Sunset's eyes widened in surprise, as she turned to face Valor. Her face paled, and her mouth felt dry like she hadn't had a drop to drink in years. "W-what?" she whispered. The others looked at Valor in shock, Pinkie's hair going limp.
Valor's face into a grim expression, his lips tightened, as he cast his gaze downward. A small sigh escaped his lips. "I died, and then, I ended up here." he said, slowly raising his eyes to meet Sunset's, which were brimming with shock. "It was a year after you....died." he clenched his fist, growling. "We discovered a lot. Cinder, she wasn't working alone. She was working for someone. A woman named Salem. She was like this, humanoid Grimm or something." he shuddered. Sunset took some time to process this, her mouth wanting to fire off questions like an organic machine gun, but when she started to open her mouth, she quickly shut it again, silently pleading for him to continue. "After we barely averted a repeat of the Fall of Beacon at Haven, she just started creating more and more Grimm. They were faster, harder, stronger than any other Grimm we had faced. It was total chaos. The Huntsmen and Huntresses were rallied into the biggest army Remnant's ever seen, and the Second Great Grimm War began." he muttered.
A memory flashed into Sunset's mind. Professor (Or Doctor, as he preferred to be called) Oobleck was, as usual, spouting off a history lecture, occasionally sipping from his thermos, and zipping about the room like Ruby or Nora on a sugar rush. They were covering the Great Grimm War. About two hundred or so years prior to the Great War, before the Last King of Vale united the warring nations under the banner of peace, a mysterious woman, known only as The Grimm Queen or the Alabaster Witch, commanding an army of Grimm, led a massive surge of the ebony beasts, King Taijutas, Beowulves, Geists, and worse, against the forces of humanity. According to the legend, with the aid of silver-eyed individuals, trained warriors possessing a mysterious optical power, unlike any eye based Semblances, the early huntsmen and huntresses pushed back the onslaught of Grimm, driving the souless beasts and their leader from whence they came, but not without numerous casualties. The lands of Remnant were strewn with the scarred bone plates of Grimm, as well as the bloodied and battered corpses of countless humans, those who had fought against and fought alongside the Grimm Queen.
Sunset covered her mouth, lightly shaking her head. Tears pricked her eyes, stinging a bit. ¨Jaune, I-I´m so sorry you had to go through that.¨ she held him close. ¨But, at least fate, it seems brought us together again.¨ she said, snuggling into his chest.
Valor gave her a small smile, pecking her cheek, causing a few of Sunset´s friends to ¨Awww¨ at the small show of affection. Valor wiped the salty sweat and teardrops cascading down her flushed face with one of the napkins provided for their meals. ¨But still, at least we´re together.¨ he gazed at the clock. ¨It´s getting late, how bout we stay at my place? My folks are out of town for a few months.¨ he said with a warm smile.
¨Jaune, two questions before we go.¨ Sunset said, wiping the remnants of her sorrow from her face, and fixing her hair. ¨One, please tell me you don´t have seven sisters in this universe.¨
Valor chuckled nervously, scratching his head, ¨Well, I´ve got eleven this time, but I think four of them went out to the mall.¨ he replied as Sunset facepalmed, groaning. ¨And your second?¨ he asked her.
Sunset smirked, ¨You didn´t invite all of us just go and be, more or less, alone with eight of the hottest girls at Canterlot High?¨ she teased, causing Jaune to choke on his smoothie, and alternating between blanching and turning a fiery red as he coughed into his fist. The girls chuckled at his reaction, as they all got into or on their respective vehicles, and followed Valor/Jaune in his family´s big, egg white van.
The Shield Family´s home, while not a mansion, was still fairly big. Not including the attic and basement, it had only two floors. It had a fairly expansive backyard, enough for the large family to have room to have a barbecue and invite at least four other houses, and still have some room to mingle about in. They even had a pool big enough for the entire family, plus five guests at the maximum.
¨Damn Jauney, this place is sick!¨ Pinkie said, bouncing about. No sooner had she said this when about seven girls, the youngest being ten and the eldest being about twenty-two, raced downstairs. ¨So, these are your sisters J-Valor?¨ she changed her response after Sunset elbowed her in the side. On the way over, Sunset had group texted with the others to try and use their non-Remnant names, so as not to freak out Jaune´s family.
¨It´s alright, we kind of know.¨ The eldest, Amber, smiled. She had skin the color of bronze, and hair which was the color of fresh wheat. ¨We thought Valor, or Jaune as it seems you know him as, was just having weird nightmares at first, probably watching too much shounen,¨
¨At least he didn´t grow up to be like Kirito.¨ The second eldest, Scarlet, muttered, arms crossed.
¨As I was saying, we just thought Jaune was having weird nightmares, but when he managed to beat up this douche that was harassing Jasmine,¨ she gestured to an eleven-year-old with purple hair, ¨using only a bokken from the kendo club, and an old trash can lid, we knew something was up.¨
¨Thanks Ambs.¨ Valor said, scratching the back of his head awkwardly. ¨Saved me an explanation there.¨ he smiled at his sister. ¨So yeah, seems I still have some of my fighting skills intact.¨ he grinned. ¨I´m one of the most badass members of my family.¨ he ran a hand through his hair.
¨I think that role goes to me at the moment.¨ A cerulean haired girl smirked. ¨I am one of the youngest kendo champions in the country.¨
¨Sure you are Jaune.¨ Sunset smiled, playfully rolling her eyes, pecking him on the forehead. ¨Well, I guess I should say it. Has Jaune ever mentioned a girl named Pyrrha Nikos?¨ she asked, to which all of his sisters burst into laughter.
¨Mentioned her? We´ve walked in on Mr. Macho here stroking it to pictures he´s drawn of her.¨ Amber teased, as Sunset and Valor´s faces turned an interesting shade of crimson. ¨He´s quite a talented artist, takes after mom.¨ she said, patting her slightly shorter brother´s head.
¨Oh, um, that´s interesting to hear.¨ Sunset smiled slightly, cheeks tinged a rosey hue, mentally forcing back a wave of rather perverted mental images, including a few involving a dominant Jaune and a submissive Ren. Wonder if Nora ever envisioned something like that? the former Champion of Mistral and pseudo-Fall Maiden thought to herself, tapping her chin. She shook her head to clear it, ¨Well, I´m Pyrrha Nikos, but I guess you could just call me Sunset.¨ she said.
Valor´s sisters all gave out a sigh of relief, but a few groaned afterward and handed Amber, Scarlet, and the third youngest sister, Juniper, some money. ¨Not only did the three of us just get some cash from that bet, but we´re glad to know you won´t die a virgin.¨ Before Valor could speak in protest at his sister´s betting on whether or not he would remain a virgin for the rest of his days, he and Sunset were wrapped up in an intense group hug. ¨Welcome to the family Sunset.¨ they said in unison.
¨Come on,¨ Valor wheezed, trying to catch his breath, ¨I´ll show you guys around.¨he said, as his sisters, Amber aside separated to go do their own things.
After a little over an hour of touring the house, with Valor and Amber rattling off as much trivia about their family´s centuries-old abode, Valor and Sunset had managed to break away from the group, The star-flung couple now found themselves wrapped up in an old gray blanket, sat atop a swaying, sweet-scented, mahogany bench. Each hand an arm wrapped around the other´s waist. Their heads were tilted up, as they gazed upon the shimmering tapestry of stars that gazed back at them with lights from stars that were likely long dead.
¨You know Jaune, I´m glad you came into a life with a great family.¨ Sunset smiled, enjoying the warmth of his body, and the intoxicating scent of his freshly shampooed and soaped up hair and skin. ¨I mean, Shimmer´s parents, and I guess, my parents back in Equestria were great, but well, you´ve had such a wonderful life, and I, well, I became a lonely, power obsessed bitch who wanted to lead a zombie army to take over what I had considered my home.¨ she said, sighing sadly.
Valor patted her back, ¨Hey, that´s in your past right? Don´t let it define you, focus on today.¨he smiled warmly, running a hand through his flaxen hair.
Sunset snorted, ¨Now you sound like Professor Ozpin.¨ she teased, booping his nose with her own, chuckling. ¨Hey Jaune, you ever wonder if any of the others are here too? Or scattered among who knows how many dimensions?¨ she said, then dropped her voice down to a conspiratorial whisper. ¨You know, I noticed Pinkie´s a lot like Nora.¨
Valor shivered in fear. ¨That would be scary. I still recall all those workout sessions with her and Nana Armstrong.¨ Now Sunset shivered in fear. Shortly after Team JNPR had discovered Blake´s Faunushood, or rather been informed of it by the resident ninja of Team RWBY, Nora had managed to reconnect with her grandmother, a nearly eight foot tall giant of a woman, by the name of Hilde Valkyrie Armstrong, wife of Philip Gargantos Armstrong, a man who, like Sunset and Valor now, had found himself thrust into a reality unlike his own, and Hilde, like her daughter, not only possessed physical strength that would make a Goliath piss itself and run scampering off, but also a lightning based Semblance. She was also like Yang in a way, except her Conductive-Gatling Gauntlets not only allowed her to channel her Semblance into her brawling, especially with the bodybuilder build she possessed, but also fire off lightning at the speed of a minigun, and that was without Dust infused bullets. Whenever Nana Armstrong came to visit, she and her granddaughter would put JPR, and any poor souls that happened to stroll by at the wrong time, into a hellish exercise regimen in either Beacon´s gym, or in the main courtyard.
Valor smiled, ¨Probably. If she is, maybe she´s waiting to spring it on us. I mean, Pinkie is one of the few people on the ¨Banned on Pancake Wednesday¨ list.¨ he chuckled, his chiseled chest rising and falling.
¨That is true. It would be wonder-¨ Sunset was cut off as a chill hung over the air, causing the hairs on the back of her neck, and some on her head, to stand on end. She and Valor stood up, knocking the blanket aside.
A few feet away, bubbling and pulsating, a sickly ebony portal hummed on the cold dirt ground. From within, a hulking, lanky, wolf-like beast, with eyes as red as blood, fur as black as obsidian, and armored bone plates on its body arose, as it howled.
¨A Beowolf?!¨ Both cried out in shock, their Hunstman/Huntress instincts kicking into high gear. It was a simple Beowolf, and not even a strong looking one, almost like a scout. Sunset ponied up, while Jaune grabbed an old sword from his mom´s weapon collection. With a wave of her hand, Sunset blasted the creature of Grimm onto its back, while Valor decapitated it.
By now, Sunset´s friends, as well as Valor´s sisters, came running out, demanding to know what was going on. A few of Valor´s sisters had training weapons in hand.
¨That was a creature of Grimm.¨ Sunset said, returning to normal. Valor stored the sword away, before rejoining them, panting. ¨They´re soulless, destructive monsters from Remnant. They´re attracted to negative emotions, and they´ve been ravaging Remnant for centuries, if not millennia.¨ she said, glancing at Jaune´s family´s weapon collection. ¨We got lucky this time, but if more come, I don´t think some old, albeit well forged might I add, swords will do the trick."
Rainbow grinned, ¨Well don´tcha worry guys. I know a guy who can set us up with some kickass weapons.¨ She yawned, ¨We can check it out in the morning.¨ As one, they began making their way back inside.
Sunset took one last look as the Grimm´s bone plates faded into the aether, then shut the sliding glass door, fliicking off the lights. Today would be a long day.