It was the end of the afternoon and the peaceful silence was broken by a certain duo we know "Faster Simba ! Faster !" Amethyst yelled with excitement as she was riding her friend Simba, the Golden Lion who saved her from Beowolves a few days ago and since their meeting, the two of them became inseparable. For Simba, it was the best time of his life since he arrived on Remnant 8 years ago and he cherished dearly the friendship he managed to create with a Human, a creature he had been wary for a long time.
The presence of Amethyst had drastically changed his life as he was no more lonely. Every day since they told their respective stories, Amethyst would secretly leave her Uncle's home to pass some time with him and escaping the boring life she had with her beloved drunken Uncle. During their 'little' moments, the two of them would train together to become stronger and Simba had discovered than while she was fast , she lacked strength so he decided to help her.
In exchange, Amethyst would tell him about the world out of the forest and he learned a few things : the Great War between the Four Kingdom (Vacuo, Atlas, Vale(where the two of them were) and Mistral), the discrimination against Faunus, the White Fang… She even told him about her dream to attend Beacon Academy where they were trained to become Huntress or Hunters. Of course Simba had asked her what they did specifically and she responded by saying "Huntresses and Hunters are called to take care of Grimm...mostly"
His mind had boiled of all the informations he got and had become a bit wary of those 'White Fang', a group of Faunus who were pacific at first but turned terrorist after the arrival of a new Leader, and had promised himself to not let them hurt his friend. Another detail that caught his attention was this power both Humans and Faunus possessed : a Semblance as she called it.
Curious by nature, he had asked her about it and he had listened with interest as she told him calmly those words "the Semblance is developed by a person's Aura and this help in fights against Grimm… However, it is different between people : for example some can have super strength or object manipulation"He didn't asked her about Aura as his father, Mufasa had mentioned it during one of their lessons. He had unlocked him a long time ago and it was golden in color.
However he had asked about hers and she told him that it was a light purple. Then when he asked her about her semblance, she had looked away in embarrassment, muttering that she didn't have one. Since that day, Simba had promised her to help her discover which Amethyst greatly accepted. Why was he so gentle with her you may ask ? (may being the key-word)
Since the night he confessed his story to her, Simba became really protective of her but tried to not show it too much. Of oucrse it was a failure most of the time but surprisingly, Amethyst seemed more amused of his behavior than annoyed as she never tried to stop him.
Amethyst , for her part, grew to like Simba dearly and too cherished their friendship as she never had any friends before. But thanks to this Lion, her life had turned to the better and a joyful smile appeared each time she saw him. The brown haired girl wanted nothing more than to leave her Uncle to stay with him but , despise not being the best man, he was still her family. She had noticed the way Simba treated her and was touched by how much he cared for her so she didn't tried to stop him.
When she was at her Uncle's home (she didn't considered the house like HER home anymore), her thoughts would sometimes drift to Simba and his past… her heart clenched in pity even now days later. She was angry at this Lion, Scar, for betraying his own flesh and blood just for a stupid throne and she wanted nothing more than to find him to tell this pathetic excuse of a Uncle/Brother a piece of her mind… but sadly she couldn't as he was in another universe.
Right now, she was riding on her best friend's back, her hands gripping his russet mane as he ran through the forest in high speed. She loved the caress of the wind against her face and she closed her eyes to intensify this feeling of freedom. Simba, as he ran, gave his friend a soft smile, internally happy that she was enjoying herself as himself was having fun.
It wasn't the first time they did this but it never get old. But then the Golden Lion stopped at the edge of a cliff before watching at the forest, his territory, with Amethyst still riding his back. Then the girl climbed down to stand at his right side to look at the woods with a smile "Beautiful isn't it ?" she asked him softy without looking away from the mass of green down below. "Yes it is… But having you as a friend is much better..." he replied back with a smile on his own as he looked down at her.
"Awwww thank you Simba ! I love having you as a friend too~" Amethyst cooed warmly before hugging his mane which caused him to purr in affection. Then he looked back at his home before asking "Have you discovered your Semblance yet ?" A pained sigh escaped her mouth as she pulled away from his mane to answer "No… I tried anything but..." she paused as she looked down in shame.
"Hey its okay… You will find it eventually… Look at me, I don't even know what is this 'secret power' my father said I was given..." Simba inquired in a gentle tone to comfort her. Since the day his father had told him about this, Simba bad been trying to find out what the two Gods, who he learned from Amethyst were called the Two Brothers, had gave him but even now, he didn't know what it was which frustrated him to no end.
"I know Simba… I know but… I can't help myself…without a Semblance I cannot attend Beacon !" Amethyst replied back with a sad expression and gently, Simba used his right foreleg to pull her into a comforting embrace to which she gladly accepted. He knew that it was her dream to attend Beacon and was pained to see her like this.
For a moment the two staid like this but then Amethyst pulled herself away from him "Thank you Simba..." she told him with a tearful smile, sniffing and the Golden Lion smiled back at her before replying back with a smile on his own "Anything for you~" then he looked back at the forest before letting out a thunderous roar which echoed in the air, scaring some birds in the process. Amethyst wasn't fazed of the roar anymore as she learned that Lions usually roared for different reasons : mourning a loved one, to challenge an enemy, to call for help, to intimidate etc…
Taking example of how deep and scary her friend's roar was, Amethyst trained herself to let a battle cry as similar as possible. Sure she couldn't roar but when the two of them would fake-fight together, she would start the training with a battle cry which became deeper and deeper. She had used it on a large Boarbatusk, a Boar-like Grimm and it had scared it long enough for her to kill it.
"But still… I feel so weak...and useless..." Amythest muttered to herself but Simba heard her and sighed deeply. He wondered how he could help his friend and then an idea came to mind. He nuzzled the left side of her head with a gentle purr before opening his mouth to sing
"As you go through life you'll see
There is so much that we
Don't understand.
And the only thing we know
Is things don't always go
The way we planned..."
Amethyst looked at him in shock as she didn't know he could sing so well but listened as he looked toward the forest before resuming his song.
"But you'll see every day
That I'll never turn away
When it seems all your dreams come undone
I will stand by your side
Filled with hope and filled with pride
We are more than we are,
We are one !"
At that he jumped away back into the forest and Amethyst ran after him as in the sky, the birds started to chirp. Then the two of them slowed down near a river where the brown haired girl looked at her reflection " I just want to be strong… Is that so wrong ?" then she looked back at the sky adding softy " I feel so alone… No one would help me to achieve my goal..." Simba, who was standing on a large log, his mane shaking under the wind , instantly went back singing.
"Even those who are gone
Are with us as we go on
Your journey has only begun
Tears of pain, tears of joy
One thing nothing can destroy
Is our pride, deep inside
We are one !"
The Golden Lion then jumped away again and Amethyst tailed him but this time with a big smile on her face as some tears could be seen starting to fall from her purple eyes. Simba soon waited for her to pass him before trotting after her.
"We are one, you and I
We are like the earth and sky
One family under the sun
All the wisdom to lead
All the courage that you need
You will find when you see
We…are…one !"
The last three words were sung when Simba climbed on a rock looking down at Amethyst with a soft smile as she looked back at him with a smile of her own. Then he jumped down the rock to stop before his friend who instantly hugged his muzzle when he lowered his head down. The brown haired girl pressed her head against his cheek, nuzzling it before pulling away from the embrace so her purple eyes could look into his red ones with gratefulness "Thank you so much Simba… You didn't tell me you were such a good singer ?~"
"I'm a Lion with many talent~" The Golden Lion replied back with a grin and the two of them laughed loudly for a moment before Simba looked up to see that the sun was declining "Well… I think it is time to go on our way..." he remarked with a sad sigh and Amethyst gave him a sad smile as she hugged his muzzle again "I will see you again tomorrow Simba… You're my best friend…" "I know… Ame… I know..." the Golden Lion replied with a soft smile.
Then the two pulled away from each other and Simba gave her one last smile before walking away to disappear in the shadows of the forest, leaving Amethyst behind as she stared at where he disappeared with a sad smile, like each time they separated from each other. After a few seconds she turned around before walking back toward her house as the sky was becoming darker. Thankfully, she still had her spear in case she ended up in trouble. However little did she know, this night will change her life for the better.
At the same time, Simba had arrived at his den with a dead deer between his jaws. He stopped at the entrance before glancing back toward the direction where he left Amethyst , wondering if he should have at least followed her to make sure she was around. But then he reminded himself that she could take care of himself so he brushed his concern aside to enjoy his dinner, unaware of what tonight would reserve to both him and Amethyst.
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Amethyst was walking in a dark streets when suddenly she heard some noises coming from nearby and curious, she decided to go see if someone needed help. After passing a corner, she found a shop named 'From Dust Till Dawn' with a broken glass with a figure standing before it. The figure was a teenager girl, who looked none older than 14 or 15 was unsheathing a scythe of all things as a weapon.
The girl was wearing a black long-sleeved blouse with a high collar and red trim on the sleeves, over which was a black waist cincher with red lacing up the front, and a matching skirt with red lining. In addition she had thick black stockings and black combat boots with red laces, red trims around the top, and red soles. Her outfit was topped by a red hooded cloak fastened to her shoulders by cross-like spins.
Amethyst saw the girl's emblem on her belt : it was a Rose. Then her attention turned away from the girl to see some men bursting out of the shop and she instantly recognized one them : the man had a red-lined white suit with long black pants and black shoes. As accessories ,he had a small gray scarf, black gloves with buckled sleeves, and a black bowler hat with a small feather tucked into its red band. It was Roman Torchwick, a well-known criminal.
Amethyst pulled out her spear and was about to go help the girl but it seemed that she could handle herself as she defeated all the thugs one by one. Amethyst thought that she could leave the girl alone but then she saw Roman calmly stepping out of the shop with a cigar " You were worth every cent... Truly, you were..." the criminal said as he dropped his cigar down before crushing it with his cane just as the brown haired girl could hear approaching police sirens " Well, Red, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening, and as much as I'd love to stick around...I'm afraid this is where we part ways..." Roman added as he raised his cane to point the tip toward the 'Red' girl. To Amethyst's shock, the cane revealed to be a riffle with a cross grid when he opened the bottom.
However before he could shoot, he saw something approaching him and jumped away just in time to see a spear passing inches away from his flank before stabbing the shop's wall. The red girl and Roman turned their heads toward where the spear came from only to see Amethyst approaching them with a defiant look on her face and eyes "Torchwick ! Why don't you pick on somebody your own size ?!" the brown haired girl snarled out as she raised her left arm forward. Her spear instantly went back into her hand as if called.
Roman then quickly aimed his gun again at the red girl before firing a red blast. However, the Red-hooded girl leaped away and landed at Amethyst's side " Where is he ?" the brown haired asked out-loud as she looked around but Roman was nowhere in sight. " Up there !" The younger girl at her side shouted loudly as she pointed at a nearby building where the criminal was climbing a ladder.
Amethyst growled at the coward and she looked at the red girl who nodded back at her before looking at an old man who could be the shopkeeper "You okay if we go after him ?" a short 'Uh huh' and the duo of girls went after Torchwick who made it to the roof until Amethyst and her 'companion' landed right behind him "Hey !" The red girl called out and Roman stopped at the edge muttering "Persistent..." "You have nowhere to go now Torchwick !" Amethyst snarled at him with a grin but then she heard him replying calmly "Oh ? Are you sure ?"
Just as those words escaped his mouth, a Bullhead appeared out of nowhere before it opened its hatch to allow the criminal inside. Roman turned around while holding up a Red Dust Gem "End of the Line Red ! You too Purple eyes !" he shouted to them and Amethyst's eyes twitched at the nickname he gave her but didn't have the time to react as he threw the gem at them before firing at them which caused a large explosion.
Roman was laughing in satisfaction for what he did but he quickly stopped when he saw something on the building's roof "Uh ?" Amethyst had her arms wrapped around the younger girl in protective manner but when she saw that the two of them were still fine, she turned her head to see a blond woman in a purple cape standing in front of the two, casting a circle of protection over them with what looked like… a wand ?
Amethyst and the red girl looked on, the blond woman waved her weapons, summoning several streaks of purple in the process before aiming it at the Bullhead. Roman was thrown around until he went toward the cockpit where the pilot was "We got a Huntress !" he said to the pilot, a woman in red, who get up to head toward the back as the criminal took the commands just as the blond woman aimed another blast toward the craft, resulting in a dark storm-like clouds standing right above the Bullhead.
With a flick of her wand, large jagged hail pummeled the jet and even breaks through the window, narrowly missing Torchwick's head. The feminine pilot, finally reached the back just as her arms and chest lighted up like fire before aiming a burst of energy at the blond woman who blocked it but the flame splattered behind her ,glowing hot with the enemy's raised hand. The Blond Woman back-flipped out of the explosion, destroying part of the roof at the same time before magically gathering the shards to create a large arrow, throwing it at the Bullhead.
The fiery woman shattered it with several blasts, but then it reformed to hit the side of the jet due to Roman's quick aerial lean. The wreckage separates and reshapes into more arrows that encircle the jet, but the woman summons several glowing rings around herself that expand and destroy the shards. Amethyst regained her composure and transformed her spear into a sniper rifle to shoot at the woman just as the Red girl did the same with her scythe.
However the fiery woman blocked each other their attacks before creating several blazing circles around her opponents. Amethyst jumped out of the way, taking the younger girl with her while their savior rolled herself out of the way. Amethyst then saw the Bulldhead getting away and then a feeling of anger started to spread through her body and her arms were instantly surrounded by a purple glow. Ignoring it for a moment, she threw her glowing arms forward, aiming them at the Bullhead and to her shock, a quadrupedal figure bursted out of her hands, charging the craft at high speed, with a roar.
The figure looked a lot like Simba but without a mane and was also less stocker physically than her friend. The fiery woman's eyes widened as she fired a blast at the purple creature but then it changed into a purple spear which slashed her cheek, leaving behind a noticeable bleeding gash. Amethyst had what she did with shock but also in happiness when she realized that she might have unlocked her Semblance but then she heard the younger girl's voice "You're a Huntress !"
Amethyst turned her head to look toward the girl in question who was looking at their blond savior with a pleading ,awe-stricken face as if she had seen her idol in person "Can I have your autograph ?!" Red-hood asked the Blond Woman pleadingly as their savior looked back at the two of them with a stern expression on her face while Amethyst slapped her face at the other girl's requests.
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Amethyst was siting on a chair as she and the Red girl from earlier were looking at the Blond Woman who was pacing around the two with a tablet computer in her hands as above them, was a bright light. Their savior had bring them to this dark room just after the whole fiasco with Torchwick and Amethyst would be lying to herself if she said that she wasn't a bit nervous about what was going to happen.
"I hope that you realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, young ladies... You put yourself and others in great danger !" the Blond Woman remarked sternly to the two and Amethyst groaned when the Red girl protested by saying "They started it !" but then Blond Woman ignored it to add "If it were up to me, you'd be sent home... With a pat on the back..." At those words, the Red girl smiled and Amethyst raised a brow "And a slap on the wrist !" The Woman resumed as she slapped the table with her riding crop which caused the Red girl to pull her hand away with a "EEK !" while the brown haired girl seemed in-fazed by it.
"But... there is someone here who would like to meet the two of you..." the Blond Woman finished with a disapproved tone as she moved out of the way so the two girls could see a man in green coming through the doorway with a mug and a plate of… cookies ? Amethyst looked at the stranger with narrowed eyes but maintained her composure when the man started to talk "Ruby Rose… You have silver eyes..."
The red girl, who was now known as Ruby Rose was feeling a bit embarrassed by the stare and Amethyst couldn't retain herself from saying "Hey ! Back off you're embarrassing her !" The Blond Woman bristled at her words but before she could sermon her, the man excused himself "Forgive me… Silver eyed people are not common you know..." he gave one look at the blond woman who backed away but not before giving Amethyst a disapproving look.
"So ! Where did you learn to do this ?" the man asked as he gestured at the tablet the woman was holding : it was showing the two Ruby's fight with Roman's thugs and Amethyst's spear saving Ruby from being shot. "S-Signal Academy..." Ruby replied with nervousness while Amethyst responded firmly "On my own..." " They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed ?" the man asked Ruby calmly and the red teen responded by " Well… one teacher in particular..." "I see… " then he looked at Amethyst "And you learned to fight on your own Miss huh ?"
"Amethyst Aster sir and yes I trained myself thanks to my Uncle who doesn't care about what I do and refused to pay for my education… All he cared about is his beers… " Amethyst explained, leaving behind some detail like her training sessions with Simba. The man listened with interest but she could see the pity in his eyes as the Blond Woman was watching her with stern eyes but way softer than before. The stranger then putted the cookies on the table right in front of Ruby who tentatively picked one up before eating it in a single bite. Suddenly, after seeing any rebuttal, she shoved the rest into her mouth and looked like a Hamster now.
The man then looked back at Ruby still calm as he said those next words "I've only seen one other scythe-wielder of that skill before. A dusty, old crow..." Ruby mumbled something but it was difficult to understand with her mouth full and she quickly swallowed the cookies before weeping her mouth in embarrassment " Sorry ! That's my Uncle Qrow ! He's a teacher at Signal ! I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing... And now, I'm all like Hooowaaah! Witchaaaa !" the last part was said with some showing karate-style poses .
Amethyst rolled her eyes with amusement and the Blond Woman seemed equally amused but she tried to not show it with her stern face. "So I've noticed..." the man said as he placed his cup on the table before siting down opposite Ruby ,adding curiously "And what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors ?"
Amethyst's purple eyes narrowed dangerously as she glared dagger at the man but before she could say what she had in mind , Ruby responded to him "Well... I want to be a Huntress !" The response surprised Amethyst as she stared at the red teen with gaping mouth "You want to slay monsters ?" the man asked her with a raise-brow to which Ruby responded with enthusiasm "Yeah ! I only have two more years of training left at Signal ! And then I'm going to apply to Beacon ! You see, my sister's starting there this year, and she's trying to become a Huntress, and I'm trying to become a Huntress 'cause I wanna help people... My parents always taught us to help others, so I thought 'Hey, I might as well make a career out of it ! I mean the police are alright, but Huntsmen and Huntresses are just so much more romantic and exciting and cool and really, gosh, you know!"
When she finished talking, Ruby was met with silence as the three other people in the room was watching her : well the man and the blond Woman were STUDYING her while Amethyst was looking at her with a soft smile. "Its noble of you Ruby… for someone so young~" Amethyst remarked to the younger girl who looked back at her with a nervous smile even if her cheeks were reddening a bit. Then the sound of someone clearing his throat caught the two's attention and they turned their heads to look at the man who looked back at them firmly "Do you know who I am ?" "You're Professor Ozpin… You're the Headmaster of Beacon..." Ruby responded almost instantly and Amethyst stared at the man with wide eyes of shock as she realized that she had disrespected him earlier.
"Oh ! Professor I'm sorry for my behavior earlier I didn't know !" she tried to excuse herself but the man didn't seemed angry as he replied back "Oh you don't have too young lady ! It was my fault actually… Back to business, do you both want to come to my school ?" he asked the two of them in a serious tone. "More than anything !" Ruby responded with sincerity and Amethyst added with a smile "It would be an honor to attend Beacon Academy sir..."
Ozpin exchanged a look with the Blond Woman who glanced at Ruby with disapproval but she shrugged so he turned back to the two of them "Well, okay" two words… It took two word to brighten Ruby's face as her eyes were wide in shock and her mouth was gaping. Amethyst was having the same reaction but then Ozpin spoke again "Miss Aster… The attack you used earlier… What it your Semblance ?" "I think it was… But I'm not sure…" was her answer.
Ozpin hummed for a moment but then leaned closer, looking at Amethyst's purple eyes inquisitively "Can you do it again ?" Gulping in nervousness, Amethyst closed her eyes, extending her arms forward. At first nothing happened but then her arms glowered in a purple light and the same creature from earlier bursted out of her hands, running around the room.
Ruby looked at it with stars in her silver eyes while the other two looked at it with interest. Seeing that there was no enemy to fight, the purple Lioness faded into nothingness. "Well… its an interesting Semblance you have there young lady… I'm looking forward to see you in action..." Ozpin remarked with a smile as he looked at Amethyst who beamed under the hidden praise as she thought to herself "I can't wait to tell Simba the news !"
(To be continue…)
