot. But, contrary to expectations, people shied away from my lovely weapon, instead giving us a wide berth.

Yang, possibly sensing my low mood, tried to cheer me up. "Hey, it'll be fine, Ruby. You just need to get out there and talk to people. You never know, there may be another one just as nutty about weapons as you."

I smiled, but didn't get an answer off. Yang, my lovely sister, was swept away by the arrival of her friends and I could do nothing as she gave me a cheery goodbye and left me. Alone, I just sunk to my knees and flopped on my back. "Some warm welcome. Geez, I thought people were supposed to be friendly here."

I sighed and yanked my sweetheart out of the ground, folding her up before starting to wander. As far as I knew, we weren't supposed to gather for another hour, so I just let my feet guide me.

Right into a luggage cart.

White cases went flying as I hit the floor, my Aura saving me from a sore tailbone. "Oof!"

I shook my head and looked around, dismay growing at the sheer number of cases surrounding me. "Oh boy."

"You idiot! How could you just wander into a stack of cases?!"

The voice that yelled at me was a girl, obviously older than me, but of a higher pitch than Yang's. I stood and bowed. "I'm super sorry, I wasn't paying attention!"

A huff greeted my ears. "I can tell, dolt. Now tell me why some kid is here at Beacon and wandering into Dust cases!"

My eyes finally rose to get a look at my scolder. She was… well, beautiful. In the 'I'm royalty' kind of way, with perfect posture and a nice face. My years of analyzing an opponent told me she had the body of a dancer and a fencer, confirmed by the cool rapier at her waist, and she held herself very surely.

But, what most caught my eye was the scar running over one of her eyes, marring an otherwise perfect visage and the off-center pony tail she wore her pure white hair in. Oh, and the light blue eyes that were currently staring a hole through me.

"Hey, I've been accepted into Beacon! I'm here to be a Huntress just like the rest of you!"

I looked at the cases. "And all this is Dust? Why would anyone need so much?"

The girl didn't deign to respond, only opening one of the cases and grabbing something. She slammed it shut, making blue and yellow dust rise from the lid, and she started shaking the vial full of red Dust in my face. "I'll have you know that I use Dust in combat and I need a lot of it! Besides, this stuff is volatile and you running into it could have made this whole platform explode!"

She kept shaking the Dust vial, and more of it kept leaking out. I guess she was too caught up in scolding me to notice, but my nose sure did. The Dust tickled my poor nose and I did everything I could to stop what was coming.

Unfortunately, I still sneezed.

Somehow that little sneeze was enough to ignite the Dust, fire, lightning, and ice crystals blooming to life. I was unharmed, somehow, but the girl across from me was covered in soot.

"Oh, geez, I am so sorry!"

The girl practically erupted. "This is exactly what I was talking about! Now you've made a mess and I need to change! Geez, you shouldn't even be here. And you sure as heck won't stay, if you don't start watching where you're going!"

I took umbrage to that. "Hey, princess, I earned my way here!"

She was about to explode again, when another voice interrupted. "Actually, her proper title is 'heiress'. She's Weiss Schnee, of the Schnee Dust Company. They're the largest distributor of Dust and refined energy propellant in the world."

I turned to face the new person and blinked. Long black hair, yellow eyes in a pretty face, black and white outfit that bared her stomach, and a sheath over her back. Oh, she was Yang's type, especially with that whole 'mystery' aura hanging around her.

The other girl, Weiss I guess, smirked. "Finally, someone that realizes who they're talking to-"

The black-haired girl wasn't done. "They're also known for controversial labor forces and questionable business partners. Frankly, I'd sooner stay away than try and be friendly."

Weiss was stunned. "H-how dare you-"

She stifled a scream and snatched the vial of dust the other girl was holding, before marching away. I tried to offer repayment, but she ignored me. "Guess… I'm not the only one having a rough day…"

I turned to try and thank the other girl, but she was already walking away. I sighed and sunk back to the ground, not even bothering to think about how long Yang would have stared at those hips. "Welcome to Beacon. Please, help yourself to the wonderful pastries baked locally while you get to know our friendly student body."

I snorted. "The brochure lied to me."

I sat there for a few minutes before a shadow fell over my eyes. "Hey, I'm Jaune. You looking for the pastries too?"

I grinned, reaching for the hand he offered me. "Yeah, well, just thinking about how everyone's supposed to be 'friendly'."

The boy nodded. "Yeah, not the friendliest people I've met either. But, have to keep trying I guess. After all, strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

That was surprisingly wise. "Huh, I guess. …Have we met before? I feel like I recognize you."

He was distinctive after all. I mean, blonde hair, deep blue eyes, tall with armor and a sword at his side tends to make an impression. Hmm…aha! "You're Vomit Boy!"

He hung his head. "Vomit…Boy?"

"All I'm saying is, it's a more common issue than you think!"

"I'm sorry! I mean, I didn't know your name and it just kinda… popped into my head. Sorry."

Jaune sighed. "It's… it's fine. Just, please, don't call me that from here on, and I won't call you Crater Face."

I pouted. "Hey, that's mean!"

He laughed. "Ah, don't worry about it. Anyway, I think we need to get moving. By the way, I never got your name."

I smiled. "Oh! I'm Ruby Rose, nice to meet you Jaune."

We shook hands, then started walking towards the central tower. I assumed that Jaune knew where he was going, so I just let him lead and we exchanged small talk. Well, until weapons came up and I just had to show him my sweetheart.

He was suitably impressed, but his own weapon was a tad disappointing. I mean, a sword and shield is a can do no wrong classic, but he didn't look like he knew how to use them all that well. It was cool that the shield was also the sword's sheath, that I will admit.

But, after that little show we kinda realized we were both lost. That's what we get for assuming things, I guess, but at least we still made it to the meeting point on time. I may have used my Semblance a bit, but Jaune was too busy figuring out up from down to complain.

I said goodbye to the dizzy boy, then stomped my way up to Yang. She tried to placate me with a smile and greeting, but I was mad at her. Let it never be said that someone made Ruby Rose mad and got away with it. "Next time, don't ditch me."

Yang tried to placate me. "Hey, there's no need for hostility. You've already made a friend."

I snorted. "Yeah, after exploding."

Yang didn't believe me. "Oh, a meltdown already?"

I groaned. "No, I literally exploded. There was fire and lightning and ice and all that jazz. There's a blast mark on the ground."

Yang still didn't believe me. "Are you being sarcastic, Rubes? Have I finally corrupted you?"

I huffed this time. "No, I really did explode. I was just trying to figure out where I was, when I suddenly tripped over some crabby girl's luggage. Then, she started yelling at me while I tried to apologize, then I sneezed and then I exploded and she started yelling at me again and I felt really bad, and I just wanted to make her stop yelling-"

"You!"

I leapt into my sister's arms. "Oh God, it's happening again!"

Weiss glared at me. "You're lucky neither of us were blown off the cliff!"

Yang finally realized the truth. "My God, you really did explode."

I glared at her. "It was an accident, I swear! I didn't mean to, and I certainly didn't think it'd explode from a sneeze!"

A pamphlet was put in front of me and Weiss went on a very long, legal-ease filled rant that made my head spin. By the time she was finished, I couldn't tell which way was up.

Weiss glared at me. "You want to try and repay me? Read the pamphlet cover to cover, and cease speaking to me."

Yang stepped in, an easy grin on her face. "Hey, it looks like you guys just started out on the wrong foot. How's this, you put this aside and start over. Ya know, try to be friends."

I nodded. "Yeah, you're right, sis. Ahem, sorry about earlier, Weiss. I'm Ruby; would you like to hang out? Like, I don't know, go shopping, have lunch, something like that?"

Weiss smiled at me. "Oh, sure! Maybe we'll get our nails painted, and try on dresses. Or, gasp, we'll get to talk about boys!"

I was super happy. "Really?"

Her face fell flat. "Yeah, no."

I hung my head and turned back to the stage. Weiss, the jerk, didn't leave, so I was left to stew in my embarrassment. Professor Ozpin walked up to the stage, but as he spoke about purpose, he seemed off. It was like… he wasn't really there. I swear that his eyes trailed over to me, Yang, and Weiss before pointedly looking at other parts of the room.

The pretty lady I met, Professor Goodwitch, stepped forward. "You all will be meeting in the ballroom tonight. In the morning, your initiation will begin. Dismissed."

Everyone there left, only a few sticking around. Weiss walked off to who knows where while I tried to find Jaune. Eventually, I found him talking to a girl in bronze armor with the most striking red hair I'd ever seen.

"Hey, Jaune! I want you to meet my sis!"

He turned and smiled at me. "Oh, hey Ruby. Actually, I'd like to introduce you to someone I've met."

He gestured to the redhead. "This is Pyrrha, she's real nice."

The girl smiled. "Hello, it's nice to meet you, Ruby."

I smiled right back. "You too Pyrrha. This is my sister, Yang."

Yang waved. "Good to meet you both. Jaune, thanks for being my sister's first friend at Beacon. Pyrrha, glad to see another person with a primary for hair."

Pyrrha blinked. "Um, what?"

Yang pointed to her hair. "You're red, I'm yellow. Now we just need blue and we're a set!"

I sighed. "Don't worry about her, she tends to point out the oddest things. Anyway, you guys want to explore? I think we have to store our stuff before we can wander."

I got a round of nods and we took off. Beacon really was such a nice place, and it was great fun getting to know Jaune and Pyrrha. However, I felt like we were missing something. Like… we were being watched.

~Ozpin~

"Hm... how strange."

I was watching four separate screens in my office. One depicted a lone white haired girl taking inventory of some boxes in the initiation's storage room. Another showed a black-haired girl perched in a tree reading a trashy romance novel. Yet another showed a black-haired boy and orange haired girl wandering through the gardens. Finally, the last one showed dear Ruby Rose and her sister wandering around with the pride of Mistral and a boy with false transcripts.

"There's never before been more than one Icon at one time. That we have more than one can only mean one thing: the seal is weakening."

I took a sip of my wonderful coffee. Doctor Oobleck may have been a speed demon, but he knew his brews. "But, there's not one, not two, not three, but eight Icons in one place. That could only mean one thing…"

I pinched my nose. If there were so many of them in one place, then the Grimm were the least of their problems. I smirked, though.

Let's see how this plays out. I feel like tomorrow's going to be… interesting.

~Ruby~

I was scribbling in my journal as the day came to an end. Thanks to Jaune and Pyrrha, my day had been officially salvaged from abject disaster. It was kind of odd to be stuck in a sleeping bag, especially with so many people around, but it wasn't that bad.

"Ah, it's like one big slumber party, eh?"

Yang flopped onto her bag, smiling at me. I just kept writing. "Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure Dad wouldn't approve of all the guys."

Yang smirked. "Nah, he wouldn't, but I sure do."

I rolled my eyes. "Stop looking for targets, Yang. I'm pretty sure you don't want to the name 'Heartbreaker' again."

Yang rolled her eyes in turn. "Yeah, yeah… wait, it that Jaune in a onesie?"

I glanced where she was looking, and sighed wearily. "Yep, blue with puffs on the feet and a zipper up front. Looks warm at least."

Yang cringed. "Uh, yeah. Anyway, what you writing?"

I sighed. "Well, now I'm writing a letter back to the gang at Signal. They made me swear an oath to tell them everything about Beacon, and how things were going."

I narrowed my eyes. "And don't you dare call it cute. I didn't get to bring my friends."

Yang smirked. "Ah, come on, you've made friends. Take Jaune and Pyrrha, they're nice. I mean, Jaune's a tad weird, but I think he's just awkward."

I sighed again. "Yeah, well, I'm pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative. So, sure, I have one friend, but that's not much."

Yang smiled. "Ah, don't look at it that way! You just made two friends and one enemy."

I answered that dubious statement with a headshot from my trusty corgi pillow. However, she was right about one thing. I had made friends. And it was only the first day; maybe I could bring Weiss around, given enough time.

The scrape of a match met my ears, so I searched for the origin. Oh, it was that girl from this morning. She looked like she was reading something, so that explained the candles.

Yang noticed. "Hello…"

I knew that look all too well. Yang was interested and I was about to be dragged into it. Yang got the ball rolling. "Do you know her?"

I sighed, trying to come up with something that could save me. "She's a girl I saw this morning. She saw what happened, but left before I said anything."

I clamped my mouth shut, realizing too late that I'd just given Yang an excuse to waltz over there. "Well, now's your chance! Come on!"

She grabbed my arm and started to drag me over, despite my attempts to escape. The other girl looked up from her book to see us approach, and was obviously displeased with the interruption. That is, until Yang started talking. "Hello, I believe you two know each other."

The girl glanced at me briefly, before frowning. "You're… the girl that exploded earlier today."

I nodded, embarrassed out of my shirt. "Yeah, that's me. Name's Ruby."

The girl nodded slowly before going back to her book. "Ok."

Yang glanced at me, her voice a whisper. "What in heaven's name are you doing? Say something!"

I countered. "I don't know what I'm doing, she obviously doesn't want us here!"

Yang didn't listen. "So, I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister. What's your name?"

The girl glanced up, annoyance clear on her face, at least to me. Hah, and they say I'm the socially stunted one. "Blake."

Yang tried one more thing. "I really like the bow, where'd you get it?"

"It was a gift."

"Lovely night, right?" Yang said, trying to keep the conversation alive.

Blake finally decided to be rid of us if her next words were any indication. "Yes, it's lovely. Like this book,"

We stared. ", that I will continue to read,"

We still didn't move. ", after you leave."

She turned right back to it and Yang sighed. "Well, I give up. Come on, Rubes, let's head to bed."

I frowned, trying to find the book's cover. "What's it called?"

Blake looked up. "Huh? The book?"

I nodded. "Yeah, what's it called?"

She looked surprised. "Oh, well… it's called "The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". The man, Dr, Jekyll, has two souls, due to an experiment to purge himself of sin and imperfection. This fails, and all the wickedness becomes the second soul: Mr. Hyde. The two souls fight for control of the body. It's… not that special."

I disagreed. "Well, I love books. Glad to see a fellow fan, though my type of books tend to lean more toward fantasies and legends."

I smiled. "In fact, the one's I like the most are about heroes. See, they helped inspire me to be a Huntress. You know, defending those that can't help themselves? I always admired that, and really want to be just like them."

Blake smiled at me, but I felt a bit patronized. "That's ambitious, for a child. Tell me, do you want people to live happily ever after? Unfortunately, the real world's not like that. It sucks, but it's true."

I shrugged. "Doesn't mean I can't try. After all, optimism makes the world go 'round, and what are Hunters and Huntresses but sources of optimism?"

Blake was stunned by my answer, I could tell by the look on her face. Yang ruined the moment, as always. "Oh, I'm so proud of you, Rubes! Being all mature in front of people!"

I answered with a fist to the chin, and our traditional pre-bed scrum finally came about. Then, Weiss, her hair down and dressed in a lovely nightgown, came along and we all started arguing, until Blake made us all shut up.

I finally tucked myself under the covers when I decided to send a message to Plush.

Hey, Plush, sorry about not sending you anything. Are you here in the Ballroom with everyone else? If you are, I hope you have a goodnight's rest. There was a bit of a fight going on and I don't know if you heard. Anyway, I hope to see you tomorrow. Hopefully before the initiation, but we'll see how it goes.

I sent the message and got a reply a few minutes later.

To: RoseWolf

From: WhitePlush

Hey Wolf, it's fine. Yeah, I heard the fight, was close to it. I can't believe how loud they were being, people are trying to sleep! But, I'm glad to hear from you at least and I hope we'll be able to meet tomorrow too. I mean, initiation is early, so it may not happen till later.

Just send me a time and place, I'll meet you then.

I smiled and sent a quick thanks before closing my scroll and letting sweet sleep take me away.

~Morning~

I woke bright and early, racing to the bathroom to change, before racing even faster to the storage room to find my sweetheart. I'd already memorized the code and locker number, so my lovely Crescent Rose was in my hands and being tweaked before anyone else arrived.

Sadly, the first to arrive, after me, was Weiss. We just mutually ignored each other, but I couldn't help admiring her rapier. I wanted to know what those chambers at the base did.

Thankfully, the next person to arrive was Pyrrha. I waved her down and we started speculating what we'd be doing during initiation. She also showed me her wonderful weapon that could be a sword, a spear, or a rifle, while her shield could be thrown like a buzz-saw. Frankly, I thought it was freakin' cool!

After that, there was a steady stream of people, and Yang came down during the last wave. She said she didn't have much to adjust with Ember Celica, but I was so upset she hadn't added the stabilizer like I wanted. Oh well, she'd learn when a Grimm got a cheap shot in 'cause her aim was off.

"Gah, I know my locker's around here somewhere. Oh, hey, Pyrrha, who you talkin' to?"

That was Jaune's voice. I glanced over and saw him walking over to Pyrrha, who was apparently talking to Weiss. I didn't hear what the next bit was, but it ended with Jaune getting stuck to the wall with Pyrrha's spear.

"Man, what happened there?"

I shrugged off Yang's question. "How should I know? Anyway, I'm looking forward to today! No more chatter and awkward moments, my sweetheart will do my talking for me!"

Yang sounded… nervous. "You know, Ruby, you're not the only one doing initiation. Maybe you could, I don't know, work with others. It'd help you grow up a bit."

I groaned. "Yang, stop talking like Dad. Besides, I don't need people to grow up. I. Have. Milk."

I glared at her. "And what, exactly, does meeting people have to do with fighting?"

Yang grimaced. "Well, you know, when we make teams we'll all be stuck together. Wouldn't it be better to meet people, knowing that?"

I looked away. "I'll just… be on your team, or something."

Yang looked really nervous. "Maybe… you should be on someone else's team."

That made my mind grind to a halt. "Dearest sister Yang, are you implying that you don't want to be on a team with me? Is that what you're saying?"

She backpedaled hard. "No, no that's not it. I just… think that meeting people would get you out of your shell."

I felt insulted. "I do not have to break out of my shell, that's ridiculous! I don't have a shell to break out of, anyway!"

Yang's face went flat. "Rubes, you spend half your time on a workbench, and the other half training. You refer to your weapon like it's a real person; you don't know how to talk to people, so you avoid them."

I didn't deign to respond. Now she'd insulted Crescent Rose, and I would not speak to her until the slight was paid.

Yang sighed. "My point exactly."

I just left, walking by Pyrrha helping Jaune out of the lockers. I didn't really focus on anything until we found ourselves on little stone squares by a cliff, Professor Ozpin and Professor Goodwitch standing to the side.

Professor Ozpin started us off. "You've all trained to be warriors. Today, that training will be put to the test, here in the Emerald Forest. At the end of the path, at the north end of the forest, there is a temple with several relics. You will meet opposition on your way to the temple, and you mustn't hesitate to destroy all in your path. If you don't, you will die."

Professor Goodwitch took over. "You will all be graded and monitored on your performance in the forest. However, none of the instructors will intervene. Once you have retrieved a relic, you are to return here. Also, you've no doubt heard rumors about how teams will be assigned."

I sighed, glad to hear some news.

"You will be put into teams today."

... Bad news, apparently.

Professor Ozpin spoke. "You will be in your teams for the entirety of your time here at Beacon, so try to pair up with someone with whom you work well. With that being said, the first person you make eye contact with will be your partner for your entire stay as well."

... WHAT!?

My mind froze and shattered. This… this was just too sudden!

"Now, each pair will take and protect the relic. The relic's state, as well as your own performance, will be part of the final grade. Are there any questions?"

Jaune, standing next to me, had his hand up in an instant. Ozpin ignored him. "Alright, remember to use your landing strategy. Your initiation begins when the pad sends you skyward. Good luck."

The pads under our feet started rocketing people into the woods. I pulled Crescent Rose out, but kept her under her rifle configuration. Jaune asked his question, and I almost gaped. "Um, what's a landing strategy?"

Ozpin answered, not so much as an ounce of surprise in his voice. "Why, how you land. After all, you'll be falling into this forest and you have to figure out how not to die."

I heard Jaune gulp, but Yang flew away and I was soon airborne. I used Crescent Rose's propellant to slow my descent, before unfolding her and hooking on a thick tree. I spun around the branch a couple of times before jumping to the ground.

I ran into the forest at top speed. I wanted to find Yang, being partners would be so cool, but I couldn't see her even after going at top speed for thirty seconds. If she was gone… maybe Jaune? He's nice and funny, but I don't think he's all that good. Blake was another option, being all cool and a book person, but I don't think we'd be able to talk well.

Pyrrha was another choice, but she'd gone way before me. She was likely taken already.

Who did that leave that I knew? Hmm… Yang, Jaune, Blake, Pyrrha…

I sensed someone up ahead, and had to skid to a halt. But, when I stopped and looked up, I found a pair of familiar light blue eyes staring at me in disbelief.

Oh right, I knew Weiss.

But, she started walking away the moment she realized it was me. "Wait, we're supposed to be partners!"

She ignored me and disappeared into the brush. I hung my head, disappointed, when she came stalking back. She had anger in her voice as she grabbed my hood. "Do not think this makes us friends."

I was just glad she came back! I didn't even mind getting dragged along.

She huffed as she walked a head of me. "Would you hurry up? I don't want a bad grade just because you're sl-"

She almost said the taboo word. I solved that problem by dashing in front of her, grinning at her stunned face. "You do not have to worry about me being slow. I mean, I may not know how to deal with people, but monsters? Oh, you'll be seeing a whole other side of me today! At the end, you'll be like 'Ruby's so cool, I wanna to be her friend!' Just watch!"

I dashed into the forest, wanting to scout a bit. But, I heard a familiar growling and dashed back to find Weiss surrounded by Beowolves.

Weiss, why aren't you doing anything?! If you keep worrying about your stance they'll kill you!

One of the Beowolves shot forward, but Weiss blocked the strike. It pushed her further into the clearing, but she kept correcting her stance.

Geez, fine! Ruby to the rescue!

I channeled my Semblance and burst forward, Crescent Rose cutting through the shadowy wolf like butter. But, I wasn't expecting the line of flame to burst out to my left, or the surprised grunt behind me. I looked back to see a surprised Weiss before one of the Beowolves smacked me right into her.

I sprang into a crouch. "Watch it!"

Weiss took issue with that. "What?! You attacked out of turn, I could have burned you alive!"

I hid a smirk. "You'll have to try a lot harder than that, princess."

She didn't bother to respond, focusing her attention back on the wolves instead. Now that I had a better look, they were mostly Juveniles being led by an Alpha. It wouldn't be too hard, but we'd likely have to book it if another Alpha showed up.

That's what I thought until a burning tree landed next to us. Weiss grabbed my arm and we ran for it, leaving the Beowolves to howl in agony and anger.

We ran until the blaze was some ways behind us, before I turned on Weiss. "What on Remnant was that?! That should have been a quick and easy fight!"

She glared at me. "Excuse me?! Well, if you'd used even the slightest hint of caution, or even bothered to talk, that would have gone smoothly! But no, I have to be partners with a child that talks big, but doesn't so much as try to work with me in a battle!"

Oh, I would not take that lying down. "Hah, well I'm so happy to hear I'm partnered with someone that needs my help to finish easy fights like that! I can handle that just fine on my own, thanks."

Weiss threw up her arms. "Wonderful, so the truth comes out! Turns out, I'm partnered with the single strongest child to ever wander into the Emerald Forest!"

She turned on her heel and stormed away. I just had to get some rage out so I cut down a tree before following, reluctantly I assure. But, as we were walking, I felt a strange vibe ripple through the air. It made my hair stand on end, and I could tell Weiss felt it too.

"What… was that?"

Weiss looked around. "I don't know… Come on, the sooner we're done with this, the sooner I can be rid of you."

I grunted. "Goes double for me."

We wandered around for another while before I just sat down and started playing with leaves. Weiss kept pacing back and forth, not willing to admit we were lost. She just kept going 'it's definitely this way' every minute or two.

I sighed. "Can you just admit you have no clue where we're going or where we are?"

She rounded on me. "I know where we're going. It's… the forest temple."

I groaned. "Oh, would you stop trying to be perfect? You don't know where we are, I don't know where we are, it's all just a big mess!"

She huffed. "I'm not perfect."

I growled, that power of mine starting to influence me a bit. "Then stop being a know-it-all!"

She glared right back. "What's that supposed to mean? Come on, say it!"

I let loose. "You're so bossy! 'Hurry up, just keep moving, watch where you're going!' Everything you say to me is just you being a big, bossy, jerk!"

Oh, I could tell that stung. "Well you need to stop acting like a child! We're in the wilds against things that can kill us if we're not careful, and you being a loose cannon only makes this harder!"

Oh, it was on. "Then stop treating me like one! How do you expect me to respect anything you say, when all you do is treat me like I shouldn't even be here, and that every suggestion I have doesn't fit with your 'perfection'?!"

She leaned in, her voice low and angry. "I'm. Not. Perfect. At least, not yet."

She gave me one of the most patronizing looks I've ever seen, before speaking in a tone that oozed scorn. "But, I'm still far and away superior to you."

She turned on her heel and walked away, leaving me with a weak rebuke that I doubt she heard. "You don't even know me."

We wandered off again and… I don't know how to explain this next series of events, so I'll just cut to the chase. See, we somehow ended up holding on for dear life on the side of a Nevermore.

Yeah…

Anyway, Weiss was screaming about how we were going to get down from there, so I gave the obvious solution. Jump.

I mean, I could see the temple below us so it worked out. But, when I jumped, Weiss didn't go with me. Instead, I found myself nearly crashing into Yang before a flying Jaune sent me into a tree trunk. I was dizzy, but was really happy to see Yang again.

That is, until the Deathstalker showed up. With Pyrrha running from it. Yay.

There was still the problem of Weiss on the Nevermore, but yours truly used Crescent Rose to pick her out of the air!

…Actually, I jumped up and we ended up using Jaune as a cushion. Don't worry, I got him something nice after the fact.

Anyway, where was I? Oh yeah, the Deathstalker.

Well, I really wanted to show Weiss, once and for all, that I could be a Huntress. So, I charged the Deathstalker and took a few whacks at it, but the thing had one heck of a carapace. I had to use a round to get away from it, but even my top speed couldn't get me all the way back to the others. Then, the Nevermore showed up and started firing barbed feathers. One of them pinned my cloak to the ground, and I honestly thought it was the end.

Then, Weiss saved me.

I opened my eyes to see the Deathstalker's gold stinger stuck in a barrier of ice, Weiss looking at me with a mixture of resignation and exasperation. "Look, Ruby, you really need to stop showing off. I could call you a lot of things, childish among them, but you could say a lot of things about me. However, if we're going to make this work, we have to work together, ok?"

I sighed. "But… I need to show you I can do this! How else am I going to prove you wrong?"

She groaned. "You're fine, there's nothing to prove here."

She walked past me and I sighed, glad that the possibility of being friends wasn't dead quite yet. I had to hold in a whistle when I saw the extent of the barrier Weiss had made, but Yang swiftly pulled me into a bear hug. "Oh, I'm so glad you're ok! Never do that again, understand?"

I nodded and she took me to meet the new members. "Who are you two?"

The girl went first. "Name's Nora Valkyrie, nice to meet ya!"

The boy, compared to the energy Nora had, was much more laidback. "Lie Ren, though you can just call me Ren."

I nodded. "Nice to meet ya. Oh, good to see you too, Blake."

Blake nodded back, a smile on her face.

"Uh, hate to burst the friendship bubble, but that crow's circling back."

Jaune pointed to the sky, the Nevermore gearing up for another run.

I had an idea. "Well, we already have what we came for right in front of us. What say we grab a relic and make a run for it?"

There were some chuckles, but we were agreed. Even Weiss approved, which made me happier than it probably should have. I grabbed the gold horse while Jaune grabbed the castle, and then we took off running. It was a good thin too, as the Deathstalker had started breaking out of the barrier.

We ran as hard and fast as we could, but feet, even mine, were no match for wings. The Nevermore got in front of us, and perched atop a ruined tower that held the way forward, while the Deathstalker crashed through the woods behind us not a moment later.

We were getting ready to start the fight, when the strangest thing happened. A loud, barking roar sounded from the Nevermore, and the big Grimm screeched before plummeting to the earth. The Deathstalker screeched too, before another keening roar came from behind it.

The Deathstalker was closer, so we watched as a big lizard with blue scales and a red crest jumped from the woods and onto the Deathstalkers back. It had a really pointy yellow beak with teeth sticking out of it that it used to punch a hole through the Deathstalkers armor before its claws tore the armor off the Deathstalker. It was quick and brutal, but the Grimm disappeared into dark wisps barely moments after the attack started.

The Nevermore took to the air again, but crashed close to us and we watched another large lizard, this one red and purple with a large frill, anchor its jaws around the Nevermore's neck and shred its throat.

We were frozen in shock, but the beasts noticed us and charged, both roaring the whole way. Weapons were drawn immediately, but the lizards were more agile than they looked. They leapt around just about any bullet we shot, and the few that did hit were as effective as pebbles against their scales.

That meant melee, and we split up to deal with the appropriate lizard. I, along with Weiss, Blake, and Yang took on the red one, but it kept digging its claws into the stone and leaping about. Crescent Rose and my speed put a few gashes in its hide, but that only made it mad.

"Blake," I screamed. "Wrap its legs with that whip! Weiss, try and get some ice on it to slow it down! Yang, I need a Hotsauce Special!"

Blake sprang into motion and sent her weapon spiraling at the lizard's legs. It leapt over and twirled through it a few times before one of Weiss's Glyphs could freeze a chunk of its leg and it stumbled, falling from its perch and slamming against the stones.

Yang met me on the ground, and then hoisted me on to her shoulder. "Weiss, give me a boost!"

Weiss stared at me, but the vials on her rapier changed. "You're mad!"

I shrugged. "This whole situation is mad! Now, ready?"

She nodded and a black glyph appeared under my feet. The lizard was getting up, its tail whacking at the ice on its leg. We needed to end this.

"Now!"

Yang heaved as hard as she could, the Glyph adding even more acceleration as I flew at the lizard. It sensed me and caught Crescent Rose in its claws, but my momentum was too much for it to handle; I cleaved straight through its claws. It howled in pain, even as Blake's whip carved through its hide and a punch from Yang dazed it heavily.

I felt the need to end this in style, so my Aura flared, black-red lightning crackling to life. It traveled the length of Crescent Rose and I jumped from where I landed and swung, the blow landing like a lightning bolt.

The beast's neck gave way and blood spilled from the stump. We had to jump away, but I got a bit on my cloak that'd be hard to wash out.

We panted, not sure what had just happened, when Jaune and the others joined us. "What… was that?"

None of us had an answer. All we knew was that we had to complete the initiation, then we could ask questions. So, we trudged up the slope of the cliff and came face to face with Professor Ozpin.

He gave us a once over. "Hm, I see you ran into difficulties. But, you all have your relics, by the looks of it, so I suppose congratulations are in order. Welcome to Beacon, students. Your teams will be assigned later today."

He took a sip from his mug. "Now, I assume you all have questions about what just happened?"

We were too tired for verbal response, so we all just nodded.

Professor Ozpin shrugged. "Well, I can't tell you much here, open air is not secure enough, but I can tell you this. What you just fought were known as a Great Jaggi and a Velocidrome. They are creatures long thought extinct, but are apparently roaming Remnant once more."

He turned from our doubtlessly confused faces. "I'll explain in more detail when we return. However, know this. What you just fought was akin to foot soldiers, Juvenile Beowolves, essentially. If what I believe to be happening is true, not even the eldest Goliaths would be able to stand up to these beasts' equivalent of an Ursa Major."

He walked away, leaving every one of us incredibly confused. Those things, which took down a Nevermore and a Deathstalker like they were nothing, were foot soldiers?

... What did that make the big guys?

~FIN~

Hoo boy, that's a real long chapter eh?

Well, we get to the point of this story right here and why both Team RWBY and JNPR are Icons. Basically, the Monsters of Monster Hunter will be coming into this story as a third party, one that is against both Grimm and Human. Now, as you might imagine, this seems unfair. But, that's where the Icons come in. They are the only living humans short of the most experienced Hunters that can tangle with anything more dangerous than a Gobul and still walk away.

Again, I must ask, who do you guys think JNPR are for their Icon monsters? RWBY should be obvious, but I'll give a list just in case.

Ruby: Stygian Zinogre.

Weiss: Barioth

Blake: Nargacuga

Yang: Brachydios

Have fun looking those up, they're cool! Also, before anyone starts calling bull on a Great Jaggi and a Velocidrome being able to kill a Nevermore and a Deathstalker, please wait until next chapter. Everything will be explained, I assure you.

Anyway, hope you all enjoy and if you really enjoy, please leave a Fav, Follow, or Review.

Have a great day!