Episode 3 - A Nightmare Comes
"Team RWBY, mission one!" Ruby declared. "Redecorating complete!"
Team RWBY, now in their Beacon uniforms, have just finished redecorating their dorm room, creating bunk beds and sorting out their belongings.
"I still say that's not structurally sound," Jaune said.
"And what do you know about bunk beds?" Yang asked.
"Seven. Sisters," Jaune said, pointing at himself. "In a five-bedroom house. Do the math."
Qrow spat out his drink.
"S-S-Seven sisters!?" Blake spluttered.
"Yes," Jaune nodded. "Three older, four younger."
"Not bad," Blake said.
"It looks really comfortable," Yang said.
"I've never seen a bunk bed before," Weiss said as she looked at the beds.
"That's not what a bunk bed is supposed to look like," Winter absentmindedly said. Seven sisters… What kind of monster was Mr Arc's father?
Winter was making the mistake in thinking it was Mr Arc that was the problem, not Mrs Arc.
"Okay, our next mission is class!" Ruby declared.
"You're always so excited for everything," Weiss said with a smile.
"She does like me!" Ruby cried as she hugged Weiss.
"Get off me, you dolt!" Weiss cried as she tried to pry the overly affectionate Ruby from herself.
[OP]
In Professor Port's class, the professor began lecturing the students about the various types of Grimms.
"Zzz…"
"Students, wake up," Professor Goodwitch called.
The students hastily stopped napping.
"Sorry, professor," Jaune said. "We just kind of immediately went into Port Operating Procedure."
"Nap?" Professor Ozpin asked, amused.
"Peter sure does know how to talk people to sleep," Qrow said. He should know, he was a student when Professor Port was just a teacher's assistant.
"Beast of destruction and carnage - the Grimm," Professor Port lectured. "While much of their nature remains a mystery, we have learned a few things."
Ruby was already being bored to sleep, while Weiss was taking notes.
"Grimm are born and raised in the darkness, where they learn to be very vigilant. When Grimm die, they immediately return to dust, and they are thought to have no soul."
Weiss looked at her sleeping leader, then back down at her notebook.
"It is the Huntsman's duty to wield this knowledge in battle," Professor Port said. He pulled down a curtain in front of the classroom, revealing a caged Boarbatusk. "Do any of you wish to test your skills?"
"How did they capture that thing?" Yang whispered to Blake.
"Peter has his ways," Professor Goodwitch said with a sigh.
"Are you still mad at your first, last and only excursion with Peter into the Emerald Forest?" Professor Ozpin asked.
"Yes," Professor Goodwitch said bluntly.
"What happened, Professor?" Nora asked, very interested.
Professor Goodwitch levelled her with a glare that rivalled the fiercest Solitas blizzard. Nora wisely shut up.
They two turned to look at Weiss, who had stood up and raised her hand. Ruby had also woken up from the sound of the Boarbatusk banging on its cage.
Weiss was soon in her combat outfit, getting ready to face the Boarbatusk in front of the class.
"Go get 'em, Weiss!" Ruby cheered. "Represent Team RWBY! Yay!"
Blake was also waving a small red flag in support.
"Where do you keep getting these flags?" Ren asked Blake, who was also waving a small red flag with 'RWBY' on it.
"Ancient Belladona secret," Blake said with a straight face.
"Be quiet!" Weiss said.
"Begin!" Professor Port announced as he broke the lock on the cage door.
The Boarbatusk immediately knocked down the cage door and charged at the first human it saw, Weiss.
Weiss, using Mythenaster, knocked the Boarbatusk back. The Grimm got back on its feet and proceeded to charge at her again.
"It's weak point is its belly! Go low!" Ruby shouted at her partner.
"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss said.
The Boarbatusk rolled into a ball as it charged at Weiss. Using her Semblance, Weiss knocked the Grimm onto its back, jumping onto a glyph which propelled her to the now prone Grimm, stabbing it through the stomach.
"You did it!" Ruby cheered. "You did it, Weiss!"
Weiss turned and glared at her team leader.
"Huh?" Ruby stopped cheering at that glare.
"I was just trying to help," Ruby sulked.
"And I already know how to deal with a Boarbatusk," Weiss said exasperatedly.
"There, there," Yang said as she gave Ruby headpats. "Weiss here is still in the phase where she's grumpy over not being made team leader."
After class, Weiss walked out into a courtyard. Stopping, she saw an image of herself standing in the shadows.
"Either someone with an illusion Semblance is messing with my sister, or we have a problem on hand," Winter said.
"It must be this unknown Grimm Miss Zaiden was hunting," General Ironwood said.
"Joy, Grimm that mess with your head," Qrow said. "Always fun to deal with."
"Wait up, Weiss!" Ruby yelled.
Weiss looked back to see Ruby, Yang and Blake on the bridge.
"Hey, what are you so mad about?" Ruby asked.
Weiss looked back to find the doppelganger of herself gone.
"Hey!" Ruby yelled.
"Quit babbling like a child!" Weiss said. "Are you really so happy about being team leader when you barely did anything?"
"I just want us to work together as a team and-" Ruby said.
"Not a team led by you," Weiss said as she walked away.
"Wait, please!" Ruby yelled as she ran to where Weiss was.
"Isn't it literally day one of you four being together as a team?" Qrow asked.
"Yeah…" Ruby said glumly, Yang pulling her hood over her head as the rain cloud over her started raining.
"Where is that cloud coming from?" Ren wondered.
"Dunno," Nora said. "It's like that lightning bolt that appears every time I have a nefarious plan."
Yang was about to go after her sister, but Blake held her back.
"Let Ruby handle it," Blake advised. "If she doesn't deal with this herself, it'll keep happening."
Yang crossed her arms and pouted, but didn't go after her sister.
"Well, I guess you're not wrong," Yang said.
"Kiddo needs to learn how to stand on her own," Qrow said.
Weiss walked into one of the gardens dotting Beacon Academy.
"After studying myself to death…" Weiss growled darkly to herself. "I deserve better than this."
"We don't always get what we want, Weiss," Winter said.
"Well, I know that now," Weiss said.
"Weiss?" Ruby called as she looked for her partner. "Come on."
"Weiss, where are you?" Ruby yelled before she squatted down. "I don't think I'm fit to be a leader, either. At this rate, they're gonna tell me I don't even belong at Beacon."
"That remains to be seen," Professor Ozpin said.
Ruby looked behind her, where the headmaster was standing with his cane in hand.
"And there you are, Oz," Qrow said. "Always ready to give sage advice exactly when it's needed."
"Well, I have been doing this for a long time, Qrow," Professor Ozpin said.
Professor Port was looking at the scenery when Weiss found him.
"Professor Port," Weiss said.
The professor turned around to face his student.
"May I speak with you?" Weiss asked.
Ruby and Professor Ozpin stood on one of the small bridges over the streams in the garden.
"I do not consider your appointment as leader to be a mistake," Professor Ozpin said.
"But Weiss doesn't agree," Ruby said. "She says I haven't made any effort."
"Of course, nobody will follow a leader that doesn't do their best," Professor Ozpin said. "Take some time and think about how you should carry out your responsibilities."
"Hmm, it has been quite some time since that talk," Professor Ozpin said. "And how have you been doing since then, Miss Rose?"
"I think I've been doing great, professor!" Ruby said.
"I don't believe the headmaster meant foiling Dust robberies and fighting stolen Atlesian mechs in the streets when he talked about carrying out your responsibilities, Miss Rose," Professor Goodwitch said with a suppressed eye twitch. All those roads that needed to be fixed…
"And you think making you team leader would solve everything?" Professor Port asked Weiss. "Your skills are exceptional, but your attitude is a problem. They cancel each other out."
"Wha… How dare you!" Weiss said at the critique.
"My point exactly," Professor Port said. "You've probably spent your whole life getting exactly what you wanted."
"That isn't… true," Weiss said. "At all!"
"Instead of throwing tantrums, try to become the best person, the best teammate you can be," Professor Port advised. "You'll soon realize that it doesn't matter who the leader is."
"Your professor has a point," Winter said. "Instead of complaining, make the best of your current circumstance."
"Yes, I recall you telling me that in your letter," Weiss sighed.
In combat class, Jaune was sparring with Cardin and losing badly.
"Ouch," Jaune said, already feeling the bruises forming from sparring against Cardin.
"Don't worry," Pyrrha said. "I'll have you winning against Winchester in no time."
Weiss looked at how Jaune's friends were cheering him on.
"You can do it, Jaune!" Ruby cheered. "Team JNPR!"
Ruby stopped when she saw Weiss looking at her.
"Oh, am I too loud?" Ruby asked.
"No, cheering needs to be loud," Weiss said.
"My, ice princess sure is trying," Qrow said.
"Don't worry," Yang said. "She'll thaw out. We made sure of it."
"Years of training under the best tutors, wasted…" Weiss grumbled.
Jaune was soon on his back, Cardin with his mace raised over him.
"That's enough," Professor Goodwitch called, ending the spar. "As you can see, Jaune's Aura has been greatly reduced from taking damage. You must choose a fighting style that fits within the limits of your Aura."
Jaune was still on his knees, catching his breath. On the back of his neck, the roots of the Nightmare nesting in him could be seen.
"Oh, so I have it too," Jaune said.
"You are remarkably calm about being infected by a Grimm," Ren said.
"I would cry, but those two are doing it for me," Jaune said, pointing at the tearful Pyrrha and Nora. One was more emotional than the other. "If I die, I want you to hack into my Scroll and delete my browser history, Ren."
"It will be done," Ren promised.
"Aura is present in all living things, except Grimm," Pyrrha told Jaune, holding his hand. "See, you have to release the Aura that sleeps inside you."
Pyrrha channelled her Aura through Jaune, activating his in turn.
"I'm glowing," Jaune said in amazement as his Aura was now activated. "But what is this good for?"
"It is your strongest shield and your most powerful weapon," Pyrrha explained. "As your Aura grows, your own unique power will also awaken. That's your Semblance. Do your best."
"Okay, I will," Jaune said.
"Wait, I only unlocked it AFTER Initiation here?" Pyrrha said, shocked. "That means you survived it WITHOUT Aura!"
"Wait, you only had your Aura unlocked at Beacon?" Weiss asked.
"Hahaha, long story," Jaune said.
"Mr Arc had absolutely no prior combat training before entering Beacon," Professor Ozpin said, exposing Jaune mercilessly.
"WHAT!?"
"Ozpin, and you let him in?" Ironwood asked.
"Well, he survived Initiation," Professor Ozpin shrugged. "That's literally all you need to get into Beacon."
"Perhaps we need to rethink our enrollment policies," Professor Goodwitch sighed. First a former terrorist, then a fraud. What's next? A criminal mastermind intent on destroying Vale?
Unseen by either of them, the Nightmare grew as Jaune's Aura was unlocked.
"Oh, so unlocking Jaune's Aura caused the Grimm on him to grow," Blake said. "That is bad."
"Way to state the obvious, kitty cat," Yang said.
Also unseen by either of them, Weiss was spying on their late-night tutoring session.
"My, spying on people?" Nora teased. "Naughty Weiss."
"Shut up," Weiss said.
"How was he able to enrol when he didn't even know about Aura?" Weiss wondered. "But what's more important is that Pyrrha unquestioningly accepted that useless Jaune as team leader."
Weiss walked away from the two as she pondered it.
"Maybe you can score more points by being a perfect teammate and supporting a poor leader, rather than becoming a leader yourself," Weiss thought. "That must be it."
"It's kind of sad you need to research something like this," Yang said.
"Well, not all of us attended preparatory school," Weiss said. "I had personal tutors."
"Yeah, and your social skills show it," Yang said.
Back in Team RWBY's room, Weiss stood on a chair and looked into Ruby's bed.
The girl had fallen asleep catching up on her schoolwork.
She woke up, seeing Weiss looking at her.
"Weiss…" Ruby mumbled out before waking up fully. "Oh, I fell asleep!"
"Shh," Weiss said as she handed her leader a cup of coffee. "Cream and five sugars. Just how you like it, right? Here. Coffee."
Ruby accepted the cup, still looking at her partner at her uncharacteristic behaviour.
"I know you'll become a good leader," Weiss said encouragingly.
"Huh?" Ruby was wondering if she was still dreaming.
"So… are you feeling all right, Weiss?" Ruby asked, concerned.
"Are we sure there aren't Grimm that can shapeshift into humans?" Blake asked.
Weiss felt her eyebrow twitch. 'Must not murder my team. Must not murder my team. Must not murder my team…'
"I've decided to become the best teammate I can," Weiss said. "Good luck studying."
"Thanks," Ruby said, still bewildered by this new behaviour from her partner.
Weiss was about to duck down from Ruby's bed, but returned for a moment.
"I always wanted a bunk bed," Weiss said.
"I actually did," Weiss mused.
"I don't really see the appeal," Winter said. She had enough of bunk beds in her life, thank you very much. Not with how many times she almost hit her head when waking up back when she was a cadet.
Ruby smiled, thinking her partner was finally getting around to liking the team.
Yang smiled while Blake pretended to sleep. They had heard everything.
Weiss sat on her bed and looked up.
"This is more exhausting than I thought," Weiss thought.
"Friends are exhausting," Weiss agreed with her other self.
"Aww, you love us and you know it," Ruby said as she hugged Weiss.
Winter just smiled at how her sister finally had genuine friends.
On her back, the Nightmare's roots had spread further.
That quickly wiped the smile off Winter's face.
In Team JNPR's room, Jaune looked at his hands, both glowing with Aura.
"My own unique power…" Jaune said.
"It'll never happen," someone said to the boy.
Jaune looked behind him, finding a doppelganger of himself in the room.
"The truth is, you've got no right to be here," Nega-Jaune said.
Jaune looked on in shock as the Nightmare's vines enveloped him.
"Don't you agree?"
"Jaune, NO!" Jaune's friends yelled.
"It looks like the Grimm finally decided to strike at Mr Arc," Professor Ozpin said calmly.
"How fortunate a specialist in this Grimm was already in Beacon," Professor Goodwitch said.
The next morning, Pyrrha, Ren and Nora were already up and dressed for class.
"Jaune, it's time for class," Ren said, trying to wake his team leader. "Wake up."
"What's wrong?" Nora asked. "Did he catch a cold?"
Pyrrha poked her head into Jaune's side of the room too.
"He must be tired from training," Ren suggested.
Pyrrha held Jaune's hand in her own, deciding to check his Aura. She looked shocked.
"Something's wrong with his Aura," Pyrrha told her team.
Taking off Jaune's onesie, they saw the Nightmare's roots spread all over his back.
"It spread so quickly?" Professor Goodwitch said in concern.
"It must have decided to strike as quickly as it could after his Aura was unlocked," Ironwood hypothesized.
"I hope there aren't any long term health issues because of this," Weiss said.
"Having a Grimm inside of you doesn't usually denote good health," Winter agreed. She couldn't imagine what someone with Grimm inside of them would be like.
Team RWBY joined Team JNPR in their room, looking at their friend in concern when Professor Goodwitch and Shion entered the room.
The Nightmare Hunter checked on Jaune.
"It's my target," Shion said. "We need to begin immediately."
In a room set aside for their work, Shion made their preparations to expel the Nightmare from Jaune's body.
"It'll be nice to get some intel on this guy? Girl? Hunter who's going to save Jaune," Pyrrha said.
"Are they a guy or a girl?" Blake asked.
"Couldn't they be both?" Nora asked.
"… Maybe, I suppose?" Weiss said.
Shion opened their case, where their tools for expelling Nightmares were. They waved her wand, threads coming out from it and forming complex shapes.
"My name is Shion Zaiden," Shion introduced themselves to the students. "I'm a Nightmare Hunter."
"What's a Nightmare?" Ruby asked.
"A type of Grimm that possesses humans and grows by draining their Aura," Shion explained. "The possessed victim is trapped in their dreams as their bodies become a breeding ground for Grimm."
"A breeding ground for Grimm?" Professor Ozpin said in concern.
"Man, that sounds really bad," Jaune said.
"You don't say?" Qrow said sarcastically.
"So, does like, more Grimm pop out from Jaune's body, or just that more of these Nightmares are spawned from it?" Ruby asked nervously.
"Hmm, I don't know," Professor Ozpin said. "We've never seen a Grimm that bred through feeding on Aura before."
"Who knows, maybe a baby Grimm will pop up from Vomit Boy's chest," Yang said.
"Ew, no!" Nora said.
"So we just have to kill the Grimm?" Nora asked.
"Yes, inside his dream," Shion told them.
"Inside his dream?" Ren asked.
"It's a task for his close friends," Shion said. "If a stranger tries, his heart will reject them."
Shion had finished their preparations for Jaune.
"Are any of you willing to enter his dream to battle the Grimm?" Shion asked.
Pyrrha stood forward. "Absolutely. We'll go."
"As if there was any doubt," Nora yelled.
Ren nodded.
"We'll get you back to normal in no time," Pyrrha said with determination.
Jaune wiped away a tear. He had such a good team.
Dolls of Team JNPR fell from the ceiling as Shion made them on the spot, threads soon covering them all as Pyrrha, Ren and Nora got ready to enter Jaune's mind.
Shion used her Semblance to send the three into Jaune's mind.
"Into the mind of our Fearless Leader!" Nora yelled.
"Please don't mess it up," Jaune said. Suddenly, the thought of Nora with access to his mind didn't seem so appealing.
Inside Jaune's mind, Jaune sat alone as all his doubts assaulted him in the form of his weapons and armour.
"For generations, males of the Arc Clan have been fated to become glorious warriors," the shield said.
"And then you showed up," the sword said. "What a disappointment you are, Jaune."
The armour laughed. "You incompetent, miserable coward."
All three laughed then disappeared.
"No… I know I can do it," Jaune said to himself. "I can do it!"
"Those bastards!" Nora declared. "I'm going to beat them up!"
"Nora, please don't take out your anger on Jaune's actual weapons and armour," Ren said.
Pyrrha gripped a spear that wasn't there as she imagined spearing through that Grimm.
The Nightmare began to manifest around Jaune's mindscape.
Jaune had turned into a small rabbit Faunus, how he perceived himself.
"Big Sis, I'm scared," Rabbit Jaune cried. "Help me!"
The Nightmare looked at him from the tops of the rabbit statues around him.
Pyrrha couldn't help herself and pulled Jaune into a hug.
"It's going to be all right," Pyrrha said. "We'll save you."
"Thanks, partner," Jaune said.
Pyrrha noticed how close they were and couldn't help but blush.
"What's the rate for getting in on the pool?" Qrow whispered to Professor Ozpin.
"500 lien," Professor Ozpin replied. "Goods of similar value are also acceptable." He had bet a can of the good coffee beans on Arkos after all.
Professor Goodwitch glared at the two for betting on the love lives of their students.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha yelled.
"Who's there?" Jaune asked.
A portion of the mindscape opened, allowing Pyrrha, Ren and Nora inside.
Jaune looked up as his team entered his mind.
"We've come to get you, Jaune," Pyrrha said.
"Team JNPR is here to break some legs!" Nora yelled.
"I don't think this Grimm has legs," Blake pointed out.
"And once I'm through with it, it never will!" Nora said.
Back in the physical world, Shion's telephone rang.
"It's me," Shion said after picking it up. "Did you find him safely?"
"Very well," Shion said after hearing their answer. "You must fight to set him free."
Shion put the handset back down.
"They were able to find Jaune," Shion informed the group.
"That was quick," Professor Ozpin said. "Excellent."
"The care they show for each other is what makes them a good team," Shion said.
"Well, they do seem to have less interpersonal issues compared to Team RWBY," Professor Goodwitch said.
"It can't be that bad," Winter said.
"Several thousand lien in property damage says otherwise," Professor Goodwitch glowered.
Team RWBY suddenly felt very small at their professor's ire.
Back inside Jaune's mind, the rabbit statues were being toppled one after another as Pyrrha, Ren and Nora fought to free their team leader.
Pyrrha threw down her spear at the vines surrounding Jaune, forcing them to break away from him.
Jaune stood up, free from the Nightmare's thrall. Looking up, he could see his team coming for him, Pyrrha in the lead.
"Pyrrha…" Jaune whispered.
'Maybe this will make him realize I like him,' Pyrrha thought.
"Huh, that was easy," Nora said. "And here I thought this Grimm was supposed to be scary."
In the physical world, the Nightmare was expelled from Jaune's body and tried to escape. Shion was faster, using their threads to ensnare it and shock it before capturing it inside a specially-made container.
"Now it's your turn to be trapped, Nightmare," Shion said as the container's lock was closed. "Stay in there, and turn back into a seed."
The Nightmare weakly struggled against the container, before falling to the bottom.
"A seed…" Blake said as she looked at the now-dormant Nightmare. "It's like a plant."
"Typically, Grimm take on a beast form," Professor Goodwitch told the students. "But some Grimm are unique. Keep that in mind."
Ruby took a peek at the Nightmare herself.
"For such a small thing, it sure caused a lot of trouble," Ruby said.
"Well, great things can come in small packages, Miss Rose," Professor Ozpin said.
"Trouble too," Qrow said, giving his niece a knowing look.
"Uncle Qrowwww!" Ruby cried.
Jaune suddenly woke up, no worse for wear.
"I overslept!" Jaune yelled as he sat up. "Is class-"
Pyrrha, Nora and Ren chuckled at him, having also woken up.
"What's going on?" Jaune asked.
"Oh, nothing much," Ren said. "Just saved you from becoming something out of a sci-fi movie."
"And I'm grateful," Jaune said.
"Grateful enough to keep an eye on Nora so that I can have some Ren time?" Ren asked.
"Beacon won't survive it and you know it," Jaune replied.
"Yeah, I know," Ren said in defeat.
Shion touched the container holding the dormant Nightmare.
"I'm glad we caught it before it grew," Shion said. "It's probably because his Aura is still undeveloped."
"His Semblance hasn't awakened, and his Aura in combat is below average," Professor Goodwitch said. "That proved fortunate for him."
"Well, that sounds troubling for the one attached to Miss Schnee," Ironwood said.
"It's been on her as long as Jaune's," Pyrrha said. "Why hasn't it trapped her in her dreams yet?"
"Perhaps Miss Schnee's more powerful Aura is combating it," Professor Goodwitch suggested.
"Or it's taking its sweet time to make sure it's grip is as tight as it can be," Qrow said.
"Qrow's theory sounds plausible, unfortunately," Professor Ozpin said.
"Oh, this is going to suck for me, isn't it?" Weiss said, having seen what the Nightmare did to Jaune. What was it going to do to her? And worse, what were her friends going to see when they inevitably entered her dream to save her?
Jaune's friends were around him, giving him their good wishes for his recovery.
"I've never seen anyone benefit from a weakness before," Yang said as she listened to the professor's explanation.
"I sensed other Nightmares in the forest, too," Shion told Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch. "The more sensitive or emotionally conflicted you are, the more susceptible you become. Please tell the students to remain diligent."
"Sensitive and emotionally conflicted," Ironwood said. "And it's right next to a school…"
"It picked the perfect breeding spot," Winter said, feeling more and more concerned for her sister.
Out in the hallway, Team RWBY were talking to each other.
"Listen up, everyone," Yang said. "If you're feeling down, talk to each other about it."
"You must be joking," Weiss said. "You can't possibly expect a Grimm to possess me."
"Yeah, I'm sure you'll be fine, Weiss," Ruby said.
"It certainly does seem unlikely," Blake said.
"She's got her own thorns to use for keeping Grimm out," Yang joked.
"Oh, the irony," Yang said.
"I don't think I like the sound of that," Weiss said. "Anyway, since tomorrow's a day off, shall we go into town? The festival is soon, too."
"Festival?" Ruby asked.
"Oh right, it's that time already," Ruby said.
"The Vytal Festival," Weiss said.
In Vale, the preparations for the Vytal Festival were well underway.
"I didn't know you liked festivals, Weiss," Ruby said.
"That's a surprise," Yang said.
"I always wanted to go to one," Weiss said. "And not the parties that father used to take me to."
"Well, we'll take you to all the festivals you could possibly want to go too!" Yang said.
"Yeah!" Ruby agreed.
Blake just nodded.
Team RWBY noticed a Dust store that had been broken into and robbed, police officers outside investigating it.
"What happened here?" Ruby asked the detective.
"Hmm?" the detective noticed the Huntresses in training. "Another robbery. They took the Dust and left everything else. Probably the White Fang up to their old tricks. Excuse me."
"The White Fang again?" Weiss said. "What a bunch of violent, crazed degenerates."
"They're a collection of misguided Faunus," Blake defended her former group.
"Not again," Ruby whimpered.
"If you try to run again, I will handcuff you to me if that's what it takes," Yang said to her partner.
"Kinky," Nora said.
Blake flushed but nodded.
"They say they're going to wipe humanity off the face of the planet," Weiss retorted.
"That's only a small minority," Blake said. "And we don't even know if Faunus did this to begin with."
"Blake's got a point," Ruby said. "The Dust robbery I saw was done by humans."
At the docks, someone yelled as a stowaway ran for it.
"Stop that Faunus!" someone yelled.
"Oh look, there's Sun," Ruby said.
"Ah yes, him," Professor Goodwitch sighed. Squaring things with Vale Immigration and the police over the incident was another headache she had to deal with. She really should get around to using her vacation days.
Professor Ozpin felt a chill down his spine. As if the unthinkable thought of Professor Goodwitch taking a vacation had just been contemplated. He would never survive the paperwork and dealing with the students on his own.
Team RWBY turned to the docks.
"You no-good stowaway!" a sailor yelled.
A monkey Faunus jumped off the ship and landed on the dock.
"You trash!" a dockworker yelled as he leapt at the stowaway, only for the stowaway to jump out of his grasp, land on his back then jump away.
The monkey Faunus hung over a lamp pole using his tail.
"If I were trash, you'd already have collected me," the Faunus said. "My skills at stowing away are second to none."
"He could have just waited a few days for the airship that was going to take the students from Haven to Beacon, but nooo… He had to do it his way," Professor Goodwitch growled under her breath.
Everyone wisely stayed away from her, lest her wrath be taken out on them.
Nearby, Team RWBY watched the incident unfold.
"What a weird comeback," Yang said.
The monkey Faunus immediately began running away as he was pursued by the dockworkers. He ran past Team RWBY, locking eyes with Blake for a moment, giving her a wink.
"Hold it right there!" the dockworkers yelled as they ran after him.
"Fine," Weiss said. "I'll capture that Faunus and show you just how bad he is."
Weiss ran after the monkey Faunus, Yang and Ruby were forced to go after her.
"Wait! Weiss!" Ruby yelled.
Blake sighed and went after them.
"You can be surprisingly impulsive if you put your mind to it," Yang mused.
"I'm sorry, but me? Impulsive?" Weiss said.
Yang pointed at the screen.
"I was trying to catch Sun, who had obviously entered Vale illegally," Weiss said. "That's a crime."
Weiss and Ruby turned around the same corner the monkey Faunus and dockworkers had turned, only for Weiss to run into a bystander.
"Are you okay?" Ruby asked.
The bystander somehow had no change in expression while Weiss looked at her partner.
"I am fine, but…" Weiss said, looking at the fallen bystander.
"Ah, she got away from her minders again," Ironwood said.
"Minders?" Weiss asked. "Why would Penny need minders?"
"Classified," Winter said.
Ruby wisely kept her mouth shut. No need to mention Penny was actually a robot.
"Are you?" Yang asked. "Can you get up?"
"Yes! I am wonderful," she said. "Thank you for asking!" She flipped herself upright. "And-a upsy-daisy."
She turned to look at Team RWBY.
"My name is Penny," Penny greeted. "It is a pleasure to meet you."
"Very nice to meet you, friend," Ruby greeted.
"Ah, so that was what she was talking about," Winter muttered to herself.
"If we don't hurry, the vagabond will get away," Weiss said.
"What did you call me?" Penny asked.
"She wasn't talking about you," Blake explained.
"No. You," Penny said, looking at Ruby.
"Huh?" Ruby asked as Penny walked towards her, getting into her personal space.
"Did you just call me, friend?" Penny asked.
"Uh, yeah," Ruby said.
"Grin!" Penny was incredibly happy. "How touching! I have made a friend! I'm so glad I came to Vale!"
"Huh, is Vale the kingdom Atlesians go to make friends or something?" Yang asked. "That's like the second Atlesian who made their first friend here."
"What can I say?" Weiss said. "It's the infectious atmosphere."
"What is with her?" Weiss asked.
"Sorry, but we're in a hurry," Yang said.
"All right," Penny said. "Be well."
"Let's give up," Yang said. "He's just a stowaway, right?"
"He's a law-breaking scoundrel," Weiss said. "If we let him go, he'll surely join the White Fang."
"That's wrong!" Blake said. "This is why you're so ignorant."
"Ok, so words that were made in ignorance were said," Weiss said.
"It's a miracle we haven't had a second Faunus War," Ironwood said as he pinched his forehead.
"Oh, I don't know," Qrow said. "I'd think the current attacks by the White Fang counts."
"Yes, but the Council doesn't like to use the 'W' word," Professor Ozpin said.
Ruby and Yang were shocked by the uncharacteristic argument from Blake.
"What did you just say to me?" Weiss said, glaring at Blake.
"You're being prejudiced," Blake replied. "You treat all Faunus like criminals. If he's a scoundrel, then so are you."
"It's an organization of pure evil that hates humanity," Weiss argued. "How can you defend them?"
"There's no such thing as pure evil!" Blake argued. "People like you drove the Faunus into a corner."
"Please don't fight, you two," Ruby said, interposing herself between them.
Weiss turned and glared at her, stopping Ruby in her tracks.
Jaune patted a once more depressed Ruby on the back. How fortunate for himself that the only strong personality on his team was Nora, and that was more exuberance than anything. He wouldn't know what to do if he had a team like Team RWBY.
"Have you attended any of the funerals of the people they killed?" Weiss asked Blake.
Blake was silent.
"Do you know the pain of the families whose loved ones were killed just for being Company board members?" Weiss asked. "Do you have any idea how much they've made me suffer?"
"And have you had to liberate mines that are run more like labour camps straight out of the Great War?" Blake finally asked in return. "To see the emancipated children who haven't seen sunlight in a long time."
Weiss was quiet at that. She knew the News about the Company in Atlas was always what her father wanted reported, but to hear from her teammate just how bad it was?
Her father had to be taken down. Sooner rather than later.
"Well, maybe we were just tired of being pushed around!" Blake yelled back.
Weiss was shocked at the word choice and Blake realized she had slipped up.
"We?" Weiss asked.
Blake turned and ran away.
"Blake, where are you going?" Ruby yelled.
"Running away isn't going to solve all your problems, Miss Belladona," Professor Ozpin told the girl.
"But it's so much easier," Blake whispered.
"Easy and right are not the same," Professor Ozpin said.
Alone, Black sat on the roof of one of Vale's buildings. Her bow was off, letting her cat ears free.
"I thought so," a boy said. Blake turned around and saw the monkey Faunus from earlier on the roof with her. "I knew you'd look better without the bow."
"You really do," Yang said. "Can I rub them?"
"Do that and you will be the first to die!" Blake threatened.
"Did you find Blake?" Ruby asked.
"No," Yang answered. "She might not be at the harbour."
"We should just leave her be," Weiss suggested.
"She's our teammate!" Yang argued.
"You heard what she said," Weiss retorted.
"So you're going to treat her like a criminal?" Yang asked.
"I'll go check by the warehouse," Ruby said.
"Huh?" Yang and Weiss asked.
Ruby ran off before either one could get a word in.
"Yeah… I needed some time to myself, away from all the shouting," Ruby said.
"We do seem to argue a lot," Yang sighed.
"Eh, no more than your parents and I used to," Qrow said. "Granted, two of us were bandits, while here, one's an entitled heiress and the other's a former terrorist."
"Still a recipe for disaster," Ironwood said.
"Hey… Ruby!" Yang yelled. She turned back to Weiss. "If you're going to hate her just for being a Faunus, then you really are a bigot."
"I… Maybe I went too far," Weiss said. "But that organization is-"
"That's enough about the organization," Yang said. She waved her off and went to look for her team, Weiss following her.
Unseen, Nega-Weiss was listening from the shadows.
"Oh, that Grimm must be loving the chaos," Qrow said with a grimace.
"Our first semester was really hectic, huh?" Ruby said.
"And here I thought my biggest worry was going to be grades and homework," Weiss sighed. "Not terrorist and secret plots to destroy Vale."
"That's more excitement than I received in training," Winter mused.
Sun and Blake were at a cafe, talking.
"Wha-" Sun said. "Wait a minute. You were a member of the White Fang?"
"That's right," Blake said. "I was a member for most of my life."
"Stupid creeps that use force to get whatever they want…" Sun said. "That doesn't seem like you."
"The White Fang was supposed to be a bridge between humans and the Faunus," Blake explained. "But they changed, so I left. I wanted to dedicate my life to something truly important."
"I was born into it," Blake said.
"Quite literally, too," Ironwood said. "Considering your parents."
"Who are your parents, Blake?" Ruby asked.
"Wait, you don't know?" Winter asked, surprised. "They're the current chieftain of Menagerie and former leaders of the White Fang before Sienna Khan took over."
"And you never told us you had parents, why?" Yang asked. "We had to find out from your sister!"
"I kind of ran away from home to stay with the White Fang, all right?" Blake said.
"This conversation is not over," Weiss said.
"So, have you told your friends any of this?" Sun asked.
Blake closed her eyes, answering his question.
Ruby gave a mirthless chuckle. "No, no she didn't."
"Then, what's your plan now?" Sun asked.
"I want to find out who's behind these Dust robberies," Blake said.
"You know, someone was talking about it on the ship," Sun said. "A Schnee Company freighter is bringing in a load of Dust."
"You're sure?" Blake asked.
"To replace what was stolen," Sun said. "The thieves must feel like the goods are being delivered straight to them."
"And once more, he won't let us or Vale assign guards for it," Ironwood sighed. Did that man want to make it easy for the White Fang? He remembered a time when Nicolas Schnee was in charge. He was much easier to work with, according to his predecessor.
In the city centre, Ruby sat at the statue and wondered about the state of her team.
"Where could Blake be?" Ruby asked herself.
"You mean the Faunus girl?" Penny asked.
Ruby gasped in shock at Penny's sudden appearance.
"Where did you come from!?" Ruby asked.
"Does she have ninja protocols or something?" Ruby mumbled to herself. Her robotic friend was much too stealthy at times.
She felt a hand on her shoulder.
"Looks like someone needs remedial situational awareness training," Qrow chuckled darkly as Ruby paled.
Penny turned to look at Ruby.
"Wait, how did you know that?" Ruby asked.
"Because of her cat ears," Penny explained.
"Ears? Not a bow?" Ruby asked.
"I saw her with it off, too," Penny said.
"Where?" Ruby asked.
"You don't care about her at all, do you?" Yang asked Weiss as the two continued searching for their partners. "I bet you're only pretending to be nice to my sister, too. Like making up that stuff about always wanting a bunk bed."
Weiss suddenly stopped.
"Why don't you say something!?" Yang asked.
Weiss suddenly turned around and got into Yang's face.
"I don't know what to do!" Weiss yelled. "I couldn't become the leader, couldn't even get on Pyrrha's team, and now one of my teammates is a Faunus! Nothing is turning out like I imagined it. I…"
Weiss cried.
"She's crying," Yang couldn't help but state the obvious as Weiss started crying.
"Oh, come on," Yang said.
"I'm supposed to be the fun one on the team, not the mature one," Yang mumbled.
Winter sighed as she stroked her sister's hair. "There, there. It's not the end of the world."
"This isn't even exactly how it happened with us," Weiss mumbled. The hair strokes were nice though.
At the docks, Blake and Sun scouted it out.
"You don't have to help me," Blake told the monkey Faunus.
"I'm already on board," Sun said. "You know I'm an expert stowaway, right?"
Blake smiled as they returned to watching the docks. They turned their heads as they heard a Bullhead arrive.
Two Bullheads landed at the docks, White Fang and Roman Torchwick getting out of them.
"All right," Roman said. "Take all of the cargo."
"The White Fang!" Blake said. "They're not supposed to work with humans."
"I guess they changed their minds," Sun said.
"Did Roman tell you anything about that?" Professor Ozpin asked Ironwood.
"The thief remains as silent as ever on the matter," Ironwood grumbled. "Whoever he's working with, we don't know."
Blake stood up and unsheathed Gambol Shroud, intent on confronting her former comrades.
"Hey, what are you doing!?" Sun asked.
Blake jumped off the building.
Elsewhere, Penny and Ruby heard the gunshots from the docks.
"What was that sound?" Ruby asked.
"That was a gunshot," Penny answered.
Ruby had a determined look on her face.
"Well, you sure made it easy to find you," Nora said.
"You just can't help yourself, can you?" Yang sighed.
"Ok, maybe jumping down to confront a known criminal and my ex-comrades wasn't the best of plans," Blake said.
"This is why I make the plans here," Ruby said.
"You spoil Ruby," Weiss told Yang. "That's why she's always showing off her abilities to get praise. Am I wrong?"
"Okay, fine," Yang conceded. She already had this conversation with her father. "But why don't you stop bragging about being the perfect teammate, and actually think about what it means to be a friend?"
"Guess we both have something to think about," Yang said.
"Well, excuse me for not having a typical childhood," Weiss said. The only good childhood memories she could recall were when her grandfather was still alive and with Winter.
"Maybe we should go out together to do all those childhood things you never got to enjoy?" Ruby suggested.
"Hmm, I suppose there isn't any harm in it," Winter said. And it might be fun too to spend time with her sister on something that wasn't training.
"It's a Dust robbery! Hurry!" a police officer yelled as they ran towards the docks.
The two Huntresses in training looked at each other before running after the officers.
Roman cussed as he made his escape on the Bullhead.
"Damn it!" Roman cursed. "What is that monster?"
The surviving Bullhead flew away as Penny walked out of the wreckage the fight at the dock had created. Storing her blades, she took off with the rockets in her feet and landed in front of Ruby, Blake and Sun.
"Battle complete," Penny said.
"Aww, we don't even get to see the fight?" Yang complained.
"Please tell me we don't have to fight her in the Vytal Festival Tournament," Jaune said as he took in all the damage.
"Penny is taking part with her team," Ironwood said.
"Pyrrha can take her," Nora said confidently.
Weiss and Yang looked at the fire.
"What in the world happened?" Weiss asked.
"Penny happened," Ruby said. "And it. Was. Awesome!"
"Ruby! Blake!" Yang called out.
Ruby looked up and saw her sister and partner there.
"Weiss!" Ruby said as she got up. "Blake isn't in the White Fang anymore and she had cat eats under her bow. Isn't that cute?"
Ruby made grabbing motions at Blake's head.
"No," Blake hissed.
Ruby deployed the sad puppy dog eyes.
"Still no," Blake said heartlessly.
"You're not human!" Ruby sulked. She wanted to touch fluffy ears.
"Huh, really?" Yang asked.
Weiss walked past Ruby and made her way to Blake.
"Weiss, I haven't been in the organization-" Blake said.
"I don't want to hear any more about the organization," Weiss said, cutting Blake off. "But I have been thinking about things. I kept thinking, thinking, and decided…"
The others looked at the two in anticipation.
"I don't care about any of it," Weiss finally said.
"You don't care?" Blake asked.
"Right," Weiss said. "So, the next time you have a big problem, come and talk to your teammates, not some stranger."
The two looked at Sun, who shrugged. Blake then looked at Ruby and Yang, who nodded encouragingly.
"All right," Blake said after wiping the tears from her eyes.
Weiss smiled.
"There it is," Yang said.
"Team RWBY is back together!" Ruby cheered happily.
"You're celebrating a little too much," Weiss said.
"This is the second most destructive team I've ever seen," Professor Goodwitch sighed.
"Second most?" Ren asked.
"I was an upperclassman when Team STRQ was formed," Professor Goodwitch said. "It says something when you manage to start a gang war before your semester exams."
"Heh, good times," Qrow said. "And as much as I want to blame Raven, that was actually all Summer's fault."
Ruby and Yang could only look at their uncle in shock.
"Mom started a gang war in Vale?" Yang asked.
"And it was awesome," Qrow said.
Back at their room, Weiss looked at the bunk beds she had made with her team.
"I wasn't lying about always wanting one," Weiss said.
"You've buried all your dreams that didn't come true," an ominous voice said to Weiss. "And it takes all your strength not to care. The Faunus, the White Fang… You will never be able to forgive them."
Weiss was suddenly no longer in her room, staring down at her doppelganger. Roots with sharp thorns appeared as Weiss looked at her doppelganger in shock.
The copy bowed as the vines surrounded them both.
Weiss was floating in the air, surrounded by the vines.
"What… What is this… thing?" Weiss asked as the Nightmare tightened its grip on her.
"No," Winter said as the Nightmare trapped her sister.
"WEISS!" Ruby cried as she once more latched on to her partner.
"It's the other me, Ruby," Weiss said as she once more tried to get her partner off her.
"Something tells me it's not going to be as easy to deal with as Jaune's," Pyrrha said.
"Because Jaune had weaker Aura?" Ren asked.
"Because Jaune has less issues compared to Weiss," Pyrrha said.
"Well, I'm sure Team RWBY will be more than up to the task of rescuing their teammate," Professor Ozpin said.