Chapter 18
Beginning of the End
"Speech"
'Thoughts'
Flashback
"Scroll Communications / Tv"
Location / Date / Time Change
Ozpin's Office
"Now, let me ask you again." Ironwood walked around Natsu, who was sitting in a chair. "Why did you attack him?"
"I told you, he launched at me and Yang, I pushed her out of the way, and defended myself." Natsu said.
Ozpin sighed as he stood up from behind his desk. "Thank you, Natsu. You can leave now." The student nodded and left the room. "Well, this is a complicated situation."
"Not as much as you think it it." Ironwood said back. "I'm afraid we only have one option."
"You're seriously thinking about disqualifying him, are you?" Glynda asked.
"He attacked a student from a visiting school." Ironwood said. "I'm sorry, but we don't much of a choice."
Team NVAR's Room
"I'm sorry, but you've left us with no other choice." Ironwood said.
"How many times do I have to say it!?" Natsu shouted. "He attacked me and Yang!"
"Video footage and about a million witnesses say otherwise." The general said back.
"You don't know anything about Natsu!" Ryuko shouted. "He'd never do something like this."
"Agreed." Vergil added.
Ironwood sighed as he turned to the students. "You all seem like good students. And the staff here are more than aware that you would never lash out like this. Under normal circumstances. But I believe, and hope this to be true, it was nothing more than an adrenaline rush gone wrong. When you're out on the battle field, your judgement can become clouded in an instant. Sometimes you see things that aren't there. Even after the fight has passed."
"Yeah, but-" Natus started.
"Natsu, enough!" The general growled. "The sad truth is, it doesn't matter what you think happened. What matters is what the people saw, and what they saw was you attacking an innocent student. Their conclusions are already drawn, and it's my job to inform you that... You've been disqualified from the tournament."
"Seriously!?" Natsu shouted. "Well that's just grand..." He fell back on his bed as Ironwood left the room. "You guys believe me, right?"
"Do you even have to ask?" Ryuko asked back.
"If there's one thing you are, Natsu, its honorable." Vergil said.
"We know you wouldn't lie about something like this." Aerith said.
Ironwood listen through the door and sighed and looked up to see Glynda leaving team RWBY's room. "How'd he take it?"
"Better than I thought." He told the mother.
"James, my son is a lot of things, but he is not a butcher." Glynda said.
"Unfortunately, what you say doesn't matter to the people." Ironwood signed. "So, how did miss Xiao Long take the news?"
Glynda looked back at the door as the sound of objects being thrown dominated the hallway. "Well..."
"This is total crap!" A blast tore through the wall, before Glynda repaired it.
"She's... Coping." Glynda said.
"Yang, calm down." Her sister requested.
"Calm down!?" The blonde shouted. "Natsu has been disqualified for something that didn't even happen, the whole world thinks he's a monster, and you expect me to calm down!?"
"And we know you're mad, but destroying our room isn't going to help the situation." Weiss reminded.
Yangs rapid breaths slowed down as her eyes returned to normal. "I just - I just can't believe this."
"And none of us do either." Ruby said. "Right?"
"Natsu is a lot things." Weiss said. "He's hotheaded, poorly educated, irritating, a scale shedder, but he's not a dismemberer." All three looked over at Blake who remained silent the whole time.
"Blake?" The blonde asked. The Faunus looked down at her feet as the girls looked at each other confused.
"I want to believe him..." She said.
"Huh?" Ruby asked.
"Would you care to elaborate!?" Weiss asked annoyed.
"I can't believe this." Yang mumbled. "After everything he's done with us, for us, for YOU, you have the nerve to doubt his word!?"
"It's not that." Blake said back. "It's just-"
"Just what!?" Yang shouted.
"I knew someone, very well, and he started changing." Blake explained. "It didn't happen all at once, it was gradual. It started as accidents, then it turned to self-defense. But before long, I couldn't even recognize him as the same man anymore."
"And you think Natsu is just like him!?" Yang asked.
"I never said that." Blake retorted. "This is all just... Very familiar."
"Get out." Yang growled as she clenched her fists.
"But-" Ruby started before Blake put her hand on her leaders shoulder. The other three left the room as the blonde screamed and crashed onto her bed.
"This is a mess." Weiss mumbled.
"Tell us about it." The girls looked over to see VAR walk over, Vergil in the lead. "Natsu's super depressed now, it's kinda scary. And believe me, I know scary."
"I think the best thing to do is give them some space." Aerith said. "Maybe they can help each other with this."
"They doing okay?" Jaune asked as he opened his teams door.
"About as well as they can..." Blake answered, looking down.
"I heard Mercury and his team rushed back to Haven to be with his family." Ruby added. "So until they land, no one can really question him about what happened."
"If there is anything we can do to help, don't hesitate to ask." Ren offered.
"Well, I'd think Natsu would really like a win for Beacon." Aerith said. "So Pyrrha."
"Yes?" The red head asked sitting down.
"Win this next match for all of us." She finished.
"It's what he would want." Weiss added.
Pyrrha looked away before turning back with a fake smile. "I'll... Do my best."
"I'll be sure to watch tonight incase you're picked." Ruby said.
"Same with us." Ryuko said she grabbed Vergil's hand.
"I think I've had enough fighting for one year." Blake said.
"Yeah, me too." Aerith and Weiss agreed.
"Coffee?" The heiress offered.
"Tea." The other two said before the group walked away.
Jaune closed the door and turned back to see a somber looking Pyrrha. "You heard the ladies!" Nora shouted. "No more moping around! We have to get your butt in shape for the big fight! It could be today! It could be tomorrow! It could be the most important fight of your life!" She shouted, lifting a 2000 lbs barbell that somehow appeared, only to fall on her back.
Pyrrha just stared at her fellow female in confusion. "Uh..."
"She's right." Ren said from the side. "You cannot let what happen to Natsu distract you. You must focus. You and Yang will be defending the honor of Beacon Academy."
"Of course... No pressure." She mumbled. "I-"
"This is a mix of herbs and vegetables Aerith and I worked on." He interrupted, holding a glass of green goop to her face. "It is filled with nutrients vital to your body's well being."
"Oh, that's-" Pyrrha started.
"No need to thank us." Ren said.
"Thank you?" Nora asked. "Aerith probably worked on the whole thing herself. Don't just slap your name on a project when all you did was kill it with lake bed slime."
"Algae contains many wondrous properties." He said, holding the glass. "Try it yourself." He offered the glass to her as she took a sip and her face turned green.
She rushed over to the nearest trash can and vomited the drink back up, making Pyrrha smile. "What is wrong with you!?"
"Me?" Ren asked. "You're the one who just wasted perfectly good juice."
"We're suppose to help Pyrrha and you want to poison her?" Nora asked back as Pyrrha dropped her head, worried. Jaune was the only one who seemed to noticed.
"Aerith and I selected every ingredient by hand." He said back. "There's absolutely nothing wrong with it."
"If it looks the same coming up as it does going down, there's definitely something wrong with it!" Nora shouted back.
"Hey, how about we all get some air?" Jaune suggested. He smiled at Pyrrha as she looked up at him.
Team RWBY's Room
Yang looked up as a knock on the door drew her back to reality. "Can I come in?" Natsu asked.
"Sure." She said back as her boyfriend walked into the room. "How are you feeling?"
"I should be asking you that." He said as he sat down on her bed. "I heard the whole fight you had with Blake."
"I just, I can't believe she'd doubt you like that." Yang said back, sitting up.
"You can't blame her. She saw someone change before her eyes and couldn't do anything about it." He said, pulling her in. "I know she means well and you do two, right?"
"I guess." She said, putting her hand on his.
"I keep going over that fight again and again in my head." He said. "If I overreacted, if my eyes were tricking me. Now I, I don't know if I did the right thing."
"Natsu, no matter what happens, no matter if the whole world turns against you, I'll always be by your side." Yang said before pecking his lips with a kiss.
"Thanks, Yang." He said back as he did the same.
Both looked out the window and saw JNPR walking out of the academy. "Am I interrupting something, fire-cracker?" Both looked over and saw Qrow leaning near the door.
"Oh, crap!" Natsu pulled himself off of Yang and jumped to the other side of the room. "Please don't kill me!"
"Calm down, I just wanna talk." He said. "So, why'd you do it?"
"You know why." Yang said back.
"All I know is that your boyfriend attacked an innocent kid." He said uncrossing his arms. "So, either scales here is lying, or he's crazy."
"He's NOT lying." Yang defended him.
"Yeah..." Natsu mumbled.
"So, crazy. Got it." He pushed himself off he wall and walked over. "You two sure know how to pick'em."
"Yeah, I guess we do." She chuckled.
"And here I was thinking the dark haired girl and the silver swordsman were the emo ones." He joked.
"I saw my mom." She said, making Qrow stop in his tracks.
"What? When?" Natsu asked.
"Back on the train." She explained. "We were in a lot of trouble. And we both took some hard hits. But when I came to, the girl attacking us was gone. And I thought I saw... ...her. Her sword, like the one in the old picture you keep."
Natsu walked back over and sat next to her. "I guess you two aren't so crazy." Qrow said as he turned around. "That was your mom. Let me guess, she left with out saying a word?"
"No..." Natsu spoke up. "I thought I heard something, but even with my advanced senses, it sound like it was whispered into my ear. What was it again? Abolish? Abnormal? Something like that."
"Well, that's new." Qrow said as he walked over to the empty bed.
"What makes you say that?" She asked.
"I think I'd know my sister pretty well." Qrow said back. "I don't see her a lot, but she does try to keep in touch. Whenever she feels like it."
"Wait, so you've talked to her?" Yang asked. "That wasn't a dream?"
"Yeah, she finds me." He nodded. "Had a tip fro my more recent assignment, and wanted me to give you a message, two actually."
"Why didn't you tell her sooner!?" Natsu asked standing up.
"I was trying to wait for the right time." He said, looking out the window. "Besides, one of them has to deal with you. And this sure ain't it for either of them. But I guess you deserve to know." He turned and face them both. "The first is that she save you both once, but neither of you should expect that kindness again."
"And the second?" Natsu asked.
"Was to stay as far away from you as possible." Qrow answered.
"Great. Haven't even met her yet, and I'm already starting on the wrong foot with her." Natsu said sitting down.
"Raven's got a... unique way of looking at the world. One I don't particularly agree with." Qrow continued. "And she's dangerous. But you two are pretty tough kids. And I guess every daughter dates someone their parent doesn't want them too. You shouldn't let this tournament thing hold you down."
He turned and faced Natsu. "You had a slip up. Sometimes bad things just happen. But I'm sure Yang would want you in that crowd cheering as loud as possible for her. It's time for you to move on."
"Move on to what?" Yang asked.
"Sis let some info slip before she took off." Qrow explained. "If you two wanna track her down and try to change her view of your relationship, I think I might be able to help. But that's a story for another day. There's someone else who needs you right now." He nudged over to Natsu before turning around and leaving.
"Yang, if you wanna go alone, I complet-" He started before Yang pulled him in for a kiss.
"If I ever want to meet her, I plan on you being by my side, lover boy." The blonde smirked before the two fell on their side toward the bed, still kissing.
Ozpin's Office
"Ozpin, we both now know that my son would never do this without a good reason." Glynda said as she leaned in on his desk.
"I agree, but unfortunately, the evidence doesn't back that theory." The headmaster said back. "And miss Xiao Long's testimony is a massive conflict of interest."
Glynda sighed as she relaxed. "This isn't going to go well with people. Relationships between humans and Faunus are already at odds. I don't know how this will affect them, but this won't be good for him."
"Glynda, do you remember the day you met Natsu?" Ozpin asked.
"Of course." She nodded. "It was 15 years ago..."
15 Years ago
Glynda walked out the elevator into Ozpin's office. "You called for me, sir?"
"Yes, I have a favor to ask." Ozpin sipped his coffee and looked behind his desk. "You can come out now."
A small two year old boy with pink hair poked his head out form behind the desk. He nervously walked towards Ozpin's knees, showing his outfit; a red t-shirt with flames, brown pants, and a white scarf, and his lizard features. "Sir, who's child is this?" Glynda asked.
"This is Natsu Dragneel." Ozpin explained. "His parents gave him up to the Atlesian military, but James realized that it wasn't the place for a child this young. So, he gave him to me. Unfortunately, I don't know the first thing about raising children and he's extremely shy, so I thought he could use a woman's touch."
"You want me to raise him?" Glynda asked and he nodded.
"But first you'll need to read this." He motioned to his Scroll on his desk.
She walked over and picked it up before readying it and her eyes went wide. "Sir, this says that he's... This has to be a mistake."
"It's no mistake." The headmaster said as he sipped his coffee.
"Sir, I'm not sure this is the best idea. There must someone much more qualified. What about Professer Peach?" The blonde asked.
"I can think of no one more qualified than you." The headmaster said. "Glynda, this child is special. He needs someone to help guide him in the world. Please, will you do this for me?"
Glynda crouched down to the child's eye level. She held out her hand and the child hid behind Ozpin even more. "Don't be afraid, I won't hurt you." He looked out and slowly stretched his hand out and took hers. "I'll do it."
Present
"If you could go back to that day, would you still raise him?" Ozpin asked.
Glynda looked him in the eye and answered instantly. "A thousand times over."
With Pyrrha
Pyrrha leaned against the cafeteria as the wind blew around her. A single golden leaf floated to the ground and landed near near her and her mind flashed back to Amber in the medical chamber. "Hey." She looked up as Jaune walked over holding a stick of cotton candy. "I know it's not green goop, but it still might do some good."
"Um, right." She nodded as she took the stick. "Thank you, Jaune."
He noticed the weird look on her face before Ren and Nora appeared from a corner. Nora looked over and smiled. "Uh, come on, Ren." She said as she grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Let's go back to the fairgrounds. I'll win you another stuff animal."
Jaune turned and sat down next to the red head. "You know, you were the first person to ever believe in me, you know that?" He said, making her look in shock. "Even when I told my parents I was going to Beacon, they told me not to worry if I ended up coming back home after a week. How depressing is that?"
"I'm sure, they didn't mean-" Pyrrha started before dropping the sweet when she realized their hands were touching.
"I guess I'm trying to say that... You've always been there for me." Jaune continued. "Even when I didn't deserve it. And I can tell that somethings on your mind so... I don't know... How can I help?"
Pyrrha smiled as she leaned her head on his shoulder. "Your already doing it." The wind picked up again and blew another leaf toward the first one as Pyrrha's face turned into a frown. "Jaune?"
"Yeah?" He asked as she sat up and pulled her hand out from under his.
"I don't know what to do." She said.
"Wh-What do you mean?" He asked.
"Do you believe in destiny?" She asked.
"Uh... I don't know." He stuttered. "I guess it's all about how you see it."
"When I think of destiny, I don't think of any inescapable fate that's already chosen for you." Pyrrha explained. "But instead, some sort of final goal."
"Oh, yeah, I can see that." Jaune nodded.
"Well, what if you found out something that you never expected?" She asked. "Something that could stand in the way of you and your destiny?"
"Like, what?" He asked.
"Or what if you could fulfill your destiny in the blink of an eye, but you lose everything that makes you who you are?" She added.
"Pyrrha, slow down." Jaune begged. "You're not making any sense."
"None of this makes any sense." She said standing up. "This wasn't how it was supposed to go!"
"I'm sorry!" Jaune said, standing up. "I-I'm trying to understand what's wrong!"
"I've always felt that I was destined for the life of a Huntress." She explained. "To protect the world. And it's becoming increasingly clear to me that my feelings were right. But now, I don't know if I can do it."
"Of course you can!" Jaune said walking forward. "The real Pyrrha Nikos would never back down from a challenge. And if you really believe it's your destiny to save the world, you can't let anything stand in your way." Pyrrha stared at Jaune before covering her mouth and started crying. "Pyrrha?"
"Just stop..." She said.
"Did I say something wrong?" He asked.
"Stop!" She shouted before slamming him into the wall. She opened her eyes and stared in horror at her actions. "Jaune." She deactivated her Semblence and he fell on his face. "I'm-I'm sorry." She said as tears fell from her eyes. "I knew I should have talked to Natsu instead." She mumbled as she ran away.
"Pyrrha, wait!" Jaune begged as she ran farther away. "What did I say...?"
Beacon Airdocks
Ruby walked into the line for the Colosseum shuttle when the sound of a camera shutter caught her attention. She looked over as Velvet snapped pictures of Sun walking by. Confused, she walked over and the Faunus noticed her. "Ruby, how are you?"
"Hey, Velvet." The scythe wielder said. "What are you up to?"
"Oh, you know, just working on my photography." The brunette said back. "Wanna see?"
She held out her camera and Ruby looked at a picture of Sun, more accurately his weapon swinging against his butt. "That's... better."
"I heard about what happened with Natsu, how's your sister taking it?" Velvet asked.
"Well, she punched a hole in our wall." Ruby answered, rubbing the back of her head. "I think she just needs sometime alone with Natsu."
"I think it's just awful what people are saying about him." Velvet said putting her camera away. "Their calling him a dangerous animal, saying he needs to be locked up. Natsu's such a nice person. So kind, and caring, and cute... Even if he is a stupid, brawler-loving, cheater..."
"Um, Velvet, why are you stabbing a doll that looks like my sister?" Ruby asked as she watched the pin go into the blonde doll again and again.
"Huh?" The Faunus looked down at her hands and noticed what she was doing. "Oh, don't worry about it." She put the doll and pin away.
"Wait, are you still interested in him?" Ruby asked, making the Faunus girl blush.
"I can't help it..." Velvet said back. "He's the first one to make me feel this special."
"You do know he's with Yang right now?" The hood wearing girl asked.
"Doesn't mean I can't keep hoping." Velvet said.
"Well, I'm just glad someone outside of his team and mine think that." Ruby chuckled.
"Regular people don't know what it's like on the battlefield." The Faunus continued. "I mean, even the most experienced fighters can get scared and start seeing things. If it can happen to Coco, it can happen to anyone."
"Coco?" Ruby asked, tilting her head in confusion.
"Yeah." Velvet nodded. "She swore she saw Yatsu in the forest with her during the fight with Emerald and Mercury, but he didn't even make it out of the geyser field. Stress induced hallucinations, apparently."
"Yeah..." Ruby mumbled before Velvet snapped a picture.
"Sorry." She apologized.
Amity Colosseum
The crowd cheered as Ruby made her way to her seat next to Vergil and Ryuko. "Well, looks like it's just us." She said sitting down and looked across the arena, staring in shock at the site of Emerald in the stands. "Emerald's here?"
"Huh?" Vergil asked. "You say something, Ruby?"
"Uh, I'm going to the bathroom..." Ruby lied to the sword couple.
"Hurry back, the next match is about to start." Ryuko said.
"Yeah, sure." She ran up the stairs and turned to an maintenance door. Looking around to make sure no one was watching her, she opened it and walked inside.
"Alright, it's time to begin the randomization for the next round." Oobleck said, muffled though the wall. Ruby walked down a bit more and was stunned when she saw Mercury walking out of another room.
"Mercury?" She asked as the randomizer came to a stop.
"It looks like the first combatant is... Penny Polendina from Atlas!" Port said, making Ruby listen to the speakers.
"What are you doing here?" Ruby asked.
"And her opponent will be... Pyrrha Nikos from Beacon!" Port finished, making Mercury smirk.
Rubys mind race a hundred miles an hour before she realized what this ment. "No..."
"Polarity vs metal." Mercury joked. "Not a good mix. Can you believe they wanted your sister to fight her?" She reached for her Scroll only to realize there wasn't enough time as Mercury dropped into a fighting stance.
Arena Floor
The main platform rose up as Penny waved to the crowd. Nora cheered for her teammate as she sat next to Ren and a depressed Jaune. Pyrrha looked over at the blonde and winced in regret.
"Sal-u-tations, Pyrrha Nikos." Penny said. "It's an honor to finally meet you." Pyrrha looked down at her hands and clenched her fists. "This is going to be so much fun."
Access Hallway
Ruby stared at Mercury as he clenched his fists. "Mercury, what are you doing? You... Were hurt! Why? How? What's going on?!" Mercury just smirked at her. "Fine. If you won't tell me,..." She stepped to the side and Mercury copied her. She stepped back to the center, and Mercury blocked her.
"Fighters, are you ready?" Oobleck asked as the crowd cheered.
Arena Floor
Penny nodded as Pyrrha held her sword and shield, while Ironwood watched intensely. "Three, two, one... Begin!" Penny pulled out her swords and sent them flying at Pyrrha, who ran forward and blocked them as she jumped. Landing, she charged ahead seemingly unaware of the blades circling behind her.
Access Hallway
"Show time." Mercury smirked. He and Ruby traded shuffles to the side, blocking each other before Ruby spiraled forward using her Semblence. Mercury caught her with a kick before spinning and delivering another that sent her to the ground. Ruby pulled out her Scroll and Mercury shot it. "Let's just keep this between us friends."
Arena Floor
Penny swung her swords in a curve as Pyrrha spun her spear in defense. "My word, what an amazing display from miss Polendina." Oobleck said.
Pyrrha jumped up and landed on one of the swords beofre jumping to the others. She swung her spear and Penny blocked with her swords. Pyrrha flipped back as Penny swung her blades again as the red head landed. She slid back as her shield rolled on to her arm.
"Go, Pyrrha!" Nora cheered as Jaune and the red head shared a look. Her anger flared and her weapons warped and creaked before she calmed down and they returned to normal as Emerald focused.
Access Hallway
Mercury kicked Ruby in the face before deliver a series of kicks ending with a super kick to the face. She dodged the last one and he raised his foot in a axe kick and slammed it down, only to have Ruby roll out of the way and use her Semblance to sprint away. Slamming into a corner, she landed on her feet and kept running.
Arena Floor
Pyrrha blocked the swords with her shield and spear before getting in close enough to swing her spear at Penny and launch her into the air. Penny grabbed two swords and blocked more swings before getting sent to the ground. The swords shifted to there gun mode and began firing their lasers.
Pyrhha rolled and avoided the blasts and blocked some blade disks sent her way before charging and knocking Penny back. Penny launched forward using her lasers and crashed down onto the redhead. Pyrrha stood up as two swords knocked her shield and sword out of her hands.
She tried to use her Semblence to bring Miló to her, but one of Penny's blades knocked it to the side as more came out of the backpack. Suddenly, the swords multiplied into a dozen, and then a hundred and then a thousand. While that is what she saw, the rest of the world saw only six. Pyrrha backed up in fear as Penny sent them towards her.
Pyrrha swung her arms in an X and sent the blades back with her Semblence. Penny grabbed her chest in pain as the steel strings wrapped around her and crushed her arm. Another wrapped around her waist and sliced though her, revealing her biggest secret to the world. The crowd gasped in horror and confusion as the chunks of body hit the ground. Penny's eyes were small before they went wide as her life ended.
Mount Glenn
Grimm sense the negativity and fear coming from the arena and started charging towards the city.
Amity Colosseum
Ruby burst out of the corridor and looked to the arena before dropping to her knees. "Penny..." Her eyes filled up with tears and they fell to the ground. Mercury looked out the door and smirked before walking back the way he came.
"Broadcast, what the hell are you doing?" Oobleck asked. "Kill the feed."
"Somethings wrong." The operator said. "The cameras, we can't control them! We can't stop the broadcast!"
"What, that can't be possible!" Oobleck said back. Suddenly, the screens turned red with a black queen piece.
"This is not a tragedy, nor was this an accident." A female voice said. "This is what happens when you hand all of your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be your guardians, but are in reality, nothing more than men."
"Our academies headmasters wield more power than most armies and one was arrogant enough to use both. They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here?" Ironwood slammed his hands on the railing and walked out of his seat.
"One nations attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly tore apart by another's star pupil. What need would Atlas have for soldier disguised as a little girl? I don't think the Grimm could tell the difference."
Fairgrounds
Weiss, Blake and Aerith sat at a food hut, watching everything up to now. "And what, I ask you, has Ozpin been teaching his students? First a dismemberment, and now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy. Yet I have seen a distinct lack of both."
Team RWBY's Room
"Perhaps Ozpin thought by defeating Atlas in the tournament, it would help people forget about his colossal failure to protect his city when the Grimm invaded." Yang slept on the bottom bunk in her clothes as Natsu stood up and put the blanket back on her. Turning around, he walked over to the bathroom and closed the door, slightly waking her up. A smile on her face, she reached down and scratched Zwei's ears.
Ozpin's Office
"Or maybe, this was a message to a tyrannical dictator that has occupied a kingdom with armed forces? Honestly, I haven't the slightest idea who is right and who is wrong. But I know that peace is a fragile thing to keep. And the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves." Ozpin stared at the screen before looking out his window at the Atlas warships.
Beacon Borders
"As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you; the situation is... Less than desirable. Our kingdoms are at the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark." Two guards listened on their scroll beofre a growl caught their attention. Turning around, they face a horde a Grimm that seemingly appeared out of nowhere. They fired their guns but were soon overwhelmed by the horde.
With Cinder
"So I ask you, when the first shots are fired, who do you think you can trust? I'd advise you to choice very careful, because when the dust clears, all that remains is the end." She pressed a button on her scroll, and the Scrolls red screen turned black with the words 'Protocol Activated.'
Amity Colosseum
The screens faded into a static mess, leaving everyone scared. "We've lost communications! We can't get a message out!" Oobleck reported.
"Will someone tell me what in Oum's name is happening!?" Port shouted. Warning sirens started blaring, confusing the crowd.
"Alert, incoming Grimm attack!" The PA system reported. "Threat level: 9. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner." The opposite effect occurred and the crowd burst into a panic and fled.
Ironwood walked into the broadcast room and grabbed the microphone. "Everyone, remain calm. There's no need for panic." A Nevermore screeched as it landed on the energy dome, scaring everyone even more.
"A Nevermore!?" Sun asked.
"How'd it get passed the kingdom's defenses?" Coco asked
"It wasn't alone..." Ren said as he glared at the bird.
Ozpin's Office
Ozpin looked at the colosseum as Glynda and Qrow ran into the room. "Get to the city, now!" He ordered them. The two nodded and left the room as Ozpin grabbed his Scroll.
Amity Colosseum
Ironwood's Scroll rang and he brought it to his ear. "Ozpin, listen about the girl. I can-"
"You brought your army to my kingdom, James." The other man interupted. "I'd suggest you use it."
Blue Four Warship
Nevermores landed on the massive war ships and started pecking at them. "Damn it!" The captain cussed before pulling out his Scroll. "This is Blue Four. Blue's Two and Three, get into defensive positions now!"
"Blue Three, in position." The captian of the other sip said back.
"Blue Two, status report!" The first captain requested. "Answer me!"
Blue Two
Neo, now in an Atlas Military uniform, walked past the bodies of the soldiers she killed, holding her umbrella, a cane, and a bowler hat. She stopped in front of a cell and it opened. "Well, it's about time..." Roman chuckled.
Blue Two turned to the right and fired lasers at Blue Four, sending it crashing into Blue Three. "Now THIS is a really cool toy!" Roman laughed. "Man, it is good to be back."
Beacon Docks
Bullheads landed and the side hatches opened, revealing White Fang members. "Bring them to their heels." Adam ordered. The rear door open and an Ursa jumped out and roared as it ran into the city.
Someone explain this to me; the strongest military in the world can't defend against its own weapons? Shouldn't that be like, the first thing you develop after the weapons! Speaking of machines, I have a theory about Penny. Ironwood had her built, so SHE could take Amber's powers and have them under his thumb. You seriously think he wouldn't want that?
No, Natsu and Yang did not do the deed. They just cuddled. Who knows, maybe I can add Velvet to this mix if enough people want it. Now that the shits hit the fan, I figured a little romance was needed before that.
digemsmack is back, but I already sent this, so this chapter was beta read by Natsu is Awesome, and then double checked by Christopher Dragkrow.