The group was having mixed feelings on the last episode. One: Yang won the doubles round so Team RWBY knows she'll be representing them in the singles round. Two: Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury are going to do something to or with Penny, either way, they're not happy about that.
They're hoping the next episode won't have any catastrophes, but then again, they don't want to jinx their chances so they plan to keep their mouths quiet. And the title of the episode doesn't help in the slightest. 'Fall'? Their heads couldn't help but think up the worst case scenarios.
(Volume 3 Intro)
"Well, it comes as no surprise that they've chosen you to move on to the final round of the tournament," Ozpin begins, Pyrrha sitting across from him in his office.
A small smile broke loose from Pyrrha as she heard her friends choose her to fight for them in the final round. She could sense that that nice feeling was about to be squashed any moment now.
But, Pyrrha didn't want to think on that so she began to focus on the positive things about being able to represent her team,
"Your performance has been exemplary."
"Thank you Professor Ozpin, but I would never have made it this far without my teammates." Qrow took that moment to speak, telling her he, personally, thinks it's the other way around. Pyrrha frowns, getting up from her seat, "I'm sorry, I don't believe we've been introduced."
Qrow says nothing, only introducing himself. "Qrow is a trusted colleague of mine," Ozpin explains, as if that's the reason he's there.
"Professor, if you don't mind me asking, why have you called me here?"
From the last episode, Pyrrha figured it had to do with the others' previous discussion about her. They used the words 'maiden' and 'guardian'; Pyrrha would still like to know what those two words entailed for her.
Professor Ozpin gestures for her to take a seat before he begun explaining. "What is your favorite fairytale?"
I'm sorry…huh?
This raised many questions. They were expecting him to say something but none of them were along the lines of fairy tales.
Pyrrha wanted to make sure he heard him correctly. The man reiterates, "Fairy Tales, stories from your childhood. Surely you must remember some of them."
"Well, there's the Tale of the Two Brothers, The Shallow Sea, The Girl In The Tower-" Pyrrha was cut off as Pyrrha named a few.
"What about The Story Of The Seasons?"
Pyrrha perked up as she happily recalled the tale. "A callus old man who refuses to leave his home is visited by four traveling sisters."
The four sisters walk down the dirt path leading up to a small house on the hill. Each sister was a different color; lime green, snowy white, magenta, and burnt orange.
"The first understands his reclusive nature, urges him to use his time in solitude to reflect and meditate." The snowy sister perches herself down next to a nearby tree, her arms resting on her crossed legs. "The second brings him fruits and flowers, tending to his crops and revitalizing his garden." The lime green sister carries a basket filled to the brim with fruit to give.
The group found these moments wonderful to look at. It's nice to have a visualization rather than someone simply just retelling the story to them. They did the same with Yang's retelling of how she tried to search for her mother at a young age and Qrow's mission story.
"The third warms the man's heart, convincing him to step outside and embrace the world around him." The orange woman raises the sun, bringing the beautiful shine down on his home as the man himself steps outside and closes his door. "And the fourth and final sister, begs him to look at all that he has and be thankful." The final sister stands in front of his property, gesturing for him to be thankful for all that he has.
"And in return for their kindness, the man grants the maiden's incredible powers, so that they may continue to help others all over the world." A bright light releases from the man and engulfs the sisters, giving them their powers. "They graciously accept and promise to share their gifts with the people of Remnant until the end of days." The four women take their leave as the man waves goodbye.
"Winter, Spring, Summer, and Fall, the Four Maidens. My mother loves that story," Pyrrha finished with a warm smile.
"Would you believe me if I told you that one's been around since I was a boy?"
Man, that is one oooooold story, Raider thought to herself, but no one else needed to know that until that episode came. All she knew is they wouldn't take the information kindly, just like how their canon variants did.
Pyrrha tells him he isn't that old. "Well, would you believe me if I told you it was true?" Pyrrha laughed, thinking he was joking but didn't want to sound rude.
"No, it's just a fairytale, the story can't be real." Weiss was not buying it in the slightest, believing that that's all the story was, a fairytale.
"He has to be joking, right?" Yang's laugh was humorless.
That fable couldn't be something that was true. It's much too far fetched to be remotely true.
"What if I were to tell you that there were four maidens existing in this world, that could wield such tremendous power, without dust."
"You mean…like a semblance?"
Ozpin leaned forward in his chair more, "Like magic."
"Magic doesn't exist." Again, Weiss was simply trying to convince herself that what she was hearing was obviously something fabricated. But, this was coming from Ozpin, their headmaster of the entire school.
Before Pyrrha could get a word in, Qrow spoke up, reannouncing his presence in the room. "Yeah, first time hearing it's pretty crazy."
Pyrrha turns around and asks if he's serious. "Does it look like I'm joking?"
"Magic exists?! That's….That's….Amazing! Yang, did you hear that? Magic exists!" Ruby bound from her seat in utter astonishment mixed with child-like wonder.
"Magic is a real thing…." Blake mutters under breath.
Weiss still had a difficult time believing this. Magic was fictional for Pete's sake!
Jaune stared at the screen, awestruck at this news.
"No. Why…why are you telling me this?"
Ozpin looks to Qrow, the man giving him a look that tells him to just do it. Ozpin took a breath, "We're telling you, Pyrrha Nikos, because we believe that you are next in line to receive the Fall Maiden's powers."
Pyrrha's eyes went wide. He wants…me? Pyrrha was speechless. Professor Ozpin thought she was the perfect candidate to be the next Fall Maiden. That's what all those previous words meant. Being the Fall Maiden meant being next in line to protect.
Pyrrha felt like she was going to fall over as she felt a large invisible weight latch onto her shoulders.
Pyrrha was so zoned out she didn't hear her friends calling her name. Clearing her head she found all of her friends sending her worried looks. "I'm okay, just…surprised is all."
"Pyrrha, that's more than just surprise," Jaune said. Him, Ren, and Nora were the most concerned as Pyrrha spaced out.
Pyrrha gave a look of shock, but then she caught on to a specific word, "'We'?" The elevator behind her opened, revealing Professor Goodwitch and General Ironwood. General Ironwood apologized to the headmaster for the two being late. "Wait, what is this? Who are you?"
"You know who we are, we're still the same teachers and headmasters you met when you arrived at Beacon."
"Except we got a little part time job," Qrow added.
"We're the protectors of this world," Ironwood joins.
"We need your help," Ozpin finishes.
"Where are we going?" Pyrrha nervously stood between all four adults, going down the elevator. Professor Ozpin tells her they're going to the vault, under the school.
"There's something under the school? Is it like this for all the other schools around Remnant?" Sun asks. If there was one under Beacon, it's not that low of a possibility there might be more underground faults.
But what do these faults even hold? They're so big, but so empty at the same time.
Pyrrha felt out of place, hesitant, as she looked around the vast room. "I'm sure you must have questions," Professor Goodwitch stops behind to say.
"Maybe one or two."
She isn't the only one with a million questions. If Ozpin has been hiding this and the secret mission from the students and people, what else is he hiding from them? To think that all this was under their school and they had no idea.
"I still don't understand, you said I was 'next in line' to receive the maiden's power. What do you mean by that?"
"The maidens have existed for thousands of years, but, much like in nature, the seasons change, no two summers are alike."
Damn, Ozpin's an old, old, old man.
"When a maiden dies, her power leaves her body and seeks out a new host, ensuring the seasons are never lost and that no individual can hold onto the power forever."
"So…how does the power choose?" It is obvious Pyrrha is incredibly unsure of this conversation.
"Through a series of stupid and convoluted rules," Qrow speaks, mocking the way of how it's done. Glynda gets on to him, not hiding her aggravation, "Hey, don't get mad 'cause I'm right."
"At first, the only thing that was certain was that the powers were specifically passed on to young women," Glynda continued once Qrow shut up.
Well, then men figured they were called the Four Maidens for a reason.
"But as time went on, it was discovered that the selection process was much more…intimate." Pyrrha shakily repeats 'intimate'. "As we understand it now, when a maiden dies, the one who is in her final thoughts is the first candidate to inherit her power."
It's nice to know not just anyone is going to inherit her powers. Imagine the damage if it ever got in the wrong hands.
So many lives could be lost.
"Unless it's a dude or some old hag," Qrow names a few exceptions. "Then the power goes to someone random, making our job a lot harder."
"Why tell me all of this now? Why not wait until I've graduated?"
Qrow lets out a sigh, "Honestly, we've run out of time. I don't know if you've noticed, but things are getting a lot scarier out in the world. Tensions are high, grimm are growing stronger, more prevalent, and it's not gonna be much longer before this peace we've all been enjoying so much goes out the window."
It was beginning to scare the group as it began to dawn on them that this was the future waiting for them when they get back. All of this repeating itself but only with small changes as they knew they were going to change their actions to avoid any of the more bad things from happening.
"You're not…talking about war."
"Not a war between nations," It was the first time General Ironwood spoke in a while.
"We can fill you in on the details once we know you're with us, for now all you need to know is that one of the maidens was attacked, and for the first time in history, part of her power was stolen."
There were so many troubling things in Qrow's sentence that no one knew where to begin.
They finally made it to their destination, stopping in front of two chambers; one chamber containing an unconscious Fall Maiden, the other empty. Mid sentence when Pyrrha was clarifying she was the maiden, Ozpin sighed, "The current Fall Maiden, Amber."
Pyrrha spoke up that the woman is still alive. "For now, we're using state of the art Atlas technology to keep her stable, but there is a lot about the situation that is unprecedented," Ironwood explains. Pyrrha asks what he even means by that, "Well, we don't know what will happen when she passes."
"Won't her power just transfer to the next host?" Pyrrha tries to get a read on the situation put in front of her. Qrow mocks her, shouting sarcastically that she has been listening and whispers to Ozpin that she's smart.
The fact Pyrrha didn't know all the details was unsettling to her. She knew and understood the responsibility the moment it was specifically told, she planned on accepting their offer, and she knew her future self would too, knowing it was to keep her loved ones and others safe.
The nervousness and anxiety was simply a given.
"Under normal circumstances, yes, but this is a delicate situation, it's not uncommon for the last thoughts of this lady to be her attacker. And to make matters worse, no one's ever seen the powers split like this before. For all we know it will seek out its other half." Ironwood ignores Qrow and clarifies further.
"Her assailant." Pyrrha speaks what everyone knew. Amber continues to lie motionless in her chamber. Ozpin turns, telling her that wouldn't bode well with anyone.
Pyrrha looks down to the ground for a moment, but that didn't last long as strode up to Amber with determined steps, placing a hand on the glass. "If all of this is true, why keep it secret?! If this girl is so important, if- if we're truly on the brink of war, why not tell everyone?" Pyrrha cries desperately.
Glynda informs that at one point, people knowing about the maiden ws common knowledge. Pyrrha didn't believe her so Qrow continued, "How do you think legends and fairytales started? Even the craziest ones come from somewhere."
What happened then for everyone to be oblivious to all of this happening around them? When did it start when people began to become shut out?
"Our group was founded in order to protect both mankind and the maidens. Those hungry for power hunted them with the hope of inheriting their strength." Glynda reveals the sole purpose of forming the group, to keep everyone and the maidens safe from those who only seek power and greed.
Qrow took a drink from a canteen, "And, as you can imagine, the ones who succeeded weren't exactly the kind of people you'd want to have unimaginable power."
The question remains, who was Amber's assailant? They had a nagging suspicion they knew who, but a small part of them felt it was better to be specifically told.
"And so this brotherhood shows to remove the maidens from the public eye, allowing their existence to fade away into legend." After Ironwood, Glynda adds that what they're telling her goes against hundreds of years of human history and religion. "No one wanted to believe us, it would cause an uproar."
An uproar is understatement, all this information would cause no less than a worldwide panic among the people of Remnant.
"It would cause panic," Ozpin states what it would really become, "And we all know that that would bring crawling to our kingdom's walls. Which is why we would like to-"
Pyrrha cut him off, telling him she'll do it.
The speed everyone turned their heads to her must have given them whiplash. No words were coming out, none could even form.
But, they all knew the kind of person Pyrrha was. If it meant keeping all the people safe she would do it in a heartbeat.
This just proved it for them.
"If you believe this will help humanity, then I will become your Fall Maiden."
Pyrrha already knew her answer and she was more than aware of what playing this role would entail.
The four adults silently stared. "That's what you want, isn't it?" Pyrrha asks for confirmation.
"It is, but it's not that simple. Given Amber's condition you won't be able to inherit her power naturally. However, General Ironwood believes he has a solution."
Ozpin turns the attention to Ironwood now, letting him speak. "For the past few years Atlas has been studying aura from a more scientific stand, how it works, what it's made of, how it can be used. We've made significant strides and we believe we've found a way to capture it."
"Capture it and cram it into something else." Qrow made it sound so much more violent than it was and needed to be. "Or in your case…" He trails off, letting her put the pieces together.
Pyrrha wanted to voice her opinion on the matter but Ironwood cut her off, telling her the information was classified. "Wrong!" She finished her sentence either way and Professor Glynda agreed the feeling was mutual as she gave Ironwood a dirty look.
Dread filled the room, no one agreed that was an appropriate method, even with the current circumstances in front of them.
To basically shove the powers into someone seemed more than wrong.
But, Glynda relents as desperate times call for desperate measures. Ironwood takes a few steps forward with his arms crossed behind his back. "And these are indeed desperate times. We can't transfer Amber's power to you but we can give you what those powers are bound to."
Pyrrha answers, telling them Amber's aura. "Her life would become intertwined with yours, the question is-"
"What's that gonna do to you?" Qrow ends Ozpin's statement.
Pyrrha averts her gaze to the ground, silent. Ozpin releases a sigh, "You have an important decision before you Miss Nikos, there's no guarantee this transfer will work, and there's no telling if you will be the same person if it does. I'd advise you to take time and think on this matter. But understand, before the Vytal Festival is over, we will need your answer." Pyrrha turns around and places a hand on the chamber's glass.
Pyrrha didn't doubt they wouldn't give her some thinking time, and she appreciated it. But even now, she knew what she needed to do.
"The assailant that attacked the Fall Maiden has made their first move, and there's no telling when their next move will be." Pyrrha steps away from the glass as Ozpin finishes.
In the stands, Cinder smirks. "Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for, the one on one finals!!!" Professor Port shouts into the mic.
Finally, something to be happy about this episode. But, some had a bad feeling that it was all about to go to shit.
The crowd cheers as all the winners from the doubles rounds stand on the battlefield. Professor Port asks for Dr. Oobleck to explain the rules of the finals. "It's quite simple Peter, instead of a bracket system each rounder final will be randomly determined immediately before the match takes place."
"Much like any good hunt, there will be zero time to prepare!"
"Ah yes, yes, now let's see who our first match will be!" Dr. Oobleck yells, extending his arm and pointer finger in front of him.
From all around Remnant, people watch as the two first contestants are being decided. Once done, the two first competitors are Mercury Black and Yang Xiao Long.
Aggressively, Yang punches her left palm with gritted teeth. "Ooh, I've been waiting for this." Her voice wasn't cocky or arrogant, it was one where Yang seriously wanted to Beat. The. Man's. Ass.
"Yang Xiao Long and Mercury Black!" Professor Port announces.
"Break a leg sis!" Ruby shouts, both hands cupped around her mouth.
Man, Ruby really foreshadowed the end of the fight.
Smiling deviously, Cinder slowly gets up from her seat, taking her leave. "Would all other combatants please leave the stage!" Professor Port directs for the others to step off the platform.
Yang and Mercury walk closer towards one another as the area around them levitates lights that flash down. "You better not go easy on me," Yang teases the boy.
"Huh, you wish."
Yang and Mercury inch closer as Professor Port gives the countdown for the match. Yang pulls back a fist and Mercury raises his leg; the moment Professor Port tells them to begin, both of their appendages collide with a massive amount of force.
The force sends them both back, but Mercury bounds forward. Yang avoids his attack, soaring above him to land behind him, firing from her gauntlets.
"Come on Yang, kick his butt!" Sun yells.
The whole group had seriously had enough of this and just wanted Yang to pummel him to the ground.
"You got this Yang, we believe in you!" Ruby followed with just as much enthusiasm.
Yang blasts Mercury back after their arms get entangled with one another. The boy scarcely dodges each bullet from Ember Celica. He comes down with a kick, a kick that Yang blocked with her arms, but she wasn't so lucky with the second; she was able to easily bounce back.
Propelling herself forward, Yang punches him again and again. It wasn't until seconds later Mercury began to gain the high ground on her, spinning himself while dealing damage.
One of Mercury's kicks leaves the area floor shattering. For many moments it was the same thing: kick, dodge, land, repeat. At least, that was before Yang blasted him to the ground.
Mercury narrowly avoids her fire, back handspringing his way out of it. He almost landed on the ground below the floating platform, which would have eliminated him, but he wasn't giving up that easy. Launching himself he deals many kicks, most to Yang's own, her stomach, and back.
When far away enough he sends a whirlwind of bullets from his boots that target Yang.
Seeing this made Yang feel like her counterpart might be in deep shit now. Others were praying, cheering her on, encouraging to beat him.
Yang's slammed into the ground, and all those whirling fires come crashing down, pounding into her.
Mercury brushes his clothes, believing that the fight is over and he has won. But, what he doesn't expect is a massive explosion behind him, Yang standing tall and proud. With this power she shows him no mercy, hitting and punching him with all she's got.
This was now Yang's favorite part of the episode as she smiled, feeling proud of her future counterpart.
"Yeah! Beat his ass!" Yang shouts, forgetting her surroundings as she cheers herself on. Mercury has gotten away with things for far too long, and now it was time for him to pay for his crimes and misdeeds.
The others were close to the same headspace as Yang, but not so much to the point where they began to scream like her.
Beside Yang, Blake eyed her worriedly, and couldn't help the slight tensing in her body.
Mercury was punched to the ground, his aura level depleting to the point of elimination. "What a way to kick off the finals!" Professor Port shouts excitedly.
Yang takes a breather, her eyes returning to their normal lilac color. Raising her fist in the air at the victory.
The platform slowly descends back down as Dr. Oobleck declares Yang the winner.
When the platform had stopped, Yang took a deep breath, letting it out. "Ah man, sorry guys. Guess I got a little too fired up there, my bad." Hearing this from Yang is what caused Blake to begin relaxing.
You know Yang, she isn't like…him.
"Don't sweat it, I won't lie, I felt the same. After all he's done, it's the least the guy deserves," Sun said naturally, brushing off Yang's outbursts.
All three of her friends congratulated her in the stands. Yang wipes the sweat off her forehead, telling Mercury he might have better luck next time. "There's not going to be a next time blondie," Mercury grunts as he gets back on his feet.
What?
Mercury launches himself forward, ready to kick, but Yang is faster, punching his leg. Hard.
"What's his deal?! You'd think he'd be smarter and know not to do that in front of millions!" Nora screamed at the screen with her arms outstretched.
No, he has to have an ulterior motive. Weiss narrows her eyes, wondering what he's playing.
The whole crowd boos while Mercury holds his leg in pain. Dr. Oobleck exclaims his disbelief while Professor Port tells the people to cut the cameras.
Far from Amity Colosseum, the grimm in the abandoned city direct their attention to Amity.
Oh no…
Mercury shouts for his leg, "That's what you get you little-"
"Yang Xiao Long, stand down!" One of Atlesian Knights' orders. All of them pointing their guns at a confused Yang as they surround her.
"What? They should be pointing their weapons at Mercury!" Weiss yells in disbelief.
Why were they aiming their weapons at Yang? She didn't do anything wrong!! She was defending herself after Mercury became a sore loser and decided to attack her!
"What why?" Yang asked, still confused, wondering what she's done.
All of them sat in their chairs, confused as to why the authorities were doing this. Yang wasn't the one in the wrong!
Emerald yells Mercury's name, running to his aid. "Why'd she do that?! Why'd she attack me?!"
Yang looked up at the colosseum's screens, shocked to find that she was the one to attack Mercury as he was an ' innocent' victim.
Her friends sat shocked. Yang looked around with horror.
The screen went black before rolling to the end of the episode credits.
"What?! That's where the episode ends!" Nora yells, standing up from the couch.
All eyes went to Raider as she floated in the air with a deep frown. She was clearly unhappy to watch this again.
"Raider, it's going to get better, right? Right?" Ruby's gaze was pleading, wanting some good news.
Her silence and avoidance of the question turned the atmosphere in the room to ice. It was only going to get so much worse from here on out.
They could tell as her frown deepened and there was evident sadness in her eyes as she looked at two people; Ruby and Pyrrha.
The large question remained, how horrible was the rest of this volume going to get? The group wasn't looking forward to finding out, but they were going to anyway.
A/N: Hey everyone, hope you're enjoying the fic. And another thing, it might be dumb to be doing this for something that is just a fanfiction, which in hindsight doesn't have that big of an importance.
BUT! It's this Fanfiction's 1-Year-Anniversary, I know dumb, but I'd just really like to think of how far this fic has come. From writing, that's honestly disgraceful and garbage, to something that isn't illegible and actually decent.
I'd love to thank all the support and encouragement from all you and tell you that I massively appreciate it! All of you are the reason this is still happening (And also the fact I wanted to give the people something that doesn't literally stop right after episode 4 of the first volume)
I hope you all continue to stick around and I hope you all have a fantastic day/night! Byeeeeee!!!!!