A puff of dandelion seeds flew by and suddenly it was darkness. There were six Keyblades in the dark. We zoomed into the first one which was silver, yellow, and black and had a unicorn on the cross guard.
"Six Keyblades," Blake observed, "One for each apprentice."
"We know who the black and silver one belongs to," Ren noted, "I would guess we're about to meet the others."
Clover appeared and grabbed it, while the God of Light began talking again, "And so the reliable Clover, who wore the mask of the unicorn, was given his role to take over for the Master and lead the others."
"A role I gladly accept," Clover smirked, "Though the color scheme isn't really me."
"Yeah, it isn't Atlas white," Roman said as he rolled his eyes.
A man appeared holding another Keyblade, this one blue and grey, with a snake head. The man wore black boots that went up to his thigh, covering deep blue pants. He had on a white shirt, covered by a red sash. He also wore fingerless gloves that extended all the way up to his biceps. He wore a blue shawl over his head and a snake mask underneath.
"That's Vine," Harriet explained, "He's the quiet, logical one of the team."
"So he's like Ren?" Nora asked with a smile, "That's great! Ren could have someone else to talk to!"
"Nora," Ren sighed.
The God of Light continued, "Similarly, the virtuous Vine, who wore the mask of the snake, was given his role to watch over the others with a fair eye."
"That seems like a dumb roll," Neo noted with a raised eyebrow, "Why?"
"I would guess we'll get that explanation later," Jaune answered, "This is probably just to familiarize us with the others."
Next, a large woman appeared, she held a brown and black Keyblade that had a bear head on it. She wore blue boots, white pants and a red belt. She had on a white half-jacket that only had the right sleeve, with a grey undershirt. She wore a bear mask over her face and a tan hood.
"Elm," Clover explained, "The muscle of the group, fights with a rocket hammer."
Nora perked up again, "She's like me! I'm the muscle of this team, and I fight with a hammer! I need to meet her! Ren, do you think she'll like me? I bet she'll like me! We'll be best friends!"
Harriet raised an eyebrow and was about to ask a question, but Winter interrupted her, "Yes, she's always like this."
"The fearless Elm, who wore the mask of the bear, was given her role to support their brand-new leader Clover."
"Another stellar role," Weiss rolled her eyes, "Being a good teammate is important, but have a better role than that!"
A Faunus with a wolf's tail was shown. His Keyblade was purple and gold with a fox head on it. He wore black boots, blue pants, and a military shirt in all white. He had on a fox mask and a purple hood.
"Marrow," Harriet rolled her eyes, "The goof ball of the group."
Adam growled, "Why can't a Faunus be serious for once?"
"I'm serious," Velvet shrugged, "Not that I care what a radical terrorist thinks, but I'm not a goof ball."
"The prudent Marrow, who wore the mask of the fox, was given his role to prepare exceptional Keyblade wielders for the world after."
"Prudent?" Harriet laughed, "Not the word I would use to describe him."
"That's actually a smart role," Summer stated, "Train the next generation."
"It's also his contingency," Ozpin observed, "He's preparing them for the world after Darkness takes over."
"But the Master has still given up," Ruby grumbled, "He should be trying to stop the darkness, regardless of what the book tells him."
Next, a smaller woman appeared. Her Keyblade was all gold and had a leopard head. She wore white shoes with red socks. She had on leggings that covered up to her knees, then faded off and only covered the outside of her legs until connecting with her white shorts. She wore a short sleeve white and blue shirt and fingerless gloves. She wore a leopard mask and a yellow hood.
"There you are, Hare," Clover observed.
"A leopard?" Harriet questioned, "If we're picking a big cat for me, I would've picked a cheetah."
"Why a cheetah, and not say a puma?" Mercury asked.
"I've got a speed semblance," Harriet explained, "Fastest one I've ever seen."
"So do I!" Ruby exclaimed, "It's so exciting to meet another speedster!"
Harriet smirked, "Really? Well, I bet I'm faster!"
Yang leaned over to Blake, "I smell a race coming up."
Blake smirked, "Yeah, Ruby isn't one to back down from a challenge, is she?"
"Nope!" Yang chuckled.
"The coolheaded Harriet, who wore the mask of the leopard, was given her role to uncover the mystery of the Book of Prophecies."
"That's my role?" Harriet asked with disappointment, "I was hoping for something a little more exciting."
"The Master must trust you," Pyrrha pointed out, "With how much he relies on the book, it would only be given to someone he trusts."
"Huh," Harriet raised an eyebrow, "I hadn't thought of it like that."
The scene changed to Luxu holding her new Keyblade and dragging a box through a desert.
"What's in the box?" Roman wondered.
"I bet it's part of her role," Qrow shrugged, "We don't even really know it yet."
"Luxu, the first of the apprentices to be given their role, watched her companions from afar, as they learned what it was that they were meant to do, then, she disappeared."
Raven sighed, "As much as I hate it, it lends more credence to the Ozpin theory. Luxu now has similarities to Summer."
"But Oz didn't give me that mission," Summer corrected, "That was all me."
"You can't blame me for everything, Raven," Ozpin stated.
Raven growled at the old man.
The scene changed again to the Master standing on the hill again as the God of Light talked, he turned around and walked away.
"Not long after that, the Master vanished, dimmed, and faded without a trace."
"So much for hypothetical," Oscar sighed.
"He probably knew that going in," Winter observed, "This plan was too well laid out to be just a back-up."
"Five of the Master's apprentices armed themselves with the Book of Prophecies."
The scene showed Clover, Elm, Vine, Harriet, and Marrow standing in front of the Master in his office. The Book of Prophecies was on his desk. "They each created a Union. This would fulfill his wishes. Then, they set out to rally Keyblade wielders."
"No book for Luxu?" Nora asked, "What is her role that she wouldn't get one?"
"I'm not sure," Ren admitted, "I'm more interested in the Unions. How would they fulfill the Master's wishes?"
"By defeating the monsters of darkness, they would gather Lux, the power of light. These were the Foretellers."
"There's your answer," Ilia stated, "The Master wants them to keep the light safe from the creatures of darkness."
"But he said it was impossible to stop it," Yang argued, "Why would he want them to do the impossible?"
"I don't think he does," Weiss contemplated, "There must be another reason."
"But what is it?" Neo asked, though no one had an answer.
The scene changed; all of the Foretellers were standing in the Masters office. Clover approached a large round table and addressed the group, "There's a traitor among us."
Harriet, Clover, Winter, and Penny's jaws collectively dropped.
"A traitor?" Clover asked, "Is this true for our world too?"
Gordeau shrugged, "I think that's something you should figure out for yourself."
Clover sighed as Harriet began trying to convince him it wasn't her.
Gordeau mentally slapped himself. Shit! I don't actually know if there is one. I'll have to answer that later when I know more.
The other four looked at him astonished, but it was Vine that spoke up, "Are you certain? What proof do you have?"
"Before we jump to conclusions," Ozpin sighed, "Why don't we see the proof he has?"
"Shove it," Winter growled, to the shock of many, "This is an Atlas matter now, and after what you've done, you have no say in this matter."
Ozpin sulked as Gordeau raised an eyebrow.
Clover held out his hand and a flash of light appeared. After it subsided, a small stuffed cat like creature appeared. It was dark grey with black stripes, had a grey cape, and a red purse.
"D'aw," Ruby and Weiss cooed, "It's so cute!"
Blake smiled, "I actually agree with you there."
"Cute like you," Yang flirted.
Blake blushed at the compliment.
Zwei meanwhile, whimpered in Weiss's lap.
"Not as cute as you though," Weiss held him up and rubbed their noses together.
"I found this sniffing around," Clover announced.
"Is that… a dark Chirithy?" Marrow asked worriedly.
"That's a strange name for it," Neo stated.
"If a dark one is that obnoxiously cute, I'd hate to see a light one," Mercury grumbled.
Suddenly Vine stood up, making Marrow and Elm jump a little, "Is that… a Nightmare?"
The other three all suddenly realized this was a bad thing and, all except Harriet who was sitting on the table, stood up.
"I take it that's a bad thing," Sun noted.
"When has a nightmare ever been a good thing," Neptune countered.
"Point taken," Sun admitted.
The scene changed again it showed a light grey Chirithy in an amber bottle. The Master was carrying it to his desk.
"The light one doesn't look all that different from the dark one," Mercury sighed, "That's a relief."
"I think the dark one's cuter," Emerald admitted, as Mercury looked at her strangely.
"So, if the Master's here, I take it this is a flashback?" Harriet sighed, "How are we supposed to learn about the traitor from this?"
"From the focus," Tai observed, "I'd guess it's to learn about the Chirithies, not the traitor."
"That's dumb," Harriet growled, "The traitor is more important than a small stuffed cat."
Suddenly, Marrow ran up and started fawning over the creature, "Master, did you make this? It's so cute!"
Clover chuckled, "I agree with you Hare, but seeing Marrow like this? That's pretty hilarious."
Harriet still grumbled, but agreed it was funny.
"Well," the Master leaned down to inspect the creature, "Things are gonna get pretty hectic around here soon. But this," he tapped the bottle, "Spirit Chirithy is gonna make your lives much easier!" He finished then quickly added, "Hopefully."
"So he made them to help," Summer smiled, "That has to count for something."
"But to help who," Raven scowled, "I still don't trust him."
"Spirit?" Harriet walked up slowly and questioned.
The Master picked up the bottle again, "You could say they're like cats or dogs. And they'll be your loyal pets. Every wielder will have one of these adorable little guys at their side." He tapped the glass and the Chirithy woke up. It charged the offending finger, only to hit the glass and fall over.
Ruby and Weiss cooed again at how cute the Chirithy was.
"Every wielder has one?" Jaune asked, "Sounds like both a good plan, and a nice way to cover tracks."
"They're here to help, so play nice!" the Master finished.
"Okay," Marrow nodded enthusiastically.
The Master set the bottle down then remembered something, "Oh, right, before I forget…"
This got the attention of Elm, Vine, and Clover who had been watching from a distance. The Master continued, "If a wielder is overcome by malice – or rather, if their heart is tainted by darkness – their adorable little Spirit will turn dark and become a Nightmare."
Cinder smirked, "So one of the Foretellers has fallen to darkness. Seems we just keep winning in this universe."
"Gloat all you want," Pyrrha snapped, "I'm sure Light will find a way somehow. It may take a while, but I'm sure we will win."
Cinder settled back into her seat, "We'll see."
Clover pieced it together, "So you're telling us that if we see a Nightmare…"
Vine finished his thought, "Someone has fallen into darkness."
"Exactly," the Master nodded, "And if you don't stop this renegade Spirit, it'll plant darkness in the hearts of others and you'll have an army of Nightmares on your hands. Beware."
"Darkness," Ozpin sighed, "It spreads like a plague. One person corrupts another, and so on. Which is why it needs to be snuffed out."
Roman raised an eyebrow, "You want to snuff out Darkness? How's that going for you so far? Seems to me you haven't quite gotten around to it yet."
"And what do you know about it?" Ozpin asked, slightly annoyed, "You were just a thief."
"Not always," Roman muttered under his breath as he glanced at Neo. She returned the glance with a look that was both apologetic and thankful at the same time.
"So," Elm spoke up, "If we see one of these Nightmares anywhere, we have to get rid of it on the spot."
"I agree," Winter nodded, "Those Nightmares are Darkness, and they need to be taken care of immediately."
"No!" Weiss cried out, "They're so cute!"
"No!" Marrow yelled, "I won't let you do that!"
Harriet stepped forward and scolded Elm, "No wonder you ended up as the bear. You're scary."
"Classic Harriet wit," Clover snickered.
Harriet smirked, "I try."
Elm looked confused, while Clover and Vine stared holes into the ground. "You're point?" Elm asked.
Marrow stepped forward, "Maybe you can growl at them?" he asked jokingly.
Elm thought about it for a moment before she realized it was a joke, "Ah! Don't insult me!"
"Operative Ederne is not that dense," Penny noted, "I would probably think that, but not her."
She stormed forward but at this point even the Master was in on it, "Come on, Elm. You won't know if it works unless you try."
Everyone except Elm was now laughing at the situation. Elm took the comment seriously again though, "Please tell me you're joking," she asked in shock.
The theater chuckled along with the screen.
The scene cuts back to the present and Elm starts defending herself, "It's not me."
"There's an easy way to solve this," Harriet pointed out, "If we all summon our Spirits, then we'll know."
"There's a good solution," Clover pointed out, "Nice thought Hare."
"Unfortunately," Oscar sighed, "There's a major flaw with that."
"Unfortunately," Vine pointed out, "There are countless wielders in our Unions. It would be easy for any of us to summon a Chirithy that isn't a Nightmare."
He shook his head and continued, "I'm afraid your suggestion wouldn't help us get to the bottom of this."
"Oh," Harriet winced, "I didn't know they could do that."
"It would have worked with us," Winter agreed.
Marrow slammed his hands on the table, "Yeah, in that case, who's to say that the Nightmare you saw belongs to one of us? I could belong to anyone in our Unions."
"That's highly unlikely," Clover noted, "Do you recall the tool the wielders were given in order to make them stronger?"
"Keyblades?" Ruby questioned, "Isn't that part of their job?"
"Or is talking about the Spirits?" Weiss wondered, "They were sent to help."
"I think it must be something different," Blake stated, "They wouldn't question the Master, and he gave both of those things to them."
Adam mentally chuckled. He'd figured out what was going on. He was honestly impressed by what was going on. Now he just waited for everyone else to figure it out.
"We generally don't concern ourselves with what they have at their disposal, However- I believe those tools were the Nightmare's doing." Clover set his hands on the table as he dropped this bomb.
"The bangles?" Marrow asked, "I know when they're equipped, they have the power to collect dark energy, but I thought we all agreed that was okay."
"Collecting is fine," Clover agreed, "But using that power is the equivalent of using the power of darkness."
"And giving into Darkness is a bad thing," Velvet nodded, "It seems like that's going to be a big thing in this universe."
"Yeah," Weiss and Yang agreed.
Harriet sighed, "It's a brilliant plan. Everyone knows that all Spirits look the same, and wielders exist in spades. There's no way to tell."
Marrow realized something, "Oh, no. Everyone's already equipped their bangles."
Elm walked over from where she was standing and asked the important questions, "So what now? How do we find out who's behind this?"
"Anyone got any ideas?" Nora asked.
"I have several," Adam stated, "But I don't think you would agree with any of them."
Nora rolled her eyes, "Anyone who isn't violently crazy got any ideas?"
Raven slowly lowered the hand she'd raised.
Clover had a plan outline ready, "Seeing as those bangles couldn't have been acquired by just anyone, I believe it's one of us here in this room."
Vine spoke up, "No, Clover, I respectfully disagree. What proof do we have that the bangles are tied to the power of darkness, or if a Nightmare is to blame? We shouldn't simply jump to conclusions."
"And there's the Vine we all know," Clover shook his head, "Always pointing out the flaws in our logic."
"Though it can get annoying," Harriet rolled her eyes.
Elm had had enough, "Clover, some leader you are. You've managed to plant seeds of doubt in all of us with that speech."
"Gotta say," Qrow shrugged, "I agree with the tree woman there. You may need to find the traitor, but doing it that way? That is only gonna lead to fighting and hurt."
"Yeah?" Clover scoffed, "And how would you have done it?"
"Well," Qrow continued, "I would've found more powerful evidence then that. It seems coincidental to me."
Clover started to argue, but realized he was right.
Clover looked at her in anger, but she ignored it and continued, "What? Did you expect the traitor to give themselves up with that accusation of yours? That was foolish."
"Elm," Vine snapped angrily, "That's quite enough."
"She's right though," Neptune pointed out, "Calling out a traitor never does anything unless you have proof."
Elm sighed, "It looks to me like the Master made the wrong choice." She began to walk out of the room.
"Well," Winter huffed as she folded her arms, "It would appear we need to have a chat with Operative Ederne when we get back."
"She may even be the traitor," Clover shook his head, "And to think I trusted her."
Vine stood up to stop her, "Wait. Where do you think you're going?"
Elm didn't answer him or even stop. She walked right out of the room.
Harriet hopped off the table, "I think we're done here. I trust you'll keep us all updated." She pointed out, heading for the door as well.
"Yeah," Harriet winced, "Elm kinda called the meeting adjourned with that outburst."
"Speaking of," Clover looked at Harriet, "You'd better not start sitting on tables during our briefings. They should remain professional."
Marrow looked down at the floor, "I hope… I hope we can all resolve this soon…" he sighed and walked out the door too.
"I like him," Pyrrha smiled, "He seems kind and caring."
"Don't really know," Harriet shrugged, "We're a team, not friends."
"What!" the Beacon students all shouted.
"How can you be a team if you're not friends?" Ruby asked frantically.
"You need to trust each other! How can you do that if you're not friends?" Jaune wondered.
"We do," Harriet shrugged, "We don't confuse business with pleasure."
Weiss scowled, but didn't say anything. She considered both the rest of Team RWBY and Team JNPR her family, but knew her sister would not approve.
"That didn't go as expected," Clover sighed.
Vine was worried though, "What's wrong, Clover? This isn't like you."
"That is true," Winter agreed, "Paranoia doesn't really suit you, Clover."
"I'm more of a care-free guy when it get's down to it," Clover agreed, "But I do have a serious side."
Clover walked over to the desk before answering, "A Lost Page… Something's missing from our Book of Prophecies. Each of our copies were said to contain the events of the future."
"But this incident," he continued, "Well, it's nowhere to be found."
"Well, that's how you find out who the traitor is," Raven settled back, "Whoever has the Lost Page is your traitor."
"In this universe, yes," Winter scowled, "But in ours? How do we find them there?"
"Have you ever considered that there might not be a traitor," Ozpin suggested, "That just watching this has made you think there is a traitor?"
Clover thought for a second. Maybe I did jump to conclusions. There could be no traitor at all.
"And," Vine started, "How does this whole thing with the traitor tie together?"
"Like I said," Clover explained, "It's nowhere to be found… in my Book."
"Clover," Vine understood what he meant, "Are you implying that someone is in possession of the missing page? And the person with the complete Book is the traitor?"
"Seems you're right," Emerald noted, "That's how they're gonna find the traitor."
"There is something going on," Clover pointed out, "And a page is suspiciously missing from the Book. It's not so far-fetched to assume that the one who has the Lost Page has been turned, that they have fallen into the hands of darkness. Trust me."
Vine pulled out his copy of the book and examined it, "There seems to be no record of it in my Book either. You may be onto something."
"I wonder," he thought, "Could this have been the Master's plan all along? To grant the lost page to only one of us?"
Ozpin's eyes widened, "That would be a devious ploy. It would make the Master quite the manipulator."
"We have no way of knowing," Clover pointed out, "The Master is gone."
"An excellent point," Weiss noted, "We just have to assume it wasn't his plan."
"Plan for the worst, eh?" Qrow chuckled, "You've become a little jaded, haven't you?"
Weiss scowled, but didn't acknowledge him otherwise.
Vine sighed, "I understand what you are saying. I promise to keep a close eye on the others. I will keep you informed, as always."
"Thanks," Clover nodded.
"Of course. After all, that is what the Master asked of me." Vine pointed out. He headed for the door before turning around, "And Clover, may your heart be your guiding key." He left the room, leaving Clover alone with his thoughts.
"Good to see Vine performing his role," Clover nodded, "I really doubt it's him."
"'May your heart be your guiding key,'" Ren quoted, "Let your heart tell you what is right. I like that quote."
"But it could be skewed in many directions," Jaune countered, "If your heart tells you to kill someone could you follow it?"
"I see your point," Ren nodded.
AN: Surprise! I'm back early! Remember when I said I had two jobs? Well, the virus caused all restaurants to close dine-in. My first job shortened their hours and as such, I lost my shifts.
So, I've got a few days on my hands now to do some more writing. I really hope you all are staying safe and protecting the people around you.
That said, Zweig did a lot of the casting for this universe and while I did help, I wanted him to share his reasonings so here they are:
Invi - Vine: Both are calm and try to Keep the Peace in their Environment, Vines Semblance also makes his arms look like snakes which further fits with Invis Snake-mask
Aced - Elm: Both are good Friends and great Warriors but have a horrible temper which caused them to make Trouble for both themselves and their Team-mates
Ava - Marrow: Marrow is the nicest of the Ace-ops and as such fits Ava the best of them, Foxes and Wolves are also similiar so the Mask fits well
Gula - Harriet: Both see their Teammates not as Friends and have a distrustful nature, though Gulas was in a more advanced stage, Harriets Speed-semblance also can alude to the Leopard-mask of Gula
A quick answer to the burning questions of two readers:
Carre: I do plan on changing some of the Disney characters, but only the ones that make sense. Some will stay, but I'm not telling who yet.
Guest who guessed Adam's Identity: Not quite, try again if you'd like!
See you next time!
