A Living Myth RWBY X Child!Dragon Faunus! Male! Reader

Chapter 43: Rude, Red, and Royal

I own nothing.
Chapter 43: Pandemonium in the Pompous Prince's Palace

The guards surrounded the group as they trodded down the path towards the Red Castle, pretending to ride horses while the one in the front played the drum. Timid (Y/N) clung to Blake's leg like a lifeline as she kept a comforting hand on his head, making her slightly grateful he didn't have his claws. In contrast, his younger counterpart was bouncing about like he was high on sugar, looking at everything.
"Uh, are we sure we should do this?" Yang asked.
Ruby rolled her eyes. "Well, the Red King helped Alyx."
"We aren't Alyx." Weiss pointed out.
Baby (Y/N) paid them no heed as he bounded about with a big smile on his face. A blue and black butterfly passed over his head, and he took a whack at pouncing yet again. His swipes seemed to always be just an inch off, so he just kept trying before bumping into Ruby.
"(Y/N)!" Ruby exclaimed, trying to keep an even temper.
Sensing her crankiness, the little dragon laughed and began to tug at her cape. "Ruby! Play! Look at the butterfly?"
She sighed, not being able to get angry at that face, but still feeling empty. "(Y/N), there's no butterfly. Go play with...err, other...you."
"Aw." He whined, noticing the bug was indeed gone, before running back to play with his older self.
Weiss noticed the exchange. "Hey, are you okay?"
"He just wanted to play." Little added, wanting to join the dragon's games.
"I'm fine." She answered flatly.
Baby (Y/N) ran up to Blake, beaming. "Can other me play? I'm bored!"
Blake smiled warmly at him, though it faded slightly as she looked down at the terrified version.
"Do you wanna play with him?"
Timid (Y/N) looked very hesitant, barely speaking above a whisper. "Er, maybe?"
Baby (Y/N) took that as a challenge, letting out a play growl. "Come on! Let's practice pouncing! Papa says every dragon has to pounce!"
Timid (Y/N)'s eyes widened full of tears as his grip on Blake's leg tightened. "P-papa?"
The cat Faunus immediately scooped up the boy as he began to hyperventilate, shushing him gently and whispering words of comfort. She ran ahead to get back from Ruby and Weiss as Baby (Y/N) stared in sad confusion.
"D-did I say something bad?"
Yang knelt beside the boy, patting his head. "No, buddy, you didn't say anything wrong. It's just...other you is...scared, that's all. It'll be fine."
The baby version hummed sadly. "Yang, he's...older me, right?"
"That's right. Why do you ask?"
"Why is other me always so scared and sad? And why does he have all those boo-boos?"
Yang sucked in a breath, not wanting to answer that question. The girls had all silently agreed that Baby (Y/N) was never to know what the near future held, and it seemed Timid (Y/N) had come to a similar conclusion given he said almost nothing to his younger counterpart. However, perception had always been one of (Y/N)'s strong suits, so it made sense his past self would pick up that something was wrong. Still, Yang wasn't about to traumatize this version of her brother.
"That's...not something you need to worry about, little guy. Other you just needs some time to calm down is all. Why don't you and me hang out for a while."
"Mmm...okay!"
The baby dragon accepted her outstretched hand and Yang breathed a sigh of relief, thinking she had dodged a bullet. In truth, the little guy knew something was wrong and Yang didn't want to tell him. Grown ups were always like that, especially papa whenever grandpa came up, but that also meant no one was going to tell him anything, so it was best to not ask. Glancing over into the field, he tried to spot his butterfly friend again, only for a pair of eyes to catch his. Before he could smile and wave, he felt frozen by fear. The eyes staring at him were narrow and slit, like a cat's, but they also looked angry. He could pick up the faint sounds of angry growling as his hand gripped Yang's tighter.
"(Y/N)?"
"There's something over there!"
In the split second (Y/N) took to look up at his big sister, the creature seemed to vanish. Yang frowned, not seeing anything.
"There's nothing there, buddy."
"There was!" The boy insisted. "It looked really mean and angry!"
Yang mulled it over, knowing (Y/N) probably did see something, before deciding to carry him and pick up the pace.
"It was probably a wild animal. It won't attack us if we're in a group. Let's go join the others."
(Y/N) nodded, gripping her shoulders as she carried him. Glancing over them, he spotted the eyes again, and they looked extra mad this time. With a whimper, he buried his face in her neck, hoping it would go away.
(Timeskip)
A magnificent red castle stood before the group along with two lines of shoulders guarding the path. The boys were much more enthralled by the scenery, forgetting their previous states, until a sharp drumming and trumpet playing made them cover their ears. As the guards stepped aside, a tiny figure marched through the line. The figure wore a large gold and crimson crown that looked ready to sink on his head. He wore a galant red robe over a black and white shirt, as well as a crimson bowtie. What was most eye-catching was his doll-like appearance. If he were knocked over, both boys believed he'd shatter. The figure posed haughtily in front of them as fireworks went off in the background.
"You're the Red King?" Ruby asked, not believing it.
The royal doll huffed indignantly. "How dare you! There is no king! I am the Red Prince! Why I never, coming to someone's castle without even knowing who they are! And on my birthday!"
Both dragons whined at the loud shriek as the guards stood straight.
"Happy birthday, your Majesty!"
The prince glared at one of the guards, who was staring absentmindedly at a butterfly, only to be nudged by a colleague.
"Happy birthday, your Majesty!"
The prince held a sharp look for a moment, only to immediately brush it off with a smile. "Yes, yes, a joyous occasion, thank you very much."
Blake leaned towards Ruby. "Red Prince?"
"The king wasn't nearly as rude." Yang added. "Or small. I'm pretty sure Baby (Y/N) here is bigger than him."
"He's loud." Said boy complained.
One guard gasped, pointing at them threateningly. "Well if it hadn't been for your kind, the king would still be here!"
He was immediately shushed. Ruby let out a sigh, composing herself as she approached the royal and curtseyed.
"Happy birthday, your Majesty."
"Happy birthday!" The others also greeted.
The prince gasped, pointing accusingly at them. "How do you know such privileged information!? You must be infiltrators here to steal my crown!"
Timid (Y/N) peeked from Blake's neck. "B-but...you just said it was your birthday..."
"His crown is shiny." Baby (Y/N) said with a glint in his eye.
"Hey, no, none of that." Yang said, booping the boy's nose, causing him to giggle.
"Also, we saw advertisements for your party." Weiss joined in. "Everywhere."
"SILENCE!" The prince shrieked as he ran at Weiss, again, hurting the dragons' ears. "You are in the presence of royalty! That would be me, thank you very much. The heir to the Crimson Castle!"
He heaved for breath after his tantrum, standing on one of the guards' backs.
Weiss leaned towards Blake. "Did I used to be this unbearably pompous?"
"What's pompous mean?" Timid (Y/N) asked.
Before either girl could answer, they were unceremoniously shoved out of the way by the guards who had brought them here.
"Your Majesty! We have brought you a magnificent gift befitting of the royal birthday!"
The two knelt as the other guard presented the gift. "It is very rare. The weapon of the greatest warrior to ever live!"
"Acquired by us and only with no help whatsoever at all!"
"Liars!" Baby (Y/N) snapped, only to get poked by one of the guards. "Ow!"
Yang immediately handed off their baby brother to Ruby and laid a smackdown on the guard who thought that was a good idea, taking the boy back when she decided he had had enough. The prince elected to ignore this entire background scuffle as he eagerly got off his platform to unwrap the present. His expression immediately turned sour as he looked at the sword.
"Green?" He sneered. "Why. Is. It. GREEN!?"
He kicked the sword up into the sky, causing Ruby to panic. She tried to run after it, but she was halted by a spear.
"How could you..."
Timid (Y/N) jumped from Blake's arms, looking at the prince. "Th-that was mean! That sword meant a lot to Ruby!"
"Yeah!" Baby (Y/N) squeaked, also trying to break free from Yang's hold. "Say you're sorry!"
They were both ignored as the guards pleaded for forgiveness. The prince only walked away and sighed.
"Take them away."
The guards were dragged away, still pleading as they were taken just out of sight through a red hedge. The sounds of axes falling and silence left little to the imagination for their fates. Weiss, Yang, and Blake all looked horrified, Timid (Y/N) immediately ran behind Blake again, and Baby (Y/N) was fortunately just young enough to not get what had happened. Ruby blinked, also mortified, and ran towards the Red Prince.
"No wait!" She was, again, stopped by the guards. "Well, maybe we can help cheer you up?"
"Hm..." the prince pondered for a moment. "Beheading people does help cheer me up, but go on."
She put on a fake smile. "We heard you like to play games."
The prince was immediately taken with the idea. They were led into a large room in the bell tower surrounded by spiral staircases. The utter chaos of the place made the dragons' heads spin as the prince sat on a throne in the center of the room, a table with a board in front of him.
"So, what exactly do you desire from me in exchange for playing my game? There's always a catch."
Ruby bowed, deciding it wasn't worth it to lie. "Your Majesty, you are as wise as you are...uh..."
"Oh!" Little squeaked before whispering something into Ruby's ear.
"Small!"
The other girl groaned at the unintentional slight, only the prince didn't see it as a slight as he smiled and bowed back to Ruby.
"Thank you."
"Yes!" Little said as Ruby composed herself.
"If we win, our only request is that you help us get to the tree."
The prince tilted his head at the odd request. "The tree? It's so...far away."
"That's why we're asking."
The royal midget glanced at the group, mulling it over before standing on his throne. "If you win, I will help you with what you ask."
Ruby sighed in relief as they both took a seat. "Great. So, uh, how do we play."
The prince burst out into laughter as the guards were forced to join in, some seemingly choking. Timid (Y/N) hugged Blake's waist tightly as Baby (Y/N) just looked confused.
"They're all crazy."
"Rule one!" The prince spoke, silencing everyone. "Each player may move every pawn one space each turn."
On the board, the strewn about pieces suddenly sprang to life, each piece either crimson or white.
"Rule two! Whoever gets the most pawns to the other side of the board wins. Rule three! To take over a space, you must dispose of whoever occupies it."
"Dispose of?" Ruby repeated.
To demonstrate, the prince snapped his fingers. The crimson pieces stood at attention, drawing their weapons and getting formation. In comparison, Ruby's white pieces seemed to drag their feet and were much more rugged, groaning in dissatisfaction.
"Oh, I see." Ruby said, studying the board. "Um...I think I'm missing some pieces."
The prince also noticed and thought for a moment before smiling at the group behind them. "How perfect that you brought along friends to play then."
With another snap of the prince's fingers, a streak of sparkling crimson smoke circled the three girls. Blake and Yang immediately threw the boys to safety as they were shrunk and dragged onto the board in the empty spots.
"Hey! What are you doing!?" Ruby demanded. "Weiss! Yang! Blake!"
"Now we're all Littles!" The mouse declared as the boys ran to the playing table.
"A-are you guys okay!?" Timid (Y/N) squeaked.
"We're fine, sweetie." Yang assured him. "Just stay close to Ruby."
"Ruby!" Blake called. "The most important thing is winning this game!"
"What's wrong with them?" One of the white pawns asked.
"I don't know." Another answered. "They look stupid."
"That's mean!" Baby (Y/N) growled, flicking the offending pawn over.
"Honey, stop." Weiss ordered, drawing her weapon. "These are our teammates."
Ruby looked over to the more sturdy looking crimson pieces. "No one's going to get hurt...right?"
The prince smirked. "As I am a gracious ruler, the White Team may go first. BEGIN!"
The room was plunged into darkness, save for the table around the board. Ruby thought about her first move, deciding that it was best to test the waters.
She pointed to a pawn in the front.
"Uh, can you advance one space forward, please?"
The poor thing groaned as he was faced with a much larger, better equipped, red piece. To his credit, he raced forward with a war cry, only to be easily swatted back. The pawn looked up to see the prince nod and shrieked, immediately playing dead.
The prince laughed. "A victory for me!"
Ruby flinched as the piece was carried off the board and Baby (Y/N) puffed up his cheeks.
"Hey, you're scaring them!"
Ruby patted his head, trying to keep the little dragon from picking the fight. "Okay, how about you three?"
The three pawns blocking Weiss, Blake, and Yang charged forward and met the exact same fate as their brother in arms.
Ruby groaned. "Weiss, do you think you can take that space?"
The white haired girl smiled. "Have some faith!"
She charged forward to meet the crimson piece. Unlike the white pawns, she easily brought down the red pawn, taking the space. The pawns looked baffled as the boys and Little cheered.
"Go Weiss!"
She bowed gracefully as the prince gasped.
"Er, beginner's luck." He insisted with a twitching smile as Little waved leaves like flags. "That doesn't bother me. So, tell me, why do you want to go to the tree?"
Ruby blinked. "We want to go home, and we believe the tree can get us there. Yang, you're up."
"On it!"
The poor red pawn did not stand a chance against an eager Yang, who pummeled it into the ground with a barrage of punches.
"You show 'em, Yang!" Baby (Y/N) yelled.
The white pieces cheered as Yang soaked it up, before turning to smirk at the prince, who clawed at his throne before forcing a smile.
"And how do you know this?"
Ruby rubbed her head. "Well, it worked for someone we know. Uh, Blake, your turn."
The crimson piece took the initiative to charge. Blake dodged it with her Semblance and grappled its ankle with Gambol Shroud, pulling to the ground and slicing at its back. Everyone cheered and even Timid (Y/N) cheered a little louder. Blake only glanced away with a blush as she saw how enthusiastic Yang was.
"Someone you know?" The prince repeated, now seething.
"Hey! What about us?" A white pawn spoke up. "What do you want us to do?"
Ruby raised a brow at them and gave a halfhearted order to attack. Inspired by the strength of the girls, the white pawns charged.
"Enough!" The Red Prince yelled. "It's my turn! Attack! Full speed ahead!"
The two armies clashed and the white pawns seemed almost entirely renewed, pushing back their red foes without the help of the outsiders.
"No!" The prince yelled, kicking over his throne. "This is not how it's supposed to go! This isn't right! THIS ISN'T FAIR!"
"Please stop screaming!" Timid (Y/N) finally pleaded as he and Baby (Y/N) again shielded their ears.
"You...you...wait." The prince looked back at them. "What type of creatures did you say you are again?"
Ruby brought her hands together. "Well, uh, Blake and both (Y/N)'s are Faunus. Little's a mouse, at least I think."
"Sure!" Little agreed.
"And the rest of us are human."
Her last words seem to echo in the room as a pair of bright blue eyes peered at them from the shadows. Everyone gasped as the prince's pupils shrunk. Suddenly, his face literally cracked.
"Human? HUMAN!?" He jumped to his feet and onto the table. "I knew it! You must have cheated! All of you, get them! GET THEM!"
Turn on by everyone, the shrunken girls grouped up and began a widespread beatdown in stylish fashion. While Blake and Yang performed their signature Bumblebee combo, Weiss was practically skating around, cleaving through everyone. While the girls fought, Baby (Y/N) growled at the prince.
"We didn't cheat! You're just a sore loser!"
"Y-yeah! You're just mad you're losing!" Timid (Y/N) agreed.
"SILENCE, YOU BEASTS!"
"Hey, leave them alone!" Ruby butted in. "You're going to hurt them!"
"It's my royal birthday and I can do whatever I like!"
"MEANIE!" Baby (Y/N) roared before tackling the brat off the table.
As the tiny people wrestled on the ground, the girls fought off the droves of pawns. However, their sheer numbers started to overwhelm them.
"You see! I've w-OW!"
He didn't get to finish as Baby (Y/N) sunk his teeth into his hand. He didn't have his fangs, so it didn't do much, and he immediately spat the prince out.
"EW! That's gross!" The little complained as his older self quietly dragged him back to their side of the table.
"Y-you bit me!?" The prince said before his eyes seem to fill with fear. "W-wait, you two! I see, you may look a little different, but you must be the same as that feral monster stalking the outside of the castle!"
"Monster?" Baby (Y/N) repeated.
"Give up already! I'll dispose of you two and your horrible friend!"
Ruby immediately pushed the boys behind her. "Not going to happen. Kick their wooden butts!"
Enraged that their brother(s) had been threatened, the girls rained absolute hell upon the pawn, skewered them, knocked them about, sent them flying, culminating in an ultimate combo with a Semblance boosted Yang and an Arma Gigus sword summon from Weiss whipping the field. The prince screamed, knocking the board over and sending the mini girls flying. Ruby, with her Semblance, darted forward and caught them before they fell into the abyss, Little being especially helpful in saving Blake.
"If you won't concede, I'll have you beheaded!"
"You can throw a tantrum if you want, but we won!" Ruby yelled back. "Take us to the tree!"
The guards instead surrounded them as the prince raced forward.
"GUARDS! THEIR HEADS!"
"Your Majesty." A new voice popped in.
Everyone turned to see a cat-like creature suddenly materialize. It was a neon purple with bright blue eyes, diamonds, and patches. Even for the Ever After, this creature looked so...out of place.
And unconsciously, both dragons pushed closer to Ruby.
The cat shook its head. "You must be so distraught, unable to do the one thing you were put on this acre to do: I understand." It began to approach. "Surely, you don't want to behead them? They are but fragile things that, if you get angry and break them, they might not ever come back."
It's head suddenly vanished as Ruby gasped and pulled the boys in closer.
"B-b-but, it's my birthday!" The prince complained. "And they wouldn't let me-,"
"I know, your Majesty." The cat assured, circling the tiny royal. "It truly isn't fair. You must play your game and win at any cost. It must hurt your heart. Let me help."
The pixels of light that disappeared into the prince's chest did not go unnoticed by the boys as the royal began sniffling.
"F-fine!" He plopped down, crying pearls of all things. "I won't behead them! BUT I NEVER WANT TO SEE THEM AGAIN!"
As the prince wailed, the guards rushed to him. The cat then approached the group.
"What about my friends?" Ruby demanded, looking down at the others in her hands. "They're still tiny! And he promise he would-,"
"Promises are like birds." The cat said, suddenly appearing on her arm and perching there. "They taste great, but always escape. You should go before he changes his mind. Or the monster finds them here." The feline motioned its head at the two boys before darting towards a series of halls. "Come! Quickly!"
Not wasting time, Ruby scooped up the boys with Petal Burst and raced after their guide as the guards chased them. What followed was a chase through an absolute fun house (to the tune of the Benny Hill's theme). Firstly, they traveled up an impossible tall spiraling staircase and began running along the walls through a corridor, somehow ending up on the ceiling. They then somehow got back right side up as they exited directly down a spiral slide, through a series of nonsensical doors as all sense of physics and...sense in general dissolved around them. Eventually, the cat hung in front of them.
"Here!" He pointed to a small trapdoor and suddenly appeared within it. "This is the way out."
Out of breath, Ruby pulled them all through to a dark tunnel. With it finally silent, Ruby and the boys caught their breaths.
"I don't know how that all went so wrong." Ruby lamented.
"Because the prince is a meanie!" Baby (Y/N) huffed.
Timid (Y/N) had more manners and turned to the cat. "Thank you, Mr. Kitty."
"Good thing I dropped by the prince's party when I did." The cat said, leading them once again as they crawled through the narrow passage. "I actually hate parties. How did you end up in his game anyways?"
"We wanted to speak to the Red King, but he wasn't there." Blake explained. "And, now we're back where we started."
"The king!?" The cat exclaimed, getting into Ruby's face before studying the shrunken girls. "How do you know him?" He suddenly lost interest. "Well, times change you know, and so do we when it's our time to change. Don't you?" He then turned to the two dragons. "My friend, you've gone to pieces! Best gather your parts up. Wouldn't want to lose them, would we?"
"What?" Both said in unison before they were all blinded by a flash of light.
Suddenly, they were back outside on a new path.
"Did you hear that?" Yang asked. "There was a Red King."
"Right, but something's changed since then." Blake added.
"Great!" Weiss said. "So we're not in the stupid story after all, we're in its stupid sequel! And what about (Y/N)!? Going to pieces? What does that mean?!"
"It probably means these aren't clones, these are (Y/N)." Blake explained. "At least parts of him. It explains why they only have some of his features. They're not whole."
"But how many pieces are there!?" Yang yelled. "For all we know there could be dozens of him!"
Ruby, overwhelmed, sat on the floor. Timid (Y/N), noticing this, nudged into her side but was ignored. The cat then circled them.
"First thing's first, what are you? What did you need to talk to the king about? And what is your favorite dessert?"
"Dragon fruit smoothies!" Both (Y/N)s answered as Ruby groaned.
"What, again? We're humans!"
"Uh, I see. You're not nearly as interesting as the others I've met! How about, ah! Hold that thought!"
The feline, and Baby (Y/N), became distracted by a butterfly. The cat pounced at the bug as Ruby grabbed the little one's tail to keep him from running off.
"What's the deal with this cat?" Weiss asked. "Can't anyone here be normal?"
"That's not just any cat!" Blake realized. "When Alyx was lost she met the Curious Cat, who loved to ask questions!"
"And the Curious Cat helped Alyx find the tree!" Yang finished.
Weiss blinked. "Wait, so the cat is our ticket out of here?"
"Rubes!" Yang yelled as the feline darted off. "Don't let that cat get away!"
"Cat!" Little yelped, as Ruby and the boys darted after it.
She promptly fell asleep.
(Elsewhere)
The Jabberwalker half dragged itself into the Dark Acre, hoping the beast hadn't chased after it after crossing paths with it in the Red Acre.
"Escape. Flee. Survive..."
It bled heavily as it dragged itself back home, hoping to mend its wounds. Just as it finally arrived at its destination, a pink comet crashed nearby. Hesitantly, it looked over to see a woman with pink and brown hair and eyes and a hat angrily clawing at the ground. Neo seethed, turning into Ruby in a fit of rage before reverting to Cinder and then back. The Jabberwalker studied closely as a clone suddenly appeared beside her and then another. This didn't feel like her typical illusions, these felt stronger...real even. Suddenly, a line of clones appeared alongside her as the Jabberwalker attempted to drag itself away to safety. Neo snapped her fingers as her doppelgängers charged the beast. As they did, she studied the creature. It was imposing, threatening even, and Neo could tell there were hints of higher intelligence. So that begged the question, what did this?
A roar echoed across the dark land as Jabberwalker trembled in fear. As her army slew the beast, Neo followed its blood trail back to the chasm that separated the acres. Another roar echoed through the skies, and even Neo felt a pang of fear in her heart. Her eyes narrowed hoping to catch a glimpse of the creature.
She could've sworn she saw feral, bloodshot, (E/C) eyes glaring at her from the shadows.