Hello everyone! Sorry it took so long to get back to this. Chey and Luna were a bit busy and unable to get back to me on this story. But we finally managed to get things working again!
I hope the wait was worth it! Please enjoy!
Luna wasn't sure how long she had been running, or how far she had gone, but she didn't stop until her feet finally collapsed under her from exhaustion. The emotionally distraught wolf Faunus took a moment to actually look around at her surroundings. She was surrounded by thick forest, and judging by the sun's position in the sky, which was close to setting, she had took off to the southern end of Anima. Seeing as dusk was breaking, she must be pretty far from Mistral if she had run for so long. Yet she found she didn't care.
The farther I'm away from them all, the better off they'll be... She repeated to herself once more. At the very least, it's a good thing I'm far away from any bandit territories. With her Aura low, her weapons abandoned, and her emotions running wild, Luna knew she wouldn't fair well against bandits. And Grimm would be worse.
With that in mind, Luna managed to painfully get to her feet and scurry up a nearby tree. It was getting dark and she was exhausted both mentally and physically. Hoping this would be a somewhat safe place, the she-wolf curled in on herself and resumed her crying. She couldn't forget the looks she had gotten from all of her friends...the disbelief, the fear...they had seen the very side of her she thought she had long destroyed.
I'll never be able to destroy it though, will I? This is what I am...a monster...a killer...
The phrase echoed through her mind like a mosquito buzzing in her ear; never going away, no matter how much she tried to block it. It was torture...
"Torture is much worst than what you're feeling," a familiar voice spoke, sending chills down Luna's spine. Spinning around, she saw the last being she wanted to see standing before her with an amused evil grin. Salem continued.
"I would thank you for killing Adam off for me," she said, "Except that his usefulness hadn't expired yet."
Judging from what she had said, Luna was able to assume correctly that this Salem wasn't the one that Diego was familiar with, but rather her own Salem. Even with this in mind, Luna couldn't find it in herself to feel afraid. She was just so tired.
She looked away from the Grimm Queen. "What do you want?" She asked hoarsely, her tail wrapping around her legs. "If you're here to kill me, just get it over with."
She laid her head sideways on her knees and closed her eyes, in preparation for her end if that's what Salem was there for.
"Get up," Salem said impatiently, "I'm not here to kill you... unless you give me a reason to. I've come to make a deal. One that I'm hoping you won't refuse."
"Well then sorry, but you're wasting your time. You're the last person I'd ever make a deal with," Luna retorted tiredly, without her usual spunk.
"Maybe you should reconsider," Salem stated, "A small price to pay for keeping your friends safe... forever."
"Not such thing as forever," Luna scoffed, unmoved. "And even then, you expect me to trust you of all people to keep your end of a bargin? Hm, that's rich..."
Salem inwardly scowled. This was proving to be harder than she thought. Luna was probably the most stubborn person she'd ever seen.
"If you help us, I can promise you that I will leave you and your friends alone," she said, "You will be spared from the storm, as well as any other city and its occupants. Otherwise, I will kill them all myself in the blink of an eye. And no one will be able to save them from what will come next."
It was a tempting deal, but even in her distraught state, Luna wasn't stupid. Her friends had told her enough to figure out how Salem works; once her pawns have served their purpose, she ties up those lose ends permanently.
But then again, can I really take that chance? Not just my friends, but the world... Luna breathed deeply as she thought over her options carefully. Either way, she loses. But which is the lesser of the two evils? The internal conflict was undoubtedly evident on her face.
With a sigh, she returned her gaze to the Queen. "Say I do agree...I'll ask you one more time: How can I trust you of all people to keep your end of a bargin?" She questioned, her face serious but her blue eyes dull.
Salem smiled.
"Fair enough," she said, "We'll do a little deal. If either of us go back on their side of the deal, then anything goes. To show how serious I am about this deal... I will not ask any more of you than the task I give to you, and your friends from this world and the next will not suffer any attacks for the duration of the deal. If even one Grimm shows up out of its normal bounds, then the deal's off."
The silver she-wolf grit her teeth, knowing she was about to betray everyone she ever cared about. But really, did she have a choice anymore?
"Deal," She swallowed the lump in her throat. "What do you need me to do?"
Salem lifted her hand and a small portal appeared nearby.
"You will be traveling to Beacon- your Beacon," she answered. "The festival is in full swing right now, so the levels of attention should be at a minimum despite Ironwood's security measures. You are to find and secure the Fall Maiden under Beacon, then wait on Cinder to arrive. She'll give you the rest. Oh, and I suppose you'll want these back..."
Salem's hands glowed, and then Solstice and Silver Moon appeared in her hands. The gun and staff floated towards Luna before dropping into her hands. Checking her weapons over, she found Solstice now had a full magazine, and Silver Moon had fresh ice Dust. Gripping them tightly, she returned her weapons to their respected holsters, feeling slightly calmer at having them back.
She met Salem's eyes and glared back at her. "Where do I find the Maiden?"
High in the sky above, Diego commanded the Nevermore he controlled, looking for the wolf Faunus that had run away only moments ago. His eyes shone a dark sickly red color as he summoned all his willpower into subjugating the Grimm he was riding. His friends, upon seeing him control such a beast, had freaked out when they saw the Grimm obeying his every command. Only Yang had remained calm, having seen him use such powers before. Diego had told them to standby and keep their Scrolls active in case he needed them to respond quickly. He had made sure to secure Luna's weaponry to himself before flying off in search of her, for he knew his friend would need them in the off-chance that she would be attacked.
As he flew along, he eventually decided to land his Nevermore and search the ground for any signs of his friend. His search proved successful when he discovered a swath of clothing on a branch. Feeling that he would no longer need the Nevermore's assistance, he commanded it to stand still, then killed it with a single punch between its eyes. He then headed off in the direction Luna had been going. But as he walked, he felt a surge of energy envelope him for a brief moment before disappearing just as suddenly as it had appeared. At first he was worried that the energy had caused some harm to him, but then he realized what had happened when he no longer felt the wolf's weapons secured to himself.
"Salem- her Salem stole her weapons back," he said aloud, "But why? Did she meet Luna herself?"
"Actually, yes. She did," a familiar voice answered from nearby. Gritting his teeth, Diego turned to find himself face-to-face with TD, who was casually floating a few feet above the ground in a lying-down position. But for once, the entity was not wearing a cocky smile like he usually did. Instead, he seemed a bit sad or disappointed.
"Sorry you missed her, Diego," TD said to the rogue, and he sounded like he meant it.
"Where is she?" Diego asked. Normally, he would not wish to speak with TD in such a situation, but he needed to know where Luna was located. And for all he knew, TD was the best credible source of information he could rely on for the time being.
"She's in Remnant," TD replied, "But not this Remnant."
Diego looked up in surprise. "Then she's..."
"Returned home?" TD finished. "Yes. But not in the way that would probably be best for her."
"Speak plainly then, TD," Diego demanded. "I don't have time for your riddles."
"Fine," the entity said, then explained what Luna had done regarding Salem and what her mission was. Diego listened with intent, but inside he was saddened by the choice his friend had made.
We trusted her, and she betrayed us, his thoughts convicted.
No. She's just misguided, he argued. She wasn't thinking clearly, and Salem knew that. She's been played, like everyone else that makes a deal with her.
Diego sighed, then looked to the entity with an air of authority.
"Take us there," he ordered.
"Why don't you do it yourself?" TD asked. "After all, you are me. And I am you."
"Oh, shut up and do it," Diego snapped, feeling a snake hiss building in his throat. TD sighed.
"Fine. I was hoping that you would try it for once, but I guess that'll have to wait," he reasoned with himself. He then looked to Diego seriously. "You already know where to go, so I'll do you one more favor. Once you get there, I'll try to buy you some time to intercept Salem's collector."
"But saving Amber won't mean anything if she's still in as bad a state as she is," Diego pointed out. TD simply gave a devious smile.
"Then return to her what was stolen," he said mysteriously, "And set right what you couldn't set right in this Remnant."
Without waiting for further conversation, TD snapped his fingers and in a flash of light, Diego found himself in Vale. No, more specifically, outside Beacon academy. But this Beacon wasn't in shambles, overrun by Grimm and brought to its knees. No, this was a different Beacon, and the catastrophe had yet to occur.
"I almost forgot what this looked like before its destruction back home," he muttered to himself, taking in the sights. Even if it wasn't the academy he was familiar with, it still brought back memories of the past to mind. Most of them were rather pleasant memories, but a few were a bit darker. But he welcomed each and every one of them as tears formed in his eyes.
I could've prevented this from getting destroyed back in my Remnant, he thought to himself. Can I fix that for this one?
A metal hand gave his shoulder a gentle squeeze, and he turned to see that Yang had apparently been sent to the new Remnant too.
"Makes ya feel uneasy and nostalgic at the same time, doesn't it?" Yang asked, her own eyes taking in their surroundings, almost not recognizing what she was witnessing. Diego managed a small smile.
"You have no idea Goldilocks," he replied, turning slightly towards her. "This is the place where I first got to know the lot of you, and yet also the first place where my mistakes from the past came to haunt me. I'd say it was a cruel irony, but I'm not entirely sure if I want to put it in that category."
"Well if this all works out, things here will be different," She pointed out. "Salem doesn't have the White Fang as part of her forces anymore, so that's one good thing. Our alternative selves might not suffer like we did..."
"Speaking of which," Diego noted, looking around, "Where are they? They should be here at Beacon if I'm not mistaken. The finals haven't started yet, which means you guys would be taking a break inside between rounds."
Yang shook her head in frustration. "I can't remember," She admitted with a clenched fist. "All I remember is the Battle itself, I can hardly recall anything before that. I mean, aside from the fight with Mercury, and he and Emerald framing me."
Diego placed his own hand upon her shoulder now.
"That's not happening to your counterpart," he told her, "Not this time."
"Uh, guys?" Ruby's voice called to them from a distance. "We have a slight problem."
"I'd say more than a slight problem," Weiss corrected.
"Maybe... over-the-top-confusing kind of problem?" another voice suggested. It sounded exactly like Weiss, and yet... Diego looked to Yang with a slight grin.
"And right when I thought this wouldn't be a problem," he chuckled. He and Yang rushed over to where the rest of their friends were standing, staring at a slightly younger, alternate version of Team RWBY.
Alternate Ruby rubbed at her eyes before blinking rapidly. "Um, you guys see more of us, too, right?" She asked uncertainly. "Or am I hallucinating from the noodles?"
"Nope, this is quite real," Diego's Ruby said. "And trust me, I'm just about as surprised. I'm just taking it better because we've seen some pretty weird stuff lately."
"Understatement of the century," Yang commented while crossing her arms over her chest.
"Okay, how is this happening? What is going on?" Alternate-Blake questioned incredulously, looking back and forth between her team and the doppelgangers. She looked especially worried at seeing her other self with her cat ears exposed.
"Lemme explain," Diego started, then changed his mind. "No, there's probably not enough time. Let me sum up: some evil goons are coming here to try and kidnap someone hidden inside of Beacon. The most I can tell you about them right now is that they're the ones who invaded during the dance and the ones Torchwick was working for."
"Wait, you know who the woman in black was?" Ruby asked, surprised.
Diego sighed. "Back in our Remnant... she was my apprentice once. Her name is Cinder. You're probably familiar with her accomplices, Emerald and Mercury."
Ruby's eyes widened to the size of dinner plates. "Cinder, Emerald, and Mercury?"
"The students from Haven? Are you sure?" Weiss asked.
"No Wiess," Diego's version of the ice queen ("Hey!") remarked sarcastically, "The other Cinder, Emerald and Mercury. Of course we'd be talking about those ones!"
"Yikes, take a chill pill Weiss," Diego commented, "We're trying to help you understand the severity of the problem."
"Yeah, when you say it like that Diego, it sounds really confusing," his Ruby stated.
"And this already isn't?" Blake said with a raised brow, her ears flicking atop her head. After a few moments of awkward silence, Nora suddenly turned to Ren.
"Did you put something in the pancakes this morning?" She asked suspiciously, to which said ninja sighed.
"No, Nora," He replied calmly.
"Trust me, if he did, I guarantee this would be a lot more awkward," Diego answered. "And I guarantee that I wouldn't be in your delusional... hangover."
"I guess that's one way to put it," his Weiss sighed, not really knowing how else to phrase his sentence.
"So then, just how severe of a problem are we talking about here?" Ruby asked with a curious head tilt.
"How about, 'possible end of the world' severe," Diego replied. He then looked to something behind them and his fists clenched. "Speak of the devil, and she will appear..."
Turning to whatever he was looking at, the gang all were surprised to see Cinder herself walking towards the school, with Emerald and Mercury in tow.
"What do we do?" Ruby asked Diego in a panicked whisper as Cinder and her lackies closed in.
Diego activated his gauntlets and started advancing towards them before he answered.
"What I should've done back in my Remnant," he stated. The team from his Remnant did nothing to stop him, although a few of them were looking a bit apprehensive, as if they were unsure what he was going to do and that it somewhat scared them.
"Wait, we ca-" Ruby was halted by her own counterpart from Diego's Remnant.
"No. Just...let him do what he has to do," she ordered softly, though she herself was itching to grab Crescent Rose and charge the woman that killed two of her friends. Diego waited until he was within shouting distance before he called them.
"CINDER!" he yelled, almost making Emerald and Mercury jump from the sound of his voice. They all turned to him and noticed the fire in his eyes, a grim look of determination on his face.
"This is it," Diego continued. "You've lost much of your Queen's power, and now you seek out another." He clenched his fists together and his eyes glowed red for a brief second. "Well, I'm not letting you take the Fall Maiden. Not like your counterpart."
"Oh you're not letting me?" Cinder mocked with a despicably alluring smile. The flames around her eyes became visible as she called upon the magic of Fall. "Come on then. Try and stop me!"
She hurled a wave of flames at Diego, but he simply sidestepped easily to the side as the flames barreled past him, his expression never changing. Whether out of bravery or recklessness, Mercury chose to charge at him with a flying kick. However, Diego grabbed his leg, then busted it with a single punch, quickly repeating that process to the other leg and rendering him immobilized. While Mercury was still recovering from his shock, Diego kicked him hard in the face, rendering him unconscious. He then looked to Cinder again.
"Sloppy. Very sloppy," he stated.
Many students and civilians were already running and screaming at the triumphant display of power. Emerald had hidden in one of the nearby tents and focused her power on Diego. When Cinder charged and engaged in sword-to-gauntlet combat with the Rogue, she waited until the moment came. Seeing a chance, she pictured three massive Ursas along with a Beowolf pack charging onto the fairgrounds in her mind before projecting the vision onto Diego. Through his eyes, he saw said Grimm charging towards him and Cinder. But right when they got within striking distance, Diego stopped and squinted hard at the Grimm, then returned his gaze to Cinder, completely ignoring the Grimm. Even when they swiped and snapped at him harmlessly, but still looking rather realistic. Diego had no swords to fight Cinder with, but he was still THE master of combat in this fight. Almost anti-climatic like, he made two swift strikes with his arms, gauntlets first, and parried Cinder's first sword swipes, then with equal speed, he knocked the weapons out of her hands. The Grimm illusion still remained, but it was clear that he had seen right through it, as he made no move to attack them. He did, however, close his eyes for a moment as he activated his Semblance and smirked. Her anger growing, Cinder activated her power to end this fight now. Two new swords appeared in her hands, and she sent a rain of glass shards flying towards the Rogue. Surprisingly, the shards connected... only to have his image fade away like a shadow.
"Cinder! Look out!" Emerald's voice called. But it was too late. A sharp pain suddenly flared in Cinder's spine, paralyzing her as she fell to her knees. Behind her, Diego was standing with a Grimm bow similar to the one she used, a shot already having been fired. The black arrow-like projectile was sticking from her back and Diego was walking towards her, a glow in his eyes. They were the same sickly red color that appeared with his Grimm form, as he tapped into some of the power that form provided him. Emerald, out of rage for her fallen companion, rushed at Diego with a blind fury. Diego simply made the bow disappear and then with a few well-aimed strikes, he knocked Emerald down.
"Hold her still!" Diego called to his friends, motioning to Cinder. He then looked to Emerald as the glow disappeared from his eyes. "You don't have to die with her. There's still time for you to do the right thing. You can help us fight Salem and her Grimm when they arrive. Or you can run; run far from here and don't look back." He held out his hand to her. "The choice is yours alone to make."
Consumed by grief and anger, Emerald drew her kama and charged at Diego, swinging and firing wildly in hope to save the one who'd saved her so long ago. The result was Diego fading like a shadow again, then appearing behind her as well, knocking her out with a single punch. He then turned his attention to Cinder, who was being held up by both versions of Yang. He walked over to them so he was facing Cinder, then looked the fiend in the eyes.
"Back in my Remnant, your counterpart stole half of the powers of the Fall Maiden," he said with anger. "She then returned here to Beacon and stole the remaining half. I could've prevented this from happening, but I didn't. Never again." He held her head up and forced her to look into his eyes as they turned into a sickly red color again. "You will never know what it feels like to possess the full power of the Maiden. I will be returning to her what you've stolen."
He stood up to his full height and everyone noticed something crawling up his arm to his palm; a kind of Grimm parasite. Cinder recognized it immediately and her eyes widened with fear.
"Let's give you a taste of your own medicine, shall we?" Diego asked sarcastically, then the parasite fired something from it's mouth that stuck Cinder's face with a kind of sticky substance that led from her face to Diego's hand. Cinder gasped and her form's outline glowed brightly as well as Diego's. She could feel the power she had taken from the Fall Maiden draining from her body and into Diego's own body. At the same time, she could feel her life weakening as if tied to the powers he was taking from her. Eventually, the last of the powers of Fall left Cinder and Diego stopped, killing the small Grimm with a single crushing motion from his hand. Cinder, on the other hand, had drifted into an unconscious state as both Yangs dropped her, one looking shocked at what had happened, but the other simply giving a grim expression. Diego stopped glowing and a sigh escaped him.
"It's done," he said softly.
"What...just happened?" The Jaune from this Remnant asked, still in shock.
"We just changed your whole future," His counterpart answered, casting a brief somber glance at his partner's still-living alternate self. "For the better."
"It's not over yet," Diego said aloud. "We still have to find Luna and I think I know where she is." He turned to his friends. "Stay on guard. Salem may have another trick up her sleeves. I'll get Luna."
He started to walk towards the doors of the school, but stopped when he heard Yang call to him. He turned to see his version giving him a concerned look.
"Be careful," she said. Diego gave a small smile.
"I will. I promise," he answered, then without another word he entered the school. Even though it wasn't the Beacon from back home, he knew the halls like the back of his hand, and soon found himself in Ozpin's office where the headmaster was just starting to rise with an apprehensive look on his face.
"Who are you, and how did you do that? More importantly, how do you know of the Maidens?" The headmaster asked firmly, his cane in hand.
"Relax, Oz. I'm on your side," Diego said bluntly. "But unfortunately, I don't have time to explain. So instead, I'll sum this up for you: I'm from another Remnant, and I'm here to stop Salem. Both mine and yours. And right now, I need access to your vault where Amber is being kept."
"How do I know I can trust your word?" Ozpin asked with suspicious, narrowed eyes.
Diego sighed. "I know that you and the other headmasters are protecting relics with the schools to keep them from Salem. I know that this fight has been kept secret from the public due to how they'd take it. I know that Amber was ambushed and her power stolen from her before Qrow saved her life. I know all this and more, Ozpin. But even that wouldn't suffice." Diego looked to Ozpin's eyes. "The truth is, you don't know if you can trust my word. What you do know is that I have some knowledge about your fight and that I helped to take down some of Salem's minions, who were hiding under your very noses. So maybe my actions should speak louder than words. But..." Diego gave him a grim expression. "...even if you don't help me access the vault, I'll open it regardless. But I don't want to be your enemy..."
The old headmaster pondered the boy's words carefully. Seeing as he had a point, Ozpin reached into his pocket and handed his scroll to the boy.
"Take the elevator. There is a code that only I have access to that will take you to the Vault under the school. Put it to the terminal, and say you wish to go 'to the bottom'," He instructed. "Go now."
"Thank you Oz," Diego answered. "I'd suggest you prepare for a fight. Because unless I'm mistaken, Salem's not gonna let her prize escape so easily."
Diego walked to the elevator and followed Oz's instructions. As it descended into the depths, he started to worry about what he would do when he saw Luna again.
"I hope TD managed to buy me enough time," he said to himself. "And I hope we don't end up becoming enemies."
The Vault was dark, save for the odd green torches burning above her head, and the glowing from the machine that housed the Fall Maiden. Luna was getting restless and terribly anxious the longer she was there. Halting her nervous pacing, she took slow steps towards the first pod. It broke her heart seeing the poor girl in there, just barely hanging onto her life. She looked no older than Luna herself...
A single teardrop fell onto the glass. "I'm so sorry," Luna whispered, sniffling. "I wish I could help in some way..." But she knew there was no way she, or anyone else, could. Death was inevitable for Amber, this she knew, but that didn't make it any easier to bear.
The quietness of the Vault was suddenly filled with the steady clicking of glass shoes approaching from the elevator. Luna clenched her fist tightly, her knuckles cracking.
"How do you live with yourself?...After everything you've done...all of this pain and suffering...and for what? Power?" She had raised her voice for Cinder to hear, though the echoing of the chamber proven it to be unneccesary. She scoffed shaking her head, keeping her eyes on Amber despite speaking to Cinder. "You do realize that once you've served your purpose, she'll just throw you away too, right?
"Well then, it's a good thing I don't ever serve the villains," a male's voice suddenly spoke. Startled, Luna spun around to see TD standing before her with a sad smile on his face. He was wearing a pair of glass shoes that looked suspiciously like Cinder's shoes, but built for a male. He looked to Luna again and gave her a serious expression.
"I never took you to be the backstabbing type, Wolfie," he said somewhat sadly. Luna glanced behind the entity briefly to ensure they were alone. The elevator was empty and closed, and she couldn't hear any movement of the cart. Good, Cinder wasn't here yet.
"Just doing what I do best, I suppose," She replied in a similar sad tone. Not being able to bear the disappointment in her friend's eyes, she turned her back once more to gaze at Amber's nearly lifeless form. "Why are you even here, T? I thought your time ran out, or something like that..."
"Well, even so, I'm a cheeky little bugger," he said. He then asked, "Why are you doing this Wolfie? You're better than this, and you know it."
"I'm doing what's best for everyone," She explained calmly. And while her words were true, she didn't dare reveal more for fear of someone possibly hearing in on their conversation.
"What's best for everyone?" TD asked, suddenly appearing in front of her. "Open your eyes! She's deceived you like she's done with everyone else! Where's the line, Luna? Where do you call it quits?"
Luna's face scrunched up in pain as her heart clenched. She had asked herself that very same question all of her life.
Where does it stop? Where do I draw the line? Sometimes she thought she never would...she valued her loved ones so much, she wouldn't be surprised if she literally did anything to keep them safe. And look at where she was now.
Before she could answer her equally distraught friend, Luna's ears picked up the low rumbling of the elevator rising back up the tower. Cinder must be on her way! Panicked, she turned back to TD.
"You need to go. Or at least hide," she strongly insisted, paranoiedly keeping her ears strained on the elevator's movement. TD smirked as his image started to shimmer and fade.
"I'll leave, but not to hide. After all, why hide from myself?" he asked, disappearing completely. Right when he did, a set of footsteps started to approach her. But it wasn't Cinder's footsteps that were heard, but someone else's... Footsteps that she was too familiar with by now.
"I'd thank TD for leading me here" Diego's voice suddenly spoke from behind, "But that would imply that he did me a favor."
In the reflection of Amber's pod, Luna could see Diego with a bow pulled back, one that was very familiar. It looked like the Grimm bow that Cinder sometimes used and an arrow of some kind was notched on the bowstring.
Not him, too... Luna swallowed with difficulty. While she was glad it wasn't Cinder, at this point she actually wished it had been.
"Why are you down here and not helping fight against the Grimm?" She questioned, trying to keep her emotions from making her voice quiver.
"The Grimm are all but destroyed by now in the local areas," Diego replied, still not taking his hands off the bowstring, "The same can't be said for Cinder." At Luna's slight stiffening, Diego added, "She'll live, but I doubt she'll be able to move for the next few days."
"You took her down?" She kept her voice the same, but she dared let a little hope sneak into her heart.
"I didn't kill her, but she may die from her wounds if she's not cared for in the next few hours," he answered. "But that doesn't explain why you're here."
She ignored his question, and continued speaking vaguely for fear of someone possibly listening in. "Do you remember the day I first came to your world, Diego? I told you then who I was." She turned around and met his hurt and angry blue eyes. "I stood beside Adam, but I fought for Sienna. Even now, nothing has changed. I'm still doing what I've been doing for the past year or so."
Diego sighed, his aim dropping slightly before returning again.
"Then you understand why I can't let you do this," he said, and fired the arrow. The arrow only breezed by her head but Luna still hopped to the side to avoid it. Instinctively, she drew Solstice and pointed it at the Rogue. Mixed feelings of anguish and nostalgia filled her stomach at the stand down.
"Put it down, Diego," She ordered calmly, her finger lingering on the trigger. "If I need to, you know I won't miss. And truthfully, I'm a bit surprised you did. That's not like you," She commented curiously, yet kept her pistol up. Diego gave a small smile and the bow disappeared almost like the Grimm did when they died.
"You should know by now Luna," he said matter-of-factly, "I never miss."
It was then that she remembered who was behind her that could've been hit...
Spinning around, Luna gasped in horror at what she saw. The arrow had pierced through the glass of the large pod and embedded itself in Amber's shoulder. She faced Diego again and cocked her pistol, her face twisting into a snarl.
"What were you thinking? You could have killed her!"
"I'm doing her a favor," he replied, then his form glowed with a familiar light. The light given off by the Fall Maiden's powers. He lifted his hands and then spoke.
"Amber," he said, "Your enemies stole something from you that left you in your current state. I have come to give it back."
His form glowed more intensely and the pod behind Luna started giving off a warning.
"Occupant status: Stabilizing. Vitals signs: Normal. Occupant health: Restored."
Luna kept looking back and forth between Diego and Amber, her brain unsure of how to process what she had just seen.
"You saved her?" She asked disbelieving. "Bu-but that's impossible...the powers, they...they only attach to young women...and you...?"
Diego smirked. "My Semblance allows me to copy the power of a Maiden and use them myself. Apparently, this means that I can take the powers on as well. But even so, I wasn't planning on using them, only to return them." He gave another smirk. "Besides, I've been known to do the impossible."
His words caught her off guard. Diego would never say something like that. But looking into his eyes...Luna thought she was starting to possibly understand. Why those eyes were so...familiar. And the entity's earlier words about...hiding from himself. But it couldn't be. Could it?
"How are you and him connected?" The silver wolf asked cautiously, her grip tightening a bit on her gun.
Diego sighed. "In a technical sense... I am him."
Her thoughts screamed impossibility, but she knew he was serious. A small smile crossed her lips and she chuckled while shaking her head.
"There is no end to defying odds with you two, is there?"
"Us four, actually," Diego corrected. "There's two others beside me who share the same rule."
"Of course there are," She mumbled to herself.
Diego chuckled, then his saddened expression returned. "Is this really what you want? In what little time we've known each other, Greyback, I know that you're not like this. At least... not when your mind is in the right place."
Luna narrowed her eyes. "Like you just said, you know me. Did you honestly believe I would go through with this?" She asked offensively. "Do you think I'm so stupid to take Salem for her word?"
"I never said that," he replied, "And I don't take you as the type who would take her word. I'm more concerned as to why you're here period if that's the case."
Behind Luna, she could hear Amber breathing at a slow yet stable rate, indicating that she'd live through the arrow to the shoulder.
"After I ran off, the Salem from this world found me. She offered me a deal. Help her secure the Fall Maiden here in exchange for my friends' and world's safety. My job was to wait here for Cinder, who would take care of the rest. My plan was to take her down before anything could be done," she explained. Diego stared at her hard, then managed a small smile.
"There's no lie in your eyes," he said, "A foolish deal, but at least you're honest." He looked behind him. "Judging from what I did to Cinder, I seriously doubt she's coming around any time soon." His head turned back to her. "So, what now?"
Luna shook her head. "I don't know. The Attack here was foiled, Adam is dead, Cinder is borderline dead. I think my world is safe for now." She replied uncertainly.
"Is it?" Diego pointed out, "Salem is still out there, both in my world and yours. And if there's anything TD and I can agree with, it's this: where there's light, there will always be darkness." He deactivated his equipment as he continued. "But the only true reason evil can prevail is if good people, like you and me, do nothing. Even the least of us can make a huge difference."
Brushing her sweat-coated bangs out of her face, Luna asked, "What do you suggest we do, then? I mean, the only idea that I have at the moment is we find a way to get my team back to this world, and we help the RWBY and JNPR here."
Diego smiled. "That shouldn't be too much of a problem. After all, I think we may have ran into them on our way here."
Suddenly, his Scroll started ringing and he answered it. After only a few seconds, he put it on speaker so Luna could hear the rest.
"... a massive army of Grimm!" Yang's voice shouted on the Scroll. "The White Fang is here too, or at least the bad ones! And what's worst... Salem- Luna's Salem- is leading the charge!" An explosion was heard, along with a scream, then Yang finished her call. "Hurry Diego. I don't think we can hold them for long."
The Scroll ended its call and Diego looked up with a pale expression. Luna shared his terrified expression.
"We need to go," She told him urgently as they both sprinted for the elevator.
"Wait..." he stopped her for a moment, then pulled out something from one of his coat pockets and threw it to the ground. It turned out to be several objects, and they all suddenly enlarged into some more drones that they had used to scout for trouble. The animal-like robots looked to Diego as he gave them their task.
"New mission," he ordered them. "Protect the Fall Maiden at all costs. She needs time to recover."
The robots all turned to Amber, then back to him and somehow gave the rogue a salute before standing at different posts. Diego then looked to Luna.
"Now we can go..."
Luna gazed around them with horror, one hand coming up to cover her mouth.
"Brothers above..." She muttered under her breath in shock. Grimm. Nothing but Grimm as far as she could see. And sure enough, leading them was the Queen herself.
"She just couldn't have picked a far worst timing," Diego stated, looking more frustrated now than scared. It almost made him seem like he was a janitor or a maid who was not looking forward to the cleanup duty that was about to commence.
"Is there ever a good time for her to be here? Or anywhere for that matter?" She asked rhetorically with an eye roll.
"Maybe if you were ever in my shoes," he stated, "I've known a couple good times for Salem to be around, but this is not one of them!"
"Whatever you say," She dismissed, keeping her eyes on the hordes of Grimm in from of them. Taking precaution, she drew Silver Moon and activated it's naginata mode. She cocked Solstice so it would be immediately ready to fire if necessary.
"Before we do this," Diego spoke up, turning towards her, "I'd just like to say something to you real quick."
"Yeah?" she asked. Diego sighed, then continued.
"Back with Adam... I personally don't hold it against you for what you did to him. Because before I became Diego Kapila, I did things that were just as bad, if not worst. So if anything... I understand. Sometimes, we can only go so far before we snap. And then there's nothing that can hold us back..." His eyes teared up for a moment. "If I don't survive this day... take care of her for me. I don't know what she'll do if I'm gone."
Luna's stomach dropped when she realized what he was implying. She faced him and glared menacingly.
"Don't you dare do that," Her voice calm, yet her eyes gold with rage. "We're all walking out of this alive. We're gonna take her down. We're gonna secure the Relics. Everyone's gonna finally be able to live their lives in peace. And in 70 years, we're all going to look back on this day with pride, because we defeated the worst evil in existence, and made the world a safe place for our children and grandchildren, and the many generations to come. So don't you DARE ask that of me!"
Diego wasn't sure how to react to his friend's outburst, either positively or negatively. Never had he seen someone so confident, so determined to stay alive despite all odds. It amused him, as well as scared him somewhat.
"How can you be so sure?" he finally asked. "You have no means of predicting the future, no idea how this will end! For all you know, this could go south for all of us. So what makes you think we'll survive?"
"I don't know," She responded without hesitation. "But I've told you many times before: I'm not dying until I am damn good and ready. And even then, in times like this, someone has to have hope. And I have hope because I believe in all of us."
Her eyes were full of fear of the unknown and what could go down this night, but she stood tall, ready to fight for her life and those of everyone she cared about. It took a few seconds, but eventually Diego let out a loud laugh.
"Luna Greyback," he chuckled, "I don't believe I've ever seen a finer warrior with such confidence." He looked down at the Grimm army down below. "There is one thing I can say though, in the off-chance that you're wrong: If I'm going down, I'm taking as many of these creeps with me as possible!"
With a loud, "Alioop!" he launched himself down towards the thick of the Grimm, cackling like a madman or simply someone who was having WAY too much fun. A large grin grew on the she-wolf's face, her gold eyes turning wild.
"Hell fucking yeah!" She exclaimed, charging into battle right behind her comrade.
Next up, the final battle! Or at least for the one Remnant. The other one... well, let's see if Volume Six comes out anytime soon. XD
Hope you enjoyed and I'll cya in the next chapter! Buh bye!
