An AU where Jaune accompanies Pyrrha for her battle against Cinder at Beacon Tower.
Jaune and Pyrrha stood outside of Beacon, having just escaped the Vault where Ozpin and Cinder were. Jaune witnessed everything that happened down there, and after it all, he was left with only more questions surrounding Pyrrha. "Pyrrha, what was all of that?" He demanded from her as he caught his breath.
"I…!" Pyrrha started before she heard something, making them both turn back towards Beacon, where they saw Cinder emerge and fly up to the tower.
"Ozpin…No…" Jaune started.
"Go get help!" Pyrrha ordered him. "Find Glynda, Qrow, or General Ironwood and bring them here!"
"What are you…!" Jaune questioned, realizing what Pyrrha was planning. "No…Pyrrha, you saw how powerful she is! You-You can't do this!" Jaune grabbed hold of her arms, hoping to keep her still, but he could see the determination in her eyes, and he knew there was only one thing that could stop her from going; the same thing he has been questioning himself since the dance. "Pyrrha, I–?!" he started, but he instead was silenced by a kiss from her. Jaune was surprised by this action, but his mind told him to relax and accept it, which he did, resting his hands around her waist and pulling her close, deepening the kiss. When Pyrrha broke the kiss, Jaune could see that she was crying.
"I'm sorry," was all she said before she used her polarity on his armor to throw him into a nearby rocket locker and close it upon him, locking him inside while he screams for her.
"PYRRHA, DON'T DO THIS!" he pleaded while she ignored him, tapping a series of commands onto the holographic template. "PYRRHA, LET ME HELP! I CAN HELP!" She continued ignoring him while she finished up, and she was about to hit the "ENTER" button to send him flying away when… "PYRRHA, I LOVE YOU! DO YOU HEAR ME?! I LOVE YOU!" Pyrrha let out a gasp and her finger hesitated. Pyrrha looked upon the scared boy within the locker. She could tell by the look in his eyes that his words were sincere and full of heart. "Please…Let me out…Let me help…" he begged.
Tears welted up in Pyrrha's eyes. Her finger paused over the "ENTER" key, but then it hit the "ESCAPE" key instead, opening the locker and allowing Jaune freedom. He threw himself onto her into a tight hug, where she cried into his shoulder. "I'm sorry…" she said again.
"It's okay," he whispered to her. He let go, allowing her to step back.
"Jaune, you know how powerful she is," Pyrrha reminded him. "If you go up there with me, you'll…You'll likely die…"
"And if you go up there alone, you will certainly die yourself," he told him. He took her hand in his. "Even the strongest need help every now and then. You're strong, Pyrrha, but you're not invincible, but that doesn't mean you need to prove to the world that you are…I should've told you those words earlier instead of what I said."
Pyrrha started out for Beacon Tower with Jaune behind her, but she stopped him for one moment. "Promise me that if something happens, if I…fall or…we are about to lose, promise me that you'll run away, okay? Promise me, okay?" Jaune nodded and the two ran for the tower. There, they ran into an open elevator, where Pyrrha used her polarity to shoot them up towards Ozpin's office, where Cinder was currently located.
Up there, Cinder was addressing to the Grimm Dragon that clung to the tower when the elevator doors opened and Pyrrha came flying out on her shield, striking Cinder before bouncing off. She sprang up in attack position, drawing Milo and Akouo into her hands with her polarity while Jaune came out beside her with Crocea Mors drawn and ready. "Well, well, the Invincible Girl and the Clumsy Knight. Let's see how you two fare against a powerful Maiden," Cinder taunted them before lifting herself into the air with her newfound power. Cinder dove for Jaune, quickly snatching him up and throwing him against the nearby wall. "JAUNE!" Pyrrha cried as she leapt at Cinder, swiping at her a few times with Milo before jumping away, where Cinder let loose a ray of fire, which Pyrrha rolled away to avoid.
Jaune recovered and ran back by Pyrrha's side with his shield raised. Cinder let slip a smirk and raised her hands up, where a great ball of fire merged within them. She threw it upon them, where the two dashed into different directions before it hit the floor, shooting across the floor, though Jaune and Pyrrha avoided it just in time by leaping at the walls and vaulting off them.
"PYRRHA! X-STRIKE!" Jaune called, switching his shield to its scabbard form and gripping Crocea Mors with both hands. Pyrrha recognized the name of one of their team attacks and followed suit. Both of them rushed at Cinder at both ends, cutting through her with their blades, then doubled back in different directions, striking her again. Cinder enveloped herself in fire that encased her like armor and flew at Jaune, grabbing him by his breastplate and throwing him to the floor, where he leapt back to his feet in an instant.
"JAUNE! GET DOWN!" Pyrrha suddenly exclaimed, dashing for him and yanking him down to the floor. Just before she grabbed him, Jaune saw the giant Grimm Dragon flying straight for Beacon Tower, which he crashed through, shattering the roof to bits and sending giant cogs around, as well as permanently shutting down the CCTS across all four Kingdoms with its destruction.
Both students leapt to their feet while Cinder hovered before them. "It's over. The CCTS is offline, and I still have the Grimm Dragon. You two have failed," she told them coldly.
"We're not done yet!" Jaune spat at her. He glanced at Pyrrha and mouthed "Arkos" to her. Pyrrha nodded, fully understanding. Pyrrha spied a cog nearby and used her polarity to control it. She quickly flung it at Cinder, striking her and knocking her aside. "NOW!" Jaune yelled, and the two rushed forward with their blades drawn and their shields raised. Both leapt forward and bashed Cinder with their shields in unison, making her stumble backwards. Jaune lead first, quickly jumping before the dazed Cinder and striking her twice, where he switched with Pyrrha who struck twice in rapid succession as well. Both then leapt forward and struck Cinder with one giant slash with both of their blades. Cinder stumbled, but she did not fall. She glared at them both, gritting her teeth, and made herself explode in a fiery aura. She fired blasts of fire at the two, of which Jaune failed to avoid, sending him sprawling across the floor where he laid still. Pyrrha avoided hers, and in retaliation, she lifted the cogs in the room and smashed them into Cinder. She watched the pile of cogs for a moment, when a fiery light ignited from under them and Cinder used her power to send them flying in all directions, one of which struck Pyrrha, sending her against a nearby wall, completely depleted of her Aura.
Cinder slipped a grin of victory and materialized her bow, where she nocked an arrow aimed straight at Pyrrha. Pyrrha quickly tossed her shield like a frisbee just as Cinder fired. The two projectiles collided in midair, but instead of deflecting the arrow, the arrow disintegrated and reformed around Pyrrha's shield, continuing its path, where it dug straight into her ankle, making her cry out in pain. Pyrrha fell to the floor, unable to move anymore. Milo laid nearby, but it was now useless to her, and Akouo was on the other side of the room near where Jaune laid, still not moving. Pyrrha feared he was dead, but suddenly he stirred.
"It's a shame that you were promised a power that did not belong to you," Cinder told Pyrrha as she stepped before her. "But know that I will use the Fall Maiden's powers in ways you could only imagine, but to do so, I need the little trace of magic you inherited down in the Vault." Pyrrha was surprised for a moment. "Yes, you have some of her power within you. I had hoped that killing Amber would make her magic return to her and then to me, but it seems your Aura had to latch onto a tiny bit for yourself." Cinder nocked a new arrow, this one aimed straight for Pyrrha's heart, who offered no resistance. Jaune finally awakened and saw what was unfolding before him. He snatched up Akouo and flung it at Cinder, striking her in the back of the head and making her stumble. The arrow was let loose as a result and flew harmlessly into a nearby wall, missing Pyrrha entirely. "WHAT?!" Cinder spat, spinning around to find Jaune standing with his sword and shield in hand and a mean look upon his face.
"Get away from her, you witch!" he screamed at Cinder, distracting her long enough for Pyrrha to crawl to a nearby wall to remain out of the fight.
"You best stand down before I kill you, boy," Cinder hissed as the two patrolled the perimeter of the tower. "You best run away and live to fight another day."
"A Huntsman never runs away from an enemy, especially when they're threatening one of his fellow Huntsmen," Jaune retorted, unfazed by Cinder's presence.
"Jaune, just get out of here! You promised you'd run if things go bad!" Pyrrha yelled at him.
Jaune did not answer, nor did he run. He stayed put with his shield raised and his sword gripped tight. "You better entertain me, boy," Cinder warned him before firing two balls of fire at him, which he dove from, narrowing missing. Cinder descended to the floor, wanting to give Jaune a measly chance to fight, and she snapped her fingers, where a line of small embers materialized before her in a horizontal pattern. She flung them towards him, but he swung at them, striking them all down in one strike. Cinder summoned another row, this time in a diagonal pattern, but Jaune struck them down as well. She grew a large fireball in both hands and flung it at Jaune, forcing him to block it with his shield, which slid him back towards the edge of the tower. Cinder flew at him, but he ducked just in time, making the witch fly into the air. Cinder hovered in midair and flung small fireballs at Jaune, forcing him to either block or dodge. Cinder eventually flew straight at him again, this time grabbing him and lifting him into the air, where she proceeded to slam him into the floor. She lifted him up again, this time tossing him against a wall.
Pyrrha could only watch as Jaune endured so much pain, trying to fight this impossible enemy. She crawled to his side, where she found his head bleeding, with a trickle of blood running down over his left eye, and his face adorned with cuts and a bruise. "Stay back, Pyrrha," he warned her as he struggled to his feet. He rushed at Cinder, who stood still without putting up her guard. Jaune swiped at her a few times, where she ducked and sidestepped his swipes. On one strike, she caught his blade with her magic-infused hand, holding it in place while Jaune struggled to bring it down. He raised his blade from her grasp and swung again, where Cinder leapt backwards out of his reach.
"You have no chance to defeat me, boy, especially someone like you, with no control over his Aura," Cinder chuckled with amusement. Overhead, the Grimm Dragon let out a victorious roar. Suddenly, a blast appeared behind the Grim Dragon, attacking it and causing it to shriek in pain. "WHAT?!" Cinder cried, turning her attention to the Grimm Dragon. Down below, surrounding Beacon Tower, Atlesian Pulse Cannons have been deployed by Ironwood, who called them in from Atlas on an emergency call from Atlas, who instantly shipped them via aircraft. The cannons all primed and fired onto the Grimm Dragon, who let out another shriek before falling from the tower dead, where it faded into dust. "NO!" Cinder screamed.
"It's over, witch!" Jaune told her. "You might as well run now before the Atlesian Military gets you."
"No, it's not over yet!" Cinder hissed at him, her entire body igniting in fire as she strolled towards him with one of her swords. Jaune swung his shield at her when she drew near, but Cinder used her magic to swat it away without even lifting a finger. Jaune lunged forward in a stab, and Cinder dodged it and slapped her hand to his right shoulder, burning through his clothes and burning his skin, making him scream in agony. She then drove her sword into his stomach, spilling blood onto the floor. Pyrrha let out a horrifying scream, yelling for Jaune.
Jaune coughed up blood, splashing it onto his front and floor. He gazed upon the victorious grinning face of Cinder before she withdrew her blade, allowing him to fall to his knees. His shield fell with a clatter, but his hand maintained a death grip on his sword, though Jaune felt it was due to his shoulder now burned and his skin cracking off, forever forming a burn scar. His free hand went to his stomach, and when he withdrew it, blood stained his glove. "Watch as I kill the girl now," Cinder taunted him as she made her way to Pyrrha while Jaune fell to the floor, breathing heavily as blood left him. His eyes were transfixed upon Pyrrha as his vision distorted, but he could still hear her scream for him.
Suddenly, a memory flooded back. A memory of himself talking with his great-great-grandfather, Jaundice Arc.
"Grandpa, how old are you now?" young Jaune asked the withered old man, who sat in his wheelchair. His grandfather, Jaundice, was extremely old, practically ancient, as he was constantly wheezing, his body was riddled with arthritis, and his mind corrupted by dementia.
"How old? Let's see…I believe I am 93 years old now," he answered with a weak smile.
"Wow! You must've seen a lot during your life!"
Jaundice gave a wheezing, yet lively chuckle. "Yes, I've seen a lot during my time, and I've accomplished so much. And yet it seems the Gods don't want to take me."
"What do you mean?" Jaune, who was sitting in a small chair of his own, went to the floor and scooted closer to his aging grandfather. "Why won't the Gods take you, grandpa?"
"Well, I've always believed that a man doesn't leave this world until he has accomplished whatever task the Gods have planned for him, whatever it may be," Jaundice answered.
"A task…" Jaune repeated. "Well, I believe my task is to become a great warrior like you, grandpa!"
Jaundice smiled, the brightest smile he has given in many years. "I believe you will one day, Jaune."
Jaune regained full conscious just as Cinder reached Pyrrha. Jaune lifted himself up, clutching both his blade and his stomach wound. "GET AWAY FROM HER!" he shouted at Cinder, making her turn back to him.
"I'm impressed by your refusal to die," Cinder complimented, though it was short-lived. "However, I am getting tired of you interfering." She raised a hand and a ball of fire spew from her palm, striking Jaune and setting him ablaze.
"JAUNE!" Pyrrha cried in tears.
Jaune did not fall, however, and within a couple seconds, the flames died instantly, revealing a standing Jaune enveloped in a white Aura. His hand drew away from his wound, for he suddenly could not feel its pain anymore, nor could he feel the pain in his shoulder either. His Aura suddenly changed appearance, shifting around his body into the form of transparent full plate armor.
Cinder, unimpressed by Jaune's newfound power, fired another fireball at him, but when it hit him, it exploded around his new Aura Armor, where Jaune was completely unfazed by it. With a yell, he rushed at Cinder with a yell. Cinder leapt over him with a burst of magic and jumped away, firing at him, all of which were absorbed by his Aura Armor. Jaune rushed at her once more, his body anew with energy. He swung at her with one powerful strike, cutting across her chest and making her shrink back. Cinder leapt into the air, far out of Jaune's reach. She touched her stomach, and found her hand covered in her blood.
Jaune quickly scooped up his shield and stood poised between Cinder and Pyrrha. "I will never allow you to harm Pyrrha!" he vowed.
Cinder realized that she would not be able to win so long as his Semblance held, and she knew the Atlesian Military would arrive at the tower soon enough. "I will remember this, Jaune Arc!" Cinder bellowed to him before she turned and flew through the sky, where she disappeared into the distance.
Jaune's Aura Armor vanished and the pain in his stomach and shoulder returned. He let out an agonizing groan and he collapsed against a large piece of the tower's roof, where he allowed his sword and shield to fall to the floor, allowing him to grip his stomach wound.
"Jaune!" Pyrrha cried. Jaune glanced over and saw her crawling her towards him, the arrow's tail sticking from her ankle. When she reached him, she scooted next to him and rested her hands upon his.
"I'm sorry. I got hurt," he moaned. His hands squeezed his wound, causing a little blood to squelch out. "I think I'm going to die…"
"No! I won't let you!" Pyrrha argued. She moved his hands aside and inspected his wounds. His stomach was bleeding, but the sword made a clean stab, narrowing missing his vital organs, but Jaune would still bleed out without proper treatment. Pyrrha grabbed Crocea Mors and took it to her ponytail, reducing her hair down to neck length, surprising Jaune for a moment. She pressed the clump of hair to his wound and had him hold it there while she undid her sash. "It may not be horsehair, but it'll suffice for absorption." She then tied her sash tightly around his stomach, holding the hair in place.
Once that was done, Pyrrha inspected his shoulder, which made her slap her hands to her mouth in a gasp. Most of the skin on his front shoulder has burned away, exposing flesh underneath, some of which was cooked by Cinder's fire. She touched a shaky finger to it and she could hear the hiss of his flesh, making Jaune wince in pain. "I'm sorry…" she whimpered with tears in her eyes. "This is my fault…"
"Don't say that!" Jaune told her, taking her hands in his, despite moving his right arm caused him pain. "You had no idea what could happen up here. I didn't either."
"But you're hurt!" Jaune pulled her onto his lap and embraced her.
"But we're alive, both of us," he retorted. "If I wasn't here with you, you would've been killed…" Pyrrha knew he was right. She leaned into him and shed her tears.
"I love you, Jaune," she whispered to him amidst her tears.
"I love you too, Pyrrha," he answered back. She pulled away to look upon Jaune, her hero, and she closed the gap between them with a loving kiss, which he accepted.
They stayed together for a moment when the sound of an engine rang out through the sky. They broke apart and saw a medical bullhead hovering near the tower, which landed and took them onboard, where they were taken outside of Vale to the Vale Encampment where everyone else retreated to as Vale fell to the Grimm within.
However, this was only the first step. In time, The Huntsmen and Huntresses would later reclaim Vale and drive out the Grimm, and this great event for mankind would be recorded forever in the pages of history, which would begin with this:
"When Vale fell to the Grimm and the Grimm Dragon awakened from its long slumber thanks to to the Red Witch, Cinder Fall, one young man––a student of Beacon Academy, in fact––named Jaune Arc did not hesitate to race to Beacon Tower to confront her in battle. While Beacon Tower fell, resulting in the CCTS shutting down, Jaune Arc battled Cinder Fall to a standstill, allowing the Atlesian Military time to destroy the Grimm Dragon, forcing the Red Witch to flee. Jaune Arc became a hero of the people when word of his bravery spread among his fellow students and the Huntsmen and Huntresses of Vale. In time, he would help lead the expedition to reclaim Vale, and in time, he would defeat Cinder Fall and bring the Red Witch to justice. And in time, he would become known as the 'Arc Knight' to many, forever transcribed among the many great 'Heroes of Remnant'."