The screen went black. Pyrrha's voice was heard, "Come on, lazy bum. Wake up."
Ruby shook her head and opened her eyes. She was in a hotel room and Pyrrha was standing right in front of her.
"Hey, look!" Ruby smiled, "I found you!"
"More like she found you," Nora teased.
Ren shook his head, "But the last time we saw Pyrrha, she did not look well. I don't think she could've recovered so fast."
"You okay?" Pyrrha asked.
"I guess," Ruby mumbled.
"Those creatures that attacked you are after the Keyblade," Pyrrha explained, "But it's your heart they really want, because you wield the Keyblade."
"Yeah, I don't think the real me in this universe would know anything about that," Pyrrha agreed, "But I am glad we got some more information on the creatures."
"They want to do to Ruby what they did to that poor woman," Yang growled.
Ruby didn't care about any of that though, "I'm so glad that you're okay, Pyrrha."
Pyrrha scoffed in a voice that wasn't hers, "Pyrrha? Who are you talking about? I'm the great ninja Ilia."
Neo, Blake, and Sun laughed out loud.
Ilia turned a bright pink, "C'mon! I'd never say that!"
"Hey," Neo nudged her, "I like this more confident you! Own it, Rainbow!"
"You are very ninja like," Sun agreed.
Ilia continued to blush.
"Huh?" suddenly Ruby's vision cleared and it was indeed Ilia standing there, not Pyrrha.
Ilia looked over her shoulder, "I think you might've overdone it, Rob."
"Rob?!" Robyn yell-asked, "Why would I want to be called that?!"
"You don't," Gordeau noted, "This version of Ilia just started calling you that and it stuck with her."
Robyn slid into view, "That's Robyn."
Ruby noticed her weapon sitting next to the door, "The Keyblade…"
"Yeah," Ilia explained, "We had to get it away from you to shake off those creatures. It turns out, that's how they were tracking you."
"They can sense the Keyblade?" Harriet asked, "So if I was still around…"
"They could sense us too," Clover nodded, "Not really something I would want to happen."
Robyn shrugged, "It was the only way to conceal your heart from them. But it won't work for long."
"Still," she sighed, "Hard to believe that you of all people are the chosen one."
She grabbed the Keyblade and held it aloft. It disappeared in a flash of light and reappeared in Ruby's hand.
"That's cool," Ruby nodded, "It's like an anti-theft device."
"At least we know no one can take it from you," Weiss nodded.
"Well," Robyn reasoned, "I suppose beggars can't be choosers."
"Why don't you start making sense!" Ruby complained, "What's going on here?"
"Understandable," Emerald noted, "I'd be confused too if this were happening to me."
"I think we're about to get an explanation," Blake leaned forward.
In a different hotel room, Summer was explaining things to Qrow and Winter, "Okay, you know there are many other worlds out there besides your castle and this town, right?"
"Yeah." Winter stated cautiously.
"But they're supposed to be a secret." Qrow finished.
"Don't let on there are other worlds," Neptune remembered.
"They've been secret," Summer continued, "because they've never been connected. Until now."
"When the Heartless came, everything changed," she sighed.
"The Heartless?" Roman asked.
"Probably the creatures Ruby's been fighting," Raven noted, "A fitting name for creatures who destroy worlds and rip out people's hearts."
Back with Ruby, she asked, "The Heartless?"
Ilia was now sitting on the bed next to Ruby. She answered, "The ones who attacked you, you remember?"
"Those without hearts," Robyn agreed.
"The physically have no hearts?" Oscar asked.
Gordeau sighed, "That requires a longer explanation then I'm prepared to give right now. Eventually, it will become clear."
"The darkness in people's hearts," Ilia continued, "that's what attracts them."
"And," Robyn explained, "there is darkness within every heart."
"Darkness in every heart?" Penny asked, "So, every person has the capacity to do evil?"
"Yes," Gordeau nodded, "But there is also light in every heart too. So, everyone has the capacity to do good as well. All that matters is what you choose."
Cinder began to wonder something. Does he have something else planned?
"Hey," Ilia started trying to lighten the mood, "Have you heard of someone named Ansem?"
Back with Qrow, "Ansem?" he asked.
"That's a strange name," Qrow pointed out.
Ozpin sighed, "But not that far away from Salem, either."
"Well, whoever Ansem is," Summer agreed, "I bet they're important."
"They were studying the Heartless," Summer explained, "They recorded all of their findings in a very detailed report."
"Uh, can we see it?" Qrow asked hopefully.
Summer shook her head, "Its pages are scattered everywhere."
"Well, that's convenient," Lionheart grumbled, "Probably their best chance to learn about these creatures is lost."
"But why was Ansem studying Heartless to begin with?" Blake wondered, "There might be more to them then we know."
"Scattered?" Winter asked incredulously.
"To many worlds," Summer explained.
"Hey," Qrow had an idea, "Maybe the Princess went to find them."
Winter and Summer nodded, "Yes, those were my thoughts exactly," Summer noted.
"That would make sense," Yang chuckled, "Blake went to go find something to read."
"But it's also helping," Ruby noted before Blake could, "Maybe Ansem found a weakness we can exploit."
"We've gotta find her quick!" Qrow exclaimed.
"Wait," Winter reminded him, "First we need that Key!"
"That's right," Summer agreed, "The Keyblade."
Back with Ruby, "So," she started holding the Keyblade in the air, "This is the key?"
"Exactly," Ilia nodded.
"The Heartless have great fear of the Keyblade," Robyn explained, "That's why they'll keep coming after you no matter what."
"Great…" Ruby groaned, "More monsters that are going to attack me on sight."
"At least the Grimm don't specifically seek you out," Weiss pointed out, "I think the Heartless are going to be looking for you."
"Well," Ruby complained, "I didn't ask for this."
"Many who are chosen don't ask to be," Ozpin noted, "What matters is what you choose to do with that power."
Everyone turned to him, but he stopped them, "I did not ask to be chosen by the God of Light. I simply chose to take advantage of the opportunity given to me. I do not think anyone else here would have made a different choice."
After realizing he had a point, everyone turned back to the screen.
Ilia shrugged, "The Keyblade chooses its master. And it chose you."
"So tough luck," Robyn scoffed as she leaned against the wall.
"How did all this happen?" Ruby asked, "I remember being in my room,"
She gasped and stood up, "Wait a minute! What happened to my home? My island? Weiss?" she asked before turning somber, "Pyrrha?"
"You know what?" Robyn looked at her, "I really don't know."
"Okay," Robyn winced at her own response, "I can understand not knowing what happened to her friends, but I must know what happened to her home."
"It's been made pretty clear it's gone," Jaune agreed.
Ruby looked down in defeat.
Robyn sighed, "Sooner or later, the Heartless will find you. You'd best prepare yourself."
"Prepare myself?" Ruby asked.
Robyn looked at Ruby, "Do you see the Treasure Chest over there?"
Roman, Neo, Emerald, and Raven perked up.
Ruby looked and saw a small chest sitting on the table. She nodded to Robyn.
"Good, the Keyblade can supposedly unlock anything," she explained, "Magical locks are a bit more difficult but a simple lock like that on the chest should open simply by you tapping the Keyblade against it. Now try it out, if you get it open the contents are yours!"
"I'd be skeptical," Winter started, "But it looks like a giant key. It makes sense it could unlock anything."
Ruby scrunched her brows but went to the table and lightly tapped the Treasure Chest. Immediately, she heard a click that signified the chest being unlocked. Opening the chest, she pulled out a small flask with a green fluid.
"Well, that's not treasure!" Roman huffed.
"But I bet it's useful," Penny pointed out, "Why else would Robyn have pointed it out?"
Noticing her confusion Robyn spoke up again, "That is a Potion. They heal wounds quickly and are very useful. You should always have a few on you just in case. You can buy more in a shop in the first district."
"So, it's like a portable aura?" Ruby asked.
"Not quite," Gordeau noted, "Potions heal wounds, and that's about it."
Robyn threw a small pouch to Ruby who put it around her waist. Ruby then put the Potion into the pouch.
"You don´t need to worry by the way," Robyn continued, "The Moogles who create those Potions also charm the flasks to be unbreakable so you don´t need to be careful when fighting."
"Moogles?" Velvet asked.
Gordeau nodded and the screen showed an image of a small, white creature. It was extremely fluffy and had a red pom-pom attached to its head. It also had a small pair of wings on its back.
"Awww…" quite a few people swooned.
"It's so cute!" Velvet smiled.
"Now, are you ready to fight for your life?" Robyn asked.
Ruby nodded.
"That's a weird question to just ask someone," Oscar noted.
"Yeah, probably would've been better to just ask if she was ready to go," Qrow agreed, "Less foreboding."
"Ilia," Robyn ordered, "Let's go join Summer. She should be there with the other visitors."
She turned to the door, but Ilia yelled and pointed, "Robyn!"
Suddenly, one of the soldier Heartless from earlier appeared.
"They're back!" Nora yelled, "Go get 'em, Ruby!"
"Ilia, go!" Robyn ordered as she charged the Heartless.
Ilia ran towards the door. Unknown to her, Winter was standing against the wall on the other side.
Ilia opened the door and ran through, slamming it into Winter's face.
Winter winced, "I understand, but please be more careful. That looked like it hurt."
Ilia slumped. That was two different women she had made look bad so far.
"Ilia!" Summer cried out and chased her friend.
In the other room, Robyn and Ruby readied themselves, "Ruby, let's go!" Robyn called out as she slashed at a Soldier. It flew through the window and she and Ruby jumped out after it.
They both landed safely on the ground.
"Nice exit," Yang applauded, "Extra points for style."
"I don't think we're out of the woods yet," Robyn noted.
Back in the other room, Winter pushed the door away from her with a scowl as Qrow laughed at her.
Winter sighed, "Must you be a pest?"
"Yup," Qrow chuckled.
As Ruby and Robyn hit the ground, Robyn issued a suggestion, "Don't bother with the small fry! Find the leader!" She took off leaving Ruby alone, surrounded by a group of soldiers.
"Oh, yeah," Harriet rolled her eyes, "Great suggestion. You're not the one their attracted to."
Robyn shrugged, "It's what needs to be done. But I do think I should have stayed to help fight."
Ruby had no choice but to fight these enemies. They leapt at her in a straight line.
Ruby easily dodged and counter attacked, she took two of them out while a third spun itself in a cyclone.
Ruby couldn't dodge that attack and was knocked back. She recovered quickly however, and easily defeated the remaining foes.
"They're definitely tougher than the shadows," Sun noted.
"But their still fairly weak," Jaune noted, "I bet they keep getting tougher as we watch."
Ruby scoured the Second district looking for the Heartless leader. It was nowhere to be found, so she decided to try the third district.
At the same time, Qrow and Winter entered the Third District via the balcony. A Heartless appeared in their way. They drew their weapons. Qrow had a circular shield. It was white and had his gear symbol in red on it. Winter had a silver staff with the Schnee snowflake on the top.
"A shield?" Qrow asked, "I mean, I get it, but it's not the most useful weapon for fighting by itself."
"A staff for me makes sense though," Winter countered, "What with the magic."
Qrow readied his shield, "Are these the Heartless?"
Winter tapped her staff on her shoulder, "Let's get 'em, Qrow!"
The two charged, but an explosion rocked the balcony and sent them flying.
Mercury laughed, "That didn't go so well."
"They were probably unprepared for the way the Heartless attack," Penny noted, "I don't think the weapons had anything to do with it."
As Ruby entered the main plaza of the Third District, she heard the commotion and looked up. She saw two figures falling from the sky.
She tried to run, but Qrow and Winter landed right on top of her.
Blake sighed, "When I predicted they'd crash into each other, I didn't mean it literally."
"You were right on the money though," Yang laughed, "That was certainly a crash."
"Uh," they all groaned, but Qrow and Winter looked at what Ruby had in her hand and snapped out of it, "Oh, the key!" they both said at the same time.
Suddenly, the plaza rumbled. All three stood up and readied themselves.
"Something big is coming," Nora grinned, "It's a boss fight!"
"Still not a video game," Pyrrha pointed out.
Pillars rose from the ground and cut off all escape routes for the group.
Heartless appeared and surrounded the group. They launched into action. Qrow bashed two with his shield before launching into a cyclone attack of his own, taking out five all on his own.
"Hmm," Jaune hummed, "I wonder if I could do that with my shield?"
"I bet I could," Pyrrha noted, "Using my semblance, I could even keep it going for a while."
Winter summoned a fire ball and shot it at the enemies. She caught three in the blast and bashed another with her staff when it got too close.
Ruby handled six on her own and the trio emerged victorious.
"Nice job," Neptune applauded.
"I don't think it's over yet," Weiss shook her head.
A clanking noise came from above and the trio looked up. A giant suit of purple, black, and silver armor fell from the sky. Its limbs were all detached and it spun its arms in wait.
"There it is!" Nora exclaimed.
"Well, I found the Heartless leader," Ruby noted, "Now what?"
"Take him out," Robyn shrugged, "You figured out the last one on your own, you can do this one too."
The armor launched a spin attack and swung its arms in a circle. Qrow blocked the damage to himself while Ruby and Winter dodged out of the way.
Winter, however, had dodged right into the path of the armor's feet. It stomped and sent Winter flying backwards.
"Ouch," Winter winced again, "I should've seen that coming. Dodging the other way would have been the better option."
The armor sent its arms after Qrow, and eventually the force was too much and knocked him back as well.
"We just met," Qrow noted, "We're still learning to fight as a team, so I'd expect a rocky start."
The torso slammed into Ruby and sent her flying to meet Qrow and Winter, "This isn't working!" Winter commented.
"Well, I'm open to suggestions," Qrow panted from nearby.
"We need to weaken it first," Ruby strategized, "Let's focus our attacks on its legs first, then the arms, then the torso. Ready?"
"Decent enough," Adam noted, "You really are good at battle strategy, Ruby."
Ruby wasn't sure how to take that, considering who it came from.
Qrow and Winter nodded and the trio got ready for battle, Winter began by launching a fireball at the legs as Ruby and Qrow charged.
The armor went for its spin attack again. Qrow blocked again, but this time Ruby dodged under it and lay into the legs.
"There's the teamwork," Clover noted, "If you can get into rhythm this easy, you could give us a run for our money."
Gordeau mentally chuckled as he knew that was actually the Ace-ops biggest weakness.
Qrow joined her soon after. The two bashed its legs into oblivion.
"Wait," Jaune shook his head, "It just falls apart like that?"
"Each part must be a separate entity," Ren noted, "That's the only way it makes sense."
Winter had already started on the arms, laying into them with her staff. She took one out herself before Qrow jumped up and slammed the other one into the ground.
"Just the torso left," Raven noted, "Let's see how Ruby handles it."
With only the torso left, Ruby jumped into the air. She landed a few blows, before reeling back and putting all her strength into one swing. The armor shook.
"Woohoo!" Yang cheered, "Way to go, Sis!"
"An impressive fight," Lionheart noted, "Especially for your first time as a team."
It trembled so hard its head fell off. Out of the torso a heart flew into the sky and the armor disappeared like shattered glass.
"Huh," Neo wondered, but shrugged the similarity off.
"I thought they didn't have hearts?" Roman asked, "What gives?"
Gordeau sighed, "I really don't want to get into it. Just that it will be explained."
With the Heartless defeated, Qrow and Winter explained the situation to Ruby.
Ruby had questions however, "So, you were looking for me?"
Qrow and Winter nodded.
"They, too," Robyn started, as she, Ilia, and Summer approached, many double takes were given at how similar Ruby looked to Summer even though they weren't related at all, "have been seeking the wielder of the Keyblade."
"Yeah, that would be confusing," Neptune noted.
"Just wait until Weiss runs into Winter," Sun noted.
"Hey," Qrow started as he got an idea, "Why don't you come with us? We can go to other worlds on our vessel."
Ruby sighed, "I wonder if I could fine Weiss and Pyrrha…"
"It's a better option than just sitting here waiting for them to show up," Ruby agreed.
"Road trip!" Yang nodded.
"Of course!" Winter said with a smiled.
Ruby's head shot up and she smiled.
Qrow leaned over to Winter and whispered suspiciously, "Are you sure?"
"Who knows," Winter shrugged coldly, "But we need her to come with us to help us find the Princess."
"That's low, Ice Queen," Roman scowled, "At least I offered to help."
"I have my orders," Winter shrugged, "Finding the Princess is my goal."
Robyn stepped forward, "Ruby, go with them. Especially if you want to find your friends."
"Yeah," Ruby sighed, "I guess."
Winter looked at Ruby's glum expression and frowned. Wanting to cheer her up, she started, "But you can't come along looking like that. Understand?"
"See? I care a little," Winter noted.
"I think you just didn't want to deal with mopey Ruby," Qrow observed.
Qrow looked at her funny as she continued, "No frowning. No sad face, okay?"
Qrow chuckled in comprehension, "Yeah, ya gotta look funny, like us!"
"This boat," Winter said with a smile, "Runs on happy faces."
"That's what their ship runs on?" Penny asked, "We could be in space in no time!"
"I don't think it actually does, Penny," Robyn chuckled.
"Happy?" Ruby asked sadly. She looked up to see both Qrow and Winter looking at her expectantly.
She sighed and lowered her head. A drumroll was heard.
Ruby lifted her head with the cheesiest grin on her face and yelled, "Cheese!"
Laughter rang out across the theater.
"Hey…" Ruby started before laughing herself, "Okay, that is pretty funny."
"Your smile looks much better than that, Ruby," Weiss chuckled.
The smile faded to one of confusion, as both Qrow and Winter started laughing uncontrollably.
Ruby lightly chuckled, "Okay, why not? I'll go with you guys."
Winter put her hand out, "Winter Schnee."
Qrow put his hand on top of Winter's, "Name's Qrow Branwen."
"And I'm Ruby," Ruby introduced as she put her hand on top.
"All for one, and one for all," Qrow stated as the screen faded out.
"I like that motto," Ren noted, "I might start using that."
"Nice," Nora smiled, "It suits you."
A green tinted hologram of the trio was projected onto a table. An unknown voice spoke, "That little squirt took down that Heartless! Who'd have thought it?" The figure speaking was covered in darkness so no features could be made out.
"New people," Summer noted, "Any clues on the voice?"
Everyone shook their heads.
"Such is the power of the Keyblade," the camera panned to reveal another figure. Not much could be told about him either except that he had wings and carried a staff of some kind, "The child's strength is not her own."
"So he could be one of the ones who doesn't exist," Ilia noted, "But I only know one person with wings."
Adam shuddered. If he was thinking of the same person Ilia was, he really didn't want to see him.
The camera panned to a large woman, she spoke in a southern drawl, "Why don't we turn her into a Heartless?" she laughed before continuing, "That'll settle things quick enough."
"Almost sounds like the Malachite's mom," Neo noted.
"It could be," Roman agreed, "You never know with these things."
Another woman with a Cockney accent spoke next, the only two noticeable things about here were her giant hat and that her right hand was replaced with a hook, "And the brat's friends are the Princess's lackeys. Swoggle me eyes, they're all bilge rats by the look of them."
"Nice hat," Tai laughed.
"I'm not sure some of those were actual words," Weiss noted.
"You're no prize yourself," another figure spoke, this one looked like a large sack.
"Is that a walking bag?" Pyrrha asked.
"Well, we've already seen a talking cricket," Jaune noted, "It's still in the realm of possibility."
He laughed and the woman in the hat turned to him, "Shut up!"
"Enough." Another voice called out, "The Keyblade has chosen her."
"That's a sinister voice," Ozpin noted.
"She seems evil," Oscar agreed.
The figure had green skin and wore a black robe with pink and purple highlights. She carried a brown staff with a green orb on the top. She wore a hat that made it look like she had two horns sticking out of her head.
"Oh yeah," Yang nodded, "She's evil."
"And she definitely doesn't exist in our universe," Cinder noted, "If she did, I'm sure I would know her already."
"Will it be she who conquers the darkness?" the figure continued, "Or will the darkness swallow her?"
"Either way, she could be quite useful," the figure smiled sinisterly as the screen faded out.
Back in Traverse Town, Robyn, Ilia, and Summer were seeing Ruby off.
"Make sure you're prepared for the journey ahead of you," Robyn advised, "We don't know how far the Heartless have spread."
"We better go get some of those Potions," Ruby nodded.
"Always good to be prepared," Winter agreed.
"Good luck!" Ilia smiled.
"I hope you find your friends." Summer offered, "Here's a little something from us."
She handed over a small pouch.
"What's this?" Ruby asked.
"Munny," Summer explained, "You can use it at the item shop to pick up more potions, or at Roman's if you want some accessories."
"Munny?" Velvet asked.
"It must be their form of currency," Blake noted.
"Look out for each other," Robyn advised, "Keep your spirits up."
The trio walked away and Winter approached Ruby, "The gummi ship is outside that gate."
"Gummi?" Clover asked, "They've got some weird names for these things."
"Yep," Harriet nodded.
She pointed to the large door at the front of the plaza.
"The what?" Ruby asked.
"That's our ship," Winter noted, "Ruby this is for you."
Winter handed over a small orb and Ruby surged with power.
"That," Winter continued, "Allows you to cast the fire spell like I do. It's magic."
"Magic?!" both Rubys squealed, "That's so cool!"
"Can I do that?" Ruby continued.
"Maybe," Weiss noted, "But why don't you wait until later."
"Agreed," Gordeau nodded, "I don't want to deal with a fire right now if she can."
Jiminy stood off in the distance a little way, "Well, I see big adventures coming their way! Looks like it's up to me to keep track of it all in my journal!"
Jiminy hopped into Ruby's hood and the three of them began to head out when Ruby remembered something, "Oh, yeah! There's a door in the third district with a flame carved into it."
"I wonder," Ruby thought, "Could we open it with fire?"
"Well, no duh," Nora scoffed, "That's a little obvious."
"I wonder what's back there?" Neo asked before shrugging, "I'm sure we'll find out in a minute."
Winter shrugged, "Worth a shot. But we should hit the item shop first."
The trio walked to the item shop, where Winter gasped, "Whitley!?"
"Oh no," Weiss sighed.
"I hope brother's better in this universe," Winter agreed.
Standing behind the counter was a boy withwhite hair and light blue eyes with a fair complexion. His hair was mostly pushed to left, although he did have a cowlick. He was fairly tall with a slender build. He wore a short-sleeved white dress shirt, the sleeves fastened just above his elbows by navy blue cuffs, each with twin gold buttons. Over his untucked shirt, he wore a light blue vest, with a black handkerchief in his right breast pocket. He also wore a black necktie, navy blue trousers and black dress shoes.
"He's kind of cute looking," Velvet noted.
"Yeah," Yang agreed, "In a little brother kind of way."
"Hello, sister!" he greeted, "How are you doing today?"
"What are you doing here?" Winter asked.
"Now sister," Whitley lightly scolded, "Shouldn't you introduce me to your new friend first?"
"There he is," Weiss sighed.
"He doesn't seem too bad," Yang noted, "A bit of a smart ass, but ok."
"We'll see," Winter folded her arms.
Qrow did the honors, "Nice to see you again, Whitley. This here is Ruby."
"A pleasure Qrow," Whitley smiled, "And nice to meet you, Ruby. I'm Whitley, Winter's younger brother."
"Well, I seem to like him," Qrow shrugged.
"Now," Winter scolded, "Back to my question…"
"Ah, yes," Whitley nodded, "Grandfather left me in charge of his store while he's off exploring. It's a much better position than running around doing errands for the princess."
Weiss's eyes widened, "Grandfather?"
"Nicholas Schnee?" Clover asked.
"Yep," Gordeau nodded, "He goes on many adventures in this universe, and takes Whitley with him most of the time."
"What about Jacques?" Adam growled.
"Not a member of the family," Gordeau shrugged.
"Other than us never being born," Winter noted, "That would be a nice reality."
Winter glared at him. Ruby decided to interrupt before things got even more heated, "Anyway Whitley, I'm actually here to buy some potions."
Whitley smiled, "Of course! Though," he turned to Winter, "No family discounts. Grandfather's rules."
Winter rolled her eyes, but the transaction went smoothly. They walked out with new potions in hand.
"Now, on to that door," Qrow nodded.
The trio headed to the Third District. Once there, Ruby unlocked the main door, then headed to the flame door.
Ruby yelled, "Fire!" and shot a fire ball at the door.
The door lit up with a red glow and opened.
"Well, that was easy," Blake noted.
Inside was a large lake with round stones forming a broken path. Inside the lake was a small island with a large house on it.
Ruby hopped across the stones and entered the house.
The trio examined the room, but it was empty.
Suddenly Ruby heard Pyrrha's voice, "There's something about this musty place," Ruby turned around in shock and saw Pyrrha approaching slowly, "It reminds me of the secret place back home, where we used to scribble on the walls. Remember?" she asked and smiled sweetly.
"Am I seeing things again?" Ruby asked.
"Maybe?" Velvet noted, "It's possible Pyrrha's actually there."
"Not likely," Weiss shook her head, "Wouldn't Qrow or my sister have said something about that?"
Ruby was in shock that Pyrrha was here, but wasn't reacting to the oddity of the situation at all. "Pyrrha?"
Ruby reached out to touch her, when Qrow interrupted, "Ruby?"
Ruby turned to look at her two new friends then back, but Pyrrha was gone. Ruby retreated in shock.
"Yeah," Jaune sighed, "I think it might be a while before we actually see Pyrrha again."
"It might be a good idea to just assume I'm a figment of Ruby's imagination," Pyrrha noted.
"Well, well," a new voice was heard, "You've arrived sooner than I expected."
A lion Faunus walked into the room. He had a mane of tan/gray hair and a beard. He had a tanned complexion with brown eyebrows and dark brown eyes. He wore a brown greatcoat with a matching mantle, which had cross emblems on each side. He also wore a white dress shirt under his coat, a western necktie and carried a pocket watch. He also wore dark brown slacks and dress shoes. He was carrying a tan bag in his right hand and a large wand in the left.
"Leo?" Ozpin asked.
"Am I here to help?" Lionheart asked.
"Wha…" Ruby started, "You knew we were coming?"
"Of course," Lionheart scoffed.
"Are you… a Heartless?" Ruby asked hesitantly.
"Does he look like a Heartless?" Raven deadpanned.
"No," Ruby admitted, "But we don't know everything about the Heartless. There could be some who look like us."
"Point taken," Raven shrugged.
"He doesn't look like one," Winter commented.
"Oh, my. No." Lionheart answered.
"My name is Leonardo Lionheart. As you can see," he gestured to himself, "I am a sorcerer."
"I am?" Lionheart asked.
"The second best," Gordeau nodded, "If a little absent minded at times."
"Who's the first?" Winter asked.
"I'm not telling," Gordeau smirked, "But most of you will be surprised."
"I spend much of my time traveling," Lionheart explained, "It's good to be home. Your Princess has requested my help."
"Princess Blake?" Qrow asked.
"Yes, indeed." Lionheart confirmed.
"Winter, Qrow," Lionheart greeted before turning to Ruby, "And who might you be, young lady?"
"I'm Ruby," she introduced herself.
"Ah," Lionheart stated in comprehension, "So, you have found the key."
"He seems to be on our side," Qrow noted.
"But you've thought that before," Cinder smirked.
"She's right," Lionheart agreed, "I wasn't on your side before, why should I be now."
Ozpin tried to protest, but after seeing the look on Leo's face decided he needed to work this out for himself.
"What did the Princess ask you to do?" Winter asked.
"Just a moment…" Lionheart interrupted. He set his bag down and waved his wand. Furniture began floating out of the bag and circling the room. It got bigger as it did until the whole room was now set up like a small house.
"Wow," Velvet noted, "He takes his whole house with him when he travels."
"That would be convenient," Jaune noted.
"There. Now," Lionheart continued, "Your Princess asked me to train you in the art of magic. We can start anytime you like."
Winter remembered something Gordeau stated earlier, "Can you teach me?"
"I don't think so, Miss Schnee," Lionheart countered, "I don't believe I have access to magical powers right now either, and if I did, I have no experience with it."
"I think you may be over looking something, Miss Schnee," Ozpin noted, "I do have experience with magic, if you're interested."
Winter began to run through her options. Cinder, Raven, or Ozpin… she wondered. Maybe I'll ask Gordeau after this universe is over.
"Oh," he continued, "and one more thing."
He pointed to a small model of a carriage in the corner of the room. It disappeared with a flash and Glynda Goodwitch appeared, however she was wearing a blue one, one piece robe and was much older than most people recognized, "Hello. I'm Glynda Goodwitch."
"Wow," Yang noted, "Goodwitch is so old."
"Be glad she's not here to hear you say that," Ozpin noted.
"Your Princess asked me to help too," she continued, "I will assist throughout your journey."
"I do not know how much we can be of help," Lionheart admitted, "but do stop by anytime."
"Can you help with this new magic?" Ruby asked, "I've only used it once…"
"Of course!" Lionheart nodded, "Fire is one of the easiest spells to master. Follow me!"
"Does anyone have a notebook?" Winter asked, "I should be taking notes."
"I can record it for you, Specialist Schnee," Penny noted, "Then you can play it back later."
"Thank you, Penny," Winter nodded.
He led them to a small section of stone on the floor. It rose, and they were on the second floor.
Lionheart waved his wand, and a cabinet, a table, and some plates floated into the air.
"Now," he stated, "Fire is simple. Just look at your target and cast it. It locks on automatically and, so long as the target is not moving too fast, will connect. Try it out."
"And," he added quickly, as Ruby looked apprehensive, "Don't worry about the furniture. I can make new one's easily."
"That seems too easy," Winter noted.
"I wish my fire worked that way," Cinder grumbled.
Ruby nodded and began practicing. He was right, fire was easy. She had it down pat quickly.
"Okay," Ruby nodded as she destroyed the last piece of furniture, "I think I got it."
"Good," Lionheart smiled, "Come back whenever you need to practice a new spell!"
The trio said goodbye to their new friends, and left Traverse Town.
"Woah!" Ruby exclaimed as they approached the gummi ship.
"This," Winter explained, "Is our ship. The Highwind!"
"Now that's a good ship name," Weiss nodded.
"Yeah, better then our suggestions," Ruby agreed.
"Red, yellow and white," Yang pointed out, "Now who's not part of the team?"
"Whose ship is it?" Blake smirked.
"So cool!" Ruby exclaimed.
Qrow chuckled at her enthusiasm, "Well, why don't we head to our first world?"
Ruby nodded and boarded the ship. Winter flew it to their destination.
AN: Here it is! Early, and longer than the last one. Told you Traverse Town needed split up.
A few quick points before we move on. So Ansem is still named Ansem, but both version (Seeker of Darkness and The Wise) are RWBY characters. Ansem is, just like the canon counterpart, a combination of two characters. I'm not telling which ones.
Casting:
Merlin: Leonardo Lionheart – Honestly, it just fit well. Lionheart always gave off the absent-minded professor vibe, and Merlin is just that, albeit a sorcerer. It fit nicely.
Fairy Godmother: Glynda Goodwitch – For people who only played KH1 this may seem like a strange casting, but in Birth By Sleep, the Fairy Godmother actually gives some really good advice, things I could see Glynda saying. Also, I just love imagining Glynda saying Bibbity Bobbity Boo. It makes me laugh.
Huey, Dewey, and Louie: Whitley Schnee – We needed someone related to Winter, and Weiss was too important to be shoved into a shopkeeper role. Whitley served this role nicely.
Scrooge McDuck: Nicholas Schnee – I'll talk more about this later, but I name dropped it here. Scrooge doesn't actually appear in KH1, so just a quick drop of the name.
Maleficent- Canon: I wanted to cast someone as Maleficent, I really did. When it came down to it, everyone that fit the role well (Salem and Cinder) all fit better somewhere else. So, Maleficent is the second to stay the same.
I'm not revealing the Council's identities just yet. You should be able to figure it out though, with the exception of one.
Responses:
Remzal Von Enili: Final Mix. I'm only going back to the original color schemes. The rest is Final Mix.
Strong Guy: Thanks!
Eliphas-Chaos: Yeah, not my fav either, but definitely not my least favorite. As for the other point, check your PM.
Carre: 1) No big deal!
2) Honestly, the temper tantrums are what made me cast Winter there in the first place. She's easily provoked by things that most people can ignore. And I can see everything that happens to Goofy happening to Qrow because of his luck. I hope you thank/bless me for it, because I get a good laugh out of it.
3) This will, for the foreseeable future, always be my priority. I'm keeping note of interest in the other fics for when this one is wrapping up. The more other people are interested in it, the more likely I'll work on it.
4) Washed OK!
Guest with Adam: Maybe… ;)
Seating Chart:
Laps:-Ruby: Jinn;-Weiss: Zwei;-Sun: XXXXXXXX-;Roman: XXXX;-;Pyrrha: XXXXXX;-
Row one: Penny; Ruby; Weiss; Winter; Blake; Yang; Velvet; XXXX; Jaune; Pyrrha; Nora; Ren
Row two: XXX; XXXXXXXXXX; Neptune; Sun; Ilia; Neo; XXXXXX; XXXXX; XXXXXX; XXXXXX; XXXXXXX; XXXXX
Row three: Taiyang; Summer; Raven; Qrow; Roman; Robyn; Leonardo; XXXXXX; Ozpin; Oscar; XXXXX; Gordeau
Row four: XXXXXX; XXXXXXX; XXXXX; XXXXXXX; XXXX; XXXX; XX; XX; XXXXX; XXXXXXX; XXXXXX; XXX
Row Five: Clover; Harriet; XXXXXX; XXX; XXXX; XXXXXXXX; XXXXX; XXXXXX; XXXXX; XXXXX; XXXX; XXXX
Row Six: XXXX; XXXXXX; Adam; XXXXX; XXXXX; XXXXXX; XXXXXX; XXXXX; XXXXX; Cinder; Emerald; Mercury
And the poll:
10th: Weiss Schnee with 7
9th: Velvet Scarlatina with 8
8th: Blake Belladonna with 10
Tied for 7th: Glynda Goodwitch and Raven Branwen with 11
Tied for 6th: Cinder Fall and Kali Belladonna with 12
5th: Sienna Kahn with 13
4th: Neo Politan with 15
3rd: Ruby Rose with 18
2nd: Yang Xiao-Long with 19
1st: Pyrrha Nikos with 20
Thanks and see you next time!
