Author's note: This chapter's title is a reference to the anime Vividred Operation. It's... definitely an experience.

Also, trigger warning at the end.


After preventing a catastrophe at one of the SDC mines, and roughing up the higher-ups to prevent future incidents, Permafrost teleported to Mantle, right when Ruby's group was ambushed by the Ace Operatives. Clover and the others dropped down from their vantage point, and the fusion appeared on the other side of Ruby's group. Without saying a word, she drew her whip, prompting the Ace-Ops to draw their weapons as well.

"Put down your weapon, this doesn't concern you," Clover said. In response, Permafrost smashed the restraints on her friends with her whip, moving faster than the eye can see.

"Well, looks like we got no choice," Harriet said, "I like it." She rushed Permafrost, who hit her with a palm thrust, striking too fast for her aura to keep up, and Harriet crashed against a wall with a broken shoulder, causing her aura to break, too.

"Jaune, help her," Ruby said, and Jaune rushed over to help Harriet, while the rest focused on Permafrost.

"Stay!" Marrow shouted, stopping Permafrost with his semblance. The fusion summoned an Arma Gigas behind him, who grabbed Marrow by his leg and swung him into a wall, freeing Permafrost again.

"Summoning? How?" Weiss asked. Energy flared up around Permafrost's eyes, and she began floating.

"Sheathe my weapon?" Permafrost asked and said, "Well, if you insist." She took out the remaining Ace Operatives with precise lightning strikes, then lowered to the ground again.

"Who are you?" Ruby asked, "Why are you attacking them?"

"My name is Permafrost, and I am a fusion," Permafrost answered, "I come from another timeline, and wanted to see what is going on here. Those five ambushed you, General Ironwood's allies, and have been helping Salem's forces divide this kingdom, in much the same way Raven has; by doing nothing to stop her. Furthermore, they needlessly risked a fight breaking out in the street, when they could have just asked who you were, or trusted that Penny's friends were good people."

"Questions are for the weak, you know," Harriet said.

"Are you presuming superiority over the only person Salem fears?" Permafrost asked with a stern tone, causing Harriet to freeze up.

"Stop moving," Jaune said, focusing his semblance to heal the shattered bone.

"So, if you're a fusion, what does that mean?" Weiss asked.

"As expected of you," Permafrost said and answered, "In my timeline, people discovered fusion, a way for two to four people to become one. In my case, I am the result of my timeline's current fall maiden, Ilia Amitola, and you, Weiss."

"And what do you mean Salem is afraid?" Clover asked and said, "That is important information, and we need to know that stuff if we want to fight her."

"You cannot fight her," Permafrost said, "You have already lost. Her men are in Atlas, and have been doing the same thing they did in Vale, right under your noses, all while you were too preoccupied with stroking your General's ego to help him stay on track. He trusted you, and you betrayed him, and this kingdom."

"Wait, her people are already here?" Clover asked.

"Yes," Permafrost answered, "They came as soon as Salem learned that Ozpin was on the way here. Without his guidance, or that of a silver-eyed warrior, the military plays directly into her hands, due to its leader's incompetence. But give the military a heart, and teach it compassion, and it will become a force she cannot defeat."

"Compassion doesn't win wars, though," Harriet said, and Permafrost chuckled and pulled out her scroll.

"Watch," Permafrost said and projected a holographic screen, showing the petrified Wyvern, and several powerful Grimm.

"Wh- what is that?" Elm asked.

"Those are Grimm," Permafrost answered, "Petrified, devoid of all negativity. Normally when Grimm die, their essence is returned to the world. But not this time. These are neutralized. During her third and final assault on Atlas, in my timeline, Salem lost centuries worth of preparation in a single instance."

"B- but, what kind of force can do that?" Harriet asked. She wanted to get back up, but Jaune held her down. Permafrost walked over and created a Healing Circle and Safezone around the two.

"Here you go," Permafrost said, "As for who did that, well, she's over there." The fusion put her scroll away again and looked at Ruby, and all eyes were on her.

"Wait, you can do that?" Clover asked.

"So much for questions are for the weak," Nora said.

"Forget that, this is vital information," Harriet said, "We need to let General Ironwood know."

"Hold it," Ruby said, turned to Permafrost and asked, "How did you save Atlas in your timeline?"

"Finally a good question," Permafrost said and answered, "We mostly followed your lead. However, you were more determined, and a bit cunning, about it. So, I am not quite sure you can pull it off as flawlessly this time, too."

"I've got a question," Harriet said and asked, "What are those fields?"

"The first is a Healing Circle," Permafrost answered, "It is the semblance of another fusion, consisting of Weiss and Jaune. It greatly increases aura regeneration of all my allies inside it, and gives people who can't generate an aura a pseudo-aura that has higher healing properties, but no defensive use. The second semblance, Safezone, belongs to the fusion of Ruby and Penny. It also increases aura regeneration, but harms all Grimm that enter it."

"Wait, hold on," Weiss said and asked, "How can you use multiple semblances? I mean, I kinda get the first one, that includes me too, but the second one doesn't make sense."

"Semblance is a manifestation of aura," Permafrost answered, "Control your aura, and you can use any semblance you like. There are ways to learn it faster, too. For example, projecting your soul into another person's, and leaving a mark for them to use as blueprint. In my timeline, Weiss has a semblance that lets her use all her semblances, no matter how much her soul gets diluted through fusion. Another one allows her to share all her abilities with another person. As such, she can make all her fusions share their semblance with her, if she so desired."

"So, she just goes around giving herself all kinds of semblances?" Weiss asked.

"For the most part, yes," Permafrost answered, "However, she is also willing to let her partner have a semblance, if she has no use for it. For example, my Power Whip. That being said, I may have an idea."

"What kind of idea?" Ruby asked.

"I can split up, and then Weiss can fuse with each of you," Permafrost answered, "Then, she shares the fusion's semblances with her partner, and maybe burns their soul's imprint into other people's souls as well. That would also teach her partners how to do that in the future, should they so choose."

"Are you sure?" Blake asked, "I mean, isn't it hard to fuse?"

"Yes, it would be difficult if you have never done it," Permafrost answered, "However, Weiss made a pact with an eldritch entity, and gained magic through it, becoming a warlock in the process. And like maidens and silver-eyed warriors, warlocks can forcibly fuse with another. That way, she can initiate the fusion, and teach you the proper mindset for the process."

"Wait, an eldritch entity?" Ruby asked, "What kind? Is she alright?"

"The concept of dreams," Permafrost answered, "And yes, she is fine. While these entities are referred to as angels and demons, those classifications only stem from how people view them, not from their actual personality."

"I see," Ruby said, "That's good to hear."

"You really care about Weiss, don't you?" Yang asked, causing Weiss to blush a bit.

"Well, yeah," Ruby answered, "I care about everyone."

"You know, that's gonna get you killed one day," Clover said, "You need to figure out who you want to prioritize."

"Words of a dead man walking," Permafrost said.

"What does that mean?" Clover asked.

"It means your arrogance will be your downfall," Permafrost answered, "You act like you can't fail, all because of that accursed semblance of yours."

"Wait, you're cursed with a bad semblance, too?" Qrow asked.

"You're not," Permafrost said, looking at Qrow, "Your Bad Luck taught you to be ready, to always come prepared, and to expect the worst but cherish the bad. Clover's Good Luck, meanwhile, taught him to neglect caution, be reckless, and always assume the best outcome, leaving him unprepared for when something goes wrong. I highly recommend you two get more acquainted, so your semblance hampers his and teaches him the harshness of life. If he is willing to learn, it may just save his life."

"Can we cut the chatter?" Elm asked and said, "I really want to see those fusions."

"You forgot the magic words," Permafrost said with a smile.

"Don't treat me like a child!" Elm said, getting upset, "I don't need a lecture from someone below me."

"Fortunately for me then, there is no one below you," Permafrost said, "You let your emotions get to your head far too easily, and can't prioritize the mission, or the greater good. But I suppose I can help you." She split up, and Weiss fused with Elm, before sharing Grassy Terrain with Elm, and letting whoever asked copy it, too. She then taught Elm how to enter her soul core, and repeated the entire process with the remaining Ace Operatives, as well as most of her friends. While fusing with Jaune, Weiss taught him how to use various aura techniques, and taught all her friends about the downsides of using another person's semblance. However, she only shared Iceflower's semblance with Ruby, and used the chance to teach her a bit about leadership. When all was said and done, Weiss gave her friends a list of priorities, in order of importance, that they were to follow in all their decisions, and pass on to General Ironwood. Then, she fused with Ilia again, and Permafrost teleported away.

~o~

A group of soldiers surrounded Yang after she broke Mercury's leg, and the crowd reacted in shock. From one of the entrances, paramedics arrived to take Mercury away. However, Permafrost walked up to Mercury, and drew her whip as she approached. Yang and the soldiers got ready to defend themselves, but when the fusion struck, she cut off Mercury's leg where it was broken. The crowd gasped for a moment, then realization set in as they saw the cold metal. Permafrost pulled out a scroll, and her face appeared on all the screens.

"This man is Mercury Black," Permafrost said, "He is the son of Marcus Black, as well as his killer. He and his team are part of an ancient cult that has no other goal than the complete and total destruction of all life on this planet. The Breach recently was planned to go off much later, in accordance with a final attack on this festival during the final round, where they planned to frame Pyrrha Nikos for the murder of Penny Polendina. However, thanks to the quick thinking of Headmaster Ozpin, the breach failed, without them realizing their plans had been discovered. General Ironwood's inability to launch a military strike when necessary still left them with ample Grimm to continue their plans, however, especially now that Roman Torchwick is in one of his airships, and can infest the androids with a virus written by Arthur Watts. Emerald Sustrai used her Hallucination semblance to make Yang Xiao Long see Mercury attack her, prompting her to attack, thinking she was acting in self defense. It was a plan to stir up negativity and draw Grimm to all the viewers, luring huntsmen away into isolated locations where two other cult members, Tyrian Callows and Hazel Rainart, planned to kill them to weaken the kingdoms, especially Mistral."

"Hey, hey, hey, hold up one moment," Yang said, and the soldiers pointed their guns at her, only for Permafrost to protect her with several Glyphs.

"What is it?" Permafrost asked.

"How do you know all that?" Yang asked, "And wouldn't they have stopped the signal by now, if they can control all this stuff?"

"Whose scroll do you think I have?" Permafrost asked and pressed a button, causing all Atlas airships to open fire on the Goliath closest to the kingdom's capital.

"Wait, what?" Yang asked.

"There is no reason to worry," Permafrost said, "I just put Cinder to sleep, for about a day. She and Neo Politan will wake up to a brand new day, where they have failed." Emerald ran into the stadium, ready to draw her weapons, only to run into a Landmine, causing a massive rock to manifest under her and pin her to the ceiling. Her aura broke on impact, and the rock crumbled, turning into three snakes made from rocks.

"Still, an ancient doomsday cult?" Yang asked, "Isn't this a bit too cliche?"

"Believe whatever you will," Permafrost answered, "The cult aims to divide the people, and make them fight each other. For this purpose, they sabotage cohabitation between humans and faunus whenever the two get along too well. It is an easy conflict, and people like Adam Taurus and Jacques Schnee perpetuate it even further, doing the cult's work for them. They started the Great War for that purpose as well, but also to wipe out the only people that can foil their plans every time. Those with silver eyes."

"You're joking, right?" Yang asked, "Some ancient doomsday cult is after my sister?"

"Not just her," Permafrost answered, "But yes, just like a wild animal will fight anything it deems a threat, this cult is pursuing all those born with silver eyes, for they are the only ones to never give in to the cult's temptations. Dear viewers at home, if you see someone with silver eyes, and you do not wish to aid in the destruction of all life, follow their lead, and protect all life." Thinking about the words, Yang looked around.

"Hey, what are those?" Yang asked and pointed at the snakes.

"Those were created by a semblance," Permafrost answered, "They will patrol the area and attack any Grimm they see, but leave all other beings alone, even if attacked. After a three month period, if they are destroyed, they will each create three new minions, and the cycle will repeat. Now, if you would excuse me, I have something to do. Please do not touch me, or you will die." Permafrost's aura manifested as horns and a tail as she entered her Alpha State, and she set up a Healing Circle and Safezone, then used Deathzone through Cinder's scroll, making every CCTS relay tower harm any Grimm within a 100 meter radius. Through Immortal Resistance, she also used the Lure semblance of Ilia's father, making every Grimm be drawn towards the relay towers. After about three minutes, as cracks started to form, Permafrost left her Alpha State and let out a sigh.

"What was that?" Yang asked, and the crowd murmured as well.

"Just keeping the world safe," Permafrost answered, "And while I cannot remove the negativity of the Grimm for good, I can destroy the bigger ones, making it easier to be cleansed. Next is the Wyvern." She made the airships shoot the mountain where the Wyvern slept, while using Deathzone on the ice in her skin.

"Are you alright?" Yang asked and said, "Your skin looks… bad." She touched one of the cracks, and a light purple spark jumped off of the crack, causing Yang to pull her hand back. She looked at her finger and saw that it now had a similar crack, but her aura regenerated and quickly healed it, leaving only a purple scar.

"I am alright, yes," Permafrost answered, "These Grimm threaten the people of this world, and I will fight them to the end and beyond, if I must." When the Wyvern woke up, the people panicked, and Permafrost used Rallying to calm everyone down. Those who were scared, either for themselves of their loved ones, felt secure, those who were angry with Permafrost putting people in danger grew determined, and those who despaired grew hopeful, and all around the world, those feelings caused some to unlock their auras, or even their semblances.

"You're crazy," Yang called out, "You can't kill something so large by yourself!" She grabbed Permafrost by the shoulders, but got another shock and let go.

"Don't bet on that," Permafrost said and teleported away, leading the military against the Wyvern, and transmitting the footage from one of the Knights to every screen in the world. She deployed the Paladins onto the airships, and had them open fire with everything they had. Every hit triggered Spectral Assault, dealing additional damage. When the Wyvern came close enough, the airships spread out, and as soon as one was above the Grimm, it deployed the Knights, who dug their hidden short swords into the Wyvern's gooey skin. Once they were in position, Permafrost began using Combat Cloak, augmented with ice-dust, through them, coating them all in a swirling vortex of chilling energy, freezing the Grimm in several places. Deathzone and Spectral Assault added to the constant damage, while the airships kept attacking with their heavy cannons.

"Impossible," Yang said under her breath, looking at the Wyvern turn to try and get away from the airships. Eventually, it spotted the nearby relay tower, and set its sights on it, drawn in by the Lure. Surprisingly, the Atlas Military moved out with its aircraft, and Winter got ready to summon an onslaught of tiny Giant Nevermore. Just before the attacks hit, Permafrost handed control over the airships back to the military and used Power Whip, augmented with ice-dust, to strike the Wyvern. Hundreds of attacks crashed into the Wyvern, each creating a snowflake minion that dealt another blow. The gigantic Grimm crashed, and was taken out by the military. When the dust settled, and the corpse dissolved, Permafrost had already teleported away, leaving only a stone with the message to trust the silver eyes.

~o~

In yet another timeline, another Atlas was facing an army of Grimm unlike any that had come before it. Winter and the remaining Ace Operatives got ready for battle, alongside soldiers and students, though their outdated tactics, engineered to work against human opponents that valued their life, were anything but promising.

"Winter, there you are," Permafrost said, walked up to her and set up a Healing Circle and Safezone.

"And you are?" Winter asked.

"In charge now," Permafrost answered, "Summon tiny Giant Nevermore, and make them attack the Grimm I'm focusing on."

"I don't have to take orders from you," Winter said.

"You will if you want the people to survive," Permafrost said, and her skin briefly turned red with yellow spots. She cracked her whip and augmented Power Whip with the earth-dust in her skin, then summoned a Griffon and flew towards a Wyvern. Once she was in reach, she hit it with her whip and dispelled her summon, jumping from one Grimm to the next, causing the Wyvern to follow her. Winter sighed and summoned a stream of tiny Grimm, sending them after the Grimm coated in orange energy. As soon as the first summon hit it, a bolt of energy jumped over to the nearest Grimm, slowly covering it in crystals and dragging it down.

"Marrow," Winter called over and summoned a Sphinx next to the dog faunus, and two more next to two soldiers. All three got onto the summons and flew after Permafrost, shooting the Wyvern whenever they could and causing hundreds of Grimm to crash onto the horde below, killing several Grimm on impact. Permafrost led the Wyvern across the entire aerial force, creating a line of shattered crystals on the ground. When the Wyvern died from the repeated attacks, Permafrost put her whip away and used her maiden powers to fly back to the front line, with Marrow and the soldiers in tow.

"See, wasn't that easy?" Permafrost asked with a smile, while Winter, Marrow, Vine, Elm, and especially Harriet, looked utterly horrified, due to her bleeding profusely.

"Wh- what happened to your skin?" Winter asked.

"It's genetically modified," Permafrost answered, "It can serve like ice- and earth-dust, allowing me to use these two types a lot more efficiently that normal. The downside is that using it literally uses up my skin, and once I run out of dead skin cells, the living ones get used."

"Doesn't that hurt?" Elm asked. Harriet suddenly remembered when she unlocked her semblance. The sudden speed surprised her and she tripped, breaking her aura on impact and scraping off a large portion of her skin. The pain was so immense that she refused to even activate her aura for months afterwards.

"Who cares about that?" Permafrost asked and turned around, grit her teeth against the pain and used Combat Drone, augmented with ice-dust.

"You… you're completely crazy," Harriet whispered, still shocked that the fusion would so carelessly skin herself alive.

"Now listen here, Bree," Permafrost said with her voice quivering a bit, whipped around and grabbed Harriet's shirt with her bleeding hand, "I am a huntress, and I will do whatever it takes to keep those things away from those people. You can run if you want, but I will protect this kingdom from the consequences of your actions." She shoved Harriet back, causing her to fall over and leaving her to stare at the bloodied fusion, as more and more wounds opened up all over her body.

"Just who are you?" Winter asked.

"I come from another timeline," Permafrost answered, her voice rough and jaded, "I am a fusion of a faunus, Ilia Amitola, and a human, Weiss Schnee. My name is Permafrost, and I will slay any Grimm that dare attack the innocent."

"Fusions? Alternate timelines?" Marrow asked and said, "You're completely insane!"

"The only insane ones here are you guys," Permafrost said, "You saw the General fail in Vale, when all he had to do was take the chance Ozpin gave him. You saw him repeat the same mistakes here, with the results playing into Salem's hands. And yet, you deny that this was your fault." She turned her bloodshot eyes to the battlefield, where an armada of Combat Drones had appeared, and sent them towards the flying Grimm. Every Grimm that got close was greeted with an energy blast that burst into a jagged ice spike, causing it to fall down and damage a Grimm on the ground. Once a drone was depleted, the next one moved in to fill its place, maintaining a solid line of defense where ice would rain down on the Grimm.

"I-" Winter said, but was cut off by Permafrost.

"You said you wanted to be free of your father's control," Permafrost said, "And yet, you stayed in Atlas, and out of all the options, went to the one guy who treated you like Jacques did. Right now, Whitley is doing more to break the habits your father instilled in all of you, while you give in to them and take pride in just calling them something else. These orbs will keep this up for a while, staying a hundred meters in front of the frontline, so gather your forces and prepare to push back the Grimm." With that, she teleported away, leaving the Ace-Ops and Winter to deal with both the situation, and the revelation that it was their fault after all.

~o~

When Ruby's Group and the Ace-Ops approached the mine to take care of the Geist, they were all excited, until the mountain suddenly exploded. The pilots struggled to keep the Manta under control as the shockwave rolled over them, and while Clover informed General Ironwood of what had happened, they landed near the smoking crater and the others got their weapons ready. When Clover was done, he put his scroll away and drew his fishing rod as well, and the group saw light purple energy flares in the smoke.

"No way, a maiden?" Ruby asked, and everyone got a bit more tense. Permafrost floated out of the smoke and debris, and the group was horrified to see her in such a state.

"I think… I got… carried away," Permafrost said, and dropped to the ground.

"Jaune, hurry," Ruby said, and Jaune rushed over and started recharging her aura.

"What happened?" Ruby asked and hurried over to cover Permafrost with her cloak.

"And why did you destroy the mine?" Clover asked in a much more judgmental tone, garnering him sour looks from Ruby's Group.

"It was abandoned, and a Grimm had used it as its hideout," Permafrost answered, "I cleared it with Jacques Schnee, and he allowed me to exterminate the Grimm, even if it means destroying the mine. But… why are you here?"

"We were planning to eliminate the Grimm as well," Clover answered.

"And why?" Permafrost asked.

"That is confidential, I'm afraid," Clover answered, "I don't even know who you are."

"That sounds like a you problem," Permafrost said and started to get back up, "I've come here to kill Grimm, mainly because the military has proven itself unable or unwilling to lend the support it has promised Mantle. General Ironwood is clearly afraid of something he saw in Vale, and this fear causes him to repeat the mistakes that destroyed Beacon. Plus, his Ace Operatives, and Winter Schnee, all support his paranoia and reinforce his disliking of those he needs to listen to, instead of helping him stay on track."

"Wait, what?" Clover asked, "What was that with Vale?"

"Clover Ebi. Semblance, Good Luck," Permafrost said, "It protects you from the consequences of your actions. While useful, it has prevented you from learning about risk assessment, because risks do not exist for you. If you decide to follow your current path, you will die within a week after the election, and Atlas will be completely destroyed the next day."

"No," Ruby said under her breath.

"Next, Harriet Bree. Semblance, Super Speed," Permafrost said, "It makes you fast, but your reliance on melee combat prevents you from using its full potential. You also still mourn your friend Tortuga, but hide that pain from the world, causing you to be easily agitated. You know that the General's heartlessness causes you that pain, but are too immature to bring it up to him, so you lash out at anyone for even the smallest reason. Within a few hours after Clover's death, both Penny and Vine will die by your hands."

"No," Harriet said, stepping back, "No, that's not true."

"If you do not take responsibility for your actions, that will be your future," Permafrost said, "General Ironwood needs your help, not your obedience. Tell him that he is playing into Salem's hands, just like in Vale, and that he needs to unite Atlas before he can think of uniting the world. Whether you live or die is in your hands. Salem knew he would try using Amity, which is why she allowed it to leave Vale in the first place. This past year, until recently, none of her minions have been in this kingdom, because leaving Ironwood to his own devices is the best move she can make against whatever he wants to protect." With that, and being fully healed up again, Permafrost teleported away, heading back to her own timeline, after making a few more stops for smaller adjustments to different timelines.


Trigger warning: Blood.

Author's note: And that is Permafrost.