RWBY: Light Extinguished

Chapter 1

oxoxoxo

It was a new day in the city of Vale, as the sun rose over the busy city streets. People were still running about in what could best be described as organized chaos as they prepared for the event of the year: the Vytal Festival.

The owner of the shop "From Dust Till Dawn" watched as people scurried about as he hung a banner across the front of his shop, one that read "Newly Re-Opened." Yes, months after the attack on his business by that ruffian Torchwick, he was finally ready to return to said business.

And what better way to return than by being accidentally knocked off his ladder with a rather embarrassing yelp. Yes, this was truly the best way to proceed.

"Excuse me..." A voice from above him apologized. The shop owner looked up to see the person who had bumped into him. She was fairly short, and lithe, with coffee brown skin and green hair framing her delicate, red eyed face. She wore a green and white... what did the kids call it again? Was it a 'crop top?' Maybe. Anyway, the portion covering her breasts was green, while the rest of it was white, and her pants which cut off just below the knees were white with a brown covering, and holstered behind her were what appeared to be a pair of pistols. A huntress in training then. She offered him a hand, one he gladly accepted. "Sorry," She said, apologetically as she pulled him to his feet. "I'm not really form around here." Must have been here for the Festival. She held up a slip of paper with an address on it and asked. "Would you mind pointing me in the direction of this shop?"

He quickly recognized the address, that was Tuckson's Book Trade. She was probably looking for school books. With a cheery nod, he pointed her in the right direction and with a smile she bid him farewell and walked off.

What a nice young lady. He thought as he got back to work.

What a chump. She thought as she walked away, passing by a building with a silver haired boy leaning against it. "I knew you were lost." He said.

The green haired girl turned to face him with a scowl. Everything about this boy said 'smooth.' He wore a baggy black and grey shirt under an armoured silver jacket, and black pants with a pair of fancy boots, boots she knew contained a pair of shotguns for combat. Topping him off was a head of spiked silver hair that fell just enough over his grey eyes. "Mercury..." She growled. "I will seriously pay you to shut up." She said, waving a wallet full of cash in his face.

"That's not your money." Mercury admonished with a shake of his head.

"But it could be yours for five minutes of silence." The girl offered, waving the store owners stolen wallet in his face.

Mercury seemed to consider it, but eventually replied with "No deal." And an infuriating shake of his head. The girl growled and tore the money out of the wallet, tossing the wallet to the ground and storming off. Mercury scoffed and followed. "Whatever, you know you want me."

It seemed like they had only been walking for ten seconds before Mercury gave another complaint. "So how much further?"

"A few blocks." The girl replied.

"This place is so dull." Mercury droned.

"Eh, I kind of like it." The girl responded. "Tall buildings, diverse culture..."

"And nice dopey people for you to pick-pocket." He finished.

"That's every city." She growled.

"Ooh, Emerald, master thief," Mercury said in an exaggerated 'sad voice.' "please don't take my money, I barely have enough to get by..." He said, hanging his head dramatically at the end.

The girl, Emerald scowled and continued to walk, Mercury following behind her once again. "You're no fun today." He muttered.

Soon, the two of them reached their target: a darkened book store in a secluded street. As the two of them walked in, the door to the back opened, and a tall, broad shouldered man emerged, a large stack of books in his hands. "Welcome to Tuckson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun." He said, setting down the books before returning to the counter. "How may I..." He stumbled slightly upon seeing his 'customer' but managed to regain his composure. "How may I help you?"

"Just browsing." Said Mercury from the front, closing a book with an audible 'snap.'

"Actually," said Emerald, approaching the counter. "I was wondering, do you have any copies of The Thief and the Butcher?"

"Yes, we do." The owner answered.

"That's great." The thief replied.

"Would you... like a copy?" The owner awkwardly asked.

"No." Emerald replied. "Just wondering. From the front of the store, Mercury slammed another book shut, louder this time. "Oh, what about Violet's Garden in paperback?"

"He's got it." Said Mercury, holding aloft another book. "Hard back too."

"Ooh, options are nice." Emerald mused.

"Eh, no pictures." Mercury complained, slamming the book shut and putting it back. "Hey! You have any comics?"

"Near the front." The owner replied. These customers might be a little odd, but at least one knew what he wanted.

"Oh, no wait!" The girl suddenly piped up. "What about Third Crusade?" She asked, leaning over the counter.

The owner faltered at that. "Um... I..." He stammered. He was out of luck it seemed. "I don't believe we carry that one..."

Another book slammed shut at the front. "Oh?" The boy said, less confused and more uncaring.

"What was this place called again?" The girl asked.

"Tuckson's Book Trade." He replied.

"And, you're Tuckson?" She asked.

"That's right."

"So then I take it you're the one who came up with the catchphrase."

"Yes."

"Aaand, what was it again?" The boy asked, still seeming not to care.

Tuckson sighed. "Tuckson's Book Trade, home to every book under the sun." He muttered.

"Except The Third Crusade." The silver haired boy said, cutting him off.

"It's just a catchphrase..."

"It's false advertising!" He snapped.

"You shouldn't make a promise you can't keep Tuckson." The girl said. The boy stepped closer to the front of the shop and began to darken the windows. "I hear you're planning on leaving. Moving all the way to Vacuo." She said, the shop getting darker and Tuckson's pulse getting faster with each word. This was not going to end well. "Your brothers in the White Fang wouldn't be happy to hear that." She said, the boy darkening the final window with a devilish smirk. "And neither are we."

The shop fell into silence as Tuckson glared at these two intruders. He was only trying to make an honest living. Working with the White Fang would get him killed!

"You know who we are, don't you?" Emerald asked.

"Yes." Tuckson replied, knowing what came next.

"Then you probably know we've brought someone with us." She said. Tuckson was confused as she reached into her pocket and produced a scroll. His eyes widened as the video call feature was activated and a familiar face lit up the screen.

"Hello Tuckson."

"C-Commander Leon?" He stammered. He knew the reputation of the commander, knew what she did to deserters...

"You disappoint me Tuckson." Caroline said, shaking her head. "I really did expect better from you."

"Commander, I-"

"Mercury, kill him."

Before Tuckson could say anything or even beg for mercy, a boot was soaring for his face. A gunshot was heard, but muffled by the store walls it would have easily been a book falling over.

oxoxoxo

It was a bright and shining new day at Beacon Academy. The sun was shining, birds were singing in the trees, and breakfast was being served. One of the teams currently acquiring the most important meal of the day was the able bodied members of Team EMAD. Thatch, Alison and Francois were helping themselves to food while Francois regaled them with his tale from the docks. "So I'm in the middle of a duel with this White Fang operative, in a life or death fight when suddenly,"

"When suddenly an entire bullhead was pulled to the ground by one girl who disappeared after the fight." Thatch finished. "Noble boy, you've been telling us this same story for almost two weeks now."

Alison giggled at the two boys bickering. There was no one else she would rather have on her team than these two.

Francois huffed. "Fine, just kill all my fun."

Unfortunately for him, Thatch was ready for this response. "Stop the presses everyone, Francois Delatrois knows how to have fun!"

The nobleman grumbled something in response, but before he could retaliate, a familiar face popped up. "Did someone say fun?" Yang chimed.

"I did." Thatch replied. "Why are you here then?"

Yang gave Thatch a slap on the back and a chuckle, though in humour or annoyance, no one could be sure. "Well, in that case, I guess you don't want to join our team and Team JNPR for lunch then."

"I don't know." The renegade mused, turning to his teammates. "What do you two think?" Alison immediately nodded, while Francois rolled his eyes and shrugged. "I guess we will then."

Yang mimicked Francois and rolled her eyes before leading the three hunters in training to their table. Weiss and Blake already sat next to Yang, and Team JNPR sat across from them. Team EMAD's members dispersed among the two teams, Francois taking his seat next to Team JNPR, while Thatch and Alison chose to sit next to RWBY. That was when the Artist noticed something. "Hey," she softly pointed out. "Where's Ruby?" Indeed, the youngest of their group of friends was missing from her team's side of the table.

Weiss, who currently sat next to her, gave a shrug. "Not sure. When I asked, she said she had something 'important' to do." She said, making air quotes around 'important.' "Any idea what, Yang?"

Yang merely shrugged as she caught a cherry tomato thrown by Nora. The blonde then turned to Blake who was buried in her notebook. "Whatcha doin'?" she asked, leaning over her partner's shoulder.

Blake jolted up from the book and slammed it shut. "Uh, nothing, just going over some notes form last semester..."

"Lame!" Yang declared, catching another tomato from Nora, the hammer wielder giggling in response.

Nora tossed a grape into the blonde's mouth before Ruby finally arrived, slamming a massive binder down on the table, the front reading "BEST DAY EVER ACTIVITIES!" in bright red. Thatch and Alison were nervous already, even before Ruby began her speech. "Sisters, friends... Weiss."

"Hey!" cried the ice queen, face slightly red.

Ruby ignored her as she continued. "Four score and seven minutes ago, I had a dream!" the reaper declared.

"This ought to be good." Yang muttered with a smirk. Thatch gave a chuckle, unsure if he was nervous or interested.

"A dream," Ruby continued "That one day the four of us would come together, as a team, and have the most fun anyone has ever had... ever!"

"Did you steal my binder?" Weiss asked indignantly, the traces of red in her cheeks suddenly gone.

"I am not a crook." Was the reaper's immediate response.

"What are you talking about?" Blake inquired.

"I'm talking about kicking off the semester with a bang!" Ruby announced.

"I always kick my semesters off with a YANG!" Yang punned, completely killing any and all of Ruby's thunder. "Am I right guys?" she said, amidst a chorus of groans.

"Boo!" Nora and Thatch cried, each one of them lobbing a piece of fruit at Yang's head. Alison giggled at their antics, hiding it with her hand and her usual quiet affect.

"Look guys, it's been a good two weeks, and between more exchange students arriving and the tournament at the end of the year, our second semester is going to be great."

Alison, Thatch and Francois all shared a look. They realized as one that since Maria's injuries last semester, they hadn't been able to do anything as a team aside from schoolwork, and all of them were beginning to grow tired of that, especially the centurion herself. Maria had been confined to an infirmary bed for the last two weeks as her leg recovered. Even with medical dust it was unlikely she'd be able to fight again for at least another week. It was then that the three made a silent agreement: today, the second they finished lunch, they were going to meet up with their leader in the infirmary and do something fun. As a team.

Unfortunately, Team EMAD wouldn't be going anywhere, anytime soon, as their moment of unity was interrupted by an audible 'splat,' followed by deafening silence. The three chanced a glance at the rest of the table, where a pan of whipped cream was sliding off of Weiss' face, the two teams having near mirrored expressions of shock and horror.

The remnants of Team EMAD slowly moved back from the other teams. This was not going to end well...

oxoxoxo

"So then we were fighting side by side," Sun Wukong enthusiastically said to his companion, the blue haired, smooth talking spearman Neptune Vasilias. "And then I threw a banana at a guy, which sounds gross, but it was awesome!"

"Nice." Neptune smoothly responded. The two of them were walking to meet the teams from Beacon that Sun had told him about. These guys had been seriously hyped up, and Neptune could not wait to meet them.

"Right?" Said Sun. "And the best part is, she's a faunus." The monkey tailed martial artist immediately covered his mouth at that line. "But that's a secret, okay?"

"Got it." Neptune assured.

"And not a 'I'm gonna go tell Scarlet the second Sun turns his back' secret, I'm talking SECRET secret." Sun said seriously.

"Whoa, chill out man." Neptune said, reassuringly "Okay? I got it. I got it." He said much more softly.

"You better." Sun said, Neptune scoffing. "I just don't want to screw this up, you know. The people here are the coolest... No offense to you guys."

"None taken." Said Neptune.

The two boys soon reached the door to the cafeteria, the place where Sun knew the teams were. "Okay, they're just in here. I'm really excited for you to meet them, so be cool, okay? You can be cool, right?"

"Dude." Neptune said, striking a confident pose, his arms crossed cockily and his pearly white teeth gleaming.

"...Good point..." Sun acquiesced.

Seconds later, the two of them strode through the cafeteria doors and into an absolute war-zone, Sun sporting an ear to ear smile while Neptune wore an expression of shock and horror as several of Beacon's students, the future slayers of Grimm and protectors of the world, ran in absolute terror, a cry of "FOOD FIGHT!" ringing out loud and clear. Over it all, a loud, possibly crazed laugh could be heard. Sun looked up over all the chaos to see a fortress of cafeteria tables, a laughing Nora Valkyrie standing atop it. "I'm queen of the castle! I'm queen of the castle!" she sang.

Sun watched in joy as Ruby Rose planted her boot on a table, holding aloft a carton of milk. "Justice will be swift, justice will be painful!" She retaliated. "It will be delicious!" She screamed, crushing the carton in her hand, her team rallying behind her and giving of a unified battle cry.

"Off with their heads!" Nora decreed, leaping off her fort. She and her team then unleashed a barrage of watermelons toward Team RWBY and, unbeknownst to her, their new guests.

Neptune and Sun watched the fruity projectiles fly towards them, Neptune looking on in shock while Sun still wore that wide smile. Suddenly the two of them were tackled out of the way of the fruit with cries of "Get down!" and "Sacrebleu!"

Sun and Neptune were dragged by their rescuers behind a barricade of overturned tables, revealing themselves to be Thatch and Francois, Alison soon joining them. "Hey guys!" Said sun with a cheery wave.

Neptune and Team EMAD winced as a particularly heavy watermelon slammed into the table they were using as cover. Thatch turned to look at Sun. "Do you ever take anything seriously?" He demanded. The renegade then took a glance at the blue haired spearman. "Who's the pop star?"

"Hey!" Said an indignant Neptune.

Sun, still unfazed by the food war going on around him, gestured to his companion. "Oh, this is Neptune, he's my teammate."

"There's no time for introductions." Said Francois, wincing as a baguette sailed over their barricade. "We need to move. Spread out, give them multiple targets."

"First sensible thing you've said all day, noble boy." Said Thatch, Alison nodding from beside him.

Francois chanced a look over their cover, eyes immediately widening. "Scatter!" He cried.

The others didn't need to be told twice, Neptune and Sun following Francois while Thatch and Alison took off in the opposite direction, a flurry of watermelons soon slamming into their makeshift barricade, spraying pink pulp everywhere.

Thatch and Alison soon found themselves behind another overturned table, taking cover as cans of 'People Like Grapes' soda exploded all around them, the blasts spraying purple liquid splattering across the table. The two of them braced themselves against the table, side by side they held it up, each one determined to keep the other safe from the edible assault. Cans of soda flew all about the air, propelled by Pyrrha's semblance of polarity, every so often, one of them would impact the table.

As one, the two turned to face each other, both staring into the eyes of the other as they pressed their backs into the table. That was when they heard something slam into the ground, closely followed by what sounded like a roaring wind. Thatch chanced a glance over the top of the table, looking up just long enough to spot a red blur followed by a whirlwind of food flying right at them. Ducking back down behind their barricade, Thatch immediately threw himself over his teammate, both of them screwing their eyes shut. Thatch could feel food splatter against his back, but he dared not be moved. This was for her.

Then, as soon as it began, the winds subsided. Thatch and Alison both let their eyes fall open, realizing just how they were sitting. Her curled into a ball, and him with his arms around her, shielding her from the winds. Their eyes locked, his brown orbs lost in her green ones, but neither could move from where they sat.

Suddenly, the doors to the cafeteria flew open, slamming against the walls, a low growl heard from the now open doors. Soon after the growl, the cafeteria began to rearrange itself, tables flying about the room to where they originally sat, one of the ones picked up being the one sitting before Alison and Thatch, revealing the position they sat in. As one, their faces turned red and they leapt apart, neither one wanting to meet the face of the other.

"Children, please." Came the un-amused voice of Professor Goodwitch from the open doors. "Do not play with your food."

Sun, Neptune and Francois stood up from where they were taking cover, the Neptune and Francois both covered in food while Sun remained completely unmarked. The monkey turned to his aggravated friend. "I love these guys."

"Enjoying yourselves?" Said a new voice. The students turned as one to the doors where Professor Ozpin entered. "It seems you were." The hunters in training all stammered for an answer, but before any could form a complete thought, Ozpin held up a hand for silence. "I'll let this one slide, but I don't want any more of this in the future, especially with more exchange students arriving every day." There was a collective look of embarrassment shared among the students before each one gave the affirmative. "Well, now that we've sorted out that mess, Team EMAD," The mentioned team all raised their heads as their name was called. "I'd like to speak to the three of you. Come with me." With those words, Ozpin stepped out of the former warzone.

The three shared a glance before following the headmaster, Professor Goodwitch giving both of the boys a stern glare before using her riding crop to remove the bits of food from them. Alison could only give a small smile as she was the only one to not be hit. Something she could thank the badass renegade for.

oxoxoxo

Before long, the two professors and three students arrived at Professor Goodwitch's classroom. Opening the door, the three hunter initiates were met with a most welcome sight.

"Maria!" Alison cried, practically running for her partner. Indeed, standing in Goodwitch's class, finally on her feet, was Maria Gaia. The centurion stood at the front of the class, leg still in a cast and standing with a crutch under her arm, but still standing upright. Maria smiled as her partner embraced her, wrapping her non-crutch holding arm around the artist as she did. The boys followed behind her at a more measured pace, both of them smiling as they watched their teammates reunite. "You're walking again!"

"Not quite." Maria said softly, gesturing down to her injured leg. "My leg is in one piece and the bone has mostly healed, but it'll still be more than a week before I can walk without a crutch, let alone fight and lead you guys."

"Still," Said Thatch, approaching his leader, Alison letting her go as he did. "You're here, and not in the infirmary, so that's something." He said, holding out a hand for her.

Maria took the hand and gave it a firm shake. "You have a point Thatch. It is good to finally be out of there."

"So what will happen now since you can't fight with us?" Francois said.

"That's exactly why I brought you here." Ozpin said, approaching the group. "With Miss Gaia temporarily incapacitated, your team is leaderless in the field, and while she may be able to aid you in your studies, putting her into combat will be a liability rather than an asset."

The entirety of Team EMAD looked at Ozpin, shock in their eyes at his statement. "What are you saying?" Maria asked, voice low. Her team stood protectively in front of her without her urging. It warmed her heart to see that they had forgiven her for what she had done, but in the presence of such a senior huntsman, she was more than a little worried for them.

"Relax, Miss Gaia, you'll be staying with your team." The headmaster said, trying to placate the initiates. "However, I can't just pull you out of combat now. So, starting today, I'm appointing your team a temporary field leader." Ozpin turned to Glynda who nodded and stepped out of the room for a moment.

When the professor returned, she was not alone. Standing behind her was a giant of a boy. He wore a light blue coat with red cuffs, the coat closed with black and grey cross shaped buttons. Below that were a pair of pure white pants, contrasting with his ebony black boots. His face was rugged and serious, his ashy blue eyes staring out from beneath his blonde hair and a curled moustache and slight beard framed his mouth. None of that, however, was his most striking feature. No, the most noticeable aspect of this young man was the massive blade strapped to his back. The sword was nearly as tall as he was, and he stood almost a full head taller than any member of Team EMAD, and it had what appeared to be a barrel running down the center of the blade, clearly another function of the weapon. The boy came to stand beside Ozpin and snapped a quick salute. "Professor Ozpin." He said, his voice deep, crisp and professional.

"At ease." Ozpin replied, his voice calm and level despite the presence of the giant beside him. "This isn't the military, and I'm not your commander."

"Sorry sir." The boy said, standing at ease.

Ozpin merely gave him a nod before turning to the assembled students before him. "Team EMAD, allow me to introduce former lieutenant general Ben Aparte. He's a late entry to Beacon, and unfortunately does not have a team as of yet. Therefore I'm assigning him as your temporary field commander until Miss Gaia fully recovers."

Maria's mouth hung open in shock of Ozpin's audacity. "You're replacing me?" She demanded.

"No, Miss Gaia, I'm merely assigning your team a field leader." Ozpin explained. "Team EMAD is still under your leadership at Beacon, but in the field, Mister Aparte will command them. Once you recover, you will regain full control over your team, and hopefully we will have found a team for him." Ozpin looked at the still stunned faces of the team. "Any other questions?" Silence. "Good. Now, I'll leave you all to make the rest of your introductions."

With those words, Ozpin turned on his heal and stepped out of the class.

Ben waited for the door to close before he turned to his new team. "Alright, listen up." He began. "I'm not sure what Ozpin told you about me, but he allowed me to see all of your records before I came here. Mister Edwards:" He said, turning to the renegade. "I know the kind of, shall we say, activities you have been involved with in the past. I want none of that on my team. Miss Zu:" He said, facing the artist. "I know you've had problems with people in the past. I dearly hope that doesn't become a liability. Mister Delatrois:" Ben now looked into the eyes of the nobleman. "Your upbringing was easy, but that all ends here. You're a soldier on my team now, and I expect you to follow me. And Miss Gaia:" Maria glared at the soldier as he turned to her. "I hope there isn't too much animosity between us during my time on this team." With a nod, Ben faced the entire team. "Dismissed."

With that, Ben turned and walked out of the room, turning at the door to face the team once again. "I understand that this is awkward, but I hope we can make the best of this. I'll see you all in class tomorrow. Don't be late." With those words, Ben walked off.

Team EMAD stared after him, Thatch growling as he left "I never thought I'd meet someone I respect less than noble boy."

"That makes two of us." Francois said, nodding.

"As much as I'd like to agree with the two of you," Maria said "I'd like you to give him a chance. Ozpin's right, I'm no use in combat to the three of you, and he has a lot of experience. I recognize his name; he fought in the Faunus War, served under General Frundsberg."

Maria's team turned to look her in the eye. "How do you know all this?" asked Alison.

Maria gestured to a book sitting on one of the desks. "With nothing to do in the infirmary, I read that whenever I could. It's a detailed account of the strategies of several famous generals throughout history, and one of them was General Erwin Frundsberg, the man that Ben served under. I picked up a lot of strategies while reading, but he actually served under the general himself, maybe he picked something up." Maria looked to her feet as she spoke. "At least give him a chance for now."

Alison stepped up to her partner and put a hand on her shoulder. "It just won't be the same without you leading us."

"I know." Maria replied, looking Alison in the eye, her crimson meeting her jade. "But I won't be out for long. In a week I'll be able to walk again, so I'll be screaming orders at you again before you know it." With those words, the centurion looked out at the slowly rising faces of her team. "Now, how about you take me back to our room. Tonight, I want to sleep in my own bed."

oxoxoxo

And there we have Chapter One of RWBY: Light Extinguished.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but my team of OCs, Team EMAD. RWBY belongs to Rooster Teeth, and Ben Aparte belongs to DeadAliveManiac.

So, Maria makes her return to her team only to find that someone else will take her place in the field. How will Ben Aparte fare as a leader? How will Team EMAD react? You'll have to wait and see to find out.

As always, please review and tell me what you think. The more you review, the more motivation I have to write. Even if there are things you don't like, tell me so I can work on that, and if there are things you DO like, then you should especially tell me.

Anyway...

Next chapter: exchange students from across the kingdoms begin to arrive. One academy hides three infiltrators, while another brings with it shock and awe. In the midst of all this, Team RWBY make plans to investigate Roman Torchwick and the White Fang in Vale.