C4 - In Which Rainbow Dash Jumps off a Cliff
A few days later, we were released from the infirmary. Yang still walked with a slight limp, but was unnoticeable unless you actually paid attention. My wrist was still in a brace, but as long as I didn’t do anything drastic it would be off in a couple days.
Ruby told me all about the rumors going through the school, and I noticed a lot of the students looking at me with awe, or maybe anger. Supposedly, depending on who you ask, I either cheated, or somehow poisoned Yang so she wouldn’t win. People just don’t seem to grasp the concept that I’m just that awesome, I don’t need to cheat. There was also the debate as to if Yang’s title of ‘co-undefeated duelist’ was still valid, since it was a tie. I’d just as soon let her keep the title; I know what it’s like to be on top, then take a harsh fall.
We’re sitting at the edge of one of the helipads (They have flying machines too! Who knew?), overlooking Vale. I know that if there ever was a time for ‘the talk’, it was now. I clear my throat.
“Before you guys start hammering me with questions, I gotta know: Why were you so distant from me, Yang? You never even tried to get to know me.”
Yang balls her fists, then unclenches with a sigh. “I’m not supposed to tell you this, but you earned my respect on the dueling field. Professor Ozpin had… suspicions you were a spy for the White Fang.”
Ah. Suddenly, some pieces of the puzzle fall into place. Ruby told me about their interactions with the terrorist group, how they had been stealing Dust, and then used the Dust to draw a massive amount of Grimm into the city.
“Really? That’s it?”
“Well, yeah. There were too many unknowns with you, you know? You were found in a sealed-off area of Forever Fall, one where only we were, you obviously have training, and you saved Ruby and Weiss from Grimm you might have led to them in the first place. Ozpin had his suspicions about you, and told me. Something about, ‘I would know what to do’. But come on, it’s not that bad. At least he didn’t think you were an alien from space or something.” They all laugh at that. I try to get caught up in the mirth, but fall flat.
“Heh, yeah… see, about that…” they all turn to me. “I’m going to need you guys to trust me on this, okay? I Pinkie Promise you what I am about to say is one hundred percent true. Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye.” They look worried. By invoking the Pinkie Promise, I now can’t lie to them. Here goes nothing.
“My name is Rainbow Dash, and I am not a human. I’m really a Pegasus from a country called Equestria…”
----------
I talk for hours. Once I started, I just couldn’t stop until I got everything out. I was afraid they’d think I was crazy, throw me in the loony bin if they knew about my true past. By the looks they’re giving me as I tell them about my pony friends, I decide, to Tartarus with all that. Real friends wouldn’t care if I was some evil tentacled creature from the Plane of Misery (Which, Twi assures me, is a real thing), they’d accept me for who I was. As I end, talking about how we saved the Crystal Empire from Sombra I look up, fully expecting betrayal, hate, anger…
Instead, I get a hug. I can’t speak, can’t even move.
“Why? You’re supposed to hate me! I kept all this from you, and all I want is to go home! I took advantage of your kindness!”
“Rainbow…” Ruby breaks from the hug to look me in the eye. “Why would we hate you? You never meant to hurt us, right?”
“Never!”
“And you didn’t try to become friends with us to attack us, or anyone else we love, right?”
“Y-yeah…”
“Then why would we hate you?”
That does it. I collapse into her arms. Hey, I didn’t cry. Rainbow Dash is too cool to cry. I might have sweated from my eyes a little, but I didn’t cry.
Afterwards, I finally bring myself up. The others are closer now, comforting.
“So, you really saved your world three times?”
“Well, me and my friends.”
“Using some ancient artifacts with way more power than anything else your world has. Wow.”
Blake finally speaks. “So, you said you want to go home? Why haven’t you yet?”
“I don’t know how. I was telling you the truth before. I woke up in a clearing in Forever Fall, no knowledge of how. Remember when I told you about that memory I had in the infirmary, the one with Twilight and me, and her experiment? That’s the only thing I remember about it.”
This goes on for a while, them asking for clarification on some part of my story, and me answering as best as I could.
Eventually, though, the good times ended with a gust. Specifically, a gust from one of the flying machines. We scamper off the pad, and as it touches down, a flustered young guy jumps out and streaks for the main building. We manage to get his attention.
“Hey…gotta… Ozpin… forest… people…”
“Calm down. Take a breath,” Blake puts a hand on his shoulder, and the effect is immediate. He stops mumbling nonsense, stands straight, and regains control. “Now, what happened? There aren’t any scheduled landings today.”
“Uh, yeah. Watcher Jones. I patrol the outskirts of Vale, making sure no Grimm try to find their way to the city. I was flying over the Emerald Forest, and my sensors picked up some energy fluctuations. I took my bird over, just in time to see three people literally blink into existence in front of me and fall into the forest. I’ve gotta take this footage to Professor Ozpin; he’ll send a team to retrieve them.”
I step forward. “Can I see the footage, Johannes?”
“My name is Jones, but sure. Hey, aren’t you the one who almost took down Yang Xiao…Long…” he finally notices the others. As he starts sputtering gibberish again, I look at the datapad. It has the video, as well as a readout of his sensors. Those I ignore.
The video shows a sprawling forest. Then, the sensors go crazy. The video turns around, and sure enough, three figures are suddenly falling through the air. It’s hard to tell from the distance, but one has short hair, another long blonde, and a third has very long soft pink hair flying behind her as they fall. My throat catches. I know that hair. Fluttershy! I give the pad back, and look him straight in the eye. “Where did they fall?”
“I have the coordinates, but I think the closest landmark is the ruins.”
“Where our initiation took place? Good times, good times,” Ruby says.
I heard nothing beyond ‘ruins’. My focus is dead-set on finding my friends. “Ruby, you and the team get this guy to Ozpin. I’ve gotta get to the forest.”
The others look at me like I’m made of chowder. I’m getting used to that look, but it still grates me the wrong way. “What?”
“Uh, Rainbow… It’s Grimm mating season. Nobody is allowed outside the city unless they have Huntsmen with them. Even then, it’s really dangerous; the Grimm are extremely territorial right now. The mission we found you on? That was one of the last approved by Ozpin until the season is over.”
Do you think that’ll stop me? My friends just dropped out of nowhere looking for me! Now you tell me they’re in one of the most dangerous places ever?” I walk towards the edge of the helipad.
Ruby tries to stop me, but stops short, registering the word ‘friends’. “Rainbow, just… don’t do anything stupid.”
I glance back, and give her my ‘baby, I’m awesome’ grin. “Ruby, I’m Rainbow Dash. I don’t do stupid.” I then make the absolutely stupid decision of jumping off the platform.
The others see me go, slack jawed. “Uhh, your friend knows she can’t fly, right?”
“Shut up, Johannes.”
----------
I realize about a hundred feet down how stupid a choice I made.
Okay, I’ll just spread my wings and… wait, I don’t have wings. I’m a human! Oh buck oh crap oh shit oh Goddesses oh damn oh stupid oh HELP!
I’m now about two hundred feet from becoming a rainbow-colored splotch on the street below, and falling fast. Think. Why would I jump off a ledge? My brain wasn’t working, that’s for sure.
One fifty.
Maybe if I try my Aura thing again, I can at least become a recognizable splotch.
One hundred.
Okay, focus. What did it the first time? Panic situation? Check. Threat of death? Check.
Fifty.
Wait, not death, threat of losing. I have everything to lose here, so focus.
Twenty five.
Suddenly, the wind shifts from blowing my face upwards to nothing. I chance opening my eyes, and find, miraculously, I’m not dead! I’m floating about twenty feet above the street. No splat on the ground, so how…?
I look to the sides, and I see wings. Two big, beautiful cyan wings sticking straight out of my back! I think about going higher, and the wings flap in response. I grin. Let’s see what these bad boys can do. I point myself in the direction of the Emerald Forest, and zoom off.
----------
It takes about fifteen minutes to get to the edge of the forest. I could have gotten here sooner, but I was pulling off moves I haven’t used since my days in Flight School. I land, and they fold behind my back and disappear. I get worried, and think about them again. They reappear. Good, seems I can call them when I want.
Now, if memory serves, I’m on the ledge that Ruby and them started their initiation by literally being dumped into the forest below. They said the ruins were straight north from here. Seeing as I don’t want to attract too much attention from the nasty beasties, I leap down the cliff, and take off running.
----------
A few minutes later, I am really regretting that decision. Up in the air, I could probably take down everything except the giant Nevermores with ease. Down here, I have to deal with Ursa, Beowulf packs, Boarbatusks, and Taijitu, all extremely aggressive, and all extremely pissed off a human is interrupting their mating season. I don’t stop moving, even as I am putting bullets into everything that looks at me funny.
Eventually, I reach a small clearing. Not the one my friends are in, but one with dozens of Beowulfs. They get up, and start stalking towards me.
Oh buck this. I summon my wings, and take to the air. Some of the Beowulfs try to knock me down, but I shove them away with the halberd.
With wings beating furiously, I book it in the direction of the ruins.
----------
Turns out, they landed around the ruins. A lone Beowulf is sniffing around their bodies, so I put a bullet through it’s skull from twenty feet up. Poor sucker never saw me coming. I land, and inspect my friends.
All of them are in human form, obviously, but don’t seem to be hurt at all. There’s Twilight, Applejack, and Fluttershy. Let’s see, Twilight has a short cape with a star field pattern, and the quintessential schoolgirl outfit. She has a pair of boxy glasses that frame her cute face and make her look more mature. Near her feet is a stick, about the length of my forearm, crowned with a star like her cutie mark.
Applejack looks like a cowgirl. She kept the hat somehow, with a plaid shirt and knee-length cutoff jeans. I can see a hint of something like chainmail underneath (Hey, I was in the hospital a few days. I did a little research into weapons and armor. Ruby provided most of the books.). Her weapon looks like a shotgun meant to fire rounds at a constant speed, without need for reloading. A combat shotgun, I remember. Her belt probably contains all the ammo she’ll need.
Fluttershy has a yellow hoodie, meant to probably hide her face. She has a combat skirt under it, and wings coming out of her back…what?
Sure enough, she has a small pair of wings sticking out of her back. Not part of the hoodie, but literally a part of her. Definitely not large enough to achieve flight (she always did hate flying), but she could use them for some extra speed. In this world, she’s a Faunus. Her weapon… I gasp. She has a morning star, three and a half feet of handle, capped by a ball the size of my shoulder covered in spikes. Extremely deadly against anything without armor, anything with light armor, and enough force to dent platemail. I shudder to think what the other form of either of their weapons are.
Turns out, I don’t have to wait long. Twilight is the first to stir and, as she gains consciousness, goes through the exact same motions I did. She feels the ground under her, sits up, shields her eyes, looks closely at her hands, then at the rest of herself. Simultaneously, I hear rustling in the bushes around the clearing. We’re about to have company, fast. I pull one gun in preparation.
“Twilight, you need to get up now.”
She whips her head around to me. “R-Rainbow Dash? Is it really you?”
“Yeah, it’s me. Help me get the others into the ruins.”
She slowly stands. “Rainbow, where have you been? We’ve been worried sick! You weren’t there when we opened the portal last week, and I didn’t like the thought of going into a strange land alone so I—“
As she talks (Oh goddesses, how I’ve missed her voice!) I notice a Beowulf come out of the bushes behind her. Looks related to the one who was sniffing them earlier. As it rises to charge, I take command.
“TWILIGHT! GET DOWN!” She drops like a bullet, covering her head as I put one in the Beowulf’s. She looks at the beast, then back at me worriedly.
“R-R-Rainbow? Did you really just… kill that?”
The rustling intensifies. “Yeah, and there’s more on the way. Grab that,” I motion to the stick, “it’s important to you somehow.”
As she gingerly reaches for it, the others wake up. Exact same deal, except Fluttershy doesn’t even try to get up until I reach for her. I get them to pick up their weapons and move into the ruins. I take up a lookout position, watching for more Grimm. “Okay, we have about thirty seconds before we’re attacked. We’re surrounded, but help is on the way. If you have a question, now is the time to ask.”
Twi goes first. “Where are we?”
“In some ruins in the middle of a forest smack dab in the center of mating season for the local beasts. They’re pissed, and out for our blood. Next.”
Fluttershy goes next. “Wh-what are those things?” I look where she’s pointing, and crap. The Beowulf are advancing towards the ruins. I put a couple shots their way, and they back off a bit.
“Those are Grimm. I know what you’re thinking, Flutters. These creatures have no soul; they want nothing more than to tear us limb from limb. We’re gonna have to fight them. Show no mercy.”
Applejack works up the courage to ask, “what have ya’ll been doin’ here these past few weeks?”
I smile. “I found some people, made some friends. Those friends are on their way here, but we have to hold the Grimm off until then. Can you do that?”
“Sugarcube, I don’t even know wha’ tha heck this thing even is!” She points her shotgun at me. I quickly bat it away.
“Don’t point that end at any of us. Do this: we’re about to be attacked. Focus on your Element. I don’t know how, but it helped me control my weapons when I needed to.”
AJ closes her eyes and concentrates. When she open them, there is a steely glint in her eyes. She spins her gun by the trigger guard with one finger, then grabs the stock with her other hand and pumps the barrel. “Let’s do this.” Suddenly, her eyes go wide, she adjusts the gun, and fires. I look behind me, and a Beowulf stands there, a new hole in its belly. I look back, and Applejack looks like she’s going to be sick.
“Hey!” I get her attention. “It’s us or them. Here they come!” Sure enough, the other Beowulf took notice and are now charging the ruins. Me and AJ fire again and again, taking the beasts down, but more keep coming, much more than that first day. I hear a roar, and a few Ursa join the charge. I turn to Twilight.
“Twi!” she looks scared out of her mind. “You’re the Element of Magic. Obviously, you have magic ability here. Use it.”
“I don’t know how! Also, I don’t think I can bring myself to hit another creature, even if it is mindless.”
An idea comes to my mind. “Focus on what you want to do, and move that focus through the stick in your hand. I think it’s a wand; it works like your horn in Equestria.” She nods, then concentrates. She waves her wand, and a wall of earth erupts between us and the approaching Grimm on one side. With another wave, the wall slams backwards into the trees, leaving a score of dazed and broken Grimm.
“Yeah, that’s it! Get creative; there’s this one lady here able to make storms out of nothing. She has talent, but you are Magic itself. If it can be thought, you can do it.” She nods, grinning, then turns towards the Grimm. Suddenly, the slope leading to the ruins turns to sludge, trapping the Grimm, then ice.
I hear a screech from above. Shit, even the Nevermore are after us! A trio sweep towards Applejack, and she lets them. As they get closer, she takes her gun by the barrel. As it comes up, it elongates into a four foot handle. The handle of the shotgun is replaced with a wickedly sharp edge. She hangs it on her shoulder, then sweeps it forward like a baseball bat. Six Nevermore halves fall at her feet. A lumber axe, of course. She’s a farmer for trees!
I turn back to the fight, nodding appreciatively. While I’ve been distracted, the Grimm have gotten close enough to try and attack. I change to halberd, and begin some good old-fashioned hand-to-hand. As I slice off an Ursa’s arm at the shoulder, I spare a glance back at Fluttershy. She’s curled up in a corner, weeping, trying to block out the fight, her morning star a few feet from her.
“Fluttershy!” she looks up, her eyes red and puffy. I parry another Ursa’s claws. “You have to help! We’ll die otherwise!”
“B-but I d-don’t want to hurt another animal!”
“Fluttershy, it’s us or—” at that moment, the Ursa’s paw connects. I fly backwards into a pillar. I’m dazed, and as I look up, the Ursa looms over, ready to end my life. Suddenly, its paw is nothing but a mangled mess. I look, and there’s Fluttershy, a look of pure rage on her face and a bloody morning star in her hand. She marches in front of the Ursa, and grabs its other paw.
“Nobody,” she heaves upwards.
“Hurts,” the Ursa goes into the air.
“MY FRIENDS!” She places the morning star on her shoulder, and it transforms into a motherbucking rocket launcher! She fires, and the Ursa becomes gooey bits raining down on us. “If you don’t mind,” she says to nothing in particular. She reaches out a hand to me, and I take it. She pulls me up (Man, she’s a lot stronger than she looks), and the battle resumes in earnest.
With the four of us working together, we quickly turn the tide. No Grimm enter the ruins. I can almost taste the feelings of support I am getting from my friends. Your team, a voice niggles the back of my brain. Yeah, I guess we are a team, aren’t we?
Explosions, shots, and magic blasts echo across the forest. I’m having a ball until my pocket starts vibrating. I tell the others to take over, and duck into the center of the ruin. I pull my datapad out of my pocket. On it is a picture of Ruby. The first day I was out of the hospital, I was assigned one by Professor Goodwitch. It works as an access to the Internet, map, vitals checker, and phone. Ruby’s calling me. I answer.
“Rainbow? How are you—Never mind. Where are you? We can hear the battle from here, but we can’t see anything!”
“Wait, where are you guys?”
“In a ship flying over the forest. Turns out that guy’s coordinates were a piece of crap. Can you send a signal?”
“Give me a minute.” I check my ammo reserves, praying I still have some-Yes!
“Okay, I’m sending up a Hail Mary. You better hurry though, we’re starting to run dry.” I load Rain, and aim it at the sky. I fire and the explosive shot streaks into the air, exploding about fifty feet up. I do this several times, until I’m sure Ruby’s seen it. Sure enough, a ship flies low overhead a moment later. Team RWBY leaps out, and suddenly the Grimm turn to piecemeal. I rush over to the girls as the ship lands near the ruin.
“Okay girls, that’s our ride. They’ll cover us. Move!” We make a mad dash for the ship.
As we run, more Grimm fall around us. We near the ship, and as the last of us board, I yell to RWBY, “Go!” In an instant, they’re back on the ship and the pilot is taking off. Ruby, Yang and Blake start firing, keeping the Nevermore off the ship. As their shots slowly fade, I look us over. Besides the impact from the Ursa, and a few scattered claw marks from the Nevermore, we’re good. I turn to say something, but stop when my three friends all slump to the floor, the adrenaline rushing from their bodies. I look at Team RWBY apologetically.
“I guess introductions can wait until later.”
--------------------------
Post A/N: I stand by my thoughts that Flutters is truly the strongest of the Six. I mean, in the show, who else could wrestle a fully-grown grizzly bear into submission without magic? The weapon? She’s obviously the most protective of the group, as seen when she overcomes her fear of dragons to stare one down when her friends fail, and apply the same Stare to face down a cockatrice to save the family of her friends. So, it makes sense she would be the heavy artillery of the group.
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Ah yeah team harmony in the house its game over for anybody who steps up to them now.
YEAH!!!!!!
5406978 Sir, I belive you mean YEAHHHH!!!!!!!!.
But yeah, Team Harmony sounds good, but they aren't a full team without the crazy one and the prissy one. In the peopleof Remnant's eyes, they are, but they know they aren't
5407899 true its not realky avteam till the other two join but it still works for rwby.
*takes off glasses and CSI:Miami intro plays*
YEEEEEEEEAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!
5407899 and I just realized that the mare in the corner of the gif must have had a minigasm at Bicep's YEAH!
both glad and disappointed that pinkie didn't come along. Glad because we already have Nora constantly talking, disappointed because we have no one to drive us crazy.
Is this a reference to MTG?
Ew, I don't want to think about that
Rarity and Twi both carried Tom with no magic. I would bet every pony in Equestria is strong enough to wrestle a bear if they had the attitude for it.
Let's see... RD's a dual-wielding gunslinger, AJ's wep is a shotgun-axe, Twi's is some sorta staff and Flutters is a morning star-rocket launcher. Well, I wouldn't wanna mess with Flutters in THIS universe.
I'm not sure she would be the heavy artillery of the group, I would only do it for irony, I believe the strongest is either Dash or Applejack, bu tother than my opinion great story!
Johannes lol
Haha rvb reference nice?
I lost my shit when Flutters went ham on the ursa. Damn she's badass
9088921
Flutters is always badass. No matter what.
Yes, yes, yes, yeeeessss!!!!!!!