As X-49 and the others cross the door, they appear and land in the spiritual plane of the Tree. They walk and see the Blacksmith in their forge. The Blacksmith whittles a wooden figurine of the Hawker and places it with the other figurines of the Afterans.
Blacksmith: Welcome...to my workshop.
Blake: Um, Ruby, is this the Tree?
Ruby: Something like that.
Jaune approaches the Blacksmith.
Blacksmith: I've been waiting a long time for you.
Jaune: Well, I made it.
Blacksmith: I'm glad you did.
Jaune: Can you....answer a question for me? I need to know if it's true what the Cat said that Lewis went back and...Alyx....
Blacksmith: Yes. Only Lewis returned home. The Girl Who Fell Through the World is the story as he wished it happened.
As the Blacksmith walks around the table, two figurines of two certain familiar dragons are seen on the table.
X-49: What are those?
Ruby: The Brothers.
Blacksmith: Yes. These Brothers were the Tree's earliest blossoms and the first to inhabit the Ever After. Remarkable beings, very ambitious. The Tree did not perceive what they would become. But that is the joy of creating. The not knowing. First, they were given the power to destroy, to clear the wilderness away. Then they were given creativity, to imagine what -- and who -- could replace the wilderness. The Brothers built homes for them, and gave them roles to play. And so, using the skills and tools they have been given, they began to design their own creations....in utmost secrecy. Soon they realized their new creation could do their job for them.
It was at this moment that they learned that this creation was in fact the Curious Cat. At the same time, they also learned that the Jabberwalker was created for a similar purpose.
Yang: So how did they get to Remnant?
Blacksmith: The Ever After could no longer bear the Brothers' experiments. And so, the Tree built them a special doorway to a greater beyond where the Brothers could try creating worlds of their own. A doorway that would remain open for the Brothers' return, and any of their creations. And what truly remarkable things they accomplished. Whenever the Brothers' creations have come to the Ever After, the five of you have had a greater impact than you know. Just like Alyx and Lewis did before you. Just like others will after you. One small kindness in one small moment would be such a marvelous transformation.
Ruby smiles at Somewhat's figurine with tears welling up in her eyes. She then sees Penny's figurine and begins weeping. X-49 places his hand on Ruby's shoulder to comfort her.
Blacksmith: Much like one act of dishonesty...caused an unfortunate change....
Jaune: Alyx broke her promise to the Cat.
Blacksmith: A terrible thing to have a broken heart... And there's nobody to send them back to the Tree for repair.
Ruby: But what will happen to Neo?
Blacksmith: She will have the chance to return her broken heart... And becomes something new. Such is balance.
As the Blacksmith holds a knife, Jaune recognizes it.
Jaune: That's Alyx's knife. Wait, how did you have this?
Blacksmith: When Alyx's life ended, she chose to leave a part of herself behind. A wish to fix what she had broken.
Jaune takes Alyx's knife and is engulfed by a glowing light. An apparition of Alyx appears, smiling. After Alyx's apparition, along with the light, disappears, Jaune is now back to his younger self, with an exception of white streaks on his hair. Jaune becomes overjoyed.
Jaune: I....I can't believe it. It's been so.... This....is what I sounded like?
Weiss laughs. The Blacksmith then does the same thing to X-49. X-49 soon found all the rust he had accumulated gone as well as the gaping hole in his chest where he had shot himself gone. As the group takes the time to process this, the Blacksmith summons a portal, resembling the ones made by Ambrosius previously.
Ruby: Where will this take us?
Blacksmith: Not where, when you are needed most.
As they prepared to walk through the portal, X-49 stops.
Ruby: X-9?
X-49: When I found myself here, Penny tended to me for decades, waiting for me to reactivate. And...and then she sacrificed her life to save mine.
X-49 then reflected on the sacrifice Penny had made. He had no intention of coming back when he made the decision to self terminate. He had done so to ensure that he would no longer threaten his family because of the Black Queen Protocols. But Penny had revived him without the curse of the Black Queen Protocols.
X-49: Penny.....she gave her life so I could be with my family. I....I won't let it go to waste.
X-49 then resolved himself to make sure that Penny's sacrifice was not in vain. He would use the life Penny had given him to not only battle against Salem and her allies, but to also use whatever time he had to be with his friends and family. He then looked at Lulu and smiled.
X-49: Lulu....sweet thing.
As X-49 said this, Team RWBY and Jaune smiled at the Combat Droid.
X-49: Let's go home.
With that, the group walked through the doorway. They soon find themselves in the deserts of Vacuo. They see the capital city in the distance, with Shade Academy towering over the kingdom. In the skies above, there are various airships from Vale, Mistral, and Atlas, as well as a retrofitted Amity Colosseum/Tower. The group look upon the impressive sight as the portal closes behind them. In that moment, X-49 along with Team RWBY and Jaune had returned to Remnant.
YOU ARE READING
The Tale Of X-49: A RWBY Story
ActionWhen a mysterious robot is discovered, Ruby Rose and Yang Xiao Long take him in as both a brother and protector. In the years that followed, the robot known as X-49 would forge a powerful bond with them that will give the robot a purpose beyond his...
