[RWBY] The Great Temporal Step-Sibling War!

[Trilonias]

It just makes me wonder if one of the Arc sisters will get herself involved with Whitley and Penny... and thus Willow gets the complete set... for her kids at any rate.

 

[zMADLAXz]

I am surprised that none of Jaune and Willow's children came with them.

I mean come on, concessions were made for Glynda, can't similar ones be made for Willow?

Maybe piggyback from CyanideSins and his "It's a Party!" story and instead of taking the latter parts of it just focus on the initial drunk mistake and spiral things from there?

Ok I can kinda see it would be very awkward for all of them but come on, a story like this deserves some of that sweet sweet burn of spicy drama.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

I am surprised that none of Jaune and Willow's children came with them.

I mean come on, concessions were made for Glynda, can't similar ones be made for Willow?

Maybe piggyback from CyanideSins and his "It's a Party!" story and instead of taking the latter parts of it just focus on the initial drunk mistake and spiral things from there?

Ok I can kinda see it would be very awkward for all of them but come on, a story like this deserves some of that sweet sweet burn of spicy drama.

Click to shrink...

Dude, we have ELEVEN FUTURE BRIDES and FOURTEEN FUTURE CHILDREN. The cast is packed. We made this a hard limit for a reason. Any more than this and we'd never get anything done.

But! Feel free to write omakes for other potential future brides. As Ozpin said, they're lucky a child didn't pop up for every unattached woman at Beacon.

 

[zMADLAXz]

But 11 is such an odd number.

A nice even 12 sounds really good, like an arc for every month.

Though I do agree with your point, especially seeing that Jaune's parent's reactions would be more furious than comedic especially considering Isabelle towards Willow.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

But 11 is such an odd number.

A nice even 12 sounds really good, like an arc for every month.

Click to shrink...

Sorry, that's what we went with. I'm just the cowriter, after all.

 

[zMADLAXz]

Sorry, that's what we went with. I'm just the cowriter, after all.

Click to shrink...

It's alright man, honestly seeing how long this thing has been going and how much on an interconnected world has been made, this truly may be the largest and the most explore RWBY fanfiction world in the RWBY fandom.

I wouldn't traid it for anything.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

It's alright man, honestly seeing how long this thing has been going and how much on an interconnected world has been made, this truly may be the largest and the most explore RWBY fanfiction world in the RWBY fandom.

I wouldn't traid it for anything.

Click to shrink...

Thank you. And again! Feel free to write omakes and such for it.

 

[Muramasa]

But 11 is such an odd number.

A nice even 12 sounds really good, like an arc for every month.

Though I do agree with your point, especially seeing that Jaune's parent's reactions would be more furious than comedic especially considering Isabelle towards Willow.

Click to shrink...

I generally agree with you, we need a 12th bride, but definitely not the aging slut Willow. Neo would have been perfect both in terms of plot and context. Honestly, it's a crime that she's left out of this story.

 

[Stormfury]

I disagree, 11 women is way too many already, adding more to just make the story less focused wouldn't help at all.

Especially since the one suggested, willow, clearly has a different route that she is actively walking, and tossing aside her attempts at Nick just to fuck Jaune seem out of character and would be a bizarre plot change that would be hard to explain

 

[AndrewJTalon]

Neo might aim for mistress. It's a lot less stress.

 

[AndrewJTalon]

The building wasn't a warehouse, hadn't been for a long time. It was currently an underground nightclub so it was functionally closed seeing it was now daytime, with a little bit of money out of Roman's pockets making functionally closed officially closed. The fact that it used to be a warehouse meant it was ideally positioned between the docks and the current safe house she was sleeping at, meaning it was as good a place as any for her to meet the help Lionheart had scrounged up.

"I don't like this," Roman complained as he lit a new cigar and leaned back into a lounge chair. "I mean everything about this screams bad idea."

"Your objections are noted," Cinder replied from the slightly raised chair she was poised upon like a throne, radiating an indifferent queenly confidence that masked the uncomfortable churning that was buried within her core. "However we need more people to pull off our plans. People with proven records of fighting on the level of elite huntsmen and huntresses, people you haven't been able to find or recruit on your own."

"Proven records," Roman scoffed, "That's a funny way of putting it. Zhu may have been a legend but she's been out of the big leagues for almost two decades now, playing enforcer for a mid-level kingpin in a second rate gambling town. Sebastian might have been one of the Kauravas' top dogs but he's been lying low since those guys got kicked out of Pandu, so his records are just as old as Zhu's. On top of that the guy's old enough for him to get mentioned in the last couple of chapters of my high-school history book! Now I've never heard of Caliban before so you can't tell me his record is proven, and Thanh's record is enough to say we should kill him the instant he walks through that door."

"Zhu and Sebastian aren't any more rusty than the targets we want to point them at," Iridescent explained from where she stood slightly behind and to the right of Cinder, all businesslike with her scroll opened like a tablet in front of her. "Lionheart kept a close enough eye on them for us to be sure of that."

"And Caliban's been working for one of Mother's inner circle for some time now; his effectiveness is something I've personally observed," Cinder added in a deliberately board tone. Her curiosity was still piqued; Roman considered killing bad for his brand, so to hear him say he wanted to kill a man off of reputation alone was new. "I will admit I'm unfamiliar with Thanh's record. What have you heard about him?"

"The big thing is that he doesn't particularly care how willing the women he sleeps with are," Roman's face curled in disgust. "In fact the majority of his paramours were of the unwilling variety. And if the lady in question got pregnant and wasn't too keen on rearing his spawn he'd employ his preferred method of birth control: a luau serving long pork cause the man's a cannibal on top of all that." Roman took a long and angry draw from his cigar before he continued, smoke billowing from his lips with every syllable, "The wretch has left a trail of traumatized and broken women in his wake alongside a bushel of unloved bastards. So yeah, this is a bad idea."

Cinder allowed herself to frown as she looked to Iridescent, "What do Lionheart's files say about him?"

"That Thanh's too valuable of an asset to liquidate, irregardless of how detestable his behavior is," Iridescent answered as she scrolled through the file. "His regeneration is so potent that he'll recover from any attack that doesn't destroy his heart or brain; as long as his aura is active he can recover from light wounds within a couple of seconds and grievous injuries in under a minute. Lionheart kept a close eye on Thanh's progeny hoping that some of them would inherit the big lizard's semblance so they could replace their progenitor and... Huh, that's interesting."

"What is it?" Cinder turned a bit to more fully look at Iridescent.

"Apparently Thanh's children have been systematically disappearing for the last twelve years and Lionheart's still looking for the culprit; the trail just goes cold too fast after each disappearance," Iridescent sounded genuinely impressed. "My old acquaintances in the Fighting League would have paid a king's ransom to know how to vanish someone that thoroughly." She scrolled through the file faster, "And at such a scale. Each of his offspring that have developed regeneration powers have gone missing within a week of discovering their semblance. That's more than-"

"Is relevant," Cinder interrupted as her frown grew deeper. "Unless his disappearing spawn are the key to managing him?"

"Oh, no," Iridescent actually looked a bit sheepish at the question. "The man hasn't done anything to check up on his offspring; odds are he wouldn't care. Sorry for the tangent, I'll look into it on my own time." The sheepishness fell away as she continued, "If you want to manage him you need to project unassailable strength; he's willing to follow someone that can come down on him like a ton of bricks, so as long as you can do that you can point him at anything and he'll fight it for you."

Unassailable strength. A two word summary of Cinder's life goals. The illusion of such strength was how she had cowed Roman and Neopolitan into her service, and Iridescent undoubtedly expected a repeat performance with Thanh.

A repeat performance had been prepared. The Grimm within her twisted in anticipation. The odds that Thanh wouldn't be intimidated were greater than zero, but not by much.

"Do you anticipate any problems from the others?" Cinder pushed forward.

"Zhu has a few buttons you shouldn't press," Iridescent answered as she flipped through the assassin's file. "But they're small buttons and she'll send clear signals when you're getting too close to one. That's about it."

"I see," Cinder turned away from Iridescent towards the doors Neopolitan and Mercury were supposed to bring their guests through and silence fell over the room as they waited. The wait wasn't particularly long as within the next ten minutes they could hear voices approaching from the other side of the door.

Neo and Mercury pushed the doors open and led Lionheart's recruits into the club's lounge. Neo quickly broke from the group and skipped to Roman's side, casually leaning against his chair's back. Roman's subtle non-reaction to this was enough for Cinder to guess that Neo was actually somewhere else in the room, undoubtedly a precaution if things somehow went south.

Mercury didn't break off as quickly, as the muffled conversation she could hear before the door opened was apparently between him and Sebastian Zaroff.

"-And then Marcus decided the mission was supposed to have no witnesses," Sebastian recounted even as his servant Asok took the tiger faunus' hat and jacket. "So he started chasing the fleeing groundskeepers. He failed to notice that they had dropped their tools as they fled, and so the instant he ran into the tall grass he stepped on a rake and smacked himself in the face."

"Really?" Mercury started grinning like he had received the best birthday present.

"Oh, yes," Sebastian grinned back. "And after he stepped away from the rake he stepped on a draw hoe and smacked himself in the face again."

"No!" Mercury gleefully interjected.

"It gets better: there were twelve more rakes and fifteen more hoes in that field," Sebastian chuckled in a reminiscing way. "Your father managed to step on all of them."

Mercury's laughter joined the old tiger's, "You know, you're the first person that's ever told me about the old prick's screw ups."

"Well there are very few witnesses to his early career," Sebastian shrugged as he approached one of the lounge chairs opposite of Cinder and Roman. "And you could probably count on one hand the witnesses who both saw him fumble are willing to tarnish his legend by sharing it. I saw him screw up more than most. I'd be willing to share more stories if you're willing to tell me where you buried him."

"Uh, why do you want to know that?" Mercury tilted his head and raised an eyebrow.

"Well a man needs his hobbies in retirement so I took to hunting and taxidermy," Sebastian explained. "One of my more memorable hunts saw me pursue the assassins involved in the murder of Duchess Diana, and your father was the only one that got away. I have an empty place over my mantle where his head was supposed to go and I'd still like to see it filled. I have many ways to compensate you and I'll be sure to credit you for the kill on the placard."

"Oh... Ah... I'll think about it." Mercury managed with a complicated frown.

"That's all I ask," Sebastian cordially replied as he finally took a seat opposite of Cinder. He looked her up and down appraisingly as he addressed her, "So word is you have a job that will let us settle some old scores."

"Yes, I was promised a shot at Qrow Branwen and Isabel Arc," Zhu exclaimed as she found her own seat, perching on the backrest instead of sitting on it properly. "How does this job let me do that?"

"We'll get to that soon enough," Cinder answered as she looked the new arrivals over. Caliban had opted to stand ominously behind the chair that had been set aside for him, while Thanh slinked into his and lounged across it in a way that looked casual but was actually tense and ready for movement on a moment's notice.

"Soon enough? That better not be hours from now, smoke hair," Thanh needled as he shifted in his seat and barred his teeth in a challenging grin. "We've all come a long way in vehicles made for speed instead of comfort, my patience runs thin and I doubt anyone else's is running thicker."

Cinder met Thanh's challenging gaze with her own piercing stare, allowing the most subtle trickling of magic into her eyes to remove the need to blink. Silence stretched for several moments as Cinder waited for him to blink first, only speaking after he inevitably did.

"There are several persons of interest connected to the former Teams AARN and STRQ currently at Beacon Academy," Her voice cut through the air like a fine razor. "This brought all of them to the school yesterday, and even if they fail to stay in the area these persons of interest can easily be used to draw them out into any trap you desire."

"The boy who looks different in every photo is one of these persons of interest, no?" Sebastian asked. "What's his deal?"

"That boy's name is Moses Nebogipfel, and his deal is that he is a time traveler," Cinder explained, taking note of the various levels of disbelief that crossed the mercenaries' faces. "He accidentally arrived here two days ago with several children of one Jaune Arc in tow, each Arc child from a different timeline where Jaune married a different woman. This has stranded the time traveler in our present, giving us an opportunity to seize his power..."

Cinder had thought long and hard about what how much she needed to reveal to Lionheart's mercenaries, and the tale she ultimately spun was the full truth as she understood it with the more personal details omitted or glossed over. The necessity of taking the time travelers alive was emphasized, alongside the potential risk of collapsing space-time should the central figures of the paradox suffer unrecoverable harm in their future operations.

"...So special care must be taken with Moses, the other time travelers, and Jaune Arc," Cinder put as much steel into her voice as she could muster. She could see how skeptical the fours' expressions were, and if they weren't going to take the contents of her words seriously they should at least take her tone seriously.

"You expect us to believe tales of time-travel at nothing but your word?" Thanh complained, "It sounds like a rather convoluted scheme to limit our options on the field."

"Yeah," Zhu agreed, "All my favorite toxins are off the table if you want us to be so carful!"

"If you need evidence consider this; Teams AARN and STRQ are at Beacon right now because they believe it," Cinder crossed her legs to help keep her frustration from her voice. Sebastian and Caliban appeared to actually consider that point even if Thanh and Zhu seemed less than impressed by it. "And if that isn't enough for you then it should be enough that we your employers know it to be true, and we are paying you to act accordingly."

"We do have many ways of compensating you and making any and all restrictions worth the hassle," Iridescent helpfully chimed in. "Lionheart promised you more than money after all, and we can provide you with all of it."

"Are you aware of what he promised?" Caliban spoke up, "I was promised the proper restoration of my flesh. I've seen many strange and powerful things in this world, yet I admit part of me doubts your ability to deliver on that promise."

"Lionheart forwarded his promises to us, and they are well within Mother's ability to grant," Iridescent reassured the cyborg swordsman.

"These rewards require obedience of course," Cinder firmly added, her gaze panning over the mercenaries to look each of them in the eye. Most of the things the four were expecting were simple enough. Each one of them wanted to fight specific members of Teams AARN and STRQ while getting payed good money to do so. Trivialities. Some of them wanted things beyond that, not all of them things Cinder felt inclined to grant.

Particularly Thanh's, now that she had heard Roman's opinion of the reptilian faunus.

But the promise of those rewards should help keep them in line over the course of this delicate operation, so she would pretend to entertain the ones she found distasteful for now.

"Though it should go without saying that you won't see any promises fulfilled if you step out of line," She warned. "You will strike where and when we want you to strike and destroy what we bid you to destroy, but you will be more scalpel than hammer and go no further than we command. Understand?"

Sebastian Zaroff frowned a bit but nodded in acceptance that this was just part of the job. The others failed to follow suit.

"So you want us to sit around when we're not on the job? BORING!" Zhu squawked as she rocked back and forth. "Boring, Boring, Boring! How about you let me wander the slums when you don't need me? Finding drug labs and poisoning the supply is a great game that shouldn't interfere with your operation so long as I pace myself. You don't need to keep me on a tight leash!"

"And what qualifies you to act as leader, little girl?" Caliban Testoasa inquired harshly. "You are demanding a very stringent adherence to your vision. Do you really posses the foresight necessary to command the likes of us?"

"Nah, Smoke Hair's too new to the scene." Thanh chuckled darkly before licking his lips, "She'd be better off letting one of us take charge of this operation, and of her."

This blatant disrespect right out the gate was helpful; it showed her how hard she needed to come down to ensure compliance.

The demonstration she had prepared would be a sufficient start.

"You seem to be under the impression that we're just another set of Lionheart's acquaintances," Cinder frowned as she uncrossed her legs. The instant her foot touched the ground she allowed the full arcane might she had obtained from the Fall Maiden to flow through her. Mystical smoke trails bellowed from her eyes as molten glass spread out from beneath her feet. The glass pooled and took shape according to her will, lifting her chair into the air like a throne upon a dias. As she ascended she rose a hand dramatically, "Let me disabuse you of that assumption."

She snapped her fingers.

The sound of hidden cage doors bursting open immediately followed, along with the growling of Beowolves filling the air.

The four mercenaries were quick to respond to the presence of Grimm. Caliban drew his sword, toxins coated Zhu's hands, Thanh barred his teeth and brandished his sharpened nails. Sebastian pulled a hidden gun from his pocket and pointed it towards the leading Beowolf, an Alpha with the scars of many past battles.

The Beowolves marched past them, ignoring the four of them completely. Zhu tilted her head in confusion. Thanh looked from Grimm to Grimm with bewilderment. Caliban remained at the ready, though his sword lowered a fraction of an inch with surprise. Sebastian frowned as his eyebrows rose with distant recognition at the utterly bizarre behavior of the soulless predators.

The Grimm gathered at the base of her tower of glass, and as one they kneeled as best as they could with their inhuman forms. Cinder flexed the Maiden's power again, growing sharp glass spikes from the floor directly in front of the wolflike monsters. She snapped her fingers again, and in response the Beowolves grabbed the spikes and broke them off of the floor with their elongated inhuman hands. Each of the Grimm then took the spikes and in perfect sync drove them into their own eyes, killing themselves almost instantly.

Zhu's hands fell to her side as she tried to comprehend the impossible thing she had just witnessed. Thanh's eyes bounced back and forth from the ground where the Grimm's corpses were evaporating to the raised obsidian throne Cinder had crafted with the Fall Maiden's power, his jaw working up and down as sounds that were supposed to be words died on his lips. Caliban slowly lowered his sword but was otherwise still as a statue.

Sebastian returned his gun to its' hidden pocket as he looked up to Cinder with a newfound wariness.

"Ol' Duryodhana and some of the other Kauravan leaders could tell Grimm to do things... and the Grimm would listen... though they wouldn't have killed themselves if ordered..." The tiger faunus muttered as he connected present events with old memories. "You serve The Dark Mother, don't you? And she's granted you far more power than the Kauravas were ever blessed with."

"Mother is very interested in what's happening here and now," Iridescent smoothly answered before Cinder could. "The two of us are her mouthpieces and hands in this affair, and we will see her will done." She took a step out from the shadow cast by the freshly made obsidian throne, her smile seeming too wide in the lounge's light. "Your respective revenges fit within her will, so long as you respect the will that makes it possible."

"Now are you lot ready to be our scalpel?" Cinder slid herself back into the conversation, satisfied with the shock the mercenaries displayed.

They now looked at her and saw unassailable strength. Just a little more work and she'd be able to lead them about and have them strike at what she wanted them to strike, and only what she wanted them to strike.

She had the power, and through this power she had control.

She had control.

She had control of the things happening around her.

The distant smell of burnt flesh and twin screams drifted through the back of her mind.

She had control.

She had control of the things happening around her.

She would't hear twin screams or smell burning flesh again.

She had control of the things happening around her.

 

[FinalFormer]

Cross-posted From the SpaceBattles Thread

Glimpses Into Another Timeline: Dammit
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -
Beacon Academy, Vale. 4 Weeks Before the Fall of Beacon.

This should've been easy. And yet, it wasn't.

"I... I know it's a bit early..."

This wasn't supposed to happen.

"But... I know in my heart that what I feel for you is real..."

She wasn't supposed to let this... this farce go on any further. She couldn't!

"Cinder Fall. I love you."

Cinder Fall couldn't let that idiot Jaune Arc steal her heart.

She furiously tossed and turned in her bed out of frustration. So much that she couldn't hear Mercury complain about her making too much noise.

The plan was simple. It was always supposed to be simple.

After she had accidentally seduced the blonde buffoon, Cinder was advised by that nuisance Neopolitan that latching onto his arm could help them. She knew what the girl was suggesting: Seduce the idiot. Get information on The Invincible Girl, the red one, and the bimbo by inserting herself into his love life. Wrapping him around her finger and get him to talk his big dumb, luscio-- ugly lips about what makes his friends tick.

As much as it disgusted her to debase herself like that, Cinder played along. A flirtatious line here. A hand feeling up his muscles there. It was easy enough.

At first.

The plan had gotten complicated.

It all started with a kiss.

A damned kiss.

After The Breach, she, in a brief moment of weakness, had been worried for his well-being. So much so that upon seeing that he was safe from the invading Grimm, Cinder had kissed him.

She didn't know what had come over her. What compled her to kiss him like a lost lover.

From then on, the remarks from Mercury had gotten worse. He had the nerve to suggest that Arc had some kind of hold on Cinder's heart. That if Arc had been more of a 'badass' (His words), Cinder would dragged him to the nearest love motel.

But it somehow got even worse when Arc had asked her to go on a 'real' date with him.

"Ooooh~. Look at you getting all dolled up for your man~." Mercury mocked. He shared a smug grin with that pipsqueak Neo.

"Shut up, Merc!", Shouted Emerald. She wouldn't let any insult befall her mistress. "Maybe if you tried to schmooze up with Xiao-Long or something, Cinder wouldn't have to throw away her dignity!!"
"That's enough!", Cinder snapped at the two of them. Neo had quickly put her attention on her scroll, not caring about whatever threats Cinder would make. "As much as I don't like this, it's necessary. The more I indulge in Arc's little fantasy of our 'relationship', the more useful information we can use to bring this kingdom to its knees."
"Oh, I get that," Mercury said, leaning back into his bed. "But I think you need to remember where the line is drawn. If you get too close to Arc, this whole operation will be a bust."
"How dare you suggest that!", Emerald shrieked. "Cinder would never let that happen! She has that hick right where she wants him! Right, Cinder?"

If only she had known.

He had taken her to some park in the city. Apparently, it had some cultural significance that was probably tied to that skinwalker Ozpin, no doubt. The weather was also terrible that day. It was too hot. She kept suggesting they just go to a restaurant instead of some street festival but Arc making those ador-- stupid eyes!

They ended up staying in the park. They played a few games. Ate some rather fattening festival foods. He even won her a stuffed animal. A brown rabbit that he stupidly named 'Rumi'.

They walked around the city for awhile until they ended up at the pier. The sun was beginning to set. She knew what was happening. The fool was going to confess his feelings for her. All apart of the plan.

And yet... it didn't feel right.

"I... I know it's a bit early..." Arc stammered. She was taking in every detail of him but not in the way she used to. His jawline. His neatly combed hair. His brilliant blue eyes. She wasn't looking at him as a mark. But as a man.

"But... I know in my heart that what I feel for you is real..." He continued. Why? Why was she doing this? She never did this before! Why now!? And just what did he mean by that!? What was he--

"Cinder Fall. I love you."

Three words.

Those three words were all it took to break the walls of Cinder Fall.

She kissed him, her body acting on its own accord.

"I love you, too." She said, her heart speaking for her.

She couldn't say anything to Mercury or Emerald when she returned to their dorm. She couldn't trust her own words. She didn't even have the heart to indulge in Emerald's ego-stroking praises, simply wanting to be left alone for the rest of the night.

Because deep down, she knew it.

She meant every word she said.

She was in love with Jaune Arc.

Cinder felt the tears go down her cheeks. Try as she might, she couldn't snuff out the embers of love that had sparked in her heart. It yearned for him. His laugh. His eyes. His love. She wanted it all.

But she knew she couldn't.

Cinder belonged to The Queen. There was no happy ending for her. Only a throne. A lonely throne made from the bodies The Queen's enemies. And among them was the man she loved.

And as she silently wept, she simply let out one word;

"Dammit"

----------------------------------------
A little on the short side but I really enjoyed writing this one. Having Cinder realize her feelings for Jaune and overcoming Salem's hold on her will always be my favorite aspect of this timeline.