"Alright, now that I've explained your current situation, would you mind sitting down? I do believe the next scene is about to start." Eternity said. Qrow was about to say something before the Headmaster of Beacon stepped forward.
"Mr Eternity, even with your detailed explanation, this all seems incredibly… hard to believe." Ozpin said.
"More like impossible." Qrow said, the man attempting to take a drink from his hip flask only for it to disintegrate not unlike Harbinger did a few moments ago, "Hey, what gives?!"
"I do apologize, Mr Branwen, but the consumption of alcohol is also one of the things I do not permit here." Eternity said.
"Mr Eternity, how can we know that we you are telling us is the truth? Do we have any assurance that all of us here will be able to go back to our world without any harm befalling us?" Ozpin asked.
"Well, I can certainly understand your worries about all of this but simply put, there is no way for me to completely convince you that I have no evil intentions. At least, not without having all of you go insane, that is." Eternity said.
"Well, that's ominous." Yang noted.
"If nothing else, trust that I have not done anything to harm your students before your arrival nor do I have any intention to. You have my word." Eternity said, the entity offering a hand to Ozpin as a sign of trust, "I do hope that will be enough, Mr Ozpin?"
The Headmaster stared at the outstretched hand for a few silent seconds before accepting it, "As I have no other choice, I will have to take your word for it, Mr Eternity."
"Wonderful. And please, just call me Eternity. Mr Eternity was my father." the Entity said.
"You had a father?" Glynda asked.
"Ha ha, no. That was just a joke." Eternity said with a chuckle, "Now then, everyone, if you wouldn't mind taking your seats, we can begin the next viewing."
"Finally! Ren, the next movie's starting!" Nora shouted, the girl grabbing a fistful of popcorn before stuffing it into her mouth.
"Yes, Nora, I can see that. Also, you don't need to shout. I'm sitting right next to you." Ren said.
"What's this one about, Eternity?" Ruby asked as her uncle took the empty neat to her left.
"Hmm.. Well, without going into too much detail, you and your friends are the protectors of this world."
"Like Superheroes?" Jaune asked, the blonde's eyes sparkling at the thought.
"Exactly like superheroes, Mr Arc."
"Hey, can I get something to eat for this? A chilli dog, maybe?" Qrow asked.
"Of course, Mr Branwen." Eternity said, the entity snapping his fingers before a chilli dog appeared in Qrow's hands, "And the rest of you? Would you like anything to eat or drink?"
"None for me, thank you." Winter said.
"If you're offering, I'll just have some iced tea." Glynda said.
"As for me, I wouldn't mind some coffee. Mistralian Nirvana, to be exact." Ozpin replied before the items they requested appeared in front of them a moment later.
"Now then, without further ado, let's start the movie."
"This is the Asgardian refugee vessel, Beacon. We are under assault. I repeat, we are under assault. Our engines are dead, life support is failing and we are desperately in need of aid from any vessel in range." a voice said through static as if spoken through radio.
"Hey, that sounds like me." Nora said, the girl perking up at her familiar voice.
"Indeed it does although, I don't like how much danger you sound like you're in." Ren noted.
"Our vessel is carrying Asgardian families. We have very few soldiers here. This is not a war craft. I repeat, this is not a warcraft." Nora said, the scene on the screen showing a spacecraft in deep space being assaulted by a larger spacecraft. As the larger spaceship's attacks kept hitting the smaller one, the shield around the smaller craft seemed to slowly but gradually fail.
"Hear me and rejoice." a voice suddenly said as the scene shifted to inside the smaller spaceship. With countless dead bodies strewn all around him, Yatsuhashi lay on the ground, the man groaning in pain as he struggled to get up to face his attackers, "You have had the privilege of being saved by the great Queen."
"You may think this is suffering. No, it is salvation." the owner of the voice continued speaking as he stepped over the dead bodies that lay before him, "The universal scales tip towards balance because of your sacrifice. Smile, for even in death, you have become children of Salem."
The camera then panned from the owner of the voice to Roman Torchwick, the man standing amid the pile of dead bodies as four other people surrounded him.
"I know what it's like to lose."
"All those people… dead…" Ruby said, the girl's eyes widening at such a scene before her.
"I'm not surprised Torchwick is here. Of course he'd be involved somehow." Blake noted, the Faunus frowning at the memory of their run-ins with the criminal.
"Somehow, Torchwick doesn't seem the type of person who'd be a mass murderer, Blake." Yang said, "He may be a criminal but not that type of criminal."
As the discussion grew between the members of Team RWBY, none of them noticed how silent Qrow, Glynda, and especially Ozpin had become.
"Ozpin, that voice… It couldn't be…" Glynda said in a whisper. Ozpin, meanwhile, could only stare at the scene in front of him in silence, dreading for whatever was about to happen.
"To feel so desperately that you're right yet to fail nonetheless." the owner of the voice - a woman draped in a black robe - said as she turned around to face Torchwick. As she made her way towards the criminal, the tall woman effortlessly picked up the body laying down next to her with one hand, "It's frightening. Turns the legs to jelly. I ask you to what end. Dread it, run from it, destiny arrives all the same. Or should I say, I am."
The camera then panned around the woman's face, revealing a skin as white as snow with eyes as black as the darkest night. The woman then held up her armored hand as a gem that had been inlaid on it glowed the brightest blue.
"You talk too much." Nora managed to say, the woman's head being gripped by her assailant's other hand as Roman sent a nervous glance towards her way.
"Nora, no!" Jaune shouted, the same look of distress being shared by all the members of Team JNPR.
"I don't like this." Pyrrha said, the girl trying her best to look away from the scene playing in front of her. Ren, meanwhile, could only grip Nora's hand as tight as he could as the girl in question could only stare in silence at her counterpart on the screen.
"The Tesseract. Or your sister's head." Salem said, the woman ignoring the weak protests Nora was currently offering. Salem's four followers watched Roman's actions like a hawk, the four of them eagerly anticipating what the criminal would choose next, "I assume you have a preference?"
"Oh, I do." Roman said, the man staring at Salem with defiance in his eyes, "Kill away."
Shocked by the man's cold decision, Salem brushed it off in in an instant as she proceeded to torture Nora by exposing her face to the full power of the gem inlaid on her gauntlet.
Almost immediately, all the members of Teams RWBY and JNPR looked away from the screen as the sound of Nora's pained scream reached their ears. Ruby even pulled her hood down while Ren pulled his partner in close with a tight hug.
"Salem, does your cruelty truly know no bounds?" Ozpin whispered to himself.
"Alright, stop!" Torchwick shouted as Salem immediately complied, a self-satisfied smile on her face.
"We don't… have the Tesseract…" Nora said through heavy breaths, "It was destroyed with Asgard…"
In response, Roman sent a guilty look towards Nora before he reached out and pulled a glowing cube from out of thin air.
"You… really are… the worst brother…" Nora said with a glare. With a look of guilt etched on his face, Roman went to hand over the cube in his hand to Salem.
"I assure you, Sister, that the Sun will shine on us again." Roman said before Salem chuckled in response to his words.
"Your optimism is misplaced, Asgardian." Salem said.
"Well, for one thing, I'm not Asgardian." Roman said, letting his words hang in the air for a few moments before continuing, "And for another, we have Yang on our side."
A roar filled with rage filled the room, surprising Salem before an eight foot tall monster with fiery hair and green skin barreled into the woman as Roman tackled Nora out of harm's way.
"Yang, look! It's you!" Ruby squealed in excitement at watching her sister appearing on-screen, "And you're kicking butt!"
"And you're kicking butt! Go, Yang!" Nora shouted, the girl cheering along with Ruby.
"That's great and all but… why am I green?" Yang asked, the girl sticking a tongue out in disgust, "That's like… my least favorite color…"
Surprised, one of Salem's followers - Hazel Rainart - attempted to intervene and save his Mistress only to be stopped by another.
"Let her have some fun." said Arthur Watts, an evil smirk on his face. As Yang continued her assault, the hulking brute was finally able to pin Salem to a wall. Before she could get any more hits in, however, Salem grabbed Yang by her arms before pushing her back. She then proceeded to deliver a heavy blow to Yang's neck.
Shocked by the attack she just received, Yang went in for an attack of her own only for Salem to dodge it and deliver a swift counter to her chest. This pattern continued on for a few more seconds as nothing Yang did seemed to be effective against the white-skinned woman.
Eventually, Salem decided to end the one-sided fight with a heavy knee to Yang's face before picking her up over her head and slamming her down hard on the steel floor, knocking the brawler out cold.
Standing over Yang's unconscious body, Nora took this moment to sneak up on the woman before striking her in the face with a steel pipe. Mildly annoyed by her actions, Salem responded by kicking the girl across the room.
Before Nora could even get up, Arthur watts followed up Salem's attack by using the broken pieces of steel around them to make a makeshift prison for the Asgardian.
Yatsuhashi, meanwhile, locked eyes with Nora before the man grabbed his broken sword. With a grunt, he looked towards the unconscious body of Yang.
"All-Fathers, let the dark magic… flow through me one last time…" Yatsuhashi said. A pillar of light then appeared out of nowhere, lifting Yang from the ground as it transported the girl out of the ship and into the vast unknown of space.
"That was a mistake." Salem said, the woman stalking the wounded Yatsuhashi. Taking the weapon of another of her followers - Tyrian Callows - into her hands, Salem then proceeded to stab the man in the stomach, killing him.
"Nooooo!" Nora screamed as the light in her friend's eyes disappeared.
"Yatsuhashi…" Blake said, the girl growing increasingly upset at the fate of her friends in this universe.
"I hate this universe." Nora said, the girl shedding a tear for Yatsuhashi's death.
"Me, too." Yang said, the blonde equally as upset, "I hate this universe."
"Eternity, can't you do something about this? Maybe help them out?" Ruby asked.
"Unfortunately, no. I am unable to directly alter events that transpire in each universe." Eternity said.
"But why not? Aren't you an all-powerful being?" Jaune asked.
"I am, yes, but with great power, comes great responsibility." Eternity said, a sad smile on his face.
"You're going to die for that." Nora said with gritted teeth as tears started to form in her eyes. In response, Arthur Watts used his abilities to form a muzzle around her mouth using the pieces of steel scattered around a floor. He then picked up the Tesseract nearby before presenting it towards his Mistress.
"My humble personage bows before your grandeur. No other being has ever had the might- nay, the nobility to wiled not one but two Infinity Stones." Watts said before Salem picked it up from his palm, "The Universe lies within your grasp."
Salem studied the cube in her hand carefully before she smashed it to pieces to reveal a blue gem similar to the one currently embedded in the gauntlet she was currently wearing. Placing it into its' appropriate slot on the gauntlet, a surge of energy burst forth that temporarily stunned the woman.
"Two stones remain on Earth. Find them and bring them to me." Salem said as she eyed her four followers.
"My lady, we will not fail you." said one of her followers.
"Hey, I know that girl." Nora said, pointing towards the female follower of Salem, "I've seen her around Beacon before."
"You're right, Nora. I think her name was…" Jaune said, the blonde racking his brain trying to remember, "Cinder Fall."
"Have you spoken to her before, Jaune?" Pyrrha asked.
"No, she was just very… memorable…" Jaune replied, the boy trying to hide the blush on his face.
"Oh, yeah? What was so memorable about her, Jaune?" Yang asked, a playful smile on her face.
"S-shut up, Yang. It's not like that." Jaune said.
"These Infinity Stones she speaks of, what are they?" Ozpin asked as he looked towards Eternity.
"Powerful relics created at the dawn of this particular universe." Eternity said, "Put simply, they're like the Relics of your world only a lot stronger."
"The fact that Salem has them is… concerning." Ozpin noted to himself.
"You sound like you know her, Professor." Weiss said.
"Please ignore that, Miss Schnee. I was just talking to myself."
"If I might interject for a bit." Roman said, interrupting the five of them, "If you're going to Earth, I believe you might need a guide. I do have some experience in that arena."
"If you consider failure experience." Salem countered, an amused smile on his face.
"I consider experience experience." Roman said, the man stepping closer towards Salem, "Almighty Salem, I, Roman Torchwick, prince of Asgard and its rightful heir, and God of Thievery and Mischief do hereby pledge to you my undying fidelity."
As he said those words, Roman conjured a dagger at the back of his hand, hidden to all but Nora, whose eyes widened at the thought of what her adopted brother was about to do.
As those thoughts crossed Nora's mind, Roman lunged towards Salem. He would have succeeded had the woman not reacted in time as she used the power of the space stone to stop the dagger mere inches from her neck.
"Undying? You should choose your words more carefully." Salem said, the woman flicking the dagger away before gripping Roman's neck and lifting him into the air. With the Prince of Asgard struggling in her grasp, Salem looked at Nora with a malicious smile on her face before turning her attention back to Roman.
"You will… never be… a God…" Roman said, the man struggling to breath with Salem's grip around his neck. In response, Salem proceeded to crush Roman's neck with a simple squeeze, killing him.
Nora, meanwhile, could only helplessly watch all this happen from her makeshift prison, her screams of protest muffled by the steel pieces around her mouth. Even as Salem dropped Roman's lifeless body in front of her, there was nothing more she could do as she and her followers left through a portal she had conjured before destroying the ship.
"Roman…" Nora said, the woman crawling her way towards her deceased brother just as the ship around them blew up.
[~]
Meanwhile, the pillar of light that Yatsuhashi conjured from before could be seen hurtling through space with Yang in the center of it. The scene then changed to the inside of a house situated in the middle of a bustling city.
"Seriously? You don't have any money?" Ozpin asked, the man dressed in casual clothes as Peter Port trailed after him.
"Attachment to the material is detachment to the spiritual." Peter replied, a self-satisfied chuckle leaving his lips.
"I'll tell the people at the deli what you just said. Maybe they'll make you a meta-physical ham and rye." Ozpin said with a roll of his eyes.
"Oh, wait. I think I have something here." Peter said as the man searched his pockets, "I have.. two hundred."
"Dollars?"
"Rupees"
"Which is…?"
"A dollar and a half?" Before their banter could go any further, the roof to their home exploded as a pillar of light crashed through and into the stairs. Startled, the two men approached the crater that was just formed to find a dazed and confused Yang lying in the middle of it.
"Salem is… Salem is coming…" Yang said, the blonde looking at the two men standing over her, "She's coming…"
"...Who?"
The scene then faded to black as the words "Avengers: Infinity War" was sprawled on the screen.
"Well, that universe was dark." Nora said.
"I mean, I wasn't Torchwick's biggest fan but even I wouldn't have wanted something like that to happen to him." Yang added.
"Agreed. To have your neck crushed like that?" Blake said, the girl shuddering at the thought.
"Guys, can we not… talk about all that…? Please…?" Ruby said, the girl shocked by what they had all just witnessed.
"Mr Eternity, please tell me the next universe is something a little less heavy?" Jaune said.
"Preferably much less heavy, thank you." Weiss said.
"Agreed. They may be alternate universe counterparts but seeing my students suffer like this can be… a bit much to handle." Glynda said.
"I understand your concern but unfortunately, I have little to no control which universe gets featured on screen." Eternity said, much to the audience's disappointment, "Fortunately, this next one will be light-hearted compared to what you have seen."
Before any of them could cheer at the good news, a white light suddenly engulfed the entire theatre, shocking everyone inside. As it dissipated, four figures emerged.
"General Ironwood, where are we?" Penny asked, a confused look on her face.
"I'm afraid your guess is as good as mine, Penny. Regardless, we should be cautious-"
"Friend Ruby!" Penny screamed in delight as she launched herself at the young team leader, cutting off whatever it was that the General was about to say.
"Hello, James." Ozpin said, greeting his ally.
"Ozpin?" James said before noticing the other people present, "Winter?"
"Mom?! Dad?!" Blake said, the girl standing up with a surprised look on her face at the sudden appearance of her parents.
"Blake? Oh, it's so good to see you again!" Kali Belladona said, the girl immediately giving her daughter a hug as her father approached her.
"Hello, Blake." Ghira Belladona said as the man, the man giving his daughter a hug, as well, "Although it is great to see you, I must ask: Where is this place?"
"Greetings to all new guests. Please, if you won't mind taking a seat, the next showing will start soon." Eternity said, interrupting the sudden reunion. Looking towards their daughter for answers, it was all Blake could do to chuckle nervously.
"Heh… It's kind of a long story…" Blake said.
[Chapter END]
A/N: So, that's Chapter 2. I know, a pretty uninspired choice to go with Infinity War but I really liked the opening act of IW. At first, I wanted to do the cast reacting to IW until the point where Tony goes into space but halfway through, I realized I wanted to do so many other stuff that I just decided to cut it short. Apologies for that.
In any case, Chapter 3 will adapt a fan-favorite episode for a fan-favorite comedy series. I hope you guys will look forward to that one.
As always, fave, follows, and reviews are always welcome.