RWBY Listens to The Soundtrack

Vol. 3 End, Cold

AN: Original Author give his opinion regarding RT taking over after Monty Oum's passing.

I've not really watched the show after Vol. 3 so my own opinion doesn't really matter, I've only been told it went downhill fast, but I'm leaning toward the negative perception.

~~~~~~
"'Cold is...kind of a tough one.'" The note explained for the last time today. "'Out of universe it was written as a tribute to Monty Oum, the original (though not SOLE as has had to be pointed out to entitled stupid creatures in the..."fandom" isn't the right term) "creator" of RWBY The Show, after a...certain event. In-universe, it can easily be about Jaune Arc to Pyrrha Nikos. It fits perfectly. It's...not the most pleasant, but then neither was Volume 3. I'm...sorry.'"

And on THAT ominous note, Ruby hit Play, much as she didn't want to, while Jaune & Pyrrha cuddled closer together in worry.

[Song Start]

[*Sad Buildup*]

"I don't have a good feeling about this..." Ruby admitted.

"It's not exactly confident." Blake agreed.

"And the music doesn't help." Weiss added.

"I don't like that it's about me and Pyrrha." Jaune added.

"Guys, c'mon, it could just be another shmaltzy love thing." Nora said, though clearly without any real confidence. "Wouldn't be the first time, and it sounds kinda nice..."

"I...don't believe it does, honestly." Ren admitted. "And it isn't about them specifically."

"I honestly can't tell the difference." Glynda added.

"I think I see where they're coming from." Ozpin admitted.

"I...suppose there's no way to know but to listen." Pyrrha steeled herself. She really didn't have a good feeling, no.

[I never felt
That it was wise
To wish too much]

"Okay yeah, I can see how this fits me." Jaune admitted.

"Are you..." Ruby asked in concern.

"Yeah it just...never good enough, y'know?" Jaune explained.

"You ARE, though." Pyrrha assured him. "How many times do I need to show you that?"

"You're not...as bad as you used to be." Weiss offered.

"Really, Weiss?" Yang deadpanned.

"What, it's true!" Weiss defended.

[To dream too big
Would only lead
To being crushed]

"But I went here anyways, because...I'm an idiot, I guess." Jaune continued. "I mean, I didn't expect the Queen of the Grimm, but..."

"Jaune..." Nora muttered.

"...Why do think I made you Team Leader in the first place?" Ozpin asked. "We've gone over Ms. Rose, but...I'll be honest, you were entirely transparent." Jaune knew exactly what Oz was getting at there. Fucking fake transcripts...

"I-I don't..." Jaune admitted. "I still..."

"You'll see in time." Ozpin assured him. "But regardless of THAT, why do you think I had you launched in Ms. Nikos's line of sight?"

"SO YOU ADMIT IT!" Nora cried in victory.

"I sent you in certain directions. What happened next was up to all of you." Ozpin clarified.

"Well...thank you." Pyrrha whispered.

[Then I met you
You weren't afraid
Of anything]

"I...wouldn't say that." Pyrrha corrected. "You just...didn't see it."

"Yeah, I know..." Jaune muttered.

"You still saw me as ME." Pyrrha reminded him.

"And besides...everyone's afraid of something." Blake added. "I'd say it's what most people have in common."

"Hm. Well put, Ms. Belladonna." Ozpin praised. He hadn't exactly earned her trust back...but it was better than it was when he was hiding it. Does that tell you anything? No, how many times?

[You taught me how
To leave the ground
To use my wings]

"I thought that was Blake's song!" Nora complained.

"It's a general motif." Ren pointed out.

"I know, I just..." Nora admitted. "I don't feel good about this either, okay?"

"It...also fits." Jaune acquiesced. "I'd be...pretty much useless without you."

"C'mon, you can't get anywhere if you're not a LITTLE confident in yourself." Yang scolded.

"That explains so much about you." Weiss deadpanned.

[I never thought a hero
Would ever come my way]

"You...Jaune, stop exaggerating." Pyrrha requested.

"Wow, you BOTH got issues there, huh?" Nora noted. "Imposter Syndrome's a BITCH."

"Besides, it's technically Jeff exaggerating about Monty." Ren reminded them.

"Yeah, but what does that mean about Monty?" Ruby asked. "And-and about Pyrrha?"

"I...it could still be..." But Nora couldn't even finish the sentence.

"Children, I don't think-" And Glynda was interrupted by the song.

[But more than that
I never thought
You'd be taken away]

"..." No one said anything at that. What COULD they? After what they just heard?

"...Oh." Pyrrha managed.

"Wha- No, she...that could be..." Nora started muttering, desperately trying to deny it.

"We-we don't exactly know what that means." Jaune also tried to deny it.

"...She fell first." Ren reminded them. "Not Jaune."

"Are-are we seriously suggesting that on Remnant Prime, Pyrrha..." Weiss trailed off.

"No..." Ruby muttered, silver eyes wide. Yang quickly grabbed her into a hug. And this time...there was DEFINITELY a flicker.

"Wha-was that..." Yang questioned, being in the splash zone.

"I believe so..." Ozpin muttered.

"But that's not important right now, right now we gotta..." Nora had no idea what they had to do now.

"I'm sorry, children." Ozpin lowered his head.

"Why are you..." Ruby began.

"Because with the Volume 2 Intro, I think I know exactly how this could have happened." Ozpin admitted.

"I didn't want to admit it, but..." Glynda muttered. She was doing that a LOT today, huh? They all were

"How did...you know what, no, just don't do it!" Ruby ordered.

"...Yes, that would be for the best now..." Ozpin admitted.

"...The FALL Maiden..." Pyrrha mumbled to herself. Ah, it...seemed that she'd put it together. More's the pity, eh?

"What...does this imply about Monty, though?" Blake pointed out.

With that, Ruby's Scroll buzzed. The note read out. "'During Volume 3's pre-production, Monty suffered a fatal allergic reaction during a routine medical checkup. It's stupid and unfair, but...it happened. The rest have been carrying on their shared dream together. One that he'd never have the chance to see. JUST as they were getting to it...this happened. And it gave certain...monsters, that's the best way I can describe them, a NASTY case of entitlement.'"

"'"Deifying" and defiling a real person and his legacy because their terrible headcanons were disproven. Because APPARENTLY it's impossible to criticize something without desecrating the dead, and then delude themselves into thinking they're not awful for using a dead man as a prop. I'd break their fingers if I could. But...regardless of all that...you can understand why Jeff felt the need to write this, yeah? And it coinciding with...Pyrrha...you can see the connection. The people making the show sure could. It's a theme that became very personal to them, as you'd imagine.'"

"..." Yes. They could. Very well. It's something their original selves, would, undeniably with this note, have personal experience with. They couldn't deny it any longer: On Remnant Prime, Pyrrha Nikos is dead.

"...Goddamn it." Nora muttered at...well, anything that was listening. The Two Brothers were real, right? Then damn them.

[Now it's Cold
Without you here]

"You know I...would have thought the name of the song fit Weiss better, but..." Jaune trailed off. "...oh what the hell am I saying?"

"I..." Pyrrha spoke up for the first time since the last verse. That was enough for Nora to glomp her like a tactical missile. And THAT was enough for Jaune to join them. Ren did as well, which may have surprised those who didn't actually know him, but...yeah. More restrained than the others, but yeah. No Semblance, though, that's not healthy.

This was usually Team RWBY's thing tonight, but they could see that JNPR needed it more right now. Still, they WERE just told that their friend would have died, and soon at that. So they huddled around each other anyways.

The Professors just looked on with deep sadness...& a bit of guilt for what would have been.

[It's like winter
Lasts all year]

"God I...I don't know how I'd be able to handle that." Jaune admitted.

"I...I think I'd want you to just...keep moving forward." Pyrrha whispered.

"Wouldn't be the first time, but-but it SHOULDN'T" Nora declared.

"It hasn't yet." Ren reminded them.

"Remember that." Glynda told them. Not that it would be easy, of course...

[But your star's
Still in the sky]

"What you leave behind is...ultimately what you'll be remembered for, good or for ill." Ozpin whispered. He was familiar.

"Well, I think you're the exception there." Weiss pointed out. Okay no, jokes weren't working.

"'We are our actions, not our hopes.'" Blake quoted.

"What's that from?" Yang asked, trying to distract herself.

"Mysterians." Blake replied. "Love those stupid robots."

"Hehehe..." Ruby weakly chucked. So did she.

[So I won't
Say goodbye]

"I-I mean, why wouldn't it? Why wouldn't-" Jaune trailed off.

"Perhaps it's more just...see you later." Pyrrha proposed, trying to keep herself composed for her friends's sake.

"Is..." Weiss began, looking at Ozpin. "...Is the afterlife real?"

"I'm...not certain it would matter either way." Ozpin admitted. "At least not on Earth."

[I don't have to
Say goodbyyyyeee]

"Okay, don't..." Nora weakly demanded. "That's..."

"Beautiful." Ren finished.

"It's an interesting way of looking at it." Glynda stated.

"Don't know if it's the BEST way..." Yang muttered.

"It's...maybe it depends?" Ruby proposed. "I don't know, this is..."

[My days of doubt
Were in the past
With you around]

"I actually thought I might be able to DO what I wanted to." Jaune agreed.

"You still can." Pyrrha assured him.

"Yeah, but...can Remnant Prime me?" Jaune retorted.

"Or us?" Nora pointed to herself and Ren. "We already lost two families, and..."

[You helped me feel
I had a place
Direction found]

"I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for you." Jaune reiterated. "I would still be..."

"But it's working out." Pyrrha tried to assure him. "Even if I..."

"Sometimes following the strict letter of the law isn't...entirely necessary." Ozpin offered.

"...Does Glynda not know?" Nora asked, seeing how they were sidestepping that.

"I put it together eventually." Glynda answered. Oh, that was good to know. Wait, do Team RWBY know?

[You showed me that
A greater dream
Can be achieved]

"You're an inspiration to a lot of people, Pyrrha." Weiss stated. "Just...as yourself. Specifically. For me, anyways."

"What Weiss is trying to say is that she's sorry for how she treated you at the start of the year." Yang explained.

"You're...better about it, and I appreciate it." Pyrrha assured her. "I just..."

"Making words is hard right now." Nora complained. With emotions as high as they were...she wasn't wrong.

[Enough resolve
Will conquer all
If we believe]

"Except not people dying." Ruby grumbled. "It's not gonna bring mom back..."

"Still, in general, I've been...surprised by how much it's true." Blake admitted. "I saw that...twisted for someone's own gratification, but..."

"I know." Ruby admitted. "It's just..."

"It was hard for myself and Nora as children." Ren added. "It's...still hard now, despite everything."

"Maybe it's cause it didn't happen to me, but..." Jaune trailed off.

[The light you gave
To guide me
Will never fade away]

"I think that's how. As long as they keep her memory alive, then..." Blake theorized.

"But without her, I'm..." Jaune began. "I'm useless."

"Perhaps that's the point, however." Ozpin proposed. "Even when she's gone, she's still guiding you."

"...Huh. I guess." Jaune muttered.

[But moving forward
Never felt
As hard as today]

"And it will for a while." Ozpin stressed. "But it IS possible. It will never leave you, but you can still move forward."

"I suppose you have experience, then?" Weiss theorized.

"...Something like that." Ozpin agreed.

"I thought Yang said to stop being so cryptic." Nora half-heartedly pointed out.

"Eh, I get the point." Yang admitted. "And now I feel kinda like a jerk to Jeff and..."

"No. None of that." Ruby reprimanded. Words weren't coming easily to her, but..,

"Let's just...try to manage it, alright?" Jaune asked.

"A tall order." Ren pointed out.

"Still, I...don't think that we have any other option." Pyrrha admitted. "So let us just..."

[Now it's Cold
Without you here]

Yup, bringing the point back. This time, though, none of them really WANTED it to.

Not like they had a choice, though. This was reality, at least on Remnant Prime.

[It's like winter
Lasts all year]

A thought that passed through their minds, however...is that they might actually be able to handle it. Even with all this. Their Pyrrha's still here, after all

But as for their original selves on Remnant Prime...?

[But your star's
Still in the sky]

Well, that was a...somewhat decent sign. If this could apply to OG Jaune, then maybe...their original selves would be fine.

There was still a lot of show to go, after all.

[So I won't
Say goodbye]

None of the children were exactly thinking rationally right now. It was a whole mess. But could you blame them? They knew, intellectually, that something like this could happen.

But getting conformation is something else.

[I don't have to
Say goodbyyyyyyeee...]

And with that, Jeff, Casey, & all the other's promise to Monty just as much as Jaune's promise to Pyrrha, came to an end. Everyone just tried to take that it. After a few moments...

"Okay so..." Ruby began. "We learned that Pyrrha was going to..." she couldn't finish.

"That was there." Glynda pointed out. "This is here."

"Still not great to have a song that goes "by the way, one of your friends is going to die", yeah?" Yang

"Rather explicitly at that." Blake agreed. "And that's not even to mention the "out of universe" meaning..."

"Who else is gonna die?" Nora muttered.

"...No, it's WAS going to." Ruby declared. "We won't let it happen here."

"That IS the purpose of all this." Ren tentatively agreed.

"...Pyrrha, Jaune, are you okay?" Weiss asked.

"No, not really." Jaune replied.

"I'm...still trying to process it, honestly." Pyrrha admitted. "MY death. Something that would have happened to ME if it weren't for this. I don't..."

"And that's on top of LAST song." Nora pointed out.

"Well, I suppose it's good we took the S.I. on their offer, then." Ozpin proposed. "Though, speaking of, we are now firmly in the future. We should...prepare."

"Right now, however, it's rather late." Glynda told them. "And...you need to time to come to grips with all of this. I think we're done for today."

"Yeah. Yeah." Ruby replied. "Alright RWBYJNPR, let's...let's go to bed. We have a long day tomorrow." She took a look at her Scroll to try and see just HOW long it would be.

"Five whole Volumes about stuff that hadn't even happened yet." Jaune summed up. "Not looking forward to it, but..."

"...actually, it...might be six." Ruby declared, holding up her Scroll. "While we were listening, it...made a part for Volume 9. Most of the songs are "incomplete", whatever that means here, but the intro and the first song are there."

"How does THAT work?" Nora wondered.

"Perhaps time passes differently on Earth." Ozpin theorized. "And so Volume 9 is already out for them, at least in part. I doubt we'll truly understand it, in any event. Now...goodnight, students. And...I'm sorry."

"...Eh, I think we'll be fine." Ruby weakly smiled as she held on to Zwei. And with that, the children (and pet) went to the elevator. The holographic chairs and the screen vanished, but true to the notes, the Communicube itself remained in the floor.

"I should...make sure the others have our workload handled." Glynda proposed before she headed off as well.

"You intend to join us tomorrow, then?" Ozpin asked.

"...it's too late to back out, and even if it doesn't tell us much, it's still SOMETHING." Glynda confirmed. "Besides, it IS still the weekend." And, well, there was how Oz had acted...

"That it is." Ozpin agreed. "Goodnight, Glynda." With a nod, the elevator came back for Glynda, and she was off as well, leaving Ozpin alone with his thoughts. That was...not how he expected today to go, but what was done, was done. Perhaps it WAS good that the children were aware, though he knew that Tai might be a little upset that they've already been filled in on...well, what he told everyone else.

And the five-or perhaps six, depending on how that worked-soundtracks tomorrow...there should be enough more than enough time to cover them all, but that depended on what lay within. It was uncharted territory, and Ozpin could only hope that they would all be up for it.

~~~~~
AN:
Again, I've never seen the show past Vol. 3, except through clips. I would see a video talk about how "the show sucks now" and they'd break down a Volume, and then someone would say "well what if this happened instead" and it would actually have been much better.

So, from what I've heard from Reviewers & Critics, the show really does go down hill.

From what I get, the story is now meant to be extremely serious, an "We fight to stop the end of world" story, but RWBY gets away with so many things. From what I recall the most recent thing is:
Saving Cold Acclimated Civilians, and put them in a Desert that is, In Lore, really goddamn Brutal.
Yeah, those Atlesians are Dead.

I think the "Fixing RWBY" guy had some neat ideas, like Ozpin jumping into the closest person with the requirements, and that happened to be Torchwick who gets throw off the ship rather than eaten.
Because then Qrow doesn't punch a 13 year old child.

I don't know, I've read better stories by Fanfic writers, than from what I've hear happens