Initiation
Sunset studied the small girl in front of her. She was dressed in black, trimmed with a red like blood, the exact same shed of her cape. A slightly darker red streaked through her otherwise black hair, concentrated at the tips.
She had silver eyes. They gleamed in an otherwise unremarkable face. Sunset had never seen anything quite like them in this world or, for that matter, in Equestria either.
I wonder what's up with that?
It was probably just some kind of genetic mutation, the kind of thing that Sunset had been passing off her unusual possession of two animal traits as the result of for years. Some people were just born weird.
So, this is my partner.
She didn't look particularly impressive. And it wasn't just her small stature either, or that wannabe-hero cape. The goofy grin on her face as she held out her hand towards Sunset had a lot to do with it as well.
Sunset considered just flat-out denying that she'd seen the other girl. But if said girl decided to push the issue it would only make things very awkward with trying to find another, better partner. And besides, well…she wasn't completely devoid of self-awareness; she had just enough of it to know that that was kind of crap that a lot of people would pull on a faunus in order to avoid being partnered with one.
I suppose I should be grateful that she doesn't seem to care that I'm a faunus. Or that I look like one.
"Yeah," Sunset said. "I guess we're partners now. For the next four years, so you'd better not slow me down." She didn't take the offered hand.
The girl in the red hood laughed nervously as she withdrew her hand. "Well, I guess, I, uh…" her eyes widened before she completely disappeared in a shower of rose petals.
Sunset blinked. Is that-
"Nope, definitely will not slow you down!" the girl declared eagerly as she reappeared in another shower of rose petals that began to descend on Sunset's shoulders and get stuck in her hair. The girl grinned eagerly. "Get it, see, cause I'm…really…fast?" The grin slid off her face like rain running down a window. "Okay, I don't really know how to deal with people but I OH MY GOSH!"
Sunset took a step away from the sudden look of manic eagerness on the other girl's face. "What?"
"Is that a revolving rifle?"
Sunset's eyes narrowed. She shifted her grip on Sol Invictus a little. "Yes," she said, drawing out the word just a little more than it warranted.
"That is so cool! You almost never see that and more! Six shots in the cylinder or five?
"Six."
"Double action or single?"
"Double, of course."
The other girl closed the distance between the two of them so quickly that she might as well be a teleporter herself; she ran her small, pale hands over the walnut stock. "Why did you use wood for the stock?"
"Because I wanted something heavy enough to brain a grimm with if I needed to," Sunset replied. "Plus…I kinda like the classic look." Her thumb ran over the image of her cutie-mark that she had carved into the wood before varnishing it
"Oh. Yeah, totally, not enough people appreciate the classics," the other girl said with a nervous laugh, as though she were suddenly afraid that she'd caused offence. Then she spotted the compressed air canister mounted just in front of the trigger guard. "Hey, what does this do?"
Sunset yanked the gun away before she could set it off. "That causes the bayonet to extend outwards an additional four feet so that-"
"So you can use it as a spear! Obviously!" the other girl squealed. "And that means there's gas in the canister, right?"
"Compressed air."
"And I guess that there's some kind of locking mechanism in place to prevent it being pushed back in when it hits something."
"Of course."
"That is so cool! What's her name? Did you make it yourself? How long have you had her?"
It took Sunset a moment to work out that the other girl was talking about her weapon as a she. "It's name is Sol Invictus, and I've had it for a couple of years now. I…had the parts made to my specifications then I assembled them personally."
"Aww," the other girl sighed in disappointment. "I kind of feel as though you ought to craft all the parts yourself, you know?" She produced something from behind her back, something red and rectangular that, with much hissing of hydraulics and snapping of mechanisms, unfolded into a crimson-and-black scythe that was bigger than its owner – a little bigger than Sunset, probably – and, judging by the trigger mechanism, magazine and sights, also included a gun.
"Meet my Crescent Rose," the other girl declared proudly. "A high-impact sniper rifle with a twelve round magazine…and it's also a scythe, obviously."
Sunset's eyebrows scaled her head. "You…you machined all the parts for that yourself?"
"Yup. All students at Signal forge their own weapons."
"Signal should throw in the towel for combat training and focus on producing engineers," Sunset muttered.
"Well, they're not all…I did kind of…I'm kind of a dork when it comes to weapons." She held out her hand once more. "I'm Ruby, Ruby Rose."
Sunset still didn't take the hand, but she did say, "Sunset Shimmer." She slung Sol Invictus over her shoulder and turned away. "We should find these ruins quickly. There's no sense in dawdling around out in these woods."
"Right," Ruby said. "Find the ruins, get the relic, and get out."
"Exactly," Sunset said as she started to push through the bushes. "I hope you know how to use that overgrown monster you designed."
Ruby appeared at Sunset's side, and tried to put arm around her shoulder. It was a little difficult because of the difference in their respective heights. "Do I know how to use my Crescent Rose? Trust me, Sunset, by the time we're done you're going to say to yourself 'That Ruby girl is pretty cool, and I want to be her friend.'"
Sunset shrugged off Ruby's hand. "I'm not here to make friends."
"Well, no, we're here to learn how to fight monsters and protect humanity," Ruby cried as Sunset started walking again. "But there's no rule saying that we can't be friends, right? I mean we are teammates. We're going to be spending a lot of time together over the next four years."
"Lots of people spend lots of time together but it doesn't make them friends," Sunset said as she continued to walk through the undergrowth. "Why don't we keep our relationship professional? You can hang out with your other friends."
Ruby mumbled something indistinct.
Sunset looked back over her shoulder. "What was that?"
Ruby looked down at her feet. She was playing with her hands. "I don't…have any other friends. Not here, anyway."
"You're not missing out, trust me," Sunset said. It was clear from the look on Ruby's face that she didn't find that response particularly helpful, so Sunset continued, "What, were you the only student from Signal to get in here?"
"They're all still at Signal."
Sunset frowned. "They're…wait. Wait just a minute. Are you…you're the prodigy who got admitted to Beacon two years early?"
Ruby seemed to shrink into herself a little. "You…you heard about that. Great."
"Gotta be honest, you're not what I was expecting."
"Uh, thanks?"
"Don't thank me, that wasn't a compliment," Sunset said as she turned away. Great. Just great. I know that part of me wanted a partner with talent to help me succeed but this is ridiculous! I'm going to be stuck with the child prodigy for the next four years! How am I supposed to get out from under that?
She could see now exactly how it was going to go. Nothing that she could do would matter because everyone would be too busy cooing over Ruby Rose and how young she is and isn't a marvel to be such a talent at her age. Sunset would never escape, never have the opportunity to escape, that kind of shadow.
Breathe. Deep breaths. Twice as hard for half as much reward just means you have to work four times as hard. No, make that eight times. Sunset glanced back at Ruby, who smiled and waved. She doesn't look like a prodigy. She didn't honestly look as though she had much of anything about her at all. But she would have no reason to lie about something like that. She didn't look especially proud. That part in particular was a complete mystery to Sunset. If she had been admitted to Beacon two years early on the strength of her awesome skills she would have made sure that the whole school knew it.
She'd done exactly that when she was admitted to Celestia's School for Gifted Unicorns early on the strength of her magical prowess. She'd worn her youth like a badge of honour, and told herself that all those who sniggered at her small stature were merely jealous of her power and potential.
Sunset continued to push through the bushes until her attention was drawn by the noise of something struggling and groaning up in one of the trees in front of her.
It turned out not to be a grimm but a boy with a mop of untidy blond hair. Someone had used a spear to pin him to the tree by his hoodie and he was, in spite of his best efforts, unable to extricate himself from the predicament.
Once he noticed Sunset down below, he offered her a stupid grin and a wave of his hand.
Sunset folded her arms. The defenders of humanity.
I suppose things could be worse. I could be stuck with this loser for a partner.
"Jaune?" Ruby cried as she stumbled out of the bushes in Sunset's wake.
"Ruby, hi," the boy – Jaune – said unhappily. "I, uh, nice to see you again!"
"What are you doing up there?"
"Well, I-"
"Jaune?" Another girl emerged from out of the shadows of the trees. She was tall, and probably would have been so even if she weren't wearing wedge heels, with fiery red hair falling down past her waist. She was armoured in bronze – where she was armoured at all – with a gleaming circlet set upon her brow.
The girl' eyes were on Jaune as she emerged into view, and only then did she notice Sunset and Ruby already at the foot of the tree. "Oh." The disappointment in her voice was as palpable as it was inexplicable.
"Don't worry," Sunset said, gesturing to Ruby with one hand before gesturing to Jaune with a jab of one thumb. "He's all yours."
Weiss Schnee stood in a perfect fencing pose straight out of an Atlasian master's treatise on the art: back straight, head up, feet well space, rapier held at eye height.
By contrast, the ursa confronting her had incredibly sloppy form, paws lazily held at its sides as it reared up onto its hind legs and growled at her.
Weiss stood as still as one of father's suits of armour in his mansion, and stared into those burning red eyes.
Then she attacked.
Weiss swept her Myrtenmaster across her front in a wide arc. Fire erupted from the blade in a blast that struck the ursa square in its shaggy black chest. The demon roared in pain as Weiss charged forward, switching from fire to ice dust as she did so.
The ursa, still bellowing in fury, swung wildly at her with his paws, but Weiss ducked the clumsy and ill-aimed strike, her braid flying about her head as she did so.
She fired again, and with ice dust this time she froze the ursa's foot to the ground.
Weiss was deaf and blind to everything but the monster in front of her. It was small than the Arma, and far less intimidating. She felt no fear as she drove hard at the immobilised creature, thrusting with Myrtenmaster in a series of perfectly controlled thrusts into its chest: one, two, three, four, eight, sixteen. The grimm was no match for her speed, its ferocity could not contest with her training. Weiss' face was a frozen mask of determination, her blue eyes shone with the fire of her determination as she skewered the grimm on the end of her blade.
Another blast of fire dust confirmed the kill, and the grimm turned to ashes before her eyes.
Weiss closed her eyes for a moment, and breathed deeply. With a flourish, she swept any grimm residue off her blade.
It was only then that she heard the roar of the second ursa behind her.
She turned with a gasp, only to hear the roar of the grimm answered by the boom of a shotgun. The grimm staggered forwards as the shotgun fired again, before collapsing at Weiss' feet.
It was clearly dead even before it started to disintegrate.
It's killer turned out to be a boy clad in shining gilded armour, with a tall blue crest atop his helmet, a gunblade in one hand and a shield in the other.
He smiled. "Hey there, you need some help?"
Weiss's eyebrows rose. Well, she certainly wasn't going to admit it now if he was going to take that tone.
She placed one hand on her hip. "Hmph."
The smile on his face didn't change. "So…I guess we're team-mates now."
"So it seems," Weiss said, turning around and beginning. "Well, you'd better follow me then, hadn't you."
"I'm Flash Sentry by the way."
"Hmph," Weiss said. If he didn't know who she was she wasn't about to tell him.
Yang was still pissed. Killing the ursa that had damaged her hair – her hair, dammit! Didn't they realise how much work it took to get hair this long and thick looking this good – wasn't enough. Killing it's friend wasn't enough. Her eyes still burned red as she rounded on the third ursa that had just wandered out of the undergrowth.
"Oh yeah! You want some too!"
And she wouldn't have given some to it, as well, if some kill-stealing scrublord hadn't chosen that moment to shoot it in the back.
Yang scowled at the scrub in question who was, it seemed her new partner.
He wasn't Ruby. He was a he for a start. A he in tan armour, squinting at her just a little bit as though he was having trouble seeing.
I suppose I did say that being on someone else's team might help her to break out of her shell.
But whoever she does end up on a team with better take care of her, or they're going to answer to me.
Despite there only being a single boarbatusk, it had become clear to Blake that the boy with the long blue hair was going to die if he was left to fight it unaided. He was strong enough, as he proved when he managed to split a rock in half with a stroke of his halberd, but that was the problem: he hit the rock and not the grimm.
The fact that he appeared to be rapidly losing his composure wasn't helping him much either.
Blake was under no illusions. If she leapt down from this tree and saved this guy then he would be her partner. A partner who was more than a little bit useless, and with whom she would be stuck for the next four years.
But it wasn't as if she'd come to Beacon to get top grades or make a name for herself. She'd come to Beacon because she had to go somewhere and after so long in the White Fang, fighting was all that she really knew how to do.
She'd come to Beacon because she couldn't face going home to her parents and admitting that she'd been wrong, and she couldn't bear the idea of putting them in danger if Adam decided to come after her.
She'd come to Beacon to find another way of living, and she couldn't start this new phase of her life by letting someone die at the hands of the grimm.
Adam would have watched the boy flail around with amusement, but she wasn't Adam. His path was not hers, not any more.
So she leapt down from out of the tree and started shooting.
The shots from Gambol Shroud didn't seem to hurt the boarbatusk, but they did get its attention. It snorted as it charged towards her, its black hooves churning up the forest.
Wait for it.
The grimm got closer. Its tusks gleamed wickedly in the morning light.
Wait for it.
The grimm was almost on her now. The boy was staring at her as though she was crazy.
Now.
Blake lashed out with her whip, wrapping it around the foreleg of the boarbatusk. With a hard yank she threw it up into the air, squealing in panic, its legs waving frantically in the air as its soft underbelly was exposed.
Blake leapt, firing into the air as she did so. The boarbatusk screeched in agony as her bullets stroke home. Gambol Shroud transformed in her hand to blade configuration and she slit it from throat to rear as the coup de grace.
She landed gracefully in front of the boy and regarded him without emotion.
"Thanks," he muttered. "The name's Sky Lark."
"Blake," Blake said evenly.
"Hey," Sky said, as he picked himself up off the ground. "I guess that makes us teammates."
"Yes," Blake said, because what else was there to say.
Lie Ren stood in the remains of the dead King Taijitu, when his attention was drawn by someone cawing in the tree above him.
Ren raised his arms and let his Stormflowers slide down his sleeves. He looked up just in time to see Nora drop down from out of the trees, dangling by her legs in front of him.
"Carraw!"
"I still don't think that's what sloths sound like," he observed, with a slight hint of a smile that only broadened when Nora bopped him on the nose.
"Boop."
It was good to know that some things didn't change, and never would.
Professor Ozpin stood on the edge of Beacon Cliffs, monitoring the students via his scroll.
"Hmm, it looks our last pair has assembled," Glinda said, from a short distance away. "Lie Ren and Nora Valkyrie. Poor boy. I can't imagine those two getting along."
Ozpin said nothing. The secrets of Mister Ren and Miss Valkyrie's shared past were there own, in all their sorrow. It wasn't his place to divulge them, not even to his closest friend and collaborator. He sipped his coffee – black, and extra strong – as he continued to watch the feeds.
"Although I daresay he'll be better off than Miss Nikos," Glinda continued. "I don't care what his transcripts say, that Jaune fellow is not ready for this level of combat."
Which of us is ever ready? Ozpin thought. He had been nine years old when he had been…called to serve. There were times when he couldn't remember his parents faces, and not because he was so old or so senile. Had he been ready? Probably not. In the end, none of them were ever ready for the moment when destiny came calling.
That was why he had turned a blind eye to the – expertly done, he had to admit – forged transcripts and decided to give Jaune Arc his chance. Perhaps he wasn't ready, but since no one was ever really ready it was surely better that he was at least willing to do his part.
That and he remembered the boy's great-grandfather with a degree of fondness. He had been a great fighter. Time would tell if Jaune was made of the same stuff.
For the moment, however, he was more interested in the companions that young Jaune had acquired. Ozpin's scroll showed the four of them moving through the forest: Sunset Shimmer in the lead, then Ruby Rose, then Pyrrha Nikos just ahead of Mister Arc. How strange that the three of them should meet so early. What a coincidence that the three students he had been intending to keep an eye on more than any others should all come to the same place at the same time, where he could watch them all together.
He had intended to keep an eye on Miss Nikos from the moment he had received her surprising application to attend Beacon. He – and Lionheart – had both been preparing to receive her at Haven. They had need of a new guardian for the vault there, someone who could – in due time – seek out the lost Spring Maiden and take the power for herself. But it seemed that Miss Nikos had other plans, plans that might serve Ozpin and their cause even better. His thoughts turned briefly to vault beneath the CCT. It was certainly a possibility, although he needed to observe Miss Nikos in action and in life before he could be certain that she was worthy.
Miss Shimmer was interesting to him in her own right. Another Equestrian refugee. He still wasn't entirely sure what she was doing here, although he was almost certain that she was not yet another monster or criminal banished by the inhabitants of that other world who used Remnant as a dumping ground for their problems. No, it was a more personal need that had driven Miss Shimmer here, Ozpin could tell. He would get to the heart of the mystery, and when he did…that would depend on what he found there.
She had power. Magic. That could be dangerous, in the wrong hands. But in the right hands, properly controlled, it could be incredibly useful. What might Miss Shimmer be able to do for their cause, if she would be content to serve him? She bore quite careful watching.
And then there was Miss Rose. Ruby. Summer's daughter. There were many within his organisation, or on the fringes of it, who thought that he was making a mistake allowing her to attend Beacon early, or else they feared that he was not entirely to be trusted with Summer's little girl. Taiyang had called him, begging him not to get either of his daughters involved in the clandestine work that had terrified Tai's first wife and claimed the life of his second. Qrow had paid him a visit to bluster at him about Summer's last wishes and Miss Rose's youth.
"I still don't understand," Glinda said softly.
"What?" Ozpin replied.
"Why you brought Miss Rose here early," Glinda said.
"Because I think that she's ready."
"She's a child," Glinda said. "Summer's child. Couldn't you at least have waited two more years until she was grown up before you got her involved in this?"
"There is no time," Ozpin muttered. None of them understood. None of them had the perspective that he had acquired through his long years of immortality. Qrow was brave and loyal but, blinded by love, even he wasn't capable of seeing the bigger picture.
The enemy was already on the move. They had nearly killed Amber and were halfway to stealing the Fall Maiden powers for themselves. In all likelihood the other Maidens were in danger as well, and the vaults, and the schools. Their long years of peace were coming to an end, Salem was coming for all of them and if he did not wield every weapon available to him then no one would be spared the embrace of the darkness. Ironwood's armies, his ships and his mechanical toys, none of it would be enough. Only he could see with sufficiently clear eyes to know what had to be done to protect humanity. Only he was willing to take up that burden, that sacrifice upon his many souls.
Yes, Miss R- Ruby was Summer's daughter. Yes, she was still a child. But she was also the first Silvereye that he had found since Summer herself and so he would throw her into the fire again and again if that was what it took. He would throw them all: silver-eyed Ruby, Sunset so strong in magic, Pyrrha Nikos full of virtue; he would throw all into the fire until they burned. Or until victory was won.
So heavy was the task of protecting the human race.
As she led the way through the woods, Sunset wondered if she could have possibly done something to offend some kind of deity of this world that had responded by cursing her with some absolutely rotten luck.
The champion and the prodigy, both at once. It was appalling.
Or at least, it had the potential to be.
Although…there was a part of Sunset that was starting to wonder if she might not be able to turn this to her advantage somehow.
It would be hard, it would be a narrow path for sure, but if she could pull it off then she might well be golden.
The risks were obvious: surrounded by two such paragons she was in grave danger of being outshone. But, since she was already stuck with one of them then the risks were not so much greater with the other as well. And the prize: if she could lead these two, then a share of their successes and their honours would accrue to her by right as their leader. She would be credited as the guiding brain, the decisive mind that had shaped and conceived of all their triumphs. She would be the one who had guided them to the pinnacle of success. If Pyrrha won the Vytal Festival then, well, she couldn't have done it without the help of her team leader, Sunset Shimmer, and her brilliant strategies. When their names were mentioned, that of Sunset Shimmer would be mentioned first.
It would be tricky, she wouldn't be able to just sit back and bask in their reflected glory, she would have to show that she was fit and deserving of a share in their light, but if she could do it…it was a far better path by far than standing in their shadow and raging impotently at the darkness that would consume her there.
It certainly helped that Pyrrha was so…docile was perhaps the best word that Sunset could come up with, for all that it made her seem like a farm animal. But Sunset had been surprised; she had expected Pyrrha to take the lead, or try to; her achievements fitted her for leadership. But she seemed to content to follow, and without any way of knowing that Sunset was even better suited to lead than she was! She had said nothing when Sunset had taken control of the foursome – she had done it by the simple process of acting like she had been put in charge, issuing instructions to the others without room for them to demur or question. Ruby hadn't given her any trouble either.
If they both keep up this obedient attitude then I might actually be able to swing this.
Jaune yelped in pain as the branch that Pyrrha had just pushed out of her way snapped back and smacked him in the face.
Which brought Sunset to the fourth member of their little group. To say that he wasn't on the same level as the three of them appeared to be something of an understatement. She turned around to see that he was flat on his back. How someone like him intended to defend his world from monsters Sunset couldn't even begin to fathom.
"Jaune! Are you alright?" Ruby asked.
"I'm sorry," Pyrrha said apologetically.
Why do either of you care what happens to this guy? Sunset wondered.
"It's just a scratch," Jaune said as he picked himself up off the ground. Literally, he had a scratch on his cheek just below his eye. Which was pretty weird, really. Why didn't his aura-
"Why didn't you activate your aura?" Pyrrha asked, voicing what Sunset had been thinking.
"Huh?"
"Your aura?" she repeated.
"Gesundheit."
Sunset's eyes narrowed. Seriously?
"Jaune," Pyrrha said, sounding as confused as Sunset felt about this. "You do know what aura is."
Jaune scoffed. "Of course I do. Do you know what aura is?"
Sunset rolled her eyes. "How do you not know what aura is? Where did you go to Combat School?"
"I, uh, didn't," Jaune said. "I was homeschooled. But I passed all the tests! And I have the transcripts to prove it."
"Wow, you passed all of the graduation and entrance exams without aura!" Ruby gasped. "That's amazing! You must be really, really strong!"
Yeah, really strong. Sunset managed to keep her scepticism off her face with a small degree of effort. But her eyes remained narrowed as Pyrrha explained to Jaune what aura was, albeit in a slightly more mystical and numinous way than Sunset would have tackled the same approach. Aura, even magic itself could – and to Sunset's mind, should – be approached scientifically; if you surrounded it with too much ceremony and reverence and made it seem like something so much more mysterious than it really was then you only served to cloud understanding, even amongst those who most needed to understand.
Honestly, Pyrrha might have seemed exasperatedly amused when Jaune declared that aura was like a forcefield, but it was probably a more useful descriptor than all of her fine speechifying about light and darkness.
When Pyrrha offered to unlock Jaune's aura with her own, Ruby threw up her hands in excitement. "Oh, this is going to be so great. When my Uncle Qrow unlocked my aura for me I felt as though I could run all the way across Patch and back without stopping, you're going to love this."
Sunset was still trying to figure out exactly how Jaune had gotten this far without knowing about aura. This was first year combat school stuff, and the explanation that he hadn't been to a combat school only answered so many questions. He would have still had to take the standardised tests in order to prove that he deserved a shot at Beacon, not to mention Beacon's own entrance exams. Sunset would never have gotten through the practicals without her aura. So unless Jaune really was an absolute badass – and Sunset was sceptical of that possibility – he ought to have been unable to do so, right?
How had he done it? Aura was…everything. Sunset probably could have replicated some of the effects with magic, but the drain of keeping a passive shield up would have been immense compared to using aura to accomplish the same thing. And without magic…without magic she would have been terrified in a place like this.
I suppose I have to give him credit for bravery, if nothing else.
Pyrrha cupped Jaune's cheek with one hand. "For it is in passing that we achieve immortality. Through this, we become a paragon of virtue and glory to rise above all. Infinite in distance and unbound by death, I release your soul, and by my shoulder protect thee."
Ruby gasped in awe as Jaune began to glow like a blazing sun – his aura was tremendous – and then rushed over to help Pyrrha as she doubled over from the exertion of what she'd just done. Sunset stayed where she was, watching, pondering the words that Pyrrha had spoken. Ritualistic, as she might have expected. A little ominous. And wrong, too.
In passing we achieve immortality? No. The dead are dead and none recall their names. And even if they did, even if you are one of those lucky few whose fame will outlast them, so what? What use has a dead man for glory? What good will do me in the grave to be remembered, even to be spoken of in awe? Let me win far fame while I live, and spread my legend as much by my own mouth as by my deeds.
Let me be forgotten when I am dead, so long as I am held in awe while I am living.
Bluntly put, you couldn't ascend when you were dead.
Ruby patted Pyrrha on the back. "Are you okay?"
"Did I do something wrong?" Jaune demanded, sounding notably panicked at the protest. "Are you hurt?"
Pyrrha shook her head. "I spent some of my aura to unlock yours…it took more out of me than I'd expected. You have a lot of aura."
"Take a minute to rest," Sunset said. "We're not in that much of a hurry." As much as Celestia had used, betrayed and abandoned her, she had nevertheless taught Sunset a great many things. More things, perhaps, than she had intended to, teaching Sunset as she had done not only by her lessons but by her example. One of the things that Sunset had learned from said example was that, when you took leadership upon yourself, you not only shared in the successes of your minions but also in their failures. If Pyrrha was hurt under Sunset's direction, whether it was because of her own foolishness or not, then the blame would accrue to Sunset's leadership; especially when Pyrrha's own reputation gleamed so brightly.
So there was really no need for the grateful looks that Jaune and Sunset gave her. She was simply practicing prudence.
Her ears twitched as she heard something rustling in the nearby bushes.
Of course, nothing says the enemy has to give us a minute.
"Guys," Sunset called, pressing the stock of Sol Invictus to her shoulder even if, for the moment, she kept the barrel down. "Get ready. Back to back. Pyrrha, can you fight."
"Yes."
Sunset frowned. She didn't sound that bad, but even so. "Jaune, cover her anyway."
"R-right," Jaune said. He sounded nervous, but that was understandable. Sunset was pretty nervous herself, for all that she wouldn't show it. That was something else Celestia had taught her: no matter how much ice there is in your stomach, no matter how your heart pounds, keep an expression of serenity on your face and don't let them see you troubled.
They stood back to back in the modest clearing. The rustling sounds were coming from all around them now, getting closer and closer. It belatedly occurred to Sunset that she didn't really know much about Jaune or Pyrrha's weapons, or their capabilities beyond the fact that Jaune had a lot of aura that he hadn't even know existed until thirty seconds ago. But Pyrrha had a great reputation, as did Ruby, so it was probably safe to put a little trust in them.
As safe as it was to trust anybody in this selfish world.
Sunset could see a pair of red eyes in one of the bushes; then she could see another, and another, and by the looks of it there were upwards of a dozen of them all around them.
Sunset rested her finger on the trigger.
A beowolf stuck its head out of the bush as it started to slink into view.
Sunset squeezed the trigger, and Sol Invictus erupted with a flash and a crack as her first shot took the beowolf's head off. It's body remained standing for a moment, headless and bloody, before it keeled over onto the ground and started to dissolve.
The grimm howled in anger. They howled in rage. They howled in bloodlust. The howl rose in an awful cacophony from all their throats filling the sky and echoing in all four of Sunset's ears, jarring down her spine and making it shiver.
Vice-Principal Luna had said that beowolves were the worst grimm; they weren't the strongest, or the fastest, but they were the meanest and their howl…the vice-principal had said that if any huntsman claimed to have heard the howling of a pack of beowolves and not been frightened then they hadn't actually heard it.
In this moment, at this place, Sunset believed her.
They charged out of the thicket in a black mass like tar with teeth, snarling and baring their fangs as they ran on four legs or two, claws ready and red eyes gleaming.
Sunset fired. She could hear other shots from behind her, shots coming from two different weapons; she guessed that one was Ruby with that ludicrous Crescent Rose of hers and the other would have to be either Pyrrha or Jaune, unless some stranger had come to their aid.
I don't need to be rescued on my first test.
Crack!
Sunset's second shot hit a beowolf in the shoulder, it staggered by did not fall.
Crack!
That shot did for it, it hit the ground and started to dissolve.
Crack!
Another one down but they were all getting so close.
Crack!
Sunset turned and shot one that was trying to get at Pyrrha from the flank.
Crack!
Her shot caught a beowolf in mid-flight before it could leap on her. Its momentum carried the smoke and ashes right into her face. Sunset took aim at another beowolf.
Click.
And she'd had her six.
There was no time to use magic. She needed at least a little concentration for that and it was hard to come by right now. The beowolves sensed weakness – Ruby and whoever else it was were still shooting – and came for her, roaring in their lust for blood.
An answering yell rose from Sunset's throat. She bellowed angrily because she would not die, not here, not now, not before she had accomplished anything. She would not die, and she roared out her desire to live as she reversed her grip on the gun in her hand and swung wildly as though it were a bat, clubbing the closest beowolf across its bone mask with the heavy wooden stock. The grimm shuddered, the mask cracked, but it did not fall. Sunset hit it again, and again, still shouting until the demon was dead, and then she twisted away just in time to avoid another beowolf charging for her. She impaled it on her bayonet.
She wasn't quick enough to do anything about the beowolf that slammed into her, bearing her to the ground. She tried to fend it off with Sol Invictus but its jaws snapped and snarled at her, barely an inch away from her face as its claws slashed at her aura, stripping it away piece by piece.
There was a flash of bronze, and the beowolf was hurled away as Pyrrha struck it with her shield so powerfully that it was thrown clean off of Sunset. With the second stroke of her shield Pyrrha eviscerated the grimm, while with her spear she impaled another.
And in the next few moments Sunset began to see where her reputation came from. Gone was the quiet girl who had been content to follow where Sunset led; in her place was a warrior grim of face, an artist on the battlefield, her every movement both graceful and deadly. Grimm fell by her hand like leaves until she cut down the big alpha in a flurry of swift slashes of her sword and the survivors fled, their howls of bloodlust turned to howls of panic and terror.
Sunset picked herself up quickly off the ground, and hoped that Ruby and Jaune hadn't noticed that she'd been knocked down. Thankfully Pyrrha didn't see to want to be thanked, and as the grimm retreated her face softened once more, as if something had been switched off in her head once the danger was passed.
Jaune had also been knocked onto his back, he looked chastened as he climbed to his feet. Ruby didn't say anything, but gave him a pat on the shoulder as though he needed to be reassured about something.
Sunset said nothing as she started to reload. I need to get stronger. Clearly I'm not up to their level yet.
I may never get there.
But I can get closer than I am now if I work at it.
But there's no way that they're going to accept my leadership now. I wouldn't, if I was in their position.
"Which way would you suggest now?" Pyrrha asked.
"Whuh?" the sound fell out of Sunset's mouth. "You're asking me?"
Pyrrha shrugged. "You seem confident in your sense of direction."
Sunset glanced at Ruby, who nodded.
Sunset's pride felt a little less dented. My training in leadership shining through, I suppose.
She had just put the fourth round into the cylinder when she heard a tree falling in front of her.
And then another, and then a third after that.
"That…that sounds bigger than a beowolf," Jaune said.
Sunset was inclined to agree, which was why she hurried up reloading. She had just – just – put the sixth round into the cylinder when a deathstalker crashed through the forest, trampling trees and bushes beneath its legs.
It made no sound, it did not raw or howl, but it did snap its claws aggressively at them as it came on.
Ruby charged, she swung her scythe in a wide arc that glanced off the deathstalker's bleached white armour.
A single swipe of the deathstalker's claw was enough to send Ruby flying backwards.
Sunset didn't bother to fire. Instead she teleported the distance between Ruby and herself and threw up a shield of blue green energy around the two of them.
The claws and stinger of the deathstalker beat fruitlessly against it. For now.
"Sunset, how are you-"
"Pyrrha!" Sunset yelled, cutting Ruby off. "We need a distraction!"
"Right," Pyrrha answered, and she dashed forward with a swift, loping gait culminating in a flying leapt that carried her onto the deathstalker's back. She drove her spear downwards, but had no more luck penetrating its armoured carapace than Ruby had. Her spear turned into a rifle – so she was the third shooter – and she fired to as little effect. She had got the grimm's attention, though, and as Pyrrha leapt off its back it turned all of its malicious attention on her. But, though Pyrrha could not harm the grimm for all that she leapt at it and slashed and thrust and fired, she was too swift-footed for the demonic scorpion to harm her, either. It simply couldn't keep up with her as she danced out of the way of its claws, closing and retreating, her red hair moving like fire as she wove in and out of the grimm's guard.
Sunset dropped her shield – keeping it up was a drain, and the plan that was starting to formulate in her mind would require every bit of magic she could lay her hands on – and pointed in the other direction from that in which Pyrrha was currently leading the deathstalker. "Ruby, get over there, get up a tree, and catch that thing in a crossfire."
"But his armour-"
"It doesn't matter if you don't hurt him, I just want him to notice," Sunset said. "Believe me, this is going to work."
Ruby hesitated for a moment, before she nodded. "Okay." She sped forward, firing her gunscythe and using the recoil to carry her into the low branches of a nearby tree.
"What should I do?" Jaune asked as he jogged up to Sunset.
"You…you stay here," Sunset said. "And wait for my instructions."
Jaune didn't look too happy about that, but Sunset didn't have time to pay too much attention to him right now. Ruby had just started laying down fire on the deathstalker from above. The grimm stopped, half turning towards her. Pyrrha attacked again, her blade shining as she slashed furiously at the deathstalker's carapace. For its part, the grimm appeared confused, torn between its two assailants. It turned first one way, and then the other. Its claws chattered furiously as it turned, never quite settling on an assailant. It spread its legs out, and scuttled into just the right position.
And then Sunset teleported again. She emerged in a flash of green light underneath the deathstalker, flat on her back in the space between its legs and gathered the last of her magic in the palm of her hands in a blast upwards into the soft underbelly of the scorpion. The grimm shuddered in pain, and then collapsed.
Right on top of Sunset. Fortunately it dissolved a moment later.
Ruby cheered as she leapt down from the tree. "That was awesome!"
"You have quite a versatile semblance," Pyrrha said.
"Semblance?" Jaune asked.
"She can explain later," Sunset said. "For now, let's just get our relics and get back to Beacon without any more trouble."
They were back in the hall where they had started from the day before, the hall where Professor Ozpin had given them his interesting address. Now, in groups of four, they were called up onto the stage as their images appeared on the two giant screens that hung above the hall.
Sunset waited impatiently, her tail twitching as four by four all other students except her were called up onto the stage by the headmaster.
Currently on stage where the silent, reading girl with the black bow in her equally black hair that Sunset had observed the night before; a tall boy with dark blue hair and grey armour; a girl whose hair was equally divided between blue and pink; and another girl with white hair streaked with mint-green, wearing a cloak of pink and red and blue that completely obscured everything below her face.
Professor Ozpin announced their names. "Blake Belladonna, Sky Lark, Bonnie Bonaventure and Lyra Heartstrings, the four of you retrieved the black knight pieces and will continue your studies as Team Bluebell, led by Blake Belladonna."
Sunset joined in the polite applause as the initials BLBL flashed up under the pictures of the respective students. Blake Belladonna seemed more resigned than anything else as she led her new team off the stage.
"Weiss Schnee, Flash Sentry, Russell Thrush, Cardin Winchester," Professor Ozpin called, waiting a moment for the four of them to join him on stage: a pale girl with hair as white as snow who might be even shorter than Ruby, the big guy with the bird on his armour who had mocked Sunset earlier, some punk with a sleeveless hoodie and a grey mohawk, and Flash. Sunset's lip curled in contempt at the sight of Flash, in that gaudy, shining armour of his, standing up there with his chest puffed out with pride. "You four retrieved the black rook pieces. You will be known as Team Wisteria, led by Weiss Schnee." The letters WSTW flashed up beneath their portraits.
Sunset didn't join in the applause. As Miss Schnee led the way off the stage – managing to look both proud, and at the same time as though this was nothing unexpected – Flash glanced Sunset's way. Sunset glared at him until he looked away again, and made his way off the stage with the others.
"Yang Xiao-Long, Lie Ren, Dove Bronzewing, Nora Valkyrie."
Ruby whistled, and a girl with long blonde hair turned to give her a wink and a wave as she led the serious boy with the pink streak in his hair Sunset had noticed earlier, and the redhead who had woken them both up, and a nondescript looking guy in tan armour up onto the stage.
"The four of you," Ozpin said. "Retrieved the white rook pieces. You will continue your studies here as Team Iron, led by Yang Xiao-Long"
Ruby started cheering enthusiastically as the letters YRDN appeared beneath the portraits of the four members of the newly formed team. The blonde – Yang – gave her a thumbs up before she made her way off the stage with the others.
"Sunset Shimmer, Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos and Ruby Rose."
Sunset kept her expression pleasantly neutral as she led the other three out of the crowd and up onto the stage. The lights on them were bright, but Sunset didn't mind the glare. She didn't mind the eyes upon her. In fact, she positively enjoyed them both.
"The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces," Professor Ozpin reminded the audience. "You will therefore be known as Team Sapphire, led by Sunset Shimmer."
Well of course, Sunset thought, and let the applause roll over her.
