Over the dense span of Emerald Forest, the new students of Beacon Academy fell into the leaves and into the brush, their Aura's glowing in the air, like shooting stars landing upon Remnant. Among them was Ruby, conjuring the power of her Semblance, her body surrounded with rose petals, her cape wrapping around her dress, buds of flowers growing all around her. As her weight lightened, she held Crescent Rose in its scythe form firmly in her hands, making sure not to lose it on the way. Then, a raven crossed paths with her on descent, and she panicked.

"No, birdie!" she screamed, pressing the switch on her weapon, compacting it into its gun form and holstering it behind her belt. "birdie!" she held her hands in front of her, a bed of roses forming on her palms and between her fingers. She snatched the bird in mid-air, the petals mitigating the impact, and held it close to her chest as she fell into the forest. She broke through the leaves, and her back broke through a few branches on the way.

Eventually, her shoulder blades slid against the dewy grass, her clothes grinding into the mud as she conjured roses below her to absorb the force. When she finally came to a halt, she opened her arms, which covered the creature from harm, hoping to find it in good health. To her pleasant surprise, the raven was unharmed.

She grinned, "Good birdie..." the raven was upset from the action. She released her Aura, and sat up on the ground, letting the bird go until it walked on the ground. "Sorry, friend, I didn't mean to scare you."

Ruby stood up and patted the grime from her skirt, shaking her dress to remove grass blades. She watched the raven waddle away and turn back to her, letting out a single caw as it stared up at her. She looked around, widened her lips, then looked carefully at it.

"...Mom?"

Immediately, the raven dropped a ball of dung.

"Hm, I guess not." Ruby walked by her little friend, waving goodbye as she began a sprint. "Stay out of trouble!"

She made her way into the forest, in search of her sister.

….

Yang flew further over the forest than some of the other students, having cleverly conserved a portion of her Aura in her legs for a boost before launch. As many students landed into the brush below her, she pushed her legs forward as she watched her dangerous descent.

"Woo-Hoo!" she screamed, readying a single explosive bullet into Ember Celica, then locking the barrel under the wrist. Just as she was about to land at high velocity, she pushed her hands outward and strengthened her Aura, unleashing an explosion in front of her that both charged her Semblance and slowed her motion. "Yeah!"

She held her arms over her face as she cut through leaves and twigs. Then, she crashed into a large branch unexpectedly, losing a little breath from the blow, which pushed into her diaphragm.

"Ommph..." she fell backward, hitting another branch, then landing face down on the ground. When she recovered, she spat mud from her lips, and pushed herself back to her feet, surveying her location and finding herself in an open grove.

"Nailed it."

…

Pyrrha Nikos spotted a perfect branch on a high spot in the forest, one that would give her a perfect vantage point. She held her shield, Akoúo̱, in front of her, using it to lessen her fall as she crashed into thick patches of leaves and stems. When her feet touched the surface, she rolled into the fall and stood up on the branch. Immediately, she grabbed the spear on her back, Miló, transforming it into a long rifle, looking through the scope to examine the forest. She heard someone screaming in the air, bringing her sights to the source, finding Jaune Arc waving his arms in the air as he neared a landing. When she saw no sign of his Aura, she made the decision to help him. She pulled her weapon over her shoulder, switching it back to spear form; then – with impressive form – she threw it out into the open. Just before Jaune landed in position, the sound of wood-to-metal reverberated in the air.

"Thank you!" she heard Jaune say from afar, and she smiled.

She had successfully saved her silly friend from the dangerous fall.

…

Ruby dashed through the forest, heading northward in search of her sister. Although she encountered a few obstructions along the way, it slowed her down very little, as she knew well how to navigate the terrain, even though she was unfamiliar with the Emerald Forest itself. Hearing only the sound of the grass below her feet and the wind against the trees, she lost herself in thought.

"Gotta find Yang! Gotta find Yang! I don't want to get paired with someone I can't even talk to. Aw, this is bad. I'm getting anxious, again. But, what if somebody finds her first? Well, there's always Jaune. He's nice, and he's funny … but he's probably not that good in a fight though. Oh, what about Blake? She's mysterious, and she likes books! Then again, I'm not sure I'd even be able to hold a conversation with her. Okay! Who else do I know … there's Blake, Jaune, and Yang … then … "

Ruby was caught by the sight of a girl with long white hair blowing in the wind. Before she crashed into her, she slid against the heel of her boots, stopping just behind her. She was awestruck, the girl's back turned to her, holding a long rapier with Dust crystals loaded into the hand guard, her dress dancing in the wind, the crimson lining under her jacket collar waving elegantly. Ruby blushed as she observed her prideful stance, her form like appearing like a dancer's, ready to leap into a pretty spin.

Then, the girl turned around, and Ruby spotted a familiar red scar on the girl's left eye. Time seemed to stand still for just a moment as they met eyes with one another.

"Hi...Weiss." Ruby blinked and smiled, waving her hand gently.

Weiss turned and faced her. Then, a loud beep erupted from their Scrolls.

Ruby thought to herself, "Well, this isn't so bad! Maybe we can be friends, now."

Then, Weiss stomped her foot in the dirt, screaming loudly into the air, startling Ruby as she covered her ears with her hood.

"YOU DOLT!" Weiss threw her arms down. "NOW I'M STUCK WITH YOU! No, No!" She removed the Scroll on her belt, desperately navigating the menu screen with her thumbs in a panic. "C'mon, c'mon! There's got to be a way to reverse this!" she grit her teeth. "Maybe, I can call daddy? He should be able to pull some strings, right?" her arm fell loosely to her side, still holding the Scroll, and she pinched the bridge of her nose with her other hand. "No. No … I don't want to do that." she looked at Ruby with a scowl. "You!"

Ruby frowned, uncovering her head. "Did anyone tell you how scary you are?"

Weiss placed her Scroll back on her belt, "Shut up. Just, leave me alone!" she turned away and walked deeper into the forest.

"Wait," Ruby reached forward, "aren't we teammates, now?"

Ruby was left alone, and a sudden sadness overcame her. As she stood in the open spot of the forest, she drowned out the noise of her surroundings, thinking of home. She remembered the taste of the food, the sound of the music, and the warmth of her family. Suddenly, she felt more displacement than she had already garnered the moment she entered the City of Vale. Unlike her sister, she was unaccustomed to the fast paced nature of modern living. Even within Emerald Forest, where the sound of wildlife and the smell of dew seemed closer to home, she could not ignore the constant reminders that told her just how far away she was.

"I miss you, mom." she crouched down on her knees, her head held down. "I'm not strong like Yang. I wish you were here, telling me a story, making me feel brave. I don't know if I can do it, be a hero, like in the stories." tears began to fall from her eyes, and she grabbed the end of her cape. "I want things to go back to the way they were. I wish things could just..."

Suddenly, she heard footsteps; she looked up, finding Weiss as she emerged from behind the trees. She approached her, kneeling down and offering her hand.

"C'mon, Get Up!" Weiss said, jolting her palm down, urging Ruby to grab on.

Ruby grabbed her hand, and the Ice Queen pulled her up to her feet. She tugged on her arm, and they advanced northward together through the mysterious forest. Ruby was taken aback, stepping awkwardly as she felt her heart sink. Suddenly, she forgot about her feeling of displacement, her eyes set on Weiss as she frowned and pushed through the woods.

"You Came Back!" Ruby said with relief, a blush overcoming her cheeks.

"Don't think this makes us friends!" Weiss replied. "I'm just doing my duty as a leader. If I get a bad grade because of you, I'm going to the headmaster."

Ruby giggled, taking comfort in the warmth of Weiss' palm, "You really came back!"

"Are you still on about that?" Weiss countered, "Don't make me change my mind. I swear, whose idea was it to let a child into Beacon? You are so slow."

Ruby snapped out of her emotional trance for a moment as Weiss walked faster and pulled on her wrist with more force, "Hey, I'm not slow, see!"

Ruby summoned her Semblance, her hands fading away into rose buds which bloomed quickly. Weiss felt a change on her palm, turning back to find the Branwen girl's body surrounded with large roses, until her face was engulfed by flowers. Thousands of petals shot by the Ice Queen, a gust of wind following them. She watched in amazement and confusion, as the roses collected into a mass several steps away from her, forming into a giant scarlet rose that bloomed rapidly. The petals wilted away, Ruby emerging from inside with her head held high and her cape blowing upward against the current of her power.

"See!" Ruby stretched her arms and ran back to Weiss as the roses disintegrated away, excessive excitement in her eyes as she held her hands together and smiled in front of her.

"How did you - "

Ruby interrupted, "Weiss, just because I don't know exactly how to deal with people, doesn't mean I don't know how to deal with Grimm!" Ruby jumped forward, hugging Weiss around the shoulders tightly. "Today, I'm going to show you a whole different side of me!" Weiss struggled to break free, growing frustrated and angry. "You're going to see me, and say, 'Wow, she's so cool! I wanna be her friend!'"

Weiss wiggled free and stepped back, proceeding to throw a slap at Ruby's cheek that was strong enough to push her away. Ruby was startled a bit as her head turned away.

"Did your mother ever teach you any manners!?" Weiss yelled, her shoulders tensed, grimacing.

Ruby glanced at her, rubbing her cheek to take the stinging away, "Did your mom teach you to hurt people when they're trying to be nice?"

Weiss gasped, surprised by the question. She looked down and repelled her gaze, her anger subsiding. "No..."

Ruby saw the sadness in Weiss' expression, immediately sympathizing, "Someone must have hurt growing up, huh?"

Weiss turned her head a little more, thinking deeply. Soon, she faced Ruby again, avoiding eye contact, "I'm sorry … I shouldn't have hit, you." she shook her head, putting away her feelings. "But, that's beside the point!" she stepped forward, walking ahead of Ruby and behind a row of trees.

"Hey!" Ruby called out. "Where are you going? We're teammates, remember?"

Weiss disappeared into the forest, "Listen, Ruby, you may be fast, but you still excel at wasting my time!"

Ruby pursed her lips, furrowing her brows with irritation. Then, she looked down for a moment. "Wait a minute …" she held her chin up and grinned widely, "She remembered my name!"

"Ruby!" Weiss yelled within the brush, and Ruby chuckled.

"RUBY!"

This time, the call was followed by the roar of a beast. Ruby was immediately alerted, placing her hand on Crescent Rose, then sprinting to her new teammate's aid.