SAPR

by Scipio Smith

Finding Freedom (New)

Finding Freedom

"Are you sure that this is alright?" Amber asked. "Shouldn't you be … watching the matches or something?"

She was sitting in Ozpin's office, on a chair that was a few feet across the room from his desk. She didn't want to sit too close to him, after all.

With Team SAPR and Team RSPT and Blake all participating in the tournament, and what was more, with them all watching the matches at the moment, then the question of her security had become a little acute. There was no one present to keep an eye on her unless she wanted to go up to the great flying coliseum above, which she did not wish to do.

Judging by what had happened when she had tried to watch SAPR and YRBN sparring, it probably wasn't a very good idea for her to watch the Vytal Tournament.

Sunset had told her that they would send her a message when they were back down at Beacon, and they could explore the fairgrounds together, although … Amber wouldn't have minded not being with them, since…

Since she wasn't in any danger anymore.

Since she had made a deal with … with Salem.

Or with Salem's agents and servants, anyway.

I have done the right thing. And not just for myself, for Dove, for Sunset and Pyrrha, for Lyra, for Team SAPR and all the rest.

It was a pity that she wouldn't get to see Mistral with Pyrrha and the others, that she wouldn't get to see Atlas with Ciel, but this way, Pyrrha would be alive to see Mistral again, Ciel would be alive to go home to Atlas, and neither of them, none of them, would ever have to live with the danger that came from trying to stand between a Maiden and the powers opposed to them.

She didn't want the people she had met in this brave new world to die for her sake, and all that she had to do to prevent that, and to assure her own security into the bargain, was to give up a crown. A crown. A hollow band of gold.

What was a crown against so many wonders? What was a golden circle against the light of so many stars? Even if it was a relic, it was only one relic. Only one.

However heavy gold might be, it could not weigh against the lives at stake.

It was not so precious.

No, Amber … Amber had no regrets. It might have been nice to know exactly how Bon Bon was going to clear the school so that she could get the relic, but even if it involved the grimm … Amber was certain that they could handle it and protect Vale against the grimm. They seemed so brave, so gallant, and so strong. So long as Salem's hand was not raised against them directly, then they would be fine.

She had no regrets. She was doing the right thing, without doubt.

However, as brave as they were, as noble and as kind, Amber knew that her new friends would be unlikely to see it the same way, and so — as much as she enjoyed their company — she might also have welcome a little separation, a greater space in which she could be sure that her secret would not come out.

She did not, however, welcome it when the alternative was spending time with Ozpin.

She would have been preferred to have been watched by Qrow, who was good at making himself unobtrusive, but instead, Ozpin had asked her — told her, really — to come to his office so that he could … he wanted to spend time with her.

Sunset had not quite encouraged her to go and to forgive him, but Amber had been able to see her thinking it.

I am not you, Sunset, and Ozpin is not the person you were unjustly angry with.

She did not like being here, alone with him. She wanted Dove. She wanted to be somewhere else.

"I … will not say that tournaments have grown stale with repetition," Ozpin replied. "That would be rather harsh upon my students, but though I have obligations towards them, I also have obligations towards you, and I think I am allowed to put them first, upon this one occasion."

The clock ground overhead, the sounds of the gears constant, incessant, and a little disturbing to her ears. She did not like the sound. If she had ever liked the sound of that clock, of those great gears, then she did not remember it.

Though it disturbed her a little less, now, than it had done — it had been a reminder to her that her time was finite, running — but now … soon, she would be free of Ozpin, and she and Dove would have all the time in the world.

"How … how is it going?" Amber asked. "The tournament, I mean."

Ozpin looked at something on his desk. "It is proceeding well enough," he said. "Atlas got off to a bit of a rough start, but Team Rosepetal have scored the first victory for their academy, and I am sure there will be others to follow; General Ironwood has some capable teams coming up in the following matches. Beacon has not been greatly tested yet; Team Iron has just fought Beacon's first battle and won it. Team Jugular is next, and after that, I have high hopes for Team Coffee, although Miss Altan is not an opponent to sneeze at. Haven and Shade have, as yet, little cause to feel dismay; their honours are even with their disappointments."

"I see," Amber murmured. "I'm glad for Team Rosepetal, and … Team Iron is Blake, isn't it?"

"Miss Belladonna is at present a member of Team Iron, yes," Ozpin replied. "Although … come next year, everything will be rather in flux in that regard. Miss Belladonna gone, Miss Polendina here, Mister Bronzewing … there is a part of me that is inclined to have a new Initiation for some of the second years."

"'A new Initiation'?" Amber asked. "What do you mean?"

"That at least some of the students — Miss Polendina, Team Sapphire, what remains of Team Iron and Team Bluebell, would sit Initiation again, separately from the first years, and be reorganised into new four man teams," Ozpin explained. "That way, something closer to even numbers — and with good fortune, a more even balance of skills — could be achieved."

Amber frowned. "But … Team Sapphire serves you, they work for you. If you split them up…"

If you split them up, it would be better for them, but not for you.

"Well, quite," Ozpin murmured. "And besides … while Miss Shimmer has displayed a steadfast loyalty of late, in a manner that has been both surprising and … rather humbling, nevertheless, I think that attempting to split her team apart might try even her patience with my antics. Nevertheless, something will need to be done, about Miss Polendina, about Team Bluebell, about…" He smiled. "I'm sorry, I'm beginning to talk to myself; there is no need to trouble your ears with such things."

"It…" Amber trailed off, stopping herself from saying it was fine because she didn't really want him to continue. She looked down at her lap, which on this occasion was covered by a dark green skirt she was wearing over her trousers. "Do you…?" she began, but did not finish.

"Please," Ozpin said, leaning forwards a little, hands resting upon his desk. "Whatever it is, you may ask it."

Amber hesitated a moment longer, nevertheless, before she said, "Do you care about them? Sunset, Pyrrha, Jaune, Ruby? Do they … matter to you?"

Ozpin stared at her for a moment, for more than a moment, for seconds ticking on, marked by that interminable grinding of the clock above, marking the length of time for which he looked at her.

The lines in his face had never looked quite so deep to her before.

His voice, when it came, was hoarse. "I do care," he said, "just as … I do care."

"But you make them fight," Amber said. "You put them in danger."

"They are willing to take the risk," said Ozpin.

"I wasn't," Amber whispered.

Silence fell in the office, broken only by the grinding of that awful clock, inexorably marching on.

"I cared about you too," Ozpin insisted. "I still do."

"You could have taken me away," Amber said, "From…"

"From your mother?" Ozpin asked. "It would have broken her heart."

"It would have kept me from turning into … this," Amber said. "From being … I could have had a life, a Valish life, a life with Dove, a normal life."

Ozpin did not meet her eyes. "I … I am sorry," he said. "I should have … someone must bear the powers of the Fall Maiden, to which you may well ask me why that someone must be you, to which I have no other response but to say … who else?"

"I … I don't know," Amber admitted. She paused a moment. "I don't want…" There is no one I would choose to pass this burden onto, but why does that mean I have to choose it for myself?

"I am sorry," Ozpin repeated. "I … I have not done right by you, and the more I think on it, the more I believe that your mother would have understood … that this was not the life that she would wish for you. It was never my intent to see you attacked, to see you hurt, to see you … until Miss Shimmer came to me with her proposal … I thought I had lost you. It brings me no joy to put you in this position, or to send Miss Shimmer or Miss Nikos out to risk their lives in battle. None of it brings me any joy."

"But you do it anyway."

"I must, Amber," Ozpin insisted. "There is evil aboard in the world that cannot be resisted by General Ironwood's robots; you know that better than most."

Amber shuddered, and one hand rose involuntarily to her face, to the scars that her makeup only partially concealed.

"Someone must fight against that evil," Ozpin went on, "and that fighting is as dangerous as it is necessary."

Amber did not reply to that except to say, "They're all so very brave. Perhaps you should have made one of them your Fall Maiden."

Ozpin did not reply. He would not meet her eyes as he said, "This school is full of brave young men and women."

"That's what the tournament is for, isn't it?" Amber asked. "To show everyone else how brave and how good they are."

"The tournament is the crowning glory of a celebration of peace and unity," Ozpin corrected her, "but yes, it also allows for the brave young men and women to be celebrated, if not necessarily for the deeds they ought to be celebrated for."

Amber hesitated for a moment. "I … thank you, for letting me stay for the festival."

Ozpin looked at her now, and looked almost as though he might smile. "You always wanted to see it," he said.

"Did I?"

"Yes," Ozpin said. "I described it to you, and you thought it sounded … very wonderful."

"Oh," Amber whispered. "I … don't remember that. But Ruby, Pyrrha, the others, they made it sound wonderful too. They made it sound … thank you, for letting me be here for it, with them, for not … sending me away so soon."

"I have yet to make the arrangements for a suitable location," Ozpin said, "but when I do … Team Sapphire cannot protect you forever, you do realise that?"

They won't have to. "I know. I wouldn't want them to, not forever; I wouldn't want to…" I wouldn't want to put them in danger like that. She did not say so, though; it would have sounded too cruel.

And she did not want to be cruel. She didn't like him, she didn't agree with what he'd done, she didn't desire to forgive him, but … she didn't want to be cruel to him. What would have been the point? Soon, she would be free, and away from him forever.

He had no more power to hurt her now, so why be cruel?

"I know that I can't stay," she said. "They're on a different path to me. I wish them … I wish them luck with it. You didn't punish them for going with me to the relic vault, did you?"

"No," Ozpin said. "Although I am still a little surprised you took them there."

"I thought that they should know," Amber said, although in honesty, it was something that she regretted now. It might have been better if they had not known; that way, she could have gotten the relic and gotten out that much easier. She regretted it, but at the time … at the time, with the shadows so long, it had seemed like the right thing to do. "I thought that they should know. Just in case."

Ozpin sighed. "You may be right," he said. "I hope it will not come to that, but you may be right." He paused. "How … how is Mister Bronzewing?"

"Dove?" Amber asked. "Dove's fine, Dove's wonderful, Dove is…" She smiled. "The whole world seems brighter because of my happiness." And because of my safety which I've guaranteed.

"I am glad," Ozpin said softly. "When your mother told me that you believed yourself in love—"

"I was in love," Amber corrected.

"Yes, yes, so it would seem," Ozpin acknowledged, "but at the time, to your mother and I … love at first sight … it seemed a pretty plot for fairytales—"

"A better fairytale than the one you wrote for me," Amber said. She frowned. "I'm sorry, that was—"

"It is quite alright."

"No," Amber said, "no, it isn't, I … I don't hate you," she said. "I don't like you, and I don't forgive you, and I don't…" I don't ever want to see you again. "But I don't hate you."

"But you no longer trust me, as you once did," Ozpin said.

Amber shook her head. "There was a time when time spent with you was the happiest time. When it was what I looked forward to more than … anything. There was a time … there was a time when I thought that you would never hurt me, not ever, but … that time is gone now. And whatever Sunset might think, whatever she might want … I don't think that we can bring it back."

"No," Ozpin murmured. "No, Miss Shimmer … I fear she is very optimistic in that regard. I do not need your trust. Or your love, although … all I need is for you to be safe."

Amber nodded. "I know. And I will be."

Her scroll went off, making Amber jump. She fumbled with the device that was still unfamiliar to her, struggling even to remember how to open it up.

"Let me help you," Ozpin said, getting up from behind his desk and swiftly crossing the room towards her, taking the scroll from her unprotesting hands and doing with ease what Amber herself had abjectly failed at: opening the device.

"Thank you," Amber said quietly. Her voice rose as she went on, "It's from Sunset; she says that I can meet everyone at the amphitheatre … if I want to."

"Do you wish to?" Ozpin asked.

Amber thought for a moment. The fact that they were in the amphitheatre was a little worrying, but on the other hand … they wouldn't be fighting there, not after what had happened last time. They wouldn't do that to her.

And if the alternative was to stay here with Ozpin … it wasn't much of a choice.

"Yes," she said. "I would."

The smile he gave her was a little sad, but it was a smile nonetheless. "Then I'll escort you down," he said.

---

Penny felt … it was hard to describe how she felt except to say that she felt like skipping.

That was hard, because everywhere was so crowded, but she felt like it nonetheless.

She had found her semblance! She had found her semblance.

She had a semblance, she was…

She was real.

That might sound unfair to people who hadn’t found their semblances, and Penny knew that there were people like that even at this school — and people like Jaune who had only found theirs recently — but all the same, there were times when it had seemed like everyone she knew had a really cool semblance that not only made them better people, that not only helped them out in battle, but also, in some way, expressed themselves.

From Rainbow Dash or Ruby being fast enough, Jaune being able to help with anything, Sunset’s ability to understand what you were going through, the fact that Blake was so skilled that she was even more untouchable on the battlefield than Pyrrha in some ways, their semblances were not only a part of them but also said something about them as well. And Penny had felt, sometimes, that her not having semblance, not having something that expressed her, that it … that it maybe said something about her.

That it made her a little less real than the people around her.

Until today. Until she found her semblance.

She had a semblance! Admittedly, she wasn’t entirely sure what it did or what it said about her, but that was what they were going to find out! And find out they would, because she had a semblance!

They — Penny, Team SAPR, Team RSPT, Blake, Sun, and Rarity, though not the rest of Rainbow Dash’s Canterlot friends — made their way across the grounds of Beacon; to the east of the courtyard, and on the grass beside the path leading to the docking pads, everything on the eastern side of the school grounds, had been turned into enormous fairgrounds nestling in the shadows of the Amity Coliseum. There were food stalls in plenty, as well as any number of games to play and rides to ride; there was a ferris wheel, a helter skelter, a hall of mirrors and a carousel. And even outside the fairgrounds, the grounds of Beacon — although not the buildings themselves — were mostly open to the public, and there were plenty of people in the courtyard, on the docking pads waiting for flights up to the coliseum, or just on the grass, enjoying the day. Everywhere you looked was a heaving mass of people, casually dressed or dressed in costumes — Penny spotted a few Pyrrhas, and some Blakes and Rainbow Dashes, and even one or two Sunsets; nobody that she could see was dressed like her — eating, drinking, wandering around, carrying stuffed animals and candy floss and big tubs of popcorn. There was an energy in the air, it was like … good feelings all around.

Or maybe that was just her own good mood.

Either way, the school was crowded, much more crowded than usual; there were places when they could hardly move at all and were stuck in the press waiting for a way forward to appear, queuing up just to take a few forward steps; Penny could only imagine for the moment what it would be like when they actually got into the fairgrounds later on.

For now, just trying to get to the amphitheatre felt slow, and ever slower because people kept stopping Pyrrha, and Rainbow and Blake, for selfies.

Penny admired the way that they dealt with it … well, she admired the way that Pyrrha dealt with it, with grace and a smile and endless patience; it was harder to admire the way Rainbow dealt with it when she was obviously enjoying every second of it, while Blake was equally obviously not enjoying it at all and could barely muster a smile for anyone no matter how many times Rainbow prompted her.

But regardless of how well or not each of them handled it, it was starting to make Penny a little impatient. She wanted to get to the amphitheatre and find out more about her semblance! Why couldn’t all these people leave them alone?

“I’m tempted to just leave a clone behind to get the picture taken,” Blake muttered.

Rainbow snorted. “You’re so flat, I kind of thought that you were doing that already. Would it really kill you to be a little more enthusiastic?”

“It just might,” said Blake. “I didn’t do this for the fame or the glory.”

“And yet, fame and glory finds us nonetheless, whether we would have it so or not,” Pyrrha said. “I understand your discomfort, but it isn’t the fault of those who look up to you.” She glanced behind her at Blake. “At the risk of sounding as though I’m reproaching you, they deserve better than a sullen, painfully obliged response.”

“At the risk of sounding as though you’re reproaching me?” Blake repeated. “What are you doing if not reproaching me?”

“Well … I’m sorry,” Pyrrha said, her voice lowering a little. “It’s just … I’ve always remembered not to take my frustrations out on the fans. It’s common courtesy. Whether you sought fame or not, you have done deeds worthy of fame, and that has its consequences. You cannot avoid them, much as you might like to.”

“Is it that easy for you?” asked Blake. “To just smile and put all your real feelings aside?”

“I have had a lot of practice,” Pyrrha conceded, and hardly sooner had she said that then she spotted a family approaching her through the crowd, and instantly, her face became a pleasant mask. “Oh, hello there!”

Eventually, and it probably wasn’t even that long except that Penny really, really wanted to get there, they made it to the amphitheatre, which was physically open, even if it wasn’t actually open to the public. They made it inside, and with no need for anyone to change, they went immediately to the main auditorium, where Sunset turned up the lights so that they could actually see what they were doing.

“Thank you all for your help with this,” Penny said.

Pyrrha smiled, a more genuine smile than she had offered to anyone who had asked for a selfie or an autograph, and said, “We’re happy to help, Penny.”

“Although I’m not entirely sure how we can help,” Sun added.

“I’m not sure what to do either,” Penny said. “I just used my semblance instinctively before. How am I supposed to do it again?”

“I found that pretty easy,” Jaune said. “After I’d used it the first time, it just … came to me. Once I knew what my semblance was, once I’d found it or unlocked it or however you want to call it, I could just … use it. I just thought about using my semblance the same way I’d think about opening or closing my hands, and it happened.”

“Except that you don’t really think about opening or closing your hands, do you?” Ruby said. “You just do it.”

“You sort of think about it; otherwise, you wouldn’t be able to control it,” Sunset said.

“Okay, yes, but you don’t think ‘I’m going to open my hand,’” Ruby said. “You just want to do something with your hand. And your semblance is the same way, or at least mine is. I want to go fast, and I go fast.”

“Yeah,” Jaune said, “that’s what I was saying to Penny.”

“This has gotten a little confusing,” Penny said. “Should I think about it or not?”

“Not consciously,” Pyrrha said, “except by wanting to use your semblance.” She paused. “I’m going to pick you up just a little by your backpack—”

“How are you going to do that, darling?” asked Rarity.

“It’s Pyrrha’s semblance; keep it to yourself,” Rainbow hissed to her.

“Well, naturally, darling, I’m the last person to gossip.”

“I think,” Pyrrha said, as though the two of them hadn’t spoken, “that you should be able to use your semblance to free yourself from mine. Are you ready?”

“Um … I suppose so,” Penny said, because she couldn’t think of how she could get more ready.

Pyrrha raised her hand, and Penny caught sight of the black outline that surrounded Pyrrha’s arm when she used her semblance a moment before she felt an invisible hand close around her, hoisting her up off the floor and into the air.

I want to use my semblance to get out of this.

I want to use my semblance.

I want to get out of this.

Please?

Nothing happened. She was hovering a few feet off the ground in the grip of Pyrrha’s semblance, and she couldn’t do anything about it.

But I don’t want to be up here! I want—

Penny gasped as she felt herself freed from the grip of Polarity, the invisible hand letting go of her as though she were greased, as she dropped back down to the floor, landing on both feet with a solid thump.

“Yes!” Ruby cried. “Great job, Penny.”

“It wasn’t the best,” Penny said. “It took me a little while to remember to feel it, instead of thinking about it.”

“Then let’s try it again, shall we?” Pyrrha said, and once more, Penny could just about make out the black outline around Pyrrha’s brown-gloved hand before she felt the invisible hand close around her, its fingers tightening before Penny was lifted.

But Penny didn’t want to be held like this, she wanted to be released, and the moment that she thought of that, she felt that, then the invisible hand released her, and she dropped to the ground again.

“That was faster this time,” she said, “wasn’t it?”

“It certainly was,” Sunset said.

“So your semblance is … nullifying other semblances?” Jaune said.

“Or ignoring them,” Twilight said. “When Penny nullified the effect of Atalanta’s semblance upon herself, I was still affected by it, and so was Ciel.”

“Indeed; I was not freed until Penny destroyed the marble,” Ciel added.

“So she can nullify other semblances on herself, then,” said Jaune.

“I’m not sure it’s that comprehensive,” Pyrrha murmured. “Based on what Penny has told us—”

“I think I see where you’re going, Pyrrha,” Blake said. “Sun, would you mind having a couple of your clones jump Penny?”

Sun blinked. “I mean … Penny, would you mind getting jumped by a couple of my clones?”

Penny thought about that for a second before she shook her head. “I don’t mind.”

"Well, okay," Sun said as he clapped the palms of his hands together.

His body glowed golden for a moment, and seemed to freeze in place as two … two golden shadows of himself, two Suns made of shining light, two golden and transparent Suns, emerged out of him, on either side of him, breaking on either side of Sun himself as Pyrrha and Ruby and all the rest made way for them.

Penny didn't move as the two of them approached her from the flanks, leaping upon her from both sides; she did nothing as the two clones barrelled into her, although she was surprised by how solid they felt for all that they looked as though they were made of light.

They were so solid that they bore her to the ground, pinned down beneath them.

I want to be free from this, Penny thought. I don't want to be stuck like this.

Unfortunately, 'stuck like this,' she very much remained, the two clones firmly ensconced on top of her.

"Um … I think it's stopped working again," Penny said plaintively from underneath the golden clones.

"No, I think it's working as I thought it might," Pyrrha said.

"Mmm," Blake murmured.

"Does that mean I can stop now?" asked Sun.

"I think so, yes," Blake said. "Thank you."

"No problem," Sun said as his clones disappeared into motes of light, which themselves faded into nothingness after mere moments. "It just cramps me up having to freeze up for a long time."

"You can't move?" Penny asked, as she picked herself up off the floor.

Sun shook his head. "Nope. The clones can move; I can't."

"So you're kind of the opposite of Blake," Penny said.

Sun raised one eyebrow. "Huh, you know, when you put it like that, I guess I kind of am." He grinned. "Pretty cool, right?"

"Not necessarily," Blake said. She smiled out of one corner of her mouth. "But, yes, pretty cool."

"Except," Sun went on, "I don't think I can infuse my clones with dust the way Blake can."

"Have you tried?" asked Twilight.

"No," Sun admitted. "Where would I get the dust?"

"I don't understand," Penny said, bringing the conversation back to herself. "Why I was able to break free from Pyrrha's semblance but not from Sun's?"

"Because Pyrrha's semblance was controlling you in a way that Sun's was not," Ciel murmured. "That was your thinking, Pyrrha, was it not?"

"It was my guess," Pyrrha said, "based on Atalanta's semblance. I thought — and I think I am right — that as you have sought for freedom, so semblances that take away that freedom, you can resist."

Penny frowned. "But weren't Sun's clones taking away my freedom by sitting on me?"

"In a physical sense, yes, I suppose they were," Pyrrha allowed, "but—"

"But," Sunset said, a smile playing across her face, "you have to allow a reflection of your soul to exist and operate in the realm of metaphor and imagery, if anything can. Sun's clones are like … it would be like Rainbow Dash pinning your arms behind your back and forcing you to the ground."

"Why me?" asked Rainbow.

"Because you're made of muscle," Sunset said, "why not you? The point is that it's a different order, a different type of thing than Atalanta making you stare at a marble, or Pyrrha picking you up. Apart from anything else, you could resist physical coercion physically; your semblance gives you the ability to resist strings that would—"

"That would otherwise be unbreakable to you," Pyrrha finished.

"That … makes sense, I think," Penny said, although she had to think in order to get her head around it. It wasn't as simple as 'run really fast' or 'boost aura' or even 'see the future.' But, when she thought about it, it made sense.

And, when she thought about it, she found that it was actually pretty cool.

I'm free, and nobody can take that away from me.

"Of course," Pyrrha went on, "we could really do with another … coercive semblance, one might say, or one which has that potential, in order to test it."

"What are you talking about?" Amber asked as she and Professor Ozpin walked into the auditorium. "What are you doing down here?"

Rainbow Dash and Ciel came to attention.

"Good morning, Professor," Sunset said.

"Hello again, Amber," said Pyrrha.

"Penny found her semblance during her match," Ruby explained. "We've been helping her figure it out."

"Really?" Amber asked. "That sounds wonderful. Congratulations, Penny."

"Yes, congratulations, Miss Polendina," Professor Ozpin added. "The discovery of a semblance is a milestone in any young huntsman or huntress's life and career."

"Thank you, Professor," Penny murmured. "I'm very grateful to all my friends for helping me with it."

"What kind of semblance is it?" Amber asked, stepping forwards, into the midst of the crowd, slipping in between Pyrrha and Sunset. "What was Pyrrha saying about needing another type of semblance?"

Penny waited for Pyrrha or Sunset or someone to explain, but instead, Pyrrha gestured towards Penny, as if to say that, as it was her semblance, she should explain it.

Penny blinked. "I … we think that … semblances that try to control me, that make me do things that I don't want to do, I can … ignore them, or break them."

"Has your aura level gone down?" Ruby asked.

"I … think so," Penny murmured. She checked her aura on her scroll. "Yes, it has, but I'm still in the green."

Ruby nodded. "So you're spending aura every time you free yourself. Not much, but a little. That's how you do it: you use a little aura and cancel out the semblance."

"The trouble is that we don't have a lot of semblances like that to try it out on to be sure," Blake explained.

Amber swallowed. "I … I've got one," she said. "Sort of. I think it might fit, anyway. I could try it on Penny, and see if it … doesn't work. If you want to."

"What kind of semblance?" asked Penny.

"I call it Enchanted Sleep," Amber said. "It will … put you to sleep, just like it says." She smiled slightly. "Or not, in your case. Everyone should stand back a little bit, or you'll be affected too; it isn't very precise."

Everyone shuffled backwards a little, clearing the space around Amber as though she were diseased, or a social pariah.

"Please," Penny said, "go on."

Amber nodded and took a deep breath. She closed her eyes and bowed her head a moment, taking another deep breath.

Then, much as Pyrrha had done, she raised her hand. A glow, an amber-golden glow, began in the centre of her palm, faintly at first and then brighter, a glow enveloping her entire hand but brightest in the centre of her palm.

Motes of golden light began to rise out of Amber's hand, like dandelion fluff or sycamore seeds borne on the wind, little lights floating in the air, rising out of the nothingness, emerging from Amber's palm and wafting through the amphitheatre, blown by no wind, in Penny's direction.

Jaune yawned; Sunset rubbed at her eyes and began to blink rapidly; Ruby's head began to nod, her eyelids drooping; Rainbow also let out a lionlike roar, mouth open wide; Twilight's ears looked as though they were starting to turn red.

Penny found herself taking a step backwards as the motes of light floated through the air towards her, getting closer and closer.

Closer and closer until they began to surround her, floating around her, gathering as more and more golden lights rose from the palm of Amber's hand.

Penny's eyelids felt heavy. They had weights hanging from them; keeping them up and open was a sore trial; she found her limbs growing heavier too, her head drooping, her mind fogging.

But I don't want to go to sleep.

Penny felt a shiver run through her aura as her head snapped upwards, the golden lights around her vanishing as though they had never been to start with.

Amber lowered her hand, the stream of golden motes of light ceasing, as those that she had already conjured ceased to move but hung suspended in the air until they, too, faded from sight.

"It didn't work, did it?" she asked. "Or should I say that your semblance worked."

"Yes," Penny said, and she could not help but beam. "Yes, it worked … it worked perfectly."

"Quite a semblance of your own you've got there, Amber," Sunset muttered as she rubbed at her eyes one last time, her tail swishing from side to side.

"It's not that wonderful," Amber replied. "It takes a while to take effect, and I need to concentrate; that's why … I didn't have time to use it when…"

"Now that Penny has found her semblance," Jaune said, coming to Amber's rescue before she needed to say any more, "it needs a name."

"Hmm," Sunset murmured, cupping her chin with one hand. "How about, No Strings Attached?"

"That's a bit of a mouthful, don't you think?" asked Jaune.

"It's not like Penny needs to say it every time she uses it," Sunset replied.

"Semblance Canceller?" Rainbow mused.

"A little on the nose, darling," Rarity said. "A semblance name should strive to a certain level of poetry, like Diamond in the Rough."

"Unbound?" Pyrrha suggested. "Or Unbound … something, although I admittedly can't think what. Unbound by Any?"

"Freedom," Ruby said. "The name of your semblance is Freedom."

The room fell silent. Eyes turned towards Penny.

Penny kept her own eyes upon Ruby. "Freedom," she murmured, her tongue rolling over the word. "Freedom," she repeated, a smile blossoming upon her face. "Freedom," she said, for the third and last time, nodding approvingly.

She had found Freedom, in every single way.

Comments

[AngelicTitan]

Awwww that ending warms my heart. I like how Penny’s arc to finding herself and break free of her expectations ends up with a Semblance that matches it one to one. I am curious to see how Penny’s Semblance will impact the Rewrite of V3, and how it may affect the climax.
I liked the Amber and Ozpin scene because it puts into focus their relationship; the original plot didn’t make them both interact at all, but this scene makes it a little more painful Amber’s betrayal. Speaking of which, I kind of find funny how Amber knows that the rest of her friends wouldn’t like the deal she did, but she does so anyway because of her naivety. Tbh, I don’t blame her; she’s stuck between two hard places, and I don’t know how she could survive it so without her deal.
Only with her new Semblance did I realize that Amber was inspired by Sleeping Beauty, lmao. Speaking of which, it will be interesting to see how she would use it later after her betrayal comes to light; how will it change the events going forward?
I would love to see the 2v2 this time around on the Rewrite because I would love to see a Sunset and Pyrrha battle before the Fall of Beacon occurs. Anyway, nice chapter, and see you Sunday!

[Mastermind4892]

There are no strings on me.

[Scipio Smith]

11631811
Well, hopefully not said in the creepy James Spader voice, but yes.

[Snowdrifter]

media.tenor.com/msoM3Ck0e6sAAAAC/freedom.gif

[Stet709]

"Of course," Pyrrha went on, "we could really do with another … coercive semblance, one might say, or one which has that potential, in order to test it."

I think Sunset dodged a bullet there with Amber showing up. From what it sounds like, Pyrrha might've had Sunset's semblance in mind when she suggested a coercive semblance. But that would mean Rarity would have to keep another secret in knowing Sunset's true semblance and that her "semblance" is magic.
Would be interesting to see for Penny to resist Sunset's Empathy. Cinder's the only one who's pushed Sunset out, and that was out of rage.
Speaking of semblance activation, it reminds me that, while most sort of will their semblance to activate, there are touch-based semblances. Sunset is the obvious example here, but there are others, a canon example being Robyn Hill's. It does make me wonder if Sunset will ever get to a point that she can use both touch and will to activate her semblance, controlling it and negating the need for gloves. Or is she gonna be an X-men Rogue situation where she can't touch anyone, in this case, without gloves (since I believe Sunset needs skin-to-skin contact)

[Voltaje]

XD i actually called it freedom before i reached the name, it was fitting, and too simple XD, why not EverFree, considering the set up.

[Plotbuster]

11632061
Everfree is actually really clver. Pretty poetic, too.