I know I know, I said that I'd be staying away for the weekend but I had a doozy of an idea..and unlike every other writer here who would probably be sane and flesh it out carefully, I blew 12+ hours of my day just to bring it to realization
Disclaimer: Rooster Teeth owns RWBY, otherwise we'd be seeing the further escalation of Cinder's Plans and Adam Taurus leading the charge against our heroes.
Bálor Moonlight belongs to me, otherwise he'd be..more competent I suppose?
Any other company, personality, or organization mentioned within belongs to their respective parent company.
The next day at Beacon was a lively one for the student body as more and more individuals seemed to be paired off with one another, whether it be as dear friends now united once more such as the case with Team RWBY who were now making their way to Professor Oobleck's class for the morning lecture with Yang in the lead as she cast flirtive looks towards those boys who weren't attached to anyone. To those few who were getting their feet wet in the pools of romance like Jaune and Pyrrha who were now walking side by side with each other, blushing slightly whenever their hands touched, for their teammates it wasn't a complete victory but they were now beginning to open up to each other and that was definitely a step in the right direction.
However for Bálor Moonlight, it was far from a happy day as he stood in the dorm room he still shared with Ruby as the events of the previous night seemed to repeat themselves over and over again in his mind.
"Why didn't I just make a choice?" He would shudder at the sound of his own voice preaching for others to take a shot and go after the ones they loved even as he walked out on his chance to do the same, he had spent the remainder of that night in the dorms lying on his bed lost in thought. If Ruby had come back, she had made zero noise when doing so and when he had woken up that morning she was nowhere to be seen.
"Maybe I was just bullshitting myself when I tried to fake out Ruby last night, she would never abandon being a Huntress, even if she somehow lost an arm and a leg she would still find a way to stay in the fight!" The wolf Faunus would make his way into the washroom, splashing cold water in his face as he tried to clear his head and prepare for the day even though he was beyond late for Professor Oobleck's lecture.
"That's right, just keep making up excuses to justify your fear." He would look around suddenly, swearing that someone had just spoken. But there was no one in the washroom with him except him and his own reflection which should have placated the frightened Faunus, except for the fact that his reflection was now smiling back at him.
"Aww, looks like someone's forgotten their meds again. But then again that means I finally get to come out and play!" The other Bálor would grin back at him, his fangs gleaming brightly as he began to bang against "his" side of the mirror indignantly while his frightened counterpart backed up against the wall. "Look at you, Pathetic and WEAK! We both know that the old you would've just taken Yang as your bride long ago." The demented doppelganger would snap his fingers, a heart shaped bed appearing in the mirror as the blond brawler lay wrapped up in the sheets while giving him the "bedroom eyes" and curling a finger as if to say "Come and get me".
"Although if it were up to me, I'd just take the whole fucking team!" As if to illustrate his point, Ruby, Weiss, and Blake would all materialize in the bed alongside Yang. "And why stop there, we could take them all!" Images of Nora, Pyrrha, Coco, even Glynda Goodwitch would play out before him as the twisted reflection laughed maniacally.
"No, I'm not a monster..I'm not!" Bálor would grab the closest object to him, ripping the towel rack from the wall and bashing it against the mirror as hard as he could. "Shut up, shut up! ShutupShutupShutupShutupShutup." The mirror would shatter as he connected with one final blow, pieces of glass falling to the ground or into the sink itself but his reflection would still look back at him with a satisfied smile.
"You'll never get away from me, so long as you hold onto the fear in your heart. I will always be right behind you." The voice would finally fade as Bálor let the towel rack drop to the floor, reaching into the cabinet and pulling out a bottle of pills.
"I've been so lost in this drama and relationship stuff lately that I've forgotten to keep my head above water." He would carefully remove the lid and pull out a small red and yellow capsule, it was a rare anti-psychotic drug given to him by Ozpin before his release from the prison. It was mainly supposed to help him combat the demented reflection that had just visited him, but since he had begun socializing with others in the Academy he had neglected doing so.
"Ozpin would never let me hear the end of it if he knew that I wasn't taking these." The silver haired Hunter would swallow the pill with some difficulty as he had forgotten to pour himself a glass of water, he would then put the cap back on and place the bottle back in the mirror-less medicine cabinet as he stepped out of the washroom and finally decided to get dressed for the day.
Cinder Fall would sigh as Professor Port continued to prattle on about another war story, one that should be factually impossible given the size of the Nevermores he was describing within, as she looked around the classroom she would spy Emerald doodling in her notebook while Mercury was clearly asleep as his head was down on his desk.
"Dammit, what I would give to be able to set that doddering old fool on fire. Perhaps that would snap him back to reality!" The pyromancer would seethe quietly as his story descended into complete nonsense, which would only be stopped once Bálor walked in. Clad in the Academy Uniform for the first time in his tenure, she would watch as the young man walked up to the possibly senile Hunter and bowed respectfully before making his way upstairs, looking around for an empty seat.
"Well now, it looks like the rebellious dog seems to have lost his spirit." The raven haired Huntress would gesture to the empty seat beside her, smiling coyly as he settled in as Port began with yet another story.
"I must say it's quite a sight to see you wearing the uniform, finally run out of t-shirts that express your views of a pseudo sport?" Bálor would look at the scheming woman, his eyes widening as he saw the same amber color in her own before blinking intensely and shaking his head.
"I just figured there was no point in pretending to be someone I'm not." He would mutter quietly before opening his sketchpad and drawing, Cinder would steal a glance at it and furrow her brow. It was a rather complicated drawing of a volgue, a double bladed weapon that seemed to be assembled by dismantling parts of other blades. "That weapon seems rather bulky for someone like you." She would whisper this quietly, even as the wolf flinched visibly causing him to make a rather deep and errant line in his sketch. "You should use a smaller blade, one that's light so as to accent your mobility and make quicker strikes." The pyromancer smirked as the silver haired Faunus seemed to ponder her words before nodding in agreement.
"Y-yes, I don't need to fight harder..just smarter." Bálor would nod as he turned the page and began a new sketch, stopping to exchange a glance and a small smile with her even as it wavered somewhat. "Thank you for the suggestion Miss..?"
Cinder would smile inwardly as she made her introductions to the amber eyed young man, continuing to aid him in designing his new weapon as the lecture went on. By the time Port dismissed everyone they had settled on a working design of a lightweight katana type of blade, it would also house a small compartment for him to house blast type Dust rounds to augment its cutting ability to the point where it would be able to cut through metal by superheating the edge.
"Now this is a weapon worthy of someone with your talents Bálor: Formidable enough to hold your own in the sparring ring, and deadly enough to cut through your enemies like a sickle through wheat." The pyromancer would nod approvingly at the diagram they had created, even as the wolf Faunus seemed unsure of what he was looking at. "Do you not agree?"
The silver haired Hunter would frown in thought as he looked it over once again. "It's not that I don't agree with you Cinder, it's a spectacular weapon and something that I can handle easily. But..it just seems like it's better suited for killing people, not the Grimm." Cinder would see his hands tremble in her peripheral vision, doing her best to hide her disgust at the sight before gently placing a hand on his shoulder. "There's no need to be afraid of it, it's only a design after all." She would leave him to contemplate her words as she exited the classroom, not surprised to see Emerald and Mercury waiting for her.
"Sooo Cinder, does this mean that you and the new guy are something special?" Emerald would smirk teasingly even as Mercury rolled his eyes in disgust.
"You can't be serious, that Bálor guy is a flashy dresser..usually. But far below Cinder's standard of men."
The raven haired pyromancer would sigh irritably as they stalked the halls back to their dorm room, waiting until they would be behind closed doors to reprimand them to the fullest effect.
"Previous comments aside there is something we can use to our advantage when the time comes, provided we can rid him of the obvious mental instabilities holding him back."
Cinder would close the door behind her and slam her palm against the wall in contempt. "I don't understand how someone with his talents can let fear hold him back"
Mercury would be rifling through his closet hurriedly, looking for the tickets he had "procured" for a special event he had planned to go to that evening.
Emerald would be leaning against the desk, waving the pilfered tickets like a fan before staring at her raven haired leader. "Well, we can't all be Pentagon Jr. apparently." Mercury would chuckle at the reference before slamming the closet door shut angrily, raking his fingers through his own silver hair. "Now there's a guy who knows no fear, it's practically in his catchphrase." He would continue looking around helplessly, unaware that Emerald held the tickets in her hands.
"Yeah, because a masked wrestler who uses some karate kicks and fakes breaking a guy's arm in the ring truly knows about living without fear." She would grin as Mercury finally caught wind of the tickets in her hand and dodge away as he leaped at her in vain, Cinder would watch the pair chase one another like crazed buffoons before finally snatching the pair of tickets from Emerald's hands and glaring at her immature subordinates.
"I should burn these things and then punish you two for your complete idiocy!" She would look down at the tickets carefully, reading over the details of the show carefully with a sinister smile. "However, this "Pentagon Jr." may be just the key to getting him out of the binds of fear, after all the best way to awaken a demon is to bring him into the underground." Mercury would pout knowing that she was formulating a scheme that would effectively leave him stuck in the dorms with Emerald, who look just as displeased at the thought of being left behind with him.
"Now Mercury, tell me everything you know about this "Pentagon Jr.", the last thing I'd want is for our target to think he's walking into a trap instead of a fine evening with me."
Bálor would return to his dorm room to find Ruby moving her things out of his closet along with Yang to help her carry her belongings back, he would hold back a depressed sigh at the sight before clearing his throat to get their attention. "Ladies."
Ruby would flinch as she was carefully packing away Crescent Rose's ammo, setting it down before turning to face him.
"I didn't think you'd be back so soon." The crimsonette would frown as she stared at the floor, unlike Yang who had written the silver-haired Faunus off entirely there was still a small spark of hope for him inside the young Huntress's heart.
"You don't need to defend yourself to him Ruby, he made his bed last night..let him lie in it like a big boy." The brawler would pick up the box of clothing and head towards the door, making sure to knock him aside with her shoulder as she left.
"Wow, that's..real mature." The wolf would dust himself off, smiling even as Ruby looked on sympathetically. "Though I dare say I earned that and then some, after all you insisted I man up and I just left." The hood wearing young woman would sigh and smile as she finished loading up the last of the ammo boxes carefully.
"You may not have been able to find the courage to take your opportunity, but I think you helped Pyrrha find hers. She and Jaune are looking a little bit more serious today, so there was some good that came out of that night." The crimsonette would try to lift the ammo boxes off the ground, struggling as she tried lifting them all at once.
"Silly little Rose, you try so hard..even when the odds aren't entirely in your favor." Bálor would smile before activating his Semblance and bringing the boxes up into the air, causing Ruby to gasp in surprise then blush lightly. "Come along my dear, let's help you get these boxes back home."
The two of them would walk along the halls quietly, with Ruby gesturing for the others to keep clear as Bálor carefully maneuvered the boxes in the air as they made their way over to the RWBY dorm.
"Are you sure this isn't too much for you, I mean you did kind of go into a coma the last time you used your Semblance." The crimsonette would look back at him worriedly as the neared the door to her dorm, finally sighing in relief when he set the ammo boxes down.
"I just don't want you to get hurt because I can't lift a few boxes."
The silver haired Faunus would laugh nervously as he remembered the day in question, there was still a scar on his chest from the wound Blake's Gambol Shroud had inflicted.
"Honey, you have to understand that I had already been wounded prior to having to heave a stump of granite to keep it from turning you into a Ruby pancake. Still totally worth it by the way."
Ruby would laugh and give him a playful shove as he grinned. "You better say it was worth it." The two of them would continue laughing until Weiss opened the door with an irritated look on her face, about to mouth off when she noticed the happiness in their eyes and waiting until the moment finally passed.
"If you two hyenas are done prattling, we still have an assignment to get done." The heiress would smile despite the scathing words she had just spoken as she and Ruby began moving the boxes into the dorm room, he would eventually begin carrying boxes in himself only to be rewarded with a pillow to the face by an irate Yang.
"The picture of class ladies and gentleman." Bálor would stifle a growl as more pillows flew after him as he retrieved more boxes, he would step to the side just to avoid the trash can being thrown at him. "And SHE'S the older sibling.."
"Dammit Yang, not my bookshelf!" Blake would try to console her infuriated partner as she gestured for the wolf Faunus to hit the bricks, much to Ruby's disappointment.
"Alright, alright, ALRIGHT!" The wolf would leave the room narrowly avoiding a lamp that had been aimed at his face, he would trudge back to his dorm room in a huff. "Of all the indignities that I've suffered..pelted by pillows like some upstart puppy!" He would still be fuming by the time he spotted Cinder leaning against his doorway with the barest hint of impatience on her lovely face before it dissolved into a sultry smile as she held out a ticket in front of him.
"You're coming with me tonight my pet." The raven haired pyromancer would wave the ticket carefully as if she was trying to hypnotize the angered Faunus into following her before he plucked it out of her hands and read the information quietly.
"The Underground?" He would look at Cinder confused, even as she only seemed to widen her smile in reaction to him.
"It's a very different kind of wrestling then you're used to my dear friend, it's a world so gritty that I doubt even your precious Bullet Club can stand strong against their champion: A man who personifies the philosophy of Cero Miedo." Cinder would lean in close, her lips brushing against Bálor's ear with a ghostly touch then sent shivers down his spine.
"Zero Fear"
His mind would immediately flash back to that morning's altercation with his wicked reflection and the last words "he" left behind with him.
"So long as you hold fear in your heart, I'll always be right behind you."
The silver-haired Faunus would nod numbly as the amber eyed pyromancer lead him toward the grand staircase leading to the Academy's exit and out into the dark of night.
Ruby would be staring down at the textbook in front of her as she attempted to focus on the daunting task that Professor Oobleck had tasked them with for the week, it detailed the history of the degrading peace talks between Faunus and Humans and the good Professor (Or Doctor as he had often pointed out during their mission to Mountain Glenn) had assigned his students to write out a thousand word essay that detailed what they would do to keep the peace talks from derailing while fostering unity between the two sides.
"What COULD I say to keep a revolution from breaking out, I have a hard enough time keeping Weiss from throwing a hissy fit when things aren't going her way." The crimsonette would sigh as she stared up at the pale moon outside, her thoughts shifting to the boy she had just separated herself from.
"Bálor, are you looking at this moon too? Are you angry, are you hurt, is that why our mirror was shattered?"
Ruby would sigh once more as she stared down at the assignment in front of her, setting it aside in favor of a blank piece of paper as she began writing something closer to her heart and as the words flowed freely onto the paper she would smile happily.
The wolf would shudder as he looked around the seedy warehouse where "The Underground" held its events in, the first thing that hit him upon entering the place was the stink of dried blood. It was a smell he was too well acquainted with in his time in the prison system, the smell of a fallen man.
The scent of death.
"Come along Bálor, it's almost time for the main event." Cinder would lead her frazzled companion to the stands, growling as a rather burly pair of Faunus blocked the view. She was readying a ball of flame to deal with the annoyance but the air in the room suddenly changed as the lights cut out and a haunting rock tune would play as the spotlight shone down upon a man in black and white apparel, his face was painted up like a skull, and shimmering black armor that reminded the wolf Faunus of his Eight Blades and the crystalline material they were forged from.
The silver haired would shove the two bulking Faunus aside with his Semblance, an easy feat considering the pair were absorbed in watching the scene in front of them.
"This feeling, it's like seeing the Reaper coming for you on your deathbed." He would listen as the crowd erupted into raucous chants of "Cero Miedo!" as the skull faced warrior removed the heavy armor that he was wearing before stepping into the ring.
"It's just as Cinder said, Zero Fear…this is the man who truly embodies living without fear in the heart!"
The raven haired pyromancer would watch as Bálor's body tensed in visible anticipation of what was being presented to him, as Mercury had explained it to her this entrance was one full of symbolism: The darkness, the music, even Pentagon Jr's slow walk to the ring all represented the impending doom of his opponent for unlike them he was a man who lived without fear and could channel the darkest parts of human nature to the fullest. "If it wasn't for the fact that beneath all of the paint and the foreboding there lay a normal man, this Pentagon Jr. would be a highly valued asset to my endgame."
The music would fade out as Cinder moved herself closer to Bálor's side, unlike him the pyromancer was fully aware of what came next in this sequence of events and he would need someone to guide him through the dark champion's pre-match ritual.
"He's offering up his opponent tonight as a sacrifice to his Master, and reminding the crowd of who he is: Pentagon Jr. He is Zero Fear"
The wolf Faunus would nod as the bell rang, the so-called opponent for tonight was one he recognized as one of the cashiers at the Sub Shop, he was one of the unlucky few who had been present during Ruby's rampage .
If he had ended up cowering in fear at the sight of a cookie deprived Huntress, then this man of 'Zero Fear' would annihilate the poor bastard.
"I know that man, he's gonna get slaughtered!" Bálor would leap the railing of the stands before landing onto the stairway next to an aisle making a mad dash for the ring, even as Pentagon Jr. nailed the poor man with a wicked side kick to the gut that send him crashing to the canvas gasping for much needed air.
"I'm not gonna make it!" The silver haired Hunter would keep running even as the crowd began chanting once more, the dreaded "Cero Miedo" sounded all around him as the champ readied to deliver an arm breaker to the clearly outmatched sandwich worker. And while Bálor would probably never be welcomed back inside the sub shop, he was still an innocent, and Hunters always strived to protect the innocent from the forces of evil whether it was a creature of Grimm or a pro wrestling champion.
"Zero Fear huh, well let's just see how well that holds up in the face of a demon!" The wolf would focus his Semblance toward the ring, lifting it off the ground slowly as his amber eyes shone bright, the ring ropes coming undone to the surprise of both the champion and his opponent.
"B-Bálor?!" The shocked young man would recognize the amber eyes from the stands before kicking Pentagon Jr. away and scrambling towards the apron and rolling out of the ring, leaving the stunned Champion at a loss as the ring began to rise into the air.
"Move it! I'm not gonna be able to hold this thing forever dammit!" The wolf Faunus would grunt in pain as the strain of holding up the ring was beginning to wear on him, it reminded him of the piece of granite that nearly crushed Ruby.
Granted that the wrestling ring wasn't as heavy as the piece of granite column and he wasn't bleeding from a sword wound, he was angered and fearing for a friend which impeded his focus.
"What is that idiot doing?!" Cinder would summon a sword of black glass, intending to strike down the wolf but the crowd roared in panic as the ring came crashing down with a resounding thud as the Faunus and his friend escaped into the alleyways.
"Filthy Mutt..I WILL cast you into the darkness one day, that much I'm certain of." The raven haired pyromancer would cast her gaze to the ring as the dazed champion slowly climbed to his feet, her lips would curl into a devious smile. "In the meantime, I also have a Master to assuage."
Bálor would lean against the dirty alley walls tiredly while the young man he'd saved would be muttering many prayers of thanks.
"Dude, I had no idea that you could do that..you lifted the entire ring man!"
The wolf would nod with a weak smile as he slumped down to the cold pavement in exhaustion, he wondered if Cinder had made it out during the chaos his stunt had caused.
"Can you..make it home..on your own?" The silver haired Faunus would slowly get to his feet, shaking his head to alleviate the double vision that was beginning to plague him.
The blonde haired boy would nod, finally seeing just how spent his sub addicted savior really was.
"That's good man, I've got to get back..she's probably worried sick about me." Bálor would take a slow, deep breath before taking off into a full on sprint as he made his way back to Beacon Academy. This night had been a very strange one for him: Cinder's attempt to indoctrinate him in the philosophy of "Cero Miedo" had nearly resulted in the injury of an innocent, not to mention the panic he had caused by unleashing his Semblance in such a spectacular fashion.
"I've got a horrible feeling that this is gonna hit DustTube like a ton of bricks,I can almost see that vein in Goodwitch's forehead ready to burst, and there's no way Ozpin's going to be able to cover this one up completely!"
The wolf would groan as the Academy slowly began to come into view, the thought of both his least favorite instructor and his mentor looking upon him angrily filled the young Faunus with a sick sense of dread.
"This must be what having parents feels like, man what a horrible feeling!" He would pick up the pace as he neared the steps of Beacon. He would immediately catch two familiar scents in the air, he recognized the first as the scented shampoo Yang used to keep her precious golden hair at its most lustrous the second would remain a mystery.
"Why would Yang be out this late, and who's with her?"
Bálor would proceed at a slower pace, trying his hardest to keep his footsteps light on the stone walkway as snippets of a conversation hit his ears.
"I tried telling him…ran like a coward! …Ruby!…love him so much!"
He would blush slightly at what he would be hearing, trying to focus his senses to better understand what was being said.
"…A wolf..raised like a feral dog..must earn…be the one to mend what's broken."
"They're talking about me, like I'm some sort of pet project!"
The silver haired Faunus would growl quietly as he slowly moved towards the voices that proceeded to carry on their conversation, his hearing catching more and more of what the blonde brawler was discussing with her mysterious ally.
"I understand that he had a bad childhood, but that was years ago. I've done everything I can to let him that he can trust me, and yet he still gravitates to Ruby!"
The second voice would sigh before continuing to speak, a playful tone coating her voice.
"That girl, she's so much like her mother..maybe even more then she herself realizes. I must go for now Yang, stay strong."
Bálor would run towards the source of the voices, using his sense of smell to guide him. But as he finally made his way to Beacon's fountain, only Yang would be there as if she had stayed behind to greet him.
"B…" She would try her hardest to smile, even as he looked at her with a mask of contempt and hatred.
"B, please let me try and explain!"
He would bare his fangs at her, growling deeply as he tried to control the anger that was building inside.
"I..am not a wounded dog, you don't need to fix me Yang..because regardless of what your little friend said, there's nothing broken!"
Yang would wince, realizing that he had heard what she had been saying to her mysterious benefactor.
"I want to believe that baby, I really do." Her expression would soften as she saw the fury in his eyes, reaching out her hand to him slowly. "You're not broken, but you're afraid..afraid that I might use you, or hurt you, or whatever those monsters who raised you did!"
The wolf would step back slightly, losing his footing and stumbling back toward the cobblestone ground behind him.
"Bálor!" Yang would run to catch him; sliding to her knees and cradling his head in her lap gently, even as the amber eyed Faunus looked up at her in shock.
"Wh-why..after everything you said to..to.." His protest would be cut off as Yang pressed her lips to his, her hand gently stroking his cheek even as the tears began to fall from his eyes.
"Because I love you, and deep down I know you love me too" The golden haired Huntress would pass on these words through the strength of her kiss, she didn't know whether he received these message and maybe the next day he would go right back to chasing after Ruby and leave her back in the dark pit of despair she had banished herself to following the Couples Dance.
But as she held his sleeping body close to her heart Yang knew that at least for this moment, Bálor belonged to her and her alone.
I can already see the eye rolls coming after this, the tension continues once again and now a future PR nightmare is coming Ozpin's way courtesy of DustTube. Because seriously, who WOULDN'T whip out the cell phone (or scroll in this case) and record someone levitating a wrestling ring?
Now, in all seriousness I'm taking Sunday night (today) off because of WWE's Battleground special event, looking forward to seeing Kevin Owens take the U.S. title from John Cena.
I know this latest chapter pushes the boundaries of ridiculousness (even for Fanfiction) but reviews are welcome regardless of whether you're a newcomer or one of the many already following this insanity.
Goodnight folks, remember that I appreciate you
and for the love of Dust: Fight Owens Fight!