Ibuki: Disclaimer! The author does not own any of the material appearing in the story. The OC's belong to their respective owners!
BGM: Hades' Infernal Theme (Kid Icarus: Uprising)
"Time! Space! Reality! It's more than just a boring ol' linear path! It's a prism of boundless entertainment! A single choice can branch out into infinite realities and infinite amusement from yours truly! Alternate universes created from the ones that we know and love! I am Lord Hades, your handsome guide to these wonderful and boundless fun of opportunities! Follow me, if you dare… and bask in the neverending torturous question of:"
SUPER RWBY: WHAT IF?
"What If!"
End BGM
"So, that was eventful, if I say so myself! I wasn't even aware of what was going on until I was rudely awoken from my nap. In any case, Twilight Chiaki was the clear victor of that fight and good ol' Prime Chiaki got herself drunk. Who knew she was a closet alcoholic? Ahahahahaha!"
Hades looked through the universes.
"Still, if I had met a doppleganger of my own and he turned out to be more insidious than I was… I'd give him a pat on the back and join him on the festivities!"
Suddenly, a Market Gardener smacked him in the head.
"YOWCH!"
"YOU ALREADY DID THAT, YOU MORON!"
"Love you too, Mister Worldwalker!" Hades rubbed his head. "Yeesh, talk about a headache… I think finding a universe will relieve this head-splitting migraine…"
He found one that caught his attention.
"Ooooh, what's this one? …Oooooooh! Ohohoho! Now that's an interesting case!"
Hades looked at the screen.
"So, we all know Cinderella's turn of events. She was abused at her orphanage, got taken in, got abused some more, started a killing spree when she snapped and turned on her mentor. Gee, it's like teaching her how to use weapons and not getting her out of there was a bad idea or something!"
He chuckled a bit.
"That said, perhaps in another universe, good ol' Cindy Lou Hoo had a stroke of luck. Perhaps… she saw an opportunity? Ladies and gentleman, I give you-"
What If… Cinder Ran Away?
"Let's see some magic happening here!"
"Ugh…" Cinder groaned, rubbing her shoulder while munching on some bread.
Another day, another bullying, another accusing Cinder of doing it wrong and making her eat little at all.
She was tired of it, she wanted to get away from it all.
But how could she do it?
It was infuriatingly annoying, yet there was nothing she could do about it, no matter how many times she stuck up for herself, she always got pushed down and talked down to.
This was her life… and she hated it.
As she took a bite…
"You're what?"
"You've heard correctly."
"Hmm…?" Cinder softly hummed as she slowly followed the sound of the voice… or was it her rumbling stomach? She couldn't even tell the difference at this rate.
She got closer and saw the primary caretaker speak with one of the orphans.
"But… who will take care of the orphanage while you're away?"
"You will, of course. I will only be gone for two days. It will be a business trip… it won't take long at all."
"What will we do with… that? You know what I mean."
"Do whatever you want with that filth. It matters not."
"Very well. I'll see you soon."
"As will I. I will be leaving around midnight."
Cinder's eyes widened as she quickly hid herself, resuming eating her baguette "innocently".
"That seems a bit late."
"Perhaps. But I'm a night owl, I will be fine."
An idea formed in Cinder's head, working out a plan silently.
Later that night, around midnight...
A horse carriage rolled up as the caretaker walked up to it. She paused and looked back at the orphanage. She noticed a box next to the fence as she tilted her head. She wasn't expecting a package.
She shrugged it off. Surely, one of the orphans would take care of it, especially Cinder. She got into the carriage as it wandered off. The horse trotting fading into the background.
The box rose up as Cinder pulled it off of her. "I can't believe that worked."
She pulled up a pillow case, seeing a lot of food and water that she had secretly taken while everyone was asleep. She pulled it over her shoulder and proceeded to set out, disappearing into the forest.
BGM: Eterna Forest (Pokemon Brilliant Diamond/Shining Pearl)
The sound of crickets chirped through the forest as Cinder journeyed through the dark forest.
"Hoo hoo hoo. Hoo hoo!"
"Awooooooooo!"
Sounds of owls and wolves echoed through the forest, but Cinder was determined to get as much distance from that hell hole as possible.
She came across a lake, seeing some fireflies fly around without a care in the world. She softly smiled as she walked around the perimeter of the lake. The moon shined down, illuminating the water as some fish breached over, where a deer walked over and drank from the water.
The deer looked up, seeing Cinder as she looked back at it. The deer simply flicked its ears before resuming what it was doing earlier as Cinder kept moving.
She soon came across a clearing, spotting an Atlas Transport ship. She smiled as she quickly made her way through and snuck aboard, pulling the pillow case up and hiding deep inside the containment.
The doors closed as Cinder reached into her pillow case and ate a few snacks before fatigue hit her and she proceeded to doze off.
End BGM
She was awakened to the sound of the ship landing on the ground. "Zzz… wha…?" Cinder rubbed her eyes, wiping her mouth as she heard voices. She pressed her ear against the wall out of curiosity.
"I told you a thousand times! A thousand times! Always refuel after landing the first time! It's very important! But you never listen!"
"The base in Argus isn't that far away from where we were, though! I thought it wouldn't matter!"
"Dude, we landed in the middle of the street in the damn residential area!"
"At least there wasn't any traffic, that's a relief."
"THAT'S WHAT YOU WERE WORRIED ABOUT?!"
Argus…? Cinder wondered as the hatch opened up.
"Look at the bright side. With my skills, I was able to safely land without losing any fuel."
"But you didn't refuel and now everyone is looking at us!"
"Don't worry, I know we have fuel in the containment somewhere."
Cinder's eyes widened, quickly scooting away from sight, finding that the other hatch was open as she quickly made a break for it.
"That's not the point! What I'm trying to say is that I'm sick of your incompetence!"
"If I'm incompetent, would I have crashed into the street? No. I simply landed. There is a difference!"
"AGAIN, THAT IS NOT THE DAMN POINT!"
The second pilot pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed in irritation, then he turned to some curious onlookers. "Alright, listen up! Do not interfere with what is going on. There was a miscalculation in our fuel tank and we had to make an emergency stop. Please go back to what you were doing and leave us be!"
"...Heeeeeeeeey, funny question!" The first pilot spoke up.
"What is it…"
"You know that fuel we stored away?"
"What about it?"
"It's gone."
"Gone? WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S GONE?!"
"Yeah, apparently we didn't load it up like I thought we did! Hahahaha! How funny, right?"
"...When we get to the base, I'm going to shoot you. Several times. In the face."
Cinder kept moving around the streets for about an hour, munching on snacks and drinking some water along the way. Her legs grew tired as she decided to rest on a park bench. She sighed to herself, looking at the sky in wonder.
"Yah! Hah!"
Cinder looked down, seeing a young red haired five year old girl wielding a wooden sword as she continued to swing gracefully. She would also see a father smiling proudly, as he had red short hair, but also having a brown mustache, also wearing a light tan shirt and khakis.
Cinder frowned, tearing up at the sight of it. A loving family… if only she had been so lucky. She wiped her tears away.
"Are you okay?"
She looked up to see a woman approach her with concern. "I saw that you were looking sad. Are you alright?"
"Not… really…" Cinder mumbled.
"You can tell me anything." She cooed softly.
BGM: Zelda's Lullaby (The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword)
Cinder nodded. "I… was left at an orphanage. I forget how long, but… I was there for a long time. The orphanage I was at was… cruel, to say the least. I was abused by the caretakers, the other orphans picked on me, I was forced to do all the chores… and if I didn't do it right, I was beaten or starved. The moment I heard the caretaker was going away for a few days, I… took my chance and escaped the moment she left. It was the first time I had a taste of freedom…"
"Oh, you poor thing…" The woman whispered as she hugged Cinder. "Don't worry… everything will be alright. If you want… you can always find a home with us."
"W-With you? I… don't even know who you are."
"What's all this, Athena?" The father asked as he approached with the young girl. Athena smiled and proceeded to explain the situation that Cinder had told her. "My word! That's quite the tale… heck, I would've done the same thing if I were in her shoes."
"Indeed." Athena nodded.
The young girl approached Cinder. "Hi! I'm Pyrrha Nikos!"
Cinder looked at her, placing her hand on her chest. A feeling surged inside of her that she hadn't felt before. She wasn't sure what it was but it felt… warm and fuzzy.
"H-hi… I'm… Cinder. I… don't know my actual last name, if I'm being perfectly honest…"
Leon smiled. "Not to worry. You can stay at our home for a while… until we get you adopted into our family. Heck, you're practically family already! Hahahaha!" He laughed proudly.
Cinder softly smiled. "Th-thank you…"
Athena gently took her hand. "Come on, let's get you cleaned up…"
With a nod, Cinder was pulled up from the bench.
End BGM
Two months later…
"Hmmhmmmhmm~" Cinder hummed as she was cooking some food, with some guidance from Athena. She tasted it from the ladle as she brought it up. "Mmm, not bad… what do you think?"
Athena took a taste.
"Goodness! It's absolutely perfect!"
Cinder's eyes sparkled as Athena raised her hand, the former raising her hand as they both high fived. She had forgotten what it was like to flinch when the hand was raised, because it usually meant a slap to the face. She had never received a high five before.
But in time, she knew that raised hand was a high five.
The door opened up. "Guess what just came in the mail!" A voice said as they turned to see Leon walk in with a letter in his hands.
"Is that what I think it is?" Athena approached with sparkles in her eyes.
"Oh?" Cinder walked away, only to hear a step stool being placed on the ground as she turned around to see the five year old Pyrrha at the stove.
"I wanna help while you're in the living room~!"
Cinder immediately started sweating nervously. She recalled the last time she helped, she turned the temperature way up and burnt the fried chicken in the oven. Not to mention she somehow burnt water in the frying pan.
Hotter means faster and the higher the temperature, the faster the food in the oven will be cooked in Pyrrha's eyes. Like… instead of 350 degrees, it was 999 degrees.
However, that also meant nearly burning the house to the ground in Cinder's eyes.
Cinder rushed over and picked up Pyrrha. "Come on, silly. It'll only take a few minutes."
"Awww…"
Cinder walked back to the living room where the letter was given to her. She opened it up and her eyes widened, her hands trembling.
"Cinder 'Pele' Nikos"
Cinder teared up and smiled happily, proceeding to hug her new parents. "I love you…"
"We love you too, kiddo!" Leon smiled as Athena gently kissed Cinder on the head.
Athena sniffed right after, and then sniffed again. "...Is something burning?"
"Not that I'm aware o-" Cinder's eyes widened. "Wait, where's Pyrrha?!"
Beep beep beep beep beep beep!
They turned to see smoke coming out of the pot and the temperature was set to high as Pyrrha smiled.
"I'm helping make dinner~!"
"Oh no no no no no!" Cinder cried as she quickly ran inside, grabbed the fire extinguisher and proceeded to put the fire out while Athena turned the smoke alarm off.
Cinder let out a whimpered sigh, seeing the food that she had made was ruined. "You dummy…" She mumbled under her breath.
"I'm sorry… I didn't mean to ruin it…"
"Oh, it's no big deal." Athena smiled. "Anyone up for takeout?"
"Oh, look at that. Apparently Pyrrha in this universe can't cook to save her life! …Granted, she's five, but what can you do~? Hahaha!"
Two years later…
BGM: Traverse Town (Kingdom Hearts 1.5 HD ReMix)
"Hmmhmhmhmm~" A now seven year old Pyrrha skipped along the sidewalk while a thirteen year old Cinder walked alongside Athena. The former chuckling at Pyrrha's antics while Athena giggled.
The three of them were out shopping, looking for some new clothes for Cinder as she grew bored of the same ol' orange and brown colors that she always wore.
The trio noticed a young blonde boy carrying bags for his mother. He was struggling, yet he was determined to help out.
"Wah!" He yelped, falling to the ground after he tripped.
Pyrrha gasped as she immediately ran to his side. "Are you okay?" She asked, gently helping him up.
"Y-yeah, I'll be fine…" He said, both of them making eye contact. Both of them stared as they both blushed.
S/He's cute… Both thought at once.
"I'm Pyrrha Nikos. What's your name?"
The boy smiled. "Jaune Arc!"
"Come along, Jaune."
"Oh, coming mom!" Jaune said, picking up the bag.
"Here, let me help you with that!" Pyrrha smiled sweetly as she picked up the bag with him and pulled it into the car.
"Thanks so much!" Jaune smiled.
"You're welcome!" Pyrrha waved and ran off.
Cinder gave her a teasing smile. "Who's your boyfriend?"
"He's Jaune Ar-... he's not my boyfriend, sis! He's just a boy and he's a friend. That's all there is to it."
"That's how it starts~" Cinder grinned, hearing a snicker from Athena.
Some time later…
"Okay, hear me out!" A spokesman spoke up. "Considering that everyone's been calling you "invincible girl", we're actually thinking you would be perfect as the sponsor for Pumpkin Pete's Marshmallow Flakes!"
"...Is this because I won the second tournament flawlessly?" Pyrrha asked.
"Indeed. What do you say?"
"I'm sorry, but I have to decline. If I do this, it will interfere with a family outing that has been planned for weeks. We were going to go out as soon as the tournament was over."
"Can you postpone it? Or better yet, tell your family something came up and you have to miss it?"
"No. That's not who I am. I'm sorry… but you've got the wrong woman." Pyrrha walked off.
"Ooooh… we would've made big bucks with her…" He grumbled. "Alright… guess we'll have to keep looking."
End BGM
Once at the family outing…
Pyrrha stood in front of Jaune, both swords and shields at the ready. "You ready, Jaune?"
"As ready as I'll ever be, "invincible"." Jaune teased.
Pyrrha giggled. "I'm not going to hold back."
"Neither am I. Let's go!"
Cinder, meanwhile, cooked burgers on a grill and chuckled. "Lovebirds."
BGM: Unbound (RWBY: Ice Queendom)
Pyrrha and Jaune both got in their stances, as they both lunged, slashing at each other as they both clashed, both of them smirking as Jaune pushed her back and swung his sword at a sharp angle.
Pyrrha immediately moved her head back and then sweep kicked him, but Jaune was ready and jumped over her leg sweep as he landed and slashed her repeatedly, but Pyrrha swiftly blocked with her shield and then parried him, knocking Jaune back a bit.
However, Jaune was undeterred as he moved his feet as he swung, delivering quick blocks as Pyrrha gracefully blocked and parried, then delivered a swift slice with her blade, only for Jaune to parry her, her eyes widening in surprise before she smiled proudly. Her training had paid off!
Jaune swung down, but Pyrrha gracefully backflipped, delivering a swift kick to his chin for good measure, but Jaune quickly shook it off and quickly delivered some swift blows from his sword, but Pyrrha blocked with her semblance…
…But that didn't stop him from proceeding to do a swift kick to the side from him, knocking Pyrrha back as she was hit by his sword, luckily her aura took the blow.
"You actually kicked me."
Jaune smiled. "I had a great teacher."
Pyrrha's eyes shimmered with pride along with a proud smile as she lunged, slashing at Jaune but he blocked with his shield and pushed her back as he retaliated, but she did the same as she then threw her shield as he ducked.
Jaune shifted his eyes as he swung his shield to block Pyrrha's advances as the shield came back. He knew exactly when the shield was about to connect. He knew how much that hurt when he forgot about it.
…But not this time.
He swiftly ducked right as the shield was about to smack him upside the head, but instead, the shield slammed into Pyrrha's forehead. "Nnnngh!"
"Ooooh!" Cinder winced as did Pyrrha's parents.
Jaune sprang back up and slashed her, but Pyrrha blocked with her polarity while she was getting her bearings straight.
So that's how it feels… Pyrrha thought as she turned with a "I'm so sorry" look in her eyes before they had a fierce fiery glare as she picked her shield up as they both continued to attack until Pyrrha sweep kicked Jaune again when he least expected it, tripping him up as Pyrrha used her spear to pin him to the ground from the sleeve of his shirt.
End BGM
Pyrrha said nothing, but used her polarity to remove the spear and then offered his hand. "I'll admit, you almost had me."
"Eheheh… sorry about the shield. I thought you were gonna catch it."
"It's okay. I was banking on you getting hit from that again…" Pyrrha admitted.
"Burgers are ready. I'm assuming both of y'all have finished killing each other?" Cinder teased.
"Yeah, we're good!" Jaune chuckled as they both walked to the bench together.
Some more time later…
Cinder, now twenty years old, wandered around Vale, softly humming as she had recently moved out and lived on her own. She was grateful for her family and friends that helped shape who she was.
She walked near an alleyway was when she spotted a dark skinned girl running into said alleyway. "Hmm?" She turned her head as she tilted her head before she proceeded to go after her. As she did, some police cars drove into the alleyway, forcing Cinder to get out of the way.
One car pulled up next to her. "Hey, have you seen a girl running through here? Emerald green hair?"
"I've seen her, but I haven't seen her since I turned into the alleyway."
"Well, let us know when you find that crook!" The police chief said as he rolled off.
"Hmm… interesting…" Cinder said as she kept walking until she stopped. "Okay, you can come out now." She said as the emerald haired girl came out.
"Thank you. I thought I was a goner."
"Why are the police chasing you?"
"That's none of your business. If you'll excuse me, I need to leave." She said as she walked off, but before she could continue forward, Cinder slugged her in the stomach to knock her out.
"Sorry about that, but I need more info than "none of your business"." She said as she pulled out a scroll. "Ozpin, it's me. Found that thief that you described. I'm taking her to the station now."
"Excellent. I'll meet you there."
Once at the station…
"So, fill me in on this thief. How long had she been terrorizing the streets?" Cinder asked Ozpin in private.
"Oh, for quite some time, actually." He responded. "Believe it or not, she grew up on the streets. She had been abandoned since she was a little girl, so she fended for herself."
Cinder's eyes widened. "Really? What… is her name?"
"Emerald Sustrai. This isn't her first time, admittedly." Ozpin said.
"So she grew up on the streets…" Cinder closed her eyes. "Kinda sounds similar to me, but I found a loving family."
"You can relate to her, as you had told me about your past."
"Let me take care of her, Ozpin." Cinder said. "Maybe I can shape her up."
Ozpin raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure that's a good idea, Ms. Nikos? Surely, you'd be better off alone than with some, forgive my vulgarity, street rat."
"I believe it is a good idea. After all, I used to be a street rat myself until my family found me."
"Indeed…" Ozpin folded his arms. "Very well, I will see to it." He walked off to chat with the police force.
"You sure this is a good idea, Oz?" The chief asked.
"I've learned to trust Ms. Nikos' judgment. She might actually turn Emerald around."
"...Alright, here's hoping she does."
Ozpin walked over to the jail cell. "Ms. Sustrai."
"What?" She asked coldly.
"Consider this another slap on the wrist… you're free to go. However, on one condition."
"Okay?"
"You stay with Cinder from this moment on. I don't want to hear any more trouble from you, do you understand?"
"Hmph… I guess…" Emerald mumbled as the cell opened up as she walked out, giving Cinder a confused glare as she walked out with her moments later. "Okay, why did you bail me out?"
"Because I know a thing or two about living on the streets." She said as she turned around. "Let's just say I had some sympathy for you."
"...Who are you?"
"I'm Cinder Nikos. Come on, let's get you out of here."
"Where are we going?"
"Wherever we are needed."
Emerald rubbed her head. "You're… an odd one… but, thank you for releasing me." She said as she then slugged her in the shoulder.
"Mmmph!"
"Now we're even."
Cinder chuckled. "Well, I suppose I deserved that."
A month later…
Cinder and Emerald walked out of a pub. "Mmm, that was rather good…" Emerald said, rubbing her stomach.
"This village is quite welcoming, their food is so good…" Cinder said before smiling. "Of course, it doesn't hold a candle to my cooking."
"So, are you the best cook out of the family? How about this sister you mentioned… Pire-ah, was it?"
"Pyrrha." She corrected. "And, well, let's just say the last time I've seen her, she burnt a grilled cheese sandwich."
Emerald sweatdropped. "She ruined something so… easily?"
"I know. Even I was perplexed by it. Mom was confused too…" Cinder shook her head.
"What about your father?"
Cinder looked away. "Unfortunately, he went on a hunting trip with a few of his friends. Only one came back barely alive. A pack of Ursa ambushed them… that was the last time I've seen my dad alive."
"Oh… I'm so sorry."
"It's okay… mom's been struggling but she's a trooper."
"I hope she'll be alri-"
Emerald flinched. "Nnngh!"
"What's wrong?" Cinder turned her head to see Emerald falling to the ground. "Emerald?! What's wro-"
She felt something stab her in the neck.
"Mmmm!" She grunted as she fought to stay awake but fell to the ground. The last thing she saw was a dart in Emerald's neck.
"Rise and shine!"
Smack!
"Mmmph!" Cinder was rudely awoken to a slap on her cheek as she found herself restrained in chairs. She turned her head to see Emerald coming around.
"Uuungh… why do I feel like I've been-"
"Quiet!"
Both ladies looked up to see who was in front of them. He had a rough five o'clock shadow, ragged clothes, messy silver hair, and had a watch on him with gray eyes. "About time you bitches woke up."
"Who the hell are you…?" Emerald asked.
"I'll be doing the talking here!" He spat. "But if you want to know who I am… I'm Marcus Black!" He declared.
"Marcus Black? The toughest assassin in this part of Remnant? I've heard about yo-"
"QUIET!" He yelled, slapping Cinder again.
"Mmmph!"
"I only caught you because your weapons looked good." He said. "And, heh, giving my son some experience on getting information from his targets before he snuffs 'em out. Heheheh."
"Dammit, dad! This is barbaric!" Mercury protested. "You've been training me to be an assassin, NOT a torturer!
"SILENCE!" Marcus barked, smacking him in the face with his weapon, which was a one-handed wielded hatchet doubled as a custom nine bullet pistol. It was hard enough to knock him to the ground and made both ladies flinch.
"Now get any information out of these bimbos before you snuff out their lights!" He ordered as he walked out, where Cinder was able to see Marcus walking in a semi-drunk state as he slammed the door shut.
"Hard life?" Cinder asked.
"Ugh, don't get me started." Mercury grumbled. "I've had a hell of a childhood… it all started when my folks had an argument. Then my mother left, calling him a barbarian. I didn't understand why she called him that… but then I quickly learned why. He was nothing more than a monster, beating me at every opportunity. Hell, he smacked me with his belt a few times in the face when I didn't please him. Said it was "building character"."
"Yeesh…" Emerald grimaced.
"Not only that, but a few days ago, I unlocked my semblance… then he took that away almost immediately, saying "Semblances and auras are a crutch. You don't need it. Let me show you how a real man takes a hit."
Mercury growled. "I'm nearing my breaking point with this… abomination. I don't know why my mother didn't take me with her."
He sighed. "You probably don't know what it's like to live a hard life."
"I've been abused at an orphanage until I ran away when I was eleven." Cinder said. "Found a loving family right after."
"Lived off the streets for years when I was abandoned." Emerald chimed in.
"...Heh, small world."
Mercury smiled. "I never thought I could find some people I can relate to. That means a lot… unfortunately, this is where-"
"Hold it." Cinder said as she used her semblance to free herself, burning away the chains until they melted as she did the same for Emerald.
"...Whoa."
"We're gonna get you out of here." Cinder smiled.
Mercury's eyes widened. "Really? How?"
Cinder smirked. "By having a little fun, of course~"
On the other side of the door, Marcus chugged down a large bottle of alcohol, he heard the sound of people tumbling in the room that he left the trio in. "Hmmm?"
He walked over to the door, and walked down the basement to see Cinder and Emerald's bodies on the ground as Mercury stood there in front of them. "That was rather quick. Did you get anything out of them?"
"You kidding? They didn't have anything, so I just killed them."
Marcus' eye twitched as he grabbed Mercury by the collar, glaring at him with rageful eyes as Mercury clasped his wrist in slight pain while wincing. "You. Little. SHIT. You think this is some game to you? Your mother brought you into this world, but I can take you OUT OF IT. You have three seconds to explain yourself before I rip out your spinal cor-"
His eyes widened, feeling heat coming from his wrist. "Nnngh… what…? What was in that drink…?"
"Oh, don't you worry, pops. It's nothing-"
Marcus's wrist caught on fire.
"-To be ashamed of!"
"AUUUUUUUUUUUUGH!"
BGM: I'm the One (RWBY)
In a flash, "Mercury" immediately transformed into Cinder as she swiftly kicked him in the crotch before backflipping, making sure her heel hit his chin in the process.
Cinder gracefully landed while Emerald casually leaned against the wall while Mercury went over to scoop up his weapon, quickly taking it before Marcus could get it back.
"Uuungh…" Marcus groaned as he realized what happened. "What?!"
"Sorry, but we'll be taking our leave." Cinder said.
"You bitch!" He yelled. "Knew my son would be worthless!"
He immediately threw a punch as Cinder casually weaved her head as she grabbed him by the arm and threw him to the ground. She raised her leg up, where it started to heat up and then axe kicked him into his beer belly.
"Gragh!" He grunted as he grabbed her ankle.
Hiiiissss!
"Yagh!" He grunted as Cinder backed away, and then Emerald did a few flips before swinging her heel down into his crotch and then Mercury kicked him away.
Marcus got up with a growl, glaring at Cinder as his hands started glowing white. Mercury's eyes widened when he saw that color.
"Nice semblance… it'd be a shame if I took it away from you!" He yelled as he aimed his hands at Cinder, but Mercury quickly got between them as an aura wrapped around Mercury as he did so. "Huh?!"
"I feel… great!" Mercury said as he got in a stance. "Bad move, old man!" He exclaimed as an aura of wind surrounded him before he quickly wind kicked Marcus away, the wind piercing through him as blood poured out of the wound.
"Wind manipulation. Neat!" Emerald said as Mercury swiftly kicked the wall, knocking down a few bottles of alcohol as they dropped to the ground, shattering everywhere as Cinder knelt down and used her hand to heat the alcohol up, catching it ablaze as Marcus lit up.
"AUUUUUUUUUGH! AAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!"
Marcus tried to attack but Mercury shot him with his weapon, hitting him in the chest to knock him down.
End BGM
"Come on, let's go." Cinder said as she licked the alcohol from her finger. "...Blegh, not exactly my ideal alcohol if I'm being honest."
All three walked out of the building after Cinder poured any bottle of alcohol she could find and used it to feed the fire. They all walked out and saw the house burning.
"Well, how about that… I got my semblance back and I got my old man's weapon. That's a fair trade, if I'm being honest." Mercury said. "Somehow, I feel like I'm lucky I still have my legs…"
Cinder chuckled. "Come on, let's head off."
"Right behind you, gals." Mercury said as they all walked off together.
Later, with the Fall Maiden…
"Hmhmhmhmhm~" Amber hummed as she walked a path alone.
She heard something snap near her as she stopped, glancing over to see what it was but saw nothing. She shifted her eyes as she turned to see nothing.
She still had her guard up as she turned around… only to see a woman kicking her in the face to knock her down. "Nnngh!" She grunted as she came around and saw the woman staring at her.
"Wh-who are you?" Amber demanded.
The woman smirked, as Grimm spider legs grew out of her back as she hovered above her. "Your worst nightmare."
"Hold up, let me pause for a moment!" Hades spoke up. "You guys remember Tessa, right? …You don't? Hell, neither did Nanny boy until it was pointed out to him!"
He grinned. "For those who don't know. Do you remember that scene in Volume 6 where a woman meets a broken Cinder before the latter heads off to Malachite's Lair and meeting up with dear ol' Neo? Yup, that's the one! Apparently, the fanbase decided to give her a name. Who knew?"
Hades smirked. "First, let's rewind to what happened and show how dear ol' Tessa came to be, shall we?"
Flashback!
Tessa looked on in horror, watching as the love of her life fell to the hands of Tyrian. "NO!" She screamed.
"HAHAHAHAHAHA! So much for a bodyguard, am I right?" Tyrian laughed as he approached her, wrapping his tail around her so she wouldn't get away. "Oh, it is simply tragic, isn't it? Don't worry, you'll soon forget he even existed."
The scorpion tail smacked her against the back of her neck, knocking her out as Tyrian picked her up, then walked off with a whistle.
Later…
"My queeeeeen~! I've found the perfect vessel for yooooou~!" Tyrian said in a sing songy voice as he tossed her to the ground.
BGM: Fifth Laboratory (Fullmetal Alchemist Brotherhood)
"Good work, Tyrian." Salem approached her.
"Nnnngh…" Tessa groaned as she saw Salem in front of her. She let out a gasp before Salem grabbed her by the head.
"What is your name?"
"Tuh-Tessa…"
"Shhhhhh… it will only be a moment." She said as magic wrapped around her hands as it seeped into her eye sockets, nostrils, mouth and even her ears. She let out a pained blood curdling scream as her eyes moved to the back of her head as her memories of who she once was slowly disappeared and reshaped her memories into serving her.
Salem pulled away as Tessa's eyes went back to normal, coughing up a storm. "M-my queen… f-forgive me for… not coming back from a mission on time… a stupid huntsman got the best of me…"
"Don't worry, you are forgiven. But let's make you better."
She ripped off her clothes and dug into her spine, splitting it open as a Grimm Spider crawled down her arm and into her spine, then Salem sealed the wound shut as she morphed the spider and Tessa together.
"From this day forth, you will no longer be Tessa. You will be known as… The Black Widow."
Salem backed away as spider legs came out of her back as Tessa rose up, letting her spider legs do all the work.
"Thank you, my queen. I feel a lot better now."
End BGM
"Aaaaand there you have it. Now back to your scheduled programming!"
Amber growled. "Wait a minute, I've heard about you. You're the infamous Black Widow!"
"Indeed, I am." Tessa smirked.
Amber activated her Maiden Powers, rising from the ground. "Alright. Let's make this quick. HAH!" She immediately unleashed a stream of fire, but she felt something stab her in the gut. She looked down to see a spider leg impaling her stomach.
The other spider legs pummeled her as Amber tried to block herself with fire, but to her dismay, the spider leg that impaled her was filling her with neurotoxins, which was enough to cause her aura to disappear as she coughed out blood, then Tessa dropped Amber to the ground.
Tessa equipped a glove, lowering herself to Amber as a leech came out of the glove, ready to sap the Maiden power from her with a wicked smirk… until suddenly, Cinder grabbed a hold of her hand. "Huh?!" She wondered. Where'd she come from?
Secretly, Emerald used her Semblance to block Cinder out of Tessa's sight. Cinder smirked as she used her semblance to heat it up, which was enough to burn the glove off and seared Tessa's skin.
"AAAAAAAAAAAAAGH!" She screamed as Cinder backed away as Emerald swooped in and cut through Tessa's spider legs, causing her to shriek and made her fall, as Mercury swooped in and picked up Amber, quickly using his semblance to blast him away as both Cinder and Emerald hightailed it out of there, the latter using her semblance to make them disappear.
"Nnngh… damn you… whoever you were…!" Tessa growled as her spider legs regrew. "I'll… make you pay! YOU HEAR ME?! I'LL FIND YOU AND I'LL RIP YOU TO PIECES!"
The three hid deep into the woods, Emerald keep a watch on Tessa as she turned around and wandered away. "Okay, good, she's gone."
"That's a relief." Cinder said and turned to Mercury. "How is she?"
"Well, I've got good news and bad news."
"What is it?" Emerald asked.
"The entry point of her wound is big, but I was able to close it off."
"And the good news?" Cinder asked.
"That was the good news. The bad news is that she's dying. Turns out, that spider bitch injected her with a heavy dose of neurotoxin."
"How long does she have?" Emerald asked.
"Minutes, if she's lucky."
Cinder knelt down, cradling Amber. "It's going to be okay… we're right here…" She said softly.
"Wh-what… hah… hah…"
Amber's breathing was labored.
"What… wh-what… i-is you-your… name…?"
"Cinder Nikos."
"Gi-Give m-me you-your… ha-hand…"
Cinder took her hand, where an aura surrounded her hand as she raised an eyebrow… before finding herself in a white void.
"Huh?" Cinder looked around as she saw Amber approach her.
"I saw a compassionate woman who'd do everything she could and thought what was right." Amber said. "What you did was buy me time, but… I'm about to be dead."
"What's going on here?"
Amber took Cinder's hand. "Please… let me know. Are you able to take this torch that I once held?"
"I'm not sure what torch you mean, but if it means "burden", I'll be able to carry that with you."
Amber smiled. "That's so sweet…"
Outside the white void, Amber let go of Cinder, her eyes still open as she breathed her last. Cinder gently closed Amber's eyes as she slowly started to lift off the ground. Emerald and Mercury looked on in awe as fire shot out of Cinder's eyes.
"Cinder…?" Emerald asked.
"I don't know what this is… but we need to go find Ozpin. Now."
"That'll be it for now! See you next time!"
I'm gonna be honest, I legitimately wasn't aware that the RWBY FNDM actually gave that nameless woman a name. Imagine my confusion when I was asked "You gonna bring Tessa in?" and I went "...Who?" and then again, when Kaizer suggested this What If and Tessa was mentioned, where again, I went "...Who?"
Deadpool: Don't blame ya in the slightest at that one.
Ibuki: By the way, Nan-chan! Loved the music choice for the spar against Pyrrha-chan and Jaune-chan!
Well, Cinder was unbound. So it perfectly fit!