-Disclaimer: I don't own RWBY-
This is just an interlude so be aware I will not be replying to reviews on THIS chapter. Feel free to leave some if you like, however. Next chapter I will be responding to the reviews on the previous chapter.
Also, this is NOT the May update, that update is like 7k words deep.
Now on with the show:
Featured BGMs:
Crown-Camilla Cabello & Grey
End Title- Cloud Atlas OST
Betaed by:
-Interlude: Crystallization-
-Ruby's Mindscape-
As the battle with the Grand Chimera drew to a close, The Empress found herself surrounded by a black void as she seemed to descend endlessly into the darkness. Exhausted, the Empress smiled as she saw the grimm's final moments in her eyes.
"Not bad, little one, not bad at all." The Empress whispered. "I left most of my memories for you to continue to learn from but…" The Empress trailed off, reaching tiredly into her cleavage and pulling out a single crimson petal that was covered in silver light. "…I think this one is better left with me for the time being."
The silence of the realm was deafening and the Empress shuddered from the cold as she felt herself fading just as she had when she had first fallen.
"One last time." The Empress whispered, pressing a gentle kiss on the petal. Tears fell from her eyes as she felt the cold grip of the fear of the unknown on her heart. "One last time, show me what I saw back then. Show me what I saw…when I looked at her…"
In the darkness, the silver light in the Empress' eyes flicked
*Flashback: 0 Years Before Rose's End*
On the cold floor of her throne room, the Empress struggled to breathe as she felt herself begin to die. She could feel the fear and anger radiating from her knights on her behalf but she couldn't bear to look at them. As tears fell from her eyes, she seemingly looked up at nothing but the truth was someone was watching her.
Someone that the knights could not see.
"It's okay my flower." The God of Animal's told her reassuringly. "Unlike me, for you, death is only the beginning of an even grander adventure. Remember what I showed you. Remember the life that awaits you."
The Empress almost spoke, but the blood filling her mouth stopped her.
Instead, she wept.
But not from pain or sadness.
But form the sheer beauty of what she knew awaited her.
*Flash*
BGM: Crown-Camilla Cabello & Grey
-Empire of Rose: Empress Rose's Quarters-
The Empress blinked as she found herself standing in her room, but a glance at the black and red colors of the room told her that it wasn't her room. No, this room belonged to the woman being bathed in front of her.
A woman that was both her and not.
Her successor.
Empress Ruby Rose II
As Empress Rose II sat in her tub, she laid back with a relaxed smile when she felt Melanie shampoo her hair while Militia washed her body, both twins garbed in matching black bathing suits that had white and red roses embroidered on them respectfully.
"So long day ahead of us?" Melanie questioned.
"Yes, but a pleasant one nonetheless." Empress Rose II answered. "In fact, I plan on going for a walk."
"Oh?" Militia questioned. "What kind of walking are we talking about? After all-"
"Ah!" Empress Rose II interrupted with a knowing smile, as she placed a soap-covered finger on Militia's lips. "She's visiting, so let's not talk about that today."
Eyes widening in realization, the twins nodded and the Empress watched in confusion as she saw her successor finish her bath, chatting with the twins with a smile that reached her eyes. After getting dried off, dressed, and prepped for the day, Empress Rose II grabbed her scythe from the twins.
"Time to start the day." Empress Rose II said before turning to the twins. "Meet me at the colosseum later, we have a show to catch."
The twins nodded in synch. "Yes, Your Majesty."
With that, Empress Rose II opened the door and her predecessor felt herself cry when she saw Yang waiting for Ruby.
"Hey sis, today's the day, right?" Yang questioned. "The day she's visiting?"
"Yes, so we have a long day ahead of us." Empress Rose II nodded. "Did you get the agenda Weiss drafted for the day?"
"I did," Yang said with a smile as she held up her scroll. "Speaking of her, she's the first stop actually."
"Of course, she is." Empress Rose II laughed before gesturing in front of them. "Well, lead the way, Lady Schnee."
Yang rolled her eyes. "If I wasn't so sure the twins would hire Ren to murder me in my sleep, I'd give you a noogie for that one."
"Damn straight we would, we spent too long on her hair, bitch!" Melanie called out from the bedroom. Empress Rose II laughed as Yang flipped her off before leading her sister through the castle while the first Empress followed after them in wonder.
As they walked through the corridor, Empress Rose II glanced out of the window at the training grounds where she saw Nora training the recruits. Sensing eyes on her, Nora looked up at Empress Rose II and smile, giving her an energetic wave which her Empress acknowledge with a nod.
Nora's smile seemed to cause the first Empress pain as she failed to recall the last time Nora had seemed remotely as happy as she did now.
*Flash*
As Weiss finished the meeting with the lords and ladies of the Empire, she turned to Empress Rose II with a smile.
"And that's what we call a successful meeting. The economy is running as healthy as ever." Weiss said before briefly kissing Yang who returned it though she was clearly embarrassed as a few of the socialites had yet to finish leaving and smirked at the blonde before they departed.
"Weiss, my image." Yang complained which made Weiss snicker.
"But you're so much cuter when you're embarrassed." Weiss retorted playfully which made her Empress chuckle.
"She's not wrong." Empress Rose II pointed out. "Still, I honestly don't know why I even bother showing up to these anymore. Clearly, you got it covered."
"I do, but the only thing more intimidating than being in front of one of the strongest people in the world is being in front of three of them." Weiss pointed out with a devious smile. "Your rule is magnificent, Ruby, but it doesn't hurt to remind our noble class that you practically have the world held hostage."
"Noted." Empress Rose II said, looking amused before standing up. "What's next on the agenda?"
"Gardening," Yang answered.
"Got it. Thanks again, Weiss."
"Of course, just make sure you make it to the show on time. The Belladonna's traveled a long way to make it here today." Weiss reminded her Empress who nodded.
*Flash*
Empress Rose II strolled through her garden with Yang and Ren.
"Did you deal with Lord Winchester?" Empress Rose II questioned Ren who nodded.
"Yes, he will be giving the title to Cardin by the end of the week."
"He will?" Empress Rose II questioned sounding a bit surprised. "He's alive?"
"Yes, I saw no need to kill him," Ren answered truthfully. "Men like that are all bluster. They boast loudly but when faced with confrontation they wilt rather quickly. With Cardin in charge of the family, finally, we can expect things to be much smoother. Besides, it's not like he didn't already run it, to begin with."
"True." Empress Rose II chuckled. "Good job."
"Thank you." Ren smiled. "Tonight's the night, correct?"
"It is, I'll be heading out after the show."
"Actually," Yang interrupted. "You'll be heading out after stress relief. Weiss scheduled it in after the show. You have an hour and a half."
"Well, that's even better." Empress Rose II laughed lightly as both Ren and Yang shook their heads. "I knew there was a reason she was my partner."
As they talked, the first Empress felt her jaw drop at the thought of Ren ever showing mercy.
*Flash*
"You two are so spoiled it's not even funny." Yang mused, leaning on the stone balcony of the colosseum as rose petals fell across the empire like snow.
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Empress Rose II said as she laid on her crimson chaise. Her legs were propped up on Melanie's lap who gave her a pedicure while her head rested on Militia's who fed her cookies. "Do you, Blake?"
"Hm?" Blake questioned lazily as she sat in Nera's lap who ran her fingers through Blake's hair, scratching her scalp gently with her claws as she did so. Beside them, Blake's clones continued to fan them, cooling them from the summer heat. "Not at all."
The Empress of the Empire of Rose and the Queen of Menagerie gave each other a very dignified fist bump as both Yang and Nera glanced at each other in amusement. Soon they heard the crowd begin to cheer and before long, Pyrrha sauntered out, her arms extended with a massive grin as she basked in the praise and glory from her fans.
In the sky above the colosseum, Penny appeared, green flames pouring from her eyes before she descended and landed in the colosseum with her knee and fist to the ground. With a bright grin, Penny rose and waved at Pyrrha who nodded at her.
The crowd was deafening with their thundering cheers as the two charged each other. The battle was hard-fought but, in the end, Pyrrha stood victorious and helped her opponent up to her feet so they could bask in the afterglow of a hard-fought battle. Eventually, Empress Rose II would deliver a bouquet to Pyrrha and give a speech to the citizens, but not before the Champion claimed her lips for all to see.
The first Empress looked on, stunned, as the crowd only seemed to cheer louder. At first, she was confused but soon she understood. These people didn't worship her successor as some goddess who could not be touched.
No.
They loved her for the woman she was and she could see just where she differed from her successor.
Until her dying breath, she loathed the crown she was forced to wear and fought tooth and nail for any opportunity to not be treated like the Empress she was. In contrast, her counterpart didn't just accept the royal treatment, no, she thrived in it and partook in what her predecessor would call unnecessary vanity wholeheartedly.
With a humbled expression, the first Empress finally understood.
She was Empress in title only, always had been. She had a desire to protect but no ambition and no pride in her own actions and worth. She had believed that she had been doing the right thing, ensuring that she stayed humble and didn't let the power go to her head.
But such thoughts were arrogant.
The truth was she was a coward, too afraid to risk enjoying the power for she believed it would turn her into a monster. She had no faith in her ability to stay on the correct path and that made her the worst thing possible.
A fool.
After all, only a fool would try to win the faith and trust of the masses when they had no faith in themselves. With that understanding that had come far too late, she could only look at her successor in awe. She had seen Empress Rose II bathe before, had seen her scars. While her successor had far less than she did, likely due to being more skilled as scary as a thought that was, it was clear she had been through her share of hardships.
Yet unlike her, Empress Rose II had no qualms about being rewarded for overcoming them.
She was a martyr. She couldn't avoid that truth any longer.
But her successor?
She was truly an Empress.
*Flash*
"Brilliant, pleasure working with you," Jaune said as he stepped out of his office with Velvet. "With this, we can coordinate our grimm patrols while respecting the borders. I hope you enjoy the rest of your stay."
"I will," Velvet nodded with a smile. "I'll stop by again at some point, I need to get revenge for that last chess match anyway."
Jaune laughed. "I'll be waiting," Jaune said before he noticed Yang and Ruby approaching from the end of the corridor. "Your Majesty." Jaune greeted. "What brings you here? Is it about tonight?"
"Sort of," Empress Rose II answered before nodding at Velvet who nodded back with a smile before departing. "I do want you to walk with me to the temple later, but that's not why I'm here."
Jaune turned to Yang in confusion who raised her scroll.
"Stress relief," Yang answered before making a point to put in a pair of wireless earbuds and turning up the volume of her scroll to the max. After having firmly distanced herself from the situation, Yang pointedly ignored how Empress Rose II shoved a surprised Jaune back into his office before slamming the door behind her.
"Wait, isn't she visiting today?" Jaune asked as he was forced to sit on the edge of his War Table. Multiple pieces had been knocked over which made Jaune very glad that he and Velvet recorded their plans appropriately.
"Not my problem, Jaune." Empress Rose II said as she shrugged off her cape and began to unzip her dress. "Not my problem."
Suitably mortified, the first Empress made sure to swiftly leave the scene. Back out in the corridor, the first Empress sat down next to Yang, glancing at the movie the blonde started watching on her scroll.
She was briefly confused as to why Yang had bothered putting on subtitles, especially for an old movie they had watched together countless times. She was also unsure as to why Yang was crying at a comedy but ignored it as she was glad to have something to distract her from the sounds coming from Jaune's office.
BGM: END
*Flash*
BGM: End Title: Cloud Atlas OST
With a heavy heart, the first Empress followed her successor, Yang, and Jaune to the temple of heroes. The final resting place of the knights of rose. In her time, she had spent many a night in the building, praying for the ever-growing list of fallen warriors.
As perfect as this world was, she was not hopeful enough to believe it had been obtained without pain and bloodshed. When they entered the temple, Empress Rose II was surprised to see Glynda, Oscar, and Qrow waiting alongside their friends.
Silently, Empress Rose II strode forward and stopped before a large statue just as the first Empress had done countless times. However, to her surprise in the place of the statue that normally showed the WBY of Team RWBY, there was a large statue of her.
Not her counterpart but her as she was now.
The statue showed her lying back surrounded by hundreds of actual roses with her hands clasped above her chest and a content smile on her face.
[In Memory of Empress Ruby Rose I-Daughter, sister, friend, and master gardener. Her story was lost but never forgotten.]
Tears fell from the first Empress' eyes and she raised a trembling hand over her mouth at the thought of being immortalized even in this time. That her sacrifice was remembered and honored to such a degree.
"Show us my shadow." Empress Rose II whispered her simple spell, confusing her predecessor greatly as she had never heard or used such a spell. Suddenly everything seemed even more silent.
than usual, and when the first Empress looked around, she saw that everyone's eyes were filled with a silver light…
…and they were looking at her.
"You've come a long way." Empress Rose II said as she faced her counterpart fully, a lazy smile on her lips.
"H-how?"
"Ascension." Empress Rose II said as she tapped her temple. "Don't let this statue confuse you too much, it's in your honor, yes, but you are from dead. I am as much you as I am me. I have been waiting for this night for quite some time."
It was then that the first Empress realized that the mysterious visitor they had been waiting for was her and not the Belladonnas. The Empress blinked rapidly, her eyes burning as she finally understood everyone's actions that day and why Yang had acted as she had while watching the movie.
The subtitles were for her.
As were Yang's tears.
"We don't have much time left, when the clock strikes midnight you will go back to falling through time." Empress Rose II revealed. "That said, I wanted to use this opportunity to reignite the flame of hope within you."
Empress Rose II walked forward and placed a hand on her predecessor's shoulder and the first Empress trembled when she could actually feel the warmth of the woman's hand.
"Believe in me and get me ready so that this can be a reality." Empress Rose II ordered. "This will be your final task as you are now. Do whatever it takes to make it happen. You always try to reassure everyone that things will work out even when you don't believe it. So maybe it'll sink in when it comes from me."
Empress Rose II smiled gently.
"We'll be okay Ruby."
With that, Ruby collapsed into the Empress' arms, and together they sunk to the floor as the woman cried openly. Breaking down fully for the first time since she was a child. Silently Empress Rose II hugged Ruby tightly as the others watched on in sorrow. Hurting for their first Empress.
"Today," Ruby whispered, hiccupping slightly. "Is today before or after that monster is dealt with?"
"You know I can't answer that." Empress Rose II said before pressing a gentle kiss to Ruby's forehead. "What do you believe the answer is?"
"After," Ruby answered, wanting-no-needing for that to be the truth. To know that the Tyrant and Salem could both be slain and that she could still have a happy ending. Over and over, Ruby repeated this simple plea in her mind. That this beautiful world would be the aftermath of that terrible war. That all of her pain & heartache could be vindicated so gloriously.
"Then take that answer and make it your truth." Empress Rose II spoke. "Believe that this is the end result of your efforts. Have hope for once and use that to carry out my order. Whatever it takes, you get me ready, understood?"
"Yes," Ruby whispered as the Empress rose to her feet. Still, Ruby remained on the ground, no longer feeling worthy to stand on the same level as her successor let alone bare her title. Instead, Ruby adjusted herself so that she took a knee and bowed her head before the Empress. "Yes, Your Majesty."
With that, the scenery began to distort and though they continued to remain silent, Ruby could see all of her friends were weeping on her behalf. Hurting for her. Knowing how alone and afraid she must have felt to be slipping away back into the vast unknown with little more than a desperate plea and prayer that this worked out in the end.
As the vision vanished, Ruby Rose smiled brightly.
For now, she was free.
*Flashback: End*
As she continued to fall into the void after reliving that memory one final time, Ruby smiled. She placed the petal over her chest, cupping her hands over it as if she were praying. Soon her descent stopped, and the darkness was replaced by light.
Her body was cold.
But her heart was warm.
Giggling as if privy to a joke only she knew, Ruby rested as she found herself resting in the middle of a garden. The grass was soft, the sun was warm, and around her roses began to bloom as a gray stone slowly encased her body.
She finished her mission.
She did her best.
And now she was free to rest.
Rest like she did when she was a little girl when her mother read her stories.
"So, this is your heart?" Ruby whispered. "I was a fool to ever let this go away. Grow strong little one. The day will come when you will stand at the precipice of a new world. You will be terrified but not alone because I will meet you there and together, we'll birth something grand."
Tears fell from Ruby's eyes.
"Our enemies see you as small and helpless. They see you as just a child." Ruby whispered before giggling as she thought of Empress Rose II. "But wow, won't they be surprised when they find out an Empress will soon run wild?"
Tiredly, Ruby closed her eyes and smiled as her body was completely covered by the gray shimmering stone. On a tree branch above, a cocoon hung from the tree above Ruby.
And with that the reign of Empress Ruby Rose I finally come to an end.
BGM: END
To be continued…
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And as always…
…stay classy!
~RebukeX7