The Parfait Predicament
"Hey, Tai," Qrow whispered to him as the episode began, "Are you sure you'll be alright."
"As long as we talk after this episode, I can handle it for now."
Qrow nodded. It was quite clear that Ruby needed help…and something told him she wasn't going to get it until it was too late.
*Somewhere in the glowing mushroom fields of the Garden's Arce, Ruby Rose is seen running while carrying the still-shrunken Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna and Yang Xiao Long in her hands. Ruby pants, stops running, and looks back. Ruby sighs in relief as Little pats her cheek.
CURIOUS CAT: (hopping on top of mushrooms) I'm so glad the four of you are still the four of you. Not always the case in the Ever After.
WEISS: (fed up) You're the one who ditched us in the first place! Which, by the way, was how we ended up in that mushroom house to begin with! You know, where that delirious caterpillar-guy tried to drug us and then was swallowed up by a freaking hole in the ground?!*
"Yeah, can we get an ETA on the explanation on what just happened to him?!" Emerald cried out, "Because if you can do something like that, Cat, then I'm not sure they should follow you. I don't trust you as is."
"What?" Nora, Sun, Kali and Whitley all exclaimed.
"Take it from an actual criminal, but…something about the way he talks about Alyx seems like he's hiding something. And, if the Curious Cat was truly an 'ally' of Alyx, then why would he be hiding stuff about her."
"Good to know," Raven adds, "That I'm not the only one who's wary of the cat."
"Coming from a bandit," Glynda retorted, "That's not saying much."
*CURIOUS CAT: (licking their paw) Ah, yes, yes. Alyx had a similar reaction the first time she saw someone return to the Ever After. But it's not how it seems… well, I suppose it is… but not the way you think, if you think like Alyx, which it seems like you do.*
"Okay," Whitley declares, "So Alyx went to places not described in the book. And this wasn't the first time something like that happened. So it clearly wasn't the Herbalist doing whatever just happened to him."
"The Cat's doing?" Ilia asked.
"Possibly. But what does he mean by 'return to the Ever After'? He makes it sound like the place itself is…well…"
"Alive." Willow finished.
*Weiss, Blake and Yang exchange glances with each other. The Cat hops from mushroom to mushroom while Ruby looks on, before looking down to Little. Their attention is then grabbed again by the cat.
CURIOUS CAT: Ah ha! We're here.
The Cat proceeds down the path, and Ruby follows. She looks with astonishment at a large lake with lily pads carrying various denizens of the Ever After on them. They seem to be heading towards a grand structure toward the center of the lake with a large, pink lotus flower at the top.*
"That's uh…" Sun said, awed at the sight, "That's a big flower."
"And it seems like a town is built around it." Ren added.
*CURIOUS CAT: Better run.
Ruby hurries and jumps over to the giant lily pad with the Cat.
YANG: So, Cat. Going to explain to us how a giant caterpillar disappearing into a hole "isn't how it seems"?*
Everyone listened intently, a few even leaning forward, curious about what just happened.
*CURIOUS CAT: Mmmm, when we break or wear out or simply finish what we were made to do, we're called back. But Herb… his heart was too weak to listen, so I gave him a little bit of mine.
BLAKE: Is he…dead?
CURIOUS CAT: (chuckles) No, no! Well, maybe a little bit, but not at all.
YANG: Ugh! Which is it?
CURIOUS CAT: (clears throat) Now that Herb's properly returned, he'll be fixed up nice, and made into the Herb he wanted to be when he was still "Herb". Then he'll come back and find his purpose. Could be the same as before, or maybe not.
RUBY: When Herb comes back, will he remember anything?
CURIOUS CAT: (laughs) What would be the point of that? (stretches) Just like Alyx, you lot. I know, I know, where you're from, things… (shudders) …die… but we're just not like you at all. We… ascend. Herb will have a purpose again.*
"Okay," Glynda says, "So the Herbalist didn't die," she looked at Oscar, "It's more like what happens to Ozpin, reincarnation."
"Close, but more true to the name," Qrow retorted, "Their new body won't remember anything."
Nora's eyes widened, "Oh boy."
"What?" Sun asked.
"If the Herbalist isn't the one that changes people, then that means Ruby is still in danger."
Tai and Qrow's faces turned to dread as everyone else tensed up.
"Wait," Saphron declared, "If this unknown person changes you when you're broken or your purpose is done, then what decides if you're broken?"
The group pondered the question, before Pietro spoke up.
"What about the Cat? He's able to 'give' part of his heart to others, and it calms them down. Maybe, for some, it causes them to realize they're broken, and ascend."
"But, then, what determines if the Cat is broken?" Emerald asked.
"That's…a good question."
"Hey, Ozzy!" Nora turned to Oscar, "I've got a question to ask."
Ozpin took control. "Yes, Miss Valkyrie?"
"If that Cat did the heart thing to Salem, do you think we could just end the war right then and there?"
Ozpin chuckled, "I'll admit, that thought did cross my mind when I saw him use it on the Red Prince. However, we aren't entirely sure how much time has passed in the Ever After, between Alyx's original journey, and team RWBY's. At best, it was less than a century. Salem herself has harbored her hatred for thousands of years. Frankly, I feel like the Cat would end up having to give all of his heart to Salem, and it might still not be enough to 'fix' her."
Nora shrugged, "Eh, had a feeling that was the case. Couldn't hurt to ask, though!"
"It was a very good question. I just don't think the Cat would want to lose everything trying to fit inside Salem."
Ozpin immediately realized his mistake, as Nora snorted in laughter. Furrowing his brow, he released control back to Oscar.
*WEISS: That's impossible. Things have to die someday. Right?
CURIOUS CAT: Wha- goodness no! Though I suppose there is a creature… No, no, that's not the sort of thing you talk about in polite company…*
"Well," Raven deadpans, "That's not ominous."
*Team RWBY and the Cat make landings to the center structure, and they step off the lily pad. A bird-like denizen is seen walking around carrying a tray.
HAWKER: Get your hot, fresh, right-out-of-the-oven… (inaudible)
BLAKE: Wait, so what happened to Herb… that what happened to the King?
Team RWBY walks past the vendor.
HAWKER: C'mon! Try our mud cookies! They're delicious! You don't wanna miss them! (inaudible)
CURIOUS CAT: (to Blake) Oh, it was all very sad. The Red King couldn't cope when he lost to Alyx, a crying mess. Thankfully, he was called back and fixed up, and now he's the Prince you met.
RUBY: Fixed up? The Prince was worse.
CURIOUS CAT: The Prince isn't supposed to be nice. He's meant to play the game and win, no matter what.*
"We already figured that out," Ghira says, "But it's nice to see it confirmed."
*BLAKE: So, that's why he cheats, when the Red King didn't. But that still doesn't explain why the Red Prince was so much meaner.
CURIOUS CAT: While the Prince may not remember Alyx's deception after ascending, the heart very rarely forgets.*
"So," Emerald quizzically began, "The Prince doesn't remember what Alyx did to him, but he does know that he hates humans?"
"It would seem so." Willow replied.
*BLAKE: But there was nothing about ascension in the story.
CURIOUS CAT: Of course not! Exposition is terribly boring. Even this conversation was, on the whole, rather tedious!
BLAKE: I wonder what else Alyx left out.
Weiss and Yang ponder with Blake about this.*
Everyone else got the same thoughts going through them. If Alyx was so willing to leave things out like the Herbalist, as well as ascension, there's no telling what they could end up finding.
*Later on…
CURIOUS CAT: Well, to make a Grow-gurt Parfait, one needs a bushel of grumpy ivy, one good-sized spicy potato, the lint off a griffon's sweater – Ethel's Dragons and More should have that – which is next to…
RUBY: I'll never remember all of that.
CURIOUS CAT: (chuckles) No, I can procure that. But there's another ingredient we must have that's only available on the third level. Some nose hair from a leprechaun.
Team RWBY become disgusted.*
Most of the audience matched their tone.
"You know," Klein states, "I shouldn't be surprised at this point, but-"
"But it's still freaky how this world works at times." Winter interrupted.
*CURIOUS CAT: What if you retrieve that while I go get the rest?
RUBY: Sure, I guess so.
CURIOUS CAT: Wonderful! Look for the Teapot Lady. She'll have it now. Now off you go.
As the Cat goes off, they get distracted when a leaf-headed creature waves from a vendor holding a flower in their hand.*
"Who saw that comin'." Sun states, as practically everyone raised their hands, with a few exceptions who just didn't want to entertain the idea.
*YANG: Ugh… Guess I'd better go with the Cat so they don't get distracted by a shiny doorknob and never come back.
BLAKE: I'll go with you.
WEISS: Get me as far away as possible from the nose hairs, please.*
"Bad move." Kali exclaimed in fear.
"Why?" Whitley asked, "They're splitting up to get items, and also making sure the Cat stays focused."
"No, I mean it's a bad idea to have Ruby alone."
Whitley flinched. "Oh…"
With how they've observed Ruby, it might be safe to treat this as a person with suicide on their minds. Maybe not exactly the same, but treating it as such would be wise. And you never want to leave someone in that mindset alone.
*LITTLE: I'll go with you, Ruby.*
"Oh, thank Brothers." Tai breathed a sigh of relief.
*Ruby sighs and brings Weiss, Blake and Yang to the Cat.
YANG: Nice try, Kitty.
Weiss jumps and lands onto the Cat's head.
WEISS: But we're coming along.
Yang and Blake follow and land on the Cat. The Cat leaves the vendor who tries to offer Ruby the flower this time. Ruby awkwardly stammers and walks away. Some Hunter Mice steal the cheese radish on the vendor's table, much to their dismay.
LITTLE: (giggles and scurries up to Ruby's head) Onward!
As Little makes a pose, they yawn. Ruby chuckles.*
Several people chuckled at Little about to fall asleep again.
"Okay, I have to ask," Nora exclaimed, "Is that normal for mice?
"Actually, yes," Pietro replied, "Mice tend to sleep for up to twelve hours a day. However, that's spread out over small naps, which could be from a few minutes to an hour."
"Okay, so it's not something unusual with Little. It's just them being a mouse. Good to know."
*As Ruby continues walking around, Little takes a nap in the back of her hood.
RUBY: Teapot Lady… Teapot Lady… Uh…
Suddenly, a loud clanging can be heard. Ruby finds herself alone with all the other denizens walking around suddenly gone. Darkness encroaches and surrounds the area on all sides except for the small area Ruby is standing in. Ruby gasps as she notices what is happening.*
"Okay," Sun says, "Creepiness is setting in."
"What madness is happening now?" Whitley complains.
"At least Little is with her." Kali replied.
*She raises her hand as a bright light is emitted from her right. She notices a rack of weapons, among them being Penny's Maiden sword.*
"Woah," Nora cried out, "That's awesome. NO idea how it got there, but, hey, Ruby can get Penny's sword back."
"Raise your hand," Ilia retorted, "If you think whoever has it is going to demand something for it?"
Emerald raised her hand, as did Ren and Oscar.
"Ren?!" Nora grabbed Ren's arm, and pulled it down, "Let me have this moment." Ren merely smiled.
*Ruby grabs it off the rack and holds it in her hands.
?:(off-screen) Does that one interest you?
Ruby looks up to who spoke, and sees a feminine-looking, metallic Blacksmith standing before their forge. Their features are obscured by the forge's bright flames. Ruby approaches them, entering the shop.
RUBY: I… I thought this was lost forever. How'd you have it?
BLACKSMITH: Nothing. No one is ever truly lost.
Ruby walks by a wall of weapons.*
Ghira was about to comment on the Blacksmith's words, when Glynda choked on her drink, with Raven and Tai being completely shocked, and followed immediately by Qrow's words.
"What the-How-You guys see that, right?!"
"No, we're blind, of COURSE we see it!" Raven retorted.
"How is it HERE, though?" Glynda questioned.
"What are you guys talking about?" Sun questioned.
"The ax on the wall!" Qrow answered.
Pietro looked closer, "It seems like a Huntsman's weapon."
"That's Sundered Rose." Tai's voice was calm, but his face betrayed the shock.
"Rose?" Kali began, "As in-"
"Summer's weapon. But…Why is it here?"
"Could she have gone into the Ever After?" Willow questioned.
Raven shook her head, "No, Summer's bond was broken, unlike Yang's which is simply…out of range."
"So how is it here?!" Qrow demanded.
"Maybe it isn't." Oscar stated.
"What do you mean, kid?"
"Ozpin has an idea, and asks that we simply watch a little bit further."
*Ruby stares at the Floating Array sword and a reflection of Penny appears in it. She gasps.
BLACKSMITH: And what of you? (turns to Ruby) Are you lost?
The Blacksmith holds a pair of tongs holding a heated, metallic butterfly wing.*
"Wait," Whitley exclaimed, "Those are butterfly wings…Butterflies come from caterpillars, which-"
"Which the Herbalist was, sorta," Ilia finished, "Do you think that this Blacksmith is what remakes people?"
"But-But Ruby isn't being smoked on!" Nora cried out.
"That might not matter," Oscar retorted, "The fact that Ruby is having a crisis might be all the Ever After needed."
"Which means this world will be targeting my little girl." Tai clenched his hands in anger.
*RUBY: No, no. I'm just… My friends went somewhere else.
BLACKSMITH: You're doing this all alone?
Little wakes up and notices their surroundings in the Blacksmith's tent.
LITTLE: Ruby… I don't think we're supposed to be here.*
"The mouse is right, get out of there!" Sun exclaimed.
"Where will they go?" Emerald retorted. "There's nothing but a black void surrounding the place."
'Perhaps not.' Ozpin states.
"Oz?" Oscar questions.
'This relates to that theory I have. Just a bit longer.'
*BLACKSMITH: Are you her guide, little one?
LITTLE: Yes. Ruby is my friend and I want to help her get home. Even though I don't know where that is or how to get there.
BLACKSMITH: Hmm… (hits the hammer on the glowing half part of a butterfly wing) You seem to be carrying a rather large burden with you. (hits the hammer again)
RUBY: I'm fine. I can handle it.
BLACKSMITH: If you change your mind, you may choose any one of these you like and set your burden down.
Ruby looks down to find a dagger in the Floating Array sword's place.*
"Uh what?" Nora says.
'That confirms it. Mind if I tell them, Oscar?'
"Sure," Oscar turns to the others, "Ozpin has an idea of what's happening."
"Go ahead." Ghira replies.
Oscar's eyes flash as Ozpin begins. "I believe that this forge is actually a vision, and Ruby hasn't been taken somewhere else. The weapons aren't actually real, just part of her vision. Ruby is still in the marketplace, just as Miss Polendina's sword is still in the Red Palace."
Pietro's face turned sour as Sun questioned. "So, what? The weapons are more symbolic?"
"Correct, Mr. Wukong. Penny's sword might be indicative of Ruby's failed attempts to save her friend. I'm not sure what Alyx's dagger could be representative of. However, with her mother's axe being there…"
"Ruby always did want to be like Summer." Tai responded, to which Raven scowled.
'And that's going to get her killed.' She thought.
*She stares at the blade and a reflection of Alyx appears.
RUBY: I already have a weapon. I did…
BLACKSMITH: And yet, here you are, searching for something else that you do not even know.
Ruby sets the dagger down on the table next to her, before looking up to see a rather intricate axe-like hybrid weapon with a trigger function. The Blacksmith continues hammering, the clanging sound ringing. Ruby gasps as she sees on the blade with a reflection of Summer Rose, her Silver Eyes starting to glow and obscuring the screen in a bright white light.
CURIOUS CAT: (echo) Ruby? Ruby?
Ruby gets startled and turns around. She is seemingly back, having snapped out of her vision with the Blacksmith. The Cat is seen holding the Grow-gurt Parfait ingredients in a basket with their mouth. Weiss is riding on the Cat's head with Blake and Yang in the basket.
CURIOUS CAT: Ruby? Who are you talking to? Did you retrieve the nose hairs?*
"That's the second time this cat has saved Ruby." Sun sighed with relief.
"Seems Oz was right," Tai exclaimed, "Ruby was always in the marketplace."
"Despite his nature," Ghira adds, "The Cat seems to be living up to his role as an ally, if unintentionally this time."
"Well," Nora complained, "The least that Blacksmith lady could've done was let Ruby keep the sword. I mean, she wanted to get it back anyway…even if it wasn't the real sword."
Meanwhile, both Raven and Emerald still had uneasy feelings about the Cat. Both times Ruby was about to make a personal decision, and both times the Cat stopped it.
*HAWKER: (to other customers) C'mon, try our mud cookies! They're delicious! You don't wanna miss it!
Ruby looks around, noticing the Blacksmith's shop and forge is gone.
RUBY: Uh… no, not- not just yet, but–
WEISS: Ruby, come on. We got everything else.*
"No, no, no, Ice Queen!" Nora cried out in frustration, "That was the worst thing you could've said!"
"None of the others realize," Oscar retorted, "That Ruby is having a crisis. She's always leading the charge, always getting everyone back up. So they naturally assumed that she's fine. After all, each of them encountered their past selves, and were fine. At worst, they think she's a little shell shocked."
"It's…" Sun began, "It's like people who were friends to a suicide victim. They don't realize the problems until it's too late."
*RUBY: I… Uh… I'm sorry.
BLAKE: (pointing to the left) Is that the Teapot Lady?
HAWKER: Best mud cookies you'll ever have!
Team RWBY and the Cat approach the Teapot Lady's booth.
TEAPOT LADY: Welcome to Things n' Things! How can I help you?
CURIOUS CAT: Looking for nose hairs. No, not the ogre ones.
The Cat nonchalantly tosses aside and tips over the various items on the booth, much to the Teapot Lady's annoyance.*
Ilia snorted, "You know, pet cats usually do those things, and we don't blame them too much because they're simply acting like animals. You, Cat, have no excuse. You might be doing it on purpose."
Nora giggled at Ilia's words.
*Suddenly some fireworks go off, the crowd goes to see it.
YANG: Woohoo, a festival!
The crowd begins to scream and everyone runs for their lives, the fireworks saying the word "DANGER" in green.*
"Oh, dear." Pietro muttered.
"I concur." Klein agreed.
*HAWKER: Jabberwalker! It's the Jabberwalker!*
"What?!" Whitley exclaimed, "But Neo KILLED it."
"We didn't actually see what Neo did," Glynda replied, "But I doubt it got away so easily."
*YANG: Or not?
The Teapot Lady screams and quickly takes away the items by sucking in with her spout. The Cat hangs on to the jar they found
RUBY: Wait, please! We need those leprechaun's nose hairs!
TEAPOT LADY: No time!
RUBY: Here! I'll give you this! (shows off her brooch) I-It carries a mother's promise!*
"WHAT?!" Tai exclaimed in horror as Qrow was dumbstruck.
"Mr. Xiao Long," Willow tried to comfort, "It's only a brooch. Considering it's between that or getting Weiss and the others back to normal, I think-"
"It's not that, Miss Schnee," Qrow retorted, "It's the fact that Ruby was giving it away."
"I…don't follow."
Tai responded, "Ruby has kept that brooch for years. Before Summer went on her last mission, she left that with Ruby. She's kept that all this time, in a hope that 'Mom will want it back, so she'll come home'. She's never given it up for anything."
"And now," Glynda responded, "She's tossed it aside. First Penny's sword, now her mother's brooch. Ruby Rose is falling apart."
*TEAPOT LADY: (gasps and sucks in Ruby's brooch) Take it! (begins running away) Run!
CURIOUS CAT: This… is exceedingly bad…
BLAKE: Wait. What's a Jabberwalker?*
"Wait, shouldn't they know what the Jabberwalker is?" Glynda questions, "It's the main villain in the fairytale."
"They are currently in a high stress situation," Klein replied, "Miss Belladonna likely does know, but, in such a situation, curiosity takes priority. You can't be prepared if you don't know what's happening," Klein sneezed, his eyes turning red, "Since the damn book got so much stuff wrong or just plain didn't talk about, she might be asking the people of this land what the Jabberwalker truly is."
*CURIOUS CAT: It's a truly terrible creature. If the Jabberwalker eats one of us, we do not ascend.
Weiss, Blake, and Yang gasp.*
"So, if they 'die' by any other method, they'll be reborn," Kali exclaimed, "But if the Jabberwalker kills them, they stay dead?"
"Can totally see why this thing was the main villain in the book!" Nora added.
"Oh no," Winter states, her eyes wide with terror, "I think it's much worse than that. Oscar, since the gods exist, that means there's an afterlife, right?"
Oscar's eyes shifted to the side, before falling back on Winter, "Yes. Ozpin has been there before."
"Okay, so, what do you think would happen if the Jabberwalker killed Weiss and her friends?"
"They'd…die?" Ilia questioned.
"That's not what I think will happen. This place is all about rebirth, but that would require a soul to be remade. I think that the Jabberwalker, when he kills you, destroys your soul."
Everyone became horrified at the implication. If any of RWBY were killed by it, they'll be gone forever. No afterlife, just oblivion.
"Great," Emerald snarked, "Now you just made the situation far more terrifying."
"If I just kept it in, you'd all be wondering what the hell was wrong with me!"
Qrow noticed that Saphron was breathing much more quickly. "Hey, I don't think your little brother got eaten."
Saphron turned her eyes to him. "That doesn't help me as much as you think, Mr. Branwen."
*YANG: How do we make the parfait thing?
The Cat uncorks the jar of nose hairs with their mouth and places it on the table.
CURIOUS CAT: Toss everything in here. But be careful, eat too much and we'll have to shrink you back again. And that's a completely different potion.
Ruby tosses everything together in a span of a few seconds, and the Parfait is prepared. Weiss, Blake and Yang run forward and take a scoop of it in their hands, consuming it. They start to grow a little bigger, bigger than the parfait cup.
BLAKE: It wasn't enough!*
"Then eat more, hurry!" Ilia cried out.
*The Jabberwalker then appears, breaking a vendor booth. It notices Team RWBY and charges toward them.
JABBERWALKER: FOUND. GRAB. MAIM. KILL.
Little screams. Ruby grabs her friends in her arms and uses her Semblance to dodge out of the way, but the Jabberwalker hits her with its tail. The parfait falls away from Ruby's arms. Some of it spills on the Jabberwalker, who wipes it off.*
Several audience members had a terrible look.
"Well…" Tai deadpans, "That's just GREAT!"
"Do you think he has to eat it?" Whitley asks, "Or just have it touch him?"
*WEISS: No!
The Jabberwalker starts to grow bigger from the spilled parfait. Ruby holds her friends in her arms and runs away.*
"Well," Qrow yells, "That answers that, kid!"
"How are they going to get out of this!?" Willow cries out, "Weiss and the others are still shrunken, and Ruby doesn't have a weapon!"
"If the Rusted Knight would like to make an entrance," Ghira said to himself, "Now's the time."
*JABBERWALKER: PREY. EAT. DEVOUR.
The Jabberwalker chases after Ruby. Suddenly, Hawker shows up swooping in on his wings and tackling the Jabberwalker to the ground.
CURIOUS CAT: Run!
RUBY: What is he doing here?!
CURIOUS CAT: I gave him something new to do for the moment. Now go! Your friends need to get big again, or we're all Jabberwalker dinner!*
"So, he brainwashed him?" Raven raised an eyebrow.
"Maybe?" Glynda replied, "Or, more likely, he just used his heart to take away the bird's fear."
*The Jabberwalker grabs Hawker as Ruby runs towards the parfait. Hawker gets thrown into a booth, groaning in pain. The Jabberwalker stops Ruby again.*
Now everyone was on edge.
"I hate to say this," Emerald exclaims, "But this might be the end of the road for at least one of them."
"Shut your mouth!" Nora cried out in denial. "Jaune? Rusted Knight?! ANYONE?!"
*Suddenly, another creature comes galloping in, with an armored warrior riding on top of it. The creature charges forward and bashes the Jabberwalker with its antlers.*
Most of the audience sighed in relief, with Kali, Sun, Nora and Whitley cheering at the sight.
"And the Rusted Knight comes to the rescue!" Oscar cried out.
"Hope he's as good as the story says," Qrow added, "Because they really need the time to get back to normal."
Ren and Nora, though, noticed the armor's color scheme, it's style, and looked to each other.
"Ren," Nora whispered, "You don't think…?"
"But that makes no sense." He replied, both looking to Saphron, who didn't seem to notice just yet.
*YANG: (to Ruby) Get the parfait!
With the newly arrived ally keeping the Jabberwalker occupied, Ruby runs towards the parfait. She sets Weiss, Blake, and Yang down, and they take more scoops of the parfait in their hands, eating them. Ruby looks behind, before looking back to her teammates, now finally back to their regular sizes.
YANG: Ah, finally!
Weiss, Blake, and Yang run forward to join the battle. Ruby looks on.
CURIOUS CAT: Ruby! Follow me!
Ruby follows the Cat. The Rusted Knight leaps over the Jabberwalker with his Jackalope mount. The Jabberwalker tries to charge forward, but is held down by Weiss' black glyph. The Jabberwalker tries to use its tail, but it gets wrapped by Gambol Shroud's ribbon. Yang then jumps on top of it, punching away.
YANG: I said… I wasn't done with you yet!
Weiss then launches the Jabberwalker into the air, followed by Blake swinging above and kicking it back down, before a Semblance-enhanced Yang punches it in the gut.*
The audience cheers-
*It disappears into a bright, pink light, but the team looks on in shock.*
-Turns to shock at seeing the Jabberwalker disappear.
"What?" Ilia questions.
"Neo's Semblance!" Emerald cried out, hands on her head.
"But it was never that strong!" Ren exclaimed.
"Yeah, and this world is screwing with it!"
"How bad is this?" Sun asked, dreading the answer.
"Before, Neo's illusions could be broken with a single good hit. This one was in a fight for a good minute, and took several bad hits before it disappeared. Imagine, monkey boy, if your copies could stay around for more than one attack."
Sun flinched, "Yeah, that's a problem."
"It's worse than you think." Glynda added.
"I'm afraid to ask…" Winter began, letting the question linger.
"We can assume that Neo has killed the original Jabberwalker, and is using it as one of her illusions. However, she had multiple Neo's kill it."
"..."
"..."
"...Fuck me." Sun whined.
*BLAKE: (shocked) Neo?
Weiss gasps.
YANG: (confused) Huh?
A growl is heard. Another Jabberwalker emerges from the water.
RUSTED KNIGHT: What?! There's only supposed to be one!*
"Dad-?" Saphron began, but stopped as her eyes widened. 'It couldn't be…that's impossible.'
She looked down towards Ren and Nora, who looked up at her with shock.
'I can almost hear his voice,' Ren thinks, 'But it sounds…different.'
'If it's actually Jaune, then…' Nora has a slight grin coming on.
*Multiple Jabberwalkers appear and surround Weiss, Blake, Yang and the Rusted Knight.
JABBERWALKERS: Detecting…Searching…FOUND!
RUSTED KNIGHT: What? Run! This way!
The Knight gallops away on his jackalope mount, with Blake and Yang following him. Weiss looks for Ruby and finds her hiding nearby the booth.
WEISS: Ruby, come on!
CURIOUS CAT: Go! We'll hold them off!*
"We're not about to lose the cat, are we?" Nora exclaimed, "I like him."
"He's a slippery bastard," Qrow rebutted, "He might get away. The bird, though…"
*The Cat and Hawker proceed to battle off the Jabberwalker doppelgangers. Ruby looks back as she runs, noticing Hawker get thrown to the ground and the Jabberwalkers surrounding him. Ruby winces as she hears his dying screams.*
Everyone else winced at the sounds, too. They were only glad the screen didn't show his death.
*Team RWBY follows the Rusted Knight to the top of the marketplace, pointing them in the direction of the giant lotus flower.*
'That sword,' Saphron thinks, 'It's broken, but it looks like-' She turned, seeing Ren and Nora look at each other with a knowing look.
'Oscar,' Ozpin said, 'Did you see his heater shield?'
'No. It happened to fast. But, I can guess what you're about to say.'
'Hmm...then this will be interesting.'
'Please don't tell me-'
'You'll see.'
*Weiss stops to look as many various Ever After denizens flee screaming on the lily pads. Smoke plumes rise from the destructive aftermath. Weiss looks on wide-eyed helplessly. She turns around, noticing the Teapot Lady sobbing and crying over her broken things. There are some cracks on her.*
"Okay, I know this would be kicking a dog while it's down-" Raven begins, only for Glynda to interrupt.
"Like you'd care about that."
"But why doesn't Ruby just take the brooch back. The teapot clearly can't do anything now."
"First, that's horrible considering what just happened to, well, everyone," Ghira responds, "But, we saw that brooch get sucked into her. The only way to get it back would be to…kill her."
Raven merely raised an eyebrow.
"Saw that comin'." Qrow snarked to himself.
*Weiss holds her hand to her mouth at the heartbreaking sight. Ruby arrives and gives her a sympathetic look as she walks her away.
WEISS: (disheartened) I am so tired of leaving places in ashes…
Ruby and Weiss head inside the lotus flower, and the Rusted Knight follows. The Rusted Knight sheathes his half-broken rusted sword as he walks past Team RWBY and towards his Jackalope mount.
BLAKE: (excited) I can't believe it. The Rusted Knight, in person!
RUSTED KNIGHT: You did good, Juniper.*
"Juniper?" Glynda muttered, "Isn't that Jaune's tea-"
*Juniper coos as the Rusted Knight pets them on the head. The Knight takes off his helmet and turns around to Team RWBY, showing them his familiar face. The Rusted Knight is revealed to be Jaune Arc, now older than Team RWBY. His blonde hair has grown longer tied in a lower ponytail, with white streaks in it, and has a full beard. There are also age lines under his eyes.
JAUNE: (smiles) Team RWBY…
Team RWBY gasps, stunned over Jaune's appearance and his identity as the Rusted Knight.
JAUNE: You finally made it.*
WOULD YOU LIKE TO CONTINUE: YES/NO
The theatre was in silence. No one knew what to saw at one of the biggest revelations in Remnant history. Well, except for one.
"WHAT!?" Glynda cried out.
Author's Notes: And end chapter. Next one will have the second interlude, with the fallout of the Rusted Knight's reveal. Needless to say, there are going to be some reactions.
As always, leave a review, fav/follow, and I'll see you all next time.