Chapter 31 - The Climb
The Climb
"Sunset!" Skystar waved one hand in the air as she approached down the street, her heels clicking on the paving stones. "Sunset!" she cried again, a bright smile upon her face as she drew near. "Fancy running into you here!"
"It's a smaller city than it seems, I suppose," Sunset replied.
Skystar laughed more than the comment warranted. "I'm so glad to run into you here; it means that I get to give you this myself." She held out a flier from a box of fliers tucked under her arm.
Sunset glanced over Skystar's shoulder; she could see that the street was filled with people handing out such fliers to anyone who was passing in the street, or at least trying to; not everyone took one, but most people did, and most even glanced at them before stuffing them into their pockets or bags.
Sunset did likewise, taking the flier out of Skystar's hand and looking down to see what it said. "Shakstspur in the Park?"
Skystar nodded eagerly. "The Vytal Festival is a celebration of culture, and since Vale is hosting, I thought, well, what could be better than celebrating the greatest writer in Valish history? So we're reviving the Second Richardiad right here in Winchester Park, the way they used to do theatre in the old days. You should come! You should bring your team! I've sat in on a couple of the rehearsals, and while I don't understand all of the language, some of it is hilarious, and other times, it's-" Skystar's words abruptly stopped tumbling out of her mouth as she caught sight of Blake, standing at the back of the quartet of young huntresses – and Twilight – just visible between Rainbow and Twilight who were, in turn, standing just a little behind Sunset.
The smile faded from Skystar's face, replaced by a look that was very like fear. No, there was no 'very like' about it; she was afraid.
And it didn't take a genius to work out what she was afraid of.
"So, um," Skystar stammered. "I, um, I should go. Have a nice day." She turned on her high heels and began to walk away as fast as they would carry her – she wasn't as nimble in them as Pyrrha, to say the least.
Blake sighed and half-turned away from the others, clutching at the metal band around her left arm with her right hand as her head bowed towards the ground.
Sunset exhaled from out between her teeth. "Skystar, wait!" she called out, running after the First Councillor's daughter. She supposed that it didn't really matter whether or not Skystar Aris held any ill will towards Blake or not, but it stuck in her craw that Skystar should consider Cardin Winchester to be a paragon of morality and the epitome of all that a huntsman should be while regarding Blake as some sort of depraved and dangerous criminal. It might not be strictly speaking backwards, but it was wrong, wrong enough that she was going to get an itch on the scars on her palm unless she did something about it.
The flier crumpled in Sunset's hand as she dashed down the street.
Thankfully, as unsteadily as Skystar was moving, it didn't take Sunset long to catch up with her. "Skystar!" she repeated.
Skystar's lip trembled with uncertainty, and although she seemed to be trying her best to ignore Sunset as the latter jogged by her side, she couldn't help but keep glancing Sunset's way.
Sunset quickened her pace, getting out in front of Skystar and planting herself squarely in the path of the Amity Princess. Skystar stopped, a squeaking sound passing between her lips, as she clutched at her box of fliers as though they would protect her.
She was wearing seashell bracelets on her wrists, Sunset noted idly and somewhat absurdly in the circumstances; it didn't matter, but it was weird. Couldn't the First Councillor's daughter afford real jewels?
Couldn't her boyfriend afford some real jewels?
"Skystar," she said, for the third or fourth time. "Blake isn't an enemy, and she isn't dangerous. "She's-"
"I know what she is," Skystar said quickly. "My mother told me… the truth, not what they told the news. She told me what she really is. She told me to stay away from her."
Sunset sighed. "Of course she did," she murmured. "Your mother," she added, maintaining a calm tone of voice through some little effort of will, "is just trying to keep you safe, but Blake doesn't deserve to be treated like a pariah."
"But she… she's-"
"A brave and devoted huntress," Sunset finished, "who has done more than anyone else to keep Vale safe from the White Fang."
Skystar stared at her warily. "Mother says she's dangerous."
"What's your mother doing to protect Vale?" Sunset snapped. "Beyond inviting an Atlesian fleet to do the job that she can't? Blake has just done more to protect Vale than all the cops in this town, which isn't that surprising, because most of them are on the take!" That reminds me, I should check if Blake has told anybody about that. In the immediate aftermath of the fight with Adam – in the aftermath of seeing that brand upon his face – the words that had passed between Adam and Torchwick had been driven out of her mind by other, seemingly more important concerns, but her anger at Skystar's attitude had recalled them to the forefront of her mind.
If Blake hasn't done it already, we really need to let… somebody know what Torchwick said about that.
"That… that was her?" Skystar asked. "Is she the one who caught Torchwick?"
"We caught Torchwick," Sunset corrected her. "But Blake was there."
Skystar blinked. "The news last night didn't mention that."
"No, I'll bet they didn't," Sunset replied.
"But why would a terrorist-"
"She's not a terrorist," Sunset insisted. "She… she was, I'll admit, and so would she; but she's not one any more. She's not that person anymore. She's not perfect, believe me, but she's not someone that you should be afraid of." She ventured a smile. "Not unless she asks you for a favour, then get ready to be plunged into a world of trouble."
"Then why does Mother think she's dangerous?" Skystar demanded. "Why does Cardy say that she shouldn't be allowed at Beacon?"
"Really?" Sunset replied. "Cardy says that? Does Cardy say that he's done anything about that?" Maybe I won't need Cinder's help to find out who graffitied our door after all.
"What do you mean?"
"I mean… don't worry about it," Sunset said, because getting into the issue of what sort of man Cardin Winchester really was would distract from the real issue. "The point is that Blake… Blake isn't perfect, but she is worth far more than those who hiss at her the loudest."
"Then why…?" Skystar hesitated. "I don't know."
Sunset snorted and stepped out of the way. "All I ask," she said, "is that when your plays go off without a hitch, and everything else, you ask yourself who is responsible for that. I guarantee that Blake will be amongst them." She won't let herself not be involved.
Skystar stood still, and for a moment, Sunset thought that she might say something, but she didn't; she hastened away, glancing at Sunset and looking over her shoulder as she went, but going all the same.
Sunset watched her go, her back to the others as they joined her.
"How did that go?" Twilight asked.
Sunset shrugged. "Who can say, really?"
"You didn't have to do that," Blake murmured. "It doesn't really matter what she thinks of me."
"Yes," Sunset declared, rounding on her. "It does."
Blake didn't meet Sunset's eyes. "I don't do this for recognition," she said. "Or for the good opinions of those I protect."
"But you do protect them," Rainbow said, a touch of sharpness in her voice. "So they should appreciate you for it."
Blake managed to raise a slight smirk upon her face. "'I turned up at the theatre, as sober as can be,'" she murmured. "'They found a drunk civilian room, but not a seat for me.'"
"'I next went to a public house, to get a pint of beer,'" Twilight said. "'The barman looked at me and said, "We serve no soldiers here."'" She paused. "I'm a little surprised you know Bramley, given the… the, um-"
"The fact that he was egregiously racist?" Blake suggested.
Twilight winced. "In the context of his time-"
"He was still a racist," Blake insisted. "And treating the people of the past like they were an indivisible mass of bigotry does a disservice to those who fought against prejudice and oppression."
"Yeah, well, you'd know all about judging people as one big blob, wouldn't you?" Rainbow asked.
Blake's cheeks reddened a little with embarrassment, and she did not reply; what could she have said, even if she had wished to reply?
"Anyway," Rainbow went on, folding her arms across her chest, "are you two going to stand there making me feel stupid because I don't read as many books as you, or are you going to explain?"
"It's a poem," Sunset answered. "Part of one, at last; an old Atlesian-"
"Mantle," Twilight corrected. "Bramley was writing not long after the Great War, before Atlas had supplanted Mantle as the heart of the kingdom."
"That particular poem is about soldiers," Blake said, "and the treatment shown to them back home. The ill-treatment. Or are you going to tell me that Atlas has moved on since then?"
"Yes," Rainbow said at once. Then she hesitated, squirming for a moment. "Well, some of the time. Mantle… yeah, okay, I can see that happening in Mantle today because Mantle sucks."
"That's a bit of a sweeping generalisation, don't you think?" Twilight asked.
"Can you think of someone getting thrown out of a bar for being in uniform anywhere but Mantle?" Rainbow replied.
"Well…" Twilight trailed off, at least for a few seconds. "I think it varies across the kingdom, really. Mantle… a lot of people resent the military because they resent Atlas and the way that Mantle has declined, as they see it, under Atlesian rule. On the other hand, you've got Canterlot, which is very heavily associated with the Combat School, and Crystal City, where the R&D test beds are, and I think in both places, you'd find soldiers are pretty popular."
"And in Atlas?" Blake asked.
"In Atlas, everyone knows someone in the service or knows someone who does," Rainbow declared. "In Atlas, they know who keeps them safe. People round here should do the same."
"It's not like I'm wearing a Defence Force uniform," Blake murmured.
"No, you've actually accomplished something," Sunset pointed.
"Sunset!" Twilight squawked reproachfully.
"What?" Sunset cried. "We've accomplished more than the cops or the soldiers."
"Than the Valish soldiers," Rainbow corrected.
"Whatever," Sunset said dismissively. "The point is that Blake deserves a little respect. We all deserve some respect."
Rainbow nodded. "No argument here."
"Well, this isn't Atlas," Blake replied. "It's not the idealised Atlas that exists in your heads-"
"I don't have an idealised version of Atlas in my head." Sunset protested.
"Then you're the only one here who doesn't," Blake said quickly. "This isn't even the real Atlas. This is Vale, and I'm-"
"An Atlesian soldier," Rainbow finished for her.
Blake raised one eyebrow. "That's not exactly how I would describe my position."
"Oh, come on!" Rainbow said. "Haven't you had fun working with us?"
"I'm not sure 'fun' is quite the word I'd use," Blake said softly.
"Then what would you call it?"
Blake was silent for a moment. "Twilight, where are we going? There's no point us just standing here all day."
"Right," Twilight said, a touch of nervous laughter in her voice. "Now, um, where is it? Um." She got out her scroll, her fingers fumbling just a little bit as she opened the device, bringing up a map of Vale. She typed a name into the search bar on the top right-hand corner. "Ah! Here we are!" she cried, as a point on the map became marked with a red dot. "Bibliophiles' Paradise."
"Not exactly a humble name," Sunset observed.
A sigh fell from Blake's lips. "These booksellers just can't help themselves, I suppose. They have to make grandiose claims for themselves."
Sunset's brow furrowed. "You're thinking about Tukson?"
Blake nodded solemnly. "I haven't been to see him."
"You've been pretty busy," Sunset pointed out.
"I should have made time."
"We've got time now," Rainbow pointed out. "Twi, can we put off the bookshop until after we've swung by the hospital?"
"Of course," Twilight said brightly. "Do you know which hospital it is?"
"Lancaster Memorial," Blake answered.
"He might have been discharged," Rainbow suggested, as Twilight typed the name into her search bar. "It has been a while."
"I suppose," Blake conceded. "But if he isn't there, they might know where he went."
"Why don't you just call him?" Sunset asked.
Blake looked at Sunset, and her ears pricked up with embarrassment as her face froze in a look of wide-eyed mortification. Blake continued to stare.
Sunset felt a smile spread across her face. "You hadn't thought of that, had you?"
"I…" Blake faltered, turning away from Sunset as she got her scroll out. She said nothing to anyone as she started to thumb through her contacts.
Sunset exchanged a glance with Rainbow over Blake's shoulder.
"Don't sweat it," Rainbow told her. "Twilight forgets the obvious stuff sometimes, too."
"Rainbow Dash!" Twilight squeaked.
"It's one of the many reasons why I love you," Rainbow assured her with a pat on the shoulder.
"Huh," Blake muttered.
Sunset took a step closer to her. "What?"
"Tukson's number has been disconnected," Blake whispered. "But… why?"
None of the other three girls said anything.
"Well, we won't get any answers here," Twilight said with a touch of faux cheer entering into her voice. "We might as well swing by the hospital. I know where to go; it's this way."
She led the way, a pace or two out in front of the others, giving them someone to follow, even if they weren't following any great distance. Rainbow and Sunset both hung back with Blake, whose steps dragged just a little bit as she followed Twilight with a subdued, shuffling gait.
"If anything had happened to him, they would have told you," Sunset assured her.
"Would they?" Blake replied, glancing up at the girl on her right. "I'm not his family; I'm just… an old comrade from a past that he keeps secret and for good reason. Why would anybody bother to tell me anything?"
"The General would have told you," Rainbow insisted.
"Would General Ironwood even bother to find out?"
"General Ironwood assigned the guards to protect the guy in hospital; they'd tell him if he… if he died there," Rainbow replied. "And he'd pass that on. He wouldn't sit on it and leave you in the dark."
Blake was quiet for a moment. "I suppose he'd want to give me cause and motivation to fight back against the White Fang."
"As if you don't have that already," Sunset muttered.
"He'd tell you because it's the right thing to do," Rainbow corrected Blake.
"And Atlas always does the right thing?"
"Once they've tried everything else," Sunset said.
"Very funny," Rainbow said. "We may not always do the right thing, but we don't ever try and do the wrong thing. We just… make mistakes, like everyone else." Rainbow put her arm around Blake's shoulder. "But if you come to Atlas with me, you'll get it."
Blake glanced at the huntress to her left. She snorted.
"What?" Rainbow demanded. "You think I'm joking? I'm serious! Once we've saved Vale from the White Fang and given Skystar the breathing space to hold a totally awesome Vytal Festival, then-"
"The terms of my agreement with Atlas will be complete," Blake said. "I'll be free." She looked at Rainbow again. "Unless you mean to change the agreement on me?"
"Of course not," Rainbow replied, her tone rising to mild outrage. "That's not how Atlas does things; that's not how I do things. I gave you my word that we were going to keep you in until this White Fang thing was done, and then we'd let you go, and I never, ever go back on my word." She was quiet for a moment. "What I'm saying is, that when all that is done, we'll be shipping back to Atlas, and I think you should come with us."
Blake stared at her.
Rainbow blinked. "What?"
"I'm waiting for the punchline," Blake said dryly.
Rainbow rolled her eyes. "Come on, Blake, there is no punchline!"
"You're serious?" Blake demanded. "You're not kidding?"
"Of course I'm not kidding; why would I be kidding about this?" Rainbow asked.
"Because it's Atlas?" Blake suggested.
"Because Blake already has a spot here at Beacon," Sunset added. "Why would she need to transfer?"
"Because you'd fit right in at Atlas," Rainbow insisted. "You're smart, serious, committed; if you could learn to do as you're told, you'd be the model Atlas student. You're much more of a model student than I am." She paused. "And besides, what are you going to do here at Beacon? Are you going to steal Sunset's bed for the next four years? Are you going to be the fifth wheel for Team Sapphire the entire time you're here at Beacon?"
"You're welcome to stay for as long as you want," Sunset told her. "No one minds having an honorary member."
Blake's brow furrowed. "Perhaps, with a little more time, my team will-"
"What?" Rainbow demanded. "Are you hoping that they'll come round? Forgive you? You could do so much better than them! Lyra has no business being a huntress, Bon Bon isn't much better, and Sky Lark is a sack of flour; transfer to Atlas, repeat your first year, get yourself a cool red aiguillette on your uniform and get yourself three tough northern flowers to have your back."
"'Northern flowers'?" Sunset repeated incredulously.
Rainbow shrugged. "It's something Ciel says. Flowers of the North is what we are, if you listen to her for long enough."
"'Up, through snow and cold and heart of winter,'" Blake whispered. "'Rise up, and bloom in glory.'"
"Exactly," Rainbow said. "The point is that we're tough; we can survive the winter, so we can survive anything. And I think that you could survive it too. I guarantee you'll make team leader there too; in fact, I'll mentor you to make sure you do."
"You'll mentor me?" Blake repeated.
"Okay, that sounds a little formal; I just mean I'll teach you what General Ironwood looks for in a leader," Rainbow explained. "Although you've probably got it all already; you just need to show that you can step up to the responsibility."
"I don't know," Blake murmured. "I wasn't such a great leader last time."
"You were lying to your teammates the last time; that won't be a problem in Atlas," Rainbow declared. "Come on! I'm talking about access to all the most advanced toys; I'm talking about high-tech training facilities; in fact, I'm talking about high-tech everything facilities at the best-funded school in Remnant; I'm talking about air support on tap. What's not to love?"
"I'm a faunus," Blake pointed out.
"And what am I?"
"An ugly fish," Sunset answered.
"You're different," Blake said, ignoring Sunset.
"Oh, yes, let's go back to the days of you thinking that I'm a sellout for serving Atlas," Rainbow muttered.
Blake's cheeks reddened. "I didn't mean it like that. I just meant… you have connections to General Ironwood; you're protected from what it's really like in Atlas for ordinary faunus."
"Neon doesn't have pull with the General, and she makes it work," Rainbow said. "And she's not the only one either. Besides, you could have pull if you wanted."
Blake frowned. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, we're working directly for General Ironwood himself," Rainbow explained patiently. "He reads my reports, and I'm going to write good things about you tonight after we're done. I think he's going to like what he reads. General Ironwood recognises talent when he sees it, and… and when he sees talent worth nurturing, he doesn't give a damn whether they're a faunus or not."
"Neither does Beacon," Sunset insisted. "You could ask Ruby or Pyrrha or Jaune, and they'd all tell you that none of them mind you rooming with us; none of them would mind you staying on as a member of our team; you've even got your name on the wall now." She paused. "Did you actually want to come to Beacon for a reason, or was it just that you were in Vale at the time?"
"I…" Blake trailed off for a moment. "I wanted to train as… I wanted to… it sounds stupid."
"Maybe," Sunset allowed, with some idea of what she was about to say, "but you have to say it anyway."
Blake snorted. "I wanted to see if it was possible for someone like me to become a hero, at the school that produces heroes."
"You think Atlas doesn't turn out heroes?" Rainbow demanded.
"Not of the same calibre," Sunset informed her in a tone whose blitheness was entirely feigned. "Listen, Blake, I know that things at Beacon aren't going entirely as you planned when you came here, but they're going okay, aren't they?"
"At Atlas, you'll have a place to belong."
"You have a place to belong right here at Beacon, with Team Sapphire."
"Teams are four members, and you'll be leader of a team if you stick with me and come to Atlas."
"At Atlas, you'll be pushed into a mold-"
"Oh, come on, even you can't actually believe that!" Rainbow snapped.
"At Beacon, you're free to become whoever you want to be."
"That's true of Atlas too, but we've got airships as well."
"Oh, for goodness sake!" Twilight cried, rounding on all three of them. "Blake isn't a toy for you to fight over or a prize for one of you to claim from the other."
"That isn't why we're arguing," Rainbow said defensively.
"Although it would be nice to win," Sunset muttered.
Twilight glared at her.
"I'm kidding!" Sunset cried. "I'm… ninety percent kidding."
Twilight folded her arms. "Don't you think that Blake should be free to make this decision for herself?"
"I'm just letting her know that she's got options," Rainbow insisted. "And maybe offering some encouragement one way."
"Just like I was just encouraging her to go a different way," Sunset said.
"I think you've both encouraged Blake quite enough," Twilight declared. "Don't you agree, Blake?"
"I, uh, thanks, Twilight," Blake murmured. She looked at Rainbow Dash. "Why does this matter so much to you? Why do you want this?"
Rainbow stared blankly back at her. "What do you mean?"
"I mean why are you trying to… to recruit me?" Blake asked. "Why does it matter whether I come back to Atlas or not? Maybe I would like it there, maybe… I'll admit that you've been nicer than I was expecting you to be. Maybe I'd even fit in there. But why do you want it? Why don't you just fly away and leave me behind?"
Rainbow didn't say anything for a moment or two. "Because… because I like you," she said. "And because… because you don't want to be a hero. Not like that statue in the courtyard, anyway; Atlas makes heroes too, but it's a different kind of hero, and I think that's the kind of hero that you want to be: a part of something bigger than yourself, something more than just you standing out in the field alone. I think… I think you're made of the right stuff. I think you could have the Mettle, if you came to Atlas and saw what we're all about."
"The Mettle?" Blake repeated.
"It's… how do I explain it?" Rainbow asked. "It's a… it's like a semblance that we all share, but it's not like a power or anything-"
"So it's nothing like a semblance?" Sunset mocked.
"Shut up. I'm trying my best," Rainbow snapped. "The Mettle of the North is our fighting spirit: it binds the forces of Atlas together; it's our will to defend the kingdom and keep our people safe; it gives us the determination to keep fighting and see things through to the end, no matter the odds. More than the guns and the bombs and the ships, the Mettle is why we win." She scratched the back of her head. "Ciel explains it better than I can; even the General can put it into better words than me."
"It sounds… to be perfectly honest, it sounds appealing, although I'm not entirely sure how it differs from ordinary courage or determination," Blake murmured.
"Our own courage can falter," Rainbow said. "Our determination can reach its limit, but the Mettle never runs out."
"Do you really believe that?" Blake asked.
Rainbow took a few seconds to reply. "It helps to be able to tell yourself that, when it feels as though you've got no courage left," she said softly.
Blake's ears drooped. "I… I see." She looked away from Rainbow Dash. "I never would have thought about coming to Atlas if you hadn't mentioned the idea," she confessed, "but now that you have mentioned it… I don't know. Sunset's right; I wanted to come to Beacon for a reason, but… I can see that in Atlas… I don't know."
"You should tell her the other reason," Twilight said.
"I thought you said I'd encouraged her enough?" Rainbow replied.
"You have," Twilight told her, "but you might as well be completely honest."
"Honest?" Blake repeated. "Honest about what?"
Rainbow licked her lips. "It would be nice," she admitted, "to have more faunus working their way up in Atlas. We're not going to change things by holding rallies like your parents; we're not going to change things by setting off bombs like the White Fang; the way we're going to change things is if faunus like you and me can climb our way to the top of places like the military. Once we get our hands on the levers of power, then we can pull on them."
"That's generally what you do with levers," Blake observed.
"Exactly," Rainbow said. "And when we pull, things can really change for the faunus! That's my plan, anyway, and Twilight says that it's a good one."
"I think it's the best possible choice," Twilight said, "and, please, believe me when I say that I'm not just saying that as a human anxious to preserve my own privileges. Although you won't have to take my word for it, because I'm going to show you at some point today."
"I'll do it alone if I have to," Rainbow said, "but it would be better with company."
Sunset's eyebrows rose. She was genuinely surprised to hear Rainbow talking that way. "In all the years that I knew you at Combat School," she said, "you never once gave any sign that you thought this way."
"I never made any secret that I wanted to climb all the way to the top."
"I thought that was because you had a huge ego."
Rainbow grinned. "Well, there's that too. But I can have selfless motives as well. Besides, it's not like we were close back then, so why is it so surprising that you didn't know my secrets?"
"It's surprising that you were able to keep it secret," Sunset commented.
"Why did you have to keep it secret?" Blake asked.
"You know," Rainbow said, with a shrug of her shoulder. "Some people… they might not like the sound of it. It might sound like infiltration or something."
"Don't you think the fact that you have to think that way is a possible indicator that… that something isn't right in Atlas?" Blake suggested. "That there are powerful forces, entrenched interests that are opposed to granting us real equality?"
"There are powerful forces opposed to humans being alive," Rainbow said. "Just because a battle's hard doesn't mean it isn't worth fighting."
"There are some who wouldn't see what you're planning to do as fighting."
"Yeah, but the people who would say that are the ones who go around hurting kids, so they can bite me," Rainbow replied sharply.
"All the same… " Blake murmured.
"It seems a little naïve," Sunset said. "How do you know that they'll even let you get to the top, let alone change anything once you get there?"
"I don't know they will," Rainbow conceded, "but I don't know they won't either. And while I think I can, I have to try." She pumped her fist. "And if anyone tries to stop me, I'll smash all obstacles in my path and do it anyway!"
Blake chuckled. "Maybe you're right," she said. "Maybe it is the best way; you're right that the other ways that have been tried… didn't work out so well. But at the same time… I don't know." She glanced at Sunset, who thought that she was referring as much to the idea of going to Atlas as she was to Rainbow's hidden ambitions. "I just… don't know."