Hello everyone! Happy New Year!

It's been quite a while since my last update, but there are a few good reasons, I think... for that.

TLDR: I'm surprised I'm not dead yet.

Long version:

A little bit after my last update I got COVID-19. Well, I'm pretty sure it was, I didn't get tested because I refused to believe I had it, but fevers, coughing, chills, loss of taste and smell, tiredness, dizziness, it was all there. I was sick for almost two full weeks and it totally fucked up my lungs. Any little irritant now will cause me to start coughing again.

All the while I was sick I had to do this 60+ page project and video demonstration for uni so I was in serious pain.

After getting sick, on the road to recovery, I think I slept bad or something and pulled a muscle in my neck so bad I got migraines for a week that still threatens to come back to this day.

RIGHT AFTER THAT, JUST AS IT GOT BETTER, I get a sinus infection that has me sick for days, sneezing blood in my mucus etc. It was wild.

Then I had exams, and on the day of my last exam, 20 mins before I go into the exam room, I fall into a 5ft ditch and smash my head against a wall really hard, injured my elbows and grate the skin off my left knee and hit my hip so hard it turned black and blue for 2 weeks. I was in immense pain and could barely walk for almost two weeks.

During the mending process, I was cooking for my parents on the day before Christmas eve and I sliced up several of my fingers trying to open a can of corned beef... I know these things have keys to open but it broke and the tin was indestructible.

This brings us to today: I still have lingering pains, I failed the exam that I wrote when I fell because my dumbass thought it was a good idea not to call in an emergency and just write the exam while bleeding.

When I was on the mend I started actually focusing on this chapter and realized I was confused about the direction I wanted to go, so I did a lot of rewriting and ended up hitting a wall.

Anyway onto the reviews:

Totallynotaduck, I like where your mind is at with Faunus Ruby and the nanomachines. All I gotta say is, the plans are big, whatever they are. As for an idea of what I'm planning... have you ever read the LN of The Beginning After The End?


Chapter 74: Checkmate


Oscar hung from the ceiling chains while Thorian hammered away at his rib cage, the deranged man's fists played his bones like a xylophone banging out a tune of pain and despair.

He found his mind wandering from the monotonous rhythm to the deep recesses of his thoughts where an unwelcome voice lurked.

'Oscar, please. Let me take this pain, you don't need to suffer for my mistakes.' Ozpin pleaded.

Oscar glared at him mentally, 'Oh now you want to atone? What sense does it even make Ozpin? It's still my body.' He let the message dangle in the air.

'That may be but you if you let me take over, I will heal your wounds and ease the pain with my magic!'

'If this is some way to make up for your mistakes Ozpin, you picked a really good time to do it…'

There was a mental sigh, 'Oscar… I am sorry. Truly I am. I was a coward, I ran away but I'm here now and I want to rewrite my wrongs…'

Oscar grumbled, 'I'm not stupid. I know you're trying to be sincere about this, but Oz you need to understand that no amount of apologizing can fix what you've done. Lies and deceit are one thing but running away instead of facing your responsibilities made me… us… lose faith in you. That trust can never be recovered.'

'I… understand. Then at least allow me to ease my own conscience.'

There was a moderate shift in the physical demeanor and a faint flash of green in Oscar's eyes that Thorian took note of.

"Hello~… what just happened?"

"Are you quite finished boy?" came the calm voice of Ozpin layered in Oscar's voice.

Thorian clapped giddily, "Oh boy! The queen will be delighted!"


Salem stepped into the chamber, her graceful darkness following behind her like a shrowd, obscuring her frame's lower half. The very halls seemed to move and adjust themselves to her path as if she controlled the anatomy of the thing they were inside. With her very presence the atmosphere within Oscar's cell seemed to increase in pressure several times over, she exuded what could only be described as terror.

Any normal person would soil themselves in front of such a presence, but Thorian shuddered as if his spine had chills, a grin plastered on his maniacal face before stepping out of the room leaving Ozpin to face his ex-wife.

The moment Thorian left, Salem's face softened and the pressure reduced, her mouth curved into a small pucker as she caressed the side of Oscar's face, "Ozpin, my dear. It's been far too long~" she cooed.

Ozpin smirked and leaned into her hand briefly before remembering what she'd become. Her expression and tone of voice had almost lulled him into the illusion of her past identity. Quickly he recoiled and stared into her eyes coldly, "Salem. Do not try to charm me with your words. I have seen too much to fall under your spells again."

Salem's gaze returned to its old demeanor but the hint of softness remained as a light smile played on her lips, "Ah but they still have an effect on you. Could it be that in all these years you still have feelings for me?"

"I..." Ozpin was hesitant while in his head Oscar was sending off alarm bells.

"Pfft! Haha~ I'm kidding," her smile vanished after a light chuckle, her arms curling into shadowy blades that rested on the small hairs of his neck, "How do I use the lamp."

"You won't get anything out of me!" Ozpin spat on the floor. Salem didn't even spare a glance in its direction, her eyes trained on him.

She hummed thoughtfully before piercing Oscar's throat ever so slightly, drawing a little blood, "You know... I could always just kill this boy. I know how fond you tend to get of your... hosts..." she let the blood leak down the sides of the blades, "He's young, in fact, your youngest host yet. Makes me wonder what sick game those buffoon gods are playing to have dragged such a small child into your terrible war... though judging by your help this time around, it seems you have a thing for endangering children."

"If you kill him, I'll just come back, and you'll have to find me all over again." He glared into her eyes, "Look at me Salem, you know me. I will always prioritize stopping you over someone else's life because as long as I am alive, I will spare no expenses in preventing humanity's destruction."

Her face contorted into anger, "Vile, stubborn fool!" she slashed across Oscar's chest leaving a single horizontal wound just above his pectorals, "I will break you. If I can't then I will just keep taking your allies until one of you breaks. I'll kidnap them all and start executing everyone one by one... let's see who breaks first!"

Ozpin's eyes widened, "You wouldn't...!"

"CALLOWS!"

"Yes mistress?" he filed in quickly with a bow.

"Tell the others to prepare for war. I'm picking up the pace."


-Atlas City-

Ruby and the others managed to escape Atlas Academy unperturbed despite their less than welcome greeting prior. If times were any different, they'd be questioning things, wondering why Ironwood didn't mobilize his whole task force, but unlike before, they were desperate. Taking the moment of escape, May split from the team to return to her duties with the Happy Huntresses.

They weren't on the winning side anymore, they were the underdogs without any supporters and with an injured Nora they weren't about to look a gift horse in the mouth.

"What's the closest safe house?" Randolf asked darting his eyes behind him as the team escaped the compound, Nora cradled in his arms like a fragile object.

"We can't go back to my place, no doubt we've already been compromised," Nitro stated darkly. The momentary flash of unease did not go unnoticed by his sister.

"They'll be fine…" she reassured.

Neo signed, "No familiar ground out here? I can't come up with anything."

Weiss being the only one able to understand her, "She's got no ideas, but… I think I might have one…" she bit her lip pensively, weighing it on her mind. It's true, they were desperate, but how desperate?

Taking one glance at Nora, the cracking scars running rampant across her body, the faint smell of smoke, charred flesh, and her shallow, uneven breathing were enough to override Weiss's fears.

"We'll head to the Schnee manor. We have medicine and the facilities to take care of her." The hesitation in her voice did not go unnoticed, but everyone was already aware of her past so it was nothing new.

"Then we have no time to lose," Ruby ordered, splitting her rose petals around her, the Silver Heart around her neck glowing faintly as suddenly everyone was wrapped up in a flurry of red and zipped across town at supersonic speeds.

In a stomach-churning blast of acceleration, they arrived at the base of Schnee manor.

"RUBY?! WHAT WAS THAT?!" Nitro exclaimed in surprise, "Since when could you…? RUBY?!" he was alarmed as he witnessed the red leader go from standing upright to crumpling to the floor, her skin paler than the snow, her aura fizzling out.

She held up her hand shakily, "I'm fine. Overused my semblance… just get Nora medical treatment asap." She then looked over at Neo, "We need to hold a team meeting about this…"

As they were about to open the grand doors, it swung open revealing an apathetic-looking young man with white hair.

"What are you lot doing here?" Whitely stated attempting the act of aloofness.

Weiss stepped up, "Stuff it. It's an emergency and last time I checked, I still live here."

"Really? I thought you renounced us when you ran away…"

"Now's really not the time Whitely. Either back out of our way or I make you." Her glare left no room for backtalk as the younger Schnee was forced to yield, allowing the team to step past him.


Randolf quickly followed Weiss' guidance and took Nora to an upstairs bedroom. "Well we found the medicine but I'm not exactly a trained medical professional so…" Whitely hesitantly approached the door.

Weiss let out an uneasy sigh, not expecting Whitely to show any level of concern after what just transpired.

"What? I'm not heartless..."

The ex-heiress spared a glance toward her younger brother and said, "Thanks... where's mom?"

"She's probably held up in dad's office drinking as usual... you should probably focus on her though. I'll be around."

Weiss nodded and turned to Randolf, "These wounds are bad, she'll need an actual doctor. I can do first aid but we need someone capable of performing actual medical procedures..."

"Leave that to me!" a voice that Weiss hadn't heard in forever emanated from the doorway.

She spun around and standing there was Klein in a waistcoat and bowler hat.

"Klein!" She exclaimed excitedly, running up and hugging the portly man, "How are you here?! I thought you left when…."

"My lady, when I heard you had returned, well… I couldn't stay away. Imagine my surprise when I found the manor in this state..." He looked at the unconscious girl on the bed, "We'll talk later. Clear the room, I'll get to work."

Randolf was about to question the man's qualification when he pulled out a bag filled with medical equipment from thin air.

"Come on Neo… we should head downstairs, We owe the team some explanation." She turned to the only other person who was with them, Wulf.

"No need kid. I'll stay here and assist the stocky fellow."

Weiss stepped into the dining hall where just a few nights ago they had outed her father as a traitor in this very room.

This time a different kind of trial was being held.

Nitro and Hex sat together at the table with May, Ruby stood leaning forward against the head of the table, her skin still pale and the bags under her eyes were dark. She looked… sick…

Looking at them now, it was a little despairing. The team felt and looked disjointed and hanging together by threads. They didn't feel whole.

Not that it was due to anyone's fault or disagreements, but there was just too much to be done and too little time. With Blake, Yang, Jaune, Ren, Luna, and Oscar taking care of evacuation, Nova missing, and now Nora was out of commission, they were barely fragments of themselves.

Her family was being forced apart when their strength lied in their unity. It just continued to prove that their enemies had been thorough in their plans.

Still, she couldn't worry about the ifs, buts, and could nots, there was a bigger elephant in the room, namely the ice-cream-haired girl tugging at her sleeves.


As they entered the room each individual had icy glares drilling holes into Neo, she could feel them trying to see into her very soul.

"Alright Weiss. It's time we discussed this." Ruby stated, her voice sounding a little hoarse.

"Ruby are you alright?" Hex looked at her worriedly, but her animosity did not stray from Neo.

The red leader just brushed her off, "Care to explain why that criminal is trailing behind you?"

Weiss was quick on the defense, "She's not a criminal!"

Nitro shot her a look that said, 'seriously?', which made her deflate a little, "Well okay she's not a criminal anymore. She's changed."

"Really? Weiss, she lied to us. To all of us. She'd been playing us for weeks, lying to our faces about who she was and her intentions. Weiss, she pretended to be our friend! WE TRUSTED HER!"

"So what?! She saved my life back at the academy. She had her chance to betray us and she didn't! She's a good person!" Weiss defended so strongly that Neo blushed from embarrassment.

"Which reminds me. Care to explain what happened in the first place?!" Ruby fumed.

Weiss sighed and began her explanation about the events that transpired with the Winter Maiden, how Cinder was still alive, the newfound Grimm powers, how Neo became the new Winter Maiden, and how her sister chose to sacrifice her reputation to let her escape.

"So… that bitch is still alive…" Nitro muttered under his breath.

Ruby clenched her fists, "And you didn't think to tell us this earlier?!" she shouted at Weiss. It was the first time Ruby had raised her voice at them… it was terrifying.

"There wasn't exactly a good time and…"

"A good time?! Weiss you didn't need a specific time to explain. Crucial information like that shouldn't be kept under wraps!"

"Ruby? What's the big deal? I was going to tell you anyway! It's not like it was a secret, things were just so hectic and…!"

"Not a big deal?! NOT A BIG DEAL?! WEISS EVERYTHING AROUND US HAS BEEN A BIG FUCKING DEAL!"

May took that as her queue and cloaked herself out. Hex and Nitro both quickly slipped away as well. Ruby noticed but she didn't care.

"Ruby I'm sorry I just…"

"You just what Weiss?! You were too busy protecting the criminal to be part of the team?!"

Weiss was deeply offended, "I have been nothing BUT part of this team since I got back! I didn't tell you because just as we got back you shipped us off into different plans of action. We haven't taken a rest since this bullshit started! LOOK AT YOURSELF RUBY! I get that we're running out of time but you're driving us into the ground!"

"What are you trying to say Weiss… that we shouldn't be prioritizing the mission when the fate of fucking Remnant is at stake?!" Ruby's voice was rising.

"WHEN IS IT NOT?!" The explosion from the Schnee made them all look in shock, a deep awkward silence followed that lasted mere moments, but in that time it felt like ages as Weiss realized she'd started something she couldn't walk away from using diplomacy.

"What's that supposed to mean?" the reaper's voice was low.

"I'm saying that ever since Nova's gone missing you've been driving yourself and us crazy to get work done! You've been agitated, aggressive, and rash!"

Ruby was silent.

"If you had just stopped for a few minutes and properly planned things, then maybe we wouldn't be in this mess. Think about it. That plan to get into the academy was half-assed and you know it. But we followed your lead because we trusted your judgment." Weiss began voicing complaints that had been bottled up for a while.

"The plan was fine. We were just caught off guard!"

"WHICH SHOULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED IN THE FIRST PLACE. PLANNING GUARD ROTATIONS, SCOUTING THE FACILITY, PLANNING ROUTES… RUBY WE WENT IN BLIND AND EXHAUSTED!" she took a deep breath, "And to top it all off, when Harriet taunted you, you fell for it! You exploded in anger! That's not like you!"

"SHE INSULTED NOVA!"

Weiss got into Ruby's face, "Do you think Nova would care about petty insults? Ruby get ahold of yourself! He's not dead! He's still alive!"

"I KNOW THAT!" the reaper's voice became softer, "I know that but... the last time he went missing..."

Ruby felt her knees buckle as the reality began dawning on her. She had done the one thing she swore never to do again since she was a toddler, she let her fears rule her mind. She swore the day she and Yang left to look for their mom and ended up almost dead that she wouldn't let her fears influence her decisions again.

So why was it so different this time?

The last time when they thought Nova was dead, she grieved, they all did, but she picked herself up and walked out that door to do something important. She thought that it was over, but it seems that losing him once had left an unseen trauma in her heart. Fear of losing him again drove her to cling to any possible hope to keep him safe, and now that he's not at her side and she can't do anything about it... it drove her crazy, she saw that now.

"Weiss I'm… sorry I… oh my god… what's wrong with me…?!" Ruby felt tears welling up in her eyes as her anger subsided. She was not a fool. She knew consciously that Weiss meant every word. She wasn't stupid, she understood her faults when they were pointed out like this.


Neo stepped up and tapped on her scroll, 'I haven't been with you guys for very long, but the Ruby Rose I fought wasn't an angry impulsive person. You were spontaneous but smart.'

Ruby looked at her astounded, "Thanks I… never thought I'd be saying this to you."

'Red, to be honest, I hated you, and your team, but especially you. You had it all, friends, family, and that extra special someone with you. I only had Roman but I was happy with just him. When he died, I blamed you, and I blamed Cinder. I knew you tried to help, but a bitter part of me still held resentment.'

She turned to Weiss and then tapped again, 'Originally… I was going to take the Maiden's powers and run away. Take my revenge on Cinder and if I hurt you guys in the process it was just a bonus. But… all that changed when I actually met you guys and saw you for who you really were.'

'You didn't care who I was, you just adopted me as a friend, trusted me wholeheartedly, and showed me kindness I never knew before…' her gaze was fixated on Weiss, the latter of whom was visibly blushing.

Weiss began gripping the stone in her pocket unconsciously for comfort.

Hex peaked her head through the door with Nitro, "Is the shouting over?"

Neo smiled, and tapped out, 'I know we've had our differences in the past… but I've grown attached to you guys. I know…. you feel betrayed, that I was lying to you all, but… Anastasia was me, and I was her. Other than my appearance… I never lied to you…'

Weiss felt a strange sensation in her heart that she couldn't quite put a name to. It was like bubbles and butterflies mixing together, it should be nauseating but she felt... pleasant.

'If you'll still have me after all of this… I'll be glad to officially join your team.' Neo gave the brightest smile she could.

Ruby stood up, with one of her first genuine beaming smiles in forever, hugged Neo tightly, "If you're willing to follow a dumbass like me, then I'm glad to have you with us."

Neo hesitantly hugged back, but once she did she melted in the embrace, "So this is what having a real family feels like…" she said in her head.

Weiss who was clutching the stone froze, a voice echoed in her head, clear as day, young yet holding a certain level of maturity. She heard it before, back when they were fighting Cinder, but she thought it was just her imagination, this time she was sure she heard it… but was it just her imagination?

Ruby relinquished her hold on Neo and stepped forward, "Everyone… I need to get something off my chest."

They all listened attentively.

"I've been pushing you all…" this made Weiss glare at Ruby accusingly, causing the red leader to sigh, "And myself… way too hard. I've been pulling plans together and rushing without stopping to think things through. Since Nova's been gone I guess I felt like I needed to force things to happen or else I might lose my chance to get to him…" she felt the tears falling down now, "Which… now that I say it out loud sounds really stupid since I… don't… even… know… where… he… is…" she said the last part throw choking sobs.

"Ruby…" Nitro held out his hand to comfort her but she held up her own.

"I know my actions have put you and everyone else in danger… and for that I'm sorry…" she bowed her head in apology. "I understand if you don't forgive me but…"

"Oh stuff it Red, we're already over it!" Hex waved her hand dismissively. "You think we don't know what you've been going through? We were just waiting on you to finally tell us yourself!"

Nitro nodded, "Hey, look, you're not the only one who misses him, but finding him won't mean anything if both Mantle and us, are dead."

"Thanks, guys… really…"

Ruby wiped away her tears, "Now that, that's out of the way…" she pulled Neo next to her, "I think it's time we formally introduce the newest member of our team, Neopolitan ….!" She left it hanging looking for a last name.

Neo just shook her head and tapped out on her scroll, "It's just Neo, and it's a pleasure to be with you guys…'

Nitro clapped his hands, "Well I think this calls for a little miniature celebration huh? Come on Hex let's go see if Nora is awake… I'm sure Weiss has some booze stashed somewhere…"

"Oi don't go breaking anything!" Weiss shook her fists at them.

Neo left with them, Weiss was about to leave as well when she turned back to see Ruby still standing there, with a glassy expression.

"Hey… leader, you coming…?"

Ruby just shook her head, "I'll be there in a minute… I just…"

Her legs buckled under her again and she collapsed on the plush chair, Weiss rushing to her side, "Ruby?!"

The red leader's skin was sickly pale, her eyes looked devoid of life.

"Sorry Weiss… I'm… just a little tired… I think I just need to sit here for a little while…"

"Do you want to go rest upstairs…? You can use my old bed…"

"No… it's alright I… just…" the tears broke free again, "… Weiss…?" she choked out.

"It's okay Ruby, it's alright. Let it out," the ex-heiress held her friend's head against her chest, her blouse becoming soaked in tears.

Ruby's emotional dam broke, instead of the little droplets came a full-on river of tears as the younger girl broke down in Weiss' embrace, crying and sobbing uncontrollably, "I miss him so much! WHERE IS HE?! Is he alright?! Is he hurt? Is he eating, getting sleep? Weiss what if they captured him and are torturing him as we speak? What if he's broken and bloody and screaming for help but we can't get to him?! They'll kill him, Weiss!"

"Shhh, Ruby… it's going to be okay. I'm sure he's fine, even if they have him, he's totally alright. You know how he is. I'm sure he's fighting his way back to you right now. He won't die. He's like a cockroach, he just won't go down no matter how much you beat him. After all, he's family," she smiled comforting the girl, stroking her head.

"Hey, Weiss?"

"Yeah…?"

"I'm sleepy…"

"Then you should go to bed…."

"Mhm…" Ruby nodded but soon began softly snoring away, having passed out from exhaustion, leaving Weiss and Neo to just glance at each other.

'It' can't be helped', the ice-cream-haired girl signed.


Hex smiled as she and Nitro made their way to the kitchen after checking up on Nora, it seemed her condition was stabilizing but her Aura was struggling to recover.

"What are your thoughts on the new girl?" Nitro asked as he was raiding the pantry, finding a bag of beef jerky and shoveling a few pieces into his mouth.

"She… seems well enough I guess. But it doesn't matter how we feel about her, we just need to co-operate, but Weiss seems to trust her a lot and I'm willing to take that." Hex stole a few pieces from him.

Nitro shrugged, "Yeah I guess, trust builds over ti-," he was cut off by the loud vibrations of a scroll.

"It's Yang!" Hex beamed as she picked up the scroll and answered, "Hey babe how's it hanging?"

"Hex? Where are you guys?!" Yang sounded panicked.

"We're hold up at the Schnee Mannor, Nora got injured and she…"

"WHAT?! GOD FUCKING DAMNIT NOT ANOTHER ONE!"

Hex got serious, "What do you mean, 'another one'?"

"We'll explain when we get there, we just regrouped with Jaune and the others, we're heading there now"

Nitro raised an eyebrow inquisitively, "… what was that about?"

"I'm not sure but it sounds serious…"


-10 minutes later-

Yang, Luna, and the others burst through the door and were greeted by an unimpressed Whitely who'd heard their approaching footsteps and was about to open the door himself when the blonde brawler practically knocked it down, and almost him as well.

"Sister! Your miscreant friends are here…"

Weiss, Hex, Nitro, and Neo stood at the base of the staircase, all with mixed expressions.

"Guys! It's good to see you all in one piece…" Nitro started but Yang's face was dead serious.

She stared at them, "Where's Ruby?"

"She passed out from exhaustion, we can't wake her… she's really tired…"

Yang sighed and scanned their numbers, her eyes finally landing on Neo. "YOU?!"

Instantly Ember Celia equipped, Blake's shadows were on Neo, looming behind her.

Weiss barely had a moment to react, she brought up a protective wall of ice behind Neo and stood between them, "STOP!"

"Weiss step away from that criminal!" Yang hissed.

"NO! She's one of us!" Weiss tried to reason with them.

Neo vigorously nodded her head and showed the glowing eyes of the Winter Maiden, as well as transforming her appearance into Anastasia for a second before changing back.

Ren's eyes looked around, "Where's Nora…?"

Nitro threw a thumb toward the stairs, "She's upstairs… Weiss' doctor and Wulf are looking after her. She's stable but we Jaune we might need your semblance to jumpstart her Aura."

"Her Aura isn't working? What happened?!"

Weiss sighed, "We'll explain…. Hey, where's Oscar?"

Luna looked grim, "That's what we came to tell you…"


"So Oscar's been taken, Nova's still missing, Neo over there is the Winter Maiden who was also Anastasia, Nora got electrocuted into a coma… anything else you wanna tell me? Is the world coming to an end now?" Yang groaned as she dragged her palms across her face.

"Other than the impending doom of Salem? Nope, I think we got everything sorted." Nitro passed around a few bags of snacks, considering the only people that actually knew how to cook either weren't here or were asleep. They were going to bother Ren with it but the look on his face when he saw Nora told them that he needed some time to pull himself together.

In the meantime, the team sat around the table trying to decide how to progress. Things were dire, more so than when they started.

"Let's just sit and assess what we do have before we look at what we don't have." Blake prompted, trying to be a voice of reason.

"We have the Winter Maiden," she gestured to Neo who gave a thumbs up, "… We have the Cryoseki," Weiss pulled out her stone and showed it to them. "Anything else?"

"Uh… we have… the power of friendship…?" Nitro voiced. He was disregarded.

"Ironwood wants Neo, Salem wants the relic and the stone. We have the bargaining chips but we can't exactly strike a deal with people who want us dead either way." Hex clasped her hand around her chin.

"Once we get Amity airborne we can try to have Ironwood surrender…?"

"With what? He's not going to back down for anything. He doesn't care about anything or anyone besides the staff."

"So we steal the staff!" Nitro's hand shot up in triumph. *SMACK* was the sound of Hex putting a fist in his forehead.

"Dumbass the staff is in the safest place it COULD be and that's in the vault. Salem can't get to it or open the vault without her" she pointed to Neo.

"We can't just escape Mantle with both objects, Salem is going to tear this place down either way"

Neo signed, 'I am not an object!'

Weiss smiled and pet her head, "Of course not…" she turned to the others, "what? This isn't weird… you're weird…"

Jaune just averted his eyes awkwardly.

"If only Nova were here, he'd know what to do… but we don't even know where he is!" Hex banged her head on the table.

"Uh, guys…?" Luna asked nervously.

They all turned to her attentively.

"I think I know where my brother is…" she pointed out the window to the looming dark clouds beyond the horizon. It was difficult to make out anything with the dark of the tundra sky.

"What is it? What do you see?"

"The biggest fucking Grimm I've ever seen… and it's flying… it's like a fortress!" Luna exclaimed, shock seeming to echo through her body.

Jaune raised an eyebrow, "I don't see anything…"

Blake peered through, "No I see it now… what the fuck?!"

Weiss also picked up on it, "HOLY FUCK!"

It was a gargantuan-sized Grimm, like an armoured black whale with six fins. Its head was mounted with a large white skull and covering its body seemed to be a skeletal-like structure, almost like a floating castle.

"Not fair! How come we don't get super eyesight!" Nitro pouted.

Blake snorted, "Sucks to suck heh,"

"Of all the people I thought that would come from, I was not expecting it from you kitty cat."

Blake just snickered.

"We need to warn the others, its first encounter would be the Amity launch site. They need to speed up NOW!" Luna realized, quickly picking up her scroll and calling Dr. Polendina.

… … …

It finally picked up, "Doctor, there's something headed your way. You need to hurry up with the launch asap!"

"*CRASH* We're *BOOM* a little busy right now *BANG BANG* will do our best!"

"Dr. Polendina? What was-" the line was cut off.


-Twenty Minutes Earlier-

Maria Calavera, Fenrir, Olwen, Dr. Polendina, Elain, and Penny finally made it across the war-torn landscape to the Amity Launch site.

Penny loaded the Dust crystals into the fuel chamber while the two doctors tried to calibrate the settings required to launch.

"How long is this going to take?" Fenrir asked tapping his finger across his forearm impatiently.

Elain shot him a glare, "It will take as long as it's going to take. I get we aren't exactly doing good on time, but any miscalculation could blow us all sky high along with half of Mantle, so sit your fluffy tail down and wait!"

Olwen smirked, "Still got a sharp tongue daughter."

"And you still haven't taught your son the art of patience."

"Children please, the less you bicker the faster we get this done…" Pietro tried to be the voice of reason.

After about ten minutes calibrations were almost done, with their coordinated efforts, things were beginning to finally come around.

"Alright we should be up in about five, the engines need to warm up… should we call miss Ruby and let them know?" Pietro asked.

Elain nodded, "Good thinking, they can prepare..."

*CRASH* Followed by the sounds of metal groaning as it's being stretched apart by force. The technical team barely had a moment to react before a hole in the ceiling was pried apart by a monstrous hulk of a beast, the very same creature that stole Oscar.

Its mighty claws tore apart the thick beams, rending a sizeable hole in the ceiling of the colosseum as it dropped to the floor with a resounding slam, shattering the arena. It let out a bellowing roar reaching decibel levels high enough to shatter glass.

"What the fuck?!" Fenrir was alarmed at the sheer ferocity of the creature.

Penny entered combat mode, "Whatever it is, we must dispatch it if we are to launch."

"BUT WHERE THE HELL DID IT COME FROM?!"

"Does it matter? Stop scratching your ass and go do something!" Olwen waved her hand at her son.

In the meantime, the technical experts began furiously trying to speed up the launch process.

"We got lift off in T-minus 10 seconds!" Elain called out.

Fenrir and Penny were relentlessly attacking the creature, its hide was thick as Penny's blades bounced off easily. Fenrir found himself pushed back by its force as his two axes tried to dig into its back only to meet with far too much resistance for comfort.

"This thing is tough!" he recoiled as he was flung back by its massive paws.

The thrusters beneath the colosseum took to effect as everyone within the structure lost their balance, except the Grimm who dug his claws deep into the stadium.

It was at that moment they got the call from Ruby.

During this time Penny took to the air, blasting away at the creature, barely managing to scratch its skin.

"If weapons won't work... maybe this will!" Fenrir roared out as he unleashed a wave of cold energy, freezing the air itself around the creature, attempting to encase it in ice. The Grimm however, put up high resistance, as the ice that was forming over its body was forming so slowly that it was attempting to break free each second.

"MOVE OVER!" Olwen yelled, realizing her son was struggling far too much and added onto the frost with her own. The Grimm began to freeze over but it wasn't enough.

"We need some sort of restraint!" the old woman called back, "DO SOMETHING CALAVERA!"

"WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM ME?! I GOT NOTHING!" the shorter old lady complained as she hung on for dear life.

"DAMN USELESS!"

"I'LL SHOW YOU USELESS WHEN YOU...!"

"I have an idea!" Penny winced through the wind that was now bellowing through the open hole as Amity picked up speed through the sky.

Forcing against the wind she threw her blades over the creature, her wires binding across its body. Had it not been for the ice the bindings would've been torn easily, but it bought just enough time for the two Faunus to completely encase the creature in an icy tomb.

Olwen wiped the sweat from her brow as she knelt to the floor exhausted, "It won't hold him for long, we got about five-ish minutes." she said as the tower stabilized itself.

Elain dialed Hex, "Kid, link the system on your end, I'll transfer the system protocols."


-Back with Weiss and the others-

Ruby struggled out of the couch she was put to sleep on, stretching and yawning. She was tired, very, very tired, but it seemed the universe had other plans.

She stumbled into the dining room, practically dragging her body with her to find Yang and the others. "YANG!" Ruby was happy to see her sister, she would've opted for a hug but the look on their faces said otherwise.

"What's going on...?"

Yang glanced at Weiss and then back at Ruby, "Some... minor hiccups..."

...

Ruby held her head in her hands, "GOD FUCKING DAMNIT!" she slammed her fist against the hard wooden table, almost denting it, an act which shocked her sister as she'd never seen the young red reaper billowing such levels of anger.

"Is there any good news?" she asked sarcastically.

Hex opened her mouth, "I..." the scroll began ringing, "Hold that thought..."

"Dr. Flareheart? Are we operational? GREAT! Let me just configure this... and..." she glanced back at everyone, "Amity is up and running. They said something about unsure factors but we got broadcast."

All eyes fell on their leader, she felt the pressure building on her words, glancing to her side, she looked at the space where Nova was supposed to be cursing the circumstances that dared separate them.

Hex set up the scroll on a stand so they could all get in the broadcast, "We're all set up. Ready?"

Ruby, still rubbing the sleep out of her eyes tried her best to look alive, "Ready."

"You sure?" Yang asked, "You don't look so good..."

The reaper shook her head, "It's fine... we don't have time."

Hex paused for a moment, ensuring the camera was set up to broadcast then threw a thumbs up.

Looking back once more, Ruby gazed at her team, the empty spots next to her and Luna stung, but it couldn't be helped.

"People of Remnant, to all of those watching right now... I'm not sure how many of you there are but whoever this reaches, I... we implore you to heed our words."

Ruby paused, unsure, but Luna nudged her to continue with an encouraging smile on her face.

"This must be confusing, you haven't had any international broadcasts since the Fall of Beacon, and I'm sure you have your questions but for now, please just listen up..." she inhaled deeply before letting out a steady breath, "My name is Ruby Rose, and this is my team," she began introducing them one by one, "To those of you who remember the Vytaal festival, you would probably remember her highness, princess Luna Flareheart, and her brother prince Nova Flareheart," her voice got low, "Who unfortunately isn't with us currently... but never mind that. What's important is that you become aware of what's happening in Mantle and Atlas right now... and just exactly what's happening to the world."

"A lot of you out there might be thinking that the White Fang is the enemy, you think that the Grimm are just animals but... we're here to tell you that's not the case." she glanced back.

"I'll start by referencing a beloved fairy tale... one of the four maidens. Spring, Summer, Winter, and Fall, and the relics they possessed. A legend, one you may not know about, is that if the four relics were ever brought together, it would bring about the destruction of our world." Ruby ushered Neo forth and the mute girl's eyes began to glow as she summoned an icicle in her hands, "This is no illusion, nor a semblance. This is magic because the reality of the situation is... that the fairy tale we all believed to be nothing more than what it was... turns out to be very real."

"The threat of the world's destruction is just as real as you or me." She began to panic as the words that came out of her mouth were beginning to sound disingenuous, "There are many myths that we were led to believe that we're just that, myths, and there are many secrets that have been kept from you by the people in power. People like Ozpin, James Ironwood, Lenardo Lionheart... they sought to hide the truth as... not to panic you, but things have changed. Our enemy has changed. They have left the shadows and arrived at our doorsteps in full force. They are no longer hiding, and if we keep these secrets in the dark, we will all fall to their hands."

She then proceeded to give a summary of the events of their adventures to that point, ensuring to mention Lionheart's betrayal, Ozma's story, and Jacques's betrayal.

Luna stepped forward now, placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder, "I am princess Luna Flareheart of the Faunus people, and I'm here to tell you another secret, even more, unbelievable than the last. It's about the Lost Kingdom of Gaia, the original home of the Faunus, and the chapter in history that was erased from existence by the very people who caused this mess in the first place." Luna then began to explain the origins of the Faunus, about the stones that powered the world, and the Aspects that guarded them.

She allowed Ruby to take the stage again, "There are many who seek to take the powers of the Maidens and the stones for themselves, but the masterminds behind all the chaos go by the names of Salem and Onyx. Salem controls the Grimm, you may not believe me, but she is the one who orchestrates it all, and Onyx is the high commander of the White Fang, he seeks to control the powers of the stones to aid Salem in her quest to destroy the world."

"I know this sounds like a load of bullshit, forgive my language, but please... to the few of you who believe our words, hear this. The city of Mantle has fallen. Atlas will soon follow. James Ironwood has betrayed the people and seeks to launch Atlas into the atmosphere, abandoning the millions of people to die at the hands of Salem. My friends and I are doing all that we can to stop it. We will not let things end like they did at Beacon!" Ruby declared.


-Meanwhile In Atlas Academy-

Ironwood clenched his fists in rage, slamming them onto the face of his desk effectively shattering a hole through the once pristine surface. His eyes glared daggers at the monitor that was now displaying Ruby's broadcast.

Harriet stood stiffly at the door, awaiting orders.

"Is there any way to stop her?!" Ironwood growled.

Harriet shakily saluted, "We would need to bring down Amity itself sir!"

Ironwood calmed down and stroked his beard, "We don't have that kind of firepower... but this gives me an idea..." he glanced back at the monitor, "Can you trace the broadcast?"

Harriet felt his cold gaze staring into her soul, "Sir... are we implementing that strategy? Wint- I mean captain Schnee would..."

"Personal feelings have no place in my ranks. If she does not comply it will be treason. Understood?"

"Y-Yes, sir..."


-At Patch-

Taiyang sat on the couch staring with sullen eyes at the sunken faces of his little girls. When he sat down to watch tv, he wasn't prepared for the sudden international broadcast.

At first, he was happy to see his daughters alive and well, but that joy lasted mere moments as he saw the state they were in. Yang looked worn out and battle-hardened. She had shadows cast on her face as though she wasn't even the same girl that left Patch a few months ago.

Ruby was a different story altogether, he almost didn't recognize her. The snow-white skin she had was now almost sickly pale, her eyes looked baggy and tired, there were so many signs of stress, worry, and pain that it almost overshadowed the glimmer of light that still burned threateningly behind her gaze. She looked like she'd seen hell, but Tai took comfort in knowing that her soul still burned inside, his little girl still had hope, it was fading, but it was there.

It stung him like a knife through his chest.

Listening to their story about what it took to get there, he cursed himself for not leaving with them. Berating himself for not being the one in her place. The first thing that stuck out after his girls, was Nova... he was missing. The guilt clawed its way through his system. His daughter looked almost ready to break down when she mentioned him being missing. That boy was like the son he never had...

Steeling himself, he got up from the couch, ready to head out that door when Zwei let out a loud *BARK*.

Tai turned around, "What?"

*BARK BARK*

"You're right. I'll never make it to Atlas in time, even if I get a ship... but I can't just sit around doing nothing!"

*BARK BARK* *GROWL*

"Zwei you're a genius! If I can't help them at Atlas... maybe I can get a headstart toward Shade. If Mantle has fallen then the next place girls would go is Vacuo! Alright Zwei, grab your doggy bag, and let's go!"

*BARK!* the corgi did a little spin on his dog bed before following after Tai.

"Wait... when did I start speaking dog...?"


The broadcast stretched across the globe, people of various races and backgrounds all sat in awe, dumbfounded by the rush of information.

Some remained in disbelief, skeptical about it all. Some were interested, but unsure and the few that believed were either in panic or preparing for the end.

In a quaint house, Saphron watched her little brother with tears in her eyes, "OH GOD WHAT DID YOU DO TO YOUR HAIR!" she wailed.

Her wife Terra smacked her on the head, "You listen to their story and THAT'S what you're concerned about?"

*Sniff* "BUT IT LOOKS SO DOUCHEY!"

...

In the town square under the starry sky, a certain redhead sat at a table drinking a cup of coffee, one which she almost dropped upon seeing the broadcast on the tv, propped on display at the outdoor cafe she was taking a break at. She thanked her stars she caught it in time otherwise there would be a piping hot mess staining the white tablecloth.

"It's worse than I thought... oh Jaune... be safe, please..." she spoke softly, her heart clenching as she saw her boyfriend covered in dust and scratches. He looked like he'd seen war.


-Vacuo desert-

Sun and Neptune sat around a campfire roasting meat on a spit, "Man Shade's expeditions suck sometimes..." Neptune groaned as he pulled a blanket over his cold body.

The monkey Faunus snorted, "Such a baby. I barely wear anything and I'm not cold!" he was wearing his trademark white shirt with his abs fully exposed, accompanied by shorts.

"That's because you're stupid, and stupid people don't get colds."

"No, the saying is that stupid people don't catch colds... HEY!" Sun was about to bonk Neptune with his staff when he saw the blue-haired boy pull out his scroll.

Neptune frowned, "Hey isn't this the squad from Beacon? And you're girlfriend?"

"Blake?!" Sun scrambled closer as he watched the broadcast, "And she's not my girlfriend..."

"So that kiss you two shared meant nothing?"

"I..." he turned red, "It's complicated." he turned his attention toward the broadcast, "She looks good though... I am digging the new hair-do."

"Yeah but that Ruby girl looks like she's seen hell... and what about her boyfriend? That Nova dude... where is he?"

Sun scratched his head, "Dunno... either way shut up they're saying something important."

The two listened as the broadcast went out and their eyes went wide, "Oh fuck... well I mean we sorta knew this already but... things are worse than I thought... Ironwood... shit we gotta tell Shade."

Neptune held him down, "They're probably watching the same damn broadcast we are. Sit your ass down before you raise any desert, Grimm. We'll head back in the morning."

Sun pouted, "Yeah alright..." he turned back to the broadcast, wishing to capture every moment he saw her, "She looks... really good though..."

"Mm-hmm mmm, you sir are down bad. B-A-D, bad." Neptune shook his head.

"Fuck off and let me have this."


-Back with the team in Atlas-

Ruby, "Salem and Onyx want to divide us, that's why they took out our communications. That's why they're trying to turn us against each other. They know that they can't win this war if against us all, so they pick us off one by one. They poison the minds of people and try to shatter the chains that bind us together and keep us strong so they can breach our gates and tear us apart. BUT WE WILL NOT LET THEM BREAK US! If we stand together, if we unite against Salem and those that follow her, we can take her down. We can stop this world from being destroyed, all we ask is that you work together with us."

Luna stepped forward and held Ruby's arm, "People of the Faunus kingdom, I do not claim to rule you, and you have no reason to follow me. I'm not my brother, I'm not as skilled as he is, nor am I here to try and lead you or lay claim to some monarchy that is long since lost its meaning. I am here to beg you to cooperate. Set aside your differences with the humans, I know it's asking a lot, trust me... I do, but please let go of your grudges and work together to stand against a common enemy, one that threatens us all. I know that the wars have left a mark on us all, but please... it's for the sake of the future."

"At the end of the day, we are all people living in the same world, sharing the same air, the same sunlight. Be you Faunus or Human, it doesn't matter, what matters is that you work together, stand up against the Grimm, stand up against Salem. Work with each other and prepare for the inevitable. She will be coming, and if you want to survive you need to be ready to fight!"

Once the broadcast was over, Ruby slumped into a chair exhausted, "Fuck... I hope the message went through."

Yang rubbed her back, "I'm sure it did. Have faith..."

"Yeah..."

There was a crash outside, followed by a loud, high-pitched scream.

Instantly Ruby bolted upright again, "What was that?" she rushed out of the doors to see, standing on the grand staircase of the Schnee manor, was Harriet, and in her hands, hanging by the neckline of her rich clothing was Willow Schnee.

"Mom?!" Weiss was alarmed.

Harriet glared coldly, "Move a muscle at I snap her neck."

Yang glared, "You don't have the guts..."

"Really? You would be surprised what we've had to do since things went to shit." She sneered.

"We?" Jaune looked ready to fight.

"Yeah... us..." the voice of Vine echoed down the stairs as Elm and Marrow followed closely behind. In Elm's arms, restrained was Randolf Wulf, and Vine had Nora slung over his shoulder along with Whitely and Ren bound together in his semblance.

Ruby's hands were twitching, ready to draw Crescent Rose at any given moment, "How did you get in?"

"It's wasn't hard. Apparently, this place has a ton of secret entrances and passageways for Schnees to get in and out discreetly. All we had to do was squeeze Jacque's neck a little tight and he squealed like a pig." Harriet grinned sadistically.

Weiss narrowed her eyes, "You what?"

"Yeah, I mean all we asked was how to get a leg up on his daughters, we were going to threaten you with his life but after he squealed well... low and behold we found people much more effective."

Ember Celia geared up on Yang's fists, "What makes you think we won't kick you asses here and take back our friends? You and I both know you can't pull the trigger no matter what you try to make us believe."

Marrow pulled out his boomerang and held it up to Whitely's neck, "What makes you think we won't huh?"

Whitely struggled in his grasp, "Y-Yeah what makes you think h-he won't?" he was clearly scared.

'I've seen what killers look like. You've never killed someone before' Neo signed.

"What's she saying?" Harriet sneered.

"She says it's because you don't have the eyes of a killer. She says she knows what a real killer looks like and you don't have it in you." Weiss translated.

Elm spat on the floor, "So what? We can still badly injure them easily before you get anywhere near us!"

"We'll see about that!" Ruby cried, and attempted to use her semblance, for a moment the rose petals fluttered but she never left the floor, instead her body crumpled like paper as she fell to her knees heaving.

"Seems like your leader isn't in any shape to fight and you're down a few members. Maybe now you might listen to reason?" she pulled out her scroll and expanded it to project a live stream of Ironwood.

The general sat behind his desk with a dark look on his face, the corner of his lips tugged slightly in what could only be described as the look of someone trying to hide a smile. "Checkmate." were his opening words.

"What do you want Ironwood?" Luna snarled, baring her fangs.

The General chuckled, "Young lady I would've hoped you of all people would be more civilized. Or is baring your fangs at someone the tradition of your people?"

"The time to be civil was over the moment you declared Mantle dead."

He folded his hands across his chin and stared into the camera, "My demands are simple. My team will release your friends in exchange for the Winter Maiden. She leaves with them, and you have my word that she will be unharmed and treated hospitably provided she does not resist."

Luna rolled her eyes, "And what if we refuse? Forgive us if we don't trust your' word'."

"I figured you'd need even more incentive since animals driven into a corner will fight to the death..."

"EXCUSE ME?!" Blake and Luna both snarled viscously.

"I've rigged a bomb using the leftover volatile Super-Dust from the mining excursion you went on. It's been engineered to go semi-nuclear in the middle of Mantle's center. I'll call it off if you come quietly." Ironwood glared at them.

Everyone's eyes went wide, appalled, even the Ace-Ops were surprised by this revelation, "BUT THAT WOULD WIPE OUT MILLIONS OF PEOPLE!" Ruby managed to scream out to him from her disjointed state, her sister helping her to her feet.

"It is a sacrifice I'm willing to make miss Rose."

Neo saw his eyes, that man was deadly serious. Those were the eyes of a man willing to do anything and everything to achieve his goals.

Luna glanced at Hex as a sort of signal for the tech-wizard to start trying to trace the bomb but Ironwood caught it, "Don't bother looking for it," he said, "It's on a ship here at the Academy. The ship will be remotely flown and detonated when ready. Face it, you're out of options."

The shadows under Neo's eyes darkened. Now she understood what truly being cornered felt like. She was not attached to those being held hostage, again the dark part of her mind told her to just let them die, but she refused to be that person anymore. She had people to protect, people who she barely knew, and who barely knew her, but they accepted her without so much as a second glance despite knowing her background... and then there was Weiss.

Neo understood the difference between the bad guys and the good guys was that the bad guys sacrificed everyone else for their gain, even their friends while the good guys sacrificed themselves to save everyone else.

"Love is a son of a bitch..." Neo said in her mind, and Weiss' eyes widened at that moment, as those exact words in a voice she'd only heard once or twice echoed in her head again.

The mute girl moved forward, only to be held back by Weiss whose eyes were wide in alarm.

Weiss reached out for Neo's hand, taking it in hers, "I'm not giving you up! There has to be some way out of these. Right, Ruby? Luna? We always have a plan."

Ruby's pale face couldn't meet her eyes, and Luna shook her head, "I..."

Neo wrenched her arm out of Weiss' grasp, 'This is the only way.' she signed.

Tears were forming in Schnee's eyes, "NO! YOU CAN'T! He'll win if you do!"

"But we'll lose so much more if I don't...' she signed before turning her back toward them and giving an affirming nod.

Harriet, who was still trying to recover from the shock of Ironwood's extremities, hesitantly also nodded, "I... it's settled then. Do not resist and no harm will come to you."

Weiss watched helplessly as Neo followed them outside, their hostages left behind.

An airship landed in the courtyard, and the last thing Weiss heard before Neo disappeared inside, was that same voice that seemed to echo from the direction of the mute girl that said, "I'm sorry."


Well it's not perfect, and to be fair, this chapter was extremely painful for me to write, but I'm hoping that the worst of my writer's block is over and I can speedily write the next chapter, and hopefully rework some parts in this that I'm not happy with.

'Til next time!