Outworld Huntsmen

A/N: Greetings and salutations, everyone! It's been a while since I've last updated this story. I have been working at my new job for the past month, taking care of business, and getting ready for the holidays. Things have been busy, and it's certainly been a long one, but I got a new chapter. I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long for the newcomers who have followed or faved this story a while back.

We last left off with Ruby meeting with Sonic and Jaune after her run-in with Weiss. Let's see how things unfold for our heroes, shall we?

As always, Read n' Review!

Enjoy!

Chapter 5

To the Shining Beacon

Part 2

The day remained bright, and the academy's courtyard had grown quiet save for the whispers of the winds that blew within its wall. The breeze settled and died out, leaving everything silent. As soon as the quietness established itself, the sound of footsteps clicking against the stone road emerged.

Ruby, Sonic, and Jaune walked together down the winding road around a great pond. Sonic looked around at the inside of the wall. The fresh air of the air outside passed through his nose. His eyes switched between the lush trees and grass that settled around the stones and rocks decorating the academy.

"All I'm saying is that motion sickness is a much more common problem than people let on," Jaune said in defense.

"Look, I'm sorry," Ruby laughed, clasping her hands together and shaking them in her apology. "I just saw your hurling your guts out, and Vomit Boy was the first thing that came to mind."

Sonic snickered, looking at the pond, and turned to Jaune. "I mean, you were fighting a losing battle with mild turbulence back there, my guy."

"Yeah, well," Jaune puffed out his cheeks and groaned. A few students passed him and the other two in their walk. "What if I called you Crater Face?" he said with a finger pointed to Ruby. "Or you…uh…uh..." He said to Sonic but stumbled in his words. "With a puff of air, he spouted, "Pinhead!"

Sonic's eyes snapped open, and his brow creased. "Ey! Don't diss the quills, man!'

"Yeah! "How was I supposed to that sneezing makes Dust explode? Besides, that explosion was an accident," Ruby said, throwing down her arms.

"Yeah, well, here's not an accident: The name's Jaune Arc." He jutted a thumb to his chest, confidence filling his voice. "Short, sweet, rolls of the tongue – ladies love it."

Ruby lifted a brow at the claim. "Do they?"

"They will!" Jaune voiced, hands raised in defense. "Well, I-I hope they will. My mom always said…" He paused and waved his hand. "Eh…never mind."

"Ey, don't sweat it, man," Sonic said with a chuckle. "Ladies like a little attitude to go with a bit of charm. I know a girl back home who's crazy over me."

Jaune stopped walking, and Ruby turned, eyes bugged at Sonic's claim.

"For real?" Jaune said.

"Teeheehee. Sonic's got a girlfriend! Sonic's a got girlfriend!" Ruby sang through her smile. She bounced on her toes and repeatedly chimed before she ended with a giggle.

Sonic jolted and gnashed his teeth. "Hey! Hey! It's nothing like that," he said with a hand raised in protest. "First off, she's waaay younger than me, and she's got a nasty temper to boot. She's probably grinding her teeth, thinking I ditched her after leaving home."

"Sounds like you got some girl problems there, my friend," Jaune said.

Sonic sighed. He rolled his eyes and rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah… well… at least's she not hitting with that colossal hammer of hers."

Jaune and gave a light chuckle, and everything fell into silence again.

Ruby looked around, the boys said nothing, and she danced a slight bit on her toes with her hands behind her back on her eyes wandered.

"So… in non-violent news, I got this thing." She reached under her hooded cloak and pulled out her weapon in its collapsed form. It unfolded, shifting into a large scythe, and Ruby stabbed it into the ground.

"Whoa!" Sonic and Jaune said, jumping back. "Is that a scythe?" Jaune asked.

"Yep! My pride and joy, Crescent Rose," Ruby said. She picked and held the great scythe in both hands.

"Huh, Ya don't say," Sonic said with hand to his chin. He scanned the weapon, noting its size and red and black colors.

"It's also a customizable high-impact sniper rifle!"

"A-wha…?" Jaune titled his confused.

"It's also a gun, chief." Sonic chipped in, and Ruby cocked her gun with a smile.

"Oh. That's cool!" Jaune said.

"So, what've you got?" Ruby asked.

"Oh! I, uh…" Jaune stammered. He reached down and gripped a blade that rested to the side. "I-I've got this sword," he said. He unsheathed an arming sword. The edge barred a small nick at its base and was attached a golden cross-guard and blue-wrapped hilt.

"Oooooh," Ruby chimed with her silver eyes widened.

Sonic placed a hand to his chin, eye examining the blade. "Huh, guess you decided with something simple, huh?"

Jaune nodded. "Yeah, and I've got a shield too!" He quickly reached for the white scabbard with golden trims on his side. He attached it to the back of his hand, and the sheath expanded and shaped into a shield. "They make up Crocea Mors."

Ruby gazed at the shield and placed a hand on it as Sonic focused on the emblem of two golden arcs that rested on the shield's center.

"Guess everyone is rockin' symbols here," he said to himself."

"So, what do they do?" Ruby said.

As she patted the shield, it snapped back into its compressed form and jolted off of Jaune's arm. Jaune fumbled and reached up with his arms to the shield and missed, leaving it to fall onto the ground. Stumbling with his feet, he picked it up and placed it back on his arm before he turned to Ruby and Sonic.

"The shield gets smaller," Jaune said. He compressed his shield into its sheath form. "So, when I get tired of carrying it, I can just… put it away…"

"But…won't it weigh the same?" Ruby asked

"Yeah, it does…" Jaune sighed and lowered his head with his voice.

"Haha. Ah, don't feel too bad, man." Sonic chuckled. He walked over and patted Jaune's shoulder. "I had a sword myself that didn't seem like much either."

Jaune's eyes lit up, and he raised his head. "You did?"

"Yeah. You can say it had a bit of an attitude," Sonic said with a roll of his eyes, "but after getting used to it, it turned out to be pretty alright. I even managed to kick some serious butt with it too."

"Wow! That sounds awesome!"

"Yeah. So if you ask me, that sword might be something if ya treat it right."

"He's right, and you don't have to make it all fancy-schmancy either," Ruby said as she stepped up. She held up and looked at her Crescent Rose. "I'm kind of a dork when it comes to when weapons, sooo… I guess I did go a little overboard when designing it."

Jaune and Sonic jumped at Ruby's mention and looked straight at Ruby and her weapon.

"Wait —you made that?" Jaune said.

"For real?" Sonic added.

Ruby smiled. "Of course! All students at Signal forge their own weapons! Didn't you make yours?"

Jaune looked at his sword. His eyes peered at the reflection of his face as it showed. "It's a hand-me-down. My great-great-grandfather used is to fight in the war."

Sonic's eyes perked at the mention of the war, and he stepped up to Jaune. "Wait," he said, "you mean the Great War? Your old man fought in that?"

"Oh! Uh…y-yeah!" Jaune jumped at Sonic's question. "His name was Jeanne Arc. He fought on the side of Vale when the Great War happened."

"Oooh, that's so cool!" Ruby said, her voice elated."

"I know, right? My mother would tell that he always believed in putting the people before himself and how he used Crocea Mors to cut down all kinds of Grimm while fighting in the king of Vale's army." Jaune raised his sword to the sky and looked at it. The great light of the Sun shined down and bathed the blade in a shimmering light, bringing a smile to Jaune. "She said that he saved a lot of lives with his sword and shield."

Sonic grinned with Jaune lowering his sword and placing it back into his sheath. "Wow. So, double-great-grandpa Arc fought on the home team and became a hero, huh? Solid!" He shot Jaune a thumbs up.

"No kidding," Ruby said. "You got one heck of a family heirloom there. Well, I like it. Not many people have an appreciation for the classics these days."

"Yeah. The classics…." Jaune said, smiling.

All grew quiet, and Sonic grinned. "A gun-scythe and a sword and shield combo, huh?" Sonic said. He rubbed his chin and looked down to his feet, seeing his weaponized shoes. "Well, as long as we're doing a show-and-tell…"

Sonic twisted his body and spun with the speed of a spin top. Ruby and Jaune watched. Jaune's eyes twirled, dizzy from seeing him spin. At a final turn, Sonic stopped and kicked out a leg into the air. The blue metal plating around them glimmered in the Sun, making Ruby eye's shine with sparkles in her eyes.

"Oooooh!" Ruby said, smiling through her teeth. "Ohmygoodness, those look cool!"

"Whoa," Jaune said, "I've never seen shoes like that."

Sonic grinned and chuckled at their reaction. "Nice set of kicks, aren't they?" he said. "These babies are the Blue Zephyr. My buddy Tails made em' for me." He placed his leg back on the ground.

The sparkles in Ruby's eyes quickly faded, and she blinked. "Wait. Your friend made those?"

"You better believe it," Sonic said. "He's a regular wiz kid. He even made the weapons of my other friends too."

Ruby's blinked with a massive toothy grin overtaking her face, matching the size of her broadening eyes. She quickly ran and gripped Sonic by his hoodie. Sonic jumped with his eyes bugged at Ruby's as she pulled him close.

"Your. Friend. Makes. Weapons?!" She asked, bouncing up and down on her toes. "That is so cool!" Her face beamed with even bigger sparkles in her eyes.

"Wow. Not gonna lie, I'm kinda jealous," Jaune said with a light chuckle.

"Don't be," Sonic said. "Hey, maybe once we settle in here, I can introduce you guys to my crew. Heck, I'm sure Tails could spruce your gear up a bit."

"Really?!" Ruby squealed. "Oh, that'd be the best!" Ruby jumped in the air with her hands raised to the sky. She floated high for a few seconds but quickly dropped back to the ground. "But, question," she said to Jaune and Sonic, "Why'd you guys help me out back there? I mean, after my run-in with Miss Prissy Haircut?"

"Eh, why not?" Jaune said with a shrug. "My mom always says, 'Strangers are just friends you haven't met yet."

"That, and I personally owe you one," Sonic said.

Ruby tilted her head, scrunching up a brow. "You do?"

"Yeah." Sonic nodded. "A few weeks ago, my boys and I dealt with that Lampwick guy or whatever and his lackeys. You took one of them down before he could cheap-shot us. I wanted to say thanks for having our backs."

Ruby's eyes lit up. "So, you guys were trying to stop that truck heist!" Her face settled, and she rubbed the back of her head. "Oh, and it was nothing. Just trying to do my job as future Huntress." She said with a giggle. "Aaand, one more question: Where are we going?"

"Oh, I don't know! I was following you guys." Jaune said. "Y-you think there might be a directory? Maybe a food court? Some kind of recognizable landmark?"

Sonic moved a finger against his nose. "Well, considering how we've been wandering here for about ten minutes, I'm gonna say that's a 'no.'" He grinned and looked ahead along the avenue to the academy's main building. "But, I can guess we can try the amphitheater."

"Yeah, that probably would be best," Ruby said.

"Then what are standin' here for?" Sonic said with a smile. He turned around and crouched into a start for a run. "Haste makes wastes, so let's not get wasted. Let's move it!" He took off in a dash, kicking off a burst of wind behind him.

Ruby and Jaune braced their arms as their respective cloak and hair flowed from the force of the draft.

"Whoa! He's fast!" Jaune said. He looked to see Sonic become a blur in the distance as he ran.

"Hey, Sonic! Wait up!" Ruby cried out and ran off down the courtyard in pursuit.

"Huh, W-wait! Don't leave me here. Hey!" Jaune shouted.

He took off behind Ruby, and they ran towards the main academy building at their own pace.

Sonic, Ruby, and Jaune walked side by side as they approached the amphitheater. The building resembled a giant stadium, bearing great grey stone walls. Black stone rested, embedded in the walls, and stretched throughout the circumference. Blue glass windows decorated the designs at the sides of the entrance of the building.

Altogether, they entered the building. The inside was vast, with gray coloring that matched the outside. The floor had light and dark shades of brown that matched the circular stage in front, which held a tall ornate backdrop adorned with blue lights. Arranged all around the inside were raised bleachers with light screen barricades at the end.

A vast crowd of soon-to-be students stood gathered at the venue's floor. Sonic walked in front of Jaune, and Ruby walked behind. He looked around and smiled with his taking of the atmosphere.

"Huh. Check this place out," Sonic said. "Look likes everyone's here.

"Ruby! Over here!" A voice called. Ruby and the boys turned their heads, seeing Yang walk from the crowd waving at Ruby. "I saved you a spot."

"Sonic!" Another voice called—the three their head to the voice's direction. Sonic looked ahead and saw Tails waving his hand with Shadow and Knuckles standing beside him. "Over here!"

Ruby and Sonic advanced a few steps towards their people but stepped back and quickly turned to Jaune.

"Oh! Hey, I-I gotta go! I'll see you after the ceremony!" Ruby said and ran over to Yang.

"I'll see ya around later, J. I gotta touch base with my friends," Sonic said. "Catch ya later." Giving a peace sign to Jaune, Sonic took over to his team.

"Hey, wait!" Jaune reached out a hand, but Ruby and Sonic went on their way. His brow drooped, and his mouth sank into a frown at his two new friends that came and went. "Ah great," he sighed, lowering his head. "Where am I supposed to find another group of nice quirky people to talk to?"

With another sigh, he walked to a different spot in the room. As he did, a young woman in red hair wearing armor stood behind him, standing next to a dark-haired young man dressed in a dark green tailcoat and an orange-haired young woman in a white sleeveless shirt with a black vest and pink skirt.

The young woman in armor set her green eyes on Jaune, smiling as he walked.

Elsewhere, Sonic met up with his friends and greeted them with a wave.

"So, what's happenin', guys?" Sonic said.

"What took you so long?" Knuckles said, crossing his arms. "The ceremony's about to start, and Mr. Fastest Thing Alive is nowhere to be found."

"Well, excuse me for trying to socialize," Sonic snapped.

"Just make sure your need to 'socialize' doesn't jeopardize our mission of getting back to Earth," Shadow said.

"Ah, give it a rest, Downer. We heard it a million times," Sonic said with a roll of his eyes.

"And yet, you still think that this is a game," Shadow said, glaring at Sonic. "Need I remind you that not only do we need to get back, but we have no idea who we can trust here?"

Sonic twisted his lips and shook his head. "Relax, Shad. I'm pretty sure that soon enough, everyone here is gonna be more focused on finding their lockers than looking at us. Besides," he looked around, seeing Ruby with Yang and Jaune and soon after, "I had a chat with Ruby and a kid named Jaune before I came here. They seem pretty cool."

"It wouldn't hurt to make at least a few friends here," Tail said. He looked around at the crowd of students. "As long we don't make too much of a scene."

"Huh. It would be nice to look over my shoulder and find a friend instead of a gun…or fireball at my back," Knuckles said, looking at Shadow. "Who knows, Shadow? You might make a few friends here once you take the stick out."

Shadow looked to Knuckles with a sneer and gave a "hmph," with a turn of his back.

Somewhere in the crowd, Ruby stood next to Yang, arms folded, her face was blank with her eyes and mouth unmoved. Contrary, Yang stood with her hands on her hips, smiling while she turned to Ruby.

"So, how's your day going, little sister?" Yang said.

Ruby frowned, turning to Yang as she said, "Oh, you meaning since you ditched me and I exploded?"

Yang smiled faded from Ruby's snap at her. "Yikes! Meltdown already?"

"No! I mean, I literally exploded a hole in front of the school!" Ruby waved her arm to the side before placing her hand to her chin. "And there was some fire, and I think some ice…"

Yang only gave a broad smile and squinted her eyes at Ruby. "Are you being sarcastic?"

"I wish!" Ruby scoffed. Her face softened with her sinking eyebrows. "I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage, and then she yelled at me, and then I sneezed, then exploded, then she yelled at me again, and I felt really, really bad, and I just wanted to stop yelling at me."

Behind Ruby, Weiss stood with her lips fixed into a scowl and her eyes locked on her Ruby. Her expression hardened when Ruby reached the end of her sentence. "You!" she shouted.

Ruby shook at the shrill sound of Weiss' voice and jumped into Yang's arms like a frightened cat at the sound of lightning. "Oh, God, it's happening again!

Sonic and his friends turned the sound of Ruby's panicked cry. They saw her in her sister's arms.

"Hey, there's Ruby now," Sonic said. His attention switched to Weiss, who placed her hands on her hips. "And Miss Personality too…"

Tails jumped at the mention of Weiss' name, "Wait. Weiss?" He turned in the same direction and saw Weiss with Ruby and Yang, and his cheeks turned red when he saw her. "Oh…"

Knuckles stepped past Tails as he saw Weiss in the crowd. "Seriously? The kid's still putting up with her?" he said, gnashing his teeth with a growl.

"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!" Weiss snapped.

"Oh my God, you really exploded," Yang said, her face deadpan.

"It was an accident," Ruby said as Yang let her down. "It was an accident!" She repeated. She turned to face Weiss but found herself stopped by a pamphlet that read, "DUST for Dummies and Other Inadequate Individuals." What's this?"

Weiss stood upright, holding the pamphlet in hand. "The Schnee Dust Company is responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product." Ruby listened to as Weiss spook, clueless. Her world became too warped to the point where it sounded like Weiss was speaking faster, with her voice becoming more high-pitched with every word. "Although not mandatory, the Schnee Family highly encourages their costumers to read and familiarize themselves with easy to follow guide to Dust applications and practices in the field."

Weiss finished, and Ruby stood, lost.

"Uuhh?"

"You really wanna start making things up to me?" Weiss asked.

"Absolutely?" Ruby said, her voice low.

Weiss shoved the pamphlet in Ruby's hand. "Read this, and don't ever speak to me again."

Knuckles watched the scene unfold. "That snow runt is really getting on my nerves," he said.

"Please don't try to pick a fight again, Knuckles," Tail pleaded. "We can't afford to get kicked out on our first day here. Plus…" he looked at Weiss, who still glared at Ruby. "Besides, I'm sure she's… not all bad." Another blush crept on his cheeks, and the sound of his heartbeat echoed in his ear.

"You're only saying that because you're crushin' that silver-spooned, porcelain she-devil."

"Th-that's not true!" Tails flinched at the remark waving his hand in defense. His blush throughout this face and his chest sank as if it were stone in quicksand.

"In any case, it seems that they aren't getting along too well," Shadow said.

Sonic placed a hand on his hip. "I say give it time. Who knows, they could end up being friends here." He then turned to Knuckles and Shadow with a sly smile on his face. 'After all, it took a whole world-ending plot for me to get along with you two."

Knuckles and Shadow rolled their eyes at Sonic's remark.

"Always bringing up the past…" Knuckles sighed…

As Ruby looked at Weiss with a frowned lowered brow, Yang stepped to her side.

"Look, I think you two just got off on the wrong foot," she said in a soft tone, one hand behind her head before she placed both hands to her hips. "Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay?"

"Yeah! Great idea, sis!" Ruby said. She turned around to face Weiss with a hand out while she cleared her throat. "Hello Weiss!" she started in a chipper tone. "I'm Ruby. Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies."

"Oh yeah!" Weiss's eyes lit up, and her teeth joined together into a smile as she posted in an eager tone. "And we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys, like tall, blonde, and scraggly over there." She jutted a thumb to Jaune, who stood in the distance, confused at the mention of his description.

Ruby eye's beamed with a rising smile. "Wow, really?!"

"No!" Weiss said. Her innocent smile deflated into another cold scowl.

A silence fell with the joy grinding to a halt. Ruby simply turned away, lowering her head, and Weiss turned away from the sisters.

"What I wouldn't give to teach her some manners." Knuckles said. He fixed his eyes on Weiss, growling with his brow creased. "Stuck up little—"

Feedback from a microphone sounded throughout the amphitheater, followed by the sound of a man clearing his throat. Everyone turned to the stage. They saw Professor Ozpin standing in front of the microphone with Glynda Goodwitch, who stood by his side.

"I'll…keep this brief," Ozpin said. His voice echoed in the microphone. He pushed up his glasses and continued, "You have traveled here today in search of knowledge, to hone your craft and acquire new skills, and when you have finished, you plan to dedicate your life to the protection of the people."

Ruby smiled as Ozpin spoke, looking to Yang before returning her attention to the stage.

Sonic stood with his hand on his hip as he and his friends looked at Ozpin.

Ozpin narrowed his eyes and scanned the crowd. "But I look amongst you, and all I see wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction." The students whispered amongst themselves, and Yang narrowed her eyes at Ozpin before continuing. "You assume knowledge will free you of this, but your time at this school will prove that knowledge can only carry you so far. It is up to you to take the first step."

At the end of Ozpin's speech, the crowd fell silent, and Ruby looked at him with her smile rescinding. Weiss and Yang, who aligned her hair, shared the same expression. The girls all looked at each other before turning their attention to the stage.

Ozpin then smiled. "That all being said, let's make this school year fun, shall we?" His voice lightened, and he chuckled with his words.

With a nod, Ozpin turned from the microphone and walked with his cane off of the stage. Behind him, Glynda stepped up to the mic as he left.

"You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your ignition begins," she said, looking at the crowd. "Be ready. You're dismissed."

She stepped from the mic and walked off of the stage. The people in the audience whispered amongst themselves again while Ruby and looked at the empty stage.

"He seemed kind of… off," Yang said.

"It's almost like he wasn't even there," Ruby said. "He was a lot different when I spoke with him before coming here."

Over where they stood, Sonic and his friends looked at the stage.

"I don't mind saying I get a weird vibe from that guy." Knuckles crossed his arms and creased his lips. He looked left, seeing Ozpin and Glynda make their way towards the exit.

"It is kinda weird how he can go from encouraging to…to…" Sonic stammered and scratched his head. "Tails, what's that word you always use when someone's being realistic?"

"Pragmatic?" Tails said.

"Yeah, that's it. The guys seemed to swing in personality there."

"Perhaps we should be watching him as he would watch us," Shadow said.

The room fell into silence. Meanwhile, Jaune approached as if from nowhere the side of the girls.

"I'm a natural blonde, ya know," he said.

The girls turned to Jaune at the sound of his voice, only for Weiss to palm her face.

The hours passed, and the day fell into the evening. The shattered moon, the broken mirror of the heavens, gave its light to the night sky over the prestigious school.

The candles on the walls provided dim lighting to the ballroom packed with the soon-to-be students of Beacon Academy. As they all were in their pajamas, ready to turn in for the night, some were snug asleep in their sleeping bags, while others moved about or rested on their sleeping mats while conversing with others in whispers.

At an upper spot on the ballroom, Sonic was with Tails, Knuckles, and Shadow. Each of them wore white t-shirts, except for Shadow, who wore a black t-shirt and sweatpants that matched their hair colors. They rested over their matching-colored sleeping mats save for Sonic, who stood and looked around. Next to him, Tails typed on his Miles Electric with his backpack lying at his side.

"Man, this place is packed," Sonic said. He scanned the ballroom, seeing the gathering of future students. "Can't say I've had to sleep at a school before."

"That's because we've never been to school a day in our lives. Not that I ever believed in the educational system," Knuckles said. He rested his back on his sleeping mat with his hands serving as comfort for his head.

"You two are the last ones who should be talking about education. You've lived the woods and a secluded island for most of your lives," Shadow said, resting on his sleeping mat. "Still, it's not the most typical of situations, but at least the Emeralds are with us," He turned his attention to Tails. "That reminds me. Tails, any update on the Emeralds?"

"Nothing so far." Tails took a hand from his device and opened his backpack. He looked inside, seeing the six Chaos Emeralds still in their gray state.

Shadow narrowed his eyes at the powerfulness Emeralds and nodded. "Hmm. In any case, well, keep them as close to us as we can until they regain their power, and we can find a way to get back to our world. For the time being, we'll have to focus on the task ahead."

"Oh, yeah," Sonic turned and faced the others. "There is that little entry exam. Got any ideas what we'll be up against, Tails?"

"Well," Tails scrunched his lips and tapped the screen of his Miles Electric, "given that Beacon is one of the best combat schools in the world, the information I could get from the school website, and Professor Goodwitch's warning, we'll likely be in direct combat…probably against more Grimm."

Knuckles grinned at the mention of the dark beasts. "They're were in for sure! The exams gonna be a cakewalk compared to all the freaks and disasters we deal with back home."

"The best part is that we won't have to worry cuttin' loose," Sonic said with his a grin.

"Just make sure you don't cause any unnecessary damage," Shadow said.

"Huh. The only thing that's gonna be receiving unnecessary damage is a Grimm's face!" Knuckles declared, clenching a fist."

"At least tomorrow, we'll be able to test out our weapons," Tails said and pulled the schematics of Blue Zephyr, Dark Chaos, Red Vulcan, and Yellow Bolt on his screen. "I'm really excited to see how they work in a fight."

Sonic looked around the ballroom. In his search, a familiar girl caught his eye. He noticed Ruby lying over her sleeping mat. "And we won't be the only ones in action," he said.

Ruby laid on her sleeping mat, wearing her black tank top with a Beowulf in the shape of a heart and white pants with rose decorations. Adjusting the sleep mask on his head, Ruby wrote in a journal, swinging her feet in the air. Yang crashed down on her sleeping mat next to Ruby in an orange tank top that bared her emblem and black shorts.

"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang said.

Ruby continued to write as she said, "I don't think dad would approve of all the boys, though."

"I know I do." Yang softened her eyes with a cat purr. She looked at some of the boys who were still awake, muscular, shirtless, and roughhousing, putting each other in headlocks as the tough guys flexed and wrestled with each other. Jaune walked through the ballroom, outfitted in blue fitted footie pajamas that sported the head of a cartoon-designed rabbit on the front. Yang gnashed her teeth with a groan.

Sonic chuckled at Jaune's pajamas with Knuckles, Tails, and Shadow staring, brows flexed up.

Yang then returned her attention to Ruby. "What's that?" she asked.

"A letter to the gang at Signal," Ruby said. She closed her journal and looked up. "I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."

"Aww, that's soo cuuuute!" Yang mewed in a sweet tone, closing her eyes, only to be silenced by a pillow flew that smacked her in the face.

"Shut up!" Ruby snapped. She crossed her arms around a dog-faced pillowed, eyes furrowed. "I didn't get to take my friends with me to school! It's weird not knowing anyone here!"

"What about Jaune?" Yang asked, pulling the pillow off her face. "He's…nice. There you go! Plus one friend! That's a hundred percent increase!"

Ruby sighed and flipped her on her back. "Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend. Back to zero…"

"Well, what about that Sonic guy?" Yang asked. "You said you talked to him earlier today and that he was pretty cool. See? Back to a hundred percent!"

Ruby closed her eyes with another sigh passing her lips. "I thought about it, but he seems way too cool for someone like me. Another negative friend…back to zero again…"

"Aw, c'mon, Ruby. There's no such thing as negative friends. You just made one friend, one undecided that's totally above of your social status, and one enemy." Yang smiled and was struck by the dog-faced pillow. She took the pillow off her face and noticed Ruby's eyes locked to the ceiling. "Look," she said, "It's only been one day. Trust me; you've got friends all around you! You just haven't met them yet."

A brief silence came and went as a stuck match sounded, followed by a dim light. Ruby and Yang looked up to see a lit candle set on a stool. Ruby's eyes widened when she noticed the fair-skinned girl with the bow and long, dark hair.

The girl rested on the wall, dressed in a black robe with white edges, with a book in hand. Sonic looked in the same direction as Ruby and noticed her.

"Hey, check it out," Sonic said. He jutted a thumb at the girl.

Tails, Knuckles, and Shadow looked up and turned their attention to where he pointed.

"Ey," Knuckles said, standing up. "It's that chick in black."

"You mean the one who helped stop you from accosting the Schnee girl?" Shadow said.

"Oh, please, I wasn't gonna bruise her up too much…just a dead arm or two."

"She certainly knew a lot about the Schnee Dust Company and what goes on with the humans and Faunus who work for it," Tails said.

Sonic scanned the girl with a finger to his chin. "Huh, and here I thought that whole brooding, lone wolf thing was Shadow's gimmick. I guess every dimension has their own Gloomy Gus, huh?" he said, grinning his teeth in a chuckle.

Shadow's face remained deadpan at the remark. He then noticed Yang pull Ruby up, seeing them advance towards the girl as Ruby struggled in vain to break from her stronger older sister's grip.

"Well, it looks like she's going to have to sacrifice her moment of peace…solidarity," Shadow said.

The girl's eyes flexed at the sound of struggling grunts, and she looked up, seeing Yang approach her with Ruby in tow.

"Hel-looooo!" Yang chimed, waving at the girl. Ruby managed to snatch her arm away and crossed both over her chest as she turned from Yang, "I believe you two know each other?

She turned her attention to Ruby, her face blank. "Aren't you the girl that exploded earlier today in the courtyard?"

Ruby turned to the mentioning as she said, "Uh, yeah! My name's Ruby." She offered her hand, but the girl looked back at her book. Ruby flashed a sheepish grin and rubbed at the back of her head. "But you can call me Crater…." her voice deflated, and her smile shrank, "Actually, you can just call me Ruby."

"Okay…," the girl said, eyes fixed on her book.

Sonic looked at the girls and blinked with a tilt of his head. "Huh. Not one for small talk. She'd be like Shadow if he wore a dress."

"Thanks for putting that into my head…" Knuckles said.

"Doesn't look like either Ruby or her sister are good at breaking the ice, either." Tails said.

Ruby and Yang stood in place before Yang turned to Ruby.

"What are you doing?" Yang whispered.

"I don't know — help me!" Ruby snapped in a panic. She and Yang looked back to the girl with wide, awkward grins.

"So…what's your name?" Yang asked the girl.

"Blake…" The girl sighed.

"Well, I'm Yang, Ruby's older sister!" Yang said, jutting a thumb to herself. "I like your bow."

"Thanks…" Blake said, irritated as she looked up from her book and quickly looked back.

"It goes great with your…pajamas!" Yang said. The pep in her voice strained to stay alive.

"Right…"

The smiles of Ruby and Yang appeared to be dissolving as they looked at each other with no plan of their next more.

Sonic and his friends looked with their lips slightly twisted at the sight of the sisters' fumbling way of conversation.

"Wow…"Tails said, scratching his head. "This is…"

"Painful to watch?" Knuckles said.

Sonic shook his head and stepped forward. "I gotta help em' out," he said.

"I doubt there's anything you can do for them at this point," Shadow said.

"Ah, c'mon, Shad. I'm a natural life of the party, and they're sinkin' like a stone out there."

Shadow shook his head. "The girl isn't humoring their efforts. There's nothing you can do."

Sonic looked back to Ruby and Yang, lip still creased.

The sisters stood idle, silent, looking at Blake, who continued to read.

"Nice night, don't you think?" Yang said.

Blake clicked her teeth together and creased her brow as she looked up to the girls. "Yes — it's lovely! Almost as lovely as this book!" Ruby and Yang only looked back at Blake, smiling. "That I will continue to read." The sisters remained standing, silent. "As soon as you leave."

Yang's smile quickly dissolved into a frown. "Yeah, she's she a lost cause," she said to Ruby. Yang turned around and motioned an arm. "C'mon, Ruby. This was a mistake."

"What's it about?" Ruby asked

"Huh"? Blake looked back up. Her eyes widened at Ruby's question.

"Your book. Does it have a name?"

"Well… i-it's about a man with two souls, each fighting for control over his body."

Yang shuddered. "Oh yeah… That's…real lovely…"

"I love books," Ruby said with a step forward with a smile. "Yang used to read to me every night before bed." Blake looked up to Ruby as she talked. "Stories of heroes and monsters… They're the reason I want to be a Huntress."

Sonic looked to Ruby. The innocence in her eyes, soft voice, and smile brought one on his own. "Huh, so she's a romantic," Sonic said.

"She's a lover?" Knuckles asked, raising a brow.

"No, Knuckles," Tails chuckled. He stood up and walked to Sonic's side. "Ruby takes the idolized version of what Huntsmen and Huntresses are to heart. Definition number two."

Shadow stood his feet and walked next to Tail. "She's young, naïve," he folded his arms, "but… there is a charm to her innocence."

Blake gave a small laugh. "And why is that? Hoping you'll like happily ever after?"

"Well, I'm hoping we all will," Ruby said. "As a girl, I wanted to be just like those heroes in the books..." She raised her fist and tightened it. "Someone who fought for what is right and protected people who couldn't protect themselves!"

Sonic's eyes widened, and his smiles grew at the end of her words. "Man, girl's got heart. Looks like she's found her way about talking to people, too."

"No, kidding," Knuckles said with a nod.

"That's pretty cool!" Tails said. "Maybe we can help out while here."

"Why don't we start right now?" Sonic said. He motioned an arm forward. "C'mon. Let's go make a few new friends." He began to walk over to Ruby, with Tails, Knuckles, and Shadow proceeding.

Back to Ruby, Blake smiled at her. "That's very ambitions for a child." Her smile quickly lowered into a frown. "Unfortunately, the world isn't the same as a fairytale."

Ruby's smile remained. "Well, that's why we're here! To make it better."

"Well, ain't that a coincidence?" Sonic voiced from a distance. Ruby, Yang, and Blake turned in the same direction, seeing Sonic and his friends walk towards them. "Pretty much why we're here. After all, we only got one world, right?" he shrugged with a chuckle.

"Oh! S-Sonic!" Ruby jumped.

"Makin' new friends, Ruby?"

"Well, u-uh trying to."

"Then, I guess you don't have to look further. The boys and I gotcha covered." He shot her a wink and flashed a smile.

"Ey, what's a combat school without friends, right?" Knuckles said, knocking his fist together.

"Yeah, especially if you're fighting monsters to save everyone." Tails said.

"At the very least, you won't bear the burden of the world on your own," Shadow said.

Ruby's eyes beamed, and her smiles grew wide. "Wow! Thank you so much, guys!" She said. Her voice heightened to the point of squealing.

"Oh, I'm so proud of my baby sister!" Yang said. Her smiles matched Ruby's. "Look at you meeting new people and making friends!" She ran up to and wrapped her tight around Ruby and picked her in a bear hug as she made baby noises.

"Yang, cut it out!" Ruby snapped.

Growling under her teeth, she balled her fist and struck Yang at the side of her face. The girls erupted into a massive fight cloud. Blows landing sounded from their brawl with small flying stars emerging from the cloud.

Sonic and Knuckles laughed as the sister fought while Blake smiled at the commotion.

"Well, everyone," Blake said, "it's a pleasure to ha—"

"What in the world is going on over here?!" A voice snapped, gaining everyone's attention and breaking Ruby and Yang from their sisterly feud. Weiss stormed her way towards them, scowling with her hair down and wearing her blue short-sleeved nightgown. Tails' eyes shot open at the sight of Weiss in her pajamas with his cheeks flaring into a hot red. "Don't you people realize that some of us are trying to sleep?!"

Her eyes scanned the gathering and locked on to Yang and Knuckles, who sneered upon looking back at her.

"Oh, not you again!" They said in unison.

"How that for typical?" Knuckles jutted a hand to Weiss. "Everyone is having a good time, then you show up and, POOF, all the fun dies!

"How dare you?!" Weiss stomped her foot. "I'm fun!"

"Yeah, on Opposite Day!" Knuckles said. Weiss glared at Knuckles, growling.

"Shh! Guys, she's right!" Ruby said. "People are trying to sleep!"

"Oh, now you're on my side!" Weiss said to Ruby.

"I was always on your side!" Ruby said back.

Yang stepped over to Weiss. "Yeah. What you're problem with my sister?!"

"She's a hazard to my health!" Weiss said, throwing down her arms.

Knuckles gnashed his teeth. He glared at Weiss and marched over to her with his fist raised. "I'm gonna be a hazard to your health, ya stuck up—!"

Weiss stumbled back in Knuckles. She raised her arms to guard himself. Sonic gritted, and Tails snapped out of his haze, seeing Knuckles move closer to Weiss. They took off in blue and yellow blurs and gripped Knuckles arms to hold him back.

"Whoa, whoa, Knux. C'mon!" Sonic said. He struggled against Knuckles' strength that pushed him back.

"Knuckles, please! Control yourself!" Tails said. His arms buckled under the might of his friend.

"Oh, I'm not gonna hurt her…just one dead arm! Just one!" Knuckle grunted.

"Do you have any idea who you're harassing, you ape?!" Weiss said.

Shadow stood behind the crowd. Groaning with a shut of his eyes, he pinched the bridge of his nose. A giggle caught his attention, and he turned his attention to Blake, who smiled at the commotion. She put down her book and picked up the candles next to her before looking to Shadow.

"You're friends?" Blake asked.

Shadow turned his head. He watched as Sonic and Tails held Knuckles back from assaulting Weiss, while Ruby and Yang held their hands up to ease the tension as Weiss stood back with her guard up.

"Never seen them before in my life…," he said.

Blake laughed again. With a breath, she bled on the candles and snuffed out the flames, bringing everything into the black of the night.

A/N: And there you have it! Another chapter down. It looks like things are slowly picking up for Sonic and the others as they make themselves home on Remnant, hoping to make the most of their stay. What challenges lie ahead for them at the Beacon Academy Initiation? Only time will tell.

In any case, thank you all for being patient. I hope you enjoyed the chapter. Be safe, stay healthy, enjoy your Thanksgiving, and I'll catch you guys in the next one.

Ink out!