Blahk gave the mourners enough time to calm themselves. He could hardly blame them for their reactions. He stole a glance at Team RWBY coming together to comfort their leader, and her sister, by proxy. He knew the girls would never forget this experience but he was confident it'd help them grow as Huntresses.
After some time, they began to calm themselves. "You all good now?" Blahk asked.
Still sniffling, Ruby wiped the tears on her face. "Y-Yeah...I-I'm...fine now, I guess..." She nodded at her uncle, silently telling him she was fine. The look on his face said he didn't believe her but he trusted her judgement, pecking her forehead and moving back to his sit.
"It's alright. You don't have to defend yourself. It may not have been your mother, but that doesn't change your affections for her. I'm sorry for making you- and everyone that cared- go through this pain but it was necessary for you to understand your counterpart's growth."
"W-We understand." Yang said, wiping her eyes.
"Can we go on?" Blahk asked for the final time. All the viewers nodded their heads.
"I want to know how Ruby and Pyrrha are doing now." Blake said while nodding.
"Very well, let the next viewing begin."
The scene opens with an image of Titans terrorizing and eating all the scared human trying to run away.
"Over a century ago, humanity faced a new enemy." Oscar narrated as the camera slid over more images of Titans terrorizing and eating people, with humans trying to fight back.
"Disgusting." Glynda's face was twisted in disgust at the sight of the creatures.
The others nodded in agreement of her statement.
"I'd rather face a horde of Ursa than those- abominations." Weiss said.
Ruby was still feeling numb from the last episode, simply staring at the Titans. Yang did not leave her side, her very presence acting as a source of comfort.
Salem admitted that she was expecting more from the Titans than cannibalistic monsters. Or maybe not all Titans fit into that category. Her mind flashed to image of the gigantic Titan. It acted almost intelligently... I wonder.
The camera zoomed to an image of Titans cornering some humans in a chasm. "The difference in power between humanity and this newfound enemy was overwhelming." Oscar continued his narration.
The image shifted to show an army of Titans of varying sizes and facial appearances marching forwards.
Roman unconsciously shivered. The Titans were simply creepy to look at.
"Soon, humanity was driven to the brink of extinction."
The image shifted to show the Titans surrounding the walls that humans built to protect themselves.
"The surviving humans built three walls: Maria, Rose, and Sina. There they lived the century in peace. However..."
The scene changes to show an opening sequence. (A/N at the bottom to talk more about this; feel free to skip it)
"What's this?" Ren asked in confusion.
"A little something I came up with and decided to add in to enrich the experience. Think of it like the intro song of a show."
Ironwood raised an eyebrow at the comparison. "So you turned our counterparts lives into a TV show?"
"If you want to call it that, sure. The way I'm showing you this is that I took the events of your counterparts' lives and arranged them in a manner that will make for a cohesive story. Adding an intro was child's play. Besides the amazing imagery in the openings, I've also dropped hidden clues and scenes foreshadowing certain events."
Nora was energetically bouncing in her seat, eagerly waiting for the opening to begin.
(Opening Theme: Guren no Yumiya by Linked Horizon)
The scene opens with flames, then quickly disappearing then showed the face of Wall Rose.
Seid ihr das Essen? Nein, wir sind der Jäger!
(Are you the food? No, we are the hunter!)
Then suddenly, the wall burst open, showing the title of the series.
Shingeki no Kyojin
(Attack on Titan)
The screen showed chains, then the camera moves up towards the sky, showing an older Ruby, Pyrrha, and Oscar in their teens while wearing military uniforms.
Fumareta hana no namae mo shirazu ni Chi ni ochita tori wa kaze wo machiwabiru
(Not knowing the name of the trampled flower, the fallen bird yearns for the wind to come)
They stood in a field along with over members that are about their age as they had conflicted looks on their faces while being covered in dirt and blood while their weapons are scattered around the field.
Inotta tokoro de, nani mo kawaranai.
(No matter how much you pray.)
Then the screen changes, showing Titans walking around the streets, leaving destruction in their way.
Ima wo kaeru no wa tatakau kakugo da...
(Nothing will change, what changes this moment is the determination to fight…)
The screen now shows the young military trainees lining up, and they salute with their left hand in the back of their hand while their right hand is in the form of a fist as they held it up on their chest.
Ruby is shown to be among them with a determined look on her face. Then the scene changes with a small group of soldiers jumping from the wall with their weapons ready to face the Titans.
Shikabane fumikoete susumu ishi wo warau buta yo.
(Pigs that sneer at the resolve to climb over corpses and advance.)
A slide show of the Titans appeared, including the Colossal Titan.
Kachiku no annei ...kyogi no han'ei ...shiseru garou "Jiyuu" wo!
(Have peace as livestock, live in false prosperity, and be as free as starved wolves!)
Then the scene changes showing Wall Rose being destroyed bit by bit, then in the air shows Ruby, who is thrown in mid-air with a shocked look on her face before snapping out of it.
Torawareta kutsujoku wa hangeki no Koushi da jouheki no sono kanata emono wo hofuru Jäger!
(The humiliation of captivity is the beginning of the counterattack. Beyond the walls, the prey is slain by Jäger!)
The scene then changes, showing the young military trainees gliding through the air in the empty streets filled with Titans with their Omni-directional and along with their blades out as they showed their skills while Ruby and Pyrrha along with them.
Ruby circles around a Titan. Seeing an opening, she used her blades and nipped the back of its neck, killing it.
Hotobashiru 《Shoudou》ni sono mi wo yakinagara tasogare ni hi wo ugatsu-
(His body burned by an overflowing urge to kill, he will pierce the twilight with scarlet)
The scene then changes of the outside of the wall showing many Titans charging, but the Military on the top of the walls used their cannons to keep them at bay.
Then the scene changes showing a group of armed trainees with rifles on a giant lift inside a dark and enclosed palace filled with Titans as they shoot at them.
Then finally, the scene changes to Ruby running on top of a wall then jumping off as she faces the Colossal Titan.
Guren no Yumiya!
(With the crimson bow and arrow!)
(Epic instrumental theme now plays)
The scene now fades to a flag representing the Survey Corps, then countless soldiers using their gears as they all jumped off the roofs and showed off their skills as they got ready to face the Titans.
Then there is a fast-paced slideshow of events that have and yet to happen.
The opening ends with Ruby and her fellow trainees looking up towards the sky.
"Ohmygosh, that was awesome!" Ruby squealed, her pain momentarily forgotten.
"ThAT.WAS.AWESOME!!" Nora yelled, shaking poor Ren- again.
"Now that was very cool to watch." Coco commented with a grin. Her teammates were of the same opinion.
Most of the villains were indifferent towards the opening sequence. Neo seemed to like it, her feet were tapping along to the music. Salem and the teachers were more focused on how much the opening foreshadowed.
"It seems Miss Rose and her friends join their world's Military force at some point." Ironwood commented.
Ozpin nodded. "And we may likely get another appearance of the Colossal Titan in the future." He finished, glancing at Ruby and her friends as they geeked out over the opening.
That Day/The Fall of Shiganshina, Part 2
A mouse scurried across a boulder with a bloodied hand crushed underneath it. A crow flew in and picked at the hand. Looking up from its meal, the black bird let out a caw that echoed across the town. The entire city was in ruins. Smoke and ash rose out of dilapitated buildings.
The mood that had risen because of the opening dropped immediately.
"Great..." Cardin muttered. "We're back to this."
"Until that time a wretched soul and parted." A preacher yelled, eyes wide, disregarding the danger around him. He waved around a broom in one hand and a book in the other.
"Now may not be the best time to show your devotion, buddy." Roman said, snorting.
"From God was I, and wholly avaricious." Titans roamed the streets, searching for prey.
"Now, as thou seest, I here am punished for it." A mother and daughter were hiding out in a building as a Titan passed.
"What avarice doth is here made manifest." The preacher continued, ignoring the people fleeing in the opposite direction. "In purgation of these souls converted, and no more bitter than the Mountain hath."
"What is he even saying?" Jaune raised an eyebrow as the man kept preaching.
"More importantly, why isn't he running away?" Yang asked, surprised by his actions. "Isn't he afraid of getting eaten?"
"Unfortunately, Miss Xiao Long, many people are extremely devoted to their beliefs." Ozpin said, letting out a resigned sigh. "So devoted, that they are willing to die for it."
A woman ran into an alleyway. Unfortunately, she met a dead-end. She covered her mouth, hoping to muffle her panting. It was of no help as a Titan loomed over her, casting a shadow over the alley.
The woman was helpless to run away, only screaming for help as the Titan picked her up by her head. "Stop! Let me go!" She struggled hard but all that remained of her was a shoe that fell to the ground.
The audience could only watch in resignation. At least they weren't shown the Titan devouring her.
"What more, O Avarice, canst thou do to us, since thou my blood so to thyself hast drawn... "
Everywhere, people screamed, fleeing for their lives as Titans snatched them up one by one.
"...since thou my blood so to thyself hast drawn, it careth not for its own proper flesh?" A shadow fell over him and he looked to his left to see a 15-meter tall Titan staring down at him.
Even as the Titan picked him up, he did not stop preaching. "What more, O Avarice-- "
The preacher was silenced, his books falling to the ground, pages stained by the pool of blood it landed in.
Pyrrha simply sighed. "At least he went out doing what he believed."
In a quieter and less chaotic part of the district, Qrow kept running with the Ruby over his shoulder and Pyrrha in his arms. Ruby's haunted face morphed into anger as she came to her senses. Without saying a word, she began to hit him on the head,
"Ruby! What are you doing?!" Qrow shouted as he stopped running.
"We could've saved Mom! Why the hell would you do that?! We came so close to saving her!" She slammed her elbow down on Qrow's head.
The sisters were harshly reminded of the fate that had befallen their mother. Tears of anger welled up in Yang's eyes.
"That...bastard..." She clenched her fists.
Blake eyed her partner. She understood her rage, but she had to be careful with her words. "Yang... He had no choice."
"Like hell he didn't!" The blonde yelled, rounding on her partner. "He's a soldier, a part of the military. Dealing with those things are his job! He has the training and equipment for it!" She would have continued going if her sister didn't grab her shoulder and force her to calm down.
"Get a hold of yourself!" Qrow grabbed her arm and threw her face first to the ground.
"Hey!" Yang's eyes turned red in anger. "Why would you do that?!"
"Ruby!" Pyrrha wiggled her way out of his grasp and ran to check up on Ruby, kneeling beside her.
"Ruby..." Qrow began solemnly as he kneeled in front of them with his head bowed. "You couldn't save your mother... because you were weak..."
"Wha—Why would you say that?" Weiss gasped in shock. "The kid just lost her mother!"
Yang was ready to jump into the screen and let loose a flurry of punches on her alternate uncle. The adults were also taken aback by the harshness of Qrow's words.
Emerald simply shook her head. That's not the point he's trying to make. Hearing the truth will either make her stronger or break her.
Ruby snarled and threw a punch at him. Qrow proved his earlier point and caught her wrist with one hand. He had a haunted look on his face.
"I couldn't fight the Titan..." He continued. "Because I lacked the courage!" He looked up to meet Ruby's eyes, tears running down his face. Ruby's eyes widened in shock, tears also running down her face.
All the fight left Yang when they heard his confession. Her tears of anger became tears of sadness. Ruby was bawling into her hands again. Their partners consoled them, letting them cry it all out.
Qrow bowed his head in shame, his body shaking with silent tears, as he felt the guilt for his variant's inability to save Summer. Winter placed a sympathetic hand on his shoulders in silent support.
He closed his eyes and stood up, taking hold of Pyrrha with his free hand as he led the children away to safety. "I'm sorry." Ruby continued to sob while Pyrrha's eyes were filled with sadness.
Pyrrha sighed in sadness. Her teammates did their best to comfort her and provide support.
Pyrrha placed a hand on her forehead, a flashback of two dead people coming to her memory, a man and woman. This is familiar... She looked back to where they came from.
Nora gasped at the flashback. "Wh–Who were those?"
"Were those Pyrrha's..." Velvet muttered in sadness.
The invincible girl could only gape at the screen.
The three walked silently to the inner gate.
A mob of people ran from the approaching Titans. "Hurry, to the inner gate!" A Garrison soldier waved the crowd towards the gates. "Use all ships at the pier for Shiganshina's evacuation! Hurry if you don't wanna be eaten!"
Sun frowned in sadness. "This sucks..."
In the inner part of the walls, boats filled to the brim with survivors took off. An overhead shot of Shiganshina was shown as Oscar narrated. "There are small areas that protrude, like Shiganshina, all around the wall. Their purpose is to attract the Titans, thus reducing the cost and manpower of defending the walls."
Ironwood frowned upon hearing that piece of information. "Objectively speaking, it's a solid idea. However, it makes the people in nothing but bait to lure the Titans in."
"What cruel person came up with this design?" Port muttered, shaking his head.
"As a result of this design, the people of Shiganshina could only escape the assault of the Titans by traversing one gate."
A soldier tossed a bag of belongings off the boat. "Don't bring anything aboard! We're taking as many people as we can!"
On the boat, Oscar searched for his friends in the crowd.
Multiple sighs of relief rang out in the audience when they saw Oscar had made it to the boat. Oscar himself allowed the tension to bleed off his shoulders.
"Oscar, please sit down." His grandfather ushered him.
"But Ruby and Pyrrha aren't here yet..." Just as he said that, Ruby and Pyrrha emerged from the crowd, being ushered onto the boat by Qrow. "Ah, there they are!"
He raised a hand to wave them over. His relief was cut short when he noticed the haunted looks on their faces. "Ruby..."
"They look broken..." Glyna said in sadness.
"Don't talk to them just now." His grandfather looked down sadly. "Those poor souls. You can tell what happened to them."
"Huh?" Oscar looked back at his grandfather in confusion.
On the other side of the inner gate, Garrison soldiers manned the cannons and made sure any stragglers made it to the boats. "Why are you just standing there?! Hurry up!" One of the soldiers ordered the others frantically. "Where are those cannon shells?!"
Not too far from them, a Titan crashed through a stone arch. It looked very unbothered by the destruction it created. The structure only slowed it down for a second.
"Get those cannons loaded! Hurry! They're closing in on us!"
Winter frowned at the lack of order and unpreparedness of the Garrison soldiers to handle the threat of the Titans. She grit her teeth and wished she was there to whip them into shape.
"Why aren't they making use of their gear?" Yatsuhashi questioned, feeling confused.
Qrow watched, panting, at the row of cannons being lined up. He took off running a second later.
Back on one of the boats, Ruby and Pyrrha sat with other survivors, most of whom were scared and murmuring worriedly.
"This just can't be happening..."
"Oh God... Oh God..."
"Hey! What are you doing?!" Two Garrison soldiers had removed the bridge leading to the ship. A measly three guards acted a barrier to hold the people back.
"The ship's full! It's leaving!"
"B-But, that's only two ships!" Nora argued, her tone showcasing how horrible she assumed the situation to be. Ren silently rubbed her back, his mind deep in thought over the situation at hand.
"Why wouldn't they have more ships?" Neptune questioned. Cardin was the first student to figure it out.
"A century of peace made them complacent. They would never have thought that anything could breach the wall, so making contingencies was probably seen as a waste of time." He explained.
The teachers nodded in agreement with his analysis of the situation. "Astute observation, Mr Winchester." Ozpin complimented him. "To add to his point, overpopulation of the district could be another factor. They've lived within an enclosed space for a century, never expanding and ever growing. The steady rise in population growth together with the mindset that the walls were unbreachable have culminated in this scenario."
"No way...! Please, at least take my child!"
"I'm sorry, but I can't! Go!" A soldier ordered the boat to leave.
"Let him on!"
"Let us on!" One man ran past the soldiers who were miraculously holding almost everyone back, and leaped towards the boat. Others joined him and latched on to the side. Some plummeted into the water below.
Ironwood shook his head at that. "Selfish people, the lot of them."
Glynda rounded on him in an instant. "You can't fault them for their actions, James. They're scared."
"But he can." Qrow argued, coming to the General's defense, to everyone's surprise. "There are limits to the amount of people that one boat can carry. Exceeding that limit would cause it to sink, killing everyone on the boat, stragglers included."
"You make a good point, my friends. But you're going off of the assumption that they are thinking logically." Ozpin said. "Right now, the only thing driving their thought process is getting as far as possible from the Titans."
The abandoned crowd looked back in the direction of cannon fire.
A Titan walked towards the group of Garrison guards from before. Multiple cannonballs were fired but each ended up hitting buildings next to it.
"You idiot! What are you aiming at?!"
"Don't blame your cannons' poor accuracy on him!" Ruby was miffed by the accusations of the lead soldier.
Her teammates chuckled good-naturedly. At least, her mother's death didn't break her completely. Blake thought. That didn't mean the scars were not there. She could see it in her leader's eyes. That spark of innocence and naivete was dimmed.
"B-But sir, this thing doesn't have that kind of accuracy!" He shouted as another Titan approached them.
"Right now, I don't give a crap! Just load the next shell!"
"It's hopeless!"
Ironwood clicked his tongue in disapproval at their lack of cooperation and ineffectiveness.
"They're truly under-prepared for a threat of this magnitude."
"Is there anyone who could handle the situation better?"
"Probably the Survey Corps." Coco murmured.
The sound of chains and grinding bricks were heard. The soldiers turn behind them, surprised to see the gate lowering, which would effectively seal out both the soldiers and Titans.
"The gate's closing! They're... We're gonna get left behind!" Soldiers began to abandon their stations.
"Hey!" Their fellow soldier shouted after them trying to stop them.
"Get back to your post, soldiers!" Ironwood bellowed in anger.
That got a chuckle out of Ozpin. "You know they can't hear you, right James?"
The General had the grace to look sheepish at his lapse in decorum.
Inside of the gate controls, Qrow was arguing with another soldier. "Don't close it! Wait a little more! Many people are still in the city!"
The sight of Qrow arguing for the sake of the civilians put him into a slightly better light than before.
"If they break through this gate, we'll lose more than a single city to the Titans!" The soldier argued. "We'll lose the entire territory within this wall!"
"He's got a point," Ren agreed, albeit begrudgingly. "If the Titans get through, the loss of life will be unthinkable."
"But that doesn't mean we can let these people die!"
Two soldiers ran into the control room. "Close the gate! The Titans are coming!"
His mind made up, the soldier that was arguing with Qrow gave the order to shut the gate. "Get that gate shut!"
The gate started to lower faster.
"Welp, there goes that extra time." Hazel noted dryly.
"Don't do it! Hey!" Qrow ran to stop them but was restrained by the other two soldiers.
The struggling ended when they heard a loud noise. Thunderous footsteps echoed in the distance.
The audience grew silent the moment they heard the loud footsteps.
"What...is that?" Jaune muttered, fear creeping along his spine.
Ruby and Pyrrha looked up, the footsteps resounding all the way to the boats.
The footsteps grew louder as they drew closer. A large red foot covered in yellow plated armour came crashing down onto the streets. The Titan walked into full view from behind a building.
This Titan was different from the common ones and the Colossal Titan. It stood at 15-meters tall with pale yellow armoured plates covering its body instead of regular skin.
The armour was shaped like that of a knight's, with an armoured chest plate covering most of its torso, pauldrons, bracers, and plates on the back of its hands and knuckles. The waist and crotch were also covered. Its lower half had armoured plates on its thighs, shins, calves and feet.
The Titan had short, white hair, its face completely protected by a face plate with a long slit stretching from cheek to cheek, only showing glaring, golden eyes.
(Who can guess the Armoured Titan's identity without checking my A/N at the bottom ;-D)
A shiver passed through the audience, taking in the Titan in the same light as the gigantic Titan.
"T-That's a Titan?" Velvet stuttered, frightened by it.
"It looks like it's wearing armour." Jaune muttered in fear. It didn't escape his notice that it resembled a knight.
Oobleck critically examined it. "It's not completely covered." He gestured to the frozen image of the Titan on the screen. "If you look closely, you can see places that look like openings between its armour."
Port nodded along with the assessment. "It's probably for easier movement. I doubt anyone, Titan or not, covered head to toe in armour will find it easy to move freely."
Salem took in the new Titan. Is it perhaps the same as the gigantic Titan from last episode? Cinder was eagerly studying the Titan as well, drinking in its form and commiting it to memory.
The Garrison soldiers took a step back, feeling intimidated. The Armoured Titan crouched, getting into a runner's stance and charged head-on towards the gate at full speed. The force of its charge sent shockwaves, cracking buildings and kicking up pieces of the ground.
"Did it just sprint?!" Cardin shouted. They were all taken by surprise by the speed with which the Titan took off.
Salem's eyes widened when it took off. It's charging straight for the gate as if to plow through it. No mistaking it, this Titan is intelligent as well. Or as intelligent as a Titan can get, I guess.
"What... is that thing?!" A soldier asked, fearfully. "Fire!"
Cannon shells whistled through the air and only one hit the target. With a metallic clang, the shell shattered on its armour, not even slowing it down.
"No way..." Blake gasps in disbelief.
"Cannons are useless against it?" Yang shouted.
Ironwood's eyes widened even further when it began to pick up speed.
"What..."
"It's not working! It's still coming!"
"Shit! Run!"
The soldiers abandoned the cannons and fled through the gates, hoping to get away from the Titan, charging like a bull. "Hurry! The Titans are coming! Close the gate!"
The Armoured Titan steamrolled everything in its path. It charged headfirst through the gate, sending bricks and boulders and soldiers flying through the sheer force. It slowly slid to a stop.
Everyone was left with a disbelieving look on their faces at the new Titan's actions.
Cinder wasn't sympathetic by nature, but even she felt a swell of pity for the poor soldiers that were caught in its path. "Damn..." Her associates were just as dumbfounded as she was.
Qrow and his fellow soldiers gawked at the sight of the Armoured Titan. "The gate..." He muttered, staring at the hole the Titan put through it.
"It broke down the second gate..." Ruby whispered, covering her mouth in horror.
"The other settlements...they're in danger of the Titans now." Glynda's eyes were wide.
Those who remained watched as the slit on the Armoured monstrousity's faceplate slid down, showing its mouth as it growled and hissed a superheated jet of steam. Ruby and Pyrrha watched from the boat as it slowly straightened out in front of the hole where the gate once was.
The adults narrowed their eyes and began to seriously analyze the actions of this Titan and the Colossal one from before.
Current Disclosable Information:
Map of Human Activity [1/2]
This diagram provides a more intuitive idea of how large the area left to humanity is. What lies beyond Wall Maria is a mystery.
Map of Human Activity [2/2]
The elevation increases as you approach the center of humanity's activity zone. This area is also rich in natural resources such as water, ore and natural gas.
Other than to take note of the new information, everyone was silent.
"Several hours after Shiganshina's fall on Wall Maria's south side, the news had spread through the entire human territory."
South of Wall Rose, Trost District
A group of men sat around a table.
"Is it true? Have Titans entered Shiganshina?"
"I can't believe it... How could the wall fall after lasting an entire century?" A finely dressed man asked.
"Who are they?" Coco questioned.
Emerald eyed their fancier than normal apparel with a critical eye. "Can't say for sure but they're definitely of high society." As a thief, it was a piece of cake to identify affluent people in a crowd.
Another man on his feet turned to him. "Whether you believe it or not, there are people out there who escaped by ship. At least 500, I'm told."
"The question is if we've lost Shiganshina alone." A bearded man asked.
"But they would certainly never penetrate Wall Maria, would they?"
"They certainly have now." Jaune growled out, eyes narrowed in anger at the abnormal Titans.
"At the moment, we should contact the central government and await orders." The bearded man spoke up again. "We cannot handle an emergency such as this on our own!"
A Garrison soldier walked into the room."Excuse me! A courier arrived. They say Wall Maria has been breached! The Titans are invading!"
The men could only gape in horror.
"The situation is out of your hands now." Hazel commented.
A wounded Qrow stood on the top of a building, staring at the horde of Titans ahead. "This is the end...?"
Roman hummed at the sight of the soldier. "I'm honestly impressed he's still alive and kicking." His partner signed her agreement.
On the boat headed for Wall Rose, all three friends sat together. "It's over..." A man whimpered. "Humanity will be devoured by the Titans..."
It's over? Ruby thought back to her family. I'll never be able to go home again.
She thought back to her last conversation with her mother. Why was I so immature and argued until the very end?
"It's not your fault, Rubes," Yang murmured under her breath for sister's sake. No point in allowing her to feel guilt over something that happened all the way in another universe.
Mom is gone... She's gone! Why? The screen flickered back and forth between Summer's death and peaceful moments.
"Because you're weak," Qrow's words came back to her.
Qrow frowned, his counterpart's words throwing themselves in his face as well.
I... We humans are weak. It's because we're weak. Tears rolled down form her shut eyes into her hand. Is crying the only thing the weak can do? She clenched her bruised hands, shaking in anger.
The adults sighed, realizing what's about to happen.
Pyrrha watched as Ruby stood and marched to the edge of the ship. "I'll erase their existence from this world..."
Ruby stared at her counterpart in pity. She couldn't blame her, she'd probably feel the same way in her shoes.
Pyrrha watched the girl from where she stood. "Ruby...?"
"What's gotten into you, Ruby?" Oscar walked up to her and placed his hand on her shoulder. She shoved his arm off without looking back. "Ruby..."
"She's growing vengeful." Ren muttered, recalling the same feeling he has for the Nuckelavee.
She slammed her hands onto the railing. "I'll kill them all!" Oscar gasped, seeing his friend's expression, her face twisted with rage.
Yang's heart broke when she saw the angry expression on young Ruby's face. Qrow felt like he'd failed the most important people in his life. Ruby could only stare at her counterpart with sympathy.
"Not even a single one of them will be left!" Hatred and determination filled her voice.
"Ruby..." Oscar muttered in fear and concern for his friend.
"That year, the Royal Government decided to withdraw all human activity inside Wall Rose. The Titans ate an estimated 10,000 people during this time."
In a forest, Taiyang hurriedly rode a carriage. Ruby, Summer, Pyrrha! Please be safe! He said in his mind as tears fell from his eyes.
They sighed with relief when they saw their father/brother/friend alive. Thank Oum that Dad is still alive. Yang sighed happily.
A fire flickered in the darkness.
"Another nightmare?" Velvet stated worriedly.
"Ruby...! Ruby!" Taiyang's voice called out.
"Tai...?" Qrow was worried about the tone his brother in all but blood, was using. It sounds almost desperate.
"Dad! Please stop, Dad!" Ruby screamed out in fear.
A syringe was held up in the air, Its barrel filled with an off-yellow fluid.
The youngsters gasped, their minds rushing to come up with conclusions to what was happening right then.
"Wha–?" Ruby could not finish her sentence. What is going on?!
The adults weren't faring much better. The ones who were close to Taiyang wondered what he could possibly be doing that would cause his daughter to scream in fear of him—and why. Salem was curious about the serum and why it looked like Dr Jaeger was injecting it into his daughter. Some form of booster drug, maybe? He is a Doctor she mused.
Taiyang appeared in a frame, look disheveled but determined. "What are you trying to do?!" Ruby screamed.
The expression on his face caused them to gasp in horror.
"He looks deranged..." Cardin said, observing the scene carefully.
Yang and Ruby were frightened and concerned. What was wrong with their father? What was he doing to his daughter?
The flame and darkness came again.
"Just give me your hand!"
"No! Mom's death made you go crazy!"
"That's it, isn't it?" Yang muttered in horror, eyes glued to the screen.
The flame morphed into the cellar key, floating in the darkness.
The basement key? Why is that popping up now? Ozpin wondered.
"Ruby!" Taiyang had a crazy look on his face. "Let me go, Dad!" The syringe was shown again.
"This is for your sake!"
"What is in that syringe that justifies what you're doing?!" Qrow yelled, trembling with anger and fear.
Ruby dug her fingers into the dirt, body convulsing. "What are you saying?!"
"Don't forget the key, okay?! You must get there... " A slideshow of the serum, Taiyang and Ruby rushed through the scene. "Someday, you'll understand... Until that day...!"
"The basement key?! What is so important about that basement that would warrant such behaviour?" Glynda was in shock from the way her friend's counterpart was treating his daughter.
"Apparently, something important enough to go crazy over and not accept no for an answer."
The key rattled against the ground when it fell.
Ruby gasped as she opened her eyes.
The moment Ruby's eyes opened, the tension bled out of them and they slowly calmed themselves.
"W-W-Wait, so you're telling me...that was all a nightmare?!" Ruby shrieked, the terror of the scene still present within her.
"Thank Oum," Nora breathed out. "Just another nightmare."
Yang let out a breathy chuckle and turned to face her sister. "Your counterpart really has a knack for highly realistic dreams, Rubes..." She paused when she noticed her sister still looked terrified.
Hugging her sister's head to her neck, she slowly rubbed Ruby's back to calm her down, whispering words of comfort to her till Ruby separated herself from her sister's hold.
Salem had a feeling it wasn't just a dream but she kept her theories to herself and continued watching the episode.
"Ruby, are you okay? You were crying in your sleep," Pyrrha said to him.
The two were in an empty storehouse. In the background, bells rung.
"Wonder where they are now." Yatsuhashi said.
Ruby sat up, cradling her head. "I felt like I just saw Dad."
"No, you were dreaming."
"But we saw Dad riding that carriage. That wasn't a dream, so what happened to him?" Ruby asked, worriedly. "If he's aware that Wall Maria has fallen, his next logical step should be to look for me in Wall Rose."
"I see..." Ruby stared at the bronze key wrapped hanging from her neck in slight surprise before tucking it under her shirt.
Dead silence filled the theatre before the explosion of noise.
"WHAT?!" Nora yelled.
"How does she have that?!" Weiss asked, horrified that her suspicions may be true.
Ruby could only sit in shock and disbelief, the noise continuing around her.
"Are you telling me that my bestfriend forcefully injected his daughter with some foreign serum?" Qrow was furious, Yang wasn't too far behind him.
"It's best not to overanalyze it for now." Yang opened her mouth to argue but Blahk cut her short. "All these things will be revealed in time, don't worry."
She and her uncle grumbled up a storm before reluctantly taking their seats once again.
"Let's go." Pyrrha said as she stood up. "They're handing out rations." The two walked outside to join the mass of people. "Apparently, this was their food storehouse. They've gathered all the ship refugees here."
Ruby looked out, seeing lots of people lining up as they receive food from the military.
A girl with platinum-blonde hair walked up to get a single loaf of bread.
"Pause!" The scene paused on the girl.
Blake stared at the girl then at Weiss. She did this multiple times to the Ice Princess' confusion before Blake finally spoke up. "Doesn't that little kid look a lot like you?"
Their eyes widened before they all analyzed the girl on the screen. Ruby was the first to see the resemblance. "She does look like you, Weiss."
Murmurs of the agreement rang out across the cinema.
Weiss was dumbfounded. "B-But, she doesn't even have the same hair colour as me!"
"That does not change the fact that she is your variant from the Attack on Titan uiverse." Blahk chimed in. "She's you with a different hair colour and last name. You have no relation to Winter or the Schnee name in this universe."
The Schnee siblings stared at each other at the last comment. Winter was the first to snap out of it, and turned back to the screen. Her sister reluctantly followed her example.
"Hey! Get in line, will ya?!"
"Shut the hell up! I ain't eaten anything since last night!"
"Why are they fighting?" Velvet questioned.
The last person they all expected a reply to that question from was Nora. "It's a struggle to survive." She simply said. "You can't blame them." Ren her hand in comfort, knowing that her past gave her insight into these sort of experiences.
"We will still struggle for survival," Pyrrha said, watching the two men grab at each other's collars.
"Ruby! Pyrrha!" Oscar ran up to them, loaves of bread in his arms.
"Oscar…" Ruby said.
"Here! Just in time!" Oscar gave them each one loaf. "My grandpa got us some by saying it was for children!"
"Thank you," Pyrrha said.
A Garrison soldier came up behind Oscar, making a face before moving on. "What's his problem?" Ruby stared after him.
"What's his problem?" Cardin asked coincidentally at the same time as Ruby.
"You can't blame him. There's probably not enough food to go around," Oscar explained. "And this is an entire day's worth."
"An entire day's worth? A single loaf?" Weiss gaped in disbelief.
"It's really a struggle to survive." Pyrrha said sadly.
"There are just too many refugees," Oscar said as his friends stared at the loaf of bread in their hands. "There was already a food shortage going on, plus the people here aren't treated as well as citizens on the outer wall."
Winter and Ironwood were suddenly reminded of the politicians and affluent individuals that resided in Atlas.
"Typical." Blake clicked her tongue in annoyance. "Upperclass people looking down on others. Why should this world be any different? No offense, Weiss."
Her teammate nodded her head in understanding.
Two more had joined and now four men were struggling and arguing with one another. "This is mine!" "Shut up!"
The two Garrison soldiers looked on at the scene with scorn.
"Why aren't they trying to stop this? It's literally their job." Glynda sneered at the guards.
"Why should we hafta give our food to some lousy outsiders?" The soldier wasn't trying to keep his voice down and it was clear the trio had heard him. "If the Titans got through the Wall, they could've at least eaten some more people, if you ask me."
"What?!"
"Those bastards!" Coco gritted her teeth in anger.
"Ruby!" Oscar called out as his best friend started walking purposefully toward the arrogant Garrison soldier.
"This is just gonna make the food shortage even worse." Too busy whining, he didn't notice Ruby coming up until she kicked him in the shin. "Oww! What the hell?!"
"You damn brat!" He hit Ruby. The other Garrison soldier stepped in, kicking the young girl and knocking her down.
Yang was ready to blow up when she saw the soldier strike her sister. No one hurt her sister and lived to get away with it.
"You don't know what it's like! You've never even seen it! You've never seen what the Titans do to people!" Ruby yelled with a defiant look, tears in her eyes.
The older man quickly changed his reaction from surprise to anger. "Shut up!"
"Sure, cover up your incompetence with anger. Stellar solution." Roman stated sarcastically.
Oscar quickly stepped in. "We're sorry! She's just hungry and irritable! That's why she's acting like a brat. We're very sorry!"
"Hey! Don't go apologizing to him!" Yang yelled in anger.
"They don't have a choice, Miss Xiao Long." Ozpin lectured her. "They are in a disadvantaged position and have no means of caring for themselves. Sometimes it's best to swallow your pride and accept help from others, no matter how much you hate it."
Yang did not like that answer one bit.
Murmurs picked up as a large crowd formed around them, now watching the spectacle unfold openly.
The Garrison soldier glanced around. "Whatever... You would've been dead without us!" He turned and started to walk away. "You kids ought to show some gratitude!"
"Of course!"
"Damn it," Ruby cursed. "I'd rather die than leech off people like him..."
"You go, sis." Yang said encouragingly.
Ruby shook her head. She got where her sister was coming from but her counterpart wasn't in the best position to refuse help, pride be damned.
After the confrontation, the three gathered back together in the storehouse.
"I'm going back to Wall Maria! I'm going to destroy every last Titan!" Ruby vowed, still fuming.
"Ruby, you're joking, aren't you?" Oscar asked with a nervous smile on his face, hoping that she was joking.
"I wish she was..." Qrow muttered, flashing back to the memory of Ruby's enraged face.
"I'm serious! I'm not like those guys who do nothing but act tough inside the Walls!" She threw the bread angrily and Oscar fumbled with it, trying not to drop it. "I don't need this crap!"
"Are you dense, you dumb brat?" Emerald asked in befuddlement. "What will throwing the food away gain you? Where will the strength to kill the Titans come from?"
Nora nodded in agreement with the greenette. Her anger was understandable but she would only suffer in the long run.
"Ruby! You'll starve to death!" Oscar said.
"Doesn't it piss you off?!" Ruby demanded, walking up to Oscar. "It's because we take everyone's charity that we can't beat the Titans!"
"How do those things even correlate?" Cinder asked with a raised eyebrow.
"It's impossible!" Oscar yelled. "There is no beating them! All we can do is live inside the Walls! If we try anything, we'll die! Just like my mom and dad!"
Oscar's breath hitched in his throat when he heard that. Velvet moved to console the boy.
Salem noted that he didn't say his parents were eaten, simply dead, although it was implied they were killed.
"So you're just gonna grovel to them then?! That's not shameful to you?!" Ruby continued furiously.
"There's nothing we can do for now!" Oscar argued.
"That's just an excuse! If you wanna live like livestock forever, go ahead! You weak piece of shit!"
The audience frowned in disapproval of the insult. Ruby in particular winced, and sent an apologetic look to Oscar. He caught her look and simply nodded at her.
Pyrrha cut off any further commentary with her next action.
Pyrrha stepped forward and punched Ruby, knocking her to the ground.
"Pyrrha?" Oscar said softly.
Cardin whistled, impressed with the punch. "Damn, girl sure knows how to punch."
Ruby sweatdropped at the punch while the adults chuckled. That's one way to snap her back to her senses.
Pyrrha wondered why she hadn't gone that route, throwing a look at Jaune that had him sweating in fear.
"If Oscar's a wimp, then so are we. Whether it was running from the Titans or fleeing the town, we didn't manage anything on our own."
Qrow wondered if his counterpart was still alive.
"We even had help finding food today. There's no way such powerless people can defeat even a single one of those Titans," Pyrrha continued. Ruby sat up and made a face, too stubborn to admit she was right. "Staying alive is what matters most. Just like your mother said." She took the bread from Oscar and walked over to Ruby and forced the bread into her mouth.
"Pyrrha!" Oscar gasped.
While her speech was good, it wasn't as impressive as the follow-up action. Laughter rang out throughout the audience when she forced the bread into Ruby's mouth. Ruby and Pyrrha turned red in embarrassment, one for being force-fed and the other for doing the deed.
"Now that's tough love, if I've ever seen it." Ozpin kept letting out chuckles at the ridiculousness of the scene.
"You have to eat and stay alive." Pyrrha said she continued to force-feed Ruby.
Tears were in Ruby's eyes.
"I won't let you starve to death."
Ruby relented and began to eat the bread, still crying.
"She's right, Yang." Ruby said. "Mom would've wanted them to stay alive."
Yang sighed, finally seeing their point. "Can't say I've totally accepted it, but I understand."
"Several days later, the throngs of refugees were tasked with cultivating the wastelands to secure food." Oscar narrated as men and women worked the fields under the supervision of Garrison soldiers. The trio, alongside Oscar's grandfather, worked among the group.
"Makes sense. If they're going to live there for the unforeseeable future, they might as well work for their food." Port said.
Roman shook his head. "That'll still take too long. Factoring in the number of refugees with the amount of time it takes food to grow, there'll be a shortage of food."
"However, a food shortage was unavoidable. So, in the following year of 846..." A young Jaune and Ren were shown amongst the crowds. "...the Royal Government sent a multitude of refugees on a mission in the name of retaking Wall Maria."
"Looking good, Vomit Boy." Yang chuckled.
Nora bounced excitedly when she saw her best friend. "Renny! It's you, it's you!"
Said boy merely chuckled at his best friend's enthusiasm.
The adults frowned at the government's order. Sending refugees to take back Titan-infested areas was basically a suicide mission, one the refugees were not expected to return from.
Oscar's grandfather gave him his hat.
"250,000 were sent... Nearly a fifth of the population."
"A fifth..." Winter muttered in horror.
With dead eyes, the refugees followed the Survey Corps soldiers on foot.
"It's a death march." Ironwood noted grimly. "And they know it too."
Ozpin nodded. "Sacrificing thousands of displaced refugees to save millions of others. Their government knows there's only way this ends." He finished with a disgusted tone.
The young audience gaped in horror and disbelief that the government would ever take such an action. Some of them could understand the reasoning behind it but it didn't change how disgusted they were by the act.
"Not even 200 survived."
On the bloodied battlefield, only the Titans remained standing.
"Although it wasn't much, their sacrifices did improve the food shortage situation for the rest of the population."
"No..." Pyrrha whispered.
Ruby eyed the battlefield in horror. "This was no battle. This was a..."
"...slaughter." Blake finished.
Oscar sat against a wall, clutching his grandfather's hat, crying.
Oscar's body shook silently, trying to hold his tears in. He'd never met his grandfather but it still stung seeing his counterpart lose him in such a manner. Velvet continued consoling him and providing comfort.
"It's all the Titans' fault." Ruby stood next to him, Pyrrha a couple of feet in front of them. "If we could just subdue them, our place in the world could be ours again. Oscar..." She sat with her best friend. "I'm going to apply for the military next year." Pyrrha let out a resigned sigh. "I'm going to gain the strength to fight the Titans!"
"Me, too." Oscar said as he looked down.
"Oscar?!" Ruby turned to him in surprise.
The audience were just as surprised as Ruby. Most did not expect the timid boy to ever gain the courage to fight the Titans.
"I will join you, too."Oscar said with a determined look on his face.
"I'll go, as well." Pyrrha said, making Ruby turn to her.
"Can't say I was surprised," Cardin muttered.
"Pyrrha, you don't need to! You said it yourself, staying alive is what's important!"
"Yes, that's why I'm doing it. So you won't die," Pyrrha stated plainly.
Ruby stood. "Alright. The three of us, then."
At that moment, the three of them silently made a promise to grow stronger.
Ruby met Pyrrha's and Oscar's eyes, nodding to one another.
"These kids are crazy." Roman commented. "Regular kids don't just up and decide to charge to where the danger is."
We find ourselves in a training ground. Many young men and women gathered together to become cadets and eventually join the military.
Ironwood perked up, analyzing the location. "Looks like a training camp. I guess this is where their training for the military begins."
"You are now officially members of the 104th Training Corps," Oobleck said loudly. His head now shaved, with dark circles under his eyes and carrying a small goatee, his military uniform showed the emblem of two swords crossing, signifying him as a member of the Training Corps. "You have the misfortune of having me, Bartholomew Oobleck, as your Instructor!"
"I thought he was commander of the Survey Corps?" Yang asked.
"I guess the job took its toll on him." Weiss replied, trying to reconcile the image of their teacher with this changed man on the screen.
Oobleck simply analyzed his counterpart's aged appearance. All those failures weighing down on him probably caused him to resign his former position.
"I do not welcome you warmly! In your current state, you'd be nothing but food for the Titans! You're mere livestock!" The camera pans to show a line of cadets with an older Weiss, Sun, Neptune and Yatsuhashi. "You're less than livestock!"
"Look, it's us!" Sun yelled excitedly, aggressively patting Neptune on the back.
Team CFVY were surprised to see their teammate looking so short. "Guess you haven't hit your growth spurt yet." Coco said while laughing.
Team RWBY were happy to see their now older teammate had chosen to join the military. The white-haired girl held her head up, accepting their words of encouragement.
Winter was feeling both pride that her sister had chosen to protect people by joining the military and concern because that would mean she would end up facing the Titans.
"Over the next three years, we're going to train you worthless nothings and teach you how to fight Titans!" The camera pans again to an older Jaune and Ren standing side by side and Velvet standing in front of Nora.
Nora whooped with joy when she saw hers and her best friend's older counterpart. Pyrrha patted Jaune on the back, smiling warmly at him while he beamed.
Velvet was also being cheered on by her team.
"Three years from now, when you come face-to-face with the Titans, will you still be fodder for them?!" An older Oscar is shown.
"Whooo! Go, Oscar!" Nora cheered. The poor boy was blushing in excitement and embarrassment.
"Will you serve as an noble wall, shielding the king?!" Older Pyrrha with longer hair.
"I'm calling it now. Pyrrha's gonna be the most badass of their class." Yang stated with an air of finality. Pyrrha shyly blushed.
Ruby playfully clutched her chest with her hands. "Have you so little faith in your dear sister?"
"Or will you be a glorious soldier for humanity that drives the Titans out! It's up to you to decide!"
Yeah, don't worry. Ruby stared intently and glared. I'll kill every last one of them.
To be continued...
Everyone dispersed to take quick five minute breaks. Salem went over everything she deduced from observing the Titans, Cinder adding her inputs as well.
"Looks like they kept to their goal of joining the military." Ozpin stated.
"And many of our students as well." Glynda said with a hint of concern which she tried to mask.
"I have faith that they will make it through, Glynda." Ozpin patted her shoulder reassuringly.
The kids were fidgeting impatiently in their seats, waiting for everyone to return from their breaks. They were anxious to see their counterparts and what their training will entail.
Once everyone was seated, episode 3 began.
Phew! Now we can get into the good stuff.
Concerning the opening, it's just something I couldn't resist adding. I won't type it out every episode, though it will always play out for the viewers. After the first time, I'll simply put something like "opening sequence" and end it there. Wanted to add in ending themes but decided against it.
I've been reading through all the reviews and I'm so grateful for all your support. Unoriginal247 gave me an idea for some casts and NinjaAssassinM got most of the casts. Here is a list of the casts so far:
Eren: Ruby
Mikasa: Pyrrha
Armin: Oscar
Annie: Weiss
Reiner: Jaune
Bertholdt: Ren
Jean: Sun
Marco: Neptune (RIP bro)
Connie: Yatsuhashi (CFVY)
Sasha: Nora
Historia/Christa: Velvet
Erwin: Ironwood
Shadis: Oobleck
Hannes: Qrow
Mr and Mrs Jaeger: Taiyang and Summer
And there you have it! If you have ideas for casts, improvement to reactions, and all others, feel free to let me know. See you next chapter :-)