Stark Contrast Chapter 14: Headmaster Ozpin, a rwby fanfic

Hello everybody. Welcome back to another chapter of Stark Contrast, and I have news that has surprised even me. We now have 210 Favorites! Whaaa? Honestly I thought this was going to be another forgotten story in the anneals of FanFiction, but I guess I was wrong.

Anyway, shout out to BlazeBlaster1999 who wrote a 'review' for this story.
And somebody mentioned how Rose's fight was different, and mentioned there was something different about the team's fighting style. Basically, Alter!RWBY is more individualistic, meaning that by themselves they are somewhat stronger than Cannon, but are completely lacking in teamwork, trying to work alone. Cannon!RWBY are strong by themselves as well, but rely on teamwork (like a good team) to defeat their opponents, such as when Blake, Weiss, and Yang teamed up against Rose. And Rose has had a lot more intense training than Ruby, making her stronger than Ruby (for now).

Enough rambling, here's Chapter 14!

Disclaimer: I do not own RWBY.

Edit: 12/7/17- Small changes and touch up.

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She couldn't have been out for too long, or her Aura was recovering fast enough to prevent any major damage. But that didn't stop her from waking up with her head pounding. She hissed a bit and opened her eyes and immediately a shadow moved over her. Glynda Goodwitch was standing over her, blocking out the sun. Rose squinted a bit and noticed that the blonde teacher was pissed, since her eyes were narrowed dangerously and her arms were crossed under her sizable chest. Not that Rose would mention that last part; Goodwitch was more of a sadist than Jaune on an average day, she just restrained it more in front of the students. In detention however… Rose shivered.

Despite that, Rose couldn't help but give a sarcastic quip. "So... Did I pass the test?" She would later blame not coming up with something better to say on the head injury.

Goodwitch found that more than less than amusing as her scowl deepened and she tightened her grip on… the riding crop? That's not her weapon, Rose thought as best she could, still disoriented from the head blow. She closed her eyes for a few seconds and tried to block out the pain, moving it to a dull throb in the background to be let out later. It was only temporary, but it would do for now.

Goodwitch gave a noise of disapproval and turned around and barked out orders. "Take Miss Belladonna to the infirmary. Miss Schnee, you should return there as well." There was the sound of movement, then the assistant Headmistress turned back to Rose. "And you Miss Rose are coming with me. You too Ms. Xiao Long. You're going to explain yourselves thoroughly to the Headmaster and then we'll decide your punishment."

"Can hardly wait," Rose drawled, but cowed under Goodwitch's glare. She waved her crop and Rose found herself drug standing up under the teacher's Semblance, then saw Bloody Rose come floating over for Goodwitch to grab and confiscate. I'll get you back later, Rose thought to her weapon. Goodwitch had also confiscated Burning Celica from Xiao Long as well, probably to avoid favoritism and lower the chances of another fight happening.

Rose was then practically frog marched along when Goodwitch prodded her. Rose started walking and looked around, smirking at the ring of students that were watching the spectacle, with the smirk widening as some of them flinched back when they met her eyes.

And if she could see herself she imagined that she presented a terrifying sight. A maniacal, bloodstained smile on her face, the blood being from her severely injured teammate that she herself had just wounded. If that Dust crystal has changed Beacon and the people in it, then I've just moved up to the most dangerous person here probably. Some of these weaklings look like they're about to vomit on themselves, like they haven't seen blood before. She sneered internally, mindful of Goodwitch's presence behind her and she didn't want to give another reason for her to punish her.

Though as she scanned the crowd, there was one person that didn't have a horrified face. In fact, it was downright thoughtful and calculating. Silver eyes met grey and they locked in, trying to read the other's thoughts through their eyes. That's… Mercury. One of those two visiting students from Haven that I don't like. He's still suspicious, but as with everything that's been affected, he seems… different. There's something dark hidden under those eyes. I wonder what it is. Before it was more of a vague loathing and 'I can't wait to see you destroyed in a way that only I know' look that infuriated me. Now though there's something else. I'll have to keep an eye on him.

Apparently Mercury found what he wanted as well, and turned around, walking off somewhere else. What are you up to?

Rose put him out of her mind for the moment, and continued on where Goodwitch was taking them. Xiao Long had followed them, Rose joyfully noticing she was holding her side a bit gingerly. Xiao Long's eyes had gone back to lavender, but shifted back to red for a moment when Rose sent a mocking sneer her direction intending on riling her up. She immediately regretted that decision when Goodwitch smacked her riding crop against the side of her head hard. "Enough Ms. Rose. Don't make me do anything you'll regret until after we're through with the Headmaster."

Rose nodded and kept her mouth shut, knowing anything she says from this point on (and probably from a little bit ago as well) would be held against her. Plus she has my weapon, and I don't particularly want to fight without it against both of them if it comes to that.

The long trek to the Commander's office, which even Goodwitch wasn't showing proper respect to by addressing him by his rank, gave Rose some time to mull over something that caught her by surprise. I couldn't connect with my Grimm. I couldn't even feel their presence in my mind. That's another thing that's changed since that fucking Dust crystal, the constant presence in the back of my mind, the constant pressure felt and the willpower needed to control them isn't there anymore. I tried to call for them, but it's like the phone on the other end didn't exist in the first place. And I know the fault's not on my end since that test back in the infirmary showed I still had enough Black Dust in my system. However, I get the feeling that asking about that wouldn't be the best decision. Things are just too off, distorted.

So Rose smartly kept her mouth shut and continued on till they got to the elevator to got to the Commander's office. Rose had to admit that it was brilliance on his part to locate his office inside the CCT - the most recognizable and distinct landmark, and the location where one must go to contact the other kingdoms. It was a power move, letting you to know that he was in control, and though you could do what you wanted -within reason- he let you know he was watching. It's moves like that that made him the ruler of Remnant. Too bad those idiotic rebels and White Fang scum don't follow him to greatness.

Internally though, she was starting to panic a bit, despite her training and attempting to put her anxiety in the back of her mind. I'm going to meet the Supreme Commander, the Headmaster of Beacon, and the practical ruler of Remnant about a disagreement turned brawl that caused my team to become wounded in some fashion, by my weapon. Now, regardless of how it started and what may have caused it, he will not be pleased, and I do not have a suitable excuse that he would like. Just stick with the facts, and do not embellish. Hopefully he is in a… forgiving mood. Rose shivered unconsciously, unnoticing Xiao Long's and Goodwitch's stares at the movement.

All too soon, the elevator reached the top floor and with a mellow 'ding', the doors opened. The three of them went inside the room, but Rose headed straight to the center of the room and knelt, not meeting the Commander's eyes, and waited for him to speak.

"You're sure of this?"

"I couldn't be making this up, it's too absurd," Mercury said lounging on one of the beds, picking imaginary dirt from under his fingernails.

"Plus you don't have that big of an imagination," Emerald drawled from where she was sitting in a chair, fiddling with her weapons.

"Ha-ha," Mercury deadpanned. "Though I am big in other ways."

Emerald fixed him with a stare. "Really? A dick joke?"

"Children, please," Cinder chastised. Both of them shut up, not wanting to aggravate their leader. "Mercury, please continue."

"Well, she was full on psycho, trying to kill them. Though she wasn't taking it seriously, or as seriously as she could have. It was more of like trying to teach them a lesson; a more a spur of the moment thing brought on by emotions… and a bit of sadistic pleasure, like what you get sometimes," he added at the end.

"Do remember whom you're speaking to Mercury," Cinder said, her eyes taking on a brief glow in warning and amusement before she turned back to the scroll in her hands, going through the different programs. "However, I'll let that slide because of this interesting bit of news you brought me. You say she looked different?"

"Yeah. Swapped that red cloak of hers for a nice Grimm black color, and her weapon was different as well. It was serrated instead of a smooth blade - also black," Mercury noted.

"Hmm, a weapon designed to cause more pain in return for a little extra energy using it," Cinder mused to herself. "And what of the fight itself?"

"Oh that was a sight," Mercury sat up, interested in the retelling. "Her fighting style changed, and she used her semblance more than shooting herself around like she did before. In fact, I don't recall her ever firing her weapon. Anyway, she took on both her sister and her partner, leaving the Faunus girl stabbed in the gut with the spike at the end of her weapon. Then she licked the blood off of it and enjoyed it."

Emerald cut in, frowning. "The hell? That's like Torchwick's ice cream girl's level there. We're still talking about the same Ruby Rose, the one who thinks everything can be fixed with teamwork, friendship, and love?" Emerald seemed sick that those words in that order came out of her mouth.

"Obviously something's changed about her enough to want to try and maim her team. She also gave the stuck up Schnee bitch a second scar across her face, right here" Mercury said, pointing to his right eye and making a near horizontal line across it to just above his other eye.

"Indeed," Cinder said as she managed to use her program to access Beacon's rather lacklusterly protected surveillance cameras. For some reason, there were more cameras in the Emerald Forest than the entire school grounds. Most likely due to initiation testing dear Ozpin forces the students to go through. Cinder went through the recent footage and found the black clad Ruby Rose fighting against the blond and the black haired members of her team. She quirked an eyebrow when she saw Ruby stab Belladonna and then lick the blood off her weapon. Indeed, that's similar to dear Neopolitan. However, it's more strongly reminiscent of… Callows' flair. She had to suppress a grimace, thinking about the insane Faunus.

A grin found its way onto her face however as the fight progressed, ending with Goodwitch intervening and knocking out Ruby for a moment. "Very interesting…" Her eyes alight with curiosity. She looked up and saw that Emerald and Mercury had been watching as well. "You two: ask around and find out what caused our innocent little rose to become such a literal bloodthirsty individual. If it seems like it is something we can replicate, well, imagine who we could affect if we choose." The possibilities were widening to her. If we could do this to anyone, imagine if say, Ozpin himself went on a rampage. Pleasant goose bumps went up her back. That would almost be enough of a distraction to go after her just by itself.

"However, be inconspicuous. There will be no doubt an investigation will soon be done, and we do not need our cover blown yet. Use your best judgment in this."

"Yes Ma'am," Emerald answered. "And… what are you going to be doing?" She asked hesitantly, correctly wary of questioning her superior.

"Oh, I'm going to go right for the source…" Cinder almost purred as she stared into the unrepentant silver eyes of a changed Ruby Rose. Coming back to the present, she went to another folder on her scroll and deleted the girl's name from it, then went to another one and added her name with a (?) at the end, the folder labeled 'Allies'. If I can recruit this new Ruby this plan might be even easier than I thought…

Yang blinked at the kneeled form of… Ruby. It doesn't feel right to call her my sister at the moment. Not after what she just did to Blake and Weiss. But she still is my littl' sis…

The trip was silent, but Yang was watching Ruby, or Rose as she apparently wanted to be called. Ruby was trying to antagonize her and thankfully Prof. Goodwitch was there, otherwise it would have been round two and who knows what would have happened. It's all because of that damn Dust crystal. It did something to Ruby and changed her. And then there's all that Black Dust in her body. That can't be coincidence.

Once the all too long elevator ride was done and the doors opened, Ruby immediately brushed past them and went into the Headmaster's office without hesitation. Both she and Goodwitch twitched to stop her, thinking she was about to attack or do something rash, but then stopped in surprise when Ruby went to the center of the room and kneeled, like a knight before the kings of old. A corrupted knight.

What the hell is she doing now? Why is she kneeling in front of the Headmaster? Yang looked up and saw that Ozpin's eyebrows were raised in a rare moment of surprise, unable to control his expression in time due to the unexpectedness of it all. Then they lowered back down further into a concerned frown. "Miss Rose, please stand up. There's no need for that."

After a moment's hesitation, Ruby stood up, but kept her head bowed in submission. Yang followed Goodwitch into the room and stood a bit away from her changed sister. Goodwitch went over to Ozpin's desk and placed both of their weapons on it, then stood next to it.

It was silent in the clock tower, save for the ticking of said clock and the soft grinding of the gears turning it. Yang shifted from foot to foot nerviously. I know I didn't do anything wrong, and that it wasn't really Ruby's fault since she's been affected by that Dust crystal, but that doesn't help. Ruby however kept still, anticipating for whatever hammer waited to fall.

Eventually Ozpin spoke. "I do not believe I have words for what I've witnessed. I have seen training accidents where students were severely injured. I have also unfortunately seen bullying taken to extreme measures, and discrimination against Faunus that had degraded into violence, but I have never seen a student intentionally and maliciously attack another member of their team in such a manner with the intent to cause bodily harm and disfigurement."

Holy shit, he's pissed, Yang thought, looking at the man's body language. She could see that his fingers were tense and the frown he had had not abated in the slightest. Though I am too, she realized, though not as much since I know something's wrong with Ruby. Yang blinked as she realized a sobering fact. I feel like I've failed my sister again… First it was that night, and then now. I couldn't protect her, even if it's from herself.

"So, Ruby Rose, please explain what was going through your mind and what led up to your decision to attack your team," Ozpin demanded, and then waited.

Ruby finally looked up and looked at Ozpin. "Commander, Sir," she said sharply, surprising Yang at the militaristic tone coming from her sister, "my team was about to attempt to coerce me into doing a medical procedure that would have hampered my ability as a Huntress, Sir."

"And pray tell what sort of procedure would that be?" Ozpin replied in a deceptively calm tone. Oh yeah, he's defiantly pissed.

"A complete purging of all the Dust in my system," Ruby told him.

Ozpin blinked, "And why would that be detrimental? Unless you've been trying to bind Dust into your body, then I do not see the problem. And the last I checked, your Dust scores were merely adequate."

Ruby remained silent, though Yang could see the little tells she had that she was looking for an answer. Damnit, even though she did all that, she's still my sister. Yang stepped forward and cleared her throat, getting the two teacher's attention. "Actually Sir, there was something that happened in the Dust workshop a little bit before the infirmary thing."

She prided herself on the fact that she didn't flinch as both of them shifted their gazes to her. She was a little more surprised when Ruby did the same, confusion etched on her face, but Yang kept her focus on the teachers. "What happened?" Ozpin asked.

"Weiss had called us down there and gave us different things that she had been working on. But she gave Ruby a Dust crystal and when she activated it, it changed her to this. It's not her fault."

"That's not what happened," Ruby stated, her tone level but trying to keep it together. "That crystal affected you, and the rest of the school… somehow," she muttered, then turned to Ozpin with her head bowed again, "I apologize for my outburst Commander."

Ozpin frowned again then leaned forward a bit and said firmly, "Ruby, look at me."

Yang heard Ruby suck in a breath at her name, but the blacked cloaked sister did actually look up. She really doesn't like her first name, Yang thought in slight awe at the amount of hate for a name. One that our mom gave her.

"I'm not in the army. I'm not a commander. I'm just a headmaster, namely yours, but only a headmaster. Now… What happened? Miss Xiao Long, please explain first. You said something about a Dust crystal?"

"Uh, yes. Weiss had been experimenting with different Dust combinations and had managed to make a Red-Black Dust crystal-"

Ozpin had been nodding as Yang was talking, but when she said 'Black Dust', he immediately frowned with an intense look that took Yang aback. "Black Dust you said?"

"Uh, yes," Yang answered nerviously.

"How did she get that Dust?" Ozpin questioned.

"She said she made it," Yang answered.

Ozpin steepled his fingers and thought, then said, "Does anyone else on your team know how to make this Dust?"

Yang shook her head in a negative. No, I certainly don't. Ruby's almost allergic to the stuff if it isn't in a bullet casing and can't use it. Blake probably could if she felt like it, but doesn't use Dust all that much and probably won't go through the effort.

Ozpin nodded, his posture slightly relaxing. "I'll have to have a talk with Miss Schnee after she's recovered and remind her about mixing Dust in untested forms. With her upbringing I'd expected she'd know better, but regardless. Bringing us back to the main issue, what were the effects of the… Black Dust crystal," Ozpin said, hesitating.

"Well, it was Red and Black, two colors," Yang corrected, "and when Ruby added some White Dust to it and pushed her Aura into it, there was a bright flash, and then we saw that Ruby had changed to… this," Yang said gesturing to the different colored Ruby. Yang saw that Ruby's hands were clenching and unclenching repeatedly.

"When she woke up… her personality had been altered, a complete contrast to her usual self. She was more adversarial, rude, vulgar, and… she doesn't like it when we use her name, Ruby."

"You know I prefer to be called Rose, Sir," Ruby ground out, clearly frustrated with the entire situation. "And if I may speak, from my point of view, everyone else has changed. Even the school looks different."

"I would have to disagree with you on both accounts," Ozpin frankly said. "There have been no changes that I've noticed with anybody save you, and we've previously talked before and you've had no issues with others using your name."

Yang saw the confused look on Ruby's face as she was trying to figure things out. "I don't recall any moments where that happened…" She said slowly as if she was trying to explain something. Ruby looked up at Ozpin's face. "This whole thing was caused by a Dust crystal," she started explaining, "and putting aside the debate of who's right and who's not, this can be linked to what that crystal's affects were. And there's one person I know who can figure out exactly what the crystal did."

Goodwitch spoke up for the first time, "And who is that? Certainly not Miss Schnee."

"Oh fuck no," Ruby said, causing both the teacher's eyebrows to rise at the cursing. "As good as my pet may be, she is not even close to being an expert. Hell, even her family just mines and uses it with very little experimentation, letting others do the work for them. No, I'm talking about our mother. Contact her and she'll be able to solve this."

What… No, that crystal had to have scrambled her mind. It's like before. She still thinks… Summer is alive. "Ruby…" Yang started.

Ruby spun around, eyes flashing in rage, and only the quick reactions of Goodwitch prevented the sable clad girl from attacking Yang again. Ruby was shoved back a few feet and held there, not like when Goodwitch throws a Grimm down a city block. "I've told you before, do not call me-"

"Miss Rose!" Ozpin barked, and Ruby immediately stopped and kneeled again.

"My humblest apologies, Commander, for loosing my temper again," Ruby intoned. "My mind is not working at peak efficiency at the moment."

"Oh do get up," Ozpin irritably said, sounding exasperated with this entire thing. Ruby slowly stood up again. "Outburst aside, I feel that this Dust did more to your mind that to your appearance. I'll put it bluntly, and I do apologize for my lack of tact, your mother has been dead for years."

Yang sighed. I know why you said that Professor, and why you said it the way you did. It's to help explain things to Ruby. But it still hurts. Ruby snapped her head up at that. "You're joking… Sir," she added as an afterthought. "I spoke with her less than two weeks ago when you sent her on a mission." What? How scrambled is your mind? What did it do to you?

"That is impossible," Goodwitch stated. "Summer Rose has been deceased for over eleven years n-"

"Not that fucking whore cunt," Ruby spat out, shocking everyone again with the sheer amount of venom in her voice. "Our mother," Ruby gestured wildly between Yang and herself, "Raven Branwen-Xiao Long… And what's that with her being dead?" Ruby added once she controlled herself, strangely sounding eager.

Yang gasped at the name. That's my mom, she thought. Ruby's never met her… and I think I've only seen her once in my life, and not in a picture. Why does she think she's our mom, and still married to dad, even with his last name? This does not make any goddamn sense! Not unless that crystal gave her new memories as well. And by now, I'm willing to consider anything!

Ozpin sat still, staring at Ruby for a long moment. Yang could not tell what was going on behind those eyes of his aside from some heavy thinking. "Raven Branwen disappeared shortly after your sister's birth, Miss Rose, and there is no telling where she is currently. And Summer Rose died in the line of duty eleven years ago, fighting against the Grimm. Your closest living and contactable relatives are your father and your Uncle Qrow, and even then Mr. Branwen is on a mission with a communication blackout. I do not know where or how you got these other thoughts, but it's increasingly clear that the crystal did something solely to you and not to us."

Ruby hadn't reacted since Ozpin restated that Summer had died, save to blink three times, but her eyes were wide and thoughts were flying about as fast as her semblance could go. Ruby, what are you thinking about? What happened to your memories?

After a long moment, Yang heard Ruby whisper to herself, "That's the only feasible explanation." Then, the most bone-chilling thing happened.

Ruby started laughing.

It wasn't a pleasant laugh. And it wasn't happy in the traditional sense. It was, in a word, unhinged. It started low and soft, then built up into a loud maniacal laugh that put everyone on edge due to the higher pitch of her voice. She was laughing so hard that she had doubled over.

"Miss Rose, control yourself!" Goodwitch shouted.

"It may not be real, but I don't even care anymore! The Bitch is dead!" Ruby crowed. "Ha ha ha ha!"

Yang felt the familiar fury descend on her mind. Without thinking she stomped over to Ruby and was about to slap her into tomorrow when suddenly the laughing stopped and a hand came up to deflect the slap. "Still too slow," Ruby taunted. Yang growled and reared up for another punch.

"Enough!" Ozpin shouted and suddenly a weight fell upon the room, making it hard to breathe and stay upright. Yang looked up and saw that Ozpin's eyes were glistening with anger as well before he blinked and breathed in, then the weight disappeared. "Miss Rose, since I do not have any other option available short of expulsion and prison, I am ordering you to go back to the infirmary and get a full Dust purge done."

"…Fine by me."

Wait, what? Yang turned in surprise to face her sister. "What? You just agreed like that after you wanted to kill us when we suggested the same thing to you? What the hell is wrong with you?!"

Ruby turned her silver eyes to her and said dully, "Something apparently. Back then it… caught me off guard. I… admittedly overreacted. But rationally, this is the only solution to our conundrum. We're at an impasse, you think something happened to me, and I think something happened to all of you. The only variable is the Red-Black crystal, ergo getting a purge is the only solution that you will accept since there is more against me than for me."

"An astute observation Miss Rose," Goodwitch drawled.

"And you just only now thought of this?" Yang questioned.

Ruby shrugged noncommittally. Yang had to restrain herself. Ruby's indifference to all of this is really grating on my nerves. Plus all that about mom… I don't know if I'll be able to forget that, and I hope it's only because of the crystal.

Ozpin stared at Ruby for a moment before saying, "This incident will not go on your formal record Miss Rose. However, there will be a suitable punishment for your actions today and expect to be watched closely after this by the staff and most likely your team. I'll have to sort this out with the student body, but expect some distance from them."

Ruby nodded, keeping silent. Ozpin looked at the weapons on his desk and said, "Can I trust you to keep your weapons and not use them?"

"I think the better question would be if either one of us will be the one to start something," Ruby said instead.

"You're not instilling confidence in yourself Miss Rose and you are already treading on thin ice," Ozpin glared at her.

Ruby nodded again, with a bow, "Forgive me Commander." Ozpin just made a noncommittal grunt.

Yang looked back and forth between Ruby and Ozpin. I want to believe that all of this was caused by the Dust crystal, and her emotions and memories have been affected by that… "If my sis follows that, then I will as well," she said.

Ozpin gave both of them a hard look. "Very well. Glynda, please escort them to the infirmary and make sure Miss Rose does in fact start the purge. You two may take your weapons. I hope my trust isn't misplaced."

Ruby walked forward and took her now black weapon and hooked it onto her back again. Yang then tentatively came forward and took Ember Celica again and put them on again.

"Come along you two," Goodwitch said sternly, making Ruby snap upright. The professor gestured for the two to enter the elevator ahead of her, and the two followed. This has to be some sort of bad dream. I just hope that this is solved when the Dust is purged from her system. The doors closed and the elevator began its decent.

Ozpin sighed and held his head after the trio had left. That was worse than when I had to deal with Team STRQ's graduation party and half of the other incidents they had combined. No, this is more serious than that. It's closer to when Amber was attacked and half her power stolen. And much more concerning since I can't take permanent action this time. His concern boiled down to two words.

Black Dust.

Two words put together that he had not heard in a long time. And two words he wanted to forget as they led to a darker time, and a decision that could have tipped the scales to the darkness.

"Even after all this time, you still come back to haunt me Vikstein," Ozpin murmured to himself. "And I thought I had dealt with the last of your projects years ago. Once again they come to the surface, but from a completely isolated variable. Is it fate that it should be discovered again?" After thinking about it he shook his head. No, it must not. The consequences would be too vile to imagine even with the things I've seen. So far set against my… our principals that it can't even be considered. I made my choice when he offered, and I stand by it as the right one. That was not a mistake. I only wish that I could have seen it sooner to save my friend…

Ozpin sighed again and poured himself some coffee, then took a sip. I have to emphasize the importance to Miss Schnee to never make Black Dust again. If it were to fall into the wrong hands it would be an added weapon for them. In even the right hands it could spell the downfall of us all.

And then there's the paperwork for this, and trying to calm the student body. And I can't let Ruby's family know because they'd come storming Beacon despite anything.

"Damn," he whispered to himself. It's times like this where I wonder if Qrow has the right idea about Mistralean Rum. Or even James with the Atlas variety. He took another sip of coffee then got to work.

The elevator doors closed in front of Rose and while she kept a calm outward façade, inside her mind was in turmoil, racing to plan ahead.

Inside the Commander's… or Ozpin's office, she had an epiphany as she finally thought things through and gathered enough information. And once you eliminate the impossible, what remains... And despite how insane it is, it might be the best guess there is.

I'm in a different Remnant.

And the evidence backs that up. My team and everyone else acting differently for one. There's no way that they would be able to keep up the act for this long, especially Xiao Long. Another is that there's too many little differences, both in the building and with how the people appear. And then there's the elaborate history story that they keep saying. Everything is different, or has happened in different ways. Schnee said her scar, her first scar now actually, happened before we knew each other, while she was training. Now that I think about it, it does look older and less fresh.

Then there's the family history. Raven's gone somewhere, and Summer's dead… that thought made her giddy, even if it isn't my Summer, and that means that Xiao Long would think that Summer would be her mom as well, if she's as pathetic as I think she is. She almost chuckled aloud, but contained it, mindful of the deal they made. Oh that's delicious, left by two moms. If I could, I probably would use that against her if we came to blows again.

But back on topic, a hallucination wouldn't be this involving, and I would have noticed something off about my senses. I may not be a Faunus, but I know my own capabilities. A torture/interrogation scenario would have the same problems. And… admittedly, it does make more sense that I was the only one affected by the Dust crystal, rather than the entirety of the school.

That's why I'm going to allow them to purge the Dust from my system. If I'm correct and I am in an alternate Remnant, then my Grimm wouldn't be here anyway, so there's no sense in having the Black Dust in me. And also, they think that the Dust caused this in the first place, so they'll only be less on guard once it's out of me. Though the purging will be unpleasant, I highly doubt it will be too bad.

However, I doubt that what they want won't happen, so I'll have to deceive them after my purge. Claim partial amnesia so that will give me time to learn about this world and the people in it, and also some leeway if I make a mistake or say something wrong. 'I think the Dust affected my memory, things are hazy.' If they are truly as pliable as I think, they'll accept that.

Ozpin is the one I need to watch out for. He knows what Black Dust does somehow, judging from his reaction to the name. I'll have to be cautious if I want to rebuild my Grimm pack again. I wonder if that Nevermore from initiation is still around…

Basically, I can make this world my bitch if I wanted. But then there are other factors to consider. Mercury and his partnerrrr… Emerald, she had to search for the name for a moment, have some sort of plan that would probably rock the inexperienced students' lives. And I wonder if the White Fang and those Ember Rebels are still around. Something I'll have to research when I get the chance.

There's one other thing, now that I think about it. Is there, or was there, another Rose- or Ruby in this case? Did that Dust crystal switch us around? Or did I wipe her out when I came here, replaced her with myself? More food for thought.

While she had been thinking, they had gone through the halls and courtyards of Beacon. Word apparently had spread around as people were pointing and whispering without trying to appear like they were doing such a thing. Rose kept a blank face as they walked, showing no emotion.

By the time she had finished her thoughts, they had returned to the infirmary. Goodwitch pushed open the doors and walked in, Xiao Long and Rose following. There was a closed off area where there were a few doctors working on somebody, and with Schnee close by, that somebody was probably Belladonna.

Goodwitch got a doctor's attention, and it turned out that it was Dr. Gold again. He frowned as his gaze went over them. "What?" He said, coldly.

"Miss Rose needs to get a Dust purge. We think that it's the cause for her… behavior," Goodwitch explained.

"It better be. Her teammate will recover quickly, but it won't heal up in a day, and won't completely heal for longer. And Miss Schnee will have a second permanent scar on her face. Rose took a glance over at Schnee and was met by a wary blue eye.

Not wanting to delay, Rose said, "Let's just get this over with." She went over to the bed, which still had her bag next to it, and placed her weapon next to it. Then she hopped on and waited. When nothing happened she looked up and met to doctor's eyes. "Well get on with it! I can't operate it on my own!" That snapped him out of his whatever and he went into the back room.

"What's going on?" Rose heard Schnee ask from her side of the room.

"Miss Rose finally agreed to get a Dust purge of her system," Goodwitch said again. "It appears that whatever crystal you made has affected her memory and emotions, so we're going to clear out her body completely of Dust. On a side note, the Headmaster would like to speak with you at some point about your creation."

"Oh, of course," Schnee said, a tad apprehensive sounding.

Rose was distracted when Xiao Long came over to her side. Her lavender eyes were filled with concern, which Rose never expected to be on her face. "It'll be okay Rubes," Xiao Long said, surprising Rose with the nickname. "Everything will turn out fine. There's no need to be worried."

Wow, she actually believes that she cares. And she's trying to comfort me. That's defiantly another point for an alternate world. Rose swallowed and said, "I'm not worried. It's a procedure that's been done numerous times."

Xiao Long blinked, then tried to smile, but it came out wrong- forced. "I guess you did pay attention in Dust Studies then."

Rose was spared from having to make a response when the doctor wheeled a machine over to her. It was both complex and simplistic in what it was meant to do. "This is a-"

"I know what it is," Rose interrupted, "just get it on."

The doctor showed no outward sign of irritation, but he definitely poked the rather large needle in her arm a little harder than necessary. Once again, not rating on her pain scale. Another needle entered her other arm, and both of them found a vein for them to work.

"There will be some slight discomfort, like something is being taken away and going missing, which is perfectly normal," he explained, staying professional.

"I'm ready," Rose said.

The doctor started the machine and with a hum, started injecting the nullifying agents to the Dust. The agent it used was handy, but it didn't differentiate between the different types of Dust, which is why it was only used for complete purging.

Rose definitely felt some discomfort, as it felt as if something was being torn away from her. Eventually this did start rating on her pain scale, and didn't seem to be stopping. It kept increasing and Rose started to hear shouting and screaming from the people around her.

In the back of her mind, she realized she was the one who was screaming.

Pain.

That was all she felt. It was as if someone was trying to rip out your skin and bones without actually doing so. Vaguely, she felt her body start thrashing, convulsing.

The pain didn't stop.

It kept going.

She felt hands on her, but she wanted them off. They were trying to stop her! She needed to get out!

Numbness started spreading, starting from her toes, upwards her body. She felt emptier inside than she ever had. When it reached her head, her last thought was, At least I know it worked.

Then blackness.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Ha-ha! Rose gets her own version of pain! It's less than what Ruby experienced, but it's not over yet. The next chapter will have more.

Somebody pointed out, and I agree, that Rose is like Azula from Avatar:TLA. Azula is a bit of a reference for me when I'm writing Rose, and she reads situations better than Ruby, and plots a lot better too.

Anyway, I was in a slump for this chapter and I apologize if this seems like a weak chapter.
Another somebody pointed out (rightfully so) that the last couple chapters were shorter than the others. Basically it's like Rose's version of the first few chapters, which were shorter than these ones, as the title of this mirrors Ch 3's. Though things will start diverging in similarly next chapter, so be patient.

I was planning on updating An Unexpected Rose today, but things got away from me (midterms are this week) and I spent more time on this than that. Promise the next update will be that.

Big thanks to everyone who read this story, and remember to R.R.F.F (Read, Review, Favorite, Follow)

-OrangeGalen