Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY or Attack on Titan. They are owned by Rooster Teeth and Hajime Isayama respectively.
The screen lights up and we see Ruby, flanked by Oscar and Pyrrha all in some sort of uniform. Images of the rest of their classmates are seen in the background with the sunset.
"At least we know who the main focuses of the story are." Roman dryly noted.
The aforementioned three blushed at the attentiom.
The scene opens up and we see a flock of geese flying over a fifty-meter high wall, an ominous sound echoing.
"Holy shit! That wall is huge!" Yang yelled.
"Language, young lady." Glynda corrected, but even she was shocked at the height of the wall.
"The walls protecting the kingdoms in our world aren't this high…" Weiss muttered.
"The Walls are 50 meters high." Blahk stated, surprising them further.
A large, hand that seemed to have no skin at all grabbed on to the top of the wall.
"On that day, humanity was suddenly reminded..." A young voice narrated, as three young children, Ruby, Pyrrha and Oscar, as well as other civilians, stared in horror at the sight.
"Hey, it's us!" Ruby said, excited. "Well, young us, but still!"
Pyrrha and Oscar stared at the young versions of themselves.
"Why do they look…scared?" Blake asked tentatively. "Horrified, even."
All of Ruby's excitement bled out of her instantly.
A massive head also covered in muscle and steaming heavily looks over the wall, casting a shadow onto the civilians.
"W-What…is…that?" Nora stammered out, grabbing Ren in fear.
"That is a Titan. It is the equivalent of Grimm in their world."
Pyrrha gasped in realization. "Is this is why they built the walls? To keep these…Titans, out?"
"Well it sure did a piss poor job of that." Cardin scoffed out.
Salem analyzed the Titan. It looked very intriguing and she was curious as to its nature. Oobleck and Ironwood were also itching to find out everything they could about the creature.
"...of the terror of being at their mercy and the humiliation of being caged like birds."
The scene cuts to the image of horses racing through a forest on a stormy night.
There's a group of people riding the horses wearing matching uniforms that consist of a short, light-brown jacket with a badge on both shoulders, a left breast pocket and a bigger one on their backs that consists of a pair of wings, the white one overlapping the blue one. The jacket is worn over a light-coloured shirt, a dark-brown sash around the waist, covering the top of their hips, white pants, dark-brown knee-high boots and wearing a green, hip-length hooded cloak with their badge plastered on its back also. A series of straps run from underneath the light-brown jackets going down into their boots.
"Huh?" Nora was confused at the change in scene. "Who are they?"
"They are members of the Scout Regiment or Survey Corps, one of the three branches of the military. They're job is to engage in Titan combat, Titan study, human expansion and outside exploration."
"Everyone, get ready to fight!" A man shouted as they charged through the forest. "There's only one target! We will exterminate it and make it mankind's first outside base!"
"Professor Oobleck, look! It's you!" Ruby pointed excitedly at the man on the screen, giving orders.
"It's 'Doctor', not professor and you're right." Oobleck corrected her, staring at his counterpart. "It seems I'm a part of this Survey Corps."
"More than that." Ironwood spoke up. "You're giving orders to the other soldiers, which means you're a leader of some kind."
"Actually, he's the current commander of the Survey Corps." Blahk chimed in.
His fellow teachers and the students congratulated him on his counterpart's position.
The soldiers are shown to all wear special equipment around the back of their waist with wires connected to two large metal boxes hanging by their hips.
I wonder what the boxes are for? Cinder thought.
"Target approaching!" A soldier, that looked a lot like a younger James Ironwood, yelled.
"Wait, is that Jimmy?" Qrow asked, surprised to see the General.
"That's 'General Ironwood' to you." Winter corrected the drunk. She was also surprised to see her boss in this other world.
Said General also had a look of surprise on his face at the sight of his counterpart but quickly schooled his features.
Roman snorted. "Of course Mr Stiff here is in the military, even in another world."
Winter gave the infamous thief a dirty look at his comment.
The target could barely be made out in the distance. It resembled a nude, giant human, its footsteps making a thunderous sound.
"Is that also a Titan?" Jaune asked. "It looks different from the one we saw in the beginning. And smaller."
"Yes, it is also a Titan. Don't worry about the differences, all will be explained soon Mr Arc."
"Split into five groups, just as we practised!" Commander Oobleck ordered. They were quick to respond and did as he commanded.
"All assault squads, switch to Omni-Directional Maneuver gear! Strike from all sides at once!"
One of the soldiers pulled two handgrips out from holders on their sides, both wired to the equipment on their backs. He then pressed a switch on both handgrips, which powerfully shot a grapplehook from their hips.
Ruby the weapons nut,was bouncing on her seat in excitement. "What's that?" She asked excitedly.
The hook pierced right into a tree, securing its position. The main body of the ODM gear on their back reels them upwards and away from their horses. As they soar in the air, they retracted their hooks and fired them at different trees to keep moving. A gas-powered mechanism on the main equipment releases bursts of gas to push them forward and moving. All these happened in an instant as they acrobatically and skillfully swung through the air with ease.
The skill with which the soldiers moved through the air impressed everyone in the theatre.
Ruby and Penny were geeking out over the equipment with stars in their eyes. "Ohmigosh, that's so coooool!" Ruby squealed.
Yang, ever the adrenaline junkie was itching to get her hands on he equipment. Blake and Weiss were also impressed by it.
The others weren't far behind in their excitement.
Nora shook Ren in joy. "Renny, I want that, I want it, I want it!!!" Poor Ren could barely get a word. His other teammates were barely any help.
"I'm sooo jealous of Doctor Oobleck right now." Jaune muttered under his breath.
"Now THAT is something I'd love to do!" Sun yelled out.
Neptune snorted good-naturedly beside his best friend. "Of course you'd be interested in something like that, you adrenaline junkie." He'll forever denying also finding it cool.
"I'd empty my savings to get 5 minutes with that baby!" Coco said.
"Ain't gonna lie, that's pretty cool." Cardin smirked.
Even some of the villains were impressed with the ingenuity of the device. Watts would've loved to study them. Salem mused.
Glynda was speechless. "H-How are they doing that?! That looks extremely dangerous!"
Ozpin was intrigued. "What is that?"
"As the commander stated earlier, it's called the Omni-Directional gear , ODM gear for short, or 3D maneuver gear. It's a device that allows the military to combat the Titans by moving in a 3-dimensional space rather than the usual 2-dimensions. It requires intense training to get used to moving like this; at least 3yrs of training."
Winter quickly took notes on the functions of ODM gear and possible ways it could work. Ruby also drew a note and pencil from… somewhere, and drew up her thoughts on it.
They charged straight towards their target. "We'll close in on it from all sides!"
An airborne soldier puts his handgrips into the boxes hanging by his legs and swings them out, blades now attached to the handgrips.
The soldier roared and flew towards his target, his blades swinging down. "Have a taste of humanity's strength!"
The scene cuts.
"Oh come on!" Coco complained.
To You, 2000 Years From Now/The Fall of Shiganshina Part 1
"Weird title," Emerald said.
A series of images are shown in quick succession. First is a clear field of flowers till blood is spilt on them, a dead body was being lifted, a Titan is widening its mouth, a windmill is shown and in a flash, Titans are surrounding it. A room with a noble uniform by the fireplace, a table with different stuffed toys, dead soldiers littering the forest floor, an insect in an eye, an eerie grin on a Titan's faces and a blurred out image of two hands lifting someone off the ground.
Many of the viewers turned green at the images shown.
A young Ruby gasped as she awoke from her nightmare. She was lying in grass, underneath a tree's shade and was accompanied by a girl wearing a red scarf sitting next to her.
"Oh, it was just a dream." Velvet breathed out; that horrific grin was plastered in her memory.
Ruby was weirded out by the things her variant dreamt of.
"That's no dream, that's a nightmare." Pyrrha shuddered.
Ruby slowly breathed in and out until she finally noticed the red-haired girl sitting next to her was looking down at her.
"Huh? Pyrrha?"
"Chibi Pyrrha looks adorable!" Nora squealed. The redhead ducked her head down and covered her face in embarrassment.
"Let's start heading back." Pyrrha blankly said.
"Why are we here?" Ruby whispered questioningly.
"You were that deep asleep?" Pyrrha asked as she stood up.
"No... I think I was having a really long dream." She sat up, wiping the remnants of sleep from her eyes. "What was I dreaming about? I can't remember..."
"Probably for the best. No kid should be having nightmares that vivid." Qrow muttered.
Pyrrha picked up a tumpline that was filled with firewood and placing it on her back. She turned to face Ruby and looked at her in surprise. "Ruby, why are you crying?"
Ruby touched her face in confusion. "Huh?" She muttered, now noticing the tears falling from her eyes.
"After having a dream like that, I'd cry too." Coco said, shuddering.
Year 845 - Shiganshina District
A cannon was shown resting on the fifty-meter wall. Encircled by the walls, was a settlement. Down below, Titans scraped at wall to get to the people inside.
The atmosphere in the settlement was peaceful. People went on with their lives without worry, and children laughed and played in the streets.
Some members of the audience smiled at the peaceful atmosphere within the district.
"Hear! The walls were created with God's wisdom!" A male voice yelled out. "The walls are the work of God! Not one soul shall desecrate the walls!" The man who was dressed like a priest, preached to the people in the streets.
"Ugh, a religious nut." Qrow groaned, taking a swig from his flask.
"People actually believe the Walls were built by God?" Salem scoffed. As if the gods of light and darkness could ever be bothered to help humanity.
In another part of the wall lies the inner part of the district, mainly surrounded by trees and forests. Ruby and Pyrrha walk along a path with people.
"Don't tell anyone I was crying." Ruby said to Pyrrha as they walked, carrying their full tumplines.
"Too bad, we know." Yang said with a teasing smirk at her sister. Ruby blushed.
"I won't. But if you don't know why you were crying, maybe you should talk to Uncle about it?" Pyrrha answered as they walked through the entrance into the main district.
"Are you kidding me? I can't tell my dad about that!"
"Uncle? Am I related to Ruby in this universe?" Pyrrha asked. Ruby was also curious about that.
"Not quite. Keep watching."
"What were you crying about, Ruby?" A new and familiar voice asked, making the two look up to see a soldier dressed in his military garb but with two roses on his badge, instead of wings, walking up to them.
"Uncle Qrow!" The sisters yelled.
Winter could hardly contain her disbelief off her face. "You're in the military? How?"
The drunkard was also surprised. "Huh, guess you don't know everything about me Ice Queen." He smirked in her direction.
Blake noticed his badge looked different from the Survey Corps. "Looks like your uncle's in a different branch of the military."
"What regiment is Uncle Qrow part of?" Yang asked
"Your uncle is in the Garrison Regiment. It is the largest of the Military divisions and their job is to protect and maintain order within the Walls." Blahk explained
"Qrow!" Ruby greeted the soldier
"Did you get scolded by Pyrrha?" Qrow asked, his cheeks looking flushed and his words slurred a little.
Glynda scoffed. "I should've known being in the military wouldn't put a pause on your alcoholic tendencies."
"Wha..? What would I be crying?" Ruby asked incredulously before leaning back and covering her nose in disgust. "And you reek of alcohol!"
James shook his head in disappointment. Really, what was he expecting?
They hear laughter behind Qrow and see three more soldiers sitting down, playing cards and having drinks in plain sight without a care. "Nothin' wrong with that."
"You're drinking again?" Ruby deadpaned.
"Wanna join us?" Qrow offered the kids.
"They're kids, you drunk." Winter said, disgusted by his decorum.
"Uhm... Aren't you on duty?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah. We're guarding the gates today." Qrow said proudly. "We've been here all day. Started getting hungry and thirsty. But it's not a big deal if we happen to drink something with a little alcohol in it."
"You irresponsible…" Winter began, irritation lacing her words.
Ozpin shook his head in disappointment of the other Qrow's actions.
The man himself started to feel uneasy at his variant's lackadaisical attitude. At least he had a reason for his drinking.
Ruby growled angrily. "But if you're drunk, how are you gonna fight?"
"Huh? When would we have to fight?" Qrow asked, confused.
"Do you really have to ask? When they break the Walls and come in!"
James hummed approvingly at the young Rose's statement.
Qrow winced at the volume of Ruby's voice. "Ouch. Ruby, don't say things like that out loud."
One of the Garrison soldiers stood up and approached them. "If it isn't Dr Jaeger's daughter. You've got spirit, kid." He stood beside Qrow. "If they do end up breaking the walls, we'll do our jobs. But you know what? Not once in the past 100 years have they broken the wall."
"Wait, Jaeger? I'm not related to dad in this universe?" Ruby questioned, looking confused.
"You and Tai are still related. You simply bear a different last name."
Ironwood was more focused on the latter part of his statement. "Really? Not once in a 100 years?" He asked in disbelief.
"Still! My dad said that it's times like this when we're in the most danger!" Ruby rebutts.
"Dr Jaeger said that?" Qrow hummed, reminiscing. "Well, he's right. He saved our town from an epidemic before. We can't thank him enough."
Some were impressed by that.
"Dad saved an entire town? Awesome/Cool!" Ruby and Yang said respectively.
"However," Qrow continues, "they're another story. I see Titans walking around all the time when I mend the walls. But, speaking as a soldier, I don't think they can do anything about this fifty-meter wall."
"S-So, you're telling me you don't even have the will to fight them?" Ruby stutters out.
"Nope."
Qrow stared with a deadpan expression at his variant.
"What?!" Ruby asked, indignant. "Then drop the 'Garrison Regiment' name for 'Wall Construction Squad' instead!"
Laughter rang throughout the audience at Ruby's comeback.
"Nice one, little sis!" Yang guffawed.
"That doesn't sound half bad." Qrow chuckled. His fellow Garrison soldier thought it was pretty funny too.
"But you gotta understand, Ruby..." Qrow smiled at the young girl. "If a soldier is doing his job, things have seriously gone to hell. It's better when everyone is calling us freeloaders. It means peaceful times for us."
"He kinda has a point," Hazel said. "Of course, his statement only holds water if they are never breached."
Winter grumbled under her breath but even she could see the point. "That doesn't give them an excuse to slack off."
Ruby clenched her fist in anger. "Yeah, we may stay inside the Walls our entire lives and do nothing but eat and sleep. But... we're living like..." Pyrrha stared at her. "Like... like cattle!"
There was a stunned silence at her statement. How was a 10 year old this smart?
"Damn, chibi lil' Red sure knows her stuff." Roman whistled, appreciatively.
She's pretty smart, for a brat. Cinder thought.
Her words stunned Qrow and seemed to have struck a chord with him. Laughter from his fellow soldiers knock him out of his stupor and he turns to face them.
"This kid sure knows how to talk! Not like she can do anything himself, right, Qrow?"
"Huh? Uh-right." Qrow stammers nervously with a stiff smile. Ruby kept her head down and walked away, followed by Pyrrha. "Hey, Ruby!" She ignored him and kept walking.
"You're crazy, kid." A soldier called out after them.
"Don't tell me..." Qrow muttered in realization. "She plans on joining the Survey Corps?"
"You go sis!" Yang cheered her sister on. "Show them who's boss!"
Weiss was less vocal but no less encouraging about chibi Ruby's dreams to join the Scouts.
Ruby preened at the words of encouragement her friends heaped on her.
Ruby and Pyrrha walked uphill in silence, passing by countless houses.
"You should give up on joining the Survey Corps, Ruby." Pyrrha bluntly stated.
Pyrrha was startled by her younger variant's blunt statement. "Why would she say that?"
Ruby looked at her in surprise. "What, you think they're stupid too?"
"It doesn't have anything to do with how I see them—" Pyrrha was suddenly cut off by the sound of the bell from the tower by the entrance of the district wall.
"The Scouts are back!" Ruby cheered. The front gate is gonna be be open! Let's go, Pyrrha! It's the triumphant return of the heroes!" She said to her as she quickly took her hand and rushed towards the gate to greet the Survey Corps.
"Yesss! The heroes are back!" Ruby fidgeted in her seat, impatient to see the Survey Corps.
The Survey Corps marched dejectedly with their horses and wagons on the streets while a crowd was watching them with unimpressed expressions on their faces.
Any excitement at seeing the Survey Corps drained at the looks on their faces.
"What's with the glum looks on their faces?" Sun frowned.
"Isn't it obvious? They failed in their mission." Cinder snorted.
"Shoot, I can't see." Ruby ran from behind the crowd as she tried to look through them until she and Pyrrha found boxes for them to stand on, allowing them to see over the crowd.
The Scouts looked exhausted and dirty as they marched down the road. Some even had bloodstains on their uniforms.
James notices Ruby and Pyrrha. Ruby is eagerly excited to see them all, while Pyrrha looks like she'd rather be anywhere else. James looks away in shame.
It was probably selfish but Ironwood couldn't help feeling content that his variant survived the mission.
Ruby's smile turned to confusion as she looked around, and to her horror, she understood why the soldier was like that.
Most soldiers were significantly injured, covered in bandages, and depressed as they all marched back home.
Frowns and gasps of sadness were present among the viewers.
"This is terrible." Velvet said, sadness evident in her tone.
"Only this many of them made it back?" One of the civilians asked, noticing how little of the Scouts have returned.
"They must've all be eaten."
"WHAT?!"
"Eaten?! Those things eat people?!" Weiss shrieked, her face looking green.
The villains were more reserved with their reactions but even they were slightly disturbed by that statement.
"This is what happens when you go outside the walls."
Ruby watched, her eyes widened in shock and disbelief. Even Pyrrha looked concerned.
"Moses! Moses!" An elderly woman called out and rushed up to the Commander who looked frantic. "Excuse me, I don't see my son, Moses... Where can I find him?"
Ironwood frowned in sadness. He knew where this was going.
Turning to one of his injured soldiers, Oobleck said, "It's Moses' mother. Bring it over."
"Dear god." Oobleck muttered. This wasn't going to end well.
Said soldier nodded while the mother silently gasped, slowly realizing what he was implying.
The soldier approached the woman and hands a long, wrapped object to her. She stares down at the bloodied sheet, unsure, Carefully, she began to unwrap it then gasped, trying to quickly cover of the appendage—the severed right arm of her dead son. Pain filled whimpers escaped her as she sank to her knew, clutching what was left of her son. Ruby could only watch in disbelief, and Pyrrha in sadness.
Tears of sadness welled up in many of the students eyes.
The kids were reminded of their parents. They tried to imagine how heartbreaking it would be for them to receive news that they had perished against Grimm. It was a bitter pill to swallow
"It's all we could retrieve." The Commander knelt before her.
"But my son... he carried out his duty, right? Even if he didn't achieve direct greatness, surely my son's death helped humanity to fight back, didn't it?!"
Oobleck looked at her in shock. "Of course!" Then he faltered, looking dejected. "No... On this latest scouting mission, we..." He gritted his teeth and screamed, eyes shut. "No! Just like all the other missions, we achieved nothing at all!" Tears streamed down his face. "My incompetence has done nothing but needlessly send soldiers to their deaths! We haven't found anything about them!"
"The hell?!" Winter yelled in anger. She wasn't the only one. Ironwood was just as pissed.
Looks of disappointment were sent towards the Commander for his response.
The kids were startled when Winter shouted in anger. They couldn't understand what could've made the normally composed woman lose her cool.
"What's wrong with what he said?" Jaune asked with uncertainty. "I mean, he's just trying to take responsibility for his actions…right?"
Oobleck shook his head. "It's not a matter of simply 'taking responsibility' Mr Arc. It's true that they have learned nothing and it was all in vain but that's not something my counterpart should have said to a grieving mother."
"He essentially told her her son's sacrifice meant nothing." Ironwood growled at the incompetence of the Commander.
"As a Commanding Officer, he should have kept a cool head and not lost himself to his emotions." Ozpin added in. "He'd have lied to her, true, but in this scenario, a comfortable lie is better than a bitter truth."
The Survey Corps marched on, leaving the public to themselves.
"What a mess." One civilian man said in conversation with another.
"Tell me about it."
"All this shows is that our taxes are being spent feeding and fattening them up for nothing."
Looks of disgust were sent towards the civilians.
The judgemental civilian let out a squawk, holding his head. "What the hell, you damn brat?!" He turned to see an angry Ruby holding a stick. Pyrrha took Ruby by her collar and ran off with her before the civilian could catch her.
"This Ruby really needs to get her temper in check." Weiss sighed.
"Get your ass back here!" The man raged but doesn't pursue.
A safe distance away from the crowd, Pyrrha continues to drag Ruby . "Pyrrha! This is far enough, isn't it?!"
Without giving her an answer, she launches Ruby into a wall, scattering the firewood from her tumpline.
"Whoa!" Yang yelled in surprise. "Damn, P-money! Chibi you is strong!"
The invincible girl was also surprised by the ease her young variant threw Ruby into the wall.
Cinder narrowed her eyes at the feat. She tossed her with zero strain. No normal 10 year old can do that. I'll have to keep an eye out for this one.
Cinder's thoughts were unknowingly echoed by the others.
"What was that for?" Ruby winces in pain and yells at her. "Now the firewood's all over the place!" She began recollecting the sticks.
Pyrrha ignored her complaints. "Ruby, have you changed your mind about joining the Scouts?"
Ruby looked away and faced the ground. "Help me pick them up." She muttered, ignoring the question.
Deflecting the question, huh? Blake thought to herself.
"There isn't much to begin with." Pyrrha said as she joined in the picking.
Currently Disposable Information:
About the Walls (1)
Mankind lives enclosed within three walls.
The outermost wall is Wall Maria, the middle wall is Wall Rose, and the final, outermost wall is Wall Sina.
"They built 3 fifty-meter tall walls with their level of technology? Not bad." Glynda said, impressed.
Currently Disposable Information:
About the Walls (2)
The area between the Walls are nearly identical.
There's about 100km between Maria and Rose, about 130km between Rose and Sina, and about 250km between Sina and the center.
"So, are these intermissions going to be a regular thing as we keep watching?" Yang asked. "Not that I mind. We get to learn more things about them."
"Yes, Yang," Blahk answered, "At least one each episode."
Pyrrha and Ruby entered their home together.
"We're back." Ruby said as she opened the door to her house and the two entered.
They were greeted by two people; Ruby's mother, Summer Jaeger, who was working in the kitchen, and father, Taiyang Jaeger, who was sitting by the table, writing down notes.
"Welcome home." Summer greeted the kids with a kind smile, and Taiyang didn't say anything but smile.
Ruby smiled sadly at the scene. It had been so long since she'd seen her mother and she sorely missed her. Yang, sensing her sadness, gripped her hand in comfort.
The buxom blonde couldn't help wondering where her variant was. If I even exist in this world.
Ruby quickly placed all the wood inside a crate while Pyrrha was using an indoor water pump. "My, Ruby, I see you've worked harder than usual." Summer said as she walked up to her daughter.
"Y-Yeah." Ruby muttered, not looking away from her mother. Noticing that something was wrong, she pinches her ears, making her flinch slightly as she rubbed them. "What?"
"Your ears are warm. I can tell you're lying. Pyrrha helped you out, didn't she?" Summer gave a teasing smile. Ruby didn't say anything but just looked away.
Jaune sighed, smiling. "Is that a thing all mother's have? The ability to always know what your kids have been up to?" He said with humour.
"Oh, are you heading out, Dad?" Ruby asked as she and Pyrrha were having lunch and Summer was washing the dishes. "Work?"
"Yes." Taiyang nodded as he was packing his books in his bag. "Medical examinations within the inner walls. It should take around two to three days."
"Oh." Ruby answered as she continued to eat her meal. Pyrrha was not eating her meal.
She took a deep breath before speaking. "Ruby says she wants to join the Survey Corps."
"You snitch."
Pyrrha covered her quickly reddening face when her variant ratted Ruby out.
Summer gasped as she turned around while Taiyang simply flinched at the revelation.
The audience could understand their reactions. It was a dangerous profession. Any parent would be scared for their child.
Ruby looked at Pyrrha in shock, not before she narrowed her eyes and slammed her spoon on the table. "P-Pyrrha, I told you that's a secret!"
"Ruby!" Her mother snapped as she quickly rushed to her daughter and placed both her hands on her shoulders. "What are you thinking? Do you know how many people have died outside the walls?"
"I do!" Ruby shouted, slightly surprising her mother but made her angry.
"Then why—"
"Ruby." Taiyang cut in with a calm tone making the two look at him. "Why do you wish to venture outside?"
"He's taking this a lot better than our dad did when he found out we wanted to be Huntresses." Yang commented, remembering her dad had tried to convince them to change their minds.
Ruby was surprised to hear this question from her father with such calmness but answered while everyone listened. "I want to know... what's become of the outside world. I don't want to simply live out my life within the walls like this! Besides, if nobody follows in their footsteps... the sacrifice of all those who lost their lives would be in vain!"
Glynda was stunned by the wisdom in her words. How could a ten year old be this mature? Ozpin was also impressed and proud of her thought process.
"I see." Taiyang simply said, then stood up from the table and was prepared to leave. "The ferry will depart soon. I'll be off now."
"That's it?" Cardin was surprised. "He's taking this too well."
"Wait, dear!" Summer quickly said as she rushed up to her husband who stopped by the door. "Say something to Ruby!"
"Summer, words can't hold back human curiosity." Taiyang simply said to his wife, who dropped her shoulders at that fact. He then turns to his daughter. "Ruby."
"Wise words." Ozpin nodded.
The daughter stood up from her seat and listened to her father. "When I return, I'll show you the basement that I've always kept a secret." He said as he pulled out a key that was hanging from his neck.
Ruby gasped in excitement. "Really?!" She eyed the key before her father gripped it.
"The basement? What could be so special about a basement?" Neptune questioned aloud.
"Have a safe trip!" Ruby shouts as she waves her father goodbye while Summer and Pyrrha see him off.
"I'm still against it." Summer said to her daughter, catching her attention. "Only fools would consider joining the Survey Corps."
Once again, the audience could hardly fault her low opinion of the Scouts. They'd all witnessed their losses.
"What? Fools?!" Ruby said, offended. "To me, people that are content with living like cattle seem way more stupid!"
Before her mother could say anything, Ruby ran off. "Ruby!" She called her daughter but was ignored.
"Yeah, she's wayyy more rebellious that our Ruby." Weiss commented.
She quickly turned to her surrogate daughter and placed both her hands on her shoulders, slightly shocking her. "Pyrrha, that girl has a habit of getting into trouble, so when something happens, be there for each other."
"Okay." Pyrrha nodded, and ran after Ruby.
Pyrrha nodded alongside her variant except her promise extended itself to all her friends.
In other parts of the district, there was the sound of children arguing with one another.
"What's wrong, heretic?" A cocky-sounding young boy accompanied by two others questioned while he slammed a young brown-haired boy against the wall while looking a bit injured. "If you don't like it, why don't you fight back?"
"Oh great, bullies." Jaune drawled out. Cardin sweated and looked everywhere but in Jaune's direction.
Oscar perked up when he saw his variant again but flinched at the bullying.
"As if I'd ever do that." The young boy grunted in pain. "The last thing I'd do is stoop to your level."
"What was that?!" The bully snarled.
"You're only resorting to physical abuse because you can't prove that I'm wrong." Despite the bullied boy's pain, his eyes did not waver, making the three bullies flinch at his comment. "Doesn't that mean you admit I'm right?!"
"Impressive speech but I seriously doubt the three of them combined have enough brain cells to understand and apply that knowledge." Jaune said with a scoff.
Not wanting to admit he was right, the bully snarled at him and raised his fist. "Shut your trap, you rambling nitwit!"
But before he could punch him, someone shouted. "Stop right there!" They looked in the direction to see Ruby running towards them with an angry expression.
"It's Ruby!" One of the bullies shouted. They smirked as they all got ready to beat her up. "What an idiot. She came back for more."
"Itching for a beating, huh?"
"We'll make you our sandbag!"
But before they could do that, one of them noticed Pyrrha running behind Ruby, and to his horror, giving them a death glare.
"P-Pyrrha's right behind her!" One of the bullies said in fear, their bravado gone.
"W-We're screwed! Run!" They packed, and they began to run away with their tails tucked behind their backs, leaving the injured boy sitting on the ground.
Some members of the audience giggled at their fearful expressions at the sight of Pyrrha.
Ruby stops running as she was next to the boy. "Hey, they took off after seeing me!" She pants with a smile on her face.
Ruby blushed, feeling mortified as laughter resounded all around her.
"No, they probably ran because of Pyrrha." The injured boy muttered as he tried and failed to get up. "O-Ow."
Ruby gasps and Pyrrha looks at the boy in concern. "Hey, you okay, Oscar?" She approached the now-named boy and offered her hand to him.
Oscar looked at the hand, gritted his teeth and looked down. "I can stand up on my own." He muttered as he slowly stood up.
"What was that for?" Pyrrha raised an eyebrow at his reaction.
"Probably a wounded pride."
"Oh, all right." Ruby said.
The day turned into dusk while three sat together near the waterside of the district.
"So, when I said mankind would eventually need to go outside, they hit me, saying I was a heretic." Oscar finishes the reason why he was being bullied.
"Damn it." Ruby muttered as she threw a rock on the water. "Why does simply wanting to go outside turn everyone against us?"
"Well, it's because it's been peaceful within the walls for the past 100 years." Oscar answered. "In order to prevent inviting them in through a reckless attempt to go outside, the king's government created a policy that made holding interest in the outside world taboo."
"What sort of policy is that?" Coco asked, her tone showing what exactly she thought of the bullshit policy.
"People would rather stay within their comfortable bubbles than risk dangers of the unknown." Oobleck stated, matter-of-factly.
"We're risking our own lives." Ruby counters. "It's our choice to make."
"Exactly!"
"I won't let you." Pyrrha said, making the two look towards the girl. "You can't."
Teams RWBY and JNPR smiled at the dedication Pyrrha had to protect her best friend.
"Oh yeah, I can't believe you ratted me out!" Ruby said in annoyance, confusing Oscar but quickly realized what Ruby was talking about.
"I don't remember saying I'd help." Pyrrha looked away.
"We never did hear her promise." Roman made a so and so movement with his hands
"Wh-What'd they say?" Oscar asks.
"Well… they weren't happy about it." Oscar sighed at Ruby's answer.
"Understatement of the century."
"I figured." The boy said as everyone around them as many civilians were going about their lives. A child hugging her mother, and the father watches happily. Children are playing with one another. A mother who is at home holding her baby. "True, I think those who believe the walls will forever provide a life of peace need to face reality. Just because the wall has done its job for the past 100 years, it doesn't guarantee that it won't be breached today..."
The scene now shows up to the sky where the walls are. All was peaceful.
Despite the peaceful atmosphere, most of the audience tensed. Their instincts screamed that something was about to happen and they were right.
Until lightning suddenly struck from outside the walls causing a powerful shockwave making not only the three kids jump from their seats, but everyone stumbled and fell over from the powerful impact. While everyone recovered, they all see smoke coming from the outside of the walls.
"Wh-What the...?" Oscar stuttered as he slowly stood up along with his friends. "An explosion?"
"It came from there!" They turned to the sound of civilians heading to where the noise came from.
"Seems like something fell."
"I have no idea."
Not wasting any time, Oscar quickly rushed to where the civilians are heading.
"Hey, Oscar!" Ruby called her friend as she and Pyrrha followed him.
"You should be trying to get away from to explosion not run towards it!" Weiss shrieked in worry.
"I can hardly fault them for that. Truly, human curiosity knows no bounds." Hazel stated, calling back to Dr Jaeger's statement.
Finally catching up to her friend, who stood frozen as he looked up at the sky along with the other civilians. "What's wrong? Just what are you staring at?"
She and Pyrrha looked in the direction where Oscar was facing and finds herself widening her eyes in pure horror at what she was seeing.
They saw a giant red hand clutching on the top of the wall, strong enough to break parts of it with its hand.
"This is what we saw at the beginning…" Velvet trembled, her terror at the sight of the Titans returning.
"No way..." Oscar mutters in horror. "That wall is fifty meters tall!"
"It's them." Ruby whispers as her eyes widen as the very creature now reveals its face to them. Steam came out from its body, and its face shows that it has no skin at all. Just covered entirely in muscles you'll find under human skin. "A Titan!"
The Titan began to move. It slowly raises its right leg in the air backward.
With slow yet great force, it swung down, kicking the gates of the wall and creating a powerful impact that not only destroyed the gate but blew away people close to the entrance. Debris scattered around, destroying houses and crushing the people around them.
As the dust cleared, there was now a massive hole in the wall. Large enough for an army of smaller Titans to enter.
"It breached the Wall!" Nora's voice was filled with fear.
Then the giant Titan hid away behind the walls.
"Th-They…" Back with the children, Oscar stuttered in fear in what they have witnessed. "Blew a h-hole into the wall."
And on cue, a Titan entered the district and looked down on its prey. The civilians saw the monstrosity and began to panic and ran away.
"They're coming inside!"
"The Titans are coming!"
Oscar began to panic but was doing his best to calm down along with Pyrrha. "We need to— Ruby!" Oscar shouted, seeing that Ruby was walking in the direction of the destruction.
"Our house is..." Ruby said as she ignored a few people bumping on him. "Mom is..."
Gasps rang out and many in the audience prayed for the safety of the elder Rose.
Ruby could barely hear the reactions of the others. All that was on her mind was whether or not she'd have to deal with losing her mother in another world as well.
Realizing what she meant, Pyrrha ran to join Ruby. "Pyrrha!" Oscar reached out for his friend, but his arm froze and trembled. Seeing the state it was, he used his free hand to calm it down, but it was still shaking. "It's all over. This town is... going to be overrun by Titans!"
Ruby and Pyrrha ran towards their home as they ignored a few civilians bumping at them and the bodies that were crushed by the debris.
Ruby ignored the bodies and kept running. "There's no way our house got hit." She thought as she and Pyrrha continued to run and were about to turn against a street corner. "Once I turn that corner, our house will... like always..."
Ruby was shaking in fear and anticipation. Please let mom be okay, let her be okay, let her be okay…
Yang gripped her sister's hand tightly to reassure her, hiding the fear for her surrogate mother that was welling up inside.
She and Pyrrha turned through the corner, but their eyes widen in shock at the sight before them. She quickly rushes ahead to her home with a large boulder crushing it. "Mom!"
"No!" Ruby screamed, tearfully.
Fortunately, she sees her mother trapped under the pillar of the house. "Mom!"
Summer slowly opens her eyes to hear her daughter's voice. "Ruby..."
Relief flooded them. Summer was alive. Injured, but alive.
The two reached for Summer and tried to lift the pillar off of her. "Pyrrha, hold that side! We'll lift the pillar!" Pyrrha nodded and they tried to lift it off.
The sound of giant footsteps could be heard. Ruby looked towards the source, and to her growing horror, more Titans appeared walking in the distance.
Snapping out of it, she continues to try and save her mother. "Hurry, Pyrrha!"
"Hurry!" Yang tried to urge them on through the screen. Ruby kept watching mutedly.
"I'm trying!" Pyrrha cried as she tried to get the pillar off.
Many didn't want to acknowledge it but deep down, they knew there was no hope for Summer. Her legs were most likely crushed, so if by some miracle they got her out from under the rubble, she still wouldn't be able to move. With the Titans flooding the district also…No one voiced their opinions.
Summer began to piece together what was going on. "The Titans have come inside, haven't they?" She whispered, then looks up to her daughter. "Ruby, take Pyrrha and run away. Hurry!"
"No!!" Ruby screamed when her on-screen mother suggested that. "I'll never leave you behind! I can't lose you! Not again…" Her voice broke off at the end of her sentence.
"I want to run away! Get up already!" Ruby shouted as she tried and failed to pull off the pillar to the point that her fingers began bleeding.
"My legs are crushed by the rubble. Even if I get out of here, I can't run." Summer said to her daughter as Ruby began to cry in horror. "You understand, right?"
Ruby and Yang continued to shake their head in denial, not willing to believe any of it. Qrow moved to help console his nieces.
"I'll run away carrying you!" Ruby cried out in denial.
"Why don't you ever listen to what I tell you?!" Summer shouted as she began to cry. Even Pyrrha was starting to cry. "At least listen to my final request!" She turns to her adoptive daughter, pleading to do the same. "Pyrrha!"
Pyrrha sobbed but shook her head. "No... No!" She denied what she said and continues to try and save her.
Pyrrha was close to tears at the scene. Her teammates quickly moved to console her.
A Titan began to approach them with an eerie grin on its face.
A memory clicked inside Ren. "That's the Titan Ruby saw in her nightmare, isn't it?"
They looked closely at the Titan and sure enough, it was the same Titan.
Salem titled her head in thought. She dreamt of this moment before it happened. Makes me wonder about her other dreams…
Summer heard the sounds of its footsteps. "At this rate, the three of us will..." But then she heard the sound of wires being retracted. She looks up to see Qrow using his Omni-directional mobility gear as he approached them and checks Summer's condition. "Qrow! Take the children and run!"
Said man wasn't having it. "Like hell!"
Cheers rang out at the sight of Qrow. Finally, a soldier who could deal with that monster.
Qrow was shocked at her request. He took a deep breath and smiled at her. "I can't have you thinking I'm that small a man, Summer." He face turned serious. "I'll butcher the giant and make sure to save all three of you!"
He rushed towards the Smiling Titan, drawing his blades out. "Wait!" Summer shouted. "Don't fight it!"
"She's right. If it's just the two of them, we can get away." Qrow thought as he continued his charge. "But this is the time for me to make good on my debt!"
Roman was quick to dash everyone's hopes of Qrow beating the Titan. "He's not gonna beat it."
If looks could kill, Roman would be on his way to the underworld right now. Neo moved to protect him from their gaze, a glare on her face.
Salem picked up on his thought process. "He's right. If they truly have been at peace for 100 years, then he has never faced actual combat against a Titan." She stated. "Either he dies facing the Titan and it goes ahead to devour all three of them or he runs away with the girls, leaving Summer to her fate."
They hated to admit it, but she had a point. Qrow gritted his teeth in anger but she wasn't wrong. No matter how this goes, at least one person will die.
Ruby and Yang vehemently denied any possibility of their family dying.
Unfortunately, the moment he took a good look at the Smiling Titan, he froze. Who could blame him, after seeing the face of a wickedly smiling Titan looking down on him?
A feeling of déjà vu washed over Yang, like she recognized the face from somewhere. She brushed it off as quickly as it came.
Without a second thought, he stashed his blades away and rushed back for the children as he took a surprised Ruby in his arms. "Hey, Qrow!" He then promptly did the same to Pyrrha. "What're you doing?!"
"NO!!!" Yang and Ruby screamed in anger and heartbreak. "Go back!" Yang's eyes turned red instantly.
Qrow put his head down, his flask dropping to the ground. Shame flooded him. He knew it was the smartest thing to do at the moment but the fact that he had to abandon another member of his family to do so broke him.
The other adults sighed. It was difficult to accept but it was the only logical way to avoid all of them dying.
Summer smiled, happy that her children are being taken to safety. "Thank you."
Qrow quickly rushed away with the children, but Ruby tried to struggle free as she shouts. "Mom is... She's still..."
Summer cries as she reaches out for them. "Ruby, Pyrrha! You two need to live on!"
Ruby and Yang were inconsolable. They continued screaming at on-screen Qrow to go back for Summer.
She sees an image of herself along with Ruby, Pyrrha, and her husband, all happy being together.
Summer gasped in realization that she would never see her family again. Tears fall as she covered her mouth and whispers for the final time. "Don't go."
The students were in tears at the scene. Cardin clenched his fists in anger and sadness. Pyrrha could not stop blaming herself for failing to save her surrogate mother in another world.
Most of the adults were barely holding themselves back from crying. Ironwood and Port were pissed at the unfairness of the situation, Glynda was openly sobbing, Winter's eyes glistened with unshed tears and Ozpin bowed his head in sadness. Even the ever stoic Oobleck could barely keep it together.
Ruby gasped in horror as she helplessly watched the Smiling Titan dig through the rubble and pick up her mother with its two hands.
"That image…" Ren stammered out, still in tears, "it was also in her dreams."
Salem was now invested in those dreams. Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence. If it happens a third time…
"STOP!" Ruby shouted as she pleaded for it to stop to deaf ears. It continued to lift Summer, even as she struggled to break free. In her struggle, the Smiling Titan snaps her spine, killing her instantly.
Ruby and Pyrrha looked on in horror. Pyrrha looked away, but Ruby continued to as the Titan bit down into her mother.
Ruby could only stare in wide eyed horror as she watched her mom get killed and eaten. Yang tried to shield Ruby's eyes but she wasn't having it.
At that moment, every shred of innocence in Ruby was shattered immediately.
"On that day, mankind remembered..." The young narrative voice that they now know to be Oscar, said. "The fear of oppression under them and the humiliation of being caged like birds."
To be continued…
Tearful cries were all that was heard long after the episode ended.
And there you have it! I'm going to be honest, writing this was exhausting. It was easy to get the transcriptions. Yes, I copied them from two different stories— Power to Strive and RWBY reacts to Attack on Titan. There's no point in typing up original transcripts when others already exist. I simply edited out the names.
The hardest part was writing out the reactions. That took me three whole days!! I'm exhausted but it's worth it. Shingeki no Kyojin is my favourite anime of all time and I'd like for other worlds to experience it as well.
See y'all next chapter! :-)