Well, college is as terrifying as I remembered. Nothing to do but press on. Thank you for all your well wishes to my grandmother. She was just discharged today and all reports say she's fine, thank goodness.

Now then, the fun!

If you wish to support me and my college tuition, please check out my P a treon for future chapter summaries, story ideas and more: p a Treon.(c om) (backslash) themaster4444

Beta-ed by xenosaiyan

The stars were so beautiful. She'd overheard the humans, whenever she'd been able to slip away from father and Ophiuchus long enough to catch a few conversations floating up, admiring their shine from down below. Leo had told her how they glimmered like flecks of gold amidst a blanket of darkness, a beautiful cloak wrapped securely around the world. She had always entertained that they were most glorious up-close, their glow filling everything in sight but she longed to glimpse what the humans saw, to behold their wonder from all possible angles.

But of course, father had refused to allow her to make the trip to Earthland, just as he had for thousands of years. They were Celestial Spirits, the Servants of Ankh, even if he didn't really exist anymore. Unless called upon, their place was in the heavens. It was not safe otherwise.

She understood, but that didn't mean it wasn't infuriating to wait for her chance. Not only was her key nearly impossible to find, but because of her status, its cost in magical energy was far beyond what any Celestial Spirit Wizard could handle. She could open her own gate, but that was dangerous in and of itself. If she ran out of power before she could return… well, she'd heard from the Zodiac Spirits who'd fallen in battle before that 'dying' was not at all fun. She imagined true death was something to be avoided at all costs.

So, all there was left to do was to wait at the edge, hoping to catch flecks of human conversation—

"Hello! Is anyone there?"

Her head shot up, the smooth, silky voice slinking through her connection with her key.

"Yes!" she responded immediately, a bright, eager smile blossoming across her face. "I'm here! I can hear you, key bearer!"

"Ah, excellent. I had feared for a moment that the man I acquired this key from had lied to me about its significance."

"Acquired? Did he sell it to you?"

"A dear price was paid for it, yes."

She snorted. "You may have been cheated. You may have the energy to speak with me, but I doubt you can summon me."

"That is true. After all, I am not a Celestial Spirit Wizard."

She raised an eyebrow. "Then, who are you?"

"Someone who is seeking their creator. He is a clever man, so I thought maybe he had hidden himself in your world."

"It would take an awfully clever man to sneak past my father's watch," she replied, her eyes narrowing. "And that is not truly an answer."

"My apologies, your grace. You may call me… the Underworld King. I believe, perhaps we can help each other."

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"So, all that work, all that plotting, not to mention tearing me away from my work on the Chamber to provide you with the prototype Black Queen Virus, and you return half-dead, carried by a pair of children, with no Relic."

Watts leaned back in his seat and rolled his eyes. "It would almost be funny if it wasn't so pitiful."

Cinder glared at the suited scientist, trying in vain to ignore the ringing in the back of her head. The Scarab within her may have healed the worst of her wounds and aura had allowed her to get back on her feet far quicker than any normal person, but she'd still nearly been broken by the Dragon Slayer. If she hadn't had the specialized Grimm within her, she didn't know if she would have survived long enough for her aura to come back online and begin repairing her body. She'd be fine in a few more days, but until then she was clearly the weakest of the five seated at Salem's high table. She'd tried to compensate by having Emerald and Mercury stand at her side, show that she commanded her followers' allegiance just as the Queen commanded their own, but even she could tell it was a childish gesture.

"Where is Teacher?" she demanded. "She should at least attend this meeting by Keeper."

"Ohohoho!" Tyrian cackled, sitting up on the balls of his feet, his crazed yellow eyes gleaming in the dim light of the purple lacrima. "The big, strong little girl wants her mama to protect her. And yet, if she were here, all she'd get would be a scolding."

Watts smirked. "Her operation in Atlas is a delicate one. Frankly, if anyone but her was trying it, I'd say it was impossible. A single misstep and we could lose everything. Aside from scheduled check-ins, she will not contact us."

Cinder growled at the two men. They dared to call her weak. They dare insinuate that Teacher was weak! She should tear them limb from—

No. No, that was foolish. Tyrian was fully ascended and thus too strong for her. All she'd get out of challenging him was a beating, even with the Fall Maiden's power. And as satisfying as it would be to feel Watts' bones crunch to dust as his blood soaked her hands, she still needed him alive to upgrade the Ascension Chamber. The old model overloaded the subject with so much agony that they perished from sheer pain alone, even though there was nothing actually wrong with their bodies. The only ones who'd survived the process were Tyrian, who was so mad he would endure anything for his 'goddess', and Hazel, who cheated with his semblance.

"The Maiden will be fine," said giant noted from his own seat beside Watts, dark yellow fur coating his forearms, a consequence of his own transformation. "She is perfectly capable of taking care of herself. And if something does go wrong—"

"If something does go wrong, I'll do my job."

All eyes in the room turned to the foot of the table, the room's temperature rising simply from his speech alone. The occupant of the most prestigious seat slouched casually in his coveted chair, a black cloak concealing nearly his entire body in shadow, only his blood-red scaled arms, tipped with draconic claws, peeking out from the darkness. A pair of long, curved devilish horns protruded out from the top of his hood.

Cinder gulped. "Of course, Lord Ophiuchus. She could not be in safer hands."

The cloaked man responded only with a curt nod. After all, what more was there to add. Just as the snake spirit of old had served as the protector of protectors, the guardian of the Zodiac and their royal family, their Ophiuchus would destroy whatever scant enemies the new Gates could not handle themselves.

No one doubted he could after all. He may not have been an Eclipse Etherious, but everyone knew that only Salem rivaled him in power.

The twin doors to the conference room flew open, causing Emerald and Mercury to cringe in terror, the black aura of their leader slinking through the chamber. All present, even the Ophiuchus, rose to their feet in respect.

Though, that aura was promptly diminished when Salem glided across the floor, a pleasant joyful tune humming from her lips, the book she'd had Cinder deliver to Team RWBY under her arm. She quickly motioned for her followers to be seated, practically skipping onto her throne as she placed the tome on the table.

Cinder cocked an eyebrow, unused to seeing the Mother of Grimm so… jubilant. She wasn't sure if she was more terrifying as she was now or as usual cold self. But she wasn't entirely comfortable with the fact that it was a question.

"Thank you for your dedication, my friend," she spoke. Her gaze turned to Watts. "And Arthur, do try not to spread such malice. Beacon was a great victory. Thanks to Cinder, the international CCT is down, we have our Fall Maiden and soon so much more, and Ozpin is dead once more."

"And, my lady," Watts replied cautiously, clearly unnerved by their sovereign's uncharacteristic joy. "We still have no Relic."

Salem waved her hand. "For now. Our enemy can be quite clever with his hiding places, but with him gone we can search at our leisure. Besides, Cinder completed a far more important task for me while she was at the school."

Her hand lovingly brushed the book's leather cover, stroking the triad of symbols like they were holy artifacts.

The new Fall Maiden grinned, thrilled that she was receiving the recognition she deserved. "You honor me, your grace. I swear, next time my victory will be absolute in your name. Wendy Marvell will be yours and all who attempt to keep her from you will be reduced to ash."

All at once, the atmosphere turned bleak, all light and heat fleeing save from around the Ophiuchus. Outside, the roaming herds of Grimm shrieked, their minds flooded with agony at their taskmaster's displeasure.

Salem turned towards Cinder, shadows reeving under her black gown, her joyful smile already a distant memory. "Oh? You would not be including Ruby Rose among those to die, would you, my dear?"

Mercury stepped back behind Cinder's chair, cowardly but wise. Emerald, in contrast, took a step closer to her mistress, as if she could somehow defend her if the Mother of Grimm decided she'd trespassed too far. It was useful, but inside the Fall Maiden rankled with insult. She needed to be strong. To be unbeatable.

And yet, thanks to Wendy Marvell and Ruby Rose, she was not.

"She stood in the way of retrieving the enchanter, my lady," Cinder spoke softly, careful to show deference.

Salem's frown did not abate. "I have told you many times that candidates are to be kept alive."

Cinder's eyes widened at that, as did Watts and Tyrian's. Even Hazel's normally stoic face rose slightly at the pronouncement.

"Candidate?" she muttered, doing all in her power to withhold her shock. "Ruby Rose is a candidate?"

"For once, I concur with Cinder," Watts said. "Your grace, her lineage aside, the girl is a child."

"She is a Fairy Tail wizard, one I have waited an eon for," Salem pronounced. "Take care, all of you. Ruby Rose and her teammates are to be brought to me alive. I understand that violence may be unavoidable, it is unlikely they will believe you come in peace, but if at all possible, I want them unharmed. Is that understood?"

Cinder seethed, barely keeping flames from sprouting under her hands. She had been disgraced, defeated, made to be weak. Without strength and without control. She had understood Wendy, she was crucial to their ultimate goal, but what possible value could Ruby Rose have? Wizard she may have been, there was nothing she possessed that their faction did not already have in superior quality. And yet, Cinder had to forestall vengeance against her… for what? For Salem's word?

Yes. She did. Not only because Teacher was devoted to Salem's ambitions but because she was the head of their little family, the strongest, the one who protected them. As long as they obeyed, they would be cared for, granted strength and power and safety. It was Salem's presence that kept the Grimm from falling upon the castle and tearing them all to pieces and Salem's will that would make them masters of a new world. In return, they owed her their allegiance.

Cinder had learned how the world worked a long time ago. Those with power were feared and in turn, they controlled their lives and those of the weak filth that had not the will to climb the ladder of strength. And honestly, there were far worse masters to serve than Salem. At least she was plain with her intentions. Perhaps she even cared about them as she said.

With those errant thoughts swirling through her mind, the Fall Maiden nodded to her queen's command, just moments after Watts and Hazel. Tyrian took the longest, his worship of his goddess only slightly delayed by his fondness for carnage.

Salem stared pointedly down the table, where the Ophiuchus shrugged. "I'll pass the message along."

"Excellent," the Queen grinned. There was no question that the protector himself would abide by her decree. He was powerful enough to kill any of the huntress whelps in an instant. He could easily exercise enough control to take them alive.

"Now then, we must move forward," Salem continued. "Hazel, head to Mistral and meet with the White Fang. Adam Taurus has proven useful so far, but recent information from our contacts in Atlas have cast doubts upon his suitability as a candidate. Ensure that he and Sienna Khan are both compliant with our goals."

"As you wish."

"Watts, after you have managed Cinder and her subordinates' ascensions, head to Atlas. Your skills will likely prove useful in the current operation."

"What?" Cinder gawked. Between the mention of Emerald and Mercury's ascending, the shock of Watts having skills that would be useful in the Atlas operation, and the utter fury that it wasn't her being sent to assist Teacher, she wasn't sure what part of the proclaimed plan befuddled her most. In the end, she focused on the technical. "Emerald and Mercury are in no shape to survive the Ascension Chamber—"

"Oh, I finished the upgrades just before your little stunt in Vale," Watts interrupted, an oily smirk sliding out from behind his mustache. "Did I neglect to mention that?"

He finished the upgrades? But that meant her acquiring the maiden's power, her entire trip to Beacon was entirely—argh!

Cinder flicked a small flare the doctor's way. Nothing his aura couldn't shield him from, Salem would not tolerate actual lethal intent, but it would feel damn good to wipe that smug smile off his face.

Unfortunately, instead of a startled gasp, she watched as the sparks passed right through Watts' head, his skull dissipated into black mist as the fire struck his chair. It reformed a moment later none the worse for wear, his smirk still perfectly in place. The flames scorched the back of his chair for a brief instant before the Ophiuchus opened his maw and sucked them in.

"I, of course, tested it on myself after it cleared preliminary trials," Watts gloated after the blaze was out. "Wouldn't want to lose our new Fall Maiden to something as pitiful as mechanical failure, now would we?"

"How considerate of you to take such a risk," Cinder growled.

"Children, children, please," Tyrian sang, a maniacal cackle rocking his body. "Playtime can wait for when we have all ascended to immortality at our goddess' side! Then, we can truly have some fun!"

Both Cinder and Watts glared at the scorpion faunus. Whatever their loathing towards each other, neither was much inclined towards the laughing fanatic.

Salem merely smiled softly at their antics like an indulgent mother. "Your group will remain here by my side, Cinder. Once you have all gone through the chamber, you will need time to acclimate to your new abilities."

"New abilities?" Mercury said, stepping forward, an eager grin across his face. "You mean magic, right?"

Emerald's eyes widened in distress, likely believing the fool would die for his directness. Cinder certainly would have smacked him down if he'd spoken to her like that.

But Salem merely chuckled. "Magic and more, little warrior. If you are strong enough. Even with Watts' improvements to the Ascension Chamber, it is not an easy task to join my Gates. The faint of heart will not survive the evolution."

Mercury snarled. He hefted up his pant leg, revealing the stainless-steel underneath. "Do I look 'faint of heart'?"

Salem and Hazel both took on a look of pity towards the silver-haired boy, the demonic woman even shaking her head morosely. "You poor child. You do know the process will not return your legs?"

"I don't need legs," Mercury shouted furiously. "I've gotten this far without them."

"But with weaponized replacements," Watts noted. "Shoddy weaponized replacements, but I suppose orphans can't be choosers."

Mercury growled at the smug scientist, his handsome pearly white teeth that had once made so many Beacon girls swoon barred like a shark that had smelt prey. Emerald clenched her fists in sympathy at her side.

Surprising herself, so did Cinder.

"Power," Mercury hissed. "Can you give me power?"

Salem nodded. "I can. But I warn you, it will not bring you peace."

"No such thing."

The Queen of the Grimm sighed. "When we are done, there will be."

She turned to the scorpion faunus. "Tyrian, the Spring Maiden can wait. Hunt down Ruby, Wendy, and the others and bring them—"

"No." The Ophiuchus suddenly interjected. "Let me."

Tyrian pouted. "Do you doubt my ability, my lord?"

"Not at all," the hooded figure replied, turning his gaze to Salem. "But my nose is better. Besides, fairies have a habit of running into each other. You're strong, Tyrian, but if they were able to reunite with say Titania, you would be overwhelmed by their combined efforts. I will not."

Hazel raised an eyebrow. "Counting Marvell and the one we have eyes on in Atlas, there are only three more Fairy Spheres we have yet to locate. The chances of them discovering another are minuscule."

"So were the odds of one of them just happening to be above Beacon Tower. Either way, I have the best nose. I am the best suited to hunt them down."

Salem held his gaze for a moment before sighing. "You are not wrong. Very well, take your partner and bring them back. With any luck, I can use my connection with Blake to drive them towards you. Tyrian can remain here to assist in Cinder's team's training or be deployed should something else arise."

Tyrian moaned his disappointment, slumping down into his chair. The Ophiuchus nodded gratefully.

Salem smiled and rose to her feet, the rest of the group following her example. "Thanks to your efforts, Beacon has fallen. And soon, the other academies and their kingdoms will follow. One more step towards the unity of the world. And a new world where the Grimm shall be no more."

Cinder grinned. One more step towards a world where she would be strong.

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"Okay, so let me get this straight," Nora proclaimed. She pointed her fingers straight at Qrow and Taiyang. "You two have been working for Professor Ozpin, who is maybe not actually dead, as part of some ancient conspiracy along with the Professor Goodwitch and the other academy headmasters to protect these maidens and Relic things from falling into the hands of this Salem, the master of the Grimm, to keep her from destroying the world?"

Qrow shrugged. "Pretty much, yeah."

"I'm retired though, from that stuff at least" Taiyang hastily added, catching Yang's stunned expression. "I have been since Summer passed."

"But you've known about magic since we were kids," Yang muttered, calmer since Blake had arrived, the partners sitting side by side next to Sun on the couch. Still, a heartbroken look of betrayal crossed the huntress' face. "You knew this stuff was out there, and you didn't tell us."

"We could have been so much awesome stuff!" Ruby added. "Think of all the Grimm butt we could have kicked, the people we could have saved."

"Maybe not," Blake put forward. "We've all seen how much trouble Team JNPR's had learning magic in Remnant's ethernano level. Who knows if we would have become as proficient as we are now even with foreknowledge."

Ruby sunk into a pout. "I would've still had my eyes. Which would have been really useful to know about. I've barely had time to learn how to do anything with them!"

"You can certainly do more than I can. Oz just taught me how to turn into a bird."

"What, Uncle Qrow?"

"Nothing," the older huntsman muttered, before pointing a finger at his nieces. "But let me get this straight. You three, plus the mini-Ice Queen, got transported to another world, by a mysterious book given to you by Salem and powered by Ruby's eyes. While there, you just happened to run into a guild of wizards—"

"The best guild of wizards," Yang added.

"Right, but you proceeded to learn magic, go on wizard jobs, nearly get killed by a demon, get saved by the creator of said book, and then accidentally using it to come home."

"Pretty much, yeah," Ruby replied with a shrug. "But, more importantly—"

She whirled around on Wendy and Carla, who leaned back from the crimson cloaked girl's gleeful face. "Let me get this straight. You guys went to war with Tartaros, you got Dragonforce, Lucy lost Aquarius and summoned the Celestial Spirit King, Gray's dad came back from the dead and then died making him a Devil Slayer, everyone's dragons were inside them all along, the guild disbanded for a year, you joined Lamia Scale until Natsu came back on Gildarts and Laxus' level and everyone reformed the guild, Zeref invaded with an empire, Natsu turned out to be a super demon but Lucy rewrote his book to erase that part of him so he wouldn't die when Zeref died, and then the entire kingdom came together to defeat Acnologia!"

"Um… pretty much?" Wendy confirmed. "Then a year later we went on the Hundred Year Quest to seal the five God Dragons and… and…"

"And then the White Witch attacked," Carla finished sullenly, placing a comforting paw on her charge's arm. "She had the ability to drain and control magic, from anyone, through their power control their minds. She believed in something called the White Doctrine, that no magic above a certain strength could be permitted. For that, she came for the God Dragons and Fairy Tail. She took control of the entire guild."

"Well, not the entire guild," Wendy noted, water welling in her eyes. "We were away on the quest, and I never saw Juvia in her group. Maybe she escaped beforehand, or been warned? Erza mentioned Jellal had been looking into the White Witch, when he saw us off to Guiltina, but he never showed up at the fight either—"

"Wendy," Ruby said, the excitable girl from mere moments ago wiped from her face. "Are you okay?"

The Sky Dragon Slayer took in a deep breath, wiping the tears from her eyes before they could fall. She forced a smile onto her face. "Don't worry. I'm fine."

Ruby looked at her friend silently for a moment. Then, she engulfed her and her Exceed partner in a massive hug. Yang and Blake came forward and joined the embrace, all five Fairy Tail members sharing their suffering. After all, no friend should have to bear such a weight alone, even if they could.

The others watched the display of affection in silence for several seconds. However, when it started to encroach on a full minute, Jaune politely coughed to get their attention. The five girls sheepishly came apart and resumed their seats around the living room.

"Alright," Sun said, clapping his hands. "Anything else we need to 'get straight'?"

"There is one thing," Jaune noted, his eyes narrowed in thought. "If you were fighting this White Witch on your world, how did you end up on Remnant?"

Wendy shrugged. "I don't know. She ambushed us after she gathered the power of all five dragons. If Sitara hadn't found us first and warned us, we would have been completely blindsided."

"You met Sitara?" Ruby grinned. "How is she? Did she go looking for the guild—"

"Ruby," Qrow interjected. "Priorities."

"Oh, right. Sorry."

Wendy managed a small smile. "She'd been researching dark magics that Zeref had left behind, but the White Witch attacked her and stole the blueprints for FACE she'd scavenged after Tartaros fell. When she realized that she was planning to use them to enact the White Doctrine all over the world, she came looking for us for help. Apparently, you told her a lot of good things about us."

Ruby blushed and rubbed the back of her head. "Hehehehe… well, they were all true."

"Ruby."

"Right, right, sorry. Keep going, Wendy."

"There isn't much I can keep going to," the Sky Dragon Slayer revealed. "The White Witch attacked me first. The only reason I survived was because Carla saw the attack coming in her Future Vision and pushed me out of the way."

"But I wasn't fast enough," Carla sighed. "Wendy survived, but we were both critically wounded."

"Makes sense," Qrow nodded. "Take out the healer first thing so they can't fix up everyone else up. It's basic battle strategy."

"It's an asshole strategy," Yang growled.

Wendy shrugged. "It worked. I was barely conscious, too out of it to even heal Carla, or Natsu when the witch poisoned him. To keep us safe, Lucy sealed us in a Fairy Sphere."

"That makes sense. Even if Ozpin was a wizard, only a Fairy Tail member can sense the power of a Fairy Sphere, and even then it's hard to get a real reading on it," Blake surmised. "We were lucky Ruby's Fairy Glitter made it think it was safe to deposit you."

"But how would they end up here?" Ren inquired. "Perhaps their bodies healed from the time they spent within the sphere, but from how you've described it, the magic isn't capable of interdimensional travel."

Immediately, Wendy's eyes widened, her brown orbs shivering with dread.

Ruby raised an eyebrow, looking concernedly over her friend. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"… nothing," Wendy muttered. "Just… a theory. Nothing important though."

"Um, okay?" Qrow replied. He looked over the rest of the kids. "In the meantime, it really doesn't matter how you got here. You're here now, and we're still at war."

Jaune cocked an eyebrow. "You and Ozpin had Pyrrha keep us in the dark. Why do you want our help now?"

"Because you're all we got," Qrow declared. He strode over to the window and gazed out into the deceptively sunny day. "The attack on Beacon did more than just take out Oz. Glynda's tied up rebuilding the school, and James' forces are on shaky ground with the other kingdoms since his toys went haywire. With the CCT down, international coordination is impossible. The other academies are vulnerable. We need all the help we can get."

"But this isn't coercion," Taiyang told them earnestly. "You've all seen what these people are capable of. They play for keeps and they're not going to care that you're kids. They will kill you if they get the chance. No one will think less of you if you don't want to give them that chance."

All seven huntsmen and the two wizards shared significant looks, some worried, some eager, and some cautious.

But in the end, they all rose, determined.

"Thank you, dad," Ruby said, her eyes shimmering like steel. "But General Ironwood told us something similar back at the coliseum. We didn't back down then, and we're not going to back down now."

"Atlas is one of the most well-protected places in the world," Jaune noted.

"And Vacuo is a hive of scum and villainy," Ren added. "Infiltrating there would be difficult."

"Which means Salem's next target is Haven, right in the middle of Mistral's capital," Nora finished, dead serious for once. "Where Pyrrha is right now."

"We're coming with you," Jaune declared.

Qrow shot the three a respectful smirk. "Corny, but I'll take it."

"Yeah!" Yang snarled, jumping to her feet, with a pump of her remaining arm. "Let's hunt these bastards down! Right, Blake?... Blake?"

Everyone turned to the cat faunus, who while still determined, grimaced as she glanced away. "Haven needs to be defended. I agree with that but… I don't think I can come with you guys."

…

"What?"

Ruby jumped forward, stepping between her sister and her partner. She'd already figured out the basics of how Yang had lost her arm but had hoped (naively) that maybe Yang would understand it was an accident and forgive Blake and they could all go back to being besties again. When she'd seen them hugging when Blake had arrived, her hopes had gone up.

But the fire behind Yang's crimson eyes suggested she'd gotten ahead of herself.

"Blake, what are you talking about?" Ruby asked, curious herself. "You're always gung-ho about hunting down the bad guys. They used the White Fang to attack Beacon, they'll probably do the same to Haven."

"I am. I agree that we need to stop them," she quickly clarified. "But I don't think I can be any help to you guys as I am now. I have no weapon, all Loke's power is used up, and whatever strength I can draw on from the Grimm… well, it's clearly not an asset."

Ruby cringed, her eyes involuntarily flickering to Yang's stump, an action that did not go unnoticed by her sister, who immediately flinched away, filling the red hooded girl with guilt.

Fortunately, it prompted Yang to take a deep breath, her eyes fading back to violet.

"Blake, can I talk to you for a second?" she asked calmly.

The black-haired huntress gulped but rose to her feet. The pair set out for upstairs, leaving the rest to stew.

"Ruby," Wendy's voice drew the silver-eyed girl back to her friend. "That Cinder woman knew who I was. She knew what Fairy Tail was."

"Well, yeah," Ruby replied. "Ozpin knew about them. So, Salem probably does too and told her."

"But how did she know about the Fairy Sphere?" Wendy queried. "She didn't know where it was, but she knew what it was. How?"

"Well… oh!" Ruby grinned. "Maybe there are other spheres! Maybe the others are on Remnant too and they've met Ozpin before, helped him fight the good fight against Salem and… no, wait, that doesn't work, they would have come and found us then. Unless there's a lot more to this time discrepancy between dimensions than we thought. Aw crud…"

"I hope there are aren't any more spheres."

Ruby cocked an eyebrow. "What? Why?"

"Wendy?" Carla spoke worriedly.

Wendy gazed down at her bandaged hands. "I hope the others are still at home… because I'm not sure there's a way back."

"What? That's crazy talk," Nora exclaimed, the others all tilting their heads at the Fairy Tail wizard. "Ruby and the others got back here from Earthland. Of course, there's a way for you to go back."

Ruby's eyes narrowed. She dashed over and knelt before her friend, gently taking her friend's palms within her own, the crimson guild mark clearly visible. "She's right. Remember, I thought that we would be trapped away from home too. You made me a promise, that I would see the people I care about again. And you were right. Because Fairy Tail does the impossible."

Wendy's head rose just a fraction, enough for Ruby to crack a small smile and look her right in the face, silver eyes to brown orbs.

"You will see the guild again. You have my word as a Fairy Tail wizard."

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"What are you doing?" Yang demanded, as Blake softly shut the door to her room behind them. Posters of boy bands and tossed about motorcycle manuals littered the walls of her childhood domain, though she couldn't help but feel it belonged to a different girl. A girl who dreamed of two mothers, one who wanted her and one who might not have. She'd lost both of them certainly.

Just as Yang felt she was on the brink of losing Blake.

"I can't help," her partner said matter-of-factly, walking around to sit on the bed. "You of all people should understand that."

Yang bit back a snarl, inwardly cursing the absent weight from her right side. Part of her understood Blake's words, remembering the visceral squelch as her arm was torn off by her friend's talons, the feeling of utter powerlessness as all her hard-earned strength proved absolutely useless. When she was whole, she had only been fit to be beaten, and now a piece of her was gone and it was never coming back. But the other half of her was angry, furious. She caught the looks the others sent her way when they thought she couldn't see and sometimes when they knew she could. Their eyes were trained on her stump, full of pity for the broken girl.

Yang was not broken. She refused to be broken. She would not be the same scared little girl who waited at home until her mother didn't come back. She was a Fairy Tail wizard and there was a job to do. She would stand by her friends, just as they stood by her.

"This isn't your fault," she assured her partner, holding up her stump. "This was an accident. It was a high-stress situation and you panicked when you thought that guy with the glowing sword might get a lucky shot."

"Adam," Blake muttered.

Yang blinked. "Adam? Wait, like 'Adam'? Your ex?"

Blake nodded. "His semblance is like yours, only he stores power in his sword. With the amount he had, he would have killed you if I hadn't transformed."

Yang glanced away. "Well... maybe. But you can just figure it out on the way to Haven. We'll all help you."

"It took Elfman years to gain control of a Full-Body Takeover," Blake reminded her. "If I'm going to learn fast enough to actually be useful when this war with Salem really gets going, I can't take it slow. Which means I'm going to lose control more than once, and that means I can't be around anyone when I do it."

"So you're running away!"

Blake recoiled as if she'd been slapped. Yang instantly regretted her words, looking down in shame. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that."

"You meant it."

"No, I didn't. If you were running away, then you wouldn't have come here. But you did, because you're our friend. Because you're my friend."

"You did," Blake sighed. "And you're not entirely wrong. If Sun hadn't been here to corral me, I'm not sure my courage would have held all the way here. I didn't think you could ever forgive me. I don't think I ever will."

Yang smirked, coming to sit beside her friend. "We're Fairy Tail wizards, partner. Sun helped you along, but you came on your own. And would have even if he wasn't there. You're not as much of a coward as you think you are."

Blake didn't mirror her expression, her mouth merely falling into a deeper frown. "Maybe. But I'm still a failure. I couldn't stop the White Fang and I couldn't protect you."

Yang's eyes narrowed. "I don't need protecting."

For a few moments, the pair sat together in silence, simply soaking in each other's company, both the good and the ill. Their partnership had never been easy, but it was one they both stood by, to the ends of every world.

At last, Blake rose to her feet. "I know a place. A desert full of Grimm. If I go far enough into it, I won't encounter any people. I'll get control of my powers and meet everyone else at Haven."

Yang cocked an eyebrow. "Everyone else?"

Blake's eyes widened. "I mean, I'll see you there too. Because you'll go with them. And be with everyone else, on the road to Haven. The very dangerous road to Haven filled with Grimm and bandits, and—"

"Just tell me what you're thinking," Yang groaned, leaning back against the bedroom wall, already dreading the response she knew was coming. "Everyone has been shooting me the same kind of looks. You don't think I should go."

The cat faunus glanced at her stump and sighed. "I'm sorry. But what's happened to you, the… the…"

"Dismemberment."

"… that. It isn't a small thing, no matter what any of us wish. Even putting aside whatever you must be going through, your weight distribution is completely different and you're down one of your main weapons."

"I have magic. I'll make do. I can't leave Ruby and the others to do it alone just because I got to work out some kinks in my fighting style—"

"Kinks?!" Blake shot to her feet, her amber eyes staring down incredulously at her partner. "Yang, you've lost an arm! If you're somehow handling this better than any of us can possibly imagine, fine, you've always been amazing, I'll buy it. But things have changed."

"I know that!" Yang roared, launching herself face to face with her partner, pink flames flickering across her blond hair as her eyes blazed a devilish crimson that she'd desperately tried to hold back. "I'm well aware that things have fucking changed, Blake. The school's gone, Weiss is gone, my arm is gone! Life sucks and now we've got some hell demon running the show and a guildmate mysteriously falling out of the sky. But I'm not going to let any of that stop me. I'll take everything life throws at me and come out swinging, just like my semblance and just like Natsu."

Blake paled for a moment, taking a startled step back. For a few seconds, fear trickled through Yang, fear that her temper had done her in, had frightened her partner with the monster within so much that she'd bolt right out the door.

Instead, Blake ran forward and pushed her, the blonde staggering back several steps. Yang, her anger turning to outrage, made to respond in kind, plant a right hook into her partner's stomach…

Only to get no response from a limb that no longer existed.

Blake pushed her down onto the bed and for a moment Yang's mind was in turmoil. Why was her friend attacking her? Why was she coming in for another blow—

Except that blow morphed into a hug and everything clicked into place, memories of a meeting in an empty classroom before the dance floating through her vision, her eyes fading back to purple.

"I'm not asking you to stop," Blake murmured. "But you're trying to rush things, just like we did when we first got to Earthland. Natsu and Erza helped us to slow down then, just like you helped me to slow down when we were hunting the White Fang. You couldn't have fought me off just now, your instincts are for a body that doesn't exist anymore. Whether you want to come up with a new fighting style or get a prosthetic like General Ironwood is up to you, but you can't go into this halfcocked. Or else you'll just be someone that Ruby and the others will have to protect along the way."

In other words, a burden.

Damn it.

"I'll stay back," Yang reluctantly agreed, returning the hug. The two rose, mutual reluctant smiles on their faces. "Dad will probably be thrilled to have me in the house, the dork."

Blake chuckled. "Don't knock it. Having parents who are happy to see you is nothing to sneeze at. I know mine would have a few choice words for me."

Yang cocked an eyebrow. "You have parents?"

"Um, yes. Why would I not?"

"I don't know. I always assumed you were some super orphan taken in by the White Fang. Ruby and I have bet going on whether it was when you were a baby or if you were the lone survivor of the massacre of your village."

Blake smacked her face into her hand. "I get that you thought I was a human but really? A faunus named Belladonna doesn't ring any bells?"

"Uh… no. Why would… it…"

Faint memories of history classes dad had forced her not to sleep through suddenly rose to the top her mind, specifically about the end of the Faunus Rights' Revolution and the rise of the original White Fang.

"Wait, your parents are those Belladonnas?"

Blake nodded. "Yup."

"And you sided with Sienna Khan when the split happened?"

"Yup."

"Oh, wow," Yang muttered, her eyes widened. "And I thought my family dinners were awkward."

"Weiss still has us both beat," Blake did her best to joke. "Of course, I haven't talked to mine in… years. So, yeah, not my finest work."

Whatever else was going to be said was cut off by a series of knocks at the door. Blake walked over and opened the entrance, revealing a nervous Sun.

"We, uh, heard yelling," the monkey faunus muttered. "Taiyang said it would be weird if he came up."

"Ah, he remembered," Yang grinned. When the others looked to her for an explanation, she shrugged. "What? I've had company in here before. Did you think you were the first person I've ever had on my bed?"

Blake cheeks lit up red. "I'm… going to… going to…"

"Run," Yang teased, a little-hearted smirk on her face.

Her partner glared at her, but immediately dashed past Sun and out the door. The monkey faunus cocked an eyebrow at the other blonde. "So… are you guys okay?"

Yang chuckled. "Oh, what a gentleman. You didn't listen in?"

"Some of it was unavoidable, but I made an effort not to intrude. The most I caught was you're staying behind to train? Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine," she assured him. "A guy named Macao showed me a few tricks back at the guild that I never really practiced, and Wendy's story gave me some ideas for a few more. It'll take some finetuning, but I should be able to catch up with the others."

She narrowed her eyes and glanced at the opened doorway. "I'm more concerned about her. She's going off to train alone."

"Oh," Sun noted, cringing with worry. "Yeah, I get why, but… that might not end well."

"Yup. She has a bad habit of isolating herself," Yang said. "Which is why you're going with her."

"What?" Sun shouted. "I mean, yeah, sure, gladly, but…"

"But what?"

The monkey faunus looked away in shame. "Are you sure I'm the best person for the job? I mean, the last time I tried to help…"

His eyes flickered to her stump, and Yang could only sigh. She planted a comforting hand on his shoulder as his earnest blue orbs rose to meet her eyes.

"This was an accident," she declared. "You and Neptune had no way of knowing you'd met the world's first friendly Grimm and hell breaking loose all around you was certainly a good reason for an itchy trigger finger. You tried to help, and it went wrong. Now get back on your feet and help for real. She's going to need someone to remind her she's not the worst person in the world."

"She does seem to do that more often than she should," Sun replied. He swallowed and managed to form a hint of his usual rascally smile. "I'll do whatever I can."

"Good," Yang grinned. "Now then, let's get some grub. Saving the world isn't a job for an empty stomach and I feel like I haven't eaten in a week."

"Ren and your dad are gonna make dinner. But I've got an extra banana or two if you need something to hold you over."

"Seriously?"

"What? Stereotype or not, they're freaking delicious."

Yang chortled. "You know, one of these days you're going to meet a certain blue talking cat who loves fish. I am really looking forward to that day."

Lots of foreshadowing this chapter. I wouldn't be surprised if most of my 'big twists' have been figured out at this point. Wendy has certainly figured out one of them. But hopefully, I've still got a few unexpected cards up my sleeve and the emotional fallout of the others will make up for their early discovery.

Also, for those paying attention to Wendy's story, you'll notice there have been some alterations to the White Witch events, specifically Juvia's absent from them as opposed to her crucial role in the recent canon. This is intentional and will be important to later in the story.

Less crucial observation, I was very much surprised by how much I enjoyed writing Blake and Yang's talk here. I've always preferred them as a Brotp, but after getting into them here, I can better understand why so many people find them so appealing as romantic partners. I still like them better platonic, but it is quite eyeopening.

An extra huge thank you to my patrons: ArcherMcMuffin, Gregg Tracton, Keith Traction, StabKingPro, Annaya Chan, Nora Okonus, and Paula mandel.

Thank you for Reading! I hope you enjoy what comes next!

Go Forth and Conquer!