Chapter 48

After three hours of waiting, Weiss and the others were beginning to worry about Ruby. Suddenly, the temple began to glow with a radiant blue energy - as did Dragon Fang's blade. The huntresses and huntsmen stared in awe at the startling display just as Ruby finally reappeared. "Hi, guys!" She waved.

"RUBY!" Yang rushed to hug her sister. "You've been gone for hours! What happened in there?"

"Well, I went to look for the bathroom, but then I walked into this weird place and I met a magic lady who taught me the meaning of life, death, the universe, and everything!"

"Wait, magic lady?" Penelope asked.

"Greetings." A blue spirit suddenly appeared, startling the others. "Apologies, but… is there someone else I can speak with? Preferably, one with a broader vocabulary?"

Penelope gasped as she took in the spirit before her. "It...it can't be. Sis?"

"Sis!?" Nearly everyone else yelled out.

The blue spirit meanwhile blinked as she looked upon Penelope before giving a smile. "Hello, sister. It's been a long time. I almost didn't recognize you."

Penelope merely gave a melancholy chuckle in reply. "Understandable. I merely carry the memory of the girl you once knew."

"Sorry to interrupt, but I believe I speak for everyone when I say I'm a little confused." Weiss declared before looking to the blue spirit. "Who... what are you?"

"She's my sister," Penelope declared with an awestruck smile. "She's a Maiden like me. Specifically, the Winter Maiden."

"Correct." The newly discovered Winter Maiden remarked. "Unfortunately, I am but a shell of my former self. You see, sister, when our mother killed our father in our first lives, I did my best to hide us all away. But one by one, I failed you all. Luckily, I stumbled upon a unique species of Grimm who inhabited this island long before the faunus and humans who currently occupy it. I learned that they were capable of free will and independent thought, and thus thought that they were worthy of our gifts. I tethered my soul to this island and did what I could to guide these Grimm towards a more civilized era, but it was sadly not meant to be. A party of resentful humans invaded this island, slaughtered all but a handful of the Grimm, and kept enslaved faunus here for centuries before the faunus uprisings. I kept myself hidden from the world, in an attempt to prevent my power from falling into the wrong hands. But now that you have returned, sister, I suppose it was finally time to reveal myself."

Penelope, meanwhile, couldn't help but cry tears of joy. "I... I don't know what to say. I was afraid I was alone. But you've been here, this whole time! You sacrificed your own freedom and happiness to protect the world and your loved ones! Even from your own power!"

"I know!" Ruby cried out in agreement. "And that's why I decided to name her... Elsa!"

Winter could only blink as everyone else gave the hooded huntress an awkward stare. "Elsa?"

Ruby smiled. "Yes! Elsa!"

"Elsa?!" Weiss repeated with a frown. "Ruby, I don't think that's her real name."

"Perhaps not," the newly christened "Elsa" said with a shrug. "But it's been so long since anyone has used it that I've honestly forgotten it, so for now, 'Elsa' will have to do. Besides, I am quite fond of the name."

Penelope simply nodded. "... my sister, Elsa... the Winter Maiden."

"Wait, back up," Yang called out. "You mean to tell us that the one who was subjecting us to our worst fears was the Winter Maiden?!"

Elsa then blinked as she took in the visage of Yang, giving a teasing smirk as she did. "Be lucky you have found one of my keys, or you would not have experienced even that."

"Polo Shark is a shark?"

"The big guy is right." Deadeyes called out. "None of us have any sort of key on us."

It was here that Yang's eyes widened in shock, looking down on the blade in her hand as she did. "Unless…"

"Indeed," Elsa said with a nod. "Only those who are in proximity to the sacred key may enter my temple at all."

"Wait, if that's true, then how did…?" Blake began to ask before facepalming. "Because we were in close proximity to Adam and Torchwick while they were trying to enter the temple."

"Guess it's lucky that none of them were true warriors then." Jaune called out, only to flinch as everyone leveled a glare at him. "Right: not the time."

"The key was given to the Doppelgangers when they were forced to leave Menagerie." Elsa went on. "Yang Xiao Long, as you were the one to wear it, it has now been bonded to your aura, and as such will only function for you until after your death."

"But why test us if Yang already has the gauntlet - uh - key?" Octavia asked, curiously.

"Because I sensed that the Key of Menagerie has yet to be discovered." Elsa explained. "As such, I feared you may have been descendants of the humans who nearly wiped out the Doppelgangers in the first place, especially when those who came before you did not respond to my greetings in the ancient language I had taught them."

"Wait, back up; there's another key?!" Yang exclaimed.

"Of course! In case you lock one in your car!" Ruby gasped in shock. "Penny! Your sister is a genius! She's thought of everything!"

Weiss rolled her eyes at Ruby's remark. "Okay. Ms. Winter Maiden-"

"Elsa!"

"I refuse to call you that." Weiss growled out before clearing her throat. "Anyways, as much as I enjoy learning about the history of this place, it's only a matter of time before Adam and Torchwick get back, so maybe we should take this discussion elsewhere."

Elsa simply nodded in return. "That's fair."

After the group had made camp at a nearby research facility, Elsa turned to Penelope with a curious expression. "So, sister, not that it isn't great to see you again, but was there any particular reason that your friends sought out the Temple of Isolation?"

"The Temple of Isolation?" Winter asked, before blinking. "Oh, wait, let me guess: it's named that because it was built to keep you isolated from the rest of the world."

"Correct," Elsa remarked. "As I mentioned before, I had built it to keep my power from falling into the wrong hands."

"Well to answer your earlier question, it has to do with those who tried entering your temple before we made our own attempts." Penelope declared. "We have reason to believe that they were seeking your power to aid in killing countless people here on Menagerie, something which we had to prevent them from doing. So far, we've had some luck in disrupting their plans, but...well, I hate to ask you this after having just reunited with you, but would you…?"

"Of course sister," Elsa said with a smile, already having an idea of what the Maiden fragment was about to ask. "It has always been my duty to watch over the residents of this island, so it'd be an honor to lead you and your friends to some of my other temples to help you end this conflict."

"Much appreciated," Saber remarked, before blinking upon realizing what the Winter Maiden had said. "Wait, other temples?"

"Indeed," the Winter Maiden declared. "I wouldn't be much of a guardian if the Temple of Isolation was the only resource at my disposal. In fact, I happen to know a temple on the east side of Menagerie that would be perfect for our purposes."

"The east side of Menagerie?" Ilia gasped. "That's where the Rebellion is stationed!"

"That temple is the Temple of Arms." Elsa elaborated. "Activating that temple will grant you access to a cache of highly advanced weaponry unlike any you have seen before."

"And you said that's just one of the hidden temples on this island?" Weiss asked.

"Correct." Elsa nodded.

The group shared an eager glance before Winter chuckled. "Well, not to sound greedy, but…"

"What else do you have to offer, sister?" Penelope finished.

"Hmm…" Elsa rubbed her chin in thought. "Well, there is the Temple of Bountiful Harvests. Weather Manipulation. Interior Decorating. Procreation. Communication-"

"Whoa, whoa! Stop!" Penelope interrupted. "What was that last one?"

"Communication." Elsa repeated. "Activating this temple will allow you to send a message to virtually any communication deviceacross the world of Remnant."

"So we can use it to call for help!" Weiss surmised.

"And what was the one before that?" Yang asked, pushing past her friend.

"Procreation." Elsa began, again. "Activating this temple will emit a high-frequency signal that will send every sentient being on Menagerie into a ravenous sexual frenzy with the intent to increase a dangerously dwindling population."

"We… won't be needing that one." Winter declared.

"Well, let's not rule anything out." The blonde brawler suggested, offering her wife a sly wink.

Blake blushed in response. "Maybe we should focus on dealing with Adam and company and then decide if we'll be needing that particular temple."

"That's fair, I suppose," Yang said by way of reply.

"Wait, there is something you all should know." Elsa warned. "There is one temple you must be wary of. The Temple of the Purge."

"Well, that doesn't sound ominous at all." Yang groaned, sarcastically.

"Mother always used to tease that I was most similar to father when it came to pessimism." Elsa sighed. "I created the Purge as a last resort in the event that the Doppelgangers ever fell from grace, or if any other unworthy beings gain access to my gifts."

"So what does this… Purge do, exactly?" Ruby asked.

"If the wielder of one of my keys sees fit, they may activate the Temple of the Purge… and cleanse Menagerie."

Blake gulped, nervously. "And by 'cleanse'… you mean..?"

Elsa could only sigh as she looked down in shame. "All sentient life on Menagerie outside the Temple of the Purge - be they Doppelganger, Faunus, or human - will be destroyed."

"...not just in Menagerie."

Ruby looked to Penelope - who was showcasing a rather grim expression - with an equally worried expression. "Wha...what do you mean by that Penny?"

"Remember how - during that whole time travel debacle - Professor Oyzmandias said that Salem viewed the Four Seasonal Maidens as being the centerpiece to what she perceived as her ultimate victory?" Penelope asked the hooded huntress, a slight tremble in her voice. "I think I just realized what he meant by that. What is the one thing that Salem wants above all else?"

"Revenge on the Gods of Light and Darkness for supposedly taking her husband, Ozma, away from her." Yang readily replied.

Penelope simply nodded. "Right, and what do those two both consider to be their greatest achievement?"

"The creation of mankind," Ciel said with a shrug, only to pale as she realized where the Maiden fragment was going with this. "Fils de pute! Je ne peux pas croire qu'elle irait faire ça! (Son of a bitch! I can't believe that she'd just go and do that!)"

"I don't need to speak French to know that Ciel is just as disturbed by where you seem to be leading us as the rest of us." Jaune said with a gulp. "You mean to tell us that Salem intends to wipe out all life on Remnant!? She can't just go and do that!"

"She can with the power of the Four Seasonal Maidens assisting her," Penelope said with a frown. "And it just so happens that, even with Ozpin's spell, she has just enough of the Maiden's influence right here on the island to pull it off."

"That's not possible," Raven declared. "Cinder is dead, and I don't have the Spring Maiden's powers anymore."

"And yet you still were the Spring Maiden," Penelope remarked. "Something like that doesn't just go away: it leaves a marker on the person's soul, one which Salem could potentially draw upon for her purposes."

"That still doesn't explain how she intends to have Fall Maiden present if Cinder is dead." Ruby couldn't help but point out.

"I'm afraid that you are the answer to that, Ruby," Penelope declared. "Now that I've reunited with my sister, I'm able to properly sense that you have a similar marker of a Maiden on your soul that your Aunt does, meaning that you were the last person of Cinder's mind when she died. My guess is that her last thoughts were of how she blamed you for everything that had happened to her up until that point, thus the marker of the Maiden was transferred over to your soul."

"So wait, you mean to tell us that Salem has everything she needs to execute her plan right here in Menagerie?!" Weiss couldn't help but ask.

"This wasn't a war," Yang growled out. "It was bait. Salem knew that we wouldn't be able to resist coming here to deal with Barmak, and that once we had learned about the conflict, that we wouldn't be able to resist doing whatever we could to put a stop to the war, up to and including freeing the Winter Maiden."

"Got to give Salem credit: she's a master strategist," Jaune begrudgingly admitted. "But we can't just leave, right? If we do, there's nothing stopping them from killing all the people of Menagerie."

"We're not going to leave," Blake assured him, "but we'll have to be extra careful as we move forward. There's no telling of what else Salem and her allies have up their sleeves."

Penelope nodded. "Indeed, but one thing's for certain: no matter what happens to us, we can't let Salem, Adam, or Roman get access to the Temple of the Purge."

"Agreed." everyone else declared.

"Still we have a problem," Winter felt the need to point out. "Adam and Roman both have an insider connection in this war: Taurus with the people of Menagerie, and Roman with Lionheart and the people of the Federation. So long as they both are free, they can keep this war going as long as they want."

Yatsuhasi just groaned. "Great. What else can go wrong?"

As if to answer his question, Qrow's scroll went off. "Little busy here, Leo." Agent Grey declared with a sigh, having read the caller ID. "Though so long as you're calling, I should let you know that my team and I have been thinking that this war has gone on long enough."

"I couldn't agree more, Agent Grey."

Velvet gasped upon hearing that voice. "Ghira?! Adam told us he was holding you captive!"

"Adam was holding me captive," Ghira remarked with an bitter chuckle, "but only because, as much as I despise him, he was the only one who I knew was strong enough to do so after I heard that the Federation were in the same area as my daughter-in-law and the infamous Loki. I knew that running into rescue Miss Xiao Long and her team like I wanted to would be a suicide mission, as Menagerie would quickly fall into disarray without their leader."

"So wait, you asked to be held captive so you wouldn't go charging in like Leroy Jenkins?!" Nora called out. "...that's fair, I suppose." She then blinked. "Wait, how do you have General Lionheart's scroll?"

"Simple: I managed to snatch it up shortly after I heard that he had killed my daughter and daughter-in-law and plans to do the same to you as soon as you get back," Ghira said with a growl. "Adam might be an asshole, but he wouldn't lie about something like this. I respect your team's desire to find a peaceful solution to this conflict, and I'm not a fan of violence, but for the crimes Leonardo has committed, I have no choice but to bare my fangs."

Here, Raven felt her eyes widen in terror, grabbing the scroll from her brother. "WAIT! That's not what happened! Yang and Blake are right here... and he's already hung up." she called out, letting out a groan at the end. "Dammit! We've been tricked! We've been backstabbed! And we've quite possibly been bamboozled!"

"...and this is why you never ask whether anything else can go wrong." Ruby deadpanned, glaring at Yatsuhashi as she did.

"Sorry," he called out, a sheepish grin.

"Great, just great." Weiss groaned. "Ghira and General Lionheart are on a collision course with each other due to the lies Roman and Adam have been spreading, and it's not like Taraus and Torchwick are going to to tell Menagerie and the Federation what they've really been up to."

Here, Jaune gasped. "That's it! That's how we put an end to this war! We get Roman and Adam to reveal their deception to Menagerie and the Federation!"

Pyrrha frowned. "Jaune, I love you, but it can't be that simple."

Winter smirked in response. "Actually, I think it just might be. While I was undercover, I discovered that every scroll on Menagerie is linked by a series of radio towers. We just need to upload a message into one of those radio towers, and everyone will know what Roman and Taraus have been up to. Of course, it would probably be more effective if they hear Roman and Taurus confessing of their own free will."

Blake nodded. "Which means we'll need to send someone after them to capture them."

"I'll go after Adam." Yang immediately called out. "I still owe him a hit or two from our disastrous training session back when we thought he was Rojo Toro, and beside, he hurt my wife. I won't just let him get away with that."

"Then I guess I'll go after Roman then," Qrow said with a nod. "Aside from how he hurt my nieces, I still owe a few from when he humiliated me a few years back."

"I'm coming with you," Raven declared. "Roman knew about your history with Project Huntsman, so he might try to use that info to mess with your head...but he doesn't know a thing about me. Besides, Yang and Ruby are my family too."

Blake looked to her wife as Qrow reluctantly nodded in agreement. "In that case, I should probably come with you to deal with Adam: I'll have to face him at some point, after all. Besides, I owe him a few hits for when he took your arm."

"And we'll be right behind you with the lieutenants!" Ruby promised. "That way, we can ambush him while you distract him!"

"No, Ruby, you're with us." Qrow objected. "Raven and I could use your expertise in dealing with Roman. Team SWCD can cover Yang and Blake."

"And I'm going with them." Svetlana added.

"We're going with them." Mikhail corrected.

"What about the rest of us?" Mata couldn't help but ask. "I agree that Adam and Roman need to be dealt with, but for Agent White's plan to work, we'd need to send someone to the radio towers, right?"

"Funny you should mention that, actually," Winter said with a smile. "It just so happens that the rest of us will be heading straight for the radio towers themselves, and taking out any jamming towers we find along the way."

"Jamming towers?" Sun couldn't help but ask.

Winter simply smiled in reply. "I spotted some decommissioned towers that were used for jamming communications during the Great War. Odds are good that if Adam and Roman catch on to what we're doing that they'll reactivate them so as to keep us from getting the message out."

"In that case, take these," Jaune declared, handing out the helmet cameras from when they were doing the training videos a while back. "With these, we should still be able to communicate with each other if those jammers go up, given that they operate on a different frequency."

"Alright, then. We all have our assignments." Winter announced. "Let's take these bastards down."

"Good luck, Prism Shard," Blake called out to her childhood friend.

"You too, Nightshade," Ilia declared with a nod.

"Note to self: come up with my own codename after this," Yang mumbled to herself.

Sometime later, the former Spring Maiden stroked her chin in thought as she got out of the Warthog. "Now, if I was a resident of Menagerie and I was wanting to set up a radio tower, where would I…?" she began to ask only to cut herself off as she spotted one right over the next hill. "Huh, well this is almost too easy."

No sooner had she said this, however, a RPG started to fly in her direction, just barely managing to dodge as it did. "Why did I say that?" Raven couldn't help but groan out as Roman approached from the direction of the radio tower on a Mongoose.

"That was a freebee, Raven," Roman Torchwick declared with a grin. "I just wanted you to know exactly who it was who would kill you if you tried anything funny."

"You're as arrogant as my niece described you," Raven remarked, remembering her talks with Ruby, pulling out her sword as she did. "After all, I'm the Branwen chieftess, the former Spring Maiden, and was able to match Cinder Fall, aka Agent Crimson, aka The Meta in combat. Do you really think I'll go down easily?"

"Hmm, maybe, maybe not… but I brought a little insurance, just to be on the safe side." Roman said with a shrug before pulling out his scroll and typing in a command.

Just as she had started wondering what Torchwick was up to, Raven dropped her sword as she fell to her knees, clutching her chest as she did. Then, just as quickly as it happened, the pain disappeared. "What the hell was that?" She muttered.

Roman held up his scroll, revealing its hacking capabilities. "I can control your pacemaker, remotely." He threatened. "You wanna find out what two hundred and fifty beats per minute feels like?"

"You wouldn't dare." Raven growled.

Luckily, Roman didn't have a chance to follow up on his threat as Qrow snuck up behind him and sliced the scroll in half with his scythe. "Nobody threatens my sister but me!" He exclaimed.

"You are Red's Uncle," The Gentleman Thief said with a snarl. "Always butting in when you are the least welcome."

"Sorry to disappoint you," Qrow sarcastically declared, before aiming his gun at Roman. "Now stand aside, Torchwick: there's no way you can beat my sister and I all by yourself."

"Who said I was by myself?" Roman remarked, snapping his fingers as he did.

Raven groaned as several armed mercenaries popped up soon afterwards. "Qrow…"

"I know, I know: I jinxed it," Agent Grey said with a sigh, before nodding to her sister. "I go high, you go low?"

Raven merely smirked in reply. "Just like the good old days."

Meanwhile, General Lionheart was pacing around the capital, wondering how things had gotten this chaotic. Just as he was about to see if he could borrow someone else's scroll - having somehow managed to misplace his own - to see if he could get an update on his away team, he heard gunfire in the hallway, followed by the door to his office being forced open. "You…" he gasped out as two individuals he was very familiar with entered the room.

"Hello, General," Ghira called out to the lion Faunus as he and his wife closed and locked the door behind them before tossing the Federation's current leader a scroll. "I believe you dropped this. Don't bother contacting your men in the hallway, though: they aren't dead yet, but they're in no condition to fight. Now, for the sake of my daughter, I'm going to give you one chance: use that scroll to contact the rest of your men and tell them to stand down."

"You want us to surrender?!" Leonardo Lionheart growled out even as he put his scroll away, feeling his rage overshadow his usual cowardice as he did. "Your people were the ones to attack us!"

"We both know that's not true," Kali declared as she moved to stand beside her husband. "And even if it was, that doesn't excuse any of the crimes your men have committed against us in supposed retaliation. I would think that you of all people would understand why the White Fang was formed and incidentally why it's become as violent as it has in recent years."

"Believe me: I understand it all too well," General Lionheart said with a muted glare even as he got into a fighting stance. "Which is why I take no pleasure in this...but even still, I do what I must for the sake of those I've sworn to protect."

"As do we," Ghira Belladonna declared as he and his wife likewise got into a fighting stance.

At the same time, Team SWCD escorted Yang, Blake, Svetlana, and Mikhail towards Adam's stronghold. "Bloody hell." Snapper cursed. "Looks like Taurus is locked up tighter than a nun's knickers."

"Then we draw him out." Svetlana suggested as she launched herself from the mongoose towards the guards.

"Svetlana, wait!" Mikhail shouted, chasing after her. As he feared, his wife's aura was still too low as she was soon knocked out by a dust blast to the head. Luckily, their friends were quick to give suppressing fire as the Rushland man hefted his wife over his shoulder and retreated.

"You guys hang back." Deadeyes ordered. "We'll draw Tarus out for you."

"Are you sure?" Blake asked.

"Polu Shark is a shark." Polu insisted, giving his friend one last hug.

"Lock and load, Team SWCD." Hayley smiled as she cocked her weapon. "Today's the day… we earn our name."

Just as she said that, the mercenaries charged, prompting Team SWCD to open fire. Meanwhile, Adam Taurus viewed everything his pawns experienced through their helmet cameras from the safety of a tank. Blood splattered everywhere as Dust, bullets, hammers, and boomerangs tore through his minions.

Adam flinched, nervously, as he watched his mercenaries get eaten alive by the viscous shark Faunus. Polu glared at the other enemies, as if he knew that he was glaring at Blake's abusive ex through their helmets' video cameras. "Polu Shark… IS A SHAAAAAAAAAAARK!"

The militia troops screamed in horror as the enraged Faunus discarded his minigun, entirely, and began ripping their limbs off and beating them to death with his bare hands. Hayley laughed as she literally knocked her enemies' heads off with her mallet. Deadeyes and Snapper kept the enemy at a distance with their own weapons.

"That's it! I'll deal with this myself!" Adam decided, grabbing his katana. The arrogant Faunus extremist pushed his own men aside and aimed the tip of his blade at SWCD.

"Polu Shark is a Shark!"

"Yeah, I'm not exactly pleased to see you either, Bloody Water." Adam declared with a snarl.

"Wait, your codename in the White Fang was Bloody Water?" Hayley couldn't help but ask. "...not going to lie, it actually suits you."

"Hayley, not the time!" Deadeyes barked out. "...but yeah, that is a pretty sweet codename."

"Heh, Polo Shark is a shark." Polu Shark said with a sheepish blush before going back to glaring at his ex-comrade.

Back on the other side of the fight, Ruby and Team CFVY were doing their best to draw Roman's men away from the radio tower.

"Hey, suck it, black!" Coco called out to one of the men guarding the radio tower before running off after drawing the guard's attention...only to run back with a sheepish expression. "Just to be clear, that wasn't meant to be racist."

As they'd hoped, the guards left their post, giving Ruby the opportunity to slip inside. She set Rose Thorn against the wall and plugged the hacking device into the computer. "Hey! Get away from there!" Another guard shouted.

Ruby lifted her arms into the air, but smiled as she was certain her assailant was unaware of her secret weapon. "It's okay, I'm unarmed." She smiled, coyly.

"Keep your hands where I can see 'em!" He ordered.

"And what about him?" Ruby asked.

"Who…?" The guard scanned the area for anyone else, but could see anyone.

"Freckles?"

"Acknowledged." Freckles' voice came from Rose Thorn just as it levitated in the air and fired a laser at the guard.

"Good boy!" Ruby cheered.

Back with Team SWCD, Adam's men found themselves being cut down by their enemies' gunfire.

"Polu Shark is a shark! Polu Shark is a shark! Polu Shark is a shark!"

"Yeah, yeah! And Snapper Wood is a wood, ya fuck knuckle!" Snapper groaned as their enemies closed in on their position.

"Guys…" Hayley grunted, clutching her wounded stomach. "I just wanna say… you're the best friends I've ever had."

"That's pretty fucked up, Cotton." Deadeyes remarked as he unloaded his last round at the mercenaries. "But… I guess I feel the same way."

Snapper sighed as he watched four mercenaries load RPGs aimed at them. "I suppose there's worse company to die with. How 'bout it, Polu? Got any last words?"

Polu brought the trio into a tight hug and closed his eyes. "It's been an honor to fight by your side." He told them.

While Hayley and Deadeyes were speechless, Snapper managed to convey their mutual feelings just before the missiles hit. "ARE YOU SHITTING ME?!"

The explosion that followed shook the foundation of the Temple of Isolation.

"NO!" Blake called out in anguish as the temple went up in flames, before turning to level a glare at her ex-boyfriend. "You'll pay for that."

"Please," Adam said with a scoff. "You couldn't beat me before, and this time won't be any different. Don't worry though: I'll be sure to send that despicable shark some company after I...for gods' sake: what is that music!?"

"Yeehaw!" Yang called out as she jumped out off the Mongoose she had "borrowed" from one of Adam's men and driven over a cliff overlooking the now-destroyed temple just before it slammed into the rogue Faunus. "I've been wanting to do that since I first learned about you, asshole!"

"The feeling is mutual," Adam growled out. "After all, you touched my girl."

"And that's part of the reason I broke up with you, Adam," Blake declared. "You saw me as something to be owned. Meanwhile, Yang sees me as something to protect and treasure."

"Nice sentiment," her ex sarcastically remarked. "I'll be sure to have it placed on your tombstone."

"Wow, the old 'if I can't have you, no one can' bit," Yang deadpanned. "Really hitting all the marks of a psychotic ex-boyfriend."

"Say what you will, but you still won't beat us. Heck, once the Feds and rebels kill each other, I don't know what I'm going to do! I mean, we've been playing these guys for years!" Adam said with an arrogant grin.

"One thing I still don't get though," Yang declared. "How did you convince Ghira and Kali to go to the capital?"

"The Belladonna's?" Adam asked with a dark chuckle. "Oh, they were easy! I just made up some story about how you all died heroically! You should have seen it:, I gave the performance of a fucking lifetime! Got all broken up, threw in a few dramatic pauses, and they just ate it up. I mean, it was Oscar-winning material!"

"You're sick, Adam…" Yang muttered. "You're arrogant, sadistic, cruel… and we will stop you."

Adam chuckled as he circled Yang like a wounded animal. "You still don't get it, do you? The entire reason you and your friends were allowed to live this long is because you're all losers! Salem was confident that you'd do more damage to these people than they could ever do to themselves. I mean, a bunch of idiots in charge of an army? Come on, it was a recipe for disaster! Roman, Neo, and I figured we'd let you rack up the casualty count then kill you after a few weeks. Oh, but then you did something special; you gave these people hope! And with that came a new level of motivation. To fight harder; to die faster! All with the belief that their sacrifice might actually mean something. But you know what? It all means nothing! At the end of the day, if I'm stronger than you and if I'm faster than you, then I can kill you! And that's better than anything money can buy, and certainly better then any of the morals you and Blake cling so pathetically to!"

Yang coughed up a laugh, even as she faced the pistol aimed at her face. "I don't know man. I think I'd rather be rich and/or a decent person than a fucking nutjob. What do you think, Penny?"

Penelope suddenly appeared next to Yang, giving a happy shrug. "Yeah, this guy's got no idea what he's talking about."

Adam blinked in shock. "What the...what the fuck is this?"

Yang gave a seemingly nonchalant shrug. "Oh this is Penelope. She's a fragmented portion of the Summer Maiden. She's not as powerful as a full Maiden, but she helps me run my equipment…"

"What equipment?"

The blonde brawler gave a taunting grin. "… my helmet camera."

Penelope smiled even as she pulled the footage she recorded up on the screen in front of the group. "I can see why Blake broke up with you Adam: that ego of yours is not attractive… though it did help us to bust you. Speaking of which, your curtain call should be occurring right about…"

On the other side of the island, Winter and the lieutenants aimed their weapons at the jamming tower just as Penny's signal came through. "Alright boys and girls!" She smiled. "Let's bring it down!"

Back with Yang and company, Penny's smile grew wider. " …NOW! I'll be right back, Yang." With that, the Summer Maiden took the recording into Menagerie's ethernet, spreading it all throughout the island. And just in time, as it reached the capitol where Lionheart and the Belladonna's were about to wipe each other out. The three leaders paused as Adam and Yang's conversation played over the screens.

"Say what you will, but you still won't beat us. Heck, once the Feds and rebels kill each other, I don't know what I'm going to do! I mean, we've been playing these guys for years!"

"How did you convince Ghira and Kali to go to the capital?"

"The Belladonna's? Oh, they were easy! I just made up some story about how you all died heroically! You should have seen it, I gave the performance of a fucking lifetime! Got all broken up, threw in a few dramatic pauses, and they just ate it up. I mean, it was Oscar-winning material!"

Ghira growled, bitterly. "You son of a bitch!"

"The entire reason you and your friends were allowed to live this long is because you're all losers! Roman, Neo, and I figured we'd let you rack up the casualty count then kill you after a few weeks."

Lionheart gasped in disbelief. "Roman? Neo?"

Salem's mercenaries quietly snuck away as the video repeated on every screen across Menagerie. One of them reached for his radio and contacted Torchwick. "Roman… it's over. Everyone knows. They're not fighting anymore. What do we do?"

In stark contrast to his usual smug attitude, Roman was at a complete loss for words. He backed away from Agent Grey before reaching for his own radio, trying to keep the hesitation out of his voice and not quite succeeding "…follow...protocol." He ordered as he ran away from Qrow to find a safe place to contact Adam.

Meanwhile, back in the capital, two separate generals, having absorbed everything that they had heard, looked to each other before nodding and taking out their scrolls, knowing what they had to do.

"This is General Ghira Belladonna ordering an immediate ceasefire!"

"General Lionheart to all Federation soldiers, stand down at once!"

Kali smiled as her husband and their fellow Faunus put a stop to this war, before taking out her own scroll and giving a simple command. "This is Lieutenant General Kali Belladonna to any forces available in the Delta Quadrant: in case you didn't notice, my daughter and daughter-in-law are currently fighting for their lives against one Toro Rojo, aka Adam Taurus. I know my husband has just ordered a ceasefire, but I'm certain he won't mind if we bared our fangs for one more target."

Meanwhile, Adam simply snarled as he sheathed his sword, having heard the sound of soldiers approaching and knowing that he couldn't take them all on in his current condition. "This isn't over. You might have stopped the war, but now that the Winter Maiden has been freed, Salem is already on her way here to execute the next part of the plan. You and your pathetic friends have already lost: you just don't realize it yet." With that, he slammed down a smoke bomb to aid in a hasty retreat just as several soldiers came rushing in to give Yang and Blake their support.

"Are you and your companion alright, Miss Xiao Long?" one of the soldiers asked as he helped her to her feet.

"Yeah, we're fine," Yang declared. "But Adam was right about one thing: this isn't over: not by a long shot."

A few hours later, the groups reconvened at the Federation's capitol, where the three generals were discussing their next move. "There are several outposts stationed around this city." Lionheart suggested. "It should be more than enough for your forces to recuperate."

"Actually, I was thinking of moving our forces into the capitol." Ghira declared.

"Are you kidding?!" Lionheart spluttered. "We're not going to let the people who have been trying to kill us move in!"

"My people deserve a roof over their heads after what they've been through!" Ghira snarled.

"Enough!" Svetlana shouted, unintentionally pulling a few of her stitches. "Ah!"

"Svetlana!" Mikhail scolded as he forced his wife to sit down before continuing her stitches.

Svetlana sighed. "Look, we just showed you guys that you've been conned." She went on. "And now, we finally have the entire island working together for the first time in a while. So how about we start with a little cooperation and compromise?"

Lionheart sighed, tiredly. "Very well. I'll… see what I can do about setting up room and board for your troops, General Belladonna."

"Thank you." Ghira nodded, calmly.

As the two generals walked away, Svetlana glared at her husband. "If you hadn't pulled me away from that fight, I might have been able to save Team SWCD."

"Or you would have been worse off than a drained aura and a few stitches!" Mikhail snapped. "We finally found each other again and got rid of Loki once and for all. And as I recall, it was you who decided we were ready to have children. I love you, Svetlana, but your recklessness makes it difficult."

"I love you, too, Mikhail." Svetlana replied, ignoring the sharp pain of the surgical needle running through her skin. "But I promised myself that I would save as many people as I could when I met Ironwood. Just as I promised myself that I would find my father's killer and bring him to justice!"

Mikhail sighed as he finished tending her wounds. He set the needle and thread aside and looked at her, sadly. "I made a promise of my own when I married you… to your father."

Svetlana's expression softened and hugged Mikhail. "I know, my love. I'm sorry I make you worry. I promise, you won't lose me again… but once I'm healed, properly, I intend to see this mission through to the end."

Mikhail sighed once more before he kissed her cheek. "Fine." He conceded. "In that case, I'll go see if Octavia has any iodine for those shallow cuts." Just before he exited the door, he gave his wife an annoyed glance. "Burning, stinging iodine."

Svetlana chuckled to herself as he left.

Meanwhile, Melanie was off standing by the Federation's airpad, watching as some reinforcements straight from Atlas had arrived. That said, the daughter of Lil' Miss Malachite wasn't paying attention to that, nor did she think about how the Council had apparently gotten an inkling of what Roman and Adam were up to and had decided to step in. No, all she cared about was one girl in particular who had stepped off of one of the airships, covered in scars but otherwise looking perfectly healthy. "Militia," she managed to whisper out, a tear of joy leaking from her eye.

"Hey, sis, did you miss me?" Militia called out as she ran up to hug her sister.

"Like you wouldn't believe," Melanie admitted as she returned the hug. "I still can't believe that Lionheart kept his promise."

"Yeah, but it's not all good news." Militia admitted. "Turns out that the higher ups decided to send someone else to help oversee everything...someone one who even our Mom would rather not have to deal with."

"And with good reason."

Melanie groaned as she turned towards the newcomer, knowing that voice and hating the source of it with a burning passion. "I would say it's nice to see you again, but I'd be lying."

"Believe me," one Caroline Cordovine declared. "The feeling is mutual."

At the same time, Emerald, Mercury, and Hazel were being led into their cell in the Federation's prison. Once they were alone, Emerald sadly sat down on one of the beds while her allies chose to either stand in the corner or try kicking the cell bars down. But before she could yell at Mercury to knock it off, she noticed a small box on the opposite end of their cell.

Curiously, she knelt down to examine the box before it opened up and bathed the trio in a tantalizing green light. The three criminals tried to shield their eyes, but it was no use; they could feel the light warping their minds, as if someone or something was clawing at their brains from the inside out.

"Hello, kiddies…" Loki's voice echoed from the box. "You didn't think you could get rid of me that easy, did you? Well, I may be gone, but my work is far from finished. That's where you three come in. You will be my legacy! I programmed this box to use a variant of my own Trickster's Madness. Don't fight it… take deep breaths… let the madness sweep over you… and most of all, don't forget to put on a great… big… SMILE!"

The guards ran towards the cell to investigate the disturbance just as the light died down. Needless to say, they were horrified at the sight of their three captives laughing hysterically, with glowing green eyes.

To Be Continued