Flip the Script | RWBY Volume 4 Script

INTRO:

Greetings all! Today we’re going to cover the first half of season two of my RWBY Rewrite, a.k.a. Volume 4! Again, episodes can be anywhere from 22 minutes to over a half hour, depending on what the episode in question needs.

Specifically I wanna talk about the structure of this volume. Since it’s meant to focus on each member of Team RWBY fighting the grief and devastation left in the wake of Volume 3’s events, episodes don’t jump from perspective to perspective. Instead, Team RNJR’s story has three episodes, and Weiss, Blake, and Yang each have two episodes all to themselves to tell their individual stories, save for the last episode where we get glimpses of everyone of course.

However, the first episode continues from the dark tone Volume 3 left off on, focused specifically on the villains, their personalities, and hinting at their motivations. I wanted to include a hint at Oscar’s role later in the series, but I feel it’s best to leave his storyline - and his proper introduction - for Volume 5. Anyways, let’s jump right into Volume 4!

EPISODE 22, “Burning the Candle”:

The episode begins on black, similar to the same effect used in the original “Beginning of the End.” Pyrrha asks “Do you believe in Destiny?”, and Cinder responds. “Yes.” The first thing we then see is Pyrrha’s murder (Because I’m cruel), this time with angles suggesting Cinder’s perspective. Her battle with Ruby resumes, and all goes to white when Ruby’s silver eye powers go out of control.

Once the white fades, Cinder is left crippled on the rooftop. She holds her let eye screaming in pain, while her left arm has dissolved. Of course, it’s her Grimm arm, but not once do we ever actually see it. Ruby is unconscious, and right as Cinder is ready to tear her to shreds, Uncle Qrow arrives on the scene. Cinder leaps from Beacon Tower, using her Grimm arm to scale down, leaving Qrow to focus on taking care of Ruby.

Emerald and Mercury come across Cinder, in horror at the sight. Wrapping Cinder in a cloak, they find shelter in their old dorm room, since the Grimm cow-toe in Cinder’s presence, and even seem to care for her. A Seer enters the room, and Salem’s voice comes through telling the children not to fret. She tells them to stay put as sends someone for them.

Emerald goes looking for food for them all in the ruins of the kitchen by the dining hall, during which the Grimm attack her for her fear. It’s not til she returns to Cinder, that they back off, and Cinder devours all of the food. A few days pass til Watts arrives, ignoring Emerald and Mercury and acting antagonistic towards Cinder.

On Watts’ airship, Watts has programmed it to automatically fly them to Nefastus, the forbidden continent filled with Grimm, telling Emerald and Mercury not to disturb anything. Emerald and Mercury are totally silent, unsure of what to say or think. Mercury breaks the silence, asking Emerald what she’s thinks of all this. Emerald isn’t sure, but she wants to stay loyal to Cinder, especially given all she’s been through now.

Mercury isn’t sure, but it’s then he spots something odd. Not sure on specifically what, but it’s then revealed to be Neo, here to take down Cinder and her faction, blaming them for Roman’s horrific fate. Emerald and Mercury struggle against her, especially given that Emerald’s hallucinations don’t really do much on the queen of illusions.

Cinder, stumbling out of Watts’ surgery, uses her Maiden powers to put Neo in her place and strike terror into her, and Watts is amused at the sight, noting that Salem will be quite happy to have another hand on deck… unless Neo would like to go flying without her parasol.

They arrive in Salem’s Domain, with Emerald and Mercury horrified by the sky turning a deep violet, and the earth black with dark crystals jutting out everywhere. Pools of ichor spawn fledgling Grimm, and Watts tells Emerald, Mercury, and Neo to watch themselves, as without Salem’s protection, they are very much at risk of being torn to shreds. And even though Cinder is fine, Watts makes a note on how her bad attitude makes him want to purposefully crash the airship.

Inside, whenever we see Salem, the camera remains off her face, and most of the scenes use very uncomfortable camera angles to keep Salem from becoming… well… boring and unthreatening. Watts goes to resume his checkups on Cinder with Salem’s oversight, while Emerald, Mercury, and Neo are told to not move.

Tyrian pops right the fuck outta nowhere and is super crazy. There’s much more emphasis on his fanatical devotion to Salem as a godly figure. In fact, the Faunus one primary religion, whose oldest variant says that the god that created their kind abandoned them. In Tyrian’s view, Salem is their goddess returned, promising to deliver them a new world. In short, he terrifies the fuck out of Emerald, Mercury, and Neo. He does ask Hazel to greet the guests, though when Hazel ignores, Tyrian scurries away to “Play with the Beowolves.” Remember this for later.

Emerald, Mercury, and Neo are terrified by the large and silent Hazel. Emerald ops to try and make some kind of connection with him, only for Hazel to dismiss her and leave with an ominous warning that they’ll need to toughen up to get the job done. Hazel also tells them to be wary of Cinder, while also telling them not to make any mention of it to Cinder.

Salem summons Emerald, Mercury, and Neo via a Seer, and they go out to where Salem had her little monologue at the end of Volume 3, overlooking the field of ichor from which fledgling Grimm spawn. During this, we sometimes hear Tyrian’s screams, yells, and laughter, which Salem enjoys as if he was her toddler playing with his toys.

One by one, she asks them each about their pasts and why they joined Salem. Emerald mentions how she never even knew her parents, and had to live stealing and running between Vale and Vacuo to avoid the authorities. Mercury, meanwhile, was the son of an abusive, alcoholic assassin in the Phantasm Mountains, and whenever Grimm would target Mercury for his negative emotions, his father would blame him, drawing in even more Grimm and being too cold to care what he was doing.

Neo doesn’t even need to speak for Salem to sense death encroaching upon her. Salem senses the anger, despair, and grief within her, which could make her the perfect target for the Grimm. With all of them still terrified but trying to compose themselves, Salem tells them that the world of humans can be just as bad as the Grimm, only hiding their cruelty and callousness behind lies, propaganda, and arrogance. She swears that when their mission is complete, the world will be a better place: no suffering; no Huntsmen; no Grimm. She then dismisses them, telling them to await her in the council room.

Afterwards, we get the villain council scene from the original “The Next Step,” with Emerald, Mercury, and Neo standing silently beside Cinder, across from Hazel and Watts. Watts continues to antagonize Cinder, pissing off Emerald. Hazel tells Watts to back off, and when Salem enters the room, she concurs with Hazel, asking Watts why he must be so cruel.

Watts respond that he’s not fond of failure, and Salem recounts Cinder’s accomplishments - becoming the Fall Maiden, destroying Vale’s CCT Tower, rendering Beacon inaccessible, and killing Ozpin - asking Watts which of those are a failure. Watts simply says she didn’t get the Relic at Beacon, and also notes the girl with the silver eyes. Salem says they now have all the time in the world to get the Relic of Choice when Cinder is able, though she is concerned at Ruby’s silver eyed warrior powers.

Tyrian arrives, covered in ichor - Grimm blood - and apologizing to Salem for his lateness, for which Salem forgives him. Salem then reveals that the Maiden powers aren’t what made Cinder susceptible to the silver eyes, but rather how she obtained those powers - namely, the Scarab Grimm.

Cinder is to remain in Salem’s Domain as she continues her recovery and training, supervised by Salem herself as well as Emerald and Mercury. Watts, meanwhile, is sent to Mistral to meet with their “informant,” dropping Neo off with their allies in the area. Hazel is to go to Menagerie to meet with Sienna Khan, since Adam managed to arrange the meeting. He’s to make sure Sienna Khan joins their side so they’ll have the White Fang at their disposal.

Tyrian is at first told to resume his hunt for the Spring Maiden, though when Cinder mentions Ruby, Salem opts to have Tyrian prioritize finding Ruby and bringing her to Salem alive. She reassures them all that with their united efforts, Haven will fall next, and Tyrian laughs like a maniac.

We then cut to a nightmare, during which we get hints at Cinder’s past. Her stepmother and stepsisters are cruel to her, and a young Cinder assumes her present form - before her injuries - to kill them all. Their house goes aflame, and Cinder approaches Amber to take her powers, only to scream in pain as she feels Amber’s pain. She then assumes Pyrrha’s role in her death, and as Ruby screams for Pyrrha, Cinder jolts awake, wanting nothing more than to kill Ruby.

We end the episode on Team RNJR in Ophrys, Jaune’s home city, where his family sees them off for their trip to Haven Academy. Word is that Atlas has sealed off Mistral’s ports, an with all airships in Vale grounded by the Council, this is RNJR’s best bed. They head off, and we get the intro - “Let’s Just Live.”

EPISODE 23, “The Next Step”:

Ruby, meanwhile, has a nightmare going back to the Fall of Beacon. It starts as a dream mimicking the legendary Volume 2 food fight, but when Ruby holds Weiss, she’s covered in blood and legit comatose. Yang’s lost her arm, and Team JNPR is missing. Ruby runs after Blake out the door, only to find Beacon burning down and filled with Grimm. In the distance, the silhouettes of Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury approaching, with Cinder holding Pyrrha’s severed head.

She wakes up as she, Ren, Nora, and Jaune are taking a ship to Mistral. Specifically right here to a port town called Suiren. They’d wanted to go to Mistral, but the Vale Council banned all airships leaving and entering the country, while the Atlesian Military apparently had sealed off Mistral’s port. And so, Jaune’s family gave them just enough Lien for their journey to Mistral.

Their plan is to take a train from Suiren to Xione, then take an airship across Lake Matsu, through a military checkpoint, and then reach Mistral. But we all know this will go very, very wrong. Also quick reminder that Team RNJR knows about shady Oz and the Maidens, and they also know that whoever’s behind this is someone named Salem.

A young girl passes by and is in awe of the kids’ getups and weapons, especially Pyrrha’s shield, crown, and broken spear. Quick explanation: Qrow, to respect Pyrrha’s death, brought Pyrrha’s gear with him, and left them with Ruby before he left. As they left, Ruby opted to give these weapons to Jaune. The girl says she wants to be a Huntsman, though Team RNJR are unsure of what to even say. That’s when the girl’s parent tells her that she’ll never allow it given what’s just happened. Once they reach Suiren, Ruby and Jaune experience some culture shock.

THE INTRO.

Team RNJR heads around to get new supplies, including new outfits, then head to the local blacksmith’s shop to get Jaune’s armor fused with Pyrrha’s. A brick is thrown through the shop window, and they find anti-Faunus rhetoric written on the storefront. Jaune and Ruby chase down the vandals, despite Ren and Nora’s vocal protests.

They catch the vandal, only for the local police to chastise Ruby and Jaune for taking the law into their own hands, especially making some nasty comments about the Faunus blacksmith. Ren and Nora note that Mistral isn’t as kind to the Faunus as Vale, though the blacksmith thanks Team RNJR for their kindness and gives Jaune his new armor free of charge. He does make a note that the girl who wore this armor was an amazing young woman, despite what people have recently been saying, and this further messes with Jaune’s head.

They take the train to Xione, only for a Geist to possess some of the passengers’ luggage and run rampant. Team RNJR chases it off, only for it to possess some nearby boulders - taking the form of a Petra Gigas - and smashing the tracks and sending the train flying far below into the Xylia Forest.

Team RNJR battles the Grimm and slays it, though their group dynamic is off since they’ve just begun their journey. Ruby wants to help the other passengers, but the team resolves they don’t have the time nor resources to stop, and decide to head on, all feeling like shit.

They camp out that night, planning to reach Xione by the next morning. Ruby has another nightmare, this time about witnessing the death of Roman and the perceived death of Neo. She awakens and goes for a walk, noticing smoke pouring in the distance. Ala the Volume 4 Character Short, Ruby battles the Grimm wrecking Xione, including a Beringel. Once the fight ends, Ruby spots Raven, wearing her mask and watching her from afar.

Team JNPR calls Ruby, and as Ruby is distracted, Raven vanishes. Once the others arrive and the village is free of Grimm, they find most of the villagers are dead. A dying Huntsman says that a tribe of nasty bandits attacked, giving way to the Grimm swarm. One nasty Grimm in particular attacked, and he describes it as a horse and his rider before slipping away. Ren and Nora have an idea of what this could be, but Ren refuses to speak.

With the airships destroyed, the group is now forced to take the long way ‘round Lake Matsu on foot to Mistral through the Golden Mountains. They camp out again, though Ruby is unable to sleep. Hearing Jaune yelling, Ruby goes thinking she might need help, only to find Jaune training to a video he and Pyrrha training back at Beacon. Jaune insisted that they record this so that he could further train once the year ended while Pyrrha was busy back in Mistral.

Ruby heads back to the campsite, and Nora asks if Ruby wants to talk. They chill out and talk about everything that’s happened, and Nora and Ruby talk about how they view themselves as trying to bring light to the people around them they feel that need it. Nora knows she might come off to some as crazy or annoying, but she does what she does to try and bring smiles to people she feels need a laugh in the face of darkness. Ruby relates on this, and Nora insists that Ruby is not alone through all this. Ruby thanks her, and she goes back to sleep while Nora opts to stay up and enjoy the stars, also hinting that she wants to be the one to look over her friends, specifically Ren.

The next day, the team heads on to Higanbana. Nora is excited because she and Ren often worked odd jobs there in their youth, so it’s kinda like going home for them, with Ren trying to force a smile. The team decides to spend a week or two there resting and working some odd jobs so they can save up for more supplies and better transport to Mistral.

As they walk, however, they’re being watched by more Branwen Tribe bandits - specifically, ones led by Vernal. Qrow confronts them, and we get a brief fight where Vernal supposedly shows off her Spring Maiden powers before they flee. It’s right then Qrow is confronted by a red-eyed raven, which flies off towards Higanbana.

That night as Team RNJR chills at the inn, Qrow gets a drink at the bar. Raven buys him a drink - bottom-shelf, of course - and they chat upstairs. Raven asks how Yang is, though Qrow responds that she damn well knows. Raven goes on about how Qrow helped Ozpin send Pyrrha to her death, and now Ruby and her friends are on that same path. Qrow calls out Raven for leaving their cause, only for Raven to bite back that he abandoned their tribe. Qrow insinuates that Raven has the Spring Maiden, though Raven refuses to give a clear answer and leaves via her portal.

Ruby has yet another nightmare, this time with her fears of what Qrow told her about silver eyes. Tai, Zwei, Qrow, and Yang all turn to Grimm as Ruby rushes to find safety. She comes across her mother, still alive, only to witness a masked Raven kill her right before her eyes. Right as Raven moves to take off her mask, Ruby awakens in a cold sweat. The others are asleep, and Ruby goes to the bathroom to cry alone. And that is the end of the episode cuz I’m a monster.

Of course that’s when we get this volume’s intro - “Let’s Just Live.”

EPISODE 24, “Broken Flake”:

Our cold open for Weiss’ first episode is right as she and Ruby were fighting Emerald and Mercury by Beacon Tower. Weiss ends Ruby up the side of the tower, though we stay with Weiss and she fights the dynamic dickheads. Emerald’s Semblance proves an issue only for Winter - who rushed right to Vale when she saw something was wrong - to rock up and provide backup, followed by Qrow.

Once the light of Ruby’s Silver Eyes goes off, Emerald and Mercury vanish. Winter takes Weiss back to Vale as Qrow hopes to himself that Ruby is okay. The camera pans up to the sky as we see a bird - obviously Qrow - fly up towards the tower.

THE INTRO.

At the hospital, Weiss is grateful to see her friends are okay. The facility is overwhelmed by the number of both citizens and students who are injured. Jaune asks Weiss where Ruby and Pyrrha are, but Weiss doesn’t know. Team FNKI is actually pretty happy that Weiss is okay, but right as Weiss sees Blake run out of her and Yang’s room and goes after her, Jacques’ yell freezes Weiss right in her tracks.

Jacques is in a rage, demanding Weiss return with him to Atlas, threatening to sue Vale and Beacon if she refuses. She relents and goes with him, with everyone wanting to step in but unsure of what to say or do. Winter tries to confront Jacques, only for Jacques to insult her and push her aside.

On the plane ride back to Atlas, it’s mostly silent til Jacques comments on how foolish it was to let Weiss leave home. He seizes Myrtenaster and refuses to let Weiss further her studies as a Huntress. He also tells her to “fix her ponytail,” referring that he wants it perfectly centered rather than off to the side, further cementing how defeated she is.

They reach the manor and get a good view of it. Klein welcomes Weiss home, though Weiss knows she’s been returned to her cage. We cut to the present - a couple weeks later - where Weiss has her new outfit and her centered ponytail. She’s in her room, and Klein informs Weiss that Jacques wishes to speak with her.

As she heads to her father’s office, we get Whitley being all creepy, feigning hurt that Weiss has seemingly been avoiding him since she arrived home. Whitley, however, seems to be on Weiss’ side, which does make Weiss feel a little better. Ironwood and Jacques are arguing over the Dust embargo in his office, and before Ironwood leaves, he tells Weiss she’s always welcome at Atlas Academy.

Jacques scoffs at the idea, and trying to appease him, Weiss agrees. This scene is mostly the same with Jacques lowkey forcing Weiss to agree to sing at the charity concert, though Jacques admits that “some” of those funds will be going to keep the company afloat in light of the embargo. Translation: ain’t none of that going to Vale. Weiss exits, and Klein is there to make her smile and give her some hot coffee.

A couple weeks later, Weiss is practicing her signing in her room, during which we get the lyrics of “Mirror Mirror Part II” - namely, the parts of her stopping her fall. Whitley barges in, noting how he’s so annoyed at how Weiss’ songs are so depressing and dreary. He lowkey encourages her to be more rebellious in her song, and Weiss takes the bait.

Klein does pop in for a moment to make sure Weiss eats, since her appetite hasn’t been all there since she got home. He congratulates Weiss on how well she performed during the tournament, and asks her about her time at Beacon. She talks about her teammates, only to cry realizing she probably will never see any of them ever again.

The night of the concert, Weiss moves her ponytail to the side before her father can tell her to fix it. She performs “This Life is Mine,” though at the art exhibit afterwards, no one seems to mention her choice of lyrics. Jacques is lowkey racist as he talks about how Faunus workers in the Mantle mines are compensated the same as his human workers, and that Faunus are simpler better built to deal with dangerous conditions.

Weiss tries to get away, only barely managing to convince Jacques to let her walk freely by saying she’s going to get a drink. Klein briefly congratulates Weiss on her singing before returning to his duties, and Weiss stares at a portrait of the once glorious Beacon Academy that reads “To show the world we care.”

Henry approaches Weiss, and turns out they were old friends, since Henry’s family is pretty well established in the Atlesian aristocracy. And by “old friends,” I mean that Henry hit on her relentlessly for her money and is a dick. He’s the only one to comment on her lyrics, and even then says that Weiss has no reason to rebel and is ungrateful. Weiss tells him to leave, and begrudgingly, he does.

Another woman mentions how Vale deserved the Fall of Beacon, specifically for being so kind to Faunus and not going after the White Fang. Weiss calls her and the other rich snobs of Atlas, and when Jacques tries to stop her (As Whitley is all damn smug), Weiss’ anger gives way to an accidental summon of a Boarbatusk. Ironwood slays the summon, then says Weiss is the only person there making any sense before leaving, but as news crews gather, Jacques. Is. Pissed.

Once they get home, Jacques scolds Weiss for her actions: not only defending Faunus, but acting out of turn and daring to use her Semblance. Weiss asserts she wanted to restore the glory of the Schnee family name that her grandfather established, and that Jacques married into and ran into the ground. Jacques slaps Weiss, and Weiss is immediately silenced.

Composing himself, Jacques say he’s disappointed in Weiss and names Whitley the heir to the Schnee Dust Company, confining Weiss to the manor grounds. Whitley reveals his true colors, as he’d tried to incite Weiss into rebelling so that Jacques would no longer put up with Weiss.

Weiss cries to herself, then remembering a conversation she and Ruby had - whether it’s one we actually saw, or it’s one I’m now going to try to integrate in hindsight, I have no idea - about how in the face of hopelessness, Ruby would always try to find the light and fight for what she believed in. With that, Weiss sneaks into her parent’s room, takes back Myrtenaster, and gets ready to train in secret.

EPISODE 25, “Of Runaways and Stowaways”:

The cold open here is Blake waking up in her hospital bed. She’s dressed in a gown with her cat ears exposed. The nurse is kind and tells Blake her belongings are right over the corner, and that she’s all patched up. Once the nurse leaves, Blake goes over to the still unconscious Yang, crying to herself and apologizing. She writes her note and leaves, blaming herself for all that’s happened as she hears Weiss yelling for her.

THE INTRO.

Blake has gotten herself a new outfit and is wandering Vale. She recalls what Adam told her, then hops aboard a ship headed for Menagerie. That night, she grabs dinner and returns to her single room, noticing some odd figures following her.

Blake has a nightmare involving the deaths of Tukson and Jason, with Adam saying that Blake has become just like him. She goes to strike him, only to realize she’s cut off Yang’s arm and killed all her friends. She awakens in a cold sweat, then heads out for a walk to find it’s now sunset. Resolving that she won’t need her bow, she simply tosses it into the sea.

The ship captain notices Blake’s anxiety and approaches, complimenting her cat ears. He’s trying to calm her down so she won’t attract any Grimm, but opts to just leave Blake alone. I figured the captain could have a similar sense of humor to Yang, because I just fucking love to torture every character I write.

The cloaked figures discuss together about Blake, and Blake confronts them. That’s right when the Sea Dragon Grimm reveals itself and attacks. Sun ditches the cloak, as does Velvet realizing their cover’s been blown. Blake is shocked, of course, but the fight ensues anyway - ideally with less Defying Gravity.

After the fight, the ship resumes it course to Menagerie, with the ship captain thanking Blake, Sun, and Velvet and saying that they’ll be in their debt. Blake questions Sun and Velvet for following her, and they reveal that they saw her leaving and decided - along with the rest of their teams - to go after her to make sure she was alright. For the record, Velvet is here as well 1. So Sun is not alone, and 2. Because Velvet served as Blake’s mentor back in Volume 1.

Blake reveals she was worried about her parents. Sun is sure that Blake was going to take on the White Fang with backup, and Blake admits he’s half-right. Velvet and Sun resolve to stick with Blake through this, and Blake relents, knowing they won’t leave.

Once they reach Kuo Kuana, it’s much more crowded than we see in the show. We get some insight that most of the mainland of Menagerie is desert and rainforest filled with terrifying and lethal creatures, along with some nasty Grimm. Likewise, Menagerie has no CCT Tower, meaning its signals are incredibly weak regularly, made even worse after the Fall of Beacon, especially since they can’t communicate with the other countries.

They reach Blake’s house, and her parents tear up as they see her, though they still call her Raja. Blake explains everything that happened, and Ghira and Kali agree to refer to her as Blake to make her comfortable. However, Sienna Khan is also here. The main White Fang stronghold is here in Menagerie, and Sienna has been talking with Ghira on how to handle the aftermath of the Fall of Beacon as well as Adam. Sienna assures Blake that they will stop him. It’s then Corsac and Fennec inform Sienna that they have duties to attend to, along with a visitor, and Sienna.

Blake sets herself up in her old room. It’s exactly as she left it five years prior, and Ghira and Kali have kept dusting it for whenever she was ready to come home. We see some cute family photos, including one of baby Blake with her parents, as well as her grandmother Induma, the White Fang’s founder. Cue a little flashback to baby Blake five years ago, yelling at her parents for giving up the cause for their cushy, comfortable life as she leaves them for Adam and the White Fang.

Blake remains in her room for the rest of the day, and Velvet and Sun inquire why Blake hasn’t talked to her parents. They encourage her to talk to them, and she does. It’s essentially that same conversation from “A Much Needed Talk” with Blake hating herself for calling her parents cowards, though Kali is included this time. Ghira and Kali admit that while they’d given up on the fight for equal rights, they admired that Blake was still willing to fight for what she believed in.

They do ask about Blake’s teammates, and she does. She even comments that Weiss isn’t what they’d expect, and that good Schnees do in fact exist. However, once they get to Yang, Blake decides to call it a night, and her parents respect this. However, Blake notices someone watching them from the trees outside, and she decides to keep this close to her chest.

Meanwhile at the White Fang Stronghold, Sienna meets with Adam, calling him out for his behavior and for refusing to respond to her communications for months at a time. Hazel shows up to try and convince Sienna to join, but then Sienna says that she’s been told of their cruel master Salem already. Adam realizes this means Blake is here, and as he prepares to assassinate Sienna, Sienna reveals her badassery and fights back with her fuckin’ chain, cuz she ain’t goin’ down without a fight.

Hazel sits this out, and Adam and Sienna battle for control over the White Fang. However, Sienna inadvertently charges up Adam’s Semblance throughout the fight til he’s able to break her Aura and piece her abdomen in one blow. Adam names himself the White Fang’s new Supreme High Leader, telling those witnessing this murder to spread the rumor that Sienna was assassinated by a human Huntsman in retaliation of the Fall of Beacon. Hazel is pissed, saying that no one had to die today, but Adam begs to disagree.

EPISODE 26, “Burnout”:

The cold open here is Yang awakening from her shock in the hospital. Taiyang is there, as is Qrow with an unconscious Ruby. As they head back to Patch, Yang asks Jaune, Ren, and Nora what happened to Pyrrha, and where Blake and Weiss went, and Team JNPR minus P doesn’t look too happy to discuss.

THE INTRO.

We cut to the day right after Ruby left for the journey to Mistral. Taiyang is stressed and upset, and as Qrow tries to calm him down, Tai blames Qrow for this. Qrow then promises he’ll keep an eye on Ruby and protect her, since Tai needs to stay on Patch to lend a hand both in Vale’s reparations as well as Signal Academy. Yang overhears all of this, then goes into Ruby’s room and cries to herself at how the simpler days are now gone.

A couple weeks later, we get Yang watching TV and walking around the house doing chores, looking depressed as fuck. However, the news notes that with the CCT Tower at Beacon gone, they haven’t been able to communicate with the Councils of the other countries, and we especially see this with how awful the quality of the newcast is, and when the broadcast keeps cutting in and out.

Taiyang shows the automail arm to Yang, which he mentions was courtesy of General Ironwood. Yang doesn’t wanna put it on, saying she isn’t feeling like it. Later in the kitchen, she drops a glass due to the phantom sensations of her missing right arm, and winds up having a panic attack as she flashes back to Adam attacking her.

Another week passes as we get the Oobleck and Port kitchen scene from “Family,” with little to nothing changed since I love it. However, Glynda is not restoring Beacon, because Beacon is still festering with Grimm. Also, Port and Oobleck mention that Professor Peach is offering counseling to survivors of the Fall of Beacon, though Yang says she’s fine and doesn’t need to talk to anyone about it. Yang tries to sleep again, but she has another nightmare, this time mimicking the Volume 5 Yang Character Short. However, it devolves as Ruby is terribly hurt, with Raven standing there unwilling to help, simply saying she warned Yang.

She wakes up and goes into the kitchen for a drink, and notices Zwei growling at something. Tyrian attacks looking for Ruby. Taiyang steps in, with Yang freaking out. Tyrian manages to get a hold of Ruby’s note, then flees the scene, though he does mention a “Queen” her serves, with Taiyang muttering Salem’s name. Tai hopes that Qrow will be able to fully protect Ruby, and wanting to make sure, Yang opts to start therapy with Professor Peach.

Tai takes Yang to Signal Academy, where some Beacon students are helping set up the new school year, as a good portion of the Beacon students are now going to be studying at Signal given Beacon is inaccessible. Cardin mocks Yang for how weak she looks, with Russel uncomfortable and Sky and Dove forcing themselves to laugh along. Coco, Yatsu, and Fox run up to hug Yang, then apologize when Yang starts panicking over them surrounding her.

Yang heads into Professor Peach’s office, and he asks what she’d like to talk about. I also wanna note since I based Professor Peach off James and the Giant Peach, he desk actually has a peach along with little figurines based on the Giant Peach characters.

EPISODE 27, “Venom”:

Our cold open is Team RNJR using the money from their odd jobs to resupply, as well as to buy some horses for the rest of their trip to Mistral. We see that some of Higanbana’s residents are familiar and friendly with Ren and Nora, and remind them to be careful on their journey, as the Hisae Forest is filled with Grimm, along with the ruins of Kuroyuri and Oniyuri, which both make Ren and Nora anxious.

As Team RNJR heads off, Qrow is hungover from the previous night, so he opts to wait til he’s sober and sleeps in, only for Tyrian to approach the waitress at the Higanbana inn about finding someone.

THE INTRO.

Team RNJR approaches the ruins of Oniyuri, though they don’t rush in given that Ren already knows this place. Ren gives us the little backstory about how the aristocrats of Mistral - particularly those descended from the old emperors - wanted to establish their own nation outside the Mistral Council’s control. It was unfinished, though Ren and Nora are quiet as to why.

That’s when Tyrian waltzes up, having waited for the opportunity to attack. He chases off the horses, along with most of Team RNJR’s supplies, and tears their map to shreds. Team RNJR tries to put up a fight, but they can’t keep up, and so when Ruby’s Aura flickers and Tyrian prepares to sting her - this is just to weaken her, and they’ll cure her once he brings her back to Salem - Jaune rushes to cover her. It’s then Qrow steps in to save the day and be the most badass uncle ever.

We get the Qrow, Ruby, and Tyrian fight set to “Bad Luck Charm” with Qrow’s Aura flickering and Tyrian poisoning him. Ruby manages to sever Tyrian’s stinger, as Tyrian mumbles “She’ll forgive you” to himself as he flees.

That night, RNJR sets up a campfire in one of Oniyuri’s buildings, echoing back to the campsite Team RWBY had in Mountain Glenn. Axe all the info we already know, and just skip to the kids calling out Qrow for not telling them the whole truth and watching them from afar. When Jaune says Qrow wanted to use Ruby as bait, Qrow bites back immediately and reveals his bad luck Semblance.

They demand to know more about Salem, and Qrow tells them the tale of the Gods of Light and Darkness and how they created humanity. Qrow then reveals that the God of Darkness had one creation named Salem who particularly despised humanity, reawakening the Grimm to wipe them off the face of the planet.

Ozpin has been reincarnating through the ages to battle Salem endlessly, particularly as the Kings of Vale, which further upsets Jaune since his family fought for Ozpin in the Great War. Moreover, Salem is after the Relics of the Old Gods within each of the Huntsman Academies, which are each kept in a vault that can only be opened by their respective Maiden: Fall for Choice at Beacon; Spring for Knowledge at Haven; Winter for Creation at Atlas; and Summer for Destruction at Shade.

With that, the group resolves to continue their journey to Haven to check in with Lionheart and ensure the Relic of Knowledge is protected. However, the Spring Maiden vanished many years ago, and hasn’t been seen since. Ruby asks Qrow if there’s anything else he’d like to share, and when he says know, she asks about her silver eyes and whether her parents were involved in this, and moreover, whether her mother died in Ozpin’s war. Qrow opts not to answer and heads to sleep, noticing Raven in bird form watching.

Ruby has yet another nightmare, this time involving her, her friends, and her mother on a chess board. Ozpin is controlling their pieces, and the other side is filled with Grimm, along with Cinder, Emerald, Mercury, and Tyrian. The figure representing Salem is amorphous, since Ruby isn’t sure what she looks like, but that just means it’s left up to the horrors of her imagination. Horror ensues, and right as Ruby is used by Ozpin to claim victory with her silver eye powers, she awakens.

She rushes to Qrow, finding that Tyrian’s venom has taken hold. Qrow simply wakes up, says “That’s unfortunate,” then passes out. Wonderful.

EPISODE 28, “Break the Mirror”:

Our episode begins on the Volume 5 Weiss Character Short, emphasizing that this episode is going to serve as Weiss finally breaking free from her father. We cut to the present, with Weiss opening her window, enjoying the morning, and ready to break free. Right before the intro, she grabs her sword, and prepares herself for her training.

THE INTRO.

Weiss practices her form, but before she can practice summoning, she rushes to hide her sword. Klein reassures her that she will always have an ally in him, no matter what Jacques may threaten him with. He came to inform Weiss that Jacques requested her presence for a family breakfast.

In the dining room, Weiss finds her father and brother waiting at the table. Jacques informs Weiss that since Whitley will now be the company’s heir, Weiss’ primary role will be to remain in the manor, only returning to the public eye for charity events where she will show her love for her family. Then in a few years, he’ll find a suitor for her so she’ll have a nice, cushy life where she can’t interfere with company affairs. Weiss feigns agreement, then finishes her breakfast quickly and excuses herself to her room.

Weiss moves to train again, but stops as she hears someone approaching. Whitley says he and Jacques will be heading into the city to meet with some of their business partners, and asks Weiss if she’d like anything in the most damn condescending way possible. Weiss asks if Whitley is jealous of Weiss’ Semblance, only for Whitley to say he finds those powers and the concept of Huntsmen barbaric, and his disdain for General Ironwood. It’s then Weiss slams the door in Whitley’s face.

Weiss resumes her training, but right as she’s about to summon the Arma Gigas, Klein busts in with a huge cart of food. Weiss is confused, only for Flynt and Neon to jump out of the cart, with Neon devouring all the food. Klein knew Weiss would need help getting out of the manor, and so he reached out to some friends she made during the tournament who thankfully live in Atlas. They all begin to hatch their plan to get Weiss out of Atlas so she can meet up with Winter, who’s currently stationed in Mistral.

A couple weeks pass, and Weiss sneaks through the manor with Klein, who has to pardon himself when Whitley calls him. I also wanna note that because Weiss isn’t an idiot, she’s taken off her shoes so they don’t echo on the marble floors. On her way, she overhears Jacques rambling on a call with his business partners about General Ironwood, Winter, and Weiss, and when he moves to leave, Weiss uses her glyphs to lock the door.

Weiss resumes, and she winds up running into her mother Willow, who went on a late night alcohol run. Willow isn’t surprised Weiss is leaving, then nods that Weiss can continue in an oddly bittersweet moment. Klein opens up the secret passage in the library, and Weiss hugs and thanks him. She thanks Klein one last time before she heads out, and the second chorus of “Mirror Mirror Part II” plays as she heads through and reaches the end, greeted by Team FNKI.

Back in the manor, however, Klein goes to meet with Jacques, who broke down the door. He asks where Weiss is as Whitley gives an evil grin. Weiss and Team FNKI sneak into Atlas Academy, where they’ve arranged a flight to Mistral with a pilot who’s also smuggling Dust out of the country. As they sneak, we see Ciel speaking with Penny’s father.

Once in the hangar, however, Jacques and Whitley reveal themselves, refusing to let Weiss leave. Since the SDC created the military’s weapons, Whitley is able to hack into the Knights and Paladin present and set them against Team FNKI and Weiss. A fight ensues, though when it doesn’t go his way, Jacques takes over a prototype of the Paladin Mark 2.

Weiss and Team FNKI struggle against him, though “This Life is Mine” plays as Weiss manages to fully summon the Arma Gigas. It takes down the Paladin, leaving Jacques trembling in fear and slicing off half his shitty mustache. Ciel arrives on the scene, demanding Jacques and Whitley leave Weiss be, allowing Weiss to leave with no issue at all. Weiss thanks her friends, then hops aboard the ship as it takes off.

EPISODE 29, “Dusk til Dawn”:

The cold open is Blake heading out into the garden to greet her parents. These flowers are largely based on Hawaiian flora, and one flower in particular stands out to Blake: the firecracker fern, which reminds her of Yang. It’s then Corsac and Fennec approach, with bad news.

THE INTRO.

Once the Albains leave, Blake’s family meets, including Saber - their head guard who actually helped Blake train; so basically her version of Klein - Sun, and Velvet. Sienna Khan is reported to have been assassinated by a human Huntsman in retaliation for the Fall of Beacon. None of them believe this, and they believe Adam has killed her to seize full control of the White Fang. Blake and Velvet decide to head inside their stronghold to gather information.

The steps of the stronghold are filled with the people of Kuo Kuana, protesting Adam becoming the White Fang’s leader and shouting that he’s killed Sienna. Blake and Velvet make their way inside. Meanwhile, Sun asks Blake’s parents why they left the White Fang. Ghira admits he was tired of the fight, and given Sienna’s rise in popularity with her violent tactics, Ghira felt it best if he stepped aside. He’s regretted it ever since, especially given it’s what led Blake to leave.

Blake and Velvet overhear Adam and Hazel speaking to Salem through a Seer Grimm. Sienna is incredibly furious that Adam killed Sienna without her approval, having the Seer briefly strangle him similar to Lionheart. Salem says that they’re still searching for the Spring Maiden, though since Headmaster Lionheart of Haven Academy is on there side, it would be best if Hazel and Adam were able to assume control of the other White Fang’s branches, beginning with the Mistral Brotherhood. Salem also mentions the “Silver Eyed girl,” and Blake and Velvet realize she means Ruby.

Right as Blake sends this information to her parents on her scroll, Ilia comes across them and demands they leave before they’re spotted. Velvet gets ready to fight, but Blake stops her and begs Ilia to come to her senses. Adam and the other White Fang grunts, however, congratulate Ilia on stalling the intruders, as they grabbed Blake’s message. There’s a brief fight, and as Blake and Velvet escape, Adam orders they accelerate their plan to assassinate the Purnimas and take over Kuo Kuana.

There’s a huge fight at Blake’s family’s house, during which we get highlights including, but not limited to - Sun versus Trifa; Velvet versus Yuma; Ghira versus Hazel; and Blake versus Adam. Saber and the guards allow Blake and her group to escape, and they run as Saber and his squadron are defeated and captured by Adam’s forces.

Blake, Ghira, Kali, Sun, and Velvet are all forced into the desert mainland of Menagerie, though Blake tries to remain hopeful - remembering some of Ruby’s words about making the world better despite its issues - as we get a reprise of “Wings.”

EPISODE 30, “Rekindled”:

The cold open here is Yang training ala her scene in “Two Steps Forward, Two Steps Back” with emphasis put on the emotional distance between Yang and Tai. Yang knows she won’t get any real answers about Raven and Ozpin from her father, and so she doesn’t even bother.

THE INTRO.

Yang resumes her therapy with Professor Peach at Signal Academy. She talks about her Semblance is apparently nothing more than temper tantrums, and Peach asks if Yang really believes that. Yang isn’t sure, and Peach encourages Yang to think what her father told her and come to her own conclusion. Still, Yang’s very hesitant to say anything more on how she is emotionally.

Afterwards, she resumes her physical therapy with Coco, Fox, and Yatsuhashi as her overseers. Coco tries to talk about Velvet, but Yang isn’t hearing any of it. She hears Cardin snickering about her, and this messes with her head as she tries to push herself beyond her limits. Of course she breaks, and when Cardin laughs, she calls him out and challenges him to a fight.

Normally Yang would wreck Cardin, but her current state, along with her flashbacks in the heat of battle, allow Cardin to win. Right as Cardin is about to really hurt Yang, Glynda steps in and puts Cardin in his place. She asks Yang if she’s alright, but Yang simply storms off and decides to head home and sleep. Yatsuhashi, however, convinces Yang to go to a memorial in Vale for those who died during the Fall of Beacon.

There, there’s a ceremony where the people light lanterns in memory of those who died, and during this, the acoustic version of “Gold” plays. After about a week, Yang goes in for another therapy session with Peach, only to break down about her father, her mother, Blake, and Ruby, sobbing. Peach congratulates Yang on opening up, saying that now, her recovery can truly begin.

After a couple weeks, Yang battles Coco, Fox, and Yatsuhashi and has made a radical improvement, with the professors congratulate her on. That night, they head to the Three Bears’ Nightclub to celebrate, with the Magical Girl Remix of “This Will Be The Day” playing in the background. Junior apologies to Yang on what happened, but Yang shows how much she’s improved with an actual dance with him.

The next day, Yang prepares to sneak out to go after Ruby, only for Tai to stop her and say she’s not ready. They make a deal: if Yang can beat Tai in a fight without her Semblance, he'll let her go. Of course she does, and she prepares to head off. Coco, Fox, and Yatsuhashi - however - wanna make sure she stays on course and remembers her friends have her back, and so they go with her. Coco also supplies Yang with a new outfit she designed. A sort of “Glad You’re Feeling Better” gift.

They arrive in the port town of Suiren a couple weeks later, which is currently under attack by Grimm. They battle the Grimm, with Yang facing off against a Beringel to “I Burn” - not a remix; just straight “I Burn.” They save the town, and as a thank you, the people give Yang and co. another bike for free, with Fox and Yatsuhashi on one bike, and Yang and Coco on Bumblebee.

They get ready to leave, with Yang promising Ruby that she’s in so much trouble when she finds her. As they head off, we see Raven watching from afar, giving a faint but strange smile.

EPISODE 31, “Kuroyuri”:

And here we are, at the last episode of Volume 4. Our cold open here is Team RNJR carrying Qrow in a makeshift stretcher. Qrow mumbles about the death of Summer, with Ruby getting super duper extra anxious and feeling kinda guilty for how she acted to her uncle. They reach a crossroads: one path leading to Kuroyuri, and the other leading to Kuchinashi.

Kuchinashi is through the Golden mountains, which will be impossible with them carrying Qrow. Ruby asks if they can head to Kuroyuri, but Ren simply says it was destroyed years ago and they shouldn’t even bother. Ruby and Jaune pick up on Ren’s stress, but Nora comes up with a compromise.

She and Ren will head to Kuchinashi to get help, and they’ll head to Kuroyuri to meet up with Ruby and Jaune. Ruby and Jaune don’t want to split up, but they give in when Nora affirms it’s their only option. With hugs and promises to stay safe, Ren and Nora rush to begin their hike as Ruby and Jaune continue with Qrow to Kuroyuri, without even noticing the Nuckelavee footprint.

THE INTRO.

Ruby and Jaune arrive in Kuroyuri. Ruby asks Jaune if he knows why Ren didn’t want to come here, and Jaune says he has a pretty good idea. They situate themselves in the square beneath the dead tree, and Ruby breaks down blaming herself for all of this. Jaune tells Ruby that not once did he ever blame her for any of this, and how he admires her strength to try and keep fighting despite all that’s happened to her. Still, Ruby’s dread takes holds, aaaaaand this isn’t great.

Cue our transition to the flashback of baby Ren in Kuroyuri before it went to shit. He comes across baby Nora being harassed by other bratty kids. She and the bullies run away when Ren’s father Li shows up. Li tells Ren that sometimes taking no action is the worst action of all. He then says he needs to find that girl and calm her so she won’t attract any Grimm, ominously telling Ren that it’d be best if he stayed at home with his mother.

That night, screams wake Ren up. His mother An tries to leave with him, only for Li to barge in saying that their village is doomed. The house collapses and kills An, and Ren wakes up in his father’s arms as he and the other villagers run. Li is exhausted and tells Ren to keep going, giving him his knife and telling him to take action. Ren flees as Li fires his arrows at the Nuckelavee, though we only see the creature’s shadow.

Ren hides beneath the bridge, sobbing as his home is destroyed and his family is lost. He then notices Nora hiding beneath a house. Ren’s Semblance takes hold as he ceases crying and composes himself. He rushes to Nora’s side, telling her they have to be brave and uses his Semblance to mask her emotions, causing the Grimm to ignore them.

Ren and Nora tell each other their names once Ren gives Nora a toy hammer, and we cut to the present where everyone’s favorite lovebirds have reached a peak along the Golden Mountain trail. That’s when they come across a cave with a torn flag of Xione, along with tons of weapons of those who tried to kill the Nuckelavee. They see the trees being parted as the Nuckelavee heads straight for Kuroyuri, and Ren and Nora hold hands as the Nuckelavee screams in the distance.

They arrive at the village and reunite with Ruby and Jaune, only for the Nuckelavee to arrive on the scene at the same time. The fight ensues, with Jaune carrying Qrow off to the side. Ren’s anger gets the better of him once Nora’s Aura breaks. Ren’s Aura breaks, and Nora grabs Ren and pushes him to safety beneath a house as Ruby and Jaune continue their fight with the Nuckelavee.

Nora, crying, slaps Ren to bring him to his senses, refusing to let him kill himself. Nora reveals she’s always blamed herself for Kuroyuri’s destruction, and this shocks Ren, because he believed Nora was the one saving grace that kept him going after his home’s demise. Holding the knife of Ren’s father, Ren and Nora resole to take this thing down once and for all.

Jaune implements an actual strategy for Team RNJR to take the Nuckelavee on, but it’s simply too intelligent and powerful for them to take down. That’s when Raven, wearing her mask, along with Vernal step in, and together, they all manage to kill the Grimm, with Ren using his father’s knife for the killing blow.

Ruby asks who this woman is, and when Raven takes off her mask and reveals her likeness to Yang, Ruby is left speechless. Raven simply says that this is Ruby’s one save, and that she’d be best not listening to her uncle. Ruby runs off to check on Qrow, and Raven and Vernal vanish in a portal before Team RNJR can stop them.

Noticing the tower of smoke from the Nuckelavee’s corpse, some airships from Mistral arrive and take Team RNJR and Qrow to Mistral, with Qrow having his venom treated on the flight. They reach Mistral and chill in their new house provided by Lionheart, whom they’ve yet to meet. Lionheart simply expected them to arrive and arranged a residence for them.

Ruby writes her letter to Yang, but I’m hoping that my additions to her story this time around, along with showing how the others have been inspired by her words, makes this resonate much more. Though again, we don’t see Oscar on the train because we haven’t met him yet. We end with Ruby mentioning that they’re going to meet with Lionheart once Qrow is feeling better, only to have it revealed that Watts is currently meeting with him at Haven.

OUTRO:

And that’s it. That is the first half of my rewrite’s second season, a.k.a. Volume 4! I hope you enjoyed. Next time we’re gonna be covering the second half of season two, a.k.a. Volume 5. If you did enjoy this, feel free to subscribe and ring that bell for notifications because YouTube hates creators.

Likewise, if you’d like to further support the channel, you can pledge on Patreon, pick up some Teespring merch, or check out the first chapter and Goodreads page for my upcoming novel. I’m the Unicorn of War, and this has been a shit show.