Ok, let's check in with everyone and see how they're unwinding after the "plantasteophe".

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Later that day...

"So...that's your field report, then?" General Ironwood asked Crimson, who sat across from him at Ozpin's desk. She was leaning back in her chair, her boots resting on top of the polished surface, and was liberally sampling from a large bottle of high proof alcohol she'd brought with her.

"...that's right," she said after taking a lengthy swig of the spirit, "And that's the story I'm sticking with."

The General leaned over the desk, stating intently at the Huntress from the future. "So you're saying that you took an unauthorized civilian into one of the most secure and secret facilities on the planet, forgetting for a moment that she was your younger self, fully knowing that you were bringing her into certain danger."

"Yup!" Crimson said, popping the P sound.

"And you knocked her unconscious, further endangering Miss Rose-"

"I put her in that coffin thingy," she protested, "she woulda been fine!"

"Not to mention tampering with extremely delicate technology- and it's a miracle none of it was seriously damaged throughout all this -brutalizing a helpless woman, and executing her without her standing trial first. Have I left anything out?"

Crimson shook her head. "No, that's pretty much everything important." She took another swig from her bottle, "...I'm not apologizing, by the way."

Ironwood sighed and hung his head, pinching the bridge of his nose. He'd never admit it, but he really wanted to confiscate Crimson's bottle for himself right now.

"Was it really necessary to go that far?" Ozpin asked, trying to play the ombudsman.

"Uh...doi!" she said, looking slightly confused. "Cinder bad, cause problem, me make problem go bye-bye. Pretty cut and dry if you ask me."

"She could have given us information about her cabal!" the general exploded, slamming his right hand down on Ozpin's desk before listing of points on his left, "We barely have any information on her or her organization, and now we never will, not unless one of her underlings decides to be cooperative. And don't even get me started on how uncooperative Adam Taurus is going to be rounding up the rest of the White Fang-!"

"James." Ozpin got up from his chair and placed a hand on Ironwood's shoulder. His tone was calm, but somehow it managed to convey a sense of authority that normally belonged to someone far older than the Headmaster looked.

Reluctantly, Ironwood stepped back, taking out his flask and partaking in a nice, long guzzle from it.

"I understand that, sometimes, a Huntress needs to make a judgment call in the field," Ozpin said, addressing Crimson, "but the fact remains that you went far beyond what was necessary to subdue Cinder Fall, and that can't be ignored." He sat back down, resting his elbows on the desk, "Therefore, until such time as either I deem fit, or you manage to find a way to return to your own time, you are confined to the grounds of Beacon Academy, without access to your combat arsenal."

"Eh," Crimson shrugged, "I can live with-"

"And you are forbidden from all alcohol as well," he added, his tone indicating that there was absolutely no room for argument.

Crimson's mouth hung open in abject shock, her good eye twitching spasmodically.

"...fuck you," she hissed eventually, giving Ozpin the dirtiest of glares; the headmaster said nothing, his expression unreadable. "...you talked to my younger self already, didn't you?"

He nodded.

Crimson let out an exhausted sigh. "Fine, you win," she said, finishing off her bottle. Then she tossed it to Ironwood, who fumbled for a moment as he caught it, and proceeded to disarm herself, a small mountain of weapons growing on the desk. If Ozpin was impressed by this at all, he didn't show it; Ironwood's reaction was similarly low key, merely raising an eyebrow at the pile.

"If anyone needs me, I'll be in the nearest arena room," she said, finally adding her Crescent Rose to the top of the pile, "I need to break something." And with that she turned and headed for the elevator, not even bothering to turn around as the doors closed behind her.

"She should be locked up," Ironwood said after a while, "We don't need a vigilante running around free, especially one who doesn't comprehend what 'restraint' is."

Ozpin exhaled. "I'm not thrilled at the prospect of that either, James, but remember that Miss Thorne did alert us to the threat at the CCT tower before going off to confront Cinder, which leads me to believe that underneath all the bravado there's still some of the young girl I know who just wants to do good." He paused, grabbing the future Crescent Rose from the pile on his desk, "Besides, she's been a soldier for years; she'll follow her order, regardless if she agrees with them or not. I'm sure know what I mean, right?"

Ironwood hated it when Ozpin was right. He still respected the man and would follow him to the ends of the earth if need be, but sometimes he could be too sentimental for his own good.

He gave a nod, "I'll trust your judgement on this," he said, "but forgive me if I don't want to take any chances; I want to assign one of my students to keep an eye on her."

Ozpin looked apprehensive at the suggestion, his brow furrowing. "Judging by the reports I've heard of Miss Thorne's fighting prowess, I'm not sure if even you or Glynda could match her, much less a student."

"I'm aware, Ozpin; they would be under strict orders not to engage her in combat, merely observe her behavior and report back to me." The general keyed up a dossier on his Scroll and handed it to Ozpin. "Besides, her father feels she should be interacting with other students more often."

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

"So...Ruvys," RJ said, getting the attention of the newest doppelgänger. They, Cress, and Ruby were all seated around a table in the Beacon library, engrossed in a game of Remnant: The Game, "can I ask you something?"

"You may ask me whatever you wish," the young mage said, playing a card from her hand, "though I do not know if I will be able to answer them, depending on would you may ask."

"...OK," the teen responded, "so then how does your magic work?"

Ruby played a card and nodded. "Yeah, I was wondering that too." She quickly turned to Cress and announced "By the way, my Fearless Soldiers are attacking your Mistral Sanctuaries."

While Cress dealt with the attack on her western front, RJ continued. "Because maybe I'm stupid, but I don't get how breaking a scrying crystal causes all of us to get transported here." She hurriedly added "Not that I'm saying you're lying or anything, I'm just more of a technology girl than a magical one; I'm still trying to wrap my mind around Aura! ...and I play 'Successful Infiltrator', which allows me to take a card from your hand."

Ruvys nodded and held her hand out to RJ, doing her best to provide the young tomboy with an answer. "Well, magic is inherently a wild, unpredictable force; it requires a great amount of time to learn how to control it properly, though there are those who are considered prodigious in their mastery of the craft." Her hand reflexively went to her amulet, "People have said that I am such a Mhagus, but they have clearly not attended any of my reviews with Mhastina."

"Hey, I already told you that everyone's not perfect, so don't keep beating yourself up about it!" RJ briefly shuffled her hand before placing a card face down on the table in front of her. "I end my turn."

"...I will consider it."

"So...if magic is so unpredictable, how'd you manage to transport us all here?" Cress asked.

"Well, I have been thinking on that, and I have come to the conclusion that it is because magic is unpredictable that we have been drawn to this realm."

Ruby, RJ and Cress all stared at Ruvys in confusion, little question marks floating above their heads.

"...wat?" Cress asked.

"I am not entirely sure how all of the intricacies function," she continued, "but when I unleashed that blast of Destructive magic, I did so reflexively, and thus it was released Wild; it must have taken the properties of the mirrors with which it came in contact, and that somehow mixed with the strange magics the crystal possessed, which somehow summoned you all from your respective realms." She paused for a moment, looking slightly sheepish. "I fear the theory is not entirely sound, but I cannot deduce anything more without further study of Mhastina Sanctum."

"That...kinda makes sense," Ruby said, "I mean, not really, but it's better than nothing, I guess." She rolled her dice and hissed "Dang it!" as the result came up in Cress's favor.

"...so does that mean you know how to send us all back?" RJ asked. "Don't get me wrong, it's been fun hanging out with a buncha different versions of me, but I do want to see my family again at some point. I'm also attacking you with my Grimm Legions, by the way."

Ruvys looked mildly shocked for a moment, then she turned over a card on her side of the table. "I believe this card deflects any damage you deal back on yourself, correct?"

RJ's mouth hung open.

"I will need materials with which to perform the spell that I do not believe exist in this present realm," the young mage explained, ignoring RJ's flabbergasted expression, "and even if all of the materials I need can be acquired, I am not certain that I have the power to attempt such a complex incantation."

"Why don't we go ask Ozpin later if he can help?" Ruby suggested. "He's probably got a bunch of connections being the Headmaster of Beacon, so he could probably find the things you need." She suddenly snapped her fingers, "Oh! And Weiss is super rich, so we won't have to worry about money either!"

"Are you gonna close your mouth, RJ?" Cress asked, leaning over towards the tomboy teenager, "You could accidentally swallow a fly if you're not careful."

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Blake, Weiss, Yang, Rosey, Rubin and Sister were all sitting in RWBY's room, taking it easy; with three of them still sporting injuries from the fight, they all agreed the rest was the best course of action for the moment.

"I'm f-fine!" Rosey protested as Blake fussed about her, making sure the young Faunus had reapplied her bandages correctly. "I'm n-not b-bleeding anymore!"

Blake apparently remained unconvinced. "Are you sure?" she asked, "The Doctor said you barely have any Aura compared the rest of us, do you know what they means?" She didn't wait for the girl to respond before continuing, "It means you won't heal as quickly as the rest of us, so I need to make sure you didn't reopen your wound by accident." Rosey grimaced, but didn't squirm as much.

"You know, Blakey" Yang remarked, looking down from her bunk, "if I didn't know any better, I'd say you were acting like the poor kid's mother right now."

Blake's bow twitched a little.

Weiss rubbed her chin, "Now that you mention it, that does explain why she's been doting on Rosey the past couple days…."

"Indeed…," Sister mused. "It actually reminds me of how my mother is with Yang sometimes…."

Blake's bow seemed to go flat against her head.

"So what if I am?" she asked without looking away from her task, "Someone needs to make sure Rosey heals properly, so why can't it be me?"

Yang put a hand up defensively, "Hey, I'm just making an observation."

"Like, just admit it already!" Rubin chimed in. The débutante had been reading one of Blake's books on Weiss's bunk, keeping mostly to herself up to this point, "We all know you treat her like your daughter, so just save us the trouble of hearing you deny it." She turned the page she was reading, gasped ("Eep!"), and tossed it to the floor, a haunted look on her face. "...and how can you read such…filth?"

"Wh-what does she m-mean?" Rosey asked, looking at Blake inquisitively.

"Nothing!" Blake answered a bit too quickly, "I'll explain when you're older."

The other girls all raised an eyebrow at RWBY's resident Faunus. (Save for Rubin, who was still busy processing what she'd just read.)

"Suit yourself," Weiss shrugged, "it's none of our business you want to adopt her or whatever."

If Blake wasn't showing signs of embarrassment before, she certainly was now. Adopt Rosey? She wasn't even out of her first year at Beacon, she wasn't ready to take responsibility for raising someone else! Not to mention that Rosey was only a couple years younger than her at most, and technically belonged back in her own world...but was loath to admit that she wouldn't mind caring for the girl if it turned out Ruvys couldn't send all the doppelgängers back.

"I n-never said anything about adoption!" she stammered, unable to meet any of their gazes, "Y-You're reading too much into this!"

Rosey's eyes began to glisten, and her lower lip trembled; quite literally, and for all intents and purposes, she looked like a sad puppy right now, and Blake had to fight with every ounce of her willpower not to break down and hold the girl in a loving embrace and never let go.

Fortunately for her, Weiss's Scroll buzzed, breaking the awkward tension that grew after the heiress's comment.

"It's Ruby," she stated, answering the call. She headed out of the room, "Hey, what's up? ...hang on, you want what?!"

Sister tilted her head curiously. "I wonder what that's about?"

"Knowing Rubes, probably some crazy scheme or other." Yang hopped down from her bunk and also headed for the door, "I'ma go get some snacks, anyone want anything?"

"I'm good for now," Sister said, glancing over at the traumatized Rubin, "though I'm not sure about Rubin…."

The Schnee like doppelgänger was holding her knees while rocking back and forth, muttering something about katanas under her breath.

"W-will she b-be alright?" Rosey asked, to which Sister shrugged.

"Perhaps if she had a stimuli of some kind to snap her out of her current state?" she posited.

Yang grinned and rammed a fist into her hand. "How about a good bop to the head?"

Sister narrowed her eyes at the blonde, "I meant something like smelling salts."

"Hmph, you're no fun…."

"NO! I am not going to just hand you over a million Lien to buy something you don't even know exists yet!" came from outside the room.

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Well, little of column A, little of column B. Still, we'll see how things play out until Ruvys gets around to doing that counterspell. (Maybe someone show tell Ruby to stop distracting the poor girl and let her concentrate?)

But anyway, now the story is going to start wrapping itself up, (both because this was how I planned for things to happen and I really want to get to each of the character bonus chapters!), so I guess start saying goodbye to these OCs? I dunno, I'll think of a sappier goodbye monologue when the actual last chapter comes around. Regardless, with this story under my belt I can focus on my other two concurrent fics "Knight of Conquests" and "How Yang got her Groove back", and maybe start working on another idea I've been toying around with for a while.

Fans of Pyrrha? Y'all're gonna love it!

Anywho, next time I think we'll bring in more of the RWBY supporting cast I've been strangely neglecting up to now. Plus, I'm sure you're all curious what Team JNPR's been up to during all this, right?