Mirror, mirror, tell me something,
Tell me who's the loneliest loner?
Tell me who's the mightiest of might?
Tell me who's the heartfullest of hearts?
Tell me who's the villainous villain?
Winter, Winter, call out my name,
Call those who hath burned the freezing cold.
Call those who would tell the tale of cold.
Call those who hath learned refuge from cold.
Call those who would keep the dead from cold.
(Excerpts from the Poetic Scriptures of Old Winter.)
"This will be a piece of cake?" Ruby laughed to herself, raising both arms in the air. "I'M GONNA BE A HUNTRESS!"
With the universe finally letting her catch a break, the girl happily hopped down the sidewalk after downing several tall cups of coffee. Never in her life would she predict to be this happy turning in a few pieces of paper in some boring office down the street. It all felt so incredibly simple, too. It was ten thirty in the morning, so she still had about an hour and a half left to turn these in.
The bail paperwork at the police station took longer than expected. But walking down the street shouldn't take too long. The traffic was sparse, peculiar for back-to-school season, but no reason for Ruby to complain.
At least, that was what she thought.
Because the strangest thing kept happening to her as she passed this one mirror shop by the large intersection. The temperature dropped to a bizarre degree despite it being early Autumn. The air was still warm from Summer, and yet Ruby could feel Winter's fingers wrapping around her neck, letting out cold breeze as she breathed.
But that was the least of her concern, the most terrifying thing by far was the ghostly sight of a gorgeous snow haired princess glaring intensely at Ruby in the reflection of one of the mirrors in the shop. But when Ruby spun her head around to the street where she was supposed to be standing, there was nobody there.
"I must be imagining things," Ruby rubbed her eyes.
Turning around, however, and she was met with the furious gaze of that very same snow haired princess, she was not in the mirror however, instead standing right in front of Ruby.
The girl wore an elegant bright blue crystal-colored jacket with a red collar, on her shoulders were a pair of golden epaulets signaling a distinct disciplined posture only reserved for certain people with particular status. Was she from the military? No, Ruby thought. This snow white outfit and high heels were familiar. Another person she definitely had seen on the news before. But alas, two whole days without sleep will do things to your brain, none of it were pleasant.
But where did she come from? Ruby wondered. She was sure she was not that exhausted. It was as if the girl had just materialized out of thin air.
"You there," the girl pointed at Ruby. "What's your name?"
"Huh? Oh… um… it's Rose – Ruby Rose."
"Hmm…" the elegant princess extended her hand for Ruby to shake, despite maintaining her cold steely eyes, "my name is Weiss Schnee. Pleasure."
"Oh, um… pleasure's all mine," Ruby shook her hand. "Hey, wait a minute. I remember you. Aren't you that heiress on TV? You were on the Daimon Talk Show. That's it. Now I remember you."
"Yes, it was quite a long time ago. I'm surprised you remember."
"I would've recognized you right away if my brain isn't beaten up and juiced with twenty five cups of coffee. Or was it thirty? Whatever, it's so nice to meet you here, I'm honored," Ruby frantically continued to shake her hand, "can I have your autograph?"
"Right, and I suppose you want me to throw in a little Dust discount as well while I'm at it. Is that what you want?"
"Um… yes?" Ruby wasn't sure if she was serious. "Your dad runs the SDC doesn't he? I'm sure you can put in the good word for me. I want to celebrate by upgrading my weapon. I'm going to be a huntress, you see."
"I do see," Weiss yanked off her hand from Ruby. "You've been yelling that for the whole street to hear."
"Oops… ha-ha."
"I have to ask, though," Weiss's brow began to grimace, "what Academy are you applying to?"
"Oh, Beacon of course. It's the best one there is."
"Right, and how did you manage to get in? I hear it's very competitive this time of year."
"Oh, that. That's private business I'm afraid," Ruby smiled. "But… if you must know, I got… let's say a special pass from the headmaster himself for my heroic deeds of hunting down a heinous villain."
"I see you like to boast with no shame."
"I do, yeah. Because I deserve it. I caught one of the biggest crime lords in all of Vale after all. Godfather Roman Torchwick, the one and only."
"Funny," Weiss scratched her chin, "last I heard, Roman Torchwick got away, and is now at large again."
That struck a nerve with Ruby like a lightning bolt, making her realize that this whole bragging business had really come back to bite her in the rear. But it also rose in her some suspicion of this Weiss girl.
"How did you know that?" Ruby asked. "That information isn't available for the public, yet."
"So you admit you were lying?"
"Well… if you look at it from certain points of view…"
"You admit," Weiss cut her off, "that he got away?"
"Well… I mean… people have legs right?"
"You admit then, that YOU let him get away?"
"Excuse me? How did you…"
"You are not so bright, are you?" Weiss sneered, with a hidden silent rage. "You think you are the only one in this entire city who has enough brain cells to theorize that maybe, just maybe Roman Torchwick, the most slippery criminal alive, may have, oh I don't know – faked his own death?"
"I'm not?" Ruby blurted out, genuinely surprised.
"Of course not! But most those who share that same theory are losers in the police force. But I am a Schnee, and I have a standard to uphold. It is a family name I carry with great responsibility. And I am not about to let a little brat sully my one and only perfect RECORD!"
Weiss shouted, raising her fist to deck Ruby right across her jaw, knocking her far back into the empty street. What amazing power in that one punch, a strength that you wouldn't normally assume a girl of her elegant physique could possess.
Just as Ruby got on her feet again, regaining her balance and bearing, she turned to face the front of the mirror shop to confront a horrible truth – she was not seeing things earlier that day, because this Weiss girl indeed possessed the uncanny ability to step into the world of the mirrors, the world of the reflection, with her torso melting into the silver, slowly descending beneath the shiny surface as if it were made of liquid.
In her hand she wielded a powerful steel rapier with a unique emblem marked on the hilt. It wasn't like any rapier Ruby had ever seen before, modified to hold Dust rounds as if it were a revolver of sort.
"I have been following Torchwick for nearly two months," Weiss said within the mirror world. "Doing reconnaissance work and mapping out his movements. I was going to follow him back into his secret lair where his entire operation is, but you had to come in and ruin all of that with your stupid little stunt you pulled. Now we have no leads, no perp to interrogate, and no sign of the boss himself. So yes, you ask why I'm so angry. You would be ticked off, too if a dumb brat ruined everything you so carefully planned!"
"I… didn't ask you anything."
"I DIDN'T ASK FOR YOUR OPINION, DAMMIT! What part of that don't you get? Prepare to face the power of my weapon's Ability, the Myrtenaster."
What a terrifying Ability, Ruby thought to herself. The power to enter the opposite world that existed on possibly any and all reflective surfaces. Weiss had only shown capable of going into an actual mirror so far, but it would be foolish not to assume she could do so in other types of reflective surfaces as well.
"The Schnees are well known for our mastery of weapons crafting," Weiss said. "We possess the power to push Dust fusion technology to the fullest extent, creating truly unique abilities that go beyond simple elemental powers. Through complex engineering we were able to create Glyphs through fusion of Fire, Ice, Gravity and Hard Light Dust. It is a proud tradition, one I intend to improve even further, going beyond perfection. TAKE THIS!"
Faster than a blink of an eye, Weiss dashed outside of the mirror world and straight towards where Ruby stood, slashing at her with great precision. Ruby was able to dodge the full force of the attack, but only barely, thus she was grazed with a significant cut on the side of her cheek.
Weiss had disappeared from the mirror in the shop. And only with a long moment of looking around did Ruby finally spotted where she was now – within the reflection of the window on the building across the street. Ruby's hypothesis was right, Weiss really could attach herself on any reflective surfaces.
"Too slow!" Weiss cried out, holding her rapier upright. "The power of the Schnee Glyphs truly is amazing. It allows top-notch stealth and defense while still retaining immense striking power, calculated to maximum efficiency. No wasted movements, perfect posture. You cannot touch me while I am in the mirror, even if you break the mirror itself, it is futile."
Ruby raised her Crescent Rose in an attempt to defend herself, but Weiss's Glyphs were just too fast for her to react, making another deep cut on the side of her forearm. It was simply baffling to Ruby, as she knew she had the reflexes to casually react to military grade rounds and projectiles. So how was Weiss getting by without being seen? How?
A tactical retreat was in order, with haste Ruby set down her Crescent Rose and activated its wheel. She planned to travel down the street to where the office near the airship field was. Perhaps she will be safe in there.
"Do you have any idea how it felt being the next person on the waitlist applying to Beacon to suddenly lose that position when a no good reckless brat came out of nowhere and swoop in like a vulture? DO YOU? I worked hard to get to where I am, and I'm not about to dishonor my name."
"Give it a rest, princess," Ruby shouted as Crescent Rose sped down the road, knowing Weiss was following from behind, "you had a bad day, it happens."
"IT'S HEIRESS TO YOU! TAKE THIS!"
Another strike coming from behind, this time from above where the reflective glass of the streetlamp was.
Ruby clenched onto Crescent Rose tight, and slammed her foot down onto the road to anchor it tight. It gave her immense leg pain, but it was necessary for her defensive strategy.
"IMPOSSIBLE!" Weiss shouted.
In shock that her rapier thrust was blocked by a flurry of scythe swings and slashes, created by Ruby as she formed a massive protective dome around her. To make sure that no matter where Weiss was striking from, her blade would not be able to penetrate this defense.
It was a costly move for Ruby however. In exchange for another chance at combat, she had to sacrifice her right leg when she anchored it to the concrete road. Going at that immense speed was sure to break a few bones in her thigh, tearing a few muscles even.
This was a difficult fight for Ruby, for she had never met any opponent as disciplined as Weiss was. Every movement looked graceful and unnecessary as a flashy performance or a dance, and yet they were secretly incredibly meticulous and calculated. Her form was rock solid, that was undeniable.
"Adequate block," said Weiss, "but your pose was sloppy, so now you won't be going anywhere at that breakneck speed anymore."
"You want to go to Beacon that bad?" Ruby shouted to compensate for the pain she felt. "Is that what this is about?"
"You really are just a stupid little girl aren't you? Roman was MY target you dunderhead! You are going to hand over those Roman footages and step out of the picture. Because the one going to the press and taking Roman down is me!"
With great determination and an excessive amount of force, Ruby forced her bones back into where they were, letting out a loud cry of agony at the same time. It hurt, but at least now she could stand up straight now, even if she was limping a tiny bit.
"Fat chance, sister," Ruby cried. "Because I, Red Rider, righteous hero of Metroland, will never give into evil."
"Are you… roleplaying?" Weiss tilted her head in confusion.
"Maybe…" Ruby smiled. "But it's good enough as a distraction I guess."
With her finger on the trigger, she fired a whole barrage onto Weiss, raining down a hail of bullets. Her skills with the Glyphs and the rapier were just too much however, as she quickly cast a massive circular pattern into thin air, as if it were her family name and emblem protecting her from this assault of metal pellets.
It did not matter much however, as Ruby's primary goal was not to deal any damage, but instead to work her sniper's kickback into her advantage. Activating the wheel once more and speeding off into the distance with the momentum she gained.
Weiss sighed quietly under her breath, her anger seemingly subsided for a brief moment, replaced by a series of mumbling nonsense to herself:
"You know that old fairy tale about Winter, the old poem collection? Tell me who's the mightiest of might, tell me who's the heartfullest of hearts. I get the first part, it's a line questioning who is the mightiest among the four Seasons. With Winter later on lamenting how her immense power and kindness to those who are lost in the snowy wasteland is a heavy burden for her to bear, a burden she must bear alone. BUT WHAT ON SEASON'S GREEN REMNANT DOES 'HEARTFULLEST' EVEN MEAN? I GET THAT IT IS FROM THE OLD TONGUE, BUT IT STILL MAKES NO GODDAMN SENSE. IS IT ASKING WHO'S THE KINDEST OF THEM ALL? THAT'S SO REDUNDANT! GODDAMN INEFFICIENT POETRY!"
"Yeah, stay there and shout out your nonsense all day if you want," Ruby cried as she bolted into the office. "I'll be turning in my application now. Best not to make a scene in here, otherwise they'll call the cops on both us. That wouldn't do to well for your reputation now, would it?"
And yet, that threat from Ruby only managed to elicit a slight chuckle from the heiress. She was not afraid of losing this fight at all.
"Look around you," Weiss smirked. "You think you have the advantage just because of social convention? Honey, I had to attend a party with Mistral's Queen, she was not pleasant at all. This victory is as good as mine. Look at how many reflective surfaces there are in this place!"
Weiss was absolutely right. The automatic glass doors, the lights on the ceiling, the glass panels on the handrails, and various smooth surfaces coated with a layer of what looked like aluminum or even silver. There were only three people in here today, not including the receptionist, so not very crowded. But why on earth were they all wearing sunglasses? Take them off when you're inside you idiots! Ruby thought to herself. One lady had them dangling from the collar of her shirt, the other gentlemen on the other hand refused to take them off, the ego on this man!
This situation allowed Weiss the possible strategy of creating a perimeter around Ruby, allowing her to strike at a speed faster than Ruby could react, more importantly at an unpredictable angle. Ruby won't have any idea where the strike will be coming from. The other people in this office won't even notice Weiss, but if Ruby were to retaliate, she would look like a crazy person.
"Despite how it often looks on TV, my life has never been easy," Weiss's voice echoed around Ruby's ears, "I've always had to work twice as hard as my peers. Ice Dust are not useful in our line of work they often say, Grimm are immune to Ice Dust, so what's the use? And they were right. But I pushed on regardless, because it is my skill and my skill alone that will push me forward, carrying the legacy into a bright future. Time to die, RED RIDER!"
Without a moment to waste, the air surrounding Ruby dropped to a lethal temperature, freezing breeze blowing by her neck just as before, with pellets and shining ice crystals surrounding her like a winter storm. A powerful blizzard attack being held up by the rotation of Weiss's Glyphs spinning beneath where Ruby stood.
An ingenious plan of attack where Weiss combined the prowess of her Gravity Dust to create this vortex capable of holding up the ice pellets that were surrounding Ruby, while simultaneously locking her feet to the ground so she could not dodge the upcoming assault.
Ruby finally understood what she meant by her raw skill. The ice pellets themselves could only deal minimal damage, Ruby could deflect them with her scythe no problem. But it is their reflective nature that Weiss was really relying on. Using the shining crystal-like surface of these frozen projectiles to travel into her mirror world and strike Ruby at multiple different angle.
The storm raged on, slashing on Ruby's calves, her shoulders, followed by multiple swift strike aimed at her head. She managed to block some of them, but the bleeding became even more severe as time went on. She couldn't even see Weiss's blade, that was how fast she was moving.
Ruby was too far away from the receptionist and the other people for them to notice her wounds, and her feet was locked down at a position in the room where those people would not even be able to spot the raging ice storm due to it blending in with the light – the ice might as well be invisible from their points of view.
Weiss truly was the most powerful opponent Ruby had ever faced in her life. A true battle genius.
"Why don't you make this easier for both of us and just give up?" Weiss shouted. "Just give me the footage and back off from applying to Beacon. Then maybe I'll let you walk away with your life. I can make your death look like an accident, it is no effort at all. The authority will never be able to tell the difference."
The bleeding was quite severe, pouring from nearly all corners of her body. Holding up Crescent Rose now proved to be difficult with her shaking hands.
"Give up?" She whispered, coughing up some blood, "Maybe… maybe that is the best path to take."
"Smart girl."
"I was orphaned at a young age, growing up with no name, no parent, not a penny to my name. Living in a city of the rats, a city of sin… it is a pain I've gone through a thousand times. It is a pain I would never wish for others to feel."
"Yeah, I don't care. Just hand over the footage."
"But then," Ruby continued, "a spot of sunlight came into my life, a powerful hero riding into the city with a pair of six shooters by his side. He was a defender of justice, champion of the weak… a hero… a true hero… of Metroland…"
"Wait a minute," Weiss squinted her eyes, "are you… roleplaying? Again?"
A smirk instantly appeared on Ruby's face.
"No, not possible," cried Weiss. "You're not giving up at all, aren't you?"
"Volume 1, issue 17 of the Red Rider," Ruby smiled as crimson dripped down her face, "read a real book for once, princess. Drop those pretentious poetry and you might learn a thing or two."
"Such a pathetic, useless attempt. You still cannot defeat me."
"I don't need to… heh… I just need to lure you out."
"WHAT?"
"Look around you, Weiss, tell me what you see."
To Weiss's horror, the room's light began to dim.
"What happened here?" Weiss cried. "It's the middle of the day, the sun should be up right… no…"
"That's right snow princess. That whole rant about the superhero comic was just to stall. Stall to get enough time for the sun to rise far above the building where its light cannot enter through the windows anymore. It is high noon, the sun is standing at a perfect right angle."
"No… no!"
"I keep wondering to myself about your uncanny Ability. How on earth can someone like me attack an enemy whose defensive strategy involve hiding in the mirror world? What a perfect shield, it makes you almost invincible. But then I realized I was asking the wrong question. Because fact of the matter is – there is no such thing as a parallel world that exists in the mirror. It's scientifically not possible. Your Ability does not allow you to harm anyone in the real world by simply attacking their reflection. So far, you have only been shown attacking when you're physically outside the mirror."
"You… you don't mean…"
"I do, princess, I do. I have figured out your Ability. Reflections on mirrors are nothing but light rays traveling to a certain position, a certain surface and bouncing off of that surface. You have been skillfully using your Glyphs to stick yourself onto these light rays, thus allowing yourself to travel at these massive speeds. All you have to do is calculate at which angle the light will hit a surface of a mirror, and then stick yourself to that reflective surface. Bada-bing, now you're safely hidden in a quote unquote mirror world."
Weiss gritted her teeth, clearly incredibly annoyed at Ruby's deduction. Ruby smiled and continued:
"The problem with your Ability here is that no mortal on Remnant has the power to react at the speed of light, so you can't redirect yourself when you travel between reflections. What you have to do instead is calculate and predict beforehand which reflective surface you'll end up in, which is incredibly risky. One wrong move and you fly face first into a brick wall. Since you're so smart, though, that's not a big deal, not at all. But if you can predict that trajectory, then so can I."
Ruby loaded up her Dust bullet, and began aiming them straight up at the lights on the ceiling.
"EVERYBODY RUN FOR YOUR LIFE, GRIMM ATTACK!" Ruby shouted to the other people in the office before unloading all her bullets onto the lights, shattering them into pieces of glass raining down the commotion.
And just as she predicted, they began screaming in horror as the chaotic echo of broken lights traveled across the hall, they scrambled to get their bearings and headed straight for the door – precisely where Ruby's legs had been planted.
"I have reduced the light rays in this office by a tremendous amount, dimming the room to almost total darkness. You now have fewer options in terms of where you can travel, but more importantly, ice princess, are you going to let the ice vortex surrounding me hurt these innocent civilians? They're heading towards us right now as we speak."
"DAMMIT!" In a fit of rage, Weiss was forced to drop her Glyph beneath Ruby's feet, thus killing the furious ice storm surrounding her. Letting both her and the civilians go free.
"I'll take that, mister, if you don't mind," Ruby yanked the sunglasses off the young man as he bolted out, "yoink!"
"What are you planning to do with that?" Weiss asked.
"Now that this room has darkened," said Ruby, "I can now clearly see which reflection you are currently in. Right there on the dim glass lamp directly above my head. Not even the ice pellets on the floor here can save you now. There is not enough light to make them reflective. So your only option now," Ruby chuckled beneath her breath, "is in this pair of sunglasses right here in my hand. It would be so easy for me to force you out, all I have to do is shatter that lamp you're in. Nowhere to run, princess! Either you come out on your own or I force you out!" Ruby aimed Crescent Rose at the ceiling, loading her final bullet into the chamber, "Check – mate."
The boiling blood in Weiss's eyes shined brightly as ever, an uncouth brat who did not understand manners or dignity, she thought. Just some dunderhead that let a crime lord get away like an absolute amateur. How? How could someone like this had deduced her fighting style? A style she had worked so hard to perfect.
Now with the nozzle of Ruby's scythe pointing straight up at the lamp, it did not even matter how fast Weiss could travel downward. The moment Ruby pulls her trigger a projectile would have already left her sniper. Weiss would be coming straight down onto her own demise.
"Looks like we have ourselves a little standoff," said Ruby.
Weiss smashed her angry teeth together, grinding them almost to a fine powder.
"Don't talk as if we are equals," said Weiss. "We are not."
"Care to find out then? My bullet versus your rapier. Which one will reach their target first?"
"You and your goddamn childish superhero fantasy. This is not like a Western shootout, you hear? It is NOT!"
"Your move… heiress!"
"GAH!" Blood shot straight up onto Weiss's pupils, with her veins now visibly popping out of her head.
Despite Weiss's disdain of Ruby's childish superhero obsession, deep down she too realized the level of intensity she was feeling felt as if it was lifted straight out of the pages of the fictional world. The classic dichotomy, the conflict between a hero and a villain. A tale as old as time.
The only question was – which one was the hero, and which one was the villain?
Weiss steadied her blade, taking in one deep breath, just as she had practiced a thousand times before. Determined to stab this annoying brat with whatever she got left. With the burden of her family name on the line, she aimed, and she gripped it tight.
Ruby did the same, steadied her breathing, planted the rifle tight into the ground. No trigger happy finger she told herself, with the amount of blood she had lost it would've been difficult. But Ruby bit her lower lip with whatever determination she had left, letting the blood run down her chin.
The silence carried on, but the thick air and fighting aura grew ever stronger.
"TAKE THIS!" Both of them yelled in unison, "MY FINAL ATTACK."
A loud bang…
And a swift slash.
Just like that, it was over.
Weiss stared down to Ruby, smiling triumphantly to see her rapier digging deep into the brat's abdomen. Right in the center, a direct hit, no mistake about it.
And yet the victorious grin did not last, because once she realized her own ribcage had been blown to smithereens – Weiss fell down onto the ground as a fountain blood erupted from her mouth.
Two bloodied bodies lying next to one another, barely alive.
Both girls laid there, with their backs fully flat. They felt the last of their energy releasing from every inch of their muscles, their bones, from every finger. Their body felt numb, was this to be the last sight they see before eternal slumber?
"So… heh… how about that autograph then?"
"You… you beat me… my perfect record… how could this have happened?"
"It looks like a draw to me… It doesn't matter anyway… I'm not going to be a Huntress… after all… it's way past noon now. Professor Ozpin specifically demanded me to turn in my papers before that… I guess there's always next year…"
"You're still thinking about that? You're about to die dammit!" Weiss began coughing violently.
"That's all I can think of… all… I want to be…"
"And you shall be…" a strange voice echoed from behind the two girls.
Weiss and Ruby looked up, to their shock was the towering figure of none other than the man himself – Headmaster Ozpin.
He stood there, no longer in his old man disguise, instead donning a stylish black suit with an emerald scarf wrapped around his neck. His black spectacles dangled loosely between his powerful green eyes that hid beneath the shadow of his shining silver hair. A shining spark of hope.
"Congratulations you two," Ozpin smiled brilliantly. "You both pass the test."
The two girls widened their eyes, consumed by their stuttering shock:
"I… I… I don't… understand."
"Deceptively simple isn't it? Miss Rose?" Ozpin chuckled. "Just walk down the road and turn in your application. It's almost too good to be true. But reality begs to differ, because fact of the matter is, there are countless other students on the waitlist who would do nothing short of murder to get to where you are."
"In retrospect… my bloodlust was a tad bit… blown out of proportion… and… embarrassing," Weiss admitted as she coughed once more.
"So… you were the one who planned this?" Ruby asked, "You knew… you knew Weiss was coming… didn't you?"
"Correct. That's the reality of the world we live in girls," Ozpin explained. "There are no special treatment. And anybody who is worth anything must fight to get to where they are. Fight to earn a living, fight to survive… fight – to protect those we love. That is what this job requires – sacrifice. The willingness, the strength, and the resolve to give your life for good. I see the strength and resolve in both of you this day. To have both your talents wasted elsewhere would be an absolute shame."
"So… you're saying…" Ruby glanced upwards, still in disbelief.
Ozpin welcomed the two of them with a warm grin:
"A promise is a promise. You passed the test, so I am here to personally escort you to Beacon Academy. Welcome to your new life."
AN: A couple of changes from canon is apparent in this chapter. Firstly is that the major religion revolves around the 4 Seasons, hinted during last chapter. And as mentioned by Weiss in the chapter itself, Grimm are immune to Ice Dust, other types of Dust are a hard counter against the virus however. Another big change is in Weiss's Ability. Her Semblance in the canon show is capable of doing so much, time dilation, summoning, as if it's getting new abilities as the story goes on, which might get broken really quickly. This version of Weiss only has one Ability, and it's a repurposed of the canon Glyphs into something more thematically tied with mirrors. The last big change this chapter is how Ruby actually got into Beacon, by passing a test set up by Ozpin.