The Mask of Zorro Part 9
Horse chase and next plan that Jaune will not approve.
Disclaimers: I own nothing
After the ordeal with Pyrrha, elsewhere Cordovin and her Nimbus troops are out looking for Zorro unaware that they just rode past him because he was on top of the trees and gets down. Next up he whistle to call out to his Black Stallion but that didn't go unheard by Cordovin and her Nimbus Troops.
"Let's go back!" Cordovin said then she and Nimbus Troops ride back.
Jaune/Zorro's black stallion arrives and he gets on top to ride.
"Let's go!" But when Jaune/Zorro said that as he was climbing on, the Black Stallion goes on, he crashes into a tree and falls off, he sits up and realize the black stallion haven't notice that it left him behind.
"Well I guess that horse must have not learn a thing or 2 yet", Weiss said after seeing what just happened.
"Jaune should have first get on top and then say they go", Ren said on what Jaune should have done before he says they go.
"Jaune will have to catch up with his black stallion the hard way", Neptune said next.
"Does he have a plan?" Ruby ask if he has plan.
"He does thanks to Cordovin who is already in pursuit", James said.
Jaune/Zorro gets into cover as he watches Cordovin and her Nimbus Troops approaching. Jaune/Zorro waits a moment and then jump on top of a Nimbus Commando and rocks him around until he throws him off his horse and goes rolling down a hill.
"Oh the rolling down the hill is really going to leave a mark", Elm said knowing what kind of markings are going to be on the body after it stops.
Jaune/Zorro use that horse he hijacked in order to catch up while Cordovin is completely distracted trying to catch up with the black stallion that she her remaining Nimbus Troops can see clearly. Another Nimbus Commando gets kicked off his horse after looking to the right, Jaune/Zorro catches up with another before punching that Nimbus off his horse and Jaune/Zorro laughs after getting rid of 3 of them.
"Jaune only has 2 more and Cordovin next", Pyrrha said.
"What do you think he's going to do to get rid Cordovin", Winter wonders.
"You'll see, expect Cordovin will be ended in a accident", Hakaze said to them with a smirk.
"What do you mean?" Cordovin wonders what's that mean.
"Just keep watching."
Jaune/Zorro manage catch up with the 2 Nimbus Commandos who also have Black Stallions too and as they look at him right after they notice him.
"HAHAH!" Jaune/Zorro then bash both of them in their hands causing both of them to fall off their horses, well most of them fell on a bush.
Jaune/Zorro standing on top of both Black Stallion rides pass Cordovin who is confuse and looks back to see all of the empty horse much to her shock. As they keep riding there was fallen tree that's blocking their path.
"That's should be no problem for Jaune", Pyrrha said knowing he might find a way to avoid colliding with that tree.
"But Cordovin won't be so lucky", Hakaze mentions she knows Cordovin is going to die on this one.
Jaune/Zorro was able to avoid colliding with that tree by jumping over and landing safely to ride the other black stallions. But Cordovin isn't going to get a good ending on this.
"WAAAAAAHHHHH!" Cordovin screams and crashes into but holds on to it while her horses leaves her hanging.
In the end Cordovin slowly slips and falls down. Jaune/Zorro finally manages to catch up with her Black Stallion and rides away to get back to the lair to show Sam the map and their next course of action.
"If your wondering what happened to Cordovin, she's dead", Hakaze said what happened to Cordovin.
"Dead?" Cordovin ask in surprise on what happened to her counterpart.
"Yeah, the collision with the fallen tree eventually broke something", Hakaze tells her and everyone else what was the cause of death.
"Well at least friend Jaune got back to his black stallion", Penny said.
"Now it's time for their next course of action", Ruby said.
"But Jaune will not like it. You'll see what I mean."
"Here. This is the canyon. That is where the mine is." Jaune said using a Heat Dagger to show where the mine is on the map.
"They have 25, 30 guards at most. Nothing that Zorro can't overcome." Jaune said while playing with the Heat Dagger knowing what they need to do to save the slaves in the mine.
"I'm not going with you." Sam said he wasn't going with him which surprises the audiences on what is he talking about.
"What?"
"I'm not going with you. There's something I must do. It's a personal matter." Sam said but some can tell what's he planning.
"What does he mean by that?" Pyrrha wonders.
"Let's all hear him out", Jaune said to Pyrrha.
"What about the prisoners?" Jaune ask Sam about the slaves.
"There's nothing more I can do." Sam said as a excuse.
"You mean, nothing you will do." Jaune retorts.
"I gave my life to them. But in return, I lose everything. My wife was murdered before my eyes, and my child was stolen to be raised by my mortal enemy." Sam tells Jaune everything he's done when he was once Zorro but what it all led 20 years ago.
"Jacque Gele? Pyrrha. She's your daughter."
"Yeah, she was." Sam said while readying his sword he will be taking with him.
"So, you will simply take your revenge." Jaune said to him but that won't be part of it.
"No, I will take my daughter. And don't pretend Pyrrha means nothing to you."
"She does. But you taught me to see beyond personal feelings. Was that all a lie?" Jaune ask and wonders if what Sam thought him to avoid falling in love with Pyrrha was all a lie from the beginning.
"Was it?" Saphron wonders if it was really a lie from the very beginning.
"You're too young to understand." Sam claims while putting his Sword in his sheath.
"To understand what? Betrayal? All the work, all the training, all the wise words, for WHAT?! To smile in the face of my sister's killer while you make your own plans?!" Jaune is now feeling somewhat betrayed.
"Jaune, I taught you everything you need to survive. Now I must look to my own heart. Pyrrha is all I have left. I am not going to lose her again." Sam said and Jaune step closer to ask one more question.
"What about Shade? What about the people?"
"They still have Zorro." Sam said and Jaune walks up the stairs still feeling betrayed.
"I know where is this going, Sam Nikos refuse to help friend Jaune save the slaves because of Sam's vendetta toward Jacque for what he did 20 years ago, the death of his wife Pelina, even taking his daughter Pyrrha and raising her into believing Jacque was her father unaware of what happened 20 years ago. Friend Jaune feels betrayed knowing he will have to save the slaves alone as Zorro because of Sam's vendetta", Penny pieces it all together.
"Good point Penny", James said but understands that the people can still count on Zorro anyway.
"But the still have Zorro to save them anyway", Ozpin said.
We are back at Jacque's house, Cardin was just arriving while Jacque is looking at the map of Shade which is now back hanging on the wall.
"I have every inch of the countryside covered. If he shows himself. Are you all right?" Cardin reports but pause and ask if Jacque's okay because he's just staring at the map of Shade.
"Do you have the map?"
"We'll find it."
"Is your army ready to fight Ghira Belladonna?"
"No, sir."
"Then why are you asking me if alright? Of course I'm not all right. I'm beginning to wonder if you want this operation to succeed at all." Jacque is talking like he's viewing Cardin incompetent.
"Just what are you saying?"
What I'm saying, CAPTAIN! Is that I think my horse could run this army better than you!" Jacque said knowing he rather remove Cardin for his failures.
"Jacque sounds like he finds Cardin nothing but an incompetent failure", Willow said.
"That's sound a lot like Jacque", James said smirking while Jacque can't do anything due to the threats coming from Hakaze.
"I said I'll find him. That means I will." Cardin said he will find him even if Jacque will view has incompetent and failure.
Jacque leaves but he is stop by someone hiding in the shadows.
"Perhaps I can save you the trouble." He said pointing his sword at Jacque's throat.
"Go on, reach for it, captain." He said as Cardin was going to pull out his SE-14 Blaster Pistol but paused.
"Who are you?"
"I warned you long ago, Jacque. You would never be rid of me." He said showing the same Z scar on Jacque 20 years ago and he recognize him.
"Sam Nikos?" Jacque ask and Sam steps out of the shadows.
"Jacque."
"You were not the Zorro I saw last night. That was your master, Jaune Cotta." Now Jacque deduce that the Zorro last was actually Jaune.
"Oh great now he knows Jaune was the new Zorro", Yang said after hearing blurt that out.
"He's good at deducing things in this movie", Weiss commented.
"Yes. But there are many who would proudly wear the mask of Zorro." Sam means anyone can take the mantle of Zorro after each one's time is over.
"Meaning Jaune can pass on the mantle of Zorro into someone else would be his successor", Pyrrha said.
"When he's ready for a normal life", Ruby said knowing that Jaune and Pyrrha would eventually become lovers.
"Either way, events have been set in motion that you that cannot stop." Jacque said thinking Sam is here to stop him.
"I'm not here to stop you. Call for Pyrrha. Call her." That what's Sam is here for, he wants Pyrrha back.
"Captain, bring my daughter to me." Jacque ordered by Cardin just stands there.
"Bring her to me!" Jacque angrily ordered and Cardin complies.
"Hey I have question, how can Sam explain to Pyrrha that's he's her real father and not Jacque?" Sun ask how can Pyrrha be convince that Sam is her real father anyway.
"Perhaps some hints from 20 years shall do, besides meeting Sienna and saying things from 20 years ago could have given Pyrrha some suspicion about what Jacque told her 20 years ago which is actually all a lie" Ilia said to Sun.
"You cannot imagine, Jacque, how I have dreamed of this moment. Night and day, 20 long years." Sam says that he never forgotten what happened 20 years ago, the night Pelina died and Pyrrha taken from him.
"Really? I haven't given you a second thought. If I die, the truth dies with me." Jacque warns him that if Sam kills him then Pyrrha will never know the truth.
"We shall see." Sam said as Pyrrha with Cardin arrives.
"Sam cannot afford to kill Jacque or Pyrrha will never know the truth about what really happened 20 years ago", James said knowing that the truth will die with Jacque of Sam kills him.
"Then Sam should let Pyrrha hear what Jacque as to say", Ozpin said.
"Father! Bernardo, what are you doing?!" Pyrrha ask still knowing Sam as Bernardo.
"Tell her, Jacque."
"Tell me what? What is going on?"
"Tell her who her real father is."
"Father, what is he saying?"
"This unfortunate man lost a daughter once, and now he seeks to claim you for his own." Jacque tries to play dumb.
"Oh now you wanna play dumb", Willow said while some glare at him.
"Tell her how her mother died." Sam ask Jacque to tell Pyrrha how her mother really died.
"Yeah spit it out, Pelina didn't die giving birth to Pyrrha while in Atlas, she died shielding Sam from being shot dead at the household", Blake said knowing what they all saw in the beginning.
"Your daughter is lost, Sam Nikos. You cannot have mine." Jacque tries to play dumb but hearing Sam's name cause Pyrrha to remember what she heard from Sienna Khan.
"Sam Nikos? A woman in town, she told me, Father?" Pyrrha said remembering what she heard from Sienna Khan while taking a stroll in town.
"His name is of no consequence." Jacque said while Sam press the sword harder in his neck so he prevent Pyrrha from falling into more of his lies.
"I was told my niera used to hang something on my crib." Pyrrha said what Sienna told her.
"Pyrrha is slowly starting to get the revelation in her mind", Jaune said but it won't get that far yet.
"But not that far yet", Hakaze said.
"Yes, she had her hang fresh flowers." Sam said but gets interrupted by Cardin who pulls his SE-14 Blaster Pistol.
"Nooooooo!" Jacque pushes Cardin making him fire at a wall instead as 2 Nimbus Commandos who heard the noise shows up.
"What was Cardin planning?" Weiss ask Hakaze.
"He was going through Pyrrha to kill Sam", Hakaze said and some glare at Cardin.
"Looks like he rarely even cares what his employer says", Mercury comments.
"NO!" Pyrrha tells the Nimbus Commandos no shooting as Sam points the sword at Jacque again.
"Let us finish it, Jacque. Let us finish what we started, the night Pelina died." Sam suggest Jacque to reveal what actually happened Pelina 20 years ago.
"Drop your sword or I will have no choice but to have you shot. Even in the presence of my daughter." Jacque will say no more now.
"Please." Pyrrha begs, well Sam cannot fight his way out without getting shot, he might as well surrender and hands his sword over to the 2 Nimbus Commandos.
"They were flowers. Romneya." Sam tells Pyrrha what the flowers are and leaves with the Nimbus Commandos but stops to tell Jacque.
"Jacque, she knows." Sam warns him before walking away.
While Jacque walks back to somewhere, Pyrrha keeps her eyes on Sam with some realization after all.
"You think Pyrrha is going to help?"
"Well so much revealed, she will", Hakaze told Jaune based on the coming scene.
Next scene, the 2 Nimbus Commandos locks Sam in a storage room, well they threw him in there leaving Sam with a bleeding side of his head on the right. Meanwhile Jacque and Cardin are riding back to the mine. Next Sam turns around when the door opens and one Nimbus Commando enters with a RG-4D Blaster Pistol pointed at his neck, the user knocks him out and then it turns out to be Pyrrha herself.
"Looks like Pyrrha is gonna to help after all, YAY!" Ruby said after seeing Pyrrha help free Sam.
"Is she finally convinced?" Pelina ask Hakaze.
"Yeah", Hakaze answer but the final battle will show Pyrrha coming to Jacque's defense.
"Then they will help Jaune save the slaves", Yang said.
"Yeah, but also prevent that gold from leaving", Hakaze said what else they are going to do besides saving the slaves.
End
Coming up next, we are going back to the mine.
Notes: That Heat Dagger is from Warframe.