Pyrrha Nikos was supposed to be fearless, invincible, a champion. She had won numerous tournaments against the very best of opponents and slain uncountable Grimm. Pyrrha never shied from a challenge, never apprehensive for a fight.
Then why was she so shaken over something as trivial a dream? Not a dream, Pyrrha thought to herself and she walked the halls of Beacon. A nightmare. Most dreams left her memory, insubstantial and diffuse as fog, as soon as she awoke. This nightmare, however, held Pyrrha in its clutches long after she was awake and out of bed. She could still recall the bloody details. They were burned in her mind as if with a branding iron. All her friends, team JNPR and RWBY, defeated. Her mentors, teachers, dead. And the faceless enemies that they now fought: victorious. They were fighting in caves – didn't Ruby say something about an underground hideout? As the soldiers of Beacon fought against the White Fang, Pyrrha watched all those she loved die in front of her. She could still recall the sad acceptance on Ruby's face as a nameless enemy slid cold steel through her chest. She could still hear Yang choking on her own blood, throat slit. Her eyes burned with the image of Jaune, righteous and foolish, being stuck down by Roman Torchwick. His words played over in Pyrrha's mind like a broken record.
As Jaune lay dying, Crocea Mors shattered beside him, he whispered to his partner with his last breath:
"You. Could have. Saved us."
After that haunting epitaph, Pyrrha had awoke in a cold sweat. Unable to find sleep again, she was now walking in the wee hours of the morning until the day could start. As she let her feet carry her, lost in thought, she realized she was heading towards the sparring room. Perhaps I can let off some steam, she thought to herself, quickening her pace. As Pyrrha approached the doors, she listened for the sound of anyone else in there. To her surprise, she could hear the clash of weapons. Pushing open the doors, she came upon Blake Belladonna, who was practicing against an unfortunate dummy. Pyrrha simply nodded to the Faunus, and walked over to her locker. Taking Milo and Akouo from the locker and setting them beside her, Pyrrha began to strap on her armor.
"Why are you up so early?" Pyrrha turned to the source of the noise, and found that Blake had stopped fighting and was quietly regarding her with golden eyes.
"I had a bad dream; couldn't get to sleep." Pyrrha explained, tightening the straps on her gauntlets. Blake didn't ask for any more details, merely responding with,
"Do you want to spar? It would be better than a dummy." Blake asked. Pyrrha finished putting on her armor.
"Sure," Pyrrha said, taking her weapons and making her way to the sparring area. Taking her place, Pyrrha looked at Blake, whose face was covered in a mask of blood. Shocked, Pyrrha shook her head vigorously. Just a dream, she reminded herself. Sweat trickled down her back, but they had not even begun. Looking at Blake again, Pyrrha was relieved to see her face unmarred.
Blake walked to a wall computer, calibrating for a simple sparring match between the two girls. After she was done, the Faunus walked to the opposite end of the floor, unsheathing Gambol Shroud. Dual wielding the blade and sheath, her golden eyes scoured Pyrrha's soul. A metallic voice sounded on the loudspeaker:
"Match begins in 3... 2... 1... begin!"
Pyrrha shifted into a defensive stance as Blake exploded into motion. As her opponent rushed towards her with uncanny speed, Pyrrha jabbed with her spear over Akouo, hoping to catch Blake unawares. As the spear touched Blake, however, the shadow clone dissolved, leaving Pyrrha's back defenseless. Sweeping her shield behind her, Pyrrha spun, expecting the attack from behind. Akouo met Blake's dual blades as they swung in a double overhead chop. Blake sprung back, waiting for Pyrrha to attack. The red-haired girl obliged Blake, lunging forward with Milo. Stabbing and sweeping low, Pyrrha forced Blake back, until a flurry of slashes from the Faunus forced her offensive to a halt. The two battled back and forth, pushing each other across the sparring floor. Slashes from Blake brought Akuou in front of Pyrrha, but as the shield deflected her blows, Blake shifted her grip and slashed below Pyrrha's shield. Spinning Milo, Pyrrha diverted the blades, but her control of her spear was lost. Left defenseless and reeling, Pyrrha faced the dual blades of the Gambol Shroud. A bell signaled the end of the match. Sheathing her weapon, Blake offered a hand to Pyrrha.
"Good fight," she said, panting. "Wanna go again?"
The two girls fought two more matches: Blake winning the second, and Pyrrha defeating her in the third and final match. As the final spar ended, Pyrrha looked at the clock.
"It's 7'o'clock. We should probably go back to our teams." she said, watching back to her locker. Blake sat next to her.
"So. Do you want to talk about that dream you had?" The Faunus asked. Pyrrha shook her head in dismay.
"It was terrible. I saw... I was..." Pyrrha trailed off. She took a deep breath, steeling herself.
"If you don't want to, that's fine."
Pyrrha ignored Blake's words, her eyes hollow with memory. "I had a nightmare. We were fighting the White Fang, all of us, but we... we lost. I watched everyone die, unable to help. I watched you die." She looked down, shutting eyes that brimmed with tears. "When Jaune died, he said I could've saved everyone. I know it was just a stupid dream, but I can't shake this feeling." Pyrrha wiped her eyes. "I am Pyrrha Nikos, the Invincible Girl. I haven't lost a real fight since longer than I remember. What happens when I lose something that matters? Something that lives depend on?" She looked at Blake, who was deep in thought.
"You'll fight." she responded. "It's what we know." Blake shook her head. Something was troubling the Faunus.
"What's wrong?" Pyrrha asked.
"Everyone tells us this is a time of peace, but we are approaching the brink of a war. The Vytal festival is still going to start, but we'll be watched by hundreds of soldiers and robots. That's something you do during wartime! Instead, everyone walks around, laughing and pretending like everything's fine!" Blake yelled.
"Is that why you train here so early?"
"Yes. My team doesn't know. I... I hope you'll keep my secret," Blake said. She had calmed down. Pyrrha smiled at the Faunus, shuffling closer to her.
"Blake, I had no idea. You're a mess. How do you keep this from them?" Pyrrha looked at Blake's face. Exhaustion was written on her face clear as day. Bags and shadows under her eyes marred her beautiful face.
"I feel like I'm responsible for their safety, for being the hardest worker. I need to do this, I couldn't live with myself if I didn't." She barked out a harsh laugh. "Reminds me of-" she stopped before she could continue.
"Reminds you of what?" asked Pyrrha. Blake took a deep breath, closing her eyes.
"It reminds me of when I was in the White Fang." she blurted. Her eyes stared at Pyrrha accusingly. She's trying to see what I'm thinking. She thinks I'll hate her, Pyrrha realized.
"Blake..." she started, but was cut off by the other girl.
"I thought I was doing the right thing. When it started, all I wanted was to live my life as an equal. I thought I owed them something, that I had to fight for them, even when it started becoming something more than fighting for equality. They wanted revenge, Pyrrha. If I learned anything from that life, it's that revenge is the most terrible, ugly thing people are capable of." Pyrrha nodded. Blake continued, "I want to start over, to do things right, but I can't shake the feeling I'm not doing enough. I guess I'm saying I know what it's like to feel like you aren't doing enough." Blake looked at the girl next to her. "Hate me; fight me, if you want. If I had to do it again, I would."
"Blake, I don't hate you. What matters is that you're trying to make things right." Pyrrha said. She shut her locker, having put her combat gear away. Blake rose with her.
"Thanks," the Faunus said. Pyrrha pulled her into a hug. Blake at first awkwardly stood there, then accepted the gesture. "If you ever want to spar again... I'll be here." Pyrrha nodded, making her way out of the room. Looking back, she could see Blake was still in there, thinking about something. She'll figure it out, thought Pyrrha, turning and returning to team JNPR's quarters.
Pyrrha opened the door to find her teammates getting ready. Nora was bouncing up and down on her bed while Ren finished dressing, and Jaune was sitting on his bed with his scroll in hand. As soon as Pyrrha entered, he jumped up.
"Pyrrha! You should have told us you left, I was getting worried!" he exclaimed.
"I was just going for a little walk. I didn't want to wake you up." replied Pyrrha. He was worried about me. That's sweet.
"Well just... try and not do that again," said Jaune, rubbing his head. "It gave me a scare." He smiled at Pyrrha, and for the first time that morning, she didn't worry about her dream, what it meant, and what Jaune said in it.
Instead, Pyrrha merely smiled.
A/N: Alright, I hope you enjoyed. If you liked it, be sure to vote at the end of the month in r/RWBY's MonCon! Thanks, and I'll see you next time!