The remains of the tower lay in the ground, the city walls crumbling and falling to pieces around it. The air was filled with dust and smoke, carrying a horrible acrid smell.

Yang rose to her feet, straightening her eyes to peer through the smoke. She saw Nora and Penny kneeling on the ground nearby. Neither looked hurt, thankfully. Ren was not far from them, laying down a still unconscious Neptune. Ozpin stood silent, just looking at the ruins, gripping a pistol fiercely in his hand.

"Ruby," Yang said, a terrible sensation sinking in her stomach. "Ruby! Did anyone see my sister?!"

A hand fell on her shoulder, and Yang turned to see Coco looking at her solemnly. Behind her, Velvet was shaking uncontrollably, tears streaming down her cheeks.

"She stayed behind to rescue the Queen," Coco said. "I tried to convince her otherwise, but she insisted."

Yang stared at her for a long time, not showing any reaction. "What are you saying?" She finally spoke, her voice void of any emotion. She knew the answer already, but she didn't want to believe it.

"We haven't seen her since," Coco looked away. "I'm… so sorry."

Yang lowered her head and turned completely silent, even as her fists trembled at her sides.

Ozpin forced his gaze away from the tower and turned to what was left of his allies. He looked weary and desolated, but there still remained some resolve in his eyes. "Is anybody else unaccounted for?"

"I saw Blake run past us and out the building before it collapsed," Nora spoke up. "I think she was chasing after some soldiers, and she looked really desperate."

"That rascal Mercury should be mush under the rocks by now," Coco said. "However did he get out, anyway? I know it's not my place to critique, considering my circumstances, but…"

"We can discuss how this happened later," Ozpin objected firmly. "First, we need to find somewhere safe to lay low. It's but a matter of time before more of Cinder's forces come our way, not to mention curious townsfolk. Does anyone have an idea of where to go?"

"Didn't Sun mention a house we could use for emergencies?" Nora frowned. "I can't remember where that is, though…"

"Brittle Alley. The yellow house with the chalk monkey drawn on the wall." Yang said mechanically, her posture not shifting for a second.

"Good. We make it there, treat Neptune, track down Blake," Ozpin said. "…and figure out the next step, without…" His voice died off as he glanced again at the ruins.

As if awoken by his words, Yang suddenly began to move, marching towards the rubble without explanation. She bent down and began to pull at the rocks, tearing them apart one by one and slamming them on the ground in another pile beside her.

The group shared a few silent glances, then Ozpin nodded and moved to stand behind her. "Yang. We must go before more trouble arrives," he said softly. "We can look for them later, once we're safe."

"And what if that's too late?" Yang muttered.

"Yang. The entire building collapsed. The chance of someone surviving…"

"I don't give a damn about chance. I've lost my sister once already – that is not happening again. I'm not leaving until she's safe in my arms," she said. "You can go. I understand. I'll try to find Weiss too."

Ozpin paused, his stalwart posture giving way to vulnerability for the briefest of moments. As he opened his mouth to speak again, Yang turned to look at him, revealing eyes as red as blood.

"Leave."

Ozpin stirred. He had learned to resist Cinder Fall's magic, but he had never prepared himself to fight it coming from Yang. It felt unrefined, wilder, and in some ways even more sinister.

"As you wish." He said, turning around and walking away. The rest of the group followed him, Ren and Nora carrying Neptune together in their arms, leaving Yang alone to claw her way furiously through the ruined tower.

Weiss' head throbbed with a terrible headache as she finally woke up. She was being forced to stand upright, her wrists and ankles tied by rope to a wooden post behind her. Her hair was a sticky mess – she could feel blood running from the back of her head and down her neck.

She opened her eyes and found herself in a room illuminate only by a wavering candle post. The walls were made of unpolished rock, with a thin sheet of water at the surface. Underground, perhaps, but where?

It took her a while to spot the person tied up just like her, a few steps to her right, and even more time to realize it was none other than Blake. The faunus was unconscious, her head hanging low, chest rising and falling almost imperceptibly.

"Blake!" Weiss called in a loud whisper. "Wake up!"

Blake didn't as much as shift in her sleep. Weiss cursed under her breath. If only Blake were awake, she would surely be able to free herself using her supernatural abilities.

The thought reminded Weiss of her own magic, but when she tried to call upon it, her head began to hurt even more, and she felt pain spike through her torso. She hoped her gunshot wound hadn't opened somehow, or else she'd be dealing with severe blood loss.

She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, deciding that lamenting about her current position was useless – until Blake woke up, there was nothing to be done about it.

Inevitably, her thoughts wandered to her allies and friends, back in the hideout. She hadn't been able to see discern much of what had been happening, as Emerald had done a number on her, then handed her over to one of Cinder's soldiers to be taken to the castle. But she knew there had been explosions and gunshots all around. Had anyone been hurt? And had they figured out Emerald's trickery?

Minutes turned into hours. The pain subsided somewhat, allowing her more room to think and breathe, but it was still too much for her to summon her magic. Blake remained unresponsive. Weiss began to fear the worst.

Finally, a door opened. For a second or two, light flooded inside the room, then a man wearing a Grimm half-mask entered. He carried a long one-sided sword in his hand, which he leaned against a wall before stepping close to her.

"Weiss Schnee. Funny that it took so long for us to meet face to face," he said, smirking. "We share so much history, after all."

"You… you're the head of the White Fang, aren't you?" Weiss asked, glaring fiercely at him. "You're the one who ordered my parents murdered in cold blood."

"Please. Don't undersell me," Adam bowed his head mockingly. "I was far more involved than just giving the orders."

Weiss tried to lunge at him, but the ropes held firm, and her wound flared with pain. She bit on her tongue and held back her tears, refusing to show him any weakness.

"Go on," she said. "I'm sure you have a lot more to brag about."

"I will admit, you Schnees have pride. I'll give you that," Adam chuckled. "But that didn't save you or your friends, now did it?"

"Taunt me as much as you want," Weiss smiled weakly. "Take your time. When they come to rescue me, you'll realize how laughably empty your posturing was."

"Let them come. I am more than prepared," he said. "The White Fang has existed since before your parents were born. We aren't just a bunch of fugitive slaves in rags, raising pitchforks at the nobility. No. Your rebel pawns are no worry of mine."

His words caused even more fury to bubble up inside her. Rebel pawns. The contempt was so clear in his voice. She shouldn't be offended he thought of her that way, but she couldn't stop herself from feeling the way she felt.

"You want your throne back. As if it ever belonged to you in the first place," Adam said. "You think you have any right to rule over this city? This kingdom? The faunus were the ones to build the walls that kept you safe and warm. It was our blood and sweat that made this forsaken home possible. And to this day, we keep Vale running. We are its masons; its miners; its farmhands; its servants," he shook his head. "But that doesn't matter, all because somewhere along the way, one of you pampered fools decided you were better than us. That your lineage was truer and that only it deserved to enjoyed the fruits of our labor."

Despite her promise to remain strong, Weiss found herself recoiling at his every word, as if they struck her very core. She knew he was a madman, grasping for any explanation for his bloodlust, yet in a way, she thought… perhaps he was right. Perhaps she didn't have any true claim to the throne. Where was her proof? What made her so special among so many incredible individuals?

"You talk a lot of shit for someone who hasn't done anything but kill people for more than half his life."

Blake's voice cut through the silence like a chilling knife. Her amber eyes were set intensely on Adam, while her lips formed a displeased hard line.

"The problem with you and the White Fang is that you think you can represent all faunus. You can't," she said. "I know it may sound shocking to you, but most people aren't ready to shed blood – both their own and some made-up enemy's – even if they were abused and beaten and treated like the scorn of the world. Most people just want to be free…" she lowered her eyes. "… not just from some cage, but from the suffering." She looked up again. "Your fight is just another form of slavery."

Adam seemed truly speechless for a moment, but before long, he turned to her with a sneer. "And who are you to say anything? Your hands are as red as mine, Blake. What sets us apart is that I'm not ashamed to admit it."

"Yes. I am ashamed," Blake nodded. "Tell me how that's a bad thing."

Adam approached her, lifting her chin with a hand. "You had so much potential, Blake. And you wasted it all fighting for someone who would have you serve her wine, tend to her appearance, entertain her guests…" He scoffed. "Is that who you are, Blake?"

"I'm free," Blake replied, breaking a smile. "Freer than you'll ever be, probably."

Adam's face turned a slight shade of red, and his knuckles turned white as he clenched his fists. Weiss tensed up, expecting him to hit Blake. A moment later, he let out a heavy breath, then took several steps back.

"Shame. I was hoping you would come around, Blake. But now I see you're lost. I'll have to think of what to do with you later," Adam said. His eyes turned back to Weiss. "As for you, princess. Don't wait for your rescue party. You and I will be making a visit to town soon, to put on a little show for the people," he smiled humorlessly. "It will be very, how to put it… nostalgic. For both of us."

He turned and exited the room, leaving them alone in the candlelight. Silently, Blake used her abilities to escape from her constraints, then went behind Weiss and helped her out of theirs. The royals started to collapse immediately, but Blake caught her before she hit the ground and laid her down gently.

"Thank you, Blake." Weiss said.

"For what?" The faunus muttered. "Not letting you crack your skull just now?"

"No," Weiss shook her head slowly. "For everything. Thank you."

"That's not necessary," Blake said. "If anything, I should be the one doing the thanking. I did try to kill you a couple of times."

"And didn't I fight back?" Weiss smiled. "I think we see eye to eye, don't we? I never thought I'd trust a faunus like I do you. And I know things won't always be this easy. I can't think of your kind without being reminded of how my parents were killed – and I'm sure every time you look at me, you're reminded of everything my kind has put your through," she paused. "But I'm willing to compromise. This isn't something you give up on because of past grievances."

Blake stared at her for a moment, then nodded. "I can agree with that."

They sat in their prison in silence for a while, just listening to the sounds of their own breathing and droplets of water falling off the wall to the floor. Despite their being imprisoned in an unknown location, with no idea of their future and the well-being of their friends, they found peace. For the first time, Weiss thought she fully understood why Blake prized her freedom so much.

"Weiss," Blake spoke up eventually. "What did Adam mean by putting on a show, and it being nostalgic?"

Weiss closed her eyes. "Isn't it obvious?" She said. "He means to publicly execute me, as he did my mother and father."

Ruby pushed against the wardrobe as hard as she could, her arms shaking from the effort, but it refused to budge. Laid in a diagonal angle against the wall, the object had protected her and Emerald from the collapsing of the tower, but now they were stuck, as rubble blocked the openings to either side of them, as well as weighted down the wardrobe.

"You know, this would be a lot easier if you helped me out a little." Ruby pointed out through gritted teeth.

Emerald looked at her lazily, then rolled her eyes. "I never asked for this. You just delayed the inevitable," she said. "Besides, what do you expect will happen, somehow, you push this thing away from us?"

Ruby opened her mouth to retort, then realized that if she did move the wardrobe, the rubble would fall on them and they would probably be lucky to survive that. "You could have said something before we got stuck this way!"

"Oh, let me repeat myself: I. Never. Asked for this."

Ruby grunted in frustration. What was she supposed to do now? If only she could turn into a mole and dig her way out of this mess…

"You still have the pistol," Emerald said nonchalantly. "Just putting that out there. Might be convenient sometime."

"I don't get you. I really don't," Ruby muttered. "This is all your fault. You infiltrated our hideout and led a bunch of stupid soldiers here. You kidnapped the Queen! And now you keep telling that you want to die or something? It doesn't make any sense."

"I didn't want to do any of this, not any more than I wanted to be a homeless thief. It's all because of circumstance. I got involved in something too big, and…" Emerald stopped, realizing she had talked too much already.

"And what?" Ruby asked, leaning closer. "Tell me. I want to help. Promise."

"I don't need your help!" Emerald exclaimed, backing away until she had her back against the rubble blocking the way out. "D-damnit, you look just like her…"

Ruby blanched, at once aware of what was happening. Well, that was one way of making things awkward. "You mean Cin- Summer? She's got you under her spell?"

"She's…" Emerald blushed. "Intoxicating…"

"Right," Ruby cleared her throat. "Uhm, she's not my real mother. She stole her body to get into the Vale court and all that. Her real name is Cinder Fall, and she's a really bad witch."

Emerald stared at her in outrage, but her expression slowly mellowed, showing doubt and a great deal of horror. Ruby sighed inward, relieved that the thief's reaction wasn't violent in any way.

"I've done things for her I wouldn't normally do. Not that I'm a saint. Not at all…" Emerald frowned. "But usurping thrones; killing royals? That's not my style. But I… I just need to do these things, to please her and…"

"I get it," Ruby said softly. "It's not your fault, then. So how about, instead of you giving up and… killing yourself… we help each other get out of here, and then you never have to see her again?"

"She'll find me," Emerald whispered. "I know she will."

"Not if she's dead, she won't." Ruby stated, surprising Emerald with how dark she sounded.

"…Alright," the thief said. "What do we do?"

A bright light shone in Weiss' face, startling her out of her half-asleep state. Adam marched in and grabbed her by the wrist, pulling her up roughly. "Time to go, princess."

Weiss punched and kicked at him, but he wasn't fazed. Blake jumped to her feet and snarled at him. "Let her go, Adam, or I swear…"

"Take her!" Adam shouted, and three more White Fang members entered the room and made to grab her, but Blake danced out of their reach, tapping into her powers. "Be cooperative, Blake, or else the royal brat gets an early beheading."

Blake shot him a piercing glare, letting the men grab her without struggling.

"What are you going to do her, you maniac?" Weiss asked, shaking with anger.

"The same thing I'll do to you, with a little less show. It is your day after all, princess," Adam said. "Examples must be made."

"Voices of dissent must be quieted," Weiss spat. "You're afraid of what she has to say. Admit it."

"The only thing I'm afraid of, princess, is not savoring the moment of your death for as long as I might," he chuckled. "Come on. We have places to be."

The throne room was abuzz with activity. Nobles and commoners alike were flooding the castle, bringing news and complaints about a new breach in the city walls, near the northwest watchtower. No Grimm had yet entered the city, but people knew it was inevitable that an invasion would happen, sooner or later.

The whole affair frustrated Cinder to no end. A breach in the wall, caused by an explosion? It could only mean one thing. Emerald had found the rebels, and mayhem had followed. But if that was the case, where was she now? More importantly, where was Weiss Schnee?

A guardsman broke through the crowd, shoving people aside to reach the center of the room. "The White Fang has taken the town square!" He announced at his loudest voice. "Their leader has the Queen at sword point, and is about to execute her!"

As panic levels reached a new height around her, Cinder's blood ran cold. She stared ahead of her blankly for but a moment, then rose from her throne and started towards the exit.

"Gather every guard at our disposal! I don't give a damn about the castle's defenses, we must rescue the Queen!" She shouted over the cacophony of voice. "Equip yourselves with the best weapons we have! And, for the love of whatever god you pray to, do not-"

She was interrupted by the deafening sound of the double doors of the throne room slamming shut, seemingly of their own accord. Silence reigned, until the people gathered there looked up and saw shining purple glyphs come to life in the wooden material, spinning and keeping the doors closed.

"You are going nowhere, Usurper." Glynda Goodwitch's voice echoed through the room.

Cinder spun around and met eyes with the noblewoman. The crowd had parted before them, leaving a large empty space between the two women.

"Of course. I should have seen this coming," Cinder said, not caring about the onlookers. "You fell so easily to my charms, something had to be wrong. But I am curious. How come you have magic, Goodwitch? What great house do you descend from?"

"None that is remembered. None that matters. Unlike you, Fall, I have no delusions of grandeur," Glynda said. "My home is Vale. This is the land I swore to protect, and you are a blight upon it. Stand down, or be reduced to nothing."

"Well, then," Cinder cracked her knuckles. "I always welcome a challenge."

Without warning, she punched forward, launching a barrage of fire at the noblewoman's direction. Glynda raised a hand and summoned a glyph in front of herself that parted the flames harmlessly around her. The crowd shouted in fright and awe at the unprecedented display of power happening before them.

Glynda flicked her wrist, and her glyph was reduced to a single glimmering orb, which then separated into six strings of light that flew towards Cinder, arcing and spinning around themselves. Cinder jumped, temporarily floating in midair, and moved her body to narrowly dodge the projectiles, which struck the ceiling and faded away.

As Cinder came back down, she ignited her hands and accelerated her descent greatly. The impact of her landing cracked the floor and caused pieces of the tiles to be launched up. Cinder slapped one of them, setting it on fire and sending it to Glynda at high speed.

Glynda barely had time to block the projectile with one of her glyphs, but the attack proved to be only a distraction, as Cinder closed the distance between them in a matter of seconds and kicked her across the face. Glynda stumbled back in a daze, blood spurting from her mouth and falling on the ground.

"Good warm-up," Cinder said, raising a fist. "Now be inci-"

A string of purple light wrapped around her wrist and pulled her violently, slamming her to the ground. She tried getting back up, but something was pressing her down with unbearable pressure.

Glynda stepped towards her, looking down at her with a solemn expression. "If you are still there somewhere, Rose," she said, lifting her arm. "I am sorry."

Cinder's fury burst to the surface, and she jumped to her feet, shattering the glyphs that had been holding her down. So fast Glynda couldn't even comprehend what was happening, she took hold of her by the shoulder and pulled her down to meet her knee face-first, then slammed her hands together on her back.

Glynda fell, shaking with pain. Not saying a word, Cinder pointed a palm at her and released a sphere that exploded directly on her back. Glynda's cry of pain lowered into a wimp, then nothing.

Cinder stood there for a while, breathing heavily. It had been a long time she had actually been forced to use her true power. Glynda had her worried for a second, but in the end, she proved no match for a Fall.

She looked back at the startled crowd. Gaps and whispers were bountiful. Her big secret was out, and surprisingly, she wasn't too upset about it. "Are you all going to just stand there and watch?" She asked in a commanding tone of voice. "Finish her off. I don't want a trace of her left when the Queen gets back home."

With that said, she turned and opened the doors, then marched away, her cloak billowing behind her.

"There," Ren said, applying the last layer of medicinal herbs to Neptune's wound. "He should be fine for a few days. But he'll need proper care soon, or else…"

"Yes," Ozpin nodded. "Good work, Mister Lie."

"It was nothing."

The mood was heavy in Sun's decrepit house. The new breach was causing a lot of commotion in the streets, as people fought to claim safe havens for their families. The last invasion had taught the citizens of Vale that no matter how distant they were from the source of the Grimm, the danger was very, very real. Surviving was a matter of fortification and trustworthy companions, and there was a shortage of those today.

But the rebels didn't give that much mind. Their thoughts were on their fallen comrades, and what to do now that they were gone. Ruby's death hit hard, but Weiss… Who were they now without her?

Sun had received them at his house and, after receiving the terrible news, had left to scour the city for signs of Blake and to gather Jaune, Sage and Scarlet. Nora was focusing her attentions on Penny and the prototype she had been working on for weeks, which thankfully, she had been able to grab before the hideout's collapse.

"Is this safe?" Ren asked as he approached them.

"Nothing is safe. Silly Ren," Nora remarked, her usual humor tainted by mourning. "But who is safer than an angel that flies through the skies?"

The wings now fully attached to her back, Penny took a step back and focused on the foreign new weight. Slowly, the mechanical wings spread to twice her height.

"How does it feel?" Nora asked.

"It feels strange. But not bad," Penny said. "Can I really fly with this?"

"That's the idea," Nora nodded. "But we can't test it today. Let's leave that for when things are…" she searched for a word that wouldn't sound nearly as bad as she thought their situation was. "Nicer."

"Alright," Penny folded her wings. "But I can keep them, at least? So I can used to having them on my back?"

"Sure. Just don't try anything silly."

Penny nodded enthusiastically, bringing a reluctant smile to Nora's and Ren's faces.

Not much time passed before they all heard the sound of someone on the roof, then Sun slipped in through a window. His tail was wiggling non-stop behind him, and his fingers were twitching in agitation.

"Everyone! We need to run to the town square! Weiss is alive, but the White had got her and Blake!" He exclaimed. "I think Adam Taurus is planning on executing them!"

The first to react was Ozpin, already collecting his pistol and sheathing it on his belt. "Grab your weapons. If you don' that one, take one once the fights starts," he said. "We go now."

Nora took out her hammer, while Ren checked for his twin pistols. Penny unfolded her wings and retrieved the blade she kept hidden in her right boot. Coco cracked her knuckles, then shot a look at Velvet.

"I'll stay behind," the rabbit faunus muttered. "To watch Neptune…"

"Good idea," Ozpin said. "Let's go."

The asphalt was hard on her knees, but Weiss didn't say a thing about it, keeping her chin raised and eyes fixed on the crowd before her. There were times when it had been expected of her to give big speeches to the masses and the nobility, to be the first to take a partner to dance in the castle's many festivities, to lead the prayer to the Moon and the Dragon. She always faced those moments with great anxiety.

How strange it was that now, during her own execution, she felt so calm. She had to admit to herself, rather shamefully, that it was almost a relief, to be finally freed from all her responsibilities, all agency and power she had as ruler of Vale. To be at the mercy of another's sword… Yes, it was almost a relief.

The only thing that bothered her now was the person kneeling right next to her. She had grown so accustomed to seeing Blake as this independent, fierce, at times antagonistic woman, that she had forgotten she hadn't been out of her cage for half a year yet. Weiss could see she was trying to hold herself together, but the tears were flowing nonetheless, and her whole body was being shaken by her sobs.

Weiss reached for her hand and enveloped it in her own. "Blake," she whispered. "It's alright. You can run. Go."

Blake managed to cease her crying for a moment and speak. "You heard what Adam said. They'll kill you if I try anything."

"So what? I'm dead anyway," Weiss said. "At least you'll have a chance to escape."

Blake closed her eyes and lowered her head, her lips trembling. Then she looked at her again and shook her head once. "No. I'm not a coward," she said resolutely. "I'm free."

They gripped each other's hand firmly and listened as Adam walked behind them, the air being cut by the sharp blade of his sword.

"Ladies and gentlemen!" He shouted, addressing the crowd. "You are about to witness the dawn of a new Vale! A Vale without corrupt human rulers! A Vale that embraces the people who make it what it is! Vale, as it is meant to be!"

"This is what you call a 'queen'!" He pointed the tip of his sword at Weiss' head. "A pampered, spoiled brat that hasn't worked a day in her life! She can sing and dance and look pretty, but she's empty, just like the promises she makes you! No more!"

Weiss braced herself, but the swing didn't come not yet.

"This! Oh, this!" The sword was now pointed at Blake. "This is you. All of you. The nothing this queen wants you to be! A thing that is neither faunus nor human, a soulless shell that doesn't belong anywhere! A puppet to be used until its use is met and then thrown in the trash! No more!"

Adam raised his sword and pointed it at the crowd. "Today, we begin the eradication of this filth on Vale. But… with which do we start? Queen? Or thing?"

There were murmurs at first, then it progressed into arguments, then screaming and chanting. Weiss closed her eyes and pretended not to hear. She felt Blake beginning to shake again.

Then, the crowd suddenly went silent, staring at something behind Adam. Weiss turned her head to look and saw Cinder Fall standing there, a trail of dead White Fang members on her wake, with a blade aimed at the back of his head.

"How about we start…" she said. "With you?"

It's 23:50 pm on the 15th where I live. Told you guys I would do it! HAH! (pheeew, that was cutting it close)

The story is reaching its conclusion, but there's a little more to go yet before we call it quits. I'm pretty excited to finally get to some stuff I've had planned since the beginning of the story! Yay!

You know, this chapter reminded me of the good ol' days of writing Monochrome in everything. Ah. Great times. Fine times. Now it's all Ladybug and Freezerburn here, and White Rose elsewhere... I also miss writing Pyrrha! Gosh. Can I just revive her, please? And Qrow. Urgh. I want to revive everyone.

I will now use what's left of this author's note to execute the infamous act of SELF PLUGGING!

I've started a new story called Ruby Rose: The Red Huntress, which is about Ruby (duh) as a superhero! It's a short story very, very much to the style of the MCU films, so if you like those, you might to check it out. And (and this is a secret that is not really a secret) it's just one installment in what will be a very long series.

SELF PLUGGING FINALIZED!

Anyways, thanks for reading! Hope you enjoyed this chapter. The next one will be awesooome~ (on the 29th, of course. Mark the date!)

-Zeroan