What Happens Next (Slay The Princess/RWBY)

Well then:


We have our tie breaker, Stella is going to use puppy dog eyes.

Nyarky said:

Unfortunately, this is after the ending of Slay the Princess where the voices stays in the cabin when The long Quiet and the Princess leaves for parts unknown, so they aren't there.

Think of them as living their own adventures on their way to reunite the entire gang, who knows, they may end up in someone else's head in the future?

Click to expand...

Click to shrink...

Oh my god, imagine if they end up in Penny?


EDIT: I'm honored to be threadmarked, but the title is supposed to be "Schizo-Penny-a"
Y'know, like schizophrenia?

You guess that after your little episode with the Tower, it may be a good idea to at least ask Ozpin and his coconspirator for their thoughts on the subject….

"I imagine you have some questions about the woman I showed earlier and Haven's headmaster?" you ask your daughter, who nods in answer without hesitation. "I'll let Ozpin be the judge on how much he tells, it strongly concerns him anyway." You conclude.

Penny frowns at that last remark, clearly wondering how exactly.

"Will you bring me back here some other time? I like this place." She tells, deciding to put her doubts for later and enjoy the moment. "I guess it is because I am an independent part of you in a way, but this feel like home, even more than Remnant does, I never knew what I was missing until now." She has grown pensive now. "It's strange, for most cases, the idea of staying in one place for too long displease me, but not when it comes to this place." She beams at you. "Maybe because it feels like you?"

You practically melt at her words, your closest body jumping at her for a hug.

"Of course I can. But for now, let's return to the office, I think the others may be nervous." You join action to word, taking your daughter in your hands and bringing her back to the world of Remnant, following close behind with your main consciousness.

When you arrive back, you are treated to a slightly different scene than when you left. It seems Qrow and Winter have finished their hunt, given they are back, and Leonardo seems to have been taken away. All the participants that were there at the beginning of this debacle minus him are looking at you, including a smugly smiling Sable.

"You know, my dear Princess, I kept the first hole you created open in the vain hope that maybe, maybe, you would use the same way to come back, but I see it was all for naught." He fondly says.

His remark makes you realize that, far from not letting any of your presence out when bringing Penny to you, you had been slightly too forceful and let out a direct link to your full presence where she had been. You also seem to not have taken enough precautions when coming back and made a second one right next to the first.

Penny cannot help but laugh at your misfortune, though her father nervously checking every part of her to see if she's fine changes the tone somewhat. Ozpin is simply sipping on his tea with the face of a man that has seen worse, and Ironwood is looking torn between very angry at you and fearful. Glynda has her head in her hands and is muttering about *children, they are both children, how did I not see it sooner?*

You can't help but disagree, you are not a child, you are a responsible adult… ok, just an adult, but you can be responsible when you want to!

And you are going to prove it right now! …After closing said holes in reality, you hope Salem hasn't learnt too much from it, it seems she didn't understand what your presence was the first time, but a second occasion is not ideal. It is a good thing Sable covered what they leaked as fast as possible, the people of Remnant are going to feel something, but this isn't going to lead to a second day of change.

Godly responsibilities done with, you turn to the mortal ones, beginning with shooting an apologetic look to Ozpin and explaining your recent mistake:

"I do not wish to be only to bringer of bad news, but there is one team of *students* from Haven that actually are spies under the one that blackmailed Leonardo." You quickly say.

Ironwood apparently has settled on anger rather than fear, as he grinds his jaw before asking:

"There are spies in the school and you are only telling us now? How long have you known?"

"James, calm down, I am sure there is an explanation." Ozpin tries to calm down his friend, launching you a glance full of understanding.

"I have known for about a week?" You sigh. "As for why I didn't tell… how much did Sable explain about my Nature?"

"He told them some basics, but I assume you are talking about your relationship with perceptions? In that case, he hasn't explained it, wanted to leave it to you I think." Glynda thankfully answers.

"How could this explain what happened?" Ironwood angrily retort. "One week, one full week of knowing that Haven may have been compromised, and you are expecting to be forgiven?" He tries to calm down with some breathing exercises. "If I hadn't seen what you just did, I would be trying to arrest you right now." Left unsaid is the fact that he doesn't trust you. A bad thing, given what you are about to tell.

You decide to try and bring him to see your side, you won't be able to even begin to argue for explaining anything to Penny if this is how the man sees you.

"General, how would you react if someone thinking you are an idiot literally made you one?"

"Someone using their Semblance on me? I would…." You cut off his answer.

"No, I don't mean something due to their Semblance, I meant due to your Nature." He doesn't seem to understand yet judging by his look. "Because this is how I live every day. I am a being of perception, when someone sees me as a monstrous being that only lives to fight, I become one." You take the form of the Eye of the needle for a moment, then return back to your base. Ironwood is getting some recognition in his eyes, and his impression shift slightly. "The woman I recognized as someone I met before had two main train of thoughts about me: She was thinking that my identity as Stella was nothing but a distraction used as a pawn by Ozpin, and she also had been touched by a shadow of my true self and was worshipping her as the god that would allow her to rise above the masses." It seems the man is now searching on how to use this new knowledge, you think. "Those, and the certainty she had about them." You indirectly derail his probable train of thought. "Meant that I didn't think at all about consequences when abording her and stayed blind to my faults. You have seen the Tower earlier, know that she is to the vessel this woman woke as an ant is to you. The Apotheosis is a black hole of an idea, if you enter her orbit, you are not getting out." You get closer to Sable, taking strength in it. "And even without her, I am not the most understanding of the two halves that my love and I form." You conclude.

Glynda seems about to correct you on this point, but Ozpin beats her to the draw:

"I know it isn't the same, but you know my circumstances. I know how it is to be a stranger in the current time, having to follow a situation that you do not understand." He reassures you.

"Do you?" You ask. "How long have you lived? Several thousand years? I know you are the closest to a peer we have, but this isn't…" You begin pacing. "I want to watch the local sun die with my love to close a chapter of our life in several billion years, I want to watch evolution work on some animals without any interventions, and I know I will have the time to do so. I am getting better at understanding mortals, but I do not think I will ever do so completely." You begin to think on it, work the idea in your mind. "And I no longer think this is a problem." Ironwood cannot help but tense. It seems the man is the most suspicious of you in this room, Winter being too intimated by the Tower. "After all, mortals don't understand each other either. I have spent enough time as a counselor to say that they tend not to even understand themselves. In these conditions, me not understanding them completely is the norm, not an exception." You shake your head and come to a stop. "But all of this almost made me forget to bring up the next thing I wanted to talk about." You turn to Penny, then back to Ozpin. "In my little tentative to bring my daughter to my side, I let out enough information that she knows for sure there is an enemy out there you are all fighting against that isn't the Grimm."

"And you want to ask me if she can learn more." Ozpin understand your implication instantly.

"Her friends too." You quickly add before anyone else can interject. "Given how close they all are, I doubt having to keep such a secret would be good for any of them. This is my professional opinion as a counselor." You smugly affirm.

"Absolutely not. I will not put my daughter in the front line of this." Piettro angrily says.

"I will have to agree with Piettro," Ironwood *helpfully* add. "We are doing this to protect their future, and this is risking them for no good reason."

"Who told about making them fight?" You direct at Piettro in particular, doubting that Ironwood will be reasonable. "Telling them more when we are this close to end the problem for good would allow them to know how to react if the enemy attack them first, among other possible advantages."

"And what if we fail?" Ironwood asks. "Will they have to take the mantle, being the only one who know? Will they live the rest of their life in fear without doing anything? We always have to be prepared for the worst…."

"If you fail, Sable and I will simply go serious and end it without your help." You cut him off. "There is no scenario where this threat stays past when we want it to, the main reason we are not taking care of it instantly is so as to not trample on the accomplishments you have accrued in the years you fought."

"And what if you fail?" He cannot help but answer with some anger.

You shrug.

"I told you the Apotheosis was to the Tower as you are to an ant, I, my true self and not this body I use to interact, is to the Apotheosis as she is… to an atom." You let the implications run through his mind, then cut him off before he begins speaking again. "General Ironwood, I know it can be difficult to leave the mindset of trying to control the variables, but you cannot threaten my love and I in any real way without destroying yourself. We are here because we want to, we are helping because we want to, certainly, you can advise, you can explain, you can help us understand, but do not try to threaten us. We do not need money and nothing on this world can even graze us in truth." You slump. "If it wasn't for my love convincing me, I would have destroyed this universe without a second thought to make a new one. Do not make me want it again."

You are overexaggerating your possible range of responses in truth, you are far past the point where you would be likely to regress to how you were before Sable talked to your heart for something so minor. But Ironwood doesn't know it, and you fear he will never be able to fully trust you in the time you have before taking care of Salem. You will try to slowly amend your relationship after, and you know you are eroding it now, but you only wish to have your daughter know right now.

"Penny Polendina." Ozpin's voice cut through the silence that had followed your declaration. "While the subject got a little lost." He gives Ironwood a knowing look at that. "Would you be willing to stay here if we told the details? And more importantly." She now is the one under his judging gaze. "How likely would it be you would try to learn if we don't?"

"I am combat ready, headmaster Ozpin." Your daughter instantly and probably almost automatically answers. " But…" She takes a sheepish look. "I guess I can defend our base?" She doesn't seem convinced by her own remark, but notably lacks her lying tick.

Ozpin begins nodding to himself.

"Ozpin, you cannot possibly think of…." Ironwood begins.

"Why not?" To your surprise, Dorothy interrupts him. "If you are talking about mother, Dad did tell me about her, why couldn't he to her?"

"You told her? Ozpin what were you… wait… Mother?" Ironwood seems completely lost.

It is true that you didn't explain the true nature of Dorothy at any point in this conversation, Ozpin probably wanted to keep her private, but since it reached this point on the girl's own prompt….

"Dorothy here was born from me recovering two broken souls and putting them back in shape. The two of them," You stop for a moment to silently ask Ozpin if he agrees with you to tell, he nods. "Where the Fall maiden and one of the souls that forms the basis of the maiden's powers. As Ozpin explained, the maiden were his daughters, making Dorothy something between a daughter and granddaughter to him." Sable indicates you to step back after your speech and you follow, wondering what you are missing for him to act this way.

"Daddy is daddy." Dorothy sagely says.

"With that particular sage advice out of the way," Ozpin fondly begins. "My daughter is right that I did tell someone that is even younger than Penny." He stops a remark by Penny with a raised hand. "Yes, even if we include your actual date of birth into account, Dorothy was born after the day of change by the same metric." Penny's jaw clicks. "I agree to explain to both team RWPY and PRNS, Ruby probably would benefit from learning more about her silver eyes anyway." He ends in a pensive note.

"That is decided then?" Sable intervenes. "If that's the case, I think I need to have a discussion with General Ironwood." He looks at him, then at you. "On the subject of self-reinforcing loops and how to get out of them."

Self-reinforcing loops? Why would he bring that up now… oh. You probably acted like an entitled god too sure of herself from the point of view of James Ironwood. The man only met you today for real, and his first impression was of the Tower. You almost certainly didn't help with how you argued right now.

"I think I should remove myself from the conversation then." You agree with you little bird. "I trust Ozpin to take care of explaining the topic of Salem, and me being there would disrupt Sable's talk."

With a last goodbye from everyone, you thus return to your room to think and recenter yourself after the earthquake that was the full awakening of the Apotheosis.

Interestingly enough, while she is now fully awake, she is content in her own inevitability for the moment, you have time to work on either subduing her back or integrating her in a healthier way.

---

Two days pass, the mysterious Haven student has been captured discreetly and you now know her as Cinder Fall. Ozpin hasn't let you see her and you are not willing to do so either thanks to the risks of developing another god complex. One member of her *team* managed to flee, in fact, Glynda told you she was almost eager to leave Cinder to the authorities and didn't even try to help her, despite the powerful illusion Semblance she demonstrated.

None of the recently acquired prisoners are willing to talk about Salem, probably persuaded she will use her resources to bring them out sooner or later, well, all but Leonardo, who is more than willing to explain all he knows. Too bad it's almost nothing. The man was a pawn and treated like a fungus for all his time cooperating.

Ironwood doesn't seem to be able to bring himself to trust you entirely, but has agreed to stop treating you as a live bomb about to go off, which you are going to take as a victory, even if a small one.

Arthur keeps being way too smug for a man in prison and you suspect something is going to happen soon.

And just as you finish that thought, you receive an urgent message from Glynda saying: *Watch any information channel, there is a problem.*

Following her advice, you put on the tv to a random broadcast and are immediately treated to a close up of Adam Taurus' vacant stare.

"…And they call it justice!" A Faunus says to a reporter. "If the huntsmen of Beacon do this kind of things, what else are they hiding? Are they using this to silence others?"

You change the channel. Another reporter is commenting on a picture of you talking with the man you met at the SDC mine protest.

"The man here has been recognized as a highly placed Red Fang member, there are suspicions of…."

Change again. This time it's a picture of what was probably the night where Amber was shown to you, a dark, ominous wide shot of a body being taken to the school by Qrow.

"…No known huntsmen have been injured that day, so there are questions on the identity of the one taken…."

On and on it goes, every single little sordid story there could be, all given to the channel most likely to answer to the particular tidbit the strongest. Anti-Faunus activist receiving proofs of ties between the Red fang and Beacon, Faunus activists being shown what happened to Adam without enough context. Not all of it is about you, the attack is more about the school in general. Looking at all of it, you think you can see the goal:

Destabilize relations right before the Vytal festival, have the other kingdom forced to act to *regulate* the school.

But it isn't perfect, Arthur, as it has to be from him, didn't have enough time and cannot direct the information, this is a hail mary, one last hit to maybe make your side stumble while Salem's other forces comes in.

And that lack of direction can be exploited, you are a being of perception, and this put you in a position where you can shift how the public sees you, it will not be easy, but maybe it can help before you finally begin the assault on Salem.

What are you going to do? (Assume that everything that is approved has been discussed with Ozpin, you will not ignore him for this as he has been playing the game longer than you on this front.)

This is the main thing you will do but not the only one, you will work with Beacon's teachers and staff to counter this.

[] Explain about Adam and how it reached this point. Paint yourself as a defender of Faunuskind and not their enemy.
-[] More precise Idea on how to do it?

[] Cooperate with the White fang on explaining things. Talk about Blake and her story once again (she will give her permission and will come herself to corroborate). A Faunus amongst other instead of a central figure.
-[] More precise Idea on how to do it?

[] Thrive in the chaos. Some information is contradictory, use this. Go to an anti faunus interview and begin talking about all the things about silencing Adam, go to a pro faunus one and point out the alleged relations with the Red fang. You have no idea how it will end, but you will be there for all of it. A demon on everyone's shoulder.
-[] More precise Idea on how to do it?

[] Remind people about the fact that Grimm are the only enemy worth talking about and how this reek of being a tentative by someone to destabilize the unity of the kingdoms right before an important event. Be direct, be to the point. Present yourself as a no-nonsense person that is skeptical of all of this.
-[] More precise Idea on how to do it?

[] Make them worship you…

Bad Apotheosis! Bad! To the corner with you!

[] Write-in

A/N;

Welcome to Arthur's plan D!

D stands for *Deadman switch*, yes, he isn't dead, but the principle is the same, something that detonates automatically when he doesn't give a code to a server on time.

Have to admit, the vote has been difficult to find default options for, I wanted more than just two, but except for the first two, I had to think on it.

If you want a write-in, feel free to asks questions, as this is a complicated vote potentially and I am very much in a giddy mood (the reason is something I will announce in thread in the coming days, waiting on something before it), I will be more than willing to help crafting plans by giving some more details as needed.