RWBY V9 C3

## Plot

As the girls are escorted to the castle, Yang wonders if this is a good idea. Ruby rolls her eyes at that and says the Red King helped Alyx, but Weiss points out that they're not her. They get to the castle and meet the diminutive royal. It turns out that he's actually the Red Prince. Yang says the Red King wasn't nearly as rude, small, or loud as this wooden (or porcelain) guy. One of the guards tells them that if it hadn't been for their kind, the king would still be here. When the girls wish the prince a happy birthday, he freaks out and asks them how they know such private information. He thinks that they're infiltrators who have come to steal his oversized crown. Yang points out that he literally just told them that it was his birthday, and Weiss says they saw ads for his party everywhere. She wonders if she was this bad before her character development, but before she can get an answer, two guards present Penny's sword to the prince. He hates it because it's green. At least it matches the sky? He kicks it away, and a guard stops Ruby from retrieving it. He has the guards who presented it to him beheaded. I mean, they're wooden toy soldiers, so they're *probably* fine. Maybe. Although their reactions before it happens indicate otherwise. Ruby offers to help cheer him up by playing a game. After the last two episodes, it's honestly a little weird to see Ruby smiling again. It's clearly not genuine. We see a blue butterfly fly through a red bell tower in a truly trippy sequence. The prince asks the girls what they want from him in exchange for playing his game. There's always a catch. Their only request is that he help them get to the tree. He'll help them, but only if they win. Everyone breaks out into laughter when Ruby asks how they play. The first rule is that each player can move every pawn one space each turn. The second rule is that whoever gets the most pawns to the other side of the board wins. The third rule is that in order to take over a space, they have to dispose of whoever occupies it. All of the pawns have weapons, and Ruby's white pieces look like they've seen their fair share of losses. They're lacking morale, and Ruby is missing three pieces… so the Red Prince shrinks Weiss, Blake, and Yang so they can be her pieces. They tell their young leader that they're okay, and right now the most important thing is winning this game. Ruby asks the prince for assurance that no one is going to get hurt, but he just smiles and gives her the first turn. She asks a pawn to move one space forward. However, it's easily defeated and taken away on a stretcher, but its body language makes it seem like it did so on purpose so the prince could win, and it could kick back and relax. The next three pawns are also defeated, but Weiss is able to take over a space. It bothers the prince, but he tries it hide it, and asks them why they want to go to the tree. Ruby tells him that they want to go home, and they believe the tree can get them there. Yang takes over a space. The prince asks Ruby how she knows this. She says it worked for someone they know. Blake takes over a space, and she turns away and blushes sheepishly when Yang cheers for her. The rest of the white pawns are encouraged and charge across the board. The prince says it's his turn and orders his pawns to attack. They're repelled back or defeated, and he throws an overly dramatic tantrum. He realizes something and asks Ruby what type of creatures they are. Blake is a Faunus, Little is a mouse (at least she thinks they are), and the rest of them are humans. When she says that, the Curious Cat's eyes suddenly appear behind her. I just noticed that the prince has diamond shaped pupils. Cool. His face cracks, and he angrily assumes that the girls must've cheated. All of the pawns advance on Weiss, Blake, and Yang. They're all separated from each other, and Blake runs out of ammo. Ruby tells the prince to leave them alone, or they'll get hurt, but he says it's his birthday, and he can do whatever he wants. Even the "injured" pawns come out and attack them. He tells them to just give up already, but Ruby refuses, and tells the others to kick their wooden butts. They defeat them all using teamwork that reminds me of their fight against the Nevermore all the way back in volume 1, except this time, Ruby doesn't need to tell them what to do, and the girls have new equipment and abilities now, like sticky bombs, summoning glyphs, etc. The new jazzy song that plays during the fight, which is called "Checkmate", is great too. A lot of people have criticized it though, asking why the girls couldn't fight like this during the finale of volume 8. I mean, fighting banged up wooden pawns that don't have any Aura, Semblances, or magic is obviously going to be easier for them than fighting a maiden and someone with an OP illusion ability while also trying to protect refugees and a relic. Also, this is the first time that Yang has used her Semblance in a non-penultimate episode of a volume since the middle of volume 3, not counting split second uses like the montage in volume 7. The prince flips the board in anger, which almost sends the girls flying into a bottomless pit before Ruby and Little catch them. He threatens to have them beheaded if they don't concede. Ruby says he can throw a tantrum if he wants, but they won, so he has to take them to the tree. The Curious Cat makes their presence known. They tell the prince that he must feel so distraught at being unable to do the one thing he was put on this acre to do. They understand. They also tell the prince that he doesn't want to behead them, because they're rather fragile without one. If the prince breaks them, they might not ever come back. The cat seems to use some sort of power on the prince's heart to convince him not to behead them. He never wants to see them again though. The guards rush over to check on him. Ruby points out that her friends are still tiny, and the prince promised to take them to the tree if they won. The cat tells her that promises are like birds: They taste great, but always escape. She should go before the prince changes his mind. She follows the cat and runs away from the guards in an Eshcer Staircase sequence. The original piece was called *Relativity*, and it was completed in December 1953 as a lithograph print by the Dutch graphic artist M.C. Escher, hence the name. He was also interested in mathematics, which can relate to art in more ways than one, like optical illusions that need exact measurements or angles with a ruler or a protractor. Anyway, Ruby doesn't know how that went so wrong, but she thanks the cat for saving them. Now the girls are riding in her hood, just like Little. They tell the cat how they ended up in that situation. They're back where they started. The cat wonders how they know the Red King, but before they can answer, the cat says that times change, and so do we when it's our time to change. They take them outside. There was a Red King, but something has changed since then, and Weiss says that means they're not in *The Girl Who Fell Through the World* after all. They're in its stupid sequel. Okay, that's funny, especially since in real life, most sequels, reboots, retools, remakes, and revivals are viewed as inferior to the originals. The cat asks the girls what they are, what they needed to talk to the king about… and what their favorite dessert is. Mine is chocolate chip cookies, but only if they're made with semi-sweet chocolate chips or chunks. Other than that, my sweet tooth is nonexistent. I have a salt tooth instead, which I got from my dad, who got it from his mom. Ruby once again says they're humans… but the cat says they're not as interesting as the others they've met. Before they can ask the girls more questions, they get distracted and chase after a yellow butterfly. Blake and Yang realize that the cat is the Curious Cat. They love to ask questions, and when Alyx was lost, they helped her find the tree. Ruby chases after them. We transition to a dark and light part of the island as the Jabberwalker crosses the bridge between the two acres. A pink light falls from the sky and crashes on the ground nearby. Neo has finally arrived in the Ever After. She changes into Ruby, and then Cinder, and then she makes duplicates of herself, which seems to surprise her. The episode ends with her smiling wickedly as she has her copies attack the Jabberwalker.