Neo was nervous, her mother had just asked her to turn off her scroll and lock the door citing that what she was about to share was top secret. Her mother had shared all manner of secrets with her in the last 12 years, but she had never been so on edge about telling a secret.

Once her mother had locked the doors and confirmed all of the electronics were off, she spoke, "Neo, theres a secret I've been keeping for quite a while now... and I think you should know before you actually enter an academy. Neo... I... I'm a time traveler."

Neo gave her mother a blank stare, then tilted her head, "What?"

Her mother sighed, "I'm a time traveler Neo, I went to the past."

"No No, I got that part... I guess that explains the whole my name is Ruby but it actually isn't thing... but Im confused on why you would tell me?"

Her mother blinked, and scratched the back of her head, she then spoke, "Well uh, you know the thing about time travel, is that it usually happens for a reason, and uh, lets just say there are some things I have to explain. Also, mini-me is still running around and if i did things right then she'll be at beacon this year..."

Neo once again tilted her head, this time with intrigue rather than confusion, "Well? What was the reason?"

Her mom mumbled to herself, "Okay here we go"

And asked her daughter the big question, "Out of all the Fairy tales I've told you... what was your favorite?"

Neo blinked, not expecting that particular line of questioning, but still answered, "I think I like the one about the girl in the tower best, that or the Infinite man."

Her mother sighed, "And what if I told you they were true, that there really was a girl trapped in a tower by her father, and a brave knight to rescue her, and that there really was an infinite man, reincarnating in a like minded soul for eternity."

Neo was still slightly confused, but let her mother carry on, "And what if i told you the rest are true as well, the story of the seasons, the emerald knight, the brother gods, the relics of power. All of it, all true."

"Id think you were pranking me." Neo responded after a short while

"I promise, I'm dead serious."

"Neo... there is more to this world than most people know... now, let me tell you another tale, this one is just as true as all of the others... Now, Once upon a time, there was a girl in a tower, named... Salem-"

Neo was floored, her mother had spun a fanciful tale, using the same technique she always used while telling a story to articulate visuals, Ive always wondered how she does that... she had been told of the brother gods, and their curse on both Salem and Ozma, Salems fall to madness and eventually Her transformation into the Queen of Grimm. She had been told of Ozma's task and his Infinite Reincarnation, she had been told of a future where the Academies fell one by one, torn asunder by Grimm, terrorists and agents of darkness.

Other than Salem and Ozma, she had scarcely used names, Only refering to her old teammates, herself, and one other person by name, Torchwick. She had described Torchwick's main ally with sparingly little detail, so much so that Neo only know she used an umbrella and was short.

Neo had refrained from interrupting during the story, but after, she was very curious, so she asked the question, "Hey mom? What was the name of Torchwicks ally? You didnt mention it."

Her mother grimaced, and sighed, "I knew one day I'd have to tell you..." Her mother gave a big sigh, one riddled with underlying emotions Neo couldnt read, then her mother said it,

"Neo... Her name was Neo."

Neo sat in stunned silence, none of what her mother had said had phased her so far, so long as the one person she trusted more than anyone else was telling her things, she would believe them. But this?

After a full minute and a half of contemplative silence, Neo spoke, "So... in a different future... Im a bad guy?"

Her mother grimaced once again, "I came back 14 and a half years ago... I... 12 years ago, I had set up contracts with people all around the kingdoms, and one of them finally clicked, I had been searching for Salem's allies... the people who caused so much destruction in my time."

Her mother sighed heavily, resigning herself to her fate, "I had been looking to change the future, to either capture or kill Salem's lackeys before they could become Salem's lackeys. The day after I met Ozpin, I got a text that you had been found... when I got back to shade, I met up with my informant and found where you were, I... I was expecting a fight... I expected to have to subdue you, or capture you... heh... well I certainly didn't expect to find the cutest little five year old girl curled up in a ball behind a dumpster... and I really didn't expect you to trust me so much after just a cookie... and the rest is history."

Neo had tears glistening on her eyes, and asked with a quaver in her voice, "So the only reason you took me in was because I was your enemy?"

Ruby sighed, "No... I took you in because I saw a small adorable girl living off of scraps on the street and couldn't live with myself if I left you there... I only found you because you were my enemy... If I hadn't found you, one day, Torchwick would have. At the very least, once I found out you were 5, I would've put you into foster care... but that night, I found you too cute to let you go... and now here we are, twelve years later."

The tears in Neo's eyes threatened to spill over, "I... I-I... I N-Need a minute, Excuse m-me"

Neo got up and went for the door, opening it, she stopped at the call she heard from behind her, "Neo, wait... I love you... That was never in question, Ive loved you from the moment you swamped me when I asked if you wanted to stay."

The dam in Neo's eyes burst, and tears ran freely down both of her cheeks, using her semblance she disappeared in a flash of Pink, White, and Brown Petals

Left behind, with a defeated look on her face, Ruby sunk into the chair she was sat on. Sighing deeply she whispered to herself,

"Damnit"

Neo ran, using her semblance to make herself invisible, she ran all the way to the headmaster's office, where she knew Theodore would be. Busting into his office, she was glad to see that Rumpole was there as well, the two looking at the door slightly confused, Neo remembered she was invisible and released her hold on her semblance.

Slightly startled by the sight of Neo, Theodore and Rumpole looked on at the girl, they were used to seeing her, seeming as she had lived on the Shade campus for the past decade or so, but rarely if ever did they see her this distressed, before either had a chance to speak, Neo spoke, "Did you know?!"

Thrown off by the question, neither answered for a short while, until Rumpole spoke up, "Know what Neo?"

"Who I am, what I was." Neo yelled, tears freely flowing down her cheeks, her eyes rapidly changing colors even without blinking.

Rumpole and Theodore shared a look, and Rumpole spoke, "Did Ruby tell you? About her past?"

Neo glared, "Thats not what I asked. Did. You. Know."

Rumpole sighed, "Are you referring to time travel, Her, or your own past?"

Neo's glare softened slightly, "You didn't know... so she really did... Time travel... I'm referring to who I was in Ruby's timeline."

Rumpole grimaced, "I have no clue who you were before Ruby came back... you called her Ruby... Neo..."

Neo's glare intensified and she flashed out of view, leaving only a cloud of rose petals in her wake.

Ruby sat alone in her bedroom, using her maiden powers idly to entertain herself, 8 wisps circled above her palm each one glowing a different color, symbolic of the magicks required to create each one.

She sat there head resting on her fist, staring at the colorful magic, when she heard a timid knock on the door, sighing as she stopped playing with her magic, she beckoned her daughter in.

Neo's face around her eyes was red, she very clearly had been crying, and Ruby resisted the urge to get up and comfort the 17 year old girl, resigned to her fate, she started to speak, only to be interrupted, "Neo I-"

"Stop... I just want one thing." Neo walked over and knelt down to Ruby, her mismatched eyes staring into the blue contacts of the woman who raised her.

"Did you take care of me all this time because you love me, or because you had to stop me from becoming Torchwick's lackey?"

Ruby sighed, and spoke staring directly into her adopted daughter's eyes "I Found you and took you home that first night to stop you from becoming Torchwick's lackey, but I took care of you for the past dozen years because I love you like a daughter, I have ever since you clumsily climbed up onto the couch and swamped me."

Neo closed her eyes, took a deep breath in, and exhaled slowly out her nose.

"Okay."

Neo then waited a nearly half a minute, her face stoic and her eyes closed.

And then she threw herself at her mother, tears freely flowing out of her eyes and onto the soft fabric of her mother's cloak. She hugged her mother tight and sobbed freely into her chest,

"T-Thank yo-u, *sniff, Tha-ank y-you for st-toppi-ing me fro-m being evil, I love you, Im sorry I R-ran."

Neo sobbed into her mother's chest hugging her for dear life. Ruby simply held her daughter, patting her back as she sobbed. Rose... is there any way I can let Neo summon you, or speak to you like I am now? Ruby asked her mental companion, Maybe Ruby, it all depends. Depends on what? Never you mind, either way, Yes, you can choose anyone you would like, and they too can summon and speak to me mentally, Or even use me as a medium of communication, I would be delighted to serve your daughter as I have you.

Ruby waited for her daughter's sobs to stop and then cupped her chin, Pulling her daughter's face up to her she spoke, "Neo, you will always be my daughter, who you were in a future that will never come to pass does not matter to me. And because of that, Theres someone I'd like you to meet."

"Who?"

Ruby gave her daughter a thin smile then intoned, "Rose"

Neo watched in awe as the spirit filtered out of the weapon on her mothers bedside, and once fully formed she watched in stunned silence as the spirit spoke, "Greetings, I am Rose, The Spirit Of Hope, I am a being created by the brother gods in order to aid Ruby Rose, or anyone trusted enough by Ruby Rose, on her quest. Tell me Neopolitan, What is itYou Hope For?"

Neo sputtered for a bit, and then turned to her mother, with an incredulous look, "You have your own genie??"

Rose heard that and laughed gaily, "Not quite young Neo, I'm not so powerful so as to grant wishes, Ido have a special ability, one your Mother makes superb use of,You see Neo, I can manipulate chance."

Neo froze and robotically turned her head back to her mother, "You... You... Your second semblance. I... WHAT!??!?"

Ruby burst out laughing, doubling over in her mirth, Neo watched with a confused look on her face, turning back to the floating cloaked spirit she asked, "How long has she had you?"

The spirit smirked and replied, "I was born exactly 14 years, 3 months, 12 days, 7 hours, 23 minutes, and 47 seconds ago."

Neo once again turned her attention to her mother who was still chuckling over Neo's reaction. Neo asked her mother why she brought out Rose, and Ruby in turn spoke to Rose, "I Hope Neo uses Your abilities to the fullest extent."

Rose smiled warmly, "A thousand dice rolled, your chance of totaling 1001 or more."

The spirit then evaporated, blue mist streaming into Crescent Rose.

Neo turned to her mother, "What was that?"

Ruby chuckled, "Try to ask Rose something, but not out loud, just think her name with intent to ask her, and she'll answer."

Neo did so, Rose, what the hell is she going on about? I believe she is sharing her so called 'second semblance' with you

Neo gasped, not used to the sensation of a voice in her head, and asked her mother, "So she changes chance? How does that work?"

"Just say I hope, and then whatever you want, she'll do the rest. You've seen my 'semblance' in action, so you know it works."

Neo pulled out a coin from her pocket, and then hoped for it to always be heads, she then flipped it over and over, marveling as she got heads every time.

Looking to her mother she asked, "Any other secrets you want to share?"

Ruby sighed, "You know the story of the seasons?"

Neo looked up from the coin on her wrist, and gave her mother a deadpan look

Im back baby, and two whole days early, fuck you accountability, i dont care ;)