RWBY: Time Paradox
This is my first fic, so please go easy on me. Constructive criticism is greatly appreciated, flames will be ignored and left to die from lack of fuel. This first chapter will mostly be setting up for the main story, so we really won't be seeing much of the main characters. Beware, as this chapter contains spoilers for Volume 3, although I changed a few things to better fit the story. I hope you enjoy, now on with the show!
I do not own RWBY. That work of genius is owned by Roosterteeth and is the brainchild of the late Monty Oum. May he rest in peace.
Chapter One:
"Do you believe in destiny?"
Cinder paused, seeming deep in thought. Of all the things Pyrrha could have said, she wasn't expecting this. Still, she didn't have to think to hard about her reply. After all, wasn't she destined to be the next Fall Maiden? Wasn't she destined to victory over Beacon, and all of Vale? The answer was obvious, really. Narrowing her eyes, she replied with one simple word.
"Yes." With that one simple word, she let loose the arrow she had aimed right at Pyrrha's heart. Foolish girl, you really should've worn more armor, she thought. The arrow struck Pyrrha right in her chest, piercing her heart. For added measure, Cinder used her semblance to disintegrate her body. Meanwhile, Ruby arrived at the top of the tower they were on, too late to save her friend. Cinder noticed her out of the corner of her eye. There she is, she thought. She was no fool. In her research on the Four Maidens, she had come across another legend, one about the ancient warriors with silver eyes. She knew that if she was to be truly victorious, then she would do well to eliminate this girl immediately.
Turning her attention to the young, red cloaked huntress in training, she immediately launched a full scale assault on her. Ruby, still in shock over the death of Pyrrha, barely had any time to dodge her attacks. Cinder knew that she couldn't let her awaken her hidden power, one granted only to those with silver eyes, so she kept pressing her attack. Ruby used her semblance to keep on the defensive, but she was hopelessly outclassed. Seeing that she was no match for Cinder, she tried to flee. Unfortunately for her, Cinder cut off her only escape.
"Where do you think you're going?" Cinder taunted. Ruby glared at her. With the power of the Fall Maiden, she was hopelessly outclassed, and she knew it. But one question weighed on her mind, above all else.
"Why? Why are you doing this?" demanded Ruby. Cinder smirked. Almost immediately after, she started laughing.
"Why? You want to know why? It's because of people like Ozpin, people like Ironwood, people like you! You all think you're so special, safe behind your walls, safe behind your laws, safe behind your huntsmen and huntresses! You all are living a lie, and you huntsmen and huntresses are prime examples of it! I'm simply exposing the lie, and showing everyone the truth! No one is safe, not in Vale, not in Atlas, not even in Beacon!" With that final word, Cinder summoned the full power of the Fall Maiden, and channeled it into her semblance, launching it into a wide ranging assault on her opponent. Ruby could only close her eyes as the attack overtook her, disintegrating every particle of her being. Soon, there remained nothing left of her. Cinder, seeing that she had won, summoned the Grimm Dragon and rode it onto the battlefield, eliminating all opposition. Nothing, and no one, could stand in her way.
Meanwhile, Adam had defeated both Blake and Yang, removing Yang's right arm up to her elbow in a single blow. He rallied together the all of White Fang soldiers he could find, and together they pressed their advantage. While the AI soldiers had been taken out of commission, thanks to Ruby, the combined assault of the White Fang and the Grimm was too much for the tired and weary defenders, who were already exhausted from having to fight a battle on three fronts.
This is all too easy, thought Adam, as he cut through human and faunus alike. While he took no joy in killing any faunus, he would not tolerate any opposition to his goal. The humans will pay for all of the suffering the faunus has been put through, he would see to that. As for any faunus who sided with the humans, they were just as guilty as the humans.
Suddenly, Adam found himself thinking of Blake. He could still see her face, wearing a mask of anger and sadness. Once, those emotions were directed towards the humans, or so he thought. Blake, were you really for the humans all this time? Why? These questions haunted him as he could still see the anger, the sadness, and the revulsion on her face as she looked at him. Why? Why was she siding with the humans? Where had the determined warrior that he knew and loved gone? Ever since that day on the train, he had asked himself that same question over and over again. But it didn't matter anymore. The Blake he loved is dead. She died that day on the train. This Blake was nothing more than another traitor to their kind, and as such needed to be treated like one.
As he thought on these things, he noticed the very subject of his thoughts dragging herself along the ground with one arm. In her other, she was dragging the blonde human girl that tried to attack him. Even in the end, you still try to help these humans. You truly are dead to me, traitor. As he began to take aim at her with Blush, his rifle/sheath combo, he was suddenly struck in the side by a large war hammer. Turning to see what hit him, he saw an orange haired human bearing down on him, readying another strike with her hammer. He raised Wilt to deflect her attack, but he did not anticipate the strength of her strike. She's much stronger than she looks. I would do well not to underestimate her. Deciding to end this quickly, he sheathed his blade, preparing to finish her in a single draw. As she came in for another strike, he drew his blade, but before he could kill her he found his sword blocked by another blade. This sword was wielded by a blond human. Adam stepped back to better assess the situation. As he did, he noticed another human joining the first two, ready to face him. This human had black hair with a pink bang on one side. These humans are really starting to annoy me, he thought. He raised Wilt, and began his attack.
Winter Shnee charged her way through the battlefield, eliminating any Grimm or White Fang soldiers in her path. To say that progress was slow would be an understatement. The White Fang all seemed to target her in particular whenever they saw her, simply because she was a Shnee. Inwardly, she cursed her father. Were it not for him, and his poor treatment of the Faunus, then maybe she wouldn't have such a big target on her. As she cut through her enemies she saw her little sister surrounded by several large Grimm. Quickly, she activated her semblance and, using a haste glyph, she dashed towards the nearest Grimm. With all of their attention focused on Weiss, they were slow to react. By the time they even realized she was there, the two sisters cut down the last of the Grimm.
"Where are the rest of your team?" she asked Weiss.
"Ruby went up on the tower to try to save Pyrrha from Cinder, I don't know where the others are," she replied. Cinder, that name sounds familiar. Could that be the woman who brought the Grimm into Vale? But now was not the time for questions. Now was the time to fight, and survive.
"Come on, we need to find your team," Winter told her. Suddenly, they heard a roar come from the tower. Turning, they saw the large Grimm Dragon descending from the tower, with Cinder on its back.
"Cinder. But, that means, Pyrrha, and Ruby... no..." beside her, Weiss was beginning to grow pale, paler than she already was. Barely pulling her out of the way of a lunging Beowolf, she killed it and turned to her panicking sister.
"Weiss! Now is not the time! Focus on the matter at hand! Your leader is probably dead, your first priority should be to find the rest of your team and regroup! You told me that you were the second in command of your team. With your leader gone, you are now the leader. So act like one!" While her words were cold, they were in no way any less true. This was a battle, and in battle there is no room for grief, or hesitation, or any other emotion. Emotions got you killed. She had seen it before, fighting Grimm. She has seen it here, in this battle. She just had to rescue Weiss from a mere Beowolf, not even an Alpha, because her emotions were getting the best of her. Weiss knew it, too. She could see it in her eyes, along with the determination to make it through this battle.
"You're right. Thank you, Winter," and with those words, Weiss Shnee left to find the rest of her team.
As Weiss fought the Grimm and the White Fang, she kept a sharp eye out for Yang and Blake. Although she would never admit it, she had grown to be quite fond of Ruby. Sure, she was a real dolt at times, and she tended to be too impulsive for her liking, but even so there was just something about her. Perhaps it was her childlike innocence, or her willingness to look past the fault in others, or... No, I cannot think of this right now. Winter is right, now is not the time. I cannot afford to have tears blur my vision, or grief cloud my mind. If we are going to survive this, then my emotions will just have to wait. With renewed determination, she continued to fight. Eventually, she spotted Blake dragging an unconscious Yang, but, something was wrong. Blake was bleeding heavily from her side, and... no. No, this can't be right. Is that an arm she's carrying? And, that yellow gauntlet on it... one look at Yang confirmed her fears. Her right arm was missing up to her elbow. Blake saw Weiss, and together they continued to drag the unconscious Yang.
"What happened?" asked Weiss.
"I ran into Adam. We fought, and I lost. Yang tried to help, but..." she held up Yang's severed arm by way of reply.
"We need to get her to safety. She needs medical attention, and so do you." Blake looked like she wanted to argue, but it was obvious she wasn't fine. Instead, she just nodded, then asked the one question Weiss was dreading.
"Where's Ruby?" Weiss merely hung her head in reply. Blake was shocked, but her shock quickly gave way to sadness. Ruby, gone? This can't be happening. But now was not the time to dwell on that. Safety first, grief second.
Looking up, Weiss saw the rest of team JNPR fighting Adam, or who she assumed to be Adam. To say they weren't faring well would be an understatement. As she watched, he decapitated Nora, then stabbed Ren as he tried to attack him from behind. Jaune, surprisingly, was still standing. It looks like all of those training sessions with Pyrrha are really paying off for him, Weiss thought. But as she watched, Jaune mistimed his block, and Adam capitalized on his mistake, cutting a deep gash in his side. Jaune tried to land a wild strike, but Adam just kicked him back. Raising his sword, Jaune ran at him, hoping to end the fight. Adam merely raised Blush and shot his hand. Jaune's sword flew out of his hand, spinning through the air. Too late, Weiss realized where it was heading. Before she could call out a warning, the sword planted itself in Yang's heart. She gasped once, then breathed her last. Weiss and Blake could only stare in shock at the now dead Yang in their arms. A second shot snapped them out of their stupor. They looked up in time to see Jaune fall down, a hole now in his skull. Adam sees them and takes aim once more. Fortunately, several Griffins landed in between Adam and the two remaining members of team RWBY. Seeing their chance, Weiss gave the one order she could think of.
"Run!" And run they did. Weiss never ran so hard in her life. Her heart was pounding, her chest hurt, but she dared not slow down for fear for her life. Blake was having a difficult time keeping up due to her injury, but Weiss pulled her alongside her, keeping her going. They could not afford to delay, they dared not even take the time to look behind them, for any delay meant death. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they saw the airship that was loading the wounded. Sun and Neptune were there, waving everyone through, as well as defending them from the occasional Grimm or White Fang soldier. The moment they saw the two huntresses, they ran over to help them. Sun was especially worried when he saw Blake, but they just waved of the boys questions, insisting they get into the airship.
As they were boarding, a shot rang out. Neptune, who had brought up the rear, suddenly went limp, revealing that he had taken a lethal hit. Sun cried out, but a second shot barely missed him, preventing him from going to him. One look showed that it was Adam firing at them. Several members of the White Fang came to aid him in firing at the survivors, and a few were killed. Finally, they managed to get the doors closed, and began to flee. A few airships were destroyed by Nevermores and Griffins, but most managed to escape. Weiss looked back one last time at Beacon, or what was left of it, and thought back to all that she had lost in the battle. Nearly everyone she had come to know in her time there is now dead. Her sister is still somewhere out there on the battlefield, Blake is badly wounded, and Neptune, the man she had fallen in love with... she could still see his glazed eyes in her mind, as he fell to the ground. She would never forgive Adam for killing him. Adam, leader of the White Fang, is the man responsible for the deaths of her friends. But Cinder, she was the one who came to Beacon, gained their trust, and killed Ruby and Pyrrha. Without Cinder, and her two cohorts Mercury and Emerald, none of this would've happened. I swear, no matter how long it takes, you will pay, Cinder. You, and everyone who helped you.
Adam watched as the airships escaped out of their range of fire. A shame, as he had really wanted to kill that Shnee girl. But no matter. There would be time enough for that later. He gave the order to cease fire, and check the downed airships for survivors. Anyone lucky enough to survive the crash, as well as any Grimm, were to be executed on the spot.
"A bit harsh, don't you think?" said a sultry voice behind him. Turning, he saw the source to be Cinder. Flanking her, as always, were Mercury and Emerald. Although these three humans disgusted him, he did not let it show. Best not to make them raise their guard. Not yet. Wait for your opportunity, then strike.
"Perhaps, but I will not allow them to escape. I want to send a message, so the whole world will see that we are the ones in power, now." Cinder seemed to smile a bit at that. But then, she frowned.
"What of those that escaped? What will you do about them?" Tell her what she wants to hear. Put her at ease, make her lower her guard.
"Let them go for now. When others hear how powerful we are, they will be afraid. But the survivors on the ground must die. We can't appear too merciful, can we?" That answer seemed to satisfy Cinder. Finally she seemed to relax a little, and began to smile.
"Yes, I suppose you're right. Now that I possess the full power of the Fall Maiden, I am completely unstoppable! Today is just the beginning. Soon, all of Remnant shall be bowing at my feet!" Yes, that's right, go ahead and gloat, human. Lower your guard for me.
"You're right. Today is just the beginning." Quickly, he spun on his heel, unsheathing Wilt as he did so. Cinder, completely off guard, was cut down in one strike. The other members of the White Fang, taking their cue, killed Mercury and Emerald before they could react. Re-sheathing his blade, he gave one last glance to Cinder's body.
"Today is the beginning for the White Fang. Today, we start to take our rightful place as rulers of Remnant. The humans will pay for all of the suffering the faunus have endured. But that future doesn't include you." With that said, he ordered his troops to prepare to leave. They had preperations to make before they mounted their assault on the rest of Vale. But it was only a matter of time before all of Remnant was under their control. For the first time in what felt like years, Adam allowed himself a small smile.
I know, I know, I'm a monster. Here we are, still recovering from the shock of Volume 3, and I go and make things worse by killing nearly everyone! But trust me when I say that it's important. This is a story about time travel, remember? Before I go, let me make a couple of things clear. Since we know almost nothing about Salem, other than she has the same voice actress as Cortana (possible crossover? Hmm), I will not be including her in this story. For the purposes of this story, Cinder is the mastermind, as we were led to believe in Volumes 1 and 2. Also, I know I was a little light on character description. Since this chapter contains several spoilers for the end of Volume 3, I didn't bother, as I'm assuming that most people who decided to go ahead and read this have already seen it. If you haven't, or if you are new to RWBY, then I apologize. I will be adding more description in the next chapter, as well as introducing the main characters of this story. If you'd like, please leave a review, as I would really like to know what you think of this story so far. Remember, I don't know where to improve if nobody tells me!