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

Chapter 41: A Place of Particular Concern

Given that the volume has concluded, I'll give my thoughts: I greatly appreciate Ever After therapy season. There were great character moments, backstory, and I think Ruby and Jaune really needed this. I've seen it going around that this volume was pointless filler, that Ruby got no character growth as a result of her decision at the end. I'd argue that Ruby becoming someone else would completely ruin things and disregard everything Team RWBY has been through. Turning into someone else from the beginning was painted as running away from the past and your mistakes, which has been a running theme for the story. I'd argue Ruby choosing herself at the end, that believing that she is enough, flaws, failures, and all, was powerful. Could it have been conveyed better, oh absolutely. This volume definitely needed a few more episodes to flesh out its themes and ideas, but I thought it was really solid overall. But that's just my interpretation.
Chapter 41: Not in Remnant Anymore

(Y/N) didn't know how long he fell for. Drifting in and out of consciousness as he descended into a seemingly endless void warped his perception of time as the voices of people calling out to him mixed with the ringing in his ears, giving him a headache. In the back of his head, he prayed that it hadn't been in vain, that somehow, the girls managed to beat back Cinder and save the people of Atlas, even if he couldn't be there to help them anymore.
Yang...he hoped she'd be waiting for him wherever this fall led.
Eventually, a ghastly burning in his chest caused him to drown out the faint voices with his own wails of pain. That finally knocked him out.
After an undetermined amount of time, (Y/N) drifted back into the waking world. He knew he wasn't falling anymore, and he could feel grass beneath him, tickling the back of his neck. The scent of trees, fruits, and the faintest whiff of the ocean filled his nose, yet they were...alien, in some form. As the ringing in his ears calmed down, he heard the chattering calls of birds echoing all around him, and the rustling of tree branches. When he finally rustled up the energy to open his eyes, he found himself surrounded by trees that were twisted in odd shapes, rainbow stalks, alien flowers, and a yellow sky with two suns. For a moment, given the hit he took and the fall, he wondered if this was the afterlife. That thought disappeared the minute he attempted to sit up as every muscle in his body screamed.
"Don't think I could hurt this bad if I were dead." He groaned as he powered through it.
Just as he managed to pull himself up to get his bearings, the searing pain from before gripped the dragon's heart once more, causing him to scream and clutch at his chest. By the time the pain yielded into a more manageable ache, (Y/N) was on his knees, breathing heavily.
"W-wha...what was tha-?"
Images of a familiar face and green eyes flashed in his mind, reigniting the burn. He then remembered when he had last felt this intense pain, and though it took a while, he eventually learned what had happened to Clover. Which could only mean Penny...
"No..." He pleaded, tears streaming down his face as he started to run, ignoring the pain. "No. No! NO!"
He bolted through the foliage, ignoring how unlike Remnant, how unreal this place was. Animals which he had never seen before darted out of his path, as if they could sense his turmoil. (Y/N) didn't know where he was running to, just that he needed to go, to find even the slightest hint that he was wrong, that this pain in chest had nothing to do with Penny, that she and the others were safe and alive in Vacuo, far from wherever this place was. Eventually, his body, still damaged by his battle and the lack of rest the last few days had provided, gave out on him as the boy collapsed in a small opening with a pond. Before he could contemplate dragging himself over there for a drink, something caught his eye. It was a person, motionless against the pond's edge, as if they were asleep, but he could smell the blood.
And he recognized that orange hair anywhere.
"PENNY!" He screamed, crawling over to her. "Penny, please wake up!"
The former robot girl did not respond to his plea, not even a twitch. (Y/N) pushed at her, still in denial, even as he felt the dreaded coldness from her skin. In a final act of desperation, he switched to his soul sight, praying to any god willing to listen that it wasn't true. There was no soul before him, just an empty husk, and he was finally forced to see a deep wound right where her heart was.
Penny was well and truly dead.
"NOO!!"
Storm clouds swarmed the sky as (Y/N)'s mix of a cry and roar filled the air, drowning out even the thunder itself. As he collapsed to cry, his surroundings warped into a small dimension filled with endless passage ways. Even Penny's body disappeared as he himself was surrounded by mirrors, but (Y/N) did not notice, still screaming and crying, begging for the pain to stop, for all of it to stop. He had lost someone again, it was all for nothing! Once again, he had been too weak to prevent the tragedy.
Nothing had changed.
His muscles suddenly seized as a wave of bloodlust crashed into him. (Y/N) rolled on the ground, clutching his head as he fought for control, feeling his darker half trying to break loose. Even if the pain was unbearable, he didn't want the monster to come out now, he just wanted to be left alone to scream, and cry, and mourn. As the strongest of the attack gripped he looked up at the mirror in front of him. Lightning flashed, and his instantly changed to that of his wild self, drooling and eyes set to kill. The reflections of the other mirrors changed with each crash of lightning, distant memories of himself at different points in his life. On the brink of madness, he raised his fist up to destroy the reflection of his feral self.
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!!!"
Just then, the lightning struck him.
(Timeskip)
Ruby woke with a gasp, reeling from the memory of Neo attempting to strangle her. Taking a deep breath, she glanced around and saw she was on an unfamiliar beach, gentle rolling waves pulsing behind her. She stood up, her surroundings becoming more and more strange to her as she took it in. The beach was bordered by a forest with rocky cliffs and a massive tree in the distance. Just where was she? She only remembered falling in between the worlds, so how had she ended up there?
Alone with her thoughts, Ruby began to formulate a plan. Considering she was alive, that might have meant Blake, Yang, and (Y/N) had also survived. She just hoped Weiss, Penny, and Jaune had made it out. With that spark of hope, she walked into the forest to begin her search, unfortunately weaponless.
The forest was otherworldly, unlike anything she had ever known, with strange plants and even stranger animals. As she passed a clear, a massive green bird squawked fearfully. With nowhere to go, Ruby glanced up at the cliffs in the distance. It was probably a good place to start. However, as she attempted to head towards them, she found herself trapped in a loop, always returning the position she started in, the bird growing more upset with each cycle and a mouse watching curiously. Frustrated, kept stubbornly trying to move forward, but eventually, she conceded defeat, flopping down against a tree and pulling her knees to her chest to cry. Thunder rumbled gently as it began to rain softly. Ruby would've likely kept still for sometime if her attention was not caught by insistent squeaking. Looking up, she saw the mouse from before, tugging on a strange looking vegetable buried in the ground. Even with all its might, the tiny mammal could not budge the sprout, falling on its back. Quietly, Ruby offered her hand to the creature, who eagerly crawled into her palm, and plucked the vegetable from the ground. It looked like a hunk of cheese, strangely enough, and it certainly smelled like it. Still, the mouse quite animatedly pleaded for it, so Ruby handed it off to her new friend, who took a happy bite. The girl gave a sad smile.
"Now if only you could help me..."
The mouse looked at her before shrugging.
"I could try."
Ruby blinked once, processing what had just happened, and then proceeded to shriek, causing the mouse to jump up and scream. Once she stopped, the mouse stamped her foot.
"Why are you yelling!?"
"I, b-but...you...because...er!"
"Did you want to share? Aw. I guess it's only fair..."
Ruby shook her head. "No, that's...er...that's all right. Uh, I guess...I've just never really spoken to a-a mouse."
"Hmm." The mouse hummed. "Well, I guess I've never spoken to a...you before. What are you?"
"Oh, uh, I'm a human. A girl? A huntress?"
"That's a lot of things."
"My...I'm Ruby Rose."
"And to Ruby Rose is your purpose?"
Ruby shook her head. "No, that's...that's my name. Do you have a name?"
"I'm still young, so not yet."
"Hmm, how about I call you...Little, for now?" Ruby suggested. "Would that be all right?"
"Hmm, how does one Little?"
Ruby chuckled. "Have you seen other people? Humans, like me?"
"Exactly like you?" Little asked.
"No." Ruby set Little down. "Not exactly like me. I mean, we're similar, but different."
"I'm sure it'll make sense eventually!"
Ruby tried to give a description of everyone. "One would have long, blonde hair. Another has a lizard's tail and wings. And the other has...uh, cat ears."
Little shrieked, diving behind the cheese.
"Sorry! I should've known! I've seen plenty of cartoons."
Little cautiously came out. "Well, I've never seen anyone who does or doesn't look like you, but maybe someone in my village has. They're always out foraging. You know, since we need food and stuff. Speak of which..." The mouse pointed to the other cheese. "A few more of these wouldn't hurt!"
(Elsewhere)
Blake and Weiss, having found each other, combed the area for Blake's weapon, wanting more protection before looking for the others.
"You really think it's around here somewhere?" Blake asked.
Weiss shook her head. "I wouldn't exactly say I'm certain about anything here. Gambol Shroud fell after you and Ruby, but before I did. And if we found each other..." She glanced around. "What is this place?"
"I don't know. None of my guesses really make sense."
"Blake, I'm really glad you're okay."
The Faunus smiled at her. "I'm really glad you are too. And if we are, that means, (Y/N), Ruby, and Yang might be too."
Weiss nodded, continuing to search.
"Weiss..." Blake spoke again, flattening her ears. "Can you...what happened after we fell?"
Weiss stopped, taking a deep breath. "We should focus on finding everyone else first. I think I see something!"
Noting the Schnee was dodging the question, Blake decided not to push the issue. Joining her friend, she saw her weapon lodged into a mess of thorny vines.
"I...guess it could've been worse?"
"Well, good news." Weiss snarked. "I'm low on Dust."
"That wasn't an open invitation, Weiss." Blake shot back. "Where's (Y/N) when you need him?"
Lacking their flier, the girls attempted to retrieve the weapon themselves. At first, they tried to cut through the vines, only for them to aggressively grow back. Eventually, Blake climbed a nearby tree and went for her weapon with Weiss's encouragement. Just as her fingers brushed the hilt, the vines attacked, ensnaring both girls. Around them were small war cries as a colony of mice swarmed out of thicket.
"The trap has been sprung!" The leader mouse declared victoriously. "Justice beholds our prey!"
"Are they talking!?" Weiss said, not believing it.
"That's not what I'm worried about right now!" Blake snapped.
"Wait, it's not the lizard!" One mouse declared.
The leader looked at the girls again. "Curses! Our enemy eludes us!"
"Lizard?" Both girls said.
(Elsewhere)
Ruby followed Little directions back to the village. Good things she told her the directions at the start because it didn't take long for the mouse to fall asleep in her hood.
"Are you drooling on me? Yuck!"
Ruby then heard tiny cheering and stumbled upon her friends tied up and surrounded by mice.
"On this day, we are no longer the prey, but the hunter!" The leader mouse declared as the village cheered.
Ruby just stared at the scene as Little woke up.
"What's going on?" The mouse crawled out from her napping spot. "Oh, hey, it's your cat friend...EEEEEEKKKKKKK!"
Little's scream caught the attention of the village as the leader jumped up.
"A new adversary approaches! We must liberate our kin!"
(Timeskip)
Fortunately, Little was able to clear up the misunderstanding and assure everyone the girls were not going to eat them.
"I didn't know what to do since she looked so sad, but then we talked, and she seemed less sad." Little recounted to the large group. "Then, she pulled the cheese out of the ground, all on her own!"
The crowd was quite impressed by such a feat, one mouse even fainting. The leader scampered over to the girls.
"You have our sincere apologies. Please understand that our kind is a bit skeptical of cats...and snakes...and cats."
"If...we could ask, have you seen anyone else that looks like us?" Blake asked. "A girl with long blonde hair, looks kinda scary but isn't?"
"But could be if she wanted to." Weiss added.
The mouse shook their head as Blake sighed.
"Okay, what about a boy with large wings and a reptile tail?"
"Hmm..." The leader hummed. "I don't know about wings, but the only things I can think of that looks like you and has a tail like that is-,"
"LIZARD!"
The mice suddenly scattered as something came barreling into the clearing at high speeds. It chased after them as they blotted for cover. Eventually, one mouse darted in front of it and dove for the roots. The creature followed after it, only to become tangled.
"Ouf!" A small, but sorta familiar said.
The girls looked over and saw a familiar dragon tail thumping unhappily from the roots.
"(Y/N)!" They all yelled as they rushed over to pull him out.
"We were so worried!" Weiss insisted.
"I'm so glad you're safe!" Ruby added before Blake blinked.
"Wait, are you...smaller?"
The boy suddenly came from as he rolled out. All three girls' eyes widened in disbelief. It was their brother...a much, much younger version of him. The (Y/N) couldn't have been older than 4, garbed in some simpler toddler clothes and without he weapons. Most alarmingly, he didn't have wings, they were just...gone. Not at all phased, he giggled happily, looking at them with big innocent eyes and a bright smile.
"Hi!"
The girls just stared at him. Baby (Y/N)'s eyes darted to the mice as he smiled at them.
"Play!"
Blake quickly snatched him up as he pounced. The boy only laughed, thinking it was a game and liking being held.
"H-how is he so small!?" Ruby yelled, not really processing this. "Did he shrink!?"
"He's not just smaller." Weiss said, pushing up the boy' sleeve. "He's younger! Look!"
Sure enough, (Y/N)'s arms, marred by the scars that served as the evidence of the horrors he was forced to endure, were without blemish.
"(Y/N)?" Blake asked, unsure.
The boy gave her a toothy grin. "You know my name, Ms Kitty?"
"(Y/N), don't you...know who I am?"
He tilted his head. "No? Should I?"
Blake didn't answer, not even when the boy reached to play with her ears.
"How did this happen!?" Weiss muttered. "Okay...we can't panic. I'm...sure it's reversible. We just need to find Yang and figure this out."
"Y-yeah..." Ruby agreed. "Before...this, I was trying to get to that cliff over there. I figured going to higher ground and getting my bearings would be good."
"Sounds like the best option for now."
"If you wanna go to the cliff, I can help with that!" Little volunteered, climbing onto Blake's shoulder.
(Y/N)'s eyes widened, but he was quickly snatched away by Weiss.
"I...don't really have anything to do yet."
Ruby tilted her head. "Yet?"
"I can be your trusty guide!"
(Timeskip)
Both Little and (Y/N) fell asleep not halfway to the cliffs. The mice village was more than happy to point them in the right direction if it meant being rid of the Lizard. Weiss glanced down worriedly at their brother.
"I still don't understand how this happened. And he doesn't even remember us!"
"We'll find a way to reverse it, Weiss." Blake assured her. "We just need to hurry. Plus, Yang's been down here the longest and we still haven't found her."
"Weiss..." Ruby suddenly spoke up. "I was wondering, if you fell, were there others down here too? What happened?"
She didn't answer right away and didn't stop walking. "I don't know if anyone else fell. No. I think we should find Yang, if she's even down here, then we can go over everything."
"I just-,"
A howl filled the air, eerie and unnatural. (Y/N) woke up with a start, clutching at Weiss.
"W-what was that?" He whimpered. "A monster?"
"It's okay, sweetie." Weiss assured him, running a hand through his hair.
"I want papa! He's stronger than the monsters!"
The girls' felt their hearts crack a little. It wasn't as if they could explain it to him, not that they had the stomach too. Instead, Weiss put into a protective hug as they followed the sound. At the top of a cliff, a strange creature resembling a Grimm with stripped horns and a mask hunched over with its back facing them.
"Seeking..." A distorted voice rumbled as it twitched unnaturally. "Searching...scouting...searching...scouting...seeking..."
Little gasped and she and (Y/N) their faces in Ruby and Weiss's necks. The creature heard her, stiffening.
"Detecting...listening..."
It turned to them. Weiss placed (Y/N) in Ruby's arms as she and Blake drew their weapons. Ruby wrapped her brother in her cloak as he whimpered. The creature roared as it charged the girls, swiping at them with its claws.
"SLICE! RIP! TEAR!"
Blake blocked it with Gambol Shroud, setting Weiss up to stab it, only for a voice to interrupt.
"I said I wasn't done with you yet!"
A rock crashed into the beast's face as Yang appeared, missing her mechanically arm and looking tired. The monster, seeing it was greatly outnumbered, elected to retreat, disappearing over the cliffs.
Ruby sighed in relief, looking down at (Y/N) who was still shaking. "It's okay now, (Y/N)."
"I-is it gone?"
She nodded. "Yup. They scared it off."
Yang collapsed on one knee, panting. Ruby placed the younger (Y/N) on the ground and ran to her.
"Yang!"
"Dammit!" Yang spat. "You weren't supposed to be here!"
"If you thought we wouldn't come for you, then you must've forgotten who raised me." Ruby half joked, kneeling beside her. "What happened to your arm?"
"I don't think you'd believe me if I told you."
"Why not?" Little asked, popping up. "You seem trustworthy."
(Y/N) then peeked out from behind Ruby. "New friend?"
Yang looked at both of them in shock. "Uh, Ruby, what is that and why is our brother tiny?"
She was then tackled by Blake.
"Yang..." She muttered in relief.
Yang hugged her back as Weiss approached.
"I sorta thought you'd be a little happier to see us." Weiss stated as (Y/N) jumped in on the hug, believing it to be play wrestling.
"I am." Yang said, hugging her little brother close. "It must have gone pretty bad, huh?"
All eyes turned to Weiss, who finally began to break down.
"Weiss?"
The Schnee was crying. "I...everything happened so fast! No one came back from Vacuo to help! And Penny-!"
Ruby suddenly realized what had happened to her friend. She had just gotten Penny, she had just become human, and now, she was gone again. She blacked out.
(Timeskip)
Ruby woke up to someone curled up against her chest. She looked down to see (Y/N) hugging her, looking determined as Little fanned her with a leaf.
"(Y/N)?"
"You looked sad. Mama says hugs make people not sad!"
She patted his head. "Thanks..."
"So we have no idea what happened to the Relic, or what happened to everyone in Vacuo, or where Neo is?" Yang asked.
"Maybe everyone else made it." Blake said hopefully.
Weiss shook her head. "I don't know, but I have a bad feeling."
Ruby sat up, (Y/N) still stubbornly clinging to her. "Neo's here too."
Yang walked over to her. "Hey, are you all right?"
Ruby hung her head, not answering. "She attacked me while we were falling."
Yang sighed.
"Okay." Blake stood up. "Ruby's weapon is still missing; Yang's arm was stolen; (Y/N)'s weapons are missing and he's a toddler now. I think we focus on getting everything back, then we figure out how to get (Y/N) to normal, then we can figure out exactly how we can get out of here. Wherever here is..."
"But, what if we can't leave?" Weiss asked as Blake was pulled away by something. "Or, what if-,"
"What if we're dead?" Yang asked. "Until you all found me, I thought for sure I was."
Ruby looked down at their brother. "Then why is (Y/N) like this?"
"No." Blake said in the distance, seeing a mystical landscape sprawled before her, one she knew well. "I don't think we're dead. I know how this sounds, but...I think we're in a fairy tale."