Chapter 10:

"Ruby, wait for me!" Weiss called out.

"Well hurry up!" She called back, whizzing away on the zipline.

"Oh, for heaven's sake." Weiss said, shaking her head. She looked over to Hat Kid.

"Surely, this could have been a more relaxing occasion if we had brought along someone like Blake."

Hat Kid rolled her eyes. Stop complaining.

"So, tell me, Roman."

Weiss pulled out her rapier and slid over on the zipline.

"Roman?"

Hat Kid launched a hookshot and followed.

"Roman!"

"Ah!" The man in question yelled, sitting up.

"Roman, are you even listening?"

He rubbed his eyes and straightened his hat. "Sorry, kind of hard to when my head is pounding to the rhythm of you slamming your hand on the table."

"Awww, I'm sorry, did little Roman hurt his poor head?" The voice mocked.

"Cinder, I know I don't say this enough, but shut up." Roman retorted.

"You lost me a bullhead, Torchwick. We're not exactly running on Atlas level resources." The woman in question said, stepping out of the shadows.

"Well maybe, if you would make up your mind already and decide what our efforts should be focused on, that wouldn't be an issue." He shot back.

"Silence." Cinder barked. "Although, you do have a point. We should evaluate the new developments."

A woman in green stepped out of the shadows towards her. She pulled out a shiny hourglass and handed it to her.

"With the information provided to me by Emerald and Mercury, I've been able to understand how these very pretty looking hourglasses work." Cinder continued, admiring the gleam. "Well, to a degree, of course."

"So, a field test, is it?" Roman asked.

"Not quite yet." She replied. "When we've figured out how to use them properly, that's when the real fun begins."

"Well, I hope you can sympathise. It's either them, or the dust. I'm not going for both." Roman demanded.

"YOU don't need to worry about both." Cinder replied. "I'll worry about the hourglasses. That child seems to have the most of them. We'll need to get to her first. For now, continue with the original plan. And do not fail me again."

"Technically, I didn't fail." Roman murmured, getting out of his seat and exiting the room.

"Now, then. The next phase." Cinder said, turning to the girl in green. "You will gather information about this child, interact with her, get close to her, and learn all you can about her fascination with them."

"Yes, Madam Cinder." The girl replied. "Although I can't guarantee Mercury will be as thrilled about babysitting."

"Don't worry, you won't need to do it for too long." Cinder assured her. "Just until we've determined how to really use them."

The girl in green bowed to Cinder before exiting the room.

She walked down the halls to a man in a white lab coat.

"How goes the experiment, Doctor?" She asked.

"Hmm. Pretty slow. We're still getting more of those unwanted...side effects." The man replied.

The girl walked over to a metal cage.

"H-hey, uh, can I come out yet?" A fear-filled voice asked. "The Conductor said I would lose my job if I didn't show up for work on time again."

"Quiet, vermin." A White Fang soldier barked, rattling the cage.

"Hoot!" It squealed.

…

"So, this is it?" Ruby asked, stepping up from the ladder.

"Yep." A nomad replied, walking up. "The Twilight Bell."

"It's enormous!" Weiss remarked, studying the huge structure.

Hat Kid walked to the center.

"How did you manage to build this?" She asked.

"We didn't build it." The nomad explained. "It's just sort of...always been there. Like with the Lava Cake and the Birdhouse."

Ruby peered up at the clapper, which hung right above them in the center.

"I guess we have to ring it?" She asked.

"I suppose, but how would we?" Weiss replied. "It's most likely going to take at least 300-"

Hat Kid used her hookshot badge to grapple onto the clapper, conveniently in the shape of a hook.

"-pounds." Weiss finished, staring in disbelief. "I swear, this world makes zero sense."

"I know, isn't it awesome?" Ruby said pumping her fists in the air.

Weiss just rolled her eyes.

Hat Kid swung the clapper back and forth. To Weiss's surprise, the bell rang.

BONG

BONG

BONG

The area around them enveloped in a green light, and before they could react, they were standing in a completely different area.

"W-w-w-w-Wha-Wha-Wha?" Weiss stuttered, her face flustered.

"Weiss, are you going to be like this every time we come across something weird?" Ruby asked.

"B-But t-that, wait, i-"

"Yeah. I know. But I gotta say, this definitely is a little less subtle than some other times." Ruby agreed.

The area around them was pitch black. The bell illuminated a crystal turquoise light as to see it. In front of them, there were platforms hung in suspension. Ruby stepped out onto one of them. Hat Kid and Weiss followed.

"Haha, hey, Weiss. Let's see if this works." Ruby said. "ECHO!" She shouted.

From the void came a reply. "Echo!"

"Aww, yeah." She said slyly.

"Ruby…" Weiss began. "Are you for real?"

"What? Just testing." Ruby said, putting her arms up.

Weiss rolled her eyes and stepped onto the platform. Hat Kid studied the area. There seemed to be a row of pillars leading upward towards a series of more platforms. But the pillars were too far away to reach.

"So...How will we get over there?" Weiss asked. "I don't think I could jump that far."

"Me neither." Ruby said.

Hat Kid thought to herself for a minute. She then looked up and snapped her fingers.

"Got an idea?" Ruby asked her.

Hat Kid nodded and pulled out her Dweller's Mask.

"Is that a...fox mask?" Weiss said.

Hat Kid strung it around her neck. A green light emitted from the mask eyes. The light illuminated a green pathway leading to the pillars.

"Oooh, it's like that fire to the lemon juice thing!" Ruby exclaimed. "That's so cool!"

"Yes, very interesting." Weiss added. "I suppose Hat Kid should go in front, so we know which way to go."

Hat Kid nodded and stepped up, lighting the path.

They continued on the path.

"Weiss, look! That pillar over there is broken but still floating!" Ruby said, pointing to said pillar.

"Ruby, I don't need to see more than I already am seeing." Weiss replied, looking at the green platform with a twitching eye.

"Well, there isn't any turning back, Weiss. You've just gotta embrace it."

"I know that, you dolt!" Weiss scolded. "It's just...gonna take some time for me to get used to."

"Don't worry, I'm here." Ruby said, putting her arm around her shoulders.

Weiss sighed. "Thanks."

The path ended and they stepped onto the pillar, then jumped onto the platforms.

"You know, even though it should seem really creepy, it's actually quite peaceful here." Ruby remarked.

"I guess so." Weiss agreed, walking up a staircase.

…

"So let me get this straight, Emerald. Cinder wants us to stalk...a child?"

"What's wrong, Mercury? Afraid of kids?" Emerald asked.

"No, it's just...well...why?" Mercury replied.

"You know she has all those hourglasses Cinder's obsessed with." Emerald told him. "We're going to want to get close to her if we want a chance of us getting them."

"And...if she refuses to give them to us?" Mercury asked.

"What do you think?" Emerald replied, giving him an annoyed look.

"But, she's just a kid." Mercury said.

"Mercury." Emerald began, stopping and glaring at him. "Are you really going to put a child in front of Cinder's plans?"

"N-no, I just-"

"Good. Then no more talk of it. We do as we're told." Emerald stated. She started walking again. "We don't care about faunus, children, or humans. If they stand in our way, they can beat it, or else."

"Right. Now, speaking of faunus…" Mercury said, opening a door to a shop. "I believe we have some other business to attend to."

…

"So anyways, we get to the top of the platform, and it's like, wicked tall! We can see everything!" Ruby exclaimed to her teammates in the cafeteria.

"Not necessarily, Ruby. We were pretty high up, but the windmill Ren and Nora climbed was probably taller." Weiss replied.

"Hmm, I guess so." Ruby agreed. "Anyways, Hat Kid somehow manages to ring the bell, and all of a sudden, a green light fills the place. And before we know it, we're in some sort of pitch-black room, with floating pillars and platforms."

"What is it with green lights and teleporting?" Yang asked.

"I don't know, I guess that's just what it means." Ruby replied.

A pie hit Weiss in the face.

…

Hat Kid spun around in her chair, tossing her new Time Piece up in the air and catching it.

She pulled out her keychain. Smiling, she pressed the rose button, teleporting to Remnant.

She appeared to be in the hallways.

"Ah, I believe I was just about to look for you!"

Hat Kid turned around. A plump man stood over her.

"Hello, there, my dear. My name is Professor Peter Port. You must be the intrepid Hat Kid Ozpin has told me about." The man said.

Hat Kid nodded and tipped her hat.

"We have acquired, thanks to a certain shapeshifting hunter, a good amount of those Time Pieces you so dearly desire. Would you have the time to come with me to grab some?" Port asked.

Hat Kid's eyes lit up. She nodded. More Time Pieces? Why not?

"Delightful. Follow me this way." Port told her, walking down the hallway.

Hat Kid followed him.

"So...surely, if you are from another world, you must have the most interesting of stories to tell!" Port remarked.

Hat Kid shrugged.

"Haha!" Port chuckled. "Shy, are you? I can respect that. Or maybe a more fitting term is cautious?"

Hat Kid smiled.

"I must ask, though. For my own curiosity…" Port said, looking at her.

Hat Kid looked back up and raised an eyebrow.

"...What is it like?" Port asked. "Being in a world with no Creatures of Grimm? No threat of constant attack by horrible creatures of darkness? The freedom to go wherever you please without fear or regret?"

Hat Kid looked at the man in sympathy. Of course, this world they lived on was much more sinister in nature than the world her ship was orbiting. Although she did have to worry about things like the Mafia and the like, nothing really ever terrified her. Except maybe that evil witch Queen Vanessa.

"Sorry, if I made it sound pandering. I was merely asking." Port said. "You see, like you, I dream. But although you may dream of Time Pieces, I dream of a world where we do not require Hunters and Huntresses to keep us safe.

Hat Kid scratched her head. Her friends, Ruby, Yang, Weiss, Blake, Jaune, Nora, Ren, Pyrrha. Was that the reason why they are so eager to help her? Is it because they want so desperately to get away from the life they live, even if only for a few hours? Surely, it couldn't be the only reason.

"Well, here we are." Port told her, stopping in front of his classroom. "Why don't you wait here? I will be right back."

Hat Kid nodded and continued her train of thought. The people she knew on this planet...they were supposed to become heroes of some kind, able to overcome any threat. Could they do that and at the same time hang out with her? And furthermore, once all the Time Pieces were collected...how would she say goodbye to them?

She pulled out her umbrella and examined it intently. Is this all really worth it?

"Alright! Here you go, my dear!" Port said, peeking out of the classroom. "I have a whole wheelbarrow full of the stuff!"

Hat Kid looked over at the wheelbarrow. There had to be at least 20 Time Pieces in it.

"Do be careful. It's quite heavy. Oh, and if you could possibly bring it back when you're done, that would be splendid."

She tipped her hat in thanks and started pushing the wheelbarrow. It was pretty heavy, but she could handle it.

Hat Kid kept trodding along through the school, some students stopped to look at the small child.

"Hey, it's that kid in the hat again." One of them said.

"I heard Teams RWBY and JNPR are friends with her or something."

"Huh. She does seem to be around them a lot."

Hat Kid just smiled and waved, then continued to push the wheelbarrow. She stopped it in front of the cafeteria, which looked like a mess. A soda can flew out the cafeteria, and Hat Kid peeked inside.

"Off with their heads!" She heard Nora yell.

It looked like they were having some sort of food fight. It looked fun, but Hat Kid wasn't too sure she could keep up with them. She plopped down the wheelbarrow and got to work.

She grabbed a handful of Time Pieces and teleported back to the ship, then teleported back and grabbed another handful. She ducked in time to avoid half of a watermelon, then continued her routine, keeping an eye out for any more flying food.

She finished, and started pushing the wheelbarrow back to Port's classroom. When she came back, the room seemed tidy again. Glynda and Ozpin stood at the entrance, and she saw her friends giggling to each other, covered in food paste.

"Hey."

Hat Kid turned to see Sun and a blue-haired boy. She waved back.

"Let it go." She heard Ozpin say to Glynda.

Glynda sighed. "They're supposed to be the defenders of the world."

"And they will be." Ozpin said. "But right now, they're still children. So why not let them play the part?"

He walked over to the exit, stopping to notice Hat Kid, who waved. He kneeled down and patted her head.

"After all," He continued, standing back up. "It isn't a role they'll have forever."

Hat Kid looked at the ground, then back up at the group of kids. She again asked herself if this was worth it.

"Hey Hat Kid!" Ruby said, running over and hugging the child. "Was wondering when you'd show up."

A little bit of food dropped on her.

"Oops! Sorry!" She apologised, putting her down. "Guess I should go clean up."

Hat Kid looked up at her.

"Oh, by the way, Pyhrra was wondering if she could come on one of your adventures, since...you know, she hasn't yet." Ruby said. "If it's okay with you, of course."

Hat Kid looked over to the rest of the group who were laughing.

"Hey, Hat Kid!" Yang hollered, waving her hand.

"Oh, Hat Kid!" Jaune said. "We were about to watch Murder on the Owl Express. You wanna come?"

Hat Kid's eyes lit up. She reflected on what Ozpin had said.

"Let them play the part."

Of course. It wasn't about getting away. It was about the experience. That was why Ozpin allowed them to go on adventures with her whenever. Because he knew they would get something out of it more than they would if they simply just attended Beacon: The chance to grow.

Hat Kid looked up at Ruby and smiled.

"What?" Ruby asked, smiling back.

Hat Kid giggled and flashed back on her ship, grabbing some DVDs and a pair of wacky-looking TV antennae, then flashed back in front of Ruby.

"Nice! Binge movie night!" Ruby cheered. "I'll go get cleaned up! Meet back in our dorms in an hour!"

"Aye aye, Team Leader!" Yang said, saluting.

Everyone ran off to their dorms, leaving Hat Kid behind, smiling to herself.

Ozpin walked over, smiling. "As for you, my dear, I'm sure the adventures you and these children go on are going to be life changing."

He kneeled down to pat her head again. "Savor these moments you have with them. They will too."

Hat Kid nodded. "Mmmhmm."

Ozpin put his hands in the air. "Ah, so you do speak!" He said in mock surprise. "I was beginning to wonder if you knew any words."

Hat Kid giggled. No, she just didn't feel the need to use them all that often.

Ozpin walked away, smiling at her. "You are certainly something special, to say the least, my friend."

From behind him, she could see Glynda smiling at her too. "Perhaps I was wrong about her, Headmaster."

"Perhaps?" Ozpin asked slyly.

"Ok, fine, I was definitely wrong about her." Glynda relented. "Do you think she would make a good huntress someday?"

"Maybe." Ozpin replied. "It's too early to tell. But for now, best to leave her to her own."

"Hat Kid! Where are you?" Ruby called from the entrance.

Hat Kid jumped and ran past the two, over to where Ruby had called her from.

"No running in the-!" Glynda yelled, but then stopped. "Oh, how can I possibly be strict to that precious thing?"

"Surely, Miss Rose couldn't be any different." Ozpin remarked.

"To a degree." Glynda said. "But you are right, it seems as though she does fine on her own, the hat child."

Ozpin felt a tap on his shoulder. He looked over. There stood a girl in a red hood, about Hat Kid's age. It wasn't Ruby, he could tell, as this girl had a literal mustache on.

"Hey there! I'm Mustache Girl." She introduced in an accent of some sort. "I'm one of Hat Kid's...friends."

"Hmm. Are you now?" Ozpin asked.

"Oh hyeah. Totally." Mustache Girl answered. "We've been best buds ever since we took down the Mafia Boss. Uhh, she wanted me to pick up some Time Pieces for her. Do you have any I could grab for her?"

"Well, I suppose it wouldn't be a problem." Ozpin replied. "Glynda, why don't you show Mustache Girl to the Time Pieces?"

"Of course, Headmaster. Follow me this way...Mustache Girl." Glynda said.

Aaaand...End of chapter!