Fall

"Fall" is the thirty-fourth episode of RWBY and the sixth episode of Volume 3. It premiered for Rooster Teeth sponsors on December 12th, 2015 and was made public on December 13th, 2015.

The episode was followed by a hiatus, making it the last episode of the year. Instead of an episode on December 19th, there was a RWBY Cast and Crew Livestream, which was subsequently followed by the World of Remnant episode "Cross Continental Transmit System" a week later, on December 26th. The next episode of the main series will air on January 2nd, 2016.

Summary
Pyrrha Nikos meets Professor Ozpin in his office, where Qrow Branwen is also present. When Pyrrha inquires about the purpose of the meeting, Ozpin asks her what her favorite fairy tale is. Ozpin mentions the Story of the Seasons, which Pyrrha recounts:

An old hermit is visited by four sisters, who each in their own unique ways are kind to him; the first (Winter) by encouraging him to meditate and reflect, the second (Spring) by bringing him fruit and flowers and revitalizing his garden, the third (Summer) convincing him to step outside and embrace the world, and the fourth (Fall) by encouraging him to be thankful for what he has. The old man gives the sisters great powers in return for their kindness, and the four maidens go through Remnant spreading their gifts.

After Pyrrha finishes telling the fairy tale, Ozpin claims that the story is true - the four maidens did exist, and wielded a tremendous power distinct from both Dust use and Semblance, and more akin to "magic". Joined by Glynda Goodwitch and James Ironwood, Ozpin tells Pyrrha that she has been chosen to inherit the powers of the Fall Maiden. Ozpin, Glynda, Ironwood and Qrow declare that they are the protectors of the world, and that they need her help.

They then bring Pyrrha to a vast vault located deep beneath Beacon Academy. Glynda explains the nature of the maidens: The maidens have existed for millennia, their powers passing to a new host each time the previous one passes away. The power itself seeks out the next host, always a young woman, through a series of what Qrow calls "stupid and convoluted rules". Under usual circumstances, the last person the previous maiden thinks about will become the next, but in the case that they are male, too old, or otherwise ineligible, the subsequent one is chosen randomly.

The existence of the maidens was once common knowledge, but this fame caused people to hunt them down in order to take their power. In order to protect both the maidens and the world, a group was founded, which decided to keep the power of the maidens a secret and allow them to pass into legend. The duties of the group are now filled by Ozpin and his allies, who decided that it would be safer to continue keep this long-standing secrecy than risk the panic and uproar that might follow the truth.

Qrow explains that Pyrrha is being let in on this ancient knowledge now because there is great urgency to selecting the next maiden. The previous Fall Maiden, Amber, was mysteriously attacked, and for the first time in history, a part of her powers were stolen. There is a fear that the peace that pervades in the world will soon come to an end.

Currently, Amber is in a comatose state on life support, held in the vault beneath Beacon. The four professors are seriously concerned about the consequences of Amber's impending death. Amber's power could be transferred to her assailant as they might be in her final thoughts, or the sundered power might seek to reunite with its other half. The exact consequences are unknown, as the Maiden's power has never been split in such a way before.

Pyrrha decides to accept the mantle of the Fall Maiden, but there are yet more complications. Due to Amber's condition, the inheritance of her powers cannot occur by natural means. Atlas has been researching the nature of Aura and has developed the ability to "capture" and artificially transfer it to a different recipient, a prospect Pyrrha is repulsed by. They plan to use this technology to transfer Amber's Aura, and the powers that are bound to it, to Pyrrha; however, this transference would have unknown effects on Pyrrha herself. Ozpin allows her until the end of the Vytal Festival to decide if she still wishes to go through with this.

Back at Amity Colosseum, the heavily anticipated finals round of the tournament is set to begin. The finalists are Yang Xiao Long, Sun Wukong, Penny Polendina, Mercury Black, Pyrrha Nikos and three others.

The first match of the finals is between Yang and Mercury. In the opening stages of the fight, the pair exchange a series of blows, in which Mercury is almost knocked clear of the arena, but he manages to recover at the last second. Mercury retaliates by firing a multitude of projectiles from his boots, which spiral around before falling down on Yang, apparently knocking her out. However, Yang emerges from the attack stronger than ever, and unleashes a fury of blows on Mercury, depleting his Aura and winning the fight.

Victorious, Yang starts to walk away, but Mercury apparently gets up and attacks her from behind with a flying kick. Acting quickly, she responds with a punch, knocking him to the ground and breaking his leg. This causes great uproar amongst the spectators, who jeer and boo. In Mountain Glenn, Grimm wandering the ruins take heed of this negative emotion and turn their attention towards Vale.

As Mercury feigns innocence and grips his broken leg, Yang suddenly finds herself surrounded by security personnel, who order her to stand down. Confused, she looks up to see a replay of the events. From everyone else's perspective, Mercury never attacked and was merely standing beside her innocently before Yang attacked him entirely unprovoked. Yang looks around in frightened shock and confusion.

Trivia

 * This episode marks the first time religion is mentioned in the series.
 * Yang performs a Dempsey Roll to finish off Mercury in the match, similar to how she finished off Junior in the "Yellow" Trailer.
 * According to Shane Newville, series creator Monty Oum animated a "good portion" of the fight between Yang and Mercury. He is credited as a Lead Animator on the episode.