The Great Temporal Step-Sibling War!
By Sift Green and AndrewJTalon
Disclaimer: This is a fan based work of Prose. RWBY is the property of Rooster Teeth and ViZ. Please support the official Release.
"Yo, May! Ya got a visitor!"
May sighed as she finished adjusting her hat in the mirror. Honestly, if it wasn't one thing it was another with her team! Officially, Brawnz was supposed to be the leader, but he tended to just put everything on her shoulders.
"Who is it?" She asked.
"No idea!" Brawnz shouted.
"I did tell you my name," a pleasant tenor voice spoke.
"Yeah, which means shit to me!" Brawnz growled. "So unless you wanna get your shit kicked in, I suggest you beat it!"
A pause.
"I really do just need to talk to her, really quick-"
"Tough titties, Skyscraper!"
May winced. That was Brawnz' 'gonna punch something' tone. Which was followed by the sound of flesh hitting flesh and several yelps. She hurried out of the bathroom, an apology on her lips.
"Guys, please don't... Hurt him?"
May blinked. All three of her teammates, Brawnz, Nolan, and Roy, were unconscious on the floor. Standing among them, without so much as a scratch, was a tall, dark skinned young man with yellow blond hair and blue eyes. He was dressed in a simple hoodie, white, blue and black, with black pants and white boots. An advanced looking sniper rifle was on his back, held by a leather strap over his chest, and a kukri-style shortsword was on his belt.
She blushed; He was very handsome, and strangely familiar...?
"Sorry," he said, "But you always said I had to use a strong hand with my uncles."
May blinked. She blinked again.
"Ummm... Uncles?" She asked.
The young man blanched and slapped the side of his head.
"Damnit! I wasn't supposed to say that!" He groaned. "I-I mean, not right now... Later... Maybe..." He sighed, and his shoulders slumped. "Look, I wouldn't blame you for wanting to shoot me right now, but I just... Please let me talk for five minutes. Okay? It's really important Mom."
May blushed deep red. She blinked several times.
"M-M-Mom?" She managed, feeling a bit faint.
The boy again slapped the side of his head.
"Crrraaaaappp!"
May and the young man moved her unconscious teammates to their bunks. They then sat down, and May prepared some coffee. They sat down at the table as Brawnz, Nolan, and Roy all remained out. Brawnz even began to drool so they didn't seem to be in much pain.
"Again, super sorry," he said, "Uh... Okay. First things first: I'm August. I'm named for your-"
"Father?" May asked quietly. August nodded.
"Yeah, I-!"
"There is a reason I have to run my team," she said with a soft smile, "Your b-body language is very honest and earnest. And... Why would anyone lie that they were someone's child from the future, unless it was true?"
August stared, and laughed in relief.
"Oh... Oh man... I still forget how smart you are sometimes, Mom!" He winced. "Er, sorry-"
"It's all right," May said cheerfully. She sipped her coffee. "Besides... I... I've learned to trust my feelings."
The Aura the boy gave off was... Too much like her own to be a fraud. Not unless he had some kind of Aura emulation Semblance, but why use that just for this elaborate of a prank? They'd have to know she could sense them. It's why she was so good at her job. Aura Sensing was a skill she'd had to develop out of sheer survival, and it had always served her well. It was essentially her Semblance, allowing her to see the luminous energy that drove humans and Faunus alike. Her son looked so amazing: A pillar of Aura energy both familiar and unfamiliar. It was how she saw the world.
Though it also made her very nervous to approach people. How to explain that you felt more comfortable talking to certain people based on how their Aura looked than others? It was... Weird, and so was she.
"So... Um... You got here by time travel, I suppose?" May tried, before wincing. That sounded terrible!
"Yup," August said with a nod, "My best friend Moses has a time travel Semblance. We didn't mean to go back this far, but uh... We kind of super charged it."
"I can tell," May said with a nod, "Your Aura is staggeringly powerful, even inactive!" She beamed at him. "I-I'm very proud of you!"
She paused as August blushed.
"Oh, dear, um, did I say something wrong?" She asked. "Did-Did I embarrass you? Do you need a-a juice box?"
August chuckled fondly.
"No, I'm okay Mom. Also? Too old for those."
"Oh. Um... A beer?" May asked.
"I'm... Fine with coffee, really," August said, sipping the coffee. "But we have a problem. Today... Today is when you were supposed to go on your first date with Dad."
May blinked.
"Eh? I-I went on a date? He-did he ask me? I-I don't think I could ask him..." She began to fret. "Oh no... Oh no... Did I forget our date?!"
She didn't think she would forget something like that! She didn't think she'd make a date though, either!
... Then again, she didn't think she'd be meeting her future son today!
"Who is it with?" She asked.
"Jaune Arc," August said.
May blinked, then her entire face burned bright red.
I would definitely have remembered that...!
"I-I... Isn't he with-with Pyrrha Nikos?" She asked. "Th-They hang out all the time-!"
"Not in my timeline," he said. "Which is the other problem. Other children from my dad have showed up, too. If Dad gets with anyone but you... I mean... Well, I'll cease to exist."
May gasped in horror and reached out to touch her future son. Just to make sure he was still solid.
"Are... Are you happy? Am-Am I good mother?" She asked urgently.
August beamed.
"The best," he said, without a hint of hesitation or deception in his voice or Aura.
With other people, it was difficult to talk to them because their Auras projected so much unsaid. It made her nervous, so nervous she just shrank back. She was good at that, staying in the background. She was a sniper, after all.
But August... He was so earnest, and warm. Honestly, she'd only felt that way around Jaune... Oh. That would explain the getting married and having kids thing easily, wouldn't it?
On the other hand... There was the whole getting married and having kids thing to consider. Also, the other children wouldn't want to be erased, either.
That was unfortunate, but... The only other alternatives didn't seem very likely. All or nothing? She knew other girls, girls like the ones on Team NDGO. They were all catty, nasty, horrible people. They would never share, not even for their children.
But I don't want to share, either, she thought miserably. So she was no better than them...
Still...
"Let's... Let's go see your father then," May said with a firm nod. "M-Maybe if we talk this out... Things will get better?"
And if they didn't, well... She'd bring her sniper rifle along. Just in case.
Theodore Arc-Schnee was used to operating on his own, and as a result, little obstacles didn't discourage him. Not in the least.
His mother wasn't at Beacon today, she was in an airship conducting a patrol on the other side of Vale and she wouldn't return until late in the evening. This put him at a severe disadvantage when compared to his competition, but that didn't matter: He was the son of Atlas' greatest general and her greatest strategist. He just needed to deny his enemies victory long enough for her to return.
To that end Theodore had tucked himself away in a barely noticeable corner of the library where his scroll had good reception. His mission? Hack his Father's scroll and change his Father's schedule so he wouldn't be anywhere near the women who would soon be looking for him. The question of where to send his father wasn't clear yet, but once he had a good look at what else his father was doing today he should have a decent idea of what to do.
Waiting for a connection... Thinking long and hard about the right password... wrong password... Thinking long and hard about the right password... wrong password... Thinking long and hard about the right password... GOT IT!
Opening the schedule program, slightly surprised the schedule program didn't have its' own password but whatever. Navigating to today and... oh no.
His father's schedule consisted of waking up, having breakfast, a morning workout and then nothing. Nothing until a singular event labeled 'PARTY?' after 7:30 pm.
The startling realization that his Father's strict adherence to a schedule was a result of his mother's influence was a little disheartening, as this meant his plans needed a serious overhaul.
But still, the mission objectives remained the same. He just needed to find his father and come up with a reasonable excuse for why he needed to stay away from campus until the party started and to not show up until his mother swung by to talk with her sister! Then he'd meet Theodore's mother and everything would be right in the world!
Theodore packed up his equipment, activated the 'find me' feature of his father's scroll, and moved out.
Within Beacon's armory, a set of twins talked shop.
"You think we can hit Pyrrha with this Laser Bazooka, or should I grab that wooden stake launcher?" Ash asked as he hefted the aforementioned Laser Bazooka.
"Bring both just in case," Ashley answered as she mused over he own haul. "Let's see, a recoilless rifle to bust through any glyphs the Schnees could use as shields is a good find, plus all the different dust rounds that can go in it. Is there something here that can disorient a faunus?"
"Honestly I'm more worried about robots, is there anything here that can do an EMP?"
"Would that Tesla coil work?"
"Too risky; what if Aunt Nora decides to interfere on the side of someone who's not mom?"
"Right, that would be bad. Have either of us looked in that room yet?"
"I don't think we have."
They looked. Ashely grinned.
"Wanna pilot a mech?"
"No." Ash frowned as he pulled his sister back to the previous room, "No mechs. All of our targets are too maneuverable to fight with a mech."
"Spoilsport."
'Tactile Telekinesis is a stupid power! You can move things with your mind but only if you're touching them! Laaaame!' That schoolyard taunt ran through Dorothy's mind every time she used her power for the thing that made those bullies shut up. You're always touching your clothes, so by using tactile telekinesis on your shoes you can fly!
Of course the normal thrill of flight was significantly hampered by the fact that she hadn't caught anyone! She could fly! She should have been faster than anyone besides Julian and his busted semblance!
Yet somehow all of them disappeared after they left the dining hall at the campground, and she couldn't find any of them!
Now one would think having a bird's eye view of the Academy would help her, but what most people don't realize is that a bird's eye view requires bird's eyes if you want to see anything clearly on the ground. Her binoculars were proving to be a poor substitute.
She was beginning to despair when she finally spotted one of the Schnee-looking boys leaving the main library. And so Dorothy zoomed down as fast as she could and came to a stop in front of the boy while bellowing:
"THEODORE! YOU'RE COMING WITH ME!"
"Hello Dorothy," Theodore calmly replied, "I believe you and I have a common cause at this point."
"No, you're going to help me find the others, and we're going to regroup back at the camp and wait for-"
"Moses' plan fell apart the instant the cats managed to slip out of the room and you know it," Theodore interrupted. "By this point, at least one of our step-siblings has found their mom, and that means they'll be bringing their moms straight to Dad, thereby circumventing the party that resulted in Dad dating his wife. The only reason my mom started dating Dad is because of things that went down at the party tonight, and I'm betting the same is true for your mom, right?"
"R-right," Dorothy deflated a bit.
"And that means the best bet for you and for me is to make sure nobody finds Dad before the party starts," Theodore reasoned, "We can let fate pick up the slack at that point."
Dorothy hissed in frustration. Theodore was right. Her best bet was to be on his side now. Sorry Moses. Sorry Xander.
"Well then. Let's go find Dad." Dorothy growled as she gestured for Theodore to lead the way.
Jaune sighed as he exited the locker room. Hot showers after a workout always made him feel better. Nora had been especially rough today-She seemed part trainer, part taskmaster, and all sadist.
Still, he could hardly argue with the results. Training with Pyrrha, Nora, and Ren had certainly gotten him up to snuff in a hurry. Help from Team RWBY had also been accepted, once he got over his damn pride.
He winced.
Though learning hand-to-hand combat from Yang was probably something he shouldn't do too much. He still ached, days afterward.
He'd stepped out into the fresh air of the campus, a smile on his face.
He held up his Scroll, about to mass-text his friends and see if anyone was free... When someone bumped into him.
"GAH!"
Hard enough his Scroll went flying. His heart sank as he watched it fall towards the ground... Only for a small red Glyph to materialize underneath it. The Scroll vanished.
"Eh?!"
He looked around and stared. A tall, white-haired boy about his age, stood nearby with his Scroll in his hand. He reminded Jaune of Weiss, strangely enough, though his eyes and nose were very different. He wore a black and white coat over light Atlasian style body armor. A pair of dark sunglasses were perched on his nose.
Next to him was a very pretty blonde girl in a red and white blouse, blue jacket, and purple pants with black boots. She looked a lot like the boy around the face, though her eyes were bright green. She had a pair of goggles on the top of her head, with angel wing motifs on them. She grinned and waved at him.
"Hey D-Dude!" She said in a bright, cheerful tone.
"You dropped this," the boy stated in a cool, dispassionate voice. Jaune walked over, smiling in gratitude as he took it.
"Thanks! I really appreciate it. I'm Jaune Arc, what are your names?"
"Theodore... Schnee," the boy spoke calmly.
That might explain the iciness, Jaune thought.
"Dorothy, er... Goodwitch!" The girl greeted.
Jaune blinked.
"So, you're relatives of Weiss and Professor Goodwitch?"
"Yes/No!"
The two looked at one another and seemed to have some kind of silent conversation. Dorothy turned back first with a slightly strained smile.
"Kind of!" She said. "We're also siblings... Kind of! It's uh... Complicated!"
Jaune slowly nodded, taking it in stride.
"If it's awkward, it's cool, you don't have to tell me," he said, "We did just meet." He smiled.
"Though my dad says strangers are friends you just haven't met yet, so... I hope we can be friends."
"Our dad says the same thing," Theodore said.
"Haha! Irony!" Dorothy laughed.
Jaune blinked.
"What's ironic about it-?"
"Anyway!" Dorothy said cheerfully, "You look like you don't have anything going on whatsoever!"
Jaune involuntarily winced. Theodore sucked in a deep breath.
"Er, not that that's a bad thing," Dorothy said quickly. "We uh, we'd love to train with you! If you'd like?"
"Well... Thanks, but with the Vytal Festival coming up," Jaune said, "That's not a good idea."
"We're not participating in the Vytal Festival," Theodore said calmly.
"Yeah, that would just be a... A terrible mess," Dorothy went on, still cheerfully but with a weird wince.
"We are apprentices of Hunters and are simply observing Beacon to see if we would be a good fit here," Theodore said, holding out his Scroll. Jaune's eyebrows went up. That was a seriously nice Scroll! Lightyears better than his! Then again, the guy was a Schnee.
On the Scroll were several credentials, with pictures of both Dorothy and Theodore attached to them. Jaune frowned. Something... Seemed off here... Namely that the pictures looked like they were taken just today...
Then again, he couldn't really talk about forged credentials and paperwork, now could he? Maybe he was just being paranoid.
"We just want to train a bit with someone," Dorothy went on, "On the grounds. Away from... Everyone, ya know? At least until the party."
"Oh, you were invited?" Jaune asked.
"It's more that we want to crash it," Dorothy explained, "You know, cut loose! Have some fun! Who knows? Maybe you'll find your soulmate there?"
Jaune winked at her.
"Maybe I already have?"
The violent look of disgust and horror that appeared on both Theodore and Dorothy's faces made Jaune hold his hands up.
"Joking! Really joking! Ahem, sorry. I've uh, I'm cutting down on the flirting! Turns out I've been too aggressive."
"Uh, um, y-yeah," Dorothy said quickly, "I uh, I already have a boyfriend. Back home."
"I am single and not interested in you. At all," Theodore stated. Jaune stared.
"I was only flirting with her-"
"Just making sure," Theodore stated. "Now, are we agreed that we can simply train?"
"Sure thing," Jaune said. "It would be cool to see you teleport all of us with your Semblance!"
"Unfortunately," Theodore stated, "I can't do that with three people. Just one."
"Lame," Dorothy sneered.
"You can't fly while carrying a person either," Theodore observed.
"I-I can too! It's just very slow!" Dorothy argued.
Jaune held his hands up.
"It's cool, really. Let's just all go to a training ground nearby, and have some fun, huh?" He grinned.
"Yes, let's do that," Dorothy said, slapping a hand on Jaune's shoulder and pushing him along.
"Uh, wait, what's the rush-?"
"No rush," Theodore stated quickly, as they began marching out of the courtyard, "Just no need to waste time."
"We've wasted plenty," Dorothy groused.
Jaune shrugged. This was... Kind of weird, but hey. These two seemed cool. And strange... And familar. Strangely familiar...