Chapter 8: Chibi
It's time for the RWBY cast to meet their closely related counterparts. It is a world where logic is thrown out the window and where rules have no meaning. It would be especially be weird if some of the villains saw how idiotic they acted. I also added two episodes I knew, but I won't lie. The chapter will be a bit shorter compared to others. Sorry, but not every single one will be super long. In any case enjoy the viewing.
(Beta-read by Nacoma23)
"Now then, everybody…" Mayden began to speak, his audience sitting straight and ready to watch the next world. "The next dimension I'm about to show you is rather unique and more than a little strange."
"Haven't all the dimensions we've seen so far been strange?" The young Arc asked, remembering the last universe and the on
"You make a fair point, Jaune. But this dimension though, this one is similar to your own, but it operates on its own rules and laws… Not to mention that it is veeeerrrry weird."
That comment caused many of the viewers to raise their eyebrows. They were about to see a world that even the Keeper found strange? They didn't know whether they should be worried or impressed. But before they could ask any further questions, they heard a small groan coming from the floor.
"My... head... ugh…" Adam had finally woken up, disoriented from the revival process that Mayden used upon him. He sounded groggy, seemed quite unfocused, and his motor skills were uncoordinated. He wasn't even able to form a coherent sentence either.
"Oh great, Taurus is awake, yay." Qrow lamely said, taking a sip from his flask. He was going to keep an eye on the bull Faunus, just in case he tried something.
"Yes, but he seems rather… indisposed at the moment." Winter observed, watching the Faunus trying to stand, only to fall flat on his face with a groan. She honestly wasn't sure if this was an improvement or not. On the one hand, he wasn't threatening anyone, or giving long, drawn out and whiny speeches about revenge, darkness, or some combination of the two. He probably didn't even realize that he was dead.
"Oh don't worry, that's a normal response, it's actually quite common for the resurrected person to act like that." The Keeper said before explaining further. "It should wear off in a few minutes. Just give him some space to recover. Might do him some good too, he'll probably learn the folly of being a fanatic, since he had technically enter the afterlife."
"Wait, he actually did die?!" Blake asked in shock.
"Yep," Mayden confirmed. "And if one considers what he's done in life, I think you can imagine where he probably went." Nobody even bothered to say where a murderous killer had gone after death. Actually, one might say Adam was lucky enough not to have stayed in the afterlife long.
"In any case, enjoy." With that the screen came to life, showing the new universe. It was a world that they recognized as Remnant… yet, it was also quite different from their own Remnant.
"It kind of looks like a cartoon," Ironwood noticed, with some sharing that thought. They wondered what exactly was so strange about this world.
The screen showed the inside of a simple house that Qrow, Yang, and Ruby recognized as their own, back on Patch Island. Chibi-Ruby, who looked like Prime Ruby, but with a super-deformed appearance, was lying on the kitchen countertop, her little hands placed over a leaky faucet.
"Oh, my goodness… I look so cute!" Ruby squealed, finding this version of her to be quite adorable. Everybody else was also surprised, some more so than other.
How could they not be surprised? This Ruby had an obscenely big head, stubby arms and legs, and looked rather short, shorter than even Neo.
The collective consensus was, "What the heck?"
"Talk about weird, right?" The Keeper said, with everyone agreeing.
"Just what kind of world is this?" Emerald asked, questioning how this Ruby was able to walk, let alone stand, with such a big head. It just seemed too abnormal in her opinion.
"Yeah, I'm with Emerald on this one." Mercury said in agreement. Neo herself pulled up a sign with a question mark on it.
"Remember, I did say this world would be weird." The Keeper reminded them, having told them beforehand how strange this world would be. "In any case, please keep on watching."
"Guys, we got a leak!" Ruby shouted as the faucet continued to leak, squirting water everywhere. "Somebody call a plumber!"
Then, from out of nowhere, a big-headed Tai came into view, dressed in his typical attire, but with a hat that had hammer and wrench emblem stitched upon it. In his right hand, he held a bright red tool box. The father of Yang and Ruby smiled.
"Sounds like someone could use a little help from… The Fixer." declared Tai, who held his finger into the air. He was more than ready to help. Ruby, though, was having second thoughts about that help.
"Oh, no... Please, not this again, Dad." Ruby groaned, palming her face.
"This is so gonna blow." Yang added, knowing full well what was going to happen.
"What's wrong?" Blake asked her friends, as she ate the fish that killed Adam. Turns out one didn't just have to think of food, they could cook it themselves too.
Pinching the bridge of his nose, Qrow answered the cat Faunus in place of his nieces. "Let's just say this world is showing something that happens too often back home. If this Tai is anything like mine, then this probably won't end well."
Qrow was more than aware of what was being shown on screen. After all, while the universe shown was aesthetically different from their own world, it was still clear that it was quite similar in many ways as well. Qrow had borne witness to the so-called "Fixer" at work, as did Yang and Ruby, and now all of their friends and enemies will know their pain. "The Fixer" was a fate that even they wouldn't wish on anyone.
"No, dad, no, we just need a plumber." Ruby argued, shaking her head. The last thing she needed was for her father to make things worse, again. Tai, of course, disagreed with that sentiment, setting his tool box down.
"What've I always told you girls?" He began, scolding his youngest daughter. "As long as I'm around, you never have to pay for plumbers, electricians-" They watch the lights flicker. "Ignore that. Or dentists."
As if on cue, one of his teeth fell off. Ruby was still unsure about his help, what with all the "fixed" evidence she has seen.
"Does your dad have problems with his teeth?" Weiss asked, concerned for her friend's and their father's dental health. She can admit she already likes Taiyang, but he seemed like a cheapskate.
"Not really," Ruby replied, "That's never happened before… at least I hope not."
"It must be just this world then." Glynda said to herself, with all of the adults within earshot also agreeing. Though, just in case Ruby ever decided to convince her father to visit the dentist, she was going to be right there with her, wand ready to levitate Tai straight to the dentist's office.
The screen then transitioned, with the hat insignia expanding and then receding into the background. Once it vanished, it revealed the repaired faucet. Though whether it was fixed or not was the question. The faucet had been layered over with an entire roll of duct tape. It was pretty obvious that this repair job was rather haphazard and obviously temporary, considering that water was still leaking out. Ruby watched the sink and worried, knowing full well that this "fixed" solution was a serious safety hazard.
"You see?" Tai asked, pleased with his "good" work. Ruby still looked nervous. Tai gloated, "Plumbing is my middle name. Hey, did you see a tooth around here anywhere?"
With that, The Fixer left, his eyes scanning the kitchen floor for his missing tooth. Ruby slowly backed away from the leaking faucet, knowing full well that disaster was imminent.
"You know, this universe reminds me of those shows I used to watch with my sisters growing up." Jaune said, recalling some fond childhood memories.
"How do you mean, Jaune?" Ren asked his leader, with Nora leaning in to hear more.
Jaune elaborated on his statement. "You know, where kid cartoons show the characters doing ridiculous things like literally stretching their bodies, never noticing they're standing on thin air till it's too late, and all that other junk."
Nora and Ren looked to each other and found that they agreed with their leader. Many old Cartoons certainly did like to throw logic out and break the laws of reality like an anvil on a head. Maybe this world would be the same, but there was only one way to find out.
The scene changed to Yang riding her yellow motorcycle, which she affectionately calls Bumblebee. The blonde brawler appeared to be having trouble with it. The motorcycle was sputtering and spitting out smoke, while the engine sounded like it was going to die.
"Ugh, Bumblebee, come on!" She pleaded, completely upset by this sudden predicament. "Maybe it's time for a tune-up."
She stopped the motorcycle, only for Tai to immediately zip in from out of nowhere. He still had his red tool box, the same hat, and a biggest grin with raised, expectant eyebrows. Yang, however, didn't look any happy to see her father at all.
"Oh, great, I remember this." Yang groaned, with Blake looking at her in confusion.
"Wait, has this happened to you before?" She asked, wondering how something that happened in their world. This was supposed to be a different universe, so how could the same thing happen here?
"Well, kinda. Excluding the big heads, tiny arms, and the location, this exact thing happened way before I came to Beacon. If the leaky faucet taught you anything, you already know what the outcomes going to be like."
Blake frowned, concerned for her friend's second most prized possession. She was glad that Taiyang wasn't going to try something with Yang's hair, which would have been a disaster of apocalyptic scale.
Yang turned to her father and sternly said, "Dad, no. I have a mechanic."
Yang did not want her father to do his "fixer" shtick, especially when it was her "baby" on the lone. The last thing she needed was for Bumblebee to burst into flames.
Tai, looking betrayed, set his tool box down and frowned dejectedly, and pitifully said, "Oh. Okay, that's fine."
"And here comes the guilt trip." Yang muttered, watching the screen with a resigned look.
"Hey, at least let me start a bonfire for you." He offered, only to go into a scolding lecture about financial responsibility, and angrily suggested. "So you can throw all your money in it," He then waved his hands in frustration, as though tossing said money into the proverbial fire.
"Because that's what you're going to do by going to a "mechanic"." He finished, using air quotes as he spoke the profession with disdain.
Tai then stomped on his foot, glaring at his daughter for her wasteful choice, and testily remarked, "Oh, and while you're at it, throw my corpse in the fire too because apparently I'm dead to you!"
"Did he actually say that?" Weiss asked Yang, whom only groaned in response.
"Yep, it was exactly word for word. He always does this whenever I try to fix Bumblebee… it's almost like he can sense it." She explained, with Ruby sharing similar thoughts.
The young Rose shared her own story. "He once offered to help me "fix" Crescent Rose… It took the fire department three hours to fully extinguish the fire."
"Jeez! Okay! Fine!" She yelled, giving in to her father's words. She knew it wasn't worth arguing him about money, and so immediately got off her beloved motorcycle. Tai immediately perked up, proud of her decision. Yang told him, "Do your fixer thing."
The screen then performed the same transition again. It then changed to Tai to standing proudly in the street, with a big grin on his face. He approvingly said, "Look at that, good as new."
As he said those words, Yang rode on to the street on a motorcycle that looked nothing like new. If anything, Bumblebee looked worse than before, as it sputtered more, threw out entire clouds of smoke, and Yang was barely trying to keep the bike balanced. Tai noticed and tried to save face by saying, "Uh-newish."
Then a piece of the motorcycle broke, which Tai noticed. He tried to salvage his own dignity, rather than the mechanical piece on the ground, telling Yang. "Oh, you don't actually need, uh, whatever that thing is."
Unbeknownst to him, far back on the other side of the city, the leaky faucet he had "fixed" finally exploded, with a large geyser of water shooting into the air. Atop the geyser was a frightened Ruby, who immediately yelled out "Plumber!"
The scene ended there.
"It took me weeks to repair her, that doesn't even begin to cover the amount of lien I spent gathering new parts." Yang whimpered, wishing that fate had played out more differently in her world. Yet every time she thought she could get away with it, her father just swoops in and guilt trips her into allowing him to "fix" it. It was honestly embarrassing.
"Yeah… Tai's never been the best at fixing stuff. He can't even change the wallpaper on his computer without getting a virus." Qrow mentioned, recalling all the times Tai tried practicing his repair "skills" around Beacon during their school days. Raven usually kept her calm, but she lost it whenever Tai tried to 'fix' her sword. Those stories usually ended with Tai being sent to either the infirmary.
"Ugh, please, don't remind me..." Glynda groused, remembering Tai's lackluster repairman skills. She remembered one time when Tai offered to "fix" a dress she was going to wear to a dance. Seeing no harm in letting a first year help her, Glynda gave Tai the dress, which had a tiny hole in it. She got it back in an hour and it actually did look better than new…
Then she went to the dance, where the bottom half the dress began to unravel, right at the hole that Taiyang "fixed". Before she knew it, nearly everybody there got a great view of her panties. Then she gave some of those people a great view to the infirmary's ceiling. She then spent the next week locked in her team's room, too embarrassed to show her face in public. That was also the last time she ever let Taiyang fix any of her things.
Ozpin recalled the time when Tai tried to "fix" the ceiling of his office. The ceiling collapsed instead, revealing the gears running the tower's clock. Though in his opinion, Tai's little screw-up actually helped him, considering that it made his office look quite intimidating to any trouble making student. The office was kept like that right up until Beacon's fall.
"Wasn't that world funny?" The Keeper asked, but the audience wasn't laughing or even smiling.
"Meh, it wasn't bad, I guess, just really… meh." Mercury shrugged, finding the last scene somewhat bland. It was funny seeing Yang getting embarrassed, but it wasn't that hilarious.
Neo raised a sign that read "3 out of 10 Stars". It needed more substance in her opinion.
"Yeesh, Tough crowd, well, in that case, let's continue on with the next scene." Mayden said, with the screen returning to life. "One more Chibi world, and then the next one will show some people you're all familiar with."
Once he said that, the audience resumed to see what would come up next. Maybe this Chibi-scene would be funnier than the Tai one.
On screen, there appeared a forest trail. A young girl was happily skipping through it, humming a little tune and enjoying the beautiful weather. She had orange curly hair topped by pink bow and was dressed in a nice, clean dress. Her name is Penny Polendina, a cyborg who wished to be a real girl.
"Penny…" Ruby gasped with tears in her eyes. She missed her dearly, along with Pyrrha. To think she was alive and well in this universe. A part of her felt happy about that, at least this universe's Ruby won't feel the pain of watching her die. She then turned in her seat, glaring viciously at Cinder, the woman responsible for ending Penny's life.
Cinder, noticing the glare, shrugged it off, not caring in the slightest what little red thought about her. Pyrrha was the one who killed Atlas' little abomination, not her. She was just the one who had Emerald trick the invincible girl with an illusion to destroy the machine. She continued watching the screen, but was rather bored already.
Penny continued skipping until she found a Grimm, a Beowolf to be exact, chewing on a bone, crouched next to a big bush. She stopped and spoke to the creature, "Oh! Hello there, fluffy friend."
"Okay, was that Penny girl alright in the head?" Qrow asked, facing Ironwood, who had played a role in Penny's "birth".
"More or less…" Ironwood didn't want to admit it, but Penny had always been rather off. There was nothing wrong with that, in fact it made her more endearing. She was just a tad too trusting. He remembered this one time when the robot girl went out on one of her first missions, and started petting and hugging an Ursa. The Ursa proceeded to bite her arm, tearing off her shoulder. After retrieving the arm, the general was forced to give the girl a lesson on the nature of the Grimm, so as to explain why she mustn't be nice to them.
"Still, it is nice seeing her again." Ironwood thought, happy that this version of Penny seemed fine. He missed the quirky girl, having considered her like a niece, much like how Qrow viewed young Ruby. Although, he did wonder whether this version of Penny would survive this Grimm encounter, but something told him she'll be alright.
Suddenly, from behind the bushes, Ozpin jumped out, waving his hand and cane.
He warned the girl "Penny no, don't pet the Grimm!"
The sweet and ignorant girl reeled back slightly, surprised by the headmaster's sudden appearance, stopping herself from petting the Grimm.
"But why not? Penny asked, as the headmaster leapt out of the bush, placing himself between her and the Beowolf. The Grimm noticed the two odd humans, but made no movement to attack. The headmaster reached into his pockets, and from out of nowhere, he pulled out an outlandish looking red and white top hat, which he placed upon his head, all while explaining to the confused girl. "Not a pet! Not a pat! None of those are for him!"
He gestured to the Grimm and explained further, "He's a villain, a beast, he's a cold-blooded Grimm!"
"Did Ozpin just rhyme?" Glynda asked aloud, as she never saw her boss act like this. Then again this is some Chibi-world, so anything goes. Qrow and Ironwood were at a loss for words, as they never imagined the stoic, serious immortal to ever act this silly.
Ozpin, from inside Oscar's head, noticed the hat and thought, 'I don't know why, but I have the distinct feeling that I'm going to get sued."
A red theater curtain descended, before lifting back up to show a new location. The scene has changed to some kind jazz club, where Penny and the Beowulf now stand on a stage, next to a microphone stand. Ozpin stood next to Penny, looking at the pair with a questioning gaze.
"But he's good for a laugh. He could tell me a joke." Penny reasoned, still intent on making a new friend out of this Grimm.
"Not at all. No siree." He countered, just as the Grimm leaned in to chew on the mic. "He's more likely to choke."
Then a trap door opened, through which both Penny and the Beowolf fall into. The scene changed, this time to a living room, with Ozpin now standing behind a couch, upon which Penny and the Grimm land.
"How'd he do that?" Nora asked, questioning how Ozpin could make the scene change so fast.
"Nora, this world obviously doesn't function on conventional logic or the laws of reality." Weiss pointed out. While she too was a bit curious as to how this world worked, she knew that understanding it was impossible. This dimension seemed more like a cartoon than real life.
"We can watch funny shows!" Penny said with a smile, still trying to convince Ozpin, taking hold of the Grimm's arm. "I can cuddle him tight."
Ozpin again had to burst the poor girl's bubble. "He'll keep changing the channel. And he'll do so all night." Just as the headmaster said, the Beowolf started pressing the remote and flipped between channels, all while ignoring the sweet girl hugging him.
Suddenly, Penny and the Grimm were whisked away from the living room and right into a classroom. Sitting around them were a few other students. These students were Pyrrha, Cardin, and Jaune.
"Pyrrha…" Jaune sadly whispered, surprised at his dead friend. His clenched his fist, remembering what Cinder did to her. He was going to stop Cinder, this he vowed.
"He can meet all my friends. All the teachers and students!" She said, as Jaune leaned next to the Grimm, his hand reaching out to a textbook resting beneath it.
While all this was happening, Ozpin walked into the classroom, and said, "He would snap and he'd bite. It would hardly be prudent."
As if on cue, the Beowolf chomped down on Jaune's hand, with Pyrrha watching in concerned terror, and Cardin watching with concerning enjoyment. As for Penny, she paid no mind, despite Jaune's screams of pain.
"Now that's funny!" Mercury smirked with a vicious smile, glad to finally see some pain.
Emerald looked over her partner, rolled her eyes, and quietly insulted him, "Friggin' sociopath…"
Ozpin took his hat and twirled it onto the screen, which prompted another change of scene. The hat returned to Ozpin, nestling itself back upon his head. The trio now stood in a library. Penny, still smiling, held up an orange book, the cover of which had a picture of a Grimm, the title "Oh, Behave!" printed above it. Ozpin pulled out a book, "Ninjas of Love" to be exact, and opened it up, admiring the centerfold that folded out.
Oscar blushed and asked Ozpin, 'Oz, you didn't read books like that, did you?'
Ozpin does not answer.
Oscar blinked and asked in concern, 'Uh, Oz, you still in there?'
"He can learn to behave. I can teach him good manners."
'When hell freezes over, that is.' Cinder thought, disgusted by just how sickeningly-sweet this world seemed to be. To think that there was a universe like this, one where nearly everyone acted like fools. She loathed thinking what this world's Cinder would be like.
The Grimm, ignoring young Penny's hopes, took the book and started chewing on it. Ozpin, hearing the creature's teeth munching on the book, deposited his book back into his person, turning around to share his thoughts on the matter. He then spoke bluntly, "Sadly no my sweet girl. He's as dumb as a hammer."
"Oh, screw you!" Nora angrily shouted, offended by that remark.
Penny frowned and slouched depressingly, finally losing all hope of becoming friends with the Grimm. The Grimm simply placed its hands on his hips, before walking away.
The background suddenly popped back to where this all started, right in the forest. Both Penny and Ozpin still stood as they were. Then the Grimm returned, holding a beautiful yellow flower meant for the young girl. Penny perked up slightly, only for Ozpin to give his final words to dear Penny. "He's a monster, a savage, and you're just far too kind. You must say your goodbyes, must leave him behind."
The flower drooped, having lost all life. Penny sadly looked upon the Grimm, and with tears in her eyes, and forlornly said, "Get along little doggie. It is now plain to see. You and I are too different. It was not meant to be."
Having said their piece, Penny and Ozpin left, leaving the Beowolf behind. Once both are out of sight, The Grimm sat down on the ground and sadly spoke, "What a hassle,"
"Wait, that thing can talk!?" Winter exclaimed in shock. The others were also surprised by this outcome.
"Wow, didn't see that coming... Neat!" Nora said, pulling out her scroll to record the talking Grimm. She always did wonder what a talking Grimm would sound like.
"Interesting…" Cinder said in awe. In their world, the creatures of Grimm have always been seen as mindless beasts devoid of any intelligence. In fact, many compared them to feral beast, unintelligent and relying on their base instincts. If Salem could give them intelligence, it may turn the tide in their favor.
The Grimm continued speaking, clearly distraught and feeling rejected. "A bother, what a pain in the neck. That girl drove me crazy, and now I'm a wreck!"
With that the Grimm began sniffling Somehow saddened despite being a savage Grimm as Ozpin put it.
"On second thought... maybe it'd be best not to give Grimm intelligence." Cinder concluded, considering how this one acted. She could see why it would be a poor choice if Salem gave her creations intelligence.
After all, what good was a creature of mass destruction, if said creature had a conscience?
As the Grimm continued to cry, another Beowolf slid next to him. This new Grimm, in an attempt to cheer his buddy up, encouragingly said, "Well good riddance to her. She ain't worth all the trouble. You got your old pal Marty, to cheer you up, on the double."
Marty gave his dejected friend a playful punch to the shoulder and the Grimm equivalent of a grin. The saddened Grimm gazed at his friend and simply said, "Dude, please stop rhyming."
The screen went dark.
"Well, that was... something." Emerald stated, having found that dimension weird and slightly off. She wasn't sure how to feel about it.
"I think you meant "very weird", greenie." Qrow corrected before drinking from his flask.
"I thought it was awesome!" Nora happily declared, having liked this bigheaded world. Too bad she couldn't find herself in it. Wonder what she looked like?
"I think it was adorable!" Ruby squealed, having liked this version of their world. It just seemed so quirky and fun. Penny and Pyrrha were alive, and there didn't seem to be any trouble at all. It was a nice peaceful world.
"I understand your opinion, truly I do. This world has its good points, but it's usually just strange, and with some laughable weirdness here and there." The Keeper told them of his opinion. He didn't hate the Chibi universe, if anything, he actually rather enjoyed some of it.
"In any case, I'm assuming we're going to be seeing more of that world again in the future?" Oscar asked on Ozpin's behalf.
"Yep, but for now, though, I'm going to show you some familiar people who have passed on. Speaking of whom, how are you feeling, Taurus?" Mayden said, asking the now mentally fully-functional bull faunus , who was groaning.
"I'll kill you, Cinder." He seethed, remembering the circumstances of his death.
Death by fish, that was pathetic, no, it was rather insulting. He Glared at the Fall Maiden, whom just smirked smugly at him, which further infuriated them.
"Now, now, there's no need for any fighting." The Keeper warned, causing Adam to calm himself. He already aware that he couldn't harm Cinder, not fully, as the rules of this dimension forbids it. But he swore he would find a way to make the woman pay. For now, he would just watch have to watch these dumb shows. A good distraction to keep him from thinking about what he saw on the other side.
'To think she was there...' Adam thought, rather upset by the person he found in the afterlife. He remembered that mocking tone she gave him, even telling him about what has happened in the White Fang after the attack on Haven failed.
'Damn it all.' He angrily thought.
While Adam was brooding by himself, the Keeper began to set up the next dimension. Once the Screen was clear, showing that he was done, Mayden was ready.
"Alright then, first we're going to see a person you already saw, then we'll see some people you thought lost." He said, making many in the audience wonder what he meant by that last part. But they knew there was only one way to find out.
"Let's start."
So ends the two Chibi shows. Not gonna lie, felt strange writing them, but a bit fun. In any case we'll see Chibi in the future, for now time for some lovely songs my beta-reader recommended. Hope you like his/her choices, I know I did. While we're at it we'll also see familiar faces who I will eventually add to this crowd. An intermission chapter will come soon enough.
Until next time.
(Beta-Readers note: If anyone is wondering where Adam went, it wasn't hell. But it wasn't heaven either. Actually, it was more like a waiting station… one that had a very familiar person there to taunt him, and it also had a distinct lack of chairs. It wasn't hell, but it was definitely close enough for the guy)