Alright! Semester is done! Back to the fun stuff! Thank you all for your patience!

Beta-ed by xenosaiyan

"Are you sure you have everything?"

"Yup," Ruby assured Erza. Her mentor hovering in front of her while she sat on her bed, weapon-cloth in hand as she polished Waxing Petal. "Weiss tripled checked our travel bags. We've got enough food, water, and money to last as long as the mission goes."

Erza's frown didn't abate. "Far be it from me to doubt Weiss's logistical abilities, but she only has access to the supplies that have been on the market as of late and I can't say it's been quality product. Perhaps it would be best to postpone your mission until we could acquire better stock."

Ruby stopped polishing and looked the Fairy Queen straight in the eye. "Mira cooks with the same stuff and you said yesterday's strawberry cake was the best thing you ever ate."

"Mira can make anything taste like the best thing I've ever eaten," Erza scoffed. "But for a mission, you need the best food supply possible. And I know the best strawberry field, I can show you how to pick them—"

"How far away is the field?"

"… a day's journey. So you just need to wait until we get back and then we can only handle the job together-"

"By then Tartaros' trail will have gone cold," Ruby pointed out. "And you guys can't come on this job. Master Makarov and the princess were crystal clear. The Strongest Team is too high profile for a secret mission like this."

Erza sighed. "I know."

Ruby smiled. With a flash of light, she returned Waxing Petal to her requip dimension and hopped to her feet. "Hey, don't worry. We should both be done these missions in a week, no problem. Wendy and I are going to bake some cookies then, so we'll definitely need the best strawberries ever as our ingredients!"

"That does sound lovely. But, this isn't actually about the quality of your food supply."

"Yeah, I kind of figured," Ruby remarked. "It's a lead, Erza. Not a false trail like that illusionist that swindled us out of our rent money, but a real lead on Tartaros, royalty verified and everything. Plus, you said yourself that the portal that brought us here felt similar to the Eclipse Gate, so maybe whoever took them knows something that could help us get back. We can't afford to pass up this chance."

"I know. I know," Erza said. "I just wish we could come with you.

"We'll be fine. Tartaros is what you've been training us for since we got here."

"But I didn't think you'd have to face them alone."

Ruby grinned and enclosed her mentor in a hug. "We're a team. We're never alone. And even if we were, like the First Master said, you guys will always be watching over us, even at a distance."

"I'd rather be watching over you up close and personal," Erza grumbled, though she eagerly returned the hug. "Even discounting Tartaros, if this thief is as powerful as the rumors say…"

"Those same rumors also say they haven't killed anyone."

"Yet."

"True," Ruby admitted. She pulled out of the hug and tugged down her sleeve. Beneath her guildmark, a crimson arrowhead tattoo still adorned her arm. "But if things do get dicey, I've got one Fairy Glitter sized surprise ready to knock them down."

Erza smirked. "Oh? Have you been learning from Mavis behind my back?"

Ruby's face went red. She frantically waved her arms in front of her. "What?! No, no, no, you've got it all wrong! It was just for Fairy Glitter, so I could figure out how to use it, and I still have no idea how to use it from scratch, she really wasn't even that good a teacher—"

Erza planted a firm hand on her shoulder and put an end to her frantic shuddering. "Ruby, it's fine. Honestly, all this is just my own worries getting the better of me."

"Oh," Ruby replied, rubbing the back of her head. "I just… we have to do this. It's our first real chance. But, if you don't think we're ready, we won't rush in."

The redhead chuckled. "Before I stopped you all from going after Tartaros because I didn't think you could handle it. Now… now I'm afraid that something will go wrong while you're gone, and I won't be able to help you."

"Huh?" Ruby cocked an eyebrow. That sounded like something her dad had said when he'd been hesitant at letting her accept the invitation to go to Beacon early. Why would Erza be hesitant about that? "Why? You've trained to be amazing wizards. We can handle this."

Erza smiled. "I know. You are a magnificent wizard and huntress, Ruby. You are strong and wise and I am very proud of you."

"Wise, huh?" Ruby grinned. "Don't suppose you could repeat that when Weiss is in earshot?"

Both women giggled at the joke. Ruby raised her hands and clasped Erza's wrist on her shoulder. They stood there for a few moments, teacher and student, knight and reaper. The Scarlet Fairies.

"Thank you," Ruby stated. "I know I've said it before, but thank you. For the housing, the training, the teachings… the guild. Just thank you for everything."

"It has been my honor and privilege," Erza replied.

Ruby grinned. "You know, when we do get back to Remnant, we're going to visit. No way dad and Uncle Qrow aren't going to want to meet the people who taught us magic. Oh, and Team JNPR too! They're sure to want to meet you guys!"

Erza smirked. "That's the team where the boys are both oblivious to their partners' affections for them, right?"

"Yup! They're both quieter, less combustible Natsus," Ruby declared before furrowing her brow in thought. "In a way."

A knock from the door drew both of the wizards' attention. The entrance peeked open and Wendy poked her head in.

"What about Natsu being combustible?" the Maiden of the Sky asked.

Once again, Ruby and Erza broke out in giggles, leaving Wendy to tilt her head in confusion.

"Sorry, sorry Wendy," Ruby said. "What's up? We should have twenty more minutes before either train reaches the station."

"Uh, Weiss said she wanted you all to be there fifteen minutes beforehand just in case," Wendy replied. "Then Yang said something, Natsu agreed with her, Gray needled him, and now…"

An explosion rang out from the guildhall, the breeze even reaching all the way to Fairy Hills.

Erza's eyes narrowed. "We are less than half an hour away from undergoing crucial missions for the royal family and the Ten Wizard Saints. What are those idiots thinking?"

Ruby smirked. "Business as usual?"

And really, she wouldn't have it any other way.

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Ruby really did not know what way this was going to go.

Sure, she'd been called into a teacher's office before, Professor Goodwitch had given her quite a few words after the fight with Torchwick's Paladin. But she'd usually been facing down a stern older huntsman or huntress in a rigid, orderly office. Now, she was sitting on a couch in Pyrrha's living room in front of her former headmaster in the body of a farmboy a year and a half younger than her while her guildmate from the ancient past painted arcane runes on the wooden floor. All while her talking cat and amnesiac mentor skeptically overlooked the proceedings.

"So, this 'enchantment' will bring back any memories I've forgotten?" Scarlet inquired, an eyebrow raised. "Just like that? It sounds too good to be true doesn't it?"

"Well, it isn't going to be easy," Wendy absentmindedly replied, far more focused on the rune she was painting. "It'll take a while to complete and there's more than likely going to be some pain."

"Some pain?"

"Nothing too bad. Restoring your memories restores the pain you forgot, but it'll be fine," Wendy assured her. "After all, it is literally nothing you haven't handled before."

Scarlet didn't look at all reassured. Even Carla frowned at her partner's words.

"This spell does seem a tad more… volatile than your usual fare," the white Exceed noted. "When did you even learn something like this?"

"Um, I found it in some of Grandeeney's notes," Wendy explained. "It's a variation on Milky Way."

"What variation? I thought you finished studying those notes years ago?"

"Um, yes, I… um… found some new sections."

"When? Why didn't you mention them?"

"Uh…"

Ozpin chuckled. "Perhaps we should take this meeting to another room, Ms. Rose?"

Ruby cringed watching Carla question Wendy more and more, and nodded. She really didn't want to be here for a partner fight.

They scuttled out the hall, past the stairwell that led up to the second floor, and made their way to the kitchen table.

"So," Ruby muttered. "How does this work? I mean, we're not at Beacon anymore, but can I still get detention?"

Ozpin smirked. "Ruby, are you aware of the mistake you made?"

"I got too focused on the fight and didn't notice when Pyrrha and I entered the red aura level."

"Do you intend to do so again?"

"Uh, no?"

"Very well then, I think that's enough discipline for one day," he declared, flashing a mischievous smile that somehow looked just as at home on Oscar's face as it had on her headmaster's. "Teaching really is such strenuous work."

"Huh?" Ruby's mind took a moment to reboot. "That's it?!"

"Yes. Truthfully, once you recognized your mistake, I was more concerned with calming Scarlet down and getting Pyrrha some one-on-one time with Mr. Arc," Ozpin explained. "She has been rather off-balance since Beacon and I'm hoping he can help where myself and her mother have proven less effective."

"Off-balance?" Ruby said. "I was barely able to survive against her. She was at the top of her game."

"You think so? Tell me, you have a habit of the tunnel vision that hampered you during your spar. Does she?"

"Well… no."

Ozpin frowned. "Not all trauma is crippling, but they all leave scars. And as we both know Ms. Rose; one does not encounter Cinder Fall without trauma."

Ruby sighed. Pyrrha's new style was more aggressive than her old one. But was that a bad thing? They hadn't exactly been winning a war of attrition during the fight on Beacon Tower.

"Is that why you really wanted to talk to me?" she asked. "To make sure I was still on board? I wouldn't have come here if I wasn't. I'm going to help stop Salem with everything I have."

"That's wonderful to hear," Ozpin smiled. "But while I am glad to see your drive is still strong, I do hope that it is not the tunnel vision you demonstrated today."

"What do you mean?"

"I knew another woman with silver eyes once. Like you, she was exceptionally talented as a huntress, I daresay perhaps even more than Ms. Nikos. And also like you, she wanted to help others, protect them, more than anything. With her magic, strength, conviction, and most especially, her compassion, I began to believe a hope I had not held for… centuries, at least. That victory was possible."

Ruby gulped. "But it didn't happen?"

Ozpin shook his head. "I put so much faith in her, put so much kindling into her small, simple spark of hope, that it blazed out of control. Even as tragedy marred her life, she came to believe that she needed to defeat Salem, to live up to the image of the savior huntress that she had constructed of herself in her mind. An image I helped her build, and ultimately led her to undertake a mission that took her life."

"Who was she?"

"Do I really need to say? There is a reason your father and I are not on the best terms."

Ruby had figured. That said, despite the depressing description, she couldn't help the small smile that rose to her lips. Her dad didn't like talking about the past and while Yang's stories of super-mom were appreciated, they didn't tell her anything she didn't already know about her mother. Even Uncle Qrow wasn't exactly forthcoming with tales of Team STRQ's old days beyond vague wistfulness.

"Do you know what happened to her?" she inquired. "What her last mission was?"

Ozpin shook his head. "No. Especially after Raven left, Summer became more and more of an island. While Team STRQ was falling apart and she and your father were falling in love, she became more and more determined to fix everything. She took on every assignment I gave her, but her final mission was her own business. No one knew what was going on and we only learned that something had happened to her when Raven made a rare appearance to report that the bond from her semblance had been severed."

"Oh," Ruby muttered. It was a bit frustrating, finding out so much that had been kept from her like magic and Salem, and yet discovering that those that had kept those secrets were just as much in the dark about certain things that she really wanted to know.

Ozpin placed a firm hand on her shoulder. "I don't want you to end up like her, Ruby. You are a brave and capable huntress, and, from what I have seen, an impressive wizard. But no single warrior can stop Salem alone."

At last, something the headmaster said prompted a genuine smile from Ruby. "Then it's a good thing I'm not alone. Team RWBY may not have reassembled yet, but I've still got my friends. And no matter where I am, no matter when I am, I always have Fairy Tail."

"Indeed," Ozpin chuckled. "That was another thing I'd hoped you could help with. Though I have heard many tales of the Fairy Tail guild and its members, they are just that, stories. And not all of them come from the most trustworthy source. I was wondering if you might be able to provide me with a more… first-person account."

"Oh, sure," Ruby said. "But you really shouldn't worry about anything bad you might have heard. Fairy Tail wizards are the best!"

"I have no doubt," Ozpin replied. "That said, I'd prefer you told me yourself. What I've heard before might have missed details. After all, in all the praise for Miss. Marvell, there wasn't any mention of her knowing a torture enchantment."

Ruby's eyes widened. "A what enchantment?"

"Well, it isn't an exact copy, but the runes she's painting have multiple elements of torture enchantments meant to make the victim relive every painful experience they've ever undergone—"

"Wendy!"

Ruby whirled around to find Carla in the doorway to the kitchen. The white Exceed was already streaking back to the living room.

Ozpin cringed and cocked an eyebrow. "Was she eavesdropping on us?"

"Probably," Ruby sighed. "When we met Happy, she started to wonder if you were lying to us about Salem controlling the Grimm, so she was probably being super suspicious. Carla's really sneaky like that."

"Such skills will be invaluable for the cause," Ozpin smiled. "But I can assure you, it was merely a deception. If Salem couldn't control the Grimm, her palace would not have survived for millennia in the heart of the Grimmlands."

"Isn't she like a thousand times more powerful than any Grimm?"

"While they're in this world? At least five thousand. But even she needs to sleep. The Grimm do not."

Ruby tilted her head. "Isn't she a Grimm woman?"

"I assure you; she does need to sleep."

"How do you know that? Did you watch her sleep?"

"… it didn't sound as creepy when I was doing it."

"It's a torture spell?!" Scarlet screeched from the other room.

Ruby sighed. Hopefully, Pyrrha's talk with Jaune was going better. Or at the very least, well enough that Ren and Nora wouldn't have to jump in from their eavesdropping position.

Eh, how bad could it go? It was Jaune and Pyrrha. They like two peas in a pod… except for that time she'd smashed him into a wall. But that wouldn't happen again.

Right?

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Pyrrha's room was quite sparse in decoration. Her family home was in Argus, and Aunt Rouge had only been able to send a small portion of her belongings to the capital with how dangerous even the guarded train lines were without the CCT. There was some handheld exercise equipment and some of her favorite crimson drapes, but for the most part, it was quite clear.

Which meant that once she and Jaune stepped inside and shut the door, there was nothing to distract them from each other.

After all these months, after all the training, all the terror and dread, he was standing before her at last. Standing in her room. And his armor was so much more… form-fitting now.

And he'd also just saw her nearly blow Ruby to pieces and probably still hated her for what happened at the tower. So, yes, she was finding it quite difficult to meet his gaze.

He didn't seem to be any more comfortable than she was, awkwardly shuffling on the balls of his feet, his sky-blue eyes darting around the room anywhere but at her. For several long moments, they just stood there, neither one able to muster the courage to start.

At last, he did. "Uh… hey."

"… Hey," she replied.

"So, um," he muttered. "I guess, you know why you're here."

"I'm sorry," she said.

"Hey, no worries. Ruby's alright and she gets that you got tunnel vision. It happens to everyone, heck, it did happen to her—"

"I'm sorry," she repeated, her body trembling. "Not just for the spar, but for Beacon. For what happened at the tower."

"Oh," Jaune rubbed the back of his head with one hand, the other drifting towards his lips. "The… uh…"

"No!" Pyrrha hastily shouted, only to recoil when she realized how that sounded. "I mean, what happened after and my ulterior motives for doing it, yes, but that… well… no? I… I wanted to do that. For a while."

Oh, gods, why had she said that? She'd needed to clarify but why did she say that? 'For a while'? What even was that?!

Jaune's face went red. "Okay… I'm glad we've got that clear. Uh, thank you for the apology. And I think we're done here."

"Right," Pyrrha replied, forcing a smile. "Of course. I'm glad everything is alright between us."

"Yeah, everything's fine," Jaune said with a grin of his own. He whirled around and made for the door. "Now, you've been reprimanded, so let's head back downstairs and—the doorknob is gone. There was a doorknob here, right? I wasn't hallucinating that?"

Pyrrha raised an eyebrow and leaned over to look at the door. Sure enough, the doorknob of her room, which had certainly been there before, was no longer visible.

"How…"

Jaune sighed. "Nora. She's using her magic."

"Oh, to keep us in here," Pyrrha noted. "If I use my semblance, I'll still be able to turn it—"

"No, no," Jaune sighed, turning around. "She's being Nora about it but she's not wrong. I need to bite the bullet."

"Bullet? What bullet?" she stammered. "There's no bullet."

Jaune cocked an eyebrow. Her leader took a deep breath and squared himself up to his full height, his mop of blond hair reflecting the light like a king's golden crown. "Look… what happened at the tower, it wasn't your fault."

She actually laughed at that, a bitter noise that felt wrong coming out of her throat. "Of course, it was! I kissed you! I sent you away! I was useless and couldn't stop Cinder and nearly got myself and Ruby and everyone killed—"

Whatever other self-loathing she might have rambled off was cut off when Jaune strode forward, pulled her close, and kissed her.

It was at that point that Pyrrha's mind stopped working. A dream that she had feared she'd taste only once had now called her up from a slumber she hadn't known she was trapped in. The world around her suddenly became brighter and more colorful, at least until her eyes glided shut and she melted into the kiss.

For several seconds, they just stood there, partners caressed into each other's arms, a cocoon of warm affection. But eventually, they both needed air, gently pulling apart as they both panted for air.

A small smile flickered across Jaune's face. "I promise, there's no locker nearby for me to shove you into."

Pyrrha giggled. "I'm sorry."

"Don't worry about it," he assured her, pulling her into a hug, her chin resting on his shoulder. "Look, Pyrrha, I'm not happy that you pushed me away at Beacon. I'm your partner and your leader, supporting you is my job. And whatever's coming, whatever Salem or whoever has in store, none of us are going to stand a chance alone. It isn't just up to you."

"But it is up to me to do my part," Pyrrha argued. "I hesitated at Beacon. I was so afraid of losing all of you that I didn't take the Fall Maiden's power when I had the chance. Now Cinder has it and I was powerless to stop her."

"Ozpin asked too much of you. Cinder isn't your fault."

"If she isn't, she is my responsibility."

"Then let us help you," Jaune pleaded, rubbing a soft circle on her back. "Look, if you want to take Cinder, fine. But I doubt Salem is going to have the Gates come at us one at a time. Ren, Nora, and I aren't the same fighters we were at Beacon. We can help."

"I know. I saw your barriers during the spar," Pyrrha assured him. "I don't plan to send you away. I know that I lose you if I die just as much as if I can't protect you."

"Well, that's good. I'd hate to think we came all this way for nothing," Jaune chuckled. "Look, on the way here, I had an… epiphany of sorts. About what my goal as a huntsman was."

"Your destiny? How ironic."

"Yeah, I guess. But it's still true," he pulled away and looked her in the eye. "Pyrrha, I want to protect you. And Ruby, and Nora, and Ren, and everybody I care about."

"That's a sweet thought, Jaune," Pyrrha murmured through a frown. "But these enemies are far too powerful for you to do that."

Jaune smirked. "Oh, I know. They're way too much for me. But they're way too much for you too."

"What?"

"Don't act shocked. You know it's true."

Pyrrha scowled. "I can't let it be true. I have to stop her before anyone else gets hurt. I have to be… be…"

"You're not invincible. None of us can match up to a Gate one-on-one," Jaune pointed out. "But we both want to protect each other. And Nora, and Ren, and Ruby, and everyone else. We protect each other when we can't protect ourselves. Together, if we're at our best, we can stop them."

Pyrrha glanced away, a faint burning pricking at her right heel, a phantom reminder of her own limits. "Just because we're together doesn't mean we're invincible. As long as they're alive, we could die at any moment." So, they had to stop them first.

Jaune let go of her and took a step back, shrugging. "We could die any day from anything. We're not invincible no matter what we do, but we stand a way better chance together than alone. Besides, if we're together, we can keep each other as happy as possible, given the circumstances."

"Happy?" Pyrrha murmured, her eyes widening. "Do you mean… that you want to… with me?"

Jaune shot her a nervous smile. "You once said I saw you for you. I know that you're strong, brave, kind, far more patient than I can possibly conceive, but I can't really account for your taste. I mean, you've seen me for me, all six scraggly, cheating, often barely surviving feet of me. Of all the incredible people we've met, why in the hell would you ever settle for me—"

Pyrrha rushed forward and once more they were kissing, the world around them thrown into high definition, the colors brighter, the lines sharper. All thoughts fire and death banished from her mind.

When they separated, she could only whisper, "Because you're the most incredible of them all. Though, I believe your father did say you needed more confidence."

Jaune chuckled. "I don't know. I seem to have done alright. Didn't die, learned magic, unlocked my semblance, got the most beautiful girl on Remnant to like me without even noticing—"

"What was that?"

"Got the most beautiful girl on Remnant—"

"No, before that."

"Oh, I unlocked my semblance."

Pyrrha's eyes widened and a massive smile blossomed across her face. "You unlocked your semblance? That's incredible! When did this happen?"

Jaune smiled, his cheeks forming into bashful dimples. "Well, it's a funny story, when we were attacked in Oniyuri—"

"Yes!"

The door to the room, now with its knob visible once more, crashed open. Nora barged in and engulfed the both of them in an enormous hug, twirling both huntsmen off the floor while cackling her head off. Ren strode in right after, far less exuberant yet with no less prominent a grin.

"You guys finally talked to each other!" Nora cheered. "I've waited so long for this moment!"

"This moment—Nora, what are you talking about?" Jaune coughed. "Also, air!"

"Nora," Pyrrha flinched. "I appreciate your affection, but can you please set us down—"

"Nope!" Nora grinned. "I have waited forever for you two to get together-together! I am allowed to celebrate as I see fit. Right, Ren?"

Her partner just looked at them. "You were quite oblivious."

"Oh, hello pot, I'm kettle," Jaune snarked.

Ren shrugged. "I've long practiced suppressing my emotions in order to finetune my semblance. You were just blind."

"I was not!"

"Really? Who did you think made you those cookies on Vytal Day?"

"What cookies? I never got any cookies!"

"You didn't?" Pyrrha gasped. "I spent hours making those!"

"A tragedy!" Nora wailed. "But it doesn't matter who ate Pyrrha's strawberry cookies anymore! Because now, we're all together-together!"

"How did you know they were strawberry—"

"How much were you eavesdropping?" Jaune interrupted. "I know you made the door invisible, but you can't possibly have heard us kiss."

Nora finally set them down, her smile growing even wider. She threw her arms towards the sidewall and the wooden structure shimmered away.

"How did we not notice that?" Pyrrha asked.

"Beats me. I don't think there's a way not to have everyone see it. I'm changing how the light refracts," Nora leaned in to Pyrrha's ear. "I'm still working on illusions, but I can let us see 'the goods' any time we want."

"In private," Ren demanded.

"In private," Nora amended. "But enough of that! We're only going to have so much downtime before we start fighting the good fight again, so we need to take action! I'm thinking double date at the Pancake Hut. I'm pretty sure I spotted one in the lower ring with only two people bleeding out in front of it."

Jaune raised an eyebrow. "Couldn't we just go to a restaurant without stabbing victims?"

"Only if you don't want it to have pancakes either. And really, which is worse?"

"The stabbing victims."

"We shall agree to disagree!"

Pyrrha broke out laughing, this time not hoarse, but filled with a light, airy joy she hadn't heard outside the late hours of the night when her mother was coaxing stories of Beacon out of her with strawberry ice cream. Because memories of the school where she'd finally stepped off her pedestal were her light even in her darkest hours. And none of them were more precious than the friends who'd given her life along the way.

Now, they were here with her again. Just being the wonderful, quirky people, she'd fallen in love with. Nora's boundless energy, Ren's calm wit, and Jaune's genuine heart were a balm on her soul. She'd feared she'd lost them, that they'd hate her, but they didn't. They still loved her, and she loved them. Together, they would stop this war. She would take down Cinder and they'd cover her back against their other enemies. The battle would be hard, but they would not be powerless. With them by her side, she could not be powerless.

Also…

Oh my gods! Jaune had kissed her! She had kissed Jaune! They were boyfriend and girlfriend! Were they? Should they clarify that? When did Nora and Ren start dating?

Who cared? Everything was so wonderful!

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"Please calm down, Erza. It's not as bad as it sounds."

Scarlet's teeth ground at the blue-haired wizard choice of name for her, but she bit down the irritation. "It's a torture enchantment. How can it not be as bad as it sounds?"

"It's not a torture enchantment," Wendy assured her. "It was reverse-engineered from one, yes, but it was designed purely for medicinal purposes. There will be a bit of pain, but it's nothing you can't handle."

If it were almost anyone else, Scarlet would have kicked them in the teeth. As it was, Wendy was still a child, so such a reaction would be hugely out of line. But even beyond that, when she looked at Scarlet, her eyes were so wide, so full of adoration and wonder. It was the way Pyrrha looked at her on the best of days if magnified even further. And even if she was more than a bit uneasy at receiving a look of her daughter from the young wizard she'd met only a day ago… she still couldn't find it within her to disappoint those eyes.

Perhaps fortunately, Carla was not nearly so restricted, frowning at her partner. "You said you learned this spell from Grandeeney's. Why would she have a torture spell for a human based on Milky Way? Or even a medicinal spell based on one?"

"I don't know! But she did," Wendy confessed.

"It's not outside the realm of possibility," Ozpin noted, he and Ruby having returned from the kitchen. "It even makes sense in a way. Advancements in medicine and warfare are often made when one side creates a weapon and the other has to find a find to stymie the damage."

Carla glared at the time wizard. "That fills me with such confidence!"

"Hey, hey, let's just calm down," Ruby said, her hands held out in a placating manner, like a horse trainer surrounded by spooked stallions. "Wendy, are you sure this spell is safe?"

"One hundred percent," Wendy nodded, her gaze still locked on Scarlet. "I'll be with you the entire time. We'll get you through the pain as fast as possible and get you your memories back."

Yes. Her memories. Titania Erza's memories.

But what would become of Scarlet Nikos?

"Well, are you okay with it?"

Scarlet's gaze flickered to Ruby, the red hooded girl adding the force of her pleading silver orbs whether she knew it or not. She and Wendy, their worship was staggering, suffocating. If this didn't work, the pain that would erupt from the failure of that hope would shatter them.

These two girls had saved Pyrrha's life. She was terrified of the pain that she had forgotten, of losing the blissful present to the horrors of the past. But could she hide when this pair would be harmed by her actions?

She gulped. "I'll try. What do you need me to do?"

Ruby and Wendy's smiles could have rivaled the sun for radiant splendor.

"Just lay down here," Wendy instructed, kneeling at the far end of the runes. "I'll channel the magic through the symbols and enchant your mind. It'll take a while to get everything, so I'll need to maintain physical contact with your head."

Scarlet nodded, lowering herself to the ground. The Sky Dragon Slayer took a deep breath and placed her hands on the Nikos matriarch's head, her soft fingertips weaving through her crimson hair.

"Ready?" Wendy asked. "Close your eyes. When you open them again, everything will be fixed."

Fixed? Since when was she broken?

Scarlet had no more time to contemplate before the Maiden of the Sky pressed her fingers into her skull, a faint azure glow tainting the edges of her vision and a thunderclap tore through her mind.

The scream came after.

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A tower not yet built, a sprawling mass of unfinished stone and mortar. Thousands in chains of crackling magic, misshapen demonic hounds barking them in line.

She was a child. Something was tight around her wrists, her arms strapped behind her back. Her flesh was on fire—

"No sleeping through punishment, slave!"

CRACK!

A jagged edge, dull, yet sharper than any knife tore across her chest. She screamed. She screamed so loud, her parched throat felt like it would be shorn out of her body.

"That's better! But if you really want some shut-eye, perhaps we can show you that your masters are capable of mercy. You can have half of darkness."

Agony erupted through the right side of her face. Just as promised, half her vision went dark as a warm liquid flooded down her face. She couldn't tell if it was tears or blood.

Then everything blurred and all she saw was a broad, wrinkled back, coated in a single pink symbol. A symbol she recognized, right before a suffocating heat surrounded her and turned that back to ash.

"Grandpa Rob!"

A boy, a boy she knew in her heart of heart should have been a friend, deeper even, with a head of blue hair and a crimson birthmark over his right eye, smiled a grin that would have made even angels dread. A voice, a voice that should have been filled with such kindness, slithered like venom through her ears.

"Goodbye, Erza. I'm setting you free."

Her soul shook. Was this The Demon? The monster she'd long buried?

No. How? How could something so twisted and perverse not be The Demon?

Simple. The Demon was worse.

Thousands of strikes, millions of wounds, billions of sundering blows. Battles she could barely conceive, defeats that battered her resolve to its limits.

She was older now, stronger. But still, she found herself chained in darkness. And a whip lashing across her flesh.

"Where is Jellal?" the voice of hell asked. "Where is the last key to FACE? The pain will only grow more intense the longer you defy me."

"I don't know!"

A smile emerged from the shadows, an elaborate bone mask covering the monster. Was this The Demon? It was surely a cretin of the pit, full of malice and hungry for suffering.

"How unfortunate. For you."

The monster struck her again, slimy tentacles dripping down from above and surging lightning through her nerves. Slash after slash of energy whips tore through her flesh, her veins splitting open under the pressure. All of it was amplified. This torture, and every other.

The swordswoman with the pink hair who nearly cut her to pieces.

The treemaster who pushed her muscles past all limits with his explosions.

The Dragon, mightiest of all her foes, the only one she could not fell, who shattered every bone in her body in a single strike.

An old man, coated white in dust and ash, his hands clasped together as golden light surged around him.

All of it was amplified. All of it at once. All her screams, from every battle, melding into a single dying gasp.

Still, she held. Like a giant holding up the infinite sky, she held up her burden, her agony. Her boundless pain.

"Having fun? Erza?"

Her eyes snapped open. The Demon stood before her, wrapped in a shroud of violet flames, blazing crimson eyes piercing through the smog.

She roared, her limbs suddenly free and a curved sword in hand. Through the pain, the titanic burden that made her body cry for an end, she charged. The Demon would not pass. The Demon would die! She would fight!

KEEP FIGHTING! KEEP FIGHTING! KEEP FIGHTING!

Scaled claws tore through the blaze and ripped her apart. Her skin was caked in a river of blood. Her skull was shattered beneath her forehead. The Demon gripped her throat tight and smashed her into the ground.

KEEP FIGHTING! KEEP FIGHTING!

FIGHT!

Her sword rose and with a guttural howl, she pierced the demon's stomach.

Instantly, the fire was quenched, revealing the monster's form. But there was no bone mask, no cruel crimson eyes, no sadist grin of hell staring back at her.

It was a white-haired woman, a stream of blood dribbling out the side of her mouth. And blue eyes, empty of life and wide with betrayal.

Her betrayal.

The giant collapsed, the sky plummeting and crushing it to dust. The burden, the pain, obliterated every fraction of her being.

And once more, all she could do was scream.

RWBYRWBYRWBYRWBYFTFTFTFT

Perhaps her first clue should have been the scream. But even if Irene hadn't suddenly appeared before her, face pale with terror, Wendy would have known something was wrong for sure when Erza's hands flew up, grabbed her wrists, and threw her back. The Sky Dragon Slayer cushioned her fall with a small gust and managed to stay on her feet. A tiny silver lining in a horrid situation.

Erza staggered to her knees, tears streaming down her cheeks. She panted hard, curling herself over as Ruby rushed to her side. A burst of golden streaked into the room and Pyrrha joined her, wrapping her arms around her mother's shoulders.

"What happened?" the Mistralian Champion demanded. "Mother, are you alright?"

"A bit of pain," Erza gasped. "That… that was not a bit."

Ruby looked up at Wendy, her silver eyes clouded and confused. "Wendy, did you know this would happen?"

The Maiden of the Sky didn't know what to say, her sight frozen on the shivering redhead woman she'd wanted to help. Out of the corner of her vision, she caught Irene's head lowering.

She understood the Mother of Dragons' disappointment. She'd warned Wendy about the sensations the enchantment forced on the subject, and the Sky Dragon Slayer had waved her off. With all the revelations of what she'd lost, such an indistinct price as pain she fought through before had seemed a bargain.

But in her haste, she had lost sight of the fact that she wouldn't be the one to pay it. And seeing her mentor shattered on the ground in tears, in such a way that Erza should never be, she now realized exactly how gravely she had erred.

"I'm… I'm sorry," Wendy whimpered. She stepped forward, her hand outstretched. "Erza, I'm so—"

"That's not my name!"

Ruby and Pyrrha were thrown away from the redheaded woman, who whirled on Wendy with bloodshot eyes. Her arm swept forward in a long arc, a familiar white light shimmering within her fist.

Wendy raised her aura just in time to be knocked to the floor. If she'd been even a second slower, the curved katana would have sliced off her arm. She gazed upward and her heart stopped.

Unlike Natsu, Gray, or even Lucy, she'd never been unlucky enough to find herself on the wrong end of the Titania's fury. Now, she could understand why all three always cowered whenever the strawberry cake hit the floor.

Erza saw her again. She saw her as a monster to be slain.

However, a moment passed, and the redheaded woman's rage faded from her face. She glanced at her new sword, summoned by Requip, and her eyes widened in horror. The blade clattered to the ground and her shaking hand rose to her face, forming a cage over her right eye.

She turned away and staggered towards the hall. "I'm going out."

Ruby shot to her feet. "We'll go with you. Just let me grab my boots and—"

"No!" Erza declared, only to immediately flinch at her own words. "Just… I need some time alone… just Scarlet Nikos."

She strode away, the clasp of the door the only signal that she'd left the house into the night air.

Pyrrha began to go after her, but Ozpin caught her arm. "She's just been through a trying experience. It may be best to give her some time."

"I've never seen her like that," the huntress argued. "We can't just let her go out alone this late, not when she's… like that!"

"I'll have Qrow shadow her," Ozpin assured her. "He can protect her for as long as she's off-balance while allowing her to process her pain."

Pyrrha frowned but nodded. She meandered across the room and picked up the katana. When her eyes met Wendy's, her emerald orbs had no kindness in them.

The Sky Dragon Slayer didn't blame her. Even as Ruby and Carla came to her side, Wendy could only stare blankly at the runes painted on the floor.

She'd tried to take the first step forward, to begin to climb out of the pit of loss she'd been cast into. She'd had hope that she could get back the Erza she'd lost. And once more, she'd plummeted down from that height. But this time she'd broken someone's kneecaps on the way down.

What had she done?

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Go Forth and Conquer!