Chapter 3 – Brave New World

Weiss

Shock felt like too tame of a word to use in describing how Weiss and Blake felt upon finding Pyrrha.

But… she died… it's been six years, how the hell is this even possible?

Weiss looked around, concerned that maybe someone was chasing her, but they could not see any signs of pursuers in the trees. "Are you certain that's her?" Blake asked her with disbelief in her voice.

"Of course I know it's her, it's not a face you can easily forget." Weiss assured as she crouched down to Pyrrha. She lifted her off the ground, she expected her arms to struggle, but Pyrrha was worryingly light. Weiss could tell from how skinny she was before even needing to pick her up, but this was worse than she was expecting. "Gods, she is in a really bad way." Weiss explained as she carried Pyrrha in her arms.

"Come on, we'll take her back to the house." Amber said as she jogged ahead of them.

"Cinder isn't gonna be very happy about this, Amber." Blake warned.

"That doesn't matter! She needs help, and we can help her just as we helped the two of you. Come on!" Amber hurried, gesturing to them. Blake looked in Weiss' direction, and Weiss sighed, and she walked ahead with Pyrrha in her arms. Part of Weiss still could not believe it was really her, it seemed to ridiculous for her to imagine. They were there when Beacon fell, they both saw the destruction and Cinder even went to the Academy a few days after. She told them about Pyrrha's dead body, it was an old wound that still hurt – but one that they had come to terms with.

And suddenly… that wound was beginning to open once more.

They swiftly brought Pyrrha closer to the house and Amber burst the door open, which swiftly got Cinder's attention. The Fall Maiden raised her head with a concerned eye. "Whoa, what is it?" Cinder asked her, then she gasped as Weiss stormed inside with Pyrrha in her arms. "WHAT IN THE FUCK?" Cinder yelled with shock.

"Language!" Amber yelled.

"NO! No! No! No! NO!" Cinder stammered. "The hell is this? How… I… she…" Cinder could hardly even find the words; she could still remember the sight of her corpse impaled on those spikes of metal even now.

"We don't have time! We need to get her out of these robes, she's freezing cold!" Weiss argued, Amber immediately opened the door to Weiss' Room – since Weiss was fine with her sleeping in her bed for the night. Weiss laid her onto the bed, she and Blake started to get the freezing cold robes off her body, so then they could get her into the warmth of the bed as quickly as they could. But once they got her clothes off… they saw the shocking truth.

It was Pyrrha – and it was not that she miraculously survived the attack, because the scars were in the same place where Cinder described the impaling. They covered her torso, one of them on her breast and the others around her stomach and ribs. Cinder stared with utter disbelief at what she was seeing, there were not many things that genuinely shocked Cinder to her core. But seeing someone she knew was dead somehow alive? When she saw her body decomposing and at this point she would have been a skeleton? And there she was… breathing and not a day older from when she died, still twenty-one years old.

Cinder stood outside the room whilst Weiss and Blake tended to her, and Amber looked up at Cinder with worry. "Cinder? Are you okay?" She softly asked her, and Cinder pushed her hand through her hair and started to quickly pace through the house, checking every single window. She watched the treeline, waiting to see if the Black Gallows were near, but she could not see anything or anyone nearby.

Weiss tucked Pyrrha into the bed as she laid there, she shivered whilst still in a deep sleep. Weiss stared at Pyrrha as she reached her hands behind her neck, gobsmacked by this revelation. "It… It's really her…" Weiss gasped, staring at her as she slept. Blake looked at where she laid, she could not see her but could hear her heartbeat. The Invincible Girl was indeed stabilising, but she was hardly out of the woods.

It was going to take a lot more time to really warm her up, so Blake crouched down to the radiators and turned them up to help thaw her body out some more. Weiss gently chewed her nails, before she sat on the bed next to Pyrrha. "How is this even possible?" Weiss gasped.

"I… I don't know." Blake stammered.

"I know Salem survived the explosion and cannot be killed… but… Pyrrha? And she doesn't look like a day had passed." Weiss explained.

Blake could not even find the words. "Do you think that maybe… Sun and Neptune? Maybe Jaune? How many others could possibly be alive?" Blake suggested with concern in her voice, but Weiss shook her head and sighed.

"I… I don't think we'd be that lucky, Blake. I don't know how Pyrrha is back… we can ask her when she comes to. But we didn't see the others there… it was just Pyrrha." Weiss explained, and Blake bowed her head with grief, and they both stood up and left Pyrrha to sleep for a while. As Weiss walked back into the living room, Cinder suddenly slammed her against the wall, pinning her with her forearm.

"Cinder!" Amber yelled.

"Hey! The hell are you doing?" Blake yelled with anger, but Cinder just pointed at Blake, knowing it must have been Weiss who made the call. Weiss strained as Cinder forced her against the wall.

"What the hell were you thinking, bringing her here? Did you not remember how many soldiers Killian sent to find the two of you? The fact he actually came in person to track you down?" She growled.

"She wasn't followed…" Weiss strained.

"No? How the hell do you know? She was knocked unconscious, washed up on the river's edge? Tell me, Weiss, why do you think she would have been in the water for? D'ya think she was going for a swim?" Cinder questioned as she pushed against Weiss' throat harder, gritted teeth.

"That's enough!" Blake yelled.

"Hold your tongue Blake or I'll take that from you too!" Cinder threatened as she formed a knife in her hand, which silenced Blake immediately. She turned back to Weiss, pointing the blade to her cheek. "I told you the rules – and you have just broken one of the most important ones. To not jeopardise this place and my family." Cinder growled.

"She was washed up on our river, what was I supposed to do? It's your property, you have every right to take in whatever shows up on this chunk of the river." Weiss explained, which was true, however Cinder was not forgiving anything.

"Do you seriously think Salem does not know that Pyrrha Nikos is alive? All it takes is one Grimm to realise who she is, or one Black Gallows Soldier or Feral One, and her incognito level suddenly goes down the fucking drain. Salem knows Pyrrha is alive… and the fact she came back from the fucking dead? She's gonna come looking… if she finds her here? Well… I told you before… Salem knows about you and Blake. Do you think she will keep Blake's location a secret for long if we break our end of the bargain?" Cinder questioned.

"We can't just leave her, Cinder…" Weiss strained, and Cinder scoffed.

"I took the pair of you in… and this is how it gets repaid? I will not risk this place because of that girl, and I will not risk the future I have been trying to build for her!" Cinder roared, she released Weiss and stormed off, letting Weiss catch her breath.

"Cinder!" Amber called, Cinder stormed towards the stairs and stopped, she wheezed and coughed hard for a few moments, before turning to Weiss and Blake.

"Once she is up, give her some clothes and let her leave. Either that or you go with her – your choice." Cinder told them both, before she stormed up the stairs and slammed the door shut behind her.

Weiss breathed labouredly, massaging her throat. Amber gently tended to Weiss, touching the marks on her slender neck. "Are you okay?" Amber nervously asked her.

"Yeah… yeah I'm okay…" Weiss softly answered.

"That went about as well as could be expected." Blake sighed as she scratched the back of her neck, moving some of the waves of shoulder length black hair aside.

"I'm sorry about her, I'll go talk to her. She's just worried." Amber explained as she held her forearm.

"She's not wrong, it was risky bringing her back here. But what other choice did we have? We couldn't just leave Pyrrha out there to freeze to death." Weiss explained.

"You… you're not going to leave are you? You're part of our family." Amber shyly asked them, and Weiss smiled.

"I… I don't know. I can't leave her; I don't know about Blake but…"

"Are you serious? Where you go I go, if you have to leave to keep Pyrrha safe then I am going with you." Blake interrupted, Blake's loyalty warmed Weiss' heart.

"But you're eyes? You've gotten better but… out there? On your own?" Amber softly said to her with concern.

"Let's just hope that it never comes to that. Like Weiss said, we didn't see any Black Gallows, Pyrrha could have just fallen into the River by accident and got swept down river. I mean… judging by her condition, she looks like she could have passed out from hunger and dehydration." Weiss explained as she stood tall once more, no longer struggling to breathe after Cinder snapping at her like that.

Weiss walked back into the room where Pyrrha was asleep, and she sat down on the edge of the bed. She looked at her and gently held her shoulder, feeling her body already starting to warm up. "If she has only just come back… then she must be so confused. When she wakes, you know that we're gonna have to fill her in, right?" Blake asked Weiss.

"Yeah, I know… and we will. She needs to know." Weiss agreed, they heard the door open and they turned their heads.

"We're back!" Vernal called out, walking back in the house with Oscar. They both walked in and Oscar unleashed a loud yawn, stretching his arms.

"There was one hell of a situation going on in Vale. Some Huntress was spotted and caused a bunch of carnage trying to escape." Oscar explained, Weiss and Blake looked at Pyrrha and they winced, knowing that Cinder was right.

It was no accident – Pyrrha did indeed get spotted.

Vernal stopped when she stared into the room where they were sat, and her eyes widened when she saw Pyrrha in the bed. Her hair was undone because of the rushing water, and the wet locks covered half her face, but Weiss gently moved Pyrrha's crimson red hair aside. Oscar saw her as well – Pyrrha had an instantly recognisable face. Not only because she was an unbelievably beautiful woman, but because everyone knew who she was – she was the Invincible Girl.

"What the shit?" Oscar gasped as he looked at Pyrrha.

"Is that who I think that is?" Vernal asked.

"Yeah… it's Pyrrha Nikos… we found her at the river's edge. Cinder is… not incredibly happy right now. She's already threatened to kick Blake and I out if we don't send her away as soon as she wakes up." Weiss explained, Vernal and Oscar looked at each other and they sighed.

"She doesn't mean that… you know she cares about the two of you. She just worries a lot." Vernal said, crossing her arms.

"I know…" Weiss sighed. "But we can't just leave her. She's alive… somehow… we have to help her."

Oscar and Vernal were uncertain of where they stood in this debate, but Amber looked up at the stairs and she sighed. "I'm going to go talk to Cinder." Amber said.

"Are you sure that's a good idea, right now?" Oscar asked.

"She won't hurt me." Amber stated.

"No, I know, it's just… well… I wouldn't wanna risk pissing her off when she's in such a bad mood already." Oscar explained, but Amber just kept walking up the stairs.

Amber

She approached Cinder's bedroom, and she gently knocked on it. "Cinder?" She cooed, ever so slightly opening the door. She saw Cinder sat on the bed with her head in her hands. She looked so scared, her hands were shaking, and her amber eye was wide. Amber walked into her room and sat on the bed behind her. "Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry if I scared you… I don't hate them… hell I have actually grown to care for those two, but I can't let this one slide. That girl… she shouldn't be alive… I don't know how she is… but she is. And Salem knows it, I'd stake my life on it." Cinder explained and Amber softly sighed.

"But you don't know that." Amber said.

"I – of all people – know that Amber. I was one of her pawns once, a vessel for the Maiden Powers. She has eyes everywhere, and I have seen her do and know things that I could never comprehend. I've seen her manage to figure out the location of someone with Silver Eyes from them simply using their power. So someone being brought back from the dead, by whatever means? She knows… and when she figures out that she ended up here? Well… I'd be surprised if she tries peaceful negotiation again." Cinder explained, there was a slight tremble in her voice.

Amber could tell that Cinder really was afraid, terrified of Salem and what she would do if Cinder broke her end of the deal that she made with the Dark Queen. "What if we hide her? Help her, like we did for Weiss and Blake?" Amber asked.

"I don't think Salem will let that slide a second time. She let Weiss and Blake survive because they were both broken, Blake lost her eyes, and they lost their families. They were no longer a threat, and so long as they stayed here at the Farmstead they would stay safe. But Pyrrha? I don't think so… and besides… she and I don't exactly have the best history." Cinder explained.

"W-Why?" Amber asked.

Cinder sighed and looked at her. "I tried to kill her." Cinder revealed, Amber was no longer a little kid, and sometimes Cinder had to remind herself of that fact. Amber's eyes widened, and it surprised Cinder when she was actually able to figure out when this must have happened.

"When you attacked Beacon, ten years ago?" Amber asked with a slight of shock in her voice. She knew her Mother-Figure had a dark past, it was something she accepted and never held against Cinder, because she was not that monster anymore – but it didn't make it any less shocking whenever Cinder actually told her the dark truth of her past.

"Yeah… that's right. After I killed the previous Fall Maiden for Salem and… took her power… Pyrrha tried to stop me. We fought, and I was about to kill her. Then Ruby saved her and used her Silver Eyes on me… and as you know – that was what happened to my eye." Cinder explained, pointing to her eyepatch. Amber was quiet for a few moments; it was torturous for Cinder to wait to find out what she thought of her after finding this out. "So… what do you think of me now, Amber?" Cinder asked, staring out the window, constantly expecting to see the glints of flashlights in the trees.

Amber still remained quiet for a few moments, Cinder gently reached out and touched her little hand. But Amber didn't pull away like she feared, she just shuffled up to Cinder and snuggled up to her, resting her head against Cinder's chest. Cinder held her close, affectionately kissing the top of her head. "It's okay… I don't blame you. The past you? Yeah… but that isn't who you are anymore." Amber explained.

Relief flowed through Cinder like blood in her veins. "And that is why we cannot send her away." Amber explained, but Cinder sighed.

"We can't let her stay, sweetie." She said. "This has nothing to do with me being good or bad…"

"Yes it does. We help people, it's who we are." Amber explained.

"Not for people like her – not for people who Salem will want." Cinder explained. "I will not let Salem take you away from me. Not like how Lil Miss Malachite did… not again."

"She won't take me away from you. And if they do come then we hide her." Amber stated.

"They won't fall for that again." Cinder stated.

"Then we fight them." Amber swiftly responded, Cinder stared at her. "It's like you said – we don't back down from a fight."

"It's a fight we won't be able to win… and we will lose everything." Cinder explained.

"You don't know that. But I do know that none of us could ever forgive ourselves if we leave her to die." Amber explained, she hopped off Cinder's bed and walked towards the door. "Especially you."

Amber closed the door, leaving Cinder to ponder on what Amber just said to her. She clasped her hands together and tightened, squeezing her eyes shut.

She had to decide.

One way or another.

Pyrrha

Her eyes danced from side to side as she slept, and her nights were hardly peaceful anymore. She was always returning to that plain of darkness, where the water rippled beneath her feet. She looked around with fear and saw Jaune stood in the darkness. "Jaune!" She cried out, sprinting towards him, but as she nearly grabbed him, he screamed and suddenly fell through the water with a splash. She tried to dive down, but the water was shallow for her, and she watched in horror as the man she loved was dragged into the dark depths, fading away.

"JAUNE!" Pyrrha cried out, she broke down into tears, falling to her knees as she pounded her fist against the water.

"Love long lost, yet it feels so fresh for you. The cruel truth of your rebirth… how can you ever survive after losing something so precious?" The Brother of Darkness asked as he circled her, his hands held together.

Pyrrha felt a feeling she had not experienced in an exceptionally long time, desperation to the point where she only wanted one thing now.

"Please! I want to go home! I want to see my mother! I-I want my father! M-Mom, Mom! I want to go home, please!" She shrieked, burying her head into her hands.

"One harrowed day, even the sands of time will become immaterial, blackened to nothing but silt. And it ends. Like life. Like yours." Darkness stated as he walked around her, Pyrrha collapsed into the water, shivering as she sobbed, curling up into the foetal position.

Death approached her and crouched down, staring at her, she then opened her hands and saw the blood which stained it. Seeing in her reflection the face of the man that she murdered. Pyrrha screamed with terror, crawling backwards through the water. "GET OUT OF MY HEAD!" She screamed.

"Blood that cannot be unwashed. Life taken, but was it deserved?" He asked her as he walked beside her as she crawled through the water.

"Will you please just leave me alone?" She begged.

"This is not something we can do – you have a purpose in this life. Your return was not an act of kindness but merely necessity." Darkness stated. "Now… stop wallowing in your own human pity… and WAKE UP!" He barked, Pyrrha gasped and her emerald eyes burst open as she gasped. Her sudden inhale woke both Weiss and Blake.

Night had fallen, she must have been out all day.

"Pyrrha…" Weiss softly whispered, she sat upright fast, but Weiss quickly kept the blanket wrapped around her frail looking body. "It's okay, it's okay… we're here. It's me and Blake… you remember us?" Weiss asked, she had no idea if she retained any memory whatsoever, a good thing to make clear from the get-go. Pyrrha stared at Weiss and Blake… her eyes widened with disbelief.

"Weiss? Blake?" She gasped. "You're alive?"

Weiss couldn't help but chuckle at that. "You're saying that to us? You're the one who died… I still don't understand how you're here." Weiss stated as she stared at her. Pyrrha clutched the soft blanket against her naked chest as she sat upright.

"N-Neither do I, to be perfectly honest." Pyrrha stammered, but then she looked at Blake again and she gasped when she saw the ribbon around her eyes, and the slight scarring that was visible. "Blake… your eyes…"

"Y-Yeah… you can thank Adam for that." Blake softly said as she touched the ribbon, she did not remove it though. Pyrrha looked down at the blanket she held against her chest and she pushed her other hand through her long let down red hair.

"We found you washed up on the river. I… I didn't really believe it was you at first, none of us did. It was only when we saw your scars and the fact you hadn't even aged a day since… since what happened six years ago." Weiss explained, Pyrrha touched her smooth skin on her arm. Weiss and Blake did indeed look a bit older, not by much – it was only six years after all – but she could tell time had passed.

"D-Did anyone else make it?" Pyrrha stammered.

"We… we don't know? The last person we saw was Coco, but she managed to escape. We don't know where Velvet and Fox are. And… Sun… and Neptune…" Weiss felt a lump form in her throat as she pictured his face. Pyrrha turned to the sketches on the wall that Oscar drew for Weiss of Neptune, the same for Blake with Sun. Pyrrha squeezed her teary eyes shut with grief for them.

"I'm so sorry." She said to them both.

"It's been six years… but it doesn't hurt any less. I miss him so much." Blake softly said as she touched her short black hair. Then Blake and Weiss realised… and they both stared at Pyrrha.

"Oh gods… I'm so sorry Pyrrha… it may have been six years for us… but for you…" Weiss realised with saddened eyes, and Pyrrha just lowered her head and nodded.

"He's… he's really gone…" She sniffled. Weiss stood up and gently wrapped her arms around Pyrrha, embracing her in a warm and supportive hug. Pyrrha rested her chin on Weiss' shoulder and held her close. But Pyrrha fought back her emotions, trying to stay focused on something else. "I… I was in Vale… I woke up right where I died. The world… it's so different now… so much worse… what happened?" Pyrrha asked, Weiss looked at Blake and they both sighed.

"Why don't we… get you changed first? You need to eat and drink something." Weiss suggested. Weiss stood up and she approached a dressing gown. She had some clothes sat on the table in the room, ones that belonged Blake since they were more the same size – roughly. Weiss gave Pyrrha her white Dressing Gown, it was extremely soft to wear, and she tightened it around her small body. Blake walked outside into the main room first whilst Weiss held Pyrrha's hand to help her walk, she was so weak that she could barely walk.

Amber, Vernal and Oscar were sat down in the living room, but Cinder was nowhere to be seen as of yet. Weiss looked around and mouthed "Where is she?" and Amber was about to point… but it was too late.

"Alright, god the food done… oh fuck-a-doodle-doo…" Cinder groaned, because Pyrrha locked eyes with her.

"Language!" Amber squeaked.

"Oh gods, here we go, it's about to kick off." Oscar sighed, he stood up, ready to try and calm the situation down, but Pyrrha immediately freaked out and suddenly reached out with her polarity and launched a frying pan from the sink directly at Cinder. She dodged it by moving her head to the side but Pyrrha lunged forward, but was in no state to fight, despite how strong her spirit was.

"YOU GODDAMN MONSTER! THIS IS YOUR FAULT!" She screamed with anger.

"My fault? Do I look like an ageless pale skinned veiny red eyed bitch with a God-Complex as deep as Jacques Schnee's Ego?" Cinder retorted, which gained a bewildered look from Amber.

"That's an overly descriptive way of saying Salem." Amber commented, in which Cinder just shrugged her shoulders.

"The hell is she doing here? She tried to kill us! She tried to kill me!" Pyrrha screamed.

"Yeah… TEN YEARS AGO. A lot happens and changes in that time, sweetheart." Cinder stated, planting a hand on her hip. Pyrrha gritted her teeth whilst Weiss and Blake held her back.

"Pyrrha, calm down! She saved our lives, okay?" Weiss told her, Pyrrha stared at Weiss with confusion.

"She what?" Pyrrha stammered.

"When Beacon fell… we were gonna die out there, or be taken by that Abductor that was hunting us across Anima, remember that thing?" Weiss asked her.

"Y-Yeah…"

"Well, it was about to grab us when Cinder saved our asses. She didn't have to take us in, but she did, and we have been grateful ever since. Believe me… I didn't overly feel comfortable with living with her at first but… I could see that she had changed and wanted things to stay that way. We've been living here for the past six years." Weiss explained.

"She helped treat my eyes as well, her and Vernal." Blake explained.

"Yeah I was about to say – I was the one who had to patch up your messed-up eyes, remember?" Vernal commented.

"And Cinder was just gonna throw you out… but she changed her mind." Weiss explained.

"Well… this little Hamster is the reason I changed my mind." Cinder admitted, pointing with her thumb at Amber who was sat on the couch.

"Hamster?" Amber questioned.

"Yeah. You're small, hyperactive and bite." Cinder joked.

"I don't bite." Amber retorted, Cinder raised her eyebrow as a response. "Anymore…"

Pyrrha still panted with anger as she stared at Cinder, but she was no longer throwing frying pans at her face anymore. "Sit down… you have a lot to catch up on." Oscar said to Pyrrha as he sat down on the floor, giving her his seat like a gentleman. Pyrrha walked with Blake over to the couch and she sat down, still wrapped up tight in Weiss' soft dressing gown. Weiss sat down on the floor as well, laid across the floor with her elbow rested against the warm wooden floor.

"A lot has happened in the past six years… as you probably have already seen… the Age of Huntsmen and Huntresses is no more. People like you; Weiss and Blake are hunted down like dogs. Massive bounties are placed on any known survivors from the Inhumane Necessity, and you are executed… or tortured first before being killed. Salem has a very brutal regime now, basically one where no matter the crime it ends the same way – with death. It has worked, there is a lot less crime now… but gods was the method extreme." Cinder explained as she held her hands together.

"I saw… I was in Vale; they executed a Huntsmen in the streets after they killed a bunch of thieves and rapist." Pyrrha explained. "It was barbaric."

"It's the way things are now. Mind you anyone who gets fed to Grimm usually deserve it, its more the Gallows that tend to raise the most alarm bells for me." Cinder explained.

"I saw Grimm patrolling the streets… protecting people…" Pyrrha added.

"Yeah – the Grimm are quite different now. They no longer attack people on sight or on the roads, Salem has changed the way they operate now. They are more like a military than wild animals. Mind you there are still ones out in the wilds but if they attack you it is because Salem commanded it." Oscar explained.

"And now there are two major military powers. The Black Gallows – run by Killian. And the Feral Ones – run by Adam, after the White Fang were brought to their knees. There are pockets of the White Fang left, and some rumours of Sienna Khan still being alive, but outside of all that? The White Fang is hardly even a recognised name anymore. In Atlas… Watts has turned the Schnee Dust Company into his own mega business, no longer using slave labour and the Faunus Racism has plummeted massively – but the U.G.R are completely wiped out after what they did." Vernal explained.

"They blamed the massacre of the U.G.R on both the Rogues and your team, Watts must have hacked into the security cameras and spliced footage of you fighting into the scene. It was done so flawlessly that nobody noticed the falsehood… or any who did mysteriously vanished, per the Black Gallows." Oscar also explained.

"And Salem now has two Relics, Destruction and Choice. From what I have heard, she used Destruction on Beacon when she attacked six years ago, right?" Cinder asked.

"I… I think so." Pyrrha stammered.

"You'd know, it causes unquantifiable levels of destruction with one swing, if the swinger demands it." Cinder assured.

"O-Okay that sounds pretty familiar." She stammered, remembering the fiery pulse created when she drove the sword into the stage on that night. The pulse killed most of them.

"All the Academies are gone, just ruins like Beacon. Including the Combat Schools like Signal and Sanctum. And… Salem pretty much rules the whole planet now, with her little Children helping her keep the peace." Cinder concluded.

Pyrrha was quiet for a few moments as she looked at the mug of coffee in her hands that Vernal made her, she stared down at her own face in the reflection. "So… you all caught up?" Cinder asked.

"W-What… what happened to Jaune? Sun? Neptune? Everyone after the explosion?" Pyrrha asked.

"You know what happened…" Cinder sighed.

"Tell. Me." Pyrrha demanded, staring at Cinder, the Fall Maiden sighed and looked at Weiss and Blake for their permission. Cinder was about to say it when Blake interrupted instead.

"I'll tell you… Weiss told me, after all. Salem was going for Jaune… but Jaune was mortally wounded, was attacked by an Ursa Major. He knew there was no way out, but he also knew Salem was coming for him… and he remembered about the bombs that Jackdaw had laced into the concrete used to repair the Academy after the first battle. So he used his scroll and sent out a message to someone… and the signal detonated the bombs. He gave his life heroically to stop Salem from taking him… but… the blast didn't do anything to Salem." Blake explained. Pyrrha remembered that… part of her just needed to hear it from someone else, just to make sure it wasn't some cruel nightmare. It made her feel sick… but she continued to listen. "When Adam cut out my eyes, Sun came to save me, and he held his own against Adam for a while but was beaten. But he still managed to blow off his legs with his Gunchucks… but Salem grew back new… Grimm Legs… to replace them. The last we saw of Sun was Adam stood above him… I know Adam better than most… he wouldn't have let him live…" She tearfully admitted.

"And… Neptune was caught in the blast. Alongside the rest of Team S.S.S.N… all we found was their broken weapons and blood on the ground, and rubble everywhere." Weiss explained, they both wiped tears from their eyes. "That was when we had to run… or we would die as well. That's when Cinder found us." She looked at the Fall Maiden who nodded her head.

Pyrrha remained still, staring at herself again in the reflection of the steaming coffee. "So… what do you think?" Vernal asked her, Pyrrha didn't even know where to begin with that question.

What do I think?

The love of my life is gone, the world I knew is gone, and the world believes I am dead.

Everything is wrong… that's what I think…

Pyrrha stayed quiet for a few moments longer before she answered. "I… don't know…" Pyrrha softly said to them.

"It's a lot to digest…" Cinder stated. "Try to sleep on it, okay? Blake and Weiss have agreed to spend the night with you, to help you feel comfortable." Cinder said, she stood up and walked towards the kitchen and stopped, looking back at Pyrrha. "And so long as you follow my conditions… I will let you stay. But I swear… if this bites me in the ass… you'll regret it." Cinder assured, walking into the kitchen.

Pyrrha nodded her head gently, and she walked towards Weiss' Room with Weiss and Blake. Amber sat with Vernal and Oscar and she sighed.

"Poor Pyrrha… I can't imagine how it feels to be in her position." She stated.

"Let's pray we never will." Oscar said. He stood up and walked past a mirror, he stopped for a brief moment.

Who was… that?

He stared at his reflection for a few seconds longer before he narrowed his eyes and kept on walking, ignoring his own confusion.

Black Thorn

A kettle shrieked inside of an Apartment Building in the Free City of Argus…

The window was open as the cool air flowed inside, alongside icy cold rain falling against the pains. The sound of bells and seagulls could be heard from here, as ships docked at the harbour.

She walked slowly through the Apartment, holding a pair of Volcanic Pistols which had transformed into their second form – a pair of small Scythes, that were coloured black and red. Her jet-black cape and hood flowed in the draft from the windows, with small red petals changing the mainly black style of the cape. She pulled her hood down, revealing her face six years later – none other than Ruby Rose.

She calmly looked around, as the Relic of Knowledge danged from her belt, hidden behind her cape. She walked through the Apartment, and she was not alone, with Yang in tow. She also had a hood, a dark gold colour and cloak around her clothes. She had a brand-new cybernetic arm, not as well made as her old one that Pietro made her, thanks to Ironwood, but it still operated the same.

Yang's hair was died brunette, hiding the original golden blonde she normally had. They had each other's backs as they searched through the building together, they were looking for something… or someone. Ruby looked through the many magazines that were stacked on the counter, all of them surrounding stories about the Huntresses of Old. And Ruby had been circled in them all – it seemed someone was looking for her.

Yang crouched down by a mattress on the floor, and she pressed her hand against it, it felt warm still. "Ruby…" Yang whispered.

"Yeah?" Ruby whispered back.

"She was here." Yang assured. "Recently."

"Come on… where are you?" Ruby softly said, a slight tremble in her voice. They ducked down as a Black Gallows Drone hovered outside of the windows, they were all over the place, searching for people.

Ruby then heard the floorboards creak behind her, and she spun around, drawing her new weapons – named Black Thorn. Her Volcanic Pistols aimed at her target, but she quickly lowered them, feeling her heart flutter with joy when she saw her.

"Penny…" Ruby gasped, seeing Penny stood at the other side. She looked savagely beaten and weathered from surviving on her own.

"It's… it's good to see you again, Ruby." She sweetly said to her, and Ruby smiled.

"Are you okay?" Ruby nervously asked her as she approached.

"W-Wait… stay back…" She stammered. "I… I don't wanna hurt you again…" Penny stammered.

"Don't worry, I trust you Penny. You're one of the few people in the world I trust anymore…" Ruby softly said as she approached her.

"I…" Penny nervously said.

"This isn't like Kuchinashi. You're safe… and we're gonna take you back home, okay?" Ruby softly said, she then gently held her hands. Ruby then looped one hand behind her neck, and pulled her close, kissing her affectionately on the lips. Penny melted into her embrace, returning the kiss as she held her tight. Yang smiled happily to see them together again, it had been a few months after what happened in Kuchinashi.

Their kiss broke, and they pressed their heads together lovingly, gazing into each other's eyes. "Never do that to me again…" Ruby begged her.

"I-I'm sorry, I promise…" She whispered.

"We're gonna get what Watts put in your head out of you… I promise." Ruby assured.

"O-Okay." Penny stammered, flustered from having her girlfriend back once more.

Ruby hears her comm link suddenly connect, and her silver eyes widened. "They're onto you Ruby, they're heading towards the building." Ren warned, watching from somewhere.

"Do you want us to come and stop them?" Nora asked.

"No… we'll try and sneak our way out." Ruby assured. "But be ready."

"You got it." Nora assured, sounding excited.

Ruby looked back at Penny. "Do you still have it?" Ruby asked her, and Penny smiled, revealing the dark green cape and hood that Ruby made her. She pulled her hood up and wrapped herself up in the cloak. Ruby affectionately held her hand, and Yang pressed her ear to the wall, hearing the Black Gallows soldiers charging up the stairs.

"They're coming, let's go." Yang whispered, opening the window and sliding down the gutter. Ruby and Penny followed just in time as the Black Gallows Stockholm Troopers blasted the door open, searching for them.

They stuck to the shadows, hearing the many vehicles and soldiers in the area.

"Let's do this, Team Rogues." Ruby said.

Author Note - Well... I bet you have all got a bunch of questions haven't ya?

NUTS AND DOLTS? KUCHINASHI? RELIC OF KNOWLEDGE? WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED? Worry not everyone, as you all can be assured that these questions shall be answered all in due time. So happy to finally be doing some Nuts and Dolts because that ship and Rose Garden are clashing for favs for Ruby for me XD Also Ruby's new weapons and outfit? I love them, her Black Thorn Look and Weapons are so cool, and Yang having Brunette hair is so strange but cool at the same time, and it makes sense - her blonde hair is a big giveaway of her identity. So change the hair colour!

And of course, we had Weiss and Blake with Pyrrha. Poor Pyrrha... I mean of ALL THE PLACES she could wind up, it was Cinder's Farm XD Glad to see Cinder calmed down and changed her mind, good old Amber. Always the voice of reason.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Please review, follow and favourite!

Stay tuned for the next chapter!

- Matt