Prologue: Change
A/N:
So this is a far different story as the events of Volume 1-3 did happen but differently. Pyrrha was saved in time by Ruby, and Cinder was killed, however, because Beacon was still destroyed, most of the students relocated, so now JN(P)R are in Vacuo with CFVY as Pyrrha is kept close to the circle, however, instead of RNJR it is, RYP hunting down who Cinder was working for, as the same events play out with Blake and Weiss.
The events of Volumes 4-5 and some events of "After the Fall" is slightly different, but this story takes place after Vol.5 and begins at the ending of "After the Fall" and slightly before some events of Vol.6-7 and the events of "Before the Dawn".
XXX
XXX
XXX
XXX
XXX
XXX
Sun Wukong dashed through the Shade dormitory, determined to find a particular three-man team whom he was certain would appreciate what he had witnessed and accomplished on his journey with Blake. Having just relayed the events to CFVY, he was convinced they would share in his elation. After a brief search, he located their dorm room and barged in without knocking, finding Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren inside. Nora was lounging with her scroll while Ren appeared to be engrossed in his homework.
A wide grin spread across Sun's face as he greeted them, "Hey JNR!" he exclaimed cheerfully.
Nora sprang up from her spot and enveloped the monkey Faunus in a tight hug. "Sun!" she exclaimed with joy.
Returning the hug, Sun pulled back and glanced at Ren, who offered him a smile of acknowledgment.
"Welcome back, Sun," Ren said with a nod.
"Good to be back!" Sun replied, his enthusiasm palpable.
Nora's smirk hinted at her curiosity as she quirked an eyebrow. "So... how was stalking Blake?" she inquired.
Sun chuckled, "Pretty good. I went to Menagerie and even met her folks!" he revealed with a grin. "And between us, I think Mr. Belladonna likes me!"
Nora chuckled in response. "You work fast, Sun."
"Thanks," Sun replied with a grin. "Anyway, I think you guys want to hear what happened while I was out there," he continued.
Sun proceeded to recount the events since he began following Blake. He detailed Adam's murder of Sienna Khan and the attack on Blake's family home, as well as Blake and her father's successful defense against the White Fang's assault on Haven.
Upon hearing this, concern flickered across the faces of the two Beacon students, mindful of the recent turmoil following Beacon's fall and the ongoing repairs.
"What happened after that?" Nora inquired anxiously.
Sun reassured her with a comforting look. "Don't worry, we arrived in time, thwarted the attack, and saved Haven at Mistral's CCT tower. But Blake and I were both taken aback when we encountered the rest of Team RWBY and... Pyrrha!" he exclaimed.
Ren and Nora's eyes widened in astonishment before morphing into wide smiles.
Turning to Ren with a gleeful expression, Nora exclaimed, "Did you hear that, Ren!? She's okay! P-Pyrrha's okay!" Tears of relief welled up in her eyes.
Ren nodded and returned Sun's serious gaze. "Yeah," he began, drawing in a deep breath to steady himself, "She's okay," he confirmed.
Sun's expression grew somber, casting a shadow over the room. "Though... turns out things on their end aren't so good," he added gravely.
Both Nora and Ren's demeanor shifted abruptly, their features etched with concern as they fixated on Sun. Sensing their apprehension, Sun sighed inwardly, knowing he had unsettling news to deliver. He had promised Pyrrha and Team RWBY not to disclose everything he knew, even though he felt conflicted about withholding information.
"I can't spill all the details," Sun explained, his tone weighted with a sense of urgency, "Ruby's uncle said it's classified... but Cinder Fall's still alive, and she's working for someone really, really bad," he disclosed.
The revelation struck Nora and Ren like a bolt of lightning. The mere thought of the woman who orchestrated the attack on Beacon and nearly claimed the life of their teammate sent shivers down their spines. They couldn't shake the feeling that she harbored a vendetta against them.
"But don't worry, we took down Cinder and her crew! Saved Haven and Mistral, and everyone's safe! Pyrrha even wanted me to pass along that she misses you guys!" Sun reassured them.
Nora managed a smile, though it was tinged with a hint of sadness. "I wish she could've told us herself..." she murmured wistfully.
Internally wincing, Sun understood the strained relationship between Pyrrha and her teammates. He couldn't blame them for feeling abandoned; Pyrrha's prolonged silence had left them feeling neglected. Though he sympathized with her reasons for staying away, he couldn't shake the feeling that her decision had caused more harm than good. Sun scanned the room, noticing Jaune's absence. "Hey... Where's Jaune?" he queried.
At Sun's inquiry, Nora and Ren exchanged nervous glances before turning back to him, their expressions fraught with concern.
Meanwhile, in the heart of the city's red-light district, Jaune Arc, leader of Team JNR, was engaged in a brutal fistfight within one of the district's many fighting clubs. The crowd roared with excitement as Jaune and his opponent exchanged blows, their fists flying in a frenzied dance of violence.
A solid punch to the face was followed by a devastating blow to the stomach, yet Jaune remained unfazed. With a surge of aura, he delivered a powerful strike to his opponent, sending him crashing to the ground. The crowd erupted in cheers as Jaune emerged victorious from the pit, his victory celebrated by all.
Ascending back to the main bar, Jaune received a stack of Lien from a bystander, his prize for triumphing in the fight. Counting his earnings, he pocketed most of the winnings, leaving just a small portion. Turning to the bartender, Arturo, Jaune placed an order in a monotone voice.
As he took a swig of his drink, Jaune was interrupted by a voice from behind. "Jaune?"
Upon hearing his name, Jaune set down his drink and turned to see Sun, flanked by Ren and Nora. He glanced back at the bar counter before addressing Sun. "Welcome back, Sun. What can I do for you?" he inquired.
Sun remained silent, his attention drawn to the sounds of the brawl echoing from the pit below. He then turned back to Jaune and moved to sit beside him, his expression serious. "What the hell are you doing here, Jaune?" Sun questioned, his tone grave.
"Does it matter?" Jaune retorted.
Sun scrutinized him. "It matters, because the Jaune I knew wouldn't be in a place like this, or involved in a fight club," Sun asserted.
Jaune took a sip of his drink before turning to face Sun. "Yeah, well... things changed," he muttered.
Sun sighed deeply. "Look, I heard about your last mission, man," Sun began, his tone earnest, "I don't know what you're going through, but this, this isn't the way to deal with it," he urged.
"This coming from the guy who abandoned his team," Jaune shot back.
Sun's expression hardened. "Low blow, dude," he countered. "Besides, someone had to watch Blake's back," he added.
A smirk tugged at Jaune's lips as he took another swig. "Is that all you were doing? Watching her back?" he probed.
"Jaune!" Nora interjected sharply.
Rolling his eyes, Jaune redirected his attention to his teammates. "What are you two doing here anyway?" he asked, addressing Ren and Nora, "I told you not to follow me anymore," he reminded them.
"You're our leader, Jaune," Ren replied, "We worry about you," he added.
Jaune chuckled dismissively. "Worry about me? Sure, whatever makes you feel better, Ren," he retorted.
Ren's fists clenched, a hint of irritation flickering across his features. Sun was taken aback by the hostility Jaune directed toward him and his teammates. It seemed undeserved, considering all they had been through together. "Look... I came here to tell you about what happened at Haven," Sun interjected.
"I don't care," Jaune responded, lifting his glass to his lips.
"RWBY and Pyrrha were there," Sun continued.
The mention of Pyrrha caused Jaune to tense momentarily, a detail not lost on Sun. Jaune, however, took a large gulp of his drink, slamming the glass back onto the counter before fixing Sun with a steely glare. "Again... I don't care, and I don't want to hear about them," he stated firmly.
"But what about Pyrrha? Huh?" Jaune pressed, his voice rising, "She wanted to know about you guys, she wanted to know how you were doing?"
"If she's so worried, she can come here and see for herself," Jaune snapped, his anger bubbling to the surface, "She's the one who wanted to stay and do whatever it was with Ruby's uncle and Goodwitch. She's the one who pushed us away so she could follow her destiny," he spat, his tone dripping with resentment.
Sun glared back at him. "Jaune... look, it isn't that simple. If you knew what RWBY and she have to face-"
Jaune rose abruptly, his gaze locked with Sun's. Sensing the tension escalating, Nora's expression turned to one of concern, while Ren braced himself for any potential conflict.
In the midst of their standoff, Jaune's hand balled into a fist, and Sun braced himself for a confrontation. However, Jaune sidestepped past him and stormed out of the bar.
Nora approached Sun with a somber expression. "I'm sorry, Sun. Jaune's been... he's been going through a rough time," she explained.
Sun shook his head. "Don't apologize," he replied. "I can't imagine what he's feeling, and the same goes for you two... I'm surprised you haven't changed as much as he has," he noted.
Ren shook his head in disagreement. "No, we've changed just as much as he has. We've just... we haven't let it consume us like it has him," he clarified.
Nora nodded slightly in agreement. Sun observed the lingering pain in their expressions, feeling a pang of sympathy for the three-man team. They had already endured the loss of their home and school, along with the departure of a close friend. Moving to Vacuo hadn't been easy, especially given the locals' distrust of outsiders due to their experiences with Atlas. Coupled with the events of their recent mission, Sun couldn't help but feel compassion for their plight. According to Nora and Ren, everything had changed for them after that mission, and he couldn't help but wonder how they would navigate the challenges ahead.
XXX
XXX
XXX
Back in Shade, Theodore was reading the report of CFVY's mission and the files of both Carmine Escolados and Bertilak Celadon, who were arrested and waiting for transport back to Vacuo a few days from now from Coquina, and with the information that CFVY were able to gather about the two rouges mission and who they worked for, Theodore couldn't help but worry, because before, the fall of Beacon, he was getting reports of Students and Huntsmen missing, all of which had some very powerful Semblances, a number which has increased since the fall had happened.
He was worried because this wasn't something Salem was a part of, but something she could easily use, as she had done with the White-Fang and Roman Torchwick in Vale, However, what still eluded him was the Crown's goal and who was in charge of it.
'This isn't good,' He thought, 'I can't let this go on anymore, they could cause trouble enough before Salem comes knocking on our door, and if I don't deal with them soon, Salem could use them,' Theodore thought.
However, the headmaster of Shade also knew that they weren't going to get answers from Bertilak or Carmine, both having a hatred for him and the staff of Shade. and with how secretive this organization was, they weren't going to let anyone ask questions for too long or let anyone in looking for them out of the blue.
No... the best course of action was to get someone on the inside, someone that had could have a valid reason to betray the school and someone with a very powerful Semblance, and it had to be a student, not some older Huntsmen.
But the question was who and would they even agree?
Theodore sighed and went to his computer to find a student with unique and rare semblances that the Crown may want, this included all the newer students who came from Vale and who were now coming from Haven and one that was having problems recently.
He would not rest until he found the right student, because if he let this happen any longer, the events of Beacon would repeat themselves in Vacuo... and he would not make the same mistake as Ozpin, nor would he falter as Lionheart had.
XXX
XXX
XXX
So, some events that have changed in this story are the Fall of Beacon and of course the events of Vol.4-5 (and eventually 6-8)
During the Fall, Ruby arrived on time and managed to save Pyrrha and they both seemingly killed Cinder when Ruby's silver eyes blasted her off the tower and Pyrrha got the Fall Maiden powers. However, her survival as well as how she lost the Fall Maiden powers, will be explained when RWBY+POQ enter the story since they'll still be dealing with the events that happen in Atlas while JNR, CFVY, SSSNN, ABRN, and NDGO will be dealing with the crown a bit before the final events of Vol.7-8 and I'm not gonna touch on the events of Vol.9 because I haven't planned that part out yet.
But with some hints, you can see that Pyrrha pushed JNR away in order to keep them safe and before you say Pyrrha wouldn't do that, mind you that Pyrrha was completely willing to become the Fall Maiden before the fall, which means she was completely willing to abandon her team and hide secrets for them because she fully believed it was part of her "Destiny".
Because you know Ozpin and the rest of the circle couldn't allow her to be on a team and would keep her close since they would be afraid she would slip the secret to her team and even team RWBY, who I assume would have been told when they were good and ready (graduation) much like I'm sure he did with S(T)RQ (Why I leave out Tai will be explained later down the line).
(I'd also think that in reality, Ozpin would have only told RWB about Salem because he would have similar reasons he had with Tai also because Ruby's a silver-eyed warrior, Weiss is the daughter of the owner of the SDC and want to become its CEO, and Blake is the daughter of the Chieftain of Menagerie, three very powerful pieces he could use!).