RWBY: The Multiverse Soldier

Month: Error, Day: Error, Year: Error, Location: Unknown Home Theater. Universe: Remnant-616-RWBY-Prime

———

Ruby leaned back against the couch she sat on, Crossing her arms thoughtfully. "So why do you think Raider showed us that?" She asked, Her brow furrowed in curiosity.

Blake, Who was staring off into the distance, Turned her gaze toward Ruby. "Maybe we'll see something similar in our world somehow? It could be a hint or a clue," She replied, Her voice steady yet filled with intrigue.

Janue chimed in, His eyes lighting up with the spark of inspiration. "Well, Considering the advanced technology they possess, There's definitely a lot we can learn from it. At least, That's what I believe," He stated, His confidence growing as he spoke.

Pyrrha nodded in agreement, Her expression reflecting a mix of optimism & determination. "I think you're right, Janue. Their innovations might help us figure out new ways to tackle our own challenges." The group fell into a contemplative silence, Each of them pondering the possibilities that lay ahead.

"Does that mean we'll be seeing the Mountain Glenn mission already?" Ruby wonders. "Seems a bit early for that."

"What are you talking about," Weiss responds. "It was the very next day."

"I guess." Ruby mumbles. 'It just feels like so much else happened in between, But...' "It's time for the future!" Ruby exclaimed ecstatically as she bounced in her seat. Weiss had to get her to stop because the girl's bounding was also causing her to elevate.

"If I were to guess what it could be it might be our first mission, because a few episodes ago Professor Goodwitch brought up the dance and our first field trip. With the dance having already happened, my next guess is that we'll be seeing our first trip." Weiss analyzed as she tried to get her partner to calm down, which worked for the most part.

"I wonder what's going to happen!" Yang joined her sister's excitement albeit not as strongly.

She was excited to see what crazy shenanigans they'd get up outside of Professor Goodwitch's watch.

"Well, come on, I wanna see!" Nora joined as she yelled for the bottom row to start it.

——

The opening cuts to a shot of Beacon Academy the next day following the Beacon Dance, Then cuts to inside Ozpin's office, with Ironwood & Goodwitch keeping the headmaster company.

They were here... Ironwood raises his voice. Ozpin, They were here! He angrily slams his fist against Ozpin's desk.

—

"They," Blake repeats the word. "It seems like they think it's some kind of large organization that Cinder's a part of."

"That could be true." Pyrrha agrees. "We don't know how many other people there are working for Cinder, And I highly doubt any of the ones we know are responsible for making the Virus."

"Noted." Ren scribbles this down. "Though we still need to know how big this organization is, And more importantly, what they want."

——

We're very much aware of that. Goodwitch responds snarkily. Thank you, James.

Fantastic! You're aware! Now are we going to do something about it or should we just stay the course and continue to ignore what's right in front of us?!. Ironwood points to the ground angrily.

—

"What does Ironwood hope to do?" Yang wonders. "Without a proper lead, They would just be causing an unnecessary commotion."

"And that would just mean he would have to spend more resources on border control," Weiss says.

——

An alert sound plays, Signifying that someone has arrived on the elevator. Come in. Ozpin stands to greet the new person.

Ruby steps out and into the room. Sorry, It took so long. Someone accidentally hit all the buttons on the elevator on the way up here. She pauses before quickly explaining herself. It wasn't me.

—

"Really?" Yang asks smugly. "Are you sure that's true?"

"I didn't!" Ruby complains. "Some guy just did it to mess with me."

"And what did he look like?" Blake asks.

"Well… erm… he, err." Ruby stammers nervously. "…he had shoes, and err…"

'Well that clears it up.' Yang thinks. 'Did she think she could hide it from us?'

——

Thank you for coming, Ruby. How are you feeling? Ozpin asks.

Okay, I guess. Ruby replies. I'd feel better if my bad-guy-catching record wasn't 0-for-3.

—

"Wait a second." Sun starts counting on his fingers. "Wouldn't it be 0-for-4?"

"What do you mean?" Jaune asks.

"I mean there was Torchwick with the Dust, Torchwick at the docks, Torchwick with the Paladin, And now Cinder with the tower."

"I knew that." Ruby says. "But they didn't know about the Paladin, So I thought it best to not tell them about that."

"I don't even want to know how much trouble you would be in if they knew about that." Nora says.

"Yeah… Sure." Yang says. 'I'm pretty sure Ozpin already knows.'

——

Everyone stares silently at Ruby.

Okay, So that's the tone we're going for, got it. Ruby says in a hushed tone, Rubbing the back of her head.

—

'I was just trying to break the tension.' Ruby thinks. 'I should have known better than to attempt that with Goodwitch and Ironwood.'

——

Ruby, I feel it's appropriate to let you know that I think what you did last night is exactly what being a Huntress is all about. Ironwood puts his hand on Ruby's shoulder, comfortingly. You recognized a threat. You took action. And you did the very best you could.

Thank you, Sir. Ruby replies gratefully.

—

"He's right you know." Weiss says. "I wasn't certain of it before, But after seeing the events, I can say you made the right decisions."

"I still could have done better," Ruby grumbles. "If I had just left those evil shoes in the elevator, I might have been able to beat Cinder."

"I doubt it," Pyrrha speaks up, and all heads turn to her. "No offense Ruby, but with how strong Mercury is, I find it hard to believe you would be able to beat his boss."

"Well, That's uplifting." Yang comments sarcastically.

——

Now, The general here has already informed us of the events that... transpired last night, But now that you've rested, We were wondering if you had anything to add, Ozpin speaks up.

Was anyone else with her? Did she look familiar to you at all? Goodwitch asks.

—

"Why didn't you notice that she had Cinder's hairstyle?" Blake asks. "She didn't even change it during the infiltration."

"It's not that easy!" Ruby complains. "It's hard to recall what someone looks like at a time like that, And I've barely even seen Cinder. She doesn't seem to be out and about very often."

——

I... I don't know. Ruby replies uncomfortably. She was wearing a mask, And she never said anything to me. But I know she fought with glass. I don't think that was her Semblance, though. Her clothing lit up whenever she attacked.

—

"I was wondering about that." Jaune says. "Why does her clothes light up? It doesn't seem very useful."

"It's an aspect of Dust clothing," Weiss explains. "While it is possible to make it in such a way that it doesn't glow, doing so will greatly reduce the effectiveness of the abilities it gives. You might as well be wearing normal clothing."

"Okay, Thanks." Jaune says.

——

Save for the glass, that sounds like the woman I fought the night we met Ruby. Goodwitch recalls.

Embedding Dust into clothing is an age-old technique. It could have been anyone. Ironwood declares.

—

"At least they confirmed it was a girl," Nora comments. "That reduces the possible suspects by half."

"Still not very useful," Sun says. "Also, I'm impressed Goodwitch was able to figure out it was the woman from the Dust robbery."

"She was paying close attention," Ren explains. "I remember during the fight, Goodwitch narrowed her eyes at the sight of the woman."

"And that shows the difference between us and a real huntress," Weiss comments. "She had the experience to think ahead like that."

——

Wait. Ruby interrupts. You think this girl is connected to Torchwick and the White Fang?

It's possible. Ozpin answers. But we still lack the required evidence to link the two together. He gives Ruby an almost knowing look.

—

'Does he know something?' Ren wonders. 'It almost seems like he's asking Ruby to reveal some key information.'

——

I... I think I remember her saying something about a hideout, or something, in the southeast. Ruby stutters nervously. Just outside the Kingdom. She points her thumb over her shoulder.

—

"I thought you said you were subtle!" Weiss yells at Ruby. "You messed everything up in a matter of mere moments!"

"They didn't seem to catch on!" Ruby defends herself. "It's not as if I'm that bad a liar."

"Yes. You. Are!" Weiss stresses. "Don't tell me they didn't question you on that poor attempt at being sly, because I can't believe such a thing."

"Well they didn't, and we'll get to see it anyway." Ruby crosses her arms.

——

"Interesting." Ozpin smiles his level of understanding now clear.

—

'So that's what's been going on.' Ren realizes. 'It's as if team RWBY were working for Ozpin this entire time, without even knowing it.'

——

Goodwitch says. "I thought you said the intruder never…"

"Thank you for your cooperation, Ruby." Ozpin interrupts. "Why don't you go and spend some time with your team? You have a big day ahead of you."

—

"He, he, he." Ruby laughs nervously. "I mean, technically Goodwitch never finished her sentence so…"

"This just means Ozpin is okay with us making our own efforts," Weiss says. "I should have known that would be true, given how he once told us we have to be the ones to take the first step."

——

"Any time," Ruby replies as she turns to leave the room.

"And Miss Rose," Ozpin calls, causing Ruby to look over her shoulder. "Please try and be ... discreet about this matter."

"Yes sir." Ruby nods, once again going for the exit.

—

"Was he subtly telling you to tell us about everything?" Blake wonders. "It seems like it, but I can't be sure."

"It's not as if you were planning to hide it from us, were you sis," Yang says to Ruby.

"Well, we've already seen how bad I am at keeping secrets," Ruby admits. "So it's not as if I'd be able to hide it."

"You were pretty good at hiding the truth about Penny." Sun brings up. "So you at least have that going for you."

"That was a personal secret entrusted to me by a friend." Ruby explains. "It had no relation to anything that could bring danger, and no one was asking me any questions. So I wasn't really lying."

——

The scene changes to the door to Team RWBY's dorm room opening, revealing Yang, Blake, and Weiss inside. The three zoom over to the person in the door, who is revealed to be Ruby.

"What happened?" Yang asks excitedly.

"Uh... well, um..." Ruby laughs nervously.

—

"No." Weiss grumbles. "I was hoping we would get some more information on Ozpin's group."

"We'll know more with time." Ruby tries to comfort her. "We haven't even gotten to the future yet, so we should just be glad about what we have learnt."

"At least now we know Cinder is our enemy." Ren says. "This way we'll be able to act pre-emptively to stop their next attempt." 'At what exactly, we don't know.'

——

The scene cuts back to Ozpin's office, with Ironwood and Goodwitch looking out the window while Ozpin is sitting in his chair.

—

"Oh…" Weiss gives a faint sigh of relief.

"Guess you were worried for nothing." Jaune comments.

——

"Well there we have it. We send as many troops as we can to the southeast, find out exactly what's going on, and eradicate any forces that stand in our way." Ironwood declares.

—

"Why didn't they do that?" Yang wonders. "It would have probably worked, right?"

"Doubtfully." Blake answers. "Torchwick would have certainly noticed, and then he would have started the attack on Vale without there being anyone there to prevent the Grimm from causing a massacre. It would have been especially bad since there wouldn't be as many Atlas knights to help deal with the bulk of the invading Grimm."

"Okay, I get it." Yang puts up her arms in surrender. "That would have been really bad."

"Also, Torchwick would have likely escaped." Weiss adds. "If not for Blake knocking him out, I doubt he would have been caught so easily."

——

Goodwitch growls in frustration. "Why must your answer to everything involve a triumphant display of military bravado!? You treat every situation like it's a contest of measuring di…!"

"Glynda!" Ozpin interrupts, raising his arm in protest.

"Well, he does," Goodwitch grumbles.

—

"Eww, gross." Ruby shudders.

"You want to be a good Huntress, right?" Yang asks.

"Well… yes." Ruby responds.

"Then you're gonna have to learn to put up with this kind of thing." Yang says. "Not all bad guys are going to be considerate of what they say."

Ruby huffs. "Fine."

——

"She's right." Ozpin turns his chair to Ironwood. "As much as I too would love to end this situation once and for all, we must remember that this may go beyond Vale. Beyond Beacon. And if this truly is part of some master plan for which we know not the final move, we mustn't be so bold. Nor can we risk the spread of panic."

—

"Does he really think it could involve the other kingdoms somehow?" Sun asks. "I find that sorta hard to believe."

"Unless they know something we don't." Blake points out. "And that's certainly true given how they already had Qrow out looking for information."

"But what?!" Yang yells. "So far we've learnt barely anything about the point of all this. Why is Cinder's group doing this?"

"We can only wait and see," Blake answers.

——

Ironwood responds. "I have served you faithfully for years... but if you mean to tell me that your plan is to really hold the defences, and wait…!"

"It is not!" Ozpin interrupts, abruptly stands up from his chair. "You're a general, James. So tell me, when you prepare to go to war, which do you send in first? The flag bearers, or the scouts?"

—

Jaune asks "Wait, does that mean…"

——

Team RWBY's Dorm Room

—

"…you guys are meant to be the scouts?" Jaune continues.

"It would seem so." Weiss answers. "This entire time we thought we were acting on our own. But it turns out Ozpin was guiding us down the path the entire time."

"But we were the ones who chose the destination." Blake says. "And I don't think any of us regret our actions. All he's done is help us along the way."

"What are you all talking about?" Nora asks. "In what way has he been helping you along?"

"You'll see." Yang says. "It's probably in this video, and I would hate to spoil it."

——

"That was a risky move." Weiss declares to Ruby.

Blake says. "No, I think you handled it well."

"I hope so." Ruby responds in a soft tone.

—

"I must take back what I said." Blake says. "While you were right to tell them about the southeast, it would have been better if you hadn't been so obvious."

"Though in that case we may have not gotten help from Ozpin." Yang points out.

"See!" Ruby stresses. "I know what I'm doing." She smiles giddily.

'Sometimes I find that hard to believe.' Weiss thinks.

——

"I'm sure everything will be alright, Ruby." Yang says with her hand on Ruby's shoulder. "Oh, I know what will cheer you up!"

Yang produces a cylindrical package the length of her forearm.

—

"Oh… You guys are in for a treat." Yang looks over to the non RWBY members.

"I'm getting excited already!" Nora bounces on her seat.

"Nora." Ren says bluntly. "You're making it hard to take notes."

"Oh." Nora calms down. "Sorry."

——

"What's that?" Ruby asks.

"I don't know yet." Yang answers. "Dad sent it to us. I thought we could open it together!"

"Ooooh!" Ruby squeals. "Something from home!" She zooms over to Yang and wraps herself around Yang, trying to take the cylinder from her.

—

"Someone seems excited." Jaune comments. "Are you always like this about things your dad sends?"

"I… err." Ruby responds sheepishly.

"She does." Yang confirms. "Though I think this time was especialy strange since she was trying to cheer herself up."

"Well… you know." Ruby responds. "Given what it ended up being, I was right to be excited."

——

The package opens, and another cylinder, hairy and black, falls out onto the floor and starts to shake and make unusual noises.

—

"Err… What?" Sun reacts with confusion. "Am I missing something?"

"I forgot how this happened." Weiss recalls the event, ignoring Sun.

"Lucky you," Blake mutters.

——

The object suddenly transforms. Team RWBY leans in, staring at it.

The corgi barks twice.

—

"Oh my god!" Nora puts her hands to her checks and opens her mouth wide. "It's adorable!"

"That was quite unexpected." Pyrrha recovers from the initial shock. "I thought I recalled hearing a dog around that time. Should have guessed it would be something like that."

——

Yang raises her arms in excitement, Ruby does the same but jumps up in the air at the same time, Weiss covers her face with here arms and her body with her knee. But Blake has the strongest reaction, jumping in the air out of fear and hiding behind the nearest thing possible.

—

'Oh yeah.' Sun nods as he sees Blakes reaction. 'I understand why she would react like that.'

——

"Zwei!" Ruby announces the dog's name enthusiastically.

"He sent a dog?" Blake complains.

"In the mail?" Weiss adds.

—

"How?!" Jaune asks. "How did your father even do that?"

"Life finds a way." Yang answers vaguely. "You'd be surprised what you can do with some spare time and plenty of determination."

——

"Oh, he does stuff like this all the time!" Yang replies, as Ruby holds Zwei in her arms, laughing over the sound of Zwei licking her.

"Your father or your dog?" Blake asks, now hiding up in Ruby's bunk.

—

"Both?" Ruby answers while tilting her head. "I guess that's right."

Pyrrha turns to look at Blake. "Were you okay?"

"I was." Blake responds. "Dogs just… unnerve me."

"Another Faunus trait?" Jaune asks.

"It is." Sun answers for Blake. "Most Faunus have an irrational fear of their animals predators. It's more along the lines of a phobia though, so it doesn't mean much."

"I can usually just ignore it, as long as I'm not focused on the fact I'm near a dog." Blake says. 'Though that doesn't mean I should just ignore the problem.' Blake thinks. 'I've wanted to overcome it for so long, but I can never bring myself to voluntarily get close to a canine.' He eyes dip. 'I'm such a coward.'

——

Weiss leans in to look at the dog. "Are you telling me that this mangy..."

Zwei looks at Weiss happily.

—

"How can you not love that face." Nora holds her arms out to the screen. "Blake I understand, but you must truly have a heart of ice to act that way."

Weiss grins at this, choosing not to answer. 'Better to let her see it happen.'

——

"Drooling..." Weiss continues.

Zwei's loving gaze intensifies.

—

Weiss's grin now turns into a full smile. 'I mustn't say anything. Not until my other self expresses herself.'

'I just can't see it.' Blake thinks. 'Dogs are the one thing I just can't weight my feelings for properly. No matter how much Mum and Dad tried to help me with it.' She sighs. 'At least it's never been prevalent enough to force me to do something I regret. I can even handle dog Faunus pretty well, as long as I don't focus on their traits.'

——

"Mutt, is going to wiv wif us foweva?" Weiss's expression shifts as she starts speaking in baby talk. "Oh, yes he is, yes he is! Oh, isn't he adorable!

—

"Oh…" Nora's shoulders slouch. "I guess I was wrong about you, Weiss." She then makes a realisation, and looks at the heiress in mock anger. "You were waiting for that weren't you!"

"Perhaps." Weiss shrugs. "But I guess this means you can't call me ice queen from now on."

"You wish!" Nora yells. "It's only a matter of time until we see you something else."

——

"Please keep it away from my belongings." Blake says, now at the farthest corner of Ruby's bed.

—

'Even the smell can make me slightly tense.' Blake thinks. 'While I am capable of putting up with it, I'd much rather not have to deal with that.'

——

"Would all first-year students please report to the amphitheatre?" Goodwitch speaks through the intercom.

"Well, we can't exactly leave him here while we're gone for a week." Weiss points out.

—

"That's a good point." Sun agrees. "What did you end up doing?"

"Now, that is an interesting story." Yang says.

"In other words, you don't plan on telling us." Jaune deduces.

"We have to do this properly." Yang responds. "It wouldn't be right to ruin the entire viewing like that." 'Another good reason why I shouldn't show everyone the letter.' She assures herself. 'I don't want to cause people to jump to conclusions.'

——

Ruby sets Zwei down and he walks over to Blake, still on the top bunk, and barks. Blake moves around on the bed, preparing to make a quick exit.

—

'This is so pitiful.' Blake watches herself. 'How can I claim to fight for equality when I react to someone's pet like this. It's even more shameful than I imagined.' She looks over to the others, only to notice that none of them seem to be focusing on her actions in the video. 'That's a relief.'

——

"Look, there's a letter!" Yang takes reaches into the cylinder to get it. "Dear girls, I've got to leave the island for a few days, so I'm sending Zwei to you to take care of. Enclosed is all the food you should need. Love you both, Taiyang." Zwei moves to sit next to Yang.

—

"How can we expect a weeks worth of food to be stored inside that thing?" Jaune asks. "Especially since Zwei was already inside."

——

Yang holds the package out over Zwei's head causing dozens of cans of dog food to spill out onto the unsuspecting corgi.

—

Yang grins. "I told you, life finds a way."

Jaune covers his face with his hand. 'The more I see, the more impressive hunters seem. Especially the ones I'm friends with.'

——

"What is he supposed to do with that?" Weiss asks.

—

'Good question.' Pyrrha thinks. 'I believe those cans were specifically made to be dog-proof.'

——

A can opener falls from the package, bouncing off Zwei's head.

"Well, that settles it!" Yang throws the empty package away. "Come on girls, Zwei will be here when we get back!" She then exits the room.

—

"Can he really use that?" Nora asks sceptically. "I find that kinda hard to believe."

"Don't underestimate Zwei." Ruby says. "He can understand what people say, and has a tendency to help out in the most unexpected ways."

——

As she leaves, Weiss crouches slightly to speak to Zwei. "Oh, I'll miss you so much, we're going to be best friends, I can't wait to see you." Her speech once again deteriorates into incomprehensible baby talk.

—

'Let it never be said that Weiss doesn't have a soft spot for animals.' Sun thinks.

——

Meanwhile, Blake jumps down from Ruby's bunk and jumps across the table, avoiding Zwei.

—

"You seemed to be okay with being around Zwei later." Weiss says. "Why was it such a problem then?"

"Because later there were more important things to focus on." Blake answers. "I can deal with it when I know I don't have any other option."

——

Ruby stares at Zwei for a moment, before smiling sneakily.

—

'There's no way.' Jaune thinks. 'This can't mean what I think it does.'

——

The scene shifts to the girls entering the auditorium, with Ruby wearing a large backpack. She then puts it down next to other students' luggage before rejoining her team, who are standing in front of Team JNPR.

—

"I don't believe it." Jaune says. "Please tell me you didn't do what I think you did."

"Erm…" Ruby chuckle nervously. "That depends… but, probably."

"But why!?" Jaune asks. "What made you think that was a good idea?"

"I had a plan." Ruby complains. "Besides. It turned out it was a good idea."

'I think we all know what this means.' Pyrrha thinks. 'Only Ruby would do something so crazy though.'

——

"Quiet! Quiet please." Goodwitch says to all the students. "Professor Ozpin would like to share a few words before we begin.

—

'Oh yeah. This speech.' Sun recalls. 'This made me realise why Beacon is considered the best hunter school. Ozpin is probably the wisest headmaster out of all of them, definitely more so than Lionheart.'

——

"Today we stand together, united." Ozpin begins his speech.

"Mistral." A crowd of students wearing black uniforms is shown.

—

"Not the most… interesting attire, is it?" Yang comments.

"It can be a problem for me." Sun agrees. "Took a while for the teachers to accept that I'd refuse to wear the uniform."

——

"Atlas." Another crowd is shown, this one wearing white and having very formal stances.

—

'I'm so glad I didn't end up going there.' Weiss thinks. 'It's so much better being with people who have a real personality. Plus I don't have to put up with my father.'

"Vacuo." The next crowd it the most varied, wearing a variety of colours.

"Of course they would have the most leeway in terms of uniform." Blake says.

"Shade may be the most lawful place in Vacuo, but you can't expect it to be the most organized school," Sun says. "Besides, I can't really think of any reason for uniforms to exist anyway. Aren't we all meant to be working together rather than competing?"

"That's true." Weiss agrees. "But we still need a certain level of competition in order to drive us to improve."

——

"Vale." And finally a crowd with the iconic school uniform, with teams RWBY and JNPR standing in the back.

—

""Woo!"" Ruby and Nora both cheer for their school. Ruby then turns to Sun. "You made a good point, but I have to agree with Weiss."

Weiss nods her head slightly while smiling.

——

"The four Kingdoms of Remnant. On this day, nearly eighty years ago, the largest war in recorded history came to an end. It was a war of ignorance, of greed, and of oppression."

—

'The Great War.' Everyone thinks simultaneously.

'The most impactful event in known history.' Weiss thinks.

'The biggest mistake ever made.' Blake thinks. 'Be it by humans or Faunus.'

'The worst time to be alive.' Yang thinks.

'It was a lesson on how we should never be divided.' Ruby thinks. 'The reason the peace has lasted so long is because we all know that war won't benefit anyone.'

——

"A war that was about much more than where borders fell or who traded with whom, but about the very idea of individualism itself."

—

"It's still hard to believe." Jaune comments. "The idea that a war be fought for such a reason."

"It was to protect against the Grimm." Pyrrha explains. "But while some people think it would have worked, most agree that it would have left us powerless against the recent increase in Grimm activity."

——

"We fought for countless reasons, one of which being the destruction of all forms of art and self-expression. And as you are well aware, that was something many could not stand for."

—

"I certainly couldn't." Sun states. "Life is meant to be lived, we can't have the Grimm take even that away from us."

——

"As a result, those who opposed this tyranny began naming their children after one of the core aspects of art itself: colour. It was their way to demonstrate that not only would they refuse to tolerate this oppression, but neither were the generations to come. And it was a trend that is held to this very day. We encourage individuality, expressionism, and unity through diversity." The camera shifts between all the familiar students.

—

'And yet some people still see Faunus as freaks.' Blake thinks. 'Despite an entire war being fought for the sake of individualism, some people still don't have it in them to accept people with additional animal traits.'

Weiss doesn't notice Blakes gloomy expression, so she gives her own lecture. "A person is always either named after a colour, has a name that sounds similar to a colour, has a name that means a colour, or they have a name that represents a colour in some way."

"I was thinking about that." Ruby speaks up. "What does Ozpins name mean?"

Weiss opens her mouth to answer, but then pauses upon realising she doesn't know what to say. "I… I actually don't know. Perhaps his parents hadn't caught onto the trend when he was born."

——

"As I have said, today we stand together, united. But this bond cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it."

—

"That's our job." Yang says. "Hunters exist to make the world a better place. It's why the idea was formed in the first place."

'It's like being a hero.' Ruby thinks. 'A profession meant for helping those who need it. I can't imagine doing anything else.'

——

"As first year students, you will be tasked with shadowing a professional Huntsman or Huntress on a mission. Some of you may be taken out of the Kingdom for several days. Others may work within the walls for the rest of the week. But no matter which path you choose, remember to be safe, remember your training, and remember to do your very best."

Ozpin steps away as the students all begin to file out of the amphitheater.

—

"He certainly knows how to give a speech," Nora comments.

——

"This is perfect!" Ruby says to her teammates. "All we have to do is shadow a Huntsman working in the southeast!"

"Yeah! We'll follow them around by day and give them the slip by night!" Yang agrees.

—

"Did this plan really work?" Pyrrha asks. 'I find it hard to believe a hunter wouldn't notice.'

"Partly." Weiss answers. "It turns out the other part was unnecessary."

——

"Let's check search and destroy." Weiss says.

Team RWBY approaches a hologram screen. "Here we go!" Ruby points to the screen. "Quadrant 5 needs Grimm cleared out!"

—

"They really let you take such a dangerous mission?" Sun asks. "No offense, but that kinda thing is usually not for first years."

"You'll see." Blake explains vaguely. "It's why we said that Ozpin's been supporting us."

Suddenly, Blake gets elbowed in the shoulder. "Oww!"

"What did I say about spoilers." Yang, the perpetrator, narrows her eyes. "It's no fun giving it all away."

"You didn't have to do that though." Blake complains.

"Aura will heal it." Yang dismisses. "It's not like we haven't all shrugged off much harder blows."

——

"Well, it's in the southeast!" Blake agrees.

"Sounds perfect!" Yang says.

Ruby selects it and types in her team name. However, the screen says that first years are not allowed to take this mission.

—

'And this will be where something happens to allow them to go anyway.' Jaune thinks. 'Probably Ozpin giving them permission.'

——

Weiss sighs. "Wonderful."

"Any other ideas?" Blake asks.

"We mail ourselves there!" Ruby proposes.

—

"There's no way that's possible." Pyrrha says. "Also, I believe it's illegal."

"It was just a joke." Ruby mumbles.

——

"Well, that's one option." Ozpin says, suddenly entering the scene.

"Unfortunately, we determined that the concentration of Grimm was too extreme for first-year students." Ozpin continues.

—

'I thought so.' Jaune grins. 'Now he's going to let them go on the mission anyway. Though it makes sense since they're more skilled than almost all second-year students.'

——

"It seems that particular region is rather popular. In fact, I have the sneaking suspicion that you four will make your way there no matter which job you choose." Ozpin looks over the students.

Weiss, Blake, and Yang glare at Ruby, who is rubbing her head sheepishly. "Whatever makes you say that?"

—

Weiss rubs her eyes regretfully. "Why did I ever think he hadn't noticed anything. The signs were right there."

"Not to mention Ruby's terrible acting." Yang agrees.

Ruby doesn't respond to this, just looking at them both crossly. 'They're right though. Even I can't defend the way I was acting then.'

——

"I'm still curious how you all found yourself at the docks last semester." Ozpin says. "I'm interested to know how you really learned about a hideout in the southeast. And I certainly wonder why witnesses reported seeing robots and rose petals in a dance club some time ago."

"Um... well..." Ruby stutters nervously.

—

"I still wonder how anyone saw that last one." Blake remarks. "I don't remember seeing anyone nearby."

"He could have been lying." Weiss says. "Perhaps he used deductions to figure out what happened."

Team RWBY pauses for a moment, blank looks on all of their faces.

""Hahaha"" They all burst into laughter.

"As if anyone could figure that out." Yang remarks.

"It doesn't sound unreasonable to me." Ren remarks. "Unless you all got rid of the Paladins parts, he could have easily found out about them. From there it wouldn't be too hard to figure out what happened."

"That's…" Weiss tilts her head. "…true I guess. In fact, I wouldn't be surprised."

——

"I doubt I'll ever find the exact answers I'm looking for." Ozpin shakes his head, signifying how he doesn't require they tell him. "So how about this: instead of waiting for you all to break the rules, why don't we just bend them?"

Ozpin selects some things on his scroll, and the hologram screen makes a noise.

—

'Right again.' Jaune thinks. 'I am on a roll today.'

"So Ozpin is willing to let us do things against the rules as long as it's for a good reason and we ask for permission." Nora says. "That's good to know for the future."

'It is.' Ren mentally agrees. 'It will certainly make dealing with Cinder easier.'

——

"We won't let you down." Ruby declares confidently. "Thank you, professor."

"Do not thank me for this. Teamwork and persistence have carried you far. But you must understand, the things that await you beyond the protection of the Kingdom will not care." Ozpin warns them all. "Stay close to your Huntsman at all times, and do exactly as he says. He will be leading you on this mission, and he can have you sent back to Beacon if he finds your skills to be unsatisfactory. Good luck."

—

"Well isn't he a bundle of joy?" Yang says.

"He's right though," Blake warns them all. "While I was in the White Fang, I spent a lot of time traveling with other members. And in all that time, most of our losses weren't because of law enforcement, or even the radical racists that attacked us. It was the Grimm that hurt us the most."

"I-I…" Yang stutters after hearing this. "I understand, you're right." 'Though in your case they were probably drawn to the resentment the other members had.'

——

Team RWBY leaves the auditorium and heads on their way to the airship that will take them to Quadrant 5.

"That wasn't exactly uplifting," Yang comments.

"But it's the truth," Blake says.

"It's gonna be tough, but I know we can do it!" Ruby says to her team.

—

"And we did!" Yang states proudly.

Blake narrows her eyes at Yang accusingly.

"What?" Yang puts her arms up defensively. "It's not as if everyone here doesn't already know."

Blake rolls her eyes and turns back to the screen.

——

A student runs past the team. "Hey! Team CFVY is back!"

Beacon students gather around to witness the return of Team CFVY. Blake goes up to speak to Velvet.

"Velvet? Are you okay?" Blake asks.

—

"Does Velvet know about you being a Faunus?" Sun asks. 'I find it hard to believe she wouldn't notice, especially if they're as close as this scene indicates.'

"She does," Blake confirms. "I went to ask her about how she was being treated in Beacon, and she ended up directing it right back at me."

——

"I'm fine. I had Yatsuhashi to look out for me." Velvet gestures to the tall man with a massive sword.

"Your mission was supposed to end a week ago! What happened?" Weiss asks.

"Nothing happened. It was just ... there were just so many..." Velvet looks up and notices Team RWBY's worried expressions. "Oh, but don't worry. You first-years are just shadowing Huntsmen, so you should be fine."

—

"Why though?" Ruby wonders. "The Grimm have been getting worse recently, despite the increased effectiveness in which they're dealt with."

"Someone's been studying," Weiss comments. "And to answer your question, no one knows. It would be impossible to even speculate until we know more about what they really are and how they come into being."

——

"Right," Yang says, now sounding slightly unnerved.

"I should go. Be safe, okay?" Velvet leaves to follow her team.

"We can do this." Ruby asserts. "We've never backed down before, and we're not going to start now."

—

'We haven't.' Blake agrees. 'But when things got too hard for me, I just ran away from my problems.'

——

"Right." Blake nods her head, with confidence.

—

'But I won't run anymore.' Blake asserts to herself. 'I have to deal with this properly, and make sure none of us go down the wrong path.'

——

"Besides, it won't only be us out there! We'll be fighting alongside a genuine Huntsman!" Ruby says excitedly.

—

"What was your huntsman called?" Sun asks. "Was he any good?"

"You'll see." Yang grins. "It's only a couple more minutes until we see him."

——

"Yeah!" Yang agrees.

The scene immediately cuts to Team RWBY staring with various stunned expressions, having just discovered who they will be shadowing.

—

"Or… right now," Yang says. "I guess I forgot about how it skips parts."

——

"Why, hello girls! Who's ready to fight for their lives?" Oobleck says, wearing a safari outfit with a pith helmet.

The screen cuts to black.

—

"Oh." Sun looks blankly at the screen after seeing Oobleck. "I'm so sorry for you guys."

"Dr Oobleck's great," Ruby argues. "He made me appreciate hunters in ways I never thought I would."

"I find that hard to believe," Yang says. "But tell us anyway."

Ruby grins as she looks at her sister. "Spoilers."

Yang goes silent for a moment, before chuckling at Ruby's response. 'I should have expected this would happen to me eventually.'

Blake takes the remote Yang had put down earlier, and decides to start the next video.

---

Ren's Notes:

[Is Cinder a part of a large organization?

If so, How big is the organization? What do they want? What is Cinder's role?

Cinder likely has another ally that made the Virus.

Ozpins group already realized that the CCT woman is the Dust robbery woman.

Ozpin seems to know about RWBY investigations.

Ruby tells Ozpin about the southeast.

Ozpin chooses to overlook contradictory information. Definitely knows about the Team RWBY investigation.

Is Ozpin encouraging investigation?

Ironwood wants to use overwhelming force.

Ozpin suspects the possibility of the enemy group having a larger plan, which could extend to other kingdoms.

Ozpin is confirmed as the leader of his group.

Ozpin guiding team RWBY sown a certain path? More along the lines of making it easier.

Ozpin gives a speech on The Great War.

RWBY is too inexperienced for Sector 5, so Ozpin decides to bend the rules.

Ozpin is willing to go against the rules when it is for a good reason.

A reminder that Grimm's activity has been increasing.

Oobleck is the Hunter RWBY is following.]