a/n: 9,848 words! 20 pages! This is the longest chapter I've EVER written!
But first, just a head's up, I updated "A Simple Spark", "A Father's Worst Nightmare", and "And the Rest". TLDR, this story's set in August instead of a vague wintertime, in order to better line up with Yang's canonical birthday of July 28th.
On to the chapter!
Chapter 7: You Are Not Alone
"Well, that's convenient," Dropkick remarked as he and Shatter soared over Mountain Glenn, "I uh… Have to admit, I was not expecting that. Welp! Never look a gift Alt Mode under the hood, I always say!"
"Hold it, Dropkick!" Shatter insisted, "We need to be careful. If we show up at her doorstep literally right as she received that order, it might look suspicious. Let's keep our auditory receptors tuned in to Patch's communications for now, we may learn something useful…"
"So, you know the way to the next village?" Qrow asked as he and Amber made their way out of the village.
"Erm, yes," Amber answered.
"Good, then I'll go clear out the Grimm for you," Qrow replied, "Try not to pick a fight with a Goliath while I'm gone."
"Oh please, everyone knows how to avoid Goliaths," Amber replied.
"Including you?" Qrow asked.
"I wouldn't have survived three separate Nuckelavee attacks if I didn't know how to avoid powerful Grimm!" Amber insisted.
"..." Qrow turned into a bird and flew away.
"... Oh like you haven't run into weird Grimm and lived!" Amber shouted after him.
Ruby was wide awake the second the sun shone through Yang's curtains. The silver-eyed girl was ready to leap from bed to pour herself a bowl of cereal for breakfast-
"... Hmmph…" Only for her still-sleeping sister's arms to tighten their hold on her.
Oh! Right, Yang's not a morning person, Ruby remembered, And she's also scary strong. She tried to wriggle out of her sister's embrace, only for Yang to hold on even harder. Oh forget it! Ruby decided, I can do my best teddy bear impression for a few more minutes!
.
Yang's eyes slid open half an hour later.
"Huh, Ruby, what are you…" She then recalled how her father and sister had both checked in on her after she had woken up screaming from…
"You know, figured I'd sleep more soundly if I had you watching my back, and you'd sleep more soundly if you knew I was okay," Ruby replied, distracting Yang from her memories of Dropkick.
"Oh yeah, right…" Yang pulled her sister close and looked like she was about to drift back to sleep.
"So what do you want to do today?" Ruby asked, not wanting to wait another half hour.
"..."
"Yang?"
"I don't know," Yang answered.
"Well, we still gotta clean the pink stuff off of Bumblebee," Ruby remarked, "And Dad's probably gonna want to work with the militia to clear out the Grimm."
"Hmm…"
"Oh! Maybe I could introduce Bumblebee to your favorite song!"
Yang's eyes shot open.
"I mean, sure it's a little cheesy, but considering that you named him after it…"
"Don't. You. Dare," Yang growled.
Ruby giggled and dashed out of the room in a cloud of petals.
"Get back here, you little brat!" Yang shouted as she leapt out of bed and chased after her sister.
.
Taiyang was roused from his slumber by the sound of his daughters' sisterly spat, and an incessant ringing from Ruby's bedroom..
"At least some things are still normal around here," he remarked as he pushed himself into a sitting position, "If they're awake, they're probably hungry as well."
Thud!
"Girls!" Taiyang shouted as he poked his head out of the room, just in time to see that Yang had enveloped her sister in a bear-hug from behind and knocked both of them into the floor, "Please, save that energy for either your chores or sparring." The ringing became much more noticeable. "And where the heck is that coming from."
"I knew I was forgetting something!" Ruby shouted as she pushed Yang away and vanished into her room in a cloud of petals.
The ringing stopped as soon as Ruby hit the "snooze" button.
"... What is with my memory lately?" she mumbled as she stepped out of her room.
After all three of them had eaten, and changed for the day, Yang made her way to the garage to help Bumblebee with something.
"... Are you sure that we shouldn't have done this last night?" she asked as she scrubbed at the pink parts of the motorcycle's saddle with a damp, warm rag.
"You were already tired from… Quite literally everything that had happened," Bumblebee replied, "I would've handled this myself, but I can't reach that part of my back in robot mode."
.
As soon as the last of the pink was gone, Bumblebee shifted into robot mode.
"How obvious is it that I was in a battle?" he asked. Yang looked him over.
"You look fine," she remarked, "There's a small scratch where Adam's Semblance hit you, but it looks like your Aura took the brunt of Shatter's attack last night."
"That's a relief," Bumblebee sighed.
"How's your neck, by the way?" Yang asked.
"Huh?"
"Your neck started bleeding when that chain wrapped around it, right about here," she pointed at the left side of her own neck, "Do we need to patch anything up?" Bumblebee quirked up a metal plate that resembled an eyebrow.
"When would you have gotten the required medical training?" he asked.
"I mean… I made Ember Celica myself," Yang replied, "And I've helped dad out with fixing up Zippy."
"I'm a bit different from a car," Bumblebee remarked.
"Maybe, but there's probably some overlap that could come in handy in a pinch," Yang replied, "I'm not asking to become your surgeon, I just figured I could help with first aid if you ever take a beating before we get you back to the Ark."
"That… Could actually come in handy," Bumblebee admitted, "But I don't think you should worry about my neck, the chain just aggravated an old wound is all."
"Old wound?"
"Yeah… You don't get your voice box ripped out without gaining a scar from it," Bumblebee elaborated, massaging the left side of his neck as he spoke, "It's mostly faded, but Ratchet and Fix-It had to reopen the wound when they installed the voice box that was donated to me."
"Donated?" Yang replied.
"What? Did you think we can just build new organs out of scrap metal?" Bumblebee asked.
"Erm… Yes?" Yang admitted, "What about your voice box's donor?" Bumblebee's face fell.
"Remember what I said? About how we sometimes incorporate pieces of our deceased into ourselves?" he asked.
"Oh…" realization dawned on Yang's face, "I'm sorry, I…"
"Don't be, it was long before you were even born," Bumblebee interrupted, "Mortilus tends to him now…"
"Mortilus?" Yang questioned.
"Huh? Oh!" Bumblebee's antenna perked up, "That's right, you wouldn't know about the Guiding Hand!"
"The guiding what now?" Yang asked.
"The Guiding Hand," Bumblebee repeated "You might want to sit down, it's a long story." Yang pulled up a stool
"Legend has it that before Cybertron existed, there existed two primordial gods," Bumblebee started, "One who wanted nothing more than to create new worlds, and his elder brother, the Chaos Bringer, who hated his brother and destroyed every world he tried to create.
"One day, the Chaos Bringer decided that enough was enough, and after discovering his brother attempting to create yet another world, attacked him instead of the half-formed world. The struggle was brief, and the younger god was violently torn into five pieces, which were then scattered across the surface of the incomplete world. In a moment of twisted sentimentality, the Chaos Bringer decided to leave the half-formed world be, as a monument to his brother's failure.
"Except the younger brother did not die, as each of those five pieces held a bit of his essence, and were able to survive on their own. They became Primus, the light-bringer and life-giver; Mortilus of the departed; Solumus, wisdom incarnate; Epistemus, knowledge personified; and Adaptus, blessed with infinite shapes. Undeterred by their change in number, the five gods got to work completing the world they had been working on. And this time, they were prepared when their elder brother came back to finish the job.
"The five of them worked together to disperse his physical form. Mortilus then restrained his consciousness, and dragged him into the After Spark. Once they were certain that the newborn world would be safe, the remaining four brothers got to work filling it with life. Once the wilderness was finished, Primus merged his essence with the world, becoming the life giving All Spark that slept in its core, the life energy that it radiated forming into Spark Crystals.
"Before falling into his slumber, however, Primus worked with his brothers to create one more life form. Primus gave this new being life, Adaptus gave him form, while Epistemus and Solumus granted it knowledge and wisdom respectively. Primon was born, and Adaptus, Epistemus, and Solumus took to the stars, urging him to explore the world gifted to him, expand his horizons, and Transform. Mortilus, meanwhile, waited in the After Spark, preparing a place for Primon and his descendants to rest when their lives would eventually come to an end."
"Wait, haven't you mentioned Primon before?" Yang asked.
"Yeah, he created Prima," Bumblebee answered, "We know he was the first Transformer. He was born at the end of Cybertron's Prehistoric Age, and lived through the entire Tribal Age, but died before the Golden Age."
"And the Guiding Hand?" Yang asked.
"Many historians believe that they were either made up by Primon, or alien life forms that he mistook for gods," Bumblebee explained, "As such, a lot of them believe that Mortilus simply succumbed to his wounds after the Guiding Hand battled the 'Chaos Bringer'. But most religious circles worship at least one member of the Guiding Hand, typically Primus, if they don't worship all five."
"What about you?" Yang asked.
"... I believe in Primus, at the very least, and I hope that Mortilus exists," he answered, "Although I can't say that was true before Cybertron died, oddly enough, considering that was the point when most of the more religious types decided that Primus simply couldn't exist."
"Understandable," Yang remarked as she imagined how the more religious types would react if the Kingdoms fell.
"YANG! BUMBLEBEE!" Ruby shouted as she burst into the room, startling both Yang out of her chair and causing Bumblebee to flinch, "We might have a problem!"
"Did Dropkick find us?" Yang asked.
"What? No," Ruby replied, "I just realized that finding the homing beacon might not be enough to get to the Ark."
"What do you mean?" Bumblebee asked.
"How exactly does your homing beacon work?" Ruby asked.
"Oh that's easy, it locks onto the signal emitted by Teletraan-1, points me in that direction, and tells me how much farther I have to travel unti- and I just realized the issue," Bumblebee replied.
"So… It's less of a roadmap and more of a compass?" Yang asked.
"The system works with the assumption we'll have charted the planet from orbit first," Bumblebee explained.
"So… What are we supposed to do now?" Yang asked.
"I did a little digging into the G1-Dustfire's bells and whistles!" Ruby replied, "Turns out, you can connect your Scroll to its dashboard to connect it to the CCTS."
"... Okay… How does that help?" Bumblebee asked.
"Easy, there's a 'Kingdom Nav' App that gives you a map of Remnant using the positions of the four CCT Towers. As long as all four Towers are online, and you're within range of the network, you can instantly see where on Remnant you are!" Ruby explained, "You can just use that app, cross-reference with the signal the homing beacon tracks, and you should be good!"
"That… Might actually work!" Bumblebee remarked as he folded into vehicle mode "Do you have that app installed, Yang?"
"Erm, give me a second," Yang replied as she opened up her Scroll, "Huh, looks like I had it installed back before I had my heart set on Beacon."
"Sis! Your indecisiveness may have saved the world!" Ruby shouted gleefully.
"... Really feeling the love, Rubes," Yang deadpanned as she walked over to Bumblebee, "Now, where do I insert my Scroll?"
"Don't ask me, I wasn't even aware that I had this until Ruby mentioned it!" Bumblebee replied.
"Wait, didn't you have to alter your body to turn into a G1-Dustfire?" Yang asked.
"It was automated!"
"So? Aren't the blueprints still stored inside your brain?"
"No! The schematics were stored in my t-cog!"
"The heck is that?"
"... My big sister is arguing with her motorcycle," Ruby remarked, "... This… This is gonna take a while to get used to."
.
"I think I found a problem with this plan," Bumblebee remarked as soon as Yang disconnected her Scroll.
"What kind of problem?" Yang asked.
"While our spoken languages are practically identical, for some reason, our written languages aren't," Bumblebee explained.
"So?" Ruby asked, "Don't you have a universal translator, or something?"
"That's not how linguistics works!" Bumblebee insisted, "Regardless, I've copied the app from Yang's Scroll, now I just need to translate the code into something I can actually read!" Yang took that as her cue to hop off the motorcycle as he transformed.
"I've got it!" Ruby remarked, "What if we started by spelling out a word in both Vytalese and whatever your language is, and then worked from there?"
"That's… Actually not a bad idea," Bumblebee replied, "Alright, so how are we going to do this?"
.
"-And you can just use this marker to write on the White Board," Ruby finished explaining as she uncapped the marker and handed it to Bumblebee, "Just… Please don't break it!"
"I've handled fragile materials before," Bumblebee replied, "Alright, now hopefully after this I'll be able to leave my old serial number behind…"
"You're going to have to let the Autobots know about your name change," Yang reminded him.
"... Darnit, I forgot about that," Bumblebee replied, "Anyway, it should be easy: Watch." He pushed the tip of the marker against the white board, "B." He scribbled a symbol neither Yang nor Ruby recognized. "127." He scribbled out a series of what Yang and Ruby assumed were numerical symbols, before handing the marker to Yang. "Now, how would you spell it?"
"... Okay so, first there's a 'B'," Yang wrote a capital "B" under the corresponding symbol on the board, "And… Those are numbers, right?"
"Yeah," Bumblebee replied, "That's 127 written in Iaconian Cybertronix."
"Okay, figured I'd ask," Yang replied as she made a dash after the B, "Well, here's what '127' looks like in Vacuan numerals." She wrote "127" on the board.
"Wait, I thought your language was called Vytalese?" Bumblebee questioned.
"Yes, but pretty much EVERYONE uses Vacuan numerals," Yang replied, "The whole '0 to 9' thing is really convenient."
"Oh that I can understand, the Minicons did something similar," Bumblebee replied.
"So uh, hey! Maybe we should let Bumblebee know how to spell his own name!" Ruby cut in.
"Oh! Good idea!" Yang replied as she brought the marker to the board, "B-u-m-b-l-e-b-e-e."
"... You wrote the 'B' differently the second time around," Bumblebee observed.
"That's because it wasn't at the start of a proper noun," Yang replied.
"Huh?"
"'Proper nouns' are words that are used to identify a specific person, place, or object," Ruby replied, "Though, we also capitalize the 'D' in Dust to differentiate it from the 'dust' that clings to stuff when you forget to clean."
"Erm… Okay, but that's not the only weird thing I noticed," Bumblebee replied.
"What do you mean?" Yang asked.
"Give me the marker, and I'll show you," Bumblebee replied. Yang complied, and Bumblebee took to spelling out his own name as he sketched out alien symbols on the board. "B-U-M-B-L-E-B-E-E. All of your Vytalese characters so far have had the same name as the Iaconian Cybertronix corresponding to them."
"So?"
"That's not normal!" Bumblebee replied, "I'm not sure if it's a coincidence or if your ancestors woke up a member of my crew while developing Vytalese, but languages on different worlds don't usually develop like this! Especially with direct counterparts like this!"
"I mean, depending on how long the Decepticons have been here, they might have been able to manipulate our culture from behind the scenes," Ruby remarked.
"... I think they'd skip to straight up genocide if they arrived THAT far in your past," Bumblebee replied.
"Oh yeah…"
"Not to mention the whole idea of an ancient conspiracy ruling the world from the shadows just seems kinda… Impossible," Yang added.
"ACHOO!" Taiyang's sneeze echoed through the whole house.
"Bless you!" Yang and Ruby both chimed in.
"Look," Bumblebee cut in as he handed Yang the marker, "Why don't you just show me your alphabet, then I can show you mine, and we can compare notes."
"Sounds like a good idea," Yang remarked, "Let's see…"
.
"Wow…" Yang remarked as Bumblebee finished off the Iaconian Cybertronix alphabet, "Literally the only differences are the shapes of the letters."
"Is the order the same on Cybertron? Ruby asked.
"It was," Bumblebee answered.
"Still think my ancient conspiracy theory is far-fetched?" Ruby asked.
"That's not relevant right now," Bumblebee cut in as he scanned the white board, "Okay, now I have a cipher, all I need is a sample of your numerical system, maybe some punctuation, and I should be able to read the code for the app."
"Okay!" Ruby said as she took back the marker.
The doorbell rang.
"We can handle that later!" Yang remarked as Ruby picked up the whiteboard eraser and wiped away everything on the board.
"Yeah… Try not to act like a demon bike this time!" Ruby remarked as she capped off the marker.
"Relax I can… Demon bike?" Bumblebee asked.
"We thought you were haunted!"
"You thought he was haunted," Yang corrected.
"Not the time!" Ruby replied as Bumblebee wordlessly folded into a G1-Dustfire.
"So… Uh… Just let me know when it's safe to change back," he requested.
"Celadon, Midori," Taiyang greeted, "I wasn't expecting visitors today."
"I promise you, this won't take long," Celadon replied. Celadon was a large, dark-skinned man, primarily clad in green, his hair a somewhat mossy color. Reindeer antlers curved out of the top of his head, pointing forwards like pronged hooks.
"May we come in?" Midori asked, "We just have a simple request to make." Midori was a dark-skinned woman, primarily clad in green like her husband, if not slightly more armored around the shoulders. Also, unlike her husband, she wore an eye-patch over where her right eye used to be, and the jagged Beowolf claw marks on that side of her face left little to the imagination as to why.
"Mr. and Mrs. Kagayaki?" Ruby remarked as she walked into the living room with Yang, "What are you doing here? Is Akai okay?"
"I'm fine!" a youthful voice called out from behind the two adults, "Hello Ruby!" A girl roughly Ruby's age poked her head in from between the two adults, antlers very much like her father's stuck out of her head, although unlike her parents, her outfit was mostly red.
"Well…" Midori remarked.
"Oh! Right," Taiyang remarked as he opened the door all the way it could, "Please, make yourselves at home!"
.
"Whatever it is you want, it's either going to have to be quick or handled later," Taiyang explained as all six of them gathered in the living room, Zwei pawing at Akai's leg for pets, "I'm going to be heading out with the militia here soon."
"So are we," Midori explained, "In fact, I was hoping you'd let Akai stay here while we're out with the militia.
"That's it?" Taiyang remarked, "I mean, sure, but I'm not going to be here."
"She doesn't need an adult to be present," Celadon explained, "But with the recent White Fang attack, and the Atlesian Military's presence, all it would take is for the wrong soldier to see our little girls' antlers for us to lose her…"
Akai wordlessly picked up Zwei and hugged the corgi to her chest during the awkward silence that followed.
"We figured that the best way to keep her safe from the Atlesians would be for her to hang around her human friends," Midori elaborated, "If she's seen acting friendly around humans, it will be harder for Schnee's savages to demonize her."
"The only issue is that the majority of the humans would have to be her age or older," Celadon added, "Otherwise, the Atlesians would claim they were trying to 'save the children' from her."
"And since Ruby's the only one of her friends to not have any younger siblings, and has an older sister to boot…" Midori continued.
"This was your best bet," Taiyang finished, "Okay, she can stay here as long as you need her to."
"Thank you Taiyang," Celadon replied, "Come, we can carpool to the meeting spot to save on Dust!"
"We can discuss how to repay you later," Midori added as the three adults headed out the door, "Be safe Akai! I love you!"
"So…" Yang remarked as she twiddled her thumbs, "What do you want to do?"
Akai wordlessly petted Zwei.
"We could play Remnant: The Game," Ruby suggested.
"You need four players for that game," Akai replied.
"Maybe we could watch TV?" Yang suggested.
"Hmm…"
"... We don't really hang out that much, do we?" Ruby asked.
"No… We really don't," Akai replied as she scratched behind Zwei's ear, "... Your dog's really cute!"
"Oh yeah! Zwei's really good at stealing hearts!" Ruby remarked.
"What do you normally do for fun?" Yang asked.
"I read, train, or play solitaire," Akai replied, "During school, I mostly just go with whatever my friends want to do…"
"Maybe we could go out and play fetch with Zwei?" Ruby suggested.
"... I don't want to be accused of trying to steal your dog…" Akai replied.
"Maybe there's something good on TV?" Yang suggested as she flipped it on.
"Officials were finally able to extinguish the flames following last night's White Fang attack."
Yang changed the channel without checking to see Akai's reaction..
"A number of people in Vale have been calling for new policies to combat the White Fang's increasingly violent-"
Yang changed the channel, detecting a growl from somewhere in the room.
"You let the animals pretend they're people, and this is what you-"
Yang's eyes turned red as she muted the TV.
"Why did they even interview that asshole?" she growled, "Ruby, could you check the TV guide? If I keep mindlessly flicking through the channels, we're gonna keep getting news reports."
"Uh… Try Channel 43!" Ruby suggested after flipping through the pages, "I think there's a Micronauts marathon running!"
Yang switched to 43, and let out a sigh of relief when a cartoon started playing instead of a news report on the White Fang.
"You okay, Akai?" Yang asked.
"I'm fine…" the Faunus growled as the Micronauts' theme started playing.
.
"... So, wait, this Baron Karza guy can combine with his horse?" Yang asked during the first commercial break.
"Yeah, it's the gimmick for his toy," Akai replied, "He can do the same thing with the hero's steed, but that never happens in show because that's more of a quirk of the toys the show was created to promote."
"Wait, I thought the toys were based off the show," Ruby remarked.
"No, the toyline existed in Mistral for years before a Valean studio picked up the TV license," Akai replied.
"Huh…" Ruby remarked.
"Kinda weird that they don't have to deal with the Grimm," Yang added.
"Have you seen how tiny they are?" Akai asked, "And they do fight Grimm in the episodes where they're on Remnant, but usually they leave the Grimm to their human allies while they deal with Baron Karza and his minions."
"I see…" Yang remarked.
"Granted, it would be nice if there were more heroic Faunus in the cast," Akai continued, "But given that this is a partly Mistrali franchise, I'll take what I can get."
"... You okay, Akai?" Ruby asked.
"Oh, I'm just fine!" Akai continued, "It's not like the characters most like me in the shows I watch tend to either die early or turn out to be secretly evil! Or that ever since I moved out of my hometown, I've had to put up with people of all ages yanking on my antlers when my mother's not there to protect me! Or that there are a lot of people who'd love to kill me because of what that butcher Sienna Khan did when she took over the White Fang!"
"Uh… Akai, the commercial break's ending," Yang remarked.
"It doesn't matter to them that one of her first actions as High Leader was to give every Faunus in White Fang territory with a human spouse the option to divorce their spouse or be branded a traitor!" Akai ranted as she stood up, pacing around the room, "Oh, it doesn't matter to them or to her that we'd spent DECADES trying to legalize human/Faunus marriages in Mistral just for her to immediately change the White Fang's policy mere months after it was accomplished! It doesn't matter to ANYONE that she PERSONALLY drove us away from our home just because my father refused to divorce my mother! It doesn't matter to them that my father risked his life to carry me and his injured, human wife through Grimm infested woods just to get her away from the White Fang! I just… I just…" She collapsed onto the couch.
"... You've not been having a good day, have you?" Yang asked as she sat next to Akai, opposite of Ruby.
Akai glared at her.
"Shutting up."
"Why? Why does the White Fang have to make everything worse?" Akai asked, "It was scary enough when it was just the Atlesian soldiers laughing when they saw some jerks yanking on my antlers and pointing their guns at me when I tried to make them let go, but now…"
"Do you need a hug?" Ruby asked.
Akai wordlessly threw her arms around Ruby.
"Don't worry Akai, you're safe here," Yang promised.
"No I'm not!" Akai protested, "If the Atlesian Military decides to kill me, all they'll need to do is kill you two and plant a Grimm Mask on my corpse, and nobody will question a thing."
"As far as I can tell, Specialist Schnee's a bit too 'by the books' for that kinda thing," Yang commented.
"The 'by the books' types are the worst," Akai replied, "It just means that they'll obey every order, no matter how cruel or unethical, and act like that somehow makes them a hero."
"Well, at the very least, Winter's on thin ice with the Vale Council" Ruby replied, "From what I've heard, they're looking for an excuse to kick her out!"
"Was that before or after the White Fang attack?" Akai asked.
"Erm…"
"I'm tired of feeling so helpless!" Akai shouted.
"That's why the three of us are training to be Huntresses, isn't it?" Ruby asked, "So we can change the world?'
"Hmmph, yeah…" Akai commented, "When I have my license, I'm going to form a team of like-minded Faunus Huntsmen, go into Southern Anima, and bring Sienna Khan to justice!"
"You… Really want revenge that badly?" Ruby asked.
"No… If Sienna Khan was just another White Fang goon, I'd gladly let the authorities handle her," Akai replied, "But she's not just some run of the mill thug, she's the High Leader of the White Fang! The first person people around the world think of when they hear the word 'Faunus.' She needs to be brought to justice by Faunus in order to undo the damage she's done to our cause. And if that coward Ghira won't do it, well… Someone has to pick up the slack! That said…" She finally let go of Ruby and sat up. "I'd be lying if I said that a part of me doesn't want to see the look on her stupid face when I give her her just desserts! When that little girl she probably forgot all about shows up all grown up with a small army to topple the White Fang's leadership and force her to watch as her twisted empire crumbles around her!"
Ruby scooted a little bit away from Akai as Yang reflected on her encounter with Dropkick.
When the memory stops being fresh, will that be how I feel about Dropkick? she wondered. The idea of making him feel as powerless as he had made her feel certainly had its appeal. Then she imagined staring down Dropkick and remembered she was fantasizing about carrying out revenge against a giant robot the size of a house who could crush her without even realizing and the soul-crushing reminder of just how out of her depth she was began to sink its claws into her consciousness.
"Wait, who's Ghira?" Ruby asked.
"The idiot who didn't see how putting someone like Sienna Khan in charge could backfire," Akai replied.
"Okay, I wasn't there, but wasn't she promoted with support from most of the Fang?" Ruby asked, earning a glare from Akai, "Shutting up!" Akai sighed.
"I just, I remember how bright and optimistic my parents used to be," Akai continued, "Sure times were tough, progress was slow, and my mother's parents kicked her out for marrying a Faunus, but we were making progress! Things were getting better! People were starting to see how stupid the racists were! But it didn't matter to Sienna that my mother left everything behind to help my father in the fight for equality. It didn't matter to Sienna Khan that my mother had saved the previous high leader's life when Bandits attacked us. It didn't matter to Sienna Khan that my mother had been just as thrilled as I was when my antlers started to grow in. It didn't matter to Sienna Khan that my mother gave up a life of luxury to risk her life with a bunch of Faunus outside of the Kingdom's borders. All that mattered to her was that my mother's human, and as such had to be an enemy." Her hands curled into fists. "And you know what? Even when Sienna broke mother's Aura while she was fighting a Beowolf, she still didn't use that as 'proof' that Faunus can't be trusted. She still tried to argue that it's unfair to judge all of Faunus-kind off of the actions of a few extremists. She didn't love me or my father any less than she did before the incident. Even as her birth parents insist that it's somehow our fault that she… That she…" Ruby pulled Akai into a hug as her friend started crying.
"... Your mom really loves you… Doesn't she?" Yang remarked.
"... I'm sorry, I know I should be grateful that I even have a mother at this point, but…"
"It's okay, Akai," Ruby remarked, "I wouldn't wish what happened to us on anyone."
"... I need some fresh air," Yang announced as she stood up, "Will you two be okay until I get back?"
"Where are you going?" Akai asked.
"Just… Paying someone a visit," Yang replied, "It's… Been a crazy couple of weeks… I won't be long…"
.
"So… Uh… Who was at the door?" Bumblebee asked as he and Yang drove down the wooded road.
"One of Ruby's classmates," Yang answered, "Remember that girl with the antlers I mentioned yesterday?"
"Huh… I didn't think they were that close," Bumblebee commented.
"They don't hang out that often, but they're somewhat physically affectionate," Yang replied, "But that might have to do more with Akai being a hugger than anything. Ruby's… Not really that good at 'peopling'."
"... What?"
"Point her to a problem she can shoot or beat up, she'll handle it no problem," Yang explained, "But, well… She has trouble interacting with people when her special interests aren't involved."
"She hasn't had an issue with me," Bumblebee commented.
"That's because whenever she's sought you out, it's been to complete some kind of task," Yang replied, "First it was to introduce Zwei, then it was to try and plan for every possible location of the Ark, and most recently it's been to help you navigate Remnant. Unless she's gone to you to talk about Crescent Rose or her favorite books and comics without me knowing."
"... No… I can't say she has…" Bumblebee commented, "Huh… I wouldn't have noticed if you hadn't pointed it out."
"Honestly, I think the only reason she isn't bombarding you with questions is because she's afraid of being rude," Yang replied, "I've seen her gush over technology before, but she also knows that Faunus don't like weird questions about their animal features. Odds are, she doesn't want to accidentally ask an intrusive question."
"Huh…" Bumblebee remarked, "Where are we going, anyway?"
"... I'm… Not sure if you'd understand," Yang sighed, "Have you ever heard something and been reminded of someone you'll never see again?"
"When the sound of his voice isn't comforting," Bumblebee answered.
"Well… There's one member of our household you haven't met yet," Yang continued, "Two if you count Uncle Qrow."
"Hmm?"
"You'll see."
.
A red-eyed raven watched as Yang dismounted Bumblebee and put her helmet on the saddle as she walked up to the rock near the cliffside. The stone was decorated with the symbol of a rose, and an etching:
Summer Rose
Thus kindly I scatter.
"Hey, Summer," Yang opened, "Sorry I wasn't able to pay you a visit on my birthday, with all the Grimm activity, Dad didn't want to risk it. I'm sure you understand.
"It's been a crazy couple of weeks. My dad's birthday present turned out to be a giant alien robot. His name's Bumblebee, I'm sure you'd love him. He's a real softy under all the metal and circuits.
"I uh… Still haven't found my Mom yet. Haven't really had the time to search with how hectic the Atlesian Military has made everything. They just march around like they own the place, not caring that they're putting more lives in danger in pursuit of stroking their boss's ego. But I think Professor Ozpin's gonna put a stop to that.
"Oh yeah! I met Professor Ozpin! It wasn't for very long though, but he seems like a nice guy. Got along really well with Bumblebee, even gave us some advice. As for why he was there…" Yang sighed, "I'm not gonna lie, this whole situation is really bleak.
"We're being invaded by an enemy who can hide in plain sight, and they've been at war with Bumblebee's friends since before the dawn of our civilization. We don't know how far along they are in their 'take-over-the-world' scheme, but unless we can find Bumblebee's mothership, we're doomed.
"Just last night, Bumblebee and I ran into two of them, and they slaughtered twelve people with three blasts. I couldn't do anything to fight them once Dropkick got the drop on me. I haven't felt that powerless since…" Yang took a deep breath, "But… We have a plan. We just need to avoid the Decepticons until we can find the Ark, and then the Autobots can take them down!
"I know 'it's not our problem' isn't exactly the mindset of a Huntress, but I honestly don't know what else to do here! I'm not strong enough to protect myself from them, how am I supposed to protect Ruby?
"But I promise, it's going to be okay! We just have to track down the thugs who stole Bumblebee's homing beacon before they do, and we'll be fine! See? I haven't forgotten how to see the bright side to a dark situation! We might not know where the Ark is, but neither do they!
"I know I'm not really your daughter, but thank you for treating me like I was when my real mother couldn't be bothered to," Yang continued as her vision blurred and the raven flew away, "But… It's just so cold without you here! What was so important that you had to drop everything and vanish? Why did you… Why did you…" Yang was caught off guard when she heard the sound of metal shifting, before remembering that she had ridden Bumblebee there. "Oh, sorry Bee… This is probably really confusing, given how different things must've been back on your homeworld."
"... We had monuments back on Cybertron, Yang," Bumblebee replied as he sat down next to her, "Do you want to talk about it?"
"... Ruby and I share a Dad, but we have different moms," Yang started, "My mom left when I was just a baby, and Ruby's mom, Summer Rose, stepped in to fill the void. Two years later, Ruby was born.
"She was the best mom I could've asked for. Baker of cookies, slayer of Grimm, she was my hero! But then one day… She left on a mission… And she…" Tears began to roll down Yang's face. "And they never found her body…"
Bumblebee winced, recalling the many, many MIA notices he'd seen over the years.
"R-Ruby was just a toddler," Yang continued, "She didn't understand why she wasn't coming back… And to make everything worse, I learned that Summer wasn't even my Mom a few days later! I still remember the horrified looks on Dad's and Uncle Qrow's faces when they realized I was listening when they let it slip!
"I was so young and stupid back then. I thought that just finding my real Mom back would magically fix everything! So I…" Yang cut herself off. "I'm sorry, this is probably nothing compared to what you've been through. I shouldn'-"
"Trauma's not a competition, Yang," Bumblebee interrupted, "Besides, I know what it's like to misplace your faith in someone." He rubbed the left side of his neck.
"... Did he… Did he rip it out after you warned the Jetfire and Ultra Magnus?" Yang asked.
"What? No!" Bumblebee cut in, "If Megatron had gotten his hands on me then, I wouldn't be alive right now. No, that was… A very different day…."
"Do you want to talk about it?" Yang asked.
"If you were a bit more battle-hardened, I might," Bumblebee answered, "But I don't want to burden you with this… I can handle just about anything, but you're still technically a civilian. I'm supposed to face those horrors so people like you don't have to. It wouldn't be fair to unload all of that baggage on you when you're still reeling from what happened last night."
"I'm fine!" Yang insisted.
"Yang… You just poured your spark out to a monument about how you aren't fine," Bumblebee replied. "So, for now, I'll hear you out, and when you're in a better headspace, I'll share some more of my old war stories, how does that sound?"
"But…"
"I've had time to heal, you haven't," Bumblebee interrupted.
Yang sighed.
"Dad tried so, so hard," she continued her voice cracking, "but between his own grieving, feeding two mouths with less income, and having to work at Signal, he wasn't in the right headspace to help us with our own emotional states. Then Summer's birthday rolled around, and he slept in… He barely managed to pour us bowls of cereal for breakfast, and I can still remember just how dead his eyes looked. It was like the weight of the world had finally crushed him. So I decided that enough was enough, and carried out my stupid, stupid plan to fix everything.
"I had found a photograph of my Dad's old team, which happened to have Summer, my Mom, and Qrow on it, and a house in the background. So, I loaded up Ruby into a wagon, and before Dad even realized it, the two of us were gone. I walked, and walked, and walked until my legs hurt and my lungs burned. But I did it, I found the house! And inside it, those burning, red eyes. A pack of Beowolves had moved into the house since the picture was taken.
"So there we were, a sleeping toddler oblivious to the danger and a stupid girl too tired to call for help. We should have died. And we would have, if Uncle Qrow hadn't saved us. He had been following us from the start, without me noticing.
"After that, I pretty much gave up on bringing Mom home, but I never gave up on trying to find her. Whenever I think I might have a lead, and I have the time for it, I will follow it. But I don't let it control me anymore. I had to grow up, so Ruby wouldn't have to.
"But… I couldn't protect her from that Ursa Major, and I couldn't protect myself from Dropkick. How… How am I supposed to protect Ruby from this?" she asked as she held her right arm, tears pouring down her face.
"Yang…" Bumblebee commented. He wracked his processors, trying to figure out how to help her. He tried kneeling down to be eye-level with her and was caught off guard when she threw her arms around his neck. Bumblebee lightly returned the hug as Yang latched onto him.
"I hate feeling so weak!" she sobbed, "I don't know what I'm supposed to do!"
.
Bumblebee let Yang go as soon as she had calmed down.
"I'm sorry," she replied, "I'm usually more composed then this."
"Yang, I've been through this song and dance a million times, you were thrust into our war twenty-four hours after learning about its existence," Bumblebee replied, "It's only natural that you'd be shaken by what you went through."
"But…"
"Yang, we had just finished fighting the White Fang, the Decepticons got the jump on us, and you were preoccupied with trying to get my homing beacon," Bumblebee interrupted, "Even if you had completed your training, the odds were stacked against you."
"Okay, but then how am I supposed to fight… That?" Yang asked. Bumblebee brought a hand to his chin.
"What's your Distinction?" he asked.
"My Semblance is 'Burn'," Yang answered, "It has a passive affect that lets me absorb power from hits, and when I activate it, I can use that power to boost my own strength."
"Do the hits you stake still damage your… 'Aura'?" Bumblebee asked.
"Yes," Yang answered.
"Okay, then it's basically useless against the 'cons if what we saw Dropkick do is anything to go by," Bumblebee replied, "What you're going to want to do instead if you're attacked by a Decepticon again is make yourself as hard to hit as possible. Assume that every blast could break your Aura. Use your speed and size to your advantage."
"Okay, but what if I need to fight back?" Yang asked.
"Go for the joints," Bumblebee instructed, "It'll mess with their mobility and they're some of the least armored parts of our bodies. Our optics are also pretty fragile, but…" Bumblebee's wasp-like mask closed over his face. "A few of us have devised tricks to working around that, so it's not as reliable."
"So I had the right idea when I tried to shoot Dropkick in the face?" Yang replied.
"Yeah… But please try to avoid getting grabbed in the future," Bumblebee insisted as he retracted his mask, revealing his concerned face, "I've seen some bots let themselves get nabbed to try and get a clean shot, and it never ends well."
"Don't worry Bee," Yang remarked as she rubbed her right arm, "I never want to find myself in that situation again!"
"I kinda figured you'd say that," Bumblebee replied, scratching the back of his head, "But don't worry, even if it seems hopeless now, you can defeat a Decepticon if you're smart about it."
"Yeah, but it'll be easier once we've found the Autobots, won't it?" Yang replied.
"It… Should be…" Bumblebee replied.
"... Okay, now what's bothering you?" Yang asked.
"What are you talking about?"
"I can tell that you're worried about something in relation to the Ark," Yang replied, "C'mon Bee, this is actually relevant to the mission. If there's a problem, we might as well deal with it now. So, we might as well rip off the band-aid."
"I… Guess you're right… I think," Bumblebee replied, "I'm just… Worried…"
"About?"
"The crash," Bumblebee explained, "What if… I'm the only one who survived? What if… It's all up to just me?"
"I doubt it," Yang replied.
"Huh?"
"I don't know how durable your ship was, but if your stasis pod could survive falling from space, then I imagine the rest would be pretty durable as well," she explained, "Besides, your homing beacon had to link up to something, wouldn't it?"
"Yeah…" Bumblebee replied, "That… Is a good sign."
"But, on the off chance that you are the sole survivor, you still wouldn't be alone," Yang replied.
"Really?" Bumblebee replied incredulously.
"Yeah, because you have us!" Yang continued, "Look, demon bike behavior aside, you blew your cover to save us, so that's got you points in me and Rubes' books, and I think Dad's warming up to you, so that's the three of us.
"Outside of that, you warned Ozpin about the Decepticons, and thanks to you, we can actually prepare for battle against them. So even if you're the last Autobot, all of Remnant will stand with you against the Decepticons when the time comes to face them on the field of battle. And when I become a Huntress, I'll be fighting right there alongside you."
"What? But this isn't your war!"
"Oh don't act so surprised," Yang replied, "A Huntress' job is to defend civilization from threats to its existence, so if the Decepticons want to wipe us out, there's no way I can stay out of this fight. In other words, if Remnant's in danger, then this is my war, whether you like it or not!"
"Yang, I…" Bumblebee paused, unsure what to say to that.
"You're not changing my mind, Bee," Yang declared, "Like I said, pretty much the only way I can avoid fighting Decepticons at this rate is if I give up on being a Huntress altogether. Or if you defeat Megatron before I graduate, but unless the Decepticons have seriously lost their touch since you crashed, I don't think that's likely..."
Bumblebee opened his mouth, but this time simply sighed.
"Dear Epestimus, was I this stubborn back then?" he muttered.
"We should probably head back home now," Yang replied, "Ruby and Akai might burn down the house in a hair-brained scheme if I leave them alone for too long."
"Let's… Not tempt fate," Bumblebee remarked as he folded back into vehicle mode. Yang put on her motorcycle helmet, and the two headed home.
Yang, Ruby, and Akai spent the rest of the day playing video games, with Akai heading home with her parents an hour before supper time. After Yang, Ruby, and Taiyang had eaten, the three of them went to the garage to finish the Cybertronix-to-Vytalese Cipher.
"Why did he just change back to vehicle mode?" Taiyang asked after Bumblebee scanned the last bit of the cipher.
"I think he needs to translate the code," Ruby replied.
"Okay, but why does he need to be a motorcycle for it?" Taiyang asked.
"Would you rather have me awkwardly staring into space?" Bumblebee asked.
"No," Taiyang answered.
"Then why are you complaining?" Bumblebee asked.
"Erm…"
"Either way, I'm done translating the code," Bumblebee replied as he unfolded back into robot mode, "Now, you wanted to tell me something?"
"Oh yeah! While I was with the militia, I asked around about the White Fang," Taiyang explained as he took out his pocket and pulled up the Kingdom Nav app, "A number of villages in Forever Fall have had to deal with harassment from the White Fang…"
"Actually, I have a built-in holo-emitter we could use," Bumblebee replied, "Here, let me…" A panel opened on the right side of his chest, projected a map of Remnant onto the garage door, and zoomed in on Forever Fall, "So, what are we looking for?"
"There are three villages in Forever Fall that've had trouble with the White Fang for months now," Taiyang explained, "Geode, Rhodonite, and Ferrus." The three villages were marked on the map, Geode was closest to Vale, Rhodonite was furthest east, and Ferrus was the northernmost point. Bumblebee squinted, and three lines connected them in a triangular shape.
"Anything special about those villages?" Ruby asked.
"According to this app, there's a supply line that runs right through this triangle," Bumblebee replied as train tracks materialized over the triangle, going from the northern coast to Vale, between Rhodonite and the other two villages.
"Huh…" Yang commented, "The White Fang must be based somewhere in the middle of those villages so they can rob any train that goes through there."
"I'll try and schedule a meeting with Ozpin over at Beacon," Taiyang replied as he took his Scroll out of his pocket and typed up a message. "The White Fang never stays in one place for long when they can help it."
"So… We're seriously gonna try and rob the White Fang?" Yang remarked.
"I'm going to try and reason with them first," Bumblebee corrected, "Adam might be a nutcase, but hopefully his self-preservation and fear of the Decepticons will override his hatred of me."
"... Seeing how he tried to decapitate me and kept fighting long beyond it became clear he was out of his league, I doubt it," Yang replied.
"I didn't say I was expecting it to work," Bumblebee dryly remarked as he turned off the holo-emitter, "Just that I figured I'd give peace a chance."
"Okay, I've sent the message requesting permission for a follow-up meeting on Beacon's campus, and I'm going to set an alarm in case Ozpin replies earlier than expected," Taiyang replied, "If all goes well, then this time tomorrow, we'll have your homing beacon."
"If all goes well, then this time tomorrow I'll have downloaded the coordinates and destroyed it," Bumblebee corrected, "We can't risk it falling into the Decepticons' hands."
"Either way, the future looks bright!" Ruby replied, "Tomorrow's gonna be a great day!"
"Welcome to Atlas Academy," Winter greeted as she led her sister down the halls of the world's greatest Huntsman Academy.
"It's an honor to be here," Weiss replied, "It's so nice to finally get out of the mansion."
"And you'll never have to go back there," Winter promised.
"Well, I can ensure that's the case," a familiar voice replied. Suddenly, a glowing blue blade pierced Weiss' chest, and the younger Schnee futility reached for her sister before going limp, her empty eyes gazing into nothing. Her body, still impaled on the blade, was lifted into the air by the machine attached to the blade as Winter turned to face the wasp-like mask covering her adversary's face, Weiss' limbs swaying lifelessly.
"Why her?!" Winter shouted as the halls turned red, blood leaking from the cracks.
"Oh, so now you care about her?" B-127 replied as he swung his blade, and Weiss' body impaled on it, with every word, "You certainly didn't care when you ran away to leave her behind! Why, if you had stuck around, she might not have been pitted against the Arma Gigas." One careless swing of his blade finally shook Weiss loose, causing her to slide off the blade and onto the bloodstained floor, leaving red streaks on B-127's blade.
Winter screamed and threw herself at the Autobot, only for his stinger to strike her chest, solidifying her Aura and causing her to crash to the ground, face-to-face with her sister's corpse.
"Goodbye, Winter," B-127 replied as the paralyzed specialist heard the sound of him shifting into vehicle mode and driving away.
"Outer perimeter has been breached!"
"Oh gods they're everywhere!'"
"The air fleet's been compromised! We can't fight them-" the radio cut off, blaring static and the sounds of battle blended to create a hellish symphony.
But nothing was louder than the silence coming from Weiss' corpse, as Winter was helpless to do anything but stare into her sister's cold, lifeless eyes as the two sister's laid in a puddle of the younger Schnee's blood.
Winter's eyes shot open. The Specialist sat up as she tried to ease her breathing.
"That nightmare again…" She remarked. Her subconscious mind seemed to have gotten into the habit of throwing her younger sister's corpse at her, finding new and creative ways for the girl to die horribly. Winter was about to lay back down and try to get some more sleep, only to glance over her clock and realize that it was only five minutes until her alarm would've gone off anyway. "Oh of course…" She sighed. "Better get ready for that video meeting with the Vale Council…"
.
"... And in addition to your complete and utter failure to deal with the White Fang or disarm the bomb, your soldiers have harassed our civilians, and our Huntsmen were too busy bailing your men out to take care of the three Alphas the militia encountered yesterday,"Councilman Orville continued.
"Considering that the most vocal critic was a Faunus, I'd argue that a full background check should be initiated before we take his words at face value," Winter argued, "If the White Fang are so desperate to get rid of me-"
"So your assumption is that the man with a human wife is part of the White Fang?" Councilwoman Sapphire asked, "Are you listening to yourself?"
"I…"
"We've already spoken with the Atlas Council," Councilman Viridian interrupted, "With the exception of Councilman Ironwood-"
"General Ironwood," Winter interrupted, only to flinch when the councilman glared back at her.
"With the exception of Mr. Ironwood," Councilman Viridian continued with a smirk, "It was decided that your division is to return to Atlas by the end of the week or face Court Martial."
"What?" Winter shouted, "But Councilman, I-"
"Would you rather be escorted to the local precinct in handcuffs?" Councilman Viridian interrupted. Winter held her tongue.
"Now, that will be all." The Vale Council hung up, save for Professor Ozpin.
"You're making a mistake," Winter insisted, "If I leave, there won't be anyone left to defend your Kingdom!"
"We have our Huntsmen, the militia, and many other brave volunteers who face threats to the Kingdom every day," Ozpin replied, "I am not your enemy, Specialist, but I need to do what's best for my Kingdom." The Headmaster hung up, leaving Winter alone with her thoughts.
"Maybe the General will know what to do…" Winter remarked as she pressed a series of buttons on her desk, and the video call opened. "General, we have a problem."
"Specialist Schnee," General Ironwood greeted, "I was there at the Atlas Council meeting last night."
"I've had no luck figuring out how to contact the Decepticons without exposing the cover-up," Winter replied, "Did you tell the Council about the threat the Autobots pose?"
"No," Ironwood replied, "I didn't see the need to get civilians involved." Winter sighed.
"I'll prepare to withdraw," she announced "Hopefully, we'll have time to figure out a new plan once I've returned to Atlas."
"That's a negative."
"Sir?"
"You are not to return to Atlas until the Autobot threat has been neutralized," Ironwood clarified.
"But sir! This isn't Atlas!" Winter replied, "Your orders alone won't justify my actions in a court of law! This could lead to a war between Atlas and Vale!"
"Then as far as the courts are concerned, you'll have gone rogue," Ironwood continued.
"Sir?"
"Tell me, Specialist, are you willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for your kingdom?" General Ironwood asked.
"... Yes."
"Then you know what to do if the deadline comes, and B-127 is still on the loose."
"Of course sir."
"I knew I could count on you," Ironwood replied with a smile, "Dismissed." The second the General hung up, Winter cradled her head in her hands and tried not to cry.
"Specialist Schnee!" one of her soldiers called in, "We have a situation!"
"Oh, what now?!" Winter snapped as she rose to her feet.
.
"Those airships have been circling our base since the meeting with the Vale Council," the soldier explained as he led Winter outside and handed her a set of binoculars. Winter lifted them to her face and looked over at the shapes in the sky. One of the shapes was a blue bullhead, which didn't raise too many concerns so far as rogue aircrafts go. No, what caught her off guard was the Atlesian Dropship, which was red rather than the standard white.
Even my custom airship uses only the authorized paints, Winter thought as she lowered the binoculars.
"What should we do about this, Specialist Schnee?" another soldier asked.
"We should try to contact them," Winter answered, "Give them the chance to surrender before we shoot them out of the sky!"
"They're coming in!" another soldier shouted.
"Of course they are," Winter growled as her hand fell to her saber's hilt, "Ready…"
The second they started gliding just over the ground, the bullhead folded into an armored car, while the dropship folded into an SUV.
"What the-" the two vehicles sped up to the gathered soldiers, and then unfolded into two bipedal giants that dwarfed B-127, "Oh no…"
"Greetings denizens of Remnant," the red one opened as she knelt, "I am Security Officer Shatter of the Decepticon Empire, and this is my partner, Dropkick."
"Oh so you get the introduce yourself with your rank and ti-"
"Shut up and kneel," Shatter growled.
Dropkick grumbled, but complied.
"We fear that a dangerous fugitive from our world may have found his way to yours," Shatter continued as she projected a holographic image of a familiar, yellow robot.
"B-127…" Winter remarked.
"So, it would seem as though you've encountered this dangerous renegade," Shatter remarked, "I believe that we may have a common enemy, especially if he managed to scan a new alt mode."
"W-what?" Winter remarked, "He can just… Change his appearance that easily?"
"How did you think my partner and I took the forms of the local vehicles?" Shatter asked, "However, we have no means of blending in with your kind, and the last thing we'd want is to cause a panic by walking about in our true forms."
"... I appreciate that very much…" Winter remarked, imagining how the Grimm would react if the common people of Remnant suddenly had two giant robots searching for another giant robot amongst them, "But why are you telling me this?"
"Judging by the soldiers, we assumed you were the highest authority," Shatter replied, "You can ask around to gather intel, figure out where B-127 slithered off to after scanning his new alt mode, while we can provide some extra firepower once he's been cornered like the frizz-rat he is. So, what do you say?"
"I need to speak with my commanding officer," Winter replied, "But if it's okay with him, then you have a deal."
a/n: *screams internally* THIS WAS SUPPOSED TO BE A SHORT CHAPTER! But more and more got added on and on and on until I had 20 pages! And it was all written a little bit at a time, too!
Okay, but, now that it's done, I can take a look at the reviews!
...
Oh my...
Z-King: I feel that Starscream's at his best when he's a credible threat.
Mobian: I kinda figured he'd gravitate to the Decepticons over the Autobots, because on a surface level, the Decepticons are the most similar to Atlas. Until you dig down, and realize that they're like a mix of Atlas' and the White Fang's worst traits. Heck, the IDW Decepticons even have a Team that's basically a darker-and-edgier take on the Ace Ops.
merendinoemiliano: I actually based Ironwood's actions off of his betrayal of Ozpin at the end of Volume 2. He's not the type to observe and wait, given how eager he is to just throw the military at his problems and be done with it.
nindjo: Unless Ironwood was ALSO being mind controlled in the Volume 2 finale, which I doubt, this is all him.
MadTitan9: Good news, I cleaned up Ironwood's language in Chapter 6! And technically, Winter is Agent Burns here. Ironwood would be Powel. The White Fang/Predacon alliance was an idea I had a while back. As for what other Predacons might show up, well... the Alligned Continuity and G1 Cartoon aren't the only sources for Predacon-related content. And that is why Dropkick mentioned the Grimm leaving Starscream alone back in the Prologue! Starscream was one of my earliest ideas!
SpeculatingSpecter543: Actually, she'd probably treat Starscream at least a little better than Megatron does.
Guest: Welp, I can see I was correct about my take on Ironwood being divisive.
Please join me next time for "The Best Laid Plans". See you then!
Update 10/7/2020: I just realized that I used "Geode" as the name of both a councilman and a village. His name's Orville now. It literally means "Golden Brown".
Update 4/8/2021: Tweaked Ironwood's dialogue to bring his behavior more in line with how he acted towards Winter in the canon show, with more subtle emotional manipulation than him shouting at Winter for "doubting his judgement".
