RWBY: Rose Knight
Chapter 1: A Brave Warrior
The fall passed in what was really a few seconds, but to a hero who saw everything she cared for lost it felt like an eternity. The relic, Penny, her team, she saw them all fall before an evil witch whom cursed Ruby's very existence, and sought to torment her while she still did for what brief time she had left. As the dark shadows of the black water consumed her, Ruby solemnly closed her eyes, assured darkness and doom was all that awaited her as she embraced her failure to stop Cinder, to be a hero…or was it?
"Welcome." A kind woman-like voice echoed in the air, with the sound of metal clanging, as a wide-eyed girl entered her workshop.
"Whoa." She said in awe.
Ruby would soon find herself standing before a strange robotic person, in a tent in a strange world she found herself in after the fall. It housed a large variety of weapons, no doubt forged by the very large android who made Ruby's heart tremble with each ripple in the air her eardrums heard as she pounded the hot blade she currently welded with her hammer, until she suddenly paused her work, yet never met her eye.
"You seemed to be carrying a tremendous burden. Odd…considering you find yourself alone now." They said curiously.
Ruby hung her head in sorrow as she heard that. It was true, she was indeed alone after her fall, unable to find her team after what felt like weeks of searching. Then a dark thought crept into her mind, unmarred by the distractions of the talking creatures or metal clanging she had been consumed by for so long.
"Are they alive?" Ruby fearfully thought, before shaking her head vigorously, desperate to expel that horrible notion.
"I'M FINE!" Ruby cried out a bit startled, but soon caught her breath as she saw the Blacksmith unflinching from her outburst. "I mean…I have to be, for them. I have to find them." Ruby said firmly.
"Even unarmed and alone in this perilous world?" The smith asked. Ruby instinctively searched for Crescent Rose by her waist, only to sigh as her hand met with nothing by her side. It was one of the many things she lost that day on the bridge, and it made her feel even weaker and smaller.
"I miss my friends more than a tool. I'll find them without it." Ruby said adamantly said, making the smith smirk a bit.
"Well then, feel free to browse my wares if you'd like a little help with your goal. For it is a very difficult path I see ahead for you child." They said wearily.
Ruby felt a sudden urge to run at her tone, it frightened her to no end. Slowly she backed away towards the entrance.
"T-Thank you but…I ugh…would rather just find Crescent Ro-" Ruby stuttered before her breath hitched as the corner of her eyes caught something on the way out, something she couldn't believe still existed.
"Penny." Ruby whispered as her silver eyes locked with an emerald sword, housed with a lime green insignia belonging to her fallen friend. Her hand gently touched the blade that glistened, showing a tearful silver eyed maiden in its reflection, but all Ruby could see was Penny.
"I…I thought this was gone forever." Ruby whispered, but the smith chuckled as they could easily hear what was for them an absurd notion.
"Child, nothing is ever truly lost in this world. Not for long." The smith said in a motherly tone.
Ruby saw the image of her friend smiling warmly at her in that moment. It made her feel warm despite the chilling despair weeks alone since she lost her felt. A powerful urge soon arose within her as a result.
"How much for it!" Ruby asked frantically. She couldn't help herself, she just knew she had to have this last memento of the girl she lost.
"What do you have on you to trade?" The smith asked curiously. Without hesitation, Ruby instantly reached into her pocket and whipped out a handful of Lien. The smith took them into their robotic hand and eyed them intently, intrigued by the otherworldly currency, but noticed they were not particular sturdy or made of material she could weld well.
"I am sorry. But I can't accept this." The smith sighed as they gently returned the money to Ruby, who began panting as she buried them to her pocket
"What else! What else!" She said frantically as she patted her body, hoping for something to trade. She just had to have that sword. She tried the bullets on her vest, but the smith denied that too. They had no guns so they weren't anymore wieldable and valuable as the lien, at least for a rare blade. Soon their eyes widened as something on Ruby caught their attention.
"What about that shiny object on your waist?" The smith asked as they pointed to Ruby's emblem. Ruby gasped as she heard this, her fingers trembling as they soon found themselves holding said emblem.
"Mom?" Ruby whispered. This was one of the few mementos of her mother she had left. To part with it was frightening to say the least.
"A keepsake?" The smith asked curiously, unsure if they should keep up the bargain after seeing the girl nod.
"It's a mothers promise." Ruby sighed.
"What did she promise you." Smith asked.
"She didn't. I promised her I'd be a huntress. That I'd be as strong as her and not fail any of those I loved." Ruby said, venom and sadness soon in her tone as she saw her mother's reflection in the emblem. Those silver eyes locked with Ruby's, which teared up as she came to a solemn conclusion.
"But I couldn't keep my promise. Not to her, and not to my friends." Ruby sighed as she handed the smith her mother's emblem to their surprise.
"Are you sure?" They asked and Ruby nodded as she sniffled.
"Yeah. I don't deserve it. Besides…I can see her whenever I look at myself in a mirror. Losing Penny, it's just too fresh. I need to hold her again. Please?" Ruby begged softly.
The smith sighed as they plopped the emblem gently on their table. They were tempted to just give her the blade and the emblem back after hearing that, but they saw in Ruby's eyes her pride was already in shambles. To pity her now would only destroy her so they nodded reluctantly, before their eyes beamed as an idea came to light.
"If your going to take the sword child, you'll need something else to go with it. Think of it as a present." The smith said warmly as they returned to their bench as Ruby held the sword to her chest.
"What's that?" She asked wearily.
"Armor." The smith said with a chuckle.
Many years later….
WBY and Jaune stood in shock at the sight before them. A large demonic beast was ravaging the town. It wasn't like the Grimm in the slightest,
It was a humanoid creature with a dark purple, almost black emaciated body. It had a pronounced spine and collarbone with blades protruding out of them. There were two sets of purple and dark-yellow striped horns sprouting from the back of its cranium and lower skull complete with dark-yellow stripes on its hips and on its forearms. Their hands and feet, oh so creepy even by their standards, were as dark-yellow color as the stripes with a pointed claw that made them wince at the thought of digging into them. But the most hideous and frightening thing was its faces grey lupine or reptilian masque with that split open to show a slimy feral mouth that devoured a bird creature before them, before eyeing them soon after.
"What the hell is that thing!?" Yang cried out in shock. Blake's cat ears fell as they instantly recognized the beast from her childhood books, the only unpleasant memory of that story that gave her nightmares like the ones she knew she'd have tonight…if they lived.
"A Jabberwalker." She uttered with a shiver.
Weiss soon drew her saber and instantly formed a massive white glyph, summon an Armor Gigas to block the beasts jagged claws as they lunged at WBY and Jaune.
"I don't know what that is but it's not touching us, especially my hair!" Weiss yelled as she flicked her ponytail, soon making the gigas throw the monster away, but it's whip-like tail quickly caught the wires hanging above the town holding up banners, performing a sommersault as it soon catapulted at the summon, crashing into its skull and smashing it to white dust to Weiss's shock as her strongest summon died.
"Look out!" Jaune yelled as he brought up his shield to block a follow up claw strike at Weiss's face, soon flexing his aura to it to repel the monster a few feet back, allowing Blake to throw the heiress the wire of gambrol shroud and trip up the Jabberwalker.
"Now Yang!" Blake yelled to her partner who smirked, pulling Crescent Rose, the one thing she found in this world belonging to her sister, and plunged it into the beasts thigh, trapping it in place before soon igniting her hair as she jumped and aimed her glowing robotic fist at the stuck Jabberwalker.
"HA!" She war cried as she plunged it into the monsters chest, making it wither in agony as it screeched, its insides melting as the corners of its mouth expelled flames as it was incinerated into nothing but Ashes.
"Whoooo! That was a rush!" Yang huffed with joy as she waved her long messy hair once it simmered down, giving a satisfied smile as she put her sisters Scythe away. Feeling the weapon brought her some sadness, reminding her of her lost sister, but its help killing the monster helped her and her team and Jaune relax, soon sighing in relief.
But the moment they relaxed, they soon realized they shouldn't have. They soon heard a screech behind them, darting their heads back, only to see another claw. It was the only thing they saw actually before all white as it smacked the quartet hard, smashing them into a nearby stand, nearly knocking them out. They cursed themselves internally before the crash for forgetting to raise their aura. They were paying for it now.
"Ow….head rush." Blake groaned as her aching head wobbled, barely able to see with her blurred vision. Her heart soon skipped a beat as she saw yet another Jabberwalker, crawling on all fours slowly towards them. If not for the fact she saw her teammates and Jaune wincing in pain as well as they laid there, Blake would have felt the beast was insulting them with arrogance.
"This is bad." Blake thought as she forced herself up despite her soreness, clutching her katana shakily.
"I'll protect them. I have to. It's what Ruby would-" Blake whispered before her eyes teared up, stopping her breath.
She remembered she didn't have Ruby, the leader and friend she always looked up to beside her anymore. She had dropped her in the void because she wasn't fast enough to get them back to the bridge before Cinder sent them falling. She had lost her when she fell, not managing to stay with her when transported to the Ever After, something that knotted her stomach as she remembered Yang crying when hearing that dreaded news.
"I couldn't save her." Blake thought with a grimace.
With that painful realization, Blake lowered her weapon in sadness, honestly tempted to let the creature devour her for her failure. She felt so helpless right now, just like then.
"I can't be a hero. Not like her." Blake whispered, tears falling down her face as she felt the Jabberwalker lunge towards her off the ground, silently accepting her fate.
Suddenly her eyes widened and ears shot up as they heard hooves galloping off the ground, followed by a warcry above.
"What?" She said in shock as she and her friends looked up to see a humongous white deer with a rabbit face and ears come crashing down onto the Jabberwalker, holding its squirming body in place as its rider, a tall warrior in rusted red armor jumped off using the deer/rabbit as a stand.
Blake's eyes glistened as she saw another character from her childhood book come to life before her, a massive smile etched onto her face as she found her hope restored, as she found her hero.
"THE RUSTED KNIGHT!" She squealed like a school girl. She grew more giddy as she saw the knight draw a green sword and plunge it into the demon's head, killing it instantly before they huffed in exhaustion.
"Finally. Took long enough to get the drop on you monster." They sighed. The knights voice was gruff and muffled, mixed with irritation, which did nothing to unnerve Blake as she nearly hopped for joy seeing her hero in action.
"EEEEEH! It's really you!" She squeaked as her friends winced, covering their ears, aching as much as their bodies as they heard her cry.
"Thank god we're not faunus Kitten or you'd make us deaf now." Yang grumbled as she rubbed her ear. Blake soon ceased her giddiness, but not from the comment as Yang soon winced at the thought. No, Blake tilt her head in confusion as she saw the Rusted Knight look at them in shock, slowly holding out a hand to towards them and walking slowly, as if they'd seen a ghost.
"Sir?" She asked, making them pause as they heard her voice.
"I…I've been waiting so long to see you again." They whispered.
"Again?" Weiss asked confused.
"We just met sir. But still, thanks for killing that-" Jaune added before he jumped a bit startled as he heard something splash nearby. His skin paled to near Schnee colors as he saw 2 Jabberwalkers crawl out of the lake.
"What!? Two!? There was only 1 Walker!" The knight yelled in shock, which only grew as they and JWBY soon heard another demonic grumble, coming from left and right as 3 more emerged from the corners of the town, demolishing huts with a few animal people laying dead in their mouths bleeding. The knight's fist clenched as they saw this, their sword shaking as it itched to draw their blood in retaliation. But even with these 4's help, tired as they all were, it wouldn't be a fight without cost. They'd lost enough for one day.
"QUICK! GET ON!" They ordered as they jumped on the rabbit deers back, who crouched to allow them on in compliance.
"MUSH JUNIPER!" They cried, causing the Afteren to jump over a Walker as it lunged and dash into the forest. It's tremendous speed meant it was mere moments before they lost sight of the demons, soon surrounded instead by the sight of conifers and mushrooms that glowed light light bulbs, radiating a soothing warmth that relaxed JWBY despite their close call.
"This should far enough." The Knight said as they pressed their foot behind Juniper's ear, signaling it to stop and rest. The Rusted Knight soon offered a hand to help them all off, Blake blushing as she grasped the firm hand.
"Quite the gentlemen huh?" She said coyly, making Yang roll her eyes annoyed in a manner Weiss and Jaune could tell was jealousy.
The Knight just merely chuckled as they heard this.
"Not really. You'll see why soon." They laughed.
"Okay enough cryptic nonsense. Who are you really?" Yang asked annoyed. She saw his reaction earlier when meeting them, and the fact they acted like they knew each other despite this being their first meeting. Jaune soon walked up slowly, having noticed the same thing and one other thing that was making him shiver.
"Where…." He asked fearfully, making WBY stiffen, hearing the pain in his voice.
"Where did you get that sword?" He asked. WBY's eyes widened as they realized what he meant. They eyed the emerald sword on the knight's waist, it was Penny's!
"Oh Jaune." They thought sadly, remembering what he had to do on that bridge for Penny. The knight also hung their head sorrowfully as they eyed the sword.
"Well, when you don't have your "baby" on you anymore you got to make do with what you got." They said as they soon pointed to the scythe hanging on Yang's waist. Yang's eyes widened as she heard that word and saw that action, her body shuddering as she began to see realize something.
"Wait…are you?" Yang whispered. The knight just chuckled as they heard this.
"Took you long enough to figure it out Yang." They said as they lowered their head, slowly removing their helmet, revealing a messy clump of red and black hair that made JWBY's breath hitch as they soon locked eyes with a familiar silver eyed maiden. Only she wasn't anything like the one they knew.
"Wow. She looks so…mature." Weiss thought, chancing an intrigued look as she marveled at her partners impressive figure, though blushing a bit and almost averting her gaze as Yang smirked at her seeing this, but she couldn't take her eyes off.
Ruby had bags under her eyes yes, hinting her wear, but she was also taller and had a firm figure to her, just her exposed neck was more muscular and a bit scarred, no doubt from years of wear. Despite that she was still smiling at them lovingly, radiating the youthful joy they knew her for all the years they spent together.
"Ruby?" They asked with sad smiles creeping onto their tearful faces as she nodded.
"I've waited so many years to hear that name again." She said with exhaustion and happiness as she dropped her helmet, holding out her hands almost begging for a hug, which they instantly complied as they leaped into her firm arms, wrapping them in a warm tight embrace, hoping to never let them go again.
"20 years…but it was worth the wait." She tearfully thought as sniffled into their hairs, the smell assuring her this wasn't another teasing dream she had. Her hope, her wish had been fulfilled at long last.
AUTHOR NOTES
Here's another Ever After AU. After the awesome turnout of Rusted Rose and Rose Reborn I just had to do one more V9 AU. Ruby is the rusted knight and next ch we see how JWBY react to that. We will have similarities in v9 but some differences as well, for instance no Little but we will have attack on village, and something dangerous approaching Ruby as the mix of her trauma for losing the kingdoms and Penny, and 20 years of fighting the walker show their ugly side. Next time in chapter 2: Stuck in the Past