[Okay, so I lied. This was only supposed to be a one-shot, but the general response has been so good and THE URGE to write fanfiction has hit me so hard that I decided to turn this into a series. ENJOY!]
Ruby had never had Eggs Benedict before and she was sorely regretting having missed out on this for so long, even if her dish was cold. Back at the Academy, breakfast was always a rush to who could get to the cereal boxes first. If Nora or Jaune managed to get their hands on the Pumpkin Pete cereal, it was all over. Once in a blue moon Ren would be kind enough to fry up some bacon or make scrambled eggs, but he spent most of the morning making sure Nora didn't fall into caffeinated shock.
"Riff if delivicious!" Ruby said with a mouthful, finishing up her third helping since she sat down. Klein was more than happy to cook for Weiss' friend, though Winter and Weiss had long since eaten their respective meals.
"Are you finished?" Winter asked, impatiently drumming her gloved hand on the dinner table. She sat next to Weiss, both of them across from Ruby. It made the team leader feel like she was at a job interview to be someone's maid.
"Urp. Yes, yes I am." Ruby said with a satisfied grin. She finished off her third cup of "obscenely sugared" coffee and caught herself before she belched, managing to stifle it into her fist.
"Well, if you're done emitting noxious gasses, I have an eventful day planned for us, Ms. Rose." Winter said , standing up. "Weiss tells me you've never been horseback riding, so I thought I might make a day of this. You might want to bring your weapon, however. We have a team dedicated to keeping the grounds free of Grim, but some do slip through the cracks."
"Oh trust me, my sweetheart never leaves my side," Ruby said, patting Crescent Rose on her hip. "I would never leave something I love behind," she added, smirking at Weiss. The Heiress just blushed and glanced down at her feet.
The horse stable was beyond Ruby's belief. It was literally bigger than her home back on Patch and had multiple floors and an entire crew grooming, walking, feeding and cleaning up after the horses. The smell was pungent, to say the least, and Ruby did her best to tolerate the burning manure vapors that were violating her nose.
"Oh, I can't wait to see Glas!" Weiss said. "It's been so long. I hope she's as beautiful as I remember."
"Rest assured, dear sister, the stable crew has taken the utmost care with your prized mare. She is the shining jewel in the entire kingdom."
Ruby was behind the two, carefully avoiding any random piles that would stain her boots. She had stepped in Zwei's "accidents" enough times to know how hard it is to scrape off your boots, but the idea of it being from a horse? Terrible.
"So, uh, not to be the third wheel here, but I get a horse too, right? Or am I riding with Weiss?" Ruby asked. Winter just smirked.
"I have made appropriate accommodations for you, Ms. Rose. You will not go without a ride."
What Ruby wanted to say was 'Yeah, my ride is your sister! HA!' but thought better of it, so she just smiled and nodded instead.
Finally the trio made it to the far section of the stables where the best horses were kept. Weiss could barely contain her excitement as the gate opened, and one of the farm hands led out a beautiful white mare. Her hair was like something of a shampoo commercial, Ruby thought. Even Yang would be jealous of that. Her eyes were a dark blue, almost like two diamonds which made sense since this was a Schnee horse.
"Oh Glas, how I missed you!" Weiss said, hugging the animal around its muscular neck. "It's been too long, hasn't it, girl? But don't worry, mama is back and we're going to pick up right we left off!"
Winter had retrieved her own horse, another all white mare with deep blue eyes.
'Wow, the Schnees really stick to their brand...' Ruby thought.
"And this beautiful creature is my horse, Blanc," Winter said proudly. Just like it's owner, Blanc had a very determined, fierce look with its eyes seemingly looking past Ruby as if she wasn't worthy enough to clean its saddle.
"These are so beautiful..." Ruby said with wonder, running her fingers through Glas' mane. "but where is my horse?"
Winter clapped to summon two farm hands, as they pulled a stubborn mud brown stallion into the barn. It's back was swayed into an almost perfect C, it's ribs poking through like a xylophone and a small cloud of flies buzzing near its end.
"This is Elmer." Winter said, her face stone, but her eyes sparkling with mischievousness. "He is the oldest horse in Atlas, having once belonged to our grandfather. You will find him adequate for your level of skill. I would suggest avoiding his rear haunches, as he has been known to get...sick."
Ruby groaned, trying to make eye contact with Weiss, but the Heiress was too engrossed in brushing Glas' luxurious mane.
"Are you serious?" Ruby finally sputtered out. "He looks like a strong breeze will send him to Pony Heaven!"
Winter wasn't sure if Ruby actually believed in a Pony Heaven, but decided it wasn't worth finding out.
"I can assure you he is stronger than he looks. Do not be deceived by his appearance. "
"...don't be deceived by his appearance..." Ruby muttered mockingly under her breath. She really, really did not want to ride this walking bag of disease and bones, but she reminded herself she was doing this for Weiss. Besides, Weiss is so going to owe her so many naked cuddles after this. So many.
"Follow the dirt path, Ms. Rose, and you will come full circle back to the barn. Once all of us have returned, we will enjoy dinner with Father."
Both of the Schnee girls expertly hoisted themselves on their horses and with a "YAH!" they sped off into the distance, leaving Ruby on Elmer who was stubbornly refusing to move. She shook the reigns, pushed her heels into the horse's side and it refused to so much as lift a hoof.
"C'mon!" Ruby whined, "move! Do something!"
Elmer just snorted and laid down on all bent legs, nipping at some flies that were buzzing near its head. Ruby could hear the farmhands laughing at her and it was starting to make her blood boil. She hopped off the horse angrily and stood right in its face, which was easy now since it was laying down.
"Listen, pal! I've fought monsters and Grim ten times your size and never even flinched! So if you think you're gonna boss me around, than you're stupider than a Carousel horse! So let's get this over with so I can snuggle with my Snowflake and you can go back to taking huge poops and having these guys clean them up. Cool? Cool!" she said, before hopping back on the horse and trying to jostle it to life again. And once more, it just snorted, farted and refused to move.
"STUPID HORSE!" Ruby yelled. "So stupid, stupid, STUPID!" Still fuming, she hopped off the senile beast and began to walk the path her own. "Heck this, I'm just going to walk on foot. It's gotta be faster than dealing with you, Elmer!"
But as Ruby began to walk away, Elmer slowly stood up and began to follow her, leaving the diminutive brunette confused.
"Now you want to follow me!?" she asked incredulously, but Elmer ignored her and started to nuzzle inside her hooded cloak towards one of her inner pockets. "Whoa, first date! FIRST DATE!" she protested, but the horse was not interested in her, but rather what Ruby had stored inside her pockets for the long journey - double chocolate chip cookies. "Oh, so you won't listen to me, but you'll listen to the cookies, eh? ...Elmer, I think we can make this work, buddy."
The two Schnee sisters rode side by side, their horses keeping up a perfect trot. Weiss kept glancing over her shoulder hoping to see Ruby taking up the rear, but instead saw nothing but dust and hoof prints. She would do this every ten minutes or so and look disappointed every time.
"Are you sure she's going to be ok? She's never rode a horse before..." Weiss said. Winter just looked straight ahead, her eyes laser-focused on the path as it twisted and turned through the country side.
"I am positive. Ms. Rose is quite resourceful. If anyone can ride Elmer, it would be her."
"I hope..." Weiss said, her voice creeping with worry. "I was just hoping she would be here by now."
"You miss her, don't you?" Winter asked. The bluntness of the question shouldn't have caught Weiss off guard, as this is her sister, but it still was a bit of a jolt.
"Well, yes. She can be a bit...challenging at times, but she is still one of my best friends."
"Just best friends?"
Weiss swallowed hard and kept her eyes now focused ahead.
"I don't know what you're implying, dear sister."
Winter shook her head and sighed in disappointment.
"Weiss, when I first signed up for the Atlesian Military. one of the first things they teach you is how to read someone's face. It comes in handy during a battle, so you can anticipate your opponent's next move or figure out where their mindset is at. When I first arrived at Beacon, shortly before I dueled with that lecherous drunk Qrow, I did my best to read Ruby's face, focusing on her eyes. I could see in them how much she admired you, her constant glances and smiles in your direction. There was something there, but I don't think she realized it yet."
Weiss felt her cheeks flush. This entire time she thought she had been so good at keeping this a secret and yet Winter knew before she did!
"Fast forward to her arrival at the Manor and I could see how in love with you she is. Her face glows whenever you're around and when you were late to arrive at breakfast, I had to inspect the bedroom to confirm my suspicions."
Now Weiss felt like she wanted to pass out and let Glas trample her to death.
"So, y-you know about last night?" she asked quietly.
"I had my suspicions, but Ms. Rose's undergarments on the floor combined with the heavy aroma of sweat and feminine arousal in the air let me know my hunch was correct. You have a girlfriend."
"Please don't tell Father yet! I...I want to do it together, me and you. He can't get mad if we're both in favor of it. I mean, you are in favor of it, right?" Weiss asked. Winter halted her horse and spun it around so she was facing her sister.
"I admit, Ruby isn't exactly who I would have picked for you. I would have preferred a partner with a higher pedigree."
"You make her sound like cattle, Winter," Weiss said, her arms crossed over her chest.
"Point taken. Allow me to rephrase - I would have picked a partner for you of a more...noble family. However, I can see she takes good care of you and vice versa, so if you're asking if you have my blessing, then yes, Weiss. I approve of you and Ruby."
"Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyouthankyou!" Weiss said, tears of joy trickling down her face. "Can I, I mean, MAY I have her sleeping in my room now?"
Winter smirked and said nothing, making Weiss' cheeks get hot from embarrassment.
"I mean, just to cuddle with. I promise no-" she said, but Winter cut off with a raised hand.
"What goes on in the privacy of your bedroom is no business of mine. Do or don't do what you feel is necessary."
"Thank you, Winter. This...this really means a lot to me."
By the time the sisters arrived at the barn, the sun was starting to set and it was time for dinner. Weiss hopped off Glas, kissed the equine's forehead and brushed some of the trail dust off her combat skit. She looked around for any sign of Elmer or Ruby, but there was nothing.
"Has my friend arrived back yet?" she asked a nearby stable boy. He shrugged and then shook his head.
"Sorry, Madame Weiss. No sign of her."
"I'm worried now..." Weiss said to Winter. "I knew giving her Elmer was a bad idea."
But just as Weiss was about to get back on her horse and speed off into the woods to find her beloved Ruby, she heard a loud "WOOOO HOO! GET ALONG LITTLE PONY!" come from the trail. Running out, her jaw dropped at the sheer spectacle of what she was witnessing. Ruby had shoved several cookies on the tip of Crescent Rose and was using it as a lure to motivate Elmer to walk the path.
"Everyone make way for the roughest cowgirl this side of the Academy! Red Dead Ruby! Or, uh, Six Gun Rose? No, no...maybe Hopalong Ruby? No, no, no. I like Six Gun Rose better. SIX GUN ROSE IS IN TOWN TO ROB YOUR COOKIES! LOCK YOUR DOORS, HIDE YOUR BAKED GOODS, SHE'S A WILD ONE, FOLKS!" Ruby yelled while laughing, whooping and hollering like something out of an old western flick.
Weiss started to laugh at this crazy ensemble, relieved and over-joyed to see her girlfriend had made the trail back in one piece.
"She's a special girl, Weiss," Winter said, resting a gloved hand on her sister's shoulder. "Treasure her, because something like this comes once in a lifetime."