Cowboy (Rewritten)
Cowboy
Terri-Belle got to her feet. “Disappointing,” she pronounced. “And all the more disappointing for being at the last.” With the victories of Arslan Altan and Sun Wukong, Haven had appeared to be on a roll, only for the momentum to be lost in the last two matches.
“Three Beacon students, two from Haven, two from Atlas, one from Shade,” Swift Foot said. “It’s not bad, by any means.”
“Are you saying that, like so many, I have once again raised my hopes too high?” Terri-Belle asked.
“No,” Swift Foot said. “I’m just saying … it’s not bad. Two out of eight. It’s on the average. And if you count Pyrrha as one of ours, not one of theirs, then it’s three of ours, so we’re in the lead.”
“The trouble is that if you start playing games like that, then Sun Wukong becomes a Vacuan, Weiss Schnee an Atlesian, Umber Gorgoneion becomes a Mistralian also—”
“Really?”
“I am fairly certain she is of the Kisthenian Gorgoneions,” Terri-Belle said. “You’ve read the biographies of the contestants, what does it say?”
“About Umber Gorgoneion? Very little,” Swift Foot said. “Only that she enjoys sculpting out of stone in her spare time and has a pet snake called Allecto. Nothing about her background, where she was born, anything of that sort. She’s a complete cipher.” She paused. “The Kisthenian Gorgoneions, does that mean … that would make her the sister to Lady Euryale and Lady Verde?”
“By her age, that would seem likely,” Terri-Belle said.
Swift Foot frowned. “I didn’t know they had a third sister.”
Terri-Belle nodded. “Yes, she was … little seen.”
“'Little seen'?” Swift Foot repeated. “What does that mean?”
“I scarcely know myself; I am not close to the family,” Terri-Belle said. “All I know is that there is a third sister, a third daughter of Lady Gorgoneion, and that she is, or was, mostly hidden away out of the public eye. Illness, I believe.”
“If that’s her, then she doesn’t look ill,” Swift Foot pointed out. “And anyway, how and why would the sick and secluded daughter of Lady Gorgoneion end up as a student at Shade Academy?”
“Perhaps she was sick and tired of being secluded?” Terri-Belle suggested. “In any case, what I am saying is that if we judge the huntsmen and huntresses by their country of origin … well, I fear that we are speculating already as to who will go through to the final round.”
“Pyrrha Nikos, Arslan Altan, Weiss Schnee, Nora Valkyrie, Rainbow Dash, Neptune Vasilias, Umber Gorgoneion … I don’t know which of Flynt Coal or Neon Katt will be sent through.”
“But you’re so certain of the others?” Terri-Belle asked. “Why Neptune Vasilias?”
“Because he’s a Mistralian of … a reasonable enough family, when one makes allowances for the fact that they’re Argives,” Swift Foot said. “Whereas Sun Wukong is a faunus from Vacuo.”
“Reasoning which might make sense, if the team were led by a Mistralian,” Terri-Belle replied. “But I’m not sure that Team Sun abides by our rules of … proper conduct.”
“You think they’ll send Sun Wukong through?”
“I don’t know, and I don’t really want to speculate for fear of looking foolish when I turn out to be mistaken,” Terri-Belle said. “We will see tomorrow how things stand. All we know is that there will only be two Haven students among the eight.”
“Two Haven students and Pyrrha Nikos,” Swift Foot said.
Terri-Belle hesitated a moment before she said, “Yes, I suppose it is safe enough to venture that. Two Haven students, and Pyrrha Nikos.”
"That," pronounced Vice Principal Luna, "verged upon the perfunctory."
"I don't know; Miss Soleil was hard up against it for a moment," Principal Celestia replied. "Although Rainbow Dash never seemed to be in any real difficulty — which is to her credit, I think."
"To her credit and to Haven's discredit in equal measure," Luna said. "What is Leo teaching them?"
A mischievous smile crossed Celestia's pale features. "Why don't you ask him? I'm sure he'd be delighted to hear from you."
Luna pouted. "I shouldn't even dignify that with a response, but I will, to say that he would have no reason to welcome a word from me, not after all these years, and certainly not to rebuke his teaching style. In any case, not all his students did so poorly today; it may be that they were simply outclassed by their opponents."
"No doubt they were," Celestia said. She paused. "I know why you didn't, but there are times I wish you'd kept in touch with him."
"Really?"
"Is that so hard to believe?" asked Celestia. "I know you're … lonely, with only me to confide in, and there are times when I think Leo must be rather lonely too. Ozpin has Goodwitch, you have me … who does Leo have, marooned at Haven?"
"You might ask the same of James," Luna pointed out.
"James at least has the consolation of being well-beloved by his students, even if he cannot share the burden with them," Celestia said. "And James is not a faunus surrounded by … not a faunus in a rather traditionalist realm."
"You could just say 'racist,'" said Luna. "There is no Mistralian here to object."
"I suppose," Celestia said. "But you see my point?"
"I do," Luna acknowledged. "And yet, I am not sure a few words from me would solve anything." She let out a sigh. "The burdens that we carry, the burdens that Ozpin places on our shoulders, are heavy ones that cannot be so easily lifted by a few kind words." She looked at the television and the image of Rainbow Dash displayed upon it. "I hope they all appreciate this tournament for the respite that it is."
"Booyah!" Leaf yelled, clapping her hands together. "And that's how it's done!"
"How would you know?" asked Veil.
"'Cause I've watched all these matches, obviously," said Leaf. "Although it was a bit disappointing that one of the two Haven students spent the whole match invisible so we couldn't see her."
"It's reality TV, not scripted," Veil observed. "Sometimes, I guess, that's just the way it is."
"Woohoo," said Fluttershy softly from Cadance's box high up in the arena.
What Fluttershy lacked in volume, Pinkie more than made up for. "GO, RAINBOW DASH!" She shrieked, oblivious to the way that Applejack and Rarity were leaning away from her whilst covering their ears. "YEAH! WOO!"
"That was pretty straightforward, wasn't it?" Twilight said, turning to Blake.
"Cicero didn't have an adequate response to Rainbow's ability to fight from a distance," Blake replied, "and Ciel made the best use of the terrain."
"She got lucky with that," Applejack observed. "If it hadn't been for all that water—"
"I'm sure Ciel would have made it work somehow," Blake replied. "But yes, I agree, the battlefield did favour her a little."
"Ooh, you know what we should do?" Pinkie said. "We should all go out and celebrate, and Blake can bring Sun, and we can invite Flash, and do you think Weiss Schnee would like to come too?"
"'Weiss Schnee'?" Rarity repeated. "That would be splendid, but do you think she would?"
"I … I think Weiss would be happy too, especially with Flash," Twilight said. "But, um, you see—"
"Unfortunately, neither Rainbow or I, or Twilight, can make it," Blake said, cutting in. "We're busy tonight."
"'Busy'?" Rarity said. "Busy with what, darling?"
Blake and Twilight shared a glance; Twilight, for one, had no desire to lie to everyone, but it wasn't as though they could just tell them about Amber, could they? Well, they certainly couldn't tell them the whole truth about Amber.
Nevertheless, they had to say something. "We," she began, "we have to—"
"It's work," Blake said. "Team Sapphire have asked us to help them out with something."
"Every answer raises further questions," Rarity murmured.
"You get used to it," Sun remarked. "I don't get what they're up to, and I've been on one of their missions."
"And it don't bother you, not getting it?" asked Applejack.
Sun shrugged. "I trust Blake, and that means that I trust it's something important."
"But why are you getting missions during the Vytal Tournament?" asked Fluttershy.
"Perhaps I'm less trusting than Mister Wukong, but I'd like to know that too," remarked Cadance.
"Is it Professor Ozpin's niece?" asked Sun.
"Yes," Twilight said, relieved to have that part out there. "Yes, yes, that's it exactly. We're providing security for Professor Ozpin's niece at the carnival tonight."
"'Professor Ozpin's niece'?" Shining Armor repeated incredulously. "Two teams of huntsmen, plus Blake—"
"And Yang," Blake said softly.
"Two and a half teams for…" Shining Armor trailed off. "I don't want to accuse the Professor of anything, but I've got a hard time seeing how that's a valid use of resources. Cadance doesn't have that much security!"
"Which doesn't mean that she doesn't need protection," Lady Belladonna said. "But, by the same token, if she does need protection, then shouldn't that be provided by adults?"
"We're not children, Mom," Blake said. "We've seen more than some huntsmen twice our age."
"A fact which doesn't thrill me, believe me," said Lady Belladonna.
"And I love a party more than anyone," Pinkie said, "but if the Professor's niece is in danger, then why is she going to the carnival?"
"Because, just because she's in danger doesn't mean that she should have to live her life in a box, does it?" Twilight asked.
Pinkie nodded. "That's a good point."
Cadance's blue eyes were narrow. "I take it that General Ironwood is aware of all this?"
"Yes, ma'am, he is," Blake said, her voice even and her tone become more formal.
Cadance pursed her lips. "Twilight, what's your role in this?"
Twilight debated whether and how to tell Cadance and everyone else that she was the getaway driver. Since it was imperative and necessary to say something, she said, "I will be on the airship in case it's needed for extraction."
"The fact that you’re not going to be in the line of fire is something, at least," Cadance said. She paused a moment. "I don't like this. I don't like the fact that there are things neither you or General Ironwood are saying. But I suppose, as Sun reminds us, we should trust that you — and General Ironwood — know what you're doing—"
"Should we?" asked Lady Belladonna.
Cadance chuckled. "Is there an alternative?"
Lady Belladonna shook her head. "No. No, I suppose there isn't. God knows that Blake never took well to attempts to tell her no, or wait, or it’s not safe. So you're right; we will have to trust you."
"Until such time," Cadance added, "as the trust proves to be misplaced."
The cheers of the crowd rang in Rainbow’s ears as she flew across the battlefield to land upon the deck — the deck that was even more broken now than it had been when the battle started — of the shipwrecked vessel.
“So,” she said, looking up at Ciel, who was still perched on the mast. “Using the water disturbance to track her movements? That was your plan?”
“'Her'? I am here, you know.”
“Where?” Rainbow asked, looking around. “And how do you still have the aura to keep your semblance going?”
“Down here,” Lily said grumpily, but then, considering that she’d just lost the match, she was probably allowed to be a little grumpy. A hand, a visible hand encased within a riding glove, appeared out of the hole that Ciel had blown in the ship’s deck as Lily pulled herself up and onto the wooden planks. She grunted with effort as she rose to her feet. “For the record, you’d be surprised at how little demand my semblance places upon my aura.”
“Yeah, I would,” Rainbow replied. “You can turn invisible, fully and completely invisible, and it doesn’t even burn through your aura to do it?”
“As has just been proven, it also doesn’t make me invincible,” Lily muttered.
“No,” Rainbow allowed, “but if it’s that good, why have you kept it to yourself all this time? We couldn’t find out what your semblance was.”
“I haven’t needed it until now,” Lily explained. “I’ve been saving it for the right moment.”
Ciel leaped down off the mast, landing with a heavy thud upon the wooden boards. “Some might say,” she said, “that having saved it so long, the right moment might be more…”
“Important?” Lily suggested. “You’re implying I wasted it in a tournament match, aren’t you?”
Ciel hesitated. “I would not wish to—”
“Well, you did,” Lily told her. “And I would see your point, except the grimm don’t watch TV. Not that it works as well on grimm as it does on people, since they can still sense my emotions, but it kind of works, and bandits don’t watch TV either. At least, I hope they don’t. Nobody who I might be going up against in future is going to be better off because they saw me use my semblance in this match.”
It would be great if that was true, Rainbow thought. Does Salem watch TV? Does anyone who works for her?
“Anyway,” Lily went on, “when I found out what we were up against, it was clear that I was going to have to pull out all the stops, or you’d just end up taking me out from a distance before I could get close enough to respond.” She paused. “I mean it didn’t work, but not using it wouldn’t have worked out either.” She shook her head. “When you retreated to the ship, I knew what you were trying to do, but I thought I could move fast enough that you still wouldn’t be able to hit me. But I forgot about your semblance, didn’t I?”
“It was a valiant effort,” Ciel told her. “I was in real difficulty after you surprised me in the forest.” She held out her hand. “Well fought.”
Lily slapped her hand into Ciel’s, then shook it vigorously. “Well won,” she said. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’d better go clean Cicero up off the floor. His father is going to be insufferable about this. He already thinks that we don’t work hard enough.” She paused. “And it would have been nice to have had more finalists than you Atlas lot for once. But, as the gods and fate decree, I guess.” She nodded in Rainbow’s direction before she turned away, jumping off the ship and down into the water.
Rainbow could hear the splashing sounds as she waded through the sea before she climbed out onto the shore.
“That was a pretty good plan of yours,” Rainbow informed Ciel. “I’m guessing that you chose to stand up on the spar like that so that there was only one place she could be standing if she got up there with you. You could just fire down the spar and be sure to hit her?”
“In the last resort, yes,” Ciel said.
Rainbow nodded. “And you came up with that on the fly?”
Ciel smiled slightly. “Is that not something laudable?”
“Oh, yeah, definitely,” Rainbow agreed. She stopped talking for a second, letting them both listen to the cheering crowd, all those people crying out at how well they’d done, how much they’d enjoyed seeing them do it, how much fun they’d had.
Cheering out their approval and affection and acclaim for Rainbow Dash and Ciel Soleil.
“So how does it feel,” she asked, “knowing that that’s for us? How does it feel to win? How does it feel to be…” She swept one around out across the arena. “How does it feel to be a poor girl from Mantle and stand here and listen to this?”
“How does it feel to be a faunus from Low Town?” Ciel responded.
Rainbow didn’t reply right away. She took another moment, a couple more moments, to listen, to just drink the whole thing in, to let it fall on all her ears.
It wasn’t, like, the best sound ever, it wasn’t the best thing that she’d ever heard or that would ever happen to her, let’s not go nuts or anything, but … she kind of wished that her parents could hear it.
I should have asked Scootaloo to record it for me.
“It’s great,” she said. “It’s incredible, it makes me feel small. But … at the same time…”
“The relative insignificance of all of this circus means that it does not fill one up,” Ciel replied. “Fast food, not a nourishing meal.”
Rainbow looked at her. “You too, huh?”
“Many people have made sacrifices for my sake,” Ciel said. “For my being here.”
“And it would be great to say ‘this proves that everything they did was worth it,’” Rainbow added. “Only … it doesn’t.”
“As you say,” Ciel replied.
“But we will,” Rainbow insisted. “We have done, already; and in the meantime … this isn’t nothing. This is … it’s pretty cool, if nothing else, and I bet it’s pretty cool for your family watching too, and for my friends, and Blake, and … so let’s enjoy it, huh? Because you have to agree, it’s kind of awesome.”
Ciel smiled. “Indeed,” she said softly. “It is … rather marvellous, to have come so far.”
“And that concludes today’s exciting matches!” Professor Port declared, his voice booming out across the arena, and into the homes of everyone watching. “Tomorrow, eight brave huntsmen and huntresses will go forward and compete in the one-on-one round until only a single champion remains. Now, you may be expecting that we will introduce those eight huntsmen and huntresses tonight, but you would be wrong! Amongst the qualities expected of a true huntsman is the ability to rise to the occasion even in the face of the unexpected. And so, not only will our final eight competitors not be introduced until shortly before the battles begin, but each round will be randomly determined immediately before the match! There will be zero time to prepare!”
“Who will compete?” Doctor Oobleck asked. “Who will they face? And who will emerge victorious in all battles to snatch the crown of victory? All these questions will only be answered tomorrow, here in the arena and broadcast live on major television networks!”
It was not long afterwards that Sunset and Rainbow Dash stood in Professor Ozpin’s office.
The headmaster stood behind his desk, the better both to be seen by the two team leaders but also to see the hologram that was being projected over said desk by Sunset’s scroll.
The hologram displayed, in transparent shapes and lines of light blue, a view of the centre of Vale, or at least of a part of it, the part down which the carnival would … progress, after a fashion, although it didn’t move like a parade but sort of ambled along in a great mass, like a snake that vaguely meant to go somewhere but would be just as happy staying where it was, perhaps rolling over for a little while.
In any case, the hologram showed a view of the centre of Vale, an area marked by an abundance of tall buildings looming over the main road on both sides in a mixture of old-fashioned designs, columns for some, buttresses and gargoyles for others, and hypermodern architecture of steel and glass. As per the plan that Sunset and Rainbow had come up with, all those vantage points ought to be more help to them than hindrance.
A red line ran down the main street, which was at times called the Kingsway, at other times the High Street, at times called Main Street, and sometimes called Broadway, depending on where you were and whether you’d passed through certain squares or not because they couldn’t just pick a name and stick with it, could they?
Coloured dots — red, yellow, orange, blue, green, all the colours of the rainbow — were placed upon the hologram, indicating the positions of various members of the combined force.
Professor Goodwitch stood by the right hand side of Professor Ozpin’s desk, while General Ironwood stood upon the left, both of them looking down upon the hologram, even as Professor Ozpin did.
Professor Ozpin stared at the hologram, as if he might discern the plan without Sunset or Rainbow having to say a thing to him about it. At length, or after what seemed like a length, although the gears of the clock had not ground on too much, he raised his head and looked at them.
“Please,” he said, “explain.”
Sunset was the first to take a step forward. “The carnival moves, after a fashion, down this main road indicated in red, which goes by several names but which we will call the Kingsway because that’s what it’s called when it starts—”
“I would prefer it if you called it Broadway, Miss Shimmer, or Main Street,” Professor Ozpin interrupted her. “The Kingsway is … rather a vanity that should have been left in the past.”
Sunset blinked rapidly. “Um, ahem, very well, Professor, as you wish.” She gestured down the red line, her hand and fingers passing through some of the holographic buildings. “The carnival moves down Broadway, beginning at Saint Mary’s Place and ending at Old Forest Park, although Amber won’t join the carnival until it passes the skydock, here.” She pointed towards it. “We can’t say for sure how far she’ll get from that position, because once you’re part of the carnival, you can be as fast or slow as you like, crowd permitting. She might just hang around outside the skydock all night dancing with Dove until the music stops.” She paused for a moment. “Amber will be accompanied not only by Dove but by myself, Pyrrha, Jaune, and Penny, all in close proximity. We’ll provide close protection to Amber, as indicated.” She pointed to a cluster of five dots near the holographic skydock. One of them was amber, and one was white; they were Amber and Dove — the reason it was white instead of brown was that they’d found that dark colours were harder to see on the hologram. Deployed around the two of them were four more dots: red for Pyrrha, yellow for Jaune, orange for Sunset, and green for Penny, all placed protectively around Amber and Dove.
“That may be difficult in a crowd,” General Ironwood observed. “How can you be sure that you can keep people away from Amber?”
“So long as we stay close to her, sir, then we should be able to make sure that no one does her harm,” Sunset replied. “Everyone wants to stay close by their friends, so nobody should find it odd if we hold on to Amber or shove people aside who try to come between us. Anyone would do the same for their nervous friend who was experiencing the big city for the first time; no one will think anything of it.”
“Even so,” General Ironwood said, “it will be hard to see an attack coming.”
“That’s where the rest of us come in, sir,” Rainbow said, and now, she, too, took a step forward, pointing to the purple dot some distance in advance of the others; Blake was purple instead of black for the same reason that Dove was white instead of brown — the brighter colour showed up better on the hologram. “That’s Blake; she’s going to be the vanguard of this operation, moving ahead of Amber and Dove to try and spot trouble before it reaches them. She’ll continually double back towards Amber before moving out again, sweeping back and forth for any danger.”
“And if the danger ambushes Miss Belladonna?” Professor Goodwitch asked. “Your plan puts her alone, unsupported.”
“And if anyone tries to mess with Blake because they think being alone makes her an easy target, they’ll soon regret it, Professor,” Rainbow replied.
Professor Goodwitch looked down at Rainbow from over the top of her spectacles. “Bravado, Miss Dash, is hardly a substitute for proper planning.”
“It’s not bravado, Professor,” Rainbow replied. “Yes, I have faith in Blake, but I also have an assessment of her skills and capabilities that I believe to be accurate. I wouldn’t have put her in this position if I didn’t think she could handle herself, and I think that she is the best person for this post. Penny is too inexperienced to know what to look for, Jaune would be at risk by himself, Sunset and Pyrrha are not only two of the people best able to protect Amber but also two of the people that Amber trusts most, so having them close by will be a comfort to her. Plus, unlike anyone else, Blake has lived in the shadows and fought in them; if anyone can spot danger lurking there, it’s her.”
“I find there is some sense in what Miss Dash says,” Professor Ozpin said. “The fact is, these children know one another far better than we know them at this point, for all that we are their teachers. Miss Shimmer, Miss Dash, please continue.”
“Thank you, Professor,” Sunset said. She pointed to the red dot on one of the roofs of the tall buildings overlooking the street. “Ruby will be providing close cover from directly overhead, moving to keep pace with Amber and the rest of us down below.”
“Meanwhile, Ciel will be stationed up here, at the top of Frakes’ Folly,” Rainbow said, pointing to the blue dot on top of a particularly tall holographic tower that loomed above the park at the end of the carnival route and all the buildings around it. It was at least twice as high as the other buildings in the vicinity, built in the old-fashioned gargoyles-and-buttresses style, as though it were the last remnant of some grand old fortress that had once dominated the surrounding countryside.
Unfortunately, the whole thing was only built after the Great War.
“From the top of that tower,” Rainbow went on, “she can see right down the road and keep an eye on Amber without needing to change position.”
“Are you suggesting that Soleil should start firing Distant Thunder into a crowd of people?” General Ironwood asked, more mildly than the question might suggest.
“No, sir; she’s already put in a requisition for an ASR-37F for the night,” Rainbow replied. “She’ll have Distant Thunder with her, but the sniper rifle will be her primary weapon.”
General Ironwood nodded silently.
“I’ll be on the other side of the street from Ruby, based on top of the Liver Building here,” Rainbow said, pointing to the other blue dot on the map, to a smaller tower midway down Broadway. “From there, I’ll be able to observe everything going on down below and maintain communications with the rest of the team, so I’ll be exercising control of the operation.”
“Not you, Miss Shimmer?” Professor Ozpin asked.
“I won’t be able to get such a clear view of what’s going on from down on the street with Amber,” Sunset said, “but at the same time, it’s best if I stay close to Amber’s side just in case.”
“I’m sure that Dash will be more than capable of commanding this operation,” General Ironwood said. “Assuming that the overall plan is approved.”
There was a moment of quiet, as the clock ground on inexorably above them.
“And if Amber comes under attack?” Professor Goodwitch asked. “Or if Miss Belladonna encounters any danger, or—?”
“In the event that Blake, Ruby, or Ciel spot something that doesn’t feel right, they’ll report it to me, and I will assess the situation,” Rainbow said. “If I decide that the situation warrants it, or if Amber or any member of the team comes under attack, I will give the abort order. When I do, one of the following will happen: if Blake is under attack, then Ruby and Ciel will provide fire support,” Rainbow’s hand clenched into a fist; Sunset suspected that it was taking some effort for her not to add ‘and I’ll swoop in to back her up.’ “If Amber comes under attack, Blake will move back to reinforce the main group protecting Amber and Dove, while Ciel and Ruby provide fire support. If a credible threat has been identified without engagement, then it will be kept under observation.”
“Whatever the case,” Sunset said, “my group will move Amber northwards, off Broadway. Yang will be waiting on Ironmonger’s Way with her motorcycle,” — she pointed to the yellow dot on the hologram — “and once Rainbow issues the abort, she’ll move in on her bike to rendezvous with us and pick Amber up.”
“She will then drive Amber to Aris Crescent, covered by me from the air,” Rainbow said. “We’ve identified Aris Crescent as the nearest place big enough to land a Skyray, so that’s where Twilight will pick Amber up and fly her, Yang, and myself up to the Valiant where she’ll be safe.”
Again, there was, if not silence, then at least quiet; none of the professors said anything.
Professor Goodwitch folded her arms. “The extraction element is the weak link,” she pronounced. “You may not be able to get Amber to safety whilst under attack.”
“That’s why I’m there, Professor,” Sunset said. “If necessary, I’ll hold the attack off while Pyrrha leads the others in getting Amber out of there.”
“Some might call that overconfident, Miss Shimmer.”
“I’d rather call it ‘I wouldn’t ask anyone else to do that in my place,’ Professor,” Sunset said. “And I hope it won’t be necessary.”
“We all hope that, Miss Shimmer,” Professor Ozpin said. “We all hope that Amber will have nothing more than a wonderful evening.” He paused. “Nevertheless, Professor Goodwitch is correct; it is the potential weakness of your plan.”
“It’s a difficult situation,” Rainbow said.
“Perhaps an argument for keeping Amber at home,” Professor Goodwitch observed.
“With the main road shut down for the carnival, traffic on the approach roads is likely to be light,” Rainbow said. “Yang shouldn’t be held up.”
“But if a fight breaks out, then people will likely panic,” Professor Goodwitch said. “How will you move Amber through a crowd of confused people trying to run?”
“That’s why we’d rather spot trouble in advance, with Blake,” Sunset said. “But if need be, we’ll just have to force our way through however we can.”
Professor Goodwitch frowned. “Professor Ozpin, I acknowledge they have done the best they could, but this whole notion puts not only Amber but innocent lives in danger. If Cinder is in Vale—”
“Then she doesn’t know that Amber is, Professor,” Sunset pointed out.
“Be that as it may, Miss Shimmer,” Professor Goodwitch replied, “it is a great risk.”
“And yet the alternative is to cage Amber already,” Professor Ozpin murmured.
Professor Goodwitch bit her lip for a moment. “It is unfortunate, but it is her fate. The fate of all Maidens.”
“A fate I bestowed upon her,” Professor Ozpin said. “A destiny that she cannot escape because of me. If this is her last taste of liberty, then … let her drink from it.” He looked into Sunset’s eyes. “You have done well, Miss Shimmer, and you, Miss Dash; this is well thought out. You may go now and tell Amber the good news.”
Sunset smiled and bowed halfway from the waist. “At once, Professor, and thank you.”
The holographic image of Vale vanished from above Professor Ozpin’s desk as Sunset picked up her scroll, putting it in her jacket pocket as she and Rainbow Dash both walked back to the elevator at the far end of the room.
Soon enough, they were on their way down to the base of the tower.
“That went okay, I thought,” Sunset said. “I mean, we got what we wanted.”
“Professor Goodwitch could have had a little more faith in Blake,” Rainbow muttered.
“As if it isn’t killing you that you don’t get to back her up as soon as she gets into trouble,” Sunset muttered.
“That … that’s different,” Rainbow replied. “That’s … just because I don’t like the idea of leaving Blake in the lurch doesn’t mean that I don’t think she can handle herself. I know she can handle herself; I just don’t really like the fact that I have to stand on top of a tower while she fights.”
“That’s command, I suppose,” Sunset replied.
Rainbow wrinkled her nose in distaste. “Yeah,” she said. “If you could, would you switch places with me?”
“I can’t,” Sunset said.
“I know you can’t,” Rainbow said, “but if you could. If you didn’t have to be down there for Amber, would you be willing to be the one on top, making all the decisions?”
“While Jaune and Pyrrha were down there, on the ground?” Sunset asked. She shook her head. “No. No, I wouldn’t switch with you.”
“I didn’t think so,” Rainbow said.
They were silent for a few seconds, with only the gentle humming of the lift to disturb them as it bore them downwards.
“I’m a little surprised that Amber still wants to go through with this,” Rainbow said. “I mean … if I knew Cinder had just killed somebody in Vale, I wouldn’t go down there for a party. Well, maybe I would, but I can take care of myself; Amber—”
“Knows how to fight; she just doesn’t want to,” Sunset replied. “She really doesn’t want to. So what are you saying, that she ought to cower in fear of Cinder?”
“It’s not cowardice,” Rainbow insisted. “It’s … some risks aren’t worth taking.”
“I’m glad you didn’t say that to Professor Ozpin,” Sunset said.
“Hey, we agreed to come up with a plan, and we presented the plan,” Rainbow replied. “Doesn’t mean that I understand what Amber’s thinking.”
“Amber is thinking that, tomorrow night, she’s going to get bundled off to Ruby’s house in the sticks, and from there, she’ll get bundled off again to some miserable lonely place, and that this might be her last chance to have a little fun,” Sunset said. “I know … I know that it’s for her own protection, but that doesn’t mean … I don’t like it. I don’t really like anything about this. I still trust Professor Ozpin, I think he’s trying to do the right thing, but everything about this … sticks in my craw; I can see why Pyrrha’s tolerance has snapped.”
“When you told us about the Maidens,” Rainbow said, “I thought that hiding them was a bad choice. I thought that you could defend them better by putting them under heavy guard, a guard who knew what they were guarding and how important. Which is us, I guess, so we’re actually putting my theories into practice.” She paused. “But … I’m not sure that Amber would enjoy life on a cruiser, or in a fortress, to be much more fun than life in a hiding place.”
“They’re both prisons, of sorts,” Sunset said.
“Pretty sure they’re not,” Rainbow replied.
“She can’t leave, can she?” Sunset asked.
“Okay, that sounds very clever, but I’m pretty sure most prisons don’t let you out to go to the carnival,” Rainbow pointed out.
“That … is also a good point,” Sunset admitted. “But even so … you’re right. I’m not sure there’s a scenario in which Amber’s life is wholly pleasant for her. Certainly, it’s not the life she would have chosen.”
“We don’t always get to choose how our lives turn out,” Rainbow said. “Sometimes … sometimes, the only choice we get is whether we’re going to make the best out of the hand that we’ve been dealt. At least she has Dove with her, or she will have. So she won’t be completely alone.”
“No,” Sunset agreed. “No, that’s the silver lining to all of this.” She hesitated. “Do you … do you think that’s enough? That they love one another, that they have one another … is that enough? Is that all it takes, having the person you love beside you?”
“Why are you asking me something like that?” Rainbow asked.
Sunset looked at her for a second. “I don’t know, really,” she admitted, a touch of laughter in her voice. “Because you brought it up, I suppose.”
Rainbow snorted. “Do you want to know what I think?”
“Only if what you think is comforting,” Sunset said.
“Right,” Rainbow muttered. “Okay then.”
She did not tell Sunset what she thought.
Instead, she said, “So … Phoebe was Cinder’s stepsister all along, huh?”
“Yes,” Sunset said, and left it at that.
“And you knew?”
Sunset did not look at Rainbow Dash. “Yes,” she said. “I knew.”
Rainbow was silent for a moment. “And she — Phoebe, I mean — she … she made Cinder this?”
“She didn’t make her a servant of Salem; I still don’t know that part of the puzzle,” Sunset admitted. “But yes, she made her the sort of person who would do the things that Cinder has done. Someone angry at the world, someone hurting from their injuries. Someone who wants payback.”
“She’s got that now,” Rainbow replied. “I suppose it’s too much to say that she’ll stop.”
“I wish she would,” Sunset said. “But I fear not.”
“No,” Rainbow murmured. She was silent for a second, and then for a second more. “I never … it makes me think … I wish it didn’t, but…”
“What does it make you think of?” asked Sunset.
“It makes me wonder if there could be others like her,” Rainbow said. “Hiding their villainy behind the white. I wish I didn’t, I wish I could trust everyone who wears this uniform, but if Phoebe could be a monster and nobody could see it, then … could there be others?”
“It’s possible, I suppose,” Sunset replied. “Although I can’t think of any off the top of my head. Is there anyone you suspect?”
“No,” Rainbow replied. “But … maybe I might, in the right — or wrong — circumstances.”
The elevator came to a stop, and they both walked out as soon as the doors opened. The lobby of the CCT was not quite empty — there were a few people coming in to make late afternoon calls to distant kingdoms — but it was very quiet, and nobody got in their way as they headed out onto the grounds of the school.
The grounds were not so quiet, with people following the path towards the docking pads; the fairgrounds held no more delights for them today, and they wanted to go home. Of course, not everyone was leaving right away, and there were still a fair number of people in and around the fairgrounds as Rainbow and Sunset went in search of Amber.
They found her, and everyone else — Pyrrha, Ruby, Dove, Penny, Yang, Ciel — gathered around a fenced-off paddock, watching Jaune not get thrown off a horse.
The horse — a white one, dappled with patches of brown — was trying very hard to throw him off, bucking wildly, kicking with its hind legs, sometimes leaping up into the air with all four legs off the ground, tossing and stamping, doing everything that it could, but Jaune was hanging on in there.
In fact, he didn’t even look as though he was having to try very hard to do it. In fact, as far as Sunset could make out as she and Rainbow approached, he was smiling, and even able to free one hand to wave to the crowd, who responded by cheering his gallant efforts.
Rainbow folded her arms. “You know, he’s not bad.”
“'Not bad'?” Sunset repeated. “He looks pretty good to me.”
“I’ve seen Applejack do that bareback on a bull, that’s good,” Rainbow declared. “But Jaune isn’t bad.”
“No, he certainly isn’t,” Sunset said. “I suppose I should have known that someone who would do what he did to get into Beacon would have a stubborn streak.”
As they got close to the paddock and their friends, Sunset walked up to Pyrrha, who was standing on the right-hand side of the group, and leaned upon the metal barrier.
“Did you know he could ride a horse?” Sunset asked.
“No,” Pyrrha said. “But he’s very impressive, isn’t he?”
Sunset watched Jaune for another couple of seconds, clinging on to the horse with a practised ease. “He certainly is,” she said. “Where did he learn to do that? At home?”
“Apparently,” Pyrrha said. “He’s making me wish that I knew how to ride horses.”
Sunset smiled. “So that you could go on romantic rides together?”
Pyrrha’s cheeks flushed a little. “I’m afraid so, yes,” she murmured.
“There’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Sunset said. “I think it sounds pretty cute.”
“Jaune isn’t the only one who knows how to ride!” Penny declared. “You missed Amber showing us her barrel weaving! She was so quick and agile.”
“I’m not that good,” Amber murmured. She looked from Sunset to Rainbow Dash and then back to Sunset again. “So … what did Ozpin say?”
“He said we’re okay to go,” Sunset replied. “If … if you still want to. I mean … it could be … if you don’t feel like it, if you’d rather not, if you’re—”
“Scared?” Amber suggested.
“No one would blame you if you were, in the circumstances,” Sunset said.
Amber smiled and walked around behind Ruby and Pyrrha to approach Sunset. “But I’m not afraid,” she said, “not anymore. I’m not afraid because … well, because I’m with all of you.” She smiled. “I feel safe with you. Safer than I’ve felt since … for a long time.”
“Well, that,” Sunset scratched the back of her head with one hand. “That is both very sweet of you to say and puts a great burden of expectations on our shoulders. But, if that’s how you feel, then as soon as we’ve rounded everyone up and you’re ready to go, we can leave.”
Emerald watched them go, watched them climb aboard one of the skyliners ferrying people down from Beacon into Vale.
And they hadn’t been shy of making known where they were going either. They would stand out in their huntsman and huntress outfits — ironically, since some of them looked a lot like costumes, Pyrrha — which would make them easy to find.
The number of them around Amber, and the quality as well, was a little concerning; Ozpin wasn’t being completely careless with Amber’s security. Emerald had observed that she was never alone, there was always someone — Yang, Pyrrha, Ruby, Penny — close at hand to ensure her safety, and that was even more pronounced now, when the whole gang was there.
When considering the numbers, and the quality of those like Pyrrha and Sunset, Emerald considered simply not mentioning Amber’s trip into Vale to Cinder. Let Cinder remain ignorant of it, let her stay away from Amber and from all the weapons gathered for her defence.
But she couldn’t do that. Cinder would not want her to do that. Either she would damn the odds and attack anyway, or she would be cautious and sensible and do what Emerald would rather she do, but either way, it would be her choice.
Hers, not Emerald’s.
Emerald could not deny her this, even though … though she couldn’t see that it would lead anywhere but further sorrow, nevertheless, Emerald could not deny this to Cinder. She could think Cinder was going in the wrong direction, she could advise and plead, but she couldn’t decide for her. Only Cinder could do that.
Emerald got out her scroll.
Stats
Page generated in 0.068 seconds
Total duration
1,013 users online
225,846 hits today, 2,004,447 yesterday
FIMFiction
My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic Fanfiction
Designed and coded by knighty & Xaquseg - © 2011-2024
Follow & Support Us
Support us
SubStar
Chat!
Discord
Follow us
Twitter
MLP: Friendship is Magic® - © 2024 Hasbro Inc.®
Fimfiction is in no way affiliated with or endorsed by Hasbro Inc.®
nice to see Wiess back, been a while, in fact was planning to ask if we were going to get more of her.
I can already see Jaune being close to Pyrrha to reinforce her Aura, doing so, losing track of the shapeshifter when he does, and hoo boy.
Congratulations, Scipio Smith! You began this story just a year and a few days ago, and look at how far you have come. Take heart and take pride! In the words of Aristotle, the very best understand that excellence is a habit instead of an act. You have woven a most beautiful tale.
There's actually a new Equestria Girls clip of Sunset reacting to someone in a horse costume!
9811716
Aww, you always leave the nicest comments.
9811728
Thank you for this too, it's brilliant.
Waiting to see where Jaun's horse riding skills become useful...
You know, I do not hate Amber anymore, I pity her for being so stupid and childlish she doesn't realise all the death flags she is raising.
Yet another death flag for Amber. ^^
...Hmm. Y'know, I'm still wondering how Cinder's plan is going to be executed. In the show, she needed Emerald to deceive Yang and Pyrrha, but all four of them are wanted and not present at the festival.
9812497
Cinder might have Emerald rile up the opposing teams, either the other Mistria team or the one with Her step-sister leading, into a murderous frenzy, Sonata's singing has been building this powder keg for awhile.
9812569
Emerald isn't present, though. That's the issue. Also, it's at a powder keg because that's exactly where Cinder wanted the mood.
So, Jaune is the Knight in *he-he* Shining Armour.
I hope Jaune manages to get some good press after this
Also fun fact people who ride horses are known as equestrians
Yo Scipio, you got mad writing skills. I never read your chapters one at a time I always wait until you've dropped 2 or 3 new ones so I can experience more of the story in a single sitting. This is hands down the best RWBY fanfic I've ever read the only one that comes close is 4 Years at Beacon. It's the level of detail you give to your characters and their motivations that gets me most. No one is besides maybe Ruby is purely good or purely evil everyone has their own ambitions and driving forces and to watch them change and grow over the course of the story is wondrous. This is my RWBY canon the show doesn't even come close to this level of mastery.
You think Jaune would be able to use a mount in combat? Lather him up in plate and have him use his semblence to protect and boost the horse?
9813345
You flatter me beyond my desert, and I thank you for it.
9813646
you're welcome. I simply say what I feel. I love RWBY and I love MLP especially Sunset Shimmer. You are just a really good writer. I like nuance in my stories as well as attention to detail. You took Sunset's decision on the mining train and made it snowball into something that's threatening the peace of the Kingdoms. You took Cinder's and Sunset's mutual "interest?" in each other and turned it into Sunset offering to help Cinder escape Salem, cleanse her corruption, and just help her, at the price of her friends and any duties she has. Which leads to a sliver of affection and doubt creep into Cinder's mind and heart that just keeps burrowing deeper. Amber's desire to just escape, etc. It's all snowballing and we aren't even at the best parts yet. Oh by the way a question are Fluttershy and Applejack still sleeper agents for Salem or did that get washed out of their system?
9815026
That was retconed , you should re:read that chapter the scene with Salem never happened
9815141
9815026
Yes, people complained that it made Team Evil too powerful if they could just do that and so I edited it out.
9815286
Oh okay thanks that helps, yeah corruption at a single touch seems a bit out there. If the receiver were willing on the other hand that would be a different story.
Okay haven't read yet but this is a curious team I gotta say. By just looking at the book by it's cover Honestly not sure how the interactions would go. Cause I could kinda see Sunset maybe being a 4rth wheel cause maybe she did change due to the world of Remnant where she really had to work hard for her things cause her life is ON THE LINE. Or maybe she did fantastic and it made her even more arrogant. Also the reason for the 4rth wheel thing is cause maybe she did turn out for the better and Ruby and Pyrrha both like Jaune if you go in that direction. Though maybe I'm just completely wrong cause I am tired out of my mind right now and souped up on so much coffee right now. Meh. Let's see how this goo's. XD
9818469
Read it it's worth it
Interactions are the biggest strength of this fic
It has better writing then cannon RWBY
It's worth the read just for Cinder in this story (this is the best writen Cinder I've found so far)
and Sunset is far from the 4th wheel
all mambers of team SAPR are great (Jaune becomes useful after Jaunedice)
you just have to remember that unlike Team RWBY this isn't a democracy , Team SAPR is a dictatorship
"This team is not a democracy, It is a dictatorship and the tyrant is me." - Sunset Shimmer The Sunset Strategy, Part Two
There has to be morreeee, pleaseee.
9820530
You are correct. The story of the Wizard and the Maidens didn’t come up until volume 3, and there were only hints that Ozpin was the Wizard. Ozpin was revealed to be a body-hopping immortal in volume 4. Volume 6 is when we got the name Ozma.
Are you planning on having team SAPR go to Equestria and have Jaune instantly know how to walk as a pony?
Huh, reading Ch 157 - Cowboy again made me wonder whether in the future, Jaunne's and Applejack's knowledge in horse-riding might prove useful in the future. Or maybe that could extend with Kendal as well since it's possible the other members of the Arc family might have similar skills.
The reason for that question is........ well, horses were vital means of transportation besides walking and other pack animals. And horses were used for cavalry and scouting prior to modern, self-propelled vehicles. And finally, the LOTR movies popped in my head again which led to this question.
Team AirBNB
One more set of golden memories for Amber… before it all Falls.