//------------------------------// // Meeting Misfortunes (New) // Story: SAPR // by Scipio Smith //------------------------------// Meeting Misfortunes A faint smile played across Cinder’s face as she folded up her scroll. How confused must Sunset be at this moment? I bet her thoughts are awhirl as she tries to work out my angle. I wonder if she’s considering the possibility that there is no angle? I wonder if she is considering that I might just want to see her again. She’d be wrong to think so, of course – there absolutely was an angle – but on the other hand… on the other hand, it might be rather nice if Sunset thought she had only benign intentions. Not that she would. She was too suspicious of Cinder for that, especially now that she knew about Salem. That was… unexpected. Cinder hadn’t thought that Ozpin would be so trusting, especially not of someone like Sunset. She had thought that he would cling to his secrets while the foundations of the Emerald Tower crumbled beneath him. That was what Salem had told her of their opponent: that he was a man whose pathological secrecy would be his undoing. It seemed that she had underestimated him. Cinder… Cinder was glad of that. Now that she and Sunset were firmly established on opposite sides of this war, there was a much greater chance that it would be Sunset, and not the Rosepetals or the crow or some other pawn of the old man or the general, who would be sent to Mountain Glenn in answer to Cinder’s summons. Now that they were on opposite sides, it would be easy for them to see each other again. And, with all the secrets revealed and the deceptions fallen away, they could move forward into a new, healthier, and more confident phase of their relationship in which they really understood each other. Because Cinder understood Sunset very well. She didn’t need an empathic semblance or a view into Sunset’s past to know the other girl as she knew herself. What mysteries there were – what kind of magic did she have, and how did she come by it? – did not change the fact that Sunset’s nature was an open book, from the way that her instinct was to seek vengeance against her enemies – whether or not her so-called friends convinced her to feel guilty about it later – to the way in which she had rendered herself – or been convinced to render herself – emotionally dependent on those same supposed friends. Cinder hoped that she could free Sunset from those bonds at some point, because it really wasn’t healthy for her, but at the same time… not yet. For the moment, Sunset’s particular weaknesses, well, Cinder’s plan did not require Sunset’s presence at Mountain Glenn, but that presence would make her plan far, far more likely to succeed. There was more than one kind of power: the power that General Ironwood possessed, the power of armies and weapons; the power that Professor Ozpin possessed, the power of knowledge and manipulation; and her power, the power of understanding, of using the power of others against them. And for that, the friends she loved so well would turn against her until only Cinder remained. And Sunset, by choice or by necessity, would join with her. Salem’s cause was meant for one like Sunset: the cause of the lost, the broken, the beaten, and the damned. Sunset didn’t belong with Ozpin and his coterie of the self-righteous and self-satisfied. She belonged on the side of the winners. She belonged with Cinder. Cinder smiled in a self-satisfied manner as she put her scroll away and made her way across the grassy field to where Mercury and Emerald were waiting for her beside the car which they had been given by the cultist family. It was a black, four-door SUV, not exactly suitable for off-roading, but by the time they needed to ditch the car, they would be able to walk the rest of the way to Mountain Glenn. Lightning Dust was not with them. Cinder had sent her to scout out some smoke that she’d seen rising from a nearby copse of trees. Bandits weren’t likely this close to Vale, but she didn’t want to drive into an ambush. Emerald was sitting on the bonnet of the car, leaning back against the windscreen, hands tucked behind her head. She looked as though she was sunbathing. Perhaps she really was sunbathing. Mercury looked far less relaxed. He was not quite pacing up and down, but he seemed as though he wanted to. His whole body was tense with restrained energy. He looked at Cinder as she approached. “It’s done?” he asked. “Yes,” Cinder said calmly. “It’s done.” “And you told them where we’re going?” Mercury demanded with disbelief lacing his voice. Cinder looked straight into his grey eyes, her gaze making him draw back a little. “That’s right,” she said. “I told her where she could find us.” “Why?” “I’m sure Cinder has a good reason,” Emerald said loyally, or at least she tried to sound loyal. She could not quite manage to hide the fact that she too was uncertain about this. “Then let’s hear it,” Mercury growled. Cinder was silent for a moment, her gaze flickering from Mercury to Emerald and then back again. “Have you ever seen a magic trick, either of you?” “No,” Mercury said flatly. “Then you’ve missed out,” Cinder murmured. “Because it’s really very clever. With one hand, the magician flourishes.” She held out her left palm, and a flame leapt up above her skin, drawing their eyes towards it. “And then when you’re distracted by the flourish, the other hand-” – a glass dagger appeared in her other hand as she lunged towards Mercury too swiftly for him to block; she stopped, the tip of her knife less than an inch from his eye – “-performs the trick.” Mercury tried his best to look unafraid as he scrambled away from her, sidling along the car. “So, inviting Sunset to Mountain Glenn is-” “The flourish,” Cinder said, “that conceals the trick.” “They’re bound to suspect a trap,” Mercury insisted. “Naturally, Mercury, didn’t you just hear me explain how the trick is done?” Cinder demanded. “They’ll suspect a trap. They’ll suspect that I mean to lure them all to Mountain Glenn to kill them.” Especially given that Sunset knew full well how much she hated Pyrrha Nikos; that she might bring her enemy to a dark place where there was no help and cut her down… what could be more natural than that? What more obvious conclusion was there to jump to? “And so they will congratulate themselves when they manage to survive and… derail my plans.” Cinder smiled. “Never for a moment realising that their victory was my plan all along.” “Not quite all along,” Mercury pointed out. Cinder rolled her eyes. “Plans change as the situation dictates. Circumstances have changed, and we must change with them. But make no mistake, we are on the verge of greatness. All those who have tried to put limits on us, to pull us down, to say what we may or may not do have failed. All that remains is to take flight for our glory and for our destiny. The sky awaits us, if only we have the courage to seize it!” “And we will,” Emerald declared. “We’re with you, every step of the way.” Cinder favoured her with a smile. “Of course you are,” she said. Lightning Dust returned shortly after, looking unruffled and unconcerned by whatever it was that she had found. “Two girls and a dog,” she announced. “One of them is armed, could be a huntress, in which case, the dog is probably trained as well.” “And the other?” Cinder asked. “No weapons that I could see,” Lightning said. “Not everyone’s weapons are that visible,” Mercury pointed out, gesturing to his boots. Lightning shrugged. “Fair point.” “And there is no one else?” Cinder inquired. Lightning shook her head. “I scouted around, took a look, nobody else but them.” “What are they doing?” asked Cinder. “Cooking a meal, by the look of it.” “Really?” Cinder chuckled. Easy enough to avoid them. Easy enough simply to drive past them, shielded by the anonymity of the tinted windows on their gifted car. Easy enough… but Cinder did not wish to do so. Some god, as the epics of old would have it, put the idea into her mind that she should approach these two instead. She could not claim any logic to it; there was no reason of the mind why she should take this course, but an instinct led her to it, and Cinder trusted her instincts. The same instincts had led her to the right moment and the right method to escape her home; the same instincts had led her to Salem. Instinct had brought her this far; she would humour it a little longer. “Well then, why don’t we see if they’re in the mood for guests?” Mercury’s eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?” “Yes,” Cinder said firmly, her voice brooking no further argument from him, at least not now. “Come on, I have a feeling that we will find something to our advantage. Winona lay on her belly, her head resting on the ground. Applejack – who had a real name but rarely used it, and nobody else used it either, for that matter – reached out and scratched her faithful dog behind the ears. A soft smile played across her face as she felt the fur beneath her fingertips. “Good girl,” she murmured as Winona’s tongue emerged from out of her mouth. Applejack looked up to see Fluttershy sitting across the fire from her, having shuffled just around said fire so that it wasn’t exactly between them, with her sketchbook resting upon her knee, pencil in hand. Applejack’s smile broadened. “Am I gonna be in this one, or just Winona?” “I’ll try and get you in,” Fluttershy replied, “but I can’t guarantee you’ll like it. I’m not as good at drawing people as I am animals.” Applejack grinned. “Ain’t we just animals, when it comes to it?” “I… suppose so,” Fluttershy murmured. “But all the same-” “Don’t worry about it; I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Applejack assured her. “And even if it ain’t, so long as you get Winona right, well, that’ll be fine.” In her view, Fluttershy was selling herself short. She didn’t like drawing people the way that she liked drawing animals and birds, but that didn’t mean she was bad at it. Matter of fact, she had a real talent for drawing, at least for the animals and birds, like Applejack just said. On their trip across Vale these last few months, she had filled up her sketchbook with pictures of badgers, foxes, moles, hedgehogs, bluejays, blue tits, magpies, crows, ravens, deer… just about everything that you could imagine. She had drawn them from a distance, sketching quickly before they took wing or disappeared out of sight, and she had drawn them up close too while they, well, they darn well sat still for her, or stood still, posin’ for her like, or else – which Fluttershy seemed to prefer – just going on with their business scratchin’ trees or buryin’ nuts or buildin’ dams. Even animals that Applejack hadn’t wanted anywhere near them, like wolves or boar, Fluttershy had just said some words, and they were as gentle as newborn babies. That was Fluttershy’s way. Fluttershy’s semblance. Twilight said that there was a whole bunch of debate around semblances, whether they reflected who you were or they were completely random or somethin’ in between – although to Applejack, all that meant was a way of sayin’ ‘its random, but some folks get kinda lucky so it seems like it ain’t for them’ – but to Applejack, it seemed pretty darn obvious that it was the first one. And if she wanted to prove it, then she only needed to point to Fluttershy, because nobody could talk her into thinking that Fluttershy’s semblance wasn’t a perfect fit for her personality and how the hell did that happen if it was all random? There was no way that someone who loved animals as much as Fluttershy did ended up being able to talk to animals without the one followin’ on from the other. It wasn’t just drawin’ that Fluttershy had been up to either. Over the months that they’d been out here, walkin’ from one end of Vale to the other, the two of them had seen all kinds of things: burnt out settlements destroyed by the grimm, where wild horses and wild cows had gotten used to livin’ without nobody around to feed ‘em no more and fallen back on their instincts; beasts and birds in their natural habitats; worlds untouched by man. Peaceful places, kinda creepy and hair raisin’ places, places where Applejack had been amazed that nobody had tried to settle yet, only for Fluttershy to tell her it was a good thing on account of it would have disturbed the delicate balance of nature all around. Fluttershy had taken a lot of notes, about the way those critters lived, about the things they ate and the places they slept and how they socialised. She had notebooks full of information in her backpack. Probably enough to write a whole book when they got home. Fortunately, they hadn’t come across many grimm on their journey; part of that was that the wildlife was awfully obligin’ in lettin’ Fluttershy know if any of ‘em were close by so that the two Atlesians could avoid them. Part of it was that the wildlife was almost as obligin’ in helpin’ ‘em out if they needed the assist, like the time that ursa had been set on by a pack of wolves and brought down in two shakes of a prairie dog’s tail, all because they were fond of Fluttershy. Of course, they hadn’t always gotten that lucky, but those times, Applejack’s gun and Winona’s teeth had been enough to get the job done. Applejack’s lever rifle, One in a Thousand, sat on the grass beside her. Her revolver, Last Chance, was in the holster at her hip. And the beans were almost done. “I reckon,” Applejack said, picking up the ladle and beginning to spoon the beans out of the can and onto one of two plates, “that breakfast is just about served.” “Thank you, Applejack,” Fluttershy said quietly, the smile remaining on her face as she put her sketchbook aside and accepted the plate from Applejack’s hands. As she settled back down, she took a look around her. “You know, I think I’ll miss this.” Applejack looked around herself. “Miss what?” “The peace,” Fluttershy explained. “The quiet. Nobody around.” Applejack chuckled. “I can appreciate some peace and quiet as well as the next fella, but I’ll be glad to get back to Vale. Not that I haven’t enjoyed havin’ this time to spend with you, but it’ll be nice to be able to go to sleep without worryin’ about what might be sneakin’ up on us in the middle of the night.” “Thanks for coming,” Fluttershy murmured. “I know that it isn’t how you would have chosen to spend your time, but-” “Oh, don’t worry about it; I liked this just fine,” Applejack assured her. “It ain’t like I’m a city girl or nothin’. Sure, I prefer land that’s been a little more… pacified, but most days… yeah, this has been pretty sweet. Open skies and open spaces. And Winona’s had a good time too, ain’t you, Winona?” Winona raised her head and barked. “You’d tell me if she was contradictin’ me, wouldn’t you?” Applejack asked. Fluttershy giggled. “Do you think we’ll be able to see Rainbow Dash and Twilight when we’re in Vale, or will they be out on a mission?” Applejack thought about it for a moment. “It is gettin’ pretty close to the end of semester,” she admitted. “We might have missed ‘em. But we might not. I can’t rightly say for sure. I don’t know how it is up at Beacon. We’ll just have to see when we arrive, won’t we?” Fluttershy nodded. “I suppose we will. And if we miss them, there’s always the break before the Vytal Festival.” “And the tournament itself,” Applejack added. “Plenty of time to see ‘em. Plenty of time to tell ‘em all your stories.” “Our stories.” “Oh, no, this was your adventure; I was just the bodyguard,” Applejack reminded her. She grinned. “So, you got enough out of this here jaunt?” “Oh, yes!” Fluttershy cried. “I’ve learnt so much and seen so many things I couldn’t have dreamed of. It’s been absolutely incredible!” “'Incredible'?” Applejack repeated, laughter in her voice. “Well, don’t that make it all worthwhile, huh?” Winona raised her head, sniffing the air, barking twice as she got to her feet. “Winona?” Applejack asked, half-rising up onto her feet, although she remained crouched down as she reached for One in a Thousand. “What is it, girl?” “She’s saying,” Fluttershy murmured, “that-” “Hello there!” a figure called as she came into view, walking towards them through the trees towards their clearing. “So sorry, I didn’t mean to alarm you. It’s just that my teammates and I have been on a mission for the last few days, and we were wondering if we might presume upon your hospitality, to share your fire and perhaps your food.” Her teammates, as she had identified them, trailed after her into the clearing. The woman who had spoken was the tallest of the group, a woman dressed in a pretty red dress with fancy golden thread, the kind of thing that Rarity would have appreciated, even if she wouldn’t have worn it herself. With her choker and earrings, she looked a little bit overdressed to be traipsing around in the woods, but Applejack knew that there were all different kinds of huntresses, and they didn’t always dress practical like – the Great and Powerful Trixie bein’ a case in point. Her hair was black and long and curly and fell down in such a way that you could only see one of her eyes; it was amber and put Applejack in mind of fire as much as her dress. She didn’t have no weapons on her, least as far as Applejack could see. Behind her was another girl, a lot smaller than her leader, with green hair mostly cut in a bowl ‘cept for a couple of long tails reachin’ toward the floor. She wasn’t wearin’ much, but what she was wearin’ was pretty practical, and she had what looked like a pair of long pistols – revolvers, at that – holstered behind her back. After her came the only boy in the group, tall enough but not near as tall as his team leader, dressed in grey – which matched his hair, and his eyes too – and black with some kind of armour on his arms and bullets lining his boots, which was where Applejack reckoned he kept his weapons, or rather, she reckoned his boots were his weapons, some kind of gun in the soles or somethin’. And last there was a girl who really looked dressed for a fight, in a black bodysuit with neon green flashes and some kind of backpack that reminded Applejack a mite of Rainbow’s wings, except that it had tubes of some sort coming out of it and plugging into the suit at the shoulders and sides. Was it powerin’ it? Was it some kind of armour, like Twilight had made? This last girl was a faunus – Applejack could see her tail stickin’ out – and a tough-lookin’ one too. She had a scar on her face, and her suit couldn’t hide the muscle on her. Applejack got up. “Howdy, fellas,” she said. “I wasn’t expectin’ to see anyone out here, but then, I guess we are gettin’ closer to Vale.” “Truth to tell, I’m not sure that we’re supposed to be here,” the leader of the team said with a chuckle. “We were assigned to make a… I suppose you could call it a perimeter sweep, checking for any grimm activity… close to Vale, as you say. We may have gotten just a little lost.” “Well, you’re welcome to share our fire and any food that we can spare, if you like,” Fluttershy offered. “Maybe we could all go back to Vale together?” “The first is very much appreciated,” she replied. “The second… I think we’ll stay out here a little longer and at least try and accomplish our mission.” “Well, okay,” Applejack said. “Sit yourselves down, y’all; the more the merrier. Y’all huntsmen, then?” “In training,” she corrected. “Team Clementine of Haven Academy. My name is Cinder Fall, and these are my teammates Emerald, Mercury, and Lightning Dust.” “Howdy,” Applejack repeated. “You can call me Applejack, and this is my friend Fluttershy.” “Hello,” Fluttershy said with a wave of one hand. “And this is Winona,” Applejack added. Winona barked. “Aww, she’s so cute!” Emerald cried, holding out both hands. Winona’s tongue hung out as she padded across the grass towards her, whereupon Emerald started scratching her behind the ears. “Who's a good girl? You are! Yes, you are! Yes, you are!” Applejack chuckled as she sat back down and handed Cinder what would have been her plate of beans. “It ain’t fancy food, I’m afraid, but it’ll fill your stomach up.” “We’re very much obliged,” Cinder said, as she took the offered plate. “I take it, Applejack, that you’re a huntress?” “Nah, I’m just in trainin’, same as you,” Applejack replied. “I’m… I’m on a… what’s the word… I’m takin’ a break, only it’s got some fancy word.” “Sabbatical?” Cinder suggested. “Probably,” Applejack agreed. “I took a year out from Atlas and agreed to help Fluttershy here travel around Vale for a spell.” “Travelling?” Cinder asked. “Anywhere in particular?” “Not really,” Fluttershy answered. “It’s not about the destination; it’s about seeing how many animals and birds I can observe and document on the journey.” “An unusual motive for travelling the world, in this day and age,” Cinder observed. “Maybe,” Fluttershy conceded, “but it’s very rewarding. At least, I think so, anyway.” “So,” Applejack said, “you fellas over from Haven for the Vytal Festival?” “Yes,” Cinder murmured. “We were hoping to make rather a splash, but… things change. We weren’t quite prepared for the… quality of some of the other teams that we would find there.” “You shouldn’t give up so easily,” Fluttershy said encouragingly. “If you work together and try your best, I’m sure you’ll do splendidly.” Cinder smiled thinly. “Oh, believe me, Fluttershy, I’ve no intention of giving up.” “So, if you’re staying at Beacon, does that mean you’ve met our friends Rainbow Dash and Twilight Sparkle?” Fluttershy asked. Cinder froze. The smile died from her face. “Rainbow Dash,” she murmured. “Did you say… do you mean to tell us that the two of you are friends with Rainbow Dash?” “Oh, yes, she and Twilight are two of our best friends,” Fluttershy announced happily. “We-” “Fluttershy,” Applejack murmured, a warning in her voice because the way that Cinder had suddenly started to look, the way that her eyes had narrowed, the way that she’d gone colder than a rattlesnake, it was givin’ Applejack the creeps. “What’s it to you if we know Rainbow Dash?” Cinder didn’t reply, and neither did any of her teammates. She just stared at Applejack, stared her right in the eye. Applejack stared back. Their eyes bored into one another. Cinder’s eyes were about all that Applejack could see; the rest of the world just seemed to disappear around them until there was nothing but Cinder’s eyes, her amber eyes as big as Atlas itself, smoulderin’ with anger. Their eyes narrowed. They kept on starin’, and in Cinder’s stare, there was somethin’ real nasty and no mistake. Applejack reached for her rifle. Lightning Dust lunged for her, the muscular faunus’ body slamming into Applejack and knocking her back and onto her back. Applejack swung her fist into Lightning’s face, hitting her hard enough that she was hurled off of Applejack and tossed across the clearing, slamming into a tree hard enough to shatter it into splinters. Applejack’s semblance was super strength, and she packed one hell of a punch. “Run, Fluttershy!” Applejack yelled as Fluttershy took off with a squeak of alarm, Mercury at her heels. “Get ‘em, Winona!” Winona began to growl, but then stopped. She was looking at Emerald, looking right up at her… looking right up at her the way that she looked at Applejack. What the hell? She licked Emerald’s face. What the hell? Applejack pulled out Last Chance, aiming at Mercury, leading him a little before she let fly, fanning the hammer to pump out one shot after another. But Cinder was between her and Mercury, one hand held out, and shot after shot from Applejack’s revolver roared out only to slam into some kind of barrier, not even Cinder’s aura – that would have made her flinch – but somethin’ else, like some kind of shield or somethin’. Who are these folks? Cinder smirked, and it seemed to Applejack a nasty smirk, as a bow made of black glass formed out of nothin’ in her hand. She drew back, an arrow notched and pointed at Applejack. Applejack threw herself to one side, losin’ her hat as she rolled across the ground, coming up on her feet and charging straight for Cinder. Cinder loosed again, only this time, she fired too short, and the glass arrow hit the ground with a thud. Applejack leapt over it- The arrow exploded, the heat of the blast washing over Applejack as shards of glass sliced at her aura. She hung in the air, arms and legs spread out, flailin’ wildly, and then Cinder was on top of her, her glass bow changing to a pair of swords, slicin’ and dicin’ like Applejack was a prize pig at the county fair, tearing up her aura before slammin’ Applejack into the ground and kickin’ her in the belly for good measure. Applejack reached out for Cinder’s leg, snaggin’ it before she could get away, pullin’ her down onto the ground besides Applejack. She pulled herself on top of the other girl, first raised to pound on her until- Again, Applejack was assaulted by shards of glass as Cinder’s bow dissolved in her grip, the glass like knives flyin’ across Applejack, rippin’ her aura apart as Cinder hurled her off of her, tossed her up into the air. Applejack saw Cinder’s bow reform as she fell, saw Cinder lead her on, saw Cinder let fly. The arrow struck Applejack in the midriff, and she howled in pain as she dropped to the ground like a lightning bolt, only she hurt more than the ground she hit seemed to. She didn’t know how much aura she had left, but ‘less than the other fellas’ seemed like a pretty good guess. Still, so long as Fluttershy got away then… I’m sorry, Apple Bloom, Applejack thought as she rose unsteadily to her feet, her hands clenched into fists. Cinder notched another arrow onto her bow. Her smirk broadened as Mercury returned, holding Fluttershy by the arm – and the neck. “Your friend here has some aura training,” Mercury declared. “But I can break that before I break her neck.” Applejack bared her teeth. “Leave her alone, you son of a-” “Fluttershy won’t be harmed, as you will not be harmed,” Cinder said. “Yet.” “What is it that you want?” Applejack demanded. “Unfortunately for you, you’re friends of Rainbow Dash,” Cinder explained. “Rainbow Dash was recently… rather annoying. She put up a better fight than you did.” Applejack snorted. “That don’t surprise me none. So this is payback, huh? Rainbow ran you out on a rail, and you’re itchin’ to get back at her for it?” “Something like that,” Cinder admitted. “Well, you can do whatever you want with me,” Applejack said. “You can kill me if you want to. But if you got a scrap of honest decency in you, you’ll let Fluttershy go.” “No!” Fluttershy cried. “Applejack, you can’t-” “It’ll be okay, Fluttershy,” Applejack told her, her voice calm and steady. Steady as a rock. “You just call Twilight, and she’ll do some fancy thing to find out where you are, and Rainbow Dash will come pick you up.” “How very noble of you,” Cinder remarked dryly. “How very self-sacrificing. How very Atlesian, to give one’s life without a thought for those left behind to mourn for you.” “Sometimes, you gotta do what you gotta do,” Applejack muttered. “Perhaps,” Cinder said. “Or perhaps not. You see, I do not have a scrap of common decency in me. I… am above all things which bear the label ‘common.’ And yet I will not kill you, and I certainly will not release you, Fluttershy. I have better uses for the pair of you than a corpse and a messenger.” “Really?” Applejack said. “And what use is that?” “Bait.”