Well my friends, it's here! The final chapter of The Chorus Chronicle! It has been one crazy ride since October last year. There have been the good, the bad and the ugly and it all comes down to this chapter! But first, review responses. And to all of them, I'll say you will just have to wait and see. You'll find out soon enough. But enough talk! Now, on with the show!
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Chapter 17- This is the end
"BOMB ARMED! YOU HAVE: ONE MINUTE TO REACH MINIMUM SAFE DISTANCE! THANK YOU!"
"Donut!" Sarge shouted, waving his arms around erratically as panic quickly spread amongst the group.
"What?! I thought it was a jukebox!" Donut replied, huddling slightly as the bomb started beeping as each second passed.
"¿Qué tipo de máquina de discos parece una puta bomba?! (What type of jukebox looks like a fucking bomb?!)" Lopez shouted, his body twitching in anger at every word he said.
"See! Lopez is on my side!" Donut quickly said, causing the Spanish robot to growl in response.
"You know, I knew one of you idiots would end up killing us, but I always thought it would be Caboose!" Yang butted in, taking a quick glance at the blue soldier.
"Well the days not over YET!" Caboose quickly replied, causing Yang to grunt in agreement.
"YOU HAVE: 45 SECONDS TO REACH MINIMUM SAFE DISTANCE!" the automated voice on the bomb announced, the beeping growing louder and more consistent as time passed.
"We have to get the men out of here!" Carolina quickly stated, turning to Wash as she spoke.
"There would be no time!" Wash quickly countered, glancing towards the bomb. "This bomb looks like it could swallow the entire valley in a matter of seconds!"
"We can at least try!" Carolina retorted.
"And what about us?! We don't have any teleportation cubes left!" Wash quickly replied, causing Carolina to growl in annoyance.
"YOU HAVE: 30 SECONDS TILL DETONATION!"
"Err...did anyone else notice it stopped saying minimum safe distance?..." Grif whined, looking around in panic.
"Simmons!" Sarge shouted, looking up to Simmons before pointing at the bomb. "Disarm that device immediately!"
"I can't!" Simmons quickly retorted as he glanced at the bomb before them. "I'm a three wire guy! This piece of crap has like...a gazillion wires!"
"Hey blue's!" Sarge shouted, turning to Tucker and Caboose. "Get your fairy in their to shut this thing down!"
"His name is MISTER Fairy to you!" Caboose shouted, quickly causing Tucker to sigh and face palm.
"Besides, I already checked! This thing is littered with 'dead man triggers'! I shut it down and it blows up in our face!" Church quickly countered, appearing next to the bomb in question.
"YOU HAVE: 15 SECONDS TILL DETONATION!"
"So...this is it then?" Ruby asked, a sorrowful look on her face.
She...hadn't really thought much about death. She always thought she would die either on a hunt or in the solitude of her home when she was past her prime. She didn't think she would die on an alien planet having been blown up by a bomb! She looked to her team-mates, and saw the same shocked looks on their faces. But if there was one consolation, at least she would die surrounded by people she considered friends…
"Not necessarily!" Church replied, causing everyone to look at him in confusion. "But we need to get the bomb onto that pad right now!"
"Are you out of your fucking mind?!" Tucker shouted, looking at Church with his arms spread open. "There's no way we can lift that thing!"
"You can't," Yang said, causing all to turn to her. "but maybe I can."
Before anyone could question, Yang turned and strode towards the bomb, which was beeping loudly as it neared the end of it's countdown. Using every ounce of her strength, Yang hefted the bomb up off the floor, carefully moving towards the platform.
"It's too heavy for her!" Ruby shouted, rushing forward only to be grabbed by Weiss who held her back. "She'll never make it in time!"
"Oh yes she will!" Church shouted, turning to face the last person Ruby expected. "Caboose!"
"Yes?" Caboose replied, seemingly oblivious to the danger he and the others were in.
"Get the bomb onto the platform!" Church shouted, pointing to Yang who was still carrying the bomb to the platform.
"Okay!" Caboose replied, quickly moving next to Yang and grabbing the other end of the bomb, relieving much of the weight off of Yang.
"Carolina!" Church said, causing the Freelancer to turn towards the A.I. "When I give the signal, press the big green button!"
"Got it!" Carolina replied, quickly rushing to the control panel, her hand hovering over the button in question.
"Hurry up!" Simmons shouted erratically as Yang and Caboose lowered the bomb onto the platform.
"Everyone get back!" Church ordered as the bomb started to beep even louder as it violently shook and hissed out steam. "NOW!"
Carolina quickly pressed the button, as the core in front of them started to glow brightly. Seconds later, a pure white beam erupted on the platform, consuming the bomb and blinding everyone present. As the light died down, the Blood Gulch Crew and Team RWBY looked at the platform, the bomb no longer present.
"Did it work?" Caboose asked, causing everyone to look at the blue soldier questioningly.
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New Lincoln outskirts…
"Are you sure we should be doing this?" The White Fang grunt asked, being careful not to trip over any of the debris or dead bodies that littered the street. "I mean, aren't we like...AWOL or something?"
"Look, I'm telling you that those guys were going to kill us!" the second grunt replied, turning to face his fellow escapee. "Me and Greg were spying on those boss dudes and they said they were going to kill us once Torchwick has done his job! And then they killed Greg!"
"Yeah but...wouldn't it have been better if we went all cloak and dagger on their asses and pick them off one by one instead of you know...running?" the first grunt asked, tilting his head questioningly.
"This is safer! We just lay low for a couple of months until we can find a way back to Remnant!" the second grunt retorted, stopping in his tracks as he explained the plan. "We would probably get something like a promotion from Adam if we tell him about a new planet and have the proof to back it up!"
"Well...when you say it like that..." the first grunt asked, stopping as he daydreamed of the potential benefits of getting a promotion.
"See? Besides, what's the worst that can happen?"
Almost as if God was playing a cruel trick on them, a beam of light suddenly hit the ground in front of them, blinding them immediately and kicking up a large amount of dust on the floor. As it cleared, the White Fang grunts stopped dead in their tracks at the sight of a large and very loud bomb.
"You gotta be kidding me..." the second grunt muttered, before sighing loudly as the bomb beeped ever louder. "Son of a Bi-"
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The explosion could be heard even from the safe distance of the Pirates Pelican, but not even they were safe from the shock-wave that followed.
The Pelican was hit almost immediately by the blast of kinetic energy, sending it careening off course and sending the occupants flying to one side of the drop ship as it attempted to correct itself. Had it been any closer to the ground it would have crashed into the tree line, turning all present into a barbecue.
"I guess Torchwick did his job then..." Felix muttered as he brushed his armour off before standing up.
"Don't be so sure..." Locus replied, who was already gazing out the back window of the Pelican.
Felix quickly strolled over to Locus and gazed out the window. There stood a city burning to a crisp, but it wasn't Armonia. In fact, it wasn't even occupied by any force.
"That lousy son of a bitch!" Felix seethed as he clenched his fist, glaring daggers at the towering inferno as it began to collapse on itself. "Looks like Torchwick screwed us over!"
"Agreed." Locus replied, turning to face the others on board the Pelican, who had all recovered and were nursing bruised arms and legs. "Jackson, how many made it out?"
"We still got contact with a few squads that got out early." Jackson replied, groaning loudly as he rubbed the back of his head. "They said apart from them, no one else made it."
"Shit..." Felix muttered, slowly walking next to Locus who turned slightly as Felix approached. "Apart from Crash Site Alpha and a few other outposts, we've got nothing! Now what?"
"Now," Locus began, stopping as he gazed back at the Temple, which was getting smaller and smaller by the minute. "we call Control."
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The Temple shook violently as the after effects of the bomb shook the building wildly, nearly sending the group crashing to the floor.
"Everyone get down!" Carolina ordered as the group quickly fell to the floor, or in the case of Caboose tipped over, as the Temple continued to shake before stopping.
It was quiet for a few seconds until the group slowly got up, looking around for any structural damage the Temple may have received.
"EARTHQUAKE!" Caboose shouted, causing Tucker to quickly bat Caboose across the head.
"Dammit Caboose, that was ten seconds ago!" Tucker shouted, getting up as Caboose rubbed the back of his head slowly.
"Are we dead?" Grif asked, looking around as he began to rub his hands on his body, ensuring he was corporeal.
"Unfortunately, no." Sarge replied before he pumped his Shotgun. "But that can be arranged!"
"Cut it out Sarge..." Wash ordered, causing Sarge to grunt disapprovingly as he lowered his weapon.
"Epsilon, how did you know that would work?" Carolina asked, turning to face the A.I.
"Like I told you, I did some digging." Church replied as he hovered next to the Temple core, which was noticeably dimmer than it had been before. "I was analysing the Temple before dumbo over there turned the bomb on!"
"Hey!" Donut shouted, quickly causing the group to glare at him before turning to face the A.I.
"Anyway, I analysed it a bit further and it turned out this is a Teleporter!" Church summarised, causing a host of shocked faces to look at him. "And that's not all...according to its file history, it was used by the aliens for interstellar travel!"
"Wait a minute," Ruby interrupted, shaking her head as she tried to take in all the information. "Are you saying...what I think you're saying?"
"That it can take you back home?" Church asked, before nodding his head in confirmation. "Pretty much!"
Team RWBY were soon looking at one another in complete shock and joy. They would finally be able to go home!
"You know what this means boys?" Sarge said, causing the Blood Gulch Crew to turn and face him. "It means we can go home and put Hargrove behind bars!"
"Holy shit, he's right!" Tucker said, causing the Blood Gulch Crew to have their own little celebration.
"Guy's...it's not that simple..." Church suddenly said, silencing both celebrations as both groups turned to face the A.I questioningly.
"What are you talking about?" Weiss questioned, raising her eyebrow slightly.
"This Temple has seen better days. The Pirates have drained too much of its energy and that last teleport took a lot out of it!" Church explained, as the realisation hit the group. "It only has enough power for a one final trip."
"So...we have to choose?" Donut asked, the Blood Gulch Crew and Team RWBY looking at one another in shock.
"You guys should use the Teleporter." Ruby quickly said, causing the Blood Gulch Crew to look at the Huntress in Training incredulously. "You need it more than we do. This Hargrove person sounds like a bad person, and you should do everything you can to stop him before he destroys the lives of others."
Ruby glanced back at her team, and was surprised at their reaction. For once, it seemed all four Huntresses were in agreement with one another.
"But...what about you guys? How will you get home?" Simmons finally asked, as the four Huntresses looked at one another.
"I'm sure we'll find a way." Yang replied, her hands placed on her hips. "We always have before."
The Blood Gulch Crew turned to face one another as they debated amongst themselves. Team RWBY looked at one another in confusion at what was taking them so long. Finally, Tucker walked forward, ready to give them their answer.
"Meh," Tucker grunted, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly. "We'll wing it!"
"Wait, what do you mean?" Blake asked, stepping forward slightly as she spoke.
"You use the Teleporter." Wash quickly explained, causing RWBY to gasp in silent shock. "We've got it covered here."
"But...Hargrove and...the Pirates?" Ruby stuttered, the shock in her voice clearly present.
"Even if we did make it back to Earth, the chances of anyone believing us without the proof to back it up is extremely low." Carolina quickly added, causing the group to turn and face her.
"Besides, there is nothing left for us on Earth." Sarge quickly butted in. "We've got nothing. But you, you all have friends, family even that are probably worried sick about you four!"
"Wow Sarge...I didn't think you could be so...deep!" Simmons said, tilting his head back in shock.
"Besides, back home there are a lack of Pirates to blow up!" Sarge quickly added, chuckling to himself as he imagined himself blowing off the heads of Space Pirates...in slow motion of course!
"Never mind..." Simmons sighed as he lowered his head in disappointment.
"So, what do you say?" Church asked, turning to face RWBY who all looked at one another, silently discussing.
Finally, Ruby turned to face the A.I, a confident grin on her face.
"I'll take that as a 'yes'." Church theorised, before he disappeared in a flash of light before reappearing next to the Teleporter control panel. "You ladies said you were from Remnant, right?"
"Yeah, Vale to be specific!" Yang confirmed as Church phased into the console before reappearing.
"All right then, coordinates are set! It'll take a while before it fully loads. You might want to take this time to say goodbye..." Church explained before disappearing into the console again. Team RWBY nodded and turned to face the assembled Reds and Blues.
"Well, we didn't start off on the right track..." Carolina said, turning to face Yang in particular. "But you impressed me in the end, and that's all that matters."
"Yeah, you weren't so bad yourself." Yang chuckled, causing the Freelancer to awkwardly laugh as well.
"Thanks Wash," Ruby said, rushing up to trap the grey Freelancer in a hug, startling him. "For everything you did for us!"
"Err...thanks I think..." Wash replied as he gently pushed Ruby off of him.
"Well ladies!" Sarge said, causing the Huntresses to turn and face the red leader. "You may be young, but you sure do know how to kick ass!"
"Thank for the compliment." Ruby said nervously as she turned to face Grif and Simmons. "And by the way, Crescent Rose isn't a 'Scyther Rifle'! It's a High Caliber Sniper Scythe!"
"Huh?" Grif grunted as the conversation of their first meeting came back to him. "Oh right! Yeah we really don't care any more."
Ruby stuttered slightly at Grif's comment before sighing in defeat.
"Caboose." Weiss said, causing the blue soldier to turn and face her. "I can't believe I'm going to say this but...dammit I'll miss you!"
"Yeah!" Caboose replied in his usually complacent voice. "I have that effect on people!"
Weiss then swiftly grabbed Caboose and hugged him, startling all present. Especially the rest of RWBY. But nothing could prepare Weiss for Caboose returning the gesture, who quickly locked his arms around her lithe frame and squeezed tightly...perhaps too tightly.
"Someone...help me...please!" Weiss managed to say as Caboose continued to hug her. After fumbling for a few seconds, Team RWBY managed to release Caboose's grip on Weiss, causing the Heiress to gasp for air.
"Man, you sure do know how to hug!" Yang commented as Weiss continued to take sharp intakes of air. Not even Ruby reacted like that to one of her hugs!
"It's how I show affection!" Caboose replied, causing Tucker to nod his head in agreement.
"His Guinea Pig never stood a chance. Rest in Peace Mr. Fiddles..." Tucker solemnly said, lowering his head silently.
"Well Tucker, I guess this is it." Yang said as she strolled over to Tucker. "Wanna say any more disgusting pick-up lines before we leave?"
"That depends, will you rip my balls off?" Tucker asked, remembering Yang's threat from New Lincoln.
"I promise I won't rip your balls off." Yang reassured, rolling her eyes slightly as she remembered the New Lincoln incident.
"Let's see...you know, I always knew you weren't from here." Tucker finally said after a short silence, causing Yang to raise an eyebrow as she awaited the inevitable. "Because that ass is out of this world! Bow chick bow-"
Yang quickly kicked Tucker in the balls before he could finish his catchphrase, causing the aqua soldier to scream in pain as he collapsed on the floor.
"Okay...maybe I deserved that..." Tucker wheezed as he slowly rose from the floor.
"Well, we didn't get to speak much." Donut interrupted as he stepped forward slightly. "But I'm sure we would have had great pillow talk!"
"Voy a todas borrar de mis bancos de memoria tan pronto como salga. (I'm going to delete you all from my memory banks as soon as you leave.)" Lopez bluntly stated, knowing full well that not a single soul could understand him.
"All right then!" Church interrupted, appearing above the console. "Teleporter is all set, you girls ready?"
Team RWBY looked at one another before looking at the A.I, nodding in confirmation.
"Okay then, step onto the platform whenever you're ready."
Team RWBY quickly walked onto the platform, making sure to take Torchwick's unconscious body with them, Yang tossing his body onto the platform unceremoniously.
"Okay then, here it goes..." Church said as the Teleporter began to charge up, preparing to send the Huntresses and criminal to Vale.
"Good luck you guys!" Ruby shouted, waving her hand in farewell.
"Goodbye Lady Church!" Caboose shouted, waving erratically. "I'll never forget you!"
Suddenly, a beam of light engulfed the Huntresses and the criminal, once again blinding the Blood Gulch Crew. As the light died down, so too did the Temple core, the once abundant energy leaving its system for the last time.
"Who were those guys?" Caboose immediately asked, causing Tucker to groan in annoyance.
"Espera, ¿por qué estamos aquí? (Wait, why are we here?)"
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Vale Temple
Team RWBY closed their eyes as the light enveloped them. When they felt the surge of energy around them die down, they opened their eyes to a familiar sight.
They were in a room that was nearly identical to the one on Chorus, yet that was not where they recognised it. They looked around, scorch marks and the signs of battle clearly present whilst behind them was a control panel that had been cleaved in two by a certain katana…
"Are we home?" Ruby asked, looking around for any sign of confirmation.
"I think so..." Weiss replied, looking up at the ceiling as the group strolled around slightly.
Already the Huntresses could feel their strength returning the more time passed. Weiss looked down at her injured leg, the cauterised wound already fading away. Yang and Blake looked at the many bruises and cuts that littered their body, some of them already disappearing. Ruby quickly felt her cheek, and no longer felt the cut on her face.
They were home.
Suddenly, the sound of multiple footsteps were heard approaching. Team RWBY quickly entered a combat position as the footsteps got closer. Suddenly, the doors opened, where they saw a sight they weren't expecting.
"Freeze Torchwick! By authority of the Atlas Military, you're-" The Atlesian soldier was cut off when he noticed he was aiming not at Roman Torchwick, but four Huntresses in training. The soldier turned to his partner and looked at one another in shock when they noticed Torchwick's crumpled form behind them, already handcuffed.
The sounds of heavy footsteps resounded behind them as none other then General Ironwood made his way forward, only to freeze at the sight before him.
"What in the world..." Ironwood muttered as he quickly composed himself.
"Looking for this by any chance?" Yang smirked as she tossed Torchwick forward, who grunted loudly as he regained consciousness.
He quickly shook his head as he realised he was no longer on Chorus, but was now staring at a rather angry General Ironwood. "Oh bugger..."
"Take this man back to the ship!" Ironwood quickly ordered, two of the soldiers walking forward and hefting Torchwick off the floor before guiding him away. "We're going to have a nice long chat about what the hell he was doing here!"
As Torchwick was led out the room, Ironwood turned to face the Huntresses, the surprised look having returned.
"Well ladies, I must say I'm impressed. You managed to not only find Torchwick before the Atlas Military, but you also managed to apprehend him as well." Ironwood stated, genuinely surprised by the fortunate turn of events.
"Thank, General." Weiss quickly replied, bowing slightly.
"Although I do have one question." Ironwood admitted, scratching the back of his head slightly. "What exactly happened?"
At that, Team RWBY looked at one another with sheepish looks on their face, before all four responded with the same answer.
"It's a long story..."
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Crash Site Alpha
"I cannot even begin to describe how disappointed I am with you, gentlemen!" Hargrove raved as he glared at the two Mercenaries from the screen.
Both Locus and Felix looked at one another before turning to face the screen which displayed the face of Hargrove.
"We had an anomaly sir, it won't happen again." Locus replied, attempting to reassure his employer.
"Really?! And remind me, what did this 'anomaly' come in the form of?" Hargrove asked sarcastically, already well aware of the answer.
"Four teenage girls..." Locus silently replied, his calm composure stiffening slightly.
"So you have both braved the might of the Alien Empire, and have survived confrontations that no normal man could survive, and you're telling me you were beaten by some school girls?!" Hargrove summarised, his eyebrow raised in disbelief.
"They were a lot tougher than they looked!" Felix quickly butted in, attempting to defend his pride. "They could do stuff that shouldn't be possible..."
"I must admit, when you first told me of these 'Huntresses', I was very intrigued by their special...abilities." Hargrove admitted, locking his fingers together greedily. "It was a shame you couldn't bring any of them back alive. Who knows what mysteries we may have unlocked..."
"What do we do now, sir?" Locus asked, bringing Hargrove's attention back to the matter at hand. Chorus.
"For now, complete your mission. We will have to discuss the matter of the 'Huntresses' another time." Hargrove ordered, nodding slightly as his composure relaxed.
"That could be a while, we lost too many men at the Temple. They outnumber us vastly now." Felix added, causing Hargrove to hum to himself in consideration.
"Do not worry Felix, your concerns have already been fixed." Hargrove replied, causing the two Mercenaries to look at one another in confusion. "I've redirected the UNSC Tartarus to your sector. I'm sure on board this vessel, you will find men more than happy to help in your mission..."
"We'll get it done sir!" Locus replied, nodding as he spoke.
"I hope so, for your sake..."
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It's over! It's finally over! I hope you all enjoyed the last chapter of 'RWBY: The Chorus Chronicle'! I would just like to thank everyone who followed, favourited and/or reviewed this story! Whether you have been reading from the beginning, or just joined us recently, from the bottom of my heart, thank you. If you want to read more of my work, check out 'Reap What You Sow', a RWBY/Overwatch crossover. And remember how last week I mentioned I was going to start work on a new RWBY crossover? Here's a little hint as to what it's a crossover between…
"The light you bring will die. The light inside you will die. All that you are will die. Ahaha… The children are here to play..."
Leave what you think the answer is in your reviews. The another clue will be given (along with the answer) in the next chapter of 'Reap What You Sow' which should be out Sunday. Either that or you'll find out next week for those that follow me.
Raging Archon out, for the final time.