"I hope that you realize that your actions tonight will not be taken lightly, young lady. You put yourself and others in great danger. Be glad that you'll only be sent home tonight with a pat on the back…and a slap on the wrist!"

"Look out!"

"Ouch! Hey, watch where you're landing!"

"Yang? Could you get your hair out of my face?"

"Make way, people. Master thief coming through!"

Three fell and one floated down on her parasol, landing in a concrete alleyway of a city that wasn't New York. Rubbing her elbow, Yang untangled herself from the two Huntresses and stood up.

"That's gonna bruise…"

Ruby perked up. "Why didn't you activate your Aura?"

"My what?"

Her sister's face fell immediately. "Oh, gods-dammit."

"Ruby, language!"

"It's basically a forcefield and healing factor rolled into one." Maria explained, picking up her dropped staff.

Trivia came floating down next to her. "I'm guessing us Earthlings don't have that, eh Blondie?"

"Let me check." Ruby said. "Here, hold still."

The two of them stood awkwardly as her sister held up her palms to them. Thankfully they landed in some back alley, away from prying eyes and suchlike.

"Yeah, no. I'm not getting anything. That's a problem."

"Why's that?"

"Aura is our body's natural defense against harm. It lets us survive blades, teeth and claws, bullets, you name it." Maria said. "Here, let me show you."

A blade popped out of the end of her staff. Yang's eyes bugged out as she brought it down without hesitation, only for it to clang against her arm harmlessly. Huh, it really was a forcefield.

"I mean, my parasol is bulletproof. Plus, I can do the same with my arm." Trivia argued, denting a wall with her fist for emphasis. "Nanomachines, son. They harden in response to physical—"

"Good enough for now." Ruby said, before turning to Yang. "And you?"

"I get thrown through buildings on a daily basis. Cuts and broken bones usually heal up overnight, too." It was a trait shared by all metahumans, though she supposed Ruby couldn't have known that. "And bullets usually melt and miss before they hit me. Expanding air and whatnot."

Her sister raised an eyebrow. "Just make sure you're not around us when you do that."

"Got it." She pounded her fists together. "Now what?"

"Now we—" Ruby paused. "Hang on, the watch just said something."

"You sure? I didn't hear anything."

"Neither did I."

"Same here."

"I…guess I'm the only one who can hear it?" Ruby shrugged. "Anyway, it said something really weird: 'White is cold and always yearning, burdened by a royal test. Black the beast descends from shadows. Yellow beauty burns gold. What is missing?'"

Trivia groaned and rolled her eyes, which turned red. "Seriously? A fucking riddle? Where are we, a game show?"

"Vale, actually." Maria replied, poking her head around the corner. "Looks a bit different than I last remember, though."

The rest of them followed suit, peeking into the streets. A large banner with the words 'Welcome To Vale' written on them hung between two buildings, followed by flowers, paper streamers, celebratory balloons, and the like down the road. People wearing all manner of clothes walked down the sidewalks and into buildings, livening up the scenery in stark contrast with the desert they were recently trapped in.

"The Vytal Festival. Looks like the one we're having back home." Ruby realized.

"Think it's the same one?"

"I'm thinking we need a place to stay. We're not exactly the most inconspicuous group, and if it is the same festival, that probably means there are other versions of us running around. Trivia?"

"I've been worming my way into the city's communications network since we got here." She replied smugly. "Their security was so two decades ago."

"Find us a hotel to stay in. Preferably one that's close to Beacon."

"Done! I also lifted a couple of creds in case we need to eat anywhere. Their restaurant didn't have the best of reviews."

"What?" Yang objected. "Trivia, that's a crime. You can't just do that!"

"She can and she did." Ruby said. "Just tell me you at least stole from the wealthy?"

The thief winked and pointed finger guns at them. "You know it, Red."

"Then I don't care. We have more important things to worry about. Now come on, let's get out of the street before someone recognizes us."

"But…"

One look from Maria told her she was outvoted on this particular decision, and Yang reluctantly dropped the issue. Still, the idea of actively committing crimes to get the job done didn't sit well with her, and it still didn't sit well with her once they'd reached their hotel, and their luxury suite Trivia had stolen.

She stared blankly from her seat on the gold-encrusted couch as Ruby tossed a small tablet and few nondescript cards into her lap. "Scroll. Communication device. Lien. Our world's currency."

"Schway. So, what's the plan, Boss?" Trivia asked.

"Okay, first of all? I am not your 'Boss'." Ruby said hotly.

"Really?" Maria said. "You're the leader of a team back in your reality, and out of the four of us, you seem to be the most familiar with this timeline. I've never been anywhere near Vale, and these two aren't even from Remnant. Do you really want one of us in charge?"

"…Fine. We'll rotate based on synergy." Ruby begrudgingly accepted. "Alright, here's the plan. First, we figure out what went wrong here."

"Based on what the Nav said, right?"

"Well, that should be obvious." Maria pointed a finger at Ruby. "It's about Team RWBY, isn't it?"

Yang thought back to Ozymandias' presentation in the tower. Team RWBY was her sister's team, wasn't it? So White, Black, and Yellow clearly represented Weiss, Blake, and herself, which meant…

"This world's Ruby is missing? Is that it?" Yang guessed.

"Trivia?"

"Uh, yeah, I can't find a 'Ruby Branwen' anywhere on the Net. So she's definitely not dead or kidnapped…"

"Try my alias. Rose Corvus."

Trivia tapped her chin. "You people have the strangest fucking names, I swear…yeah, nope. Nothing for that either."

Rose…

"Try 'Ruby Rose' or 'Ruby Xiao Long'." Yang suggested, earning a surprised look from Ruby.

"Hah! Score one for Blondie. Looks like we have a 'Ruby Rose' of 'Signal Academy'. That's good, right?"

Her sister shook her head. "Signal's to the west, on an island called Patch. Looks like someone didn't move ahead two years early." She said bitterly.

"Well, why do we need her in the first place?"

Ruby froze, then spoke after a brief pause. "Good question. One that the Nav just answered."

Trivia groaned. "Why couldn't it have said that outright when we got here? Is Ozymandias just fucking with us?"

"I don't know, but right now we have more important things to worry about." Ruby said urgently. "Apparently without my involvement, a plot to launch a terrorist attack on Vale during the Vytal Festival has gone completely unnoticed. I'm assuming that is what we need to stop."

Oh. Yeah, that was probably a bad thing, wasn't it?

"Hey, gang?" Maria suddenly spoke up, flipping her Scroll towards them. "You're going to want to see this."

As Yang peered at the device, she was met with the sight of herself battling a gray-haired teenager in some sort of arena. The fight ended when she landed a decisive blow on her opponent, as the sounds of cheers filled the stadium. Then things took a turn for the worse, and Yang watched in shock as her double turned around and struck at her defenseless opponent, who had already surrendered.

"Wow. Didn't know you had it in you, Blondie."

"What? I—no, that's not—I would never do that!"

"Agreed." Maria said, as the footage played on to show a very confused Yang being led away by what she assumed were the police. "There's no way that was natural."

"Then it's settled." Ruby declared. "Trivia, you have the most experience working with criminals. See if you can find anything underground hinting at this terrorist attack that's supposed to happen."

"You got it, Boss!" She saluted.

"Maria, you do the same, but as a Huntress. See if you can stock up on combat supplies for you and I as well."

"I'll just take these, then, if you don't mind." Maria said, snatching Yang's Lien cards from out of her hand.

"Meanwhile, I'll head up to Beacon and try to talk to the other Yang. Find out what really happened." Ruby took off her colored contacts, revealing brightly shining silver eyes. "It should be reasonable that her sister be allowed to talk to her after an incident like this."

"What about me?"

"Someone wearing your face just hit a man with a broken Aura, in a tournament sanctioned fight, and was arrested. Yang Xiao Long is not going anywhere."

"But—"

"Actually." Trivia interjected, waving her hand. "That won't be a problem."

By the stunned look on both Ruby and Maria's faces, Yang assumed Trivia just did something. "What just happened?" Wait, why did her voice sound different?

"See for yourself." Ruby said, turning on the Scroll's camera.

In her place, stood a man with orange hair and green eyes, wearing a bowler hat and white overcoat. She waved her arm, and he followed suit. She stuck her tongue out, and he did as well. Trivia had well and truly disguised her, from head to toe.

"How…long can you keep this up?" Okay, not recognizing her own voice was going to take some getting used to.

"Indefinitely, as long as you're within five feet of me."

"Then stick close and don't blow your cover." Ruby ordered. "We all have our Scrolls? If anything goes wrong on your end, we should all know as soon as possible. Got it?"

The group nodded. "Good. Let's move, team."

In a burst of rose petals, Ruby left the room, followed shortly by Maria. Trivia looked up at her and winked.

"Well then, Mr. Roman Torchwick. Shall we?"

Ruby was nervous the entire airship ride up to Beacon. Sure, it wasn't her universe, but she was still in public, showcasing her silver eyes to the world. But what other choice did she have? The only reason she wore red contacts over anything else was if anyone learned of Rose Corvus' connection to Mom. A red herring, as it were. Heh.

Hopefully Other Yang would buy the idea that she'd just forgotten whatever contact she wore in this reality at home. Which was apparently on Patch here. Right. Couldn't forget that. And that likely meant she was raised by Dad and not Mom. She'd have to hope a Ruby raised by a retired Huntsman wasn't too different from a Ruby raised by a bandit leader. At the very least they both probably liked violence.

At least there was no chance of running into her counterpart at Beacon. The ride from Patch to Vale took a few hours by airship, meaning she had plenty of time to get in, get intel, and get out before the biggest contradiction arrived to blow her disguise right open.

Thankfully, as she arrived at the school docks, it seemed that the layout of the school was the exact same as her Beacon, minus a couple hundred civilians milling about because of the festival. With enough luck Team WBY would be occupying the same dorm as Team RWBY. If Yang was in Beacon in the first place, and not in a cell on Ironwood's flagship. That would definitely complicate things.

As she entered Beacon's grand halls, she spotted Professor Port speaking with Professor Oobleck in the main foyer. Perfect.

They noticed her as she approached. "Ah, young lady! I'm afraid the rest of the Academy is off limits to non-Beacon students. You are free to explore and enjoy the rest of campus, however. Would you like me to show you around?"

"That's okay!" Ruby giggled demurely, her silver eyes round and innocent. "I'm actually here to see Yang. I'm her sister, Ruby Rose."

The joviality drained out of Port almost immediately, but he didn't lose all of his steam. "I-I see! Miss Xiao Long has mentioned you many times already during her time here at Beacon, and her words were filled with nothing but praise, I assure you. Please, right this way!"

"I had better go check on the status of the next match, Peter!" Oobleck announced. "Meet up with me once you finish escorting Miss Rose?"

"Of course!"

The two of them walked down the familiar halls, all the way to their dorm. Some things were too insignificant to change, she supposed. As they walked, Ruby took in the fact that Port was unarmed, and that most of the students were out and about, leaving this portion of Beacon rather empty.

Outside of their door, two Atlesian Knights stood guard, but thankfully moved out of the way at Port's behest. A swift knock on the door and it opened, though the Professor's…burly frame blocked her from view.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Not at all." A voice responded, and Ruby felt her blood chill. Why was Ironwood the one directly addressing this issue? If she messed up in any way, his mere existence on the scene would infinitely complicate things.

'Better not mess up, then.'

"Miss Xiao Long. There is someone here to see you."

Port turned around and whispered to her. "I must go. Good luck, Miss Rose."

Ruby stepped into their room and gave a wave, taking in her surroundings. "Hiya, sis."

Two Atlesian Knights right outside. Ironwood to the left. No bunk beds. Yang on the center bed. Weiss and Blake on the right. An open window, and no lock on the door behind them. The third version of her sister she's seen today, utterly elated to see her.

"Ruby!" Yang rushed to embrace her, and Ruby forced her body to go slack as she fell into Yang's crushing grip.

"Yang…can't…breathe!" She squeaked out.

"Sorry, sorry!" She laughed, releasing her. "How did you get here so fast?"

"I was doing some shopping in Vale. Signal is on break during the festival so people can watch the tournament matches."

Yang gasped. "Ruby Rose! Did you forget to watch my match?"

She laughed nervously. "Um, oops?"

Her sister's smile faded, as she flopped back on the bed. "Well, maybe that's a good thing. Oh yeah, this is my sister. Ruby, this is Weiss and Blake. And uh, General Ironwood."

"Hey."

"Hello."

"Nice to meet you all."

"A pleasure, Miss Rose."

Yang sat up in surprise. "Well, that's surprising. Normally you're too shy to even properly introduce yourself. I guess my leaving for Beacon must've forced you out of your shell, huh?"

Shit. "I-I guess so, heh."

Yang tilted her head to the side. "And where's your cloak?"

Shit. "In…the laundry?"

"And where's Crescent Rose? Don't tell me you've moved on from your baby?" She gestured towards Omen 2.0.

Fuck. "Whaaa—? No, of course not. This is just a prototype. An addon!"

"So you came to Vale alone with an incomplete weapon instead of your main one?" Weiss asked. "Why?"

"Because I…felt like it?"

Yang strode right up to her face, staring down at her with slightly narrowed eyes. A bead of sweat rolled down her neck as the uncomfortable silence stretched passed a second. Two seconds.

Then her sister broke out into a grin, grabbing her and giving her a noogie. "You can act like such a child sometimes, you know that?"

Ruby let out a sigh of relief. Okay, her cover was still intact. Yang thought she was just being an irresponsible teen, Weiss and Blake of course had to go along and trust their teammate on this, and Ironwood—

Ironwood was on his Scroll. Texting. And preparing to say something. She broke out of Yang's grip, taking a step towards the general, much to her sister's confusion.

"Ruby, why—"

"Yang Xiao Long." Ironwood said. "I'm receiving a call from your father. He's on his way here by airship, along with your sister."

Ruby could practically feel the atmosphere shift as her cover fell to pieces.

"What?" Yang said. "But Ruby's right…here…"

Broadcasting the video call using his Scroll's holo-projector, everyone could see what was going on in the airship coming from Patch. Tai was sitting on a bench overlooking the window, and the Other Ruby was sitting next to him, wearing a red cloak and holding what Ruby assumed was Crescent Rose.

"Heya, sis!" Ruby Rose waved. "We're on our way over—wait, is that another me? Cool!"

"We'll talk later, Tai." Ironwood said, before cutting off the call and moving to block the door. "Surrender your weapon and stand down. Anything you say or do can and will be used against you."

For a moment, no one moved; perhaps out of caution, or perhaps because she was outnumbered and they were underestimating her. Regardless, it gave her the window of opportunity she was waiting for. A crow cawed from its perch on a tree outside. Great, he was here too?

Ruby burst into action, diving at the general in a cloud of rose petals. As he moved to catch him, his arms met thin air as she split around him, punching a hole through the door. Omen 2.0 came out, instantly decapitating the two robot guards outside. Landing on her feet, she took off in a dead sprint as Ironwood kicked down the door, barking orders into his Scroll.

Taking out her own Scroll, she started leaving a message for her teammates. "This is Ruby. My cover's blown, but that's it. Focus on the mission first, Trivia can always break me out if I'm captured. Over and out."

She slowed slightly as she ran out into the main avenue. A crowd, she needed a crowd headed out of the school…there! But no sooner did she take two steps forward that she sensed something fall from above. A blade came crashing down on her, clashing briefly with her own before she disengaged and forced herself back closer to the school.

"Uncle. You look well."

"Sorry, kid. I've only got two nieces, and you ain't one of them."

"There she is!" Ironwood called out from behind her.

Ruby glanced over her shoulder, seeing both the general and Team WBY, now fully equipped with their combat gear.

"Five on one." Qrow stated the obvious. "Fancy those odds?"

"Yeah, I do." She replied with a cocky smirk. "After all, I've got a bad luck charm on my side!"

She didn't give her uncle a chance to react before charging him with a series of slashes. He was distracted by her knowledge, but not so much that she could land a solid hit in. Thankfully, that wasn't her aim.

She sheathed her main blade and switched to Brittle Ice, making her next swing at an angle that would force Qrow to block near the hilt. The blade shattered against Harbinger, sending a glacier towards the handle and his sword hand, freezing them together and toppling him over.

Something hummed beneath her. A glyph!

Not a second too soon, Ruby leapt out of the way, preventing her legs from being bound. Seeing Yang approach her, she switched to Brittle Wind, and dug the blade slightly into the ground. Yang would always try a head on approach first, so she didn't need to get it perfect, just in the right direction.

Taking a step forward, Ruby ripped into the ground with an upwards slash, breaking the dust blade against the pavement. Her sister stumbled and lost her footing before being flung completely into the air by the updraft, buying her five seconds of time.

One was spent using her Semblance to charge at Ironwood. Now knowing what to expect, the general missed two shots at her before matching her charge, prepared to intercept her once she reformed behind him. So instead, she slammed right into his chest, kicking him into a pillar.

Two were spent fighting off the combined assault of Weiss and Blake, parrying blows from Gambol Shroud and Myrtenaster. The instant she got the chance to riposte, she led off with a feint towards Blake, before bursting through her clone to strike a decisive blow with Tempered Fire at the real Blake.

One more second was spent on the offensive with her main blade, making sure Weiss couldn't focus on her glyphs while simultaneously pushing her closer to Qrow, who had by now freed himself from the ice. But she only had one second left to handle—

Something slammed into the ground near them, throwing Ruby off balance. Yang. Did she miscalculate her timing? As she tumbled off the main avenue and into the grass, she saw Ironwood and Blake recover and meet up with Qrow and Weiss, with a very angry Yang joining them. Damn it. Individually, she could handle them, but now that they were together it was very unlikely that they would allow themselves to be separated. It was over for her, unless…

Her eyes drifted to a nearby lamppost, where a small black bird was perched. Screw it. What did she have to lose?

Ruby inched back defensively as the five of them approached. The group was spread out in such a way that she couldn't slip past one of them without exposing herself to another. From left to right, she saw Ironwood, Blake, Weiss, Qrow and Yang. Perfect.

She deliberately turned her head to face the lamppost. "Hey, Mom! A little help here? 'Everyone gets one', right?"

That was enough to distract Yang, but it was only after the raven cawed and flew away that Qrow dared to try and track it. And that meant neither of them were watching her.

With a burst of rose petals, she dove between the gap created by her shell-shocked family members, dodging the formation of another glyph along the way. She was going to make it out after all!

But then something closed around her waist, knocking her out of her Semblance and leaving her dangling in midair. Ruby turned her head in dismay to see a very angry Glynda Goodwitch, and an expressionless Ozpin, coming out of the Academy.

"Miss Rose. If that is your real name. I must say it was a surprise to see one of my best first year teams have trouble handling a girl two years their junior." Ozpin said, calmly walking up to her.

Ruby groaned. "You saw all of that?"

"Indeed. And I believe that we'll have plenty to talk about on General Ironwood's flagship, don't you agree?"

Ruby briefly pondered the question. If they were willing to open a dialogue with her, then maybe this whole mess wasn't all bad. Still, it was embarrassing that she allowed herself to be caught in the first place. Thank the gods her real mother wasn't around to watch her.

"Can we do it here and now instead? I've got a pretty busy schedule, you know."

Ozpin chuckled. "As do I. But we can't always get what we want, Miss Rose."

…Damn it.

By the time she and dad had arrived in Vale, they had already apprehended her 'doppelganger'. Then they had gotten an invitation from the Headmaster, the Headmaster of Beacon himself to join them in interrogating her double. Ooh, this was sooo exciting! What was she like? She was wearing red and black like her, so did she like those colors or was it part of her disguise? Did she share her love of cookies and strawberries, or not? Did she have a cool weapon?

Ruby could hardly contain her excitement as they boarded the flagship, the experience enough for her to (temporarily) forget about the whole reason they were on their way to Vale in the first place. No, not even her sister's forlorn expression or weird looks she was receiving from her teammates was enough to keep her down. After all, she was in the presence of a real huntress and not one, but two, two Headmasters! And the best part was that she didn't even have to introduce herself! Her clone had done it for her!

"Is everyone ready?" Headmaster Ozpin asked in front of the door leading to the holding cells. There were multiple, but her fake was apparently the only detainee.

The instant Ozpin opened the door, Ruby was through, marveling at the Atlesian flagship's cutting edge tech and sleek design and—oh my gods, there she was! Other Ruby was inside of a cell the size of a first-class train seat, minus the comfy cushions and pop-out tables. Nope, just a solitary bench upon which her double was reclining, legs crossed and arms folded behind her head, complete with a toothy grin as they made eye contact.

"Lookin' good, me."

"Thanks! Hehe." Ruby blushed. It wasn't everyday you got a compliment from yourself after all.

Fake Ruby's gaze drifted past her, which was when she realized everyone else was standing behind her. With an embarrassed squeak she quickly flew to her dad's side. Wouldn't want to get in the way of the important people, now would she?

"So are we getting started, or what?" Her double said with a brashness that better suited her sister. "I've got places to be."

"These holding cells are state-of-the-art." General Ironwood said, though that only seemed to make her grin grow wider. "You won't be going anywhere unless we say so."

Ozpin cleared his throat. "If I may, Miss Rose."

"Me?" Ruby responded.

"No, Ruby. The other you." Her dad whispered.

"Oh."

"Right. As you can see, the true nature of your identity seems to be causing a bit of confusion among the rest of us." Ozpin continued. "Perhaps a bit of clarification as to who you really are might help…speed things along? It's getting late, after all, and we still have a match to get back to."

Her doppelganger sighed. "Fine." She stood up and did a quick curtsy. "Corvus Branwen, at your service."

Several people gasped, including her dad and Uncle Qrow. Wait, was she secretly Uncle Qrow's daughter? Did she have a cousin?

"Now that I've introduced myself, I've got a question for you."

"That's not how—"

"Now, General." Ozpin interjected. "Surely such a cooperative prisoner deserves something in return for her forthcoming answers? Perhaps an exchange of questions, provided our captive doesn't ask after any sensitive information, would be beneficial to the both of us."

After a short pause, Ironwood answered. "Very well. What is your question?"

Corvus smiled and sat back down. "Where are you keeping my weapon, Omen 2.0?"

Did that mean there was an Omen 1.0? And why did that answer seem to set off Uncle Qrow again?

"Rest assured, your weapon is safely stored in our armory. We won't mess with it if you continue to cooperate." Ironwood said. "My turn. Why did you decide to pose as Ruby Rose and infiltrate Beacon?"

"Pft, that's easy. I saw what happened at the end of Yang's match and knew something was wrong. My sister couldn't possibly have done something like that—"

"Right?" Ruby couldn't help but agree with her cousin.

"—so I decided to ask her about the incident myself. See if there was any clue left behind that might point towards the true culprit."

"You…you're Raven's daughter, aren't you?" Yang suddenly spoke up.

Corvus nodded. "Got it in one. That was an easy one, so I won't count it against you."

"Thank you, Miss Branwen." Ozpin said. "Your question?"

"Did you know that terrorists are planning to attack the city of Vale as we speak?"

Ruby was stunned. Someone was going to attack Vale? During the Vytal Festival? And did a bird just hit the airship? She could have sworn she heard a small thump from above them.

"What?" Ironwood growled. "That's not only foolish, it's downright impossible. They would be faced with the might of my fleet and the Huntsmen of the Kingdom."

Her cousin shrugged. "I'd tell them that too, if I knew who they were. But you're saying you don't have any information at all about a potential culprit? You do realize that the fact that they've gone unnoticed is a problem in and of itself, right? In fact, I'm willing to bet Lien that they were the ones that set up Yang, too. Not my Lien, mind you, but I digress."

She heard her uncle mutter something about bandits before speaking up. "Listen kiddo, regardless of whether or not there is a threat to the Kingdom, rest assured that we have it handled. It's just as Jimmy said, they'd have to go through two armies to get anywhere, and that's straight up impossible."

Corvus snorted. "If that were true, you wouldn't need us."

"Us?" Ozpin asked.

The younger Branwen's mouth opened and closed uselessly for a few seconds before she admitted defeat. "Well, you were going to find out eventually. So what do you say? Allies? Neither of us want to see this city fall, you know."

"Thanks for the offer, but we've plenty of allies already. Trusted allies."

"Suit yourself. My team and I will try to stay out of your way, then." Her head turned to the side, towards one of the ship's tinted windows. "And speaking of, that's my cue."

In that instant, Ruby saw the ship's lights flicker and die, plunging the room into darkness. The windows opened, allowing just enough light from the sunset for her to see the ground in front of her. The entire group formed a defensive wall around the cell, waiting for Corvus' ally to attack. But no one came, and within seconds, the lights flickered back on.

Ironwood was quick to open his Scroll, communicating with his men about the light failure and the potential break-in, but as the rest of them turned back around, they were met with an impossible sight: an empty cell.

Corvus Branwen was gone.

Earlier that day…

"I don't know about this, Trivia…"

"Oh, come on! You're a superhero! Don't you deal with criminals, like, everyday?"

They were standing in front of a surreptitious building that was apparently a front for a criminal information broker. At least, that was what the street thug Trivia shook down had said. Yang still had her doubts.

"Yeah, but back-alley dealings and subterfuge were always more of Eclipse's thing, you know? When I deal with criminals, I'm usually punching them in the face, not digging them for information. Plus, my powers don't work well indoors. Waaay too much property damage."

Trivia laughed. "It'll be fine, Blondie. But if you really feel that way, then I'll do all the talking. You just stand there and look menacing, 'kay?"

Yang sighed and followed her to the entrance. "I just hope the others have better luck than us…"

"Unlikely." She said matter-of-factly. "Red's probably exposed herself by now."

"What makes you say that?"

Stepping into the building, they made their way up a floor and into a nightclub. Despite it being about midday, there were plenty of suspicious individuals milling about, at the bars and on the dance floor. Maybe because there was a tournament happening? All of the TVs hanging from the walls were displaying that same channel.

After a quick visual sweep, Trivia answered her. "Think about how little we knew about each other just a few hours ago. I mean, Ozymandias had to give a fucking slideshow presentation on each of us! And in case you couldn't tell, I know the Yang Xiao Long of 2040. And trust me when I say she's the furthest thing from you. So I'm not making any assumptions about this universe's version of me. And you shouldn't either."

"Then why didn't you say anything?"

"I wasn't thinking of it at the time." Trivia shrugged truthfully, while gesturing at a man in a suit serving at the bar. "Hacking takes up brain space, you know."

They slowly crossed the dance floor carefully so as to not get separated. "I mean, surely there would be some similarities, right? There's just no way any other version of me is a completely different person."

"Probably." Her dance partner conceded. "But that doesn't mean you should trust them. I certainly won't. If I ever see my counterpart, I'll shoot her first, and ask questions later."

"Well, it's your funeral. Oh! Hey, isn't that our guy?"

The man Trivia had pointed to earlier was cleaning a glass, but otherwise unoccupied. In fact, this bar in particular was pretty abandoned, most likely due to the fact that the shortest path to it was through the dance floor. Lucky them!

"Junior!" Trivia called out as they took seats in front of the bartender. "How's life?"

Junior stared at her like she'd grown a second head. "What, so you can talk now?"

"I—"

"Whatever." He shook her off and then turned to look at Yang. "Roman. Aren't you on the job today?"

Caught like a deer in headlights, her mind came up blank for a response. Job? What was their cover story, anyway?

"That's in the evening. We just stopped by to chat. Talk shop. And maybe a little more, if you're still…open for business." Trivia stepped in to save her, slipping the information broker a Lien card.

He looked between them rapidly, pocketing the card. "Okay, this Freaky Friday shit is getting old. Cut it out."

"Deal with it, Junior." Her partner improvised. "It's my birthday; I get to make the rules."

Junior shot Yang a pitying glance, before turning back to Trivia. "Okay, then. What're you looking for?"

"Anything unusual in the past few days. We don't want any…complications appearing during tonight's job."

He nodded. "It'll be a few seconds."

Yang finally let out the breath she was holding when the man disappeared into the backroom. "That was too close."

"I know, right?" Trivia laughed. "We're lucky he bought it! And that my arm has a terabyte of storage specifically dedicated to dated movie references!"

"Yeah, but doesn't that mean Junior knows this version of Trivia and Roman? What if we run into them?"

"You heard what he said." She said dismissively. "They're on a job tonight. You'd have to be a terrible thief to get hammered before a job, and I am not a terrible thief."

"But weren't you just saying earlier that—"

Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Junior returning from the backroom, and promptly shut up, averting her gaze. With any luck, Trivia could smooth talk their way into some intel, and they'd be on their way.

"Okay, Neo." Junior said as he walked up with a binder. "Here's everything I've got from the past three…days…"

As Junior trailed off, Yang followed his gaze, spinning in her seat until she saw what he saw. "Uh oh."

Trivia, this time a bit late on the uptake, turned around second, just in time to see the bowler hat and red-orange hair that she and Junior saw. As did everyone else in the club; the crowd of people separated like the Red Sea, until it was just they, themselves, and them.

*BANG*

Yang leapt out of her seat as she watched 'Trivia' fly back, glancing left to see her partner aiming her gun where her double once stood.

"What the heck was that, Trivia?"

"Told you I'd shoot her! I told you!" She snarled, before drawing her parasol. "The jig is up, Blondie! Slag 'em!"

Roman finally recovered from the initial shock of the situation, lifting his cane to point at them. "I don't know who you two are, but you've just made a big mistake! Nobody hurts Neo and gets away with it!" Suddenly, the base of the cane flipped open like a latch, revealing a barrel.

"It's a gun!" Yang shouted, and she dove to the side, narrowly avoiding being caught in the blast as Roman launched an explosive charge into the bar.

As the smoke cleared, it seemed that Trivia had managed to dodge the attack as well, and it looked like most of the other club-goers had fled the moment Roman opened fire. The illusion on her flickered and died as she got up and faced Torchwick.

"Wait a second—aren't you supposed to be in jail right now?"

"I'm on parole. They said they'd let me off easy if I arrest another criminal." Yang punched her fists together. "Lucky me!"

Trivia staggered up to her. "Maybe save the one-liners for after we beat the shit out of them? You wanna take Shorty or Torchwick?"

Yang glanced back at Neo who, save for the fact that she was smoking like a barbeque, looked completely fine. And furious, if her thunderous glare directed at Trivia was any indication.

"You can take Neo." Yang decided. "Looks like there's some unresolved tension there for you to work out."

"You telling me to go fuck myself? Fine! I will. And I'll have a great time doing it, too!"

"Ladies!" Roman interrupted. "Are you done gossiping? Some of us have places to be, and things to steal!"

Trivia sent the redhead one last glare before shimmering out of view, only to reappear behind Neo, brandishing her parasol. The other woman reacted with cat-like reflexes, blocking her attack and reacting in kind with her own as the two entered some sort of ridiculous fencing match with their umbrellas.

Yang leapt forward, blocking Roman from reaching either of them. "Still not too late to surrender, you know."

"Not for all the Lien in the world, Blondie." He growled, flipping his cane in his hand before swinging it at her head.

She leaned back, catching the metal pole in her hands. Carbon steel, which meant she had to hit somewhere in the 3000s. Roman jerked his cane around in her hands, but her grip held as her hands heated up, temperature rapidly climbing past the hundreds.

Unfortunately, she couldn't hold on for long, as the cane once again opened up at its base, the barrel hidden inside aimed directly at her head. Yang was forced to let go, diving to the side before her head was blown to bits. Did he know she was trying to melt his cane? Did her counterpart have similar abilities to her?

Time for a change of tactics. Flames snaked up her arms as she armed herself, keeping a healthy distance from Torchwick and his cane…gun. With a lunge, she pitched her arm forward, sending a concentrated blast of fire careening towards Roman. Her assault quickly turned into a flurry of long-ranged blows, but Yang felt herself growing more frustrated with each jet of fire as Roman and his stupid cane deflected every projectile with a spin and a flourish.

Just how effective was this 'Aura' thing anyways? With the way things were going, she'd wager that any random goon back home would be upgraded to at least a B-tier villain if they ever unlocked it. Plus, there was the problem of durability. How many hits could he take before folding? The footage from the tournament was nowhere near enough for her to make any assumptions.

In that case, she'd have to take him down another way. Aura might protect him from physical harm, but did it grant him super-strength, too? She didn't think so. Time to crank things up a notch.

Propelled by a burst of flames, she closed the gap between them in an instant, tackling him to the ground. Before he could recover, she grabbed him by his scarf, leaping into the air with another quick blast from her feet. The apex of her jump put her just below the steel lighting rig, which she promptly flung him into, knocking it loose. Yang landed back on the dance floor, narrowly dodging a shard of glass that flew towards her as the lights shattered against the ground, Roman and the support beams above him quickly following suit.

Her opponent lay face-down, his body pinned down by the heavy steel bars that the club's laser lights once hung from. He made a cursory effect to push himself up, before groaning and collapsing in a heap.

"Roman's down!" She called out, her eyes sweeping over the rest of the club in search of Trivia.

She spotted her straddling Neo on top of one of the bar counters, punching her counterpart in the face repeatedly.

"You," Trivia said each word between strikes, "are a terrible thief!"

Yang caught her hand before she could hit the clearly unconscious Neo again. "That's enough."

Her partner shot her a stubborn glare, getting off one last petty slap with her free hand before Yang forcefully pulled her off of the mute. Trivia let off a satisfied sigh, stretching her arms over her head.

"Wow, I think I really needed that. Who knew beating yourself up could be so therapeutic?" She said, making her way towards the exit. "By the way, I was totally right. Boss got herself caught."

Yang stumbled after her, shocked. "What? How?"

"No idea. She left a message while we were fighting. Said her cover was blown, but that we should focus on the mission before looking for her."

Her little sister was caught? And she wanted to be left behind? "Screw that! We're rescuing her right now."

Trivia's eyes gleamed mischievously, as her form flickered and changed into one of the soldiers they saw arresting Yang.

"Alright then. Let's go steal ourselves a Ruby!"

Next: The Fall!

Observations on the Multiverse: Remnant-812

Following a last-minute dropout, Beacon Academy found its incoming freshman class lacking in students. In search for a replacement, Ozpin thought he found an answer when Professor Goodwitch encountered one Ruby Rose stopping a Dust robbery. However, in his subsequent interview with the young Huntress-in-training, he deemed her too immature to be moved ahead two years, instead opting to keep a close eye on her as she developed further at Signal Academy.

A/N: Talking Neo is fun. As is cursing Ruby. I wouldn't use it for alternate universes that are even remotely close to canon, but here I think it's fine.

First impressions are important. Even if Ruby's intentions were good, her duplicitous attempt at gathering information really didn't help her case in Ironwood's eyes.

I hope no one's getting confused as to which version of which character is talking, who they are talking to, and suchlike. If you are, I apologize. That's on me for writing myself into this situation in the first place.

And yes, I know technically in real life melting bullets would just mean molten slag hitting you in the face. But Yang operates on superhero logic. Deal with it.