Chapter 10

Joining the Sky

Two years after the battle against the Black Death, the people of Remnant began to develop an overwhelming peace, especially with the Grimm being no longer a threat. Though some Grimm were still under the mysterious dark spell, the number of non-possessed Grimm heavily outnumbered the possessed ones. And without the constant fear of Grimm attacks, technology was no longer focused on that of weaponry, and was now concentrated on expanding civilization, making the Grimm comfortable in said civilization, and mending any wounds from freed Grimm.

But the peace did not stop Huntsmen from making the lives of others easier, as they were inclined to do. And in the process, they make life easier for themselves as well.

One day, as the Nevermores perched atop the pillars on the entrance to Beacon, Ruby observed her metal foot. She added more plating to the foot itself to make it look more normal(also so she could at least wear socks without shredding them to pieces), but she felt that she could do more with it.

"What's wrong sis? Having more robo troubles?" Yang asked.

"No, the foot's acting just fine. It's just… it feels like I can use this foot for more than just walking." Ruby sighed.

"Yeah, kicking! A metal foot could pack quite the punch. Or, I guess pack a kick, in this case." Yang said.

"No, not for combat, either. And I feel like Toothless is holding in his own secrets too." Ruby said, rubbing her thumb up and down on the pencil in her left hand. She let out an exaggerated sigh as she rested her head on the desk.

"Well, it's not like it would hurt to tinker with it." Yang shrugged.

"Hmm…" Ruby sighed, spinning the pencil in her hand, maneuvering it through her thumb, index finger, and middle finger. Though as an idea struck her, the pencil fell from her grasp. She retrieved it instantly, along with a few blank papers, and rushed to the workshops.

Toothless followed her in joyful anticipation in what she had planned. She instantly began drawing plans.

[Ten days later]

Ruby adjusted the foot one last time as she stood up. She popped her back as she tapped her foot on the ground twice. "Alright. Propulsion test number one." Ruby took a deep breath and slammed her metal foot. At first, nothing happened, and as she lifted her foot to check for any errors, the thrusters activated instantly, thrusting her into a workbench, which broke under the momentum. "Okay. Test number one failed." Ruby grunted as she struggled to get up.

Unfortunately, the thrusters activated again, launching her back first into a wall. She sighed in annoyance at the unstable functionality of her improvements.

[Five more days later]

"Alright. Test number four." Ruby said with a hint of fear in her voice. For a moment, she was able to hover off the ground, but when she tried to turn the thrusters off, she spun in a perfect spiral and barreled into a shelf of equipment. Which then proceeded to fall on top of her. She sighed louder now in more annoyance. "I'm getting flashbacks of testing Crescent Rose."

[Three months later]

"Oh boy. Test number, uh… Yang, what number is this?" Ruby asked.

"Lost count after fifty." Yang shrugged.

"I think it's somewhere in the triple digits." Weiss said behind her book.

"Well, at this point, numbers don't exactly count anymore." Ruby shrugged. She activated the thrusters, which she had tuned far too powerful, which launched her through the roof.

"I think it was number 109." Blake said.

"Nah, 110, counting this one." Yang said.

[two more months later]

Ruby, at this point, had given up on announcing the test number. She simply activated the thrusters, which began to hover her off the ground. "Okay. Initial thrust good. Keep it steady…" Ruby muttered to herself. Toothless watched carefully, in case he needed to go after her to catch her. Again.

She picked up power, and hovered higher and higher from the ground. "So far, so good." Ruby said louder this time. More of a reassurance for her than Toothless, if she was honest.

Then she reached for the straps across her waist and wings sprung out and wrapped around her arms. "Wing deployment finally reliable. Now let's see…" She then skyrocketed, feeling wind press against her whole body. Her wings unfolded and she came into control.

She kicked into the sky, and she went straight forward. She barreled toward the ground, but she was in full control. She kicked off the ground, and flew back into the sky once again. Before, she had done so in fear. Now, she felt a whole new sensation.

She felt as if the whole sky- no, the entire world was under her control, as if she held some form of divine power that made her bend everything to her will. She hollered to the thin air, which sounded for miles all around her, the clouds seeming to cheer her on as she raced over the Emerald Forest. Over the trees she flew, a trail of rose petals following her everywhere she went.

This, she thought, was what it was like to be a dragon. To be able to fly without effort, to spit fire through the air, while feeling invincible.

Now she understood Toothless to an even deeper level. She understood why, two and a half years ago, he was desperate to be back in the sky. To be on the ground was to feel completely vulnerable, while having full control of the sky made you feel like a god.

Then she thought of Toothless. She knew he felt vulnerable, even when she was around, simply because he could not fly all the time. So when Ruby returned to Beacon, she returned to the workshop. Toothless followed curiously, peeking at what she was designing.

"I hurt you before. I'll do everything I can to make it right again." Ruby said. Toothless was confused at her words. He had already forgiven her of what had happened back at Forever Fall, but then he realized that she still had not forgiven herself yet. But Ruby had a plan.

She would give Toothless full control over his tail once again. No matter the cost or the time it took. For her heart would never forgive itself if she did not complete this.

[One year later]

Summer fell upon the world of Remnant, bringing yet another enjoyment of the bright and cheerful kingdoms, where all could be outside and enjoy time with their Grimm. Meanwhile, over the expansive lake of Matsu, a trail of roses threaded across the calm waters, small ripples echoing across the lake, which originated from the crimson specks. And across the floating islands a black blur raced through. Eventually, the racing blur stopped on a small floating island. Now that people could safely traverse the islands, they were given names. And the island they landed on was called Seraph Island.

"So far so good. But calibration is just a bit off. We'll work out those bugs when we get back to Mistral." Ruby said. Meanwhile she made sure the saddle was fastened properly and all the other gear was still on right. After that, she looked out to Lake Matsu. She never took the time to appreciate the beauty of nature, and this made her rethink all of her negligence. "Wow. Lake Matsu sure is a sight, isn't it?" Ruby sighed as she sat at the edge of the island, letting her feet dangle from the island. Her silver eyes scanned all the islands, which lustered with life of all kinds. Some men have even started building bridges from island to island.

Ruby sighed in peace as she laid back in the grass, letting the lush green flow through her hair. But as she laid down in relaxation, she caught a glimpse of a strange symbol in the corner of her eye. She looked up at it to see something she had not seen in a long time.

"This… can't be." Ruby muttered. She rose up to observe the symbol closer. Toothless cocked his head in curiosity. But Ruby was almost happy to see what she saw. "It's Doctor Merlot. He must be nearby." Ruby almost shouted this. She knew, however, that this meant danger. But as well, she knew it meant answers for questions she's had for a long time.

"We have to get to Beacon. Ozpin will want to hear this in person." Ruby said as she snapped a photo of the symbol. She got on Toothless, and they took off to Beacon once again.

A/N

Sooo…. full disclosure, this was more of a filler chapter until I get an idea of what I want the rest of this story to be. And due to lack of participation, I'll just do the names myself. So, contest over, all that jazz. But do stay around for future updates.