Onyxia was in the bathroom, brushing her teeth with several other students, when she noticed a girl next to her. Although she hadn't witnessed it, this was the same girl who had been pestering Cerule mere moments earlier. "Can I... Help you?" She asked awkwardly, taking a step back at the girl stared at her.
"Is that... sap coming out of your gauntlets there?" She asked hungrily.
"They're not gauntlets. That's armor plating. Attached to my body. As in, a part of me." The former Garangolm explained.
"Whoa! That's awesome! How did you get that to happen!? Can it happen to me! I want stone armor coming out of my skin!" Nora declared.
"It's because of my Faunus species. This doesn't just happen to humans... as far as I know." Onyxia told her.
"Aww..." The girl said, deflating, before perking back up. "But anyway, you should try bottling that sap! Ooh! Or better yet, I met a wolf girl with ice coming off her. I already told her this, but you two should go into a shaved ice business together! She brings the ice, you bring the syrup and you don't have to pay for ingredients because you make your own!" She explained.
The humanized Fanged Beast flinched back from cringe at this. "That ice and sap comes out of our bodies. Who would eat that? That's just nasty." She said.
"I would! I don't care! Just a little bit of sap, PLEASE? We're having pancakes for breakfast, that will be perfect!" Nora pleaded.
"Nora, stop bothering people, before we actually DO get kicked out of Beacon." Ren said, picking her up and walking away with her.
Onyxia simply stood there, dumbfounded. "Huh. You know, I'm starting to think this world is ACTUALLY crazier than ours." She said, before going back to brushing her teeth.
A short while after this, Wisteria was in the cafeteria, eating her breakfast consisting of ham steak, bacon, sausage, eggs and regular steak. But as she was eating, she suddenly felt a presence beside her and turned to see Nora looking closely at her arm blades. "Ooh..." The ginger girl said in awe of the appendages.
"Did you need something?" Wisteria asked.
"Those arm blades are super cool! Are they attached to you? Because if they are, that's awesome! Do you ever use them like skewers for shish kabobs?! Or maybe for cutting your food? If you use them for the second thing, could you maybe help out my friend here? It looks like he grabbed a dull knife." Nora said, looking over to Ren, who indeed seemed to not even be getting through the first in his stack of pancakes.
"Nora, I'm fine. PLEASE stop messing with people. Especially ones who have blades built into their arms." Ren said as he dragged Nora to the other end of the cafeteria.
"Oh, come on! You never let me have any fun!" Nora complained as she squirmed in her boyfriend's- I mean best friend's grip.
"Huh... So this must be how Goodwitch felt dealing with us..." Wisteria said in thought, before going back to tearing into her meal, devouring the steak in a single bite.
Amazingly enough, Nora managed not to pester anyone else, besides Ren, throughout the rest of their morning routine until they got to the locker rooms, where Nora worked on a plan for the two to be a part of the same team, until they had gathered their essentials, walking past Ruby, Yang and Silver.
"Wonder what those two are so worked up about?" Ruby wondered.
"Likely for the exam, just like everyone else." Silver told her. Of course, she and the other monster girl's didn't really have equipment TO store in these lockers, other than Onyxia having a few Dust Crystals for her fists and Wisteria having a utility belt containing a few different kinds of jerky and some chicken bones to fuel her metabolism and her Hellfire. But again, it would be suspicious if no one noticed them not going through their lockers and getting ready for the initiation.
"That's my best guess, although I didn't really bother guessing." Yang agreed, before looking to her sister. "So, you seem awfully chipper this morning!" She noted.
"Yep! No more awkward small talk or 'getting-to-know-you' stuff. Today, I get to let my sweetheart do the talking." Ruby said as she stroked Crescent Rose as she sighed happily.
"Should we be concerned about her attachment to her weapon?" Silver asked in concern.
"Eh, it's just the way she is." Yang said, before turning her attention to her sister once again. "Well, remember, Ruby, you're not the only one going through initiation. If you wanna grow up, you're gonna have to meet new people and learn to work together."
Ruby sighed in frustration at this. "You sound like Dad!" She complained as she shoved her weapon into the locker. "Okay, first of all: What does meeting new people have to do with fighting? And secondly: I don't need people to help me grow up! I drink milk!" She declared.
Silver was slightly dumbfounded at this. "Ruby... First off, milk is not solely the thing that helps you grow up, it's only a small fraction of the nutrients that help with that. And secondly, that's only PHYSICALLY growing up. There's so much more to growing as a person, such as growing mentally and emotionally. No food or nutrients can help with that. The only thing that can help with those two things is life experiences. And many of those will come from other people." The Legend Resurrected informed her in a sagely manner.
The sisters were shocked at this. "Whoa. That was deep." Yang said in awe.
Silver then wrapped her wings around Ruby. "Trust me, Ruby, I understand the pressure of interacting with others, but it is important for you to experience others' ways of thinking and understand their differences in how they view the world around us. Of course, you can do this at your own pace, but you WILL have to interact with others eventually, especially once teams are formed." She told the silver-eyed girl.
"Um, I don't know, I... I'll just be on your team or Yang's or something..." Ruby said nervously.
"Well, unfortunately being on my team isn't an option, Ozpin already designated the girl's who were with me during the Summer program will be a team with me. We're just taking the initiation for formalities, basically." Silver explained.
"As for me... Maybe you should try being on someone else's team?" Yang suggested, bringing her hair around her shoulder and stroking it.
"My dear sister Yang, are you implying that you do not wish to be on the same team as me?" Ruby demanded as she stormed up to her sister.
"What? No! Of course I do! I just thought... I don't know, maybe it would help you... break out of your shell!" Yang said.
"Well, even if she WAS on your team... And even if Jaune was one of her teammates, that would still leave a slot for someone she hasn't met yet." Silver pointed out.
Ruby scoffed at this. "Either way, I don't need to 'break out of my shell'! That's absolutely-" She began, before Jaune suddenly walked by.
"Ridiculous!" Jaune complained as he suddenly walked in between the sisters, holding a map and looking lost. "There's no way I put my gear in locker 636 yesterday! I would've remembered having to count that high! Why does this have to happen today?" He groaned as he passed Weiss, Pyrrha and Cerule as they readied themselves at their lockers.
"So, Pyrrha, have you given any thought to whose team you'd like to be on? I'm sure everyone must be eager to unite with such a strong, well-known individual such as yourself!"
"Hmm... I'm not quite sure. I was planning on letting the chips fall where they may, but I will admit, I wouldn't mind being on a team with Cerule." Pyrrha said, looking to the former Fanged Beast with a smile.
"That would be nice, but Ozpin's already got me teamed up with the other girls from the Summer program. Sorry, red." Cerule told her.
Weiss narrowed her eyes at the wolf Faunus' casual behavior towards such a legend, but smiled as this was the perfect opening to swoop in and get her claws in Pyrrha herself. "Well... I was thinking maybe we could be on a team together." She offered.
"Well, that sounds grand!" Pyrrha said with a smile.
"Great!" Weiss said happily, before turning her back, slightly hunched over and, while the other two girls couldn't see it, she had a maniacal grin on her face.
The other two girls looked on at this, with Cerule raising an eyebrow. "Something's up with that girl." She said, shaking her head.
"Well, maybe you girls would like to know what's up with me?" Jaune said, sliding up. "Hey, Jaune Arc. Nice to meet you." He greeted.
"You again?" Weiss groaned in irritation.
"Eh, not really." Cerule said in indifference.
Pyrrha, however, hurriedly moved in front of the boy to make herself seen. "Nice to meet you, Jaune!" She said eagerly.
"Yeah, yeah." Jaune said dismissively as he pushed Pyrrha aside to talk to Weiss. "So, Weiss, couldn't help but overhear your fondness of me the other day." He said, posing slightly.
"Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" Weiss complained.
"Bro, she clearly doesn't care. Why not focus on the girl practically throwing herself at you?" Cerule told him, pointing to Pyrrha.
The Spartan girl blushed madly at this. "I-I wasn't throwing myself at him!" She insisted in embarrassment, to which Cerule raised an eyebrow in doubt.
"He shouldn't focus on her at all! And YOU shouldn't be acting so casual towards her! The two of you COMBINED are hardly worthy of her attention or time! Don't you have any idea who she is!?" Weiss demanded.
"Oh, not again..." Pyrrha groaned, putting her face in her hands.
Cerule rolled her eyes at this. "Yeah, yeah, I heard it all yesterday, she's the greatest thing since steak, she's won a fancy tournament more times than anyone else, got great grades in school, her footprints are gold and she shits diamonds, who cares? She clearly still has a way to go or she'd be a Huntress already. She's still just a kid like the rest of us. A person. A person who has feelings and, from what I can tell, doesn't like to have people worshipping the ground she walks on!" The Luminous Nocturne snapped.
"A-A bit crass, but she's not wrong... thank you." Pyrrha said with a blush, before looking to Jaune. "And I think you'd be a fine addition to anyone's team. I certainly wouldn't mind being partnered with you." She admitted.
Jaune had gotten a bit discouraged when Weiss called him unworthy and out of his league when Cerule listed Pyrrha's accomplishments, but that slowly melted as Cerule reminded them she was as human as anyone else. And then, the doubt was completely shattered when Pyrrha acknowledged him and would be happy to be on his team. "R-Really?! Thanks!" The blonde boy said hopefully.
"Really. I pride myself on my honesty." Pyrrha told him, putting a hand on his shoulder.
"Th-thanks." Jaune said, placing a hand on that hand, starting to get a warm, fuzzy feeling from the redhead.
Weiss groaned at this, angry that the two fools had completely ignored her words and downplayed the IDOL before them, yet were warming up to the champion more than she was. And if she were to berate them any further, it would likely only hurt her standing with Pyrrha. "Ugh! Fine! Do as you wish!" She snapped, storming off.
The others then walked up, Silver letting out a small giggle of amusement. "I figured someone as cold as her would get along well with you, Cerule." She said.
"Eh. She's too stuck up for her own good. Besides, she's less like a block of ice and more like a snowflake. Way too delicate." Cerule explained.
"Would all first-year students please report to Beacon Cliff for initiation? Again, all first-year students report to Beacon Cliff immediately." Glynda's voice was heard over the loudspeakers.
"Well, I believe that's us. Best of luck to all of you." Pyrrha said, starting to leave.
"You as well." Silver said with a nod.
"Oh, man, this is gonna be fun. We've been training all Summer, so I can't wait to ACTUALLY tear into some Grimm for once." Cerule declared, letting out a small howl, before taking off.
"Dang, too bad we couldn't be partners with her. She seems fun." Yang said.
"Until you get to know her." Silver sighed with a roll of her eyes.
The scene opened to the Beacon Cliff, overlooking a forest, where several students — some old, some new and some unseen — were standing on silver tiles in front of a mug-holding Professor Ozpin and Glynda with her tablet.
"For years, you have trained to become warriors, and today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." The headmaster declared.
"Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of 'teams.' Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates... today." Glynda told them all.
"What? Ohhh..." Ruby groaned.
"These teammates will be with you for the rest of your time here at Beacon. So it is in your best interest to be paired with someone with whom you can work well." Ozpin said, to which Ruby groaned further.
"They're probably meeting everyone here for the first time? How would they possibly know if they work well together?" Wisteria asked Onyxia.
"No clue." The Wondering Colossus admitted.
"That being said, the first person you make eye contact with after landing will be your partner for the next four years." The headmaster declared.
Ruby was in COMPLETE shock at this, feeling as if her world was cracking like glass and falling apart around her. "Whaaaat?!" She cried out in horror and disbelief.
"Huh. Suddenly, I'm glad we were made a team early." Cerule said to her fellow monsters.
"Indeed. Things certainly could've been... chaotic otherwise." Silver agreed.
"See? I told you-!" Nora said to Ren excitedly.
"With the exception of these four. If you run into one of them, they will not count as your partner and you may try again." Ozpin said, the four former monsters briefly stepping forward.
"Then... why are they even taking this test?" Blake asked.
"Well, if IS still an initiation after all, Miss Belladonna. They have to prove their right to be here as much as the rest of you." Glynda quickly answered before anyone could get suspicious.
"After you've partnered up, make your way to the northern end of the forest. You will meet opposition along the way. Do not hesitate to destroy everything in your path... or you will die." Ozpin warned them, to which Jaune laughed nervously and then gulped loudly.
"FINALLY something that feels like home." Wisteria said.
"You will be monitored and graded through the duration of your initiation, but our instructors will not intervene. You will find an abandoned temple at the end of the path containing several relics. Each pair must choose one and return to the top of the cliff. We will regard that item, as well as your standing and grade you appropriately. Are there any questions?" The headmaster asked.
"Yeah, um, sir?" Jaune asked, raising his hand.
"Good!" Ozpin said dismissively. "Now, take your positions." He instructed.
Everyone struck a pose on their tile. Onyxia slammed her fists together, Wisteria was in a combat stance with her arm blades extended outwards, Cerule was crouched like an animal about to pounce and Silver stood with her arms crossed, but her wings and tail fins fully extended. However, Jaune was still raising his hand. "Uh, sir? I've got, um... a question." He said as he somehow missed the tile under Weiss rising up into a springboard, rocketing her into the air and over the forest, as the platforms activated down the line. "So, this landing... strategy thing... Uh, wha-what is it? You're, like, dropping us off or something?" He asked.
"No. You will be falling." The headmaster informed him.
"Oh, uh, I see... So, like, did you hand out parachutes for us?" Jaune questioned, STILL not noticing the other students being jettisoned.
"I think you would've noticed if that were the case." Cerule said with a raised brow.
"No. You will be using your own 'landing strategy.'" Ozpin elaborated.
"Uh-huh... Yeah." Jaune said nervously, EVEN NOW being unaware of the other students being launched.
While Silver gave the boy the benefit of the doubt he might be capable of surviving this, the other monster girls weren't so sure, sharing a glance with each other. "He's gonna die." They all said at once.
At her turn, Yang winked at her younger sister, puts on a pair of aviators and flew off with a "Woo-hoooooooo!" a second before Ruby joined her.
"So, what exactly is a landing strategYYY!..." He began, before he was interrupted when he finally had to get hurled with the cloud of students, now making their way down into the forest below under the eyes of the teachers. Ozpin, for his part, simply took a sip of his drink before the scene went black.
The students were now free-falling through the air, though with varying degrees of distance launched and grace of falling. Onyxia, having a larger frame than most with a massive, heavy shell of rocks, was weighed down and got the least distance out of all of them, crossing her arms in front of her chest, tucking her head into her arms and bringing her legs up to her chest as much as possible to basically become a small meteor and crash down to the ground of the forest. Cerule was next, her ice breath having enough force behind it to slow her descent a bit, then using her claws to catch nearby trees, slicing right through them, but also slowing herself until she could dig into a tree and bring herself to a stop. And, of course Silver, the one with wings, simply flew a decent distance above the forest, before finding a spot to simply descend on.
Finally, there was Wisteria. She had planned to simply crash to the ground like Onyxia had, but then she noticed Yang launching herself even further with the help of her gauntlets. It was almost just like what she does with her Hellfire, so she took it as a personal challenge, launching herself after Yang. "So, you do this too, huh? Wanna see who can go further?!" She questioned as she launched herself alongside the blonde brawler.
Yang smirked at this. "You're on!" She declared, the two of them continued to blast themselves above the treeline. Yang was slightly faster, but Wisteria got further with each blast. The two would continue this contest until Yang eventually crashed through the leaves of a tree, causing Wisteria to lose track of her. The former Fanged Wyvern stopped at this and grabbed a nearby tree branch, pulling herself up it looking for the buxom blonde. She prepared to launch herself into the tree leaves to search for her, but Yang finally emerged and leapt off two tree trunks to tumble to the ground. "Nailed it!" She declared as she popped up.
"Not bad. I was worried you might have gotten stuck in there." Wisteria said, jumping down after her.
"Eh, no need to worry about me. I can always find my way out of... STICKY situations!" Yang declared with a pun.
However, humor- especially puns- weren't something the Beacon staff focused on when socially integrating the monster girls, so the pun went right over Wisteria's head and Yang just put unnecessary emphasis on a random word. "Right... Well, we can't be partners, but we can still head to the temple together." The former Fanged Wyvern offered.
"Cool. I'm Yang, by the way. Yang Xiao Long." The blonde brawler introduced herself.
"Wisteria Champagne." The Barbarous Beast introduced herself.
"Nice to meet you. Too bad we can't make a toast right now." Yang said, joking around with Wisteria's last name. "Well, let's get going, Wis!" She declared.
"Wis?" The monster girl asked.
"Yeah, the first part of your name. I just knocked off three syllables. You know, a nickname." Yang explained.
"Huh. I guess that works. Let's go." Wis said as she and Yang walked deeper into the forest.
Meanwhile, Silver descended from the sky and landed in the forest, briefly looking around to get her bearings. "Okay, then. I believe I saw the temple in this direction. I could've just flown all the way there, but that would likely ruin the spirit of the test." The former Elder Dragon said.
She was just about to walk away, when she suddenly felt someone bump into her back. "Aah!" A familiar voice squeaked out as she turned around to see Weiss sitting on the ground, having fallen back on her butt after bumping into Silver. "Oh, great. You again. Why don't you watch where you're going!?" Weiss huffed.
"Hello, again, Weiss. I believe you bumped into me, but regardless, I apologize." Silver apologized, wrapping her tail around Weiss' back and under her arms, lifting her for a moment and setting her back on her feet.
Weiss scoffed at the idea of her being at fault, but then sighed. "Thank you." She said as she was placed back on her feet.
"You're welcome. Now, I saw the temple as I was flying overhead, so I know where it is. You're welcome to follow me to it if you like." The Legend Resurrected offered.
The heiress scoffed again at this. "I don't need your charity! I am perfectly capable of finding it my own way!" She huffed, before looking away in consideration for a moment. "But... It's always possible that way is the same as yours." She said.
"Very well. Let's be off, then. And maybe we'll even find you a partner along the way." Silver said.
They were about to leave, when they suddenly heard a noise to their side, turning to see Ruby skidding to a stop beside them. The young girl then perked up upon seeing the winged girl. "Oh! Silver! Good to see you!" She said happily.
"You as well, Ruby." Silver said with a smile and a nod.
Ruby then turned to see Weiss, freezing up a bit. "Oh... H-hi..." She said timidly. There was no helping it now, Weiss was her teammate, so she should at least try to make it work.
However, Weiss clearly didn't feel the same way, turning to walk away, but Silver lashed out her tail once again, snagging the collar of Weiss' bolero, lifting her off the ground and bringing her back over. "What are you doing!? Unhand me!" The heiress demanded, squirming in the winged girl's hold.
"Well, technically she's not using her hands..." Ruby noted, resulting in a groan of anger and annoyance from the heiress.
"Weiss, there are rules of this initiation. You locked eyes with Ruby, so she is your partner, end of story." Silver told her.
"Then I refute these rules! I am going to find Pyrrha, become her partner and we will dominate this school!" Weiss declared.
"You DO remember professor Ozpin said we were being monitored, correct? So they've likely seen you make contact with Ruby. Meaning, as far as they're concerned, you are partners. And you would be defying the rules by abandoning her to find a new partner. I doubt that would go over well." The former Elder Dragon reasoned.
Weiss froze at this, realization hitting her that Silver was right. She was stuck with Ruby now, because if she broke the rules, she wouldn't be let into Beacon. So she'd be sent back home to Atlas. And her father. "Fine." She admitted, Silver letting her down and starting to lead the way to the temple. But Weiss then stuck a finger in Ruby's face. "But by no means does this make us friends!" She declared, following after Silver.
"Yay! Partner!" Ruby cheered, following after the other two girls.
Not too far away, Cerule was making her way through the woods, when she heard the sound of struggling. "Come on, you stupid..." A familiar voice grumbled.
"Oh, I remember that voice." The Luminous Nocturne realized, following the voice to see Jaune pinned to a tree by his hood with Pyrrha's spear. "Hey there, Jean. Looks like Pyrrha's already claimed you for herself, huh?" She asked.
"Uh... It's Jaune. But yeah, she tacked me to this tree to save me from, you know... dying. Turns out, I didn't have a landing strategy. But now I'm stuck." Jaune said, still pulling at the spear.
"Pyrrha's probably on her way to get you down right now. I'd imagine this test would be difficult without her weapon." Cerule said, before looking at Jaune's desperate face and sighing. "Fine. Let it be known, just because I'm icy doesn't mean I'm cold." She said, crouching down like an animal about to pounce once again, before leaping up to where Jaune was and grabbing the spear, planting her feet against the tree and yanking it out, freeing Jaune and sending the two of them back to the ground, Cerule sticking the landing on all fours and Jaune basically face-planting into the ground.
Jaune groaned at this, but looked up at her and spit out a mouthful of dirt and grass. "Guh... Thanks." He groaned, getting back to his feet. "So, what now?" He asked.
"Well, like I said, Pyrrha probably needs this, so we should return it to her." Cerule began, holding up Pyrrha's spear. "Then, we just find that temple. Easy peasy." The wolf-like girl explained.
"Well, I believe you've found me. Or more accurately, I've found you." Pyrrha said as she approached. She then looked to Jaune. "So, Jaune... Are there still any spots left open on your team?" She asked.
Jaune chuckled a bit at this. "Maybe one or two." He said jokingly. "So, yeah. I guess I've got a spot left open for you." He told her. The two continued to smile at each other for a few more moments, before...
"Alright, alright, that's enough. You two can make puppies in your own time, but right now, we gotta go." Cerule said, causing the two to look away from each other with a blush.
Silver continued to make her way through the forest, with Ruby and Weiss in tow, Ruby following happily while Weiss was more than a little impatient. "Can't you lead us there a little faster?" The heiress complained.
"Oh, I'm sorry. I thought you were making your own way there that just so happened to be the same way as me." The former Elder Dragon threw Weiss previous words back at her, earning a groan of irritation from the heiress.
"What's the hurry?" Ruby asked.
"We're on a mission here and she's hampering it by being too slow!" Weiss snapped, turning to Silver. "If I get a bad grade on this, I'm blaming it on you!" She snapped.
"There isn't a grading system, Weiss. It's a simple matter of passing or not passing. And for that, the only requirements are get the relic, make it back to the cliffs where Ozpin is and don't die." Silver explained.
Weiss scoffed at this. "Regardless, I am to prove to Ozpin how exceptional I am by completing my tasks as quickly and efficiently as possible and you are impeding that goal! It's because I'm a Schnee, isn't it?! You're getting petty revenge for other Faunus by harming my reputation and credibility?!" The heiress accused.
"Weiss, I promise you, whatever issues you have with... my people, I do not share those issues. I bear no ill will towards you." Silver assured her.
"You expect me to believe that!? You've been nothing but antagonistic towards me from the moment we met!" Weiss accused again.
"Only because you were hostile to me first. I am more than willing to be civil to you, Weiss, but respect must be earned. If you show me nothing but disrespect, what reason do I have to show you any different?" Silver questioned. And Weiss didn't seem to have a response to this. "But I do not wish to bear any anger or antagonism towards you. If you can agree to be civil towards me, then I see no reason to be anything but respectful towards you." She declared.
Weiss took all of this information in and let out a sigh, before looking up to Silver with a small smile. "Very well. I suppose that is only fair." She accepted, extending a hand, which Silver shook.
Meanwhile, Ruby was watching this on the sidelines with tears in her eyes. "That was beautiful." She said tearfully.
Silver smiled at the younger girl, before looking to Weiss. "You should also try to give Ruby a chance as well. Once again, you two may have started on the wrong foot, but she really didn't mean for the... unfortunate circumstances of your first meeting to happen. She had even offered to make it up to you, as well as offered you a chance at friendship and took your side when you argued with Yang last night. And she was truly saddened when you refused her friendship. I'm aware first impressions are very important, but you shouldn't let one initial reaction completely rule over your opinion over them. And you can't let your anger dictate your behavior towards someone. If that had been the case for me, I might not be here today." She told the heiress, recalling when the Fierce Flame of Kamura and the Knight of the Order saved her from the Qurio after initially attacking her.
"I... Suppose you have a point." Weiss said, turning towards Ruby. "Very well. I will try to be more civil if you are willing to listen and not make impulsive and foolish decisions in the future." She offered.
Ruby smiled at this. "Thanks, Weiss. I'll do my best to be a partner you can rely on... and maybe even call a friend." Ruby vowed.
"Good." Weiss said with a nod.
Silver also nodded in approval. "Wonderful, I'm glad we can all agree to stop fighting each other." She said, before she suddenly heard footsteps approaching. "Because we're about to fight something else." She warned them, taking a fighting stance as the other two girls now heard rustling in the bushes, before several Beowulves emerged from the foliage around them, the Alpha of the pack letting out a roar.