Chapter 5: Positive and Negative Friends
'Bring out the red carpet Beacon, Spidey has entered the fray.' Peter said to himself
Peter sat on a small airship heading towards Beacon Academy, along with various other students that were accepted to the prejudice school. Peter compared the craft to the S.H.I.E.L.D. Tri-Carrier, but stripped of it pure awesomeness. And yet...even that place brought about some memories.
Peter was sitting by a small window wearing his normal civilian clothes. He managed to clean himself up slightly before arriving as well, but now he just wanted some peace and quiet.
"This better be a good choice." Peter muttered quietly, "I don't want this blowing up in my face, both literally and metaphorically...Brings some nostalgia though, my first few days at S.H.I.E.L.D. arriving at the Helicarrier...right...yeah."
Peter then heard the sound of a girlish squeal. Turning to his left he noticed Ruby, the girl he helped last night, was being literally hugged to death by some cute attractive blonde. She had fair skin and lilac eyes. She wore a tan jacket that bared her midriff, with golden brown piping and short, puffy sleeves with black cuffs that feature two gold buttons. Underneath this, she wore a low cut yellow crop top with her emblem on the left breast in black. A brown belt covered by a pleated brown piece of material reaching from hip to hip around the back of her waist, with her emblem emblazoned on the right-most pleat in gold. Underneath was a long, white, asymmetrical piece of material reaching to her knee on the right side, as well as a pair of black mini-shorts. She wore a pair of brown, knee-high boots and orange over-the-knee socks, with the right sock pushed down just below the knee. A gray bandanna is tied around her left knee. An orange infinity scarf and black fingerless gloves complete her outfit.
"Oh, I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me!" she cheered, "This is the best day ever!"
"Please stop…" Ruby gasped as her sister hugged her
The blonde then let her go before speaking, "But I'm so proud of you!"
"Rally Sis, it was nothing." Ruby sighed
'Nothing?' Peter thought, "You stopped a bank robbery with a scythe and fought a lady demon. All alongside Spider-Man and a grumpy old hag. There no 'nothing' about that.'
"What do you mean?" the blonde asked her sister, "It was incredible! Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees."
"I don't want to be the "bee's knees", okay?" Ruby retorted, "I don't want to be any kind of knees! I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees."
'Normal?' Peter thought, 'With me around, there's no such thing as normal.'
"What's with you?" the blonde asked Ruby, "Aren't you excited?"
"Of course I'm excited Yang…" Ruby sighed, "I just...I got moved ahead two years. I don't want people to think I'm special or anything."
Yang put her arm around Ruby, "But you are special. Besides, I heard that another student was allowed to attend. Rumor has it he didn't attend any of the minor academies like Signal."
Yang then looked off across the ship and noticed Peter sitting nearby. The last tee was keeping to himself. Everyone's attention was then drawn to news report being broadcasted on the ship.
"The City of Vale, known for its recent rise in crime the last few months, has been given a new sigh of Hope in the former of the mysterious vigilante known as Spider-Man. With his sudden appearance the other day, crime rates all over the city have fallen significantly. But danger still looms with the villainous crime boss, Roman Torchwick, who continues to evade authorities. If you have any information on his whereabouts, please contact the Vale Police Department. Back to you, Lisa."
"Thank you, Cyril. In other news, this Saturday's Faunus Civil Rights protest turned dark when members of the White Fang disrupted the ceremony. The once peaceful organization has now disrupted…"
The news report was suddenly replaced by a holographic image of Goodwitch.
"Hello and welcome to Beacon!"
'Dammit, even when not in the room. She's still a pain.' Peter mutters in his mind
"Who's that?" Yang questioned upon Glynda's appearance
"My name is Glynda Goodwitch."
"Oh."
"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, and as future Huntsmen and Huntresses, it is your duty to uphold it. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."
Ruby then went over to a nearby window, "Oh, wow! Look, you can see Signal from up here! I guess home isn't too far after all!"
"Beacon's are home now." Yang said to her as she joined her sister, but the two were interrupted by the sound of someone groaning. It was a boy with messy blonde hair and dark blue eyes. He was very tall, taller than Peter. He wore a black short-sleeved hoodie with detached reddish-orange sleeves and a dark brown image of the bunny rabbit Pumpkin Pete trimmed in white with cute black round eyes. Covering his hoodie and hiding the Pumpkin Pete symbol is a white diamond-shaped chest plate cut off above his lower abdomen, and placed over his shoulders are a pair of white spaulders with rerebraces set under them. Below, he wears blue jeans with a white patch placed on the left knee and black sneakers which have "left" and "right" written in black on the respective shoes' soles.
The boy groaned as he walked past Ruby and Yang, to which Peter followed him to make sure he was ok.
"Well...I guess this isn't for everyone." Yang mutters as she rolled her eyes
"It was a nice moment while it lasted." Ruby added, "I wonder who we're gonna meet! I just hope they're better than Vomit Boy. Oh, Yang, gross! You have puke on your shoe!"
"Gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross, gross!" Yang cried
The airship soon descended and landed. The blonde that was suffering from motion sickness quickly disembarked and ran for a nearby trash can. Peter went over to him to see if he was alright.
"You ok buddy?" Peter asked him
"Yeah, yeah I'm good." he replied, "Thanks."
"No problem." Peter said before walking off,
He noticed Ruby and Yang walking in front of him. Peter didn't want to be mistaken for being a 'stalker' but given his situation, he kinda had to. The two of them were to be helpful in his time here, as were Blake and that unknown white girl. As he watched them, he swore he saw Ruby turn into a 2D chibi version of herself before turning back. Yang then ran off with a small crowd leaving her sister, who was now dizzy. She wobbled around before tumbling over a cart full of suitcases.
Peter ran over to her to help her up, "You ok?"
"I'm good, thanks." Ruby replied
"What are you doing!?"
Peter and ruby looked up to see a girl with stark white hair up in an off-center ponytail and icy blue eyes, with a small scar one of them. She wore a thigh-length strapless dress with a faint color gradation from white to pale blue at the hem. A small piece of black lace sits in the front of her neckline and the hem of the dress is scalloped and stitched to resemble snowflakes, with layers of white tulle under the skirt. Over that was a bell-sleeved bolero with the same color gradation as her dress from shoulder to wrist, lined in red and with a ruffled collar.
"Uh, sorry!" Ruby stuttered, wanting to apologize
"Sorry!?" the girl repeated, "Do you have any idea of the damage you caused?"
"What kinda damage can a few suitcases do?" Peter questioned, not knowing the girl's problem
"Quiet you ruffian!" she hissed at him before setting her sights back on Ruby. She took one of her suitcases and opened it, revealing several dust samples.
"This is dust." she said while holding a sample up in Ruby's face, "Mined and purified by the Schnee Quarry!"
Pollen from the dust soon began to fill Ruby's face as the girl shook it in front of her.
"Uh...miss?" Peter asked her
"I said be quiet!"
Sure enough, more and more pollen filled Ruby's nose until she sneezed. A cloud of dust covered Weiss in the process, while the vial rolled across the ground before stopping at someone's feet.
"Unbelievable." the girl sighed in frustration as the soot disappeared, "This is the kind of thing I was talking about!"
"I'm really, really sorry!" Ruby replied
"Ugh, you complete dolt!" the girl scolded her, "What are you even doing here? Aren't you a little too young to attend Beacon?"
"Aren't you a bit of a brat to attend yourself?" Peter retorted
"Excuse me!" she cried
"You heard me." Peter continued, "It was you who shook that vial at her. All she's trying to do is apologize, and you're just being an icy princess!"
"Its heiress actually."
To Peter's surprise, Blake had appeared. She approached the trio with the vial of dust.
"Weiss Schnee." she said, "Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."
'Schnee?' Peter thought, 'The girl from the facility, of course!'
Weiss looked at Blake with a smug smile, "Finally! Some recognition!"
"The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces, and questionable business partners." Balke added
Ruby began to chuckle, while Peter simply shrugged
"Eh, I've heard worse." he muttered
"Wha-How dare-The nerve of...UGH!" Weiss growled she stormed her off, taking the vial away from Blake, while her aides got her bags.
Peter then walked up to Blake, "Hey."
"Hey." she replied with a smile
"What are you doing here?" he asked her
"It's been my idea to attend Beacon after...you know...defecting." Blake explained, "What about you?"
"Headmaster let me in." Peter replied, "Met him and his grumpy sidekick."
Blake giggled at his comment, "I see you met Weiss Schnee."
"I'm just wondering why she's attending Beacon." Peter muttered, "Anyway, see ya."
"See ya." Blake replied before walking away
Peter then turned around, and noticed Ruby now sitting on the ground.
"Welcome to Beacon." she sighed glumly
Peter sighs internally before walking towards, "You ok?"
"I'm good, thanks." Ruby replied, "I'm Ruby."
"Peter." Peter said back as he helped her up, the two then noticed another figure approach them. It was the boy that Peter helped earlier.
"Hey...I'm Jaune."
The trio introduced each other and talked briefly before making their way into Beacon's auditorium. Every first year student that arrived along with them, were all crowded inside. It wasn't until Ruby heard a familiar voice.
"Ruby! Over here! I saved you a spot!" Yang shouted over to her sister
"Oh! Hey, I-I gotta go!" Ruby said to the two boys, "I'll see you guys after the ceremony!"
"Hey wait!" Jaune said to her as she ran off, "Ah, great. Where am I supposed to find another nice, quirky girl to talk to?!"
"Don't worry Jaune." Peter said to him, "I'll hang with you, besides, I think you and I are gonna get along just fine."
The two walked off deeper into the crowd, completely unaware of the redhead standing behind them that was admiring them both.
Meanwhile, Ruby joined her sister, who was waiting for her.
"How's your first day going, little sister?" Yang asked her
"You mean since you ditched me and I exploded?" Ruby retorted
"Yikes! Meltdown already?" Yang muttered
"No, I literally exploded a hole in front of the school!" Ruby explained, "And there was some fire, and I think some ice...?"
Yang smiled at her sister broadly, "Are you sarcastic?"
Ruby scoffed before continuing, "I wish! I tripped over some crabby girl's luggage, and then she yelled at me, and then I sneezed, and then I exploded, and then she yelled at me again, and I felt really, really bad, and I just wanted her to stop yelling at me!"
Ruby sighed as she felt really bad. So bad, that she failed to literally see Wess standing next to her.
"You!" the heiress hissed
Ruby was startled at Weiss' sudden appearance, that she literally jumped into Yang's arms.
"Oh, God, it's happening again!" she cried
"You're lucky we weren't blown off the side of the cliff!" Weiss said to her
"Oh my God, you really exploded." Yang muttered in a deadpan tone
"It was an accident. It was an accident!" Ruby cried until she noticed Weiss hold up a pamphlet up to her face, "What's this?"
"The Schnee Dust Company is not responsible for any injuries or damages sustained while operating a Schnee Dust Company product. Although not mandatory, the Schnee Family highly encourages their customers to read and familiarize themselves with this easy to follow guide to Dust applications and practices in the field." Weiss explained in an almost robotic tone, that became squeakier the faster she spoke.
"Uuuhhhh…" Ruby muttered
"You really wanna start making things up to me?" Weiss asked her
Ruby looked at her funny, "Absolutely?"
Weiss then shoved the pamphlet into her hands, "Read this, and don't ever speak to me again."
Yang, being Ruby's sister, decided to intervene on her behalf, "Look, uh, it sounds like you two just got off on the wrong foot. Why don't you start over and try to be friends, okay?"
"Yeah! Great idea, sis!" Ruby said before speaking to Weiss, "Hello, Weiss! I'm Ruby! Wanna hang out? We can go shopping for school supplies!"
"Yeah! And we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys, like tall, blond, and scraggly over there! And short, rude, blonde, and snobbish next to him!" Weiss replied sarcastically
"Hmm?" Jaune muttered upon hearing Weiss talk about him and Peter
"Really?" Ruby asked her
Weiss then gave her a stern glare, "No."
"Hey!"
Weiss turned around and noticed Peter glaring at her.
"You!" she hissed at him
"Yes, me." Peter retorted, "And you don't seem to remember what happened earlier."
"Hmph!" Weiss growled, "She started it!"
"And you won't finish it." Peter retorted, "If I were you I'd just walk away...Now."
Weiss sneered at him before stomping off. Of course, not before Jaune could speak to her.
"I'm a natural blond, you know!" he said, but she didn't seem to care
"Really?" Peter said to him, "That your pickup line?"
"The best I got, at the moment." Jaune replied
"Thanks Peter." Ruby said to him
Peter smiled, "You're welcome."
The hidden superhero then looked at Yang, "Yang, is it?"
"Correct." Yang replied, "Thanks for helping my sister."
"No problem."
Ozpin then appeared on the stage in front of everyone. Glynda by his side.
"I'll... keep this brief." he said, "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. But I look amongst you, and all I see is wasted energy, in need of purpose, direction."
Everyone began to whisper quietly, while Peter on the other hand stared silently at him, "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."
Glynda then stepped forward, "You will gather in the ballroom tonight; tomorrow, your initiation begins. Be ready. You are dismissed."
Every student then began to leave the auditorium after the professors' speech.
"He seemed kinda...off." Yang muttered
"It's almost like he wasn't even there." Ruby added before the two sister walked off
Peter began to do the same, but stopped at the doors and looked at Ozpin. The headmaster smiled at him before walking offstage.
Peter stood in the shower, staring up at the showerhead as the water fell on him. He sighed loudly before turning off the water, dried himself, and began putting on his pajamas.
He was thinking about Beacon, mainly, four of Beacon's newest students: Ruby, Weiss, Blake, and Yang. These four, according to MW, are to be his 'allies' during his time at Beacon. Now, the hidden superheroes had experience working with a team, the Avengers, Fantastic Four, X-Men, even a S.H.I.E.L.D strike team. But this? No way. Sure, Yang and Ruby will get along, add Blake in maybe, but Weiss? The girl who literally refuses an honest apology, one who hates faunus, or at least appears to. On top of that, Peter was still unclear on how they would help, being on a team is a big no-no, especially on his agenda. Getting huntsmen students, especially first-years hurt, would be a disaster in his book. Forcing the thoughts out of his head, he dried his hair, and left the bathroom.
Within Beacon Academy's grand ballroom, all of the first-year students were gathered inside. Some in sleeping bags, others standing around talking. Ruby and Yang were next to each other, the former laying on her sleeping bag.
"It's like a big slumber party!" Yang said, as she jumped onto her sleeping bag
"I don't think Dad would approve of all of the boys, though." Ruby muttered, not bothering to look up at her sister
"I know I would." Yang purred, as she looked at several boys who were shirtless...only for Jaune to show up, dressed in a blue onesie. Yang groaned and looked back at her sister, "What's that?"
"A letter to the gang back at Signal." said Ruby, "I promised to tell them all about Beacon and how things are going."
"Aw, that's so cute!" Yang cooed, only to get a pillow thrown in her face
"Shut up! I didn't get to take my friends with me to school! It's weird not knowing anyone here!" Ruby hissed
"What about Jaune?" Yang suggested, "He's... nice! And Peter as well, defended you from Weiss. There you go! Plus one friend! That's a hundred percent increase!"
Ruby sighed before rolling onto her back, "Pretty sure Weiss counts as a negative friend. Down to just one I guess…"
"There's no such thing as negative friends!" Yang said to her, "You just made two friends and one enemy!"
Yang received yet another pillow to the face before continuing, "Look, it's only been one day. Trust me; you've got friends all around you! You just haven't met them yet!"
The two girls then noticed a candle being lit nearby. It was the girl from before, she sat against the wall next to the candle while reading a book.
"That girl…" Ruby muttered
"You know her?" Yang asked her
"Not really." Ruby replied, "She saw what happened this morning, but left before I could say anything."
"Well, now's your chance!" Yang said to her before taking her sister's arm and dragged her towards the girl.
"What are you doing!?" Ruby shouted as Yang dragged her
Meanwhile, Peter found a place to sit down within the ballroom. He sat disconnected from the large crowd of students either sleeping or simply talking quietly...all except for Weiss, who of course found yet another reason just to yell at Ruby and now Yang. Blake appeared to be watching them.
"Just great." Peter sighed at he watched them
"Are you gonna stop them?" MW asked him
"Honestly, I have too many things on my mind right now." Peter said to the disembodied voice
Peter went into his bag and pulled out one of his web shooters. He fired a small pellet the size of a rice grain. The pellet hit the candle light, dispersing it, and darkening the entire room. Sure enough, it worked and the three girls went to bed. Satisfied, Peter put his web shooter away, and went to sleep.