Are You Excited (Rewritten)
Are You Excited?
The amphitheatre was filling up with students, as young huntsmen and huntresses from every school gathered in the auditorium for the announcement of the thirty-two teams who had, by various methods, been selected to compete in the Vytal Festival tournament.
As Team SAPR took their seats in the upper gallery, it was interesting for Pyrrha to watch the way in which the balance of students filling up the room reflected the methods by which each school selected their eight teams of contestants.
The Shade students had drawn lots, amongst themselves but under the supervision of Professor Goodwitch to ensure fair play, while the Haven students, of course, had held a qualifying tournament, and so they both already knew exactly who would be competing and who would not. As a result, the numbers of students from those two academies were rather low, although still a little higher than the thirty-two students needed to make up eight full teams. Probably some others had come along to support their friends, or simply to see first-hand who their schools’ representatives would be going up against from Atlas and Beacon.
From Haven, Pyrrha could see Team SSSN on the upper gallery with them, with Sun temporarily abandoning his team to head over to speak to Blake; she could also see Team ABRN down below, mostly by locating Arslan’s rather distinctive mane of pale hair in the semi-darkness.
But it was Beacon and Atlas students who dominated the assembly, as it seemed as though every team from Beacon who still retained any hopes at all of qualifying for the tournament — Pyrrha didn’t see Team GRAY anywhere and couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for them — had arrived to see if their names had been chosen or if Professor Ozpin had passed them over. The Atlas students were almost as numerous, although perhaps not quite so much; perhaps they had a better understanding of how General Ironwood perceived them, and thus, their likelihood to make the cut.
It was from Beacon and Atlas, too, that most of the electricity in the room was coming; for the students of Shade and Haven, this outcome was already preordained — well, of course it was already preordained for everybody; the choices had been made — but for those from Beacon and Atlas who did not already know the outcome, it felt as though there were still possibilities waiting before them, and anticipation filled the air in consequence.
Pyrrha could see Team WWSR below, Weiss’ white bolero glowing to make her look even more ethereally lovely than usual in the lack of light; Team YRBN were up in the gallery above, not far from Team SAPR, and Ruby and Yang were chatting as they waited for the selection to begin. A slight stir behind them alerted Pyrrha to the arrival of Team RSPT; Penny waved to them as the Atlesians took their seats near the back.
There were also cameras in the auditorium, which was not usual but at the same time not unexpected; the Vytal Festival was a public event, after all, and the selection of the competing huntsmen was no less public business than any of the fights themselves. That was why the news crews were in here, gathered between the students and the stage, even as other cameras, mounted on low-flying drones, hovered near the ceiling capturing wide-shots of the students sitting down below and in the gallery above.
The fact that one of those drones seemed to be looking directly at her served as a reminder to Pyrrha, as though she could have forgotten, that there would be even more publicity waiting outside.
It cannot be helped.
The price of glory.
A price I can pay for a little while longer.
“Hey, everyone!” Penny said, as she left her team to approach them. “Are you excited?”
“Hey, Penny,” Ruby said.
“I would say,” said Sunset, “that we are quietly confident.”
Yang snorted. “Only without the quiet part. You know that you’re going to make it through because there’ll be riots in Mistral if Pyrrha doesn’t get selected.”
“We are going to make it through because we had a fantastic Last Shot,” Sunset replied, “and because we’re awesome. You must be feeling pretty confident yourselves; you had a good showing, you’ve done well.”
Yang held up her hand, rocking it gently back and forth. “I’d say nervous and excited, in equal measure, more or less.”
“Yang just doesn’t want to jinx it by saying we’re a shoo-in,” Nora said from the end of the bench on which the team was sat. She folded her arms behind her head. “But I’m not nervous at all. I had a dream where we got picked and then went on to win the whole tournament.”
“Really?” Sunset murmured. “I wouldn’t put money on that if I were you.”
“How about you, Penny?” asked Ruby. “Are you excited, nervous…?”
“I…” Penny hesitated for a moment. “I was looking forward to it, but now … I suppose I still am looking forward, but not as much as I was … the idea of showing off in front of everyone just doesn’t seem as important anymore.”
“Nah, it’s not important,” Yang agreed, “but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun, right?”
“I suppose it could be,” Penny allowed. She hesitated again, clasping her hands together, dry-washing them nervously. “Can I ask your advice about something?”
Everyone twisted in their seats to look at her.
“Of course, Penny,” Pyrrha said. “Any way that we can help, we’d be glad to.”
“I think I might know what this is about,” Blake murmured. “Is this about who goes through in the matches?”
“What do you mean?” asked Sunset.
Penny nodded. “Yes, that’s it, exactly.”
“I thought you were going through to the one-on-one round?” Jaune said.
“That was the plan,” Penny said softly. “But now, Rainbow Dash says that, since I’m transferring to Beacon at the end of this year … that she wants to be the one to go through to the final round.”
“I’ll bet she does,” Sunset muttered.
“That’s … that’s just mean!” Ruby said. “The whole year, you’ve been told that you were going to be the one competing in the final round, and now, Rainbow just wants to yank it all away from you! How could you?!”
That last was said with a raised voice, directed towards Rainbow Dash where she sat with the rest of her team.
“Calm down, Ruby,” Blake said. “It’s not … as bad as it sounds.”
“It sounds, I must say, like a punishment,” Pyrrha murmured. “Although, I must admit…”
Penny looked at her. “Must admit what, Pyrrha?”
Pyrrha hesitated. “I … it doesn’t matter.”
She didn’t wish to offend Penny, after all; their friendship was more important than the rights or wrongs of some tournament.
“No, it does; I’m sure it does,” Penny said. “Whatever you have to say, I won’t be upset.”
Pyrrha smiled slightly.
“Thank you,” she murmured. “I … I do not know what Rainbow said to you, nor do I claim to know her mind, although I’m sure Blake will correct me if I misspeak, but … to fight in the Vytal Festival tournament — to fight in any great tournament, but especially this one, the greatest tournament in the whole of Remnant, is a great honour. Not only the honour of being allowed to strut upon the grand stage before the eyes of kingdoms, nor of being allowed to offer up our skill and courage as offerings to … to the gods, perhaps, or if not them … I know not, but I believe there must be some higher being or essence that governs the contests within our little world, looks down upon our efforts, smiles at the valiant and honourable and creases their forehead in a frown at those who disgrace the arena with their contact. In any event, the greatest and most sacred honour that is done to us is that of being allowed to do honour not to ourselves but to those for whom or in whose name we fight.
“To win the Mistral tournament was not merely a matter of placing a laurel crown upon my head or driving in a chariot through the streets with an actress pretending to be Victory, it was a matter of becoming, for a year’s turn, the embodiment of Mistral and its highest ideals, of proving myself worth to represent Mistral and all that is best about it. And, while I am not the most fond of it, the name ‘the Princess Without a Crown’ that was bestowed on me displays that I fought not only for myself but for the long line of my ancestors, without whom I am … nothing.
“To fight in the Vytal Festival tournament, to be amongst the names that will soon be announced, that is not just to ascend to a flying arena and fight a few matches for a cheering crowd—”
“That’s pretty much exactly what it is,” Ruby said.
“No,” Pyrrha replied. “No, it is more than that; it is to carry the honour of Beacon, or Atlas, or Haven, or Shade like a banner upon our backs. We do not fight merely for ourselves, but for our teams, for our schools … and for our kingdoms. Yang makes sport of me when she says that Mistral will be displeased if I am not selected, but … Yang is not wrong. I do fight for Mistral, as much or more than for myself, or else why should they look forward in Mistral to the prospect of my victory, why did so many — myself and my mother included — fly to Atlas hoping to see Lady Terri-Belle triumph? Why was Robyn Hill the toast of Atlas when she took home the victory? We do not fight only for ourselves but for those who put us on our pedestals, pedestals which, though they may be uncomfortable for us at times, nevertheless are signs that we are done great honour.
“And so, I must agree with Rainbow Dash, if that is her thought, that it seems … perverse that you should receive the honour of representing Atlas Academy at a time when you are poised to take your leave of Atlas.” She glanced at Blake. “Is that her thought?”
“Pretty much,” Blake murmured. “Perhaps in fewer words.”
Pyrrha let out a self-deprecating laugh. “Well, yes, that … that is to be expected.”
“Hmm, when you put it like that,” Penny murmured, “I suppose … I wish Rainbow had said that to me, instead of saying it to Blake and then waiting for Pyrrha to translate it for me.”
“Would you have listened, if Rainbow had said it to you?” asked Blake calmly.
Penny’s mouth opened a little, but she said nothing. “I … maybe not,” she admitted, “but now that you’ve said it… I’m not sure if I should even go forward into the two-on-two round. I don’t really deserve it, do I?”
“Is it about what you deserve?” asked Ruby. “What Pyrrha said sounds all well and cool and all, but if you really want to fight—”
“But do I?” asked Penny. “Or is that just what my fathers expected of me?”
“We can’t answer that one, Penny,” Sunset said. “Only you can.”
Penny nodded silently. “Yes,” she murmured. “Yes, you’re right. I can answer that.” She smiled. “Thank you, Pyrrha, that was very helpful.”
“Was it?” asked Pyrrha. “I’m glad I didn’t offend you.”
“Not at all,” said Penny, shaking her head vigorously. “I get it. Mostly. You’ve given me … something to think about. And I should probably go back and do that—”
“Not right now,” Jaune said. “I mean, you’ve got time, right?”
“Yes,” Penny agreed. “Yes, I do, but I should still probably—”
“Quiet please, everyone,” Professor Goodwitch said, her voice echoing off the rafters of the auditorium as she walked up onto the stage, followed quickly after by Skystar Aris.
Skystar was dressed in a short white dress which went down to her knees, adorned with white feathers — swan feathers, perhaps, or maybe dove feathers to represent the peace that the Vytal Festival as a whole celebrated — at the shoulders, and about the hem of her dress. The golden straps of the sandals that she wore on her feet glistened slightly as she bounded up onto the stage.
She was wearing a microphone around her head, and as the ambient conversation in the auditorium died down, she used it to send her voice booming out.
“Hey, everyone!” she cried. “We’re about to announce who is going to compete in this, the fortieth biannual Vytal Festival; are you excited?”
A soft smattering of murmured affirmation ran across the room.
Skystar pouted. “Come on, guys, that was terrible! Let’s try that again with a bit of feeling: are you excited?!”
“Yes!” Pyrrha cried, along with Jaune and Ruby and even Sunset, along with Penny, along with a great mass of voices coming from above and below.
“Yeah, that’s better!” Skystar cried. “I’m going to need you to keep up that energy because this is going to be broadcast live in just a little while. That’s why all the cameras are here, obviously. Now, as Amity Princess, it is my great honour to reveal the names of all the teams who will be taking part in the tournament. Professor Goodwitch has given me the names, thank you, Professor.” She bowed her head in the direction of Professor Goodwitch, who did not react. “I haven’t seen them yet, they’re on my scroll, and I will read out the team names, and the names of all the students who make up that team, starting with Shade Academy, then Haven, then Atlas, then Beacon. As I read out the names, the team initials will also go up on the big board behind me, so that everyone knows how to spell them.”
She paused. “Because, I have to tell you, I have no idea how you get to some of these pronunciations. I asked for Professor Goodwitch to give me the team names as words, because otherwise, there was just going to be no way … it would have been me up here gargling letters and trying to make them fit together.” She smiled, as chuckles rang across the auditorium. “As I say, this is going to be broadcast, so if you get picked, please feel free to look and act enthusiastic; it’s all in good fun and, it would be awesome if that came across to the viewers at home. If you didn’t get picked, please don’t look too disappointed; it…” She trailed off for a moment. “Can I be real for just a second? Sorry, Professor, I’ll get back on track soon, I promise.”
She looked down at her feet for a second, one hand brushing against the feathers on the hem of her skirt. “I know that this hasn’t been the best Vytal Festival ever,” she said, her voice becoming quieter. “It’s been … it’s been a year, hasn’t it? It’s been a tough year for some people, a lot’s happened, a lot’s changed … to those of you visiting from other kingdoms, I’m sorry that we couldn’t give you the experience you were probably looking forward to.
“But what that means is, what I’m trying to say is, that whether you get chosen or not, whether I read out your names or I don’t … you’re all heroes in my eyes; you survived the year, you stepped up when it counted, you’re all heroes, and you all deserve to be proud of yourselves, whether or not you get in the fight in the tournament or not.”
Skystar took a deep breath and then put the smile back on her face. “But with that seriousness out of the way, I think we’re almost ready to start, isn’t that right?” She directed the question to someone down below, whose response Pyrrha couldn’t hear, presumably because they weren’t wearing a microphone. “Yes, yes, we are almost ready. I don’t know what the other kingdoms are filling the airtime with, but I think that here in Vale, they’ve got Beacon’s own Doctor Oobleck talking about the history of the Vytal Festival while they wait for us. Just some quick housekeeping before we begin: tonight, for those of you who are selected, there is a special celebration being held at the Lord Mayor’s Palace where there are a lot of people who are very keen to meet you from all four kingdoms, and for those of you who did not get selected, there is a party being put on for you in the ballroom here at Beacon. Also, it isn’t just the televised news; it’s the newspapers as well, so once the announcements are done, if all students who are competing in the tournament could make their way outside to the statue in the courtyard for a big group photo, and then there may be requests for individual interviews with certain students.” She paused. “Okay, with all that out of the way…” She leaned forwards, towards the edge of the stage. “Five seconds? Great.”
As a drone descended from the ceiling to hover in front of her face, Skystar began to count down. “Five, four, three, two, one: Hello everyone! My name is Skystar Aris, and I am the Amity Princess of this, the fortieth biannual Vytal Festival! Amongst my duties, it is my great pleasure, honour, and privilege to announce for you, today, which of the many splendid students from the four Huntsman Academies will be competing for your entertainment and the honour of their schools in the tournament to begin very soon.”
She’s very good at this, Pyrrha thought admiringly. I wonder how much practice she did beforehand?
“If this is your first Vytal Festival,” Skystar went on, “let me briefly summarise how it works for you: each school has selected eight teams, which I will announce very soon. Each of those eight teams will fight one battle with all four members of the team, after which, the winning team will choose two of their members to advance to the next round, facing off against another pair of winners. From the winning pair, one single huntsman or huntress will be chosen to advance, giving us eight final contestants, who will then compete in three more rounds to give us a single winner crowned as this year’s Vytal Champion.”
Skystar got her scroll out from the purse that hung across her shoulders. “And so, without further ado, let me announce the contestants, beginning with Vacuo’s Shade Academy.” She glanced very briefly down at her scroll, but only very briefly before she returned her attention to the camera drone in front of her, and then to the audience of huntsmen and huntresses gathered to hear her words.
“Team Bronze,” Skystar declared, as the letters BRNZ appeared on the screen behind her, accompanied by four headshots of the members of the team in question. “Brawnz Ni, Roy Stallion, Nolan Porfirio, May Zedong.”
There were a few scattered cheers, but nothing extraordinary, which made Pyrrha feel a little sorry for Team BRNZ.
Skystar did not let it discomfort her, but continued on regardless. “Team Indigo,” she said, as the letters BRNZ and the pictures of the team members were replaced by the letters NDGO, and the pictures of four girls, all of whom whooped at the announcement. “Nebula Violette, Dew Gayl, Gwen Darcy, Octavia Ember.
“Team Umber,” Skystar said, prompting cheering and stamping on the floor not only from Team UMBR themselves as their names and faces appeared up on the board, but from three other teams sat around them also. All of them, Pyrrha noticed as she looked down, were wearing silver armbands upon their right arms, like Mistralian honour bands, but each of them absolutely identical. And, of course, worn on the wrong arm. Pyrrha wondered if there was some significance to it, if it had anything to do with Umber being from Mistral, but — according to her own words whilst planning the parade — having left in something of a bad odour.
“Umber Gorgoneion,” Skystar said, reciting the names of the members of Team UMBR. “Mariel Bell, Bellerophon Podasos, Reap Eastbound.
“Team Gear,” Skystar continued, as the faces of Team UMBR made way for those of Team GEAR. “Olive Gashley, Elektra Fury, Ariadne Guimet, Rae Noire.
“Team Sugar,” Skystar said, and the GEAR was replaced in its turn by an SUGA. “Silver Blaze, Uxbridge Scot, Garron Numidian, Alexander Fourprong,
“Which party are you planning to go to?” Penny whispered.
Aware that there was a camera on her, and not wanting to appear rude, Pyrrha kept her eyes fixed straight ahead and did not look at Penny; however, with her attention thus distracted, she found it hard to pay attention to the other Shade teams.
“We hadn’t quite decided yet, Penny,” she said, very softly, and out of only one side of her mouth, in hopes that it wouldn’t be too obvious for the cameras that her lips were moving. “Not least because—”
“We should go to the winners’ thing,” Sunset hissed.
“We don’t yet know that we are winners,” Pyrrha replied. “Or even competitors. And even if we are, what does it gain us?”
“You said that I should go and meet Turnus Rutulus because he was a useful person to know,” Ruby reminded her. “Isn’t it the same case here?”
“For you, perhaps,” Pyrrha conceded. “I fear that I am already far too well connected.”
Sunset snorted. “As if there is such a thing.”
“An evening of getting snubbed by snobs doesn’t really appeal to me—” Jaune began.
“They won’t be snubbing you,” Sunset assured him. “We’re the Vytal contestants, we’re the stars; they’re all going to be there to meet us.”
“Why?” asked Jaune.
“Sponsorship, for one,” Pyrrha murmured.
“Sounds boring,” Nora said, a little too loudly, so that someone sitting nearby shushed her.
“Some people are trying to listen,” Ren pointed out.
“Sorry,” Nora whispered. She was silent for a couple of seconds. “It still sounds boring, though.”
“I’m not sure whether it’s meant to be interesting,” Blake said, “but that doesn’t mean that it isn’t useful.”
“Of course you’d think like that,” Yang said, a touch of amusement evident despite how quiet she was being, “but just because it might be useful for you in your military career doesn’t mean that we’ll get anything out of it.”
“I was thinking the same thing,” Penny agreed. “Ciel was talking about how it was important to make future connections to influential figures, and I can’t see why—”
Now someone shushed Penny, who quieted instantly.
“And that’s all of the Shade teams, congratulations to all of you,” Skystar declared, “and now, moving swiftly on, it’s the Haven students, beginning with: Team Jasmine!”
The entire Haven student body erupted in applause — whether Team JAMM, as their name appeared on the board, were so very popular, or else because the Haven students had decided to support one another, come what may, Pyrrha didn’t know; she wasn’t sure it really mattered — as the faces of Medea, Atalanta, Jason, and Meleager appeared underneath the letters of their names.
“Jason Chrysomallos,” Skystar said, doing a commendable job with the Mistralian names, “Atalanta Calydon, Medea Helios, Meleager Aetolis.
“Team Volcano,” she announced, to more applause as the JAMM became replaced with the letters VLCA. “Violet Valeria, Lily Cornelia, Cicero Ward the Younger, Rufus August.
“Team Ball,” Skystar continued, and for once, the letters BALL were quite as expected, and almost unnecessary. “Bassianus Hadrian, Aemilius Alba, Lavinia Andronicus, Lucius Andronicus.
“Team Sun,” Skystar said.
Blake stood up and started applauding as the VLCA made way for SSSN.
“Sun Wukong—”
“Aren’t you going to cheer for him?” asked Yang.
“I don’t really have a cheering voice,” Blake replied.
“Scarlet David—”
“Give it a try,” Yang urged.
“Sage Ayana—”
Blake’s cheeks reddened a little as she took a deep breath, before saying in a voice that was barely louder than her speaking voice. “Good luck, Sun. Do your best. Yay.”
“Neptune Vasilias.”
Yang’s eyebrows climbed up into the recesses of her overhanging yellow bangs. “Yeah, you’re right; you don’t have a cheering voice, do you?”
“Team Auburn,” Skystar said.
“Yes!” Pyrrha said, clapping her hands together. She had never really had a doubt, of course, but that did not diminish her pleasure.
If the fates allow, Arslan, it will be an honour to face you across the battlefield one last time.
Sunset was applauding too.
“Arslan Altan—”
“Yeah!” Arslan yelled, leaping to her feet and raising one fist into the air. “Get ready, 'cause here I come!”
Skystar went on regardless. “Reese Chloris, Bolin Hori, Nadir Shiko.”
Sunset’s applause slowed down, and she ventured a sideways glance to take in her own team, Team YRBN, and Penny. “You’re all being very shortsighted,” she said quietly. “Except for Blake, and Pyrrha, to an extent.”
“Shhhh.”
“Oh, shush yourself!” Sunset snapped quietly, her fiery hair tossing around her as she turned to look for the source of the reproach.
“Sunset,” Pyrrha murmured, a little reproachfully in her own right.
“My point is,” Sunset went on, “that it’s always good to have friends in high places. You might not think you need them now, but who’s to say, a few years down the line or more, you might be glad that you can say to someone rich, or someone important, or someone who can help you speak to someone important ‘remember me, we met at the Vytal Festival?’ On the other hand, if you just don’t show up, if you act like you don’t care, like it doesn’t matter to you at all, then people will remember. Some things, you just have to sit through, not even for the sake of a good reputation, but simply to avoid getting a bad one. We should all go to the contenders’ thing, and that includes you, Penny.”
“But I—”
“You’ve burnt your bridges with Atlas,” Sunset informed her, not unkindly, but not sugarcoating the point either. “There’s no time like the present to start building some in Vale.”
Pyrrha leaned towards Sunset ever so slightly, so that she could whisper into Sunset’s ear. “Speaking from experience?”
The corner of Sunset’s lip twitched. “Princess Celestia dragged me to all sorts of things,” she said. “Concerts, soirees, dinners with the great and the good.”
“I hope you enjoyed it more than I did,” Pyrrha murmured.
“Not really; I felt superior to all of them and resented having to share the princess,” Sunset admitted. “It didn’t do me any good, but it didn’t do me any harm either. And it would have done me good, much good, if I had fulfilled the destiny that my princess intended for me. Or any other destiny I chose, for that matter.”
“And now,” Skystar said, “for the Atlas teams.”
The group fell silent. They didn’t want to miss this, at least not until it was confirmed that Penny’s team had indeed been selected.
“Team Tsunami—”
Blake smiled as she began to applaud. So, too, did Sunset.
“Trixie Lulamoon, Tempest Shadow, Starlight Glimmer, Sunburst Flare.”
“Yes!” cried Trixie, as her fellow Atlas students began to applaud in a polite and dignified manner. “Yes, Trixie got in! We got in, Starlight! We’re going to be in the Vytal Festival! Woohoo!”
She pulled Starlight up, onto her feet, and into a wrenching embrace as she half-danced up and down, tugging Starlight this way and that, while her fellow students watched in various degrees of amusement, bemusement, or despair.
“Team Pastel,” Skystar went on, as the letters PSTL formed on the board, together with the pictures of Phoebe and her teammates. “Phoebe Kommenos, Mal Sapphire, Thorn Hubert, Lycus Silvermane.”
Pyrrha pursed her lips. If fate were to decree that she and Phoebe’s paths did not cross, she would not be sorry for it, although a part of her wanted to pay Phoebe back for smearing her name as Pyrrha was almost certain she had done.
Nevertheless, that was only a part of her, and not the dominant part at that. She would rather have a fight that she could look back on with pride than fleeting revenge against someone who was, in the end, a rather minor, unimportant figure in her life.
“Team Funky!” Skystar announced, seemingly powerless to avoid putting the inflection at the end of the word as the letters FNKI appeared above her. “Flynt Koal, Neon Katt, Kobalt Cecilia, Ivori Blesdale.
“Team Sabre,” Skystar said, prompting the appearance of the letters SABR on the board. “Sabine Silverband, Aaron Moore, Bella Roseeye, Reynard Kerak.
“Team Rosepetal—”
Pyrrha had known this was almost certainly coming, but that didn’t stop her from letting out a gasp of delight. “Congratulations, Penny.”
She gave a wave to the other members of Team RSPT, besides. Rainbow, looking rather pleased with herself as she embraced Twilight with one arm, gave her a thumbs up, before enfolding her other arm around Twilight as well. She might not be dancing up and down the way that Trixie was, but as Pyrrha looked at her, from the way that the light glinted in Rainbow’s eyes, it looked as though the Atlesian girl might be about to start crying.
“Great job, Penny!” Ruby said, as Sunset reached out with one hand to ruffle Penny’s hair.
Penny smiled, but only slightly, and a little sadly too. “Thank you,” she whispered. “Thank … thank you,” she added.
Pyrrha frowned. “Penny,” she murmured. “I … I didn’t upset you before, did I? I promise, it wasn’t my intent; I—”
“No,” Penny said. “No, no, that’s not it at all; it wasn’t … well, maybe it is, a little, but only because it’s true, and because, well … I think I might owe Rainbow Dash an apology. I thought … especially since I’m not even sure how much this means to me anymore.”
“If you do apologise, I’m sure she’ll understand,” Ruby urged. “Everything has changed for you lately; it’s understandable that things are a little confused.”
“Now,” Skystar said, “the Beacon teams and students taking part in the Vytal Festival are as follows.”
“Ooh, ooh, this is us,” Yang said.
“Team Iron: Yang Xiao Long, Lie Ren, Blake Belladonna, Nora Valkyrie.”
“Oh, yeah!” Yang shouted, pumping both fists as Ruby whooped in delight next to her.
“Go us!” Nora shouted.
“Team Wisteria,” Skystar went on, as the YRBN made way for the WWSR. “Weiss Schnee, Cardin Winchester, Flash Sentry, Russel Thrush.”
“They have come a long way,” Blake murmured, clasping her hands together over her heart.
“Team Coffee,” Skystar said. “Coco Adel, Fox Alistair, Velvet Scarlatina, Yatsuhashi Daichi.
“Team Jugular,” Skystar said, as the letters JGLR appeared up on the board together with four more headshots. “Jessica Tubal, Grace Maidstone, Lance Gobham, Redwine Belmont.
“Team Ichor,” Skystar announced, JGLR being replaced by ICHR. “Iris Marilla, Castor Laconia, Harold Noblestone, Roland Roncesvalles.”
“You should make up with Rainbow before the celebration thing,” Sunset urged, “or it’ll just make things awkward.”
“You’re really not letting up on that, are you?” Yang asked.
“You’re all going if I have to drag you there myself,” Sunset said. “Answer me this: you’re tired, you’re worn out, you’ve been on the road for a while, do you want to depend on the kindness of strangers, or do you want to call up a well-placed contact who has the resources to supply you with everything you need for the next phase of your journey?” Sunset barely waited for a reply. “And it’s one night of your lives; really, what have you got to lose?”
“Well, when you put it like that—” Yang began.
“Team Sapphire,” Skystar said. “Sunset Shimmer, Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Ruby Rose.”
“Congratulations!” Penny cried, attempting to wrap her arms around the necks of all four members of the team, as the SAPR letters and their headshots appeared on the screen above. Her arms were not quite long enough, but they were sufficient to begin pushing the four of them together, even as Penny pushed her head into the gap between Jaune and Pyrrha. “Congratulations, all of you! Are you excited?”
Certainly, some people were excited, many of the Haven students were cheering for her, and Yang and Blake were applauding.
And Pyrrha … Pyrrha found that she was excited too. This was her last tournament, her last showing in the arena before she said goodbye to that old life, to the Pyrrha Nikos of trophies and crowns, to the Invincible Girl and all the rest. After this tournament, after this year, she would be a huntress only. A huntress and a servant to Professor Ozpin — somewhat reluctantly, at this point — and to the people of Remnant. After this tournament, she would be … someone else. Someone less famous, someone less known, someone less thought of, and yet, at the same time, someone who was doing better work, living a worthier life than she had done before.
This would be her last tournament, a tournament filled with good friends and worthy opponents, fought on the grandest stage in Remnant, before the greatest crowd, on the most significant, almost sacred of occasions.
What more could she, or her friends, or even her mother possibly ask for?
This would be her last tournament, and it was shaping up to be the best one yet.
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That went a lot better than expected. Good on ya, Jaune.
Jesus Christ it’s embarrassing how much better written this fic is than the original RWBY, seriously Roosterteeth, step your game up.
9800082
<Yes, Lady Nikos was... positively far better than expected
So... who did Sunset dance with?
I wonder at which point everything goes wrong. In the show it started with Yang being manipulated into “breaking” Mercury’s leg and Pyrrha destroying Penny, but both things happened because of Emerald’s semblance.
Now there is a scheming Sonata...
9800211
Blake?
I need Sunset and Weiss interaction
I need Pinkie and Nora interaction
I need Sunset interaction with Humane 6/Rainbooms
BTW when are we going to get another chapter of Sunset discusing magic with someone from Remenant
or Sunset practicing new spells and showing them of to team SAPR
maybe Sci-Twi can help Sunset create magic based bulets for both team SAPR and RSPT (and Blake)
and now I wonder how Weiss' samblence would interct with Equestrian magic
and how Equestrian magic might iteract with Samblances as a whole (insted of dust)
like Blake creatin 'force clones' of herself
Ruby and RD speed being boosted by Accelero spell
Jaune creating more potent barrier around himself and others
etc.
In the show we only saw Weiss and Blake infuse thier samblences with dust but in theory anyone (or at least the ones with right samblence) can do it
like Ruby turning into flaming rose pettles with the use of Fire Dust
Sun creating elemental clones like Blake but moving
Jaune making dust more potent
I don't know how Phyrra's samblence could iteract with dust but maybe with Gravity dust her samblence becomes telekinesis and with Lightning her samblens becomes Electromagnetism?
Well done, Jaune. You've earned yourself the chance to prove yourself.
And with that, all the families are now watching in one way or another! Shake your tail, and let festivities commence!
Sunset playing guitar and singing might be cool at some point if you could work it in.
Also maybe a group dance like they did in the show at the dance.
I would pay to see Phoebe go up against Lady Nikkos! Let's see how long her attitude lasts then!
9800225
Well, both Penny and Pyrrha know each other and most importantly, Pyrrha knows Penny is a robot.
What's most likely to happen is Sonata ramping things into a riot.
Honesty why the fudge isn't Ozpin doing ANYTHING? He knows Sonata and Tempest Shadow are together somehow. And a single Siren shouldn't be a treat to him. It took a full Maiden power to kill him in Canon.
Trixie, Starlight, and Sunburst are Tempest's teammates?!? That team is so unfair, though thankfully Maud isn't there over Trixie or Sunburst.
Sunset's power upgrade could be one to three things. One, her actions were enough and she has some wings if she ever goes home. Two, she inadvertently took some of the maiden power when she fixed Amber. Not much, as she doesn't have the hunger. Or three, by finally using it as magic and not hiding it as her semblance she's simply grown stronger, possibility do to her body still growing.
I'm thinking it's number two, as that will have the most ramifications, but one would be real fun to see her reaction too, if and when she finds out.
Sunset and Jaune really stood their ground against Lady Nikos and I'm proud of them. Especially Jaune. And of course, Arkos moments are eternally appreciated and adorable.
9800357
I'm not sure if Pyrrha can interact with dust with her semblance. Polarity only works on metallic objects, and I don't think Dust is metal. Dust is just....Dust. She essentially already has telekinesis, just only with metal. She'd probably be able to use Dust rounds for her weapon, but I think she might be limited to that. Ruby, though...turning into a fire tornado would be really cool, and considering Blake infused her clones with Dust by putting it into her weapon, I wonder if that same logic could be applied to Ruby.
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What Sunset has done in healing Amber can be described as "performing unique feat of magic near powerfull magical artifact capable of being energy source" - reconsitution of a soul and nearly resurrection near the vault with Crown of Choice. You know, exactly like Cadance's dealing with Prismia using amulet, that housed love Prismia stole from villagers. And like Twilight's reweaving of a fate while wearing Element of Magic.
So with about 99% probability it's variant one. If Sunset actually wore Crown of Choice we could be sure of her ascencion, but if something changed in Sunset after Amber was healed, it means that proximity worked too.
All hail Sunset Shimmer, Princess of Life!
9801072
yeah im putting my money on this possibility. plus it will make one hell of a plot twist (internally speaking) when sunset learns that it was only after giving up on her dreams of being a princess, and simply being the best her she could be, that she would ascend (sort of like how the cmc only got their marks when they stopped caring about getting them, and more about helping others)
I do wonder what she is the princess of (tho life or the soul seem the most likely given what happened, maybe healing?) but this could be the key to further helping Cinder and Amber if she can further heal the damage to their souls by making them whole.
9800892
That...that is actually a very fortuitous error; that was actually supposed to be Sunshower Raindrops, one of the few background ponies with an R-name to make something that could conceivably spell a word that could be made to sound like 'Tiger' (I had Trixe, Tempest and Starlight and decided to pick the fourth member based on the name); I just had a complete brain derp when it came to remembering what the name was.
But you know what, Sunburst actually has a personality and a connection to Starlight so let's go with that and say that everyone calls him by his second name like Ren.
9801112
Princess of Choice?
9801189
Ooooohh! I like that one! It goes well with both the theme of RWBY and also with Sunset's Yin-Yang Sun Cutie Mark.
9801189
9813781
I still lean towards Princess of Explosions.
I kind of want to see a moment where Pyrrha is under Sonata's influence and face to face with Phoebe. Most likely after beating the absolutely hell out of her and having the girl at her mercy. Everyone thinks Pyrrha is going to go in for the kill... but she doesn't. Instead she tells Phoebe everything she knows about her. About how she tormented and tortured her step sister to the point of driving her insane. How she tried to assassinate Sunset (and catch a number of other students in the crossfire) via overdoing the lures during a training exercise. How Phoebe is the most proud, but most pathetic and loathsome person she has ever met!...
...Then turn and walk away because she doesn't deserve the recognition that comes with dying by Pyrrha's hand.
If either Cinder or her Faunus teammate decide to step in at that point, I don't think anyone would stop them.
It’s good to see how far everyone has come. Skystar is right; they have all been through so much. And they get to bring everything they’ve learned, to test their honed mettle, at the greatest tournament in the world!
I can’t wait to see the interviews and parental reactions. Kali will be so proud, and Jaune better call home! Shake your tail, and let festivities commence!
11601924
It would be nice to see Pyrrha actually listen to her wrath and spite.
11601924
I like most of this, but don't like that it comes from Sonata's influence. That makes the whole ploy disingenuous and easy to write off once the deception is revealed. However, it would mean even more if she lost to someone like Blake or Sunset, especially the latter. A Faunus beating her could push her to the brink, and Sunset knows how to just walk up to that ledge and give her a push. It would not require hate, spite, or mind control. All Sunset would have to do is beat her in a fair, clean match and wait for the meltdown to commence. Then as Phoebe complains how she should have beaten Sunset (with some extra racism thrown in for good measure) Sunset walks up and says
"Like you used to beat Ashley?"
Finally, I have caught up to the rewrites, and what a ride it has been. Scipio, you have crafted one of my favorite stories into a piece of art. I am loving it, and look forward to the rest of volume 3.
I'm glad Skystar is still in good spirits after everything that's happened, from the Breach to the break up with Cardin. I guess Sunset's pick-me-up talk did good.
Somewhere, probably in her hotel, Lady Nikos is watching the broadcast when team Sapphire is announced, and nodding her head in approval and saying something along the lines of "As it should be."
Ooh, Pastel is in. If Pastel faces Sapphire, which they will (I read ahead despite the warnings since I couldn't help myself), Phoebe's got a bone to pick with both Sunset (for Soteria) and Pyrrha (for supposed rivalry)
11601924
Does Pyrrha know about the exercise sabotage in the Emerald forest? I thought only Cinder found out and she make sure no one else found out (And had Lightning Dust scare the wits out of Phoebe for good measure)
Now hold up a damn minute. Is this The Octavia? If so, how come we didn't see her yet?
11743739
She is not MLP Octavia. This is a completely unrelated RWBY Octavia, team NDGO is canon.