In Loving Memory of my friend Hylian's father, who passed from Covid on December 27, 2020 and YouTuber Draco Lord Nick 67's father, who passed away on November 29, 2020. This story is dedicated to them both.

Previously on RWBY

"Oh, Roman. Have a little faith. You'll know what you need when you need to know."

"Ozpin!"

"General."

"Please, drop the formalities. It's been too long, my friend."

"You didn't bring the girl with you?"

"Regrettably, no. She caught quite a horrible cold and had to remain behind. But don't worry. Winter's ensuring she's getting the best care Atlas can provide."

"Are you exchange students?"

"Visiting from Haven, actually."

"Oh! You're here for the festival! Exchange students have their own dorms, though. I think it's just east of here."

"Thanks. Maybe we'll see you around."

"Yeah, maybe. Oh, and welcome to Beacon!"

"Ruby, I'm not a real girl."

"Penny, I don't understand."

"I'm the world's first synthetic person capable of generating an aura. I'm not real."

"Of course you are. Just because you have nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts doesn't make you any less real than me."

"Ladies, Ice Queen, always a pleasure. Neo, if you would."

"Well, done, Ms. Nikos. You should have no problem qualifying for the tournament."

"Summer wasn't the first love he'd lost…she was the second. The first...was my mother. All Dad told me was that they'd been on a team with Summer and Qrow and that she'd left me with him shortly after I was born."

"Why would she leave you?"

"That question: why? It was all I thought about. One day, I found a clue that might lead me to her. So, I waited until Dad left, put Ruby in a wagon, and headed out. I must've walked for hours. And then I saw them...those burning red eyes. We might as well have been served up on a silver platter. But, as luck would have it, our uncle showed up just in time."

"Yang, I'm sorry that happened and I understand what you're trying to tell me..."

"There's more, Blake. When Qrow brought us home, Dad let something slip. Something not even Qrow knew about. Turns out Dad doesn't have two daughters...he has three daughters. Her name is Linnea Branwen. She turned sixteen this March, was raised primarily by our mother, and has been attending combat school in Atlas since she was thirteen. We always saw her in between semesters and she was always happy to see us...but I can't help but feel like she's hiding something from us."

"I guess...you're the kind of guy I wish I was here with. Someone who sees me for me."

"Should we be worried?"

"Hardly. They'll be scratching their heads long after we finish what we came here for."

"Yang Xiao Long, allow me to introduce Durian Amaranth, son of Atlas Councilman Grullo Amaranth. He's one of the few people back home I've been able to call a friend before coming here."

"A Huntsman and a future councilman? Must be my lucky day."

"May I have the next dance, Miss Xiao Long?"

"Only if you take me out to dinner later. And Yang. Just call me Yang."

"Very well, Yang. If it's alright with you, may I take you out for dinner next Friday?"

"Sounds great."

"Miss Rose, your sister, Miss Branwen, has a very dangerous ability. One that may very well lead to a premature death if it is discovered."

"What is it? Maybe we can help protect Nea if we knew."

"Telling you would put a target on your back. I can't risk your father losing all of his children in one fell swoop. Neither he nor your uncle would ever forgive me."

"I remember her saying something about a hideout somewhere. In the southeast. Just outside the kingdom."

"Miss Rose, please try and be discreet about this matter. Especially in regards to your sister. Walls have stronger ears than you realize."

"ZWEI!"

"As I have said, today we stand together. United. But this land cannot exist without effort. Which is why today, while the rest of the world celebrates peace, Huntsmen and Huntresses will work to uphold it."

"Hello, girls! Who's ready to fight for their lives?!"

"Why did you want to become a Huntsman?"

"Look around. I see lives that could've been saved. As a Huntsman, it is my job to protect the people. And although I am capable of doing so with traditional weaponry, I believe I can make a much larger impact if I do it with my mind."

"I've trusted him for years. We both have. I just...I can't help but feel that he's keeping us in the dark."

"I'm fully aware of what my father's done to the Schnee Dust Company. Since he took control, our business has operated in a...morally gray area."

"That's putting it lightly."

"Which is why I feel the need to make things right. My father was not the start of our name and I refuse to let him be the end of it."

"I had a partner named Adam. More of a mentor, actually. He always assured me that what we were doing would make the world a better place. But, of course, his idea of a perfect future turned out to be...not perfect for everyone."

"At least you two have something that drives you. I've just always...gone with the flow, you know? That's fine. I mean, that's who I am. But how long can I really do that for? I wanna be a Huntress not because I wanna be a hero. I want the adventure. I want a life where I don't know what tomorrow will bring. And that'll be a good thing."

"Look where we are. In the middle of a war zone armed to the teeth."

"It's the life we chose."

"It's a job. We all had this romanticized version of being a Huntress in our heads. But, at the end of the day, it's a job to protect the people. And whatever we want will have to come second."

"The boss is gonna love this."

"Grab your weapons. Your leader may be in trouble."

"Doc, what are you saying?"

"My dear, we're not just looking for an underground crime network. We're looking for an UNDERGROUND crime network!"

"Attach this car and spread the word. We're starting the train."

"So, what do we do?"

"We're stopping that train!"

"Professor Oobleck."

"Doctor!"

"What is that?"

"That appears to be a bomb."

"THEY ALL HAVE BOMBS!"

"He's leading Grimm to the city!"

"What?!"

"It's the cars! They detach and explode, creating openings for the Grimm!"

"You don't think…?"

"Sure looks like it."

"That's still days away!"

"Well, what do we do?"

"You just destroyed my favorite clothing store. Prepare to die."

"So, what now?"

"I'd suggest training for the tournament, but I think we have that covered at this point."

"The Vytal Tournament cannot be broadcast, let alone held, until we are able to ensure the safety of the citizens! Therefore, we have reached out to the Atlas Council and, together, have decided that the best option is to appoint General Ironwood as head of security for the event."

"Thank you, Councilman. Our kingdom is happy to lend as many troops as it takes to ensure this event runs as smoothly and as safely as possible."

"I'm going to give you one chance. Who's really behind all this?"

"Isn't it obvious? You're looking at him."

"Very well, then."

"Do you think the White Fang will still listen to us?"

"No. But they will listen to me."

"'Watch out for your sisters. Danger is coming. Beacon will fall.' What does that even mean?"

Sunday November 24, 2013

A gorgeous sunset illuminated the early evening sky on the island of Patch on this particular late fall day. The trees were given an orange highlight to their branches and leaves, as well as the grass and rocks that surrounded a freshly turned sixteen-year-old Ruby Rose. She had returned to Patch to celebrate her birthday belatedly with her sister and father since the semester ended the previous week, but was now about to depart for Beacon once again. Naturally, she couldn't leave home without a visit to her mother, Summer Rose's, grave, where the teenager now stood praying as the wind swirled her hooded cape around her. Once she was done, Ruby pulled her hood down and began to speak to the gravestone as if her mother was actually there, crossing her arms behind her back rather nervously as she did.

"Hey, Mom," she began, her tone slightly melancholy but still quite cheery, "Sorry that I haven't visited in a while. Things have been...well, it's been a little busy."

Something struck her consciousness, causing her to lightly jump up with joy, "Oh yeah! Dad's here, too! He's, you know,...Dad. He's still teaching at Signal, but he told me he's going to be going on some missions real soon! I think he misses adventuring with you."

Tears began to form in Ruby's eyes as she added, "I miss you, too."

Wiping her tears away, Ruby then jumped once again and resumed, "Oh, yeah! I've got some great news! Nea's finally going to be coming to Beacon! She had a nasty cold a couple months ago and she just recently recovered from it. Dad says her health's never been that great since she was born. But Nea's always been a fighter, or so he says. I've only ever seen her in between semesters at Signal since she started going to Atlas, but General Ironwood's allowing her to come to Vale early for the Vytal Festival! That means Yang and I get to spend two whole months with our sister instead of just one this winter!"

Ruby's expression sombered once again, "I don't know if you ever met her before you left, but I know you'd love her as much as you loved Yang and I. Nea's such a kind person, but also very perceptive. She...really understands how much your disappearance affected us and tries to help us in any way possible. From how she talks, it's really affected her too. I guess she was told about you when she was little, because she's always called you "Aunt Summer". Don't worry, I'll be sure to bring her here while she's visiting! I'm sure she'd love to see you again. And I know you'd love to see her, too."

The wind continued to blow as Ruby struggled to come up with a topic to discuss, rocking back and forth on her heels.

"I haven't gotten kicked out of Beacon yet," she finally quipped after a few seconds, "So, that's cool. I think being on a team with Yang really helps. I can keep her in line."

Awkwardness briefly returned as Ruby continued, "That was a joke. Yang's actually a really great fighter! You can tell she's learned a lot from Dad. Nea has too, a little bit. I'm not sure who trained her, actually. Maybe it was her friend, Ella Brandeis."

Leaning in, Ruby whispered, "Between you and me, I think they like each other in that way. But Ella's eight years older than Nea, so that complicates things a bit. Meh, who knows?"

Ruby leaned back as she pressed on, "Weiss and Blake are pretty good, too. Oh! They're my teammates. And, together with Yang, we make Team RWBY! And yes, before you ask, that does cause a lot of confusion. Uh, I've made a lot of new friends and I've met some...um...let's just call them odd teachers. We've also fought some bad guys too! I guess it's like they say...like mother, like daughter."

Once again rocking on her heels, Ruby then pondered something to her mother, "I still wonder why Ozpin let me into the school early. And why he has such an interest in Nea. But, I guess he'll tell me one day. You know how he is. It's funny, because the more I get to know him, the more he starts sounding like Uncle Qrow."

Zwei barking diverted Ruby's attention behind her, where Taiyang Xiao Long was waiting for her with a smile with their faithful corgi. Ruby knew that she had to wrap up the visit, so she said a quick goodbye to her mother.

"Looks like Dad's back!" she said, "I gotta go! He's dropping me off at Beacon for the tournament match before he goes on his mission! Wish me luck!"

Pulling her hood up once again, Ruby ran a couple of steps towards her father before stopping and turning back towards her mother's grave.

"It was really good to talk to you, Mom."

Ruby then ran back to Taiyang and Zwei, who walked with her back towards their home, a flock of birds flying into the sunset. She and Yang had to gather their things and return to their school, for the Vytal Festival Tournament was about to start the following day. And what a tournament it was going to be.

Two Days Later

Hundreds of people cheered as Team RWBY and Team ABRN of Mistral's Haven Academy duked it out on an ice-themed biome and a lava-themed biome, airships dropping off spectators between Amity's two floors as the magnificent structure hovered over Beacon Academy. In the announcer's box, Professor Peter Port and Doctor Bartholomew Oobleck watched in awe at the spectacle below them, commentating every once in a while as the battle progressed.

"Hello, everyone!" Port greeted, "It seems we have yet another astonishing bout ahead of us! Wouldn't you agree, Professor?"

"Doctor!" Oobleck corrected, slightly irritated, but quickly cheered up as he replied, "And yes, Peter, I think it's safe to say that this match may be the closest we've seen in the four-on-four round of the tournament!"

"For those of you just now joining us, welcome to the Vytal Festival Tournament, broadcast live from Amity Colosseum! If this is your first time watching, allow us to break down the rules for you."

"The tournament is divided into three separate rounds:," Oobleck explained, holding up three fingers, then four, two, and one as he continued his explanation, "teams, doubles, and singles. Age and school year are irrelevant! In this tournament, your only attribute being tested...is skill."

"Correct! The winners of this match will elect two of their members to represent them in the doubles round, followed by the winners of that round one member to advance once again. The remaining contestants will then fight their way through the final bracket with the hope of achieving victory for their kingdom!"

Pushing his glasses up, Oobleck concurred, "Yes, Peter, these are certainly some spectacular spectacles on which to spectate on! I don't think anyone tuning in around the world is going to disagree with me on that!"

In an Atlas Academy dorm, sixteen-year-old Linnea Branwen sat on a lower bunk, watching the Vytal Tournament broadcast from her Scroll. Her bright magenta eyes beamed with pride as she watched her two sisters and their teammates fight through their match, a smile continuously gracing her features. A duffle bag was situated to her right, her clothes and other necessities long since packed for her trip to Beacon Academy to reunite with her siblings and father.

Linnea herself was quite a beautiful young woman and the perfect blend of Taiyang Xiao Long and Raven Branwen's genetics. While she inherited her father's slim face and had a similar eye shape to him, her hair was a chocolate brown color and was slightly wavy like her mother's. One couldn't tell at the moment because of her hair being in a braided bun on the back of her head. Her bangs were a near replica of her father's, which made maintaining them quite easy for Linnea. Being a Branwen, she gained the alabaster skin of her mother and uncle and their slim figures, which Linnea showed off with her signature black sleeveless vest with a sheer ruffled skirt over a teal crop top. In many ways, her style was similar to Yang's, but Linnea could always be counted upon to wear her black thigh high boots over a pair of jeans whenever she wasn't in her school uniform. Black lace-up fingerless gloves and a brown belt on her hips helped bring her look together, but the latter also served as holsters for the daggers she used as her weapon of choice. Yes, Linnea Branwen was a deadly beauty, indeed.

As she continued to watch the match, a knock was heard at her door, temporarily breaking her attention away from her sisters. Glancing up, she called out to the person on the other side of the door.

"Come in!" she said, watching as the door opened to reveal her long-time friend, Ella Brandeis. The twenty-four-year-old Huntress-turned-bodyguard stepped into the room, the door sliding shut behind her and a Scroll tablet in her hand.

Ella was also quite a beautiful woman and had many qualities that Atlesians strived to perfect: refinement, elegance, and impeccable manners. However, Ms. Brandeis could be stern whenever she needed to be and tended to keep this serious side of her front and center at all times. Her dedication to her occupation could be shown in her appearance: clear porcelain skin that always looked refreshed and moisturized, electric blue eyes that could bring a slight hint of fear into anyone who happened to cross them, platinum blonde hair placed perfectly on the nape of her neck in a chignon, a navy blue two-piece suit with a white dress shirt underneath the blazer, and black ankle-strap flats. Her own weapons, two tanto blades, were hidden expertly on her hip in holsters via a belt in case danger should arise or should she need to defend the Amaranth family from harm. And yet, despite all the harshness, she had quite the gentle heart and only showed this to those she loved dearly and trusted with her life. Linnea was one of the few who held this distinct honor.

"Winter wanted me to see if you were ready," Ella explained, glancing at her Scroll to check the time.

"I've been ready," Linnea answered, "Can I finish watching my sisters' match first?"

Ella knew Linnea would probably complain the entire ride to Beacon if she missed the ending to her sisters' fight, so she caved with a sigh and said, "Move your bag, please. I want to see them."

Placing her bag on the floor and scooching over to the right, Linnea smiled as Ella sat next to her, the two leaning in and watching as Team RWBY fought hard against Team ABRN. Weiss had just saved Ruby from being attacked by one of ABRN's members, which Ruby cheerfully replied to.

"My BFF!" Ruby said to Weiss.

"No." Weiss deadpanned, then went off to find another opponent to take out.

"Yes!" Ruby whispered, earning laughs from Ella and Linnea.

"I take it that was Ruby?" Ella correctly assumed.

"Yep," Linnea confirmed, "The blonde one is Yang."

Ella watched as Yang fought Arslan Altan for a couple of minutes before commenting, "How in the name of the Gods does she fight with that gigantic bust of hers?"

"Hidden talent, I guess. She sure didn't inherit that from Mom...I hope."

"Well, I don't really want to keep Winter waiting, so you can finish watching on our way to the docks. And don't worry, I'll grab your arm if you almost fall off the bridge again."

As Linnea shrugged her bag over her shoulder, she retorted, "It was only that one time and I had classwork to do!"

"Just be thankful Clover caught you in time," Ella quipped as she and Linnea exited the dorm and began their journey to the docks.

"You and Winter are both mother hens, you know that, right?"

"Perhaps, but we need to be when it comes to you."

"Ha ha. Very funny, El."

"Nea, hurry up!" a deep voice called out just ahead of them, "You're already late enough as it is!"

Linnea groaned and muttered, "It's almost like he knows when we're talking about him. I blame that Semblance of his."

Ella simply chuckled a little bit and let a rare smile grace her features as Linnea called back, "Coming, Clover!"

"WE DID IT!" Ruby cried out, jumping up in happiness at their victory over Team ABRN before dropping down and moaning, "Is anyone else starving?"

"I may have worked up an appetite," Blake commented before her stomach growled to confirm her statement, much to the Faunus' embarrassment.

"Gee, if only there were somewhere on campus to get food around here," Weiss sarcastically commented, referring to the fairgrounds the girls were currently at, "Oh, wait."

"Don't worry, Weiss," Ruby tried to console, "I forget about the fairgrounds too."

"I was being facetious!"

"Well, if you were hungry, why didn't you just say so?!"

"Come on! I know just the place!" Yang exclaimed before her Scroll suddenly started ringing. Picking it up, she recognized the number and answered, "Hey, Nea! Did you see the fight? Awesome! When are you…?"

A few seconds of silence passed before Yang replied slightly upset, "Oh, okay. Yeah, I understand. Stuff happens. Don't worry about it. We'll see you tomorrow. Okay. Love you, sis! Bye."

When she hung up, Ruby inquired, "Nea's not coming?"

"She'll be here tomorrow," Yang reassured, "Apparently, the ship wasn't quite ready so they had to delay leaving by at least six to twelve hours. Nea's pretty bummed about it."

"Poor Linnea," Blake commented, "I was hoping we could treat her to dinner tonight."

"We can do that tomorrow," Weiss comforted Blake.

"Yeah!" Yang agreed, "For now, let's go get some lunch!"

As the group followed Yang, Weiss' Scroll began to ring, the caller being her father. Annoyed at him trying to call her, Weiss ignored the call and placed her Scroll back in her pouch, ready to indulge in a well deserved meal.

"Might be a bit hard to eat without this!" A voice called out, holding Ruby's wallet as the girl in question hunted for it, "Good to see you Ruby!"

The voice was revealed to be none other than Emerald Sustrai, who handed Ruby's wallet back to her. Ruby replied, "Thanks, Emerald! I guess I must've dropped it somewhere. Girl pockets are the worst!"

"What's up, Em?" Yang asked.

"Just left the stadium after your amazing fight!" Emerald gushed, "You guys were awesome!"

"Aw, shut your stupid little face," Ruby muttered, completely embarrassed by the praise she and her teammates were receiving.

"I heard your team progressed to the next round too," Blake said.

"You know, I feel like we haven't seen your other teammates," Weiss mentioned.

"How'd they do?" Yang questioned.

As Emerald recalled how her team moved on to the next round, including one of their opponents seeing one of her teammate's eyes change from green to pink and brown, she answered, "Really well."

"That's great!" Ruby cried out, "Why don't we all go and get some victory food together?"

"Wow, that's so nice of you," Emerald responded, "but my teammates are all a little..."

Everyone turned and glanced at Mercury Black, who was currently sniffing a leather cowboy boot, before returning their attention back to Emerald.

"...Make that really socially awkward," Emerald concluded.

Yang nodded and agreed, "Yeah, I can see that."

"Oh yeah! It looks like Mercury and I are moving on to the doubles round. What about you guys?"

"Well, as leader of this team, I thought long and hard about this decision," Ruby said, only to be interrupted by Weiss.

"It was put to a vote," Weiss deadpanned yet again.

"Yes, so I decided it should be put to a vote!"

"We voted for Weiss and Yang," Blake finished before Ruby had a chance to.

"I'm honored to be representing Team RWBY," Weiss said, curtsying as she did.

Pounding her fists together, Yang agreed, "Yeah! We're gonna kick some butt!"

Emerald laughed and replied, "Well, if Mercury and I see you down the line, don't think we'll go easy on you."

"Wouldn't have it any other way."

"Alright, well, we're gonna catch some more fights."

"Have fun!" Ruby cheered as she and her teammates resumed their mission to grab some lunch.

"Catch you later!"

Emerald scowled as she was finally able to drop the friendly act, joining Mercury as they walked in the opposite direction. Mercury let his signature smirk show as he conversed with Emerald.

"So, how are the new "friends"?" he inquired.

"I hate them," Emerald seethed.

"Orders are orders."

"It's just...how can they be so happy all the time?!"

"Did you at least get what we needed?"

"The heiress and the bimbo."

Mercury hummed to himself and commented, "At least now we know who we're working with."

At a small ramen shop within the fairgrounds, Team RWBY sat at one of the three counters, the Shopkeep ready to take their orders. Yang decided to start off the ordering process for her team.

"I'll have a bowl of the regular, please," she requested, a gigantic bowl of ramen being shoved in front of her seconds later.

"Ooh," Ruby awed, "I'll take the same."

Yet another bowl of ramen was served in front of Ruby.

"Do you have a low-salt…?" Weiss tried to ask before a bowl of regular noodles was thrust her way instead, "Okay…"

Blake had to do nothing but nod to the Shopkeep, who nodded back and disappeared into the kitchen for a few seconds before returning with a bowl of ramen topped with a bountiful amount of fish. The sight alone made Blake's eyes light up and drool to start dripping from the side of her mouth. Weiss could only glance at her teammate with slight concern before handing her credit card to the Shopkeep.

"Aw, what's the occasion, Weiss?" Yang asked, touched by the gesture.

"Consider it a thank you for letting me move on to the doubles round," Weiss answered.

The joy was short-lived, however, was Weiss' card was thrown back at her, confusion evident on the heiress' face. Pointing at the register, the shopkeep revealed that her card had, for some unknown reason, been declined. Everyone's moods dropped in an instant. So much for lunch.

"How could my card be declined?!" Weiss demanded to herself, "I was barely into my monthly allowance."

Upon realizing the severity of the situation, Blake tried to bring the bowl of fish-covered ramen closer to her, only for the shopkeep to take it away seconds later. Blake cried out and slumped over the counter, everyone looking at her with sympathetic glances.

"Maybe I can help?" the familiar voice of Pyrrha Nikos inquired, she and the rest of Team JNPR approaching the stand.

"Pyrrha!" Ruby exclaimed.

"Aw, you don't have to," Yang replied back.

"But she could!" Blake cried out in desperation.

"Well, I think you all earned it after that battle," Pyrrha acquasied.

"Mind if we join you?" Jaune asked.

Several minutes later, eight empty bowls were now in front of the Huntsmen and Huntresses in training, all either satisfied from their meals or ready to puke. The shopkeep was quick to gather all the bowls and take them back to the kitchen to be cleaned, leaving the students alone to converse amongst themselves.

"Do you think it's wise to have eaten right before a fight?" Lie Ren questioned, his elbow propped on the counter and his head on his hand.

"Of course!" Pyrrha reassured, "It will give us energy."

Nora seemed to confirm this statement with a large and very unladylike belch from her bowels of her diaphragm. Jaune moaned and let his head drop onto the counter.

"If I barf, I'm blaming you," he groaned to Pyrrha.

"Ooh, aim it at the enemy!" Nora encouraged.

"Nora, that's disgusting," Ren lightly scolded, but quickly changed his mind and said to Jaune, "But if you feel the urge..."

Jaune gave a weak thumbs up to his teammate and muttered, "Got it."

Standing up, Pyrrha said, "Well, we should be off."

"You guys think you're ready?" Ruby asked.

"Of course!" Nora replied, "We've got a world-renown fighter on our team, one's basically a ninja, I can bench five of myself, Jaune, we trained all year, our weapons are awesome, Glynda barely yells at us anymore, and...Jaune!"

Leaning to glance at his teammate, Ren said, "Are you gonna take that?"

"She's not wrong," Jaune replied, not even trying to prove Nora wrong.

"I'm kidding," Nora said, "He knows I'm kidding. Don't be so nervous! The worst that could happen is that lose, then it's just a few more years of school with everyone knowing we're failures, our friends will slowly abandon us to preserve their social status, we won't be able to show our faces in class, no one will sit with us in the cafeteria, Ren and I have no parents and no home left to go to, we'll be officially renamed Team Lose-iper!"

Nora laughed before banging her head on the counter and sobbing, everyone glancing at her with slight confusion.

"So yeah, we're feeling pretty good right now," Ren confirmed.

Placing a hand on Nora and Jaune's backs, Pyrrha said, "Oh, don't fret. If anything, we should be looking forward to a fight with actual guidelines and not, well, murderers."

"Yeah, don't sweat it!" Yang agreed, "We've all faced way worse before."

"Let's see," Blake added, counting the points on her fingers, "Grimm invasions, violent extremists, a destructive sociopath…"

"And that's all while we're still in training!" Ruby exclaimed excitedly, "Oh, imagine what it'll be like when we graduate!"

"Maybe then I'll be able to pay for a meal," Weiss muttered to herself sarcastically.

The intercom then turned on and Professor Port called out, "Would Team JNPR please report to the battlegrounds immediately!"

"Yes, as they were scheduled to do several minutes ago!" Oobleck added, clearly irritated.

"Well, looks like this is it," Pyrrha said as she and her teammates started their trek back towards Amity Arena. Poor Jaune had to hold his stomach just to fight from throwing up his lunch and Nora was still slightly down, but that wouldn't last too long.

Ruby smiled and called out, "Go get 'em!"

At Amity Colosseum, the crowds were cheering as Team RWBY headed into the colosseum, Emerald and Mercury trailing behind them. While Team RWBY went right at the end of their entrance, the latter went left, blissfully unaware that Yang had turned to look back at them.

"When I talked to Nea about them last week, she immediately found them untrustworthy," Yang commented to herself, "I guess being raised by Raven had its perks after all. Hope Nea won't mind keeping an eye on them once she gets here."

While Team RWBY took their seats, Teams JNPR and BRNZ of Shade Academy took to the now biome-less stage, ready for their match to start. Emerald and Mercury were on the front row, Mercury chowing down on a rather large tub of popcorn.

"I wonder who's gonna win," Mercury pondered, his mouth full of the aforementioned popcorn.

Emerald scoffed and replied, "Like we don't already know."

Cinder Fall then appeared behind them, now clad in an orange vest over sarashi bandages that covered her chest and hips, olive green jeans, a pauldron on her left shoulder, brown ankle boot with a gray toe, and brown fingerless gloves. She took an unpopped kernel from Mercury's tub and spoke to her teammates and subordinates.

"Now, now," she cooed, "Even if you already know how the story ends, that doesn't make it any less fun to watch."

Using her Semblance to cook the kernel until it popped, Cinder sat behind them and ate her piece of popcorn, ready to watch the spectacle with Emerald and Mercury. The trio shared malicious smirks on their faces as Port began the match.

"Team JNPR of Beacon Academy vs. Team BRNZ of Shade Academy!" Port cried out to the crowd, the biome roulette starting seconds later.

For about ten seconds or so, the roulette continued before landing on the Forest biome and the Mountain biome. Moments later, the arena changed to the appropriate settings, the combatants taking their battle stances. As Ruby whooped in excitement, Port made the countdown everyone had been waiting for.

"Three. Two. One. BEGIN!"

Original Version posted on January 16, 2021

Hello, everyone! After almost three years of development hell, the first volume of my RWBY rewrites is finally here! In this series, I'll be including as many deleted scenes/concepts from each volume as I possibly can back into the story. It'll be a hard labor of love, but it's a task I want to take on.

A special thank you to Monty Oum for creating this series and Rooster Teeth for bringing it to life. While my tenure as a fan of the show came to an end with Volume 8, I'll always love this show and how much it's helped me through the past few years. RWBY is something truly irreplaceable to me.

Also, I'll be sprinkling some easter eggs throughout the series, so have fun finding them!

One final note: I'll be rewriting some parts of the first four chapters (except chapter 3) and the Author's Notes at the end of each chapter. The originals need a bit of an upgrade, as I now have a better grasp on writing this series. Hope you enjoy reading this series as much as I enjoy writing it!

I own nothing except for Linnea Branwen and Ella Brandeis.