I stood outside team RWBY's room as Ironwood spoke to the team about Yang's…transgression during her match with Mercury; they were unable to finish the other two matches after that but everyone was too busy talking about what happened during the match. It was on news broadcasts, internet forums and newspapers; everyone seemed to be casting doubt on not only Yang but Beacon as a whole.

"What happened?" Alice asked in complete confusion, "She just shot Mercury point blank in the leg."

"Yang wouldn't do that." Gareth added, "She's hot headed but not sadistic. I know that better than anyone."

"…It doesn't seem right." Lily said, "Something doesn't feel right about the whole thing."

"I know what you mean." I added, "We all know Yang, she's not a sociopath and she can't fake her emotions…whatever happened was definitely fishy." As we all absorbed what I had just said Ruby, Weiss and Blake walked out of their room as Ironwood and his men walked away.

"How is she?" Gareth asked and I looked to see Jaune and his team had walked out of their room.

"She's…doing the best she can." Blake answered with a somber look on her face; guess that means no.

"I heard Mercury and his team rushed back to Haven to be with his family," Ruby said, "so, until they land, no one can really question him about what happened."

"If there's anything we can do," Ren started, "please don't hesitate to ask."

"Same here." I added.

"Alright then…if that's the case…Pyrrha, Lily, make sure to win one for Beacon." Lily gave a nod.

"I'll…do my best." Pyrrha said.

"I'll be sure to watch tonight in case you're picked Pyrrha."

"Sorry, but I think I've had enough fighting for one year." Blake said.

"Ditto." Weiss added, "Coffee?"

"Tea."

"Mind if I come along? I could use some coffee." Alice said walking with them.

"I need to talk to Ozpin so I'll meet up with you guys after the match." I said.

"You think it'll take that long?" Gareth asked.

"Probably, I have a few questions I need answered and they aren't easy."

"Isn't that how it usually is?" Lily asked and I chuckled.

"Yeah, I'll be back by bed time though."

"We'll go ahead and go with Ruby to the arena." Gareth said, "Someone should help Ruby cheer Pyrrha on."

"Okay, I'll see you guys later." With that we separated as I headed for Ozpin's office and they followed Ruby and the others; I really hope my hunch is wrong.

Alice

I sat next to Weiss and Blake at the crowded café and took a sip from my cup; slumping down I took a deep breath thinking about what Ruby asked me before…if I really did just come from my world then why was I walking? Maybe I should consider myself lucky and just take it as it is…but it makes me worried…and doubt Mary; was she just manipulating my illness to use me…and what did that mean for Lily, Gareth and Soren? …Damnit why can't I contact her!

"Are you okay Alice?" Weiss asked and I sat up.

"…No, it feels like someone is manipulating this entire situation and I don't like it…I don't like to be toyed with." I answered feeling my hand suddenly get wet; looking at it I saw my nails had punctured my coffee cup.

"Careful. What do you mean?"

"Ruby asked me something back from before we were hunting for information on Torchwick. She asked why I could walk in this world if I just came from my own world where I couldn't and I didn't have an answer. Thinking about it…it feels all too coincidental; I'm only able to walk when Mary sends us to another world…like she's manipulating the whole thing. Like how the situation with Yang feels bigger than we think."

"I know what you mean." Blake said taking a sip of her tea, "When something lines up a bit too perfectly it feels wrong. Yet you can't figure out why." She clenched her fist, "It's infuriating. Unable to grasp the truth of a situation." …Wait…when I was put into the infirmary…they would have done a full check-up…! Quickly getting up from my seat I slammed the amount I owed onto the table and rushed out of the doorway; I could hear Blake and Weiss calling for me as I ran down the street towards the school.

Lily

As we stood in line to get onto the ship to the Vytal arena I looked over noticing Sun walk by as Velvet took a picture; we all moved over to her and she turned around giving us a gentle smile.

"Ruby, Gareth, Lily. How nice to see all of you."

"Good to see you as well." I replied, "What are you doing?"

"Working on my photography." She answered showing us a picture of Sun holding his weapon…except his head was out of frame.

"That's…good." Ruby lied.

"Could be better." Gareth added and I nudged him making him shrug.

"I heard about what happened to Yang. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. She's still taking it pretty hard." Ruby answered.

"It happens all the time. Some people start to lose it and then start seeing thing." what?

"What do you mean?" Gareth asked sounding suddenly interested.

"The same thing happen to Cocoa. She swears she saw Yatsuhashi with her in the forest but he never made it out of the geyser fields." …That's strange…wait…that was the match against Mercury and Emerald…and this one was against Mercury…something is definitely wrong there; both cases of hallucination happened when it involved Mercury…could he have done something? No…I'm jumping to conclusions…Mercury is a friend…I hope, "Is…something wrong Lily?"

"Oh! N-No…just a bit spacy is all." I replied with a chuckle…I'm sure I'm wrong.

Soren

Riding the elevator up to the top floor it opened to reveal Ozpin pacing back and forth across the room; stepping into the room he stopped and took a drink from his mug.

"Good to see you Soren."

"Good to see you as well Ozpin." I replied and he moved to sit down at his desk, "There's something I need to know about the match between Yang and Mercury Black."

"As much as I would like to help you Soren I'm afraid the footage was confiscated by Ironwood."

"Damn it! Then can I ask you something?"

"Go ahead."

"When you watched the match did you notice anything…shift?" He cocked his left eye brow, "Like something didn't seem right with what we saw…like it wasn't real."

"Soren…I can assure you that what we saw was one hundred percent real. Yang Xiao Long hit a defenseless Mercury Black on the ground." …That…that can't be right, "However-" huh, "what they saw…could have been completely different." !?

"…So you don't think she would do that either."

"…Soren if I had believed she could have been capable of such acts…I would not have let her enroll in my school." I've been here almost a year and I've seen Ozpin multiple times in that year… I know he's right about that

"Right…it's still- I-…I don't know what to think." Stepping forward I took a seat in front of his desk.

"If you would like you are welcome to watch the Vytal tournament match with me." …I can't be alone with my thoughts right now.

"Thanks, I'll take you up on that offer."

Alice

Once on campus I bolted across the courtyard; through the mess hall and pass the dorms until I came to the schools personal infirmary, opening up the door I looked around at the darkened halls and dimly lit corridors, the only sound was the wind and flickering of lights. Stepping in I walked to the front desk and rang the small bell; it echoed out but nobody seem to hear it as I stood there alone; so she's waiting for me. Walking past the front desk I passed by empty rooms that were covered in darkness and looked down the hall seeing one room brightly lit from the hallway; opening the door I could see a girl with brown hair sitting near the window looking wistfully out towards the headmasters building.

"Well it's good to see you found me." She said looking at me with a smile.

"You couldn't expect to hide forever could you?" I replied stepping towards her.

"No, didn't think I would have to."

"…So why did you Mary?" A moment of silence followed as her hair turned from brown to green.

"…It's good to see you again Alice."

"So this is where you've been? Posing as a nurse at the infirmary?"

"Yes, but not for as long as you think I have; only after Soren got you sent here."

"You mean after that shapeshifter got me sent here."

"R-Right."

"You needed to hide my medical records didn't you?"

"No…just alter them slightly."

"…Mary, what did you do to me?"

"…I…I essentially cured you. I caused the virus that attack you to remain dormant indefinitely, so you could move to your hearts content." …Damn you.

"So you toyed with me?"

"No! I swear I never meant to-"

"Never meant to what!? Toy with my emotions!? Give me what I've dreamed of for so long and then tear it away when I did what you needed!? You even had the nerve to make me feel like I was becoming stronger!"

"Alice please-"

"Do you know what it's like to look at the outside world, at your friends and think, 'I want to be there, I want to be next to them'…and not be able to…it hurts…a lot."

"…There was a reason I did that."

"Then tell me…because I'm sick of standing next to my friends and then lying down in weakness before them."

"…It's not right."

"What?"

"Alice, your weakness is why you can become so strong. Regardless of why I've asked for your help…and what you feel you deserve there's something more important to realize. THIS, is your obstacle to overcome; just like Soren, Gareth or Lily you must overcome your own world problems in order to become stronger. I cannot give you what you want…because what you want you have to grasp and work for on your own." As she spoke I felt my knees buckle from her words and I collapsed onto the nearby bed looking at the ceiling.

"So…even after this I'll still be stuck in that hospital bed?" I felt the bed creak and looked to see Mary had taken a seat.

"I guess that all depends on you. Are you willing to give up now?" I chuckled at her question.

"No, I made a promise. It's just hard to hear is all…I won't stop now though." Taking a deep breath I sat up and looked at Mary, "So how about telling me why you haven't contacted us in months."

"I would have but…I think you can blame Soren for that."

"What do you mean?"

"I would have brought him back when his memory returned but…he cares about his friends here." What?

"…What do you mean by that?"

"…I've kept Soren's memory of this world in the dark even after his memory returned."

"Mary, what's going to happen?"

"I knew that if he remembered that he would be consumed to save them."

"Mary! What is going to happen!?" Mary picked up the remote and pointed it at the nearby screen turning on the live feed of the tournament.

"Tonight's match is Pyrrha Nikos versus Penny Polendina." …!

"No. No they can't fight." Getting up I moved towards the screen, "If Pyrrha isn't careful then- I've got to stop this!"

"3…2…1…begin!" Rushing out the door I looked at the sky seeing the Vytal coliseum in the air; damn it I can't get up there…but they're up there. Pulling out my scroll I hastily dialed Gareth and waited as it rang…come on…come on…

"Alice? What's up?"

"Gareth! You have to stop that match now!"

"What? Why-"

"I can't get into all the details but you have to get them to stop now!"

"On it!" Hanging up my scroll I bolted for the headmaster's office; please still be there Soren.

Gareth

As Alice hung up I turned to Lily who had a worried look on her face.

"We need to stop this match right now." I explained and she gave me a surprised look, "Where's Ruby?" I looked over to see Ruby wasn't in her seat anymore…she wasn't with us at all.

"She was sitting right here." Lily said in shock; where did she go? No time to worry about that. Standing up I looked around looking for some way up to the announcers booth; the shield was up so we couldn't jump down and stop them and everyone was too loud for us to shout at them.

"Where would we be able to get up to where Port and Oobleck are?"

"It's probably past the employees only doors."

"Good thinking. Come on!" Grabbing Lily's hand we bolted past people receiving complaints and sneers until we came to the stairs and climbed them heading into the concession area; looking around I felt Lily tap my shoulder and point to a door behind the popcorn vendor. Moving over the counter I pushed open the door as the person at the stand tried to stop me; pushing him back I ran down the hallway looking for a door to the announcer booth. Lighting…no, camera set up…no, auditorium booth there we go! Busting open the door I was met with shocked looks from Oobleck and Port.

"Young man what are you-"

"No time!" Lunging forward I grabbed Port's mic. I looked down to see Penny had launched blades at Pyrrha and she was reeling back to use her semblance at full force; the blast sent the swords flying backwards, "STOOOOPPPP!" With my scream the force of the blast seem to weaken; good. I looked down in shock as Penny's left arm squished and was suddenly severed from her body…revealing… wires and metal!? Different gasps and shocked sounds came from the crowd as Penny stood there clutching her now open arm as she stepped back from Pyrrha who looked completely horrified.

"What?" I heard Lily as she stood next to me obviously shocked; Penny was a robot? Is that why Alice wanted me to stop the match? What in the hell is going on!?

Soren

Both Ozpin and I stood in surprise as Penny's metal arm was severed from her body; what just happened, first there fighting and then I hear Gareth shout over the intercom and then Penny's arm is ripped from its place revealing wires and metal. Suddenly the fed cut out to just show a black queen chess piece with a red background; what's going on!? We both looked over at the evelevator door as it opened and revealed Alice standing there.

"Alice!?"

"Soren, thank god you're here. What happened?"

"Penny and Pyrha were fighting and then Gareth shouted. Next thing we're looking at is Penny losing her arm."

"She's still alive right?" I nodded and she took a deep breath, "That's good. He made it in time."

"Miss Blair what is happening?" Ozpin asked and suddenly a voice came from the screen.

"This is not a tragedy." Whose voice is that, "This was not an accident." Wait…, "This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children to men who claim to be our guardians but are, in reality, nothing more than men." I know that voice, "Our academies headmasters wield more power than most armies and one was audacious enough to control both. They cling to this power in the name of peace and yet, what do we have here? One nations attempt at a synthetic army, almost destroyed by another's star pupil. What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the grim could tell the difference; and what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching HIS students; first a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy…yet I have witnessed neither." Cinder, "Perhaps Ozpin felt defeating Ozpin in the tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the grim invaded its streets or perhaps…this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting kingdom with armed forces. Honestly? I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong but I know that the existence of peace is fragile and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves. As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you; the situation there is…equally undesirable. Our kingdoms are at the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So I ask you…when the first shots are fired…who do you think you can trust?" With that the screens cut out in harsh static.

"What's going on?" I said to no one in particular taking in the words I just heard; I turned to Ozpin who had gripped his fists tightly. I turned to Alice who looked equally confused and scared and out of nowhere a siren began to echo in the distance.

Gareth

A siren began to sound as everyone in the crowd looked scared and distrustful; fear was fresh in their eyes and from what I could tell the woman on the end of that broadcast didn't make it any better. I heard foot steps behind me and looked to see Ironwood approaching us; he grabbed the mic from my hand and began to speak.

"Ladies and gentlemen, please! There is no need for panic." As soon as he said that a giant nevermore screeched and we looked up to see it was on top of the stadium trying to break through the field.

"I'd say that's a pretty good reason to panic!" I yelled as I pulled out my scroll to call my locker; as soon as I put in the location I beckoned to Lily and we rushed out the door towards the coliseum; like hell I was letting it hurt anyone.

Soren

As we watched the grim flood in I heard footsteps behind me and looked to see Glynda and Qrow behind us.

"Oz!" Qrow said and Ozpin turned with a serious look on his face.

"Get to the city! NOW!" With that Qrow and Glynda rushed to the elevators and as they entered I heard a scroll ring; Ozpin reached into his pulling it out; there was a moment of silence as Alice and I waited, "You brought your army to my kingdom James. Use it." He then turned to both of us, "Soren, Alice, find Pyrrha and bring her here as quickly as possible."

"Pyrrha? But-"

"Do it!" He spoke with such authority that both Alice and I nodded before stepping into an open elevator; I turned around to Ozpin, "You want to know what's happening? The beginning of the end." With those words the elevator door closed shut and we descended towards the grim infested streets.