A/N: T-6. This chapter is a little shorter than those previous. What can I say?

OST 1: Black Water by Nobuo Uematsu

OST 2: Violator by Nobuo Uematsu

Laws of Attraction

I killed Penny.

A cold wind blew through the stadium as Pyrrha looked up into the audience. It pushed her hair off her shoulder to the side, sending the hanging chains of her circlet to graze against her neck, the metal icy and shiver-inducing against her skin.

She couldn't feel anything properly. Her extremities were cold- all she knew was that her core was warm to the point of burning, and all she wanted to do was to extinguish the raging flames killing her from the inside out. But, she couldn't.

There were so many faces watching- so many eyes scrutinizing her in the spotlight, taking note of every single detail in this incident. There was nowhere to hide. The entire world knew of her blunder, of her crime. Their voices echoed in the arena- judgemental, horrified. There were thousands of people in the stadium, screaming their anger, their hatred, their disgust. The negativity flowing down the funnel into Pyrrha's heart was thick enough to drown in, so heavy that she couldn't even lift her head properly.

Distantly, the tiny corner of her mind which remained rational pleaded, You all need to calm down. Mass hysteria only leads to danger. Panic can only hurt you.

Why else had Pyrrha locked the box for so long?

Almost as if in answer to her fear, all of the holo-screens began to flicker, then fade into grey- and then, every single screen, both big and small, turned a bloody, ominous red. In the background, Pyrrha could hear the voices of Professor Port and Professor Oobleck, desperate in their attempts to seize control of the situation- but soon, even their microphones were silenced. Silhouetted in black was a simplistic rendition of a dark chess piece.

A queen. Pyrrha's blood ran cold.

"It's a game I've been continuing with an old acquaintance," Professor Ozpin had said. The queen was ready to check the king, if no one acted. The queen was here.

The world began to spin, and Pyrrha staggered towards Penny, unable to comprehend what was going on. I thought- I thought we had more time. This isn't what they said…

Suddenly, a woman's voice rang through the audio system, booming out for the audience's fearfully rapt attention. "This is not a tragedy. This was not an accident." It was smooth, seductive, and so utterly self-assured that the speaker may as well have been attempting to flirt with the audience.

No one was won over.

A tinge of familiarity struck Pyrrha. She recognized this voice. It was faint, and it was unsure, but she knew who was speaking. However, she couldn't place it- and with her eyes still transfixed upon Penny's corpse (too many pieces to take in) there was nowhere for her brain to go to process the voice.

"This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety, your children, to men who claim to be our guardians, but are, in reality, nothing more than men." The speaker spat out those last few words, the contempt audible. "Our Academies' Headmasters wield more power than most armies, and one was audacious enough to control both. They cling to this power in the name of peace, and yet, what do we have here?"

Pyrrha gasped, bringing a hand up to cover her mouth, to stifle her sobs, as understanding washed over her with the speaker's words. "One nation's attempt at a synthetic army, mercilessly torn apart by another's star pupil."

Penny was… a synthetic soldier? But why did no one know? Why did this have to happen?! Tears filled her eyes, watery and tired.

The woman's voice questioned, "What need would Atlas have for a soldier disguised as an innocent little girl? I don't think the Grimm can tell the difference."

A single tear fell out of Pyrrha's cheeks. She didn't care. No one watched her anymore, after all. All eyes were focused either upon Penny or the holo-screens, the black queen hijacking the airwaves.

She bristled distantly at the speaker's next thought. "And what, I ask you, is Ozpin teaching his students? First a dismemberment, now this? Huntsmen and Huntresses should carry themselves with honor and mercy, yet I have witnessed neither."

But it wasn't Yang's fault, and it- it wasn't mine, was it? Someone must've planned all of this! Hysteria began to rise into her throat, and she desperately swallowed the cries down, locking them away. I- I didn't mean to do it. I thought I saw- I was scared. I just wanted to make my team proud.

"Perhaps Ozpin felt as though defeating Atlas in the Tournament would help people forget his colossal failure to protect Vale when the Grimm invaded its streets."

But we did the best we could. The body count had been too high to acknowledge, yes, but they had all fought bravely, hadn't they?

"Or perhaps this was his message to the tyrannical dictator that has occupied an unsuspecting Kingdom with armed forces."

Is that why General Ironwood brought the entire Atlesian Military here? Is this an occupation?

"Honestly, I haven't the slightest clue as to who is right and who is wrong." The woman was laughing now at the chaos she had wrought upon the hearts of all the viewers.

Pyrrha shuddered, wrapping her arms around herself. I don't think anyone knows.

"But I know the existence of peace is fragile, and the leaders of our kingdoms conduct their business with iron gloves. As someone who hails from Mistral, I can assure you the situation there is... equally undesirable."

She froze. What's happening in Mistral? Did something… did something happen to home?

"Our Kingdoms are at the brink of war, yet we, the citizens, are left in the dark. So I ask you: when the first shots are fired... who do you think you can trust?"

With that final, self-satisfied line, the woman smirked and cut the line. The screens suddenly cut to nothing but static, the sound deafening in the audio systems.

What is going on?

The thought lingered for but a breath before warning sirens began to resonate through the entire arena. These weren't alarms from over the speaker systems- these were from the emergency lines. The horns blared over the crowd, screaming with an intensity that shook even Pyrrha out of her frozen stupor.

All at once, every single holo-screen shifted from grey static to a bright, neon orange. The word 'CAUTION' flashed, sending out shockwaves onscreen as it pulsed in time with the rise and fall of the sirens. An automated voice recording began to echo, "Alert. Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level: Nine. Please seek shelter in a calm and orderly manner."

And then, all hell broke loose.

Before Pyrrha's very eyes, every single body in the audience simultaneously stood and began fleeing the arena. The voices from the crowd, which had been hushed into a terrified murmur when the mysterious woman began to speak, began to rise in a cacophonous clamour, the hysteria evident even at this distance.

Yet, Pyrrha didn't think to run. She didn't think of moving a single muscle. Her mind was focused on the one new word, the one new key piece of information that announcement had supplied.

Incoming Grimm attack.

The Grimm were attracted to despair.

No matter how wild the thought was, no matter just how ridiculous it seemed to the logical part of her brain, the bile rising in her throat kept leading her back to the same horrific thought. Was… was I part of what brought them here? The fear was only punctuated by the memory of all of those textbooks and research articles she had read, so long ago, burning the midnight oil in the library after her first panic attack.

Suddenly, General Ironwood's voice rang over the speakers. "Ladies and gentlemen, please. There is no need for panic."

There was a loud banging from above her head, and a deafening screech filled the stadium. Pyrrha didn't bother looking up. The banging continued, but her eyes remained fixed on the crowd. It's a Nevermore, she realized faintly, recognizing the sound from her memory. The entire colosseum seemed to shake for a moment, toppling the girl to the ground. With her eyes brought back to ground level, they fell back onto the torn up remains of the sweet girl she had just fought.

Is it my fault?

She retched dryly, heaving and gasping, tasting nothing but bitter stomach acid which burned her mouth.

The banging from above continued. "Warning: safety barriers failing," the automated voice intoned. Pyrrha crawled onto her hands and knees, wiped her mouth, then stumbled back to her feet, eyes still glued to the scene of mechanical carnage before her. It took her a moment to find her balance, standing with feet wide apart, trying to regain some sense of stability.

It was her fault, wasn't it?

It always was, the box whispered. Her eyes widened, tears returning again, and Penny's remains began to swim in her vision once more. If only you were stronger.

In the distance, a familiar voice rang through the discord. She couldn't hear what he was saying, but his voice- oh my god, Jaune, he saw me, he saw this, I'm a monster! What have I done? She wept, curling in on herself once more, eyes still affixed to Penny.

There was still the blank look of shock upon Penny's sweet, youthful face. Her pupils had completely dilated upon her… shutdown.

Penny was a robot. She wasn't a real person. But Ruby loved her. Ruby spoke about her all the time. Ruby wanted me to meet Penny, to be her friend. We never got the chance- but she was so sweet tonight. She was so friendly, like Jaune and Ruby. She looked so bright, her hair was like Nora's- she wanted to be my friend. She was so excited for this fight. She was someone. Did she want to meet me, too? Did she want to be my friend?

What have I done?

Doesn't matter whether she was real or not, the box hissed, curling its way up the acid in her throat, taking control of her mouth. She felt it hijack her senses, eyes wide in terror as her mouth formed the words unwillingly.

"She was worth more than you, anyway."

The one last reasonable part of her brain screamed frantically, You need to put away this fear. You need to be Pyrrha Nikos. You are strong. If you're not, you're going to attract the Grimm. You're going to die.

"Let them come," the box forced Pyrrha to whisper. She retched again.

Suddenly, the world seemed to thunder and crash around her, the sound blasting through her ears accompanied by a shadowy figure and shattering glass- and then, a giant Nevermore landed in front of her. The force of the Nevermore's landing sent out a shockwave through the arena floor along with a gust of wind, picking up the pieces of Penny's body and sending them flying.

Pyrrha didn't care. All she saw was Penny's lifeless face flying past her own on the wind, dead forever, and it was all her fault.

The wind was too strong. It pushed Pyrrha back as well, and on instinct, the girl curled up in a ball and let herself be thrown back, landing heavily on her back. As she tried to lift herself back up, the creature squalled in her face, blowing her hair back behind her. She tried to block its breath from making her eyes water by raising her arm, but it wasn't enough. Its stench was sickening, the taste of rotten flesh so pungent that it sat upon Pyrrha's tongue, entering her nose, combining with the already-revolting taste of vomit and fear in the most hideous way.

When it finally quieted down, Pyrrha dared to look up at the Nevermore. Her legs were heavy, and she had no energy- nor the willpower- to get back up. She lowered her arm just in time to see the giant creature open its beak and lunge at her.

This is it. She closed her eyes and braced herself for the attack.

Out of nowhere, a streak of red flying through the sky tackled the monster, leaving behind a trail of crimson rose petals in its wake. The Nevermore screamed, staggering backwards. The red figure leapt away from the creature, landing in front of Pyrrha, but the redhead could only shiver when she saw that, in the younger girl's hand, was not Crescent Rose, but one of Penny's swords.

"…Ruby?" Pyrrha whispered hesitantly, the girl's outline becoming clear in her eyes.

Ignoring her, Ruby brandished the sword valiantly against the Nevermore. "Leave her alone!" the girl screamed, more vicious than Pyrrha could have ever thought possible from the normally-sweet girl.

The demon took flight, spreading its massive wings and gaining altitude before circling the arena floor. After a full rotation, it changed direction, lunging back down. Ruby didn't falter, though- she stood strong, ready to defend Pyrrha to the last.

Pyrrha quaked. At her side, she found a scrap of cloth- a scrap from Penny's dress. She picked it up with trembling fingers, the tears overflowing, fresh and stinging. Ruby, don't, I don't deserve it-

Right before that immense beak could attempt to rend Ruby apart, it was knocked to the floor. Before their very eyes, a dozen remote-controlled, rocket-powered lockers from Beacon's locker room crashed down onto the Nevermore, pinning the Grimm onto the battlefield. One by one, the lockers opened their metal doors, revealing a slew of familiar weapons- Pyrrha's eyes were instinctively drawn to Crocea Mors, to Stormflower, and to Magnihild. All of her peers' combat gear was laid bare for her to see, and soon, their wielders came to retrieve them. The redhead could only blink, still dizzy with shock and fear, as Team CFVY, Team SSSN- even teams from other schools, ones which had already lost in the tournament- leapt onto the Nevermore's pained body to pick up their weapons, getting ready for the onslaught ahead.

And then, Nora and Ren landed upon the Nevermore's head, and Pyrrha sobbed aloud once more, crawling onto her knees. Oh, how she wanted to run to them.

After all the students had picked up their gear, the Nevermore finally recovered enough strength to shake them off. Pyrrha's eyes unfocused for the dizzyingly quick battle, but soon, the giant creature's head had been sliced clear off its body, and the Grimm dissipated into nothing but rancid shadow.

Now that the immediate threat was taken care of, Ruby turned to brokenly cast a glance back at Pyrrha.

The redhead choked out, "Ruby, I…" Her eyes drifted back down to the cloth in hand.

You think you can justify what you've done?! the box screeched.

The tears wouldn't stop. She looked back up at the younger girl, plaintiff and crumbling and so shameful, she thought she would break. "I'm so sorry."

Rather than condemning her, Ruby simply frowned forlornly. "Me too."

That reaction hurt even more than tears ever could.

Suddenly, the girl grimaced, anger mixing in with resolve. "But it wasn't your fault."

"She's right," someone else called. Pyrrha glanced up, heart dropping as she saw Jaune walking calmly over to her. He had his sword and shield hung at his belt, and in his free hands… he brought to her Miló and Akoúo. His expression was determined, worried, and true. "Whoever was on the microphone... they're the ones that did this."

As he approached, Pyrrha hurriedly climbed back to her feet, ignoring the protests of every muscle in her body. Her mouth dropped open slightly, stunned at how calm he was being in her presence. Wait… so it wasn't my fault? It was planned? Her eyes snapped back to Penny's corpse, the pieces of her mechanical frame now scattered around the stage. Someone planned this?

Her blood boiled, and the bitterness in her mouth turned into white-hot ash, scalding her from the inside out. Did… did someone use me to get rid of her?

Jaune added, holding out her sword and shield for her to take, "And we have to make sure they don't take anyone else."

She gripped the weapons uneasily in her hands, their touch nothing but painful reminders of the brutality of her match. Even though the possibility of sabotage was there, it didn't change the fact that her Semblance had hurt the innocent girl. Yet, Jaune didn't turn away. But- but I- you saw everything, what-

But what she saw in his eyes wasn't fear. It wasn't doubt, nor anger, nor shame. Nothing but pure determined willpower filled his eyes, burning with an intensity she had never seen from the blond. It was the same expression he had worn during their initiation, during the invasion of Vale, during their first match- but this time, it was amplified by a thousand, the boy's mouth turned down at the corners in a stern, set frown. He was ready. And he expected the same from her.

The time to cry will be later, his eyes insisted. For now, I need you to be strong.

Instantly, her tears dried. She straightened her shoulders, puffing out her chest, adopting a stronger stance. Raising her chin, she took a deep breath- in, out, 1, 2-

And her battle mask was back. I will not run. Jaune needs me. I'll protect him.

She shifted her hands into position on Miló and Akoúo, nodding slightly. He smiled, wan and tired, and the two of them turned to look at Ruby and the assembled crowd of students. It was impressive, seeing everyone standing in line, ready to take back their peace. Nora and Ren stood front-and-center, the smiles on their faces hardened by furrowed brows and clenched jaws.

Although the giant Nevermore was vanquished, that didn't mean the end of the Grimm. Smaller screeches echoed at the mouth of Amity Colosseum, and soon, a veritable herd of Griffons had flocked to the arena, the four-legged, winged beasts swooping down for some easy prey.

Pyrrha braced herself as the first one approached the students, landing right behind Ruby's freshly-arrived locker. However, a quick gunshot from the side scared the demon off, and every single student's eyes turned upon the two figures at the edge of the stage. Posed coolly with their weapons in hand, Professor Port and Professor Oobleck surveyed the crowd with all the calmness in the world, no longer spectating.

"Students," Professor Port announced, "I think it would be best for you to leave."

Ruby cried, "But we can fi-"

"Miss Rose!" the green-haired man interjected sharply. "This day will surely go down in Remnant's history." Professor Oobleck paused, a small, rueful smile quirking his lips. "I'd prefer it if my students could live to tell about it."

Ruby nodded at the Huntsman's word, pulling her scythe out of the locker. Pyrrha walked up behind her, readying herself- at her word, Pyrrha would fight. It was time.

It's too soon- the logical part of her brain cried.

It doesn't matter, Pyrrha thought to herself, bending her knees, holding Miló tightly in her grasp, raising the xiphos blade in a fighting stance. Jaune needs me. Ruby forgives me. And if this was all a trap… Penny deserves to be avenged.

She saw a flash of orange hair on her right, a pink dress swaying in the wind. Behind that was a green jacket, long black hair, a pink streak shining under the spotlights. Nora. Ren.

Ruby called, "Let's go!"

And with that, alongside all of her friends- on the tail of Jaune, who sprinted off first- her love, her leader- Pyrrha raced out of the arena floor, ready to face whoever was threatening to take away her final days of peace.