Hindsight is 20-20, so I wanted to see what RWBY would look like with some more hindsight put into the writing. Basically this is how I would write RWBY differently knowing what missed opportunities or boneheaded decisions it's suffered from in the past.

You may have noticed that certain scenes or parts of scenes have been completely omitted from the fic. This isn't because I think those scenes are unnecessary, I just don't think they need to be changed much, and most people should already know what happens in those scenes.

Also if certain facts to do with timeline or world building contradict the canon timeline or world building, remind yourself what kind of fic this is, and assume that those contradictions are intentional. They won't be too major, just little things like Ruby's age when her mother died.

An explanation of why I made the changes I did will follow the beginning of the next chapter.

Legends. Stories scattered through time. Mankind has grown quite fond of recounting the exploits of heroes and villains, forgetting so easily that we are remnants, byproducts, of a forgotten past.

Man was born into an unforgiving world. Creatures of destruction — the creatures of Grimm - set their sights on man from the moment of his creation, and so the Gods gave man four gifts to survive. Creation, Destruction, Knowledge, and Choice, were the tools that gave man the ability to survive and eventually flourish.

In time, man discovered additional means to even the odds, Aura, Semblance, and Dust. With these powers in hand, man lit their way through the darkness, and in the shadow's absence came strength, civilization, and most importantly, life.

But even the most brilliant lights eventually flicker and die. And when they are gone... darkness will return. So you may prepare your guardians, build your monuments to a so-called "free world", but take heed... there will be no victory in strength.

But perhaps victory is in the simpler things that you've long forgotten. Things that require a smaller, more honest soul.

Roman Torchwick approached the Dust Shop with his four men trailing behind. Well, Junior's men. Roman would have rather had Neo by his side rather than these… to call them bouncers would've been giving them too much credit. Roman would've even taken one of the Malachite twins over 10 of these mooks any day, but Junior had refused, and Neo was in Mistral running errands for his employer.

Roman shook off the concerns. All he needed was for these men to look intimidating and carry the dust for him. There shouldn't be any reason for the men to fight.

Ruby Rose. Was. Bored.

Her uncle was on a mission so training had grown stale, she'd already finished her homework from Signal, and even had Yang and her dad proofread it. Nobody wanted to spar with her, Crescent Rose didn't need any repairs or polishing, and there were no Grimm to fight in the area's she was allowed to explore around Patch. Even if there were, she was bored of Beowolves, or even the occasional Ursa.

Desperate for something to do, Ruby had wandered into Vale, and entered the only dust shop she knew to be open at this time, hoping to find some manner of inspiration for her weapon. Unfortunately, even that had yet to yield results, much to Ruby's frustration as she rifled through the last magazine the shop had.

Ruby was suddenly pulled from her thoughts when a hand seized her shoulder and forced her to face a man in red sunglasses.

"Yes?"

"I said, put your hands in the air, now!"

"Waaaiit, are you the ones who've been robbing all the dust stores lately?"

"Yes!"

"Ooohhh…"

Despite her cool demeanor, Ruby was screaming for joy on the inside.

The thug suddenly found himself flying across the store.

"You jerks are the reason I can barely afford a magazine of gravity dust!" the small girl griped with righteous fury.

The man who had gone flying rose to his feet and pulled his gun on the girl, but was too slow to stop her charge. He once again found himself airborne and flying out the window. This time his aura gave out and he stayed down, unconscious.

The girl soon found herself joined outside the shop by three more robbers. One rushed her as she unsheathed crescent rose, and soon found himself airborne, before the blunt end of the scythe brought him crashing back to the ground, shattering his aura.

Ruby fled a hale of gunfire. Normally she'd use the recoil of her gun to maneuver more easily, around the battlefield, but due to how expensive these thugs had made dust, she chose to conserve her munitions. Fortunately she had enough control to avoid the bullets while still closing the distance to her wide eyed opponents.

"You were worth every cent, truly you were."

Roman kicked himself for his carelessness as the aura broke on the last of his borrowed thugs. Of all the dust shops he could have robbed tonight, it had to be the one being attended by a huntress in training. If he had to guess the hooded girl was in her last year at Signal, though her youth suggested otherwise. "Can't believe there are kids that still sign on for that line of work" He mused internally.

Having attended Signal himself several years ago, before turning from the "noble path", Torchwick could easily deal with the girl, but the sound of sirens gave him pause.

"Well, Red, I think we can all say it's been an eventful evening, and as much as I'd love to stick around... I'm afraid this is where we part ways."

He fired an explosive blast at the girl's feet, and then used his warp semblance to be at the rendezvous building and halfway up the ladder in an instant. As he rushed towards the edge of the building he heard the sound of a gunshot on the street below, and the sound of boots hitting the roof.

"HEY!"

Torchwick couldn't help but smirk and mutter "persistent" as the bullhead piloted by his employer arrived.

As the ship ascended, Roman decided to send the girl a parting gift in the form of a dust crystal.

"End of the line, Red!"

Ruby could barely register the dust crystal at her feet before hearing a shot fire at the object. The girl winced, bracing for the flames.

Looking up, the girl saw a blonde haired woman holding back the explosion. She briefly glanced at Ruby, then waved her wand, gently sending Ruby to cover behind one of the roofs skylights.

Ruby observed the ensuing battle, growing more and more excited at the power on display between the huntress and the enemy on the ship. Eager to help, Ruby broke her cover and began firing on the figure in the ship, only to have her blows somehow blocked.

Glynda looked at the girl in frustration, which grew as she saw the ground around her begin to burn. She quickly threw the girl aside, jumping back as she did. She looked back just in time to see the bullhead begin to retreat.

"You're a huntress!" Glynda looked in frustration at the oblivious child.

"Can I have your autograph?!"

"I had her Ozpin!" Glynda's ability to avoid raising her voice was remarkable given her clear anger. "I had the False Maiden, until that girl got in the way!"

She gestured through the one way mirror to the girl on the other side.

The figure in the back responded calmly "but had it not been for her we'd have never known that the False Maiden was linked to the Dust robberies."

"She still shouldn't have gotten involved! She's only 15! Still studying at Signal! She's not cleared for that kind of action! Or that weapon!"

"True" The man conceded "it seems that she's caused quite a few disturbances around Signal. Never anything this serious before, usually just a disregard for her own safety. She's been warned multiple times against hunting outside of areas designated for her clearance. And she apparently constructed that weapon as a side project with the promise never to use it."

"Well clearly those warnings fell on deaf ears! And you want to reward that behavior?!"

"She's bored, Glynda." Ozpin chuckled "She's clearly ahead of her class, and she needs an outlet."

Glynda looked at the child on the other side of the glass, and her eyes softened "It's true she's talented… But I doubt she's emotionally prepared for the life you plan for her."

"There's only one way to find out."

"Ruby Rose!"

Ruby looked up anxiously as the woman from earlier entered, trailed by a grey haired he approached he leaned in and looked directly into her eyes.

"You… have Silver Eyes."

Ruby had no clue how to respond to that observation.

"So! Where did you learn to do this?" He gestured to scroll footage of Ruby battling the robbers.

"S-Signal Academy."

"They taught you to use one of the most dangerous weapons ever designed?"

Ruby began to panic "Well, one teacher in particular."

"I see…" Ozpin decided a carrot was necessary and slid a plate of cookies to the wasn't long before half of the plate was empty.

"It's just that I've only seen one other scythe-wielder of that skill before. A dusty, old crow…"

"Oh! That's my uncle!" Ruby mumbled through her full mouth. "Sorry. That's my Uncle Qrow! He's a teacher at Signal. I was complete garbage before he took me under his wing. And now, I'm all like— Hooowaaah! Witchaaaa!" The girl waved her arms about in a cheery display.

Ozpin smiled "So I've noticed."

Glynda meanwhile rolled her eyes at the news "Of course it was Qrow" she muttered.

Ozpin ignored her and continued "And what is an adorable girl such as yourself doing at a school designed to train warriors?"

Ruby continued to beam "Well... I want to be a Huntress."

Ozpin raised his brow "You want to slay monsters?"

"Yeah! I only have two more years of training left at Signal!" Ruby said, growing more excited by the second. "And then I'm going to apply to Beacon! You see, my sister's starting there this year, and she's trying to become a Huntress, and I'm trying to become a Huntress 'cause I wanna help people. My parents always taught us to help others, so I thought, Hey, I might as well make a career out of it! I mean the police are alright, but Huntsmen and Huntresses are just so much more romantic and exciting and cool and really, gosh, you know!"

As soon as she was done Glynda had had enough. "Do you think this is a game or a fairy tale?! Fifty percent of huntsmen meet tragic deaths in the line of duty, those who survive rarely come out unscathed, and the public is becoming less and less grateful for their sacrifice even if they work in militaries and law enforcement. If you're seeking romance and excitement, I assure you that there are far safer ways to find it."

The girl's face turned solemn at that. "I know." She said "My mom was a huntress. She worked freelance jobs, saved hundreds of lives, and hardly anyone knew who she was. She died in the line of duty when I was six. It left my dad crushed, and things were pretty tough for me and my sister afterwards. But what I remember most about my mom is how excited, cheerful, and optimistic she was about being a huntress, so I've always tried to behave the same."

Glynda's eyes softened, but her frown remained "do you understand what it is that huntsmen and huntresses do?"

"They defend and temper humanity and the four gifts of creation, destruction, knowledge, and choice." Ruby recited as if she'd heard it a million times.

Ozpin gave an amused chuckle "I take it your uncle has hammered that into your head over the years."

Ruby nodded, "Basically they protect and help people against Grimm and criminals however they can. Some of them work for kingdoms in militaries, some of them work outside of kingdoms as law enforcement, and some just work freelance."

Ozpin continued to smile. "Do you know who I am?"

Ruby nodded, "You're Professor Ozpin. You're the headmaster at Beacon."

Ozpin smiled "Hello."

"Nice to meet you."

"You want to come to my school?"

Ruby's eyes widened at this thought "Right now?"

Ozpin nodded as Glynda interjected "Think carefully about this decision. You may be talented, but you will be surrounded by students that have two more years of physical and emotional preparation over you. Nobody will slow down for you. You will have to learn fast, or get left behind."

"You are among a privileged few who have received the honor of being selected to attend this prestigious academy! Our world is experiencing an incredible time of peace, but even during this time, with dwindling numbers, it is the duty of huntsmen and Huntresses to uphold that peace. You have demonstrated the courage needed for such a task, and now it is our turn to provide you with the knowledge and the training to protect our world."

"Oh, wow! Look, you can see Signal from up here!" Ruby exclaimed as she gazed out the window. She and her sister Yang were on a mostly empty airship, surrounded by about ten other students including a tall blond boy who looked like he was going to be sick, though it seemed to be more from nerves than airsickness. Ruby could sympathize.

"Hey Ruby" Yang said softly. "You're mom would be proud."

Ruby beamed "Thanks Yang, so would yours!" Ruby suddenly realized that may not have been the best compliment. "uh, I mean, She is proud… probably… if she even knows about… uhhh."

Yang just smiled and put her arm around Ruby. "Thanks sis."

Ruby grew quiet for a moment "Did you get any leads on her from that Junior guy?"

Yang frowned "No, Nothing."

Ruby quickly perked up "Well maybe we'll be able to find some leads at Beacon. And I'll be there to help you all the way!"

Yang couldn't help but smile in return. Social awkwardness aside, Ruby always managed to make her feel better.

AN: This may have been pretty short, but don't worry, that'll change when we get further into the story. Honestly the pilot episode was a pretty good episode, despite a few missed opportunities.

Finally, enjoy this little Omake that revises the Black Trailer.

Omake: Black Trailer

The Spider Mech dissolved, and Adam turned to look for Blake.

"Blake?"

As he moved towards the next car, there was no sign of the Cat Faunus.

"Blake?!"

Suddenly, a squad of Vale Huntsmen appeared and surrounded him.

"Don't move! We got an anonymous tip that there would be an attack on this shipment. How many others are with you?"

Adam frantically began to search for his companion.

"Blake!"

And then he saw her, hidden from the huntsmen, securing a bow around her second set of ears, looking at him with a face of sorrow. Adam felt his heart break as the woman he loved disconnected the cars, and disappeared.

"BLAKE!"

"I SAID DON'T MOVE!"

As the huntsmen closed in and the train faded from view, Adam felt the pain turn to fury, and prepared to draw Wilt.

AN: I feel like Blake just running from Adam was too much of a half-measure and trying to turn him in to the authorities would make more sense. It would also give her more reason to go after Torchwick in the future, if she really does think he's the one pulling the White Fang's strings, and not Adam because she thinks he's incarcerated

AN 3/6/19: I decided to tighten up the story a little bit and omit fewer bits. I want to try and make each chapter or arc feel like it's own self-contained story. I hope you guys enjoyed the edits.