Beta-ed by xenosaiyan

Makarov Dreyar considered himself a simple man. While he certainly wouldn't mind having enough money to do whatever he wanted, he had no great lust for it or power. Why would he? With the swarms of children he'd gathered in the very same guild that had raised him, he was the richest man on Earthland.

And in terms of entertainment, there was nothing better than grabbing a beer and watching them play.

"It is the ultimate in anti-fire defense," Weiss preened, the rest of her team and the Strongest Team focused on the cube-shaped hunk of black ice she'd conjured at the end of the table. "It doesn't matter how powerful the flames, nothing can burn in a vacuum."

"What? That's ridiculous!" Natsu protested, chewing on a hunk of meat. "What kind of magic is that?"

"It's not," Weiss smirked. "It's science. Magic may be a parallel facet of the universe, but even its creations must obey the laws of physics."

Ruby and Blake both cocked an eyebrow each.

"I've got lasers in my eyeballs."

"And I'm pretty sure my powers play jump rope with the law of conservation of energy and mass."

"The creations of magic that aren't supernatural themselves," Weiss clarified. "Fire is still fire, whether it comes from a match, a man, or a dragon."

"I'd like to test that theory!" Natsu yelled, swallowing his food and stomping on top of the table. "I'll burn that vacuum to ash!"

"There's nothing to burn! The point of a vacuum is that there's nothing there!"

Gray scoffed. "Don't bother, Weiss. Flames for Brains here has never put much effort into understanding anything he couldn't shove down his stomach."

"I understand enough to know I kicked your butt for three days straight, snowman!"

"Clearly you don't because you barely scratched me, lizard breath! Though I guess you might have trouble remembering with how hard I hit your head!"

"Stripper!"

"Moron!"

Makarov sighed, closing the door to his office just as the daily fire and ice battle started up in full. Really, those two had just come back from three days of fighting with each other and they still couldn't find common ground. With any luck Erza would be able to keep them under control on Warrod's job. They could not fail one of the guild's founders.

Of course, there were others whose job requests they could not afford to mess up. One of which was sitting before his desk, wrapped in a heavy cloak and veil.

"It's safe," Makarov assured her. "This room has mystical protections. No one will overhear us."

"Thank you, Master Makarov," the figure replied, lowering her hood and detaching her veil, distinctive bright green hair flowing down her back. "No one must know I am here."

Makarov nodded, coming around to his side of the table. Despite his long tenure in Fairy Tail and the often prominent position he'd held within the guild, it was not often he'd interacted with royalty. As such it had still come as quite a shock when he'd received a secret message from the capital and Princess Hisui E. Fiore had arrived incognito a few days later to follow up on it.

Putting together what Erza had told him of Jellal's investigations and Mest's latest undercover reports from within the Magic Council, he could surmise the reason for such secrecy.

"This is about the missing Eclipse Gate pieces?" he asked, needing clarification.

The Princess's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

"Doranbolt reached out to us to see if we knew anything. He tried to keep the specifics under wraps, but I have a great deal of experience reading panicked young'uns and he was not as subtle as he thought he was."

"Ah, yes," Hisui chuckled nervously. However, that nervousness only lasted a moment before her face turned to steel. Young she may have been, he should not think of the girl before him like one of his idealistic children. She had been trained since birth to rule a nation and recent missteps aside, she was more than capable of playing the part. "I suppose that means I shouldn't beat around the bush. The Royal Family has spared no expense over the last few months to locate the remains of the device, but our efforts have turned up little. All we have is one lead and when we sent the Hungry Wolf Knights to follow it up, they barely returned alive. With news of Tartaros."

Makarov instantly frowned at the mention of that particular dark guild. "They stole the remains."

Hisui's brow furrowed. "Possibly, but we do not believe so. The Hungry Wolf Knights reported that at least two of the Nine Demon Gates were engaged in combat with… someone. They weren't able to identify who, but the gate fragments seemed to be what the battle was over."

"Someone capable of battling two of the Nine Demon Gates at once?"

"Someone capable of defeating two of the Nine Demon Gates at once," the princess elaborated. "My knights assure me that they would not have survived if Tartaros had been victorious."

Makarov's frown deepened. It was reassuring that this new player was more merciful than the last of the Baram Alliance, but to have such power… to go toe-to-toe with them and win… the only people who came to mind were the Spriggan Twelve and it would be a nightmare if one of them were on Ishgar. Even if it wasn't them, he couldn't deny that someone of such strength remaining hidden for so long was… disconcerting. The only force on the continent with any chance of stopping them was the Ten Wizard Saints or possibly…

"Which is why my father and I wish to hire Fairy Tail to finish the retrieval mission… off the books," the princess said. "The crown simply doesn't have the firepower to do it ourselves, and I don't need to tell you just how important it is that Zeref's magic doesn't fall until the wrong hands."

Makarov nodded. "Yes, this matter must be handled immediately. The Strongest Team will be setting out on another crucial mission, but I can have Laxus and Mirajane head out—"

"No," Hisui shook her head. "I'm sorry, Master Makarov. But if any hint of this mission were to leak to the Magic Council, the entirety of Doranbolt's coverup would be endangered. And as disastrous as whatever Tartaros has planned would be for the kingdom, the Magic Council and the government being set against each other would be little better. Anyone who participated in the Grand Magic Games is too well known to the public, they'd attract too much attention."

"I see," Makarov said, his wrinkled brow crinkling even further. The princess's concern was not unfounded. Even so long after the Grand Magic Games, the guild was astronomically popular. Mira had already shown him one tabloid that had reported on Natsu and Gray's recent mission, and their three-day brawl afterward. "You are aware that the teams we fielded consisted of the best the guild had to offer at the time. And I can't say I'm comfortable sending anything less against Tartaros."

Hisui's stone façade cracked, a look of guilt overtaking her face. "I understand. The danger involved in this mission is nearly unprecedented. But Captain Arcadios told me of a Fairy Tail powerful wizard that did not appear at the games. A Gildarts Clive? Could he succeed in the mission?"

"Most definitely, but he is currently away. And even if we could contact him, by the time he returned, your lead very well may have gone cold," Makarov sighed, his mind already discerning the other course of action. "However, there may be an alternative option."

He rose from his seat and made his way to the door, the princess replacing her hood as he did so. He cracked open the entryway, a wall of shouts and sounds of battle crashing into the office, a typical guildhall brawl in full swing. Erza stormed through the chaos, Ruby laughing by her side as their guildmates shattered before them. Blake dragged Lucy, Wendy, and Carla away from the fighting, shadow clones of the quartet allowing them to escape from any errant blow.

And of course at the center of it all were the eternal bickering spat of fire and ice, now in two generations. Natsu and Gray blasted each other across the room with continuously escalating displays of ice crafting and dragon fire. Meanwhile, Weiss threw up fortification after fortification, Yang grinning as she smashed through each one with a surge of pink flames, though Makarov noted that her blaze was temporarily extinguished whenever she struck one of the cubical defenses. It seemed this vacuum shield was as effective as the white-haired huntress had claimed it to be.

All of them were exquisite. In just six months, the four girls from another world had become just as ingrained in the guild as any of the Earthland natives. They were family, and their faith in that same family had made them confident, spirited, and, most importantly, in this case, strong.

Erza had convinced them to wait until they had learned magic before they went after their only clue for a way home. Now, they had learned it, and Makarov could say with confidence that they stood among the very strongest in the guild, even if their relatively recent appearance on the scene meant they were completely unknown outside Magnolia. Tartaros, infamous for its secrecy, had shown itself. If there was any link between the dark guild and the book that had brought them to Earthland. Even if retrieving the Eclipse Gate's remains weren't of the utmost importance and they didn't fit the requirements of the job exactly, did he have the right to keep them from this lead?

He didn't want to risk it. They were his children. He had seen how strong they had become, but he had also heard the whispers of the atrocities the Nine Demon Gates had committed. Could he risk them? Could he allow them to march into such danger?

He had to. He had no right to keep this from them. Besides, as much as any father wished to protect their children forever, there always came a time when he had to let them go beyond his reach. All he could do was have faith in them, as was the Fairy Tail way.

"Your highness," he said. "I would like to recommend Team RWBY for the job."

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"So, Oscar," Jaune said. "We were all showing a lot of team solidarity back at the house, but we don't actually have any idea how strong Pyrrha's gotten over the last few months. Any hints?"

"What?" Nora exclaimed. "You can't ask for spoilers, Jaune! Even if it is obvious that Pyrrha's gonna kick Ruby's butt."

Ren chuckled. "The point of this spar is to see for ourselves how our friends match up against each other. It does seem improper to estimate the end at their expense."

"At Ruby's expense."

"Obviously."

Jaune sighed and kept looking at the farmboy, who rubbed the back of his head. With the cane hidden under his shirt, it was hard to believe that this fidgeting kid was actually the reincarnation of their slain professor. Though, given his own mixed feelings on the headmaster and how much pressure he'd put on Pyrrha back at Beacon, that might have been for the best. None of that was Oscar's fault and he deserved to be judged on his own actions, not Ozpin's.

Besides, he was smaller than even Ruby. He'd feel like a jerk if he was mean to him.

"I'm not sure how good a source I'll be," Oscar said. "You guys don't know Pyrrha's strength, but I've only got her and Ozpin to go off. Well, them and… nevermind."

Jaune cocked an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"It's… it's a long story. I've been seeing some of Ozpin's old memories, his… my past lives," Oscar revealed. "The first one, the things he did, the things he saw, everything I've seen during my training seems weaker compared to them."

Ren's smile faded from his lips. "Things he saw… Salem?"

Oscar instantly flinched. "She was there."

Ren frowned, his hands making to close at his sides. But before they could become fists, Nora grabbed hold of his fingers, entwining her grip with his. They shared a look and Ren sighed, leaning his head against his partner's.

Still, Nora wasn't as bubbly as usual either. "How powerful was Salem? She was stronger than Pyrrha, okay, but how much stronger? Two Pyrrhas? Three?"

"Power is rarely so simple to measure."

The eyes of the students whirled around to Scarlet Nikos, Pyrrha's mother joining them in the front row of Haven's bleachers, Carla and Wendy at her heels, both of the Fairy Tail wizards, the Maiden of the Sky in particular, keeping their eyes locked on the older woman.

"Hey," Jaune greeted. "Everything alright with Headmaster Lionheart?"

Scarlet nodded. "Mr. Branwen is finishing up, but he should be able to reassure the professor that you're just here to reinforce the vault. If he is a spy, he won't be able to tell his masters about Oscar's involvement or any other useful information."

"Wonderful," Jaune said. "You were saying about power?"

The red-headed woman's eyes flickered out to the arena proper, where Ruby, adorned in her Reaper's Rose Armor, stretched her arms while waiting for Pyrrha to change into her combat outfit. "The first thing you learn in arena fighting is that whoever is physically stronger is only part of who has the advantage in a fight. There are hundreds of weapon variations and combinations out there and even more semblances. Magic, from what little I've seen, is much the same. Correct, Miss Marvell? Miss Carla?"

Carla flinched but nodded. "Essentially. Though from what I've observed, there isn't too much variation in aura levels. With magic, some people can have origins twenty times the size of others, maybe even Second Origins."

"So we can measure power like that?" Nora asked.

"No," Scarlet shook her head. "We can measure raw energy like that, but power is something different. You're all aware of Pyrrha's semblance, I assume? She could have used it to crumple her opponent's weapons instantly at the beginning of every fight, but as mighty as that would have made her seem, I guarantee you she would have been dethroned within a season. By using it the way she did, she increased her power by withholding knowledge."

Jaune couldn't help the smirk that came to his lips. "Well, knowledge is power after all."

Nora groaned while Carla's face fell into her hand. Ren, Oscar, and even Wendy flinched.

Strangely enough, Scarlet chuckled. "She said you were charming."

Charming? Huh? Pyrrha had talked to her mom about him?

Scarlet pointed out to the arena where Ruby was pulling her arm across her chest. "You're not wrong. Knowledge is power. But so are a great many other things, small factors that the average person doesn't necessarily think about. Whether you stretched beforehand, what you had for breakfast, what battlefield you fight upon, whether your opponent's abilities are a direct counter for your own, whether you have allies the enemy knows nothing of ready to slide a dagger in their back, all this and more plays a part in battle. Preparation is crucial, but upsetting your foe's preparation can be even more crucial. Even then, chance has slain more of the mighty than raw strength ever will."

"Like a disease," Oscar murmured, frowning.

"Precisely," Scarlet nodded. "You can measure Salem's raw magical energy in multiples of Pyrrha, likely many multiples of Pyrrha. But power? That's something a bit more complex. If you can't match your opponent in a direct confrontation, there are other powers that you can use to emerge victorious."

Jaune's brow furrowed, his mind thinking back to all they'd gone through. Scarlet's philosophy felt like a more complete version of his own thoughts back at Higanbana before that weird faunus had shown up. According to Qrow, none of them, not even Wendy, could overwhelm a Gate in raw magic power, so they'd have to optimize every advantage they could get to come out victorious. After all, Happy hadn't been too much stronger than any one of them, and he'd managed to manipulate circumstances to nearly kill them all. Why couldn't they do the same in turn?

They could do this. Together, they could find a way to—

"Mr. Arc, I'd like to have a chat with you in private."

What?

Jaune was still blinking numbly when Scarlet gripped his arm and started dragging him away. He frantically looked back to his friends. The reactions that greeted him were pretty much what he had expected: Oscar raised an eyebrow, Carla was still facepalming, and Wendy's eyes were locked on her amnesiac guildmate. But most unexpected were Ren and Nora's responses, solemnly shaking their heads as if he'd somehow brought this upon himself.

Traitors! He'd get them back for this!

Once they were a decent distance away from the rest of the group, Scarlet released her hold and whirled around to face him, her brown eyes narrowed. Jaune gulped down his terror. Ruby and Wendy hadn't been able to stay quiet about how amazing the legendary Erza Scarlet was, the Queen of the Fairies who struck terror into the hearts of all the guild's enemies and many of its members, a goddess of the battlefield rivaled by few. Some of that was possibly the two girls' loyal adoration for their mentor coloring their words, but with the woman herself standing before him now, missing memories or not, he could not help but tremble. After all, no one had said the legendary wizard who had slain demons and battled dragons was his partner's mother!

He keenly remembered that the first words out of Ruby's mouth upon her return had been that Erza would kick his ass for being in the girls' room. And Pyrrha had kissed him…

"Hmm, yes," the woman hummed, interrupting his thoughts. "You're about what I expected."

"Huh?" Jaune stuttered. "A…about what you expected for what, ma'am?"

"For you. It took a bit of coaxing, but I was able to get Pyrrha to tell me about her 'charming, determined, incredible' team leader," Scarlet explained, a playful grin blossoming across her face. "I saw you fight at the Vytal Festival, so I tempered my expectations a bit from her glowing review."

Pyrrha had really said all that stuff about him? To her mother? Jaune couldn't help the blush that rose to his cheeks, glancing away from the legendary wizard.

"She gives me too much credit. Before she got to me, I was hopeless," he said. "Everything I learned about fighting, I learned from her."

"I know. She learned it from me," Scarlet teased. "Like I said, I saw your fights at Amity. It wasn't difficult to recognize the forms I taught her. Yours could still use some work."

"No arguments there. Been focusing on magic for the last few months, but I can't let the rest of my skills decay," Jaune concurred. "Heh, maybe I can ask Pyrrha for a refresher course?"

Scarlet raised an eyebrow. "Will you?"

Jaune's eyes widened, realizing exactly what his last words could have been taken as.

He frantically raised his hands. "That wasn't an innuendo! I really do just mean to ask for a refresher course—"

"I am aware," Scarlet interrupted, silencing him instantly. "I am asking if you really will ask her for help. Before I was dogpiled when you all arrived, I noticed that you were the only one not hugging her."

"That? That was nothing, I just didn't want to crowd her…" Jaune stopped when he noticed the Nikos matriarch frowning. He sighed. "Look, it's… it's not that I don't care about her, or that I'm mad at her or anything. It's just… awkward. The last time we saw each other, she… well…"

"Kissed you before shoving you in a locker and going off to fight alone?"

"… how did you—"

"A bit of coaxing. And lots of strawberry ice cream," Scarlet revealed. "She's afraid you hate her for it."

"Hate her?" Jaune gasped. "How could I hate her? I was mad at her, sure. I still am, a bit. She's my friend and I'm her team leader, I'm not happy she went off to fight a battle she didn't think she could win. But I get why she did it, and I get why she sent me away. And hate her? Never."

Scarlet smiled. "I see. So it's the other thing then."

A warm pressure ghosted across Jaune's lips.

"Yeah. The other thing," he confirmed. "Didn't realize how she felt until then."

"You're young. So is she. I'm not surprised," Scarlet noted. "Do you have feelings for her?"

Jaune flinched, slowly shuffling away from his partner's mother. "What answer lets me get out alive?"

Scarlet glared at him, a dark red aura seeming to radiate around her. "The truth."

"Th… the truth," Jaune stammered, his hands unconsciously going for his sword. "Well… that is an excellent… idea… that I… um… uh…"

All of a sudden, the intimidating miasma disappeared. Scarlet's face was still hard, but she ceased pushing out killing intent, looking on Jaune not as a looming gargoyle at the gates of hell but as a… well… a mother. A mother lion that could maul off his head if he threatened her cub, but not without good reason.

"Jaune, I only want to hear the truth," she assured him. "Pyrrha has feelings for you, but if you don't share that particular affection, I want you to be honest about it with both me, yourself, and her."

"Even if it hurts her?"

"Better than you trying to fake it for her and dragging out the pain."

"I… I don't know," Jaune confessed. "I don't know. Pyrrha is… she's incredible. Without her, I would be so much… less, than I am now. She made me a better person."

"That doesn't mean you owe her this."

"No. But I can't say I ever gave the idea much thought before. And now that I am, after the Tower, I still don't know. But… I think I want to find out."

Scarlet smiled and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. "That's what young love is for. You may live happily ever after. You may discover you're better as friends. But nothing healthy can happen if you don't talk to her. Hash this out. No matter what happens, she is still your partner."

A small smile twitched onto Jaune's face. "Yeah. And I'll still be hers."

"That's the spirit!" Scarlet slapped him on the back, driving every ounce of air from his lungs (through his armor!) before whirling around to the arena with a pleased grin on her face. "And if you do abuse her, no one will ever find your body."

"That seems… fair," he croaked, limping up to join her at the rail of the stands. Just in time, the other combatant had arrived at last.

He'd never been blind to Pyrrha's beauty, there was a reason he'd called her 'hot stuff' before he'd learned her name, and in his opinion, her combat outfit had been her best look, even better than the gorgeous crimson gown she'd worn to the dance. Watching her stride into battle, her head held high and filled with confidence as her weapons swayed at her side, it was like watching a war goddess descend from the heavens.

Her new suit was different, but he'd call it more an expansion than an outright change. Her armor was relatively the same, if a far darker shade of bronze. The exposed areas of skin between her plates were filled, a tightly woven black mesh interlaced with small metal rectangles covering the vulnerable sections. Her combat heels were gone, replaced by sturdy brown boots with large toes, the right one noticeable thicker around the heel.

But the most notable changes were the ones they'd already seen, the new gauntlets adorning her forearms. The top surfaces of each had sizable protrusions bumping up from the rest of the devices. If spending time with Ruby had taught Jaune anything about weapon design, he'd bet good lien that those areas were where the main weapons would come out.

"Styx and Cerberus," Scarlet revealed, watching where his gaze fell. "Pyrrha was always fond of the kingdom's old legends, but I preferred Akouo and Milo."

"The gods of speech and understanding," Jaune remarked, recalling what his partner had told him about how she'd named her weapons. "These new ones… the river of hatred that guards the underworld—"

"And the three-headed hound that waits to devour any damned soul beyond it."

"Edgier than I remember her being," Jaune frowned. Though, it instantly disappeared when he saw the smile on both combatants' faces. "Let's see if Ruby can stop drooling over them long enough to fight."

Now, it was Scarlet's turn to frown. "That armor of hers is quite… elaborate. I can't say I can imagine wearing something that inspired it."

Jaune's brow furrowed. "They really look up to you."

"They look up to 'Erza'. Miss. Marvell hasn't taken her eyes off me. She wants to use some enchantment to restore my mind," Scarlet mused. "They're good kids. But when they look at me, they don't see me. They see her. Their Fairy Queen."

"But… aren't you?" Jaune pointed at the dark blue guildmark on her upper arm. "I mean, even if you looking just like her is somehow a coincidence, they'd recognize if your mark was different, right?"

Scarlet glanced down at the tattoo and scoffed. "I've had this thing for as long as I can remember. Never gave it much thought. Now, they say it means I'm someone else. Someone I don't even remember. And they want her back."

Jaune cringed. Yeah, he could understand a bit of what that felt like. Not to the extremes that Scarlet was handling obviously, but people looking to you to be someone you're just not? That was essentially what his first few weeks of Beacon had been, everyone waiting for him to suddenly be the amazing huntsman he was supposed to be. But that situation had been his own fault for sneaking into the school. Scarlet had never asked to be thought of as Erza.

But Ruby, Wendy, and Carla needed her to be. They needed her to be the mentor they lost, to be some proof that the guild they left behind was not completely gone or corrupted. Even still, just because they needed her to be that, did that mean Scarlet had any responsibility to become her?

"You know, even if you do become Erza again, that won't necessarily mean that you'll… stop being Scarlet Nikos," he said, hoping to comfort her. "I mean, you're not going to stop being Pyrrha's mom or Rouge's sister just because you regain some memories."

"Regain. It's funny. Just the nature of the word implies that I've lost something. But something lost doesn't necessarily mean something I'd be better off with," Scarlet whispered. "Back when I first woke up, I would have given anything to know who I was. But as time went on, Pyrrha was born and I was adopted into the family, I just... stopped caring. The present was all I could ask for, so why concern myself with the past, with whatever pain was so terrible that I had to forget? I moved on. I didn't… I don't feel like I'm missing anything. And yet, those three… they've clearly lost so much."

"You want to help them," Jaune realized.

Scarlet nodded. "They're Pyrrha's friends. They saved her life at Beacon. If I can ease their suffering, I want to. But whatever was in the past, whatever pain haunted Erza's life, I'm not sure I can be who I am if it becomes mine again. Maybe not even the person they remember."

Jaune sighed, both him and the redheaded woman staring out towards the arena, the viewscreen above flashing on to display Ruby and Pyrrha's aura levels. Both of his friends had suffered so much since Beacon, both of them irrevocably changed by the events and revelations of the Fall. They had no choice in the matter, all they could do was grit their teeth, build their strength, and brace themselves to face the coming storm.

Scarlet was not a coward, no one who'd raised Pyrrha could be. She had made clear that she was more than willing to join the fight against Salem with everything she had. But she had a choice when it came to the memories of Erza, and no matter if she chose to try to get them back or not, each path carried a risk. If she did not reclaim the memories, she might not be as powerful as she could be in the war to come. But if she did, she could lose who she was, either by her past subsuming who she has become, or the rush of pain long forgotten shattering a psyche built on its absence.

If the choice was his, Jaune honestly couldn't say which he would pick.

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As soon as Pyrrha stepped into the ring, Ruby couldn't stop smiling.

She'd been looking forward to seeing how far her friend had grown in magic and what her new gauntlets could do, but just looking at her got her blood pumping. The dark brown plate, the interwoven metal mesh, the new flat-footed boots (suck it Weiss and your ridiculous devil shoes!), everything about her just looked so cool! Plus, now that she knew her friend was Erza's daughter, that just made her even more amazing! Oh, she could hear the blood pumping through her veins. She hadn't been this excited for a match since she'd first assembled her requip arsenal.

"All set?" Pyrrha called. "I don't want you at anything less than your best, Ruby!"

The red reaper grinned. In a flash of white light, Crescent Rose was in her hands. She twirled the scythe around and thrust it towards her friend. "Don't worry about me! I'm about to prove that your team solidarity is no match for my ability to kick butt!"

Pyrrha chuckled and dropped into a combat stance.

She flicked out her left gauntlet and a meter-wide layered shield unwound over her forearm. She did the same to the other, but the right weapon only expanded into about a third of its counterpart, like a metal war fan strapped atop the limb, three knobbing protrusions sticking out from its back like hilts.

Ruby's drool must have been showing, because her friend laughed again.

"Styx and Cerberus, if you'd like to know their names," Pyrrha grinned. She knew her so well!

The champion spared no more time for words and dashed towards the red reaper.

Ruby grinned and planted her sniper scythe into the arena, unleashing a barrage of dust rounds downrange. Unsurprisingly, while Pyrrha raised Styx to block the shots, a black mist seeped over Crescent Rose, twisting the rifle and throwing off the red hooded huntress' aim just enough to make her miss. As expected, it was simple, yet elegant.

Yet, at this point in their friendship, predictable.

Her requip flowed through her and bursts of white light summoned five swords and spears from her pocket dimension right above her head. The barrage of steel streaked towards the Mistralian huntress, coming at her from above and both sides, just as a similar glow flowed over Crescent Rose.

Pyrrha maintained her charge, unconcerned by the raining metal. Understandably, since even with their lightning speed, the weapons froze midair, each encased in the power of her semblance. They twirled around, ready to return to their master point first.

Ruby smirked and dismissed them with a thought. She'd fired just in case, but she hadn't expected them to work if Pyrrha really was at a hundred percent. Still, it'd provided evidence that her friend had really recovered from Beacon Tower, and given her a bit of time to switch out Crescent Rose for something a bit more suited to the current fight.

Because as much as she'd bristled at Team JNPR's teasing, they weren't wrong. Pyrrha was a really poor matchup for her, fast enough to react to her semblance boosted rushes and strong enough to deal crippling damage when she hit back. Magic didn't really tilt the odds either. Of the three Ruby could potentially access, the only one she had mastered was Requip. She'd barely made any progress recreating the complex spell structure of Fairy Glitter without Mavis' help and what breakthroughs she'd made in her Silver Spirit Slayer Magic were still limited. Thus, she'd have to rely on her armor's added benefits to win this.

Thus, she spawned Tulip's Aegis on her forearm and Waning Thorn in her opposite hand. Anything ranged would just go off-target or get swung into her, so she had to go with something that wouldn't hurt her if it was swung into her, at least until she was ready. At least this way she would have some form of defense if things didn't go her way.

No more time to formulate one, the Invincible Girl had arrived.

She didn't leap as the old Pyrrha might have, galloping into battle like a mighty stag through the plains, but instead slammed right into Ruby's hoplon, like a bull crashing into the matador at last. Her right gauntlet led the charge, while her left pulled back, its layers pulling back just slightly as thin black barrels emerged from its depths.

Ruby's eyes widened. It was also a gun! That was so cool!

She tried to raise Tulip's Aegis, but Pyrrha's semblance combined with her other hand keeping pressure on it kept the shield from getting into the barrel's path. Styx span into a blur and a stream of bullets rained down on Ruby, each one biting at her aura.

The reaper activated her semblance and burst into a stream of roses, lifting herself above and behind the spinning shield and spreading a mess of petals around the battlefield. She stabbed forward with Waning Thorn, thrusting her rapier right into the opening between Styx's gun barrels and steel, jamming the rotation. And yet, she heard another burst of gunfire, one just to her right.

Her eyes widened right as she saw Pyrrha's smirk.

The three hilts on the back of Cerberus hadn't just been for decoration. Three bronze short swords had been shot out of the war fan, or rather sheath, and into midair. Black aura overtook the blades, reorienting them and sending them streaking for Ruby, like a trio of bloodthirsty hunting hounds.

She raised her shield, but once again it was useless. There were no arms swinging these swords, which meant there were no limits to their possible angles of assault. No matter where she put her hoplon, she could only block them if she caught them mid-strike, otherwise they'd reorient and nip at her from an opening, shaving off chunk after chunk of aura.

For Pyrrha to be able to control them with such precision during battle, she had even more control over her semblance than Ruby thought. With that information, her new strategy fell into place within the young huntress' mind. While back at Beacon she'd relied on elaborate acrobatics and footwork to weave her way through her foes, her new tactics relied far more on speed, strength, and pinpoint control of those aspects. The metal plates layered within her mesh armor and what Ruby would bet good lien were steel-toed boots allowed her to command her own body like a puppet on strings, amplifying her natural physical abilities with her metaphysical ones. It was a strange hybrid of Nora, Ren, and the Mistral champion's own techniques, but she'd be lying if she said it wasn't putting the pressure on.

Another burst of her semblance and she rolled across the arena, escaping the storm of steel, a rain of rose petals littering her path. With the distance she'd gained, she should have a second to readdress the situation and—"

"Meteor!"

Oh right, magic.

Golden light enveloped Pyrrha and she blasted towards Ruby like a cannon-shot. Once more, the red reaper raised Tulip's Aegis to block, her opponent's fist ramming into the shield. Unlike before, the Requip wizard noticed a fist-shaped dent in the metal. On her side! She hadn't activated the defense magic, but seriously! Not even Yang had dented it before!

She didn't have time to gush about how awesome that was though. The golden glow that increased her strength hadn't faded like her uses at Beacon and her speed was still boosted as well. Her fists rained down in a flurry of black and yellow wrath, joined by her trio of swords that fell from the sky like thunderbolts.

Ruby dipped deep in her arsenal, summoning shield after shield from her reserve to intercept the blades and get battered aside in the process, their mistress instantly zapping them back to her hold as she dodged. Tulip's Aegis didn't get another dent, but the huntress had to put all her strength in overpowering Pyrrha's semblance as she tried to wrench it aside.

Eventually, the red hooded huntress had no choice but to use her semblance again to escape the onslaught. But Pyrrha's Meteor remained active and with a flash of her semblance to reorient her body and her weapons, she shot after Ruby, matching her pace with the fluttering rose petals.

Her speed, her strength, her magic, Pyrrha had used the last few months to craft a style that maximized all of them. Simple, but brutally effective. She really was the prodigy among their year of prodigies. Already, she'd cut down a full third of Ruby's aura, while she'd only incurred the cost of her semblance and a few glancing blows.

The silver-eyed girl grinned, her eyes glancing out to the stands where Erza watched. It was all so perfect. The stage was set, her friend was magnificent, and her mentor was seeing the entire thing. Now, it was time to unveil what she'd worked so hard to create. And win this fight.

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All things considered, Pyrrha thought things were going quite well. She was still a bit disappointed that Wendy wasn't able to fight her with the same power she'd used to defeat Cinder, but honestly, it was just a treasure to be reunited with her friends. Sure, Jaune had been more distant than usual and probably hated her for sending him away, and her mom was apparently Ruby's wizard teacher who'd lost her memory... but Ren and Nora hugged her! That was wonderful! And there was a talking cat!

Yeah, things were great! And Ruby had held out against Cinder longer than she had. There was a lot she could learn from her. Yes!

Besides, this spar really was a lot of fun. With the rapier jammed in Styx, her shield gun was neutralized unless she took a moment to properly remove the blockage, a moment that was ill-advised at the moment. Her plan to force Ruby into the formation she wanted was going well so far, but against a fighter of her speed and skill, maintaining the momentum of the battle was critical. She could not let up! She could not give her a chance! One opening was all it would take and then she'd be dead!

… metaphorically. This was a spar. She knew Ruby wouldn't kill her, and she wouldn't kill Ruby. This was to help them both improve. They were friends.

Cinder was the enemy.

And she wouldn't show any mercy. So, if she wanted to prepare Ruby and make sure she survived whatever battles were to come, she couldn't either. She had been pushing herself bit by bit so far, preparing a more extravagant endgame just in case while checking to see how each portion of her new style worked against an opponent that wasn't her mother or Ozpin. Now it was time to end it, simply and brutally.

Despite the rampant combat that huntsmen saw, Pyrrha hadn't met many other than herself, Jaune, and Cardin of all people who used armor. Thus, her use of her semblance had been limited to weaponry. But since Ruby was wearing her own, well… there was only one thing to do. She threw out her power, ready for the strength of her soul to crumple the crimson wings like tissue paper.

But… they didn't?

Ruby flashed her shield away and somersaulted away from Pyrrha, another burst of her semblance rocketing her just ahead of Meteor and Cerberus' blades while scattering rose petals around the arena floor, her armor unbent and unbroken.

The Mistral Champion's eyes narrowed, making sure to keep up the attack. What had happened? Had she been so focused on controlling her armor and weapons that she'd directed the flow of her semblance wrong? No, she'd mastered both guiding her magic and her semblance. She'd worked on it for weeks! This was something else. But what?

The pattern continued. She soared after Ruby, they traded blows with her smashing off chunks of her friend's aura and only receiving the barest counters in return, then Ruby would use her semblance to escape, but still down a path that worked for Pyrrha, who was already in hot pursuit, careful not to step on the petals and slip… petals…

Pyrrha's eyes widened, the armor's name suddenly clicking into place. But that was ridiculous...

She reached out with her semblance once more… and instantly recalled that magic did not care what she thought was possible.

"That armor," she growled. "It's not made of metal."

Ruby smirked. "It used to be. But once I got the hardening magic working, I figured, why not?"

The scale mail wings of her armor, her armor made of literal rose petals, took on a soft scarlet. The red hooded huntress swept her hands forward, a surge of winds bursting outward. Pyrrha realized what was happening immediately and leapt away, infusing her semblance through her armor to give her extra speed.

It wasn't enough. Ruby had laid her trap well. Every use of her semblance had scattered her signature rose petals across the arena, and now each and every one of them was tinged with a mystical shine, straight as arrows and floating in the air. A hundred thousand blades that Pyrrha's semblance couldn't touch. And all of them were coming for her.

The champion pulled back Cerberus' blades, raising Styx to aid in the defense. In a great scarlet tornado, Ruby's petals fell on her, each one slashing like a knife. She did her best to beat them back, and the greater size of her weapons did help get most of them, but dozens of stings still made it past her guard, chipping away at her aura bit by bit.

She couldn't let this go on. Already, she could see Ruby's eyes starting to glow with silver light, even as her hands continued to direct the assault of her petals. If Pyrrha didn't regain control of the momentum now, she was going to lose the match. And she could not lose. She could not afford to be weak.

Fortunately, her larger plan was still in motion. Six markers had been laid over the course of the battle. Just one more would be simple.

"Meteor!" she yelled, bursting out of the petal storm and soaring to the opposite end of the battleground from Ruby. She used her semblance to control her descent, ensuring that the weight fell on her left foot. The cushion boot on her other foot would allow her a little leeway if she needed it, but her right heel was still her most vulnerable area. Her new style was designed to minimize pressure on it, and she couldn't ruin that training now.

Predictably, Ruby's petals stampeded after her, spinning like tiny buzz saws, vanguards to their mistress' greater assault. But now that they were coming at Pyrrha from one direction instead of every angle, she could defend against it.

She slammed her hands together in the practiced pose, magic flowing out from her origin. "Bariasuta!"

The spell of the barrier star flashed into existence around her, a concave shield of interconnected clear octagons. The rose petals slammed into the shield, ripples emanating through the light as they bounced away. What they had in numbers, they lacked in raw power. They could not penetrate Pyrrha's wall.

But they were Ruby's weapons. They wouldn't give up so easily. The petals swarmed around the barrier, freezing in midair at various points on the shield's perimeter. And they started to change color?

Something was up there. But she'd planted the final marker, seven for seven. She placed one hand over the other, two fingers from each extended. She had this won. She would not lose.

She would not be weak.

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"Woah," Oscar murmured, his eyes locked on the battle before her.

He'd seen Pyrrha and Ozpin spar before, but for that he'd always had a first-person view from within his body. Now with an outside perspective on a wizard's duel, he knew exactly how theoretically dangerous the blows exchanged by his allies were, but between the golden starlight and storm of rose petals, he couldn't deny how beautiful it was.

Of course, nothing said a beautiful thing couldn't be dangerous. As his recent memory discovery proved.

'Why didn't you tell me?' He queried to his mind.

"Many reasons," Ozpin sighed. "You'd learn eventually. It didn't matter. And… it was too painful to remember."

Oscar winced. 'I'm sorry about that. But don't you think the others deserve to know what this war is really about?'

"They know what it's about. I assure you, whatever our past, I oppose Salem now because her efforts will lead to the end of humanity if she is not stopped."

'Do you swear?' Oscar demanded. 'This isn't just some marital spat that got out of hand?'

"That's… one way of putting it, I suppose. But I swear that the stakes are precisely as high as I've said. We may die. Our allies may die. But we cannot let her win. Or everything ends."

"Oscar?"

"Huh?" the farmboy stuttered, turning to face Wendy, who raised an eyebrow at him. "Oh, sorry. Did you say something?"

"No, you just looked lost in thought," the blue-haired girl said. "Were you talking with Ozpin?"

"Ah, yeah," Oscar chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Having an ancient wizard in your head, sometimes you start a conversation and you forget no one else can hear, you know?"

Wendy's eyes widened. "Uh, no, I don't. No, not at all."

Oscar flinched. "Oh, sorry." He didn't think he'd said anything to offend, but he wasn't exactly knowledgeable about the nuances of Fairy Tail's culture, and technically Wendy was an ancient wizard.

"No, no, it's alright," she assured him. "It's just… nothing. Oh, look, Ruby's using the color change magic on her armor. I'm glad it's not exploding."

"Exploding?" Oscar squeaked. "Is that a thing that can happen?"

"Awesome!" Nora cheered, leaning over the stands. "Why hasn't it happened yet?!"

"Because Ruby and Wendy knew what they were doing," Carla said. "The color change is simple, though I'm not quite sure why you included it."

"Well, you see—"

"Oh, wait, I know this!" Nora exclaimed, jumping in front of Wendy. "Things get their color based on which wavelength of light they reflect. So, by changing what color an object is, you change what light it reflects."

Wendy blinked. "That's… exactly right. You actually remembered what I told you about light refraction?"

"Of course! I have to know how to make my enemies naked," she shifted her grin towards Ren. "And maybe someone else too. Right, Ren?"

"Why are they still going?" Ren said, his eyes locked on the battle while Nora sighed.

Oscar's eyes whipped towards the arena. The rose petals had frozen in midair, angled all around Pyrrha, their color changing from red to silver. Based on what Ozpin had told him of Ruby's magic, and the silver glow growing in her eyes, it was simple enough to guess what the purpose of the refraction was.

And with a glance at the viewscreen, even simpler to realize why Ren was so concerned.

"Ruby—"

"Silver Spirit Wail!"

She roared and a stream of silver light erupted from her gullet, barreling straight for the petals. What Oscar suspected would have happened however, never did.

Four ethereal golden ankhs shimmered into existence between the blast and the petals, each slanted so the light wouldn't strike them head-on. When it hit, the silver surge bounced off the barriers, losing momentum with each strike and directed off course from the petals.

It probably would have still taken a good chunk out of the stands if Ruby didn't cut it off on her end. Her confused eyes stared out to the bleachers straight at Jaune, who held out his hands even as the ankhs faded.

"Good, mister Arc noticed as well."

'Yeah, but I don't think Pyrrha has!'

Indeed, the Mistral champion's eyes were closed in concentration, her stance set for—oh shit!

"May the seven stars cast judgment upon you…"

Oscar's eyes widened. 'Ozpin!'

"Get in there!"

'What! I can't do anything against—'

"Use the cane!"

Oscar wasn't entirely sure what the cane they'd gotten from Qrow would do, but when the ancient wizard was sounding so panicked and giving him orders, he figured it was best not to delay. He leapt down from the stands, immensely grateful that aura cushioned several-foot falls, and rolled into a sprint. Thanks to Pyrrha's training, he actually managed to get to Ruby before everything went to hell and seven points of blinding golden light flared to life across the arena, connecting to form a familiar constellation.

"Huh?" the red hooded girl exclaimed. "Oscar, what's going on—"

"Grand Chariot!"

Pyrrha's words cracked through the air, each of the markers on the ground shooting upward, their formation taking shape above as below.

And then they fell, seven stars blazing with power.

Oscar wasn't entirely sure what he was doing, but as soon as he unfurled the cane, his body seemed to know what to do. He snagged Ruby and pulled her down, kneeling himself. He poured magic into the cane, somehow knowing gears within gears would turn.

With a guttural roar he didn't know was within him, he slammed the staff into the ground. An emerald energy dome, crackling with power, sprang to life around the pair of wizards. Just in time, for the judgment of the stars plummeted all around them.

For several moments, all Oscar could see was gold, shining and glorious, the wrath of heaven encompassing his sight. Fortunately, when those moments passed, despite his pants and the sweat dripping down his forehead, the green energy dome was still there and both he and Ruby were still alive and in one piece!

Unfortunately, the surrounding arena was not. It was significantly more… crater-y than before. As in, every inch of the stadium that wasn't under the emerald dome was now a crater. Wait, did that mean they were on a hill…

"Focus, Oscar."

'Right. Sorry.'

"Oscar! Jaune!" Pyrrha called out, glancing between the two. "What are you doing—"

"Pyrrha, look!" Jaune shouted, pointing towards the viewscreen. The display flickered, slightly cracked from the spell, but it still clearly showed Ruby and Pyrrha's aura levels.

Both of which were in the red, the latter's a decent chunk higher.

The redhead's eyes widened, her hands rising to cover her mouth. "I… I didn't… Ruby, I'm sorry—"

"That was awesome! Your gauntlets were so badass and your armor plays to your semblance so well!" Ruby cheered. She leapt to her feet and bounced over to Pyrrha, a massive smile spread across her face. "I thought I had you with my armor, but your magic is so awesome!"

"But… I lost track of the aura levels. If Oscar hadn't been there, I would have—"

"Eh, I didn't notice either. Jaune had to protect you from my attack too. Good thing, otherwise it would have hit the petals and then you'd be trapped in the cage—oh wait," Ruby burst into rose petals and appeared in front of Oscar's face. "You blocked that massive blast without breaking a sweat! How'd you do that? I thought your thing was time magic!"

"Oh, uh," Oscar stuttered, a light blush spreading over his cheeks, desperately trying to look at Ruby's eyes and above. "It is. I think it's the cane. It's some kind of magic… shield… artifact that Ozpin made a long time ago. It's not me."

"What are you talking about?"

"Huh?"

Ruby grinned at him, pointing toward her Reaper's Rose's wings. "My armor gives me extra capabilities, extra powers, but it can't use them on its own. The cane is the same. It's a powerful tool, but you still made the shield."

Oscar glanced away. "Oh. I guess I never thought about it that way. I mean, this is the first time I've ever used it. I'm not even sure what I did."

"A weapon is just an extension of yourself," Ruby encouraged, giving him a thumbs up. "It's kind of like magic in a way, growing alongside you, getting amazing new upgrades as you learn how to handle awesome new skills. Don't worry if you haven't figured everything out yet. You will."

"I… thank you," Oscar said. "You… were really amazing in the fight too. Unless Scarlet or Ozpin are in the ring, I've never seen anyone stand up to Pyrrha like that."

Ruby chuckled nervously and scratched the bottom of her chin. "Yeah well, it wasn't easy. Pyrrha is really amazing. Even with my armor, she would have vaporized me if you hadn't been there."

"No, I wouldn't have gotten that far."

Both Oscar and Ruby turned around, Pyrrha walking up to them, her eyes on the floor. "If Jaune hadn't blocked your attack, whatever plan you had to get around Bariasuta would have gone off before I finished Grand Chariot."

"Which you used in a spar."

Oscar, Ruby, and Pyrrha all went ramrod straight, a familiar aura of dread and terror sinking over them all. Mustering all the strength of will he possessed, the three huntsmen turned ever so slowly to face the crimson demon marching towards them.

"Mo… mo… mother…" Pyrrha stammered, unable to meet Scarlet's eyes.

"You used a spell with the strength of a meteor in a spar," the elder Nikos glared. "Do you have any idea how wrong this could have gone?"

Ruby stepped forward. "It wasn't just her fault—"

"Yes, you both should have paid attention enough to know that you'd reached the red," Scarlet declared, turning her stare on the young huntress and freezing her in her tracks. "On the battlefield, you must be aware of everything that is going on. Otherwise, you risk falling into an enemy's trap or hurting your allies."

Ruby opened her mouth to argue, but suddenly closed it, her brow furrowing in thought. "The battlefield is another part of our arsenal. If we don't pay attention, we abandon it as a weapon."

Scarlet's eyes widened. "Well… yes. But you both still need to take responsibility for your reckless actions."

"Perhaps I should assist in this?"

'Please. She's terrifying.'

His vision flashed green and Oscar shifted into being a passenger.

Ozpin compressed his cane and stored it away, hidden within their clothes so Lionheart didn't accidentally see it. He stepped forward between Scarlet and the young huntresses, a genial and calming smile on his face.

"Ms. Nikos, if I may make a suggestion?" he spoke up, drawing everyone's attention. "While I agree that ignoring the parameters of a spar and nearly irreparably harming each other, even by accident, is something that cannot and should not be ignored, we shouldn't lose track that everyone is okay. If this were Beacon, my suggestion would be to let the team leaders handle the matter."

Ruby raised her hand.

"And since Ms. Rose is a team leader, a teacher would speak with her on the matter. Probably Glynda."

"She's also terrifying."

"Quite," Ozpin nodded. "So if that is alright with you, perhaps that is the way to handle the matter?"

Scarlet's eyes narrowed. Fortunately, it only took a glance out to the stands, specifically at Jaune, for her to smile. "I believe you may be correct. I assume you'll handle Ms. Rose?"

"I do seem to be the only professor of hers present."

"What? Hold up!" Ruby squeaked. "What about Uncle Qrow? He was a teacher at Signal."

…

…

…

"Yeah, you're right."

Oscar chuckled inside his mind before his eyes narrowed inside his consciousness. "You sure you want to have Jaune handle Pyrrha? He seems like a nice guy, but we haven't been able to help her at all and we've been trying since training started."

'Which is precisely why I want to have him take a shot. Both Scarlet and our own attempts to help improve Ms. Nikos' mental state have proven themselves ineffective. Mr. Arc may not have the same experience we do, but he is Pyrrha's partner and leader. He is a reminder of a simpler time. With any luck, he will be able to make headway in tempering her determination.'

Oscar's vision flashed and control of his body returned to him just in time to frown, the rest of the group rushing down from the stands. However, even as Nora tackled Pyrrha and began gushing about the match, Jaune lingered near the back.

He was smiling though. So hopefully everything would turn okay. After all, if this match proved nothing else, it was that they had plenty of firepower on their side. Oscar hadn't known exactly what to think of the reinforcements that had arrived. But between the show of force he'd just witnessed, and Ruby and Wendy's encouragement… they might just be able to do this.

Then he remembered the brief glimpses he'd caught of Salem's majestic and terrifying power.

They had their work cut out for them.

Heads up, my Spring Break has ended, and though I am on online courses due to the quarantine, my teachers have all decided to give research papers instead of finals. A fair choice given the dreadful circumstances we all find ourselves in during this plague, but it means that I may not be able to get a chapter out for the new few weeks. I will try my best otherwise, but if one doesn't appear, that is the reason. Thank you all for your understanding and patience in these dark times.

An extra huge thank you to my patrons: Gregg Tracton, Annaya Chan, Keith Tracton, Nora Okonus, KefkaesqueXIII, Christian Howard, SanyaBane, Matthew Blevins, David Wayman, G-Unit91, and Primordial Paper.

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

Go Forth and Conquer!