Wow, it feels like it's been too long since we last touched this story. Truth be told, I mostly despise this final arc for several reasons in terms of writing. It had its high points, but the bad moments just… really brought it down for me.

You'll see what changes will be made starting here, so be prepared for some significant overhauls. It'll be meant to further character growth and better action. For the record, I'm sure most of you would understand my perception of the remainder of this volume.

But I think it's about time we get ourselves back on track for this story. There's a lot happening in this chapter alone, so let's dive into it.

REALITY

I don't know how much longer I can stand by with this universe's dilemma… James' ultimatum, threatening to destroy Mantle unless Penny returns… My blood is boiling…

Ahem. Thankfully, our heroes have been reunited upon Salem's evisceration. Now that they've learned of the new crisis they're facing, they need to act. But with all the turmoil and setbacks they've faced… they may very well be too exhausted to do anything…

Grimm were still swarming about Atlas. Even with the Monstra destroyed, plenty of the shadowy monsters remained, flying around buildings in search of frightened prey. A Nevermore was at one of the underground subway entrances, stalking it as other Grimm circled about. Inside, the citizens were overhearing the broadcast message from their general.

"If anyone tries anything other than what I've ordered…" he continued as everyone listened on with shock and concern, "Mantle… is gone…" he stated firmly, "You have one hour to respond," he said robotically on the projected building of a tall building in the city below Atlas. Inside one of the mines in Mantle, many people were listening and reacting to the speech with shock and fear themselves. Their lives were going to be forfeit. "I hope you live up to the title I gave you," James finished.

Fiona, who was listening to the broadcast on her Scroll, dropped it in disbelief and started to cry. As she brought her hands up to her face, Joanna and May embraced her to try and comfort her. Watching on, Kim clenched her fists.

"This has to be a bluff…" she whispered out, getting Genji and Obi-Wan's attentions, "There's no way he'd put lives on the line just to get what he wants… would he?" she inferred. Her colleagues shared a glance with each other.

"Unfortunately, I don't believe the general much cares for this city or its people at this point…" the cyborg responded, "He only wants Atlas to run," he noted.

"Sadly, it won't be able to much longer…" the Jedi chimed in, "I fear that this ultimatum of his is true," he told his allies. Kim widened her eyes, while Genji lowered his head. There wasn't anything they could seemingly do about any of this.

Back in the military compound, James and Winter were walking down a corridor, both with their hands held together behind their backs. The latter was off to the side a little, a foot behind her superior. She was still astonished by his declaration earlier. Two of the officers from earlier, who were still tasked with finding the escaped prisoners, emerged from one of the side paths as the door opened. The male of the two noticed the general, widening his eyes before reaching his right arm out to stop his partner, who was distracted by her Scroll tablet. She noticed their superior and slightly gasped, quickly saluting him alongside her colleague.

Winter saw that they weren't even looking James in the eye. A once respected presence now seemed to be a feared one. The special operative chose not to comment, looking back at the general.

"Of course he's not going to do it," Elm assured in spite of a troubled look on her face. She and the rest of the Ace-Ops were in another section of the base, talking with each other after seeing the broadcast. Both she and Vine seemed somewhat troubled. Harriet was leaned against the wall with her arms crossed, seemingly annoyed. The only one that was boisterous about the whole situation was Marrow.

"So what, he's bluffing?" he assumed, "With the whole city?!" he questioned on.

"It may finally push the kids to see reason," Vine argued with his hands behind his back.

"Who cares?" Harriet grumbled in question as she glanced away. Clearly, none of the four were on the same page. At least not exactly. Just then, a door opened nearby, getting their attentions as they saw James and Winter enter the corridor.

"Good, you're here," the former of the two noted as his soldiers lined up and stood at attention, "I need a squad of drones in standby to drop the payload," he told them. Winter's eyes jolted open upon hearing that.

"Sir…" she uttered as she turned to him, "what for?" she asked.

"I believe I was clear in the broadcast," her superior responded as he glanced back at her, "If they give me a reason," he continued, "I'm gonna remove Mantle from the equation," he declared firmly. Everyone was looking on in shock. "This… is how we save Atlas," the general stated, all while Marrow was tensing up. He turned to walk away from the group. But then…

"You call this 'saving' Atlas?!" the canine Faunus questioned as he threw his arms up, "Doing Salem's job for her?!" he inquired on angrily as he walked toward his superior, distraught, "I believed in you!" he shouted as his colleagues looked at him with varying expressions, "I thought we could work towards something better…" he affirmed, while James still had his back turned to him, "But now you're… throwing it all away!" he emphatically pointed out.

"If you don't shut your mouth, I'm going to do it for you…" Harriet threatened as she grabbed him by his shoulder and shoved him back, standing between him and James while glaring into his eyes.

"If this is what gets the children to cooperate," Vine chimed in, trying to alleviate the tension between the group, "then it's worth it," he confirmed.

"I don't like this either…" Elm admitted, turning the group's attention onto her, "but… the top priority is—"

"Do you even believe what you're saying anymore?" Marrow asked, frustrated with his teammates as he walked past Harriet to get closer to the general, "Do any of you believe in anything?!" he bellowed angrily, turning to the rest of the Ace-Ops and throwing his arms down, "I used to wear this rank with pride…" he admitted with his fists clenched, "Now I see it for what it really is…" he realized, lowering his head before glancing back at James, "a collar," he said disdainfully. He walked past his teammates and away from his superior, done with all the pointless bloodshed and violence. But his eyes widened the moment he heard a gun cock.

In that moment, Winter clocked him in the face with her left fist. James was just about to shoot him had it not been for her. He pulled his gun back, watching as the special operative went ahead and pinned the canine Faunus to the ground. She removed his Fetch from his back before restraining his arms behind his back.

"You want a collar?" she remarked in question, binding his wrists with a Gravity Bolas as the Ace-Ops looked on in utter shock, "Fine," she said as she picked up and held onto Marrow, "I'll throw this traitor in the brig," she decided, "Where he belongs," she added firmly. The general gave off a simple nod, allowing her to take the canine Faunus away as they walked past him. He holstered his gun and trotted off. As he went by the remaining Ace-Ops, they got out of his way to stand at attention. Harriet had a hardened expression, but Vine and Elm looked even more troubled than they were before. Just how far was James going to go to get what he wanted?

X

Danny phased through the door to the dining hall back in the Schnee Manor, having rings of light go up and down his body to assume his human form. He looked to see that those of Team RWBY, Emerald, Hazel, Oscar, Tifa, Raven, Enji and the rest of the Omni Force members were also present, save for Wendy and Jenny. Immediately, he could tell that the tension in the room was thick. Yang glanced back to see him there.

"How's Wendy?" she asked.

"Stable, thankfully," he responded, "She still needs a bit of rest," he pointed out as he walked over, "Guessing there hasn't been much of a plan put into place, huh?" he assumed, looking at how troubled the others seemed.

"We're trying," Enji answered, getting his attention as he saw the Flame Hero sitting in between Ben and Blake at the table, "With so little time, it's not a decision we'd like to rush," he said.

"But we have to do something if we want to save the city down under," Raven affirmed as she was standing at the window beside Oscar, "If we could use the stone—"

"Even if we could, it's a last resort," the Hellflame Quirk user interjected firmly, "We can't risk letting it fall back into Salem's hands," he stated, causing the Spring Maiden to sigh.

"Okay… so there's some good news…" Peter chimed in, "Salem's gone for now, which means we only have to deal with this problem instead of two…" he pointed out.

"That's not really 'good' news…" Kevin remarked.

"Guys, seriously," Weiss said in a reprimanding tone as she paced about the room.

"Hey, hey…" Danny repeated, putting a hand onto her right shoulder, "They're just trying to be a little more optimistic to help us feel a little better about this…" he noted.

"Huh…" the ex-heiress sighed, "I don't think there's any optimism for any of this…" she admitted quietly to him. The half-ghost teen lowered his gaze sadly. Yang then let out a sigh.

"Okay…" she uttered out, leaned against the table, "Ironwood wants Penny… otherwise Mantle is done for…" she noted, "So… how do we stop him?" she inquired of her comrades. Blake had her lugs tucked into her chest as her cat ears were flopped over.

"Well, while Qrow and Robyn aren't his custody anymore…" she began to respond, "May and the others said that the Atlas security drones are watching the crater…" she pointed out, wrapping her arms around her legs, "So…" she kept going solemnly, "they're trapped, too…" she confirmed. A silent growl left Ben's lips.

"And Salem isn't going to stay gone for much longer…" Oscar chimed in from the window.

"We have that stone now, though," Sabo noted, "Can't we use it to try and… I don't know…" he started to suggest, "make our MPGs work?" he inquired.

"We wish it was that simple…" Raven muttered, turning away from the window and folding her arms over her chest, "Salem's had that thing for centuries and knows how to use it better than anyone," she told the group.

"None of you would be able to use it anyway," Hazel mentioned, getting their attentions.

"What do you mean?" Kevin asked, arching an eyebrow.

"That stone can only be held by someone who can truly wield its power," the scarred man replied, "Her magic and immortality made her a perfect fit for it to be used by her," he explained, "If others were to try and use the stone themselves without those kinds of… traits…" he kept going, "then I doubt you'd be able to use it without getting yourselves killed," he finished.

"So then…" Ruby began while holding her head in her hands, seated at the head of the table, "it's impossible…" she concluded.

"Rubes…" Peter uttered worriedly.

"See?" Emerald chimed in, getting their attentions as they looked over at her standing alongside Hazel, "If Miss Hero with all the answers doesn't have an answer," she started to say, "then we have ours," she confirmed coldly.

"Shut up," Weiss responded, while Ruby sighed as she lowered her head. Her older sister stood up and approached the green-haired girl, quite irritated.

"Okay, then why don't you just leave?!" she shouted in question to her. She backed away, only for Hazel to step out in front of her defensively.

"Enough," Enji said, standing up from his seat, "We can't quarrel when there's so much at stake," he insisted of the group.

"Can we please just give each other a chance?" Oscar requested, chiming into the conversation as everyone looked to him, "Emerald and Hazel aren't with Salem anymore!" he pointed out emphatically as he walked over to them, "And… Ozpin is back…" he mentioned to the group. The whole room went quiet. The Team RWBY members especially were wary of the news.

Ruby herself grumbled into the table. Everything that had happened since the night that James turned his back on Mantle was seemingly for nothing. And she felt responsible for a great deal of it. Noticing, Oscar let out a sigh.

"All of this doubt and worry and distrust, it isn't getting us anywhere…" he told the group.

"Then nothing has changed!" the silver-eyed huntress screamed as she slammed her hands onto the table, completely distraught, "We're in the exact same place we were yesterday!" she yelled on as everyone looked to her, "Arguing over what to do while the Kingdom waits to die…" she added solemnly as she stood up.

"Ruby…" Peter said, trying to reach out to her, as did Yang. But the moment the latter of the two put her metal hand onto her little sister's shoulder, she shrugged it off before bolting out of the room, shoving the door open. Everyone looked on with varying reactions. Hesitant for a moment, the blonde-haired huntress hurried after her. The door closed behind them.

At that moment, a fist slammed down onto the table, making almost everyone jump in surprise. They looked over at Ben, who breathed heavily with anger. After seeing what James' decisions in the wake of Salem's arrival had wrought, he couldn't bear to see any more of it. Especially now with him wagering lives. He got up from his seat, walking toward the other end of the room.

"Tennyson?" Enji uttered.

"Wh-Where are you going?" Blake asked with a stutter as she stood up.

"To end this," the Omni Force leader responded, still heading for the door, "I'll march right through James' army, and if that's not enough—!" Just as he reached for the handle, a familiar black ribbon wrapped around his wrist, pulling it back as he yelped. His expression remained firm. "Blake… let go," he demanded in a low growl. The cat Faunus had her own hardened expression, gripping her Gambol Shroud tightly.

"No," she refused, "I'm not going to let you take on our problems by yourself," she declared, "Not again…" she affirmed on with a shake of her head. Hearing that, Ben shut his eyes in thought for a moment. Raven let out a sigh.

"Read the room, people," she advised of the others, "We can talk more about this when we're all sorted…" she remarked with a roll of her eyes before exiting through the door. Everyone else followed, with Oscar glancing back worriedly at his colleagues still in the room. As the door shut, Blake loosened Gambol Shroud's ribbon, allowing the Omni Force leader to turn and face her.

"Huh…" he exhaled, "Blake, I'm sorry…" he apologized, "But you seriously can't expect me to just stand by when lives are on the line…" he pointed out to her, making her tense up, "I know I've gone and taken on more than I can handle!" he emphasized, not noticing her walking up to him, "That's what a leader does!" he proclaimed, "They have to—!" A prompt smack to the face from the cat Faunus' right hand silenced him. His eyes slowly widened as he looked back to see the tears streaking down her face.

"I thought you were going to die…" she admitted through a sob, "And I know you were doing the right thing, trying to help us…" she recalled, "But… you were the one who needed help most…" she pointed out to his surprise, "You took on all of our burdens so selflessly…" she remembered, "and I hated how we would just let you do it, not thinking about what you've been through…" she confessed on, reaching her right hand up to gently caress the cheek she smacked, "You don't have to take on everything alone…" she affirmed. Hearing that, Ben sighed as he glanced away, grabbing her hand gently.

"I…" he uttered, tearing up a little, "I don't wanna lose anyone else…" he told her, "After Smoker… and Rex…" he continued, wiping his eyes, "I can't stand to see more people die because of me…" he confessed sadly.

"…That's just it," Blake retorted with a shake of her head, "It's not your fault…" she affirmed, "Ironwood's been the one that's pushed us to make all these choices, including yours," she pointed out, "And…" she kept going, "I know you said he was turning into someone you could've been…" she recalled, "How come he did when you didn't?" she wondered curiously.

"…I had my friends to pull me back," Ben answered, "I had you and everyone else on my side, keeping me from crossing the line," he mentioned on, letting out a soft chuckle, "The thing is…" he kept going, "when you called me too selfless, I didn't know what else I could say to you," he admitted as he lowered her hand from his face, "All my life, I've always seemed to teeter from one side to another, doing stuff for the fame and glory, or…"

"Doing what's the right thing to do," the cat Faunus finished for him, lowering her gaze as a brief silence filled the room, "…I thought the best word to describe you was hero…" she said, "But now… I think you're more… selfless…" she corrected, letting off a little laugh. The Omni Force leader grinned, glancing off to the side.

"Blake, I really am sorry," he apologized more sincerely than before, "Whatever happens from here on out, we do it as a team," he promised, "Because that's the one thing we still have over James," he affirmed on.

"I know," Blake agreed. The two of them then embraced, having finally done away with their squabbles. But many others were still going on throughout the manor…

X

Back in the bedroom, Wendy was snoozing contently on the medical cot beside the bed. Ren looked over to her with a small smile. He was thankful that she was alive after everything that had happened.

But that didn't alleviate his regrets as he looked over to Nora, whose pink Aura shimmered around her. As she lied on the bed, Jaune was attempting to heal her scars, holding his hands out to her as his golden Aura wafted off of his arms. Their teammate sat at the edge of the bed, lowering his gaze.

"I'm…" he started to say, somewhat nervous from the sound of it, "glad you're alright…" he finally said. Nora didn't say a word. The tension between the two still lingered from before their groups separated only a few days ago. Their team leader's arms shook as he tried to concentrate, but nothing was happening to the orange-haired girl's scars. Eventually, he lowered them with a sigh, letting the glow around his arms and his colleague's body.

"Ah, sorry…" he apologized, "No matter how much I boost you, they won't go away…" he noted as he knelt down by her side, while she sat up.

"Don't apologize," she insisted, scooching back and pulling a pillow over to lie against, "I got hurt doing what I always do…" she muttered, "Just another ditsy move from Nora…" she grumbled on, looking at her scars. Ren looked to her in disbelief. He never expected her to say things like that about herself…

"Th-That's not true…" he stuttered in claim as he stood up. Nora's expression darkened.

"How would you know?" she spat back, "We were supposed to be a team…" she pointed out, "but that didn't matter to you!" she emphatically noted, "When things went wrong you pushed us away!" she yelled on, causing her teammate to lower his gaze with guilt, "You shove people out so you don't have to feel things that are hard!" she shouted angrily. She gasped for breath. Her words felt like something that were long overdue for Ren. He needed to hear that. As the orange-haired girl calmed down and leaned back against the pillow, he glanced away with shame.

"You're right," he agreed, "I should be apologizing… to both of you…" he admitted as neither of his teammates were willing to look him in the eye. But then Jaune perked up, glancing back and forth between Ren and Nora, "W-When we lost Oscar and things got difficult…" the former of the two kept going, "I said… terrible things…" he recalled, sitting back down on the bed, "I've been so… angry at myself," he confessed, "For not being as good as the Ace-Ops, for what happened at Robyn's rally, for losing the Lamp…" he listed off as the orange-haired girl's expression softened a little, even as she still wasn't looking at him, "I thought if I just focused on working harder, getting stronger, that we…" he continued, only to stop himself as he looked to his teammates, seeing their solemn expressions, "I… wouldn't fail…" he corrected, "But…" he kept going as Jaune and Nora finally looked over to him together, "my biggest failing… was as a teammate… and as a partner…" he finished sadly. The orange-haired girl seemed genuinely surprised that he was being so open. Meanwhile, their team leader looked between them several times awkwardly. Something told him that he didn't need to be there any longer…

"Ah ha! Ha!" he laughed as he got to his feet and waved his arms in a placating manner, "Uh… all water under the bridge, buddy!" he assured, rubbing the back of his head sheepishly before letting out a few more awkward chuckles, "I'm uh… gonna go see if Klein and Jenny need any help with Penny…" he whispered, quickly departing from the room. He shut the door loudly. After a moment of silence, Nora was finally ready to speak.

"Ren…" she uttered out, "I just wish…" she tried to say, lowering her gaze, "I mean, why didn't you say anything?" she asked with a shake of her head, "So we failed as a team, but we succeed as a team, too!" she exclaimed.

"I was the one holding us back," the ponytailed huntsman argued as he put his hand over his heart, "Not Jaune, not you…" he listed off, "Me," he said firmly.

"…Well, you're wrong," Nora retorted as she looked away, leaning back against the bedframe, "All I do is make dumb jokes and smash things with a hammer…" she muttered out.

"What?" Ren said in surprise, moving closer to her, "That's not true…" he insisted. The orange-haired girl sighed, leaning her head back and closing her eyes. "You put everything you have into what you do," he affirmed, "You support everyone around you, you help without worrying about how it might hurt," he listed off, seemingly hesitant about trying to take her scarred hands into his own, "And that's what I love about—!" He stopped himself, but Nora already opened her eyes in shock. "That's why I…" he continued, steeling himself, "I love you…" he finally confessed. The orange-haired girl finally looked at him squarely in the eyes. This was… a polarizing moment for them. Yet she didn't know what to say.

She took a deep breath and turned her head away. After he poured his heart out to try and make her feel better, she didn't know if she could reciprocate that. But she at least had to say something, if only to make herself feel just a little better.

"When my mom ran from the Grimm and left me behind…" she recalled, "you found me," she noted, letting off a small smile, "We became Ren and Nora…" she remembered happily before frowning again, "But I realized on this mission apart…" she continued, "I don't know who 'just Nora' is…" she admitted, causing the ponytailed huntsman sitting beside her to lower his gaze with sympathy, "And if I'm ever going to find out…" she kept going, "then I have to do it alone…" she declared, rubbing her right thumb along her left, "Because I've always loved you, Lie Ren," she confessed as she looked up at him with a grin, "And that pretty head on your shoulders seems like it's doing a lot better…" she added, making him laugh a little, "But I still got to get mine sorted out before I can be the partner you need…" she noted, folding her arms underneath her chest as she glanced away again, "Is that… okay?" she inquired with concern. The ponytailed huntsman looked at her. From his perspective, he could see the pink and white flower petals slowly falling off of her as a tear streaked down her cheek from her left eye. He gave her a reassuring smile.

"It's definitely okay…" he replied, brushing her cheek with his right hand and wiping her tears away thanks to his thumb. He then removed his hand from her cheek and tapped her nose. "Boop," he said, making her giggle. He replaced his hand onto her head as she grabbed it with hers. They rested foreheads together. They were in love, but they needed to figure out who they were apart before really coming together.

"Ergh…" Wendy's voice groaned out, getting their attentions as they looked over to see her writhing in her sleep.

"Wendy…" Nora uttered worriedly, having already heard what had happened to her earlier. Ren got up from the bed and walked over to the sleeping Sky Dragon Slayer.

"Wendy, it's okay," he whispered softly, "I'm here," he assured, "So is Nora," he added as his teammate giggled. However, the Fairy Tail wizard was still writhing in her sleep, clenching her teeth. The ponytailed huntsman blinked in surprise. This didn't look right.

'Let me take over, Wendy…' a feminine voice echoed in the Sky Dragon Slayer's head, 'I can help you end this farce…' she promised as she continued to writhe.

"Wendy, it's just a dream!" Ren affirmed, kneeling down beside her and putting his hands onto her right shoulder, trying to shake her awake.

'You know you can't win without me…' the voice in the Sky Dragon Slayer's head noted.

"NO!" she screamed as she jolted awake, grabbing Ren by his right wrist instantly as she sat up. His slight yelp of pain snapped her back to reality as she blinked, seeing him there. "R…Ren…" she stammered out.

"Huh…" the ponytailed huntsman exhaled with relief, letting off a little smile, "Guess you must've been dreaming about what happened with Salem…" he assumed. Wendy blinked twice, removing her grasp on him.

"Y-Yeah…" she stuttered in response, turning away for a moment, "Where's… Oscar?" she asked out of concern.

X

Oscar leaned against the wall in one of the manor's many hallways with his arms folded over his chest. So much was on his mind in regards to the current situation. James' ultimatum, Salem's eventual return, Ruby's turmoil… They all plagued his thoughts.

"So… the stone's useless to us?" Emerald's voice chimed in, making him perk as he saw she was in a middle of a discussion with Hazel, Enji, Tifa, and Raven.

"It's more useful in our hands rather than Salem's," the Hellflame Quirk user responded, holding the spherical container where the Reality Stone resided in his right hand, "She won't be able to manifest new Grimm, at least not ones that could be altered like those winged monkeys," he explained.

"That doesn't change the fact there're thousands of them still out there," Emerald retorted.

"Yeah, but Grimm are easier to deal with than Salem…" Raven chimed in, "Still…" she uttered, folding her arms over her chest, "Is there a way we could use the stone?" she inquired, turning her attention to Hazel.

"Huh…" he sighed, "If anyone like Salem could, it'd probably be someone with their own magic power for starters," he told her, "Meaning someone like—"

"A Maiden…" Tifa finished for him. Enji looked over to Raven.

"Would be willing to try if it comes to it?" he asked of her. She looked at the encased stone before looking back at him.

"Yeah… if it's the only option we've got left," she answered, glancing off to the side. There was a bit of a silence that followed.

"I heard you and Ruby's group helped take down that hound thing before it could get Penny," Oscar noted over to Tifa, getting her attention as she looked over at him, "So thanks," he said with gratitude.

"No problem, kid," the bar hostess responded with a grin, "It's what we do," she remarked.

"That Grimm…" the former farmhand began, "It acted like an actual person… able to think and fight with an objective in mind…" he pointed out, narrowing his eyes, "What do you two know about it?" he asked of Emerald and Hazel.

"Just as much as you," the former of the two replied with a shrug.

"It isn't one of her common creations," the scarred man added. Tifa looked down for a moment in thought.

"Actually… we found out something during our fight with that thing," she admitted to the others, causing them to look over at her, "It wasn't just a Grimm…" she noted, "It was a person," she mentioned. Everyone's eyes slowly widened.

"…What?" Oscar uttered.

"Yeah, it's insane…" the bar hostess admitted, "Ruby's Silver Eyes made it recoil and as it… regenerated…" she continued, "we saw a person's head inside…" she recalled, "It was a man from the look of it…" she pointed out, "Faunus, too…" she added, "But the really big thing that caught our attention…" she kept going, pausing for a moment, "was the fact that his eye we saw was silver," she said. Raven lightly gasped.

"Silver?" Emerald repeated in surprise, looking over to Hazel.

"That must be why Salem was after the girl, wanting her alive…" he realized, lowering his gaze, "So she could turn her into…" he continued, only to stop himself out of utter disgust at the thought.

"Let's table this topic for now," Enji insisted. He was discussing plans to deal with James' ultimatum and how to best respond to it. But his words were being tuned out in Raven's ears. Her eyes were shaking at the horrifying realization she was coming to. She recalled her fever dream back in Argus, when she saw Summer Rose last. And then, she saw an image of her being engulfed in a pool of black ooze. She flinched from that thought, sweating madly.

"Rae?" Tifa uttered, getting her attention as she saw everyone in the hall looking at her troubled expression, "Are… you okay?" the bar hostess asked.

"I…" she tried to say, trembling a little, "I need to go…" she decided, walking off without another word.

"What's her problem?" Emerald wondered aloud, raising an eyebrow. Enji gave off a determined look after a moment, heading off himself.

"Think of a way we can best make sure to secretly remove the bomb Ironwood has from the playing field," he advised of the others. Elsewhere in the manor, Weiss and Danny were in the study, with the former rearranging the scattered chess pieces on the floor, while the latter was picking up books.

"You know…" the half-ghost teen uttered, "it feels like with every step forward, we're taking two steps back…" he admitted, putting the books he gathered back onto the shelf, only it to break from the weight as they toppled onto him. The ex-heiress noticed and sighed.

"I get what you mean," she agreed, walking over to help him gather up the fallen books, "We're just… going through the motions…" she muttered out, "It's all one big clusterfuck…" she grumbled on before putting her stack of books onto her father's desk, causing Danny to pause in surprise.

"D…Did you just…?" he started to question. Weiss looked back at him in confusion before realizing what she just said, widening her eyes and covering her mouth with her gloved hands. The half-ghost teen doubled over with laughter, much to her chagrin as she blushed a bright red.

"Huh…" she exhaled, "Okay, real talk," she said, enticing her colleague to calm down, "Why aren't we reaching out to Ironwood to find some sort of middle ground on this?" she asked as she walked over to him, "Salem's gone for the moment, and all we'd have to deal with are the Grimm, right?" she inquired rhetorically, "Why not just put aside differences and just help drive off the Grimm, get everyone to relative safety, and then worry about what to do with Atlas?" she listed off in question.

"Huh…" Danny sighed, "Because he's too set on lifting Atlas into the sky, even though it's pointless now," he told her with a shake of his head, "Salem's already on the floating rock, and without the shields, they're still sitting ducks," he noted on.

"Not to mention that they've probably exhausted a lot of their resources already…" Weiss added, "Why is he so determined to do all this?" she wondered aloud.

"I don't know, Weiss," the half-ghost teen responded honestly, turning to face her fully, "But we're going to get through it, for better or for worse," he affirmed, putting a hand onto her right shoulder.

"Hm," the ex-heiress chuckled out, "With you here… it's a little better," she admitted. The two of them looked into each other's eyes, slowly leaning in and…

"Danny, got a sec?" Kevin's voice called out in question from outside the study, causing the pair to snap away from each other, "We need you to help Jen and Klein out with Penny," he told him.

"Uh, yeah, be right there!" he replied immediately. He looked back to Weiss. "Sorry…" he sheepishly apologized, jogging off. A frustrated sigh left the ex-heiress' lips. At this point, even giving the half-ghost teen just a peck on the cheek seemed like a pipe dream…

X

Qrow was far from in a good state of mind. Losing Arthur was bad enough, but hearing what James was going to do next just fueled his hatred even more. He and Robyn had evaded capture, hiding out in the locker room where they had found their weapons, which also doubled as a security camera station.

"You get those hallway cameras on a loop?" the huntsman asked of his colleague. She didn't respond, staring at the screen showing the general's earlier speech of what he planned to do, along with shots of the bomb being loaded onto a transport and the crater of Mantle. The Happy Huntresses' leader was in disbelief.

"He's… really gonna do it…" she realized. Qrow approached her.

"Not if we stop him first…" he replied. Robyn turned to him, seeing his expression. His rage had been pent up this whole time, ever since Clover's death. She saw him turn and head out of the room, enticing her to follow him. But she wasn't sure about his intentions.

The two stealthily made their way around the base, being careful to avoid being noticed by a couple guards taking the elevator as they stayed behind a corner. Once they departed on the lift, they made their way to it. They looked around with defensive stances. The huntsman then tried to press the up icon on the screen beside the elevator, but he was stopped by his colleague, as she grabbed his arm.

"There might be a better way," she noted.

"I'm telling you there isn't…" Qrow snarled back, shaking her hand off as he turned and glared at her.

"Well, this isn't just about you," she pointed out with a shake of her head, "It's about everyone…" she said seriously.

"I'm going straight up to the Academy and I am ending this," the huntsman proclaimed, growing all the more frustrated.

"Or we fail and people get killed…" Robyn inferred out of concern.

"He deserves this!" Qrow shouted. Panicked, the Happy Huntresses' leader quickly covered his mouth and pinned him up against the wall. She looked around, making sure that no one heard them. She finally let him go, glancing about the immediate area still.

"Huh…" she sighed, "Listen… I get it…" she assured to her colleague, "You are hurting," she noted as she turned to him, "You've been hurting for a long time," she mentioned, while Qrow tightened his grip on his weapon, "But let's stop pretending that what you're trying to do here is for anyone but yourself," she insisted with a dismissive wave of her left hand. The huntsman continued to glare… but he didn't say anything in return. "Clover was a lot of things," Robyn said, calming down a little, "You respected him…" she pointed out, "but I gotta tell ya," she continued, resting her right hand onto her hip, "I think you're the better Huntsman," she admitted, causing Qrow's expression to soften as he looked away, "Not because you're the one who walked away," she continued, "but… because you're the one fighting for what was right…" she told him, approaching slowly, "Don't go telling me that's changed," she insisted. The huntsman knew she was right. For him, this was about revenge, not justice. And it needed to be the latter.

Suddenly, he perked up upon hearing the whirring of the approaching elevator. The screen beside it gave off a notification, indicating that someone was coming. The pair quickly readied their weapons, ready to confront whoever they had to face. But as the door opened, they lightly gasped and lowered their weapons slightly, giving off looks of surprise.

X

It wasn't long before Yang found her sister in the foyer of the manor, on the stairs hugging one of the stone poles. She knew how much turmoil Ruby was in. She wanted to approach the situation gently, but also with a bit of levity. So, she made her way to the fallen suit of armor that lied on the floor beside the staircase.

"You know…" she began, putting her hands onto her hips, "that giant hound kicked us around like we were nothing…" she recalled, "But Blake said you, Pete and Schnees managed to take it down," she noted, resting her foot onto the armor before looking back at her little sister, "Still havin' to one-up your big sis, huh?" she remarked in question with a small smile. The silver-eyed huntress didn't crack even a slight grin.

"Did she tell you what it was?" she inquired of Yang, "Underneath?" she questioned on.

"…Yeah…" her older sister replied as she looked away.

"You know what that means then…" she pointed out. Yang balled her fists tightly, trying to steel herself.

"I-I… wouldn't worry about that—"

"That's what happened to Mom…" Ruby said, finally breaking the ice. Her older sister widened her eyes. She tried to hold back her tears, but they just started to pour out from her eyes. She whimpered, grasping her head in her hands as she crouched down.

At that moment, Raven had arrived in the foyer, standing on the second level. She was paying witness to the two girls, seeing them go through the turmoil of learning what happened to their mother. Ruby surprisingly seemed less solemn though.

"When I saw its eye… I knew…" she noted, "Salem used to have people kill those with Silver Eyes, like Maria…" she remembered amidst her sister's crying, "But she's always wanted me alive…" she pointed out, while Yang composed herself enough to look over at her, "But why would that change unless…" she kept going, "when she met Mom, she learned she could do something new?" she inferred. Hearing that made the Spring Maiden tense up as she lowered her head, balling her hands into fists. She wasn't aware of Enji standing behind her, not saying a word.

"Ruby…" Yang uttered as she got up, letting out a sniffle. Her little sister took on a serious, frustrated expression.

"We shouldn't lie to ourselves," she insisted as she let go of the stone pole, "I wasted our time getting Amity up," she admitted, "thinking help would come, but it didn't," she continued to gripe, clenching her teeth together, "and Amity fell…" she pointed out as her older sister approached while rubbing her eyes. She took notice of Gaara and an unmasked Peter entering the foyer from the door. "I was being childish…" Ruby said as she looked away. Yang gave off a sad expression. She looked over to her boyfriend, who simply nodded to her. She nodded back, balling her fists.

"You were being optimistic…" she told her sister in a breaking voice, crouching down in front of her and grabbing her left hand, "Look… blind optimism isn't great…" she noted, "but no optimism means we've already lost…" she affirmed with a shake of her head, "We need hope," she stated, "We need to take risks," she added firmly.

"But mine didn't work," Ruby spat back as she pulled her hand away, "It's my fault that our friends from the multiverse are stuck here," she pointed out, "My fault that Ben got so involved in the problems we made," she continued as she looked away in frustration, "My fault that… we're in this mess at all…" she finished, lowering her gaze despondently. Seeing that, Peter was tempted to try and talk her down. But Gaara held his hand out in front of him, enticing him to stay where he was. Yang knew her sister was hurting, and for good reason. But blaming herself wasn't going to make things any better.

"Huh…" she sighed as she stood up, "Your plan still got a warning out," she noted, "And in spite of everything, our friends are still here, fighting with us," she mentioned, "Ruby, they're not called sure things…" she told her in a saddened voice, putting her prosthetic over her eyes for a moment, "They're called risks," she pointed out, "And in case you didn't notice, my plan for Mantle didn't work either," she added as a retort, "But we got Oscar and Ben back," she said, "and did a lot more that was never in the plan…" she affirmed on.

The silver-eyed huntress didn't say a word, still despondent. Peter and Gaara continued to watch on, wondering what was going to come of this. Raven was, too. They watched as Yang finally went to sit down next to her little sister.

"Mom took a risk the day she left…" she recalled in a breaking voice, putting her hands onto her knees, "and I don't think…" she tried to continue, struggling to keep her emotions in check. She managed to steel herself. "I don't think it went the way she wanted it to…" she noted. She then looked over to Ruby, who still wasn't talking. "But she's still my hero," she said, leaning against the silver-eyed huntress' shoulder before hugging her. That finally got her to tear up, clenching her teeth together.

Raven clutched the railing she was next to tightly. Learning the truth about Summer was one thing. But actually hearing what had happened? She was struggling to keep her own emotions in check. And Enji could tell just by looking at her from afar.

"Yang?" Gaara chimed in, getting his girlfriend's attention along with Ruby's as they looked to see him and Peter finally approach, "We…" he tried to say, letting out a sigh, "At the start of all this, we didn't know what we were getting ourselves into," he admitted as the two girls wiped their eyes free of tears, "The failure of the MPGs, the multiple setbacks in getting to Atlas, our feuding with Ironwood, and now this…" he listed off, "But… not for a second would I blame any of you," he affirmed to their surprise as they blinked.

"Why not?" Ruby asked, causing everyone to look over at her, "You were going to choose Pyrrha over me, right?" she inquired on, much to the group's shock.

"Ruby…" Yang uttered.

"That—"

"It's true," Gaara confessed, interrupting Peter, "But you were going to be an Omni Force member regardless of who took the helm as a squadron leader," he noted to the silver-eyed huntress, "I know Pyrrha would've been a different kind of leader," he admitted, "But whether or not you think she'd be better than you shouldn't matter," he stated firmly, "You're still young, Ruby," he pointed out, "You're still learning," he added, "And those experiences are helping mold you into someone greater…" he assured.

"…But…" the silver-eyed huntress tried to say.

"I don't regret being along for this ride, either," Peter interjected, crouching down in front of her and Yang, "Ruby, you take a lot of risks yourself," he pointed out, "Sometimes they pay off, sometimes they don't," he mentioned, "But the thing is, you take those chances because you know that's the right thing to do," he told her, "And that's what makes you a good leader," he added assuredly, "Both here, and in the rest of the multiverse," he said with a soft chuckle. Ruby wiped her eyes again, letting out a sad sigh.

"What about… everything with Ben?" she asked of her colleagues.

"Ruby, that's not on you," Yang responded with a shake of her head, "And it's not on him or anyone else on our side," she added firmly, "It's been on the people we're fighting against, whether it's Ironwood or Salem," she pointed out, holding her sister close, "We can't blame ourselves," she insisted.

"Yeah," Peter agreed, going over to join in the embrace. Gaara followed suit. The silver-eyed huntress found herself soothed by her sister's reassurance, as well as her Omni Force teammates.

"Huh…" she sighed with relief, letting a few tears flow down her cheeks, "Thanks, guys…" she said in gratitude.

"We really do have the best boyfriends, don't we?" her older sister assumed jokingly. Ruby's eyes jolted open.

"Uh, y-you have the best boyfriend…" she stuttered in correction as she stumbled onto her feet, breaking away from the group hug while wiping her eyes, "Spidey's just… an awesome, superhero friend, yeah…" she claimed, letting out an awkward chuckle. Everyone looked at her skeptically, including Peter.

"I know we're not a thing…" he said, "but even I don't buy it," he admitted. The others laughed, while the silver-eyed girl blushed, groaning as she rolled her eyes. In the meantime, Raven watched on as she kept her grip on the railing tight. Enji walked out to her.

"Raven?" he uttered, trying to get her attention. Her head lowered slightly.

"I didn't know…" she said in a breaking voice, "I didn't know… how she died…" she confessed, shaking her head. The Flame Hero's expression onto her softened slightly. "I always thought it was some stupid thing that got Summer killed, or that she threw herself into danger without a second thought…" she noted, clutching the railing tightly. From the stairs, Yang took notice of her biological mother, blinking in surprise to find her tearing up. "I didn't know what Salem did to her…" she whimpered out, "If I knew, then…" she tried to say, turning around and burying her face into Enji's chest as she sobbed. He slowly wrapped his arms around her back, holding her close.

He looked to the blonde-haired huntress below, who nodded to him. He nodded back. Everyone needed these moments. Only with them would they be able to move forward.

X

"Anything?" Kevin asked as he, Jaune and Sabo were in a storage room with Klein, Jenny, and Danny. The latter of the group had assumed his ghost form, making his head intangible in order to look through the unconscious form of Penny. Aside from the many damages she received from her fight against Cinder, there wasn't anything else that seemed out of place.

"Huh…" he sighed, removing his head from the Winter Maiden's body, "I can't really tell what else could be wrong with her," he told the group, "at least not from a physical sense…" he added in correction.

"Ugh…" the hybrid Osmosian groaned, "I mean, we are dealing with what sounds like a software bug…" he pointed out.

"Could… Ben do something about it?" Sabo inquired curiously.

"Maybe…" Kevin responded with his arms folded underneath his chest, "I don't wanna bother if we can figure it out ourselves…" he admitted as he shook his head.

"Hmm…" Klein said as his eyes were red, "Can't say I'm… tech savvy like some of you might be…" he grumbled, blinking as his eyes turned brown, "But I do believe that we need to keep watch on her in the event that she awakens and tries to leave again…" he advised of the group.

"I can keep watch," Jenny affirmed to the group's surprise as they looked over at her, "You guys go find Ben and have him get here as soon as he can," she insisted, holding Penny's gloved left hand in her two.

"Okay," Jaune replied with a nod, "We'll be right back," he assured, jogging off out of the room. Kevin and Sabo followed, along with Danny as he assumed his human form. Klein stayed behind for a moment, looking over to see the teenage robot rubbing her unconscious friend's hand gently.

"You care for her a great deal, don't you?" he guessed, getting her attention as she perked up. She smiled a little, looking down at the Winter Maiden.

"When I first met her, I didn't know what she was," she admitted, "She had her quirks, her habits…" she listed off in remembrance, "Sometimes, she confused me a little…" she mentioned, letting out a little giggle, "I didn't know that she was like me until…" she continued, grimacing a little, "I saw her get torn apart… at the Vytal Festival…" she finished, causing the butler to blink in surprise, "I didn't think I'd ever get to see her again…" she added, "And now that she's here…"

"You don't want to lose her again," Klein finished for her.

"Yeah…" she responded, "I… really do care about her…" she confessed, having a saddened expression, "And I won't let anything else happen to her…" she proclaimed additionally. At that moment, Penny's eyes slowly opened.

"Jenny…?" she uttered out, getting her attention as she gasped.

"Penny!" she yelped. Luckily, her friend's eyes were still green. "How are you feeling?" she asked, gripping her gloved hand gently.

"I…" she tried to say, "Where…?" she tried to ask, "Ah!" she suddenly gasped as her eyes flickered red, causing her to grab her head.

"Oh no…!" Jenny exclaimed in realization. Klein panicked as well.

"Boys!" he called out. At that moment, the Winter Maiden's eyes went red as she grabbed her fellow robot girl by her left arm and threw her off, sending her crashing through the door into the hallway. Jaune, Kevin, Danny, Sabo, Whitley and Willow had just arrived, widening their eyes. They went inside to find Penny getting to her feet.

"I must go to the Vault," she stated robotically, turning and walking toward the doorway. Immediately, the hybrid Osmosian pulled out a couple Electric Dust bullets, absorbing them as his fists crackled with yellow electricity.

"Penny, just stay still…" he advised, while both Sabo and Danny readied themselves as well.

"I'm gonna go get the others!" Jaune decided, hurrying off. Meanwhile, the afflicted Winter Maiden continued forward, not listening to Kevin's warning. He grimaced.

"This is gonna sting a little…" he noted, clenching his right fist tightly. A moment later, the sound of glass shattering startled everyone elsewhere in the manor. Enji and Raven let go of each other as they saw Jaune making a mad dash past them, heading down the stairs.

"Hurry!" he called out to his colleagues. Ruby, Yang, Gaara and Peter got up, with the latter throwing on his mask. The Flame Hero and the Spring Maiden were quick to follow, heading to the front doors. Outside, Penny was lying on the driveway just outside the shattered window. Though yellow sparks of electricity crackled around her body, she hardly seemed deterred as she got up, her eyes fully red.

"I can no longer be delayed," she declared robotically, activating the jets at her feet. Danny assumed his ghost form, flying out in front of her. His eyes shined blue as he fired off icy blue rays onto her feet, attempting to freeze them in place. Unfortunately, she immediately broke free from them as her jets hummed. However, that allowed for Ruby to zip in front of her in a burst of rose petals, landing down and grabbing her arms.

"Penny, please!" she begged as the others were coming outside, witnessing the scene unfolding.

"I... I must... open the Vault…!" the Winter Maiden proclaimed as she twitched uncontrollably, her eyes flashing between red and green, "I… I do not want… Ah!" she yelped out, grabbing at her head in agony. Emerald looked on from the entrance in shock, while Oscar ran out past her. "Ruby… Jenny… everyone…!" Penny grunted out as she tried to gain some sort of control back to her body, "Stop me!" he begged.

"Penny!" Ruby exclaimed, wrapping her arms around the robot girl's waist from behind and holding her tightly. At that moment, her eyes settled on red.

"I must open the Vault… and self-terminate," she stated in a robotic tone as she turned. Her jets activated as she took flight with the silver-eyed huntress still holding on.

"PENNY!" Jenny cried out from afar. All of a sudden, a Corvus flew out in front of the Winter Maiden, transforming into Raven as she slammed the hilt of her Omen against her target's face, making her tumble back in midair. That allowed for Blake to throw out her Gambol Shroud in its sickle form, wrapping around her right arm to pull her in.

As Penny tried to pull away, Ren ran out and shot StormFlower's hooks to wrap around her left arm. Nora, Oscar, Kevin, Wendy and Sabo joined him in pulling tightly, while helping Blake were Yang, Danny, Jaune, and Gaara. They managed to drag the Winter Maiden down onto the ground, right upon a black glyph created by Weiss as she aimed her Myrtenaster forward.

"I've got her!" she assured.

"What do we do?!" Nora asked frantically. Before anyone could answer, they saw Penny's eyes flare with green flames, indicating that she had activated her Maiden powers. Noticing, Enji grimaced.

"Raven, help Rose!" he called out in instruction, going over to help Blake and the others hold onto the ribbon of her Gambol Shroud, "Lockhart, hold her down!" he advised on, enticing Tifa to take hold of StormFlower's cables. The Winter Maiden brought forth a tempest, creating a powerful wind that made Weiss recoil as she stumbled back in a yelp. Her glyph phased out, allowing Penny to slowly start to lift herself up with the summoned wind.

"I must… open the Vault!" she exclaimed as she pulled hard on the lines hold her back, with her eyes alternating wildly between red and green, "And self-terminate!" she added. All of a sudden, a pair of white, metal arms wrapped around her legs, pulling her down. She looked to see that they originated from Jenny, who had assumed her normal colors. Penny's eyes shimmered green, if only for a moment, upon seeing the distraught expression on her fellow robot girl's face.

All of a sudden, the chains of Emerald's Thief's Respite launched out to grab her by her shoulders. She was struggling to hold her down as well. Luckily, Ben, Peter and Hazel came over to grab onto the chains, pulling as hard as they could with her.

"Do something!" she called out over to Jaune. He let go of the black ribbon and ran to Weiss. He stood behind her and held his hands out to her back, with a golden aura shrouding his hands as he stuck them out at her. In turn, it amplified the ex-heiress' Aura, allowing her to make the black glyph widen and increase in power. It managed to ground both Ruby and Penny again, bringing them to their hands and knees.

Jenny retracted her arms, ready to run over. However, Raven landed in front of her, drawing her Omen as she signaled for her to stop. Her eyes had red flares of energy trailing out as she narrowed them onto the Winter Maiden.

"Penny, please…!" Ruby begged of her robot friend as she grabbed onto her, "Tell us how to help you!" she insisted, embracing her tightly. The Winter Maiden's eyes had reverted back to green for a moment. She narrowed them in thought.

"Kill me," she suddenly requested, causing Ruby's eyes to widen in shock. There was a long silence. "Kill me," she repeated, "And I can make sure the power goes to you…" she affirmed. The silver-eyed huntress didn't reply. Neither did anyone else as they looked on in horror. "Please…" Penny quietly pleaded, "Please!" she begged again as her eyes twitched red again, "I cannot fight it!" she exclaimed, unleashing another burst of wind. It would've knocked everyone down had Raven not countered it with her own.

"Yes, you can!" Jenny cried out, getting her attention, "It's just a part of you, remember?" she pointed out, "If you were only a machine, you never could have fought back for this long!" she added emphatically.

"But… it's not enough…!" the Winter Maiden proclaimed as her eyes continued to flicker between red and green. Hearing that, Ben blinked in realization.

"Then you need an upgrade," he concluded. He let go of the chain he was holding, running out towards her and Ruby while passing the others by.

"Ben!" Blake cried out. In a green flash of light, the Omni Force leader transformed himself into Upgrade. He leapt out and merged into Penny as Ruby recoiled in surprise, watching as the Mechamorph completely sunk into the robot girl's form. A moment of silence passed as everyone watched on.

"P…Penny…?" Jenny stammered out as she nervously stepped forward. The Winter Maiden was completely still as her eyes flickered between red and green. To everyone's surprise, they suddenly settled on green and shined brightly.

"Whoa!" Upgrade as his body flew out from her mouth, splattering onto the ground in front of Raven and Jenny, "Agh…" he groaned, reforming into his humanoid state, "That was a trip and a half…" he remarked with a shake of his head. No longer feeling any form of resistance, those still holding the tethers to Penny loosened their grips.

"Penny…?" Ruby uttered as she moved closer to the Winter Maiden, getting her attention, "Are you… okay?" she asked worriedly.

"…It's gone…" the orange-haired robot girl replied after a moment, looking herself over, "The virus… the pain…" she listed off, "It's all gone!" she exclaimed. Hearing that, the silver-eyed girl laughed with relief before embracing her. She hugged her back before Jenny came over and joined. A flash of green light enveloped the Mechamorph, turning him back into Ben.

"Wait…" Peter uttered as he stood up, getting his attention, "You… couldn't have done that earlier?" he inquired with a tilt of his head.

"You didn't tell me that she got hacked…" the Omni Force leader retorted in response.

"…Touché…" the web-slinger said, earning himself an elbowing from Weiss.

"Once again, you're the one helping solve our problems for us…" Blake noted as she approached Ben, causing him to look over at her. She gave him a smile. "Thanks," she said gratefully. He grinned back. Everyone else aside from Oscar, Hazel, Emerald, Klein, Whitley, and Willow gathered around Penny. Nora granted the Winter Maiden a hug as well, while Yang hugged her sister. They were all very relieved.

"So that's one problem taken care of…" Tifa remarked with her hands at her hips.

"Yeah, but that's nothing compared to what we're still dealing with…" Raven pointed out.

"It's alright, you two," Enji assured, getting their attentions, "It's good that we've dealt with this first and foremost," he noted. The young huntsmen and huntresses knelt down amongst each other, happy to have not lost their friend to a virus. Jenny was especially joyful, wiping away tears that were building up in her eyes. Taking notice, Penny went ahead and wiped her left eye for her, much to her surprise. She gave off a smile, while her fellow robot girl giggled and blushed.

Oscar approached alongside Ben, while those of Team TOWER and Hazel stood by. Emerald watched on as she retracted the chain sickles of her Thief's Respite, sitting on the ground with her legs crossed. She had only joined the group because she had left Salem. But seeing them overcome such incredible obstacles together, all while continuing to have that semblance of hope in spite of the reality of the situation… She was… admittedly inspired.

"I think you're wrong, by the way," she suddenly said, causing everyone to turn and look over at her, "I highly doubt you're in the same place you started," she noted, holstering her weapons, "I-I mean, yeah, y-you guys have been getting your asses kicked," she stammered in admittance, "some of that my fault, but like, you're at war…" she added seriously, "You're gonna take hits," she pointed out. She looked away for a moment, trying figure out what else she could say. "Look, I'm just going to be super pissed if you all finally decide to give up the moment I switch sides," she told them. Oscar smiled.

"Switched sides, huh?" he repeated. Emerald widened her eyes upon realizing what she just said. She opened her mouth to reply…

"Aww…" Yang said in a singsong voice. The green-haired girl gave off an embarrassed look and glared as the group ahead of her giggled. Even Hazel couldn't help but let out a silent chuckle.

"Or like… whatever…" Emerald muttered out as she turned her head away. Ben approached her, offering her his right hand.

"Welcome aboard," he said. She blinked in surprise, but then smiled, accepting his hand as he lifted her up onto his feet. Oscar walked over, standing in between the groups around him.

"If you all wouldn't mind…" he began, turning to Ruby and the others, "I really think Ozpin would like to say something," he told everyone. The other huntsmen and huntresses looked over to the silver-eyed warrior, silently awaiting her response.

"Go ahead," she replied. The former farmhand momentarily closed his eyes, and then opened them as they briefly flashed gold.

"I was recently… reminded of an old fairy tale…" Ozpin said as he stepped forward with his hands upon The Long Memory, "A young girl flees the consequences of a choice…" he recalled, "to a magical place," he added, "But… having never learned from her initial failure," he continued, while everyone else listened on, "she only succeeds in spreading it," he noted, "…I failed all of you…" he admitted to the group, "I should have trusted you with the truth…" he pointed out as he tapped his right index finger against his cane, "and should never have run the day you discovered it…" he finished firmly.

"It was… rough…" Yang admitted, thinking back to how she acted after learning the truth of the former headmaster's past, "but…" she continued.

"I think after everything that's happened here, we understand," Blake finished for her, "Trust is…" she started to say.

"Trust is… a risk," Weiss said, looking over to Klein, Whitley, and Willow, as they all smiled at her. The group looked over to Ruby, giving her reassured smiles as well.

"And I hope it's a risk you can take on me again," Ozpin said as the silver-eyed huntress looked to him. She silently nodded her head after a moment. Ben frowned a little, walking over.

"I guess I should go next," he admitted, getting the group's attention, "Huh…" he exhaled, balling his fists, "I… haven't been in the best state of mind since what happened back in my world," he confessed, "Losing Smoker… losing Rex…" he listed off as Hazel perked up in surprise upon hearing the former name, "all the crazy stuff with Apokolips and the Justice League…" he kept going, "I thought that just a little time off would be enough for me," he said, "That I could just keep my promise and help you all get to Atlas…" he pointed out, looking over to Ozpin, who gave off a saddened expression, "But then that turned into dealing with the Amity Project, stopping Grimm, and… what happened with Adam…" he recalled as he lowered his gaze. Blake looked to him sympathetically. "When I saw things were going wrong, I wanted to take the heat because I felt like you guys had gone through enough already…" he told his colleagues, "But I didn't realize that I was… isolating myself from you guys by doing that…" he noted in admittance.

"Ben…" Ruby uttered out.

"From now on, we're getting through all this together," the Omni Force leader decided firmly, "No more lone gunslinger acts or whatever," he affirmed on, "The one thing that we have over James is that we're a team," he added confidently with a grin. Everyone smiled back in agreement. The cat Faunus of the group was especially happy to see that he was not only in better spirits, but also not trying to do things alone.

"So what now?" Tifa asked, chiming into the conversation, "We might've figured out how to stop Penny's virus, but there's still a load of problems we need to deal with," she pointed out seriously.

"It'll only be so long until Salem returns…" Enji mentioned.

"And we can't keep Ironwood waiting…" Ren confirmed on.

"Well, what are we supposed to do?" Peter asked, "Tell him that Penny'll go to him?" he assumed. Hearing that, Ruby blinked in surprise.

"That's actually a risk… we haven't considered…" she realized, much to everyone's surprise as they looked over at her. Some time passed as James was standing alone in the Atlas Vault. His Scroll was in his gloved right hand, as he had just answered a call from the silver-eyed huntress herself. "She'll do it," she confirmed over the communication line. Elsewhere in an alley of the floating city, Arthur had attached his damaged Scroll to some wires inside a downed Atlesian Knight. Thanks to his ingenuity, he was able get hold of the conversation between Ruby and the general.

"The academy entrance," James said in a static-filled audio, "Penny comes alone," he stated firmly. Cinder was standing behind the scientist, appearing to be waiting for something. He heard footsteps approaching, looking up to find none other than Neopolitan there with her Hush over her shoulder. She spun it and then pointed it toward the Fall Maiden behind Arthur. He looked back over at her himself, seeing her glance over shoulder and smirk. Their own plan was starting to come together…

Taking risks is a gamble. The higher the risk, the higher the reward. But the more you risk, the more you have to lose.

Trust is what everyone risks in each other. But if it's returned, then it's the greatest reward of all. Our heroes have that trust in each other restored. And now it's time for them to fight back…

END

And that concludes the first of what I'd like to call the weaker section of Volume 8. Okay, I'll explain why. I liked the emotional moments in this episode, especially with the voice acting. You can tell that these guys have improved over eight volumes.

The thing that didn't sit right with me was the stopgap for Penny's virus. I get what they were going for, but given how the next few episodes go, it just didn't sit right with me. Removing the virus does change a few things, I know. And that'll definitely be explored in the next chapter.

Other than that, not much else really bothered me. I was happy to add my own emotional flair to start this final third of the story, and I'm hoping that you all enjoyed it, too! Thanks for reading, you guys!