a/n: Well, this was a lot more involved than I was expecting it to be.

Spotlight: Winter Schnee

"… And that's not going into how thoroughly you violated our treaty with Vale!" Sleet finished, "Seriously James, what the hell were you thinking?!"

"I was securing our Kingdom's future," General Ironwood stated the dim light from the projected screen casting an eerie glow over his office, "The intel Winter provided with me indicated tha-"

"If the Autobots were a threat, the wisest course of action would be to contact Vale's council!" Camila interrupted, "Believe it or not, James, there are laws even you are beholden to!"

"And what could Vale have done?" Marigold questioned, "Without us, they would be defenseless!"

"Aside from that," Ironwood added, "I've seen to it that the guilty party has been properly disciplined."

"Don't pretend Specialist Schnee wasn't acting on your orders, General," Sleet stated, "And seeing how the end of Marigold's final term is coming up in a couple of years, you won't be able to count on him to protect you forever."

"I have two seats on this Council, Sleet," Ironwood stated, "If you think you can threaten your equal li-"

"Frankly, James, I'm starting to wonder just why nobody objected when you appointed yourself the Headmaster of Atlas," Sleet interrupted, "I promise you, James, as soon as Marigold's term is over, we will be discussing your place on this Council. It's becoming increasingly clear that you can't be trusted to hold yourself accountable."

Sleet and Camila logged out of the conference call.

"Don't worry, General," Marigold began, "As long as the voters support the military's interests, those two's threats are nothing more than hollow bravado. They'll have no choice but to accept that in the end." Marigold logged out.

"But how long can I count on the Autobots to keep their existence a secret?" Ironwood questioned. The general quietly mulled over his options, what Ozpin had told him about Autumn after the Decepticons were dealt with and Winter was apprehended. He thought about what he had heard about the Beacon Headmaster's interactions with the Autobot's leader. His mind drifted to the secrets under his academy and inside his military base. Through it all, one thing became certain.

"If I can't count on Winter's loyalty, then I'll need to make some changes around here," he stated, before dialing an airship holding a very important prisoner.

Winter sat in her cell, the ceiling mere inches from her head even though she was slouching.

Well, these certainly serve their intended purpose of keeping prisoners from getting too comfortable, she reflected, At least I can take small comfort in that…

The door to her cell opened, to reveal two Atlesian soldiers.

"The General will see you now," one of them said as the other cuffed her.

.
Winter kept her head low as she was lead down to the airship bay, trying to block out the whispers from the airship's crew. She was roughly shoved into the back of a prisoner transport Manta alongside a few Faunus. The disgraced Specialist tried to avoid eye contact with any of them, but could still feel their hateful glares boring a hole in her skull.

She was almost grateful when the airship stopped at Atlas Academy, and two soldiers dragged her off the ship.

"Isn't that Specialist Schnee?"

"What is she doing in handcuffs?"

"Must've pissed off the General."

"Do you think the General is gonna shoot her? I've never seen an execution before!"

"No, we'd have heard about it on the news if he was gonna kill her. Maybe he's just gonna make her scrub the floors!"

"Plus, I'd imagine he'd want to keep the Academy's halls clean. He'd take her to the military base down below if he was gonna kill her."

The gossip did little to sooth Winter's nerves as she was led through the front lobby to the elevator.

I will not show weakness, I will not show weakness, I will not show weakness.

Winter silently repeated that mantra in her head as she tried in vain to steady her breath during the silent elevator ride.

Ding!

The elevator doors opened to the hallway leading to Ironwood's office, and one of the soldiers behind Winter shoved her forwards with the butt of his rifle. She trudged forwards as they marched behind her, trying to steady her breath as she stepped into the waiting room, and then up the final flight of stairs leading up to the General's office.

General James Ironwood sat behind his desk, concealed in shadow.

"I would like to speak with Schnee alone," he stated.

The soldiers saluted, and departed, leaving Winter alone with her commanding officer.

"Special Operative Schnee," General Ironwood stated, "The operation in Patch has left us in a very… 'Difficult' situation."

"I know, sir," Winter replied, "I assure you, I followed your orders to the let-"

"I know," Ironwood interrupted, "But the near catastrophe we barely averted has invited the wrath of both the Vale and Atlas Councils. Neither would be satisfied until they felt that the responsible party had been punished. Someone had to take the fall, Winter, and we cannot afford to have too major a shake-up to the chain of command in such a trying time. Do you understand?"

"Of course, sir," Winter replied.

"All that said," Ironwood continued as he rose from his seat, "It isn't exactly fair to hold you responsible for someone else's failure." He walked around his desk and stepped into the light, revealing his blue eyes and warm smile to Winter. "It's not your fault that B-127 not only refused to cooperate, but also escalated the situation and dragged children into his war to use against you." he stated as he fiddled with the Specialist's handcuffs, "With the information available to us, apprehending and interrogating him would have been the most sensible option, but Ozpin needed a scapegoat."

The handcuffs went slack and fell to the office floor.

"Now, let's put this unpleasant incident behind us and look to the future," the General finished, as he walked past Winter, "Follow me, we have a lot we need to discuss."

The trip to the military base was silent, neither Specialist nor General speaking until the latter let the former into the base's laboratory.

"Is that Dropkick?" Winter asked as she drank in the sight of the Decepticon's decapitated corpse. Engineers were climbing around and inside of the corpse, swapping out parts and taking measurements.

"Allegedly, those two girls did this to him," Ironwood stated as he guided Winter past the table Dropkick's head was resting on, "I'm currently trying to see if I can't reactivate him."

"But… Sir, he tried to kill us all!" Winter objected, "This isn't like with Pietro's kid! He'll kill all of us for laughs!"
"It's only the body I intend to reactivate," Ironwood assured her as he motioned to Dropkick's severed head, "His processor is more like a human brain than Penny's core. It went completely dead shortly after it was severed. If we can get his body up and running, I'm hoping we'll be able to reverse-engineer his technology, and bestow his abilities onto the Paladins."

"Ah… That makes sense I…" Winter's voice trailed off, "Who the Hell is Penny?" Then the fact that Ironwood had mentioned Penny's core raised another question for Winter. "Did Dr. Polendina build another one?"

"Oh right," Ironwood remarked, "You weren't here for that."

"SALUTATIONS!" the green-eyed, orange haired girl in a green and cream dress greeted as Winter and Ironwood stepped into Pietro's workshop, "Special Operative Schnee! It is good to see that you are unharmed!"

"… Okay, good to see you're still you," Winter observed.

"Of course I am still me!" Penny replied, "Who else could I be?"

"That's not what I…" Winter sighed, "If you don't mind me asking, how long ago did you have this epiphany?"

"Shortly after you left," Pietro answered from the side of the room as he worked on a prosthetic arm, "Penny here decided to do some digging."

"What are you talking about?" Penny asked, "I had nowhere to dig and nothing to dig with. And with all that research I did, I would not have had any time to dig either!"

"Research?" Winter asked.

"Oh, it all began the last time I witnessed you attempting to convince the others that you are not homosexual," Penny answered, "One thing you mentioned was the fact that your longest lasting relationship was with a girl should not count because neither of you knew she was a girl at the time. I asked father how that was possible, and he explained to the best of his ability, before suggesting some ways I could do my own research.

"After looking up various testimonials on the Cross Continental Transmit System Network, I realized that a lot of the emotions described reflected my own," Penny continued, "So, I drew up some new schematics for my next upgrade, and came up with this!"

She presented schematics, with "The New Me" written on the top. The girl depicted in the schematics resembled a taller version of the girl standing before them, but with longer hair, and-

"Are those rocket legs?" Winter questioned.

"Unfortunately, a lot of the upgrades I wanted were not within the allotted budget," Penny continued, "But if I win the Vytal Festival, Mr. Ironwoo-"

"General Ironwood," General Ironwood interrupted.

"-promised to get the required funding for me to be my best self!" Penny continued as she stowed away the schematics.

"… Okay so, why did you rename yourself 'Penny'?" Winter asked, Especially given that the entire point of your old name was to have as little in common with the PENNY Project as possible?

"It just felt right," Penny answered with a shrug, "I do not know why Mr. Ironwood panicked when I started calling myself this, though."

"I think I have a vague idea," Winter remarked as Pietro chuckled fondly.

"But now, Winter, I have a couple of questions for you!" Penny continued.

"Ask away," Winter replied.
"Do I look like a girl, Winter?" Penny asked with a spin, "Do I look pretty?"

Winter cracked a smile.

"You look very pretty, Penny," she replied, before ruffling the young girl's hair, "And also cute."

"There is one more thing you need to see before we head back to the Academy," General Ironwood stated as he guided Winter down the medical wing, "Recent events mean that I can no longer afford to delay this discussion."

The two came up to a door with a passcode lock.

"Sir, isn't this the wing for VIP's?" Winter questioned.

"Yes," the General answered as he input a four digit code, "I suggest you stay close. The door will lock itself when it closes."

Winter hurried after the General, and the door clicked shut behind them.

Winter stared down through the glass window, at the elderly woman sleeping in her bed in the corner of the room. A blank canvas was stood next to her bed, and two familiar-looking pods were placed against the wall opposite the window.

"This is Fria," General Ironwood explained, "She fought in the Great War 80 years ago, and I had her moved here shortly after the fiasco in Vale."

"With all due respect, why?" Winter questioned, before realizing where she recognized the pods from, "And are those Aura splicers?"

"No, that would be the Aura Transfer Machine," Ironwood answered, "The Aura splicers would be useless as a last resort in this context."

"Last resort?"

"Winter, what is your favorite fairy tale?" Ironwood questioned.

"Ex- Excuse me?" Winter asked.

"What is your favorite fairy tale?" Ironwood repeated.

"Well, there are a few options," Winter answered, "While I've always had a fondness for The Warrior in the Woods, I believe The Grimm Child's message on the importance of obedience has had a bigger impact on my life."

"Are you familiar with the Story of Seasons?" Ironwood questioned, "Or the Witch in the Woods?"

"Of course," Winter answered, "But I don't see what that-"

"What would you say if I told you that both stories are true?" Ironwood interrupted.

"… Sir?"

"Fria is the Winter Maiden," Ironwood continued, "Ozpin alerted me to her existence when I took on the role of Atlas' Headmaster, and proved the existence of magic to me by having the raven he brought with him transform into a woman before my very eyes."

Winter stared at the General like he had grown a second head.

"Ozpin then explained to me his story," he continued, not once turning to face Winter, "In his youth, he had been chosen by the brother gods to do battle with the witch in the woods, the queen of the Grimm herself. The two clashed, but even with all of his magic, she was victorious. The gods, furious with his failure, cursed him to walk Remnant's surface in an eternal cycle of death and rebirth that could only be broken by slaying his destined foe once and for all." He turned to face Winter. "Everything I have done since that fateful meeting has been out of the desire to amass enough power to free Remnant from her dark ambitions once and for all. But we have very limited options available to us on this planet."

"Is that why you wanted to forge an alliance with the Decepticons?" Winter asked.

"They are not confined to this planet the same way the rest of us are," Ironwood answered, "I figured that they would have the firepower needed to launch an all out assault on that witch's headquarters, and reduce her to ash once and for all."

"But… Where does Fria factor into this?" Winter questioned.

"One of Ozpin's past lives was the wizard from the legend," Ironwood answered, "In that day, he alone could safeguard four relics the Brothers bestowed upon humanity: the Crown of Choice, the Lamp of Knowledge, the Staff of Creation, and the Sword of Destruction.

"When four sisters offered him their aid, he gave up a piece of his magic, and infused their Auras with it. They gained the power to shape the world around them without using Dust to do it. And though the power was tied to their Aura, using this power did not drain it, nor would depleting their Aura keep them from using it," Ironwood explained, "Compared to the average human, they might as well have been goddesses."

"Sir, if Fria is one of these Maidens, does that mean that they're immortal?" Winter questioned.

"No," Ironwood answered, "While Ozpin believed that the power would return to him upon the Maidens' deaths, the magic had taken on a life of its own. At the end of each Maidens' life, the magic went to the last young woman in each one's final thoughts.

"Any woman would do, so long as she was younger than thirty," the General continued, "This lead to the powers being passed down from generation to generation, with both Ozpin and the witch seeking out the Maidens to either protect or use them. While you were in Patch, the leader of the Grimm employed the aid of the Decepticons to have one of her followers kill the Fall Maiden and claim her power. Thus, I brought Fria here for her own protection."

"So, you want to use the Aura Transfer to create an Artificial Maiden?" Winter asked, "One who will never grow old?"

"Even if the PENNY Project proved that we can split off a piece of a living soul and control it with our technology, I would never trust a machine with any Maiden's power," Ironwood answered, before smiling at Winter and placing his right hand on her shoulder, "Besides, I already knew that you were destined for this power from the moment you first set foot in Atlas Academy. It's why I did everything in my power to prepare you for the day when we would need to replace Fria."

Winter stiffened.

"But don't worry, that day is still far away," Ironwood continued as he removed his hand and turned to the door, "Our enemies are nowhere near Atlas, and Fria still has a couple years left in her, but I suppose it would be best to show you what you will one day be tasked with protecting."

Winter followed Ironwood out of the military base and back to Atlas Academy, where he guided her through the familiar halls to a secret passageway she had never seen before.

The passageway lead to a platform that lowered the two into a cavernous chamber with a large door halfway up the opposite wall and a floor with pits on either side.

Ironwood stepped off the platform the second it connected to the floor, though Winter hesitated before following after him.

"This is the Vault of the Winter Maiden," Ironwood began, still facing away from Winter, "After the Great War, Ozpin, Fria, and the then current headmaster of Atlas Academy created this vault to safeguard the Staff of Creation, a source of unlimited energy, sealed within by the Winter Maiden's power!

"Using the relic's power, they lifted Atlas Academy into the sky, to serve as a goal for the Kingdom of Mantle to aspire to! And our ancestors rose to that challenge! They expanded Mantle to encompass the crater Atlas left behind, created a military base on the bottom of the floating island to watch over the defeated Kingdom, and constructed a new capital city around Atlas Academy.

"And on the day the new capitol building was completed, the Greatest Kingdom in all of history was born!" Ironwood finished as he threw his arms out to the side, before turning to face Winter and gesturing to her, "But now, we are facing the greatest threat our world has ever known."

"The Decepticons," Winter grimly remarked.

"Not just them," Ironwood replied, "But our enemy has claimed the Fall Maiden's power, and will no doubt go after the vault under Beacon in the near future! And after they've made their attempt at Beacon, it is only a matter of time before they go after Atlas as well. And when that day comes, I have no doubt that you will rise to strike down the enemies of this Kingdom! It is your destiny, Winter!"

"Understood, sir!" Winter replied with a salute, "When the time comes, you won't regret choosing me to wield the Winter Maiden's power!"

"Not just the Winter Maiden," Ironwood replied with a shake of his head, "As soon as we have subdued the enemy's Fall Maiden, I will have you claim her power as well!"

"Sir?"

"When Ozpin created the Maidens, he diluted their power by dividing it among four vessels," Ironwood explained, "With the power of two Maidens at your disposal, there will be no force on this or any world that would dare stand against Atlas! It is then that we can fulfill our divine duty and lead Remnant into a new golden age, safe from any threat! Be they Grimm, Decepticon, or even-"

Ironwood's scroll rang, immediately killing the atmosphere.

"Excuse me one moment," Ironwood removed his Scroll from his pocket and answered the call, "This had better be important!"

Winter couldn't quite make out the voice on the other end of the line.

"Well then send them back! I don't have time for whatever they want!"

The voice on the other end of the line replied.

"I don't see how an Autobot distress signal concerns us!"

The voice on the other end of the line said something else.

"What makes him so sure that Atlas is in danger?"

Whatever the person calling Ironwood said was enough to make the General's face go pale.

"Don't let them leave until I get there," Ironwood ordered, before hanging up his scroll, "Winter, we're going to make a quick stop to retrieve your weapons."

"What's going on?" Winter asked as General walked right passed her.

"Our enemy seems to be much closer than I originally realized," he answered.

After a quick stop to pick up Winter's weapon, she and Ironwood flew out into the Solitan Tundra with some soldiers.

"Sir, what exactly is going on here?" Winter questioned.

"You'll see," Ironwood replied.

"Sir! We're approaching the outpost!" the pilot interjected.

"Let's get this over with," Ironwood sighed.

.

Ironwood, Winter, and their platoon stepped into the outpost, revealing Optimus Prime standing alongside several Autobots who Winter did not recognize.

"General Ironwood," Optimus greeted, "It is an honor to finally meet you in pers-"

"Why did you come here unannounced?" Ironwood interrupted as he ascended the steps to the catwalk that hung over the Autobots' heads, Winter hurrying after him, "The least you could have done is call in advance!"

"Given that the Decepticons are always on the move, we won't always have time to ask permission before we act," a white and black Autobot with "Police" written on on his arms, "Any time we waste is time the Decepticons can use to conquer your world."

"That's enough Clampdown, it was a valid question," Optimus replied, before turning to General Ironwood, "I do not blame you for being uneasy. Given how there are far fewer settlements on Solitas than there are on the other continents, there are far fewer targets for the Decepticons to attack from that base they've established."

"That leads me to my second question," Ironwood said as soon as he reached the catwalk at the top of the stairway, "How do you know that the Decepticons have a base on Solitas?"

"… Winter, how much do you know about the Matrix of Leadership?" Optimus cut in.

"Ex… Excuse me?"

"I know you saw Bumblebee's memories when Shatter and Dropkick used the Cortical Psychic Patch on him, and I know that you are aware of the Omega Lock," Optimus replied, "What I don't know is how much you were able to relay to General Ironwood since then."

Winter sighed.

"I remember that Shatter claimed it was a control mechanism for Cybertron," she began, "I remember that Megatron wanted to use it to become a god, and I remember that you used it to track down the Omega Keys."

"That last feature is how I know that there is a Decepticon base here," Optimus replied, before opening his chest cavity to reveal the Matrix, "I interfaced with the Matrix the second I realized that the Omega Keys had gone missing since I went into stasis, and the distress signal we received came from the same general area as the Mortilus Omega Key's signal."

"Mortilus?" Winter questioned.

"The god of the dead," Optimus answered as he closed his chest cavity, "Since none of the Omega Keys have been disturbed since I first checked, I can only assume that Mortilus' Key is under Decepticon control."

"So the Decepticons have one of the keys to your superweapon," General Ironwood growled.

"The Omega Lock wasn't created as a weapon," a pink and white Autobot with red eyes stated as she stepped forward, "It's a repair mechanism! It's only when it's used on planets that aren't Cybertron that trouble arises."

"I was planning on using it on an uninhabited planet, and then destroying the lock to ensure its power can never be abused again," Optimus explained, "Fortunately, the Keys' powers are far more limited while alone. In spite of Mortilus' reputation as a god of death, his Key would probably be the hardest to weaponize without destroying yourself."

"Regardless," General Ironwood cut in, "What exactly are you planning on doing?"

"I put together this team specifically to raid the Decepticon base and rescue the captured prisoners," Optimus replied, "While there are other Autobots whom are probably better suited to the job, these are the ones I had access to."

"And they are?" General Ironwood questioned.

"Clampdown has already made himself known" Optimus opened as he motioned to the Autobot in question, "He is incredibly devoted to our cause, and volunteered to be on this mission when he heard I would personally be going."

"Just wanted to make sure the locals wouldn't stab you in the back," Clampdown remarked.

"Additionally, this is Arcee," Optimus motioned to the pink and white Autobot with red eyes, "She is a warrior first and foremost. Her ferocity on the field of battle is extremely helpful in tight quarters."

"It also helps when your main weapons are designed for dismemberment," Arcee remarked as she deployed hooked blades, "You would not believe how much damage these things can do in a fight!"

"Moving right along," Optimus motioned to a white Autobot with a human-sized Autobot on his shoulder, "This is Magnum, the Mini-Con is his partner Minimus Ambus. I brought them both along due to the tactical abilities they display while binary bonded."

"Something good came out of being sealed inside that armor for centuries, at least," Magnum spoke up.

"For the record, I did offer to have Wheeljack make it into a transtector," Minimus cut in.

"But then I wouldn't be turning my leash into the strongest weapon in the arsenal," Magnum replied, "Seriously, the Functionists should've never put our heads together if they wanted to keep us weak."

"What are they talking about?" Winter asked.

"You had to be there," Optimus answered, before motioning to a blue Autobot with red optics, "Mirage here is going to scout out the base for us with his Distinction."

"Just keep the cons distracted," Mirage spoke up, "My Distinction has its limits, after all."

"And I'm Fixit!" an orange Autobot with wheels for legs chimed in from the corner of the room, "I was the only-ly medic who wasn't preoccupied with anoth-other operation!"

"And what were you planning on doing with these seven Autobots?" General Ironwood questioned.

"We were going to storm the Decepticon base and rescue the five Autobots they have captured," Optimus answered, "Elita-1, Greenlight, Novastar, Moonracer, and Lancer."

"So, you're risking seven lives, including your own, to rescue five subordinates," Ironwood remarked.

"Elita-1 is not a subordinate," Optimus cut in, "She and I are equals in the chain of command."

"Aside from that, they're not part of the Ark's crew," Clampdown added, "So that means they'll have a better idea of what's been going on since we went into stasis."

"And even if none of that was true, sending one bot to rescue five is a good way to ensure that nobody will come home," Arcee added, "Even if there was only one bot in danger, we'd still send a team."

"If you believe the intel would be helpful, we can provide data on the rescue mission and the Decepticon base after we've completed the operation," Optimus offered.

"I'd rather hear it from a source I know I can trust," Ironwood replied, before turning to Winter, "Can I trust you to keep an eye on them while their operating on our continent?"

"Yes sir!" Winter replied with a salute, "I'll keep an eye on things to make sure they don't try to stab us in the back."

"Weren't you the ones who tried to team up with the Decepticons?" Clampdown questioned.

"And seeing how they backstabbed us, you can probably imagine why I'd rather err on the side of caution where my Kingdom's safety is concerned," Ironwood answered.

"We can discuss the plan on the way there," Optimus added, before turning to Clampdown, "But if it would make you feel better, Winter can ride with me until we get there." The Autobot leader turned back to Winter. "Would that be okay with you?"

"I'll be fine," Winter replied, "My Semblance was more useful against Shatter and Dropkick than my airship was."

"In that case," Optimus stated, "We'll set off for the Decepticon base as soon as our final preparations are complete. We will do everything in our power to ensure Winter's safety for the duration of this operation."

"I'll hold you to that," Ironwood replied, before turning to face Winter, "Be careful." He descended the steps to the floor.

"I will, General."

Winter sat in Optimus' passenger seat as he drove North from the military outpost that had been haphazardly converted into an Autobase. The fact that the driver's seat was empty was somewhat unsettling, but she was managing. Mostly by looking back at the rest of the convoy.

Mirage had transformed into a racecar, Arcee into a sports car, Clampdown into a police cruiser, and Magnum into a white truck with a blue trailer. Minimus Ambus was riding inside Magnum's cab, while Mirage was giving Fixit a ride.

"How have you been doing since the Battle of the Ark?" Optimus questioned, his voice coming through the dashboard radio, "You suffered severe damage at Shatter's hand."

"I lived," Winter replied, "They were nice enough to treat my injuries before throwing me into the brig."

The cab of the truck fell silent for a few seconds.

"I do not understand, weren't you carrying out Ironwood's orders?" Optimus questioned.

"Orders he only gave because of my bad intel," Winter answered, "I'm surprised you're not more angry about this, aren't the Decepticons your enemies?"

"All that matters to me is that you tried to do the right thing in the end," Optimus explained, "It must have taken great courage to face Shatter and Dropkick alone after witnessing what they were capable of."

"I just did what was expected of me," Winter replied.

"Regardless of expectations, nobody was in any position to force you to face them," Optimus pointed out, "It was your choice to act when no one else was in position to. Besides, you may have saved my life by delaying Shatter."

"Well, I couldn't exactly let them get away with tricking us," Winter added, "Deception can be dangerous in this line of work… Hell, when I was still a student at Atlas Academy, I heard of one incident where a violent extremist infiltrated a prep school and assaulted some students."

"The staff was infiltrated?" Optimus questioned.

"No, the infiltrator impersonated a student," Winter answered, "That's how she was able to get so close to the students."

"Given some of the crimes that only an organic species can commit, I can only imagine how horrifying it must have been for an adult to-"

"Actually, she was the same age as the students," Winter corrected

"Then how do you know that it wasn't a conflict between classmates that escalated?" Optimus questioned.

"Because there's no way her family could have legitimately afforded to pay the prep school's tuition," Winter answered.

"And why is that?" Optimus pushed.

"Because she was a Faunus," Winter stated, "You don't see Faunus that wealthy anywhere."

"And why is that?"

"… Excuse me?" Winter questioned.

"Why is it that there is no possible way for a Faunus to ascend to a position of wealth?" Optimus questioned.

"I…" Winter's voice trailed off, "What does this have to do with anything?"

"Simple," Optimus answered, "How far into the school year did this 'violent extremist' to assault her classmates?"

"It was a couple months into the first semester," Winter answered, "But I don't see-"

"Why would she have waited so long to attack if she was only ever intending to attack her classmates?" Optimus asked.

"…"

"Would you mind if I shared an old experience of mine, Winter?" Optimus asked.

"Go ahead," Winter replied.

"When I was just getting started as an activist, I met a bot who had just finished growing in his alt-mode's components," Optimus opened, "His optics were filled with hope for a brighter future, and he wanted nothing more than to save lives as a medic.

"However, the propeller blades growing out of his back sealed his fate as a helicopter, a kind of flying vehicle, and so he was barred from enrolling in medical school. As much as he loved flying, he was dedicated to becoming a medic, and so began to save up for a surgery that would allow him to change his alt-mode.

"One expensive and dangerous surgery later, he had lost the ability to fly, but his new alt-mode was 'acceptable' for the medical field. And so he applied again. But the academy required not just an enrollment fee, but also required the students to pay for their own instruments.

"Unable to afford the expenses required to attend, and lacking the skills to take on any job that would allow him to be self sufficient, the once idealistic dreamer was forced to turn to crime in order to fuel himself and stay alive.

"Eventually, he was caught, his home was foreclosed, and when he had completed his sentence, nobody was willing to hire him.

"Faced with the threat of starvation, he eagerly accepted Megatron's offer for help, and in exchange joined a band of vigilantes who carried out Megatron's dirty work in the shadows.

"As a vigilante, he learned how to use what medical knowledge he had acquired over the years to prolong the suffering of his victims. His sense of compassion was dulled, and replaced with an insatiable bloodlust. He learned to enjoy inflicting pain on the people he believed to have wronged him. And so, when the war began, Dropkick remained by Megatron's side, even as his allies defected out of disgust."

Winter remained silent.

"Nobody is forged evil, Winter," Optimus finished, "Should he ever retire, you will inherit both the powers and responsibilities that currently fall on General Ironwood's shoulders. Once you have a seat on the council that decides those laws you currently don't have to like, what will you do?"

"You think one person can just eliminate crime?" Winter asked.

"No," Optimus answered, "But as Prime, I've discovered that raising the standard of living does more to eliminate the motivation to commit crimes than harsher penalties ever have. As Megatron has shown, some people are just selfish and look for an excuse to lash out, but the vast majority I've seen are just scared and desperate."

Winter did not reply.

"I understand that these issues can seem daunting," Optimus continued, "But finding an answer will be necessary to keep your home from sharing in Cybertron's fate."

"How so?" Winter asked.

"What have you been taught about Menagerie's history?" Optimus asked.

"Excuse me?"

"I promise this is relevant," Optimus replied, "Just tell me what you've been taught."

"After the Great War, Mistral and Mantle gave Menagerie to the newly liberated Faunus as a peace offering," Winter answered, "The Faunus thanked us by organizing an invasion force and declaring war."

"And you are certain that is the whole story?" Optimus asked.

"What more could there be to it?" Winter replied.

"You would be surprised," Optimus answered, "Would you mind if I shared a similar story from Cybertron's past? One that my creator, Alpha Trion, shared with me?"

"I don't see why not," Winter replied.

"In the days of old, Cybertron was ruled by thirteen warring tribes," Optimus began, "One day, our world was invaded by a Sparkless horde, not unlike the Grimm, known as the Scrapmetals. Under the lead of a mutated Cybertronian named 'Exarchon' and his cult, the Blentrons-"

Just like the Grimm have their Queen and her followers, Winter thought.
"After repelling the invasion, the leader of the Primes, Prima, gifted each of his fellows a world to colonize," Optimus continued, "At first, they thought it was a gift. However, as soon as the colonies were established, the remaining members of the other tribes were forcefully removed from their homes and sent to the colony worlds by Prima's followers.

"And when the other tribes tried to launch a reprisal to take back their ancestral homes, Prima used the resources now available to him to maintain control over the population. My creator, Alpha Trion, the third Prime, was unable to return to his homeworld until Prima was overthrown by Septimus Prime.

"But even then, none of the displaced people were recognized as the rightful owners of their former homes. If they wanted their homes back, they'd have to buy them back, and the Primes of Cybertron still expected the colonies to be subservient to them, creating a tense political climate that would later lead to the rise of the Decepticons, and the end of our world," Optimus concluded, "So, Winter, here is my question for you: Did the Faunus have any say in whether or not they would move to irony?"

"… I don't know…" Winter admitted.

"In that case, it would appear as though you have new intel to seek out," Optimus remarked, "That, at the very least, should help you to better understand the challenges you will face in your future."

"I'll keep that in mind," Winter replied.

"I am glad to hear that," Optimus replied, "This has been an enlightening conversation, but we should be seeing the Decepticon base soon."

"Good," Winter remarked as she turned to stare out Optimus' windshield, "I think we'll all sleep better once we better understand what we're up agai-" Optimus reached the crest of the platuea, revealing just what they were up against. "Dear gods…"

The Decepticon base was a mountain-like foretress that could have easily reached the top of Atlas Tower from the bottom of the Crater.

It was surrounded on most sides by a black and purple city, though a large path cut through the city to the southern face of the tower.

"We may need to rethink our approach," Optimus noted.

Winter sat in Mirage's back seat as the race car drove behind Optimus along the perimeter of the city's wall, a light snowfall drifting down on them.

"Any particular reason why Optimus had me jump over to you?" Winter asked.

"We're looking for an exhaust duct," Mirage answered, "It'll vent out steam and possibly toxic fumes, and I don't think your 'Aura' can protect your lungs if you inhale any gaseous toxins. And that's ignoring the possible damage your fragile organic body could take from a sudden shift in temperature."

"Fragile?" Winter growled.

"Would you rather I said 'squishy'?" Mirage questioned.

"Ngh," Winter turned towards the city wall, "Shouldn't we be worried about patrols?"

"Don't worry about it," Mirage replied, "My Distinction is 'Unassuming Presence'. With it active, anyone I keep in its field of influence will be incredibly uninteresting to a direct observer. And since it's started snowing, we don't even need to worry about them noticing our tracks."

Almost like May's Semblance… "So what can you tell me about Cybertron?" Winter asked.

"Heh, sorry to say, but I honestly don't know much about it," Mirage answered, "The war started when I was just a protoform, and since my maker was a wealthy Functionist, I didn't really leave inner Iacon until I snuck out to evacuate with the Autobots in the disastrous aftermath of Jhiaxus' attempted coup."

"Jhiaxus?"

"Real piece of work, let me tell ya," Mirage answered, "I never really knew him, but he and Arcee were sworn enemies. He tried to kill her cojunx and her creation, and so she went on the warpath against him. Last I heard, she drowned that rotten bootleg in a technorganic slurry he had made with 'pink alchemy' or some slag like that."

"… So, what was Inner Iacon like?" Winter asked.

"It was the seat of power for the elites of the elites," Mirage replied, "Only those with the most esteemed alt-modes were allowed within it, so you can imagine that Optimus hated it with every fiber of his being.

"Still, as rotten to the very Spark as it was… I still have nightmares about Trypticon's rampage…"

"… You can dream?"

"We're not just machines, Specialist," Mirage replied, "Just because our emotions are electric signals doesn't make them any less real than the chemical reactions in your neuronet."

"I… Guess that makes sense," Winter replied, "You still didn't answer my question."

"Oh, Optimus is going to have to transform into robot mode when he opens the vent," Mirage answered.

"And I take it I'd be crushed if he did that while I was inside?"

"You'd think, but no, you'd just be shoved into a storage compartment," Mirage elaborated, "But uh… I think he wants to transform with a crash dummy inside before trying that trick with a human. We know I'm safe, but uh…

"I've seen what the ones who weren't safe did to the crash dummies. It ain't pretty."

"Noted," Winter remarked, "Oh look, Optimus is slowing down!"

"I noticed," Mirage grumbled, "Remember, I am the car!"

"Right…" Winter remarked as she looked past Optimus, at the billowing tower of steam reaching into the sky, "What's wrong with their heating system?"

"Remember, most Cybertronian tech doesn't use Dust," Mirage reminded her as the glove box on his dashboard opened, "There should be a gas mask in there. Keep it on while we hang around suspicious clouds." Winter leaned into the front seat to take the gas mask from the open glove box.

"Why do you even have this?" she questioned as she put the mask on over her head.

"Recon with Marissa Faireborn," Mirage answered, "If that doesn't fit, you'll have to ride in someone's storage compartment."

"And the temperature?"

"You shouldn't need to shield yourself with Aura until we get close to the heating unit," Mirage answered as he opened the door to Winter's right, "Now let's see what Optimus' plan is! The steam cover should keep use safe from any patrols until we're in the city."

.
Winter watched as Magnum and Arcee held up the former's trailer to the steam, while Clampdown and Optimus helped Fixit and Minimus removed the screws from the duct's grating.

At least, she assumed that was what the noises coming from the steam were.

"What exactly is the big deal with that trailer?" Winter asked, glad that the mask had a built-in communicator.

"It's the Magnus Armor," Magnum stated, "And that's all I'm going to say until this thaws out!"

Creak…

"Careful!" Optimus warned as he and Clampdown lifted the grate away from the exhaust vent, "While this would be a minor injury for a Transformer, and a trip to the infirmiry for a Mini-Con, dropping this on a human could be lethal."

"Relax, I'm not an idiot," Clampdown promised as he and Optimus slowly lowered the grate to the snow to conceal it under the steam, "I'll only ever damage our enemies."

"Even so, there isn't enough room for us to drive down there," Optimus stated, "So we're going to have to go in on foot."

"Sounds like it's time to introduce Winter to the biggest mistake the Functionists ever made," Magnum remarked with a grin as he and Arcee lowered his trailer to the ground, "Watch this."

The trailer unfolded into a platform. The second Magnum stepped on the platform, it whirred to life and began to fold around his body, forming into a blue, headless mechsuit with what appeared to be pistons for shoulders, with Magnum contained safely within.

"How do you see anything like that?" Winter asked.

"Like this," Minimus Ambus stated as he scaled the Magnus Armor, stepped between its shoulders, and transformed into a head.

Click!

Minimus' and Magnum's Aura's linked and blended together, washing over the armor and their combined forms new head as the Mini-Con clicked into place, and Winter's eyes widened in recognition as she recalled one Transformer she had viewed in Bumblebee's memories.

"The name's Ultra Magnus," the combined robot greeted with a bow.

"… What?" Winter finally forced out.

"Nominus Prime had Magnum and Minimus Ambus abducted as part of an experiment," Optimus explained, "Magnum was sealed inside an armor he could not remove, and Minimus was forcefully converted into a headmaster to binary bond with him. Cerebroshell technology was used to repress their individual personalities, and Ultra Magnus emerged from their own minds synching up. While Ratchet and Wheeljack were able to separate them via an extensive surgery, Ultra Magnus' personality never faded away entirely."

"So… What happens to Minimus and Magnum when they're like this?" Winter questioned.

"Don't worry, we're both still a part of me," Ultra Magnus assured her, "I'm the culmination of our symbiosis. A survival mechanism that allowed us to fight back against the shell program that held our minds hostage. And after we were finally freed, a two-bot Combiner who's proven to be quite the strategist."

"Combiner?"

"Some of us can link up our bodies, minds, and Sparks to become a single combatant," Arcee answered as she headed for the ventilation duct, "Ultra Magnus is a bit of an unconventional example, though."

"What's a conventional combiner like?" Winter asked as she followed after the Autobots.

"You'll see," Optimus stated, before bonding down and lowering a hand in Winter's path, palm up, "It would probably be safer if I carried you. It will be hard to see down there, and I don't want you to end up underfoot by mistake."

"I guess that's a-" Winter imagined the grisly aftermath of getting crushed underfoot, "-valid, concern."

She stepped onto the Autobot leader's palm, and nearly lost her balance as he lifted her into the air.

"Hold on," Optimus instructed as he shielded Winter's body with his other hand.

That was the only warning she got before Optimus stepped into the duct and slid down.

Winter felt the temperature rise as the Autobots piled into the underground passageway.

The entire waterway was cast in an eerie orange glow from the heaters, with steam rising from the water that was constantly being poured onto the heating grid to balance out the temperature.

"Looks like we all ma-made it!" Fixit declared as Clampdown placed him on the ground, "Now we just need to figure out how to naviga-gate these passageways."

"Mirage, do you have a high enough Projected Spark Field level to scout the area out for us?" Ultra Magnus asked.

"Certainly," Mirage answered, "I'll head back as soon as my PSF Level drops below 50%."

The blue Autobot ran off, splashing through the water, and took a hard right down another tunnel.

"So what exactly can we expect on the surface?" Winter asked.

"Megatron has an immense obsession with control," Optimus remarked, "He is likely to have soldiers patrolling the streets, a constant stream of propaganda to keep public opinion on his side, and the lack of warships in the air is likely only due to some other anti-air defense we are unaware of."

"I see…" Winter remarked, "Anything else?"

"Not all of the soldiers will be wearing a coat of arms," Arcee explained, "We'll also have to worry about undercover security officers, surveillance drones, and secret police who's job usually entails getting rid of 'rabble rousers'."

"If there's one thing I'll give Megatron, it's that he's thorough," Clampdown added, "It's far easier to catch a criminal when they think they're safe. Unfortunately, as far as that usurper and his accomplices are concerned, we're the bad guys for trying to put things back to the way they're supposed to be."

"Regardless, we are not to open fire unless fired upon first," Optimus stated, "If we're to ever have any hope of peace, we'll need to win over the civilian Decepticons. The unfortunate truth is that Megatron has a tight grip on the Sparks and minds of the populace. His uses his charisma and fear mongering to fool the civilian population into thinking he has their best interests at Spark, when he really only views them as expendable cogs in his machine. To the point that there will be many who believe that is all they should be."

Winter tried to think about something else.

"So, I figured out where we need to go!" Mirage cut in as he deactivated his Distinction and projected a map of some kind.

Winter jolted.

"Your Semblance is incredibly effective," she commented.

"Thank you," Mirage replied, "Now then, we are here!"

An Autobot symbol appeared on a map.

"And there's an exit that'll drop us off just down the street from the security station they're holding the Shield of Solus at right here!"

An X appeared in the Northeast, roughly a quarter of the way up the map of the waterway.

"All this steam means we shouldn't have to worry about surveillance drones," Mirage stated, "But we still have to worry about workers and my PSF charge is limited…"

"I can handle that," Winter offered as she conjured a Glyph in her hand to Summon a miniature Nevermore, "I can send out some of my summons to scout out the tunnels before we go ahead, and Mirage can use his Semblance to cloak us if we're hit with any curve balls."

"Excellent idea, Winter!" Optimus praised, before turning to Mirage, "Can you upload that map to our own comms?"

"What do you take me for?" Mirage asked, "Of course I can!"

"Then let's not waste another moment," Ultra Magnus cut in, "As soon as Specialist Schnee finds a safe route, we head out!"

.

Winter's Nevermores fluttered down the corridors, alerting Winter to which passages did and didn't have workers and guards in them.

With this knowledge, Winter was able to guide the Autobots through the underground waterway, until they reached the point Mirage had marked on his map.

"This lift will take us up to the surface," Mirage stated as he stepped onto the platform, and every panel on his body with an Autobot symbol flipped around to reveal a Decepticon symbol on the other side, "I recommend you all err on the side of caution. My Distinction fools the mind, not the senses, so any Surveillance Drone that broadcasts to someone outside of my range is going to be an issue."

"Wearing fake Decepticon badges isn't going to be much help for me or Optimus," Ultra Magnus pointed out, "At least, not while I'm like this."

Ultra Magnus' head detached to transform back into Minimus Ambus, and his armor opened to allow Magnum to step out.

"That still leaves the issue of Optimus," Minimus commented.

"As long as I remain in vehicle mode, we should be fine," Optimus remarked as he placed Winter onto the platform and folded back into a flat-nosed truck, "Although I do worry about our ability to escape should we be noticed."

"We've come too far just to back out now," Clampdown stated, before turning to face Mirage, "You said that the station the Shield of Solus is being held at is just down the street from here?"

"Yes," Mirage remarked, "But as I've stated repeatedly, my Distinction has limits! It makes us uninteresting, not invisible!"

"We'll just exer-exercise caution-tion!" Fixit spoke up, "As long as we're quick, we'll-we'll be fine!"

"And how many humans do you think will be in this city?" Winter asked.

"Just stick close to me," Mirage suggested, "I can make you inconspicuous as long as you don't stray far."

"The longer we linger here debating, the more we risk discovery," Optimus stated as he rolled onto the platform, "Let's roll out!"

Winter stood next to Mirage as the roof above the lift opened up, allowing lukewarm rain from the surface to pour in, and the platform rose up to carry her and the Autobots up to the surface.

Just remain calm, Winter, the Specialist reminded herself, You've been in dicey situations before, and you'll get out of this one just as quickly. The Autobots have to have done this hundreds, if not thousands of times in the past! You're going to be fine!

The lift finally came to a stop at street level, as several vehicles zoomed by on the street, various aircraft patrolling the skies above, right next to a construction zone, and various purple and black buildings reached up into the sky, towering above Winter's head.

It's almost like someone melded together Atlesian and Mantlite architecture, Winter observed as she followed Mirage to the lift's off ramp.

"Hold it!" a voice called out from behind, "You lot don't look like maintenance workers! What were you doing in the temperature regulation system?"

Winter glanced over her shoulder, only to find a green and purple front loader in the direction of the voice.

"Well… You see…" Mirage started, "We just got a little turned arou-"

"Wait a second, I know that voice" the front loader unfolded into a bipedal robot, his shovel going onto his back as his wheels went onto his shoulders and hips, "Mirage, it's been millenia since you slipped away! I could've sworn that Counterpunch finally put you in the scrapheap!"

"You really must have me confused with someone else," Mirage insisted.

"And this little convoy you've brought with you," the front loader unholstered a gun and pointed it at Optimus, ignoring the police car that was unfolding, "Let's see how you handle-"

BANG!

"Scrapper, I'm going to see you rust in a cell for all the blood you've spilled in this unlawful coup!" Clampdown declared as alarms started blaring, the entire block coated in a red glow.

"Damn it Clampdown!" Arcee snarled as she shifted into robot mode.

"Blame Mirage."

"I told you my Distinction has limits!" Mirage snarled as he readied his own gun, a cement mixer driving up and unfolding into another Decepticon, "Do you have any idea how hard it's going to be to slip away undetected like this?"

"We'll have to bring down whatever they're building," Optimus replied as he and Magnum unfolded into robot mode, "Mirage, keep Fixit hidden, everyone else-" His hands shifted into ion blasters. "Prepare for battle!"

.

Winter conjured a Glyph for her Beringel to climb out of, as a crane joined the battle and transformed into a third Decepticon.

"Remember, they can't combine if even one of their PSF's is depleted!" Magnum shouted as he charged the crane.

Winter's Beringel threw itself at the crane as well, throwing punch after punch at the Decepticon's face until a shot from Scrapper took out its head.

"Now which one of you-"

Arcee interrupted Scrapper with a scream as she threw herself at the front loader, swinging a hooked-blade at his shoulder and kicking him in the face.

"We've got them outnumbered!" Winter proclaimed as Optimus joined the fray against Scrapper and Clampdown opened fire on the cement mixer.

"For now," Minimus grimly noted as he turned to the now mostly deserted street, save for a green and purple dump truck speeding towards the platform they were on, "We might want to step away from the street, though."

"What makes you say-"

The dump truck unfolded into another Decepticon and opened fire, forcing Winter and Minimus Ambus to sprint away from the Energon blasts and into the construction zone.

.

"You can probably take off your gas mask now," Minimus noted as he and Winter took shelter behind a support beam.

Winter obliged.

"Mind explaining to me why the Decepticons are siccing construction workers and civil servants on us instead of soldiers?" she asked.

"That's because these guys are the Constructicons," Minimus replied, "I don't know their full roster, but they specialize in both combat and construction. Especially of weapons for the Decepticons to use in their campaign. They're not that highly ranked, but if we can't stop them from forming Devastator, we'll be in trouble."

"Who's Devastator?" Winter questioned.

"Six bot combiner," Mirage answered, just in time for the cement mixer Constructicon to round the corner.

"There you are!" he snarled as he pointed his gun at them.

"Scrap!" Minimus shouted as the gun charged and Winter conjured a Glyph.

"Hang on!" Winter grabbed Minimus' wrist as her Manticore burst from the Glyph, "We gotta get you to Magnum!" She and the Mini-Con hopped onto the summon's back and flew off as the ground exploded behind them, leaving the cement mixer to get punched out by Mirage.

.

"Got any advice for taking out Decepticons?" Winter asked as her Manticore bobbed and weaved through the metal support beams.

"If you're smaller than them, aim for the joints or optics," Minimus answered, "If you're up against a combiner on your own, run!"

"Sounds about right," Winter remarked, as she swooped down to have her Manticore blast Scrapper in the back of the head, just in time to see an excavator transform into a fifth Decepticon and join the fray, "Do you see Magnum anywhere?"

Minimus scanned the battle field from the cover of the support beams.

"Down there!" he pointed to the center of the area, where the white Autobot was battling the dump truck.

"Perfect," Winter stated, "Jump when I tell you to."

"Wait whaAAAAAAUGH!"

The Manticore had swooped into a dive, the world around them melting into a blur.

"Now!" Winter shouted.

Clang!

The Manticore latched onto the dump truck's face as Minimus Ambus hopped onto Magnum's shoulder.

"Go get your armor on!" Winter shouted as the dump truck reached for his face, "We're gonna need your combined form if one more of these guys shows up!"

"Get off me, dammit!" the Constructicon snarled as the Manticore did not get off.

Winter, meanwhile, clung to the Manticor's back with all her might as she was swung around like a ragdoll by her larger opponent's struggling.

"Shit!" she lost her grip when her fingers had enough, and was sent flying through the air, "Shit! Shit! Shit!"
One glyph stopped her from colliding with the steel beam, but that was a small comfort when a bulldozer with strange wheels that had oval tires and were filled with gears joined the fight and unfolded into the sixth and final Constructicon, marched over to the one Winter had been fighting, and crushed the Manticore inside his fist.

"Constructicons!" Scrapper's voice echoed out, "Form Devastator!"

The two Constructicons in front of Winter transformed back into vehicle mode to drive over to Scrapper with the others.

As she used Glyphs as platforms to make her way down, the Specialist could only watch as the Constructicons linked their bodies together. The crane and the dump truck combined to form the upper and lower body respectively, the bulldozer and excavator became the arms, and Scrapper and the cement mixer formed the legs.

Winter felt her blood ran cold as the amalgamation rose to its feet,, the Aura's of its components blending together, a giant head emerging from between its shoulders, a glare piercing her very soul from the glowing visor.

"DEPLOY SCORPULATOR!" the immense being declared as it held its right hand in the air.

Winter jabbed her saber into the ground and formed another Glyph to resummon her Beringel as one of the aircraft above the site dropped what appeared to be a giant, mechanical scorpion. The scorpion folded into a gun that Devastator snatched out of the air and pointed it at Winter.

"DIE!" the combiner ordered as the inside of the scorpion-gun's barrel began to glow.

The Beringel threw itself at Devastator.

BANG!

It didn't even slow down the blast.

BOOM!

Winter lowered her hands as she processed the fact that she wasn't dead, a blue glow covering her entire body.

"This is the wrong shade to be my Aura," Winter remarked as she looked down at her hands.

BANG!

An ion blast collided with the side of Devestator's head, and Winter turned to face Optimus, noticing that his left hand was glowing the same color as the light covering her body.

Devastator roared as he threw his gun at Optimus, causing it to transform back into a mechanical scorpion, before smaller guns deployed all over the front of his body and opened fire at the other Autobots.

"Time to go!" Mirage stated as he grabbed Winter off the ground and shifted into vehicle mode, depositing her into his passenger seat as Fixit sat in his driver's seat, "The Decepticops are setting up a barrier?"

"Decepticops?"

"Mirage's nickname for the Decepticon-con's security forces-ces," Fixit answered as Mirage's seatbelts buckled themselves to strap Winter and Fixit to their seats, the Dust-pedal flooring itself, "You mi-might want to hold ooOOOOONNNNN!"

Mirage sped out of the construction zone, past the barrier that was still being erected, and down the road.

Winter sat in an alley next to Fixit as Mirage messed with a screw in the neighboring building's vent, the Decepticon civilians outside the alleyway chatting amongst themselves.

"Who do you think is attacking the construction site?"

"I heard it was the Autobots!"

"Don't say stuff like that! Those planet-destroying terrorists are history!"

"Then who else would be petty enough to attack the future site of our new history museum?"

"Termagax and her thugs, obviously!"

"It looks like your Aura-ra absorbed all the sh-shock from the g-forces," Fixit stated, pulling Winter's attention away from the gossip and idle chatter, "I say 'loo-looks like' because I know next to nothing-ing about human biolo-logy." The Mini-Con sighed. "I haven't had the chan-chance to study, as much as I want to help Y-Yang."

"How would you be able to help her more than our own doctors could?" Winter asked.

"From what I heard about lil' gold, she managed to disarm Dropkick by blowing up his arm," Mirage answered, "Unfortunately, her own arm got blasted to bits in the process."

"Lil' gold?" Winter questioned, before the image of a blond-haired motorcyclist with shotgun gauntlets flashed across her mind, "You mean Miss Xiao Long?"

"Yeah," Mirage answered, "The girl you apparently stabbed half to death."

Winter winced.

"Speaking of, is she suffering any long-term damage from that?" she asked, "My medics said she should be fine, but…"

"I've not seen her fight," Mirage answered as he removed another screw, "But given how hard it is for organic lifeforms to replace missing limbs, and that her fighting style was apparently based around punching things, I imagine that might have something to do with it!"

Winter contemplated her options.

"I know a man who makes state-of-the-art prosthetics," she remarked, "It would be pretty simple to arrange for him to make a new arm for Yang."

Clang!

Mirage placed the duct's grating on the ground.

"Alright you two, the building has an internal Energon generator," he explained, "You're both small enough that you can sneak past the surveillance system, and Winter should be invisible to any sensors that scan for technological life. As soon as you two have disabled the automated defenses, I'll be able to waltz right in and let the Shield of Solus out of their cages, and then we can get out of this horrible city."

"Will I need my gas mask?"

"Seeing the lack of fumes coming out of this building, I believe the answer is no," Mirage answered, "Now hurry along, I've got an escape route to plan!"

Winter drew her saber and stepped into the vent, Fixit following close behind.

The two of them followed the twisting and turning vents as Fixit followed the schematics Mirage had uploaded into his commlink and Winter sent out her Nevermore Summons to scout for any automated defenses.

In spite of all this, it did not take long for the two of them to emerge in the generator room at the heart of the building.

"So, this big thing's the generator?" Winter asked as she looked up at the device in the middle of the room. Several tubes fed into and out of the machine, eight from the ceiling, eight below, with a glowing blue sphere in the middle.

"Yep!" Fixit remarked, "It appears to take Energon dir-directly from a synthesi-sizer."

"Wait, I thought this thing was generating Energon?" Winter replied.

"The name is very mis-misleading-ing," Fixit remarked with a wave of one of his hands, "It actually generates-ates electri-tricity that is used to pow-power the rest of the building-ing! The big sphere in the mid-middle is actualy-ly pure Energ-g-g-gon! Very unsta-stable! If I can disrupt-rupt the magne-netic field, then the whole-whole thing wi-i-i-ill shut down!"

"Are you alright?" Winter questioned, "Your glitches are getting worse."

"The gen-generator-tor's magne-ne-netic field is exacerba-ba-bating existing symptoms," Fixit replied as he turned to face the generator, "As soon as I dis-disable it, the gli-gli-glitches should be more manageable-ble."

"So what do you need me to do in the meantime?" Winter asked.

"Keep an eye-eye out for any troub-troub-trouble-ble-ble," Fixit answered as he headed for the generator, "This will take all-all-all of my focus-cus-cus, and there's bound to be some-some-someone keeping an optic-tic-tic on the station!"

"Are you sure you don't nee-"

"These gli-gli-glitches are the resul-ult of a hit to my neuronet-net causing a delay-lay between my proces-ces-cessor and my voicebox-ox!" Fixit interrupted, his tone sharpening, "It is only-ly my voicebox-ox that is affected-ed-ed. I was lucky-y-y. I have had more-ore than enough pity over the millenia-a-a. I assure-ure-ure you, I don't need your-your-yours!"

"Sorry," Winter replied with a wince.

"There-ere-ere should be a Mini-Con tunnel-el-el behind you-you," Fixit continued, "Use tha-at, to keep an eye-eye on the hallway-ay. Once the pow-power is out, we-we can release-lease the prisoners. Do you under-der-derstand?"

"Yes sir!" Winter replied with a salute.

"Then ge-get out there-ere!" Fixit ordered, "Doctor-tor's orders!"

Winter sprinted for the tunnel Fixit pointed out, leaving the Mini-Con to his work.

Special Operative Winter Schnee glanced out into the dark hallway.

Why is Decepticon Architecture so dreary? she thought to herself, Constant darkness can't be good for morale. There's a reason we keep our military base so pristine.

Or maybe it's to trap the heat in? We are a good ways further north than Atlas is…

The sound of a roaring engine brought Winter out of her pondering as a police car cruised down the hall and unfolded into a bipedal robot the size of a Paladin with a gun the size of a man holstered to his hip.

"Alright, the motion detectors said there was something in here," the Decepticon grumbled, unaware of the Leonine Glyph forming behind him, "Hopefully it's not another one of those Sparkless Grimm things Screamer's so fond of."

A blue fireball struck the back of his head, and the Decepticon whirled around and blasted Winter's Manticore to bits.

"Well… Looks like somebody decided to be a wise guy," he remarked as he approached and scanned the wall, "Let's see where you are."

Winter smirked and formed a Glyph above his head.

The Decepticon shrieked as Beowolves rained on his head, a few clinging to his chassis and scratching and biting him per their master's will.

"That tears it!" the Decepticon roared as he tore one off and scanned it, "These aren't normal Grimm! And if I can just trace this psychic link…"

Winter dispelled her Beowolves as she felt her heart skip a beat, only for the Decepticon to chuckle as he unholstered his gun.

"Found you."

BANG!

Winter panted as smoke rose from where she had been standing seconds before, only to realize she was now standing in the middle of the hallway, in front of a Decepticon, and completely devoid of back-up.
"I'll admit, I never thought a squishy would find its way in here," the Decepticon stated as he aimed his gun at Winter, "Too bad you came all this way just to die."

BANG!

Winter tossed up a Barrier Glyph, which was destroyed in the process of negating the blast, sending her sliding back a few feet.

"Stubborn little pest, I'll give you that," the Decepticon remarked as he took a step towards Winter, "Doesn't matter, killin' vermin is way easier than putting down a rioter." He jumped and transformed into a patrol car to charge Winter.

The Specialist jumped, landed on the hood, and summoned a Kelpie to kick off the car and dash down the hall.

The patrol car made a U-Turn, deployed guns from his hood, and opened fire. Winter zigged and zagged, wincing as the bullets grazed her arms and taking out bits and pieces of her fel steed, until it finally disipated from underneath her.

"Shit!" Winter tucked and rolled, letting her Aura absorb most of the damage, only for the Decepticon to unfold back into robot mode and grab her off the ground.

"Heh, barely even a challenge," the Decepticon remarked as he held Winter up to his face, unaware of the Glyph forming behind him, "More annoying than anything. Maybe I should have you taxidermied. I've got a nice spot on my shelf where you'd fit ri-"

Winter's Beringel punched the back of the Decepticon's head, causing him to throw the Specialist.

Winter Summoned her Manticore and took flight down the hall, rounding a corner and making a mad dash away as the Decepticon and the Summon wrestled, only dispelling the Summon as soon as she was certain she was out of sight.

"I can't rely on Summons as a distraction," Winter noted under her breath as she heard the familiar sound of shifting metal, "Looks like I need to improvise."

Winter drifted up by the ceiling, trying to evade Barricade's notice.

Why are the lights along the sides of the ceiling instead of in the middle of the hall? she wondered, Why did they color it red?

To her understanding, the lights did not use Dust, nor did they appear to be tied to the building's heating. The dark palettes and eerie red glow did little in the way of illumination, instead creating an eerie atmosphere.

The dim lighting would have probably been an advantage, if Winter wasn't dressed in mostly white clothes and riding on a frosty white spectral Summon.

The roar of an approaching siren brought Winter out of her thoughts as the Decepticon drove closer in his patrol car mode.

"You're PSF level's gotta be dropping low by now!" the Decepticon taunted, "You sure would make a mess if it ran out up there!"

It was bait.

It was obvious bait.

He couldn't aim his guns that high up in his vehicle mode, and he couldn't run fast enough to keep up with Winter in robot mode.

But Winter could feel her Aura dropping, and she didn't have a way to slow her fall without using her Semblance.

So if her Aura ran out while she was this high up in the air...

"Dammit!" Winter had her Manticore gradually lower itself from the air, keeping an eye on the Decepticon beneath and behind her, "Why didn't I ever learn how to infuse Dust elements with my Glyphs?"

Because those Glyphs aren't "yours" in the way your Summons are, the voice in her head taunted, Your father couldn't buy a Summon for you, you had to power through the hardship and earn it! Just like the General earned his Council Seats!

Winter growled and tried to consider her options as an open doorway passed by.

Wait a second, she had her Manticore pull a midair u-turn, letting the Decepticon pass under her, and set a course for the doorway as she heard the sound of shifting and sliding metal.

BANG!

The burning plasma tore through her Summon, sending Winter flying through the air. Winter threw out a hand and stopped herself on a Glyph as the Decepticon adjusted the aim on his gun.

BANG!

Winter kicked off the Glyph and into the room, letting the plasma blast tear through the space she had been occupying as she created more and more platforms to lower herself to the floor, examining the room as she went.

There were six cells to her left, five of which were occupied, with a camera pointed at the cells hanging from the right half of the ceiling. The prisoners of the occupied cells were a mostly red and white Autobot with blue eyes, a green Autobot with green eyes, an orange and purple Autobot with purple eyes, a blood red Autobot with red eyes, and a light green Autobot with cyan eyes.

In spite of the technological advances of the Transformers, each cell used regular bars as opposed to a hardlight barrier.

And why does every cell have both a powered and manual lock? Special Operative Schnee wondered as the Decepticon dashed over to the door way and aimed his gun into the room, Isn't it wasteful to have both the obsolete option and the upgraded version?

BANG!

Winter jumped out of the way and landed on another Glyph, sending a flock of small Nevermores at the Decepticon before leaping to a third Glyph.

"Having a little trouble, Barricade?" the red and white Autobot taunted as the Nevermores swarmed the Decepticon's face.

"Shut up you worldless outcast!" the Decepticon, Barricade shouted as he switched his left hand out for a nightstick and swatted through the Nevermores swarming his head.

Winter didn't put much focus in helping her Nevermores dodge as the lights flickered out and the powered locks shut down, instead calling upon her Manticore to fly and hover in front of the red and white Autobot's cell's manual lock.

Barricade snarled and pointed his gun at Winter.

BANG!

Winter jumped as the blast tore straight through her ride, and Barricade smirked and held his gun true as she began to drop.

BANG!

Winter threw a Glyph in front of herself to catch the blast, but was still propelled into the smoldering and half-molten lock, screaming as her Aura strained to shield her from both the burning plasma and the molten metal.

The one thing saving her skin from being seared off was that the molten metal was propelled away from her by the blast before her impact with the ground broke her Aura, leaving her lying in a heap as her uniform burned.

.

"Oh would you look at that," Barricade remarked, as he pointed his gun at Winter's barely conscious form, "It looks like the pest does have its limits after all."

BANG!

The plasma slammed against the face of a Glyph.

"Huh?" Winter tried to make sense of how that happened when her Aura was depleted, only to yelp as a metal hand closed over her and pulled her into the cage.

"Take it easy, the imprisoned Autobot stated as she lifted Winter off the ground, "I'll take it from here." The Autobot placed Winter on a large, metal bench bolted to the wall.

"Who are…" Winter winced and tried to tear off her jacket. When she couldn't get a strong enough grip with her hands, she bit down on the collar and forced her arms through their sleeves and tossed the fabric aside before the flames could do any further damage. When she tried to push herself back onto her feet, her legs instantly gave out.
"The name's Elita-1," the Autobot answered as she blinked, her eyes switching to a lighter shade of blue, "Now if you'll excuse me…" Elita-1 turned to her cell door and pushed it open, letting the remains of its lock drop to the floor as she approached Barricade, and revealing the thrusters built into the blades jutting out of her back.

"G-get back in your cell!"

BANG!

The plasma shot hit another Barrier Glyph.

"Why don't I teach you how to be a proper jailer?" Elita asked as she dispelled her Glyph and activated her thrusters, "Lesson one-" She blasted forwards and grabbed Barricade's face, conjured a Glyph behind him, slammed him into that Glyph, and grabbed his gun. "- don't be a coward. Lesson two-"

She aimed her gun off to her left, at one of the other cells.

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

BANG!

"- don't give your prisoners anything they can use to escape."

Barricade hit Elita-1's forearm with his nightstick, forcing her to release his face, and tried to grab his gun back from her, only for two Autobots, the green one and the orange and purple one, to tackle him to the ground.

The other two Autobots, the light-green one and the blood red one joined the fray.

Winter wouldn't call the rest of the fight a battle, so much as a one-sided beatdown, with Elita-1 holding onto Barricade's gun as her compatriots pummeled their former jailer into submission, her eyes returning to their original shade of blue.

"Look alive, soldiers," she stated as she pointed her stolen gun at the entrance to the room, "Someone else is coming."

One final kick to the head knocked out shattered Barricade's Aura and rendered him unconscious as the newly released Autobots assumed fighting stances.

Mirage drove into the room, his symbols swapped back to show his actual allegiance, and unfolded into robot mode.

"Don't worry, I'm here to rescue…" his voice trailed off, "Where's Winter?"

"I'm in here!" Winter called from inside Elita-1's former cell, "I don't think I'll be able to walk out of here."

There was also the issue of the very obvious burn wounds she could feel all over her body, but those were a problem for the medics after the mission. If the Autobots had to leave her behind, then so be it, the General was bound to have a back-up Maiden Candidate in case something like this happened.

"… Did she try to 1v1 a Decepticon?" Mirage asked Elita-1.

"To her credit, she was doing a decent job," Elita answered.

"You wouldn't happen to have an escape plan, would you?" the purple and orange one asked.

"Relax, Lancer," Mirage replied, "As long as all of you still have a PSF charge, bustin' out of this city will be protoform's play."

After they locked Barricade up in the remaining cell and went outside, Winter took a seat in Mirage's backseat, to the left of Fixit, trying to ignore the blistering pain from the burns she had received from the plasma and molten metal.

"Con-considering that you were directly struck by the plas-plasma bolt, you should be grateful that there isn't a hole-ole in your chest," Fixit pointed out, "So you shoul-should live!"

Winter fixed a glare at the Mini-Con seated to her right.

"Ju-just an educated guess-ess," Fixit defended.

Winter sighed., and turned her attention to the crowd gathering to watch the battle against Devestator.

"They're not going to last much longer against that," Elita-1 stated, and her eyes turned red, "Thankfully, I can use Mirage's Distinction to keep the element of surprise."

"Wait, how can you use Mirage's Semblance?" Winter asked.

"My Distinction," Elita-1 answered, "I can Download one Distinction at a time and utilize it. This should let Mirage save his PSF levels and give Orthia the edge she needs to take Devastator down. Speaking of…
"Shield of Solus, form Orthia!"

Winter watched as Elita-1 formed the torso, the light green Autobot formed the right arm, the blood red Autobot formed the left arm, the other green Autobot formed the left leg, and the orange and purple Autobot formed the right leg.

Their Aura's all blended together as Orthia's head replaced Elita-1's.

"I forgot how hard it is to keep any of our Distinctions active while combining to become me," Orthia stated as she shook her head, before turning to face Mirage, "I'll separate into my components once Devastator's been dealt with. From there, the chase is on!"

Mirage didn't get the chance to reply before the Combiner broke into a sprint, dashed down the street, leapt over the crowd, activated Elita-1's thrusters, deployed a saber from her light green arm, and slashed across Devastator's body.

The Decepticon Combiner shrieked in either surprise or rage in response as he fell backwards, then growled and started to push himself to his feet.

"GET UNDER THE OPEN SKY!" Orthia ordered as she pulled a load bearing beam loose.

The incomplete building proceeded to collapse on itself, burying the Decepticon combiner, and the crowd of civilians dispersed into screaming panic as the Autobots turned their attention on the security officers, Orthia breaking into her components to let Elita-1 transform into a triangular airship that rocketed towards the edge of the city.

"Hold onto something," Mirage stated, before flooring it and driving full speed in the direction Elita-1 had flown in, "This is going to be a bumpy ride!"

.

"Care-careful! You're aggrava-vating her injuries!" Fixit shouted as Mirage rounded a third corner.
"If I don't shake these Decepticops, she's going to have bigger problems to worry about!" Mirage shouted, until one of the chasing police cars was knocked into a building by Arcee.

"Don't worry, I've got experience with unarmed vehicle mode combat!" the pink Autobot cheerfully stated as one of the green Autobots from the prison slammed into a patrol bike.

"Sweety, is it really worth bragging about when your opponents are trained to terrorize unarmed civilians?" she asked.

"C'mon Greeny, just let me have this!"

"Oh my Primus, could you keep your flirting on a private line?!" Clampdown shouted.

"Clampdown, I understand your frustrations, but you don't have to yell at all of us!" Magnum replied as Minimus Ambus manned a turret on his back to take out the security officer's air support.

"Greenlight! I'm going to need you and Novastar up by the wall!" Elita-1 stated over the comm, "I'm almost out of missiles, and Lancer and Moonracer can't push the wall over without their weapons."

"On it!" the green Autobot Arcee had been flirting with stated as she hit the accelerator and sped past them, "Good luck, love! We'll catch up back at base!"

"PRIVATE LINES!" Clampdown shouted, "HAVE YOU HEARD OF THEM!?"

.

A few minutes later, the convoy of Autobots came up to the part of the wall Elita-1 had been firing on, smoke rising from a severely dented part of the wall. Winter turned her attention away from the pursuing "Decepticops" to watch as the Shield of Solus reformed into Orthia, engaged Elita-1's thrusters, and pushed right through the weakened part of the wall with a scream, watching as segments of wall right next to it collapsed into the snow as a blizzard raged outside the range of the heating systems.

"Autobots, stick close together!" Optimus voice ordered over the radio as they approached the hole in the wall, "We'll have to lose the Decepticons in the snowstorm! Keep your headlights on and remain within talking distance!"

Orthia broke apart, and the eleven Autobots (plus Winter) vanished into the blizzard.

Thankfully, the blizzard ended by the time they were within range of the CCT, though the Autobots' Aura had dropped to dangerous levels in the meantime.

Thankfully, it was mostly a nonissue by the time they made it to the Autobase, and Winter was handed back to the Atlesian Military to both report back to Ironwood and receive medical treatment.

"Thank you for your help, Winter," Optimus had said as she was removed from Mirage's backseat and placed on a gurney, "Elita is a valuable ally, and even without that is very dear to me. Your efforts were not in vain, and I am in your debt."

"I was just doing my duty," Winter stated.

"That does not negate the courage you displayed in personally facing Barricade," Optimus replied, "Be safe Winter. I hope our next meeting will be under less dire circumstances."

"- And that's everything I learned and saw," Winter finished. General Ironwood had visited her in the infirmary, requesting that she tell him everything.

Pietro was typing something into his Scroll as his daughter peeked in through the window, worry evident in the girl's eyes. Winter couldn't exactly blame her. There were burn scars all along her arms, shoulders, back, legs, and belly, and that wasn't even going into the bones that had been broken after falling out of the melting lock.

(Waking up to discover her right hand had been amputated on Ironwood's orders was an unpleasant surprise, but given that said hand was the first thing the plasma blast had struck after breaking through her Glyph, and that the skin had been burned off her palm even through her Aura, she realized she was probably lucky to have only lost the hand.)

"So, the Decepticon's headquarters are on this very continent," the General remarked, "In that case, we ought to mobilize all of our troops and launch an assault as soon as possible, the sooner we can drive them off our world, the better."

"Sir, that's not a battle we can win," Winter replied, "Not yet, at least. We'll need to upgrade our own equipment before we stand a chance of making so much as a dent in the city's defences. And they're bound to bump up security now that Optimus has successfully infiltrated and escaped from the city."

"Right, him," the General growled.

"They were very open about their tech when I asked about it, though," Winter continued, "If you asked for medical texts and all the data they have on Combiners and Binary Bonding, they'd probably give it up without much protest."

"And you're certain it would be that easy?" the General asked.

"Fixit might want some of our books on human and Faunus medicine," Winter amended, "Which reminds me." She turned her attention to Pietro. "Dr. Polendina, one of the girls who fought in the Battle of Vytal lost her arm. Would it be possible for you to make her a prosthetic?"

"Let's not get ahead of ourselves," General Ironwood cut in, "As tragic as what happened to her is, we can't waste Atlesian resources on hotheaded children who stick their noses into issues that are none of their business."

"Sir, it's partially our fault that Ms. Xiao Long lost her arm in the first place!" Winter protested, and Ironwood's face paled.

"… What did you just call the girl?" he asked.

"Miss Xiao Long," Winter answered.

"She's… She's not related to a Taiyang Xiao Long, is she?" the General questioned.

"… Given that's the name of the man I fought, she is," Winter answered.

"… Oh no…" General Ironwood turned to Pietro, "Dr. Polendina, I give you full permission to cooperate with the Autobots to make her prosthetic. Be sure that Tai knows the arm came from us, and let the girl add whatever bells and whistles she wants."

"… Sir," Winter started, "Is everything okay?"

"… Remember that classified information I shared with you before the Autobots showed up?" General Ironwood asked.

"Yes?"

"All I can say is that I just found out how the Autobot got in touch with Ozpin," General Ironwood replied, "He had a direct line to him through the girl's father."

Winter processed the implications of that statement.

"Oh…"

"You just focus on recovering for now, while I focus on damage control," Ironwood replied as he turned to leave the room, "As soon as you have a new hand, we'll have a talk about your new duties going forwards. You're going to have your hands full until this war's been won."

"I suppose I'll have to come up with a cover story for Weiss," Winter remarked, "It'll be kind of hard to hide all this when it's time to give her a tour of Atlas Academy."

"… You didn't hear?" General Ironwood asked, "Your sister has chosen to enroll in Beacon instead."

"… What?!"

Days later, Winter stepped out of the restricted wing where Fria was being treated, having just spent the afternoon conversing with the ailing Winter Maiden. While it had taken some getting used to, the exoskeletal brace Pietro had made for her was surprisingly comfortable. Adjusting to having to dress herself with just one hand with legs that just refused to work was one thing she still struggled with, but she figured that she'd get used to it eventually.

Besides, she thought as she walked to Pietro's lab, I'll have a two hands again after today.

When Penny waved to greet her, Winter's thoughts drifted back to what had sparked the artificial girl's epiphany, and the memories her talk with that girl had brought back to the surface.

So, as soon as Winter was out of the base, the first thing she used her new hand for was to write a message for someone she hadn't spoken with in years.

May Marigold was washing the dishes when her Scroll vibrated in her pocket. She carefully put down the plate she was washing and dried off her hands, letting Robyn take over in the meantime, and took out her Scroll to check who it is.

"Why would she send a message now of all times?" she growled.

"Wait, so it wasn't Joanna calling to check what we need to restock?" Fiona piped up from the couch as she used her Semblance to absorb the laundry she had just finished folding, "Who else could it be."

May turned her Scroll around so the screen faced the Faunus.

"… Robyn, who is it the message from?" Fiona asked, "I have sheep ears, not eagle eyes!"

May blushed, and showed her Scroll's screen to Robyn.

"One new message from Winter Schnee?" the leader of the Happy Huntresses read out loud, "I thought you blocked her number?"

"She was the only one who didn't pester me to join the Atlesian Military day in and day out, so I guess it slipped my mind," May remarked, "I wonder what possessed her to start now of all days."

"That… Might be a bit pessimistic," Robyn remarked, "I mean, given the whole fiasco in Vale, she might be looking for a place to crash after getting kicked out of the military."

"… Robyn, I love you, but we would've heard about that on the news if she'd been discharged," Fiona called out, "Ironass always made a big deal out of those things."

"I'm just saying, if she was going to try and pester May to join the military, she'd have done so by now!" Robyn stated, "So something must be going on on her end."

May sighed.

"I'll just see what she has to say," she stated, "That way I'll know how angry I should be next time we meet."
The unhappiest Happy Huntress opened the message.

Next time you wonder if you made the right choice, know that your very existence helped another young woman realize who she was meant to be.

a/n: Credit where credit is due, Matrix Dragon both helped with Penny's scene, and came up with both the opening and closing scenes for this chapter

Additionally, for Optimus' story to Winter regarding the exiled tribes, I took inspiration from the real life Trail of Tears. For those of you who've never heard of it, then-President Andrew Jackson had the Cherokee people forcibly removed from their homes to make room for white settlers. Given my own Cherokee ancestry, it's one atrocity that has always struck close to home for me whenever I read about it.

Onto a more lighthearted topic, I decided to turn the trans subtext that already existed with Penny and made it into outright text. I figured tying the canonically transgender May to her realization would be a nice connecting point between the two via their mutual acquaintence of Winter.

Speaking of, I decided to have Winter paralyzed early, and on top of that, she's lost a hand and gotten a prosthetic. Before you ask, no, this isn't to show how utterly "inhuman" she's become (long story short, I read a post on Tumblr that stated that Winter used mobility aids because she was "caged" by Atlas, but her lack of prosthetics should be taken as proof that she's still human. I had Winter's hand amputated to spite that one user in particular), but because I figured it would help with her character development.

Her talk with Fixit was also my way of further humanizing the Autobots. Namely, these robotic aliens can have disabilities.

And now, for replies to reviews:

Z-King: I've already planned out all of the pairings, and there's only one character who's romantic status is still nebulos, if only because I actually don't have any one ship for her. But my plans for Blake and Yang will become more obvious as time goes on.

merendinoemiliano: Thanks.

Mobian: I used IDW Drift as the basis, mostly because I'm a sucker for good redemption arcs. As for him being Dinobot's ancestor though... While he is my favorite Beast Wars character, that isn't quite what I had in mind...

Paddle047: For now, I'm going to try and focus on the Transformers cast, if only to try and avoid bloating the cast too much. With as many characters as RWBY has, it usually does a good job of focusing on its main cast. I have seen fanfics that have tried to give dedicated character arcs to 50 or so characters at a time, resulting in a confusing and hard to follow mess. I'd rather avoid that here if at all possible.

TomtomtheWriter: I just needed a framing device for Ruby's Spotlight Oneshot, and that particular one just helped get her into Beacon. I've got my own plans for down the line to try and keep the RWBY half of things from being too redundant, though.

Yeah sorry hi: She's still got some growing to do. But just wait until you see what she can do.

That's it for this Spotlight Oneshot, the next one should be a bit of a breather compared to this whole fiasco.

In the mean time, why not give one of this fic's spin-offs a try?

Like, I dunno, Shattered Fragments? My own take on a mirror universe? That completely slipped under the radar?

Ah well, wherever it is we meet again, I'll see you then!