A/N: Hey. I just want to say that I absolutely loved Monty Oum, and I always will love him. I got to meet him two years ago and started crying when I did. Do you know what he said to me? He said I was a beautiful person who deserved all the happiness in the world. Monty inspired me to keep living on so many occasions, and two days ago, when I heard of his death, I could not function properly. I didn't eat, wouldn't shower, allowed no one near me, and stayed in bed all day sobbing. Today I found the strength to write, and, well, this happened.
Hate this all you want, but never hate on Monty through a review or PM. How low could you get?

Anyways, I just thought that this little thing sort of describes how me and my brother felt about Monty and our reactions after hearing the news. I suppose if Monty lived in his own little RWBY world, this is how the girls would have reacted to what we all heard. Its sad at first, but it gets a bit more positive at the end.

It goes Weiss, Blake, Ruby, Yang so if you want to just see one of their reactions, you can.

I dedicate this story to Monty Oum
1981-February 1, 2015
You will always be loved, Monty. I hope we can all make you proud

Weiss threw her head into her hands, burying her face beneath her finely polished fingertips. She refused to believe he was gone. When she was informed of his hospitalization 10 days prior, she took it in stride, knowing her family would fund any procedures necessary. Now... Now she let her stubbornness show. For what she was hearing cut her deep like a dagger to the heart.

"No!" she screamed, all of the manners she'd shown throughout her life seemed to disappear, "No, no, no, no! You can't tell me that!"

"I am sorry for your loss," was all the woman said before stepping out of the classroom.

That broke the dam for her, because in the moment, she cried. Weiss Schnee, heiress to the Schnee Dust Company, one of the largest producers of energy propellent in the world, was crying in front of her entire class. She knew no one there, disliked the work, and utterly despised the teacher, but she didn't care. No, she didn't care about her reputation or what those people were thinking of her. Because her friend was gone.

Time seemed to slow for her as her head lightened and her breath quickened. 'He is gone,' she thought.

Not only had he been one of the few who had been genuinely kind to her, but he was the only one who truly knew her. He knew all of the horrible things her father had said, how she felt about her sister and the company, and her greatest mistake: her scar, her constant imperfection. After being so guarded her whole life, she was able to open up to him and he had changed her for the better. He made her strong, confident, driven, determined, and compassionate. Since the day she met him, all she ever wanted to do was be like him. He inspired her to do and want to do so many things with her life, because he recognized that life was short. He meant so much to her.

She listened to her own sobs echoing off the walls of the room like it was a synchronized maniacal chant that could somehow bring him back. The bell had interrupted it, enraging her beyond her own comprehension. But upon entering her dorm and seeing the looks on her friends' faces, the anger was replaced by emptiness and sadness.

"Next time we meet it's forever," she thought, or perhaps said, before collapsing to the ground.

Blake's firm grip on her book's spine tightened as she heard his name being spoken of in hushed whispers throughout the library. It had been three days since his passing, and every thought she had of him, however small it was, stung far worse than she could've possibly imagined. The pain was unbelievable. She hadn't felt anything like it. When she had left Adam, the hurt was very brutal and harsh, but dull and throbbing like a sore. This pain, however, had been sharp and sudden, and impacted her so violently she'd fallen to her knees when she heard.

She put her book away and stepped outside, into the rain. She irrationally hoped it would wash away all the agony she was experiencing. Fluttering her eyes closed, she allowed the water droplets to gently trickle down her cheeks; an imitation of tears that just couldn't come.

Her mind unwillingly wandered to him and what he was to her: the reason she still lived. He had constantly reminded her that her past did not define her or who she was. He urged her to keep fighting whatever battles she faced. He reminded her that she wasn't a coward, helped her through her insecurities, and never once gave up on her. She could go to him for anything, whether it be to laugh or to cry. He was amazing to her.

And then she just couldn't understand. He was the most caring, creative, inspiring person she knew, and yet he did not deserve the end that he got. It made her so angry she let out a weak, fragile cry of frustration.

But Casey Lee Williams's words were called to mind, true and loud: This world's unforgiving–even brilliant lights will cease to burn.

She let out a long, shaky breath. That's what he was, wasn't he? The most beautiful, intense candle burning far above the others that some gust of wind had made flicker and die due to unforeseen occurrence.

Her body felt weak at the word "die," so she sat down on the bench next to her.

She breathed out his name, then, "I miss you."

Ruby scratched Zwei's head, looking up at the clear night sky. It had been a week since he died, and each night she would simply sit outside, staring up at the bright crushed and deteriorating moon and questioning her views on life. It showed though; the hurt. She stopped trying in school, her grades quickly dropping from B/Cs to Fs, and allowed sleep to consume most of her days. Yet her friends were going through the same troubles, so they hadn't stopped her.

Zwei twitched in his sleep, causing Ruby's gaze to turn towards him. It made her mentally and emotionally wince. Zwei had been a gift from him, a short while after her mother's disappearance. He had always been there for her and Yang, never once turning his back on them. He'd protected them, encouraged them to become huntresses, and carried them through whatever trials they faced. And now he was gone, too...

She closed her eyes and exhaled before turning her attention back to the shattered white orb that dangled in its large sea of ink. She cocked her head to the side as she recalled a small, faded memory from the back of her mind. When he gave Zwei to her, he's kissed her forehead and whispered a few words. They words her sister repeated nearly every day: "Even if the moon should crumble, you will be all right."

In time, when she had confronted him about it and what he meant, he said it wasn't because he could see into the future or just for encouragement or anything like that. He said it was because he knew she was strong. He said he put faith in the fact that she was strong and knew that she had the willpower to endure any pain she went through, be it physical or emotional.

The chuckle that escaped her lips was dry, rough, and hoarse, for she didn't know if she had the endurance he spoke so fondly of. She could already feel herself becoming metaphorically fatigued by the weight of the situation.

She stood up, brushing the dirt off her knees and casting one last hurt glance at the moon.

"Tell Momma I said 'hi.'"

Yang's fingers fumbled around the buttons to change the radio station as she drove back home to Beacon. She went through a series of horrible, awfully over-played songs before hesitating on one. It was soft and gentle and had a beautiful piano melody that she instantly recognized as the song 'Wings.'

She bit her lip as she decided to let it play. The Williams Family had been on of his favorite artists and she'd refrained from listening to them since his death–the past three weeks. Yet she continued listening as if it were a challenging musical test that she felt she needed to pass. She felt fine throughout the first verse, admiring the lyrics instead of weeping over them, but then came the lines that hit far too close to home:

Don't be disappointed, don't let your heart break. Don't spend another minute in this way. It's okay.

She pulled over to the side of the road when her eyes and nose began to sting. Her hands clenched into fists out of fear and anger. She hadn't cried yet. She wanted to be strong. She had bottled up her tears so that she could be strong for Ruby. But as the song continued playing, she couldn't help but think of him, the person who molded her into the girl she was.

He had helped them bother through Summer's death, told them to do what they love and want with their lives, taught them to live in the now, and never once let them down. He was a source of support, love, and encouragement, and would always be the greatest role-model she's ever had.

But when a tear fell to her lap, she felt the need to stop being so negative. She began thinking about memories of all of the times she had fun with him and all the times he was okay and happy.

She giggled as she remembered when he played Dance Dance Revolution.

Then, after composing herself, she made a decision: she would not allow herself or her friends to sulk in sadness. She would be happy, positive, and explain to them that he wouldn't want that. Instead of grieving for a long time, he'd want them to make the most of their lives, in happiness and peace and security. That would've made him happy.

Smiling, she got back on the road, content with her new goal.

"Thanks for everything you've ever done for us. Am I making you proud?"

A/N: I hope you liked it. I made references to the songs Remember Me (Andadel), Forever (RvB), This Will Be The Day, Gold, and Wings (RWBY) because I'm now identifying every RWBY song with Monty and it hurts so much.

Monty Oum has been my role model since the beginning, and I have always wanted to be like him. It breaks my heart that I won't ever be able to meet him again. I won't be able to see him on any more videos or see any of his new work. He was so young and I wish he had more time than he got, because dammit he deserved it. He was one of the most brilliant souls to have ever existed and I hope one day I can see him again.

From now on, everything I do will be to make Monty proud, even if he isn't here with us. I hope he would have been proud of this.

"He was a rockstar. He was genuinely a rockstar." - Matt Hullum on Podcast #309

I love you, Monty. I always will.