The gummi ship flew through space, tumbling all the way.
"Whoaah!" the crew called out.
"That doesn't look like fun," Jaune winced as his motion sickness started acting up.
"Yeah, not a fan of the spinning around," Emerald agreed.
Suddenly, a splash was heard and the ship stopped moving.
"Ugh…" Ruby groaned, "Where are we?"
Qrow looked out the window, "Looks like we landed in an ocean."
"Oh GOOD!" Neptune panicked, "From a space whale to an actual ocean. Can I pass out now?"
Sun just shook his head.
"It's a new world alright," Winter pointed out, "Let's go!"
"Where?" Ruby wondered, "In the sea? We'll drown!"
"I mean, that's a good point," Blake agreed, "How are they going to survive down there?"
"I believe the elder Miss Schnee has the answer to that," Ozpin smirked.
"Not with my magic, we won't," Winter nodded, "Just leave it to me."
The calm ocean floor was shown. A giant clam sat nearby and a school of fish swam by.
Suddenly, with a flash the trio appeared. They were all human from the torso up, but their legs had turned into large tails with a fin on the end.
"We're…Faunus?" Ruby wondered.
"Well that was certainly unexpected," Winter noted.
"Not as unexpected as that!" Clover pointed out.
Qrow's tail was a light grey, about the color of a shark, and he was shirtless.
Winter's tail was snow white. She was also shirtless, but was wearing a blue seashell bikini top to hide her breasts.
Ruby's tail was red. She also wore a red seashell bikini top to cover herself as well.
Ruby and Winter both blushed, when suddenly, their outfits changed.
Ruby was still wearing her tights and skirt, but instead of her top, a red seashell bra appeared.
Winter's pants stayed on, but similarly a blue seashell bra replaced her top.
Qrow's shirt also disappeared.
"Eek!" Ruby covered herself, "Don't look!"
"Ruby," Yang, strangely enough sighed, "At this point, they're gonna see them either way."
Ruby looked at the screen, then down at her chest, "Yeah, but…"
"Hey, I was in my underwear for most of the last universe too," Weiss pointed out.
"I guess," Ruby grumbled, then realized something, "I was for a bit too, wasn't I?" She relaxed, not noticing the sideways glances Weiss kept sending her way.
Most of the guys in the room had to readjust themselves in their seats, along with some of the girls.
Qrow looked on in amazement and paddled around for a bit, while Winter folded her arms and floated upside down.
Penny waited for Winter to give a similar reaction to herself suddenly being in a bra, but instead found her eyes glued to the screen.
Raven was about to scold her brother for his shirt, but found his eyes glued to the screen as well.
What no one figured out was that the two were looking at each other on the screen.
Ruby gasped and attempted to cover herself.
"Well, we had the same idea," Ruby noted, still not entirely comfortable with the current situation, but if Weiss could do it, so could she.
"Relax, Ruby," Winter shook her head, still upside down, "We're not going to ogle you."
"Um, you sure about that Winter?" Blake asked softly, gently nudging the older Schnee.
"Hm?" Winter snapped out of it, then realized what was asked, "Of course. I would never look at my sister's partner like that."
Yang looked over at her, "And you do realize you're in a bra right?"
Winter looked down, then over to Gordeau, "This is your doing."
"I've said it before, I'll say it again," Gordeau rolled his eyes, "I'm not in control of the UBF."
"But, I'm basically naked!" Ruby blushed.
"So are both of us," Qrow pointed out, "We're not gonna make fun of you or anything."
Qrow snapped out of it, "Yeah, kiddo. I may not be your uncle in this universe, but I'm your friend. I ain't gonna push your buttons."
"Could you please put on a shirt, Bird-Brain?" Roman asked, "It's a little awkward."
Qrow looked down then shrugged, "Not the weirdest time I've lost my clothes, though this time I think if I put more on, they'll just come off again."
Ruby dropped her arms but was still blushing.
Suddenly, they heard a noise. Approaching them was a small group of three beings. The first was a red crab, the second a blue and yellow fish, and the third was a mermaid with a green tail, red hair, and a purple seashell bikini.
"Wow," Jaune squirmed in his seat, "She, uh, she looks like you, Pyrrha."
"We know it's not, because Weiss currently has Pyrrha," Ren noted, "But the resemblance is uncanny."
Pyrrha blushed a little, then snuggled into Jaune.
Jinn shrugged and looked down at herself, "I don't see what the big deal about it is."
"Come on, Sebastian!" the mermaid called out as the crab fell behind.
"Ariel, wait!" the crab, now known as Sebastian, called out, "Slow down! Don't leave me behind!"
"Ariel and Sebastian?" Robyn noted, "I'm guessing this world is too strange for anyone from our universe to show up."
"There is one," Gordeau noted, "But for the most part, you're right. Also, they're not Faunus, this is just what most of the worlds inhabitants look like."
He closed his eyes and strained to catch up, but instead found himself right in Winter's scowling face.
He screamed in surprise.
"He seems stressed," Oscar noted.
"I don't think Winter's face is that scary," Nora agreed.
"Scary?" Winter wondered.
Ruby and Qrow paddled over and Sebastian swam away in panic.
Velvet winced, "They're not very good at swimming."
"I don't think anybody would, if they suddenly had fins instead of legs," Lionheart noted, "However, it does raise the question of how the group intends to blend in in this world if they can't even act the part."
The mermaid, now known as Ariel, chuckled, "Relax, Sebastian. They don't look like one of them."
"Heartless," Ilia sighed, "They seem to be everywhere now."
"Hmm," Emerald thought for a moment, "But they weren't in Deep Jungle to start, right?"
"Right," Penny nodded.
"You figure something out Em?" Mercury asked.
"Well, it's just a theory," Emerald noted, "But we know from Ilia that the Heartless are attracted to the darkness in people's hearts."
"And there is darkness in every heart," Robyn nodded as she remembered.
"But it seems like the Heartless only show up when someone in the world is steeped in darkness," Emerald explained, "They didn't show up on Destiny Island until either Weiss or the person in the robe dove deeper into the darkness. The Heartless went after Cordovin in Wonderland, and she really seemed to have a darkness about her. They didn't show up in Deep Jungle until Shay fully gave into the darkness. Hades' anger brought them to Olympus. Yuma's ambition brought them to Agrabah."
"And I brought them to Monstro," Weiss finished.
"Actually," Ren noted, "Monstro's a living being himself, so he could have brought them to himself."
"So we can expect to see someone of equal darkness here?" Oscar wondered.
"I would guess the octopus lady from the villain's group," Blake noted before turning to Emerald, "But what about Traverse Town? No one there seems to be using the darkness."
"But go back to comparing the Heartless to Grimm," Emerald explained, "What emotions bring them in more than any other?"
"Sadness and depression," Qrow grumbled.
"That makes sense," Neo nodded, "Everyone in Traverse Town lost their homes, so they'd be depressed."
Ariel observed the group. Qrow and Ruby kept up their normal faces, but Winter continued to scowl at the fact she was shirtless.
"Right, Flounder?" Ariel asked as she looked over her shoulder.
"I don't know," the fish, now known as Flounder, noted, "There's something weird about them."
"Yeah, even with the tails, they stand out like sore thumbs," Harriet agreed.
Ruby chuckled nervously, "What do you mean?"
Ariel swam a circle around Ruby, "Hmm…They do seem…a little different. Where are you from?"
"Uh…" Ruby started as she tried to figure out what to say, "We're from kind of far away."
"Rubes," Yang sighed, "That wasn't good."
"I'd say this is a pretty hard world to keep it hidden though," Sun noted, "I don't think any of us would have an easier time with it."
He pointed at the still cowering Neptune, "Especially this one."
"And we're not really used to these waters," she continued as Flounder examined Qrow.
Ruby continued to chuckled nervously, hoping her bending of the truth caught.
"Oh, I see," Ariel nodded, "In that case… Sebastian can show you how we swim around here."
"What a naïve girl," Cinder scoffed, "No one should have believed that."
Sebastian, who had been in a staring match with Winter, jolted around.
"Ariel," he protested, "King Triton will not like this!"
"King?" Ozpin wondered.
Ariel rolled her eyes at the protest, "Oh, don't worry."
"Easy for you to say," Sebastian grumbled as Ariel swam out of the way, "Okay, it's time you learn to swim properly."
"Practice swimming with Flounder," Sebastian gestured, "Try to tag him."
After a few awkward attempts, Ruby finally got the hang of it.
"Well, now we should blend in better," Ruby smiled.
"But the fact that you had to be taught already should've caused suspicion," Velvet sighed.
"Good job," Sebastian praised, "Now let's move on to self-defense."
Pyrrha gasped, "I never thought about that! It must be very different to fight underwater."
"Everything would be slower," Yang agreed.
"It's not just that," Mercury noted, "Without anything to brace yourself on, you can't put all your weight behind your strikes."
"I suspect it would be similar to fighting in the air," Penny agreed, "You also have to worry more about momentum, as there is no good way to stop."
"Sebastian!" Ariel exclaimed. They all turned to see a swarm of jellyfish shaped Heartless heading their way.
The three natives swam past Ruby, "Class is over. Good luck!" Sebastian called out. Ariel swam down an adjacent path, while Flounder and Sebastian hid in the giant clam.
"Guess it's trial by fire," Tai noted.
Winter went wide-eyed, "That's another good point. Can Fire and Thunder magic even work down there? And Blizzard would move even slower."
"One of the good things about magic, Miss Schnee," Ozpin noted, "Is that unless magic of the opposite kind is used to counter it, it works everywhere."
Winter, Raven, and Cinder stored that knowledge for future use.
"And those are…?" Nora asked.
"Sorry," Gordeau shook his head, "I was distracted by the magic talk. Sea Neons."
The trio launched into action. Swinging her Keyblade was difficult underwater and without her legs to brace her, but thanks to some covering fire magic from Winter, she and Qrow both eventually got the hang of it.
"They don't seem very strong," Summer noted, "Like underwater Shadows."
"That's good," Qrow noted, "Cause me and the pipsqueak need all the help we can get."
After the Heartless were defeated, Ariel swam back.
"Wow! Nice job," she complimented.
"Not really," Ruby winced, "It was pretty sloppy."
"Nobody expected you to be good the first time in a new situation," Adam noted, "I'm sure you'll get better as this world progresses. You seem to be a fast learner."
Everyone was surprised at the compliment from Adam.
Ruby nodded and gave the clam a light smack. It opened up and the two inside swam out towards Ariel.
"Those creatures chased us here," she explained.
"Oh, no!" Sebastian gasped, "Those monsters might be heading for the palace too!"
"We'd better head back right away!" Ariel nodded.
"Back?" Roman wondered, "Does she live in the palace?"
"Is she another Princess of Heart?" Penny wondered out loud.
"But, wh-what if we run into more on our way back?" Flounder asked.
Ariel thought for a moment before turning to Ruby, "I'm sorry, but we need your help. Please come to the palace with us."
"Sure," Ruby nodded.
"That seems like the best place to gather information," Robyn noted.
"Right," Raven agreed, "We know Weiss and Pyrrha aren't here, and I doubt Blake is, so their only goal in this world should be to seal the Keyhole."
"Hey, you learned their names!" Qrow gasped.
"Of course," Raven rolled her eyes, "I may not have been around, but these are my daughters' friends and girlfriend. I'm sure I'll see more of them."
Qrow smirked, but didn't say anything.
"If the Heartless are involved, of course we'll help," Winter nodded.
"You've got it," Qrow nodded, "I'm Qrow, that's Winter and Ruby."
Ariel nodded, "It's nice to meet you all. I'm Ariel, now come on! I'll show you the way."
They swam off and blue letters waved on to the screen spelling out 'Atlantica.'
"I'm still amazed that there is an entire world under the sea!" Jaune stated in awe.
Gordeau couldn't help himself and burst out laughing, "Oh, if only you knew what you just said!"
They followed Ariel to a channel with a strong current in it. "Just let the current take you," Ariel called out, "The palace is that way."
"Glad they don't have to swim against that," Sun noted, "Seems like a pretty dangerous thing for a beginner to try and do."
Ariel swam in, but Ruby stopped Winter, "Hey, I picked up this orb inside Monstro, you know what it does?"
Winter went wide-eyed, "That's the Stop spell. It can freeze enemies in place for a short amount of time. It's pretty powerful, but stronger enemies can resist it."
"So like Marrow's semblance?" Clover asked.
"Not exactly," Gordeau shook his head, "Stop works even without pointing or eye contact. Theoretically, Winter could stop someone in place and then simply leave, or sneak up behind them. Stop is one of the most difficult spells to master though."
They swam until they reached a large open area surrounded by pillars. In the distance, a large palace was seen.
"Almost there," Ariel nodded, when suddenly a large group of Heartless appeared behind them. This one included not only the small Sea Neons, but what looked like green Soldiers with spears.
"Screwdivers," Gordeau pointed out.
Yang laughed at the word play.
The Screwdivers reared back and used the propeller on their backs to charge. Qrow blocked one and it sent him spinning, but he used the momentum to backhand the Heartless with his shield.
"Hey, there's an idea," Qrow noted.
"Using the enemy's momentum against them is an effective strategy," Penny noted.
Ruby attempted to fight, but didn't make much progress in figuring it out.
"But that doesn't work for me!" Ruby groaned.
"Swim for your lives!" Sebastian called out and swam towards the palace.
"We can take them!" Ruby exclaimed as she gritted her teeth.
Ruby deadpanned her onscreen self, "Please. We can barely hold our own right now! Just get out of there!"
"That was…" Weiss began, "Unexpected."
"Huh?" Ruby wondered.
"You're not one to back down," Weiss explained, "I'm not saying you're wrong, it was just not what I expected from you."
"There's too many!" Winter called out, "Make for the palace!"
Ruby huffed, but followed. They swam into the palace while the Heartless followed. Suddenly, a burst of lightning killed the pursuing Heartless.
Nora's eyes lit up and she smiled, really wanting to try out her semblance with the Thunder magic they had seen.
"That was too close," a voice called out.
Ariel smiled and swam towards it. The voice belonged to an older merman with grey hair and a beard. He wore a pronged crown, had an aqua tail, and carried a golden trident.
"King Triton, I presume," Ozpin guessed.
"As long as I have my trident," the man nodded, "I will not tolerate those creatures inside this palace."
"So he's going to lose the trident, right?" Blake noted.
Neo reached over and lightly smacked Blake on the back of the head, "I said no spoilers!"
"What about all the guessing we've been doing?" Yang countered.
"Guessing is fine," Neo shrugged, "But don't just tell me what's going to happen!"
"Daddy!" Ariel swam forward cheerfully.
"Oh, Ariel!" King Triton sighed in disappointment, "When will you listen? It's dangerous out there!"
Weiss and Winter winced as Triton started speaking.
"Well, she is a princess," Roman nodded.
"But maybe not a Princess of Heart," Raven pointed out, "We'll find out based on the intention of this worlds villain."
Ariel tried to protest, but given the circumstances she didn't really have an argument.
"Strange creatures lurk outside," Triton continued as he eyed the traveling party warily.
Ruby and Winter both lurched back in shock.
"Hey, they're not strange!" Nora countered.
"I think you're missing the point," Ren chuckled, "Think about what he just said."
Nora thought and gasped, "He knows! He knows about other worlds! How?"
"Well, you have to know these things when you're king, you know," Ozpin chuckled.
"Ahem," Sebastian cleared his throat, "Behold. You swim before the ruler of the seas: His Majesty, King Triton."
"And who are they?" Triton asked his steward.
"They helped us fight off the creatures," Ariel stepped in.
"Well, at least Ariel can vouch for them," Pyrrha noted.
"Yeah," Velvet nodded, "He has to listen to his daughter."
Weiss and Winter winced again.
"They don't look familiar," Triton mused.
"We're from an ocean very far away," Ruby lied.
"Yup," Qrow nodded as he pulled out his flask.
"Where the hell did you pull that from?" Roman wondered in shock.
"Trust me," Tai noted, "You don't want to know."
"We came to find the Keyhole," he finished with a drink.
"The what?" Triton recoiled in shock.
"He knows about the Keyholes too," Neo noted.
"He must be very powerful," Jinn noted, "Considering the Cheshire Cat and I are the only other ones who seem to know about them other than the villains."
"How did you know about the Cheshire Cat?" Oscar asked, "Weren't you in the lamp?"
Jinn shrugged, "Just because I'm inside doesn't mean I can't hear. How do you think I know when someone says my name?"
Everyone shrugged in acknowledgment.
"What's that?" Ariel asked.
"Well, it's a-," Qrow started.
"There's no such thing," Triton interrupted quickly, "Certainly not here."
"Why is he hiding it?" Robyn scowled, "If he told Ruby where it was, she'd just seal it."
"But he doesn't know that," Clover pointed out, "As far as he knows, they're just going to use it to destroy the world. Plus he doesn't know who could be listening."
"But he doesn't know who his allies are now," Robyn sighed and put her hand up, frustrated at both Triton and a certain general.
"But, Daddy…" Ariel protested.
Triton glared at his daughter, "Ariel, not another word! You are not to leave the palace. Is that clear?"
Weiss scowled, "He's beginning to remind me of Father."
"At least he seems to actually care about her safety," Winter noted, "Not just his legacy."
Ariel glared at her father defiantly before swimming off.
"Now that's a look I recognize from Weiss," Blake nodded.
"You did say she was defiance," Ilia noted.
Weiss looked at Blake quizzically, wondering what that meant.
Ruby gestured at Qrow and Winter and the three followed.
Once they were out of earshot, Triton sighed, "Perhaps I'm being too strict…" He rested his head on his hand.
Sebastian swam to face him as he continued, "I'm just concerned for her safety."
"If he knows about the Keyholes, he probably knows about the Princesses as well," Ren nodded.
"He's just trying to protect his very special daughter," Penny blushed, "He reminds me more of a stricter version of my father."
"Of course, Your Majesty," Sebastian agreed, "But I must admit, now I'm quite curious about this Keyhole."
Triton held up his hand to stop the crab, "That need not concern you, Sebastian."
Raven glared at Ozpin.
He straightened up before asking, "Have you anything to report?"
"Just as you suspected, Your Majesty," Sebastian replied, "They seem to be coming from Malachite's grotto."
"So it is the twin's mom," Neo noted, "Based off the world, she must be the octopus lady."
"Glad she's not here to see it," Roman shuddered, "Or her brother for that matter."
"I knew it," Triton scowled, "That sea witch is up to no good again."
"I see exile from the palace has taught her nothing," he sighed.
"She used to live in the palace?" Sun wondered, "Why?"
"Like Yuma," Gordeau explained, "She was an advisor to Triton. Unlike May's father, however, Triton saw through her ruse and exiled her before she could try and take power."
"Yes," Sebastian agreed, "She poses serious danger."
Triton suddenly realized something, "And I told you to keep Ariel away from such danger, did I not?"
"Not sure how good a crab is going to be at that," Nora chuckled.
"I dunno," Qrow shrugged, "A bird was pretty effective at keeping you kids safe."
"Yeah, but that bird can turn into a scythe wielding huntsman," Jaune noted.
"Your Majesty, please. I, uh…" Sebastian stuttered.
Outside the palace, Ariel swam away with a huff.
"Ariel, wait, slow down!" Ruby called out.
Ariel didn't stop until they were back in the gorge outside the palace. She turned to Ruby, "Come to my grotto. I want to show you something."
She pointed to a small cave nearby with a rock door, "There it is. See?"
Ruby nodded and they swam over to the grotto. It was a small circular room, but it was raised up many stories. It had rings of shelves carved into it, and each shelf was filled with things from other worlds.
"That's a lot of stuff," Mercury noted.
"And it doesn't all belong to that world," Emerald pointed out, "Looks like it's gathered from many different places."
"I had a collection like that," Penny noted, "When I was first built, I picked up anything I didn't understand and had Father explain it to me. I'd always keep it so I didn't forget."
"Look at all the wonderful things Flounder and I've collected," Ariel showed off.
In the wall was a small trident engraving.
"That looks important," Summer noted.
"I think it's all from the outside world!" Ariel exclaimed.
"Someday, I'm going to see what's out there," she said determined, "I want to see other worlds."
"So she's like Weiss and me!" Ruby smiled.
"Hopefully she doesn't use darkness to do it," Weiss grumbled.
"Does that sound strange?" She asked Ruby sheepishly.
"No. Not at all," Ruby responded, "I used to feel the same way."
"Oops," Ruby winced.
"Given the similarities, I don't think any of us blame you this time, Miss Rose," Lionheart chuckled.
"Used too?" Ariel asked, confused.
"I mean… I still do," Ruby corrected, quickly.
"Nice recovery," Yang complimented sarcastically.
"If we're going to do undercover missions, I think all three of you could use some work on that," Blake noted.
Yang shrugged, but didn't deny it.
"I can handle it," Weiss scoffed.
"If you can control the situation," Blake nodded, "But not if someone catches you off guard. Remember when we first met?"
"Point taken," Weiss nodded.
"Hey," Ariel snapped her fingers, "Why don't we try looking for that Keyhole you were talking about?"
"At least she's willing to help," Tai nodded.
"She's doing what's right, even if it's not what she was told to do," Weiss noted with a smirk.
"But your father said…" Ruby started.
"Oh, he treats me like a little girl," Ariel scowled, "He never wants to let me do anything."
"He just…" she sighed, "He just doesn't understand."
Weiss, Winter, and Penny sighed.
"In our case, I don't believe he will ever understand," Winter noted.
"He won't even try," Weiss agreed.
"I'm glad mine does," Penny blushed, "He may be a little overprotective, but I was awfully curious in the beginning."
Unseen and unheard by everyone except Emerald, Mercury growled a bit, "He never did."
Tai was happy he never encountered that with his daughters.
Ozpin glanced at his son. A thought suddenly came to his head. Why is Vert mad at me? He left on good terms, so what did I do?
Little did the group know, Sebastian was listening from the opening of the grotto.
"Okay then," Ruby nodded, "Let's go find the Keyhole!"
She started to swim away when a small piece of paper caught her eye. It was a missing page from Pooh's book. She quickly stuffed it into her seashells and swam off.
"Nature's pocket," Yang nodded, "It's really a convenient place to store things."
Pyrrha and Nora nodded.
"Especially since skirts don't have pockets!" Nora complained, "You'd think someone would've designed one that did by now, but no."
Weiss huffed, "Why do you think a jacket was part of my combat outfit for so long?"
"And I adopted it!" Nora beamed as she pulled up her jacket.
"Um," Oscar wondered, "How is that able to survive underwater?"
"Probably like the journal from the first one," Sun shrugged.
"But that was in a box inside a coffin," Pyrrha noted, "This is just out in the open."
"Pooh's book and Ansem's report were enchanted with magic to make them indestructible," Gordeau pointed out, "While they can be ripped from their respective covers, the pages themselves can never be destroyed."
As they swam out, two eels swam into the grotto from above. Watching through their eyes, a cauldron was shown with Ruby and Ariel in the middle of it.
"Since no one ever says their names," Gordeau noted, "Those are Flotsam and Jetsam."
"Ha!" the voice with the southern drawl from earlier called out, "Those fools will never find the Keyhole."
"There she is," Neo noted.
Cinder raised an eyebrow, "She seems a lot more sinister in this universe."
"But the girl could prove useful," she mused. Her hand was shown hovering above the cauldron. Her skin was toned purple and she had sharp, pointed nails.
"Why does she have purple skin?" Roman wondered, "She doesn't back home."
"She probably had to fit into this world," Velvet noted, "It makes sense in this context."
She conjured up an image of Ariel, "And I've got the Heartless on my side."
"So she's planning on using Ariel, but not capturing her," Raven observed, "Meaning she's not a Princess of Heart."
"But use her for what?" Summer wondered.
The angle changed again to a mass of black and purpled tentacles.
"Triton, my old friend…" she mused, "Your day is coming."
She laughed as her face was shown.
"So she's like Hades, then," Ilia noted, "She's more concerned with her own grudge than Maleficent's plan."
"So, where should we start looking for the Keyhole?" Ruby asked.
"Well," Ariel thought, "Why don't we try the old shipwreck?"
"Shipwreck?" Qrow asked.
"It is the bottom of the ocean," Harriet pointed out, "I'd expect to see a sunken ship down there somewhere."
"But, other than in Ariel's grotto, we haven't seen any evidence of them yet," Blake pointed out.
"Still a more sensible place then the middle of a jungle," Roman pointed out, "I haven't gotten a hinky feeling yet."
The people who hadn't heard him say that yet gave the thief weird looks while everyone else groaned.
"Uh-huh," Ariel nodded, "Boats used to frequent the area all the time. One sunk a long time ago right around here, c'mon."
Ariel led the way back to the current, "We just have to swim through that."
"I don't think we're strong enough swimmers for that yet," Winter noted, "We've improved significantly, but that might be too much."
"Then you'll just have to find another way," Robyn noted, "I'd hope that the famous Specialist Schnee would have a back up plan."
Winter scowled at the woman.
Ruby chuckled nervously as Winter scowled, "Is there another way through, Ariel?"
"No," Ariel wondered before catching on, "But, there's a dolphin nearby who will swim against it."
"She's both a bright girl and a naïve one at the same time," Ozpin noted.
"Great, so we just hitch a ride?" Qrow asked.
"It's not so simple," Ariel sighed, "He's scared of the Heartless."
"Well that's the simple part!" Yang scoffed.
"But only if Ruby can figure out how to fight underwater," Adam pointed out.
"Well that's the easy part," Ruby nodded, "We clear out the Heartless, and we've got a ride! C'mon!"
She swam off into the valley.
Two new Heartless appeared now. The first looked like a large Sea Neon, while the other was a large, blue fish with Screwdivers attached to its bottom side.
"The large Sea Neons are called Sheltering Zones," Gordeau noted, "While the fish is called an Aquatank."
"Bet it can take a lot of hits then," Mercury noted.
"What do you…" Jaune started before nodding in understanding, "Ah, video game tank, got it."
Ariel charged forward and flipped into the Sheltering Zone. Winter hit it with Thunder and it started shaking. It dissolved, but left behind four Sea Neons.
"Oh good," Harriet rolled her eyes, "Heartless that become more Heartless."
"Like they didn't have enough problems already," Clover agreed.
"Well, that's great," Winter huffed and began working.
Ruby had watched Ariel fight and she got an idea. She began swimming past enemies and using her momentum to slash, instead of planting her feet. She hit one of the Aquatanks. It shook and released the Screwdivers.
"Perfect, Ruby!" Penny cheered, "I use the same strategy when flying!"
"I'm just glad I figured it out," Ruby nodded.
Ruby was beginning to get the hang of things, when an Aquatank charged at her and took several bites out.
"Ouch," Roman winced, "Things taking bites of you always hurt."
Adam nodded silently.
Qrow swam over and took it out, before chuckling, "Still getting used to the fin, huh? Me too."
Winter rolled her eyes, "And what if Ariel had heard that?"
Qrow shrugged, "She's all the way across the battlefield fightin' with you. There's no way she heard that."
Eventually, the Heartless fell and the dolphin finally appeared.
"Here he is!" Ariel smiled, "C'mon!"
They grabbed on to the dolphin and it swam away. It dropped them off right at a large sunken ship.
"Alright," Ruby nodded, "Let's look for that Keyhole."
"I doubt the Keyhole is there," Blake pointed out.
"Why?" Tai wondered, "It could be anywhere in the world."
"I have a theory," Blake noted, "But I need a bit more information before I can voice it."
They searched the exterior of the ship and found only a small button on the wall. Unfortunately, all four of them were too big to reach it.
"Wait," Ren noted, "Couldn't Jiminy reach it?"
"We probably had to leave Jiminy on the ship," Ruby theorized, "He probably couldn't fit in in this world anyway."
"I see your point," Ren conceded.
"Well, I guess we could look inside the ship," Qrow suggested.
"Good idea," Ruby nodded and the group swam into the ship.
Unseen to them, a large black shape swam around after they entered.
"What was that?" Nora sat up quickly.
"Probably a Heartless," Mercury shrugged, "Nothing that exciting."
Nora shook her head, "The last time we got a reveal like that it was Cerberus and that was awesome!"
Blake and Adam shuddered.
Mercury thought and then nodded, "Good point."
The group entered and looked around. Suddenly, Winter saw a chest by the front of the ship.
"Over there!" she pointed and swam towards it.
"It is the first interesting thing they've seen here," Neo nodded, "I can see why she'd be excited."
"It's a chest," Winter rolled her eyes at her on screen self, "The Keyholes not in that."
Suddenly, a large shark broke the window and snapped at her.
The jumpy ones pulled back in shock, while Neptune actually screamed.
"Aw," Nora pouted, "It's just a shark."
"Just a shark!" Neptune protested, "This is why water is so dangerous! Do you people believe me now?!"
"Dude," Sun sighed, "We have to work on that."
Thankfully, it was too big to fit in the ship, but Winter still screamed and jumped (?) backwards.
Qrow chuckled, "Wasn't expecting to see that side of you, Ice Queen."
Winter rolled her eyes, but smirked at the playful jab.
"Well, that was exciting!" Ariel smiled.
"Exciting?" Winter asked incredulously.
Ren smiled, "Now she reminds me of Nora."
Nora nodded, "That is something I'd do."
Ruby ignored the banter and swam up to the chest. She opened it to reveal a small crystal trident.
"Hey, doesn't this look familiar?" Ruby asked.
"Yeah, it looks like the indent in Ariel's grotto," Qrow shrugged.
"I knew it was important," Summer nodded.
"But why?" Raven wondered, "What could it have to do with anything else?"
"Well, it may not be your Keyhole," Ariel noted as she swam up, "But it's a piece long missing from my collection! Thank you, Ruby!"
"Don't thank her yet," Winter sighed, "We still have to deal with that shark."
"I'd take a shark over Heartless any day," Emerald noted.
"As long as he's not as viscous as Sabor was," Ruby grumbled, "I can't believe that leopard was targeting me!"
"Okay, I think I have a plan," Ruby nodded, "Qrow and I will distract him. We're still not great at fighting und…" she glanced at Ariel and corrected herself, "I mean in these waters. Winter, you and Ariel hit it with your magic. We should be able to take it down quickly."
"I will keep saying it," Adam noted, "You have a great mind for strategy."
Blake wondered what Adam was trying to do.
The group nodded and swam out of the ship. The shark saw Winter, recognized her as the prey that got away and charged.
It was met by Qrow's shield as he blocked and then quickly swam away.
"Thank you, Qrow," Winter nodded, "I don't have a good way to block attacks here."
"Uh, yeah you do," Qrow raised an eyebrow, "The Aero spell, remember?"
"Oh, yes," Penny nodded, "It forms a shield around you!"
"Huh," Winter pondered, "Why haven't I used it yet?"
With the shark now focused on Qrow, Winter blasted it with Fira while Ariel threw vials of lightning magic at it. It quickly began to tire out and swam away.
"And that's that," Ruby nodded.
"Not much of an opponent," Roman shrugged, "But it is nice to get a break every now and again."
"C'mon," Ariel swam ahead, "Let's get this back to my grotto!"
They quickly made it back and Ariel put the crystal in the slot. As they waited for something to happen a voice came from behind them, "Ariel, you've disobeyed me again!"
Weiss and Winter winced yet again.
Suddenly, both felt unexpected contact.
Weiss looked down to see Ruby holding her hand.
"It's okay, Weiss," Ruby smiled, "You'll never have to go back to him."
Weiss blushed and smiled back before turning to the screen.
Winter felt a hand on her shoulder. Qrow had had Sun move to the other side of a petrified Neptune to sit behind her.
"It's alright, Ice Queen," he noted, "He's not here, and I'm your friend. I'll always be there for you."
"And he means that too," Tai added, "Even if you blame him for…something really bad."
Winter smiled at the man, then set her hand on top of his, "Thanks, Qrow."
"Anytime, Winter," he nodded.
Winter almost gasped. He used my name!
King Triton entered the grotto with an angry look in his eyes, "I told you not to leave the palace!"
He recoiled in shock when he saw the crystal in its slot.
"I assume that means the crystal is related to the Keyhole," Robyn pointed out.
"If it does," Blake noted, "I think my theory works."
His trident glowed as he raised it.
"Daddy, no!" Ariel called out, but it was no use. With a beam of electricity, King Triton destroyed the crystal.
"He destroyed the things she loves," Tai scowled, "No Father should do that."
Cinder glared at Triton. He was suddenly reminding her of a very specific person from her past. Subconsciously, she began scratching divots in her seat.
Ariel gasped as tears came to her eyes, "How could you…"
"This is extreme if it is all to keep her safe," Penny scowled, trying to imagine her Father destroying her own collection, "I know my Father would never do it."
"Ours would," both Schnee's sighed as they tightened their grips on the respective hands they were holding.
She swam off in distress. Triton's gaze followed her briefly before leveling on Ruby.
"Young lady," he began, "you're not from another ocean. You're from another world. Aren't you?"
"Huh?" Ruby, Qrow, and Winter all recoiled in shock.
"We'd already figured out that he knew," Pyrrha noted, "Why is he confronting Ruby about it?"
"Then you must be the key bearer," Triton reasoned.
"He knows about Keyblades too?" Summer wondered, "Then he should know what Ruby wants to do."
"He probably has his reasons," Clover noted, warily.
"They're probably stupid reasons," Raven rolled her eyes.
"How did you know?" Ruby asked, warily.
"You may fool Ariel," Triton glared, "But you can't fool me. You don't know your dorsal fin from your tail."
"Uh…" Ruby started, but Triton ignored her.
"I mean, he's not wrong," Ruby muttered.
Weiss leaned over to her, "You don't have a dorsal fin. If you did, it would be on your back. He's just proving his point."
"Ah," Ruby nodded.
"As the key bearer, you must already know…" Triton continued, "One must not meddle in the affairs of other worlds."
"Of course I know that," Ruby defended, "But…"
"You have violated this principle," Triton accused, "The key bearer shatters peace and brings ruin."
"I'm sure if Mr. Vasilias was in a state to answer," Lionheart stated, "He'd comment about Triton saying the same thing he's been saying since the beginning."
"But the key bearer doesn't bring ruin," Neo pointed out, "The Heartless do."
"But," Ilia noted, "What are the Heartless attracted to?"
"The heart of the key bearer," Robyn nodded.
"Like the relics," Oscar noted, "They hold great power, but also attract Grimm."
"So, in a roundabout way," Ozpin agreed, "Miss Rose does bring ruin, but in this instance, Triton is wrong. The Heartless were there before she showed up, so she can only help at this point."
"Aw, Ruby's not like that," Qrow countered.
"I thank you for saving my daughter," Triton admitted, "But there is no room in my ocean for you or your key."
He swam away, leaving the trio to ponder his words.
Ruby summoned the Keyblade and looked down at it, worriedly.
"We can't just stop," Ruby said, though her voice wavered just a bit, "The fate of every world is at stake."
"Right," Jaune noted, "But, it's obvious Triton doesn't want your help."
"The question is, do you leave this world now and assume it won't fall," Ren pondered, "Or do you stay and try to save it."
"No," Nora shook her head, "Ruby's saving everyone. If she leaves now, this world could be doomed!"
Elsewhere, Ariel found a quiet place and cried by herself.
Ruby leaned her head on Weiss's shoulder, as much for the ex-heiress' comfort as her own, as the scene looked familiar to the Rose girl too.
Weiss blushed harder.
At least, that is until Flotsam and Jetsam showed up.
"My, my, the poor child suffers such deep sorrow," Flotsam observed.
"What a pity," Jetsam agreed, "If only there were something we could do…"
Ilia narrowed her eyes at the pair, "They remind me of the Albain brothers."
"Those creeps?" Sun shuddered, "Yeah, they kinda do."
"Wait," Flotsam swam up to Ariel and looked at her face, "Maybe she can be of some help."
"Yes," Jetsam agreed, "Maybe she can be of some help to you."
"You knew people like this, Rainbow?" Neo asked.
"Yeah," Ilia scowled, "My old bosses in the White Fang. They talked like this too. Finishing each other's sentences and manipulating people how they wanted."
Neo hugged the girl, "I know all about being manipulated."
"Who're you talking about?" Ariel asked.
"Oh, she would surely help you," Flotsam observed.
"She'd make all your dreams come true," Jetsam agreed.
"They're really creepy," Velvet noted, "I hope we don't see much more of them."
"Considering who they're working for, I wouldn't count on it," Emerald pointed out.
"Malachite can help…" both eels said simultaneously before disappearing in a puff of ink.
Out of the ink, Lil' Miss Malachite appeared, "You called, sugar?"
Penny shook her head, "I hope Ariel knows better than to trust her."
"I don't think so," Weiss winced, "Emotionally, she's a wreck right now."
"And that already happened to me," Neo winced, "She'll probably do something stupid she'll regret very quickly."
Roman smiled at his daughter.
"You're Malachite?" Ariel asked, "I was just wondering if…"
"It's all right," Malachite nodded, "Helping others is what I live for."
"For the right price," Cinder scoffed, "And then she'll just sell you out anyway."
"Let me guess," she pondered for a moment as if she didn't already know what Ariel wanted, "You wish to see other worlds. That shouldn't be too hard."
She shrugged as she continued, "After all, your new friends came from another world."
"Not sure how Ariel's gonna take that information," Jaune said worriedly.
"Considering her state, not good," Tai noted.
"What?" Ariel's head shot up in wonder.
"But they had special help," Malachite noted, "That mysterious key."
Ariel sighed in defeat.
"No, we have the gummi ship," Qrow noted, "The Keyblade doesn't get us from world to world."
"I think Malachite is just trying to get her wound up," Winter pointed out, "If she wants Ariel to do something, she needs to think we can't take her with us. Otherwise, she'd just ask."
"Now, now," Malachite comforted, "Cheer up, sweetie. You have something special, too."
"Huh?" Ariel asked.
"Now listen carefully," Malachite leaned in and whispered something to Ariel.
"I just figured out what she wants," Blake noted.
"What is it, Princess?" Yang smirked.
Blake scowled, then looked behind her at Neo, "I don't think I should say…"
"Good," Neo nodded, "I think we'll see it in a minute anyway."
The screen cut back to Ruby as she sighed, "Now what do we do?"
"We should still look for that Keyhole," Winter pointed out.
"Don't think Triton's gonna be too happy about that," Qrow interjected.
"She's right though," Ruby nodded, "As long as it's unsealed the Heartless could destroy this world. Forget what Triton said, we need to find it."
Nora smiled, "Exactly! Ruby already had her world torn away. She doesn't want anyone else to lose their world too."
At that, Ren smiled at her, realizing why she felt so strongly about it.
The trio nodded and swam out of the grotto.
Elsewhere, Ariel swam into the palace. Malachite narrated while she did, "I think the Keyhole they seek is somewhere in the palace."
"If it was, Triton wouldn't have destroyed the crystal," Emerald pointed out, "But Ariel's too upset to see it."
"It is a nice manipulation tactic," Cinder nodded.
"Now, darling," she continued, "If you can take me there without your daddy knowing…"
Ariel turned around as Malachite slid into view.
"I can help you get to these other worlds you long for," Malachite's voice promised. On screen though, she was eyeing the trident that floated behind the throne.
"I was right," Blake nodded.
"She's after the trident?" Neo wondered, "Why?"
"We did see it take out Heartless in one attack," Robyn observed, "Maybe she wants the power?"
Back with Ruby, she got an idea, "We should check the palace. If Triton knows about it, he could be guarding the Keyhole so the Heartless can't get to it."
"Good idea," Qrow nodded, "Let's go."
"You guys seem to stumble into these situations a lot," Roman noted, "How in the world are you always in the right place at the right time?"
All three shrugged.
They approached the palace only to hear Malachite cackling in glee.
"The trident is mine at last!" she declared.
She turned to the throne where Ariel and a weakened King Triton watched helplessly. "And I couldn't have done it without your help, my dear," Malachite teased.
"Only because you tricked her," Harriet scowled, thinking about the Master of Masters.
"Malachite, no!" Ariel protested, "I didn't want this!"
"Why not?" Malachite asked, "Aren't you tired of following your dear daddy's orders?"
"Yes, but not like this," Weiss shook her head.
"Agreed," Winter noted, "Seeing this…I know I've had mixed feelings about it lately, but I don't want to see him dead. Brought to justice, sure, but not dead."
She thought for a moment before snapping her fingers, "Oh, yes. We had a deal, didn't we?"
"Time for a little journey," Malachite snickered, "to the dark world of the Heartless!"
Cinder's thoughts drifted back to the vision her host had shown them. Would Salem truly treat her like this after everything she'd done for her?
The question lingered on her mind, but she didn't voice it.
Flotsam swam by with an annoyed look on his face, "We cannot find the Keyhole."
"The Keyhole is not here," Jetsam agreed.
"So it is in Ariel's grotto," Pyrrha nodded, "So your theory, Blake?"
Blake nodded, "We know that the Keyholes lead to the hearts of the worlds. I think each Keyhole is in a place that could be considered the 'heart' of the world."
Ren thought for a moment then nodded, "I see. The plaza in Traverse Town, the Bizarre Room in Wonderland, and Roy's home in Deep Jungle."
Emerald raised an eyebrow, "But what about the Cave of Wonders in Agrabah?"
"Probably has something to do with me," Jinn noted, "I think the Cave became my home after a while of being there."
"And home is where the 'heart' is," Oscar nodded.
"I think they normally mean that the other way," Summer pointed out, "But I see your meaning."
"What?" Malachite asked in shock.
Right at that moment, Ruby and company entered the throne room.
"Why, we have company," Malachite noted as she turned around.
"I'm afraid you're a little late, cutie," she smirked as she held the trident aloft and disappeared in a puff of ink.
"Cutie?" Ruby blushed.
"That's just how she is," Neo shrugged, "She calls everybody 'cutie' or 'sugar.' She doesn't mean anything by it."
Ruby stopped short as she took in the scene. It really wasn't what she had expected to find.
"Daddy!" Ariel turned to her father worriedly.
"The trident…" Triton said weakly, "We must get it back."
"I'll say," Clover agreed, "If only losing it for that long made him that weak…"
Ruby nodded, "Come on, let's go!"
She turned and swam off, but was stopped by Ariel, "Wait, I'm going with you! My father is hurt and it's all my fault."
"I have to stop Malachite!" she declared.
Pyrrha sighed, "But she doesn't have to get herself killed to do it."
"Slightly different, Pyrrha," Jaune pointed out, "She's going with friends. And she's trying to fix her own mistake, not someone else's."
Ruby nodded. Suddenly, Sebastian swam into view, "That's right. I'm right behind you, Ariel," he declared.
"What's the crab gonna do?" Mercury rolled his eyes.
Yang smirked, "He can hit a button."
"The one nobody can get to," Blake nodded.
They nodded, but Triton had some last words of wisdom, "Malachite draws power from her cauldron. To defeat her, you must strike her cauldron with magic."
Ruby nodded, "Don't worry, Your Majesty. We'll stop her, and bring Ariel back safe." The group swam away.
"Looks like Winter and Ruby'll be the stars of this fight," Qrow noted.
"Hey, you'll get your moment," Winter reassured.
"And they promised to keep Ariel safe," Roman smirked, "I'd bet the Fish King'll be more willing to help next time."
As they swam, Ruby asked, "So how do we find Malachite?"
"King Triton sealed her grotto near the sunken ship," Sebastian noted.
"Got it," Ruby nodded and the group made their way.
As they reached it, Sebastian swam to the button the group had noticed earlier, "Here it is."
He swam into the gap and pushed the button. A large section of the wall pulled down to reveal a tunnel.
"Here we go," Ruby nodded and they swam forward.
"She's the first villain to have her own lair," Yang noted.
"Fighting her at home probably isn't the best option," Robyn pointed out, "But if she has the trident, I don't see a way to lure her out."
They made their way into the heart of Malachite's lair.
Winter was getting frustrated, "Come out! You can't run!"
"Your time has come!" Sebastian agreed.
Malachite floated out of her hiding place and shot the pair the meanest glare imaginable.
"That's an evil glare," Pyrrha noted, "It gives me the creeps."
Ozpin shook his head, "And yet, it's nothing compared to Salem."
They recoiled in shock as the battle began. Malachite through a potion into her cauldron and turned it red.
She began cackling with confidence as Flotsam and Jetsam approached the group.
"So they have to deal with her and the eels?" Jaune sighed, "This just keeps getting harder."
"But it looks like she's not going to use the trident," Ren pointed out, "That makes things easier."
"She's confident that she won't need it," Raven noted, before rubbing her stomach, "Something that will get her into trouble."
Adam smirked and growled at the same time.
"Okay," Ruby nodded, "Ariel, Qrow, focus on the eels. Winter and I will magic up the cauldron. Once Malachite gives you an opening you take it, got it?"
The group nodded and proceeded.
"At least I've got something to do," Qrow shrugged.
Ariel engaged Jetsam and the two went on a wild chase around the lair.
Qrow simply waited for Flotsam to attack and then blocked.
Winter and Ruby hit the cauldron with Blizzara spells.
Malachite decided to try and take them all down at once. She stuck her tentacles out and spun around the room like a propeller. It connected with Ariel, but she recovered quickly.
Penny raised an eyebrow, "I do already spin Floating Array, but that could be a useful technique to incorporate."
"She's using her natural assets to her advantage," Lionheart noted.
Malachite eventually stopped and threw another potion in the cauldron.
But, combined with Winter and Ruby's magic, made for an explosive combination. Malachite screamed and floated stunned.
"Now's our chance, hit her!" Ruby noted. The entire group wailed on her for a little while before she fell.
"That seemed too easy," Ilia pointed out.
"She won't underestimate them again," Velvet agreed, "Next time she'll go all out."
The eels also fell as she did and disappeared in one last puff of ink.
Malachite recoiled in shock.
"You'll pay for this!" she declared as she glared at Ruby.
She swam away, leaving the group behind. They searched the lair for the trident, but didn't find it anywhere.
"She still has it with her," Clover observed, "Just hope it's not as powerful as we think it is."
"They'll be fine," Nora predicted, "They've been able to handle everything else so far."
"Let's got," Ariel advised, "Malachite must still have the trident. We have to get it back!"
Ruby nodded and the group pursued.
They finally caught up to her and she began monologuing, "You pathetic fools! I rule the seas now!" She held the trident in her hand.
Roman smirked, "How many of these villains are gonna sound like Matchstick?"
Cinder scowled at the man.
A flash of magic came off the trident and the area rumbled, "The sea and all its spoils bow to my power!" she declared as her new form was revealed.
She was now big enough to fit the entire party in her mouth at once if she wanted.
"I think that thing is more powerful than we thought," Harriet stated with wide eyes.
"She's huge!" Ruby stated with wide-eyes.
"How are you gonna deal with that, sis?" Yang asked.
Which is actually what she tried to do. She began sucking in water to try and eat the party.
"Swim away," Ariel said with wide-eyes.
"That's a disturbing attack," Blake noted, "Couldn't she just use magic or something like that again?"
Roman shuddered again.
They fought against the current for a while. Winter turned to Ruby, "Any suggestions?"
"Just try to survive for the moment," Ruby suggested, "I'm working on it."
"I'll just stay back here then," Winter sighed, "Maybe magic will work here too."
"Let's hope," Winter agreed, "I don't want to get any closer to those jaws then I need to."
She cast Blizzara at Malachite, but it bounced right off.
"Okay, basically immune to magic," Ruby muttered.
"Great," Ruby rolled her eyes, "So physical attacks it is."
"But she's bigger than a Goliath!" Summer exclaimed, "Your weapons will probably just bounce right off!"
Mercury shrugged, "The bigger they are, the more that they bleed."
Right at that moment, Malachite stopped inhaling.
"Go, now!" Ruby ordered and the group charged in, "Ariel, you and I will keep her distracted. Qrow, Winter, get behind her and hit her with all you got!"
"You're gonna need something stronger than that," Jaune noted.
"Maybe she has a clearly labeled weak point," Ren suggested.
"This isn't a video game!" Weiss and Pyrrha protested.
"Yeah, and neither was the colossus," Qrow pointed out, "Yet, the kid found a very clearly labeled shield generator."
Ren nodded as Winter sighed, "We really need to not label those things."
"Not so fast!" Malachite declared. Suddenly, pillars of electricity began striking around the group.
"Okay," Ruby sighed she began to order, but was interrupted.
"Dodge 'em, we got it," Qrow nodded and they executed their plan.
"You guys are getting on the same wave length," Tai nodded.
"We're finding rhythm as a team," Winter agreed, "If we can keep it up, we truly will be able to take care of any enemy."
Ariel and Ruby were having a hard time keeping her distracted. Malachite reared back and shot bubbles of water out of her mouth, connecting hard with Ariel.
"Ariel!" Winter called out, but one of the lightning strikes hit her and sent her flying.
"I think you guy's need that extra push right about now," Nora noted.
"I have a thought," Adam noted, "But I don't think most of you would approve."
"No!" Ruby called out. Malachite started to inhale again. Ruby began to swim away when a nearby rock caught her eye. She swam over and launched it at Malachite.
Malachite inhaled the boulder and began choking. Her hand grasped her throat as she disappeared in a puff of ink, leaving only the trident, a report, and a Thunder orb behind.
"Or she could do exactly what I was thinking," Adam raised an eyebrow.
"That, didn't feel good," Ruby noted, "I get that we had to stop her, but there had to be a better way than that."
Harriet shrugged, "Sometimes you've gotta do what needs to be done, whether you like it or not."
Ariel grabbed the trident while Ruby grabbed the other two and the group wordlessly swam back to Triton.
Ariel handed the trident over, "Daddy, I'm so sorry."
Winter and Weiss tensed up, waiting for the rebuttal.
"Please don't be angry with her," Ruby pleaded.
"It's my fault," Triton sighed, "You followed Malachite because…I wouldn't let you follow your heart."
"He's apologizing," Penny smiled, "He realized he was wrong."
"And he's not your father," Ruby noted to Weiss.
"Thanks Ruby," Weiss smiled, "I think I'll be okay now."
Ruby nodded and let go of Weiss's hand.
Winter gave Qrow's a light squeeze. He let go and hopped back to his seat.
"And when you found that crystal," Triton explained, "I lost my temper and destroyed it."
"Oh, yeah, the crystal!" Qrow remembered, "Why did you destroy it?"
"That crystal held the power to reveal the Keyhole," Triton explained, "The Keyhole is dangerous. I had to keep you away from it at any cost."
"It's only dangerous if it's unsealed," Ilia rolled her eyes, "If you had let Ruby seal it, all would have been avoided."
Ozpin winced at the words.
"Daddy…" Ariel sighed.
"Key bearer," Triton turned to Ruby, "I have one more request: Seal the Keyhole."
Raven rolled her eyes, "Oh now he wants her to seal it."
"At least he realized it," Summer noted, "He could have continued to hide it from her."
"Good point," Raven conceded.
Ruby was shocked as Triton continued, "My trident also holds the power to reveal the Keyhole. Will you do it?"
"Of course," Ruby nodded, "That's what we had in mind from the start."
"But he didn't know that," Clover shook his head, "He was just protecting his world."
Robyn scowled and put her hand up again.
"Where is the Keyhole, Daddy?" Ariel asked.
"You should know better than anyone," Triton chuckled, "It's in your grotto."
"Really…" Qrow smirked, "Ruby, let's go."
"Oh, also," Triton reached down and an elixir, "Take this, key bearer. You may need it later."
"Another elixir," Ruby observed, "I wonder if I'll ever need to use them?"
"I'd guess we will," Qrow noted, "Otherwise why would we get them?"
"Thanks," Ruby nodded, "Let's go seal that Keyhole."
They reached the grotto shortly. Ariel held the trident up to the slot and it pulsed with power.
A stream of bubbles appeared and behind it a pane of glass with the Keyhole on it.
Ruby sealed it quickly and the click was heard.
"Another world sealed," Velvet nodded, "Can't complain about that."
"I wonder how many more we have to go before we find Maleficent again?" Winter wondered.
"Tell me, Ruby," Ariel asked as she watched the spectacle, "Your world, what's it like?"
"Oh, about that…" Ruby said sheepishly, "Sorry for lying to you."
"So that's two worlds now that know about the others," Ren noted, "They're not doing a great job of keeping them secret."
"Actually, I think it's three," Emerald noted, "Raven definitely wasn't a native to Olympus, but they just accepted that she was normal."
"Right," Blake nodded, "But Ruby's still doing fine. Olympus already knew, Jinn would've told Aladdin eventually, and Ariel suspected it already. Ruby's done nothing wrong in those regards."
Ariel giggled, "It's okay. Besides, if you can travel to other worlds, maybe I can, too."
She swam up to the hole in the roof of her grotto, "So many places I want to see, I know I'll get there someday."
"She is very curious," Penny smiled, "I still see a bit of myself in her."
"Quite a few of us did," Weiss agreed.
"I'll find a way somehow, I'm sure of it." she declared. Qrow smiled at the enthusiasm while Winter scowled.
A sigh was heard from the side of the grotto. They turned to see Sebastian, "Well, if you find it, do me a favor and leave me out of it."
Everyone chuckled at the crab.
Ruby chuckled at the crab, "Well, we better be going," she nodded, "There are more worlds that need saving."
"Okay," Ariel nodded, "But before you go, take this."
She handed Ruby a keychain with a blue seashell on it. It attached to the Keyblade and it turned the same color blue, with an orange crab where the teeth would be.
"Crabclaw," Gordeau noted.
"Got it!" Nora smiled.
"Come back soon, though and tell me all about the other worlds!" Ariel waved.
"Will do," Ruby nodded and the three teleported back to the ship.
AN: Hello again! Told you I'd be back for good this time!
Casting:
Ursula-Lil' Miss Malachite: Apart from them both having similar body types, both present themselves as people who are approachable, but would not hesitate to betray you for their own gain.
Everyone else stayed the same, so nothing else to talk about there.
Again, seating chart is staying away, unless changes are made or we add new people to the audience. Qrow and Sun went back to their own seats, so I don't need to post it now.
Reviews:
Mafia King: Thanks for the concern, and voicing it in a way that isn't just yelling at me. The whole KH1 arc should be done by my promised chapter 50 special.
Chronosign:...WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT?! That's great! I'm not going to change it, but I might use it later if he shows up again.
TURURU: I can definitely do that. And I'm already aware of your second point. If you go back, only one character has insisted in his own head that she has a thing for Cinder, so I do have a plan for that.
A one other point really quickly:
1. I don't hate Ozpin. I've said it before, I'll say it again. BUT, in story it's been a whopping 2 days since the end of volume 6. It took everyone at least a few months to begin to even start to trust Oz again, so while I don't hate him, the characters still do. Also, Gordeau is mad at him for a very specific reason. We'll get to that eventually, but I have to keep you in the dark for now.
See you next time!